My Christmas Favorites

Sometimes, you can't come up with five favorite things, so four will have to do. So without delay, here are my top four favorite Christmas foods, cookies, songs and movies:

Food

1. Lefse
2. Egg Nog (actually, Soy Nog)
3. Pickled Herring
4. Swedish Meatballs

Cookies

1. Rosettes
2. Almond Spritz
3. Russian Tea Cakes
4. Frosted Sugar Cookies

Songs

1. Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
2. Silver Bells - Stevie Wonder
3. Your A Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Grinch Soundtrack
4. Step Into Christmas - Elton John

Movies

1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
3. Catch Me If You Can
4. Die Hard

Snovember

We had everything set to go for the first snowfall of the year today, so it wasn't too much of a hassle. I left for work 10 minutes early, and arrived 10 minutes early, so I guess that worked out pretty well. Cal is outside this morning as we speak trying to figure out what all the wet, white, fluffily stuff is. Angie is off work today and tomorrow, so I lucked out by not having to pick him up from daycare until the snow is done falling on Wednesday. 

Had a pretty decent weekend considering I had to work 4 hours of OT on Saturday morning. I made a trip to Home Depot yesterday and traded in our old Xmas lights for new LED ones. They give you a coupon for each old string you trade-in, pretty cool, actually. With all this snow on the ground I feel like I should be listening to Xmas music already, even though I just took the Halloween decorations down yesterday.

We discovered a plumbing leak under my bathroom sink, and it appears to be behind the wall. Normally this wouldn't be too hard to get to, but my Dad put a nice finishing board under the sink which will have to be destroyed in order to gain access to the leak. So I guess I learned my lesson, practical trumps pretty when it comes to plumbing.

Only 12 more working weekdays until Thanksgiving, I'm really looking forward to having a day off and getting together with family. Yes, I do have work the next day but what can you do. It's the same story again in December, since I have Xmas Eve and Xmas Day off but have to work that Friday. Yet again for the New Year's Day scenario, Ah! By that time, work will have completely slowed down and I probably won't care too much.

Halloween Eve

Tomorrow is Halloween and we've had a wonderful fall this year. The Wild have been pretty exciting to watch so far, they are getting a ton of shots each game, solid goaltending and the younger players are the leading scorers. You'd think once the vets get going we'll be hard to beat.

Looking forward to hosting the halloween-themed murder mystery party on Sunday. It's kind of the last hurrah of fall ( and don't forget to set your clocks back an hour this weekend). The last time we did a murder mystery, it was all new it was a bit confusing and hard to follow at times. This time it should be much more enjoyable because we know not to take it very seriously.

I think most of the yard work is done for the year. I mowed and bagged up all the leaves last weekend, just have a few odds and ends to bring in before it snows. This should be the last winter I need to park outside, since the plan (at this point) is to have the new garage built in the spring. We're still waiting to hear back from the garage company regarding the estimate, but hopefully that happens soon.

It seems the theme of my Amazon Xmas list this year is home improvement. Among other things, It's got a Jigsaw, hammer, utility knife and wireless doorbell. Speaking of home improvement, congrats to Amanda on purchasing her first home! Hopefully I can use a few of my new tools towards your projects as well.

My mom is flying in for a visit and arrives on Tuesday, leaving the following Tuesday. I'm sure it will be fun for her to see how much Cal has grown and changed since the last visit. He is adding new words all the time, his favorites are "Ball, Bye-Bye, Shoes, More, Wa-Wa (water), and Mama." He also likes to animal sounds and point up at the sky when he hears an airplane.

Fall Is Here

It's been awhile since I've had any downtime to post a blog, things really get busy at work between the months of October - December. Either way, I was due. Besides work ramping up and doing the occasional overtime, things have been falling into a nice routine. Cal has fully adjusted to being in the next room at daycare, taking a one nap a day and trusting his new teachers will take care of him. I think he loves being outside in the crisp fall weather just as much as I do. His favorite toys at moment are the simplest ones - his plastic rake and any kind of ball. He doesn't much care for the toys with noises and buttons, he would rather climb, push, drag and run! Aunt Kathy got him some great slipper socks with grippy bottoms, so he can run around the house without slipping on the hardwood floor. Everyone finds the best little presents for him, he definitely feels the love. Thanks to Amanda, we are trying to get a few good photos family photos, but it's not easy for him to stay still and smile at the same time.

