Living with Bob and Larry

2011-04-18T10:21:00.002-06:00

Solving tax problems...

OK, with all of the news, and because I'm married to a CPA and slept at a Holiday Inn Express a while back, I feel qualified to solve the money problems of the USA. Here are a few of my suggestions...

1. Stop tax refunds that are over and above what a person pays in.

Seriously... I keep hearing about how much the supposedly rich folks do not pay. What I want to know is how much the IRS gives back every year to folks that is over and above what they pay in. If you work a menial job for next to nothing, I'm not going to give you grief about getting back what you've paid in if you make less than a certain amount. What I do have a problem with is someone that pays in a couple of hundred bucks over the course of the year, then getting back all of that money plus several thousand more in the form of earned income credits, child tax credits, etc. All this on top of any public assistance they already receive. No more "free money"

2. reform welfare.

I'm not going to get into the need for welfare or any public assistance, all I want is for something reasonable to be done about it. Let's say that the US average is 2.4 kids per family. Round that number up to 3 just for the sake of this argument. Set a cap on public assistance to 3 kids per family. You have 4 kids when you go on public assistance, sorry. We'll give you benefits for up to 3 kids. Yeah, life sucks, but that's the breaks.

Also, no "raises" for having more kids while you are on welfare. You have 1 kid when you go on welfare, that's the most you will ever get "paid" for. If you can't support yourself, you have no damn business having more kids. They give rubbers away free everywhere. Use them. My boss doesn't give away raises when Shelly and I have more kids, why should someone that is attached to the gov't tit get one?

Obviously if someone is on the rolls with 4 kids, you can't cut them off, but you sure as heck can tell them not to expect to get paid extra for #5

3. REQUIRED education or service after high school.

ok, this one might be controversial, but tough times are just that... Tough. Suck it up and deal with it. I think most of us agree that a high school education does little to prepare a person for earning a living. I suggest that if a person is not going to go to college, they should be required to attend some sort of trade school, vocational school, or the military. Learn a trade, craft, or serve. Perhaps a sub branch of the military could be formed to deal strictly with non-combat domestic things. Park service, borders, trash on the highways, you name it.

Throw all of the welfare recipients into this branch. If you are going to pay them anyway, lets get some use out of them, and maybe they learn some skills to one day be able to provide for themselves.

Look, the point of this is that high school prepares us for $8 per hour jobs that start with "may I take your order". Perhaps if everyone learned a trade. Learn to weld. Learn plumbing. Learn to be an electrician. Learn to fix cars. My point is that if you know how to do something, you have a better chance at being able to provide for yourself and a family. Everyone can't go to college. But everyone can learn to do something useful.

ok, this is where I put in some sort of disclaimer...

The above list is NOT an exhaustive list of what can and should be done. It is just something that no one has ever mentioned that I can recall. Sure, those things will be unpopular. Sure they take a bite out of the poor, but the point is that some folks are poor and are doing little to change that on their own.

Yes, some burden needs to be shared across the higher income levels and tax brackets. Trust me, the folks in power don't need suggestions from me on how to do that. Several options are floating around, and I'm sure my tax bill is about to rise. If it does, I'm sure we'll make due, I just want the burden to be shared by EVERYONE, including those at the bottom that get all of the benefits with none of the costs...

ok, fire away. Let's hear your thoughts...

2010-12-30T15:21:00.003-06:00

Embarrassing moments...

Was just discussing embarrassing moments a little while ago with some co-workers. They reminded me of one such moment, right after I started working here.

I had probably been working here 2 or 3 months at the most. Still on my best behavior trying to figure out everyone. The 2 female co-workers at that time were talking about bowling and the fact that they were in a weekly bowling league. I mentioned that I took bowling as one of my PE requirements in college, and that the instructor was really big on form. So, I went to demonstrate my form. Start holding the ball out in front of you on the right side of your body, Swing the ball back as you step off with your left foot. A couple more steps, swing the ball forward, and release.

All good, right? Well, as I swing my arm / hand forward, one of the ladies sort of backed up and turned... And I ended up with a hand-full of her behind. I'm not sure who was startled more. Me with a hand full, or the lady that had just been goosed. The shades of red I turned that day are still talked about today. It's safe to say that if I EVER demonstrate my bowling form again, I will make darn sure that the path is clear...

And, my most embarrassing moment:

I think I was in 9th grade. Our church youth group went from Lafayette, LA to a camp in the TX Hill Country out near Leakey. On the way home, we stopped in Beaumont for dinner. When passing through Orange, a familiar rumble started forming. Nature was calling. This was back before answering machines were common, so there was no taking a message. This was a call that was going to need to be answered. The only problem was that the bus driver didn't want anyone using the bathroom in his bus. Sure, that's a good decision with 40 kids and an 8-10 hour trip. Because he didn't want the bathroom used, he didn't put any chemicals in the tank.

Well, as we approached the LA border, I went to the front of the bus and told the driver I needed for him to stop at the rest area. He told me no. I pleaded with him that it was sort of important. He refused again, to the point of arguing with me that I should have gone 30 minutes back and that I would just have to hold it the 2 hours until we got home. I DID go back in Beaumont. I needed to go AGAIN. He passed the rest area, and I did the only thing I could do. I told him that he would be sorry because I was going back to the john, and that's exactly what I did.

Let's just say that a week's work of camp meals were searching for the emergency exit at the same time. The fumes were terrible. Unimagineable is a word that comes to mind to describe the stench. Did I mention that it was the middle of the summer and the A/C had also gone out on the bus? It was THAT bad. People screamed. People cried. A few people got sick and puked. People banged on the bathroom door. People were a little mad (some were A LOT mad) at me, but there wasn't much I could do.

After the shock & awe campaign was over, the bus driver pulled over on the side of the interstate. Amazingly, he had the toilet chemicals in the storage bay under the bus. Once he added the chemicals and we got going again, the smell went away. BUT, the damage was done. What I would label as the most embarrassing moment of my life had happened. Any trip after that, if I so much as looked at the bathroom on a bus trip, my friends were sure to question my intentions To this day, that single event is the one that tells people which camp trip they are talking about.

There were many more moments, just none that bad. Does anyone have another they care to remind me of?

Does anyone want to share one of their own?

Feel free to post up in the comments.

2010-12-03T11:39:00.003-06:00

Awwww nuts...

It has been a while since the last post. Not much major going on, just being lazy.

So, what prompted me to post now? Well, something pretty funny happened yesterday that I thought was blog worthy.

So, on Wednesday Matthew complained that his "naked" hurt. That's what he calls his junk.. Thinking it was just some sort of surface irritation, I got out the Neosporin, put some on his finger and told him to rub that on where it hurt. He got dressed and I dropped him off at school like usual.

Wednesday evening, I picked him up from after school care and noticed he was walking a little funny. I asked him what was going on and he told me his "naked" still hurt. I figured another round of ointment that evening would take care of things and thought nothing of it.

After dinner, I put the boys in the bath tub and noticed that Matthew's sack was quite red. My first thought was that maybe he got his underwear wet at some point while going to the bathroom and had just managed to rub it raw. But upon closer inspection (and believe me, as a straight man, even inspecting my own kids junk is sort of uncomfortable), I noticed it was pretty swollen on one side. Then I checked and the right nut was more than double the size of the left.

Houston, we have a problem....

So, I had Shelly finish the bath while I called my father-in-law. He's a veterinarian, but still gives pretty good human medical advice. He suggested a visit to the doctor Thursday morning would be in order.

SO, Shelly took him to the doc, got an ultrasound ($455 out of pocket), and was declared to have an infection that should clear up with some antibiotics. All good right? They then came and met me for lunch at Willie's Ice House, where Shelly showed me the picture. Couldn't tell much other than a color ultrasound picture that listed right and left testis.

Fast forward to last night (Thursday night). Shelly called me after work and told me that she thought we left the picture on the table at Willie's. Crap. A picture of balls left at the restaurant. And she wanted me to call and see if the picture was still there and go get it.

So, I called the restaurant. When the girl answered the phone, I told her that I was in there eating lunch with my family and we left an ultrasound picture on the table. I expected that she would have to put me on hold and ask around. She didn't have to. With almost a laugh in her voice, she said yes, they had the picture. And then she transferred me to the manager.

OK, think about what this means for a minute....

The hostess knew about the picture being found 6 hours earlier, likely before her shift started...

Likely everyone on the WHOLE staff had passed around the picture of some poor dude's balls. And I was a guy calling about it. And then I was going to be the guy coming in to pick it up...

THIS WHOLE JOINT IS GOING TO THINK I'M THE GUY WHOSE JEWELS THEY LOOKED AT!!!!

Even worse, this is a restaurant in my regular rotation.

Needless to say, I went and picked it up, everyone around within earshot when I asked for the picture seemed to be sort of snickering.

I think it will be a while before I go back there again...

2010-06-21T15:12:00.007-06:00

The apple doesn't fall far...

This last weekend was a busy weekend for out little family. I started Saturday morning doing a few "guy" errands. The truck needed to be inspected and it needed new tires. From there I went down to get a pedicure, or as my blog buddy Wreggie calls it, "Foot Detailing."

OK, I'm a manly man as much as the next guy. I always had my ideas about the types of guys getting pedicures. Yeah, I'm sure THOSE guys get them also while they are getting their manicures. The difference is that I don't get pink polish on my toes...

Let me tell you, this pedicure was something special. After the toe treatment, leg massage, and foot massage, she did a hot stone massage on my legs and feet. At some point after that, I had each foot in a plastic bag filled with hot wax, a hot moist towel wrapped around each leg, and she was giving me a shoulder massage. Oh, yeah, I'm going back there again.

After all of that, I came crashing back into reality by going refrigerator shopping.

So, we're all in Sears checking out the refrigerators. Jonathan is in a buggy. (Shopping cart for the Yankees reading). Matthew is keeping him entertained near where we were looking at the fridges with the salesman. At one point, Shelly and I went one aisle over to check out one more model, and I walked into a cloud. It wasn't me, that much I was sure of.

Of course, being the amazing husband that I am, and because Shelly had not already blamed me, I asked her if it was her. Well, not exactly. I blamed her. The salesman wasn't on that aisle, so it was just us. And this was an adult sized cloud. She took offense at the mere insinuation that she had ever farted at any time, much less in public. It was then that I realized that my 2 boys were a few feet away, quietly playing with their toys (Jonathan still in the buggy, Matthew still right next to him).

I asked Matthew if he had tooted. He smiled.... He KNEW it was a good one.... No doubt, that boy is DEFINITELY my son.

About that time, the salesman was coming around one end of the aisle, and I beat a path around the other side with the boys. I don't think Shelly ever realized why I walked back around the corner, or what had happened. All I know is that the salesman entered the cloud, and the kids and I were gone, with just Shelly left within his sight...

Poor girl, I don't know how she puts up with me.

2010-06-17T22:11:00.002-06:00

Lions & Tigers & Guns, OH, MY!

A little while back I was ready one of those "Mommy Blogs". You know the kind. Same as mine, but written by a woman and talks about all of the cute crap their kids do. On second thought, not much like mine at all. My kids are cute, but that stuff isn't nearly as funny as when they crash and burn and prove to my parents that I'm getting exactly what they said I had coming to me.

Anyway, the subject of this blog was GASP guns in the home. Or more specifically, guns in other people's homes - because guns were evil and the blog author would never have such dangerous stuff in her house. The question was about asking friends parents if they had guns in their home before allowing their precious little children to go over there to play. Hilarity ensued in the comments. It's been a while, but here are paraphrases of the typical replies:

I would NEVER allow my child to go to a home that had guns in it...

If I knew the family, I MIGHT allow it, but I would want to know where all of the guns were, and I would want to know that the guns were in a locked room, inside a locked safe, and with trigger locks installed, and the ammo stored in a separate locked container in a separate locked room.

etc, etc...

Are you friggin KIDDING me?

Here are my thoughts...

It's none of your dang business if I have guns in my house. If you are going to let your kid come to my house, you either trust me to watch your children or you don't. If you trust me, then that's all there is to it. If you don't, it doesn't really matter what is in my house, does it? In that case, that's why Chick-fil-a has a play room. Our kids can play together while we have our chicken and sweet tea.

Seriously, to me a weapon is similar to an alarm system. If it is in my home, then it could be here for protection. Maybe I'm paranoid, but personal protection is just that, PERSONAL. I wouldn't give anyone the details of my security system, so why would I tell them where my stuff is and how it is secured? Give me a little credit. I have little kids also. My kids LOVE to find stuff. The love to play with what they find. Do you really think I would endanger my kids? Give me a little credit here and trust that I'm a responsible adult.

As far as the question about if I keep loaded guns around... As far as you are concerned, if I have any guns - not that I do - they are ALL loaded. C'mon, that's the first rule of gun safety. Treat ALL guns as if they are loaded until you prove otherwise.

I have to say that so far we've never been asked. If I'm asked, I'll politely decline to answer the question. If they can't accept that I consider it a private matter, so be it.

Anyone have any thoughts to share? Anyone think I'm a fool and want to tell me that? I can handle it.

2010-04-05T22:01:00.003-06:00

Random thoughts and ramblings...

I'm assembling a play system in the backyard for my boys. The instructions say 16-20 hours construction time. I have 35-40 man hours in it, a good portion of that is in sorting and labeling hardware and lumber. I'm not even half finished.

I'm 37 years old. Why was tonight the first time I've ever had mango sorbet? Have I really wasted all these years eating ice cream when I could have had this stuff? I think we're adding it to the regular weekly grocery list.

Tonight I was doing the dishes and heard music coming through the monitor from Jonathan's bedroom. "Won't you take me to Funkytown..." He's not even 2. The Lackey's... Keeping things interesting since...

I cooked dinner tonight. I cook dinner most nights. I do it because I like my cooking best. Shelly is a good cook. I'm better.

I am also better at ironing.

The stupidest thing I EVER did was let Shelly know I knew how to iron. Around our house, if you do something well enough, it becomes your job.

I watch more TV shows now than I've ever watched. I discovered Comcast On Demand, now I generally watch them on there without commercials. I can watch a week's worth of shows in 3-4 hours, when it is convenient for me. Bullrun, Celebrity Apprentice, and Pawn Stars are my favorites.

I like the feeling of satisfaction I get when I finish cutting the grass and see how good the freshly cut yard looks, but I hate actually cutting the grass.

I really enjoy blogging, but sometimes it seems that Facebook makes it harder to blog.

2010-04-03T21:43:00.003-06:00

Cold Busted...

This evening, Shelly and I took the kids to dinner at iHop, followed by an outing to Target.

While we were at Target, there was a guy holding a baby and standing near a lady that I presumed to be his wife (or "baby momma"). I'm not sure what the conversation was, but at one point, he turned around and looked in the direction of a lady walking the other direction, wearing high heels and short shorts Not sure what he was looking at. Maybe it was the baby in the stroller she was pushing? Or the old lady with her?

Anyway, his significant other must have noticed him looking that direction, and said sort of tersely, "You want me to take the baby so you can go with her?"

Friends, that dude had just been cold busted. Made worse by me busting out laughing. I had to take a quick duck into the next aisle. That woman seemed a little testy, and I sure wasn't up to being clobbered by some post partum anger...

I told Shelly what had just happened, wondering if she was going to say the guy got what he had coming. She shocked me with her reply... "Sounds like someone has a little issue with insecurity..." Yep, I guess so. Either way, I was there in the right place at the right time to see the show.

2010-03-29T09:49:00.003-06:00

Weekend of the HAM, take 3...

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a group of guys at the ranch. Our Sunday School class from church typically has a guy's weekend every Spring, and this year, we went out to the ranch. Turnout was better than expected, with 25 guys heading out there with us.

The weekend was pretty much everything you would expect when you have a group of 25 men together in a remote place with ATV's, 4wd trucks, and enough firepower to takeover a 3rd world country. We ate like kings, got almost no sleep, and would do it again next weekend if we thought we could get away with it.

One of the guys compiled a Top 10 list of phrases heard over the course of the weekend. Keep in mind, there were other phrases, but these are the best that are able to be shared with all ages...

10. This is the skinny man's couch
9. I was forced to use "Plan B"
8. Papa Williams just called... !Blayton!!!
7. What were you going to do with those cows?
6. You are Jonah! You are a Big Shot!
5. What are you talking about? This is my wife's gun.
4. It's supposed to sound like a train. Does that sound like a train?
3. That's what she said.
2. Impressive!
1. ?!?Can we shoot it?!?

2010-03-25T20:45:00.005-06:00

Called to generosity, or a couple of big suckers?

Sometimes I don't feel like the most generous person. Living in the 4th largest city in the nation, we see our share of panhandlers. You see so many of them that you sort of become hardened towards people in need (or those professing a need - there IS a difference).

You get to the point that you are skeptical and assume everyone is a freeloader until proven otherwise. MOST of the time, you are well served with that assumption. Other times there is just something that tugs at you.

In the last couple of months there have been a couple of instances where I just felt lead to help someone. The first one was a little while back while I was putting gas in the car. A guy approached me and told me he had lost his job and needed a little gas money to make it through. OK, now I'm not a complete sucker. I don't give cash. My feeling is that I trust God to watch over the situation and to bless my generosity. I let him deal with the person and provide consequences if they are less than truthful.

In that situation, I told the guy that I didn't have cash, but if he really needed a little gas, he could pull up to the pump and I'd help him out with a few bucks worth of gas. He pulled up and I activated the pump. Feeling like living life on the edge, I wished him well and told him I would trust him to stop the pump at $10. He seemed genuinely thankful for the gift he was given, thanked me profusely, and I left. It worked out that time. He stopped the pump at $10. My thought is that a con man would have tanked up and cost me $50.

Shelly and I are NOT wealthy, but we do seem to be able to make ends meet. We don't give to everyone that comes asking, but sometimes you just get a little extra tug that tells you to do something.

Tonight was one of those nights. We went to Willie's Ice house for dinner. Nothing fancy, just a local burger type place that is kid friendly. Because of my birthday, I had a coupon for a free entree with the purchase of another entree and a couple of sodas. After we ate dinner, the boys and I were in the little video game room while Shelly finished her dinner and got the check taken care of. As we were preparing to leave, I noticed that the table that had been empty next to us was now occupied by a middle-aged black lady and a boy a little older than my boys, maybe 10 or so.

As we were driving away heading towards a gas station to fill the truck up, Shelly told me that the lady apparently had a coupon similar to mine and she and the boy had ordered just one entree. She overheard the waitress tell the lady that the coupon was only good for a free entree when you bought another. The lady quietly explained something to the waitress, and the waitress left to go see the manager. Basically, they had no money, and the lady was trying to feed the boy something. That manager had come by our table a few times during the night, and was obviously a caring guy, and he agreed to honor the coupon without a purchase requirement. The waitress even kicked in a cup of coffee on her dime for the lady.

The lady had leaned over to Shelly and told her that if we needed our house cleaned or a babysitter for the kids, she was low on money and could use some work. Well, we already have a cleaning service and daycare, so she thanked the lady for the offer, but told her we just didn't need those services. She didn't ask for money, she asked for work. As we were talking, we both knew we should do something, we just didn't know what we should do.

Well, when you are willing, God will give you ideas. As I was pumping gas at the Kroger gas station, it hit me. We would get some Kroger gift cards and go back and give them to the lady. If they are short on food money, that's a way we could give something useful without giving cash. I asked Shelly to go in and get $50 in cards and we would give them to the lady. The question was, What if they are already gone? Will they still be there? My belief is that God calls us to be willing. He will work the rest out. Shelly one-upped me. She bought $45 (they sell them in increments of $15), PLUS $15 in McDonald's cards that Kroger also sold. This lady was about to get hooked-up.

As we drove there, I told Shelly again that I just felt like we were being challenged to be willing. I had told God while I was standing at that pump that I would trust him and would be generous, but that if I gave generously, I hoped he would "pre-qualify" the recipient. If she was truly needy, they would still be there when we went back.

We headed back to Willie's with the gift cards in hand, and when we got there, they were already gone. We drove through the parking lot and went to the apartment complex that she had told Shelly they lived in, made a lap around it, and never saw them.

I told Shelly that it sure was disappointing to be willing to give something away, and in the end to not be able to. But, in the end, I feel like God challenged us to be WILLING to help. Hopefully he found us to have been willing and to have faithfully answered the call. We put those gift cards in the console of the truck, and hopefully one day soon we are able to give them cheerfully to someone in need.

Oh, and while the boys and I were in the truck waiting for Shelly to buy the cards, I got to give Matthew a little bit of a lesson in helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Hopefully one of these days he will understand.

Just a side note, I've noticed lately that we are surrounded by others who are also quite generous. Last week, I planned a men's retreat for the guys in our Sunday School class. We ended up with 25 guys out at the ranch. It was quite fun, but there was a price of admission to cover food and incidentals. Very reasonable at $25. What really touched me was that I was contacted by 2 of the guys in the class and asked to send notes out to guys that were not going and let them know that if times were rough and the cost was an issue, that I had extra money to cover them. These 2 guys are known only to me, and they asked to remain anonymous. They don't even know about each other making similar offers. Sure, this wasn't grocery money or anything serious like that, but it was still a big deal to me that these guys were willing to give of their excess to make sure one of their brother's didn't miss out on being a part of something over a few bucks. That's what it is all about.

