The end of an interesting week

From Cooper crawling around

A bit of a roller coaster week, glad to have it in the rear view. Started things off by flying out Sunday night, which felt weird and things just spiraled out of control from there. Sure felt good to get back to CO, even better than most weeks...

Wednesday was the apex. In about a 15 minutes span I went from enjoying a tasty brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tart to being jaw dropped as I saw information rolling across FB.

Laid off from a company I used to work at: Tracy....then Duke....then Jake.

3 days later I still don't really profess to understand what went down, but before it could even sink in I found myself being called into a conference room. Found out that my project was being, at least temporarily, cutback with major changes in staffing including me losing both my technical resources that report to me.

Started having flashbacks to the last time the powers that be decided to shake things up. Ultimately that day is what pushed Jill and I to relocate to Colorado, making something very good out of what was one of the darker days I've been a part of. Admittedly, Wednesday I was scatterbrained all day. Focus was minimal and I found myself really sad that I was stuck in Calgary while the whole family was headed to the OSU/CU game.

Found some therapy in the form of the bike trainer, which helps me take the edge off on stressful days. Still sorting through it all and digesting, but all that is certainly an easier task in the thin air back home than on the road. MJ and Yack's visit is now over, but the weekend is not which is a very welcome thing. Couple days at the house, another two trips up to the frigid north and then a much needed week at home.

About the time it all starts to go from a boil to a nice simmer, Blake drops another bombshell on Facebook....3rd kid on the way!

And to lighten the mood, some pics of the wonder kid from last week...

From Cooper crawling around

From Cooper crawling around

From Cooper crawling around

From Cooper crawling around

A happy kid

From Crawling Cooper

Jill snapped some new pics of Cooper, who looked to be having a fine day yesterday. We got real lucky to have a kiddo who is (for the most part) incredibly happy and pretty easy to understand (cry means tired most days), and the glorious thing is that he consistently sleeps through the night from 9pm to 6:30 or later.

On to the pics...

Cooper likes to show his standing prowess off, and freestyles with one hand

From Crawling Cooper

From Crawling Cooper

This kid pulls himself up on anything he can his hands on

From Crawling Cooper

And has already developed a bit of a smirk. Not sure where he gets that.

From Crawling Cooper

From Crawling Cooper

From Crawling Cooper

Kinetic Cooper....The Movie

I've been a bit lacking in my video posts. We've got a super sweet HD camera and we capture a lot of video, but it usually ends up on the cutting room floor. I recently upgraded to iLife 09 (big upgrade from 08) and decided to give iMovie a tryout today while Cooper was napping. I got a little carried away with some of the new features, but I found it entertaining.



Here is a bigger, slower loading version off YouTube

A mere coincidence....or a pen name?

My Google IG page (customized Google home page) has lots of different things on it. Gmail, Weather, Sports, News, Stocks, etc and also has a "Quote of the Day" that I've put on it. I typically glance at it, then move along but today's seemed eerily direct, especially give the name of the person being credited. Seems a little suspicious to me...

I'm getting old...

I hate pretty much everything these days. I really try to not make my blog a soapbox, but goodness I just can't help it today. Every "news" (I used that term lightly) story I read today just had me shaking my head. Just a grumpy, tired guy who is on the road having a bad day? You be the judge...

The Idiot Octuplet Mother, now accepting donations
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I really hate just about everything about this story. Unemployed woman drawing welfare payments, already has 6 kids that she seemingly can't care for decides to throw down for 8 more of them. I'm absolutely convinced she did this expecting to get her own "John and Kate Plus 8" type show. I will be absolutely flabbergasted at any "news" agency that pays this woman even a cent. Shocking, tonight the latest "news" story is that California tax payers will be footing the $1 million dollar health care bill to deliver the octuplets. Shocking that the unemployed idiot can't cover that bill isn't it?

Boulder High students want to rename to Barack Obama High School.
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The guy is in office for what, 3 weeks? Yeah signing a bill that delays the already ridiculously long and drawn out digital TV conversion into law, that surely is justification to have the oldest high school in Colorado renamed in your honor.


Banks and Wall Street still blowing through bailout money
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Yep, my bank Wells Fargo is the latest bank to take bailout money and then do ridiculous things like it. Why should Wells Fargo miss out, they've all given huge bonuses, spent millions on important things like remodeling an office, corporate jets, parties, etc. I'm frankly just disgusted by it and ready to let the banks, the big 3 and the mortgage industry crumble and start over. Its clear to me the government isn't helping, they have no idea where the money thats already been paid out has gone and seemingly have no recourse against the free spending banks they keep pouring money into it.

And it just goes on and on...
I really don't care one bit if Jessica Simpson is fat.
I'm disgusted that some pop star guy who've I've barely heard of beat up his girlfriend.
You've got the unbelievable ex-governor of Illinois, Bernie Made-Off with your cash, and the list goes on and on.

Its really just too much. Makes a guy think about just moving to Canada.......well OK maybe it isn't that bad....

I think I'm going to be alright...

Last weekend was a good weekend, and makes me realize that although not 100% that I'm not that far off. My Friday ride was spoiled by super winds that just didn't look like much fun to be pushing the 34x20 gearing in so I bailed and hung out with Super Cooper on the floor.

Saturday, I got up and headed to Teller Farm...a real trail. Teller is about a 1 out of 10 on the technical rating, but its trail and dirt and it felt great. Its and out and back, and mostly doubletrack but I was all smiles as were most of the people out on the trail. Lots of dogs, kiddos, and people happy to be out on a nice morning.

The one catch was that its mostly downhill on the way out, and mostly up on the way back. With gears it wouldn't have been much of an effort, but with the single the last hill (which is the only real climb) just about killed me. I labored up it, completely blown by the time I got to the top but I rode the whole thing. Lets hope it gets easier from here.



Sunday was supposed to be a dreary, snowy day but we've learned to never trust the weather forecasters on the Front Range. Ignoring the calls for bad weather, we loaded up the whole family in the Jill Mobile and headed up the canyon. Upon arriving at Big Elk Meadows, we were the only car around. Perfect.

Cooper was suited up in his snowsuit and strapped in the Bjorn and we headed out. The dogs were giddy and gleeful to be out and about, running through every patch of snow they could find. We did a nice hike out to a big open meadow, took a break and then headed back. A good 4 - 5 mile hike at elevation on a trail that was at times super icy and tricky, but the Achilles felt really good. I continue to push it a bit and it is responding really well. I feel very confident that skiing in the next few weeks is a real possibility. Who'da thunk it 12 weeks ago?

Mobile.

No not Mobile, Alabama.

Not Mobile phone.

Mobile as in Cooper is very mobile these days. He went from several weeks of attempted crawling and sometimes backwards movement to scooting all over the place in a hurry. We all kind of knew once he got it all figured out that he'd be all over the place in a hurry.

Jill had him sitting in the living room, walked over to the sink to wash something off and by the time she got back he had scooted all the way to his high chair and was tugging at the bibs. He looks a bit guilty in these photos Jill snapped...






He's on the move and learning new tricks all the time. Jill said that he has already figured out how to go from sitting to crawling back to sitting. Perhaps the more notable feat was that he was able to pull himself up using the couch. He's taken a couple small tumbles with his new found standing ability, but we expect he won't be content with crawling and he is now going to be focusing his energy on walking. He's gonna be tough to keep up with....