NathanBlevins.com

Kitara is two months old

Lately, I have been catching a small amount of static for only posting about snakes and babies.  Well, I intend to get around to posting about other things soon as I have a huge queue built up, but, until then, MORE BABY PICTURES!

Crystal and I are trying to take pictures every month to capture Kitara’s growth across the 1st year.  To be honest, it actually takes quite a bit of energy to take these pictures and dress them up, but I think the result is well worth it.  For every picture that we liked, there were probably 100 that didn’t turn out, lol.

Enjoy!

Categories:

Kitara is One Month Old

In celebration of 1 month of Kitara’s having been with us, Crystal and I ran about, trying to take interesting pictures of Kitara to send to the friends and family.  Below are some of the final results. For amateur shooting, I’m pretty happy about the way they turned out.

:)

Isn’t she beautiful? 

</ProudDad>

Categories:

Kitara Alexis Blevins is Born

I am happy to say that our first daughter, Kitara Alexis Blevins, was born this last Friday, April 30th, at 3:32 AM.  Though this is only the start of a journey, I feel like, in many ways, that we have already traveled a very long way.  Before I get too deep in the narrative though, I had better show off her stat card.

At this point, I have written at least 6 different versions of this post.  I cannot find a way to describe the entire experience and keep it concise without butchering the whole thing.  Due to this, I am going to try to just hit the high points and fall back to my typical list approach.  :) 

The Delivery

The process leading up to the delivery was interesting. The delivery process started about 3AM on Thursday and finally ended on  Friday at 3AM the following day.  I won’t go into epic detail about the entire process, but I do have a few key points that really stuck out to me throughout the ordeal:

• My parents are AWESOME.  While you are waiting for nature to take its course, its really nice to have people there to keep you distracted and to provide support.  Mom and Dad drove 1.5 hours to sit with us while we waited for delivery, only to drive back and go directly to work the next day.  It was really appreciated.
• Never drop off your pregnant-about-to-deliver wife at the front door while you go park the car.  They will take her and stuff her into a room and it will take you 45 panic-filled minutes to track her down!   Geez.
• Guys – watch your child birth if you can.  It was amazing.  Nothing man has ever accomplished can begin to match the complexity and magic in the birth of a child.  I am astounded every time I think of it. 
• Speaking of birth, when Kitara was being born, her head was in the shape of a upside down V.  (Turn your monitor upside down and look at this “ V “).  How is that possible?  Wow.  The kid has got to have brain damage now or something… 
• Giving birth to the child is only 1/2 of the process.  There are other things that must go on that can be even more difficult than the  first part.  Hang in there for your wife or, if you are the wife, be sure to try to break your hubby’s hand.  :)
• Finally, everyone was worried about intruding or being a bother when visiting, but that was really a great blessing to us.  It was nice to see some friendly faces and have someone to give us a small reprieve here or there.

Through it all, the delivery process went very well and, even though Crystal had some complications that were quite painful for her, I have to say that I feel very blessed that everything turned out well in the end.  After spending the next few days at the hospital, and receiving visits from our awesome friends / family, we were ready to go home!

Note:  Hover over the images for a little context of the pictures.

The Journey Home

After spending a couple days in the hospital, they finally allowed us to go home.  Kitara was doing well and, although she was losing weight, she was happy and healthy.  Crystal was feeling excellent (though the soreness would set in a few days later).  So, we packed up our little girl and hit the road.

Thinking back now, I am pretty amazed that they let us take her home.  Crystal and I were prepared to care for her, but I am still a little shocked on how little I knew (and how fast I ended up learning it).  Those first 2 days were TORTURE.  As it turns out, caring for a baby is all about learning to communicate with her.  She cries –>  you try to guess what she wants.  :)  So far, my basic “Testing Suite” is this:

• Has it been 2-3 hours since her last feeding?  If so, feed her.
• Do you discover a unique aroma or does her diaper seem overly bulging?  If so, change her.
• Still crying?  Straighten out her clothes and swaddle her.  Protip:  There is nothing more effective than a good swaddle – it does wonders if you get it the right tightness.
• Still crying?  Hand her to her mother and make some excuse about the house potentially burning down if you don’t fix some thing or another.  Leave the house for at least 20 mins and the problem will fix itself.  :)

