Job History

I was going through a bunch of college papers and such the other day and stumbled across an old resume that I put together for my college writing class. Given my current work situation, it was interesting to see that my last break in work was 20 years ago. I wanted to capture this info for posterity.

06/93 - 09/93	Ruff-Tuff Data Products	Delivery Driver
09/94 - 02/95	Cinemark Theaters	Concessionist/Ticket Sales
10/94 - 02/95	Identity Properties	Front Desk Clerk
10/95 - 02/96	Equifax	Authorization Agent
02/96 - 07/01	University of Utah-DCE	Receptionist/Front Desk/Lab Tech
07/01 - 01/07	Myriad Genetics	Programmer I/II/III
01/07 - 01/15	Partnet	Senior Software Developer

The Gervais Principle

Jeff, a friend on mine, pointed me to a blog post today (The Gervais Principle) and suggested that I read it.  It's actually a series of posts and I've only read the first one.  I've added the others to my reading list.  Some of the quotes that I thoroughly enjoyed.

So why is promoting over-performing Losers logical? The simple reason is that if you over-perform at the Loser level, it is clear that you are an idiot. You’ve already made a bad bargain, and now you’re delivering more value than you need to, making your bargain even worse.  

He knows his under-performance is not sustainable, but he has no intention of becoming a lifetime-Loser employee anyway. He takes the calculated risk that he’ll find a way up before he is fired for incompetence.

He is oblivious to the fact that the Sociopaths use Powertalk as a coded language with which to simultaneously sustain the (necessary) delusions of the Clueless and communicate with each other.

I'll post a bit more (or intend to) as I dive into the others.

Wise Words of Tecumseh (Shawnee)

This was read as part of my uncle Gary's funeral service:

Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Touch not the poisonous firewater that makes wise ones turn to fools and robs their spirit of its vision.
When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.

Garileo Pedroza

Hubs and Dad
Kearns, UT-Gary was born September 6, 1956 to Frank and Beverly Pedroza in Murray, Utah he married Ann in 1981 and they have two wonderful sons, Philip and Issac. He is the third of four brothers. Although he is free of the pain of arthritis, it was not a peaceful passing. He fought like hell to stay as he felt that he had work to do and that he needed to take care of his little family, multitude of friends and cohorts. His passing has left a large hole in many people and places. He left us all way too early. He is preceded in death by his parents. Survived by his wife, sons, brothers and a multitude of aunts, uncles and cousins.
 
Gari grew up in Kearns, Utah. He attended Kearns Jr. High and was student body president, inspiring many, and helping transform the Kearns High graduating class of 1974 into one of the closest classes ever. Gari went on to graduate from the "U" in planning, working as an intern for SLC and then as a planner at Price, Utah. As the arthritis began to take a toll on his body, he worked from home turning his "avocation" into his "vocation", consulting and connecting people on various projects relating to his geometries with the intent of helping the world.
 
Gari loved camping and the mountains. Because he could no longer hike he had to content himself with driving to the various vacation areas, speeding by rest areas with a vengeance! Everyone learned quickly not to drink any beverage while on the drive with "G"!
 
Gari always honored Christmas and kept it in his heart the whole year. It is appropriate that he left with the angels this time of year.

45 Lessons

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone
8. Its OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

 Friends are the family that we choose

Grandma Bev

Gandma Bev passed away earlier this morning around 2:00 AM.  My dad called around 7:30 to tell me the news.  He had been over to see her last night and stopped by before heading home.  He said he didn't think she'd live through the weekend.  My grandma was 82 and had been sick for some time.  I think to say she lived a full life is a fair statement.

Death is a strange thing.  It certainly makes you stop and think.  My dad and uncles were trying to plan the funeral when I saw them earlier this evening.  I don't think that's something you should leave to your kids.  I think it's important to have that stuff in order so that you can have things the way you want and so that a burden is placed on those that you leave behind.

For me, I don't want a viewing and I want to be cremated (haven't decided if it's important what happens to my ashes).  I want people to remember me for who I was in life, not in death.  Additionally, I don't see any reason in being laid in the ground.  Cemeteries are such an odd thing to me.  I just don't get it.  I can understand having a place where people go to remember me, but why a cemetery?  I'm sure that statement is somehow against my religion, but I really don't care.

As I said above, no plans have been made for my grandma's funeral yet, but I choose to remember my grandma for who she was and what she meant for my family.  Many a Christmas memory took place at her house.  I will try to hold on to those memories over the years, but I'm certain they will fade.  Many a recipe has been lost and not enough pictures and conversations were had.  I look to the future with hope, but will occasionally revisit the memories of the past.  May God rest your soul, Grandma.

2010 Resolutions/Goals update

My how priorities change once a child arrives. Since our second son, Alex, was born, I haven't had much time to think about these, but here's an update.

House - hang paintings

Still not on the wall and no signs that it's going to happen any time soon. We've actually been thinking about moving so this one isn't really even on the list any more. I should probably just retire the idea.

