Early Start on New Year's Resolutions

Here it is getting towards the end of the year and I'm certain among the list of holiday parties and presents and get-together's, I'm certain that somewhere you might have contemplated about what you're trying to do to improve yourself for the next year.  The setting of resolutions and the eventual breaking of them by spring.  Hence why I didn't set any this past year, but I'm feeling a little different this year.  I was thinking about what I could do to improve personally and what goals I thought of what I should do that I haven't accomplished yet.  So I've compiled a reasonable list and this is what I think would be great for resolutions, at least for me.

• Beat Final Fantasy VII, finally :: It was the RPG that changed the landscape of all other RPG's for a generation.  I remember when I first played it back in high school and was fascinated by how badass it was.  It's been a goal since I can remember for such.  So I figured why the hell not.  I've already downloaded it off of the Playstation Network and figured this will be the year I will beat the game that haunted me for the past 15 years.  I'll even post some updates about it later, but this will finally resolve my obsession of beating my white whale.
• Read, something else that isn't webcomics :: As a homeschooling parent the wifie and I stress very strongly the importance of reading to my sons.  They see my wife read a lot, me not so much outside of articles online.  I feel that this is a personal resolution to not help myself be more literate, but be a good example to my sons.  I'm a strong believer that reading is indeed fundamental, and I want to take that example across the board to my sons.
• Write a new song/lyric a month for next year :: I've been personally neglecting myself with writing new material for the past two and a half, well, close to about three years now.  A lot of stuff happened and I wasn't feeling much creative and that I was kind of depressed at that time.  But now since I felt that I've took a long enough hiatus, I want to bring my musical juices back and ripen them for the thoughts that I've had the past time.  I feel pretty good about this and I am assuring myself to put a new song/lyric up once I'm done by the end of each month in 2012.  Get ready for some kickass stuff to come out of this.  And to further on with this, by the end of the year, I will make sure that I learn how to play the guitar and preform one of my songs via a youtube video.  I figure guitar because bass solos, even though I like them, not as sexy as an acoustic guitar.  So look forward to some great content on that end.
• Learn to manage all that's on my plate ::  Lately I've been trying to work on other web content manage systems such as Wordpress and Joomla to help with other's requests for sites.  I have been stuck putting my stuff on the back-burner thinking of other's need before mine.  Which is in essence a good thing, but I need to take some me time to get my stuff off the ground.  I didn't do as much as I thought I would do such as videos on this blog or even upgrading the look and feel just yet, but I will with this resolution.  I want to make time for me to do what's good for me while not neglecting any of the time I devoted for others.  Of course I still need a day job and family time, that's not gonna go away, but I feel that with this resolution, I can get something going for myself as well as others.

So those are just some of the resolutions I plan on taking.  It's not as serious as others like losing weight (which I do need to do) or stop smoking (which I don't smoke to begin with), but it's stuff that I contemplated for for a long time and I really want to get this going.  I love to continue on with this blog post but I really feel that this is enough for now.  It'll be a great year, and I hope that your's will be as well.

Happy holidays and a wonderful new year.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Kudos to the wifie

I might poke fun and all that other stuff to my wife, but really she's a gem.  Without her I wouldn't know what to do with myself or my family.  She is truly the glue that holds us together. The wifie is more than just my spouse and the mother of my boys, shes the figurehead when I'm not home.  She handles all household relations that are just too overwelming for me because of my workload.  I couldn't exist (well, sanely) without her.

She does so much for keeping the family together, I'll try to keep the list short for purposes of if I keep bragging we'll be here all night.  She's teacher for the older boys because we believe that homeschooling them is best for their morale and the one-on-one interaction with their teacher is more than most students get.  She's personal chef to the fam from everything from simple sandwiches to gourmet 3 course meals.  Great in keeping order with the boys when they become rabble-rousey and what not.  She's the law when I'm not around, and together we keep order in this house.  But she's more than just mother to my sons, but my dear and lovely espousa.

Ideally she's the love of my life.  The only one that would put up with my crap on a daily basis. She's loving in all of my mistakes; and there's plenty of them, and forgiving of my shortcomings.  Sure I provide the bacon in the house, but she's the one that cooks the bacon and even put syrup on my plate for dipping.  By that yeah, I mentioned the cooking, but she handles all the heavy lifting in the house while I'm not here.  And the only things that heavy besides my fat-ass is my bank account (or at least it is before she's finished with the bills.)  Sure I could handle it but I rather live with her handling it versus the ulcers I would get by looking into the stacks and stacks of debt I've taken.  Mainly she's my earthly rock and my spiritual compass to remind me when I'm straying away from a righteous path.  I don't always say the right things and do the right thing, but without her, I wouldn't have as much restraint as I do now.


So in closing, this is just my public way of saying "I love ya, babe!!!"  You're everything I want in a woman and I just hope that someday I could be everything in a man for you.


BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Do a little dance...

Really, it's been an odd week for me this week.   Lots of personal stuff brewing up such as getting a summons for jury duty, which I might post about after the fact.  Also, I've been working on not one, but two separate websites.  I've been trying something other than blogger to customize the format and flow of such, and I'm thinking of moving over to wordpress for a blogging platform.  No, no, no, not wordpress.com, but actually looking int designing my own in that fashion to host myself and not be under the mercy of free blogging limitations.  That, and I have some experience in such in my line of work.  Another reason why is that the wifie wants to have something easy to manage and look beautiful to boot.  Hence why I'm designing everything locally prior to getting it up live for anyone else to view.  Expect something good within the next few months. 

On other notes, there have been birthdays after birthdays to celebrate during this time of year for me and the fam, so I've been trying to get stuff situated in that fashion while the normal workload of the day job, my family life, and any new venture that comes my way that I just seem to be a glutton for to add on for myself.  That, and I've decided to go a little greener and ride the bus to work instead of driving.  One good thing about that is that I get some me time to get stuff in line, one bad thing is that this is monsoon season here in the valley and rain, lightening, and dust storms are a big pain in the ass during my commute.  But they are phenomenal to watch, so here's a little snippet of post rain from a day and night of storms.  Keep in mind this was shot from my mobile and not the best lighting around.  I was hoping for more from mother nature.

Anyhow, that's life for right now, and I promise you that next week will be a little less pitiful and a little more humorous like we all like it.  But as for right now, that is the current state of affairs.  Until next week.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

A little short this week...

So, this week I had my sons birthday and I tried to make the most of it. Well, really the wifie did most, but I was playing backup while she made arrangements. She set up the cake, did presents, the whole nine yards. Me however, had played interceptor with occupying him with videogames and horse-playing with him and his brothers. That, and I've been enjoying my new PS3 this past week if you haven't noticed on my twitter posts. So my hands were tied as you could guess. I'm so stoked for both momentous occasions. 

So ill have some hilarious crap within the next week, promise. It'll be a pretty damn good editorial too. I just got one thing to say as a preview: "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger..."

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Sent from my mobile thingy...

BootLeG's Year in Review

Well, it's been once again a helluva year.  Ups, downs, sideways, forwards, backwards, tos and fros...  Hell, why don't I just stop with all the anticipation and get this review going...  This is BootLeG sampler.., "wha-tha?!?"


Let's get this started on a sour note, I was like most people unemployed for the first part of the year.  It sucked royally, not much more I could say about that.  Thank goodness that it wasn't long that I found a job that suited my need for customer support and technical support, plus it also recognized me for the hard work that I've put within the company.  Unlike my previous employer where all they did was stole two and a half years of my life and did nothing but torment me with false promises of growth and success.  But that was a previous post.


The year was also about inconsistency.  In particular, my blog.  I try to make it work and function to what I want to be with regular posts and possibly different series, and that is still something that I want to do in the future.  But as far as the different redesigns and the way, way, too long of a hiatus, it hasn't gone to full fruition.  Rest assure, It's definitely scores better than what it was.


This year was also very productive away from the blog.  I was able to spend more time with my family and was able to help my friends in times of need.  They thought that I was there to help them, but in reality, it was them that were helping me.  In the duration of my unemployment I've became a little depressed and they were my gateway to help me out of my slump, even after me getting the job.  So to those who were there to put up with my shit, thank you.


In retrospect, outside of that it hasn't been much for the BootLeG sampler.., I haven't even written any new music.  One in part was because I sold my basses, the other is that I haven't had much inspiration to write (or time matter of fact), but with my library, I could spend a little bit of time off, and come up with some fresh and awesome material.  Lyrics could come and go, no biggie, and if it takes some time before I go back to that rhythm, it's all good.

There was one thing that I do plan to continue on.  I am currently learning on editing my own videos learning about the different cinematography techniques like lighting and all that jazz.  I figure it was a passion of mine for a while and I wanted to bring that into fruition along with my blog.  I'm recovering some old 'Jackass' style stuff that I've filmed from years ago and seeing if I could get that up here first before I look into start any kind of plans for production of a series of some sort.  Be sure to come back for big things to come.


Anyways, that was the year in review.  2010 was good, it was a tearjerker, it was... 'wha-tha?!?'  In a nutshell, it was what it was.  All I can say right now is 2011, bring it on...  BRING IT ON!!!  Seriously, just can't wait to see it has in store for us all.  Here's to a prosperous New Year everyone...


BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Tis the Season

Every year for as long as I could remember I would sing to myself one verse to the 12 Days of Christmas per day until it was Christmas Day.  So that meant on December 13th I would start singing the first verse, December 14, the second, and so on and so forth.  So I decided to make a twist on this and post my favorite Christmas themed things, one a day for 12 days.

