Poetry?

You all know that a poet I am not.  However, while I was walking to work this evening [just a hair under a 1/2 mile], I had the start of a thing just come to me.  I didn't try to make it rhyme or force on it any specific pentameter in mind.  Not being an expert on the subject, it is possible that it is within some standard form.  Anyway, it is just a little something:

Here I sit waiting for the phone to ring. 

To whom do I await such a call, but no one. 

For a silent phone means that all is well

It is Christmas morning and far away I sit.

I wish that everyone else is happy and well.

I hope that my sacrifice is appreciated by all.

It is my hope that everyone should know what they have.

Have and hold; See and surround them.

Their creature comforts to all of their freedoms.

I serve my country to preserve our rights.

To maintain what we have and provide it to others.

Why can't they see how this can help them?

I'm not sure I exactly like it or feel that it is even complete.  But it is what I have at this time and I wanted to share.

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The Pillars of the Earth

When you begin to read your first book from an author new to you, the relationship always starts tentatively.  This one was especially tentative since the author admitted to be branching out of his comfort zone.  Between this admission and the discussion about writing about churches and cathedrals, I was concerned.  In fact, despite the fact that I had received 2 very strong and credible recommendations about this book, I held my reservations about the topic and delayed the commencement of reading for a couple of weeks.  It happened to be a trip to another camp which spurred me into cracking into the book.

WOW!  I will start off by saying that I am SO glad that I was gifted this book AND I took the time to read it.  Even with such an interesting motivation for the author, the story and breadth of the subplots was masterfully written.  This book was interesting from page one and it never quit.  There was never a lull in the story which gave you an opportunity to disengage.  The characters are very well rounded and they develop so quietly that, before you know it, you could swear that you knew them personally.  During the climatic events, you are not just drawn in as a spectator, but feel that you ARE there and genuinely share in the feelings of the characters.  All thru the book, during the ups and the downs, the captivation did not end; except, of course, when the book ended.  Even then, you finish wanting more. 

As for the cathedral aspects of the story, I recommend that you have your favorite dictionary or dictionary website handy (or just Google Image Search) so that you will be better able to imagine the details of the building as it is intended.  Quite frequently there are concepts that are introduced that are not immediately made clear as to what they are.  Unfortunately, much of the Google images search capabilities are crippled on the Army communications network.  There will be concepts which you may think you are familiar with, but seeing them makes a world of difference.  For example; what does a cloister look like?  For me, the word brings to mind the concept of protection.  Well, what protection are they talking about in the building of a church or cathedral?  Well, the walkways of course.  The monks, priests, and bishops don't want to have to be exposed to the elements when they are walking from their refectory or quarters to the church.  However, if you don't see images of this construct while you are reading the book, it will certainly ruin the image which the author is trying to create.  Even with my internet access being severely limited and filtered, I found another, albeit, unlikely source of reference material.  Around the time that I began reading The Pillars of the Earth, I started to play Assassin's Creed.  Assassin's Creed happens to be within the same approximate time period.  While I was playing the game, I started to notice the construction techniques and concepts which were presented in the book.  I would occasionally find myself saying, so that is what the cloister could look like or the flying buttress or otherwise.  I found the parallel to be quite interesting.
 
I am pleased that I have also been gifted the sequel.  I am very much looking forward to be sucked back into the medieval world of Ken Follett contained within the pages of World Without End.

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Challenge Coins

The Challenge Coin is a small and interesting part of the military eco system.  Wikipedia has a full description of the coins and their history.  Anyway, the reality of these coins during my service has been that the coin represents an impromptu award for recognition of actions taken but without the formal award process.  Coins are typically marked with the rank of the person handing them out.  In my career, I have now earned 3 such coins.  Two of them are from the battalion level [LTC/CSM] and the other is from division [Major General].

 

I hold my first coin most dear because 1) it was my first, 2) I worked the hardest to get it and 3) two stars is going hard to top.  My second coin was earned because I had the winning design in the LTC's contest.  So, as advertised, I received the first minted coin for my victory.  My last coin, well, that is why I'm writing this update.  It is a "special" one.  Before I go into the actions taken to be the recipient of the coin, I want to elaborate more on the receipt of a coin.

 

Everyone in which I have questioned within my unit and upcon unit have agreed, the receipt of a coin is almost universally given for a special/specific action which was recognized by command.  I've heard of recipients being recognized just about anything, however, I've never heard of a coin being given because someone wanted rules broken.  Typically, rules are in place to maintain control, organization, and harmony.  With receipt of this, my latest coin, there is a deviation in that universal assumption.

