What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Welcome back fellow cave dwellers! I know what you’re thinking, “Two posts in less than a week?” I’m just as surprised as you are. Perhaps I’m getting the hang of this “blogging” thing after all? Only time will tell.

When we last met I was telling you a bit about my time spent in “Louavull”, and now it’s time to get started on New Orleans. I’ve already been here for seven weeks, so I’m still playing catch-up.

It was my birthday last week, did you know that? That’s alright, it snuck up on me too. A couple weeks ago I flew back home to the Bay for the weekend and my wife, in league with our wonderful friends, threw me a surprise party. I won’t get into it too much here as the event has already been well chronicled by my too kind and loving wife. Check out the pictures on her blog. It was much better than I deserve, but then again, who among us is really deserving of a cake in the shape of Darth Vader’s helmet? An awesome time was had by all.

Yeah, it turns out I’m 30 now… not sure how I feel about that. At this point I guess it’s too late to start wondering what I’m going to be when I grow up, I’m already there.

I am definitely my father’s son in the truest sense. Although I have two younger brothers (and three younger sisters) and we all take after both of our parents in different ways, this apple certainly did not fall far from the paternal tree. Don’t get me wrong, I do have some traits in common with my mother, and I’m still my own man. Let’s just say, it can be pretty easy to see the relation. Our tastes in music, movies, humor and hobbies, not to mention personality traits can be so similar sometimes it’s scary, just ask Mrs. B. As Luke Skywalker would say, “I am a Field Engineer, like my father before me.” Okay, maybe he didn’t say it exactly like that, but it was pretty close.

As a kid, I looked forward to summer time just like everybody else. Long days, no school and big plans. But I also loved summer because occasionally I could go with my dad to work. I’d get to wear a gigantic hard hat and reflective vest and follow him around whatever construction site he was currently working on. Not only did I get a front row seat to watch the big machines push around earth and rock (show me one little boy who doesn’t smile at even a backhoe at work, I dare you), but I got an early impression of the camaraderie that exists in the industry between the individuals working on the same task or project. And it’s probably similar in many occupational fields, but there was always something about construction that struck me to my very core.

I clearly remember one particularly awesome experience, when my father was working on a new dam up in the mountains. Like many projects built away from residential areas, this job was ongoing around the clock. My father and I arrived at… well I can’t remember the time but it was early, early enough to still be dark on a summer morning. As we sat in his truck waiting for the day shift to start, I was mesmerized by the site on top of the dam. Even in the dark of night, the construction lighting brightened the work area like it was noon. In the distance I could see the dump trucks, loaders and dozers drive along the dam crest and park, their weary operators dismounting to shake hands and crack jokes in passing with the relieving shift. I never did understand why that memory stuck out so, but there you have it.

And it’s not like I always wanted to work in construction, mind you. I was a lot like my peers at that age, dreaming of being a professional athlete, astronaut or cowboy. Only now as I look back with what wisdom I’ve gained, can I see that those early experiences and my enthusiasm at the time have clearly telegraphed the course my life would take as I entered the adult world and the work force.

I love my job! That’s not to say that it doesn’t come with it’s own share of challenges and frustrations, but the rewarded feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment for overcoming those make all the difference. I have the pleasure of working with some fine individuals, and together we form a tight-knit (though quite diverse) family. The many ways in which each project differs from the next, the new people we meet and locations we experience all combine for a very exciting, fulfilling way to make a living.

However, we are here today to discuss one of the less important benefits of my work (I know, I take a while to get there don’t I?). The SWAG!

There is often a supplier or contractor who wants to take you out to lunch to talk business, which is always fun when you are on the road because the local guys know where the good food is. Then there are the hats and shirts, the bulk of construction swag. I have at home a large box full of t-shirts with logos for suppliers of every kind of construction material or service, and a shelf in the closet piled high with hats of the same. And occasionally, the suppliers and other contractors you do business show their appreciation in the form of tickets to sporting events. I’ve been to several San Francisco Giants games and have seen the 49ers play twice (it was nice to finally see my beloved Eagles in person for once).

