New Arrival on the Way

Well… it’s the time in life where new things are happening all around.  I am now a Registered Landscape Architect, for one.

The other piece of news is somewhat bigger… so to speak…

Baby @ 8 Weeks

Progress

I am certainly a delinquent blogger, one who doesn’t make regular contributions.  I find that I don’t have nearly as much to say as I thought I did.  One day, I hope that changes.  However, here, now, I have something to say…

I recently received the results of my June attempt at the final section of the LARE which I lacked on my path toward licensure.   I am pleased to report that I passed this final section.

This fulfills the final requirement for my registration application to the Alabama Board of Landscape Architects, who oversee the licensing process.

I am now mere paperwork away from being a Registered Landscape Architect in the state of Alabama.

My loving wife has already taken me to dinner and arranged for a bouquet of snickerdoodle cookies to be delivered to my office.

Life progresses

…as it tends to do.

This weekend was our church’s annual picnic and some of my wife’s family joined us for the outing.  The afternoon was great fun.  It generally amounted to sitting around visiting, interspersed with occaissionally chasing my nephew around and generally being quite entertained by his various 2-year-old antics. As I’ve noticed tends to happen, after parting ways with my nephew (or neice for that matter), I found my mind wandering and wondering about family, aunts & uncles, life and growing up.

Our parents always seem “old” to us, probably due in large part to the fact that they are usually no less than 16 years and often 30 years or more older than us.  Our aunts & uncles generally fall in the same age grouping with our parents.

Noticing the interaction I have with my niece and nephew and trying to correlate the concept of my parents and aunts & uncles, I realize that I don’t feel “old”.  In fact, I often feel quite young, perhaps even immature for my soon-to-be 30 years of age.  It is yielding a different view of life as I sort of “put myself in someone else’s shoes” and wonder how my dad felt and thought when chasing me around the yard or when my aunt & uncle had me over for dinner.  Likewise, I wonder what my nephew will think of me, when he’s old enough to form opinions.

I am not yet a father, but that role is planned for some point in my life.  I wonder what my son or daughter will think of me.  How “old” will I be to them?  I don’t remember what I was like or what I did when I was my nephew’s age (or my niece’s either), but a recent revelation from my mother indicates that I “was a terror”.  How will I describe my niece and nephew to them years from now?  How will I describe my own kids?

Life sure comes at you fast.  I guess I’m learning, in my own time, that such a statement isn’t as much of a cliche as I really thought.

…my $0.02

Studying… again

Well, to prove that at the ripe old age of 29, I’m still as much a slacker as ever, it is less than one month until I re-take the grading portion of my professional exam, the LARE, and I have just started studying… yesterday.  They say we mature with age, but I still seem to be as unmotivated to study as ever.  I guess my maturity will manifest itself in other ways.  I hope so.  My wife really hopes so.

In working through some example problems for this test, I have found a phenomenon that rears its ugly head in all sorts of places… the Snowball Effect.

Grading is something that comes quite naturally to me.  I have always been able to read topo maps with ease and grading issues, problems, projects and classes in college were almost always a breeze.  I just get it.  That being said, I have now re-worked two example problems in this round of studying and have made a very small oversight on both which led to ramifications that grew into issues that I think might have caused me to “fail” these problems, were this the real test.  In each case, it was a minor aspect of the problem which, on its own, is virtually ignorable.  However, each one led to compounding situations, which led to outright errors, which led to what I feel I would have to consider a “failing” effort for the problem.  The good news is that I’m discovering this tendency now, during practice, and will be on the lookout for such in the future, and hopefully will catch any such oversights.

This Snowball Effect shows up all over the place, as I’m sure most people have noticed (I never claimed to be profound or revolutionary).  I suppose the prime contemporary example is the housing “crisis”.  One could probably extrapolate that larger, overall concept out to each person effected by the housing “crisis” and find that almost every single individual case of hardship has a Snowball Effect attached that brought about the hardship.

Could our political environment be another example?  The conservatives had been waging an unpopular war and condoning questionable behavior, so we started electing more liberal representation.  Slowly (then quickly), but surely, the numbers of Democrats rose.  Now, the situation has snowballed into what is soon to be the largest, most debt-incurring government in the history of civilization, with neither check nor balance capable of stopping it.

Anyway…  Studying has commenced.  I’ll update as the date nears.

