Edit: The name of the keyboard is the "Comfy" baby keyboard found at http://www.comfyland.com/ . The price range you'd be looking at starts at $80 with just the keyboard and the first, lowest age-level computer software. My son still hasn't gotten past this because he tries to take the matt the second higher level software comes with (that covers the keyboard) and keeps trying to just randomly press buttons. The higher levels teach a lot more, but do require slightly more attention and willingness to watch and learn. The first level is perfect to start with on babies, and it really seems to encourage talking!

Well, today Conor's special keyboard arrived along with the ages 3-5 beginner software that comes with it, and the extra 'chapter' Mom got that is ages 3-5 intermediate. It should keep him busy for a while, actually! He COULD enjoy the intermediate, but he's not at the point where he can just sit and watch it- he's too active and wants to punch all the keys.

He LOVES having HIS own keyboard. When Mum got home, and walked to the doorway to watch him, he looked back and grinned so proudly. He wanted to show her everything he could do! He was grinning and so happy when he first got to use the keyboard, and at first very tentative and careful- barely touching the keys. Now he presses away and sometimes even pounds (which is when I warn him!).

The program is just perfect for him, and the intermediate will be a perfect step up. It reminds me a bit of Baby Einstein and some other kid programs I have seen, except it is interactive and it 'upgrades' as you go. It really is an incredible piece of innovation, and even more so because the 'beginner' level has over ten languages!!! He can learn a few things in Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Japanese, Korean, English, UK English, German, Swedish, Hebrew, Arabic... just to name a few!! Wow! I prefer the UK English myself, and that is what I use for him. The beginner US English version is rather crappy compared to the UK one in terms of voice acting and singing.

So far, I have to give this a 5 star rating for its purpose, out of 5! It's the best baby computer tool I have found, it works beautifully, and the same keyboard will work along with just a few software upgrades until age 5!! At 19.95 a piece with about two software packs per 'category' it's pretty great. Most importantly, it gives my son a way to be 'in charge' of his own computer time at age 2. I wish I'd had this sooner, because he could have been doing this at age 1 if not earlier. I think playing with his Comfy computer keyboard will become a daily ritual. He LOVES it, and he HATES having to stop using it.

I think its clear what to tell relatives to give him for future gifts, that he will use and love- the future add ons will probably keep him busy for hours upon hours.

-Patrick

Up specifically for Kat to get a glimpse, while at work, of the house in-progress! Beeeautiful, no?

If you live near Lexington, Chapin, or Columbia SC I have an incredible house keeper to recommend to you. She's booked, but if you wiggle your way in, wow! This is all a great gift from me Mum and it really helped us out! This is only day one, and not even all of the day had gone by at this point. Whew!

-Pat

Just kidding... we already got it

Well, I KNEW it would likely happen that the first good dog we saw Kat would fall for- and she did. Course, it worked out since I think I liked him too. We saw the puppies (doxie-doodles: mother was half lab half standard poodle, father was a doxie) and were a bit put off because of their size- and their ENERGY was TREMENDOUS! Which isn't bad, or abnormal after getting out of their kennel. However, since we saw Riley first- the four year old (turns out her friend was wrong on his age, so not 2) doxie "stud male"- in comparison they were just crazy. Riley was warm, friendly, but definitely calm and not jumping about. He wasn't scared (though he kind of avoided Conor at first when Conor was walking after him. They seemed to be fine exploring each other when both were held). He was not really shy at all, he went right into my arms and started licking me.

The owner said she didn't know if he'd be comfortable licking my face just yet when I gave him a kiss (on the nose, not one of those gross things where folks lick the dog ) but he licked back and I even had to turn away. Something about me being comfortable with both dogs and doxies seems to come across. Almost like someone who is naturally good with babies- something in the demeanor and how I hold them makes them feel secure. I'm also rather non-threatening for a guy. My long hair, now, probably helps too.

He is a kennel dog and a "male stud", used primarily for breeding up until this point- though obviously he'd been loved on and cared for well by the family and those who helped with the backyard kennels. Unlike all the breeders we'd seen in the past, these breeders were definitely high class- probably because she breeds standard poodles and labs (and usually custom mixes) that sell for $1,100 a pup! Her other dogs, like the doxie-poo's (daschund and poddle mixes) sell for $600 at the cute puppy stage.

