Let's Catch Up...

I got my grades from semester III today...A in Early Drug Discover, A in Molecular Technologies III, AB in Business of Biotechnology. I'll gladly take that after the rough start in the business course. One semester and then I am done. Thank God. I am enjoying the intersemester break and catching up with the family. We have settled into our groove again, and there isn't much else in this world that I would rather do.

Work is work, and I don't see it changing any time soon. I have been getting phone calls and emails with invitations to apply for new jobs. I have no doubt, even in this crappy economy that I will be able to find a job that gives me at least a 50% raise, nice benefits, and potentially working out of my home. There are two front runners right now. One job would be in Madison (I might get a small apartment down there) as a product manager for a drug discovery tools firm. The other job is a Field Applications Consultant for a large applied sciences company. This one would be great as I could work from my house, get a company car, and do some (50% max travel) traveling. Collecting frequent flier miles while working is always a plus.

Health wise, the last week has been brutal. I went into Afib again last weekend, and had to be electrically converted yesterday. Every muscle in my body is sore as the electricity flexed everything. The good news is that I have scheduled my catheter ablation surgery for January 8th. I should be back to full strength before I go back to school. I have been pushing for this for several years, and now the afib has gotten bad enough that I am finally a candidate. The worst thing about the afib isn't me, it is how much I let down Lorelei and the kids. I can work a full day at work, but I come home and just hold a couch down. I can't help with the kids, housework, homework....anything. Soon, this will be a thing of the past.

I have a lot to say lately, so I will try to write a little more as the semester break goes.

peace

cd

Done

I am done with semester III. One semester left before I get my MS. What a fucking relief. For the next six and a half weeks, this blog will be about fitness and my attempt to get "fit" in that time. Wish me luck.

peace

cd

Two down, one to go!

I have two classes down and one to go. The last class has a presentation that counts for 5% of my grade. At this point, I just want to get this crap over. Then on to my personal bodyfit challenge. I have a few pounds to go for the fitness bonus at work, but this time I am going past the weight and going to try to lost a fair amount of weight before class starts again. Not much else to report, as my brain is mush.

peace

cd

Bringing down the homestretch

Thanksgiving was a blast. Dinner for 19 at Bernard's, followed by dessert at Mary Jo's. Friday found us at the Pinewood Supper club with Crescent, Jason, and Nick. We closed the Pinewood down and then went downtown to a smoky Elbow Room.....Good times.

I have six days left until the semester is done. I have been done with my work for over a week, but this week I have to help get our business plan together. I have one partner that gets his work done and one partner that is MIA. I can see from her facebook profile that she has spent the last three days shopping, watching TV, and anything else other than working on our assignment. This person is responsible for 15% of my grade, and if I am given the opportunity to have input of her effort, she will not recieve good comments.

I saw it was going to snow today, so I dressed up and got out on the bike one last time by 9:30. I was out until 11am...I got 15 miles in, including riding the island. How cool is that to ride rooty, twisty singletrack on November 30th! I can't wait until next summer, when I don't have ANYTHING over my head.

By this time next Sunday I will be done with the semester from Hell, the tree will be here, and the house will be decorated. COOOL.

peace

cd

Flippin Out

Last night I was either going to go to the gym or work on my Business plan for school but a flippy heart got in the way. It wasn't a-fib, but it wasn't great either. I think we were at the tail end of a stomach bug in the house as none of us were feeling that well. Tonight I will prepare myself for the tail end of my Business plan so Andy and I can bang that out on Saturday. I will try to get some exercise tonight when I get home.

I wore a suit again today, just to mess with the boss......it worked. I had to ask him for a meeting today to talk about a partnership with a similar firm to us in Boston, and he just got nervous, looked me over, and asked, "Are you going somewhere today?" I love messing around with him.

I actually wear a suit sometimes because it makes me work harder, and I need to work harder.

peace

cd

I hate my trainer, but I rode it anyway.

Last night I spent about 45 minutes on the trainer, followed by some strength work with some dumbbells. It better not mess up my sweet jump shot! I figured with the dwindling amount of homework left and about four weeks to lose enough weight to get my $500 bonus I better get moving on the exercise. This week is getting the exercise, next week I start adding diet (right in time for Thankstaking).

I handed in my last assignment for Early Drug Discovery. The paper was actually fun to write as I really like microbiology (nerd alert!) and TB is really a re-emerging threat to global health. I think it told a good story about a mid level biotech and their patented technology in drug development. I hope to get an A in that course.

All I have left is part of a Business concept plan that I should have done by Sunday and two slides for a laboratory presentation. The Business concept shouldn't be that hard after Andy and I tackle the Pro Formas for our groups. Our doofus of an instructor said we could put more information that a simple P and L, but I am not going to as I don't care about that class anymore. You can thank Cheri Oteri for that one.

Anyway, I am glad to be completing this semester. As I look back on it, it wasn't really the semester of Hell, I just had one REALLY bad instructor that loused everything up.

peace
cd

The light is getting closer.....

Things are winding down with school finally. My lab assignment is almost done, the business assignment should be almost done after Andy and I do our Pro Formas together. I was up until 4am last night working on my final Early Drug Discovery project. I am about half done at this point. I shouldn't stay up like that, but I was on a roll and the words were flowing. With the problems I have had this semester with motivation, I will roll until the sun comes up if I am being productive. Lorelei is such a doll with me sleeping in the morning. She knows that I am just trying to get this semester finished so we can get on with it. This also gets me out of doing any homework today (likely story).

The faster I can get the work done, the earlier I can start working on me. I really need to see the business end of a gym, and soon.

have a good week.

peace

cd

Sunday

Aside from a phone call to my presentation partner and reading for an hour I didn't do any homework today. I remembered that my boss is gone after early morning on Tuesday and I can get my paper done then. I have a lot of travel this week. Appleton and Green Bay on Wednesday, Wausau Thursday, and then off to school. I have 27 days left until I am done with this semester from Hell and then it really is all downhill from here. We are already making lists and plans for the semester break.

I applied for another job yesterday, and this one looks like it could be good.

peace

cd

Crunch time

We are nearing the end of the semester, and assignments are piling up. I have 95% of my slides done for my presentation, so there is one more assignment done. I think the slides turned out really well and they follow the "tell a story" format. I am very happy with them. Last night I was up again until almost two. I can really get a lot of research done that way. I was looking for information from one company and ended up finding a different company that had more information. I am still going with TB antibiotic discovery platforms as I have always had an interest in microbiology. This could also be a good exercise for the final project.

I still have a goal of getting everything done before the two weeks to go point. The last two projects are group projects, but I can still get my stuff done early.

peace

cd

Let's get to work.

What a night last night. How refreshing to know who is going to president that night, rather than days later after court battles. I also would like to commend John McCain. He may have gotten off track and played dirtier than he wanted to, but he ended his campaign with dignity and grace and I truly believe that he will become the John McCain that I would have voted for in 2000. Americans have given the keys to a messy house to the Democrats. If they don't clean at least one of the rooms up by 2010 we may not see them in power for long.

Today is a busy day at work. With school bearing down, job searches, and work stressors happening, my output at work has been just good enough not to get into trouble. I usually work my ass off one or two days per week and then do homework at work the other days. Today is one of those days that I am working my ass off. I can't stand this place. I get knots in my stomach when I come here. I feel like crying when I leave. It is not good, not good at all. I don't see it getting any better either. One of our PhDs just called to rant to me about our boss. We are used until we are spent and then we are driven out. Great place to work! I almost feel like warning potential PhDs that are here to run away.

peace

cd

Let's get to work.

GoBama!

Election day. Go vote, even if it is not for my guy. Or don't vote because you don't like anyone on the entire ballot.

