Youngest Son is very aware

My youngest son likes to make things out of paper, and has made a few cards and letters for my friend Bruce. We've hand delivered some and send others to him at work (I work with Bruce).

Last night he drew something, put it in a box, wrapped the box with printer paper, attached a 'card' that he made, and told me it was for one of his pre-school teachers. This is within the scope of things he normally does so I didn't think about it too much, but my wife and I felt a little odd that he had done this for ONE teacher and didn't want to start bringing wrapped boxes to school everyday. We didn't want to stifle his kindness or creativity but I was watching this closely.

I explained to the teacher who was present at his school what it was and who it was for. She told me it was the birthday of the teacher my son made the present for. I was stunned that my son, who is four, had the awareness to think about this, remember it, come up with a plan, and execute it. I was impressed and touched by his behavior.

Gaming News

I try to keep my personal blog free of gaming news, but you can see in this post on my gaming blog, that I've been lucky enough to be included in an podcast interview about Neverwinter Nights, the game I write for and play most often. You can follow this link to Neverwinter Podcast Episode 40, the podcast with my interview. I haven't even had time to listen to it yet, but was very excited and wanted to post right away.

Here's that link again:
http://neverwinternightspodcast.com/?p=89

An Old Friend is Engaged

I heard from Eric, a dear old friend of mine from New York yesterday. We chatted a bit on the telephone an caught up, but the only thing I can seem to remember is the news that he is engaged. He's been dating a woman named Monica for over two years and the two got engaged this past August. I am thrilled for my friend and his news easily eclipsed everything else we discussed.

Congratulations Eric and Monica.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have some turkey and an extra helping of potatoes.

Enjoy the day.

Santa Claus

The recent news stories about Santa Claus are too funny and they are also a bit sad.

Recently there was a story out of the UK. that Santa needed to go on a diet and could not be fat this year. Now there is the following out of Australia.

YDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.

"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.

"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.

"Leave Santa alone."

A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

What's wrong with a traditional Santa. I don't want to offend anyone, or encourage poor health but give me a break, it's Santa!

Interviewed regarding gaming project.

I was interviewed by Neverwinter Podcast last night using Skype. I blogged about it over at my gaming blog extensively, as it's related to my gaming projects. What's a podcast? What's Skype?

You can find the answers at Wikipedia. What's Wikipeida? The short answer is it's a wiki, but you can read about wiki's and wikipedia on Wikipedia.

My name actually shows up in a gaming related Wikipedia entry. You can read it here...at the very bottom of the page under external links.

My interview will show up on episode 39 of Neverwinter Podcast which should be out in a few weeks. I'll definitely post a link on my gaming blog.

Sick Child

My youngest was sick earlier in the week. Stomach Flu kind of ting. My middle son was on a field trip to Curtis Orchard today, and got sick while he was there, with the same thing. He told Shannon that he didn't like that place because it made his stomach hurt. Clearly he just caught it from his little brother, but it sounded pretty funny. Curtis Orchard is a GREAT place and I'll definitely be back with the whole family at some point.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

My two littlest boys love the Charlie Brown Christmas special and watch it regularly even now in September and October. My oldest son also enjoys it but not to the point where he has to watch it once every other day. Halloween is right around corner, and so I figured I'd pickup 'It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown'.

I sat snuggled in my chair with the one of the younger boys on each knee and my oldest on the couch next to me. They laughed and smiled and we had a great time. As soon as it was over and until he fell asleep my middle son cried and cried. He said the nighttime scenes were too scary! He never wants to watch it again, that's ok with me but I feel badly that I scared him when I was trying to have a nice quite time with all three boys.

Oops!

Microsoft Visual Studio Team Meeting

This looks more like a gaming project than a visual studio programming tool, but what the heck. The ad was funny.

Digital Video Camera Bites the Dust

My digital video camera bit the dust, mostly anyway. It's had a problem for two years, while a tape is in it often becomes bent, creased or damaged while in the camcorder. When this happens it's nearly impossible to rewind, play or record with that tape. Most often the tape has to be pitched. Today I had the same problem but the tape won't eject.

