As we get closer now to the new year, it’s time for a little reflection on this past year.  It’s been quite a year for me.  Back in January of 2010, I had no idea that by the end of the year I’d be living in my own house, that I actually would qualify and get a mortgage after so many years of financial damage had been done to my credit report.  I had no idea that it would take me the better part of 6 months to fight with the credit reporting agencies about their own failure to report and document things correctly or that, by the end of it, it would only take me 30 days to close.  So now I own a house with a mortgage, in the little town of Interlochen with a dog, a yard, and new neighbors.  And I’ve done all this largely on my own except for the bits and pieces of financial help and MASSIVE amounts of encouragement I’ve received from my folks.  I think they are as impressed as I am that I was able to get this done without having to borrow lots of money from them.  It makes me feel good that I didn’t have to, after all, I SHOULD be doing these things on my own at this point in my life.  I have a good job, a good income, and finally, I will now have a tangible asset and of course a LOT more responsibility.

This has also been quite a good year for me at work.  My income only continues to grow but more than that I’ve finally reached a point now at work where I can be considered an experienced manager at least by my companies definition.  In April of this next year, I’ll be entering my 7th year with my company and my 5th year as part of the management staff.  I think that without question, that gives me a degree of credibility and earns me some respect from my peers and employees.  People listen to me as a leader, not necessarily because I’ve got the experience under my belt but more because I have and can keep a level head in a VERY unleveled working environment.  I have been able to stick it out and make my job work for me as my career and I’ve been able to promote (or rather convince) other employees that retail employment can really work for you if you let it.  NEVER in my life did I envision myself becoming a retail manager, I think this job is not one that most people dream of having.  I never did.  But, it has worked out very well for me despite having to put up with random idiots, freaks, and fools, I do enjoy my job quite a bit and I enjoy the fact that it keeps me entertained.  I could never go back to a desk job at this point.  How boring, how tedious, how monotonous.  Every day is new adventure for me and I hope that I’m never forced to change that.  It takes a toll on my body but that is of my own doing.  Part of my new routine now going into the new year is to start taking a little better care of my aging body in hopes that it will last me a while.

My photography has also taken off quite well this year.  I purchased a professional level camera in February which has allowed me to capture quite a number of truly amazing photos.  While photography is still just a hobby for me, my work has been featured on Leelanau.com 4 times in the past year, I’ve had multiple requests from people to buy my pictures, I’ve even had to sign an affidavit at Meijer because they could not believe the pictures I was developing with them were my own.  That puts me in an exclusive little club at this Meijer up here.  Their little file isn’t very thick which I suspect says more about their inability to develop quality images using quality materials than it does about me since there are so many great photographers in this region who rightly choose to develop their photos through professional photo labs.  I am looking forward to moving ahead with my photography this next year and perhaps doing another book in addition to the others I’ve already published.

On the family side of my life, I am looking forward to the addition of a niece named Lucy.  This will make child #2 for Sarah and Brian and I could not be a prouder (is that word) Uncle!  I am always saddened that I don’t get to see them very often however that is not uncommon for people in our age group.  Families simply don’t all live in the same city or state any more and I accept that fact I think more than my folks do.  I know they would like to be closer to their grandkids and to Sarah and Brian but it’s not a reality that is possible at this time.  At least it gives all of us a reason to get out of the state every now and then and visit other places.  I’m sure if we did not have family in Iowa, we never would have made it out to Colorado this past fall.  Exploring our environment means having to take risks and having to take trips.  I can’t wait to make a trip out to see little Lucy and her brother Christopher this next year.  I look forward to learning the nickname for Lucy to counter Wally.

I’ll wrap this post up for now and leave by saying that I hope you readers do stick around.  There are lots of things going on in politics right now that I want to write about and share when I can find the time to do it.  At the very least, you will all find some amusement or pleasure in reading what I have to say.  Today then I’m off to clean out my garage in hopes that I’ll soon be able to park my car inside it.  Cheers!

