Posted: September 1st, 2010 under Just another entry.
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For some reason tonight I decided to look at the Mansfield News Journal.  I don't do it that often, but tonight I did.  While scrolling down looking at the high school sports stories was the obit of a good friend, mentor and role-model – James Cunningham.

Mr. C. and Mickey (Mrs. C) lived down the street on Arthur Ave., back in my hometown of Mansfield, Ohio.  I lived at 120 … he lived eight houses down from me at 150.  I'm sure over the years we would say hi to each other as I was playing outside with the other kids on the street or riding my bike.  Mr. C. was retired from the Ohio State Reformatory. 

Most people know it today as Shawshank Prison.  I find it quite ironic he ran the laundry that Andy Dufresne spent so much time in.)

At some point though, I'm guessing when I was 5th or 6th grade, Mr. C decided to (maybe at the time unknowingly) take me under his wing.  One day while out with his black Labrador "Lady" he asked me and another kid on the street to help put up flags for one of the Patriotic holidays.

The local detachment of the Marine Corps League would put up dozens (if not hundreds) of American flags in front of local business downtown.  We needed to be ready at 6 a.m. sharp.  We were of course late and he left with out us.  So we just walked the 8 or 9 blocks downtown and caught up with the group.  That started a tradition that lasted several years. After we were done, he'd take us to breakfast at Mr. T's or Coney Island on the Square.

Mr. C. was a HAM radio operator and I remember the first day he showed me his radio and how he could talk to the world.  At that age, that was some pretty cool stuff.  Mr. C. also helped me get my first CB radio set up and running.  Every morning, I'd check-in on the local CB net with my temperature and what if any new news I had.  (Looking back now it was it's own form of social media.)  I'm sure working the attic window loose, crawling on the roof and running wires out my bedroom window didn't sit well with mom and dad.  I know the whole roof thing had them ticked off at one point.  But I was staying out of trouble, and in a neighborhood that was quickly deteriorating – that wasn't a bad thing.

Another adventure Mr. C. took me on growing up was on the week's leading up to Halloween.  His CB net worked with the State Police on patrols at highway overpasses watching for kids trying to throw pumpkins off the bridge and onto the interstate.  We were only supposed to "call it in" when something happened, but that wasn't enough for an old Marine like Mr. C.  He somehow managed to follow or trap those kids at the bridge till the police arrived.  Strong he was.  I remember the muscles, the arms especially.  He always said he could whup most anyone's ass and I believed him.

According to today's obit, it said Jim moved to Shelby in 1990.  That would have put me seventh grade.  I remember helping Jim take dozens of loads in the back of his pickup truck to the new house on the west side of Shelby.  One of the first things he did at that new house was to put a tower up with an antenna for his radios and a new addition – a weather station.  Fortunately, my mother had a good friend in Shelby, so while she when to visit her friend, she'd drop me off at Jim's house for several hours. 

I don't remember all of the conversation topics, but I remember the themes. The one that stands out the most is: Respect for the Country and the men and women who died for it.  One of the tasks of the Marine Corps League is the attend the funerals of fellow Marines.  Even back then, I remember him saying he attended a lot of them.  Lots of guys from the war were dying he would say.  All those early mornings and late evenings of placing flags downtown helped me learn respect for the flag and it's proper display.   Every house I've lived in since has displayed an American flag.

He talked a lot about the Marines and how they were better than the other services combined.  I learned a lot about what it meant to be a Marine, but I never heard Jim's war story, other than he was injured at Iwo Jima.

He also told me to mind my parents or he'd whup my ass.  Again, I believed he would too.  Unknowingly those talks probably help keep me on the straight path growing up, through the tumultuous years I'd remember as Jr. High.  See there was another kid on the street that Jim did his best to take under his wing as well.  He well, probably got me into trouble more times that I'd like to admit.  But I bet, without the close eye of Mr. C., I may have ventured down the wrong paths.

There were many other 'life lessons' he taught me.  Change your oil every 3,000 miles, the right way to wax a car, the right way to mow a lawn, grow a garden, etc., etc.

As I began high school, I got more involved in other activities at the school which meant less time to see Mr. C.  We still talked often, but didn't see each other as often.  Once I got a car, I was able to make trips over on my own to see him, but still we saw each other less and less.

