Yesterday I posted on Gastric Steps about creating SMARTER goals and resolutions (a post you should totally read), but the basic rules to follow when it comes to resolutions include making make sure they’re measurable, making sure they’re obtainable, and making sure you read them once a day. That last part is key; if you can’t even remember what your resolutions were, there’s a pretty good chance you won’t succeed at them. The fact that I can’t even find my list of resolutions I made for 2014 does not bode well. I did find my list of resolutions I made… (read more)

People have said that the O’Haras are not happy unless they are busy. If that’s the case, our family stayed pretty happy in 2014. We did lots of things, went lots of places, and saw lots of stuff. Mason and Morgan turned thirteen and nine, while Susan and I both turned 41. Last year we took four vacations: two long ones to California and Florida and two shorter ones to Austin, Texas and Denver, Colorado. I’m now down to about five states I haven’t visited. I ate so much good food this year. I ate shrimp and crayfish grits in… (read more)

I’ve made a few references to the digital Christmas slideshow I assemble each year, but I can’t seem to find one single blog entry that details the process so here’s a brief rundown of how the tradition started, how it has progressed, and where it stands today. As far as I can remember there wasn’t any one specific thing that sparked the idea of the Christmas slideshow. Instead, I think it was a combination of three or four things. In the late 90s we began seeing the proliferation of those digital photo frames, so that technology probably sparked the idea.… (read more)

Each year for Christmas we exchange gifts three times with family over a 24 hour period. There’s a lot of moving people and parts and gifts and trash and I’m always a little worried that a gift card or small gift will end up hidden under a pile of discarded wrapping paper and accidentally get discarded. You never know exact;y what gift (if any) is going to click with a kid on any given particular year. This year, Mason got half a dozen geeky/techy gifts, all of which he digs. He got an electronics kit that allows you to turn… (read more)

Morgan and I are attending a cookie decorating class this evening. We actually set out looking for a cake decorating class, but ’tis the season for cookies (and the class had openings) so that’s what we signed up for. For the class Morgan and I have to bring over a dozen different things, everything from wax paper and toothpicks to sugar and, of course, cookies. Susan got up extra early this morning to whip up a batch of sugar cookies for us to take to class. The class only covers decorating them. Cooking them is a different class, I guess.… (read more)

In the late 90s, I unknowingly started a family tradition by creating a digital slideshow of pictures to show during our annual Christmas party. Back then it took a lot of technical wizardry to output computer video to a television — I think I had a PCMCIA card for my laptop that output composite video that did the truck. I also had a small directory full of Christmas mp3s that I randomly played in the background. Each year it gets a little easier to pull off the slideshow. Wireless networking made things a lot simpler, allowing me to stream pictures… (read more)

Even being two weeks prior to Christmas, Mason’s December birth date is a pain to schedule. Due to after school performances and Holiday gatherings, getting kids to show up for a mid-December birthday party can be tough. Occasionally that causes us to spread Mason’s birthdays out over multiple days, as was the case this year. Mason’s birthday weekend began Thursday night at the Thunder/Cleveland game. These are, by far, the best Thunder tickets we’ve ever purchased. We were just a few rows away from the court, directly behind the goal. Next time we may purchase some a few seats to… (read more)

Wrathchild America’s “Climbin’ the Walls” debuted on Headbanger’s Ball in the fall of 1989, which is where I discovered the band. I soon bought the album and shared it with my friends Jeff and Andy. When the three of us heard Wrathchild America would be playing in an nearby club in the fall of 1990, we bought tickets and went to the show. Wrathchild America put on an awesome show, but they were somewhat upstaged by the opening band, four maniacs from Texas named Pantera who were supporting their just released album “Cowboys from Hell.” I bought “Cowboys from Hell”… (read more)