Working shifts again. Can't get to many sites where anything even vaguely bloggish except the dot and fark. Watching Cartoon Network on the provided TV Carded PC to keep boredom away.

New shift is monitoring security for a government agency (US) Thursday through Saturday and every other Wednesday, 6am to 6pm. The biggest enemy is boredom. I'm tired and looking forward to three days off before I need to start up again next Wednesday.

Mod points are enabled, so if you need anything modded, feel free to drop a line.

New job, new problems. At least the problems here are vaguely interesting. More later when I figure out what I can and can't say.

redacted

Sent out invites for folks I could find names to. Apparently, I've had a multiply account for a while, as the password for the account was one I used a few years ago...

Its weird. Every birthday of mine it snowed or there's been snow on the ground (significant) from a previous snowfall. I only went to school on my birthday my senior year (and we were 2 hours late). I'm deciding whether or not to go into work today. On one hand, its a nice day to not drive into work and deal with yahoos on the road in the H2's thinking that because they have it in 4WD they don't have to slow down, but on the other hand my present is getting delivered to the office today (new 2ms LCD).

Tell me this isn't the sexiest thing ever.

Supposedly runs OSX as well.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/

I must have one.

It all started around the beginning of December. My son got a temperature out of the blue. We tag-teamed it with Motrin and Tylenol, got the fever down and in a day or two he was feeling better. This happened a couple more times, then the Daycare called my wife at noon one day and said Zach had been screaming all day that he hurt. She picked him up and took him to the Doctor who said it was an ear infection / sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics. He develops a cough, but for the most part is in good shape. The next weekend he again gets the mystery temperature. We use the meds, bring down his temp again, but this time he develops a real bad cough. Again, its a Saturday, so all the doctors offices are closed. We get some cough suppressant and take him back to the Doctors.

Meanwhile, Sunday of that week, my wife (pregnant with twins) starts to cough. Nothing real bad, but since she's pregnant, she's having a hard time breathing. Monday, we take her to the Doctor. They check her out and give her a weenie medicine (again, because she's pregnant) to try to knock it out. Zach's cough is worse, and he's coughing enough to throw up on occasion. My wife's in misery and can't get comfortable, or stop coughing at all. I'm getting a relapse of bronchitis to top it off, but at least I don't have a temperature.

We go through the week. My wife gets progressively worse. She peaks at times where she's okay, then drops back down to fevers and feeling like shit. Being pregnant, we have to keep her temperature much lower. 100.4 is about all the twins can stand. We're doing pretty good. Saturday, my wife wakes up with pinkeye. Go to the emergency clinic on December 23. Three hour wait. So we wait and she gets goop to put in her eye. She now has: bronchitis, pink eye and occasional flu-symptoms.

We manage to get Christmas together (barely). Kim's hacking up a lung, and I sleep on the couch Christmas night (my mother-in-law stole my bed in the guest bedroom). Zach says something about itching, but we didn't pay much attention to it as he has eczema on his arms sometime. Christmas comes and passes. My mother-in-law has diarrhea so bad Christmas day that she CLOGS MY FUCKING TOILET and has to stay another night :mad:

Next day, mother-in-law goes home. Zach complains that he itches. I pull off his shirt. He has a rash over 80% of his body. My wife freaks out thinking its Chicken Pox. I remind her that's not what it looks like, and call the Pediatrician. The nurse says they're closing for the day, but gives me advice to give him some Benadryl and Motrin to keep his temperatures down (which has gone back up again). Splotches get worse, we call back in the morning, and take Zach in. Turns out some kids get freaking HIVES when the get certain Virii. That's right, my kid, for all intents and purposes, is allergic to being sick. I'm supposed to give him a 2x dose of Benadryl 3 times a day for until it clears up. That "until" could be months according to the doctor.

When we're at the Pediatrician, I notice that I'm not feeling so hot. We're close to our general practitioner, so Kim drives me over there, and I try to get an appointment. Their EARLIEST appointment was today at 1:15. I take it and we head home. Grab McDonalds and I feel like absolute shit. Eat and climb into bed. I shit you not, I thought I was gonna die. My head was splitting and I couldn't get comfortable. Temperature was as high as 103. Took DayQuil all day (remember, we're all sick here), at night, I finally said fuckit and took 800mg of Advil to get rid of my headache. Within an hour, my fever broke and I felt immediately better. Ate two cups of soup, and helped take care of the boy for the night shift.

This morning, I get up, feel a lot better, but Kim's sick again. I head out to the doc's at 12:30 (its across town, but I like to be early - I just made it on time, but that's another story). Get in, they take my information and I wait for the Doctor to show up. Generally, I LIKE Dr. Neal. He's very to the point and USUALLY listens. I told him that I had bronchitis and the flu. He asked me to describe the symptoms. I do and he tells me that the 'flu' is symptoms of the bronchitis. He gives me a prescription for an inhaler and antibiotics. I know that the antibiotics probably won't do much, but take them anyway.