Sun and warmth, as summer approaches

So, I consider myself a cold-weather person.  I love snow, to ski, to sit by the fire, to bundle up in a coat, hat and scarf, to see my breath.  I love to sleep in a cold room, wrapped up in the covers.  Conversely, I almost cannot sleep if I’m hot.  I can’t stand feeling sticky within moments of leaving the air conditioning.  If I had my way, the temperature would migrate from the upper-20′s in winter to the upper-50′s in summer, with the occaissional “hot” day of 65.  I assume I’m making my wife shiver as she reads this.

Today, however, is an example of weather that is almost intrinsically pleasant, dare I say, “Perfect.”  It is in the upper-60′s or lower-70′s, sunny with the few delicate clouds, and there is a slight breeze.  While this falls outside the limits which I’ve described as my ideal, I must say that today is splendid.  I spent a few hours with some friends around lunch and am now enjoying a pleasantly relaxing afternoon with my wife.  We have currently stopped for coffee and a break, before heading out for shopping and strolling at a local outdoor mall.

Today is one of those days that one would have to consider a waste if it were spent inside.  This is a day for the outdoors, for sun and breeze, for strolling and relaxing, for enjoying the ones you love and for not daring to complain about the world.  Today is a day for happienss.

I hope all of you are, will, have, do and did enjoy it!

…my $0.02

Fleeting rays of the sun…

.My wife has gotten into the Twilight phenomenon.  After the prodding and general excitement of a number of her friends, she read the first book in the series, after having seen the movie during, what I’m told was, a boisterous Girls’ Night Out.  After having read the book, she said that she now needed to see the movie again, to better compare the two.  With the recent release of the movie on DVD, she has gotten that opportunity.

We, together, watched Twilight one evening this week.  I can’t really say that I enjoyed it, because there are a number of aspects of it that hold little appeal to me, not the least of which is the fact that its intended audience is teenage girls, and I am not one.  However, even though I didn’t enjoy it, I also didn’t despise it.  I thought the setting was very captivating and I applaud the filmmakers for their portrayal of almost everything in blue-ish tone, which added to the overall mood of the film.  And its overall topic, vampires, is one that I could certainly find interesting, if the surrounding film were equally interesting.  I did find the depth to which the topic was explained  in Underworld to be captivating.

All in all, the movie was entertaining.  Some of the effects were impressive and I never cease to be amazed by the home chosen for such exotic film characters.  I suppose it’s the “architect” in me.  I will say that for those of you skeptics, this movie isn’t time wasted… and it will fill you in what just about everyone is discussing these days.

…my $0.02

Happy Pup

After much angst and frustration and numerous unsuccessful attempts, I hav successfully “fixed” our home network.  Our router/modem setup was not coordinating DHCP correctly and I never had gotten around to building a server.

This weekend, after several hours of fiddling, building, downloading, setting and general geekery, both issues have been resolved.

Hopefully, all will continue to perform as it has today.

…my $0.02

(Apologies to my wife who has been confronted, yet again, with the fact that she married a geek.)

Movies, Films… whatever

I consider myself a movie buff.  I suppose I’m at least enough of one to have earned the nickname in high school as the “Movie Snob”.  If left to my own devices, I would probably see a movie in theater or on dvd every night.  Alas, finances and responsibilities prevent such pursuits.  And that’s probably a good thing.

My wife and I recently watched “Changeling”, the Clint Eastwood film starring Angelina Jolie.  My immediate reaction was, “Meh…”  I was not thoroughly impressed.  After giving it more thought, I have decided that my assessment of the film is even worse than that.  I didn’t care for it.  Honestly, the one bright spot for me was the larger plot within which Ms. Collins’ story took place, which I had no idea was part of the film.  I found the larger story to be quite fascinating, albeit gruesome.

Angelina’s performance was unimpressive, at best, to me.  Firstly, I still find it hard to take her seriously, given the pure dribble that is most of her films prior.  I was pleased that there was not some wardrobe choice or plot line that necessitated a camera angle which showcased her generous endowment… until the “shower” scene.  It seemed to me that she played only one emotion throughout the film, and didn’t play it all that convincingly.

Mr. Eastwood’s filmmaking did not impress me either.  Late in the film, a thought came to me which fairly accutely described my take, but alas, I cannot remember what it was.  Apparently the film left so little impression on me that I cannot recall the impression it left on me.

