Audrey with Aunt Alison and Uncle Russ

What's really remarkable about these pictures is that Russ is actually HOLDING Audrey. He was clearly afraid of breaking the baby.... but after a little reassurance, he caved. Audrey was screaming bloody murder for a little while, but she eventually calmed down for some nice quite pics! Enjoy!




For a bit of compairson... here's Russ's expression on Friday... can you say worried?

Audrey Lyn Gottfried

Everyone, please welcome Ms. Audrey Lyn Gottfried! Audrey was born on Friday, December 1st at 10:36pm. She was 8 pounds 9.2 ounces. Here are some of the first pictures of our little daughter - still less than 1 day old!

Cheesecake Factory coming to Rochestser!

Woo-hoo! According to WHAM-TV 13 last night, The Cheesecake Factory is coming to Rochester! Here's the story: WHAM TV 13. Well, we had heard rumors a few months ago that they might be coming here - albeit I heard it would be at another, crappy location. This is the PERFECT location (other than downtown). I don't quite get the "this will be one of their smaller markets," piece... considering the metro is 49th largest in the USA.

Maybe now some smart folks at the other big chains will recognize the Rochester Metro as an important place to be *cough* IKEA *cough* Ruth's Chris Steak House *cough* Nordstroms. (And others, I'm sure... like easy ones! Like SONIC. I mean, how many Sonic commercials do I need to see on TV and not be able to give them my money?)

Thoughts on other national chains to come in here would be appreciated!

The Weather's Fine!

For all those people out there who think Rochester weather is doom and gloom most of the year, here's the forecast for the next five days, following yesterday's beautiful, sunny, 63-degree day:

Toady: 62, sunny
Tomorrow: 59, mix of sun and clouds
Tuesday: 56, partly sunny
Wednesday: 58, sunny, chance of showers
Thursday: 57, rain likely

OK - so, rain's due for Thursday, and the weather will get colder on December 1st, but that's DECEMBER! It's SUPPOSED to be cold. It's been so nice, we even had our front door replaced. In fact, here is a picture of the new front door:



The old door was leaky, didn't shut right, and didn't have a deadbolt. The new door is fibreglass and airtight. And the new screendoor Julie's dad put in for us is a Pella and absolutely AMAZING (as screen doors go). It's got a pull down screen that rolls up into the door when not in use, thus creating no visual barriers. The next couple weeks will be busy with new electrical outlets being added to several rooms and in the front and backyard (as we currently have NO exterior outlets), followed by the entire house getting insulation blown in. They'll have to take off a few rows of siding to gain access to the walls, but everything will looks good as new once it's down. And hopefully the house will retain heat in the winter much better, and stay cooler in the summer. While Julie's dad does all this fantastic stuff, I still REALLY want to replace the basement windows with glass block. It's safer, lets in more light, and is far better insulated.

I sure hope our little baby daughter appreciated all these goodies! She'll be snug as a bug in a rug in her lovely nursery which is all insulated from the cold outdoors. Next BIG project to make it even better - new windows throughout the house. There are 24 of them (not including the basement, and two decorative windows in the dining room and entryway, or two windows that go between the living room and mudroom) which will be a BIG job, probably done in steps. Other projects include getting the chimney paint scraped off, and a crack sealed before it gets worse; re-seal the driveway next spring; finish the backyard landscaping; replaced the main water shut-off valve in the basement; and that's about it. We may also replace the fixtures in the powderroom downstairs, as the current ones are really, uh, BLUE, and don't fit with the style of the house. Damn This Old House Magazine!!! Why do you tempt me with so many home improvement projects?!

Nursery pictures

Well, haven't had much time to post stuff in a while... so here's a ton of pictures. Most everything is built... except for that big pile of stuff that still needs to be built.

What the hell is WRONG with you people?!

Read this please (from the D&C)....

State Comptroller Alan Hevesi's woes are starting to weigh heavily on voters.

