I’ve been thinking about this post for a while now, and not just because Jenna did the same thing for me on my birthday.  When you’re truly in love with a girl, you can’t help it; thinking about her is comparable to breathing.

So, happy birthday, Jenna.  Here’s my short list for you.  Even when you’re 100, the list will be far too brief.

1.  She is totally and completely kind, generous, and patient. (Ok, so that’s three.) An example?  How about her taking care of me?  Surgeries, ER visits, you name it.  Infinite capacity for kindness.

2.  She spends every lunch of hers at home.  Even if it’s for 20 minutes, she drives home to see the family.

3.   She is the best mommy in the world.  Every action of hers speaks love.

4.  She’s the only girl I have ever known who can get ready for a date in 15 minutes and look completely, unreasonably, and insanely drop-dead gorgeous.  I don’t mean to be superficial, but honestly…have you seen her?  She’s beautiful.

5.  She has opened herself up to everything that I’ve found to be beautiful in my life, and has made them 100 times sweeter.

6.  She has the most beautiful long, blonde hair.  And she hasn’t cut it!

7.  She never makes fun of the stupid things I do, like eat a package of Chips Ahoy in one sitting.  That must take restraint.

8.  She puts up with me.  Every man who has ever loved a woman should nod in agreement, because we’re very despicable creatures sometimes.

9.  She’s a geek like me.

10.  We like the same shows.  TV, movies, anything.  She even likes Star Trek.

11.  She loves my family.  She loves my mom and my dad, my brothers and sister, and everyone else.  She was excited to meet them, and is always excited to see them again.

12.  She’s the most accepting person I know.  She’ll take you into her heart and trust you as long as you let her.  She understands the miracle of forgiveness, and forgives regularly.

13.  Hard worker?  That’s her.  Earned her bachelors when she was 19.  Her masters was at 23.  Could have been earlier, but she met me and, eventually, Sumner.

14.  You should see the way she plays with Sumner.  That boy is so smart because his mom teaches him everyday.  She encourages him and loves him and makes him feel safe.

15.  She and SaraJane are two peas in a pod.  They are kindred spirits, and well suited for each other.  I love when Jenna comes home; watching my baby girl run to the door to get her mama is the best part of my day.  I have that to look forward to, and I am grateful.

16.  She’s a morning person.  What does that mean?  That means I get a happy girl to wake up to, every morning of my life.

17. She bought me a computer for Christmas, using her money that she earned from work.  She’s totally selfless.

18.  She lets me sleep in like 99% of the time, even when she’s tired.

19.  She still has friends from when she was a kid.  It’s fun to watch her get together with them.

20.  She’ll always make you smile.  When I’m sad, she can figure out a way to make me feel better.  She’s insightful like that.

21.  I know I give her a hard time about this, but she’s fun to teach Primary with.  She takes the edge off and makes the kids very comfortable with tough topics.  And while I’m on that subject…

22.  She’s amazing with kids.  Every kind of kid.  Kids that bite.  Kids that hit.  Kids that have no one to love, and no one to love them.  She’ll look at them and see the good in them and help them progress.  She’s infinitely patient with them.

23.  She was born to be an Occupational Therapist.  It’s one of her callings in life.  I love her for this reason because it takes a special girl to figure out such a great calling so very young in life.

24.  And because of her selfless attitude in working so hard for our family, it allows me to continue my journey in life to find out who I really am.  Currently, it has brought me to a retail job in a mall, which I love.  And I’m figuring out a lot about myself because of it.  But it would not be possible without her sacrifice and ability to take care of our family with her job.  I love, love, love her for this.

25.  She is my wife, and she chose me.  I chose her.  We’re better together.

I tried to be sneaky and post a few extra reasons in there.  25 just isn’t enough.  I know I’ll post this tonight and think of 10,000 more within a few hours.  But she knows I love her.

Happy birthday again, sweetie.

Ooh, writer’s block. My mind has been empty this entire week.  I know the solution is always “start writing”, but I feel I have nothing to say.  A house full of sick kids and adults has left me worn out.  Myself?  I’m ok.  But usually, I’m a night owl.  Lately I can’t stay up much past 9:00.

