Happy Holidays!

Hi Everyone! Hope that you have had a good holiday season with your and your loved ones. I can't believe that is the end of the year already! It has been a whirlwind.

I think that I may do some reflective posts later next week as we get closer to New Year's Day. Right now I just want to wish everyone well and hope that the people I call friends and family are doing the best that they can.

I know it is hard times in the United States right now. We, as a country, are starting to pay the price for living on credit so long. So I hope that everyone can buckle down as we tread through the tough times.

I hope that everyone takes care and strives for the best.

33!

Ok, I wanted to write something about this a little earlier in the week. But I finally am getting around to it here on Saturday. Did you catch Melo's 33 point quarter last Wednesday? Holy cow Batman, talk about someone being on fire.. en fuego.. the basket is an ocean. Whatever you want to call, Melo had it for that quarter.

People give Melo alot of grief, and to be honest he deserves some grief. But he has been improving every year. And this year, maybe.. just maybe he is taking his overall game to the next level.

You have to give Melo credit though, he plays hard. Sometimes he just didn't play smart. I think he is doing that more and more now. And it is fun to watch. The trade for Chauncey helped too. Alright, well I wanted to at least acknowledge that effort. Fun thing about watching sports, you never know what you are going to see on any given night.

And another one down...

Well the good news, the Broncos finally won a home game. So they are 8-5 this year. As usual, the NFL is crazy. At the beginning of the season, I would have thought there would be no chance for the Broncos to have an 8-5 record, when losing to Oakland and Kansas City. and Jacksonville too. Even though the Jaguars where supposed to be better.

The bad news... another running back is in the mash unit. Peyton Hillis is out for season. That is like our 7th string running back or something. Hope that Tatum Bell has some magic left in his legs. Or maybe the Pope guy will be good. Just need to get us 3 yards.

Ok.. that is it for a Monday... catch ya on the flipside.

holiday season is on

My baby doll set up the Christmas tree yesterday, so the holiday season is on. Our holiday season is going to be mellow. Cause we got to work, ya know. And actually I am thankful for the work. Tough times are coming, everyone is buckling down to weather the storm.

I feel for all those people who have their dreams on the line right now in this struggling economy. I hope you all make the right decisions. The vultures are going to be out there. That is what always happen in tough times. People try to take advantage of the situations and of the fear.

So this holiday season, I am extra thankful. Thankful that is my first Christmas being married, thankful for our families, thankful that we are healthy, thankful that we are working, thankful that we live in a great place.

Remember to be thankful out there!

Static is back!

So today a little comic book called Terror Titans #3 is for sale. I won't even read it until next month, because I get my books monthly.

But I have to say that I am interested in this issue, because it sees the return of Static of Milestone fame to the world of print. They are being rolled into the DC Universe (which is the world of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.).

It won't be the same as the world of Dakota, but I really did like these characters back in the 1990's. That is when Milestone Comics was alive and kickin'. There is a lot of back story to all of this, because Milestone got a lot of press for being a multi-racial company that pushed multi-racial and other boundaries.

But I read the books because they were great. They ended up being the comics I looked forward to each and every month. And now I have something to look forward to next month.

Pretty cool...

Oh and the Nuggets play the Spurs tonight.. go Nuggs...

too much Paul

Hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was great. The Denver Nuggets even played to last game of the day. So I got to watch the team in action.

It didn't end too good for the Nugs. Too much Chris Paul at the end. He made a ridiculous three that really turned the tide. And the ball seemed to bounce right for the Hornets when they needed it to. Just one of those tough losses you have in the NBA. That is why you need to beat the teams your supposed to beat. Next game against the T-Wolves is big. Need to play that game well.

The star for the Nuggets was JR Smith. He came off his one game suspension and lit it up. Pretty much kept the Nuggets in the game by himself. Hopefully this means that he is heating up. He hasn't been shooting well to start the season.

Other than that, I am trying to enjoy my Friday off from work. My wife is working today, so that sucks. Just catching up on hobby work.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Christine is hard at work cooking some food for her family (see photo). They are itching for some ribs, so it looks like a Thanksgiving with both ribs and turkey. Gonna need a really long nap this afternoon, that is for sure.

So today is supposed to be a day where you are thankful for the things that are in your life. I have plenty to be thankful. I got married this year, so that tops the list. Thank you Christine!

But also there have been several new additions to my extended family. Thanks for Zander and Paisley bringing joy to their parents. And two more little babies are on the way. Ok, this blog entry ain't gonna be that long. Gonna get back to enjoying the day. Earlier in my life, I spent many Thanksgivings solo. So I try to enjoy the Thanksgivings that aren't.

Go and get some food everyone!

Disneyland

Last weekend, Christine and I went to Disneyland. Yup, it was my first time to the Land of Micky Mouse. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures to prove that I was there. Also go to hit ESPN Zone. Never been to one of those it was a blast! Well except for the Nuggets getting blasted by the Lakers. That was no fun at all.

Disneyland '08

the return of dan

All right. I know I have not been blogging lately. What can I say? life happens. Don't worry, I am very happy, healthy and all that good stuff.

I think that I have to do a change to my blogging style. No more updates about work out schedules. I don't think I need the schedule reminders. It was just an excuse to make a post. And I think there will be a little less deep thought writings. Although, those might come out.

Just try to have a couple more day-to-day notes.

So what the hell is the picture about? I shaved off my goat a week ago. The wifey want to see how I looked with a scruffy full beard and my bald noggin'. So thought it would be good to take a first day picture. And no I wasn't buzzed.. Just early in morning. Hey, that is when I go to work.

I will be checking in later...

Week 40 (09.29.2008)

Another not a bad week. Had a bad last game of the season. Just didn't play too well at the end. Other than things where pretty normal. Might start picking up the pace next week. Work my normal six days. Try to get in a little better shape. Baby doll, says we have the honeymoon coming up! So we need to look good.

Monday (09/29) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (09/30) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (09/30) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (10/01) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (10/02) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (10/03) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (10/04) - Weightlifting
Sunday (10/05) - Rest Day

Week 39 (09.22.2008)

Not bad.. got my weekly report in before the end of the week this time. Having a good week of workouts. And this weekend should be really, really relaxing. Looking forward to it. Not too much to report. We had a surprise b-ball game on Tuesday. And we won. Yikes. That took some effort.

