Job Potential Overload...

(Amy Russell if you are reading this, please call to re-schedule with Reese, you are fading quickly on her list)

OK, day II at Lasik Plus was OK, but the real news is the fact that I got a call from the Berry Company in Dayton about doing Internet Sales for a new division they are starting and I got an e-mail from a contact at a branch of UC who wants me to call her tomorrow. The interesting part to the Berry Company job is that they are the same parent company who owns the Cincy Bell Yellow Pages and gave me the runaroound in late December. The lady asked if I had ever applied with them before and I told her that the previous correspondence ended after I took a personality test. She said she would get my info from the other office so that I wouldn't have to go through all of the initial stuff again, but if I really did "fail" the personality test obviously I do not want her to reference those results. Just kind of ironic, but if it is meant to be it will happen. Still waiting to hear back from Huntington Bank as well.

Bon is headed to a bible study so Reese and I are going to hunker down for some American Idol. (She loves it when I sing to her)

Later...

Today's post is brought to you by Skyline Chili, "It's Skyline Time..."

Super Bowl I

This is a picture of Reese and I taking in her first Super Bowl. We obviously have the right gear for one of next year's participants. Thanks to Brian and Carrie for the wicked outfit!

The first day on the Lasik job went well. The trainer is cool and it should serve as a nice bridge to the next big thing.

Prediction

Steelers will romp, 31-7.

Update

(Uncle B with The Reese)

The gig at Huntington Bank went well. They had me do a computer simulation of banking transactions that had a 45 minute time limit. I finished in 22, which means I either completely bombed it or knocked it out of the park. They will be in touch this week. (Wait, I have heard that before)

I also had the opportunity to give a half-time devotional for 7 youth basketball games yesterday. It was an awesome experience and I would definitely do it again. No one booed, so that was good. There were 4 girls teams there playing, now I will be completely objective here, but if the level of play in girl's b-ball does not accelerate rather quickly, Reese is going to dominate. (Have you seen her fingers and toes? She is built for speed!)

Later...

Fill the cup to this line please...

Today I got to urinate in a cup. I can't tell you the last time I had to do that. Even though I knew there was no way I would fail, there is still some uh, we will just say "performance anxiety". It is difficult to manage the process of giving them what they need, and transferring the rest to the toilet without making a mess. You can't just stop, as Lloyd Christmas said so eloquently in Dumb and Dumber, "I just can't stop it once I start, it stings!" Interestingly they had me wash my hands prior to the business but did not request it afterwards, (I did on my own accord). And they had tape over the faucet in the room so I could not pull off the 'sound of running water' trick to get things going.

I also got a call today from Huntington Bank and will go in for an interview tomorrow. Check back here tomorrow for updates.

Reese is going to sleep now, so we are too.

Later...

Lasik Anyone?

Isn't she beautiful?...

OK, I have secured some temporary employment, selling Lasik eye surgery to folks in an office here in Cincinnati. It is a blessing in the fact that it actually provides us with some income while I look for something else long-term. Let's be honest, anything that comes along is "temporary" until I finish school in a couple of years.

Bon and I are stoked, the new Survivor starts tonight! Although we are watching it with rabbit ears it will still be alot of fun.

That's all for now, later...

We Are Back!

OK, there has been alot going on, so I will try and bring you up to speed. I will be back on schedule to make regular posts now so check back regularly.

- We are moved, we ended up in West Chester in a great place we are very happy with. We had alot of help with the move and getting settled in, but we could not have done it without Beth and Uncle B. They were with us from "door to door" and went above and beyond. We could never repay them. Kudos also goes out to Brian, who helped secure some old friends from CCM to help us get the new digs painted. Brian was in the new place three evenings in a row prior to the move making things happen, thanks Godfather.

- Reese and Bon are doing awesome! Reese is gaining weight and becoming more alert everyday. She is an amazing blessing and I can't wait to be a part of her life on a daily basis.

- It looks like I am going to be getting my MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University which has a branch right down the road from our new place. Two years from now I will be a CPA, lookout!

