El's new glider came in last night from DHL. Not to start blogging really mundane things to all of you, but we were stoked. Despite being tired from the previous night's late night projects I was determined to get this last piece of furniture in the house and assembled.
20 minutes later and it was a done deal. El took it for a test drive and loved it. Everything is coming together now and I can start refocusing on my other projects: freelance work, landscaping, reorganizing and painting the garage floor, storing the rest of my "put away" things, organizing my digital files off the iMac I want to sell and finally...the damn yard...again.
Glad you like it, El. I guess the new sectional has direct competition for your favorite place to pass out now.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
The room is almost complete. Another quick clean and some tweaking here and there and that's it! El celebrates by watching Monsters, Inc. with Bailey on the 23" studio monitor.
I did notice as well last night that with the new Roman shades and the window recaulked that the room was considerably cooler. That's a good thing. Maybe I won't need to get the portable air conditioner/purifier. Save me some duckets.
I did notice as well last night that with the new Roman shades and the window recaulked that the room was considerably cooler. That's a good thing. Maybe I won't need to get the portable air conditioner/purifier. Save me some duckets.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Isa's Nursery
The room has changed yet again. Originally trying to keep the office space basically the same, El nudged me into making it more for Isabella. That's fine. All the pixar prints came down. New paint went up. R2-D2 & C-3PO, Optimus Prime and Battle Of The Planets went into storage. Everything was simplified. The only thing that stayed was the computer workstation and the toy shelf.
El loves this room. "Happy" she calls it. Every now and then she'll sit in to stare at the eye candy. Handmade wooden toys from trips to Spain and Italy adorn the ceiling. New shelves were put on the walls, as well as a nice project El and I did this weekend of painting some letters of her name and moutningthem onto the wall above her crib.
Thanks to everyone and their generous gifts from the previous weekend's Baby Shower in Charleston. Special "Thank You" to Emily and Lola Lisa for their hardwork. I know it was alot of work.
El loves this room. "Happy" she calls it. Every now and then she'll sit in to stare at the eye candy. Handmade wooden toys from trips to Spain and Italy adorn the ceiling. New shelves were put on the walls, as well as a nice project El and I did this weekend of painting some letters of her name and moutningthem onto the wall above her crib.
Thanks to everyone and their generous gifts from the previous weekend's Baby Shower in Charleston. Special "Thank You" to Emily and Lola Lisa for their hardwork. I know it was alot of work.
After El's Baby Shower in Charleston, Isa's room was PACKED with all kinds of great stuff from our friends and family. Thanks to Lola Lisa, Lola Cel and Auntie Cely for the furniture and gift cards. They helped out tremendously. The little girl has plenty of clothes now.
It really helped us with lighting a fire under our butts to get the room ready. Inititally, I had just painted two walls green and deep cleaned the carpet. All my "guy toys" were stuck in storage for later and the extra gifts and such sold off at The Golf Channel.
El also found these cool vinyl round stickers for the walls to give it more mod look. Very designy. I originally had bought a 20" flat panel TV for the nursery to get rid of the big ass old school TV, but soon after returned it to opt out for a TV tuner for 23" Apple Studio Monitor. A glider for mommy is also on the way.
Some rearranging of the computer desk helped open the room up and added more light. I resealed the windows, added a light fader and changed out the mini blinds for some Roman shades. Hopefully this will help cool down the room. if not, I'm also planning on picking up a portable air conditioner/air filter.
It really helped us with lighting a fire under our butts to get the room ready. Inititally, I had just painted two walls green and deep cleaned the carpet. All my "guy toys" were stuck in storage for later and the extra gifts and such sold off at The Golf Channel.
El also found these cool vinyl round stickers for the walls to give it more mod look. Very designy. I originally had bought a 20" flat panel TV for the nursery to get rid of the big ass old school TV, but soon after returned it to opt out for a TV tuner for 23" Apple Studio Monitor. A glider for mommy is also on the way.
Some rearranging of the computer desk helped open the room up and added more light. I resealed the windows, added a light fader and changed out the mini blinds for some Roman shades. Hopefully this will help cool down the room. if not, I'm also planning on picking up a portable air conditioner/air filter.
The room is slowly shaping up. El loves the whimsical kind of feeling from it. I agree. For the most part it's been a relatively painless renovation. Amazing what some paint can do to a room. I've totally immersed into it (the freelance work is sufffering a little from it). And just think in two short months there will be a small person sleeping here...
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Holy City, Charleston
I realize it's been a long time since I added an entry. Apologies. So much has been going on lately, that I can barely keep up with all that's required of me right now. But that's beside the point. Being busy is actually nothing but good news as far as I'm concerned. These past couple months there have been a lot of new developments which has required me to go back to my roots, Charleston.
I've always been pressured by friends and family to move back to the city where I grew up, but never like this. I have to admit it's nice to be missed. We left originally to pursue more fortuitous careers and find ourselves. After I left Savannah I vowed to never return. Lower paying salaries, boredom with what I had grown so accustomed to, and looking for new experiences forced me to try Florida out "temporarily". It's now been close to 10 years.
The partying, reckless person I once was is pretty much gone and replaced with a home I've built into something comfortable with my wife and our first child soon to come. In his place I've become what I like to think as someone more levelheaded, cautious and responsible. I'm not complaining.
