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What's New with Jephers?

Apr 24, 2006 Where'd the patio go?!?! Here's what our patio looks like right now. These are just the homegrown and store bought growies that are out back - not including the pot of basil I'm growing on the front porch, the mini greenhouse inside the patio door with seeds starting, the three shelf tower in the closet with grow lights and heat mats (more seeds starting!), NOR the grow light and heat mat in the garage (yes, more seeds)

Many of the plants you see here will go off to the rental garden plot before long - notice all the tomato and pepper plants! Ditto for many, but not all, of the herbs. I'm also growing a bunch of flowers, and have picked some up - a bunch of those will get potted real soon, plus I'm about to put together the hanging baskets... Really looking forward to seeing how those turn out!!

And why am I hiding most of the plants under the umbrella and/or table? Because we're forecast for so much rain right now that I'm afraid they'll float away and/or drown in their little trays before I can pour out the water. This way they get a limited amount of rain. This is DEFINITELY a good time for hardening them off - nice mellow temps, humid, etc...

Apr 24, 2006 Blogging at Blogger So I'm thinking I'm going to have a new home....OR figure out how to bring a new blogging engine here. For now you can start finding my content over at http://jephers.blogspot.com/. I have to say I prefer having someone else's CMS running my stuff. I program this sort of stuff all day at work - do I really want to come home and build a good blogging engine? Nah, not right now! ;-)

Apr 23, 2006 Growing Notchie Notch recently discovered the lower levels of the mini greenhouse was empty and open in the living room - AND it was in HIS way for catching some afternoon sun. So what better to do than get INSIDE the liner of the greenhouse!! Good thing it wasn't zipped up or he could've either steamed, baked, or found himself covered in something growing on him!

Apr 23, 2006 As American As... Thanks to my addiction to the Barefoot Contessa series on Food Network, sometimes I get into a crazy cooking jag. For example, one day last week after watching an episode we'd DVR'd, I gave Brett a short list of stuff to pick up (he was heading to the grocery store anyhow), and proceeded to trash the kitchen. I didn't do too bad because in an hour and a half I cranked out Ina Garten's Oven Fried Chicken marinated in buttermilk (holy crap was that good), mashed potatoes, and this apple pie!!

As good as the pie looked, it was a little tart for my taste. I had a slice for dessert (Brett doesn't eat apple pie) and took the rest in to work the next day. It was GONE by the time I left for the day!!!

Notes for next time: Try boneless skinless chicken and just don't cook it as long (or maybe fry it the whole time?). Use sweeter apples than Granny Smith (or more sugar). Oh, and don't overdo it on the black pepper in the taters - oops!

Apr 23, 2006 Tuckered out... I'm trying to remember just how much of the fresh catnip I gave him here... They definitely know when I'm picking from the plant, which is starting to bush out nicely! This cat is definitely too pooped to party now!

Apr 22, 2006 Making Bread! So after reminiscing about some amazing french bread loaves I made yeeeears ago when I first moved out on my own for awhile now, I came across Farmgirl's site where, amongst lots of other cool things, she talks about making bread. And so started the bug - once again I would have to make bread!! I STILL haven't been able to get Bread Alone from Amazon (they keep saying 2-3 weeks), but luckily I got a copy through the library where I work. After hunting down the right type of yeast (crazy hunt!), flour, etc and after we hit the craft stores to actually get me willow baskets (no, I didn't need them, BUT we can use them for all sorts of stuff), I was set.

I killed the first batch. I wasn't prepared, didn't plan out the timeline, had it all ready to go too late at nite, refrigerated it over nite, and it wouldn't rise the next day.

Round number two worked, but I was still very rushed. Gotta stop doing this stuff on a weekday! Anyhow, check out how it went in the pics here. Now I've just got to figure out why they came out more ball shaped. Even the ball shape would've been ok if one of the loaves didn't appear to explode out the side during baking. Hm. Oh well - it WAS called a learning recipe! ;-)

Apr 04, 2006 Sneak Preview: Tomatoes Here's just a select sneak peak at some of the tomato varieties I'll be picking this summer - just can't wait!! WOO HOO!

Apr 04, 2006 Seed Starting: Latest Entry Here's the latest of the growies!! The peppers are just starting to come up! First planting of tomato seeds are about an inch and a half tall, plus I planted more (late arriving) tomato seeds. And then there's a pic of me with my new hair cut looking REAL butch with the tweezers.

Apr 04, 2006 Beautiful Notch! Check out those beautiful eyes, the pretty fur, and those amaaaaazingly long whiskers! You can totally tell he's hamming it up here!

Apr 04, 2006 Cat and Boyfriend Fight! Winner eats loser! One of their occasional wrestling matches - most of the other pics were just a blur. And yes, that IS Brett BITING Tucker...but don't worry, and don't report us to some animal rights org - Tucker gets off on it.

Apr 04, 2006 Daddy's Little Helper More pics of me starting seeds (and looking like I really know how to handle a pair of tweezers) - this shows just how involved Tucker likes to be with the whole process. What you didn't see is him trying to sit on 'em!

Apr 03, 2006 What have I done!?!? I've been so good about avoiding the donuts for so long now, that I couldn't thoroughly enjoy them!!! Jubilee Donuts is on my drive in - every morning as I go about the Tallmadge Circle, just before the second exit (of 8) after I get on the circle is cute little Jubilee Donuts, with their handy dandy drive up window. Pull up and less than a minute later I'm short $1.50 and I've got a yummy bag of goodness - with a cinnamon sugar cake donut and a regular glazed donut! MMMM!

It's been months since I've stopped. I've been a good boy! And yet this morning I'm sitting here at work scarfing them down, thinking "man, this is just a little too sweet for me!"!

And now I just feel gross.!

This shouldn't be happening! Those were two heavenly donuts!!!

I'm going to eat a banana and see if that cuts some of the gross feeling. Yes, it's sweet, but "natural" sweet. 'Sides, I've got a grapefruit to eat a little later - peeled and segmented it last nite to see if it holds up overnite in the fridge. Certainly made my trip out the door faster this morning!

Apr 02, 2006 Seeds Got the absolute last of the tomato seeds started today. All of the original plantings (2 wks ago) of tomatoes are up and looking good - had to replant a few that didn't get the best germination results. The peppers, which I believe I planted last weekend, are JUUUUST started to peek up from the dirt. Here's a list of what's growing as far as tomatoes and peppers go:

Tomatoes

• Aunt Ruby's Green - these were VERY popular last year - HUGE!
• Black Cherry - black cherry - excited about this one!
• Black From Tula - a new black for me to try!
• Black Krim - mmmm, so good last year
• Caspian Pink
• Fourth of July - seeds from Ken...
• Green Grape - green grape/cherry
• Green Zebra - had a great citrussy zip to them, and so beautiful!
• Hard Rock - freebie trial seeds
• Isis Candy - orange cherry
• Juliet
• Persimmon - freebie trial seeds
• Red Zebra
• Snow White - white cherry
• Sweet Baby Girl - red/orange cherry?
• Sun Gold - we're most excited about these super sweet cherries!
• Sun Sugar - a new, larger variant of Sun Gold
• Supersteak

Peppers

• Aruba
• Banana Bill - free trial seeds
• Big Bertha - these were good last year
• Giant Aconcagua
• Giant Marconi
• Jalapeno Fooled You - for little heat
• Jalapeno M - to ensure some heat!
• Gypsy
• Peperoncino - least excited about these, but they were in the variety bundle
• Super Heavyweight - these look excitingly big and yellow!
• Whopper - dad's standard pepper I believe?

Yes, I'm going overboard, but I have little will power when I'm looking through those darned catalogs, wondering what all I want to try, share, etc... I can't resist! I'm weak... ;-)

Mar 31, 2006 Note to self: Einstein's Honey Whole Wheat bagel is a bit too sweet to accompany their nuked egg fritata sandwich - even when the nice lady seems to have accidently slipped in bonus bacon (which I didn't order, but certainly wouldn't turn down!). I would've thought the saltiness of the bacon would help counter the sweetness - not so. Oh well - certainly isn't unedible - just a bit of an odd combination. (It's no salt-and-sweet combination like a McGriddle!) Will go back to the potato bagels, which are much softer and appropriate for this kind of breakfast sandwich anyhow.