The Democratic comptroller's lead over Republican foe J. Christopher Callaghan has plummeted 28 percentage points since last week --- after he was accused by the state Ethics Commission of violating state law by failing to reimburse the state for using a staffer to drive his ill wife, according to a poll released this morning. The Marist College poll showed Hevesi, leading Callaghan 50 percent to 38 percent among likely voters. That's down from a 62 percent to 22 percent lead a week earlier.

And the problems may be worse for Hevesi: When respondents were told that state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the leading candidate for governor, on Thursday withdrew his endorsement of Hevesi, Hevesi's lead dropped to 44 percent to 43 percent among registered voters, with 13 percent undecided.

However, 58 percent said Hevesi should not resign while 33 percent said he should. Sixty-one percent said Gov. George Pataki should not ask the state Senate to remove Hevesi while 30 percent said he should. Pataki is expected to do so later today.

"It shows a major erosion over the course of the last week," said Marist pollster Lee Miringoff. "They don't think he should resign and they don't support the beginning of any impeachment process." But with less than two weeks before Election Day, Nov. 7, the issue is "at this pace, the question is whether he can bottom out or not," Miringoff said.

The poll conducted Thursday night questioned 509 likely voters with a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent. The poll included 731 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.


OK.... what the heck is WRONG with you people? How much FRAUD must take place before it's OK to ask for someone's resignation? I was watching Top Chef the other night, and this one guy actually TOOK HIMSELF OUT OF THE COMPETITION for not paying for a box of lycee. What could that have cost? $200?! We're talking about fraud on NYS taxpayers of at LEAST $80,000, and likely much more. But how apathetic are NYS voters if they don't think Hevesi should resign? Or that the NYS Senate should proceed with impeachment hearings? If it turns out he defrauded the people of New York hundreds of thousands of dollars while at the same time pronouncing his fiscal responsibility isn't there something WRONG going on here? Doesn't that warrant his resignation? Or at least an investigation? Apparently the people of New York are so accustomed to fraud going on here, and have lowered their mores so much that this doesn't matter to them. Foreshame!

My Congressional District Race

I'm in Tom Reynold's district, and chances are, unless something occurs between today and the election, I'll vote for him. Even though his opponent is a small business owner, Jack Davis shouldn't be elected. Here's my primary reason - he's old and simple minded, and here's the best example I can give, right out of the Rochester D&C:

""I'm trying to save jobs here," Davis said. "Tariffs will raise the cost of foreign products, but it will never be higher than the cost of the U.S. product. If it goes high, then you buy U.S. All that's doing is balancing the field." "

This is another term for "price controls". Yes, there are tariffs on all sorts of stuff, and sometimes it can be used as a useful tool against dumping products in our markets, but that's not what Davis is saying. He wants higher tariffs on foreign products. You want a car - pay a higher price. You want a shirt - pay a higher price. You want just about anything - pay a higher price. This does nothing but increase inflation, which last time I checked, isn't something we want.

Price controls didn't work for Germany, or the Soviet Union, or the ancient Romans for cryin' out loud.... and they certainly won't work today.

PLEASE get your price!

OK - I have to admit... now I love the shows, "Flip This House" and "Flip That House". Sure, it seems kindof strange that two networks would have similar shows with only one word differences in their names, but here we are.

So, there's a flip going on on my street. This house is currently for sale. Asking price: $94,900. The flippers bought the house about 3 weeks ago for $60,001. If they get their price, that's a potential profit of $34,899. Not bad! I really hope they get their price. Why? Because it means our house is worth more! Well, maybe not... but the truth is, our house is worth more today than when we bought it. Or at least it should be worth more. God only knows if when we sell it in another 3-5 years if we'll get more than we paid, but all things being equal, we should. And it'd be even easier to get that price if the other houses on our street sell for more. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Fuccillo Hyundai

I can't stand it anymore - and it's only been two months. Fuccillo Hyundai commercials are insanely bad. Not just bad, but insideous. Part of the problem is that they're on all the time. Frankly, if this guy from Syracuse wants to pump thousands of advertising dollars into the local economy, that's great. I don't mind our region walking away with this guys money - particularly from Central New York, an area not exactly known for economic prosperity (OK..OK... Rochester isn't that much better, but this was Smugtown, afterall... so I'm going with it.) In fact, I've got to guess that the amount of dollars spent on advertising is almost a wash - given the relatively low margin on the sale of a new car. But how many years do we need to see this same crap on TV, again and again?