I remember all the late nights with my friends spent hitting the clubs and then going to the Waffle House after hours til about 3 or 4 to grab a bite and laugh all night about that night's shenanigans. I remember it all clear as day. As I reminisced about it, I was struck with that odd feeling of "where have I been all these years?".
I missed seeing someone of my closest friends kids having children (some of whom I have never met), the neighborhood aging, the harbortown growing from it's small town vibe into a bustling tourist attraction and the old places being torn down and replaced. I missed it.
But now, these closest of friends have also moved back to the hometown to raise their families. Others have moved out of their single life apartments and condos and built homes not too far from where they grew up. Whenever we go home we try hard as hell to see them and catch up. It also comes back to the same question "when are you moving back?"
I'm always resistant to moving back because of the lower salaries for what I do. Charleston is not exactly the hub of design. El is done with Orlando as am I. I want something better for my family, but financial responsibilities have held me back from anything too hasty.
I can easily extol the virtues of my hometown. I mean who doesn't want to raise a family in a historic harbortown named America's Most Beautiful where the spring, summer, fall and winter are just so, fishing year round, people are genuinely friendly, where all your closest friends and family are, the beach is right around the corner, housing and cost of living is much cheaper, and you can walk down the street and see people you know. Why not?
And then you compare Orlando...
Named The Angriest City in America by Men's Health (oddly enough home of Disney, "The Happiest Place on Earth", half the population doesn't know English (and doesn't care to), swamped by tourists bringing horrible traffic conditions, road rage, Reggaeton music, overpriced housing and cost of living, mediocre salaries and a "me-first" attitude. Why do I stay here???
Carl said something to me that really made me feel good about myself this past weekend and made me think more about why I DON'T move back - "You're like the glue that brings everyone back together". Thanks man that meant a lot to me. All you Charlestonians - watch out. I may be back some time or at least closer in the near future if I can help it. After all, the salaries here in Orlando aren't all that great now that I think about it...
I've always been pressured by friends and family to move back to the city where I grew up, but never like this. I have to admit it's nice to be missed. We left originally to pursue more fortuitous careers and find ourselves. After I left Savannah I vowed to never return. Lower paying salaries, boredom with what I had grown so accustomed to, and looking for new experiences forced me to try Florida out "temporarily". It's now been close to 10 years.
The partying, reckless person I once was is pretty much gone and replaced with a home I've built into something comfortable with my wife and our first child soon to come. In his place I've become what I like to think as someone more levelheaded, cautious and responsible. I'm not complaining.
I remember all the late nights with my friends spent hitting the clubs and then going to the Waffle House after hours til about 3 or 4 to grab a bite and laugh all night about that night's shenanigans. I remember it all clear as day. As I reminisced about it, I was struck with that odd feeling of "where have I been all these years?".
I missed seeing someone of my closest friends kids having children (some of whom I have never met), the neighborhood aging, the harbortown growing from it's small town vibe into a bustling tourist attraction and the old places being torn down and replaced. I missed it.
But now, these closest of friends have also moved back to the hometown to raise their families. Others have moved out of their single life apartments and condos and built homes not too far from where they grew up. Whenever we go home we try hard as hell to see them and catch up. It also comes back to the same question "when are you moving back?"
I'm always resistant to moving back because of the lower salaries for what I do. Charleston is not exactly the hub of design. El is done with Orlando as am I. I want something better for my family, but financial responsibilities have held me back from anything too hasty.
I can easily extol the virtues of my hometown. I mean who doesn't want to raise a family in a historic harbortown named America's Most Beautiful where the spring, summer, fall and winter are just so, fishing year round, people are genuinely friendly, where all your closest friends and family are, the beach is right around the corner, housing and cost of living is much cheaper, and you can walk down the street and see people you know. Why not?
And then you compare Orlando...
Named The Angriest City in America by Men's Health (oddly enough home of Disney, "The Happiest Place on Earth", half the population doesn't know English (and doesn't care to), swamped by tourists bringing horrible traffic conditions, road rage, Reggaeton music, overpriced housing and cost of living, mediocre salaries and a "me-first" attitude. Why do I stay here???
Carl said something to me that really made me feel good about myself this past weekend and made me think more about why I DON'T move back - "You're like the glue that brings everyone back together". Thanks man that meant a lot to me. All you Charlestonians - watch out. I may be back some time or at least closer in the near future if I can help it. After all, the salaries here in Orlando aren't all that great now that I think about it...
Monday, August 21, 2006
Welcome Back...
A couple of Fridays ago El's OB doctor recommended we go back for another 4D Ultrasound. Apparently the last one wasn't complete with enough information regarding Isabella. He was missing important imagery and measurements of her heart, kidneys and spine. Would we have time for another one? You bet your ass. Here she is again in all her glory.
She was a little shy at first covering her face for the first half of the ultrasound, much like the last time. She came around soon enough. By the second half she was giving us good face and not to mention good hands and feet. That's a good girl! It seems readily apparent that she has my nose (sorry El) and El's lips.
In a couple of weeks, I have to drive back to Charleston for El's baby shower thrown by our families and not to mention it'll be our 8th anniversary on Labor Day Weekend so it'll be a double whammy. Can't wait for that lovely 400 mile drive again...
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
It's About Time...