Life - shoot shotgun (w/Jeff)

Crazy that Summer is over and the same for Fall nearly. There's one possibility that this may still happen in November if I can make it happen and schedules permit. We did a guys trip late in the Spring and talked about the possibility of a pheasant hunting trip down to south eastern Utah and there seemed to be some definite interest. You'd think with this one being on both our lists that we could make it happen. Hard to find time for both of us though with 2 boys each.

Life - go fishing (fly fishing)

I've actually been fishing twice that I can think of and will most likely have another opportunity this weekend as well. I fished late in the Summer up by my mom's for about 2 hours. Didn't have any luck, but CJ got to see his dad dressed up like a fool and standing in the middle of the river. I also fished 2 weeks ago on the elk hunt for about 4 hours and caught 3 fish including a nice 14 inch brown trout. I'm always amazed at how calming and escaping it can be for me to go fish.

Life - improve job satisfaction

Nothing specific has changed in this arena except for maybe my attitude. Things have definitely changed for the better, but that may just be that work has picked up over the Spring and Summer and for sure right now in the Fall. I think I've learned that I need to stay relatively busy at work in order to be getting something out of it.

Life - don't gain any more weight

Can't report much progress here. I hate to keep saying that the 2 boys are keeping us busy, but that's certainly been the case. Additionally, I've had this lingering ankle pain that just won't go away. I was reminded a couple weeks ago on the elk hunt, however, that I need to do something about this issue because the mountains aren't getting any smaller and I'm not getting any younger. Some friends, and my wife, are doing this "Biggest Looser" competition that I didn't involve myself in, but maybe I should have.

Life - blog once a month

Work on this goal comes in waves, and recently I feel like I've had more to write about. That hasn't necessarily manifested itself as more posts, but the desire to write is at high tide. Since the Spring and especially since Alex was born, there's been an extended period of low tide. I've partially justified this as being okay by thinking my declining interest in wanting to post equates to a declining need to complain, but that isn't fair. I have more to offer than complaints. Maybe I need to stop with the damn FarmVille! I have been posting more random thoughts on FB though... does that count for anything?

House - build a shed

I was making good progress down this road a while back but the lack of a decision of where to actually put the shed stalled this goal. We have 2 competing locations both offering pros and cons. In one location, I could simply buy a pre-fab shed... simple, easy, done. The other location (the one I think I prefer) would require a custom shed be built. I have plans for the custom shed, but no cost figures. I know it's something I could build and something down the road I'd be proud to have built, but it hasn't happened yet and Fall is here. The other issue with this one has of course been the issue of whether or not we're moving.

Life - play basketball >=5 times

This damn ankle/lower leg pain I've been experiencing has been keeping this one from happening. There's still a slim chance for this one, but I need to get this pain addressed. I don't think there's anything structurally wrong with my leg, but I'm beginning to wonder if it might be a pinched nerve or something. Need to call/see someone about this. I'm not ready to retire from my athletic endeavors.

House - magicjack transition

I've backed away from this idea some after talking with a few more magicjack customers. Couple with the fact that the magicjack site still says support for Linux is coming in the first quarter of 2010 and I'm not too excited about any progress occurring any time soon. Yes, I hate, hate, hate paying Qwest each month for our overpriced phone service and that thorn digs into my side whenever I think about it.

Life - go to confession

I've read a couple books this year that I thought were going to help me towards this goal, but they've had the opposite effect. I'm struggling a bit with my Catholicism.

House Thoughts #2

Some things about our house that we could be improved... dare I say CONS. I'll try not to defend, rank, or judge any of the following issues in an attempt to just lay out some facts (no promises though).

1. No central air - the swamp cooler just doesn't cut it July and August. I'm not going to say that it's unbearable, but if it's 100 degrees outside, it's 80 degrees in the house. There are 3 air ducts where the cooler blows in rather than only one as in most houses with swamp coolers.
   
   • One of the main related issues here is that our house doesn't have air ducts so installing a traditional central air system isn't really possible. We did, however, recently talk to an HVAC company about an A/C system that doesn't require duct work.
     
2. No forced air furnace - our house has a boiler with baseboard radiators in the rooms (not the old fashioned cast iron radiators). This one will be tough to not defend because there are a number of benefits to this system. Maybe I'll just list a few to get the defending out of the way:
   
   • I've been told by a number of professionals that a boiler is actually the most efficient way to heat your house. A lot of high efficiency homes use a boiler with in-floor heating.
     
   • A boiler is a simple device that just heats water. A boiler can last a long time unlike an electric furnace (I will say that our furnace is 24 years old).
     
   • A forced air furnace creating and circulates a lot of dust.
     
   • A boiler produces an even heat that allows your house temperature to stay more even as opposed to heat from a furnace that comes on for a while and then turns off.
   Done defending, back to the facts. Because boilers aren't the norm, it's been difficult to find a good/knowledgeable company to service the boiler (luckily I've solved this issue by finding Tingey Plumbing).
   
