http://www.hattawaybros.com/ Hattaway Bros en-us Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:07:32 GMT 1440 CPG-Nuke Dragonfly Hattaway Bros News http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.hattawaybros.com/images/logo.gif http://www.hattawaybros.com/ http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=105 I finally did it. I got around to catching up with my photos from this year. I've been neglecting it since I've been so busy. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been swamped with work and the family takes my other time. Now that I have a couple weeks off before the new year, I've decided to post up pictures from our trip to Disneyworld and my trip to Chicago in October. In a previous post from last year, I mentioned that Patrick and Brianne were getting married. So I made the trip to Chicago to see it and was very happy that I did. We used a time share in Florida and decided to take the kids to see Disneyworld since they've been to Disneyland (pictures in the gallery). We had alot of fun but we could have saved alot of money if we hadn't gone. I'm not saying that I regret the trip but I will say that Justin's favorite part was sliding in the rain (SAFEEEE). We could have done that at home since we've had a good bit of rain this year. That and he loved getting pictures with all the characters like Mickey and Goofy (I have a buzz and a woody). I also made the trip to Chicago to see Patrick and Brianne's wedding which was alot of fun. My old army buddy JR drove down from Michigan and we hung out when I wasn't at the wedding. We saw a bulls game and went to the top of the Sears tower. The wedding itself was beautiful and they definitely made it memorable. They rented a trolley for driving the wedding party around the city of Chicago and getting photos. They even got to appear on the evening news during the weather forecast on Channel 5 news. Maybe now I'll get around to posting pics of Christmas. Take me to the pictures of Disneyworld Take me to the pictures of Patrick's wedding Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:07:32 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=104 As an American and former service member, I feel an obligation to remember certain dates and hold them sacred. Today is one of those days. I'm normally not solemn but today is just such a soul stirring moment. It reminds me that we are forever changed as a country but it also highlights our hero's and the sacrifices that were made. If there was ever a day to be somber, this is that day. Despite the government and media's urging to not view the images of the twin towers because it can cause PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), I think that we need to be reminded of those events and especially as traumatic as they are. They are a shocking reminder that there are people in the world who want to hurt us. They don't want to see us prosper. They are also a good reminder of what happened that day. I say good because there were common, everyday people like Todd Beamer who rose to the occasion and said "not here, not now, not ever". All the people aboard flight 93 in a unanimous vote said that they could not sit idly by and do nothing. It also reminds me of how we as a country can come together and be united as one. In the days following 9/11, we as a country were in solidarity. We turned to God for help because we needed something that government could not provide and realized we were vulnerable. When that realization hit home (literally and figuratively), we opened our hearts and began to look for some security in an insecure world. So with all of that said, I just want to remind everyone of the importance of this day and keep it in your hearts. Pray for our soldiers overseas and for the families who lost loved ones 7 years ago today. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:35:54 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=103 Part of my family from my mom's side is actually from New York. Which makes for interesting discussions with my self since technically, I have both sides of the civil war in my blood (North and South) but I digress. One of my brothers recently made a trip back to the old state of New York with his wife and daughter in tow. My mom decided to go back as well and visit some of the areas where she grew up. The area is known as Interlaken and is absolutely gorgeous. There are quite a waterfalls and lakes that you can visit. There is Cayuga Lake, Enfield falls, and Watkins Glen. They are absolutely amazing and wondrous to say the least. While they were there, they got a few pictures of the trip and the falls. We're planning a trip there next year as well and I'm actually pretty excited about it since I haven't been back in a long time. In the mean time, I'll just look at the pictures from my bro and post them for everyone to see for yourselves how beautiful the area is. See for yourself Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=102 My wife and I were making a trip back from visiting my mom (grandma) in California. We have a van for the trips around town that require a few more seats and a little more room so the kids aren't at each others throats while we're driving. We also have a portable TV that plugs into the cigarette lighter to keep the kids occupied for those long trips. As we were driving back across the desert, all of a sudden the TV and radio stopped working. The