I could go on and on about the anonymous gifts given to help people participate in mission trips, the donation a relative of mine made to someone here in my church that they had never met to help them after Hurricane Ike, etc, etc, but you get what I'm saying.

Basically, Shelly and I answered the challenge laid on us. Now, I'm issuing a challenge to you. Keep a look out, and be prepared, you never know when you will come across someone that you are able to provide a true blessing to. Trust me, it will mean MUCH more to them than it will cost you monetarily.

Please take a minute to post a comment telling how you were able to help someone out.

2010-03-13T15:37:00.002-06:00

You tell 'em, son...

I bought a new smoker this week. After getting it set up Thursday night, I oiled down the inside of it and lit a fire to complete the seasoning process. An overnight burn and smoke and it was ready for today.

Last night I trimmed, rubbed, and saran wrapped 4 pork shoulders, 2 racks of ribs, and a brisket. This morning I woke up early to take the meat out of the cooler, light the fire, and get things rolling. By 8AM, we were smoking.

By about 1PM I had burned through a wagon full of oak wood and was part of the way through the mesquite wood. It was evident that I needed a little more wood, so I stoked the fire and Matthew and I headed to Academy for another big batch of mesquite wood.

We went in the store, made our purchase, and headed back to the truck. As we were getting in, Nature called. Person-to-person. Collect. This was a call I had to take immediately, so we went back into the store and made tracks for the back corner behind the shoe section. Why are the restrooms in stores always the farthest point in the store from where you are when you get the call?

As we're heading in, I decide that we'll take the handicap stall and Matthew can just wait while I finish. But, he decided he also had to go, so I hit the stall and he hits the urinals. I told him to come with me when he finished. Yeah, like a 5 yr old listens to what you tell him. He finishes, washes his hands, and uses 4 or 5 cycles of the air dryer.

I was just about to tell him to get his butt in the stall with me when someone else came in. Ok, guy code is no talking in the john. I can't yell at the kid from the stall while someone else is in there. He's just hanging out while this other guys does his business, and then leaves, after which Matthew opens the door and calls after him "Hey, you forgot to wash your hands!!!" I wish I had been in the shoe section of the store to see that guy's reaction... The guy didn't come back in, so somewhere in the store was a guy with unwashed hands.

I finished up and we left - greeted by a few smiles from the people milling about the shoe section. Yes, I did remember to wash my hands.

2010-02-25T23:05:00.002-06:00

A lump in my throat and a tear in my eye...

Most of the folks that read this blog are friends of mine. Maybe we grew up together, maybe we go to church together, or maybe you are related to me. I'm not generally a guy that has an easy time showing emotions. I haven't always been that way, but these days emotions are not always easy for me. I think this blog is probably a good way for me to actually convey feelings. Writing isn't something I do often, but when I take the time, it comes fairly easily - most of the time.

So, what happened tonight to stir me to write?

This was like almost any other night. I met Shelly and the kids in town after work to run a few errands and have dinner. We were sitting in a booth in Chili's next to a window overlooking a parking lot. This was the community college parking lot at I-10 and the Beltway, so it is sort of a major crossroads in town.

While we were eating, I noticed a lady pull up next to the curb and get out of her car, just outside the window from us. Parked a little farther down the curb was a man in a car with 2 young boys, not much older than my 2 sons. The man and boys got out of the car, and the man hugged the boys. The lady stayed by her car and called the boys to her. The boys trudged to the car, and after what appeared to be a little bit of bickering, they got in the car. I looked and noticed neither parent was wearing a ring on their left hand.

We had just witnessed "the hand-off." It struck me how sad each one of these 4 people looked. Sure, they were normal, well-dressed people, but they just looked sad.

A couple of weeks ago, Shelly and I went through a marriage conference, and of course, you hear the statistic that 50% of all first marriages end in divorce.

Here is where this story turns even more personal for me.

The statistics are even more dismal for a 2nd marriage.

My friends that I grew up with know that Shelly is not my first wife. Many of my Houston friends will probably be shocked by this. I know, it's just not something that I talk about very often. The reasons for the first split aren't really important. Nothing earth-shattering like a Tiger Woods story, just 2 people that jumped into something that everyone around them said should have a little more thought put into it. Lessons learned, and 2nd chances provided by God's grace and goodness.

When I married Shelly, I committed that things would be different this time. Next month we'll celebrate 9 years of honoring that commitment. I'm VERY happy about that.

So, what about that scene unfolding outside the restaurant? Why did it move me so much? I'll tell you, it was just a reminder of the consequences of a Mom and Dad that don't stick it out for the long-haul. Sure, the parent's will get over it (maybe), but those 2 little boys broke my heart. Shelly and I are a normal married couple. The stresses of life sometimes put a strain on things. Most days are great, and some days are tough. Seeing those 2 sad looking little boys just served as a reminder that NOTHING that we go through is worth breaking the hearts of MY two little boys.

Right there over my smoked chicken tacos, I told God that I was going to double-down and make sure I was the best husband and father to my family that I can be.

Sorry that this is sort of a rambling post, it is just what was on my heart and mind, and I wanted to put my thoughts "on paper".

Any of the readers have any other thoughts to share? Feel free.

2009-12-18T11:24:00.002-06:00

Christmas shopping...

I think I've been on record that I get a little grumpy this time of year. I LOVE Christmas. I enjoy giving gifts. I enjoy seeing the excitement on the kids faces when they get what they have been dying to get (until they see a commercial on TV for a new toy). I enjoy the food (Lord, I do loves me some Christmas goodies).

What makes me grumpy is that everything is crammed into a short period of time right in the middle of hunting season. We have 4 family gatherings, not including the one Shelly prefers to have with just our little family. There is always a Christmas party or so, and there is shopping to be done. You also have the big mess of dragging out all of the Christmas decorations from the attic, decorating, then stashing the empty boxes back out of the way (ours are still in the entry hall, but by golly, the tree is up and decorated) There are not enough weekends to do it all while still fitting in a hunting trip or 3.

This year has worked out pretty well so far. I'm in a MUCH better mood because Shelly allowed me to block out 1 weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas to hunt without pressure of other events. I don't play golf, watch stick & ball sports on TV, etc, so she has given me a hall pass a couple of times to get my hunting out of the way. We've even managed to get all of the family gatherings grouped into just 2 weekends to make the getting back and forth to each of them a little less hectic.

NOW, all that's left is the shopping. I like buying toys and stuff for the kids, but sometimes there are some real idiots in the stores.

Case in point, Monday night, Shelly asked me to run by Target on my way home to get a particular toy for Jonathan. Easy enough, right? Nope. It is a Duplex Blocks deal, sort of like a Lego set, but appropriately sized for a 19 month old. It was cold and drizzling outside and I managed a decent spot right off the bat. So far so good. I grabbed a buggy and prepared to run the gauntlet.

As I reached the toy section, all was good. The place was not overly crowded and there was still a decent selection left, so it's looking to be a nice "grab-n-go" type evening. That is until I get to the Lego aisle. There SHE is. This woman was straight in from the backwoods of East TX. You know the kind. Lives several miles down a dirt road. Lots of cars up on blocks in the yard. Sher's standing SMACK in the middle of the aisle. One of her kids is sitting on the floor at the other end of the aisle playing with toys (opening them & playing with them). The other kid is pushing the buggy back and forth on the aisle, with no regard for anyone else being there..

The woman is dressed in flannel type pajama pants and Crocs. She is large as you would expect, and she is loudly talking to herself. I tried to go around her on both sides, but she refused to budge. I finally abandoned my buggy and went in without it. This woman is standing in the middle of the aisle, talking quite loudly to no one in particular, complaining about the selection & pricing. She was complaining about the cost of a $20 set of Legos. Her complaint that she kept going on and on about was that a similar set was cheaper at Wal-Mart and had more pieces. Then she started complaining about another set, which again Wal-Mart was better and cheaper.

What made this scene so insane was that Wal-Mart happened to be right next door to this particular Target store. In the time this lady spent complaining about the prices and selection, she could have walked her happy butt next door and bought what she was looking for.

I guess in the end, I did get what I was shopping for with little trouble, and I did get some of the entertainment I've come to expect from my shopping trips.

More shopping to come, so look for more posts in the next few days.

2009-11-25T00:36:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from Heaven...

I was e-mailing with my friend Katie today and the subject of holiday traditions came up. That got me to thinking about my traditions for holidays. I've had some spectacular Christmas's through the years, but Thanksgiving is probably the one that has carried more meaning. Growing up, all of my grandparents lived in Southeast Texas in a small town called Kirbyville. We went there often. ALL holidays were spent in Kirbyville as well as many other weekends throughout the year.

I was thinking about what happened for Thanksgiving, and it was usually the same. Thanksgiving morning, all of the men got up and headed out to the "hunting club". Sometimes someone killed a deer, usually we just went, hunted, then hung out for a while before heading back to get dressed for the big feast. The Aggies always sucked (yeah, things change when you marry an Aggie), and the Cowboys just had to win.

After lunch, Nana and Grandaddy (Mom's parents) always gave out envelopes to everyone. This was the Christmas money. It was always something to help everyone have a little better Christmas. I always got $50. As a kid, Grandaddy always took me the next day down to City Shoe Shop and with my $50, I got a pair of cowboy boots. As I got older, the amount and what I did with it changed, but the envelope was always a tradition.

As time went on, relatives moved farther away and their traditions changed, but ours was the same. We went to Kirbyville, we went hunting, and Grandaddy gave out the envelopes. Grandaddy and I shared a special connection through hunting. 24 years ago, I killed my first deer while sitting in the stand with him.

Time passed, Nana died, and the traditions sort of died. I still hunt every Thanksgiving, and hold onto the memories of years past. We still always saw Grandaddy sometime around Thanksgiving, and usually that's when he gave us the envelope with our Christmas money.

This year is different... We lost Grandaddy this year. It is sort of bittersweet for me. I will still hunt Thanksgiving morning, but this year I'll be hunting with the rifle he let me shoot my first deer with. He knew how special that gun was to me, and while he was laying in a bed in MD Anderson, he told me he wanted me to have it. I hope he knows how much I appreciate having it.

Last weekend, we got together with Mom and Dad to have an early Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, they surprised us. For each family, there was an envelope. From Grandaddy. I know Mom put it together for us, but She said Grandaddy would have wanted it that way. In the envelope was a card. It read:

Merry Christmas from Heaven (by John Wm Mooney, Jr)

I still hear the songs,
I still see the lights.
I still feel your love on cold wintry nights.
I still share your hopes and all of your cares.
I'll even remind you to please say your prayers.

I just want to tell you, you still make me proud.
You stand head and shoulders above all the crowd.

Keep trying each moment, to stay in His grace
I came here before you to help set your place.

You don't have to be perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip, if you continue the climb.

To my family and friends, please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you, in a new special way.

I love you all dearly, now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my Christmas with Jesus this year.

We love you too, Grandaddy.

bloggers note: There are other special holiday traditions and get-togethers with both sides of the family. This particular tradition is just what was on my mind today, so I wrote about it.

2009-11-06T13:26:00.002-06:00

I really don't remember teaching him THAT...

Ok, I'm the first to admit that I've taught Matthew some things that could be considered questionable. I think the best one so far has been teaching him to say "impressive" after cutting a good one. Another one is when he goes #2. He still needs a little help on the clean-up job after #2, and on occasion he will say "I took a REALLY big dump this time" (he emphasises the "really").

Well, that's just funny and hasn't really gotten me in trouble. Last night was something that caught me a little off guard, but it was hard to give him a lesson on it when I was laughing so hard while telling him to stop saying it.

I was giving him a bath. I don't know why our best stories happen at bath time, they just seem to work out that way. Anyway, after washing his hair, I typically pour a couple of buckets of water over his head to rinse the shampoo out. The water was a little warm (he drew his own water and he tends to like it kind of warm). He said it was too hot on his head and he wanted cold water. So, I filled the bucket with water as cold as I could make it, then dumped it over his head.

After splashing around trying to get out of the cold water deluge, he sputtered a little and said "That froze my NUTS off" (yes, he emphasized the word "nuts"). Ok, I can honestly say that I SERIOUSLY don't remember teaching him THAT. I asked him where he learned that (in between bursts of laughter - which only made him repeat it LOUDER). Of course, he said he learned it from me. I guess I need to be really careful. LUCKILY I don't have a potty mouth or I would be in some serious trouble.

2009-11-03T23:58:00.004-06:00

My kid tells me all your secrets...

Everyone always says kids are like sponges. They absorb stuff and are easily filled. While this is true, I'll submit that as soon as kids can talk, they are more like water balloons. While they can hold vast amounts, getting it into them is sometimes messy, and they usually are ready to burst to let out what they have taken in.

I'm not easily embarrassed, so it doesn't really bother me when it gets back to me that Matthew has sprung a leak about stuff we thought was a secret in our house. Hey, it happens. What's hilarious is hearing Matthew repeat things other kids in his class share.

Recent topic of conversation... Somehow we got on the subject of passing gas. OK, you know how we got on that subject, but that's not the important part of the story. Matthew has a class mate, we'll call her "Little Girl X". Apparently little "X" has a little gas problem. According to Matthew, "She toots all every day". Matthew admits that he sometimes toots also, "but not all every day."

This disturbs Shelly, while I just find it funny thinking about a teacher in a 5 yr old class trying to keep order with a bunch of kids letting 'em rip on a regular basis, knowing that my kid cracks up laughing when he hears the old Kiester Kazoo sounding off. Shelly asked about the little girl, why she is always popping off, and what the teacher says. Apparently it is a topic of conversation because Matthew dutifully informed us that little "X" is taking medicine, but "she still toots all every day."

Even better is that it is discussed enough in class that Matthew reports little "X" says that her Mommy toots even more than she does, and her mommy's toots are really loud and really stinky. Of course, we find this hilarious. I'm trying to picture what this lady looks like, with no luck remembering her. Well, it just so happens that in the e-mail this morning I got a set of pictures with captions from a recent day in Matthew's class. Guess who's picture is in there?

So, Mommy "X", we now know who you are, and don't even think about blaming the dog, because we know your secret...

2009-10-13T09:04:00.002-06:00

Random Observation...

Do you ever find yourself coming up with something completely random? I was just sitting here at my desk, and the last sip of a cold Diet Coke inspired me to make this post (long overdue post at that...)

I was thinking how versatile of a beverage Diet Coke really is.

Need a drink with Breakfast? Diet Coke works great. Getting a #3 from McDonald's in the morning? Diet Coke goes great with it. Stopping in for a couple of donuts? Diet Coke works again. This morning I was thinking how the flavor of Diet Coke matches perfectly with the subtle sweetness of a brown sugar & cinnamon Pop-Tart.

For lunch and dinner, the Diet Coke will work with whatever you have. It was almost MADE to go with chips and salsa when eating Mexican food. Pizza? Yes again. I can't think of many things that wouldn't go well with an icy cold silver can of Diet Coke.

Want something with a little more edge, it's perfect mixed with Jack Daniels or your favorite rum.

There you have it folks, from me to you. Diet Coke, possibly the worlds most perfect beverage.

2009-04-24T23:02:00.002-06:00

Man, this SUCKS...

Tonight, Shelly and I loaded up the kids and headed out to dinner. I was craving some smoked sirloin from Texas Land & Cattle, so we stopped in there for a little grub. Dinner was great. Shelly stopped by the ladies room on the way out so I took the kids out to the truck and got them buckled in.

When Shelly got to the truck, she asked me what was the story with all of the junk on her seat. Several things from the center console (spare diapers, gloves, etc) were piled on her seat. It hit us both at the same time. We checked the console and around the truck in general. We had been robbed.

As near as we can tell, they either jimmied the handle or used a slim-jim. There is a small scratch on the paint below the door handle on the drivers side. All we could find missing was Shelly's makeup and our digital camera that were both in the console. Nothing of value was in sight. What's funny is that she had a new pendant, still in the James Avery bag also in the console that was dumped on the passenger seat. She also had her blue tooth laying in the cup holder, that was untouched.

Why the makeup? It was in a small zippered Vera Bradley pouch, so they probably thought it was a purse. The funny thing about the camera is that Shelly had taken it yesterday to go on a field trip with Matthew, and forgot the battery for it. So, the jackass that broke in the truck got a bag of used makeup and a non-working camera. Of course, it will cost us about $400 or so to replace the camera and the cosmetics, but luckily there was no real damage to the truck.

One lucky thing was that I almost left my iPod in the console, and decided to slip it in my pocket. Makeup and the camera get replaced out of the general fund. I would have just been out of luck with the iPod.

2009-04-24T22:44:00.002-06:00

Long Overdue....

Was everyone wondering where I was? I was being lazy. It's hard to get back into the blog after taking a little while off.

Well, I think I'm ready to get back into it. Of course, it only makes sense for the first new post to be a funny / embarrassing story about myself...

Last night, we were up pretty late. This morning, it was hard to get up. In fact, after my shower, I was still half asleep when I was getting dressed. I made it to work, relatively on-time, and had a fairly busy Friday.

Right at 5:00, I was the only one in the office, and the phone just kept ringing. About 5:15, I finally was off the phone, shut everything down, and headed out the door. Alarms set and doors locked, I headed for the car. As I was getting in the car, I really needed to go to the bathroom. I decided that it was too much trouble to unlock everything and turn off the alarms, so I decided to step around the corner of the building and water the grass there (fences, etc make it a private location).

So, After a quick glance to make sure no one is around, I unzip and reach for the flap on the front of the boxers. It's not there... Hmmm, drawers must be twisted. Check left and right - still no flap. What the heck? Not sewn closed, just not there... After further inspection, I figured out my problem. I had my drawers on backwards. I'm talking I had gone all day wearing my drawers Liberace style...

Shelly didn't know what was funnier, that I had gone all day without using the restroom, or the fact that I never noticed. (After thinking about it, She never even questioned me about watering the grass at the office...)

I don't think I've ever had that happen before.

2009-03-17T20:46:00.002-06:00

Disputes & Disagreements...

If it's one thing I know, it's that everyone has a different opinion about just about anything. That's life. What constantly amazes me is how little regard some people seem to have for the opinions of others. You either agree with them or else.

Ever notice how you can do your research, read literature, and formulate your opinion on something, but there is always someone that holds a different opinion. It never fails that at least one person with a differing opinion can't seem to respect your opinion? What's worse, these folks make it a point to call anyone that opposes them ignorant, uneducated, and closed-minded?

Doesn't that seem a little odd? Disingenuous at best, bordering on hypocritical? You don't agree with them, but their egotism (or maybe it's narcissism) won't allow them to respect your opinion, so they call you closed-minded. Could it be them that's closed-minded?

Yeah, that's what I thought also.

2009-03-11T22:12:00.002-06:00

Missing in Action...

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. It's not a lack of material, just a lack of time.

I have piles and piles of pics from our Disneyland vacation. I'll post a few in a couple of days. Of course, the pics aren't the best part. There are a couple of priceless moments that warrant a mention.

So, what's been going on the keep me from posting? Well, this is tax season and Shelly has reclaimed the computer on occasion. Work is also quite busy.

But, that's all secondary to some family health issues that have popped up.

You might remember a picture of my grandfather I posted from when Jonathan was born last May. Grandaddy is the last grandparent I have left, and probably the one I've always been closest to. He had been having some "issues" lately, so he went to the gastro doctor to have his throat and esophagus scoped. They found a spot at the base of his esophagus that a biopsy showed to be cancerous.

Fast forward to this week and all of the tests and the news shows that things are further progressed than we had hoped. In the next few days they will finish putting all of the test results together and formulate a treatment plan. Thankfully we are in a place with the what is possibly the best medical care in the world. No matter how things shake out, he's got the best chance possible.

I'll probably pick up posting almost daily again about current events, and as time permits, I'll add in a post with events from the last few weeks.

Keep checking back. There are some funny Matthew stories as well as some things about me. I've even got pictures from last weekend when I took Shelly's truck into the woods and managed to get it stuck - twice. She wasn't amused.

2009-02-28T11:53:00.002-06:00

Had to close the garage...

I went back outside after posting the previous entry and there was another Mexican guy coming up the driveway. He asked if I was having a garage sale, and I told him no. He then proceeded to point to the stroller, pedal car, and other things that we have asking how much I wanted for them.

Geez.

I finally ran him off, grabbed the tools I needed, and was about to close the garage door when another woman came up with her 3 kids.

I closed the garage and inspected the brakes on the Expedition and changed the serpentine belt (forgot to do it a couple of weeks ago when I did the hoses and spark plugs).

Now, to start working on the garage (with the door closed while I work).

2009-02-28T09:28:00.002-06:00

I guess I need to clean the garage...

My garage is a mess. All of the Christmas decoration boxes are still in the garage, as well as several other items. The fact is that since Christmas, both of our cars have been sleeping outside.

Well, this morninng I went out to look at the brakes on Shelly's truck and had the garage door up. Some random Mexican woman came walking up the driveway. Of course, when you are involved in something and someone comes up, it sort of startles you.

She started looking through my stuff. I said "Can I help you?"

How embarassing....

She thought I was having a garage sale...

Yes, after I look at the brakes, the garage is getting straightened...

2009-02-05T18:25:00.002-06:00

Dinner Guest Etiquette...

