A Fresh New Look For A Fresh New Pappa!

Back on the Horse

2008-03-02T21:13:00.002-05:00

This past week I finally found employment. The economy sticks here in Central Florida and everywhere from what I hear, so job hunting has been long and tedious. The good news is I may have found something I'll be sticking with for a while and not have that continual itch to get my video production work up and running and rely on that as our sole income...or lack of income!
I'm working at one of the largest, if not the largest hospital networks in Central Florida in Materials Management. It's great so far and hope to get my radiology technician degree in the next year or 2. If that happens, I'll probably just stay at the hospital I'm in now. The benefits are awesome and it's a pretty good environment to work in. I've already got a few stories to tell when it's not past my bedtime. The only drawback I see now is my shift starts at 5am and i live about 45 minutes away. Not a good scenario for a lifelong night person!!

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm...The SWEET taste of victory

2008-02-21T23:48:00.003-05:00

Hopefully part 2 will go as well as part one. Let me explain.
As you may, or may not have read in my blog (the 3 of you that actually read my blog!!) and my Pops' blog, Wifey, myself and soon-to-be-born Baby J were hit back in October by a "drunk" driver. Drunk is in parenthesis because somehow, the failed sobriety test has disappeared. No one, including the state Attorney's office can get their hands on it. Interesting. Or the other possible solution is that the arresting police officer lied to us, which, after dealing with this guy wouldn't surprise me. Sorry if I seem angry, but I am!!
Now on to the good news. After being subpoenaed to testify against "drunky" and the court day having passed, we got a nice sigh of relief in the form of a letter from the State Attorney's office today. This time, the news was awesome. The State Attorney's office reached a plea deal and "drunky" plead "no contest"! Justice is served! He gets 30 days in jail, 28 days suspended license, 50 hours community service, must go to aggressive driving school, pay court costs and other fees and may have to pay restitution (I'm assuming for our medical bills).
Maybe our luck is changing?? After a bad business deal and being unemployed for a month (and no income since November), I finally get the job I want and a foot in the door to the career I've recently chosen, and now this.
This whole wreck "aftermath" is far from over, but, this is hopefully an awesome beginning to the end. Huge kudos to the State attorneys office for somehow swaying "drunky's" decision. He originally entered a plea of not guilty and even after his attorney saw pictures we took of the accident said his client wouldn't do jail time. Instead, he insisted we harassed "drunky's" family by showing up at the door following the accident, then stopping by the home to get pictures of the damaged car after wifey was released from the hospital. Since no police report was filed, they didn't have a leg to stand on.
And most of all, thanks to my pops and our "posse" who tracked "drunky" down when called upon.

Sorry...

2008-02-16T20:45:00.009-05:00

It's been a while, I know. Life has thrown me an unexpected curve ball and I'm just know getting my head above water again. Thank goodness January is over with! Good thing for a new year, to start off fresh, right?
Baby J and the wifey are doing awesome. Baby J is 9 weeks old now and as of this past Thursday, he weighs 13 lbs and 3 oz and is 23 3/4 inches long. He's in the 90th percentile of both categories and has already graduated to 3-6 month old clothing and #2 size diapers. He's a VERY healthy boy! He's talking a lot now and interacting with us more. My dad loves the little guy to death and has successfully taught Baby J how to stick out his tongue. He sticks it out now when he plays, talks, cries, eats, and even when he's just sitting still. We are thinking he's gonna talk with a lisp! It's great watching my dad and grandparents play with the little guy. He's familiar with them now and chats up a storm when he sees them.
We'll be flying out to Salt Lake in April to show him off to wifey's family and friends. His grandma is very excited to see him. Here's a few recent pics.

Thank goodness for the "Y" Chromosome!!

