Miss you Heather. It's just not near as much fun to type in this thing since you stopped commenting.

Outliers

Got this book from a co-worker. Have read about two-thirds of it. Started out kinda slow but it's pretty good.

Essentially the author, Malcom Gladwell, is explaining why the most succesful people in our society and in past societies weren't successful because they had this unbelievable talent, genius, etc rather it had a lot more to do with there upbringing, unbelievable opportunities made available to them and the year they were born or other exterior variables.

I like it mostly because Gladwell is just a good story teller. The first chapter starts out a little slow but it gets better.

Definitely recommend it. I have a little over 100 pages left to read so I can't speak to the book as a whole yet.

We have to head for church here shortly but I have a little time to blog. There's nothing especially grandeur occurring in our lives right now. Cherity is home schooling the boys. I've stopped biking to work because of the cold. I don't quite have the right gear to put myself through a ride when it's in the 20's. It'll warm up though so we'll see....

We've gotten involved in a supper group through church which has just been an opportunity to hang and get to know people from church. We've hosted that for two weeks now. It's an 8 week thing to start out with.

Works been crazy as usual but boring to talk about to anybody who's not a co-worker.

We've been having trouble getting the boys to want to go to Sunday School. They've both been very stubborn about the whole thing. It pretty much takes the enjoyment out of going to church. Parenting is frustrating. Cherity's approach to parenting is very different from mine so that makes it difficult. We're both very stubborn as well. Go figure.

I've been sort of in a lull lately. Work and come home and do nothing, repeat. I've started running again (just recently) but I would like to get some work done around the house. i.e. painting, house fix-up stuff etc... just gotta round up some money to make it happen.

Yesterday's' temperature high was about 28 degrees. It's supposed to get up to 47 today and back up to the 60's this coming week. I woke up yesterday to about 1-2 inches of snow on the lawn. The sun just came out and everything is getting all drippy in our backyard now.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park

 

 

 

 

Pictures from our drive to Rocky Mountain National Park

 

 

 

 

The video's really wierd but I can listen to this song over and over and not get sick of it.

More Pictures - mostly from Platteville.

Random stuff

Alright so I'm dying to go on vacation. Hopefully I can turn the blackberry off and tune out for work. We'll see if that's actually possible. Below are some miscellaneous pictures that I pulled off the camera that I thought were interesting.

Below is Dougal with his head stuck underneath the rimboard of our deck. Of course we got him out with the promise of food.

I thought for sure the way the clouds were moving yesteday that we were going to see another funnell cloud.

Below two: My way to work. City driving isn't all crazy and chaotic.

Dang!

We were supposed to get our car back today. The auto body shop called us at noon saying they weren't going to be finished. They've had it for quite a while now and now they've decided to put us off for the three day weekend.

So, a few things, I've been commuting to work as I always have been except now it's about 26 miles round trip. Did the commute twice last week and have done it the last 3 days this week (including today). Fortunately there's a shower on the 5th floor so I don't stink the place up or feel uncomfortable throughout the day.

The ride has been somewhat exhausting although and a little forced since the car has been in the shop but well worth the ride. 5 of the miles are through the Cherry Creek State Park. I've seen an 11 point mule deer; a pheasant; a six foot long snake (in the middle of the bike path; and a bird that looked like a blue heron except it had red eyes and didn't have a long neck. The morning ride has been great. It's a little bit of a drop of in elevation that way and it's always between 55-60 degrees. The ride home though is more uphill and has always been between 85-90 degrees. I'll have to bring the camera on my ride to show some of the scenery.

One of the great little memory gifts from my childhood was living in a town small enough where I could walk to the library at an age where now it would not be considered safe. I'd go straight to the children's book aisle where all of Dr. Seuss books were located. I checked out a few, walked out the door, and went straight to the tree shading part of the building and munched on the mulberries from the tree for 10 minutes or so. To me it was like coming across a candy tree, true booty. I'd stand there picking berries off the tree in my little berry munching zen. After I got sick of stripping the tree of it's fruit I headed home. I never watched where I was going. I'd open up a book and slowly walk as I read. By the time I got home my guess is that I was ready to bring the books back. Having something to read when I got home was never the point though. I can't even remember if I could read yet, which now I think, just means it happened during a point in my life where age and time really meant little to a little boy. Some time before reality crushes you with it's "shoulds". At least I have that memory.

Tornado/hail damage to our car