May 30, 2000 - I had to burn up 3 days of sick time last week. I still haven't shaken the cold, but am feeling somewhat better. I worked Monday, but took some time to remember my dad and shared some stories of lost loved ones with a few of my workmates. Zephen volunteered to direct parking at the National Cemetery with some of his Boy Scout troop (There's nothing more enjoyable for a 13 year old than to have adults do what you want them to) :^) Mary Ann also took the kids to see "Dinosaurs", and really enjoyed it. I have a couple more days off and hope I began feeling better when I go back to work on Friday.
May 25, 2000 - Well, I've called in sick for the past two days ... that cold kicked in hard on Tuesday with a killer sinus headache and me coughing up some foul stuff. I went to the doctor today to make sure it wasn't a bacterial bug, but I was feeling better today and already ruled that out before I got there. He prescribed me a good decongestant and an expectorant, so maybe I'll finally clear these sinuses and stagger to work tomorrow. The weather has been pretty good this week, at least that's what the kids have told me (I haven't been moving much for 2-3 days). Zephen did some volunteer work last Saturday as a parking lot attendant for a Cub Scout bicycle rodeo. He's also volunteered to do the same at the National Cemetery on Memorial day. Boy Scouts has really turned out to be pretty good for him. They do have a hike coming up next weekend, but it is a ten mile hike and Zephen doesn't feel he's ready for that (plus I work and can't go). Heather's dance recital is coming up real soon. She got the costume last week and she looks very cute in it. Mary Ann finally cut my hair ... here's a more recent image
May 21, 2000 - Happy birthday, SIS!!! Today is my sister, Marla's, birthday. I tried to call but you were out :^( I hope you had a wonderful day. I just finished my three day stretch at work. I woke up this morning with a slight sore throat that has blossomed into a true cold this evening. Good thing I have the next 2 days off, I just hope I can shake some of it before I go back to work. I haven't had a cold since the first part of February and this one came out of no where. All that lack of sleep must have caught up to me. Mary Ann and I met with our financial advisor this past week and we are making some adjustments to our life insurance and wills. I also started a "vacation fund" and started new ROTH IRAs to replace the conventional IRA. We figure in 3-5 years we may have enough saved in the vacation account to have a REAL trip. For now, we'll just continue camping and backpacking (and dream of Cabo San Lucas). I did pick up 2 more kites this week and made all the lines to stack all 4 of them together. I also found an inexpensive large stunt kite (86" wingspan). I can't wait to get out and fly them.
May 16, 2000 - What a great weekend. The weather has been around 70-75 degrees throughout the last 4-5 days. On Sunday, we took Mary Ann's mom to breakfast and then spent the afternoon at Nancy and Dave's house. Dave and I went kite flying and had a great time. I picked up some inexpensive stunt kites at Pic'n'Save (a liquidations-type store) a few weeks ago. These kites were only $12.99 each, and were the same kite I purchased at Costco a few years back for $25. They aren't as good as my other kites, but they take a lot of abuse (good for the kids to learn with). I decided to stack them, that is, connect one to the back of the other, and was pleasantly surprised at how well they flew (plus it looks cool). Sooo ... I'm going to pick up two more and next time stack four :^) Dave and I prepared dinner for Mary Ann and Nancy for mother's day and we all had a very nice, relaxing day. Mary Ann's dad was being released from the hospital today and will spend the next two weeks in a nursing home. Hopefully he'll get to go home by then. I did some trouble shooting of my web pages and they MAY work on Netscape now (I'll keep my fingers crossed and test it at work later this week). Here's a recent picture of me ... I'm sporting some new facial hair and I REALLY need a haircut.
May 14, 2000 - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! To Angela, Mary Ann, Marla, Kim, Linda, Chun Cha, Midge, and Nancy, I hope you all have a very special day. Here, I will state the obvious ... without our mothers and the sacrifices they make for their children, we would not be who we are. To some extent, we are a reflection of everything good that our mothers instill upon us. As mothers, you want your children to be the best they can be and you pronounce to the world all our achievements with pride, overlooking our shortcomings. To all of you, thank you for believing in us, for being there for us, and for loving us beyond all other things.