I've been all over the net looking for solutions, and it sounds like this is not uncommon with mini DV camcords, the Sharp band (which I have) tends to be more susceptible as it ages. I've tried all the troubleshooting tips to no avail, and the next step is to start unscrewing parts and remove the tape, which may damage the device, or sent it in for repair, which according to others will cost nearly as much as replacement.

I let the warranty lapse a year ago for the same reason, the warranty renewal was a significant cost.

It looks like a replacement is in the cards for the future. Unfortunately I planned to use this one for a small work project, then buy one for the office. Instead I will buy one for the office tomorrow so I can do the work. I had planned to buy one for work so it's not much trouble.

The big questions is which way to go... I'm not shelling out for a hi-def camera, which means do I get a mini dv, a DVD recorder, or something with an on board hard drive. Given my experience with the tapes, I'm surprised to find that's probably the route I will go. We have a CD based camera at work, and I'm not a fan. I'm not sure about the on board hard drive, but it may be worth looking into. We'll see...

The camera was originally a gift, and one I could not have been more thrilled with. I've learned how to make DVDs, made polished home movies, fun short films for the kids, and other miscellaneous films. It's been one of the best gifts our family received and it's had a significant positive influence on me. (If you were a purchaser of this gift... THANK YOU)

Neverwinter Nights 2 Project Complete

My latest gaming project, a new Neverwinter Nights 2 module is out. You can visit http://enoa4rpg.blogspot.com to read all the latest gaming news or visit web site where the module is posted and rated here: http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2ModulesEnglish.Detail&id=182

Locatelli Cheese

Locatelli Brand Pecorino Romano

I love it. My kids say it smells funny and they call it 'foot cheese', but I think it's wonderful.

Try it!

Illinois State Budget Mess

The Illinois State Budget has been a mess this year. Months of overtime sessions. The governor making inconsistent and seemingly irrationally statements. It's been alarming and amusing to watch.

My wife showed me this great site where I have been able to get the latest and greatest on the happenings in Springfield, IL. It's a great place to stay up on what's happening in Illinois State Government. I wish there were something similar in Washington DC.

http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/

This blog is updated many times during each weekday. I check it as much as I can for unfiltered news. Great stuff.

World Clock

This is pretty cool. My mother in law sent me the link to this flash based world clock.

Birthday Cake - Grandma Strikes Again

My mom always makes elaborate birthday cakes for my kids. I posted pictures of the spiderman cake a few months ago. Well it's my eldest son's birthday shortly and we are celebrating today. Here are pictures of the amazing cakes my mom made this time.

Sysadmin Day

I work in IT and I am very proud to note that today July 27th is SysAdmin day?

What's SysAdmin day? Look here!

Star Trek XI

Leonard Nimoy to Reprise Role as Spock in 11th 'Star Trek' Movie

Friday , July 27, 2007

SAN DIEGO —

Leonard Nimoy isn't through with Spock yet.

The 76-year-old actor will don his famous pointy ears again to play the role in an upcoming "Star Trek" film due out Christmas 2008.

"This is really going to be a great movie. And I don't say things like that lightly," Nimoy told a gathering of 6,500 fans Thursday at Comic-Con, the nation's largest pop-culture convention.

• Get the low-down on Tinseltown in the Movies Center.

He greeted the crowd with a Vulcan salute.

Nimoy was joined by the newly named young Spock, "Heroes" star Zachary Quinto, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Nimoy.

Both Spocks were introduced by the film's director and co-producer, J.J. Abrams.

"This is a series I loved as a kid," Abrams said, acknowledging that he was "more of a 'Star Wars' kid than a 'Star Trek' kid."

"This matters so much to so many people," he said. "I'm honored to be here and do this."

While the character of Captain Kirk has yet to be cast, Abrams said that William Shatner, who played the role in the original TV series, would likely also have a part in the film.

"It has to be worthy, of him and of you," Abrams told fans, adding that production is slated to begin in November.

One fan asked Nimoy what he thought of his "replacement."

"It was logical," the actor said dryly. He then closed with Spock's classic line: "Live long and prosper."

