Steven Berg

Berg Family Christmas – 2011 – A Dedication to My Son, Austin!

Steven Berg — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:34:43 +0000

Since I’m only able to see my son twice a month for two hours at a time, it took me about a month to compile these pics and create this video.

Protected: Dear Sara – Oh I How Loathe Thee! Let Me Count the Ways!

Steven Berg — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:46:36 +0000

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December 8, 2011

Steven Berg — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:55:50 +0000

Megabus #480

Cell phone left there

Christmas Flash Mob

Steven Berg — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:28:51 +0000

I found this flash mob on You Tube recently. I STILL tear up every time I watch it.

http://youtu.be/SXh7JR9oKVE

Protected: Joint Custody Evalution (secret) Recording

Steven Berg — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:04:14 +0000

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Friday, July 22, 2011 — Happy Birthday, Austin!!!

Steven Berg — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:25:24 +0000

Exactly five years ago yesterday, at about this exact same time, I took my then pregnant and then wife, Sara to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. She had been complaining of contractions for a few hours and knew it was time to go. After several grueling hours (well, only about 6 or 7), we were the proud parents of a beautiful new baby boy, Austin William. For the very first time, he had witnessed the odd sensation of dryness, the sound of his own screams, and the wondrous glow of flourescent lighting.

It’s sad to say, but this would be the first and (so far) the last time that Austin and his beloved and devoted daddy would be together on his birthday. Neither of us suspected that 10 months later, his mother would unilaterally decide to tear us apart.

July 22, 2006

Austin and I have only been able to be together every other Sunday for two measly hours at third-party family community center where our visits are supervised. I broke my foot/heel a few weeks ago and have been hobbling around on crutches ever since. I have also been staying with my parents in Rockford, IL for most of the summer here. They very gracisoulsy frove me up to Minnesota last Sunday in order for me to be able to spend time with Austin. I was able to bring him a couple really cool new toys, (a Thomas electric train track and a Cars electronic learning toy). He loved them both and it kept us occuppied for the entire time.

I know that the arrangement we have is pathetic and I am working as hard as I can to get things changed, but it’s just going to take some time, effort, and money. (In addition to having to take Sara back to court, I’ll probably also be suing Hennepin County for mishandling our custody evaluation — I’ve got the evidence to prove it, too, which I’ll be posting in separate posts on this and other blogs).

In the meantime, if anyone would like to send my baby boy birthday wishes either through an electronic card or whatever, he can be reached via his mother’s email address at: sarae624@gmail.com or snail mail at: 13608 Fernando Avenue, Apple Valley, MN 55124. (It doesn’t matter whether you know him or not! I just know he would love it!).

For those reading this, take care and God bless!!

Austin - 12-17-2010

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Steven Berg — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:00:48 +0000

Went to Heartland Church with both my sister AND my dad today! The message was very good. I’m impressed my dad came with us.

It was a beautiful day. Later, my dad and mom and I went over to Moch’s house for a cookout. We weren’t there for very long at all.

Spent a lot of time trying to learn how to create web parts in SharePoint 2010. I’ve been having some moderate success, but have still been running into some roadblocks now and then.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Steven Berg — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:49:41 +0000

7:53AM

So, I've resigned myself to just waiting out the next couple hours here at Union Station in Chicago until the Van Galder bus leaves here at 10:30. I'm sitting here outside of a McDonald's watching all the casual Friday commuters pouring in from the trains underneath me. It's very interesting, actually. I'd be curious to know how many people will have passed by me during this rush hour. It's quite amazing, actually. Now there's a huge bottleneck at the escalators going up to the street level.

I WAS thinking about taking a Metra train over to O'Hare so I can catch the Van Galder bus from there since the schedules from there are much more frequent. But, I can't figure out which train/track or whatever I'm supposed to go on. I remember coming down here quite a bit when I was working for PPI back in the 90's. I was one of these poor mopes. (OMG, some guy just walked by with a white cowboy hat; thinking that e actually fits into the mix. Of course, I'm one to talk with my broken "computer-bag-on-wheels."

I'm getting exhausted now. It was a horrible ride from Minneapolis. I had to share the seat next to me with someone for most of the ride. When I got on in Minneapolis, I sat next to this poor woman who was coming back from Montana, had been on the bus forever, and was planning on getting off at Tomah at 12:30 in the morning. From there, she was going to wait 9 some hours in order to meet up with her boyfriend in Wisconsin Dells. When I told her that the stop at Tomah was really nothing but a McDonald's there, and that I wasn't sure if it was even open 24 hours or not. But, what floored me even more, is that the distance between Tomah and the Dells was only about 40 minutes! I told her she could have walked there and made it sooner than had she waited the 9 hours. I guess what floored me EVEN MORE is that she also told me she had lived in the area all her life. In any event, the driver heard us talking and announced that he would make a special stop in the Dells.

