a twenty year reunion

According to FedEx, on Saturday (May 19th) there will be a reunion of a long lost prodigal computer user and Apple Computer.

Yes, that's right, I've bought a Mac. For the first time in nearly twenty years, I'll be an Apple user. I've never owned a Macintosh; the last time I owned an Apple was back during the Apple II vs. Macintosh internal power struggle in which the Mac obviously came out on top.

I've been stuck in Windows land where:

• - I've yet to find a video editing solution that is easy to use, inexpensive, and fast. As such my videos of the family (clips and full camcorder DV tapes) sit with only me as an audience.
• - I'm constantly bombarded with security updates
• - I'm constantly asked if I want to allow something to listen as a server (hello, I am a Java developer and Java *is* the language of the Net)
• - I'm constantly searching for a tool that didn't come with my computer in order to meet a need. Not to mention three+ years after buying my last Windows computer I'm still removing stuff I never installed myself and never use
• - I'm unwilling to fall for the latest "oh, this new version is totally rewritten and is much more stable / secure / user-friendly / productive" new-Windows scam. I believe I've heard that back when Windows 98, 200, and XP were all released...

I can't wait for it to get here. If you're a family member reading this... expect DVDs of the kids in the mail soon :)


- Scott

a cinco de mayo scare

On Thursday night, Lauren started refusing the majority of each bottle. She's always been a sipper; the opposite of Cayleigh who was notorious for the vacuum she'd create after attacking a bottle at feeding time. This time however, she flatly refused to eat much more than the first few sips. No big deal, I thought... she probably just had a growth lull or stomach ache (though she sure didn't seem to show it).

Friday morning, Becca took her to the doctor. He sent her home with instructions to keep an eye on her. Again, no big deal I figured.

By the time I came home from work, Lauren had developed a low-grade fever. She acted normally - smiling occasionally, following motion as she has been, without lethargy. We decided again to keep an eye on her and grabbed a bite to eat at a local restaurant.

By the time Cayleigh was down for the night, Becca had alerted the doctor's office's on-call nurse that Lauren's fever had increased above 101. What seemed small to me turned into a very long weekend. We were instructed to take Lauren to the emergency room. Over a 101 degree fever?

At 3:00 AM on cinco de mayo after several hours in an E.R. triage, her tests had been taken and she was admitted to the hospital for a minimum of 48 hours as standard procedure. We were informed she could either have a simple "wait it out" virus or a deadly bacterial infection. I learned about the dangers of infection for infants under 2 months. At just over six weeks old, Lauren was just shy of the immune-system development hump so I learned.

After our weekend in the hospital watching our little one with an IV attached to a brick on her arm, she was released with many sighs of relief.

Now I don't really wonder why Becca takes Lauren's temperature throughout the day. In about two weeks I guess I'll get over some of my new-found paranoia.



- Scott