He's gotten used to our house wonderfully- amazingly so, for a dog who hasn't lived in a house before. His age helps a lot- unlike a puppy, he learns FAST and he seems to take VERY well to being inside and around us. I haven't seen heavy marking issues yet, either. That, and thank God for The Dog Whisperer shows we saw-when we were visiting Kat's mother- on satellite TV. His name is Cesar Millan and his methods are a bit unorthodox for some who like gentle, friendly-lovey approaches to relating to their dog. Oh, he's all for that, but his order is- exercise, discipline, THEN affection.

Ya Keep a Barkin but you can't come in

So Riley was here, it was night, and we put him in his doggy crate in our master bathroom. Of course he is used to a kennel (a free-running or outside dog might have a tougher time) but not a crate (the dog-lover name for a properly sized cage for them to sleep or be contained in). He starts whining and barking.

Yes, oh yes, music to my ears play on. This will be a night to remember, alright.

Then Kat finally opens out bathroom door, goes in, takes him out, and as Cesar Millan demonstrated repeatedly in his shows does the first thing he always does with a dog- established dominance. Using two fingers (a replacement for how a pack leader/dominant dog will use their mouth) on his and her hand to help turn him over would put him to his side and keep there until he relaxed on his side or belly on the floor. This puts the dog in a submissive posture, and is exactly what a dominant or alpha dog would do. As humans, we do -not- wanted to be treated by our dogs as submissives or their dogs make up for what they see as a lack of leadership (many humans, who think they are just friends with their dogs, fall into that realm and that explains many problems they face- google for Cesar's homepage and you'll see his explanation on that). For a dog pack, proper leadership means survival- without a pack leader, you die. So the dog instinctively will fill in any gaps you aren't and try to lead instead. This can come out through 'fearful' behaviour, what seems like acting out, constant barking, nipping, running away, knocking you or guests over, and the biggest is -not listening-. The pack never ignores the pack leader- if they do, there are consequences. Like a child, dogs also sometimes test for this.

So, Kat did that, making a loud "hshhhht" noise, and then when he stilled she pulled her fingers away. When he tried to get up, she did it again- and would look around, with a calm but authoritive feel. You look around, not looking the dog in the eye or anything but NOT looking down either. You watch it from your periphery, like a pack leader would- calm, sure they are in charge, but ready to reassert it anytime. Then if he moved, again she'd do it. Slowly she stood up, and she'd repeat the sound and push her fingers in his direction (not on his neck now, she'd only go back and do that if he still didn't respond). She slowly would back away a little, and the idea was that he would stay where she left him. Eventually, she only needed to use the sound and gesture.

Of course she didn't leave him there, she came over and petted him and then put him back in the cage. This 'ritual' was the same thing pack leaders do to establish dominance in a new pack member- getting the dog to stay where THEY say, and not move. It tells the other dog "you follow me and what I say". It's not mean- its dog social behaviour. Most dogs either think their owner isn't part of their pack, isn't their pack leader, or think that THEY are the pack leader. Cesar's philosophy is that he doesn't train dogs- he rehabilitates dogs and trains their owners.

I slept like a baby

Kat put him in the kennel, and when he started to bark- HSHHHT with the gesture. He stopped. Started to walk away, and everytime he continued, she'd stop and make it. Then she'd stand there, looking around- not at him- casually for a little bit. Poised to respond if he didn't obey. Then slowly walk away, quick to stop. He didn't push it. She laid down in bed- and if he started to go from a whisper-whine to a full one, HSHHHT. He'd stop.

Within five minutes, he stopped testing his limits. No more sound. Not another sound, period. The rest of the night.

Katrina looked at me, after he went silent, like the 'kat' that ate the canary. It worked! Probably even better than it would have if we weren't sleeping near him- since we could respond repeatedly and he knew we were right there (again, that's also very pack-like).

Last night, we had to hshhht him a few times- but it wasn't too hard, definitely twice as easy. He's becoming crate trained. Fast. And that reminded me of how people would tell Cesar Millan how it seemed like he could walk in and 'fix' an animals problems instantly sometimes. Of course, he made clear he doesn't do that- it takes consistently showing the right behaviour to the animal for the problem to be resolved.

Of course with us, we weren't fixing a problem but establishing a relationship with Riley and preventing future problems- establishing what Cesar calls "a balance".

My sister does that kind of dominance thing while working with animals at the vets, sometimes, too- though she created her own method (a little more dangerous than putting your fingers there- she'd growl and put her forehead to the animal, or her face close... oddly, she's never had her face bitten. *laughs*)

Now, of course, Riley responds even better to Kat than me- though I tried to establish dominance too, he seems a bit more comfortable with her (and quicker to show submission). Maybe because most of his caregivers were female.

