Time to recap - I've been a slacker

So, I found some more time to put my fingers to work on some blog topics. From the last time I wrote, some really big things have happened; some more surprising than others and some larger than others.

We'll start with the smaller of the items. I am still employed. This in itself shouldn't be surprising. However, with the economy and the amount of impact that was done to the banking and financial services sector, still having a job is of no small consequence. That being said, I didn't weather the storm completely unscathed. The bank invoked cost saving measures at my pay grade and higher. There were two methods made available to the individual business lines at the individual level. These methods had a common goal. Save 5% across the board. The methods available were to force everyone to take a 5% pay cut or 2 weeks unpaid vacation. My business line chose to take the 2 weeks of additional vacation, unpaid. This was handled in a very nice way. Once started, payroll would deduct from each of our paychecks for the rest of the year a portion of the amount of the cost of 2 weeks vacation. Therefore, these "mandatory" days were then added to our pool of vacation days. Therefore, we did not have to take a block of time off without a paycheck. I did volunteer for the unpaid block and was turned down. Since I have the guard to supplement my income, I could have taken the unpaid time in a block when I had my annual training and not missed a beat. My management decided not to take that route and handle everyone in a uniform fashion. I can certainly see where they are coming from.

So, if you are paying attention, you should be asking yourself, 2 weeks of pay is not 5% of your income. If you are asking that, good. You are paying attention. If you are not, eh, I've given you a pass this time. So, what about the rest of the percentage? I don't know. I think the business line found those funds from other places like: travel budget, training budget, contractors, professional services and other "non-essential" expenses which were previously on the books. That is purely speculation. Quite frankly, I never did get a straight answer to that question even though we (myself and peers) did ask that question.

So, moving on chronologically, the next event was that I officially and successfully departed the 20-something range. I didn't expect that this would be any thing to write about. Typically, I am of the opinion that it is just another day in another year. This one felt different. I know that I gave Angel grief on her 30th and she gave me her share and even took it a step further by having a surprise party for me. That was cool, but that's only part of what made this one different. It wasn't really on "that" day, but it was around that period that my brain started to churn the concept of entering a new decade of association. I wouldn't say so much that I'm getting old because I don't feel "that" old, but I'm certainly not a teen anymore.

Turning thirty got me thinking about my goals and personal expectations that I had for myself. I can recall back in high school, when asked where will I be in X years or how do I see my future unfolding, I had a pretty concrete vision as to how I saw things happening. From the view point of high school, I expected to complete the following in order:

1. Complete basic
   
2. Earn a degree in IT (AS or BS? I didn't have an answer)
   
3. Establish myself in the IT industry as a programmer
   
4. ETS from the Army (6 and out)
   
5. Move to CA
   
6. Buy & payoff a house
   
7. Get Married
   
8. Start a family

So, with that brief outline, I can say that I've completed that list in an acceptable fashion in about the order I had expected. There are a couple large exceptions to the plan and reality.

• Yes, in 2002 I did ETs, but in 2005 I re-enlisted. Now with 11 full years completed, I plan to do my 20.
  
• Moved away from Pittsburgh, but not to CA. Landed myself in the ATL instead.
  
• Found a house to plant our roots, but are certainly 30 or so years from paying that one off.

So, with those mostly minor exceptions, I can say that I've been pretty successful in executing my development plan post high school. The only question left at this point is what is my plan for my next X period of time? Well, we'll talk about that some more later in this post.

So, to move on toward lighter subjects, the surprise party was certainly a surprise. Angel did a bang-up job pulling this off. Typically, family is pretty easy to organize and convince to do things which would be considered above and beyond. Therefore, getting Mom & Dad Denner, my Mom, Dana & the boys to travel down to GA at the same time does not strike me as overtly difficult to swing. However, trying to include friends to execute this trek is a bit more monumental. Now, I will admit that the guys that did make the drive are not "just friends" and they are damn near family, yet seeing them there was simply shocking. Damn, here we are, just over 6 months after the fact and I'm still moved by the gesture. Then to top it off, Eagle wrote what could be a small window into just how close we are as friends or a long winded toast. Shit, it could have been a eulogy. Although, it was interesting that he had D read it aloud and she even got worked up because of it. What a wonderful wife I have and how blessed I am for the friends that I do have.

Well, the weekend of the surprise party truly had another surprise in store for me. As fate would have it (isn't she funny that way?), the last bullet in my "to-do" list became a reality. We didn't know it then, but were able to track it back, that it was that weekend in April that we conceived the little bundle of joy which is supposed to be joining us at the end of January. The 24th to be exact (or as exact as this type of calculation can be made). So, at this time, we are on the road Pittsburgh bound for the baby shower, a couple of birthdays, and Thanksgiving. This week in da'burgh has other significance, but more on that later.

So, due to the concerns around the development of the baby within Angel, we've undertaken another life changing course of action. Angel because of a high recommendation and myself in support of her, we've quit smoking. Since about the age of 16, this is the longest I've gone without smoking even one cigarette. At this point we are both above 5 months quit. Angel quit on May 30th and I quit on June 10th. In this period of time, we have saved a combined total of over $1,000. So, besides having the financial and personal health reasons to quit but having a child to be responsible for and to be a role model certainly carried enough weight to not only take the step to break the habit, but is also the motivation to remain quit. I am not going to try to recap the experience of the past 5 months effort in quitting. What I will say is that it is amazing how much power and control nicotine has over the body and mind. I would say that it is at least twice weekly that I have a dream where I light up. And let me tell you, it invokes a guilty feeling.

So, as if all of the above information wasn't heavy enough, I have some more heavy news. As a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard, I have been alerted of a deployment in 2010. Due to OPSEC concerns, I won't get into anything specific. I can say that our current intel says that as a member of my unit, my orders will put me away from home for a year, boots on the ground for 9 months, and we're bound for Iraq. This information is not cast in stone, terms are subject to change, and your mileage may vary.

So, this leads me directly into my last new topic of conversation before I start trying to wrap this post up. While I was at my annual training at the end of July and the beginning of August, a back problem was brought to my attention. This is something more than my typical lower back tension. I'm not saying that the situation/condition is serious or not because I don't yet know. I thought that in the time since it presented itself that it would have worked itself out. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Here we are, November, and the discomfort is still present. Thankfully, my day-to-day activity does not unduly stress my back and I'm able to function normally, to include yard work, hockey, or almost any other "everyday" activity I can dream up. Interestingly, I have found one activity that will flare it up in a heart beat. Standing. Standing for long periods of time, like shopping at the mall or "good" grocery shopping or a standard day with the NG. These activities are enough to remind me that something isn't right. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about gloom & doom here. It is a generally dull pain that rivals that of a joint that needs cracking. Unfortunately, I haven't found a movement that will relieve the pressure. Although, there is one big difference between this and joint pressure, that is the pain on contact. I can put my thumb between the vertebrae where the pressure resides and will get a sharper pain.

So, at my SRP in October, I brought this to the attention to the doctors doing our reviews. I thought that they might take a look at it or something. Instead, they said "here" and handed me a 90 day profile and a medical referral to see my own doctor on my dime. I don't know why I would have expected anything different. Anyway, I saw my doctor on Vet's Day and he tells me that a MRI is the course of action to take. My MRI is scheduled for December 1st. My doctor also mentioned that the pain is at T12 and L1. Therefore, he has requested both a Thoracic and Lumbar MRI. Therefore, my eligibility for deployment will hinge upon what the MRI results present.

So, with all of that out in the open now, allow me to reflect back to my earlier points.

This trip to Pittsburgh is significant because of all of the events pending at the start of 2010. Due to the pregnancy, Angel will not be permitted to travel during the Christmas holiday, not that I am in the position to have any time left for that anyway. But more importantly, once Cat is born in January, we're not about to travel with her north. Therefore, this will be my last trip home until after my deployment. I'm not saying that I won't see my family again before I leave, but this may be the last time I see my friends until that time. Thankfully, I manage to keep in close contact with everyone via our many forms of communication mediums which include IMs, phones, e-mail, and Facebook. In all reality, being in Iraq may not present me much different to them than the distance that we already have between us and have already adjusted to handle. For all I know, I may be more productive here an in other places because my "off hours" activities will be much more restricted. Only time will tell.

