Monday, July 30, 2012
Presenting at RMAUG
Hey, do you code? Do you know someone who does? Maybe you or they would like to see me present about developing games with Flash, Starling, and Nape? That's so convenient, because I'll be presenting on that very topic at the August meeting of the Rocky Mountain Adobe User's Group. You can watch online if you like; you just have to RSVP first. It'll be at 7pm on August 14th in Denver at Casselman's, which, by the way, has excellent burgers and french fries. Get there at 6:30 for some mingling, and you can order yourself some. Also, Jordan Pagels will be presenting on using Adobe's Touch Apps and the Creative Cloud, so that is cool as well.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Names in the News
I've got to share two more fantastic names I've come across in reading the Pueblo Chieftain. One is Mitchelene Big Man, who is Native American. Even as a Native American name, Big Man is still pretty fantastic especially with a first name like Mitchelene, but I think it is surpassed by Cougar Leseur. That is a Delorean Speaks level name right there.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Encyclopedia Brynntanica
And of course, there are plenty of cute pictures. She is a wellspring of that. Today she was wrestling with her blanket while we took a stroll around the lake.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Curse of Smashburger
Today did not go as planned. We attended church at All Souls to see one of our friends' kids being baptized. It was a great service, except for the lack of air conditioning. The blistering hot weather continues here unabated, making for sweaty fellowship in an un-air conditioned space.
Afterwards we hit Smashburger for lunch, because for the first time that we planned ahead to eat pupusas at that little stand we always drive past, but never think to stop at, we discovered it is closed on Sundays. Thus, Smashburger. Last time we went to this Smashburger, we ended up getting subpoenas to testify in court about the milkshake incident. This time, no milkshakes were thrown, and we had very good burgers and fries. Then when we tried to leave, Jen's car wouldn't start. Jen's parents were still in church, so we didn't have a ready ride. I started out walking. We weren't too far from home, but as I reflect on this, I realize I was being ridiculous. We had friends in the area, but I sort of wanted the adventure. Of course, this means I walked 2.5 miles with little shade through 100 degree weather, probably scorching my scalp. This is why I am silly. I just wanted some adventure, I guess.
I drove back and we were able to jump Jen's car and got it home. Once home, however, the car wasn't starting again, so I removed the battery and Jen's dad and I figured out the next step. We didn't think the battery was that old and that it had a 3 year warranty. Jen checked and found that she had bought it on August 3rd, 2009, which is just two weeks less than 3 years. Score! Miraculously, we were able to find the receipt, return the battery, and get a free replacement. We just had to wait an hour plus for them to test the battery which initially said it was good. They found a bad cell later, though, so we were able to get the brand new battery.
Having the break down and the walk was not lucky, especially in this heat, but having the battery go bad 2 weeks before its warranty expired feels a bit like winning the lottery.
And because you've been so patient listening to my car story, here is the latest on Brynn. She is 12 weeks old and will be 3 months on Thursday. She is grabbing things and eventually getting them into her mouth. She's starting to be entertained by toys. She is migrating around her crib at night to the point that she worked her way down to the opposite end, got an arm out of her swaddle and pulled a blanket off the edge of the crib and started sucking on it. That's the end of hanging things there!
She is becoming more fussy in car rides and is rather inconsolable during them. Giving her a finger to suck on no longer does the trick. She is about 24.5 inches long. Huge! She is cuter than ever, and will let us hold her with her head over our shoulder. She and I had our first solo day together yesterday and we both did quite well. We did a walk around the lake, I gave her a bath, and overall things went well while Jen was at a retreat with her ladies' group.
And look at her hold up her head!
Afterwards we hit Smashburger for lunch, because for the first time that we planned ahead to eat pupusas at that little stand we always drive past, but never think to stop at, we discovered it is closed on Sundays. Thus, Smashburger. Last time we went to this Smashburger, we ended up getting subpoenas to testify in court about the milkshake incident. This time, no milkshakes were thrown, and we had very good burgers and fries. Then when we tried to leave, Jen's car wouldn't start. Jen's parents were still in church, so we didn't have a ready ride. I started out walking. We weren't too far from home, but as I reflect on this, I realize I was being ridiculous. We had friends in the area, but I sort of wanted the adventure. Of course, this means I walked 2.5 miles with little shade through 100 degree weather, probably scorching my scalp. This is why I am silly. I just wanted some adventure, I guess.
I drove back and we were able to jump Jen's car and got it home. Once home, however, the car wasn't starting again, so I removed the battery and Jen's dad and I figured out the next step. We didn't think the battery was that old and that it had a 3 year warranty. Jen checked and found that she had bought it on August 3rd, 2009, which is just two weeks less than 3 years. Score! Miraculously, we were able to find the receipt, return the battery, and get a free replacement. We just had to wait an hour plus for them to test the battery which initially said it was good. They found a bad cell later, though, so we were able to get the brand new battery.
Having the break down and the walk was not lucky, especially in this heat, but having the battery go bad 2 weeks before its warranty expired feels a bit like winning the lottery.