All in all, I have to say that I love my new life.  My brother, Dave, asked me if I have felt the enormity of the change yet and, to be honest, I haven’t.  Although I have a little less time (and sleep) than usual, I have to say that everything feels as it should be.  I am content and happy and loving my two girls.  :)

Special Thanks

Last but not least, I really have to take a moment to thank everyone for being so supportive.  I feel very blessed by the number of people who either wished us well, visited us at the hospital, or simply called us up to see how things were going.  I always felt a little guilty b/c I was often distracted as I was learning to care for Kitara, but your support really made a HUGE difference for us.  I am going to refrain from listing everyone who was there for us, as they are too numerous to mention them all.  Between family, friends and twitter peeps, there’d be an epically long list.  I will just close w/ this:

To each and every one of you, thanks so much for caring and, if nothing else, listening to / reading about a proud daddy spew about his little girl.

Categories:

Kitara Alexis Blevins – In a new dimension!

Today, Crystal and I were able to get an ultrasound for Kitara ( @babyblevins ).  This was a pretty big deal as we have not been able to justify getting a peek at her for about 2.5 months.  In addition to being generally excited about getting to see our baby girl, there was a little more to be excited about.

A couple of weeks ago, Crystal saw an interesting listing on WATE‘s Half Off Thursdays.  This site basically allows its readers to buy services a half their usual price – just by calling.  It’s a great way for businesses to get a little advertisement while offering great deals to the readers.  In this case, Crystal saw a listing for Focused Within, which offers specialty ultrasound services!

 

I have to take a moment to say that the folks at Focused Within were awesome.  They were great to work with and even went out of their way to make sure that we got everything that we wanted – even if it was not the best deal for them.  I highly recommend their services if you want to have a 4D ultrasound.  On a side note, I really like their website as well – which is rare for Knoxville businesses. XD

Anyway, I have some really cool ultrasound pictures to post, as well as a short video.  The cool thing about this ultra sound is that it is in 4D!  Check them out.

The cutest thing about getting this done was that Kitara really, really likes that taste of her own foot!  During the entire process, we kept getting our visibility blocked because she was either licking her foot, sticking it in her mouth, or pulling it in our view w/ her hands.  I am pretty sure she is going to be a gymnast at this point.

Also, here is a snippet of the video that we have of the entire process.  The pictures above really do not do the 4D ultrasound justice.  Its just amazing to watch:

If you pay attention, you can see her yawn, chew on a foot a little, and just be altogether squirmy.  :)  As things stand, I have only 10 more weeks until we get to see her face-to-face.  I can’t wait.

Categories: Personal ,News-Events

Dropbox vs Sugar sync: A use-case example

Of late, I have been working diligently to stream-line my process of storing data, trying to improve my overall productivity.  Of all my needs to accomplish this task, the largest need is that of a single point of access for all my tools, files, and software.  Although there are many systems in place for this type of thing, with ideas ranging from very specialized to very generic, my favorite solution has been via the services style offered by DropBox and Sugar Sync

VS

What kind of services are DropBox and SugarSync?

I won’t belabor this point too much, but please check out their sites if you want more detail.  The main gist of these services is to offer its user a file syncing storage solution that gives them access to the most recent version of their file no matter where they are:  Work PC, Home PC, Smart Phone, etc.  Its a pretty basic solution that many other people have tried (Live Mesh, Folder Share, FTP-style clients, etc.) but one which I feel that DropBox and SugarSync have really mastered.  Their services are dead simple, which is why it is good.

What do I used these services for?

My opinions concerning these two services are mainly based on my use-cases.  In order give an accurate gauge of my opinions, here are my most common use-cases for the services:

• Syncing Portable Apps + Tools – When on the job, I have a plethora of tools that can make my life easier.  Also, I do not always shave the luxury to install any application.  These services gives me access to those files w/o having to install a thing.  Tools that I use daily include:  AutoHotKey, KeePass, Pidgin, Terminals, Reflector, Gimp, NotePad ++, XMind, CommitMonitor, Putty, and many others.  Not only can I have these “on the go” at any time, but I also have a universal configuration / setting for these items. 
• Storing Important Documents – When with a client, I often need to look up key documents: agreements, invoice templates, tax charts, timesheets, etc.  With these services, I always have them on hand.  It makes me look prepared and organized, which is always nice when working w/ a client.
• Sharing files with friends – There’s nothing like easy file swapping in a community folder.  These services give me just that.
• Ebook Repository – Ebooks are a library on the go and you never know when you will need to look something up or just kill a little down-time w/ some nice reading.  Having those w/ you at all times is essential.

