Apology accepted

Hello to all who were wrong and now right

I just read the book The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Margaret McBride. It was all about the use of apology in business and in life. Apparently these authors are speakers on manager techniques. The other three one minutes proposals are: one minute goals, one minute praises, and one minute reprimands.

This book was able the cost of mistakes. It is written in narrative form about an assistant whose boss makes a mistake which could bring down the company. The board is very upset and the boss is arrogant. The story was hokey and cliche in some parts. The assistant just happened to have a friend/mentor who was a career coach and invite him to a family gathering during the July 4th weekend. However, the truths of the book are good. In the end everyone has an epiphany and everything works out.

The premise of the book is that when a person makes a mistake, he should immediately offer an apology. That is the only way to restore the relationship. It is not good enough just to say "I'm sorry," but the person must offer true feelings. There must be a change of behavior. Actions must carry the words.

A person who has been wronged can ask for an apology. This seems weird to me, but makes sense. What has the person to lose? If the offender did not know and apologizes the relationship is restored. If the offender does not apologize then the person asking forgiveness did not lose anything. It all depends on how important the relationship is. The more important the relationship the more work will have to be put into it. If you do not care about the person, then you do not care what he does.

The first part about restoring a mistake is being honest. A person must be honest with himself in recognizing a mistake is made. It could have been an action taken or even not acting in a situation. If a person is not honest about himself, he will not see the need to change. A person must be honest about the situation. Recognition comes before responsibility and then restoration.

Integrity is the next component. Once a person is honest, he will know whether he wants that to be his behavior. If it is not the behavior desired, then change it. Then the person is free to make amends. This seems hard because integrity is the part that everyone sees. You can hide honesty because it starts with thought, but you cannot hide your actions long. Many people consider integrity important, but few people live it. The book shows that we can live with integrity because we have the love we need already. Many people try to achieve love by gain and not by gifts. Granted there are some people who do not share their love unless conditions are met. You can either work with them or leave them. It can be a hard decision.

One interesting story in the book was told by a minister. He closed his sermon with a story about playing Monopoly with his grandmother. His grandmother always beat him until one game. Then the grandmother teaches the boy a life lesson. "It always goes back in the box." This means no matter how much you accumulate in life in the end you are only left with your self worth. People may remember what you had, but they will remember more how you were.

Something to think about and I am sorry about rambling...

It is all in the con-text

Hello all you tech bubbles.

Is it just me or is technology all around us? I suppose you cannot even go to the bathroom without some form of technology. I am grateful for this. It is amazing all the innovations that we have today. Most are helpful, some have been created to be harmful. People have made a great deal of money because they had the foresight to be ahead of the technology.

Today I think we are living in a time when we cannot go without technology. It helps our lives immensely. We would be completely lost. There are inventions today that we take for granted that previous generations had never even heard of. We can watch television and talk to people away from our house!

These technological advances come with a price. We are in a new age. I call it the Dork Ages. If this has already been created, then oh well. I am doing what I normally do and write without all the facts. I call it the Dork Ages because we are so reliant on technology for everyday tasks. Nearly all the population has access to some form of personal communication. It is interesting because most of the personal communication is done many miles away from an actual person. If the person is in the same room that you want to contact, it is easier to talk to them through a device. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy these forms of contact. Even though for me they are far in between. I also enjoy the time killing of getting online and being able to do "research".

I think that the Dork Ages are bringing down our generation. I am a somewhat young person and I admit we are screwing up the world. I am sure there are other circumstances that are bringing our world down, but the only evidence I see is us. I admit I want everything I can get without working for it. It is amazing to me all the knowledge and energy that previous generations had. They could run circles around me. Then those in the hover chairs will just run over me.

I think we are living of the past generations. What great wonders have we come up with lately? Hmmm, devices that make it so we don't have to see each other. Contact without the messiness of people.

I know this post has been full of generalizations and errors, but I think a few nuggets of truth escaped. Well I have to go check if anyone wrote me, check my favorite cartoons, and microwave my breakfast...all while watching a recorded show. Of course I am forwarding through the commercials.

Ain't life grand, even if it costs that much?

Curious?

Dear Question marks and I hope you find the answer

I was thinking that I will never make into the big time. It seems that everyone who becomes successful has a drive. My is in park. It also seems they have a sense of wonder. I have a sense of wonder what in the world is going on.

I think one of the best qualities in life to have is the ability to question and come up with a good answer. If you do not really seek an answer then you are just complaining. Granted everyone is good at that. It is those that come up with answers that become a success.

I admit I have the sour grape syndrome...It is can't be done quickly, then is it worth doing? I guess that is the beauty of time, if you are still alive then you have got some.

Answer me that one.

Running out of things to say

Well to all of you sneaking around,

I have been trying to think of something to write about for the past little bit, but cannot think of anything to write. Ironic, isn't it?

Not much is going on in Parker Place. It is the same old routine of work, home, sleep, rinse and repeat.

I guess I am under contract and now my words are drawing up.

Yesterday the awful

Hello all you good dayers,

Have you ever had one of those days that nothing goes right. You take one step forward and it puts your foot in crap. Yesterday was that day for Wendy and me. It started off to a bust. We had high hopes that were dashed like the stones blocking our sunshine.

The hardest part of having a bad day is when it happens on your day off. I feel like I need a day off to recover from my day off.

We had our share of disappointments. Now it is back to the dreaming board. Hopefully, we have hit the bottom and our ready for the bounce.

Technological wonder?

Well all you thumb typing text fans I heard about something right up your alley.

A church in Matthews, NC during their Easter Sunday service was encouraging its present congregation to Twitter during the worship service. The idea was encouraged by the creative worship team, which just so happens to be made of twenty something year olds. The congregation was to place updates on Twitter about their worship experience.

I am not sure how I feel about this. I can see how this is a good idea and a bad idea. Maybe part of it is me being cynical about churches trying to remain ahead of the culture curve. In a way it is a way to encourage growth and help to improve their witness. Sometimes I think it is just a way to use cool technology.

The use of technology is a good way to reach a larger audience. It is amazing how many people will look up sermons or church websites. A church would be able to minister to many who do not even enter its door. Most people today want to see the service on screen. They enjoy reading the words on the screen. I think it reminds them of a concert. In the case of Twitter, if you have followers, you can testify to your friends about what God is doing. It can be used as a witnessing tool.

Now the part that concerns me about Twittering during church. Part of me thinks that it is sad that a person cannot go an hour without updating some form of status. Yes, church is meant to be a personal experience between the worshipper and God, but it is also a time of instruction. Perhaps I am wrong, but how can someone concentrate on the sermon when he is texting on his phone. It just seems like this would be a distraction in trying to listen to the sermon and learn to apply it.

Well at least the worshippers were doing something productive in worship rather than daydreaming.

The daily grind

Hello to all you chomping at the bit

Last week I had my routine appointment to visit the dentist. I have to go about every three months. I know the tooth hurts. Fortunately, I do not have mouth pain, I just have bad teeth. My family did not get the good teeth gene. My gums have a little bit of recession that the dentist's office feels like watching. So every three months, I have an exam. At least I do not have to use a number two pencil.

It is amazing to me that with all the sophisticated equipment the dentist office has they still at some point have to use that metal scraper. I try and keep my teeth clean. I brush after every meal and floss a couple of times a day. I even use mouthwash twice a day. Yet I still have the tartar build up. The good news is that these frequent visits do not have to come out of my pocket. Wendy and I have a flexible spending account, which helps greatly. It is sort of like free money, that comes from us technically.

This past visit the dentist came in after the exam to discuss the results of my teeth. He said they wanted to watch my gum recession. It could let to problems and I do not want that. He said there were pockets around my teeth which looked to be from teeth grinding. Apparently, gleaned from Wendy complaints, I grind my teeth while I sleep. The dentist office said they could set with up with a 400 dollar mouth guard to help prevent me grinding my teeth. I told them I would think about it. As I was telling Wendy this news, one of her coworkers heard my story and said she uses a 30 dollar mouth guard that works as well.

Wendy and I were in Wal-Mart doing other shopping and I thought I would check out the dental care section. I found an inexpensive mouth guard and thought I would try it out. That was a couple of days ago. I'll see how it works and I am sure Wendy will let me know also.

Well keep your teeth clean and smile to impress people. You will make yourself and others happy.

The Last of the Last Supper

Hello to all you around the table

Some may know, many may not that this past weekend I was asked to participate in an Easter drive thru at our church. The Easter drive thru had several different scenes that depicted the life of Jesus leading up to His resurrection. I was asked to be a sleeping disciple in the garden where Jesus was praying before His arrest.

I had no idea what to expect since this was my first time. Wendy and I are usually out of town for the Easter weekend. This year was so busy with church activities that we were unable to leave Cary. The only practice I had was a dress rehearsal in which my costume was shown to me, I tried it on, and I was shown my place during the drive thru.

Friday arrived and so did the rain. The church decided if we had rain then the drive thru would be cancelled. It is after all outside. We had rain and storms on Friday night so there was no drive thru. Saturday arrived and the weather cleared and was very nice.

I arrived at the church at my check in time to dress. When I walk in the door I find that I am promoted to the table for the Lord's Supper scene. It appears instead of sleeping I would be eating. The scene consisted of 13 guys, twelve disciples and Jesus, sitting around eating and talking. It was interesting because there was real food. There was crackers, fruit, and cookies. They had real bread to pass between us. We only had empty goblets though. Imagine having to eat for an hour and a half!

From what I heard the drive thru went well. There were over 200 people who came to see it. There was one incident were someone in a vehicle ran over the CD player, which was the narration to our silent drama. However, no harm was done, except to the CD player, because someone from the church brought a spare player.

I hope your Easter weekend was spent with someone you love because someone first loved you.

Egg-actly

Well it is that time of year again to load up on chocolate and other goodies, have time off work or school, wear new clothing, visit family, and oh yeah go to church.

Yes, Sunday is Easter. Today is Good Friday. On a side note, it is good because we are off work. This is time when we Christians celebrate the great sacrifice of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He was put to death, but raised to give us eternal life. This is the most celebrated time of year for the church. It is exciting to take bad news and turn it into good news.

Now I know that I am not the most theological person or even speak well Christian-ese, but I was thinking about Easter and the aspects we put to it. In my twisted way I am going to my an analogy. Now granted as I grew up and still somewhat feel that way now, Easter was a time to see family and get goodies. Of course church was in the mix. One of the things that children and some adults love to do is the Easter egg hunt. I participated in a few.

I got to thinking about the eggs. Most of the ones that were used in the hunts I participated in were plastic filled with candy. Some people used real eggs and decorated them. How can that relate to us as Christians? I know that this is a real stretch, but I came up with something. Take a look at the egg. It has a hard shell and a soft center. Sometimes it is decorated. I think that can be the good actions we do. Then there is the hard shell. We should stand up for what we believe. Things we try and crack us. Then there is the gooey inside which represents our faith. It should be soft and able to grow. That is part that in real egg people use. Jesus said his yolk (really yoke) was light.