The stretch run is going well as far as school work goes. I completed one assignment last night, and I have some revisions to do on another one today at work. Tonight I will start my slides for my presentation on NMR in small molecule drug discovery. I hope to complete that by Thursday and then move on to my final project in drug discovery. Lorelei arranged for Maddy to go to JoJo's for the weekend and Eds will go there on Friday night. That should leave a lot of time to get some good homework done. By the end of the weekend I could be done or mostly done with all but two projects. It would be nice to "end my semester early" like I did last spring. I could be done with everything by November 23rd and coast for the rest of the semester (minus practicing my presentations).

GO VOTE!

cd

When it rains it pours!

This morning I was awash in career despair. I saw years of toiling away here at my present job trying to make a go of it while being cut down at the knees after every "decision". I received two phone calls to change that today. The first one from a head hunter for a sales in molecular diagnostics today....phone interview tomorrow at 11am. The second one for a lab supervisor job in Wausau that could come with a significant raise. Either one would be a delicious departure from this pit. It will be good to get some fresh experience interviewing for a job. In the past, I have actually "closed the deal" at the interview. Would it be too much to expect that again?

peace

cd

Tiny Dancer

I got out for about an hour and 15 minutes on the 29er last night. A slow ride with a couple of bursts to get up hills, and one little single track section. It really felt good. Temps were in the mid 50s with dusk setting in. I'll take that in November for sure. Tonight I am going for the last night ride of the year. Overnight temps are supposed to be in the 50's. I can do this only if I get a certain amount of homework done.

In other news, I still hate my job and the company I work for!

peace

cd

20

I have exactly twenty days left of classes before I am done with my MS. It can't come fast enough. In five weeks we will have just 14 days of class left. In light of all of this rosy sunshine bullshit, I was up until 3:30 last night trying to get stuff done. I have five assignments left to complete in the next five weeks. I can't just "go finish this stuff" as three of the five assignments are group assignments.

I am watching the Packers game right now and taking a little break. In watching the game, I have to wonder who let some of these announcers go on screen wearing these outfits. Polka dots on a tie, with a vertical striped shirt and a suit coat with large squares? Really? You can't get someone to give you a suit that matches? Maybe I am just out of it.

Anyway, tonight I hope to get the reading done for one more assignment and hopefully I can write it tomorrow. It will be busy, but I hope to finish in four weeks instead of five and spend the last week practicing my talks.

peace

cd

Fancy

I wore a killer suit with a killer tie to work today. I have one short sales meeting this afternoon, followed by a killer Halloween concert Maddy doesn't know I am attending. The reason for wearing the suit is threefold. First, I have a sales call and I want to represent our company well. Second, I want my boss to think that I am capable of leaving and working for a better firm (wouldn't take much). Third, I want Maddy to see me at the concert and be proud that I am her father. I was very proud of my father. He worked hard and had the light blue shirt with the dark blue pants to prove it. He would often come to my practices with his blues on and hang with me and my friends. It may be shallow and all, but I want my kid's memories of me to include daddy coming to my first grade Halloween concert and he was the best dressed person there. I am going to graduate school primarily to provide a much better life for my wife and children than I had. It wouldn't take much, and for the most part I already do. But in my opinion, if you aren't aiming higher you are just sinking!

Peace

cd

Procrastinators, Haters, and Dingbats

I was procrastinating with my business case study until yesterday. I banged out 1000 words at work, and then got home and looked at it and it wasn't right. So last night I reworked it and it looks better. I will let it sit until the end of work today and then take one last look, check spelling and grammar, and then send it out. At this point I don't care anymore. The worst I could do in that class is a B and it looks like I am getting A's in my other two classes....not that grades matter in graduate school.

Why do people have to give me crap when I come to work in a tie and sweater? I know I used to be the king of subversive/funny t-shirts and jeans, but why do people have to hate?

My boss is back today, and that is the motivation I was looking for. Don't tell him this, but I do work harder when he is here and I don't work at all when he is gone. It really sucks the next time he will be gone I will be in class. Oh well.

Tonight I am going to get started on my second project for Early Drug Development and hopefully be done with my half of the presentation (except for the practice) by Sunday night. I told Lorelei that I will be going to the library all day on Saturdays and one night per week from here on out.....only a little over five weeks left! I can't wait!

peace

cd

I tried

I always do this. At school I write these really aggressive homework and exercise schedule and then I don't get them done. I was at the library yesterday for over three hours but I didn't get much written. I have to get geared up for the last part of the semester. I have two case studies, one 3000 word paper, two presentations, one discussion board posting, and one group project left to do. That is a lot to do in six weeks, so I suppose I won't be seeing much of the family in the next few weeks. Short term sacrifice, long term gains I guess. That doesn't make me miss them less. More time spent at the library should make this stuff go faster.

The weekend was great. Lorelei and I attacked the housework like we used to before I went back to school yesterday. I some sick twisted way it was fun. I got a new tie to go with the navy suit I got last week for business meetings. I need to find a good tailor as I have three suits that need alterations. It can be expensive doing sales.

One last note. I applied for a technical sales job yesterday selling molecular diagnostic assays for a large, well established firm. The base is what I am making now plus bonuses and commissions doubling that. We could have a lot more choices in life with that kind of coin. I would miss the hell out of the family, but the opportunities that come with a job like that would be worth it for a few years. I could gain experience in the field, and then leverage that into pharma sales that were more local and would still allow me to work from my home.

Wish me luck!

peace
cd

Saturday! Finally!

Yesterday was a great day. The boss was gone, we actually had 10 people show up for noon basketball, and happy hour was a lot of fun. I could feel the stress fall away from my week as the beers went down. I have some homework to do this weekend, but nothing that I am stressing too much about. A case study should be doable tomorrow as we get our first taste of winter like windchills.

I realized there are only six weeks until the end of the semester today. I have three presentations, two papers, and two case studies left to hand in. Lorelei and I keep talking about what life will be like when I am done with all of this foolishness. I sure hope it pays off in our own balance sheet!

BTW...BADGERS WIN, BADGERS WIN. Maybe this will stop the haters from calling for coach's head.

peace

cd

I can't take much more of this

So I was talking to a sales rep from a VERY LARGE genetic testing company. In the conversation I found out she was going to be in town next week. I told her she should stop by and we could meet, maybe I could learn stuff from her. In the course of the conversation I asked her if she would be interested in setting up a contract where we could be the reference lab for her organization. The firm she represents is a multi billion dollar firm. She would be very interested in a collaboration and her regional business manager is going to be with her at this meeting. I have everything set up for Tuesday morning next week. I was so excited. I told my boss about it and he SHIT ALL OVER IT! He is afraid of success and growth because then he will not be able to control everything. FUCK HIM! I am going to negotiate a contract that meets our goals and theirs, and then when I show it to him and he balks I can say we are not growing because of him, not me.

He also told me to look into becoming a WI Medical Assistance provider. He said it would be difficult as it is run from Washington DC. I shouldn't have to explain to my boss that WI MA is a federally mandated state run organization.

I really need a new job.

peace

cd

Yuck.

Work has me down lately. Every time I get an idea and get moving with it I get hammered down by the boss. I even had to tell him yesterday that Medicare is a federally mandated state run agency. He tells me that I am wrong and he doesn't even know how the business works. I am tired of this, and I am afraid I will not last here until next May when I graduate. I am spending my free time after 10 pm looking for new employment. This all couldn't happen at a worse time as no one is hiring. I have about 15 applications out but no word back yet.

School is going OK. I can't wait to get done with this semester....it sucks and then just one more with 2.5 classes, a thesis, and then a big party! I can't wait to have some bubbly and kick back....and worry about paying back the loans.

