It was bound to happen. I just thought I'd be able to make it longer than 12 days before I skipped one. Oh well. Instead of succumbing to defeat and dropping the whole thing, I choose to push ahead anew.
It was a busy weekend. Well, actually, it wasn't really that busy, but both Kathie and I were still feeling under the weather. Saturday was Brandon's 40th birthday party. He's no longer allowed to have parties during Packer games, because they lost. We're also trying to get the house ready for Emma's birthday party next weekend.
So, there wasn't a lot to really blog about anyway. Yeah, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Day 11 - Friday!
I wonder how many of the 52 Fridays this year will have blog posts titled Friday!
I'm really drawing a blank on what to blog about. It's been a long week. Between all the new things going on at work and having a sinus infection most of the week, I'm pretty beat.
I'm really drawing a blank on what to blog about. It's been a long week. Between all the new things going on at work and having a sinus infection most of the week, I'm pretty beat.
Day 10 - Happy Birthday Emma!
Six years ago, on January 10th, Kathie and I welcomed our second bundle of joy to our crazy family. It wasn't nearly as crazy then as it is now, but that shouldn't be a reflection on Emma in any way. Well, maybe a little.
Emma is a fun, energetic, smart and beautiful young girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She loves horses, drawing, reading and singing. I think she likes singing songs praising God the most. She's also very good at making up new songs.
This has been an exciting year for Emma. She rode a pony at a horse show, flew in a helicopter, camped at the zoo and even fed a giraffe! She also started Kindergarten, which she seems to be enjoying a lot. She also learned to ride her two wheeler and spent a lot of time riding with her friends in the neighborhood.
Trinity has a 'tradition' where parents bring lunch for the birthday kids. So Dad brought her taco bell for lunch. She wanted to sit with Braden at the 1st grade table, so we did. I think I probably got the 1st graders in some trouble with the joking. Mrs Zellmer yelled at us to be settle down. Whoops!
Emma wanted crab legs for her birthday. And boy did she enjoy them! Dad spent most of the dinner cracking crab legs for her to devour. She didn't try the octopus sushi I had, but she did thing the sucker pads that were on it were cool. While waiting for dinner to be ready, she was a bit grumpy. So I asked her why she was so crabby tonight... "Because I'm going to eat crab for dinner, Dad". Well, of course. Apparently the sense of humor doesn't fall far from the tree either.
I also had to leave the table for a while because I was laughing too hard. Conversation had turned toward when Emma was born. Braden declared that Mom had to have surgery to have him because he "was too big to come out of Mom's butt." Much giggling ensued, but mostly because Braden said butt. The adult perspective on that concept was a bit too funny for me, so I had to walk a way for a bit.
Emma is a fun, energetic, smart and beautiful young girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She loves horses, drawing, reading and singing. I think she likes singing songs praising God the most. She's also very good at making up new songs.
This has been an exciting year for Emma. She rode a pony at a horse show, flew in a helicopter, camped at the zoo and even fed a giraffe! She also started Kindergarten, which she seems to be enjoying a lot. She also learned to ride her two wheeler and spent a lot of time riding with her friends in the neighborhood.
Trinity has a 'tradition' where parents bring lunch for the birthday kids. So Dad brought her taco bell for lunch. She wanted to sit with Braden at the 1st grade table, so we did. I think I probably got the 1st graders in some trouble with the joking. Mrs Zellmer yelled at us to be settle down. Whoops!
Emma wanted crab legs for her birthday. And boy did she enjoy them! Dad spent most of the dinner cracking crab legs for her to devour. She didn't try the octopus sushi I had, but she did thing the sucker pads that were on it were cool. While waiting for dinner to be ready, she was a bit grumpy. So I asked her why she was so crabby tonight... "Because I'm going to eat crab for dinner, Dad". Well, of course. Apparently the sense of humor doesn't fall far from the tree either.
I also had to leave the table for a while because I was laughing too hard. Conversation had turned toward when Emma was born. Braden declared that Mom had to have surgery to have him because he "was too big to come out of Mom's butt." Much giggling ensued, but mostly because Braden said butt. The adult perspective on that concept was a bit too funny for me, so I had to walk a way for a bit.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Day 9.5 - Yes... I'm late
I missed day 9. I admit it freely. But I'll still write about the day to maintain the chain of events.
