A birthday wish fulfilled

10. November 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: birthday, kids, New Hampshire

Yesterday, a birthday wish was finally granted. Jake wanted to spend the day with me and wanted to go to a firing range. Given that his eventual goal is to become a police officer somewhere, this was a very sensible request. I just wanted to spend some quality time with my son. After weeks of planning and schedule adjustments, we were able to schedule it for yesterday.

We headed north to Manchester Firing Line in Manchester, New Hampshire. I jokingly refer to New Hampshire as “Lawless New Hampshire” based on a former boss’ description of their laws, but know that they are serious about the few laws they do have. After all, any state that dares to use “Live Free or Die” as their state motto surely doesn’t have as many gun laws as other states. This location allows for a single person to rent and shoot a wide variety of guns with a short training course, but doesn’t require it if a second person is with them. After talking with a very knowledgeable sales person (retired police officer) about Jake’s eventual goals, he set us up with a standard issue weapon used by CIA, FBI and many police officers around the country. We rented a Sig Sauer 9MM handgun, then headed into the back through multiple doors used to keep the air clean in the store and the noise contained to the range.

We shot a total of 150 rounds of ammunition, with each clip 13 rounds shot at a different range. While we started at 25 feet, he shot at the target from as far away as 50 feet. The target was pretty much demolished at the end, knowing that almost every round hit somewhere on that piece of paper. We ended up in the member’s area because of availability, so got to see some of the serious weapons that others brought in their own cases. From small handguns to large rifles, we were somewhat shocked that these huge guns were being shot indoors.

Within the same set of 14 stalls, we watched a semi-automatic AK style gun blast the hell out a target by two guys. Another rifle was used with a scope for very accurate shooting at the maximum distance of 60 feet. Yet another small caliber handgun was shot with deadly accuracy at short range, nailing the target that had the outline of a person first in the heart over and over, then in the head for the final rounds. I had to think that this well dressed man was one that should never have problems defending himself. I played it out in my mind that he provided personal protection for a dignitary, or was in a witness protection program and needed personal protection.

On the drive home, we talked about the experience, what Jake’s aspirations are, and how the mechanics of a single action vs. dual action weapon work. After all, we’re guys and we’re geeks to understand the mechanics of whatever we’re working on.

The bottom line is that we spent the day together – a quality, father-son day that we rarely get to do. I will remember this forever and only hope that Jake will as well!

Family

04. November 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: birthday, Connie

Yesterday, we pulled off the surprise party for Sue’s Mom. First, our daughter surprised her at her door by showing up with our son for her birthday dinner at our house. She just “decided” to come home for the weekend. Then, they escorted her back to our home for her real surprise.

Finally in the kitchen, the surprise guests started coming out from the living room one couple at a time. It took just one couple coming into view for the tears to start. Needless to say, she was taken completely off guard by every single visitor. There were children, grandchildren, one great grandchild, and a long time friend helping in the celebration. Sue’s Mom was in tears early and often, and couldn’t believe that all of this was for her. Needless to say, she was very, very happy.

We got to spend some quality time with one of our nephews and his family for the first time in almost three years. That was a hectic trip to Georgia over Christmas that included an 18 hour, single day drive for my family (never again). We always get along with them and can pick up our conversations as if they never stopped. Their son is looking at Berklee College of Music in Boston, so they combined the visit here with one at Berklee the following day.

Since the surprise party didn’t start until 3 PM, we cooked breakfast for everyone that was in town. Sue made the bacon and biscuits in the oven, and I provided made to order eggs including some pretty good omelets for everyone. The party included multiple entrees to satisfy everyone, and each was able to be kept warm in a crock pot or warming tray. I finally got to put my rice cooker to good use. While it’s not practical for a normal dinner, it worked perfectly for a large quantity of rice that needed to be kept warm for hours. I had such high aspirations for that rice cooker when I bought it, but it was rarely used until this party.

