In case you haven't received our Christmas card already (we got a little behind, OK?!), here's a video greeting for you fresh from Indiana. Merry Christmas!
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Yes, I won an iPad on Twitter
Many people will open an iPad for Christmas this year. I was fortunate to win one(!) via a Twitter contest hosted by Parallels. Long story short, I'm a lucky guy. My wife reminds me of this often.
Parallels also gave me some free software that I'll be reviewing in a future blog post. More on that later...
I thought it'd be fun to record a short video unboxing the iPad like many of the great gadget sites on the Interwebs. I'm pretty sure I nailed none of the technical specifications of the device, not like that matters. The iPad has been sliced and diced and reviewed thousands of times already and for good reason. It rocks! In just the past day I've found that I much prefer it my laptop for reading news and blogs and general internet browsing. Of course, the heavy word processing and production capabilities are limited, which is why I'm creating this blog post on my trusty Macbook Pro.
Anywho, it's been a fortunate Christmas already, and here's my unboxing video! Merry Christmas Eve!
Amanda's Cookie Baking Process
1. Roll out the cookie dough
2. Select cookie cutter
3. Cut cookies
4. Bake cookies
5. Drink a 40 oz. and frost cookies tomorrow
Home Improvements by this Homey in 2010
The problem with owning a home 100+ years old is that there's always something that needs updating. Fortunately, most of these issues aren't critical to keep the house standing, and I have a lot of smart people around me to help when I can't see an easy fix in a back issue of This Old House.
First, there was the Backyard Experiment late summer when I decided to try my hand at landscaping. Who knew tillers were so entertaining?
I still have more work to do, specifically building a whole new fence, but you can only do some much yard work in one summer.
I had intended to install a front door a lot earlier than October, but that Possum Fiasco of 2010 burnt a hole in my wallet. Just to update you there, the possums are now long gone and I at least have the assurance that my crawl space is now mostly clean and my floorboard insulation is mostly new for winter. Fast-forward a couple paychecks and I was ready to take on the front door.
An amazing part of working on your home are the surprises. Like, surprise, you've got asbestos! (We knew this already, but it's still surprising to see.)
Or, surprise, you've run out of daylight and have to put the old door back up for the night!
The most surprising part was that I didn't have a door frame at all. We had to build one from scratch on Day 2.
With some significant assistance, the new door was finally installed. Pictured below are the door and a good summary of Amanda's contribution to the project.
I still need to stain the door, but when the temperature drops so do the cosmetics projects. To that point, Amanda stops shaving her legs this time of year.
I've done a couple other projects in the past few months, but they're less glamourous. I laid down some laminate in the kitchen and laundry room but still need to finish that project and extend it to the laundry room. I most recently installed a sink in the master bathroom. That is hardly picture worthy because you can picture what a white sink looks like, right?
So that's my home improvement trophy case for 2010. I think I did OK considering I didn't really start until after the wedding. I already have a long list of projects for 2011. Ah, homeownership. It's a lot of labor and a lot of love.
This one's for Gramps
12/13/2010
I've been sad most of the last month; sad because Gramps' health has been declining.
I felt relatively unmoved until these last couple days when I've finally been able to emote. Sometimes when you're an adult you forget how to unchain thick feelings, and I'm glad I remembered. My wife suggested that I blog about how I was feeling, which I thought was a little too personal. I finally decided it'd be a lost opportunity not to testify thankfulness for someone while he's still with you. So, this one's for Gramps.
For those who haven't had the pleasure, you can read an interview with Gramps on the blog here, and he's been a part of several of my chronicles over the years. Of course, that's a thin slice of what Gramps means to me and so many more people. This will hardly be a sample.
I've been told more than once that I show reflections of Gramps, and that's a great compliment. I think I've gained at least my appreciation and motivation in art and architecture from him, and maybe the ears.
It's a little-known fact that I studied architecture all four years of high school, probably inspired by the fantastic car beds he built me and my cousins when we were little, or the grandiose playhouse he built for me and Nina, or the skate ramp he helped me and Scott build when we were teenagers. When Scott and I were working on his deck this past summer, we recalled Gramps' favorite phrase during that ramp-building project: "Boys, make sure the lines are flush." Of course, carpentry isn't my strong suit, and Amanda and I laughed not too long ago at the certificate Gramps created for my completing a "Carpentry 101" project, patching over a spot in his deck when I was still in high school. The certificate says something like, "Exceptionally proficient using a hammer with both hands," which is just a funny statement to read aloud.
After I lost my interest in architecture, I became interested in photography in college. That was all Gramps-inspired. That interest also trickled down to Sergio, and now look at where he's at. Gramps had words of wisdom for photography, too: "Only keep your best, throw away the rest." That advice also applied to dating, as it turns out.
What I've probably learned most from Gramps is an appreciation for storytelling. You can't talk to Gramps for fewer than 10 minutes and without him squeezing in a story about his past careers, daughters or grandchildren. The man loves telling stories and always with that classic story arc: beginning, middle and end; conflict and resolution. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in my modern attempts to amuse you and myself here and practice storytelling professionally.
Of course, his stories are most energetic and passionate when he talks about my grandmother. The appreciation and love he shows for her is just unparalleled. It's pure adoration by action, and I still have a lot of learning to do there. They celebrated their 50-year anniversary this past summer and at the same venue where Amanda and I celebrated our wedding reception just a couple months earlier. He kept telling me, "Your party is just a dress rehearsal for ours." I don't know if he meant it this way or not, but I really took that message as "You're preparing for your 50th wedding anniversary." He was totally right. Comparatively, we were just kids playing dress-up for the bigger show.
Here's the picture of Gramps and Grams at their anniversary dancing for the crowd and then with their four daughters.
I like to pride myself on a lot of accolades by work or luck, but I couldn't hang a hat next to that. What an accomplishment and proud moment.
There are so many great photos of Gramps over the years that I could share, but I wanted to show a handful of my favorites from my and Amanda's wedding.
It's been a busy year for me and a busy year for Gramps between weddings, anniversaries, travels and his declining health. Considering, it meant a lot to me that he and Grams made it all the way out to Indiana for the wedding. I just want to say THANK YOU for making it to my wedding, Gramps! I know that was a milestone for both of us in different ways (you: health, me: partnership), but we did it!