This year, I’ve had 4 photos featured on the Leelanau.com web site and it’s rather exciting to me because that web site is the number one resource for all things Leelanau!  According to the webmaster, they get over 100,000 pages hits per day on that site so even if a visitor never clicks on my picture, I am still getting tons of exposure.  There are so many good photographers up in this area, I am happy just to be considered good enough to pass muster with the web master.  If you don’t have this website in your favorites, you might want to add it.  It’s worth checking out on a regular basis if you are interested in the things that go on up here in the northwoods.

So along with the exposure on Leelanau.com, I also have seen a huge spike in hits to my flickr account (which is where the photos are hosted that appear on leelanau.com).  I average about 50 hits to my photos per day on Flickr which is pretty modest but when my photos are featured, they jump significantly.  In just 2 days I have received just over 900 hits on my photos, I’ve been added to multiple photo pools on Flickr, and I’ve received a ton of good and supportive comments from people all over the place.  I’ve even been asked by a few people if I’d be interested in selling some of my work.  That has caught me a bit by surprise because I’ve not really considered doing it.  I know the value of intellectual property such as this.  I’ve always been hesitant to sell my work primarily because when you sell it, you gain notoriety, but you lose some value in the work itself.  Once it shows up on a postcard, it becomes common and I’ve not decided yet if that’s the way I want my photographs to be seen.  What I need is about $5000 so that I can make prints, frame them, and get them placed in a gallery.  It’s much easier to sell a print for a worthwhile sum if you’ve taken the time to present it properly.  It’s also easier to control what happens to it.  I do copyright my images but those copyrights extend only as far as digital media allows it (which is not terribly far).  Digital media is easily stolen.  It’s a double edge sword.  I want the exposure but I also don’t want to be ripped off.  I’ll have to make some decisions on what direction I want to go with that sometime soon in the future.

Not much more to write about tonight.  This weekend is Halloween and it’s time again for the annual Gurthet Halloween Pumpkin Festival.  I’ll be spending Saturday night out in Leelanau with the family carving pumpkins and taking pictures.  I’ll be sure to post a few here as well of the final results.  Last year I believe we carved about 150 pumpkins, knowing Matt, I’m sure we will try to beat that number this year.  We’ll see.

Here is one of the pictures that was featured on Leelanu.com this week.

I used this picture here to give you an idea of how amazing the waves were today.  The surfer in the water is at least 6 feet tall (and crazy).  At this beach, the water remains fairly shallow for about 15 feet past the shore (the surfer is in about 3′ of water where he’s standing) and then drops off to about 10 feet deep for another 200 yards at which point it drops of quite a bit.  These waves are breaking at about 10 feet high.  The surfer was having a hell of a time keeping it together.  Another windy day is expected tomorrow so get out there and see the lake.  This only happens a couple times a year up here.

On Friday, I spent the better part of 2 hours with my mortgage broker signing my name to no fewer than 30 documents detailing the loan I am applying for.  This purchase is contingent on the acceptance of my loan among other things.  There are still a few hurdles I have to jump over before I am free and clear.  The biggest news I have about the loan process is that because of what I asked for in the offer, the seller effectively paid points for me.  I was able to lower my interest rate an entire point with the money I would have otherwise had left over from what the seller is paying on my closing costs.  With the help of my broker, I ran multiple scenarios playing with that money.  We looked at paying the principal loan amount down with it and we looked at various point options.  In the end, I determined that since I am likely to be there longer than 5 years, the lower interest rate was the way to go.  My good faith estimate now shows my rate at 4.25 and the net result is a savings of about $9600 over the life of the loan in interest savings.  Not huge, but not bad either.  As it turns out, my mortgage payment will end up being about $1 less than what I am currently paying in rent.  Obviously my utilities will be a bit higher but shit, they aren’t going to be through the roof by any means.  I am fortunate that I am in this position today.  The housing market is basically at a bottom meaning there is a good chance I’ll make money on my purchase when I go to sell the house down the road.  So, on that front, I’m happy.