3. No real yard and the one we do have isn't fenced. This wasn't ever an issue/concern, and was actually rather nice, until we had kids. The need for a place for the boys to run around, be secured, and leave all their stuff laying around is definitely a real need for us now.
4. 2200 sq. ft. seems a lot smaller these days. Again, not an issue until the boys showed up and probably wouldn't be an issue if our house was laid out differently. Our house is very open. Our main floor is essentially one space so without any doors. As such, the entire main floor has turned into a giant kid room with toys everywhere.

More to follow

House Thoughts #1

Let's start with some of the PROS of our current house (in no particular order).

1. My house is close to where I work. According to Google, 3.9 miles (12 min). I hate to say this is definitely one of my major issues with moving, but it clearly is. 3.9 miles is really nice and allows me a lot of flexibility. Combine that with the flexibility that my work allows as far as working hours, time in the office vs. working from home, etc, this is a major pro.
2. In roughly 7 years (assuming no major changes in our life), our house will be paid for... as in no mortgage payment. I know very few people my age who can say that... not including anyone whose parents paid for their house. Not having a mortgage payment would clearly give Jo and I quite a bit of flexibility as to our options later in life.
3. I like living across the street from my uncle and grandmother and the relationships that proximity has fostered. Clearly, having family close by can be both a positive and a negative, but in this case, it's certainly been a positive. There have been many impromptu get-togethers over the years that we would have missed out on if we/they weren't so close.
   

House Thoughts Preview

Boy have I been crappy at posting lately :-(

I have a theory though that makes my neglect ok (or at least justifiable in my mind). My theory is that the more I'm blogging, the more I have to complain about. Therefore, the less I'm blogging, the more content I am. So there :-P

I do have a topic that's been on my mind quite a bit lately, and I think I've reach a point where I have to write down some thoughts. My intention is that there will be a series of posts about this topic. The topic on my mind is "Should we move?" as in change houses.

We've been in our house now for 8 1/2 years and we've enjoyed it quite a bit. At the same, now that our oldest son has started running around more and our newest son arriving in July, we're starting to see greener grass on the horizon. Yes, the grass will always be greener, but right now, ours is in desperate need of some watering. My idea behind this series of posts is to discuss some of pros and cons of staying versus leaving. At this point, no decision has been made and there are definitely strong forces competing currently. Hopefully, this exercise will help us be more subjective and facilitate us making the best decision for our family.

2010 Resolutions/Goals update

Original Resolutions/goals post

1. Life - smoke cigars
No real update for this one. Our second baby will be here in July so that will certainly be an opportunity.

2. House - install microwave
Tada! As you can see in the photos, this one is done. The 3rd photo in the group here is where the microwave sat for 8 months. I must admit that the only role I played in getting this done was to find a contractor to do it for us. Luckily, I have found an awesome contractor who's done some other work for us and will continue to do work for us in the future.

3. House - hang paintings
No progress on this one primarily because it hasn't been on the top of the list. Now that the microwave is done, this moves up in priority.

4. Life - see a movie in the theater
Booya! This one is done too. Actually, I've seen 2 movies in the theater already this year. Jo and I had a date night in Jan and saw "Up in the Air". A very good show. Last week, Jeff and I saw "The Book of Eli". Also, a very good show. At this rate, I'll see more movies in the theater than I have in years. Still haven't seen "Avatar".

5. Life - shoot shotgun (w/Jeff)
No progress on this one and real effort due to weather. Come on Summer!

6. Life - go fishing (fly fishing)
Not to blame the weather on this one too, but it is easier to keep this one on hold while it's still cold. Although, now that it's starting to warm up, I am starting to feel the itch more and more. I don't want to say I'm confident that this one will get done (especially with the new baby on the way), but I'm very hopeful. We do have plans to go to Clear Creek in April, so that might be a good time to shoot for.

7. Life - improve job satisfaction
This one has been a struggle, and I'm a little reluctant to write much about it. Sadly, there's only so much I can do to really work on this one. I am hopeful for this one as it's one of the most important I feel.

8. Life - don't gain any more weight
Ugh... can I just skip this one for now (as I sit here eating trail mix)?

9. Life - blog once a month
Doing pretty good on this one. Not all of my posts have been at the same level, but I do feel like I've been doing a better job of getting my thoughts and feelings out there. Part of the issue that I struggle with is finding something other than the day to day to write about.

10. House - build a shed
Some progress has actually been made on this one, and I think I have a plan to get it accomplished. For information sake, I had a contractor give me a bid, and it was in the ballpark of what I was thinking (which is more than I want to pay). I've also done some research on buying a shed kit and either having it put together or doing it myself. The current plan is to buy a kit and put it together myself. I'm sure that it could be done over a weekend with some help from a friend or two.

11. Life - play basketball >=5 times
No progress here, but some of the guys I used to play ball with are starting to play on the occasional Sunday in addition to Tues and Thurs during lunch.