Mar 31, 2006 The Return of The Blue Beetle

So the first issue of the new Blue Beetle series came out this week. Gotta say I really enjoyed it annnnd am really curious as to what's going to come of it. I don't think Beetle really has staying power to keep his own series...

Hm. Just realized something. Yes, it's just a comic book character, so the familiarity to which I'm referring to the character might seem a bit odd, but here goes... I just realized that Ted Kord (the former Blue Beetle) could just be referred to as "Beetle". He was fun, he was around a long time, he was quite a goof... But this new guy, Jaime, well, I don't think he's just "Beetle" yet... Don't know him well enough. Yeah, ok, that was odd.

Annnnnyhow.... Liked the issue. Am curious to see why he seems to bring out the rage in Guy Gardner! Am curious to see what else the magic armor does. Like the combination of magic and tech for the armor. A shield on the arms becomes wings on the back? Kinda fun. Man, I wouldn't want to go through that painful transformation each time - hopefully it becomes easier on him! Like the blue spine effect! And I like that he's a teen with a fun, different little group of friends... And what's with the girl with no eyes? She makes it seem like people connected with the beetle/scarab are going to be walking around like vamps in a vampire flick! Will have to wait and see! Looking forward to #2!

Oh. And so this takes place sometime after Infinite Crisis #6 I guess? But IC#6 hasn't been released yet? Man, DC's screwing up their shipping schedule, and that's messing up story lines! Anyhow....so this first issue must take place BEFORE the 1 Year Later jump? Confused...

Mar 28, 2006 Lotsa stuff...

So Peter's been naaaaaagging me to get around to adding some new content here! ;-) Does ANYone else read my blog? Hm, maybe I should update the code so I can track/log hits! Oh well, in the meantime, here's me babbling on...

First off - wow, I should really rebuild this site. It doesn't look so good when a web developer has so many flaws with the display of his home built site. Oh well, in my defense, this is where I learned CSS and PHP, and I haven't come back since putting it together. I could do it up way fancier, and maybe I will some day, but I have clients who'd rather I work on their stuff first! So in the meantime, please ignore oddities like things not lining up quite right... You can still read the content, and you can still look at the pictures...I'm afraid that'll have to do for now! :)

Please meet our new boyfriend - Elliot Yamin! Well, ok, so we're not really taking applications or looking or anything (well, we do LOTSA looking!), but Brett and I LOOOOVE Elliot on American Idol this season. Sure, Brett's really enamored with Taylor Hicks, and I love Chris Daughtry, but I think we both prefer the whole package that is Elliot (Brett described him as "obtainable" tonite). I can't say as much for tonite's performances - for any of 'em really! I have to agree with the judges for the most part - bad song choice! Even those I really love (Mandisa! Taylor! Katharine! Ace! Elliot!) just didn't perform up to standards. And I've said it before, and I know I'll be saying it again, can we PLEASE get rid of little twerp Paris ("Thenk yew."). I swear that's all she knows how to say!

Next topic - the growies! Here's two pics of the impatiens seedlings (last time you saw them they were just dots in a jiffy pot!). They're coming up much faster than the petunias, but that's really not too much of a surprise. I'm leaving the petunias on the heat mat still, but the impatiens have moved out to the newly-reassembled mini greenhouse that's sitting inside the patio door. It's loaded up with new flats of dirt and seeds, plus an orchid, a pot of lettuce seedlings and a slew of herbs...will post pics later probably. If we keep getting the warm weather that's in the forecast, we might just be able to move the greenhouse outside real soon! Also, my tomatoes seedlings are at least an inch tall, and I just got peppers planted this past weekend. Planted herbs, eight kinds of lettuce, two kinds of bok choy, and a bunch of flowers tonite as well...

We've both been plenty sick lately - after taking three days off to go to Virginia to visit family for mom's 60th birthday, we each got to take sick time off with the flu. Yay. Fun. (Still hacking and coughing more than a week later!) So what do you do when you're sick and finally in the mood to eat? Cook comfort food! In addition to other foods we've had manicotti, stew and scones. I have to thank Farmgirl for another amazing recipe - LOOOOVE the cheese and scallion scones - although they're more like a really light, fluffy, tender biscuit. I think next time we'll try tweaking the recipe (Brett's not fond of the scallions; maybe add a little cheddar and cracked pepper), and maybe try cutting them in more of a biscuit shape. Or at least smaller! Those things are monsters! YUM!

And what else do you do when you're home sick, bored outta your mind for 4+ days? Take goofy pics of the cats! Tucker was really hamming it up, as you can see here. Notch wasn't being as photogenic when I had the camera out I guess?

And finally, I couldn't resist - pics of some of the flowers that are starting to pop up! If we actually get a "real house" this year, along with a REAL yard, I'll have to dig up a bunch of the bulbs I put in around here and take them with me! Is that greedy?

Other quick tidbits... Shaved off just about all of my hair last nite! Been getting frustrated with it's lenght and hadn't gotten around to getting in for a cut. The "gray wings" were being pointed out to me. It was time to take drastic measures. Wow - I'm really thinning THAT much on top!? Will have pic soon, I'm sure! Also...need to get back to gym on a regular basis. Slacked off with being sick, trainer being physically unable to help with her recent injury, travel, etc... Now I'm back and gearing back up again - unbelievable how fast you lose the endurance! Also looking forward to more racquetball with Joe and Carolyn! Once they're done with some heavy duty work load, we'll have to get back to the courts.

Ok, that's all for now... I'm sure I'll be coerced into writing more before too long!

Mar 23, 2006 RIP Chicken Little

It's a sad, sad day. No, he was in no way ever going to make American Idol #1 contestant status, but it made me sad to see Kevin Covais voted off of American Idol last nite. He was fun, he was cute (no no, not in that sexy way), he was entertaining, and he was plucky - he grew on the show, became a "sex symbol", got some funky style, and even had the nerve to speak up to Simon! With Kevin gone, I feel like the atmosphere of the show will change just a bit. Maybe they'll feel less like a family, and more like a bunch of contestants?

I really did expect them to show Paula bawling her eyes out! Or at least run up and "squish" him...

The hard part is narrowing down who I want to win, or who I think will win. I want boring Lisa outta there - now. I hate Paris...if she says "thenk yew" in that annoying little voice one more time...! Neither of these two have much of a personality.

I figure Bucky's going to be one of the next to go. I hated him at first - he looked like a convict. But he's kinda grown on me, and I've really enjoyed some of his performances!

I figure Taylor's not going to be around til the very end (much to my boyfriend's disappointment!). He's INCREDIBLY entertaining, but I'm afraid he's not that sorta-generic American Idol folks are probably looking for. Sure, American Idol winners each need to be a bit different...but proooobably not Taylor-Hicks-different! LOL

So that'll leave us with Elliot (goofy hot), Chris (HOT!), Ace (HOT, but kinda creepy), Mandisa (LOVE her!), Katherine (smokey and sultry, and goofy too!), and Kelly (ditzy - kinda talented, but there more for dorky entertainment). Kelly's not it. I'm afraid Elliot won't be #1 either. I think Chris'll be out before it gets real combative... I don't know that Katherine's got ENOUGH fans, even though she's amazingly talented. Sounds like most are expecting Chris to be #1, followed by Mandisa? We shall see!

Definitely looking forward to the concert when they come around later this year! Last year's was fun, and this one should be amazing!

Mar 22, 2006 Biscotti are yummy!

I really need to post an entry about these guys! I'm way past due! I've recently had fun getting into making biscotti - both these orange cranberry almond ones, and the amazing chocolate biscotti over at Farmgirl Fare. They've been a real hit at home, at work, and with my family when we went to visit a couple weeks ago (and brought home the killer flu bug of 2006!). I'm hoping that by posting these pics and mentioning the recipes here, I'll actually get my ass in gear and post 'em soon! Finger's crossed!

Mar 03, 2006 And so it begins...

All of the gardening folk at work are starting to get that itch - must see green, must start seeds, want to pick home grown veggies, eager to taste that first home grown tomato! And the sad news? Most of us don't have ANY of our veggie seeds yet!

I'm happy to say at least the majority of my flower seeds arrived this week, and they really need more start time than the veggies do, so all is good. Well, aside from the fact that the ones I just planted should've maybe been planted a few weeks back. Some of these guys need 10-12 weeks before the final frost - and I don't remember when that is for this area... Definitely need to do a little research. You'd think after three years of this I'd know!