While all this was going on, Jirar managed to fly up here for a visit, thus, you will find now a new gallery on my web site of our Fall Color Tour through Leelanau county.  We hit all the major spots.  Glen Arbor, Pyramid Point, Peterson Park and all the beaches in between.  Put 125 miles on the car too and blew a half tank of gas doing it.  As a side note, not sure what to think about Jirar right now.  There is no denying that we still click with each other.  I don’t get as emotional now when I see him but I still wonder if someday we might get back together.  The demeanor of our relationship has not changed much, even since we split up, as though we might simply be taking a break.  Neither of us is foolish enough (or perhaps wise enough) to wait for the other to suggest something but neither of us will deny our feelings for the other.  Right now, I can’t let it bother me or cloud my head.  I’ve got lots going on and I’m not waiting for anyone but myself at this point.

Sunday I’m heading out to the lake to take out the dock for the winter, a job I hate but one I’m willing to put up with since it benefits me and saves my folks a few bucks.  I’m glad they are finally paying someone to put it in when spring rolls around.  I appreciate the example my folks set for me by being frugal but really, there are some things simply not worth saving a buck over.  Nobody in this family has a good back, I’d rather like to keep mine for a few more years.  On Monday the inspections are to occur on the house.  This is a necessary step in the process and one I’m actually looking forward to.  This purchase is also contingent on nothing major being wrong with the house so we’ll see what happens with that.

I’ll be trying to write more as we get closer to my closing date which right now is officially set for December 1 although we are pushing to get it done sooner so I can move in by Thanksgiving.  I really hope that happens, I’m not all that interested in moving in the snow.  So, stay tuned for further developments.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted an update on this blog.  Life is crazy for me right now.  Work, Work, Work, sleep, sleep, sleep.  It’s a redundant cycle that won’t end until late August it seems.  All things considered, this is turning out to be a pretty decent summer.  The weather has been SO much better than last year, temperatures have remained fairly consistent in the upper 70′s to 80′s.  Right where it should be.  The boat is in the water at the cottage and the folks are keeping very busy building fences, making cookies, and keeping up with the neighbors (as much as they can stand it anyhow).  Looks like sister Sarah and nephew Christopher are going to be making a trip up to the northwoods as soon as this next week.  Sounds like Sarah might need a break even before their road trip in August.  Looking forward to seeing them, especially Christopher.  I’ve only seen pictures since last Christmas, I’m sure he’s growing fast and will eventually be in shock to discover a new sibling draining some of the attention away from him.  First born’s tend to get the best and the worst of things.  They are of course always FIRST, but the loss of devoted attention when a new family member arrives is a big step for any child to deal with.  Most do just fine and I’m sure Christopher will too.  He’s got great parents.

Things have been fairly busy on the national news front lately.  Of course the BP oil spill is the consuming story.  It has been interesting to follow things as they have developed.  It sickens me that our government as well as BP seem to think that an escrow account with 20 billion dollars in it is going to help solve this massive environmental disaster.  It doesn’t even matter any more when they eventually cap the flow of oil out of the hole in the ocean floor.  The damage has already been done.  Millions of gallons of oil and thousands of tons of methane now displacing what once was crystal clear waters in the Gulf will be killing us slowly for decades.  News came out today that oil and gas is now seeping up through the ocean floor near the well which is presenting another issue.  Could it be creating a sink hole due to pressure?  Nobody knows but if that is occurring, the worst of this disaster is not even close to being over yet.  We’ll see what happens.

In other news, the Prop 8 trial held closing arguments this past Wednesday.  Once again, proponents of the ban on gay marriage in California sputtered and shouted but in the end produced absolutely NO evidence to support their position.  This is a hugely significant case that will eventually make it to the supreme court.  A decision is expected in a few weeks and then it’s off to the appeals process.  I don’t have the energy to recap the whole thing, if you want to know about it more than visit the Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site for a full re-cap of all the arguments.  It really has been a pleasure watching one of the most successful lawyers in this country defend my right to exist and it amazes me that in a courtroom, where politics is NOT the key element, all those who are so intent on upholding discrimination against the GLBT community simply fall flat on their faces.  It’s been amazing to watch.