- We are still working on the job stuff, will keep you all posted as it progresses. All I can say is that this has been some journey.

- The biggest news of the day and hardest to swallow was getting a call from little bro Jum. He was just transferred to a battalion in Alaska and was notified that by March 1st he will be in Mosul, Iraq. We all knew this was a possibility when he entered the Army but now that it is happening it is kind of surreal. I mean my little brother is going to be in Irag, fighting on the front lines, wow. I am so very proud of him and will pray continually for his safe return.

That's probably enough for now.

Later...

Human Hand Trumpet

Reese has learned to play the hand trumpet, and look at that form! There is going to be a little break here in the blog as we try and get moved over the next few days. When I fire up the blog machine early next week expect more photos of Reese and of our new digs.

Look out Cincinnati, here we come!!!

You know, it is hard work being 3 days old...

My Princess Arrives...

I apologize for the delay in getting everyone the information on our beautiful baby girl. I had no internet access at the hospital and have been gone from Tuesday night thru this afternoon. I could write a book about this experience. I have never been prouder or more in love with Bonnie. She was amazing and impressed the hospital staff with her skillz. Reese is doing wonderful after a tough start. Her heart rate dropped dramatically in the birth canal and our unbelievable doctor made all of the right decisions to give Reese a chance. The cord was wrapped around her neck and she was a deep blue. Luckily the staff was prepared and there were at least 8 nurses in our suite with the proper equipment and they revived my little soldier. Expect frequent updates...

Gameday...

Destination: Baptist Hospital. The site of many births for country music's elite. And today we add our new addition to the distinguished list.

This is the day we have all been waiting for. The docs have decided to take matters into their own hands and induce labor tonight since Bon is just under two weeks over-due.

I have so many emotions right now. Excited, anxious, nervous, etc... The big thing for me is that I cannot stand to see Bonnie in any form of pain, so this is going to be a little tough. Alot of prayers have been said and I am sure many more will come throughout our baby's life, it is extremely reassuring to see the number of loved ones our baby will be surrounded with.

I mean, I cannot be the worst father in the world as long as Michael Jackson is still alive, right?

This one hurts...

This was the most excited I have been for a football game in a very long time. I came away very impressed with Rex and very disappointed with our defense. Some things I realized:

1) We need another WR who can make plays. Bernard Berrian looked very good before leaving with an injury but I believe David Givens woud be a great fit via free agency.

2) We need a CB with size and ball skills. Peanut Tillman is a nickel corner at best. Why not take a run at Charles Woodson in free agency?

3) We need a TE who can stretch the field down the middle. This should be addressed in the draft.

4) We need to upgrade at the kicker and punter positions.

5) Lovie Smith is the answer and I am looking forward to 2006 with a ton of optimism.

BTW, Peyton Manning is a terrible loser and lacks leadership skills. Congrats to Coach LeBeau and the Steelers. I would not be surprised if Tony Dungy retired due to the family issues he is dealing with.

No baby yet...

Time passes by...

We are still waiting for our "bundle of joy." We went to the hospital yesterday for some tests and everything checked out with the baby. If nothing happens before, we are scheduled to be at the hospital on Tuesday night for the induction.

Also, we have secured moving plans and the truck will be heading north on January 27th! Mad props to my Uncle B who is making it happen for us. He is the greatest uncle of all-time, we could not do it without him.

Should have job news this week, I may actually have a job, have a child, and move home in a 10 day period. As Donkey and Puss-n-Boots would say, we are "Livin' la vida loca..."

GO BEARS!!!

T.O., part II

Here is the rumor making rounds:

Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson today denied reports that he was involved in a locker room fight at halftime on Sunday during the Bengals' playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.When asked about a report from the Web site profootballtalk.com that claims Johnson was involved with an altercation with receivers coach Hue Jackson, and then swung at head coach Marvin Lewis, Johnson said nothing happened.“That sounds like drama," Johnson said. "At halftime, I was getting an IV. Nothing happened. Why don’t you talk to the coaches, they’re all down there today.”

