~ This MuDi Life ~

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:08:00 +0000

jackie boy and me...

and I've moved... follow the link over...

-J

Now blogging elsewhere....

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:03:00 +0000

Hey good people... please update your bookmarks; blogrolls; links... etc...

I'll be blogging at wiredmonkey.net

With wordpress goodness!

-J-

Three books, three weeks...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:25:00 +0000

Legacy of Ashes, The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner

My Pet Virus by Shawn Decker

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

I am the wire monkey...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:01:00 +0000

Not too old to rock...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 17:28:00 +0000

I went to a concert last night. I must admit that I felt a little out of place when Flyleaf was playing, but was instantly surrounded by my generation when Collective Soul came on. I immediatly felt much, much better.

BTW... I'm only 33

One year later...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:25:00 +0000

First day of school 2006 - K

First day of school 2007 - 1st

I love and hate it how much he has grown...

Been there and there and there....

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:22:00 +0000

One more week and I'll be home...

Cafe Cuba... or why I love hoodblogs...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:28:00 +0000

I was reading Hill and Heights and I came across their little blurb about Cafe Cuba (via Style Weekly) opening up in Stratford Hills so we immediately packed everyone up and headed cross' the river. I am deliriously happy that I came across that, because not only are the owners (Rene and Adis) some of the nicest people, but the food is as authentic as it comes.
It took me away to my days back in Miami... popping in to little cuban shops, having a media noche, a cafe con leche and some flan for dessert. It had been awhile since I have had an authentic cuban meal like that, and if you are into that sort of thing, then head over and say hi to them... I'm sure you'll love it.

Summer goodness...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:26:00 +0000

Lucy - Summer 07'

The first day of nothingness....

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:11:00 +0000

Friday was my last day of work. As excited as I was, it felt like my last day of ninth grade. I was all excited, but it also held a deep feeling of sadness as I walked out the door and a little bit of nervousness at what is coming next.

I got over it by the time I got home...

The weekend was great... we hung out with new friends, read a great book, met new neighbors and
hung out and played with the kids. It's a nice feeling knowing we have absolutely zero we "have " to do. Other than some things that we want to do... it's pretty much open to whoever throws a good idea out there.

Today we thought about maybe going to the gym. Grabbing a few movies and vegging out is currently winning, but we'll see. I'd love to catch up on some reading... and for the next six days, anything is possible.

T-5

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:12:00 +0000

Today starts my last week at my current job...but who's counting? I'll then have a full week off before I start my new job. To say I've been a little distracted over the last month is a huge understatement. Just about every major life changed happened to us at once, but now that the dust is clearing a bit, I feel like I am breathing again.
There's a good reason people give two weeks notice and move on with their lives. I gave them six weeks. That was probably five weeks and three days longer than my head could handle.
I'm looking forward to this next chapter in our lives... it seems that we have been trying to turn this page for awhile. There's lots to be learned and more changes headed our way and all I can say is that I am so ready for it all.

Changes...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 29 May 2007 01:50:00 +0000

It seems it all came at once, but there have been some major changes that our family has been handed. First of all... that job that I have been alluding to has finally become a reality. The really good news (besides the job) is that we can stay in Richmond for the time being. Unfortunately, we had to move from WOTB, but did manage to find a house not too far away in Byrd Park Terrace. For the next year, we'll be experimenting with the new job situation. I get to work from home, which is absolutely awesome, but will have to travel a bit to meet with clients. If the travel gets to be too much, we might have to move further north, but hopefully I'll be able to make it work from here.
After accepting the new job (and dealing with the fallout at work...ugghhh) we scrambled to get our apartment rented. We listed, showed and had someone approved in a three day span, and also found our new house and started moving. It looks like a bomb went off in our old place; since we really didn't get to pack much, it was more like throwing stuff in the truck and in my pickup.
We've got a bunch of crazy days ahead. I don't officially start my new position until July 1st, so until then I have a crazy June left but allot to look forward too. Most of all I am thrilled we wont have to leave all of our great friends here in the RVA.

A small,tiny update....

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Mon, 07 May 2007 16:58:00 +0000

A tire on the trailer that I am towing to Fredericksburg just blew out... so I thought I'd use this time to write up a quick post. I'm blogging from my smartphone, so this will be short...

Because clayb asked, I will write later on about the interview. It went well, and I have a follow up on Thursday with them. I'll elaborate later.
Right now, I'm sitting on the side of 95... about 20 feet from my truck because i've convinced myself that one of these huge tractors will wipe me out if I sit in there. I love my life and i am not quite ready to go. As I made my way through the brush... a snake jumped out and scared the hell outta me. I'm sure that was fun for whoever drove by and saw me at that moment. If you dont know, I hate snakes. And spiders.
So here I sit... watching the cars roll by. In a weird way, its kinda nice, since this is the first time in weeks that I have been able to stop and not do anything.
I'll write some more later.... I have much catching up to do with my rva blogging friends.