And because you've been so patient listening to my car story, here is the latest on Brynn. She is 12 weeks old and will be 3 months on Thursday. She is grabbing things and eventually getting them into her mouth. She's starting to be entertained by toys. She is migrating around her crib at night to the point that she worked her way down to the opposite end, got an arm out of her swaddle and pulled a blanket off the edge of the crib and started sucking on it. That's the end of hanging things there!
She is becoming more fussy in car rides and is rather inconsolable during them. Giving her a finger to suck on no longer does the trick. She is about 24.5 inches long. Huge! She is cuter than ever, and will let us hold her with her head over our shoulder. She and I had our first solo day together yesterday and we both did quite well. We did a walk around the lake, I gave her a bath, and overall things went well while Jen was at a retreat with her ladies' group.
And look at her hold up her head!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Cute
It's a poor excuse for writing a post to keep you guys up on what we've been doing, but then again, we haven't been doing much out of the ordinary. Our apricots are in. That's about the most noteworthy (using that loosely) thing. So, without any pretense, here are some videos of Brynn being cute:
Oh, and here's a little picture from our dinner tonight with Stephanie and Tim. Brynn was thinking deep thoughts while sleeping deeply.
Oh, and here's a little picture from our dinner tonight with Stephanie and Tim. Brynn was thinking deep thoughts while sleeping deeply.Monday, July 9, 2012
Glad for a Broken Heart
My normal lunch routine is to fix something in the office kitchen and thumb through my Twitter and Facebook feeds while I eat it. It's my time to keep afloat in the sea of status updates pouring out of every corner. Today, a post from a friend referenced a guy I went to high school with. I had finished my skimming of the feeds, so I checked it out. I read the description of Dominic's plight. His brother was a classmate of mine, and Dominic was a couple years behind me. I have to confess, I read with a bit of detachment looking to pick up the relevant info. Then I scrolled over and saw the picture of Dominic's son Mateo and my heart broke. I sobbed. I went back and really read their story. I cried for a good long while, and have been on a hair trigger for tears since.
I know I can't imagine what they're going through. I can't bear to imagine it. Just this small taste and it feels like a kick to the gut. To think of going through anything like that with Brynn ... I can't stand it. I can't take the thought. But they have to. They have to live through this.
If you know the Lopez family, or even if you don't, but you have a healthy child you're grateful for, take a moment to read their story and see Mateo. See if God moves you to help. If nothing else, you can pray. This is the type of situation that only God can redeem. I don't know how He would redeem it, but I have to trust that He can and will.
In a strange way, it feels good to have my heart broken. I've felt so jaded and detached recently, but this felt like God breaking through the wall around my heart and moving me. It is reassuring to me to feel God moving me so strongly and that I could follow through on His prompting without dithering about. I am moved to give and to pray, and I hope you are too.
I know I can't imagine what they're going through. I can't bear to imagine it. Just this small taste and it feels like a kick to the gut. To think of going through anything like that with Brynn ... I can't stand it. I can't take the thought. But they have to. They have to live through this.
If you know the Lopez family, or even if you don't, but you have a healthy child you're grateful for, take a moment to read their story and see Mateo. See if God moves you to help. If nothing else, you can pray. This is the type of situation that only God can redeem. I don't know how He would redeem it, but I have to trust that He can and will.
In a strange way, it feels good to have my heart broken. I've felt so jaded and detached recently, but this felt like God breaking through the wall around my heart and moving me. It is reassuring to me to feel God moving me so strongly and that I could follow through on His prompting without dithering about. I am moved to give and to pray, and I hope you are too.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The End of Skyrim
I'm done. Well, nearly done. I've finished out the main story line for Skyrim. I've defeated the evil dragon Alduin and all is better with the world. Not well with the world, mind you. There's still a civil war and vampires are preying on villagers and other unpleasantness, but the threat of destruction of the world no longer looms. I'm winding down, starting to play through some of the civil war quests, but I'm more or less done. My goal was to finish the main story line so I could move on to other pursuits (Mass Effect 3), but I can't let go quite yet. The main story finish seemed sort of anti-climactic. I was so strong the last battle was over in seconds. I just flanked the dragon and hacked away with my super awesome, double-enchanted glass war axe. And that was that. I wasn't sure if I had actually won, since I had beaten him before but he had run away. So I need a little more Skyrim to unwind.
I think the next time I play a game, I'm not going to spend all the time becoming awesome that I did in Skyrim. I'm so overpowered now that I don't even think about just wading into battle and letting people hack on me. I had even stepped away from the game at one point without pausing, and while I was away some bandits started attacking me. I came back midway through the attack and blew the bandits away, and I had barely suffered any significant damage. If I make more of a beeline through the game, I'll face more of a challenge and probably enjoy it more, even if I'm frustrated at some points. I think that'd be more satisfying.
All in all, I am amazed at Skyrim and how much stuff they've packed in there. It's a great game and does so much, I can forgive the common glitches and quest bugs. The main thing that still bugs me are the characters being so shallow and repetitive. Having kept the same companion throughout the whole game, I'm a bit frustrated that whenever I heal her she still asks me "A healing spell? Are you a priest?" No. No I am not. I have been dragging you all over the country and we've done battle together against countless foes and this is as far as we've progressed in our relationship? Ugh.