As for my other incomplete thought, what will my plan be for my future? Well, I don't have a comprehensive answer for that question. What I can tell you is that in the next year and half or so will be all about friends, family, and staying alive. We can have this discussion at such time that I am safe at home again.

So, if you have made it to this point, then I applaud you. My laptop is saying that it is time to stop because the battery is getting low. Also, in standard fashion, I have completed another marathon post (i.e. a book). One of these days I will determine a way to get this out in smaller pieces which are digestible in a quicker fashion. Maybe.

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Re-Introduction to Console Gaming - Wii

So, this year for Christmas, we decided to do something different. Instead of each of us buying the other something, we chose to buy us something for us. We're now the new, proud owners of a Nintendo Wii system. Also, since it is such a big ticket item, it was certainly something we wouldn't have purchased otherwise.

Although, once we got the system home and started playing it, I quickly decided that it was a shame that I had waited so long to get one. The interface is engaging enough to be fun and not so complex to exclude new gamers. I guess that is the core reason why it is doing so well across all age brackets.

As far as games go, our collect is still relatively small. We started out with Wii Sports (came with the system), Rayman 2, and Wii Party. Generally speaking, each of these games are group games. Rayman and Wii Party are designed to be played socially. There isn't much to them in regards to single player appeal.

Wii Sports is fun solo or in number. However, I've only taken to tennis and bowling. The golf seemed to be overly simplistic and unrealistic with my "real" golf swing and boxing was just utterly frustrating. I guess boxing may be more fun with other people, but I just didn't get the bug for it solo.

I furthered our game collection with Dream Pinball and Super Swing Golf. Dream Pinball is not a gamers game. It is just what it advertises: pinball. However, in their design of the game, they must not have been pinball players. Not all of the boards have "missions" like modern tables do. I frequently got the feeling that I was just smacking the ball around to get points with no real objective other than a high score. I'm sorry, but score is not all that the game is about. It is the skill of being able to manage the table to complete the tasks before you. Well, that game's appeal was quickly lost when on my first attempt at one of the tables finished out at over 1 billion. At that point, Angel didn't want to play any more that day.

As for Super Swing Golf, this one is interesting. It is also one of those games that has multiplayer appeal. The controls are available as motion detection or button timing. For multiplayer, motion detection is certainly the way to go. For single player, not so much. In order to be even remotely competitive with the bots, you have to go for button timing. The motion detection controls are just not consistent enough, as you might imagine. I also found the motion detection method frustrating, even more so than Wii Sports golf. Super Swing Golf tried to make the feel of a real swing tie into the game. You can do a whole bunch of things with your wrists to affect the flight of the ball. However, the power bar doesn't use speed as a determining factor but rotation. The farther you pull the wiimote back and above your head, the more power you will put on it. However, in order for me to get full power, I had to use one hand to swing. Not very realistic. Also, timing the swing and button press to strike the ball is a pain because you have to position yourself such that you can swing and see the powerbar at the same time while flipping your arms around. Maybe I'm just not a very good golfer. :)

So, I then started to poke around in the channels. I saw previews for some games that really drew me in, but I didn't react immediately. Although, when Exile made the suggestion to get one of the games, I was sold. Therefore, I bought some credits and downloaded World of Goo and Tetris Party. Exile suggested Goo. Well, it was a good thing that I chose a 3 day weekend to start this adventure because I totally squandered my 3 day vaca. Once I started playing World of Goo, I couldn't stop. By Monday night, I had the game beat with the exception of the OCD challenges and 2 levels that I just couldn't bring myself to find the determination to finish.

So, between very interactive games, fun games, and downloadable games, I can certainly see us getting plenty of use out of our system. I can't speak for Angel, but I will say that Mario Cart and Wii Fit are on my future purchase list.

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Angel's 30!!

So, I had way too much fun leading up to Angel's birthday. Granted, this was only fun as the younger one that has yet to reach that milestone. We didn't have anything extravagant planned, but we did mange to make it a good night.

Well, apparently I had executed an interesting faux pas prior to the day in question. Historically, I've only felt compelled to inquire against someone's desire for a gift in the event that I don't already know. Therefore, I knew what the gift would be and never asked. As to some additional logic, I knew the item in question would not be on the request list even though the item was a wishlist item. Therefore, since I knew better, I didn't feel the need to ask. Well, this caused all kinds of fears. I got an e-mail from Angel's mom saying that a comment was made regarding me forgetting about their birthday. I guess I never realized that it was an obligatory inquiry instead of a necessity. Of course I didn't forget.

Anyway, the enjoyment for me started the night before her b-day. I kept giving her periodic updates as to the impending midnight hour. I would give her comments like "you only have 2 hours left as a 20-something" or my favorite one, "you only have x time before you are OLD". There were a few others, but those were the memorable ones.

So, in typical fashion, I waited until the day before to go shopping. Thankfully I knew what I was after and where I was getting it from. Therefore, it wasn't a huge deal. I also had further reason for the delay. I knew if I were to have gone shopping earlier, she would have seen the transaction against our account. And it wasn't a particularly small transaction that would have been easily overlooked.

So, even with the periodic time updates for "crossing the line", I made up for it with my gift. I purchased her a set of Diamond Audio D363.5 component speakers. Back around April, I was looking for some more hardware for my car and Angel was with me. She had an opportunity to "view" several tiers of the Diamond Audio line. She instantly fell in love with them. I knew that I couldn't go wrong with them, even if I did stay with their lowest tier. So, at about 12:20 AM on her birthday, I delivered the gift. I couldn't wait. I wanted to see the reaction. I just knew I'd catch her off guard. And I certainly succeeded.

Well, of course, with the delivery of a gift as such, soon followed the installation of the speakers. Angel did the majority of the deconstruction of the dashboard and doors. I had to step in for a couple of things, but she handled the bulk of it. Once we were inside the doors we quickly found out that we would have to obtain an adapter to install the mid-range speakers. The mounting point was square and of course the round speaker was designed to be installed, well, round.

Well, it just so happened that we were taking a trip to Pittsburgh which allowed me to hand deliver the original speaker and the replacement speaker to Mike (proprietor of Car-Speaker-Adapters.com since photos and measurements provided over the phone were not ample to the identification of the correct adapter. He was unable to readily identify the adapter because Hyundia is a model that he hasn't worked with in the past. Therefore, while we were home, he was able to do the fabrication and send us on our way with our new parts.

When we got home, we cut the holes in the covers for the A-pillar, found homes for the crossovers (in the dashboard incidentally) and wired it up. It was such a pleasure to hear them for the first time in their new homes. The difference from factory to aftermarket is just so profound it isn't very funny.

Once we got the car reassembled, it was time to start cruising around to hear how traveling effected the system. Well, even without a 4 channel amp to push the component system, the results are great. I know that Angel is pleased with the results and that just makes me happy.

In closing, I highly recommend after market component speakers to anyone who is looking to improve the clarity and definition of their car stereo system. Please remember, you get what you pay for. Therefore, if you go to Wally-World and buy the $50 specials and are then not happy with their performance, don't blame me.

Additionally, the tweeter placement is also very important. I cannot give you pointers on this because I've only dabbled into this arena just recently. I have seen only two configurations with any real scrutiny and there are, by far, many more than that to choose from. I can say that there is a stark difference between my car and Angel's. This is not only due to speaker design & manufacturing differences (i.e. cost) but also from installation placement. My system has front to back depth whereas her's has a left-to-right depth.

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NG - On Alert

As some of you know already, my NG unit has been placed on alert as of October drill 2008. If you didn't know, you do now. :)

Anyway, every time I have had to share the news, the same question comes up, "So, what does this mean?" Well, I'm gonna tell you now the best metaphor that I have been able to find. Imagine that you are driving down the highway and see a sign that reads, "Construction Ahead". Well, this is your "alert order". Once you drive down the highway some more you will either encounter an active construction zone or not. Well, my alert order works the same way. I don't know if I am going anywhere or not. Only time and travel will tell.

