“The unexamined life is a life not worth living.”

The Newest Swizzle

2009-12-26T02:01:00.005-05:00

The newest Swizzle will arrive July 4. It's a girl!

Online Wedding Album

2009-10-25T23:42:00.001-04:00

The photos from our wedding are in! Our friend, photographer Alan Dep, thoughtfully chronicled our rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception. We thought we would share his beautiful work with you.

To view our wedding album, go to: http://aland.zenfolio.com/jenandjohn

The password is neworleans (the honeymoon destination! it's all lower case).

Thanks to you all for your touching thoughts. We're both still savoring the moment as we start this new chapter in our lives together. To those who attended, thank you for making Oct. 3 such a perfect day.

The Roadtrip

2009-09-20T17:47:00.008-04:00

Something of a redesign

2009-09-14T07:23:00.006-04:00

As you can see, there's a bit of a redesign. I went with a cleaner, more simple template. For the front page, I'm going to stick with just one post. But there are the "Recent Posts" over on the left. I tested the design in Firefox running on Kubuntu Linux. If there is something that doesn't look right, leave a comment and let me know. Especially if something looks like it's been left blank. I've got a few feeds coming in to fill a few areas, and some of them might be the ones leaving a few blank areas.

Also, there is a list of lables and a text-based archive on the right. If the "Recent Posts" section doesn't show up, the left side is a good place to navigate to recent and older posts.

Anyway, tell me what you think.

Cheers ... John

P.S. -- I also added Jen to the main header!

Front Page in the house

2009-09-03T18:46:00.002-04:00

Big day in our house: I've got a story on A1, and a column on the sports front:

A1 Main story

My Column

Also, Jen's got a story about a certain Giant Rat:

Giant Rat
-- it's all the way to No. 2 on "most read" on marinij.com

Road Trip! Heading to Oregon

2009-08-28T06:27:00.002-04:00

There's a wedding in my West Coast family, and we're all packing up to head north to Oregon for the weekend ... sleeping in a cabin and going to a mountaintop wedding.

Well, per the usual, it's 3:30 a.m. local time, and I'm not packed yet. Of course, I only just got home from work 2 hours ago, and the clothes I'm taking are in the dryer. I probably won't get much, if any, sleep tonight. But that's OK, as there's a 10-hour car ride to sleep during. Jen's dad is driving.

It's going to be a fun weekend, but I've got to take some work along. I've got a big story due Monday. I'm sure in the 20 hours in the car, I'll have a chance to pull out the laptop and crank it out. If not, then there's always the all-nighter I could pull Sunday night ... just like college.

Speaking of work. Some of you may not know that I've switched papers. Now I'm working at the same paper as Jen. It's the one that's just down the road where I live ... 2-minute commute. It's the same company that owns the Vallejo paper, so it was just a transfer. Oh, and for the past three weeks I've gone back to Vallejo a few days a week to help out while they train the new hires (there was another guy to leave at the same time I did). So, while that's meant a few extra bucks, working six or seven days a week has gotten old pretty quickly. This weekend is the first time I've had more than one day off in a week all month. But once the school sports season starts up, I'll be able to settle into a schedule, and I'll be able to get a day or two off every now and then.

I never thought the school sports season would actually mean a LESS hectic time for me. Go figure!

A quick update

2009-08-28T05:40:00.004-04:00

Well, I've finally figured this whole Web site thing out. Until now, inkslinging.com has been a mixture of a personal blog and something of a commentary on current events. I've fixed that.

Henceforth, inkslinging.com will be my personal blog ... to update friends and family about my goings on out here on the West Coast. Eventually, it will evolve into a family blog (once I officially start on of my own ... if you know what I mean).

For my more non-personal writing, I've started another Web site.

The Man F.A.Q.
http://www.themanfaq.com

It's something of a men's interest magazine. It includes articles, columns and product reviews. I've even got a small unpaid staff ... a few friends who just enjoy writing. Who knows, maybe one day I'll make some money off it. Until then, I just enjoy running the thing. Check it out!

Homeward Ho!