 

So, lets paint the picture.  I'm in my full battle-rattle, standing in my bunker, doing my part at the Entry Control Point [ECP].  I am the ranking person at the point at this time.  It was late morning and we receive a guest.  A SSG approaches our bunker with a piece of wood in his hand.  When he reaches our position he slaps the wood item face down against the bunker and requests for the soldier in charge.  This question was vague since he could have been asking for the Sergeant of the Guard or for me.  Anyway, I didn't think about this distinction when I answered as who he was seeking.  His question was simple and reasonable (IMHO).

 

This SSG described that their battalion commander was coming in at a later time that day and would like to mount an augmentation to the camp welcome sign.  The idea was intriguing and thus I wanted to hear more.  So, he flips over the sign to further drive his point home.  The sign he produced indicated, "AND NOW WITH MORE MOUNTAIN".  I just about lost it.  I thought it was too damn funny.  After granting permission, he reached out and shook my hand.  Within his hand was a coin from his unit.  It was so quick & quiet that the other guards didn't even know that I got it.  Regardless of the coin, I would have granted it.  Likewise, I still would have helped him put up the sign.

 

So, you're likely sitting there questioning the "breaking the rules" part of the awarding of this coin; which rules?  Well, a guard can be given two types of orders; general and special.  Each of our general and special orders are posted inside our bunker.  Two of the special orders were written with tower guard in mind, but are easily converted over to the bunker used at ECP duty.  The rules in question were somewhat as follows:

• Guards shall not modify their tower in any way
• Guards shall not vandalize their tower

Since the welcome sign was part of my bunker (i.e. tower) this vandalizing was also a modification.  Having permitted this SSG to put up this sign was an explicit violation of both.  The interesting thing is that the SSG mentioned that the battalion commander was not on site, therefore, the LTC couldn't have been the granter, therefore, the battalion CSM must have been the wheel greaser.  Regardless of whom authorized the coin's dissemination, I'll happily take a 10th Mountain coin any day for any reason.

 

I thought it was interesting and anyone which has received such a coin will likely find this odd.

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Combat Zone PT Test

Welcome to combat in the 21st century.  This is a time when typical garrison activities are carried forward to the war zone.  In my short time as a forward soldier I have been exposed to some activities which are typically assumed to be limited to garrison.  I sometimes wonder if the chain has forgotten that we're at war and in a combat zone.  I have been instructed on some camps to salute, wear a reflector belt after dark (isn't it an objective to stay concealed at night?), stand in formation, be subject to in-ranks inspection, attend a board, and even put vehicles "on line".  I do understand the purpose of C2 [Command & Control] and some of these things are safety related or traditional or developmental activities, but the one that I find most frustrating is the PT test, albeit a diagnostic.

 

I can respect the fact that PT is a required activity and is pushed heavily by the chain.  I acknowledge that the chain has to push because otherwise soldiers are going to be lazy and attempt to sham out of it, unless they are really into lifting and/or body building.  I am not a fan of either, yet I respect the fact that I need to maintain my physical fitness or my ass will get fat again [and not really my ass, but aside the point].  Also, if I fail to maintain my training, I will slide backward in my pursuit of maintaining a level of training which commiserates with the requirements of the APFT [Army Physical Fitness Test].  I have test failures which haunt my army career and I wish to quash any further shortcomings.

 

So, for a while since arriving at my camp of assignment, I was using Insanity as my training of choice.  I successfully completed Phase I before scheduling conflicts and technical issues prevented further progression to Phase II.  Anyway, for those not familiar with Insanity, it is another video workout routine as distributed by Beach Body [the distributers of P90X and others].  This routine is 100% cardio and personal resistance; there is not a single weight or apparatus required to complete any workout.  As with P90X, there is a periodic test to evaluate one's progress in the system.  From the first week to the 5th week, there was a massive change and that would have continued thru the 9th week except that we hit an insurmountable wall.  Anyway, from the time that we stopped using the routine to the PT test was between 2 & 3 weeks.  When I stopped doing Insanity, I stopped doing PT entirely except once the PT test was announced.

 

What?  PT test?  Who takes a PT test in the combat zone?  Anyway, the unit in which we are UPCON [not exactly attached, but we report up thru their chain regarding operations but not for administration] to required that we participate.  I thought that this would be an interesting test to see exactly how much Insanity lent to the testing requirements.  From November 20th thru Nov 30, I may have run 4 times.  This is significant as I would soon learn.  November 20th was a camp wide 5k run for charity to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I had high hopes for my time for this run.  My hopes were dashed early.  We were running a 3 lap course and my lap times were as follows:

1. 9:45 
2. 20:30 
3. 33:02

Thirty-three oh two?  WTF?  What happened to when I could run 4 miles in 35 minutes?  Well, apparently that was long gone.  Anyway, I would soon learn during my next training run that we had run further than 5k for that run.  2 laps around the course was 2.25 miles according to my carefully calibrated Nike+iPod system.  This gave me hope since that time was not up to my standards.  Then again, neither was our running surface.

 

The route we used to conduct our 5k "fun run" was the main road in the camp.  However, this road is only marginally better than running in sand; it is compacted gravel.  By compacted gravel, I mean that it was a gravel road created by the engineers and frequently driven enough that there are some ruts which are more solid than others.  It is not uncommon to walk or run on the road and roll an ankle because you've stepped on a rock or something uneven.  So, as you can likely see, we're not talking about a finished asphalt or concrete road.  This surface leaves much to be desired for the purposes of training for the 2-mile run let alone test on it.  For the 5k, the course was circular with one leg in a less driven section which was especially shifty underfoot.  For the PT test, this section was avoided and the course was configured to be a U under the there-and-back premise.

 

So, now that you know what I've been doing for my physical training and what kind of conditions we have to work with, let's talk about the PT test which was conducted on 30 November.  The test was initiated at 0700 and it was a blustery morning.  We were all in our winter PT uniforms to stay warm.  However, during our turns for the push-ups and sit-ups during the test, we'd remove our jackets.  Therefore, I would say that the low temperature certainly wasn't extreme, instead I'd say inconvenient.  By the time that we started the run, the temperature had raised enough to make my short sleeve shirt barely inadequate while we were standing around waiting for the start command.  I wanted to wear my long sleeve shirt but I couldn't find it.  Anyway, while I was running, I had realized that I may have wanted to remove my long pants as well, but it was too late for that then.

 

I woke up this morning in plenty of time to nonchalantly prepare myself and move to the testing location.  My mental status would have qualified as determined and optimistic.  I would characterize my physical status as marginally prepared.  I was concerned about the push-up event because of not explicitly testing myself previous to the test.  Likewise, I was concerned about the run because of my poor results in the 5k and subsequent runs.  Although, I felt that if I were able to put down a good number of push-ups that I would be able to muscle thru the run on sheer determination.

 

Typically when I take a PT test, my goal is to put down 25-30 push-ups before I feel the NEED to rest.  Well, I started out strong, as I typically do, and kept pushing.  I quickly got to 20, then 25, and I wasn't feeling the fatigue that I was expecting at that point.  However, I did slow my pace a bit.  With a slowed pace, I pushed until I had to rest.  That put me at 35 repetitions.  For my age group, I'm required to complete 39 reps to score the event minimum of 60 points.  Well, 35 reps done and just now thinking to rest was an awesome sign.  Well, I didn't use a rest position here; instead, I stayed in the front leaning rest and caught my breath.  Once caught, I progressed forward to complete the next 4.  With my 39th rep completed, I arched my back and took another breather.  Since I had plenty of time and still felt good, I pushed out 3 more reps to get to 42 and called it quits.  I could have done more but I was happy with what I had completed.

 

With approximately 10 minutes until my turn would come around again, my mental attitude was bolstered by this profound showing.  At this point, I was pretty certain that I would manage a go today.  The next event would be the sit-ups.  Once my turn would arrive again, I was ready to go.  My minimum requirement for this event is 45 reps.  I knocked out 51 reps before I needed to stop and rest.  Granted my pace changed from the start point to there, but I had already crushed the minimum.  The soldier holding my feet encouraged me to push out 5 more and I took this under advisement and didn't see the harm since I wasn't feeling any strain.  With the count now up to 56 he requested 5 more.  I took a brief rest, set my mind to it and knocked them out.  I finished the event with a few seconds remaining and 61 reps completed.  What was more impressive to me was that I was able to stand by my own will.   Historically, when I would be completed with this event, I would have to roll out of the position and strongly encourage my body to stand.  Today, this was not even an issue or a thought.  I'm impressed.  Don't get me wrong, there was some tension that indicated that the reps were done, but nothing I felt I need to worry about going into the run.

