A Very Merry Christmas (2009)

Wow, three months since my last blog post. Must do better about that. :)

It's Christmas Day 2009 and I sit here on the couch this evening overwhelmed by God's blessings. This year has brought a five-year cancer-free checkup, continued stability in my job considering the current economic situation, and the birth of our son. Temperatures are in the 20's tonight with windchill in the teens yet we have heat to keep us warm, a roof over our heads, lights shining brightly on the tree, and my son is sound asleep in his crib. My beautiful wife, who works tirelessly to see to care for Ethan, care for this house, and tolerate her husband, is getting ready for bed.

There are times throughout the year when work brings on various levels of stress, when you can't make everyone (or anyone) happy, when the bills pile up, and when nothing can go right.

Yet, here I am a week from year's end and I look at her, and I look at him, and I realize that the stress was handled, you can't make everyone happy (and trying guarantees failure), that those bills got paid, and everything is just right.

Merry Christmas!

Flashback: BBS, 300 baud and 4.77Mhz of awesomeness

As an IT professional I have the fortune to procure, utilize and tinker with some fantastic technology. I'm lucky enough to work at an institution where bandwidth is not an issue, processing speeds and memory -- at least for my purposes -- are always readily available. This week I was buying a new storage device that has a capacity of 4TB (~4,000 GB or 4,000,000 MB) and thought back to my start in IT.

In the mid 1980's Dad brought home a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A computer just like my neighbor Tracey and her dad Ed had. Running at 3.0Mhz the system ran an early version of BASIC and offered me Tombstone City and Parsec. More importantly, it offered a glimpse into programming. I still remember my first code:

10 PRINT "JASON IS COOL"
20 GOTO 10
RUN

Jealous aren't you? :) Somewhere between 1988 and 1990 the TI was sold and replaced with an IBM XT. The XT ran MS-DOS at 4.77Mhz, had a 10MB hard drive, a 360KB 5.25" floppy drive, and the upgrade 640KB of memory and sported a 12" green monochrome monitor. It was this XT machine that propelled my knowledge of computers and what they could be capable of doing (so little did I know). Dad claims to have taught me everything I know about computers -- a point on which we'll have to agree to disagree -- though I do certainly concede that he undoubtedly aided in providing the hardware that sparked my career path. This XT allowed me to run QBASIC which refined some rudimentary programming skills of the day into more advanced programs that drew circles on the screen and filled in boxes that made a face. It also allowed for Print Shop to run and put the 9-pin dot matrix Okidata printer through its paces.

Moving on the XT left the house, replaced by an AT computer -- a 286 computer running at 12Mhz and sporting an unheard of 1MB of RAM. It was with this computer that I entered the age of digital communications with the necessary peripheral of the day, a modem. Running at 300 baud (300 bits/sec, or 37.5 Bytes/sec) this modem linked me to the first BBS I ever dialed, where the SysOp was my cousin Daryl. The BBS was called Abacus. You could dial in, share files and send messages to be read later by other users that dialed in. Too cool. This was the first in a long line of BBSes that I frequented; others being Trading Post and Troll's Cave. I also participated in FidoNet -- an early form of store-and-forward email exchange between BBSes. Yes, you could actually "message" or "email" a user on a BBS that you never called directly -- even across the U.S.! The emails were, in effect, routed from hub to hub until reached at the destination. Today, SMTP is the common mode of transport for emails (and in much less time).

The 286 was sold to Chip Boles' parents (can't believe I remember that) and replaced by a 386 running at 16Mhz. We also ditched that 300 baud modem for a blazing 2400 baud version. Then came a 486 DX @ 25Mhz and 2MB of RAM (and a 14.4K modem! woot!), followed by the fantasic Pentium powered machine screaming at 120Mhz with 16MB of RAM and -- yes -- a hard drive that topped 1GB (1.2 to be exact) of fathomless storage possibility. The 28.8K baud modem provided an excellent means to speedily chat online for hours and it was around this time that multi-line BBSes were all the rage and I became a frequenter of Sounds of Silence BBS which had 8-12 lines initially and I believe later scaled to 32+ lines. I met a few good friends on SoS -- a couple which I now see on Facebook from time to time. It was also around this time that I learned the awesomeness of Winsock 1.1 and Netscape to get on this thing called the Internet and it's fancy web pages.

Many years and many systems and modems (56K wha?) later I entered the broadband age near 1999 when I went to WKU for undergrad. At the time WKU students, faculty and staff shared a 10Mb/s connection to the Internet which was already showing signs of overburdened use. Today I have an 8Mb (with 20Mb burst) connection to my house. At work the connection tops 1Gb/s and can be easily put through it's paces by the students, faculty and staff.

