A nice halloween

Short Halloween Update

We had Jenny's family over for Chili and pizza to fuel up and warm up for the Tricking and Treating. This year, the ENTIRE neighborhood converged at Casey's house, so we did our own thing up the block until we got there, and then the PACK ravaged the neighborhood - I think it was 12 kids...

Bella the Penguin did a great job, and quite the haul. The important number was 6: Six Reeses Butter Cups (as she calls them). Isaac the Lobster did around 5 houses, running up the sidewalk and generally not comprehending any of what was happening.

He got a bit cold by house 5, so I carried him home, gave him a warm bottle, and packed him off to bed. When Bella came back, and after examining the loot, she waited patiently for trick or treaters so SHE could give some candy out. Alas, none came... it was a quiet year. She got increasingly upset, and it was going to be hard to get her to bed without some action.

So I ran out the back door with Isaac's costume, put on the lobster head, and tucked the rest of the costume under my chin, and came to the front door on my knees. She proudly gave me the candy, I raced back around the house and nonchalantly asked if anyone had come to the door. Bella was BEAMING. It was the right move.

She dropped off pretty quickly too, so it's been a quiet house for a while now... and I'm going to try to get to bed pretty soon too, since tomorrow's a workout day!

I should mention that Isaac is getting a bit more adventurous with eating: Today he had a few apple slices, and stole a hunk of french bread right out of my hand and gnawed it for a good 5 min. It was a bit crusty for him in the end. A handful of shredded cheese worked, but he had no interest in chili meat. I'm noticing that when he does eat, it's more than a taste now - he's going for a few mouthfuls (or with the apples, whole wedges), so I am cautiously optimistic that he'll start taking to "people food" a bit more.

This morning, I did have a completely FAILED experiment with oatmeal however. While his palate is evolving, it doesn't mean he'll stand for being spoon fed for even a SECOND. That kid has got some willpower.

How it happens:

Imagined after watching Michael Clayton.

Director:
For the female lead, I really want Cate Blanchett. I need those eyes and that classic look... But is there any way to have her sort of be a bit more neurotic, have more of a permanently panicky look on her face and a bit more frailty to the voice - sort of a cross between Cate and Jodie Foster, with maybe just a little something "Off"... perhaps blending in a little Christina Ricci to skew the proportions? So can I get Cate and Jodie and Christina sort of put together?

Casting Director:
I'll get you Tilda Swinton

Director:
Who?

Casting Director:
Trust me.

On the Eve of Halloween

Tonight there was a little pumpkin carving happening... Bella and I helped a cat face emerge from a small pumpkin. Bella did SOME of the carving, but there's a lot of Daddo in this project. We've been working harder on Isaac's eating: He's been seeming pretty grumpy these past few days, and I think it's because he wants/needs more and different foods, but is realizing he doesn't have the skills to eat them (because he's been such an ornery cuss about the whole deal). So we're back on the program of trying food out on him and we're sticking with it.

Because we want to sleep. Two wakeups a night is no good for the people. I'm getting pretty good at living on 3-4 hours of good sleep, but it's destroying Pamela.

Moving on,
This morning Bella came across some money in mom's purse: $15. "Wow, you could buy a lot of houses for fifteen dollars! Or a lot of hamburgers!" We're still working on the value of money I suppose...

While I was cleaning up Pamela's computer hard drive, I ran across a folder I hadn't noticed before, and being nosy I opened it. It was a cache of over 50 short videos from Bella's 18-month to 30-month period: We've been watching these treasures: Our current favorite is her walking hand in hand with me up the sidewalk on her second birthday. Here's the conversation:

"So Bella, do you know what today is?"
"TWO!"
"So it's your second birthday today?"
"YES - RIGHT NOW!"
"Happy Birthday, Bella!"
"THANKS!" (Said with a lisp, and an emphatic foot stomp).

On to bigger girl quotes: Out of the blue the other day, she said:
"Daddy, when we both are dead, I want to be buried right next to you so we're together forever and ever. And mommy can be right next to me too, and so can Isaac. And we can move Alexander too, so he's closer."
No good answer to that, except for a long long hug.