Chances are, unless you are a complete recluse, you have wither invited friends to dinner at your house, or been invited to dinner at a someone else's house. With a dinner invitation, there is always the question of what you can bring.

Many times, the host will take you up on your offer of a dessert, a side dish of some sort, or at the very least a bag of ice if the parts will have several guests.

A few months ago, we hosted dinner and when asked, politely told the guests that their presence was all we cared about, everything else would be taken care of. I like to cook, and made what I thought was a great meal, complete with appetizer and dessert. When the guests arrived, dinner was close to being ready, and I had just put dessert in the oven. They arrived carrying a dessert. At that point, all you can really do is serve their dessert and put the one you prepared up for another night. Of course, since the guests usually hang out in the kitchen, it was obvious they noticed the dessert, and it was a little awkward.

Fast forward to this week. We accepted a dinner invitation to a neighbors house for tonight. When Shelly accepted, she asked if we could bring anything, suggesting maybe a dessert or a side. They thanked her and declined, asking that we just show up hungry (no problems here...).

I was at the grocery store yesterday and sent the neighbor a text and asked what his favorite flavor of beer was. He informed me that he had plenty, just show up and we would be all set.

Clear enough? Not for my wife. What is it with women that they can't just graciously accept an invitation without having to take something? She baked a loaf of bread last night. Of course, our bread machine hates us. In the 7 years we've had it, we've NEVER had a loaf turn out right. Always too dark, hard, falls, etc. This one was the proper shape, but too dark and quite hard on the outside...

She just got home, so we'll see if I win the argument about just going empty-handed...

Does anyone else have this problem? Do you take something even after being told multiple times not to?

2009-02-04T01:02:00.003-06:00

Problem with the tunes solved....

I loaded up 8 or 10 CD's worth of music up tonight. Of course, I figured out that it's much easier if you choose only the songs you like from a CD instead of waiting for it to install every one of the songs. I had to raid my car, Shelly's truck, our bedroom, the upstairs office, and the garage (don't ask) to find all of the CD's. There are about 130-150 of them I think..

The conclusion I cam to is that I have TONS of songs that I like, and my commute isn't that long. Between the 5 or 6 podcasts I subscribe to and all of this music, I don't need to buy much. I'll take my chances with the odd $.99 or $1.98 when there is something I want.

Wreg, I still need those tips, just in case...

Shelly, if you read this, the previous post was a hypothetical question. No need to inspect my grocery store receipts...

2009-02-03T15:12:00.003-06:00

Ethical Dilemma...

OK, so I bought the iPod last week. I've having great fun with it. I've found all sorts of neat applications to put on it as well as subscribed to a couple of podcasts on varying topics. The one thing I don't have on it is a ton of music.

Sure, I've got a PILE of CD's hanging around, and it would seem to be fairly easy to pop them into the drive on the computer and save them to my iTunes folder, but what seems to be MUCH easier would be to load up from the iTunes store. The problem with that is that my dear wife is a pretty smart cookie. She has the initials CPA & CFP behind her name. She also peruses the activity on our credit card several times per week. She knew the next morning the last time I downloaded music and questioned the frivolity of the $1.98 I had spent.

Herein lies the ethical dilemma... I do the vast majority of shopping for our household. At least once a week I hit the grocery store, and periodically, I hit Wal-Mart or Target for household goods. I also visit Walgreens on occasion for random purchases. All of these places sell iTunes gift cards in varying amounts.

You see where I'm going with this...

In amongst the packages of toilet paper, grocery items, assorted whatnots, suppose a gift card found its way into the basket? Of course, the receipt would have to be "lost" so as not to give away what seems to be a perfect plan...

In the past, I've used the same tactic to purchase stockpiles of "projectiles" for the home protection. Of course, that can be justified as being for the "common good", and I eventually ended up admitting to it anyway (she saw the stockpile and questioned whether any government bureaus should be notified...). iTunes? Any thoughts on how to justify that purchase as being for the "common good"?

Any thoughts from faithful readers?

2009-02-02T21:32:00.002-06:00

Rules for a successful marriage (man's perspective)...

Those of you that are friends with me on Facebook have no doubt taken note of my many status updates. It's quite obvious that I wear many hats in our household. Necessity dictates that Shelly and I both work outside the home. With 2 young children and a household to maintain, life is in a constant state of chaos.

Last night, I posted something to the effect that I had vacuumed the downstairs, cleaned the kitchen, and put on a load of laundry. This generated the question "Where are all of the men like you?" Of course, the answer is that they are everywhere. The women will attest that "Men are all the same". Some of us just forgot the rule that if you do something well, and do it often enough, it becomes your job.

This started me thinking along the lines of rules for a successful marriage. Sure, there are lots of things on the wish list from a guys perspective sex , but honestly, many of the ones you would think of first lots of sex will probably be less important as you get older. Besides, if you do things right, most of those things sex SHOULD be a mystery until you have said "I do".

Basically, you can break it down into two rules:

1. Choose carefully. Choosing the "right" woman is the key to your marriage being happy for the long haul. This is where you check off the wishes from your list.

2. Be on your best behavior, and help out around the house after you get married. This rule is VERY important. Why? Well, if she married your sorry butt, it is inevitable that the day will come that she realizes that she failed miserably with rule #1. When that day comes, if you have proved to be a nice enough guy and useful enough around the house, she will probably let you stay.

2009-02-01T00:11:00.002-06:00

The gift that keeps on giving...

Facebook is a huge time sponge, but quite addictive also. I'm amazed at the sheer number of my friends from days gone by that have show up on Facebook. In reconnecting, there are many things I've been reminded about that were filed in the recesses of my mind.

In December 1996 I moved to Lake Charles, LA to take a job as a Producer for an insurance agency. At one point while I was there, the opportunity presented itself to rent a small house instead of the apartment I had been living in. I met a guy named Hank through some mutual friends, and he moved into the house with me. This is where the story gets funny. The house was pink, and it was on California Street.

Being quite secure with our manliness, neither one of us was overly bothered by this. Some good times were had in the "Pink House". As I remember it, there were always people hanging out at our house. Maybe it was because many of our friends still lived at home with their parents at that point, or maybe it was that we were so damn cool, but we always had a couple of people hanging around.

Food was a major deal around a house with 2 guys in residence. We generally either grilled something or ordered pizza. At one time, Dominos had a deal where you called a number for a phone survey after you ordered a pizza. Probably 1 in 5 surveys received a coupon in the mail for a free pizza. So, being guys, we figured that if you called the survey phone number each day, you would get a free pizza 5 or 6 times a month.

Armed with a decent stack of coupons, we started calling to order free pizzas. We very quickly figured out that if you tipped a driver $5 in a town where they get stiffed on a regular basis, they are so excited about the tip that they forget about the coupon. We figured a $15 pizza for $5 tip money was a pretty good deal. We even had our little "free pizza dance" we did when we closed the door after receiving the pizza. It was like the gift that kept on giving.

But, all good things come to an end. After 8 or 10 free pizzas and the same number of coupons that we had started with, we took delivery of yet another free pizza, tipped the driver, and closed the door. About halfway through the dance, there was a knock on the door. Crap. We briefly contemplated not answering the door. You know, hollering through the door "Nobody's home!", but like a big dummy, I opened the door. We were busted. They were onto our scheme, and the driver was warned not to come back without the coupon.

After that, we still got several free pizzas, but for whatever reason, we never won another coupon from a survey, and the drivers never forgot the coupon.

I'll post more Pink House adventures later. Definitely some fun times in that house.

2009-01-30T22:46:00.002-06:00

Looks like Shelly is still stuck with me...

Yesterday, I came across the following article (linked from Yahoo):

Jennifer Anniston Reveals her Relationship Deal Breaker

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- When Jennifer Aniston thinks about relationship no-nos, one thing comes to mind: back hair.

"I got to say, that's a deal breaker," the "He's Just Not That Into You" star told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush at a junket for the film, due in theaters next Friday.

But only if there's a lot -- less, she can handle.

"The occasional rogue hair, I can easily help that one out," she said.

But some of her co-stars have different priorities.

"I want to be able to trust the person, that's my biggest [thing]," said co-star Ginnifer Goodwin .

"Do you trust a man with a hairy back?" Jennifer replied.

On a more serious note, Jennifer admitted what she really wants in a man is humor.

"Oh God, can you have a funny guy you are not attracted to?" she said. "Basically, it's chemistry, chemistry, chemistry."

I sent a link to the article and told Shelly that she was stuck with me for now since it looks like my secret plan to run off with Jennifer Anniston was just shot down.

Of course, her reply was that she wished she had read that article several years ago, so she would have know that my back hair was an indicator that I couldn't be trusted. Touche'

For those that don't know me, I'm a little hairy. While we were on our honeymoon, Shelly thought it would fun to use one of those chemical hair removers on my back. Blinded by love (and the promise of a little action), I agreed. Big mistake. I knew it was a bad idea, but the other brain over-ruled me and thought it best to go along with her.

I stood in the shower and let her slather that stuff all over my back. HOLY CRAP!!!! That stuff lit me on fire. I don't know how to describe the burn other than it hurt like hell. I about killed myself getting the cold water turned on. I don't know what is in that stuff, but it is virtually unaffected by icy cold shower water.

After a while, the burning finally stopped. MOST of the back hair was gone. I think it was literally burned off, along with the top 2 layers of skin. There were a few patches of hair left, but at that point, they were just going to have to stay there.

And to think women regularly used that stuff on the bikini area. Well, I guess that's how women are able to endure the pain of childbirth. They have killed all the pain receptors in that area with this stuff.

Well, now you know why I'm still hairy and completely satisfied with it.

Any other guys allow their wives to remove their back hair?

2009-01-29T00:07:00.004-06:00

Funny joke...

This arrived in my e-mail right as I was about to shut down and head home this evening. Luckily no one else was left in the office at that time. I laughed so hard I started choking.

A jumbo jet is making its final approach to Tampa Airport .

The pilot comes on the intercom, 'This is your Captain. We're on our final descent into Tampa . I want to thank you for flying with us today and hope you enjoy your stay in the Tampa Bay area'.

He forgets to switch off the intercom.

Now the whole plane can hear his conversation from the cockpit. The co-pilot can be heard saying to the pilot, 'So, Skip, whatcha got planned while we're in Tampa ?'

'Well,' says the skipper, 'first I'm gonna check into the hotel, take a big crap....then I'm gonna take that new stewardess with the huge boobs out for dinner.... I'm gonna wine and dine her, take her back to my room and give her a ride on the baloney pony all night long.'

Aghast and amused, everyone on the plane hears this and immediately begins looking up and down the aisle, trying to figure out who this new stewardess is that the pilot's talking about.

Meanwhile, the new stewardess is seated at the very back of the plane. She is so embarrassed that she starts running toward the cockpit to turn the intercom off.

Halfway down the aisle, she trips over an old lady's bag and down she goes. The old lady leans over and says: 'No need to hurry, dear. You heard what he said. He's gotta land the plane and take a crap first.'

2009-01-28T23:51:00.003-06:00

It's official, I'm a junkie...

Ok, I'll admit I'm not what you would call an early adopter. I still have old style tube TV's. Not even a flat front tube TV. My cell phone is pretty basic. No smart phones for me. Hell, we don't even have a DVR or Tivo.

A year ago, I refused to even consider getting on Facebook because that was noting but a bunch of stupid kids, no place for a responsible adult to spend any time. At Christmas, I told my sister I didn't have a need for an iPod. The radio in the car was just fine.

Well, here I sit, blogging on the computer with the iPod touch laying next to me tuned into Facebook Mobile. It's official. I'm a junkie.

Of course, I'm still not up to current times, and I'm still cheap. If I wasn't so cheap, I would have picked up an iPhone, but I can't justify the cost of the data plan. I also bought the iPod used off ebay for quite a bit less than the cost of a new one. So, I get to hold onto my reputation as being sort of cheap, but I get to have a new toy also.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get some music on it for free. I did buy Bob Will's San Antonio Rose, and a few songs stored on the computer transferred, I just need more. I also found several cool "free" apps for it. I also discovered the the iFart was not as funny as believed, so it has already been removed. The blackjack game is pretty fun. I'll put more stuff on it as I have time, but so far, I think this it a pretty neat little deal.

2009-01-23T11:09:00.006-06:00

Learning about politics...

Over the last 5 or 6 weeks, Matthew has received a crash course in politics. It started one night when Barack Obama showed up on our doorstep in a driving snowstorm. Ok, it wasn't a driving snowstorm, that was toilet paper hanging from the trees. We brought that idiot in from the cold and let him attend all of our holiday functions with us. We even took him to the ranch with us.

While he was a guest in our home, Matthew commented on him. He learned to pronounce "Obama", because that's what we called him. Well, that's what we called him in front of Matthew. In adult company he had several other names.

Shortly after New Years, we sent him to an undisclosed location to spend time with another family. Matthew saw him on TV occasionally, and always got really excited "That's Obama, he's the guy that was at our house!!!"

Fast forward to last night. I was giving Matthew a bath. When I had soaped up the wash cloth, I told him to stand up. When he stood up, I kid you not, he popped off with the following: "Ladies & Gentlemen, the President of the Universe, Barack Obama!!!!"

I bathed the inside of his mouth first.

Several of the teachers at his daycare are minorities. Apparently, they watched the big event on the TV the other day. I guess that's fine, I just have to make sure we make like Fox News and present things to him in a "Fair & Balanced" manner

2009-01-18T22:49:00.002-06:00

MLK Day...

the following is an article copied from the Houston Chronicle:

Houston's rival MLK parades still marching separately

Bickering aside, organizers of Houston’s two dueling Martin Luther King Jr. Day parades expect larger-than-usual turnouts of revelers wanting to celebrate on the eve of the inauguration of the nation’s first black president.
The MLK Parade Foundation will host the lone downtown event at 10 a.m. Monday, while the rival Black Heritage Society will march at noon on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Ovide Duncantell, founder of the Black Heritage Society, said he moved his parade to the south Houston neighborhood after he lost out on the sole permit for the downtown parade. He vowed to be first in line for the downtown parade in 2010.

Despite the historic nature of this year’s event, organizers of Houston’s rival MLK parades said they don’t feel compelled to unify.

MLK Jr. Boulevard should be a perfect backdrop, Duncantell said, for his parade, themed “I Have a Dream; I am the Dream,” referring to King’s vision and Barack Obama’s election.

“We’re combining our celebration with the inauguration,” the 72-year-old said. “The little people won’t be able to go to Washington. They’re going to dovetail into anything they believe has connectivity between Dr. King and what we consider a product of Dr. King’s dream”

The 31-year-old parade was originally held on the street named after the slain civil rights leader before being moved downtown several years later at the request of patrons, he said.

Organizers, still scrambling to solidify the details of their parade, said they’re making the best of returning the grass-roots event to the community.

“We’re going to enjoy it,” Duncantell said. “We’re not complaining. One thing about us, We’re soldiers.”
Duncantell’s Black Heritage Society has been in a tug of war with the MLK Parade Foundation over hosting the main downtown parade for years.

Coin flip

The City Council intervened a few years ago by revising Houston’s parade ordinance to allow a single downtown parade per day. Three others are allowed throughout the city. It was a coin flip that allowed Duncantell’s group the covered downtown permit last year.

Susan Christian, deputy director of the mayor’s office of special events, said she hopes the two events have strong turnouts.

“I’m always very hopeful that both entities will have great success in the places that they’re producing their parades this year,” she said. “It’s a time of unity.”

But allowing more than one parade in downtown is out of the question, she said.

“We have to manage traffic and we have to be very conscious,” Christian said. “We want to be a good neighbor.”

High expectations

Charles Stamps, chairman of the MLK Parade Foundation, said he expects record turnout at his event, which is expected to include 15 floats, 37 marching bands and about 36,000 participants. The theme is “The Color of Unity.”

Obama’s inauguration signifies the culmination of part of King’s dream, as well as the vision of other civil rights leaders, he said.

“It’s an exciting time for the entire nation. I’m personally on cloud nine,” he said. “The timing is perfect — Dr. King’s birthday, the vision he had and the inauguration of the nation’s first black president.”

Funny, that when you look at the websites of the 2 groups mentioned, they say that their purpose is to promote racial harmony. I guess harmony amongst themselves doesn't count...

Black Heritage Society Parade (link)

MLK Parade Foundation (link)

Well, either way, I hope those folks have a good time with their parades. I'll be at work.

2009-01-14T15:24:00.002-06:00

Headline of the day...

I was just perusing the daily headlines, and a story about a loose monkey caught my eye...

Feces-throwing monkey on the loose in Tampa Bay

Jan 14 04:57 PM US/Eastern
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Wildlife officials said a rhesus monkey known to throw feces when mad is on the loose in Tampa Bay. Authorities have been trying to capture the primate since Tuesday afternoon, but it managed to evade a bucket truck and tranquilizer dart.

Gary Morse with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the adult male is thought to have escaped from an unlicensed source. It was last seen in Clearwater.

The monkey is not considered dangerous.

Well, if the monkey flings poo when he is mad, I'd say that if you encounter him, whatever you do, don't piss him off...

2009-01-12T00:37:00.002-06:00

New Christmas present...

For Christmas every year, I usually end up with a few nice presents, and a couple hundred dollars. For the life of me, I always seem to have trouble figuring out what I want to spend the money on. I usually hang onto the money for a couple of months before I figure out what I'm willing to spend it on.

A few years ago, I bought my Weber Performer grill. I believe I bought it in March. Last year, I think it was March or April when I decided that I had been drooling over a Stihl weed-eater for a while, and I had enough to buy it, so I picked it up. I wish I had bought a Stihl years ago.

This year was different. I went into Christmas with an idea of several items I wanted. I've been watching cooking shows, and it seems that I keep seeing chef's make something in a big dutch oven. I decided that I needed to have an enamel covered dutch oven. I picked up a 6 quart oven last week and broke it in over the weekend. I was craving short ribs, and after looking for a while for a good recipe, I took parts of several recipes, and made my own. We're having it for dinner tomorrow night, but I sampled tonight. Oh, man, it was good.

Since I posted on Facebook earlier today, I've been asked for the recipe. Here it is:

8 beef short ribs (bone-in)
salt & pepper
olive oil (I use a good extra-virgin oil, but honestly, vegetable oil would work fine also)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
a couple cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups of dry red wine (I used a Cabernet)
1 can beef broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
sliced mushrooms (I used about 2/3 of a 16 oz package of fresh mushrooms)

Trim the excess fat from the ribs. Don't cut all the fat off, just the excess.
Season the ribs with salt and pepper on all sides (liberally).
Heat some oil in the bottom of the dutch oven over medium high (any pot will work)
Brown the ribs on all sides (I did 4 at a time) and put aside.
Saute the onions in the olive oil. When they are about ready, add the garlic and saute another minute or so. Season with a little more salt & pepper while sauteing.
Add the wine, beef broth, and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and let it go for 10 minutes or so to reduce a little, stirring occasionally.

Add the ribs back and add the mushrooms, making sure that the meat is covered. Add some water, wine, or beef broth if you need to.

Put the lid on and put it in the over for 2 or 3 hours or so at 300. Maybe longer at 200 or 250 if you want to would be good also.

The sample of mine was good enough, I'd consider this recipe worth of serving to company.

Tomorrow evening, I'm going to serve the ribs with some mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. I've never cooked the sprouts before, so this will be new. I'm going to cube up some venison smoke sausage and dice some onions. After browning the sausage and onions, I'll cut the sprouts in half and saute them in the pan with the sausage drippings, sausage, onions, garlic, salt, & pepper. Hopefully they are good. If not, it will be back to the drawing board. Hey, cooking is all about trial & error. Find what works and enjoy it.

2009-01-03T11:21:00.003-06:00

Random observations...

This is the time of year that it seems everyone has some sort of little illness or bug. Our entire household seems to have had some sort of crud for the last month. During all of this, I have noticed some major differences between men, women, and children.

Everyone knows that the standard indicator for illness is when you are running a temperature. I recent had some upper respiratory issues, and ran a pretty high fever. It got up to about 99.8. I'm telling you, I was at death's door. It was bad enough that I had to go to the doctor twice about 2 weeks apart for 2 shots and 2 prescriptions

A couple of days later, Shelly came down with something. She had more symptoms such as runny nose, but had just a low grade fever of 102 or so. Not really even enough to go to the doctor to get medicated.

On New Year's day, we noticed that Matthew was feeling a little warm. The kid acted like he was feeling fine. No cough, no runny nose, and no complaints. The kid was running over 102 fever. We gave him Tylenol and checked it later. It was down close to normal, and he was still acting like he was fine, so we went ahead with our plans to visit my parents. After we got home that night, he was running higher fever again.

As a precaution, Shelly took him to the doctor the next day. Would you believe that the test revealed that he had the flu? Amazing since none of us has ever had it, and we all had our flu shots. We all received prescriptions for Tamiflu. Matthew was the only one we got filled. At $50-$60 per script, Shelly and I chose not to bother getting them filled unless we starting showing symptoms.

Matthew HATED the Tamiflu. I guess it was bitter tasting. It was a fight to get the kid to take 3/4 teaspoon twice a day. You can force a baby to take medicine, but a 4.5 yr old is a different thing altogether. Threats, bribes, whatever. The kid had a million reasons why he didn't need to take the medicine. The best one was when he complained that it smelled like hineys.