As time went on, we sent our annual Christmas cards, I try calling once or twice a year, but after college it got to be more difficult to stop in.  There were a few times I would stop by, but as the years went by, Jim and Mickey's health got worse.  There were times that Mickey was just too ill for us to visit.  Jim did get a computer and on the email, but all he ever did was send forwards and tell me he was going to whup my ass if I didn't send him email back.

Fortunately, the last time I got to see Jim & Mickey was right after Sandy and I moved back to Indiana from Texas.  We were in Ohio for a weekend visit and they were both feeling well enough to visit.  It was the first time they got to meet Sandy.  We had a great visit. We stayed a couple of hours – still wasn't long enough in my book, but we were on our way somewhere and had to get going.

I was a bit surprised when I didn't get a Christmas card from him this past year.  I probably should have called, but didn't.  I know he had to have seen our card which was of Sandy, David and myself.  I hope he had a smile on his face when he saw I was finally a father.

I'll be heading back to Mansfield later this week to pay my respects to one of the many men who risked their lives to keep this country free.  Definitely one of the Greatest Generation.

Rest in peace old friend.

Posted: March 28th, 2010 under Just another entry.
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There's a, um tradition in tournament play- not talk about the next step until you've climbed the one in front of you. I'm sure going to the state finals is beyond your wildest dreams, so let's just keep it right there.
-Coach Norman Dale, Hoosiers

It was setting up to be the perfect Final Four® weekend.  My goal was to see the Buckeyes make the trip over from Columbus to play in the NCAA® Final Four®.  I work 10 minutes from Lucas Oil Stadium.  We air the games.  I'd be involved in the Buckeye pre-game pep-rallies.  It was to be a lot of fun.   Too bad Tennessee had something to say about that.  It's a real bummer that Ohio State isn't making the trip to Indianapolis, but another team I've watched closely this season is making the trip.

Ohio State and Butler have a lot of connections.  The biggest one is Thad Matta, who is a Butler alum and a former Butler coach.  The last several years, OSU and BU have played during the non-conference schedule.

Two years ago, just a couple of months after we moved to Indianapolis, I got the chance to attend my first game at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Ohio State came to town to play Butler.  The Buckeyes lost that game, but it was a lot of fun watching the game in Hinkle.  We were up close to the rafters, not the top, but darn close.  No fancy chairs, we sat on bleachers.  Many of you know I love history, and Hinkle Fieldhouse has a ton of history.  I could spend hours just looking around the building.  No luxury boxes, no ribbon scoreboards, just a lot tradition.  It's why Hoosiers was filmed there, because it hasn't changed all that much.  It's a great place to watch a basketball game.

This season, I didn't get to Hinkle to see the Buckeyes lose to the Bulldogs again. (full disclosure:  OSU was without Evan Turner for that game.  If he were playing the outcome would have been different.)  David was only a week old and couldn't wiggle my way out of my new parental duties to go to the game. I had to sit and watch the game on ESPN2.  I saw a lot of Butler basketball this season on TV.  Our secondary station MyINDY-TV carried 13 games, I think I watched 10 of them.  Butler won every one of them.  They kept winning and winning.  It was fun to watch.

I made sure to get my picture with Butler's mascot when he came to the station to shoot show promos.  Just another mascot photo to add to my collection.

Butler has been my second team to cheer for, except when they play Ohio State.

Even still, I only had them reaching the Sweet 16 in all my brackets.  I didn't think they could keep up with the likes of Syracuse.  Of course, these guys proved everyone wrong.  This team never looked ahead, and kept their cool in every game.  Now these guys get to do something very few basketball players ever have done – play at home.  (I've always said there's something about being able to sleep in their own beds.)  It's going to be the Butler Bulldog on the corners of that basketball court.

So the next week should be a lot of fun.  Work will get more intense since we now have more to cover,  but it will be worth it.   Tomorrow, I'm going to go shopping for a Butler polo or T-Shirt.  All of Indiana will be Butler fans next week.

Posted: March 27th, 2010 under Just another entry.
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David turns three months old this week.  He's sleeping through the night almost every night now.  Like his dad, he likes his sleep … although his father is blogging right now instead of sleeping.  His mother on the other hand just walked into David's room to make sure he was still breaking.  He must be since she came back into the room and wasn't panicking.  She just reported that, "he's moves around that crib more than I do in bed."  — Trust me and the dog, we get pushed to the corners of our king size bed.  So that trait must come from his mother's side of the family.

I'm just amazed on how cute that kid really is.  My worst fear is that David would be an ugly baby and he'd have my DNA to blame for it.  Fortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case.  I've been amazed on how much he's grown in three months and how much he is absorbing the world around him.  The lights still amaze him, especially the bright colorful one in the living room that he shouldn't be looking at … at his age.  It's sucks that it's winter and there's not much outside we can do. (An aside…to the dog at my feet  is going to end up on the floor if he doesn't stop annoying me.)

Today was a lot of fun, and I was deathly worried that it was going to be a disaster.  Sandy spent the afternoon across town at a baby shower, and dad was left with baby duty.  Now the last few times dad had baby duty, it was more listening to the kid scream for an hour before frantically texting mom asking when she'd be back home. 

I was able to get David down to sleep, which he comfortably did for two hours!  Dad even got a game in on the XBox while he was sleeping and watched the coverage from Hawai'i on the tsunami.  Afterwards, we got our diaper change in, fed him a bottle, burped and another diaper chance — all before mom got home.  Once she returned, David got fussy.  But for me, my job was a smashing success.

Having David has been a great addition to my life, even when I want to trade him in for a three-year-old.  It finally has given me a reason to try to put down work once and awhile and just spend time with him.  Of course, I say that and then spent my entire Saturday evening pushing updates to my Wordpress blogs, photo gallery and all the associated plugins.  That does sound fun doesn't it.  Probably explains why Sandy dozed off so early.

I'm finally getting a bit sleepy and Sandy is already sawing logs, so it's time to check my Facebook and Twitter before I turn in myself.

If you want to see more of my really cute kid, just check out our photo-gallery over on the main site or our videos we're uploading all the time now to YouTube.

Posted: February 27th, 2010 under Just another entry.
Comments: 1

I spent the better part oruf this week in Austin at our company meetings. After a long week and a flying home I was a bit pooped.

One thing I learned is I can update my blog via the iTouch. Giving it a spin now.

My choice in fashion showed as well. I went to work Friday sporting the pride of Parma … White socks and dress shoes. Guess I was just a bit sleepy this morning.

No harm, no foul right?

Hey, at least I’m not getting screwed over by Jay Leno!

Eyes getting heavy …

Posted: January 15th, 2010 under Just another entry.
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After a long journey, our bundle of joy has finally arrived.  David Nicholas Crundwell arrived early in the morning on December 5, 2009.  A small turkey, he weighed in at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and a power forward in the making at 21 inches.  We spent two days at the hospital, he was healthy and was able to come home on Monday.

Sandy and I were so happy to have him home and to start the next chapter in our life.  It’s amazing what little things you notice.  Right away, I saw that David’s lower lip quivers when he cries.  How small the fingers and toes are.  The sharp finger nails, and how he has nearly as much hair on his head as his father.   It’s been interesting to see the dog’s reaction and how he’s still not so sure about David.  He doesn’t like it when Dave is in daddy’s lap.  Casey thinks that belongs to him.

The only issue was eating.  It took a long time to get him to feed.  Sandy’s milk wasn’t yet in so that was the challenge.  Our first night was a very long one, not knowing he was hungry was the issue.  He wouldn’t breastfeed so we initially thought he wasn’t hungry. He was up all night crying and two parents who took turns consoling him. 

As a new father, I have to say it was one of the toughest nights emotionally I’ve ever had.  I can see how new parents who aren’t mature enough can do things to their little ones to hurt them.  You definitely feel helpless not being able to get a crying baby to stop.  David likes it when I sang to him…all that church choir training came in handy.   Singing to him didn’t even console him.  It was tough.  Since he wouldn’t breastfeed, off to Marsh I went for a bottle of formula.  That helped a bit, but he still wasn’t happy.

So after a very long night and a visit to the pedetrician first thing in the morning we got the answers we were looking for.  She got us through our concerns and sent us on our way.  So after feeding him a second time, we finally got him to sleep.  (Then we got some as well.)  The other good news is Sandy is now producing milk so, if we have to bottle feed him breast milk, that’s still better than formula.

Best part, he sleeps in his car seat.  So if that works then great.  Even changing diapers hasn’t been that bad.