Today, an 8GB USB key can be purchased for under $20 and a 1TB external hard drive for under $100. A box of 10 3.5" DS/HD floppies used to run over $12 alone (that's why you bought the cheaper 720K version and drilled a second hole to make them 1.44MB disks.) I write this blog post on a Macbook Pro running a dual core 3.06Ghz processor with 4GB of memory and a 256GB solid state hard drive (SSD). It's completely wireless to my broadband connection where, in less than a second, this post will be on Blogger, Facebook and Twitter -- accessible to hundreds of millions of users. All this to say that I wonder what Ethan will grow up using. He's 17 weeks old today and has his own website and blog to document his early life for out of town family and friends. Whatever it is, I will have taught him everything he knows. :)

"Babi" four years later

It's been four years since Babi passed away. There are many things I would have liked to have sat with her and discussed since that time. In particular, I'd love her thoughts about Ethan. When he was around 12 weeks old I was carrying him around the house because he was a bit fussy and we went into the home office where a picture of Babi hangs. He instantly calmed down and stared at her photo. I said, "Did you meet Babi?" and his face had one of the largest smiles I'd ever seen before. Something tells me she picked him out just for us. :) Thanks, Babi. We miss you. We love you.

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"Kings"

One of my favorite shows on TV is being cut short on NBC -- "Kings" will be ending in a few weeks. The show is set in a future time in the city of Shiloh in the country of Gilboa. A loose retelling of the story of King David, (his daughter is Michelle, or "Michal") the show's visual symbolism is amazing. The crown of butterflies on David's head, when David avoids a sniper thanks to a lone dove, smoke blowing in two different directions -- all examples to watch for. You can catch up on the series thanks to Hulu.com now through September 20, 2009. After that you'll have to buy (or rent/Netflix) the DVDs of the series. My favorite aspect to the show is the formality in speech, in particular with King Silas (Ian McShane). In "Pilgrimage" he says a prayer that I really love; I'll repeat it here for Steph and Ethan:

My Family - always in my heart when not in my eye. May the time apart enrich the time spent together. May there be enough love left over until the next time we join hands. Amen.

Ethan's here!

If you haven't heard on Facebook already, Ethan James Bradley is here! He'd love you to visit his site at www.ethanjamesbradley.com to see his photos and videos. Stephanie and I are truly blessed!

There are a few things I've learned in his first nine days with us:

1. When you are peed on by someone and you don't mind, that's love.
2. A baby's sneeze is probably the cutest sound... ever.
3. You can do anything you want on two hours of sleep... if you don't care if it's done right.

Back to spending time with him...

Change is in the air

I'm back. :)

Spring is in the air again, birds are tweeting (and so are a lot of people, including me), and we're only a tad over five weeks away from Ethan's anticipated arrival! The nursery is pretty much ready, the bag is almost packed, and we're playing the waiting game.

It's weird knowing you're going to be a dad but not understanding what it will feel like. I'm a planner, a project manager, a task-oriented thinker and not having the knowledge drives me crazy. I don't care how many books you read, videos you watch, fatherhood stories (and horrors) from friends it's just not something you can wrap your mind around until the time comes. I've accepted that -- being a dad is the thing I've wanted most since becoming a husband. See ya soon, E.

Love, Dad

5 Years Later

Until now, I've never shared the image below with anyone except Stephanie. Understandably, she didn't want to take the picture, but I said I wanted a picture that I could look at throughout my life when times were bad, the going got rough, or I was just having a bad day and that this image would put things in perspective for me.


Things are not bad at all now. I mean, ~May 30th we'll have a wonderful baby boy! I looked at this picture because, as chance would have it, my last day of chemotherapy -- probably the hardest day I can remember -- was January 9, 2004. I almost didn't go, but knew I had to, and the eight hour session seemed to take twelve. Just five years later, January 9, 2009, I saw my son on his ultrasound.

There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and thank God for that.

Baby Bradley's Ultrasound

We're very excited! But if you want to know, you have to watch...

The difference a baby can make

With Christmas Day just hours from now I know this will be the last Christmas that Stephanie and I will experience being just the two of us. With our little bundle of joy on the way I really can't wait for next Christmas! However, tonight as I ready for bed [hey, Santa doesn't come when you're awake] I have not only our baby to think of -- and the magnitude of change that will come with him/her but I'm incredibly thankful for yet another baby that changed so much for all of us. Let us not forget the "reason for the season" and take a moment to be thankful for all we have and all we are given, because of Him.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Merry Christmas.
-J

Best Christmas Ever!

If you haven't heard by now, Steph and I are going to be parents in six months or so! I've been wanting to be a dad for quite a while now -- it just sort of 'clicked' one day. Though obviously shocked to hear the news from Steph, I'm now ready for my greatest challenge. I never fully understood "I loved you before I ever knew your name" until now. "Peanut," as we are affectionately calling the baby for now, is always on my mind. I know that Steph and I are going to have our eyes opened to all that having a baby brings.

