Promotional

I've known about the possibility since late November, but as of this morning, at work, I have officially been promoted. Though it is one of those neat little pay-free promotions (as in, sans raise), not that I'm unthankful for the opportunity. It's a big step, provoking the comment to a colleague... failure is not an option, but it is a distinct possibility. Not an original statement, but a genuine sentiment.

Basically I was over one software project with about ten folks, and now I'm over three software projects with about forty people. Within minutes of the position being official (and I define official by my name being in the appropriate block on the officially distributed organization chart), I received notice of no less than five meetings I am to attend over the next couple weeks, that I didn't know about when I walked in the door this morning.

Challenges, they are awaiting.

DON'T PANIC

To borrow a line from one of my favorite authors, Douglas Adams, who I was so fortunate to be able to meet just before he passed, I must remind myself what the cover of the book says... DON'T PANIC.

You see, today was Darby's first dance of her middle school years (technically it was the school's second dance, but she, thankfully, opted not to go to the first). Oh, yes, I remember middle school, and the dances, and the things we maturing boys hoped would happen. And now my first born daughter is deep in the middle of all that... boy goo. Eck.

I can't look. Is it safe to open my eyes yet?

An ode to my little trooper

Poor, poor Darby. She's such a good girl, but she gets so disrespected by life sometimes. In first grade it was ringworm of the scalp, which gave her a bald spot in the middle of her head for six months. In second grade it was a broken leg, which was seven weeks of unpleasantness (in a two-story school with NO elevator). Third grade brought us head lice (well, Darby anyway, Shelby and I were fortunate to escape), which was as terrible as it sounds. In the summer before fourth grade she got her head crapped on by a bird, but we didn't have anything to clean it out with, so she had to wait until we walked a mile, literally, before there were facilities for her to use to clean her hair. I think fifth grade was serious incident free, but sixth grade has seen chicken pox in the first half, and now... warts. Yum.

Darby approached me late last week saying her foot hurt. I took a look, and there was a large callous-like bump, but that looked like it could have been a wart. It got quite worse since then, so we went to the doctor today, and sure enough, she has a big giant wart, and two smaller ones. Fantastic.

So she got to experience having a portion of the wart cut off after a mild local anesthesia. She also got to experience having liquid nitrogen applied to her foot (though there was a fun aspect of that... afterward the doctor let her pour it on the floor to watch it evaporate... neat!). But it's not over. We have to use a home-based treatment for a couple weeks before going back to the doctor for at least one more, but possibly two more treatments before the big one is totally gone. Oh what fun!

Pool party in January

Darby bears the unfortunate burden of a winter birthday. For a kid, particularly of her age, this is a terrible thing. Contrast that with Shelby's deep-Summer birthday of August, and my nicely timed Fall Classic (October), and well, Darby doesn't much like us for that.

The trouble with a winter birthday is, of course, finding creative new indoor venues since a picnic in the park is inadvisable at best. When she was younger, not so much the big deal perhaps. In these recent years, however, she's begun to notice the shrinking original (to her) possibilities.

But this year, she finally got her summer birthday. So to speak.

We're fortunate to live in a building with an indoor pool. And equally fortunate the management allowed us to push the capacity limits of the small lap pool to have a bunch of screaming pre-adolescent girls running walking around. She had SUCH a blast! Hopefully photos will be published to the album before long.

Happy new blogs day

New year, new blog, right?

Well, maybe. Or not. I'm somewhat of an anti-resolutionist when it comes to this time of year, so I'll make no promises I definitely cannot keep. 2007 has certainly been the dark ages of this blog, but I wouldn't hold out hope for a renaissance in 2008. For reasons I cannot elaborate upon, there is much to say, but less desire to say it. And so I fall back on one of my all-time favorite unattributable quotes...

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."