It wasn't a terribly eventful day. I ran a couple errand to get ready for Emma's birthday today. She wants crab for her birthday dinner. We'll see how that goes. Braden wanted crab too, but then decided he didn't like it anymore. Emma picked up on that and didn't eat much either, so Kathie and I had to eat a ton of crab. I know, it's a tough job being a parent some times!
I also brought home a dozen roses for Emma. She loved them. She was walking around the house hugging them! She helped Kathie put them in the vase and they're proudly displayed in her room. I also got a big cookie for her to bring as her snack. That started an argument with Alex. He's sure it's a cake. "Daddy, that's a big cake!" "Well, it's really a cookie." "No, it's a cake!" "See, look... it's a cookie". "Oh, it's a cookie cake!"
Work is still hectic. Things are starting to shake out of the transition period. It's a bit frustrating, but I'm trying to focus on the opportunity that's in front of me.
It wasn't a terribly eventful day. I ran a couple errand to get ready for Emma's birthday today. She wants crab for her birthday dinner. We'll see how that goes. Braden wanted crab too, but then decided he didn't like it anymore. Emma picked up on that and didn't eat much either, so Kathie and I had to eat a ton of crab. I know, it's a tough job being a parent some times!
I also brought home a dozen roses for Emma. She loved them. She was walking around the house hugging them! She helped Kathie put them in the vase and they're proudly displayed in her room. I also got a big cookie for her to bring as her snack. That started an argument with Alex. He's sure it's a cake. "Daddy, that's a big cake!" "Well, it's really a cookie." "No, it's a cake!" "See, look... it's a cookie". "Oh, it's a cookie cake!"
Work is still hectic. Things are starting to shake out of the transition period. It's a bit frustrating, but I'm trying to focus on the opportunity that's in front of me.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Day 8 - AKA as Day One
If the title confuses you, you don't work for RedPrairie... er... I mean JDA. And I survived, as did most of us. I was a little nervous during our two and a half hour 'Welcome to the new company' meeting today. There was a lot of good information and we definitely have some aggressive goals and visions. It's exciting.
I'm still looking forward to contributing to that vision with my new role. It'll take me some time to get my feet wet and figure out, first, what my goals are, and who I'll be able to leverage to achieve them. It's a good challenge to have.
Alex had his first speech class in the Waukesha school district today. We were nervous how he'd deal with a new environment, new teacher and new classmates. But Kathie did a good job talking it up to him, because he walked right in and started playing. He was obviously excited about it.
One of the things I've been wanting to write about is our hamster condo. Yes, hamster condo. Apparently a 10 gallon aquarium is not enough room for a Syrian hamster. I'm deferring to my wife's knowledge of hamsters and judgement on this on, as I thought it was plenty of room. I mean exercise was hardly a problem, since she ran on that hamster wheel all the time. Anyway, my wife began her normal level of research into a new purchase. I don't want to say she's tenacious about finding the right item in her searches, but let's just say she puts the O in Obsessive. After looking at hamster cages that were too small, required shipping from the UK or... well.. .just not good enough. She settled on a 20 gallon long aquarium and an aquarium topper that sit on top to give her a high rise condo. Well, the price range of that setup quickly hit the $150+ range.
I suggested may be we could find a regular hamster cage that I could retrofit to the top of our aquarium. Dubious, but willing to try, she agreed and we all headed off to Petco. Bindi barked at a cat they had and scared the bejesus out of a poor woman. But we found a 10 gallon topper that looked like it'd work great. We brought it home and Nibbles absolutely loves it. After some engineering feats by both Kathie and I, we managed to attach her wheel to the top of the cage. It's all in all perfect. And it was only $25.
Phew. I was worried she'd start looking on craigslist for hamster cages. Who knows what kind of things you'd find with a search like that!
I'm still looking forward to contributing to that vision with my new role. It'll take me some time to get my feet wet and figure out, first, what my goals are, and who I'll be able to leverage to achieve them. It's a good challenge to have.
Alex had his first speech class in the Waukesha school district today. We were nervous how he'd deal with a new environment, new teacher and new classmates. But Kathie did a good job talking it up to him, because he walked right in and started playing. He was obviously excited about it.
