ScissorMonkey

Just before I turned 41 in September, I decided that I was no longer comfortable with my current weight.  I tipped the scales about 225.  My trunk is a little thick, and my face looked a little on the pudgy side.  I was not happy with this turn of events.

For most of my life, I was very skinny, and had a 30" waist.  When I turned 30, my waist magically turned into a 32".  When I turned 35, my waist magically turned into a 36".  After 40, my gut, turned into a 41".  I don't quite look like Buddha, but I am not happy with my reflection in the mirror.

I put a lot of effort into the work that I do, I put a lot of energy into my family, and I have decided that I need to put more energy into myself.  I don't need to get back to 200 lbs, at 5% body fat.  I am no longer 25, and I don't have the time / energy to devote to that type of lifestyle.  I can get back in shape.

Getting back into shape, I hope to set a good role model for Nicole, I hope to have more energy, I hope to feel better about myself.  I don't feel that I am ugly, or that I am in horrible shape - I just want to be better.

I always tell Nicole to strive to be better, but how can I say this, if I don't practice it myself?

As of Feb 6th, 2007 I currently tip the scales at 210. I am still thicker around the middle than I want, but feel much better about my weight.  People at work have noticed that I have lost weight. Initially I was working out 4 - 5 times a week, but I have been really busy with work since December, so haven't had much time to hit the gym. I try to watch what I eat, and I eat healthy - so far it seems to be doing the trick. Now that I have the tables done, I should have more free time at home and will be able to start hitting the gym again.

Upcoming movies I am excited to see -

Ghost Rider - A favorite comic when I was younger. Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the devil - the devil screws him (surprise) and he becomes the Ghost Rider with a huge helping of the wicked must be punished. I have heard about this movie for a couple of years, it will be interesting to see how this has turned out.

300 - This movie is about the 300 Spartans vs the Persians at the battle of Thermopylee.  It is based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller - sound familiar, he is the creator of the Sin City Graphic novel. Although violent and highly stylized this should be an excellent movie.

I received an Xbox 360 for my birthday, in September - Yay!  We took it back - boo.  My work created a special package for the Xbox 360 coming in November, so I decided that I would wait until that time to get it.  Well we didn't get to Seattle until December, so I got it then.

I have been busy working on the tables, so I haven't had much time to play with it, but now that I have actually spent some time with a few of the games here are my initial thoughts -

• Viva Pinata - Way too addicting!  It is supposed to be geared towards kids, but it is really fun.  I rate it in the video crack category. Nicole has spent quite a few hours playing this game. Fun for adults, and fun for kids.
• Morrowind Oblivion - I spent hours and hours on Morrowind and the expansion packs.  Oblivion is a lot better.
  Non gamer report - I was playing on my 36" Sony Wega (Not HDTV) and my wife walks in and wanted to know what I was watching.  I told her I was playing Oblivion, and walked her around the area I was in, she was blown away by how great the graphics looked.
• Gears of War - I started playing this, and it looks good. Then I started playing Viva Pinata (hangs head in shame) and got hooked on that. I hope to get back to Gears of War soon, as the graphics and game play looked really good.
  GEARS Update - finally took a week, and really spent some time with the game. Good game play and interesting storyline. This is definitely a game I will come back to, to ensure that I unlock more achievements
• Kameo - Just started the game, but it is pretty interesting.

Overall I am having a lot of fun with my new Xbox 360 - now I want a new HDTV to take advantage of these great graphics.

The Xbox 360 is very entertaining, and Nicole and I have had a blast playing. For those in the market for a new console, they should definitely check out the Xbox 360.

I guess in fairness of my review, I should mention that I do work for Microsoft. Honestly though, if I didn't believe in the product, I would just keep my mouth shut.

Nicole got a Zune for Christmas, and really likes it. I have asked her a few times, if she would rather have an iPod, but she says she is happier with the Zune. She likes having the radio, and is impressed with the video feature. I will admit she never has had an iPod, but has friends that do have one, and has used theirs. More on this later.

I am in the final stretch of finishing the tables.  There aren't currently any major projects going on in the house, so I am finally able to dedicate time to getting these tables finished.

I owe the idea for the finish of these tables to craftsman Jeff Jewitt - he is an expert at finishing, and has written a couple of books on the subject.  I was fortunate he wrote this article on Mission Oak Finishes. The document is in PDF format and may take a minute to load.