The Bengals had no comment.

If this turns out to be true the Bengals have no choice but to cut their ties with the latest Drew Rosenhaus client gone wild. Looking at the market for an elite WR one only needs to look back to last year when Randy Moss was traded by the Vikings. The received the #7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.

Coincidentally the #7 pick this year is owned by the team that I think should trade for Chad. Chad is a west-coast guy and would seem to be a better fit "in the bay." He could have a chance at breaking all of Jerry Rice's records with the...49ers.

Trading Chad for the #7 pick in the draft and Julian Peterson would be a steal for the Bengals. Peterson is an All-Pro linebacker who is at his lowest value after a couple of injury-plagued seasons. At the #7 pick they may be able to select the #1 defensive tackle available in the form of Haloti Ngata from Oregon.

T.J., Henry and a free agent acquisition or 2nd round draft pick would be more than capable of catching the rock in 2006.

Playoffs

My sympathy goes out to the Bengals Nation, get yourselves a solid TE and a DT that can stop the run, Larry Triplett?, and you will be in great shape for 2006.

Now to Da Bears, it looks like we get the Panthers on Sunday, a team we sacked 8 times earlier this year in a 13-3 victory. We will also be rooting for the Skins on Saturday because that would allow the Bears to host the NFC Championship game.

No baby yet...

MVP

Congrats to Mr. Urlacher who won the NFL Defensive MVP award today. This adds ammunition to my argument with Jum of #54 being the best linebacker in the game.

Personal news, no baby yet, but had another great phone conversation with a different executive at Time Warner Cable this afternoon. It looks promising, the next step is the dreaded personality test. Hope I don't fail...

WOW!

I have watched alot of football in my day. And I can honestly tell you that last night I witnessed the greatest game I have ever seen. In addition, I gained the ultimate respect for Vince Young. Like most people, I have been enamored with Reggie Bush all year and I believe he is an unbelievable talent. But if I started a football franhise today I would begin with Vince. He is like Randall Cunningham on steroids. In my opinion the Texans would be fools not to take him with the #1 pick. He even grew up in Texas for goodness sake! I may be a little biased but I believe anytime you can get a difference maker at QB you are at a great advantage, because they touch the ball EVERY play, whereas someone like Reggie Bush may get 20-25 touches a game. On any given play V-Young could score. He should declare for the draft and become a Houston Texan.

On the personal side of life, still no baby yet, official due date has been determined to be tomorrow. We are so excited and cannot wait to meet our baby! I also had another interview with Time Warner Cable today via phone and I think things went very well. I will be contacted by another executive there tomorrow.

A big shout-out to Steve Carr who I got a chance to talk with today. Bon and I are looking forward to hanging out with his family when we get back to the 'Nati and helping out with his church, Echo Church.

48 hours until the NFL playoffs...

Ouch...

Well that was a hard game to watch, I hope ND gets some speed at CB in the freshmen class. At least Tom Zbikowski played like a wild man, looking forward to 2006...

Bon and I have a Dr.'s appointment this morning and we will see how things have progressed. We are very anxious for the baby to arrive. I also have another phone interview with Time Warner Cable first thing Thursday morning, so I will let you all know how that goes.

Let's Go Irish!

Many of you know my distaste for the OSU Buckeyes and they are getting ready to kick-off with the favorite team of the Furniss household, the Irish. This will be alot of fun...

2006 arrives...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

We hope you all have an amazing 2006, it looks like the baby has decided to wait until the new year to make an appearance. I also want to wish a belated birthday to Steve Carr, I am not far behind on the big 3-0 brother.

As Bon and I watched some of the festivities on ABC last night, (before crashing at 10PM, CST) we had a thrilling discussion about the amazing longevity of Bon Jovi. I started listening to these guys in 6th grade and they are still putting out good music! They are very under-rated in their contributions to music as a whole. Hope to see you all soon, until then,

"We're Livin' on a Prayer"