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Showing posts from 2004

Elves Hack Website, Claim Santa Is Myth

So, I'm smack in the middle of holidays. Thanksgiving came and went quickly...now Christmas is in a couple of weeks. Whew! Sadly, I'm still a man without a country...errr, well...at least a home to call my own. The Jackson house has been on the market since mid-September...which isn't bad for Mississippi. Up here, that's pretty bad. Homes are sold in a week...two weeks is considered slow. However, I remain true to the belief that all things happen for a reason and a season...God's got a plan. Georgia continues to grow. I've added three new pics to the Photos section...be sure and select the "Show All" function to be certain you see them all. She's eating baby food now...and jibber-jabbering up a storm. Thankfully, I'm going to Jackson tomorrow and will be there all next week, working from home. Then, we three will return to DC and I'll be off Christmas week. Two weeks straight will be the longest I've been around my two women. It

You Call This Cold?!

Winter has arrived in the Big DC. Actually, it's been rather frosty since last week. I was quite glad my large leather coat, scarf, gloves and hat came here via the mother-in-law (she visited Kim and Georgia for a week) otherwise, a Rickcicle would have been unavoidable. Since the only times I ever visited DC or NY was during winter months, this place is feeling more like I'm used to - brisk winds, biting cold, and seeing your breath in Metro stations. It's beginning to feel like the holidays...Starbucks has eggnog lattes. Yum! Not carb-friendly but a little treat is fine. An Open House is being held this Sunday at the Jackson home. Hopefully, some leads will come from that. I'm off to Jackson on the 19th...and bringing Kimmie and Georgia back here for Thanksgiving week. I had hoped we'd have our own place by now...but it will all happen when it's supposed to happen. Hope each of you is well. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, emails, and calls. The

When Rabid Spider Monkeys Attack...

Wow, another month in DC has come and gone. November 7 will mark 5 months working at W*USA 9 - almost half a year! - and Oct. 30th marked my child being 3 months old. 3 months! Whoah. This has been an odd arrangement...being a dad but not being able to "be a dad"...after all, you'll see from my latest pics that I added to the Photos section of the website (don't forget to go there and check em out) that this little baby is HAPPY! Wow, can she smile. Meanwhile, I've been experiencing all the joys of managership with the paperwork, appraisals, budgets, interviewing new candidates, and other assundries. All the while trying to code a current website...design a new one...and get ready for Election Tuesday. It's upon me, which means a VERY long day...I might as well be ready to sleep up here...and that may happen. Vote and pray. Pray that God's Will be done and that the election process will be smooth and decisive. As for the subject of this post...I just

Time Warps, Truck License Plates, and Laughing Babies

Nearly a month has flown by since my last post...where did the time go...did anyone get the license plate of the truck that seemingly ran over me? Yeesh. It's hard to believe that Halloween is nearly here...that October is almost gone...that I've been in DC for nearly 5 months. Time has whisked past. Last weekend, I returned to Jackson with the original plan of the fam jaunting to New Orleans and going to the Fair. Due to humid & rainy Big Easy conditions, I found myself at the Mississippi State Fair about a half-hour after getting off the plane. Yum, high-carb fair food! ;) Friday was errand-day. Saturday was little Georgia's first car ride to the Gulf Coast for "Cruisin' on the Coast." We rode down with some friends and met up with more. Nothin' like family, good friends, and old cars. Georgia is so expressive now. She smiles and mute-laughs (expression without laughing out-loud) so easily. She's a happy and content baby...unless she'

Garner Baby Length Fraud, Investigation Reveals

One day after releasing current weight and length of his child, Rick Garner says that he was provided inaccurate information. "I was duped," Garner said with shrugged shoulders as his sources confirmed that Georgia Kennedy Garner is only 23 inches and not the 33 inches that Garner released in his sporadically released newsletter. "I checked facts twice but in the end, those facts were in error,"Garner continued. "Now, I'll have to rip up the check from the Enquirer." Tabloids next week will instead focus on John Kerry being manipulated by mind-controlling aliens. Kerry claimed last week that he favored such actions by extraterrestrials. This week, he was opposed to the methods and called them "violations".

Where'd the month go?