2007-12-31T17:08:00.000-05:00

No offense to anyone reading this post, but after seeing and experiencing everything wifey's gone through during the past 10 months (and especially the past 3 weeks after Baby J was born), I'm glad I'm a guy. Not because I'm glad she's going through this discomfort instead of me, it's just I'm a very low maintenance kinda guy. It's an inconvenience to me to even do my hair..that's why it's usually buzzed! My ideal outfit is flip flops, a t shirt and shorts. I couldn't deal with the extra maintenance she's dealing with right now and for that, I give wifey huge props for being such a warrior through this post pregnancy/transition stage her body's going through.
Not only has my world been expanded in a good way learning how to take care of Baby J; from holding him correctly, to dressing him, changing him, feeding him, etc., my eyes have also been open to the recuperation process wifey has to go through....again, I'm so glad I'm a guy.
I sympathize with her and try to help out as much as I can, where I can. She's in pain from head to toe almost due to the change her body's going through; from breast feeding to recovering from the labor....and I'll just leave it at that!! After witnessing the birth and everything that could potentially go wrong, I've come to the realization that childbirth really is an absolute miracle. Starting from the baby's development during the beginning of the 1st trimester until the time he's born, and after. It's just so amazing to me. The only thing I wish that would be different is that the recovery process would be easier. Obviously it's a definite shock to the body, but I for one don't like to witness my best friend and sweetheart in such pain. Luckily, she should be close to the end of the hardest part of the recovery. She's only got 3 weeks left of what's supposed to be a 6 week recovery.
Again, major props to wifey!!

More pics of Baby "J"

2007-12-12T22:40:00.000-05:00

Get a LED scroller or myspace layouts at MyspaceBrand.com

Picture with Wifey's mom (1st time grandma!)

Us and Baby "J", 1st day home from hospital.

New Arrival!!!

2007-12-10T21:43:00.002-05:00

So the little guy finally arrived! Wifey was having contractions on Friday night and into Saturday. They stayed pretty consistent this time around so we decided to go to the hospital to get checked out. Good thing we did. 6 hours later Baby J popped out! Just in time for grandma too. Wifey's mom flew in from Salt Lake Saturday night. She's had this flight reserved since she found out her 1st grandson was going to be born on the 11th...hoping to be a little early for his birth. I met her at the front doors and no more than 45 minutes passed and Baby J was born! Talk about timing! We love him to death. Enjoy the photos!

Difference a drive makes!

2007-11-13T19:12:00.001-05:00

Well, we moved and it feels great. I don't have to worry about the drug dealers upstairs, suspicious cars driving through the neighborhood, etc. We're out of the city and the ghetto's too slow to have made it out this far yet. Even though we might take a hit in the bank account, since gas seems to be higher in value than gold, but you can't put a price really on the serenity and comfort out here. Everything went smoothly on Saturday, other than dad getting stranded!!! But it all "worked out"! The place is bigger, the community is gated, there's hills (unusual for Florida), and most importantly, it's quiet.
The positives out weigh the negatives by far. The baby will be here soon and we won't be so cramped that we trip over each other all the time. Next month dad will be out this way too, and now that he's got a bike as well, I see many "explorations" in our future!!

MADD as heck

2007-10-20T22:10:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday night on our way home from our weekly dinner appointment with grandma and grandpa, wifey and I were on our way home when a car pulled out in front of us and took off. My famliy got there soon after and found the car before Florida Highway patrol could. He ran to "mommy's" house and she protected him; even after my brother told her my wife is 8 months pregnant. No remorse, no apology, no regard for anyone but themselves. Did I mention he was drunk?? Real responsible, right?
I can't expound on this issue as I wish I could due to a pending lawsuit. Fortunately for us, Baby J appears to be okay. Wifey and I are feeling the pains from such an ordeal. I'm not an emotional crier, but at the scene, sunday night in the hospital and Monday in the hospital, it was all I could do to hold back my tears wondering if I was going to lose my 1st born child before he was even born. It took me about 3 nights afterwards for my nerves to calm down and to be able to get a good nights sleep.
MADD doesn't stand for "Mother's Advocating Drunk Driving", the correct word is AGAINST....someone should tell the before mentioned mom that.

