field marshall hrádek

We dropped our kids off with their grandma and drove up to Southcenter basically doing a bunch of shopping. I usually avoid malls like the plague but this one has been fairly remodeled and the selection is fairly vast in terms of things to check out and see. After that we hit up several clothing stores so I can add some things to my wardrobe. I really don't care to spend money on clothes but with the upcoming position and general distaste of being called "stained t-shirt guy" it was time.

I am a bit tired. It was a lot of walking and stuff.

Henry and Helen are doing well. Henry is constantly surprising us with his quick learning and catching on. It's a good idea to go through and remove things we don't want him finding. We've done some preliminary things but he's now moving chairs and things around to get what he wants. He's my little buddy and we play with his stuffed Diago toy; pretending, hiding, and crawling.

Helen is walking and being a handful for sure. She loves to climb more than Henry ever did. She's frequently trying to scale the dining table and whatever else that is a challenge. She's been pretty grumpy and she is still not sleeping through the night. That makes it hardest on Crystal since she's getting up those times. On average she gets up about 3 times a night. Henry has been sleeping through the night since about 1.

Of course, Helen just turned 1 so she might finally start sleeping through the night soon. Her favorite things to say are... da da da da, ma ma ma ma, and ba ba ba ba.

It's cute.

I took the commuter train up to Seattle for shits and giggles the other day to feel it out and it turns out the Sounder, as its also known, is actually a fantastic ride up there. It takes about 50 minutes to get from Tacoma. Each station along the route has ample free day parking. I hopped on, rode, and walked off onto 4th where there is a myriad of public transportation to chose from taking you to most of downtown Seattle free. Most of the rail cars have wi-fi, tables, and power outlets. The riders seem a little nicer and less smelly than those on the buses.

But anyway, I just needed to check it out. I have plenty of time to explore my options for getting to and from work. I will miss the vacation but I am looking to the challenges that await me at whatever endeavors I take starting in July.

Things are looking really good in terms that I will be back on my feet at the end of the month. Actually, they look certain. I would like to thank my friends and family for being so supportive during this time. It was a little freaky to be out like that but fortunately my skill sets are such that it makes me highly desirable.

I got to fire up my new BBQ grill this last weekend for Helen's 1st birthday party. I tried it on burgers and kielbasa the weekend before but this was an official party inauguration. I like it. It's a little smaller than the previous one I had but it cooks evenly and the temperature is stable. I miss my Weber I got from Jerry's dad but I've had to store it: the apartments forbid briquette fires.

I have been working on my music again and it's been fantastic. I have been learning to simplify and tone down my music in terms of depth which has created some fantastic mixes. I'll share that soon.

I love playing a good game or two but I've been suffering a gaming slump for a long time now. The Sims 3 has been a fairly interesting and new experience. It's a little disappointing in that we are all used to seeing gobs of items for us to buy and now it's like they started over. The game, 10 or so expansions, and micro transactions will surely make this the cash cow EA hopes and needs it to be.

I am happy to share that I've been getting into Tomb Raider: Underworld for the PS3. It seems to have gotten a lower score and faster price drop than other titles but this is actually a fun game.

We drove up to Bremerton to get our oil changed only to find out that our maintenance had expired. Apparently it was only valid until 60K miles. I was a little miffed that they couldn't tell me that over the phone. Secondly, they tried to guilt me into spending $411 to have our 75K service done on the Honda. This includes an oil change, tire rotation, cabin and air filter changes, transmission fluid flush, and a rear differential fluid flush. No thanks. I figure I can do it all myself for about a quarter to a third of the cost. The only part I am unsure of is the fluid flushes.

We also had to get our tires replaced. The OEM ones were bald and starting to show the metal. I chose Discount Tire and went with the Yokohama tires. They have a 60K warranty. I went with the replacement insurance. All said and done it came to $142 a tire. I figure my Mustang tires will be more expensive; around the $200/tire range.

Sadly, it's been a while since I've posted any pictures. My apologies! Here is a random assortment of things that we've been doing lately. The first batch includes pics of the family, the messy kids, our nephew, and some interesting things.

This second set was from this week's trip to Snoqualmie Falls. Since Monday we've gone to the pool, the park, enjoyed a picnic, did this road trip. I've been studying and working on my resume. It's been actually really nice to have some extra time.

I am trying not to be afraid of what the future holds. It's easy to feel panic at times but we've been trying to stay optimistic. If anyone wants to cheer me up, give me a call. You know the number.