Monday (09/22) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (09/23) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (09/23) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (09/24) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (09/25) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (09/26) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (09/27) - Weightlifting
Sunday (09/28) - Rest Day

Week 38 (09.15.2008)

Ok, this the last of my catching posts. Maybe tomorrow, I will have some time to write a real blog. It's not like I don't have a lot of topics. Just time is the issue. That isn't a bad thing though. Means my life is full and happy. Ok, on to tomorrow.

Monday (09/15) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (09/16) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (09/16) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (09/17) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (09/18) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (09/19) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (09/20) - Weightlifting BBQ party day
Sunday (09/21) - Rest Day

Week 37 (09.08.2008)

What.. yeah it is a third report in a row. I told you I was way behind in my posts. People don't like these post anyway. They are just the boring ones that I do for myself. Kinda trying to keep myself on track. Sometimes, that is tough to do.

Monday (09/08) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (09/09) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (09/09) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (09/10) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (09/11) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (09/12) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (09/13) - Weightlifting nope.. first football weekend.
Sunday (09/14) - Rest Day

Week 36 (09.01.2008)

Labor Day Weekend! Yup it was fun. I even got a good workout in on Monday. The holiday day. The rest of the week was hectic, but I got my workouts in. We didn't play a good basketball game though.

Monday (09/01) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (09/02) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (09/02) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (09/03) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (09/04) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (09/05) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (09/06) - Weightlifting Completed!
Sunday (09/07) - Rest Day

Week 35 (08.25.2008)

Yup, I am way behind in my blogging again. Just not the top thing to do on my list right now. So I am gonna try and back track. Catch up and do some blogging tonight. So these are going to be short and quick. The last week of August was a good week to workout. The last week before Labor Day.

Monday (08/25) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (08/26) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (08/26) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (08/27) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (08/28) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (08/29) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (08/30) - Weightlifting Completed!
Sunday (08/31) - Rest Day

DJ's Nationwide Pick'em

For those of you that know... well know that I like sports. Since I grew up in Colorado (go Broncos!), I follow those teams like a diehard fan. Anyways, back to the point. I think over ten years ago, I started using ESPN's fantasy game to set up a "pick'em" for my friends. It has been amazing to watch the advances ESPN has made. The game is lot of fun and eaiser to use now. So, I invite all the readers of my blog to play along with me. The few of you there are. Info is below, straight from the email I could send out to invite you. Note that you will need to have an ESPN account to play.

Here are the instructions:

This message is from Danny Young (that's me!) who is challenging you to play Pigskin Pick'em on ESPN.com.

This game challenges you to select the winner of each game throughout the 17-week NFL season and offers a spread and non-spread version. Best of all, it's FREE to play.

Get in the action now:
http://games.espn.go.com/pigskin/group?groupID=960

Game Front:
http://games.espn.go.com/pigskin/frontpage

Group: DJ's Nationwide Pick'em
Password: redbone

A Milestone Return

As I said in my Comic-con post, some old characters that I like a lot are making a comeback. Milestone was published book in the mid 1990's. It was just by chance that I pick up a book called Hardware. It was so good that I began to collect the whole line. It was only four books at first (Static, Hardware, Blood Syndicate, Icon) so it was easy for me at the time.

Milestone published books for about 4-5 years, then everything stopped. Lots of reasons had been given, but I am sure it came down to business. Dollars and cents, especially at that time. The comic book biz was a little out of wack.

That all aside, these comics were among the best in terms of story I have ever read. The characters were well-developed and the plots thoughtful. When I hear that they are being "merged" into the DC Universe (yes the get to play alongside Superman, Batman and the rest of the gang), it is a good thing, bad thing to me. It is great to see these characters in print. To see new stories that involved them is going to be interesting. But I think it bad that they are going to be submerged into DC. I hope that uniqueness and depth that made the heroes of Dakota so interesting isn't lost.

But that is show biz. You have to take risks to get your stories out there. The first "return" will be in Justice League of America #27. It is written by Dwayne McDuffie. One of the Milestone founders from way back, so I have high hopes for this one.

On a more selfish note, this will probably mean the Milestone Rave is going to impossible to keep self-contained. I don't think I am going to track down every appearance of a Milestone character in DC. But I will be on the look out for good stories.

Here to hoping it is a grand return for Milestone.

Week 34 (08.18.2008)

And here is the second one. This last week was actually a good week of working out. Can't believe is almost the end of August! Summer is blazing by now. It has been a good one. Ok, wasn't as behind as I though. But not blogging in two weeks sure does make you feel like you are slacking.

Monday (08/18) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (08/19) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (08/19) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (08/20) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (08/21) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (08/22) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (08/23) - Weightlifting Completed!
Sunday (08/24) - Rest Day

Week 33 (08.11.2008)

Ouch, I am really behind in any attempt to blog. Since today is a relaxing day, I hope I can take some time and catch up on the blogging communications. First task is to get my weekly updates out. Been doing pretty good for last couple of weeks. Here is the first one.

Monday (08/11) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (08/12) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (08/12) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (08/13) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (08/14) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (08/15) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (08/16) - Weightlifting Completed!
Sunday (08/17) - Rest Day

Week 32 (08.04.2008)

Second catchup blog. Nothing to exciting to report here. It was a rather quick week. Lots of hard work, I was glad the weekend came, I needed it in the worst way. And it was a good weekend. Got to go to a cool BBQ and even watched some cool UFC action. Fun stuff.

Monday (08/04) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (08/05) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (08/05) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (08/06) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (08/07) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (08/08) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (08/09) - Weightlifting.. didn't really do a second workout
Sunday (08/10) - Rest Day

Week 31 (07.28.2008)

Yikes, I am way behind in my blogs again. Might have to switch up how I blog. Start doing things in a more quick hit way. Life just seems to get busy lately, even when I don't feel busy.

Ok.. I think I can remember this far back.. here we go..

Monday (07/28) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (07/29) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (07/29) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (07/30) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (07/31) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (08/01) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (08/02) - Weightlifting. no, we did a long bike ride.
Sunday (08/03) - Rest Day

da comic-con report

Ok, I made the return to comic-con. I have missed the last couple of years. The last time I went, it was crazy, busy, just a mad rush of people. And this year, the entire San Diego Comic-Con was sold out before it started. Not only, sold out.. but entirely sold out online.

Imagine that? This event has gotten such strong word of mouth, that it basically sold itself out. I am not sure how many people that means. But I fairly certain it is the capacity of the convention center here is a little over 125,000 people.