Turning into my pops!

2007-10-08T20:46:00.000-04:00

Right now I'm listening to my wife discuss with her mom her great accomplishment this week which has caused me to shave about about 3 years off my life and nearly gave us a pre-mature baby boy!
Recently we decided to up size our vehicle and trade in our civic for a Nissan Xterra. To us this made perfect sense with Baby J on the way and now have the luxury of putting the crazy puppy in the back. Yes, this is the same "calm" puppy we got as a potential guard dog that after 9 months has turned in to a neurotic, lick you to death, ball of endless energy. Guess that plan backfired.
The Xterra come to find out is a 5 speed. OK for me. Dad taught me how to drive a stick shift since I was about 13. 1st time for wifey taking on the feat of the 5 speed. I remember nearly flipping dad's truck over in a high school parking lot one weekend then taking a 6 month break or so. My dad was amazingly calm and just quietly asked me to switch seats. I think he was so amazed that we were both still alive, he couldn't find the words to express what he was really feeling at the time! If I remember correctly, he headed straight for the bathroom as soon as we got home, his face still whiter than the vanilla ice cream in the freezer I was more than delighted to help myself to (for doing such a great job, of course)!
Oh, how things come full circle. I have been repeating the SAME exact words I once heard from my dad (usually repeating 50 times in one minute)! "Easy off the clutch", "listen to the engine...you're revving", "Oh, oh, oh", "You're doing better", mean while his head was bouncing around like a later-to-be invented bobble head doll.
I'm pleased to say, after a week of borrowing family member's (automatic) cars, Wifey finally drove to work today and back....SAFELY. She didn't even get pulled over going 45 through a school zone and escaped near death by a school bus. Oh, I forgot to mention she's a pre school teacher. Yep, an immediate obstacle course, (school buses, young kids, cops, school zones, traffic jams, etc.).
I think by next week, the puppy and I both will be off the Dramamine!

2007-09-18T17:24:00.000-04:00

Say hello world to "Baby J". That's my little boy 3 months before his arrival. The 3-D imagery is way cool and actually puts a face and features with the little blob we usually see from an ultra sound. Even though he's still not here, I still think he's the cutest baby I've ever seen!
If you've seen my "photobucket" pictures and compare a particular pic of my dad to his grandson here, you'll understand why I chose this picture! If not, you can ask and I'll "point" you in the right direction!!! Dad, you can thank me later!!

Now, the laughs...

Here’s a message to anyone reading this who is due to appear in court on some charge or another: don’t bring your marijuana!
That’s exactly what prosecutors in Hempstead, New York, say that 25-year-old Barry Maharaj did on September 10 when pleading guilty to drunk driving and, unsurprisingly, a prior charge of possession of marijuana.
Maharaj was all set to walk out of the courtroom a free man, having already served the 10 days that he was sentenced to serve in jail.
But, Steven Schwartz chief of the Nassau district attorney’s office District Court Bureau, says that Judge Norman St. George required Maharaj to surrender his conditional driver’s license as part of the plea bargain.
Maharaj handed over the paper document to the judge’s clerk, who proceeded to open the folded-up record.
“She looked at it and was kind of stunned,” Schwartz said. In the creases of the paper was marijuana.”
The clerk then presented loose buds to the judge, who who had Maharaj rearrested for marijuana possession, according to Schwartz.

Maharaj is due back in court on September 26.