 

By the time we relocated from the PU/SU area to the 2 mile start/finish line, the tension was gone and I was ready to start.  We were given several more minutes to prepare/cool before starting the run.  I had convinced myself that game day would bring me the extra time that I was lacking during previous trials.  When they started the prep calls for the run, I was mentally & physically ready for this event to start.  I would have to run this 2 mile route under 17 flat to pass the event and, subsequently, the test.  The timing was good.  At the command of "GO!" I was off.  I felt good.  Unfortunately, I was suddenly concerned.  From the start line to approximately the 400m mark, no one had passed me.  I would estimate that I reached a good 550-600m or so before I was passed for the first time.  I tried to keep my pace but it was tapering off despite my desire to the contrary.  Once I was passed, it was like the flood gates had been opened, the stream of passers kept going for a bit.  Once the bulk of people passed me that was the last time I would be passed.  I got to the turn and the news wasn't exactly great but it was discouraging either.  I completed the first mile in 8:25.  This would give me exactly 8:35 to complete the second mile.  That would be a daunting achievement but I didn't think it was impossible.  I know with how my training runs go that my speed is continually decreasing thru the entire run session.  The first mile is always the quickest.  Would I be able to will myself into achieving this goal?

 

On the trip toward the start/finish line, I would encounter another runner that was a spurt runner.  It appeared that they were doing their best to stay in front of me.  Each time I would get close to them, they would kick it up and run away from me.  Then, once they reach a certain point, would drop to a brisk walk again until I would catch up.  This lasted the entire back stretch until their pace dropped below the average of my pace and I overtook them at the first turn.  This first overtaking didn't last long, for they pushed to pass me once again.  By the time that I reached the second and last turn, I had managed to complete the pass and keep them behind me.  Knowing that I was around 800m from the start/finish line, I started to extend my stride again and begin my kick.  I have been training enough at known distances as of late (last year or so) that I've learned how to progressively build up my kick over a longer distance.  From the 800m point to the 300m mark I was smoothly transitioning from my distance speed to my finish speed.  At the 300m mark was when I attempted to get from jog/run to run/sprint.  As I approach the finish line (< 50m), I can hear the time keeper reading off times.  I can hear the numbers are in the single digits, but I didn't catch the whole minute.  So, I push out the last bit with everything that I have left.  The only number I hear clearly when I cross the line is 13.  What 13 is it?  Could I have really run the 2nd mile so that it was 16:13?  Doubtful.  I'm thinking, come on timekeeper, what minute?  Well, there wasn't anyone on my heals, so I had to ask.  Gah!  It was 17:13.

 

So, again, I have managed to fail yet another PT test.  Was this failure really my fault?  Was the course the correct distance?  Was the course fair?  Regardless, it didn't matter.  It was only a diagnostic test.  Pass or fail, it didn't count.  Well, was it my fault?  I guess I could have run independently more such that I would have known that I would have passed.  No training can adequately replace the act of running; not Insanity, not P90X.  According to my Nike+iPod says the distance was correct.  Therefore, the only variable left was the condition of the course.  It wasn't unduly hilly.  The only thing that I can say is that it isn't a solid surface like asphalt or concrete.  Overall, we've seen people's run times reduced by as little as a minute to as many as 3.  I honestly feel that if I were to retake the test right now on a concrete or asphalt route that I'd pass.  Well, not this moment because I managed to pull a muscle during the test which would severely hinder my ability to do push-ups.  Am I disappointed in failing, yes.  Am I discouraged due to this failure, no.  I think I'm in as good of physical condition at this time as I could have asked to be if I were at home; likely better.

 

So, in summary, I'll get it beat next time regardless of location.  And, if I'm lucky enough to get to take my next test after April 6, I will certainly pass.  As I get to move up to the next age brackets with my next birthday.  How exciting!

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Blog Updates

Any and all of my readers which have returned with me, thank you.  I appologize for my log absence, but I have a very valid reason for it.   As most of you know, I'm not at home, not even close.  Instead, I am 9.5 hours ahead somewhere in Afghanistan doing my part to contribute to the efforts of OEF.  My unit is moving from the state of installation to the state of sustainment.  Therefore, things should begin to become more regular around here.  Regularity will produce predictability, particularly where internet access is concerned.  I hope that this will be the start of regular updates thru the duration of my deployment.

 

Up to this point, internet access has been available if you are able to find a laptop which is unlocked at the TOC or have the time to visit MWR.  I was visiting MWR frequently for a while and found that their 30 minute limit to be frustratingly short.  It got to the point that by the time that I was done checking my e-mail and backlog of FB updates that my limit would be over.  Then I would have to stand in line again if I wanted to do any shopping or would like to respond to e-mails or stuff on FB.  Then, there is the army network.  Unless you have been fortunate to be provided a machine and a connection, obtaining network time during business hours is about impossible.  On top of that, FB and many other resources which I would love to use is blocked on the army network.  The site blocking system just so happens to include Blogger (blogspot.com) by Google as a forbidden site.  The only way that I'm even able to post this update is via e-mail.