12. House - magicJack transition
According to magicJack's site, they were supposed to be coming out with a new version that would run on Linux. That has yet to happen. We've given some more thought to the idea of buying a new computer and I'm sure we'd end up with a Windows box, but that hasn't happened yet either. My wife has warmed up to the idea though due in large part to the number of phone solicitations we receive on a daily basis. It seems like the more money you donate, the more calls like that you receive.

13. Life - go to confession
No real progress to report here although my plan to read a book about the sacrament is on the horizon. I wanted to get through a few other things that I was reading before I started to work on this one. I've since finished those other things, and the next step is to talk to Greg about a book that he could recommend.

So, I'd say the tally to this point is 3/13 which isn't great, but I'm still hopeful. Progress is nice to see and with winter nearly behind us, I'm excited to see what the warmer weather brings.

Relationships

The ramblings in this post have been floating around in my head for months now. I don't know if I'm ready to write this or not, but I need to give it a shot. I've written before about it being more important to say something than it is to say exactly what I want to say. With this post in particular, I'm not sure what I want to say and I'm not sure where it'll go.

First and foremost, I should probably begin with a disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER: This post is in no way intended to offend any of my friends, family, or other people in my life. The intention behind it is more to show love and just put my thoughts out there.

Side note - DISCLAIMER P.S. - At the same time though, over the past couple years, I think I'm starting to care less about what others think about me. I could write an entire post about this point, but I've spent a lot of my life worrying too much about what others think. It's not that I don't care or that I'm trying to shove people away... certainly not. It's more just about wanting to be true to myself.

I think I want to start out with the following pretty broad statement: To all my real friends and family, I love you all dearly and only wish we could spend more time together. I wish that life moved slow enough for us to all share our lives more fully. We spend so much time apart and so much time with other people in our lives (coworkers, etc). I'm reminded of a quote by Bilbo Baggins.

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you, half as well as you deserve."

I've always had a fairly small group of friends, and I believe I prefer it that way (Having nothing to compare it to, I can't say for certain, but I firmly believe that would be my preference). I think it's difficult and unreasonable to try to maintain a multitude of close relationships. What's a 'multitude'? I'm sure that's different for everyone, but I tend to feel my definition is pretty small. I'd rather be your 'friend' rather than your 'buddy'. I'd rather be someone you know you can count on and know that I can count on you as well. What's a 'close relationship'? That too is probably different for everyone, but I'd generally like to be closer to all my friends.

I recognize the importance of having true friends in your life. One of the most wonderful things about friendship is that it's voluntary. There is no obligation like there tends to be with family. There's an interesting discussion that could be had about the differences in relationships between family members and those between friends. I know a few people in my life that don't seem to have any of these types of relationships (friends), and I think it's pretty sad.

As my wife and I have gotten older, we've watched as our friends began having babies and how life fills up with other activities as a result. Now that we're parents, we're definitely aware that the same thing is happening to us. That's not to say that I/we resent our friends or our kids. Certainly not! I'm merely pointing out that something has to give in our busy lives. Have people's lives always been as busy? Not according to my grandparents. This too could easily be a topic of an entire post, but I digress.

I started off this post with saying I had no idea where it was going, and I think I've successfully demonstrated that point. I'm not sure where I am with this post at this point so it's probably time to send it out into the ether. I do love my friends and family (most of the time).

Until next time

Gifts

I just ran across this and had to share:

My relatives are always asking us what they can get us for birthdays and holidays, and I'm usually at a loss. After all, my son can only play with so many toys, and anything he really needs, we've probably already purchased. So they end up sending checks, which just drop unceremoniously into the bank account. The next time someone asks you about a gift, suggest a housekeeping gift certificate. Instead of spending hours at home cleaning and organizing, you can devote them to quality time with your family.

2010 Resolutions/Goals

As I mentioned in my earlier Resolutions in Hindsight post, I've not a fan of resolutions. I think part of the issue has to do with pressure, of which I'm not too big on. I see no need to place additional pressure on myself because I've already got enough to go around. Why do I feel the pressure? Who knows... story of my life. It's something that I've lived with for as long as I can remember. I'm sure those that know me would agree.

At the same time though, I do recognize that having a plan is a good thing and that a little pressure can also be a good thing. In addition to pressure, I've always been a planner, but I'm much better at planning for the short term rather than the long term. Give me something to plan for in the near future, like a dinner party or something, and I start planning. Ask me where I see myself in 5 years and what I'm doing to get there, and I probably can't be too specific.

So, with that in mind, I'm throwing out some resolutions/plans/goals for 2010.

1. Life - find occasion to smoke cigars
   About 6 months ago, my mom took me to an open house the Tinder Box was having. We drank some wine, had some cheese, and smoked a cigar. I haven't smoked a real cigar is forever - probably 15 years or so. Yes, I've smoked some cheap cigars with friends upon occasion, but nothing worth remembering. So, my mom and I smoke a nice cigar and it's a pleasant experience. One of those mother/son experiences (certainly not your typical one, but it never has been with my mom). She says I should buy some and she offers to buy some as well. I ended up buying 5 cigars I think and a humidor. I admit that these were both impulse buys, but nevertheless. So now I have these cigars and I'd like to share them in hopes of having other memorable experiences with some people in my life. Who/when/where is a bit of a question. I guess time will tell.
   