Anyhow... So tonite I fired up the grow lights in the closet, I soaked my little Jiffy Pots, and tore open the seed packets. Now where are the tweezers!? Sunflower seeds are SOOOO much easier to manipulate than these! So far I've planted six different colors of wave petunias (the kind that really do a lot of vining), Impatiens Sunny Lady mix, brilliant red salvia, and some of the purple verbana (a new variety that I think I've seen others grow the last few years - I think they're tall and leggy with really pretty practically-indigo flowers!)

Also doing an experiment with the super slow-growing greens I planted a couple months ago during warmer weather. I've had two pots of spinach and two pots of mixed lettuce - they sprouted outside when it was warm, and have been in the garage under a grow light with a heating mat underneath them. But aside from their first leaves coming out, they've stalled - probably too cold in the garage without something surrounding them? So one of the pots of lettuce came in to see how it does in the "grow closet" with the flower seeds tonite. Now it's like a race!

More gardening news soon, I'm sure!

Oh... And tomorrow I turn 37 - yipes! Brett picked up Taco Tontos burritos for dinner, and tomorrow there was talk of Chick Fil A for lunch, trying Lemon Grass (thai food) for dinner with friends, and seeing the Russian horror flick "Nightwatch" with the guys. My boyfriend treats me so great! This should all hopefully make up for a shitty day at work...

Oct 23, 2005 Halloween 2005 - a success! Looks like we've survived our 2005 Halloween Party! We couldn't have done it without the help of Super Party Prep Assistant Sharon, not to mention all our fun friends who attended, bringing lots of goodies and wearing some great costumes! We're sad more folks couldn't make it (hard to compete with other parties, Margaret Cho preforming in Kent, out of state trips, etc) but we can't complain - we definitely had a full house!

If you're looking for the Halloween party pictures - there's plenty to see!

And if you wanted a recipe from the party (and I have to admit many came from Food Network this year!), you can check out the recipe pages... This year's goodies included cranberry almond Gorp, roasted pork loin, Swamp Juice, Day of the Dead Punch and truffle brownies.

Some folks asked how we did the glowing green "crystal" displays. It was actually water polymer crystals - the same kind of stuff you can stir into dirt in your potted plants to help store and release water over an extended period of time - to help your plants out in dry weater. Here's a web page with info and images - they have them locally at Pettiti's and Donzell's garden centers. We just guesstimated the water, crystal and dye amounts, and just kept adding more and more water (these things suck up a LOT of water!). Green works great! Purple (from blue and red) really doesn't get that "glow" effect. For the biggest glass canister, I put a 35-count string of Christmas lights under an overturned glass pie pan, hid the edges with table decoration/table cloth, and then put the canister on top so the light shone up through...worked great! (Man, I feel like frikkin' Martha Stewart!)

Also, I'm a baaaad baaaad person - I forgot to upload what few Cinco de Mayo party pics we took back in May, so those are up now as well.

Sep 12, 2005 The Return of Superman No no, not the one on TV - although Clark's coming back REAL soon, and this season he's going to have Aquaman and Brainiac (Spike from Buffy/Angel!)

Seems someone's got a homemade teaser out there on the web for the new Superman Returns movie. If you want some commentary on the movie, as well as a link to the teaser, check out slashfilm.

Man, between Superman, X-Men III, and a slew of other superhero movies next year, it should be quite fun! (Oh, and it'll also provide plenty of screen content begging to be criticized, like the new Superman costume...which at this point I'm thinking I don't love).

Man, that poster's REEEEEALLY dark, isn't it!?

Sep 12, 2005 Happy Blogging! No no, not my own! I'm talking about other blogs! I'm getting quite hooked on some of the entertainment out there, not to mention the hotties! Here's some of the blogs I try to remember to check every few days:

• OPIEblue - Cutie comic book geek!
• Thought Not - hot hot hot!
• Bloghungry - hottie foodie! I just discovered this one, and I think there might be some comic geek to him!
• Proceed At Your Own Risk - The title says it all - you can't hold me responsible for any of the pics he's got here! ;-)
• Andrew's Moblog - Yup, another hottie... Andrew and his bf are (were) City of Heroes junkies, so that just adds to the hotness factor! I wish they had more frequent content...helps satisfy the voyeur in me! :)

That's all I've got for now - I'm sure there'll be more later! :)

Aug 03, 2005 Rocking w/Idols! We went to (DON'T LAUGH!) American Idol last nite! What a blast!!! It was WELL worth the overpriced tickets purchased online, the homeless man trying to convince us he defended my car from someone trying to break in (in the hopes of getting some $$), and the hour and forty five minute drive home since an Indians game let out at the same time as the concert.

Wow was it fun! Loved seeing Constantine, Vonzel, Nadia, and the rest of the gang in person! Their songs are SO much better in person that on TV or CD (was listening to the CD online earlier - ew...definitely not worth buying!) I'd have to say I sang along with more than half of the songs last nite (thank goodness it was too loud for anyone else to hear me singing!).

Brett took lots of pics on his cell phone, but we don't figure they'll turn out all that great considering the lighting, distance, etc. We'll find out tonite when we have time to check 'em out on the computer.

Their finale song, "R O C K in the U S A" was alotta fun! Really was worth staying for every last song (so many people bailed as soon as they thought it was over, missing the encore songs). Poor Bo and his broken leg - he really needs to be running around on stage for the full Bo-effect!

Jun 23, 2005 Working Out... Ok I did it! I went to the gym. By myself. No scheduled meeting. I just went and didn't turn around this time because the locker room was full of kids for the second day in a row (granted, there were only about a third as many as there were Tuesday afternoon!). I didn't have a ton of time - had to stop by Metropolis Popcorn to drop off last months invoice and pick up the paycheck from the new owner, hit the grocery store, and get home real quick before Rick showed up to help out with problems with the new Private Moments site - it's going to be soooo much better than the current one! Just before Rick showed up I had time to run a birthday card over to Ainsley next door (I think she was turning 4?).

Anyhow, after getting to the Rec Center I asked for a little help just in getting started on the treadmills or ellipticals, and instead got PLEEEENTY of help and examples from one of the floor assistants there. Matt-the-football-player showed me out to use the treadmills, ellipticals, some of the equipment AND took me up to show me where they have a Curves-like set up, hopping from one machine to the next. Since I was in a rush, I didn't get to stay and work out as long as I would've liked, but at least I sped-walked a mile on the treadmill and managed to tough out 5 minutes on the elliptical (holy shit!), as well as worked the legs and arms on some of the other equipment. So here we go! This is the beginning to my new body! RAAAAAH!

Jun 20, 2005 Recent Movies In addition to all the other stuff that's keeping us busy, and prime summer movie season upon us, we've started getting back to the movies (or just vegging out at home with one on the boob tube). Haven't had any real duds lately, so that's good!

Shaun Of The Dead: Man, I still LOOOOOVE this movie! We saw it when it first came out, and then I HAD to have it for Christmas. I'm surprised it took us this long to watch the DVD, but it was well worth the wait. This movie has it all: brits, zombies, slackers, humor, boy-gets-girl, gore, goofballs, fart humor, violence...YOU NAME IT! Since we watched the DVD last week, I've already loaned it out to Joe at work ("LOVED IT! It was a blast!"), and now one of our two student workers has it (I'm counting on these Jen and Jared to both love it considering some of the movie conversations we've had! Next I'll sucker them with The Sweetest Thing!)





Mr and Mrs Smith: WAY FUN! Yeah, sure, it started off a liiiiittle slow, kinda dragged it's feet as it was introducing us to the situation and characters, but once they got the action going it was a blast! I honestly don't know if Angelina and Brad hooked up in real life (yes, you apparently have to reference this when talking about the movie), but they'd sure make a good looking fun couple! I loved Mrs Smith's slight James Bond workstyle, where as Mr Smith's was definitely less polished. Poor guy - she's got so many more kills than him! Definitely one to see again when it comes out on DVD!





Meet The Fockers: Mom and dad came for a visit this past weekend, and once we all settled down for the evening it was the traditional time to watch a movie (and of course talk over it while others are trying to listen!). I reeeeally didn't like Meet The Parents, but I have to say this movie was SO much more fun for me. Maybe it was the inclusion of Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand? They definitely added a lighter air and more comedy... DeNiro just doesn't do it for me I guess? And of course all the baby humor!! I love the educational stuff with a signing baby - hopefully more parents will give this a try - it definitely makes sense!





