Family

The Results Are In: F* January

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Farley

I’m going to give the tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) first for everyone before I get into this post so that if you want to stop reading you’ll at least get the gist of what I’m going through. So far, the month of January – spanning the past decade or so – has decidedly delivered […]

This is my morning.

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships

I’m writing this here to document what my mornings are like. Why? I don’t want to forget. This has been my routine, for the better part of the past decade. There are a few variations over the years (vacations, roster of pets, trips to the gym) but for the most part this has been my […]

I Cried All The Way Home

Written by Puzzlehead, in Dad, Relationships

By reading the title of this post one would think that I’m one of this little piggies but, alas, I am not. Let me also preface this post by stating that Angela and I have two completely different views of making things public. While she is more reserved and private I’m willing to let people […]

Dear 11-20 year old Me

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships, Sex, Work

As I sit here acknowledging another year gone by I thought I’d take this time to reflect and send the past me another note. My last letter brought me to the 10 year mark. This next decade will be a little more difficult to get my head around… Dear 11-20 year old Me, Congratulations, me! […]

Dear me.

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships

It’s been just over 6 weeks since I had my heart attack and I can honestly say that, while I didn’t exactly have a ‘come to Jesus’ epiphany, I was able to look back on my life and realize “Holy crap, I wish I was smarter.”. Which is why I’m going to take the next […]

My Personal Afghan War

Written by Puzzlehead, in Azrael, Family, Relationships

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. You may think that I just forgot. No, no. I remember quite well that I have a site to maintain. Unfortunately, the mind has a way of short circuiting and causes me to either shut down due to laziness or plain forget. Unlike my wife who has […]

Tink…fssssh…clop

Written by Puzzlehead, in Dad, Family, General, Relationships

Never, EVER underestimate the power of my sloth. No, no. Not the animal (although a very slow, superhero sloth would be cool). I mean my lackadaisical approach to writing a post for my own blog. You have no idea how many times I’ve started a post on my iPad, continued it on my phone, worked […]

Facebook: On The Outside Looking In

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships, Technology

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. Having dealt with online communities, trends and technology for approximately the past 20 years (egad!), I’m still amazed at how this application has connected me to so many people. However, before I continue with this post, let me toss a few truths out there and get them out of the way: I […]

Why The Holidays Aren’t So Merry For Me

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Tobey

It was one year ago today, December 26, 2008, that Angela and I came home from early morning post-Christmas shopping and breakfast and we found my Berner, Tobey, had passed away. It seems fitting that the skies are crying with me again. Over the past year a lot has changed. There isn’t a day that […]

Ok, maybe I do want kids.

Written by Puzzlehead, in Entertainment, Family, Relationships

Currently, Angela and I don’t have kids. We have 3 dogs and a cat. Somewhere down the line we may have one or two (or 15). Are we missing out? Maybe, maybe not. I do know, however, that sometimes the thought of having kids to do stuff with is pretty cool. I dunno. Stuff like […]

Click. Happy Father’s Day.

Written by Puzzlehead, in Dad, General, Relationships, Tobey

I don’t plan to write on this blog this weekend so I thought that posting this early would be a good idea. When I was in college I remember lugging around cameras all over the place. I would take pictures of my roomies, my friends, the campus and everything else around me. It was a […]

Dad Passed Away Two Years Ago

Written by Puzzlehead, in Dad, Family

It is strange when I think about my father’s death. It only happened two years ago and it feels like forever has gone by. So much has happened since then – I’ve moved back to Northern Virginia, changed jobs, Tobey passed away. It all seems to be a blur when I look back on it; […]

This Bitch Has My Baby

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about our big boy, Tobey. I keep feeling like I’m missing something, especially when I think I want to hug his big, lumbering body. Although nobody will ever replace Tobes, we have decided to get another Bernese Mountain Dog. So, the bitch carrying our […]

Laying Down With Dogs

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Farley, General

As I write this I am laying down on the floor with one of my dogs, Farley, trying to get some sleep. When I originally started to write this post it was when I would try to sleep in my office with Tobey. After the devastating loss of my little giant I find myself sleeping […]

How I Feel About My Wife At The Moment

Written by Puzzlehead, in Azrael, Family, Rant, Relationships

[myspace]http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=43874870[/myspace] Yeah, pretty much enough said.