Visit FOXNews.com's Movies Center for complete coverage.

How not to trim a tree

I work for the International Society of Arboriculture, and have a healthy respect for Arborists and what they do. Check out these videos, and when you need to take a tree down, even a relatively small one, hire an arborist and verify they are certified.



You can also check out this video.

Wild Storm

We had a wild storm in Champaign today. I've got a radar image of the storm system and pair of photos. Terry Hickman, a gentleman I work with was nice enough to share the photos with me.

Weekend in Saugatuck, MI

I took a long weekend in Saugatuck, MI with my wife, kids and inlaws. Everyone had a great time. My kids went up a few days ahead with my wife's folks (yes they are very brave).

The top picture is sunset on a stormy night at Oval Beach. The bottom photo is the view from our cabin.

Battlestar galactica preview

So if you are Battlestar Galactica fan you know we have a LONG wait until season 4. It doesn't air until 2008 but in the mid-fall a two part movie will air called Battlestar Galactica: Razor. This will jump back to the middle of season 2 and focus on events on the Battlestar Pegasus.

Here is a preview:

Perfect

My three boys spent the night at my in laws recently giving my wife and I a rare night alone.

We were preparing the boys for the evening away by explaining what was coming up. My middle son, who's five, had a number of questions.

My Son: "So were going to spend the night."

Me: "Right."

My Son: "We're going to spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma."

Me: "Right."

My Son: "And you and mom are not going to be there."

Me: "Right."

My Son: "Perfect!

How funny is that.

Saugatuck, MI

I took a trip with my family and in-laws to Saugatuck, MI last weekend. We go up almost every year. My wife's family has been making the annual trip since she was a little girl. My three young boys enjoy time at the beach and in the water. The town has great restaurants and many small shops. Large boats almost completely fill the docks at the edge of the water.

There is a web cam of Saugatuck that updates daily here.


I grabbed today's web cam picture because it represents the town very well.

In addition to the web cam there is great virtual tour of Saugatuck available here. Click on the shopping bag icons to bring up the 360 degree camera views. I particularly like the view of water street near the southwest part of the map.

A few more pictures

A few more...

Cool Pictures

My very cool mother-in-law emailed me these photos of unusual houses today. I couldn't resist posting some of the pictures.

Bud Swear Jar

This commercial is hilarious.

Baseball Weirdness

You've got to watch this whole clip to get the full effect. It's something else.


...and one more baseball clip. A plane crash in a game.

Son's Birthday - Cool Cakes

My youngest son had his 4th birthday party today. His grandmother makes the boys really cool cakes for most of their birthday's. Here is this years effort.

Microsoft Surface?

This is a cool article about a new Microsoft technology. Check out the link here If it's available watch the video of Bill Gates showing it off, I'll look for a you tube version to put in here too...

I found an alternate video clip. Here it is.

Shooting near where I work

There was a local shooting in the 1400 Block of West Anthony Drive last night. My office is located at 1400 W Anthony Drive. Scary. Here is the story.

Moona Flex & Gas Prices

So... the answer to the 1 million dollar question.

Moona Flex is Mozilla Firefox. My young son who is learning to read just missed a bit on the words, but now when I still call it Moona Flex (I think that's very funny) he gets upset and tells me it's Mooozilla Firefox.

On another note, here is a link to a story about rising gas prices. Apparently some gas stations can't make any money and are no longer selling gas.

Moona Flex

My middle son was asking me to run Moona Flex on my computer for DAYS. He was upset, sad, mad and everything in between. Any guesses regarding what Moona Flex is? He's five and he's just starting to read. He plays a handful of games on the computer and a few internet games, Dora, Thomas the Tank Engine, etc...

... I will post the answer in a few days.

Monkey dead from bubonic plague in Denver

the bubonic plague? Here Now?

DENVER (Reuters) - A Denver Zoo monkey has died of bubonic plague, apparently after eating a squirrel stricken with the disease, Colorado health and zoo officials said on Monday.

Five squirrels and a rabbit found dead on zoo grounds tested positive for the flea-borne disease in recent weeks, Denver Zoo spokeswoman Ana Bowie said.