Batman Begins: And speaking of movies that were better than I expected! As we were sitting there enjoying alllll the great trailers for upcoming movies (can't WAIT for Sky High and Fantastic Four!!) I started wondering "Why am I here? This hasn't really appealed to me too much... Did the previews for this look all that great!? Oh well - open mind, will see how it turns out..." And I gotta say it totally won me over! I loved the down-to-earth, less campy version of Batman in this movie, I loved the gadgets, and I definitely want a batmobile! Katie Holmes was a nice tough-yet-likeable character (Who wants to buy me a Free Katie t-shirt!?!?!). The guy who played Scarecrow (from 28 Days) managed to creep me out - something about his cheekbones?!) Morgan Freeman was very enjoyable in this...I think I've liked him in everything I've seen him in. All in all I gotta say I'd probably buy or rent the DVD and would definitely look forward to a sequel (which they're already talking about).





That's all for now! Bewitched comes out this weekend - that's looking good, but Dave says he heard some not-so-promising reviews. And while I really wanna see War of the Worlds, the one I'm holding out for the most (and fear COULD flop considering Marvel's movie on-and-off history) is Fantastic Four (Hey, who DOESN'T wanna see Chris Evans in just a blanket!?? HOT HOT HOT! And I'm NOT talking Human Torch temperature hot here!!)

Jun 08, 2005 Cooped up at home - sick... Well I guess if I'm home sick for two days, I can only spend so much time sleeping, or watching TV, or sitting out in the sweltering sun (yes, I realize in another month or two 91F won't feel all THAT hot anymore!)...so I may as well play here a bit.

Keeping busy juggling more clients at the same time than I've ever had before. QUITE a good feeling, but also very intimidating, especially since I'm juggling them with everything else that's going on at the same time. Two Peas should be going live real soon. The new Private Moments will HOPEFULLY go live before too long. Cathy Manus Gray's Herban Garden site and nasaCommunications are in line next, plus there's all the little fix-it, additions, new features, etc things going on with other clients. Would be nice if I could quit my day job and do this permanently! LOTS of variety!

Looking forward to all the movies coming out real soon... Mr & Mrs Smith is this weekend. Upcoming weekends will have Batman, Fantastic Four (really looking forward to this, even tho I'm a DC guy) and War of the Worlds.

The garden is finally all put in. Tons of tomato plants, peppers potatoes, snow peas, sugar snap peas, beans (bush and pole), pumpkins, squash (first round was devoured by cucumber beetles!), carrots, bok choy, radishes, okra, etc... I hope this year's garden turns out much better than last year's!

Got a hypertufa workshop this coming weekend with Cindy and Mary from work - that should be entertaining.

My parents are coming down to visit us Father's Day weekend, and then after they're back on the road to NY we'll have Brett's folks over for a Father's Day meal. Gonna be a busy weekend!

That's all for now...

Apr 28, 2005 Farewell Constantine Brett got me hooked on this season of American Idol. I totally blew off last season, and didn't really get into second season much. We really enjoyed the first season and even went to see them in concert in Cleveland (oh the shame, the shame!) LOL But this season I've been a fairly loyal follower...and I have to say I was really let down last nite. Constantine got voted off!??! Or I should say he didn't get voted to stay on? Either way, I can't believe Scott or Anthony didn't get the boot first! I even assumed Donzell would be off before Constantine....and I REALLY like her.

Scott's a greeeeat singer MOST of the time (and sometimes he SUCKS!), but he's just got this attitudey look and feel about him. Brett keeps pointing out he's popular because he's the most normal guy on there.

And then there's Anthony. I don't know why, but I don't like him. He's a GREAT singer - quite powerful sometimes. Not always the best song selection for popularity, but what he does, he does very well. I just don't feel he had the sex appeal and overwhelming stage presence that Constantine had.

Donzell's cute as a button - she makes me think of a black Nev Campbell - bone structure, lips, eyes, make up - I don't know... Super cute - if I were straight, I'd totally date her. And MAN can she sing! But I worry she doesn't have enough oomph to stay on much longer... Again, I think Constantine had more power than her.

But he's gone. And that's sad. Sure, he made some bad song choices recently, or didn't seem to have his heart in it (this week), but overall he's great! And I think he was QUITE shocked that it was his time - he seemed like maybe he was feeling a bit cocky, but I was ok with that. I liked that in him. He looked great up on stage!

Well, the good news is that I hope we'll see them in concert this fall - that could be fun! Fingers crossed!

Feb 27, 2005 Relaxing Weekend: TV & Movies We spent Friday nite just vegging out in front of the tube, watching Star Trek: Enterprise (which, I'm sad to say, is just about over), Star Gate: Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactic (wow, one of the best episodes yet in an amazingly good series!)

Then Saturday morning we got up early so I could wrap up some accounting preparation and drove out to Macedonia for the annual meeting with the CPA. Hm. Not getting as good a refund as last year (bummer), but I did make more, so that's good. After that we tried lunch at Long Yung chinese buffet/mongolian BBQ, only to be really disappointed. Of the three buffet areas, at least a third was american food (pizza, mashed potatoes, meatballs?!), and a third was fruit and weird salads and slimey puddings. Oh well, won't go back there. That's ok - they just put in a Chipotle's out in Macedonia, and I could eat those big fat baby-sized burritos any day of the week!

After lunch we went to see Constantine. We'd hoped to have it be an outing with the guys, but the plans made the week before to delay and see it this weekend fell apart - folks got different plans, or were sick. Oh well. The movie was really good! I really liked the fact that it didn't seem like it would be a super popular, trendy movie to see - a bit lower key, but still had amazing visuals, interesting characters (loved Gabriel!), a cool plot, etc. I've a feeling it's a love it or hate it type movie... I DO wish they could've at least had a different actor for Constantine, or bleached Keanu blonde and given him a british accent... :)

Then, after some shopping through out the afternoon and evening we, uh, vegged out in front of the TV. Again. :) Brett made us really good english muffin pizzas (MMM!) and we watched Grease (Brett had never seen it - I'm sure he loved me singing/humming along with most of the songs!), the tail end of Event Horizon (forgot just HOW BAD this movie was!), and most of Goonies (which I don't know if I've ever seen all of it, but it sure is fun!). Since I got a copy for Valentine's Day, maybe we'll watch Shaun of the Dead tonite?! (nuthin says luvin like zombies!)

Feb 27, 2005 Our smart pussies! Well, the boys are learning a new trick this weekend. Brett decided to put a catdoor in the door from the hallway outside my office to the utility room, where we keep the cat food, litter box, etc. That was fun! Before he even put it up I was sitting on the kitchen floor trying to get them to walk through the framework for a treat... Notch did his trick where he reaches out with a single claw and hooks what he wants - in this case, my hand, which was holding the treat. So I've got little nicks on my knuckles from that... ;-) But I got them through a number of times.

Today the door was officially installed and we spent a little while with Tucker and Notch, sitting on either side of the door and making them come through for treats/food. Didn't take them long to figure it out - we just hope they remember when it's litter box time!

Feb 06, 2005 Garden Starts It's that time of year again - GARDEN TIME! Ok, so we still have plenty of snow thawing out there, and we're very likely to get more... I'm talking about starting seedlings - and this year I'm hoping to plan better.

I've got all my veggie seeds written down, including how many weeks before the final frost date that they need to be started. And this time around I'm also planning to do annuals. Not one seed packet of pansies....I'm mean I'm hoping to do the majority of the flowers from seed: petunias, geraniums, verbena, pansies, alyssum (sweet alyssum), impatiens, zinnia, lobelia etc...

There are some that I've just had to admit aren't going to be started from seed - apparently some can't be bought that way - I'm assuming they get started from cuttings (fan flower, million bells and sweet potato vine come to mind).

I've also decided to try growing some lettuce and spinach right here in pots - so far they're inside, but once it warms enough I'll move them out back. Hopefully we'll be harvesting bowls full of green goodness before they can even get outdoors.