 

So, as of this point, please check back at a regular interval as I hope that I'll have posted some new content!

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"Friendly advise"

To every friend, acquaintance and family member. I've finally had my fullfillment of what everyone calls friendly advise and helpfulness.

Ever since Cat has been born and Bob has left my ears have not stopped hearing it from every direction. From your house needs this to you need to make friends and everything inbetween.

It is now officially insulting, rude and demeaning. Yes I know that my windows are open. Guess what! I did that myself and I am reminded every morning with how nice and cool it feels. I do not need to make new friends I've got plenty thank you. And I don't need to call my doctor's office everyday to hear a voice. Another guess what. They get so flooded with phone calls that they now charge for every phone call that comes in so they can cut down on the amount so they can do their freaking job with the patients that are coming in their front door! And if I wanted to join a Mommy and me group I would have already freaking found a place and joined. And thanks to all the mother's telling me about ear infections. YES I KNOW THAT IT GOES ALONG WITH TEETHING. I'm not stupid.

If I want advise I'll ask for it. And when I ask for it don't tell me that I need to make friends or call my doctor's office or this is what I did with my kids. YES I KNOW THAT YOU GAVE YOUR KIDS WATER WHEN THEY WERE BABIES AND YES I KNOW THAT YOU DID THIS AND THAT YOU DID THAT. I don't care at this point what other people did with their kids or what I should be doing with my house. I'm more then capable of figuring things out on my own. I know what needs to be done with my house thank you. Are you going to come and babysit my child for me instead of doing it? No your not. So shut up. Are you going to let me figure things out for myself with my child? Probably not. Unless it is going to cause bodily harm or bleeding shut up.

I'm tired of being the one having to listen to everyone else because I have to show respect. WHERE'S MY FUCKING RESPECT!!!!!!! I'm officially going to start cutting ties with anyone that will not listen to me at this point. I'm tired of the undermining and people saying I'm just trying to be helpful or forgetting. I don't care what they are calling it these days. I pretty much already have to tell people that they are not allowed to come to my house because of adults being childish and not abiding my rules and discipline. All because they are in their 50's and don't want to act it and feel that people MUST respect them. Well guess what. If you don't respect me then I'm sure as hell not going to respect you. I don't care who you are. This is the last straw and I'll turn away anyone that I see fit that will not abide by me. If these means that I don't see people in Pittsburgh anymore either then fine. I need to draw the line in order to be heard at this point.

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Fatherhood, New

I have been asked several times in several different forms, yet the underlying question is always the same, "how is being a new father"? I find myself unable to properly quantify the answer to that question in any which gives the question justice. However, I am feel a need to try.

The most basic answer to the question is, different. However, that answer lacks substance and quantification. Different by itself doesn't indicate a good or bad connotation. Different can be read good or bad based completely upon the recipients perspective or based on the inflection or method of presentation while it is being spoken. However, different by itself is grossly inadequate as an answer. Anyone who has an imagination could properly infer that going to from a married couple to being married with children will be significantly different. But if that person is not already a parent, the chances of their perception of the amount of different in multiple situations may likely be blown out of proportion.

I have come to the conclusion that being a father of an infant is surprisingly simple. The rules are pretty straight forward; support your wife, cooperate with her every request and/or demand, continue to pull an income, and guess, guess, and guess some more as to what the crying baby wants. Sure, I guess I'm glossing over somethings, but they seemed obvious to me. For example, free time is not yours anymore. Free time is daddy/baby time, or chores time, or mommy/daddy time or exercise time. It has become pretty few and far between that any block of time has been expectantly devoted to my projects. But that is the way it is supposed to be, isn't it? I still manage to find time to watch movies and TV. But this time is typically spent multitasking on demand.

Don't hear me wrong. I am still able to allocate time to play D&D weekly. I would think that should I find the freedom to play hockey, if I wasn't in an injury avoidance mindset right now. Angel & I still find the time to make a periodic visit to Summits. But generally, life has continued to move forward more or less as it did BFC (Before First Child).

One of the largest expectations of change was the anticipation of this pressure of doing things "right" for the baby, which felt so overwhelming. So far, I can't say that this pressure has come to fruition. The requirements for caring for the child have been minimal. Hold them, rock them, walk them, diaper them, clothe them, feed them, decipher cries, wash, rinse, repeat. Even trips out to public haven't much changed. Sure, we may need a stroller sometimes, we have this infant car seat to keep hold of everywhere, but the act of doing the standard day-to-day things really hasn't changed drastically, if anything, the changes have been subtle.