Final notes for the night:

Things are still going well at the day job - I've had successes this week, and I've been creative too - doing design work with pretty pictures of how I want screens to look. Days when I get to make drawings are good days for me.

It may be a few weeks before the actual piece of paper with my job comes out thanks to the byzantine rules of the larger company they're now a part of... So we're still going underground on this... but we remain positive.

We went to see the new George Clooney movie last night: My god, that man is so fantastic. And the movie wasn't half bad either.

That's the update for the day!

The Bella.

Yesterday, we had Mark's family and their/our friends Gene and Amy over for a Chili Feed and chillout. The whole clan minus Annabel came, and it was a very nice time. We spent a good bit of time in the basement playing Playstation - we hit Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and I was proud to introduce them to Katamari Damacy - one of the strangest games ever, where you roll a sticky ball around picking up items (tacks, erasers, pieces of sushi, frogs, butterflies, electric tea kettles, pedestrian crossing signs... people... cows....)

Bella was enjoying being the "big girl" showing little Eve around (who just turned 3). Eve is almost eerily like Mark: Of all the kids, she looks the most like him, and she uses her features to the same comic effect: This three year old is a true comedian. Whenever she's around, you know Mark is too.

Bella stayed up WAY too late - past 10, because we were all having such fun. So Pamela and I both encouraged her to sleep in: Even if you hear us moving around, please, just get some rest. She actually took our advice and snoozed until an unprecedented 8:30...

And when she got up, she was in a great mood, and was making us laugh all morning. She started up with the "sassy waitress" routine pretty quickly, offering to make us all French Toast - which she whisks up, but otherwise isn't too directly involved in making. Last time, she tried to flip them, but touched the pan with her wrist, which hurt for the rest of the day. She said "Dad, when it comes to the hot stuff, I think I'll sit that out this time, ok?" That said, she DID flip them, and they were delicious.

Not that Bella actually ate them: She actually doesn't like sweet breakfast that much (pancakes, waffles, or French Toast have no sway over her). We did cook up some sausages, and I put two on her plate and mine. As I walked away she said:

"I could sure use one more of those Sausages... And i bet you could too!" So it was 3 on the plate. By the end of the meal, she had scarfed 5 of them.

She went off to play for much of the day down the block, but came home to be babysat (with Jenny) while we did our quarterly "non-progressive progressive" dinner. When I got home, Bella had on a silk chinese outfit, a pirate eye patch, the guitar hero guitar, and was doing Pete Townsend windmill arms yelling "YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!" while Jenny had on a dress with a purple wig, pretending to be the lead singer. Isaac, up past his bed time was dancing and laughing, and Tara the sitter was standing off to the side holding her guts in from laughing so much.

So Bella was pretty wild today... and she only just now dropped off. Now I'm going to take a little time and actually watch one of the netflix that have been sitting on my counter for over 4 weeks...

Best laid plans...

So I can still say there's a new opportunity that I'm planning to get started in February. I broke the news to my boss yesterday: She just got "re-orged" at work and has to reapply for her job, and has decided to retire sometime early next year as well, so as she was talking about continuity, I needed her to know right away not to count on me to carry the torch. She is very understanding and excited for the opportunity for me - and really this will force the department to take "ownership" of their product - get beyond the consultant.

BUT...

My plans were all based around some dates being met by the vendor. And last night I learned those dates will not be met. They'll be delayed by 30-45 days. Which means I MAY be out the door before a few key deliverables are met. Which is not how I wanted to work this!!!

I'm not going fully public with anyone until the paper offer is in my hands, but my boss is good people, and I have known of her retirement plans longer than anyone else - so we have a level of trust.

In other news - we were to have a VERY INTERESTING scotch Avengers night tonight: Tastings of the SAME AGE bottle, but different years: A Laphroaig 7-year bottled in 1999 versus 2000. A Lagavulin 12 year Cask bottled in 2005 and 2006. See what the differences are in that family.

