Married women will appreciate this and I suppose men will relate/understand. Anyone who knows BJ well enough knows how forgetful he is. I asked him to get me cream of mushroom and cream of chicken during his trip to the grocery store . He forgot his cell phone and failed to write the items down. When he came home he had the items I had asked for plus many other little surprises. He had forgotten while he was at the store what I had asked him to get . What does he do? Buys multiple items with the word cream in it hoping he eventually got the correct thing. What were the other “creams” you might ask? Cream soda, Cream Savers hard candy, sour cream, whipping cream, shaving cream, and Cream of Wheat. Keep in mind I have never made Cream of Wheat for us, I have never bought Cream Savers nor has he ever seen me eat them, and we already had cream soda in the fridge. A man’s logic…..I will never understand it sometimes. However, I do give him credit for being sweet (and worried) enough to not come home without the items I had specified. I love my husband.

Heather

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Only four weeks old and I had to have Sophia cry herself to sleep one night. She is almost continuously changing her nap schedule and how she chooses to fall asleep at night and I am trying hard to keep up with it. One evening in particular nothing was working…..well, long term at least. She would fall asleep while I was holding her but would wake up once I put her down. The pacifier, breastfeeding, and rocking weren’t doing the trick. I knew she was absolutely exhausted too because she had only had cat naps throughout the day. She was in desperate need of sleep and Mommy was in desperate need of her to fall asleep. After 2 hours of battling with her I chose to just put her in her crib and see what happens. It is a difficult choice, I am sure, for many mothers whether to let their child cry themselves to sleep or not. It is a hard thing to listen to your baby fuss and cry and know you can make it better but that by doing nothing it is benefiting them. Luckily, she didn’t really cry. It was more fussing, whining, and grunting and within 10 minutes she was sound asleep. I was so thankful that is all it took, but also very proud of her and myself for actually being able to do it. I had been telling myself anything younger than 2 months is too young to let them cry themselves to sleep. They need to be held!! How quickly an opinion can change….. :)Heather

Categories: Heather, Sophia
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This is awesome. It seems to be from the same people that brought you Matrix Ping Pong.

Categories: BJ, Entertainment
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The day after the tool concert I had an interview in Austin. It’s probably a good thing that I wasn’t able to go to the concert. It was a panel interview with 7 people: 4 people who already had the position I was interviewing for, 2 managers, and a section manager. It was a little nerve racking, but it went well. Over the past 2 weeks I’ve been waiting for an answer, but the upper level manager who had to sign off on it was on vacation. Today I was called into my boss’ office and was formally extended the offer. Needless to say, I was very excited. There have not been any formal announcements, but the only people who know about this website are the people who interviewed me, friends, and family. They still have to let other candidates know they didn’t get the job and extend other offers, but I can breathe easily after 2 1/2 weeks of holding my breath.

The best part is I keep my building pension, 401k, and seniority which grants me some decent vacation time. Oh and I get a decent raise. In order to reward myself for sacrificing the tool concert, I bought myself a gift: A Logitech GT4 Steering wheel. I’ll post a review in a few days.

Categories: BJ, BJ's Life
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I’m sure everyone who cared to purchase the album “10,000 days” by tool already has, so my personal opinion as to the album’s quality is relatively meaningless.  At the same time, I feel this album is one of the most approachable from a traditionally progressive-rock perspective.  Fans of Rush, King Crimson, and the late 70’s prog rock movement would do well to pick this album up, or at least give the tracks a listen at your preferred online vendor/local store. 

I’ve been a moderate fan of theirs since high school; back when they were angry and generally less appreciated, unless you were a black wearing, suburban, hate the world type, which I of course wasn’t…… of course.  It’s great to see a band truly progress through the years from something only teenagers care for to something my wife actually doesn’t mind listening to. 

I missed a chance to see them in concert but not for lack of trying.  The tickets sold out in about 30 seconds.  Immediately, tickets could be found on ebay and most major ticket-trading sites, beginning at 300 dollars and topping out at around $1300.  I instantly realized I wouldn’t be going.  Had I been more dedicated, I could have gone with a friend to the show, ticketless, and hoped the scalping Gods would smile down on me.  I didn’t.  He did.  I realized I had made the wrong decision when at 9:30, on the night of the concert (May 8th), I received a call.

LOUDNOISE “DUDECANYOUHEARME?!?!?” PEOPLESCREAMING  DISTORTEDBASSLINESTARTSPLAYING “THISISTOOL!!!”  MOREMUSIC “IGOTINTOTHECONCERT” DISTORTEDBASSLINE *click*

I sort of hated him at this point.

It turns out he made it into the show.  On Wednesday he tells me he was in row ten, center aisle, and had purchased the ticket for 165 bucks, from a scalper. 

I hated him a little more.

I missed seeing tool in a 2000 seat auditorium, and my only solace is they’ll probably come around again in the fall for an arena tour.  Before Lateralus, I never would have considered going to a tool show, but their last two albums have really won me over.  10,000 days has varied the dynamics within each song even more.  Most songs last 9-11 minutes and generally start off slow with a building guitar and bassline, and build throughout until a cacophonic climax of syncopated drumming and sound.  Only the two part ballad to the lead singer’s late mother, seems to have a consistent traditional rock time signature.  The rest combard the listener with an ever varying rhythym without losing the strong melodies or themes.  I was a moderate fan ten years ago, but now I’m a frothing fanboy.

10,000 Days is an amazing album.