It's hard to believe Halloween is only 2 weeks from today! We plan to stay home with Cal and hand out candy again this year, I'm sure he'll enjoy seeing the trick-or-treaters at the door. We're also hosting a Halloween-themed murder mystery game that following Sunday, because you really can't have too much Halloween.

After all the Halloween hoopla, it's time to start Christmas shopping. I try to get it all done before black friday, sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. Hopefully everyone is updating their Amazon wish list as we speak? I'm not sure what to get for Cal this year, I was thinking a knee hockey set would be pretty sweet… not sure If that's actually a gift for him or for me.

I've been on a bit of mission to conserve energy, gas and money lately. I cancelled my Netflix, Flickr, Xbox Live and MPR accounts due to inactivity. I put a water-saving shower head in my bathroom, as well as LED light bulbs in most frequently used fixtures in the house. The water heater is insulated and the max-temp has been reduced. Finally, thanks to Don, we have our new boiler installed and running. We also went the extra mile and put in underfloor heating for the living room. I'm hoping to finish the last of the insulating work this weekend. Once you start seeing the savings show up on the utility bill you get addicted.

I have a couple of other small projects I'd like to finish, including reattaching the trim that blew off the on the front of the house and building a couple basic pedestals for the washer and dryer to sit on. Long term, we are putting money away for a new two-car garage, hopefully to be built in the spring. Our current one-car garage is in disrepair and needs to be put out of it's misery sooner than later.

For the weekend, looking forward to meeting Jeremy, Kelly and Samantha tomorrow at the pumpkin patch near Stillwater. They also have some fun outdoor activities for kids which Cal should enjoy. Sunday I'm hoping to catch the Wild game on TV at 2pm.

Summer Fun

Only 1 week left before we head to Alexandria for our week long vacation on the lake! Before that happens we have a fun weekend planned. Tomorrow we are going to the annual Circus Juventas show; this year's show is "Neverland" based on the tales of Peter Pan. Sunday we are going to play some mini-golf and grab dinner with Jeremy and Kelly.

Last weekend Ang and I went to the Uptown Theater to see "Boyhood" and it was fantastic. As you know, we don't sit down and watch too many flicks these days, but it was well worth the time. I believe the experience was made even richer by having a boy of our own to think about as we watched. Even the theater itself was cool, we sat in a reserved loveseat in the balcony for only 10 bucks!

Cal is currently in the walking fast, but not quite running phase. He also has a couple of top teeth showing now, for a total of 4. We've eliminated the morning nap now, so he only takes one nap between 12-1pm. So far it's going good and he's been sleeping through the nights and waking up around 6:15am. Hopefully he will do okay when we head to the lake for his first extended stay away from home.

Happy Friday

Today completes my 2nd week at the new job and so far things are going well. I really enjoy the slower pace of cubicle work, compared to the frantic non-sense of printing and bindery work. It took a few days, but I think I've adjusted to getting up 5:30am. Besides, it's so nice to be done at 2:30pm. Unlike my previous jobs, where I was at work for 8.5 hours (with a 30 min lunch), I'm actually only at work for 8 hours now (with two 10 min breaks). I like that because I usually eat at my desk and would rather not be forced to clock out for 30 minutes.

Most of my job revolves around production/design work for calendars. Naturally, the months of September - December are the busiest and will require mandatory overtime. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I'm happy to have some occupational peace of mind for a change.

Cal is walking more everyday! We are continuing to work on that, as well as signing for "help" and other needs. He is really good at signing "more," the only problem is he uses "more" when he wants help, too. We've also moved his bedtime back to 8pm, so far it's been helpful to ensure he doesn't wake up at 5:30am when I do.

I'm excited to be down with work today and head up to the Amey cabin for guy's weekend. The weather looks like it's going to be fantastic and I can't wait for my first fishing of the year. In just over a month, the family is heading up to Alexandria for summer vacation at Berg's resort, so I'm looking forward to that as well.

The Aftermath

It's been about 2 months since my last post. Just to recap, I had left my job at M (#1) to take a higher paying job (#2) with better benefits in Eden Prairie, only to have been let go less than one week later. The following is a recap of what's happened since then to the best of my recollection.