Alas, Uncle Chicken was laid low by a horrible illness, and And and I were solo tonight. So the Lag pairing wasn't do-able. But we improvised... and we did the Lap pairing - which was frankly SHOCKING: The 2000 had a much butterier taste - a marked difference! We watched Aliens - ant had never seen this classic. Alas it does show its age - 24 years old now - and it's one of those where the leitmotifs have been taken as B-Movie Canon since, so the gritty, foul mouthed, multi-ethnic marines laid low by an incomprehensible villain, the corporate traitor, the resilient youngster...

So you need to squint to see the brilliance - and say yes, I've seen this all before, but it's all FROM THIS!!! Also, some classic lines - including the all time great "Game OVER, man! Game OVER!!!!" I think Ant did like it, but we've had stronger movies...

We hope to get Chicken over here still next week before he jets back to Seattle... But we appreciated not getting sick for sure!!!

W'happen?

I have suddenly realized that the reach of this blog often extends beyond the close friends and family who are my regular readers... and as such, have decided to remove a posting which contained forward looking statements which were not completely inked just yet.

So once the paper comes through, and more importantly, once an official communique comes out, THEN we'll clink the glasses.

Til then, you read NOTHING, and you tell NOONE about what you didn't read. It's our little secret, kapiche?

A fun night

Tonight I spoke at my old alma mater Macalester to a group of 25 alumni about my path from Mac to my current career. I was joined by 4 other amazing panelists, and we each spoke for around 10 minutes, and then did Q&A and schmoozed afterwards.

The goal of the stories was to tell these grads that it's ok not to know exactly what you want to do, that your liberal arts background sets you up for being able to assess a situation, and make more out of opportunities. We all had distinctly non-linear histories to tell.

The other people had great stories - one is a recent grad (04) who went right into consulting, but now works non-profit lobbying for better public transit options. Another (95) was a non-profiteer who 4 years ago decided to throw it all away, mortgage her house, and open a high-end baby/toddler clothes boutique, which is quite successful. Another (86) was a marketing assistant for 8 years before leaping into the world of food writing, and now he's a columnist for the Boston Globe and was on TV with America's Test Kitchen. And yet another (96) was a history major Academic, who thanks to taking a part time job in a non profit and having her boss quit the next day, learned about real estate development and financing, which she took to, and is now very high up in one of the biggest twin cities development firms.

I think we all brought different perspectives, and I found myself wanting to add more thoughts as each panelist added something new... but held back. I think we gave a very rich picture of the different ways people find their path in life. People seemed very appreciative.

It was very odd and wonderful to be at a point in life where I not only feel like I have a good career, but I have advice for others... advice they can use and that I wouldn't have minded hearing. One good question was whether we thought Mac should have done more to help us find that path. I responded that after coming out of Mac, it took 3 years for me to find something that I truly loved doing (programming), and that the most important thing Mac gave me was the skills to experiment and look critically at a situation, to maximize an opportunity.

I related that when I picked my major in Music, the department was very small - just a handful of music majors every year. So with a large staff and few majors, that meant the department was really my playground, and I could have access that you'd never get at a larger school that was more conservatory based. I took that "carpe department" philosophy to my subsequent jobs, and that's how I found my next job and the next and the next...

So it was great fun, and I appreciated being given the chance to speak. And I think there's a chance they'll invite me back. They're having two more panels in this vein - one for living in non-profit, and one for making a career in the creative field. I told the crowd I'd be back for both, referring to both my year at Citizens for a Better Environment, and my year working for Midi Music USA doing Karaoke backing tracks...

Now it's off to bed!

Yes, another week!

I'll try to do a more comprehensive update a little later, but here are some highlights.

- Today Isaac said "Banana" perfectly. Once. Also, we figured out he likes Ginger Snaps... a LOT! He walks backward now (not exclusively), and has been throwing lots of micro-tantrums when things aren't going exactly perfectly. We still like him, however. At this instant, he's dragging an easel that is exactly twice his height across the kitchen floor with great intent. He's a boy alright.

- The other night, Bella was obsessing about death. She said "I wish I was something that never dies - like the wind or air." That girl is a poet.