Over the years Eleanor and I have taken quite a few trips both domestically and abroad. During these trips we always try to capture these moments by dedicating a great bit to photography. I love photography.
Ever since I was a preteen I had always been fond of taking photos of friends, family and events. It was only natural for me to continue exploring my passion for it through high school, college and then my career.
Our home is LOADED with images caught with either my Pentax k1000 35mm, Canon A70 or Nikon 8700. We're running out of room on our walls. What are we gonna do with all these other photos that never made it up?
A coworker of mine recently went to Charleston and Savannah to tour and we got to talking about my love for both of these places. Charleston is where I grew up and first got my taste for design and photography. Savannah is where I resided for a few years to earn my design degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design. We got to talking about photography and I offered up one of my favorite photos from there and she came up witht hebrilliant idea of...
...posting a photoblog of my best stuff. Why didn't I think of that??? So the gauntlet has been thrown down. Will I maintain this blog along with my other blog That Design Guy? We'll see.
What do I do with another blog besides posting some of my best photos? I've entertained the idea of possibly selling my work online or physically to interested parties. Will it take off? I don't know, but it'll be worthwhile to try...
So here it is. Check it out. Let me know what you think. Thanks for the interest.
Ever since I was a preteen I had always been fond of taking photos of friends, family and events. It was only natural for me to continue exploring my passion for it through high school, college and then my career.
Our home is LOADED with images caught with either my Pentax k1000 35mm, Canon A70 or Nikon 8700. We're running out of room on our walls. What are we gonna do with all these other photos that never made it up?
A coworker of mine recently went to Charleston and Savannah to tour and we got to talking about my love for both of these places. Charleston is where I grew up and first got my taste for design and photography. Savannah is where I resided for a few years to earn my design degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design. We got to talking about photography and I offered up one of my favorite photos from there and she came up witht hebrilliant idea of...
...posting a photoblog of my best stuff. Why didn't I think of that??? So the gauntlet has been thrown down. Will I maintain this blog along with my other blog That Design Guy? We'll see.
What do I do with another blog besides posting some of my best photos? I've entertained the idea of possibly selling my work online or physically to interested parties. Will it take off? I don't know, but it'll be worthwhile to try...
So here it is. Check it out. Let me know what you think. Thanks for the interest.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Some visitors from New York and Charleston
My Uncle Ernie called from Moscow while I was at work to let me know that they were planningon going to see my parent's in Charleston and do a quick impromptu vacation to Orlando. They had rented a condo in Kissimmee and were hanging out for a week to fish and relax. I was stoked cos I was hopefully going to be able to see my parent's finally.
Me and El made lots of preparations for a evening cookout, fishing trip and beach/boating at Cocoa Beach throughout the week intermingled with whatever plans they had. We both took a couple of days off to enjoy a nice long weekend. I've been getting hammered at work and anxious to take some time off.
Since we are expecting the baby El and I had no plans for an international trip this year. Kinda bummed about that, but I've been trying to be conservative with my time off to enjoy the month of December off and be with my new family. Needless to say, the constant work has been taking its toll on me.
I was hoping to make this visit as smooth and stressless as possible with some preplanning. We both needed some time to decompress and this was a perfect opportunity.
Sorry Derek you couldn't make it down. Damn your internship! Thanks Uncle Ernie for the hardcore Russian vodka, too. Me and El are gonna get hammered!
Me and El made lots of preparations for a evening cookout, fishing trip and beach/boating at Cocoa Beach throughout the week intermingled with whatever plans they had. We both took a couple of days off to enjoy a nice long weekend. I've been getting hammered at work and anxious to take some time off.
Since we are expecting the baby El and I had no plans for an international trip this year. Kinda bummed about that, but I've been trying to be conservative with my time off to enjoy the month of December off and be with my new family. Needless to say, the constant work has been taking its toll on me.
I was hoping to make this visit as smooth and stressless as possible with some preplanning. We both needed some time to decompress and this was a perfect opportunity.
Sorry Derek you couldn't make it down. Damn your internship! Thanks Uncle Ernie for the hardcore Russian vodka, too. Me and El are gonna get hammered!
The food turned out pretty good. I'm slowly improving on my beef kebob techniques. I've been grilling the marinated beef separately from the veggie sand bamboo sticks to sear them and keep them tender. After a few minutes on the grill we then stick them with pineapple, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes and gril them again to get everything else that nice charred flavor.
Even the shrimps we marinated with the leftover from the beef turned out great. The marinade was something new I tried with orange juice, pineapple juice, worchestershire, salt, pepper, sweet pepper chipotle, garlic and olive oil.
People were topping the salad (romaine, pickled beet, roma tomato, sweet Vidalia onion, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, mushrooms and olives and a ginger soy vinaigrette) with the grilled shrimp. Awesome.
Also grilled up huge fillets of Mahi Mahi I caught off the coast of Charleston with a simple lemon, oilve oil, salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Very meaty almost like chicken.
Lastly I had cut up some cold, seedless watermelon for dessert. The food turned out fantastic and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Uncle Ernie and I popped open a couple bottles of Cabernet that he brought in from NY and a Mondavi I bought here.
Chilling outside at night, tiki torches lit, no mosquitoes, lots of laughing and some relaxing summer music helped make the evening very relaxing and a nice start for the weekend.
