Two-day

Well if you came here for a great read then you will be disappointed.

Not much is happening here. It seems like things are beginning to slow down or maybe it is just my thought processes. The days are simply passing without much to show for them.

I think that is why time seems to fly. Most days pass by normally so when something extraordinary happens you look back and think wow that was fast. I think we are blessed with losing track of time. The amount of time we actually have is a long time. Granted we do waste a majority of it, but what else are we going to do? Spend all day reading the labels on boxes. It is probably better than reading this and more healthy.

Well speaking of time, mine is up.

It is like a thinking cap, but without the thinking

Hello to all you heading out this morning,

I have this weird sensation in my head. It feels odd. It is like a cap inside my head. I know that the majority of you are saying, "That guys is crazy!" and the others are saying, "What does that mean?" I say in response, "I am not sure what it means. ABBAFDictakkae."

It feels like a covering is blocking my thoughts. Sort of like the tin foil hats for you out there. I feel like I am giddy and sick at the same time. I think that is why my memory feels out of sorts this morning. However, my memory is usually fuzzy at best, according to trusted sources.

Maybe I have been standing too close to the microwave. The kernels in my head are now popped like popcorn. Hopefully soon I will be butter.

Where do the weekends go?

Hello to all who have returned to the beginning of the week

Is it just me or is life a blur? It seems like just yesterday it was yesterday. Now it is today and soon it will be tomorrow.

I cannot even remember what I did this weekend. I think Wendy and I ran a few errands. I read a few books. Took a few naps.

It seems like all of a sudden it is Monday. How did that happen? I guess time flies when you are having fun or unconscious.

Minor annoyance that I don't understand

Hello to you sensitive ones. Oh please quit crying...

This phenomenon may be operator error, you guessed it me, but now when I type the cursor moves to another spot on the screen. Now you are thinking it is supposed to do that. Well yes...to the nexinkt spot over. The cursor is moving back into my text where I was. Then it throws off the sentence before. I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I don't th...It just did it there.....Prize to the one who figures out what I am talking about.

I am certain to a limited degree I am not hitting the any other key than the letter I trying to type. It is still jumping. I noticed this oddity the other night when I was trying to type another document.

It is pretty annoying. I get pretty annoyed at inconvenience anyway. Especially as it refers to me.

I would appreciate any advice someone has on the weird effect. Maybe it is me. I know I am not the best or most efficient typist. I have noticed that this keyboard is at times more sensitive.

There I am finished. That was not so bad, was it?

Isn't that Tweet?

Hello all you readers of all things online.

I am now on Twitter. I have joined all the whoever knows how many it is and signed up for an account. It is pretty interested. However, I am a long way from figuring out how to do it. I can find people. Maybe I don't know how to look, but the majority I look for are not on Twitter. I must be looking in the wrong places, because I cannot find anybody.

It seems to me to be a little boring. I see that people post a few random thoughts. Sounds familiar, huh? I guess I was expecting something great and wonderful...like learning the Colonel's secret recipe. However, I am only learning that at 5:22 the Colonel had a sandwich.

I am following a few people that I have heard and see have Twitter accounts. I am no where near the thousands that I have seen some people have, nor even close to the hundreds. Oh well.

I will keep on typing. You keep on ignoring.

Plan to love

Hello to you go getters and get goings

I recently read a book about how to find a meaningful career. It was recommended by a friend of Wendy. The name of the book is 48 Days To the Work You Love by Dan Miller. It was an interesting book.

Miller's main point is to have a passion and plan. These are two things I struggle with. I am not the most emotional person, except in a few instances. I do not really have any drive. Ii realize I should have more ambition. I tend to drift in the wind and follow. That is part of my problem with planning. I tend to exist in the moment. It is hard for me to think about what comes next. I admit I base most of my actions on what others are doing or will do.

I need to realize that goals are not just for soccer players. There is nowhere to go if you do not have the destination in mind.

It is important to set goals. That is my new goal. Even if I do not achieve that goal I have achieved something. Life is about finding what you love and then develop a plan to share that love.

