Yum - Yum - Yum

Anyone not get enough to eat ... those people on Pine St. were stuffed. I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed the food and family. Wild Mom worked on getting the Christmas Tree up and the house cleaned up for company that is coming down for the weekend. Lady succumbed to the the turkey and dressing and took a nap after the meal. Well, I guess we all did that at different times yesterday. AJ sampled all the food but mashed potatoes remains his favorite. #1 squeezed a short nap in before he headed off to work last night. He just loves packing the boxes for Amazon.Com. So everyone order more off the Internet. #2 and Peanut went in early Friday to support all the Black Friday shoppers. Lady had the day off and stayed home with AJ. Of course, I went to work as if there was anything to do. There was a little bit but for the most part I just made work to stay busy. I figure Star ate so much she was overstuffed and fell asleep and missed calling me. Lew and Lil Princess spent the day with their other Grandparents. We missed them but understand.

There is a lot to be thankful for and though I may never say it right ... I am thinking it. There is lady as we head for our 36th anniversary next month. What would I and even we do with out her. #1, #2, and Peanut have a special place in my heart. Yes, we don't see eye-to-eye all the time but I wouldn't trade a moment. If anything, those stressful times give us a good laugh down the road. AJ, what can you say, he is a charmer that melts even the hardest hearts. he has filled this year with something new almost every day. For those that have chosen to move outside the family circle, I hope their choice is the right one. I do miss them and feel unfulfilled.

Then there is my mom ... she makes you laugh, smile, think, and love. Though we are almost 1000 miles apart, I can feel her in my heart. Even as we ate our Thanksgiving Day meal here, I remembered a few meals I had with her as I grew up. I can never eat corn bread dressing without thinking of her, especially when there are oysters in it. Apple nut salad is another memory jogger. If I had grown up not knowing her, I know I would not be the same and yes, better for it. Mom's are special and to see a child push their mom away is a painful thought. I for one, never want to spend a day without her.

Gobble Gobble - The Turkey isn't in the Oven

Well, the holiday season is about to start. Yesterday, we had a remote at Central Union Mission in Washington, DC. I was impressed. I can't imagine being in that situation but I can understand the circumstances. I am not too much on the homeless I see walking the streets but these men were sharp. I shows me that if you want to improve yourself there is a way ... and it goes right through Jesus Christ.

Wild Mom is fine and getting ready for the holidays. Lady is already thinking of the end of the year tax stuff at work. But she smiles as her two vacation requests have been accepted. #1 starts work tonight. It took a while but he is back on track. I don't have all the particulars but it sounds like a good job with decent pay. Peanut has a few days off for the holiday and that should prove a lot of fun. AJ is pulling himself up a lot right now. Seems he has figured out that standing up allows him to see a lot more.

Work is the same. The hardware is almost ready but the operators are no where near ready. Corporate is still being a bonehead on other projects and I just have to laugh at their cluelessness. The people that make informed decisions that effect my life are lost and in many ways have no clue. It makes you want to crawl into the corner and cover your head in fear.

I hope everyone has a great day Thursday and enjoys their time together with family. Yes, I wish there was more but I am thankful for what I have. Sometimes it is fun to think of what would it be like if I made a different decision somewhere in my life. But I always come back to dwell on what I would have lost and realize I prefer it this way.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and love those around you.

##########

I find it interesting that the Wizards get their head coach fired because of their poor play (1-10). Then they win the next game impressively for the new coach ... all the while spouting off how they loved the old coach. Well, someone is lying. These Prima Donna's could care less for anyone unless they can get money from them. They got the coach fired because of their inconsiderate actions and slow play. It is like they were holding back ... and for what? More money? In my mind these men are sad examples of a professional athlete. Or perhaps, they are representative of the sad state pro sports have reached as the dollar controls everything. maybe they should change their name to ... Washington Leeches.

Bailout CitiGroup? That is right let the citizen who is struggling to make a living give foot the bill for the Citigroup to pay $400 Million for the naming rights to the NY Mets Baseball Team.

I thought the Citizens of America were to choose their own representative to Congress? Not have a senate seat saved until the prior senator's son returns home from Iraq. have we turned into a Monarchy where birth determines who rules or leads? If this is the case, then lets just let the highest bidder buy the seat and then the money can help offset the bailout of companies that are fundamentally broke. The American Economy has been based on the survival of the fittest up until now. Now we bailout the broken and bankrupt companies ... allowing them to squander more money on their business plan that hasn't changed in 50 years.