I have been able to keep up a little bit on my photography.  I’ve uploaded a few new galleries to leelanauphotography.com since my last entry.  Please be sure to check them out.  I’m looking forward to eventually having some time off this summer to really do some exploring with my camera, perhaps in places I’ve not been.  So, until my next entry which might be tomorrow, or several weeks from now, enjoy this picture of early summer in Leelanau.

On that note, with this pursuit of home ownership, I have in many ways now officially committed myself to living in this area for at least the next 5 years or more.  This of course makes the parents happy but at the same time they are not necessarily the reason I’ve chosen to stay up here.  Regardless of all the bitching I do about the people around here, I do actually like this part of Michigan.  It has done amazing things for my photography skills and I like the fact that pretty much my entire extended family lives up here even though I don’t get to see them all that often.  I’m not the type of person that just randomly goes out and makes friends with people and knowing that, it’s important to me to have family near me so that I don’t cocoon myself which I would be very prone to doing if I lived in a city where I did not know anyone.  That’s not saying I don’t have friends, but it is saying that I place more emphasis on my immediate and extended family than I do many of the other random people that I know.  I deal with the public 50 hours a week which is more than many people have to deal with people in a month.  It’s nice to be able to go to my folks house and not be forced to make small talk about stupid shit.  I can have quality conversations when I feel like it.  So, even though my boss at work has started pushing me again to promote with Menards and move into store level management, at least for the next 5 years I’ll be working on my management skills here in Traverse City.  I refuse to buy a house and not live in at least long enough to make a little money when I sell it. Lord knows, I’ll need a profit if or when I decide to take that next step at work which I think can happen any time I want it to.  It’s a nice feeling knowing that you have a steady job with very little chance of loosing it unless I fuck up in a big way and I’m just not the type of person to do that anymore.  I’ve become old and careful before my time and it’s paying off.

So tonight is Saturday night and I’m home enjoying a couple of cold beers and a little internet time before I head off again to work tomorrow.  It’s going to be in the upper 80′s for most of this week which means it’s going to be CRAZY busy at work.  Tuesday is my day off and it promises to be the hottest day of the week.  It’s of course the day I am acquiring new furniture from the relatives but oh well, free shit is worth a little sweat.

Anyhow, just a short update, you know in the summer it’s very hard to find time to write or post things.  Most of you reading this follow me on Facebook anyhow and thats about all I have time for right now.  I’ll leave you tonight with a recent picture taken this past week.

To top off my day today, I came home and received a summons for Jury Duty.  This is just the qualification questionnaire at this point so I’ve not actually been selected but shit, this could not be a worse time to have to do that.  I am buried up to my eyes at work right now and my team is a mess mainly because of their inability to live up to my standards.  I’m pissed off at most of them right now for various reasons and they know it which makes working with them rather tense at times.  All I want them to do is do their fucking jobs.  I want them to work the hours I schedule them, sell things to people when there are people there to sell to, and put stock away when there are no customers.  The job could not be simpler.  I can’t leave them for a single day without walking back into a disaster.  Thank GOD it’s just an internal one and they are so far not pissing off customers.  The sad thing is, most of them are so comfortable in their positions that they don’t understand they can be replaced at the drop of a hat….for that matter so can I.  300 applications a week STILL coming in from people looking for a job.  It’s unbelievable how big the prospective employee pool is at this point but yet, those who are applying?  Out of 300, maybe 5 are potential candidates AT BEST.  When you aren’t even qualified to work as a stocker in a big box store there is a problem not only with the economy but with the entire job pool.  I digress.  So lets all hope I don’t get called to sit on a jury right now.  I really just don’t have the time or the patience to put my life on hold in order to determine someone else’s fate.