I'm 50

Hello to all you who are weighting on me

They say there is strength in numbers and I think that refers to the number of requirements companies want in their employees.

I was looking at job descriptions the other day. It seems that every qualification for a career in some form of mail or delivery is to be able to lift 50 lbs. How did 50 lbs become the standard? In some ways it is not that heavy, but in other ways it is heavy. Sometimes even 20 lbs can seem heavy. I have worked around mail for a few years now and I have rarely seen anything that heavy. There is of course my fan mail.

I know that I am weak guy. Some people at work say that I have a little strength, but that is just because they don't want to lug the boxes themselves. There are plenty of people stronger than me. Just look at the weight machine before I get to it and then after. It always seems that the weight is set on almost as much as I weigh.

It is probably worth me working out more to increase my strength, so I can carry around all the money I want to make.

Binding deal

Hello to all you readers and auditors

This past weekend I was in a bookstore. It has been awhile since I have been in a bookstore. I enjoy reading. Most of the time I read to pass the time as I turn the page.

I often cannot tell you what I have read. It is more of a hobby than for educational value. I read fiction mainly. I do not know much about specific authors. I try to look for something that catches my eye. Either the cover or a title. Sometimes I look for a book on the subject that interests me for the day.

Back to the bookstore...most of the time I go to the library. Because the books are free. I do not see the point in buying books. It is a good idea to have a library, but for me I never refer back to my books. Maybe one day I will have a library. Anyway, the bookstores were full of books, which is the definition of a bookstore. Besides the books they had other commercial items. You have to reel them in.

I was amazed at the number of books. I wonder how many are actually read. Is it just people who became published and had their one shot at fame? Of course, there are the authors who stand the test of time and have many books credited to their names. They are the few who make a living at it. I imagine it was some form of a struggle to get started. I have problems coming up with a blog every once in awhile. I do not know how I would write 300 pages about characters and events.

The number of self help books amazes me. I would love to write a non self help book. Maybe something for discouraging people. I wonder if it would be a success. Most people tend to do the opposite of what you say. It has something to do with a stubborn streak. Perhaps I could capitalize on that. I would write a book about being a loser. Maybe one day, but for now I will just live it out.

Speaking with a list

Hello to all and some

Recently, according to my alibi, I was looking through my phone and e-mail contact list. I do not have many friends, receive e-mails, nor calls. Yet I have about twenty contacts. Some people are probably saying big deal, that is nothing. Nothing is pretty much the communication I have between people. I may have responded to these people at one time, but it has been awhile. Why do I not delete these unused names? Well it is more out of sight out of mind.

I never realize how much I have accumulated until I need to look for something. It is like that will a majority of things in my life. I seem to never throw anything anyway until a massive clean up day. I just set aside what I receive and forget about it. Then when I looking for something else I find all this. Then I may throw it away or just move it to a new location.

I would not say I am a pack rat it is just that I set something to the side and forget about it. Sometimes I do think I will use something and never do. Maybe instead of a pack rat, I am a stuffed mouse.

One thing I do not save are e-mails. Once I read (oh okay, skim) it, I get rid of them. Most of my e-mails are junk anyway. If the e-mail has a date I do at least keep it until the date is over.

Well, there is a list of my quirks and quacks. I know it is not exhaustive. You will have to talk to Wendy about all the bizarre behaviors I exhibit.

Weak-end

Happy Monday to all you workers of the week,

This past weekend flew by. I usually do not remember what happened during the weekend, and this was no exception. Friday night was a long night. Wendy and I after quitting time went to run some errands. We made a few purchases and killed a little time.

We got home a little after dark, check local listings or the surveillance video, and proceeded to go inside for a quiet evening. We open the door and try to block Metro, but he whizzed by us. Well there went our Friday night. We leave him outside, where he is not supposed to be and routinely check on him. Metro decides not to come in, he will get close enough to the door and then darts off. Just enough to get our hopes up. Hours pass by and it now 2:30 am. Still no Metro inside, we decide to go to bed. I peek outside one final time, but nothing.

