Categories
life

Invigorating

I worked 16 hours yesterday to finish a database transfer to a new server for a client. This morning – only a couple of hours after going to bed – life demanded that I be on duty again. We had a mouse in a mousetrap that I had to release (it was a glue trap so the mouse was essentially uninjured). I was not going to kill it with the kids around – especially when we live close enough to fields where we can release it. That was the beginning of things to do that prevented me from sleeping even so late as 8:00am. I put in another 2 1/2 hours configuring the server for our client before everything was in working order and then there were errands to run etc.

I’m sure that that kind of crunch time would be draining for most people (and sometimes it is for me), but I find that finishing a major project – even if that means working extreme hours – leaves me refreshed. I have the load of the project removed and when I work long hours to finish it I also look forward to taking some comp time later which means actual daytime hours to spend with my family or working on my own projects.

By the time today was done I had not only bought Christmas stockings for the whole family (which we have meant to do for years) but I had decorated them for each person in the family. Now I have comp time to take next week and Christmas stockings that I can enjoy for years to come.

Categories
life

Running Around

It’s been a long time since I went three days in a row without a single post. There’s a lot going on in my head, and there was nothing out the that I just had to write about. Coming into today I was thinking that it was time to write about something. I woke up just before 6:00am and when I looked at the clock I decided that today would be a good day to do something else that I have been meaning to do for a while – run.

After the marathon I took time to recover and then I ran a couple of times before deciding to take some more time to recover. Then I took time to catch up on all the things that had suffered as a result of my training. Things got busy at work, and the kids went through another schedule adjustment with Savannah starting school (and Isaac deciding to wake up every night again). The kids decided to do the rounds of sickness. The result was that I have not been running at all since August. I’m hoping to run 1000 miles next year so I should go into the year running a little bit.

I felt that finally running was an excuse to write. Then I found some very compelling material for more political posts. Expect to see at least one more post today. I plan to write on the best argument against vouchers that I have ever encountered (in my opinion), and more thoughts on the brewing health care debate in the nation.

Categories
life

Life Steps In

In the last week I have had many things to write about. I was saving some things up for the next time I am not finding a topic I want to write about. I was looking forward to writing one of those posts today that would take me more time than I can normally devote during the week. Unfortunately I was running around all day. In the evening when I can normally expect to find time to write after the kids go to bed I found instead that the power supply had died on my desktop so Laura and I had to split time on the laptop. So no political post for today. I just have to remind myself sometimes that there are times when you just do what you can and don’t worry about all the things you wish you could get done.

Categories
life

Expectations

I am discovering that I rarely find time to post on the weekends lately. Part of that is a result of having put off so many things around the house and the yard, combined with the sheer effort of scout camp, youth conference, DevCon, and the marathon. Things are getting better, but I have concluded after this weekend that I need to lower my expectations for weekend posting. I don’t know if this will be temporary or permanent. I’ll be trying to post daily during the week, but I have no exectations for the weekends. It will depend on how I feel and what I have going on.

This week I am looking forward to going to Education Week classes in the evenings at BYU. I will be among those blogging about Education Week for LDS Newsline. Here is the RSS feed for that. It will be interesting to see the results of this effort (mine effort and the efforts of all the other people blogging about Education Week).

Categories
life

Returning . . . Sort Of

Scout Camp was a learning experience (in other words I was not happy with the results, but we got through it). Returning from Scout Camp was also enlightening. Laura canceled out internet while I was gone because our provider failed on too many times in their “service.” That left me unable to check my email or write an update until I got back to work on Monday.

When I got back to work on Monday I was flooded with things to catch up. This was not a surprise, but it prevented me from writing. Without internet access at home I could not use my evening to post updates. Tuesday was much like Monday. Now, on Wednesday, I am still busy, but I just have to get here and post that I am alive and will hopefully be posting regularly again soon. I should have internet access at home by the weekend so I will be able to play the pundit during non-work hours again by then. Until then, I’d love to post, but no promises.

Categories
life

Prioritizing My Time

I am starting to discover how much effect my marathon training is having on my time. I had been feeling good that I was able to do my training in the early mornings so that it did not interfere with everything else I have to do. Now I realize that the fatigue from long runs on Saturdays has been causing me to put off things like planting my garden.

Looking forward I see that there will be challenges as I try to complete my race preparations while fulfilling duties at work such as helping with the conference that my company sponsors in the last two weeks before my race.

Today I cut my run short slightly so that I would have more energy to devote to getting my garden established before it’s too late in the season. I have spent the day working hard and thinking about this portion of the challenge of a marathon. I knew when I started that it would be demanding, but I am now beginning to appreciate how demanding it is on my time and energy.

