Party pooped

Let the good times roll! I think that is because you eat so much and are so tired that people have to roll you out the door. Saturday of course was Joy's birthday party. Sunday Wendy's brother and sister-in-law hosted a party for the 4th. We debated on going because we had been on the go all weekend. After a Sunday afternoon nap, Wendy decided we could make it. It was a pretty good time and had pretty good food.

You know it is a party when there is a water balloon fight and someone's shoes end up on the roof. Wendy's brother was able to knock them off the roof with a finishing pole and a paint can opener.

Today some friends from church invited us over to their house.

I belief that going to parties is now part of the Constitution.

Cashing in my chips

Our counter in the kitchen is now filled with chips and other goodies. The best way to have plenty of the things you do not normally eat is to have a party. You will have enough food to last for days, depending on how much you eat of it at one time. Most of the time is snack food. We almost have enough snacks to throw another party.

Saturday was Joy's birthday party. Wendy and I spent most of that running around doing last minute things getting ready. Mainly searching for things and wondering what we got ourselves into. Wendy's parents were in town and were a big help in getting everything ready.

Fortunately, the party went well. I think everyone had a good time. Who can have a bad time eating cake and snacks? Joy enjoyed her birthday cake. Hopefully Wendy will do a post birthday wrap up.

Now if you will excuse me I have get my breakfast of chips, dip, and birthday cake.

It is a JOY to know you

Dear Joy,

Happy 1st birthday! I know that you will not remember this time in your life. Unless you happen to have a superior memory, like you Mama. You are really a great baby. Everyone always comments how happy and beautiful you are. Of course it is true. Thank you for sleeping through the night. I hear we are extremely fortunate with this.

If I happen to get mad and frustrated, just remind me that you are going to take care of me when I am older.

I hope that you have many more birthdays. Always remember that you are loved.

Love,

Dada

Pull the plug

The other I notice that Wendy is not online as much as she usually is. I think that maybe she is doing something else. I get a call from her saying that the internet is down and that is why she is not online. She did the usual troubleshooting of turning off the power to the modem and router. She even restarted the computer, but nothing. Our internet is bundled with our television and phone, but those services were working. So I sat at work for the next couple of hours wishing I could be at home and wondering what was going on.

Finally I get home and head to the modem and router. I notice the wireless router lights are not on. I am thinking, "Oh, no! That is why she is not seeing a connection." I unplug it and plug back in. Nothing. I try to see if I can reset it, but there was no power to it. I know that if you reset the router you have to set it up again. A task I was not looking forward to. Honestly, I got lucky once and did not know if I could do it again. I bring the router and power cord into the living room to try another outlet. Still no power. At this point I am getting upset. I do not want to spend money on another router and go through the hassle. At one point, in disgust, I drop or toss, dependent on your definition, the router on the floor. Wendy was getting upset with me, "Now it will not definitely work." I admit I have anger issues, perhaps volumes.

I plug the computer directly into the modem, the Internet is alive. However, we do not want the hassle of being restrained to Joy's room for internet. I know it is the router not communicating. I look in a storage place of various electronic devices. I happened to find another power cord. I plug it in and hooray! We have lights and action. I connect the router back to the modem. Then wait for the computer to respond. It does not. I am in agony, did it reset and I not realize it? I restart the computer and slowly we have success.

I am glad that is all it was. Around here power cords like to mess up. I am thankful that a lot of things are now interchangeable. Now if I could only find a new power cord for myself some days.

Clothing line...across the floor

Last night Wendy and I tackled one of our junk rooms. It was the former master bedroom. Right before Joy's birth we moved to another room to be closer to her room. So of course all the things that were in that room were transferred. Now it has become a stockpile and the cats' domain.

Wendy was in her cleaning mode last night. She separated all her clothes. Most she is getting rid of because it is the wrong size and others because it is the wrong style. Now we have plenty of closet space. That was then taken up by my clothes. I was finding clothes that I forget I had. I am guilty of just putting things that I do not use down and letting them pile.

The room still has a lot to go before looking habitable, but at least it is much better.

It is for the birds

On Monday Wendy and I, along with her parents took Joy to the beach. It was the first time in a few years Wendy has been to the beach, due to some scheduling conflicts. It was also Joy's first trip to the beach.

Joy seemed to like it. We put her feet in the water. I do not think she liked it when the water rushed over her, but she never cried. The water was a little rough, so we did not stay out long. We could see shells being carried with the water. It was almost like missiles in certain places.

We let Joy crawl around in the sand. I am happy that she did not try and eat any of it. One time she picked up a white shell and tried to put in her mouth. I am thinking she thought it was a cracker.

While Wendy, Joy, and I were in the water, a flock of seagulls swooped down on a little girl and tried to eat her sandwich. Before we left the beach, Wendy thought she would summon some of the feathered friends. She took a wafer and threw it into the air. The seagulls came to it and then hovered over Wendy. They thought she had more food. Once they realized that was it, they left. Wendy's dad fed the seagulls and let them snatch the wafer out of his hand.

It was a pretty good trip. The weather was nice. We thought it was going to rain on us, but we saw no rain. When we left the house in the morning to go to the beach there was rain and as we left the beach the clouds came, but nothing while we were out there.

Gymminey Cricket

My wife will not brag about her accomplishments, but she is quite the gym member. She has definitely kicked it up notches and brought down the notches on her absent belt. She is looking good. Wendy can put smoke out on those ellipticals. The other night she did 45 minutes on it and last night 50! I get exhausted after doing five.

I invited my brother to go with me to the gym. He put the pedal to the medal on it also. He did not even appear to be winded and I was breathing like Dork Vader. Then he hit the weights and lifted a lot me than me. He has also been more athletic though. He enjoys the outside, like biking, running, and basketball. He said he has gotten a little weak, but he is still one tough bro.

I wonder if Joy will like the gym? She will probably be able to soon lift more than her dad.

Page turner in the other direction

A lot of people say, "I should write a book..." Well I am one person who should not write a book. First of all I could not think of anything to put on the pages. However, I did come up some titles of books I wish I could write.

Shut Up! It could be a book about two things. One how people can get ahead in life by listening. Or could be about inspiration and bringing blessing into your life. Like the phrase in I Kings 17 where Elijah and the King of Israel had the drought. It mentions the heavens were shut up. So it would be how to release God's blessings on you.

I would also like to write a book called Don't Let Your Amens Become Oh Mans. I think this would be about how people are always looking for signs in making decisions. Sometimes we acknowledge some event just because we want it to happen and then what?

A book for the clueless would be Livin in Oblivion . It is for those out there who have no idea what is going on around them. Fingers pointed in this direction. But I am still lost.

I could make millions. Of course I would only be able to sell one or two. Thanks Mom. Well after I bought and gave her a copy.

Up and down

People will do most anything for money. Just flip around the channels. One of the newest shows is 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show. Contestants answer questions to stay in the game. If they answer incorrectly then they leave the show in various ways. Most involve high speed vehicles or great heights. I thought it was a little bizarre the way the final contestants have to choose their answers. Basically it is handed to them because it is the only choice left. At first I thought it was not fair. Now on thinking on it, it just adds to the competition because the contestant is hoping the other is wrong.

Game shows have gone to the point of testing limits. I guess they always have. It used to test intellectual knowledge with trivia. Now it is trivia with making people do extreme things with their bodies. I guess it is good that these "crazy" people are doing these stunts under supervision and not on their own.

It is a tough Jobs watching the Gates

Last night while Wendy was away at the gym, I was watching a movie. It was Pirates of Silicon Valley. After my disapproval of the movie based on Facebook Wendy said that I would probably not like this movie. PSV was about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs forming there powerhouse companies. I had the movie on in the background as I was watching Joy, so I missed a few parts.

I imagine it was meant to be tongue in cheek because of the narration of Woz and Ballmer. They were able to step out of the action and dialogue with the audience. The parts that stick out to me involve Gates running through the airport to catch a plane.

It is amazing to see where drive gets you. Both movies involve people, one can say geniuses, who determine to be successful. They all have different motives for success, but they all get there. Of course they alienate people in their lives who care about them.

I suppose being power hungry only gives you a bigger plate to fill.

Communi-can't

I am not really a gifted communicator. When I try to explain something, the person has no idea what I am talking about and I think I become confused also. I know that communication is the key to getting things done. People who can communicate well are the ways who are successful.

This is just my observation, so it can be wrong, but men tend to talk in hand signals. I guess women are stereotyped as being more verbal. Have you noticed that in most conversations men will stand there and point at something? It is really apparent when working on something. We, men, will just hold out our hand. I guess the thought is that the item will appear there we want.

I think that people, men and women, are guilty of thinking that everyone knows what a person is thinking. Our conversation patterns follow a path of assumed knowledge. Just because it is in our head does not mean it is in someone else's head.

When I have my hand out, I usually just want one thing.

Network to Net worth

Wendy and I watched The Social Network last night. I had heard it was a pretty good movie. Who knows what was true and exaggerated?

I had a hard time watching the movie. Wendy would routinely catch me rolling me eyes or squirming. I guess I had no one to really root for in the movie. All the characters were pretty much annoying. Zuckerberg's friend became the most likable, but only because he tried to protect Zuckerberg and was still treated badly. Maybe Zuckerberg talks the way he did in the movie, but I could not stand the cadence or tone or whatever the word is of the actor's voice. The movie was composed of flashbacks. That sometimes distracts me. Most of these flashbacks were scenes of people partying. The movie made me glad I went to a small college and have decent friends. All the movies with esteem colleges show scenes of men spanking each other and obsessive drinking.

