Batton down the hatches!!

OK, so Wisconsin is due to get 6-12 inches of snow in what could be a pretty solid winter storm.

so what's the problem?

Nothing that I see, I mean, I live in Wisconsin and I expect snow in the wintertime. That means I need to make some adjustments to how I do things.

Snow makes travel interesting, so I add time to get to my destination. I start my car and give it a few minutes to warm up, not so much for me, but so that the oil has a chance to get out of the pan and lubricate my engine before I get up to speed.

I'm aware that traction isn't optimal, so I add extra distance between myself and the vehicle in front of me, watching my mirror and hoping the guy behind me is doing the same.

I'm aware that it's cold out, so I dress accordingly: heavy coat, gloves, hat if necessary, and boots. I keep a change of clothes at work in case I somehow fall and get dirty or wet.

I turn my headlights on whenever I'm using my wipers. I flash my lights at those who don't. I tend to have a problem seeing gray cars at twilight while there's a light snow falling; they may as well have a Romulan cloaking device on them.

I don't freak out when I hear that there's a "large" amount of snow coming, no matter what the weatherman/woman is telling me. I don't run to the store to stock up on supplies because I don't need to horde anything; I have enough in my cupboards to sustain me the 24-48 hours it may be in the event of a snowpocalypse.

I enjoy the snow; I love the quietness, even in the big city, of a scene wrapped in freshly fallen snow.

I took some time tonight to do what I'm always saying I'm gonna do....contacting old friends. Holly has heard me time and time again say "I should call that person..."

So, I went through my friends on Facebook and wrote a quick note to several friends I hadn't heard from or seen in years...

new picture of me

When I mentioned I was growing a beard, one of my followers asked if I would post a pic.

yeah, it's wintertime

well, we have some snow and cold, so I'd say winter is here.

Work moves on: some guys are busy, but most are slower this time of year. Not a big surprise to me, since my dad was a carpenter for several years and was often laid off in the winter.

I'm growing a beard. I think Holly likes it, but I'll ask her to be sure. Probably just a winter thing, but I've given it about three weeks so far, only shaving my neck to trim it up. I think it's coming in pretty good and it doesn't itch so much anymore. I'll post a picture in another week or so.

Christmas plans have been mostly made, so more travel is in order.

Rod Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois, was charged yesterday with a couple counts of corruption for trying shake some people in non-government positions down. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Youtube virus outbreak

Apparently, there's a virus going around that is spread through Youtube videos, which I've embedded on my site in the past.

Please, update both your antivirus software AND Windows.

Download this program to clean out your temporary files, which is where this virus lurks.

Any questions, drop me a line.

of Turkey and White Death

Short Holiday weekend.

Holly had to work Friday, so we spent Thursday with her family at her aunt and uncle's house. Lots of food and football and family.

Friday I had a computer client, then that evening was a going away party for a friend of mine.

Saturday Holly and I headed south to my mom's house around 8. We rolled in around noon, they headed over to my grandparents' house to catch up with them.

Back to Mom's house to veg out and get ready for dinner. Mom had already decided she wasn't cooking so we ordered pizza, which was fine with me. My sister and family was also there, so we got to see my nieces and nephew.

After dinner, we just sat and talked and hung out. Holly got to play with my nephew's new Nerf chain gun. Twenty five rounds of Nerf goodness can be fire from the thing.

At the end of the night, Holly and I made our way over to my other grandparents' house to stay the night. My sister and the kids were staying at Mom's, and we didn't want to overcrowd the house.

Chatted with my grandparents for an hour or so, then headed to bed. Up in the morning to see the glorious snow already falling. My stepmom called and said she and Dad wouldn't be over due to the weather. Problem is, she was bring the bulk of the food for that day. Grandma rolled out plan B and we had plenty to eat between the pork roast, the ham and the two casseroles my sister had prepared.

Holly and I started our return north at halftime of the Packer game. The weather wasn't too bad, just some limited visibility. The only real problem we had was traffic around Rockford, and it took us 90 minutes to go 30 miles.

The only real weather problem was about 30 miles out of Milwaukee on I-43, where the snow was sticking to the freeway.

I dropped Holly off at home, sat for a bit, then headed to the store to get fixin's for lunch this week. Watched some of the Bears-Vikings game, then headed to bed.

Short weekend, but sometimes, that's all you get.

Vegetable beef stew

1# Stew meat (I cheated and bought chop suey meat so I didn't have to cut it down)

1 can each:
Sliced carrots
Sliced potatos
Whole kernel corn
Peas

1 47 oz can Tomato Juice.

Brown stew meat, seasoning to taste (I used Lawry's seasoned salt)

Pour Tomato Juice into crock pot

Add vegetables

When meat is browned, drain and add to crock pot.

Set timer to desired time, stirring occasionally.

When done, dish out and eat!


This is one of my favorites from when I was a kid.

