Candy Cane Delight

Ho, Ho, Ho. Christmas has come and gone. I hope every one had a great time and the season was one full of good memories. We had a great time. Christmas day was a house full of people. The only thing I could think of that would have been better is to do this every day of the year. The kids had no problem opening the gifts and seemed to really enjoy what they recieved. Of course, more would have been better but then again more would have been harder to handle. Naturally, the cameras were working overtime. Red spots anyone?

Now it is time to reflect back on the year 2007 and find a way to make 2008 better. So some of the next few posts will reflect and remember the great times. The yucky old New Year's Resolution are due very soon. It is a good thing we are not graded on our faithfulness in keeping the resolutions, I would have failed miserably.

To top of these few days, Lady and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary. The dinner and wine tasted really good at The Olive Garden. Also having several of our closest friends dine with us made the night special. Thank You to those special friends.

The only thing left to make this season special is to CRUISE!

Baa Humbug II

I find it interesting that the top AP news Story was about Juicer Bonds. Dog-Lover Vick was second and Peeper Bellichick was 3rd. The top non-criminal story was about Florida's Two national Titles and all they could manage is a fourth spot. Isn't that sad that the best story we could muster was about illegal activities by some loser sports stars. I guess the moral is "if you want fame, do it the wrong way."

Well, the end of the week is upon us. Time to find some time to relax in between all the shopping and parties. I sure hope time can be found for some real Mexican food on Saturday afternoon.

Work was the same with new instances of the "Fix Stupid" complex shining brightly. I love how they argue with me like I don't have a clue about what I am talking about. I did manage to hit the jackpot when one office did some cleaning. I managed to get a full licensed version of MS Office 2003, ACT 2005, MS Office 2003 SBE and a 4-port CISCO USB Hub with print server still in the shrink wrap that it came to them in, probably about $750 in value. And they think I am the dumb one!

Looks like the Spears Family is desperate for attention so they allowed the 16 year old to get pregnant and now are bragging about it. What part of this whole affair is wrong or are we too far along in the degradation of our morals. Arrest the 19 year old for statutory rape and then get the parents for child endangerment ... their track record of child rearing is a bit messed up after seeing the lives of these two girls. Oh, that is right .. they are a product of their environment and therefore not responsible for their actions.

Want Hanna Montana tickets? Contact the DC Mayor ... if he hasn't already gave them all away to his family and political donors, he might give you one.

Don't bail out the credit companies for speculating and making bad loan choices ... help the people that were taken. The credit companies are whining that they are losing massive amounts of money because people can't pay. Well, excuse me ... but drop the interest rate from 30% back to 12% ... then they might survive and pay it back. If you really want to help ... drop the interest rate and increase the minimum amount to be paid each month. Give us an opportunity to pay it back. Maybe we need Federal Regulation of all consumer loans. Make the maximum interest rate 12% and the minimum due of 7.5% per month. Also make it so that anyone with a credit score <650 can not get any more credit card offers. It is funny when someone in credit counselling for bad credit gets a letter ... "Due to your outstanding credit, we can off you a new Platinum Card with a great low rate." BS!

Oh well, time to commute home and enjoy the ride as at least 12 "A" types cut me off.

Oh, Well ... Time will tell

The week is quickly slipping by as Christmas is just around the corner. Things are fairly quiet at work this week since a lot of people are gone. The weekend proves to be busy once again starting with a Holiday Party on Friday Night. I have been sitting around trying to figure out what gifts to give and who deserves one. Hmmm, I wonder what is on the Movies this weekend ... that will help me decide. TV will start getting bad as all the "Best of 2007" shows get started. I would even settle on playing a game on X-Box but it seems we have no games ... Hmmm.

11,000 Democratic earmarks ... no wonder the budget will never get balanced. It looks like they are just like the Republicans ... despite their claim to fix things if we voted them into office. Anyone feel a bit cheated? It seems a politician is the same regardless of their tie, lapel pin, or banner they stand under. I think it is time for a third party to emerge ... let the right person run and I would vote for them.

Steroids ... give the Players Association some time and they will sweep it under the carpet. To fix the problem means less money in the dues bucket. Start the Olympic type testing program ... then let Clemens and Bonds show us their innocence. A few examples would go along way to discouraging this culture of cheating is OK if you make enough money. Gee, we are harder on a cork batter than a drug addict. Hang the gambler but look away from the cheater looking for an edge.

Brrrr .... It is Hot!