Let me be perfectly clear.... I will NEVER buy a Hyundai. I don't care if it was third in initial quality behind Porsche and Lexus. And what the heck IS initial quality anyway? Well, here you go:

"IQS measures a broad range of quality problems, heavily weighted toward defects and malfunctions, quality of workmanship, drivability, human factors in engineering (i.e. ease of use) and safety-related problems. Among these categories, the area that accounts for the greatest product improvement since 1998 are defects and malfunctions, down from 61 PP100 to 40 PP100. Further, those that are related to safety show a 44 percent improvement—from 25 PP100 down to only 14."

What does that mean? It means that Hyundai's cars have few problems up front. How many problems 3 or 5 years from now? God only knows. Maybe none. Maybe lots. I'll admit, the initial quality of my Honda Civic is a lot better than my Audi A4. But while I love the Honda... uh... it's a HONDA. I have images of Principal Skinner after the "H" on his Honda was stolen, "That's how they know it's a Honda!"

I drove my dad's Audi TT a few weeks before we turned it back in, and after that the thought crossed my mind that I'd made a horrible mistake with the Honda. It's not nearly as fast as the TT or the A4. It'd doesn't have the same overall solid feel. There was no moonroof option. It's automatic. It also gets 45-50 miles-per-gallon, which is fantastic. But if I make a million dollars, guess what... I'm buying a Porsche. And not because John Holtz ran a million annoying commercials every hour, or because Porsche has the highest initial quality ranking.

Why No IKEA in WNY?

I'm sitting here at Spot Coffee, enjoying my latte, and reading a NYSTAR grant and my mind starts to wander. I go to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle's website, and read the following story about Walmart opening in Victor, maybe.

So, I've got to ask myself, why another Walmart in the Rochester area? OK - I've supported a new Walmart at Northgate Plaza, mainly because it's such a shitty plaza and desperately needs something. ANYTHING. But then I got to thinking about the economics of WNY, and Rochester in particular. Why, in Victor, around Eastview Mall, where the RICH PEOPLE shop, do they need a Walmart? There's a Target already, and a K-Mart, and a million other stores. So, why does WNY fail to attract other interesting retail?

Here's my specific quandry... why no IKEA here? I mean, we've got a half dozen universities here with probably 30 or 50,000 students. We're almost eqidistant from Buffalo and Syracuse, and much of the Southern Tier. There's plenty of money here, and the region, including all the above, is probably what? 5 million people? So, why are is the only IKEA store in NYC? On LONG ISLAND, no less. And there's another one coming to Red Hook in Brooklyn. Are you telling me that the entire Western New York region couldn't support one of these?

I'm sorry, but even with all the bitching and moaning we hear about Rochester's terrible economy, frankly it could be a LOT worse. Go to Youngstown, Ohio for a visit, and then tell me Rochester is doom and gloom. Rochester is a well-off, smaller metro area with close proximity to other metros who's citizens who drive here to go to an IKEA. Maybe that would make more sense for Northgate Plaza, or even better... Eastview Mall, with easy access to the Thruway. Hell, even downtown would be OK. But why major retail chains still ignore this area, I can't quite figure out.

The Cheesecake Factory recently announced it's comming to Buffalo's Walden Galleria. I checked online to see if it's coming here, and no, it's not. But the question I ask is, why not? Are you telling me the like 5% higher population drove that decision by TCF to locate there? I hate to brag, but Rochester is simply a way better city than Buffalo. We have a broader mix of companies, a friendlier "feel", and a stronger economic outlook. Maybe these big corporations just aren't doing their homework, but it seems like a real missed opportunity to constantly overlook WNY.