Chuckles

Last night I saw a great T-Shirt ...

I love cats, but I can't eat a whole one by myself.

The weekend was good. We celebrated Paul's 28th birthday Friday night and we all managed to eat too much. Saturday was quiet but Lew and Lil Princess came over an livened things up. Sunday was the same as usual. The kids went 7-0 and stayed in the race to win the league while the Sunday Night team went 5-2 to move into 6th place. I was satisfied with my scores in both leagues. The evening ended by working on a friends laptop that was loaded with trojans. This week is Thanksgiving and should be fun and a chance to really over eat but a bit sad because I doubt everyone will be here. Star is excused since she is in Georgia but our hearts will be there with her. Besides, she probably burned another house and the turkey just to get practice.With a little luck, this week all the kids will be gainfully employed. Has the planets aligned in some freakish alignment? AJ is all over the place as his crawling skills increase. Now he is developing speed and he does have a high gear though nose dives are an occupational hazard. Peanut was going to PA for the holiday but this changed and we will get to have her here instead ... I like that arrangement better. Not that I am biased but she will have a better time here.

Looks like the next cruise will be in the fall of 2010 and we will go north to see the leaves change.

Time to run ... or rather time to go to work.

Sweet Dreams

Oh boy, winter is coming and the weather is getting cooler. Most of our leaves were knocked down this weekend. The combination of heavy rain and strong winds was too much. It was a busy weekend as everyone seemed to have something to do. Work remains pretty much the same and no relief in sight. Friday night was a "boys" night out as the women in our lives were on a retreat. Pastor Jim joined us and we did our best to eat all the steaks and cheese fries at Logan's Roadhouse.

Wild Mom is doing well and anxiously waiting for the crusie to get here. Still no buyer on the motor home. Lady went on a retreat, had a great time and returned with a sore throat. #1 hung around the house and grieved the Jaguars loss to a better team on Sunday. #2 went to PA to help someone move stuff. Work is very erratic for him. Peanut worked, rested and paid bills. Now come the problem of where to spend the left over. AJ is all over the place. His crawling skill increases daily and now he is even pulling up on low items. He had some trouble Sunday with an animal cracker but nothing that wasn't easily cleaned up. Tubs work wonders. Bowling was a mixed bag as two kids weren't there and bowling with 2 blind scores is a sure path to a loss. We continue to roll good on Sunday night and continued our slow ascent tothe top. Star is working and learning what it means to be a "rookie". Who knows, maybe one day she will be a runway model for Victoria's Secret. With everything going on this weekend, we didn't get to spend any time with Lil Princess and Lew. Is it possible to miss them so much in so little time. Saturday was spent driving down to a healing service at NewTown UMC near Williamsburg. Carl, Paul and I went. The highlight was the stop at Pierce's BBQ. That is some good eating and quite filling. The drive down and back was uneventful except for a broken windsheild wiper blade and one burned out headlamp. We even managed to fine gas for $1.80. Sunday ended with the "Mighty Redskins" kneeling in defeat to the "Desperate Cowboys." Yeah right. The announcers will say anything including reversing their spin when the games momentum changes. Life is almost perfect.

Yum - Yum

Time to update this thing before someone comes after me. Star's burn went well and we enjoyed the time spent together. The drive down was great as the leaves were just starting to turn. AJ and #2 went with us, so we had a car full. The jury is out on who (AJ or #2) travelled the best. After spending Friday Night and Saturday with Star we headed for Florida and a few days with Wild Mom. A few items were knocked off the sonny-do list and we saw our friends that mattered the most. The trip home included dinner at the Old Mill in Pidgeon Forge, TN. That is always a great meal. Oh, don't forget the stop at the Candy Factory next door. We returned with 2 lbs of chocolate covered raisins and 2 lbs of maple fudge with nuts. Returning home we got back into the work cycle. Saturday (Nov 1) was the Church's Fall Festival and that was great. Lil Princess, AJ and Lew looked great in their costumes for Trunk-or-Treat and we had a blast. Sure wish the other kids had spent the day with us but it seems more and more that they have no time for us. So we will love the GrandKids to death and make do with what we have.

