Friday, December 29, 2006

Some Last Thoughts for 2006

Gee, 2006 is coming to an end and what ever happened to the 365 days? I can only remember 299 of them. Help, I have been cheated out of some great times.

Here are some highlights of the year from my eyes. I know I have forgotten something so please don't execute me ... I am getting older.

January - Our new Years Cruise -- oh what fun.

February - A much sadder month as Dad went on to be with the Lord. Just to think, he is up there having fun. I miss him so.

March - National Bowling Tournament in Corpus Christi Texas and a great week with my Mom.

May - Two things happened to change my life. Someone who means the world to me turned 50. And a beautiful high energy Blonde came into our life. It has changed our life forever --- for the best.

June - Daughter #1 graduates from High School and our hearts beat proud for what she has done.

September - Financially free ... oh how it feels so good.

October - Son #1 moves to Colorado as he leaves the nest. A great opportunity for him but we sure miss him. Pssst ... Don't tell him though. Daughter #1 gets married and makes us as proud as possible. We love her so.

November - Paul blesses us with a whole year of healing and prayers. God is good.

December - Our first Christmas without Son #1 and with Daughter #2. I won't trade a moment except to have Son #1 here for the Holiday's and share the season with him.

I have many reasons to be happy and thankful for but one is the most important. Without her I would have been lost 31 years ago. My wife is so special I can't even start to tell you. In my mind, she defines wife, mother, friend, lover, and companion. If only I could find the right way to tell her the depth of her meaning to me. I can't wait for the next 31 years and then some.

Happy New Year and May whomever you worship may they bless you with a great life.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Christmas - Part 3

We celebrated 31 years last night. In my humble opinion it was as good as the first. Our best friends went with us and we had a slow and fun dinner. Work continues to provide a million laughs even if they aren't wanted. I just love those early morning phone calls especially when it is a morning to sleep in a bit and regain some of what I lost last week. Oh well! Do you realize it is time to once again plan for the tax day and start collecting that pile of supporting paperwork. Gee, with New Year’s Eve approaching, I wonder hat resolutions I can make so I can have something to break in January 2007.

Upcoming Events:
28 – Polish up the Baseball bat and practice saying “no.”
31 – New Year’s Eve party
3 - #2 Birthday – 21st isn’t that old? Time for a beer belly?
11 - #1 Birthday – 25th now that is ancient .. He may even have grey hair now.

#1: Battening down for another snowstorm. Imagine, he left this beautiful 60 degree weather for that. Maybe he has found a snow bunny to keep him warm.

#2: Chomping at the bit to get his new computer on order. He has already changed his mind from what he decided on earlier this week. Shall we try for 4 times?

Star: Will be here in a few days when she finishes tying all the loose ends together. I think she just wants to keep me waiting ... but I won't beg.

Princess: Oh the travails of boy friends. I guess we now will start riding that roller coaster. I wonder how many she will go through before Mr. Right shows up. 100? The 2-day sleep over has ended. What excitement that 5 young ladies generate. We now have several "new colored" towels to use following the latest hair coloring adventure. They even wanted to color mine ... what a waste of dye.

Toy: sorting life out after sending the Fiancé for a cold shower and a long walk. I think it was the right move though trying to explain a hunch is very hard. We had a long talk while Princess was pining over "babe". I some times wonder why they want to grow up so fast; I always thought being a kid is fun. Perhaps we as a society have failed by forcing our kids to be an adult too soon. Could that explain the 45% divorce rate ... married too soon?

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Christmas - Part 2

Hope Everyone had a great Christmas and will have a even better New Year. I will.

I am still amazed at how some people operate their computers. By the way, the servers still give me fits as the bugs are slowly ironed out. Usually, the server gets wrung out for a few weeks before it is ever put into action. But I didn't have that luxury. Today, the main backup server decided to crap out so that is what I am working on now. The chuckles these people provide still continue. Someone complained their Internet didn't work. I fixed the problem and told them it was good. They replied no it isn't. It still has that error screen on the monitor. So I clicked a button and all was good once again. "What did you do? I clicked on the REFRESH button. Oh, I would have never thought of that, I am not the techie type." Another one! "Come and fix my mail. "After you fixed the server my mail folders are gone." So I checked the program, clicked once and the folders all appeared. "What did you do? I clicked on the plus sign by the mail folders icon. Oh, you really know your computers." Yet another one! Someone else informs me that the operators are not techie types and the engineer should fix things and let them focus on creative things. (Yeah, right, like surf the internet or generally pound their pud. Then later that day they come to me "can you record the show @ 3 pm for replay at 7pm? Do I look like a creative type? People want a paycheck and don't want to do anything for it. At times you just want to run and get away from the whole mess. I say "automate the whole lot" and get rid of the "creative ones."

Today is the big 31. Anniversary, that is. I can only wish I was referring to my age.

I can't imagine what Christmas would be like without all the kids. Just watching their faces and listening to their excitement was great. Though maybe 12 kids would be a bit much. It would be fun if my newly married daughter had 12 kids. Then I could try it out and if it didn't work out I could just move away. Sounds good to me.

Wild Mom: fighting plumbing problems.

#1: is in his new apartment. Now comes the problem of furniture. Sleeping on an air mattress will get old. Remember those days?

#2: Same old Same old.

Star: heading our way for a long visit. Can't wait.

Princess: Sweetie, Honey .... Hey there! That sounds like someone with a boyfriend. Time to polish the baseball bat and get it ready for some Boy friend attitude adjustment. Attitude like "your hands stay on yourself", "those lips best be puckered to kiss your mom" and "any intentions in your mind best be in the future ... like 6 years from now."

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Christmas - Part 1

Well, it is about time I wrote a word or two. Starting last Tuesday the wheels came off the skateboard. At work the server crashed big time (after some 9 years). What timing! So after about 35 hours, I went home and snagged about 4 hours sleep then headed back to fine some knucklehead opened an attachment that contained a virus. So not only did I get to rebuild a server, I have the joy of getting rid of a virus from about 60% of the computers. Sure wish I could fix "stupid". What a Christmas present.

Finally about 1 PM on Saturday, I just left and came back this morning to finish up. Then the Holiday kicked in. Friday night was a super party with friends, Saturday was Mexican Food then shopping. Sunday was Church, shopping, and Christmas Eve service. At the service, as we sang Silent Night my thoughts turned to Dad and I was tired by time Christmas day came around.

It was a great day. I talked with all my kids. Spent the day with four of them and loved every minute. So what did my perfect Christmas present have in it? A phone call to Wild Mom to her her say "I love you." A kiss from Lady. Three long phone calls from #1, Star and Blue. Plenty of hugs from Princess, Toy, Critty. And a "thanks Dad" from #2. With Lew sprinkling everything with "I love you Pap Paw and that squeezing hug." See I am a simple person who wants nothing more than being with his family. Those gifts will last for ever and bring back memories long after the words grow silent and the hugs wear off.

On the present's scene, It was mostly clothes and some tools. Heaven forbid I run out of clothes and have to run around nekkid.

Goody - Goody

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

A Dusty and Crumpled Letter

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival ... although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own.

I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth just, GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all my followers did that, there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot that one, look up John 15:1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is My wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know; they tell me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year? Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.
4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile. It could make the difference.
7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work here. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one.
8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.
9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

PS: Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And, do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember ...

I LOVE YOU, JESUS

SANTA CLAUS: An Engineer's Perspective

I. There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. However, since Santa does not visit children of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist religions, this reduces the workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total, or 378 million (according to the Population Reference Bureau). At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per house hold, that comes to 108 million homes, presuming that there is at least one good child in each.

II. Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits per second.

This is to say that for each Christian household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left for him, get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh and get on to the next house. Assuming that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false, but will accept for the purposes of our calculations), we are now talking about 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks. This means Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second --- 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run (at best) 15 miles per hour.

III. The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium sized Lego set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that the "flying" reindeer could pull ten times the normal amount, the job can't be done with eight or even nine of them --- Santa would need 360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch).

