tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50256122011-04-21T13:57:06.566-04:00McDeevers TavernA chronicle of your typical 30-ish suburban family. <br> <b>Neil -</b> Dad. Works for a big ol' company run by old white men with deep pockets. <br> <a href="mailto:neilmcd@aol.com">Send mail to Neil</a> <br> <b>Sarah -</b> Mom. Stays at home. Tries to keep kid and house clean and orderly. Succeeds admirably with both!<br> <b>Ethan -</b> First kid. Now 20 months old. Wonderful kid. The apple of our eyes! <b>Baby #2 -</b> Expected Time of Arrival: July 1st. Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-1060046039744826372003-08-04T21:13:00.000-04:002003-08-04T21:25:33.643-04:00Lots of Updates!! HUGE HUGE HUGE Update! Benjamin Theodore was born on July 15th at 12:22am at Abington Memorial Hospital. He was 22 inches long and probably tested the scale's strength at 10lbs 2oz. He's doing well these days. Last night, he slept about 6 hours and gave mom and dad some much needed uninteruppted sleep! Ethan gets along pretty well with Ben. Sometimes he doesn't realize Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-956123002003-06-12T21:50:00.000-04:002003-06-12T21:55:34.000-04:00Horror of Horrors!!! Sarah and I have been quite despondent these past few weeks. No no no.. nothing so serious like losing a job, having your house burned down, or stubbing your big toe. Rather, it seems our local supermarket has discontinued Newman's Own Parmesiano Italiano salad dressing. While this may not seem like a big deal compared to, say, stubbing one's toe; it DOES prevent us from Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-953509422003-06-05T21:34:00.000-04:002003-06-05T21:35:58.000-04:00Ahh.. that was the name of the place! Don't you hate it when you've eaten at a really great place and you forget the name of it? While we were in California, we ate at a superb (at least I thought so..) mexican place in Oakland but I couldn't remember the name of it. Thanks to our hosts, the restaurant's name is Dona Tomas. If you're ever in the area, simply go. Blogs blogs and more blogs..Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-949120182003-05-26T18:03:00.000-04:002003-05-26T18:03:42.830-04:00Promises Made, Promises Kept... I said we've been busy and I wasn't lying. Here's why: 30th Birthday Party: Sarah hosted a 30th birthday party for me with many family members and friends in attendance. It was really great seeing many of my relatives here in PA. I also enjoyed a late-evening poker party with the guys. It was the first time I was completely blown out of the water. My Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-948757312003-05-25T20:15:00.000-04:002003-05-25T20:15:54.203-04:00I've heard this several times already! If you ever want to be made to feel like scum of the earth, lower than Mephistopheles, or worse than a democrat appearing on Fox News; then start your own blog. People will crucify you if god forbid, you don't post on a regular basis. been very busy lately. I promise I'll make time tomorrow to post updates! Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-928684962003-04-18T22:31:00.000-04:002003-04-18T22:31:14.450-04:00Birfday, birfday! Sarah gave me a very nice birthday gift on Tuesday. She paid for Mark D. and myself to play racquetball for 2 hours at her club. Afterwards, we went to a tavern down the street, had a cheesesteak dinner (You say: "first you exercise THEN you eat the greasiest sandwich known to man?" I say: "So?") and watched part of the Phillies game. Just a great evening out and a great Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-928681512003-04-18T22:21:00.000-04:002003-04-18T22:26:13.000-04:00Providence & Boston This past weekend, Sarah and I took a trip to Providence and Boston. Meghan and Jim were great hosts and even better babysitters! I can't tell you how much reading I was able to do thanks to their expertise! Actually, when we arrived on Friday, Ethan only slept for an hour during the 6 hour trip up (lots of traffic) so he was already very very cranky. He didn't like the Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-927474662003-04-16T20:40:00.000-04:002003-04-16T20:40:21.483-04:00He who knoweth not the blog-eth, shalt not complain-eth Yes. My own personal arch-nemesis, Lloyd has been bugging me yet again about my lack of updates to the blog. I am guilty as charged. However I asked him if he knows what Blogging really is about: NeilMcD [8:28 PM]: so when are you gonna put up your own blog? LLindley2 [8:28 PM]: i aint NeilMcD [8:28 PM]: you ain't? LLindley2 Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-917090622003-03-31T09:34:00.000-05:002003-03-31T09:34:16.860-05:00Thanks for your concern... Some people have asked me how I'm doing today. I'm much better. The dressing is off and only some big TOUGH-STRIPS from band-aid bandages are covering the blisters and they don't hurt at all. However, Percocet is the devil's work! The informational sheet they gave you with this strong narcotic painkiller says that you should take this after eating and should drinkNeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-915434932003-03-28T08:14:00.000-05:002003-03-28T08:14:21.966-05:00Dammit. It's been one of those days. You get socked at work. Finished the crappy task they gave you 5 minutes before you leave. Spend time with Ethan (always the highlight of my day). Cook dinner. Absentmindedly put pot lid on a burner thats still going. Burn hand. Spew stream of half-completed expletives and place hand in water. Ponder for a moment if you should call Sarah for professional Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-913427842003-03-25T08:14:00.000-05:002003-03-25T08:36:42.000-05:00Blog of the day http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/ Some people feel that the US news media is overly focused on the US military (their wins/losses/casualties/etc.) and not on the Iraqi civilian population. The folks at Blogger.com (they own this gig) have highlighted the blog of an Iraqi civilian in Baghdad who has been posting his observations throughout the military campaign. Some people have Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-913191332003-03-24T21:45:00.000-05:002003-03-24T21:45:46.496-05:00OK. Since I promised to expound on my thoughts regarding various issues, here's where I keep that promise: What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing.... For the record: I support the men and women in uniform. This is not meant as a Michael Moore-ish "Stupid White Men" rant. Some people have the idea that criticizing the war means you're either not patriotic or anti-military. Far from it. Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-912875412003-03-24T11:56:00.000-05:002003-03-24T11:56:32.500-05:00Thanks again to Lloyd who never fails to remind me how I shirk my duty to update this page on a regular basis. I have plenty of thoughts about the following things: The war A possible new job Performance Reviews Survivor Etc. I just need the time to put these thoughts into coherent form. Thanks!Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-901527362003-03-04T22:24:00.000-05:002003-03-04T22:24:34.090-05:00Performance Reviews are a PITA: A major rant from Neil That's right. It's performance review time at work. That means that your pay and bonus for a whole year is determined at one moment in time in February when a a month and a few days have gone by since the previous year ended. Let's review: My company has a bonus system that is built into your total compensation package (duh). The bonus Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-900702442003-03-03T16:28:00.000-05:002003-03-04T21:58:17.000-05:00 Losers Ball Thanks to Lloyd who keeps bringing up the fact that I have not updated this page in 12 days. As a sign of my appreciation, I gave him about 2 dollars of my money at a poker game held at Teck's house. I've also posted his e-mail address so you can tell him how much you appreciate his nagging skills. Poker: Not for the faint of heart... As usual, we started off with a $5/person potNeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-893873512003-02-19T16:11:00.000-05:002003-02-19T16:18:31.000-05:00Catching up... Lots of tidbits from my trip back from Rochester, the Storm of the Century (for 2003 anyway) and returning to work. Unidentified Man Drives 6 hours home, cites Javascript code The last day of class was kind of anti-climatic. Because the DIIT classes are funded by the United States government (National Science Foundation) they require a very intensive evaluation of the class. Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-890496212003-02-13T15:22:00.000-05:002003-02-13T15:22:11.333-05:00Update re: deaf Survivor The much-vaunted premiere is tonight. Here's hoping the networks realize what a ratings kick-in-the-pants it is when they feature deaf/blind/etc. people in their reality shows. Also, I asked the question earlier: Would Christy have an interpreter during the Survivor competitions/meetings? According to a recent deafdigest, they said no interpreter would be provided atNeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-889863812003-02-12T14:07:00.000-05:002003-02-12T14:07:00.306-05:00Cold. That's it. It's cold today. The kind of cold that sucks the air out of your lungs even though you're bundled up with gloves/hat/hooded jacket. It was 0 degrees this morning with 30 mph winds and 55 mph wind gusts along with two inches of new snow. The class is progressing along nicely. Not much else to report. Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-889140112003-02-11T10:09:00.000-05:002003-02-11T10:09:28.483-05:00 Attack of the Mutant SUVs! Let me preface this by saying its COLD up here. It was 0 degrees outside when I woke up this morning. After a pretty windy snowfall yesterday, the good folks at the Rochester area DOT didn't bother plowing/salting the streets. Some of my classmates are in my hotel and they were taking the shuttle bus over from the hotel to the class. Since the buses only run once Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-888276002003-02-09T21:56:00.000-05:002003-02-09T21:56:14.900-05:00 Uh oh, he's thinking again... Expanding a bit on my earlier observation on the big Lexus SUV that got stuck: I called it "The poor man's revenge" because I wonder if it is the weapon by which the lower socioeconomic classes exert a type of revenge against the rich folks who buy these montrosities. In other words: we're all driving cheap Ford Focus cars (Focii?) in the same conditions as big Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-888272892003-02-09T21:50:00.000-05:002003-02-09T21:50:01.503-05:00The Journey… Sometimes they say the journey is more important than the destination. I’m not sure if that’s 100% true just yet but it definitely was interesting. In any case, I've arrived safe and sound in Rochester, NY for my Javascript class beginning tomorrow. Let it snow, let it snow… By far, the biggest story of the trip was the snow. About 20 miles past Scranton, in the hills of the Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-887590472003-02-08T11:19:00.000-05:002003-02-08T11:19:14.836-05:00 Pigs flying, snowballs in hell Sarah cleaned the house. Gotta change her introduction too! Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-887235502003-02-07T15:48:00.000-05:002003-02-07T15:48:17.160-05:00 Ethan the Terrible Strikes Again! I've gotten 4 e-mails on this already: Ethan is NOT terrible but he CAN be terrible when he starts up his now-famous temper tantrums. The kid is a wonderful addition to our lives and we would never consider him a burden. Therefore, to avoid future confusion, I've changed the introduction on the right-hand side to reflect this. Thank you. You may now go Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-887142242003-02-07T12:24:00.000-05:002003-02-07T12:24:50.660-05:00Deaf Survivor Prediction Christy Smith, the first deaf Survivor contestant will be on the premiere of Survivor 6 in the Amazon. I may be cynical, but I'll be VERY surprised if she lasts for more than 3 episodes. I've never been a reality TV fan (even run screaming from the room when Bachelor/ette/JoeMillionaire comes on) but this one, I'm definitely going to watch. Question: will they have Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-887115862003-02-07T11:30:00.000-05:002003-02-07T14:22:40.000-05:00Today's Quote I'm going to memorize your name and throw my head away. Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972) That happens to me all the time. I meet someone then I completely forget their name. I have to encounter a person at least 5 times before I can fully associate their name and their face. BREAKING NEWS: The United States just upgraded its "terror alert" from Yellow to Orange. Great. And this Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-886616882003-02-06T14:14:00.000-05:002003-02-07T14:23:28.000-05:00Good quotes: A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), Speech in New York, Nov. 20, 1900 As you journey through life take a minute every now and then to give a thought for the other fellow. He could be plotting something. Hagar the HorribleNeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-886600432003-02-06T13:38:00.000-05:002003-02-07T11:32:19.000-05:00Einstein Disproved? This is funny... Not the columbia accident... CNN's misconception of ... well, if you have to explain it, it's just not funny anymore. Just click on the link and see for yourself. Blackcore - Tim Kettering's blog siteNeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-886561002003-02-06T12:12:00.000-05:002003-02-06T12:12:47.753-05:00After I'd gotten home from work on Tuesday and cooked dinner, Sarah asked me while she was cleaning the dishes to check to see if any of the bathroom faucets had been left running because there was no hot water. After checking the faucets (all were off), I went to the basement and lo and behold, the hot water heater was leaking water profusely from the top of the unit. After I shut off the Neilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5025612.post-886554202003-02-06T11:57:00.000-05:002003-02-06T11:57:45.876-05:00This is an introductory note for the McDeevers. Why did I pick McDeevers Tavern as the title? Lack of creativity. We are: Neil - Dad. Works for a big ol' company run by old white men with deep pockets. Sarah - Mom. Stays at home. Tries to keep kid and house clean and orderly. Succeeds with the kid. House is a different story. Ethan - First kid. Now 16 months old. Wonderful and terribleNeilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13259821131639726753noreply@blogger.com