Work is the same. The new project is coming along rather well. Tuesday the mail server crashed and caused me quite a few lost hours of sleep. Ever wonder what happens when you email a 180 Mb attachment to someone in the same office? Then send it again when it fails?

Lady is catching up on her missed work and trying to set aside some time to take Wild Mom to Pidgeon Forge in the near future.

#1 is doing well and keeping AJ occupied while Peanut works. She loves the manual work. Now I have to show her how to park the truck safely at work. Someone backed into it and crunched it. Luckily, someone saw it and wrote down the tag number and description. Monday, I am supposed to take it over and get it fixed at their expense.

#2 started his job at GameStop. Do I hear a small cheer! or gasp of surprise?

I guess we will see what the lowest rated Congress (lower than Bush) will do now that Obama is elected. They tanked the economy under Bush ... so what will they do with a bigger majority under Obama. Sell us out?

Sizzle - Sizzle

Well, Fall is here and hopefully it will stay. I hate those hot-cold swings in temperature. Everything is a go for this weekend. We get to see Star get heated up and then see just how long Wild Mom's sonny-do list is. I was scheduled for jury duty but the person pleaded guilty to murder so they dismissed us. Shoot I already had my vote marked for "guilty with the death penalty." Work is long and every minute is filled with something to do. I am cloning hard drives right now ... so we get a little break. I have the dates for our Cruise and Nationals:

23 January 2009 - 02 February 2009 --- Cruise to the Southern Caribbean.
24 - 31 March 2009 --- National Tournament in Las Vegas. #19 for me. This year the ride out there will be a little tougher as this was the last trip George and I took before his accident. It seems this train ride has become a major part of my memory. This was also Dad's favorite trip also, especially on the Southwest Chief to Albuquerque New Mexico. Though he did love all the train trips. Funny how dad loved all the train rides and Wild Mom loves the cruises. Thinking back, as a young person we couldn't wait to get away from the parental units and be on our own. But now, each of these trips are worth more than gold and have become priceless in my memory. The sad part is we don't learn this until it is almost too late and the available times are fewer. Why couldn't we have learned this lesson 30 years ago? I would hope some people would learn from my mistake and not have to go through this like I did. But, alas, us parental units aren't in touch with reality ... so they say.

We still want to figure out a weekend for ChincoTeague Island but the weekends available with decent weather are slowly disappearing. November will be our focus month on getting the downstairs bedroom fixed up so we can have a room for when company shows up during the holidays.

All the grand kids are growing and making us laugh. Whether is is Lew battling the cheating gameboy, or Lil Princess climbing on everything or AJ chewing on everything, they make us smile and love them more. Such simple things that mean everything to us.

Considering All

Since work is such a pain ... maybe I need a job change ...

Check This Out

Not a sermon ... Just a Thought

www?

For a good chuckle ... Digital TV

Well, play time has passed and the work week has started. Friday Night was "Logans" for a good meal and Saturday night was a trip to see "Fireproof." That is a movie worth watching and any couple wishing to have a good relationship should see it. Of course, the ones that need to see it the worse, won't. "Facing the Giants" is another movie worth the effort to see. I put them in the category of "Movies to see more than once." Other than the movie, the weekend was just like the rest ... church, grandkids and bowling. Bowling was okay as the youth team went 7-0 and the adult team went 5-2.

Work is the same. We have spent most of the last few days prepping for the start of the new automation system changeover. Only good part is the Company's desire for us to use up all our vacation time by the end of March. That is easy to do ... who needs an excuse to get away from here?

Wild Mom is getting ready for our invasion in a couple of weeks. Maybe AJ will be crawling and add Lil Princess and Wild Mom will have a blast. Of course we will stop by and see Starr burn another car for graduation ... oops ... she does that naturally when she drives red trucks ... so why is this special? Lew placed 2nd in the training wheel division on Saturday. Another racer is born. Lil Princess was cute as ever but also clingy as ever. AJ is up on all fours but hasn't figured out the sequence. Most of the time he manages a face first landing. Good thing for carpeted floors.