I guess it shows the more money you have the more problems you can have. The key is too have more money than problems.

Under the fatherhood

Yesterday was Father's Day. Since I have a child under a year, it was my first one. I am not too big on celebrations. So here are some observations about my blur in fatherhood.

-I cannot put on Joy's socks. They never seem to line up right and Wendy goes back to correct them.

-I leave a lot of things laying around. Joy will find them for me.

-I will always get a smidgen or more of baby food on Joy's face.

-Babies will cry for what seems like no reason one minute and the next minute be perfectly happy.

-Thankfully, Joy does not do it much anymore, but she decides once she is in the car seat and we are walking out the door it is a good time to poop.

-It is difficult to change a diaper in a public restroom.

-Baby gear is extremely complicated...and expensive.

I know that I have learned some about being a father and I have a great deal more to learn. The most important thing I have learned is that I am thankful for an easygoing, loving, and happy little girl.

Wear are you?

Wendy, Joy, and I met a friend at Southpoint yesterday. We decided to eat at California Pizza Kitchen. On a side note, when saying that restaurant I always saying California Pizza Chicken. Anyway, we had five dollars off a purchase of fifteen. Wendy and I split a Spinach Artichoke Pizza. Sounds nasty, but it was not that bad. Of course I could not taste the spinach nor artichoke. The pizza was not enough for the discount so we added our friend's soda to our bill. We came out 48 cents over fifteen dollars. Hooray! I guess.

Then we went tromping through the mall. My favorite moment of the day was in a ladies store. We were standing around and there were some Muslim women wearing the covered gowns and headpiece. One had everything covered except her eyes. Wendy commented, "What are they doing in here? Like they are even going to wear this!"

For those who stroll while walking, you know that to get upstairs you have to use the elevator. Of course they put the children's stores upstairs. So when make it upstairs in the elevator. On our way down, we are waiting by the elevator. It opens and three strollers come out. So we get out of there way. By the time they move, the doors immediately shut. I hit the call button, but the elevator had already made its way back to the first floor. So we wait some more. Finally the elevator makes it way back to us. Wendy pushes Joy's stroller into the open space. The doors start to close! Of course they have the feature not to close all the way. At this point I am irate though and I kick the door. It does not do anything, but makes me feel better in a small way.

Then we try and decide to get some ice cream. Of course the ice cream store is not there anymore, but the sign is. So our friend looks on her phone and sees another ice cream store across the street. We drive over and circle the lot. No ice cream store. So we call it a day and come home. It is amazing how many stores are out of business yet they still leave the sign up.

By the seat of our pants

Yesterday Wendy and I purchased a new car seat for Joy. Wendy did a lot of research on them and found the one she wanted. We cashed in a couple of gifts cards and had a discounted coupon. So we went over to the store to get it.

They had one that was ten dollars cheaper on the shelf. We thought about getting it, but the store did not have it in stock. So Wendy got the one she was going to get anyway.

We did not have to pay anything for the car seat. That is good news to me.

Then came the hard part. Having to install it. Everyone talked about how easy it is. The clerk and the internet. So I go out last night to put it in. I put the straps in wrong. I get the straps twisted. Wendy wanted to put down a protective mat. Finally after who knows how long, it is in. After my installation she watches the video online and say, "It looks like you did it the hard way."

Today will be the test day. It appears to be tight.

I will never understand why baby equipment is so complicated.

Just visiting

Wendy and I watched The Tourist last night. I guess it was alright. Wendy said she did not really know what was happening and could not get into the movie. It was an action thriller. Sort of like a chase movie. Everybody was after the main character. I guess it is tough when you have the good guys and bad guys chasing you.

It did lead me to a few observations.

Why in a movie can the police never arrest the bad guy? It is early in the movie and they have everything set up, but the bad guy gets away.

Why is the woman that is supposed to be incredible looking not looking good to me? I guess it is the actresses they pick. I have never been a fan of Angelina Jolie's kind of attractiveness. Speaking of Jolie, what is the deal with her lips? She looked like she had a huge gash on it.

Movies love big budgets. Everybody has throw away money.

Oh well. Those are just a few thoughts, but just like most details, I have forgotten them.

Pro create

I am not really a creative person. Most of the time my line of thinking is "Why didn't I think of that?" However, I do respect creative people. I enjoy hearing and seeing things that are interesting and especially funny. True we also need the more practical people who implement the ideas of the creative.

I have noticed that many creative people have weird, or what I would label as weird, lifestyles. Do creative people do things differently because they are focused on something else? Or do we think that different people are creative?

Creative people say that they are only trying to satisfy themselves. I think they have to satisfy a bunch of people. If they do not then their careers do not last long. There is a lot of pressure in being creative. Maybe that is another reason why they are different.

I think I will keep my ordinary life. That way I only have two people to satisfy.

Just chill

I am sitting here with goosebumps on my arms. I guess that beats the alternative from the other end of the goose.

I must keep the temperature at my house pretty high before the air comes on. Part of it is because when the air comes on, it stays on for what seems like an eternity. I am in a place where the temperature is kept according to most normal peoples temperature. However, I am not normal. I will say this upfront.

I am accused of not turning the air on. I do not use the air when I am by myself, unless I absolutely have to. I am also the guy who sleeps covered even in the middle of summer.

I am neither a cool guy nor a hot guy.

Food for thought

Yesterday I did something I rarely do. I ate a restaurant by myself. It was a fast food joint of course. I am sure that I have done it in the past, but I do not like to eat in places by myself. If I am eating a meal by myself then I will just eat what I have available. I know some people have to eat meals by themselves in public places.

Wendy and Joy were eating lunch with a friend. I had obtained a coupon for a free shake, well after you buy a combo, at Arbys. The expiration date was set for yesterday. Since Wendy was out with a friend, she said go ahead and use that coupon. So I went.

It was alright. A little pricey, but everything seems that way now. I got a Reuben sandwich. It was cut into two half sandwiches. So one half was more of a sauerkraut sandwich. The free shake was a Jamocha Oreo. Basically it was a Jamocha shake with crushed Oreo on top.

We have gotten a lot of coupons lately about buying one thing and receiving another. Sometimes it has been worth it. Even if it has taught us not to get that particular item again.

Don't bother me

Why is it that more people have phones yet I always get there voice mail? What are they doing with their phones? When I call some customer service number I have to listen to five minutes of options. Sometimes it is helpful, but if I am going to speak to an operator and get transferred anyway, why not let me speak to a person after the first ring?

I think it all comes down to people not wanting to be bothered. I know sometimes I do not know want to be bothered. When the phone rings sometimes I feel "Now what?" Wendy does not like to talk on the phone. I do not have too many people to call. I try to talk to my parents, but that is only a five minute conversation. Wendy always laughs when I call them because I always say, "Hey, Mom. It is Jonathan." Why then are we paying for 700 minutes, but cannot get anything less?

I do prefer talking on the phone over texting and somewhat e-mail. Maybe I am a more verbal person or I just cannot write. It is probably more that I am in impatient and want to handle something right then. With texting and e-mail I have to wait for the person to respond. Then something is said that goes back to something talked about minutes ago and I have no idea what. At least in talking voice to ear you get an immediate answer or you know the other person does not care.

Oh well, talk to, um, type to, more like avoid you later.

Jaw dropping

Yesterday I could not stop yawning. I know that I received plenty of sleep the night before. Yet, I found myself with my mouth open wide and my hand to my face. I am not sure if it is when I do thing certain things that make me yawn more. I will have to sleep on it and let you know.

What you talking about jive turkey?

A while ago Wendy sent me to the grocery store for a few items. This is usually a dangerous thing because I buy random assortments. Fortunately, I do end up getting what Wendy has put on the list. Well, most of the time.

That night I was glancing through the meat section. I was visiting Kroger, for those keeping score at home. Kroger often has in store items that are close to the selling date, which they put on manager's special. This means they are price reduced. Those words rate on my top ten radar. We have found some pretty good deals. So I am perusing the isle looking for that special sticker. I found a few items that met my cheap price and taste bud. There was a package of turkey legs. It was on sale. I thought, well, why not? So I purchase it.

Fast forward a few days. I tell Wendy we have those turkey legs as we do our daily discussion of what we eat. We both veto the turkey a couple of times. Finally over the weekend I wear Wendy down and the turkey will be eaten for dinner. So I put the legs in the oven to cook. We pull them out. They look okay.

The turkey legs were pretty tough to eat. It was hard to get into the meat. It also was mainly fat and bone. Wendy said they sort of tasted like ham. It was not the greatest in the world. I told Wendy I could not imagine eating a turkey leg from the fair. I hate to throw away food, but I had to toss my piece. I had eaten some, but not much. I am glad that I had gotten it on sale.

To make us feel better we had some doughnuts, which we had bought on manager's choice.

A la cart

Last night Wendy, Joy, and I were at Kmart. She was looking for the baseball card holder sheets for storage for coupons. We were usually a cart to wheel around Joy in her carrier. As we are exiting the store I put back the cart or try to.

There were two rows of carts. I did not really pay attention. So I choose one row of carts and try to place the cart in line. It does not go. I think well I do not have it lined up right. I try again. Nope. Try one more time. Nope. Again. Denied. According to Wendy, it was BAM! BAM! BAM!