2009-02-14T13:00:00.003-05:00

Jen again: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! We woke up in Lone Pine, Calif., just outside of Death Valley, to a clear, cool, gorgeous morning. Our rustic mountain motel is ringed by towering craggy peaks covered in snow! We had a hot breakfast in the lobby and are preparing for the last leg of the trip through Yosemite National Park. This is the second time we've been through the park in as many months, but as John rightly put it: "I haven't been there this year!" Tonight, we'll sleep at home in Marin. Thanks to all who followed our trip on this blog -- hope you enjoyed the show!

Goin' Back to Cali

2009-02-13T23:12:00.002-05:00

Jen this time: We've arrived in Lone Pine, Calif. For me, it's good to be home. For John, it's a rite of passage. Rolling over the Nevada/California state line in Death Valley was a big moment; John arrived in California for the first time as a resident. Sweet. Tomorrow, Yosemite and then ... Home. Together. Finally.

Check it out

2009-02-12T20:58:00.001-05:00

At 6:51 p.m. mountain time, we crossed the 3,000-mile point in our trip. We're just outside of Phoenix. This number is significant to us becuase it represents the distance between us all these months.

The loooong star state

2009-02-11T17:51:00.000-05:00

John here (via mobile): It's been three days without internet access, but we're hopeful for Las Cruces, N.M. We stayed in a real hole in San Antonio. To top that, we went on a beer run around 11 p.m., just after getting a bite to eat. Well, we were in the River Walk area of the city, and there were plenty of little trendy, pay-8-bucks-for-a-beer little bars. But all we wanted was a 6-pack to take back to the room. Well, there wasn't a single gas station or any type of store in the area. It's not that there wasn't one open ... there WASN'T one. Lame! Anyway, we're in west Texas now driving through the desert. Keeping score? We've traveled 2,222 miles at the time of this post.

Leavin' for the Lone Star

2009-02-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

Juppy's wearing cowboy hats and swiggin' sweet tea by the quart. We're headin' Texas' way!

Time to dine

2009-02-09T22:45:00.001-05:00

John here (via mobile): We had a wonderful dining experience at Mulate's in downtown NOLA. We had a sampling of basically everything, which included frog legs, crab claws, oysters, catfish, gator tail, crawfish tail and many shrimp. The place was wonderful; it had river-style music and when you were in there you could imagine New Orleans as it was before the storm came through.

Big Easy ahoy!

2009-02-09T13:22:00.001-05:00

John here (via mobile): We're on the way to NOLA! We had a night in Birmingham, Ala., with Riley -- a bloke I knew from my ECU days. In New Orleans, we'll stay in a hotel just off the French Quarter. It's about a six-block walk to Bourbon Street. At the time of this post, we have about 6 miles left in Alabama. We'll slice off a corner of Mississippi, and then straight into the Big Easy. For those of you counting, we've driven 1,170 miles.

A new first

2009-02-08T00:11:00.001-05:00

John here (via mobile): This is the Jup-star after her first blog post!

Charleston, SC-Bryson City, NC

2009-02-07T23:58:00.003-05:00

Jen here: Friday night we spend the evening in the company of the delightful Maureen Hartshorn, my friend and former Marin IJ page designer who now works for the Post and Courier in Charleston. Pizza, beer, beer, uhh... beer. Oh, yeah, and Alka-Seltzer on Saturday morning after chowing down at the Cracker Barrel! South Carolina is not much to look at from I-26, which cuts through the state from the coast to the capital, Columbia, and threads north through the Blue Ridge foothills and into North Carolina's Great Smoky mountains. John's paternal grandparents, Wanda and Ken Swartz, who live in a cabin Ken built in Bryson City, fed us a delicious meal and visited with us Saturday night. Tomorrow: Birmingham!

2009-02-06T14:51:00.001-05:00

John here (via mobile phone): We're on the road, heading into South Carolina. We've just stopped at a Bojangles, and Jen is having her first-ever taste. Watch this space for her thoughts on this Southern fried yummy.

