markymags's Xanga

So I haven't done much here in a while...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:03:43 GMT

But I do have a good reason... my baby boy takes up a lot of my time. Here are some pics taken of him a few weeks ago of him smiling:

I have the second picture taped to my computer at work. It helps me get through the day but also makes me miss him whenever I look at it. Overall Andrew has been a good baby. He's starting to eat a lot but if he's fed and changed he doesn't really cry. He smiles a lot and is starting to talk A LOT. I swear, nothing compares to the feeling I get when Andy smiles at me. I couldn't be happier than I am with my baby boy =).

Let's see, other news... I was made permanent at the company I work for. I'm an Associate in HISNA's Finance Department. I will be helping with the year end budget and will track it throughout the year. I'll help out with AR every once in a while and will back-up the AP clerks with some of their duties.

Nancy and I will be going to Vegas during Thanksgiving. We haven't been in so long... honestly though I don't see myself playing much. I might go out one night to play some craps or blackjack but most likely no poker. I'm actually not looking forward to eating 2 Thanksgiving dinners in one day though... I've been slowly losing weight and 2 Thanksgiving dinners will not help. I'll probably bring my basketball stuff to go shoot around during that weekend.

Besides my baby boy doing well and me finding a permanent job (one that I am happy with at least) there isn't much to report. Nancy is doing fine back at MSM although I think she's about to start going crazy as her workload increases. We'll see how that goes =). I'll post more pictures... eventually =).

1 week later...

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:41:25 GMT

and I'm starting to get the hang of this. Well, at least the waking up 3 or 4 times a night to feed/change Andrew. I was finally able to get some good albeit not continuous sleep. I woke up some time between 9 and 10 this morning but woke up around 2:30, 5:00, and 7:00, and finally between 9 and 10 to feed Andrew. Many restless nights will follow but if I am able to get into a rhythm it shouldn't be too difficult.

There are little things about Andrew that scare me. His Bilirubin levels have gone down and we haven't had to use the Billy Blankets since but I still worry. The bottom of his feet have a blue-ish tint that we will bring to our pediatrician's attention tomorrow (or rather, Nancy will since I will be at work). I'm hoping that he comes back from his appointment with a clean bill of health so we'll see.

I'm still too tired and lazy to write about the 3 days in the hospital or to download the pictures from my camera. I'll try to get to that this week but we'll see.

Oh, and College Football is back! USC won on Saturday and UCLA is currently scoreless against #18 Tennessee. No huge upsets so far - #9 Clemson lost to #24 Alabama but that isn't too big of an upset as Alabama is supposed to be pretty good this year. Sanchez and USC's running game were the big stories. I liked what I saw from USC's secondary... they looked much better than last year. The linebacking corp is pretty damned amazing... big hitters and smart players.

Andrew's birth

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:35:06 GMT

Just wanted to provide a quick run down of how Nancy's birth went (the next 3 days will be explained in a separate post):

August 25th - Nancy and I arrived at the hospital at 10PM. Nancy was told earlier in the afternoon that she would be induced because the doctor worried about the high enzyme levels in her liver. We checked in and 10 minutes to 11PM the inducing process began. We were told it was a two step process involving 2 different pills given to Nancy 4 hours apart. Nancy relaxed and attempted to go to sleep while I started watching Juno before falling asleep on the couch. By the way, the labor and delivery room was freakin' nice!

August 26th - At 2:45AM, a nurse was examining Nancy when her water broke. I was slightly awake and decided to go back to sleep because we were expecting a long labor.

Approximately 2 hours later I heard Nancy in an extreme amount of pain. I woke up, asked her if she was OK, and held her hand through some pretty powerful contractions. Nancy decided to call the nurse and ask for an epidural (sp?). The nurse came by and said the doctor was on his way. She checked Nancy and noticed that she was 6 cm dilated! All 3 of us were shocked seeing as how Nancy was only 2 hours into her labor. The doctor arrived, hooked Nancy up with an epidural, and 30 minutes later Nancy was feeling better... so much better in fact that she was able to sleep for a couple hours.

