Pictures from Wi Dells

Considering we didn't really do much this weekend, Sunday ended up having enough distractions that I didn't get a chance to go through pictures. Finally got around to it this evening.

Since our weekend was mostly about Grandma and Megan, figured I'd start with a post of the two of them.



Megan checking out the cow with 6 legs. This was at Ripley's Believe it Or Not attraction. I've been at one before so I sort of knew what I was getting into.



Another picture from Ripley's.



After Ripley's we went to this very cheesy... I don't even know what to call it. It wasn't a fun house, it wasn't a scary house... Just a weird collection of things with a very weird tour guide. My brother and I tried to make the best of it.



The third day, Megan and I spent a lot of time at the dry park. (sadly, no pictures of the pool areas turned out due to humidity). We had a great time climbing around and going down all the slides.



More climbing action.



Enjoying a cold drink after an morning of climbing.



Random shots while walking around the hotel. We bumped into the hotel mascot.



And a nice fireplace... random, yes. Good picture, yes.



Last night at the hotel, Megan reading a book with Grandma.



The interesting aspect of this last picture is what happened yesterday. Megan is skilled enough to know how to turn on my digital camera and look through pictures on it (when in view mode) or take pictures with it (when in camera mode). Yesterday, she scrolled through the pictures and saw the above picture. She says, "Grandma and me reading Puff Puff, Toot Toot." It was interesting to me that Megan remembered the exact book she was reading with Grandma a full 5 days earlier from the picture of the event. Or did she recogonize the book and just state what she was seeing? It could be either or... Interesting!

Back to the Basics

Here we are, 2 1/2 weeks since my last post. It was by choice, no complaining this time. In this world of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all the rest, blogging will soon be just another lost art form. Nothing lasts forever.

Blogging can be as easy or as difficult as I feel like making it. Like a lot of things, it's just how you approach it. Sometimes I just need a new approach to see things for what they are. My blog is like that... It's been a place for me to share different things at different times. What I share and how much I share always seems to change over time.

So here we go, back to the basics of what this blog started as. A place to share interesting tid bits about my life that others might be interested in. I can't promise things won't change, but at least for awhile, I can promise a few things. No more bullshit posts, no more negativity, no more ramblings about things that piss me off.

I thought I'd start off with the big news of the last 2 weeks. We finally came to decide on a name for the new baby! That name is Casey Gayle Anderson. Interesting how it all worked out really, but aren't names always like that? We talked briefly about spelling variations, but Andrea likes the traditional the best.

The other big stuff recently was our family spring break vacation to Wisconsin Dells last week. It was from Sunday to Wed. It was fun for the most part, with usual family interactions plus a little extra for good measure. The important part is the Megan had a blast at all the water parks and a huge climbing indoor play park. I have 75 pictures to go through, I'll post some of the better ones tomorrow.

I blog. A a dog licks himself.

Coming up on 4 years of this silly blog, makes me wonder why I've kept it going so long. At first it was for me, then it was to post pictures of Megan, then it was to bitch. But for the most part it's always been for me. My own little exaggerated sense of self-importance. The truth is, I blog for the same reason a dog licks himself. Sad? Maybe.

This week isn't getting any better. Work sucks, but no longer do I feel there is anyone to blame. I can finally see the machine for what it is. No one is at fault for being a part of the machine, it's how we all collect a pay check. Be a part of the system, don't fight it. (please, no comments about how I can choose to do something else, change jobs, find meaning in a job, etc.) Still, some days it feels like I'm the only one motivated to do better work simply because I like income. And because of the fact that I want to make a product that sells well, the customers like, and that helps generate more revenue, (so I have more chance at increased income) I'm the bad guy for pointing out obvious bad things. Yeah! Go me! I'm a team player!

I'm not even going to get started about the weather... I signed up for this stupid 10 mile run this weekend, and it's like 5 below out side. Why did I sign up? For the free T-shirt... Hey wait, I just picked up the shirt today. Why run in the cold? Motivation is slowly slipping away.

Aside from that, last Sunday was awesome. It was probably the best day I've had in quite some time. It wasn't without it's down sides as well, but whatever. I enjoyed Watchmen VERY much, and need to see it again. It was the best movie I have seen in quite some time. Anyone that doesn't like it should read the comic, then see it again. If you still don't like the movie, then you probably just don't like the story (or the comic).

Here's a new one. Megan just fell asleep in my arms while writing this post. Did I just bore her to sleep? Quite possibly... It's 7:30pm, or technically 6:30pm prior to day lights savings. Somehow I have this odd feeling that putting her in her bed to sleep right now is going to be an all time back fire. Who needs sleep anyway, it's overrated. See you at 2am Megan!

And the week shall prevail

The good: Ran 3 days in a row this week with no pains, and by the third day, I'd say I am 100%. Good to feel better finally, especially since I ended up signing up for a 10 mile race for next week. At first I wasn't going to do it, being this early in the year, but it's paid for by my work. Too hard for me to pass up a free run and T-shirt.

The bad: The dark cloud that formed at the end of Feb has yet to pass. Is it that time already? It's usually around once every 6 months. Looking back I think I made a full year this time. It's hard to talk opening and honestly about all the things that have me down right now. Such a mixture of many things, most of which are too private to post about here.

I think that is part of the main reason I haven't been posting much in general. Why bother blogging if I can't really share? I mean, my day to day life is far from exciting. Down right boring for the most part. And I'm certianly not clever enough to come up with interesting whitty blogs about observations on life. (especially when most of those observations are of the negative type)

So where does that leave me? Not sure... Somewhere between trying to enjoy my time with Andrea and Megan, gaming with one of my old best friends from years ago, spending time with my brother and sister in law to see Watchmen this weekend (just finished the novel).

In the end, maybe it is simply just the next phase of my life looming over me that has me brooding about the future again. I'm excited of course, but at the same time seeing the crest of the wave. Am I ready for it to hit? Am I going to be able to ride it, stay on top, and not get buried? Will my current situation hold out long enough to support the ones that need it the most?

The unknowns. They always get to me, because in my mind, it's best to consider all the negative outcomes first. If you assume bad things will always happen, then even the most mundane of good things can seem like the best thing in the whole world.