Our Trip

2009-02-05T23:07:00.005-05:00

John here: Well, I suppose this is technically Day 1 of our travels. We had a great good-bye party with my friends last night and people kept asking when we were leaving. Of course, when we'd say "the next day," there were a few surprised looks. They were thinking how ridiculous it would be to start a long road trip the day after ... well ... such an event as Wednesday night. There was, however, more understanding when I'd mention that the first leg of the trip was only 78 miles. The traveling really starts tomorrow. We're heading the way of Charleston, S.C., to see a friend of Jen's. In all there are quite a few stops along the way that include New Orleans, San Antonio and Phoenix. Below is our tentative trip plotted out.

View Larger Map

The one

2009-01-08T19:05:00.003-05:00

This post has been a long time coming, as the event in question happened a week ago today. There's no other way than to just come out and say it ... I'm getting married. No date's been set yet, but the ring's on her finger and it's all official as far as that goes.

Oh, I haven't even told you about the girl yet, have I? Well, here's a picture ...

... That's us on a wine tasting adventure through northern California. Her name's Jennifer, but I call her Jen when I even use a name. Of course, we're one of "those couples" have have pet names for each other. I won't put it in writing, don't worry.

She's a fellow journalist, working for the Marin (MAH-rin) Independent Journal, or just the IJ for short. We met at a work conference at Poynter in Florida last year; we were both learning video. Right away I could tell she was the right fit. Jen's got the biggest heart I think I've ever seen, and she cares deeply for whatever her heart tells her to. Luckily for me, I'm one of those things. She's got the amazing ability to do the cutest things and not even know they're cute. Just recently, I had flown across country and my sinuses were acting up. We were sleeping on an air mattress in Oakhurst, Ca., and I was snoring. She had to wake me up several times, and in doing that she gave me a light shake and said, "Baby, too much snoring." I can't think of any cuter way of being woken up.

You've seen the photo, so I don't even need to go into how beautiful she is, although I'd be remiss not to at least mention it. From the picture, you can probably see her blue eyes, depending on how good your monitor is. I didn't know it until I finally put 2 and 2 together, but they're the same color as the Pacific Ocean at sunset. Until I'd met Jennifer, I'd neither seen that color nor the Pacific. Seriously, go back and look at the picture of us, then look at this one I took of the sun setting over a mountain and the ocean ...

... See what I mean!

One word my mother often uses to describe me is tenacious. That adjective fits Jen as well. She's a newswriter in a field that is still quite dominated by men. She has to deal with cops and firefighters all day, not to mention the many city officials. She's rock solid all day and as fierce as any and then, at the end of the day, she'll come home and just melt in my arms. She'll let me carry her to the couch, lay her down, get her a beer and let her unwind. It's like she waits all day for my arms to take her, and then she can finally let go. I haven't gotten to do that much, as we're still too far apart, but I'm looking forward to doing it for years to come. And she'll even do it for me, though there's less carrying and more leading. I came home from a long day, and I was so tired she had to put me to bed. It's comforting knowing there is someone there who'll care for you when you need it.

I love this one, and there's no way I'm letting her get away.

Camping

2008-11-19T12:52:00.004-05:00

Mobile post

2008-10-15T06:40:00.000-04:00

I've been playing with my new phone, and I've got it set up to use with mobile facebook and blogger on the go.
Here is my fist post using the mobile blogger function. Oh, I have a qwerty keyboard on this phone too, so texting is really easy. Good thing I got the plan that includes 500 txts!

Good Samaritan 5K

2008-10-12T03:45:00.000-04:00

I did the Good Samaritan 5K today. It was a road race, and I totally crushed my PR. My previous best was 29:36, and today's time was 29:27. It was a good run in great weather. I ran a decent pace, yet managed to have just enough in the tank for a late push to the finish to make sure I got in under 30 minutes. Good run.

Remember the good times

2008-10-03T16:58:00.002-04:00

As East Carolina heads into its bye week this weekend, it's run to remember the good times. Remember this touchdown as part of the ass-whuppin the Pirates put on West Virginia?

Birthday carbomb

2008-09-13T00:39:00.001-04:00

Bo returns home after 20 years

2008-08-23T20:44:00.011-04:00

Bo is a man I met while studying at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. He is but one of the many homeless who call St. Petes home. Especially him, since he's been living in Columbus, Ohio, for the last 20 years. And even though he had no actual house to come home to, he still came home to Florida. Here is his story.