* Spent a priceless amount of time with my children
* Wishing I learned an additional word during my college career – “Small” Business
* Not only did I learn HOW to cook – but learned how to CONSISTENTLY cook and prepare for the hard-working wifey.,
* How to live by the half-penny… literally.
* Built a home-based business,
* Further explored the old and long-lost curiosity of web development with free open source code and templates (Ohana HCS, Sick Delicious, Walnut Home Care, and our beloved geestreet.net)
* Developed a lengthy and premature dream business plan to compete with woot, only if I figured this sh*t out back in college.
* Put together a portable basketball hoop on the driveway,
* Replaced the gold-fish-type pond filter for a more durable bead water filter built for the koi pond (in the backyard),
* Learned “network marketing” wasn’t for me… too bad I learned the hard way.
* Proud to take some credit to my daughter’s potty training,
* Made plans for our third child, 2nd daughter (Giselle Emily)
* Fortunate to interview several times within a 3 month span, accepted an offer back for operations and IT work with a minority broker-dealer – whew, what luck
* Set up a man-cave with leftover dual monitors and old music equipment,
* Somewhat-successfully laid out the groundwork for podcasting (podcasting platform, decks, drums, not to mention a vintage piano newly setup in our living room). status: 5 podcast episodes, WITHOUT one live or recent recording session – no success, but potentially capable (does “potentially capable” even make sense?)
* About the man-cave, make that a man-CORNER in the garage.
* Taught my son Paul how to ride his bike… man it seemed so long ago (now I don’t remember if this took place pre-layoff). Next up, the 2 girlies.
* Helped my daughter learn how to use and play on her PC… by herself… and she was less than 2 ½ years old.
* Introduced Paul to basic drumming in a classroom setting.
* Helped Paul get acquired to walk home from school… this was a long and gradual process turning into a success. A rarity for kids this day and age.
* Cleaned out the spa, and haven’t cleaned it since.
* Cleaned out the koi pond, and haven’t cleaned it since.
* Not much of an accomplishment, but attempted to elevate my non-existent golf swing.
* Another not much of an accomplishment, but had re-entered DJ culture nostalgia.
* Finally sorted out the garage and installed extra storage (Update as of 8/9/10, our storage needs have tripled),
* Installed a DLINK 2TB RAID NAS and DLINK N-Router, very happy with the setup.
* Conquered DJ Hero, Madden 10, and Live 10. Attempted to convert to 2K10 without success.
* Held an estimated 6 parties for friends and family, (on that note, attended about 1,000,000 functions away from the home)
* Attended church “regularly,” which began towards the end of the layoff.. let me repeat that – “towards the END of the layoff.”
* Gained an appreciation to learn how to wear my boxed-up shoes.
* Brought Paul to his first Hip Hop event, or must rephrase a “sorta-Hip-Hop” event to check out Flo-Rida, B-Boy Jalen, and I forgot the name to this other guy, dang I’m getting old. Thanks Myspace Music.
* Helped support the LA Lakers win title #15, #4 for KB8…. by watching on my couch.
* Caught the beginning of each Lakers road game given I was always home for early tip-off around 4-5pm.
* An honorable mention, to so much time spent with immediate family and relatives.
* Accepted an incredible opportunity, on the same day my (then pregnant) wife was advised to go on medical leave… just blessed.

I must disclaim this was only a fraction of my experience, I truly would like to write some more but would hate to saturate this single post. So much time with the children and preparing for the wifey will be truly missed… Oh man I’m beginning to think I’m well-suited to be a house-hubby! Now almost 7 months into a rejuvenated career, the memories of 2009 will forever remain because of the fortune the man above had delivered us, and to prove he is still at it our sweet angel Giselle Emily was delivered to us on Father’s Day 2010 – a full year later dating from the depths of my layoff.

Reading through this lengthy post had reminded me of a nice Twitter feed, so if this at all caught your attention or interest, feel free to follow me via Twitter @dailycomeup.