Fast forward a few hours. I get up and do my morning routine. I look for Metro and do not see him. After awhile I see him on the back deck. I open a can of tuna and try and coax him. He eats the tuna, but does not come in. I was able once to get my hand on his head, but he backed off hissing. He darts off for a few more hours.

Finally I see Metro propping himself on the front door. I walk slowly to the door, thinking it will be a repeat of him running away. However, to my surprise, he walks right inside. I guess 12 hours of being outside was enough. It was enough for us. Now he is back inside and just laying around and eating.

So Saturday was pretty much rest up from the late Friday night. We did not do much. I think we ran a few errands, but most of it I was asleep. Then Sunday was church and lunch with a friend...and more rest.

Now it is Monday. I may be caught up with rest, just in time for the week.

Spring in my step

Hello to all who use seasonings

Well it appears this is the first day of spring. It is actually a beauty. I was worried it was going to be cold. It is rather enjoyable. I have escaped the desk a little bit and have taken part in the nice weather.

It is Friday also. Soon it will be a time of relaxation. Work has been quiet, so we have been doing some spring cleaning.

Enjoy the weather, whether you like it or not.

Hide in the corner

Okay, one more depressor and I will be quiet,

I think that I am becoming anti-social. I was never a real people person to begin with. Now I like people and I think we need them. Maybe I realize that they do not need me.

The further in life I go, the more it seems people are strange. It is almost like they do weird things and get on my nerves.

It always seem like people just concentrate on the same thing. I know I am guilty of it, but society is so repetitive. I do not enjoy hearing the same thing multiple times. We are a need civilization also. Sometimes I cringe when people approach or think "Oh, boy. What now?" I also get tired of all the pleasantries. It can be annoying when people say hello to everyone, even if he has seen that person five times already.

The "Hi. How are you doing?" can get on my nerves. It seems to me to just be a greeting. The person is usually not interested beyond a one world response. Now I know that was a mass generalization and some people are interested and caring. The majority just are caught in a routine. Perhaps I have no manners, that could be true.

I wish I could just hide away and never be bothered. However, I would probably be bored in about five minutes. The sad thing is I need people to keep me going. Someone has to run my life for me.

Well I hope my trilogy of tragedy is over. The bright news is it is almost the weekend.

Tasteless

Feast your eyes on this....

Wendy always gives me a hard time because I eat so fast. I do not know why I do this. I do not that I am under any time guidelines.

I just like to eat fast. The only thing I do not eat fast are salads. It does take me a long time to eat them. I guess I have to pick at them.

As I drink anything, I tend to gulp it. Even when a drink is expensive, I tend to gulp it down.

I get rid of things in a hurry. Maybe that is why I can never remember what I had for dinner. Maybe it was beef?

I guess you could say I have no taste.

Useless information

Dear all,

It has been one of those days. I cannot get satisfied. I feel out it. Nothing bad is happening, but nothing good either.

I feel that everything I am touching someone else can do a better job. I feel ready to move on but to what I do not know. I know I am not usually this introspective, but Wendy and I have been weighing options and discussing the future. If you have any plans for us, please let us know. We are open for options.

I know that I do not have it bad in the scope of things, but I still feel I am suffering. I will end this now, so you do not have to suffer.

Ahead of myself

Dear day to day dreamers

Most people would accuse me of wasting my life. Constantly I am thinking that it is a day later than it actually is. Fortunately, it has not caused me to miss anything. I do not have much to do, except for a few important dates. Often I say to people that it feels like Friday, enough though it is Tuesday. Sometimes the days seem so long that it should be about three wrapped into one. On a weird note, occasionally at the end of the week I think that it is the beginning of the week.

I think I know what throws me off about the days. When I am looking forward to something or have plans later in the coming weeks I want that day to be here. If I know I have something going on I will try and jump ahead a few days. Most of the days seem long, but when you look at the month by weekends it flies by.

At work we get paid bi-monthly which makes me look forward to the middle of the month and the end of the month. When bills come out right after I get paid it is easy to look ahead two weeks.