So last week I started a mixed batch of lettuces, and three different kinds of spinach. The spinach I started in pots that I tried forcing some 50% off tulip bulbs in months ago. Left 'em outdoors since they need the low temps, and then when I brought them in, I panicked, thinking they got TOO cold for too long and died. I'd stuck my finger down in a pot and felt something kinda soft. Ok, fine, plant spinach over top!

So this weekend I've lettuce sprouts and spinach sprouts - all about two inches now - and TWO tulip buds popping up thru the spinach! Oy! We'll see if anymore come thru. Hey - a pot of tulips peeking thru spinach would probably be attractive.

Also last weekend I started all of the wave-variety and easy-wave variety of petunias (a bunch of different colors). This weekend, with the addition of a new seed starting tray and some leftover flats from last year, I planted the remaining wave/easy wave petunias, impatiens, the geranium seeds I had (regular geraniums), and lobelia. Oh, and the petunia seeds from last week about an inch tall - and VERY frail looking! I took the BioDome cover off, removed them from the heat, and put them under the grow lights in the closet. After just a day of that they didn't look as vibrant/perky, so I put the lid back on, put a heat mat under them, AND have them under the grow light in the closet. We'll see how they do....

I'm guessing the remaining two BioDomes will show up tomorrow...and the ivy geranium and more standard geranium seeds showed up this week, so I'll be starting those early this week.

Once those seedlings already started mature enough, they'll be transplanted to small pots (um, need space!) and I'll be starting other flowers and then veggies. Wow, it feels like summer is already here!

Jan 23, 2005 Floppy Cat "Ow! The sun! It hurts! It makes me flail all around!!" (Note: This video of Tucker is over 4MB, so be prepared for some download time... You can also right-click on the link and choose Save As, and then save the video to your computer to view when it's done)

Mar 18, 2004 Cleaning House What's this!? New entries two days in a row!? OMG! :)

So I've had a note on my mental list that I really need to go thru all my client records and see how many I've forgotten to charge to renew their yearly hosting. I bill them for one full year at sign up, and then it comes out of my business account. Works great the first year - screws me over when I forget to bill again each year after!! So as I said, it's been on my mental list since I panicked about it last week, and I just hadn't done anything about it.

And then I got a phone call while making dinner last nite. The R/Evolution guys called to say they probably won't be needing my services any longer - they're looking to sign on with someone who does the whole advertising package - print ads, web site, etc. I think that's great for them - they don't have to remember to send stuff out to multiple designers, try to keep the look all the same, etc. They're really nice guys, but we didn't have very good communications - it was rare that they remembered to send me something to add to the site, so it would get really stale. Or they thought the local mags would send me the ads they were using, and then I'd never get anything...so I had to guess at content, layout, and visuals.

Todd asked how long they'd paid for hosting, and BOOM, there it was again - another reminder I was behind! So even tho it turns out they'd only paid thru Dec, I told them not to worry about it - just pay off what they owe me and we'll be even. Plus two other sites that never got finished (client just kinda disappeared - got real busy with his new job) had their hosting expire last month. So now I feel cleansed - I've cancelled the two sites and will be transferring over R/Evolution's site....that's $30 less that comes out of my account each month - yay!

Mar 17, 2004 Running on low! Been a loooong time since I've added anything here! Too long!

The web work's really been hopping lately - keeping me busy all over the place. Most nites right now seem to involve going home from work, doing a little clean up, entertain the cats a short bit, get some computer stuff done, fix dinner, eat dinner with a little tv, and spend the rest of the nite in front of the computer. It's good news that most of my clients are wanting more work done now that all of the holidsy are over - but where was all this work when I was bored in Dec, Jan and Feb!? LOL Oh well - not complaining!

We're running out of time in building the CMS for the new Library web site at work. I think that's really what's burning me out because it's so big (SOOOO BIIIIG) and someone else has done most of the planning - something I'm not used to. I feel bad because I'm always bugging Rick for clarification on stuff. Then again, those discussions often lead to us joking about how some concept would be cool, and then we end out adding some great new feature! That's the best part - the puzzling solving challenges and gilding the lilly! :)

Bought a 6x6 seed starter kit on the weekend, watered all the little peat plugs, let 'em swell up, and now have it loaded with seeds. After talking with Dad and Matt, I think I need to invest in some grow lighting and maybe something to protect the future seedlings from the kitties. Might even want to find a way to warm it from underneath??? Anyhow, I put in seeds for flat-leaf Italian parsley, curley parsley, basil (I forget which variety right now), Better Boy tomatoes, Super Sweet 100 Tomatoes, California bell peppers, jalapenos, sage and cilantro. We'll see how they do... OH! And I also bought and planted raspberries and black raspberries - they're each in their own pot in the garage for now - need to get 'em in the sunshine soon...after the freezing weather fades. Ditto for the pot of spinach seeds I planted - something nice for the patio during the spring months.

Now I just have to reserve a garden plot! AHHH! Better not delay too much longer!

Been working on sprucing up the office at home. It's looking real nice now - just has a few bare spots on the walls. Very comfy for sitting and reading now!

That's all for now...ought to use this more often!

Jan 01, 2004 Haaaaappy New Year! Did New Year's with the gang last nite. Deb & Joe, Randy & Larry, Dave, Jay, Brett & I met up at Michael & Nick's for pot luck snacks/appetizers (mmmmm good food gang!) before heading out to R/Evolution to bring in the new year, and then we went to Adam's Street for a short bit. Many of us are showing our age, calling it a nite by about 1:30am.... Dave and Jay stayed out - hopefully they had enough fun for us to live vicariously through them! ;-)

Dec 21, 2003 Return of the King We went out and saw the super-long Lord of the Rings: Return of the King with some of the guys today. Wow...that was GREAT!!! My butt didn't even think it was too long sitting there for over three and a half hours (considering saving seats, commercials, previews, etc). That was an amazing movie, and an amazing trilogy. Maybe if we're lucky they'll do The Hobbit sometime?!?!

Nov 30, 2003 Farewell Turkey Day Well, we survived the six hour drive down to Springfield, VA on Thanksgiving day, and then the drive back yesterday. Had fun with my family - cutie little baby Emma just looooves Brett! Jesse and Sean fixed up good food, and had Brett and I help out once we got there.

Been working on wrapping up a client's site revamp. Between that and holiday prep (going to buy a tree today!) and having the gang over for a get together on the 20th and my folks show up here Christmas Eve to do dinner with us and Brett's family on Christmas, not to mention a slew of holiday parties, well, yeah, I'd say we're looking at a busy month! Oh well - it's also a GREAT time of year to burn lots of vacation time - yay!p>

Brett's been working like a fiend at installing shelving (garage, my bedroom closet, and now the utility room). I might rent him out for those who are looking to do the same - he's got a great head/eye for this!!p>

Had a couple high school buddies email awhile back (Hi Steve! Hi Aaron!) and I seriously need to write 'em back. If you guys happen to see this, don't think I'm neglecting you - just haven't parked my @$$ down for much non-work related email...p>

Also getting some bug - yay. :-\ Some of the folks at work had it (and their spouses!), and then Jesse was getting something while we were visiting, and then I started feeling it yesterday. Blah! Woke up feeling gross this morning - not fun.p>

May have pics up on line sometime over the next couple weeks. Ought to write Steve and Aaron. Apologies to anyone who looks at this and it waiting on me. (I doubt too many folks are checking my page these days...)p>

Happy Holidays!

Jun 22, 2003 So Far, So Good Well, we're doing pretty good so far! We met with Leslie Friday afternoon and completed the final intials/signatures on the adjusted contract - looks like we're getting a condo!! Wednesday was quite intense as we got the occasional "CONFERENCE CALL ME IMMEDIATELY" email from Leslie, along with new counter offers, ideas on how to best proceed, etc. She played a cruel little trick on us later in the afternoon, implying we'd need to look elsewhere, before giving us the good news that we got the place!! We have our home inspection set for a week from today. Leslie's quite certain we'll be closing on July 15th - wow - in less than a month we could be in our new home and maybe have our baby back?!!? Now to start thinking about what we'll need to get (washer and dryer are top of the list right now), how to layout our stuff, decorating, organization of the rooms, etc. This should be fun!

A bunch of us got together to move Michael and Nick into their new home yesterday - that was a fun day with minimal injury. Here's hoping we can call on the same "moving company" of Michael, Nick, Dave, Jay, Larry (and Randy?!), Craig and Dave to move us in a month!! Craig and Dave are totally the miracle movers - show 'em something heavy and zooooom it's in the house in just the right spot!!