power inverter wouldn't work. It seemed like the whole console on the van gave out. Fortunately, the AC was still working. It was bad enough that the TV and radio stopped working but if the AC had gone, I think we would have gone insane. Anyways, we're driving along singing a song and realizing we're up doo-doo creek without a paddle. We get home and unload everything. Thus begins the trial of trying to figure out what happened. Basically, we found that fuses for those areas were blown out. So I go buy more fuses and put them in. Turn the key and pop goes the fuses again. Apparently, I'm thinking there's something wrong with the electrical system. So it's time for a trip to the service center since I don't know where the problem is in the electrical system. Needless to say, $1400 later, I find out that my youngest son who is 2 years old has put 35 cents into the cars CD player. He had stuffed the coins into the slot. This was actually shorting out the whole front panel and cost us a pretty penny. In case you're wondering, the $1400 wasn't just for them to find the loose change. They also did a 60,000 mile service on the vehicle while it was there. We also found that the brakes and motor mounts needed to be replaced. Happy Happy! Joy Joy! So what does 35 cents buy you?? It bought me a 6 hour trip in a car with 2 screaming kids and $1400 in repair work. Someone please put me out of misery. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:19:09 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=101 This week has been nice. I finally took some vacation from work and I've been doing things around the house that needed to be done 6 months ago. This has been a weird 6 months. My life has just been crazy (yes, more so than usual). With 2 young boys who have a passion for getting into trouble and a job that tries to get blood from a turnip, I have little time for play or anything else. So having a week off was just soooo nice. It's amazing what some time away can do for you when you don't have to think about work or all the stresses that go along with it. I finally went to see the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight and words fail me. It was incredible. The movie lasted 2 and half hours but it went by so fast. Heath Ledger as the Joker absolutely makes the movie. I really believe that this is how the Joker was supposed to be portrayed and if he was to make the transition from comics to real life, this is what he would be like. His performance completely blows away Jack Nicholson as the original Joker. The movie is a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end but its not just about the guns or fights or even Batman himself. If you've seen the new Bond (Casino Royale), then you know that they've made a transition on Bond where he doesn't rely on guns or gadgets but on drama and suspense. It's more gritty and real. The same is true of this new Batman. The performance given by Ledger is absolutely Oscar worthy and he plays the part with such gusto that you can't even tell it's him. It is the epic battle of good versus evil rolled into these 2 characters and they do not disappoint. The interesting thing about it is that the Joker overwhelms the movie. He steals it from Batman and all the other cast of characters. You find yourself looking forward to the next time you see him because you want to know what he'll be doing next. The sad part is that we won't be getting a repeat performance since as most everyone knows, Heath Ledger died in January. Next on the list, Ironman. See the trailer for yourself Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:35:27 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=100 I know. I've been neglecting my duties here to keep everyone updated but I really have a good excuse. My life has gone from zero to bitch in 7.2 seconds. My work has been demanding more of me lately; ALOT MORE! The thing is that I'm normally a good guy who wants to get the job done and get it done right but when there are so many demands on you, you become stretched so thin that you can't do everything required or you don't do it to your satisfaction. This is where I'm at. On top of that, I'm so stressed from work that I'm not sleeping at night. I'm literally to the point that like Peter Gibbons in Office Space when he says "The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care." I've realized that no matter how much harder I work, I won't see another dime or earn extra time off. I can try to do the job and do it well but sooner or later, I have to let it go or it will drive me nuts. I love my family and I actually like my job but I can't keep running at this pace and especially without sleep. I haven't taken any vacation since Christmas and I'm ready to pop. I'll probably take a week in August even if I don't go anywhere. So you may not see anything from me for another month or until my vacation. OR I may end up using this more as my creative outlet and letting off steam. Anyone got suggestions on how to help me de-stress and sleep? By the way, you can buy the t-shirt in the picture at 80stees.com (if you're a fan of Office Space). Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:02:55 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=99 Awhile back, I posted a message about my brother CP and his new tattoo that he was getting. Of course, this goes without saying that its a work in progress. When I first posted, he had an outline of the Eagle on his chest but no color. Since then, he's provided an updated picture with more detail added to the eagle which shows some areas filled in. It's a nice piece of art but this last picture looks even more painful than the previous one. I'm sure it will look even better when its all done but man, the things we put our bodies through for art. I don't envy him on this one. Out of curiosity, what does everyone think it looks like? Check out the full size picture Mon, 12 May 2008 18:08:47 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=98 In my continuing quest to keep up with my bros (hence the name of this site), I like to report the occasional show for WHK (White Hot Knife). I'll give them a shout out and say "HEY". Anyway's, tomorrow night they'll be appearing at the Cobra Lounge in Chicago. Yes, it's a bit of trip for me to get there so I won't be able to make it but if you get the chance, check them out. They really are good. For those people that are interested, I do have a copy of their CD that I can send. I've even considered posting the songs here on the site but I don't want to infringe on their business. They have to make money just like everyone else. For those that are still wondering what my link to the band is, one of the band members is my bro CP. CP has been amazing! He has been the rockstar of the family. He's been with a couple bands including Corsaire, WHK, and Ike Reilly. He's also appeared on TV with VH1's World Series of Pop Culture. Him and his fiancee were known as "team smartypants" for the show. His stardome has been amazing and it just seems to keep getting better. Check them out if can. The show is free and you get to hear 2 bands. Take me to the WHK site Take me to the WHK music Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=97 Why do I do the genealogy research? Call it curiosity. Call it boredom. Call it answering the age old question of where did I come from. Either way, I enjoy the challenge of digging up the past and finding information on old relatives. When I was younger, I used to pretend to be a private detective who would solve mysteries. I loved the show Remington Steele starring Pierce Brosnan. As a teenager who grew up while this show was on, I was fascinated by the show for its mystery and Pierce's character who would relate the mystery to an old movie. He would use the old movie to draw a parallel between what happened in the old movie and what they were seeing. I loved the challenge of solving the mystery. So where is this going? I like to read the rootsweb newsletter (sent via email) that they send out every week. They have interesting tidbits on what people have found and offer insight into what we can use to help us in our search. The latest newsletter had an article about a woman who had found where a relative was buried and managed to get a headstone for his grave for free. It seems that the Veterans Administration offers free headstones for soldiers of the Civil war. If you can verify their service during the war, they will pay for a headstone to be placed where the individual is buried. This is fantastic news because the Hattaway cemetery has 3 Civil War soldiers; Alfred Baton Hattaway, Nathan Hattaway, and John M Hattaway. Currently, there are no grave markers in the cemetery other than some cement slabs. I would love to have 3 headstones put in the cemetery and especially for free. As the saying goes, "if its free, its for me." I'm also hoping that by having this post on my website, I might help someone else get a gravemarker for their relative. According to the rules of eligibility by the VA, anyone who was a soldier prior to 2006 and did not receive a dishonorable discharge is eligible for a free gravemarker. Happy Hunting and always enjoy the mystery. Take me to the eligibility rules Take me to the application form Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT http://www.hattawaybros.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=96 What's the old saying about Monkeys and Shakespeare? It's amazing what you can do with a room full of monkeys and some computers. I don't know if I've mentioned it in the past but my sister-inlaw has her own blog. She's had one in the past which I had a link to in the Links section. She recently changed over to a new blog service called tumblr.com. It's pretty nice. I can't say how the backend compares to the blogspot service but it seems more customizable for the user. There is also the ability to post youtube videos (which she's doing alot of lately) in addition to the usual things. The only drawback that I've seen is the lack of comments. The site doesn't offer a place for readers to enter comments on the stories she posts. She's been able to overcome that with a free service that she's added to the site called Disqus. In case you're wondering, her online name is Vika. It's Russian for "I like to blog". Joking. Seriously, it's Russian for Vicky. Be sure to check out the dorky video by my bro and his friends. They have some online video hosting service called Vimeo. You can upload a video of yourself singing a song and watch the match magic unfold. It's not a bad rendition but Andy needs to work on his Karaoke or just lip syncing ability. By the way, the shades don't help unless you want to be called Cory Hart (I wear my sunglasses at night). Check the VikaX blog Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT