Baby Update

It's been a while, I know. Anyway, the baby is still due on July 2nd and is a boy. His name will more than likely be Riley.

Videos of some of my original works for piano

My Original Works For Piano:
Nocturne in A Major #1: YouTube Video ; Sibelius Scorch File
Nocturne in A Major #2: YouTube Video ; Sibelius Scorch File
Nocturne in A Major #3: YouTube Video ; Sibelius Scorch File
Nocturne in A Major #4: YouTube Video ; Sibelius Scorch File
Prelude in F Major: YouTube Video ; Sibelius Scorch File
Prelude in E Major: YouTube Video ; Sibelius Scorch File

RIP Great Grandma Annie

December 18, 1913 - November 15, 2008. I am so happy and honored to have known you and have you in my life. I love you so much and miss you so dearly.

Until we meet again! Rest in peace, grandma, and enjoy yourself in your reunion with the ones lost before you.

I'M GOING TO BE A DADDY!!!!!

We just found out this last weekend! Kassandre and I are both very excited and happy! The due date is July 2nd. More info as it comes. I'll post an ultrasound when we get one too! So exciting!

I (Finally) Got A Promotion!!!

This is one that's been a long time coming, and finally it's mine. Today was my first day training for my new job as SIMS Coordinator, replacing my old job of Photo Specialist at Walgreens. I will spend this week and next training at my current location before being transferred to another store, which is a brand new store that hasn't even opened yet. I'll be starting there on the 20th, with the grand opening not being until the 31st. Halloween day, but it's okay since it will be a morning shift.

Along with this promotion comes a very nice Monday through Friday schedule, with one 'late' day (usually Monday, but could be any if I choose, 'late' being something like 10 to 6:30) and then all morning shifts for the rest of the week (8 to 4:30 usually). A full 40 hour week and a raise to boot. Very nice!

The only downfall is that my wife (YES! You heard correctly, my WIFE! I got married on the morning of Monday, September 8, 2008, to my beautiful girlfriend [now wife obviously] Kassandre!) usually works late shifts, and usually works weekends, so it will put an unfortunate pinch on how much time we get to see each other. However we have been lucky enough to be getting at least one day a week off together (hoping trend will continue or improve) plus some mornings / evenings together. She plans to go back to school sometime soon and leave the retail scene behind her, which I'm sure would also give her a much more stable schedule than what she gets now.

Well after quite some time in hiatus from my blogging it's hard to say when I'll be back again. I had hoped to keep this a regular thing but obviously it hasn't been. lol.

Oh yea before I forget, in addition to the last two pieces of news, we also have a new kitten. His name if Frank, which is the name that he had at the animal shelter where we got him. It just kind of stuck. He's a little black cat, estimated to be about half a year old. We got him for Kassandre's birthday.

Anyway, that's all for now. Til next time!

I am Cascadian

One topic that floats through my mind from time to time is that of an independent Cascadia. There are a few different ideas on what area Cascadia shall encompass, but the basic idea is the same, for the areas of the Pacific Northwest to secede from their respective governments (the US and Canada) to form a new one of their own, commonly known as Cascadia or The Republic of Cascadia.

It is commonly pointed out when talking about Cascadia that the entire region seems to have its own culture, its own way of life, and its own way of thinking that seems to set us apart from the rest already. And with the abundance of natural resources within the boundaries of Cascadia, especially when talking about its bioregion, it could well be one of the wealthiest nations on the planet.

Cascadia would also promote a greener way of life. One goal, for example, is to find a cleaner, more renewable resource for fuel than to rely on fossil fuels. Another goal would be to protect our old growth forests with strict laws and to dedicate more area to parkland and wildlife/nature reserves.

Whether or not an independent Cascadia will ever happen, let alone in my lifetime, is not a question to which I or anyone really has an answer, but it is an intriguing question none the less, and one worth considering for the people who inhabit this corner of the world.

And now in closing, I leave you with some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_(independence_movement)
http://republic-of-cascadia.tripod.com/
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103734435
http://www.cascadianow.org
http://cascadians.tribe.net/
http://cascadiacommons.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cascadian_Bioregionalism/
http://republic-of-cascadia.tripod.com/id37.html
http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/cascadia/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/ringfingers/cascadia.html
http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&program=Cascadia-News&id=2308
http://www.altacolumbia.com/pages/autonomy.html

A simple search on an engine such as google will be able to provide you with still more websites and information, but this should be plenty to get you started with.

And that's what I have for now. Til next time!

Glad to be going back to my home store

Over the weekend I was borrowed out to another store in my district to fill in for an employee who called out. What a nightmare. I always thought that my store was bad, but my store is a mere walk in the park compared to the one that I was borrowed out to. This store (which is now managed by my old manager, the one that hired me into the company) is a LOT crazier than my store. It's so incredibly busy there that I had a couple of hours straight of solid customers my first day there. Literally. I've never seen it so busy, even around the holidays, at least not for the photo lab! The store also gets WAY more thrashed than my store by the end of the night, too. It's horrible!

The customers themselves were mostly friendly, though. In fact not many people got upset or threw a fit there like at my store. But overall I'll take my store over that one any day. In fact I sent a message to one of my coworkers telling her that we were never allowed to say that our store was busy ever again, because I'd seen what busy really is, and it's at that store.

The second day there the photo printer didn't even have any power going to it! All cables were securely in place, I couldn't figure out what the problem was! I tried calling the store's head photo but couldn't get a hold of her. I then tried calling the tech support and stayed on hold for about 15 minutes before finally just leaving a message to have them call me back. It wasn't until a couple of hours later that they finally did, while I was on my lunch break, but luckily there was another photo specialist there to take the call. Turns out the problem was that the computer on the photo printer had entered into sleep mode, and the solution was to hold in a certain button near the circuit breaker for 5 seconds and then reboot the computer. Simple as that, and now we had MANY overdue orders to catch up on. Not a pretty sight. One customer did end up complaining about it to the point that the manager assured her that she could have her prints free of charge when they were ready. At least I'll know for next time how to resolve the problem of no power going to the photo printer's computer!

Anyway, very happy to be returning to my regular store today. I feel sorry for my old manager. He left a better store for a crazy and extremely busy one. I guess there's a lot of theft there, too. There's a lot of theft at my store, but this one I was borrowed out to actually has their own security guard! Wow.

Well, that's all I have for now. Until next time!