Yes, it’s true.  I actually started using Facebook this past month, but I want to explain that I am not using all that crap in Facebook.  I’m not poking, nudging, or writing things on people’s walls.  Well, I don’t think I’ve done that yet.  I’m not installing any apps on my phone, uploading photos or other media, or playing Scrabble (wait, no one is doing that anymore.)

Myspace

I have this website, and posting videos, photos, life, etc, is where I want to do it.  A lot of people I know are using Facebook, so it’s been a good way to see what people are doing.  With family and work life keeping me busy, all those pictures keep me somewhat in the loop.

I still exist on Friendster, but I’m thinking of shutting it down.  I stopped using it, and I don’t think anyone else still uses it.  I never did that Orkut thing, though I heard it’s big in Brazil (good for the Brazilians.)  I got signed up with Plaxo Pulse, but I’m not sure the point of it.  LinkedIn is good for me, as I maintain a professional presence.

To celebrate our five year wedding anniversary this year, we’ve been looking for the right time and place to relax.  Somewhere tropical, warm, nice beach near by, no rabbits.  We also wanted to go somewhere we’ve never been.  We decided on Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.  We just booked 5 days, 6 nights at an all-inclusive resort for a family vacation.

We can’t actually believe it’s been five years already since we got married. Marriage is never easy, and every couple has its share of ups and downs during the course of the relationship.  I have to say that despite the occasional family squabble, the rigors of parenting, and just trying to figure out who should fold the laundry, marriage has been pretty fun for me.  You have someone to laugh with you, keep company with you at boring events, and do fun stuff together.  Parenting is a bitch, but there are some great moments in there too as parents.

Has it been a lot of work?  Yeah, no doubt, but the work you put in can make it all the more rewarding. Even with the 6am bottle feedings, I wouldn’t trade my wife or family in for anything.

Mario’s enemies have something to say. Love it.

Mr. Belding can get the ladies?  Stranger things have happened.  Check out the photos of Dennis Haskins having the best week ever for himself.

And now for something completely different: a compilation of funny news broadcast slip ups.

Compilation of Funniest News Slip Ups – Watch more free videos

We’re on guard for Josh feeling left out….. you know, where Lily gets all the attention. My wife suggested we take Josh to see a movie.  We dropped off Lily with Num’s mother, and made a mad dash to the movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda, but due to a crazy thunderstorm this afternoon, we found the AMC theater in Hamilton and surrounding area knocked out of commission from a power outage.  Regroup!  Kung Fu Panda wasn’t playing anywhere after 5pm, so we went to another theater in Freehold to see Wall-E.  Good movie with great animation, but I didn’t find it one of my favorites.  The story was good, but not great.  Josh had his big bag of popcorn, and he was the center of attention, so mission accomplished.

Wall-E (2008)

Today, we went to the funeral for Harish.  He was the family friend I mentioned back on July 21st.   We couldn’t make it to the wake Friday night, unfortunately.  We left Josh with Julie & Robbie, and took Lily with us. The funeral service was held at the United Methodist Church at New Brunswick, which was sadly the same church he and wife Cynthia were married in back on June 29th 2003. It was disconcerting to be back 5 years and 1 month since the wedding in the same church, but for the worst type of reason.

In Loving Memory, Harish

Keeping in mind that there is a snowball’s chance in hell of my wife approving another of my crazy schemes this year, I’m thinking about upgrading my home PC.  It’s been three years sinc we got the Dell in March 2005, but I feel it’s about time for some cleaning up.  I’m absolutely considering a fresh install of Windows XP (I’m ruling out Microsoft Vista on the advice of about, oh, the 1,000 people I’ve spoken to.)

I also started down the slippery slope of, “Hmmm, what else should I upgrade?”  Adding 1 Gb of Crucial extra memory would cost me $29, which is pretty good.  Adding 2 Gb more would cost me $50.  Cheap.  Since I’m in there, about how a new Nvidia 8800 GT video card?  That’s only $203.  Before I install a new video card, I need more power.  A Dell Dimension 8400-compatible power supply unit — a 500w PSU would cost me only $109.

A little over $300 would get me faster and better, which is pretty good.  In the end, with a newer faster PC, I could run Vista (one day) with a future monster widescreen 30′ LCD monitor. The challenge is figuring out precisely when the slippery slope morphed into a dangerous precipice.

After working in Philadelphia today, I went to see Iron Man by myself at a nearby movie theater. That movie was great.  Robert Downey, jr. was a great choice, but I didn’t find Gwyneth Paltrow’s role to be all that useful.

Iron Man (2008)

To see the actual suit in action on the big screen was really fun.  Great special effects, but I don’t think there was enough of the Iron Man Mark III suit in the movie.  I’m looking forward to seeing The Dark Knight next week.

The Dark Knight (2008)

This has been a weekend of highs and lows.

Friday night, we went out with Num’s parents to celebrate her mother’s birthday. A little belated, actually, but better later rather than not at all. We went to a south Indian restaurant not far from Princeton.

On Saturday, Josh had his usual gym class, then a quick lunch, then we were all home packing for the day.  Num’s long-time friend from high school Barbara was getting married to her fiancé John. (BTW, did you know there is a difference between fiancé and fianceé?  I had no idea the French were so complicated.)  The kids were staying with my wife’s parents, as it was going to be a late night.

After we dropped them off, we were off to Wallington, NJ for the wedding.  Nice wedding, but we had a 2 hour gap of thumb-twiddling time between the end of the wedding (4pm) and the reception starting at 6:30pm in Morris Plains.  What to do?  We considered a movie, but nothing quite fit.  We drove over to Clifton Commons in Clifton, ate ice cream sundaes at Applebee’s, and dispersed at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore to occupy ourselves until 6pm.  We were the best-dressed couple at Applebee’s on that Saturday afternoon.

The reception was at the classy Bretton Woods house.We stayed until about midnight, dancing up a storm.  We went home to change into pyjamas, pack clothes for church the next day, and slept over at the grandparents’ house. Photos for the whole event are now online for your viewing pleasure.

Sunday was all about attending the early 8:30am church service, breakfast at McDonald’s, taking an afternoon nap (all of us!), then Josh and I went to the pool.

Now for the lows.  A family friend passed away unexpectedly this weekend, and we got word late Saturday night after the wedding reception.  Tonight we went to his wife’s house for consolation with some of the family.  More details to follow, funeral set for later this week.  Very depressing, and hard to figure out.

I upgraded to Wordpress 2.6!  My life has more meaning now!