IV. 600,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second crates enormous air resistance --- this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team would be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reached the fifth house on his trip. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop 650 m.p.s. in .001 seconds, would be subjected to centrifugal forces of 17,500 g's. A 250 pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pinkish goo.(editor note: easier to pour down the chimney :-)

V. Therefore, if Santa did exist, he's dead now.

The Engineer's Night Before Christmas ...

Twas the night before Christmas and I had finally gotten home When my Wife met me at the door and handed me the phone.

"It's that darn remote control thing" she said in great dismay And the Burk doesn't call simply to say Happy Holiday.

So while my children were hanging the stockings by the chimney with care I'm preoccupied trying to get the transmitter back on the air.

"ON filaments, ON plate, NO output? You stupid ____"
"Recycle, RESET, Overload? I'm fixen ----!!"

Regaining my composure to notice my Daughter's staring face Asking "Daddy - do you HAVE to go to that transmitter place??"

"Yes Princess", I said "But it won't be for long"
Hoping deep down inside that I wasn't wrong.

So out I trudged into the cold winter's night
To the world's most remote tower site.

Driving past all the houses, lit up with holiday glee
Feeling sorry for myself -- and asking why me ??

But as I got closer my heart was feeling some lighter when all of a sudden --
I started hearing the EXCITER!

"Powr Supply"! I thought ... "surely it's not the final"
My heart's racing now, anticipating my arrival.

With schematic after schematic dancing in my head
"what if the plate transformer's shorted dead"??

Throwing open the gate and running into the shack
I start to tackle the problem and race around the back.

Where much to my amazement what did I see ??
A half open back door door --- apparently not shut good --- BY ME !!

So as I return to my cottage after a night so tiring,
I'm wondering if perhaps McDonald's is hiring !

Then I think "What a profession --- I could never leave"
After all, I've got maintenance scheduled for NEW YEARS'S EVE !!

(Author unknown)

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!

Monday, December 18, 2006

Whew!!

This past weekend was a blur. Wild Mom left about Midnight on Friday to head for home. I did my best to convince her not to sneak out of town. But she is home now and glad to be there. Saturday was Choir Practice as we prepared for Sunday Night. Lady's work Christmas Party was Saturday night with us getting back home after midnight. Yes we pooped out but when the guys started dressing up in dresses, used toilet plungers as microphones, sang "I am Woman" and did it without being drunk ... well, it was time to leave. As usual between the snacks and the meal we overstuffed. Sunday was also a world wind as we had ate breakfast at our usual place, Sunday School, Church, Choir Practice, Youth Bowling Awards, pre-bowled our Sunday Night league, had another choir practice and ended it with the Christmas Program. Lady and I finally dragged in from the weekend about 11 pm.

Work continues to be a laugh a minute as we watch the corporate weenies try and run the company. Somehow incompetence keeps ringing in my ears. Nothing more like a joke than a Lawyer playing at being an Engineer. Maybe I need to get some "flight-line", then stuff some "Grid-Leak Bias" up the Kazoo with a "Di-pole" and tie it off. That is after he goes on a FOD walk after filling his "plate with current and topped off with some Flux." That just might work.

The Christmas Program was a smashing success as the place was literally packed. I was happy for my part with 3 kids there, 2 out-of-town, and 2 missing in action. For the three that made it ... it means a lot to me for that day I found the perfect Christmas present ... and it was you. Only as you grow long in the tooth do you realize the importance of "family" at this time. I would take "family" over any present in the world.

Well, congrats to the Redskins in their win. I was impressed as they won a hard fought meaningless game that had no pressure to make them choke at the most critical time.

Even the Wizards won as they beat a team they could never beat (0-12) ... it helps when your opponent's three best players sit out. Performance like that will win the Championship ... just ask The Redskins.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Hee Hee!

Well, the week is over and perhaps the fun will begin. This week I did something I haven't done in a long time. I sat up all night and played a game. Needless to say, this old body complained all the next day. I can remember the days when I could do that for several days before I crashed and burned. Oh well, I will have to make do. Work is fine but sometimes I really have my doubts. It is really hard to fix "stupid." :)

Wild Mom: Returned from England broke and pissed of at the airlines. She managed to come home with more suitcases than she left with. She will be heading for home later tonight. Bubbles (the dog) asked for asylum so he could stay and play with all the kids.

Lady: Tired as she prepares for the Holidays. But she would make you proud.

#1: Work is fine and he is starting to look for an apartment. He is in our prayers as he establishes himself in Colorado.

#2: Job Interview was negative, so the search continues.

Star: May be coming to stay with us for a month while her hubby goes off and has fun, errr, I mean train for his new job.

Princess: Sick this week so we have stayed away from her so we wouldn't get those GERMS.

Today I heard a great example of Motherly Protection. 4 men broke into her home. She immediately runs out the back to call the police. Great idea except she left her baby laying there in the crib. Then stood outside crying because she was afraid the child would be harmed. Well, duh.

Local Politicians want to raise the gas tax some $0.50 per gallon. The reason is to improve the roads since the state won't. The other part is to force more riders to use Metro and not drive. The same day Metro announce a large fare increase and the elimination of some service. Looks like I am fixing to get hosed again and either way I will have to pay for it. I wouldn't mind a tax increase if part of the funds went to Metro to improve their service. But do you think these County Crooks will do that ... nope.

Somebody this week said the Redskins problems were caused by over-confidence. Gee, it took them 17 weeks to figure this out. Imagine how long it would take if there was a hidden problem if an obvious problem took that long!

It is amazing how the media is reporting more human interest stories in Iraq and slowing the body count stories down. The republicans asked for that for six years and now that the Democrats / Liberals are about to take over the media

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Baa Humbug

Well, another weekend draws to a close and the Monday Blahs prepare to interject themselves. What started off as a great weekend has managed to end on a crappy note. Bowling went well though it could have been better. A bright spot was the Redskins (Deadskins in disguise) finally losing the game and officially ending their inflated hopes of the playoffs. Now maybe the media will find something else to pump up into the next World Champion.

This week’s schedule:
Tuesday - Choir Practice and Wild Mom's return
Wednesday - My Work's Christmas Party
Saturday - Lady's Work Christmas Party
Sunday - Youth Bowling Awards Party, Church Christmas Play

So you can see it shall be a busy one as we approach Christmas. I hope everyone is making this a "Family" holiday and enjoying every minute of it. Oops, hope I didn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities with the thought of family time.

I wish someone would explain to me where I missed the boat on what a family truly is. If you have the answer please email me. What I see in my mind doesn't match what others around here see it as being like. What I hear does not match what they show in their actions. I almost get a sense that "Family" is just a word to banter around so others think you have something special. Family is being together instead of scheduling the family into little nooks and crannies that happen to be convenient thus keeping the illusion of belonging alive. I want to be together to share the love and the nuances of the season. You know the types of memories I mean. The ones that will be in your mind 25 years from now and still bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eyes. The memories that while you sit there and look at a picture and wonder how they ever got you to pose like that all the time forgetting the gallon of egg nog you swilled as part of the preparation for that picture. As I sit here my mind asks me "why care?" Obviously I missed the memo that changed things around and relegated everyone to being passing ships in the day and night. Speaking of ships, perhaps this is the time to forget my thoughts of a "family time" and book a cruise every year that leaves before Christmas and returns after the New Year. That would solve things because then everyone could do as they like with no obligation to feel anything else during this season of Christmas. The wife and I could then create our own memories to last a lifetime. If not, then the picture album would burst at the seams of the places we searched in a vain effort to find that elusive idea called "family."

I wonder how many more accidents will occur before some knucklehead in the State or City Government does something to stop the carnage at the highway intersection near our house. Tonight, once again for the umpteenth time there was another accident at that intersection. It seems to be a weekly affair that somewhere around that intersection someone innocent gets hurt and possibly even loses their life. I was once told that a certain number of people must die before they take action to fix the problem. Why must even 2 people die ... I was taught that everyone is worth something and their life shouldn't be wasted. If the intersection was designed wrong then fix it, don't kill people just to make it worth your time to fix it. I wonder how quickly they will change their mind when it is someone they love that is injured or killed at that intersection.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Ho Humm!