Even the shrimps we marinated with the leftover from the beef turned out great. The marinade was something new I tried with orange juice, pineapple juice, worchestershire, salt, pepper, sweet pepper chipotle, garlic and olive oil.
People were topping the salad (romaine, pickled beet, roma tomato, sweet Vidalia onion, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, mushrooms and olives and a ginger soy vinaigrette) with the grilled shrimp. Awesome.
Also grilled up huge fillets of Mahi Mahi I caught off the coast of Charleston with a simple lemon, oilve oil, salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Very meaty almost like chicken.
Lastly I had cut up some cold, seedless watermelon for dessert. The food turned out fantastic and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Uncle Ernie and I popped open a couple bottles of Cabernet that he brought in from NY and a Mondavi I bought here.
Chilling outside at night, tiki torches lit, no mosquitoes, lots of laughing and some relaxing summer music helped make the evening very relaxing and a nice start for the weekend.
It had been a long time since my parent's were able to come visit Florida so I'm glad they decided to ride along with the NY people. It was the first time they got to see El starting to show her belly. Everyone was able to watch the 4D ultrasound.
They even brought over some gifts for the little girl. Thanks to Auntie Lani and the girls for the little outfits. Also Cherilyn and my mom managed to do some shopping in SC for Little Isa. Thanks for the cute cardigan outfit and dress. Cher has been very generous with her extra doohickeys for the baby. We returned the favor to Gabriel with a neat learnign toy, a Hooter bib and an exclusive Florida "Eating Machine" Gatorland tee shirt.
They even brought over some gifts for the little girl. Thanks to Auntie Lani and the girls for the little outfits. Also Cherilyn and my mom managed to do some shopping in SC for Little Isa. Thanks for the cute cardigan outfit and dress. Cher has been very generous with her extra doohickeys for the baby. We returned the favor to Gabriel with a neat learnign toy, a Hooter bib and an exclusive Florida "Eating Machine" Gatorland tee shirt.
Sorry dad we didn't get to catch much other than the Whiting. Everything worked against us. Stormy seas and a huge rainfall coming, transducer not doing its thing (still gotta work on that), late start. Dropping about $150 in gas and getting up a 4am didn't ensure a succesful trip. Ah well. It's a crapshoot.
I hope the girls had fun. It was hard trying to make sure no one was getting bored, tired, overheated, hungry etc. When we did have an actual plan everything went over well.
I know they really wanted to go riding around and I didn't want to disappoint. After our early morning fishing debacle I took a nap to power up and took them out to Lake Toho which was only 15 minutes away for a little joyriding. Rachel took the wheel on the way back and did pretty well once she got used to the throttle.
Marissa ran up the courage to drive the boat a little, but chickened out once we hit some shallows and almost got stuck. No worries after trimming up we were on our way again. Melanie - next time na lang since she was nervous and was JUST learning how to drive a car.
"You know driving a car?"
"Yeah"
"This is harder."
"Oh. Just show me where the brakes are on this."
"uuuhhhh..."
Saturday Rachel took the family to Cirque du Soleil La Nouba at Downtown Disney. Afterwards, we all went to Celebration for dessert and pass out birthday presents to Melanie who turned 16 recently and my mom who was about to have one (Plus, some shirts I never gave them previously for all three cousins - only took a year!).
Sunday they were outtie. We saw them off at their condo in Kissimmee. Hope you enjoyed yourselves!
I know they really wanted to go riding around and I didn't want to disappoint. After our early morning fishing debacle I took a nap to power up and took them out to Lake Toho which was only 15 minutes away for a little joyriding. Rachel took the wheel on the way back and did pretty well once she got used to the throttle.
Marissa ran up the courage to drive the boat a little, but chickened out once we hit some shallows and almost got stuck. No worries after trimming up we were on our way again. Melanie - next time na lang since she was nervous and was JUST learning how to drive a car.
"You know driving a car?"
"Yeah"
"This is harder."
"Oh. Just show me where the brakes are on this."
"uuuhhhh..."
Saturday Rachel took the family to Cirque du Soleil La Nouba at Downtown Disney. Afterwards, we all went to Celebration for dessert and pass out birthday presents to Melanie who turned 16 recently and my mom who was about to have one (Plus, some shirts I never gave them previously for all three cousins - only took a year!).
Sunday they were outtie. We saw them off at their condo in Kissimmee. Hope you enjoyed yourselves!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Not for you dial-up folks...
* JUST UPDATED*
Randal was kind enough to hook me up with a newly reedited version on both of the videos with additional bonus footage and director's cut! Thanks Randal...
Here's a longer version minus the sound - not recommended for you people behind the times and using DIAL-UP. I don't know Final Cut Pro so I had to jerry rig Randal's DVD and save it without the nice musica. But still here's a nice LONG version. Enjoy!
I'm still amazed at the whole 4D process. Seeing her feet, her hands, sucking her thumb, the back of her head and ears. it's very overwhelming that by Christmas El and I will have a little girl. Although I'm a little nervous about details like daycare, MONEY, work/sleep hours I'm still very excited to see what she will look like and who she will become. There's a little person in El! Good job Mommy.
Randal was kind enough to hook me up with a newly reedited version on both of the videos with additional bonus footage and director's cut! Thanks Randal...
Here's a longer version minus the sound - not recommended for you people behind the times and using DIAL-UP. I don't know Final Cut Pro so I had to jerry rig Randal's DVD and save it without the nice musica. But still here's a nice LONG version. Enjoy!
I'm still amazed at the whole 4D process. Seeing her feet, her hands, sucking her thumb, the back of her head and ears. it's very overwhelming that by Christmas El and I will have a little girl. Although I'm a little nervous about details like daycare, MONEY, work/sleep hours I'm still very excited to see what she will look like and who she will become. There's a little person in El! Good job Mommy.
Isabella makes her onscreen debut...
*JUST UPDATED*
This video was recut again with additional footage. Woo hoo!
Here's a quick and dirty video (about 30 seconds) of El and Isabella's 4D Ultrasound. Thanks Randal for hooking a brutha up. I'll set you up with some car maintenance tips on the flipside.
This video was recut again with additional footage. Woo hoo!
Here's a quick and dirty video (about 30 seconds) of El and Isabella's 4D Ultrasound. Thanks Randal for hooking a brutha up. I'll set you up with some car maintenance tips on the flipside.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
A Little Someone Says Hello
Yesterday El and I were scheduled for our next ultrasound. This was to determine the sex of the baby if possible. Unlike our last visit to the OB, we were going to experience it with the miracle of modern technology - 4D Ultrasound. Not only would the tech use the traditional 2D to take measurements, but the 4D would allow us to see the baby real time in a three dimensional environment in mommy's tummy.
As soon as the tech switched over to 4D we were greeted by the baby with a "peace" sign. Too bad we didn't catch it on tape. Awesome. The tech took her time in getting all the measurements and catering to our questions and needs. An hour later we found out the answers to all our questions.
It was a great experiece and it really reinforced the idea of having a baby in a few months. We're both pretty stoked about the addition. Now the question remains...
Which room becomes the nursery?
As soon as the tech switched over to 4D we were greeted by the baby with a "peace" sign. Too bad we didn't catch it on tape. Awesome. The tech took her time in getting all the measurements and catering to our questions and needs. An hour later we found out the answers to all our questions.
It was a great experiece and it really reinforced the idea of having a baby in a few months. We're both pretty stoked about the addition. Now the question remains...
Which room becomes the nursery?
I'm guessing that we'll be able to visit her by the third trimester. Not soon enough. It was great to see our little girl again since the last ultrasound. Since that time I'd been itching to see how she has progressed. Hell even El took home a doppler from work to check on the baby's heartbeat.
Randal from work is busy digitzing the VHS tape of Isabella so I can post it on the blogger in a week or so. The long version is really for the family, but the short version will feature a little music and possibly a 30 second mpeg of her in mommy's belly. Thanks man!
Randal from work is busy digitzing the VHS tape of Isabella so I can post it on the blogger in a week or so. The long version is really for the family, but the short version will feature a little music and possibly a 30 second mpeg of her in mommy's belly. Thanks man!
Monday, July 10, 2006
The Money Pit
This weekend was spent repairing/updating the boat. I opted out of putting in a CD player and speakers. My iPod and weatherproof Speakercase worked great last time. I never use the radios so it would have been a complete waste.
Anthony at Antonietti Marine is trading out a gps/fishfinder for a logo design for magnetic logos, decals, hats, shirts, etc. May not be top-of-the-line but it'll do. He's also sending me some small accessories/missing components for the boat and will keep an eye out for a seat back for the front cooler bench.
So far I managed to remove the cheesy looking vinyl boat maker stickers on the sides so I can redesign better looking ones and have my vendor at Triangle Repro output me some better, cleaner ones. I also ended up cleaning off the stainless steel railings and removing some of the rust stains on the boat. I also managed to attach the anchor roller mount.
The access hatch in the bow was missing a door so I made my way to Boater's World to pick up a new one. I thought it might be a quick repair, but ended up having to cut away at the fiberglass with my jigsaw to fit it in. Much much better. A quick rinse down and I called it a day. Hopefully later this week I'll be able to use the orbital waxer with a wax restorer.
Anthony at Antonietti Marine is trading out a gps/fishfinder for a logo design for magnetic logos, decals, hats, shirts, etc. May not be top-of-the-line but it'll do. He's also sending me some small accessories/missing components for the boat and will keep an eye out for a seat back for the front cooler bench.
So far I managed to remove the cheesy looking vinyl boat maker stickers on the sides so I can redesign better looking ones and have my vendor at Triangle Repro output me some better, cleaner ones. I also ended up cleaning off the stainless steel railings and removing some of the rust stains on the boat. I also managed to attach the anchor roller mount.
The access hatch in the bow was missing a door so I made my way to Boater's World to pick up a new one. I thought it might be a quick repair, but ended up having to cut away at the fiberglass with my jigsaw to fit it in. Much much better. A quick rinse down and I called it a day. Hopefully later this week I'll be able to use the orbital waxer with a wax restorer.
There's still more to be ddone, but Ihave to take things in stride. It's easy to see how you can get swept away with all the small projects and repairs on a boat. It's definitely a money pit, but something I can focus on that's different from the daily grind.
My Uncle Ernie and family are coming possibly next week and I'd like to get it squared away. The registration plate comes in a couple of weeks, but I hope sooner so I don't have to worry about using the trailer illegally if they maange to come in next weekend.
Next concern is storage. I found a place that I can store it outside for about $50 a month. Not bad. Oooh what next...
Oh and Wednesday, El and I will find out if we have a boy or a girl...
My Uncle Ernie and family are coming possibly next week and I'd like to get it squared away. The registration plate comes in a couple of weeks, but I hope sooner so I don't have to worry about using the trailer illegally if they maange to come in next weekend.
Next concern is storage. I found a place that I can store it outside for about $50 a month. Not bad. Oooh what next...
Oh and Wednesday, El and I will find out if we have a boy or a girl...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
You Guys Ready For A "Three Hour Tour"? Lemme Finish This Beer First...
I wanted a motorcycle. El said "get yourself a larger life insurance policy and a coffin first."
Then I threatened to trade in the Acura MDX for a more gas conservative car ("even a Mercedes if you like" trying to bribe her a little). "You better not!" she hit back.
Well I want SOMETHING for fun. So we settled on a boat. Nothing new, although she tempted me with a brand new 20-footer. Nah nah. We need training wheels so we headed out to Port Richey north of Tampa to see a guy about a horse.
Anthony at Antoinetti Marine set me up with a 19' 2001 Pro Sports Center Console with a Johnson 150 Oceanrunner. Dinged a little, but the sea trial the next weekend with Paul proved satisfying. I was able to haggle him down $500 from his asking price which sealed the deal. $300 for a Coast Guard Kit and a few necessities got me started.
Fourth of July we were heading to Cocoa Beach for the Fourth of July...
Then I threatened to trade in the Acura MDX for a more gas conservative car ("even a Mercedes if you like" trying to bribe her a little). "You better not!" she hit back.
Well I want SOMETHING for fun. So we settled on a boat. Nothing new, although she tempted me with a brand new 20-footer. Nah nah. We need training wheels so we headed out to Port Richey north of Tampa to see a guy about a horse.
Anthony at Antoinetti Marine set me up with a 19' 2001 Pro Sports Center Console with a Johnson 150 Oceanrunner. Dinged a little, but the sea trial the next weekend with Paul proved satisfying. I was able to haggle him down $500 from his asking price which sealed the deal. $300 for a Coast Guard Kit and a few necessities got me started.
Fourth of July we were heading to Cocoa Beach for the Fourth of July...
Ingrid, Sanne and Paul joined us for the day.We left Orlando by around 11am and by 1230 we were on the water. Cocoa BEach was not that far at all. Surprising since it was the Fourth of July, the races were in Daytona and the space shuttle was launching this day. By the time we were launching from the ramp tons of people were lined up with their trucks trying to get out into tthe water.
Here Ingrid and El have lunch of sub sandwiches and watermelon. The water was warm and the water packed with boats of different sizes. Some tunes on the iPod played as we all relaxed in the warm weather.
Here Ingrid and El have lunch of sub sandwiches and watermelon. The water was warm and the water packed with boats of different sizes. Some tunes on the iPod played as we all relaxed in the warm weather.
With what seemed like 4 (actually 5) launchpads on the horizon we almost missed the shuttle take off! While everyone was watching straight ahead (we're all cattle - we just follow the crowd) the shuttle was counting down to the LEFT of us. I've seen shuttles launch before from Orlando as a tiny speck of fire high in the sky, but this was totally different. Very cool.
As the last launch of this type of space shuttle takeoff it was history in the making. In a matter of seconds the craft was gone. 20 seconds later you could hear the sonic boom high into the atmosphere.
As the last launch of this type of space shuttle takeoff it was history in the making. In a matter of seconds the craft was gone. 20 seconds later you could hear the sonic boom high into the atmosphere.
After the shuttle launched we decided to head out of the bay and see what the Johnson 150 could do. Full throttle we were able to hit 42 mph no prob. Pretty awesome. Had to take it easy tho for the new mom - no Shaken Baby Syndrome here. All I need to do it seems it get the body cleaned up to more of my liking and adding a few accessories. The iPod and speakercase setup worked great and prevented any possible chance of theft since I can removie it easily. Antoinetti Marine may even do a tradeout for a GPS/Fishfinder if I do a little design work for them. Every little penny saved helps in this moneypit. But it's oh so nice...
Ya'll Know The Legendary Roots Crew
Saturday evening Ed and I bought tickets to catch The
Roots and Common perform at the House of Blues. Brian
and Asheman managed to meet up before Jean Grey
finished her set - they didn't miss too much.
The House of Blues itself is a great venue for music.
It's not quite as overwhelming as Hard Rock Cafe Live
and not as crappily laid out like say Silver Spurs
Arena or TD Waterhouse. It's a nice, venue with not a
bad seat in it.
Roots and Common perform at the House of Blues. Brian
and Asheman managed to meet up before Jean Grey
finished her set - they didn't miss too much.
The House of Blues itself is a great venue for music.
It's not quite as overwhelming as Hard Rock Cafe Live
and not as crappily laid out like say Silver Spurs
Arena or TD Waterhouse. It's a nice, venue with not a
bad seat in it.
Once The Roots got started they rocked the mic with
some older tunes and some newer stuff. The highlight
for me was definitely when Common came out to throw
down with them. Towards the end of the night they
shifted over to more of a jam band vibe. I wasn't
really feeling it so Ed and I took off a little early.
