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Journal for 31 Dec 2008: Goals For A New Year

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Let’s keep this short.  In no particular order:

  • Kick ass at my new job.  (Need to work on the metrics for that one.)
  • Complete at least 13 credits at Carlson.  (This is a bit of a stretch, as I currently only have 11 in plan.)
  • Introduce my son to his Uncle Mike, and vice versa.
  • Restart the Turkey Party.  (Probably February.)
  • Take Lisa and Mathias camping. (Because, you know, we have a tent.)
  • Get my weight back down to 180.
  • Get this site over to Expression Engine.  (WordPress is great for what it does, but what it does is not what I want to be doing.)

And finally…

  • Keep the family cash-positive for the year, and extinguish any non-educational debts.

And with that, I need to be packing.

Posted in Journal at 10:54 pm

Travelog for 30 Dec 2008: Getting Ready for India

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I leave for India in three days.  It’s finally dawned on me that I’m actually going, but mentally I’m nowhere near ready.  I’ve been on so many trips to so many places, but this one is very different.  I have no idea what I don’t know, and please believe me when I say I seriously hate that.

At the very least, though, it kind of seems like I’m prepared.  All necessary papers and reservations are in place, my bank and credit cards have been notified of my travel, and all the little items I’ll need to keep my electronic devices functioning overseas appear to be ready and in place.  I’ll have a phone for work, and as of tonight Lisa and I officially have our Skype accounts working correctly.  (Video calls will make it possible for me to see Lisa and the little one while I’m overseas, as well as allow them to see me.)  My camera equipment is ready, with extra precautions in place for those who may try to make me part ways with it.  (Roughly 10% of those I’ve know who’ve traveled in India have had cameras stolen there.)

Beyond that, well, I don’t know.  I guess I’ll learn when I get there.

~ ~ ~

The Skype test Lisa and I did this evening–me at work, her at home–was kind of bittersweet.  It was a relief to know that we finally had our connections working, and that we’d be able to be in contact while i was gone, but at the same time I was reminded this was as close as I’d be to either one of them for two and a half weeks.  I’m excited and sad at the same time.

The weather looks good for the flights out on Friday, both here and in Chicago.  First I fly to O’Hare, and then it’s AA 292 all the way to New Delhi.

Posted in Journal,Travelog at 11:49 pm

Journal for 25 Dec 2008: Christmas in Two Rivers

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Christmas night in Two Rivers. Or, as I can now say, one week until I leave for India.

The trip across Wisconsin wasn’t the easiest. Mathias flipped out around Abbotsford, making the next half hour a bit of an ordeal. We retired for the night in Wausau, and yesterday woke to six fresh inches of snow. After visiting Lisa’s grandmother–we timed our visit nicely to coincide with her hair appointment–we headed to Two Rivers at highway speeds ranging from 25 to 60mph. Mathias at least handled the daytime travel well, though. We saw 17 cars in the ditch between Wausau and Two Rivers, slightly less than the number of times Mathias looked at our Saturn’s speedometer, pointed and yelled “clock!”

Christmas at my parent’s place was the typical: Good food, plenty of doting on the toddler, gift exchanges, discussion about different digestional problems, etc. My uncle Pat didn’t make it down from Green Bay for dinner like he usually does for Thanksgiving and Christmas–that meant none of the traditional arguing about unions–but Christmas brunch today was still good. (There was a bit of controversy over my mom’s new stuffing recipe, though.) Later on we Lisa, Mathias and I visited Ben, Beth and family, which of course was the first time during the day Mathias decided to take a nap.

The big question for tomorrow is whether Mathias will nap… Or hold anything remotely close to a schedule. He wouldn’t go down for a nap today–he appears frightened of the downstairs bedroom at my parents’, and an attempt at putting him down in my mom’s room didn’t go well, either–and we pretty much lost the entire afternoon as a result. What we do or do not do tomorrow will likely hinge on how he decides he’s going to handle his day. Ah, parenthood.

Well, it’s almost midnight, and the obsessive-compulsive part of my personality is starting to kick in. If I want this to be a legitimate Christmas entry, I need to post it NOW.

So, with that, Merry Christmas to you and yours. (Or happy holidays, if, like me, you’re into Christmas but not, you know, into Christmas.) More later.

Posted in BabyLog,Journal,Travelog at 11:59 pm

Journal for 1 Dec 2008: Bad Photography

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Well, we’re back from Madison, and I’m just going to take a moment to publicly yell at myself in hopes of preventing myself from making the same mistake I made last night, attempting low-light photography of moving toddlers.  It does not work. Mark, bring your flash along, accept a lot of noise, or expect blurry photos.  If you are stupid enough to try taking photos without a flash, at least check them as you’re taking them, mmm’kay?

I can’t wait to see how badly I fuck up my India photos.

~ ~ ~

That said, a D700 would be nice.

Posted in Journal at 11:30 pm

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