BRAD'S BLOG

Voldemort with his Peeps, Yo !!!

2009-06-08T19:23:00.004-06:00

One of our family traditions I look forward to the most, is reading bedtime stories to our two daughters. (Adam will soon be getting his separate bedtime story time on account of his earlier bedtime.) Over the last few years, we've been reading the Harry Potter series. Just these past few days, we reached the end of book 6 and have begun book 7 (the last one).

To keep their minds active and to help them keep the plot line going in their brains, I usually ask at the start every night: "Do you remember where we left off?" The night before, we had just started the 7th book and made it halfway through the 1st chapter. Their response to my question turned out pretty funny. Rachel said: "Voldemort was sitting around a big table, talking with his . . . peeps". Well, Hannah (like she does so often), took this sudden opportunity to quickly act the part of a hip-hop, rappin' Voldemort, and said something in character like: "Yo, my peeps! I want you to help me find a boy called Harry Potter, so I can kill him, yo!"

You have to know Hannah pretty well to appreciate how funny this is. I didn't laugh so much at her interpretation of the scene - she tries to talk like a hip-hop rapper much to much for my taste. I couldn't help but laugh because of the way she laughs when she finds something completely hilarious. It's infectious.

I'm excited to take them to the next Harry Potter movie coming out in theaters next month, to see how closely the plot follows book 6.

After we finish reading the Harry Potter series, it will be time to open up to them the world of "The Hobbit".

Sometimes I wonder how old Rachel will be before she doesn't want to be read a bedtime story anymore. She'll be turning 12 this coming winter.

The State of My Health

2009-02-02T10:11:00.003-07:00

The last time I remember getting a physical was more than 20 years ago while getting ready for a 50-mile hike as a boy scout.

I rarely get sick, and I usually feel strong and healthy. Life has been about making sure the rest of my family is healthy and getting them the medical attention they need.

Now that I have reached my mid-30s, I thought it might be a good idea to get some things checked out. Every year, in our little town, they hold a health fair. For the past few years I haven't taken advantage of it, but this year I did, to an extent.

A few weeks previous to the health fair and after a 12-hour fast, the lab at the hospital/health clinic took my blood sample and tested it for a couple dozen different things. The intent is for us to go and pick up our results at the health fair and be able to discuss these results with doctors and nurses, and take advantages of other health screenings, etc. I had to work that day, and couldn't make it, but I went to the hospital this morning and picked up my blood test results.

They tested for all kinds of things like, glucose, sodium, calcium, protein, phosphates, triglycerides, etc. Two things came back as out of the normal range: my Overall Cholesterol and my LDL Cholesterol. My numbers are in the borderline-high category (between normal and high).

So now, I'm learning all I can about cholesterol and LDL and HDL.

Some of my early findings: LDL is commonly known as the "bad" cholesterol. HDL is commonly known as the "good" or "healthy cholesterol". My HDL number is toward the higher end of the normal range. A higher HDL is better (I think) and can help to offset a bad LDL number. To bring my cholesterol numbers down, I need to avoid foods high in saturated fats and trans fats. I need to increase my intake of fruits and vegetables and soluble fiber. Oatmeal can be a big help here.

I'm happy that my cholesterol is the only result that came back on the high end of things. Otherwise, I'm a healthy, healthy Brad. I've never had any idea of what's going on in there. And now, it's good to have some kind of base line for the future.

The moral of the story: Bring on the oatmeal !!! :)

Digitzing the Past

2009-01-21T11:47:00.002-07:00

Years ago, when we bought our digital camera, we've been taking pictures and saving them on our computer to enable us to share them with friends and family. What a great advancement in technology!

But what about all those older photos from back in the days of film-only photography?

Last year, on the day after Chirstmas 2007, we took advantage of a price-slashing day-after-Christmas sale and bought a combined copier, scanner, printer. Only just lately, have we discovered that the scanner actually works much better than we assumed.

So, Melissa and I have been going through our older photographs and scanning them in and saving them on our computer. This is great! When I get them all ready, I will begin posting some picture blog stories about me, from way back when, so you can get to know me a little better. So keep your eyes open for several trips down my memory lane!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-03T18:30:00.002-07:00

Another Halloween has come and gone. We had a good time. This year, Adam was old enough to start enjoying it more . . . although he got pretty tired and cranky by the time we finished trick-or-treating. Rachel dressed up as a Renaissance Lady; Hannah dressed up as a Karate Girl; and we put Adam in a Little Doggy costume. We first walked around our little neighborhood here, then drove around the rest of the town to friends' and acquaintances' places. The kids made a pretty good haul.

