Well I experienced my first earthquake today. It was a 5.9 and it was barely noticeable ... in fact I asked the other people in my office if they could feel that and they said no. Then an hour later one of them said "Check out Yahoo... there was an earthquake at 10:15!" So I have spidey senses, I guess.

Here is a link : Moderate Quake Strikes Central Calif.

Check out what they predicted would be a home computer in the year 2004:

Shawn, Regina, Jack, Sherry and I went to Charlottesville this weekend for a little history and football weekend. UVA was playing the power-house known as Akron for homecoming so we went to the game and got to see what college was like for Shawn-boy. I would like to say that those Beta boys sure are friendly! (story for a later day)

We did have a great time and luckily the hurrincane leftovers only dumped on us as we drove from Norfolk to Charlottesville. On Sunday we got up and made the short drive to Monticello to see Jefferson's house. Very interesting for the adults... Jack just slept the whole time... maybe because we had him covered up like a Micheal Jackson offspring.

I have posted some pictures on my flickr site for your enjoyment. (click on the link in the right column).

Here Sherry and I are hanging out in front of Monticello:

Can I just say that I am really enjoying working at a larger more established software company. And when they do things right it makes you feel even better.

Here are some classy senior pictures

Apparently there is a theory out there that a recent decrease in the amounts of spam is related to the hurricanes and having the loss of power, etc means less spam!!!

Shit... I think we should just sent 5000 good ol' Georgians and northern Floridians to the middle of the state with chain saws and cut the lower part of the peninsula off. Let it go hang out with Cuba.

Sherry and I are hosting our first Cuddle Party next weekend. We are pretty excited but we need to reiterate the rules...

1. Pajamas stay on the whole time.


2. No SEX. (Yep, you read that right.)


3. Ask for permission to kiss or nuzzle anyone.
   Make sure you can handle getting a no before you invite or request anyone to cuddle or kiss.


4. If you're a yes, say yes. If you're a no, say no.


5. If you're a maybe, say NO.


6. You are encouraged to change your mind from a yes to a no, no to a yes anytime you want.


7. NO DRY HUMPING!


8. Communicate, communicate, communicate.


9. If you're in a relationship, communicate and set your boundaries and agreements BEFORE you go to the Cuddle Party.
   Don't re-negotiate those agreements/boundaries during the Cuddle Party. (Trust us on this one.)


10. Get your Cuddle Life Guard On Duty or Cuddle Caddy if there's a concern, problem, or question or should you feel unsafe or need assistance with anything during the Cuddle Party.


11. Crying and giggling are both welcomed and encouraged.


12. Outside of your personal relationships, it's nobody's business who you cuddle, so please be respectful of other people's privacy when sharing with the outside world about Cuddle Parties.


13. Arrive on time.


14. Be hygienically savvy.


15. Clean up after yourself.


16. Always say thank you and practice good Cuddle Manners.

So this 7 year old boy loves Georgia Tech football. His name is Carter Martin. Sadly he also has cancer, and it has spread to his brain. Over the last week he has gotten worse and this past weekend he was not doing very well. The rest is the story of his passing and it happens to put some things into perspective, but in general it is just a story worth retelling.

My prayers and thoughts are with the Martin family....

Carter Martin, age 7, has spent the last 2 years fighting cancer. Over the past 3 weeks the cancer reached his brain and his condition grew worse. He was also a huge Georgia Tech fan and loved the football team.

Saturday night he asked his father to do a play by play of the Tech game, as he was unable to see the television from his bed. As the time grew late and Tech was losing in the fourth quarter, his father asked him if he could stop, as it had to be miserable to hear Tech losing and he needed his sleep.

Carter said, "please don't stop... I know Tech is going to win."

His father bravely kept doing the play by play and Carter struggled to stay awake. As Tech scored the winning touchdown Carter squeezed his fathers hand tightly. Shortly Carter fell asleep, aglow in the Tech victory.

He died Sunday and will be buried on Wednesday with a Tech football helmet painted on his casket.

You can check out the guestbook if you want to leave his family a message or if you want to see the impact this story has had on others (it is interesting to see the Clemson fans that have so gracefully posts to offer their sympathies).

Check out the 3rd photo of this real estate listing.

San Francisco was fun... didn't post from there as often as I had intended to, but work was rather consuming. Plus I tried to go out to eat at as many fancy restaurants as I could... here is a list of some of them (at least the ones with reviews or websites):

Boulevard - super expensive, but very good... the service was efficient and doing my favorite dining alone trick (eating at the chef's bar and watching the production that is the kitchen) I was very impressed with how the restaurant was run.

Neptune's Palace - this was my tourist day restaurant. With a great view of the bay, and a window open to hear the sea lions and feel the chilling San Francisco "summer" air roll in as night fell was yet another romantic dinner that I got to share with another nameless waiter. Food was ok, signs stated that it was rated best seafood restaurant 10 years in a row had set my expectations high. I had the seafood combo and it was just ok. I have heard I should have tried the soft-shell crab... so maybe I will give it another chance.

La Taqueria - cheap burrito place... have to rate it as one of the best burritos I have had in my life. Not much more to say about that.

Thep Phanom - had to get my Thai food craving taken care of since the better half wasn't there (she isn't a fan of peanut sauces or curry... so no Thai for her). This was decent priced place that served up very yummy food. I ordered my favorite Prawnag Curry and although it wasn't as good as "Bankok in Boca" it was quite yummy. We also had a interesting appetizer that was fried vegetables served in a soda fountain glass half filled with peanut sauce... it was quite good.

Nob Hill Cafe - this was a back-up recommendation for the concierge at the hotel I was staying at (he also recommended Boulevard and Roy's... so he was pretty good!!... should have tipped him I guess). Anyway, went here with Lee and Andy for dinner. It was small and cute, although I did have to sit on a window ledge that had been converted to a booth. We got there just in time, cause the wait got real long after we got there... we only waited about 5 minutes or so. I had the Vodka Penne pasta and it was yummy... I also got to sample the gnocchi and risotto, both of which were good. We also had desert and maybe it was due to me not eating real deserts in so long, but the had a gelato that was served as a slice of pie, with cheesecake layers on top and bottom of it (serving as a crust and topping)... IT WAS GOOD.

Kokkari - went here with Laura, a friend from college, and one of her friends from town. Very good food. I thought it was a little overpriced but the atmosphere was wonderful. Our server was a bit stressed and it came through in her service, with her rushing us when we were asking questions about the menu. She tried to make up for it buy bringing over free shots of Ouzo (which we enjoyed) but the damage had already been done. I would give it an 'A' for authenticity of Greek food... all the waiters and bar staff seemed to be Greek, and the decorum was very nice. All in all didn't think it was worth the money, but would try it again if I am on expense account.

Cafe DeLucchi - went here on Sunday for brunch with Lee and Andy. We had to wait in a decent line, about 30 minutes. The food was good, typical breakfast food, with an upscale presentation. Nothing really striking about the place, it was good, but nothing spectacular.

Ok... that is about it, maybe I should be a restaurant reviewer. This was kinda fun.

... you're either covering it, laughing it off, kicking it, kissing it, busting it, trying to get a piece of it, or behaving like one.