By Erik France on 11/26/2007 5:14 PM

We were driving to the church this weekend and the boys were getting bored.  Carter asked if we could turn on the radio.  I decided to inform Carter that we had a short distance to go and we did not need the radio.  So I said, "No.  We have got 25 feet ..."

"I got two feet!" he chimed in.

Yep.  You are correct.  And the score is now Dad: 0, Kids: 2

By Erik France on 11/26/2007 5:11 PM

This past weekend we all went to Edmond, Oklahoma, for the baptism of Julie's nephew. It was fun to see everyone and get a chance to meet Christopher. He sure was cute. I had forgotten how small and fragile newborns can be.We left Saturday morning in a light snow storm. I was a bit disappointed because it was finally snowing well at home and I had to leave. Oh well, some things are more important than snow ... a few things.The trip went really well down to Edmond. It took a little over four hours and the boys refused to sleep. I think they were too excited.Once we arrived, the kids had a few hours to play with Jessie and Zach -- Christopher's older siblings. They are good kids and a real joy to be around. The boys simply loved getting to play with Jessie and Zach. Justyn had been talking about playing with them for about four days prior to the trip.We all went to Saturday night mass at the church and then Christopher was baptized after mass. It was very interesting for me to see the Catholic baptism again as there...

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By Erik France on 11/18/2007 11:29 PM

We have been working with the boys and really stressing how we need to use our manners. Simple things like saying "Please" and "Thank You". As well as slightly more complex things like how to be a gentleman and hold the door open for people. You know ... manners.

This morning Carter had the best line I have heard in a while. He asked for some more juice to drink. When Julie did not give him any, he repeated his question but added "Please?". Now he could get his juice. He then said, "See, Mom? I use my manners. Manners means you don't say 'poopie' or you get your mouth washed with soap."

Well, yes, he used his manners. Yes, Julie and I do not like the "P" word being used. And yes, we have told the boys to speak nice or the soap comes out. But to hear him put all of these together and tell us that is his definition of manners ... after I finish laughing, I'll try to teach him better.

By Erik France on 11/6/2007 8:50 AM

Wow.  That's all I can say so far ... wow.  I know many others have heard about this, but I just heard about another Halo -- Halo Wars.  Evidently they released information about this at E3 in July.  Where have I been?

By Erik France on 11/6/2007 8:41 AM

The phrase "Work/Life Balance" has become prolific.  I see this phrase used in everything from magazine articles to business training classes.  While I am no expert in this balance equation, I really liked what I saw in Steve Loethen's blog the other day.  It shows what balance is needed for good code development.

By Erik France on 10/1/2007 10:24 PM

Scott Johnson has done it again.  He made a post which I feel captures the feelings a Dad has about his children.  It is an excellent read so take a look.

By Erik France on 9/26/2007 10:28 PM

On Tuesday we released the new external web site (www.cacu.com).  It was a good day and I think the site is doing pretty well.  We have fixed a few bugs, but nothing major so far.

But it is because of the site that I feel like I am back in Grad School.  I remember the nights of starting homework at 10:30 in the evening and being up until 2:00 in the morning.  It was not much fun, but I adapted and made it work.

Well, since Monday, I have been staying up and completing our build and deployment schedule to get the latest changes put into the web site.  Again, it is not a thrilling adventure and I have again adapted to it.  But I am starting to tire of this schedule too.  Hopefully everything will have settled by Friday and I can get a few more hours of sleep.

Oh, wait.  I have children who like to get up early too.  So I probably will not get any more sleep unless I fall asleep on the couch in the evenings.  Then again, I have been known...

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By Erik France on 9/21/2007 8:55 PM

Today we received the invitation for Rachel and Steven's wedding.  Inside the invitation was a link to their web site.  Yep, learn all about the wedding at www.skousenandfrance.com.

By Erik France on 9/19/2007 10:42 AM

Case yer did'n hear, it be Talk Like A Pirate Day.  Me fav'rit be the Top 10 Pick-up Lines, found 'bout half-way down the page here.

Have fun sayin' "Arrr!"

By Erik France on 9/18/2007 12:03 PM

The gang at work has been working very hard to complete a web site redesign project.  On one hand, this does not sound too terrible.  After all, it's just a web site, right?  Well, to get all of the security features installed, handle the multiple DMZ locations, build in legacy and new features, this "one site" is really a combination of four new web sites and revisions to fifth, existing site.  So, yeah, a big project.

The good news ... we are almost ready to release this to the public.  The bad news ... I am now beginning to realize how much pressure we have all been under to complete the project.  I had not really planned on this aspect of the project. 

To me, even though there is a lot to do, it is still just a web site.  I have been a bit too sheltered in thinking our changes were just to make the site a bit better.  But within the past two weeks, I have been in many meetings where people are talking about what they want to do in the future with the site.  I now understand how far-reaching this...

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