Oh well, just a few not well pieced together thoughts.

Happy Easter!

It is in the fine print

Well here is another machine related anecdote

Wendy and I were sitting around the house after work like we do most nights. We were trying to decide what to do with our free time. It seemed like a good time to get something to eat. We had talked about going to a restaurant that we like to visit that serves buffet salads. Yes, for those who know it is Sweet Tomatoes. It is good but a little pricey for us. We only go once in awhile. Wendy and I were going to go for lunch on Friday, but decided last night.

We had a coupon to buy one meal with two beverages and get one meal free. Sounds good enough to eat, right? Unfortunately, I left the coupon at work, where I had printed it. Wendy still had the e-mail with the coupon, so I thought no problem I will print it here. So I drag out the old printer we never use and plug it up.

However, it will not print. It gives me no indication it wants to print. So I reinstall the print driver. Yet nothing happens. I cannot get it to print this e-mail. After 45 minutes I am still messing with it. I am getting upset, Wendy is getting upset, and the printer is still not concerned. I get it to print something, but it is not what I want.

I give up after being literally dragged away, kicking and screaming, by Wendy. We are both in bad moods. Wendy realizes that there are coupons laying on a shelf. I go take a looksey and right there are ST coupons. One of those coupons is the same one I have been trying to print for an hour. So we cut it out and get it out.

Fortunately, we had a nice dinner. Even though it was an hour or more after we were hungry.

Beeedeeep. Beeddeep. Just in case you don't care that coupon cost us more than the other coupon. Using the coupon we used we had to pay full price for one dinner and two (high priced) drinks. We should have used in retrospect a coupon that knocked a dollar off two meals and ordered water. The thing you learn after the fact.

What is bugging me?

Hello all you computrons,

The other day at work I was minding my own business when tragedy struck me. I was looking around on the Internet, yeah I think you have heard of it, when the virus protection software stepped up a notch. It alerted me that it found a virus and deleted it.

I thought to myself that is weird. So I went and ran a virus scan. It was running and doing its thing. It did not find anything out of the ordinary that I saw. So I thought I would defragment my computer was I was trying to be proactive. When into the blue the icons on my desktop disappeared. I thought to myself this is strange. So I shut down my computer. Then boot it back up. The icons appear only to disappear again. I try to sign into my work e-mail account. It lets me sign in only to kick me out. I try to get online, but it blocks me giving me some kind of error message. I keep getting error messages at every task I am trying to perform.

So I go the way of tech support and call our IT department. An hour later one of the gadget gurus comes down to see what can be done. He fiddles around and sees I have a root virus. This is apparently a rough one because it takes hold of the computer and uses your files to replicate itself. He was deleting programs trying to take away its foothold, but it was still hanging on and replicating itself. This root virus would take control before the virus protection program could kick in. He would delete where the root virus was and it would pop up again.

After trying to get rid of my not so friendly new friend on my system, he tried on two other systems. However, it already infected my computer. That is right you people in the know, my computer had to be wiped and completely reinstalled. Everything must go! After several hours I am the proud possessor of an old machine with new updates. So far it has not given me any problems, I hope it stays that way.

I have no idea how I received this bug. The IT guy thinks it was through an e-mail or website. Those of course are the common ways of the sneak attack. I do not think I opened any bizarre e-mails lately. The only site I went to that I had not gone to before and the virus protection site warned me about was...our very own town's website. Maybe I should write them and ask them to refund my property tax for the angst and distress they caused me.

Keep surfing, but watch out for the crashing waves.

Quick, it is an emergency

Hello to all you sitting on the edge

Quick! Call 911! There is something wrong with my food! I know it is just me, but what is going on? I heard in the news another person called 911, the emergency service because something was wrong with her food. I think she did not have shrimp in something she ordered.

An emergency with food? Come on! There are many 24 hour places to eat. You can have any food choice you want if you pay for it. If you have a bad experience at a restaurant, then you can complain to the restaurant or not go there anymore. Maybe yammer about it on your blog.

This gives me an idea for a business venture. Why not create a number for people to complain about their food service? You have 911 for emergency and 411 for information. How about 711 or something like that? People can call and complain. Why stop with food service? Everyone loves to complain. Then charge them for the call. It sounds like a great idea to me.

Like the slogan, "Call someone who cares" or at least cares about the money.

A day like every other

Good to see you, by not directly looking at you.

Well, Wendy and I are back in our digs. We finished our squatting for the time being and have returned to the homestead. It is back to the custom of reading, watching tv, online activities, and watching the cats.

Yesterday, both Wendy and I felt like we were a day ahead. I have no idea why. It is rare that we both feel that way. I am always confused what day it is. I guess it is because all my days are the same. On the bright side this will be a short week. We have Friday off. If you are going to have a day off, Friday would be a good one. I know it is a reach, but work those laugh muscles. Good Friday.

Wendy and I went to a pretty good restaurant last night. It was called Anna's Pizzeria. We were told about it by a coworker who highly suggested it. He was right about the good food. The prices were not that bad for all the food we received. Next time we visit we will spend something, because there was that much food.

It is finally the day I thought it was. So now I guess I am back on schedule. Ah, yes, time to check off my next thing on the list.

Busyness

Hello all you self starters and shelf starers

I have realized that are world is all about business. If you are not in business then you really have nothing to offer. Transaction is the name of the game in society. You are either wearing the jersey or buying a hot dog in the stands.