The most drastic and noteworthy things to discuss would be our sleeping habits. Suddenly, 9 AM has become about standard for wake-up. This is Cat's fault most of the time, but it does have a favorable side effect; AM workouts instead of waiting until after work. Additionally, the 0-Dark-30 wake-ups are not so fun. Thankfully, we're just about the point where we're down to one or two wake-ups nightly instead of the every-two-hours schedule. However, this wasn't an issue that greatly effected me much because Angel buffered me from them (oh, what an angel she was!). At one point, there was the "I don't wanna sleep anymore" nightly fight. Mommy said, screw it, you figure it out and went to sleep for this one. I would have to spend somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour and a half cycling between walking, rocking, cooing, and bouncing in multiple positions trying to find what she wanted. Granted, this was after we knew she had a full belly and a clean diaper. This would happen just about nightly as well. But it didn't and doesn't last forever. Ironically, typically this was ended with a feeding. I gotta say, it must be nice to fall asleep at the dinner table. And I'll refrain on commenting about the jealousy of what her dinner table looks like.

Anyway, a trend does seem to be evolving. Once you think that you have things figured out, the kid will find a way to throw you a curve ball you were not expecting. However, at this point, the curve balls don't seem all that bad in comparison to the ones which I know to expect. I hear verbal communication changes things significantly. By the way, crying is bad, but once they learn to scream, you have a whole new set of issues on your hands. Therefore, I'm learning a whole new definition to flexibility.

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Catherine Susan's Birthday

Well, it is a little bit delayed and there is since more information to share, so I need to get this documented sooner rather than later. I need to recap the events of the day of the birth of our little bundle of joy, Catherine Susan.

Monday, January 18, 2010, Martin Luther King Day, federal holiday and thus bank holiday, therefore, long weekend material, a.k.a. vacation day.
Anyway, before I get into this day's events, lets step back and gather a quick view at a few days prior to the big event. So, we'll come back to this day.

Thursday, January 14, 2010, Angel takes to debating with her parents about not waiting until Tuesday to start the drive down to the ATL. She wasn't exactly certain why she wanted this to occur, but felt the need to voice it. This pressure persisted all weekend, yet Dad was still resistant to change their plans. I wasn't told about this at the time, but she also told me that her pressures increased in frequency and intensity as the weekend progressed.

Saturday, January 16, 2010, like some less intelligent people, we purchase a new living room furniture set. Who in their right mind buys brand new furniture just days before expecting the birth of your first newborn? Well, for those that know how/where we obtained our previous furniture and saw the last condition of the stuff, the purchase does stand up to logic. Anyway, while we were browsing the furniture showroom floor, Angel was having contractions/pressure and had to take a few breaks so that she could persevere thru her body's activities. We then spent the night with Alison and Micah and had what we now know is our last adult fun night that we'll get kid or babysitter free for a very long time.

Monday, January 18, 2010, the big day. Well, since it was a holiday, I was able to sleep in a little bit longer than usual. My day started somewhere between 10 and 11. I woke up to being informed that Angel has been in labor for several hours; since 6AM to be exact. so, the obvious question was how long do the contractions last and how frequent are the coming. She could only take a guess. Therefore, I grab my laptop, fire up my Excel clone, OpenOffice Calc. With this, I was recording start and end times. Using some cell calculations I was getting the duration and frequency. I may have done this for an hour or so and realized that this was really going to happen. Once we leave the house, we'll be home with our brand new little one. Also, Mom & Dad would be here soon and Angel had already called them to let them know and they both left work immediately and started the drive down. With that realization, I was suddenly in a crunch to get the house ready for them.

While I was mopping the floor in the common bathroom, I hear a yelp and then an excited "OMG, my water just broke." This was at 12:20 PM EST. The amount of shock and haste in Angel's voice, I had to take an even keel with my response. The only thing I could think of as a response was, "That's okay, clean yourself. up and then get ready to go. Take your time [this is not a timed event]".

Once we got ourselves ready to head out and in the car, packed bags (including laptop and attempted to grab the camera) and moving was when the gears started turning about what was forgotten. At about the time that we got to the red light at GA-78, I realized that we had forgotten something. Angel was on the phone with Dana and suddenly I'm driving in reverse and heading back to the house. She was not happy because she wanted to be at the hospital already. However, I figured that it was going to be beneficial enough to go back since we were so close.