I have been able to do a little photography lately.  So click on over to leelanauphotography.com and take a look at the gallery.  I’ve been adding to it recently.

So, tomorrow is the day of reckoning for Jesus Christ and the Easter Bunny.  I’ll be headed out to the lake to have dinner with the folks and hopefully Gavin the wonder Dog will have a chance to run for a while.  It has been raining all day today so he’s been stuck inside…not that he would not go out in the rain but because the smell of wet dog is heinous.  It looks like the family is finally set up on Skype and everyone finally has it installed and working.  If you are not a user, you should try it.  You’ll need a web cam and some basic knowledge of how to install software.  That’s about it.  One of these days I’ll get to have a conversation with nephew Christopher although I suspect he has little interest right now.

So, aside from work and warmer weather lately, I’ve not nothing much else to say!  I’ve put a few new galleries on my web site, you can check them out by clicking HERE.  This was taken using my new camera.

After that, I decided to get my hair cut.  Always a trip to go into Supercuts.  One thing I don’t do is high end salons.  If I ever have to pay more than $20 with tip for a hair cut, that will be the day I start cutting my own hair.  I don’t need it styled, I just need it cut.  Anyhow, got that done and then it was home to play with the dog and maybe clean the house.

I played with the dog but the house is still a shit hole.  I decided that I was going to visit Meijer to get a few new pictures printed for my dining room wall.  I’ve got 3 nice framed pictures that I’ve taken up on the wall and it’s time for a change of scenery so I spent a few hours going through my recent pictures looking for replacements.  I settled on 3 new pictures and loaded up the SD card and headed off to Meijer land to have them developed.  You all know I hate Meijer.  Once again, it’s the only grocery store of any quality in this little town so EVERYONE goes there.  It’s always crowded, the parking lot is a disaster, and I can never get out of there without having to wait at least 30 minutes in line and spending $100!  I went to the kiosk to pick out my pictures and options and submitted them for processing.  It was going to take about 30 minutes so I decided to grocery shop.  I went back to pick them up after 30 minutes and was accosted by the Meijer Photo Lab people.  They wanted me to prove that I was the photographer, that my pictures looked too professional and that they would only release them to me if I signed an affidavit claiming that I was in fact the photographer.  Normally I get my photography printed through my hosting web site and I’ve never had this issue before.  I didn’t know whether I should be flattered that they thought my work was that good, or offended that they thought I was a thief.  I decided to sign their release (which absolved them from legal issues if someone were to challenge my copyright), they put it in a little file along with maybe a dozen others then informed me that it might be a good idea for me to make sure my copyright is obvious, like a logo or something on my pictures.  So off I went.  Somewhat flustered that I had to prove something that was mine, was actually mine!

Tonight I’ve been sitting on my computer investigating copyright laws and how they apply to digital photography.  I’ve always been pretty careful with my photography.  I don’t sell it but I have left open too many loop holes that might allow someone else to try and sell it and claim it as their own.  Tonight I decided to turn off the print option for my web site.  This won’t eliminate the problem but it will prevent people from trying to order prints of my work without my permission.  I’m also going to work up a small copyright notice that I can attach to my photos that will enforce the digital data already stored in the picture file.  It seems that the more people see my work, the more people tell me I ought to be doing something with it.  I’m not sure I’m there yet.  Maybe soon.

Anyhow, here is one of the pictures that drew the attention of the Meijer Photo Lab.