Another weekend sneaks by and Christmas quickly approaches. I guess I need to start shopping, rather, I should start planning what day I will shop on. This weekend we had the awards day for the Youth league. At least we didn't finish in last though the bottom was closer than the top. In four weeks we will start a new season again and hopefully the outcome will be much better. I know I can't do any worse. Sunday was the Christmas program at our church. It was nice but a lot of work for so short a time. maybe we need to do an encore show? I would like to get on my soap box about family at this time of the year but I think it would fall largely on deaf ears. That is a shame since it is a time that is forever lost and the aches the lost causes won't show up until someone close is gone forever. Saturday Night was spent at Lady's Christmas Party put on by her employer. It was a lot of fun and the food was plentiful and good.

The supposed bad weather missed us by a country mile. It would be nice to have some snow to go with this blowing cold wind. The only other option is to cruise to the Caribean where it is 80+ but finding people to go is hard.

Work is work and resists change.

The Batlimore Ravens are enjoying their loss to Miami. I was told they were having a giant "L" tatooed into their forehead.

Getting back into the Habit.

Well, I survived the Monday after the vacation. It was tough but I managed not t get run over by "stupid." Nothing changed at the workplace but I guess I should have been realistic and not expected something like that. I still have my ear out for other opportunities to use my skills, but I am being selective and definitely pushing for better compensation for my time. No freebies anymore ... you want it ... you pay for it.

This grey and rainy weather is for the ducks and they have already headed south. Either get cold or warm up.

I am tired of hearing about Michael Vick ... please find something more news worthy. He is busted and has to pay the price, end of discussion.

Now starts the onslaught of Christmas Parties and other Activities. By the end of the month I will eagerly await a day off on the weekend. It could be January before I get back to El Agave for some good Mexican Food. Now that is a travesty.

The next planned road trip is March 2008 to Albuquerque NM. Then another cruise may follow in July 2008. That depends on where NCL travels too out of the Charleston SC Port. I wonder if Punk and Lil Princess want to go?

We Are Back!!

All is well for the Travellers. Everyone made it safe and sound and even managed to have a lot of fun. I think everyone wants to go again. I will try in the next couple of days give a better account of the week but right now I just wanted to let everyone know we are back and safe.

Bowling was not quite so fun today. The youth team finished in the middle of the pack. The Sunday Night team managed to participate.

As usual I had a lot of fun. Sometimes keeping track of 10 people got weary but we all managed to do what we wanted. Dressing up was fun as we all managed to don our finest threads and act civilly for an evening. The Chocolate madness was a smashing hit as our sugar level went through the ceiling.

Wild Mom lived up to her name. At one point I wondered if the Pina Colada supply would run out and she would then change to the dreaded "Long Island Ice Tea's". We enjoyed having her there and hope to do it again.

Lady looked great in the swimsuit competition. Yes, I am a bit biased but what the heck. Her highlight was the Butterfly Conservatory on Key West. Oh, the home-made Key Lime pie was a winner.

#2 managed not to get thrown off the ship. Not withstanding the weed offers and the $2 breast flashes in Cozumel. I think if he had more pesos he would have been tempted more. Cuban cigars are OK but not his cup of tea. He says "hot stone massages are better than sex," as if he knows! He was even successful in the Casino and managed to leave a winner.

Princess managed to break a minimum of hearts. I spent most nights guarding the door. The deck outside our room sounded like a Chicago back alley with the cats howling. Her highlight was her beach horse-back ride, first Marguerita, first hot stone massage (minus clothes). Cingular stock dived $10.00 a share from her non-use of the phone last week. However, today it jumped $15.00 a share in after-market trading.

Kritty managed to turn a few heads as several crew members hit upon her. We were really proud she fought the effort to marry one and return home to America. Ask her about the Ghosts!

Hit The mark?

Blinking Eyes

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow; Don't walk behind me, I may not lead; Walk beside me, and just be my friend."

~Albert Camus

My Fortune Today

Today, your mouth might be moving but no one is listening. Hmmmm....

Any Doubt?

Your Power Bird is an Eagle

You are spiritual and able to soar to great heights. You are a true inspiration, and many people look to you for guidance. And you are quite demanding in relationships... but you're worth it. People know that you will become even greater than you imagine.

What's Your Power Bird?

The Rules for Being Human

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a fulltime informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works."
4. A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "here." When your "there" has become a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie inside you. The answer to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. This will often be forgotten, only to be remembered again.

Cherie Carter-Scott

Heart - Sore

Here that train is coming. My physical was a success, everyone is stuck with me for a long time ... sorry! I drove to work and can you believe ... Christmas music already. Did someone forget or skip Thanksgiving? I know I didn't sleep through it. Most cruise preparations are done and the final planning is taking shape. We heard from #1 and all is well in Colorado and he is gearing up for the holiday season at the store. Any bets how long his Christmas spirit lasts after the shoppers show up?

SOS (Same old Sugar) except a different piece of toast.

Mercy Me!