If Only I Were Smitten Things Could Get Interesting

Written by Puzzlehead, in Azrael, Family, Relationships, Technology

I was reading through Crunch Gear and came across Smittens – mittens for lovers. Oddly enough, these things are available through one of my favorite stores, Restoration Hardware. Ok, really? REALLY? Trust me, I love my wife, Angela, but if we were to ever use these things I would expect us to have matching outfits. […]

Three Weeks Later – Remembering Tobey

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships, Tobey

It seems like an eternity has passed since Tobey died in our home. Since then we’ve run the gauntlet of emotions. For the most part we’ve come to accept that our puppy is gone and, due to his medical conditions, it was probably for the best. Last week he finally came home to us. His […]

Last night the sky cried, too

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Tobey

The pain of losing my little giant, Tobey, is at times overwhelming. He was our baby, the most inncocent and ‘pure’ dog in our family. He had the face and personality of a clown, constantly smiling and laughing and always looking lovingly at Angela. He was her little boy, brought into this house when he […]

Good-bye, baby boy.

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships, Tobey

As I write this, it has only been an hour or two since Angela and I came home from the emergency vet. We had brought Tobey there as he passed away this morning. I’ll fill in the gaps soon. I just wanted to get a few things out of my head. Angela & I don’t […]

Tobey’s Bum Leg

Written by Puzzlehead, in General, Tobey

Poor Tobey. The big/little guy just can’t seem to get a break. First he gets hit with some mysterious auto-immune disease that they still haven’t been able to diagnose. He winds up having to take prednisone for the past 6 months. Second, the prednisone is known to weaken the muscles via atrophy. The result? Toby […]

My Favorite Martin

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, General, Work

It has been just over a year since I last spoke with my friend Martin. It has also been just over a year since he passed away. It is still hard to fathom that he’s no longer here. Martin & I became friends in North Carolina. We shared an office together and became really good […]

The Separate Lives of Michael & Angela

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family

Ouch. Right now, that’s all I can think of this morning. I had gone out with my friend Queltor last night and my body is starting to feel the effects of it. Let’s face it, folks: I ain’t no Spring chicken anymore. Which is fine. Angela knows where I’d be (drunk downtown). If the situation […]

The Moral Dilemma of Corrupting My Niece

Written by Puzzlehead, in Entertainment, Family

I have a small problem that I may be blowing out of proportion. See, I’ve turned into a grumpy old fart but I still like to think that I have an open mind and I’m pretty liberal. Recently, though, I’ve hit a brick wall and it involves my 13 year old niece. I was at […]

Love is blind and forgiving.

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships

When you’re married you tend to turn a blind eye to many things. Ok, so Angela likes to sleep in while I like to wake up before the rest of humanity. Angela and I have an informal competition to see who can wait the longest to do the dishes, unload the dishwasher and do the […]

Father’s Day

Written by Puzzlehead, in Dad, Family, General, Relationships

We’re off to Arlington to see dad today. It is Father’s Day, my second one without him. It hasn’t gotten any easier trying to cope with this. All week long I’ve felt myself starting to well up to cry whenever I think about it. I’ve been jealous of all the people wishing other’s Happy Fathers […]

Tobey Trouble

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Tobey

Our largest dog, Tobey, has been in and out of the vet this past week. We’ve been through numerous scares and emotional rollercoaster rides. There were several times where we didn’t think anything could be done for him and we didn’t know if he would even make it. There was the distinct possibility that we […]

A NEW WORLD RECORD!!!

Written by Puzzlehead, in Family, Relationships

Yes, Ladies and Gents! I have just done the unimaginable! The amazing! The never thought possible! I have just broken a NEW WORLD RECORD! Ok, well, I suppose it is more of a personal record than a World Record. I’ve been married to the same woman for the past 5 years 😉 To celebrate we […]