At this point Wendy is laughing and puts me out of my misery by informing me the two rows of carts are different. So I put the cart in the row over. Success.

All the way to the car, Wendy is laughing about my lack of observation. I am not sure how I made it this far in life.

Good thing I am not Amish and have to deal with buggies on a regular basis. I would probably put it in the wrong barn.

I second that emotion

I have come up with a new term for Wendy to keep me in check. Granted I may not remember later and when she mentions it, I will have no idea what she is talking about.

Remember in school when you had the scantrons and people always said have your number 2 pencil? You had to use them to take a test. Apparently I was in a mood last night and Wendy accused me (guilty as charged of being testy). My mind today went to the phrase number two.

It could also be used to describe a bowel movement. So why not go further and describe a crappy attitude?

When I am in my funk Wendy can ask, "How is Number Two?"

Maybe it will flush out an answer and hopefully the correct one.

You feel me?

Feelings. We hear so much about them and most people show that they have them. All we want is someone to understand what we are feeling.

I am reading a book by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott called Trading Places. The Parrotts are psychologists who deal with marriage and other relationships. Oh yeah, they are husband and wife. The main theme of this book is empathy. They say the best way to have a good relationship with a spouse is through putting yourself in the partner's view. This leads to true understanding.

It is important to get to the underlying issue. People will not be upfront with you. I know I am not. I will bury the issue that is bothering me and focus on something else. It takes head and heart action to take the time to fully understand someone's feelings. Then the real concern can be handled.

The Parrotts say that most couples feel they do not understand what the other is thinking. It can be difficult. The good news is they say it is not as difficult as it sounds, if you work at it.

If you think like your spouse or the special person, then you can truly understand. It can be a scary thing, but not as scary a misunderstanding between a couple.

Follow the leader

It is amazing to me how many innovators say that the key to success is reading. I live to read, but I admit I am a page turner. It seems that great leaders and other successful types are able to take what they read and relate it to what they are trying to accomplish.

I take a little bit of enjoyment when I see that someone I am reading about is referencing someone I have hear of. I have heard about a lot of interesting people that are being referenced in the books I have read. The hard part is to remember them once I turn in the book.

Word up!

Reasons I love my wife

It is not so anniversary that I have forgotten (LORD, I hope not) why I am writing this. I was just thanking about my lovely wife. Here in no particular order (except the ones she rearranges) are:

WHY WENDY IS A WONDERFUL WIFE

-Without her I would be lost. Literally. I have no sense of direction and she is like a GPS.

-She is a loving and wonderful mother.

-She is committed to what she believes in.

-She is my tech support when I cannot figure out a feature on my computer, phone, printer, watch, well pretty much everything I own.

-She listens to me rant about her favorite shows before throwing the remote control at me.

-She saves me a lot of money with her coupon cutting.

-She gets me out of the house and occasionally lets me back in.

-When I explode, she is there to pick up the pieces.

-She is my fashion sense. You can tell when I leave the house before she wakes up.

-She knows just how long to cook something. I usually burn it or leave it too cold.

These are just a few of the reasons I love my wife. It has been only a few years, but I will have plenty to come up with more reasons.

My wife is always right...

When will I learn to listen to her?

This weekend upon returning from visiting Wendy's parents, we decided that it was time to pick up some more baby food. We had been in Target over the weekend and saw they had some pretty good prices. So Sunday afternoon we load in the car to head to Target. I had played on using a coupon for a BOGO ice cream. Unfortunately, it was not near the Target I expected. That is another story.

Before we leave Wendy wanted to change her shirt. She pulls out a red shirt and says to me, "I wonder if I should wear this?"

I respond, "Why not?"

"Because anytime I wear a red shirt to Target people think I work there."

"There shirts are collared and you are not wearing khaki pants. You should be fine."

We arrive at the bullseye and are standing in the baby aisle. Then you guessed it. A woman pushing a cart with a child and dragging a man behind her comes yelling, "You got a dressing room here?"

Wendy responds, "I don't work here. Sorry."

Never underestimate what people will say.

When I reflect upon it, I wish I had said, "Nope. We encourage people to just use the middle of the aisle."

It seems a lot of stores have a dress code. Maybe it helps some people identify the store employee, it also helps lead to confusion.

Now if I could only pick up a paycheck for the times we have been mistaken for employees...

Behind the looking glass

Yesterday Wendy, Joy, and I went to the zoo along with Wendy's brother, sister in law and their 3 year old. It was an okay time.

We left the house around 8 am because the zoo did not open until 9. The drive down is not bad, from our map, it is basically down 64 west. We get to zoo about 9:30. Already I see a bunch of cars in the parking lot. I say that it looks crowded, but Wendy says it does not too bad. We park in the Africa lot because that is the part of the zoo that Wendy had heard it was best to start with.

After bathroom breaks, we make our way through the trails. Strollers were pushed uphill and then glided downhill. I have no idea how far we walked. I could not even tell you the animals we saw. Most of them had their butt to us.

Once we finished walking through Africa, it was time to come to North America. We stopped for lunch at the area between Africa and North America. It was crowded and we scrambled to find a table. Fortunately, we found one and it was somewhat out of the sun. Wendy's brother and I hunted down our lunch. We picked up chicken tenders for the ladies and guys had burgers. I had contemplated getting a salad and muffin, but the muffin was $3. So I thought no way. I was going to get a chicken sandwich, but one was not in the line. The moment I picked up my burger, the server came by and asked if anyone wanted a chicken sandwich. Oh well, the burger was cheaper. We eat our meal and get some ice cream cones.

Wendy's nephew wanted to see a Dora show. So they stand in line for an hour to see a 10 minute program. They said it was worth though. The line was in an open area and people, mainly small children, are expected to stand in it?

Wendy, Joy, and I venture off to part of North America to an exhibit we thought we missed in Africa. After visiting that, we came back and still wanted a few minutes for the family to get out of the show.

Then we take a tram to North America, to see the bears. By this time it is almost 4 and the zoo closes at 5. We walk around more and then it is time to go. We talk about taking the tram, but figure we will walk since the line was long. We make it back to the car and head home with our safari ended.

It did not rain on us, I was surprised. The kids hung in there. Joy only took a 20 minute nap while we waited for them to get out of the show. I was shocked there was so much to do. We were out all day and on the move. It was pretty good to see nature in a manufactured natural way.

A picture is worth a 1000 attempts

I have to respect the people who take plenty of pictures and are able to upload them. Then use the pictures in creative ways or as their avatar for the social media of choice.

Most of the time I leave a picture in place for a long period of time. I do not take many pictures personally. Wendy is pretty good about taking pictures. Sometimes I will snag one she took and use it for desktop at work.

However, some pictures I have the hardest time formatting with the screen. They look stretched or blurry. Is it something I am doing wrong. I have for the past two recent pictures tried to set them as my background. It is not working like I want. I am not sure if the resolution is off. If so how do I fix it?

So I still have on my computer a semi recent picture from Easter. That one formatted without any trouble. It has become my stand by for now.

I figure a picture with me in needs all the help it can get.

Trippin'

Wendy and Joy are visiting Wendy's parents for a couple of days. It has been awhile since they have since Joy. Granted they saw her on Mother's day, but that was a few weeks ago. Plus it will be a few weeks before we could make it that way.

My brother left last night to go to Florida and Alabama. He is watching some kind of big concert.

The farthest I am probably going in the next few days is the three miles to work.

Pym and proper

For those that do not get the reference I will talking about ants! Henry Pym is a character in the Marvel universe known as Ant-Man.

Just another creature that has taken residence near our building. I guess with all the rain we have become Noah's Ark.

Ants have invaded and are just hanging around. Maybe with high unemployment rate they are looking for jobs too.

You don't like me when I am angry...why I have no friends

That is an extremely long title so I apologize about that.

I am having one of those days when I am not happy. It is one of those days when I feel frustrated. I admit I am overreacting a little bit.

I pull into the parking lot at work and realize I forgot to bring something for my brother, whom I am meeting after work. Good news is I only live a few miles away from the building. Still a hassle. How do I forget to do the one thing I have been thinking about doing for days?

At work while opening up the building one of the lights in the kitchen area is out. SO I proceed to change that. The screen in the frame starts to slide out of the frame. Fortunately, it did not come all the way out. But I have to replace the frame. The bulb was hard to get out of the socket and put back in. However, it did come on. So for the most part, there were hassles, but they were overcome.

Recently I have not felt satisfied. Things are getting more on my nerves. I feel like I am not communicating well with those around me. Like what I am saying is not making any sense. I am sure it is my delivery. I do not have the greatest diction or thought pattern. Evidence 1A for the jury.

The easy thing is the I can control my actions, the hard thing is controlling my actions. I am pretty influenced by external sources. So if things do not go well, then I do not go well.

You last your whole lifetime, circumstances last about two minutes. A good life is what is put into it not taken out.

Will I still mope and need to be slapped around a little bit? Probably. The good news is that I am not as alone as I sometimes feel and I have someone to slap me around.

Black and blue

I often, okay always, get dressed in a hurry. I try to not spend too much time looking at the clothes I put on. There are special occasions when I choose more carefully what I wear, mainly when Wendy happens to see what I previously put on.

The other morning I grab a pair of socks from the drawer. Then I get to work and glance down and see that one is blue and one is black. My pants covered the mix up and I sit behind a desk, so no one commented. The pathetic thing is that I have done that before. Because I know I washed this socks. This means I put the wrong pair together at least twice!

