Got to admit...

It's getting better. I think that the more I'm busy, the happier I am. So I'm getting busy. Today I was again invited to another meeting well outside of my "job", and wound up really contributing heavily.. to the point that I think there's a good chance they'll give me that project "on the side". Just a little project to figure out how to interface patient monitoring equipment with the electronic health record.

Add to this, there's a public "recognition" board at this place, and I have got two public "kudos" for my help. And I was asked to stay on for a while beyond June. They want me to manage the "Activation" of the project, which really means make sure I know what needs to happen in what order across the entire hospital and manage the "hit list".

Both of these "little" projects are actually pretty massive, and I'm excited to take them on. Add to this there are new people being added to the project who are interesting and smart, and the I can feel the culture of lethargy at that site beginning to turn around. I could start to like this.

Of course even the first thing I was brought in to do (which I am doing well, mind you) was something I hadn't actually DONE before. This whole gig, while it moves frustratingly slow at times, is just a KILLER skill builder. Perhaps the skill it is really teaching me is that I can learn to be patient too...

On a related note, my separation from long-term-client 2 has been sloooow. Finally last week I had to tell them I had no intention of billing them further, and that they need to take me off of the email distribution lists. After a WEEK, I finally got an email back from my old boss, who admitted she didn't want to acknowledge that I was really done with the gig... so we're getting together next week to reminisce.

Amusingly, I'm actually offering free side-advice to another consultant pal who is doing another assessment for them - Sort of a Cyrano de Bergerac situation. ;->

And that's the work update.

I, Consultant

On Friday I had an odd day at the Client: I was involved in 4 meetings, none of which were directly related to my stated "job", but all of which I wound up having a major role in. Each invite was the result of me asking "why".

In one case, my project was tangentially affected by an infrastructure issue from the night before. I read and reread the explanation of the outage, and wrote up a series of questions to get to the truth - what they were saying was not complete. Not that it really affected me, and getting the answer was NOT my job, but I didn't like the fact that the answers weren't being provided in a straightforward manner.

So I asked the questions, and it led to a full scale "lessons learned" meeting, in which all the geeks came together and hey, figured out that there really WAS a problem that needed to be addressed, and gosh, why hadn't they seen that? And maybe they would have done it anyway, but I felt like I had a part in helping them get to the root of their issue.

In the other meetings, it was a case where I was a participant in a larger meeting and a parallel team raised an issue. Again, completely outside of what my job is, but I had some ideas, and I offered them up. And suddenly, I've been invited to a work session to hammer out the problem.

I'm beginning to remember that THIS is some of the extra value I tend to bring to a client - I don't stay in my role - I always ask questions, I'm always curious about the big picture. This is how I rose from managing one hospital's rollout to leading the enterprise project at the last client. This is how I became the "consultant at large" for 4 years at the other last client. This is how I went from business analyst to department director at the insurance company years ago.

And as I sit with other people I realize that many of my peers as "consultants" do NOT have this tendency. The example I saw on Thursday - I was in a group of 5, one turned to me to tell me more details about a Japanese website I had shown him. We spoke about it for 2-3 minutes, and the other 3 people just sat there and waited for us to be done. None asked for background or details on what we were discussing. It's not the first time. I don't think I'm a buttinsky or terribly nosy, but if people are talking about something and I'm at the table, I usually want to know what they're talking about. To not be curious is just alien to me.

As you're aware, I've had some issues finding my "ground" at this client, and I'm still not sure that it's going to be a long lasting gig, but this week, I really started feeling myself "connecting" at the level that makes me most comfortable - getting involved with the larger picture, sharing my thoughts outside of what I'm "supposed" to be responsible for... Though to be perfectly clear, I am also focused on my "job", and am executing on it very well.

It was a strange moment of clarity on Friday, as if I was looking at myself and my behavior from the outside and I got a glimpse at one of my driving mechanisms - like seeing a pocket watch with the back off of it. And perhaps I'm describing something totally obvious to those who know me...

But I wanted to write it down.

Always backing it up...

So indulge a geeky post: Pamela's iMac was more or less fully recovered. The backup drive that finally gave up the ghost, I reformatted again, and tried to start using it to back up. It cacked out and disappeared AGAIN, and I tossed it. I got online and bought a pair of new backup drives - one for upstairs, one for the iMac. Big, new, cool machines.

They backed up Pamela's imac happily... but then after 3 days, refused to back up! Oh no - more haunted computers? No - it turns out this time that the actual interface on the iMac is flakey. Fortunately, I switched to a different port and it's working fine again, but dang it, it's just one more thing. But it's so esoteric, I don't know if bringing it back to Apple will get it fixed (or me a new computer) because it'll work for a while, and then flip out.

Anyway, so we all know, I'm backing up everything nightly now. The only problem is that one of the things I LOST in the crash was our new Mac website template, and I'll have to recreate the whole thing. SIGH.

And so I tell you: Back it up, people, back it up. I shall be the faded old man in the supermarket at 90 telling you to back up your data as you attempt to ascertain the fresheness of the vegetables. I will be the ghostly whisper from a malfunctioning am radio warning you... back up that data.

I was lucky - 105 gig of music (27000 tracks) and 30 gig of pictures (17,000 pics and movies) is not an inconsequential amount of data to lose. I was lucky to get it all back.

Bella in the morning

This morning, Bella woke up with me and we shared peanut butter toast while enjoying the newspaper funnies... which is in itself an interesting job just because not a single "funny" could be considered funny to a 3 year old... So I just have to make stuff up.

I asked her about her tumbling class - if she learned how to do anything new. Excitedly she said "You've never seen me walk on the wobbly bridge before! It's very hard, but I don't fall. Well, I do hold onto something so I don't fall I guess."

I asked what she held onto... "I don't know the word... It's like a piece of salt, but really hard."

Then as I was getting some coffee, she hollered "Dad, come here! You are NOT going to want to miss THIS!!!!" I was rewarded with a small picture of a poodle in a furniture advertisement.

My daughter is completely nuts.

Zombies

I have said it before, I will say it again. When Bella gets a nap, it is a bad thing for us... On no-nap days, she is down by 8 usually, and up at 7, which is a good 11 hours of sleep, and she's in a great mood.

But if she falls asleep, even for an hour... she's up til 11. She's still upstairs, glassy eyed, half asleep, and yelling about wanting lights on and reading more books... She just can't turn off!

And tomorrow, she will still be up at 7. That is not changeable for some unknowable reason. She could be in a windowless, soundproofed room, in a spaceship traveling at near relativistic speeds, and still at 7am Central Standard Time, she'll be up.

Which means we will have zombie child tomorrow, as we desperately try to avoid giving her the nap she will so much need, to break the cycle of insanity.

Poor thing!

Neighborhood Weekend

From Friday to today it has been a very neighborhood weekend. Friday night, Bella had an overnight with Grampette, so we could go to a surprise birthday party for Steve down at the bottom of the block! We had all planned on a big, kick up your heels party, and we definitely started well, but boy, we're all parents, and it was the end of the week, and by 11, that party was done.

So we took our Saturday AM as a good sleep-in. Well, Pamela did (resting in is just one of her favorite treats in the world, so when I can, I like to let her snooooze in!) - i was up at 7:15, knocking around... Once Pamela was up (10-ish), we went off to Zumbro for breakfast, and we got a lawnmower.

We had been using a service for the past few years, and we got to thinking that it was a bit expensive, and they didn't do THAT good of a job. My big thing is that I really really don't understand two-stroke engines, so the very idea of maintaining a mower is just nervousmaking. Add to this, our last mower was a total lemon - taking $100 a year in maintenance costs (not even including sharpening).

So we splurged on a rechargeable battery powered mower. I used it today - it was quiet, and did the job. It was stress free mowing at last.

Last night, we called an impromptu "taligating party" and had some neighbors over for hot dogs, beer in the can, and fritos. It wound up going late into the evening, which was just a blast.

Today, we had a "neighborhood art show" - we put up art by all of the kids in the neighborhood (from ages 1.5 -> 7), and had everyone over for snacks - it was the opening of the "Froggy Gallery" (Bella named it of course). The kids were just amazed to see their work up on the wall with labels (no prices - this stuff is NOT for sale!). I'll post a website of the event soon...

Of course, we all were having so much fun, we just morphed into a dinner, I ran out to grab take our burgers, onion rings, and malts for people! It was all done by 7, and people went home... and we enjoyed the West Wing once Bella was down.

It was really a great weekend! We have such a fun neighborhood.

Movie Idea

Post Removed.... I'm actually going to write up a spec script on this and see what happens. No point in leaving it on the interweb.

See you at the movies!

Three details on a Wed AM

1) As she fell asleep last night, Bella was telling me about her day... she was playing with Jenny (of course) and "We did all KINDs of things. Like, we tested Porcupines." I asked for details: "We put our hands down on the porcupine, and then we brought it back up... and looked to see if any spines came up!"

I don't believe that we actually had a porcupine available for testing... but it's nice to know that if one shows up, she has a battery of experiments at the ready.

2) No gig on the 21st. Apparently it's a small stage and Thomas is unwilling to give up his "ring of synths" for a full warm up band. But the thought is now free and out there, and there's nothing keeping us from making this happen in the future!

3) I had a very surreal online chat last night with Paul S: We were play acting an infomercial. The product on offer was a web-enabled chicken roaster with e-banking functionality - the Chickenbankweb. No money needed, we've already put one in every house in america. Just go to your downstairs bathroom - in the toilet tank you'll find a gold key. This opens the door you've never noticed before behind the toy chest. Bring provisions for a 10 day journey (hard tack, livestock).... It just kept going. Paul was playing the part of the over-the-hill TV personality feeding questions to me, the inventor.

The strange thing is, this morning - there it was, the Chickenbankweb... on my counter.

Yeeeowch - A Geeky Post.

So I moved to a PC laptop a few weeks ago so that I could better support my new client... and I did a TON of work with it... but really no MORE work than I have done on my Mac laptops at any other gig in the world.