2. House - install microwave
   Certainly an easier one to write about. For anyone who's been to my house, I'm sure you know what this project is referring to. We've had a microwave sitting on our countertop for quite some time now... I would 4 months. About 6 months ago, our previous microwave was sitting hidden inside one of our cabinets, but one day it died. We were able to replace the microwave with the new one relatively cheap (we have yet to pay for it in fact). However, we never liked the microwave in the cabinet and want it mounted above the stove. That however is proving more involved than we hoped. This project is another piece our kitchen improvement understanding that we're working towards. I need to get an electrician over here to run a dedicated line so that we can take the next step in getting this project accomplished.
   


3. House - hang paintings
   We inherited some paintings from my grandparents that were my great-grandma's this past May. We need to replace the frames and decide on the right location. Sounds easy enough, but May is only 5 months away. Our house has certainly been in transition quite a bit over this past year, but we have to get this done.
   


4. Life - see a movie in the theater
   Can't believe that I/we are admitting to this one. I honestly can't remember the last movie I/we saw in the theater. We finally managed to watch a DVD just the other night for the first time in forever. Sad thing is I know there have been some movies this past year that would have been great in the theater. We just need to do it. Should I modify this goal such that it can't be a kid movie? That would probably is pushing it so I'll stick with any movie.
   


5. Life - shoot shotgun (w/Jeff)
   This is really a 2-for-1 goal. This past year, a friend of mine, Jeff, had the goal to shoot his shotgun. We've talked about it a number of times and I/we have other friends that would be interested in this as well. Normally, shooting my shotgun wouldn't qualify as a big deal, but I didn't shoot mine all last year. I could have gone on the pheasant hunt or the duck hunt, but passed on both. I doubt though that Jeff would want to go hunting. Going down to the Castle Valley bird club would be fun though. My current thought is that we can just got out to the Lee Kay center or some place and shoot some skeet.
   


6. Life - go fishing (fly fishing)
   This is one I'm almost ashamed to write about. I justify this sacrifice that I feel I've made with the thought that I'm focusing on my family these days. Fly fishing for me is one of the best things I can do for myself and something that I could do every day. A few years back, I was fishing quite a bit and I would drive quite a ways to fish for an hour or so. I'm trying to think about where/when I fished this past year. I think I fished down in Clear Creek once or twice. I didn't fish on the deer hunt though... oh yeah, I forgot about fishing up at my mom's. I actually caught a real nice one in fact. So let's say I fished 5 times total. Not nearly enough. One thing that would help in this area is if I could fish with someone. Not that it's a team sport or anything, but having someone who was prodding me to go.
   


7. Life - improve job satisfaction
   Work can't just be work, and lately it has been. We, as Americans especially, spend so much time working and so it can't just be a job. I used to love my job. Granted, that was quite a few years ago, and I was still pretty young and naive, but it needs to be more for me. As a software developer, I don't have one of those jobs that I can leave at work. I spend a lot of time thinking about work during the off hours. There are times when I'm working on an project and I've got my head so far into it that I end up dreaming about it at night. For that and many other reasons, I have to find more satisfaction in what I'm doing. I'm not suggesting that I need to find something outside of my field and do something completely different. I have responsibilities as a husband and father that don't allow for that kind of a change, but there has to be a way for me to get more out of work. I only hope I can find how to do that.
   


8. Life - don't gain any more weight
   I definitely need to put some attention towards this one. A few years ago, I was in the best shape of my life, but that was 30+ lbs ago. Yes, I can come up with a bunch of excuses, but I can't continue to allow that to happen. Yes, everyone struggles with this, but still. I need to find a way to fit this into my routine. Honestly, I think this one will be one of, if not thee, hardest one to work on and accomplish.
   


9. Life - blog once a month
   So far so good on this one, but this tends to go in spurts I've noticed. I have multiple blogs and I think if I totaled all my posts in them all, I'm doing ok. I want to write more though. I'm finding it to be somewhat cathartic. I'm certainly getting more comfortable with putting things out there than I've been in the past. I think I'm more comfortable with who I am these days. It may sound bad (which isn't my intention), but if people don't like what I have to say, then my attitude has been, don't read it. I am who I am (which is something I say in our EE talks - another topic). They have to be real posts though. The ones where I'm just making a comment or the like, don't count. This one counts.
   


10. House - build a shed
    This one has been in the making for some time, but I think it's time to get this one accomplished. It should actually be pretty easy because my intention (now) is to have someone else build it. Originally, I had plans to build it with my dad or something, but I think that idea has faded. Granted, building the deck with my dad was a nice experience, but I don't think it'll happen again.
    