And now for something completely different...
The music on the sound system at Spot when I got here was the band It's a Beautiful Day, and their song "White Bird". ( Here's a review and brief history.) I have NEVER heard this song on the radio, or out in public before. I asked the girl behind the counter, and apparently it's XM, and in the morning they play esoteric stuff. She wasn't familiar with the band, but liked it. I gave her the background about California Sound, and the band name and song title... but I really never expected to hear that song in public. Much like going to California Rollin' and hearing Snake River Conspiracy on their CD player... just something you don't expect every day!

Zillow.com

Wow, what a neat site. It's one of a few property valuation sites on the internet. What's really cool is it uses Microsoft's satellite visualization program (as opposed to Google's googlemaps, or google-earth). I might be wrong (no I'm not) but for the first time, I really like something Microsoft developed. Not that it's more fun to use than Google Earth (because it's not!) but the quality of the images is WAY better. Now, I've seen image quality using JPEG2000 from Kodak that you wouldn't believe, and so far, this is the closest thing I've seen. OK - I haven't really checked to see how they get these images... it might be Pictometry low-level flyover data, rather than satellite data, but it's really really high quality, and from multiple angles. I prefer Google Earth's navigation system, but I would hope Google would update the quality of the close up images - much like the Microsoft system uses.

I also really like Zillow.com. Here's a link to our house: RIGHT HERE. As you can see, nice closeups of the property, from multiple angles, showing much higher resolution than Google Earth/Google Maps. The property valuations also are really accurate - at least for my street - as assessed value and market value are about the same. Granted, we've done a TON of improvements to the house, and there's more on the way (like new windows throughout the house, and new insulation, and MAYBE *if business is good* a new master bathroom) so I would hope our property is worth more than $86,848 assessed value - but that's still more than we paid for it by a couple grand. After watching "Flip That House" about a million times, it's a damn shame we can't expect to recapture all that value. Frankly, we have a wonderful little home, which should be very desirable as a starter home for some other family, assuming we stay on track and move out in another 3-5 years. I'm actually sitting outside on my stoop while I write this and was noticing that the house could also use a new exterior paint job. Maybe if Jim (Julie's dad) really does replace the windows throughout the house, we'll invest in repainting the whole place. I bet it would look fantastic in a color other than "wimpy white," which is what I'd classify it as right now.

Next year I've got all SORTS of projects I'd like to have done - including finishing up the landscaping in the backyard, and maybe a new privacy fence in back? And it'd be nice to have a little patio built out back where we could put some nice outdoor furniture - and maybe the grill - so we could entertain back there. And I still want to replace the basement casement windows with glass block. It's very secure, and way more insulating than what we've got down there right now. Little things include resealing the driveway next year (as a good preventative measure) and repainting the front stoop. The top of the chimney also needs a little work, and the paint up there needs to be scraped off. Some people would hate all this stuff, but frankly, I think it's kindof fun. I think of this house as an investment in my families future - meaning, hopefully we'll have enough into it to have one hell of a nice downpayment on a future home.

Well, that's all for now. The Bills play the Jets in about 20 minutes. Lets go BUFFALO!

FIRE!

Well, we had some excitement this evening. Julie and I were sitting upstairs and noticed a smokey smell coming from outside. I figured, "Well, it's cool outside, and someone must have lit their fireplace!" Yeah, well, it wasn't to be. No, instead, it was some kids who lit a tree on fire. I was downstairs starting to make dinner when a firetruck comes down the street! Went outside, and directly across the street there's a tree with several squirrel holes and smoke pouring out of them. Needless to say, this was enough excitement to get the whole street to come outside and check out what was going on. In a matter of minutes they had the fire put out and were gone.

I saw the dumb ass kids coming out of the woods shortly after we first noticed the smell. And if our neighbor hadn't been driving by, and noticed it, god only knows if someone else would have called the fire department! I just wish I had my digital camera so I could have taken some pictures to post online. I guess you'll just have to use your imagination.