Well, the week draws to a close and Christmas gets closer. Maybe my gift this season should be "more of a scrooge." That would prove to be fun since I am such a push over. I will be in real trouble if Princess ever figures out how to wrap me around her finger. But I feel safe in the thought she probably will never figure it out. Starr came close but I wriggled free with only losing my heart to her. Next week will be interesting because of 2 Christmas parties and one Christmas program at the church. Gee, I wonder how many of the kids will show up for the Church program? Last weekend I had no one to go see "Happy Feet" with me so I guess I will go and find a "rent-a-kid" this weekend.

Work is about the same ... everyone wanting the world but not willing to learn the first thing about it. There is plenty of job security since the project list will take the rest of 2007 to complete. Maybe I should get sick with one of those 4-week colds and drag this process out. Hmmm!

Wild Mom: No updates so far. Maybe she is being held "in communicato" by the German Government for having too loud of a party in her room. I know Jenn would never do something like that.

Lady: Sure getting tired of her cross-stitch project. She is also fighting off a cold. The downside of the cross-stitch project is that it has slowed down the Christmas baking. Oh well, maybe my body could use the rest from all the goodies.

#1: Got his new cell phone and my wallet is already feeling heavier.

#2: Something big in the Business world must have happened. He has a job interview today. Or is it "Be Kind to Big Kids Day?"

Starr: Getting prettier by the day ... or at least my mind says so since we haven't seen her for a while. Hope to see her soon. Now let me see, where did that invitation sneak off too.

Princess: Still around and growing ... must be the water. Between School, work, our schedule and the Fire Station we haven't seen her a lot. We know she is there by from the ringing of her phone.

Eskimo Boy: Kind of a quiet type. They only way we know of his existence are the dirty dishes and glasses. We hope to spot him one day.

Anyone want to see pictures of Princess with her pj's torn after her fall at MacDonald's?

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Salt Mines -- Here we come!

Well, the new week stares me fully in the face. The weekend is never long enough to do what I want to do. Bowling was good. The youth team finished second. The evening team went 5-2 and should move up to 2nd or 3rd.

22 days till Christmas and not all the wish lists are in to us. Guess they don't want anything. Anyone else want the leftover presents?

Wild Mom: Doing well just running short of money. They should be getting ready to fly over to Germany soon. She only has a little over a week left.

Lady: Also wishes the weekend could be longer. She did manage to bake some cookies with M&M's in them. There goes the diet the Doctor wanted me to start.

#1: Got his new phone. He is getting a good dose of snow and cold weather. For me, give me the warm weather.

#2: Spent most of the weekend gone and when he was here he was asleep downstairs. I guess I am too much of a social person to spent that much time alone or asleep. As I have gotten older I find the family time more special and something to look forward too. I am so tired of hearing that blasted alarm clock constantly beeping. The next time I will take the baseball bat by the door and beat the crap out of it. :(

Starr: I wonder if she is ready to move again? What she needs is someone to sneak down there and check out her new guest bedroom. Plus Lady is ready to see some more wedding pictures. Will I recognize her or has her hair changed again. Doesn't matter though because we love her. :)

Princess: Nothing new. She left Friday night and returned late Sunday night, spending the whole weekend at the fire station. :(

Eskimo Boy: Had someone rearrange the rear end of his car. He is fine. He spent the weekend chatting on line.

Lew: It is amazing how a 3 year old develops an attitude. One minute he is defiant and the next so cute. Life is never boring. We just love it when he stuffs tools in his pants and runs around calling himself "Builder Bob." The walls of this house will never be the same after his efforts.

***************

All this week I listened to the local media brag about how vulnerable the Falcons were and how the Redskins would use this to start their Playoff run. The bragged how the Falcons, Giants, Phillies were prime to be beat by this surging Redskins Team (They had won 1 game). Well, after their 24-10 whipping ... I am waiting for their next attempt at bragging. Admit it. The 2006 Redskins are a losing team and look very bad in losing. What they need for 2007 is to get rid of the whole lot of them and get some people who really want to play.

Congrats to the Florida Gators. Despite the crookedness of the BCS committees, you get a chance to prove yourselfs. Playoffs are the way to go. But the Committee won't allow it because it would mean the end of the "Good ol Boy" system.

Thoughts

The old knight sat against the old tree in the courtyard watching the young squires sparring. The sun felt good on his aching legs. These brief respites felt good as he paid the price of many days in the saddle and quite a few blocked blows. It didn't take long for the squires to filter over and take a seat only to be followed by some seasoned knights. Everyone had learned that the words of this old knight were to be carefully listened too and remembered. After a bit the Captain of the Guard spoke up. "Sire, might you tell us a story and provide a few pointers?" The old knight nodded and slowly started a story.

"From my experience I have found that Brotherhood is the essence of what every squire needs. You can only go so far on your own. Why even the strongest is weak when facing the Brotherhood. You see the Brotherhood provides you knowledge of life, a base of experience no one man can assemble and companionship when you feel the loneliest. I would even believe that if you avoid the Brotherhood then your days as a Knight will be counted in days and not years." The old knight paused as if to recollect his thoughts.

The Captain looked about and from what he saw he could almost pick out the ones who would succeed and those who will possibly never see their second battle.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

In all fairness














To the light of my Life ... I love you.

I love those knees .... :)

And other times she scared me ...

Friday, December 01, 2006

Really?

Your Elf Name Is...

Flakey Mc Mini

Silent Alarm














We were unable to catch Princess when she drove the ambulance for the first time but we did manage to get a picture when she drove the Fire Engine the first time.

Kind of reminds you of Fred Flintstone and his big feet.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Juicer Up

Well, it is back to the grindstone until the next round of holidays. It is amazing how you can be caught up before the holiday and the day after the holiday you are swamped. Do they multiply while we are gone?

Thursday is "plan and sign-up for the Southern Mediterranean Cruise" night. Anyone have a good technique for making the days go faster so Nov 2007 gets here sooner? Needless to say we are excited about it and our time with Carl and Lynne.

Friday night is another Birthday dinner. Toy-Toy hits the ripe old age of 17. Maybe I ought to dunk her in no-grow stuff to stop her from growing up. I wonder if the threat of 17 birthday spanks would slow her down.

Wild Mom: Off to England. I am waiting for the call from the Queen saying that Mom is being deported while the UK is in one piece. Bubbles is doing fine. There is nothing like having two dogs lying on each side of you. Sure is tough to get frisky that way. Maybe I should send them to Princess's room.

Lady: Slowly recovering from all the cooking and baking. Work for her is the usual ... loads of fun and just enough for her day.

Star: After having so much fun in Georgia, she is settling back into the work scene and the moving scene as they get ready to move tomorrow. Sure miss her. You know, it isn't fair they have to have another life ... right when they get to be fun and you can relate too them .. They up and get married. Let's let them get married as toddlers and then get divorced when they turn 21 and then live at home. That would avoid the dirty diapers, raising them and that host of other of growing up problems. I love to hear her dream of the next goal in her life ... why? ... Because I know she will make it.

Princess: Another night of hair coloring. Remind you of any one? Now I have first hand knowledge now to enable me to judge who is harder to raise ... girls or boys. Man is that a tough call. She did provide a few laughs Tuesday night when she went to MacDonald’s wearing her mom’s shoes. Since she just quite didn’t fill them … she managed to unceremoniously fall down and plop her rear end on the floor at MacDonald’s. Was that how she split her pajama bottoms? I thought I heard her smack as she hit the floor. Oh well, who knows what really happened. But she did get her chocolate milkshake anyways.


MLB should have a rule that no juice junkie (McGwire) can be inducted into the Hall Of fame same year a REAL player is (Ripken). I have given up on MLB doing the right thing and banning the Juicer’s.

Good Job to Glenn Beck (CNN) on his expose on Terrorism … I learned a lot.

Scratch the ALL MY CHILDREN show from the list of watched shows as they make a Transgender person a leading character. What is next? Could it be a show where all the supporting characters are animals? I can see the headlines now – “New Episode – Molly the sheep raped as Tommy is unfaithful to Petunia Pork – Don’t miss this exciting episode on the daytime soap – “All My Furry Friends”

When will we get some real sports heroes? One that respects the fans and plays the game because they love to play. I am getting tired of these spoiled, over-paid, prima donnas who think they are better than anyone. That includes the player on another team who is a spoiled, over-paid, prima donna. Fine Vick such as it will get his attention … shoot, he will make that back in one quarter next week. We have tolerated this way too long and the list is getting larger. At one time only 1 player in the sport had a problem … now every team has one. Are we so starved for ratings that we now tolerate negative images as our role models? I know the Media does because that is how they make their money. Accentuate the negative because it sells.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Jeeper -- By Golly

As I sat here all fat, dumb and happy after the Holidays and writing my second post of the day, I can’t help but reflect. I wish I could find a way to really make a difference but all I seem to do is get more frustrated with the antics of some real knuckleheads. Choosing between Pumpkin Pie and Sweet Potato casserole is easier.

A friend just can’t keep the monster in his pants. He is always looking for a reason to dump the marriage and then his poor wife out of confusion makes the sad statement of “We might as well divorce if we won’t try harder to make this work.” This blockhead has the house up for sell within 24 hours. He was waiting for the door to crack open. And as for the Lady he is after, she ought to know better that if he can’t keep it under control, what makes her the one to get him to stop. Sadly, she jumps from E-harmony to a married man waiting for a reason to jump ship. How long till she will be the one wondering “If we don’t try harder … ?“

I love the people who assume that if I accept you as part of the extended family that everyone in my family must also accept or see you that way. Excuse me, but only blood and legal status makes that assumption true. Don’t get mad and grouse at me because the other person sees it differently. And shame on you for assuming too much. Boy, does the turkey go down harder when that crap comes down.

Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for a lot this year. There were sad times but the good times far outweighed everything. As I reflect over this holiday, certain friends come to mind and I only wish them the best.

-- Lady. 31 years? It seems like yesterday. Can we dance another 31?

-- Carl and Lynne. I wouldn’t trade a minute of our time together this past year. You are a friend that is priceless.

-- My Writing partner. How I miss those stories to challenge me to write more and better. I know her life is twisting more than a Texas Tornado but the dream of writing stories still survives. I am still here and hurry back. Get that old man here so I can give him a tour of “The Wall.”

-- BT, yes I do still consider him a friend. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye but we did see. Maybe one day we will cross the blades in a spar that will rivet the spectators as we once did.

-- Blue. Hurry that rig back on this side of the world, knowing you is more fun than the Roller Coaster at Kings Dominion.

-- The Kids. Matthew, Michael, Jessi, Missy, Josh, Vicky, Toy. What can I say but I am Happy and love each one of you. May be I should just refer to this crowd as MMJMJVT. Is there a limit to how long this list gets? And will the fun increase as much?

My Oh My

Democratic Agenda for Janurary 01, 2007.

U.S. Capitol

7:00 PM Opening Flag Burning Ceremony

7:15 PM Pledge of Allegiance to the U.N.

7:30 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

7:45 PM Non-Religious Prayer and Worship led by Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.

8:00 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:15 PM Gay Wedding performed by Barney Frank.

8:30 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:35 PM Free Sadam rally led by Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon.

9:00 PM Keynote Speech: "The proper Etiquette for Surrender" by Jacques Chirac, French President.

9:15 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:20 PM Collection to benefit the Osama Bin Laden Kidney Transplant Fund.

9:30 PM Unveiling of the Plan to free Freedom Fighters from Guantanamo Bay by Sean Penn.

9:40 PM "Why I hate the Military" - A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton

9:45 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:50 PM Dan Rather accepts the "Truth in Broadcasting Award" presented by Michael Moore.

9:55 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

10:00 PM Speech - "How George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld brought down the World Trade Center Towers" by Howard Dean.

10:15 PM "How to cut the Military Budget by Educating the Troops so they won't have to be Deployed to Iraq." by John Kerry.

10:30 PM Hillary Rodham Clinton nominated for Party leadership by Mohammed Ahnadinejad.

11:00 PM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

11:05 PM Al Gore reinvents the Internet Demonstration.

11:15 PM Speech - "Our Troops are War Criminals" by John Kerry.

11:45 PM Coronation of Hillary Rodham Clinton

12:00 AM Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

12:05 AM Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

R-E-L-I-E-F

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. As usual we ate too much, talked till we were hoarse and watched way too many football games. But --- It was so much fun. We had 13 eaters for Thanksgiving Dinner and not much was left over. The only thing missing was all the rest of my friends but that would have been tough to pull off. This year has been a good year and worth waiting for. Yes, there were things I wish would have been different but what I did experience was great.

Time for all the kids to supply their Christmas Wish Lists. Complicating the fact is keeping the cost less than a small fortune or bankrupting me. Make the idea of coal and switches does make sense.

Wild Mom: always on the go. She loves to eat out and shop. England will never be the same after her visit. Bubbles, her dog, loves the people and animals here at the house.

Lady: All those people to cook for placed her in her happy place. No one could help as she wanted to enjoy the moment.

#1: Doing fine in Colorado. He is finding out work there is just as not-fun as here. He still keeps hoping the Jaguars will win and accomplish something but like snow … it melts and dreams vanish.

#2: Nothing new. Up all night and sleeps all days. Boot Time? Could asking for job qualify for a Christmas gift?

Star: Celebrated the Holiday in Georgia. Sure wish she could have been here but one sad law of families .. You must share with the relatives. The van survived as expected. Now it is time to get serious about moving to their new place. I wonder if we will get the address and directions. We all know about the In-Laws. Love you girl.

Princess: She managed to spend some time with us this Holiday and that was nice. But we still can't find a restaurant she likes that we will go to. Nothing seems to be her favorite but greasy wings and hamburgers. Will we ever find something so we can have dinner with her? Life goes on.

Lew: Can start looking forward to a sibling.

Jen: A little down since the Seminoles LOST to the Gators. Oh well, she will get over it or become a Gator Fan. She is looking forward to the trip to London. The only question that remains is "which will give out first -- her wishes or her money?"

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Yawn!

Well, it is back in the saddle time. The SHORT vacation is over and all went well. The party was a success and everyone talked too much as well as eating too much. I got all the sonny-do's I could get too but as usual the list is longer than the time I have. The drive down and back was long but we made it without incident. We had planned to drive over the Great Smokey Mountains but a snow storm came just before us and closed the road. So we had to back track and come around the long way, oh well, maybe next year.

We should be here through the Holidays. Nothing is planned until the end of March -- Reno! Next cruise --- Nov 2007 --- Southern Mediterranean

Back to work tomorrow. This should prove to be interesting. I have heard nothing from Job 2 so I will assume all is done there and my life's journey takes me elsewhere. Who knows where Job 1 will take us.

Wild Mom: She is a pack-a-holic. Not often I see my Cadillac trunk packed full but on the trip home I did. The last time I closed the trunk it took 5 tries to get it to latch. But we made it home without the trunk popping open or dragging bottom. Though the dragging bottom part came close. She enjoyed the party but it also was a lot of work. Good thing it only comes around every 4 years. Next stop --- England --- this will be like a reverse invasion when the Redcoats came to America in the 1700's.

Lady: Glad to be home and in her own bed. She missed many things and looks forward to getting back into the routine.

#1: Doing well in the Mountains. He still roots for Jacksonville instead of a much better team -- Bronco's. But he is young and impetuous and will come to his sense one day.

Star: Getting ready to head south for the holidays. I hope the trip is safe ... especially since she will be driving my van. No, she means more than the van. Love you.

Princess: Out running around, saw her for a little bit but she is already back with her friends.

Utah scene: Might be a girl.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Would you ever believe ...


You are The Magician


Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity.


Eleoquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing,
you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive.


The Magician is the male power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the Magician is represented by Mercury. He represents the gift of tongues, a smooth talker, a salesman. Also clever with the slight of hand and a medicine man - either a real doctor or someone trying to sell you snake oil.


What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Sun and Fun --- The wet way

Well, we made it to Wild Mom's. It rained on us almost the whole way down but it was uneventful. The car ran fine and made the ride really nice. Why did we wait so long to get this car? For those with inquiring minds: the second job. With the long drive it left me with plenty of time to think on things and get a clearer perspective on the events of the last week. We spent Tuesday night at our usual place -- Comfort Inn in Sevierville Tn. We have been there so many times it seems like home. Almost! Tomorrow starts all the running around.

Wild Mom: She can still cook or at least tell Jennifer how too. Not too many sonny-do's, so I might get an hour free sometime this week. The house looks nice and in a lot of ways the same.

Star: Her and hubby finally got his papers so he can pursue his dreams and get on with their life. Gee, I wonder if my van has been jacked and raised yet and then painted with flowers and such. Shoot, it might come back tattooed and pierced!

Utah Scene: baby due the end of January.

I see the Anglican Church is changing its position to allow babies with severe physical handicaps and premature to be terminated in order to protect the quality of life for the parents. Even if the physical ailments aren't that bad, if the parents will suffer extreme hardship then they can have the child terminated. Were are we going? Will the elderly be next? The Article if you wish to read it.

I know that I am on the backside of the mountain of life so this is an interesting question for me. Will care be withheld from me because I am old and feeble and the health dollars should be saved for the young and ones with a longer future? This will become a bigger question as the welfare recipients grow and the welfare dollars dry up. Who is to say that baby with all those problems may not have a tremendous impact on the world. Life is precious and should be given every conceivable chance to succeed. God created that child and who are we to say "God, you did a bad job and I will terminate that life."

Don't you love the second charge against Abramnoff? He is being charged with "attempting to corrupt a government official." Come on, Congressmen for one has no need of help in corrupting themselves. Look at how many are convicted, under investigation or under indictment. They, for the most part are as crooked as they can be, the only difference between them and the prisoners is that they haven't been caught yet. Stop prosecuting Abramnoff and start prosecuting the Congressmen and Senators.

That Lady General that is yelling for Rumsfeld to be prosecuted for War Crimes should be the first one charged. She said wants Rumsfeld charged but "she was the General in charge of the Prison." She is responsible for what went on in that place. She claims she didn't know. Then that is a confession of incompetence for as the general in charge she was obligated to know everything and because of her rank she had the responsibility and authority. So general, look at your pointing finger and know it points at you -- you failed to do your job.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Leaving -- On a Jet Plane

Well, less than 12 hours till we head for the sunny warm coast of Florida ... to work my buns off. Oh well, such is the life of an older son. The “kids” have elected not to go with us. A little disappointing as we really enjoy having them along and spending the time together, but they will be the one to miss all the fun. My cough is still hanging on. It is sticking to me better than a 4 week old pair of dirty shorts. This week was short but busy. We went to a Fall Festival at some friend’s house and it was a lot of fun. Lew found the bunnies a handful to hold but he did manage to kiss the goat's ear, though his efforts to pull the goat with his rope proved fruitless. As usual we snacked too much and returned home chilled and full. Bowling was a good this weekend going 4-0 and 5-2. The youth league has only 3 weeks left before the new season starts in January. Looks like we have chosen our cruise for next year ... an 11 day southern Mediterranean (Greece and south) in November 2007. Wonder if the stops include a skinny dipping beach?

Work scene: One down and only one left. A person will take only so much and then it is adios. Which one you ask? They will get the notice tomorrow.

Wild Mom: getting ready for the invasion on Saturday. It will be good to see her again. I can use these days to get her pumped up to go to England. Who knows, maybe #1 Brother will move home in self defense.

#1: As he says ... "I am not broke anymore." He got his first check. Rory is home from Iraq safe and sound.

#2: Hmmm, Still no job and running out of games to play.

Star: Her hair is back to a black and grey combo. We did get to see her and Soldier Boy this weekend. Married life does appeal to him. We had breakfast on Saturday and taught him the finer points of Chip Beef on Toast. Anyone need some size 0 jeans? :)

Princess: What can I say without getting into trouble? Had another sleep over with 5 young ladies. Shall we say the Yorkshire Firehouse now makes routine drive-bys just to check the house out. Oh, and another promise to clean the room. Nod-Nod-Nod. School grades are tolerable, Puppy demands are up, "I love you" is frequent, Work is constant, and we still love her. Not too bad. The new blip on the radar screen is some "cute fireman". Tighten the seat belts as the roller coaster just left the station. Guess I best get the baseball bat cleaned up for the first home visit by the "cute fireman." No pole climbing in this house.

JR: Still getting use to the routines at the Davis Carnival center. He had fun when the soda bottle and mentos came out at the fall festival. It is only natural for such an effervescent personality. Maybe we should call him Bubbles instead of JR?

Utah Scene: They like it so much in Mormonville that they will remain out there till next spring and then maybe move back home.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Still A Kickin

Sorry about not writing sooner but the flu has kicked me every which way but loose and is still trying to hit a few dark corners before he gives up. My energy is like a fizzling sparkler and my motivation is like a lead sled with a boat anchor dragging behind.

Work is still the same. At one site, the mail server and the domain server went down together. It picked the day when I was there by myself. These parts of the network were controlled by the 3rd party site but my new servers and site did not go down and wound up bailing them out but I created a whole lot of work for myself. It is fun watching some people go into panic mode and won't sit down for a moment and rationally think about what is the best way to recover. I could have made better time during the recovery if they would have just backed off and trusted me to do the right thing. I really wonder if it is worth all this.

The physical last week went well, at least a lot better than Bubba's. I won't get my final grade for it until the 28th so there is more to come at some point. Bowling this weekend went well but could have been better. Hanging in 2nd in one league and 3rd in the other. Tomorrow is voting day so I will have to figure out how to handle this so I can vote and still get downtown quickly and not loose too much time given the disaster today.

Wild Mom: Getting anxious for us to get down there on the 15th. I can imagine the sonny-do list size already. I wind up working harder on my vacation than I do at work. But for some wild unexplained reason it is worth it. Only Lady and I will be going down there as all the other kids have a million excuses why they can't. I am disappointed and too tired to fight over it, and to let it mess my time up, but I also know it is their loss, a major loss. With Dad gone now, I intend to cherish what few moments I do get to spend with Wild Mom. Why do we learn this lesson too late when those moments are lost forever?

Lady: Avoiding me so she won't get sick too. She is recovering from a weekend with Lew. There is no down time or rest time with him about.

#1: Doing fine in Snowland. The new job is coming along and by now he should be working on his own and taking control of the inventory. Now I just need him to get the cell phone costs under control.

#2: Same - Same. Though he did finally go to church (the reason he quit weeks ago). Good thing is Christie is back in control of him and will smack he a few good times and hopefully re-orient him.

Princess: She had a fun time this weekend on a run to "one of Prince William County's worst accidents" in a long time. No, sorry the water buffalo didn't jack-knife and had to be cooked down with napalm. This one was real and really bad. She was tired the rest of the weekend and slept a lot. So the puppy requests tapered off for a while. We are getting close to 2 months and no major scratches on her car. Oh, that gorgeous knock out of a Lady I saw at the wedding has gone only to be replaced but a blue clad work dungaree person (Fire House clothes). I knew it was too good to be true.

Brother #1: Any more eye tests on hold till the New Year. His next big test is when Wild Mom gets there and finds out he is goofing off and she gets on his case.

I am tired and it is almost dinner time. Hug someone today if you haven't and spend some time with them as if they really mean something. The moment will be gone in a breath.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Bubba Goes to Town.

While Bubba scratched his beard he silently wondered about his health. "Ya, know it has been a while since the Doc poked me. And Buckeye, my donkey has gotten really good care from Doc E." With that thought he threw a saddle on Buckeye and headed for the Doc's office. After a long climb up the mountain he finally made it there.

Sitting there in the Doctor's office, slowly related his family history. “Drink these two bottles of water for some tests later on.” The doctor wanted health history and what he got was the family history of the Do-Nuttin's. Barely surviving the story the Doctor showed Bubba the examination room with tears still in his eyes. "Take your clothes off and put that robe on with the opening to the back." Reluctantly Bubba slipped the bib overalls off followed by his boots. Halfway through Bubba scratched his head on the table edge, "Gee, maybe iffen the boots came off first it would be easier." Once that job was done he sat down on the table only to jump almost 2 feet high. Rubbing his naked butt from the cold table he fumed, “at least Bucky got hay to lie on.”

The Doc E showed up and proceeded to do a physical examination. The first problem came when the Doc used the “cute little hammer as Bubba called it” and promptly got one of bubba’s feet between the legs. “Whoa, Bubba exclaimed in a loud voice, Bucky can’t kick that good” as the doctor wallowed on the floor in pain. After what seemed an eternity, the Doc stood back up and asked Bubba to remove the robe and stand up. As usual Bubba got the sequence all wrong … removed the robe and then stood up … resulting in a headlong fall into the opposite wall as the robe cut him off at the knees. Bubba smiled as he stood up, knowing he would recover faster than the doctor though the hole in the wall would take a little longer to fix. As the doctor explained the exam of his testicles, Bubba backed up, “you aren’t one of them guys are you?” “No, by the way do they seem sore?” Bubba grinned, “Only iffen you squeeze them too hard!” The doctor proceeded following a loud pop from his orange rubber gloves and very carefully once he saw Bubba’s clenched fist hanging at his side.

After that was done, Doc asked Bubba to turn around and spread his legs as he leaned on the table. “Whoa, there!” “That is what I do to Bessie the cow to see iffen she has a calf! I know durn well I haven’t fooled around lately with any bull.” Doc smiled, “I know.” So then where are you going to stick that orange gloved hand with long fingers? Doc again smiled, where the sun don’t shine! Bubba thought a moment before he spoke. “Then you best get moving cuz the moon is on the other side of the world and that is not where I am at.” The doctor surprised him, “Don’t worry, it will pinch a bit and you will feel some pressure.” The pinch was there but Bubba responded … hey, you just pushed that durn finger into my eye.”

Next a nurse showed up to take some blood. “You like that purple hair on Halloween?” “No, I do this all the time. Purple is my favorite color.” All the while he tried to see if she had long teeth and was a vampire since she took 3 vials full.

With that done, the nurse, Miss NoGoodBody, showed up to take him to the lab. Put your pants on and then the robe and follow me. “Can I go to the bathroom, as he was dancing a bit?” “No, later!” Once dressed they headed for the sonogram room. As he followed her he noticed the names of the rooms, Mammo 1, Mammo 2, and Mammo 3. “Are you sure we aren’t in the wrong place because only Bessie has the teats on my farm?” She smiled, “Yes we are, all the other rooms are in use.” Bubba relaxed and entered the room. Bubba felt good since he had seen one of these machines on TV. “Are there commercials?” His question fell on deaf ears as word was already getting around about Bubba After lying down on the table, the nurse greased up the sonogram wand and about half of Bubba’s exposed body. “Lie still and take a big breath and hold it as she pushed the wand down to see his gall bladder.” Whoa, Nurse, you keep pushing down that hard down there and you will get mighty wet when the hose bursts!” She lightened up a bit but he still felt it and prayed she would go faster. The nurse slowly checked his gall bladder, kidneys, prostrate, lungs and heart. By now Bubba was wiggling his feet a lot, all the while wishing she would take the shortest road home instead of the scenic route. By the end of the exam he was definitely swollen and ached to go. After a quickie towel rub down to get the grease off, they headed for the lab to take a specimen which he so eagerly wanted to give.

Standing by the door, she gave him the instructions, “fill the bottles then you can vacate yourself completely. Call me when you are done.” Bubba walked in and just stood there. On the table was 50 little bottles, he counted them to be sure, “well, she said fill them.” He struggled a lot as he tried to fill those little bottles using something with the pressure of a 6” fire hose. Needless to say, some was spilled. About a half hour later the nurse knocked, “what in the Sam Hill are you doing, are you done yet?” Bubba nodded and told her to come in. She about fainted at the sight of 50 bottles. “I am sorry I ran out and had to spread it around for all the bottles to have the same amount. The nurse shook her head and asked him to follow her to the next room.

At this door she held three wooden sticks. “I need a stool sample placed in a small jar. One jar, she emphasized.” “Well that stool over there is a great sample of a milking stool and I don’t think I can use the Popsicle sticks to break it down to fit!” The nurse groaned. “Please, I need a sample of your #2” Bubba’s eyes lit up as now knew what he must do. For the next 15 minutes he sat there holding a small cup between his legs hoping when the time is right he could catch it. To his dismay, he had the runs and combined with the grease from a previous exam, he had no chance to catch it. “Gee, that little squirt was fast as lightening, maybe next time Bessie has a calf I can use some grease to help her get the calf out faster.” Using the Popsicle sticks he managed to scrape enough off his arms to fill a cup. Walking out the door, covered in crap holding 2 dirty Popsicle sticks and an overflowing cup with Bubba chewing on the third stick was more than the nurse could bear. She screamed and dared not look into the lab room to what disaster awaited her. After a quick shower even though the smell never really washes off, they proceeded to the next exam.

Next was the eye exam. The nurse explained what to do. “Read the smallest line you can see.” Bubba proudly beamed, “Lady Jockey 26” “what? She queried. Bubba quickly answered … “your underwear label, it was the smallest thing I saw!” She smiled … “No, the lines on that sight chart.” “Oh, and Bubba failed miserably with no letters read right. Can I do it my way?” The nurse nodded. Bubba quickly found a broom handle, stuck a tack into the end as a sight, backed down to the end of the hallway and sighted his makeshift gun and promptly read the smallest line. “Wow, 20/10” Bubba beamed, “gotta be a good squirrel hunter iffen I want to feed the family. Those critters are hard to get when they hide in the fork of a tree.”

With the last test done, Bubba went downstairs, gathered up Bucky and headed home to await his 6 month follow-up.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

OK, who spilled the beans!




Your Love Style is Agape



You are a caring, kind, and selfless partner.

Unsurprisingly, your love style is the most rare.

You are willing to sacrfice your world for your sweetie.

Except it doesn't really feel like sacrifice to you.

For you, nothing feels better than giving to the one you love.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Chug - Chug - Pop

Well, is it Summer yet? Maybe if the seasons jumped ahead it would be more fun. I wonder how someone with absolutely no concept of operating a computer would want one. The Radio America Network rebuild continues to get delayed by some really dumb service calls.

"My firefox doesn't work ... you need to reinstall it!" "Excuse me; you never had it installed according to the computer." Oh! that’s right. I was thinking of my home computer!"

"You have to find my XYZ folder in my email program for it has important files!" "I found it ... in your trash folder." "Gee, how did it get there? Did the Server crash and move the folder?"

"Where are you [8:00 am] .. Are you coming in?" "I sent you an email yesterday saying I would be out!" "Ok, but let me know when you are out!" 5 hours later .. "I found your email from Thursday .. It was hiding in my inbox."

"I am sending 50 pages to the printer .. and they won't print. I checked the printer and it was on." "Ok, try it now, I refilled the paper tray!"

"My monitor must be broke, so can I get a new one?" "What is wrong?" "It blanks out after about a minute and I have to slap the side of it to get it back on, must be a bad wire!" "Ok, reset your screen saver from 1 minute to 30 minutes."

So you can now get a brief taste of what my life goes through several hours a day. And actually, some of these same things occur at the other work site. The best is "My email is broke." from what I see it hasn't been checked since May. For some of these Einstein’s, a frontal lobotomy would be humane.