We saw Star Trek last Friday.  If it weren’t for that brief diversion, I’d be much grumpier right now.  I love a night at the cinema.  It helped tremendously that the movie was good, too.  I’d never been disappointed by the previous Trek movies, but I’d rarely been particularly impressed, either.  A few of them wowed me, First Contact being the one that pops into my mind first.

It doesn’t matter.  I’m enamored with the idealistic future of Star Trek.  Not the technology, though that’s all well and good.  Who wouldn’t love the idea of forgoing the 13 hour drive to Utah for a little transporter action?  That’s a story for a different day, I think.

No, the future I speak of is how those from Earth ended up as a human race.  An entire people brought together not entirely because of the threat of annihilation, but because of the cause of discovery and exploration.  Contact outside of the inky blackness of space caused us to wake from our apathetic and self-absorbed nature.  It’s cliche, but those in the Trek future found out that they were not alone, and that was the reason to reach for something better.

The wife was shocked, and still a little unbelieving, to hear my confession that Star Trek, not Star Wars, is my favorite set of Sci-Fi flicks.  I tried to explain why; Star Wars is fun and vast, but it holds no ties to mother Earth.  It’s very separate and  it allows for a great diversion, but it doesn’t make me think (and hope) like Trek does.

I don’t learn heavily toward the majority of my religious culture. Being Mormon, we are taught to hope toward the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which I truly believe in and look forward to.  I have a feeling, however; that some of my faith look to every current event as a sign of doom and destruction, and I’ve never found that a deeply satisfying outlook on life.

Some may argue that it is a sign of weak faith on my part, or a misplaced love of this world that makes me believe that the human race shouldn’t be on a one-way collision course with doom.  Call me crazy for wanting to believe that we should pull ourselves out of any tailspin that we find ourselves in.  Call me naive because I believe that a common cause, such as discovering the space beyond our own, could firmly and finally bring us together.  You can call me those things, only because I’m pulled both ways and have been taught that this cannot not be our final ordination.

Thought about a different way, I know that the final cleansing of Earth does not mark the end of human existence.  I know that, as immortal beings, we will continue to learn and grow and have the vast treasures of the universe unlocked and unfolded before our very eyes.  This brings me great joy to think about, more-so than the vain hope that alone we humans may finally figure out how to be civil to one another.

I do look up at the night sky every now and again, and I do see God working.  I know this is his creation, and I believe in the scientific nature and order of it.  I wish I had a telescope that could show me the heavens as they are now; it baffles my mind that the light I see in the sky predates my own existence my millions of years.

I have no idea how a story about a night out to the movies turned into a religious and philosophical meditative drama, but there we have it.  That’s why I like Star Trek more than Star Wars.  It makes me think.  I don’t like taking things for granted.

And look at that. I started writing, and the words finally came.  They may not have made sense to you, but I had a great time putting them on the screen.

We’re in full preparation mode now, it seems.  Spent a good portion of the morning cleaning out the van, and was surprised to find that it wasn’t that bad.  Just one bag of trash, and it was a small one.  Most of the time, we extract at least a full trash bag worth of goodies from the nooks and crannies hidden away. When you have a five year old, you just can’t seem to live a clean life.

Much still left to be done, I’m afraid.  There’s laundry, packing, shopping, and cleaning.  I have to have a clean house house before we leave.  There’s no worse feeling than coming home to a dirty house, right?.  No wait, there is a worse feeling; knowing you’re coming home to a dirty house, and you still have eight hours left of the drive home.  So, I like to clean before I leave.  Gives me a sense of accomplishment for the whole trip.  And it saves my sanity.  Save it, so I can lose it another day.

The wife and I are dreading the long drive, though.  SaraJane is at the age where she cannot tolerate being in the car-seat for anything more than a quick journey.  After a minute or two, she starts making a low -pitched, rumbly/achy noise in the back of her throat, which is her first warning that she’s about to get really mad.  Another minute, and she starts a bout of yelling, telling you exactly how she feels in 9 month old barky language.  After all of this, and to her immense disappointment, her audible ramblings haven’t earned her emancipation from the bonds that hold her, and she cries.  And cries.  And finally, sleeps.  I like when she sleeps.  But that’s when you must be very, very quiet.  It makes for a fun car ride.

