With My Friend Sancho Panza...

This is just a test to see if this works.
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Earlier this week, it was temps in the low 80s, some nice cloudless sunny days, and one or two rainy days.

Just now, when I let Malcom out, its lightly snowing. Let me say that again.... snowing.

Are there frogs in the forecast for tomorrow? I can only guess....
~ Josh
josh.schneider@gmail.com

"Cause when you start to doubt yourself, the real world eats you alive..."

So tired.... Mom and dad owe me so much free babysitting....
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Well hello there.

If you're still reading this, it means you haven't given up hope of hearing from me, or you're masochistic.... whichever. I am sorry its been so long. Its not you, its me. Lately, I have been caught in the swim of things. With T^3 International done, and that weight lifted, I get to sit back and enjoy the calm before the storm.

For those not keeping tally, we're T-minus 3 weeks until baby time.... or so they tell me. The due date is April 14th, and I hope the kid isn't late or I will have to drop him a letter grade for tardiness. Prep has been... well, busy. The kid's twinked out in a good way, with all the best fineries that our friends, families, and ourselves could afford. He's got the crib, the dresser, the glider rocker (for mom and dad), sheets, tons of clothes, bibs, bottles, and everything else down to the WTF gift of the Wipe Warmer. Is it sad that I enjoy his toys as much as I bet he will? Sitting to the left of my desk, as I type this, is the baby bouncy chair. Over in the corner of the living room is the swing.

Now all we need is a baby....

So now to the two questions everyone keeps asking:

1) How's momma? In short, uncomfortable. The kid keeps on growing and growing, and she doesn't. Still as tiny and cute as the day I married her, with a large addition to her front side. She insists she's fat, I insist she's crazy. She's not sleeping well lately, and is ready to be done with working for a while.... so I try to do a few things around the house. Just before I sat down I fixed the errant support coil on the rocker, and cleaned up the computer room a bit. When it gets closer to her “off work” time, I will probably put something on for dinner. Eh, its all I can do at the moment.

2) Are you ready for fatherhood? I am kind of getting tired of this question, so let me answer it here. I am, in my estimation, about as ready as I am going to get.... which means, what? I am confident that I am ready for the kid to come, and fully expect any plans or illusions I might have are going to go right out the window. So the plan right now is that there is no plan. I've trained for this day.... sweated through Bradley Method classes, read up on parenting and baby care from day one, listened to the advice of others; and I am now ready for it to explode in my face and figure it out on the way down. That suit ye?

So what else have I been doing? Well there was the aforementioned T^3 International. For those that have missed out, I gave a session at my first international conference. It was amazing, interesting, nerve wracking, and fun. I had a room filled to to brim with about 50 teachers talking about basic troubleshooting and support on a product that I could likely troubleshoot half-asleep. The group was great... they asked questions, told stories, laughed at my jokes (however horrible they were), and generally had a lot of fun. I've gotten e-mails from about 10-12 of them asking for the slides I used and generally congratulating me on a good session. I may put in my speaker proposal again for next year, and maybe for a few regionals close to the end of the year, if I can convince the powers that be that I am worth the travel expense.

When I am not doing the work thing or the family thing, anymore, I am playing World of Warcraft. I won't say much (I could rattle on for pages), but I will say that I have a main (just hit level 60 last week), and 3 alts that I play regularly. I play with a group of friends that I've known for a while, and its fabulous. I hope I still have at least a little time to play when the little tyke comes along.

Well, that's it for now.... I'll see what I can come up with later this week.

Audio: Share your favorite track from a live album.
Submitted by -Lisa.

There's a wonderful version of "Porcelain" by Better Than Ezra on the Live from House of Blues album that I've sometimes seen referred to as the "Toe Curl Mix".  The name is well earned.... nice blues guitar riffs, and a slightly decreased tempo make you feel the pain of this sad song.  Its awesome!

This is just a test post from the blackberry. Disregard it.
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"...The road that only this one knows, off to nowhere, here I go..."
-- Rollins Band, "Illumination"

What do you do to get rid of a cold or flu? 
Submitted by ashenflowers.

Sleep.  That's pretty much it.

Play any instrument or speak any language, which do you choose?
Question submitted by cruftbox.vox.com.

I think I'd go for speak any language.  I guess either one you pick, you learn how to communicate in a different way, which is one of the most valuable things in life.  We're all in a struggle to be understood, and anything else that helps you get your point across is a precious commodity.

Shamelessly stolen from Aubrey...

accent: I have none, which surprises everyone.  I am originally from Mesquite, TX.  Most of my family have those long southern drawls.  Me?  Nope.

booze: Depends on who, when, and where.  If I am at a bar amongst friends, or occasionally home on my own, then its beer.  Beers of choice are usually Heineken, Shiner Bock, or Corona.  If I am at home, then usually wine.  Dry reds are more my favorites, but some whites, like Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are growing on me.  On the rare occasion, I like sake or vodka, but I have to be in the right company for those. 
When it comes to vodka, Cape Cods are my favorite (Cranberry Juice and Vodka).

chore I hate: Taking out the friggin' trash.

dogs/cats:  2 dogs at the moment.  Avory, our 11 year old, and Malcom, our 2 year old.  Both are male Shelties.  Kitty appearently to come.

essential electronics: Got my Blackberry, iPod, and my Mac Mini.  I am set.

favorite perfume/cologne: I'll wear just about anything.  On Bekah?  Just about anything vanilla.

gold/silver: Silver.  Gold looks too gaudy.

hometown: Mesquite, TX

insomnia:  Sometimes.  I am a chronic worrier (general anxiety disorder anyone?).

job title: Technical Escalations Level II (Big words for "I solve issues we don't have solutions for")

kids: Working on those as often as Bekah will let me... :)

living arrangements: Just bought a house which we move to in the next week.

most admired trait: Caring and a capacity for kindness.

number of significant relationships: 2, if you count my ex-fiance.  Had several other girlfriends, but none that I proposed to.

overnight hospital stays: Several when I was a child and not old enough to remember.  Since then?  None.

phobia: I don't think I have anything that qualifies as a phobia, but I pretty well afraid of being abandoned.  I know, real manly.

quotes: Favorite quote by a famous person? "When you start to doubt yourself, the real world eats you alive"  -- Rollins Band, "Shine"

religion: Basically Christian, although not really a traditionally practicing one.

siblings: Got one sister, 17 months younger than me.

time I usually wake up: 5:30a-6a on work mornings, and anytime between 8a and 11a on weekends.

unusual talent: .I quote movies, books, plays, and music a LOT.  Usually I am down to the word on most
quotes and can quote 2 things from just about anything I've heard or read.
vegetables I refuse to eat: Cauliflower, radishes, turnip greens.

worst habit: Leaving things lying about when I am done with them.  Wife's worst habit is to put them up, and
subsequently wonder where they went.

x-rays: better than z-rays?

yummy foods I make:  Bekah says I make killer Ramen.  Other than that... an out of practice cook.

zodiac sign: Libra, da scales.