When we get back to the house, I grab the forgotten parcel, the exercise ball. our birthing class demonstrated that the ball would be a great tool to help provide alternate positions for the birthing mother to use to find comfort. Anyway, once I get the ball in the car and am sitting in the driver's seat but had not yet spun into correct position with my feet still outside. I was tying my right shoe and Angel starts to yell at me to get it moving and that she didn't care if I had an untied shoe. So much for calm, cool, and collected.

In quite the display of irony, I drove in a fashion quite atypical for myself. I was calm, defensive and relatively law abiding. Atlanta recently passed a super speeder penalty for excessive speeding. Therefore, I was sure to remain below that threshold because those fines start at 4 digits. Anyway, as I'm driving a cool 80 MPH to the hospital, Angel is trying to coax me to drive faster. I was having none of that. She even suggested at one point that I blow a red light. Speeding is one thing, but a red light is a whole other world of trouble and risk. Needless to say, I didn't do that either.

Once we get to the hospital they start handing out all the paperwork. Ironically, we had already filled this paperwork out and submitted it to the hospital but they made us do it again anyway. You should have seen Angel trying to fill out these forms while having contractions, it was such the pitiful sight. Well, eventually we get into the triage station for her to be looked at. From this point on, the nurses kept pushing the point of staying in bed. This is in stark contrast to what we were told we would be able to do in our class at this very hospital. At about 2:00 PM EST, Angel is given her IV and admitted. At this point in time, she's measured to be an advanced 4cm dilation. It was also at about this time that she enters into Active Labor and quickly decides that narcotics alone are not worth it and requests her epidural. Shortly there after, she's taken to her birthing room.

Once we arrive to the birthing room, we query the nurse about all of this pressure to stay lying down since that posture is not helping with the back pain or enduring the contractions. The response we get, and was a plausible one was that since her water broke, a prolapsed chord becomes a concern. Therefore, her vertical movement would be severely limited.

At approximately 4:00 PM EST, the epidural arrives. Shortly before the epidural was administered, she was measured again and was showing at 6cm and station was at a -2cm; this made the staff quite pleased with her progression. The epidural must have been like a dream. Once it was in full effect, she went soundly to sleep. The computer monitors indicated that though she was mentally sleeping, her body was very well at work. I'm not going to repost the pictures so you can look at them later, but there were some pretty severe contractions that didn't even attempt to phase her.

Somewhere within the 5 o'clock hour she was inspected again and was found to be fully dilated to the 10cm mark. Ironically, the baby still wasn't ready to come and was still at the -2cm station. The nurse wanted to wait until at least the zero mark was reached, but Angel's body was too strongly saying otherwise. The last measurement taken was the -1 station before real pushing progressed the process quickly. It wasn't very long until the doctor was called for and suddenly we were delivering a baby.

Many things were a blur at this point. I recall the baby crowning. I recall many more hands appearing into the room. I recall Cat being placed on Angel. I remember cutting the chord. I recall the baby on the warming station and her wailing bloody murder. I recall the placenta finding its way into the pan. I recall the doctor administering stitches. I recall hearing numbers thrown left & right; Height/Weight/Date/Time/Agar score. Just because I heard them doesn't mean that I caught them. It wouldn't be until later that I would know the details.

I had maybe thought that things would have gone into a slow motion or extended detail experience. Instead, I discovered that everything stepped into fast forward. Not much really returned to focus until we were alone in the room and I'm holding my new bundle of joy. Everything had gone picture perfect. Mommy's healthy and resting, baby's healthy and resting, and Daddy is clueless as to what he's supposed to do. Although, that feeling doesn't hang around for long.

Mom & Dad reach the hospital in a record time for a trip from PGH -> ATL, 10.5 hours. The 5 of us hang for a while and I escort them to the house. I had to stick kitty; an activity which required several hospital->home round trips to be taken during our stay at the hospital. It is Wednesday afternoon when we are heading home for the first time.

So, will you all welcome our bundle of joy to the world?





Catherine Susan
DOB: 20100118
Height: 19.5"
Weight: 6lbs 15oz

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New Furntiture

So, to further prove that we have a couple screws loose, we decided that a few days prior to the birth of our first child that we shall purchase new furniture. I'm not sure we're all that "normal". Isn't it when you start having kids that you start looking for the stuff to allow them to destroy without having too much to yell and scream about when they damage it? Oh well, we needed new living room furniture no matter how you look at it.

The furniture we currently have more that amply stood up to the task for the 4 or 5 years that we've had it. However, with the recliner kicking the bucket and the spring in the love seat breaking and touching the floor, it is time for us to purchase a replacement.