Jun 19, 2003 Initial Condo Pics - Revisited PDFversion of those initial condo images in 3x5 format (4 per page) for quick and easy printing/viewing.

Jun 11, 2003 Eat Notchie, Eat! Linda left a msg yesterday saying she doesn't think Notch has been eating or drinking while staying with them. We dropped him off Sunday, and after hanging out with him a few hours and setting up his own private room, he was aware of where his food and water was. It may not help that the darned cat is too stubborn (or just not interested?) in drinking out of a water bowl, but instead expects to be watered from our bathroom sink... He DELIGHTS in bathroom sink time - it's very special to him and you can always tell he's thrilled by it (even if it makes him sneeze and dampens his forehead). Linda said they've tried getting him to drink from their sink but that he's just not interested. We won't be seeing him til Sunday - I'm sure hunger and thirst will take command sooner or later and that he's probably just still nervous (and missing his daddies!). I'll have to have words with him on Sunday!!

Jun 10, 2003 It's Been Awhile After getting busted by the apartment management for having Notch, we had to pack him up and take him to his grandparents until we find a new home (we'd already started the process of finding a loan, a realtor, and a new home - what timing!). That's the brief, not-so-traumatic version of the story - let's just say neither of us is happy...

Hit the garden last Friday and this Tuesday. Seems the grass and clover really started popping up over the weekend, as I did A LOT of weeding yesterday. Good to see a bunch of the growies are coming up - snap peas, beans, summer squash, sunflowers, etc.... Gonna have LOTS of mesclun and spinach real soon I think! Need to get the tomatoes caged or staked soon...

Had a fun time meeting our realtor this past weekend, plus she and Brett turned me on to the newness and ease of condos. We'll see what we end up with, but I came into this house hunting thinking we'd want a house, and now a condo's looking pretty darn good! And we got to see Sharon's new condo tonite - niiiiice! I'm so happy for her!

May 29, 2003 Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow... Yesterday was a hectic day at work, raced home and back out to the garden to get the last of the transplants in, and then back home to stress over the NCDogs revamp all nite - with NO PROGRESS. :(

Today was another buuuusy day at work (with some decent progress), a nice warm lunch outside that got interrupted with rain, and Jess and Brian's wedding shower. Came home after work and, after more hours of work on NCDogs, finally decided it's just not going to be revamped by the end of the month. Apology letter written to Michael.

Tomorrow we head off to NY to visit my folks for the weekend. Maybe dad'll have fun garden stuff to do. Might even see XMen2 and/or The Matrix Reloaded with him. There's been talk of fun places to eat out.

Once we get back home it'll be back to the grind with the NCDogs conversion...this things gonna burn me out. And once that's done, Private Moments needs to be revamped/modernized, and there are new sites to be done just waiting in line. At least people want to give me business...

And did I mention summer bicycle rides with the work gang, possible raquetball with Todd, movies with the guys, gardening, and, oh yeah, house hunting! AHHHH!

May 25, 2003 Open Housing Did our first open housing today - went out to The Falls with Sharon and checked out a couple houses (and avoided a couple that just screamed "don't enter!"). The first one looked nicer from the outside, and the walk from the front door, through the living room and dining room to the back deck was real nice, but the rest of it wasn't so hot. WHO converts a pantry into a bathroom with a collapsing closet door?!?! I told Brett the second house gave me a bad vibe as we were walking up towards it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find what looked small on the front was actually nice and not to cramped on the inside. Now I know what 1 1/2 floors means - but the attic-turned-masterbedroom was surprisingly nice! This couple had only lived there two years and made it look very stylish! We obviously need to look around a lot more, talk to our realtor, get pre-approved for a loan, etc, but this open housing could get fun!

May 24, 2003 This Garden My Monster I seem to have an addictive personality. I know I needed to get tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, and boooooy did I! I'm sure the first year is most expensive with this sort of hobby. I now have a flat of growies in the window with four types of tomatoes (Celebrity, Yellow Plum, Super Sweet 100, and Beefmaster), eggplants (Black Beauty), cucumbers (Burpless), Peppers (Red Beauty sweets, Bell Boy sweets, Jalapeno hots, and Habanero hots), plus two batches of petunias.... Poor Notch has been booted out of his usual window space as these guys wait for nicer and warmer weather to be added to the garden. Also picked up two 6-packs of 6" bamboo shoots so I can build some sort of garden trellis for the cukes, cantelopes, snap peas, etc.

I've got my winter squash and melon seeds on order: Watermelon Everglade, Cantelope Park's Whopper, Melon Gold Bar (cross between cukes and cantelopes?!), Pumpkin Sorcerer hybrid, Early Butternut, Small Wonder Butternut Squash and Table Ace Acorn Squash.

I've got a flower heavy front end of the garden and a back end that's going to require some strategic placing. I've already doodled on my most recent sketch of the garden, figuring approximate placings of all the new transplants, the trellis, and the on-order seeds (hurry up and get here little seeds!). This sketch involves digging a path half way through the back section of the garden - that super big bed is just gonna have to be more navigable, otherwise I run the risk of not being able to get anything out of it!! Still having fun!!

May 21, 2003 RIP Anya Well, Buffy's done. All gone! I'll actually miss some of the supporting cast the most - Willow (fingers crossed that she'll show up on Angel), Anya (Rest in peace our sweet, funny, talented, goofy, bunny-fearing ex-demon), Xander, Dawn (who really deserved more of a chance), and Andrew (we need to see more of this guy!) were so much fun!!! Buffy herself was pretty cool, but so out of character this season. The show kinda went out with a whimper - even if they did sink an entire city, it just kinda fizzled, and left way too many questions hanging (and not the good kind that excite you). But it's done. Should be interesting to see how Angel reflects some of last nite's happenings next season!

Oh, and Smallville's season finale ROCKED!

Now if I would just make the time to get the most recent gardening pics up!!!! SOON!

May 17, 2003 Playing in the Dirt Took Dave with us out to Two Amigos for dinner last nite - yum!!! Came home and got web work done...and need to get more done this morning because we have a long day ahead of us. Heading over to Randy & Larry's in a short bit, where they're putting all us guys to work on their yard. Seems all their soil settled and the builder had to drop off more. I think we're doing some landscaping as well? Will try to add pics of us hot guys working hard to the gallery soon... Then they cook us steak dinners (yum!), and at some point we all clean up before heading out to see The Matrix Reloaded tonite. I think there's been mention of margaritas as well...should be a fun day!

And tomorrow - back to my own garden (assuming it's dry enough after all the rain we've had...) Will have to see if any of my stuff's where I planted it, or if it all washed away!

May 13, 2003 Stuph Buffy tonite! I believe it's the next to last episode? I'm losing track.... It's really hard to tell - it doesn't feel like there's much of a sensible build up to the series...so I guess we'll just watch it do it's thing. Maybe it'll all come together better on DVD. I won't let Brett put our season 3 DVDs back in until AFTER the final season is over - I don't want to dilute the experiece.

Angel - now THAT season finale ROCKED!!! I can't wait to see if they follow through with the paradigm shift this fall, or stick with the same feel, HQ, etc of this past season. Keep Lylah! She's too cool...

I'm hoping to get out to my community garden plot soon. I'm so very excited about this (ok, maybe overly excited?!). I've been reading up on Square Foot Gardening, bought seeds, a trowel and hose, looked around at transplants and things to add to the soil, etc. I've even found my plot in aerial (satellite?) photography at MapBlast! Yup, this is definitely going to be fun! Give me a few months and I hope to have more zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers than I know what to do with. The fun part is I've got people making requests, and Todd's even offered to help with garden set up and maintenance... Cool!

And speaking of getting dirty, this coming weekend we get to play in the dirt at Randy and Larry's place. Time to do some landscaping with the boys. If this is going to be an annual event, hopefully next year will be our turn! Randy and Larry have the whole thing planned: work our asses off all day, treat us to a steak cook out, clean up, and see Matrix Reloaded. Fun fun fun!