I think the Lord tested us last night, but we passed.  I’m sure we’ll have many more sleepless nights, but like last night we’ll pass the test.   In the end, it will all be worth it.

Posted: December 8th, 2009 under Just another entry.
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Something dawned on me today when the intern sitting outside my office was putting together promotional packages for our community affairs department.  Ten years ago this summer, I happened to be doing the exact same thing as ironically … a community affairs intern for WKYC-TV in Cleveland.  My first though as I was telling the intern about this I thought…holy crap!  It’s been 10 years since my Internship, really?  She took the time to say…well that means you must be like 30 or something.  It didn’t help my confidence, but neither does my thinning hair.  That means there’s probably a Class of ‘99 reunion this year at Mansfield University that Sandy and I should have attended.  I’ve gone and taken a look back at the last decade and all the accomplishments that I’ve made.

Read more »

Posted: July 25th, 2009 under Just another entry.
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Our parish had an organizational meeting this morning, and I was the only Knight from my council who could attend on my behalf.  One of the discussion was trying to get folks in my generation more involved in the church.  My reaction was with everything going on in our lives these days, finding room to squeeze something more into one’s life is tough.  

I think I’m busy now, so I can’t wait to see what life is like this time next year, chasing after a six month old.  (This is the part where all my friends with kids just smile with anticipation.)  So it got me thinking.  (Yes, ignore the burning smell.) 

Do the Amish have it right?  They’re unconnected simple lifestyle still keeps the family at the center.  They’re not running off to soccer practice, updating their Facebook status or Twittering with their friends.  They go to school, come home and work on the farm or at the family business.  At the very least, they develop a good work ethic, something that my generation and the ones younger than me really lack.  I’d bet we’d be hard pressed to find a "lazy" Amish man or woman.

I bet the Amish could develop a cottage tourism industry for the brave English. (that’s how they refer to the rest of us.)  Pay a few hundred bucks a day to spend the week with an Amish family and unplug from the modern day trappings for a week.  Of course this would be no vacation, you’d be working your but off bailing hay or milking a cow.   Then head home for dinner, no TV, just a good night’s rest.

Someday, I’ll find the time to stop everything and unplug from the rest of society for a few days.  It would make for a good holiday.  Just shut everything down and relax. Maybe even bake a pie.

That’s it…I just have a taste for some good Amish pie.  This whole post wasn’t about time and the lack of it, just the need for a big piece of Butterscotch pie, or silk cream…Better yet fresh strawberry pie.

I’m going to go look for some pie.

Posted: June 13th, 2009 under Just another entry.
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It’s with great joy to announce that Sandy and I are expecting our first child.   We are 11 weeks along and mom-to-be and baby are doing just fine.  Call us a bit old fashioned, but we didn’t want to announce until we had made it most of the way through our first trimester.

We had our second visit with the doctor today, and we were able to hear a good strong heart beat.  The due date is 12/2/2009, so we’re expecting the snow storm of the decade to fall on Central Indiana that week.   Now that’s my dad’s birthday, so we know what day he’ll be picking in the baby pool. 

At this point, not much else to tell, our house hunt continues and we hope to find something this summer. 

Posted: May 14th, 2009 under Just another entry.
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Okay, I haven’t truly blogged in awhile.  It’s that Facebook crap that keeps me from the blog.  Not really, but it sure is much easier.   It’s been a very busy spring.  The workload is great and there’s no sign of relief, but what doesn’t kill me will only make be better right?

It has been nice to see our ducks return to the pond behind our house.  It doesn’t help I feed them, now they come up to the back door looking for their dinner.   They won’t let me be near them when they eat, they just waddle back down to the pond.  They do have a nice calming effect, they don’t have too much to worry about.

What’s fun to watch is these two ducks have become protective of their pond and their free food.  There’s another male duck that will try to land in our pond.  Our male duck doesn’t like that and chases him away, and then returns to his partner.  They make a lot of noise while doing it and gets Casey all up and barking.

Today another dog was doing his best to try to get to the ducks in the water.  He must have made 15 laps around the pond to find a way to be closer.  No luck.  All the while, Casey just barked and barked at the whole scene.  I needed two asprin after that.

Well I could type all day, but I have laundry to do and then have to do some wireframing.  Oh the fun.

Posted: March 28th, 2009 under Just another entry.
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