MIA

2007-09-04T20:12:00.001-04:00

So I've been gone for awhile, well not really. Work has kept me very busy and quite honestly, not a whole lot has been going on.
Wifey and I will be moving out to Clermont soon and we're way excited. It's only a half hour or so away from dad and the family so they'll be close enough to babysit for us when needed...LOL! And it's far enough out of the city we won't get a lot of the crime and overcrowdedness of the big city. I love having the convenience of stores and other things nearby, but Orlando has changed a lot the last 5 years or so..and not necessarily in a good way. Living outside of the city seems to be the way to go. We heard gun shots where we are now and we're not even in a bad area. Still, too close to the city I guess. November can't come soon enough. Then dad, my brother and my uncle can get their yearly workout in carrying furniture up a flight of stairs. They got a break, we were gonna be on the 3rd floor, then the date changed of when we could move in and we got bumped to the 2nd!
Also, the best time of the year has started, football season! Miami won 31-3 on Saturday. Great way to start the season and Michigan got beat by a Division 2 school at home and went from #5 in the nations to not even ranked. I'm indifferent about the "big blue" but the great thing about college football is the upsets from week to week. I love it!

Until next time....
"The parents of a man found naked and dead on the back of a killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando are suing the marine park, alleging the dangerous orca was portrayed as a huggable stuffed toy, according to a lawyer representing the family.

Patricia and Michael Dukes of Columbia, S.C., filed suit September 10, 1999 in Orange County Circuit Court seeking several million dollars for pain and suffering at the loss of their only son, Daniel, 27, a drifter who drowned in July in a whale tank at the Florida theme park.

Attorney Patricia Sigman said SeaWorld is legally liable because it portrayed the killer whale as human loving.

After the naked corpse of Daniel Dukes was found in a tank with a killer whale at Florida's SeaWorld, park officials determined that he had drowned after slipping past security and trying to swim with the whale.

Claiming that the park should warn visitors that the animal could kill people who enter the water -- aside from referring to it as ``killer'' whale -- just doesn't hold water, does it?"

SUBTLE CHANGES

2007-08-05T16:39:00.001-04:00

Check out the family pictures link on the side bar of my blog page if you'd like to see a slide show of some pics I put together. Some of dad on there like you've never seen him before!
We've had some changes in the company and the long and short of it is I'll soon be flying solo with a new company etc.. Once I have some more info, I'll pass it along!
I'm way too amused at frivolous lawsuits, the stupidity of a certain class (or lack of class)"American Citizens" who exploit our legal system, and of course the stupidity of the juries who in some cases award money to the "victims" of the case. Maybe I'll make this a sign off ritual...who know! Any ways, enjoy!

"In 1991, Richard Harris sued Anheiser-Busch for $10,000 for false advertising. Harris claimed to suffer from emotional distress in addition to mental and physical injury. Why? Because when he drank beer, he didn’t have any luck with the ladies, as promised in the TV ads. Harris also didn’t like that he got sick sometimes after he drank. The case was thrown out of court."

"Bagley Boy Gene" lives on

2007-07-30T20:49:00.000-04:00

Yep. It's a boy. My poor wife. She's excited...don't get me wrong. We both felt it was gonna be a girl and she knows with my dad's side of the family as it is, the chances of us actually having a girl are very slim. And slim indeed. The baby was moving around like crazy, kicking and punching the entire ultra sound and made it very difficult to get a good shot of, well, what we needed to see. At the end of the ultra sound, we got a good shot, and we're DEFINITELY having a boy.
Now that we know it's a boy, we're quite happy. Now when we do have a girl, dad and I won't have to take on the entire responsibility of scaring off her dates. She'll have an older brother to help us out and add to the intimidation factor!
My dad, me and my brothers wouldn't even know what to do with a girl. Raising a girl doesn't, or at least hasn't existed in our worlds. My poor mom. I know she really wanted a girl and never got one. At least she didn't force her desires of having a girl on my brothers and me and by doing so, turning us gay!!! Ha ha ha....lol. So I'm hoping for a girl eventually so she can at least have a grand daughter.
That's a ways down the road....at least for now!