Well, it is hump day and the light at the end of the tunnel is shining. I know it is bad to wish time would fly faster especially since I am on the downhill slide of life. But, I do want it to happen. Today was physical exam day, so I was poked, prodded, stuck and squeezed. Plus I had a echo stress test and a heart CT scan. More to come on this subject later. Wild Mom is enjoying the quietness of her house now that all the company is gone. Now she will save up all them unspoken words and use them on the cruise in 16 days. Work is the same and now they are on a goals kick ... can't operate if there are no goals. I still say "do my job" is a pretty good one myself. Choir Practice is in full swing getting ready for Christmas now I just need to find the time to get there.

Later ...

Eyes Wide Open

The new week has started with a bang and promises to be one of more bangs and some broken hearts. There comes a time when some hard decisions are going to be made and though we don't like the choices we face, we are going to live through the aftermath. I use to laugh at soap operas as a made up fantasy view of reality. Now, maybe those screen writers are smarter than we give them credit for.

For a while this blog will be quiet and rather devoid of personal news. Rather than say something on this site that gets blow out of shape or importance, I have elected to remain silent. To those close to Lady and I, well, you will know what is transpiring behind the curtains, to others, I am sorry for the void.

Because I am being silent, do not presume the silence means I am backing down, giving up, or compromising on any issue. To the contrary, I am focusing on protecting what means the most to me. A Knight lives and dies for his lady.

... Slips the soap box into the closet for the time being.

Rest Day ... Not!

We have been washing laundry most of today but instead of air drying it here I will use the dryer. For the most part the weekend has been quiet as we recover from last week. Well, at least until I recover. Working all night last week sure ran me down.

Bowling was ok but I wish I could have done better. The kids went 2-2 and we went 2-5 on the night league. Now all I have to do is fugure out how to get out of my slump that has been dragging on for 6 weeks.

Wild Mom is looking forward to the upcoming quietness of her house as all her house guests will be gone. Sounds like some serious computer time on that new laptop.

***** *****

I love it, the redskins blew up in the 4th again and lost.

Brrrr

Well, let me see where do I start after so long between writings. I am fine just working some weird hours while I get this server and office machines changed out. I still haven't adjusted to the hours or my sleep schedule. It is amazing how many phone calls come in when you are trying to sleep during the day. The change out is going well, slow, but well since the problems I experienced the last time.

The cruise grows ever closer and it is ABOUT TIME! I am looking forward to the cruise and just vegetating some in the nice warm sunshine. All the excursions for the kids are booked.

Wild Mom is enjoying her house company. My brother and his daughter have endeared themselves to her as they enjoy the Motor Home. Their stay on the beach for all intents and purposes was great. She has even enjoyed the company of her daughter and son-in-law as they live with her until they head to Tennessee and a new job. The new laptop has been a welcome addition to her many toys. Now comes the fun part of getting everything setup and running. We need that Skype time!

#1 continues to enjoy the mountain air and now the snow as it heads their way. His job continues to be fun and challenging as he tries and maintains control of the inventory. We do miss him.

#2 continues to work and get more hours. Right now he is enjoying the challenge of making the money stretch for gas, cruise money and money for just life in general. Welcome to the Real World where Daddy doesn't pay for everything.

Princess is still in school and managing to pass her courses. The first report card is soon to appear and validate her beliefs. She is aching to drive her new truck but that event is still a few more days away.

Star is recovering from her recent body work. Now the daunting task of finding a job begins. Her earache isn't serious but a side effect of the accident.

Lew continues to amaze us with his grasp of words and his many funny sayings. Unfortunately, he has managed to get a leapster that cheats. I told him to talk with #1 since he too always managed to find those machines. Maybe #1 will have a solution on how to stop the machine from cheating.

Serenity is growing and wins any heart within eyesight of her. She is a true princess that everyone loves ... move over Diana.

Ba Humbug! - II

Monday is here and the weekend is over. The server change turned into a quest in hell and was a total waste of time. Everything that could go wrong did and they in turn urged a few others to join in. Needless to say nothing was really accomplished. The funny part is the rest of the weekend turned out the same way. It seems nothing worked right, everything broke, and fixing stupid was the passphrase of the day. It is amazing how eveything takes the lead from something else. Bowling was a washout. The kids team lost 4 points once again. At this rate we should be in last within 3 weeks. The late league went better, at least we split 4-3 with the team. Sometimes I wonder about these handicap leagues ... the object should be do your best not see how much handicap should we accumulate. Friday I head for Florida to spend the weekend. That should prove to be interesting if not fun. I just have a lot of work to do to get ready to go down there. #2 managed to get lost coming home from work this weekend. Maybe I should go out and get some cracker crumbs to he can leave a trail to return ... nope, better idea! Let Booger follow the trail to him and they both can be lost together. Princess was either in bed hurting or at the Fire Station most of the weekend. So we spent several times chasing that crap colored dog down when he bolted for the open door. --> <-- The kids were over and for the most part we had a great time. Serenity was sick and had to leave Saturday night ... something about a mom's touch and hold that she needed. Star spent most of the weekend with us so there was a small ray of hope through out the weekend.