No, I still have not heard word one from the hospital.  I’m getting antsy.  I’ve done all I can, I suppose.  It’ll start when it starts.  I just want to see what it’s like, you know?  I’ve pretty much decided to move ahead with the CNA program.  After that, I’ll start the LPN program at Gateway.  Who knows; with a bit of gentle prodding from the wife, I may even become an RN, and make some decent money again someday.

It’s funny; I never thought I’d change my career.  I thought I’d stay at Cox Communications for years and get some retirement out of it.  I enjoyed it for the most part.  It’s when I started driving three hours a day that it began to get old.  Things that never bothered me before became the greatest annoyances.

I do realize that I have to start working again sometime, if only for my own good.  Some nights, when I have a free moment to think about going into nursing, I get nervous and apprehensive.  I think about what I’ll be doing/seeing, and it scares the bongos out of me.  And still other nights, I feel pretty confident and zealous about the whole project.  Any advice from the congregation out there?

Oh yes, and the phone books arrived on our doorstep yesterday.  What a day!  Such an event!  Does my sarcasm come through ok?

It took me only a few steps from the front door to get them straight into the recycle bin.  I just don’t see the point in having them anymore.  Not for me, that is.  If I need a phone number, address, or recommendation for pizza, I go straight to the iPhone.  Tangent time.

The things we mere mortals can do from pocketable telephones now:

1. Call people
2. Look up anything, anywhere, anytime.  The power of the ‘Net.
3.  Read the news
4.  Play video games
5.  Take a picture
6.  Check e-mail
7.  Find out the local temperature/forecast
8.  Check a bank account balance
9.  Pay bills
10.  Listen to music
11.  Watch a movie
12.  Find a movie

And on, and on.  Like living in Star Trek.  I still can’t get over it.

Anywho, back to telephone books.  I understand their importance in quite a few venues.  I know a lot of people must still use them.  And I know they must still generate a lot of cash for ol’ Dex.

Regardless, I can’t imagine the vast amount of work and resources that go into a project like the bi-yearly printing of the phone directory.  But most people in my neighborhood have either recycled them, or they’re still sitting on the front porch.  I think therefore, that it should be a choice to receive them, no?  I’m not even a landline telephone customer, for cryin’ out glavin.  (Mmn hmm, ah hay!)  /Professor Frink

Much to do, much to do. Must end, for now.  Thanks for stopping by again!  Much appreciated, for certain.

I really should try to remember what I did this weekend, only because I’m sitting here feeling too darn satisfied and accomplished.  Back, I say!  Wipe that smug look off your face. 

Thursday.   Only because our weekend starts on Thursday.  We knew we were in for a long weekend, with showers and parties and visiting family and what-not.  (Reading that sentence to myself, I realize I should completely avoid any complaint or heavy-handed tones)  The wife returned from work at her usual hour that evening, feeling overwhelmed and not a bit relieved at the thought of the approaching weekend.  Full of advice I was not, and so suggested we head off to dinner.  

We thought an invitation to my mother-in-law was in order, and did so.  But alas, she had already eaten!  But the thoughtful woman one-upped us at that point; she offered baby-sitting.  Ah, the weekend had just gotten that much better.   

For some strange reason, we decided to head ourselves in the direction of our neighborhood California Pizza Kitchen.  They have good sourdough bread.  It’s the reason I used to go there so much.  

Side note: sign of the times, you have to request the bread now.  Even more poignant sign of the times; the bread stinks.  Only slightly resembles what it used to be, and more closely resembles damp styrofoam.  But it was eaten, of course.

The wife and I did a real number on the poor waitress that evening.  First offense was sending back the Pepsi; it was flat and watery.  Plus I forgot that Pepsi is only ordered when eating Mexican food.  But that’s an aside.  Second offense to the poor attendant was the Wife’s entree.  Being the adventurous and cavalier spirit that she is, she ordered something new.  Now, she’s a trooper and fought a few bites down, but several people averted their eyes after a few moments of the arrival of the dish and begged for wooden stakes to be driven through their hearts.  Oh, you didn’t get my joke?  Garlic.  There was too much garlic in the dish.  Get it?  Vampires don’t like garlic.  Oh, forget it.