What I did like about the film was the setting.  I thought they did a very nice job of representing Depression-era LA.  It seemed very believable and true to form.  In the interest of full disclosure, I often like period films, so I am easily pleased by them.  I also thought the part of Mr. Northcott was very well executed.  I am not familiar with this actor, but he did a very good job.

All in all, the film was fine.  I would recommend it to others.  Aspects of it did not impress me, but it was entertaining.

…my $0.02

Blogging (or lack thereof)

So I set up this blog because I have points and perspectives that I want to share with others and/or the world.  This sort of medium affords me that opportunity.  Although I haven’t spent much time in or reading through the bloggosphere, I am quite certain that I am not the first to find myself not posting with as much regularity as I thought I would.

First, I recently bought a netbook, an HP2133.  Part of my decision for making the purchase was the desire and intention to take the netbook basically everywhere and use it frequently, getting on the web at hotspots and perhaps even using it like a PDA, keeping a calendar and contacts close at hand.  Well, I do take it just about everywhere, but I find open wifi access to be far less prevalent than expected.  Also, in setting up my blog and getting the netbook, I decided that I wanted to only make contributions to the blog from the netbook.  Having found less-than-ubiquitous wifi access and generally using my netbook less than I thought I would, my blog contributions are fairly inconsistent at best, but few and far between is probably more correct.

My apologies to those who have checked even remotely-regularly, looking for new posts.  I will try to be more timely in the future.  For those with blogs of their own, please leave a comment taling the story of your own blog experience.

…my $0.02

Standards… are a good thing

So, I have been accused of being a snob on more than one occasion.  I, of course, take at least minor issue with this.  Personal reflection and analysis has led me to the conclusion that I am discerning, one might phrase it that I have standards, but I don’t think it’s fair to blanket-label my personality as snobbish.

I think we all have that one (perhaps more) facet or aspect of life where we become judgmental, where we become a “snob”.  A high school classmate once put it to me that everyone judges others on something, for him it was one’s taste in music.  That being said, I suppose we are all snobs on some level, about some issue.  The key would then be for one to try not to be too judgmental of others regarding whatever this issue is.  For some, I’m sure that’s harder than for others.

My inspiration for this post was the (somewhat) recent announcement by my alma mater that a new logo had been developed and debuted.  A link was sent to me, by my wife, to a “Visual Identity Standards” web page whereby MSU has outlined the official logo, crest, text, colors, layout, etc.  Moreover, they describe appropriate and inappropriate uses of all of these.

Setting aside personal tastes of whether the new standards are “good”, I am very pleased that such effort was made to establish the standards and that then the policy was put in place to uphold the standards developed.  I assume, and certainly hope, that some manner of enforcement will accompany the standards and requirements.  I can personally express frustration with the different shades of maroon or styling of the text on sweatshirts and other paraphernalia.  The university, like many other entities, has a specific way it should all look, and I think it should all look like it is intended.

So while the matter of which shade of maroon is correct is fairly trivial in the grand picture, it epitomizes a larger issue that I see many places in life… we have gotten lax on standards.  Education standards appear to have lowered, so students are less prepared to face that next phase in their life.  Decorum and conduct standards have lowered, so it is now acceptable to all-but scream on one’s cell phone while at the table in a restaurant.  Service standards have lowered, so now tips are expected and factored into a waitperson’s wages instead of being used as a reward for exceptional service. I could go on, but I think most get my point, and could probably add to my list.

Standards are a good thing.  We should all be so “picky”.  So ask to speak to a manager the next time a waiter or waitress is outstanding.  Nudge the jerk who won’t get off his cell phone and at least ask him to keep it down.  Push your kids to learn, beyond the classroom.  Our world will likely be the better for it.

…my $0.02

A new year

…is upon us, or rather, has arrived. Like it or not, it’s that time again… to write “2008” in the date field of some form or check or whatever. C’mon, you know you keep that running tally in your head.

So last year has come to a close. I can’t say that it was a “truly memorable” year, but there were certainly milestones that I will remember. My wife and I bought a new car, something we never really intended to do. We finally took a trip to the beach, for the first time in our relationship. We witnessed the marriage of my wife’s older brother, so now I’m not the newest in-law in her family. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and did so in fantastic style in Asheville, NC. I became a full member of my local improv troupe, which means now I get paid for performances. We got to “see” our Panthers run up the second best record in the NFL, although we didn’t get to actually watch but two or three games.