Turns out that some combination of the mini trackpad, the stiffer keyboard, and the higher desk at the new gig has caused me some rather major wrist discomfort. Yes, my body is rebelling from having to use a PC product.

I'm trying not to take a big "message" from this. Instead I'm moving to a trackball (same as my office - rest your hand on it, work the ball with your thumb...) and working on my posture. But it is a chilling thought - that a person who has worked on these laptop things every day for 5 years can be brought to the point of pain in a mere MONTH of un-ergonomic life.

In other news, the "recovery" process is slow and painful on Pamela's iMac. Her iPhoto library (16,000 pictures) got a corrupt index, and so I'm re-importing all of the pictures. This is causing me to lose the rotation, but may make things a little faster, not having had the library upgraded from version 1->6. We got all 100 gig of itunes music loaded on the big G5 upstairs, where it will stay.

And this being the 3rd time it's been called upon to do restoration services, the external hard drive has hung up it's gloves and decided not to speak to us anymore.

And finally, a quick update. I LOVE MY MINI. It is maybe the most fun thing to drive ever. And it makes me smile as I walk up to it. Best car decision EVER. The hard part will be not getting a second one when Car2 comes off lease in 9 months.

Monday Morning

We're at 5 solid days of rain and counting... man, this is getting depressing. I feel like we're living in Seattle or something!

But the slick roads were no trouble for the Mini going into work. The Mini was a champ all weekend... It even served well for a trip to Costco! (the seats flipped down easily for the massive units of paper towels and TP... Also, I got the AUX jack working, so this morning I was back on the Spanish lessons for the trip to work. Though my trip is so short, I'll have to do only a half lesson each way!

That's right, I'm getting back on the Language Horse after a few months away - Spanish is back in vogue!

Pamela's Imac came back... freshly formatted AGAIN, with a promise that there was no underlying hardware issue. Lesson learned for me: I'm keeping all of the music and photos on my big bruiser G5 upstairs now. And backing them up weekly.

Finally, I spent time yesterday reading news reports of (and watching videos of) Stephen Colbert's SCATHING appearance at the White House Correspondent's Dinner - oh man, he pulled no punches. I cannot WAIT to see how he spins it on his show tonight!!!

I almost forgot

Pamela's iMac has AGAIN kicked the bucket. It is in techie hands right now... we'll know if it was just bad software, or if it's a hardware problem later today.

This thing has been so frustrating: It has had THREE different logic boards, and a Hard drive replaced. I made it clear that if this is another hardware problem, that's it for this - I'm demanding a new machine. This thing, it is haunted.

What's most frustrating for me is that every time it does die, I have to spend a good DAY reloading everything back on it from backups - all of our music, pictures, and videos... ugh. Ain't nobody reimbursing me for THAT.

Sorry, had to vent.

The land of Wheeeee

Another multiple subject post:
1) The Audi Allroad is gone - long live the Mini! Yes, we downsized the big inefficient wagon (17mpg average?) and got a Mini Cooper S! Chili Red with a white top and white alloys, this is a ZIPPY machine. I drove it all day yesterday, Pamela today, and there may be some fighting over who "gets" this car on a daily basis. WHEEEEEE! Still not as efficient as a bike (sorry TimmyP)... but it is a better thing for my world at least.

Also, it is cool.

2) Watched "Enron, The Smartest Guys in the Room". Very interesting how it broke down the complicated finances for easy consumption. One misstep I think: Why show strippers when you're talking about one of the exec's love of strippers? I don't think the boobies actually helped make a point. Another interesting point - they focused not on legality, but on ethics - even if nobody goes to prison (besides Fastow), there's no question that Ethics were "on hold" at that company.

3) We might might might have an actual GIG in a few weeks... Thomas Dolby is coming to St Paul, and Paul and Caesar are checking to see if they can wrangle an invite to warm up again... and this time Nick (the Chicken) and I would back them up on Keys and Drums. COOL. I'll keep you posted on this. Not a done deal, but if it works, it'll be neat.

4) We were driving in the rain yesterday, and Bella said "what's that sound?" I answered "what sound?", to which she replied several completely odd things:
- The sound like a train tipping over.
- The sound of a duck with a brick on it
I wish I had written them down - there were 6 of them....

The Good Life

1) I finished the tracks for the 4th Project Manager track, and it SMOKES. I'm very excited about this song, and about the Project Manager concept in general. And now that Paul and Caesar are done with their little "side project" (warming up for Thomas Dolby in Seattle and Portland) they can focus on this REAL work - getting guitar, bass, and vocals for the four Project Manager tracks.

2) Work is getting better and better: Remember the guy who walked away from me, calling me a temp? Well, he may or may not have been being "funny" then, but he has come around and is really quite nice to me now. So that's a positive.

Also, my first big project is in mid swing right now, coordinating a 2 week synchronization project with 15 people involved... and it's going pretty well. But get this: I got an actual thank you card for my work on this. A handwritten thank you with a picture of a kitten on it. And it was given NON-IRONICALLY. It almost brought me to tears.

3) Bella has been on a very amusing tear this week (after the brainstorms). Pamela wrote me today to tell me she was singing the following song:

"Bills, bills, bills... nothing but bills....
Bills, bills, bills... nothing but bills....
Cadillac, Cadillac, CADILLAC!"

I have NO idea where this came from, but it made me laugh for a good 10 minutes.

Brainstorming

Little Bella (3.6 years old now) has had in the past some issues with "night terrors" where she starts yelling and screaming at around midnight, not fully awake, and hard to comfort. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's mighty freaky. Usually, her terrors coincide with a developmental "leap" - shortly after a screaming night, she'll start doing something she never did before. I think it's most likely her neurons massively realigning and her brain just freaks out during the upgrade process.

Sort of like brain growing pains... growth spurts.

Well, for the past week, Bella has been regressing a bit - lots of baby talk, forgetting to use the potty, wanting to be carried around... and the armchair psychologists among us were trying to figure out what was happening. Last night, around midnight, we got the screaming - a classic night terror, and far from being freaked out, Pamela and I just said - let's ride this out and see what tomorrow brings.

This morning, Bella woke up, went to the potty, flushed, came in to visit us, and there was no baby talk.... We're back to pre-regression behavior at least! I didn't see any wildly new skills developed, but she may have picked up some basic Calculus or something - we'll just have to see.

It is just AMAZING to watch her brain develop...

On a related note: I did finally get upstairs to work on the 4th Project Manager track, and boy, it was great to finally let it out of MY brain. It's only a minute sketch right now, but the soul of the song is there. An interesting weekend!

The Incredibles

The in-laws were in town all week, and it was wonderful to have them... they're such nice people and we always have a good time. And yet, it was also very nice to have the house back to ourselves tonight. Bella and I had some fun snuggle time, and Pamela got to do some serious vegging - which she needs because she has completely lost her voice!

So even though I've had a 4th Project Manager track knocking around my head all week, I decided tonight needed to be about relaxing. So I kicked back with my favorite movie of all time: The Incredibles.

I have seen this movie over a dozen times, and I am brought to tears and out loud laughter every damn time. This is a movie that hits EVERY geek point I have. I see Fantastic Four, X-Men, Superman, Spiderman references throughout, and it reminds me of being a 12 year old geek drawing superhero comics with all of my friends as a super team. I'm amazed that the movie can still surprise me, that there is no "flab", no moment I tire of... it is a movie that Brad Bird might as well have drawn from my fondest dreams and memories and conjured up just for my pleasure.

It was a wonderful way to end a week of good laughs and company... add to this I got to spend time with MANY of my dearest friends this week - Lunches with Paul and Mark, Dinners with Nick and Yoshi, seeing Anne and Tony today - I'm feeling very connected with my world. And my friends Caesar and Paul S are having their own successes this week, opening up for Thomas Dolby in Portland and Seattle as Basic Pleasure Model.

Can I only mention that my work had some success as well - I have really started to feel like I'm adding value, and I'm getting good kudos from my peers and bosses. AND I found good coffee just 3 blocks away from work... in North Minneapolis (sorry Robbinsdale).

It'll be an early morning as I wait in line to register Bella for summer classes... so off to bed with me. But I had to share some joy with all... 3 (?) of my readers...

Being Sassy for fun and profit

In a meeting today, the management brass was musing out loud on our need to "take care of our people" - apparently they've got a few resignations in the past week, lots of people are feeling stressed out and foolishly believe the grass is greener at other sites (HA!).

It should surprise no one that I had a recommendation for improving employee morale: "Espresso Machine". Yes, I actually said it.

Because this meeting went long, I was on my own for lunch today... and was able to secure a post-lunch espresso as well. Two things I noticed: First, the probably-an-evangelical-trap coffee "house" had a neon sign saying "open" today. As if I'm going to fall for THAT one. Sorry Charlie.

Secondly, I learned that Navy Recruiters don't think it's funny to either dance to or comment on their extremely fruity disco cellphone ringtones. I could have guessed that one though.

The end of the Earth...

Robbinsdale, a small first-ring northern suburb, nestled north of Minneapolis. Place where I work now, and place where apparently they can support multiple gun stores, a firing range, several smoke shops, and NO coffee shops.

Not a dang one.

Oh, they tried - there's an empty storefront announcing "Expresso and Bakery" (Yes, the X is incorrect). There is a house that promises Coffee and even had a LaVazza sticker in the window... but the doors were locked, and the parking lot empty (I suspected this one may actually be a hipster trap when in operation - they lure you into the basement with a promise of coffee, and don't let you out until you accept Jesus as your personal trainer, or something).

Nearest Starbucks or Caribou are even further north in the seeming metropolis of Crystal. A good 15 minute drive, which seems excessive... until you realize that we're talking about MY COFFEE NEEDS here.

I think my three best options include:
1) Wean myself off of my need for the afternoon bean.
2) Bring a thermos with a quad shot kept hot for my afternoon of need.
3) Knock down a cube wall and install an espresso stand here.

I had considered bringing in my mini Espresso machine and parking it at my desk, but two problems present themselves: There is but ONE power outlet for my cube, and the nearest water is literally 20 cubes away (there is a massive server room between me and the "kitchen".