We've come in to the tradition of carving jack-o-lanterns the day before Halloween. I enjoy that task - trying to make what the kids draw on paper come to life on their pumpkins (as long as there aren't too many curves). This year was even more enjoyable because we grew these pumpkins ourselves in our garden from the seeds from last year's jack-o-lanterns. Gotta love saving those pumpkin seeds!

Over on the right side of the blog, I've posted a slideshow of recent/Halloween pictures. Please look through them, enjoy, and keep in touch!

On A Lighter Note . . .

2008-09-26T00:24:00.004-06:00

This year, Rachel, our 10-year old daughter, is in 5th grade. She is especially having a great time this year, because this is the year they give students the opportunity to start learning how to play a musical instrument. We didn't even have to encourage her. She wanted to, no question. After a few weeks of mouthpiece testing with the band teacher, Rachel seems best suited for playing the french horn. Luckily, the school loaned us a french horn for her to use. So Rachel carries her french horn case to and from school most days. It's great to see her so excited. She seems to have the drive and motivation to really excel with it, like everything else in school.

This is one of those reflective moments for me. You know, when your kids get old enough and go through some similar experiences you went through when you were their age, etc. I can't help but think back to when I got my trumpet (thanks, Mom). I was in sixth grade in Prosser, Washington (Housel Middle School). That was the beginning of a very enjoyable school music "career". Carmichael Middle School and Richland High School in Richland, Washington, and lastly Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum, Utah. Concert Band, Pep Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, School Musical Pits. Fun times, great memories.

Good luck, Rachel! Have a wonderful time! :)

Back to the Drawing Board

2008-09-18T20:04:00.003-06:00

I was just informed today that the Weather Service position I applied for in Lincoln, Illinois has been awarded to a different applicant. We had our hearts set on this location SO MUCH, that it's difficult to not be pretty down about it. They ended up hiring from within their own office.

This sets us back at least a few months from where we thought we'd be by now in the promotion/moving process.

In the meantime, we shift our sights westward as I have applied for positions in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Spokane, Washington. Possible interviews for these locations could happen by mid October, but as we have learned the hard way: we shouldn't count our chickens before they've hatched.

Wish us luck.

Our Summer Vacation to Utah (see the photo album)

2008-09-03T02:41:00.003-06:00

This past July we took our summer vacation to Utah to visit family and friends (including many of you who read my blog). I want to thank you all for your hospitality. It was great to see all of you again. I've set up a photo album showing our vacation over on the right side of my blog. Click on it, have a look at the pictures, comment, and keep in touch!

On the way driving back home to Kansas, the last hour was terrible! I had to resort to slapping my face and bitting my fingers to keep me awake. Now there's a crazy picture in your mind! Rachel woke up for a short time and wondered if she was having a wierd dream. Can anyone relate? The rest of the family was asleep in the car. I dared not stop and catch a nap, because the kids would wake up. I just had to drive on through.

A SMALL STEP FORWARD

2008-08-25T10:59:00.004-06:00

My application for the position in Lincoln Illinois has been passed on to the MIC. And Tulsa hasn't responded yet. There still might be a chance for us moving to Lincoln. So our excitement level has risen back up again. :)

We also found out that a co-worker of mine knows someone in the Lincoln, Illinois office and put in a good word for me. Within the next few weeks we're hoping to get a request for a phone interview. That would be the final panel. Then I'd just need to wow them over the phone.

THE MOVING PROCESS WITH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

2008-08-01T14:10:00.001-06:00

For all of you who haven't heard yet, we are planning on moving our little family later this summer as I re-locate to the next step up as a General Forecaster for the National Weather Service. I'd like to share with you all that is involved in this process from start to finish. That way, when things really get going, you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about.

Vacancy Announcements by e-mail: Whenever a vacancy is created by a forecaster moving onto another position in another office, that first office begins the long process of filling that vacancy, by sending out a vacancy announcement to all the forecasters across the country, asking any who are interested to reply to the e-mail. If three or more NWS employees respond that they're interested, the vacancy will only be officially announced in-agency and not to the entire open public (better chances for me). (1-2 weeks)

Vacacny Officially Opens for Applications: On the offical government job application web-site, the vacancy is then announced as open for applications. If we are interested in the location, I have 2 to 3 weeks to submit my resume and application electronically. My resume is already prepared, I just have to keep it updated with little details. Although recently, an advisor here at my office has commented that he'd like to help me with my electronic resume to make sure that I'm not selling myself short. Applying for a position includes answering a set of questions to ascertain the level of my experience and qualifications, making sure my resume is up to date, and faxing in any necessary paperwork.

Vacancy Closes: After 2 to 3 weeks, no more applications are accepted for that vacancy. All applications are screened - weeding out the unqualified and keeping the qualified. The regional HR office then forwards the top (however many) candidates' applications to that office's "hiring official". The boss in every office is referred to as the MIC (Meteorolgist in Charge).