#1 Nanny

Well, it is Friday and the start of a relaxing weekend. Huh? Believe it or not ... #2 and Peanut have jobs. Peanut will work at Rent-A-Center and #2 will work at Gamestop. So that means #1 is the nanny for AJ. Maybe we should get him a dress like a french maid ... oh ... too short of a dress for his hairy legs ... scratch that. AJ is growing and actually holding himself up on his arms and knees. Not long till he rockets away and crawls all over. Lil Princess will be with us on Saturday as lew has a bicycle race to participate in. Work is the same. Early morning phone calls from inconsiderate knuckleheads with stupid things ... like "font is the wrong color", "Recycle Bin says it is full and can't hold the new trash", "email won't download", and "my speakers have no sound." These are crisis times that require them to wake me up or call me 2.5 hours before I am supposed to come to work. Oh, for those of you who are curious, the answers to the problems were "change the font color", "empty the Recycle Bin", "reboot the computer", and "plug the speaker cord into the green connector ... not the red one." Also this week the decision to change automation systems was made. So in the next 40 days we will bring up a new computer system to run the Radio Station. As if Cheng and I had nothing to do. Now I feel like I am earning the $30 pay raise.
Hopefully this weekend I can go see the movie "Fireproof." That is if I can find someone to go with me.
Anyone tired of the Presidential Election process yet? They will start all over in March 2009 for the 2012 election. I hear Ohio is planning to use disappearing ink in their markers. By the time they will get counted they will be blank. ACORN has Tony Romo registered to vote in 19 states. I guess he won't be available to play football that week. Writers cramp. In late breaking news, Mexico just received their 24 Million absentee ballots that are already marked courtesy of ACORN. Don't tell me that Obama was a member of ACORN.

Snakes?

Well, it looks like Fall is about here. The lows are in the low 40's and the highs a comfortable 60s. We have been staying busy and never seem to have any real down time to just vegetate. Lew had another birthday party at Chucky Cheese. He was all rocket and he raced from game to game with his tokens and tickets. Lil Princess just wanted to be held. AJ was like her and wanted to be held. He is about to crawl ... probably by the end of the month. Maybe we should take him to Granny's house so he can check out all the neat things laying around. Wild Mom is doing fine ... crafting and getting ready for the cruise. Still in question is what to do with the dog but we are working on a solution. Lady is busy but is smiling after the Boss gave her a pay raise. Must be nice. #1 and #2 continue to dodge the employment world. Of course, they get ticked when we say No to the expensive and exotic pets they want. Peanut is fighting a chest cold that according to her was given to her by #1. What's his head cold doing on her chest cold? Hmmm. Bowling is going well. The adult team dropped to the bottom in the standings but over the last couple of weeks we have climbed back into the middle of the pack. The youth team is doing as well. It just doesn't seem to click. Lil Princess picked up some Fall weather clothes and she was prancing around in her new shoes and skirt. I am glad I am old and already married ... she will be a beauty and break a lot of hearts down the road.

Looks like we will journey to Georgia on the 25th to watch Star burn a house down ... errrr ... put out a house fire as part of her training. We are still trying to decide if we will slip down to Fla to check out Wild Mom. We are still looking for a good weekend to go to ChincoTeague and spend a quiet weekend.

No comments on work as all I do is get pissed and I can't fix stupid especially at this massive level.

Slowly getting time to vote ... have you decided? I enjoyed listening to James Dobson (Focus On The Family) giving the reasons for his endorsement. He made a lot of good points.

For those who went to the Renn-Faire ... Check this out.

Another Pissy Day

Well, the Renn Faire was great as usual and everyone had a great time ... even Peanut managed to smile a lot. She wants one of them dresses where you can strut your stuff. And yes, she loves watching the Squire on the Wire. Something about a man in a kilt walking on a tightrope over the audience got her attention. We listened to the O'Danny Girls sing ... just like we always do ... and they were great. I bought another of their CDs to play and use it to put myself to sleep at night.

Work continues to be a royal pain in the arse. People who are supposed to use computers as part of their job can't even add a signature block to their email. They don't have a clue about the programs but they take enough time to go through all the screens and change the settings ... then bellyache to me when it doesn't work right anymore. Keep your frickin fingers off then ... I say. I installed web mail several years ago ... and to this day ... they still can't use it or even remember how to get to it. Cheng puts out an email every week about not installing software ... well, everyone of them have ACT ... one day I will find that gremlin that sneaks in at midnight and installs this software that no one claims they installed but everyone uses. Or someone wants to print something, spends 45 minutes formatting it, then bitches to me about their wasted time and how I ought to fix the broken print system. I changed the print margins and in 15 seconds solve what they wasted 45 minutes on. Learn to use the tools provided with the brains God gave you. I won't even go into the workload changes for the whole engineering staff. We are a victim of our success. We do it better and faster and now as a reward they are dumping on more on us. I think I will take up the United Auto Workers attitude ... slow down until you are over paid for doing nothing.

AJ is growing and is developing a great personality ... a real charmer. His hair keeps sticking straight up ... his hair looks like one of the gremlins from the movie. Lew and Lil Princess continue to make us smile and laugh. Lew got "a million bucks" as he exclaimed. Really it was only $10. You can't help but love them all. Peanut is turning into quite a cook ... the meals and desserts are rather remarkable. One day she will have the opportunity to fatten up her own significant other but for the time being it is me and Lady. #1 and #2 have the same issue ... allergic to work. It is nice to be picky but sometimes pride should kick in and you should want to work and show us you can be productive in society. But alas, until that day they will wonder why their arse is getting bigger from all the sitting around.

Sometimes I have to wonder where I failed in raising these kids. I tend to be a workaholic but they tend to be lounge lizards. Has society changed so much that sponging off your parents is the preferred way of living? We want to help and give them the best chance to succeed but does that mean take advantage of us? Yes, I am miffed as I work 60+ hours a week. I wish I could just be normal. What is the appeal of sleeping or lounging in bed 21 hours a day? Surely the body has had enough sleep after 10 hours. Chores? I realize doing chores while you are sleeping all day or generally being a sofa lizard is impossible so I won't go into any detail here. Be honest with us, we know all the cock and bull excuses for not being there or spending time with us. Just tell us you have no real desire to spend time with us and would rather be elsewhere. We will get over the disappointment. Lord, heaven help that we would want to spend some time with you and have a relationship. And yes, a relationship is more than phone calls that average 3 minutes and text messages. Talk to us face to face, do things with us. I have been known to sit in beauty shops reading ladies magazines just to be with someone. Not to mention sitting through a movie that had no plot or action. Why do we have to drift apart because we have this huge desire to be independent. Yes growing up is the goal but independence is doing it yourself when you want to and how you want to. I sit here and think now of how I would love to have one more talk with my dad ... just 2 minutes to say I love you. But I can't for now and then I think of how it is now with my family ... such a waste of those precious moments. Perhaps my failure is wanting to love them and be a part of their lives when I should either blow it off or apply the boot of opportunity to their backside.

Well, I shall stop ... for what good will it do to continue.

Eyes Wide Open

Finally, an honest gun control ad! Check it out.

O'Danny Girls

Well, TGIF ... and not a moment too soon. The week has been full with not much time for anything extra. However, this week is the Renn Faire. For a while Saturday we will forget about this world and have some fun. Tuesday Peanut advanced the hands of time as she celebrated a Birthday. We wish her a lot of luck. The flower cake took a lot of self-control not to eat it. AJ is growing like a weed and is a blast to watch as he plays. Sometimes you actually ache when he twists or pulls his legs and feet to his mouth. You can almost hear your bones pop as he does. Lady is sore too as she participated with Lew at the House of Bounce. This was his birthday party place. Wild Mom is already dreaming of the cruise. The best part is there will be an economic boom in Pace Fl. as she gets new clothes to wear. Bowling is now back in full swing. I sure hope I do better than last year.

I believe I will vote republican this year. That ticket sure looks better than what the Democrats offer.

The Redskins are just like last year. Can we trade them for a good team?

What can you say about the Nationals. 26.5 games behind ... Put them in AAA ball and we might stand a chance of reaching .500. It is sad to see some good players never have an outside chance of reaching the post-season.

Bailing out the Banks? They don't care if I flounder. Paying me $0.69 on $1100 of savings ... didn't help me. Their fees are outlandish ... and now they want us to save their butts from the bad decisions they made. That is business ... make a bad choice and risk your business. I say let them sink and the good banks will survive ... better yet, if they are bailed out ... then the government should regulate them as a condition of saving their butts from their bad decisions. They are now bailing out the banks and housing finance industry ... when will I get some consideration?

I wonder what Exxon will post as their new profit ... will they beat the $11.7 Billion they posted last quarter? They could pay every household $383.36 with just the profit they will make this year. So after paying all their costs ... every home in America could get 1 month of free gas.