The Fog of Dave

As I sit here writing this, I'm kindof in a fog. No, not a nice alcohol induced fog, but rather a strange, unbalanced, dizzy fog. Apparently I have something wrong with my head (um, yeah, there's a nice opening for someone). For the past week I've been walking around in an unsteady haze. It gets better from time to time, but it's making it really hard to concentrate on anything for prolonged periods of time. I'm hoping it's some sort of inner ear infection, and that it'll go away soon. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow - which guarantees it'll be gone tomorrow morning - but I'm going anyway. Hopefully it's just that, and nothing more, but we'll see tomorrow.

Otherwise, things are going pretty darn good. Work is busy but constantly interesting. Submitted another SBIR a few weeks ago thanks to Claire being in the office. And now I'm looking at starting another company with some help in a pseudo medical endeavor. Found a very interesting niche that isn't really being addressed, and I'm hoping there's a business there. Gotta start talking to the right group of potential collaborators to see if they're interested in pursuing this futher. Javelin itself has got a lot on its plate, and I'm still hoping that things get to the point where I can hire at least one full time person and a part-time paid intern.

On the baby front, I can't believe we're less than 3 months away! The hard parts of the room are done, and now it's just a waiting game until the furniture comes in. According to Simon's Baby Furniture, it's getting close. That's good to hear - and it's nice to see we've nearly paid the stuff off. Man, my dad would be like, "What the hell are you doing?! Buying all this new furniture? Are you NUTS?!" But, we at least bought stuff that can transition with our daughter as she gets older. For instance, the crib converts to a toddler bed, which later converts to a full size bed. It's really nice furniture, and I think it's sufficiently "girly" enough so that as she gets older, she won't think it's too "kiddy" or cheap. Let's hope so... then again, dad would add here, "She's bound to hate anything you buy for her... especially as she gets older."

Julie had to work a 16-hour shift last night, and apparently it was OK. But these long hours definitely are taking their toll. I'd love to tell her she can just quit her job! Hopefully some of these big business deals will actually happen and we can consider it. But right now, it sure is nice having health insurance! ("Um, sorry honey, but you'll have to deliver the baby at home, uh, without any painkillers, or doctors. Oh, who needs doctors?!")

That's about it. Guess the only other interesting stuff is that I've finally edited my MySpace page. Yes, yes, I know. MySpace sucks. Or, more generally, MySpace is used by a certain demographic that I am not a member of. But, considering the number of people who use it, I might as well have a minimally updated page which actually drives traffic back to my regular web log. That's where the action is!

OMG - "Black & Tan" is INSENSITIVE!

I'm just sitting here finishing up a container of Haagen-Dazs "Sticky Toffee Pudding" ice cream, and decided to google it to see if there'd be any reviews. I couldn't find anything, but in the process, discovered a website called 2dips.com which appears to post on current events in the ice cream industry. Well, at the top of the page is the following about one of my favorites from Ben & Jerry's - their Black & Tan:

"I like the look and idea of this ice cream (even if Ben & Jerry's had to apologize for the name). I also like the execution, from the Black & Tan cow, to the cream stout "head," to the good looking scoops. It's a good taste. Not great, but still pretty good. It's not really a typical Ben & Jerry's flavor to me because there's no chunks of anything inside. I like the mix overall, but I wouldn't eat a lot of it; it works for what it is."

So, I appreciate this guys review - it's the "apologize for the name" part that I couldn't understand. Until I read this article. What the hell? Here's a snipit from the article, Black and Tan was "the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland’s war of independence." The article adds, "The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew. They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland."

Ok, Ireland? Listen up. Get a fucking grip. This is god damned ice cream, and you KNOW what it's in reference too. BEER. Not some militia of British thugs from the 1920s for cryin out loud. The fact that the MENTION of the militia still "arouses strong feelings in Ireland" is proof enough that Ireland must not have enough going on. I mean, they ought to just start committing mass suicides right now. The fact that this ice cream is so insensitive is reason enough to kill yourself. Sure, sure... Ireland is apparently now one of the richest countries in the world. But instead of building mansions, buying expensive cars and LCD TVs and the like, the Irish spend their time stewing about some thugs from an era that most participants of are dead. Here's the kicker from that article, I guess written by bored Irish people:

"“I can’t believe that Ben & Jerry’s would be so insensitive to call an ice cream such a name and to launch it as a celebration of Irishness ... it’s an insult!” wrote one blogger on www.junkfoodblog.com. “I hope they don’t try to launch it here in Ireland or I imagine they’ll lose a lot of their fans.”"