As my commander has told us, "we don't know we're not going, so we're going to train like we are."

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Torhs at Bruins - Championship Game

I had initially planned to give a full game overview of my team's performance, my performance, and overall highlights to the game. Unfortunately, I cannot give this to you at this point in time. Suffice it to say, I don't remember all of the details that I wanted to give.

So, for a brief back-story, the Tohrs completed the regular season with only a single loss (which was to us). And as we had expected, we met again for the final game.

The game was not nearly as close as I would have predicted. The first period was pretty even. The period siren rang and we were up by a point. Something happened at this point in time and we turned on the pressure. From the second period to the end, the closest they ever got to a comeback was down by 2. As you can imagine, we were overly excited that we were able to pull out the championship from the perceived favorites.

This leads to a conversation that I found to be interesting. After the game was over, we got our championship t-shirts and got out of our equipment. On my way out of the facility, I talked to the league coordinator. He told me that when they were assembling the teams at the start of the season, they had anticipated our team's win. I found that interesting at first, but found the next comment to be even more thought provoking and counter intuitive. The statement was made that if they would have had a short bench, we would have had a more difficult time taking them down.

So, think about that. If they would have had less players, they would have been more difficult to defeat. Odd concept, but if you look thru the season, it does hold water. Unlike our team, every player did not attend every game of the season. Therefore, the core part of the team that did attend, was very strong. However, when you add in the "stragglers", it breaks the cohesive nature of the team. Well, they had a full bench and we won, I don't have a hard time not thinking about the alternative outcomes of what could have been.

That night, after Angel and I finished dinner, we went to chill at the house of one of my teammates. It is a damn good thing that I don't start work until 10AM. It was well after 3 by the time we left his place and we still had a 1/2 hour or so drive in front of us. The important part is that we were safe and I did make it to work the next morning.

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We're Still Alive

Everyone who periodically checks in with us, I apologize. We have been quiet for a while again. According to my login, my last post was in mid October. I have half written messages that need completing, I have more Driver's Rant articles on the table, and I also have much catching up to do. However, in the grand scheme of things, there haven't been many earth shattering occurrences during this latest quiet time.

I am not going to get in-depth on each topic that I would like to catch-up with here. However, here is a quick run-down of the highlights:

• Beagle got married
• My hockey team won the championship from the season I was documenting
• My NG unit has been placed on alert
• Angel turned 30
• We upgraded the speakers in Angel's car
• We got a Wii
• Angel got a second job
• We finally got our wedding picture album
• I've started another season of hockey
• I put down some flooring material in our attic

Of course there is a story that can go along with each event. A couple of them have already been started and I may get around to writing about the others. Time will tell.

However, you may be asking yourself, "What has come about that I'm finally getting around to doing some writing again?" Well, that would be a fine question. I am patiently waiting for an OS installation to complete on my new server. My old server finally kicked the bucket and I'm working on creating its replacement. I'm sure I've noted in the past (around the time we had the lightning strike) that my server wasn't in very good health. Well, I was correct and I neglected to build the replacement server before it went belly up. Thankfully, I know now that I didn't lose any data, although, it was a grave concern at the start of this process.

Speaking of building my server. I can't say how frequently I'll be returning here to put up additional posts. Ever since my unit was placed on alert, it seems that my priorities have changed. I have found much motivation to tie up loose ends that didn't seem so loose before. I have been working on a website now for what feels like almost a year, and I still don't have it complete. I have placed much pressure on myself to get this project completed. This is so that in the event that the mobilization order comes down, I will not have to tell him that the project will have to wait until I get back. I have other projects and things that I would also like to start/continue to follow this one. Therefore, my time is even more at a premium than it was before. I am not saying that I won't get around to it, because I would like to, though, time will dictate the results.

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Bruins at Redwings - Hockey League - Week #13 - Game 12

Here we are, the final game of the regular season. We're already sealed our spot into second place and we're playing the last place team. To make matters worse, as if being statistically out of the game, they arrived short handed. They only brought five skaters to the game. Such a pitty for them, at the beginning of the season, they managed to defeat us. Such was not going to be the case tonight.

This game was absolutely lopsided in every way. The momentum, offensive time, and most importantly, the scoreboard. When the game ended, we had racked up 11 (or 12) goals to their 1. It was a slaughtering.

Anyway, intra-team game play had a completely different feeling this week. Everyone was trying to help the guys on my line to score goals. Specifically me. I can't tell you how many times the guys on the bench would tell me they were trying to hit me and couldn't for one reason or another. Anyway, I did manage to touch the puck and get a few shots off toward the goal. One of them was a one-timer and the other two were rebound attempts. There was one in particular that was just funny.

I managed to get the puck in the center of the offensive blue zone, but I lost my balance for some reason. Anyway, while I was on my knees I was using my stick to fend of the other team while I was trying to pass the puck toward the net, hopefully to one of my teammates. Well, that was the intention anyway, because I couldn't get my blade on the puck. I had to have flailed at it three times before the other team managed to get it away from me.

At the beginning of the game, it was said that their goalie was playing injured. I'm not so sure about the injury, but we were just eating him up. We were dominating the game so badly that our goalie yelled at us after the first period. He said, "You guys have got to play more defense, I'm just taking way too many shots this game." Then one of the guys asked him how many shots he took and answered 2. We just busted out laughing. Anyway, the second period didn't get much better. Therefore, he decided to take things into his own hands. He skated across the court and traded sides with their goalie. Therefore, we were shooting against our own goalie. It was certainly a sight to see. It was also interesting to see how he would stand up to us and us to him.

He didn't finish the game unbeaten, but he certainly slowed the scoring streak we were putting on the other goalie. After the game, I asked him how it was defending against us. He said something along the lines of, you guys are ferocious. Granted that was a comment toward the team as a collective, not a line breakdown. However, it does let me feel more confident about our chances going into the playoffs. We fully expect to take the first round(s) easily and advance to the finals. We expect to play the Torhs in the finals. As mentioned before, we have a 1-2 record against them. I think that once we make it there to play them, it will be a final to watch.

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Bruins at Knights - Hockey League - Week #12 - Game 11

This week's game really brought a trend to light. Thus far, all season, only one team has consistently brought all of its players to play every weekend. That would be my team. The least players we've ever had on a weekend was eight. Each team is filled with ten players, which includes a goalie. The weekends where we had eight players was when our goalie didn't show. Therefore, our bench has always held two lines minimum. Well, this week also showed us the converse of our situation. The Knights only had 5 skaters available. Talk about being dog tired after the game is over. Those shifts were seriously long.

As you can imagine, with two full lines against barely one, we had a distinct upper hand. This game was a no-contest event. We handily won this game, but you couldn't tell by how we were playing. We're all there to play and it would appear that we, as a team, don't care one way or the other (winning or losing) to adjust our game. We pushed them as hard, if not harder, at the end of the game as compared to the beginning of the game.

For me, this was a dangerous game to play. Somehow, the previous week, I managed to misplace my mouth guard. As most of you know, I have put a considerable amount of money into repairing my teeth. To play a game with as much potential for damage as hockey without protection is just foolish. Well, there wasn't much I could do about it once I was at the court. I played this game without one. Thankfully, nothing happened to my teeth during the game, but this situation isn't something I want to readily reproduce any time soon. Additionally, when I was searching my gear for my guard, I discovered that the lining of my equipment bag has ripped. All three of the pockets were bleeding into the center area. I guess it was past time to get a replacement. I can't remember how many different sports I had used this bag to transport equipment or for how many years I had done so.

As far as my performance this week, I felt I played more physical based on what I had learned the week before. Unfortunately, at the end of the game I was still minus on the +/- shift chart (I think). During these past 10 games, I have come to realize that my shift is weak on allowing odd man rushes and being too forward most of the time. This week, I made a conscience effort to try to contribute in the avoidance of odd man rushes. However, since they expect me to be playing offense, I wasn't able to do a very good job of this. Although, when we were in our blue zone trying to play defense as a team, I managed to contribute a few times to the rush up court.

There were two such occasions that really frustrated me. There were two times that I was on a 2-on-1 rush with Woods. He was carrying the puck into the offensive blue zone and I was his cross court help. Neither time did he even show the thought of trying to make a pass to me. Granted, both times he scored, but when we're winning so well against an opponent, it would be nice if they would give us, other not-so-well-skilled guys, a chance. However, I was a good teammate and I didn't say anything to him or the other guys on the team.

As for injuries, I managed to leave the court with a bruised knee. It took a couple of days, but it really wasn't much to fuss about. A little bit of stiffness for a couple of days and a little bit of discomfort bending it to walk stairs or to sit, but not a big deal.

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Fliers at Bruins - Hockey League - Week #11 - Game 10

Well, we've played the Fliers a couple of times by now. I'm sure you can guess at the outcome. Chalk-up another game into the win column for us. Instead of getting into the synopsis of the game and what transpired, I wanted to throw out some information that was noteworthy by my teammates and my game-play recap.

Woods, one of my teammates that plays for The Syndicate. The Syndicate is an AIHL team based out of the arena that we play in. Yes, he is that good. Anyway, he took an opportunity to embarrass the goalie with only a few seconds left in the game to put away the last goal of the game. It was just sickening to watch and I have to give him credit for being able to put the puck in the net in the way he did it. He managed to get a breakaway opportunity and was dekeing as you would expect, but what he did at the end was simply amazing. He faked right, pulled the puck left and put it behind him and took a behind the back, backhand shot thru his legs and beat the goaltender. It was just an amazing feat.

My game-play this week wasn't anywhere in the neighborhood of that stellar performance. However, I did have a revelation this week. With how badly we've been destroying this team on the court, I felt that I should have more puck time. Well, this did happen. However, I wasn't able to accomplish much when I touched the puck. I did managed to get an assist this game, but that was it. Each other time I touched the puck, something stupid would happen. I finally got frustrated with my own game play and decided to channel that energy toward the other team.

I discovered in playing a more physical game, I was getting more opportunity to get my stick on the puck. With getting the stick on the puck more often, that would allow me to be a more productive member of the team. Apparently mental attitude to the game really effects things. I had spent most of the season thinking that I can't stand up to these guys; they are much better than me. However, I didn't realize how much that was effecting my game-play. Therefore, once I started getting physical, this aversion seemed to go away and my involvement increased dramatically.

One other thing happened this night that was new. I managed to play a game and not leave with an injury or with a failure in my equipment. This was a pretty good thing seeing that Monday would bring my first anniversary married to Angel and her mother was visiting. I'm not sure what she would have thought if I would have come home limping or something.

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More yardwork

It's hard to believe how much time and effort can go into a yard when you have one. Granted it has been months since Bob and I have gotten to the backyard to do anything. We did clean up work in the springtime to finally get a few years worth of leaves cleaned up. Then it was the other day that I decided to some maintaining in the front yard. And when I was taking some of the leaves and stuff into the very back of the backyard I noticed that the backyard needed some attention. Over the summer with high winds and some of the storms that did come through there were a good amount of branches and twigs down.

Well, with it being fall and leaves starting to fall. I figured I can see the ground now. It would be beneficial to pick up as much as I can now so it will be easier on us later when we go to rake. We finally received much needed rainfall the other day. And to my surprise not to many leaves came down. But, what did surprise me were all the new branches that I found. It was a light to moderate rain not to much high wind. And also noticed that part of a tree had come down by the property line in the back.

Who knows when the tree came down. Seeing that when I was cleaning up earlier in the week I wasn't in that part of the yard. So, that could have come down sometime over the summer. It's just part of a small tree and it was caught by some growth and another tree. So, the fence that is in the back hasn't been touched by it.

With what we have done so far it is a learning experience with what we have

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Our Trip Home

As many of you know, Bob and I had made a trip up to the Burg a few weeks ago. And I do apologize to those we couldn't get together with. It was just a whirlwind of a weekend as much of them seem to be starting to become lately.

I can't speak for Bob but I know that for myself I was really looking forward to having a few days off. It isn't often that I take time off from work. I was really starting to feel the need for some vacation time. Well, the time that we had at home was much more relaxing for Bob than it was for me.

Our time home started out with me heading to a court hearing with my parents. Granted I didn't need to be there but, I wanted to be there for moral support for my sister-in-law; stressful mind you. I haven't seen my brother in a year and haven't talked to him in the same length of time. So, I wasn't sure how this was going to go with him and then seeing his new girlfriend for the first time. To top the day off, I got a parking ticket while we were there. Fortunately, my Mom was with me and fought it. The ticket went away and we continued on our merry way. We had a family get together that evening which was wonderful. I love how loud the house gets with all the kids being together (one of the things that I do truly miss).

Unfortunately one of the neighbors passed away. Mom and I went to a funeral on Friday. She was a really sweet lady that always made sure that she at least said hello to you. She always had a smile on her face and that's how I'll always remember her.

Bob and I went to the rehearsal dinner for one of our friends weddings. It was great to spend time with the bride and groom before the day of the wedding. Then Bob and I went out afterwards and ran into one of his old friends. So it made it a great ending of a fun evening.

Saturday Bob and I attempted to attend the ceremony but because of different circumstances we missed it. But, we did go to the reception at the zoo which was fun. It wasn't what we were thinking that it would be for the type of environment. Think about it; a wedding reception at the zoo. We were both thinking that we would probably be walking around and being able to see the animals. Quite the contrary, it was a typical reception with no walking around the zoo at all. The area was covered by a huge tent. A dance floor in the middle and buildings close by for restrooms and things like that.

With how the week was for me it was great to have a fun filled evening and being able to relax. When we left we got into a car accident. Which infuriated me. It was my car that Bob was driving and this teenager, by the way it sounded, was going to run the light until he saw us pulling out. He slammed on the brakes with the roads being wet, slid through the intersection and into my front bumper. Thank God that Bob inched out. Anyone that knows Bob, knows that this typically isn't like him at all. If it wasn't for that little thing, we would have been hit driver side tire, if we were lucky. This would have caused us to not be able to drive home. I jumped out of the vehicle and made sure that everyone in the other car was fine. After that I yelled at this kid to just get off the road. My main concern at that point was other people doing the same thing and causing more damage. At this point, I knew that my car was drivable to get home and I wanted to keep it that way.

I now have a new front bumper but, I was not happy that on our first anniversary I had to go driving around and get estimates for it. His parents paid us out of pocket for the damage to my vehicle. Yes, I knew, and still know, that I would have had every right to chew the kid out. But, seeing how he was acting and how his father was treating him, it was clear that he wouldn't hear the end of it for a while. So, why make things worse then they are? By the way it sounds, this kid will be taking the bus everywhere for a long time.

By time Bob and I got back to my parents house he had looked at me and said that I needed a vacation from my vacation. I felt the same way. I told him that the way the week was going for me why not add this accident into the whole mix.

I will admit that I'm really looking forward to our next trip home at the end of this month, knowing that it won't be nearly as stressful as last time.

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Bruins at Torhs - Hockey League - Week #10 - Game 9

Here we go again, playing the best team in the league. However, this week, we managed to get lucky. The Torhs goaltender was MIA. They recruited another tender to stand in, but this really put them at a disadvantage. If you recall, each time we've been pitted against this team, we've put up quite a fight.

The absent goaltender was just the edge that we needed. Contrary to what the SGAAsports.com website indicates, we did beat the Torhs. And it wasn't just by a last minute goal either. We won by 3 points.

Much of this game remains a blur. It was just amazing. We made the first strike, then we extended our lead, and at one point, we had the Torhs sitting at a 3-0 deficit. I don't think this team is used to being on the losing side of the scoreboard. To eventually take this game to a win was not by any means simple. I can recall sitting thru several shifts. This game was just going to well and I was not responding as fast as the other members of the team when players needed relief. Don't get me wrong, I got playing time, but not as much as most of the other members of the team. I can remember at one point when the score was tied that our scoring line stayed on the court for three straight shifts. No one wanted them to come off of the court, including them. Although, you could see that they were getting winded, you could see that they'd been out there too long, but they were not giving up. They were still scoring goals and were able to fend off the Torhs from taking the lead. I cannot recall a single time when they had the upper hand.

There was one point in the game that I do want to mention. Midway thru the third period, I got to take a shift and after a single, short play, I was pulled off of the court. This was not the first time this had happened during this game. After being the third or so time that this had occurred, I was finally frustrated enough to say something about it. I rolled over to Joel and asked him what was going on, why was I pulled? He said that he wanted to win at all costs and that he pulled me when the Torhs most dangerous player reentered the play. Therefore, he wanted a stronger player to take him head on. I wasn't pleased about the call, but with a chance to defeat the only undefeated team in the league, I was able to let it go.

My game play really didn't contain anything worth mentioning. I didn't do anything exceptional, right or wrong. The only thing that I can vaguely recall was a stand-up defensive play in the neutral zone that generated yells from the bench. I recall colliding head on with an offensive player and managed to not only not hit the floor, but managed to acquire the puck and get it to another teammate to reverse the play's momentum.

After this game was over, I had quite a serious pain in my shoulder. I was having issues lifting my right arm parallel with my shoulder and other type movements. The pain wasn't caused explicitly under weight, it would show up empty handed also. Well, I managed to tolerate the pain for just a few days and then it left just as suddenly as it started. I am not certain that this was hockey related because I think there was a morning that I woke up with the same sort of pain, but I can't remember what day it was. For all I can remember, it could have been a figment of my imagination. Anyway, as I'm sure you can infer, I can't recall what caused the injury. I'm just glad that it wasn't so serious that it didn't impede my ability to execute my Army duty that followed on the next three days.

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Redwings at Bruins - Hockey League - Week #9 - Game 8

Ok, well, I've been silent for quite a few weeks. I'm not going to get as in depth as usual because the details are not so fresh. However, I will try to get the details that I can recall to you.

This game was quite exciting for us. The Redwings were in a bad way this week. They had to recruit players from other teams to have a large enough roster to play and didn't appear to be on their game. They were definitely not on the same game as when they beat us in the first week of the season. Therefore, we handily (more or less) put them away, however, the scoreboard didn't quite demonstrate how one sided this game really was.

From the start of this game, we were in control of the court. Our team was clicking in a way that I had yet to see so far this season. However, it may not have been clicking such much as our scoring line was stepping up their game as individuals. There were several guys that just stood out throughout the night. Lane even managed to have another natural hat-trick in just a 2 or so minute period of time. We won this game, however, the score and margin escape me. The important thing to know is that we hit the .500 mark (4/4) with this win.

As for my performance, I can recall that my line kept sending me to the net. There were a minimum of 2 opportunities for me to get the puck in the back of the net and I couldn't pull the trigger for one reason or another. There was one instance, the best of the instances, where the defense man had me in a strong stick check and I couldn't get my stick to move in a forward direction. I had a wrap around attempt that the goalie handily covered and the last opportunity that I can recall was when I tried to take a shot from the top of the right face-off circle. The shot had some zip on it, however, it was just too dead center. I hit the goalie in the center of his chest. I was really hoping to take the shot and allow one of my teammates to get the rebound. That clearly didn't work when the goalie was able to cover it with ease. However, there was one play in which I was able to rack up my second point in the season. I got an assist when I was able to pass across the rink from left wing to the right wing and he was able to score.

As for my weekly update for injuries, I left this game with a pain in my knee. I don't remember what I did to cause the injury, but I did limp around the house for a few days. It wasn't anything serious, otherwise the pain would have been more severe and longer lasting.

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Bruins at Knights - Hockey League - Week #8 - Game 7

Ok, another game in the books. This was our second match-up with the Knights. The last time we played them, we had handily beat them. As it later panned out, the goalie that we had for the first game with them would become our permanent goalie. However, he missed this game for some reason. His replacement was not a bad man to man the net. He did a wonderful job keeping the puck out of the net when we didn't leave him out to dry. Also, our offense didn't come into the game full force until the third period.

Our team play was not nearly as bad as it was during our last game. We were playing well, but we were just not finding a shooting channel at the net often enough and when we did, it wasn't frequently finding the back of the net. Although, it was getting there often enough to keep us in the game. At the end of the second period, we were down two or three goals.

There were three specific instances that I found noteworthy during the second period. The first was a beautiful no-look backhand top shelf goal scored by one of my teammates while we were short handed. It was just amazing. He was on a rush and the first couple efforts were blocked. He managed to reach a loose puck with only a glance at the net and put it in. I think it was this goal that turned the momentum from the other team to ours.

The second instance was a scary one. I realized that I had dangerously forgotten my cup while I was suiting up. This really made me take pause when I was playing on the offensive at the net. Anyway, unrelated, There was one situation where a shot was taken and caught my skate. I am not certain if the goalie would have been in position to stop the shot, I just hate to have been in the way of a shot that the goalie would have had an issue with. The goalie for this team is most easily beaten with low shots.

Lastly, right before the end of the period, there was a turnover at the red line near the boards where I was close to the play. Unfortunately, I was unable to wrestle the puck off of them. This play eventually lead to another goal for them. During the between period rest, my teammates told me that in that situation I should have played the body and risk the penalty. Yes, they were telling me to check him on the boards. The way the play panned out, the puck was in between his skates when I got there. I stopped short of hitting him (and the boards) and I was trying to play the puck. Well, I guess if I had put a shoulder on him that I could have prevented that goal. I'm not exactly certain how I feel about that mentality. My skating ability is already bad enough when it comes to stopping, but do I really what to "Bob Stop" against another person? I might have to find a compromise in between a "Bob Stop" and a check to avoid the penalty and still come away with a better opportunity at the puck. I'll let you know how that works out the next time I have that type of opportunity.

Once the third period starting buzzer rang, it was as if a switch was flicked and it was on. Lane, one of the guys on the team, just turned it on. The first few shifts of the period were somewhat lopsided. We spent the majority of the time on offense, but were unable to produce. Around the 8 minute mark, Lane turned it on. He scored a hat-trick in less than a three minute time period. Ironically, each play was almost a single man effort. From the red line to the net, it was all him for each goal. His speed is amazing and his stick handling is suiting for his speed. It was a real spectacle to see him turning on the moves. His hat-trick put us in the lead for the first time in the game. This would be the last lead change of the game.

We move one step closer to .500 to 3/4. If you would like to see the standings, team win/loss records, or pending schedules, you can find them here:

League Schedule
Team Win/Loss Schedule
League Standings

It would appear that the "draft league" wasn't very well executed according to the current standings. I would not expect a properly executed draft league to happen to be so lopsided or so predicatively so. Granted, going into this league, I wouldn't have known one way or the other, however, my teammates had told me so when we played them the first week. Although, it is good to know that each time we've played them thus far, we've been in the hunt.

So, as for my play, I am not certain that my game play is improving. I happen to be touching the puck more often than in the first couple of games, but my passing and stick handling are not improving. I guess once I can reliably get a handle on the puck I will begin improving in the passing and handling areas. If I had to say anything was going well in my play, it would have to be on the back check role. I am doing well at pressuring the other team into mistakes taking the puck out of their zone. Anyway, after this game, I had a short chat with a teammate. I truly trust his opinion. He has been honest with me thus far and he was the one that called me Rudy. I asked him if I seemed to be improving at all. Without being blunt about it, he said that my stick handling & passing needed work and that as long as they keep me playing offense and I stay in position, more opportunities should present themselves in time.

Angel was able to catch this game and she had an interesting point of view to present. Since she's missed several games and was seeing me skate again for maybe the third time, I think she has an objective point of view. So, she noticed an improvement in my skating. I'm not sure if it was a true improvement or if it was more related having gotten back into the swing of things and neither can she. It has only been this season that she has watched me play.

Stay tuned for more game updates to come in the following weeks.

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Driving Rant - Highway Driving Sans Radar Detector or With?

To continue in the series of posts regarding the ideas that I contemplated during my quiet drive from PA to GA, this next installment will address the use of a radar detector. As I know it has been noticed, I have a lead foot. Well, due to this, it has crossed my mind several times about purchasing a radar detector.