One of the things I've been wanting to write about is our hamster condo. Yes, hamster condo. Apparently a 10 gallon aquarium is not enough room for a Syrian hamster. I'm deferring to my wife's knowledge of hamsters and judgement on this on, as I thought it was plenty of room. I mean exercise was hardly a problem, since she ran on that hamster wheel all the time. Anyway, my wife began her normal level of research into a new purchase. I don't want to say she's tenacious about finding the right item in her searches, but let's just say she puts the O in Obsessive. After looking at hamster cages that were too small, required shipping from the UK or... well.. .just not good enough. She settled on a 20 gallon long aquarium and an aquarium topper that sit on top to give her a high rise condo. Well, the price range of that setup quickly hit the $150+ range.
I suggested may be we could find a regular hamster cage that I could retrofit to the top of our aquarium. Dubious, but willing to try, she agreed and we all headed off to Petco. Bindi barked at a cat they had and scared the bejesus out of a poor woman. But we found a 10 gallon topper that looked like it'd work great. We brought it home and Nibbles absolutely loves it. After some engineering feats by both Kathie and I, we managed to attach her wheel to the top of the cage. It's all in all perfect. And it was only $25.
Phew. I was worried she'd start looking on craigslist for hamster cages. Who knows what kind of things you'd find with a search like that!
Monday, January 07, 2013
Day 7 - Change Sucks
Change sucks. Today was a difficult day for many RedPrairie and JDA folks. Our merger is now mostly completed. As part of that merger, too many of our friends and coworkers were let go today. No matter what side of that fence you are on, it's not an easy day to go through. I wish all the people seeking new opportunities tonight the best. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.
Change sucks. But it also brings new opportunities. Tomorrow is being touted as Day One for the new company. We will try and look past the difficult times of today and garner excitement to being a new venture as a new company. It will be a challenge. Two companies merging to form a new company with close to 4000 employees obviously presents a lot of challenges. The message being pushed is one of excitement and enthusiasm. It's a difficult message a day after so many were let go.
Change sucks. But if we don't change, we don't move onward to better things. Personally I have a huge opportunity in front of me. It's one I'm very excited to take on. I will be the new product manager responsible for user experience for the combined company. I will interact with all the development groups and leaders to help define and drive our new user interface style and user experience vision. It's a big task, but one that the company seems excited to take on and do well. It's also a fairly undefined task. Step one for me will be to start creating a plan for this grand venture. That involves quite a bit; forging new relationships with sales, marketing and development teams. Learning about products and their users. Setting up UX teams and helping the succeed. Daunting? Yes. Challenging? Of course. Exciting? Absolutely!
Change sucks. This move closes some doors for me as well; as I move from my software development track to a product management role. I'll miss the technical aspect of my previous roles. I'll also miss the awesome team I had. While I'll still see them every day, I'll miss working actively with them.
Change sucks. I'll most definitely have to travel more as part of this new role. That obviously presents challenges for Kathie and my family. But I know I have her support and that she'll do absolutely great even when I'm away.
Change... Ok, maybe change isn't so bad. I suppose it's more in how you handle change and what you do with the opportunities that change throws your way. So as I bid farewell to some, I look forward to meeting many more wonderful people in these new adventures. As I look back at the day-to-day tasks I'm leaving behind, there are many I won't miss, some that I will. But as I look forward to the new challenges, I can only imagine where they will take me and the opportunities that are in store. With the support of my family, God, and my coworkers, I know I will succeed at making change not suck!
Change sucks. But it also brings new opportunities. Tomorrow is being touted as Day One for the new company. We will try and look past the difficult times of today and garner excitement to being a new venture as a new company. It will be a challenge. Two companies merging to form a new company with close to 4000 employees obviously presents a lot of challenges. The message being pushed is one of excitement and enthusiasm. It's a difficult message a day after so many were let go.
Change sucks. But if we don't change, we don't move onward to better things. Personally I have a huge opportunity in front of me. It's one I'm very excited to take on. I will be the new product manager responsible for user experience for the combined company. I will interact with all the development groups and leaders to help define and drive our new user interface style and user experience vision. It's a big task, but one that the company seems excited to take on and do well. It's also a fairly undefined task. Step one for me will be to start creating a plan for this grand venture. That involves quite a bit; forging new relationships with sales, marketing and development teams. Learning about products and their users. Setting up UX teams and helping the succeed. Daunting? Yes. Challenging? Of course. Exciting? Absolutely!