I smelled the medicine. I don't believe it smalled as bad as a hiney...

2009-01-01T01:19:00.004-06:00

Suicide Bombers and the 72 Virgin Reward...

I'm not Muslim. I don't plan to convert to Islam. Just for my own personal wisdom, I should probably study a little about it, but if I don't find or make the time to properly read and study my own religion, I'm sure not going to become well versed in the Koran.

How did we get on this subject anyway? Well, it was a topic of discussion amongst a couple of friends tonight at a little get together. One of my friends happens to work with my bro-in-law, James (Sister's husband). Apparently James was on vacation earlier in the week, and they took the family for a little ride down to Galveston to see what is left of the island. While they were down there, they took the ferry across the bay to the Bolivar Peninsula.

At some point, they were stopped by Homeland Security folks and had to have the vehicle searched. I guess they are on high alert for Jihadists. I guess they have to be careful not to be accused of racial profiling, so they have to stop a unlikely looking group every now and then. Seriously, see the pic below. Not your typical terrorists...

Ok, to be fair, you could probably call at least 2, no make that all 3 of the kids "terrors", but not really terrorists (although Allison will need to be watched closely as she gets older...). Probably put them on the "do not fly" list also, but that's mainly for the sanity of the other passengers...

Anyway, we were talking a little tonight about the supposed rewards for suicide bombers, and in typical guy fashion, the only reward that was discussed was the 72 virgins. Being guys, we're thinking that there are quite a few questions to be answered before strapping on the dynamite...

Do you get to pick your own virgins? Eternity is too long to be stuck with an ugly woman, virgin or not...

72 sounds like quite a few, but we're talking for all of eternity here. Is 72 really enough?

Is it the same 72 for all of eternity, or do you get to rotate a few of them out from time to time to bring a fresh batch in?

Honestly, there are other concerns that "arise" from such a situation... Is there a ready supply of little blue pills? I mean, that's not a problem very often, but as the country song goes "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was..."

Of course, when they do blow themselves up, wouldn't it be great if they received their 72 virgins in the form 90 yr old Nuns? Hey, that's what they get for not specifying the ages of their virgins...

Yes, for the record, our wives think we are nuts...

2008-12-25T01:46:00.006-06:00

Playing Santa...

Tonight we had Christmas gathering #4. This one was with Shelly's immediate family. We arrived home around 10:00 and hurried to get Matthew bathed and in bed. I read him the story of Baby Jesus out of his children's Bible, and he went to sleep fairly quickly.

Jonathan is not quite so easy to get to sleep. It's now 1:48 Am and he is still WIDE awake. I swear that kid never sleeps. Hopefully he will crash soon, but he's not showing signs of it right now.

After we were certain Matthew was fast asleep, I went out and retrieved all of the presents out of my trunk. It was pretty funny that Jonathan watched me put together all of the Santa Clause toys. Heck, he's already played with everything.

I started on the first present. A large box containing MANY pieces. The box said "partially assembled". Partially assembled? Which part? I think there was something like 100 pieces. I laid all of the pieces out, looked at the directions, then looked for the screws to attach the parts together. No screws. I tear apart all of the pieces, all of the packing materials, etc. we're not talking 3 or 4 screws, we're talking a butt load of screws. I enlisted Shelly's help, and we finally found them. Taped to the bottom inside part of the box. It's late, and I'm tired. I wouldn't be a bit surprised of those bums over at Fisher Price did that on purpose. Probably a couple of Jewish guys over there laughing about jacking with some unsuspecting Christian that is up late putting this stuff together for the secular celebration of Christmas. (Please don't take offense if you are Jewish. It's a JOKE)

Thankfully, after the rough start, everything went smoothly. I even was able to polish off a plate of cookies with a glass of milk. Not a bad day to be Santa. I do have to say, this is one of the fun parts of being a daddy. The look of wonder on 7 month old Jonathan's face when he saw his toys coming together was priceless. I'm sure Matthew will be equally thrilled when he sees his gifts in the morning.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, filled with all of the love and laughter that you can handle.

I'll leave you with a picture we took of our munchkins last week in front of the Christmas tree.

2008-12-24T07:47:00.002-06:00

Christmas Eve Gift...

My Dad's side of the family has always had this fun tradition for Christmas Eve. The object is to try to be the first one to tell someone else "Christmas Eve Gift". I'm not exactly sure what the point is, but it's something you do every year. Maybe you're supposed to get an extra gift from them?

Anyway, over the years, you get to the point where you answer the phone "Christmas Eve Gift" because if you say "Hello", the person on the other end of the line will respond with "Christmas Eve Gift", meaning you have just been gotten.

Well, this year, I was going to be the KING of the "CEG". I came downstairs, fired up the computer, and was getting ready to FaceBook and E-mail all of the relatives I could. Alternative delivery method. Those suckers wouldn't even expect this...

I opened up Facebook, and there it was. A message posted on my wall from Cousin Jeff, posted at some crazy hour like 2 am...

"Christmas Eve Gift"

2008-12-23T22:47:00.004-06:00

Christmas Event #3...

First, let me say that I forgot to include Obama in this gathering. I'm a little bummed because he might have enjoyed the trip.

The place was generally a zoo. We had 7 kids under the age of 5. All boys. At one point, all of the kids were in one of the bedrooms, and Shelly's cousin went back there to check on them. Mighty nice of her since she is the only one there that didn't have children.

Apparently the decision was made that they were going to place house. Since Julie was the only female, she was the Mommy. Matthew volunteered to be the Daddy. He's a take charge sort of fellow. He told Julie that she needed to get on the bed and he was going to spank her because she had been a bad girl...

Ok, I KNOW that Shelly and I don't watch any inappropriate shows on TV. And, to be brutally honest, with 2 kids and each of us working full-time, what little time there is for hanky-panky sure isn't as involved as any role playing.

Add this to the list of things to bring up when we have "the chat". Seriously, a few weeks ago he's tying a girl up and bringing her home, today he getting into a little S&M, I can only guess what's next...

Honestly, a couple of other funny things happened while we were there, but how can you tell another story after that one?

2008-12-23T13:46:00.003-06:00

Visit to the doctor...

About 2 weeks ago, I went to the Dr Old-School to see about getting rid of a cough and general upper-respiratory junk I came down with. I was given a shot and an antibiotic. Within a couple of days, I was feeling better, and got a little lackadaisical about finishing off the antibiotic. Instead of 4 over the course of 24 hours, I took 2 in the morning and if I remembered, a couple more at night.

Apparently doing it that way doesn't get the job done...

My cough came back with a vengeance last night. To keep it at bay, I took a double dose (maybe triple - I just took a big swig from the bottle instead of measuring out 1tsp) of cough syrup w/ Codeine. Man, that crap is potent when taken in that quantity. I crashed pretty hard and had to be reminded of my name this morning. Somehow I got up, showered, wrapped a Christmas gift, and helped Shelly get the kids dressed and in the car. Poor Matthew probably has his drawers on backwards and has mis-matched socks, but that's the breaks, right?

Anyway, about 10:30 this morning, I called the Dr's office to find out if he was still in business. Luck had it that he's still with us this week. I asked if they would call me in a refill of the antibiotic I took last time. Of course, they need to pay the bills, so I was told to stop in before lunch. I got there and after talking to the nurse, my call was apparently the first call they had received all day. No wonder they wanted me in. They needed my $30 co-pay plus the $95 Blue Cross will kick in just to keep the place running.

They ushered me into a room, and a sort of rough looking nurse checked my vitals and told me the doctor would be in shortly. The doctor checked me out, wrote me a prescription for a stronger antibiotic and more codeine cough syrup. He said the nurse would be back with a shot for me.

This is where things went downhill...

Nurse Helga has been there a while. She's a little stern and sort of a rough individual. She always smells like Camels (cigarettes, not the animal). She wears a fancy Dale Earnhardt Jr jacket. Nice enough, I guess, but sort of a no-nonsense type person.

Anyway, she came in the room with quite a large needle. She told me I needed to drop my drawers. Now, I was under the impression that most grown people should have the option to get the shot in the butt or in the arm. I protested, but she was having nothing to do with it. Then she proceeded to make me pay for questioning her authority in choosing the shot placement...

Nurse Helga: "Turn around and drop them"

me: "ok, but just let the record show I'd rather have it in the arm."

NH: "Lean over this table"

me: "um, this is a little unconventional"

NH: "Lean over further, elbows on the table"

me: "Alright, I'm starting to get a little concerned. I've never been asked to get in this position before" At this point, I start to wonder if Helga is really a Harold. I listen intently. Any sound of zippers, and I'm outta there.

NH: "Extend your right leg back and rest your right foot on the tip toes"

me: "What the hell does this have to do with getting a shot?"

NH: "You need to relax. This won't hurt as much if you will relax"

Ok, my mind is going nuts here thinking that this is by far the most unusual doctors visit I've ever had. Well, there was that one appointment many years ago where I had a Sigmoid Scope done, but you sort of go in expecting what you are going to get, but I didn't arrive at this appointment expecting the "full treatment".

me: "Relax? Who the hell can relax in a position like this? I hardly know you, and I'm sort of in a precarious position here."

Luckily by this time, the shot was over and she told me I could get dressed and head up to the front desk.

I just have to wonder. Why does nothing I ever do seem to be easy?

2008-12-22T21:26:00.003-06:00

a recent dinner...

Was asked by a friend if I took a picture of my dinner very often. No, not really that often, usually only when it was a really good one and I want to make people jealous...

Ribeye, baked potato, sauteed mushrooms, and butternut squash (baked then mashed)

2008-12-22T20:12:00.003-06:00

gotta remember to respect the power of electricity...

Apologies if you read this one before. I thought it was too funny not to post. More original content and stories will follow soon, but this should tide us over until I get a chance to type out a proper entry.

We have the standard 6ft. fence in the backyard, and a few months ago, I heard about burglaries increasing dramatically in the entire city.

To make sure this never happened to me, I got an electric fence and ran a single wire along the top of the fence. Actually, I got the biggest cattle charger Tractor Supply had, made for 26 miles of fence. I then used an 8 ft. long ground rod, and drove it 7.5 feet into the ground. The ground rod is the key, with the more you have in the ground, the better the fence works.

One day I'm mowing the back yard with my cheapo Walmart 6hp bigwheel pushmower. The hot wire is broken and laying out in the yard. I knew for a fact that I unplugged the charger. I pushed the mower around the wire and reached down to grab it, to throw it out of the way.
It seems as though I hadn't remembered to unplug it after all.

Now I'm standing there, I've got the running lawnmower in my right hand and the 1.7 gigavolt fence wire in the other hand. Keep in mind the charger is about the size of a marine battery and has a picture of an upside down cow on fire on the cover. Time stood still. The first thing I notice is my balls trying to climb up the front side of my body. My ears curled downwards and I could feel the lawnmower ignition firing in the backside of my brain. Every time that Briggs & Stratton rolled over, I could feel the spark in my head. I was literally at one with the engine.
It seems as though the fence charger and the POS lawnmower were fighting over who would control my electrical impulses.

Science says you cannot crap, pee, and nut at the same time.

I beg to differ. Not only did I do all three at once, but my bowels emptied 3 different times in less than half of a second. It was a Matrix kind of bowel movement, where time is creeping along and you're all leaned back and BAM BAM BAM you just crap your pants 3 times. It seemed like there were minutes in between but in reality it was so close together it was like exhaust pulses from a big block Chevy turning 8 grand.

At this point I'm about 30 minutes (maybe 2 seconds) into holding onto the fence wire. My hand is wrapped around the wire palm down so I can't let go. I grew up on a farm so I know all about electric fences.....but Dad always had those POS chargers made by International or whoever that were like 9 volts and just kinda tickled.

This one I could not let go of. The 8 foot long ground rod is now accepting signals from me through the permadamp Ark-La-Tex river bottom soil. At this point I'm thinking I'm going to have to just man up and take it, until the lawnmower runs out of gas.

'Damn!,' I think, as I remember I just filled the tank!

Now the lawnmower is starting to run rough. It has settled into a loping run pattern as if it had some kind of big lawnmower race cam in it. Covered in poop, pee, jizz, and with my balls on my chest I think 'Oh God please die... pleeeeaze die'. But nooooo, it settles into the rough lumpy cam idle nicely and remains there, like a big bore roller cam EFI motor waiting for the go command from its owner's right foot.

So here I am in the middle of July, 104 degrees, 80% humidity, standing in my own backyard, begging to die. I was not taken that day.....I was left there covered in my own fluids to writhe in the misery my own stupidity had created.

I honestly don't know how I got loose from the wire... I woke up laying on the ground hours later. The lawnmower was beside me, out of gas. It was later on in the day and I was sunburned. There were two large dead grass spots where I had been standing, and then another long skinny dead spot were the wire had laid while I was on the ground still holding on to it. I assume I finally had a seizure and in the resulting thrashing had somehow let go of the wire.

Upon waking from my electrically induced sleep I realized a few things :

1- Three of my teeth seem to have melted.

2- I now have cramps in the bottoms of my feet and my right butt cheek (not the left, just the right).

3- Poop, pee, and semen when all mixed together, do not smell as bad as you might think.

4- My left eye will not open.

5- My right eye will not close.

6- The lawnmower runs like a sumnabitch now. Seriously! I think our little session cleared out some carbon fouling or something, because it was better than new after that.

7- My balls are still smaller than average yet they are almost a foot long.

8- I can turn on the TV in the gameroom by farting while thinking of the number 4 (still don't understand this???).

That day changed my life. I now have a newfound respect for things.
I appreciate the little things more, and now I always triple check to make sure the fence is unplugged before I mow.

The good news, is that if a burglar does try to come over the fence, I can clearly visualize what my security system will do to him, and THAT gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling all over, which also reminds me to triple check before I mow.

2008-12-21T23:10:00.002-06:00

Surprise Guest...

Last week was a week from hell. Both Shelly and I had long, frustrating weeks at work. There was also some drama with some stupid family politics that had me pretty fired up. I'm not going to say much because most of the family reads the blog at one time or another, but lets say it got bad enough that I hung op on a family member over it. All is fine now, but that added to the stress of the week.

On Friday, my week really came to a head. I was in a rotten mood already, and had a million things to do, so I left a little earlier than usual to get to work. Everything is fine until I hit FM1960. This is 3 lanes in each direction, sort of a major thoroughfare. It runs through residential and commercial / retail areas. Lots of traffic lights, but fairly smooth sailing most mornings because the lights are timed right. Smooth sailing every morning except Friday morning...

I was bee-bopping along, and traffic came to a halt. Barely creeping along. After a while, I managed to maneuver where I saw some flashing lights ahead. Long story short, I tried to go around it, but I managed to get right back into the mess. After almost an hour in and out of the mess, I finally figured out what the hold-up was. It wasn't a wreck, it was a house...

They were moving a damn house down a major traffic artery in rush hour. A FRIGGIN HOUSE... The delay was that they had a cherry picker truck at every intersection to help lift the traffic lights out of the way. A HOUSE. During RUSH HOUR... Amazing...

Shelly, on the other hand had a decent Friday. She went to the kids daycare and attended Christmas parties for both boys and got back to work to find her Christmas gift. A Quite nice Coach Leather bag / purse. And not a tiny one either. One MUCH nicer than we could have afforded to buy for her had she wanted to buy a new purse. She ended the week on a high note, and I was left feeling like someone had crapped in my Christmas Stocking.

About 11PM Friday night, we were sitting in the living room. Shelly was feeding Jonathan, and Matthew was sleeping on the couch next to me while we were watching TV. All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Now, if you know me, you can imagine that I peeked out the window next to the door and had a little household protection handy. On my front step was a tall, rather thin black man...

It took a couple of tense seconds to figure out what was going on, when I noticed the oak tree in the yard. Toilet Paper. The black guy? Barack Obama. Someone had TP'd our yard and put a life size cardboard Barack Obama figure on my front step. No one has fessed up, but Ty and Amanda are prime suspects.

Whoever did it, you have my sincere thanks. That was just the little bit of boost I needed after a really rough week. It only took me about 10 minutes to clean it up, then we had a good laugh about how I nearly capped Obama... I would have used the Castle Doctrine defense.

I will say that we have had soem fun with Obama the last couple of days. We have had 2 family Christmas events this weekend, and he went to both of them with us. I have to admit, NONE of the family members were happy to see him. Not sure who all voted for him, but I didn't run into a single one of his supporters while we were making our rounds.

He'll travel a little more with us this week before we pass him off to someone else in another week or so. He's going to the ranch with us later this week. Might be a little dangerous for him. People are VERY conservative out there, and the ALL have guns. Lots of guns. I can't guarantee he won't have a hole or 2 in him when he gets passed on...

2008-12-12T23:29:00.004-06:00

Just Because...

A friend of mine posted a message on FaceBook today that her husband bought her a bunch of pink roses "Just Because"... Of course, this is followed by a bunch of other women fawning over how sweet that is and what a great husband he is.

I've got news for them... That's not how guys work.

Guys don't give flowers or do other nice things "just because". Sure, we tell you it is "just because", but that's not true. Don't get mad, it's similar to the situations where we ask "What's wrong?" and you answer "Nothing". We know damn well that it's not "nothing", but we play along to humor you.

There is always something after the "just because". Sometimes it is "just because I want to divert your attention from something I did that will probably tick you off." Other times it might be "just because this might increase my chances of getting some action later." Maybe even "just because I want to go hang out with the guys later to watch the game and don't want to be hassled about not spending time together". We always have some idea in the back of our minds about what we hope to accomplish with random flowers, etc.

Another thing... guys, by nature, are not overly romantic individuals. Those things just don't come naturally. Sure, we might pop off some odd romantic idea on occasion, but it's not a regular occurrence. Don't get mad or frustrated at us, that's just the way it is. Women are wired have romantic thoughts, guys are wired to watch sports on TV, hunt, and other manly stuff.

I know there are lots of young, single women out there with idealistic thoughts about some dreamy guy that is perfect looking and is always thinking of romantic ideas. You are correct, there are guys like that around. You just don't have a shot at guys like them. They are already taken - by other men with the same characteristics. Sorry, that's just how it is.

Any comments? Feel free to chime in. You can post as "anonymous" if you don't want to sign in, but leave your name at the bottom of your comment.

For the record, I just read this post to Shelly. It was met with an eye roll and a "whatever". Now, I'm smart enough to know that "whatever" doesn't mean "whatever, that's fine". It means "Whatever, you know that nice, romantic dinner we just had at a restaurant with real napkins and 3 forks next to the plate, that you took me to 'just because'... You just cancelled that out".

2008-12-12T00:16:00.002-06:00

Would hate to have to explain this one...

I saw this article tonight and thought it was pretty funny...

Man handcuffs wife to bed, loses key

Police say situation was an intimate relationship, not an imprisonment
The Associated Press
updated 3:04 p.m. CT, Thurs., Dec. 11, 2008

DEARBORN, Mich. - If you love something, set it free. And if you can't, call the police. The Detroit Free Press reported police responded to a call Thursday morning by a Dearborn man who handcuffed his wife to their bed but misplaced the key.

Police used a universal key to free the woman.

Sgt. Ray Patrick said the situation was "more of an intimate relationship than an unlawful imprisonment."

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28181033/?GT1=43001

Man, what luck. Imagine this poor fellow. Probably nothing but plain vanilla for years. He finally begs and pleads with the wife, maybe cashes in Christmas favors or the promise of a kitchen remodel for the chance at something a little spicier. He pulls out the handcuffs. Then, he completely screws up the situation by losing the key. Call that his last shot at the big time...

I sort of feel sorry for this guy.

2008-12-11T23:31:00.006-06:00

Funny happening from the office today...

Late this afternoon, I was needing a stretch break and a Diet Coke, so I walked back to the kitchen at the office to get a drink out of the fridge. While I was back there, the receptionist evidently decided to go around and empty everyone's trash cans. My trash can is under my desk, near my feet, so I guess she sat in my chair to reach under there.

On the way back to my desk, she said something to the effect that my behind must be hot. It caught me a little off guard, so I asked her what she meant. She told me that it was a little cold in the office, but when she sat in my chair, it was quite warm.

My reply? Can you guess?
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"Of course my chair is warm. It has gas heat."

2008-12-10T21:22:00.002-06:00

Snow in Houston...

A rare event happened in Houston this evening. It snowed. Of course, it is typical southern snow. It doesn't stick to the ground, but does accumulate a light dusting on cars and other flat surfaces.

Matthew and I just went out and scraped all the snow off of my car. I think there was enough for about 4 decent snowballs.

Ok, not much compared to you guys that get all you want plus some, but for those of us down here, this is a big deal.

I wonder if they will close the schools tomorrow?

2008-12-10T20:34:00.002-06:00

Going to the doctor...

Earlier in the week I started getting that strange feeling the the back of the throat that told me I was coming down with something. What starts out as head congestion for me quickly turns into bronchitis. I had asthma as a kid, so I think that makes me a little more susceptible to chest type issues.

Not a big deal, it just means that I need to go to the doctor once or twice a year when the crud hits to make sure it doesn't get too bad. Ok, doctors for a man are a pain in the butt. For several years, I would just pick one out of the most current list of doctors for our health insurance each time I was sick. The problem with this is that I could never remember which doctor I had seen the last time, so I never saw anyone more than once.

Also, it cheesed me off that when I would call it would always seem to take 2 days to get an appointment. I'm a man. By the time I get around to calling a doctor, a 2 day wait isn't a good idea. By then I will either be cured from over-the-counter meds, or I will be dead somewhere. That is, until I found Dr Moore.

Dr Moore is my kind of Doctor. He's old school. By old school, I mean he graduated from med school 52 years ago. This dude is pushing 80. The first time I went to him a few years ago, I called and asked for an appointment. It was about 11:30, and they told me to come in at 1:00.

I've found out since that first visit that appointments aren't required. I've never had to wait when showing up. Hell, I've only seen another patient there at the same time as me once in the last 3 years. Today, I got there at 11:10. at 11:30, I was pulling out of the parking lot with a shot in my right butt cheek and a prescription in hand.

The joke around here is that I still call in for an appointment, more or less just to make sure the old fart is still alive. I know one of these days I'll call in and either will get a phone disconnected message, or they will tell me he has either finally retired or kicked the bucket.

Dr Moore, here's wishing you many more years of health.

2008-12-10T00:58:00.003-06:00

A couple of pics of the kids...

Jonathan sure does like those carrots.

No butt, but look at those chunky legs...

2008-12-09T23:54:00.004-06:00

Christmas Shopping...

Shelly and I went out tonight and did a little bit of our Christmas shopping. Our friend Janice lives a stone's throw from a Toys R Us, so we left the boys with her and headed out to shop for all of the kids in the family.

I LOVE giving gifts and I love picking out toys for the kids, but I hate dealing with the other shoppers. In Houston, it seems that whenever we decide to go shopping, it is right after a crowd has rummaged through the store leaving it in a complete disarray. On top of that, the other people that are there are all speaking languages other than English. Not sure why, but I tend to get a little annoyed by that.

It took a little over an hour of searching the shelves of scattered and strewn about toys, but we managed to take care of gifts for our boys as well as the niece and nephews. Now we just need to buy for our parents and for each other and we'll be set.

One funny thing happened tonight, which is pretty much what you might expect from me... As we were wrapping up our shopping, we were alone on an aisle of toys for the younger kids. I needed to release a little pressure, and since no one was around, I popped one off. It was a little louder and longer than expected, and about the time I turned around, there was another couple coming onto the aisle, not 6 feet from me. Shelly was between me and this couple.

I was COLD BUSTED.

It all happened so fast. The guy busted out laughing and took off, leaving his wife standing there with her mouth open and a look on her face that said "What the heck just happened here?" Shelly turned around just in time to see the woman with a funny look on her face and then turned back in my direction as I busted out laughing. The woman beat a hasty retreat when it finally hit her what had happened.

Ok, at that point, you are stuck. You can't exactly look out into the main aisle to see where the other couple went. You have to move the other direction. We also had to regain our composure because we were laughing so hard we were crying.

Shelly said she's not sure she can take me anywhere in public again.

Now that I'm recapping the evening, I wonder what the store employees thought was going on when they saw 2 separate couple dying laughing, headed in opposite directions.

Apologies if this offends anyone, but by now you shouldn't be shocked by much that goes on in our family.

2008-12-06T14:10:00.002-06:00

Gotta have a LONG talk with that boy one of these days...

Several Months ago, I bought Matthew a little fishing pole to use at the ranch. The last time we used it, we were in my car, so it was still in the trunk. This morning, when we were loading the coolers full of tamales in my trunk, he found the fishing pole and wanted to have it inside the car. There is no hook on it, just a little weighted disk to use for practicing casting, so I figured it was safe enough. Other than being pegged in the back of the head a couple of times, there were no problems.

At one point, we were sitting at a red light and there was a girl in the car next to us. Matthew said he was going to use his fishing pole and catch the girl in the next car.

Me: How are you going to catch her with that fishing pole?

Matthew: Well, you have to roll down my window and I'll catch her.

Me: what are we going to do with her after you catch her?

Matthew: We're going to take her home and wrap her up.

I'm starting to get a little concerned here, but I'm playing along to see where this goes.

Me: What are we going to wrap her up with?

Matthew: That rope you have in the garage.

Ok, this is going down hill fast. I mean, she's not really even good looking. We sure don't need an ugly chick tied up around our house... At this point, I have Shelly on the cell phone while I'm asking the questions and we're laughing at his responses.

Upon further questioning, his plan was first to give the tied up woman to Sweetie the Chihuahua, then let her stay in the backyard apparently to play with Sweetie.

Interesting. Not exactly what I... Well, never mind...

Man, the things that go through the mind of a 4 yr old with an active imagination...

2008-12-06T13:50:00.002-06:00

Tamale Update...

I picked up the tamales this morning. It turns out my dad was wrong and I only had 80 dozen instead of the 90 dozen I originally thought. I chalk that up to his hearing not being what it used to be and the accent of the guy that runs the meat market. Either way, that's a BUNCH of tamales. On the way home, I made a stop at Tommy's house and my boss's house and arrived home with just 45 dozen left.

The good news is that these things are EXCELLENT. I ate 1/2 dozen for lunch and am contemplating polishing off the rest of that dozen in a couple of minutes. If I end up not being able to offload the rest of them, at least I know they taste good and they freeze well to eat later.

2008-12-05T13:40:00.002-06:00

Holy Crap, that's a PILE of tamales...

You guys probably remember that I wrote last week or so about dropping off a deer I shot to be made into tamales at a new processor I haven't tried before. What I didn't do was ask the guy how many tamales he thought I would end up with. In hindsight, that would have been a good idea.

That was last Tuesday. Over Thanksgiving, we went out to Rocksprings. My Dad and I each shot an Axis deer. I dropped mine off with my usual processor to be made into smoke sausage. My Dad dropped his off with the processor that makes tamales to have some tamales made. Again, no one asked how many tamales might come from the deer.

Well, my Dad checked with them this morning and found out that the tamales were ready. I think his count was 72 dozen, mine is apparently 90 dozen. I won't even say how much 90 dozen tamales cost, but bear in mind that they mix the venison with pork and tamales are a little labor intensive.

First thought, that's a PILE of money. Second thought, where in the HELL am I going to put 90 dozen tamales? Luckily, I've arranged good homes for about 28 dozen so far, and some folks I know will be getting tamales for Christmas.

One other thing. Shelly IS NOT happy with me right now...

I was planning on going back to the ranch to hunt next weekend. What do you think the chances of me actually getting to take that trip are at this point?

1,080 tamales. Un-Friggin-believable.

2008-12-04T21:32:00.002-06:00

Roping a deer...

Actual letter from someone who farms, writes well and tried this:

I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home.

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up -- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope.

The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope .., and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.

That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- no chance.

That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.

A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope.

I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back.

Did you know that deer bite?

They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head --almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.

The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective.

It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose.

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day.

Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp. I learned a long time ago that, when an animal --like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape.

This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down.

Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head.

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope to sort of even the odds.

All these events are true so help me God...

An Educated Rancher

2008-11-25T13:33:00.002-06:00

Successful Hunt...

The weekend hunt at the ranch was great. I didn't kill the big one, but I did come back with meat in the cooler in the form of a cull buck. I'm about to drop him off at the processor to have some tamales made. I've never had tamales made, so we'll see how this works out.

I'll give more details about Saturday evenings hunt. It was the wildest hunt I've ever had, but I'm pressed for time right now.

We're loading the truck and leaving in the next few minutes to head out to my parents ranch out in Rocksprings (6 or so hours West). Their ranch is 1100 acres with 12 owners (Shelly's dad and grandfather are also partners). In addition to white-tail deer, they also have Axis deer. Shelly is also planning to hunt, and I know from experience, if you want to put meat on the ground, put Shelly on the stand with a rifle. She only hunts once every other year or so, but she has killed one just about every time.

I'll give a full report when we get back. I'm sure there will be some interesting stories to tell since the cabin has no phone, no TV, and no cell phone service. It's also pretty small.

Have a good Thanksgiving.

2008-11-21T00:49:00.004-06:00

Going hunting again...

There is a cold front coming through tonight. In the words of my Grandfather, it's going to be as cold as a well digger's butt. Hunting is always good after a front, so I hope it all works out. This weekend is going to be hard core hunting weekend. I'm going alone. No wife, no kids, and no Chihuahua. Just me, a rifle, some Little Debbie's, and a box of Diet Cokes.

Last weekend, we had some unexpected visitors at the ranch. The exotic ranch (drive-thru safari joint) about a mile away recently bought 100 acres that adjoins our ranch. They had a jailbreak, and these dudes were hanging around:

Of course, I wasn't there. My bro-in law and his family were there and they took these pictures. Their boys apparently thought the camels were cool. Being that they were from the exotic ranch, they associate people and cars with food, so they mobbed anyone that left the house and followed the cars. In the middle pic above, Ron has some feed in his truck, and they are working to convince him that it belongs to them. The owners came back and got them, Saturday. I wonder if they will escape again? How many people can say they have had camels roaming their ranch?

2008-11-07T22:21:00.002-06:00

A Great Weekend Hunting... (3 weeks later)

That's a little misleading... I had a great weekend hunting. I didn't kill anything but time, but I still had a great weekend. We got a little later start than we had hoped for, but we were still at the ranch Friday evening around 6:15. We put Sweetie the Chihuahua in the house, then we went for a little drive around the ranch to see what deer we could find. We saw several deer, including 2 really big bucks. Thinks were looking good. After unloading the truck, we headed to Gatesville for a little dinner and a few last-minute grocery items.

Saturday morning, daylight was around 7:15 (pre-time change). I got up, went through my scent elimination routine, and was on the stand by 6:30. First, about the scent control and why I bother. My preferred morning deer stand is a ground stand on the side of a hill. The deer tend to come pretty close to me, so scent elimination is really important on this stand. Due to thermal currents, you almost can't hunt this stand in the afternoons because the cooling currents travelling down the hill carry what little scent you have down the hill. I'd rather not spook the deer, so I don't hunt this stand in the afternoons.

A little bit about the scent elimination steps I went through opening weekend... Shelly thought I was nuts, my bro-in-law was a little disturbed and he's glad he wasn't there. Before going, I washed my hunting clothes in scent killer soap. I got up early in the morning, got out my clothes, and hung them all on the clothesline outside (outer clothes and underclothes). I also put my boots and hat outside after spraying with with scent killer spray. Next, I took a shower with scent eliminator soap, then got dressed outside (went streaking to get out there) so I wouldn't have to take my clothes back through the house. Yes, a little extreme, but necessary when hunting a ground stand...as I would find out later.

On the stand, a doe and a yearling were moving at first light. They fed for 48 minutes, as close as 30 yards from me. A little while after they left, a young 6 point buck came through. About 30 minutes later, I was sending a text message to my Dad when I heard a noise to my left. There was a deer standing literally 3 feet from me to my left. I had the left side window on the stand closed all but a small crack because there is really nothing that way but a cedar thicket, and I'm concealed a little better in the stand with only the front window open. And the deer stood there for what seemed like an eternity. It was that same 6 pointer from earlier. Man, what a rush to have a deer that close to me and have no idea I was there.

2008-10-31T00:02:00.003-06:00

Almost ready...

It's that time of year again. Opening day of deer season here in Texas is this Saturday. My rifles have been to the range and have been proven to be accurate. I've checked and packed my gear. My hunting clothes are in the washing machine now with the scent free, UV killer detergent.

I have to go into the office for a little while in the morning, but we should still be on the road for the ranch by mid-day tomorrow (Friday).

It appears that all of my efforts and preparations to attract the deer to my hunting area seem to be paying off. I talked to Ron yesterday, and he said there have been lots of deer in my area. Hopefully the Big Boy from last year will come back this year.

I'll try to make sure to take lots of pictures of this weekends activities.

Wish me luck. I'll give a full update when I get home (no internet access at the ranch).

2008-10-28T20:53:00.003-06:00

Cooking with the Fat Guy...

If you know me or have been reading a while, you will know that I like to cook. I like to eat also, but I discovered while I was in college that I really like to cook. I credit a guy named Billy Smith in Ruston, LA. My first 2 years of college were at Louisiana Tech. The local church paired up college students that were away from home with a local family to hang out with and be a sort of local support base. Billy and Kellie were my "adopted" parents. They were both great cooks, but Billy's style seemed to work well with me. Throw it in the pot and see what happens. A laid back approach to making stuff that just tastes good, but is not overly fancy.

To be honest, not everything works. Some things are easier than others. Some things I like to cook take a while, and some can be slapped together in a few minutes. Since Shelly and I both work full time and have 2 kids (4 & almost 6 months), weeknight meals are quick, mainly one pot or one pan affairs, made with simple ingredients, with an easy side dish thrown together. Most take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Rachel Ray has nothing on me...

Since I've been asked a few times, I figured I'd put a few recipes and quick tips together in blog format. I'll put a tag at the bottom so this post can be referred back to later. Unfortunately, most of the recipes don't have names as I've made them up.

Basics: We seem to use sweet (yellow) onions, green onions, and bell peppers often. Chopping these things is sort of a pain in the butt and takes a few minutes. I usually chop up 4 or 5 onions at a time and put them zip-loc freezer bags. Then you just pull out the bag and break a few out for whatever you are cooking. Same thing for green onions and bell peppers. We don't like green bell peppers, so we mix red / yellow / orange together.

A tip on chicken breasts. I can't take credit for this one, but it is the starting point for most chicken dishes. I think it is sort of making chicken cutlets, so in recipes below, this is what I'm talking about when I mention chicken cutlets... Take each boneless chicken breast and trim the excess fatty stuff off of it. Put it in a zip-loc bag and pound the big end of the breast to about the same thickness as the rest of the breast. I then cut each breast into 2 or 3 pieces to make them a manageable size. I find that this almost doubles the surface area of the breast, allowing for more seasonings / coatings, and it also helps it to cook faster.

Easy chicken recipe 1: Take 2 or 3 breasts worth of cutlets, coat lightly with either ranch dressing or honey mustard dressing, then coat with Italian style bread crumbs. Put a little cooking spray on a foil lined baking sheet, spread out the chicken, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so. This is similar to Shake & Bake, but with a twist. Change it up a little bit and use corn flakes, crushed up Chex cereal, different dressings, etc. If you decide to use either Frosted Flakes or Fruity Pebbles, let me know how it turns out.

More Chicken: mix some Italian bread crumbs and some shredded Parmesan cheese (maybe a half cup of each? - I don't measure) and some salt & pepper in a zip-loc. Moisten 2 or 3 breasts worth of cutlets and toss in the bag to coat. Heat some olive oil in a skillet(not too much, just enough to coat the bottom enough to cook the chicken) and pan fry until browned. You can also bake this as above if you wanted to.

More Chicken (Shelly really likes this one): Cube about 3 chicken breasts. Brown in a little olive oil in a large non-stick high-sided skillet (with a lid). I sometimes add a little onion and bell pepper (see above). Once it is about cooked, add a little Marsala wine (or any wine), a package of fresh, sliced mushrooms, and a can of diced tomatoes (don't drain), mix up, put the lid on, and let it go for a few minutes. When everything else is about done, break up some angel hair pasta and lay it over the top of everything else and cover with the lid. After steaming for about 5 minutes, stir it all up and cover it for another 5 minutes until it is done.

Beef Enchiladas: Brown a pound of ground meat with some chopped onion and drain (use extra lean meat and you don't have to drain). Add about 3/4 cup (1/2 a can?) of enchilada sauce and 1 cup of grated cheese. Spoon onto flour tortillas, roll the tortillas and place them into a greased 9x13 baking dish (I usually get 8-10, depending on how full I get them). Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce and another cup of cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350. A can of pinto beans and some chips and you are in business.

Taco Soup: Brown 2 pounds of meat with a chopped up onion and some salt & pepper (chili meat is great for this). Add a package of taco seasoning, a package of dry ranch dressing mix, a couple of cans of beans (I use pinto & black beans), a package of frozen corn kernels, and 2 cans of tomatoes (diced, stewed, it doesn't matter), and 1.5-2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover & simmer. Like all soups, it tastes good on day 1, better on day 2.

Pasta... We keep several packages of the Buitoni pasta in our freezer. This is the tortellini and raviolli that is in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Simmer a jar of spaghetti sauce while the pasta is boiling, and you literally have a 15 minute dinner. We prefer the Bertolli sauces, specifically either the Vodka Sauce or the Fire Roasted Tomato w/ Cabernet Sauvignon

These are just a few of the things in regular rotation for dinners at our house. They aren't necessarily low fat, but I'm sure you could adjust to make them healthier if you wanted to. Cooking is fun, so don't get too caught up with the recipe. Throw it in a pan or pot and see what happens. If it sucks, pull out a frozen pizza and laugh about how terrible it is. If it works, write it on a note card and put it in your recipe box (what I usually do). When I make it again, I usually change it a little. Sometimes it is better, sometimes I mess it up.

If you have anything good you wouldn't mind passing along, drop me a line and share with me.

2008-10-27T20:22:00.005-06:00

Dumb Liberals...

I left the office today and decided to try to do a little early voting. As my regular polling place typically doesn't have much of a line, I'm not very patient about waiting in lines to vote early. When I was getting out of the car, I noticed that the parking lot was pretty full. I asked a lady that was leaving how it looked, and she told me the wait was probably an hour. Just to make sure, I walked inside and checked it out for myself. The worker there told me it would be 30 minutes or so.

With several days left to vote, I decided to try later in the week (or wait for Tuesday next week). As I was heading back to the car, an obvious Obama supporter was getting out of the car next to me. Now, we all know that Obama supporters aren't very bright, as they have been drinking from the liberal kool-aid. This genius made the mistake of asking me how long the wait was.

Likely Obama voter: How long is the wait to vote?

Helpful non-Obama voter: That depends. The line to vote for McCain was only about 20 or 30 minutes or so. The line to vote for Obama is probably 2 hours long.

Likely Obama voter: Aw, man, I don't have time to wait 2 hours.

The Obama voter then got in her automobile and drove off.

DUMMY!!!

Perhaps I should have hung out a little longer and "helped" a few more people?

*** For anyone that doesn't get why this person was such a dummy, this isn't the primary. There are no "Republican" or "Democrat" lines. Everyone votes in the same lines using the same machines"

2008-10-26T22:44:00.002-06:00

Busy weekend...

It has been a busy weekend, just not too much blog worthy.

Shelly and I have been trying to make a concerted effort to cook and eat at home more often. Of course, we still eat out, just not as often.

Friday night I baked some venison enchiladas. We still have meat in the freezer from last hunting season, so it makes sense to try to incorporate deer meat into what we're cooking. They turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

Saturday morning I got up and changed the oil in the Expedition. I LIKE working on the vehicles, it's just a time issue. I made time this morning and it took less than 40 minutes, and that included taking out all of the stuff needed (ramps, creeper, drain pan, etc) and putting it all back up once finished.

After changing the oil, we took the truck up to Circuit City to have the remote start looked at. It hasn't worked properly for the last couple of weeks, so we took it in and got it fixed. It turned out to be a loose wire. Once home from Circuit City, Matthew "helped" me cut the grass. Of course, his version of help involves making a huge mess while continually coming up to me while I'm mowing and asking me to get something for him. It is annoying, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. You just have to allow for 3 hours to complete a 1.5 hour job.

After resting a little and cleaning up, we took the boys down to my parents, then Shelly and I headed out for a date night. We met 8 or 9 other couples for dinner and afterwards went to see Fireproof. It's a good movie (no matter what Katie thinks). If you haven't seen it, take your significant other to see it. It is sort of a sappy relationship movie, but worth seeing.

This morning I got up and took 3 of my rifles down to the gun range to get ready for hunting next weekend. In a perfect world, this would have been done a few weeks ago, but that's the breaks. It is sort of nice to hit the range by yourself and poke a few holes in some paper. I need to do it more often.

When I got home, I started thawing some chicken to grill for lunch and headed to the grocery store. After returning, I got busy cooking. I enjoy cooking, and today I was trying something new. I grilled chicken for lunch, but I was also working on a pot of taco soup.

I've never made taco soup before, but I've had several different versions before. I found a recipe today and loosely followed it, using venison chili meat and venison hamburger meat as the foundation. It turned out really well. We'll have some for dinner tomorrow night, a little more at some point during the week, and we have a container frozen for our trip to the ranch next weekend (I have a strict 3 day rule on leftovers, so for a week away, I have to freeze to keep it that long).

Late this afternoon, we cleaned up and headed to meet my sister's crowd and my parents at a Trunk or Treat deal down at the church where my niece goes to preschool. Matthew went with them last year and had a ball, so we went this time also.. Once the deal wound down, we all went to a local grill joint for a little dinner.

Not a bad weekend, just the ordinary stuff. I'm sure that in the next day or so the weekend will process and I'll come up with a good story to tell. For now, it's after midnight, and I'm BEAT.

Have a good week. If you want a recipe for anything I made, let me know and I'll get it to you. Most of what I cook is pretty much made up, but I do write recipes down so I'll be able to make it again later (usually with a few variances from the previous recipe).

2008-10-24T21:28:00.002-06:00

Interesting headline...

I was perusing the headlines on the Drudge Report and came across this article. I promise I was not in London this week.

Seriously, someone took a crap and they had to shut the airport down? Must have been pretty bad...