- Paul Sebastien and I are team writing music: I started with a little verse-chorus, he sent back some guitar, I added more structure... we've gone back and forth 4 times now, and this song is almost complete... Paul sent me a guitar riff, and that's forming the basis for another song too, which I sent him some tracks on. Basically we're trying to challenge each other to be creative. We've both enjoyed a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - teaching you to really be purposeful in your creativity - to just go to work. So we're having a lot of fun.

More later - gotta go help a neighbor with some computer issues!

A the back of the week

Oof - a long week this was. With the water heater nonsense in the beginning, coming off a busy birthday weekend for Bella, a continuing poor sleeper in Isaac, and Bella waking up hollering two nights from growing pains in her legs... Not to mention a week of mild frustrations at work:

- I had thought I had everything engineered for a tidy "big bang" rollout of much of our remaining work in December and January - it would have been busy, but very do-able. Who puts the kibosh on this? The vendor. Nobody is available to take care part X of the project until February. Apparently they're hemorrhaging people after having been acquired by a bigger company.

- My kind and mild mannered boss looks about to be downsized (a big meeting will be on tuesday), which will leave my boss-ship adrift. Her only hope is to keep working until February, which is when she can retire with full benefits. Surely what is a couple of months in the context of a 40 year career? Truthfully, it's got me worried.

- The new opportunity, while not a full "offer" yet, is beginning to take shape (quite attractive shape at that), and if I could possibly be free of the client by February, that would be advantageous. With both of the above, I have my doubts... and I'd hate to burn a bridge.

- The diva doctors may be wearing on me: The place was abuzz this morning because the doctor on call last night missed his password 3 times and got locked out. A 2 minute call to the help desk would have reset it, but he refused - "that's not how I work". My other favorite doctor has taken to muttering about needing a sledgehammer whenever he walks near the new workstation.

- The "missed requirement" I spoke about last week is still missing, and the vendor has decided to put fingers in their ears and say "lalala", even to my clever idea. So my only real option is to tell the doctors they need to change. Please see the above anecdote for an indication of how well that will work.

Ok that's worklife. Homelife: Both Bella AND Isaac got shots today - they had their 5 and 1 year checkups respectively, and Pamela was stuck in the doctor's office for 2 hours. Bella got completely freaked out about the shots, hiding under a chair pleading with Pamela. Isaac was just Isaac. They're both sore tonight, and motrin is a good thing. The doctor was full of brass tacks comments about just putting in earplugs and letting Isaac cry it out in the night. In truth, he's not eating that much - one is a diaper change, and one is a cuddle usually.

A not very busy weekend is on tap and I'm thrilled. I actually plan to be in bed by 9pm tonight.

Hot Water.

YES. The water heater was installed. All is well in our world. Apparently the old one was in GRIEVOUS condition, and we're lucky it didn't just drop its entire water load at once. It's good to have fresh, well running appliances.

I say again: We have hot water. I took a shower with the kids. It was delightful. Also, we can use the dishwasher and clothes washer too. Life is grand.

Other updates:
We're discovering that the secret to Isaac eating grownup food is to give him whatever we're eating, and let him walk with it. Tonight, he wandered around, eating most of a large pork potsticker. He'd pause after a bite, and squeal with delight.

The trick may be to see if he'll eat anything TWICE. Tonight he rejected the Sweet and Sour chicken that he loved the other night. Hmmm.

I took the morning off of work and took Bella and Isaac to school, playing with Bella in class (it was "parenting day"). It was VERY fun, and there was over an hour of "parent education" where we all sat at a table and talked about strategies for the kids...

Tonight, out of the blue, Bella asked about German: How to say some things in it, and why is it different from English? She was pretty game to try some new words... I am so proud of that girl! Also she wanted to what is England? That was fun.

Off to a relatively early bed now. Wish me luck.

Update and what was I thinking?

