Slightly off day, yesterday. Had a two hour seminar in the morning about to write effective e-mails, where I basically learned I'm awesome. It was cool and all, but it messed up my work rhythm for the day, so I cut out early (4:30) to spend an actual evening with my family. Got home, and Tieraney asked if she could go out with her coworkers. You call that love?
Yes, go out with your coworkers. The lady deserves a night out with her friends, so I spent the night playing with the kids, feeding them, reading to them from Etudes sur Descartes, Spinoza, Malebranche et Leibniz by French philosopher Martial Gueroult. After the kids were in bed, I played some Wii until Tieraney got home, then we did it.
Dudes, let your women go out on their own every chance you get. For some reason, they're always willing to do it when they get home, especially if their friends are all in their 30s and still single. I think it makes them appreciate having a man to come home to. Or maybe some other dude at the bar gets them all horny, and they couldn't do anything about it because they're married, so they come home and do something about it then. I don't know. I don't care. I just like doin' it.
While that was going on, though, my hockey team lost the first of their six game road trip, 4-1.
Good punt returned to the 40.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on my 40.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
February 26th - 0-0
Interesting day at work from an Appletell perspective, as all these products I've been hoping to review were finally confirmed. I'll be getting a lot of goodies next week, so that's cool. Watch for everything over at the Appletell.
Beyond that, nothing much happened at work or at home. Tieraney and I mometarily reverted back to our younger days, when after putting the kids to bed at 8:30 she said she'd been wanting a pizza all night. I'd just been thing that I wished there was some leftover pizza, so what the hell? We ordered a pizza that we didn't start eating until 9:15. It's college all over again! Only the cholesterol is more likely to kill me now than it would have 20 years ago.
Regardless, you take little things like that where you can. Oh, but better, I found the new Go!Go!7188 album online. I know what you're saying, "Kirk, you dirty man, that's illegal to download music without paying for it." True, but it's also illegal in Hinerville for a record company to not release an album in the U.S. and force American citizens to pay import prices, when there's logical reason why said album can't be made available in iTunes other than distribution rights. So, screw the recording industries of the U.S. and Japan. When the price is logical, I'll pay it. Until then, I'm paying two mortgages, bitches. I can download whatever the hell I want.
Album's good, by the way.
A nice open field tackle on a screen pass saves what would've been a first down.
My ball: 4th and 2 on my own 28.
Beyond that, nothing much happened at work or at home. Tieraney and I mometarily reverted back to our younger days, when after putting the kids to bed at 8:30 she said she'd been wanting a pizza all night. I'd just been thing that I wished there was some leftover pizza, so what the hell? We ordered a pizza that we didn't start eating until 9:15. It's college all over again! Only the cholesterol is more likely to kill me now than it would have 20 years ago.
Regardless, you take little things like that where you can. Oh, but better, I found the new Go!Go!7188 album online. I know what you're saying, "Kirk, you dirty man, that's illegal to download music without paying for it." True, but it's also illegal in Hinerville for a record company to not release an album in the U.S. and force American citizens to pay import prices, when there's logical reason why said album can't be made available in iTunes other than distribution rights. So, screw the recording industries of the U.S. and Japan. When the price is logical, I'll pay it. Until then, I'm paying two mortgages, bitches. I can download whatever the hell I want.
Album's good, by the way.
A nice open field tackle on a screen pass saves what would've been a first down.
My ball: 4th and 2 on my own 28.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
February 25th - 0-0
The boy, whom we're currently prepping for his third birthday party, did his business on the toilet at day care yesterday. This is the first time he did so, and apparently cried the whole time he was on the toilet. Can you blame him? I haven't cried in literally 20 years, but were I the weepy type, I'd most likely do my crying on the john.
Now, this is the point where people say, "Oh, they grow up so fast." My response every time is, "Not fast enough." To which people will say, "You'll look back one day and long for the time when your kids were in diapers." My response every time is, "You are a moron with selective memory, and you obviously don't know me."
I do not want my kids to be three years old and in diapers. I never have, and I never will. In fact, I'd be pleased if I could just miss the entire toddler phase. If I could be there for their birth, then ship them off to Camp Rock or something for six years before picking them up from their bus in the K-Mart parking lot, I would.
But anyway, so Sam's one step closer to potty training. This is pleasing, as it means we're one step closer to no longer having to pay for diapers. Next time you're at the grocery store, look at the price of diapers, then head to the restroom with me so we can share a good cry.
Nothing else happened. The highlight of my day was Sam pooping. Oh, no, wait! I learned from this Internet thing yesterday that Spinal Tap are recording a new album, and the Dead Milkmen are setting up a tour to see if a new album can come from it. Spinal Tap and the Dead Milkmen! It's 1991 all over again! Where are Emily Niemeyer and Peggy Gillette? We've got some concerts to go see!
Quick dump over the middle gets us some yards back.
My ball: 3rd and 7 on my own 23.
Now, this is the point where people say, "Oh, they grow up so fast." My response every time is, "Not fast enough." To which people will say, "You'll look back one day and long for the time when your kids were in diapers." My response every time is, "You are a moron with selective memory, and you obviously don't know me."
I do not want my kids to be three years old and in diapers. I never have, and I never will. In fact, I'd be pleased if I could just miss the entire toddler phase. If I could be there for their birth, then ship them off to Camp Rock or something for six years before picking them up from their bus in the K-Mart parking lot, I would.