The final option is too horrible to contemplate: Drink the corporate brewed coffee in the break room. OH THE HUMANITY.

Authenticity...

I met Yoshi for lunch at E-Noodle - a little restaurant in St Paul that has many soups, as well as very good stir fries. Yoshi is 4 weeks away from moving to Australia for 3 months for school, then to Pittsburgh to attend grad school... so I'm trying to get my time in with him, because dang it I'm going to miss that guy.

He was very helpful in giving me some context for my current work woes - he says after all of the very intense projects I've been on for the past 3 years, isn't it OK to have one that is a bit of a yawn? Can't you just work your hours and go home and NOT think about it? Pamela made a very similar point, and I imagine that if I hear it just 2-3 more times, I might start to believe it.

Back to E-Noodle - I do love their stir fries, but since their name is "E-Noodle", I feel like a fraud if I don't try their soups every here and again. But I have yet to find a soup that I truly LOVE (in the way I truly LOVE Vietnamese PHO soups, but they don't serve those).

Today I decided to try a Korean Beef Noodle soup. While the flavor was good, I suspect that I was covertly garlicbombed, and that people will fear me. Also, the beef was horrific - and by that I mean big chunks of brisket with globs of fat. I would call it "depressingly authentic" because having had their beef in other soups and stir fries, I know this "special meat" is what they intended for this particular soup. I looked around, and decided that I'm NOT actually in Korea, and I will actually eat something tonight that doesn't horrify me, so I just enjoyed the broth and some noodles and walked away from the beef nonchalantly.

I can be adventurous - especially when I don't know if the NEXT meal will be even odder (see my Tokyo updates for proof), but when I'm in St Paul, I'm going to be a bit pickier. Which is not to say E-Noodle isn't great - they're spot-on authentic as far as I can tell. I just wasn't in the mood for authenticity, I guess.

Back to the grind - Good ol' Visio - how DID we ever get anything done without you?

Back to work...

It's week number two at the "new client"... and things are still going well. Every day I learn a few new things that makes something that was mentioned a week earlier suddenly make "sense". Fortunately, I seem to be "getting it" pretty quickly and people are satisfied with my output.

My first big exposure to the "big group" was to collect their signatures (14 of them) to validate that a software upgrade on Monday had been tested by the team leads. A similar upgrade 5 months ago had gone poorly, but nobody had taken responsibility for testing... so I got names and signatures.

I did have a bit of a grim moment yesterday: I was walking around meeting people, and one of the employees took a look at my badge, said "oh, you're a TEMP" and walked away just like that. WOW. There are definitely some issues with the consultants "versus" the employees.

At home, we're preparing for Easter - The in-laws are coming to stay for a while, Bella's birth family is coming to visit, and our house is a bit topsy turvy, as we had decided to do some "deep organization", which means the clutter behind the doors was brought out and rearranged...

It's sort of making me hyperventalate, actually.

Day Three - back home

With all of the crazy running around on the first two days, we resolved to make Sunday a much more mellow affair. We Metro'ed over to Erik and Heidi's place, got some coffee, and headed out to Brunch at their friends' place.

There were two other couples there, one 18 month old, and one 30 month old recent adoptee from Russia. These were cute little girls, and they had us missing Bella something fierce.

Jim and Erik disappeared to do some record shopping (an allergy break actually - after two hours my lungs were getting a bit tight from the house dog...), while the ladies stayed at the brunch and went to a playpark for even more kiddy goodness.

In the afternoon we hung out at Erik and Heidi's coop, exchanged MP3 files, reflected on the day, and then off to an early dinner - we had a plane to catch! We wound up in Dupont Circle at a smoky burger joint, but the health risks were well balanced by a DELICIOUS burger and onion rings, paired with a Guiness.

Then off to the airport, where we improbably secured exit row seating on an overbooked flight (thank you E-checkin!), left on time, and arrived on time (maybe the first time this has ever actually happened to me). The only downside was that the Wallace Shawn lookalike in the seat next to Pamela snored loudly the whole flight, jangling Pamela's nerves. A seat switch helped somewhat, but man, the dude was sawing logs, and I mean REDWOODS. An amazing snore on him.

We got home and JeMae filled us in on the whole weekend. Turns out Bella had been somewhat sick for much of the weekend, and Mae was being a super mom and holding her nonstop... and concealing this from us so that we wouldn't worry!

We rushed up to see Bella after seeing Mae off with a bag of salty oat cookies we brought back from DC (soooo delicious), and Bella woke up and decided to let it all out - she cried and cried for 45 minutes - she had been a real trouper all weekend, but it was finally time to let us know that she missed us. After a while Pamela carted her into bed with us, and she curled up and went right to sleep! After another hour, I carted her back to her bed - I can't sleep with TWO snoring girls...

This morning Bella came down to see me and we read the funnies together, shared peanut butter toast, and had some cuddles. It was GREAT to be home.

Many thanks to Erik and Heidi for their amazing hospitality, and to Dad, Karen, JeMae, Randy, and Jenny for their excellent care of our little Bella during our adventure!

DC Day Two

After a refreshingly late start, we were off to meet Erik at Starbucks in Dupont Circle (well, one of the 3-4 there). After a egg/sausage english muffin and a quad espresso, I was ready for the world! Note to Starbucks - your breakfast sammiches are DELICIOUS and should be rolled out beyond your limited test markets. I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS, STARBUCKS.

It was a cold, rainy day all day. The umbrellas were out, the puddles were deep, the dampness profound. What a good day to go to the Smithsonian museums! A thought shared by every single tourist in DC today.

First we ran into the big Cherry Blossom festival - sumo wrestlers, singers, dancers, and food stands. Two things here: 1) There were a lot of wet grumpy kids dressed like Dragon Ball Z characters (This is called "cosplay"). 2) I was able to buy a bottle of cold unsweetened green tea, just like I drank in Tokyo last year! It was delicious!

First stop, American History - saw a display of old computers (TRS80, Apple 2, Altair), and Julia Child's Kitchen, and some big trains, First Ladies' dresses, and Ray Charles' yamaha KX88 midi keyboard with braille on the switches.

Then off to Eriks museum of the Native American - a huge, beautiful museum filled with art from the first Americans. Erik showed us a lot of the clever touches, and made his feelings known about some of the exhibit designs... No backstage tour this time, but his running commentary was fantastic.

We had a GREAT lunch in the cafeteria of the Native Museum - it had different food stations for different regions - eastern america, central america, south america... I had some plank roasted salmon, pamela had some brined turkey, erik had some tacos. But the quality was very good - and the sides were nummy. I had fennel and fiddlehead salad!

A quick detour into the Air and Space museum (and a promise that next visit we'd go to the huge new annex out near Dulles), and a breeze through the Herschorn (to see some Japanese guy's photographs... taking art pictures of nature dioramas and wax museum figurines...).

No happy hour today - we met Heidi at Teaism for, well, tea. Also the best oatmeal cookies on the planet. (just had a half of one for breakfast!). It was a relaxing break. Then we had some time to kill before dinner reservations at 9:45.

So we visited Heidi's studio and acquired a few very nice necklaces, and went back to Erik and Heidi's and watched 5 episodes of Arrested Development - man was that a great show!

Dinner was at Indique - a nouvelle Indian restaurant. Great flavors, but some very loud republicans were at the table next to us. And one guy looked like Paul Reiser, and you know about me and him. The feud. But they couldn't ruin a great evening.

To bed by midnight, and up at 8, and we'll be home tonight with the final installment.

DC Day One

Good Morning! We arrived in DC safely and on-time after an early, bumpy NW flight... Nothing to report there, however. We decided to metro into town, with Eriks help... A relaxing way to go with the most polite and informative Metro driver ever. He did pronounce Washington as WAH-Hah-Shing-Ton-Ah. Very important sounding.

We needed to change trains to get to the hotel, and Erik surprised us by being at the transfer point! So he walked us over...

The Hotel Madera is a funky little Kimpton Hotel, with surprisingly large rooms, and it's pretty quiet! We're very happy with the place so far....

First order of business, let's see some flowers. DONE - the Cherry Blossoms are still in bloom, so we got a few great pictures. Second: COFFEE. Fortunately, DC has been throroughly Starbucks-ified since our last visit, so caffeine was ours. We started over toward the Mall, with the intent of meeting Heidi for a light lunch. She recommended a Spanish restaurant, and they had room for us.

TWO HOURS later, we finally crawled out of this magnificent place. The food was great, the Decor was mind blowing. We had delicious spanish wine, and the highlight was the fried custard dessert. MMMM.

Then off to the National Gallery for the Dada exhibit. IT really helped place Dada into the historical context of WW1 and Weimar Germany, which added an angle I don't think any of us had really considered before. Also, there was a huge installation for the Ballet Mechanique - 16 player pianos, 3 drums, 2 xylophones, a police siren, many bells, some fans... And it was HUGE sounding. We enjoyed a 10 minute performance (excerpts only - the original is 24 minutes long).

A great way to relax: Mojitos! Erik had a favorite place, and we loved them (Well, Jimmy did - Pamela loved her Diet Coke)

Walking past the White House, Pamela swears we saw Condi going into Blair House. I for one believe her.

We chilled at Erik and Heidi's swanky pad (they have truly maximized their 760 square feet - from floor to ceiling!) - watched some 1950s educational films and a few Colbert reports, and then off to a LATE dinner.

We wound up at a small country italian place called DINO, and had a GREAT meal, though by the end of it (11pm) we were all falling asleep. A cab was caught for the Hotel, and it was bedtime. But alas the night did not end there. Jim got his FIRST EVER Red Wine Migrane. My sister Carrie gets them all the time, so she's sworn off of Red, but this was my first. I hated it hated it hated it. Very sad.

But by the morning, all was well. We're off to meet Erik for some coffee and another fun day - we should be seeing Erik's museum today!

It's different up north.

Yesterday I had a very short lunch break between meetings, and so the travelers took me to Wendy's. Now I haven't been to a Wendy's for many many years, but I did remember that there was something about them making your burger just the way you want it, and you were supposed to tell them how you like it.