Zookeepers on May 15 noticed the 8-year-old hooded capuchin monkey was lethargic, and the next day it was found dead in its enclosure. Zoo veterinarians sent tissue samples to a state laboratory where it was determined the animal died of the plague. The death was announced on Monday.

Zoo veterinarian Dave Kenny said that the risk of plague spreading to humans was extremely low but that visitors were being urged to avoid squirrels and rabbits.

"There are species in the zoo collection, especially monkeys, that could be susceptible to the plague," said John Pape, an epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Bowie said none of the 17 other capuchin monkeys in the exhibit -- or any other animals at the zoo -- have shown plague symptoms. But as a precaution, all the capuchin monkeys have been moved to an inside enclosure and are being treated with a regimen of antibiotics, she said.

Great Weekend

I had a terrific weekend. Saturday night I had a nice dinner out with my folks, my sister and her fiance. My sister Leslie was just engaged a week or so ago. Her fiance Tim seems like a great guy and I am very happy for both of them. It was also a rare night out with my family without the little kids (we got a sitter). That doesn't happen often, maybe once a year.

Sunday I visited with very good, old friends to me. I blogged about them recently and was thrilled that we got to grill out at their place. Our kids and their kids played and swam. We ate well and talked for hours. These are some of my dearest friends and although we have all become busy with our children, but it is inexcusable that I don't find a way to see them more. They are very dear friends and I have missed the horrible. Visiting felt like it had only been a day since I had seen them. We picked up just as it should have been.

What a great weekend.

Midwest Prepares for Invasion of Cicadas After 17-Year Absence

(My kids are going to flip out)

AP
ADVERTISEMENT

CHICAGO —
Coming soon: Brood XIII.

It sounds like a bad horror movie. But it's actually the name of the billions of cicadas expected to emerge this month in parts of the Midwest after spending 17 years underground.

The red-eyed, shrimp-sized, flying insects don't bite or sting. But they are known for mating calls that produce a din that can overpower ringing telephones, lawn mowers and power tools.

Brood XIII is expected across northern Illinois, and in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Cicadas live only about 30 days as adults, and their main goal is mating.

Click here for FOXNews.com's Natural Sciences center.

They don't harm humans, although they are clumsy and might fly into people. Birds, squirrels and pets, especially dogs, love to eat them, and they are high in protein.

"They're going to have quite a meal. It's going to be like Thanksgiving for them," said Tom Tiddens, supervisor for plant health care at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

They are periodical cicadas, which are only found in the eastern half of North America. The annual, or dog-day cicadas, that appear every summer are common around the world.

The last massive emergence of periodical cicadas was in 2004, when Brood X emerged after 17 years underground in parts of 15 Eastern states. Some broods emerge after 13 years.

As nymphs burrowing underground, cicadas suck sap from tree roots. Almost all members of a group, or brood, burst from the ground within a couple days of each other.

They quickly climb the nearest vertical surface to molt and unroll their wings. In some heavily wooded areas, as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre will crowd onto trees, expert say.

"It's one of the greatest insect emergences on Earth," said Daniel Summers, an entomologist at The Field Museum.

A single male's shrill courtship call can reach 90 decibels, equivalent to a kitchen blender. That could sour plans for outdoor events over the next few weeks.

Ravinia Festival, a 103-year-old music festival held north of Chicago, revised its schedule to avoid classical musicians having to compete with the insects, said festival president and CEO Welz Kauffman.

June will see more pop bands outdoors, a few concerts moved indoors and a visit from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. "With 350 voices on stage, they can hold their own against the bugs," Kauffman said.

At the Chicago Botanic Garden, spokeswoman Gloria Ciaccio joked that her advice for brides holding outdoor weddings there will be to put the tent flaps down and turn the music up.

An Illinois company that provides ice sculptures has turned down several outdoor parties over the next month. That's because of what happened when Nadeau Ice Sculptures owner Jim Nadeau delivered a swan statue to a wedding in 1990, during the area's last emergence of the periodical cicadas.

