I’ve updated the photo gallery with some new pictures of Patti, the kids, and our family. Feel free to take a look!

On an unrelated sidenote, I never realized how hard it would be to find a set of headphones for my cell phone. I recently bought a memory card so I can use the phone as an MP3 player, but apparently my phone needs 2.5mm headphones and all the headphones I’ve been able to find at the store are 3.5mm. Who knew technology could be so complicated?

Speaking of technology, I’m loving the newest version of Firefox; it’s well worth the download.

And finally, I want to brag about my kids. Alexis got straight A’s in school yet again, and according to her report card she’s reading at a level slightly above 6th grade. Keep in mind that she’ll be entering the 4th grade next year, so how amazing is she? Nicholas is amazing too; he’s talking a ton more each day, and I can’t wait to see how he does in 5k next year. My cup runneth over when it comes to my two kids; that’s for sure.

Color me one happy guy, especially considering how long we’ve been without a camera here.

Tonight I received an unexpected message on AOL Instant Messenger from T, who I haven’t spoken a word to in over four years. To make a very long story short, we had quite a nasty falling out that came about in large part because of rather boorish and immature behavior on my part, and we didn’t speak nary a word to each other after all was said and done. To be honest, it was hard to lose a friend I’d known for several years, and I’m glad we had a chance tonight to start mending our fences.

One can never have too many friends, especially if those friends are quality people.

Found on Craigslist:

Exercise pole, chrome, never was installed, in box $35

Near new pole, still in box, no dings, etc. Daughter moved out. I’m too big to use this. Adjustable, mounts to floor and ceiling.
Key words: stripper, exercise, health, pole

All I can say is yikes! I hope I’m never in a position where I have to put my stepdaughter’s stripper pole up for sale on Craigslist.

H/T to Kevin B. for linking me to the ad.

So as I was taking a look at the Google Analytics stats for my other blog, I came across a listing of the search terms used by folks who found my blog. Ordinarily that’s nothing interesting, but included in today’s list was the following search term:

autistic kids naked

All I can say is there’s some sick people in this world.

And maybe I’ll start by cleaning the bedroom.

So apparently Pam Anderson is seeking an annulment from hubbie Rick Salomon after just two months of marriage. By itself, that’s not really news to me, given how fragile celebrity marriages can be - if Pam Anderson and Rick Salomon can even really be considered full fledged celebrities any more - but what really summed up for me why Pam’s marriages just never seem to work out is the following statement:

I paid off a poker debt with sexual favors, and I fell in love,” Anderson said. “It’s so romantic.

Yeah, because nothing says romance like prostituting yourself to pay off a $250,000 gambling debt.

• South Milwaukee is getting a Dunkin’ Donuts. As someone who loves a donut with my coffee in the morning, this couldn’t be better news, especially considering there’s no Dunkin’ Donuts between my house and my office(s).

• Valentine’s Day was amazing. I took Alexis to “A Night of Love” sponsored by the Alma Center, which is the domestic violence treatment center where I have an office. Perhaps the highlight of the night (besides winning a raffle prize of a $750 gift certificate to a local furniture store) was the fact that I found out my wife had written a dedication to have me included in Men We Love, a photojournal celebrating men who inspire others and make them better people. I am truly flattered and honored that my wife chose to dedicate a page in the book to me.
• I scored a new all-in-one printer/scanner today. It’s an HP C5280 All-in-One, and it’s beautiful. It’s not brand new; my father in law bought a new all-in-one because someone spilled chocolate milk on this one, so rather than him throw it out, I took it thinking I might be able to fix it. Sure enough, I was able to clean enough of the dried on chocolate milk off the internal workings of the printer to get it working again, and after printing a test page it seems to be working just fine.

Today’s To-Do list:

• Grocery shopping
• Random cleaning
• Laundry
• Hang out with Nick

Yeah, such is the life of a domestic dad. Ironically enough, I actually enjoy doing housework. Cleaning is relaxing, and despite my aversion to folding laundry, I know it needs to be done. However, my favorite weekend activity would have to be hanging out with Nick. He and I enjoy our “guy time” together, and to be completely honest I wouldn’t mind being a full-time stay at home dad.

If it were raining right now, it’d be like a monsoon outside. Not only is the snow coming down hard, but it’s being blown around thanks to thirty to forty mile per hour winds. Add to that the fact that we live within 400 yards of Lake Michigan - and get all the lake effect snow as well - and you can imagine what it’s like outside right now.

However, in case you were still wondering, here’s a few pictures…
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