So, we sent it back.  At that point, dinner was a bust, so she wanted to see the desert menu.  Ordered the Hot Fudge Sundae.  Sounded like a safe bet to me!

The waitress came back with something called a Turtle Sundae, which seemed odd to me.  Odd because my wife never, ever mentioned the word “turtle”, nor those numerous other words in the English language that rhyme with “turtle”, such as….such as…hmm. I’m no Dr. Suess here, but I’m fairly certain there aren’t any.

So the third offense was set in stone at that point, and away went the turtle sundae.  After a few moments the waitress came back with a sundae, minus the turtle.  That worried me.  And spoiled my appetite.  

The date night continued on quite effortlessly from that point.  A trip the the Fake Apple Store, where I was coaxed by the employees to display my hacked Dell Mini 9 netbook running Mac OS X.  Ok, ok, maybe I steered the conversation toward a point where they simply had to see it.  But when they actually asked, I grew afraid and asked if I was allowed to.  Afterall, did I not break the EULA?  Hogwash.  

And what would a date be like without a trip to Wal*Mart? Lucky for you readers we don’t have to find out, because there was Wal*Mart.  Oh, yes.  I’ll spare you the details.  Synopsis: we bought a lot of crap that we didn’t need, but will always end up using.

Friday was a very lazy day.  Didn’t even leave the house until 2′ish in the afternoon, when it was time to hunt down fruits and vegetables for the baby shower the Wife was throwing that evening.  First stop was Fresh and Easy, which has never proven to be either or, as this particular location always smells like old celery and involves us carting down one aisle before turning back for the door.  

Sprouts ended up being a wiser decision for us, and besides; they have bulk candy.  

Later that evening, it was just me and the boy.  Sumner and I had great time, ordered pizza, ate most of it, watched Madagascar 2, played video games, and made cupcakes.   Sadly for him, he fell asleep right before the first batched popped out of the oven.  I saved him plenty.  Which he’s not allowed to eat.  Muah hah hah. 

Saturday my friend Neal came over to play Super Metroid.  By my count, this now makes just over 12 years that we have been playing that game together, and we show no signs of stopping now.  I’m always grateful for his visits.

When the afternoon arrived, we packed up the family and headed for Maricopa, some 45 miles southwest of our location in Mesa.  A birthday party for my wife’s boss’ son, and Sumner was invited.  You may have already seen the pictures from this raucous occasion.  A wonderful individual with a half dozen or so snakes and lizards came to entertain the kids and adults alike.  Everything from a lizard that would fit in your hand, to a 17 foot Python he brought, and the kids loved every minute of it.  Sumner let the man put one six foot python around his neck, and I’m still reeling from the shock.  The boy runs from the sight of a seven pound dog.  Amazing.

Put the kids to sleep that night and watched The Quantum of Solace, which was great.  It was a good night for a Bond flick.

Sunday was spent at my folks house, eating wonderful steak and potatoes and brownies, watching Sumner play outside like a loon, and relaxing a bit.  Came home after a few hours, tidied up the home, and settled down.  Being void of cable TV, HULU.com came to the rescue and allowed us to catch up on Scrubs and The Office.  

It all brings me here, 927 words later, to the point where I sit here on my bed, typing away on a keyboard that is much too small for comfort, compelled by some unknown force to give you all a traveling journal of my weekend with the family.

If you enjoyed it even a quarter as much as I did, then I know you smiled.  Thanks for the read, come back again tomorrow.

Something about having a notebook with me where ever I go encourages me to write.  Although I still wish I were a pen and paper guy; my brother keeps a journal with him wherever he goes so he can jot down ideas and thoughts immediately.  I guess it shows the 10 year disparity between us.  I do remember the thrill of the open, blank page too, but my tenure with such an environment was shorter lived and thus my transition to typing everything was much more rapid.  