Pencil me into your calendar. I make a great date.

Hand it to me

Can you see me waving at you?

The cold weather is rough on my hands. I do not have soft hands to begin with, but when the cold weather hits my hands get very chapped. My knuckles especially. They became scaly and rough. It makes my knuckles discolored. Then they become crack and begin to bleed. I should put more lotion on my hands than I do.

Or I could always hope for warmer weather.

Line up for food

Where you ate?

Tonight with Wendy out of town I was left to eating on my own. I met a friend for dinner and we went to a Chinese restaurant. It was a buffet. I will have to admit it was a pretty good buffet. The buffet was pretty the size of my living room.

I like buffets. I do not eat at them often. Sometimes they can be expensive. It also seems like a buffet is always ten dollars. When I do eat at buffets I have a regimen. My first plate is usually a salad. Then I get a plate of the main courses. I get a little bit of everything. If the place does not have a salad my next plate is fruit. Then I get dessert. I love the soft serve ice cream. The best part is the toppings.

I like the choices of buffet style, even though I usually get the same thing. In most restaurant settings I usually vary between two items. Each time I go I try to alternate what I get and that way I can have both of my featured items. It is ironic that I have many choices, but always include the same choices.

Eat your heart out.

Misplaced feelings

Hello to all the people I have once known

Have you ever put something somewhere to keep it safe and then cannot remember where you put it? I have done that recently. There was a slip of paper that Wendy and I had in a book. Then I took it out one day to put it somewhere more safe. Or so I thought. Now I cannot remember where I placed it. I have looked in the normal "not spots."

The good news is that I usually find what I previously looked for when I quit looking for it.

Maybe one day I will find a point to this blog.

D-rain

Hello to all those wet and wild

I do not know about your area, but here it has been a washout. The only good thing is that the temperatures have not been too cold. It has been raining here for the past three days. I think that it is supposed to taper off sometime today.

The rain has never been pounding hard. It is one of those messy rains. As we are driving it will be a decision on when to use the wipers. It would collect on the windshield, but would not be enough for the wiper continuously. Not much is worse than the sound of a wiper on the dry windshield.

The rain is not consistent. For a few minutes it would be heavy and then nearly quit. Then it was back to heavy. As we were driving yesterday it even seemed like what street we were on increased or decreased our visibility.

It is a new week so I think the weather will improve.

From one soggy bottom to another...

Last night we were at a gathering of friends who had five children all under four.

Adults Constanting Chattering

Dear sports fans of the hoops, not doing the hula

It is that time of year again. The Madness of March. Here in NC that means bragging if your team wins and complaining if you team loses. People are rooting for their favorite team or the team that they think their team can beat. Pools, not the cement ponds, will be created and people will speak in {brackets}. Televisions will be on constantly as people view and discuss scoring techniques.

I am not much of a sports fan. I will watch the occasional game, if I am with sports fan. I do not have a favorite team. There are teams I want to see win more than others. In the view of things I am happy if a team from the ACC wins the championship, being from NC of course.

I did not watch any of the ACC tournament yet, but I did see in the paper the scores. What is the deal? The scores were very close. I know that makes it exciting to some people, but I am sure it gave the winning teams fans stress. Most of the games were within five points. There was already an upset and that was by the largest margin of points, nine.

You would think that the higher rank teams would play better, but it does not always work that way. That is why they play the game. It only takes a bad night and the higher rank team goes home until next year.

I hope your team wins, unless I don't like them. So nngh! Don't be a playa hata.

TV or Not TV

Dear various viewers

Is it just me or is there not much on television these days and nights? We can get over 200 hundred channels and nothing is still worth watching. Most of the channels are repeats of one another. We have digital cable and about 20 channels are the same but in high definition. Unfortunately, we do not get them. We have to update our box and have not done so yet.