Which service is better for Nathan (me)?

Okay, so now we are at the crux of the issue.  Which service do I prefer and why?  For the most part, the offerings of each service is identical – pound for pound.  They have versioning, free 2 gig accounts, shared folders, smart phone apps, etc.  Their key difference, however, is in their implementation and their acceptance.

Pro-Sugar Sync

• Sugar Sync has what I call a folder abstraction.  It does not point to 1 place on the file share, but, rather, allows you to add folders in different locations which may map to the same folder (but in a different location) on one of your other PC’s. This is a HUGE win.  When I am working across operating systems and want to sync my playlists, bookmarks, etc, the software does not get in my way.  DropBox dumps into 1 directory (which Sugar Sync can emulate using their “Magic Briefcase”
• Sugar Sync allows me to selectively sync folders and shared folders.  If I am on my work PC and would prefer that my Dungeons and Dragons ebooks not be pulled down, I can choose to NOT sync that folder but still get access to my tools and other ebooks.  DropBox is a all-or-nothing setup, AFAIK.
• Sugar Sync has a Droid application, created by the creators of sugar sync – that is free!  DropBox has a 3rd party application that is neat – IF I am willing to pay for the full service

Pro-Drop Box

• The free version of this service can be installed on infinite PCs.  Sugar Sync free has a 2 PC limit (does not count smart phone installs).  This is a HUGE failing on Sugar Sync, unless I am willing to pay.
• Drop Box had more clout.  Its been around longer and more people use it.  Although I hate to go w/ something because it is the “status-quo”, it is a weighing factor.

In Conclusion

Personally, I feel that SugarSync is the better service because it gives me more control on the way that my files are synced from PC to PC.  However, the 2 PC limit is a killer and has recently forced me to move back to DropBox, despite its limitations.   If I were willing to go w/ the paid route (which lifts this restriction), Sugar Sync is not only the better service for me, but also cheaper. 

In the future, I hope that both DropBox and SugarSync learn from each other.  If DropBox could work in better folder abstraction and sync settings, I would never leave it.  Conversely, if Sugar Sync would remove that ridiculous 2 PC limit, I’d be their devout customer.  I guess we will have to wait and see what the future holds for these products.

Finally, was I wrong in my assessment anywhere?  Please correct me if I am!

Categories:

Rooting Your Droid

Although I am sure there are about 100,000 other sites out there right now that are talking about this, I finally got around to rooting my droid.  In the past, this used to be a pretty involved process and required a ton of scary loading, step by step instructions, and potentially hazardous things to your phone.  Now, there are a set of tools out there that makes it easy as cake and the benefits are well worth the risk!

Disclaimer:  You can seriously damage your Droid by rooting it, over clocking it, or doing any other such nonsense that is not otherwise supported by the manufacturer.  Also, you will void you warranty if you follow these steps.

The Root Process

The best way I found to root my droid was by using the Sholes Mod.  In fact, this process is pretty much a point-n-click scenario.  If you want to support their project, you can download the SM Updater App from the Marketplace for 5 bucks (its worth supporting them w/ this!) or you can be cheap download it for free by visiting the Sholes website. 

Once you install the app, it will walk you through the process of setting up your droid.  Basically there are 3 main steps:

• Rooting your droid (basically enabling it to be modified)
• Downloading + backing up your OS Rom
• Installing the Rom itself

Throughout the process you will receive a TON of very scary messages that say “DO NOT do this unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences.”  If you are a reckless gadget fool such as I, continue!  Once you have walked through the process you will have a rooted droid w/ the Sholds Mod 2.0.3 software.

Why Would You Want to Root?