****** *****

I yield ... The Redskin's showed me how good they were as they lost a squeaker ... 52-7. As the announcer said, except for a couple of bad calls and a few bad plays they were in the game. NOT!!! LOSERS. Bring in on of the best coaches ever and even he can't motivate this bunch of losers.
I see the National League was well represented as they got swept by the Red Sox. The NL can't win the all-star game and now they can't win the World Series. The NL sent a team from the weakest division and they showed how bad they were.

Snicker Doodle

Well, time marches on and this weekend will be an long one. I will upgrade the office server over the weekend and hopefully everything will play nice. Wild Mom is camping up a storm with my brother. They must really like the cramped quarters of a motor home. Add some rain and the fireworks will begin as cabin fever sets in. One more week till I head that way for the weekend. Lady is back and her mom is doing fine. She is now a firm believer in living closer together and eliminate the 12 hour drives that seem more like 15. #1 is enjoying the new snow (4") and that is good since the Jaguars were handed their butts when they faced the Indianapolis Colts. He can stay at home and not have to be seen publicly after their humiliation. Oh, how about the 13-1 drubbing the Rockies got from the Red Sox? #1 is having a bad sports week. Princess got a boo-boo on her car. She is fine and learning you can't push a Trash Truck around. They were at fault however so they get to pay about $3K in damages. I guess she needed to be like her sister who just had an accident this week too. Star was fine but the pick-up is a lost cause. I guess she will get familiar with the local bus schedule now since she works at the Denny's here in the city. Booger took another excursion around the neighborhood last night and returned an hour or so later. He bolts for the door anytime it is opened. That will have to stop. In order to assist me in his recapture, I think I will buy me a Tazer and that will stop him in his tracks. ZAPPPPP! Tuesday Night I had dinner with Princess, Star, Missy, and Jaqui. That was nice having all the ladies in my life together at Logan's. Needless to say, they brought their appetites and my wallet is lighter by several pounds.

Miss the babies!

Dum Dee Dum Dum

The weekend is over and the work week begins. For the most part the weekend was quiet since #2 worked then went to a friends house over night. Princess worked and spent a lot of time with friends and with lady in Indiana, that left the house to me and Lew. Saturday was spent at a party which Lew had a blast. The animals were fun to hold and pet and the toys out numbered the kids and the hay ride was a thrill to all. Lew really liked the little four wheeler. It was a good thing it had a good strong battery because it was a rare moment when he was off of it. The kids had a blast bowling on Sunday and our Sunday Night team went 5-2. This week is where we start getting the cruise stuff (paperwork) done, tonight is passport numbers and emergency contacts. Work continues to be the same ... fixing stupid is a never ending job. The website fiasco is over for the time being so now it is back to getting the new server going. That should prove to use up some sleep time.

I have a flight booked on Nov 2 and returning on Nov 5 to visit Wild Mom. Maybe a mouse will chew up the sonny-do list before I get there.

Rain Finally!

The weekend fast approaches and it will be one where I am a Class "B" bachelor. I also get to take Lew to a Fall festival at some friends on Saturday ... oh boy!

Work continues to be a source of frustration. I spent 2.5 days recovering from their website fiasco and I am still unsure if things are finished. Sometimes you have to wonder who is driving this bus. Anyone need a good worker?

Wild Mom is enjoying her quality time with my brother and his daughter. They are waiting for the motor home to get fixed so they can camp and hopefully ride over to Gonzalez La. to see some friends. The tornado yesterday came close but missed them so all is OK and I don't have to make a repair run to Florida.

Lady is heading for Indiana to be with her mom who has surgery next Tuesday. She will return home late on Wednesday.

#1 lost his cell phone and someone found it and called me. I asked them to take it to where he works. I hope they do since we have no way of getting hold of him.

#2 works and goofs off when he is free.

Princess fills her day with school and work and then when free piddles with graphics on her computer to load up on her MySpace. Booger is in mental arrest and has shown tendency to learning anything. A Rock come to my mind when I try to find a comparison to his mental capability.


***** Soap Box *****

Thumbs Down on 11 year old girls being given birth control pills.

Thumbs Up on Joe Torre turning the Yankees down. Why should his incentives be based on how they perform in Post Season. Injuries and Player's not playing would negate his bonus. Why not structure the whole team to a base salary and incentives based on where they finish the year both as a team and individual. That may cut down some on the slow leaking some players do. Negotiated days off .... then dock their salary ... no play ... no pay.

Thumbs Up to Prince William County for their attempt to stop illegal immigration. It is about time someone does what the Federal Government has failed to do.