Well if you cannot be good, then be consistent.

See snake

It is another case of Hiss and Hers. That is right it is that time of year for the serpents to slither forth. At my place of employment there is woods behind us. Plus we have bushes and pine straw to surround our landscape. So each year around this time snakes come up and suntan out on our sidewalks. So when the employees come in and out they are greeted with a new lawn ornament.

Then it is up to my department to drive them away. I am not a big fan of snakes, but I do what I can. The other day people saw two. The first did not put up much of a fight. My supervisor kept an eye on the snake while I got a shovel and yard rake. If you do not watch the snake, it will slither away and hide. Then we have no chance of finding it. So I return with the tools. We prod at, pick up (with the tools), and shoo the snake. We send it back to the woods, since it was a black snake and can help control the vermin population. This was first thing in the morning.

Later in the morning, someone gets me and says there is another snake. The first was on the main sidewalk. This was one was on another sidewalk. By the time I got outside it was already in the bushes. I tried to get it with the rake, but could not. So I lost that one. I searched for a few minutes, but it was gone.

Then after lunch someone called saying she saw a snake reclining against the building. By the time I was out there, it was gone.

It might be time to incorporate snake handling into our Baptist worship. Either that or learn how to cook them and have that for our next staff luncheon.

On a semi related topic of wondering animals. We have geese that keep leaving deposits at our front door. Fortunately, they have not learned to lit it on fire yet.

On the shopping block

Yesterday Wendy, Joy, and I made up with a friend at one of the malls. We have not been to this mall in quite awhile. Now I think I know why. It felt packed. The parking lot was full and it took us awhile to find a place. It was one of those parking garages. At one point we had to wait about two minutes for a person waiting to get a spot. We made it into the mall and there were more people. I doubt it would work, but they need devoted mall lanes of traffic, like the HOV lanes.

We spent most of the afternoon walking around. Better than spending money I guess. Not that we could afford too much. We did take advantage, along with several other people, the half price frappuccino deal at Starbucks.

The part that was a little irritating about the mall, besides the crowd, was the search for the restroom. I had to walk the mall just to find a restroom. I must have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. One time when I had to change Joy's diaper I had to walk down four hallways to get to the restroom. I told Wendy I should write that thank you for having such long hallways, now I can pee and just float down the hallway. The family restroom was locked and you had to be buzzed in. I thought that was not worth it. One good thing was that the changing table in the men's restroom was out of the way and I did not have to stand in a urinal.

Who knew that people liked to shop on a Saturday? The malls apparently.

Then Wendy, Joy, and I went to a discount place and bought some clothes for around 3 dollars a piece. Now that is retail therapy.

Limited site

You never realize how much you miss something until it is not there. A couple of websites I visit have been down. I keep trying and thinking that something will change.

The question is am I going to the website more since I am trying to get it to work or do I really visit those sites that much?

Stay tuned for an impotent message

I had a horrible day yesterday. Now granted it was probably my attitude. I am sure that I was not at my happiest. It was one of those days that you actually think, "Wow, it something happened to me, it could only improve."

It started off with something I had planned to do not working. Then it deepened into a desire not to be at work. While at work everything I touched seemed to go kaput. I felt like I had no answers for the questions people were asking. Mercifully the day ended. I am in one piece. Who knows about my psyche?

Attitude does have a lot to do with the outlook on the day. If I am in a bad mood, then it does not take much to set me off. If I am in a good mood, then it takes a few more things.

Today has been better. Which is bizarre because it is Friday the 13th, seen as a bad luck day. So far so good anyway. Or bad for the 13th.

The mother of all tributes

I know I am several days late with this...

Happy Mother's Day! They say better late than never.

I hope if you are a momma or have a momma that you/she had a fantastic day. It is a day when we joke about having to get cards, flowers, and other gifts. Because we know if we do not give those things...well if momma ain't happy, then nobody's happy.

Most moms will tell you the material things don't matter. Sure they love receiving it, but who wouldn't. I think, now I am a male so my opinion of women is often wrong, that spending time with the family is gift they enjoy. For women who have children outside the home this most applies. For the women who spend everyday with their family, they enjoy seeing the dad in a feeble attempt to care for the children.

Mother's Day is special because the majority of mother's get the treatment, only temporarily, they deserve. They are honored and celebrated. We love it because seeing the smile on their face...well it beats the alternative.

Hypocritical oath

I promise to do no harm....to myself.

I promise to change my mind constantly.

It is only a problem if it affects me.

When it comes to posting information I know I am a hypocrite. I constantly check for updates on websites that I visit. Most of the time they do pretty well about staying new. I have a hard time updating my own information. Fortunately, I do not have a multitude of readers waiting to see what I have to say.

Most of the time I feel like I have nothing to report. The other times, I feel like I have something wonderful to share, but I forget what it was. Most of been really important then?

With a face like that you need talent

Wendy and I were halfway watching American Idol last night. She was on the laptop and I was reading. Who did they drag up to "guide" the contestants? Lady Gaga. She would not even make it own the show as a contestant and yet because she has eight number ones, there she is. Anyway, what is the deal with her face? I know she is infamous for her outfits. But in my opinion, she looked awful. The getup sure went on that outfit. It made her face look like she was 80. Her eyes and teeth looked awful.

I know I am not one to judge on appearance, but Lady Gaga wanted to make me Really Gaggag.

Forgive us our debts

I saw the other day that President Obama wants to increase the debt ceiling. Now I am the last person to discuss anything political or financial. It struck me as odd that he said if we do not raise the debt ceiling that it would be "Armageddon like." A few years ago he was against raising it.

My thing is would no it be "Armageddon like" if we keep raising it? Raising the ceiling, would let us go deeper into debt? I do not really understand. Granted I would love to say who cares. I definitely do not have any answers. I would think the thing to do is to reduce some debt or at least not put any money to it.

I have not seen it since, so I do not know if it is real, but I saw a commercial talking about our massive debt the Chinese. The instructor was telling his class how the Chinese people will own America because we love debt so much. A little scary to me.

Who knows what will happen in this "Armageddon like" times? I am sure at least One. On the good side we can only afford three of the four horsemen.

What is in a name?

Apparently tequila.

Applebees served a 15 month old alcohol. The child's parents thought the child was acting weird. So they check his sippy cup. Turns out the apple juice was a little fermented as in from a margarita mix. No one at the table had even ordered alcohol. The child was taken to the hospital and the management at Applebees apologized.

Turns out this is not the first mixed drink story involving toddlers. It looks like Applebees is changing their policy on juice and only serving single containers.

I did not even know Applebees served apple juice.

Do you think a lot more people will order of the kids menu?

Night takes pawn

What is the purpose of all the bizarre pawn shows recently? I guess there is Pawn Stars, where guys obsess over junk piles looking for the next big thing; Hollywood Treasures, looking for the priceless memorabilia; and we found a new one last night, Oddities, a pawn shop dealing in the macabre.

It is always random people who have random things. I guess people watch it to see what odd person is going to bring in the odd thing. Maybe people like to see the haggling? People pay a lot of money for what looks like junk. I guess it is all about the eye of the beholder. The wallet may have something to do with it too.

I guess it has something to do with American Roadshow, where people brought in things they thought are worth money. Everyone wants to find that item which will increase their wealth. A few people get surprised pleasantly, but most walk away disappointed.

It is grandma's toe clippings! They are worth money...to grandpa.

American Idol Warship

I know this post is a little late compared to the professional blogs and reports about Thursday's surprise in American Idol. However, I thought I would give my comment.

I do not really want American Idol. I only lift my eyes from my book I am reading when something might catch my attention. I think the show is past its prime. I have said this before, but who is the show helping? Not the winners. Are the past season winners actually doing anything? It might help the creators of the show and the advertisers. It might even help the random few who get voted off early.

Which brings me to see ya Pia. It was a shock to everyone. I think according to the judges reaction they were mad. They probably want to take away the voting rights of the American people.

If I was a casual viewer, I would feel insulted the judges we were mad at me, the viewer. That is my first reaction.

Wendy has some good points about the show. She feels that everyone thought Pia was going to win, so they did not vote for her. Pia will get a record label. I think her early exit was a step in that direction.

Another Wendy observation, which I agree, is that the past season contestants are awful. They have been bringing back guest singers. They sound horrible. I guess they have not been winners, but the rookies are better than the pros.

What do I know? They are the ones making money.

There is strength in numbers

After reading some books and seeing some evidence in the media, I have come to a certain conclusion. Some people have a lot of children. Most of the time these people are successful.

It used to be that families were large and in charge. You had to have a large work force. Now it is seems the individual is the focus. However, there are people who are still painting by the numbers. Often it seems these people are in ministry. Most pastors or Christian celebrities talk about having at least four children. Insert joke about "Be fruitful and multiply" your bank account. Perhaps there is the tax break. One case when additions can lead to deductions.

Entertainment figures have children. Or if they do not on their own, they get them. Granted most are not seen, but just appear in the entourage.

Would it be nice to have several children? I would think so. Though sometimes one seems like a large number. However, I need a group to take care of me when I am older.

With your coupon this read is free

Hello to all you cheapskates. Does it still have wheels?

Wendy and I are trying to get into the habit of using coupons. We used them occasionally in the past. It always seemed that you had to spend so much to get the item. Like buy two and save 50 cent. From jail I guess. Most of the coupons we receive are for things we do not use. We have let coupons expire. Of course we find out when we need the item.

