First Podcast

Hi everybody, I have exciting news. I am going to begin providing podcasts for you all to listen to as an addition to the regular livejournal content. I have submitted it to the iTunes music store, so those of you with iTunes can subscribe to it and have it automatically downloaded whenever you open iTunes. If you have an iPod this will mean it will be added to your iPod also. Here is the link for the First Keeg's World Podcast. Let me know what you think.

UPDATE!!!! They haven't added the podcast to the iTunes Music Library yet, but I know the easy steps you need to take to subscribe to the podcast.
1) Go to Apple.com and download iTunes. Click here to download
2) Install iTunes.
3) Once it is installed go to the Advanced menu and select Subscribe to Podcast.
4) Enter http://www.digisans.com/lakitu/podcasts/keegsWorldPodcast.xml as the podcast URL.
5) After hitting okay iTunes will automatically load your podcasts window.
6) You should see an entry called Keeg's World. Right click on it and choose Update Podcast.
7) The most recent episode will download to your computer.
8) In the future new episodes will automatically load for you.

If you have an iPod the episodes will be transferred to it.

Keeg

Fells Foliage Hike

Fells Foliage Photos

Jennifer and I took advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday afternoon and went for a little hike in the Fells. The hike didn't start out so well due to my stepping in a big pile of dog poo, but after that everything was wonderful. I had never actually been there before, but I really liked the trails, except for the general lack of blazes. We went up to Wright's tower and saw a great view of the city. The tower was covered in lady bugs which I thought was strange, and the longer you stood next to it the more ladybugs attached on to your clothing. We wandered aimlessly for a little while and then stopped next to a brook. I spent a few minutes redirecting the water before deciding I should just leave it the way it was when I got there. Finally we stopped at the Panther Cave and did a little spelunking.

Today was halloween and I bought a bunch of candy to hand out to trick or treaters. Only about 20 kids showed up so I started handing candy out to adults walking by, but only one adult accepted the offer. At least I know how much candy to by next year.

Happy Halloween everybody!!!!
Keeg

Happy Halloween

On Friday night we all got together for Amy's annual pumpkin carving party. Two things changed this year though, it was in Concord and costumes were preferred. For weeks I tried to come up with a costume, first I was going to be Napoleon Dynamite, but my hair just isn't long enough for that right now, then I was going to be The Greatest American Hero, but once again it would have been better with longer hair. I searched online and came across some video game characters and almost decided on Link from the legend of Zelda, but instead decided to call Andy and see if he wanted to be one of the Mario Brothers. He was down with it and my search for overalls began. I never realized how hard it was to find something out of style. I looked all over the place with no luck, finally on Thursday afternoon I went to Work 'n' Gear and picked up a pair for thirty dollars. They were perfect and now I have a great pair of denim overalls.

The party was once again great and I have to say I think Mark definitely took the top costume prize with his CDC worker costume (see photos). The award for the best pumpkin once again goes to Amy, for an intricate design of a ghost. I did a bat, but instead of using the actual pattern did it free hand from the picture on the book, and I think it turned out okay. It's amazing how hard it is to draw symmetrical shapes, one side of the bat ear was huge while the other was small and his feet were a real mess.

Yesterday Jennifer and I spent the day at home watching tv and doing nothing really, when all of a sudden we looked out and it was snowing. That's right it wasn't even Halloween yet and snow was falling from the sky. I assumed it was just going to flurry all day, but by four o'clock it was starting to stick on the grass and cars. We went for a walk in our new Autumn Wonderland and I decided to take photos. Today the weather has returned to normal though, there isn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature is supposed to reach 65.

First Snow of the Season Photos

Laguna Beach

I have to say Laguna Beach on MTV is one of my new favorite shows. I wasn't really into it during the first season, but the second season has been captivating. For those of you not in the know, Laguna Beach is a show that follows a group of real high school students around for an entire year documenting all aspects of their lives. It's billed as the real Orange County. I was just on the MTV Overdrive website watching the post show review and wished my friends knew the show so I could dress up as one of the characters for Halloween. So check it out on Monday night at 10PM.