We also have DVR service with our cable. We record a variety of programs, but we do not watch them. Wendy and I think that sounds interesting so we record it, but then never get around to watching it. Then weeks later we delete it as we clean out the list. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy DVR service because there are times when it comes in handy. It is nice to fast forward thru commercials and watch an hour show in forty minutes. I wish the work day was like that.

It seems that everything is infomercials. They start earlier at night and last longer into the morning. Or networks will run one show over and over. It may be a good show, but if I am a consistent viewer then I have probably seen that episode.

Enjoy the view. At least if you have no friends the person on the screen will talk to you. They might they to sell you something however.

Heat waves goodbye

Well my suntanned friends

Our mini burst of natural heat is over. The 70 degree temps are disappearing for a few days. It is slowly getting colder. I think there is a good chance it will rain for the next few days. Just in time for the weekend.

I suppose we could use the rain and the cold weather as an excuse to cuddle.

Tech that

Hello viewers

Yesterday I had a long day. It was an okay day. At work I sat in front of my computer most of the day. That is pretty rare for me, usually I am running around the building. I spent the majority of yesterday working with a file for a mailing. I hope to be finished with it today so I can work on another large mailing.

While I am work, Wendy calls and says her dad received a new modem for DSL service her parents ordered. Wendy's parents updated their phone service, went to a satellite, and now have DSL. The only problem was that her dad was unable to get the Internet working properly. To calm her dad down and be a good daughter Wendy agrees to go visit her parents to see if she can get the modem working. Wendy is pretty good at figuring out those technical problems. Her dad was getting pretty frustrated at his inability to get on the Internet.

So after work we ride over to her parents' house. We stopped to see her nephew, Ryan, who turned one yesterday. Once we arrived at her parents' house we investigate why the modem does not work. Everything looks plugged in correctly and the lights are functioning. However, the Internet is not working. It does not seem to be communicating. We fiddle with the cords, we try to do a reinstall, but nothing. While Wendy and I are trying to figure out the modem, her parents are flipping through over 150 new channels.

After getting no connection, I decide to call for tech support. Her dad had tried to call tech support earlier, but did not get anywhere with them. I call the tech support number and am on hold for over ten minutes. I realize I am off to a bad start. Finally someone answers. It sounds like a nice young woman. I was surprised that she did not have foreign accent, like so many of the tech support operators. She walks me through a manual install of the modem. It takes a few visits to a website and we were riding the Information Superhighway. I have been on tech support calls for hours, instead of the ten minutes I was on there.

Wendy spends some time with her father tutoring him on the essentials. She sets him up a e-mail address, shows him how to visit websites, and how to save his favorite websites. I imagine she might get a phone call or two today from her father about something he wants to do online.

Lookout world, Wendy's parents are connected and watching.

Fashion a test pattern

Hello to all you weary wearers

I know that I am not one to talk about fashion or write about it for that matter, but I am wondering what is going on? Is it me or are the clothes today bizarre?

For our two year anniversary I gave Wendy a gift card to a clothing store. I figured that would be much better than picking her something to wear. We went over to the mall after work to see what my limited dollar amount of a gift card would bring. The store I purchased the gift card is in my view, expensive. Of course, I think a lot of things are expensive. Most of the clothes in the store would soak up the gift card after one item.

Fortunately, Wendy is a great shopper and had a coupon. She takes her time and deliberates on each item. It can be time consuming, but she makes the right decision. Wendy was able to pick up a new outfit, thanks to the gift card and coupon, for eight dollars. For all you penny watchers, we were able to pay cash. It is rare that we have cash, but that is another story.

As I was watching Wendy peruse the wears, I noticed the styles of clothing. Now granted I do not buy clothes. I think the last outfit I purchased Wendy made me get rid of. Now I do not walk around naked, people give me my clothes. I get most of my outfits at Christmas. Back to the patterns, I must be a plain clothes guy. I wear a lot of solid colors. Probably people would say that I am boring. However, all the clothes in this store had, to me, bizarre patterns and bright colors. Or they were styles that tried to be vintage. I guess most of the styles were to hang out in. Probably I did not recognize them because I do not do much hanging out.