Basically, its all about the features and the performance.  Although I don’t want to go into too much depth on each one, here are the few things that I am totally jazzed about:

• Voice To Text Everything – That’s right, you can now text while driving to a slightly safer degree.  The voice recognition software is pretty accurate and it just makes texting much easier.
• New Interface – Did you like the look of the Nexus?  Well, you can have just that look for the droid.  This include 5 (not just 3) panels for you app, a snazzy new Home screen, and some nice gradient / shader effects to boot.
• Over-clockable CPU – This feature does not require Sholes Mod, but it does require rooting.  My droid has the capability of running at 1000 MHz, though 800 MHz is probably currently the recommendation.  If you use the Set CPU app, you can not only up your processor, but also create bursting settings as well as power profiles dependant upon the phone’s state.
• Droid = Wifi Access Point – My favorite feature.  You can now create a teathered access point out of your droid that allows you to use it as a Wifi access point.  This means no bluetooth, no wires, no data package, etc.  You simply enable the mode on your phone and then add it as a wifi spot on your pc.  Also, you can view who is using your access point by IP, Mac, and name to keep those nasty leechers off your back.

Set CPU interface.

All in all, I am very satisfied w/ my rooted Droid.  The new abilities (only some of which are listed above) as well as the faster processor makes a huge difference in the usage of my phone.  So far, the only ill effect that I have found is that I cannot use OTA updates, which means that I am on the root path, unless I decide to go back to the default OS.  Since the root path is usually far ahead of the OTA updates, I am perfectly fine w/ this limitation.

Awesome!

Categories: Personal ,Programming

Milestone Two: Shedding

In my previous post, I mentioned that it looked as if my boa was preparing to shed.  A couple of days had passed and Lilith's eyes turned back into a deep black and nothing had happened.  Writing my prediction off as a novice mistake, I went about business as usual.

Today, was Lilith's scheduled feeding day.  Things did not go quite so smoothly for me this time.  Whereas the last time I got her to eat within 15 mins, I could not entice her w/ food at all.  A little worried, I spent some time playing w/ her instead and eventually put her up thinking that a 10-day feeding cycle would be better than a weekly one.

Imagine my surprise when I strolled past her cage and saw this image.

It looks as if Lilith was indeed preparing to shed and I had managed to convince myself otherwise – despite my previous predictions.  Thanks to my mistake, I have learned quite a few things about red-tailed boas. 

• There are clear warning signs when they are about to shed: milky eyes (for only a brief amount of time), skin that is slightly grainier, and the skin being slightly baggy.
• Listen to your boa!  This is critical.  My snake was trying to tell me something when it was not eating and I was not listening.  Learning to listen is key w/ anything and I am constantly learning this lesson in new ways.
• In this go-round, I did not detect any additional menace from the snake.  In fact, I was much more playful w/ it today than I had been in the past.  I don’t think this experience debunks the “vicious shedding snake” wisdom, but it is curiously different.

Here a just a couple pics of the 1st shed skin of my snake.  Take note of the eye-caps in the 1st picture.  Every time a snake sheds, you must make sure those eye-caps come off – otherwise you could have some medical issues. 

Fun times!  Now we wait for milestone 3!  What’s milestone 3?  To be honest, I am really not sure but I will let you know when I get there.  :) 

Categories: Personal

Milestone one: The Feeding of the boa

As a novice snake owner, there are a few different milestones that one has to face.  Of those milestones, one of the most interesting is the first feeding.  Feeding a snake can be a slightly tricky business, particularly for newly bought + young snakes.  A snake owner in this situation has quite a few different hurtles to overcome:

• Snakes are finicky eaters. 
• Snakes only eat (at this age) once every 10 days or so and can go for much, much longer.
• Since you just bought the snake, you have interrupted its previous eating patterns and environment.
• Depending upon your choice of food, you can be introducing a new food to your snake.
• Snakes can be shy, which can end w/ them not wanting to be watched + fed.

So, after reading about 10,000 articles on the subject, I went about my first feeding.  According to quite of few of my readings, first-time owners have ended up spending hours, trying to feed their baby snakes for the first time whereas it is usually a 15 min process.

Preparation

In order to pull off an adequate feeding, you have to have a few things in place.  In my case, I am feeding Lillith (my snake) ‘fuzzies’ – otherwise known as frozen baby rats. As it turns out, rats are more nutritious than mice and are generally the preferred choice of food.  In order to feed the snake, one has to completely thaw the mouse so that its body temp is slightly higher than room temperature.  Failure to do so, can lead to interesting effects which could include snake regurgitation (very, very hard on a snake) and the snake attacking a warmer object next to what you are trying to feed it (your hand!).  Also, its good to keep the scent of the rat intact by keeping it in a Ziploc bag during the thawing process (I failed to do so in the 1st video).

