We are officially connected to the internet. The Comcast installation dude came by this afternoon and hooked us up with the cable modem and a pretty fast connect speed - 2.3Mbit, according to BandwidthPlace. All we need now are the new G5 and some wireless adapters and we'll be all set. We're even thinking of setting up the wireless network with the airport this weekend... gotta update the TiVo somehow.

All of my stuff got moved out of Chicago on Thursday, and said goodbye to my 23rd floor view. It was sad to leave, but for the price and the amount of sanity I'm saving by moving to the 'burbs I'm not complaining too much. The movers I hired were fantastic! They managed to squeeze both couches into the house, so we don't have to worry about ripping out any doors! All of my stuff is in the house, so now it's just a matter of time before we toss the last empty box into the recycle bin.

In other news, Janine's parents drove out here for the extended weekend, and we're having a great time showing them the house and the area. They went grocery shopping and came back with a full rack of ribs that we boiled and BBQed on the porch.

The funny thing is that Sally and Ron Rockwell were in the area (all the way from Naperville) and decided to drop by for a visit. The next thing we knew, we were hosting a dinner party, showing off the house, and even finding video tapes of old MMB field shows. This place was party central for a few hours, and we still have cardboard boxes all over the place!

1060 is starting to feel like home.

So I've been traveling at the speed of light recently. I tend to get into a funk where I get incredibly focused on what I'm doing and tend to do things at a dizzying speed. Granted, to me everything seems fine and I just feel like I'm trying to get something done. Apparently, any sane person who sees me in the middle of said funk thinks I'm on speed or crank.

It's something I've done since college, mainly when I studied. I'd get in a grove, and before I knew it a few hours would have passed. There were plenty of times where I wouldn't eat because I was in that grove and didn't feel hungry. I think that's how I managed to loose the Freshman 15 instead of gaining it.

I don't really know what kind of point I was going to make when I started writing this post, but I have a sinking suspicion that if I don't slow down someone in our humble home is going to have a meltdown... and those aren't fun from either perspective.

The Bad News: My friend/co-worker Charles and I are wearing the exact same outfit today - solid black t-shirt, jeans, black Sketchers. We are honestly identical twins today!

The Worse News: This isn't the first time it's happened.

I've been keeping an eye on the whole California recall crapfest fiasco, and just today went looking through the list of candidates. I think it's completely stupid, but if the residents of my former state want to go ahead and screw things up further, fine by me.

I'll end the pollicital comments and continue with what I wanted to post...

I'm sure that most people are looking at all of the big-wigs like Arnie and Larry Flint, but this guy would have my vote if I still lived there!

Hello...

Hello...

Hello...

Hrmm... pretty empty around here recently. We've been pretty busy running around hell's half-acre since we got back from the honeymoon (which is chronicled here... the wedding starts here), and without DSL at our new place we've been occupied by other chores that need to be done. Currently those chores include painting, unpacking, cleaning, and a few loads of laundry here and there.

It sucks being back at work, compared to last week when we were soaking up some tropical sun and sipping straight rum Mai-Tais on the beach. The only good news is that I've returned to find that I still have my job and that the program that has been on hold for the past three months is starting up next week. The current timeline is at least two years, so if this project actually goes all the way to production I'll be pretty busy for the next 24 months... and still employed. :-)

I don't have much of anything else to write about for now, so I'm going to go home and get ready to slather some more paint on the living room walls. To think that we might be able to start moving in to the living room tomorrow! Dare to dream...

It's official. We're now married. In the words of that really old and dorky email joke that floated around a few years ago, I've upgraded from Girfriend v1.4 to Wife v1.0.

The weddings were absolutely beautiful. Friday's Catholic ceremony was very deep and meaningful and went off perfectly, except for the thunderstorm that sprung up right as we started. The good news is that the weather cleared up just as we were walking down the isle together. We were reminded many times about the relationship between 'luck' and 'rain' on your wedding day.

Saturday was an absolute blast. All three families stayed sane, the weather was perfect, the ceremony was tear-jerking, the food was great, the party was the shiz-nat, and all of our vendors were bloody-fantastic! We had so many people coming up to us with words of praise and joy, a few saying it was one of the best weddings they'd ever attended. We didn't want endless speaches and formailities getting in the way of a good time. We wanted a kick-ass party, and that's exactly what we got.

Special thanks must go out to a select few. Without Deonna's help this whole weekend would never have been as beautiful as it was. Shawn was the best errand-boy and slave any groom could have asked for, and never complained at all ... Heck, he practically put the whole reception hall together! The Coffman boys, Ray & Stevie, were a great help in keeping the boat steady throughout the night.

Lastly, thanks is due to anyone and everyone who helped make this weekend possible. Those of you who touched our lives and watched as we grew with each other. Those who helped make last night the best party we could have ever hoped for. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

Now, Janine and I will head off on our Honeymoon to the island of Curacao in the southern Carribean to enjoy our new titles as Husband and Wife. We'll see all y'all soon, and we'll be sure to bring back pictures!