So while the party went off without a hitch, we were simply exhausted when it was done. We finally got to sit around 10:30 PM and both of us simply collapsed. We had both been on our feet since early morning, running around all day. Today, Sue gets to drive our daughter and roommates back to college (7+ hours), and I get to rake and move leaves to the curb all day. With leaf pickup scheduled for tomorrow or Tuesday, it just needs to get done. At least Hurricane Sandy blew most of the leaves off from the trees, so this should be a once and done effort for the year. For now, I’m just drinking my coffee and content with the thoughts that my Mother-in-law is the happiest she has been in many, many years.

90 Years

02. November 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: birthday, Connecticut, Connie, moving

This weekend, we are celebrating Sue’s mom’s 90th birthday. We have two of her children coming in from out of state, as well as at least one nephew and his family coming up from North Carolina. Our niece may be coming from Virginia, but Hurricane Sandy may have ruined her husband’s plan to see his childhood friend run the ING New York Marathon this weekend.

The celebration of Connie’s 90 years makes me think about how many things she has lived through. Being 90 now puts her birthdate in 1922. From a bad perspective, she’s lived through the great depression, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, many floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters, and, sadly, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On a positive note, she’s lived through 100% of commercial flight, the entire space program, and the addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states.

She also lived through a 50+ year marriage, the birth of four children, ten grandchildren, ten great grandchildren (so far), dozens of weddings and plenty of funerals. She has never lived outside of the eastern seaboard of the United States, but has traveled around the world, including camping on the beach in Mexico with Sue and I. To say she’s had a full life is quite the understatement.

She has also now moved for what we think will be the last time. We helped her relocate from Georgia back to Connecticut. She is enjoying life in her adult apartment, along with a full array of social activities. She’s in a very happy place now – and at 90, certainly deserves it!

Missed it by a whisker

31. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: weather

So Hurricane Sandy has come and gone. We had lots of wind yesterday, lost a grill off our deck, and had a few large branches fall. But unbelievably, we never lost power except for a quick glitch when dinner was almost ready. We gulped and hadn’t quite caught our breath before the power was back on. I’m still not sure how we kept power, but we did. We lost our Internet, cable and phone around 1:45 in the afternoon, so that kept me from working. Sue’s office was closed but mine was open so I worked all day until I lost that connection. Because I have only a virtual desktop, I have no ability to work remotely without a strong Internet connection.

As of this morning, our Internet connection was still down so I needed to head into the office. I headed in on back roads — highways were still closed when I left but opened up when I was half way in. So, I headed west and headed over to the Interstate to finish my drive in on the highway. Traffic on the newly opened highways was so light; it seemed that most people were working from home or taking the day off. As I got to my office, I realized that about half of my co-workers were home or taking the day off. The parking lot was only partially filled and the desks were practically empty. I’m guessing that a few groups not in proximity to my desk were more filled than my group, mostly based on the fact that many groups cannot work offline like my team can do. We’re mostly working heads down on documentation, others are answering calls from customers. Our work can be done from anywhere with an Internet connection – theirs, not so much.

So when all is said and done, we were very and survived the storm this year with little damage and little stress. Unlike last year, we weren’t outside, surveying the damage almost hourly and all night long. We slept through the night, counting our stars that we were not even close to the damage from last year.

This weekend, we’re hosting a party for Sue’s Mom’s 90th birthday. We have a few relatives from out of town from Sue’s family (two brothers and a nephew and their respective spouses), and our daughter will be in town to help celebrate. While it won’t be a great surprise, it’s the a good chance for family to spend time together and have cousins spend quality time together. We’ll have a great time and it should be a fantastic weekend!

