Because...

...you have a PhD. That is nickname enough, man! And since PhD's are all Hoity Toity, you get Roman Numerals after your name! That is awesome!

Wylie is doing well, eating up a storm and all that jazz. Leslie and I are sleeping somewhat regularly, which is nice. We both are awake during the day, and Leslie hits the sack around 9 or 10 and sleeps til 4ish. Then I come to bed at 4ish and sleep to 10. We are in a fortunate situation where we can do this, and for now it is working. Good times.

Let's see if I can get a picture up here...

Here is his best Playgirl pose....

How come everyone else gets cool nicknames and not me? Hmpf!

The game of life

Imagine if you will, eNron teaching you a game. A game in which you are not interested in playing, but feel obligated to play to make ends meet. Then imagine this game takes severeal 8 hour sessions to teach to you. If you can imagine that, then I bet you can imagine how the person I am training at work feels. Lovely. I make an idiot for a teacher. What really sucks is I know this temp is well, temp. She is moving on soon no doubt. So for sure get to do this again real soon.

"Braids" Takara and "Dirty Dick" Walsh. Brilliant. Elzar you make me laugh.

Deef

B-17 Computer Version

So, as I sit here with Wylie sleeping in my lap, I have found a computer version of B-17 and ran the Action Team through some missions, 29 actually. Three planes down, and a crapload of dead crew later, here are the results of everyone's careers...

A few memorable deaths:

- Dr. Mike was seriously wounded on a plane that had the landing gear, as well as the bomb bay doors, jammed. So, on the return to England, after dropping out of formation early, everyone bailed out of the plane, except Mike... The Air Force apparently calls that fate "MIA"....

- You will notice some people are POW, that is because one plane's gas tank went up, and the plane went down in flames... some made it out over Germany, some went down with the plane... Grim indeed.

- And then there is Aaron "Rastafarian" Killen. One day on Action Team Annie III, he gets capped. Roll a one life.

b17.html

oo, you guys gotta check out the fat wreck chords podcast. It's really good! Fat mike and a dude named Floyd just play punk records and talk about em. Pretty good and interesting stuff.
ADDED: Watched the BAD RELIGION dvd Live at the Palladium. Fuckin awesome. Damn, I remember when they just did these shows, like 5 nights, and me and a co-worked almost went. Well, fuck, gotta give it up for BR - still so good.

Saturday I'm officially back at home! OH NOES! Been a long and drawn out "move" but it's finally over! YAY for cable tv! BOO for my folks yellin at me " CLEAN YA ROOM!"

LAST EDIT b4 the comp is unplugged for a few days - NEW NOFX OUT *torrent cough*

Obligatory Oblivion post:

GAH.. this game is SO GOOD. Especially with just a few choice tweaks and modifications. I've had some of the most immersive and interesting experiences with it in just the smallish geographical area I've been exploring in the last week or two of playing. Plus, with the amazing amount of community (and developer) made addons and modifications, this game is going to have a long, long playability.

I was finally able to scrape up enough gold to afford my first really nice bow, the Giant Bow in the Golden Archery Shop addon/modification. It's not magical and the reload is fairly slow, but wooo boy does it pack a wallop. Depending on the arrow I'm using, the standard damage is maxed out at about 26 points.. and with a sneak attack, three times that (compared to 3-5 for most standard bows max damage).

Pretty soon, I may even stop adventuring in the wilderness and even go on the main quest missions, or the Thieves/Fighters/Mages guild questlines. Or the Arena champion questline. Man, I can't believe I've played this much and haven't even scratched the surface. I just wish we could play it as parties together.

I just downloaded the "better water" mod and it sure is pretty. Maybe I'll grab a few screenies and post them for you fellas. What I don't understand is why the images on the box and in the game guide are so crappy compared to what the actual gameplay looks like.. doesn't that seem backwards?

Feh. I wrote a nice tasty post and the blog ate it. =(

I'll rewrite, but with brevity this time. =)

Once more, a big hearty congrats to you guys!

I feel a little responsible that I wasn't a little more vocal about the pregnancy/birthing process and about doctors in general, but I didn't want to be one of "those" people who meddle and tell you your business.. if that makes sense. By and large and with rare exception, doctors are covering their asses and making assumptive leaps of logic towards incorrect conclusions, sprinkled with just enough education and fear mongering to get their patients to spend lots of money "just to make sure". The fact is that about 80-90% of all initial diagnosis of serious illness are wrong. Second diagnosis does a little better at about 50-60%.