Sorry Brian.
some older tunes and some newer stuff. The highlight
for me was definitely when Common came out to throw
down with them. Towards the end of the night they
shifted over to more of a jam band vibe. I wasn't
really feeling it so Ed and I took off a little early.
Sorry Brian.
1960's Birthday Shindig!
Since we are expecting our first child November 17th
El and I decided to have one last hurrah for my
birthday (35! Geez!). A quick plan and we organized a
small gathering of friends and significant others the
next day. We themed it out in 1960's mod complete with
lava and fiber optic lamps, Tiki torches, badmitton,
Burt Baccarat and Frank Sinatra on the stereo, and a
shag rug. The potluck spread was awesome. Great job
Tommy and Lyndsey on the Mondrian Jell-O Shooters.
Sorry it melted before you got to the house. Jen's
Pigs-In-A-Blanket were a hit.
El and I decided to have one last hurrah for my
birthday (35! Geez!). A quick plan and we organized a
small gathering of friends and significant others the
next day. We themed it out in 1960's mod complete with
lava and fiber optic lamps, Tiki torches, badmitton,
Burt Baccarat and Frank Sinatra on the stereo, and a
shag rug. The potluck spread was awesome. Great job
Tommy and Lyndsey on the Mondrian Jell-O Shooters.
Sorry it melted before you got to the house. Jen's
Pigs-In-A-Blanket were a hit.
Jen V in tha Hizzy and El check out the spread. Some of the menu items included a flan with seasonal fruit, pork ribs, crabburgers, beef kebobs, fresh melon bowl handcarved by El, deviled eggs, cheescake and even a Mondrian inspired jello shooter set by Tommy. Sorry it didn't make the trip to the house intact. It did look cool tho!
Quickly the party wrapped up (it was the night before
a schoolday) and everyone had to bounce. Paul and Jen
managed to hang with me, El and Rachel to kill off the summer
cocktails mixes. It was exactly how I wanted to spend
the party. Outside in the cooler evening air sipping
cocktails, music in the background, tiki torches
burning and yukking it up with friends.
a schoolday) and everyone had to bounce. Paul and Jen
managed to hang with me, El and Rachel to kill off the summer
cocktails mixes. It was exactly how I wanted to spend
the party. Outside in the cooler evening air sipping
cocktails, music in the background, tiki torches
burning and yukking it up with friends.
Ed and I were supposed to catch another great
underground hip hop band Thursday night at the Social.
People Under The Stairs, from LA, finally made it out
to the East Coast and I've been waiting to catch them
here if the opportunity arose. Well it did and damn me
for misplacing my wallet and having to cancel my
cards. I couldn't get any cash out to head that way.
Kick myself in the ass over this one! I had to pass
grudgingly.
underground hip hop band Thursday night at the Social.
People Under The Stairs, from LA, finally made it out
to the East Coast and I've been waiting to catch them
here if the opportunity arose. Well it did and damn me
for misplacing my wallet and having to cancel my
cards. I couldn't get any cash out to head that way.
Kick myself in the ass over this one! I had to pass
grudgingly.
Happy Birthday to me-e-e-e...
The following Friday I took off from work to make a
long-deserved weekend excursion to SC. We got in and
took my parents out Friday night downtown and spent
the night at their crib. The next afternoon we made it
out to El's parent's house for a Memorial Weekend BBQ
and Birthday hoorah.
Finally got to meet Emily's squeeze from NY, Jon and his
bandmates from Plastic LIttle. Got to chill with Ron for a
few before he had to fly back out to Vegas. And blow
out my candles. Afterwards, Rachel, El and I took a
spin downtown to be tourists for a bit.
long-deserved weekend excursion to SC. We got in and
took my parents out Friday night downtown and spent
the night at their crib. The next afternoon we made it
out to El's parent's house for a Memorial Weekend BBQ
and Birthday hoorah.
Finally got to meet Emily's squeeze from NY, Jon and his
bandmates from Plastic LIttle. Got to chill with Ron for a
few before he had to fly back out to Vegas. And blow
out my candles. Afterwards, Rachel, El and I took a
spin downtown to be tourists for a bit.
We got to eat at Vickery's (mmmm) and had their
Lowcountry Seafood Sautee - fluffy grits with lump
crab, crawfish, shrimp and topped with fried oysters.
Holy shit I've been missing their food. No offense to
our parent's cookiing, but I miss Charleston's array of
fantastic restaurants. We love spending time with you
guys, but we sometimes would rather eat out and
indulge ourselves in the establishments we don't get
to frequent anymore.
Here's El with my nephew Gabriel testing out her mommy skills while I chomp down on his Fred Flintstone foot.
Lowcountry Seafood Sautee - fluffy grits with lump
crab, crawfish, shrimp and topped with fried oysters.
Holy shit I've been missing their food. No offense to
our parent's cookiing, but I miss Charleston's array of
fantastic restaurants. We love spending time with you
guys, but we sometimes would rather eat out and
indulge ourselves in the establishments we don't get
to frequent anymore.
Here's El with my nephew Gabriel testing out her mommy skills while I chomp down on his Fred Flintstone foot.