The White Death comes for us all.

OK people...we live in Wisconsin....that white stuff from the sky...that's called SNOW. When you see SNOW, SLOW DOWN!!!



You're welcome.

Wedding plans

As of right now, Holly and I have a guest list assembled. We're having the wedding at the church we go to, and doing the reception in two parts: cake and punch after the ceremony, and then dinner with family and the bridal party.

Not much else to report at this time. We're looking for a hall for the family dinner, and a photographer as well. We do have a date picked, August 1, 2009.

We're trying to keep costs down, so we're going to be creative along the way. I don't think we've declared a budget officially, but I have an idea of how much we can comfortably afford.

transitioning to a Mac

Yes, I've had a Mac before, but now I'm making the transition to a Mac as my day to day system.

Last Tuesday, my dell laptop died on me, or at least, started to. I did all the usual hardware troubleshooting and determined that the motherboard was failing. Start poking around on Craigslist here in Milwaukee and find a few good laptops for around $400. Spied a couple of Apple Powerbooks in that price range and started playing email tag.

I scored a 12" powerbook, 1.5 ghz for $415 with all the original discs and literature. I like the size and it's loaded out...dvd burner, bluetooth, etc.

I love the size to horsepower ratio. In a PC notebook, you generally don't get this kind of performance in a small notebook.

For the most part, the change wasn't too hard, as I've got Mac experience. My biggest thing is crossover with my Vista Media Center. If I want to drag a show I've recorded off of it and play it on my Powerbook, can I? For the most part, not yet. I'll keep looking for a solution.

I'm putting a call out to my current Mac-owning friends....what apps are you using?

My Fellow Americans

Make sure you go vote today...no matter who you vote for, exercise your civic duty.

Three Bean Chili

1 lb ground beef
1 47oz. can tomato juice
1 can chili beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 pack chili seasoning
chili powder (optional)

Brown ground beef, add chili seasoning mix, add chili powder if desired.

Pour tomato juice in crock pot, add beans.

Add seasoned beef to crock pot, cover, set time.

When done, dish out or pout into containers for later.

home on a Saturday night

Sitting at home on a Saturday night. Holly's sick, so I stopped over after taking care of a client. In the end I decided it was better to let her rest and I came home.

We've started the wedding plans, mostly the guest list. Who to invite, not to invite, who will we invite that won't show up.....barrels of monkeys.


Not much else going on. Watching the World Series and I'll be over at Holly's folks tomorrow watching the race since there's no Packer football.

How Chad met Holly

January 29th, 2005

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Chad was invited to a dance hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran College taking place at the Milwaukee Art Museum by a friend, Emily, who attended WLC. He was leery about going, as he was well beyond college age. Another friend, Dawn, pleaded with him to go, and to bring his roommate Ben so she'd have someone at the dance she knew.

Holly also attended WLC, and was a friend of Emily's, and was going to the dance.

Dinner plans were made for Genesis on South Highway 100, but Genesis was full and had a long wait, so dinner shifted to Applebee's on Highway 100, near the Home Depot.

Emily had arranged for Dawn and Holly to have rent-a-dates, but the boys were more interested in drinking than the girls.

When it came time to sit down at the restaurant, Holly, Emily, another friend, her fiance and the rent-a-dates were seated at one table, while Chad, Ben and Dawn were seated across the aisle. This table was deemed "The Leper Table" by Chad.

Shortly after dinner was served, Chad quietly asked Dawn if the Three (Chad, roommate and Dawn) could disappear and not be noticed. Dawn said no, so the Three were committed to the dance.

Holly, Emily and Dawn got into Holly's car, and Chad and Ben got into the Ben's car; the race was on. There was spirited driving from the restaurant to the parking deck next to the Art Museum.

Once inside the dance, the group moved onto the dance floor. Soon, however, the songs became slower, and Chad looked for one of the girls to dance with. Holly was nowhere to be found, and it seemed Emily and Dawn weren't interested in dancing with Chad.

Chad took a lap through the museum to wonder how long this hell would last. Only part of the museum was open, so the lap didn't last long. He made his way back to the party and proceeded to lean against a support beam and sulk.

Holly, wearing a magnificent red dress, approached Chad and asked "What's your deal?" (No...really, she did). Chad replied that he wasn't having any fun. Holly answered that they'd have to change that.

At some point, the group ended up on the dance floor together again. The music was fast and everyone was having some fun. Chad knew he had to take a chance; he took Holly's hand and pulled her to him so they were dancing close together.

When the music slowed again, Holly went to find a seat and catch her breath. Chad went to grab Holly something to drink. She thanked him and downed the soda.

Holly was still warm, so Chad suggested stepping outside to cool off. Holly had kicked off her shoes early in the evening, so Chad went to fetch them for her. They got their coats, and took the elevator up to the catwalk that leads across Lake Drive.