Maybe I have been reading some bizarre books lately. Of course these books are hard to understand. I found them in the business section. I read two books on the concept of Flat Tax. Some of it seems like a good idea, only pay for what you buy. I still do not understand the whole process. The way the conservative authors talked we are getting money sucked out from us and we don't even know it.

It is amazing that in every period people talk about how bad the economy is. I hope that these wave passes. I am ready for an upswing.

Anyway, back to business. The books I have been reading have talked about starting your own business. That seems to be the answer for the unsatisfied, go getters. Why work for someone else, when you can work for yourself? At least you would have a hard time not getting along with the boss. I am sure it is tough, but I bet the rewards of good. If you succeed of course.

Another thing I learned is that I make nothing. I am constantly seeing figures of people who make at least double, sometimes quadruple what I make. I am sure they had to work hard to get it or be trust fund babies. It does make me wonder what I should have done differently. Oh well, no money earned is no money wasted.

Well back to work. The boss is calling.

Waiting for my starring role

Action. Lights. No camera.

Well I was in a brief drama tonight at church. I was playing a disciple in a cantsta. I was asked this week and told to show up. I had no idea what to expect. We did not have any practice. The first time we found out what we doing was tonight.

The performance was tonight at 6. We had to be ready at 5. So we were ready at 5:15. We were only supposed to be on very briefly. We were only to be on during a short narration. We were on for only 30 seconds. It seemed like a long time to wait for fame.

Here is to 15 minutes, one way or
another.

Trying it out

Hello all you readers

Well here is an attempt to update by a new device. I hope it works. I think it will.

Let's roll that film.

Short (sleeve) sighted

Greetings and warm wishes,

Well I have finally done it. I am wearing short sleeves today. It seems like it is going to be nice and warm today. Of course once the rain and wind clears out. It was already warm this morning. I have been wearing long sleeves and more layers recently.

I can fool my body, just like people fool me. As soon as I adjust my clothing I can adjust to the weather. Once in the cooler time periods I put on my jacket, that is it, I have to warm a jacket from then on. The same thing happens for the warmer moments. I can wear long sleeves up until I bring out the short sleeves.

It is always interested the clothes people wear. Some wear shorts and short sleeves all year long. I get too cold. My supervisor at work wears short sleeves all year long. He does not like the feel of long sleeves. Now he will wear a jacket when it is cold. Then on the opposite side of the body thermometer are those who wear jackets all year. I have seen some of those. Even in warm weather these frigid few are bundled in coats and hats.

You have my permission to wear yourself out.

Project yourself

Hello all you productive drones hoping for the end of the day...

I am right there with you. Have you ever had one of those days that has spread into two or more where everything comes back to be redone.

I have recently had one of those projects. From the start it has been a struggle. We were attempting to create some books for a conference this weekend. First the format was off. It looked to small or too far down. Finally the adjustments were made. At its first printing the top margin was wide, suddenly it came out normal. I had never seen that before. We did nothing out of the ordinary to cause the problem and nothing out of the ordinary for the solution.

Then the slick covers were trying to hang in the machine which causes a jam. When it does jam the copier asks you take out what has been printed. However, it then slides the cover through to be stapled and folded. Fortunately, we were able to proceed with few interruptions.

The project is done and with the ending of this post so is my working day. I am done and you can throw the book at me if you wish.

What's up Dog!

Hello to all you party animals,

Wendy and I spent our first night on pet patrol. We have had animals about two years and Wendy has grown up with animals, but now we are on the clock. We are house sitting and animal sitting for some friends for the next couple of days.

It is a good experience. The dog, Rustey, is great to watch. He is no trouble and loves attention. He will lay at your feet and only want to be petted. The cat, Kitty Belle, stays in the garage and outside. We just have to feed her.

Rustey loves walks, so it gives us exercise also. Maybe we will post some pics of us. Staying at a nice house is a perk also.

From me-ow to you, have a dog gone good day!

Raising a racket

Well all you sports fans,

There is not too much to report here. Wendy and I tried to play racquetball last night, but without much success. We were able to get in 30 minutes.

First all we were playing near closing time. It was 9 before we could get a court. The only available time was 5 and that is too close to the time we get off work. We would have never made it to enjoy the game. So we accepted 9. The Y closes at 10 so one would think that it would not be crowded. Well it was not crowded, but...

I go to the desk to check in and what do I find. They are out of rackets. Of course we cannot play without rackets. I am thinking to myself that I will be mad if we sat around all evening waiting to play and will not be able to. Finally after digging around the closet one of the employees comes up with two rackets. One is tiny and the other has no grip. Well we took them.

We went down to the court and played a few minutes. We realized that the drive was gone. One racket was too small and the other the grip was worn so the handle would dig into your hand causing discomfort. We called it quits about 9:30 and returned the rejects.

On the bright side they said they were getting 6 new rackets. Maybe that will get us in the swing of things.

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.

Shaken up

Hello to the munchies,

Wendy and I went to a franchised eatery this afternoon for lunch. It was a Dandy. The food was okay. Usually in this place I get one of things and alternate them when I go in. There are the Chick o'philly (a chicken philly cheesesteak) and a cheeseburger. Of course I always get a shake.

When we entered the restaurant, I had no idea what I wanted. Sometime I get like that and cannot get satisfied. It is like I want something, but I am not sure what I want so nothing is good enough. Anyway, at this restaurant I have my two standbys. I was going back and forth about what to get. I decided on the Chick O'philly. I place my order and the server says they are out of the Chick O'philly. Well I guess that makes my decision easier. I place my order of the cheeseburger and my shake.