Well, still no hot water: Turns out the way our water heater was put in was just fine for 16 years ago, but code has changed, and one must not install water heaters in such a manner. We went around and around on the possibilities, and it turns out my only option is an ELECTRIC water heater. Which entailed me calling an electrician (who confided he too had to put in an Electric due to code too... and it works), having new circuits wired, and a slightly more expensive heater unit, but far less in construction costs (at one point we were looking at 4+ hours just to drill a new set of vents into our very sturdy walls....

Hopefully this adventure will be over by tomorrow. I've always said humans are 3 days of hot water away from complete savagery. I am approaching this state.

In the meantime, MaeMae graciously let us take showers at her place tonight, and we're feeling fresh as daisies. Pamela hadn't showered since Sunday... and I was extra ready for a wash because...

Tuesdays are double-workout-days. Yes, every Tuesday you'll find me up at the crack of dawn for my 6am BodyPump class. This morning was beautiful: I saw the stars on the way in, and the sunrise on the way out. Then off to the hospital for a 7:30 cardiologist conference... a typical workday, then home to pick up Bella to go to the 5:15 BodyJam, and then off to a father-daughter date.

Bella still doesn't want to DANCE at Jam, but she loves watching me, and gives me thumbs-up or thumbs-down depending on my moves. So far it's all thumbs up, thankfully. I think my study sessions with the DVDs paid off - I was feeling much more confident in the moves. Then it was off to Chipotle for a burrito... and then we crashed the "pre-opening" night of the new ultramegasupertarget out by Southdale, with rows and rows of untouched merch.

But when I do the double workout, this dog gets TIRED. It's a lot of work. And with Isaac still not sleeping so well, I'm functioning on <5 hours still. I know I know - why am I blogging and not fast asleep right now? Good point. But I'm ravenous and need to finish this bagel.

And Isaac

He likes Depeche Mode. He was dancing to Everything Counts tonight. He says "DANCE" too now.

Good kid.

Menacing Signs.

1) I've posted before about the iPod count at the house... and I've posted that two have mysteriously died recently, one quite possibly from a drool overdose... most likely parties - either myself or Isaac. The police have been over every square inch of the joint and I tell you they can't prove NOTHIN.

So we got the new iPod for Bella. And Isaac noticed it.

Yesterday during Bella's big family bash, Isaac somehow eluded the attention of all 15 adults in attendance and made a move. I was standing in the kitchen and heard what I could best describe as a maniacal laugh from upstairs. I moseyed on up to take a look and found Isaac:

Alone. In his room, with Bella's new Ipod in his hand, LAUGHING.

He had snuck upstairs and stolen his sister's iPod the moment he had an opportunity, and absconded back to his room with the loot. He must have had this caper planned down to the nanosecond.

2) An unrelated event (I'd like to believe): I got a panicky call at 11:30 this morning. The water heater decided to give way and our basement was flooded. . Fortunately, Papabam were still here, as was Ana (our cleaning helper) and Randy, the federal agent neighbor (thank YOU Columbus Day), so I could finish my meeting before heading home...

It's a 50 gallon water heater. That's a lot of water, and it took the collective intelligence a while to figure out the following data: You need to shut off the water intake, or the water just keeps on going. You need to empty the water heater or it'll keep on leaking. You need to purge the pipes, or you'll accidentally send another gallon on through. These are all lessons we learned gradually, but they are lessons I shall not soon forget.

Turns out the unit has been running since 1991, so 16 years is not too bad for a water heater. We'll be getting a new one tomorrow morning, so showers will be had by tomorrow night. I'll be skimming right on the edge of social acceptability. I'll be walking in a cloud of cologne.

The event got me thinking: One really never goes SHOPPING for a water heater, or a furnace. When these things die, you call somebody reputable (hopefully NOT just the guy who takes out the 1/4 page ad 'AAA-AAA-AAAAA Dependable Furnace' at the top of the yellow pages listing)and say "NEW ONE NOW" - or maybe "NEW ONE NOW PLEASE". One doesn't spend a lot of time perusing the Consumer Reports on brands... nor does one wait for a sale. No, this is quite the impulse purchase. Only in this case, it is the impulse to survive.

Life just keeps on going... interestingly.