Get home, my wife's got diarrhea. Just. Like. Her. Mom. Fucking great. Her temp's up again and she now has 4 count them F O U R diseases and being pregnant, can't take shit. It was as high as 101, but I gave her tylenol and a luke-warm shower and got it back to about 99. I feel like crap, and what do you know - I have it too. So does the boy.

Fuck this.

d

I had managed to keep the disease at bay for two weeks, but alas, I too am now ill with flu-like symptoms.

What's worse is my son has HIVES from the virus that struck him down.

God this sucks. Off to get more NyQuil.

I went and grabbed my glasses today. I'm now officially part of the vision-enabled. The frames I decided upon are actually very nice, Oakley Jackknife. The lenses however... Let me start by saying I'm light sensitive. Blue eyes, worked nights for years, yeah - me and Mr. Sun aren't exactly best friends. So the doctor talks me into getting a 10% tint in the lenses (along with a few other goodies like anti-reflective and scratch resistance). I look like a complete and total dork because of the damned tint. Its a shame too, because its actually the perfect amount of tint for me. I feel less like I'm being bombarded by the rays of light coming out of everything right now.

Ah well, perhaps this time next year, I'll get a new set of lenses and drop the tint. I got the cheap lenses (plastic) and the Doc said to wear my real sunglasses outside anyway.

My uncle didn't make it out to my house this year (he's fighting the same bug as everyone else). With everyone sick (and my son now has a 101 fever... again), it was different. It was shorter than normal as everyone was not quite 100%. We all had fun, took a lot of turns playing Wii. Many games of bowling were played.

Speaking of the Wii, I got 5 games to play over the next few months:
- Excite Truck
- Super Monkey Ball
- GT Pro Series (w/ Steering wheel thingie)
- Rayman Raving Rabbids
- Need for Speed Carbon

Got a few Alton Brown things (I'm currently wearing my "Science: Its what's for dinner" T-shirt). Got a few small things from my parents (they bought us tires for the Magnum last month for "X-mas"). My wife was surprised by the diamond earrings I bought her. My son seems to enjoy the Thomas trains he got as well as the tool set.

The entire family's been sick for a few weeks now. It started with my son getting moderate to high temperatures (101.9 range) and a hacking cough. We treated him with the Motrin / Tylenol 1-2 punch and got the fever down, but it kept coming back. Doctor prescribed an antibiotic amoxicillin to help fight his congestion, but my wife, in caring for him, caught it. Being pregnant, she can't take anywhere near the amount of medications that the rest of us can, so she's stuck with this low dosage antibiotic. Thankfully, she took the week off from work, unfortunately, the cough has turned into bronchitis. To add to it, this morning, she woke up at 4AM with her eye glued shut. Pink eye. Great. Merry F*cking Christmas.

On the other news front, we got another sonogram yesterday. Both were about the same size, and had 'estimated due dates' (due to sizes etc) within 2 days of their previously planned due date (March 21). We expect they'll go earlier due to overcrowding, but they're the size of normal singletons of their age, which is awesome.

As some of you may remember, when we had the initial sonogram, baby A wasn't cooperating with sex determination. This time we got a good look, and its going to be two more boys! We're thinking of Alexander (Xander) and Xavier for their names right now. Our eldest is Zachary, so there's a bit of onomatopoeia going. Middle names are being discussed, but my wife wants to do William and George (honoring two of our grandfathers). My son's middle name is my father's first name, so there's a reason behind that as well.

Nintendo has a form available for Wii owners to get replacement straps for their Wiimote controllers. You need the serial number from your Wii system to fill out the form. Nintendo says they'll begin shipping on December 21.

1. If you had to live in a different state than the one you live in what would it be?
Florida

2. If you were on a plane that crashed, would you rather be stranded on an island or a desert?
Island

3. What "catches your eye" first in the opposite sex?
bOObies

4. How much do you think a guy should spend on an engagement ring?
As little as he can get away with :)

5. How old do you want to be when you retire?
55

7. Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most attractive person in the world?
Smartest. You can fix looks with plastic surgery after you make all the money from being smart.

8. Do you think tattoos are hot?
They can be.

9. What was your first pet?
Cat.

10. Where did you go on your first Spring Break?
I never went on spring break.

11. Are you scared of spiders or snakes?
I have some weird allergy to some spiders, so I steer clear of them. I'm not super afraid of either.

12. What was your first job?
Grocery Bagger

13. What is in your front, right pocket?
Car keys.

14. Do you put up a real Christmas tree each year?
Artifical pre-lit FTW.

15. How many blankets are on your bed?
One comforter.

16. Do you have a TV in your bedroom?
Yes

17. When was the last time you received a card in the mail?
A couple days ago we recieved an xmas card from some family members.

