2005

12.23.05

I am on my first day of 11-day break from work. I am using the rest of my vacation days next week, and my next day in the office is after the New Year. I spent this past week fighting a cold and now I'm on the tail end of it. I have been trying to get as much sleep as possible and hopefully I'll be able to kick the rest of it in a few days. Other than that, it was an interesting week in New York City. There was a city-wide transit strike that caused a lot of problems for all New Yorkers. I was pretty much unaffected by the strike. For the most part, Metro North was on schedule and I usually walk from Grand Central Terminal to the office anyway. Luckily, the strike only lasted three days and everything was back to normal today.

The rest of the family will be leaving for vacation tomorrow morning. They're going to meet up with the extended family from Charlotte and spend the week in Williamsburg, Virginia. I'll be staying home and relaxing. There's a bunch of meetings and other events to keep me busy and it should be nice and quiet around the house with everyone gone.

Happy Holidays to all!

12.16.05

So, it's been about a month since my last update (sorry to all of my loyal readers). Things are going well, same old same old. Work has been busy as usual. We had our holiday party last week and it was a lot of fun. The company rented a club on the West side. We have a few new people in the department and I've been busy training them and getting everyone up to speed. I've been using the rest of my PTO days before the end of the year. I was able to take Fridays in December off as well as the week between Christmas and New Year's. It has been really nice to be able to relax, and it has given me time to do some holiday shopping and avoid the super crowds.

Outside the office, I've been keeping busy. I've been playing volleyball once or twice a week, going to meetings, doing some holiday shopping, and going to Fairfield Basketball games. I'm a season ticket holder for the first time and I have great seats - 5th row in the corner near the Fairfield bench. Oh, and I was able to get tickets to see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 2006!

11.11.05

The day started off with some really exciting news. My best friend, Matt, and his girlfriend, Lisa, are engaged! They have been together for three years and they are a great couple. I am really happy for them. Matt called me this morning with the news and I then proceeded to give him driving directions to downtown Manhattan so that they could go shopping for some hardware. After Matt got off the highway, he called me back and I guided him to his destination using MapQuest while he was reading street signs. It was an interesting situation.

After work I took the train from Grand Central to New Rochelle to watch the Fairfield Volleyball team play against Iona. The match was an important one with a lot at stake. Fairfield entered the match with a share of the MAAC Conference Regular Season Championship and looked to win an outright Championship by defeating Iona. The Stags came out strong and easily took an early 2 games to 0 lead. Game 3 was a bit more exciting for the Iona fans, but Fairfield prevailed and won the match 3-0. It was an exciting match and Fairfield was able to secure its first outright Regular Season Championship since 2000 after sharing the Regular Season Title over the past few seasons. The Stags will enter the MAAC Tournament as the number 1 seed next weekend.

In election news there isn't much to report. We lost bad, but Tim ended up winning his re-election to the Planning and Zoning Commission. He was pretty much the only town-wide Republican candidate to win.

11.06.05

Last night was a great time! I went into NYC with Jennifer, Matt, and Lisa. It was the first time all four of us were able to coordinate our schedules and go out together. We went for dinner on the Upper East Side at a nice Italian restaurant before going to Comic Strip Live. The comedians were all pretty funny (except the first guy) and we really enjoyed it. After that, we met up with Lisa's brother and we all went barhopping. We called it an early night by New York standards and drove back to CT.

This upcoming week looks to be fairly exciting. Tuesday is Election day and we'll see how everything turns out. There are a few important battles in the Town election and hopefully we will end up victorious.

10.16.05

Things have been pretty good lately. This past week was extremely busy. On Monday, I had a Lodge Executive Committee meeting and on Tuesday I started volunteering and coaching at the Trumbull Recreation volleyball clinic. The participants range from 10-16 years old and varying skill levels. On Wednesday night, I had a company wide meeting and Thursday was my late night at the office. On Friday night, I went to see Movin' Out on Broadway with Jennifer. I had seen the show in March with the understudy cast. This time the original cast including Michael Cavanaugh was performing. The show was amazing and we really had a good time.