I love our dog!

I didn't realise how much I missed having Daschunds around until, the night we got Riley, I saw him poised on the back seat of the car while we waited for Kat to go in and buy his crate. Despite having long hair instead of short hair, he was the same miniature size with the same posture- it was so nostalgic. I had this feeling in my heart of regaining something in myself, and yet I never quite realised it was gone.

He's not used to being a lap dog, so it'll take a while for him to be comfortable staying in my lap, cuddling with me, or laying in bed with us like our dogs were (who were used to that from puppies). It is clear his previous owner was right- he really wanted to be an inside dog and to have that kind of attention. Since he isn't used to tons of constant attention, we can give him as much as we want and he's happy with it- he just likes to lay nearby while Kat works on her computer, and he's content.

Breeding

I was quite surprised when we bought him. This is a high class breeding male Doxie, from an obviously good breeder- and we got him for $100, because she wanted him to gave a good home and be an inside dog more than anything else. She already had a good number of inside dogs. She said she could easily have sold him to another kennel (ie- breeder), as he'd sell easily as a breeding dog, but she wanted to give him a home. She seemed to really like us, and when she hinted at the importance to her of him being in a home now I told her "I can promise you, he will never live in a kennel again." Even if we weren't to be able to take him with us outside the country, he'd be able to stay with my family members here- my sister or parents, as a cushy inside dog.

So I was surprised when she didn't seem to need me to sign anything. I asked her, "I'm curious, are you not going to want me to sign anything regarding making a contract to neuter him?" Most breeders will often tightly control their breeding dogs, and charge more if they are selling a dog that will breed. She said that she breeds labs (and mixes there-of). With her labs, she'd want to know what other dogs are in the 'line' and control that. If we ever wanted to have Daschund puppies (it was subtle but I could tell her emphasis was on Daschund, and not mixed breeds ... and clearly not with lab crosses like hers) then we should feel free. He's AKC and Continental something-or-other registered, and a top quality breeding male.

Wow. You have to admit, that's pretty cool. Purebred, high quality Daschunds from a breeder go for $600 as pups... $300 would be cheap and almost always signed as non-breeding animals.

We had missionary friends who had two lovely pure-bred small dogs, and with their kids in mind they let them have puppies once or twice. They sold the puppies at what would really be considered rediculously low for pure-bred, papered shi-zu's (sp?) but was still a couple hundred at least, per pup. They used the funds to put towards their kids college funds. I thought that was really neat.

Future Thoughts

As for us? It's not uncommon for someone to let their stud male be used to sire a litter and then, as payment, ask for the pick of the litter (they get to have 'first choice' as to which puppy, of them all, they want- and they obviously don't have to pay for it). So I'm thinking at least once, we might try to arrange a situation like that. That way we could have a second pure-bred daschund, in Riley's line too- and kind of keep the line going, as well as keep Daschunds in our family without ever having to pay the tremendous amount it would normally take. Not only that, but they'd always be breedable (ie- we'd never have to worry about signing a contract not to breed them, or paying the even higher cost breeding dogs cost) and fully registered.

And most fun of all- I think it'd be great to get puppies from a litter of his and give them to someone who would love a Daschund but could never afford one (though we'd know they would give them a good home). A lot of dog breeders, in what I feel is a kind of snooty fashion, prefer to charge a lot even when they don't really need to- because they feel it assures them that if the owner is willing to spend THAT much on a dog, the dog will always have proper care.

I think that isn't always the best case- the owner might spend a ton on the dog, then to regain the loss give the dog sub-par care. :/

Well, we may not have a lot, but Riley's going to have a great home. And when you see pictures of him you'll be jealous! (especially those who know Daschunds- his ears, his nose, every trait someone in a dog show or a breeder would look for are all there). Ohhh and his fur is so silky soft... a rich, lovely red. He has such a beautiful Daschund profile. I see him and think "You know, most people with a dog like this spent over $600 to get them". God has really blessed us.

-Patrick

Some major, major events have occurred since yesterday. Due to the need to control the information, I am only releasing it via my xanga's protected posting system. If you aren't on it and are not a family member, send me a note and I'll see about adding you. Take no offense if I can't- I put names on a dart board and you know, sometimes I hit it and sometimes I just hit the wall.