My fortune...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:35:00 +0000

A lot has happened this past week. I've been staying up late nights working on a little side project which has consumed me, (more to come soon) and I was offered a new job.

As my Chinese food had informed me, this is a huge and important decision to make. I've been with the same company for seven years now and deep down I really love it. There are days (like today) when the stress and pressure don't help, but on the whole it's great. I like the challenge, the pressure and having something to accomplish on a daily basis.

Without getting too much into it yet, (as none of my coworkers know yet, or most of my family for that matter) I'll know much more soon. I have a lot to sort out, and also the owner of the company to break the news to. That happens in about 30 minutes, when we head out to lunch together.

Wish me luck! (And I'll post as I know more...)

I didn't know there were penguins in Africa...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:36:00 +0000

Mada and the penguins

It’s true (Wikipedia say so), there are penguins in Africa. There’s Madeleine up there hanging out with them. I don’t want to sound ignorant, but I never knew there were penguins in Africa. And I watch the Discovery channel. A lot. But this isn’t about the penguins. It’s about people I love that are in Africa, and the one I truly love wanting to go to Africa.

Carter, Madeleine, Jen and Dave are all in Africa right now. That blows my mind. Mostly because I imagine I might never get to see the things they are seeing. But it mostly makes me happy, because I know what an adventure they are having. Along with the adventure comes a deep love for people and an understanding of what is still not right with this world.

The day before we left Cape Town, we drove to the Cape of Good Hope where we saw wild baboons with babies on their back, a couple of ostrich, cape zebra and a huge whale out in the Atlantic. Earlier in the day the kids swam with wild African penguins at Boulder Beach near Simon’s Town. By the end of the day we were high from the sheer joy of it all. I have pictures, but no time to post.

We keep running into a lovely couple from San Francisco–Dave and Antonia–we were seated on the same section of the plane coming from New York. It feels nice to see a familiar face, and we laugh each time at the coincidence.

It’s so beautiful here in the Winelands, but a tiny bit sad. “I feel bad that only black people are cleaning and helping us,” Madeleine said. “No white people.” I feel the same, trying to unravel in my mind the complicated story of class and race in this country. Black or white, everyone we have met here has welcomed us with kindness and grace. We feel the blessing of warmth and the weight of histories not that different from our own as Americans.
From JenLemen.com

Back here in the states, Jen’s African adventure has re-stoked the wife’s lifelong dream of going to Africa. Amazingly enough, an opportunity has come along for her to go to Sierra Leone as part of a church outreach ministry and work at a child rescue center. She approached me about it without any hope of me actually agreeing to it, but you know, I don’t want to be the guy that kills his wife’s one lifelong dream. I’m really excited for her. It’s mind blowing really, to think she will be a world away. I’m sure the experience will be good for both of us. I hope everything falls in place, and if it does, she’ll be heading for Africa come September.

birthday boy...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:16:00 +0000

10k weekend wrap up...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:29:00 +0000

This weekend was a mad crazy rush to get things done. We had the 10k to get to, a house to clean up, and friends to entertain and hang out with. With a big sigh of relief we accomplished all and had a lazy Sunday to help recover from all the running around.

The wife was this year’s 10k participant. I did it last year and had a pretty good showing, but my knee surgery kept me out of this year's race. Not only did she do it, but she kicked some serious butt. I am so proud of her. She’s a bit like me… ultra competitive and driven. I know she wasn't exactly where she wanted to be in her running regimen, but she did awesome. It inspired me to get off my butt and back in the gym, and I am officially dropping my name in the hat for next year's race.

After the wife was done running, we had a good time cheering people on, and even saw some of our friends finishing the race. It was fun cheering other people on, and giving them that extra little push towards the end.

After all that, we headed to Fuddruckers for a post race burger, then headed home to clean up the house. It was a mad dash to get everything ready, but once everything was done, we had a great time hanging out with our friends. Food, beer, fun... it ended up being a great day.

Some pictures...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:07:00 +0000

Lucy - St. Patty's Day

Josiah @ the beach (it was freeeeezing)

Jackie-boy @ the beach

Josiah's first day of soccer... he scored two goals!

Lucy Joy

Pop tarts and video games

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:11:00 +0000

Josiah, Jack and I headed down to the southern outer banks yesterday for a weekend without the girls. This is about as much as a boys weekend as it can get. I hurriedly packed for all three of us yesterday morning, not really sure if I packed underwear for the boys or if I was missing anything else. Sure enough, I didn’t pack their toothbrushes and I have nothing to brush their hair with. I tried to wet their hair down, but Josiah really didn’t want me to do that, so he voted to just shave his head. I guess this is what boys do, so I figure we'll make do.