So I'll be updating this post every day from the 13th until Jolly old St. Nick fills my stocking.  So keep on coming back each day and find what's new each day on this post.  Enjoy!

December 13, The First Day of Christmas :: The music.  I have to admit, I kinda like the jingling and the fa-la-la-la-la's when it plays on the radio.  I do have a special fondness to the Charlie Brown theme playing at least once a day (even though the theme isn't even all that Christmas-sy,) it's the only time of year I get to hear it regularly.  So here's to the artists who try to put a new spin to the same old Jingle Bell Rock, keep rockin' out those sleigh bells until Jack Frost nips you in the butt to stop 2 days into the new year...

December 14, The Second Day of Christmas :: The lights.  Call me a crow, sure I'm attracted to bright shiny objects; and twinkling lights around someone's house is the flame that keeps drawing this moth to it.  From anything simple such as a string of lights across the top of a railing from a patio to Chris F'n Griswold's epic house lighting, Christmas lights are just FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!! 

December 15, The Third Day of Christmas :: The weather.  As a kid, Christmas was a time for a week or two off of school, presents, and the occasional snow storm during break.  That was great having snowball fights with my brothers and kicking their butts stuffing their shirts with the white stuff.  But than again I lived in a place with that kind of weather (feelin' homesick for Philly now.)  Now adays, Christmas is warm, sunny, and full of cacti.  Good thing is that my family eat Christmas dinner on the patio, bad thing is that rocks hurt more when thrown than snowballs.  The weather element is what you can enjoy no matter where you are.

December 16, The Fourth Day of Christmas :: The television programs.  I'm a sucker for A Charlie Brown Christmas or those old school claymation storytellings of Rudolph and Frosty.  It was a special time for me that the TV producers and executives could remind us that "hey, were all kids inside so let all the worries of life go away for a while and marvel at poor animation and special meanings of all the good that is still in this world."

December 17, The Fifth Day of Christmas :: The mall.  Well, not the mall per say, but shopping.  I used to work retail and every year from the week before Black Friday to half way past January, the crowds of people fascinate me.  The lengths they go to complete their commercial need to find the right present or biggest gift.  It's just humorous what they do for that.  Although, the holiday season is not about gifts, it's about family, friends, and remembrance of our Lord.  I know that what I'm gonna do, how about you?!?  (There's your five golden rings for ya...)

December 18, The Sixth Day of Christmas :: The food.  I love the food.  It breaks the monotony of turkey, turkey, and turkey from the last month.  The wifie bakes cookies and other stuff non-stop while I ready myself for ham and football.  Plus, all of the Food Network shows show off their holiday flair.  And if you can't tell by this day, I do think with my stomach.  So here's to all the good food in preparation of family gathering and all that other stuff that it does for us all.


December 19, The Seventh Day of Christmas : The good will towards men.  It's a good warm and fuzzy feeling that can't be explained.  Well wishing towards our fellow man that should happen year round surrounds us all and that in among itself is a Christmas miracle.

December 20, The Eighth Day of Christmas :: The presents.  Yeah, that sounds pretty vain after what I added on for yesterday, but the presents are a good part of Christmas.  And it's not about receiving that big gift that you wanted, it's about seeing the look of someone's face as they open the presents.  As a parent, I finally can say that that joy of giving and seeing my boys faces light up brighter than the wifie's tree warms my heart.  It hurts my wallet, but it warms my heart... :p  It's a season of giving and seeing that you can give that and joy to others is a special part of the holiday.

December 21, The Ninth Day of Christmas :: The gathering.  It's always hard when a loved one or best friend is away.  Whether they're half way across the country or half way across the world.  But when Christmas time comes around, we find ways to connect with each other.  We visit those whom are fond to us, or at the very least call them on the phone if possible.  Heck, even simply emailing them or leaving them a message on your social network of choice just to say I miss ya and happy holidays is of good merit.  Just as long as we have a means of communication, we have means to gather around each other; even if you're not next to them roasting chestnuts in an open fire.

December 22, The Tenth Day of Christmas :: The days of yonder.  Just think back to the Christmases you had in the past.  How pleasant most if not all of them were.  And you sometimes catch yourself trying to relive that today.  Returning to how good that time of year was to you and what it brought to the table.  There is nothing wrong with reliving those good ol' days, and there's no better time than Christmas time to do such.

December 23, The Eleventh Day of Christmas :: The traditions.  Everyone has them, they follow though with it whether it's baking cookies or singing carols or even watching a gauntlet of Christmas themed programing, we all enjoy them and love to carry them out.  The singing the Twelve Days of Christmas one verse per day is one of mine.  The others include watching at least once A Charlie Brown Christmas and some football, I mean, who can't enjoy any of that?!?  I also try to carry out a gift for the kids to open the night before Christmas.  Usually new pajamas and we tell them they were left on our doorstep by the elves to give them a warning if they don't go to bed soon, Santa won't visit them for presents.  Whether they believe the wifie and I, who knows, but it's a tradition that we started with our boys and we'll continue to carry it out.