The food arrives minutes later. It has been awhile since we have been to this establishment, but I noticed something different. The shake seemed to be smaller than normal. I am not good with measurements, but it used to be in a larger cup, like a twelve ounce or the cup you get a regular drink out of. Now it seemed to be in an eight ounce. There was no whip cream or cherry on top like it used to be. I suppose I could have asked for this additional toppings, but I did not.

Oh well, I suffered in sigh-lence and cleaned my plate.

Love in the short month

To all the lovers and love to fighters

As I was skimming the paper I saw a headline about a pastor who was encouraging his congregation to commit to their martial relationships. He was asking each couple in his church in Missouri to have martial relations every day in February. This is not the first pastor to suggest such acts. Other pastors have said once a day for a week and other longer periods of time. It was cited that the relationships have improved with the participants and they remarked that the benefits are good also.

One thing that struck me about the article is why was it published next to the last day of the month? I think it would have been sooner, but no one was able for comment.

In case you missed it...

Well to all who read and did not

I did not post yesterday because I did not. I wish it was because I was out somewhere on tour making money, but I was at home. I was completely wiped the floor with last night. I slept several hours before going to bed.

I may have to blame it on the night before. I am not used to strong drink, I had a mocha at a place that calls the pot black with coffee. Some friends and I got together for a chat and coffee. I was unable to get in my two naps before bedtime that night. Then I had the mocha, which was okay. I do not usually drink coffee related products. I think the caffeine affected more than I realized because when I got home it was a couple hours before I went to bed. Then I still work up early and went to the question mark to get some exercise. After a long day at work I was exhausted.

So that is my excuse for my lapse. Now I have to do 20 more to get in the mile.

Well that is my time. Enjoy your day and upcoming weekend. To those caffeinated creatures, Enjoy!

Fame has a new name

To all the well known and as known as

I was thinking about people who have made the news recently. Why is it that a bunch of troublemakers keep making the news? I think that it is only freaky people that are known as famous. They are people who good or bad do something extraordinary that it cannot helped but be mentioned. Look at the called "Octo-Mom" and her troubles. 14 kids?! Michael Phelps-who I thought was weird anyway. All the rich schemers who have won big and now lost big.

Fame is just being radically different even to be called a freak. So if you are not famous yet, don't worry. Fifteen minutes of fame versus a lifetime of being bizarre. You be the judge. It only matters if your family and friends think that you are important.

Well that is my time in the stoplight. I don't want to pay the electric bill.

BUS-ted

Hello to all you early travellers

I left for work a little bit early this morning because their is no need for me to sit at the house and I could get some extra work done and saw what amazed me. There were school buses everywhere. I think I saw ten before I left the neighborhood. At one stoplight I was surrounded by them. There was not even another type of vehicle. It is just amazing to see that many and that early. I always hear that school children who ride the bus have to be at the stop early in the morning. I guess that proves it. However, I only saw the bus stop once to pick up some students. Maybe buses will be the new in demand vehicles. I hear it helps in the carpool lane. Probably not.

In my schooling career I was a bus rider. I do not remember much about it. I probably have blocked it out. It was not horrible. Fortunately I do not remember the crowded buses. I guess by the time I was still on the bus everyone else had their licenses.

The wheels on the bus go round and round and all the other drivers do their best to get past them. Of course not when they are stopped to pick up students because that would be against the law...and dangerous.

Housesitting in my own house

Well it will just be me and the cats of course for a few days. Wendy is visiting her family for a few days. She will be gone for the rest of the week. She is doing her aunt, sisterly, and daughterly duty. This means it is up to me to keep our house running.

I will probably be sleeping on the couch, eating junk food, and watching TV at weird hours. Wait that is what I do now.

I did not realize how boring my life is or what a difference it is to have someone, invited, in the house. Well I will make it through the week, even if it is huddled up in a blanket while jumping at every noise.

The whole truth of beauty

Hello to all the beautiful people!

Recently, a study was done with men and women looking at art. The participants were told to look at a piece of art and decide its beauty. As the examiners were looking at the results they noticed that women's brains completely light up while men's brains only light up on the right side.

Now some skewed results from my science department.

When women enjoy something they completely enjoy. We men are skill skeptical. I think this why men are programmed to flip repeatedly through the channels. We have to watch as much as we can to balance out our brains.

I believe that it takes women a longer time to get ready because they need to get completely ready. Women make sure that everything is just right, which is good because we need a lot more beauty in the world. Men on the other hand only care about what they can see. In my case, that is not much.

So it appears everyone can see the writing on the wall, but only women can enjoy it. I would call it a draw.

Life is but a game

Hello to all you athletes and cheerleaders,

I was thinking the other day that life is exactly like a game. Which one you may ask? Probably depends on how you feel that day. The one that popped into my head the other day was racquetball. If you can connect the dots, then you know that Wendy and I have been playing (or trying) racquetball for the past few days. Here are some correlations to racquetball and life:

1) I do not fully understand the rules. I know the aspects of hitting the ball and chasing after the ball, but I do not know the full strategy. Just like in life I know some of what is going on but never the full understanding.

2) After a game I will be tired and sore. As it is after a full day the body will ache and want rest.

3) If I happen to miss the ball, it will usually make its way back to me. The court is made up of four solid walls and involves a rubber ball. The ball hits off one wall and the plan is to hit it off the racket. In life there are times we will completely miss. We can be patient and maybe the opportunity will come again or we can go charging after it.

4) Sometimes during the game I run into the wall. Life will have its obstacles that we all hit. Of course it will hurt, but there will be the bruise to show off to our friends and get sympathy from the women.

5) Racquetball is usually played with at least one other person. One person can swing and practice hitting the ball, but a game is not played without someone else. Just like in life, most people cannot make it on their own. We have a team or we have an opponent.

These are some observations I had about racquetball and life. You can come up with your own observations and compare to another game. That is the thing about life, it involves getting into it. Maybe you can get your thoughts published and be the next great guru.

PLAY BALL!

And the whiner is...

Here is to people that actually get out and do something with their lives,

It is amazing to me to see people in different contexts than I usually observe them. It is not until then that I realize how varied their interests are and how many hobbies people have. So many people I know are fantastic and knowledgeable about five things more than the one thing I knew about them. Yet I struggle with the one thing I am working with.

My life instead of an existence is more of an assistance. The only thing that keeps me going is what is going on around me. It is easy for me to fade into the background.

Thanks to those who keep the world spinning and interesting.

Cat-astrophe

Dear animal adorers, ambivalents, and antagonists,

Last night and early this morning were rough times for us as masters. You may know that Wendy and I have two cats...Metro and Marley. Usually they are well behaved. They mainly lie around and most importantly do not jump and claw at me.

After returning home from dinner Wendy wants in the door and Metro rushes outside. We could not stop him. Wendy tried to stop him and I tried to press him against the house. If we had been successful it would have save us much agony. Metro has not rushed outside for a few months. He was worse in the past and always tried to dart outside. We were usually in the habit of pushing him back from the door or using something to block him as we came inside. For the past couple of months he has not expressed a desire to go out. That changed last night.

The bad thing about him going outside is that he completely gets upset about going outside. He will hiss and spit when we go near him. He loves to hide in the neighbors' yards. So we look like fools chasing him. We even offer him food, but he does not want that. Most of the tie we have to chase him. It always at least takes an hour. It is always when we are trying to go somewhere on a schedule or wanting to go home and relax.

We decided this time we would wait him out so he will be ready to come in. It took two hours and us still fighting with him. He would come to the door several times nosing around, but then dart off before we could grab him. He was always just right inside and then change his mind. Apparently there were some neighborhood cats having some kind of contest. There was a lot of meowing.

Finally Metro cautiously made his way in or enough for me to shut the door behind him. As I was shutting the door I cat his tail in the door briefly. So we got both insult and assault. The good news is Metro is fine and acting like the castle cat again.

One cat down, one to go. This morning around 4:30 am Marley is just incessantly scratching at the bedroom door. This wakes up Wendy who is trying to reason with Marley to quit. Words of wisdom do not work. I come downstairs and bring Marley with me. He runs back upstairs to begin the cat scratch fever again. I heard Wendy reasoning with him again. I go upstairs and bring Marley. I put him on the couch. He hears Wendy returning to bed and then like a feline boomerang, he rushes upstairs. Fortunately, I did not hear him again and yes I have seen him this morning.

Here is hoping that the rest of the day is better than last night and early this morning.

Me-owt.

Possibility of pose

Picture this:

For those who have ever had their picture taken, you probably at least once posed for the camera. I was searching the Internet the other day to pass some time. I found the website for NPR. It was not very hard, I simply typed "NPR." I noticed that most of their featured writers were picture with the same pose. It was the pose where one hand is resting against the side of their face. Is this supposed to be dignified or introspective? I came up with some possible scenarios for the pose...

1) The person is simply holding his head upright. The person featured is a writer and he has to think all day. Therefore his brain would be tired and eventually his head will fall to the side.

2) The person is guarding himself from a future slap. He knows that he may write something to offend someone so he is prepared.

3) The person is in the process of being slapped while being photographed. See number two for the explanation.

4) An option I like is that the hand is a prop, not to hold up his head, but a fake. The person is using a fake hand to make himself look introspective, but he is secretly playing the game system of his choice.

5) It could be part of a weird growth or maybe what is left from a conjoined twin. The twin now is separate and playing slots in Vegas. I guess that is about the only thing you can do with one arm successfully. (Editor's note from the disclaimer department...I want the readers to know that there are many contributing members to society with missing body parts.)

6) The person could have a contract to model jewelry. It is all about product placement.

Well these are a few ideas I had while looking at this photos.

It's cold in them darned heels

Well my frigid friends,

We have Punxsutawney "The Punk No feeling" Phil to send our cards to. It seems he saw his shadow. I know this happened weeks ago. I also know that is winter, so it is supposed to be cold. A man can dream in his bed under warm covers, right? Winter has come back with a vengeance. It is cold outside, baby! At least the sun is shining bright and I don't have to pay that utility bill. I guess like they say in NC wait and see. I am hoping for the warmer weather.

I admit I am biased to the warmth. I would rather be too hot than too cold. A lot of people disagree. Their line of reasoning is that you can put on more layers than you can comfortably take off. I say who wants all those layers? Well maybe in a cake. Although I am not advertising nudity. Only if it is gratuitous, with at 15% or a party of 10 or more.

I am not a big of chilling because I do get cold easily. The expense of running heated air is a bummer to this summer boy. Once my hands and feet get cold, I can forget about staying warm. I feel miserable. A lot people say my hands are cold already. People who speak cliche say it is because of a warm heart. I say it is because I like ice cream. Sorry I will not try to sprinkle my prejudices throughout this post. One could argue for the hand in the pocket approach, but that only works for certain people mainly exhibitionists and bribe takers.

So my advice hibernate until summer. Okay for those who contribute to society bundle up and down. Or there is always listening to those full of hot air. Yeah, I know, this post blows.