We walked up and Jen (one of the travelers) let the small, older woman behind the counter know that all four of us are on one bill. The woman looked fearful, and said "allright, I need to clear out these orders then!" After a few minutes of busywork, she carefully set up 4 trays, and braced herself. I could tell, she was a person who was easily upset.

So I'm ordering. I start with a Spicy Chicken Filet. I have to repeat myself several times as the lady looked for the right button. No, not a combo, just the sandwich. And a single burger... with lettuce, onions, tomato, ketchup..... she has stopped pushing buttons and is looking at me with dread - apparently I am not ordering this right. She says "just tell me what you DON'T want on it". I tell her I don't know what DOES come on it, could she tell me? She just looks at me as though I am some sort of alien, and have asked for a cup of oxygen. Apparently she will NOT be telling me what is on the standard sandwich. We stare at eachother for a minute.

I move first - OK I'll take everything except cheese and mayo, whatever else that entails is fine with me. BEEP. I see she has rung up cheese. She heard cheese and ordered it. At this point I know enough that to take that cheese off, she's going to need a manager. Now I am just looking to end this transaction. I will not argue about the cheese. I WILL NOT.

Fine fine fine. She looks past me to the next customer, and I say "could I also get a cup of water?" She literally pushes back from the register and throws up her hands in horror.

All the while, my three companions are watching this with ill concealed mirth. After me, Jode walks up and says slowly and clearly "Number 7 with a Coke, Please". He gives me the raised eyebrows and a smirk.

As I ate my unwanted cheeseburger, I reflected - what had I done wrong? I had gone off script - I had dared to take them up on their advertising promise of having it "MY WAY". I wasn't a jerk, I was just confused!!!!

As we went back to the car, the travelers lit up their cigarettes, and chastened, I said "I'll be good next time".

Project Manager 3

Just put the touches on a third Project Manager song: C-Suite. For those of you not in corporate america, that refers to the "nice" row of offices occupied by the CEO, CIO, CFO, and other other C-guys. The general idea is it's a love song by a mid-level manager who is sweet on an admin assistant who moved into his area during a re-org.

The music is, like all Project Manager tracks, done in rigid early 1980's style. While Requirements might have been done by Cabaret Voltaire, and I-Consultant sounds a bit like Alphaville, I'm pleased that C-Suite is very Kajagoogoo (like "Hang on Now").

I can't wait for us to actually get some of these tracks finished and shared with y'all soon... but until Caesar (my nemesis) does his guitars and bass, and Paul does his vocal magic, I'm afraid there's no "there" there yet.

But I'm happy about what we're achieving here!

Getting to be home...

The new workplace is coming along pretty well. By the end of Tuesday, I started feeling better about what my role is. Yesterday I was able to start presenting strategies to people, and TODAY people started coming to me for advice on various issues... So my confidence and comfort are returning.

Lunch has been fun: Turns out most of the people here are travelers with a generous Per Diem, so they just trade off buying lunches and expensing them, and they don't mind if non-travelers get in on it. So I've been freeloading. It's VERY nice of them, and I don't take it for granted, but I'm also enjoying it. The only downside - they are smokers. They smoke on the way, and on the way back. So I'm going to have to work that out.

BIG NEWS: We're taking a trip out to Washington DC fri-Sun. I'll blog any important events. Not sure if Condi will be in town for us.

Are you my mommy?

Day one of the new gig was the typical exercise in disorganization: I did get my parking, my id badge, my network, and my email set up (yes, another client email address which I will discourage people from using). But what I didn't get was a boss or any work direction...

Me: "Hi, I'm Jim, and I'll be doing Environment management and change control"
Someone: "GREAT! We really need your help! You've got a lot to do!"
Me: "Glad to help - can you point me towards my first task?"
Someone: "Actually, I'm not managing you, and I'm not sure who is... Sorry!"

Repeat several times throughout the day. I felt like the little chick in that children's book "Are you my Mommy?"

Some co-workers have warned that things move pretty slowly here, so not to worry about a lack of direction yet... but as you all know I like to have my work, and uncertaintly like this does get to me.

As cavalier as I've been about this change in work, I confess it does have me nervous to be starting something new like this, and the uncertainty got me a bit wigged out... fortunately Pamela was able to talk me through it, and I'm much calmer today.

On the plus side, I've already been welcomed into a "go to lunch" gang - which I confess I had NOT had for the past 3 years - 3 years of eating lunch with a book or newspaper. It was pretty cool.

All done...

Today was my final day at my client of 30 months, and it was bittersweet. I brought donuts and coffee for the team, and we had some good reminiscences. I have to say that I really did transition well this time - there's NOTHING that was on my plate that didn't have a new owner, and there was nothing that I wasn't 100% sure was being handled well by the new owner.

Of course I went to say bye bye to my people at the coffee shop... and they were sad to see me go.... I also got a hug from one of the security guards... an older lady who I got a warm welcome from every morning. She thanked me for letting her know I was leaving because "she would have got worried when she didn't see me".

It was time to go, and I feel good about it, but it's always a strange thing to leave a home, and this place really was a home.

Bring on the new gig!!!!!

Easter SCIENCE

I had to share these pictures of Pamela's insane Easter Display. Yes, those are bunnies under glass, with a beaker of jelly beans, as well as some "experimental" easter grass under glass as well.

Bella said "CUTE!!!!" When I came home and saw this, I was doubled over with laughter for 15 minutes. And I've been laughing ever since. I am SO glad Pamela uses her powers for good - this much insane creativity in the wrong hands would lead to world domination.

Dream into Action

We're really trying to live closer to a "budget" and that means we're cooking a lot more, eating LEFTOVERS (yes, I have been "repurposing" previous meals), and generally trying to be better citizens of the culiniary world.  

So I've been experimenting in the kitchen a little.  You need to know that I have amazingly powerful kitchen DNA - my mother is one of the
best "scratch cooks" in the universe - she would be a great iron chef, able to take 8 random ingredients and make something not-too-fancy but amazingly tasty.

These superpowers have not yet manifested in me, unfortunately.  I do try and sometimes it is
good and sometimes it is tragically flawed.  But tonight, it worked.

I had a vision 3 days ago of a steak.  A skillet sauteed steak with a shallot-wine-butter reduction.  I got the steaks (basic skirt steaks here)... but Pamela made a goat cheese lasagne which made two dinners for me, so tonight was my steak night.  And it was WONDERFUL.  The meat was a little tough (flash sauteeing is not the most tender way to cook an already tough cut...), but the flavors were amazing.

And it paired very well the Cab i poured for the evening.  The only possible downside was Bella burning her mouth on the mashed potatoes and screaming for like a half hour... 

The new gig....

I've begun the ramp-up process on the NEW gig starting Monday... 5 hours of meetings so far. The only downside was that I NEED a PC to do this work. For the past 3 years, my gig has been writing and emailing and people management, for which a Mac is as good as anything. But this gig will require some PC only tools (Access, Visio, Project), and while I can run Visio and Project in a limited fashion on the Mac, it's not terribly fast... and Access would not work very well.

So I'm blogging this from a PC. Can you feel my joie de vivre somehow being sucked out of me by the very touching of the keys?

Back to the gig: There was no ramp up. I started in a meeting where there was a crisis, and decisions needed to be made, and heads were turning my direction for my advice. Strangely enough, I actually HAD advice, and was able to help plot a course of action. It's strange to sometimes have to remember that.... I'M GOOD AT THIS STUFF. That's why I'm doing well in this business.

In other news: Moog just released a new Synthesizer: It's called "Little Phatty". How ADORABLE.

Do you Believe?

Strange dreams last night.  All I can remember is that I was a lead player in a romantic comedy.  When I woke up, the last thing I remember was a montage of me and people doing some big "project", with "Do you believe in Love" by Huey Lewis and the News as the soundtrack.

I've never been so happy to hear my alarm clock go off.

Comments...

In case anyone has been stymied by this - I finally figured out how to allow you to comment on my posts...  so go ahead and try it.  Both of you!

Back to the Coffee Shop.... the shocking twist

Don't worry - I'll only be at this site for 4 more days, after which the Coffee Shop Updates will cease.

I went up to get my double today, and again one of the "girls who make the sandwiches" was helping me out, again appreciative of the simplicity of my order (and inadvertently giving me a QUAD in the process). I commented that I hadn't seen Ryan for while, and they gave me a look.... and said "he's gone.... and from what I heard, there was trouble".

The sweet guy with the chemo? I started thinking - man, maybe this is a health insurance thing, and those evil managers got tired of paying for his expenses and came up with a way to cut costs... I had all sorts of theories.

Well, later on, I was in the lobby and saw the "OTHER girl who makes the sandwiches", who stopped me to ask me where I've been (because I hadn't been down there in a while...). I mentioned that I was surprised not to see Ryan, and she spilled the beans. He disappeared. They were roommates.... and he just up and left one day. And he was addicted to painkillers. And he may have lifted from the till, and certainly walked off with a bunch of her stuff...

I told her how sad I was to hear about that, and that I had friends who had gone through this as well, and perhaps it's just as well that he's not in the house right now... I also told her that this was my last week at the site, and that I would sure miss that whole crew.

What a terrible end to the Coffee Shop saga... Thinking about it, these are people who I just talked to a little bit every day, and I wound up knowing a lot about their world... and it is just strange to think that this sort of drama can be lurking under just about any situation out there.

Three Unrelated Points

1) Some friends are out in San Jose at a conference - but alas they have to work the "Booth". It brought back horrible memories of when I've had to work booths in the past. The "uniform" which everybody shares (one year, I swear EVERY vendor decided that Khakis and a Jean Shirt was "different" It was impossible to tell anyone apart!), the people who come by just to chat, or just to take your free thing, and never to actually BUY. The pain of your feet on the concrete floor.

I am sending "visions of softness" to them. And mentally encouraging their barkeeps to add an extra shot at the end of the day. My brain powers have that sort of influence.