The drive down was pretty uneventful, with the boys playing their Gamecube in the back while I zoned out to whatever was playing over the radio. Every now and then I’d look back at them through the rearview mirror and just smile. I can’t define exactly what being a dad all means… but this is as close as it gets for me right now.

We had a couple of emergency pit stops, but still managed to get down here in a good time. The realty company messed up our keys, so while we waited for the after hours person to show up, we headed down to the beach and took it in. The boys have been to the beach before, but it was like they had seen it for the first time. That’s weird for me, having lived all my life in Miami. The ocean was always there and it was always a part of my life. I miss Miami that way.

We finally got the keys and made it in, and the boys immediately discovered the Xbox in the house. I found my way into the other room to put the college ball game on and got settled in. During breaks we made our plans for this weekend. Kite flying, mini golf, sea shell hunting and maybe a dip in the water if it’s not freezing. I think we’ll make it to the aquarium at some point. After about an hour of hanging out I realize we had nothing to eat. In most cases this would be a problem, but mama packed chips, fruit roll ups and pop tarts for the ride down.

So video games and pop tarts kicked off our first night. We played into the night, watched basketball and pretty much passed out at about eleven. Today we’ll explore the town a bit and head to the beach a bit later. We miss our girls, but I’m really glad to hang out with my boys. I'm telling you, right now, this is what being a dad is all about.

Wii Day

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:48:00 +0000

I just got back to work after taking a bit of an extended lunch break and heading to my buddy's house to play on his new Nintendo Wii. All I can say is awesome.
We played Tiger Wood's PGA Golf 07' and I absolutely loved it. I had heard lots of good about the Wii, but hadn't had the chance to actually play it. The controls were extremely intuitive, and it really felt like I had gone and taken a couple of swings at the golf range. (Complete with a small twinge in my shoulder)

Besides the fact I had to head back to work and eventually home... I could have easily spent hours playing it. Our family has gone from zero video game consoles in our house to having a Gamecube and a PS2. The irresponsible part of me would love to go and drop some cash on the Wii... but I just might have to make do with mooching off my buddy for now.

Duke who??? It's VCU baby!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:24:00 +0000

WOW!!! Go VCU!!!!!!

Small minded people suck... revisited

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:59:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, I posted about an anonymous comment my company received on a website that "outs" companies who hire illegal labor.
The bad news is that we haven't had much luck in having the information removed. The good news is that Style Weekly got a hold of the story and did a great job digging some more information and helping us get our side of the story out.

Yea for Style Weekly and reporter Chris Dovi.

Jackie-boy's Valentine Day prayer...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:47:00 +0000

I swear, I just adore this kid...

Dear Jesus I hope you had an awesome valentine's day and i hope you had a great day too... ummm the end

Introducing my nephew, Nathan Clark...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:35:00 +0000

I know he's family, but damm he's cute. Welcome to the family, little buddy.

Coming to you from Atlanta...

noreply@blogger.com (J in Ric) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 06:39:00 +0000

I'll be in Atlanta this week kids, doing some shopping, going out to dinners, and maybe catching a pro sporting event or two. No...I'm not on vacation, I'm working. Really.Hard. I swear.

I'm spending this week at our industry's annual convention, talking to all of our vendors and buying lots of stuff for our business. It really is a lot of hard work, but the upside is that our vendors love to take take us out for dinner and drinks at the end of the day. That's the good part, the bad part is that I have to be here in the first place. I usually bitch and moan about having to go on this trip, but there is a small little part inside of me that loves the schmoozing that goes on.

It didn't help that I was totally unprepared for this trip, but it really didn't help that my little guy Josiah had a bit of hard time when it finally hit him that I would be gone for the whole week. Nothing makes it harder to go on a trip that you really don't want to go on than your little guy hanging on to you and *really* not wanting you to go. Granted, it was pretty early in the morning when I was getting ready to go, so I'm sure he was pretty tired. But I could see in his little eyes how much he just wanted me to stay there with him. *Sigh*

My boss and I decided to drive down instead of flying, which really works out for me, because not only do I have a slight weirdness about flying, I also get hyper-emotional when I fly. I start thinking of all the bad things that can happen, and eventually the only thought that is running through my head is that I won't see my family again... Cheery huh?

But on to better things... our week down here started out pretty good. We got tickets to the Hawks-Lakers game. Which was pretty random, because we were talking about maybe trying to go see the game and not five minutes later a scalper walks by with tickets for $25.00 a piece. What a bargain, I said. Watching Kobe Bryant play was maddening, mainly because I can't stand the guy, but I can't help but be impressed about his skills. After the game we headed to McCormick & Schmick's for a pretty awesome dinner.

So eventually we will work pretty hard (even though to the wife it sounds like all I do out here is play), but mainly I want this week to fly by so I can get home back to my family and to the neighborhood that I love.