Baby's coming

So, the wife just headed down the road to San Jose. Seems like our oldest daughter, Steffani, decided that today was a great day to have a kid. It's three weeks earlier than the doc said, but what the heck do they know anyway, right? What I do know is the the water broke, she's at the hospital and 80% effaced. My wife ran around here like her butt was on fire getting things ready and the last thing I saw was a ball of fire shooting out from the tailpipe of her Suburban as future grandma one went enroute to collect future grandma two so they could both panic together on the way to the hospital six hours down the road. At least she's not going alone. Hey, why have only one person in the panic mode when you can get a whole handful, right?

This couldn't have come at a worse time, but that's the way it goes I suppose...life will go on. So, that's what I got to do at 4AM this morning...how about you?

Can you hear me now?

This Friday evening and all day Saturday I have to do sound for a large Christian women's' conference. My wife is playing bass in the band providing the music along with several other local ladies. They are sounding pretty good, if their practice yesterday is any indication of what they will do this weekend. I did the sound for them last year and had a lot of fun. This year they said there will be more food: that's ALWAYS a plus for old fat guys like me.

One of the things the ladies want in their sound is some reverb on the vocals. My newest sound board doesn't have that built in, and I don't have a separate component that takes care of that. I did have, however, an older board that had effects built into it, so no problem, right? Wrong. When it comes to sound equipment there's always something ready to go wrong, and rest assured, it will go wrong at the worst possible moment.

I went out in the shop this morning and set up the old board with an amp and some speakers to make sure everything still worked. It started to work...but then it stopped. It was at that point that I smelled something that wasn't quite right. Things that don't smell right in electronics are bad...very bad. Last year the power source for the old board died and evidently when it croaked it damaged the old board. There I was with an old, dead board and no effects.

What to do?

I called up to the Medford Guitar Center to see what a digital effects component would cost and was told anywhere from $199 up. Well, looked like the ladies weren't going to be getting any reverb this year. But, as I was putting away the equipment I remembered that several years ago I bought a small, eight channel powered mixer and, as I recalled, it had reverb effects built into it. Hmmm, time to experiment. I wondered if I could simply run the vocals through the powered mixer and into my new board and then send it to the amps and speakers. I could also run the guitars just through the main board as I didn't want reverb on them. I called a sound man friend of mine to verify the legitimacy of my idea and he said it should work just fine. So, I pulled the equipment back out, set it up and yep...it worked like a charm! It's a bit of a work around, but the ladies will have their reverb and I won't be out $199 that I didn't have to spend. I haven't used that mixer a half dozen times since I bought it, but it's sure gonna come in handy this weekend.

Yeah buddy!

Treatment times comin'

Saw the doc today and went over treatment options. Looks like I'm gonna be minus a prostrate here real soon. The one I have is done for, kaput...FIRED!

Headed back to the doctor tomorrow.

Last Friday he called and said I have prostate cancer. Have to go discuss treatment options tomorrow. Yippy skippy.

Have I turned into Martha Stewart?

So, FINALLY, my wife is home. She had been down at her sister's house for a month and I'm here to tell you I was MORE than ready to have her home! We've been talking about remodeling the living room for awhile, and I got the bright idea that I would do it before she came home as a surprise. That's right, me, a male was about to dive off into the realm of interior design.

Thirteen years ago, when we first arrived at the house, we had the walls painted. I insisted that they were done in white. By golly I didn't want any color on MY walls! Well, over the course of time I have mellowed quite a bit, and my tastes have changed. The white walls were BORING!

Monday morning I went down to the paint shop and picked up an interior decorating brochure. I thumbed through it and saw a color combination I liked. I asked the daughters what they thought and they said they really liked it. At that point I started moving everything away from the walls and, when I was finished with that, I headed back down to the paint shop to buy some paint. I thought it would be a quick and easy project. Yeah, right. I worked on that stupid room from early morning until well after dinner each night and still didn't get the crown molding installed. It's painted though, and waiting in the shop until a date yet to be determined.

We have had ratty metal mini-blinds for as long as I can remember and they were long overdue for replacement. I made a trip up to Lowe's and got faux wood blinds and that problem was eliminated. I also got nice curtain rods at Lowe's. I needed curtains that would match my chosen color scheme, so I went to JoAnn's Fabrics and spent and hour or more with a blue-haired lady getting just the right stuff. One of Cynthia's friends had agreed to do the sewing: I just had to deliver the goods to her so she could get started. She got the curtains done, and one of the ties I asked her to make. She made the one tie and delivered it to see if it was the correct length before she made the rest. It was great, and now she's making seven more. I wanted the ties to wrap around the curtains when they weren't spread out in order to make a pretty bow.

When I had finished painting and installing blinds and curtains, I stared arranging things in the room. Now here's the REALLY scary part: as I was putting things on the display case I studied the look after I set the wooden fire engine down. I had originally put it on the right side of the case, but then I moved it to the left. Why? Because, I thought, if it was on the right side it would put the room out of balance. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Right then I probably should have gone out and bought a dress.

Anyway, when the wife came in the door she was amazed...in a good sort of way. She was VERY happy with the outcome, and has been bragging on me all weekend. She likes it and that's all that counts. So, without further ado, here's the before and after pictures:

Before:

After:

The Easter Bunny came

Well, the Easter Bunny came today. Actually he started working on this yesterday, but he deposited some things at our house today. Usually the Easter Bunny is a girl, but this year she is out of town taking care of her sister so, Mr. Bunny had to take over.

Old man rabbit did the best he could. He made up a couple of nice little baskets with some candy, which included the obligatory chocolate bunny. This was, however, the first time he boiled his own eggs. The kitchen is happy to announce that only one egg was lost to an unexpected, sudden "release". All in all Mr. Rabbit was fairly happy with the overall outcome. He does realize that his eggs are nowhere near as nice as his wife's would have been, but hey, what can you expect from a low-bid operation anyway?

Now, in case you have forgotten, or don't really know, here's the important part of Easter:

And when they came to the place called The

Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on

the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying,

"Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are

doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among

themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even

the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others;

let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His

Chosen One." And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming up

to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are

the King of the Jews, save Yourself!" Now there was also

an inscription above Him, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

And one of the criminals who were hanged [there] was

hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save

Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him

said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the

same sentence of condemnation? "And we indeed justly, for

we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this

man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying, "Jesus,

remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to

him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in

Paradise." And it was now about the sixth hour, and

darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour,

the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn

in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said,

"Father, INTO THY HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." And having said this, He breathed His last. Now when the centurion

saw what had happened, he [began] praising God, saying,

"Certainly this man was innocent." And all the multitudes

who came together for this spectacle, when they observed

what had happened, [began] to return, beating their

breasts. And all His acquaintances and the women who

accompanied Him from Galilee, were standing at a distance,

seeing these things. And behold, a man named Joseph, who

was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (he

had not consented to their plan and action), [a man] from

Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the

kingdom of God; this man went to Pilate and asked for the

body of Jesus. And he took it down and wrapped it in a

linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock,

where no one had ever lain. And it was the preparation

day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Now the women who

had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw

the tomb and how His body was laid. And they returned and

prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they

rested according to the commandment.

But on the first day

of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing

the spices which they had prepared. And they found the

stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered,

they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it

happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold,

two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and

as [the women] were terrified and bowed their faces to the

ground, [the men] said to them, "Why do you seek the living

One among the dead? "He is not here, but He has risen."