The swag is not the reason I do what I do, nor is it the reason why I try so hard to do it right. The fact remains, it would be rude to refuse such gestures of gratitude, and I am a considerate and appreciative cave-man. So when someone says, “We’d like to take you guys to see the Saints/Texans pre-season game in the company suite,” you grit your teeth and politely accept. Just to be clear, you know I’m being a tad sarcastic here right? On the outside I’m playing it cool like I go to NFL games all the time and I’m quite accustomed to the luxury of watching from a suite, on the inside I’m pulling a Captain Morgan pose and declaring, “To the Superdome!”

Without my awesome photographer wife on hand for the event, my limited skills will have to suffice.














The Superdome is much more impressive than my pictures can convey. I can only guess at the potential intimidation a visiting team could experience, having to face the reigning Super Bowl Champions in such a pigskin cathedral.

I’ve always felt that the pre-season was more or less ignored by the sports fan community, I expected an  indifferent attitude in light of the fact that it “didn’t really matter”. I came away from this experience with a whole new respect for Saints fans. Two hours before kickoff, the Superdome was already surrounded by a mass of excited fans and the adjacent, newly built Champions Square was filling in nicely.

A likely combination of the excitement from last year’s triumph and the relief that football season is once again upon us had assured that everyone was present and encountered for. Some even making the trip from a galaxy far, far away!




If you’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy a sporting event from the comfort of a suite, I genuinely and sincerely hope that you get that chance soon. It’s something that everyone should get to experience at least once. I’ll walk you through it briefly, and bear in mind that your results may vary as I’m sure it’s different from stadium to stadium.

As we got off the elevator and walked down the hall to the suite, the first thing you notice is that there will be no getting up from the game to wade through a sea of fans in search of a bathroom, the suite has it’s own. Then there is a bar and food station surrounding a very comfortable sitting area, complete with multiple television screens. For those who drink, there was what appeared to be an endless supply of whatever your poison is. For me, sadly, there was no Mt. Dew. When I asked about that I was told in a very serious tone, “Oh, there’s no Pepsi products here.” I made do with Coke. Before the game even started I put away a very large chili-cheese dog and a plate of BBQ meatballs over steaming rice. Just before halftime I helped myself to a plate from the nacho bar. As much as I wanted to, I never did seem to find enough room for the pulled-pork sandwiches or the alfredo penne with shrimp. After the food area, you step down into the area with your seats and a fantastic view of the field.
















The ‘Dome soon filled up and the New Orleans Saints won a decided victory over the Houston Texans in  front of a packed house of screaming, cheering die-hards. As my Project Manager (left) said, “It was a most successful mission!”

For my Superintendent (center) and I (right, with the awesome belt buckle!), this was the first time we’ve seen a game from such accommodations and we all had a great time we won’t soon forget.


Thanks again for stopping by the cave, let’s do it again real soon.

From New Orleans, welcome back Football Season! We’ve missed you!

Where Does the Time Go?

Has it really been over four months since my last post? Well, I guess that seems about right. It feels like two weeks ago it was February and we still had all of 2010 to look forward to. Now it’s time to find our second wind and make sure the last half of the year is productive, fun and memorable while there’s still time.

But where are my manners? Come in and get settled first. As always there is cold Mt. Dew in the fridge (I’m stocking it in 4 flavors now). Get comfortable, and we’ll catch up.

No, take your time, I’ll wait for you.

Still waiting…

Any minute now.

Better? Good! Let’s begin. A lot has happened in four months! It’s amazing how the speed at which time seems to pass is proportional to how much activity is going on in our lives. Not to mention, the additional multiplier that increases with age… I have the mathematical formula around here somewhere… I’ll find it later. Moving on.

In the month following my previous post, work was really ramping up. Bid proposals, project submittals, etc. for many projects both awarded and potential were guaranteeing everyone in the office was swamped. On top of that, I was about six weeks away from leaving town to start building one of these projects. Needless to say, I was trying to get in as much Wife Time as possible while I could.

I work for a specialty construction company based in the Bay Area. In a nutshell, “specialty construction” means that the service you provide isn’t something you can just find in your local phone book in most communities. What does this mean for me? I travel… a lot. The Bay Area is unique in that we actually perform a lot of work there, so it makes sense to be headquartered there. In fact, I was fortunate enough to work for over a year on a large, local project that allowed me to be home every night. But for now, that time has passed and I am on the road.

My first stop and subject for this post was Louisville, Kentucky. And I’ll warn you in advance, I don’t really have any pictures to add because I was working 12 to 16 hours a day during the week and trying to squeeze some quality gaming time in on the weekends. However, Mrs. B came to see me for the 4th of July weekend and has already posted pictures of the amazing sights here and here. She is quickly becoming an excellent photographer and you won’t regret checking out her pictures.

So, Louisville. The first thing you should know is how to properly say it. There are supposed to be several accepted pronunciations, but I will instruct you in the most common form as heard by the locals during my stay. The first step is to kind of let your tongue go numb. Take a minute and imagine you are sitting in a dentist’s chair and the anesthetic has just kicked in. After you are properly numbed, using minimal tongue movement, say “Louavull”. It takes a bit of practice.

I was surprised at how small Louisville is. It’s a city that everyone has heard of, in fact it’s probably the first city that comes to mind when most people are asked to name a Kentucky city (unless you worked extra hard in grade school to learn the state capitals, and continually drill yourself to keep fresh). Don’t misunderstand me, geographically Louisville is quite large, but when you consider how much “stuff” is actually there, it is a small place. After having spent considerable time in San Francisco and Atlanta, Louisville seems more like a town than a city and is all the better for it.

Being on a tight construction schedule, and working such long hours as mentioned above, I didn’t really do as much sight-seeing as I would have liked. Other than driving between the hotel and the jobsite, or the occasional shopping trip for necessities (e.g. Mt. Dew, frozen pizza) I didn’t do any sight-seeing at all until Mrs. B came to visit the last weekend I was there. I’ll get to that later.

      

Louisville is a beautiful place, the landscape reminded me of my favorite parts of Georgia. The trees are so thick everywhere that open highways feel more like green, leafy tunnels. The terrain was much more mountainous though.

And check out this huge moth hanging around my hotel.

The language barrier was a little tricky at first. A combination of the local accent and my ever-evolving one (an unintentional “greatest hits” of the many places I’ve worked in over the last 6 and a half years) provided a good challenge. One of the local men we hired as a laborer was convinced I had no sense of humor because I never laughed at any of his jokes… he may as well have been talking to me in sign language. Overall, everyone I had the opportunity to cross paths with was friendly and happy to help, or even just chat for a minute. And there are a lot of common phrases they use that I’ve never heard anywhere else, though most are a bit on the crude side and I won’t share them here. One of my favorites was, “You can’t put nine women in a room and expect to make a baby in one month.”

The biggest adjustment for me was to go from the comfort of my man-cave (see picture at the top of the page), to a hotel room with a tiny TV and slow internet. I was going to include a picture of this temporary “satellite man-cave” but I can’t seem to find it. And obviously I missed my wife, man-cave, aquarium and most of all…Proof. Have you met Proof? No, I don’t believe you have.

First, let me explain the name. I named her that because anyone can say the words, “I love you,” but my wife bought me a motorcycle. I have Proof. 

I REALLY miss my motorcycle. I talk to my wife more than once everyday, and she flies out to visit with me or I fly home for the occasional weekend visit, but it’s not like she can put my bike on the phone. A 900cc cruiser is way too big to fit in her carry-on. And on top of that, there are easily more motorcycles in Louisville than any other place I have been. Watching all the natives cruising around daily was difficult to say the least. Apparently, Kentucky doesn’t have a helmet law. Out of all of the bikers I saw, very few of them wore helmets. In fact, it was not uncommon to see someone riding with no helmet, shades, gloves or shirt. You will never catch me riding like that.

One of my favorite things about staying in Louisville is Pet Shop Comics, an amazing store. I’m not really much for comic books, but this place is like an in-store catalogue for BoardGameGeek.com. Some of you look confused… it’s okay, don’t worry about it. I’ll just say this. When you’ve overturned your Monopoly board in a bankruptcy fueled rage for the last time, or when you come to the realization that Risk, while classic, is just not deep enough, go to BoardGameGeek.com. I still owe a significant debt of gratitude to a couple of very good friends for opening my eyes to what true tabletop entertainment could be.