May 10, 2003 Dim Sum Anyone? MMMM! Todd and Lu invited Brett and I out for dim sum and asian grocery shopping in Cleveland. Brett declined, deciding to stay home and play video games and get some work-related errands done (it had NOTHING to do with his aversion to scary asian cuisine and grocery stores, I'm sure! ;-) The dim sum was great, varied, and very filling (oof!), and our cart was plenty full at the grocery store. Now I've got all kinds of goodies to snack on or make meals out of... Man Pocky anyone? Ok, so Todd actually bought the Man Pocky and Hot Nuts! I got the Little Stubbies, as I'm fondly referring to the mini-bananas. Thanks for the fun day Todd and Lu!

May 08, 2003 Buffy Down / Angel Up This is sad - with each new episode Buffy just seems to be going downhill. The good news is that with each new episode, Angel's TOTALLY been impressing us. We LOOOOOVED last nite's Angel! Holy shit was that cool!! They could be setting things up for a whole paradigm shift for next season, and I think I'd be just peachy with it. Buffy, with only two episodes left, seems to be tearing apart the characters, rewriting personalities, forgetting who and what the show is about, and hey, what the hell, let's toss in this Excalibur-like weapon to save the day at the last minute. :( I'm disappointed... I'm hoping thing's'll pick up in the last two episodes, but from the spoilers I've read, I don't think that's happening. Bummer.

May 03, 2003 X2 - WOW Saw XMen 2 today - WOW! That was sooooo good! While I didn't have any major issues with the first movie, this one was even better!!! I could easily see it again tomorrow and not be bored! Afterwards, "we guys" (including Larry's boys) went to scarf down some good grub at The Winking Lizard. Now I'm stuffed, tired, and need to settle down to some work. No going out partying like last weekend... And we stopped to get ice cream at Giant Eagle (Brett's fault) and saw some cute guy who had a MUCH easier time picking his flavor. Poor guy should've grabbed a basket - was all loaded down with Ramen, wrapping paper, etc and then had to figure out how to hold his ice cream. We swapped smiles, but then again, we did that with all the other folks having a hard time picking their ice creams. It was only when we were checking out that Brett mentioned he had some gay event logo on his shirt - and I totally missed it! Bummer! Well gay ice-cream-eating Ravenna guy - if ya cross paths with us again, feel free to say hey. Could always use more friends out here in Ravenna!

Apr 29, 2003 Three Buffy's Left :( We're on the final countdown to the grand finale for Buffy, and it's just not looking good. Everyone's turning on her, but I gotta agree with them - she's got it coming. She's really starting to lose it and is alternating between wimping out and becoming a bitch. We'll see how it goes. Really looking forward to tomorrow night's Angel - last week's episode KICKED ASS. I only wish there had been a forum entry at Peter David's site - that always makes for a good read. And, hooray - XMen 2 is coming out this weekend! NOTHING will come between me and seeing this movie Saturday!!!

Apr 16, 2003 Don't Get It In The Eye! Oh no Xander! Whoa! All I can say is that Buffy redeemed it's somewhat slow-paced, not-going-anywhere run with a real hum-dinger last nite. MAN I didn't see that coming!! Yes, it's just a TV show, but when one of the main characters gets their eye jabbed out, well, that's pretty darn shocking!!!! And gross! Ew! Poor Xander... :(

Apr 08, 2003 Good Eats I've finally tracked down the email from Ray Ray with the Orzo Salad w/ Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon that she made a few paries back. When you make it, don't forget she replaced all of the dill with fresh cilantro! MMMM GOOD!

Apr 05, 2003 Our New BB Here's one for the gang... Wanna leave messages about dinner ideas, movie plans, etc? Check out our new bulletin board! Just register to login and leave your msgs for the gang and keep your email box clean! You can have fun with smilies and an avatar to represent yourself.

Mar 31, 2003 Attack of the Duck! QUACK!
Ok, so I'm playing around with the webcam a bit tonite....what is it about a camera that makes people juvenile!? :)

Mar 28, 2003 AHHHH! GET ME OUTTA HERE! Ok, so maybe that's a little overreactive - but it's toooo nice outside, and it's stuffy inside, and we're all feeling cooped up here at work and itching to get out. So we're staging a revolt. It's 2:20 now, and at 3:00 a bunch of us are leaving. I'm going the official route and filling out the paperwork for a couple vacation hours. Others have time saved up. The boss is on vacation this week, it's sunny outside, it's Friday afternoon during spring break. I need out!

Mar 22, 2003 Two fun nites out... Went out with Jay and Dave last nite to see Margaret Cho - VERY funny lady, but the audio at the place she was at sucked, so it was often hard to understand her. Still, we had a good time and lots of laughs. Afterwards we agreed that maybe Carolyn Rhea was more entertaining, but perhaps that's because all Carolyn did was jokes, whereas Margaret mixed in a lot of serious stuff, talk about racism and homophobia, war, etc.... Still, I wouldn't pass up her 15 minute talk about pooping her pants in the car! Before seeing Margaret Cho we had a really good dinner at Max's Deli, and then afterwards went out to The Grid. Looooong fun nite - we slept in LATE! Tonite it's off to see View From The Top with Randy & Larry, and then somewhere fun for dinner. Tomorrow is late lunch with Brett's folks and some shopping. Wow - busy weekend!

Mar 19, 2003 Children of Dune Ok, so that wasn't worth three nites/six hours of our lives. We watched The Children of Dune on SciFi the last two nite - it sure did LOOK cool, and we really liked some of the characters, but it was mostly just a bunch of talking that we could've done without. Special effects were cool. The clothes were cool. The scenery was cool. But the plot - hm, well, it was just hard to get into! This Saturday is Riverworld on SciFi - and I expect we'll be trying that. It *looks* cool, but who's to say if it'll keep our attention. And sad but true - this Friday nite is the series finale of Farscape. Hard to believe it's only been four seasons - although they stretch them out so long that each season seems like two. I'll really miss some of the characters - probably John, Erin, and Chianna the most!

Mar 16, 2003 Recipes etc... Saw "Bringing Down The House" with Dave yesterday - FUN MOVIE! Queen Latifa's a riot! Today we grabbed Two Amigos for lunch (YUM), and did a little shopping (yes, I bought more books - I have a problem). Annnnd... I've just finished posting the first three contributions to the new Recipes section here - check 'em out, come back for more, and make sure you send me yours!

Mar 15, 2003 Fun Day Ahead... After watching the first half of The Lord of The Ring: The Fellowship of The Ring last nite (the full-blown, majorly long extended version), we decided it was getting late and we'd watch the second half tonite. But first we're heading out to Beechwood Mall with Dave in a short bit so we can get Chic-Fil-A for lunch (YAY!), followed by a little window shopping and then "Bringing Down The House" with Queen Latifa and Steve Martin. Annnnd, since it was getting too late last nite, I think we're going to fire up the new fondue pot Randy & Larry got me for my bday - so it's gonna be chocolate dipped bananas, strawberries, and cake for dessert tonite - yum! I shouldn't slack all day though - I still haven't resolved all my problems with the backend stuff for the Hilgerts site. The weather's warming up, and they're planting seeds soon, so I need to get this site rebuilt soon!

Mar 09, 2003 I'm worn out! Whew! That was FUN! Thanks to everyone who came to the Private Moments sex toy party last nite! Everyone seemed to have a blast! We didn't have quite as big a turn out as expected, with a couple of last minute cancellations, but I think that's a good thing because the seating was juuuust right and, wow, did it take a long time to get everyone's orders in. Lots of laughter and chances to embarrass each other - too bad there's not much blackmail material! Anyhow - thanks for coming - I'll be REAL selective with what pics go on line when I get to 'em!

Mar 07, 2003 Soooo close... Grrr....having problems with the PHP and Flash interactions on the Hilgerts site revamp. Just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong - but I'm ALMOST there with completing it. Once I figure out how to updated existing records in the database, I can move on to the next part. I wish I had friends who were into Flash who could look into this with me... Missed out on R/Evolution's "soft" opening tonite - I'm sure we'll make the grand opening when that occurs. Tomorrow nite is our sex toy party - care of Private Moments Party. This should be a real blast - once everyone get's over the embarrassment factor! ;-) I think we're gonna go see the new Steve Martin/Queen Latifa movie on Sunday - I can't wait!! Looks totally goofy! PS - Happy Birthday Mom!