I'm sorry the lead-up experience was crappy, but that memory will fade and be replaced with all the laughing and poopy diapers, promise. =)

Semi-related note: My sister in law showed up last night with their new little one (3 months) and it was astonishing to see her next to Haylee, who looked like a giant in comparison. It was really shocking. When you see someone/something every day and they are growing millimeter by millimeter you don't really get the sense of scale and growth. But, that sure hit it home.

Can't wait to come down and visit! Hopefully in the next couple of months we'll be able to steal a long weekend and come down.

Elrockenstein the Hessinator

[Edit: Weird. It showed up after the fact. Removed duplicate info. =) ]

My favorite doctor story was when Michelle was having unbearable abdominal pain and so we went to the emergency room and were seen by this asshole who, after giving her the rudest of female examinations declared "you have (insert venerial disease here)". To which, we asked how that was possible given that we'd been together for 6 going on 7 years at the time. He said "not my problem, you guys have to figure that out" and left the room. Unbelievable. Come to find out, she had a gigantic cyst on her ovary and if it had been 1mm (yes, that's millimeter) larger, it would have required emergency surgery. It burst on its own and with antibiotics she was fine, but.. dude. What an asshole. If it was anyone with a slightly less strong relationship, that might have ended a marriage.

tations!

Wow! Thanks guys! That's a lot of useful information and I really appreciate the help. I'm planning to seriously start looking soon, so I might be heading up there for a visit. I'll let you know. Thanks for the leg up on where to start. I think I'll have to opt for more cost but no room mates - with the stresses of my first year I'll need to be able to guarantee work time (especially if we expect to have time for Warmachine! Can't WAIT!)

See you soon.

I agree with jr0n.

Plus you can go out for two weekends in a row looking at a hand full of places and they all suck. Then two weeks later all kinds of selection. Roommates are really the way to go if you dont want to hemmorage money like mad. Good two bedroom places go for around 1400-1700, which is about 700-850 when sharing. On the otherhand with random roommates you run the risk of the roll a 'One' phase. Either way I agree Craigslist can be a good resource. I have found the last two out of Craigslist. There are other resources such as rental agencies, but I have never tried any up here.

Getting a sub-let or temp place for a month or two can be a good deal. That way you can get yourself set up and learn what locations you like in the city before you have to commit to a long term lease.

Make sure you keep parking in mind. If you are bringing your wheels up, make sure you scope out the parking situation before you commit anywhere. Garage rentals can be pricey, usually a 100-200 premium. Street parking can really put a serious damper on your party in some areas.

D>M>

EDIT: If you have any questions about a location or listing you can run it by either of us for a quick opinion.

That's a bitchin' map! Enron, I request three additions: Gamescape, Amoeba, and also your old apartment in Communist Russia/Lake Merced.

Myke, the most important piece of advice I have is to make Craigslist your best friend. It is possibly the single most valuable resource for apartment-searching in the Bay Area.

How long before the start of term are you going to actually move up here? In other words, how much time will you have to do your searching? A 1-3 month sublet might be a good option for you. That way you can find something decent for the short-term while you settle in. You can also live with Johnny's parents in Fremont I am sure. :)

For a studio or 1-bedroom in a decent part of town you are going to be hard-pressed to find a place for less than $1250; even that is a little on the low side. Enron pays less than that, for example, but he is directly across the street from a fire station. My gf has a similar place which is a bit quieter and pays on the order of $1300. Naturally if you are willing to live with people then the proportional cost goes down as you add bedrooms. For example, my 3-bedroom house is $2000/month total, but my roommates have been here a long time. If the landlord were to rent it at more current rates I would expect it to be more like $2250-2500. But I expect you want your own place.

The area where I live, Parkside/Outer Sunset has some pros and cons:

PRO
It is close to the university. (In fact, at worst STFU U. is about 25 minutes from my place by bus. By car approx. 10-15 minutes in traffic. In good weather, provided you walk briskly you can get there in about half an hour.)
It is close to KFC.
It is reasonably cheap while also being reasonably nice.
It is MUCH quieter than most parts of the city.
It's very easy to park.