Job (#3) pretty much fell into my lap immediately after I lost my job. The gig was supposed to be doing Apple technical support for small, home-based company in Coon Rapids. On paper, it sounded like a great opportunity to make a career change, do something I was already good at and make ends meet. However, after 2 months of driving everywhere, not having consistent work to count on and zero benefits, I decided it just wasn't for me and started applying to jobs again (that was last Friday).

My next plan involved searching for a new, full-time job with benefits ASAP. Ideally, a job that was close to home, provided peace of mind and restored some normalcy to my life. So this week was supposed to spent unemployed, updating my resume and searching for jobs.

Late in the day Monday, I received a call-back from B+B (#4) and proceeded to do a phone interview. On Tuesday, I was interviewed, toured the office, and presented with a job offer. By the end of day yesterday I was officially hired at B+B, with a starting date TBD.

In the last 2 months, I've been an employee at 4 different companies. I've received a final paycheck from #1, a first and last paycheck from #2, a severance check from #2, a freelance check from #1, an unemployment check, and a first/last paycheck from #3. I've obtained two Apple certifications. It's been one hell of a ride but I'm ready to get off now, thank you.

My new job has a lot to be excited about. It's located right in St. Paul, so the "commute" is only 4.5 miles. The hours are 6:30am to 2:30pm M-F, so I'll have plenty of time to stop home, do a few things and still be on-time to pick up Cal. 

Perhaps the best part is it's a union job. I'll be starting as a ranking #2 in seniority (seniority is based on job level, not years of service). The other guy I'll be working with is #1, and he has been working there since 1971. I'll also have a pension for the first time in my career. Then, there are the little things like having a cubicle, air conditioning and a casual dress office environment.

I hope to eventually look back at this time and have a good laugh; maybe while sitting on a boat fishing for crappies, instead of sitting on the computer fishing for jobs.

No Good Rotten Very Bad Day

Since I'm so upset right now I don't even know where to begin, I'll start at the end.

I lost my job today. Or, rather it was pulled out from under me.

For those of you keeping score, I was there less than 5 days. "There" being Fxxx Cxxx Pxxx in Eden Prairie. There, where it now pisses me off even typing their stupid company name. There, being given no warning, no indication that my performance needed improvement, or that I was not meeting some expectation set forth by some person or persons. There being a place I'm already trying to put behind me, despite all the obvious questions that will have no answers, despite how many times I ask them.

I've been doing prepress, production, graphic design, desktop publishing, printing, or whatever other f-ing name you decide to call it for over 10 years now. In that time I've become skilled in every Adobe product every made, ran a Kodak Nexpress, Canon, Konica and done everything between. From creating a design from scratch to running a UV Coating machine. I've basically become a renaissance man in the world of print. Bottom line? I know my shit, and I if don't know something I can figure it out.

Today I figured out something very important. None of who you are or what you can do matters if the people you work for are fucking assholes.

At approximately 3:30 the co-owner's son, Mr. Q asked me "hey, do you have a minute for a conversation?" I said "sure" and walked into Mr. Q Srs (Sam's dad) office. After staring at me for 30 seconds in silence, he finally spoke saying "it's not working out." At this point I was pretty much in shock, so I didn't reply. Mr. Q then proceeded with "I don't want to get into a long debate, but we've been talking all this week about this and decided it's not working out." Again, I'm still in shock. Finally, some part of me decided that I would take the high road and say "I understand. You have a business to run." "Thanks for the opportunity." Mr. Q then asked if M had already filled my position or if they would take me back (Like now he suddenly has a conscious). I told them I didn't know and asked if they wanted me to finish my shift today. They said it was "up to me." So I basically said I didn't feel comfortable being there anymore and that I was going to leave immediately. I grabbed my stuff from my desk, packed it back in the box still sitting under my desk from Monday morning and left without saying another word.

So, just to recap: I left my job at M after 2.5 years with no benefits, no raise, no air conditioning and no sense of security last Friday, then worked exactly 4.75 days at Fxxx Cxxx Pxxx and now I'm unemployed.

I'm frustrated, angry and completely stressed out. I worked 9+ hours every day this week, dealt with a 50 minute commute after work, time that could should have been spent with our son. I gave everything I had to give. My ears are ringing, my head hurts and I have absolutely nothing to show for it. I'm also scared of the uncertainty, and even though I try not to, it's hard not hanging my head.

I'm also hopeful, grateful and excited for what will happen next. I have a great family and great group of friends like you who will support me and help me through this. Needless to say, if you know of any job opportunities let me know. I'm open to pursuing positions outside of my field, "getting a foot in the door" jobs etc.