Great Examples

2007-07-21T23:34:00.000-04:00

So if you follow sports at all, you've seen Mike Vick be indicted on Federal charges of running a dog fighting ring and torture the losing dogs by electricution, drowning and bashing their heads against the pavement. Also, an NBA ref is wanted for betting and fixing games that he reffed and made calls that affected the game so he could shave points to beat the spread, win his bet and collect money. All because he owed a mafia group some money and figured that would be the easiest way to pay them back.
Seriously. Isn't there something else they could do with their money. I love sports, but how messed up is our culture that we pay these guys millions and millions of dollars a year, in which, the season only lasts 6-9 months at most so they have 90-180 days with nothing constructive to do and a whole lot of money to do nothing with. So of course they'll get into trouble even though I'm sure some guy living under the viaduct would love 1/10th of Vick's base salary for this upcoming season ($6,000,000). Granted some athletes and others with large profiles and bank accounts do good for the community and give back. Many don't make the headlines and the ones that do don't get near the media attention Vick's getting. That's messed up. Especially when we want good role models for the teens/pre-teens that look up to their "idols", what are we telling them when the trouble makers and low life's of society get the majority of the attention and have their face everywhere....
So remember you have people looking up to you too, whether it's a spouse, child or someone you may not even know. Please be conscious of the example you set and try to be a positive influence even if you don't make the press.

No news...Good news?

2007-07-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

I don't know what happened to my last blog. It was up then I logged in just now and it was gone. Could it have been Wifey???!
So we still don't know the sex of the baby. On the 30th of this month we should find out...hopefully!
We got done with our shoot of the "Silent G.I.". It's a WWII short movie we filmed while I was on vacation. Once it's post produced I'm sure we'll have it available for your viewing pleasure :) J/K. The little that has been edited looks awesome. I'm really excited for the final cut. We have some other things in development now that may actually provide us with a paycheck instead of us forking out all the money. It's on a much smaller scale, like commercials and advertising, but you gotta start some where!
So between all of that, working 50 plus hours each week and a sick and pregnant wife, life is constantly busy. But a good busy. I can't complain.
Dad's doing well as everyone I'm sure knows, so life's good right now. I can't complain.

Coming soon....

2007-06-26T21:16:00.001-04:00

Meet my beautiful wifey!!!
Now that I've introduced my blog through Dad's (so I cheated a little to get exposure!) I figured that I should keep up my with writing every once in a while even though I don't have much to say. So, I'll leave with a teaser. Thursday is our next Dr. appointment and possibly the day we find out the sex of our baby. I'll actually have an answer now. As for now, when people ask me, "Do you know what you're having yet?", my response has been, "A baby". Yeah, that gets old after a while even though I find it funny every time, especially if that person has asked me more than once.
So that'll be new and to remind myself of other events that have happened recently, I'll write them down now and drop hints while I'm at it as to what the next post will be about.
1. Movie shoot.
2. End of R&R.
3. Anything else that comes to mind
Until then, Sianara

Dad update (Part 2 1/2)

2007-06-20T10:18:00.000-04:00

This will probably be the last update about dad. He went home yesterday. I guess the hospital figured the nurses could use a break! Unfortunately there's nothing they can do for his condition, so I'm sure I'll be writing similar posts in the future...JK...hopefully not. I've heard of "terminal cancer" and other terminal illnesses, but never a "terminal bowel obstruction". That's my family's luck with health issues in a nut shell!!
Thanks to everyone again for your concern and support. I'm sure dad will have a post up soon.

Dad's condition (part 2)

2007-06-18T11:32:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for your comments and concern for my dad and also wishing my wifey and I well with our 1st bundle of joy that's on the way.
We went to the hospital yesterday to spend some time with dad for Father's day. He had tubes and the normal stuff stuck in him (I'm sure he'll fill you all in with a piece once he gets out). He just got a fresh dose of morphine as we arrived and was soon fading in and out of consciousness. We went for a walk due to the nurse's persistance and he got hit up by an old lady tied to a chair for a knife to cut herself free!! Luckily he remembered to tie up the back of his hospital gown...that could've been awkward!
He's suppose to have x-rays today to compare to the x-rays from Saturday to see if his condition has improved. If so, he'll probably come home, if not they might opt for surgery to fix is intestines. Nasty.
Again thanks for your comments and support for dad and my small family.
I'll continue to post updates as soon as I find out more information.
Thanks again

Dad's Condition (part 1 of ?)