It was also Alumni Weekend at Fairfield this weekend. On Saturday, I went to the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction. Two of the volleyball alumni were inducted and a lot of my friends flew into town for the ceremony. It was really good to see everyone and catch up.

09.21.05

I picked up my new Audi A4 yesterday from the dealer and I absolutely love it! They definitley put a lot of thought into every little detail. The ride is extremely smooth, quiet, and comfortable. Be sure to check out the pictures!

09.15.05

I am the proud owner of a new 2005.5 Audi A4 - Quattro, 6 speed tiptronic! The deal was finalized today and I ended up getting a good deal. The car has an "Ocean Blue Pearl Effect" exterior and a platinum leather interior. The car comes fully loaded with the premium package, cold weather package, and 17" alloy wheels. Some of the other bells and whistles include a power sunroof, side curtain airbags, electronic mirrors, and headlight wipers. It's a great car, and I'm really looking forward to picking it up next week and driving it!

09.14.05

I took the day off from work today, but I managed to keep busy. I woke up, went car shopping, and then I took a trip to Fairfield University to visit Coach Maffei and swing by the Athletic Center. I also had lunch with Matt at his office before heading home for Caitlin's first volleyball game. She made the Freshman team last week and was named the starting setter. Varsity and JV had first pick of jersey numbers. Number 13 was available, so she picked the number. It worked out well because one of her favorite Fairifeld U players was number 13 and also a setter. Trumbull defeated Danbury in four games.

09.11.05

Today marks the 4th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. For the past week, I have been reflecting on everything that transpired on that sunny September morning. I have watched a few documentaries about 9/11 over the weekend and the footage is still tough to watch. The memories from that day will be with us all for the rest of our lives. It's important for us to remember how we felt four years ago today and to realize how the world changed that day.

The past few weeks has been especially hard for many Americans due to the massive amount of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans. The two events aren't even close to being similar, but they do share the one thing in common. Americans all around the country have responded to the hurricane evacuees the same way they came together to support everyone effected by 9/11... and that's what makes the people of this country so great. Some of the stories coming out of the Gulf Coast and surrounding areas are truly inspiring, and one day the damaged areas will rebuild.

08.06.05

Last weekend I went to the 2005 National Scout Jamboree held at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. I drove down with my friend, Rob, and we had a pretty good weekend. On Friday, we stopped in to meet up with our friend, Adam, at his office in Washington DC. Adam works for Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, and he was able to take us for a tour of the Speaker's office. We missed meeting the Speaker by about 20 minutes, but it was still a neat experience. The Speaker's office is near the Capital Rotunda and overlooks the National Mall and the Washington Monument. It is a spectacular view!

On Saturday, Rob and I visited the Jamboree and had a great time. We were able to catch up with a bunch of friends, see a few exhibits, and walk around the Jamboree. We were able to get VIP access to the Order of the Arrow's Twelve Cubed show, which was excellent and sent a powerful message about the Scout Law and Oath to the audience. We were also able to see the Venturing Underground exhibit, which was a difficult ticket at the Jamboree.

We were supposed to go back to the Jamboree on Sunday, but we decided to go to Mount Vernon and then spend the day in Washington DC to walk around. We decided to see the Washington Monument and the Korean War Memorial and then went from there to walk through the World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. We got lucky and we were able to get tickets to go up to the top of the Washington Monument. Tickets for the day had been gone, but a family from New Jersey had extra tickets. It was my first time to the top of the Monument and there were some great views of the city and all of the monuments.

It was a great trip overal. We ran into some luck along the way and were able to see some really neat things. It will be five years until the next National Scout Jamboree. The next Jamboree will be in 2010 to coincide with the 100th Anniversary of Scouting.

07.17.05

Yesterday I had the privilege to visit Treasure Island Scout Camp on the Delaware River to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting's National Honor Society. My first visit to TI was very memorable and inspiring. The theme of the event was "The Impact of an Idea," and it truly captured the spirit of the weekend. I was able to tour the camp and see the Ceremonial Grounds, Camp Office, Devil's Tea Table, Unami Lodge House, and several other places. As I walked around the camp I tried to imagine what transpired 90 years ago when Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carrol A. Edson put their idea into action. I doubt that either man could forsee that 90 years later, hundreds of Arrowmen from 20 states would travel to Treasure Island to gather and celebrate in fellowship and Brotherhood.