Have money...will travel

To all those who work hard to earn a dollar and only receive thirty cents, that pain is your sore wrist from digging into your money holding compartment.

Is it just me or is everything much more expensive? I thought that technology was supposed to change our lives not charge them. It is amazing to me how much taxes and other goodies add to the cost of bills. I just last night opened my cable bill and it was more than I expected and hope. They put me on a price lock for two years. However, the cost of additions and other taxes are increasing my bill by twenty dollars. Talk about the cost of freedom to be out of your house and still watch television.

It does not help that so much turmoil is occurring and people are not getting the money that they need to shell out. Everyday I see some headline of some company downsizing or reprioritizing and it makes me disgusted. I miss the days of extravagance. Granted I was not able to spend a lot of money, except on bills. I think it gave the people something to work toward.

I wonder what this is going to teach people. Where is the value in work? I wish that I could solve the problems by being one of the world's richest. I would hire the world and let it run. Not that you would want me as your boss. I know I would not be a good one. I do not have the personality for supervision. No need to sweat those of working age, I am no where close to having the means of paying everyone. One day I might be, of course that is when we will not use money as currency.

My suggestion based on my meager understanding of economics...Keep what money you need and give the rest away.

Quick quip

Dear some in all,

Here is a little something to help you make it through the day or night.

Communication is the key. That is why I am standing at the door knocking.

I've wet my pants

To the one reader I have, you can claim your free prize. A breath of air. (Only fresh in certain areas. Check local listings.)

Last night I was able to fix that leaky tub spout. I cannot believe it either. For those of you keeping score...Jonathan 3 House a lot more than 3. I decided I was tired of the drip so I was going to do something about it besides drip my own fluid out of my eyes. On the messiest day of the week Wendy and I go to the hardware with everything store with a name resembling the opposite of high with a letter E. We were walking down the aisles looking for a repair kit for the tub. We have the type of fixtures with the same name of the airline. After figuring out what seals, springs, and ball I needed we had the guts and were looking for the glory. I had to pick up another tool to help turn off the water to the house. To my limited knowledge the only way that we can the water off to the house is at the street. Apparently they make something called a curb key, which is a long handle with a grip to assist in this process. Wendy, the great lookout she is, found the tool we needed. We make our purchase and head to the house.

I am ready to fix that leak. I have the high hopes that these job will take no more than 30 minutes and we can go on with life high and dry. I go the water turnoff, find it, place the new handy tool, twist and bingo. It worked! The water pressure goes to nothing. I proceed upstairs toward the tub spout. I take it apart without any problems, but there is water dribbling out. Now this is not as bad as I tried to take it apart without turning off the water, however there is still water. I am confused, what else is new, but I am not deterred. I put the new seals on the springs and work to get them back in there previous homes. Not really any luck. It is not going as well as I expected. Then I try to put the ball back in its place. It is not working right either. It will not fit. All this time water is flowing, time is passing, and I am getting wet. I thought I was doing everything right but no results. I call a couple of people, a friend and my supervisor from work. They give me a few tips and my supervisor agrees to come out to the house. He is great to work for and is very knowledgeable in home improvement areas.

While I am waiting for help to arrive I continue my quest. The former drip is now a stream. I am disgusted now and wondering what is going wrong. I found out the water was still running because I did not the water valve all the way to the off position. I do that to stop the water. Finally after pushing on the seals and ball, I tighten a few things and think now it is time to test. I go back out to the water valve. Twist. The water flows and shoots the seals out of their resting places. Now the water is rushing out. I am soaked. I go back down and turn the water off.

Fortunately, my supervisor arrives and assesses the situation. The seals were not flush in the holes so it was allowing water to flow through the spout. We push on the seals to get them fully inside the holes. We push on the ball and tighten everything back. NO LEAK! After two hours on the job and no pay, it is finished. While my supervisor was here he cleaned out another sink that was draining very slowly. He disconnected one of the pipes under the sink and took out the stopper. It was stopped up with a bunch of gunk. We cleaned that out and now the water is draining and flowing properly.

It was a productive, if long night. I learned a few things. First, some plumbing hints. Make sure you know what you are doing. I realize that I was on the right track. Sometimes it seems that I need an expert to help me finish up. As it is with most problems, I have some things I need, expect the SOLUTION!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. All errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, content, and terminology are mine.

Taking a crack at plumbing

Hey all who enjoy running water,

Last week was a pretty rough for appliances in our house that deal with water. Wednesday night Wendy and I were lying in bed and we heard a drip sound. At first I thought it was the cats drinking water, but it was not. I get up and see that there is water in the pan under the hot water heater. I have not seen this before. I get online and do some investigating. The Internet informed me that if there is water in the pan, then there is a leak somewhere.

The next day my supervisor comes out to the house with me and he reports that the hot water heater is gone. Unfortunately if the hot water heater is leaking the only option is to replace it. We have gas that heats our house so I called the gas company. Someone came by and looked at the former hot water heater to look about replacing it. A crew came by the following day and replaced the old with the new. We are in hot water again.

After we get the hot water heater replaced I notice that the commode continues to run. I find out that the valve is worn out. With plumbing I know just enough to get myself in trouble. I thought I would take a crack at handling the problem. The problem became that I had no idea how to get the valve out, I figure out one part but did not get the other one. Also during this time the tub faucet is leaking. I called a friend, Charles, who came over and helped fix the toilet. We also fixed a sink that I had just shut off the water while waiting to fix. These were projects that I chose to tackle thinking they would not take long, but it took longer than expected. That is why we did not make the Y, if you are interested in history.