May 12, 2000 - Ahhhh, done with work until Monday. My back was tweaking all week at work. I called mom tonight and wished her a happy mother's day. We plan to be running around all weekend and I was concerned I wouldn't be able to call on Sunday. She received the chocolates I sent her and said she most enjoyed them. I was precepting a new therapist the past three days as well as being charge today, so the week was busy. I was a good choice to orient Suzanne, the new therapist, to the emergency room in that I am known for my bad ER karma, i.e., the ER seems to become very busy when I work it. So, what better person to put her with then someone who would assure she would have a busy ER experience? Unfortunately, she was working 8 hour shifts and missed most of the action that occurred every day between 3pm and 7pm. For three days we only had three hits in the morning and early afternoons. Conversely, after she left, the late afternoons produced eight hits and kept me hopping until the end of my shift. The best I could figure is she has really good karma (we are a superstitious lot and don't believe in just coincidence or dumb luck; there's no fun in that, is there?). I joke about my bad luck in the ER, but I really look forward to working there.
May 9, 2000 - Zephen had a great time on his hike this weekend. The weather cooperated and was great. They even threw in a day hike after they set up camp on Saturday. I need to start working with Zephen on some of his requirements so that he may move up in ranking and I plan to begin his exercise regiment next week. Heather was worried she would not participate in the dance show this year, but it looks promising that she may get to after all. . We had started her in dance late and she has had to catch up with everyone on the dance routine. I think so far she really likes it and I only hope she keeps putting forth a good effort. The weekend at work was BUSY! I'm still tired and I have to go back tomorrow :^( Our other Green Chromis died today. So far the Yellow-tailed Blue Damselfish have shown no sign of parasite infestation (they attach to the gills of the fish, disrupting their breathing and causing a rapid respiratory rate until the fish suffocates). I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I also am not going to introduce any new fish for a while. I want to change some of the water as well, but I need to talk to some of the more experienced saltwater fish enthusiasts at work. I am finally seeing some green algae and I don't want to disrupt its cycle. If I change the water now, I'll probably have the brown algae return, and I want it to just die out.
May 6, 2000 - Hi everybody! Mary Ann dropped Zephen off this morning and he is on his way to Copper Lake for a 4 mile hike and overnight camp-out. I made some beef jerky for him on Thursday and Mary Ann said he actually liked it (I didn't spice it up and it was a little bland for my taste, but I figured a bunch of young boys would prefer it that way). This is my weekend to work, so I was inside all day. Of course, the weather was awesome today. One of the neighbors was having a garage sale and Mary Ann had bought a 6 month old twin bed for Heather for $50. Now I have two Queen size futon mattresses and a frame sitting in my hallway. I figure I can bring them over to Saint Vincent DePaul's Thrift Store next week. One of our Green Chromis fish died this week :^(. I'm kind of worried that there may be a parasite infestation in our salt water tank. I have only two options ... make a quarantine tank and treat the fish in it, or, let the fish perish. You treat the fish with a copper based substance which is actually toxic to the fish after a long exposure. You do not want to use it in the main tank because it would require a total water change afterwards and the crushed coral in the bottom of the tank would probably remain contaminated. After the fish are removed from the main tank, the parasites have no hosts and die after about 5-8 days. I think we will eventually get a quarantine tank, but for now it would be cheaper to allow the fish to die. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be all right.
May 2, 2000 - Wow!!! I cannot believe it is already May! This past weekend was pretty good. Zephen left Friday night to participate in a Boy Scout Camporee and by all accounts had some fun. For the most part, the weekend weather was overcast but warm and dry, so he was very fortunate. Zephen had learned some new stuff and is pretty excited that he received a patch. This upcoming weekend Zephen's troop has a hike planned for Saturday and Sunday and he is all fired up to go. I'm bummed in that I work next weekend and therefore, cannot go. I hosted a LAN party on Saturday afternoon and evening. A bunch of my workmates came over with their computers, we networked them together, and then spent 8 hours thumping on each other in Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. All and all, it was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we went to some saltwater fish stores in Bellevue, "Saltwater City" and "The Fish Store". Saltwater City had some incredible reef tanks set up and the Fish Store had some beautiful fish. We found several fish we'll get in the near future after our tank is established, like a Mandarinfish and some Red-legged Hermit Crabs. Presently, our tank has developed a coating of brown algae. Everyone has assured us this is normal. It should progress to a green algae in a week or two and then after about three-four weeks, it should mostly die off. After all that occurs, I'll change half the water and the coral. We have started our tank with some hearty fish, two Green Chromis and two Yellow-tailed Blue Damselfish, and plan to add some Clownfish and an Anemone in a few weeks.
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
December 1999/January 2000