11. Life - play basketball >=5 times
    Another one I'm ashamed to be writing about, but I really need to do work on this one. For so much of my life, basketball has been a factor. And yes, I can come up with a bunch of excuses not to play, but I need to play. I really enjoy it and I need to stop worrying about getting hurt. Yes, I have aches and pains in my body these days that weren't there in the past, but I'm not 20 years old either. Hell, John Stockton played till he was 40 and he was playing professionally.
    


12. House - magicjack transition
    Have I mentioned how much I hate Qwest and hate paying so much damn money for a home phone? A few years back I moved to a pay-as-you-go cell phone thanks to Jeff's suggestion and I'm so thankful. The amount of money I save I my cell phone has been so worth it. I'm sure the same can/will be said for the transition to something like magicjack. Yes, I'm sure the service/call quality won't be the same, but imagine the savings. I'm paying Qwest money in fees and taxes each month than magicjack would cost me/us for a whole year. It seems like a no brainer. Not to mention how good it will feel to call Qwest up and say screw you and cancel my service with them. One thing that is holding me back at this point is I'm waiting for magicjack to come out and support Linux because my home computer is running Ubuntu. They say it should be out in the first quarter of 2010.
    Update: I actually made some progress on this one today. I setup my Google Voice account.


13. Life - go to confession
    This is a hard one to write about because for some reason, I feel ashamed. In fact, I don't think I can write much about it. My intention is to read a book (hopefully Greg can suggest one) so I can learn more about the sacrament and then do it. I think that's all I can muster at this point.
    

Well that's it for now. I'll try to post updates as they happen. Yes, 13 is an unlucky number, but I can't think of any others at the moment. Here's hoping for a successful 2010.

Resolutions in Hindsight

I've never been a big fan of resolutions for a host of reasons which I don't care to go into now. Not that I think they're a bad idea, I've just never had much luck with them. However, I was reading a friend's blog today about his resolutions for 2009. The post was basically a year in review wrap-up on how he did on his 2009 resolutions. His post got me thinking, and this is was I came up with. Rather than feeling bad about the resolutions I didn't complete this year, I had the idea of resolutions in hindsight. I've found it much easier to make decisions with the benefit of hindsight. A came up with the list rather quickly and they fall into a few categories. Without further ado, I give you my 2009 resolutions in hindsight:

1. House - put in a new bathroom
   Our house had 1 1/2 bath and with us contemplating the possibility of a move in the future, it only made sense to have another bathroom put in so we can appeal to more potential buyers. It's nice to have a bath off our master bedroom as well. The cost was much lower than expected and it turned out really nice (other than the lack of water pressure). We should have done it a few years ago.
   


2. House - put in pantry and closet
   Our main level has/had no closets, and with us spending much more time on the main level these days, we needed a place to store stuff that we want to keep out of sight and out of little kid reach. We had a walk through hall that we closed in on both sides; one side is now a closet and the other is a pantry. The extra space is nice and it gives us the chance to get some stuff off our counters. The cost could have been better as well as the workmanship, but we'll be happy enough once it's all painted. This is also a step in the plan to redo some things in our kitchen.
   


3. House - insulate attic
   Our house was built in 1906 or something, and while there's been a lot of updates to the house as well as major remodels, I felt that we could use more insulation. I'd seen numerous ads over the years from companies saying that the cost was minimal with the rebates, tax credits, and energy savings. Total out of pocket expense was $340 and we're expecting $185 back from Questar and the government. Time will tell on the energy savings. It took the company like 45 minutes to do the install. We should have done this when the rebates were higher, but we've doubled our insulation.
   


4. House - replace ceiling fans and lights in back bedrooms
   Yes, a lot of these a boring house projects. This one sounds simple enough, but there's some back history to it. We have these two bedrooms in our house that have ceiling fans in them, but no overhead lights (our house in general has minimal overhead lights, but that's another topic). A few years ago, I had the thought of buying light kits for the ceiling fans so that we'd have more light in the rooms. I bought the compatible light kits, installed one, turned it on and no light. I thought 'must be a bad light kit' so I installed the other one, and the same result. Damn. Must be an electrical issue and I don't want to mess with that. Fast forward to this summer and one of the fans stops working. Our house has no AC and the room the fan stopped working in has our treadmill. I had plans to start using the treadmill more/some (which is again a whole other post to write about) and thought there was no way without a fan. So, I decided it was time to replace the fan with ones that had lights. Two birds, one stone you see. Well, I won't go into the details of the fun I had installing the fans, but guess what... the reason the original light kits didn't work was due to the fact that the wire to the light kit wasn't wired up. A 30 sec task when the fans were originally installed would have saved me a lot of trouble. Regardless, we now have new fans with lights.
   


5. House - replace dishwasher
   This one will be complete this week assuming the install company shows up. We bought it this past weekend after doing minimal research (another topic). The dishwasher we're replacing has to be 20 years old. It's served us well, but boy is it loud. I'm sure the new one will pay for itself in time thanks to the energy and water savings. Another step in the kitchen master plan. One less thing to complain about too. I wonder what's next.
   