2007-06-17T14:39:00.000-04:00

So as promised I told you I'd update you on dad's condition. I was at a read through last night for a film we're shooting this week when I got a phone call from my brother letting me know he was taking dad to the very emergency room hospital in which he (my brother) works.
I arrived shortly after and watch dad, with morphine in him, be a complete smart "a" to the nurse....trying to be funny. It was pretty comical but I know how my dad gets on morphine. You thinks he's funny "sober"?? You should see him drugged up. Anyways, he had to drink this nasty liquid that looked like someone else's urine sample the nurse brought in to share with dad! 2 full cups in preparation for the cat scan. The results came in several hours later that he, once again has an obtructed bowel. So, he's spending his Father's Day in the hospital, which won't be too entirely bad since he won't remember anything anyways!
Stay tuned for continual updates on dad's condition for the next week or so until he gets released from the hospital.

"Racoon eyes" taking time off....finally

2007-06-14T20:56:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo....After tomorrow I'm on vacation! 1st vacation since my honeymoon over 2 years ago! I have mixed emotions about the vacation...yes, I know that doesn't normal but since I do route sales/delivery I really get screwed out of some money for the week I'm off. I really need to change professions! 8-5 and same vacation pay doesn't exist in my world....for now. So if anyone has ideas on how to get some cash in the next few weeks, send me some ideas. Maybe I should've put up a little different picture for this post.
On the good side of life, my dad has now figured out how to link my blog to his blog so more of my dad's fan club will be exposed to my off beat humor. Wait, if you've read my dad's blog, you're probably already exposed to that.

Gonna Be a Daddy

2007-06-03T15:44:00.000-04:00

Well, that's right. I'm gonna be a "pops" for the first time. I hope this photo won't disgust any of you (if anyone is actually reading my site by now!), and I'm not one of those people whose constantly throwing my business around and shoving it down every one's throat. I am passionate about certain things, and my family being one of those things, but this still is kinda outta character for me to upload this pic.
But I will be a 1st time dad by the end of the year and that is something awesome I am excited about. I guess this picture is mostly for those who are far away, like my friends, family out west and my wife's family and friends out west, in Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines.
This ultrasound is at about 3 months. Still too early to tell the sex of the baby, but as long as it's healthy, and my wife ends up healthy, that's all that matters!
If you'd like a laugh, visit my dad's blog at www.humorbydoug.blogspot.com
He wrote a short tongue and cheek article about becoming a grandpa for the 1st time you might find funny.

2007-05-31T21:23:00.001-04:00

Here's wifey and I with the pup...when she was only a couple of months old...now she's almost 5 months..or there abouts. Hopefully near the end of her chewing stage!!

anniversary

2007-05-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, so here's a great topic for today....Today's our 2nd anniversary....still horrible at the whole shopping thing and trying not to get in a habitual, boring pattern. Same goes for giving "gift ideas". All I usually ask for is CD's or DVD's, etc. Once we have more cheese to spread, then I'll start asking for my 62" flat screen HDTV with surround sound, etc.. For now I'm content with a CD, etc...so what's so wrong with that? If that's the gift I want, shouldn't that be good enough? I guess women and men think differently. Luckily wifey's cool about it, but she wants to give me something nicer. If I knew of anything nicer I wanted in our budget, I'd mention it. Just can't think of anything. Anyone wanna donate a large screen HDTV??? J/K

Still undetermined

2007-05-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

Still undeterined about this whole blog thing. Not sure how we'll use it other than to keep in touch with fam and friends, etc....but maybe it will evolve into something more charasmatic later on....but it's free, so what the heck! Hopefully I'll remember I set this up and remember to update it!!