Yes - fans of ice cream will be so upset about a flavor that clearly shows beer on the label, that they might get confused and think it's about British thugs. Especially an ice cream that isn't sold in Ireland. Damn... how insensitive! Now if they had only made "Ben & Jerry's Waffle-SS" or perhaps, "Ben & Jerry's Luftwaffe"? I mean, granted, "luftwaffe" just means "air force" and could just as easily mean British Luftwaffe, American Luftwaffe, and the like... but I mean, come on... wouldn't that be a great ice cream flavor? Or maybe "Ben & Jerry's Little German Chocolate Swastikas"?

Flip This House!

I was just watching Flip This House - a TV show on TLC. People buy houses that need massive renovations and then turn around and sell them for $100,000-150,000 more than they paid (give or take). So, I was just watching this one house makeover. They paid like $550,000 for this small shithole (I don't know what city it was in... i only caught the end) and they went ahead and listed it for $749,000. This house was like 2000 feet, with a tiny yard, and really nothing special.

I'm thinking, "$749,000 is a lot of money. I wonder what I could buy in Rochester for $749,000?"

Well, here's an example. This house is listed at $750,000:





It is 7000 square feet on over 4 acres of land. 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths. 3.5 car garage. This is a fucking mansion. Or, I can buy a tiny shithole for $550,000, OR EVEN BETTER buy a FORMER total shit hole for $749,000. OK - I appreciate wanting to live in nifty areas, but give me a break. Give me the mansion over the shithole EVERY TIME.

Just for shits and giggles, here's another example. It's in Webster, right on the water. 3600 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3 car garage, and brand spanking new:





Again, PLEASE let me buy a $750,000 mansion here in town than a tiny, 2000 (or smaller) square foot piece of SHIT. Literally, we're talking SHIT here. I don't fucking care if it's god damn downtown Las Vegas. I don't care if it's some fake-ass Laguna Beach "paradise". Other major metros who suck their own dicks cause they're soooooooo cool? Fuck you.

Baby room!

Well, the painting is done, and Julie and Mark put up the border today... and it looks GREAT! Here's some pictures of the room - as you'll see, there's still a LOT to do. Tomorrow I'll hopefully take down the tape from around all the moldings, and generally give the place a good cleaning. Then on Tuesday we're supposed to have the floors refinished. And I might even get the new blinds and window sconces up tomorrow. I'm also attaching below a picture of the little music mobile we got which matches the bedding - which matches everything else!






And, on a totally different topic, here's my stereo system - in all it's glory! From top to bottom - Dynaco FM-3 Tuner, Dynaco Stereo-70 Amplifer, Dynaco PAS-2 Preamplifier, and a NAD CD player. The top 3 units are all at least 40 years old and utilize the warm, analog sound of vacuum tubes. Don't ask me which tubes are in there, cause I don't know off-hand, and would either have to open up the cases, or find my receipts from when everything was rebuilt. Actually, I JUST got the PAS-2 preamp. My old one was DEAD - and not worth repairing, considering I bought the new one for a mere $150, which is a great price. I love the sound now of this system - now if I only had a great AM tuner, and maybe a record player... I might take the one from my mom's house if she doesn't care - but I'm also out of space... so I can't do it just yet. Oh yeah, and the dark image is the rack without the flash... hopefully you can kindof see the tubes glowing - especially in the amp. Ideas for a good AM only tuner would be appreciated.... Scott Fybush - there must be a tube HD AM tuner out there somewhere... right?

New Post

Wow - I've been delinquent in my blog posting! So, what's new and exciting? Well, this past weekend we started the process of converting our extra bedroom into the nursery. So far, we've taken out all the furniture, and relocated what we could into the office - essentially making it the spare bedroom. Actually, it looks pretty good! We took out my office desk and tossed it (it was subsequently picked up by folks today... along with the dresser we tossed). We moved the surviving bedroom furniture into the room and then have started by painting the ceiling. This weekend, we paint the walls in two sections and measure out where room border is going to go.