I know several people that swear by them and won't drive without them. However, the only times that I've ever driven with one was when I borrowed THay's car. I really found it to be extremely annoying. The only time the damn thing made any noise, it was just picking up stray radiation, never had I been in the car when it detected a gun.

Now, this is a stat that I'm sure you will find amazing. In all of my years of driving, I have only ever received two tickets for speeding. Once was on Ohio River Blvd on my way home from work one spring from DPI in Emsworth. I am uncertain what method was used to clock me, however, I am pretty sure it was VASCAR, not radar. The other time I was caught, it was in WV on my way home last year for Thanksgiving. I know for certain that radar was not in use for that one. The policeman used his speedo to determine my speed since he was tailing me and I didn't realize it.

So, with my two tickets, having had a detector would have done me absolutely no good. On the other hand, if I were to buy a radar detector, to avoid a single speeding ticket would make it worth it. I can't recall the cost of my first ticket, but the second one exceeded $150. Generally speaking, a detector will run you about that much. Therefore, if I were to finally break down and buy one, any time I am able to avoid being pulled over for speeding is money in my pocket. However, how often will that really occur?

I know for certain that there have been several times that I have passed highway patrol during my interstate trips and have wondered why they didn't pull me over. I know for certain that I was caught dead-to-rights. Sometimes I think that it might have something to do with my license plate. However, the NG emblem on my plate is pretty small and hard to identify unless you are directly behind me on the highway. Therefore, I really think that I have to exclude that as a defense. Therefore, why do police not bother pulling me over? Am I speeding within their tolerance range for wanting to pull over drivers? Maybe, but not always. I can't explain it.

Owning and using a radar detector is not a fool-proof way around a speeding ticket. As I mentioned, I've been clocked via VASCAR and by speedo. However, those are not the only things to take into consideration. How about Virginia? Within the entire state, it is illegal to have a radar detector in use. Furthermore, even having one mounted in your car should you be pulled over is enough to anger a cop and land you with an additional ticket and potential confiscation of your device. I don't know how many other states have similar laws, but from PA to GA, VA is the only one.

Anyway, I don't have an answer to this debate. What I do know though, is that I know many more people that don't have them than do. I think that this statistic alone is enough to answer the question. However, I would like to open up the floor to hear what you guys have to say. Is the cost of a radar detector worth the peace of mind and potential lack of tickets that they claim to avoid?

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Life in the South - Insect Combat

So, here we go again. More interesting experiences with insects in the south. However, of the insects to be covered, only one of them are actually new to me. Before I get into what happened, let me paint the picture for what I was actually doing today.

After waking up and running a few errands, I decided that between the rain we've been getting lately and the amount of time since the last time it had been done, it was time to cut my grass. Typically, this is an uneventful task. Grab the lawnmower, push it around for while, and in time, you'll be done. Then, if you are like me, you'll pull out the weed whacker and do some touch-up work. So, this was the plan and the intention for my work today. Well, for the most part, these tasks were completed. However, not without some hurdles along the way.

The first notable thing of the day took place a few times. Ants. There were 4 noticeable ant hills in my yard. 1 in the front yard, 2 in the backyard, and one to the left of our patio. Thankfully, all of the hills I encountered were blank ants. Otherwise, I would have much more to complain about after being swarmed by fire ants. Anyway, of the 4 mounds that I had to deal with, only two of them were active. By the time I was done addressing their mounds, I'm quite certain that they were not happy with me.

When I came into proximity of their colonies, I made sure to seriously reduce the size of their mounds. I doubt that I will discourage them from continuing residence in my yard with what I did, but I'm sure I caused the colony some serious discomfort. I started out with running the mower blade over the top of the mound. Nothing special, just putting a tornado over their home. From there, I would push & pull the mower across a few times and do another static run. This does a good job at taking the first few layers of dirt off the mound. It also lets them know you are there and tearing down their home. To finish off the destruction, I pull the mower back and scrub the ground with the front wheels of the mower to bring the mound down to level followed by another static run to disperse the loosened dirt. By this point, the mounds is full of action and they're pissed.

Now, DO NOT try this on a fire ant mound. If you have never been exposed to these vicious insects, please take my word on it. I personally have not allowed myself to be bitten by these hostile bugs, but I have seen other people react to them and have heard stories. The stories have been enough for me to know to give them their berth.

My next nature encounter involved a very unexpected insect. To protect the squeamish amongst us (yes, you mom), I will not post a picture. If you want to see the thing that I'm about to describe, check out the link that I will provide. Anyway, I was doing my thing, cutting the grass and had to get close to the house. In getting close to the house, I had to address the two small areas that are inset from the fireplace and chimney. Well, after getting the outer weeds that were accumulating here, I was working on getting closer to the house. Well, no sooner was a calling the first inset done, I caught some movement in my peripheral vision.

Once I was able to identify what moved, I damn near jumped out of my skin. There was a spider in a web attached to my house. Ok, this doesn't sound like a big deal. However, what I didn't tell you was how LARGE it was. This thing was about 3" in diameter from leg tip to leg tip. I am NOT exaggerating. I am serious about the size. No only was this thing huge, it was black with extremely vibrant yellow spots, and had some serious fangs on its face. Now, this encounter did not send me running for cover, but it did give me some pause. I let it be and took a walk next door. I asked my neighbor, whom is a southern native, to have a peek. I knew it wasn't a black widow and it wasn't a recluse, but due to its size, I really wanted a second opinion as to what it was and if I should want to kill it or let it be.

I know spiders are generally good things to have in your yard but, you know how it is, stereotypes don't always apply to all members of the group being reviewed. Therefore, I wanted some other input. After getting my neighbor's entire family out of their house, they were quite calm and cool about it. They said, without a doubt, don't worry about it, it is harmless. Then they said it could be either a banana spider or a wolf spider. Interestingly, when I searched for them, these options looked worse than what I had encountered. Both suggestions are not usually found to the size of the guy (actually girl, the male variety is smaller and less colorful) I found. However, I was able to find this creature online that represents what I found today. The Black & Yellow Argiope is what I found.

The black & yellow argiope is an absolutely harmless spider to humans. However, I don't recommend surprise encounters with them. They will get your attention in a hurry. Anyway, after being reassured that I didn't have to be worried about this creature, I moved on to finish cutting my grass. Well, thankfully, the grass cutting was completed successfully. However, the weed whacking took insect encounters to a whole new level.

I was just about to finish up for the night when something very alarming occurred. While I was progressing in the front yard with the weed whacker, I managed to piss off some of my unwanted residents. I had a neighbor tell me that they were there, but when I searched last, I was unable to find them. Well, I guess I had forgotten about the warning. I was whacking along and then, almost simultaneously, felt pain in my wrist, elbow, and chin. It didn't take me long to realize that I was getting stung. Anyway, I encountered a yellow jacket nest. Absolutely NO fun.

As soon as the realization hit home, I turned tail and ran around my yard. I didn't stop running until I got to the back yard. In that short period of time, there were a few things that occurred of note. My weed whacker is gas. Right before I started to run, I released the throttle, however, once I got across the yard, it occurred to me that I need to stop the engine before I toss the machine. It is amazing how quickly all of this occurred and conversely how long it felt like it took. Once the motor was stopped, I dropped it and kept running. In between turning tail and dropping the weed whacker, I realized that there was something on my face. I distinctly recall taking two swipes at my chin. Well, once I realized that they were not chasing after me any longer, I started to take stock of my damages.

I found that the stinger and part of the tail end of a bee was left in my wrist, I couldn't see where the sting occurred by my elbow and obviously, I couldn't see my own face in the yard. In addition to the stinger being present, I was shaking. I guess it was adrenaline kicking there. Anyway, it was my right wrist and elbow that got the hits. I'm right handed and Angel was at work. So, I made another trip to my neighbor's house. They hooked me up by removing the singular stinger we could find and some sting soothe. Once we finished addressing my stings, we sought to terminate the existence of these violent pests. Thankfully, I had already purchased a can of yellow jacket nest killing foam spray. We zapped the nest and headed in the house.

