Category Archives: See, I do have a life!

Have a holly, jolly Christmas; It’s the best time of the year I don’t know if there’ll be snow but have a cup of cheer Have a holly, jolly Christmas; And when you walk down the street Say Hello to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m going to be taking a bit of a break over the next week or so to spend some quality time with the family. I will still be publishing a Looking Forward To 2008 piece each day, and you can … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I think everyone already knows what I’m thankful for this year, but just so we’re sure: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m one hell of a lucky guy. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from me … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We visited Austin over the weekend to attend a wedding, and stayed at a hotel. I was carrying Olivia as we were waiting for the elevator to go back to our room. When the elevator arrived, Olivia decided to climb … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One of the unfortunate side effects of my recent pneumonia experience was that I was forced to cancel a trip Olivia and I had planned to take to New York to visit family and attend a few minor league baseball … Continue reading → Continue reading →

People sometimes ask me who Olivia takes after more, me or Tiffany. The truth is that in most ways she’s very much her own person, but every now and then, you see an indelible glimpse of one of us on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So a little more than two weeks ago, I came down with a fever. It was nasty – I spent an entire weekend alternating between freezing cold and boiling hot, and I had no energy at all. I also had … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just wanted to let everybody know that I was discharged from the hospital today, and am back home resting up. I’ll tell the full story later, but for now I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the well-wishes, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

J. Fred Duckett, the longtime stadium announcer for the Rice Owls and the originator of the phrase “It’s a great day for outdoor football!”, is suffering from leukemia and in need of platelet donations. From the Owl fan forum, posted … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Olivia was born when I was 38, and Audrey arrived just before I turned 41. That makes me a little young for this crowd, but I can still relate. Paul McCartney had a baby when he was well past 50. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, I’m not running this picture, so I figure I ought to run a picture. And here it is: Audrey is sitting in a Bumbo, and as you can see she is holding herself fully upright. She is now four … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today is Olivia’s third birthday. If I had a working Internet connection at home, I’d have some pictures of her opening presents to show you, but alas, that will have to wait till Thursday. She did get a “Go, Diego, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The fundraiser for Mark Strawn is tonight. Marty Hajovsky has all the details. We hope to see you there. Continue reading →

Among the many survival skills one needs as a parent is a feel for what battles to pick. That’s what was going through my head as I read this story about dental hygiene in kids today. This passage in particular … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just a reminder about the fundraiser for my neighbor Mark Strawn, who is recovering from a nasty auto accident that almost killed him. The cost is $40 per person in advance, $45 at the door. If you think you might … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Mark Strawn is a neighbor of ours who was involved in a serious car crash a few weeks ago. He’s recovering nicely, but he is still mostly immobile, is in need of constant care, and has a long rehab with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I have finally drunk the Kool-Aid and gotten myself set up on Facebook – see my profile here. Those of you who are looking for a sign than social networking is dead should probably write down today’s date, just in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We did not got to the parade downtown today, but that’s OK. We went to the Saint Patrick’s Day parade at Olivia’s preschool yesterday. Continue reading →

As I pledged last month, I gave blood yesterday – we had a corporate blood drive, so I didn’t even have to leave my building. Actually, I did a double red blood cell donation, which uses a technique called apheresis, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today is my 41st birthday. I started the celebration early by changing Audrey’s diapers at 2 AM and 4 AM, and by reassuring Olivia after she had a bad dream at 3 AM. Do I know how to party or … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Audrey came home as scheduled on Tuesday after her time under the bili lights. She gets to spend a little time in the sun now to make sure her bilirubin level stays in the normal range. So far, so good. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tiffany called me after I returned home on Sunday night to tell me that Audrey had an elevated bilirubin count, and that she had been placed under the bili light as a result, in order to prevent any serious problems. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

After I came home and made the announcement about Audrey’s arrival, I took Olivia to the hospital to meet her new baby sister. So far, so good – she was very interested in this new baby, and gave her multiple … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It gives me great pleasure to announce the slightly early but very welcome arrival of Audrey Elizabeth Kuffner, who made her intentions known early this morning and officially entered the world at 1:13 PM CST on Sunday, February 11. Like … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Houston’s traffic isn’t this bad, right? Right? If you think rush-hour traffic is frustrating, imagine what it was like for three women who gave birth in their vehicles because they couldn’t make it to the hospital along clogged Interstate 5. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

No, not here. In Portland, where this was the view outside my parents’ condo Tuesday morning: If we hadn’t had a plane to catch that morning, I might have enjoyed it a bit more. Between snow in Portland and threats … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The good news is that Houston is dry, so the airports ought to be open today. The bad news is that snow is falling in Portland as I type this. The good news is that area schools are open, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here we are in Portland having fun. Olivia wanted to ride on the carousel (in particular, the ponies on the carousel) at the Jantzen Beach Mall as soon as she laid eyes on it. She was wearing one of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Shortly after Olivia was born, I wrote about how we picked her name in part on the belief that it wasn’t a trendy choice. That belief turned out to be false, but looking back, I don’t think we care any … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tiffany’s family does a gift exchange on Christmas Eve. It used to be ornaments only (I didn’t get the Derek Jeter that way, but have collected some other cool ones from that), but this year was a White Elephant exchange. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s gonna be a chocolate Christmas. I’ll have a chocolate Christmas tree. Chocolate reindeer pull a chocolate sleigh full of chocolate toys for me. I’ll bite off chocolate Santa’s head and nibble his chocolate feet, Wash him down with chocolate … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m back from New Orleans. The game could have gone better, but we all had fun, our performance was well-received, and we can now talk about the next time we go to a bowl game without sounding silly. I’ll be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Olivia received a Disney Princess Tea Set on Saturday as a Christmas present from a family friend. As you can see from the picture, the gift was a big hit. We all spent the better part of Sunday drinking enough … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One of Olivia’s current favorite books is a well-loved copy of Happiness Is A Warm Puppy that belonged to me as a kid. I was reading it to her yesterday, and when we finished, I asked her “So, Olivia, what … Continue reading → Continue reading →