2) Cute Bella thing today: After Gymnastics Class, Pamela took Bella to the Flower Show downtown where they had a good time. Bella was getting pretty tired, and Pamela asked her during the ride home - "Are you sleepy?" NO. "Are you going to take a little nap?" "NO.......... Actually yes. I am going to take a little nap". And immediately closed her eyes and was out COLD.

I was reminded of a quote of Timmy P's I heard related once by his Roommate the legendary Greg Neuhaus - after a long night of studying, he closed his book and said to no one in particular "Sleep... my mind welcomes it" and dropped off.

3) I have lust in my heart for a keyboard: The Poly Evolver by Dave Smith Instruments. But it's MIGHTY expensive, and pretty limited - but it has beautiful knobs and lights and it sounds VERY big. And Dave Smith signs each one, and he's the inventor of the Prophet 5, which was a classic from 1977.

He was interviewed about being a hardware maker in the age of software synths (In truth, my entire setup is software running on a G5, and I love it). He said that in 10 years, all that software won't work (the manufacturers will have likely moved on - and that's probably true), but his keyboards will keep on working. And in 10 years, you'll have something to SELL if you need. And that's true - I've thrown away old software (Unity DS1 anyone?) that was unsupported.

I thought that was pretty persuasive... but then I realized - his keyboard costs $2600. Used they already go for $1900. So it loses $700 in value immediately. A software version of his Prophet 5 costs $300 new, and even if it just STOPS WORKING in 5 years, it costs less than HALF of the first year depreciation on an actual piece of hardware.

So then I decided that software is ok anyway. Even if I need to buy a new version every 3-4 years, I think it's not a losing proposition. It's more like LEASING sound. And that's my economics article for the day.

Sore....

Man alive, particle board is Hea-VAY.  We have come to terms with the fact that our books and videos are officially "out of CONTROL", and decided to get some Ikea Billy bookshelves.  You know, just temporary until we can get the Stickleys in (HA!).

Not sure what I was thinking when I went to Ikea alone on Sunday to "pick some up".  One flat pack was 80 lbs.  Two at 50 lbs.  But man that I am, I did wrestle it all into the car and get it home and get them all on the proper floors....  and MAN am I sore!!!!

I finally finished assembling them last night...  and they're looking pretty dang good.

Quick Coffee Shop update:  Pamela came to visit work yesterday and finally saw the legendary coffee shop.  Alas, the regulars weren't there!  The two "Girls who make the Sandwiches" were improbably working the front counter.  They told me "We're caterers, we dont' make coffee!"  But since my Double was easy to make, they indulged me.  

They also said "We're working a double here - there's an event we need to cater tonight, and it's hot food, not trays, so it'll be a lot of work.  Let's just say that if the manager doesn't come through with some beer for us tonight, we're not coming in tomorrow."

I have not yet confirmed whether this threat was taken seriously.

Mike and Ike

I was sitting in a meeting today, and watched a coworker eat TWO movie theater-sized boxes of Mike and Ikes (they're like long jellybeans).
  
One after another, without pause.  Over the course of an hour, those boxes were DEVOURED without mercy.

I'm gonna level with you:  It scared me.

Back to the Coffee Shop

Two stories worth repeating:  Yesterday I was dragging arou 2pm and needed a fix.  I went downstairs, and ordered my double...  Ryan made the shot, but before handing it to me, paused:  "I think I may have packed the coffee too tightly, and it may have overextracted - let me dilute it for you"

I insisted on the full strength monkeyfur brew...  and he refused to charge me for it.  Apparently if the coffee isn't up to his standards, it's going to get tossed, so might as well give it away.  I do love this joint.

Today, I went down for a post-lunch toot, and caught the following conversational snippet from Ryan (who you'll recall was in hospital last week, and also voted me best dressed): 

"After Chemo, I can't drink for a few days, and my friends usually call me up to go out knowing they've got a guaranteed designated driver".

There are at least three different layers of sadness implicit in that statement.  To be honest, I'm a bit bummed.

Still Rocking

I haven't had the guts to look under the bandage, but at least it doesn't hurt to type... too much.

Project Manager has a new Manifesto - it's not enough to be 80's wink-wink-nudge-nudge but we need to really be TRUE to it.  That means making records that may have fallen through a time tunnel from 1982 - without stutter edits or great digital samples (unless emulating a recorded instrument) or really lush reverbs...  there needs to be some rawness.

To that end, I gutted the first song, "I Consultant" and replaced EVERY SOUND, thinned it out, redid the effects, and made it sound like a room full of synths almost threatening to go out of tune.  One of the instruments is actually blatently out of tune.

The nice late-Depeche era drums are gone, and a quantized Linn and Simmons track is in it's place.

And the result is just great.  It's liberating to have a "direction" - to have a sound that you're really GOING for.  It's a fun project, and I can't wait to share some of the finished tracks.

But no previews you jackals.  NONE.  

Ow - my thumb still hurts, dang it.

OW OW OW.

I slammed my thumb into a door jamb, bent back my nail, and it's all the wrong color.

OW.

OW OW OW.

DANG IT.

Sort of hurts to type. 

OUCH.

After the love...

So... we got CREAMED by 8 inches of heavy snow last night, but the show must go on, so we disentombed the cars, shoveled the walks and off I went to work.... Where surprisingly EVERYONE else actually WAS - so meetings went on as planned, work life was as a normal day.

During a late morning break, I loaded up the ipod with my german interview podcasts and walked to the adjoining hospital (where they serve the NAKED brand of thickjuice, which is much superior to the ODWALLA brand which they sell at my cafe). On the way back, I passed a wall of windows and saw Dick, the CEO of the multimillion dollar healthcare chain standing there on the phone.

Apparently in a move toward "accessibility", they decided that the CEO should have a transparent office that anyone could walk up to and press some ham on the glass... Fascinating. Of course I had walked past the office a dozen times and never seen anyone in there, so perhaps it's not such an invasive plan after all.

Since I was snowed in, I decided to eat at the cafe that has served as the basis for too many of my posts. I'm here to report that while the Espresso was delicious, the sandwich was a confused mess. It was an "italian panini". But no salami? Just ham and capiccola, and the capiccola was spectacularly TOUGH, like HAM JERKY. Three leaves of spinach and two weary slices of roma tomato, no sauce, no vinagrette, no joie de vivre.

This evening after slip sliding home, I decided to check on my dad's house - he never asks me to shovel, but I like to check when he's out of town. I got there, and yes, it had been freshly snowblowed. But in the process of checking it out, I got my car well stuck in a snowdrift - DANG IT MINNEAPOLIS and your "snow emergency" plowing regs. Here in Edina, we were plowed out by 8am. The whole dang city.

Two pedestrians pushed me out, which was wonderful - and once back in the "tire grooves" that pass for Minneapolis' "plowed streets", I stopped the car, lept out and thanked the profusely. That's one of those things that I always feel strongly about - I don't like that feeling when you pushed someone out, and they just TAKE OFF with the little wave.... Ah well.

The West Wing rewarded us last night (but come on, if Donna and Josh don't just get FREAKY by the end, I'm giving up on humanity) Tonight we watch the Sopranos. awwww YEAH.

Project Manager

So my little project for world domination:  The supergroup is called "Project Manager" and we sing songs of life in corporate america.  The first track, "I, Consultant" is in the can (awaiting vocals, actually).  The song has a moby-esque feel.

The second track has come along nicely.  "Requirements" is the name, and it has a very Cabaret Voltaire like groove (Code-era).  It's now ready for guitar and vocals too - so Caesar and Paul better get CRACKING.

The other night, I sent a rough mix to Caesar, and the next morning got an email back "Oh look, what happened?  The track has guitar on it!"  My response was "Knock knock,  Who's there?  INTERNATIONAL MEGAHIT."

When I finished the mix last night, I somehow decided to up the Tempo 1bpm (106 to 107) completely forgetting that Caesar already had tracks laid...  and my little bump threw all his work off.  Nice guy that I am, I re-bounced it at his preferred tempo.  

Work life continues... I'm just wrapping stuff up at Client 1, and Client 2 continues at their low level of hum... Client 3 should start up next week!  

And regular readers will be relieved to know that Ryan is back at work in the Coffee Shop, as is the "girl who makes the sandwiches".  I didn't ask about monday, but I registered my pleasure at seeing them by buying a sandwich for lunch and being very vocal about how good it looked.  (Truth be told, it WAS delicious).

Coffee Shop Update - Emerging Crisis

I went down for my now-traditional late-morning double, and noticed the crew was a bit light, and there was an absence of breakfast sandwiches... so I asked if I missed the big rush or something....

"Well, you're a regular so i can tell you....  Ryan's in the hospital - you know, he was on medication, but I don't know what for.  The girl who makes the sandwiches didn't show up either, no call, no nothing, which is strange because she seemed to be doing pretty well.  Maybe it has to do with Ryan - I think they're friends.

"So now I have two managers in back and they're making sandwiches for lunch, and it's just me up here holding it all together, but I'm not doing too well either....

"My little kitten spent the night up in a pine tree - she bolted out the door after a squirrel last night, and went straight up the tree, and of course she can't get down.  I was out there calling her, but nope.  My dad's over there right now with a ladder, hopefully he'll get her down.

"I would have asked my boyfriend, but HE's in the clinker with a DWI - we had brunch yesterday and he just felt like keeping on going - I said "no thanks, I need to work a double tomorrow", and the next thing I know, it's the evening and he's in jail.  I think I gotta make a change in that department."

That all said, it was a good cup of espresso.

Best Dressed

I am beyond proud:  At the coffee shop (see post regarding the insanity of the coffee shop in the basement of client number one)...   anyway way the coffee shop, I am now known as "Espresso Guy".  They start my double as I walk up.

Now, i'll admit perhaps I'm going there too much (once, maybe twice a day), but it's pretty flattering to be known as a regular, even if i'll NEVER go there again after 3/31.

Anyway, today apropos of nothing, my coffee shop people notified me that they had decided that I am one of the THREE BEST DRESSED CUSTOMERS THEY HAVE.  