The 2nd most important part is to establish a feeding zone.  Some people feed their snake directly in their cage.   Generally speaking, a better idea is to have a separate feeding bin for the snake.  Establishing a feeding ritual w/ the snake, outside of its pen, is important because it disassociates an incoming hand and food.  :)

The Feeding

(If you don’t get the reference, check here)

The feeding routine is rather simple, you get some tongs (or, in my case, pliers) and dangle the mouse in front of the snake.  I found that slowly withdrawing the food from the snake seemed to entice it into a more predatory position.  If you are lucky and your snake is in the mood, your snake should strike within a few minutes of enticing it.

In my case, it took ~15 mins or so to get my snake to eat.  All things considered, I felt very lucky since so many snake owners find this first feeding to be difficult.  Sadly, I didn’t get a video of the snake actually striking the food, but I took several of it consuming the food.  I think the most interesting part is seeing the snake actually unhinge in jaw in order to eat something bigger than its face. 

All in all, this first milestone went very well.  The key was to have patience and to also be very wary of the snake.  Luckily, I didn’t get bitten at all during the process, which is a very real possibility when your snake is in ‘hunting mode.’  Now that this is under my belt, I feel confident that future feedings will go smoothly with less uncertainty on my part. 

Speaking of milestones, the next one for me is my snake’s first molt.  During this time, the snake can be extra aggressive and vulnerable.  Also, there are a plethora of tasks for me to keep in mind that range from keeping the tank more moist than usual to making sure the snake’s eye-caps come off.  The best indicator that a snake is about to molt is that its eyes turn a milky blue color.  While I thought I had a while to go before worrying about this, this is a picture of my snake from today…

/sigh.  Good times.

Categories: Personal

A New Addition to Our Family

While I was working with my previous employer, I had a good friend, Tanya, who was into raising bearded dragons.  Besides having a really cool name, bearded dragons are awesome lizards that grow to ~1 ft in length.  Also, they are tame and can even be trained to ride shoulders, sit with their master, and, if the sales dude can be believed, use a “lizard door” to defecate outside.  Pretty cool!

Anyway, I have been really wanting one of these for quite a while and finally convinced Crystal that we should have one.  Trekking out to our local pet shop, Fins and Skins, we when in to go get my bearded dragon… 

…  and walked out w/ a red-tailed boa constrictor.  XD

Yes, I mean one of these:

Just like this (in about 7 years):

So, the inner-Timmy in me has always wanted a snake for a pet (as a child, I caught many pet snakes but ultimately had to let them go within a few days).  When we walked into the store and I started salivating over the snake cages, Crystal turned to me and delivered her sternest, “NO!”  I even went so far as to give her the sad-panda face to no avail.  Then, the pet guy and I spoke – at length – and I ended up convincing myself (and eventually Crystal) that a boa would make a great pet. 

This tells me 2 things about myself First, that I am a creature of whimsy.  (Though I could claim that I have wanted a boa for a longer time than I wanted a lizard)  And second, that my powers of persuasion must be even greater than I originally thought (or, maybe, I managed to catch Crystal in a weakened-pregnant state and pressed the advantage).

Anyway, a few stats about caring for the snake:

• Currently, I only feed the snake ~ 1 time / week.  He/she eats small frozen mice.
• Yes, they can bite, but those are generally due to mishandling or confusing my hand for food.  :)
• Females can get 7 – 8 feet long and, at that point, will eat frozen rabbits ~ 1 time / month.
• Cages need to be sanitized 1 time / month – otherwise you scoop like a litter box.
• I am probably missing more points here but I am still learning!

Finally, below are a few pics of the new critter.  I am still more than a little skittish of it, but we are learning to tolerate each other.  Mainly, it is the head of the snake that scares me, as he frequently stays in a “striking” pose, though I do not think that the threat is completely intended. 

Aren’t snakes just cool?  :D

EDIT:  I forgot to mention that, as of yet, I don’t really know what the snake’s sex will be.  Typically, the females in this species get quite a bit bigger than the males, so I am gunning for a female.  Towards that goal, I have named her Lillith.