This was also the first time Christine got to see the full world of comic books. And I have to say that it packed to the rafters. Of course, comic-con is not only about comics any more. It is more of a pop culture event now. Christine and I got to experience at little bit of everything. The traditional comic mania. I got a couple of new sketches for my book. Francis Manapul (pictured above) was kind enough to give me a sketch. He is an up and coming artist. I have to say that sketches are getting harder to come by. That artists are charging for them now at their private booths. Can't really blame them. You have to hit 'em up at the big company booths. Only problem there, is you have to deal the lines.

Schwoo.. lines.. there are plenty of lines. That is probably the most annoying thing to deal with at comic-con. Anyways, we got to see the comic book side of things. Even hit a couple of panels. And we hit the Liongate's panel. We saw the stars of the upcoming film called the Spirit. Sam Jackson is a funny guy. It looks intense. If you like Sin City, it is probably going to be right up your alley. Definitely was a lot of Hollywood walking around comic-con. Anytime, there was a signing it turned into a madhouse.

So we had comics, Hollywood.. what next? Science fiction of course. By far the most popular costumes were Star Wars and Star Trek. Couldn't go anywhere without running into them. I have to admit that the most loyal fans are Star Wars and Star Trek. And costumes.. yikes so many costumes. The Joker was pretty popular of course, because of the new Batman movie.

And after science fiction, toys... Toys are huge. I don't think people realize how many people collect toys. Hasbro and Mattel had huge booths. Christine even got a couple of Mighty Muggs (I never saw one before comic-con). Kinda got those by accident. Plenty of people were searching for toys.

You think that is all.. heck no. How can you forget video games? There are whole rooms dedicated to video game tournaments. Video games are a huge money maker now. And they have taken over a whole section of the comic-con. I am not into video games too much, but all the flashing lights are cool.

And you can forget the gamers. There are tournaments for Magic and Forgotten Realms. Hah.. that is where the traditional nerds as Christine calls them hang out the most. Hmm.. so am I leaving anything out. Oh I can't forget the medieval gang. Christine got a kick out knights banging on each other. I still can't believe those guys got dressed up in full chain mail and walked around in the sun.

As you can see it is an overwhelming experience. Things to see in every direction. It was a great time though. I have to say I enjoyed it immensely. My wife was a trooper. I think she has a little bit of fun. And got to know another side of me. Get a little more inside my head. As strange as that may be. Thanks for the tickets baby doll. It was awesome.

I can't leave off the comic-con report without saying what the most exciting bit of news for me was. The characters of Milestone are returning to comics. DC Comics and Milestone Media are "merging". Not sure what the legal ramifications are, but supposedly Static, Icon, Hardware and other characters are going to start showing up in the DC Universe. The city of Dakota will join Gotham and Metropolis in the DC world.

Milestone published books in the 90's. Really good books, with solid stories and art. So it exciting to see what new stories will be told about them. I never have collected DC books, but I will now. Gonna have to rearrange what books I buy in the future. Ok.. lots of rambling.. but bottom line it was a fun time.

late night blogging

So I am doing some late night blogging. I have done an entry in a long time. Guess you could say that married life has been great. And busy. It seems like this summer is flying by! I can't believe that it is already the last part of July. The summer has really flown by. Well at least this part.

Other times it has been going at a relaxing pace. The next week is going to be a lot of fun. I get to take my baby doll to Comic-Con. It will be her first time there. She might be a little overwhelmed. I think she expecting a lot of nerds. And yes their will be a lot of nerds there. But Comic-Com has turned into a mainstream event. All the people trying to make a buck and the nerds can pay a lot of bills. So the big boys of entertainment are going to be swooping down on San Diego for a few days. It should be a good time. I will try and make sure to take some pictures.

And I just find out a good friend from Albuquerque is bringing is family through San Diego for a visit. It will be nice to see them as well. Like a said a summer of good times. Ok, I will try to check in again. Maybe, be able to do some more late night blogging.

Week 30 (07.21.2008)

Ok, I am actually going to an update from my new laptop. I am wearing out the battery. Just for the heck of it. So the last week was pretty good for my workouts. I kinda did all six workouts for the whole week. Kind of did two in one day. But that is what weekends are for.

Oh, and we actually won our first basketball game for the basketball league. It was a furious five game, so the game was a lot of running for all of us. So the basketball games are back. And I even got my update in at the beginning of the week. We will see about the workouts. It is Comic-Con week.

Monday (07/21) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (07/22) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (07/22) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (07/23) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (07/24) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (07/25) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (07/26) - Weightlifting kinda.. did pushups...
Sunday (07/27) - Rest Day

Week 29 (07.14.2008)

Ok, it is Thursday and I am writing an update during the same week. Wow. I might actually feel like I am keeping track of stuff again. Maybe I just need some more of these boring meetings. Technology is amazing. I can do live updates to my blog from a meeting via an express card. Have all these people in this meeting, pounding on our laptops.

This meeting is not a fun one, because we have not enough chairs and too many people. Hah.. live in the company. Onto the fun part of these little blogs. Here are the updates.. and this week we had our first basketball game.

Monday (07/14) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (07/15) - Weightlifting Completed!
Tuesday (07/15) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (07/16) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (07/17) - Weightlifting Completed!
Friday (07/18) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (07/19) - Weightlifting Completed!
Sunday (07/20) - Rest Day

Week 28 (07.07.2008)

Wow, I feel like I am behind in my updates. Well, wait.. I am behind. So I guess that I am gonna have to punch out some weekly updates in the retro mode. The week below was a decent week. But nothing special. I was just trying to hang in their for the summer. The weeks have been fun, but it has been hard to keep my workout schedules. Doing the best that I can. Onto the next week.

Monday (07/07) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (07/08) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (07/09) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (07/10) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (07/11) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (07/12) - Weight Lifting Just another weekend
Sunday (07/13) - Rest Day

Week 27 (06.30.2008)

The July 4th report and it is a little late. Maybe a lot of late. Can't believe that it is already half way through the month of July. Heck, we are already halfway through the summer. Crazy stuff. But it has been a great summer. I have to admit that my workouts have been hard to keep up with. So I would tell you what the plans are the next week, but it is almost over. So I will just keep moving to the next weekly report.

