For those of you not in the know, I am soon going to be taking on a huge home remodel project, necessitated by some structural problems we are having.  In my quest for the ultimate abode, I am looking for inspirational resources.  I did the obligatory Google search and was disappointed with what I found.  I did find the Home Improvement Blog which has some promising looking content.  We all know about Apartment Therapy, which I love, but it’s a little like trying to sip from a waterfall.  I have also seen a lot of nice stuff on Inhabitat, but the architecture and design aspects of it are only a small slice of it’s content.

I am looking for blog’s that have the following types of content:

• Floor plans and layouts for remodels
• Finishing details for interior and exterior
• Modern design that integrates well into old homes
• Green building strategies
• Logistics of remodeling (permits, pitfalls, etc)
• Tips on ways to do things that look awesome, but don’t cost too much
• Personal experiences in home remodeling projects
• Photos, photos and more photos

If you can think of anything, please comment and help me out!

When I got back from vacation (several posts forthcoming regarding that) I had a lovely surprise waiting for me. There are 15 different flavors in that box. I thought about torturing you all with a post about each flavor, once a day. Good thing I’m lazy!

Thanks Josh!

OK, thats probably not true. It may come as a shock to many of you that the glamorous life of a software engineer/father doesn’t leave a lot of time for exercise. I wouldn’t call myself “fat”, but the Morgan from 8 years ago would have mocked me and called me lazy. On Friday my fellow platypus in arms told me about hundredpushups.com. The idea is simple, do a simple test to see how many push-ups you can do, then do push ups three times a week for six weeks and by the end you should be able to do 100.

100 push ups? Dare I dream? Yes, why not. I did the test tonight and, being very careful not to cheat at all, I did 21 solid and respectable push ups. That puts me right in the middle of rank 3 (15-29 push ups). I will follow the plan, which is easy as it requires little time and no equipment, and let you all know how I do. If I can do it, I will make a donation to the hundred push ups program creator so he can get an old school Volkswagen bus.

The questions:

1. What is your first name? Morgan
2. What is your favorite food? right now? Pizza
3. What high school did you attend? East High School
   
4. What is your favorite color? Orange
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Jessica Alba
6. Favorite drink? Smoothie
7. Dream vacation? Danube Castles
8. Favorite dessert? Ice Cream
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Happy
10. What do you love most in life? Marriage
11. One Word to describe you. Difficult
12. Your flickr name. Blizzo

Originally three of the answers were all “ice cream”, but I went back and changed them so there would be more variety. Did I mention I like ice cream? I have never been one of those “ohmygodcelebritywhatshernameissohoticouldjustdie” types, so I just sort of picked one. For the thing I most love in life, “Amy” just got me a bunch of photos of random girls, so I changed it to “Marriage”. My Flickr name turned up an old picture of Mason that I shared on an SXC, a free community driven stock photography site that someone inserted birds into. Anyway, thanks for the diversion Catosaurus.

The results:

1. Morgan Aero 8
2. La vegan pizza del diavolo\
3. East High School
4. Orange is In…
5. Jessica Alba Blue – Mobile Wallpaper
6. Strawberry Smoothie
7. Sigmaringen Castle Reflected by River Danube
8. 7th Course: Tasting of Ice Creams
9. don’t worry be happy new year
10. A Marriage…
11. colorful but difficult
12. Child’s Play

The trip was great fun. After several weeks of cold weather, walking into the warm California sun was nothing short of amazing. I was so excited, I took excessive amounts of pictures of palm trees (only included some of them).

The trip was very organized. We got off the plane and only waited a short time for the shuttle to pick us up right outside. Upon arriving we milled around the giant letters while we waited for someone to get tickets, then the whole group went in and walked all the way to Toon Town at the back of the park for a group photo.

After that, mom and I were on our own and we had a blast, going on every major ride in the park and eating overpriced food. I only have two regrets. First, we had to leave as it was starting to get dark so we missed the parade. Second, I searched high and low for Alice in Wonderland themed merchandise but didn’t really find much. Tinkerbell has taken over everything.

There were lots of great moments, but here were some of my favorites:

• Space Mountain: This ride was *intense*. It was long, fast, and really made you feel like you were flying through space.
• Nemo Submarine Ride: I guess this used to be the Captain Nemo ride and was remade for the animated Nemo film. You cram your head against a little window and look underwater. There are digital screens that place the movie characters in real environments, and some of them are done so well you can’t separate reality at all. Very well done.
• Indiana Jones: This was a cinematic roller coaster, full of bats, rats, snakes and the like. It was also very well done

Overall I have to say I really enjoyed Disneyland. After being to so many other amusement parks I thought that, as an adult, it would just seem like a Disney themed version of those. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Their attention to every tiny detail helps immerse you in their world completely. There were times I really felt like a little kid again, it was amazing.

The shuttle picked us up like clockwork and got us back to the plane on time. All in all we were only gone from Denver for about 16 hours, can’t beat that for a day trip!

This realization has given me the opportunity to reassess my life. I am actively trying to be more appreciative of the people around me, like my amazing wife and my adorable little munchkins. My cat is even getting more drive by pettings on my way in and out of the house. It was in this new outlook that I attended the caucus for my precinct last night. I have never attended a caucus before, I’m not really sure why. But with two strong candidates and what I believe to be a very pivotal election, I thought it would be better to get involved earlier in the process.