Finally, after spending the last 2 years developing my amateur photography skills and capturing over 20 Gigabytes of photos (that’s over 5000 pictures) in just those 2 years alone, and after countless people informing me that I’m wasting my time selling paint and that I should be selling my photography, I decided to upgrade my camera to the real deal.  Tonight I purchased my first DSLR camera via a package deal from Best Buy (the only place left in town that stocks anything).  For those of you who considered my previous photography to be pretty good, the photos you will see coming out of this new thing will blow your mind.  That’s just my impression based on a few pictures I’ve taken tonight with it.  The difference in quality, resolution, contrast, and just about everything else is very noticeable.  This camera uses actual mechanical optics rather than digital technology to reproduce the image which gives it a huge advantage over any digital camera out there.  This camera, along with the additional zoom lens I purchased with it will allow me to capture in much more detail the things I enjoy taking pictures of, mainly the lake, the woods and Gavin the Wonder Dog!  For you family out there, it is very similar to Andy’s camera that he had with him this past summer.

For those of you who want to know, I purchased the Canon EOS Rebel T1i that came with the EFS18-55mm standard lens and I also purchased the EFS55-250mm zoom lens.  Of course I got the extra battery and a new SD card as well. Big features on this camera include an integrated flash with the option for the external flash, auto-focus, image stabilization, Canon’s newest image processor, a 3″ LCD screen as well as a TON of features to set up pictures manually or automatically.  It also allows for the addition of an entire family of lens’s as I develop my skills.  While it’s not considered a “PRO” camera, it is an intermediate level camera and it’s likely to far exceed my own ability to use it which means I can easily grow into it and expand it’s features as I learn more how to use them.  So, tomorrow or Sunday, assuming I get a little good weather up here, I’ll be heading out to take some pictures with my new camera and I’ll post them to leelanauaphotography.com for you all to see.  As an added bonus for me, I’ll be selling my old camera which will recoup some of the  cost for this new one, anyone interested should send me an email.

So, there you have it, 3 big purchases and guess what…this year, (Mom and Dad because I know you want to know) I’ll even be able to save a considerable amount of money and put it in the bank where it belongs right?  I’ll be putting the first payment for the car in the mail to Iowa very soon (we’ll talk first).

Today I packed up the dog and headed out to the lake.  The sun has been out for the past few days, something exceedingly rare this time of year and I figured I would take advantage of it today by bringing my camera along.  I ended up going down to a beach I had not been to in quite some time.  It was further south than I usually go but still on Good Harbor Bay, just down the road further.  It was quite nice.  There were a few people out today but because of the Super Bowl and my complete lack of interest in sports, it was pretty quiet overall.  Gavin was able to run around off the leash for a while and I spent some time trying to capture a few good pictures.  I’ve uploaded a new gallery at leelanauphotography.com, just click the picture below to check it out.

The folks are off to Iowa for about 6 weeks tomorrow morning.  They’ve decided to spend some time away from here this winter since it’s easy to get really stir crazy this time of year.  We still have a good 3 months of shitty weather before spring starts to hit, I really hate this time of year up here.  Luckily, my job keeps me quite busy so it’s hard for me to care much.  Mom and Dad will be staying with Sarah, Brian and Christopher and I’ll be interested to hear how that all works out.  I love my folks to death but given the choice, I would not choose to have them live with me for any extended amount of time.  I’m pretty sure my folks would say the same about me. Our family dynamics are a bit much to tolerate day in and day out.  And, at my age, and their age, that’s the way it should be.  Christopher will be spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa for 6 weeks, and, that’s the way THAT should be too!  He’s a lucky kid, even if the only words he can say are “doggie” and “LOOK”.  We’ll see if Grandpa can teach him a few words during his stay.

I have made a new purchase since my last entry in this blog.  Last week, I broke down and bought a Wii so that I too could join the ranks of 30 something’s who are sick of being out of shape but who don’t want to join a gym.  I have always enjoyed video games even though I suck at them and I like the concept of being more involved in them rather than just sitting on a couch with a controller.  The Wii promises to at least get me off my ass for a little bit each day.  Eventually I’ll buy the Wii balance board and Wii Fit Plus game so that I can actually start getting in shape.  Sadly, they are sold out nearly all over the country and it’s going to be several weeks before they get back in stock.  Oh well, I’ll be busy enough at work.