Categories
culture life

Family Life

I work with the scouts in my area and get to interact a lot with young men because of that. I have noticed a disappointing pattern. Anytime we try to plan an activity the response from at least one, but often more than one, is “I’m busy that day/night/weekend.” Sometimes this is really an indicator that they aren’t interested in the activity, but more often than not it is an actual conflict in the schedules. No matter what we want to do, or when, they have a school activity, a vacation, or practice for a sport, or band, or the school play. The thing that disappoints me is that with so much going on, when do they ever spend time with their families?

As if these boys weren’t busy enough, we try to do activities and campouts for our troop and frequently we find that scheduling is a problem because the district has something planned for almost every weekend – a campout or a merit badge pow-wow generally. It seems like every activity (scouts, football, marching-band) is designed to be all consuming so that you must only choose one thing and devote your life to it.

I have written before about what I call the cellphone culture – this is an example. Once again I am determined that my family will not be like that. I would like to encourage my kids to try activities according to their interests, but I know that I will have to be very careful about how committed we get to the various activities lest our family becomes as fractured as our society. If the kids have similar interests so that they can participate in some things together that would help, but I will not have one child feel obliged to do something just because others want to do it. I expect it will be challenging to encourage the kids to develop their individual interests without compromising the cohesiveness of the family unit.

Categories
culture life

Anxiously Engaged

I have been weighed down today by all the things that I want to be doing in the near future, and more specifically with how many of those things conflict (time-wise) with each other. As I pondered this little frustration I thought of the doctrine:

For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; (Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-27)

As I look at my life and my schedule I start to wonder at that because it feels sometimes like I am being commanded in all things, or more accurately like I am not given any time to do any things of my own free will. Sundays are scheduled with church, but also the commandment to avoid secular work on that day, Monday through Friday are filled all day with earning a living for my family and the evenings are:

  • Monday – reserved for family night
  • Tuesday – reserved for the scouts (my calling, thus a command)
  • Wednesday – I try to go to the temple monthly so I now have 3 evenings per month to do things of my own free will
  • Thursday – monthly meeting for scouts leaves 3 more evenings per month
  • Friday – I should spend some time cultivating my marriage by taking time alone with my wife but that conflicts with irregular camping trips with the scouts so that adds up to -1 evening per month.

Saturdays would appear to be my golden free time but that is often booked with the morning after a scout camp, or a Saturday church meeting. The end result is that in any given month I have possibly 5 evenings and 3 days per month do do things of my own free will – so long as I take care of my house and family, do my home teaching, and make sure I do not neglect any of my own needs (like the occasional haircut or some Elder’s Quorum project) during those same 3 days and 5 evenings.

I would begin to despair over the situation if I did not suspect that part of my problem is the stage my family is in with four young children which is a naturally time-consuming, and draining situation. Thankfully I also look up the doctrinal reference that I quoted earlier and find that there is another verse to complete the second sentence and add a third, very hopeful, sentence:

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.(Doctrine and Covenants 58:28)

I’m counting on the “nowise [losing my] reward” because I am sure that I am doing good with the time I have, even if I wish there were more available.

Categories
life pictures

Too Busy

Yesterday was one of those days. I wanted to get the Christmas lights up on the house and possibly write another candidate endorsement. Instead my day went something like this:

  • Get up with Isaac for night feedings at 2:00am and 5:30am
  • Run 6 miles at 6:00am
  • Help get breakfast on the table for the kids who have kept Laura up since I left to run
  • Talk about what the girls want to do today
  • Start putting clips on the house to hang the lights
  • Run to the store for extension cords and light socket adapters (skipping lunch)
  • Have a friend over for games
  • Finish getting the lights up
  • Go to a dinner/Christmas party
  • Put the girls to bed
  • Feed Isaac for his late feeding
  • Fall in bed – looking forward to the night feedings

I would love to show a picture of the lights on the house but, thanks to a shortage of lights at the store, I only have half the lights I wanted so it still looks a little weak – even by my meager standards. I guess you’ll have to settle for a picture of what my hair looks like after a six mile run once I have run my fingers through it and it has had time to dry.

Hair after 6 mile run plus drying time.

Categories
life

Big Day Today

Today was a big day for me.

Laura and Isaac came home from the hospital. Both are doing very well. The girls are excited to have their brother home – especially Mariah. I got to take the candidate yard sign I had and flip it around. Now it reads “It’s a boy.”

Today was the day that potential employer #2 had promised to give me an answer. There was a little bit of a glitch this morning as they were trying to come to a final decision. That made a bit more work for me. They did make their decision finally and now I was able to make mine. I am going with employer #1 who has made a very generous offer and has been very patient in allowing me to field another offer. Here we are, 12 days after their initial offer, and they are being gracious enough to allow me to start next Monday so I can help with my new baby.

On top of that it was election day. I voted.