MIC Considers, Narrows Down Applicants: After the MIC receives the panel of top qualified applicants, they have 2 to 3 weeks to conduct interviews by phone and make their final selection as to who they want for the job. The MIC then submits the chosen applicant's name back to the regional HR office.

Position Offered / Awarded: The regional HR office calls the chosen applicant to offically offer the job, and tells the applicant that the MIC will be in touch to arrange a report-to-work date. This is usually around 6 weeks and is somewhat negotiable.

Packing / Preparing to Move: In the government, moves (re-locations) are paid for. The applicant receives a moving packet with information about the moving company hired to come and pack and load all the belongings. This is obviously the time to start looking for new housing in the new location.

Moving: The moving company has a set time and instructions to pack the truck, while the family moving is already on their way to the new location. Allowances and per diem Hotel stay payments are provided (for a 30-day limited time) until the family finds a new home and arranges for the moving company to deliver their belongings.

Report to Work: The applicant reports to work at the new location. Hopefully, the business of getting settled in has been taken care of by now.

I'M BACK !!!

2008-08-01T14:01:00.003-06:00

Hello, Everyone!

When I first began blogging last year, not many people I knew were into it. Well, what a difference one year makes, eh?

It has continuosly become one of the most favorite ways to keep in touch among many family and friends, beginning especially this year. So, I thought I'd get back into it, now that Blogger has some more new features. Please pass along a link to anyone else you think might be interested.

I'll post some pictures soon from our recent summer vacation to Utah. Here's hopin' to talk to you soon!

Chores

2007-08-14T17:49:00.000-06:00

We have begun to implement family chores in our household, now that our two older children are old enough to handle it. What an amazing transformation! This is yet another example of how children respond to and thrive with structure and organization.

We've set it up as a weekly rotating set of "zones" for each of us. Each "zone" is sub-divided into daily responsibilities and once-weekly resposibilities. The kids absolutely love the sense of responsibility and also learning how to do chores that only Mom or Dad used to do. I think it helps them feel a little bit older and bigger. There is an overall happier mood in our home.

Hooray for chores!!!

Well, Blow Me Down !

2007-08-08T09:23:00.000-06:00

For the last two nights in a row, overnight thunderstorms have leveled a good portion of the corn stalks in our garden. Thankfully, it also rained so much, that the stalks were neither broken, nor uprotted. This allowed us to upright them and pack the soil around their bases to make them stand straight up again. I guess I need to reinforce the stalks with even more soil than I already had.

Hopefully, the stress of having been blown down, won't reduce the plants' productivity too much. We've really been enjoying the sweet corn for dinner recently

Fusarium Wilt

2007-08-01T07:45:00.000-06:00

The anticipation of full, ripe tomatoes from our garden has been lessened somewhat of late, due to a soil fungus called Fusarium Wilt.

Before we knew of this problem, we weren't sure if we were watering the plants too much, or not enough, or if we had accidentally sprayed too much water on the leaves. It turns out that there is nothing we can do about this soil fungus. A few baseball-sized tomatoes are beginning to turn orange/red. We will just have to enjoy the tomatoes we end up getting.Our bell pepper plants and corn plants seem to be coming along much better.

It will be fun to harvest and eat the food from our garden.

True Colors

2007-07-26T15:46:00.000-06:00

At work today, we had a True Colors workshop/presentation, to foster understanding and cooperation among all of our different temperaments. It's like the next program in line after Briggs/Meyer, Keirsey, etc.

To really sum things up, there are four different character colors:

Orange: Adventurous, Spontaneous, Entertaining, Risky
Gold: Secure, Loyal, Traditional, Organized, Family/Home oriented
Blue: Romatic, Harmonious, Sensitive, Compassionate
Green: Intelligent, Curious, Problem Solving, Requiring Explanation

We went through a few exercises to establish which was our own primary color and how far below the other colors ranked for each of us, creating our color spectrum. Then, we split up into color groups to brain-storm common traits amongst ourselves and also to compliment other color groups.

What's your primary true color?

Can You Take The Heat?

2007-07-25T11:39:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my little world. This is my first blog entry. I hope you enjoy it and join me in many discussions. Most people use talk of the weather as a last resort. But not me - I'm a weatherman! More accurately, I'm a Meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But not to worry. I'll try to keep such talk to a minimum. :)

With daily high temperatures well into the 90s and limited amounts of rain for most of this month, things are beginning to dry out around here. If this area doesn't receive at least another 1/4 inch of rain before the end of July, this will become the driest month on record. Also, if 3/4 inch of rain fails to make it to the ground by the end of August, this will become the driest summer on record.

Thank goodness the cost of water is included in our rent! Gotta keep that lawn green!