December 24, The Twelfth Day of Christmas :: The birth of Jesus Christ.  After all that is what the holiday is supposed to be about.  To celebrate the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior, it is a true testament of what peace on earth, good will towards man, and miracles are all about.  Without the Lord, none of us would be where we are right now, and I am truly thankful for his birth and all that he given to us.  As Tiny Tim would end this in the most appropriate saying "God bless us, everyone"


BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

P.S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and throw in all those other holidays in December as well, even Festivus... *lol*  Ok, maybe not that...

Finally, the Dry Spell is Broken...

For the past six weeks, I've been on a mission searching for something. Something that could complete me. Something that would bring a sense of normalcy to my life as well as others close to me. That thing is; a job. And thank goodness now that I've found one, because it's not a moment too soon. This is my chronicles of live on the unemployed side and the triumphant feeling of awe of being employed again.

It started with me hitting the ground running, doing the job network thing (Monster, Career Builder, Dice (because I'm a techie kinda guy), etc.) and applied for anything and everything in my field and job skill. I had a method, every other day I would check for new jobs that would suite me. Some of those searches landed me into a few interviews with a couple of staffing agencies that would try to fit me into a job as well as other interviews for direct hires in my profession. This also included applying for unemployment, which I totally am against doing but taking pride out of the equation, it was a necessity that certainly helped. Included with applying for unemployment was the long friggin' approval wait for it, as well as attending job fairs that the state had setup and reemployment classes. Reemployment classes that were mandatory for me to be eligible for unemployment and if I happened to missed one of those classes, I would be disqualified for unemployment and my funding would be stopped. Once again, I had to swallow my pride, but pride don't mean shit if I can't provide for my family by any means necessary.

On the days that I didn't search, I did moderate housework. That's where things start to go sour. I do my chores like dishes and laundry just like as if I did prior to getting let go, but then there was the realm of taking care of the ENTIRE FRIGGIN' HOUSE... Holy crap that's a huge endeavor. I don't know how the wifie does it. I was on her like white on rice trying to learn from my housewife sensei about trying to keep up. And what I've learned from that experience, don't piss off the sensei, because it will bite you in the ass... HARD! I couldn't do half the work to par that she normally does, and the only thing that I did was get in her way on most things. It was getting to the point to that if I don't get a job soon..., let's just say that it wouldn't end well for me.

Thankfully, at that point in time, a job offer arose. Two interviews later and I was hired. That was this past Monday. I went to orientation filling in jobbie type stuff only to realize that at that time, my out-of-state licence was expired recently and it was not a valid form of ID. That was Wednesday. Needless to say, the wifie was mad and was on the suspicion that we (meaning I) won't get the job and dire straits would be near if something didn't happen. So the next day we went to the DMV to get my licence changed over; why didn't I do that earlier, I don't know; but there's a snafu in that plan. My licence is suspended for some strange reason and I have to get in contact with them for a reason why. So until then, they just gave me a regular state issued ID card. So I can't drive (well drive legally) but at least it's a legitimate ID card that means three things: 1) I start my job on Monday!!! 2) I get out of my wife's hair because I start my job on Monday!!! And 3) I still can by beer to celebrate points 1 and 2.

It's been quite an adventure and I'm just glad that it's over and a new one just begun. No doubt that I'll do my damndest to thrive in this venture. I'm just glad that my drought of unemployment is over and things will go as close to normal as things can get.

I would also like to thank those whom helped me in any way, shape, or form towards me getting a job. Whether it was as a reference, a lead to put my foot in, prayer, whatever the case was. Thanks, I truly mean it.

Off to the rat race once again...

BootLeG sampler.. signing off...

A Rare Serious Moment

So it's been about a month (give or take a few days) since I've had been out of a job. Most people would feel depressed about the whole ordeal. And at first, yes, I was depressed. It sucks not working, having that income coming in, feeling like less of a man because you can't provide for your family. There's no other way to put it; I was depressed at first. But that old saying with that silver lining and all that jazz is true as well. I have tried many of things to relieve myself of my depression; and for the most part, it works. This is just me posting since it's been a while since I've done anything and, well, I figure that I could vent a little and keep up with my blog, I could kill two birds with one stone and show to people that there is light at the end of that tunnel.

One thing that I've learned was to love my family more. Now I don't mean just my wife and kids (that's a given…) but my extended family such as friends and those from church. Especially those from church; since I got let go, those from my church really helped out in a great way with moral support and prayers to find employment. Friends and colleagues from my past job helped as references for jobs that I was applying for. I feel that without them, it would have been ten times harder to cope and pick myself up from this mess.