I need to find a way to burn off the stress better. I went to play hoops by myself yesterday for about 45 minutes and then practiced my tennis serves for 15 minutes. Andy better watch out next Friday on our last night of tennis after a long day of class.

peace
cd

I could get to like this.

It's official. I am officially in sales. I had an appointment yesterday and one today and I must say, I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to do it some more. It helps that I created most of what I am selling, and there is a need for niche DNA testing. I enjoy meeting new people, getting them excited about our services, working from home, and thinking about new possibilities both personal and with my present employer. I am now in Madison with a couple of hours of down time.

We got some assignments back yesterday. I got a 99% on my Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha paper and a 13% on another assignment for business class. WTF. All of my numbers were correct, there were no concrete formats given to us, simply write a cash budget, how much is left at the end, and when is the money coming in and leaving. I redid it to perfection and resubmitted it, and I hope the instructor chokes on it. If you want the assignment done in particular format, then STATE it.

I am off to clean the inside of my car out from the soda bottles before class.

peace

cd

Wednesday

I could really get used to this....I have an appointment in Green Bay today. I woke up at 7:30 this morning, had breakfast with the kids, took Maddy to the bus stop, and did a little prep for my appointment. All of this for a 30 minute meeting and I don't have to take any vacation. Andy Noel was right, sales ROCKS. I was up late last night looking for sales jobs and there are a few available in the area, but not that many. I have applied for three sales jobs in the area, so send good wishes my way. I have to cut up an apple for Eds now.

ciao

cd

Tuesday

I am getting ready for my first sales appointment tomorrow. I think I have everything ready. It is really, really hard to sell this stuff and I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but usually when I try stuff I jump into the deep end.

Last night I had an hour on the 29er SS and it was great. I haven't ridden for more than two weeks and it was really great. I love riding at this time of the year as the leaves are down and you get better visibility on the single track....although you cannot see the trail anymore. I will try to get a ride in tonight...batteries are charging as we speak. I love night rides when it gets colder.

peace

cd

I forgot my password

No posts for a while. I forgot my password. I have been facebooking too much, working too much, ignoring school, and planning my next move. Things have been well. I am losing weight without much effort by just watching what I eat...what a concept. I am going to try to throw in some more exercise including tennis while I still can, basketball, biking, and weights. I had another afib episode and this one landed me in the ICU for conversion. I do not want to go back there so I am going to TRY to lose a total of 69 pounds. I have 12 done already so 57 left to go.

Peace

cd

Busy

The last nine days have been busy. School was great. It was really good to get back to learning and my friends. All of the lectures were really good except for one on proteomics from a lecturer that had a really thick accent. The rest of last weekend was really good, too good to write about. The last week at work wasn't the best, but I will have the last say. I was told that I wasn't "the prettiest one" around PG and I probably wasn't the best representative for us at trade shows. I can't think of anything more ridiculous. Most of our clients are women, and it dumbs down our clients to think that only a certain kind of individual could represent us well. Our clients want correct answers, good knowledge, and a friendly delivery, not some hot piece of ass. Homework started in earnest last week as I have been researching a paper on TNF alpha and rheumatoid arthritis. It should be a good paper, as long as I remember how to get started. I have the ideas in my head, but can't get started. I will be glad to be done with this program! Today we have spent time together as a family. Maddy, Eds, and I made a carrot cake, we all hung out in our bed for the first hour of the day....its been great!

Have a good week.

Peace

cd

One last night of freedom

Bonfire, playing outside, eating outside, bonfire, no mosquitoes. It was nice. We spent one last night of freedom last night outside. The temps went from 90's to 60's in one day and we made the best of it. Autumn is a favorite season in the Dokken house. We started a fire in the fire pit, picked up sticks around the yard, threw a couple of burgers on the grill....it was great. There really is something innately wonderful about having a fire going. Anyway, tonight it all starts again, and I am looking forward to it. Let's get this crap over with and get on with it.

peace

cd

Kool Aid anyone?

The Republican hate machine is at it! I believe in a free market economy. I believe in small government. I believe that only I can change my station in life. However, if this is what the Republican party delivers I will NEVER be a Republican. Fear, hate, subtle racism. This is all I see. Giuliani's speech is hard to watch, but it reinforces my decision to vote for Obama. These people in the audience look like they like Kool Aid, and they drink a lot of it. I hope that Americans can see through this, but I doubt it. I think Americans are stupid, stupid enough to vote a bozo into office for eight years and I fear stupid enough to vote for McCain/Palin. Obama doesn't come without faults. I believe in nuclear power, he doesn't.

The thing that bothers me the most is that Republicans think that people like me don't love America. I love America just as much as they do, and damn them for thinking otherwise. This is MY country too!

peace

cd

Same as it ever was...

It starts again this week. Some initial analysis into the workload indicates that the semester will be challenging, yet acceptable. Fifteen assignments in all, one of them done, several to be completed in class, and no huge individual efforts. Largest paper is 3000 words.

Maddy had a hard time last night with nerves about her first day in the first grade. This morning went better for her, but Edison was crying and he wanted to go to school. Soon enough little man, soon enough.

Saturday was a not do much day, Sunday was a do everything day, and Monday was organize and get ready for our world to be turned upside down again. I am trying really hard to be as efficient as possible with my homework and not take myself away from the family.

I did get one ride in yesterday and I just felt dead. I am still too sick to put out any real effort. My legs were pushing without much help from the cardio part. At least they got a really good workout. Riding will fade to weekends only now as gym work takes its place.

peace

cd

Cadel Evans

I had a bad dream that woke me up this morning. I heard this whiny Aussie voice on the other side of the phone and it was the renowned terrorist Cadel Evans telling me that if I didn't do something (I can't remember the details) he was going to take someones head off (again, can't remember the details). I guess this reaffirms my hatred for him. Randy Moss, Larry Bird, and Cadel Evans. The axis of sports evil!

Anyway, today's efforts involve switching two toilets around in our house, maybe a bike ride, and possibly a visit from my brother and his new bride.

Peace

cd

PS I am already procrastinating this semester's homework

It starts...

First off, I am building a 0.5 mile short track in the pine savanna in the back. I burned off about 30 minutes back there tonight after a short warm up on the 29er and for the first time in a long time my legs were numb and throbbing.....in other words, GOOD TIMES.

Secondly, we have colds here. Just in time for school to start. It doesn't seem too bad so hopefully it will come and go without incident.

Next...Congratulations to Jessica and Paul on the birth of their son Josiah! It kind of makes me want to procreate again!

Next...my first big contract fell into my lap today. The party involved will send a rough proposal tomorrow and if it looks reasonable we will enter negotiations soon and I will have my first contract with an external firm. It makes me want to get going on the marketing and sales. When this position was first presented to me, it wasn't supposed to be full time until January. After talking to our main business advisor/investor last week. I told the advisor how excited I was to tackle this new responsibility and he was pleased that I was directing these efforts. He took my boss out to lunch today and they must have talked about me. My boss talked to me after this lunch and told me that he has been thinking about my position in the company and he said the sky could be the limit as far as compensation goes. I am sure he will try to stiff me, but I am glad I am getting the opportunity to add sales/marketing to my resume!

