Sunday, May 28, 2006

I'm back!

Well, another trip to India is in the books. It was an extremely good trip. I spent some more time with the folks I work with daily, and the client left pretty happy. I really couldn't ask for more. I did take some pictures, but not sure how they'll turn out. I didn't take Amy's digital camera because I was afraid that I'd lose it, so I need to get them developed. The good ones I'll post once I get them back.

The trips themselves were OK. I took an earlier flight out of Singapore (cutting my layover from 10 hours to 3) that got me home about 4 hours earlier, but had a stopover in Tokyo. I wasn't able to get upgraded because business class was just full, but I got an exit row seat. I'm really racking up the frequent flier miles on these trips. Those will come in handy, I'm sure.

While I was gone, the pool deck was poured, Amy got the house uber-organized and got her house mostly cleaned out. Today's my Dad's birthday, so I'm taking him to watch a hockey game. That should be fun.

Anyway, you'll get a more organized post in a few days once I get the photos back.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Season/Series Ending Episodes

The middle-to-end of May means the end-of-the season episodes. Some of them were really good. Here's a quick rundown of my takes on the ones I've seen and shows that I'll definitely miss:
  1. The West Wing - This is one of my all-time favorite shows. While it's experienced some down years the last few seasons, it definitely ended on a high note. This was one of the best seasons since the last election season. It was nice to see Josh and Donna get together finally and see the transition. While I firmly believe the show had run it's course, I will be sad to see it gone. I'm now going to have to start collecting season box sets.
  2. Grey's Anatomy - This is one of Amy's favorite shows. I'll watch it, I just don't seek it out. I liked it, up until Meredith (who I think is uber-whiny) hooked up with Derek again.
  3. How I Met Your Mother - Great show. Great season ender with Ted and Robin finally doing the deed, thanks if part to Ted's dramatic gesture. I totally saw Lily and Marshall splitting up...for now. Also, I love the "Pause" feature. If you saw the show, you'll know what I'm talking about.
  4. Two and A Half Men - That show cracks me up. 'Nuff said.
  5. That 70's Show - Oh my God! I have not laughed that hard at this show all season. It was good to see Eric (Topher Grace) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) come back for the final episode. It was hilarious to watch Kitty give the house tour. Cracked me up. Most of the loose ends wrapped up. Bringing back "The Circle" and Hyde talking about the car that runs on water was a hoot. Amy wants to know if Donna goes off to college finally, but I think she does. Finally, nice touch having it end New Year's Eve, 1979. Perfect.

I still need to watch the Will and Grace and CSI finales, and will catch the ones from this week once I return from India.

What were some of your favorite season-enders?

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

More updates

As Mother's Day weekend has come to a close, there is quite a bit going on here.
  1. Mother's Day was very nice. Leni was in town for the weekend, and we were able to spend some quality time with her. On Sunday, we had a brunch at the house for our Moms and then took them out for dinner that night. It was a nice day.
  2. As you have read from both mine and Amy's blogs, we are really settling into our home nicely. Still need to hang up art and unpack some boxes, but it's starting to all come together.
  3. We have a tenant for the townhouse! That's very exciting. One less thing to stress about.
  4. Our pool is really starting to take shape, literally. The plumbing, electrical and steel work were done last week. We passed inspection Monday, and they poured the concrete this morning. It's really starting to take shape now. All we have to do is finalize the tile/grout/decking selections and we're off and running!
  5. American Idol is down to the final three. I have a feeling that Elliot's time may be up. I had initially thought he would go home a lot earlier, but he's grown on me.

Anyway, that's all for now!

That's about all for right now.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Bits and Pieces while I'm slacking

As I can't really bring myself to finish my weekly report, here are some quick odds and ends to catch folks up.
  • Amy and I are now settling into our home. The pets moved in last night and the home theatre is now setup. Starting to feel like home now.
  • The "parade of trades" round 1 is complete. A bunch of folks need to come back, but that's OK. The majority of the work is done. Also, figured out how to use the SmartBox. That's cool. Wish I didn't need to router, but oh well. Now I just need to organize that cabinet.
  • Leni's here for Mother's Day weekend. She came in last night and is here until Tuesday. I'm glad she'll be able to spend some quality time here and see the house.
  • After all the hub-bub of Chris getting voted off American Idol, I really think that was the best thing for him. He could have easily sailed to the finals and then get stuck making a Pop Album that he would have hated. Now he can practically write his own ticket.
  • One other thing for those that are belly-aching about Chris being voted off - did you vote for him?
  • Mom and Dad update - their backyard is nearly finished, and should hopefully be done by the weekend. They are uber-excited.
  • Booked my next trip to India. Working it in such a way that I spend a little less time away from home, but not much.

Talk to you all later...

Monday, May 08, 2006

You had to know this one was coming

Now that Amy and I are officially "in residence" in our new house you had to know a post was coming about the move itself, right?

So anyway, the move itself wasn't horrible. This being said, it wasn't the most organized move I've ever had. It was not boding well from the beginning. I usually take a week off to move, unpack and get settled. I didn't have that luxury this time. Amy took off Thursday and Friday, and I was off Friday. However it just wasn't enough. First, our initial plan was totally killed because of delays with the carpet. "What do you mean our work order fell behind a file cabinet?" pretty much sums that up. That compressed the schedule and the move took longer because the movers then needed to collect my stuff from my storage unit. Teri and Josh were a huge help unpacking boxes and helping us get stuff setup.

For all of our planning, though, we still have what I'll call the "parade of trades" coming through the house. This morning was hectic and Wednesday and Thursday morning will be more of the same. Hopefully I can still get some work done. When it's done life will be awesome. That's all I have to say, but it will be hard to beat how we feel right now!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Monday Night TV

It's been a while since I blogged, and even longer since I didn't blog about house or wedding stuff.

Anyway, after we got home from another night of running stuff over to the new house, we got home and settled in for two of our favorite sitcoms and PIE!

First, the pie. Strawberries and Creme for Marie Callendars. Kinda messy, but really yummy. You should try it, plus it's on sale. mmmm.....pie......

Anyway, we've really gotten ourselves into How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. I know Two and a Half Men has been on for a few years, but I don't think I realized how funny it is. The dynamic between Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer is hilarious. The little kid that plays Jake is funny, but the show doesn't really revolve around him, so it's not like he needs to carry the show a la Webster. If you haven't watched it, you should give it a second look.

How I Met Your Mother is just the best show on. Neil Patrick Harris is a hoot and a half! His Barney character is definitely a scene-stealer and last night was no exception. His efforts to sneak into the prom were great. It was good to see Ted and Robin get back on the road to friendship, but do I sense Lily's angst growing and see a Friends'-style wedding escape?

Finally, I leave you with a funny sounding word (no - not ointment). Inertia. It's our new favorite word. Try and use it at least once in a casual conversation today.