So where the heck have I been?

Okay, okay, I know I've been gone a while. I wouldn't doubt if many readers have stopped visiting. I don't blame you. Life has just been changing a little bit.

Like I said in one of my last posts, I started a new job, and have been focused on getting up to speed on technology so I can be effective in my new role as a lead systems architect. Well, I don't know how effective I am, but I have been keeping to my word about studying my ass off. I've finished three technical books (one over 1500 pages), read god knows how many web sites, and spent my work days cramming as much into my brain as possible. I've been working on ASP.NET 3.5, CSS, LINQ, SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server Reporting Services. Yay for me.

To relax, I've spent time reading (probably 7-8 novels/books since Christmas), and playing with the kids. (I'll get to them in a minute, hold yer horses). I just finished a reread of one of my favorite books from my childhood, Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat, which wasn't as great as I remembered, but was still a good story. I also finished the last of the Sharpe's Rifles series by Bernard Cornwell (22 books plus short stories in that series that I've read over the past 2 or 3 years), and six books from SM Stirling, which I started last fall. I also read a book called Life In a Medieval Village, which was quite dry, but interesting at times. Basically, I've been a reading machine since I started riding the train. It helps that the writers strike has made TV pretty much irrelevant so I have time at night as well. I don't really miss TV.

I've got a lot more technical reading to do over the next couple of months, but I will try to intersperse it more with something fun. I read for at least 2 hours a day, sometimes longer if I need to, and I think it is paying off. My confidence in my skills is growing, and I really feel that I made the right decision to leave my old job.

The kids are doing great. Both are walking/running around the house. Both have 'Mama' and 'Dada' down pat, and both know that a cow says 'Moo', though Lorelai says it more with a "Mllllll' sound. Her tongue gets in the way a bit.

We went out last Saturday after to a Rhododendron garden nearby to buy some plants for our yard, and they just loved running around by themselves. Reece is high speed all the time, and I spent the time there chasing after him. He just loves being outside. Fortunately, the weather has been great here for the past week, and they've been outside a lot.

Our nanny took them to play time last week at the local elementary school gymnasium, and they both seemed to like it. They were a little in shock, with 30 kids running around, from the sounds of it. Boys kept coming up and hugging Lorelai, which I guess was okay until one of them knocked her down. Reece wasn't used to kids taking toys away from him, since he is usually the taker, but he survived as well. I really wish I could have been there to see it.

We're getting more photos done tomorrow, which is great, except both kids have bruises on their faces from recent falls. Hopefully they can touch that up.

Lorelai is our reader and constantly walks around with a book in her hand, looking for someone to read to her. She's also practicing all the sweet facial expressions and actions to bend us to her will. She loves to lay her head down on whatever is nearby and flash those huge eyes and big eyelashes. I don't know where she learned that from.

Reece is just go go go all the time. He's sweet too, and loves to cuddle, for a minute, then he's off again running circles around the living room. He likes to be thrown high up into the air, and loves to wrestle. He is all boy.

Lisa is doing well, just enjoying her time with the kids. She started talking about doing some blog posting here as well, so she may drop in from time to time to post pictures of the kids. I'll believe it when I see it.

The other thing I have started to do again is write. I have a story in my head, and it's just begging to come out, so I've been spending some time getting it down. I know it's not very good yet, but writing is something you need to practice, and that's what I'm doing. I would really like to get to the point where I could write for a living, but I need to get some success under my belt first. Maybe if I wrote a seven book series about a boy wizard....

Anyway, I'm hoping I may have more time to be blogging in the near future. Things are just settling down, and I'm into a routine where writing is becoming more important in my life again. Of course, the good weather and longer days are just around the corner, then who knows what will happen. We'll see.