Lastly, the coursework websites for the fall semester became active today. At first glance it doesn't seem like a lot of work, but that remains to be seen. The only thing that I REALLY don't like is getting these assignments 9 days before class starts. I have like 200 pages of reading to do, I have to find a paper on drug target development, and then I have to watch these leadership videos and make decisions wit these different scenarios. The classes look interesting and for once the lab won't be a cakewalk.

peace

cd

Good Movies

The rest of the weekend was great. On Saturday we watched the movie Smart People. It was quite good and I recommend it, especially for the smart people that I know. Sunday's activities included another 1.5 hours on the monocog 29er. I really love riding that thing on single track. If I could just get used the punishment of roots, rocks, and log piles it would be great. I have been through the island on the singletrack there three or four times per week and my skill are starting to come together. I will probably check out standing rocks this weekend as it will be the last weekend that I will be available to really hammer at the trails. I got home from the ride and I was going to do some tree trimming when I saw Lorelei was going to watch a movie. I asked her what she was watching and she said "Hot Fuzz". I started to watch it and I couldn't leave. The trees will be available for trimming later. Hot Fuzz was awesome and I strongly recommend both movies!

peace

cd

Good Times!.

The week was long but not grueling. That being said, I am glad it is over. Monday was a bad day, but time has led me to forget why it was a bad day. I got home and rode the Fisher like a madman for 1.5 hours. Got home, took a shower, grilled some chix breasts and the day was forgotten. It really is amazing how that kind of activity can make you feel better. The bike is feeling more aggressive and agile under me. I do need some new tires. I went into some corners heavy and almost lost it about three or four times. This was on the gravel that sent me to the ER with 10 stitches six years ago. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were happy days spent with the family. Friday was a good day. Work was good and I met with a graphic artist to enhance our display that we take to trade shows. My boss listen to most of my ideas and adopted them so I was happy about that. The week ended with a much needed happy hour at the only brewpub in town. Nine bucks for a pitcher of really good weizen! I then sped to Saloon DuBay to have dinner with the family and some of the in laws. They have the best pizza. Our pizza had BBQ'd chicken, bacon, lots of cheese on a hand tossed crust. There is not tomato sauce, but a mayo/ranch/stone ground mustard base on it. The night ended with a good Packer preseason game. The offense looked good, and when they get Ryan Grant back with Wells at center they will be one of the top offenses in the league. The defense is where the problem lies. There was NO run defense and our corners are starting to get old, especially Al Harris. Today has us going to the grotto with Lorelei's family, tomorrow should include a bike ride, laundry, and a trip to the lake if the weather holds.

Peace
cd

Nice Weekend

The weekend started well with a two hour spin on the 29er single speed. I put a 16t cog on the back with the 32 chainring on front. I stole the cog off of an old cassette to see how it would spin. Because of the worn nature of the cog I dropped the chain a couple of times over some roots (not a good place to drop a chain, woods, mosquitoes). Otherwise I figured out that I should go with a 15t around here. I am going to order a surly 15t cog soon! Riding the single speed is my new weapon of choice. I really enjoy it, I don't have to worry about blowing up derailleurs, and I don't have the constant bob of the fork. I also find that I have more confidence in single track and especially log piles. After the bike ride, I got cleaned up and we went down to see the river. They drew the levels down about 9 feet by that time and we went to see what the river bed looks like. There were these similar sized piles of rocks that had pilings around them. They must be remnants of the logging days. That kind of stuff is cool, and I think it is cool that the DNR is not allowing anyone to take any of that out.

The evening included watching the Packers pregame. I usually don't take much stock in preseason games. The scores and wins/losses don't mean anything. I did find myself wanting to take back my support of Ted Thompson as the offense looked really bad. The line was porous, the quarterback looked stunned, and the receivers didn't want to catch the ball. The D looked all right, but I don't understand why they would let people see the new 2-5-4 defense in preseason. It looks effective, but why waste that now? It could be a long year.

Today we hung out a bit. I made buckwheat pancakes for the kids and after our bellies were full we went to Sunset Lake for a couple of hours. It is a beautiful spring fed lake with a sandy bottom and not much vegetation. There were probably 100 other people there enjoying the day as well. Lorelei and the kids have been out there a couple of times this summer, but I haven't. I did my best Michael Phelps imitation out there, but I am pretty sure I will never be a 14 time gold medal winner in swimming.

Peace

cd

A decent proposal

My old friend Murf emailed me this week with an interesting proposal. He lives in St Paul and he was wondering if I would be interested in a bike trip from his house to his parent's place on a lake in SE North Dakota. COUNT ME IN! That would rock. I am starting the diet for the quest right away. The only thing I should need for such and adventure is some touring tires, panniers, and lots of tubes. Minnesota has some rails to trails pathways that are totally paved. There is one that goes from St. Cloud to Fergus Falls. This is the trail that we would take. At Fergus Falls turn due West and about 70 miles later we would be golden. We are too old to haul camping gear and sleep on the ground. This will be a hotel trip. Lorelei and I also talked about doing triathlons next year, and Murf and I want to do the 12 hour version of 24-9. Chequamegon too if the opportunity presents itself. Ambitious yes, will I do all of it, no, but it is really FUN to think about.

Peace

cd

Man is she strong!

My new training partners and I went out for another hour last night. We got almost 14 miles in with a tag along and a trailer! We would have had more but for some bugs getting in Edison's trailer. Maddy and I were really pushing, and when I looked back at Edison he was just sitting there in his trailer reading his magazine. He looked like a passenger on a commuter train that had about an hour to kill reading the paper. Really funny. I would let up on the corners on the trails and Maddy would start pushing. She could have gone for another hour save for our hunger. The night ended with some Philly Cheese Steaks from Cafe Lola (YUMMY!) and hanging out with the family.

Work today has been interesting. I got my first promotional materials to the printers for proofs, outsourced our mailing, and got my next promotional assignment. This stuff is really fun and I am finding work much more enjoyable. Tomorrow I have a few items to finish up in the lab as I prepare to hand over all of my lab duties to another person. Next week I start creating a client list. Business is FUN!

Peace
cd

New training partners!

I picked up two new training partners last night. They told me that whenever I want to ride they will go with me, just call them and we're off. Luckily Maddy and Edison live in our house. I hooked up Maddy's tag along to my commuter bike, and then I hooked up Edison's trailer to Maddy's tag along. It was like the Dokken train. We went out for our inaugural ride last night. I was just thinking it would be a quick spin around the block as I only had flip flops on. We ended up doing about 10 miles at 16 mph. Maddy just kept giggling. We went through some of the green circle and she loves the trails. I remember going through single track with her in the trailer and she loved it. I just tell her to hang on and not peddle through that stuff. She is incredibly strong. I figured that there is almost 400 pounds of people/hardware in our train, and when I stop peddling at 15 mph she can make us accelerate. I had dreams of a mixed tandem at Chequamegon for a while. Her personality is just like mine, daredevil, competitive, inquisitive, and shy. Edison just sat in his trailer looking at everything blur by. He looked like he was having a good time. I figure two nights per week with all three of us plus one day on the weekend might give us some good times together and give Lorelei some much needed time to herself! Everyone wins! Now if I can just get the kids to say "WWhheeeeeeeeeeee" when we go bombing down the hills everything would be great!

Peace

cd

2+2=4

Four hours on the bikes this weekend. It would have been more like five but I blew up my derailleur on Saturday about 15 miles from the finish of my expected route. The top pulley just fell out, no chain tension, no ride. Lorelei and the kids came to rescue dad. Saturday night Lorelei's family came over and we had a beautiful day outside chatting, grilling, playing....just having a great time and taking advantage of the beautiful day. Sunday morning I got two hours on the 29er single speed. I really love that bike, and I will love it more once I get the right rear cog. When I bought the bike I was running a 20t, a short time later I put a 17t cog on, and last night I put a 16t cog on. I don't do a lot of hills with the bike, so I don't think that gearing will be too big. I might even go down lower. I did my first single track of the summer yesterday and it felt great. I even crashed! I am on a single speed bender on the island from now until school starts again in three and a half weeks.