CON
It is foggier and colder than most parts of the city. That shouldn't be a big problem compared to jolly ol' England.
It is pretty far removed from the swingin' downtown area.
Most of the residences are homes (meaning 3-bedroom or larger places).
Public transit to downtown and fun areas can be a hassle.
Most of the area is a little bland.

Enron's area, the Inner Sunset/GG Park area:

PRO
Close to a fun area with lots of cool restaurants (ie, Pluto's).
Lively but safe feel.
Easy public access to places like the Haight (Amoeba, tacky gift shops, smelly hippies).
Enron readily available to clean up any wastebaskets that you might vomit into.
More 1-bedroom apartments.
Longer commute to STFU U., but not too bad. Depending on traffic, 15-25 minutes.

CON
LOUD. Even the side streets in the area can be very busy and loud at night. This is more or less of a problem depending on how well you adjust to this sort of thing.
Also foggier and colder than most parts of the city.
It's a real pain in the ass to park.

Basically both areas are cool. I don't know too much about other parts of the city except that Richmond is cool and so is Noe Valley (although some people will try to trick you by saying somewhere is in Noe Valley when really it's in the Mission, which is a cool area but... not super-nice).

Like most big cities there are pockets of niceness within the worse areas and vice-versa. It's hard to make any really sweeping generatlizations. You'll just have to come up here and start poking around!

Good places to start that are fairly close to SFSU:

Sunset (Inner or Outer)* : Inner is my area. Outer is a little less dense and a little less supported by public tranny.
Richmond (Inner or Outer)* : Used to live in outer. Nice area.
Lauryl Heights : Nica area
SFSU/Stonestown area : Tends to be tilted more towards a younger student population. Not a lot of inventory in this area
Parkside : jr0n's area. Also known as outer sunset since it really is a subset of the outer sunset area.

* Inner tends to be more compact closer to the city and outer is more suburban and some may say remote.

Avoid like the plague:

Ingleside
Bayview
Hunters Point
Tenderloin

Also check out this sweet Map I made for you. Call for more four11.

I am never having a child!

My goodness, I don't know how you managed all of that stress Aeryk! I hope that Leslie is recovering well from the surgery etc.! I'll ring soon and drop by to see you all - just wanted to give you some space (and by God is sounds as though you need it!) I had no idea that you were going through all of that - even whilst we were playing games at your house - and *I* get stressed about writing the next article or interviewing for a job! Seems so pathetic next to what you and Leslie just went through. It's marvellous that it all has worked out so well in the end - hurrah for healthy happy Wylie!

Enron - you will totally get that guy. Just train him to make coffee instead. Also, (and this includes Jr0n) can you guys suggest a good area that I should start looking for places in in SF? I'll be starting the search very soon, but I've no idea where is good.

Dr. Myke

Wow.

That is some crazy tough stress. Ugggg... That was an intense post. If it had not been for Art's providing the update earlier, I would have been even more supAr nervous reading that. I am really sorry you had to go through all that stress, but on the other hand, a sweet sweet healthy baby was the result. I look forward to some pictures and the rugrat updates made evAr popular by the original ActionDad, O Rugs. I am totally stoked for you. Elzar, I need your snail mail addy. Can you email that jazz to me?

jr0n: Eating Curry == Significance in life. Funnah.

Wednesday, I get to train someone for my current position. Hey thats cool I guess, until I listen to my woman and one of her friends go on and on about all these horror stories about the worst temp employees. Sweet shit like, "I dont do filing" and refusing to do what they were hired to do. Or refusing to work with existing systems. Great. Im going to get that asshole. I know it.

D>M>

The first "roll a 1" phase of parenting life

That was an hilarious turn of phrase.

Jeesh. What a bunch of terrifying bullshit. I'm so glad everything turned out okay in the end!

I have nothing of comparable significance going on in my life! Except that I might eat some curry later, and I love curry!

omg, i was stressed out just reading all that! well, glad everything is great man! you've survived the 1st "roll a 1 phase" of parenting life. Good times!

Wylie Thompson Hess

Thanks for the kind words everyone, it was impossible to get to an internet posting unit from the hospital, so the blaving had to wait until now! So the details of the birth are as follows:

- 30 hours of labor, which consisted of being hooked up to various machines and monitors, needles, and endless visits from doctors and nurses every 15 minutes. This mean no sleep, but lots of sitting around, and ALMOST sleeping.