Monday (06/30) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (07/01) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (07/02) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (07/03) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (07/04) - Cardio July 4th
Saturday (07/05) - Weight Lifting Lots of bike riding
Sunday (07/06) - Rest Day

Week 26 (06.23.2008)

A before the July 4th holiday update is upon you. My workouts are doing a normal summer week. I was able to get in my five workouts. I have been missing my sixth workout of the week over the last month. Guess I can blame that on being happy and married.

But, I can't complain about things. It has been a great summer so far. I might have some time this weekend to hit a couple of blogs. Like always, I have some stuff to say, just not time to say it. But that is a good thing, because it means life is full.

Monday (06/23) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (06/24) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (06/25) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (06/26) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (06/27) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (06/28) - Weight Lifting nope.. Venice Beach
Sunday (06/29) - Rest Day

Week 25 (06.16.2008)

Just remembered that I haven't posted a weekly updated in awhile. Last week moved along like a typical summer week, got my workouts in during the week. And got my relaxation in during the weekend.

Hopefully this weekend, I can get myself a workout in. But hopefully we will have some fun too! Alright, back to the grind. Got some more errands to do tonight. Life is good.

Monday (06/16) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (06/17) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (06/18) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (06/19) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (06/20) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (06/21) - Weight Lifting nope.. Venice Beach
Sunday (06/22) - Rest Day

new ink

As promised, I am writing a blog today. At the the very end of the day, but better late than never. So what does new ink mean? Well I got a new tattoo. The first tattoo I have gotten in over ten years I think. Don't quite remember when I got the the last one.

I remember why I got it, just not when I got it. Getting tattoo means different things to different people. For some it is a very public display of individuality, almost defiance and others it is a simple personal statement.

What does it mean for me? It is personal for me. This one especially. It symbolizes, represents, marks... whatever you want to call it... that Christine is a part of me for the rest of my life. I know we are married, I know that is what marriage means. I am not taking anything away from that. Like I said a tattoo for me is personal. So maybe a little more explanation is in order.

Growing up, I was kind of a lost soul. Especially when I hit college. I didn't really belong in any world, any culture. I believe a lot of kids from my generation and later generations feel this way to some extent. I don't have a strong ethnic or racial background. Most people would consider me Caucasian, but I am not English, French, Greek, Irish, Russian or Jewish, even though I have a Hebrew name. I am a mixed breed. I have a little of everything in me. As far as I know, my natural dad was French-Canadian. But he died when I was very young, so even if he was purely French-Canadian, I don't feel any ties to being French-Canadian. My mom has some Cherokee blood in her.. along with who knows what else. My mom has connected to her Cherokee past and made sure my brother and I are registered member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (as of 01/20/91). So at best I am French/Cherokee/ and something else.

So growing up in my little town, I never really viewed the world in ethnic or even racial tones. Mexican, Filipino, English. were just words to me. I didn't have a clue to the culture behind such terms. Looking back I think that is why I felt disconnected during my college years. I was thrown from a world that many would feel uncultured and bland, to a vibrant place of many cultures.. Mexican, Navajo, Apache, New Mexican, Catholic, Jewish. People who fiercely identified with either their race, their ethnicity or their religion. Usually it was a combination of both. But one thing was always the same. It was something that was uniquely theirs and I was on the outside looking in.

And it made me feel like I was missing something. What did I lose? And then I realized.. I am an example of what many people have sacrificed when either they immigrated to the United States or if they stood in the way of the immigrants. This great melting pot of ours is the land of opportunity, but it does come with a price. It can take your culture away from you. The longer your family lives here, the less connected with your past you become. Can I claim being a Cherokee? Maybe. But I do not know the culture. I almost feel it would be an insult to the tribal members who had to suffer the lies, the pain and the death of the trail of tears for me to claim to be Cherokee.

So how did I reconcile with this loss I felt. I just accepted that I am a mutt. I don't make a claim to a religion, an ethnicity or even a race. I let people classify me as they will. And I am sure you now asking... how the heck does this ramble connect to my first tattoo.

Well when I decided to get my first tattoo, it was a personal and very private moment for me. I had just gotten over some issues and felt like I had matured as a person. I asked my mom on what I should get. I didn't ask if I should get a tattoo, but what to get. I think she figured out that I was getting it no matter what. She suggested to get our names in Cherokee. That struck me hard. I realized then how important being Cherokee was for my mom. So my first tattoo was a band composed of Anglo-Hebrew names in Cherokee symbols. In many ways that represents my religion, my ethnicity and my race. It represents everything this mutt has.

And so my latest tattoo is "Daniel Christine" in Cherokee symbols. It represents her connection to my family's religion, ethnicity and race. I know it is not as grand or formal or public as the beautiful wedding that we had, but too me this personal act of getting a tattoo is also an important symbol.

Ok.. enough rambling. No picture of the tattoo.. Just a picture of the wifey and me..!

Week 24 (06.09.2008)

I am going to give a rather quick entry tonight. Just telling it how it is for week 24. I got most of my workout in and the weekend was a long one. Christine and I partied a little much. We might need to take a mental health day this weekend.

Oh and the Celtics beat the Lakers. Can't say I like the Celtics, but I do like them better than the Lakers. A little.. Anyways, just a quick check in. tomorrow.. I have something to right about. somethin' about ink. That is what you call a teaser. Until then...

Monday (06/09) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (06/10) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (06/11) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (06/12) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (06/13) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (06/14) - Weight Lifting nope..
Sunday (06/15) - Rest Day

Week 23 (06.02.2008)

Ok, it has been awhile since I have had a report in. The last week wasn't that bad. I was able to workout. I even ran at Mission Bay. I played my first basketball game since I hurt my hand. Definitely didn't feel comfortable and I played bad.

Good news is that hopefully I will have a little time off, so I can heal up and be ready to contribute better the next time out. Also, I didn't workout over the weekend. Just being summer time lazy right there. I need to focus and get in a solid workout this weekend.

I will have another entry soon. Not much to say right now.

Monday (06/02) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (06/03) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (06/03) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (06/04) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (06/05) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (06/06) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (06/07) - Weight Lifting nope..
Sunday (06/08) - Rest Day

in the fishbowl

What is up! It is a the last day of May. It is a Saturday, so that is cool. I think we are finally caught up on our rest from the big Wedding Day back on May 17th.

Christine and I scored some free drinks at a local dive bar so the honeymoon status is still working. Now that the wedding is getting a little further in the rear view mirror, my work is becoming a priority.