They walked across the catwalk, then past the War Memorial, and toward Veterans Park. Holly asked Chad questions about himself, and Chad was more than happy to answer and tell stories as they strolled down the lakefront.

At some pointed they turned to head back to the dance to rejoin their friends. As they crossed the catwalk, Chad knew that he had to make a move. As they approached the elevator, he asked Holly for her number. Holly smiled and gladly gave Chad her number.

As they rode down the elevator, they were spotted by their friends. Emily rushed for the elevator door, eyes wide, wondering why Holly no longer had lipstick on. Chad got looks from both Dawn and Ben, but didn't care. The group split up to head home.

Dawn and Emily already had plans to come over to Chad and Ben's, while Holly had to head home to be up for church in the morning.

When Chad got home, he called Holly and left her a voicemail stating that he had a great time in spite of himself, and was looking forward to seeing her again.

When Dawn and Emily arrived at the boy's place, they began interrogating Chad, as Holly seemed to be quite enamored with Chad on the drive home. Chad asked the girls if they had invited Holly to Bible study at his church Sunday night. They replied that they had, but Holly wanted a more personal invite from Chad. Chad, in his true bold self, then pulled out his cell phone and called Holly a second time so he could invite her to Bible study.

This was the beginning of something magical to come.

just because this is cool....

surprise!!

A couple weeks ago, Holly informs me that she has a surprise for me on September 4th, and to make sure I don't schedule anything. That's a Thursday, which is usually Dinner and Laundry. My directions are simple...come over to her place as soon as possible after work.

Wouldn't you know, Thursday was busy at the close of business, so I get out of work later than usual. It was raining, so I really couldn't speed with confidence.

We had dinner with her folks before heading out. As we drive, I start to piece together where I think were going, but don't say anything about it, just carrying on conversation.

Holly had gotten tickets to the Brewers game that night. Why? I had been wanting to go to a game, but didn't want to spend the money I've been saving for her ring. Thursday night was her treat. We sat in the bleachers, ate nachos and watched baseball.

I have the most amazing woman on the planet for a girlfriend.

'nuff said.

what really matters

This has been a rather trying week for me. I was sick through the holiday weekend, and that threw a wrench in alot of plans.

Holly and I were going to head down to her sister's place for the weekend to hang out, and on the way down, stop by the jewelry store and pick up her engagement ring.

I know, tradition says that I'm supposed to buy it without her knowing, so that I can surprise her with it.

you know what Tradition...up yours.

When we found The Ring back in March, I knew what I was up against. I now had a price tag as my goal. The main thing I have going against me is my credit....it is, shall we say, less than exemplary. Holly, however, had credit enough, but not enough job to back it up. So, with my job and her credit, we can do this.

Well, since I couldn't go along Saturday, The Ring was put on hold. I talked with the sales rep at the store, and I had to at least put something down so that The Ring didn't disappear.

Tuesday, I get off work at 4:30, run to a local branch of my bank, take out some funds, and head down to Schaumburg, IL. I'm there before 7, make my down payment to put The Ring, then head back to Milwaukee.

Holly had called me during the day, and asked if I would find her a laptop for school, so I had a couple of leads I wanted to discuss with her and her folks. I was back in Milwaukee at 8:45pm, and we talked about what her system needs were, and I had a lead on a great laptop for that. Holly and I were talking and the subject of The Ring, and how soon to acquire it. I explained my plan, and to be honest, she wasn't thrilled with what I had in mind. The conversation ended quickly, as she had to get back to her homework, and I was tired and needed to head home.

I was upset. I had let Holly down, again; she was upset with me, that I could see; I was mad at myself for not having better discipline with my money. She called me a little later on and I didn't answer, so she shot me a text basically saying "You're mad at me, aren't you" I replied that I was mad, I just wasn't sure at who.

I had a hard time sleeping Tuesday night. Holly and I were planning to meet someone about a laptop, and I wasn't about to let hurt feelings get in the way. Holly was still upset as well.

The plan was to meet up with the laptop guy at 6:30 Wednesday night, so I was going to pick Holly up at 6 to go meet the guy. When I got there, I took her in my arms and told her that I loved her, and that my love for her hadn't wavered in spite of what had been said. I mean that. I do some pretty stupid stuff, and she stands by my side, helping me up off the ground, so why wouldn't I love her?

We get her the laptop, and I get it all set up. Love covers a multitude of sins, and when I left for home last night, we'd moved on past Tuesday night's conversation.

Bottom line: I love Holly, and would go to the ends of the earth for her. That's what really matters to me.

final thoughts from the weekend

Well, I survived.

This limited diet crap is for the birds.

I woke up this morning and felt great, but knew I shouldn't push my luck, so I kept to the diet.

To torture myself, I grilled at a friend's party. I was in charge of the hot dogs and brats. How's that for willpower? Making sure the meat was taken care without partaking....yeah..that sucked.