Peace

cd

Interview?

The question of the day here is, "Do you have an interview or something?" I must really dress like a schlub or something. As my first external task of being the marketing director, I have to go get proofs made of my first attempt at a marketing campaign (direct mailing to existing and former clients). I didn't come to work today in jeans, t-shirt, and hiking boots. Get used to it, I won't be in the laboratory that much anymore (only when difficult situations arise), so I can look a bit nicer now. In other work news, I had to reprimand a staff member yesterday for careless work. My boss got invovled and it was a bit uncomfortable, but I guess thats whats expected from management. Work has been great as of late, but I fear I am wearing too many hats here...Clinical Lab Supervisor, Director of Marketing, Safety Officer, Lead Assay Designer, and Regulatory Affairs Director. I spend about an hour and a half on each task and I could use a break from some of them. Our external inspection is coming this fall and there is a lot of work to do to prepare. We have been warning the boss, but he has said he will take care of it. This week he told me he is going to start delegating some of these tasks (complete ALL of them) so the rest of this summer and this fall my two main tasks will be Regulatory Affairs and Marketing. I guess this is what I wanted?

peace

cd

10th Anniversary

Last Friday was Lorelei and my 10th wedding anniversary. We had planned to go to Door County to a posh resort for four days, but and "emergency" wedding to Fargo took care of that. We were sad for a couple weeks, but we tried to look at our alternative plans as a good thing. Our child care was still in place, so we decided to have a "staycation". The new buzzword of the summer. We would live like we used to before we had kids. We had a GREAT time. We went out for lunch, had shots before noon at said lunch, traveled a bit, went out for a nice dinner at a restaurant in the woods overlooking a lake..... We had a great time. At our fancy dinner our waitress asked what we were all smiley about. We told her it was our 10th wedding anniversary and we were celebrating. It really is great when other people (strangers) can see how happy and in love a couple is. It was really special that she mentioned that. We are still as in love as we have always been, but we have 10 years of life together and two beautiful children that deepen the love beyond words.

Saturday I went out for a 45 miler but had to cut it a bit short as I broke another wheel. I would like to say it was because of my massive, powerful legs, but it is probably from my spare tire. During this ride, Lorelei wrote the kindest words that have every been written (about me at least) to describe us. The words will remain private, but it chokes me up even now thinking about them.

Peace

cd

Stick shifts and safety belts

I rode my bike to work today. It wasn't that I really wanted to. My car decided to let ALL of it's coolant out via the coolant bypass valve.....stupid swedish car. What the f(@k is a coolant bypass valve. I love to ride my bike. I really do. It makes me happy, it's good for me, and it is a good way to stick it to the man. That being said, I really hate riding it to work. I kept looking at my watch every five minutes, tryin to calculate if I will get to work before 8. The rides home are great, the rides there suck. At least now I have a bike at work again and I can start riding at lunch time again. I told myself that I wasn't going to do that any more, but I need to burn strees off and burn calories.

In work related news, my boss and I had a talk about future marketing efforts at PG. Apparently the marketing plan impressed him enough that I get to run the marketing efforts at PG from now on. I will retain some of my current duties, but by January I should be in a marketing role full time! Change is good!

Peace

cd

Jim and Cindy's Wedding

Well, we are home now. I estimate that I have driven over 1500 miles in the last week. Our whirlwind trip to Fargo was really good. We got to meet Cindy and our new niece Kelsey. They are both quite lovely and we are happy to welcome them to our family. The wedding was a bit unconventional, but it seemed to suit the happy couple quite well. The wedding was at the courthouse, followed by a quick celebration at Buffalo Wild Wings and then to the FM Redhawks baseball game. Jim and Cindy seemed quite happy with the way things went so that is great! Edison really liked the playground at the ball park and didn't really want to see the game, but dad made if fun by doing a little play by play at the game. We sat front row looking directly down the third base line. It was great. We ended the day by swimming at the hotel pool and going down the water slide. Both Edison and Maddy loved the water slide. It should make the next trip to the Dells more fun now that Edison likes the slides. The trip there and back was uneventful. We made both trips in less than eight hours. Remarkable considering it is 450 miles and we have a two year old and a six year old.

Today we went to a nice park in Dane County for our nieces Bday party. It was really nice until Edison got squirelly and fell down from his picnic table and smacked the back of his head really hard. I didn't see it, but the sound of it made us nauseous. We are back now, and very tired. All are sleeping but me so I can enter the journal before I forget.

At the end of the weekend, I am grateful for my family. Lorelei always makes these painful trips to Fargo wonderful, and she didn't disappoint this time either. The kids were fabulous, and I tried to be a good sport too. Most of all, we are grateful that Jim has found love. It seemed like Cindy and Jim were really supposed to be together. It felt like it was two people that have been put through some life challenges, and came out of them finding each other and finding a soothing, loving, warm, soft place to land. We couldn't be happier for Jim and his new family and wish Jim, Cindy, and Kelsey the best! We love you!

Peace,

Chuck

Too much fun to blog!

Life has been grand lately! Our time has been filled with first time fishing trips, teaching Maddy how to cast a fishing line, night time rides in the thick darkness......the list can go on and on.

Work has been pretty good lately. I have sent out a few more resumes, my working group is a well oiled cohesive machine, and my boss is too busy to really bother me.

I have been getting more exercise lately and the mornings make me feel like I am in my 90's.
Sunday night: 20 miles at night
Monday night: 15 miles at night
Tuesday night: 20 miles at night
Wednesday: 25 miles fast at night
Thursday: Tennis for an hour
Friday: Basketball for an hour

Translation, I lost a couple of pounds and I am starting to feel better!

We spent most of today getting ready for the big trip on ND. I got the car ready to go, Lorelei is getting the house ready to leave. We did start the day with breakfast at a new organic cafe. The owners run a farm and the eggs, beef, bacon, sausage, and vegetables are all grown on the farm and brought right to your table. It wasn't even that expensive. Yummy!

The remainder of the day was spent catching up on season one of Madmen. I have always been intrigued by advertising and marketing, and the writing, casting, and acting are incredible. Watch it if you can!

Peace

cd

AARRRGGGHHHHH!

In less than a month from now, my lovely wife and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. She has been my soul mate, the love of my life, my muse, my partner, my friend, and my counsel. I had planned a wonderful vacation for the two of us in Sturgeon Bay for four days and three nights. Just the two of us like it used to be. It was going to be wonderful and we were already excited about the trip.........You can feel it coming can't you! MY BROTHER CALLS........"Uhh Chuck, we have a date", he mumbled. I asked a date for what. "We're getting married July 25th...we think, we're almost sure." What the fuck am I supposed to do with this information? That is one week before my love and I were supposed to go have some unterrupted us time and forget about jobs, kids, family, bills, yardwork and just be "Chuck and Lorelei". I faked the big brother happiness and told him that we were happy for him and Cindy, but inside I was devastated. I knew that in this economy, we could never pack up the fam and go to Fargo one weekend and then the next weekend pay close to $1K for a honeymoon suite. Needless to say, last night was not fun at our house. Both L and I were very sad, as we were so looking forward to our little vacation. I owe everything to my wife. Life before her was good, busy, and uninteresting. Life after Lorelei has been rich, interesting, funny, warm, loving, and excellent. I wanted to bring her on this vacation to thank her for just putting up with me and my insanity (and the total insanity of my "Fargo family"). We still have the care for the kids lined up, so we will make our 10th a "staycation" and have some fun!