Keeg

Halloween Preparation

I have been busy the last couple of days scouring the area for my halloween costume. I came up with the idea on Sunday night and finally found the hardest part of the whole thing yesterday. It annoys me sometimes how hard it is to find certain things in stores. I had a list of specific things I wanted and no matter where I went they just didn't seem to have it. In this day and age it is frustrating to know something exists out there in mass production, but still you are unable to find it. On top of that living in Somerville can sometimes be challenging when it comes to shopping. You would think living in the city would provide you with plenty of places to buy things, but I have found that usually the places I want to shop or eat just aren't in such an urban setting, I have even found that Waltham is lacking the amenities I seem to need. The worst part about Waltham though is that within ten miles there are tons of places to shop such as Framingham and the Burlington Mall, but the traffic is so bad its not feasible to actually go. I guess I am complaining because I felt so spoiled back in Salem, when I could drive ten minutes and be in Peabody where they have basically every store you could possibly want to go to.

Okay thats all for now here are some photos from last weekend. Head Of The Charles Photos

More Rain

Another washout of a weekend hit the New England area and at this point I have given the hope of spending another weekend outside in the sun. The worst part about this weekend's rain was that it was so nice out all week long and as soon as Saturday came around the sky clouded up. On Saturday I spent some of the day doing work and then went to the mall to try and straighten out my phone situation. Basically my replacement phone is a piece of garbage and I need the insurance company to send me another phone. More on that later. I didn't end up getting a new phone at the mall, but instead bought this great wool blazer. Now the first time you see me you will probably chuckle about it, but I really like it. I'll get a picture of it up soon. On Saturday night Jennifer and I went to babysit one of my coworkers kids. It was a fun night, 19 month olds are so busy and hard to understand.

Sunday morning involved more work and a trip to the cafe. Afterward Amy, Any and Melissa met at our house before we went down to watch the Head of the Charles. Just like last year it was a raw damp cold, but we survived for a couple hours. At one point we took a snack break at John Harvard's and downed a plate of nachos. Unfortunately the spinach and artichoke dip was extra oily, so we sent it back to the kitchen a couple times before they gave us a gift card for a free appetizer next time. Despite the cold and wet it was a great day.

Now back to the phone situation. I called up the insurance company again today and explained the situation with my replacement phone. After talking to a half dozen people I finally convinced a guy that my phone was not working. He kept questioning me about it and I kept explaining to him that the phone would just stop working if I didn't press it firmly against my head. After ten minutes he was convinced and said he would sent out a new phone and should get it tomorrow. What a freaking nightmare?!?!?! On the bright side Verizon said I am eligible for a discount on a new phone in February. Hopefully they will get some cool phones by then.

An entry for the sake of making an entry

Here is my entry for no apparent reason. I am currently at work and just returned to my desk from a meeting. I need to get back into my hard working mode. Yesterday I came in early and left around four and it was fantastic. It is so great to get home early in the afternoon although I didn't really do much and didn't go to the gym. My gym attendance lately has been poor and I am going to try to change that this week.

Okay I don't really have anything else to say for now.

Keeg

The Sun has returned!!!!

After over a week of cloudy rainy weather the sun finally appeared in the eastern sky this morning. It's amazing how different the world looks now basked in the bright glow of sunshine. In honor of the return of Sol I have compiled some quotes and photos for your viewing and reading pleasure.


Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Anderson

I've been waiting for that bright sunshine to show up and shine in my back door someday.
Luther Allison

October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came - The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band.
George Cooper

Sunshine is a welcome thing. It brings a lot of brightness.
Jimmie Davis

Pleasantly, between the pelting showers, the sunshine gushes down.
William Cullen Bryant

The glorious lamp of heaven, the radiant sun, Is Nature's eye.
John Dryden

Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World.
Christopher Columbus

Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the Universe. All this is suggested by the systematic procession of events and the harmony of the whole Universe, if only we face the facts, as they say, 'with both eyes open'.
Nicolaus Copernicus

The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.
Galileo Galilei

The mid-day sun is too much for most eyes; one is dazzled even with its reflection. Be careful that too broad and high an aim does not paralyze your effort and clog your springs of action.
Learned Hand

Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it.
Ninon de L'Enclos

I'm gonna soak up the sun
Sheryl Crow

Here comes the sun.
The Beatles

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day
Good day sunshine
The Beatles

The dawn is breaking. A light shining through.
Howie Day

Rent A Bag?

What has the world come to? Look at this article Renting a Handful of Luxury. This has to be a joke. Why would anybody pay up to 175 dollars a month to rent a hand bag? You know what I am just speechless and really have nothing more to say about this whole thing.

410 Dollars Later

My car is finally back after a two day visit to Boston VW. I brought it in for the 60,000 mile service which includes a whole bunch of things I don't care to list right now. If you want to find out you can just google it. Anyway I brought it in the other night and originally intended to get my radio reception fixed, but the guy said it would cost $300 to fix since my warranty has expired. I passed on the radio thing and decided instead to have my reverse lights fixed. They said my car would probably be done by the next morning which shocked me since my appointment really wasn't supposed to be until the next morning. Late yesterday I had checked the status of my repairs online and finally decided to call. The guy on the phone said it was still in the queue and hadn't even been looked at yet. I was so annoyed, but he said he would call me as soon as they had checked it out. The rest of the day went by and then this morning they finally called to tell me that it was going to fix 125 dollars to fix my reverse lights, they weren't working because of faulty wiring near the transmission. I told the guy to fix it and now began to wonder how much this little trip to the dealership was going to cost. They finally called when it was finished and the grand total was around 410 dollars. On one hand I was thankful that more wasn't wrong with it, but I had still just dropped almost a half a g on my car. Hopefully I won't need any major service again for a while. Grrr!!!!

Rain Rain Go Away

Given the amount of rain lately and my recent carpentry conquest, I am considering building an ark. The forecast doesn't look promising, the seven day forecast involves lots of rain. Maybe we should be happy that it will at least be different levels, (showers, light rain, sprinkles, rain, heavy rain). Variety is the spice of life, although I prefer ginger.

I was so tired yesterday and could barely keep focused at work, once home I didn't feel like a nap and just watched some tv before dropping my car off at the shop. I brought it in for a 60,000 mile service. They will also be doing four recall jobs on it. My radio has had poor reception lately, but they said it could be a $300 job to check the antenna out. Since my warranty is over I decided to pass on fixing it for now and will just listen to Cd's. I think the whole warranty thing should be changed. I think I had a five year 60,000 mile warranty. Its unfair that things completely unrelated to the mileage should be excluded if I pass a certain threshold. The radio reception should be covered no matter how many miles are on the car for five years. You would think they could come up with something a little more flexible to try and lure people towards their cars.

Last night we had all sorts of problems with our stove. About a month ago I woke up in the morning and smelled gas. I was able to track it down to the stove and noticed that one of the pilot lights went out. You see on our stove we don't have the clicking noise, but instead there are two pilot lights which stay on all the time. Well one of them went out. So after calling more knowledgeable parental units Jennifer lit the pilot back up and our problem was solved. At about the same time the oven started acting up too but in a different way. After being on for about ten minutes it started making a humming noise, it actually sounded very mechanical. It still worked so we kept using it. Fast forward to last night. I lit the front burner on the stove and it just didn't sound right and the entire burner wasn't lit, so I used the back burner instead. After I was finished I tried the front burner and it wouldn't light because the pilot was out again. We relit it and then watched tv before bed. At 4:30 this morning I woke up and smelled gas. I got up and went to the kitchen and both pilots seemed to be on so I went back to bed. Of course since I am paranoid about things like that I was unable to sleep and finally around six asked Jennifer if she could smell anything. She could not. I was frustrated and just figured I was overreacting, however after her shower she did notice the smell and upon closer examination noticed that the other pilot was out. We again relit the pilot and things have returned to normal. We left a note for the landlord and hopefully she will get somebody to come in and look at it. Now I am super tired again and leave for work in a few short minutes. I can't wait to be a homeowner ;o)