Bonus time at work is fast approaching.  Profit Sharing checks are handed out Feb. 16th and my Managers bonus is due in mid March.  Crazy thing about my job is that I make more in the first 3 months of the year than I do the next 8 months of regular work just because of bonuses.  It’s nice to get big fat checks but it’s also dangerous because it’s easy to just go out and spend it.  If I had this job at any other time in my life, I’d be broke all the time but fortunately I’ve learned how to manage my money in much healthier ways so I’ll be able to save what is necessary but I’ll also be able to go out and get a few toys to play with.  This year I am buying a keyboard and I’ll write more about that when the time comes.  So for now, enjoy the new gallery.

Uncle David teaching Christopher to be a nerd.  He got up on my lap without prompting indicating that even though I only see him a couple times each year, he clearly knows who the “cool” uncle is!!  haha.

Lots of interesting things going on in politics although I don’t have the energy to report on much of it.  Eventually I’ll get around to writing another prophetic post blasting the religious right and the drag your heals left.  It’s exhausting.  I’ll leave you with a couple pictures below.  Hopefully I’ll find more time to write soon.

Santa Times 2

Tonight I am going to have dinner with my former in-laws.  Jirar’s folks are up here in the northwoods and we have planned a dinner at our favorite local dive.  It’s always good to see them and it’s nice that they’ve kept in contact with me.  Tomorrow, I am going to spend the day cleaning out my car (likely doing so out at the lake house so Gavin can play).  I need to unload the Malibu soon so that I can take possession of my new car and finally start driving it.  I have to get rid of my current car though first.  Any of you readers looking for a used car under $2000?  If so, let me know and I’ll consider your offers.

Not much else going on lately.  Fall is upon us and the weather has been shitty.  I guess I should expect it but this is my favorite season, I just wish it would not rain for a few days and be in the upper 60′s (rather than the low 40′s).  I’m going to also get out tomorrow and take more pictures.  Hopefully I’ll have a new gallery uploaded soon on my web site but for now, here is a nice picture you can use as your background on your computer!

For this post, I’m going to just let the pictures speak for themselves.  Click on over and enjoy.  If you have never been to this part of the country, you need to visit.

Not much other news right now.  This was a really busy weekend at work and I’m glad it’s over even though I don’t really have a day off here until I leave for the UP.  I have to work a half day tomorrow afternoon and then all day on Wednesday.  Somewhere in there I need to find time to pack and get ready to head out early on Thursday morning.

This afternoon, I’ve made a huge batch of chili and so now I’m off to enjoy a bowl of chili and maybe a movie on TV.  I’m just not much of a movie buff anymore, there are so few that I enjoy.  Anyhow, hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the day.

Christopher turned 1 year old this past week and he is sure growing up fast.  He’s an exceptionally happy little boy and it’s clear that he’s got a pretty awesome set of parents.  It’s too bad they live so far away but that makes getting together just that much more important and special.  I don’t have much else to write tonight, the gallery pretty much says it all so enjoy.  Hover over the slide show for a link to the gallery.

The folks are off to Iowa in a couple days and leaving me to fend for myself over the Memorial Day holiday.  I’m not sure yet if I will venture out to the cottage or not this weekend.  I’m not really sure I want to deal with the droves of people who will arrive for a few days and then disappear until the 4th of July when they will come back.  It seems crazy that people spend all this money on a lake house and only use it a few days out of the year.  I know people have to work, it just seems strange.

Not much else going on right now.  I am slowly working on a new web site but I’ve not yet come up with a name for it or a general theme.  I don’t want it to detract from my readership on this site so it has to be something completely different.  I’ve got to figure out what I have time for and what I want to explore.  I picked up a web hosting package in December for $20 for 2 years (SUPER cheap)…frivolous spending since I didn’t need it and now I’ve had it for 5 months and not done anything with it.  We’ll see.  Maybe I should create an autobiographical web site….from Birth to Old Fart…the life and times of David the Dork….haha.

Here is a picture from the new gallery.  Check it out.