Mar 05, 2003 Nuclear Reactions I'm so excited! I just found out that one of my favorite comicbook heroes of all time, Firestorm, is going to be making a comeback and getting his own series once again this August! Yay! Yeah, sure, it's geeky to get this excited, but... WOW! SO COOL! And over in web site world...a new page will be going up for the revolutiondotcom.com guys tomorrow after I get home from work. There's cool new work on a newsletter site for northcoastdogs.com that should be live soon, and I'm still doing some kick ass behind-the-scenes coding and Flash-work that'll be up on the hilgerts.com site this spring. Buuuusy boy!

Mar 04, 2003 Happy Birthday To Me! And a Happy Mardi Gras to everyone else... Revisited some of my style sheets here after learning some new tricks for a client site, and have utilized them here - cool! Brett was a great boyfriend and surprised me at work this morning with cake, a card and a present - hopefully he wasn't late to work! Hm. So this is what 34, er, 29 feels like, eh? I think I need more sleep now! :)

Mar 02, 2003 A Very Lucky Guy... ...to have such good friends. Last nite was my psuedo-surprise bday night out (hard to have this much fun on a Tuesday nite). Brett rounded up the guys to take me out to The Harp for Irish dinner, and then to Max's for over-the-top rich dessert, and then off to the Grid for a night of drinks, checking out hotties, loud music, and watching some odd balls. Just remember Frenchy, Cirque and The Tall Ones! Thanks Dave, Jay, Michael and Nick - I had alotta fun!

Feb 28, 2003 Tick tock, tick tock I'm soooooo waiting for the weekend. It's almost here. 2:45 at work on a Friday afternoon and it's just draaaaagging. I can't figure out what's stopping my scripts from working. They stopped being fun yesterday afternoon. It's almost too quiet here at work. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. :(

Feb 20, 2003 Brain Packing Learned some cool new stuff from Rick at work today - I hope to get the chance to use it on a more personal/freelance level soon, and explore what I learned before I forget it! Is it cheating if I take things he's learned and boiled down to their purest, simplest form over 8 yrs and then just go with the compact version?

Feb 19, 2003 Yeeehaw! Yay - finally managed to conquer some scripting/Flash stuff that's been driving me nuts and teasing me with LOOKING like it's right but not quite working. Brett heard me cheer from the other room once I finally got it working! Happy happy joy joy! (Jeph = Geek!) PLUS! Ordered tickets for Margaret Cho so Dave, Jay, Brett and I can go see her March 21st. That should be fun. Wonder if she'll wear us out as much as Carolyn Rhea did this past weekend?!

Feb 18, 2003 Happy Birthday Dave! Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, ha...ok, you get the idea. :)

Feb 17, 2003 Holy Snow! Wow. Wow. That's alotta snow out there this morning. Had to pull my car door open thru the snow drift up against my car, pushed the snow off the trunk and hood, and had to work at it just to get momentum to get moving in the parking lot this morning. The drive in could've been worse - there was still plenty of snow on the roads, piles of it left by plows in the middle of the roads, etc. Getting on to campus was rough... They've closed campus til noon, but staff are still expected in. Blah! I wanna go skiing or just be home in bed. Lucky Brett has today off!

Feb 16, 2003 Daredevil We were scared out of our sleep at 8am - Notch knocked a vase with Valentine's Day flowers off the entertainment center! After clean up, we went back to sleep. Got up with just enough time to stop at Best Buy in Montrose (Brett wanted to preorder the new Zelda game), and then met up with his folks for lunch. After hanging out there for awhile we met up with the gang to see Daredevil. Gotta say I enjoyed it more than I expected!! And even cooler - getting to see the new XMen 2 trailer!!!

Feb 15, 2003 Dave's Birthday Surprise Dave was told to be ready at 6pm. We picked him up and, surprise, ran into Jay at the Powerhouse in the Flats. After eating a really good dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery, we, surprise, just happened to have tickets to see Caroline Rhea in concert. Surprise! Randy and Larry just happened to show up as well! After laughing our asses off (she's one funny lady), some of us went off to The Grid where we got to oggle cute guys. Talk about a loooong nite!

Feb 14, 2003 Wonderful Boyfriend Brett fixed up his yummy fried chicken tenders, bad-for-your-arteries mashed taters, country gravy and corn for our Valentine's Dinner. Yum!

Feb 12, 2003 New Feature Alert? Time to see if I can beef up the behind-the-scenes stuff.... Can I easily add the Gallery entries (of which there haven't been any lately) to the database as well? Theoretically it's easy peasy!

Feb 11, 2003 Hooray! Thanks to my best friend Rick, {begin: kiss ass}the guy who's super smart and good at teaching this stuff{end: kiss ass}, I've managed to store the blog content for my personal site in a database. Only the four most recent entries show up on the home page, but you get the full she-bang on the Blog page. I still have to remember to enter the HTML code for links and stuff... Next I'll figure out how to use something like this on Hilgerts' site revisions (coming this spring), and on the May4.net site revamp (also this spring?). Wish me luck! PS - Tonite's Buffy ROCKED!! Really looking forward to next week's episode!

Feb 10, 2003 Show Me The Money! Went to see the accountant today - oh boy is that fun. Actually, it wasn't so bad - but I got the accountant's version of "you really do need to floss daily." So now I really am supposed to balance my accounts (at least the business ones) weekly (if not daily). I don't have enough money going thru here to bother doing it daily, but perhaps I'll be a good boy and set up a reminder in Outlook to at least do so weekly. Blah.

Feb 09, 2003 This's just a test No odd punctuation here - well, maybe that ain't true! I've just learned about the wonderful world of Magic Quotes in PHP! Man, what a stinker some punctuation can be! And, yes, there's a little time travel involved with the posting of this message one day ahead of the current date. So, no, nothing's broken.

Feb 04, 2003 I Will Survive Ok, perhaps this entry's title is a bit overdramatic, but I'm slowly figuring this stuff out. Much of it is with the help of Dreamweaver MX, but I need to continue to wean myself from DMX and be able to do this stuff freehand - then I'll be able to build a beautiful, kick-ass may4.net site for KSU!

Feb 02, 2003 Ta-Daaa! Oh yeah - I forgot to mention! Sherry's World (sherrysworld.com) was completed last week...a project both Sherry and I are very proud of. Now I just need to remember to add it to my Jephers Media site!

Feb 01, 2003 Grrr...I Hate Computers Getting very frustrated with myself because I can't figure out the basics of connecting to a MySQL database with PHP in Dreamweaver MX....GRRR!! Needed a break from other work and thought it would be a good chance to learn how to connect to the remote database. It's not like I haven't done this before with other sites and languages (ie North Coast Dogs - chock full'a ASP and connecting to an Access database.) And, of course, I left my PHP/MySQL book at work. :(

Jan 28, 2003 Toasty Warm It was practically balmy out today - 18 degrees! And then, to top off the 'warm' weather, there was more snow falling on the ride home - big pretty fluffy white clusters of flakes! (Ok, how gay did that sound?!) Spent the evening whipping up a good dinner for us (roasted chicken, roasted root veggies, and steamed green beans) and working closer to the completion of Sherry's World - soooo close!

Jan 26, 2003 Keeping Busy Met with a new client to discuss not one but TWO new sites! We spent a little over four hours at his place discussing designs and having a power-scan-fest (poor little scanner never had such a workout before!) - and then went out to find my car COVERED in snow again! Oh well, at least it wasn't as cold as last week...and it's very pretty out.

Jan 23, 2003 Sherry's World Working on a new site - site #2 for Sherry Bennett! She's entrusted me to create her new personal site...and so far it's coming together well and I'm trying some new tricks.

Jan 18, 2003 Food and Fun Had the guys over for wings (5lbs - yum!) and celery stick, chinese carry-out, and a movie... Fun nite! All this amidst the crazy stress of hooking up the new digital cable box (cool!), a computer near-death, and moving this site to a new host (meaning email mishaps). Brett's soooo good at the entertainment system wiring and resussitating computers! :)

Jan 12, 2003 All That Jazz! Saw 'Chicago' with the the guys last nite - wow, that was better than I expected!! Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rhenee Zelwegger and Queen Latifa were very impressive!

Jan 11, 2003 Social Life Going to see 'Chicago' with the gang, followed by dinner and a nite out!

Jan 10, 2003 Zzzzzzz..... Rebuilding this site.

Jan 03, 2003 Tow Path Took pics out at the Tow Path in the snow (still have to put them in the Gallery)