Holly has commanded that I take tomorrow easy, so I will.

I'm dying for a cheeseburger...or biscuits and gravy....

an update

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate being alone?

I really do.

I managed to take some food today and it stayed down, then went for a walk around the block, just to get out of my apartment for a little bit.

Then I decided to go farther...I got in my car and went for a ride. I promised myself that if at anytime the lightheadedness returned that I would come straight home.

I took a leisurely cruise down Bluemound til it merged with Wisconsin, then the zigzag by the War Memorial Museum down to the lakefront, where the Big Stage was being taken down.

Up the lakefront to Lake Park, then back down, to Wisconsin, Bluemound and then finally home.

It felt good to get out. I wanted to see the Harley's on Friday night, but didn't get a chance. There are still quite a few folks cruising around at the end of the weekend. Yes, most have gone home, but some are still here, taking in the last bits of the celebration.

bleah

so, my weekend got shot to hell Thursday night. It appears that I have viral gastritis...how I got it I have no idea.

I was at Holly's folk's house for the usual Thursday night, dinner and laundry and everything was going as usual. During the Packer game, I went to use the bathroom, and while in process, I had to brace myself, as I felt lightheaded.

I made it back to the couch and laid down. I felt disoriented. When my laundry was done, I collected it and got ready to head home.

At some point in the night, I woke up and knew I had to get to the bathroom. Nothing says fun at 3 am like hovering over the toilet.


At 6am I called into work, unable to stand for more than a minute or two. When I woke back up, I scheduled an appointment with my doctor, since I knew this was something I wanted checked out.

Basically, viral gastriris. I'm limited to a diet of bananas, rice, apple sauce, and toast, or BRAT. No spicy food, no greasy food, no dairy.

I spent Friday night at Holly's and slept rather well. After I woke up, the dizzyness returned. I decided that Holly should at least have some fun this weekend, so I asked her to take me back to my place so she could go down to her sister's as we had planned.

I spent Saturday baseball on Fox, college football on ABC and the Brewers game on a local station.

Around 10pm, I hovered again.

I slept ok through the night....waking around 3 am for a time, and then was up around 8:30.

I'm attempting to eat a fried egg...cooked all the way thru, cuz I'm craving solid food.

The Brewers game is on the radio in a few minutes, and the race is on tonight....we'll see what happens I guess....

Spent a fun day yesterday with Holly doing nothing but hanging out together. Took a walk at Lake Park, drove down to the airport and watched planes take off and land, made an ice cream run.

Now, it's back to work, then off for the Labor Day weekend to Illinois. That's right, I'm getting out of town for the 105th...well, Friday I'll take it in.

867-5309

I'm thinking about changing cell phone providers when my current contract is up in February.

I'm tempted to go with AT&T, as they have some kind of magical phone.

I could stay with Sprint, and either go with their version of the magical phone, or something slightly less magical.

I'm looking for something with better input for calendar and text....basically, a fully keyboard. My Razr doesn't cut it for more than quick texts.


Going to AT&T would make it easier to add Holly's phone to a family plan as needed.

Thoughts?

everybody's Irish

So, for a little while on Sunday, everybody on the Summerfest grounds was Irish. This weekend was Irish Fest. Lots of green, lots of Guiness, and lots of fun.

Holly tends to buy me something very cool when we go; a couple of years ago it was an NYPD tribute jersey that was worn by an Irish football team. This year it was the Irish national team's football jersey.

Saturday, Holly and I attended a wedding of a good friend of ours. Makes for a long day when the wedding is at 1, and the reception is at 5. I like the fast that Milwaukee isn't so big that we couldn't come back to my place between rounds and relax for a bit.

priceless

Dinner at Saz's: $42

Gas to drive from Milwaukee to Green Bay and back: $30

Ice cream in Green Bay: $10

Spending a Saturday night in Green Bay just because we could: PRICELESS

an absolutely fabulous day

I'm sitting outside on the patio at Holly's folks's house, enjoying the awesome weather. The sun is out, there's a nice breeze, and there's a squirrell under the bird feeder feasting on leftovers. Holly and I went down to Whitnall park and picniced today, then returned home to visit with her parents.

It's days like this that refresh my soul and allow to me to stand (or sit) in the wonder of God and His creation.

on moving...

So I've decided to stay where I am.

I didn't feel that the modest financial gain would benefit me being so far from my friends and all that I do.

As a friend commented, all it takes is one or two unplanned trips to Milwaukee to undo everything.

I slept amazingly well last night, which tells me that I made the right call. I wasn't so anxious about my decision that I tossed and turned as I had in previous nights.

Now, who has a broken computer for me to fix? ;)

thoughts from Romans 1:1-17

Some thoughts as I read thru Romans 1 tonight. My thoughts will be in bold, emphasis in italics in the passage is mine.