So, I'm realizing it's been nearly a month since I've posted something new. How time does run away when one is "gettin' stupid" in DC! Even harder to believe is that my daughter is 8 weeks old tomorrow. She'll be 2-months the next week! The latest picture I've added to the Photos area shows her Aunt Katie holding this giant baby. And just how large has this spud gotten? Her birth weight was 7 lbs. 11oz...she's now 12lbs. 9oz! She was 20 1/2 inches at birth...now, 33inches! Kim says we are either raising a line backer or a forward for the WNBA. Having Kim and Georgia here for a week and a half was so awesome! Most of the nights she and Georgia slept on the first floor while I was in "my room" and her folks in theirs on the third. Her mom and I were still getting up early to go to our respective jobs. On the mornings I did not go in, Kim got to sleep upstairs and I kept G. Actually, she had mellowed from her "crying fits" over

Curse of the Black Squirrel

So, I'm walking along Wisconsin Ave on two different days and notice an odd site - a black squirrel. Now, I suppose an albino squirrel would've been even stranger...but this guy was jet black all over. One day, I saw him close to the beginning of my walk. A couple days later...he was dashing fearlessly across the street, avoiding an onslaught of buses and cars. Or perhaps noir squirrels are common here in DC. Then, there's a Japanese restaurant called Kuma. It's new and an animal paw is part of its logo. A paw? Seems Kuma is a bear. Haven't wandered in there yet…although I'm really curious if they have a pet bear or serve pet, maybe? ;) Two Saturdays ago, I saw my first movie here, Spidey 2. Cool flick. Not a big deal in the scheme of entertainment choices. However, keep in mind that I've taken few breaks while here. Sadly, the theater is across the street from the station. It's hard to believe that a month ago yesterday, I was watching my child be

Packing My Bags, Again

It's hard to believe that I've been back to Mississippi for two weeks! Time really raced by. Friday the 13th (whooooo) at 2:20pm, Georgia will be two weeks old. 48 hours after that, I'll be on the ground in Maryland. Getting to see friends and family while here has been refreshing and a bit tough. Flying in and out for a weekend is no time to miss the people or the place. Staying home with Kim, lovin' on a new baby, and working from home for two weeks...tends to make one reflective. I still know that God's opened some remarkable doors to take us to DC. And I still know that I love the South! ;) From here on, the waters get a little muddier. God knows when the house will sell and where we will live and how the drive from here to DC will be...I just wish that I knew! ;) But even when that day comes, we forged too many friendships and I have too many family members to not return often to the Magnolia State. Besides, I'll be expecting many of you to be touri

Toxic Waste, Products, Crying and Everything Nice

It's a hair past a week since a new human being entered the Jackson home. This house has been home to two humans and four animals (three cats and one dog). Only the Beagle and the female cat, Allie, remain. Bones is in Maryland being spoiled by the in-laws, and PJ passed a couple weeks ago. It seems strange not having him wander to my office while I'm typing this note, announce his presence with a soft "mehh" (his meower hadn't been strong for years), and come over to my legs for a rub. To have a new person in this home seems refreshing and surprisingly not as scary as I imagined. What have I learned over the past week? What goes in a baby, must come out. The diaper genie - someone's little invention of a supped-up waste can - is great in that is contains the seeping doom that lies within. A seething furnace would be a better place to chunk some of these diapers! :) A guy who never wanted to hold babies (let's face it, no guy really wants to hold a ki

Just an old sweet song...

I've added a new folder to the Photos link on the left called "Georgia On My Mind" You'll find some pics there. I'll update with more from time to time, so check back if possible. Fatherhood is rather awesome and something that one can't really describe to anyone. I'm sure a dad with a son feels similar...but, yet, "different" than when it's a girl. (Gee, you think I'm wrapped or what?) Georgia on My Mind Written by: Stuart Gorrell Composed by: Hoagy Carmichael Georgia, Georgia, the whole day through Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind. Georgia, Georgia, a song of you Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight through the pines. Other arms reach out to me Other eyes smile tenderly Still in peaceful dreams I see The road leads back to you. Georgia, Georgia, no peace I find Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind. Melodies bring memories That linger in my heart Make me think of Georgia Why did we ever

Can you come home tonight?