But anyway, so Sam's one step closer to potty training. This is pleasing, as it means we're one step closer to no longer having to pay for diapers. Next time you're at the grocery store, look at the price of diapers, then head to the restroom with me so we can share a good cry.
Nothing else happened. The highlight of my day was Sam pooping. Oh, no, wait! I learned from this Internet thing yesterday that Spinal Tap are recording a new album, and the Dead Milkmen are setting up a tour to see if a new album can come from it. Spinal Tap and the Dead Milkmen! It's 1991 all over again! Where are Emily Niemeyer and Peggy Gillette? We've got some concerts to go see!
Quick dump over the middle gets us some yards back.
My ball: 3rd and 7 on my own 23.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
February 24th - 0-0
Man, I really didn't think this was going to become the defensive struggle it's shaping up to be. Seems bad things mainly happen I've got the ball, and good things when they do.
Case in point, I have the ball, and last night my hockey team lost in a shootout to the L.A. Kings. I'm happy to get the point, but getting a win as we head into the brutality (13 way games in the next 17) would've been nice.
Also, my muffler quit on me in the morning. I just noticed it as I was pulling out the drive, so I'm not even sure when it happened, but a pipe broke off. So, there went a couple hundred dollars.
Yeah, like George Foreman really needs that money.
Run's stuff behind the line for a four yard loss.
My ball: 2nd and 14 on my own 16.
Case in point, I have the ball, and last night my hockey team lost in a shootout to the L.A. Kings. I'm happy to get the point, but getting a win as we head into the brutality (13 way games in the next 17) would've been nice.
Also, my muffler quit on me in the morning. I just noticed it as I was pulling out the drive, so I'm not even sure when it happened, but a pipe broke off. So, there went a couple hundred dollars.
Yeah, like George Foreman really needs that money.
Run's stuff behind the line for a four yard loss.
My ball: 2nd and 14 on my own 16.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
February 23rd - 0-0
Seriously, I just got nothing for you all. Hockey tonight, so there's that. There'll at least be some yards gained or loss. We play the King at home, and it really is the last of one of our "easier" games for a while.
Punt rolls into the end zone.
My ball: 1st and 10 on my 20.
Punt rolls into the end zone.
My ball: 1st and 10 on my 20.
Monday, February 23, 2009
February 21st-22nd - 0-0
Shows what I know about hockey.
The Wild had two extremely tough games this weekend. Saturday in Minnesota against the Red Wings, then Sunday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks. We won them both. 5-2 over the Red Wings in a dominating performance, then 2-1 over Chicago in a game where we were dominated. They had 45 shots on goal to our 24. Yes, our goalie stopped 44 of 45 shots, which is even more impressive considering it was our friggin' backup! Josh Harding, man! We killed seven power plays, one of which was a 4 minute double minor and rolled over into a 3 on 5 at one point. Outstanding. That's the kind of play that'll either get you into the playoffs or lead to severe disappointment if you can't keep it up. Unfortunately, Vancouver is on a 4 game win streak to our 2 games, so we're not gaining the ground we need.
Otherwise, not much of a big weekend. Dad's birthday party was Saturday, and that was fine. The Aunts Mary and Lois couldn't come down, though, which was disappointing. Events are more fun when the Aunts Mary and Lois are around.
And hey, a new podcast is up. You wouldn't need for me to tell you that, though, if you'd just subscribe.
Some good pressure forces the QB to scramble, but he can't avoid the sack.
Life's ball: 4th and 5 on my 39.
The Wild had two extremely tough games this weekend. Saturday in Minnesota against the Red Wings, then Sunday night in Chicago against the Blackhawks. We won them both. 5-2 over the Red Wings in a dominating performance, then 2-1 over Chicago in a game where we were dominated. They had 45 shots on goal to our 24. Yes, our goalie stopped 44 of 45 shots, which is even more impressive considering it was our friggin' backup! Josh Harding, man! We killed seven power plays, one of which was a 4 minute double minor and rolled over into a 3 on 5 at one point. Outstanding. That's the kind of play that'll either get you into the playoffs or lead to severe disappointment if you can't keep it up. Unfortunately, Vancouver is on a 4 game win streak to our 2 games, so we're not gaining the ground we need.
Otherwise, not much of a big weekend. Dad's birthday party was Saturday, and that was fine. The Aunts Mary and Lois couldn't come down, though, which was disappointing. Events are more fun when the Aunts Mary and Lois are around.
And hey, a new podcast is up. You wouldn't need for me to tell you that, though, if you'd just subscribe.
Some good pressure forces the QB to scramble, but he can't avoid the sack.
Life's ball: 4th and 5 on my 39.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
February 20th - 0-0
Looming trouble. The boss talked to me today about the extra hours I'm working. The deal is that any billable hours I get beyond my average per month, up to 30 additional, I get paid for (I'm salaried, you see, so this obviously isn't part of the usual gig). He offered this because it's better for him to keep me working at the office than for me to take a job selling vacuum cleaners or renting movies. But, although the business is doing well, this economy sucks, in case you haven't noticed. Bruce anticipates that some of our clients may either go out of business or cut back on their website funding, hurting our bottom line. If this happens, obviously the first thing to go will be my extra hours, so...let's sell that house, okay?
