Guess what?  Life’s been busy for me … surprise surprise eh?  The big change which has occurred  in the Carder household is the fact that Shari has started a new job.  Yessir after fifteen or so odd years of selling soap at the Body Shop she has now entered into the wilds of the corporate world.  She’s working for a data harvesting company as a receptionist / office coordinator.  It’s a good fit for her, and thus far she’s really enjoying herself.  It’s slightly less than full time hours, so she can boogie home early and pick up the kids from day care.

Oh, there’s change number two.  BOTH of the Carder kids are now in daycare.  For Brie it’s just another day but it’s a pretty big change for the big man.  His first week went well aside from the fact that there was only one day where he didn’t have an incident report.  If you’re not in the know, any time that a child hurts themselves, there’s paperwork.  An incident report.  In a short week of four days, my son had three.  That kid is going to be a bruiser.

And for me?  Well, once again I’m trying to get back to the gym on a regular basis.  It’s a glorified excuse of course to use my iPhone, not only for some tunes but also for some workout tracking apps.  And of course the foursquare checkins.  You can’t forget those.

So what does all of the above mean?  It means that our happy little family is doing quite well adjusting and that makes me happy.  It leads me to hope that if my kids can adjust to change like this, then they’ll be better prepared for what life may have in store for them.  Granted they’re not going through major upheaval, but who knows what will come down the road next?

No sir … I might be all about the tech stuff … for instance, let me apologize to those following me for the oversharing of late … between TwitPic and FourSquare, I may have been a little too forthcoming … back on track, yes I love the tech stuff … but I also like to enjoy some low tech things to play around with.

My most recent forays into the low tech world have come about because of my renewed interest in D&D.  Running sessions for the boys, I’ve been experimenting for the part year on ways to deliver a better experience at the game table.  This has led to some very amateurish wood working and crafting.  I’m getting more comfortable running with a dremel now, with only that one head injury to speak of.

So my mind has started trying to figure out other little projects that I might be able to do around the house.  A CD holder for Shari in the van, because with her returning to work she’s going to be listening to music a lot more.  A holder of some kind for my new tech toy, the iPhone.  Something that will allow me to set it down and watch movies and such.  I was even trying to figure out a way to make a shade tent using PVC piping.  However that one bit the dust based on costs.  But where one project may die, several more will rise to take it’s place.

I’ve always … ALWAYS … been in awe of people who can create things with their bare hands.  I spend so much of my day mired in things which are virtual and intangible.  Sure you can make a good looking web site, but it’s not the same as carving something out of block of wood.  Of building a motorcycle from scratch.  Even something as simple as drawing a comic strip.  All of these things are born from an artist’s two hands and their mind.  I often wish that I can reach something close to what these people do, and as of late my little projects have scratched that itch.

Another part of this is about my kids.  I want them to see that it is possible for them to grow their creativity.  To see that nothing should ever hold them back and that if they want to create there is nothing in their way.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if there’s a Dremel Jr. for the kids …

Those who know me are aware that for many a year I’ve had a powerful gag reflex, The mere thought of even something I didn’t like approaching my mouth was enough to set me off gagging.

Which is why I’m so amazed at how things have changed for me. Sure you bring the wrong food within visual distance of me, WHAMO! And yet, this morning …. As he does most mornings … Logan obliterates his diaper … Poop shooting out everywhere … and I don’t even bat an eyelid. Just got my hands in there and started cleaning up.

Man, I must be a parent or something ….

Hello world!  Time for another bunch of random thoughts from yours truly.

First off and most importantly, Logan turned one this past week.  Just when I think our little family has settled into something resembling a routine, along comes another of life’s milestones.  And when they come knocking, they usually involve some kind of awe-inspiring life changing changes.  You’d think having seen Brianna do it already, I would be numb to some of Logan’s achievements.  Happily it’s not the case and as I watch as he takes his first steps, starts climbing stairs, starts mumbling MaMa or DaDa … it just rocks my world.  Happy birthday Budgie-Boy!

Now … in regards to the title of this post … yes, I finally have my Jesus phone.  The right deal finally came around and I’m now rocking an iPhone.  And let me tell you, there’s a reason they call it the Jesus phone.  Man does it do EVERYTHING  I’m Twittering.  I’m Facebooking.  I’m reading my news.  I’m listening to my music.  I’m watching videos.  I’m doing location based social networking gaming!  I may even put in a phone call here and there!

So clearly I’m enjoying it.   Perhaps too much as I’m littering some of your facebook pages with some of my little application test runs. “Mike is now the mayor of Blockbuster,” like you care …   I think the biggest thing that I’m enjoying is that as I wonder if there’s an application which could fulfill a need which I randomly think of during the day … BOOM … there IS an app for that.  I know it’s cliche but I’m just amazed at how much is available for this thing.  Perhaps the only thing which I’ve found thus far to be on the weak side is Dungeons and Dragons support.  Even that, I don’t think I’ll be running campaigns from my phone, but my laptop instead.

Yep, I’m an iWhore.  And at this particular moment, I don’t think I really care at all.

Hey there in Timbit land!  I guess it’s about high time that I posted SOMETHING out here.  Do I say that a lot?  I think maybe I do … maybe I should just post more often?  Hunh …

So the weather is turning REALLY nice as of this past weekend.  Which meant that the family got to spend a LOT of time outside this weekend.  Shari and I had decided to pick up a season’s pass to the zoo this year, and we’ve already made the most of that investment.  Brie loves going, if not for the animals then at least to just see a whole bunch of stuff that she thinks is neat.  She’s such a little explorer and is always asking “What dat?” or asking you to “Come!  Daddy come!”  Logan?  He’s just happy period so I guess it doesn’t matter to him where he is …

TV Season is wrapping up for the year with most series having their finales in the past couple of weeks.  I wish that Shari and I could say that we’re not addicted to TV … but really?  The way the kids run us ragged by the end of the day all we want to do is collapse onto the couch and veg.  I’m sure we could try and emulate some motivational posters and “Seize Life TODAY” or something … but really?  The people who wrote those posters didn’t have small children.  Anyway … Shari and I have really enjoyed a number of standout shows this past year and I think we’re already DYING for the next season to start … Modern Family and Community stand out among the new crop …

There are just so many random thoughts which I have to deal with these days.  Ignoring the stuff I have to focus on at work, once I get home … trying to soak up as much Brie & Logan time as I can … and then have some time with my wife … and then try to get stuff down around the house … and MAYBE then do something fun … I can barely remember a time when this wasn’t commonplace.  I know that simpler times should be ahead, but at the same time I want to capture every moment I can while these two kids are the ages they are.  Because there’s going to come a time where I’m going to wonder where these two wonderful children disappeared to and these annoying teenagers came from.

Holy crap … so Shari and I bring the family back from our first BIG vacation only to have to launch into our daughter’s SECOND birthday … I’ll let that soak in for a second. Little Brie Carder has been breathing the air on this planet for over 700 days. I’d say she’s been walking around but really? She only started that shtick about a year ago …

Shari and I were actually going through some old photos and videos last night, which lead to a ton of memories flooding back for both of us. What was amazing for me watching the videos of our one year old was despite the outward changes how little she had actually changed in personality. What’s even more shocking is just how much her little brother is just like her. There is no doubt that these two kids are related, and there’s even smaller doubt that these kids came from Shari and me.

I got to show Brie two bits of media which I’ve been DYING to show her for at least two years now. She watched Toy Story … and she watched some Looney Tunes. Shari and I had decided no TV for her until she was two. And now that she’s there, I’m going to start opening up the floodgates and show her some really cool stuff. She was mesmerized by Toy Story and that couldn’t have made her father any happier. Now all she needs to do is declare that Buzz is her favourtie … not that wimpy cowboy doll …

Hey there everyone in Timbit land! So I’ve been slaving away at a new design for the site, mostly so that I could do some proper twitter integration. A good chunk of me decided that it was high time I overhauled the site anyway, so this here represents Black Box 5.0 …

I owe some stories and some pics … after all my daughter turned two this past weekend and I didn’t say a darn thing! so now that I’ve got the major design changes out of the way, I can focus on getting some more content up and running. So stay tuned!

Hey there everybody … all three of you … I think there was a blue moon out last night so I guess it’s time for me to post once again …

So Shari and I have a new favorite TV show … Modern Family. The jokes are surprisingly fresh and as new parents a lot of the humor resonates REALLY close to home. Personally, I love the show because I can totally relate to the character of Phil Dunphy. To describe it in the easiest way possible, the guy is ME. He likes to smack talk about his wife, but only after making sure she’s not in earshot. He lives in a bit of a fantasy world where his self evaluation may be a little more inflated than it deserves to be. And most importantly, he’s a tech toy FANATIC!!!

I knew this when in a previous episode he was trying to teach his wife and daughter the correct sequence of remote control button pushes to turn on the entertainment system PROPERLY. I myself have struggled with this and indeed sovled the issue by picking up a kick-ass all in one remote. However last night’s episode took Phil’s love of tech to a whole new level. He was geeked because it was his birthday. And why was he geeked about his birthday? Because it was on the same day as the release of the new Apple iPad.

Normally when a show hits viewers with a product placement I just roll my eyes and start mumbling under my breath. Reality shows like Biggest Loser, Survivor and Amazing Race aren’t even subtle about it with “challenges” being brought to you by various products. 30 Rock is normally the only show who handles placements perfectly, by delivering a scathing satire in the same breath as the actual product placement. Just think of the whole Jack Donaghy – Elisa – McFlurry love traingle and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

So it was amazing to me that last night it took me almost a good ten, fifteen minutes to clue in that the whole iPad angle COULD have been a placement! So believable and in line with his character was Phil’s desire for the iPad that I just took it, hook line and sinker. It wasn’t until the second commercial break that I realized not only that the iPad WAS coming out this weekend, but also did I remember about the fact that this was an ABC television show … ABC is owned by Disney … and Disney and Apple are the BEST of buds aren’t they?

I was right there with Phil, sharing his excitement about the new toy which was launching THAT very weekend. And when he uttered the line, “Next week! That’s like the worst thing you can say to an early adopter!” I was RIGHT there with him in that sentiment.

If you haven’t seen the show, you need to. The fact that they’ve created enjoyable realistic RELATABLE characters is only one facet of this fantastic show. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go line up for my iPad.

Brie’s mom and I have been noticing a trend with our little girl of late … she’s been getting REALLY obsessive about certain things. For instance, whenever she grabs a book to read she always makes it a point to back to her bookshelf and get a book for EVERYONE who’s in the room. Sometimes yes that includes her little brother who is lying on the floor … drooling.

Now this could just be dismissed as very cute toddler behaviour but we’re starting to see events which lead us to the above mentioned assumption. For instance, on Logan’s change table we had an incident where one of the shelves dropped out of it’s mount. This of course resulted in all of the items on said shelf being spread across the floor. This happened in the morning when I was still getting ready to head into work.

Brie walked into the room, saw the mess, came back out and found me in the bathroom, grabbed my hand, lead me into her brother’s room, pointed at the mess and said something like ‘broken’ or ‘fix’. She REALLY wanted it fixed, REAL BAD. Clearly I was headed to work and didn’t have the time to do that. Once I got home that night, the shelf was fixed but we didn’t have time to reload the shelf. Well the next day after I had gone to work, Shari stepped into the room to find Brie putting all of the items back on the shelf.

I sure do hope this trend lasts because I’ll really like it when she starts helping out cleaning around the house.

It was five years ago this week when I was first introduced to my lovely Shari … she was downtown visiting Morgan in the hospital … I was living downtown with Kate … we had talked on the phone a little bit to get to know each other, but this was the week where we first met face to face …

The place was Fran’s, down by the Eaton Centre across from old Massey Hall. Shari was there with her girls and I showed up with a shaved head and a trenchcoat. Not the best of first impressions to say the least. We talked, or as she would put it I talked and she just wondered if I could get a word in edgewise. I’ve told my darling many a time how I felt that night, but here five years later I’ll say it again …

I walked into Fran’s wondering if she would be good enough for me … I walked out wondering if I would be good enough for her.

Clearly things worked out from that first meeting. I went to a Survivor event at her house in Oakville. I almost ruined everything by poking her too damned much. Clearly I was over enthusiastic. We had our ‘first date’ a couple days later at a glow in the dark miniputt.

Looking back some of these details are starting to get a little bit fuzzy. Having two kids running and screaming around the house does tend to dull one’s mind. Those two kids though are just a part of all that Shari and I have accomplished together in the past five years. Truly I consider myself a blessed and lucky man to have her in my life. I’m just glad she was able to get over a poor haircut and bad wardrobe and give me a chance.

Love yah babe. Looking forward to the next five years!