Randomy thoughts from the past week or so
Short week this week at work -- heading out later in the week for a little family time at 'the happiest place on Earth' -- more on that later. Got to spend a Monday in Houston for a change due to a sales call and enjoyed every minute of it.
Worked a bit late last night and finally got in bed around 11:30 -- got up at 5 for a flight to Dallas. I planned on being here for a couple of days (to Thursday), but it looks like I get to go to a meeting with a new prosepect on Thursday afternoon. So that means an extra night home -- and a chance to make an opportunity for me to stay home more often on a Houston gig! I'll end up heading out tomorrow late.
Had a bit of social time tonight with my buddy Curtis from Tulsa at Champs -- decent ginger-marinated steak and a few Bass. Nice chance to catch up, and good start to the Dallas work week.
This weekend was Porter's birthday party!! Tom brought over a jumper and the kids had a great time. He got lots of great gifts, some really cool things that Dad likes, too! The most popular gift for now, though, was a balloon pump and pack of whining balloons that you blow up and let go -- they race around making crazy noises.
Boys seem to be over their sickies -- not really much coughing, and Jackson has as much energy as Porter now. Porter even did so well in swimming yesterday that he's moving up to the next class -- the Dolphins.
Need to get a few things squared away over the next day or so and get ready to go on vacation, but for now, my mind is already half-way there...
'Daddy, I'm hot'
I get to put the boys to bed most of the time, and one of the last things I tell them, along with 'I love you' is 'No talking; no coming out -- go to sleep.'
But someone always comes out. Tonight, it was Porter. He peeked out from around the door. I always can see them coming since I sit in the big yellow chair -- straight shot from me to their room. He walked quickly, short steps, up to me and said in a little sleepy voice, "Daddy, I'm hot."
Of course he was -- he's like me. We had the air on 72, but it blows first in their room before hitting the thermostat in the den, so it sometimes gets warmer in there. Plus, he's hot natured, like me, and he was sleeping under his sleeping bag, with a t-shirt and undies on. He usually sleeps nekkid...
"You can take your clothes off. And I'll turn the heat down," I told him -- I helped him off with his t-shirt, and he scooted off back to bed.
It made me think, though -- when I get hot, I can just walk over and change the temp. When I'm thirsty, I get a drink. When I'm hungry, I hit the fridge -- or if it's something in particular I want, I can make it, or go get it. When I go to the bathroom, I can turn the light off myself.
But they can't always do all that -- Jackson and Porter are growing into very self-reliant little boys, but they're still little boys. I forget sometimes that as much as anything else they need me and their Mom for, they need us for the little things. Little things are big things for them.
Reminder to me: it may be something small or trivial to me, but when Pid's thirsty, he's thirsty -- If I don't help him, who will? Even if he doesn't say 'please.' It is a blessing to be needed and loved like that.
Delayed in Dallas
So, the weather moved in and screwed all the air traffic into Love Field. I had booked a 9PM flight, but got here early enough to get on the 8, if it weren't for the weather. Now it looks like 9 will be the earliest we get out -- perhaps later.
Sucky.
Homebound Tonight
Long day of meetings today, and writing. I got finished with a draft proposal that I needed to get out for our next phase work, and I've got a late meeting tonight to update James / team on the current efforts, etc. That means a later night flight home than normal. Right now, I'm scheduled for a 9PM flight, and if I get there sooner, I'll switch -- if not, that's the last flight home, so I'll be on it. Rain is starting here. Sounds like some thunderstorms will be around for the better part of the evening. Hope I can get out. If it looks too bad, I'll just drive.
On a side note: A buddy of mine is running the Houston Marathon this weekend and raising money for Child Advocates. I donated in honor of my boys -- knowing that they'll never have to use CA's services, and thankful.
Rebel Billionaire
I've watched most of the episodes of Fox's series 'Rebel Billionaire' about a group of contestants that had the chance to travel around the world with Sir Richard Branson, engage in business challenges and outrageously risky stunts, and I am amazed. Amazed at the personality, complexity, and ability of Branson.
I think I may have a new hero -- he's the type of person, at least in the show, that I'd like to be. He's driven, successful, recognizes that failures are part of life, and able to recognize the best in opportunities, people and himself.
I'm going to make a point to learn more, but for now, I'm a fan of the man --
Lots of pics from the holiday season -- basically from just before Thanksgiving to Christmas at Mimi and Papaws.
Wings and chatter
Spent a little time with some of the guys tonight with some wings -- Layne, Curtis R., Travis and I hung out for a while after work and just kicked back. Nice chance to relax and shoot the shit -- rib eachother and have a good few laughs.
Good day at work -- working on 'winning the hearts and minds' of users today, both in the general document management / collaboration world, and with the FCVS workflows, and things are going our way. Keep on the high side...
I also had a chance to review lots of examples of 'technology roadmaps' so that I can put together a draft of a comprehensive, long-term vision for what we're putting together. I've got an outline down and am just in the beginning of fleshing it out, but I should have a good doc put togehter by first part of the week.
I spoke with Katie and Jackson this evening on the way home and told them how cold it is up here!! Porter was busy eating and didn't want to talk -- I'm looking forward to catching that plane home tomorrow and I'll catch up with the boys and Katie then...