Similarly, it looks as if Tieraney won't be getting that promotion. Her company's parent company has put on a hiring freeze and suspended raises due to the economy, and Tieraney can't get the promotion until they hire someone to take her current role. So, there goes that extra money.
One bright spot in all of this is that I got another Wii game for review. Deadly Creatures. This means my birthday list (next month) is now depleted, so I have to figure out what else I'll want.
Three yard run.
Life's ball: 3rd and 3 on my 37.
Similarly, it looks as if Tieraney won't be getting that promotion. Her company's parent company has put on a hiring freeze and suspended raises due to the economy, and Tieraney can't get the promotion until they hire someone to take her current role. So, there goes that extra money.
One bright spot in all of this is that I got another Wii game for review. Deadly Creatures. This means my birthday list (next month) is now depleted, so I have to figure out what else I'll want.
Three yard run.
Life's ball: 3rd and 3 on my 37.
February 19th - 0-0
Dad turns 70. Happy birthday, dad.
Otherwise, more of the nothing, other than that my hockey team lost in OT. We scored two in the second to go up 2-1, but couldn't hang on for long and went into OT tied at 2, and ended up losing in the shootout. Good to get a point, I guess, but we were playing division rival Calgary, so we missed an opportunity to gain some ground. Saturday, we'll lose to Detroit, then Sunday we'll lose to Chicago before we start playing teams we can beat again. So, not good.
Quick run up the middle for four yards.
Life's ball: 2nd and 6 on my 40.
Otherwise, more of the nothing, other than that my hockey team lost in OT. We scored two in the second to go up 2-1, but couldn't hang on for long and went into OT tied at 2, and ended up losing in the shootout. Good to get a point, I guess, but we were playing division rival Calgary, so we missed an opportunity to gain some ground. Saturday, we'll lose to Detroit, then Sunday we'll lose to Chicago before we start playing teams we can beat again. So, not good.
Quick run up the middle for four yards.
Life's ball: 2nd and 6 on my 40.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
February 18th - 0-0
The excitement drought continues. Do we call that a good thing?
Left work a couple hours early yesterday (early = 4:45 p.m.), as Tieraney was home with the kids all day. Figured I'd head home to relieve her. Plus, I've got this thing I'm putting together for my dad for his 70th on Saturday. I'm not sure if you have any experience with things, but they sometimes take a while to put together, especially when they involve old photos such as this:
That's right, kids. The Hiner Transfer. With stops at Newark, Elizabeth, Linden, Rahway, Metuchen, Edison, New Brunswick, Jersey Avenue, Princeton Junction, and my pants.
Nice punt, considering our position on the field, but they had a decent return, too.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on my 44.
Left work a couple hours early yesterday (early = 4:45 p.m.), as Tieraney was home with the kids all day. Figured I'd head home to relieve her. Plus, I've got this thing I'm putting together for my dad for his 70th on Saturday. I'm not sure if you have any experience with things, but they sometimes take a while to put together, especially when they involve old photos such as this:
That's right, kids. The Hiner Transfer. With stops at Newark, Elizabeth, Linden, Rahway, Metuchen, Edison, New Brunswick, Jersey Avenue, Princeton Junction, and my pants.
Nice punt, considering our position on the field, but they had a decent return, too.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on my 44.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
February 17th - 0-0
Sam threw up at the day care just as his mom was picking him up, then again last night in bed. I guess it could be the flu, but he seemed pretty good aside from the puke. No fever or pains. Either way, Tieraney's home with him today. Can't take the kids to day care the day after puking. It's a rule, you know.
Beyond that, nothing of note. Long stretch for my hockey team to be off, but they play again Thursday night. Against Calgary. The losing starts happening with more frequency now.
No news on the house. No news on anything.
Two yard run to get a little more breathing room for the punt.
My ball: 4th and 7 on the my 14.
Beyond that, nothing of note. Long stretch for my hockey team to be off, but they play again Thursday night. Against Calgary. The losing starts happening with more frequency now.
No news on the house. No news on anything.
Two yard run to get a little more breathing room for the punt.
My ball: 4th and 7 on the my 14.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
February 16th - 0-0
I guess the news for Monday is that I'm now in iTunes. We've launched Appletellcast at Appletell. It's a weekly podcast done by staff writer Jake Gaecke, and I contributed a segment. I'll do so each week, in fact, because I have a kick-ass voice for radio.
In fact, there's something you should know. I'm not a sexy guy, and that's cool, because I wouldn't know what to do with sexy, but throughout my life, three aspects of Hiner have been continuously called sexy: my hands, my eyes and my voice. There was a time when my butt would've been included in that list, but no more.
Anyway, if anyone can figure out a way for a guy to make money off his hands, voice and eyes, please let me know.
Draw play. Five yards.
My ball: 3rd and 9 on the my 12.
In fact, there's something you should know. I'm not a sexy guy, and that's cool, because I wouldn't know what to do with sexy, but throughout my life, three aspects of Hiner have been continuously called sexy: my hands, my eyes and my voice. There was a time when my butt would've been included in that list, but no more.
Anyway, if anyone can figure out a way for a guy to make money off his hands, voice and eyes, please let me know.
Draw play. Five yards.
My ball: 3rd and 9 on the my 12.
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 14th-15th - 0-0
Not a good weekend. Went to my nephew's birthday party, which is never fun because they're always at my father-in-law's house which is way too cramped for the number of people shoved in there, especially when seven of them are under the age of six. It ends up being chaos, with at least two kids crying, inevitably, and the others screaming. I'm not sure if you imaginary readers knows this about me, but I don't like crowds and I really hate noise.
Then, Saturday night, my stupid hockey team blew a 3-0 lead after the first to lose 5-3 to the lowly Senators. Awful. If we can't win a home game against...well, it doesn't really matter. We're now out of a playoff spot with two months to go and that previously mentioned brutal March ahead of us. Done.
Then, I found out that income I didn't think I'd be claiming on my taxes, I have to claim. That's entirely my fault, but it doesn't change the fact that about $2,000 in tax returns I thought I was getting, I won't be getting.
QB fumbles the snap, but recovers.
My ball: 2nd and 14 on the my 7.
Then, Saturday night, my stupid hockey team blew a 3-0 lead after the first to lose 5-3 to the lowly Senators. Awful. If we can't win a home game against...well, it doesn't really matter. We're now out of a playoff spot with two months to go and that previously mentioned brutal March ahead of us. Done.
Then, I found out that income I didn't think I'd be claiming on my taxes, I have to claim. That's entirely my fault, but it doesn't change the fact that about $2,000 in tax returns I thought I was getting, I won't be getting.
QB fumbles the snap, but recovers.
My ball: 2nd and 14 on the my 7.
February 13th - 0-0
My hockey team lost last night to the Red Wings, but it was expected. The Red Wings are tough, and we were playing in Detroit, so not a terrible loss. I would've liked to have come out of it with a point like we did last time we played them, but so be it. We just have to make sure we beat the Senators tonight. They kind of suck, although they're on a nice winning streak. And because we've got a brutal March ahead of us, we need all the points we can get right now.
Otherwise, not much of note yesterday. Long day at a work, as I'm still trying to solve the e-merchant problems for my one client and suddenly had to get a lot of videos online for for another for which I didn't know I had a deadline. Got it done, though.
Oh, and I had a fun review I quickly whipped together for Appletell. A guy released an app for the iPhone called "Perfect Girl," which basically is just an app that says the kind of things a guy wants to hear. Sounds horrible, right? It would be, except that so many of the quotes are so geeky and random that it actually ends up being quite funny.
Life punts. Fair catch at the 11.
My ball: 1st and 10 on the my 11.
Otherwise, not much of note yesterday. Long day at a work, as I'm still trying to solve the e-merchant problems for my one client and suddenly had to get a lot of videos online for for another for which I didn't know I had a deadline. Got it done, though.
Oh, and I had a fun review I quickly whipped together for Appletell. A guy released an app for the iPhone called "Perfect Girl," which basically is just an app that says the kind of things a guy wants to hear. Sounds horrible, right? It would be, except that so many of the quotes are so geeky and random that it actually ends up being quite funny.
Life punts. Fair catch at the 11.
My ball: 1st and 10 on the my 11.
February 12th - 0-0
Small victory today, but a fun one. Remember when I got the Safecracker Wii game for review a little bit ago? Today, I got my first major title: Tenchu: Shadow Assassins. Pretty cool, as it's the kind of game I'm curious to try, but wouldn't have bought on my own. That's the way I make Wii/DS requests, for what it's worth. If I want a game, I'll just buy it and then write the review. If I'm not going to purchase it outright, I'll try to get a review copy. It's only fair, right?
Pass over the middle falls incomplete.
Life's ball: 4th and 7 on my 40.
Pass over the middle falls incomplete.
Life's ball: 4th and 7 on my 40.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February 11th - 0-0
Today was the stack. Plumber showed up at the old house at 8:00 and pretty much immediately set about tearing up my kitchen. But he did it very discreetly. First, we removed the dishwasher to cut a hole in the wall there. We got to the pipe pretty easily, but no signs of damage. This is bad, because the lower, the better.
Our next option was cut through the tile in the kitchen, but Larry (plumber is named Larry) figured we could get to it through the cupboard. Obviously this is the better option, and better yet was the idea to remove the cupboard. So, when we put it back up, no hole. We had take a row of the tile off because the cupboard lipped behind it, but that's better than cutting a hole straight through the tile, right?
So, with some considerable effort, off came the cupboard and in went the hole. Sure enough, there's the crack. Pretty bad one, too.
Now, at this point I had to take off so I could pick up and set up my daughter's new bed. So, I did that, then had lunch with Tieraney. I finally get back to the old house at around 2:00, and Larry's already gone. The cupboard and dishwasher are pack in place, the kitchen is cleaned up, and the invoice says everything's fixed and tested. Best of all? $800.
Now, $800 is a big deal for plumbing work, but when the quote was for $700 to $2,000, you take $800 and consider it a win.
On the way home, I picked up "House of the Dead: Overkill" for the Wii. I dig me some zombie shooting action, but waited until after the kids were in bed to play it.
They saw the box, though, and apparently Sophie picked up at some point how zombies walk (thankfully, she's unaware about the brain eating thing). So, before bedtime, we planned all manner of zombie games, including Godzilla vs. Zombie, which you think would be a pretty one-sided battle, but not when Godzilla is your three-year-old son and you're Zombie.