Around 7:20AM the nurse came in and told us that she would be changing shifts. We were all sad because she was the same nurse that had helped Nancy at 1AM Sunday morning when the doctor asked us to come in to have some tests taken. The nurse told us that Nancy will for sure be giving birth before noon and that she would come by to visit us later that night. Our doctor came in around 7:30 while the nurse was preparing for the shift change and told Nancy that she was 10 cm and +2 dilated (not sure what the +2 means but I know that 10 cm means the baby is ready to come out).

At 7:46AM, Andrew Calixto Magpayo is born after only a few pushes by Nancy. The delivery was nowhere near what the movies show where the mother is screaming bloody murder and is ready to break the hand of the person that she is holding. The nurses and doctors were great and Nancy did a wonderful job getting Andrew out.

So as of 7:46AM on August 26th I'm a father. I was worried of course that he didn't have all of his toes or fingers or that there was some sort of defect. I cut the umbilical cord, looked him over, and didn't see anything physically wrong. I'm so proud of Nancy and happy as can possibly be to have a son to pass on my family's name. I know my dad will be happy that the Magpayo name will continue on. To this day I have Babyface's "The Day" stuck in my head. It gets me a little emotional everytime I think of the chorus.

I'll post about my experiences the days following my son's birth later today (or tomorrow... depends on how much time I have lol). Right now, I'm running on about 3 hours sleep after my baby boy had to be fed every 2-3 hours because of his Jaundice. It's ok though... I know it'll be worth it just seeing him grow and molding him from a boy to a man =).

Andrew Calixto Magpayo has arrived!

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:12:42 GMT

Not the greatest quality picture but this one will do. August 26, 2008 @ 7:46AM, weighing 6 lbs., 15 oz., and measuring 19.5 inches long. I'm running on fumes right now but I'm as happy as can be that my little one has arrived healthy... well, except for this Jaundice deal but hopefully that goes away by tomorrow. We'll see =).

One more picture of Andrew - one of the first pictures of him after being born into this world of ours:

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:13:13 GMT

A little over a month until baby Andrew arrives! We are still working on our room (Nancy has a lot of junk that needs to be cleared out) but are almost there. I built a dresser for the baby and have another dresser in our garage that I need to bring up. I have yet to buy a crib but I have one in mind. Nancy is doing fine... she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes but she has been able to control it and is doing well.

I'm still working at Hyundai Information Services, NA. I like my job and the people I work with. Plus, living less than 10 minutes from where I work is a definite plus. My co-worker recently went on maternity leave (and gave birth this past Saturday) so my work load has increased big time. I'll be happy when she comes back and takes back her responsibilities.

I've been cooking more recently. Among the things I've been cooking:
- Boneless chicken breasts - easy to marinate and cook.
- Pork Chops (bone-in and out) - I made some really good bone-in pork chops but the boneless pork chops I made were just OK... it was probably the cut of the pork chop because I used the exact same seasoning on both.
- Cheeseburgers - I bought some burger patties at Costco and put muenster cheese, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, red lettuce, and bacon....... sooooooooooooooooo good.

I've found that vegetables are really easy to make too. I bought some broccoli and carrots and steam them for a few minutes in water with some butter on top and they come out good. I also like grilling yellow and red peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Good stuff and ridiculously easy.

Next on my agenda... these bone-in and boneless pork shoulders that I bought. I'm thinking I'll marinate it in BBQ sauce (I have a couple in my fridge) but I'm not sure what else I should put in the mix. Eh, I guess I'll just have to figure it out.

Just want to mention this before I forget... Wipeout is hands-down the best show this summer. Witty commentary, great editing, and a really cool course. Oh, and it has Big Balls. Watch it and you'll understand... I promise.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:55:05 GMT

Till next season. Boston was hands down the best team this year. When you have 3 superstar players (2 for sure Hall of Famers - Ray Allen and KG - and 1 that might have his ticket after this championship - Pierce) you know your team is going to be good. What many didn't expect at the beginning of the season - well, except for Admound and me that is - was how well the rest of the team would play. Admound and I thought Rondo would do well because there was little to no pressure and that Perkins would have some good rebounding games and easy baskets. We were down on their bench until they picked up PJ Brown and Sam Cassell.