We finished our phase of the construction project on the Friday of the 4th of July weekend, the same say Mrs. B came to see me. And what a weekend it was! From the airport we went straight to Churchill Downs to meet up with my co-workers for the last round of night racing this season. It was the first time I’ve ever been to a horse track and a good time was had by all. That weekend we explored downtown Louisville, took a tour of the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum (I got a bat with my name engraved on it), drove by Fort Knox and generally had a great time.

After the great weekend, while my guys proceeded to dismantle our equipment and ship it out, I picked up my rental car and headed to the next project in New Orleans. And that will be a topic for another post.

And that is my definitive review of Louisville, Kentucky. A beautiful place I would love to visit again soon. Thanks for stopping by, I hope we can do it again.

Additionally, to show that I’ve been staying productive, these are the games I’ve completed since my last post:

Lego Star Wars, The Complete Saga (PS3)

Mirror’s Edge (PS3)
The Simpsons Game (PS3)
Tomb Raider: Underworld (PS3)
Indigo Prophecy (PS2)
Max Payne (PS2)
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PS2)

55 Gallon Paradise

Welcome back visitors and fellow cave dwellers! The time has come for more musings from my lair. So make yourself comfortable and let’s dive right in shall we?

I like video games. I really like video games. A quick view of the title graphic above should make that abundantly clear. And while immersing yourself from time to time in one of the countless available offerings of the hobby is for the most part harmless, it’s not exactly… enlightening. I myself have indulged in “epic” gaming sessions on more than one occasion, in fact I seem to recall playing Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune from beginning to end in one sitting (minus bathroom breaks). It’s happened before and I won’t lie to you, it’s gonna happen again. But, just as “Man cannot live on bread alone”, a well-rounded caveman needs more than simply blowing crap up in high definition. If after reading this you think I’m suggesting that you merely add a racing or sports title to your collection, you’re missing the point… entirely. Read on friend, read on.

The well-rounded caveman also devotes some free time to constructive activities that allow for growth… for learning… for interacting with other members of the species in a setting that requires more than (shudder) “chat speak”. To achieve this in my own life I read, play the cello, and sing tenor in the church choir (just to name a few). My latest and greatest interest, one which will most likely be lifelong, is the topic for today. That’s right, we’re almost there. See how a little patience pays off?

Fish

I am now an amateur aquarist. I suppose we can blame this on Mrs. B, although I maintain that it would have happened eventually anyway. I’ve always loved fish. As a youth I was instructed by my father in the fine art of fly-fishing, and most summer weekends would find us at one of our favorite spots showing trout or bass “just who was higher up on the food chain”. I’ve always had a healthy respect for fish and their habitat. At the few opportunities I’ve had to visit an aquarium such as the one in Monterey, I could just stand there with my nose next to the glass, content to watch for hours.

And let’s not forget our first trip to Hawaii last March. If you’ve never been snorkeling, I’ll try to describe it to you. You walk out from the beach until you are in water a couple of feet deep, which is MUCH harder to do than it sounds, what with the flippers and all. And the water washing in and out doesn’t do you any favors either, but I’m getting sidetracked. So you’re standing in water just above your knees, all geared up with the snorkel, goggles, yadda, yadda, yadda, and someone is telling you about all the colorful fish that are swimming around you at that moment. You look down skeptically at the relatively shallow water. You can’t see any fish and start to feel a bit ridiculous. Then you lay forward to float, face down (naturally). And that same shallow water you’ve been standing in, that couldn’t possibly have had anything swimming in it just a moment ago, is absolutely teeming! It was incredible! Beautiful fish of every shape and color, I even saw a couple of different eels up close as well. And as long as you don’t make a lot of quick, sudden movements, the fish pay you no mind and just go about their business. So…. basically that is a lengthy way to express that while some like dogs, cats, or maybe horses (all of which are just fine by me), I’m interested in fish.

