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I’ve been getting domain renewal notices over the last couple of months for my blissjunkies.org domain. Over the past year (maybe more) i’ve cared so little about this domain that I thought I’d just let the domain slip into someone elses’ hands. But, alas, I decided to shell out the $14 or whatever it was to renew for another two years. Since I paid the money, I suppose I might as well blog something…

Let’s see…what’s new…

#1 Dog
We got a dog back in October 2008. We found the dog I wanted (a Vizsla) in the Star Trib classifieds by sheer chance. He was a bargain hound at $200 cash (most vizslas cost ~$1000). He’s been a great dog but there are times he just drives me insane. The only thing that keeps him (and Mare and I) happy is about 1.5-2hrs of off-leash exercise a day. Talk about a huge time commitment! Overall, he’s a great dog and he’s made our lives a whole lot more fun. I’ve gained a lot of insight leading me into #2.

#2 Pregnancy
Mare is now very pregnant. She’s 32 weeks along and God willing we’ll have a little guy in our house sometime in mid-late August. We’re both really excited and maybe even a little bit scared of all the changes it will bring. We were pretty devastated over a miscarriage back in October so it makes the joy of this pregnancy so much stronger. I’m _really_ pumped to be a dad. Hopefully I can be as good a dad as my Dad was to me. No easy task, but I’ll do my best.

#3 Guns
I bought my first gun back in February. I grew up in a small town with lots of outdoorsmen, but I never really got into guns (though I’ve always liked them). After going shooting with a friend of mine and many months later reading the police blotter in the community newspaper (several home invasions in my neighborhood) I decided that I wanted to purchase a handgun. Little did I know that I’d become a “gun nut” nearly overnight. After getting my permit to purchase, I bought a Springfield Armory XDM-9 (9mm). I absolutely love this gun and can burn through a lot of rounds with a 19 round magazine. Then Mare wanted a gun of her own and didn’t like my 9mm auto (too complicated) so I picked up a S&W 642 .38 special revolver with Crimson Trace laser grips. It’s a great gun and a comfort by the bedside if I’m ever out of town. A few weeks after we bough Mare’s .38, we visited her parents. Her dad has carried for years (legally and illegally) and gave me a Kel-Tec .380 as a gift. I was actually planning on buying this gun (or it’s 9mm equivalent) for myself due to it’s incredibly small size and good concealability. Getting it for free was just icing on the cake. Even better, Mare’s dad and I now finally have something in common and we got shooting in the gravel pits whenever we head up north to visit them.

#4 Work
I’m still working for MindTouch and enjoying what I do. Obviously, work is work and I get frustrated and disillusioned from time to time, but I can’t complain. We have an awesome group of brilliant people creating an open-source wiki that is pretty amazing. Since my part in the whole scheme of things is so minor, I sometimes feel like the work I’m doing is unimportant, but I know that a good team makes use of everyone’s special talents. We are building a great product and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

#5 summer randomness
I went on a camping/fishing trip in the Boundary Waters with Mare’s uncle and some of his friends. We enjoyed freezing temps (sleet/snow), then burning sun all withing a 24 hour period. We caught and ate lots of walleye. Spending time in the BWCA totally disconnected from the world was such a refreshing experience.

I also did the MS150 again this year. Team Chafe was 25 members strong and we completed the 150 mile (2 day) bike ride from Duluth to the Twin Cities. This year, I had some teammates who decided to camp with me who I rode with for both days. Our sub-team consisted of two guys (me and Dana) and 3 girls (Beth, Kim, Sarah). We rode really well as a group and averaged just over 17mph over the 150 miles. I didn’t train very well (or at all) for the ride so I think Dana actually spent more time pulling our group. I had 4 flat tires (which sucked bigtime), but thankfully the tube held until I made it to a rest stop each time. The hills and headwind made the second day much harder than last year but it was all totally worth it (and money was raised for a good cause).

I don’t have too much exciting going on the rest of the summer. We are taking a road trip to Fargo this weekend (first time in about 2 years for me). I’m pumped to visit and hang out with bader, tristan and sarah, and larry. It will be a great weekend.

That’s all for now. I wonder if I’ll wait another 9 months before updating this blog again…hopefully not.