Unfortunately, I've been in this position before (It was right before I met Angie and took a job at Comcast). Since then, I've worked at BCT, then M and finally took the job at Fxxx Cxxx. I felt like I was finally out from under. I still can't believe this day actually happened, it's all been like a bad dream.

I don't know what else to say.

Just Bad Dreams

Last night I had a terrible dream, or rather, nightmare.
I was struggling to stay afloat in freezing cold water, treading water while desperately reaching for something, anything to hold onto. While I don't recall  how I got there or why, I do recall being very aware that I was going to die, as if it was the only option. I felt my arms and legs slowing down, and my body go completely still. My thoughts immediately turned from trying to stay afloat to Cal's face. As I took my last breath, I thought about how I would never see his face again, see him even one day older, or get the chance to say goodbye and that I love him.
As I exhaled and slowly sank below the surface, I thought about what I'd plan to do next, after drowning in freezing cold water for reasons I couldn't explain, and how all my previous plans I made while living were for nothing.
I awoke a bit shaken, having a hard time pushing it aside and going back to sleep. As I reflected on it throughout the day today, a couple things became clear. First, it's easy to to compare life to the freezing water, and we're all desperately trying to stay afloat. Some of us tread water for longer than others, but sooner or later, we all end up at the bottom of the sea. "Life is what happens when were busy making plans..." and all that stuff.
Second, sometimes bad dreams are just bad dreams. If I was worried every time I dreamed of dying, being chased, hiding bodies, or generally unpleasant outcomes I would be worried a lot. My dreams are rarely pleasurable. However, if given the choice, I'll take the fearful, crazy, subconscious, death-by-drowning stuff at night, while living out my days in relative peace and reality.

Cal continues to grow, winter continues to blow

So many things have changed and yet so many things have stayed the same. It's still winter and it's still cold, every day all day. It feels like we've been hibernating since November with no end in sight. The only thing that changes is Cal, who is growing literally overnight. Since the last time I wrote, he started crawling, waving hello and goodbye and he now sleeps almost 12-hours a night without interruption. I can't wait until it's warm enough to go outside and play together, I feel bad that it's too cold to get some fresh air and new scenery. He is doing so well now he rarely gets crabby, even at the end of the day. He's eating 3 meals a day, everything from chicken noodle soup to broccoli and cabbage. It's really amazing to see how far he has come with everything, considering how difficult things were getting for everyone, going to sleep classes etc.

Work has been insanely busy, and I've been working well with the new guy they hired part-time to do bindery and shipping. I wish it was a little less busy because I haven't had time to work on my website or relax much these past few weeks. I'm still constantly looking for a new job, applying for what's available while keeping my head down and my mouth shut.

We bought a new digital camera last week in hopes of taking some better pictures of Cal. It's a waterproof, shockproof "tough" Fujifilm XP60. So far, so good. For awhile we had pictures on my cell, Angie's cell and my old digital camera, none of which looked that great. It was quite the ordeal trying to purchase the thing from Target. 3 trips later and a chat with a manager and Angie finally got the stupid thing for $99, originally priced $179. Buying technology used to be fun for me, now I can't stand it.

We are really looking forward to Cal's next well baby check-up tomorrow. It's always fun to see how he's grown and what he weighs etc. Also looking forward to Daylight Savings, because if it's still going to be winter until May, at least the sun will be shining longer in the evening. 

In the words of Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day:" 

"Do you think it will be an early spring?"

"... I'm predicting March."

Ice Box Ice House

Went ice fishing Sunday morning with my dad on Forest Lake. It was the first time I'd been in the house, which is made out of an old walk-in cooler that you'd find in a restaurant. Although it looks odd, it's actually quite functional and quite cozy! It's also large enough to allow for 4 holes, so with just the two of us fishing we had plenty of room. I'd never fished in a house before that had a full-size door, window, television, shelving, chairs, rod holders etc. It was pretty neat.

We fished from about 7am - 11:30am, and the action was pretty good early on and then slowed down by the time we left. I think I caught about 15 small crappies, none large enough to be considered keepers.

