The 10 Day Single Dad Test

The missus has left for a ten day trip to attend a couple conferences. This means it will be a men’s only affair in the Wallace house for a week and a half. So far things are going okay, but it’s only been twenty-four hours since she left and the boys are staying with my mom for the night so I can go to my final soccer game of the season. So come Monday morning will be the real test. I will be a single dad with 2 toddlers. I am hoping and praying there are no morning meltdowns while getting them ready for school. I can handle them any other time, but when they need to get to school and I need to get to work I can’t take it.

So wish me luck. Whether things go great or poorly, it will be quite a learning experience for myself and the boys. I am sure there will be quite a few funny stories after all is said and done.

Shaking Writer's Block

At least once a week I sit down with my laptop with the full intention of doing some serious writing for this blog. And like most weeks, I sit and stare at the screen with nothing to write. I don't know when I reached the point where I was consistently having bouts with writer's block. This is certainly new to me.  When I was in college, it was well known that I could sit down and crank out a 10 page paper in a little over an hour. I guess joining the workforce has slowly dwindled my skills in that area. Actually, now that I think about it... I've barely written since I finished my Master's thesis back in 2007. That needs to change.

One of the things I have noticed since I've been working is how many people lack adequate writing skills. I know you might be thinking, "You are a software engineer. The only thing you need to know how to write is code." That is only partially true. There is so much documentation that you have to write as a software engineer, not including writing white papers, which are basically small research papers where you explain a formal opinion on a technology (I've actually never written one, but that should probably change). I can't tell you how many times I've had to read through poorly written documents where often the information is not clear and makes no sense.

Anyway, I'm rambling at this point. There is no rhyme or reason behind this post. I just had a strong urge to actually write for the sake of writing for the first time in a long time. Hopefully this is the beginning of me getting back in touch with my inner writer. :)

I Am the Anti-Photographer

I have come to the realization that I am terrible at taking pictures to document my life. I think I have maybe taken a grand total of 10 pictures in the past 6 months. With all of the things going on in my life right now I should definitely be doing better. My boys are getting so big and I am going to be mad at myself 20 years from now when I don’t have any pictures from those precious Father/Son moments because I was too lazy to get my camera. Unacceptable...

So I am going to make a pledge to myself to try and snap a few pics a week. That should certainly get me going on my way and I can finally have recent pics of my boys when people ask to see them. :)

Another Year Bites the Dust

Well, 2011 has come and gone. It was a pretty good year for me as well as my family. If you don't mind, I'd like to share a few things from my year.

• This was the year that I finally picked up recreational reading. I have never been one to do much reading for fun. If you saw me reading a book, it was 9 times out of 10 a book having to do with programming. I just never saw reading fiction books as a form of entertainment. Then a funny thing happened... I had to take a business trip to Denver for a training class and since I was going with co-workers I would not have a car of my own to go and explore the city like I wanted. I was going to have to have something to kill the down hours and hotel TV is pretty sketchy and we don't have a Netflix streaming account. Cara suggested that I read a book she had read called Hunger Games. I had never heard of it, but after reading a sample I agreed to give it a try and loaded it on my Nook Color. Little did I know, but I was about start the beginning of what I would later classify as the most entertaining series of books I have ever read. I only hope it will continue and each book I read seems better than the next. Oh yeah, TEAM PEETA!!!
• I forced myself to be more healthy this past year. The year began with the yearly Crowley High School soccer alumni game (the alumni have won 4 or 5 years in a row, what! what!). I was playing as a defender and in my mind I was the same All-Region player I was back in 1999, but in reality I was a guy who was knocking on crossing the 200 lbs. mark who was huffing and puffing while trying to keep up with kids almost half my age. A week later I turned 30 and realized it had to stop. I now had 2 young sons to look after and growing into a fattie was not going to help that. (Yes, we also welcomed a new son this year, but I will get to that in a bit. You have to save the best for last...) So I promptly changed my diet with the suggestion of trying to limit my calorie intake to less than 2000 a day. A year later I am down to between 170 - 175 lbs. and hopeful to shed 5 - 10 more this year.
• I learned how to write apps for both the iPhone/iPad and Android devices. My job sent me to training for the iPhone apps and I taught myself how to write the Android apps. I am still very much a novice, but I look forward to improving on both. I just need to get my hands on a Mac so I can really practice on the iPhone apps at home. (So if anyone has a Mac Mini they'd like to send my way just let me know... *wink* *wink*)
• And now for the most monumental event of 2011... I was lucky enough to become a father for the second time with the birth of Topher. He is just as awesome as his brother. They look so much alike, but a little more of his mom found its way into his genes (I'll work harder on that next time, haha!). He's already almost 10 months old and time is flying by, but I will never forget the day and a half spent in the hospital while Cara was in labor. This little boy was extra comfy in his mother and decided to take a couple of extra week to make his appearance, and even then we had to make him come out. I was so proud of his mom. She was able to go through labor with no pain meds, even after having to take drugs to induce and speed up her labor. I did a lot more work this time around and together we got him here safe and sound. I am so excited for him to be here and could not imagine him not being here!

Well that's enough of my sharing. I really enjoyed 2011 and I hope you did too. Here's to en even better 2012!!

Champions Are Forever

I remember when I was in the 6th grade, I would walk the halls in my green Dallas Mavericks shirt at least once a week. Being in the Dallas area, this should not have been anything out of the ordinary. However, this was the Jordan era. The Bulls was in the middle of their first three-peat so everyone was rocking their Bulls gear. The Mavericks? They were everyone's least favorite team to cheer for and their most favorite to make fun of. In fact they were one step above he Washington Generals to most people.  So what was I doing in this shirt every week?

I easily could have joined the crowd, but I have always felt close to the Mavericks. They were the worst franchise in the league and quite frankly in pro sports in America for a long time. I would watch the games, season after season, hoping to see some glimpse of hope for the future. Well, tonight that hope was fulfilled when my Mavericks popped bottles to celebrate being the 2011 NBA CHAMPIONS!! I cannot fully explain what this feels like. This is a team that was given no chance to do anything this post-season, but through it all I believed. The Mavs could go on to win a thousand more championships, but I will always remember this one.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!