I truly enjoyed my visit to Treasure Island. As always, it was nice to catch up with old friends and make new ones. I spent a good part of the afternoon speaking with three Past Lodge Chiefs of Unami Lodge from 1959, 1960, and 1961. We had a great discussion and shared stories about our own memories in Scouting and the Order of the Arrow. It gave me a special opportunity to learn about the earlier years of the Order and how much things have changed and developed. The ideals of the Order of the Arrow have spanned generations and have changed the lives of thousands of Arrowmen and ordinary citizens all across the country... and it all began with an idea.

07.10.05

I just returned from a week-long vacation with the family to Washington DC. The last time we took a family vacation to DC was back in 1993, so we figured it was time to go back to see the sights again. We stayed at a timeshare resort in just outside Fredericksburg, Virginia which is about an hour south of DC. We drove into Washington on two separate days. Visiting Washington DC is always fun. It's a great place to learn about and appreciate our nation's history.

On the first visit, we had a tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where almost all of our paper currency is printed. It was neat to learn about how money is produced and to see stacks of money (literally). After the tour, we went to see the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, White House, the American History Museum, and the National Archives. Before driving back to VA, we stopped in Washington DC's Chinatown for dinner.

Later on in the week we went to DC again and had a staff-led tour of the Capitol Building by a member of Congressman Christopher Shays' (R-CT) staff. After the Capitol tour, we went to the Air and Space Museum, and to Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the graves and memorials of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Challenger and Columbia Space shuttles, Audie Murphy, and others.

Vacation is always a lot of fun, but it's back to the office tomorrow... I'll be pretty busy for the rest of the month. Next weekend I will be driving down to Treasure Island Scout Camp in Philadelphia to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Order of the Arrow (Scouting's National Honor Society). We might be going back to Treasure Island the following week for a work party to help restore the camp from damage it suffered over the winter and spring. There are tentative plans at the end of the month for a weekend trip to the National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. The campaign for First Selectman will also be heating up. The nominating convention is quickly approaching and we hope to win the party's nomination on the 25th.

06.12.05

The past month has been pretty good. I have meant to post an update, but I just haven't set the time aside for it. Work has been going well. There have been a few rough days with server issues, but there has just been a steady workflow overall. There have had a few political meetings and other campaign work here and there. I have been fixing a lot of computers on the side and making a few house calls. I have also been trying my best to keep up with the workout schedule and running as often as possible. It has been tough over the past two weeks with all of the rain and other "distractions." The past month hasn't been all work and no play. I have mixed in some fun and games by going out with friends, going to see Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (twice), relaxing, playing video games, and using the company's tickets to see a New York Mets game last week after work.

This past weekend was the Owaneco Lodge June Ordeal. It was a good service weekend, but the weather was extremely hot, humid, and uncomfortable. The Lodge held the Vigil Honor Induction on Friday night which is always fun, exciting, tiring, and rewarding. New Lodge Officers were elected and a new Lodge Adviser was appointed over the weekend. The Lodge looks to make progress on some of the things that we have been working on over the past few months and strive to improve on our problem areas. The new Lodge Adviser asked me to serve as the Vigil Honor Adviser and also as an Associate Lodge Adviser. I accepted both positions and I look forward to contributing in both areas. My area of responsibility as an Associate Lodge Adviser will be to directly oversee and advise the Lodge Vice Chief of Inductions and all of the Induction Committees of the Lodge.

05.19.05

Since the weather has been so nice lately and there is still sunlight when I get home, I have decided to get myself back into shape. I started running on Tuesday and I was definitely winded after a short distance. I just don't have the running endurance that I had a few years ago, but that will all change soon. Yesterday I pushed myself to go on another run, so I called Matt and we went for a nice jog on the trail behind our houses. After a nice run, we did a few sets of pushups and sit ups until failure and wrapped up a nice workout. The first few days are the worst, so I just need to keep going out and inspiring myself to keep it up.