Toilet stench clears out London airport

Oct 24 02:24 PM US/Eastern
London City Airport was briefly evacuated and flights grounded Friday due to fumes emanating from the toilets, police said.
The fifth-biggest airport serving the British capital, London City was closed from about 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) to 5:15pm (1615 GMT) after a "suspect substance" was discovered in the toilets, said an airport spokeswoman.
The airport was evacuated as a precautionary measure.
"Some people had suffered coughing and skin irritation," a spokesman for London' Metropolitan Police told AFP.
"It would appear that a liquid or substance was disposed of incorrectly. There are no signs of criminality."
A spokeswoman for the airport, built in the 1980s in the derelict east London docklands, told AFP that passengers were ushered back into the terminal building following the all-clear from the emergency services.
She said: "It was found in the toilets. We don't know what it is or how it got there."

2008-10-20T23:13:00.003-06:00

Who reads this stuff?

I took a look at the counter and noticed it has been rising at a fair clip. Feel free to leave a comment to say hello. If you don't mind me knowing who you are, leave a first name and a city. If you prefer to remain unknown, that's fine also. Thanks for reading.

Just a fun fact... Out of the last 500 visitors:

342 use Windows XP
135 use Windows Vista (Wreggie and 134 others)
15 use an unknown OS
6 use Windows 2003
1 uses Linux
1 uses Mac OS (lonely, eh?)

2008-10-20T21:37:00.004-06:00

Made it home...

The trip home today was pretty uneventful. My classes wrapped up at 1PM and I caught the shuttle back over to the air terminal. After getting a little lunch, I settled into a chair for the hour wait for my flight. I'm happy to report that I visited airport restrooms in 2 states today and not a single person tapped their foot at me.

That reminds me of the first and only time I've ever been propositioned by a prostitute...

Back in 1993, I had spent 2 years at Louisiana Tech and had decided to move back home to Lafayette to transfer to USL. They were starting a new degree program in Insurance & Risk Management, and since that seems to be the family business, I figured that beat the Accounting Degree I was pursuing at Tech.

When I got home, I needed to get a job for the summer to put a little cash in my pocket. I called one of the guys at the plumbing supply house I had worked at in high school to see if he knew of anyone looking for a grunt. I knew it would be dirty work, but I also knew it would get me more hours and better pay than waiting tables. Within a day or 2, I was working as a helper for a 3 truck plumbing company. We worked on the plumbing for the TGI Fridays in Lafayette and had several jobs lined up rehabbing the plumbing in some pretty rough looking houses on the bad side of town. These were so rough that you had to lock the truck while you were working in the house or all of your tools and supplies would be gone

We typically met around 6:30 each morning at the supply house, replenished the truck with the stuff we would need for the day, and were headed out to get to work by 7:30. One morning, we were in the area in the Southeast corner of University Drive and I-10, before 8am. We pulled up to a stop sign and this rough looking black woman came walking up. She had the look of a crack whore all over her, and she looked like it had been a long night. She walked up to the truck and said "Hey, Baby. $20 and you pay the room at the St Francis Motel."

Now, I grew up Southern Baptist. My Dad was chairman of the Deacons at our church. I duck hunted with the pastor each year. I was not an angel, but you could say I had been sheltered. I didn't catch what she said and asked her to repeat it. Oh, My... I said no and Carl drove off. When the shock of what had just happened wore off, we couldn't stop laughing. Carl told the rest of the guys and they teased me about it for the rest of the summer.

There you have it. The first time anyone had offered me the "all access pass" and it was some strung out crack whore.

2008-10-19T22:38:00.002-06:00

What a weekend this has been...

I started this weekend with everything in an orderly fashion. On Thursday evening I got a haircut so I would look presentable for my trip. On Friday morning I dropped all of the dry cleaning at the cleaners so I would have freshly pressed clothes ready for the trip. Friday evening I put a few last minute things on to wash.

Saturday morning, we had a leisurely morning at home. My flight was scheduled to depart at 2:00, and since I was not planning to check a bag, I planned to leave around 12:15 or so. Right at 12:15, I was packed up and Shelly logged onto Continental's website to print my boarding pass for me. When she did, she noticed that my 2:00 flight was now a 1:15 flight. CRAP!!!. That's just over an hour away, and the airport parking is 25 minutes or so on a good day. I packed up the computer, grabbed the boarding pass, put my stuff in the car, and took off like a shot. I won't say how fast I drove, but it's safe to say I was "hauling the mail". 15 minutes later I was getting onto the shuttle bus in the airport parking lot.

As I boarded the bus, the driver asked which terminal. I told him terminal B, and my flight was at 1:15, about 30 minutes. He said it was going to be close, at which time I said "Yes, but I have faith in your ability to get me there on time." He wasn't facing me at this point, but he held his hand out in my direction and said "I might be able to work something out..." a little greenery his direction, and we were off. I guess money talks because there were 2 pretty large women with suitcases 15-20 feet from the bus heading our way when he closed the door and took off. They looked a little pissed...

He got me to the terminal quickly and I grabbed my bags and headed for security. After practically getting naked and sending my bags and half my clothes through the conveyor, I cleared security and headed off through the terminal. Of course, when you are running late, your flight will be leaving from the absolute farthest gate from the entrance to the building.

I made it with less than 5 minutes to spare, boarded the plane, and sat to catch my breath. The flight was uneventful, except for the most unfortunate looking Asian woman seated next to me. She had a LARGE, dark, hairy mole in the end of her nose, just between her nostril openings. After takeoff, she immediately closed the window. I hate not being able to see out. Then she proceeded to close her eyes, lean forward, and look like she was going to be sick for most of the 2 hour flight from Houston to Greensboro. I spent most of the flight prepared to jump out of the way in case she lost her cookies. Thankfully she kept it together and we landed in Greensboro without incident.

I got checked in, watched a little TV, then headed to the bar for a little dinner. On the way back to the room, I stopped by the front desk and was told that our group would have a continental breakfast in the conference room at 9:30, with the class set to begin at 10:00 am. I showed up at 9:40, ready to get something to eat, only to find that there was no breakfast. The guy at the front desk was wrong. Damn.

When we finally broke for lunch at 1:30, I was starving. They announced that there was a lunch buffet set up in the next room. Sweet. Food at last. Upon entering the next room, I see the buffet. It's a table filled with 3 or 4 types of sliced bread and trays of cold cuts. You gotta be friggin kidding me. Half the morning session was wasted by a guy that knew what he was talking about, but he was completely unprepared to give the presentation that we had materials for, so he spent his entire allotted time plus 30 minutes of our lunch break rambling on about similar information, but not from the outline.

All-in-all, the seminar isn't bad for what the subject matter is - trucking insurance. Anything you want to know about truckers, cargo insurance, etc I can probably now tell you.

I returned to the bar this evening for dinner and then retired to the room to watch TV.

Tomorrow is about 4 more hours of the same, then I have a flight heading back to Houston around 3PM.

I try to give a recap tomorrow evening when I get home.

2008-10-19T16:07:00.002-06:00

The wait is over... (update from Chris)

It is finished...

These were the words of Jesus Christ as he died on the cross.
Cindy went home to be with Jesus at 10:17 this morning. Her final hours were comfortable and she died with me holding her hands. Dora and Linda (her mom and my mom) were there with her.

I know many of you will cry when you read this and I am crying as I write it. I have both deep sorrow and some relief. We lost a delightful, beautiful and wonderful wife, daughter, sister and friend. At the same time, the battle is over. I can picture Cindy getting to heaven and saying "Holy guacamole! This is great! What was I thinking?" I am sure that she was received into God's open arms in heaven with angels celebrating. Jesus came and died so that we will see her again someday.

A few weeks ago, Cindy and I agreed that this was a win-win situation. Paul said "To live is Christ and to die is gain". Cindy said that if she lived she would be forever changed, and if she died she will be in heaven.

Father God, thank You and praise You for Cindy. I am blessed to have loved her and made her my wife. Thank you for the time we had together. Thank you for having me there to walk her home. I am forever changed. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Logistics...
We will meet with the funeral home tomorrow morning and I will know more about the schedule then. Mom, Dad and I will stay with Dora until this afternoon. We have some things to do. I will post more details on the funeral tomorrow.

2008-10-18T16:30:00.002-06:00

In North Carolina...

Made it safely to Greensboro. After I eat a little dinner I'll post about what a day this has been.

2008-10-17T23:00:00.004-06:00

Everything else left him, but the music remained...

Ever have one of those days where you hear a song in the morning and it's with you the rest of the day? I had that happen today. It's a song I was introduced to many years ago, and I didn't appreciate it then. The artist is long gone, and you rarely hear the song these days. When I hear it now, I stop what I'm doing and listen to the music.

Deep within my heart lies a melody...
A song of old San Antone...
Where in dreams I lived with a memory...
Beneath the stars all alone...

Some of you will recognize the lyrics. It's San Antonio Rose. I guess I should have researched it to know for sure, but for my memories it is a Bob Wills song..

Papaw was my Dad's father. He had Alzheimer's and died just before Christmas in 2005. Years before he ever got sick, he played the song for me. Bob Wills was his favorite. Years back, he had played for a dance in Kirbyville, Texas, where my Grandparents lived. Mamaw and Papaw went and danced to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. It must have been really special because it was one of the last things he remembered

Over the last several years of his life, Papaw lost the memory of many things. He didn't know who we were and he couldn't remember the names of things. What he did remember was the music. I remember going over there, and he put the Bob Wills record on the player and started dancing around the living room to San Antonio Rose. It was one of the few things he found comfort in. When Shelly and I got married in 2001, he was still able to function in public to a certain extent, but crowds and unfamiliar settings really bothered him. I know he was uncomfortable at our reception. One of the first songs after our first dance, we had the DJ play San Antonio Rose. Papaw grabbed Mamaw and they danced. He didn't know much about what was going on, but for a few minutes, I imagine he was transported back in time to a familiar.

After his funeral, we joked that instead of the usual funeral songs, we should have played San Antonio Rose as a fitting send off. He would have liked that.

As far as I know, the only things he remembered were the woman he had loved for more than 60 years and the music. He never forgot them.

2008-10-16T08:37:00.003-06:00

Update from Chris...

This man has my admiration for his unwavering faith and trust in God. I hope if faced with a similar situation my faith will be as true and strong as his.

Cindy woke up with me this morning. We prayed and she said amen. She still kisses and smiles. I didn't know if she would make it through the night.

No more visitors please...

Cindy is getting very weak and basic things take an extraordinary amount of effort. It takes a lot of effort for her to sit up and acknowledge someone. I told her that I was going to tell everyone that and she nodded "yes".

She has the hiccups again - sometimes for 30 minutes at a time. they hurt when she was in the hospital but they don't hurt now, they just make lots of noise. She sleeps through the hiccups, but I don't. It is strange to pray and ask for the hiccups to stop and ask for no more hiccups. She is not eating anymore - it just takes too much effort and hurts as it goes through her system. She is also not needing much medication anymore since there is little pain. We still give her schedule medication, but nothing else is needed.

God will take her soon. I don't know if that means today or in three days, but it will be soon.

She is ready to go.

For planning purposes, we will have a funeral at South Park cemetery in Pearland (on Hwy. 35 between Beltway 8 and 518). Obviously, we do not know which day it will be. I will try to schedule it in the afternoon around 3:00 p.m. We will not plan to have anything else by way of a viewing before or fellowship afterwards, so family and friends are free to get together in separate groups after the funeral. Thanks for understanding. This has been a difficult battle starting over 2 years ago.

Thanks for the prayers and food. It has all been wonderful and timely. I know I would not be as strong or as caring if I didn't have so many people lifting us up. With God's hand on us, we will make it through this storm and Cindy will be in heaven soon.

2008-10-15T08:49:00.003-06:00

Update from Chris...

I debated whether or not to keep posting these updates, but I've asked you to pray for my friends, so I'm going to keep sharing them with you (feel free to sign up to receive the updates straight from the Care Page if you want to.)

Here is Chris's post from this morning:

Cindy slept most of the night last night. Praise God. I think we've got a medicine cycle that works for her. She is only coherent for a few minutes at a time and sleeps the rest of the time. Dora and I think she may leave us any time now. It could be a few hours or a few days. We don't know.

Thanks to everyone that has visited and offered food and rides and gifts. We appreciate it. I know Cindy sees them and appreciates them even if she cannot express it. We are limiting visits to family and very close friends and only a couple of people at a time and only a few times a day. Please forgive us if Cindy leaves before you get a chance to see her. We have so many friends and family, it will be impossible for everyone to visit. It is a blessing to know that Cindy touched so many people and had so many friends.

Cindy is uncomfortable with her body and being alive now. She says she doesn't know what to do with herself. She asks how she can make it go faster and asks for help. We have to tell her that there is nothing else we can do but wait. At the same time she wants to go, she doesn't want to leave me. We tell her it is OK to go when she is ready.

Father God, please make Cindy's passing comfortable and without fear. Please take her soon. Please send angels to help her go and give her a glimpse of heaven so she will want to follow them. Please pour out your grace and mercy on her. We love her and we do not want her to suffer any more. We love You and we trust You, God. In Jesus name. Amen.

2008-10-14T21:35:00.003-06:00

What's the fascination with Europe?

This has been going on for years, and it pisses me off. Have you ever noticed how many products on the market have "Euro" as part of their name? Is that supposed to make them better? Of course, these are not European products, they are just marketing to the more "progressive" among us that think Europeans are somehow more advance than Americans.

Of course, this is bull. Americans are light years ahead of most of Europe. When I think of Europe, I first think of France. Sure, France has been settled longer than the USA, but what do they have? Wine? Cheese? What else? Sure they have Peugeot and Renault. Yes, those are 2 automobiles known for their quality. They don't sell them here anymore because they were CRAP.

just tonight I saw a commercial on TV for a children's cough syrup. It was a good ad until they said that this product is the same product used by mothers in Europe for more than 30 years to treat kids coughs and allergies. Excuse me? Medical advice from Europe? They send all of their medical students here to the USA to learn modern medicine.

Does this bug any of you? I actually make it a point not to buy any product with "Euro" in the name. Probably makes no difference, but it does make me feel better.

2008-10-14T09:10:00.005-06:00

another update from Chris...

I can't even begin to imagine how hard this week is and will be for Chris. These updates are dufficult for me to read, and post here without tearing up a little.

Here is Chris's latest update:

Yesterday was a bit of a circus. We woke up in a hospital room after a long and confusing night. Dora (Cindy's Mom) came to the hospital and shortly after that we talked to Dr. Murray. He explained the same thing that Dr. Gonzales explained the day before.

We are out of options for fighting the cancer. We can treat Cindy's pain and nausea at home through hospice care. We needed her to agree to a DNR order. Up until now, Cindy has always said she wanted to be kept alive so she can continue to fight. We explained to her that they don't have a liver machine. Dr. Murray explained that all a DNR (do not resuscitate) order means is that if she has an acute event (heart or breathing stops) that no ambulance would come and put a tube in her throat, beat on her chest or otherwise shock her body into working for a little while longer. He said that it would not be a good thing and they would have to do that That was a nice way to put it. The hospice care can get her home and comfortable, but then need a DNR order. Cindy agreed. We went home.

I should say that I realized yesterday what a hard job Dr. Murray and his staff have. That goes for Dr. Osborne and his staff at Baylor as well. I've been critical of them in the past - sometimes rightly so - but I have the utmost respect for them and their professions. They have to figure out a disease that nobody else has ever figured out. They have to give people drugs that are going to make them sick and may not work. They have to balance quality of life with quantity of life. Then they have to tell people on a regular basis that they are out of options. I could tell that Dr. Murray was very sad yesterday. He has a lot of those days.

I should also say that once we made those decisions, the staff at MDA and the hospice agency moved quickly. They got her pain meds and sent her home a couple of hours after that. I know that things can move slowly in a hospital and I thank God for things moving quickly yesterday.

My mom and dad came to Houston yesterday. They will help us through this. Thank you to all of our family, friends and church family for prayers and visits and wanting to help.

2008-10-13T21:59:00.003-06:00

Travelling Man...

This is shaping up to be yet another busy week, with no rest for the weary.

The weekend before last, I loaded the Lackey crowd, Jonathan, Matthew, Shelly, and Sweetie the Chihuahua, along with Shelly's friend Janice and everything you need to feed and entertain such a crowd for a weekend and headed to the ranch. The Expedition was crammed full, and I had the hitch haul on the back to carry the cooler that didn't fit inside the truck.

Last weekend, we spent the better part of Saturday at a Fall Festival put on by the company Shelly works for. After the festival, Matthew and I headed back out to the ranch on a quick trip to replace and fill my deer feeder. As you probably remember me complaining about last week, the cows or some other critter broke the motor off of my deer feeder and completely destroyed it. My choice was to spend $150 for a new motor (solar powered charged with a pretty fancy digital timer) or to send the old one back with $25, which would cover rebuilding it, changing out the rechargeable gel cell battery, and return shipping. Bonus that I bought the one with the lifetime warranty to be able to get the cheap rebuilds. Unfortunately, the rebuild will take 8 weeks to get it back. In the interest of time, I borrowed a motor from my Dad that he's not using, and Matthew and I set out to install it. No problems, just a quick trip out there and back. One small duffel bag and we went in the Altima instead of the Expedition. I like that car more and more these days (29 mpg average for the entire trip, with my heavy foot).

This week is busy at work, then I leave Saturday for a conference in Greensboro, NC. I always laugh about my work trips vs the ones the owners take. They take several trips per year to places that have the word "Palm" or "Island" in the name. I've been to Chicago, Dallas, and the Airport Marriott in Newark, NJ. I'm about to add the Airport Marriott in Greensboro, NC to the list. Not a golf course in sight, and I don't even leave the airport grounds. Also, the things I attend are actually learning deals where you spend all day in a hotel conference room, not boondoggle trips with golf, fishing, etc, etc. This one is a deal about trucking insurance. If anyone reads this and lives in Greensboro, feel free to pick me up and take me out Saturday night so I'm not eating dinner in the hotel bar - you don't have to buy, just provide transport and company. I believe my flight gets in mid to late afternoon on Saturday.

I think I have one weekend at home after that, and then we get into deer season and the holidays. Buy stock in the major gasoline distributors now, because we're going to burn a few gallons between now and the end of the year.

2008-10-13T21:50:00.004-06:00

Because I've been asked for it, here is a link to the Care Page that Chris updates regularly for Cindy. Because Chris and Cindy appreciate all of the prayers offered on their behalf, they have made this page and the information contained in it public.

http://www.carepages.com/carepages/CindyBrown/updates/1765380

You will need to create a sign in, but it is secure, so you won't be a part of some crazy mailing list. If it asks you for the name of the Care Page you are looking to join, the name would be CindyBrown (no spaces). If you have any trouble, leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do to help you gain access.

2008-10-13T12:20:00.003-06:00

Update, not the news we were hoping and praying for...

Many of you will remember my post on October 10th about a friend of ours, Cindy, that has cancer. In the last month, Chris has been turning over every stone he can to help Cindy continue the fight after her doctor gave up and said he was out of options. In the last month, Cindy has had 2 operations, one to put a stint in her kidney, and one last week to put a catheter in her liver.

They located, applied for, and were accepted to take part at a clinical trial at a hospital in San Antonio, with plans to begin last week. When they did all of their lab work, her creatinine levels were too high to begin. Potassium and sodium levels were also low. She was sent home with some instructions on things to do to try to get the levels within an acceptable range to start the trial this week.

This is an update I received from Chris this morning (he posted it last night):

My heart is very heavy tonight. Cindy is not doing well and getting worse. Today was perhaps the most difficult day of my life. I know there are at least a few more difficult days ahead.

Cindy was confused last night so we called San Antonio to see what they said. We took her off the morphine and had her drink some water and eat a little. If it was medication, it should get better. She woke up this morning more confused. Confusion (dementia) is not usually good news for a cancer patient. We went to the emergency room at M.D. Anderson and they admitted her.

Some good news - the CT scans of her head and chest were OK. Her heart is OK.

Bad news - her liver and kidneys are not doing well. Her ammonia is very high. Her bilirubin is higher than it has been - even after we had the catheter put in. Her creatinine is higher - indicating poor kidney function. Her sodium is dangerously low. She is weak, confused, in pain and nauseated.

We won't be going to San Antonio for a clinical trial. M.D. Anderson wants her to stay in the hospital tonight so they can try to get her ammonia levels down and sodium levels up to alleviate the confusion. They will start paliative care - which treats the symptoms like nausea, pain and confusion - and recommended hospice care starting tomorrow at home.

Hospice care. I thought I was prepared for today. Cindy is going to die - at least according to M.D. Anderson and Baylor. She was very close to dying when we brought her in this morning. Cindy doesn't want to stop fighting, but we don't have any options left. They said she has days left. They wouldn't say how many. My impression is not many.

She still smiles when I wink at her. I love her more than anything. This is definitely the hardest day of my life.

At this point, we're still praying for a miracle for Cindy, but Chris could use a little extra boost himself. I don't think anyone is ever really prepared to lose a spouse, but having to prepare while still in your prime has to be almost impossible to face.

2008-10-06T21:07:00.002-06:00

Train Wreck...

I'm not a huge sports nut. I do like to watch NASCAR, but I've never been overly interested in stick and ball sports. As a kid, I tried soccer, football, t-ball, and pitch baseball. I SUCKED at all of them.

That was until I met Shelly. I'm still not a sports nut, but I do watch Aggie football. Shelly is an Aggie, her brother is an Aggie, and her dad is an Aggie. He was even in the Corps of Cadets. Yep, I was done for. I'm not an Aggie (I'm a Ragin' Cajun), but I had to convert if I wanted to fit in. Shelly had season tickets to the Aggies when we met, and we renewed them every year. Every year, that is, until this year... It turns out we made a pretty good choice.

Our tickets have been getting more and more expensive each year. When I first started going to the games, RC Slocum was the coach. They did ok, but never beat Texas. A couple of years later, they decided to go big, and stole Coach Fran away from Alabama. My friend Katie almost didn't speak to us for a couple of years there since they are Bama folks. Well, it turns out that we did them a favor and took that joker away from them. After a few years of stinking up the place, Fran was out and the Aggies hired Mike Sherman away from the Houston Texans.

Each week this season, We've either watched the game or checked the score periodically. Last weekend, they played Oklahoma State, we didn't bother even looking at the score until Sunday. I can't tell you what it was, other than they got beat, and it wasn't by a slim margin.

Here are my thoughts (from the shower stall this morning)...

The Aggies weren't doing that well under Fran, but most of his losses were at least close. He never lost a home opener, and he beat Texas the last 2 years in a row. This year, the Aggies got spanked at home for the season opener. I don't remember how long it's been, but it has been a LONG time since the season opener was lost in Kyle Field. When they got rid of Fran, it was expected that the 12th Man was going to dig DEEP and hire a top name.

Instead of hiring a top name college coach, they hired Mike Sherman. Sherman was the Offensive coordinator and asst head coach for the Houston Texans. Let's get this straight. You have the money and the fan bast to hire a proven winner, and you hire the guy that is offensive coordinator for the Texans? Their best season was 8-8. They kept David Carr and drafted Mario Williams when they could have picked Vince Young or at least Reggie Bush.

I'm not an expert, but I've heard and read enough to understand that college and NFL coaches rarely have much success when moving from one level to another. Why would the Aggies think that they could hire an offensive coordinator from an NFL team that has NEVER had a winning season and have success?

As an Aggie fan, I HOPE that Sherman can get things going, but at this point, the future looks a little bleak.

2008-10-05T22:09:00.002-06:00

Back from the ranch...

Weekends just aren't long enough. We headed out Friday evening for a weekend at the ranch. One of Shelly's friends went with us, and it worked out great. It was nice for Shelly to have an extra set of hands to help with Jonathan while I was out on the ranch with Matthew.

Matthew and I filled the deer feeders, checked the deer stands, rode the ATV, and fished in the pond (caught a small catfish). We also got to go watch the caretaker kill a wild hog that had been trapped on a neighboring ranch. Matthew is only 4, but he was enthralled seeing that wild boar in the cage and watching Ron shoot it. He then watched intently while Ron cleaned it. The little guy also watched while I cleaned deer last fall. Maybe he'll grow up to be a doctor?

All was not perfect on this trip, however. Something, I assume it was a cow, got into the pen that holds my deer feeder. When I built the pen, I only used 3 strands of barbed wire, and since I am not a professional fence builder, the wires have loosened up considerably in the last 5 years. I just used a single corner post at each corner, instead of the "H" or similar posts that allow the wires to stay tight. The cows also push against the fence, causing it to loosen (corner post being bent in slightly. Anyway, whatever it was, my feeder motor had been knocked off the feeder and completely destroyed.

We generally have the cows on the South end of the property, and most of the deer feeders are on the North end. After hunting season, we open the gates on the cross fence and let the cows move to the North end. After I replace the feeder motor, I guess I'll start taking it off after hunting season to keep it from getting broken again. It is a little disheartening that I spent a weekend and the expense of a trip out there and was able to fill every feeder but my own.

Around mid-day today, Matthew figured out we were packing up to go home. He was a little sad and said he didn't want to go home, he wanted to stay at the ranch. I felt the same way, but unfortunately, I haven't figured out a way to live there and still support my family.

2008-10-02T23:21:00.003-06:00

Probably won't get invited back...

OK, it's been a couple of weeks since the last post. Lots of stuff has been going on, but very little of it is blog worthy. Work is busy, as you would expect after losing almost a week of working time, but still having the same amount of work to get done. Also a little bit of drama around the office (actually sort of stupid crap), but nothing really to blog about. I've also got this rule about blogging either about company business or on company time.

Our Sunday School class at church has been doing "small groups" for about a year now. Basically, several people open up their homes to meet periodically in smaller groups for a more in-depth type bible study and also to build closer friendships with each other than you might be able to in a class of 70-80 people. Nothing is assigned, you just pick the one you want to go to based on location or how often / when they meet and show up.

I've been resisting, because I think we're busy enough. There is also the issue of a 4 yr old and a 5 month old that spend all day in daycare. It seems a little unfair to me to pick them up and immediately leave them with either a sitter or a grandparent. Well, one of the couples that is now hosting a group has an infant and they started a more informal group and they encourage you to bring the kids. So, we went tonight and took the kids. Sounds good, right?

One of the other couples there has 2 boys, I believe they are 5 and 3. Bookends to our 4 yr old, so that part was fine. They played well together and shared toys really well. Our hostess had baked several great desserts for us to enjoy while we were there. One of which was a chocolate cake with sort of gooey icing. There was also an assortment of fresh fruit. All of this was in the kitchen, and we were meeting in the living room.

Once we got things going, the kids went into the kitchen area to play on the floor, while the adults were talking. I went in to check on the kids, and Matthew wanted to eat some fruit, while eyeing the cake on the table. I set him up at the end of the dining table with some grapes on a napkin, and told him he was to either play on the floor with his toys, or eat the grapes at the table, but he was not to touch any of the other desserts. I repeated it and got him to respond to me that he understood.

All was going well for 20 or 30 minutes. Every little while, one of the parents would go in and make sure the kids weren't destroying anything and to settle them down a little, but they were fine for the most part. Then, as we were wrapping up with a prayer time, Shelly leaned to me and said, is that chocolate around Matthew's mouth? Oh, no. The kids were coming into the living room, and not only did Matthew have chocolate around his mouth, he had it all over the front of his shirt. I took him out and made sure there was no mess in the hosts kitchen / dining room, then I got a wipe from Jonathan's diaper bag and cleaned up his face and hands.

No obvious damage done, we returned to the group. Things were wrapping up, and we started visiting amongst ourselves, while the kids played in the living room. Kids are fast, and before I knew it, Matthew climbed on the ottoman in front of the sofa and jumped from the ottoman to the sofa, and back to the ottoman. (the chocolate was kicking in, the kid was starting to bounce off the walls, so it was time to go). I grabbed Matthew, sat him on the ottoman with the order to settle down, and I turned around to get his shoes and socks. Just as I turned back to him, he coughed, sputtered, and chucked what I can only surmise was his last drink of apple juice along with some remnants of chocolate cake onto the hosts ottoman. I wish I could say it was leather... Luckily it was a stain resistant cloth, and brown in color, so it cleaned up really well with a damp cloth.

OK, I'm at my whits end by now. We've got to get out of here. I put Jonathan in his car seat, grab the toys we brought for Matthew and tell Shelly we have to go. As we're going into the kitchen to get Shelly's purse and the diaper bag, the hosts are in there telling everyone goodbye as they leave. They are great folks and tell us that they understand kids are kids, and they hope to see all of us next week. Then I noticed the cake. What was once a cake, perfectly iced and smooth as glass, now had almost zero icing left on it, and the few patches remaining had the marks of little fingers running through them. We're talking half of a cake remaining...

Well, folks, I think that just about does it. No more of these adult get togethers at other people's houses that allow you to bring the kids. I appreciate that they are doing what they can to accommodate those of us with kids, but it just doesn't work. A couple of kids can destroy a house in a short amount of time if you aren't watching them like a hawk. If you are watching them like a hawk, you can't really participate in what's going on with the rest of the adults, meaning, you might as well just stay home.

Next week, we just stay home. (probably much to the relief of our hosts.)

2008-09-17T22:22:00.002-06:00

Man, what a day...

OK, I enjoy time off from work as much as the next guy, but enough is enough. We still don't have power at our office, but the boss managed to get the phones forwarded to his house. Good, right? Well, as I do a good amount of the underwriting for our company, many of the calls are customers looking for quotes on stuff I'm working on. I can't tell you how many calls I got from the boss yesterday wanting me to call somebody back and handle something. If I have to keep answering the phone, I'd rather be at the office.

So, I sent the boss a text message this morning offering to go over to his house and man the phones if he had something else he needed to do. As it turns out, he located a generator that we expected would operate the necessities at our office. He wanted me to meet him up there to get things going. We spent all day trying to get things going with half of the stuff running from a generator, and the other half running from the generator in his father's big diesel RV. I think we just about have it whooped. Hopefully we'll be up and running first thing in the morning.

Also, I nearly witnessed a beat down at the gas station this morning. With power out all over town, people are either staying with friends or family, or they are surviving with generator power. This increases the need for gasoline. Couple that with only about 25% or less of the gas stations being operational, and you have a mess. It generally takes about 30 minutes of waiting in line to get gas. This is the primary reason why I stockpile gasoline at the beginning of each hurricane season. I keep 30+ gallons handy, and next year I might keep double that amount.

Anyway, after filling the generator at the office this morning, I took the empties up to the station to fill the jugs again while we were waiting for the electrician to show up. The stations generally set things up where all of the entrances but one are blocked and everyone lines up to get in. When you pull up, everyone pulls up in the same direction, and which side of the pumps you pull up to depends on which side of the car your gas cap is. I was just thinking that everything was running really smoothly, and everyone was cooperating patiently, when a car with 3 LARGE women of another race drove up in a car with 4 kids. They whipped in through a closed driveway and pulled the wrong direction to a pump, blocking one of the lines from going anywhere. They then proceeded to belligerently cuss at everyone that they were cutting in front of. They kept yelling that they were "fidden" to run out of gas and they had kids in the car. Boo, hoo. Everyone in line was there because they needed gas.

Of course, most of the people in line that just got hosed were either white or Asian. I was just waiting for another large black woman to emerge from somewhere back in the line that had been waiting patiently. Unfortunately, none came forward. Whites and Asians will generally yell back at the offending parties, but won't get in a physical altercation. A person of the same race as these women probably would have administered an ass whoopin. That would have made my day.

Let me be clear, the vast majority of the people from this race are decent people, but how come every time I've witnessed this same type of deal (jumping lines, whipping into a parking space you are pulling into, etc, etc, it's always LARGE female members of the race with generally twice the number of butts in the car as there are seatbelts?

2008-09-15T19:51:00.003-06:00

Back home with a funny story to tell...

Today was one of those days. After the crap yesterday with the power being back on, loading up to head home, and then figuring out the power was still out, and having to return back to the parents house, I was ready for a few things to go my way. We got up this morning and after breakfast, I helped my Dad with a few things around his house. When we got that all squared away, Shelly and I loaded Jonathan up and headed to town to her parents house to borrow their generator to keep our freezer going another day. Pretty much everything in the refrigerator was junk, but the freezers were fine with a couple of hours of generator usage each day.

SO, we got there, loaded the generator up, and headed home to run it. I unlocked the front door, and as I was walking through the kitchen, I noticed the fan in the kitchen was running. Woo HOO!!!, the power was on at our house. The phone service also came on a couple of hours later. It looks like we're back in business. I'm thankful for that, although there are a few grocery items like milk, eggs, and butter that we had to throw out and won't be able to get replaced for a few days. Oh, well, I'm not going to complain too loudly over that when there are lots of people in much worse shape.

Ok, now for the funny story...

As it happens, living in the 4th largest city in the USA, you take things for granted. I can now tell you that Houston this week is like living in a third world country. You pretty much live in a hut with no electricity or other services and no availability of any supplies. The only real difference is that our huts are a little more plush, but they are not set up to operate without electricity.

Part of the deal is that employers need to get things up and running, but the schools have basically shut down for the week. Our daycare has closed through Wednesday. What to do? The in-laws own a veterinary clinic, and they are doing what they can to get that business up and running again. My Grandfather has had 2 carotid artery surgeries in the last month, and he rotator cuff surgery last week, so my mother is keeping him this week.

I mentioned to my parents this morning that they might need to be our daycare if Shelly and I both have to go back to work this week before the daycare opens. My Dad reminded me that my Mom sort of has her plate full with Grandaddy. I told him she was pretty tough and efficient, and I was sure she could handle all of them. He told me to think again, that Grandaddy can't even pull up his pants by himself. I answered that surely he could take care of that duty on his own.

Just as I finished saying that, Grandaddy walked into the living room, completely oblivious to our conversation. His right arm was in his sling, and he was holding up his pants with his left hand. He walked towards where I was sitting and told me I needed to get up and help him buckle his pants. Nothing but laughter from the kitchen (My Dad, Shelly, and Staci). Point proven... (Grandaddy is hard of hearing and had no way of knowing what we had just been talking about)

Luckily, Shelly called into her office and was told to take care of the family first and come back when she can. The company I work for is sort of a small company, and consequently, everyone there is pretty much considered a "key employee". I'm supposed to call in first thing in the morning to see if our office is up and running. I could use a little more time around the house to get things squared away, but at the same time, If my office isn't running, we're not making money. We HAVE to get running in the next day or so, from my kitchen if we have to, to keep things going. I guess we'll see if the power is back on at the office tomorrow morning.

2008-09-14T22:41:00.002-06:00

Damn. Just Damn... Damn...

The in-laws decided to stay at our house tonight since our power was back on. We were loading up to leave my parents house to head home, so the in-laws decided to head over and wait in the driveway until we got home. Well, we loaded all of our crap, the kids, and Sweetie the Chihuahua up and were on the way home when Doc (father-in-law) called me to say the power was out at my house. Damn.

Shelly was in her truck ahead of me, so I called her and had her take the next exit while I called the neighbor to get the scoop. Apparently the power was on from about 4:30 until 8:30, then out again. To top it all off, while we were sitting in the edge of the Home Depot parking lot, the rent-a-cop came up and reminded me that the area is under curfew and we would have to move along. Damn.

So, we're back here at my parents house. Luckily, my sister let us have the bedroom back that we had been staying in. Normally we would each have a room, but my grandfather is here and he outranks us all in the bedroom pecking order.

Oh, and to top it all off, Shelly had to take Jonathan to the walk-in-clinic today. Pink-eye. Damn. A 4 month old crammed in a house with a total of 7 adults and 5 kids and he has pink-eye on top of the cold he already had.

I can't wait for the fun to be over so we can get back to normal.

2008-09-14T18:42:00.002-06:00

One of my neighbors just sent me a text message that the power came back on. What a relief...

My Dad and I had gone up to my house for a couple of hours with his generator to keep the freezer cold. After running a little while, it was obvious that the generator had a problem and would not get the job done. Time to drop back and punt. Not knowing how long it would be out, I was about to get in the truck and head to the ranch. We have a 6000 watt and a 10500 watt generator, along with several large containers for gasoline storage. I was dreading making a trip there and back tonight.

I'll post more once we're back home and running there.

2008-09-13T20:22:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update for now.

The power went out just after my 5am post. The wind was incredible. It was actually blowing rain in between the seams where the glass in one of our windows is adhered to the metal framework of the window, While I was standing on a ladder in the stairwell at 5:30 AM with a tube of caulk trying to stop the water, the lights went out for good. Not long after that, I looked out the window and the back fence had given up the ghost, along with one section of the side fence.

About the blades on the ceiling fan on our patio. I went out after daylight this morning to pick them up, and could see no obvious signs of damage. Then I noticed a screw laying on the ground. I actually found 9 of the 10 screws that hold the 5 blades on the fan. How crazy is it that all of the screws would back themselves out. I KNOW they were tight because I put them on there myself.

When the wind and rain let up enough to survey the entire outside of the house and the immediate neighbors, I found out that we're the only ones on the block without roof damage. Some neighbors lost shingles and felt with nothing but plywood showing. That was some incredible powerful wind.

Power at the house is still out, so after hanging around all day, we came down to my parents house to spend the night. They are actually a little farther South than we are, but their power came back on this afternoon. My father-in-law stopped by and in exchange for the loan of my chain-saw, he brought his generator and we let it run long enough to bring the temp back down on the freezer and fridge to make it another day. I'll borrow my Dad's generator tomorrow when I head home and run it long enough to re-freeze my freezer and also let a couple of my neighbors plug up also.

I'll post some pics later tonight or in the morning after I've showered and eaten.

2008-09-13T03:34:00.003-06:00

Damage report

4:30 am, just looked out on the back patio. All 5 blades of the ceiling fan are on the ground. As the wind is hard from the North, and that's the way the patio faces, I'm not opening the door to retrieve them yet. The power has blinked a couple more times, and all of the commercial areas surrounding us have seemingly lost power, our neighborhood is still lit up. The sounds of some of the gusts are incredible. We're safe and secure as the winds aren't high enough for structural damage, and being in a development about 10 years old, none of the trees are large enough to cause damage.

I'm tired, but as you can imagine, it's impossible to sleep (although no one else in the house is having any problems sleeping...)

5am, just lost part of the back fence. 4x4 posts cemented into the ground snapped, starting at the corner of the yard. I think about 3 of them so far and the fence is laying down. I expect the other ones will fail as that leaves alot of pressure on the remaining ones. I hope the side can hold out, but without the back tied into it at the corner, it may fail also. Winds are still getting stronger.

Here is a pic of the fence I took a couple of hours ago.

2008-09-13T02:46:00.003-06:00

Still here...

Tried to update earlier, but power kept blinking, then couldn't get back into blogger to post.

3:45 am and we're still with power. The winds and rain are pretty impressive. I think the blue flashes in the area are transformers blowing, so I expect we're on borrowed time for electricity. Hopefully our luck will hold out. I've grown accustomed to having A/C. I'll post again in the morning if the Luck is still holding.

Still no damage that I can tell, but the poor trees are going to be a little naked. Matthew is scared, so what little sleep I've had has been with him in his bed.

2008-09-12T18:30:00.002-06:00

Here we go...

The sun is going down, and the wind is starting to pick up. It's gusting to 40 or 45 mph now, maybe higher. We're just sort of hanging out, watching the news on TV. We went out in the front yard a little while ago and visited with some neighbors. It looks like no one on our block scrammed from the storm, so we've got plenty of company if we all get wiped out.

One neat website that the City of Houston has running is http://www.houstonhidefromthewind.org/. We're zip 77064. Looks like 81mph winds expected as of right now.

Time to get dinner wrapped up and get the kids bathed and ready for bed. I'll try to post again later if the power (and cable internet) holds out.

2008-09-12T15:47:00.002-06:00

Took a little drive around...

After getting everything around the house squared away and eating a little lunch, Shelly wanted to take a little ride around the local area to see what was what. There were several other people doing the same thing. It was strange to see all of the stores deserted. It was funny that pretty much the only places open were the liquor stores, and they were all doing a brisk business. Surprisingly, probably 1 in 4 gas stations seemed to still have gas as there were people getting gas.

Now that we're back home, the wind has really started picking up a little bit. I'll need to clear out the chip in the camera and I'll take a couple of videos at intervals through the storm and try to show them later.

Now, we're doing pretty much all you can do when you are hunkered down. Watching TV and doing laundry. I've also been teaching Matthew how to cast with his new "Bob the Builder" fishing pole.

I'll have to download the pics in a minute. he just walked through the living room on the way to the back patio. He was wearing a t-shirt, underwear, and blue rubber boots. No pants, and he was carrying his fishing pole. Man, that kid sure does make life entertaining sometimes.

2008-09-12T10:25:00.002-06:00

Battening down the Hatches...

It looks like Ike is going to give us a fairly good bit of wind and rain. I am happy that the storm shifted slightly and it is going to pass just to the East of us. That should give us a slightly easier hit than we could have gotten, although this is still going to be a big deal. We're fully provisioned, we have the batteries and flashlights and plenty of stuff to eat and drink. I'm hopeful that if we do lose power that it doesn't stay out very long.

In watching the news reports, they are very concerned about Galveston and the areas around Galveston Bay being swamped by the storm surge. I received an e-mail alert from CNN that said people staying in low lying surge zones faced certain death. Wow. That's pretty direct. The local news station said that the entire Galveston island could be completely covered. They are telling people that insist on staying to make sure to put some sort of identifying mark on themselves so after the storm the authorities will be able to identify their body. We're still several hours away from landfall, and parts of the island are already under water.

I'll post a little later as we start seeing the effects of the storm, but after that, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again due to power and internet access issues.

If anyone wants a text update later, drop me a line to melackey73 at yahoo dot com and I'll give you my cell number.

2008-09-11T06:06:00.002-06:00

Gonna get some weather...

I'm watching a press conference hosted by our mayor and a county judge. From the sounds of things, Houston is about to be wiped off the map by Hurricane Ike. Of course, the track keeps shifting, and we have about 40 hours left, so this thing could still miss us by a long distance. The current track takes this thing right over my house on the Northwest side of Houston. This should be interesting. We have the necessary supplies, and I'll be securing all loose items tonight. Hopefully this thing doesn't do any damage around here.