It is amazing the ease of getting coupons. I have once even used Facebook to get coupons. Wendy does this all the time.

I do have to say or type that it is a thrill to see the bill be reduced. It eases my mind and my wallet. I do not see how the extreme-ers do it. They walk out with thousands of items for only twenty dollars or less. For the time being I am satisfied with my tens of purchases and saving a few dollars.

No worm for this early bird

There is just something about getting up early. Of course this is when I want to wake up, not because of some obligation to get me up. I think my best time is in the morning. Is it because everyone else is asleep? Or because I function better in the morning? It is a time when I can catch up on things. Sometimes it goes extremely fast. Other times like this morning it is pretty slow.

Without any evidence I think that I would like a job where the schedule was to leave by one pm. That might require me to be at work at five am or earlier. Would that be terrible? Probably some mornings. However, during that time of morning Wendy and Joy are asleep. I could be at work and then have the rest of the day to spend with them. Now by the time I get home and we do a couple of things, boom!, the evening already over.

I would have to go to bed somewhat early. It would be a contest between Joy and me to see who hits the hay first. Sometimes I win.

It would be nice to come home for lunch and that be the end of the day. It seems like some people's production time is not until the end of the day. Working in the afternoon is no fun. But, who said work is supposed to be fun.

Oh well, I can dream. At least in the early evening when I go to bed.

Did you say niner in there?

Well I do not know how I did it. Probably because I did not do most of it. Wendy and I have a nine month out. Joy has been out more than she has been in.

It has been a pretty good nine months. Joy does treat us better than we deserve. She will give us some tough times now and then. But, we all have a turn at been cranky.

Here is to many more months to come and experiences to share and learn from.

By the way, Joy wanted to celebrate her arrival and wanted to be up this morning. Fortunately, we convinced her she needed more rest.

Hospitable conditions

Wendy had a procedure done yesterday. Everything is fine. Here are some observations from the non-participant. I now know why they call them patients. All you do is wait. We get to the parking lot a little before 8 am and it is already crowded. Fortunately, we find a spot. When we walk through the doors we are greeted by a woman who asks where we need to be. She takes us to the receptionist who gives us a number. Then as soon as we get to the lobby for day surgery our number is called for Wendy to check in. The check in process is not bad and the person gives Wendy her bracelet, which is checked at every place.

We proceed to another lobby for the actual day surgery wing. There Wendy is given a pager. We wait about 30 minutes. It goes off. A nurse takes Wendy back to prepare her for the procedure. I am still in the lobby, with the pager. Another random assortment of minutes pass. The pager goes off again. I go to the desk and the person says, "Go through that door." I walk in and it is busy. There are patients behind doors, nurses with carts, and doctors in scrubs. I go up to the desk and Wendy sees me through her door. So Wendy and I wait in her tiny room for about 20 minutes. Then the anesthesiologist and crew come in. Each member asks the same questions. The doctor performing the procedures come in for two minutes.

They are ready to take Wendy back for the procedure. So I return to the waiting room. Fortunately, I had a book. So I was not too bored. When the procedure was over, it took about 45 minutes, the pager went off again. So I go to the desk. The doctor is on the phone. To me, the reception sounded crappy. The volume was so low. The doctor is trying to tell me results about a procedure that I know nothing about. Fortunately, everything is okay and it went well.

Then I wait another 45 minutes while Wendy is recovering. The pager goes off one last time. I proceed back behind the door. This time Wendy is dressed in her clothes and in a room with just a curtain. You can hear other patients being addressed with their discharge orders. A nurse comes back to talk to Wendy about what she can and cannot do. Then I am sent to get the car and Wendy rolls out to me.

Not too offend anyone in the healthcare industry, but the hospital is not where I want to me. It is busy place. All the staff was nice and knowledgeable. Most of the patients where the shuffling elderly, who looked like they were going to fall over. Wendy summed it up best when she compared it to a train station. Talk about all a bored.

March is crawling

Talk about March Madness!

No, not that kind where everyone's brackets are doomed because a number one team cannot win. The madness that comes from March being so drawn out. Is it just me or is this month lasting forever. It seemed two weeks ago we should be out of it. I guess there are a few things in March, but nothing to miss work over. Well I guess St. Patrick's day fun or Mardi Gras, dependent on your idea of fun. In March is Wendy and mine anniversary and both Wendy's parents birthdays. I guess it is just that in December there is Christmas (days off work), the New Year (everyone getting adjusted), February (so short), and then March (nothing but work). It probably does not help it is 31 days. We even moved an hour forward! Check your state.

Fortunately, it is the last week. Maybe these days will come and go, like the heat wave we had. Then it is back to the cold reality for awhile.

For those that enjoy March please do so and take an extra day for me.

Overspended on Expendables

Greetings weekend warriors.

The other day my brother and I watched The Expendables. It was alright for a huge cast of action stars. I have to wonder about the script writer though. It seemed like the majority of the dialogue was insults and then the other person staring. Most of the movie was Sly Stallone and Jason Stantham running around. The other people played a small role. Speaking of small roles, Jet Li's character was always picked on for being small and kept being beat up. I do not think I have seen a Jet Li movie all the way through, but I thought he was pretty unstoppable. I was surprised to see him used as a punching bag in this movie. However, a lot of people did get beat up in the Expendables.

I guess it came out around the time that other action remake movies appeared. It was not too bad, if you enjoy fist fights, knife fights, or gun fights.

According to gym

As most of you know or have heard through informed services Wendy and I joined the Y. It started to get perks through my insurance company if we went to the Y regularly. It has now become a habit. Wendy and I go about six days a week. It still can be a challenge to motivation. Sometimes we feel like we dominate the workout, while other times it feels like we were dominated. I get the feeling like I am pushing really hard and I look at the settings on the machine and nothing has changed. It is amazing how long two minutes can be. Just ask your electric toothbrush, if you want to know. Another thing that is unnerving is when I use the weight machines. There are always set beyond my weight. I look around and see people who look to be around my size. I think to myself, how?!

The nice thing is the nursery. Of course we have to work around its schedule. The workers seemed memorized by Joy.

I know I am not anywhere near good physical condition, but it is nice to know I can at least fool a machine every once in awhile.

Due to lack of response

Last night a few of us where interested in getting some pizzas. It is or was my brother, Wendy, two friends from college, and me. Wendy is having a girls' weekend. Since the other girls were not at the house yet and Wendy had to finish getting ready and watch Joy, my bro and I went (sent) to pick up the pizza.

I thought I would be proactive and call ahead. The first dial did not go through. It was the busy signal. Then I call back and it rings repeatedly. I try a few minutes later and get the busy signal. So we go since we have time anyway. We arrive at the pizza place. It was very busy. All my bro wanted to do was watch the game. Fortunately, it was on in the background because we were there for a while. We waited what felt like an eternity. It might have only been about 30 minutes because the game went to halftime.

I want to support local shops, but sometimes I enjoy the convenience of the chains. The speed is sometimes faster and sometimes the price is better. However, once we claimed our food, we were not disappointed. Maybe that extra weight is a marketing ploy to make the food seem like it taste better.

On an unrelated part about customer service, it does seem like when I get a vibe that something is not right or something out of the ordinary happens, that is when I get strange service. I could just be looking back from a bad experience and thinking oh yeah, there was that marker.

A slice of life

I have got to hand it to you.

Because this thing is getting heavy.

My hands are constantly receiving attention. During the cold weather months my hands are so dry that they crack and bleed. It is rather annoying. I have noticed recently that my hands are particularly interested in being injured. The past several days I receive cuts on my hands. At the time I do not notice the cut, but then look down to see a smudge of blood. I do not think I am trying to achieve some blood oath. However, when I use hand sanitizer I could swear, as the alcohol hits those open areas.

What is it about those little cuts that hurt so much? I think they are trying to overcompensate. How come I have a cut on the finger that always brushes up against something? It must have something to do with averages.

Maybe I should start wearing gloves. Hey, it works for Mickey Mouse, baseball players, and Michael Jackson (sort of).

Well the hands on the clock are telling me to get out of here or land the plane.

Is this thing on?

Dear skimmers or scammers,

Has it really been that long since I have posted anything of importance? The real question is, have I ever posted anything of importance? You might be asking yourself what brought me out of hiding. I have been perusing books about business, marketing, and finance. It seems all the craze is about blogs. Who knew? With millions out there, apparently everybody.

I have been thinking about putting out a few posts. However, like most of my ideas, I did not implement. Perhaps I will be a little bit at being more productive. I do not know if I will marathon blog, but maybe I will keep a good track.

Nothing up my sleeve, but my arm

The other night after I got off work for my weekend of freedom, Wendy, Joy, and I went looking around the mall. Even though I work across a mall, I do not go there often. This weekend I have spent more time in a mall than I have in about a year total. It was worth it though.

Wendy was looking for some good deals. She did not really find what she wanted, though she did settle for a few things. Joy even got a few things for herself. I picked up a bunch of shirts. Nice, long sleeve dress shirts. They were marked originally almost $40, but were now $5. So I paid $20 for about $200 worth of shirts. Or the retail world would have me before. I was even able to use a gift card that I had no idea even had money on it and I still had one left. Not anymore though.

I usually only get clothes for Christmas. Now that I am adult I have to look for really good sales.

It is time for a cool change

Wild weather we are having?

The holiday were everyone has their last hurrah to the beach and the weather is cool. Maybe you like the beach to be comfortable, but I want the beach to be hot. So the water can be hot. I know I have odd weather tastes.