More geekyness

1) One of the workouts I love at Time Out is BodyJam, which I've written about (just two posts back I believe). At Time Out, when a new class comes around every quarter, they usually do a hybrid - a shorter program (40 min versus 60), and they hold over a track or two from previous sessions, so that the class doesn't feel lost.

Of course, the instructor has to switch CDs to make it work... So one of the things I like to do is rip the CDs, and assemble a custom mix for them.

This time, I actually took the CDs home, and I noticed that the INSTRUCTOR DVDs were in there too... So I took a peek at the lessons that teach our instructors. And I just got so excited! It was fun to see the teaching points, and also to see the dance moves being done by a whole room full of people who know the moves... it helped me re-visualize the steps, and I think that if I can make the class Tuesday evening, I might just be able to Krump Jump a little better!

2) Technology is currently in full rebellion in my house: Two iPods have died in the past month: One of old age, and one from being sucked on by Isaac. So Bella officially had no music going for bedtime. I picked up the cheapest new iPod for her, and was amazed at the state of the art: The new Nano is ridiculously small, with an amazing screen, and the new menues.... I was stunned by how great the new ones are! And when you recycle a dead ipod, they give you a decent discount.

Now, I use Audiofy Bookchips for my language learning: These are SD chips with encrypted audio, which requires me to use my Palm Pilot... or a computer. Since it's encrypted, they're not simple files I can put on the Ipod.

Anyway, just in the past week, my 2-year old Palm Pilot has started to get ornery: It spontaneously reboots, it's unresponsive to the touch... it's starting to die. So now that's 3 audio players going south in a month... plus the hard drive crash last month (which I did recover from, thanks for the cards and letters)...

AND I should mention that the XBox360 I got for the Loesches died as well within a few days, and I had to return it and get another. I'm telling you, I have crazy technomojo. I give off mad electrons.

Kids getting bigger!

Papabam and Lilli are here for the weekend: Bella is turning Five tomorrow: It's just so wild to think that our big girl is, well, a big girl. We gave her some presents last night, and she was awestruck to be the recipient of some American Girl merch: the doll she picked is Kaya, a Native American. When she opened it, she stood with her mouth open, making a gentle high pitched "eeeeeeeeee" - it was a pure expression of amazement.

She has been playing with the new dolls in a VERY serious, very involved manner. She also got a horse, which is very big, but in relation to the American Girl doll, it's a good half-size, but with a saddle, so there's something sort of comic about this very realistic horse with a HUGE girl on top of it. Her sense of possession of these dolls led to her getting into a bit of a tiff with Lilli, who Bella thought used her horse without asking...

Today we went to an apple orchard, which was a mixed experience: It was a bit of a zoo out there, and Bella got overheated and was a bit crabby. I bailed a little early with a sleepy and crabby Isaac. Fortunately all we needed was a good old fashioned burrito to help Bella find her mood.

Tomorrow is her big Birthday party: 3 friends for the afternoon, and family in the evening. Pamela has gone ALL OUT to create a "Tree Party" per Bella's request. We even cut down a "junk tree" (one of those that grow like crazy and need to be cut back every year) from the back yard and we now have a forest in our living room.

Isaac had another rough few nights - it looks like he's cutting two teeth at once, AND he had his fever too... but today it looks like he's turned the corner and his mood was vastly improved. Tonight he grabbed a big piece of fried sweet and sour chicken (no sauce), and chomped the whole thing down while strolling around the kitchen. He is a walking eater. Bama tried to give him a second piece, but first cut it in half... he rejected it flat out. I handed him a whole piece, and he ate quite a bit of it. We're learning what that creature will eat and how.

I'm encouraged that he WILL eat things - he just completely rejects "being fed", and "having food prepped for him". So I'll just have to give him whole pieces of food and watch that he doesn't choke...

Last night, Isaac got a hold of a frito, which he loved. Lilli tried to offer him a piece of bread, and he held out the frito like a magic wand, and barked "DAAAAA!!!" as if ward off the advancement of the bread. He turned on his heel and sprinted to the next room, where the frito was consumed.

PS - working out

I haven't given you a food OR workout update for months.