Last weekend we also went to Simon's Baby Furniture and Juile's mom got us the crib, matress, and bedding. I THINK she also bought us the double wide dresser... but I can't recall exactly. Then we added to that some odds and ends and a very nice glider, or rocking chair. It's got a nice high back, and eventually will make a really nice piece of furniture in our living room. Then, following that, I think we paint the trim around the ceiling, and that should finish the room. I'll take some digital pictures and post them here - maybe a before and after.

Oh, we also got some very nice landscaping done over the past couple weeks. In fact, I'm writing this from the comfort of my newly re-designed backyard. Well, maybe that's a stretch... but it does look awfully nice. A very large branch from a big black walnut tree in the backyard broke off last week and of course landed right on top of the new landscaping... but after a couple hours of cutting, it's been removed and the plants seem to be no worse off for wear. Had a very nice time sitting back here with Tim Corio - smoked a cigar, drank some scotch - and of course attacked some very tough political issues. I miss having really good political conversations! Tim and I had just left the 50th wedding anniversary party of some mutual friends, and afterwards decided we needed booze. Afterward, we went to Dinosaur Barbecue for a bite to eat. Going to Dinosaur at 9:30pm on a Sunday night is GREAT! We got a parking spot on the Court Street Bridge practically in front of the door, sat right down, and had our food in no time. I might have to do that again!

It's a.....

Just got back from the latest ultrasound, and I'm proud to announce Julie and I are going to be the proud parents of a little GIRL! More to come... cheers'

Web design, anyone?

I need a website. I registered a URL a while back, www.javelin-group.com, and it's just a placeholder at the moment. However, I want something that expresses what Javelin is about - that basically, we work to build relationships for our clients that result in new sources of revenue. Of course there's simple stuff to include - past clients, links to various resources, contact information, yadda yadda yadda... But I also want it to LOOK good, and have some things built into it that create a reason to regularly visit the site. Concurrently to this, I want to redo the website for the International Photonics Commercialization Alliance which again, was created by me on the cheap, er, free. There's several more tools to add to the site which can drive revenues back into the organization and decrease its reliance on government funding as well as continuing to offer membership for free.

So, I need a web designer who's cheap. I think I might have one.... just need to talk to him again and see if he's still available to do it. But I'm also up to suggestions if you know anyone who might be able to pull something together on a fairly tight budget. Email me or post a comment if you have suggstions.

Best Cigar.... Ever

No, not really, but as I'm sitting here enjoying a pre-embargo cuban, I've come to realize that I can't smoke anything marginal anymore. Why bother? I went to Cisso a few weeks ago with the husband of my wife's best friend (say that 10 times fast). What a great place! For the price, I can't imagine anything with a better value than Cisso - who makes all the cigars onsite - right on Lake Ave near Kodak. But while I really enjoyed a couple of the cigars, one of them really wasn't my cup-o-tea. It was something Cisso affectionately called an "after dinner cigar," meaning it was laden with sweet flavors. Um, no thanks. Won't do that again! Now part of the problem was the night I was smoking these it was particularly windy outside, sitting on Marty's porch. If it had been calmer, I'm sure it would have been a better smoke. But they all burned un-evenly, and got a bit of a nasty flavor too early in the course of smoking the things. Still, I'll go back - no doubt - and probably smoke there. They serve beer and wine, so that in combination with the cigars is a great combo.

There - I just wasted my time writing the above paragraph when I should be writing stuff for work... or better yet, watching the MLB All-Star game (albeit, not in the house with a lit cigar.)

Oh, and just for shits and giggles - check out the "hidden" website of Andrew Welch (creator of Ambrosia Software) on his visits to the Arturo Fuente plant.... he moved the site to here - http://www.vitolas.net/. AMAZING pictures, and apparently Andrew had too much time on his hands?