I have to admit that I am feeling the pressure a little. My cube is turning into fishbowl. Kinda like Shiloh's home you see in the picture to the side. I have people checking up on the status of the OnPhone User Guide project all the time. It is exciting for me, because I like to learn new technologies, new techniques and better ways to write. And in the end all this hard work that I am doing will lead to a better product and a better way of working for my team.

But it is a lot of work. I feel the pressure some times. I feel all alone. I am the only one who understands the DITA, the tools, the XML and how it relates to our specific material. The project is at an in between stage where I can't offload the knowledge just yet. Soon though.. soon. And then that will be a relief.

Right now though, I am in the middle of hard core development. My boss(es) are excited about the end product and now expect me to deliver it. Anything less, is just an excuse to them. They don't want to understand how it is done, they just want to be able to brag about a successful project. Isn't that always how bosses are. Hah.. So wish me luck that I can get everything working smoothly by the end of the summer (if not a lot sooner).

Ok.. that is all for now. Time to have a little fun today with my baby doll!

Week 22 (05.26.2008)

So, slowly but surely I am recovering from the wedding experience. Sure put a lot of time and effort into that weekend. But I think we have more of a handle on everything now.

The workouts this week have been solid. We even went out and ran some stairs today. It was a good work out. Hopefully I can do more outdoor stuff around here.

I don't really have too much more to say. Can't believe the summer is almost here. Looking forward to a little r-n-r every now and then. Until the next report!

Monday (05/26) - Cardio Memorial Day - Biked to Beach!
Tuesday (05/27) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (05/27) - Basketball No Game - Holiday!
Wednesday (05/28) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (05/29) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (05/30) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (05/31) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (06/01) - Rest Day

and into the sunset....

a wedding reflection

So, it is almost one full week. I am a married man as of May 17, 2008. It was an awesome day... everything I expected and more. My bride, Christine was beautiful and the one part of the wedding I was the most happy about her smiles. She is now my wife and that makes me feel complete. I was happy that our wedding day was beautiful for her. All of her planning, all of her hard work, all of her tears, all of her tender loving care led to a day that everyone could enjoy. I hope that everyone who attended our wedding knows that and at some point will take the time to thank her.

And me? How does it feel to be married? Hah, I guess I could tell you that I am changed man. But guess what? I am not a changed man. I am the same ol' mountain boy that I was before. I take my relationship with Christine seriously and being married doesn't change that. I love her just as much now as I did before and as I will tomorrow. Maybe the Catholic church, the state, and whoever else thinks we are official now (or maybe not), but I thought we were official a long time ago. And I also feel relieved. This wedding took a lot of planning, a lot of money and a lot of patience. A lot of me is happy that it turned out great and that it is in the rearview mirror.

But enough of the philosophical stuff. So how was the wedding weekend? Wow.. where do I start! So many parts of it that I could talk about... Guess I will have to take them on one at a time.

Sams clan hit San Diego

My mom's side of the family (the Sams) is who we have stayed in tough with more over the years. Many of them showed up for the big day. Alot of them were taking advantage of the fact that we lived in San Diego. Good for them. It was great to see the kids play in the ocean and having a great time. They got to see a great sunset Thursday before the wedding.

Gifts at the Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal was a little weird. The priest wasn't there. My family is not Catholic. The wedding was a traditional Catholic wedding (with mass). So everyone was a little confused. I think it went well. Good thing Christine had made the program, that saved everyone, including the church's wedding coordinator.

And the gifts that Christine bought the entire wedding party were great. They all appreciated it. The dinner was good and I even gave a speech with out stumbling too much.

Calm before the Storm

For how crazy the wedding was. The morning was actually really, really calm. I spent the night with Luthor. We just chilled. It was a nice time to reflect and focus. I was so excited and pumped. It was a cool. Then Jim showed up and it was on. I got into the tux and we were ready to roll! Everyone was whooping at us as we made it to the church.

the priest shows up!

I am not going into the details, but there was actually some doubt that we would be able to perform the wedding in a Catholic church. It was really hard on Christine the week before the wedding. So there was a lot of relief for the both of us when the ceremony actually started. I am not going to forget the many things that I learned about the Catholic faith during this wedding process, both good and bad.

The ceremony went smoothly with only a few hiccups. It was beautiful. It was over an hour long, but it seemed to fly by for me. It was awesome to share such a special moment with our family and friends.

so many pictures

And to the worst part of the day. I could never be a model. Yikes, I never took so many pictures in my life. Christine and I were in so many pictures. Our photographer (Rebecca Seal) was great, but I wanted to strangle her when she kept saying.. "Now over here". I burned my bald head in Balboa Park. We literally took pictures from the time we walked out of the church until the wedding reception started. Oh well.. we did it for the memories!

Rob the DJ! Bamboo Dancing.. broken glass.. the Sunshine company!

Everyone we hired pulled through (and many family members) to make the reception a great party. Rob the DJ was a great MC and he turned out to be good hire. He kept the party moving. I enjoyed the reception alot. My family had a great time. They saw many traditional Filipino dancers for the first time. I know they liked it.

Anyways the party rocked and then we took the after party to the Sunshine company in Ocean Beach. We had people buying us drinks until the late hours.

Into the sunset...

And then we woke in our Ocean Beach vacation condo. Isn't the internet awesome. We found a great place right on the ocean to spend out first day together. What an experience. Our family came over to share the place and the beaches. But the best part of the day was when they all left and we were able to enjoy the sunset together. Just the way to end our first weekend married.

There is a lot more I could talk about, but I am all typed out. Check in next time!

Week 21 (05.19.2008)

This week is and was all about recovery. The wedding was awesome, more about that in the next post. But it was quite draining. Lots of family, lots of running around, lots of just stuff. So this week I have been getting my workout in, but at a subdued pace.

Also I crunched my left hand pretty good in the basketball game before the wedding. Might take a little while to heal that paw. Alright, so it is friday and I am back at it!

Monday (05/19) - Cardio Wedding recovery!
Tuesday (05/20) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (05/20) - Basketball Didn't play... hurt hand!
Wednesday (05/21) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (05/22) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (05/23) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (05/24) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (05/25) - Rest Day

one last day

Christine and I are getting married tomorrow. All the hard work and planning that she has done over the past year is finally going to pay off.