I think the biggest accomplishment for the two of us was for the year to play out in an easy-going and fairly laid-back manor. And it did! We spent several weekends in a row at home in the spring, which was a much-desired change of pace from the frantic end to 2007. We began several months with nothing on the agenda, though none of the months ended that way. Our year was very much what we wanted it to be. Hopefully, this next year will be as pleasing too.

…my $0.02

Test? of one’s ability…

It’s been a while since I was in college and even longer since I was in “school”, so I’m not exactly practiced on taking tests.  Recently, I’ve taken my first tests in at least 4 years, maybe 5.

I am currently going through the required procedure, attempting to become a licensed Landscape Architect.  Part of that procedure involves a 5-part test, the LARE, which is touted as quite difficult and “boasts” a 20% first-time pass-rate.  I took the three written sections of this test in September, and feeling confident about one, and luke-warm about the other two, was quite pleased to learn that I received a passing grade for all three.

Today, I took the first of two graphical sections of the LARE.  When I walked out of the 5-hour session, I had a feeling of confidence, which was nice… for a bit.  My good mood slowly started to subside as I began wondering if the test seemed so “easy” because perhaps I missed some very critical aspects of it.  Naturally, I started replaying the problems in my head to see if anything might come to mind, but nothing did.  I wager most test veterans are familiar with such a feeling, following one of their tests.

So after reevaluating, time and again, my performance and execution of today’s test, I have resigned myself to the fact that it does me no good to worry about it as it is now in the past.  I will just have to press on by taking the other graphical section tomorrow and then waiting patiently for 10-12 weeks for the results.

For those that believe in any such, crossed fingers, good luck charms, prayers, fairy dust, Ouija boards, Tarot prophecies, guestimates, hunches, or other such supernatural interference on my behalf between now and late-February would be appreciated.

…my $0.02

Anniversaries are fun!

So my wife and I celebrated our 1st anniversary in early November.  We planned and enjoyed a long weekend to Asheville, North Carolina.  I find myself struggling to find words to do justice to the beauty of that area.  It was a magnificent trip.  We toured the city, visited the Biltmore, did some shopping at Biltmore Village, and stayed a couple of nights at the Grove Park Inn.

Our meals were excellent, our accommodations were superb, and our pictures are numerous (we took 350 over 4 days).  I would recommend a trip like ours to almost anyone.  Kudos! to Asheville.

…my $0.02

Survival of the… someone

Well, the kids came, they saw, and we were definitely conquered. Adding to the adventure, both kids were sick and required a veritable pharmacy of meds and treatments.  I always suspected that kids and medicine would produce a headache… and now I have the experience to back up such a theory.

All in all, it went quite well.  We took the kids to a local farm for a hay ride and pumpkin picking.  They had a great time.  Lunch and a nap later, we rented a movie and I can now say that I have seen what a Barbie movie is like.  No comment.

Well the main question from most has been whether this experience has been the proper promotion for birth control.  I have to say that it was not.  I do, very much, still want kids, but I certainly don’t want to be thrown a 5 year old and a 2 year old.  Easing my way into it with a pregnant wife, infant, then toddler sounds much more survivable.

…my $0.02

Kids… (not mine)

As I have no children of my own, yet, I am certainly speaking of someone else’s.

This weekend, my wife and I are joined by our niece, 5, and nephew, 1.5.  They are good kids, well-mannered, easy-going, capable of helping you help them.  As our adventure has only been underway for a little over two hours, I can’t really say that it’s going well, but I will say that so far, so good.

My wife told me a story that as she explained our weekend plans to those she knows, she was greeted with a frequent response of, “Oh, getting practice for the real thing, huh?”  I do suppose that as she and I move down our path toward parenthood, any activity or interaction with children can reasonably be construed as “practice”, however I am surprised by how many people automatically and immediately jump to that notion.

I suppose people assume that is our (the ubiquitous “our”) goal, to have kids.  I suppose people assume that to be in the near future.  I guess I don’t really have a problem with it, but I do find it a tad troubling that in this day of individuality and “bucking the system”, that people still assume such a traditional goal.  Again, I don’t think I necessarily have a problem with it, but I do find it interesting and borderline-entertaining.

Regardless of our goals or people’s response, we are charged with the care of our niece and nephew for the weekend.  I hope to survive.

…my $0.02

Crowleo

I saw Body of Lies this evening and I must say, it was quite enjoyable.  The story was compelling, the portrayals were intriguing and the filming was engaging.  It is definitely worth seeing in the theater.

It is something of a cross between a few other spy/terrorist films, but it is presented in a bit of a new way with new twists, as it would have to have.

It was quite enjoyable, though a bit graphic/violent.  So caution beware to those who are squeamish.

…my $0.02

Actors, Characters or Films

So Kirsten Dunst has, historically, been one of my least favorite actors.  Something about her just didn’t stike me as appealing, and I never could put my finger on it.

Then, my wife made me watch Mona Lisa Smile, and then Elizabethtown.  Then we went to see Marie Antionette; after all, it is a Coppola film.  Tonight, I saw How to Lose Friends and Alienate People and it finally hit me…

She’s fine, actually quite agreeable in her portrayal of various characters.  The problem I had with her was apparently not entirely her fault, but rather was because the film featuring her was just garbage.  I’ll refrain from giving specific examples, but they were just junk… so her characters were junk… so her performances were junk.  Conversely, when she’s been in quality films, her characters are quality, and her performances are quality.

So the broader question must be asked… what really dictates how much we like a given actor or character or film?  I fear it may be very much a chicken vs. egg question and therefore can’t be properly answered, but only argued.

George Costanza is a perfect example.  That character was so deplorable that it tainted my opinion of Jason Alexander.  But shouldn’t one really ask why?  Shouldn’t the fact that the actor was able to inspire such a reaction in me be worth admiration and not despise?  I have since come to realize that not only was Jason Alexander’s performance of the George Costanza character nearly brilliant, the mere conception of such a fantastically disdainable character is a testament to the “greatness” of the show.

From now on, I intend to try to determine what it is that makes me dislike an actor, a character or a movie, to try to further this question of which it really is that makes me not like it.

…my $0.02

Politics, Government and the American… Way?

What is the state of American government?  Are the people still in charge of this government?  Has our representative democracy been hijacked by politics?  Are politicians seeking office to do the best job possible or to get elected into office?

…my $0.02

Is it news or is it entertainment?

“I don’t watch the news because it’s all negative.”

I’ve heard this statement, verbatim, more times than even I believe. I completely see the point being made by those who make the statement, but is it true?

The biggest entertainment endeavors, financially speaking, in memory are all action movies. So while we all know that sex sells, it stands to reason that so does violence… or at least dramatized violence.

If the news is, in fact, “all negative” is it because it is more about entertaining us than informing us? News reports appear on television, a very expensive medium for conveying information. Given that there aren’t very many entities out there which spend gobs of money with no return, it stands to reason that each and every news program must at the very least break-even. Nearly all income for news programs comes from advertising, which is based on various ratings analyses, which are derived by estimating the number of people watching a given TV program. So, if they derive most of their income from a system that demands that we are sitting there taking in their product, I would say that they have a great motivation to populate their programs with “information” which keeps us watching.

The truth is probably that it doesn’t really matter. Either get the news via one of the vehicles available or don’t get it. If one doesn’t like how it’s being presented, get it yourself.

And for those who long for something positive in the news, here is a link, endorsed by my wife, for you to peruse:
www.happynews.com

…my $0.02

Heisman He Ain’t

Tim Tebow didn’t deserve it last year and he certainly doesn’t deserve the Heisman Trophy this year.

Tebow, starting quarterback for the University of Florida Gators, has shown this season that he’s not as quality a QB as he’s been touted.  His throws were, for the most part, lack-lustre at best.  His one touchdown pass was underthrown and should have been an interception for a defensive touchdown, but instead slipped through the safety’s hands and was caught by a very heads-up receiver who then took off for twenty-nine yards for the TD.  Tim deserves little of the credit.

Don’t get me wrong, the guy is an amazing athlete and one heckuva runner.  But I cannot agree with those that say he was the best player in college football last season, nor will I agree with anyone who says it this season.  Tim Tebow isn’t a good quarterback, but he’s a very talented runner.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I am an Ole Miss fan.  But I was saying this last year when he ran for 150+ yards against us and I’m still saying it after having seen all of last year and this year, to date.

Congratulations to Tim Tebow for winning, not earning, the Heisman Trophy last year.  No one can take that away… which is probably a good thing for him.

…my $0.02