Christmas

I can say that for Christmas it looks like, right now, we will be leaving Sunday the 23ish (the day before Christmas Eve) for Tennessee and, due to Katrina's job and the fact we just cannot afford for her to miss work and life has taken a lot of sick/holiday (they equate at her job) out of her... we're leaving back on Christmas day afternoon/evening. We'll sadly miss the biggest get-together of my Dad's side of the family, but what can you do?

We haven't had any real debates about spending this Christmas that I know of, mainly because we have two really solid reasons why we are doing what we are doing. 1) We can't go visiting much because Katrina only has a few paid sick/holiday days left that have to last at least half a year (!!). So people really have to come to us or else, as Kat says, "Tough titty said the kitty but the milk tastes fine". 2) We are going to see my Dad's side of the family in TN (this includes my Dad's Mother, his sister, and a huge chunk of the family including my Aunt's two daughters, and their many children). I have not gone to visit them since I was... maybe 15 years old? Since before my paternal grandfather died (or even got sick- I never saw him while he was sick). Katrina and I have never visited, and thus Conor has never visited- and none of them have ever even seen Conor except in pictures. Add to that the fact that Mamaw (paternal grandmother) has unstable health and is in her 80's I believe. So that's a pretty clear trump card- family likes to argue over 'who has the best reasons to get visited for this holiday', but I don't think anyone beats these by a longshot.

And in the end, it's our family: we have to make the best choices we both can so that we enjoy the holidays and we feel we have been able to share time with a variety of many, many family members.

More to come

As I said, more to come on the protect post. Thanks for reading.

-Patrick

I thought I would share this since I know there are some other parents who sometimes come here, and I think that you might find this information interesting! Maybe I am just out of the loop, but to my knowledge all the computer-related games and software for children kind of limited use of the computer to somewhat older children (ages 4 or so at least, since they have to learn to use a mouse and the like). There are toddler toys and even TV console systems for little ones out, but I wondered- 'Why don't they make some kind of device for the computer that babies and toddlers can easily use instead of a complex mouse or keyboard?'

Conor's own computer time

Well, not only did I find it, but Conor's Nana (my Mom) is getting it for him for Christmas. We'd not be able to afford it ourselves for some time, and it's really exciting. It is a special 'baby keyboard' for a Windows-based computer that comes with a 'first steps' program/game that works with the keyboard. You can buy (for under $20 each) new CDs for future stages- all compatible with that keyboard- to allow the baby/toddler/preschooler to grow with the software. It's for ages 1-5... and the idea is that by the time they reach the end at age 5, they'd be ready for a 'real' mouse and keyboard.

I think Conor will LOVE it. And once he gets used to using the computer (sitting still long enough, for example, and not trying to knock things about) its designed such that parent's don't have to supervise/guide use of it. We'll be there the whole time, but it's quite neat to think that he might be able to get to the point where he's using the computer on his own.

I can say "Conor, you were using the computer since before you could even talk!"

Interested?

Well, if you'd like to know more about it for yourself or family/friends, I found it at a very good price with very good descriptions and details here: http://www.rmlearning.com/BabyKeyboard.htm . It looks very well designed and I think it will really help even to give us ideas as to how to continue to teach Conor. Now that computers are so advanced and can use speach, music, cartoon-level graphics, etc... there's no end to the world of use they could be in teaching a toddler to talk, learn, think critically, etc.

Most importantly, it's making use of what you might already have!
Side note- Not sure about you or your friends with toddlers, but we have TWO computers fully equipped with good monitors, speakers, and they both can handle simple software like this. Why buy a whole new game system or use a television set (note- ALL computer monitors bought within the last four to six years produce HIGHER QUALITY than any television set that is not HD. Most computer monitors, especially LCDs, have had the potential to provide higher quality images than HDTV for some time now).

Conclusion

I can't think of a better Christmas present for him! So Nana got him the initial keyboard and what comes with it, as well as the "My Home" add-on package. If there are any relatives out there reading this who want to get Conor something, there are other add-on packages that I'm sure will be fun to introduce him to (though you'd better coordinate with us, so that he doesn't get more than one of the same thing ).

-Patrick

Back for now!

I have not been using Xanga much for a while, and I figured that the first posts I began putting up needed to be significant and not just random notes. Now is good timing, because my post a couple of days ago was quite right for the occasion- and so is this one.