Another thing is the fact that I've been more proactive in other things; mostly church related activities such as choir (which I started just before the holidays), helping more around the house, looking over homework assignments for my older boys (thank goodness it's only kindergarten and first grade work :P ), and updating myself professionally for those prospects that are there willing to hire me. As well as most importantly, having faith in time of need and being grateful for what I have; because honestly people, it could be a helluvalot worse.

Now at this moment, yes as I'm posting, I'm still unemployed, but at least I've put my foot in plenty of places that are great for my family. That's better that being deaf, blind, and dumb to everything. So hopefully those opportunities could come to fruition very soon.

So pretty much the main reason why I'm posting this is to say thanks for those that have supported me and my family in one way or another. Whether it be a job opportunity, prayer, moral support, whatever it may be. Thanks you, thank you for just being there to help in any way.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out…

I am on my ass

It's safe to say that I am on my ass. Shortly after posting my last post of 2009, a surprising thing happened. Literally a few hours after posting, I was fired from my job. Two days before Christmas and they let me go. And no, this is not for blogging while at work, that had nothing to do with the bearing of why I was departed. But for reasons to be left undeclared (outside of a few personal contacts), my employer decided to sever ties. So my holiday gift from the good people of XYZ company (just to not put more fuel for the fire, but to vent after taking time to choose my words wisely); I am on my ass.

Trust me I was pissed off, livid, and all out ready to cause a scene, but I decided to take the high road and leave with my head held high. So I went home, told the bad news to the wifie, and she followed suite of what I was feeling from earlier for me. So as soon as that fiasco ended, I went to the interwebs and doing what I have been doing for the past few weeks to begin with. Looking for a new line of employment. To tell you the truth; I was unhappy with my job for the past few months, and even though I did not see this coming, was looking forward to put that ill place of servitude behind me. But this just put a jump start on what I wanted to do in the first place; because I was on my ass.

So I had something lined up for mid-January already, but I didn't want a break of employment before I took on that new position. But in the past almost two weeks, I've interviewed at two different representatives looking at my credentials and is awaiting opportunities if they at least meet or exceed what I was going to take later in the month. And even though it means that I'm strapped financially for a little while (at least for my final check they had the decency to give me holiday pay even though I didn't work Christmas Day, that was nice of them); I try to find a positive outlook on things of the sort. So I decided to make yet another bullet list, but this time, containing the good things of me being on my ass.

• Spending family time with my wife and two oldest sons during Christmas break from school. We baked cookies, watched movies, and had a blast playing with all their new toys this year.
• Time to reflect on getting new work. A benefit for that being that I was unhappy at my old job being stagnant for over two and a half years, as well as seeing if I could do better.
• Got to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Pretty bad-ass if I do say so myself. The reviews don't give it enough justice.
• I didn't have to wake up three hours before the butt-crack of dawn to go to a place that I dreaded.
• Analyze my priorities that were important to me: Family, church, happiness, and all that good stuff.
• Realize that my wife, being a housewife, has the hardest job of all. And I love her for it (yeah, I can get all cheezy and sentimental at times, it's called being good man to your woman).

And that's just off the top of my head. But for the mean time, I just ask that you keep me in thoughts and, hell, even pray for me; that I can get 2010 to a new dimension. And though I'm starting it out on my ass (see a trend here people), I'm certain that it'll be just fine. And since this might be my last post for a while while I concentrate on the obvious of important matters, I just like to say thanks to those that read whenever I post or just even stumble upon. Thanks. There, I said it. And I really meant it as well. And now it's time to get off my ass and do some good over here. Until next time...

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

My Balls, Interrupted

So today was the day that I go to the urologist to undergo a vasectomy. I call it an everlasting kick in the balls that doesn't seem to know when to stop. But I'm jumping ahead here. Let me give you a little back story here to shine some light on why I'm icing my sack with a bag of frozen peas.

The decision to get this was for my wife. I'd do anything for her (well, anything legal :P) and while seeing the pain of her being pregnant with our third child over the past year and knowing that she can't go though that kind of pain for a fourth time , we decided that one of us should take more permanent measures on preventing anymore pregnancies. I didn't want to put my wife though the pain and hassle of going under the knife for a hysterectomy, so I manned up and said, I'll go though and get a vasectomy. And after some research on how vasectomies are performed and how less labor intensive they are compared to the other option for my wife, it was an easy decision.