On to the aquarium! One day Mrs. B decided to purchase a Betta fish and a bowl. In a matter of months we quickly progressed from that bowl to a 5 gallon aquarium, and again to a 10 gallon. Along the way we learned some hard lessons and made some beginner mistakes, which unfortunately resulted in a few losses. After lessons learned and with more experience, behold, my 55 gallon paradise!
This has been a wonderful and beautiful addition to our home, as well as a great source of motivation to seek out knowledge. I think that as adults in the “real world” there can oftentimes be a tendency to become complacent with our roles in life. We have our jobs and our family, and it can be easy to simply maintain a routine. As I may have alluded to above, my experience with freshwater fish as a fisherman has basically been limited to trout, bass and bluegill. I, like many others I’m sure, had no idea about the great many varieties of freshwater tropical fish that exist in the world. But ever since this endeavor began I’m reading books and internet forums, always learning something new and maintaining a fascination as well as a thirst for more. Now enough of that, let me introduce you to the critters that currently inhabit this piece of living art.

First, the fish that started it all, the Betta. The crown jewel and “king of the aquarium”. He’s by far the largest critter in the tank, and the most graceful. The Betta splendens is also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish because of their aggressive behavior towards others of the same or similar species. Mrs. B has named him “Xavier”.



Next we have the Danios. There are 3 Zebra Danios and 1 Golden Zebra Danio in the tank. These Danio rerio are the most active fish that we currently keep and the most difficult to photograph, always darting around the tank playing tag. The golden is named “Dash” and the zebras… still undecided.

And now the Otos, or Otocinclus. There are currently 4 of these little catfish in the aquarium. Although they aren’t nearly as colorful or exotic looking as the others, they are fun to watch. They have a small sucker mouth that they use to attach themselves to the glass or a plant and with a rasping motion, they eat the soft algae they find. Otos are also very fond of blanched zucchini slices and other vegetables. My wife insists that “School of Suck” is an inappropriate name for the group (I thought she liked Jack Black), but she hasn’t come up with a better one yet.

You can’t miss these guys, as Neon Tetra or Paracheirodon innesi are one of the most colorful and popular fish in the hobby. Because of their schooling nature we have 7. My favorite trait of these fish is the iridescent color and more particularly, the tetra’s ability to “turn it off” at night. After the tank lights have been off for a few hours they become completely pale as they rest through the night (most likely a defense mechanism to protect them from nocturnal predators). We call them the “Rainbow Coalition”, and so long as one of them is decidedly larger than the rest, he is dubbed “The Reverend”.

The next critter is completely and totally the fault of Mrs. B. She just had to have one. And once she did have one, she just had to have a second. So now we have two African Dwarf Frogs. This is a small, fully aquatic frog that lives it’s entire life underwater. However, since it still breathes atmospheric air, it regularly darts to the surface to grab a lungful before diving straight back down to the bottom. This frog was the bane of my existence for the first couple of weeks due to it’s poor eyesight and less than stellar swimming skills. It just can’t compete with the other fish for food and must be target fed using a long turkey baster type apparatus to drop food right in front of it’s mouth. Mrs. B has named the male “Topher” and with all of her creativity hard at work she then named the female… “Mrs. Topher”. It works.

The frogs are the first of two non-fish inhabitants that we have (intentionally anyway, we’ve had a few snails stow away aboard recent plant purchases). The second kind are the Cherry Shrimp or Neocaridina heteropoda. These little guys are great! whatever types of algae the Otos won’t eat are dutifully tended to by these hard working invertebrates. Although I’ve purchased 37 of them, I have no idea how many are currently present. They hide when they molt and are very prolific, so it’s likely that they are now more than their original number. Even though the other inhabitants (except the Otos) would gladly partake in a shrimp snack, they jump almost like grasshoppers whenever a hungry fish shows any interest. The are known collectively as “The Rockettes”.

Finally we come to the Endler’s Livebearer or Poecilia wingei. Probably the fish I am most proud of. They have only been documented to have been found in one lagoon in northern Venezuela, and due to the upstream placement of a dump site, may now be extinct in the wild. They breed very easily in the aquarium and many hobbyist breeders of the fish can be found. They breed so easily in fact, that they will cross-breed with guppies, diluting the remaining population of the pure species. I currently have one mating pair, although we did spot a single fry swimming around on Monday. I haven’t seen it since, so it is either hiding or being digested. The brightly colored male is constantly displaying to the female, spreading his fins as far as possible. It’s funny to watch him court the female who is easily twice his size. We’ve come up with no names yet, but seeing as there will most likely be a small school of them after a few months, a group name will be more fitting.