6 Days

Well, I am on the slippery down slope to the weekend. This week so far has been a wild ride. It seems 12-14 hours a day are the norm. At one point this weekend the old trigger finger sure twitched and I was extremely close to pulling the trigger and ejecting out of this mess. Bowling last week was ok but could have been better. The kids league was supposed to start but it was delayed until this weekend. #1 and #2 are still playing around with their job hunting exploits and they fail to realize the ride on the free ferry is about over with. As I see it, the swim to shore right now will be a hard one. AJ got a very good clean bill of health ... they may not even have to do any surgery now. We will have to see how the next one goes and hopefully the results will be the same. Did a prayer get answered? Peanut is happy and relieved with this news. That boy is growing like a weed, he rolls like a barrel going downhill, he even manages to make the walker move around a little bit, and given the time he will make noises back to you in response to those you make. Of course #2 tried to get AJ to break wind like him but AJ just ignored him. We only need one stinker and child in the house. Lady is doing well and nearly has her craft room cleaned out once again. Wow, that and even getting on the treadmill ... what a woman! Lew never ceases to amaze us as he grows. The things he says would be priceless on Art LinkLetter's , "Kids say the Darnedest Things." Lil Princess, what can you say, she is a doll and is a 1000 watt bulb in a dark cave. Just watching her play will make you laugh and the poor dog now has someone to chase him around till he runs out of steam and hides. Peanut is only 6 days away from going over the hill (21) and being forced to grow up. Gee, imagine ... she will be an adult ... no more kiddie movies and kids meals.

This weekend will once again be full as Sunday I am speaking at both services. I am still not completely sure about the subject but I do have ideas. Add both bowling leagues and I will be tired by Sunday night. Football? There is hardly anytime but I can console myself that the Redskins will lose. Some things are becoming a fact of life like the Redskins losing, the Nationals losing and the Patriots and Red Sox winning. Maybe I should move to Boston!

Well, work sucks and fixing stupid is really becoming a royal pain in the bum.

Oh ... Dark Thirty

Just for a change of pace ... it is 03:30 am on a Saturday morning and I figured it would be good to write ... not! Work called at 02:30 am and woke me up with a problem they were having. You guessed it ... the new stuff I inherited. Nothing like feeling inadequate and even worse ... lost. Gee, I knew I should have went to sleep earlier ... but I didn't get home from the training class until 11:00 pm and have to leave for the morning session at 06:45 am. These are the times that try my resolve to be a christian. #1 looked at me earlier tonight with a WTF? look ... why are you up now? With fingers crossed ... at 05:10 am the system seems to have settled back down ... for the moment. Now it is time to start my day and get ready for the class ... figuring out what I did right will come later.

As I reflect over the last 2+ hours, I really wonder about the fun-ness I am supposed to be having. I am reflecting on another time in my life when I felt just like this mentally ... I guess it boils down to your self-worth and what value you give to your life. Reminds me of the movie, "Saving Private Ryan," when the man asks ... have I been good enough to deserve the sacrifice made for me?

Oh, the first session of the class was good. It is titled ... Lay Leaders are Servant Leaders ... it makes you think though the author's book does challenge your thinking for a bit until you figure out what his words are driving at.

Yeah, I missed Friday Night dinner with Lady and our best friends and most likely I will miss Mexican food today at El Agave. The list of negatives for today is really growing so I best stop before I convince myself to retire today. I hope your day is a great one and be safe.

A Day Off

I figure I best update this site and get everyone updated. Life has been busy with the weekdays and weekends running into each other. We spent Friday night up on Skyline Drive and then drove along the Skyline drive to Charlottesville and then drove the normal roads back home. We had a blast seeing a lot of animal life including a black bear. He must have been about 4-5 years old and ran across the road in front of us. Dessert Friday night was Blackberry cobbler (me) and Blackberry ice cream pie (everyone else). The cabin was nice but Lady complained that when the lights went off it was a total blackout. Oh well, that is life but another trip to the mountains is a definite possibility. Sunday was the usual with church and the grandkids. Needless to say we were busy. Wild Mom is having fun getting wet from Gustav's rain. She was lucky and basically had no damage and the trailer did good at dodging twisters. Gee, looking at the Weather Channel today there are at least 5 more heading east from Africa. Work is slightly better ... it helps when 4 different people quit and two of them way overdue. Now the fun comes covering all the jobs with less people. Now the projects keep appearing faster than we can get them done. I guess that will keep us employed for quite a while. Next weekend is a lay Speakers Training Class, so my weekend will be full. This week the emphasis will be in clearing out the family room and getting it cleaned up. Gee, we will be disturbing a lot of dust. No change for #1 and #2. Peanut dyed her hair black once again. Even #2 tried his hand at dying his. Well, he looks the same and I am afraid it will take a lot bigger effort to look better.

The Redskins are praying for a quick start to the season and quit wasting their few available wins for the season during the preseason games.

McCain made a very good choice. I just hope she and especially her family survive the attacks by the Dems and Media.

Squirt

Well, things are relelatively quiet on the home front. A lot of what I write about is generated from activities at home and it has been quiet there for a while. Work is busy since a certain 2 people have left. I have inherited one of their jobs. That should prove interesting since they made it a full time effort and now it is considered an additional duty for me. Cheng is having fun and should be back next week. My home computer is down right now and hopefully I will get it back up soon. The bill collectors have this funny idea I must pay them every month or they get lonely and call me. This Sunday we start a new season on the Sunday Night Adult league. 36 weeks of fun as we try and stay close to the top of the pack. We will miss bowling with George but it is time to move on and make him proud. The Youth league starts September 7 and that one is still under consideration if I will participate. The biggest obstacle is finding two kids who want to have fun and learn something about the game. Wild Mom is enjoying the rain from the tropical storm and is getting a lot of free lawn watering ... now she will change her sonny-do list to cutting the lawn as the grass explodes in a growth spurt. It never ends. Lady continues her normal routine and is looking forward to the weekend trips we have planned. Buying some new clothes has also helped. No change for #1 or #2. We did hear from some old friends after about 15 years. They tracked us down through the internet so it will be interesting to see where this leads if it does anything at all. Peanut and AJ continue to fill a large spot in our life. AJ is rolling over now and talking to us in that magical baby language that every adult knows .... goo goo and gaa gaa. Peanut isn't half bad as a cook. She has been fixing dinner quite often and I know Lady likes that. Come on guys, what more could you want ... pretty, smart, has a great little boy, is a good cook and most of the time she is a lot of fun to be around. The line starts over there ----> Lew and Serenity continue to grow like weeds. Serenity is walking very good now with only occasional stumbles ... heck, even I stagger once in a while. Oops ... shouldn't admit that. The church has loaded up our calendar for the fall. So that will make our Sundays very busy. I love this window in my office as the sidewalk scene offers me a chuckle almost every day. I could easily see myself being retired and sitting at the mall all day just watching people walk by. Boy could I have an interesting and challenging blog doing that. Like right now, some lady heading to work came flying around the corner only to have her feet and shoes sprayed by the maintenance guy washing the sidewalk off with a water hose. Sorry, no fight but there were words. Let me see, he is pulling the hose along the sidewalk now ... will he trip someone or loop the hose around their foot and pull them down ... hum! Ok, no problem ... the cars backed up to get into the parking garage just parked on the hose ... stopping any more wet downs. Maybe he will check the hose nozzle for blockage when the car moves off the hose!!!

Let Me See ... 08 or 09?

TGIF ... another week is gone. We finalized some of our vacation plans last night. The Birthday get-a-way is planned for September 19 & 20. It looks like we will spend the night up around the inner-harbor in Baltimore and then spend Saturday at the Maryland Renn Faire. The ChincoTeague Trip looks to be set for October 17-19. We figured we needed to set some dates set or they would get lost as now we have only 2 weekends between now and November that are not obligated. We need a social secretary just to managed all our events. Lady is ready for these breaks and would even entertain the possibility of retiring for good. We wish we could move the cruise up and escape for the two weeks right now. Aidan rolled over one day this week so nothing is sacred now. And getting those toes to his mouth is getting easier and thus a whole lot noisier. Work is plodding along though two people who made it a pain have left this week. So hopefully things will improve and then Cheng returns. He is enjoying his vacation and was even able to listen to his favorite radio channel on the Eastern Shore. We added a new person to our Bible Study group bringing us to 8. We probably could add 2 more but sitting room would start becoming an issue. No changes for #1 or #2. Peanut spends all her time taking care of AJ and he is now interacting with us more and more. Now we will wait and see if he gets an attitude like him mom or will he remain an "angel." Lil Princess and Lew are growing and making the maximum use of the pool when they are here. It looks like some watermelon seeds that Lew spit out are growing underneath the deck out back. Star has a job interview next Tuesday so we wish her the best of luck. The weather here has been cool ... in the high 70's ... that is kind of a nice surprise for August. I have only seen small pieces of the Olympics and those Chinese gymnasts sure looked like they were 12-14 years old. Next thing you know they will offer diaper filling as a medal sport and toddlers under 1 year old will compete ... and the Chinese will find a 25 year old to pass them self off as less than 1 year old. Just like Korea, you can not trust them any further than you can see them.