- The reason for all this is because Wylie was considered a "High Risk" birth because Leslie tested one or two points high on two tests for fetal well being. One, was the triple screen, and Wylie was "high risk" for Down Syndrome, and two, was gestational diabetes, which was solved the day our diets changed to 6 meals a day, and an extra glass of water a day.

- This "high risk" bullshit equated to us driving to two different doctors office's in Beverly Hills twice a week for fetal monitoring and ultrasounds. During these all important visits, we found out that one week Wylie had one large kidney, which is a sign of Down Syndrome, so our odds immediately increased along with our stress levels. Oh yeah, did I mention that one large kidney could also mean that as he was growing, one grew faster than the other, and eventually would balance out? Well, the following week, this is what happened, and all was well but the toll from the stress remained.

- Another bonus to all these visits was that since Leslie was a gestational diabetic (remember, her blood scored in the normal range after one day of diet and drinking change) we were at risk for having a large baby. Apparently, all these ultrasounds were PROVING that Wylie was going to be at least 9.5lbs at birth and any larger could be dangerous, so they made us induce a few day before our due date. As it ended up, Wylie was 7lbs 8oz, so score another one for the doctors!

- Anyway, we had to induce, which is a crappy process, and at the end of the 30 hours of waiting and trying all sorts of things to get him to drop into position, which he never did, the doctors woke us up (as they did every 15 minutes throughout this ordeal) and said since nothing was happening, we needed a C section. Okay, when? How about in 10 minutes?

- Before we knew it, Leslie was on the table, and I was in my gowns. They had apparently started when they called me in, and I had to walk past the business end of my wife being butched on a table, which was unsettling to say the least. After Wylie was out and I cut the cord, I followed the doctors to the nursery and slipped in a pool of my wife's blood as I exited the operating room. Lovely. The reason he never engaged into position was because his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Twice. So, it was fortunate we had the C, because otherwise, Leslie would have pushed and pushed, and nothing would have happened anyway, and then would have needed an emergency C later on.

- As it ends up, everything we had been stressed about over the pregnancy, and virtually EVERYTHING the doctors had us scared about for MONTHS AND MONTHS, was proven to be bullshit. It was emotionally troubling, a tremendous waste of time, and a huge drain on the coffers. In the end, when he scored a perfect 10 on the Apgar test, and the pediatritian said there were no signs of Down Syndrome, the relief was immense! We could not be happier to end this terrible pregnancy ordeal with a wonderful little man.

It has been nothing less than exciting so far. From the highest screams of agony as I change his diaper, to the highest screams of agony as I change his clothes, I am amazed that I am holding in my hands a little bundle of mine and Leslie's gene pools made whole. Weird.

I can't wait for you guys to all meet him! Except for Ryan. That guy was the first guy to hold him, so he doesn't count. Screw that guy.

Anyway, all is well with the Hess clan, those who are local, feel free to come by and say hi!

(pictures to follow soon)

"GURPS NEWBORN" - classic.

Just did my taxes, owed about $400 rocks - not as bad as I thought it would be. (I fiddled with my numbers throughout the year and now I'm paying - thought it would around 2k I'd owe, so it's all good.)

Oh yeah, forgot to add this on Sunday...

Elzar: Awesome. That is good to hear about Wylie. congratulations to both you and Leslie. I was getting a bit nervous that we hadn't heard from you in a while. Give me a call when you have some time and you are not totally exhausted. Oh... You need to get started with the training: The basics. You know Dungeon, Settlers of Catan, Gurps Newborn, etc...

D>M>

FPS/Visceral fun

There is a pretty good article about the more mind-less/violent video games and their role. The article is short and to the point and seems to ring true with me in a lot of ways. I find the games I fire up these days tend to be these types since I rarely dedicate more then 30 minutes a week on video games. Mild escapism I guess.

Best quote:

When your boss asks you what you did on the weekend, are you gonna tell him you spent 10 hours shooting at already-dead bodies during slow-mo mode in Half-Life 2 just so you could play physics experiments with them?

Okay, I am glad I am not the only fool guilty of the things mind-less pleasures such as the one above.

D>M>

Many congratulations and good wishes to Eric, Leslie, and Wylie! I too was getting concerned - thanks for finding out for us all ORugs!

Seriously though, D&D? I'm sure he's already been playing ASL this week.

It's a relief to hear all is well. I was getting a bit concerned.

Congratulations to you and the family Eric. Can't wait to see the little whippersnapper. Can't wait till he makes his first D&D character!