Some shopping at some of boutiques and small vendors
and we made our way to Spoleto Festival by the Customs
House. The international arts festival is
world-reknown and we wanted to catch some of the vibe
before we went home. The scattered showers put a
damper (literally) on some of the presentees adn they
closed their tents early, but nonetheless we were able
to walk around.
and we made our way to Spoleto Festival by the Customs
House. The international arts festival is
world-reknown and we wanted to catch some of the vibe
before we went home. The scattered showers put a
damper (literally) on some of the presentees adn they
closed their tents early, but nonetheless we were able
to walk around.
Afterwards we made a quick run to the Isle of Palms to
breathe in some of the salty beach air. It's amazing
how Charleston has grown from a small port city into a
heavily visited tourist town. They even tore down the
Pealman-Silas bridge to Mount Pleasant (seen in Die
Hard 3 posing as a NY bridge) and constructed a
beautiful suspension bridge like Savannah's.
By 10:00pm I had to finish my errands for me, Kevin
and Steve's deep sea fishing trip the next morning. By
4am I was out of the house to meet the guys and gear
up the boat. I actually ran into an old friend, Jeremy
Espiritu, who was also getting ready to go out, too.
Apparently he started up his own Fishing Charter
Service. Congrats man!
breathe in some of the salty beach air. It's amazing
how Charleston has grown from a small port city into a
heavily visited tourist town. They even tore down the
Pealman-Silas bridge to Mount Pleasant (seen in Die
Hard 3 posing as a NY bridge) and constructed a
beautiful suspension bridge like Savannah's.
By 10:00pm I had to finish my errands for me, Kevin
and Steve's deep sea fishing trip the next morning. By
4am I was out of the house to meet the guys and gear
up the boat. I actually ran into an old friend, Jeremy
Espiritu, who was also getting ready to go out, too.
Apparently he started up his own Fishing Charter
Service. Congrats man!
By 5:30 am we were in the water making our way through
the jetties of Charleston while the rest of the city
slept. By the time we were 20+ miles out and 90 feet
deep we tried trolling, but with no luck. Reeling in
our bait we went even farther ou. We
tried kicking off the trip with some Hootie and
Blowish. Fish don't like 'em. Apparently they
don't like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers either.
the jetties of Charleston while the rest of the city
slept. By the time we were 20+ miles out and 90 feet
deep we tried trolling, but with no luck. Reeling in
our bait we went even farther ou. We
tried kicking off the trip with some Hootie and
Blowish. Fish don't like 'em. Apparently they
don't like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers either.
We lost a big Wahoo (thanks Steve)
and then the pickings got slim. the sun was out in
full force and by noon we started to make our way back
in. We stopped 25 miles out to try for some Kingfish
but the water was too hot and we were too tired to be
of much use. By 4pm we were back in the jetties to
clean the boat and fish.
and then the pickings got slim. the sun was out in
full force and by noon we started to make our way back
in. We stopped 25 miles out to try for some Kingfish
but the water was too hot and we were too tired to be
of much use. By 4pm we were back in the jetties to
clean the boat and fish.
Great ending to Memorial Weekend. Got to finally do
some real deep sea fishing. I've got new love for
South Carolina. Too bad we never did this earlier. It
would've made me appreciate SC a little more while I
was there. Then again when I did live here I was
significantly poorer and would've never been able to
afford deep sea fishing. The whole trip was awesome
overall.
I guess I need to really see what's available with
fishing since we live in Orlando. Gulf of Mexico
should have great fishing, too, although Kevin doesn't
consider Grouper, Snapper and Sea Bass all that
challenging. Oh well. It's still good eats.
After this it was the drive back home once we slept in
a little Monday morning. Ate breakfast with El's
parents and then headed over to my parents where WE
HAD TO EAT AGAIN. Big shocker. Afterward we made a
quick trip to Northwoods to say hello (and goodbye) to
Steve and Carla and the two boys.
The drive itself wasn't bad and it was great to be
home before the sun went down completely and we could
decompress a litttle. Too bad it's back to work tomorrow.
some real deep sea fishing. I've got new love for
South Carolina. Too bad we never did this earlier. It
would've made me appreciate SC a little more while I
was there. Then again when I did live here I was
significantly poorer and would've never been able to
afford deep sea fishing. The whole trip was awesome
overall.
I guess I need to really see what's available with
fishing since we live in Orlando. Gulf of Mexico
should have great fishing, too, although Kevin doesn't
consider Grouper, Snapper and Sea Bass all that
challenging. Oh well. It's still good eats.
After this it was the drive back home once we slept in
a little Monday morning. Ate breakfast with El's
parents and then headed over to my parents where WE
HAD TO EAT AGAIN. Big shocker. Afterward we made a
quick trip to Northwoods to say hello (and goodbye) to
Steve and Carla and the two boys.
The drive itself wasn't bad and it was great to be
home before the sun went down completely and we could
decompress a litttle. Too bad it's back to work tomorrow.
Monday, June 26, 2006
This thing is pishing me owff!
My Flickr/Blogger setup is killing me. Something happened along the way of a month ago where I can't link my Flickr pics with my blog anymore without some stupid ass error message coming up. I. CAN'T. FIGURE. THE. DAMN. THING. OUT. So I have all these pics from the birthday shindig, Memorial Weekend, etc. that I can;t post properly. I've already emailed Flickr and they responded with some crap that didn't help at all. I see my paid monthly membership is paying itself off... />
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