I followed the process for Sample 2 for the reddish / brown color that I enjoy in mission style furniture. The finish is done in 4 parts:

1. Staining
2. Sealing
3. Re-staining / Glazing
4. Finish

This whole process has taken a couple of weeks, but I am very pleased with the results.  Here is how the process has gone:

Glue Up - Never have enough clamps, I had to go out and purchase 4 new pipe clamps (orange) as my current bar clamps were not long enough for the sides. At this point the table tops are not attached - I will finish them separately and attach after they are finished.

I had to stain the tables twice - the first staining turned out splotchy.

Note to self - don't be afraid to put the stain on, it isn't gold - flood the tables with stain.

Sealing the tables after staining. The tables took on a nice rich look.

The brown glaze is really bringing out depth in the tables, and they are looking really good. Notice the rays in the quarter sawn oak that add to that mission style finish we know and love.

The lamps we wanted were on sale, so I put the tables in the living before they were quite complete:

My wife is very pleased with how they look.  We were all very nervous having these in the living room before finished - what if they got a water stain, or something happened.  I was happy to get them back to the garage and start applying the final sealing coat.

As soon as they are complete, I will add photos of how they look.

After almost a year after I started the coffee table, Summer 2005, and the end tables, Winter 2005, the tables are almost complete.  After Christmas 2005 we:

• Looked for a house
• Purchased a house
• Repainted the interior (all of it)
• Moved to new house
• I rebuilt the deck
• Put a treatment on the garage floor

So I have been pretty busy.  Now that there has been a lull in activity my wife wanted the tables finished that I "gave" to her Christmas 2005. The tables have just needed a final sanding, the tops needed to be surfaced sanded, and a finish applied.

Here is the initial assembly process, and these pictures are taken at the old house -

• Sides of Coffee Table

• Partial Assembly / Mortise and Tenon joinery

• Table with top - top is not yet sanded or attached. The top is made from 2 wide pieces of oak - I was fortunate to find nice wide boards for the top.

• Close up of the mortise and tenon joinery that is typical of mission style furniture

Thankfully, I am now in the final process of finishing the tables, which is a four part process.  I will document this process in part 2.  My wife is very happy with the way the tables are turning out, and honestly so am I.

Nicole turned 13 yesterday, and for her birthday she got – a horse.

We start leasing Samson in November, and she will start showing him in February.  Her trainer wrote up the ownership card which was pretty funny.  We took her to the barn on Saturday and when she was over looking at the horse she normally rides Shannon called her over to ask her to explain the ownership card.  Nicole looked at the card for a full minute before it actually sunk in that she was going to start riding Samson.  She was very excited, and Samson is a very cool horse.

Nicole is now very excited to have her own horse to ride.  Up to this point, Nicole has ridden quite a few horses.  Lately she has been riding Keona and Luke to help them prepare to be better show horses.  Nicole has become a much better rider in the process, but it is nice to be able to ride the same horse, and get a real understanding of the capabilities of the horse, and know how the horse will react at a show.  Samson is an accomplished show horse, and has many blue ribbons under his girth.

This is an excellent opportunity, and both Shannon and I are very pleased we are able to present our daughter with such a great present.

Today at the home show, she mentioned she would like to adopt a kitten - we already have two cats.  Shannon mentioned that if we went by pet weight, because of the horse, she would have about 500 cats, or 200 dogs.  I told her that if she wanted to give the horse back, we could work out, her getting a kitten - she wisely choose the horse.  Nicole gets smarter all the time!

We  have received a couple of progress reports for Nicole and she is doing great - she received all A's for all her classes.  Typically the beginning of each year is very difficult, and the transition from summer to school seems to be traumatic.  This year, Nicole has really stepped up to the plate, and is doing well in school, and her riding.

She had a horse show Sunday September 17th, and she did very well – she entered 5 events and placed as follows:

2 – 1^st Place Ribbons and Trophies

1 – 3^rd Place (Yellow)

1 – 4th Place (White)

1 – 6^th Place (Green)

It was a very long day, and the horse Nicole rode in was in quite a few events.  The 6^th place ribbon was from the last event when the horse was pretty tired, and actually refused a jump.  It was a long day for Nicole also – she was at the barn by 5:30 am, and didn’t get home until after 8 pm.

This is the first time that Nicole has come in first place – she has been in 3^rd and 4^th a bit, but not first.

She may look a little droopy in the picture, but she was still pretty tired.  She did a very good job, and we are very proud of her.