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Tonight, March 18, 2004, snow moves toward this area to blanket us with a six inch covering.

Eleven years ago last weekend, snow moves to trap Denise and me at Kevin’s in Philly with several feet during the Flower Show. It takes us eight hours to get home to York a few days later; most major roads are closed and secondary roads are the only way to struggle home.

Sixteen years ago last night I’m meeting my wife Denise for the first time. Hours later in the middle of the night, I’m getting a telephone call from my mother that my grandmother has passed away, a strange twist of kismet.

Seven years ago last week I’m sitting at a bar with Dennis Humphries, an old friend and co-worker. I go home to hear that Denise and I will be welcoming Alyssa Noel Mancuso into the world sometime around Thanksgiving (several months later, we’re choosing the name “Alyssa Noel” after weeks of heavy discussion).

Twenty years ago last week I’m driving down to Texas with Kevin, Bliss, and Terry. A side trip to the Mardi Gras follows days later, where many necklace beads are thrown at us from the parade floats. Four years ago I wonder where the last saved necklace has disappeared to.

Twenty-eight years ago I’m walking with Kevin on top of two feet of snow; the top few inches have hardened into a covering that holds up our twelve year old frames. School is closed again; it’s been closed for most of the last few weeks.

Two days from now I’m driving down to visit Kevin; it’s twenty-eight years later. We’re both forty years old. We’re talking about how slices of time can be just as real years later as when they happen to us in the past.

…I met my wife Denise.

Life is good.

I noticed that I’ve already had 6 spam comments on this blog in the one hour since I rebuilt the site at the new location. I’m targeted for spam.

Lucky for me MT-Blacklist is around. I installed it and de-spammed the website in ten minutes.

Yee-ha.

You, know, I read a statistic that 1 out of every 12 emails today is spam. I think that number is too low, actually.

I updated my template, but hmmm–now it went back to an older style–kind of. I don’t think I’ll mess with it more tonight.

At least it’s not as bad as Crazy Apple Rumors. There’s something cracked about that guy, but he makes me laugh.

Well, not that you’d notice. the Splitfocus website moved to a new web hosting server this afternoon and evening. The export, migration, and import to the new site went pretty smoothly, as far as I can see. Nice. Apparently I have an Atom feed with the new site–funny. If you’ve never heard of Atom, dont’ worry–no one with a real life has.

The web hosting provider? Modhost. They come highly recommended, and have worked like a dream so far. I got the Home plan–it fit my needs.

I’ve mentioned theremins before, but TechTV’s The Screensavers had Bob Moog (pronounced like “mode,” not “mood”) on tonight. He demonstrated a theremin (actually, a theremin virtuoso musician played the instrument). Dr. Moog is selling the instrument on his website, and a kit model is only $349, which is a steal.

I thought I’d mentioned it on the blog, but it’s all a blur from back then. My dad just got back to work after being off for a while. The second stent operation was a success, and he went down to Florida to recuperate. He couldn’t fly, though, so he had to take a train. He could barely restrain his joy at taking 24 hours to make a trip that usually takes 3 hours on his airline, but he managed somehow.

My dad now has six stents in various arteries. I think he’s about “stented out.” His doctor said that if he were any other patient, or if they were any other practice, stents wouldn’t have been an option. I have to hand it to my dad, though. He insisted on, and got, a successful stent procedure. This means that he’s never had to go through open heart surgery, which it about as invasive a procedure as you can get.

I don’t know if my dad was really ready to go back to work yet, but he’s a lot better off now than with three major arteries amost totally closed off. He looks better, too. People still think he’s my brother rather than my father (I think that’s more a reference to his youthful appearance than my early aging, white hair aside).

Living in the Mancuso household means knowing that your carbon monoxide detector works perfectly, since it goes off every morning at six am when you take a hot shower with its attendant steam.

Certainly helps wake the kids up, though.

Denise found this on the floor tonight, a to do list from Alyssa:

Hmmm. This from the kindergartener who is just learning to read. She’s apparently learning (or teaching herself) how to write and spell now, at least phonetically.

I’m not sure how she’s going to make the tent, though. If I leave the sewing machine out at night, maybe we’ll find out–she’s pretty resourceful (or stubborn, however you look at it). Like father, like daughter!

Part Uno
Me: (Singing a song to Denise that she didn’t know.)
Denise: Don’t give up your day job, Dave. Hey–I wanted to tell you something. What was it? I can’t remember, but it was important.
Me: Well, apparently not as important as picking on your husband and telling him not to quit his day job.
Denise: Ha-ha, Mr. Funny Man.

Part Deux
Me: Drew, you were answering some tough questions at music class today–good job!
Alyssa: But Daddy, he never answers questions.
Me: He did today.
Alyssa: Yeah, but he only answers questions if the parents are around.
Me: Well, Miss Tattletale, I saw him answering questions, so I’m giving him a little praise.
Alyssa: No way, Daddy! He didn’t pray at all! Even once!

Part Tres
Me: (Trying to settle Alyssa down at the dinner table–I make the clap, clap, clap-clap-clap sound her kindergarten teacher uses to bring the kids to attention)
Alyssa: (Looks at me and laughs, but doesn’t respond at all)
Me: Alyssa, you know that sound, right?
Alyssa: Sure I do, Daddy.
Me: So what do you do when I clap like that?
Alyssa: Nothing, Daddy.
Me: Why not?
Alyssa: Because you’re not my kindergarten teacher, that’s why.

Part Quatro
Drew: I want that, Daddy! And the other one too–and the Transformers toy and (ad infinitum, ad nauseum)
Me: You know the family rule, Drew–“You can’t have everything in the world you want–where would you put it all?”
Drew: Um–I could make room in my closet.

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