And now you’ve met all the inhabitants of my aquatic utopia, thanks to the excellent and ever growing photography skills of my wonderful wife (I tried to take pictures of these guys first, but that was an exercise in futility).

Setting up and maintaining this aquarium has been an awesome experience. And surprisingly easy… once you understand how the nitrogen cycle works. It doesn’t take any more time to feed the tank than it does to feed the cat, and I only spend about an hour each Saturday to do a partial water change (about 20% or 10 gallons) which has kept the water crystal clear and more than habitable (water test kit is a MUST). And the payoff has been immeasurable. For example, some time back I had a pretty rough day at work. I forget the details but it was just one of those days where nothing went right and you end up feeling the need to break something. Add to that the unusually horrendous traffic on the way home and I was in a BAD MOOD. Coming home to an empty house (the Mrs. was away visiting her family for the weekend) I fully intended to lock myself away in the Man Cave for a long night of… well, blowing crap up in high definition. However, I didn’t make it past the fish tank. With an ice cold Mt. Dew in hand I sat alone in the quiet dark, only the bright aquarium lights illuminating my underwater world. Feeling the stress just melt away, while peaceful tranquility took it’s place, I watched my fish for two or three hours… and was then better equipped with the calm mind needed to pwn some n00bs (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Thank you for visiting my cave. Comments are always welcome (especially if you have any clever ideas for school names, I still need to name the Zebra Danios and the Endler’s Livebearers).

First Post

Greetings one and all and welcome to The Man Cave... well, my Man Cave anyway. This is the first of what I hope to be many posts, in which I will share my thoughts and feelings about what I find interesting.

I have never "blogged" before and quite frankly, never thought that I would. I don't know why, it just seemed like something that I wouldn't be into. My wife, however, has been maintaining her own blog for some time now and I am continuously impressed with her results and thought about starting one of my own. Of course none of this would be possible without a great deal of her assistance. Thanks Love!

As you can see from the picture above, my Man Cave is primarily dedicated to electronic forms of entertainment. In short, video games and movies. The centerpiece is my 55" Samsung LCD, to which is connected my Playstation 3 and my laptop. My PS3 rests atop a small refrigerator that is always stocked with ice cold Mt. Dew (liquid awesome in a can), although I do allow the Mrs to keep a few cans or bottles of her own choice of beverage in there as well. Aren't I nice?

So come on in, help yourself to a cold Dew (grab me one while you're at it), kick off your shoes and let's get started. On second thought, CAREFULLY remove your shoes (first person to kick off a shoe, sandal, slipper or other form of footwear into the large TV earns a lifetime ban).

For my first post I thought a good topic of discussion would be.... Man Caves. Every man needs a Man Cave. I'll repeat that for emphasis, EVERY MAN NEEDS A MAN CAVE. It is absolutely and without question a necessity. Even Superman, the Man of Steel himself has his "Fortress of Solitude". Who can argue with that kind of logic?

But what makes a Man Cave? The guidelines are very flexible and basic. Any spare bedroom, corner of the garage or nook in the basement will do. It just needs to be a space of virtually any size that you can claim as your own. Somewhere you can retreat to for even just a few minutes at a time to indulge in your interests. Make sure to claim your space by decorating with posters or pictures, whatever contributes to the purposes of your cave. For the fly-fisherman, a Man Cave can simply be a table in the basement where new flies are tied while a small radio emits the offerings of a local classic rock station. For the book nut, a Man Cave may consist of a comfortable chair in a quiet corner next to a bookshelf.

Don't be greedy though, very few people have the space and resources to create the ultimate. This is simply a Man Cave, not a Man Utopia or vacation destination. Your cave shouldn't negatively impact the needs of the home. My own Man Cave, for example, becomes temporary lodging for friends or family when visitors come to stay.

And above all, be willing to make compromises with the Mrs. I am more than happy to grant my wife the title of "Queen of the Castle" while I am able to remain "King of the Cave".