Change sucks. This move closes some doors for me as well; as I move from my software development track to a product management role. I'll miss the technical aspect of my previous roles. I'll also miss the awesome team I had. While I'll still see them every day, I'll miss working actively with them.
Change sucks. I'll most definitely have to travel more as part of this new role. That obviously presents challenges for Kathie and my family. But I know I have her support and that she'll do absolutely great even when I'm away.
Change... Ok, maybe change isn't so bad. I suppose it's more in how you handle change and what you do with the opportunities that change throws your way. So as I bid farewell to some, I look forward to meeting many more wonderful people in these new adventures. As I look back at the day-to-day tasks I'm leaving behind, there are many I won't miss, some that I will. But as I look forward to the new challenges, I can only imagine where they will take me and the opportunities that are in store. With the support of my family, God, and my coworkers, I know I will succeed at making change not suck!
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Day... um... 6?
Day 6. January 6th. That's a weird coincidence! Oh, wait, no it isn't... It should probably be easy to remember what day of the year it is until February. Then things get tricky. Imagine if it were a leap year! It isn't it is? Phew.
Today started at about 3 AM for me. I'm suffering from a pretty bad sinus infection. It basically feels like some kind of alien creature is trying to claw it's way out of my face. So it was a long, sleepless night. Nothing really helped the pain.
So, being wide awake at 6:30, I spent some quiet time downstairs before the kids woke up. Very nice, all in all. Just wish it wasn't because I was awake most of the night.
I was installed as co-chair of Trinity's stewardship committee today in church; an added bonus to a very nice service with communion. But after church, I decided it was a good idea to hit an urgent care for some antibiotics After the 30 minute wait quickly grew to an hour, and after I asked them to let a mother and her small, obviously miserable little boy in ahead of me, the doctor quickly confirmed my diagnosis and sent me home with some antibiotics.
Poor Kathie had to manage the kids most of the day, with me going to church alone, spending 2 hours at the doctor and then taking a 2 hour nap to try and appease the face alien. We have a lot to get done around the house, but I would have been mostly useless (more so than usual) anyway. I popped up from my nap re-energized got the kitchen clean, then proceed to get hit by another truck. So, I'm going to head off to bead at the bright and early time of 8:00.
I've also been meaning to mention Braden's latest Lego creation. The picture below is his rendition of the F-15 Eagle. I'm pretty impressed. He doesn't follow any directions for these. And I'm fairly certain we don't actually have an F-15 model anywhere in the house, so he did this from memory of the way the F-15 looks. For a 7 year old, I think it's pretty good. He even has Sidewinder missiles and bomb pods underneath. I really look forwarding to what he can do as he grows older.
Today started at about 3 AM for me. I'm suffering from a pretty bad sinus infection. It basically feels like some kind of alien creature is trying to claw it's way out of my face. So it was a long, sleepless night. Nothing really helped the pain.
So, being wide awake at 6:30, I spent some quiet time downstairs before the kids woke up. Very nice, all in all. Just wish it wasn't because I was awake most of the night.
I was installed as co-chair of Trinity's stewardship committee today in church; an added bonus to a very nice service with communion. But after church, I decided it was a good idea to hit an urgent care for some antibiotics After the 30 minute wait quickly grew to an hour, and after I asked them to let a mother and her small, obviously miserable little boy in ahead of me, the doctor quickly confirmed my diagnosis and sent me home with some antibiotics.
Poor Kathie had to manage the kids most of the day, with me going to church alone, spending 2 hours at the doctor and then taking a 2 hour nap to try and appease the face alien. We have a lot to get done around the house, but I would have been mostly useless (more so than usual) anyway. I popped up from my nap re-energized got the kitchen clean, then proceed to get hit by another truck. So, I'm going to head off to bead at the bright and early time of 8:00.
I've also been meaning to mention Braden's latest Lego creation. The picture below is his rendition of the F-15 Eagle. I'm pretty impressed. He doesn't follow any directions for these. And I'm fairly certain we don't actually have an F-15 model anywhere in the house, so he did this from memory of the way the F-15 looks. For a 7 year old, I think it's pretty good. He even has Sidewinder missiles and bomb pods underneath. I really look forwarding to what he can do as he grows older.
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