Romans 1

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit^[a] of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God^[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

In his greeting to the Roman Christians, Paul re-enforces who Christ is, both in his human heritage (v3), and his Heavenly heritage (v4).

7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—

When was the last time we were eager to go to church and see other believers?

12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

When was the last time we were encouraged by another's faith?

13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.

Paul had a willing and receptive audience in Rome. There were some Christians already there, but for the most part, Rome was ripe for the new idea that the Gospel presented.

16I am not ashamed of the gospel,

Are WE ashamed of the Gospel? Is Jesus an afterthought to our friends and co-workers?

because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^[c] just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."^[d]

^{Salvation for everyone...no matter what he or she has done. No sin too small, or too big, for God to overlook. No sin too small, or too big, for Christ to forgive.}

the cost of living

I've recently been apartment hunting to try to lower my expenses. Mind you, my current apartment runs me $465 a month for my studio, storage in the basement and a parking spot and includes heat and water; factor in electric, total of $500.

Why would I move?

To save money.

My commute to work is 50 round trip, 5 days a week. 250 miles, almost all highway.

My car gets better than 30 miles per gallon, so just on driving to work alone, per month, I spend $133 (figured at $4 a gallon/30 MPG).

I've got a lead on a place in Oconomowoc, 4 miles from work. Eight miles a day round trip. Forty miles a week. $585 a month, heat AND electric included.

So what's the problem?

I currently live 3 miles away from my girlfriend. This is the woman I want to marry. Currently, our schedules only allow us to see each other a couple of times a week, Thursdays for laundry at her folk's house, and a couple of days during the weekend.

Now it's a scheduling issue, but if I move 30 west, it's a logistics issue.

Would I be saving enough money to make it all work out?

aftermath of the weekend

Hope you had a good holiday weekend...here's how mine went:

worked on the 3rd, over to Holly's for dinner, at which she and I decided to go to the fireworks on the lakefront. We tried a new location this year: the South side. The booms were a little late, but otherwise it went well. We were home in 20 minutes after the fireworks done.

For the 4th, picked up my buddy Curtis, and we joined Holly's Dad at the Holz Chevrolet car show. Nine-hundred cars, mostly classic muscle and some antique. We were able to case the grounds in about 2 hours.

Drop off Curtis at his place, then back to my place to pick up the fixin's for taco salad. Make that over at Holly's house for the get together that afternoon. It was a hit :P

Saturday I had a client in the morning, then bummed around my apartment. Went over to a friends house to watch the race from Daytona, then home.

Spent Sunday with Holly, just hanging out. After church, we had lunch at BW3's Mayfair, then listed to the rest of the ballgame at my place. Made a quick custard run, then went for a ride around town. Stopped to see some friends over in Oak Creek, then home to get ready for the work week.

Not entirely interesting, but then, if it was all interesting, how would we appreciate the differences??

waiting vs. anticipating

Holly and I were out for a walk Monday night, and we were talking about things pertaining to our church. I mentioned that I didn't feel like I was waiting for something, but that I am anticipating something.

She asked me to explain the difference.

Waiting....merely passing time until the next event, like at the doctors office; you wait to see the doctor.

Anticipating...expecting something to happen...like Christmas. You don't wait for Christmas, you anticipate it.

I'll be honest, I don't know what I'm anticipating, but I think it's gonna be cool.

racecars

As you may or may not know, dear reader, I'm a Nascar fan. I also happen to live across the street from the legendary Milwaukee Mile. This past weekend, the Craftsman truck series and the Nationwide series were in town.




Johnny Benson, winner of the Truck race on Friday night.



When I go to the track, I take my scanner. This allows me to listen in on radio communication between drivers, and crew chiefs, Nascar officials and track officials. I use noise cancelling headphones to save my hearing.


Carl Edwards. Flew in from California to run the event, then flew back to run the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.



Time to change the tires and put in some gas.

Under caution. Scott Wimmer, from Wisconsin, leads; Carl is second; Mike Bliss is third.


I had a great time both night. Friday got interesting as they cleared the bleachers due to lightning, but finished the race after the threat was gone.

detours and such

Check out my other blog for pics of the floodwater along I-94 between Milwaukee and Madison

http://thechadhasspoken.blogspot.com

feeling nostalgic

For some reason today, I missed my old home in Central Illinois. Maybe, just maybe it's that tomorrow, June 19th, marks 9 years in Milwaukee. Nine years since I moved out of my mom's house to the Big City to start new.

I remember the radio station I used to listen to, WWCT, or Rock 106 as it was known. Great morning show to listen to while I drove to school, great rock on the air. I had a couple classes with one of the DJs, and got to know him fairly well.

I remember 4th of July on the Riverfront in Peoria. Fireworks set to music by another station in town. Place would be packed.

Late night movies at the Willow Knolls 14.

Hanging out at the riverfront in Pekin, under the bridge with our musclecars.