So we will be going to Fargo in three weeks, and in the same day we will meet Cindy and watch her get married to Jim. Our visitwill be brief. We will be in Fargo for about 40 hours to go to the wedding, go out for dinner afterwards, meet our new family members, have the kids play with Grandma Gaylen, go to bed, and then come home on Saturday. We will make the best of it for sure. It will be fun?!

Peace,
CD

So busy

I have been too busy to blog lately. I suppose that is something that happens more in the summer than the winter. Anyway, it seems as though all I have been doing is killing mosquitos and spraying the kids for the critters. In the last few weeks we have been busy going on vacation in the Dells, company picnics, playing outside with the kids, and even getting a few miles in on the bikes.

I will try to enter my thoughts a bit more often before school starts. I have two months to get fit.

peace

I still miss him..

Sunday is Father's Day. My father passed away in 1989 unexpectedly from heart failure, apparently just as Tim Russert did today. I was very fond of Tim Russert and the passion that he demonstrated when doing his job. I was watching one of those tribute programs this evening and then my emotions got the best of me. The tears weren't because of some apparently decent man that I had never met, but they were for my father. The father that I haven't talked to for almost twenty years now. I miss him terribly. He left a big hole in my life when he left us. He wasn't the Cliff Huxtable or Ward Cleaver father. He wasn't perfect and he was flawed, but he was my father. He had a passion for WWII history, sports, his hometown of Rugby, his parents, and our family. I never really talked to him about school but I could tell that he was proud of me. I remember the day of our football state championship he was more nervous than me. He had participated in tournaments of that caliber and he could relate to what I was going through. He was so proud of my athletic achievements and he was the ONLY person in my family to see me play college football. He showed more concern for me than anyone else did as I started to slide off the deep end in my second year in school. He wouldn't talk to me about these things, but I could tell that he knew something was wrong and that he cared.

He would have been a wonderful teacher and coach, but circumstances led him down another path. I could tell that occasionally he wished he had taken another path, but he accepted the choices he made in his life. He worked very hard, and at the end of his life he would work an entire Saturday every week as he just couldn't keep up with the demands of his work. He knew that he had to work hard to provide for his family that he loved so much. I remember the deep cracks in his hands, and the tired eyes that would try to lighten the mood with a joke at dinner. I can still remember how he smelled when he carried us to bed when we were little. He would always stay up to watch Carson's monologue and my brother and I would laugh just because he would laugh even though we had no idea what was funny.

The hardest thing about all of this is that I can't share my present life with him. I wish that Lorelei could have met him. My father would have loved her. I wish that he could hear Maddy read a book, or watch her at her ballet recital. I wish that he could play ball with Edison or watch an episode of Spongebob Squarepants with the kids. Most of all, I wish that he could see that I got through the dark period in my life that I was in when he died and I came out the other side a better man, husband, and father.

I miss you dad. I miss your laugh, your twisted sense of humor, your love of "The Jerk", your stories of playing football for "Broken Bone #49", and I miss the talks. We will meet again, share a laugh and a story, and have another heart to heart talk as the sun rises like we did when I graduated from high school.

peace

cd

Dream Vacation in the Dells

There is this song by the gear daddies called dream vacation. It is about packing up the car with the kids and going to the dells for vacation. Tomorrow morning the Dokken's will go on our first vacation by ourselves as a foursome. To celebrate m being done with school we are heading out to the Kalahari. It should be a good time. It will be E's second time in a water park. The first time he was pretty nervous but he is really intrigued by the slide at the YMCA.

Work was, well.....work was work last week. It is hard to concentrate with two windows in my office. When our building is finished this fall I will be moving into a new office without windows. I will welcome the move as I should be able to concentrate better. Our boss is still a moron, but my group is totally on one page and we are working as hard as we can.

No bike rides this week as I was recovering from last weekends efforts. I did go out for a quick 20 miler on the mountain bike. I changed out the big 2.2s to some 1.8s and I can really feel the difference. While out on the green circle, I noticed large groups of people walking. I slowed down to find out what was going on...Walk across america or something like that. I bet I saw over two hundred walkers enjoying the green circle. The circle isn't much for mountain biking, but it is an opportunity to get out into nature without leaving the city. There are a few good singletrack spurs to go on, but in large part it is just a long gravel grinder. The green circle is one of the many reasons that I don't want to leave Point when I graduate from my program. I have started talking to my boss about potential positions for me when I am done. He may give me a position that he thinks is good, but I KNOW that I have the skills to run the entire organization. He told me about the things I would be responsible for (things I do now!). I will have a heart attack when I show him the average salary of graduates of my program. There is an adjustment to Stevens Point dollars, but the average salary is over $93,000. I can't wait to show him the data. He also told me last week that because I wasn't a pretty girl, I probably wouldn't be successful at sales. In our line of work being a pretty girl doesn't make a laboratory or doctor send us a test that isn't offered anywhere else in the world.

Well, I should have a picture or two to post of our vacation next week.

peace

cd

Stickin it to the man!

In my futile attempt at disrupting the oil/gas/auto industry, I am going to start commuting to work as much as I can (once per week for a couple of weeks, then two times per week through the end of the summer). I started this spur of the moment on Friday. It wasn't even good weather for this. Cross winds, temps in the mid 60's, and a light misty rain. When given the choice between bball and riding home I chose riding home. I mapped out a new course (45 miles) that allowed me to ride on US10 for only 400m. Considering that the longest I have been out this year was 20 miles, the ride went pretty well. My legs and lungs held up, but my neck and ass were killing me by the time I got home. When I go back tomorrow I will load up with butt butter, that should help. It took 2:22 to get home. The ride through point was very low key as I needed a cool down. I got home, changed clothes and went to the YMCA with the family and went for a swim. It was just what I needed. We went out for a fish fry (12 ounces of baked haddock! yum! Yesterday we had some old friends and their kids come over for a BBQ. I mowed the sod for the first time yesterday. It used to take me about 10 minutes to mow the lawn, now it takes over 45 minutes. Anyway, the hard work is paying off. The front yard looks like a putting green from a ways and when you get closer it sill looks pretty good!

Today has been spent taking care of the family as Lorelei isn't feeling well. I love to take care of the kids. I made french toast at Maddy's request. E just wanted cereal and fruit. I am not going to try to talk him into eating dessert for breakfast (french toast).

Work seems to be getting a little better. My boss threw me a couple bones last week and told me he didn't want to lose me when I am done with school. Pay me and treat me better. Pretty simple. I will expect at least a 20% raise when I am done and I want some authority to make and execute decisions. Simple plan, hard for some people to let go of control.

have a good week

cd

What a weekend

We had the best weekend ever this last weekend. Friday night I got home and went right to work on the jungle gym. I went from step 22 to step 45! All I had left to do was the swing attachment and the installation of the accessories. Saturday morning we met L's sister for breakfast where I had the greek skillet. Gyro meat, feta cheese, tomatoes, onions on top of hash browns with two over easy eggs on top. I didn't talk to anyone as I was in a breakfast trance. Once I came up for air, I dug into my pancakes. I knew I would be going through a lot of calories so I didn't mind the HUGE breakfast. After b'fast, Jo Jo took the kids for the day and L and I went to Kmart to get some Craftsman tools and then to Mendards to get a couple of accessories for the jungle gym. We got home and went to work. I finished the playset, L got her garden in, and then we got a call that the kids both wanted to come home and play on their new toy. We cleaned up, got an early dinner at Chili's (I know, cliche'd. The spotted cow called me.) We had a great dinner, a couple of beers, and then we went to pick up the kids. They loved the new playset, and giggled for two hours. E loved the telescope and calls himself a pirate every time he uses it. The new sod is already dead at the end of the slide, but I don't mind. Sunday morning I got to work on the gardening. I moved about 12 hostas and installed about 12 bushes, laid 10 bags of mulch and cleaned up. I fertilized the lawn, watered everything, and called it a day!

Monday we had L's family over for memorial day. The kids and I played and L did some cooking. I had a few beers (when the spotted cow hits your lips, it's so good!) The weather was perfect! 77 degrees, windy to keep the mosquitoes down, I wouldn't change a thing! I even got 1:20 in on the bike on the north half of the green circle. There was a land dispute, so one of my favorite parts of the north half is no longer accessible. I will not be going that way any more.

P90X starts tonight. I will be wiped out tonight.

peace
cd

She is my Rushmore

I had the day "off" yesterday. L and I had a meeting about M and school. She didn't get into the GT program, but she is on the radar and her teachers are going to work extra hard to keep her challenged. I am kind of glad they won't be pulling her out of class next year. She is high strung like her father and that kind of disruption could be emotionally damaging to her. The meeting was short and we were home before 9. Then the real fun comes! I gathered my tools, set out all of the package inserts, and started to build the playset for the kids. L and E came out to help, and E was a great big help. I was hoping to get it at least 80% complete yesterday, but I am on step 18 out of 50 on the instructions. Tonight I will build the climbing wall and the roof, and maybe tomorrow night get the swing up and the slide attached. Hopefully Friday I can finish it and then Saturday, I can't wait. Mary Jo is taking the kids after we all meet up for breakfast. By then, the playset will be complete, the garden will be in, and we will have few commitments. I feel a bike ride coming! Probably Green Circle and all of the associated single track, probably on the geared bike as I am incredibly sore from all of this building. The project has become my core workout.

I am preparing to start the Power90X on Monday, and then hopefully 90 days later I will have success.

peace

cd

Priorities

I got my grades today. MTII A BioOps AB. When I first saw these I was crushed. All of the stress, pain, anxiety of the semester came back in ONE BIG HIT! I was miserable. I wanted to crawl in a hole and feel sorry for myself. Then M came to me and wanted some cereal, and E was right behind her. Slowly I became aware of my self loathing and doubt and realize that I am a good father, and that that AB in BioOps doesn't matter. I realize that I am working full time, spending two hours a day in the car, remaining plugged in to my beautiful family and I don't care about the A either. I am going back to school to provide a better life for my family. My priorities really became clear to me as I was actually having a conversation with E while he was trying to go potty in his fancy potty chair. Then I realize I am getting better grades than I ever have in my entire life and this last semseter I spent time with the family and wasn't a stranger to my wife and kids. My priorities are correct. I love that I got an AB in BioOps, and I wouldn't change it for anything!

peace

cd

Magnum PI?

I haven't posted lately because I have been enjoying not being in school. I have been immersed into the family and the work around the house and it feels like a vacation. I have been using some of my free time at home looking for job leads as I have less than one year from graduating.

M has asked me to grow a moustache, and I would do just about anything for her, so I am (along with a goatee). It looks ridiculous, but I am only aiming to please my daughter.

A couple of rides in, a lot of heavy breathing, and a pound or two gone.

Big changes ahead.

peace

cd

Still not that fast

The stage was set. I am done with school for the summer. The wind was out of the southwest at around 10mph. Not a cloud in the sky. Seventy five degrees, and time to unwind. I had my first road ride of the year today. I know, it's late, but I have been busy. I was worried that it would take three hours to do my west of Marshfield 20 mile loop. I got it done in one hour and 15 minutes. Not bad. My legs were mushy after, and my bike/human interface could use some work, but it felt pretty good. I have absolutely no endurance, but I was able to keep a 30mph pace with a minimal headwind on a flat road. It is a place to start. I will ride as much as the work around the house allows for the next couple of weeks. Next week I start chugging SlimFast! YUMMY! They aren't that bad actually. The only thing that sucks is that I am going out on rides with the INTENTION of bonking. The difference between me and other angry bitter little men is that I have several extra pounds of energy stored. That doesn't make it feel any better. I will keep track of my rides and activity with the blog, so the entries will be short, sweet, and to the point.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I got an A for my individual presentation in BioOps. It was a far cry better than my freeze up last semester. I got comments like comfortable and at ease, good voice, good contact with audience, and informative and credible manufacturing plan. Depending on where the cutoff is for AB and A, I might go 4.0 this semester. Grades come out next week.

peace

cd

Fin

I'm done with my first year of graduate school. One year left. Then someone will show me the money.

That's all.

c

An Afternoon at the Ballet

L and I went to M's ballet performance this afternoon. I try to handle my emotions well, and I did this afternoon, but it was very hard. I see M on the stage, so beautiful and composed, and it is hard to believe that she is the same baby girl that was too small for me to hold at one time. It has been a wonderful ride watching her grow into the lovely girl that she is. She is so patient, intelligent, funny, sassy, beautiful and loving. She has a tender soul. We managed to get through the whole dance weekend without any tears. We had the family over for a BBQ after the dance, and it was fun having a house full of family.

Have a good week, I know I will. The last week of school and classes until next fall is this week. Halleluja!

cd

Comin' down the homestretch

My work is done for the semester! I have to practice a seven minute talk five or six times, but otherwise I am done. It took forever. Off to better things.....like staying up late and watching "The Departed". It really is one of the best films I have ever seen. Acting, produciton, writing, directing, music, cinematography are all first class. Scorsese really knows how to make a film. One of my other favorite movies is by him....Goodfellas.

Anyway, tomorrow is filled with ballet and family.

peace

c

One of those days

It's just been one of those days. If I could start it all over again I don't think I would for fear of doing the whole thing over. Work has been bad today, with unfulfilled reagent requests, underlings annoying me, and one of the techs didn't set the voltage back on the power supply and melted my f@)king gel! To top it all off, I showed up for noon basketball for the first time in four months and the gym was filled with tables and chairs....NO BASKETBALL. Instead of feeding people the rock I have to come back HERE! UUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH! I am sure this mood I am in is because the last week of school is looming. I have everything 95% done, but I just want to be 100% done.

I hear our tax "bribe" rebate checks are coming sooner than we thought. That is great, because the Chinese probably want the money that our country is borrowing from that country to come back soon. The bribe isn't going to stimulate our economy, it will stimulate their economy....kind of a double dipping if you will. We are going to do the all American thing with our check and spend it all....on American products. We have our eyes on a jungle gym for the kids. That will be fun putting it together. Hopefully when I am done, I will still have at least both thumbs and seven of my eight fingers left.

Have a good weekend,

c

Mud

After a pretty productive day at work, I came home thinking that I would have the house to myself and get out for a ride. M and M were at dance and E was supposed to be at Grandpa and Grandma's house. I got home and E was here with grandpa......Change of plans. I will always choose to stay here with E. He is great! We had Cousin's subs for dinner, went for a drive and brought some stuff back to the library. We got home around 7....still time to bang out a ride before it gets dark and I have to hook the lights up. I got dressed in record time and went out for one hour. It was my first ride through the woods this year. I am still hacking up lung nuggets, so I couldn't go that hard, but I am so out of shape that it seemed like I was going up Firetower hill at Chequamegon. There was a lot of mud, and it was unavoidable, and it was GLORIOUS! I think I am a single speeder now. I love the way I feel on the new bike, and the huge (2.4 x 29) wheels hook up on everything. I can climb (pretty flat around here) pretty well with it. I am running a 32x16 on it right now, and I may want to try to go 34x16 on it after I get into shape.

After the ride, I got home and the fam was watching Willy Wonka (the old one). Apparently E has a thing for the oompa loompas and thier songs. Maybe he will go to clown college after all.

cheers

Depression

I am so depressed today! We had a meeting of our clinical group, and though it seemed to go well, I left there depressed as ever about this place. You see, I work for a micro manager. He is a micro manager's micro manager. Every detail, down the the purchase of a jump drive is agonized. I am going to graduate school so I can learn how to run and create companies like this. The meeting today made me realize, more than ever, that I will not be able to work here when I have my masters. If I am going to be put in charge to run a division or project in a company, I want to RUN the division. Give me the goal, budget, and guidelines and then let me execute my procedures to meet said goals. That is the way all technology companies should be run. I don't see that happening here. My boss should be out playing golf or running or painting pottery, but instead he is here making sure that I didn't spell something wrong or that the chair I requested for the laboratory couldn't be purchased somewhere else for $10 less. All of this stress, along with trying to stay ahead of the game at school and wanting to hang with my family has me really down. I think I need to ride when I get home today if that is at all possible. It would do my soul good to go out on the 29er and get it dirty for the first time.

Sorry for the depressing post, next time I will write about something more uplifting, like say.....our current administration.....or......the uplifting nature of songs by The Cure.

cd

Oh what a night

I went for my first night ride this evening. It wasn't much. I took the single 29er out for a quick 45 minute ride to clear the head. I find these rides to be the most rewarding rides. The day was beautiful, but tonight was even nicer. It didn't seem that I would ever get out for a ride today. I was going to take one when e went down for a nap. E didn't nap, there was too much fun to be had outside watching dad cut down a big maple. Every time I would stop cutting he would say "STOP". I don't know if he liked it or if he was scared, but the yard looks nicer without the half dead maple looming over the garden. It was a busy day. L was in zen mode with her leaf blowing. She really likes it, and everything looks better after it is done. We started the day out for breakfast, went to Menard's after that, got the MPV washed and filled up, and then came home and went to work on the yard. Tomorrow I have to plant some more grass seed and lay down some mulch over it, and then water the piss out of it for a week or so. We took a break and had a snack, and then went back for more. By the time i got the tree cut down, it was almost 6:30. We piled into the MPV and got some BK. We ate, got the babies washed, and watched some TV. I went out about 10pm and got back around 11. I have to get up early and go back to work tomorrow, but the bike ride was WORTH IT. It is a total bonus that this happened in April!

cheers

Lack of Motivation

I find that as the closer I get to the end of school, the less motivated I am at work. My major project is complete. The final deliverable has to be proofread and edits made, but other than that I am done (oh yeah, there will be a chance to make yet another ass of myself presenting my portion of the data! FUN!). The motivation is so bad that I am actually blogging in my office, as I am sure many other people do. I used to really care about this place, but now I am kind of just drifting. Last semester, I let my family kind of go by the wayside and my school and work were the priorities. I learned that was STUPID. Never let the family take a back seat to anyone or anything, especially your WIFE! Lesson learned. I slack off at work now and try to be more plugged in at home.

No riding yet to report in my "riding and training" blog. Too sick, too much to do, no time to do it. May 5th I start riding, and losing 40 pounds before I go back to school on September 4th. If those fat asses on Biggest Loser can lose 164 pounds in five months, I think I could lose 40 pounds of fluffiness in one summer of riding and playing and gardening and building projects and hiking and kayaking......you get the point. I am going to always take on at least 40g of whey protein after riding or exercising, eat a low carb diet most of the time, and mess it all up with normal pig out eating on the weekends. It is crazy, and if it works I will publish these blogs, make a million dollars, and slack off on my own time (not work here anymore!).

Cheers

I have never cared at all about Brett Michaels

My wife Anastasia and I had a conversation about Brett Michaels tonight. Back when Poison was big, I was in to Metallica, Anthrax, and whatever else would scare my parents. Don't get me wrong, if I started wearing as much makeup as the "boys" in Poison, my parents would have been plenty scared. Anyways, there is this little guilty pleasure on VH1 called Rock of Love. It is what I like to call "Lowest Common Denominator" TV. There is plenty of that on VH1, and that is why after a long day of doing tasks I don't want to do at work watching LCD tv at night feels kind of right. Brett Michaels picked the woman that we wanted him to pick. I can't even believe that I care, but I do.

My cold is better today. Maybe my bitching about it yesterday shook something loose. I got my last grade in BioOps today.....A . I thought I bombed the paper, but I got a little creative and went past what we were lectured on. I guess that is what the instructors want at UW-Madison. Two and a half weeks and I will be done. Then it is off to building jungle gyms and new entrance stairs around here. It was beautiful when I got home. Anastasia wanted to leaf blow so I got that set up for her. She went about that for about an hour, while I kept an eye on the kids while taking down the rest of the XMAS stuff. After that we polished off our first bottle of wine on the patio. Tomorrow it is supposed to be almost 70 degrees.

skol!

cd

The Winter of my Discontent

I have my fourth cold of the winter. I am tired of being sick. Our daughter, Malefocent, is in school and is bringing EVERYTHING home. I used to never get sick. I have tried everything. Lots of fruit, zinc, psuedofed, not doing anything, misters. IT SUCKS. I wanted to start riding tomorrow, but right now I have two ear infections, unproductive cough, and a stuffed head/sinus. Why must I be punished?

On a better note, I finished my last big assignment for this semester. I have to do a final proofread of the final assembled project and prepare a 7 minute talk, but then I will be done with that class. I cannot wait for the semester to be finished. We have so many plans this summer, both as a family and by myself.

Last year I lost my passion for biking. I "did one" 24 hour race last year. We signed up for the 12 hour duo and I managed one lap before the beer started calling. It just wasn't fun. I have learned that I don't like racing, or anything remotely related to racing. I don't like the attitude, the racing itself, and the atmosphere. I just like to ride. Mountain, road, bike paths. I am totally getting back into it this summer. Once per weekend will be trips to Standing Rocks. I will master that trail before the summer ends. Three to four days per week on the road at work, and an occasional la de da ride at night after the family is in bed. There is something so zen about riding at night. Especially on those humid nights when the moon is still out. Some of my best thoughts and introspections have happened at those times.

The highlight of the summer is my 10 year anniversary of being married to my wife, Anastasia Beverhausen. It has been the best 10 years of my life, and she has given me our beautiful children. I am planning an adventure, but Anastasia will read this so it has to be done in secret.

cheers

cd

I wouldn't really say I was "missing work"

I decided to take the day off tomorrow, in addition to having Friday off. Crunch time is coming with school work and I need an extra day off. This way I can stay home and hang with the family tonight. I cannot wait until the semester is over. I have so much going on at work and with all of this school work hanging over my head I couldn't concentrate at work anyway. I did some instrument maintenance and organization today and that was about it. My head is filled with plans for the summer, plans for the house, plans for the family.

Next week I will start riding on a regular basis. I hope to lose at least 36 pounds this summer. That shouldn't be a problem, as long as I stay active. I will log my poundage each Monday, along with activities.

I let myself go.

I am a dad. In most ways, I am defined by being a dad. I love my kids, and my wife. I would always much rather hang with them than go out and ride, or go the gym, or whatever. This stops now. I am hovering between 280 and 290 lbs now. I would like to get back to around 250 by labor day, and this blog will help me reach this goal. I will also write about other things such as our adminstrations lack of leadership, hope for the future, my family, school, and friends.

Today, I showed Maddy how to use the pneumatic nailer and we made plans to build some bird houses this summer. It should be fun. We will build bluebird birdhouses.

I was going to start riding today, but yardwork and a bad back took care of that. Hopefully this next week I can get out for a couple of hours, and then the week after that a couple more, and so on and so on. I will soon post a picture of myself to slowly track my progress. Wish me luck!