Matt's dog, Hunter, came along for the run. It's amazing how much energy that dog has! He was attacking trees and trying to bite them down. He jumped up on a few of them and he was definitely hanging from the tree by his teeth. We need to get that on video because it's absolutely hilarious.

05.08.05

It has been much of the same for the past few weeks. There really hasn't been anything exciting to report lately. I've been keeping busy with work, relaxing, working on the campaign, and going to a few scouting events. This past weekend was the May Ordeal up at Deer Lake. I went up to camp on Friday night and the weather didn't cooperate. It rained fairly hard and drizzled most of the morning on Saturday. I left the Ordeal early to head back home to our first official campaign event. The event was a simple "meet and greet" at Jack's house and everything went well. Today we went down to Queens to spend Mother's Day with my Grandma. We bought her a new dvd player and the complete Alias dvd set since it's one of her favorite shows. It was pretty funny watching Dad teach her how to use the dvd player, but she'll get used to it after a few times!

04.19.05

Over the past few weeks, it has been hard to escape the events in Rome after the death of Pope John Paul II. John Paul II was a great man and one of the greatest leaders in the world. It was truly amazing to see the long list of dignitaries who attended his funeral and how the world stopped to honor the man who has been Pope for the past 26 years.

Today white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope on only the second day of the Conclave. Ratzinger chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. The entire process of choosing a new Pope has been really interesting to watch. It reminds me a lot of the Vigil Honor selection process in the Order of the Arrow - I can understand why my friend Steve uses the analogy when we teach the Vigil Honor class at NOAC. The Vigil Honor selection process usually includes being "locked" in a room for a period of time with the selection committee, debating and discussing various candidates, pizza, secret ballot, choosing Lenni Lenape names and translations, and sometimes some other things. Hmm, I wonder if the College of Cardinals ate pizza...

04.14.05

As usual my schedule has been eventful, but everything has been going well. My weekly routine has been filled with political meetings, campaign meetings, playing volleyball, visiting Grandma in Queens, going out with friends, and other odds and ends. I've been playing volleyball on Tuesday and Wednesday nights now. Monroe has open recreational volleyball on Tuesday nights and Trumbull has volleyball on Wednesday nights. There's only a few more weeks to go before the "season" is over, but it's always nice to get on the court and play.

The 2005 Trumbull campaign season is now underway. The Trumbull Republicans will aim to take back the corner office in Town Hall in November. I have been working on the campaign for Jack Testani. Jack officially announced today that he will form an exploratory committee to seek the Republican nomination for First Selectman of the Town of Trumbull. The First Selectman is the equivalent to a Mayor of a city. I have been working on Jack's committee as the webmaster for his webpage. I designed the webpage from scratch and there are some neat things on there that I've never done before. I have spent a lot of time over the past week learning new html, some JavaScript, a little bit of Perl, and some different features in Photoshop. Working on the campaign and the webpage has been a lot of fun so far. Only seven more months to go!

04.03.05

Quote of the night: "I guess there was no curse - the Red Sox just sucked for 86 years."

04.03.05

It was another good weekend. I went up to UCONN on Friday night and went out with some friends. On Saturday, I spent the afternoon at Gampel Pavilion to watch the Fairfield volleyball team play in their pre-season tournament. I had a great time up in Storrs, and I'll have to plan another trip up there soon.

Tonight is the beginning of the 2005 baseball season! The best rivalry in sports is renewed as the New York Yankees will host the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium and it should be a great game.

03.23.05

This has been another hectic, but awesome week. My Aunt, Uncle and cousins drove up from Charlotte, NC earlier this week and the entire family met in Queens for dinner. On Monday, I had a Trumbull Republican Town Committee Meeting and then we went out for a few drinks. Today, I put in a half day at the office and then went to see Movin' Out on Broadway with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. It's the musical, inspired by Billy Joel, that I have been wanting to see since it opened a few years ago. The show was great and everyone enjoyed it. I might even have to go back and see it again!