One thing I think the local leaders figured out is that evacuating Houston is pretty much an impossible task. At this point, they are asking everyone but those on the coast and those in the low lying areas to stay put. When Hurricane Rita was heading this way a couple of years ago, Katrina was fresh on the mind (most of those people were still in shelters here in Houston). The freeways were clogged, and there was no gas to be found anywhere. Some of our neighbors left that Thursday morning and returned home that evening, 8-10 hours later having driven only 10-12 miles.

I'll post more later, gotta go to work now.

2008-09-10T17:47:00.003-06:00

This isn't supposed to happen, not to people I know...

Today was a rough day for me. I'm just a bystander, not even involved. I can't imagine how Chris and Cindy are feeling right now. Chris and Cindy are friends of ours. They go to our church and are in our Sunday School Class. Chris has gone on the men's retreats with us each of the last 2 years (Weekends of the HAM).

Cindy has breast cancer. I didn't really understand that at first until I heard the story. I THOUGHT she had liver cancer until Chris told the whole story. Cindy had breast cancer a few years ago and through treatment and surgery came through. About 2 years ago, they found a tumor on her liver, some on her shoulder, and a couple of spots on her spine. They have been aggressive with treatments, and things were looking better, until earlier this year. Some drugs didn't work as well, new drugs were tried, hair was lost, and things were difficult. I knew some of this, but not much.

Perhaps I should have inquired how things were going more often. I sort of feel like a not so good friend. I didn't know how bad things were getting until Chris asked us for prayer late last week because things were getting worse. I got an e-mail this afternoon telling about their visit with the oncologist today. My friend's wife is dying. Dying. That is hard to get your arms around. They are our age. Mid 30's and so much life SHOULD be ahead of them. Apparently the doctors are giving up. Let that sink in. You are 36 years old with cancer, and you are not through living yet, but the doctors in the city with the largest medical center in the world tells you to consider hospice. Follow that up with a nurse that indicates you have weeks, not months.

I just told Shelly that I hope and pray (selfishly) that I'm not in that position. Please pray for healing for Cindy. Please pray for Chris. Here is a guy just a couple of years into marriage with a beautiful woman facing the prospect of being left alone, and quickly at that. Please pray for the guys that surround Chris, that we would be able to relate to him and provide support and friendship, even in the face of something that we in no way can relate to.

I'm sorry this post isn't the usual fun post, and is sort of rambling, but loss is something that I have a hard time relating to and knowing how to handle. It's tough to know a friend is suffering and not know exactly how to relate to them. Perhaps just showing up and not doing anything other than being there for them is good enough?

2008-09-08T22:05:00.003-06:00

Radiant Barrier...

We had a radiant barrier installed / applied in our attic last weekend. Energy costs are nuts, and we're trying to do what we can to lower utility costs at our house. While Shelly was on maternity leave, we had to cool the house all day long, and let me tell you, that wasn't cheap. We about cried when a $502 electricity bill arrived. At 2400 sq feet, our house isn't huge, and 74-75 isn't exactly arctic temperature.

Last year we started replacing light bulbs with the little curly compact fluorescent as the old ones burned out or as I thought they might make a difference. We started with the lamps by the bed, then changed the kids closet lights since those are used as night lights sometimes.

After living here for a little over 7 years, I also finally programmed the programmable thermostats. Man, I should have done that sooner. I no longer have to remember to run them up during the day and then have to go to bed sweating because I forgot to turn the upstairs unit back down in the evening.

I had been hearing about radiant barriers, and from what I understood, the theory was sound. My in-laws had it done, so we had the guy come out and measure ours and talk to us a little about it. They installed it, so I guess we'll see how well it works at helping reflect heat.

One minor complaint that we getting resolved. Those jokers got a little paint happy up in my attic. Of course, they get up in the attic with their hoses and spray guns, close the attic stairs after themselves, and commence to spraying. The paint fumes are pretty strong, so I guess it has to get to them after a while. They painted over the light bulb, and completely painted the speaker for our burglar alarm. It looks nice now, but the whole system is completely jacked-up. Security this week is provided by Smith & Wesson instead of ADT. I called to chat with them about it and you get the idea that it might be a common occurrence because they told me to get it fixed and then send them the bill. Hopefully they make good on it. I guess I can dispute the charge to the credit card if they they to hose me.

So, opinions, please... Am I a Sucker for getting the thing installed, or is it a good financial decision?

2008-09-03T21:51:00.004-06:00

One Day, the kid is going to hate me for posting this...

Shelly went to a dinner seminar with her Dad tonight, so I was left in charge of the boys. I did some quick maneuvering, and dropped Jonathan off with her Mom, and I brought Matthew home. The thought being that when the seminar was over, Shelly would be going back to her parents house to get her truck anyway, so Jonathan might as well hand out there with Nana to wait for her. I also have trouble multi-tasking to attend to the needs of a 4 month old and a 4 yr old at the same time, especially the dinner, bath, and bedtime routine for both at once.

Anyway, after dinner, I helped Matthew with his homework. He had to trace a page of capital and lower-case "S" and trace 2 sets of the numbers 6-10. While he was working on his homework, he was recounting the day to me. He told me that at school today, he "took a dump". I said "You did what?" He repeated, "I took a dump, I tee-tee'd and poo-poo'd in the bathroom." Ok, the kid is potty trained and has been for over a year, it's just funny to hear him say he "took a dump." I had to tell him that although Daddy has joked about that, it's best that we not say that anymore. I can only imagine that the teacher will have a double length conference scheduled for us when we get to parent teacher conferences.

If that wasn't bad enough, he is a little boy and has noticed his little boy part... Bath time was one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed, and I'm trying to figure out how best to direct future similar situations...

When he got in the tub, the boy had serious wood going on. He pointed it out to me "My naked is big, Daddy" (he refers to it as his naked).. I said "Yeah, sometimes that happens", praying he wouldn't press with wanting to know "why" it happens. That's another conversations for another day, hopefully a long way off. Bath time continues, he turns his attention to his boats, and things return to normal.

Normal until bath time is over. I start draining the water, turn around to get his towel, and turn back around to see him pulling straight out on the end of his little tally whacker, like he's trying to stretch it. I said "What are you doing?" to which he replied "I'm trying to make it bigger." Oh, boy. How do you address this? I told him that you can't make it bigger, that's not how it works, now get out of the tub. Then, the kid pulls it up one more time, leans over as far as he can and blows at it. Thankfully he can't reach, or we'd have an entirely new problem. I said "C'mon, man, stop that. What are you doing?" He said, "Trying to blow it up, like a balloon ." Ok, I've decided, Shelly is in charge of bath time from now on... I told him "It doesn't work that way, and besides, it's not nice to play with your naked, now get out of the tub."

Now, clearly stalling, not wanting to get out of the tub yet, he rolled onto his side and said "I can't get out, it's drinking the water." As patiently as I could, I told him that it doesn't drink, that's not what it does. He argued that it does indeed drink and he couldn't get out until it drank ALL of the water in the tub.

Luckily the kid has a short attention span. I changed the subject and reminded him that he needed to get out of the tub right now so I could tell him the story of the 3 little piggies and the big, bad, wolf. That did the trick, and nothing more on that subject was mentioned again.

Geez, what a night. I basically ignored and re-directed my way through the events of the evening. The question is, is this a phase all little boys go through in discovering themselves?

2008-08-29T20:26:00.003-06:00

Piggy's Bottom...

Since we have another holiday weekend, I decided I wanted to smoke another pork butt to make some more pulled pork. The night before putting the meat on to smoke, I coat the meat with a quite generous helping of a dry rub, making sure to get it into all of the little nooks and crannies of the meat. After coating, I wrap the meat tightly in a couple of layers of Saran Wrap then put it in the fridge to get happy with that dry rub.

While I was unwrapping the meat from the butcher paper to get ready to season it, Matthew asked me what that was. I told him it was a Pig's bottom. Of course, every story we've read and every DVD he has watched lately it seems has talked about "piggies", so Matthew wanted to see the piggy. Not much to see, but he made several comment's about the poor piggy missing his bottom, and how I came to be in possession of the piggy's bottom. The meat market I like to use is near the in-law's house, and I had my father-in-law pick the butt up for me yesterday, so of course, I blamed it on Doc.

I wonder what Matthew will tell Doc next time he sees him? Should be interesting.

Even funnier, Matthew walked into the living room as I'm typing this entry and informed me that he doesn't like piggy hiney, hamburgers, or deer. Sounds like the kid is going to be a little hungry...

2008-08-29T19:57:00.002-06:00

Can't take me anywhere...

Shelly asked me a little while ago if I had blogged about what happened at dinner last night. I guess now I have to tell the story.

We were having dinner last night at Macaroni Grill. I suppose they are everywhere, but for those not familiar, it's a decent Italian chain restaurant. Their grilled pork chops with rosemary balsamic graze are excellent, especially served with the mushroom risotto. Anyway, that's what we ordered.

Just after our food arrived, I started to sneeze. I couldn't stop sneezing. I was trying to sort of hold them back, but after 3 or 4 stifled sneezes, all hell broke loose. The last sneeze wouldn't be stifled. It was a big one, so big that the pressure caused another pressure leak. Folks, that was one of the biggest, loudest farts I have let go in a long time, and it happened simultaneously with the big sneeze. Of course, I didn't hear anything but the sneeze, Shelly heard it all. I'm sure everyone around us heard it all.

Of course, Shelly and I couldn't stop laughing. We couldn't even look at each other for the rest of dinner without cracking up.

Sort of embarrassing, but pretty funny as well.

At least it didn't smell....

2008-08-26T21:18:00.003-06:00

Already? GEEZ...

I got home from work this evening and cooked dinner. A big pan of chicken enchiladas and some pinto beans. Don't get all excited, I cheated a little. The enchiladas were Stouffer's from the freezer section. They were actually pretty good. The beans were the canned variety. Let me say that the new fangled can openers SUCK. Shelly just HAD to have the kind of can opener that cuts the can on the side, leaving no sharp edges. The advertisements are correct. There are no sharp edges, partly because the darn lid doesn't come off.

Seriously, the stupid thing only opens 1 of 3 cans I try with it. I end up having to get out the old style can opener that cuts from the top and actually does what it is supposed to. Sharp edges? Maybe, but unless you are a complete idiot, that shouldn't be a problem.

What is the title of this post about? After dinner, I had to help Matthew with his homework. Yes, I said homework. This is a 4 year old. What's the deal with homework for a kid in daycare? The kid can barely hold a pencil, and he's already got homework? I guess it's not bad. He had to trace the numbers 1 thru 5, three times each. Then he had a page filled with the letter "f". He had to trace a page full of capital and lower-case f's. I started him with a brand new pencil, but that's a little to hard for a 4 yr old to use. I ended up breaking the pencil in half and sharpening what was left. Much better. The kid did a pretty good job.

Still, isn't 4 yrs old a little young for having to do homework?

2008-08-25T21:12:00.003-06:00

NOT AGAIN? DAMN!!!!!

I just got finished with a LONG weekend. After work Friday, I mowed, edged, weed-eated, and swept up in the yard. After finishing, I cooked dinner. Don't ask why I did it all myself, it's a sore subject, but apparently my fault.

I volunteered for 2 different service projects on Saturday, so I was gone from 6am until 4pm Saturday. After I got home, something else was apparently my fault again. Can't win for losing around here. When I got cleaned up, we took the kids to see my parents for a little while, and while they kept them, we had a date night. You know you are an old married couple when your date night is dinner out followed by shopping for kids clothes at the Carter's store and then doing some grocery shopping.

Work is really busy lately. After leaving the office at 6:30 or so this evening, I stopped by the hair cut place on the way home to get a long overdue shearing. When I walked in the door at home, completely beat, I heard it. From somewhere deep in the house, it was a familiar, but dreaded sound. BEEP! You've got to be kidding me... Well, I know which one it isn't. I just replaced the battery in the smoke detector in the office. I guess I'll get busy with the rest of them. I headed upstairs and wandered around in search of the beeping smoke detector.

After checking all of them, I discover that it's the same darn one. It's the one in the office again. I got my chair out and took it off the ceiling, then removed the battery. Surely the battery can't be dead already. I remembered a way to test the battery that I learned as a kid... YOW, there is nothing wrong with this battery. While grouching about the smoke detector, unplugged, and battery free, of course, it beeps again. This thing is possessed. I start thinking that the batteries in these things aren't lasting very long lately. These are hard wired with battery back-ups, so they should last a while as the battery only powers the thing if the electricity goes off. I actually removed the one from Matthew's room a couple of weeks ago when it literally ruined a battery. Made the 9v battery look like a football. I haven't been overly concerned about that one since we have a battery powered alarm outside his bedroom.

Well, I ended up reading the small print at the bottom of the alarm. It seems that you are supposed to replace these things every 10 years. As the house is now 9 years old, I guess it's about time. Problem solved. I got online and ordered 6 new detectors from a company out in California that had newer versions that were direct plug-in replacements for the ones we currently have. Tomorrow, I should have a UPS tracking number to busy myself with. After counting, we've got 6 hard wired smoke detectors in the house, 2 carbon monoxide detectors, and 3 extra battery operated smoke detectors for "just in case" - sort of a belt & suspenders sort of deal.

Did any of the rest of you know that these things only last about 10 years?

2008-08-19T21:46:00.004-06:00

It's getting to be that time of year...

Yes, I know it is about time for college football to start. We chose not to renew out Texas A&M season tickets this year. With 2 kids and an 80 mile each way drive to the games, we decided we just couldn't make enough games to make it worthwhile. Especially when you have to pay several hundred dollars worth of "donation" per seat to have the privilege to pay face value for tickets. Still, we do have a moderate feeling of loss about not having "our" seats. Hopefully we can work it out to leave the kids with one of the grandparents and get some tickets from eBay or Stub Hub and go watch the Aggies play. If not, TV is the best seat in the house (I prefer to watch on TV because those crazy Aggies STAND the ENTIRE game.)

I think most of my readers are college football fans (not sure how many, but I think there are a few of you). I think I have a couple of Aggie fans, some LSU fans, at least one Crimson Tide fan, and an Appalachian State fan. Let me know if I forgot anyone... I've even got a couple of t.u. fans that read from London on occasion. (it's 10:53 PM in Houston and t.u. still sucks).

But, as big as football season is, there is one season that is more important to me. Deer season. It's that time again. Sure, rifle season doesn't start until the 1st Saturday in November, but there is quite a bit of preparation that goes into deer season. Doc & Ron will be out at the ranch this weekend to start working on the food plots. They need to be mowed, plowed, fertilized, plowed again, and then planted. Bro-in-law will head up Labor Day weekend to cut down the grass and weeds in the feeder pens, and I'll head up late September / early October to fill the feeders and check the stands.

In addition to getting the ranch ready, I'll take at least one trip to the range and shoot the guns to make sure that they are ready. Once they are sighted in, they go into the cases and aren't touched again. A serious hunter has more than one rifle. I have my primary gun and a back-up gun. I also have a second back-up that I take when Shelly hunts with me. That way, we each have one and there is a spare in case something happens to one of them. The second back-up needs a minor repair, so I need to take it to the gunsmith in the next week or so in order to have it back in time.

About a month before season opens, I pull out all of the hunting clothes and make sure they all still fit, and replace as needed. License tags are also picked up. A week or two before opening weekend, the clothes get washed in scent free UV killer soap, and get packed in the duffel bag. I also pull out the hunting bags and make sure everything is in them that needs to be in them. Walkmans and flashlights get fresh batteries, knives get sharpened. License tags are also put in the bags. I'm not kidding when I say I worry myself to death about making sure I have everything. I'm always scared to death that I'll get all the way out to the ranch and not have bullets, license, or something else important.

Can you tell I get a little excited about hunting? I'm actually sitting on the sofa right now watching a hunting show on the Outdoor Channel. Hey, it's my sport. When I was a kid, hunting was the big thing with my dad and grandfather. We all hunted together until just a few years ago when the land we had hunted was sold. Now, we don't hunt together often, but my Dad and I usually make sure to have one weekend hunting together, and we text message back and forth when we are hunting at our respective ranches.

As we get a little closer, there will be more posts. Who knows, I might also post about football. Maybe there will even be some smack talk in the next week or so between Reggie (Appalachian State fan) and Tommy & Joanna (LSU fans)

2008-08-18T23:02:00.005-06:00

Olympic Sports...

I've watched a few Olympic events over the last week or so. I have to tell you, there are some interesting ones out there.

Fencing... Not the construction of a privacy structure, this is sword fighting. Interesting sport. It would be more fun if the competitors either dressed in pirate costumes or started every match with the phrase "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

kayaking... Cruising down a man-made river of sorts going through green or red gates (green heading downstream, red gates headed upstream). Forget the man-made river, put these jokers in some serious rapids. Keep sending them down. Last one standing that hasn't destroyed either their boat or themselves wins... To make it more interesting, put some rednecks with banjos into the mix...

Women's Trampoline... I watched some of this. Strangely, not quite as exciting as one might think it would be... (not quite the same as "Girls on Trampolines" like they used to have on "The Man Show")

Speed Walking... I'm not sure I see the point in this one. Watching a bunch of men in the little shorty-shorts prancing like that... Things such as that are disturbing to the Ladies Man...

Rowing... This is actually a decent sport. The funny part was pointed out by Tommy's wife, Joanna. When watching, notice the coaches and trainers (maybe judges also?) all riding bicycles along the side of the channel. All of them are looking to their right watching the boats, NONE of them are looking where they are going. Sadly, there was never a huge pile-up to laugh at...

Suggestions for new sports...

Men's Cannonball... You have the traditional diving competition, where the plan is to do a trick or two, then make the smallest possible splash. Put a couple of big guys on the high dive, and let us do our tricks and then make the biggest splash possible. I wonder if they make a Speedo in my size?

Lumberjack competition... You've seen this on one of the sports channels. It is guys doing their thing with chainsaws, axes, and saws. Why not put this into the Olympics?

Bass fishing... This sure would increase participation from the folks in the Southeast...

Are there any other sports you guys can think of? Maybe the IOC will find this blog and decide to incorporate your suggestions into the 2012 games in London...

EDIT: Joanna commented on the beach volleyball. I'm adding this so everyone can be in on the story. I had made a comment on Facebook last night about the Brazilian Beach Volleyball team. They had the letters BRA across their chests. I thought it was hilarious, and thought they needed UNDERWEAR written across their behinds.

2008-08-18T20:49:00.004-06:00

I'm living in a Seinfeld episode...

Last night, I stayed up pretty late. I was changing the battery in my mother-in-law's car and missed "Ice Road Truckers", so I had to catch the re-air at midnight. Incidentally, did you know that the battery is under the backseat in a Buick LeSabre? You literally have to remove the rear cushion of the seat to get to the batter. In a grandma car, that means remove 2 car seats, remove the seat, change the battery, and reinstall all of the crap again. GM's engineering department was out to lunch on this one... My father-in-law must have me pegged for a sucker because I was changing the battery for him.

Anyway, since Ice Road Truckers wasn't over until 1AM, and I still had a little picking up to do to get ready for bed, it was pretty late by the time I finally hit the rack. I was deep into dreamland around 3Am, when I was aroused from my sleep by a "BEEP" from somewhere in the house. I laid there a little while thinking that maybe it would just be one beep, then I heard it again. "BEEP!" Crap, this thing isn't going to stop. I was so tired, I could barely see strait, but I got out of bed and went in search of the dead smoke detector. I tracked it down to the one in the office. I stood on a chair and removed the battery, then headed back to bed.

No sooner than I had closed my eyes, I heard it again. "BEEP!" CRAP!!! Another one? I got up and stumbled into the darkness again to find the offending smoke detector, thinking, "Tomorrow, I'm changing all of the batteries, but I've got to stop this damn beeping now so I can get to sleep." I walk around the house, and figure out it's the same stupid smoke detector. It's the one in the office I had just removed the battery from. I stood on the chair again, twisted the detector from it's holder, and unplugged it (hardwired with battery back-ups). Problem solved, I headed back to bed.

Ahhh, back in bed, head on the pillow, and eyes closed, sleep was coming quickly. "BEEP!" What the hell?!?!? I thought I must be hearing things, so I stayed in bed. A couple of minutes later, "BEEP!" Ok, this is nuts. I'm so tired I'm getting desperate. I went back into the office and picked up the smoke detector. Unplugged and battery removed. I held it looking at it thinking "Surely this isn't the one..." A red light blinked and "BEEP!" "How in the...?!?!?"

I pushed the "test" button, and it let out one more, but this time sick sounding beep about half the volume of the other beeps, then silence... "Thank you, sweet Jesus..." Back to bed...

My head hit the pillow, still not believing that the stupid detector, unplugged and battery removed could still beep. Exhausted, I drifted back to sleep. "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP...!!!!" "C'MON!!!!" This time, it was my 7AM alarm clock....

I found all of the 9volt batteries I bought a couple of months ago to freshen up all of the smoke detectors. Maybe tomorrow I'll put them in... (as the detectors are hardwired, the batteries last quite a while, but I do TRY to replace them once a year or so.)

After thinking about this later today, wasn't this a Seinfeld episode?

2008-08-18T20:41:00.001-06:00

Losing my mind...

I had another post all worked out in my head, and I remember it was a good one... Now that I have the time to post, I can't for the life of me remember what it was...

I'll think of it sooner or later, and I promise I'll post it.