Categories: BJ, Entertainment
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I received a flyer on my doorknob last week. I was instructed to join a local evangelical congregation so they could address the evils of “The Da Vinci Code”, “Gospel of Judas”, and a few other “evil perversions of modern thought”. I can’t claim to have read the Da Vinci Code but the basic premise has been explained to me. I honestly have a fear of plodding heavy-handed prose, which has kept me from reading Dan Browns best seller, however I find exiguous joy in the backlash among the protestant community. Since it only brings a wry grin to my face, I obviously can’t be bothered to pick up the book or see the movie. I also understand that a fictional work can have a distinct effect on the mind of the consumers who partake of it. “El Caballo de Troya”, is a fictional Spanish novel that caused a similar stir among the latin community. The basic premise is that aliens had a hand in the life of Christ, and these aliens were the cause of earthquakes, eclipses, and his resurrection. The weirdest part is that about 10% of the populace who had read the book thought it indicated a greater truth about the life of Christ, regardless of the lack of historical evidence. The Da Vinci Code is another matter.

Gnosticism’s central belief is of the Gnosis, or knowledge imparted by Christ for the 40 days after his resurrection. Obviously the beliefs are extra-biblical, but there is a constantly growing library of text that are being unearthed in Egypt and the middle-east. These provide not only a historical but a spiritual context regarding early Christians and Christian splinter groups. These Gnostic groups were generally maligned by orthodox Christianity (the group that developed into the Catholic Church, or church by committee). Several falsehoods were spread and have persevered through the years. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville even mentions the Ophites, and comments about their seemingly antithetical nature to Christianity of that time period (an interesting analysis of that title to early gnostic thought can be undertaken, but I’ll save that for another time). Their perspective of Christ was one of a creator. In their minds it was impossible to have a solely male creator, and thus they attributed to him a wife on earth and a female spiritual component which they called Sophia (greek wisdom). Since about 150-200 AD to the present (if not sooner) there has been a belief that Jesus was married. Just because a few “heretics” believe something doesn’t make it true, but it’s not an original thought.

What really surprises me is the venom with which these ideas are attacked. Protests in front of theatres, flyers on doorknobs, and sermons of hellfire only serve to pique curiousity. People in the midwest are raised thinking there is only one way to see everything. Whether it’s religion, race, culture, or the type of car you drive, children are taught loyalty to an idea regardless of the information present. Inadvertantly they begin to fear thoughts that are outside of their own ideas. We see it right now with the war on terror. To paraphrase a post I read at a news site: More than 3000 people were killed in the most devastating single terrorist attack on US soil. This has lead to increased security on planes, hidden prison camps where prisoners are kept without charges or trial, the calls and internet activity of every American to be monitored and collated, and a full scale war sold to American with false information. Each year more than 20,000 people are murdered in the United States, yet none of us would allow the police to breach the boundaries of the constitution to invoke a police state and keep this number at bay. We sacrifice a little liberty for some security because we don’t understand the attackers.

This fear of the unorthodox is running our lives, or at least the elite/government types would like it to run our lives. While engaged in a war on terror, Americans seem willing to abrogate the very rights their ancestors died for, in order for a little more security.

Categories: BJ, Entertainment, Philosophy etc
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I am envied. I made some ribs this past weekend. They cooked for about 5 hours on a low heat, over charcoal and mesquite chips. I basted some Atchley secret BBQ sauce on them (custom receipe) at the perfect time. Just early enough that it carmelized over the surface of the ribs, and left a crisp glazed exterior.

You’re jealous…

Oh and HIT REFRESH I made some style updates to improve the integrated pictures.

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Oh, motherhood! What an experience. So far I feel very blessed with the baby I have been given. She has slept through the night the last 3 nights, only cries when there is something wrong (and barely even then), and eats well. My mother-in-law said it perfectly when she said that no matter what we do they survive us. Sophia had her two week appointment last week and it was the first time I was going anywhere with her on my own. Half way there I realized I forgot the diaper bag at home. In the waiting room she pooped her diaper and leaked out onto her clothes. Strangely, the office does not have an emergency supply of diapers but the receptionist had some newborn diapers in her car. What were the odds? I had her naked on the exam table wiping her with flimsy wet papertowels when she peed. In the end she got cleaned, dried and dressed again in a fresh diaper. It had me stressed out and wasn’t the ideal situation and for those who know me really well know that I stress easily, hate it, and don’t like to be unprepared. I will not forget the diaper bag again, lesson learned.

Sophia was due for her second newborn screen this week. I got myself showered and even got makeup on and hair done. She was awake the whole time I was getting ready and fussed a few times, but no major meltdowns. I was so proud of myself that I had gotten her and myself dressed, had the diaper bag, and I had her loaded in the car seat. I had even timed everything so I would be gone and back before rush hour traffic. However, once I got to my car I saw that the base to snap the car seat into place was still in BJ’s car….I couldn’t go anywhere. It takes so much to accomplish what I did (mother’s home alone with baby can understand) and then it seemed pointless!!! Oh well, we will try this all again tomorrow. Besides, I’m a new Mommy and will learn in time that this is nothing to be upset over.

It is amazing how quickly things develop and change. She is not quite 3 weeks old and her head and neck are getting so strong. She holds it up for longer periods of time just looking around at the world. She has started to fuss when she is really sleepy and wants to be held to fall asleep. Not a good thing. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks will bring.

–Heather

Categories: Heather, Sophia
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I came across this article on the Wall Street Journal regarding manufacturing and parts of Japanese and American automakers. There used to be a good excuse to buy American. You know, because it gives jobs to American workers. Apparently as Japanese auto makers move their manufacturing and parts facilities here, American auto makers are outsourcing. After hearing dealer commercials and Ford TV spots asking us to sacrifice our hard earned dollars on vehicles that are less American than a Nissan Titan, you find yourself wondering why you should deal with the hassle of a big 3 car. Hit the link

Wall Street Journal Article

Categories: BJ, Philosophy etc
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