I stood for Obama at the caucus. I was really on the fence, but when it comes down to it I just want some new blood in the oval office. We have had 19 years of Clinton and Bush Presidents. If Hillary is elected that will push it to 23 years, 27 if she ends up serving two terms, which seems to be the trend. All that said, if Hillary ends up as the candidate in the election, I won’t have a problem supporting her.

After the vote was taken at the caucus they asked for volunteers to act as delegates. I raised my hand and I was chosen. I am excited about taking a more active role in politics and in my community. Then they announced that they needed a new precinct chairperson. I looked at Amy and she nodded. My hand went up. I am now a precinct chairperson, which means I will be meeting with the precinct captains and helping organize their activities, getting people out to vote, etc. I tried to find some information about what this role really means and I found a document by the Sarpy County Republican Party (Not that I am a republican, but I think that hardly matters).

I am excited to be part of the process this year. I hope you are too.

So being freaked out, and having found at least some credible evidence that this might be true, I am giving up my happy, lime green bottle that has been good to me for so many years. I went to the REI superstore downtown and was surprised at how small their selection was. I spoke to an employee and he was very helpful, pointing me to a Klean Kanteen, which is not as pretty as my nalgene, but is 100% stainless steel (that means no nickel). I plunked down $20, which also seems ridiculous, and now I am breaking it in.

Do you think I am being too reactionary? Buying into conspiracy theories? Just generally nuts? Maybe… but I’ll let you take that gamble with your own health.

Now, before I tell you about Reuben I should tell you about my neighborhood. In less than two years we have: had our car broken into 3 times; had our shed broken into and our bikes, ladder, and miscellaneous tools stolen; seen homeless people loaded into the drunk tank; seen a car evade the police by jumping a curb; and more. That said, our neighborhood isn’t really a BAD place, but it merits caution. Thus begin my internal psychological dialog:

“Careful, who knows what this guy wants”
“Shut up, you’re being paranoid”
“I bet hes going to ask you for money, he wouldn’t rob you in broad daylight like this”
“You’re only saying that because he’s black”
“How dare you accuse me of being racist!”
“Well, if he were an old white man you wouldn’t say that”
“Well, OK, maybe you’re right. Let’s see what he wants…”

Reuben was older, wearing a plaid knit newsboy hat, some sort of synthetic brown pants that were impervious to stains or wrinkles, and a couple of layered jackets. He seemed friendly and I said hello. He asked me for a ride to Kaiser, his car had broken down and he was late for a Doctors appointment.

“He seems nice, I want to help him”
“Maybe he’ll pull a gun on you when you get into the car”
“He is NOT going to pull a GUN”
“Well, you should hide your wallet just in case, you have a lot of cash right now”
“Fine, I’ll hide my wallet, sheesh”
“And ask him a few questions first, like where his broken down car is and stuff”
“OK, OK”

So I asked Reuben where he lived, which he shared, and where his car was, which he pointed out to me at the end of the block. Taking him to the Doctor would mean I would be late to work. Oh well, thats OK. I told him to stand back, I wanted to pull the car out so he could get in the passenger side without trudging through a snowbank. He stood back and I got in the car. To my shame, I took my wallet out of my pocket and hit it under the floor mat in the back seat. I pulled out into the street and waited for him to come to the passenger side door. He had some trouble with it, my doors are old and heavy, so I gave it a nudge and it popped open. Reuben grabbed the door handle and I saw his hand shaking.

“Man, we are such jerks”
“Totally”

I started driving to Kaiser and we made small talk. He told me that he worked for Gates Rubber for 20 years, fixing flat tires and replacing dead batteries for their vehicle fleet. We spoke about the best way to get to the Kaiser parking lot, though I had decided to head for the front door. He kept wanting me to drop him off far away so as not to inconvenience me. At one point I asked him his name, since he hadn’t told me yet, and I told him mine. We shook hands, and then he told me, again, that he worked for Gates Rubber for 20 years. Reuben also told me he was 82 years old. I found that hard to believe, but I have always had a hard time judging ages. I like to think of everyone as ageless, living forever, so age shouldn’t matter. Someday maybe.

I dropped Reuben off after making sure he had someone he could call for a ride home, and wished him luck. I still don’t know if I should feel good about myself for helping him out, or bad for thinking the worst. I wonder how many people wrestle with their subconscious like this. I guess that will give me something to think about for a while. All in all, not a bad start for a Thursday.

I realize posts have been sparse these days, but it has been a crazy couple of months. I am settling into my new job here at OpenLogic and am pleased to tell you all things are going well. I work with very bright people, and the atmosphere is positive and results oriented. I am starting my 4th week today, and it looks like code I have written will be in production before the end of the month.

Things at home are starting to resemble normal life already. There are no more boxes upstairs and the basement is functional, if not a little crowded. Amy is staying at home with the kids for now, and that has been a big adjustment for them. All in all things are going really well, and I am happy to be back in Colorado.

The only other thing I thought I would mention is that we bought a real Chistmas tree this year. We got rid of our fake one during the move to NJ, and bought IKEA’s Charlie Brown fake tree (OK, thats not what it was called, but it might as well have been) while we were there. Through the years my appreciation of Christmas has varied from love to loathe, but this year I am excited to see the house decorated and the kids excited. Mason has been cutting pictures out of catalogs and newspaper ads for his Santa list. I keep reminding him that Santa doesn’t bring everything you ask for, just a few things. He nods his head condescendingly, knowing I have no idea how this works, and cuts out more pictures.

I will try to blog more regularly now that life is getting a little more routine. To those in Jersey, I miss you all, but I sure don’t miss Jersey .