And finally, my hockey team scored with a little over a minute in the game to beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. All in all, a successful day.
Deep pass broken up.
Life's ball: 3rd and 7 on my 40.
Our next option was cut through the tile in the kitchen, but Larry (plumber is named Larry) figured we could get to it through the cupboard. Obviously this is the better option, and better yet was the idea to remove the cupboard. So, when we put it back up, no hole. We had take a row of the tile off because the cupboard lipped behind it, but that's better than cutting a hole straight through the tile, right?
So, with some considerable effort, off came the cupboard and in went the hole. Sure enough, there's the crack. Pretty bad one, too.
Now, at this point I had to take off so I could pick up and set up my daughter's new bed. So, I did that, then had lunch with Tieraney. I finally get back to the old house at around 2:00, and Larry's already gone. The cupboard and dishwasher are pack in place, the kitchen is cleaned up, and the invoice says everything's fixed and tested. Best of all? $800.
Now, $800 is a big deal for plumbing work, but when the quote was for $700 to $2,000, you take $800 and consider it a win.
On the way home, I picked up "House of the Dead: Overkill" for the Wii. I dig me some zombie shooting action, but waited until after the kids were in bed to play it.
They saw the box, though, and apparently Sophie picked up at some point how zombies walk (thankfully, she's unaware about the brain eating thing). So, before bedtime, we planned all manner of zombie games, including Godzilla vs. Zombie, which you think would be a pretty one-sided battle, but not when Godzilla is your three-year-old son and you're Zombie.
And finally, my hockey team scored with a little over a minute in the game to beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. All in all, a successful day.
Deep pass broken up.
Life's ball: 3rd and 7 on my 40.
February 10th - 0-0
Nothing of interest. The situation at work may be fixable, and we have a conference call set up with the merchant provider on Thursday. Hopefully, we'll figure out a way around the limitations of the software. And thankfully our client is patient enough to let us get this figure out.
End run for three yards.
Life's ball: 2nd and 7 on my 40.
End run for three yards.
Life's ball: 2nd and 7 on my 40.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
February 9th - 0-0
Big trouble at work yesterday. The e-commerce I spearheaded over the past six months kind of unravelled when I was told that one of the features we needed in order to even by the software isn't actually available, making one of the top requests from our client impossible to achieve. Now, I'm normally a calm fellow. Even keel, you know? I start here and I end here. But when you tell me that the past six months of work have all been for naught...well, then, you've got yourself a different Hiner on your hands. The kind of Hiner that once caused a hairy old Italian to tell him he's giving him a heart attack.
Now, by the end of the afternoon, there was hope. I had the original salesman on the phone, since he's the guy who told us that we want to have done can, in fact, be done. He's working with his tech guys on the issue, and I'll have an answer back today. That we can't do it isn't even an option at this point, it's just a matter of how we're going to do it, and how much time it'll take.
In other news, Appletell is feeling the financial crunch, and has announced the end of pageview bonuses for writers. They're also capping the number of articles I'm to post each month. This doesn't affect me too much, as I don't get paid by the article. Still, it got me to thinking. I'm relying on Appletell to help cover the cost of two mortgages, so what happens if that goes away?
Man, I've really got to sell that house. We had three couples look at it on Saturday, two of whom have it placed at the top of their lists. As always, we'll see what happens.
Pass to the flats for eight yards.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on my 43.
Now, by the end of the afternoon, there was hope. I had the original salesman on the phone, since he's the guy who told us that we want to have done can, in fact, be done. He's working with his tech guys on the issue, and I'll have an answer back today. That we can't do it isn't even an option at this point, it's just a matter of how we're going to do it, and how much time it'll take.
In other news, Appletell is feeling the financial crunch, and has announced the end of pageview bonuses for writers. They're also capping the number of articles I'm to post each month. This doesn't affect me too much, as I don't get paid by the article. Still, it got me to thinking. I'm relying on Appletell to help cover the cost of two mortgages, so what happens if that goes away?
Man, I've really got to sell that house. We had three couples look at it on Saturday, two of whom have it placed at the top of their lists. As always, we'll see what happens.
Pass to the flats for eight yards.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on my 43.
Monday, February 9, 2009
February 7th-8th - 0-0
My daughter's brain is telling her to do bad things.
But first, hockey. 3-2 shootout win yesterday afternoon against the Mighty Oilers of Edmonton. We had a short-handed goal in the third to go up 2-1, allowed that slip to 2-2, then had a key penalty kill in overtime to force the shootout, where Backstrom was a wall. Blocked four shots before we could get the game winner. It's an especially important win because we're neck and neck with the Oilers in the division. Plus, we have a brutal March ahead of us...something like 17 games, only four of which are at home.
Brutal.
Anyway, back to Sophie. She's been hard to contain lately. She's not awful, but is prone to not listening to us. That's all well and good, and I'm happy to let a five-year-old girl be a five-year-old girl, but she was particularly bad pretty much all of yesterday, which led to some stern punishment. When talking with her about why she's behaving this way lately, she said it's because "I want to be good, but my brain tells me to do bad things."
"It's not telling you to clean the guns, is it?" I asked.
Of course, I didn't really ask that. No point in planting that seed. But I'm conflicted with her response. On one hand, she's already turning over her bad behavior to something she sees as being beyond her control. On the other hand, hey! She gets that the brain controls emotion and drives her actions and responses!