Still, going into this Finals I thought the Lakers would come out victorious. I was not as confident as other critics - Boston still had 3 superstar players on their team - but if the Lakers lost I thought it would be in 7 and not a blowout. Well, as the saying goes, "Defense wins Championships" and Boston deserved this one.

Till next season.

Luong Shots

Horrible defensive game. Too many lay-ups, lack of communication, and no help D. We can play better and will have to if we want to be in the top 4 in the post season.

Baby News

Nathan Tyler Pesek is adorable. I've been able to hold him so much this past week that I'm even MORE excited about Andrew Calixto Magpayo coming into this world. Babies are awesome =).

Coldplay

I bought their new CD on iTunes with the giftcard Krystle gave me. I like it. Every song has a little something that pikes my interest. My favorites are:

1. Lost? - I liked this version better than Lost! because it is not upbeat. I like acoustic type songs more than the regular songs. This is a surprising pick to be my #1 favorite on the CD because of how much I liked the next song...
2. Viva la Vida - the commercials brought this song to my attention but after listening to the complete song I liked it even more.
3. Life in Technicolor - not really a song BUT I still really, really liked it. The introduction of various instruments as the song moves forward is very awesome.
4. Violet Hill / Strawberry Swing - I could not figure out which to put at 4 and which to put at 5 so why not give them both a share of the 4 spot. I liked Violet Hill the first time I heard it... even though I thought it was Violent Hill and Strawberry Swing has this oddness about it that makes it quite enjoyable.
5. Death and All His Friends - cryptic title but again, something about it makes it enjoyable. Throughout the 6 and a half minutes (yes, it is a 6.5 minute song... and it isn't even the longest song on the CD) it switches between soft and upbeat. I really like the very first soft to upbeat transition.

All of the other songs have little bits and pieces throughout the song that make it enjoyable. A very well put together CD. Bravo Coldplay.

Rock Band

I played Rock Band at Mini and Nelson's the past couple days. It's a pretty intense game. Some songs are downright difficult but of the 4 instruments I think the drums are the most difficult. Something about the foot pedal throws me off. The guitars aren't bad but I have a couple complaints - 1. the strum doesn't click like Guitar Hero which makes it difficult to get the timing down when there are a ton of notes in a row and 2. the select button is way too close to the wammy bar (not sure what it is called in Rock Band) meaning I end up using my power up when I don't want to. Besides that a very fun game when played with others.

Oh, and before I forget, Happy Late Birthday Nelson.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:03:00 GMT

One game at a time.

Welcome Nathan Tyler Pesek!!!

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:50:35 GMT

7 lbs., 3 ounces

Monday, June 09, 2008

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:57:25 GMT

5 to 1, 19 to 2, 26 to 4, 38 to 10... running total of FTs in game 2 (Boston had 38 FTs at the end of the game). I watched the game from start to finish... yes, many of Boston's FTs were well deserved. Power was a beast in the paint and his aggressive play gave the Lakers forwards fits. What I don't understand is how the Lakers who were quite aggressive themselves did not get to the FT line more than 10 times. The blocking fouls that were called on the Lakers were not called on the Celtics. The Celtics were allowed to make contact on the wrists, forearms, shoulder, and body while the Lakers were called for all of those and then some. A couple plays stand out in my mind:

1. Turiaf's momentum carried him into Powe AFTER he blocked him clean... the ref on the FAR side of the court whose vision was blocked by Turiaf's body called a foul. Normally, contact AFTER a block is not called but this foul did not allow momentum to shift to the Lakers.

2. MOVING SCREENS. The majority of the Celtics' screens are moving... watch KG and he's moving before his teammate clears the screen... watch PJ Brown and he's pushing the guy he's screening as he moves to the basket on his dive... watch Paul Pierce flop when Kobe makes the slightest amount of contact with him... well, that last one has nothing to do with moving screens but it still irked me...