I'm thinking that might be a good epitath:  In 2006, he was one of the three best dressed customers at a corporate coffee shop.  Yeah, that's a legacy.

One of my co-workers said she'd go have a talk with them because god knows I DO NOT need the encouragement.

Melissa Rocks

After dinner, the simple verdict is:  Paul's new lady Melissa is a swell dish, and it was great to meet her.  SOLID.

My apologies to anyone else who actually reads this and doesn't get what this means.  ;->

The Mixing Mystery

I've been working up this new song, and last night I felt like I had a good mix... but it had been a few hours with the cans on, and it was hard to tell.  So I burned a CD for the car today.

The mix, it was terrible.

But I listened to the song a good dozen times throughout the day, and began to realize what was wrong, bit by bit.  The snare wasn't REALLY too soft, it was the bass creating too much "boom" in the mix, it was throwing off the other parts.  Also, there was a part that created a horrible clash at two parts of the song, which was odd because note-wise it was just right.  But the OVERTONES were out of tune?

I came home and sprinted upstairs, spent an hour applying the "lessons" I'd learned, and suddenly the mix "gelled" in a beautiful way.  But I didn't change any notes, or really any sounds... it was just in how they were mixed.

There's probably a life lesson in there somewhere - where you have fixed elements of your world, and rather than pitching any of them over the side, look to fix the mix a little.  

Or maybe not.  Maybe it's just music.

The hardest thing...

The hardest thing about getting a new gig is dealing with the other gigs you had in the pipeline.  I swear I wish I could clone myself...

I had a VERY nice call from one of the prospects asking me to call when this gig is over, and the other one made the same offer...  I also think this means that the Consulting Market is officially "warming up" a little bit.  That, or my resume has got REALLY good.  ;->

The new song has rolled round my head all day, and I'm ready for a second draft tonight!  I'm feeling pretty alive these days.

On the EBay

I'm cleaning house - I have stuff up on the E-Bay.  A Powercore Compact and a Microwave XT.  Basically the almost last vestiges of "outside the computer" synths.  All that will remain is the big Yamaha, which may go and get replaced by an simple controller keyboard... or maybe not.

I started a new song tonight on the big G5:  "I, Consultant".  It's the first in a series for an epic EP by my new band "Project Manager"...  watch for more info.   The flow is good on this song, and I have high hopes!

To wrap up the posts about the illness in the house - Bella recovered a few days later, but Pamela got it, and she's only just now feeling "up to snuff".  Poor sickies.

Still Workin'

I finally got an exit date on my longest-term client (2.5 years at a hospital system) for 3/31 - a date that was apparently selected by the CIO for cost cutting measures, having no regard for where the project was at. I've been working on my transition, however, and was starting to look for my next gig.

I had one opportunity possible through my current firm, and one outside of my firm... Both sounded interesting, but the inside gig was a software eval and RFP, and would require navigating a political maze of Cardiologists. The outside gig was a step back in time for my resume doing a big Data Warehouse, and would have been a 40 minute commute.

Out of the blue Thursday, I got a call from a peer at my current firm, grilling me on some skills I have. By 4pm she had my latest resume. By 2pm Friday I had an interview at ANOTHER hospital - this would be managing development and production environments for a huge system install: Cards on the table, I haven't done this before, but I know what to do. It's in a very hot bit of software, would grow my skills, and it's early in the project, so it's being PROACTIVE rather than reactive. Add to this, I have some friends on the team already, AND it's 10 min from my home.

The interview went VERY well - By the end, we were talking about WHEN I start, not IF. Then I had a conference call to get on for another client - and they let me use an office. While I was on this call, I was watching my email, and saw the proposal, the statement of work, and the approvals all come across, so when I left at 4pm, I knew I had the job.

And it involves a raise too! So no work worries for many more moons, and this sets me up even better for the NEXT gig.

It was a good day.

The new Coffee Shop

After two months of being in the "NEW" space at my client, the espresso shop in the basement is FINALLY open. Now, when I can, I like a post-lunch double espresso to keep me going until my "just got home" espresso before dinner (this is after the two "wake up" espressos before leaving the house... THANK YOU CAPRESSO).

So I went on Tuesday, got a great cuppa in a small 3-oz cup. Went on wednesday, got a great cuppa in a small 3-oz cup. On Thursday, I asked for my Double... and it came in an 8 oz cup.

Immediately, a short woman with a clipped british accent was at my side - apparently the manager in mufti - scolding the employee that she had used the wrong cup, and apologizing to me. Now, I'm pretty used to getting a double in a big cup - not many shops actually have the mini cups these days.

"Oh no, sir, an Espresso is a premium drink, and people who appreciate espresso are premium customers. You deserve the full experience!" I thanked her, but said that since the cup is already dirty, I'll be happy to use it. Then she took the cup and peered inside...

"I see that the espresso was well made, at least" eyeing the crema. She then told me "You let me know if you ever get an espresso with a less than perfect golden crema. True coffee fans appreciate the crema, and wouldn't dream of polluting the drink with milk or (shudder) flavored syrups....".

At this point, I realized I'm dealing with a lunatic the likes of which I hadn't seen since working for Ed Dunn in St Paul, who had very fixed ideas of what was appropriate for people to order: "There is no such thing as a LARGE CAPPUCINO, sir. CAPPUCINO is a drink with a doubleshot of espresso, a thin layer of thick frothed milk, and a dollop of the light froth. IT CANNOT BE MADE LARGER!!!!!"

The next day, the Brit was gone, but the espresso was served properly. I heard she was back to the corporate offices in New York. She had offered the Barista additional training in how to truly prepare exceptional coffee... and the company training center in Milan.

Bleeeahhh

Is there anything sadder for a parent than hearing your child puking? Poor Bella walked in the house tonight and let loose on the foyer rug (it was on it's way out anyway...), and then spent the evening spitting up whatever was left, water, pedialyte, oxygen, parameciums, and the cosmic ether, apparently.

It's just so hard... and she's being very polite - telling us to watch out because here comes some more, and don't get it on our clothes, and maybe we should leave the room so we don't get sick too?

Such a sweetie. All indications are this is a fast but fierce one (perhaps related to the evil that waylaid me a few weeks back?)

Back to the bedside! Suffice it to say, the Olympics shall be Tivo'ed and savored at a later time.

High DEEEEEF!

So I've had a 30" Philips Hi-Def TV for a year up in our sitting room and used it for movies only... but the other night I watched the Olympics in HD at a neighbor's... and it was a revelation. This coincided with my general "being tired" of having that TV in the sitting room, which is a very cute space and didn't deserve all of those wires causing trouble.

So last night we did a TV Fire Drill: Living room TV to basement in front of workout gear... perhaps that will inspire. HD tv to living room. Hook up the big surround sound.

Today we finished the deal: Traded in the DVR for an HD DVR from the cable company, and voila, I'm watching figure skating RIGHT NOW in glorious hi-def... and have also set up the hi def for movies too... while maintaining an "easy" hookup for Bella's VHS and DVD movies with another player.

Ooooh, it is very nice. And you can sure see the wrinkles. And thanks to Paul Sebastien for his comment about Discovery HD - that's just gorgeous too.

And the sitting room is looking more inviting than ever. I have a new-ish Iain M Banks book that's been dying to get itself read.

Cute Girl Moments:

Last night, over the course of play, Bella came up with three dog names:

"Bucket", "Pig", and "Fair and Square"

I need to get three dogs now.

Update: My wife has been napping this afternoon, and it is a delicate dance to wake her up from these slumbers - done wrong, there will be crabbiness. So I have to regularly pop in and ask how she's coming along on the wakeup... Just a minute ago, she (after assuring me thrice earlier that she was AWAKE dang it), she said:

"Just fine - I just finished filling your rubber head cast with plaster"

Oh yeah, she's AWAKE.

Moog

I just watched the movie MOOG - a documentary about Dr Robert Moog. Most of it was filmed in 2003/2004, and it's made bittersweet by the fact that Bob was back on top in that era, having released a very excellent update to the minimoog called the "Voyager" that was selling well and getting him many kudos... and there was a big concert in his honor... and then he died quickly last year (2005) of a brain tumor (which happened after the film was released, so it's not addressed).

Moog was a big earth daddy nerd - never fewer than 4 pens in his shirt pocket, and very into his geeky details, but a very gentle, amiable guy. There are scenes where he just looks confused, like when DJ Shadow is telling him about how sampling is just another sort of modular synthesis, and when Rick Wakeman and Bernie Worrell are comparing playing a minimoog to romancing a woman....

But my favorite parts were when he was explaining his inventions - because while he loved the music people made with his synths, HIS love was in making the instruments, and knowing that once they left him, they'd be used to make people happy. He explained that every one of his designs is his artwork, and when you play his instrument, it's like he's there helping you. It made me knuckle away a tear, and really really really want to get one of his machines in here just to noodle with.

Not a fantastic movie (there are some sort of painful "music jam" moments that are perhaps lingered on too long) but a fantastic guy and worth viewing for that!

Normalcy?

It's been 5 days since getting home and I'm only now starting to feel like I'm really BACK. I feel like I've been in a bit of a haze (solving client crises also made the time FLY by). I've also consciously NOT blogged for a few days so that my full trip would stay on the main page... but as of now, you officially need to click on the "February" link on the right to see them all. SORRY!

Today was very quiet at work, so I spent my work time listening to radio shows in german again... I tried in Spanish for a while, but it was very distracting - for some reason German is more soothing. Dear god what am I SAYING?

The blog is called Jimventions - and part of the reason is that I was going to make up a crazy invention every day or so. The problem is that I actually came up with some pretty interesting product ideas, and they're LODGED in the brain demanding that I draw up designs for them, and they're effectively not letting anything else out. So my apologies - you'll just have to wait until I get my bajillion dollar idea fleshed out a bit before you'll get my "automated ketchup slicer" or whatever.

And here endeth the random posting for the night.

Sea World and Home again!