October Winds

28. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: weather

As I write this, it seems to be the calm before the storm (literally). The sky is gray and ominous and only a few additional leaves fell overnight. The remaining leaves are prime targets for the wind that will be here later today and over the next few days. They are likely to all come down but we’re hoping they don’t bring any branches down with them

Last year’s Snowtober storm pretty much took our town to it’s knees. We lost power for just over 8 days and learned that after about 4 of those days, that we were sick and tired of no power and the darkness that settled in around 5:30 each evening. Then, as now, time had not shifted with the end of daylight savings time. Work still started at the same time, but with no power, Internet or phone, made working remotely impossible. The kids were great — no school that week for either of them, and they hadn’t killed each other by the time we got home. They were real troopers. One thing that we had then as we do now, is the propane fireplace in the Florida room. It provided more than enough heat to sleep for those who choose to sleep downstairs. Sue and I headed upstairs under a pile of blankets to attempt to stay warm enough for the few hours we would be in bed.

This year, we are only a bit more prepared. We have water stockpiled and we have both neighbors with generators for their wells and a local place to crash if needed at my Mother-in-law’s home in the adult living facility. They have a large generator and shouldn’t lose power for long given the elder population and in-town location. So at least we have backups for short showers and power. While we will eventually purchase a generator large enough to power a few appliances, a few lights, and the well and furnace, we haven’t made that a priority in our lives yet. Maybe this storm will be the motivation to get that done before winter is through.

We do have a challenging week coming up with the combination of the storm and inbound visitors starting on Friday. Sue’s Mom turns 90 on Halloween. We won’t be there because of a few young visitors and the fact that her facility has a Halloween celebration. She’s really enjoying the company and the fact that she interacts with her peers on a daily basis. She also knows that she is in better health than 90% of them, and certainly in better health than anyone else in their 90s. We are putting on a surprise birthday party for her next Saturday that will include a few out of town guests. Two of Sue’s brothers and their spouses, at least one nephew and his family, and perhaps a niece and part of her family including her husband that most of the family has never met. Needless to say, this is making Sue nuts with everything that needs to get done in combination with the impending power outage and storm clean-up. But, everything will get done, or it won’t, and the party will go off with only it’s normal collection of hitches.

My priority today is to complete a huge body of work for my real job so that it can get reviewed and approved on Thursday. Once I have that submitted, I can actually dedicate myself to helping around here. The work here yesterday wasn’t enough to feel accomplished in any aspect – work or home. But, we did get a great jump on the work at home. Today, we’re hanging pictures, moving furniture, and then trying to batten down the hatches to prevent outdoor items from flying away in the wind!

Little Progress for Great Effort

26. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: fall, family

Both Sue and I have been working long hours lately without a lot of success to show for the work. Tonight, for example, she is still on a conference call that started almost three hours ago. She also worked almost ten hours in the office before heading home to grab dinner and jump on the call. It doesn’t make for a relaxing evening at home, to say the least.

I have been working less hours than her, although more hours than I am used to. I am in the midst of a difficult project right now, but expect the major work to be done with tomorrow if I can get the heads down time I need during the day.

At home, we have a great deal of work to do this weekend to get ready for next weekend’s party for Sue’s Mom. We have to blow the leaves, mow the grass, and clean the house this weekend. I am sure that I have the outside and Sue will get the inside. We do have things to hang on the walls, so everything isn’t all outside!

Later on, we have a party on Saturday evening that is being hosted by a coworker and his partner who have held this for many years. Last year, it was canceled because of the huge storm that pounded our state and left us without power for over a week. This year, we are expecting no bad weather until at least Monday from the latest hurricane (Hurricane Sandy). I guess that time will tell!

Trying to get a handle on life

22. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Connie, moving, winter

Since we moved to Connecticut, it has seemingly been a non-stop roller coaster of work. Putting our feet up and relaxing has been done so rarely that it just seems to no longer be a part of our life. This weekend was no exception.

We both worked late on Friday, followed by the gym for me and late work for Sue, we came home and pretty much collapsed. We did make it to bed fairly early Friday but then went pretty much non-stop all of Saturday. I spent the afternoon raking the front yard so that I could mow the portion where I need to use the standard mower. I didn’t have time to actually mow that section because I was called away to move furniture.