I have not fixed the leak in the tub yet, I do not have the right tool to turn off the water. Apparently we have to turn the water off to the house and that is at the street. We thought we had the water off, but did not so Charles and I were singing in shower. I hope to get a proper tool to turn off the water for a time to fix the leak. I do not want to see my water bill triple because someone is taking a leak.

I know that I need to get more tools. I do not have many. Basically, I have a few screwdrivers and a hammer. So if a major hardware store wants to sponsor me, I would be a great fixer-upper.

Shaping up

Dear those who could be doing something more productive than reading my blog,

I have been for not quite a week been exercising my rights. Wendy and I are now members of the inquisitive letter club. It is also featured in a popular song along with a dance. Apparently along with several others. We took part of a promotion that featured a discount.

We have been going regularly. Wendy and I have been everyday except one, which was my fault. The hour that we usually spend working out goes by quickly. There are many different things to do. We have only done a few of them. The primary thing we have done so far is the walking track. We have tried a few of the machines and fortunately do not have the marks to prove it.

Wendy and I have even tried racquetball. I always wanted to raise a racket. We have no idea what we are doing, we only come out swinging. Most of the time we end up chasing the ball rather than hitting it. We are by no means professional. I was amazed to see how much information there is about racquetball. The courts are hard to come by and they even have a league. Even though I am not good at it, I like to hear the sounds involved. There is something about the ball smashing into the wall that makes you feel good, until the next sound is me smashing into the wall.

It is amazing to me the time and intensity that people will exercise. I was in the category of none, now I am in the category of very little. Soon I hope to be in the little category. As I am looking at the treadmill willing the time to move faster than I am, I look over at all the people running (their bodies and their sweat). I realize exercise is tough. I get tired after ten minutes and the machines are set to an hour. Who wants to run for an hour? Many more people than I realized.

I would say that exercise is good for you. Remember to start off small. You do not have to run a marathon the first night. If you do remember your car keys to get back home. Although I suppose it would not help you if you did not have a car. Be sure to run in the direction of a friend's house. I will quit running my mouth and get back to the end. Some exercise is better than none. At least you can get up to change the channel.

From the person in training...

Valentine's Day Massacre

Now I blog to you...

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Valentine's Day as you were travelling down Lover's Lane. Wendy and I had an alright one, of course I only speak for her because I am reading exactly what she told me. I think I will perfect the art of gift giving by our 50th anniversary. Yea, right. I am romantic as the seven dwarfs are tall and not standing one another's heads.

Now before everyone says that I am a worse husband than I am; I did get Wendy a few things. Here is my list and the commentary (I think) on how I could have done better. I gave her a rose (Only one. I wanted to give two, but could not find that quantity. In retrospect I should have gone with more because it would have been less expensive per flower to get the higher quantity.), a stuffed cat with a pull string that voiced feline expressions of love (Wendy laughed out loud at this. I am not sure if that is good or bad. I will assume for the sake of sanity that it is a good thing.), and finally a bottle of sparkling grape juice (I am not sure how I could improve this. I wish it was a little less expensive. Perhaps they call it sparkling because it has diamonds. Have not found them yet, though.).

We did also go out to eat at one of Wendy's favorite places to eat. So for the insensitive man I am there it is. At least the male readers can say, "I did better than that." and the female readers will have pity on Wendy and send her lots of stuff.

So if you see me out sleeping in cold, dark alley just leave me because I probably deserve. Of course you could leave a quarter in the cup as you go by.

Wii did it

Halo all you angels and angles who do the math,

My wife and I visited some friends over the past few days and we finally were able to play the Nintendo Wii. I have been wanting to play that system for awhile now.

It is a pretty fun system to play. It is not that hard to play either. For the one person who does not know how to play, you just flick your wrist with the controller in your hand. You don't have to do like I did and swing your whole arm, unless you like looking stupid.

The game that we played was the Sports pack. It includes tennis, bowling, boxing, golf, and baseball. I think my favorite was tennis and bowling. Although, I got beat pretty bad in all of them.

I now realize why I do not have a game system.

By the way, special thanks to Diane & company for keeping us rolling when we are flat tired.

Waving the white flag

Well I know it has been a few days since I have embarrassed myself by publishing a post...so here it goes.

I was recently on a staff (fortunately, not the pointed end) retreat with people from work. About 80 of us went to a facility owned by the main company. It was a pretty good time. The retreat was to focus on the future, specifically the next ten years. Of course they had the team building activities slash outdoor games. Our team was tied for last place, but it was still somewhat fun.

I never realized that a lot of the people I work with are so competitive. The games were definitely designed for those with type A, get it done personalities. You could see who liked to be in charge.

The place we stayed was a nice conference center. The room was nice. The food was good. The company was not so bad. I suppose there could have been worse people to be stowed away with for two days.

It was interesting that the last day felt like a summer camp and I would not see those people again for awhile. I suppose twelve hours does count.

Weighing in on love

I saw in the paper this morning that the world's heaviest man is getting married.

Manuel Uribe, from Mexico, weighed in 2006 at 1230 pounds. It does say that since he has lost 550 pounds with the help of fiancee, Claudia Solis. That was his wallet. Just kidding. It may have been his heart. Awww. Or ewwww how you look at it.

The two will be wed October 26th in a civil ceremony at a location to be decided. I wonder if they will pay the extra 43 cents and get it super sized.

Uribe is unable to walk and if he goes out in public has to be towed through the streets in a special made bed. One good thing...instant honeymoon.

Uribe does say that he will have cake, but only one piece due to his diet. That leaves more for the rest of us. Road trip!