#500

Well, the weekend is over and I am checking things to see if I am rested from the whole adventure. We did all the normal things like eat out and spend time with the kids. The Youth bowling league ended and the way it did was less than satisfying. I was the only person on my team to show up. So, the other team automatically got 30 pins forcing me to roll 210+ just to stay close. Well, the bright spot is the fall leagues start soon and that will be better time (translated new team). Lew and Lil Princess came over Saturday and life was not the same. Lil Princess really scoots around now as her walking is getting very good. Along with walking, came the climbing. Give her a toe hold and she is up lightening quick. Of course, the kiddie pool on the back deck got a workout too. Yard work was the password of the day on Saturday for me. There are days when you just have to cut the jungle back or live like Tarzan. Sometimes it makes you wish for a postage stamp yard so the work would be less. AJ is still growing like a weed. I must of held him too much since my arms are sore today. Wild Mom called and that was fun as usual. She is well and waiting for some company, it seems GungHo-Jenn is never there (work and party). Some of her good friends sold their house and are moving to Lake Martin Al. Work is the same. I received calls Friday and Saturday. I was lucky on Sunday since the Ops manager was there ... thus I received no calls. Cheng is having fun on vacation since he hasn't called to check on things. So I have my fingers crossed that all goes well this week. The September calendar continues to fill up with bowling, advanced speakers course, speaking on the 09/14 ... that is right I initially figured the wrong date so the 14th is right. Also in September will be a weekend away with the destination still up in the air. Oh, and Peanut gets older (16th), 21 to be exact. She will probably transistion to long dresses and combat boots.

Thoughts of a Swell Time

I am looking forward to a quiet weekend but you can never tell if it will be until it is too late. With Cheng on vacation until the 25th, I get to be on call for everything at the station. It is amazing how quickly things happen at times like these. This weekend is the last week of Youth bowling. We will most likely wind up 4th but everyone had a good time. If you are not busy on September 7th, you can come and hear me speak at Church. Besides, if I have to wake up early then you should have too. The week has been uneventful and went fairly quickly. We did take the youngest daughter out to eat for her 19th birthday on Wednesday night. peanut, AJ, and Lady were there to celebrate. I couldn't talk her into a movie afterwards. AJ is growing like a weed and starting to develop a personality. He still hasn't managed to roll over yet but oh does he come close. He drools all the time and a towel is standard equipment now if you hold him. So far no jobs for anyone on the home front. You know, it must be the water for surely it can't be the effort. Weekends mean yard work ... so that will be the order of the day tomorrow provided it doesn't rain. Lady's boss is on vacation too, so her workplace is really quiet. She even managed to go in late this morning. Let me see, what will it take to get her to retire? Wild mom is doing fine and already adding to the list. Hopefully, I will be able to get down there soon and get a few things done. We checked into riding the train across Canada and that is expensive ... about $2100 per person. Shoot, we could do two cruises for that much. We need to book another by December but we haven't figured out where too yet. It is time to get the brochure down and study it I paid my USBC Nationals entry fee this week ... so Vegas here I come. Gee, I wonder who is up to going there for a few days.

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• Finally, Favre is moving on and maybe the news will include something else.
• Preseason football, oh boy.
• I have finally found a way to not hear any election news ... I turned the TV off. I watched Animal Planet for a while but now they keep showing Animal Cops all the time and I am tired if that series.
• I haven't followed or plan to follow the Olympics ... Chinese isn't my cup of tea.
• I haven't seen any Golf lately ... if they are going to make someone Player of The Year and they have been hurt half of the year ... then obviously, there is nothing exciting worth watching.
• The Tour has been over a few weeks and no doping scandal ... maybe we are over the hurdle.