The brief exposure I had to the news showed some wind and rain damage to parts of the coast a few days before Labor Day. I am not sure if it affected too many people. At least it hit before the weekend.

Last night was pretty cool, temperature wise. It was the first time that my thermostat read below 78. So it must have been pretty cool. I think I saw temps in the 50s. So break out your poodle skirts.

For those who still like hot weather, it is probably coming back. It did reach 99 on September 1st.

Anytime the air is free I am happy.

Now that is what I call enter tainment

Well I thought I would finally get around to writing something down. I have been away for a long time. Since my absence I have a new addition. Yes, one of the signs was plus. My wife and I have a little girl. She keeps me busy, but not as busy as she keeps my wife.

I have not been doing that much. I do what I have been doing except updating my blog. Well that and changing diapers.

Maybe I will try and be better about recording my events. In 3D...duh duh duh.

Makeup sects

I have seen a couple of stories of women, who happen to be famous for some reason, go without makeup. Being a male, I do not know much about makeup. I might have applied it years ago, but other than that not on a regular basis. Wendy does not wear make up so I do not really see it on a regular basis. I know a couple of people who sell makeup.

One thing that I do not understand is that famous people look so pale without the makeup. I saw a few pics and the people were even whiter than normal. So there are some people that look better with makeup. Most of the time to me, I cannot tell when someone is wearing makeup. That is probably the goal of makeup to make the person look better without looking like a makeup wearer.

I guess there was really no point to this post except you have face your problems or you become a problem.

Away for a day or three

Your freedom is over reader. This weekend Wendy and I were visiting her parents. Nothing big, just visiting family. We did help Wendy's parents update their cell phones. It was a pretty painless process. They knew pretty much what they wanted.

Even though there was access to the online world, I did not get online any during the weekend. It looks like I did not miss anything.

So now I am back to making up my own news.

Whut?

I recently heard that word and thought where did it come from. Before I am going to google it, I thought I would put my own interpretation. I think it refers to when people express curiosity and a bit of what are you thinking. So the "u" refers to the you in the what are you doing.

Now let's see what or whut? could be...

Apparently it is just slang to express confused interest on what is going on.

Now you have no idea and that is part of my plan.

Shelf life

Yesterday was a day of missed opportunities. I went to the library to return some books I had and to pick up some new ones. I thought I would be smart and look at the online catalog. I had a list of the books I watched to check out. At least the numbers. After work I head to the library. The books I wanted were not there. According to the computer they should have been. So I had to wander through the shelves hoping that inspiration would strike. It took me longer than I thought.

After Wendy returned home, she wanted to visit a store to view some baby merchandise. So we drive over to Durham, the location of the store. The item is not there. We had looked online at it and it was out of stock in most online stores. The sales associate puts Wendy's name on a list to let her know when the item arrives. Wendy was pretty bummed that the store did not have the item. We did pick up one or two things that we wanted. So it was not a wasted trip. We had an expired good coupon, so maybe we will have another coupon when the item arrives.

I am glad it is Friday. This week has dragged on. Now to drag myself away.

The past is all in your girlfriend's mind

Wendy and I watched The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Or I think that was the title. The movie was based on The Christmas Carol. Except the main character was obsessed with women. Talk about a whoreder. He is haunted by three women and of course his childhood female friend. She happens to be the one who broke his heart so he became a womanizer to break hers. Of course he has the change of heart or is it something else?

I may have mentioned something like this before, but it is truly apparent in most movies. The main character will be extremely successful, but somewhat of a jerk. Then the character reunites with someone of the past and realizes "I am not truly happy until I have this person in my life."

I guess what makes it a movie is that the main character gets the object of desire plus keeps the money. They say it is not about the money, but it sure helps in that elaborate scheme.

On the tell end

Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Or is it beginning, middle, and beginning?

It seems that I am the last to hear about a good trend. I suppose I am like the old man of slang. If I have heard about it then it is going out of style.

It is nice of the internet to hold a bunch of archives. That way it can be new to you if you hear about something. It is weird when you are looking at something current and they reference another person's work. So you go to that link and it has not been updated for a couple of years.

Maybe the internet is a time machine. You can look at the past, present, or future.

Road wary

As Wendy and I were making our way back home from the ball game I nearly caused us to have an accident. It was dark and I am not a great nighttime driver. The lights (or is the absence of light?) do weird things to my eyes. It is always the medians that affect me the worst. Specifically turning.

So here is my bonehead move. We are driving down Davis Drive in Cary. It is a straight shot. After going through a green light, I go into panic mode and swerve the car to the right. To me eyes it looked like I was about the hit the median. I guess it was a patch of pavement. Fortunately, no one was around me. Plus we were not hurt. It did jar us a little.

Wendy raised a good point. Medians are usually in the middle of the road, not the lane. I feel like such an idiot.

My argument in the case for automated cars or me having enough money for a driver. I will take whichever comes first.

Remember to keep it between the lines. Talk about a line drive.

Games people play

Last night Wendy and I went to a Durham Bulls game. It was not too bad. The tickets were free through work. Wendy was able to get off work early and go with me. So we head over to the ballpark. We choose to park in the parking garage. We hope for a ground level space. Nothing. We go to the second level and nothing. The third level nothing. We did find parking on the fourth level. I think they should take a dollar off the charge for every level above the ground you have to park. I am not sure how it would work. Although the penthouses are always near the top of the building?

We find the box where we are to meet with my coworkers. There were a lot of people I did not recognize. It was open to families. The food was pretty good. It was hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, mac and cheese, potato salad. Plus they had Rita's Italian Ice.

The weather was a little cold to me. I for some reason could not stop shivering. After eating we sat up in the bleachers. It was a little warmer there.

The game was okay. It seemed to take a long time. Especially the first four innings. We left after the seventh. At our leaving the Bulls were down by a run. The two teams traded the lead up until the fourth inning when the visiting team scored four runs. Right before we left the Bulls did hit a home run. It actually hit the bull sign. I thought people were supposed to get something free from that, but an announcement was never made.

It was a good time, but I wish they had done it on a Friday. Maybe work will be a little quiet from all the excitement last night.

Just kidding

Wendy and I watched a bizarre movie called Away We Go. One of the guys from the Office and a SNL alumnae play expectant parents who are on the search for people to help raise their future daughter. They learn that a lot of people are crazy and have weird parenting practices. I think it was one of the few movies that shows the person pregnant all movie, but does not show the baby. All the other movies show the baby at the end of the movie, especially if the person would be a surprise.

The good news is that as parents we can only affect our child for a little bit. We will pass on certain traits and thoughts. However, it is up to the child to do something with them. The best way not too screw up your child too much is to love him/her. At least as parents we can do one thing right.

A battery of things

Well this early afternoon I was planning to leave work at 12:45 and meet Wendy for our tour of the hospital. So at 12:50 I was heading out to my car. I put the key into the ignition, turn, and nothing happens. I try again and same result. I think just great and this sucks for the g rated audience. I get a battery jump charge that belongs to work. I hook it to the battery and nothing happens. My supervisor notices that the terminals on the battery were corroded. With the charger nothing happened either. So my supervisor lets me use a work car to meet Wendy.

I arrive home a few minutes later than intended. Eat a sandwich. Wendy and I head over the hospital. It was a pretty nice hospital. We met with the nurse who led our baby birth class. She showed us an example of the room where Wendy will be giving birth. Then we saw one of the post partum rooms. It looks pretty nice. And it is private. We will see what will happen when the time comes.

So I get back to work. I try the key one more time and nothing. While I was awhile my supervisor cleaned the terminals. I put the charger back on and it did crank. However, it was still the battery. I needed to get a new one. The battery was not holding a charge or there was a short in the cell. I picked up a battery. It was more than I wanted to pay, but less than I thought. My supervisor installed the battery for me. Now my motor is running.

I know many of you, okay all of you, will not care but I was missing a pen for the past few days. I could not remember where I had put it. I was in a room at work that serves as a chapel. I was moving some chairs and happen to look down where I was sitting a few days ago. There was the pen in the chair.

You take the good and you take the bad. Hopefully you can give some of both back.

Tour of duty

No, it is not diaper duty yet.

Today Wendy and I are going to be touring the hospital where in about 7 weeks (hopefully) Joy will appear. We went through one class on the delivery. Now we get to see what the hospital side looks like.

I admit I have no idea what to expect. I do not have much experience with hospitals. Hopefully this will be a good experience.

I wonder if it will have a whirlpool in the room. It will probably not be for me anyway. I am sure though I will feel like I am in a whirlpool.

I want my mommy...to have a great mothers day

First of all. I hope all the ladies are having a great Mothers day. I guess it is dependent on how their children are behaving. So behave you rugrats!

Yesterday was a pretty productive day. Wendy did go to her shower to see friends and get some good gifts. I am not sure all what she received. She showed me, but I cannot remember. I know we received the travel system because Wendy and I assembled it. It will definitely be a learning experience. With all the parts I will either lose some fingers or gain some IQ points. We have not tried to conquer the car seat yet.

Today was a pretty day. Wendy and I ate from a Chinese buffet for the first time in a long time. I think we paid more than we should because it said Mothers Day buffet special 8.25 but when I was paying I noticed a sign saying 7.75 Sunday buffet. Oh well it is only once a year. Both Mothers day and when we eat a Chinese buffet. The sad thing is they did not give us any fortune cookies.

I guess they say no news is good news.