It does seem to me that the more expensive the price the more bizarre the clothing looks. I guess it takes a lot of fabric to produce such intricate designs. For me, bring on the basics. However, I do wear whatever is available. I do not have good enough fashion sense to mix and match. I will stick to wearing what has been given to me by the fashion experts in my life.

Here is hoping you have a grand design, that did not cost you a grand.

Happy anniversary to the one I marry

Today is the two year anniversary of the marital union between Wendy and me. It was two years ago that Wendy and tied the knot. We vowed to stay together and love another. It has been and is a wonderful experience.

I am grateful to Wendy for putting up with me. I know that I am not the easiest person to live with. Wendy helps to get me out of the house and keeps me up past 7 pm, well most of the time.

One of these days I will be able to get Wendy something better than a post on a blog no one reads. She will be on a blog that one person reads. The only thing that a cheap guy like me can offer is "I love you."

Here is to another many years.

Time for a time change

Hello to all you clock watchers

Over the weekend we were able to participate in daylight savings time. Since it is spring, nearly, it was time to spring forward. That means we get to move the clock ahead one hour. Most people see it as losing an hour, especially since it happens at 2 am Saturday morning. I wonder what is special about 2 am that it is the hour the time always moves forward or backward. So if you went to bed late, you lost an hour of sleep.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could manipulate time when we wanted? We could move the hour forward or backward. It would be nice to move time forward when we are at work to the end of the day. Or backward if there is something we enjoyed. I guess we somewhat can with our televisions, through DVR or TIVO.

This weekend went by in a blur. I must have been trying to store up sleep. I woke up Saturday morning during my usual hour, but then went right back to sleep. I slept off and on during the day. I took a nap in the morning, a nap in the afternoon, and a nap at night. Then went to bed. Sunday I also rested.

This will be a busy week professionally and personally. At work we are having staff week, with a bunch of meetings and I have large mailings to go out. Then this weekend it seems that everyone we know has asked us to do something.

Do we get rollover minutes? I guess that is what the snooze button is for.

Hot stuff!

Dear surfers in the heat wave

Around this area it has been for the past two days nice and warm. I think the highs have by close to the 80 degree mark. I am glad it is here. I think in a couple of days it will go back down, but for now the heat is on.

Fortunately, not the heat in my house. It has been warm enough that the heat system has not needed to come on. That has been a welcome silence.

Light up my life

It is electric, boogie woogie

Well, Wendy and I have a new light fixture in our house. Previously we had a gold fixture with five bulbs hanging over the dining table. It can also be referred to as a small chandelier. Wendy did not like it because it was gold and to her tacky.

During the few days that Wendy was gone to babysit her nephew, she called as I sitting around reading or watching television. At that time, she was at LOWES, the home improvement store, looking for new light fixtures. For a long time she wanted a ceiling fan to replace the gold chandelier. However, these items are pretty pricey if you want a nice one. After a few phone calls, Wendy decided on a new chandelier. The one she picked was inexpensive, looked good, and matched our decor. It is dark bronze, with five lights and their own frosted glass globes.

So after a few days of having the box sit in our living room, Wendy decided she wanted the light fixture hung. We decided today was the day to do it. I had contacted my friend Charles, who is a handy guy, to assist in the project. I would have had no idea what to do. At work I have done some electricity work, replacing a ballast in their light fixtures. As I was waiting for Charles to arrive this morning, I did figure how to take down the previous fixture. Charles arrived and was able to make light work of the fixture. He adjusted, weaved, and hung. Now we have light. The only difference because the light fixture is that the old one was on a dimmer. The new one is on or off. I am not sure if we need to get different bulbs or a different dimmer switch for it to work. Oh well, another project for another day.

Well keep your light shining.

Art-triste

Hello to all you hanging around and admiring the view

I was thinking the other day that I wish I was more creative. I would love to be able to draw or write in complete sentences. I have been looking at this website called comics.com. It is filled with cartoon strips. It is pretty interesting reading and viewing. Drawing the comics and coming up with story lines is a lot of work. I wonder how most of them do it. The good news is that the ones who are successful get paid pretty well.