For the past few months, 8 or 9 to be exact, we've been keeping an open mind about the pending need to have new furniture. We've looked at a couple stores and had yet to be successful in finding something to fit the list of demands we were placing upon this purchase. We would find the color and price but not the desired comfort. We would find the desired comfort but not color or design. Or some other combination of issues. However, during our research collection, we had yet to find something which called both of our names at the same time.

So, what spurred this little investigation into a furniture purchase? Well, it happened to be a television commercial advertising that RoomsToGo was having a sale, "Buy the room, get a TV". Well, this was particularly interesting seeing that we were in the market for both a TV and living room furniture. This offer sounded interesting and worth inspection. We have discovered that the offer is made in conjunction with BrandsMart and that we would receive a gift card to use toward the purchase of a television. The amount made available via the card would commiserate with that of a specific TV of size and model. This specific make/model is not a requirement. Therefore, I conducted some more research into the pricing which was being touted around this offer. With the Ultimate Room Packages seemed to have a trend. Purchase the big ticket furniture and TV and receive the other items for free. Well, we were not exactly expecting to purchase an entire room, but were not adverse to the idea either.

Well, I'm lazy and don't want to go to the store without looking at pictures of the offers which they have to offer. In taking a digital look at what they were offering, I found one set which I found interesting and one which had potential. Angel didn't much like the one I found promising and agreed that the interesting one was certainly worth a look. But with that, we were on our way to the store.

Before continuing the story, I would like to illustrate the collections we were interested in reviewing first hand.

Interesting Set:


Had Potential:


Neither of the images of the sets are indicative of the anything other than the seating furniture. The other items in the picture are not a representation of the additional offerings. I would give you a link the exactly location within the roomstogo website, but I don't expect that the link will continue to work after the sale AND it wouldn't work the first time you visit the link anyway. Every link to their site redirects you to a "Enter Your Zipcode" AJAX prompt and then sends you to a full listing of available packages. Therefore, after entering your zipcode, you'd have to re-click the link to see what I was attempting to link to. Therefore, if you are interested in seeing anything which I don't post, please feel free to search the roomstogo website for yourself.

So, the interesting set was listed as a faux leather/microfiber seating material as opposed to the top grain leather of the had potential set. It wasn't until we set eyes on the two did we realize that faux leather/microfiber is a fancy way to say artificial suede. Suede? Now, I don't know the first thing about caring for suede. That was strike one. The other issue is that it was hot. After sitting on the furniture for a while, I started to realize how warm the material was getting because of our body heat. This was strike two. Strike 3 was the console that they were touting with the set. It was nothing like that which we would want in our house. However, if we wanted to push that subject, we could have swapped that piece out. Although, that wasn't a something I was interesting in pushing.

So, while in the showroom, we found a furniture set which we both fell severely in love with, but were not exactly interested in paying for. The complete set was real close to $4k for just the seating areas. Don't get me wrong, it was a top notch set, with extremely durable leather and yet it was comfortable, it wasn't the "right" one. Just as we were about to set off searching the showroom floor on our own again, the first contact with an employee was made. He asked us if we needed any help. Poor guy, he was in the middle of helping another customer and began to split his time with us and them. As it would turn out, it was a good thing because he was able to get both of us to buy. Anyway, we were interested in a few details about how the sale is supposed to work and where we could find the has potential set which we were unable to yet locate.

At this point, Angel was still skeptical about this furniture set. I was asking about it so we could review the tables which were being offered with it. Well, as it would turn out, as soon as Angel sat down, it was bliss. Once I sat down, it was confirmed. This will be the one for us. She had to talk me in to completing the purchase yesterday because my intentions were solely to look. But she won the argument with the fact that this wasn't the first place we've looked and it was the first time we were in complete agreement about our satisfaction with the option. It also didn't hurt that our existing furniture is on its last leg, as previously mentioned, and the sale was pretty awesome too.

Once we picked the furniture, it was time to review the options included in the package. The following images will illustrate what pieces we intended to be packaged with the set.















Well, the console and lamps just had to go. We liked the tables, even with their wood. Yet, they have brushed metal accent which certainly didn't hurt our opinion. The color options didn't line up with what we wanted since black wasn't an option. So, we went with a burgundy (which isn't illustrated) which was dark and more "interesting" than the brown which they offered. Therefore, to complete the package we had to address the console and lamps. The replacement console and lamps we chose are also here for you to see.








So, we walked out of there dropping a grand total of $3500 for the entire set and we're pending delivery on 2/9. We're so looking forward to it.

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