Clear the deck
After 10 months, I finally "Haul(ed) off the cantina." I put that 'to-do' on my list last Feb, and I finally did it yesterday. It's been rotting and taking up room on our deck for years. Our neighbor Roger had rented a truck and was taking some things to the dump, and I took the golden opportunity. So today, I focused on clearing out the rest of the debris, trimming the WAY overgrown vines and bushes along the fence behind the deck, sweeping all the dead leaves and things, and generally making the area useful once again.
And the boys helped -- really, they did! I was amazed at how well they helped out. All I had to do was ask, and show them what to do. They loved working with me, so much that we actually did about 2 hours worth of sweeping, trimming, bagging and cleaning. Katie was so impressed, she took us to lunch at Texadelphia!
Later I took the boys with me to Home Depot to buy a new faucet for the kitchen sink and some tile goop to fix a broken counter tile (like the cantina, that's been on my list for about a year). They had never been there, and they were amazed -- didn't even know a place like that existed...
Other than that, we just played around the house and enjoied the outside -- bubble blowing on the deck, playing in the abandoned Christmas trees in our front yard, running around the park with friends.
2004: Year in Review - Highs / Lows
In all, I'd give 2004 a thumbs-up. It was pretty good, as far as things go, and I think our family is better as we sit here this New Years Day than we were last. We have quite a bit going for us, and I'm thankful.
So what were the highlights in my mind from the past year?
Jan: FSMB kicked in at the end of the month, and most of the month I was picking through the folks that would eventually make up the team. Little did I realize how important selecting that team would be -- they've become some of my closest friends over the past year. SOx and compliance begin to take hold as a message for our services, and I end up spending much of the year traveling talking to clients and establishing our company strategy. At the end of the month, we opted out of the Super Bowl in Houston and fled to the Happiest Place on Earth -- Disney World, for Porter's birthday. Porter is out of diapers for good!
Feb: Project ramped up to full force and was the first full month of travel for this past year. The 4 day a week on the road schedule would carry on though much of the year. Also, at the end of the month, my friend Hadden released his new CD and I helped out updating his website and being a general 'roadie' at his Houston shows.
March: Beach weekends start back for our family. Jerry Jeff Walker birthday weekend in Austin becomes a third-year tradition.
April: My birthday, of course, spent at lake Conroe for the Montgomery County Fair BBQ Cookoff. I broke my elbow on Good Friday at the beach. April was also the month I made the personal record for most travel in one week: Houston to Memphis to Dallas to Denver to Dallas to Houston. I started managing a second project in Memphis for Harrah's, along with the FSMB stuff.
May: Katie's birthday at the beach is the highlight. Lots of travel for work, both in Dallas, and throughout the region.
June: Eric Clapton's Guitar Festival in Dallas is fantastic. Later, the project team from work takes a well-deserved trip to Vegas for some R&R.
July: Phase 2 of the project kicks off; and we celebrate Brother's Day again, with the Circus and dinner.
August: Jackson's birthday party with the 3-Amigos at a jumper place, and School starts at St. Vincent for Jackson and Porter is moved up to the big-kid section at school.
Sept: We celebrate Jackson's birthday at the beach; Mom and Row join us. Austin City Limits Festival becomes a second-year tradition and I get a toe ring while hanging out listening to music at Zilker Park.
Oct: Greek Festival; Family Fun Festival and Soccer take up our weekends.
Nov / Dec: Thanksgiving at the beach rings in the start of the holiday season; Work goes well, but project is extended through the holidays and I have to limit vacation to just 4 days. Santa visits and brings Spider-Man scooters that the boys love, and a new leather sofa/sectional for the big-folks. Torti makes sure that the leather is 'distressed' and that really upsets Katie, but we still let the cats live...
In all, quite a good year -- what will this year bring?
Happy New Year!
How did I spend my New Year's Eve? Well, I just got finished putting together a pot of black beans, with a few black-eyed-peas, for tomorrow. It's in the crock pot on low, so it should be good and ready for a lunchtime feast of good luck. Other than that, we spent the day hangining with the kids this morning, letting them play at whatever they wanted, and when they got bored, we stepped in for a diversion.
We tried to have lunch at the diner, but Jackson had been hoping for 'breakfast for lunch' and they stopped serving breakfast at 11, so we left and ended up having Whataburger, and Katie made Jackson some breakfast -- we dined al fresco on the patio in beautiful 70 degree weather! Off and on, I got to play a bunch of guitar, working on a new song I've been playing around with.
This afternoon, the boys rested a bit, Porter slept and Jackson and I played a game of Pop-up Pirate that he got for Christmas -- a nice quiet game. Later, they headed to Nana's for a sleep-over party with her, and Katie and I had a chance to go see a movie (Meet the Fockers) and out for some garlic chicken at Ming's. Then home for the night -- in by 8:30!!
I sat down with a nice cold beer and some software to upgrade the boys' computer to current OS specs, and when the Times Square show came on at 9, we turned it on for good measure. By the time the ball dropped in NYC, I was finished with the upgrade, and just shortly after that, Katie was heading to bed -- but I got my midnight kiss in Eastern time!
Now it's just hanging out a bit, reflecting. I'll put some thoughts down later in the day about the ups, downs, and asides from 2004. But for now, Welcome 2005!
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