Yesterday, we did Sea World:

First we had breakfast at the hotel: Now, no blaming here, but Pamela did manage to drop the camera onto the pavement upon our re-arrival in San Diego - and this was the third time it had been dropped... this time, the body busted open. We were talking about it at breakfast, brainstorming solutions, and the manager, Anna, walked by and heard us mention Duct Tape... and minutes later, she was AT the table with Duct Tape and scissors. Anna was a sweet woman, and this did keep the camera working for the day (we're up to over 500 pictures, by the way!)

It was a slightly cool but very clear day, which made for pretty small crowds all day at Sea World! We managed to see everything! We started with the Shamu Show, which was in the "smaller" arena (off season and all). Man, those are some big whales. Then we hustled over to the Seal comedy show, which was predictably mild, but the pre-show comedy bit was one of the only things Bella stated as her favorite bits of the day...

We visited Penguins, Walruses, Manatees... All SOOO cute. Bella and Jenny were a bit crabby for the day, but whenever we entered an aquarium area, they were RAPT - they loved the fish... except for the sharks. Bella hollered that she didn't want to see any sharks, she doesn't like them, she doesn't even want to see them... until the very end, when she DEMANDED to be brought back in for another look.... Another moment was when she was exploring the "Polar Bear Cave", and a recorded ROAR filled the cave - her eyes widened and she bolted for mom (she just retold me that story at bedtime tonight)

They had a Pets show with dogs, cats, geese, pigs, etc. That was impossibly charming... with trained Cats? I honestly had no idea that could be done, but here they were all running around climbing stuff on cue! All I could think was that there were a LOT of treats hidden around for them - I can't imagine them doing it for love like the dogs do. Nothing against cats - I just don't think of them as able to be motivated in the same way as dogs.

Bella also pet a starfish, a Dolphin, and gave a good college try at petting a Manta, but the water was a bit too deep for her (but I did pet the Rays - LOTS). We also saw the Dolphin show, which was just great for a few reasons, two of which were PILOT WHALES - it was just amazing to see those big whales in the same ring as the Dolphins! Also, they TOTALLY fooled us with a gag - they had a family sitting to the side in "honors" seats, and the "Dad" leaned out to take a picture and fell in... to be nosed around by dolphins and a pilot whale... turns out he was a trainer in disguise, but they had us hooked!

The food was very good for lunch - the Annheiser Busch people have a flagship area (with Clydesdales wandering around, including a baby!), with a surprisingly good kitchen and beer tasting. I enjoyed tasters of a Lager and a Stout, which I had no idea the Bud people were selling, but hey, they were great. Went well with the beer brat!

By the end of the day, the girls were ready to chill out... so we caught the bus back to the Dana, and did room service, and the girls watched Chicken Little (which I sure wonder how that worked for them - it was all sight and reference gags and some surprisingly mean spirited revenge bits... but maybe that was only at our level - the girls thought parts were funny and it didn't damage their psyche).

The funny line from last night - Bella was being a bit pokey on finishing her mac and cheese, so we assumed she was done, and asked if she wanted dessert... She waved it off and said she wasn't done. 10 minutes later, she calls over to us: "HEY MOM: is THIS done enough for ya?" Holding up the empty mac and cheese bowl with a big grin... and then she took her dessert. Absolutely out of nowhere this was.

This morning came early - 6am wakeup, and a quick shower for me... and then the water main busted and the whole hotel was out of water. So Pamela had to wait until tonight to hose off! We did go to the hotel restaurant, where the Manager (Anna again) was determined to serve, water or no water: She filled up tons of water glasses and made a dozen pots of coffee right when she heard about the water troubles... so everyone got what they needed. She was getting worried about dishes, but told us "The people need to be fed - I will serve them on Paper Plates if I need to". Anna was a treasure.

A quick drive up to LAX, easy checkin, easy flight again. Bella was a real trouper AGAIN: I mean, 2 hours drive, the bustle of the airport, and a 4 hour flight, and she was still in a great mood... Nothing hilarious to report... though to kill the last hour, Bella and I read the SkyMall catalog from end to end. She liked the giant fake rocks you can use to hide unsightly septic plumbing - she thought they'd be good for protecting flowers from the rain.

When we got home, I bolted out to get a Burrito in that girl. It's 9pm now, and she's just winding down - but she is VERY excited about being home - she started dressing her dolls and setting up a "party", and was telling me what she liked about her week, and even asked when we get to go to Disney again!

And this ends the vacation BLOG - it was an amazing week, and we got SO much out of it - and I would have never expected we could have achieved so much with a 3 year old in tow, but she was really a great traveler, and always game for adventure!

Thanks to y'all for reading!

Back to San Diego

The drive from Disney to San Diego was very smooth - Bella passed the time watching Dora on the iPod Video, and then singing songs... We checked into the Dana Inn - which is just up the block from SeaWorld, and was billed as having a massive renovation... which they did - from the Lobby eastward, it's all new, in classic white spanish architecture, updated facilities, etc. Of course, we're in the western end of the property, which is still forest green MOTEL units... but it's very charming in a retro way.

The squirrels raced over to the pool (a toasty 80 degree pool) and swam for an hour, then Randy and I went out to get... IN-N-OUT burgers! Ah these sweet little burgers - so delicious! And their menu is so minimal: Burger, cheeseburger, fries, shake. That's it! Everybody wears white, the counters gleam, and they're so darn polite... Sort of the Disney of fast food? All I know is that my tummy was happy.

The girls watched The Rescuers on the laptop while we noshed... and then it was off to bed. Today we go to Seaworld!

On the way out...

Two details on the way out of Disney:
1) We watched a Koi feeding frenzy outside of the hotel: The nice guy was letting any kid out onto the platform to grab a handful of fish food and have them swarm, giving "fish kisses". These fish were so excited they were leaping out of the water. Bella and Jenny were fascinated, but declined the honor of feeding them.

2) At our Brunch with Goofy, guess who showed up? Burt from Mary Poppins - this time as a chimney sweep (yesterday he was dandied up). He of course remembered Bella and Jenny, and plopped right down to sing and color again, and was there for around 20 minutes, completely NOT going from table to table. And he waved over Pluto and Goofy and we all had a very casual playtime - Bella was frolicking with Pluto quite a bit. She was dancing and laughing - she was just enchanted by Pluto!

Goofy took my water glass and went out to the porch to put his feet up, so we joined him for some loafing off... We got some great pictures of us all just kicking back with Chef Goofy.

You know, you see these ads for Disney showing families getting quality time with "characters" and you think "oh sure, THAT'll happen". And here we were getting all sorts of great one-on-one time with Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Mary Poppins, even the Mad Hatter?

One slightly grim image sticks with me as the "tell" of the Disney Experience: A very well dressed "manager" type standing over a pile of kid-puke on the sidewalk, politely waving people to either side, waiting for a clean-up. At other times, I saw gardners and clean up guys giving very detailed directions and even carrying things for people. Service is truly an art for these people!

We left Disney very very impressed and satisfied.

Final Disney Morning

Today we're off to San Diego - but first a "Character Brunch" at Goofy's Kitchen...

Today's Word from Bella is "Tiperator" (tip-er-ay-tor). She's used it in the past too, but today she said "It's Tiperator, and that means I want to keep it FOREVER!" A few days ago she said "It's fine and tiperator, and that means it's FANCY!"

So Tiperator it is.

To conclude the evening last night, we had very good Neopolitan Pizza, and hit the park for a last run: The Enchanted Tiki Birds were wonderful (and retro-tastic). And we got in one last Carousel, Dumbo Ride, and K.C. JR Circus Train... and that closed the park.

Bella fell asleep in the stroller again, so night night was easy, though she woke up a few times in the night shouting about rides or sites, so I'm pretty sure her brain is chock full of the experience, and one more day would probably make her explode. I know OUR feet are KILLING us, and I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing drive down to San Diego... and no plans for the night. Tomorrow, SEA WORLD!

Midpoint Report

Allright, forget all about sequential: I need to tell you about what happened this afternoon! We had a great day in general, and were on our way back to the hotel for swimming, when we spotted Mary Poppins and Burt strolling along, so we tailed them. They sat down at some tables in a cafe and we walked up to them. They were politely not signing autographs, but invited Jenny and Bella to sit down and do some coloring with them.

After a little hesitation, they both plopped down, Bella by Burt (the Dick Van Dyke character), and Jenny by Mary Poppins. And they grabbed paper and crayons, and colored. And talked to them, and sang songs together... for over 45 minutes.

Bella and Jenny had a 45 minute private playtime with Mary Poppins and Burt, COMPLETELY impromptu. It wasn't exclusive, but lots of people just ran up wanting autographs and pictures, and they weren't giving either - they invited people to play if they wanted - and a few kids did on and off, but Bella and Jenny were SO into it. And I can't stress this enough - even though other kids came and went, Bella and Jenny were really getting the one-on-one treatment.

This was just one of the most incredible things yet on an incredible vacation.

Which we needed, because this morning, both girls woke up a bit grouchy - and who wouldn't after all of the stimulation of the days? They really needed some downtime, and so after a quiet, separate morning, we met at Toon Town, which is sort of a free form playland, where bella also got to meet Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy.

Finally, about the consumerist frenzy from the night before - Bella did not let us forget it - right away this AM she said she wanted a toy... and we had put her off yesterday by saying "tomorrow". So we stopped in many shops and we held all manner of toys in front of her, and she would give an imperial shake of the head NO.

But when we went into Tomorrowland, she immediately fixated on a SILVER ROBOT Pluto, with lights that walked, and she gave the queen's nod - this would be her toy.

And after all of the princess stuff and the mickey and minnie and everything, it warmed my heart that at the very end of it, she picked a DOG and a ROBOT. My little girl is a geek at heart.

More later!

One more thing about Superawesome Day

The Mommys did Space Mountain - did I forget to mention that? They were very proud of their bravery, and they got a picture of themselves screaming. Again, I post: "THE MOMMYS DID SPACE MOUNTAIN!!!!!!"

It's the next day now (Wednesday), and Bella slept in to 7am! Randy and Mae are out having a morning "date" for coffee and pastry, and we have the Squirrels for a little while.

A big day ahead - lots on the agenda!