Burgers at Schooner's in Morton.

Torpedo's at La Gondola in Pekin.

99 cent gas.

Monday nights at Brown's house.

how high's the water, mama?

oh Faramir, how you have fallen

when last we saw Faramir, he was in Middle Earth.




I guess he's fallen on hard times....I found him at Miller Park recently...


working for peanuts!

RIP Bo Diddley

I love West Allis

So, I drop Holly off at home around 10:45pm Saturday night after dinner with a friend. On my way home, I'm a few blocks away from my apartment when I see an Indy car turn right off of National onto 84th....an INDY car...

As soon as my light turned green, I followed it to Paulie's Pub. Race home, park my car and walk back to the bar to see what I have to do to get a ride...

I walk up, West Allis' finest are issuing a noise citation because one of the neighbors compained.

YOU LIVE NEXT TO A RACETRACK!!!

The racecar in question was the Jim Beam two seater, used for taking fans for rides around the racetracks the Indy car series is racing at. Paulie's Pub must have worked something out with Jim Beam. Funny thing is, the car had headlights, taillights, turn signals and an Indiana license plate...totally legal. Heck, the Harley's are waaaaay louder. Oh well...we laughed it off.

reflections on the weekend

Holly and I drove down to Illinois to visit my family over the holiday weekend. We left Saturday around 9am and made it to my sister's house in Western Illinois about 2ish (271 miles). We then met up with some old friends of mine for dinner at their house around 4 (21 miles), back to my sisters around 10:30 (21 miles). Both Holly and I had a hard time sleeping, as there seemed to be alot of noises we weren't used to, like coyotes and clock radios and me snoring.

Sunday morning, we we're up early to head to church (32 miles). I have a friend from my high school days who is pastoring a new church plant on the riverfront in Peoria, and we also got to hook up with some other friends of mine, Cory and Vicky. After church, Holly and I we're invited over to Cory and Vicky's (7.4 miles) for lunch and a chance to talk and catch up.

After lunch, Holly and I headed back to my sister's house (40 miles) for my youngest nieces birthday party. After cake and pizza, we hang out for a bit to talk with my mom and stepdad. about 5:30, we leave to head to my dad's house (30 miles) to watch the Nascar race and hang out with my dad and stepmom.

Up Monday morning for breakfast, then off to my paternal grandparents (59 miles) to have lunch with them and catch up. My Dad's folks are 84, and living in their own house after taking a stab at assisted living. They didn't care for the assisted living deal, so they bought a house that has a handicapped accessible bathroom, as Granddad had a stroke about 5 years ago and has limited use of his left side.

Next stop: Maternal Grandparents (18.5 miles). No food here, just a chance to visit for a couple hours. After that, we head to my mom's (1 mile) for dinner. Mom went all out: meatload, peas, biscuits....so much good food. We sat for a while after dinner, during which I entered a slight food coma. Holly took the wheel when we left for the first leg home, aided by my GPS. We stopped in Rochelle Illinois to gas up and get beverages, and I took the wheel for the rest of the way home (250 miles). I dropped Holly off at her house about 1am, then made my way home.

I included the mileage because I wanted to show that "going home" is never a short hop, even once I get there. We did it on less than three tanks of gas, two energy drinks, 2 sprite zero's, 1 diet coke, and a bag of cheese curds.

Why do I make that effort? I am blessed at the age of 32 to have all four grandparents, and I love my family. It's worth the numb butt and gas money to see them when I have the chance.

catching up...

Wednesday, I thought I DVR'd American Idol, but it didnt' take for some reason. I did see it live, and went nearly deaf if my left ear the my Amazing Girlfriend screamed her delight of the David Cook victory.

Go David Cook....looking forward to your first album.

Long holiday weekend....using it to see family and friends in Illinois. I don't care that regular unleaded is $4.19 a gallon...I refuse to let that deter me. I have always laid the route for weekends like this based on mileage and time, and this trip is no different.

I'm on vacation all next week. Looking forward to that :)

ouch...

it's only Wednesday

it's only Wednesday....feels to me like it should be later than that this week.

Tonight I was home by 8:30...earliest so far this week. Between work and other appointments, I've been getting home late each night, and getting to bed late as well.

That makes for a tired Chad.

I'm enjoying a beverage before heading off to bed.

How's your week so far??

time for a touch up

Welcome to the new layout and title of my blog. I felt it was time for a fresh look, so I looked around for a new layout and found this one. Works for me.

I've also started another blog that's more politically/civilly minded; that blog can be found here.

I'm keeping this blog as an observational documentation. Translated: this is where I'll ramble about getting older, people watching and general light hearted stuff.

:)

one good deed

Driving home from work tonight, I'm eastbound on I-94 from Oconomowoc toward State Fair Park. I see a disabled vehicle on the shoulder with the hood up and the driver behind it, thumb out. I pull over and get the guy's attention. We head back to my car to get out of the wind and call for a tow truck. State Patrol dispatches a wrecker and we wait. The man's truck has lost the water pump.

I find out the man's name is Marciel and I ask him where he is headed. In a thick Spanish accent, he tells me he's headed to Chicago. I had noticed the Minnesota plates on his truck. He tells me there's no work for carpenter's in Minneapolis so he's going to Chicago to see if there's work. I ask if he has any contacts in Chicago and he says he's got some family there. Marciel asks me how much farther it is to Chicago. I tell him another couple hours.

Tow truck shows up and we get out of the car to talk to the tow truck driver. He can take Marciel's truck west an exit or two to a garage for repairs, then asks how Marciel he wants to pay for the tow. Marciel doesn't have a credit card, or cash on hand. The driver says that they can include the bill for the tow in with the repair. At this point, I shake Marciel's hand, wish him luck in getting to Chicago and get back into my car.

No one else looked like they were going to stop to help Marciel. I did what I could, but I don't feel like it was enough. I certainly can't afford to pay for the repair to his truck, and I'm wondering how he'll make it to Chicago. I prayed for him as I drove away, hoping that he will complete his journey, as well as trying to placate myself a bit. I don't know what else I could have done.

Mondays....

Summary of my weekend...

Friday, finish work, head to Holly's to pick her up for dinner at a friend's house. Grab flowers on the way. Why? Holly loves flowers, and I'm not real good at giving them and I don't want to give them because I screwed up...I give ice cream when I do that. Dinner and conversation at friend's house....home and bed.

Saturday. Up around 9, head to Mayfair to swap out a misbehaving cable modem and pick up my new glasses. Return home, putz around, head to Walmart to buy digital camera, return home again, clean my apartment....yes...clean. My apartment was trashed. How well was it cleaned? When Holly arrived at my place at around 4:45 for the Brewer game that night, she almost fell over. She was stunned. My friends Tim and Kevin arrived and we all head to the ballgame.

Brewers win..YAY!!!

Sunday...church in the morning, race in the afternoon. Holly brings over some homework to finish. I fix dinner and we watch Extreme Home Makeover. Bedtime.


Monday morning...ack....

Just because it's Friday

I missed the fun

So, while most of were sleeping, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook a Southeastern Illinois.

I remember the last one that was just outside Rockford, but missed this one.

That's My King!

Is spring here??

I think....don't quote me on this...but I think that spring may be showing up in Milwaukee finally. I don't see anymore piles of plowed snow anywhere. Warm winds from the south make the flags stand out from the poles they hang from. Baseball is being played. The ground has a squish to it.

The only this missing is testing at The Mile...all in due time.

one of my favorite things

A nice Saturday night in Milwaukee. Sitting here, watching a race on TV, Holly sleeping on my bed as I sit on one of my floor chairs next to her. We had Subway for dinner, and I'm enjoying a beer. Nothing exciting, just an evening at home relaxing.

Take me out to the ballgame

Opening day for the Brewers....not going this year, but I'll be tuned in!!


GO CREW GO!!!

Dear Old Man Winter,

Thank you so much for the lovely snow!! I'm guessing you didn't get the memo that Spring started yesterday, not to mention you were early to the party by showing up on December 1st. Please, the party's over, go back home to Canada. We've had enough for this winter season.


Yours,
Chad

sometimes, it's more than a game...

There's been quite a bit happening lately.

Saturday was the last day for Upward basketball this year. I'd like to say my team won a game, but the closest we came was a tie. Still, I don't coach to team kids the importance of winning, I coach to teach kids to do their best no matter what the circumstances are.

Monday night was the celebration for the Upward season, and I was asked to emcee the night. I got to do the opening greeting, as well as the giveaways we had for both the parents and the kids. My voice is still a bit rough from both the game on Saturday and from whipping the crowd into a frenzy Monday night.

Monday was also the first day of my new position at work. I was approached by one of the higher ups and offered a store of my own. I accepted. To be honest, it's still settling in. To some extent, the reality is there...but my first day still felt like I was just covering the store. I'm sure that as the days turn into weeks, it will all sink it.

I've been getting some solid work from the computer business as well...makes for a busy schedule. Pray that I don't overdo it and am able to spend time with Holly as well.

I leave my brain at home on the weekends

Friday night, Holly and I had tickets to Avenue Q at the Marcus. I picked her up and we had dinner at Friday's at the ballpark, then after dinner headed over to the Marcus Center. We were running a bit behind, so we got the car parked on the top floor of the parking deck. Holly had given me a GPS for my birthday, and I always take it off the dash when I leave the car. We get parked and I power off the GPS and hand it to Holly to put in my glovebox. We hop out of the car, lock it and head inside for the show. We enjoy the show and as we put on our coats to head, I can't find my car keys...check under the seat where my coat was stashed...no keys. We head out to the car, knowing we can call AAA if necessary. I have a tendency to leave one of my back doors unlocked, so we figured we'd try that first. As luck would have it, my driver's side back door was unlocked...so I lean in to unlock my door and Holly's door....and the car is warm...I had left the keys in the ignition with the car running. Ya....I was more concerned about stashing my GPS than anything else when we got there...so my car ran for two and a half hours....

Ya....I'm that spacey at times....

Sad fact

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq Theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000.

The firearms death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000.

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington D.C.

Slow down

I guess you could say I'm on the frontline of the economy; or at least, support for the frontline. I have noticed the downturn that started almost immediately after the mortgage bubble popped. Residential electrical is slowing down. Commercial and industrial is still going, which helps, but residential is down. We're feeling it at work; slow days, especially when I'm not out at a store, like today. Little stock to put away, not as many customers since they don't have as much work. I'm not too worried yet, as spring, hopefully, isn't that far away.

I don't call what's happening to economy a recession...it's merely a slowdown at this point. To me, a recession involves massive layoffs and high unemployment; there are still plenty of jobs out there, and I haven't heard of any major layoffs. Everyone's nervous, I suppose.

Unbricking an iPhone

tonight I had pleasure of unbricking an iPhone for a friend of mine. It's his son's iPhone actually, but Brian asked if I could take a look at it. The son had tried to put an aftermarket firmware on his iPhone, and it broke it. I'm writing this to save people the steps I couldn't find to make it easier for them to get back to working status.

First, you should pop out the SIM card. It's located at the top of the iPhone, between the headphone jack and the power button. You'll need something small to push firmly into the ejection hole, but it does pop up. I used needle nose pliers to slide the SIM card holder further out til I could grasp it with my fingers.

Next, you'll want to make sure the usb cord is plugged into the computer you have iTunes on, but not plugged into the iPhone yet. power the iPhone up, then power it down by holding both the power button and the home button. Continue to hold down the home button after the iPhone is "off" , then plug in the iPhone, then start iTunes manually.

With a minute or so, iTunes should find the iPhone, in "recover mode" It will then ask you if you want to basically wipe out everything and start over. I believe this is your only choice. iTunes will then download the current firmware (1.1.3) and then install it on the iPhone.

After the iPhone was restored, I powered it off, then re-inserted the SIM card. I powered the iPhone back up, most of the functions were there. just for good measure, I did a restore once more, and after that, the iPhone was just like new. I made a test call to my phone on it, and vice versa. I connected to my home wireless network. I browsed the internet on it. I tried to test it as best as I could.

Hopefully, this helps someone save about 3 hours of looking for the way to restore their iPhone after a failed Jailbreak like this was.

Feel free to drop me a line, and I'll answer questions as best I can.

Cheers
Chad

weekend recap

ok, so I took Friday off just to have a day with nothing on my schedule....it felt really nice...

Saturday, basketball to coach at 8:30, lunch with Holly at 11:30, then off to Racine to tech with my buddy Matt. Payment in great pizza at Angelo's.

Sunday...church, lunch, basketball practice, football game. Holly had a lot of work this weekend, and was feeling some stress because of it, so I cooked her dinner Sunday night. I fixed my fabulous chicken, and for desert, we had peanut butter cup ice cream.

Giants win, no perfection for New England...

thatisall

I love being me

OK, this post is not done out of arrogance...just to clairfy that.

At some point this morning, I realized that I love being me. I have a great life: a beautiful girlfriend, awesome friends, a great job...

People call me for tech advice/support.


just....yeah :D

on being resolute

Forgive my Blogger for I have sinned; It's been 35 days since my last post.


I don't do New Years Resolutions....I try to take care of things as they happen, not when I buy a new calendar. That being said, I'm not doing a good job of either.


I find myself being snarky alot lately, and fairly cynical as well. Not traits one desires when trying to be a leader in the church. I think that snark and cynicism have places in one's personality, they just don't need to be the dominating traits on one's personality. The news bores me to no end, with all the coverage of the election. By the time November rolls around, it will have been over two years of solid coverage. So help me God, no one better start campaigning immediately after this election or I will move to Mexico and live like a gringo on the beaches of the Pacific.

I find myself wanting to be entertained alot lately; seeking amusement rather than musings. Am I giving in to the American idea of me me me, or do I lack the initiative to forge my way and no go the easy route, to instead think for myself? Admittedly, the writers strike hasn't affected me all that much, as I pretty much gave up most TV when I started working second shift. I want to read more; Holly loaned me a book and I ate it up...now I'm asking "what's next?"

I keep meaning to join a gym, but haven't done it. I'm developing a belly that's bigger than I'd like, and I'm short of breath more often than I care to admit.

I keep meaning to read my Bible more, but it lies in my bag, carried with me everywhere, read nowhere.