This brings us to this morning. We arrive at the doctor's office in Tempe around 7:35am for an 8 o'clock appointment. The older two boys were dropped off at school by a friend of ours and we had our four-month-old with us waiting in the, well, waiting room... (no shit, huh?!?) So the nurse gets me at about 8:20, takes my vitals and my wife and kid is left in the waiting room while I get my snip-snip on in the office. (It's an outpatient procedure for the most part so no hospital stays here people...) The nurse brings her laptop (because every nurse that works there has one to record vitals to their servers through wi-fi) and then asks me what kind of music I like. Initially thinking that that was an odd request but knowing now the motive of it, I decided to go for some rock music, so she starts streaming Yahoo! music set to Alternative Rock. Pretty decent for the most part, kept me relaxed during the whole thing. So she leaves and tell me to strip from the waist down; alright, can't really get to my junk with denim jeans in the way I guess.. She comes back and I'm sittin on the deli paper on the table holding my package; and she replies "You know that you can drape yourself with that paper behind you?" Modesty check, failed. Oh yea, did I forget to tell you about the arsenal of forceps and cutty-things on their rolling table just waiting to make contact with my ballsack, very intimidating.

Then the doc comes in., just swaggering as if we're just going though a walk in the park.. But like any smart dog knows that a ride in the car might end up to trip to the vet's office for a little bit off the top... (Just imagine the sound of a dog yelping and that's what going through my mind a the time.) By this time a little Foo Fighters and Atreyu had already finished playing and that put me into a decent mood, until the damn big-ass needle with the local anesthetic. OMFG I hate fuckin' needles with a passion. The doc told me that I might feel a pinch then some pressure afterwards. So he stuck me, in my sack, and it punched, and it BURNED!!! Oh God the burning sensation. Then the doc felt around and clamped my vas deferens with the forceps, and that was no pressure, that was vice smashing my balls into a paste, like a vicious pit bull snacking on meat flavored rag doll. Told the doc about the pressure and he said, it's normal... and I'm thinking (what the hell was the point of the anesthetic. Also doesn't help that he didn't give the anesthetic enough time to work it's magic. By this time he made a slit in my scrotum and he's pulling my vas deferens from there. How ironic that Slipknot's Dead Memories start to play as he's going though this. Then he shows me the cauterizer, that's what the doc uses to burn off each end of the tube after he removes the section of it. It supposed to smell like burning and luckily for me the anesthetic was in full force at that time. The he stitched me up, moved on the second side (God I wished that I was Lance Armstrong at that time.)

He started to clamp, felt pressure, can't do shit about that, but then he started to make the incision, that I'm not supposed to feel, but I did, and I told him, "I kinda felt that, can you hit me up with that needle again?) Figure a needle is gonna be a helluva lot less painful then feeling an open sack and a cold pair of scissors or scalpel. By that time, My Chemical Romance's Black Parade was playing and I started to cringe. The doc thought he was doing something or if it was the pressure, and in part it was that and the other part was that I fuckin' hate that band. I don't do emo and if I want to hear from a bunch of whiny pussies, I'll watch Lifetime with the wifie. Somehow it seems that the second side was much faster than the first by no comparison. And the stitching was done lickity-split. Hep put some bandages on the incisions and I was just thankful that they're weren't the Dora the Explorer kind, cause that would just be too weird. Like any of my other posts are normal, right?!? Also per the doc's instructions I was supposed to have supportive underwear to protect my balls from just flopping around and that meant tighty-whities. I haven't warn them since the fifth grade and man, that is an uncomfortable feeling at first, but I've gotten over it by now I only know now that that uncomfortable feeling now was really just my balls on recovery at the time. So I continue to get dressed and then, and THEN, after all that, Red Hot Chili Peppers comes on. I swear, the only thing that I could think of was, "If I have to go though all that hell, just to hear By The Way, I'm never playing Give It Away on my bass ever again!!!"

So I'm outta the office, the wife's driving me home avoiding any potholes and speed bumps to make sure that the package arrives safely at home. She filled my prescription of Percocet and not a moment too soon cause the boys were definitely starting to feel all butt-hurt and everything, for good reason I might add. Started watching a DVD to pass the time and I was passed out for like an hour or so, had to start the movie all over again which kinda pissed me off a little bit, but if that was the only thing that really pissed me off all day (and it was,) then I can say that it was a good day.

Yup, that's my interpretation of a vasectomy. That was my experience. This is my experience right now. Still have a pack of frozen peas on my balls typing my blog, switching back and forth from this, Facebook, my Project Playlist, and other stuff online. But if I could do it again for my wife, I would. I'm just lucky that I can only do it once.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

A helluva week

Damn. I'm beat. I mean I can't be possibly anymore beat down that I think that I can be now and still able to write in my blog. I have been dealing with personal and professional crap all this past week and leading into this and next week. Two worlds colliding to an epic cataclysm. To put it so that I don't stir up more controversy and possibly leak any confidential information from my employer, I'm just gonna give it a brief rundown of what is becoming the bane of my existence.