My take is that her life has just become a bit too routine...day care, home, day care, home day care, home. So, when we go someplace out of the norm, the excitement and energy overwhelm her. The way to combat this, of course, is to break the routine, so we'll try to get her into more stuff. The problem, of course, is that I'm not home until 8:00 each night, and there's just no money there for gymnastics classes or swimming classes or gun safety classes. So, we'll see what we can pull off.
Oh, and we did take her to see Coraline on Saturday in 3D. Wonderful movie, and although some of it seemed to be over Sophie's head, she enjoyed herself. My favorite, though, were the stereotypically obese, redneck Steelers fans sitting behind us who felt it appropriate to shout out "chicken shit" in front of their own children and mine. God, I love Steelers fans. There may be more of them in this country than for any other team, but their collective IQ level has to be well below that of the offensive line of the Houston Texans.
QB avoids a sack to scramble for two yards.
Life's ball: 2nd and 8 on their own 49.
But first, hockey. 3-2 shootout win yesterday afternoon against the Mighty Oilers of Edmonton. We had a short-handed goal in the third to go up 2-1, allowed that slip to 2-2, then had a key penalty kill in overtime to force the shootout, where Backstrom was a wall. Blocked four shots before we could get the game winner. It's an especially important win because we're neck and neck with the Oilers in the division. Plus, we have a brutal March ahead of us...something like 17 games, only four of which are at home.
Brutal.
Anyway, back to Sophie. She's been hard to contain lately. She's not awful, but is prone to not listening to us. That's all well and good, and I'm happy to let a five-year-old girl be a five-year-old girl, but she was particularly bad pretty much all of yesterday, which led to some stern punishment. When talking with her about why she's behaving this way lately, she said it's because "I want to be good, but my brain tells me to do bad things."
"It's not telling you to clean the guns, is it?" I asked.
Of course, I didn't really ask that. No point in planting that seed. But I'm conflicted with her response. On one hand, she's already turning over her bad behavior to something she sees as being beyond her control. On the other hand, hey! She gets that the brain controls emotion and drives her actions and responses!
My take is that her life has just become a bit too routine...day care, home, day care, home day care, home. So, when we go someplace out of the norm, the excitement and energy overwhelm her. The way to combat this, of course, is to break the routine, so we'll try to get her into more stuff. The problem, of course, is that I'm not home until 8:00 each night, and there's just no money there for gymnastics classes or swimming classes or gun safety classes. So, we'll see what we can pull off.
Oh, and we did take her to see Coraline on Saturday in 3D. Wonderful movie, and although some of it seemed to be over Sophie's head, she enjoyed herself. My favorite, though, were the stereotypically obese, redneck Steelers fans sitting behind us who felt it appropriate to shout out "chicken shit" in front of their own children and mine. God, I love Steelers fans. There may be more of them in this country than for any other team, but their collective IQ level has to be well below that of the offensive line of the Houston Texans.
QB avoids a sack to scramble for two yards.
Life's ball: 2nd and 8 on their own 49.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February 6th - 0-0
Why not? May as well keep piling it up.
The toilet leak at the old house is the stack. I know nothing about plumbing, but I know quite a bit about price. The estimate for the repair is $700 to $2,000 depending upon where the leak is. The stack, I guess, is the pipe that runs from the toilet on the second floor down to the basement. It has to be taken out and replaced, and the final cost will depend upon the point of the leak. The plumber cut a whole in the wall at the kitchen level, and we saw no water on the pipe, so chances are good that it's below there. If so, we're looking at closer to $700, and he probably cut access to the stack behind the dishwasher. Otherwise, we're having to tear out the kitchen tile to get to it. If it's in the restroom upstairs, we're tearing out the tile in the bathroom to get to it.
Regardless, not good, but I can't even be upset about this kind of crap anymore. As I may have mentioned before, I'm just numb to it. I'm resigned. In fact, when you talk to people and they say, "Hey, you still keep in touch with that Hiner? How's he doing?"
You say, "Resigned."
They'll say, "From his job?"
You say, "From life." Then tip your hat, put your hands in your pockets, and whistle a sad tune as you turn and walk away.
And my hockey team lost to the Predators, 0-2.
Deep pass complete.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on their own 47.
The toilet leak at the old house is the stack. I know nothing about plumbing, but I know quite a bit about price. The estimate for the repair is $700 to $2,000 depending upon where the leak is. The stack, I guess, is the pipe that runs from the toilet on the second floor down to the basement. It has to be taken out and replaced, and the final cost will depend upon the point of the leak. The plumber cut a whole in the wall at the kitchen level, and we saw no water on the pipe, so chances are good that it's below there. If so, we're looking at closer to $700, and he probably cut access to the stack behind the dishwasher. Otherwise, we're having to tear out the kitchen tile to get to it. If it's in the restroom upstairs, we're tearing out the tile in the bathroom to get to it.
Regardless, not good, but I can't even be upset about this kind of crap anymore. As I may have mentioned before, I'm just numb to it. I'm resigned. In fact, when you talk to people and they say, "Hey, you still keep in touch with that Hiner? How's he doing?"
You say, "Resigned."
They'll say, "From his job?"
You say, "From life." Then tip your hat, put your hands in your pockets, and whistle a sad tune as you turn and walk away.
And my hockey team lost to the Predators, 0-2.