Late in the afternoon, we met her Mom and Jake at the Arbors (her mom’s new residence), then took the newly purchased furniture up to her mom’s new place. We had to go in through the front door because it was dinnertime and you cannot bring furniture through the dining room during a meal time. So we manhandled the pieces in several trips up the main elevator, moved around the furniture and got it settled. We finally left around 6:15 so I could then mow the section of the lawn previously cleared, throw on our costumes, and head to a halloween party from a co-worker. Of course, we were late getting to the party and were both exhausted, but had a fun time nonetheless.

Sunday, Sue went to church to sing, attending a lengthy service followed by a choir meeting, and I worked around the house. When she got home, we both headed outside to attack the leaves in the rest of the yard and mow the section of the yard that hadn’t been mowed on Saturday. By the time we finished, it was nearly dark and we were pretty much exhausted again. Sue did take the time to cut my hair (long overdue) and we both got cleaned up for dinner. After a wonderful steak dinner, we finally got the chance to sit, but only long enough to collapse and drag our tired butts to bed.

The next two weekends are pretty much a repeat of this one, with the non-stop nature of life. This week and weekend will be spent getting the house ready for a boatload of guests. We’re hanging a bunch of items on the wall (both ours that have not been re-hung since painting and new items we got from Sue’s Mom), and generally cleaning the house in preparation for visitors. Then, we’re heading on Saturday to another Halloween party hosted by a co-worker. It’s almost an hour away, so we’re heading up early so we’re not nearly as late as we were this weekend.

In some aspects, I am looking forward to winter where the weather dictates that it’s too cold to work outside and that indoor projects aren’t a priority anymore. At least I can dream, right?

New workout, new pain

20. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: YMCA

After work today, I decided to hit the gym and give the “new” core workout a try. It is mostly core work after a 10 minute warmup on the treadmill. So I ran for the allocated 10+ minutes at a 5.8 to 6 mph pace, then headed over to the mats and bench area for my 30 minutes of pain workout.

The workout consists of jumping, squats, some lifting, and other activities that are totally foreign to my uncoordinated body. I did less reps than the plan called for, but more than I thought I would be able to. Finally, I headed back to the treadmill to stretch and cool down.

Fortunately, one of our company’s health advocates was very willing to pay it forward and help me out with my form. He pointed out that my lunge form was not quite right and after some slight modifications, found a way more effective and less difficult to do. He also pointed out that the weight I was using was probably too heavy. I tried to use a 17 lb kettle ball, but the weight was only shown in metric and I was very tired at that point, so went with the first one I picked up. I’m guessing that it was closer to 40 lbs, way too heavy! Next time, I’ll make a better choice!

So the first workout is done and I have sore muscles to tend to today. Let’s hope that next time won’t be quite so awkward!

Seal Release

15. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Maine

Today, we got to watch three young seals be released back to the Atlantic. The three seals were rescue seals, nurtured back to health by the University of New England Marine Sciences college. Each was significantly underweight and each gained 50 – almost 70 pounds over the past few months so were each ready to be sent back into the ocean before the winter sets in. So this afternoon, the three crates were brought to a private beach and the three crates opened. They waddled down the sand and quickly started swimming within a few minutes. It was quite a site to see. My daughter simply stated that it was another one off her bucket list.

Parent’s Weekend

13. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Maine, UNE

We are currently in Maine visiting with our youngest child for Parent’s Weekend. Since they don’t have these at a community college, and since my parents never came to mine when I was in college, this is my first experience with such a weekend. We got in town too late for the President’s reception, so just dropped off the items we brought for Kaite, then took her and her roommate to dinner at a local favorite restaurant, Run of the Mill. My fish and chips was excellent, the micro brew tasty, and the company perfect!

Today, we’re doing a few things on campus, then heading to Portland for the day because it’s apparently time to start Christmas shopping.

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