1) I'm now working out 3 times a week: 2 weights, one step. The club has created 3 days of 6am classes for me, and I'm singlehandedly shaming people into sticking with the program.... or they'll cancel the classes! We need a minimum average of 7 per class per day, and we're usually at 9-12, so we're doing GREAT. Step started up 3 weeks ago, and I've gone for two of the weeks... I love doing cardio in the AM - it just gets me PUMPED UP for the day!

This week, going to Jam with Bella at 5pm was hard because I'd already done a 6am weights class... I was almost asleep by 8, but toughed it out to 10. So yes, that means 4 workouts this week.

Should I mention that most of my pants are loose these days, with my boxers barely staying up? It's not bad skinny (the weight has gone into muscle in other parts of the body), it's trimness. Also, I can jump like 15 feet straight up into the air.

2) I have a new favorite lunch spot downtown: Harry's is on Washington Ave near the Guthrie, and it's cheffed by the former chef of Levain. It's American Bar Food done with artistic perfection. Every single french fry is perfect. The burger is a symphony of spice and hearty flavor. The decor is high-ceilinged class with a good warmth. It's 6 blocks from work, so I get a little walk in each way, perfect for a Pimsleur.

My other love is Cosi in the IDS, where the salty flatbread forms the basis for very fresh tasting sandwiches. I love a hummus with cucumber and tomato sandwich with a side of tomato basil soup... or a wasabi and ginger roast beef...

Downtown is fabulous.

Plus ça change....

One of my famous "numbered updates" today:

1) Isaac has a fever and has been sleepygrumpysweet all day. We've got him on drugs for pain and fever, and he doesn't have much of an appetite. He's been trying to play as usual, but has had to fall back to cuddling far more than is his wont. We are both sad for him, and thrilled to have a snugglebear in the house. Also, another tooth has cut through... oh that poor boy. It's good that memory doesn't stick at that age - we'd never hear the end of the "oh the pain" stories.

2) Bella and I went to BodyJam last night... but she again abstained from dancing. She told me she's happy watching me dance, and doesn't want everyone to see how she dances. I said that's just fine, but she shouldn't worry about how she looks - after all, look at ME dancing! She smiled... and said we could try again next week. Afterward, we got quiche from Patrick's.

That girl will rarely eat an egg, leaves the crust behind on pizza, and won't eat anything green - even Jello. But put her in front of a Patrick's spinach quiche, and you'd better pull the plate away when she's done or she'll take a bite right out of it. She's completely MAD for those quiches. Add it to Burritos and Tacos in the "Bella eats strange things" storybook.

3) So no sooner do things get mellower at work with the departure of my officemate, but things have gotten sticky: Turns out that around 1 year ago, a good 8 months before I entered the picture, a VERY key requirement was quietly dropped by the project manager, and somehow made it through the full contract negotiations and the purchase before someone figured out it was missing.

And this is not a minor requirement: It would require many hours of data mapping and some not insignificant changes to the software. And it's not in the contract, so the Vendor does not have to deliver it. And the affected docs are aghast at the discovery and are talking about pulling the software entirely.

Fortunately or not, my geekiness has kicked in, and I'm trying to pave a middle road - understanding that the vendor is not obligated, I'm offering a third path - a more minor modification that will get the job done, with most of the cross mapping to be done by yours truly. I think that my design is pretty straightforward, and it shouldn't be too hard....

But the Vendor is dragging their heels, not saying yes, and I'm pretty concerned that if they don't get on board, it's game OVER for them... though due to the contract, we'd be out a good 40% of the not insignificant purchase price. Well, I can lay out a path, recommend it, advocate for it... but if they won't meet us halfway, I don't know what I can do.

The doctors are truly happy to have me advocating for them by the way: The heads of Cardiology and the Cath Lab got me alone and asked "where did you come from? You're the best thing that's ever happened to IT over here" - The grumpiest doctors are now smiling and waving at me in the halls, and we have lots of laughs...

Indeed, I'm having a good time with this gig, but boy, it's NOT EASY some days/weeks/months. Stay tuned on this one.