Presenting

Today is another shower for Wendy and Joy. A friend of Wendy's is hosting. I am not going to this one. This is for ladies only. I guess I will be spending time with other males not invited to the shower.

Maybe I will report back. But it will be second hand. Is that the left or the right?

Through the looking glass

It is a wonderland.

Our cats love to look out the window. Right now as I type Metro and Marley are perched or hunched in front of the glass back doors. I do not know what intrigues them so much. It is usually Marley that loves that view the most. Metro will meander away to do something else.

At least the cats, specifically Metro, do not try to run out.

That may be the best way to observe the outside from the safety of inside the house and the somewhat reasonably cool.

You got to pray to make it through the day

Today, Thursday, is the National Day of Prayer. Because I work for a religious institution I participated in this observance.

My day has pretty much been crap, but you could care less about that. However, I do have an uplifting story for you.

The building met together in our chapel for a time of public prayer. People had been designated to lead the group in public prayer. After this time we went out front to pray. We formed a big circle and said our prayer. As we finished a public transportation vehicle slowed down and stopped. It is like a shuttle or mini bus and called a CTran. I thought to myself the guy must have thought we all wanted a ride and he would get the biggest fare in his life. He walks up and asks if he could join us. He says he is glad and thankful for like minded people praying for a difference in the world. Another prayer was said.

So the moral of this story is that the buses will wait.

I am not buying it

Last night Wendy and I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was an okay movie. A young journalist who wants to work at a fashion magazine works at a money magazine. Surprise! She is in debt. She shakes up the magazine and falls in love with the editor. I wonder if the movie should be called Dave Ramsey in address?

The movie was pretty good. It had a pretty well known cast. Sometimes, yes, it was over the top. Or maybe the movie could have been Buy, Buy Love.

Then after the movie we flipped around the television. Hey, it was better than actually watching tv. We landed on a show on Discovery Health about obsessions. One of the stories was about, you guessed it, shopping. A woman had 85,000 on her credit cards. I am not sure if I read the wrap up right, but it said she had paid it off! The other stories were about a woman who would not stop tanning, a woman who constantly ate chalk, and a man who would not stop running for marathons.

Everybody has obsessions. Maybe like paranoia over the air flow or regulating the water flow? It is only weird if the other person does not like it. Or you do something completely strange.

Alright, that is all I have

An actual phone conversation with me wife.

The names have been changed to attack the guilty and me look dumber.

Wife: Hello.

Me: Hey.

Wife: What is it?

Me: Nothing. I just called.

Wife: Okay.

Me: Blah, blah. Alright. That is all.

Wife: Okay.

Me: Oh, blah, blah. Alright. I guess I will go.

Insert more blahs and Alright, I guess I will go and you will have the phone conversation. I am not sure why I blather on the phone. I usually have nothing to say and my conversations are short. Yet, I continue to repeat myself.

As long as the ringing is on the outside of my ears.

Just browsing

This morning Chrome is not behaving for me. It will open up a couple of things, but not what I am interested. Or it will load the page partially like a window blind. Then the circle of non-life will just spin.

I know you are saying big deal, aren't there a bunch of other browsers? Yes. I am using another one right now.

Last night we had some bad news in the household. Our loaf of bread was squashed in the trip home from the grocery. I know I was crushed also.

We now return to your regular schedule

I do not know what it is, but you probably do, when I have days that are off schedule I feel like doing nothing. If I have to sit around more than five minutes I can lose interest.

I enjoy a routine. I find myself doing the same things at the same time. I know of course this cannot always happen.

I suppose it comes down to if I do not have a purpose then I shut down. Maybe that is my problem. I am not goal oriented so I am always in shut down mode.

Nothing but air there.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen that is referring to the space in my head.

Everything I did yesterday was a screw up. I woke up and it started from there.

Wendy arose and noticed it was warm in the house. It was supposed to be warm outside. I said that the thermostat should not let the temperature get any higher. So I took off the cover to show her I had it set on cool. The thing came on. The snowflake icon did not appear, which is supposed to when cooling. Then the air continued to run, even after it reached the shut of temperature. So I fiddled with it and then could not get the fan or air to run. After almost an hour and time to go to church, we decided it was not worth it. We were going to get a new one. That thing has been a headache since day one. Even the manufacturer said it was messed up. I was trying to prove them wrong and save money. Neither worked.

We go to church and it was Youth Sunday. It was my week to run the video camera for the service. I have no idea how it turned out. The youth were spread out over the stage so I had to use wide shots. They may look like grasshoppers in their own eyes.

After church we proceed to Lowes to pick up a thermostat. We choose what looks to be a decent one, hoping this was one will function. The package says it takes 3 AAA batteries. So we pick those up as well.

Then of course it is lunch time. We cannot decide where to go. Finally we say why not KFC? So there we are. I was going to try the Double Down. I figure why not? However the price was not right. I did not want to pay that much for it. So we both got chicken strips.

Then it was home to install our new purchase. I take the old thermostat down. Put up the new face plate. To my surprise the batteries it calls for are 3 AA. So I use the previous thermostat batteries and scrounge for another battery. Then I try to wire the thermostat. I was hooking up the wires in what I thought was the right place. I could not get the thermostat to stay on the plate. Wendy comes over and pops it into place. However it does not work. I take off the thermostat, fiddle, but still nothing. By this point I am regretting my conception. Wendy comes over and says I have the wires in the wrong place. They need to go in the other side. I try to get the wires there, but I cannot do it. So she comes over and in two minutes has the wires corrected and the thermostat snapped into place.

The thermostat comes on blows cool air. It is working. I guess it was hot outside and in here. It ran forever and only cooled a few degrees. I was every minute checking to see what was going on. Yes, I was being paranoid and obsessive. I am not sure if the unit is running low on freon, like a friend suggested. It is a numerous amount of years old. I was also washing clothes and drying them so that added heat to the house.

A friend came over who is currently living in Wilmington. He had been in the local area helping his sibling move some river rock. He worked all day Saturday and had to drive back yesterday afternoon to be at work early Monday morning. He was the one who suggested the freon. Wendy told him about the dryer hose continually separating itself and heating the whole house. He agreed to look at it. To solve the problem in the past I had duct taped the whole thing. It worked temporarily, but still allowed heat to come through. I am sure he thought I was idiot for the taping job I did. He suggested I get a metal hose, because the one I had with the dryer was in bad shape. So he takes me over to Lowes and we get the hose. He somehow got the hose onto the pipe and clamped it down. Previously I had never been able to do that. He pulled on it to make sure it was tight and sturdy. It appears to be. Hopefully it will hold and I will not to worry about the dryer hose coming loose.

While at Lowes I also picked up filters. The ones I currently had were pretty old. I had replaced them in the past, but it was not recent. I was told that may have been why the thermostat could not get enough return air and might run longer.

After what seemed like an eternity, the air stopped. I guess it runs to a degree lower than you set as a cut off point. At least I know it cuts off. It is sad our house allows the cold air to blow in the winter and holds the hot air in the summer. I need to get a thermometer to test what the temperature is in here. That may play with my mind even more.

So there you go another day and numerous stupid acts on my part. That is how I do on pretty much every project. I know somewhat how to do it, but get to a certain point and someone has to kick me in the next step. I know that they want to kick me in the head. I do not blame them. It is tough working with an idiot. I should know I have to look in the mirror and see one every day.

It is high school, Watson

While Wendy and I were away from our house for the weekend, we were interested in watching a movie. Okay, it was me interested in watching Sherlock Holmes. This was Wednesday night. Wendy and I were staying at the house we were house sitting while the owners were away. They had recently purchased a new television since their other one went on the fritz. So the DVD player was not hooked up.

So, being the technological lack I am, I tried to see if I could hook it up. I plugged in this cable and nothing happened. I changed that setting, nothing happened. The owners happened to call in and we did a help line. I was able to get the DVD to play. Of course at this time it is 9:30 at night. The movie is two hours long. So it will have to wait another night.

Then of course it is Thursday night. Which is devoted to actual television viewing. So I did not get to watch it then.

Friday night. Wendy and I finally watched the movie. It seemed late when we got to start the movie, but we had no where to go on Saturday. Sherlock Holmes was interesting. I did get a little sleepy during part of it. One interesting side note. The DVD started where I had it playing. So Wendy and I spent the first ten minutes wondering if we were at the beginning. We did not see any opening credits.

The movie definitely portrayed Holmes and Watson as thrill seekers. They almost seemed to use their brawn more than brain. It was a pretty good action film. Especially if you like slow motion fight scenes where the guy's cheek flaps like he is in a wind tunnel. Of course there is the love interest and the opening for a sequel.

I would say at least investigate this movie.

Daze away

Greetings people who sleep with their eyes open.

I have been away for a few days. It is amazing that I was able to update everyday over nothing. Now that I have the opportunity to update I have nothing to say. Well I mean even less than normal.

That is all for this post.

Or is it?




Apparently it was.

Room being viewed

Wendy and I over the weekend found an interesting show. It is called Solitary. It airs or aired on the Fox Reality Channel. Over the weekend they were running a marathon. The premise of the show is that nine people are locked in individual pods. Their bodies are put to the test mentally and physically by challenges. They go through lack of food and sleep and bizarre challenges where they are rewarded or punished. The contestants have the opportunity to quit anytime, but then they would be out of the game. Of course the show is over the top.