Jimmy OUT (and off to find some espresso!)

Oh - there's a fire

There's a huge fire someplace near LA - there is a huge plume of smoke over the horizon and the sky has a yellowish tint in places... and there's ash floating down over everything!

Yesterday the smell of smoke was strong (but not acrid - more like a fireplace), but today it was better.

Yet strangely, my asthma has not kicked in even a little bit! And that's the story of the fire.

Superawesome DAY

So Bella woke up at 6am again... and I ventured out to find some stronger coffee, only to find that (after walking all the way up and down Downtown Disney) that everything opens at 8, except for the coffee shop 20 feet from the entrance of my hotel, which had been open the whole time! A Quad espresso got the day started right (along with my constitutional walk...)

The park opened 1 hour early for Hotel guests, so we had the run of the place from 9-10, which let Randy and I do Astro Blasters, Space Mountain, and the Matterhorn (what a charming old ride - but very jarring!) Pamela and the girls did tons of the Fantasyland rides like the Teacups and Small World (sparing me the horror!).

Randy and I hightailed over to California Adventure for some more rides - worried that the lines would start forming... turns out we needn't have - someone forgot to tell the world that that park was open today - every ride we did, there was NO line. In the course of 2 hours, we did the Tower of Terror (the 13 story elevator drip ride), the Soaring over California (IMAX flying movie with hanging chairs and dangling legs), the big California Screamin' roller coaster (TWICE), and two other non-premium rides. After this, my "jones" for rides has been satisfied. And my Inner Ear was letting me know in no uncertain terms that enough is indeed enough.

To put in perspective, the guidebooks say to plan to hit ONE or TWO of these rides in a typical day at the park. We hit FOUR in two hours. To all the people in the world I say, the first week in February is an excellent time to come here. I'd suggest homeschooling your children just so that you can take them this week instead of waiting for a busy time.

For lunch, we went to Ariel's Grotto - and it was a PRINCESS EXPLOSION - my god. Ariel, Belle, Mulan, Snow White, Aurora (?), Shoshanna, Trixie, Zlontar... actually just the first 5. They went from table to table signing autographs and talking to the little princesses, and taking pictures.

At some point, Disney started working this Princess Cult thing, and the little girls go flipping NUTS at the concept of these ladies. They wander around the park at a slow saunter and little girls in princess dresses flock after them like ducklings!

We did more rides, and got home for a quick nap... 5 very busy hours followed by 2 hours of rest. Halfway through naptime, I got up and made my way to the arcade. 4 pinball games, and one round of Dance Dance Revolution - an indignity made better by the fact I was dancing to a Specials song, and there was NO one else there.

After naptime, it was back to Disneyland for more rides - Autopia for driving, the Pooh Honey dream, Peter Pan, the Storyland boat. And maybe the only disappointing meal - Mexican food done very much in the "mess on a plate" style of ChiChis. We closed the park down at 8pm and started back home.

Bella had her first meltdown about not being able to buy something - we let her just cry it out... for 20 minutes... oh well! In general, she's holding up VERY well considering how much we're packing into these days. I wonder if us Adults are holding up as well...? One sleepy daddo signing off for the day.

The Bellman's Lament

While bringing some luggage up to Randy's room, the Bellman was telling us about the sad state of employment at Disney: Back 20 years ago when this guy started, a Disney job was very coveted by teens, and they paid a good dollar over minimum wage. These days, they have a hard time hiring - and they only pay $.40 over minimum.

Add to this, they have pretty rigid rules for conduct and appearance: No piercings (one pair earrings for females, none for guys), no visible tattoos, no facial hair on men. He said they hold orientations, and half of the people drop out by the midpoint - this is an 8 hour day!

In summary, the Bellman lamented that kids weren't as into the job as he was (and is), and was extrapolating conclusions about the general state of kids and their work ethics, while also questioning management decisions, while hoping they'll move to a more career-focused pay scale which might encourage more professionalism.

With all that said, I have to say that every single person we've interacted with here has been enthusiastic, polite, and extremely helpful. If there are problems, it's certainly not showing to the public!

So much to tell

Yesterday at the San Diego Zoo - I forgot to mention the kid show we attended: Creepy Crawly Critters. Now, all the kids were in front, but I was off to the side... There was one participation bit where people were asked whether they thought the walking stick was a boy or a girl.. I didn't answer to either because I just didn't know and didn't want to make an emotional decision... and the presenter lady called me "sleeping guy". Several more times, she picked on "sleeping guy"... and at the end, "sleeping guy" was invited up for a extra special treat: To eat BUGS. You all must know that Bugs are my big phobia. So it was pretty big of me to crunch down those dried mealworms and not hurl and scream and run from the park.

Today, we made it up to Disneyland! And we were supposed to meet Randy, Mae, and Jenny at 4pm or so, but the MAGIC just started right away - they were in the lobby right when we walked in! We did split up though, they had Princess business to start and we needed to unpack.

We Monorailed - wait - I just need to say this. Mom, Dad, I have harbored a secret resentment for years - I always wanted to ride the Disney Monorail, but we never did. Today, I rode the monorail, my dream since youth... and the driver asked if I (we) wanted to ride up front in the pilot's car! Just us and a retarded guy, and that was just fine, because I think ALL of our dreams came true. Ok, back to the story.

We Monorailed into Tomorrowland (which has been redone with a retro Jules Verne look, better than the Gil Gerard Buck Rogers look of the 70s it had last time I was here. I immediately went for Space Mountain, and it was FANTASTIC - A pure thrill ride! And it instantly transformed me back into an 11 year old boy. I was yelling and laughing the whole time!

When I got out, there was a message from Randy - he had some Fastpasses to Space Mountain when I was ready (these are a "reservation" to the front of the line - VERY cool) - so 10 minutes later, I was on the ride AGAIN.

Then we did Star Tours, which was a Star Wars inspired "bumpy movie" ride - which was pretty fun, but it made me a little woozy... The design of the LINE environment was actually better than the ride I think... While we were riding, the girls were hearing a story read by a princess, and got to sit with her and get her autograph. Jenny was in heaven.

I should say that Disneyland was VERY spare today - most rides were a 5 minute wait, and even the hottest were not more than 30.

We went back to the hotel for some Swimming - Bella was a bit timid, but Jenny was a swimming MACHINE - the lifeguard asked her to swim all the way across the pool by herself to prove she could do the waterslide - and she DID - to even Randy's amazement! Good old Foss Swim School!

Dinner was at the Blue Bayou - which is inside of the Pirates of the Carribean ride (???) and the meal was delicious - like good even outside of a Theme park good. Pamela got the Pork Tenderloin, and no kidding, it was well over a pound of meat - the pictures will prove it.

Then off to the big Parade, where we got some great seats on the route just 15 minutes before the show... and lo, we were at one of the "performance stops" - which means they stopped the parade do do a mini show right in front of us. We got some great pictures, and Bella and Jenny got special attention by ALL of the princesses!

Are you getting the picture that the day was about as perfect as you could possibly get? The weather was warm but not hot, no lines, and things just kept falling into place. Little bits of MAGIC kept happening.

We ended with Pirates of the Carribean and the Jungle Adventure. Bella loved Pirates - she said "I liked ALL of the parts of it". She was a bit disappointed to learn that there would be no pirates in the Jungle Adventure. (apparently headhunters and animatronic Hippos weren't exciting enough.. she started nodding off). Time to go home!

On the way back to the hotel, both girls fell asleep in their strollers, and were out by 8pm. We just needed to transfer them into their beds, and our work was DONE.

So the first day of Disney was as good as it gets... wonder what'll happen tomorrow?

First update - ADDENDUM

Dinner tonight at the hotel: A "Footlong Vienna Hot Dog" for me. What I was not prepared for was that it was over 12 inches long, but over 1" in DIAMETER - this thing was MASSIVE. Honestly, it was hard for me to even start it. I didn't even eat half of it.

OOOOF.

First Update from CA

Allright, this is a blog, so I'll blog about the vacation! The flight went smoothly yesterday, with Bella and Jenny being VERY well behaved on the plane - they only got squirrely at the very very end. Then, two hours by car down to San Diego from LAX. In a Land Rover LR3. I got an upgrade through Hertz Gold (a perk of AMEX - along with the Worldclub permissions too.) But that doesn't explain it all - yes it is ridiculous luxury. But it's fun!

Last night, we were pretty cashed by 5pm, bella was getting loopy, so we just did room service and watched the Wallace and Grommit movie on Pay per View. The resort is "Paradise Point" - owned by the same people who own Little Palm Island that we loved.

On the way down: a sexy sports car with the following BLINGED out license plate holder: "MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST". Only in So-Cal, baby.

Today, breakfast at the marina. A huge Kingfisher sat a table away... looking quite regal, yet surreal.

Then it was the San Diego ZOO, and we had a complete blast. We were there for 6 hours, and saw almost everything. We took the bus tour, two sky rides, saw Elephants, saw a Rhinoceros' willy... ate food.... were harassed by a peacock. Basically, this is the best zoo on earth - such lush greenery too, we were just intoxicated by the environment.

The Hippo gave a good show - running around on the floor of his pool. The Meerkats were adorable, as were the Foosa, which I didn't know actually existed (I thought they were made up for Madagascar).

On the way there and back, the talking GPS-directions unit kept us on the straight and narrow - but every time it says "point five miles ahead" Bella groans "Oh no, FIVE MILES?" Because right now, in her brain, FIVE is the biggest number. So she thinks this unit is telling her to have INFINITE patience!

It was a bit chillier than expected (60s) so swimming is out, as is beach lollygagging. What we'll do this evening is anyone's guess. But tomorrow... DISNEY!!!! Also, we'll meet back up with Randy, JeMae, and Jenny (who are visiting family right now, which is why Bella may be a bit stir crazy).

That's it for now. Pictures will be posted at the end of the trip, superfriends.

Off to Disney

Posting will be even less frequent than usual as the family goes to southern California today for a week of Disney, Seaworld, and the San Diego Zoo. I'll post stories as possible, but that's the scoop!