The Lakers played soft in the first game and it didn't work (not with Pierce pumping up his team like he did). The Lakers tried to play tough in the second game and it didn't work. For the third game? Let's hope they come out and play like they did in the last half of the 4th quarter. One game, one win...

On to other things...

Very relaxing weekend. Saturday, played ball in the morning, sprained my ankle, and relaxed for the rest of the day. I iced my ankle twice to get it prepared for Sunday's 40-36 victory. It feels OK and should be recovered by next week. It wasn't hurt enough to force me to sit out but it was swollen enough to cause some very noticeable discomfort. Sunday, after our win, I sat around and pretty much did nothing. I went to McD's on the way home and was surprised to find out they serve breakfast until 11AM on the weekends. I cut my own hair (with the help of Nancy) for the very first time ever. It ended up coming out pretty good. There are a few stray hairs here and there but nothing that can't be taken care of with some scissors.

I watched some TV and played a substantial amount of video games. Actually, this is the most I've played in a while and the funny thing is I played mainly demos. I tried out a couple air plane games... they weren't bad but it's difficult to really get into it without a tutorial of sorts. I played some soccer and hockey demos but didn't like them because they were very short. They did what they were supposed to do though... give me the itch to buy a soccer and/or hockey game again. I've been sticking with Madden but have been disappointed with the glitches in its last few games. I think I'm going to go with a hockey game this year.

The biggest surprise was the Bio Shock demo. I knew the game got amazing reviews but the demo was quite extensive. The game was awesome and will be a definite buy when it drops a bit in price. I might wait to buy it until after I get a PS3 (or if I get one). We'll see =).

I also played the Bourne Conspiracy demo... not very good. Having to press a button at specific times in the game reminds me of God of War but the camera angles and two attack buttons are turnoffs. The biggest turnoff though is the one button takedown. While the takedowns look really good it isn't fun being able to press 1 button to take someone down. Admound had an idea of making it kind of like Street Fighter where a combination of buttons and control stick movements would allow you to pull off a takedown. If they had something like that (or at least something that makes the player more involved in the game) then it would have been a more fun experience.

I got back to playing some Geometry Wars and am not sure how I got over 500K in points a long while back. That game is damned tough but so much fun...

Random Thoughts...

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:07:42 GMT

In no particular order:

- KFC's new chipotle chicken had no flavor whatsoever...
- I like those E-Trade baby commercials... especially the one with the clown and the newest one where the baby is playing with the Blackberry phone...
- Taco Bell has not had a good run of commercials for a while now but its latest 89 cent menu commercial with the guy rapping in the car is ridiculously bad...
- 9AM Sunday games are tough on the body but having the rest of the day to relax is nice...
- Kristina, my littlest sister, graduates from UCLA this coming Saturday...
- Father's Day next week Sunday for those of you who don't know...
- Tropic Thunder looks hilarious... Kung Fu Panda looks good... Hancock looks interesting...
- Can't wait for Batman: The Dark Knight...

Basketball
We won again today to improve to 3-1 on the season. This time we beat the last undefeated team in the league. I can't remember the score but I know we won by 4. I didn't do particularly well this game... missed far too many shots. Admound hit a huge 3 and made some big time plays down the stretch and JC has upped his game over the last 2 weeks. We have another 9AM game next week but get a 1PM game the week after that.

Hockey
We won our first game Wednesday but lost in the championship game. Sam had an amazing two games.

Prius
I got my car back on Monday! It looks good and has been driving well so far. I'm glad it was repaired... everyone says that I should have requested that it be totaled and taken the money... the thing that almost everyone doesn't realize is that the money received would have covered the majority, if not all of the loan, but I would have to go and buy a new car myself. I've invested 2 years worth of payments in my car and don't want to have to pay an extra 2 years' worth of interest in another vehicle. Plus, who knows how much longer it would take to get another Prius... it's quite a popular car and actually took me a couple months to track one down. On top of that dealerships don't want to negotiate on the price of Prius' so I wouldn't be able to get one for cheap. After looking at all the negatives and seeing virtually no positives besides buying a new car (with my own money mind you) I'm happy to have my blue Prius back. I'm also glad to being back to filling up once every 1.5 to 2 weeks.