6. House - close in stairs
   You'd have to see our house to understand this one, but a year ago our house wasn't the most kid friendly and the stairs were the biggest example of that. Of course, a year ago this wasn't an issue, but now that we have an 18 month old running around it would have been a significant issue had we not resolved it. Essentially our stairs and the half wall at the top of our stairs were open to the downstairs, and it would have been quite the drop for a little one. I won't go into the details on the trouble we went through getting the work done by our contractor friend, but it was a rather frustrating process (you wouldn't think you could spread out 15 hours of work over 4 months, but you'd be wrong). Thankfully, we now have ourselves a much safer stair setup while maintaining a unique entry way.
   


7. Engaged Encounter - become Local Coordinators
   It's quite ironic that our lives are simpler now that we have our son, and that we felt we were in a place in our lives where we wanted to do more for the Catholic Engaged Encounter community of Utah. I can't say that the experience is turning out how we thought it would, but it is giving Jo & I a new perspective on the ministry and our future roles in the ministry. We're still excited about all the possibilities, but not as excited as we were initially. We've met some really nice people and had a lot of fun at the unit meetings, but I've begun to worry about our local community a bit. With God's blessings, our community will rebound and grow into what I believe it can be.
   


8. Engaged Encounter - successful EE SLC convention
   slc2009eeconvention.com This really was our first responsibility as part of our new role as LCs despite our attempts to not let it become our responsibility. It's hard to say if we brought on the responsibility ourselves by taking on the official roles that we played for the convention or not. Thankfully, the convention was a huge success especially in the financial area. Despite all the worries and headaches, it was a nice experience that I hope to never try to duplicate.
   


9. Travel - visit grandma & grandpa in WY
   Finally, a new category! This one I'm awfully proud of because this was all Jo and me. We actually visited grandma and grandpa twice this year with CJ, but the trip we made in May was the first one and it was just us that went. It was actually 2 trips in 1 because we first traveled to Alpine, WY to see my uncle and aunt and family then over to Riverton, WY to see the grandparents. I'd never driven the stretch from Jackson to Riverton and it was quite lovely (especially past the Tetons). It was a wonderful trip with a lot of relaxing and visiting. The weather didn't permit any fishing which was somewhat disappointing, but not surprising. I had a chance to talk to my grandpa one-on-one for quite a while and I learned some things and interacted with him like I never had before. They, of course, loved seeing CJ and spoiling him (especially Grandma). The second trip was over Thanksgiving and Mom, Jess, and (gasp) Dad went that time (a whole other story for another time).
   


10. Travel - air travel with CJ to Denver
    A trip to Denver for Ben & Heather's wedding. This was originally going to be an extended vacation, but we cut it short due to limited vacation time at work, but it was fun nonetheless. We traveled with our good friends, Jeff & Kristi and their 2 little boys, so we had them as our safety net. You should have seen the 4 of us with our 3 little boys and all their stuff (carseats, strollers, etc). It was really nice of Ben & Heather to invite us, and hanging out with the Aoyagis and Lonahas was a blast (the Aoyagis have always been wonderful). I even golfed for the first time in years and had a great time socializing with Jeff (of course) and Ben's brother and brother-in-law. I'll have to continue to get over whatever mental block is keeping me from getting out onto the course (again another topic).
    


11. Life - go to church more???
    I/we struggled with this one as we always do, but I feel like we're doing better. EE certainly helps in this area, but I think being parents does as well. At the same time, being parents requires a lot of our time and managing an 18 month old at church isn't the easiest thing to do. I do feel, however, that we've grown spiritually over the past year and I feel that's most important.
    


12. Life - watch less TV
    This is really a result of having Christopher and him needing more attention than he needed in the past. Referring ahead to the next resolution has also had an effect in this area. So much of TV is really such a waste. Yes, I/we still have shows that we want/need to watch, but we've managed to cut out quite a bit.
    


13. Life - start eating at the table
    Again, this is a result of having Christopher, but another positive artifact. It seems like we used to live upstairs, but we've since moved our DVR downstairs and there's more room down here so it just makes sense. Christopher is on a much more regular schedule these days and scheduling dinner so we can all eat works out well. The little guy has brought a lot of structure to our life.
    

Congrats to me and Jo for getting all these things accomplished. I'm so proud.

Thoughts

I sit here on this day thinking about so many things going on in my life. Trying not to think about work, but rather the important things in my life. I'm finding that I want to blog about these things as a way of sending them out into the world. To what end? I'm not sure. I'm not sure if it's just a way that I can get things out of my head, or if I'm hoping for an audience, or I'm looking for answers.

A year ago today, my son was born. My life is forever changed for the better. Not to say that life before Christopher wasn't good, but it has more meaning these days. Everything is seen in a different light. The trivial things I used to spend time doing, seem much more trivial. The desire to have those close to me, even closer, has certainly grown. My life feels simpler than it once was, but the joy in my life is overflowing.