We had the wedding rehearsal dinner tonight. It was a good time. I think everyone is looking forward to the big day tomorrow.

I don't really have too much to say. Or maybe I have so much to say that I can't really focus it into words. I am excited, I am anxious, I want tomorrow to be one of the best days of Christine's life. So come on people. Rally around.. let us all chip in and make it happen.
Christine, I am not sure if you are reading this, but I am thinking of you tonight. I love you and can't wait to see you tomorrow at 2pm. My heart will be in my throat.

Ok. I am signing off. The next time I write a blog, I will be a married man!

Week 20 (05.12.2008)

Ok! I think task I have for May 17th says it all. I am to distracted say the least this week. I am surprised I got all my workout up to Thursday in.

And to tell you the truth, I am not sure how well I could have lifted weights. I busted my hand pretty good at our basketball game. The strength is starting to come back in it. Pretty sore though.

Alright.. that enough for this entry. Only 2 more days to go..

Monday (05/12) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (05/13) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (05/13) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (05/14) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (05/15) - Weight Lifting doing to many errands
Friday (05/16) - Cardio
Saturday (05/17) - Getting Married!
Sunday (05/18) - Rest Day

Week 19 (05.05.2008)

Sorry, I didn't get my entry in time last week. I did get most of my workouts in. I have been skipping my weekend lifting work out. Been riding the cruiser though, so I don't feel that guilty about missing it.

This week was the easy week. Next week is the wedding week. Just will be getting more and more nervous as the days go by!

Monday (05/05) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (05/06) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (05/06) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (05/07) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (05/08) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (05/09) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (05/0510) - Weight Lifting no weightlifting.. lots of bike riding.
Sunday (05/11) - Rest Day

bikes in action...

Schwoo.. another Monday to start the week. And what a couple of weeks it is going to be. I started this blog in the morning. And I probably won't be done with it until sometime tonight.

Well I will try to get this blog done. I have so much I could right about. Everything from trivial stuff that might be important only to me. Like Iron Man kickin' butt at the box office this weekend. Yay.. my small number of Marvel stock shares is ready to take off again.

To the BIG, BIG occasion coming up in less than two week. The wedding of my lifetime is coming. Yes people, it will be happening. You are only supposed to do this once in your life right? How has it been going. Hectic, of course. Christine is doing a great job in planning out the wedding. I do hope that everyone appreciates the hard she is putting in.

I have heard from more than one couple that the wedding is hard in many ways. I know where they are coming from now. Seems like everyone would take the time to celebrate the moment for what it is. But it doesn't seem to work out that way. Everyone wants there piece of you. And I can see us getting stretched thin. But nothing can be done at this point. Just need to buckle down and get the marriage done. I am looking forward to it. Family, friends and the wedding. Should be a week of celebration(s). Yeah, there will probably be more than one. That is for sure.

Alright, enough with the wedding. Onto the bikes! Yup we biked all over PB this weekend. It was a lot of fun. Friday we headed down to the beach and watched the sunset. Then we ate at some random Mexican restaurant. Saturday we spent all day doing wedding stuff. Then Sunday we rolled down to Kono's on our bikes again for some breakfast. So we were able to ride all over the place. I have to say the weather was absolutely gorgeous on Friday and Saturday. Couldn't ask for better days.

Ok, I think that is enough rambling for today. Maybe I will start posting some pictures of the PB (and OB) places that we visit now and again.

Week 18 (04.28.2008)

It is the hump of the hump day. So here it is. My exciting workout update. Last week wasn't so bad. I got all my workouts in. The didn't get a solid workout in over the weekend. But we did do a lot of walking on Sunday.

This week is already have over. I have kept up with my workouts. Tomorrow is May! Wow.. just a little while longer until the wedding. Gonna be nice to get this shindig rockin'

Until.. next time. Hopefully I will be able to log in with another entry soon.

Monday (04/28) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (04/29) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (04/29) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (04/30) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (05/01) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (05/02) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (05/03) - Weight Lifting no weightlifting.. lots of bike riding.
Sunday (05/04) - Rest Day

settled in... kinda

It is early Sunday morning. And yes I am actually posting a blog. I know that I haven't posted an actual blog in a little while. Just my normal weekly updates. What can I say. The same excuse as always. Life is busy.. really busy. Can't complain about that though. It is a good thing to be busy. Means that you are moving forward.

Yesterday, was a little bit of a milestone. Handed in the keys to the old place in Scripps Ranch. I had been there for over two and a half years. Talk about the ultimate transition place. I went there heartbroken and a little lost. And I leave there happy and on my way to marriage. It is a crazy world.

The picture is the front porch of our new pad. It is down in Pacific Beach. Yahoo.. ! Closer to the beach. It has everything we need and will definitely do as our first place. This weekend I am finally starting to feel settled in. We got the last of the boxes out of the living room on Friday and didn't have to do too much running around. So it finally felt like a weekend at home.

Hah. the sports Saturday could have been better though. Yikes... the Nuggets imploded and looked pathetic against the Lakers. The Rockies gave up a 10 spot in the first inning.. ouch. The Avalanche got crushed by Detroit. Schwoo.. not really a good day for Colorado sports. Whatever, life goes on.

I think Christine and I are most looking forward to getting a couple of bikes and being able to ride to Mission Beach or some of the beaches. Well one of the things we are looking forward. Many things. It should be a great summer. My first summer as a married man and we will be chillin' on the beach. Can't wait for the month to end. Well I have rambled enough.

Now that I am settled in, maybe I will be able to post some more blogs. Christine and I have a lot of Pacific Beach places to explore. So there should be some things to talk about. Check in later. Today we are might go and walk to the beach. And yes we can do that. It is a little long, but we can do that! Cool.

Week 17 (04.21.2008)

Alright.. the weeks are just coming and going at a fast clip. We finally got to relax in our new pad this weekend.. well for a little while. Hah, doesn't seem like there is that much time to go around these days. I am really looking forward to the summer. Get some serious relaxing in around this crazy schedule that we call life.

Workouts have been going alright. Last week I was able to get most of them in. Having to adjust to a new gym has been a little challenging, but I think it will work out ok. Until next time, I think that I will try to do an entry with a picture.