There's still so much to explore. There's still a major city in the game that I've never been to. Maybe I'll do one last tour of this beautiful country before I leave; a nice victory lap to say farewell.
I think the next time I play a game, I'm not going to spend all the time becoming awesome that I did in Skyrim. I'm so overpowered now that I don't even think about just wading into battle and letting people hack on me. I had even stepped away from the game at one point without pausing, and while I was away some bandits started attacking me. I came back midway through the attack and blew the bandits away, and I had barely suffered any significant damage. If I make more of a beeline through the game, I'll face more of a challenge and probably enjoy it more, even if I'm frustrated at some points. I think that'd be more satisfying.
All in all, I am amazed at Skyrim and how much stuff they've packed in there. It's a great game and does so much, I can forgive the common glitches and quest bugs. The main thing that still bugs me are the characters being so shallow and repetitive. Having kept the same companion throughout the whole game, I'm a bit frustrated that whenever I heal her she still asks me "A healing spell? Are you a priest?" No. No I am not. I have been dragging you all over the country and we've done battle together against countless foes and this is as far as we've progressed in our relationship? Ugh.
There's still so much to explore. There's still a major city in the game that I've never been to. Maybe I'll do one last tour of this beautiful country before I leave; a nice victory lap to say farewell.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
More Brynn Videos
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Anniversary Pictures
Okay, she's stirring, so I need to just post the pictures and go. They're in my gallery. Check them out there!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Third Fourth Anniversary
Sunday, July 1, 2012
2 Months and Pole Saws
Our little girl is 2 months old now! She gets cuter by the day and is holding her head up more and more. Today Jen read to Brynn her first book: "But Not the Hippopotamus" and Brynn paid attention. Of course we're starting her out on hippopotami, leapfrogging right past dog and cat and even bunnies. I'll have her on Foucault's Pendulum any day now. In other news, she is 11 pounds 6 ounces which puts her in the 75th percentile in weight. She's in the 95th percentile in height, though. Her 2 month checkup went well other than they said we should work on encouraging her to turn her head other directions. She is very fond of staring endlessly to her right. It's not that she can't or won't look the other direction. She just loves that right side.
I've been out in the 100 degree plus weather playing with a pole saw. Pole saws are fun. I borrowed one from my neighbor and all the sudden all the dead branches that have eluded my pruning are within reach. It's like getting to scratch an itch that has been out of reach for too long. Pole saws are surprisingly effective. I even took down two rather large dead branches on our cottonwoods that had been hanging down in our field of vision for too long. The primary use for it, though was trimming our apricot trees, which are very heavy with fruit. I figured taking out some dead weight might help. The apricots on one tree are just about ready to pick, but the other tree's harvest is still pretty green.
I'm thinking forward to some apricot ice cream, but that is a ways off. Right now I will make do with the berries that are on sale. I did some Raspberry Coconut Frozen Yogurt that turned out quite well. I haven't done a recipe for a while, so here goes:
Raspberry Coconut Frozen Yogurt
Combine the sugar and yogurt and stir until smooth and blended. Lightly mash the raspberries (or mash 'em hard if you don't want chunks). Stir in the raspberries and coconut into the yogurt. Turn the yogurt into an ice cream maker and run it for 30 minutes. Transfer the yogurt to a container for freezing and freeze for about 4 hours. It should have a good consistency then. It does get a little icier after about 24 hours, so it's probably better to eat it earlier.
I've been out in the 100 degree plus weather playing with a pole saw. Pole saws are fun. I borrowed one from my neighbor and all the sudden all the dead branches that have eluded my pruning are within reach. It's like getting to scratch an itch that has been out of reach for too long. Pole saws are surprisingly effective. I even took down two rather large dead branches on our cottonwoods that had been hanging down in our field of vision for too long. The primary use for it, though was trimming our apricot trees, which are very heavy with fruit. I figured taking out some dead weight might help. The apricots on one tree are just about ready to pick, but the other tree's harvest is still pretty green.
I'm thinking forward to some apricot ice cream, but that is a ways off. Right now I will make do with the berries that are on sale. I did some Raspberry Coconut Frozen Yogurt that turned out quite well. I haven't done a recipe for a while, so here goes:
Raspberry Coconut Frozen Yogurt
- 32 oz. full fat vanilla yogurt (do not try to make it healthier or you will end up with ice)
- 3/4 C. sugar
- 6 oz. fresh, ripe raspberries
- 1/4 C. shredded coconut (heaping)
Combine the sugar and yogurt and stir until smooth and blended. Lightly mash the raspberries (or mash 'em hard if you don't want chunks). Stir in the raspberries and coconut into the yogurt. Turn the yogurt into an ice cream maker and run it for 30 minutes. Transfer the yogurt to a container for freezing and freeze for about 4 hours. It should have a good consistency then. It does get a little icier after about 24 hours, so it's probably better to eat it earlier.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)