I know I could not do that show. I get frustrated too easily. I would probably kill myself locked in a room. I know I am usually locked in a small room, but at least I have other distractions. I do not think I could do any of the challenges either psychical or mental. The thing that also gets me is my body would naturally pass out. I pass out even after regular sleep.

If you enjoy that kind of thing feel free to lock yourself up. It will probably be to the enjoyment of others. It is not in my cards however.

Re-gifted

Last night Wendy and I watched a pretty decent movie. It was called The Ultimate Gift. I picked it for the queue because it was recommended on behalf of other movies. I figured I had enough science fiction movies in the queue.

The movie is based on a book. It has some basic Christian themes. An extremely wealthy man dies leaving his greedy family only a portion of his wealth. The grandson who left the family is required to do tasks to get his part of the inheritance. He learns the value of "real wealth" plus he gets the entire inheritance. He also gets the girl.

If you like movies with rich guys who start off as jerks and become nice even richer guys, then this is your movie.

Lack of feeling

Joy is busy. I am not sure what she exercises she is doing in there. According to Wendy it is a lot. She says that Joy is constantly moving, except when I look. I try to do the husband thing of putting my hand on Wendy's stomach. Most of the time I do not feel anything. Probably worse yet I think that I feel something but it is not Joy.

Sometimes my hands are strange. I can touch hot items and not feel the heat. Then the next time it is too hot to touch. Maybe I have sensitized my hands too much. It is odd that my hands are sensitive to handshakes. I often feel that the squeeze is too much. It seems to hit a place on my hand.

Joy can be kicking and I not feel a vibration. It drives Wendy crazy. I am not sure how I cannot feel it. I think that I have seen Joy moving around.

I have a few more weeks to get better. If I can stomach it to have some belly laughs.

Mirror, mirror

No, I am not Alice nor am I A-List. I do now have a new looking glass.

Wendy and I were in Wal-mart over the weekend and Wendy informed me that she will be purchasing a mirror for the bathroom. The bathroom downstairs after previous renovations only had a side mirror. Now with the bedroom downstairs it is important that Wendy have a mirror for getting ready in the morning. The side mirror combo medicine cabinet did not work to well, unless you wanted a crick in the neck.

So we found a cheap mirror. I had to put it on the door. Wendy is not that demanding so the few projects she asks me to complete I try to work on. Else I would be a cold hearted jerk. Okay maybe a bigger one.

I had her help me hold the mirror to see where she wanted it. Then I first tried to screw into the door with a screwdriver. It was not a sonic, so it did not work well. Then I resorted to the drill Wendy got me a few years ago. It was still difficult, but once it got going it well pretty quickly. So after a few nicks on the door and moments of frustration the mirror is hung.

I have to say it looks pretty good, even if I do not.

Ramsey down my throat

Wendy and I are trying to get out finances in order. I would love to be one of those success stories that never has to owe money except bills. It will take a long time to do that. The good news is that overall we do not owe a lot of money. That may change after Joy is born. Our problem is that we have a hard time saving more. We come close to putting out what we put in.

Wendy has a renewed interest in the principles of Dave Ramsey. She has a friend that was recently on his show. Most of his principles sound like they would work. It does require sacrifice, but so do a lot of things. Sometimes I can be cynical and say there are conditions why that worked. Some of the results of the success stories sound too far fetched. Some of does peak my interest.

Wendy and I are going to give it a try. We have already been paying off some debt. Now we have to work on a budget and saving. Maybe some day we can check that off our list. Okay, okay. We will cash that in. Is that better?

Wendy is trying to sell my comic books and a few other collectibles. So far they have only been collecting dust. Why should not we collect money from them? Sell before sale I guess is the new motto.

Over the weekend

Wendy and I had a pretty good weekend. It seemed to go by quickly. Especially now that it is Monday morning.

Saturday Wendy and I went to our one and only birthing class. It was not too bad. It was a pretty good experience. The class was pretty small which was good. There were three other couples due late May, mid June, and around our due date. The instructor was very nice. She talked about the birthing process. It seems that birth is natural and the process is meant to go well. We also did some relaxing techniques and breathing exercises. I still do not know everything about child birth, but I do know more. Now we wait to put what we learned in practice.

Sunday was a normal day for us. Church, grocery shopping, and then a nap. Wendy made a pretty good dinner. We picked up some inexpensive beef ribs and potatoes. Wendy boiled the potatoes so she could mash them. She also cooked the meat in barbecue sauce. It was very tender and good.

Wendy was denied watching her Amazing Race program. It was pre-empted by an awards show last week. Then this week it was weather. There was a tornado out east. I am not sure how much it did. After fifteen minutes of hearing the same nothing again we changed the channel. I would flip back and forth and the coverage lasted for an hour. Fortunately, they should redeem themselves and show Amazing Race tonight.

Now it is Monday and we will see what the week brings. Hopefully another good weekend.

Make'em laugh

They say laughter is the best medicine. Doctors often say it is paying the bill.

Last night our church had a fellowship dinner. It is one of those quarterly things with pretty good food and entertainment. The entertainment last night was one of Wendy's second cousins. No, she was not in charge of booking him.

Apparently the guy had some good Christian street cred performing wise. He was pretty good. He sang a song or two, did some impressions, made other people do impressions, and left a good impression. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Wendy said she had no laughed that hard in a long time. I think the last time was when I gave her the ring.

The comedian had some participation for the former and current pastor. Then he had a couple of youth come up. He also had the youth minister's husband and me come up. Sure all of us looked like fools, but we had a good time.

The audience seemed to have a good time. Everyone had good comments to say about the, ahem, performance. In show business that is all the matters.

Type O

As your fingers do the walking there is the chance they will J walk.

Sometimes, well most of the time, I mistype my password. I know what it. I think. After I type it I hit Enter. Only to receive wrong username/password combination. It is mildly annoying. Usually I get it right on the second try. Speaking of passwords, do you find yourself typing in a password for another account? I have done that before.

I have even mistyped in the address bar and it takes me to weird sites. It is all part of the adventure. In babysitting.

I wonder how many typos there are in this post. The winner is... no one.

Block-head

It is a tough life Charlie Brown.

Last night I was on the Internet. My anti-virus software popped up some message about messages trying to get through on the web browser I was using. I thought it was some random error message. So I hit block and moved on. However, not very far. It blocked my web browser. I was using Google Chrome.

When I tried to sign back in, it would not connect. This morning I spend a lot of time trying to figure out why it would not let me in. I google Chrome and Mcafee. I saw some forums, but it did not apply to me. I went to the Mcafee site. It was a little helpful. So I played around almost to the point of frustration and finally found what I wanted. I was able to unblock Chrome from the firewall.

I know it probably took me longer than most people to figure that out. But, it is working now with a little help from my unseen friends.

A Healthy Dose

I am sure you have heard all the people around you wanting to get in better health. To do that they talk about losing weight. To do that they talk about watching what they eat.

I am sure that these are good goals, but it sort of gets on my nerves. I do not eat as healthy as I should. I enjoy junk food. I know it is important to eat right. I think about eating healthy. I try to eat vegetables and fruit. I know I do not do the best of jobs, by any means.

When someone goes to extreme it does turn me off. I think who cares about eating healthy. If it makes you feel better it might be worth it. Just do it and leave me out of it. A few random updates are fine, please do not make decision about food.

People say they want to live longer and better. Only time will tell that.

Take a memo

April 21, 2010

To all staff,

Happy Administrative Professionals Day.

You knew it was coming because you coordinate my calendar. Plus you actually typed this.

We could not do what do without you. Especially because I do not know what it is.

I might even one day get you name right.

Love, Mildly tolerate, Respectfully,

JP/jp
asdf jkl;

Sleep depraved

I by no means suffer from insomnia. It seems that a lot of people I hear from suffer with lack of sleep. I may look and feel like I suffer from the affects of sleeplessness. I can sleep usually anywhere, much to the disdain of Wendy. If I am sitting around then my eyes get heavy and I pass out. There have been plenty of times when one moment I am there and the other moment I am not. The past few days I have felt more tired than usual.

I wonder what it would be like to have insomnia. Would I get more work done? Or would I get less done? I am not sure because what work do I do when I could be sleeping? I have never been one to stay up late and work on projects. I wonder if there has been a study done between creative people and their sleep patterns. I suppose a guy can dream.

Probably the closest I will come to insomnia will be when Joy is born. I hear there will be many nights of lost sleep. I guess I am telling myself I am storing up rest now.

I think now would be a good time to get some shut eye.

That is using your vow-els

Hello to those who walk around with flowers maybe down aisles.

Wendy and I watched 27 Dresses last night. My thought about the movie is, it is the Wedding Crashers for women. Basically a women is in love with weddings so much she does everything she can to be in them. Of course it is about unrequited love that becomes realized.

It seems to me that in romantic comedies the women are extremely successful. They then meet the future love interest and realize their life stinks. Maybe they should not meet the guy then. Of course they are only acting happy. They are actresses after all.

It also seems that the women in movies who love love never get the guy. Well until the end. Think about it. They start off the movie lamenting the fact they are close to 30 and do not have anyone. Sometimes it looks like they are close to 40.

What is about having the guy as a reporter? Or at least someone being in the public eye. I guess that is so the final meltdown before they realize are right for one another can be public. Then the resolution can be public. We can then have aaaawwww moment.

I will end with another piece of movie logic. If your sister or best friend ends up happy then open your eyes for your relationship. I guess it all goes back to women even going to the bathroom in pairs.

I due.