It’s my twin brother’s birthday, too. I hope Allen is enjoying his birthday as much as I am mine. Happy Birthday, Al!

Yesterday my buddy Scott took me along to the NCSU-Duke basketball game. It was fun to go even though Dook won.

Today we’re going to take the kids to the Factory Ice House in Wake Forest for their first taste of ice skating. It should be fun!

I spent time yesterday taking the kids to visit Tom’s Trains in Cary’s South Hills Mall. I’d taken out my old train set every now and then for the kids but it was in pretty bad shape from the 30 years its been in storage. The kids recently became obsessed with it so I brought it out of retirement.

Tom’s Trains is an amazing place for a model railroader. The kids played with the Thomas train set while I picked up some new supplies for our Lionel Southern Express train. Len, the “shop supervisor,” gave me tips on how to clean and lubricate the engine. I enjoyed taking it apart and working with the gears and motor. It now sounds and runs better than it has since it was new. The track is expanded, too, with a siding and switches added on which to park unused rolling stock.

Yeah, I enjoy playing with it, but not as much as watching the fun the kids have when they’re running it.

I should have known it was too good to last.

My wonderful nights of sleep seemed to have evaporated after four or five days. Whatever magic was in the pills seems to have battled its adversary and lost. I’m back to snoring and waking up not nearly as refreshed as before. Bummer.

I’m putting a call back in with my ENT today. Eventually I’ll probably get my sinuses fixed with FESS surgery but for now I wonder if a different antibiotic might put me back where I used to be. The doc also mentioned a tonsillectomy might improve my nighttime breathing.

In short, I’m back to square one after being thrilled beyond belief at how well I was sleeping. I’ve just got to figure out how to get back to where I was.

We had a nice surprise this morning with the snow. I was beginning to wonder when it would snow again since we hadn’t seen it lately.

It was the good kind of snow, too. The kind that melts on its own and lasts just long enough to torpedo the morning commute. There was no problem with the roads, actually, and had I absolutely had to I would have been fine driving the 18 miles into work. Being that I are a sales engineer, I can work from anywhere. So I did just that, spending the day in the home office. But not before I joined the family for some backyard sled rides and snowball fights!

It was funny hearing Travis sing “Jingle Bells” as he tromped around the yard, and Hallie had a blast tagging her mommy with snowballs.

Y’all may have noticed some squirrelly behavior on MT.Net today. I chose to upgrade the Drupal database that hosts this site. As to be expected it was not a smooth upgrade. I spent time here and there chasing down missing tables and hacking SQL everywhere.

I think things are stable now (at least as stable as anything on MT.Net can be, ha). Holla if you find something out of place.

I had another great night of sleep last night, waking up naturally around 5:30 and dozing happily until 6:30. It helped that the wife and son who used to have fevers don’t anymore. They slept better, too.

Whatever magic is in these pills – the antibiotics or steroids – something is working wonderfully. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I haven’t woken up so refreshed in probably twenty years! Once again I felt ready for some exercise this morning (though today I chose to snooze).

Its amazing how I used to accept my poor sleeping and tiredness during the day as normal. I’d been tired so long I forgot what normal was. I also didn’t fully appreciate how the little health issues can affect the bigger issues.

Now to see how I can make this last. Looks like a big part of my “health” goal this year is on the way to being resolved.

I had one of the best nights of sleep last night after a visit yesterday to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor. The doc tells me my deviated septum may be to blame for sinus infections, snoring, headaches, and global warming. Okay, I made up that last part, but the rest was enough to get my attention.

I’ve never taken care of my nose. As a kid I was prone to fall out of bed in my sleep. I lost track of how many concussions that led to (this explains a lot about me right there, eh?). I’ve also gotten my share of bloody noses from these. There was also the time ten years ago when I face-planted while rollerskating at Lake Johnson park. I wound up fracturing my cheekbone from that incident. It healed on its own but may have packed my sinuses even closer than they were.

On the other hand, the deviated septum may be congenital. That happens, too. No matter where I got it, its time to get it fixed.

The doc hooked me up with an antibiotic, a nasal spray, and some steroids. I don’t know which ones made the difference, but the result was a fairly-restful night. I awoke at 5 AM feeling like it was 9. I was so happy that I laced up my tennis shoes and took a long walk around the neighborhood! It was 32 degrees out and still dark but I enjoyed every minute of it. I got to walk by the moonlight and to see Venus rise in the eastern sky.

I’m still checking into the ins and outs of septoplasty surgery (where the ENT reshapes the inside of my nose). The doctor said I would notice an “immense” improvement in how I breathe. Anything that will improve on dramatic difference the drugs made is worth exploring! Not only will I sleep better, I’ll breathe better during exercise and the long-winded demos I often conduct. My dentist says that breathing through the mouth dries out the gums, so my teeth will also benefit.

Breathing: its the first thing and the last thing you’ll ever do. It makes sense to get the most out of every breath.

Happy New Year to everyone from MT.Net. May your 2007 bring happiness, health, and peace to you.

I’ve got a feeling that 2007 is going to be quite an interesting year.

We spent the day wandering around Durham’s excellent Museum of Life and Science, which we heard was awesome but have never seen in person. It lived up to its billing. I believe its one of the best science museums around. Kelly and I were bemoaning that this was how Exploris should have been, instead of the yawner it is.

I spent more time than usual looking at the NASA collection, as I’ve been reading about the moon missions lately. Hard to believe we had such high hopes for the moon, then suddenly turned away. It was Skylab, then MIR, then ISS, then Mars, all the while the moon is the most plum extraterrestrial destination. Guess we somehow forgot about the moon.

We met Hallie’s friend Natalie and her family there. The kids hit it off as they always do, charging around the museum grounds with Travis chasing after them. A good time was had by all.

A good time, that is, until we got home. The slight headache I had had all morning roared into a full-blown bonecrusher once I got back. I had to interrupt reading Hallie’s stories with an attempt to heave my guts (which no longer works thanks to my fundo surgery). My head pounded for a few more hours and my body fought even the smallest sips of water. Around 6 PM my storm seemed over. I ate a modest dinner and am feeling 90% now. Very unpleasant, but at least over now.