It's 8:43 now. I've been here in Chicago for 3 hours now. I'm over-tired. (What does that word even mean, actually?)

Today is Sara's birthday. She's 34.

“How’s Everything Tasting?”

Steven Berg — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 02:13:33 +0000

“How’s everything tasting?”

I’m convinced. There’s a nefarious conspiracy afoot, and, it’s occurring right before or eyes in every major restaurant chain in America.

Am I the only one out there that has noticed this most annoying trend in food service lately? I remember, oh, way back when, like sometime during the “I-Hate-Bush-Becauase-He’s-The-Worst-President-Ever-Even-Though-I-Don’t-Know-Why-or-Even-Really-Care-But-Since-All-My-Friends-Hate-Him-I-Feel-Like-I-Should-Too” era, or even when people actually still liked Tiger Woods, servers at restaurants, I mean ALL restaurants were in the habit of stopping at your table with fake grin and would ask, “How IS everything?”

(As I just wrote that, a real soothing, calming effect came over me; nostalgic remembrances of “the good ol’ days” when my waiter or waitress was genuinely concerned about my overall experience at their fine or not-so-find establishment. That refreshing question allowed me the freedom to comment, not only on the food, (which, is probably much more likely to get a favorable performance rating otherwise, I would have probably gone somewhere else), then say something a bit more controversial like, oh, I don’t know, THE CRUMMY SERVICE, THE FILTHY BATHROOM, THE RUDE, AND LOUD TABLE NEXT TO ME, THE FOUL AND MYSTERIOUS STENCH EMINATING FROM THE KITCHEN, etc., etc., etc.

But, today, when I go to my beloved and well-trusted “neighborhood grill,” Applebee’s, instead of my all-too-cheery server asking me whether or not my entire dining experience that they are providing for me is satisfactory, (“Could you PLEASE turn the speakers down just a bit? I wasn’t envisioning my first date with this girl to include Barbara Streisand’s throat bellowing into her ear such that her only impression of me would be watching my mouth move.), they are only asking about the FOOD!

“How is everything tasting?” The very nature of this question is Machiavellian. My server KNOWS that I only want to provide him or her with a very quick, yet polite answer in order to brush him off quickly. However, in that moment, I am ONLY allowed to provide a positive response. Nevermind, that my food showed up ten minutes late, that I never even saw the server until I had to ask for service from someone else randomly passing by.

Now, when it’s time to pay up and I have pen in hand and I’m about ready to write in the tip amount, what is on the forefront of my memory, my responses to his innocent yet insidious query, “How is everything tasting?” “Oh! Just great, thank you!”

As I move my thoughtful eye away from the attractive sconce in the upper left-hand corner of my view back down to the receipt, I find myself writing a $65.00 total on $50.00 tab, but not really realizing it until I’m driving home by myself . . .

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Steven Berg — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:11:32 +0000

Surreal. It was definitely a very surreal day for me today. My sister, Sue, who used to be one of my biggest critics for getting serious about church and God many, many years ago, today brought me to the church she has been going to; Heartland Church here in Rockford.

So, what’s up with the irony? I remember, maybe 20 some years ago, becoming so spiritually awakened myself. I had just realized the tragic and indisputable fallacies of the false religion our mother had so naively, yet lovingly raised us to believe in; and yet, I had no idea how to communicate this without offending anyone.

Without the awareness of my own family, there was a genuine conversion of my own heart in the summer of 1986 while I was with my family in the suburbs of Washington DC while serving as a drive-thru cashier at Wendy’s. – Both Sue and I were working there at the same time. We had the same hours and schedule. They placed her up front and they point me at the drive thru. Neither of us ever had to deal directly with the food. Only with the customers and their money.

The alternative rock band, bourgeois tagg had a cassette tape that Sue and I just played over and over again (a tape that I, oddly enough, still possess). In the secret moments that I had, I found myself listening to that music and reading the New Testament from the Good News Bible that someone from First Covenant Church in Rockford had given me. I read it from a fresh, brand new perspective; as if I had never read it before in my life. It was then, outside of the distorted and twisted perspective that the Watchtower and the Jehovah’s Witness religion had placed upon it, that I really began to understand WHO Jesus and JEHOVAH REALLY were!! And, what I saw was, that the JESUS of the BIBLE was NOT the JESUS of the WATCHTOWER! – - -

Unfortunately, to this day, that means devastation to our dear mother.