Even in the dawn of the digital revolution, writing on word processors was more engaging than most contemporary computer programs.  All you had was the cursor and maybe a menu.  Nothing to distract you; nothing to lead your writing down the wrong angle.  It’s what I dislike most about Microsoft Word.  They seem to think you want 9,000 options when really, all you want to do is make something bold, or change your font.  

Writing with the pen is an art.  I should put more energy into it.

Spent most of the morning cleaning up the house with the family’s help.  Too much was neglected yesterday; Wednesdays are generally nasty.  The wife is at work all day.  Waffles came to the rescue though.  Waffles make everything better.

We did manage to get Sumner’s hair cut though.  When the time came for Sumner to jump in the chair, the young lady called out “Summer”, as happens more often than not.  The wife and I both knew this was a possibility when we named him, but I didn’t realize how annoying it would be.  This, coming from the person who was called “Ryan” or “David” or some other combination his whole life, but never “RyanDavid”.  SaraJane won’t fare much better, I’m afraid, even with the lack of a space betwixt her pronouns.  What have I done?

There’s much for us to look forward to in the coming weeks, as we get to travel to Utah as a family to see my niece’s baptism in early May.  I haven’t been in Utah in spring time in years, so it will be nice to go back.  I called Snowbird today to make reservations like I do every year, but received word that Summer packages won’t go into affect until a week after we leave.  Sigh.  There’s always next year!

No word yet on when the volunteer work at the hospital begins; I was hoping for a call this week.  With Friday on the horizon, I’m leaning heavily toward next week.

The boy just came upstairs; he seems a bit restless.  I’m going to do the daddy thing for a little while.  Thanks again for reading!

Today was a long day for some reason. Not really something I can pinpoint at the moment, as the standout emotion I am feeling right now is a calming one.  I am fiddling around on my laptop while Sumner swims in our neighborhood pool.  Very satisfying.  I still have a lot to learn on Mac OS X, so much in fact that I really don’t care that my computer isn’t currently connected to the Internet.  I don’t think I’ve felt that way since I was using Windows 3.1.

So again, I’m just fiddling around while trying my hardest not to break anything super important.  Oh yes, and I’m also keeping a close eye on the lad, though I’m very impressed with his swimming skills.  He’s trying to follow a much larger teenager around the pool right now while he swims laps.  I think this bothers the teenager.  So much annoys them.

Now he’s attempting to make conversation with him.  I’ve counseled Sumner to keep to himself and mind his manners, and the teenager made no protest.  I’m going to assume that Sumner is, in fact, annoying him.  I think I’ll let him be for now.  Pretty good entertainment.

Earlier today, I had an orientation meeting at the local hospital that I will be volunteering at.  I arrived at what I thought was late, but was surprised when I found myself the first in the lobby.  As each minute rolled by, more and more volunteers sauntered in the door.  There was a total of eight people in my very diverse group.  Living next to Leisure World, I expected a group comprised mostly of older people (or citizens, as the 34 year retired LAPD volunteer called them), but instead saw a complete range of individuals from all backgrounds.  Some, like me, had decided to pursue a different career and were hoping that serving at the hospital would give them further direction and light.  Others were graduated from their undergraduate program and wanted to learn specialties such as Social Work.  One older couple wanted nothing more than to share the joy they had found with their 3 1/2 year old Golden Retriever with others in the hospital.  One young woman was there to simply deliver cookies.  A great group of people that genuinely wanted nothing more than to serve their fellow man.

I learned near the end of the orientation that we would already be receiving our ID badges, pictures and all.  My most previous experience with ID badges was not such a pleasant one, with a scowl on my face and grown out fuzz atop my balding head.  I began to regret not taking the extra time to shave my head that morning, when all of a sudden the power went out in the building and the reserve generator kicked in.  The volunteer coordinator gave us a sigh and admitted that there would be no ID badges today, as all non-essential devices would be powered down for the time being.  Small miracles.

Now, the hour grows late and the sun has set beyond the point of lighting my keyboard for efficient use.  There’s always more to come from me, nevermind you that.  Thanks for listening to my tales this evening.  Till next time!

I really wanted to post something April Fools style today, but the uncanny number of Web sites and blogs pulling pranks was staggering enough to turn me off of it pretty quickly.  You never know what to believe on a day like this.  It’s like one early poster said, “April Fools + The Internet = Crap”.

So, instead of a hastily concocted lie about pregnancy or moving or some other nonsense, I thought I’d post a few pictures of the new yard for your enjoyment!

The entire project flowed smooth as silk; I can’t really think of anything major that stopped the show.  It’s nice to have a place to relax outside now, the kids seem to have a good time and Sumner likes having another place to go other than out in front.  We’ve already watched two movies outside.  We rented “Bolt” the other night.  It wasn’t that bad, really.  The voice acting by Travolta (Bolt) was really well done, too.  It sounds like he had fun during the production.  I can’t imagine many other “jobs” more entertaining than voice-over work.

So other than what you see in the pictures, we’re still waiting on and budgeting for a new grill, a fire pit (or a chimney stove?  not sure now) and further plants and trees.  Speaking of the budget, we blew through money so fast with this endeavor that we haven’t gone grocery shopping, even though we’re way, way past due for a trip.  I mean, we’re getting creative with our meals.  Today, I made rice.  I’ve never actually made rice for myself.

So the wife and I made a list of the things we’ll need when we go this Friday, and the length is staggering.  Seeing as how the local grocers are throwing all sorts of sales, right now seems the perfect time to go.  Maybe it’ll only cost us a billion and a half dollars, instead of a quadrillion.  We’ll see.

In other news, you may have noticed my Facebook status the other day, when I mentioned that I am starting to volunteer at Banner Gateway hospital.  Seeing how I have a bit of free time now and again, and how I’d like to change career paths, the hospital seemed like a good choice.  It’s local, maybe only a five minute drive from my house, and I’ve wanted to look into becoming a nurse.  Yes, I know. You can call me a “murse”, if this all pans out.

So I went to get a TB test (looks good so far), and  I’ll go back again in a week to get a second screening.  You know, just in case the first test is wrong.  The CDC recommends it.  How often is the first test wrong?  I guess enough times to warrant this double-test, neh?  After the background check comes back, I’ll be cleared to go and working in the ICU.  The Volunteer Coordinator gave me the gist of the responsibilities, and it sounds awesome.  I think it’ll give me a good idea whether I want to do nursing or not.

Time to go, for now.  I’ve reached 500 words, which is more than most wish to read during the time set aside for blog-hopping.  Thanks for the visit, and come back as you wish.

Hello, what’s this?  A new blog?

I had a heck of a time getting this new site ready for launch.  I thought that it’d be nice and easy…install a new blogging software on my Web site, take the main page down for a while, and voila…but no!  I had 42 headaches to contend with.  But now I can take a deep breath, relax, and begin posting the daily rants and ramblings of my mind.  And I hope you’ll find some entertainment value in reading what I have to say.

Because if you’re new here, you may notice that I’ve been writing posts for a while.  Seven years, to be exact.  Well before such publishing tools like Blogger, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter became insanely popular, I was trying my hardest to get content online.  I’ve met some success throughout the years, but have been reduced to smithereens over and over again because of my uncanny ability to wax lazily into oblivion.  Why do I feel like this time will be any different?  I suppose I never said that.  I’m just crossing my fingers this time!

So, to those of you who haven’t stopped by here before, welcome.  What do I do with this site?  The blog page, which you find yourself at currently, is the main portion of the site.  This is where I spend the most time pruning and cultivating the inner workings of my mind.  I try hard to stay relevant, sticking to topics that matter to people that read my work.  Religion, politics, and similar subjects are not necessarily taboo, but rarely discussed here.  But again, trying to stay relevant, they may pop up more as time goes along.  And I must admit, long blocks of text aren’t my thing.  Normally, there will be pictures to go along with whatever story I have here. 

Other sections of the site include the Moblah’g, which is powered solely by my iPhone.  There’s rarely anything said here of real substance; but there you’ll find some of the best personal pictures around.  There’s just something about having a camera that can post anything your eye sees, whenever the mood strikes you. 