So let's start in the beginning. I have been very active with prior engagements (outside of this blog) with my church and my family. My wife and I had been working with Children's Church on Sundays as well as lending our services with our bus ministry to help them outreach to people by providing them transportation to and from their homes to attend church services. We love to give our all when it comes to matters of our faith, beliefs, and ministry. We try to do what we can with what resources we can offer. We are also sending our two oldest boys, Blaine and Skyler, to their Christian School this upcoming year and preparing them for the year to come in that their curriculum is more advanced than some of the public and private schools in our area. Our boys were accepted out of our good faith and works to our church. But what has happened in the past week and in the near future could cause such tragedy in future endeavors.

In the past week, there had been a shift bid for everyone in my department to change their shifts to meet company needs. I had the unfortunate luck of getting a shift that is not going to work with my family life nor my church commitments. This totally blows, especially since the new shifts don't take into effect this upcoming Sunday, during a month that me and my wife are obligated to run Children's Chruch for each Sunday of the month. It could not happen in a worse possible time having this shift change. From my past postings you know that I've recently became a dad again with our infant, Logan. And to sum thing up, without ranting for hours on end, the new schedule would have put my entire family life in jeopardy. This means no time for family meals or any family time, no church, no anything. And wouldn't you know it, that's what happened at first. But with a little fighting with those in power (more like carefully phrased deliberations that took roughly all week to accomplish because honestly I like making a living and having food and a roof for my family), I've managed to achieved a schedule that would work for both my church and family lives.

In fact, I'm posting this just mere moments before I have to go to work because it's the only time that I have to work on my blog. So for a status update I might not be able to post my normal minimal of three days a week on here, but I'll try hard as hell to meet with that commitment as well. Consider this my 'sorry if you missed me and now you know why' post. Anyways, I'm off to seek the crack of dawn and do my duties that warrants me to have a forty hour week. Until next time (hopefully later this week).

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Back on the bicycle

From my prior posts towards the middle and end of June, you all should have known by now that my wife and I just had our third kid. That in itself is fantastic. But that doesn't mean that it's been easy for anyone of us since that time. Now I'm not going to go into the BS of the problems and delays that we had in the NICU, you can read that if you want here. What I'm posting about is more or less the day to day things that we're trying to get adjusted to again since our two oldest boys are four and six; it's been a while since we had to do the whole baby thing. Oh, and whoever said that it's like riding a bike is completely full of crap. It's more like getting back behind the wheel of a bumper car; you know that they're gunning for ya and you have little room for error when they all try to ricochet you in that steel arena.

Now I was going to write this post later (maybe after our baby had been home for a week) but I feel that now is a good time to let it all out.


First off, I love the little booger; I love him just as much as the older two boogers. Even throughout all the times I was feeding him and he decides to lay out a huge explosion of poop in his diapers; even that he's the hardest to get to burp and fall asleep to train into any resonance of a schedule; even just to do all the behind the scenes things that we have to do for him because we (my wife and I) decided a long time ago to institutionalize; I still love him until the day I die and afterwards, just like his brothers. But the one gripe I have to say is just the general maintenance of what we want to have for our baby. We are using cloth diapers that my wife made by hand for his sensitive skin to not get a rash (it's hereditary, I had it and the boys had it too.) The upkeep with those is to collect enough of it to make a load for the wash and get it recirculated again for more peeing and pooping from the bowel factory we gave life to. It's pretty draining, but it's a labor of love. Plus it's a helluva lot cheaper than buying disposables like Luvs and Pampers in the long run. And that maintenance is totally separate from just making sure he has clean cloths. So that's like a major/minor thing, but it's still a drain on energy.

Another thing that wears on my wife and I is the breastfeeding. Any parent knows that breastmilk is the best thing that you can feed your child. We try to keep store of reserves via breastpumps to extract milk from my wife and store it in our fridge and freezer (thaw first before serving, eating a breastmilk popsicle is not as appetizing as you might think....) But that drains a lot out of my wife, literally and metaphorically. She is wanting to breastfeed our newborn straight from the source, but he sometimes want no part in that. It was suspected to be the nipples from the bottles we were using that allowed more to flow with less effort. Now that we switched, he is using less of the bottles and more of the breast. I like that because of research that shows that babies that are fed directly develop better than those that don't. That and I really think that my wife likes the bonding between her and our little one (I swear that it's almost symbiotic in nature.)

But the biggest thing that is draining all the energy from us has to be execution of daily tasks. I think that we've grown accustomed to having older kids to help and not drag around while doing such things as grocery shopping or going to the library. Our buffer of conveyance has been our demise (or at least mine) in execution of such. It isn't that much of a crimp in that lifestyle, but it is a noticeable, but well welcomed, nuisance. Sure I don't mind carrying a 9 pound baby across the library while my boys pick out books they want to read, but that's not stopping me from thinking in the back of my mind: "Grow up kid. You really need to learn how to walk. I ain't gonna carry you forever you know. Just ask your brothers." Call me lazy, call me a glutton for punishment, but I love both side of the equation.

