Friday, December 31, 2010

First Night?

Why is it called First Night and not Last Night?

It all depends on what time Jen gets home from work, but as of lunch time we were going to go into Boston for a little while at least. Should be fun.

We took Jen out to lunch today. By we I mean the kids and I. We went to an Indian restaurant that we've gone to many times before, but this time it just wasn't that good. I didn't each much of anything and ended up stopping at McDonalds on the way home from dropping off the kids. Of course I didn't even touch the fries. Urgh. Money wasting fat boy.

Why is it that whenever I look for links to event schedules for First Night I can never find anything anywhere? Why aren't boston.com and all of the other Boston news sites linking to the official schedule? Seems silly to me.

For safe keeping, and for anyone interested:
HERE IS THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR FIRST NIGHT BOSTON 2011
http://firstnight2011.sched.org/

There. You're welcome.

Sleep

I told the kids they should try and sleep late this morning. The logic being that if they sleep late in the morning it will be easier for them to make it until midnight to ring in the New Year.

Of course I was up at 4:00am. I had that sore throat yesterday morning but it pretty much went away, leaving me with a good start on a cold. Stuffy head, sinus problems, general worn out feeling.

This morning the sore throat was back. I got out of bed at 4:00 because I had been snoring and keeping Jen awake. She needs to work today and I don't so I figured I'd sack out on the couch a bit. I couldn't fall asleep. There might be a nap in my future.

I've been sitting on the couch noodling my guitar, waiting for Jen to get up and get ready for work so I can see her off.

I love my wife so much.

Anyway, it's New Year's Eve. Could some one tell me exactly where 2010 went? How about 1992-2009 for that matter.

There is talk about a visit to Boston today. It depends on how sick I am, and how late Jen has to work. I think it would be fun, as the weather is supposed to be unseasonably warm tonight. The kids will be at their father's house tonight so the Mrs and I are pretty much up in the air as to what to do.

Whatever we decide on, it will be perfect in my book because it will be spent with her. Love you, Jenny!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas Lights

I'm all for decorating with Christmas lights and everything, but I think I draw the line at using them on your pick up truck. How Country & Western cliche can y'all get?


Question

Does this look stupid?
trinityedited

When compared to this?
DSC_0750

One is an edit of the other. Does the edit look silly? Is it better than the original? (no)

Just being a dork, that's all.

Early

I woke up early this morning. Not terribly early, but earlier than sanity allows. A little after 5:00am.

I couldn't go back to sleep so I spent a little time farting around on the computer. I did something I usually don't do. I came to this page and looked at what I was doing at this time last year. Fascinating, right?

We had to cancel our New Year's Eve plans last year for a number of reasons, one of which was that Jen and I were both a little under the weather. We weren't feeling too well.

Oh... did I forget to mention the reason I woke up early? Oh, I did? Okay, the reason I woke up early was a sore throat. I'm not feeling too well this morning.

Coincidence? Or am I allergic to New Years?

Happy New Year's Eve Eve... I think.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas Recap Part 2a

Like I said before, lots of pictures of trees. The kid pictures will go on the other page soon, but probably not today.

These are from Lisa and Ken's house on the afternoon of Christmas day.

HoHoHo

Star
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 249

One of the best ornaments ever: Mickey as Santa, tangled up in lights.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 254

This is not the droid that Santa is looking for.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 261

There is that @%$&ing shadow again. I suck.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 262

Presents. Lots of them.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 263

Even the television was decorated.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 265

Darth Vader, inside his tie fighter, says, "the force is strong in this tree." Okay, that was lamer than usual. Sorry.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 279

The tree reflecting on the wall behind it.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 294

Star.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 297

Asshat

I used the word, "asshat" in a derogatory sense the other day. It was something like, "That asshat just tried to steal my parking spot."

Last night Jen and I had a very in depth debate about the pros and cons of the word "asshat" and we have decided that it should no longer be used in a negative way. It should not be a put down, it should be a thing of value.

Asshat... Ass Hat... An asshat should be a good thing. It's a hat that helps keep your ass warm. What could be more positive than that? (although you have to take it off to sit down. Maybe that's the origin of the negativity)

Here is an image that attempts to demonstrate the goodness that is the asshat.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas Recap Part 1a

Welcome to Christmas Pictures Recap Post #1a. These are pictures from our house on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. #1b will be on the private page and it will have kid pics. #2a will be pics from my sister's house on Christmas day, and #2b will be private kid pics from my sister's house on Christmas day.

Be warned... I took lots of low light pictures of Christmas trees.

My Owl ornament from 1977. The Law states that the Owl will always be the highest ornament, next to the star.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 032

Our star.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 033

I had this weird urge to see the tree from outside.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 042

One of the penguins lit up in our yard.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 051

The awesome Star Wars snow globe (it's Darth Vader building a snow-death star) casting awesome shadows.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 061

I turned off the lights at this point. The kids were annoyed. They were sitting on the couch playing with Papa's iPad.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 084

I was going for our tree, reflected in the window. What I got was our tree blurry in the window and the neighbor's outside lights. Oh well.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 098

Extremely lame self-portrait-in-a-glass-ornament attempt. Uber lame.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 103

I kinda like this one. Cheesy, but cute.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 123

Our candle has a lampshade/hat.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 127

Darth Vader without a flash makes cool shadows on the back wall. With a flash, the globe itself lights up in cool ways.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 144

I did not buy my wife roses on Christmas eve specifically to take macro photos of them. I bought her roses on Christmas eve because I love her like crazy and I thought it would be nice to give her flowers that she could put on the dining room table for our Christmas eve party. Taking macro photos was an unintended bonus, that's all.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 184

Christmas Morning, before the kids got out of their rooms... Santa Claus came!
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 203

(yes... I had the friggin' shade on my lens, and yes I used the flash, and yes the shade is in the way of the flash and it casts a shadow onto the image, and yes I do suck.)

Another angle.
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 207

Santa ate the cookies and drank the eggnog, and the reindeer ate the carrots. Awesome!
2010-12-24&25 Christmas 208

HoHoHo!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Face Time

So the work-from-home-due-to-the-snow day is about to come to a close. I have been sitting on the couch dreading the ringing of the phone all day... just like any other work day except it's a couch and not an office chair.

Then out of the blue the phone starts ringing. Oh no! Thinks me, the phone is ringing! Until I picked it up of course and saw that it was actually a Face Time request from my step daughter.

The kids got new iPod Touches from Santa Claus and they were trying out Face Time for the first time. It was pretty awesome. My step son tried to call Jen, but Jen hasn't entered our network security password on her iPhone yet, so she couldn't receive the call. So, after a few seconds my step daughter disconnected and my step son promptly called me.

I ask you, was that awesome?
I answer, yes that was awesome.

Apple FanBoy for Life.

Snow!

This storm needs a name. Snowpocalypse was taken last year. How about The Boxing Day/Mary (my sister in law)'s Birthday storm of 2010!

Lame, yes?

Yes.

I opened up the top half of one of our bedroom windows and took a few pictures of the woods. They have all received the Picasa-I'm-Feeling-Lucky treatment.

Stay warm
Stay dry
Stay inside
Happy birthday to Mary.

2010-12-27 - First Real Snowfall in the New House 007

2010-12-27 - First Real Snowfall in the New House 010

2010-12-27 - First Real Snowfall in the New House 014

Gaze in wonder at the awesomeness of the tiny little icicle picture taken with my D90's macro setting. Amaze in awe at the blurred background that even has some of those little dots of light that get people so excited. It's almost as if I did it on purpose! (I didn't, but don't tell anyone... and I am never taking the camera off the macro setting again)
2010-12-27 - First Real Snowfall in the New House 017

Snowpocalypse 2010!

With only five days left in 2010 we managed to sneak in one final snowpocalypse. It means two things to me this time:

1. My company told us all to work from home, so Jen and I are both working while sitting with each other on the couch. That's love for ya!

2. Today, for the first time as a home owner, I shoveled my driveway. That's one more thing checked off of my things I'd never done before list.

Stay warm
Stay dry
Stay home

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Fire!

Trying to light a fire in the fireplace for the first time...



...and failing.

Munchkin is Weird

My step son has a chicken on his head and I just picked up a duck and lost two levels.

Weird.



Roses are Red

I bought roses for my sweetie on Christmas Eve.


Boxing Day Blizzard?

Will the 36 hour storm we are supposed to be getting go down in history as The Great Boxing Day Blizzard?

(can you tell in the pics that it's snowing?)





Saturday, December 25, 2010

6:39PM

It's only 6:39 PM?

It feels like four in the morning!
What a long, crazy, busy, wonderful, amazing, Christmas today has been!

HoHoHo!!!



Christmas Explosion




Santa came and the living room exploded!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas

Santa Claus Came!!!!!!!




Friday, December 24, 2010

Countdown










Best Present Ever

I already got the best Christmas present ever, about 19 months ago.


Christmas Eve

My parents were just over for some Christmas Eve festiveness. We are thinking that Jen's folks are probably next. Having a really good day so far.

I've eaten so much food that I think I'm going to explode.

HoHoHo!!!



Christmas Eve

So the last minute Christmas Eve Party preparations are underway. I am about to go pick up a lot of food and hopefully I won't eat it before I get it home.

Our house is full of cookies. Sweet, delicious, tasty cookies.

mmmmmmm cookies.

Happy Christmas Eve!

The Big Man Comes Tonight!

HoHoHo!!!!

Where's Waldo?

You've heard of "Where's Waldo?"

Well this is Where's Kitty.


Thursday, December 23, 2010

Unfortunate

The sad thing about this traffic jam is that I don't even go through the light that caused it. What a rip off.


Torture

I am a big fat guy. You probably figured that out.

There are about 10,000 wonderful things to eat in this house right now, but all of them are reserved for either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and I AM STARVING!

This must be some new form of torture.



Yankee Swap Swag

There is a theme... Bathroom reading.



Get it?

One More Photoshop

If I were smart I would have posted the original next to the edit so that you could see how different they are. (Note I didn't say better. Let's clear that up right away.)

So... I did a little messing with the image I use at the top of the page. Silliness
hancockedited

Photoshop.com

I checked out photoshop.com yesterday and played with a few pictures. Because today is Christmas Eve Eve, and my company Christmas party is about to start, I am going to post the ones I've edited. If I knew what I was doing I might be able to make these look good.

Instead...

Sands Bridge in Methuen...
2010-12-05 - Sands Bridge 007edited

Deer behind the house...
deer fulledited

Mary Timony at the Middle East...
marytimonyfulledited

The Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry...
statueoflibertyedited

The Chrysler Building from the Empire State Building...
chrystleredited

The Empire State Building from Greely Square...
greelyedited

Wasn't that fun??