Wild Mom: Continues to get ready for the Family party. Lots of house cleaning and remodeling. Hope I recognize the place.

Lady: Continues to work and work. Lots of stuff to do. Soon she will start delegating things to the Kids and help them burn the calories off from all the junk food they eat.

#1: First day of work had 18" of snow. Gee, if he worked here that wouldn't have happened. Oh well, such are the adventures of life.

#2: The application got half filled out. Playing those games sure limit you time to live and advance yourself in the world. Perhaps he should get a job testing the new games. But that would be too much like work and the fun would be gone.

Star: Still recouping from the wedding. Working on "Thank You's" and getting all the paperwork straightened out. Married at home and a Manager at work in the same month ... go girl!

Princess: Things seem to settling into a pattern. School, School, School, School, School, Fire Dept., Work, Fire Dept. And add in the flurry of emotion as she explains it all inside of 5 minutes as she gets ready for bed. What will happen when Mr. Right shows up? The earth will rock as the human dynamo stops.

Brother #1: Health wise not good. Still a long way to go. The full extent will be known when Wild Mom gets over there.

Brother #2: I guess from the little birdie, things aren't perfect and many issues need to be resolved.

Sister: Hmmm, what can you say about someone so together and in control. :)

Utah Scene: No new news. Guess the snow storm downed the internet and phone lines.

Now I am too tired to comment on the rest of the world.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Crickets? What Crickets!

I thought I might scramble a few thoughts on this hump day. Not much has changed on the work scene. There is enough to keep me busy until the Redskins have a playoff bound team. The new backup data server is turning into a real pain trying to get a stable operating and file system on it. I am on my 6th install and each time it comes up differently. Oh well, what else did I have to do anyways.

Wild Mom: She is just planning away for the Family Christmas party in November. Looks like we will be able to even squeeze in one night at the farmer's Opry. I guess the next question is "who will pay for it?"

Lady: Slowly recovering from the wedding. But it will take a while because so much was let go during that time. But she is good at finding plenty of "honey-do's" to occupy my time.

#1: He finally landed a job in Colorado. So I guess everything is slowly coming together for him. Lady and I sure hope so for his sake.

#2: Still unemployed. There are a few BLANK job applications laying on the table, so I guess when the Blue Moon rises he will fill them out and perhaps gets hired before hell freezes over. Only time will tell.

Star: haven't heard much from her. I guess her new hubby is either testing the limits of her endurance or teaching her the art of finishing the course.

Princess: Don't get to see her much between my stuff and her school and EMT stuff. The main evidence she has been there is the pile of pudding cups. Yes, she has new new uniform and boots. She has been on two calls at the station and come back pumped up ... sure wish she was that excited about school.

Brother #1: No new information. But I know he is figuring out how to deal with Wild Mom when she gets there. There was something about a trip to Germany to visit some relative. At least it will be after Octoberfest and she shouldn't get into too much trouble.

Brother #2: Nothing new. Wild Mom is planning to spend a few days there when she passes through on the way to England.

Sister: Just helping Wild Mom pack to come up here. Gee, I wonder if there is an ulterior motive? Hmmmm!

The Utah Scene: All is quiet on the Mormon Front.

***** Side Thoughts *****

Yesterday on the local news, the weather man started off by telling us about our "deep freeze and how it would be over in a few days." Someone please refresh my memory but isn't a freezing temperature considered to be anything below 32 degrees? I looked at my car temperature guage and it said 52 degrees. Are they spoiled? What will happen when it really freezes?

Don't you just love them Redskins ... errr ... deadskins? The fans are blaming the Quarterback and the coach is saying it is his fault. The bottom line appears to be the whole team is a loser. That many over-priced prima-donnas just can't be a team in a team sport. I see this as very similar to the so-called super star olympic basketball team -- they can't play together. You can even throw in our World Cup team into this group and even add our illustrious Ryder Cup team. It seems we do great in places one person can dominate but when it comes to team play we find a way to lose badly.

Monday, October 23, 2006

A Father's Memories and Prayer

Today my little girl, well, grown daughter to be exact entered the next phase of her life. One where I step aside for a young man to become the focus of her attention. The four hour drive home gave me a lot of time to reflect on the days events and to remember my little girl's life with us. It was amazing how the on-coming headlights kept blurring up my vision and forcing me to rub my eyes.

I thought of that young lady who came to us with so many issues. No child should ever have that much turmoil in their life. A child should be smothered in love and protected not used as a pawn to soothe someone's bruised ego. Those first few weeks required us to empty all our love out to her. But amazingly we recovered quickly and were ready for the next day. Even then we saw a beautiful young lady .. the same one who was so stunning on her wedding day.

She came in like a mini tornado and it didn't take long for her to draw us in and draw all our love for her. Now, I wish we could have had her in our life sooner. For what we have experienced and felt could have been even better. She was in many ways like the energizer bunny. Everything seemed to accelerate and move at a faster pace with her around. Life with her was like a mystery novel, we never knew what would come next. Those hugs and little but constant "I love you's" changed the dynamics of our life. She perfected those little coy looks and protests of "please". Yes, she probably had me wrapped around her finger ... but who could resist her smile and pleading. I sure couldn't.

I remember that first prom. From the hair disaster just days before the prom to the young lady that walked into the living room that night looking so grown-upand lady-like. From her arrival in our life looking all tattered and hurt to the sophisticated lady waiting for her escort, I now realize that sight was just a precursor to what she would look like on October 20, 2006.

Many times I wondered if she would ever pick a winner for a boyfriend. In reality, they weren't that bad but they weren't what a father had in mind for his little girl. She deserved only the best and that quality was hard to see in some of them. But she chose the best one when it counted --- Keith. I have been impressed since I first met him. But you know, she chose him and showed me my little girl had heard a little bit of what I had said as she grew up.

The trials and tribulations of school really tried the bonds between us. It was easy to tell us what we wanted to hear but the reality of the words never matured. But even though we seldom saw eye to eye, she got a raw deal when the school quit on her and her dream of a Diploma vanished when they asked her to leave. I believe you should never give up on a child, love them and support them and you will be rewarded. I hold my daughter up that way … love her and support her and she became a beautiful bride. But this spring when she crossed the stage and received her diploma I was proud as I could be. All those words I had spoken to what I thought was a wall at that time really had taken hold and she did it on her own. My little girl was becoming a woman with a dream.

I think of the many hair colors, the black, blue, purple, green, red and those colors that were mutations of the others when the dyes didn't go right. I laugh now at the thought that every time she dyed her hair we had to repaint the bath room. Those black/blue/red/green polka dots really gave it character. But they were her attempts to define herself. This weekend her hair was beautiful and not a hint of those dyes. My little girl had finally defined who she was and I was so proud.

In her other attempt to define herself, we struggled with her tattoos and many piercings as it was so different for us but she respected our feelings and really tried to tone it down when she was around us.

My little girl is now a grown lady and someone I am proud to call my daughter. I will miss the times she needed me to be her shining Knight for now I must step aside for her new hero. My job is now complete and I am proud of the results. I had the perfect canvas to work with, a beautiful, smart and energetic woman and I thank God he entrusted me with the task and the responsibility for his most precious creation. I wish I could have had more time but I will cherish every moment I did have. I know she is still here and I will be a part of her life forever but life has changed as it is God’s will and I take on my new role as mentor and future Grandfather.

Jessi – I love you and pray for your happiness and success and wouldn’t trade these memories for all the wealth in the world.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Wedding Bells

Thursday was a long day with the drive down there followed by the last of the decorating, the reherasal and the dinner afterwards. I am glad this isn't an every day affair for I would be drained both physically and emotionally. The bed that night was most welcome to my aching bones.

The wedding on Friday was everything we hoped for ... it was beautiful yet tiring with so many things to do. From my point of view everything went as planned. The bride was stunning. There wasn't anything else that could have been done to improve how she looked.