Categories:

Baby blevins has a name!

Today, Crystal and I were scheduled to have our “anatomy checkup” for @babyblevins . In addition to being poked and prodded to check for eyes, fingers, & toes, this is also the time when the baby’s gender is determined.  Though we were 100% happy w/ whatever came our way, Crystal was in hopes for a baby girl whereas I found myself waffling between “carrying on the family name” or “signing up to become the daddy-doormat”.

With that being said, Crystal and I are happy to announce that we are having a baby girl!  In addition, the Dr stated that all signs show that we are on our way to having a healthy and normal child.  Who knew that being told that your child looks to be ‘normal’ could bring such joy to one’s heart?

The Obligatory Pictures

The overall process of getting the ultrasound was rather amusing.  In order to get pictures of appropriate parts, the person running the machine ( utlrasoundnographer, perhaps?  lol ) has to hope that the little one will lay still long enough for them to track down what they are looking for.  As it turns out, @babyblevins is a bit of a squirmy worm.  Before the session was over, the person running the machine referred to her as stubborn, fidgety, and mule-headed repeatedly (traits that she must get from her mother).  :) 

For those of you who are brave enough to view uterine soniogRaphy, here you go:

Proof that she’s a she.  Dr kept calling it the “goal posts”, lol	Notice her legs / feet, which are above her head, lol.
Side view of @babybean. You can seen her heart vessels here too.	The baby’s face aka the “alien view”

What’s In a Name

Now that we have crossed this milestone, the 1st question we are asked is “Have you chosen a name yet?”  As it turns out, Crystal and I have already had a name picked out.  In fact, we actually have the names picked out for our 1st 3 children, if it ever comes to that.  This name was something that we picked when we first started dating, somewhere around 12 years ago.  Looking back, it does seem odd that a couple only dating a few months might choose a baby name together, but it seemed natural enough at the time.  Needless to say, the name has some special meaning to us for several reasons. 

Anyway, @babyblevins ‘s name is going to be Kitara Alexis Blevins.  We really like this name for several reasons. First off, it follows the basic naming rules that EVERYONE should adhere to.   These rules include but aren’t limited to:

•   It has a normal and unique variants.  Kitara is a rather unique name whereas Alexis is a fairly popular / common name.  I am not going to stick the kid w/ Yelagelo M-qua (Madashqua) Blevins.
• It has formal and informal variants.  I love names that have easy nick-names.  In this case, Kit, Kitty, Alex, Lexi could all be informal variants but there is still the formal option of Alexis and such.
• It does not have any obvious horrific variations or unforeseen meanings.  I don’t plan on raising a Gehnoria or Ahsholee.
• It is not a reverse self-fulfilling prophecy. Joy, Peace, Chasity…  you get the idea.  They make nice names, but…  ;)

Kitara comes from a couple of sources.  I originally fell in love w/ the name when it was used in one of my favorite stories that I read as a child, Dragon Lance.  Kitara was a figure of strength and determination throughout the story and was a rather complex character.  Oddly enough, Kitara made some pretty bad choices throughout the story, but I always loved her for the fact that she went her own way.  She was a warrior - independent, capable, and self-reliant.  The only other place I have seen a variation of the name Kitara used, many years later, was in Avatar The Last Air Bender as Katara, Sokka’s sister and would-be warrior of the Water Tribe.  I like this association as well as I really loved the Katara persona.

Alexis is a name that Crystal and I felt complimented Kitara.  Its a more common name and gives our daughter the later option of adopting a less unique name.  The meaning of the name, defender or protector, goes w/the thought of Kitara as well.  Furthermore, we just liked the way it rolled.  :)

What is Next?

Now that we have reached this milestone, we have to play the waiting game.  Crystal’s due date is on May 1st of next year.  Although that feels forever away, we have 10,000 things we have to do between now and then.  There are cribs to buy, baby rooms to prepare, storage buildings to build, daycares to pick, emergency labor routes to map, hot water to prepare, twitter handles and domain names to squat, and many many lessons to learn.  In many ways,  this feels rather overwhelming and, for me personally, each day is a lesson on patience and the illusion of control.

I am both excited and a little scared as we get ready for our long adventure.  I would ask why parents would subjugate themselves to this kind of torture, but I think I already know the answer…

Categories: