So, where have I been? Just doin the same ol same ol. Work has been a bit busy. It has been necessary to work at the call centers this week and last, and that burns me out pretty quick. I like my nice office! Today I get a repreive from the call center smells, sounds, and situations and get to work from my office so this is a nice change of pace.

I’m still plugging away at my studies every chance I get. Trying to breathe new life into my home schedule so I can get many of my side projects goin proper again. One site I’m working on right now was so near completion, and in the same spirit of the apprentice painter always putting that “last stroke” on the painting, I’ve had to tear it completely down and redesign it! Ahhh learning… :-D

Rhys’ big thing lately is fear. He’s scared of everything.  Like EVERYTHING: bugs, shadows, birds, shadows of bugs, being alone, his basketball hoop, the dolphin mobile in his room. You name it, and this kid will jump 20 feet in the blink of an eye! I guess it’s a phase. We are working with him, of course, but it’s slow goin.

He has found his new favorite game. His first real computer game that he fully understands! As a gamer dad, I’m so proud. We’ve been playing Peggle. It’s a PopCap game. If you like puzzle games, I’d recommend checking it out. It’s a good one.

Both Heidi and I have readjusted our outlook on things. Kinda stepped back to look at what is truly important in our lives, where we want to be, etc… So, we’ve redoubled our efforts to get back on track, as we both feel like we may have lost our way a bit. Things are goin good in that area, and we feel like we’ve got some good direction for once in a long time.

The Jag is doing fine. The bill at the mechanic shop was OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE, but well worth the money. It’s a Jag afterall. Those of you out there who are interested in these semi-exotic cars should get used to mechanics prefacing their interactions with, “Well…. You understand it’s a Jag, right?” That should be your first warning sign of impending financial disruption. Which brings me to….

The Corvette. Well, you understand it’s a Corvette, right? I tried to install a radio in my Vette awhile back and discovered that Vettes are NOT AT ALL close to standard. At least at my level of experience. So, after I realized there was smoke emanating from my dashboard I turned the radio off. Yet, the rancid smell of melting electrical wire, and the nice steady plume of smoke continued to be present. After the smell, and smoke cleared I did a system test only to find my tail lights, dash dimmer, dash lights, and AC/Heat fan was wonky.

Since I don’t employ the services of an Endorian Wooky, I am stuck with plain ol human mechanics… Ugh.. I wasn’t about to go back to O’Rape Me Chevrolet, so I am testing out a new shop called Saguaro Automotive. So far, I have found they charge as much as the dealer did, but at least I feel like they have my best interests at heart. It’s not the money, it’s the service. I’ll keep ya posted.

I recently applied for a job in Virginia and got turned down. Likely this was a blessing in disguise. Our life right now is pretty mucked up. But, we are slowly making progress towards simplifying our over-complicated life.

Heidi is still enjoying her job. Though she is going through the trials of office diplomacy, she still says she enjoys her job as much as anyone could enjoy a job. She still has plans on the horizon regarding a craft store of sorts, but like me, has no time to pursue these things. She should be thankful she has the smarts to realize this (unlike her dumb husband who grabs the brass ring just because it looks fun).

My job is going fine. I enjoy the heck out of it — as much as anyone could. My side ventures are doing very nicely, and show much promise for the future.

That’s the news, and I’m outa here!