Well, this put an end to any further yard work. Instead of continuing on my yard work duties, I invited the guys in for an introduction to some high-end whiskey. I pulled out the bottle of Old Weller 107 and gave the guys about a shot on ice in a tumbler. They were most impressed. As was I when I first got to experience what it is. What a fine way to forget about the previous few events and wind down.

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Network Rebuild

Well, since I've told you about the WiFi Upgrade, More Network Woes, and then the Network Progress, I felt that it would be appropriate to provide you an update with where the network as gone to where stands right now as a result of all of this turmoil. I also truly hope that this will be where my network status remains for some time to come.


To start things off, I'm going to show you what my network looks like now. Then I will explain how and why it got to be this way. As I am pretty sure you've noticed, it looks considerably different from where things started before the lightning stuck my network.

The first couple things that should jump out at you is that my WiFi router is now directly connected to the cable modem and my phone adapter is in a DMZ. Yes, DMZ stands for Demilitarized Zone; networking has one of these also. Anyway, these two devices have swapped places because of an issue I encountered immediately following the installation of the new phone adapter.

As soon as I got my new adapter, I knew I had killed WAY too many peak time cell phone minutes, so I was quite excited about getting it up and running ASAP. After all was said and done, I had gone over 215 minutes OVER my calling plan for the month. But I digress, once the new adapter was put into place at the head of my network, in the old location, I started to experience issues. These issues were that my VPN connection to work would not remain stable. I thought I was having issues with my Internet connection. So, I dealt with it for a while. However, when I was done working, I was still having the same issue with my other computer w/o a VPN connection. Therefore, troubleshooting started. I rebooted my entire network. Unfortunately, this didn't fix a damn thing.

Later, I decided that I needed to see if I could find log files on one of my network devices to determine what was happening. Was this issue in my network or in my connection. Well, this new phone adapter device is drastically different, in a good way, from that of the Linksys device that was replaced. One of the unique values that are readily displayed on the status screen within the admin module for the device is its up-time. This up-time value was very telling. Every time I would experience an issue with my Internet connection and I would look at the up-time value for this device, it would tell me it in seconds.

This was obviously what identified this as the issue. Because of the successful identification of the issue, I called my service provider, Teleblend. I am not going to tell you all of the details associated with my experience with their tech support. That could be a rant all of its own. What I will tell you is that they were less than useful. Thankfully I am not a typical service provider. I took matters into my own hands. I moved this device from being the first stop in my network to being within my network. This move is where the DMZ came from. In order to ensure all of the SIP protocol communication reached this device, DMZ was the answer. With a DMZ, any inbound communication requests will do to an assigned location if the requests were not already being forwarded to a different device. Therefore, there wasn't a functional difference between how the device would be working whether it was first or second on the network. Therefore, using the DMZ allowed me to maintain a stable Internet connection AND utilize my VoIP service.

Once you get past the swap in location of the WiFi router and the phone adapter, the next thing you may notice is that there is a new device in the diagram. Well, you might think that, but not really. The network switch included in the new diagram was present in the old configuration. Just this time I felt like documenting it. You might be asking, with 2 routers with 4 port switches with a combined total of 7 ports on the network already, what do I need another switch for. Well, the answer is simple. There is only one CAT-5 drop in my office and I currently have 2 computers in there. Although, I haven't touched the second machine in a couple of weeks and should be returned to USBank shortly, but that depends on them. I have requested the shipping materials, labels, and so forth and have yet to receive them. Until that point, I will keep it up while I still have it. Therefore, to keep both machines up in the office, I have added the switch.

One additional change you may notice is the lack of DHCP addresses on two of the workstations. In my last network update, I mentioned that I was able to get the routers to play nicely with one another and using the wired router's WAN port. Well, this introduced a bit of a problem. I couldn't get the DHCP configuration to play nicely. I'd rather have the physical configuration that I want and deal with the software configuration manually. I have yet to put major effort into figuring out this DHCP issue and thus, the two workstations are currently static that are attached to this router.

In getting the two routers to play nicely, I had to set some static route points on the wifi router so it could acknowledge the wired network. On the wired router, I had to disable NAT (Network Address Translation). Google it if you are that interested. However, even when I had the wired router's DHCP server enabled, the workstations would not pick it up. But, if I were to assign static IPs to the machines, they started working just peachy. I don't know what the deal is, but for the time being, I'm not too worried about it. I don't foresee adding any new devices to the wired network any time soon anyway.

The last thing I completed, although it is likely pretty noticeable in the diagram, is the location of my server. I moved the server from being directly attached to the wifi router to being behind the voice adapter. The voice adapter is the DMZ after all. I felt that it only made sense that my external responding server should be there also. Ironically, moving the sever from one network segment to another was more difficult than it has any right to have been. Just like when I had to replace the NIC from the power surge, I had to do a bit of fighting to get this to work.

Before changing the IP in the server, I removed the port forwarding configuration in the WiFi router configuration. I then added the port forwarding to the phone adapter configuration. I left the server in its old location. The server reconfig was to be the last step so that hopefully, if I did it all correctly, it would just plug in and work. Well, in reconfiguring the server to be in different subnet, I initially reassigned the IP address, broadcast address, and local network. Once I completed this, restarted the network adapter and recabled the server into the LAN port of the phone adapter. I expected it work.

Of course, this was asking too much. In attempt to identify where the configuration was lying, I moved the switch to be behind the network adapter and cabled in my laptop. I have Apache installed on my laptop, so the standard tests to see if the network was prepared properly would apply to port 80. Well, to my surprise, it worked on the first try. Additionally, my laptop was able to communicate to the server with the ability to pull the website and SSH for remote access to the server. Therefore, my webserver hosting issues were not network device related. However, with all of the issues I've encountered along the way, I couldn't get the possibility of a network issue out of my head. I was so stumped as to what the issue could have been, I called Exile for assistance. He agreed it was a network related issue, but in the server network configuration, not the external network devices. He recommended that I research how IPTables as configured against this NIC.

Once I pulled up a list of all of the firewall filters and took some time to review them seriously, I was unable to identify any rules that would be causing my server to not respond to my requests. I then spent a ton of time searching for where the IPTables log information was being stored, but was unsuccessful. As it turns out, it wasn't relevant anyway. During my Google search, I came across a forum post that referenced the routes file in the same location as ifcfg-eth1 file. Well, this was the key. Once I opened this file, I realized immediately what this file contained. With all of the configuration settings stored in the ifcfg-eth1 file, the Default Gateway was not defined in there. Since I was moving the server from 172.16.2.0 to 172.16.4.0, the Default Gateway needed to be changed. So, as you can guess, once I made this configuration modification everything just popped in. Isn't networking and system administration fun?

In conclusion, if I set up the DMZ and server correctly (which I'm not sure I did or can readily prove), this should isolate my server from the rest of my network. For example, I am unable to access the server from my laptop by its local IP for SSH. In order to talk to my server over SSH, I must access my network's public IP. However, I can pull the server's website up via its local IP. I think this is a good indicator that I might be close at least. Therefore, if my DMZ is hacked, the rest of my machines should be safe. However, since I can't access my UI on my Linux server with any useful results, I guess I won't know until I rebuild it, replace it, or put my network switch back into the same network as the server and see what I can do. This is not an invitation for a hacker to try. However, if anyone has any suggestions how to better isolate my DMZ from my internal network, I am all ears.

Later.

Edit: I am unable to access my server by its IP address from within my network. I discovered today that the browser caching the response. Therefore, the only way I am able to access the server is to traverse the external route that the general public uses.

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Update's on our rainfall

As I'm sure everyone has heard on the news about Fay. Pretty much the last of her rainfall came through the other day. I have yet to hear an update of where we are to date on lack of rain. After what we have received, I'm sure we are getting closer to where we need to be.

But, hearing on the news the other night we will be receiving more rain at the beginning of next week from this new hurricane Gustav (I'm hoping that is the proper name and spelling). Sounds like he is going to be a pretty big storm when he hits the U.S.