I think it would be neat to be well known for something (positive and entertaining) to travel around and get paid to promote yourself. I have always admired those consultant types. You can get paid pretty well, set your hours, and you are your own boss. Of course most are entertaining.

Unfortunately, to deter my future career in creativity, I am not that talented. I cannot draw a straight line so a career in cartooning is out. I do not really like to write, so a writing career is out. Plus I do not enjoy reading my own work nor am I good with grammar. I type horribly and leave words out of my sentences, as you astute readers may recognize. I never enjoyed writing assignments in school. I think this blog is a little bit different because not many people read it. It would be neat to be a speaker, but I have a hard time talking in front of crowds. I appear to myself to be nervous and not well prepared.

I would love to do voice over work or be a writer for some radio show or sketch show, but my ideas are limited. One can enjoy something without being equipped to prepare it.

Well until I make my millions (to pay higher taxes) I will be writing my meandering thoughts here instead of the public.

Oh what a tangled web kittens weave...Or sew what?

Dear pet lovers and makers of mischief

Wendy may recount this story on her blog and do it better than I will, but here is my shot...

I usually get up in the mornings earlier than Wendy because I fall asleep earlier than she does. So this morning I go downstairs, yeah we have them, step up, and do my morning routine of reading and watching television. About six o'clock I hear Metro knock something over near one of the chairs. I do not really pay attention. I see that it is a spool of thread. The previous night Wendy had the sewing kit out and was doing some repairs.

In the back of mind after I saw the spool on the floor, I thought I should pick that up. But in one way out the other. I continue reading and watching television. Later I proceed upstairs to wake up Wendy and I feel something tug on my leg. I am thinking what is this? I feel around the floor and find thread! I realize that the kittens have knocked the thread around the floor.

So I find a point in the thread. It is not the beginning or end, but the middle and I make way pulling on the thread to find one source. The thread was wrapped around the stairs, behind the sofa, behind the television, and wrapped around the table. The spool itself was under the table. So I retrieve the spool and warp the thread back around the spool. It took tugging and investigating to figure out how it was wrapped around things. I would guess the amount of thread I respooled was fifteen feet, granted they might be small feet.

Well that is some of the story, that I can remember. The moral of the story is...If something is in the middle of the floor, pick it up then. Or it is going to take more time to pick it up. Especially if you have some form of animals or small children (even large adults can be included).

Enjoy your day, I say.

Off to the right foot

Hello to all you high steppers

The past couple of days my right leg has been sore. The pain comes off and on. It is difficult to go from standing still to walking. When I start of walking I feel like I am limping. My right foot sometimes looks like it is facing toward my body rather than straight ahead.

I am not sure what I did to be sore. I know that Wendy and I have been exercising more. I would think that would make us more flexible. I could be the opposite and the more I do something the worse I get. I am not the most flexible person to begin with, body and schedule.

I have had pains in the right side of my body several times over the years. Sometimes worse than others. I have seen a few doctors and not much has been determined. I did learn that I have a marker in my body that in some people can lead to arthritis.

With all my problems, at least I am all right.

Coupons...come on

Hello to all you savvy shoppers

Wendy and I went to the grocery the other day. It was our payday and payout day. We needed to fill the cupboards so we could fill our stomachs. It is amazing that we usually plan it just right that we run out of everything around the pay periods. Of course by then we have already eaten all the good stuff.

We are all the grocery doing the usual of filling the cart and heading to the checkout. The cashier does her thing of scanning the items and tells us the total. Wendy and I had some coupons, which did their thing of knocking some of the price down. It was pretty satisfying seeing the price decrease by ten dollars.

I guess we do not do too bad at grocery shopping, but it seems we cannot get out of the store without spending over a $100. I know it could be worse, it could be better. Thinking about it we only go shopping about two times a month, so it is not horrible. Sometimes the $100 buys more, sometimes it buys less.