Crappy Weather Is Crappie Weather

(click to enlarge)

Had an absolute blast on the lake last weekend ice fishing. I left work around noon on Friday, picked up Mike and hit the road before the snow started. It wasn't bad driving at all until about Danbury, when it started to snow pretty good. We made it to the cabin just fine and geared up and headed out to the lake to fish with Jeff around sunset. The crappies were lighting up the screen on our Marcums and biting pretty good. I think we ended up with around 12-15 keepers the first night.

The second night Don, Jeff, Rick and myself all had a great time during primetime again. I think we had around 25 keepers. Jeff ended up with the biggest crappie of the weekend that night, but we all caught numbers and the action was steady.

Sunday morning I got up early and went out by myself before sunrise. It was a little chilly at first, but after I saw all the fish on the screen I warmed up pretty quickly. I caught 24 small crappies and 1 keeper, but the action was fast and furious. Just about the time Don came down to the lake and I was about to go in for breakfast, I reeled in a large Northern Pike. I didn't have my camera with to take a picture, but it was definitely the largest fish of the weekend. I decided then it was a good place to stop and call it a day.

Despite the 24 inches of snow at the cabin and below zero temps, we loaded three ziploc bags full of crappie filets. Jeff mentioned it was one of the most successful ice fishing weekends ever. The trip home was a little scary at times, due to the high winds and blowing snow. I figured the best way to unwind was to have a fish fry and a cold beer, a great way to end a great weekend!

Ready, Set, Freeze, Fish!

The Cabin Forecast

In just over 24 hours I'll be picking up Mike and heading up to Loon Lake for ice fishing weekend. Despite the forecast of frigid temps, I'm really excited to get up there and do some fishin'. I even picked up a new Marcum VX-1 flasher yesterday on craigslist, using some of my birthday cash.

Marcum VX-1

A flasher is cool little device that uses different color led lights to indicate the bottom of the lake, the location of your lure, and alert you to fish, when and where they appear. With this valuable information, you can adjust your fishing presentation (bait), style, speed, depth, location etc. allowing you the best chance to land fish. In addition to helping you ice more fish, they are just plain fun to watch when the fishing gets slow.

Whether fishing on ice or water, summer or winter, it's not all about catching fish, though. I really look forward to spending the time outside, slowing down and enjoying the great company.

In a way, ice fishing for guys is a lot like girls talking on the phone, neither one seems to understand why the other enjoys it so much.

Another Year Older

Had a really great time at my 35th birthday party last Sunday. It was great to have a house full of friends and family, playing games and throwing back a few drinks. I even got a few nifty gifts, including a french press coffee maker from Ang, a bottle of rum from Brenton and some choice gift cards and handmade wash cloths. Plus, the weather was 40º F, you can't beat that for mid January.

The weather looks like it won't be so nice for the annual ice fishing trip to Wisconsin next weekend. I don't know how much I trust 10-day forecasts, but right now it's saying it won't get above zero for the high, with -20º for a low. At least we won't have any trouble keeping beverages cold. Yikes.

We had our first official daycare conference this morning, and the teachers confirmed what we already know... Cal is a "spirited" child. He is ahead of the curve with cognitive development for his age, and continues to amaze us with his facial expressions, range of emotions and awareness. His strengths in these areas also make it considerably more stressful for him to spend downtime by himself, as he most certainly prefers being with a group a people rather than a group of toys. Cal's temperament also makes sleep independence more difficult to achieve, as the methods most find successful may not work entirely the same for him. Regardless, he is one-of-a-kind and one cool dude.

Cold Snap

The news around these parts is how cold it is, with temps reaching -25 below (without factoring the windchill). Despite the cold, Ang and I are still working and Cal is still at daycare. Since the last time I wrote, he's really turned a corner with food. I wish I could say the same thing for sleep. Speaking of sleep, we are going to a sleep class tonight at the Amma Parenting center in hopes improving the situation. His problem isn't going to sleep, it's staying asleep. Most nights he gets up anywhere from 20 to 40 mins after he goes down, then anywhere from every 1-3 hours for the rest of the night.

Work has been slow since after xmas, so I've made some good progress in web training. I've finished the HTML Dog book and now I'm working through CSS3 The Missing Manual. Once I complete that, I'm going to start building out my portfolio/resume website.

Looking forward to my birthday this Sunday, and going ice fishing for the weekend later in the month. I really hope it isn't this cold when we're out on the lake, that would not be ideal. The Wild are once again falling out of the playoff picture and now both Koivu and Parise are hurt. Since we don't have cable, I've been watching and enjoying the NFL playoffs instead.