Saturday was equally busy as we started the day getting Matthew back to the airport for his flight home. Then it was off to the Maryland Rennaisance Faire. Once again the weather was great and the events at the faire were great. We laughed, were amazed and saw many new sights. Some were worth seeing and others we could have done without. The down side was the 75 minutes it took to get out of the parking lot ... anyone say I-66 at rush hour?

Wild Mom - she is back from her camping expedition. She had a great time and managed to leave the countryside in one piece. Now it is time to plan the Family Christmas party and her trip to England.

Lady - she is exhausted and emotionally drained after the last 6 days. She was gorgeous and radiant throughout the wedding and managed to keep the tears under control. One of her highlights was dancing with her two sons, of course I sneaked a couple of dances in for myself.

#1 - back in Denver and hopefully the job interview went well on Saturday afternoon. He was his usual self so the Denver air hadn't had an effect on him yet.

#2 - Pitched in this weekend and made a difference.

Star - what can I say. She was absolutely beautiful.

Princess - Beautiful and eclipsed only by the bride. That old saying "she cleans up pretty good" would be a massive understatement. They way she looked was nothing short of "heartbreaker" and those young bucks at the wedding were mesmerized. I kept my eye on her during the dances and reminded the young bucks to keep the distance during the dance. I guess I should be happy she has no desire to dress up every day or I would be an exhausted old man with absolutely no hair trying to keep her safe from the millions of young bucks that would come to the house. I guess the grungy look has some advantages. :)

Brother #1 - the word is his eyesight is in jeopardy and may not get any better. His kidney's are still a source of worry to. The jury is still out on his job and his recovery is far from being finished.

Brother #2 - he is ok and I presume to take it that his family is ok also.

Sister - just getting ready for the next cruise -- anyone say "addicted?"

Utah Scene - no updates.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Cut the Drama for once!

Well, another week comes to a close and as usual it didn't lack for excitement. I never seemed to get caught up at work as all the brush fires kept me away from putting out the main fire. With nearly 10 1/2 months of the year gone it is time to start thinking about taxes. Where did this year go? How can I slow them down because I don't have that many left to just let slip away. Oh well, just make the best of it and grab what I can. ... slap! ... oops.

17-20 Oct - Wedding Bells in South Boston Va.
21 Oct - Ren Faire
14-20 Oct - Family Christmas Party in Florida
?? Nov - Act 2 of the Drama "Life at the Davis Compound" staring Billy Joe Jim Bob Davis

Wild Mom - away at camp so the Telephone Company is going through lay-offs resulting from the loss of capital. There was a report of some mysterious human form terrorizing the woods of Northwest Florida but Wild Mom denies any knowledge. That was after I reminded her to scrape the mud from her shoes and remove the twigs from her hair as not to get the inside of her tent dirty.

Lady - busy as usual but getting tired of the 40 hour weeks. She leaves Tuesday to go down and help Jessi get the final things ready for the wedding ... gee, 1 week to go.

#1 - No words from the land of snow and bunnies. Either he has found work and is too busy or he has run out of money and can't find a free long distance phone.

#2 - Unemployed once again. Enough said.

Lew - such a gang-buster. He loves the rocking horse and we love the fact the sound box on it died!

Star - Busy, nervous, busy, nervous as she gets ready for the big day. Gee, eloping sure looks better all the time. Finding rooms for the guests are complicated by the NASCAR race nearby this weekend. Why can't they postpone the race for a week and make our life easier? What is more important -- a wedding or those midfield antics where a race springs up?

Princess - Not much to say since she is usually in bed shortly after I get home. School comes early. By the time I get home and eat my microwave hot dinner she is snoring away in tune with the stereo. Have you ever heard anyone snore in time with rap?

#1 Brother - No updates because he is getting ready for Wild Mom to invade England and also she is away camping.

#2 Brother - Need to call him and find out how his world is spinning ... Wild Mom's directions .. and who argues with the BigFoot of NW Florida.

Sister - Not a clue ...

Utah scene - No words from Mormonville but we will hopefully see them in November when they return home from their trek across America.

********** SOAP BOX **********

Let me see, the Democrats want to know when and how much the Republicans knew of the Perverts actions and then to run them out of Congress. That is such a close knit group I would ask when and how much did the Democrats know and elect not to say anything about until it was a political advantage too? Do the pages only talk to the Republicans? No Democratic page knew of what was happening and decided not to say anything? I am sure if you look hard enough you will fine Mr. Pervert had democratic friends even though now they are hiding back in their closets.

I keep hearing how the majority party hasn't done its job so we should vote them out. Well, there are two parties in Congress and no one has done anything about Medicare, Social Security, the Budget, Giving a definition to "Marriage", or the Immigration Issue from South of the Border. So fire the whole lot of these Congress persons, both Republican and Democrat for not doing their job. We all know after the Iraqi war is finished they will appoint a hundred or so Investigative Committees to point the finger ... so let's join forces now, get the job done, and then play the blame game when American Troop's lives aren't on the line. But then again, these Congress persons are safe in their padded offices with their pages at their beck and call and besides there are more important things like ... Photo Ops and investigating drug usage in Baseball.

I heard one person ask what could be done to make schools safe again like it was for our parents. Well, for starters:

1. Allow corporal punishment and put the teachers back in charge of their classes. Make school a place of learning not a day care center for babysitting.
2. Put prayer back in school.
3. Teach them the 10 Commandments and how that affects the Laws of the land.
4. Teach them Citizenship and how to be a good neighbor instead of website design and Homosexual History.
5. Teach them Responsibility for their actions and hold them accountable instead of coping out and blaming so called abusive authority figures and the "Environment I grew up in made me do it". Quit letting excuses be the plea for avoiding personal responsibility.
6. Make a Human life worth something by stopping the killing of innocent unborn children. When someone takes a life ... refer back to #3.
7. Get rid of Liberal Judges that think they know more than what the voters want. If we vote for a law .. then don't change it. This is America and the place where the majority rules ... right ... or did I get kidnapped and hauled away to some island in never-never land. 1 hand-picked judge (buddy of an elected person) should not be allowed to throw out what 100,000 people wanted and legally voted for.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

The Weekend is Over?

Sniff ... the weekend is over and I am not ready for it to end. While it was fun this weekend, I wish it had been quieter and more of a laid back time. I am leaning strongly to make a few serious changes around the first of the year. I would like to have my personal time back and quit this run ... run ... run thing. Bowling was a positive experience this weekend with the Youth team going 4-0 this afternoon and the Sunday Night league went 7-0. Saturday we got the HD stuff setup on the new TV and the ball games sure look nice.

Wild Mom - getting ready for her Camp time and planning her trip to England. Health wise she is still getting that all straightened out. Looks like we will be down there in November and she will come back with us and then leave for England from here.

Lady - went to South Boston to see Jessi and pick up Princess's bridesmaid dress. Though it was a long trip she did have fun. Working 40 hours for her is wearing very thin and not much fun. Maybe we will just pull the plug and retire.

#1 - settling in to life in Colorado Springs. Hopefully he will find a job soon and get his life on track.

#2 - also tiring a bit of the working hours ... welcome to the world ... you only have about 45 more years to go until you retire.

Princess - The source of the wildness this weekend. Five 16-17 year olds had a sleep over on Friday night. Life will never be the same for me ... I can still hear the giggles and squeals in my ears. They were a lot of fun to listen to as they chatted. Sometimes I really had to bite my lip to keep from laughing but it was informative as to their logic and impressions of life.

Lew - Three years old now. Chucky Cheese was the party scene. Of course, the presents keep rolling in with the new hobby horse being the biggest. Oh, and plenty of puzzles to solve. He and I walked around the mall Saturday afternoon and that was an adventure. We couldn't pass a merry-go-round without at least a couple of rides. Add some food and we had an adventure.

Brother #1 - Kidney problems and the full extent of the problems are still being evaluated by the doctor. Any trip to visit Wild Mom will have to wait until 2007.

Brother #2 - No news is good news I guess.

Utah Scene - well, they are heading back to Florida to live. I guess life in mormonville just didn't pan out. Probably not enough Ren faires .. since those would be considered demonic. The journey continues ...