On February 2nd, 2009 Amy gave birth to Benjamin, our new baby boy! He was 7lbs, 5.8oz and 20 inches long when he was born. Just an inch shorter, but a good 2lbs heavier than his dad when he was born 38 long years ago. Ben was in a hurry to get here and didn’t give the doctor time to arrive, so the nurses delivered him. But, Ben didn’t seem to mind

Ben and Amy are in great health. Ben has already had his first pediatrician visit where he was pronounced extremely healthy (and always hungry )

Amy did the birth completely naturally, with no epidural or pain medicine of any sort. She was amazingly strong and tough and rarely let out a peep (until the very end). Our delivery nurses were excellent and very supportive with Amy’s decision to go natural, which seems to be a rare occurence.

Our wonderful doula Jennifer was incredibly supportive, and together she and I helped support Amy while she labored. It was a team effort, but Amy did all the hard work and did it amazingly well.

So, now a few days off while we learn how to keep Ben fed and taken care of. It is amazing how much you find you love your new child the second they are here. It’s instantaneous and incredible.

But anyway, Ben is here and safe and healthy and happy! Thanks for all the well wishes and support! More later!

Once again I am in Nippon. This time however, there is a very special difference. Amy is with me and has been for the whole time. In fact, we are spending an extra week over here just doing a vacation after all my work was done. So far we have gone to Zenkoji in Nagano, Asakusa in Tokyo, Akihabara (less than a week after stabby guy went nuts there, I have a photo of the makeshift shrine for the victims), Ueno Park and Zoo, and spent some quality time with Amy’s friend Russ and his wife Faith. In addition we got to meet their new daughter Sloane (yes, I also think of Ferris Bueller every time I hear the name Sloane, so it’s ok). Russ and Faith have a very nice apartment in the Akasaka area of Tokyo with a heck of view.

The morning of the day we met Faith and Russ, Amy got to experience her first high rise earthquake when there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake a few hundred miles north of Tokyo in Iwate Prefecture. It felt like about a 5. something in Tokyo where we were staying, and the Imperial Hotel swayed for about 2 or 3 minutes before the quake ended and the mass dampeners stopped us. Luckily it wasn’t any higher magnitude in Tokyo as I have no desire to see a large earthquake up close.

After we hung out in Tokyo for a few days, we moved on to Kyoto. Lots of great photos and HDR from Kyoto, most of which I haven’t finished processing. However, this is one of the many HDR images of Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion) that I took with Amy’s camera.

More updates later as it is 11pm here and I am getting tired. That Ozeki Sake Cup has taken it’s toll

Yes, I know this may come as a shock to some folks, but I am now married again! Amy and I met on e-Harmony in mid 2006 and we hit it off really, really well. Our personalities match up so nicely, it almost seems like magic how easily we get along. I hope it stays like that forever. Incidentally, for those of you who might be single, I heartily and completely recommend e-Harmony. My only criticism is that the web interface could be better sometimes, but that is a nit. Their personality matching really, really works. It makes your relationship so much easier if you and your partner match up.

Enough of my unpaid e-Harmony ad… Amy and I got married in Las Vegas at the beginning of February. I know, I know, saying you got married in Las Vegas brings up thoughts of tacky little wedding chapels with Elvis running the ceremony, or (God forbid), even drive through wedding chapels (at least I remember an episode of Coach that had one..).

But our wedding wasn’t like that. It was tastefully done at THE wedding chapel at Mandalay Bay and we had many, many wonderful friends and family members attend. After the ceremony we all had dinner at Rumjungle, also at Mandalay Bay. It was a great time and I really enjoyed it, so I hope everyone else did too.

My brothers were my best men, and Jay gave the best man speech and he did a heck of a job. I have to admit that I was a bit choked up by the time he got done. I have to say thanks to both of my brothers for their friendship, love and support. Amy’s sisters were her maids of honor and Amy also feels very blessed to have had them there for her.

After the wedding and some late night libations at Red Square, Amy and I ran off to Sedona for a few nights of honeymoon.

For those who may be interested, our wedding video can be seen here, at least until ~3/9/08. The wedding photos are up on Flickr as well.

Thanks again to all our friends and family who made the trip to Las Vegas to be there for our wedding and thanks to everyone who couldn’t be there but sent their best wishes. Thank yous are in progress and should go out soon! Best wishes for everyone for a happy 2008.

There has been one thing of late that has made me sad though. My thoughts and sympathies have been with the victims of this massacre since it happened. Given the almost inconceivable violence that occurred in Norris Hall, it is hard to believe that I once sat in those same rooms where people were horribly, violently killed. It’s very hard to come to grips with. I mean, I took Statics and Dynamics and Composite Materials and several other courses in those very same classrooms. Heck, my grad school office was in the building connected to Norris Hall, Holden Hall. I know it’s selfish, but I thank God this didn’t happen in Holden.

I still wonder why Seung-Hui Cho picked Norris to do his rampage. I mean, he was an english major. Norris is an engineering building. I guess he had a class in Norris this semester, and I guess if I had to think about it objectively, Norris would be a good building to trap people in. There are really only about 3 main ways in or out and the building is built like a fortress out of hokie stone. Still, like everything else about this horrible thing, it doesn’t make much sense. It leaves questions I would like to know the answers to. Did he have a grudge against engineers or something?

I never thought that my university would become synonymous with the word massacre. Frankly, I figured the worst we would have to live down would be having the words “Home of the Fighting Gobblers” on the side of Lane Stadium (it looks like those words were removed in 2005 – wow, too bad).

Anyway, please give a thought for my fellow Hokies as they try to deal with this horrific thing. And those of you who are spiritual, please say a prayer for the victims of the massacre in Norris Hall.