The King has lost his Crown

The King has lost his Crown, originally uploaded by ultimate_ed.

Well, a fine thing happened to me today. About an hour before lunch, while I was having a snack, my crown decided to come loose. I called in for an appointment and left work early to see the dentist. Fortunately, the crown itself was still intact. So, it was a fairly simple matter for him to prepare a new mix and put my crown back on.

Helluva way to start the week.

The Princess Back in Action

2007 09 22 Soccer Day 039, originally uploaded by ultimate_ed.

She got off to a bit of a slow start the first couple of games. But today, she was on FIRE! Five points she scored today and was chasing after the ball the way we're used to. I think her confidence level is well back up after today. She had been concerned that she wasn't going to be able to play well enough, especially since she missed the first couple of weeks of practice. But, she stuck with it and I'm proud of her for that.

My Old Wife

2007 09 21 Momma's 35th Birthday 001, originally uploaded by ultimate_ed.

For 19 days each year, my wife gets to be the younger woman. But, after a few short weeks, her birthday comes around and we're the same age again. Today is that day.
In our main aquarium downstairs, we've had an explosion of baby fish - somewhere between 20 and 30. Most of them have survived for over a week and are starting to get big. I'm probably going to have to get our older 10 gallon aquarium out of the attic and set it up again somewhere as these fish get bigger.
The wife commented that she'd like to have something small that she could have near her computer while she works during the day. I had to run to Wal-mart for a few things for her birthday party that we had tonight, and I picked up this little aquarium. While she was out picking up the kids from school, I brought it in and set it up as a surprise for her. Once the tank is stabilized tomorrow, we'll bring a few of the babies up here to their new home.

It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

My pirate name is:

Bloody Morty Roberts

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. Two things complete your pirate persona: style and swagger. Maybe a little too much swagger sometimes -- but who really cares? Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
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Life is good

Not a whole lot unusual going on. Life is busy, especially with the kids back in school. The princess had her first soccer game last Saturday. It was a big step up from the last two years. Before, they played 3 v 3 for six minute quarters. This year, they play 4 v 4 for 12 minute quarters. It was a hot and muggy morning and everyone was soaked by the time it was over. Hopefully, things will be a bit cooler this weekend.
The wife went out of town for last weekend for a short business trip. So, this weekend will be her first time to see the princess in action for the new season.
The tornado grows ever more pissed that he can't get out and play. Next fall, he'll be old enough to play at the YMCA and it can't come soon enough.
And, thanks to the very high demand that my business is in, I got a pretty big raise today. Back around 2000, things looked pretty bad in this industry and I thought I was going to have to find another line of work to make a decent living. Looks like it's a good thing I stuck it out, because it is definitely paying off these days.

14 Years Today

While it's OK for me to be away for my birthday (turned 35 back on the 2nd while at DragonCon), there's one thing that I definitely have to be home for - the anniversary!
Today marks 14 years that the wife and I have been married. Yes, Shell, 14 years!
Since then, we've graduated from college, changed jobs a couple of times, moved into a house and had two kids.
Some days it feels like the wedding was yesterday and some days it feels like I've been married forever. It hasn't always been easy, but it has most certainly been worth it.

Back from DragonCon

2007 09 01 006_edited-1, originally uploaded by ultimate_ed.

Well, I survived DragonCon! The weekend was a blast, though totally draining. I got to meet up with many of the friends I've made online, especially the gang from Farpoint Media like Jack Mangan, Leann Mabry, and the Wingin It crew.
I got to meet and hang out with authors whose work I've enjoyed like Tee Morris, Scott Sigler, JC Hutchins, Michael A. Stackpole, and Matthew Wayne Selznick.
Plenty of Celebrities were on hand as well. Of course, getting this picture with the Mythbusters build team was massively cool. Their panel was a lot of fun and we got a first showing of an all new blooper reel from the those. I got to see panels featuring cast members from the new Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and Farscape.
And, oh the costumes. I've shot about 250 pictures from the weekend and I need to sort through them and get more uploaded to Flickr. It's amazing some of the work that gets put into them.
I doubt I'll be back next year and it is a pretty good size expense all in all, but I do expect I'll make the trip again sometime in the years to come. If you're any kind of geek at all, you've got to make this trip at least once. But, for the love of God, make sure you pre-register! The lines to get through the daily ticket purchase were insane!