Back to the coupon discussion, they seem to be for a lot that Wendy and I do not need. There are pages upon pages and we can get out ten single coupons at the most. We still look through them. Wendy does well at the coupon cutting. Sometimes it is hard to use coupons because you have to buy such a large quantity of the item to receive the discount. I do not want to buy three things at three dollars to say one dollar. Unless of course it is a hundred dollar bill.

Wendy and I do buy a lot of the generics or store brands. Most of the time we do not notice a difference, except in the savings.

So clip away and be on the lookout for the deals.

Sure plays a mean pinball

Hello to all you paddlers along life's stream

Yesterday was a rough day. It seemed like everything I was involved in went downhill.

My mouse at work malfunctioned. The cursor would move, but I could not click anything. After a few minutes struggling, I was able to push hard to get it to click. Fortunately the IT department had spares so I was able to be pointing and clicking.

I had to wait for a delivery to finish a project I was working on. The other afternoon I ran out of ink cartridges and had to wait for some in stock. the cartridges came and I was able to begin working on the project. Then my printer kept jamming and would not accept the envelope. Also it kept pulling two envelopes so it would print one and blank one.

However, the day is over. It is a new day, but the same me. Usually I am oblivious to the outside stimuli of the world, but yesterday I did feel like a pinball being shot around. I felt like I was bumping into everything and then paddled back into the game. I may have gone through the day at tilt, so I am ready for a new game.

The good news is I can make funny noises and light up things around me.

Weather Wondering-what-is-going-on-land

Well we did have the day off yesterday

The snow caused us to be homebound for a few hours. It was not as bad as the last time we had snow. I went out and knocked the snow off the cars. It was basically fluff.

I met my boss at the building around 12:30 pm to prepare the walkways for the next day. It was not back at all. The majority had already melted and the work was simply sliding the residue off the sidewalk. The roads were pretty clear and traffic was light. Which is good because I do not consider myself a great driver even in perfect conditions.

We did get out and raise a racket at the Y. The Y was closing early due to the onset of below freezing temperatures. We got a pretty good workout in, but not necessarily a good game of racquetball.

We will see how it goes this morning. Temps were supposed to be very low. I hope there is not any icees on the road in my brief commute. Save those for the cups.

I hear that in a few days it will be in the 70s again. Better break out the bell bottoms.

s-NO-w

Well snowbirds, it did it...

Most of the white stuff came tumbling down. I did not it falling, but I see the evidence. I am not sure when it started, but it already stopped by 4 am here. It delayed and closed a few school systems. At this time I have not heard any word about our workplace. I guess we will have to go out and cruise the cold.

Unfortunately, I will have to get out and clean up the mess. Snow is nice to look at, as long as I do not have to observe it personally. I know that those who shovel snow on a continuous basis agree. Unless you get a huge bonus for this work then you are happy to see it come.

Well I guess sometime we are all snowmen, uh, except for the ladies who are snow angels.

Enjoy the snow, either outside playing in it or after it is gone.

Bringing life to the dead

Hello to all with morning breath

The other day if you turned on your television, flipped a page or fired up your computer you saw that legendary commentator Paul Harvey died. He lived to be 90 and sounded like he was still active. I admit that I had not heard from him in years. I have heard briefly some of his "Rest of the stories." Most of the radio programming I listened to did not have his broadcasts.

I was thinking that if you were famous at one time, the amount of your fame wanes. Then something happens, in this case death, and you are back in the news. Unfortunately, the now mentioned, formerly alive person is not around to enjoy it. But, I guess that person still made the news. It seems that famous (now and then) celebrities get recognized for their former life.

I suppose we take people for granted when they are with us. It does take them leaving for us to realize how much they mean to us. Fortunately, I have not experienced much death with those I know and I am not dead myself, but often I do take for granted those in my life and those formerly in my life.

All we have in life is time. The past, present, and future are all made of time. Of course we can only effect one of them. Unless you watch a bunch of movies. You can either enjoy it now or spend your time wanting something different. Make the most of what you have and who you have.

Rest in peace, Paul Harvey and I hope your story has a happy ending.