19. Who was the last person that text-messaged you?
Nagios Alert System (system down)

20. Who was the first person you saw today?
My wife.

21. Do you have any awards hanging on your wall?
No, I have them in my closet right now.

22. Do you own glasses?
Not yet, I go to the eye doctor Tuesday.

23. When is the last time you shaved something on your body?
Couple days ago

25. What was your first vehicle?
86 Dodge Aries K station Wagon (my mom's). My first car that was 'mine' was an 87 Z-24 Cavalier.

26. Do you miss high school?
Nope, just some of the people.

27. Are you more of a neat or messy person?
I'm a slob.

28. Do you think that everyone should have a cell phone?
Yep

29. Do you remember your first family vacation?
Disneyworld was the first 'biggie' but my family always went to Chicoteague every Easter and Thanksgiving.

30. Ever been in a fight with a best friend?
No

31. Ever puked in public?
No

32. Would you prefer dinner and a movie or bowling and ice cream?
Bowling & ice cream.

33. Do you sleep with your door open or closed at night?
Open so the cats and child can roam.

34. How far do you live from work?
61 Miles

35. Do you believe in afterlife?
No

36. How many credit cards do you own?
Two

37. Would you move to another country tomorrow, if you were offered a $100,000 job?
Depends on the country. I make nearly that here now.

38. How many kids do you see yourself having?
I have one and two on the way. I can't see us having more after these.

39. Were you a trouble child?
No

40. Do you like butterflies?
Uh... No. They're a bitch to get off the windshield when they go splat.

41. Can you shake your booty?
No. Alas, I'm white.

42. Do you shower at night or in the morning?
Morning.

43. Where is your favorite place to eat?
At home.

44. What did you wear to bed last night?
Underwear

45. Do you have to sleep with something "ON" every night in order to sleep?
Yeah, I guess.

46. On average, how much TV do you watch a day?
About 2

47. Do you have any piercings?
One 12 ga in each ear.

48. Would you rather go snorkeling in the Caribbean or hiking on the Appalachian Trail?
Snorkeling. I'd rather dive though (I'm even certified by PADI).

49. Have you ever taken karate lessons?
I took Kung Fu for a while.

50. Do you think if you got married, you would ever get a divorce?
I am married, and I don't forsee getting divorced.

1. What is your occupation?
Sr. Unix Systems Engineer

2. What color are you socks right now?
White

3. What are you listening to right now?
CPU fans

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
4 sausage links and toast

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yep.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Death Black

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My mom

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
I saw it posted a few times, and I generally like those who have posted it (I DO have them friended afterall)

9. How old are you today?
30 years, 2 months shy of 31

10. Favorite drinks?
Snapple Apple, Mt. Dew, Sweet Tea.

11. What is your favorite sport to watch?
WRC

12. Have you ever dyed your hair?
I've got highlights, does that count?

13. Pets?
Two cats. Solaris (overweight Orange Tabby) and Ash (Black Tabby with a nerosis)

14. Favorite food?
Chicken, apples, Indian.

15. What was the last movie you watched?
Watched Van Helsing last night on TNT

16. Favorite holiday?
Fourth of July. All of the family togetherness, with none of the Christmas / Thanksgiving stress.

17. What do you do to vent anger?
I play video games.

18. What were your favorite toys as a kid?
Video games, transformers, Construx.

19. What is your favorite: fall or spring?
Fall. Apples are in season and I LOVE apples.

20. Hugs or kisses?
Yes please.

21. Cherry or blueberry?
Cherry.

22. Do you want your friends to send this back?
friends?

23. Who is the most likely to respond?
blinder

24. Who is least likely to respond?
Cowboy Neal

25. Living arrangements?
3500 sq ft house, 4 bedrooms. Wife, son. Twins expected in February / March.

26. When was the last time you cried?
When I found out about my impending financial ruin (twins).

27. What is on the floor of your closet?
Shoes. Sock baskets. Winter scarves/gloves/hat basket. Clothes I intend to throw away but never get around to.

28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you're sending this to?
blinder

29. What did you do last night?
Played Wii. Bowling and golf mostly.

30. When's the last time you hit a pot hole and fucked up your tire?
Uh, 2004. My Avenger, and the super nice hot white rims I had mounted only a few months before.

My parents were over today to help us move some furniture around in preparation of babies "a" and "b" arriving soon. My son decided to turn on the Wii to show Pop pop and Grammy. At first, my parents were apprehensive about playing, but within an hour, they were both competitively playing the Bowling and Baseball games within Wii Sports. I showed them around the system a bit, but between working, we managed to all play Wii for about three hours apiece. My mom who is a pretty hard person to get to move, was swinging bowling balls for the better part of 5 games, and even managed a few home runs in the home run derby.

If Nintendo is trying to really corner the "but I don't play games market" I think they have a winner on their hands. I passed on Technolust's declaration of the fun of Super Monkey Ball for Wii, and my Dad made me write it down for my Mom. They state they don't want one of their own, but hinted that the fourth controller may be purchased for the Wii to make it a complete set, so more people could play together at the same time.