Deep pass complete.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on their own 47.
Friday, February 6, 2009
February 5th - 0-0
Okay, got home last night to a very well-behaved daughter. I asked if she got yelled at by her teacher, and she said just once because she wouldn't go to sleep. I assume there was actually no yelling involved. If a kid can't fall asleep, a kid can't fall asleep. Sophie assured me she was lying on her cot, just not sleeping, so that's good. The threat of removing that which brings her joy seems to be working. Who knew I could use the Powerpuff Girls as a bargaining device?
I came home earlier than normal last night, and plan to do so going forward. If I'm home by 7:30 instead of 8:00, that'll give me an extra half hour to get the kids to bed early and to read to them, which helps settle them down. Saturday, we're going to get Sophie a library card so she's not stuck with the same books night after night (although that actually bothers me and Tieraney more than it bothers her). Also, I bought her a new book for Valentine's Day, which is a trend we'll continue.
I should read more myself, actually, but reading makes me no money. And if my fears come to pass, this plumbing situation at the old house is going to require many moneys. We'll find out soon enough.
Incomplete pass.
Life's ball: 3rd and 8 on their own 14.
I came home earlier than normal last night, and plan to do so going forward. If I'm home by 7:30 instead of 8:00, that'll give me an extra half hour to get the kids to bed early and to read to them, which helps settle them down. Saturday, we're going to get Sophie a library card so she's not stuck with the same books night after night (although that actually bothers me and Tieraney more than it bothers her). Also, I bought her a new book for Valentine's Day, which is a trend we'll continue.
I should read more myself, actually, but reading makes me no money. And if my fears come to pass, this plumbing situation at the old house is going to require many moneys. We'll find out soon enough.
Incomplete pass.
Life's ball: 3rd and 8 on their own 14.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
February 4th - 0-0
I told you there'd be hockey. Wild 3-0 over the Ducks. I love to see shut-outs, and I love to see it happen against the Ducks, who I hate maybe as much as I hate the Dallas Stars. In case, though, it's simply because they're Disney, and are therefore more about moving DVDs of a crappy old movie than they are about hockey. Anyway, the win puts at 6th place in the Western Conference, but the Ducks are only two points ahead having played four more games than we have. Cautiously optimistic.
Still no word from idiot dad and his kid who wanted to buy my house. I guess we'll already have to move on from that.
And I'm told now that my daughter has been pretty bad at day care the past couple of days. Bad enough that the teacher had to talk to Tieraney. So, I had to have a long talk with Sophie last night, which was kind of fun for me, although she was crying the whole time. First of all, Sophie's adorable when she tries to talk while sobbing. Second, because I didn't get home until well after Tieraney told me about it, I wasn't really mad anymore, but I got to pretend to be. I wonder how often that happened with my parents. They always seemed to be genuinely mad when I was getting yelled at, but maybe they were just good actors.
Regardless, I'm not sure why Sophie's showing this sudden streak of disobedience, so we'll have to get that figured out.
Run up the middle is well defended and should've been a loss, but Life bounces outside for a couple.
Life's ball: 2nd and 8 on their own 14.
Still no word from idiot dad and his kid who wanted to buy my house. I guess we'll already have to move on from that.
And I'm told now that my daughter has been pretty bad at day care the past couple of days. Bad enough that the teacher had to talk to Tieraney. So, I had to have a long talk with Sophie last night, which was kind of fun for me, although she was crying the whole time. First of all, Sophie's adorable when she tries to talk while sobbing. Second, because I didn't get home until well after Tieraney told me about it, I wasn't really mad anymore, but I got to pretend to be. I wonder how often that happened with my parents. They always seemed to be genuinely mad when I was getting yelled at, but maybe they were just good actors.
Regardless, I'm not sure why Sophie's showing this sudden streak of disobedience, so we'll have to get that figured out.
Run up the middle is well defended and should've been a loss, but Life bounces outside for a couple.
Life's ball: 2nd and 8 on their own 14.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
February 3rd - 0-0
Hockey game tonight. In the meantime, you're stuck with this.
Slight movement on the house. A couple looked at it Sunday morning, and loved it so much they went back Sunday afternoon...
...with either his or her dad.
Dads everywhere, here's a simple request; stop acting like you know more than you do. Being a dad and loving your daughter doesn't make you qualified housing inspector, so shut the fuck up and stay home.
This dad found problems that don't exist with the house, and apparently scared them away from making an offer. We're hoping they still will, and will just address the phantom issue in the offer. If not, I'll have to add dads the burgeoning list of things I now of officially hate...which you can see will lead to some conflicts of interest.
Oh, and I got me a Blu-ray player last night. "But Kirk," you caution in your condescending way, "aren't you paying for two mortgages? How can you afford a Blu-ray player?"
First of all, with Amazon gift cards, I got it for $160 with no shipping or tax. Second, it's a matter of what you're willing to sacrifice. I will forgo fancy restaurants and vacations and a nice (or even fairly new) car and retirement so I can avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy. I will not forgo 1080p. Third, why are you even reading this? Literally three people beside me even know about it, so go read this, instead. Much more interesting, and geared towards public consumption.
Punt. Fair catch.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on Life's 12.
Slight movement on the house. A couple looked at it Sunday morning, and loved it so much they went back Sunday afternoon...