Monday (04/21) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (04/22) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (04/22) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (04/23) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (04/24) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (04/25) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (04/26) - Weight Lifting missed this work.. did a lot of walking.
Sunday (04/27) - Rest Day

Week 16 (04.14.2008)

Wow.. what a long weekend. We have finally relocated to our new place. We have been unpacking all weekend. The unpacking is taking longer than the moving of course. Christine is finally able some of her knick knacks, gadgets and cool stuff into the household. It is a slightly bigger place.

But the move did officially kill of any workout sessions for the weekend. So, I missed two workouts. I was a little bummed about that, but moving was a workout in itself. And yesterday, we were exhausted. Might be a little while to get this week going. But we are moved! Yahoo..

Monday (04/14) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (04/15) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (04/15) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (04/16) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (04/17) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (04/18) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (04/19) - Weight Lifting Moving Stuff
Sunday (04/20) - Rest Day

Week 15 (04.07.2008)

Ok, I think that I am finally caught up with my weekly reports. This week has been a little busy, but we still have been getting the workouts in. Moving helps, because you get a good workout doing that. So this weekend will be actually a little crazy. Should be in our lovely PB abode by Saturday night. Change is good, but tiring. I hope the new place works out. And maybe I will even be able to blog some more.

Monday (04/07) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (04/08) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (04/08) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (04/09) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (04/10) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (04/11) - Cardio Moving
Saturday (04/12) - Weight Lifting Moving
Sunday (04/13) - Rest Day

Week 14 (03.31.2008)

This week was a little tough to get my workouts in. Mainly because there is so much going on. We are in the process of moving and also we are getting married of course.. closing in on us fast. But I still got all my workouts in. That is a good thing. And I have almost caught up on my blog entries. The mandatory ones. Maybe the next one will be a real live entry. I do have some cool things to talk about. That is for dang sure.

Monday (03/31) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (04/01) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (04/01) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (04/02) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (04/03) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (04/04) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (04/05) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (04/06) - Rest Day

Week 13 (03.24.2008)

I was a little sick from the Vegas trip, but I still got all my workouts in. Nothing to exciting to tell you the truth. Just getting this down to make that it is noted that I worked out that week.

Monday (03/24) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (03/25) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (03/25) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (03/26) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (03/27) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (03/28) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (03/29) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (03/30) - Rest Day

Week 12 (03.17.2008)

This was the week of my bachelor party, so I missed a couple of workouts due to that. And just took a hit overall, because the bachelor party wore me out a little bit. But it was worth it. I had a good time with the guys. And I got to see the NCAA tourney in Vegas. That was a blast. It was as exciting and pumped up as I thought it would be. But I did learn that I suck at gambling on college sports. How anyone makes money at that is beyond me.

Monday (03/17) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (03/18) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (03/18) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (03/19) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (03/20) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (03/21) - Cardio Las Vegas!
Saturday (03/22) - Weight Lifting Las Vegas!
Sunday (03/23) - Rest Day

Week 11 (03.10.2008)

Yes, I have fallen way, way behind in blogging. Well moving and getting married will do that to you. I am in the middle of a lot of stuff right now. It is just a hectic time. Anyways, I am going to unleash a series of catch up entries. I have been doing a good job of keeping up with my workouts. So it hasn't been that bad I guess.

Monday (03/10) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (03/11) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (03/11) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (03/12) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (03/13) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (03/14) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (03/15) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (03/16) - Rest Day

Week 10 (03.03.2008)

Yeah, yeah.. I know I am a little late with the workout update this week. But, just so everyone knows I did all my workouts this week. Or more correctly, I am writing this entry just before I am going to do my final one. It has been another busy week. Christine and I just found our next place to live.

More about that exciting news later, now I am just trying to get motivated and hit the gym. Get a good workout for the end of the week. Oh yeah, we started our basketball season this week and we won the first game, that was cool.

Well bye for now, but I hope to have another entry soon.. real soon.

Monday (03/03) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (03/04) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (03/04) - Basketball Completed!
Wednesday (03/05) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (03/06) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (03/07) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (03/08) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (03/09) - Rest Day

so many thoughts...

It is a Sunday night. The Nuggets have just got crushed again. The team is a little frustrating to watch tonight. They just seemed a step off and never got it going.

How is life with me? It is good. So many thoughts bouncing around in my head. The days are speeding by and I am going to be married in less than 3 months. I was driving to work this week and total feeling of joy and happiness came over me. It was like a warm glow. With all my heart I am looking forward to my wedding day.

There have been a lot of little hurdles in the last couple of months to get to this point. The Catholic wedding has led to many seminars and workshops so we can get married in a Church. I have to admit that most of the time it has been a little boring and both Christine and I have rolled our eyes a little bit at some of the topics.

Surprisingly, the topics haven't been to focused on religion. One of the seminars really focused on life skills, while the pre cana class tried to give warnings and hints about married life. What exactly did these prove to me? Well.. I think the main thing is that marriage has evolved into something extremely different than it was.

Even as soon as 50-70 years ago and in other countries right now. You don't really choose who you are married to. You don't find your soulmate. You marry the person that your family wants, or if you are lucky you choose from a group of people at a specific time. Then you learn to love them. That is what marriage was about. You could tell that was behind the information we reviewed in our pre cana classes.

So, the focus of many talks was to make the best out of your situation. It isn't going to be perfect. You aren't going to get your way. Sacrifice is something you are going to do. Compromise is something you will need to do. I can see that.

Marriage is a different institution now. You can choose the person you love. You can choose the commitment. This is awesome. But of course the downside to this is the high rate of divorce and the erosion of marriage in our society. And that really is the catch. With the freedom in culture offers, where does that put marriage? Well I think that it has to come from within. The commitment, the sacrifice, the love has to be something that you stand for. Because a failed marriage is commonplace and the stigma is not as great at before.

And YES.. I do have strong feelings about commitment and marriage. I have had many good role models in my life. My family and my friends represent many successful examples of commitment. I did not take this step lightly. It is a lifetime and I plan on leading a long life. And as they days come closer to when I am married to Christine, the more excited, more content, more whole I feel. It has been a long road for me. Probably more turns and twists and second chances than I deserve. Guess that is why I feel so lucky.

Well, I guess this is a little bit of a rambling entry. I will try to be a little more focused next time. Don't try to make sense of the entry. It is what it is......

Week 09 (02.25.2008)

As promised, my second entry of the day. Might as well get this weeks schedule up before the week starts. It should move along pretty smoothly. Work has been hectic and busy, so the days have been actually enjoyable.