I know I won't be a perfect dad, Peanut, but I promise I will do everything to the best one I can be. Love, Dad

A Weekend in: Chattanooga

Last weekend Steph and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend trip to Chattanooga. She had never been and it has been almost 15 years since I had been there myself. Early to mid November gives the best fall color on the two hour drive from Nashville, especially through the Monteagle area. We stayed at the Chattanoogan Hotel on the south side of downtown which was a nice place to stay with a great breakfast buffet at their own restaurant, the Broad Street Grille. We enjoyed the Tennessee Aquarium's two buildings -- Ocean Journey and River Journey. Saturday evening I took Steph to Niko's Southside Grill and we enjoyed the most tender filet ever and topped it off with probably the best, moist, and sweet strawberry cake I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Sunday, on the way home, we toured Ruby Falls which was amazing to me. If you're a nearby reader, or are up for a trip, check it out, especially in the Fall!

Fall, Christmas, stars in the sky, and "that smell"

We've arrived at my favorite team of the year. I despise being hot -- and I get hot very easily. In fact, as a child I recall sitting on the floor of our family room coloring with crayons and sweating like I had been running a marathon. When Fall arrives and the temperatures drop I absolutely love it. Crisp breezes, colorful foliage, that smell of a wood-burning fireplace, and the thoughts of the holidays ahead -- I love it all. This evening I took a walk through our neighborhood and for the first time in quite a while the air was so clear and fresh I could see the stars. In front of our house I saw the brightest dozens, but as I neared the lake and the street lights didn't interfere my eyes adjusted and I saw thousands. What an amazing sight! I could stare at them for hours.

It's at this time that I begin the anticipation of the holidays ahead, Christmas in particular. It's no longer the "gifts, gifts" anticipation of a child, but the joy of watching children open their gifts, decorating the house, giving and giving, donating, and remembering why we celebrate Christmas. Though I try to be thankful to God throughout the year, it's this time that I slow down and take the time I should always take to thank Him for everything. What a wonderful time of the year! So what if stores are stocking the shelves in October! Fantastic! I can't wait to put out the few outdoor decorations and lights that I put up each year -- it's one of my favorite things to do.

Finally, I want to take an opportunity to remember my grandmother, "Babi." It's this time of year that I miss her the most -- probably because it was this time of year that I got to spend the most time with her. Earlier this week I was walking through our house, and once at work in my office, and there was "the smell". This smell instantly sends my mind to Babi's house. It was the unmistakable smell of her house -- not a bad smell at all, but one that snaps my mind back to that place of comfort, love, and wonderful food! I still have no idea what caused me to smell it as I could never locate the source and as quickly as it came, it left. But, it will return, and then, so will the memories.

Coinstar

I seem to collect loose change. As a habitual swiper of plastic I rarely have a chance to use coins. Over the past several months I amassed a significant quantity of change. While watching Modern Marvels I learned of Coinstar. I had seen the Coinstar machines in various locations nearby but had never used one -- until today. Coinstar machines count your loose change (just pour it in and watch the numbers climb). Those coins are sorted inside the machine, removed by an armored truck service (such as Brinks) and taken to one of their processing facilities to be recounted and repackaged for redistribution to banks, retail establishments, and more. Normally, Coinstar charges 8.9 cents per dollar counted/accepted (the machine kicks out damaged or unrecognized coins), but they now offer FREE counting if you use their gift card or eCertificate service. Being a regular customer of Amazon.com I thought I'd give it a try today. So, thank you Coinstar and Amazon.com for converting my $77.85 of loose coins into something I'm more likely to use!

Mimis Cafe

Stephanie and I tried out Mimis Cafe recently for breakfast. In our area there are locations in Hendersonville and Murfreesboro, but they have many others. Great atmosphere! The food was delicious and plentiful. I highly recommend their blueberry muffins which are made with applesauce making them incredibly moist.

Thanks for supporting SU2C

Friday night's show was great and I look forward to hearing how much money was raised Friday night alone. All things considered, didn't Patrick Swayze and Christina Applegate look good? I'd like to thank the friends and family that donated to SU2C. This list are the people I know donated and deserve a special thanks. If I missed your name, let me know!

A in-no-particular-order very, very special thanks to...

• Stephanie!
  
