On the Mic with Mike

This past weekend Lindsay got a chance to see what it's like to grow up in the country. Saturday morning, she and mom were seen watching CMT and were singing along with the music videos. Apparently she likes country music, as she was seemingly waving her arms around and smiling. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to break out the JD hat that Grandpa Eric had bought her. That's my little girl!! I can't wait until the fall when she can wear her pink JD hoodie (also courtesy of Grandpa). I am sure one proud Dad.

Sunday afternoon I decided to break out the grill for the first time this year. Hamburgers just sounded too good. As I was out getting the grill ready, I had to step back a second to consider the image I was portraying to my neighbors and any passers-by. There I was wearing jeans, an old fleece pullover, sandals with socks (needed the socks to keep my feet warm, as it is in fact winter), armed with a beer and a propane torch, trying to get the charcoal lit. Wow...... I imagine that this is the point, years from now, where Lindsay would be truly embarrassed.

Sunday, Lindsay went on her first trip to Patriot country to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa. Lindsay enjoyed the visit and even got to go down to Grandpa's shop to see how the work on her crib was going. Mom showed her the "work in progress" and she looked very confused and/or concerned. It was almost as if she was trying to say: "Dad,are you sure you know what you're doing. This isn't exactly what I had envisioned as my crib." I just hope I can get the crib finished soon, as I think she'll be ready for it sooner than I had thought.

Well....that pretty much sums up the highlights of the weekend. I just love being a Dad!!

My brother Terry and I ventured into home-brewing a little over three years ago. During the first batch, we experienced quite a few issues that we chalked up as "learning". Despite the boil-over and syphoning problems, the end product amazingly resembled and tasted like a "Pale Ale" should. It was not necessarily great, but at least we hit the target. In the fall of 2006, we finally made the time to get a couple more batches going. We had purchased some additional equipment (learned from batch 1) and were both excited to get to work. We devoted a full Saturday to the brewing and we were able to complete two recipes. Unfortunately, both of our kettles had leaks at the handles, so we did have a few problems with the boil again. Everything else seemed to go flawlessly until secondary fermentation, at which point I noticed that both batches appeared to have mold. After a few days of research, Terry and I could not identify a concrete cause. The best that we could figure was that while trying to correct the boiling issues that we may have introduced some bacteria, which is always possible when working in a kitchen. After losing two batches of beer, we greatly increased our attention to equipment sanitation procedures for the next batch. The procedures we follow now are probably far more strict than necessary, but we didn't want to risk wasting another batch. In November of 2007, Terry and I started work on the Batch 4, a dark holiday ale. Armed with a new and much larger kettle, we went to work. It was very evident that we had at least gained valuable experience with the first three batches. With an outstanding coordinated effort, every facet of the brewing process went seamlessly. Within five hours, we had the beer in the primary fermenter and all was looking great. The only problem we had in this batch was that the airlock kept getting clogged in the primary fermenter, eventually causing a breech in the lid. This was identified quickly and was corrected. On Christmas Eve, Terry and I cracked open the first bottle and after a toast, we sampled our end product. Dark, full bodied, a citrus accent and a hint of cinnamon.

Finally.....SUCCESS!

Excited with how Batch 4 turned out, we are anxious to get the next batch going and I'll be sure to post the details.


Edited to correct grammatical typo.
01-27-2008 (MDS)

So, as I just recently had an enlightening (by that I really mean, ridiculous) support call with Citrix, I decided that I may start a series of posts where I can vent a little, and any readers can in turn vent as well. While working on my blog the other night, I thought to myself. "Self, why don't you create a series of blogs titled 'Feisty Friday' and make them a bi-weekly, Friday post?" Now for the quick history lesson...

The exact circumstances surrounding "Feisty Friday" are a bit fuzzy, but it's origins are rooted in an plush cubicle, filled with Cisco paraphernalia. It was in this cube that Telco-Joe was engaged in a similarly enlightening conversation with Verizon, regarding high-speed internet. As I sit in the cube next door, it was pretty apparent to me that Joe was getting a little fired up on this call. It wasn't long before half of our group was huddled around his cube to witness this masterful display of call escalation. In the weeks following, Joe would occasionally arrive at work with the disclaimer: "I'm a bit feisty today, guys". Soon after, this became a running theme and received it's own designated day, thus the coined term: "Feisty Friday".

So, every once in a while (on Fridays, of course) I will open discussion on some topic that warrants a bit of venting. People who can't park. Level-1 tech support. The sky's the limit. And just maybe, we'll even see a "Feisty Friday" post from Joe himself.

Stay tuned...

It's now been a little over two weeks since Lindsay was born, and so far things have gone very well for the rookie Dad. I've gotten the hang of diaper changes, I can usually tell the difference between a "hungry cry" and a "dirty/wet cry", and I am pretty darn good at the whole "getting Lindsay dressed" scene, though she really tried to challenge me on that with an endless flury of kicks and flailing arms. However, it is becoming apparent to me that the more I learn about being a Dad, the more uncharted waters I begin to uncover. Although I enjoy the on-the-job training, I figured that it may be very helpful and fun to recruit the advice of some experienced professionals. If anyone would like to share any snip-its of wisdom for the new guy, or if anyone wants to recommend any cool, must-have products such as the "Diaper Champ" (Thanks, Miller), I would love to read your comments.

1. When Lindsay sleeps, we should sleep.
2. For Lindsay, diaper changes are as equivalently pleasant as a root canal.
3. You can't take too many pictures.
4. Diapers are nearly a currency. $$$
5. Caffeine is my friend.
6. A "Diaper Champ" came out of my tool budget.........and it was my idea.
7. Going shopping is now a planned event.
8. You can in fact survive an entire day on Kraft Easy Mac.
9. Lindsay already has me wrapped around her little finger.
10. Treasure every moment.

Well......nearly two weeks ago today, I became the proud father of Lindsay Catherine. Lindsay was born on Friday, January 4th at 2:03 AM. I had talked to many friends and read several books for dads-to-be, but nothing could have prepared me for the joy that she would bring. Simply put, it was the most amazing moment of my life. I could not have been more proud of my wife and our new daughter. After seeing my coworker's blog (Thanks, Joe), I decided it would be fun to provide some updates for my family and friends.

And that, is where this post ends..........and my blog begins.