To tell you the truth the hardest part of the day lately has been my workouts. And that isn't a bad thing. It that is the hardest part of the day, then my life is moving along pretty dang well. Ok, maybe I will put in a few more entries this week. I actually have a lot I could write about, just haven't really had the time.

Live is just busy right now....

Monday (02/25) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (02/26) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (02/27) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (02/28) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (02/29) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (03/01) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (03/02) - Rest Day

Week 08 (02.18.2008)

Sorry! It has been awhile since I have made an entry. What can I say? It has been busy in the life of Dan and Christine. But I have been keeping up with my workouts. So I will make this entry short and follow it up with another one, and talk about next week.

Monday (02/18) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (02/19) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (02/20) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (02/21) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (02/22) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (02/23) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (02/24) - Rest Day

Week 07 (02.11.2008)

Alright, this week wasn't bad. I was able to get my workouts in, no problem. And even some better news, Christine and I where able to complete our last pre cana class. So that will add a little bit normalcy back into our lives.

Kinda funny how even two or three hours of your time can mean so much, when it is dedicated to something that becomes a chore. But sometime I guess that is what sacrifice is all about. Got my first workout in, so now I got the week off to a good start.

Monday (02/11) - Cardio Completed!
Tuesday (02/12) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (02/13) - Cardio Completed!
Thursday (02/14) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (02/15) - Cardio Completed!
Saturday (02/16) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (02/17) - Rest Day

Week 06 (02.04.2008)

Got a busy week under my belt. Able to get in all my workouts for the week last week. I do think that this week will be a little easier schedule wise. My basketball season is over, so I should have a break for a couple of weeks there.

Might have another basketball game this week. See if Easy Livin' can pull of a big game tonight. I will be in only of my last pre cana classes. Ok, I will check in with you later.

Monday (02/04) - Jogging Completed!
Tuesday (02/05) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Wednesday (02/06) - Jogging Completed!
Thursday (02/07) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (02/08) - Jogging Completed!
Saturday (02/09) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (02/10) - Rest Day

Week 05 (01.28.2008)

What a week. I knew this week would be busy, and it is indeed in full swing. Seems like I have something to do everyday of the week. But I should be able to handle the workouts OK. Wednesday will probably be the roughest day. Just have to make it work.

This will just be a short update. Hopefully I can put in a little longer blog entry later in the week. But I am keeping up my workouts. And actually feeling pretty good.

Monday (01/29) - Jogging Completed!
Tuesday (01/29) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (01/29) - Basketball Game Completed!
Wednesday (01/30) - Jogging Completed!
Thursday (01/31) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (02/01) - Jogging Completed!
Saturday (02/2) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (02/03) - Rest Day

37

Yup, today is my birthday. Another year in the life of Dan has gone by. Hard to imagine that I am 37 today. Gonna be another low key birthday for me. I tend to think that happens to everyone as they get older. Birthdays become more and more low key. Just another day. Well that might be just me.

Birthdays can be a time of reflection. The last year has been a great one. The upcoming one is going to be challenging and fun also. In the next year, I am going to be married. And yes it is my only one. That is definitely going to be the biggest event during my 37th year.

Christine has already brightened my day with some thoughtful gifts. She has to work overtime today. Her job is wanting her to work a lot of overtime. She is a little upset about, mainly I think because they are "requiring" her to do it. She was thinking of getting a second job, guess she doesn't need to worry about it now.

After she gets off work, we will go and get a little birthday dinner in. Nothing better I can think to do for today, then spend it with my baby doll.

How is everything else going? Fine, I guess. Of course the wedding is dominating everything. We are in the middle of pre cana classes. Have to go to one every Monday. I would say it is interesting, but I would be lying. I find it rather boring. Most of the material is designed for a younger audience. I am talking 18-21 year olds. Both Christine and I have been through long relationships, so much of the material is not relevant to our situation.

It isn't quite what I suspected. Not as much bible thumping as I thought there would be. Of course, we still have three more sessions. Christine is not enjoying it all. Just three more baby doll, just three more.

Well that is about it. Just one more thought. Age is really a state of mind. I know that I have turned a corner, actually I have known for a couple of years. I am not considered young anymore. I am ok with it. I feel young and I feel happy. Right now is the best time of my life. And that is saying a lot. Because I have been fortunate to have a great life, full of good people and good memories.

But right now I am on top of the world. I have a beautiful fiancee, a solid job and live in a America's finest city. What more could I want. Not much. Ok, better go and hit the gym. Need to get the circulation going.

Week 04 (01.21.2008)

Sittin' here on the final four Sunday of the NFL season. NewEngland beat San Diego as expected. San Diego actually put up a pretty good fight, but they just got run over in the end. The workout week went well. And I am actually putting up a post before I am working out. Don't know when I last did that.

The week was good, the workouts were good. This week will be another busy schedule, but I think that I will be able to work through. Ok.. well until next time.

Monday (01/21) - Jogging Completed!
Tuesday (01/22) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Tuesday (01/22) - Basketball Game Completed!
Wednesday (01/23) - Jogging Completed!
Thursday (01/24) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Friday (01/25) - Jogging Completed!
Saturday (01/26) - Weight Lifting Completed!
Sunday (01/27) - Rest Day

about the dog

So since I am starting a new blog, I need to mention the luthor dawg. My companion for the last 13+ years. He is getting older and a little grumpier but still is the same sweet and lovable wiener dog that he has always been.

Funny, Luthor was a gift from my first girlfriend, and then we broke up like two months later. He was like a going away present. I have been through several trials and tribulations since then. But he has always been waiting for me when I get home. Giving me those innocent looks.

Guess that why people go nuts over dogs. They just give you love unconditionally. You could have the worst day in the world and they will be there to lift your spirits. I actually like dogs and cats, both tend to attract different sorts of people. Not sure that I will ever have a cat again. Christine doesn't like cats and I do think that dogs are more fun.

So anyways, there is my obligatory mention of Luthor. Might not hear about him much more on this blog. The picture was taken of him during a trip to Colorado. He was wiped out by it. Kinda dazed and confused. Heck I was dazed and confused after driving that far.

Hope that Saturday is good for everyone. I am glad it is the weekend. Looks like my UNM Lobos are going to win a game after dropping two conference games. And Christine and I took care of another wedding item. The wedding plans are slowly coming together. The big day is fast approaching. Yup, I am finally going to tie the know.

Until next time....