"We put our tray down and immediately the cicadas came off the ground and attacked the ice. Literally, it was a moving sculpture, this big black ugly mass of cicadas constantly moving," said Nadeau.

"I don't want to talk myself out of work, but that was just too gross," he said.

Exactly when the cicadas will emerge is a subject of debate, although there is agreement they emerge once the soil temperature is consistently 64 to 65 degrees for several days. Biologists and insect experts predict the cicadas will emerge between Tuesday and June 1.

The best place to see — and hear — the cicadas will be forest preserves, golf courses and any land where there are older trees where the soil has been undisturbed since 1990.

Freelance writer David Hammond runs the LTHForum, a Chicago-based Internet site devoted to culinary matters, and his "foodie" friends want to see what the cicadas taste like.

The insects are eaten in other parts of the world, with descriptions of the taste ranging from shrimp to canned asparagus to not much at all.

No recipe has been decided upon yet, but Hammond assumes they will be fried and perhaps accompanied by a dip or salsa.

"Honestly, they'll probably go down easier that way," he said. "Who knows? Maybe we'll love it. We may have to travel around the country as infestations occur."

SQL T-Shirt

Oh my.... this site is awesome. I need this SQL t-shirt.

USB Record Player

So now we can rip our old records. Mine are packed away but I have them.

This is scacy... I want one.
USB Record Player

30 second version of movies w/bunnies

Ok... so this has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with anything I write about on this blog, but it's weird and funny. These are 30 second versions of movies with cartoon bunnies.

http://www.angryalien.com/

Weird but somewhat entertaining.

Gas Prices

Gas prices are continuing to climb. This picture from Drudgereport.com is a shocker. There are rumblings of gas climbing above $4 per gallon. I want an electric car. :-)

Weeds in our backyard

Weeds or should I say weed is growing in our backyard. This week my wife found the following plant growing by the corner of our fence. She killed it with bleach. Since it was growing through the corner of the fence I wonder if it belonged to a neighbor.

Old Friends

I ran into some old friends while picking my middle son up from school. It has been too long and it felt like it. I really truly miss seeing them. They are busy with two young girls and I am busy with three young boys. It's been difficult for one reason or another to get together. If feel like I've got at least 24 hours of talk saved up for the next time I see them. Hopefully it's soon.

Mention on RPGMP3.com

This post belongs on my RPG blog and it's there, but the project I just posted about is popping up on blogs and sites here and there. Here's a D&D audio site that's mentioned the module.

Personal Gaming Project Complete

I finished a personal gaming project I've been working on for months. Only small post release adjustments should be needed. You can visit my RPG blog to read more about this project.

The Worlds Biggest Dog

Look at this monster dog! Unreal.

How William Shattner Changed the World

Bourne Ultimatum

The first two movies were great. The third comes out late this summer. I've liked these movies more than most of the recent bond films.

Star Trek XI

.J. ABRAMS TO DIRECT STAR TREK FEATURE FILM FOR PARAMOUNT PICTURES
IN THEATERS CHRISTMAS DAY 2008

HOLLYWOOD, CA, February 26, 2007 — "Star Trek," one of the most popular and successful franchises in the history of movies and television, returns to the big screen under the creative vision of J.J. Abrams, the force behind "Lost," "Alias" and "Mission Impossible III" for Paramount Pictures.

The team behind the film will include Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci ("Mission Impossible III") who wrote the screenplay and will executive produce with Bryan Burk. JJ Abrams and "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof will produce. The film will begin shooting this fall for a Christmas Day 2008 release.

One of the most popular film and television franchises of all time, "Star Trek" has encompassed 726 total episodes for television in six different series, beginning with the original 1966-1969 series created by Gene Roddenberry. The 10 "Star Trek" films have grossed in excess of $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The original characters have been named among the 50 greatest TV characters of all time and the Enterprise has lent its name to two proposed spacecraft.

"If there's something I'm dying to see, it's the brilliance and optimism of Roddenberry's world brought back to the big screen," said Abrams. "Alex and Bob wrote an amazing script that embraces and respects Trek canon, but charts its own course. Our goal is to make a picture for everyone — life-long fans and the uninitiated. Needless to say, I am honored and excited to be part of this next chapter of Star Trek."

Brad Grey, chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures, said, "We could not be more thrilled to be back in business with J.J. Abrams. The revival of the 'Star Trek' franchise is an important part of Paramount's turnaround."

Star Trek vs Star Wars

Another nerd oriented video clip. Very fun.

Star Trek vs Battlestar Galactica

My friend Bruce found this clip. It's long, almost 10 minutes, but if you like Star Trek and the original Battlestar Galactica you'll get a kick out of this. It's pretty good, but starts to loose cohesiveness about half way through.

Battlestar Galactica Video Kit

Has anyone seen this? Battlestar Video Kit. If were not working on a NWN2 project I might take a stab at this. Pretty cool.

Post from one of my sons

Hi,

One of my sons (the middle child) is learning to write/type and wants to post. Here is his internet debut:

cars
cars 66
lightning

That's it for now!

Romantic Weekend

My parents were kind enough to take my three children and allow my wife and I to slip away for a romantic weekend. We love are children dearly, but 48 hours of grown up time was sorely needed. We go on dates occasionally but we haven't had two whole days to ourselves in five or six years.

Thanks Mom & Dad!

...a few more snow pictures

Home Theater

I am a movie fanatic and love high quality audio. I'm also a huge Star Wars fan.

My wife is helping my son with a school project and they stumbled on this home theater.

I'm moving... I'm going to live in that theater... forever.

Give the following presentation about 8-10 slides and you'll see the theater. http://www.modernhometheater.com/virtualtours/star_wars/slideshow/index.html

More snow

It's snowing again today 1-4 inches possible. Here are some pictures of the backyard.

More pictures of the blizzard

Here are more pictures of the blizzard. I just pulled them off the digital camera today. My wife took the pictures during the blizzard. The blizzard was February 13th, 2007. We got approximately 15 inches of snow. The University of Illinois was closed for two days. I can't remember that happening since I've lived in Champaign.

Our front yard

I am a lucky man to have a wife that beautiful. Isn't she great!

Front yard again

End of our street.

Weather woes continue

The snow is over but the drifting and cold continue. U of I was closed again and half the office staff where I work did not make it in due to weather. Half of Champaign seems to be shut down. Here's another picture.

We're caught in a blizzard

Big time blizzard in central Illinois today. Work closed early. The roads were awful. Even the University of Illinois closed. It never closes. Here's a local picture from my folks.

William Shatner TV Commercial

I watched this this morning and laughed my rear off.

Superbowl Ads

Did you watch the superbowl? Did you see the commercials.

Here's a link to you tube with this years superbowl ads.

Also here is the Oprah/Letterman ad, that isn't on the list. Funniest ad of the night:

New Blog Launched

This blog is still going, but I have launched a Neverwinter Nights/RPG themed blog to chronicle my Neverwinter Nights 2 projects and my general RPG/Neverwinter Nights related thoughts. You can read the blog here: http://enoa4rpg.blogspot.com/

Foot Problems

I have had flat feet for ever and have other foot issues as a result. The vary from being uncomfortable often and occasionally I have mild pain. I've tried orthotics and have been seeing a podiatrist regularly.

I saw the foot surgeon today. Turns out I had already met him once, when I took my oldest son in for a foot problem. He said I have a tendon in the back of my ankle that is tight, and some bones in my foot near my ankle need to be fused. They should be in alignment but are not. The tight tendon will be lengthened.

I will be off my feet at home for 1-2 weeks when I have the surgery. I'll be in a splint for the first two weeks, then a cast for 4 weeks. I'll be on crutches for the period when I have a splint and cast (six weeks). Then I'll have a boot. No shoes for 3 months total. He said the tendon could rupture, but based on my current condition and the fact I am using orthotics he does not believe this is a risk.

I don't have to do this now, but will need to do it someday. I talked to him about working and my need to help my kids. He agreed that it would be good to wait a couple of years until my youngest son is 5 or so, to make things more manageable. Unless the pain gets progressively worse, that is fine with him. Shannon and I will start talking things over.