Unbelievable Concert

Last night Jennifer and I ventured across the Charles River to the BU Agganis arena for a David Gray concert. The ride wasn't nearly as long as we thought (Red line into the city Green line out of the city), which was a welcome surprise. We walked around the area for a little while until they opened the doors. Once inside we found our seats in the middle of the arena only two rows off of the floor. The view from our seats was fantastic and the sound was just right too. David came on stage and was fantastic. He has such an amazing voice, it easily filled the arena and he wasn't off key once. If you haven't heard his new album, Life In Slow Motion, you should definitely go listen to some clips on his website. The show lasted a couple hours and ended with a great version of Babylon. I have to say he is definitely one of my favorite performers to see live.

Afterward we walked out to wait for a Green line train and after about twenty minutes one finally showed up. Of course being the Green line it was packed all the way into town. Luckily the wait for the Red line was much shorter and we were back in Somerville in no time.

My 7 favorite musical artists at this very moment:
7) John Mayer
6) Jason Mraz
5) Jack Johnson
4) Howie Day
3) Coldplay
2) David Gray
1) Dave Matthews Band

Robert Wadlow

At BoCaNO last night I couldn't remember the name of the tallest man ever, but this morning on the way to work the name Robert Wadlow popped into my head. Here is a little info on him Robert Wadlow Official Site.

It's been a good couple of days. Work has been fantastic, I have been busy with new and interesting things. My relationship has also been fantastic. I was walking to the train last night and thinking about how happy I am with everything. I love my job, love where I live, have great friends, and can't express in words how happy I am with Jennifer. Sorry to gush so much, but life is unbelievably good.

Have a great weekend everybody!!! Try to stay dry!!!
Keeg

Weeks

It has been weeks since I have updated this silly journal and I can't help but feel bad about it. I have been busy doing all sorts of things. First off Jennifer's birthday went well, I have a bunch of pictures, unfortunately they are on my computer at home. Work has finally settled down a bit, we made our release on Monday and now we are working on other projects. It is really nice to go home around five and not stress about what I have to do at work tomorrow. The commute lately has been tough, I can't believe how many cars there are out there and how long it can take one person to drive nine miles. On Monday I did a lot of things on a to do list that had grown out of control. First I phoned my phone insurance company because they claimed they hadn't received my damaged phone, of course they haven't called back yet. I made an appointment for a physical, which is going to be in January. I even scheduled an appointment for my car to have its 60,000 mile service. It was an uber productive day that ended with me exercising at the gym. I do feel that a certain amount of stress has been lifted from my shoulders, at least for the time being. Oh yeah I also got information on where to send my retirement rollover money. I can't believe how much I actually have saved in my 401k at State Street. Thank goodness for automatic pay check deductions.

On Sunday I went over to Amy's new abode to watch the baseball game. It must have been the longest game ever, well next to the huge blow out against the Yankees in last year's ALCS. It was great hanging out with everybody on a weekend and not in a bar. I think I need to make a greater effort in rounding up the troops for weekend get togethers. Especially since I won't have a ski house this winter and won't get to go up every weekend. It is almost time to buy my pass, I have been debating about whether or not I should. My conclusion is that I will probably want to go up at least six times and I don't want to burden friends by asking for free tickets. So this weekend I will drop the 369 dollars and get the pass. I find its harder to part with my money these days, but its just something I have to do. Now I just need to find a cheap pair of 160-170cm skis for telemarking.

Alright time to get to work.
Keeg