...with either his or her dad.
Dads everywhere, here's a simple request; stop acting like you know more than you do. Being a dad and loving your daughter doesn't make you qualified housing inspector, so shut the fuck up and stay home.
This dad found problems that don't exist with the house, and apparently scared them away from making an offer. We're hoping they still will, and will just address the phantom issue in the offer. If not, I'll have to add dads the burgeoning list of things I now of officially hate...which you can see will lead to some conflicts of interest.
Oh, and I got me a Blu-ray player last night. "But Kirk," you caution in your condescending way, "aren't you paying for two mortgages? How can you afford a Blu-ray player?"
First of all, with Amazon gift cards, I got it for $160 with no shipping or tax. Second, it's a matter of what you're willing to sacrifice. I will forgo fancy restaurants and vacations and a nice (or even fairly new) car and retirement so I can avoid foreclosure and bankruptcy. I will not forgo 1080p. Third, why are you even reading this? Literally three people beside me even know about it, so go read this, instead. Much more interesting, and geared towards public consumption.
Punt. Fair catch.
Life's ball: 1st and 10 on Life's 12.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
February 2nd - 0-0
I anticipate many, many days where I have absolutely nothing to talk about. In such cases, I will talk about nothing.
Incomplete pass.
4th and 10 on Life's 45.
Incomplete pass.
4th and 10 on Life's 45.
Monday, February 2, 2009
January 31st-February 1st - 0-0
You may have noticed that, when possible, I start with hockey. I'll do it again today, because Saturday my Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 up in Canada. We squandered a 2-0 lead in the second and a 3-2 lead with less than 20 seconds to go to end up in overtime, but we prevailed. It's an important win, because it moves us into second place in the division. We're well behind Calgary (64 points), but we're in a tight race for playoff spots 5-8. Columbus, Edmonton, Vancouver, Anaheim, Dallas, Phoenix and us are all hovering between 55 and 52 points, with Nashville, Colorado and Los Angeles each at 47. It's going to be a crazy couple of months.
Another bonus this weekend: Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live. I love Steve Martin, he's pretty much comedy/writing idol, and he's still a very funny man, he just picks really awful movies. His writing is still great, though...so I'm hoping he didn't do much writing of SNL. Not good. No killer sketches, and only a few mildly amusing ones. Even the monologue was pretty bad. Best line of the night? "You get that it's King Lear, right?" For the record, I'm not going to go see "Pink Panther 2."
More Hineresque news. While out at the old house shoveling snow, I noticed a tremendous leak in the basement; water spattering to the floor, not just dripping. I figured it's either pipes or snow melting in, so I went back on Sunday to run a test. The basement was dry, so I went upstairs to flush the toilet. Came back down, and the basement was wet. So, there you go. Somewhere between the basement and the toilet on the second floor, I've got a bad pipe. Lord knows how much that's going to cost me to have fixed. I see no signs of water damage or leakage anywhere on the first floor (the pipe goes right behind the kitchen wall), so I'm hoping it's close to the basement and the plumber won't have to tear up any walls to get to the problem.
Have I mentioned how much I hate my hold house?
Incomplete pass.
3rd and 10 on Life's 45.
Another bonus this weekend: Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live. I love Steve Martin, he's pretty much comedy/writing idol, and he's still a very funny man, he just picks really awful movies. His writing is still great, though...so I'm hoping he didn't do much writing of SNL. Not good. No killer sketches, and only a few mildly amusing ones. Even the monologue was pretty bad. Best line of the night? "You get that it's King Lear, right?" For the record, I'm not going to go see "Pink Panther 2."
More Hineresque news. While out at the old house shoveling snow, I noticed a tremendous leak in the basement; water spattering to the floor, not just dripping. I figured it's either pipes or snow melting in, so I went back on Sunday to run a test. The basement was dry, so I went upstairs to flush the toilet. Came back down, and the basement was wet. So, there you go. Somewhere between the basement and the toilet on the second floor, I've got a bad pipe. Lord knows how much that's going to cost me to have fixed. I see no signs of water damage or leakage anywhere on the first floor (the pipe goes right behind the kitchen wall), so I'm hoping it's close to the basement and the plumber won't have to tear up any walls to get to the problem.
Have I mentioned how much I hate my hold house?
Incomplete pass.
3rd and 10 on Life's 45.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
January 30th - 0-0
More inconsistency from the Wild. We win 6-1, then turn around and lose 3-1 at Edmonton. Apparently, our goalie was playing so badly that they replaced him in the second. Hopefully, this was just a bad night. We'll find out Saturday night in Vancouver.
Nothing much going on. My car's done, so Friday was my last day with the Camry. Back to the Civic and the popping axels. If I ever start a 50s greaser doo-wop act, I'll call us The Popping Axels.
Oh, and I guess our house is being shown again on Sunday. Guess what that means; more shoveling! I gots me a second driveway to shovel. Awesome!
Incomplete pass.
2nd and 10 on Life's 45.
Nothing much going on. My car's done, so Friday was my last day with the Camry. Back to the Civic and the popping axels. If I ever start a 50s greaser doo-wop act, I'll call us The Popping Axels.
Oh, and I guess our house is being shown again on Sunday. Guess what that means; more shoveling! I gots me a second driveway to shovel. Awesome!
Incomplete pass.
2nd and 10 on Life's 45.
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