The question caught me totally by surprise. "The baby is fine. I am fine. But my fluid is lower than it should be and the doctor wants to deliver her." My disbelief was rapidly met with a prompting to get my already planned trip to Jackson for the weekend moved up a day and extended at least a week. So, the mother-in-law and I came in last night at 5:40pm, after Kim had already been admitted to the Suites on Lakeland Drive. I spent the night with her - the rooms are divine only for those admitted to them - as she began to have contractions. After dozing much of the night, I had the not-so-pleasurable experience of watching her ride-out contractions enhanced by drugs from 6-8am while waiting on the blessed epidural. After that, she slept like a log. The rest of the day crept by at a steady pace until Georgia Kennedy Garner was born 2:20pm on Friday, July 30, 2004. She weighed 7lbs 11oz, 20 1/2 inches long and a head full of my hair! :) Let me tell ya, that umbilical cord i

Washington Wanderings

Actually, I like that title...might need to weave that into something for online. Hmmmm. It's been a while since I've written. So, I'll give you a three-for-one deal: what's an average day for me...a moment from last weekend...and a trek this morning. Several people have wondered what a typical day is like here at WUSA-9, which mirrors another question of what are my job duties. First, there's really not a typical day...not in TV and certainly not in DC. But, I digress... My role at WUSA-9 is Site Manager (I altered it to Website Manager to add a bit more description). Gannett properties have no standard title for this position, which is mainly that of Webmaster. However, at WUSA, this is a Department Head position, as I have a staff, budget, and projects to manage. I'm responsible for every aspect of WUSATV9.com with my focus being on the technology and coding of the site. Since starting June 7, there's been a great deal of review and assessment o

Thoughtful Tuesday

The Lord revealed something new to me in this morning's "My Utmost for His Highest":   ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord."Isaiah 6:1 http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=isa+6:1&sr=1 Our soul's history with God is frequently the history of the "passing of the hero." Over and over again God has to remove our friends in order to bring Himself in their place, and that is where we faint and fail and get discouraged. Take it personally: In the year that the one who stood to me for all that God was, died - I gave tip everything? I became ill? I got disheartened? or - I saw the Lord? My vision of God depends upon the state of my character. Character determines revelation. Before I can say "I saw also the Lord," there must be something corresponding to God in my character. Until I am born again and begin to see the Kingdom of God, I see a

Birthday in the District

So, it's still rather surreal...being on the fourth floor of the CBS affiliate in Washington, DC. To add another layer, yesterday was the only birthday I've had away from Mississippi and for the last 7 years, my wife. The steak was yummy and my in-law's company was comforting...but it was certainly different. Not as different as seeing a midget...dwarf...vertically challenged person, possibility a student of American University, coming through a Metro gate. She was barely taller than it. My first midget in DC! ;) The job continues to be challenging as there's SO much to do here.It's a great challenge to not only have an opportunity to built a great website in the nation's cap but also to have people who are interested and willing to help. The support system here at WUSA-9 is awesome! I only wish that family and other friends could be closer -that's certainly a missing part and something that I think about often. I don't get too lonely as I am aroun

Feels like Mississippi...

Hard to forget my home state when the air is as sticky as it is in Mississippi! Yeesh, isn't it supposed to be cooler here! :) I hardly wore button-downs and never wore ties in Jackson. That attire just seems to make things hotter. Upon exiting Broadcast House (yeah, the building has that on the outside - dwarfed by the 4-story glass exterior but it's on there), I have a daily ritual of ridding myself of the tie. Although I enjoy my 5-block stroll, the workday is done - lose the tie, man! This past weekend marked my first time of navigating the streets of Maryland and being in DC truly alone. The in-laws are away for the week. As directionally challenged as I can be, I've actually got a clue where to get around Laurel. The drive to the Metro station is a snap, and I've officially become a Metro commuter as of today - dropped off clothes to be dry cleaned in DC and brought them back on the train. Quaint, aye? :) Now, that I've completed other errands for the we

The Day After Yesterday

Day Two - Every few feet, the DC streets have a dead cicada. I haven't bothered counting them as I walk 5 blocks from the nearest Metro stop to WUSA. It's a nice stroll (hmmmm, maybe not so much if I'm still doing it when snow comes) and gives the Benz a break from all the traffic. Speaking of, the old gal made it here fine and hasn't been pulled over for having "non-Maryland" tags - yet! :) What an intense way to kick off a new job - things are in high gear with the Reagan funeral this week! I am blessed with a self-sufficient web staff that requires little supervision. While getting used to the lay of the land, I'll also be learning about and from this 4-member team. After receiving two rounds of applause from two different meeting tables yesterday, I'm blessed to have a TV family that has been looking forward to my arrival. Now, it's time to get stupid and scare all of them! :) House hunting progressed to where we'll pursue getting a n