03.14.05

So yes, I have been slacking on updating my webpage. I just haven't had much free time, and the free time that I have had during the past month hasn't been spent sitting at my computer. My past few weekends have been something like this: replacing the main network switch at the office (a thirteen hour project), training at the NE-2C Section Leadership Seminar (a special shout out to the Chief for inviting me), rewriting syllabi for the National LLD program, and fixing several computers for friends and family.

My time away from the computer has been spent playing on my now month-old PlayStation 2 slim console. I bought the PlayStation a little over a month ago along with NCAA Football 2005. We also bought Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) Extreme for Caitlin, and I recently purchased MLB Baseball 2005. All of the games have brought much enjoyment for all parties involved and it was really funny to watch Dad play DDR (picture)!

Life at the office has been hectic, as usual. We have expanded the Systems department and hired a few new technicians over the past month. I have been busy training most of them and keeping up with my own projects at the same time. Everyone is getting used to their roles and the work load has started to become more efficient, but it is still extremely busy. Once everyone is fully trained, hopefully things will probably be less hectic since there will be more bodies to do the work.

02.13.05

This weekend I went to Hoboken, NJ for Kelly's surprise going away party. She'll be moving to Sioux Falls, SD next weekend to be closer to her family, to start a new job, and go back to school for a Master's Degree. Kristin and the rest of her roommates started planning the party a few weeks ago and Kelly had no idea. We all met at their apartment while Kelly was out to dinner with a friend. When she got back to the apartment, she was totally surprised to see us all there. After staying in the apartment for a little while and chatting, everyone headed out to a bar in downtown Hoboken called Green Rock. The bar was awesome and everyone had a great time. Kelly has been one of my closest friends since we met five years ago and it's definitely sad to see her leave. We'll still be able to keep in contact over email, IMs, and phone calls like we do now. So, all it really means is that the visits will be more special...

01.30.05

This past weekend was an extremely historical in international affairs. Iraq held a free election to vote for which members would create their 275-member National Assembly. The group that is elected will be charged with drafting Iraq's Constitution. Over 60 percent of the registered voters in Iraq went to the polls to cast their ballots. It's pretty interesting that the voter turnout in Iraq was greater than it was back in November in our National elections. The statistic is interesting because of the threats of terror and violence toward Iraqi voters. I watched coverage of this weekend's events on television and saw many voters walking towards polling stations, many of them walking miles in order to cast their vote. They waited in long lines and risked their own lives. Democracy and freedom were in the air as men and women danced and celebrated their right to choose. Many people proudly waved the Iraqi flag. Election results are expected in about a week or so. Regardless of who is eventually elected, this was Iraq's version of 1776. It's their freedom, the first step toward freedom in the Middle East, and a truly historical event in world history.

01.21.05

I just got home from the 55th Presidential Inauguration for President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney in Washington DC. IT WAS AWSOME!!! We had so much fun and we met so many great people from all around the country. The entire trip, from beginning to end, was awesome and every event was historical and exciting.

On Tuesday, Tim and I made plans to go down to Washington DC. We were able to get tickets to the Inauguration Oath of Office Ceremony and hotel arrangements from our Congressman, Christopher Shays. I was able to secure tickets to the Freedom Inaugural Ball from my friend, Adam. We flew down to Washington DC on Wednesday and met Ari Fleischer, White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from 2000-2003, at Westchester Airport. We spoke to him for a few minutes and had our pictures taken. Our flight was delayed due to snow in Washington DC. Once we got into DC, we had to pick up our tuxedo rentals and then head to the hotel. After a late dinner, we decided to head downtown to pick up our Inaugural Ball tickets and my Inauguration ticket from Adam's office at the National Republican Congressional Committee building. We then took a quick lap around the Capitol Building and headed back to the hotel. During the lap we saw the Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, drive by to check out the security measures for the Inauguration.