I mean I can go on and on and have a point-counterpoint match up with myself all day. But do you all really want me to drag this on more than necessary? I know I don't, but I just wanted to let some of the air out, vent, and recollect myself. I think I made my point and hopefully by now you understand it just a little as well.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Heeeere's Baby!!!

It's been an estimated 39 weeks in the making. Countless hours of loss sleep and agony. An emotional roller coaster to boot and filled with happiness, grief, pain, and just about any other emotion that can be described. But finally our (my wife and I) son was born on June 22nd. We welcome to the world Logan, our third son. Blaine and Skyler are fine at the babysitters for the time during his stay at the hospital. And just like any story, this one has its highs as well as its lows.

First off, Logan had entered the world breathing one breath, crying, and then stop breathing because he took in some fluid from the womb . They had to try to resuscitate him and it was successful, within minutes he was breathing on his own and the good doctors (all though their intentions were good at least) had put him into the NICU. He was there for about 5 days all with different minor complications that had hindered him from leaving earlier. The first was just making sure that his vitals were stabilizing and that he can hold his own as far as temperature and whatnot. This was resolved by the first 36 hours. But afterward is where I think all the b.s. started to happen to hinder his release.

The docs forgot to ween him off of his I.V. and pumping him with sugar solution earlier. So they slowly weened him from the IV while my wife was feeding him with breast milk. All the while running tests to see if his blood sugar could at least stabilize or thrive. The bloodsugar kept on climbing and Logan was on the fasttrack to leave the NICU and hopefully leave the hospital. They warrent a release. But at that time, they forgot to check his bilirubin count earlier and had to check it. It was too high and Logan had to undergo intense photo therapy to counteract the effects before possible brain damage occurs. Luckily that went well and his count went down considerably. A forseeible release would be eminent during his forth day of life.

So the day comes for him to leave the hospital and Logan is home where he rightfully belongs, with his family. And I couldn't be any happier at this moment. Finally the family is complete and whole. The way it's intented to be. Now that I got that outta my system I feel a helluva lot better and carefree at this moment. All the trouble, trials, and tribulations are over and we all can relax.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out... (and hopefully getting some sleep too...)

Family Game Night

If you haven't already figured out, I'm a hardcore gamer. In fact, I love me some videogames no matter what it might be. Luckily for me, my wife is a gamer as well; albeit a casual gamer; but a gamer nonetheless. And when two gamers who love each other very much, one day they have little baby gamers. This is the setup to what it's like to have gamers in training. Just a forewarning, if you're a gamer itself, you can definitely understand the frustration that we go though.

So the other night my boys, ages six and four, wanted to go play the Wii. I gave them permission because they were actually acting like good kids today versus the little buggers that they usually act like. They gathered around the living room and started to play Wii Sports; strike one. One was feeling crappy due to the other pwning them in boxing, and visa versa when it came to tennis. I said, "OK, try a different game. I don't wanna hear any more whining about losing or anything, it's just a game," or something along those lines. (hey when you're cleaning up from dinner and knee deep in pots and pans, oh whatever...)

So they decided to go play Super Mario Bros. 3 that I've bought from the Virtual Store, strike two. The younger one started to sabotage the older one by whenever he tried to pass him on the path, they go into the Mario Bros. mini-game, causing him to lose and then doing the next level. Albeit he dies on each attempt, it's an annoyance that he's basically cock-blocking his brother from playing the game. At about that time my wife came home from running an errand and both me and her (being the fair gamers that we are) put a stop to the sabotage. This ended up with my wife and I watching both our kids playing Mario Bros. 3 in the worst, less than amateurish, sloppiest gaming specticale that we have seen in ages; strike three and they're out.

My wife got so mad that they kept on dying and with having unlimited continues, suffering from having to see them fail so much; that she took one kids controller and started to play for them. I followed suite and started to play for the other. After about ten minutes of that we relinquished the controllers back to them so we could find some sort of solace in them playing something more than the same three levels. But they died and had to start all over again. At that point, my wife had bribed them with cookies to pull them off of the Wii to end that insanity.

This is a gamer family's game night. Let the kids play until you're too damn upset with them losing and have to play for them. And all I can say is that goodness we had those cookies, if not then we would've probably have had two less kids. It was that nerve-raking indeed, but we went through it. And now that I think about it, it's like that with just about any type of game from our childhood that these kids seem to butcher into mincemeat. A few months ago we tried a similar expriment with Trouble. They kept on skipping turns, not jumping over players pegs, all sort of chaos. So it's whether it's a videogame, boardgame, whatever, those two somehow find a way to cause me and my wife to wonder; why did we want kids again?!? But in all honesty, they're good kids, just don't get them to play a game near you unless yourself is a gaming masochist.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...