Now as I hear there is another storm behind Gustav named Hannah. After hearing this I know that we will be getting the rain that we needed to get out of this drought. After or during each of these storms I'll give you updates of how we fair.

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Driving Rant - The Drivers Utopia

The second installment in the rant is not so much a rant but it is a reflection on my favorite part of the drive from Pittsburgh to Atlanta and vice versa. There is a section of road in WV that is just fun to drive. By fun, I mean it is akin to a road course track. The road just continuously turns in a cutback fashion that is a real way to see where your driving skills are at and how your car handles.

When I'm driving this section of road, there is not a preference of driving north to south or south to north. If there is any preference, it would be on the drive north. This direction gives you a gradual introduction into the turns. You can slowly realize you are in this area. Conversely, during the drive to the south, you suddenly find yourself in the turns and they eventually fade out.

Please keep in mind, this area is not always fun or anywhere close to safe in which to screw around. The majority of driving in WV is in the mountains and is prone to bad weather. Snow, rain, and/or fog will really make this area more "fun" than it has any right to have. Although, if you catch this section when it is clear, day or night, you can put the pedal down and really challenge yourself and your car.

This segment of road that is so much fun is between mile marker 57 and 99 on I-79. However, this is not 42 miles of continuous twists and turns. I think that there are really three sections in this 42 mile stretch. When driving north, you will get on to I-79 from Route 19 at marker 57. From mile 57 to 69 the turns are gentle and are very spread out. During this 12 mile segment, you can slowly ramp up your speed and see what you are willing to handle. However, these turns are slightly more gentle than the ones in the later sections of this road. You may not even realize that you are here when you first get here. It isn't until you get into the second section that the frequency and tightness of the turns may catch your attention. From marker 69 through 79 you may begin to realize that the fun is approaching, but these still do not hold a candle to the best section of the road.

Mile marker 79 - 99 is just a constant barrage of turn after turn and hill after hill. These turns are not Indy car sharp, but for an over the road experience, I've yet to find better. I have been able to take these turns in a few different vehicles and I can say that you must pay attention to your car and what it has to tell you.

Before I get into the details of how I have fared while driving this section of highway, I have to explain my standards for this drive. This is exceptional important to discuss because I am not claiming that I've driven through this area the fastest. I have been passed through the main segment of these turns. However, because of the way the people who have passed me were driving, it made my life difficult. My standard is that brakes are not to be used. Only the throttle deceleration is acceptable to make this drive fluid. The people who have passed me through this section would enter the turns way too fast and slam on their brakes to keep their car on the road. I think this is poor a practice. While you are highway driving you are at the mercy of the other drivers on the road. Brake lights don't tell you how much they are braking. Brake lights alone don't tell you why they are braking. Particularly during night driving, they could have seen a cop or in these mountains, worse, a deer.

I feel that brakes should be reserved for very specific circumstances. I believe that the only reasons brakes should be used on the highway is in an emergency situation, to avoid an accident because of slower (not to mention ignorant) traffic, traffic jams, or police in the vicinity. Outside of that, you should maintain a speed that is easy to control and does not require braking into a turn. I understand that there are times when you enter a turn too quickly and have to brake. I'm not perfect, I've entered a turn too hot before and had to brake. However, the cars that I mentioned were braking into every turn, not just one here and there. They were obviously driving way too fast for the conditions.

So, you may be asking yourself, why I don't think braking into a turn is a good idea? Well, I will give you a simple answer. I like my car, my car is more expensive than I would like to pay to have fixed or replaced. If I don't have to brake into a turn, that tells me that I am in full control. When driving in the mountains, such as this segment of highway, conditions can change in a heartbeat. Therefore, if I am comfortable enough with my speed to not brake, then my car is stable enough to help me react to a change in condition more safely than if I were already braking. So, now that you know my standards, lets talk about what I've done.

I've driven an SUV through here and I could barely get to 80 and maintain it safely. The SUV had too high of a center of gravity to try to push it through the turn at a faster speed. Also, the SUV was not mine and I had only as much experience driving it from Pittsburgh to this point of the highway; all highway driving. Not to mention, this vehicle was not built for speed and I acknowledge that. This truck was for comfort and it did that well, just don't ask it to perform like a car because it won't.

I've driven a Hyndai Elantra through here and was pleasantly surprised. It was not too difficult to push the car to doing 90 through here. However, Angel didn't like me pushing her car that fast through the turns (and I'm sure being on the phone didn't help that opinion much either). But I was certainly pleasantly surprised how it handled. However, I think that 90 was about as fast as I could have gone comfortably.

I've driven my current car, Chrysler Sebring convertible several times through this exhilarating gauntlet. I throttle myself to drive it at 90, though, I could go faster. With all of my fearlessness, driving through here faster than 90 just seems reckless. Yeah, I realize that going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit is reckless already, but to push things further would put my life and well being at additional risk.

The first time I made the trip north through this section in the Sebring, I was very surprised. Since this is the first front wheeled drive vehicle I have ever owned, I thought that with certainty that this car would act differently through these turns. I thought I would loose the feeling of the rear of the car. Therefore, I thought I would loose the ability to enjoy the twists and turns like I had before. Well, I was quickly proven wrong when I decided to test myself at this point in the drive. I started out pretty reserved; getting the feel of the car and the road in the earlier sections. I was quick to learn that the feeling of the car on the road was very similar to that which I was used to in my rear wheel cars. This gave me the confidence to push it a bit harder. I think this first time through these turns I may have pushed the envelope to the vicinity of 95. It was so exhilarating and additional confirmation that I did buy the right car for me.

The only other vehicle that I have driven through this area was my 96 T-bird. To date, this has been the gold standard of a vehicle for me to enjoy through here. I could sustain 90 easily through here, yet I doubt that I ever pushed it more than just peaking out at 100. Please keep in mind that triple digits for me is not common.

So, let me put this driving experience into comparison with some other areas that may be a bit more well known.

No, I can't provide an accurate comparison to Mulholland Drive in California. I have never had the opportunity to be on the road regardless of the chance to drive it. The only reason that I know anything about this road and its racing history is due to "Street Rod 2" It had a race over the road in question. However, I have come to learn that the road in the game was not a representation of the road in real life. I guess that isn't a big deal, knowing the name is what was more important from my perspective.

However, for you Pittsburghers (which most of you are), there is a road that I can make a small comparison against. Baldwin Road is very much a fun road to take, particularly in the ascending direction from Rt. 60. I find the uphill to be more exhilarating and much less dangerous than the descending on this part. If I knew the road was closed and could afford the disaster that could result (personally and to my car) I might think about the downhill (but that will never happen). Furthermore, I think it is unreasonably dangerous. There are just way too many things that could go wrong in the tight turns and narrow road. Conversely, in the uphill direction, there is not as much that could go absolutely disastrously wrong. Going up, you are limited by the horsepower the car can contribute and the suspension to keep the car in the correct lane and the wonderful effects of gravity. The speed limit on this road is 35, and under any but the best of conditions is completely reasonable. Although, living in Pittsburgh for as long as I had, I've had plenty of good condition shots at this road.

So, what is so exciting about this 1/2 mile hill climb? Well, it is the tight and blind cutbacks that bring you to the crest of the hill. Of my cars that I've pushed up this hill, my fastest speed has been a sustained ~55 MPH. However, after doing that once, I didn't want to seriously try to match that pace. The adrenaline was pumping that day. That record was set with my '89 T-Bird SC. I haven't owned a car since that I could ever think of getting back up to that speed. The '96 T-Bird didn't have a chance because of the lack of the supercharger on the same engine as the '89 possessed. I have too much respect for my Sebring (well earned respect mind you) to try to tach out in any sort of attempt to compare with my personal record. Also, I think the horsepower to weight ratio is just wrong to put out some real competition with the SC on this hill. Yet, it will still allow me to comfortably pull ~45+ MPH around the bends.

If anyone else has any twisty or tricky roads to share, I'm all ears.

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Hockey - League Week #6

This will be a quickie. This past weekend was a bye week for my team. Therefore, I didn't play and don't have any performance or injury reports this week. Next week is also a down week due to the holiday. I'll provide my next update in about 2 weeks.

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