• Rick & Sandra Bradley
• Jim & Linda Hutzel
• Jesse & Mattie Bradley
  
• Michael & Sarah Bradley
• Mr. & Mrs. Miller
  
• Beth & Tim Lemons
• Greg & Laura Hutzel
• Jon & Jennifer Hutzel
• Mike Hutzel & Jennifer Robinson
• Adam & Christina Pawlowski
• Rusty Boozer
• Gabe Keller
• Shawn Wall
• Fred & Jennifer Rice
• Tammy Johnson
  

StandUp2Cancer

Readers,

Many, if not all of you, know of my battle with cancer from 2003-2004. Many of you also have family, friends and coworkers that have been affected by cancer -- and some of you, like me, are also a Survivor. I'm donating and feel that Survivors owe it to themselves to fight back beyond the physical toll by helping make this the beginning of the end of cancer so others never have to go through the same thing we have.

For those of you that haven't heard, the StandUp2Cancer organization is having a ground-breaking telethon on September 5th @ 8PM Eastern / 7PM Central. What channel? Oh, ABC, NBC, and CBS! (See the awesome advertisement for it here.) All three major networks have donated commercial-free time to SU2C for this incredible opportunity. This initiative is to raise more money then ever before to be distributed directly to cures for cancer. Also, calls will be answered by celebrities: Casey Affleck, Dana Delany, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Fran Drescher, Sally Field, Christina Ricci, Goran Visnjic, Christina Applegate [recently diagnosed], Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Charlie Gibson, Robin Roberts, Forest Whitaker, Lance Armstrong, Kirsten Dunst, Neil Patrick Harris, Homer & Marge Simpson, Brian Wiliams, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Edwards, Salma Hayek, David Cook, Elle Fanning, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, Katie Couric, Jon Favreau, Masi Oka, and Hilary Swank are all confirmed -- with more signing up.

I realize that I have asked several of you before for your support, but it's needed now more than ever. You can be a part of history -- and affect the lives of millions. How? Donate. $1, $20, $50, $100, $More -- anything you can do! You can donate in more ways than ever.

• You can donate by joining my SU2C team at http://www.standup2cancer.org/mysu2c/teams/join/1010 to show me you're standing up with me. (If the link doesn't work, visit www.standup2cancer.org, and search for the "Jason Bradley" team.)
  
• Donate by a one-time charge of $5 to your cell phone bill! Simply text the word STAND to 40202. (You can do this up to 5 times per billing cycle.)
  
• Call 1-888-90-STAND and donate by phone.
• Participate the night of the telethon and call in to donate.
• Donate by mail (if you need to write a check): STAND UP TO CANCER, FILE 1224, 1801 W OLYMPIC BLVD, PASADENA CA 91199-1224

If you donate through any means other then joining my team, please email me to let me know so that I may personally thank you.

-Jason

Cube Runner

Andy Qua, thank you, for bringing us Cube Runner to the iPhone/iPod Touch via AppStore. The game's objective is simple: fly through a 3D landscape littered with cubes. Hit a cube, you 'splode. Don't hit a cube and you rack up points. The further you go the faster you fly and the more complex landscape you must navigate. Well done, sir. Well done.

Want to give it a try? Click here to go directly to Cube Runner in the AppStore.

iPhone 2.0 update

Unfortunately with Vandy buying my iPhone in March I don't expect a 3G will be coming my way anytime soon, but I am pleased with the outcome of the 2.0 firmware update for the iPhone (both first-gen and 3G models). The 2.0 update brings me ActiveSync with the Exchange system at work for live updates of email, contacts and calendars including multiple contact groups. The scientific calculator has been handy for subnet calculations. Probably the greatest thing is the AppStore with hundreds (and growing) applications available over-the-air with over 50% of them free of charge. I've been accused of becoming an Apple fanatic -- a label I'm willing to live with -- and in keeping with that I will say the iPhone is one of the greatest devices for the consumer wanting a phone, digital audio player, portable video and a browser capable of full-screen browsing. Sure, there are others out there but how many have such an easy-to-use interface that well, even a two year old can master?

The Dark Knight & Hancock

This weekend I saw "The Dark Knight" as well as "Hancock". DK was, in a word, awesome! Christian Bale is the definitive Batman and Heath Ledger is hands-down the best Joker. Bale easily portrays Bruce Wayne in a way that Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney (was that even worthy of 'Batman' status?) never could. Let's hope he continues the Batman saga and doesn't disappoint with Terminator 4. Ledger's performance as The Joker was evil, dark, unyielding and overall stellar. It's a shame he will no longer be able to give another powerful performance. Dark Knight's two and half hours didn't feel that long thanks to the intense action and steady plot. No spoilers here but one question for my audience -- where can I get one of those Batmobiles?

"Hancock" was a decent movie and worth seeing in the theater (compared to the wasted $17 dropped on "The Happening"). Will Smith was good in this movie and the one-liners were hilarious! Jason Bateman's role was nondescript basically serving as a cast filler to make the story work with Smith and Charlize Theron bringing the brawn and beauty, respectively.