[Daniel] "Flushed" Down The Drain

So. The project I was to be working on for the next couple months at work ended abruptly today. Due to budget constraints on the client's end, the whole project was closed down and abandoned from our end. Though it wasn't my fault, I still can't help but feel a little lost and depressed. So now I wait for little projects and tasks. I thought I had more to say but I guess I don't.

[Daniel] Backups

Backups are getting harder and harder as the years go by. Clearly, I am not the only one with this issue. When I got my first computer of my own in 2000, I never bothered with backups. The only things I had on the computer were games and music, all of which could be easily recovered. The first two years of college generated a fair amount of code and Word documents of papers for classes. Now backups took one CD and I could burn to the disc more than once.



2002 hit and we got our first digital camera, thanks to some wonderful friends and family. We had pictures to backup, along with all of Moriah's college related files as well. Now more than one CD but less than 5 so it wasn't a real big deal but an annoyance. Last year, we picked up a DV camcorder. As of writing, we have over 40Gb of personal data, virtually all of it unrecoverable if our apartment were hit by a fire or some other diasterous occurance. Both of our home directories fit on a DVD and all of our pictures fit on another. We're forced to retain our video on the original tapes, which we soon won't have much more room for.



The computing world is not prepared for the amount of media people will generate in the coming years. While I love all the digital media I can create and toy with now, I have absolutely no clue how I'm going to maintain all of this for the next 50 years. No storage media out there right now can do this (with perhaps the exception of tapes that may make it into that range). So either I continually backup the already backed up data on new media/formats as they come along or I find a solution. Neither will be cheap and I have no answers at this time.



Of course, all of this was prompted by the backup process run today. Another 4 hours down the drain.

[Daniel] Watch this...

Ignore for three minutes that it's Peta 2 where the video is located. Ignore for three minutes that you don't like hardcore music (or mute it if you have to). Watch it to the end and know that this is why I am vegan.

[Daniel] ...So Think Happy Thoughts.

Given my next post, which most people will see first, I'll write this in reverse chronological order and point you to something a little more light-hearted:



http://www.sternestmeanings.com/



It's an anagram generator, so expect to see letters flying everywhere. Some fun phrases:



"Monica Samille Lewinsky"

"William Henry Gates"

"Steve Ballmer"

"Internet Explorer"

"I'm not evil"

"Britney Spears"

And last but not least, poor "Tommy Lee Jones"



Enjoy!

[Moriah] It's A Boy!!!

Well, there you have it. I know we're about two weeks late in reporting this, but things have been busy around here. We went in for the "20-week ultrasound" on June 1st and found out we are most definitely having a boy. In fact, the doctor doing the ultrasound said he was pretty much flaunting it, which I thought was hilarious. They also checked his bone measurements, the chambers of his heart and his brain development. Everything looks great so far. Sadly, we couldn't get any pictures of his face because he was laying toward my spine and refused to turn over. Perhaps next time.



We went out to eat that night, since it was Date Night, and all during dinner we went over probably one hundred or more possible names. Most of them we agreed to throw out because neither of us liked them, and we ended up with a short list of about nine names. We now have it narrowed down to a few that we really like, but we are planning to wait on picking "the one" until he is actually born and we can see him for the first time. That way, we can get an idea of what he looks like and what his personality is like.



I am starting to feel a lot more movement as well. He seems to be very active at night when I'm sitting down in the living room or when I'm trying to go to sleep. In fact, a few times last night it felt like I was being pummeled from the inside while I was sitting in the recliner! :) He's getting quite strong. Looks like we're going to have a night owl on our hands. He's also active in the morning when I wake up, especially if I just laze around in bed for a little bit before getting up. Sometimes I notice activity during the afternoon, but that's less so.



Now that I'm starting my 23rd week already, I'm finally feeling much better. The nausea has been totally gone since about 18 to 20 weeks, and I'm certainly building up a better appetite lately and am able to eat most foods again. Though, I still don't like garlic. As of June 1st, I had gained about four pounds since my last visit, which is right on target. From now until the end of the pregnancy, I should be gaining about one pound a week.



Unfortunately, while I realize it's very important to gain the proper amount of weight in order to nourish our growing boy (and he is growing!), it has been hard on my self esteem at times. Being pregnant is a very different kind of experience than anything I've ever gone through in my life. And, while I'm looking very forward to seeing our son for the first time and raising him over the years, it has been hard for me to watch the immense physical changes that are taking place in order for my body to bring him into this world. Two nights ago, I looked in the mirror and saw blazing evidence of the weight I am so rapidly gaining, and I felt very unattractive. I'm sure I'm not the only pregnant woman who has felt this way during her pregnancy, and I don't necessarily think it's bad. It's just the way I felt. But when I came out of the bathroom and told Daniel how I was feeling, he took me back in the bathroom, had me look at myself again and told me, as he gazed straight into my eyes, that I was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. He gave me a big hug and told me he loved me even more than ever for doing everything I can to make sure our little boy is healthy, including gaining weight properly. That single gesture, and the sincerity in his eyes, made me feel so good that I wondered why I felt unattractive in the first place. There is nothing more uplifting than seeing the genuine love and appreciation in your spouse's eyes during a personally challenging time. It was a priceless moment. And now, whenever I look at the changes my body is going through, I no longer feel fat or unattractive; I feel happy and proud to be the wife of a husband and father-to-be who is so loving and caring toward his family!

[Daniel] Full Year

One week ago tomorrow marked a full year of living down in Texas. I still remember my excitement (and trepidation) over the move. Would we like it here? Will I find a decent job? Will Moriah's business work? We even had the counter up, counting down the days until we left for Texas.



Now I find myself here, seated comfortably in our apartment, reflecting back on it. I am thankful for everything I have. Sad that some family and friends are now so distant but happy because I am truly enjoying my life and feel like I have a place now. Our jobs are going well, we've got a good apartment, a good dog and a wonderful little miracle on the way.



Here's to a great year spent in Texas and to many more.