New apartment

December 18, 2009 | 2 comments

I was really going to keep my blog updated. Really.

But instead I got carried away sending updates to identi.ca. I put the small things in there as they happen, and since most of my blog entries are a bunch of small things put together that kills most of the point of posting.

Sorry.

However, I have something large enough to be worth an entire entry… the wife and I moved! We are now living in Saginaw, not too far from where I work. Her sister had been living with us, and sharing a car with us. We lived 18 kilometers from work, and since we both work in the same building, but different shifts, this wound up being two or three round trips a day. Needless to say, gas was financially killing us. She got her own apartment a couple of weeks ago, walking distance from work. The wife and I got our own apartment a week later (last Friday) 5 km away. We are still in the precess of getting all our crap moved over here (we drive a Kia Rio and can’t afford a moving truck yet) and are surrounded by boxen, but we love it.

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Best. Iced tea. Ever.

September 8, 2009 | 1 comment

My wife says I make the best iced tea she has ever tasted. I thought that I’d post my “secret” for everyone, as in hot weather (and living in Texas, it’s hot weather nine months of the year) a refreshing glass of iced tea is great.

First, make an average size mug of herbal tea. Mint is really refreshing, but berry flavors work well too. For a winter taste a gingerbread tea is good. Put the bag in a full glass of water and microwave two minutes.

While that is going, put a couple of Lipton cold brew tea bags in a two quart pitcher. Fill with water to 1 and a half quarts. Let it seep until the microwave is done, then dunk the bags for about thirty seconds. Stir in between 2/3 and 3/4 cup of sugar. You can adjust to taste, but less makes the tea a bit bitter and more is overpoweringly sweet. Once you have the sugar dissolved, pour the mug of herbal tea in. Stir again, then top off the pitcher with water if there is room left. Leave in the freezer for a couple of hours, and enjoy!

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I need a lawyer

August 24, 2009 | 1 comment

I have been really bad about updating regularly, as I previously commited to. I would like to point out, in my defence, that I dent fairly often, and tweet more often still. If you want to keep up with me follow me on those services. I would recommend that you follow me on identi.ca if you have accounts on both, and my dents forward to twitter, but I also have semi-spammy SpyMaster updates and all sorts of other stuff that isn’t worth following on my twitter feed. My dents also forward to my Facebook profile, if you are my friend there or wish to be.

Anyway, the kids aren’t with us any more. A couple of weeks ago, they went over to their dad’s for his weekend with them. Instead of bringing them back, we were delivered a paper from his lawyer that he is fighting for custody of them. We went to a preliminary hearing, where we were told that until the courts can hear our case he will be keeping them. The wife and I are obviously hiring a lawyer, as we feel that we are the best thing for them. At the very least want visitation so we can get to see them.

The problem is that I make too much money to use Legal Aid or any of the other financial assistance legal services I have found, but do not make enough to hire any of the lawyers we have talked too. Does anyone know a good family lawyer around Ft. Worth, Texas, who would work on a sliding scale or pro bono?

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So long, last.fm!

May 27, 2009 | 2 comments

I have had an account with last.fm for a while now and have always liked the service.

I just said goodbye to them.

Last.fm is a music tracking service. After you create an account, you can install a scrobbler. This is a small program that tells their site what music you are listening to as you listen to it. They keep track of what you like, and can recommend music that you may like based on what you have already listened to. They also have streaming radio stations of music that you may like, or that your friends are listening to. In short, they let you find stuff to listen to that you otherwise might not have heard of.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Field Trip to the Dallas World Aquarium

May 21, 2009 | 2 comments

On Tuesday, Evan’s grade went on a field trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. The wife and I tagged along as chaperones, taking care of a small group of kids. Despite my normal antipathy towards children, we actually had a great deal of fun!

Before we went to the aquarium, we took a side trip to Linda Spurlock park, where the kids played a while and ate lunch. Then they all boarded a bus and we headed to Dallas. I normally can’t stand Dallas, and refuse to go there even to see a good show (I do plan on making an exception for when the Nekromantix play with the Reverend Horton Heat on 25 July) but was willing to do so to hang out with the wife and kid.

When we got there, we hit a slight snag; parking was $5 and for some reason the parking lot was one of the ones where you have to stuff bills in a box. We rarely if ever carry cash, and this is the first place I have seen in several years where I couldn’t use plastic. Fortunantally, one of the other parents had some extra money and gave it to us. It would normally be embarrassing to have to even ask, but I refuse to feel like a fool when they are the ones who won’t take my Visa.

Jennifer took the camera I got her for X-Mas, and took several pictures. She created a gallery of her favorites; I just uploaded the entite mess to flickr. Feel free to browse and enjoy.

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