You’ll also find examples of photography, but I must warn you…this is not my strong area.  In recent years, I’ve noticed the literal explosion of Web sites dedicated to close friends who have discovered the flair for digital photography.  Many of my friends and acquaintances are exceptional at their art, and they nobly make it known with remarkable finesse.  I make no such statement with my photography.  Indeed, as is mentioned on the front page of Outsidetheworld, these pictures are simply what I saw when I was lucky enough to have a camera by my side.  Hopefully I’ll get a bit better with time. 

So, that’s it for now.  You’ll notice that I have a bit of a promotion going on right now, so if you’ll be kind and leave a comment at the end of this post, you’ll be entered to win one of two $10.00 Amazon.com gift certificates.  To be sure I know who you are, please leave your name.  Any other type of personally identifiable information isn’t necessary.  Anyone who leaves a comment will have their name put into a hat for the drawing.   Comment as much as you’d like, but you’ll only get one entry.  Sorry!  I have to maintain some semblance of order here.  The contest will run until Saturday night at midnight.  The winners will be announced by Monday.  I’ll run campaigns like this every so often to show my efforts toward maintaining a respectable and consistent blog, so keep your eye on the site and bookmark me, neh?  I promise to make it worth your while!

Geez.  I’ve spent way too much time in front of the computer today.  Time to go play some basketball.  Sorry for the heavy tone of this entry!  I promise to be much more candid in the weeks to come.  This really doesn’t even sound like me.  I suppose I’m trying to put my best foot forward, as I only have this chance to make a good impression.  See you next time!

The new blog is live. It would seem that the hours and days of fuss over the Web hosting paid off.  After many years of crafting each and every blog page by hand, I grew weary of the tediousness of the task.  Each new post meant at least three other pages needed manual updating if I wanted the previous entry archived properly.  This, coupled with the fact that I could never establish a reliable comment or tracking service, pushed me over the edge.  What I found on the other side was WordPress, which is powering the very page you see before you now.

It feels alien to me, typing a new blog on this busy looking admin page.  I suppose I’ll get used to it in time.  It really was dead simple to install and start using, after all.  I have more options than I know what to do with.  But I like options.  The best part about it?  I can finally allow comments on each blog that I create, and each entry will be automatically archived.  No more manual creation of pages for the blog.  It’s both sad and breath-taking at the same time.

What scares me stupid is that I have no idea how it all works in the background.  Yes, I got it installed, configured, and customized to my tastes, but the whole program uses programming languages that I am not inclined to learn at this point in my life.  And it uses a MySQL database.  My best guess is that if my database ever dies, so do my entries.  Ho, hum.

The other project in my life is the yard.  After nearly 2 1/2 years, the wife and I have decided to do something with the small plot of land we were granted with our house.  Up until now, it’s simply been a grand (not so grand?) swath of rock and dirt, with a single, lonely navel orange tree occupying the north portion.  We’ve made honorable attempts in the past to make it livable.  We’ve raked the rock, planted the previously mentioned tree, and allowed Sumner to go nuts with the shovels and rakes.  But we’re on the cusp of something big, I think.  We’ve decided to go with the blank slate approach; that is, we are having concrete poured over most of it.  Pavers would have looked finer, but the financial impact was lessened with the concrete.

To better visualize how it stands now, here are a few pictures.  I’m very impressed that I figured out how to post these in here already.  Either that points to one of two things: the ease of use of this program, or my utter brilliance at figuring things out.  I tend toward the former.

This should all go down on Wednesday morning.  All in the household are quite glad that we’re getting it done this early in the spring season.  When this is completed, we should still have at least two months of cool evening weather in which in to enjoy the newly christened patio.  Even better is the fact that this will be done before Sumner’s 5th birthday, which undoubtedly means his party will be hosted in the yard.

The funniest part about this entry is that it probably won’t be seen for a few days.  I’ve not yet decided how I want to reintroduce Outsidetheworld to friends and family, but I do know I am having some sort of launch event.  Since writing this post bored me to tears, I can only imagine the effect reading it must have on people, so no…this won’t be the inaugural post, I’m afraid.  But that statement implies further posts will be full of action and intrigue!  We’ll see.

But if you found your way down the blog to read this fine entry, good on you.  Leave a comment, if you would be so kind, so I know you stopped by.  There’s more to come where this came from.