Thursday morning started early. We met up with our friend, Craig, who flew into DC that morning and then we walked over to the Capitol Building for the Inauguration Ceremony (pictures). The weather was cold, but clear, and my six layers kept me fairly warm. We had a good location for the Ceremony. We had tickets for the standing area directly in the middle of the Capitol Building on the West side. It was a neat experience to be able to watch the President and Vice President take the Oath of Office with all of the dignitaries in attendance. After the Inauguration, we had a quick bite for lunch and headed back to the hotel for a power nap. We were able to catch the Inaugural Parade on television.

The festivities continued on Thursday Night at Union Station in downtown Washington DC for the Freedom Inaugural Ball (pictures). The Ball was probably the highlight of the entire trip. We all had so much fun. The music was excellent, the crowd was awesome, The President and Vice President stopped in for quick visits, and everyone had an amazing time. We met some great people from Georgia, Alabama, Kansas, and several other states. We staked our ground early and were able to get in the front of the stage for the President's visit. We were directly at the podium, in the 2nd row, approximately fifteen feet away from the President. At one point, he directly acknowledged our cheers, looked at us, and flashed the "W" symbol with his fingers. The Vice President stopped by later on in the evening and we weren't as lucky, but we were still only 50-60 feet away. We were also able to meet several Senators and Governors, Anderson Cooper of CNN, and Don King. The evening was completely exciting and so much fun.

Friday was our last day in Washington DC, but it was just as exciting. Craig left on an early flight, and Tim and I went downtown to walk around and take in the experience. We were lucky enough to leave our luggage in Congressman Shays' office before heading out past the Library of Congress and going to the Supreme Court. We walked around the Supreme Court and saw statues and paintings of all of the Chief Justices and reflected upon all of the historical jurisprudence that has been written over the years. We were able to have lunch in the cafeteria of the Supreme Court, which was pretty neat. After lunch, we headed back over to the office since the Shays staff had offered to take us on a tour of the Capitol Building (pictures). The building is so rich with historical significance and I learned a lot about the history of our country. It was chilling to walk in the same halls that some of our greatest leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, and others once walked. We were able to see the old Supreme Court (where Chief Justice William Rehnquist prepared himself to give the Presidential Oath of Office the day before), the old House of Representatives (where Abraham Lincoln and John Adams once debated), the Capitol Rotunda (where former Presidents lie in state), and the hallway from the Rotunda where Presidents Reagan, Bush #41, Clinton, and Bush #43 walked before taking the Oath of Office on the West side of the Capitol Building. We had to cut the tour short to catch our flight back home, so we weren't able to see the House of Representatives Gallery, but we'll visit next time.

Now, I'm home.  I've been looking at the pictures from the past three days and just reflecting. It has truly been historical. I still need to pinch myself because the past three days have been a complete blur. I had a great time. It was a truly memorable experience and it's one that I'll never forget. It will be tough to top this trip for a long time to come!

01.18.05

I'm going to the President's Inauguration Oath of Office Ceremony and Inaugural Ball!

01.08.05

Another year is upon us... 2004 flew by and I'm sure the next one will be similar. The holidays were nice and relaxing. I spent a week and a half on "vacation" at home since I had to use the rest of my vacation time before the end of the year. I spent Christmas with Matt and his family up in Rhode Island. I also went out a few times during the week and caught up on some movies that I hadn't seen yet. Scott had a New Year's Eve get together at his house with a few people. It was a good time and it was nice to spend the evening with friends.

This past week has been crazy at work. On Monday, one of the guys in my department was fired. Needless to say, I was extremely busy at the office doing my own work and covering a bunch of other responsibilities. Hopefully they'll be able to hire someone to fill the position quickly. Even though it was a busy week, it was a good week at work.

Last night was Ed's birthday party. I went down to Stamford and met up with everyone at a bar called Hula Hank's. I left a little early because I had a dentist appointment this morning. I took the family out to dinner at Marisa's Ristorante earlier this evening and I might head out with the guys in a little while. Tomorrow is the Section NE-2C Council of Chiefs meeting in update New York, and it's back to work on Monday. So, my 2005 schedule is beginning to look a lot like it was in 2004!

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