I've struggled with who I should be writing these posts to. Who should I imagine is reading them? I think I've decided that I have to stop thinking about that because I think it hinders my willingness to write anything. In fact, I know it has hindered my writing. There have been, and still are, numerous topics floating in my head that I've wanted to blog about but haven't. Is that because there are people that I don't want to read them? Alternatively, is it because there are people that I want to read them (and might) so I want to ensure I say the things that accurately reflect my thoughts. Yes, there are people in my life that I want to read these, but I can't let that enter my head. I think the important thing is to write. My intention is to make a concerted effort to do just that.

Michael Jackson R.I.P.

The King of Pop died yesterday quite unexpectedly at the age of 50. No specifics of his death have been made public at this time. For the next generation (my son's generation), I'm thinking he'll be like Elvis is to my generation. Our kids will hear his music and see videos of him, but never have a real understanding or appreciation. With the advent of the internet and improvements in technology, there will be more footage and the like available of MJ as opposed to Elvis (I'm using his initials out of laziness only, not disrespect). Elvis died in Aug 1977 (8 months after I was born) at the age of 42 so the math works out pretty close ("adjusted for inflation" according to my wife). My son is nearly a year old now so it's very close indeed. [Side note: It just occurred to me that MJ was married to Elvis' daughter for while.]

It's certainly easy for me to say that my kids will be exposed to his music because I've always been a fan. At the same time though, my mom was a big Elvis fan and I can't say that I grew up listening to him. I do, of course, know quite a few of Elvis' songs so maybe I'm not giving my mom enough credit with exposing me to him. Maybe I need to give him a closer listen. I'm getting off topic.

It's difficult to write anything about MJ and feel like I have anything to offer. I have no intimate knowledge of him and only know what the media has allowed us to see over the years. I can say that his music has been a presence throughout my life. I'm sure it sounds corny, but I can remember listening to Thriller over and over with my brother Jess in Montana (that would have been in 3rd grade I think). Some of my favorite songs of all time are by MJ ('The Way You Make Me Feel', 'Billie Jeane', 'Smooth Criminal'). I can also remember anxiously waiting for his next video to come out... seems like it was always a big deal (like after the Super Bowl or something). I can't confess to ever being able to successfully do the moonwalk, but I will confess to trying it.

There was a lot of controversy and oddity that came with MJ as well (the allegations, bizarre interviews, mask wearing, dangling his children over balconies, etc). I can't comment on any of that except to say that none of that should take away too much from his legacy, which should be the music. Growing up with his dad and the child star lifestyle must have had an impact on him for sure. Outside of his music, from what I understand, he also did a lot to raise awareness of poor human conditions throughout the world (like in Africa as well as terminally ill children). Again, I really don't want to comment too much on anything outside of my memories of MJ. It will be interesting to see how people choose to remember him in the years to come. I definitely think that we'll continue to hear his music forever.

For me, I'd like to think that I'll try to listen to some more MJ in the coming months and years. I'm sure there's quite a few gems that I haven't heard or may have forgotten about. If you're someone that hasn't listened to too much of his music, I'd certainly recommend it. I just learned that he made his first recording at the age of 8. That means he was making music for 42 years.

As I've said, I hope people remember and enjoy the music. I know I will.

Christmas Edition of getting to know your friends

I received the following list in an email from a friend and didn't want to continue the email chain, but wanted to respond.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper, although I hate wrapping.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial for sure... missing the smell, but not the needles.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually, Thanksgiving weekend.
4. When do you take the tree down? 2nd week of January... 12 days of Christmas remember.
5. Do you like egg nog? For sure with whiskey (diluted with milk)
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Got to be the Nintendo! Years of fun and still a fan. Although the shotgun was nice too.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep, from Dad first Christmas after wedding. (Christ)mas remember.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My Mom, but Dad's hard too.
   
9. Easiest person to buy for? Myself, hehe... anyone who likes gift cards.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail... there's something about getting cards in the mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Probably some sweater or something I got from Grandma.
    
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? "A Christmas Story", "you'll shoot your eye out".
    
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope... I've held them for a while then donated them though.
    
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Tough indeed... I love me some ham.
15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? My preference would be clear, but wife and now child would out vote me.
16. Favorite Christmas song? "Oh Holy Night" depending on how it's sung. Otherwise, "Little Drummer Boy".
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home Christmas day, but travel before and after.
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, ... UHHHH... Rudolph
19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Depending on family situation, but most likely morning.
20. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Tough choice... consumerism, unholiness, family stress.
21. Favorite ornament theme or color? Easy... all the ornaments Greg gave me over the years.
22. Favorite food for Christmas breakfast? Mom's scrambled eggs would be nice, but unlikely.
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? A stress free holiday season.
24. Who is most likely to respond to this? Not mailing this list out for a reason. These email chains are usually just a marketing tool.
    
25. Who is least likely to respond to this? See previous.
    

Quote of the Day

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.
- George F. Will

Good Advice

http://www.glumbert.com/media/lastadvice