Celeb

My sister-in-law's name could potentially be one you will hear more of if you live around us in South Carolina. Kayla Anderson is a local 'celebrity' where she works in Idaho as an anchor and weather forecaster. It turns out that the local network affiliate of CBS, WLTX 19, got a look at a tape of some of her 'work' and is flying her out from Idaho to South Carolina the weekend after next for a personal interview. If she's offered the job, and takes it? Being put through meteorology classes and becoming a local celebrity of Columbia, SC might be in her future.

Changes

It will be quite a dramatic life change for us, not just her. Not only would I have a sister who is in the local news, but for the first time since Katrina was little she'd be living in the same place as her sister. It would also be the first time we as a family have had Katrina's relatives living in the same state as us, much less the same city. Talk about a new dynamic! I'm excited for Kayla and for the good things such a change could bring, and a little nervous about the unknown. There's always been an edge of tension with Katrina's family, and I'd like to think it's just because they haven't had a chance to really get to know me. I hope for the best- that if Kayla does end up moving here, she'll be willing to get to know me and accept me as I am.

I know my family will be happy to get to know Kayla, and Mom will probably leap at the chance to welcome yet another daughter into the local family (hmmmm... my Mom would call Katrina her daughter-in-law, but what would she call Kayla?   Probably daughter, regardless of what the technical term is!).

So, now to see what the future holds.

Let me tell you about a friend...

A friend from college wrote this in their 'about me' section on Facebook. Take a moment to read if you would.

Well let's
see ... I'm an easy-going fellow, laid-back and mostly worry free. I'm
right on the edge of introvert/extrovert, either at the right times.
But my true self is more on the quiet side. I keep a positive look on
life because I've got Jesus or rather He's got me. My life is in His
hands and He knows what He's doing with me. I seek to live in the
abundance of eternal existence that Jesus promised and is already
accessible right now. My heart has been set free, so I look for
adventures 'round every corner. Life is a story, a great novel God is
writing, full of suspense, excitement, sorrow, happiness, love, loses,
gains, good, evil, swift turns and hard curves. What seems to be the
end of a chapter could very well be only the beginning. I believe
blessings come in disguises sometimes, so I try to be careful to see
them. My faith in and relationship with Jesus is why I am alive from
the past, alive and well now presently and looking for life in the
future. I am what I am by the grace and tender mercy of God-Almighty.
If I had to describe myself in one word it would be passion. Speaking
of passion, I am so in love with an amazing woman of God, Leanna is her
name and we're getting married!!! God is sooooooooo good. My life has
never been the same since she came into my life.

When I was in college, there was one person that was always floating around campus. For someone without much experience interacting with the handicapped, I have to admit with shame that I got a little nervous at first being around him- mainly, because of the fact that I have unusual trouble hearing people clearly sometimes with background noise and his speaking was kind of hard for me to get. I was always worried he'd talk to me and I wouldn't understand everything- and I refused to be false and just nod and pretend I understood, so that meant asking "Could you repeat that?" about five times and feeling awful for it. But after some time passed, I got to be comfortable around the man Joseph Dennie. It was clear his love for the Lord. For the many who might read this who do not know of him, he went to Columbia Bible College for many years (more than four) and was bound to a wheelchair from what I believe was birth. He had some trouble moving and his speech took was, embarassingly for me, a bit hard to understand at times. I have to say I got to know who he -was- more through his words online than face-to-face: the amazing gift God gave us of the internet allowed me to see into the man more online than off.

He worked hard for far longer than most would go through college, to graduate CIU. His electric wheelchair zooming around campus, and friends eager to come up and say hello to him was pretty much a sight that if it was not seen regularly you wondered where he was.

I am honoured to say that I graduated alongside Joseph. They made clear to everyone there that there was to be no clapping for individual people- a rule that occasionally was slightly broken by a small few. However... Joseph rode on stage after something like six years in school...

Everyone stood up. They gave him his diploma... EVERYONE cheered, and clapped, and stayed cheering and clapping for what seemed as long as we could get away with. Nobody cared about the rule then, and the Provost didn't have the heart to interrupt and try to put the cheering down as he did with others.

I found out today, through Facebook, that Joseph just recently died. He had met an amazing woman to be his wife, and from what I heard it sounds as though she is also going to have his child (if not already). Tears came to my eyes- I went to his facebook site and read his profile again, a bit closer this time. He wrote, in his very own words, the summary of his life and what he valued. And on the graffiti application for his Wife's facebook, still remain the words painted from Summer: "I love you".

What a man. Someone just seeing him could have made the sad, sad mistake of feeling sorry for him. I think of him, and I wish I could be more like him- where his body was weak and disabled, his SOUL was strong in the Lord and passionate about Jesus, about the lost, and about all the RIGHT things.

Joseph's favourite quotes-

The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it.
-Napoleon Bonaparte-

We are so outnumbered there's only one thing to do. We must attack.
-Sir Andrew Cunningham-

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than going to the garage makes you a car.
-Laurence J. Peter-

In times of affliction we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God.
-John Bunyan-

The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.
-Harry Emerson Fosdick-

Faith,
like light, should ever be simple and unbending; while love, like
warmth, should beam forth on every side, and bend to every necessity of
our brethren.
-Martin Luther-

Nothing worth having comes without some kind of a fight. Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight
-Bruce Cockburn-

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
-Mother Teresa-

Work as if you were to live 100 years; pray as if you were to die tomorrow.
-Benjamin Franklin-

I
believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given man. All the good
from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book.
-Abraham Lincoln-

The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.
-Patrick Henry-

It
is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible reading people.
The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.
-Horace Greeley-

The
existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest
benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to
belittle it is a crime against humanity.
-Immanuel Kant-

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
-William James-

Heaven is above all yet; there sits a judge that no king can corrupt.
-William Shakespeare-

So
great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin
to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove
useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.
-John Quincy Adams-

There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.
-Sir Isaac Newton-

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
-George Washington-

The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.
-Charles Dickens-

When the solution is simple, God is answering.
-Albert Einstein-

The
Bible is the truest utterance that ever came by alphabetic letters from
the soul of man, through which, as through a window divinely opened,
all men can look into the stillness of eternity, and discern in
glimpses their far distant, long forgotten home.
-Thomas Carlyle-

Conor nears the Terrible Two's

To see Conor a few months back in a lovely video by Kat, take a look here. Right now it has been reported, though I have not seen it myself (I'm not the best at picking out unclear things, anyway, and if it is 'vague' I like to be sure of it), that Conor has gone beyond "Mama" and "Dada" to be able to say "more!". He also does more than make off-key 'aaah's when he sings to himself all the time. One can clearly hear the tune to songs he hears a lot, such as "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and even the songs I sing to him when I change him, such as my rather bland melody (perhaps that makes it easier for him to sing) of "Cleaning the Conor" and the ever-popular "Powdered Buns" song.

If his vocabulary is slow to develop, he is making it for it in leaps and bounds. Literally. He's able to go up and down stairs very easily (he can walk down them with a helping hand, but otherwise he prefers to crawl up and down them). He's very agile and can run over gravel, up and down our hilly lawn (barefoot, at that!). He doesn't very much, and when he does, he just gets right back up again. He is as tough as ever! Visiting my bio-parent's lake house he fell on a concrete walk and even made his knees pink by doing it... but he just got back up, looked around, and kept going without even crying.

He prefers going barefoot to shoes- even over gravel, pavement, and pine-cones! That's me boy!

And yes, I know that's what most of you were interested in hearing about now. Haha! Hope your Conor hit was satisfying!

-Patrick

First, I should note I put up a post for those on my 'list'- and for those who consider me someone they read regularly and are interested in keeping up with, feel free to let me know and I'll toss a coin and see if it is heads or tails.

I suppose I've gone through yet another (I've been on Xanga since, woah, 1999 or something? maybe 2000 or 2001) spurts of inactivity where I just loose the energy or drive to use xanga. Usually it is because I don't know if it's being read, or if there is much interest or point, etc. I got really involved in facebook for a while, but that kind of wore off too for the same reason. I'm sure if there are folks who want to keep up, they are few enough that I'd enjoy writing them their own personal letter instead. *laughs* And if they don't want that? Well, I dare to say that's a problem with the new age of blogs and internet- the lack of social connection it encourages. Wanting to know what's going on in someone's life without being bothered to say something to do them, to ask, or to respond back... well, that's probably another reason I've given the blog a rest. And perhaps the sad thing is only two people asked how I was. Or perhaps a good thing in some ways- since I've been silent in the past and nobody said anything at all.

Even online friends make an impact, especially when you're going through a point where all of your friends (outside family) are online. So, feel free to say hello, hi, and for those who asked how I am or sent a note- thank you! This blog entry is for you!

Of course, due to the fact most of what I have to say is more personal than I'd like broadcast out randomly (I've paid serious consequences for making that mistake too many times), you'll have to be on my protected list to hear more.

Sincerely,
Patrick