Wow. That was Kinda Super...

What a day... Super Bowl Sunday!  Almost a holiday of it's own.

I actually think it's gotten to the point where we need the day after off so we can recover from staying up late, partying and the commercials. I mean, a dunk guy was standing on the side walk in front of my house trying to use his phone at 4 in the morning. I wasn't sure if I should call the cops or an ambulance.

I was awake at 4 in the morning because I thought I heard the announcers say that Seattle had intercepted Manning again and scored another touchdown.

Digression; when the Patriots rack up a 30 point lead they say it's excessive and they are mean but it's just football when every one else does it...

And, of course, the commercials...

Not so much in the racey, raunchy, sexy department this year.

But our sense of humor was gone too.

Except for M&M's and beer.  And soda stream.

Y'know, the company in trouble for having a factory on land they currently control.  I'm sorry; occupy.  How dare they build a factory and create jobs in a war torn country...

A lot of car ads.  One of which I thought was going to be for a cool new Sci-fi movie and the other I thought was going to be a salute for the veterans.

Bruce Willis did an excellent job though.

And those were the biggest goose bumps I've had in quite a while from the National Anthem.

And Bruno Mars saluted the troops, made everyone feel good, and sang the New Denver Broncos theme song...

Giveitaway, giveitaway now...

The biggest problem people seem to have is 'America' being sung in a different language...

Did you know that English will no longer be the majority spoken language in 5 - 10 years?

Did you ever stop to think that English wasn't the original language spoken by the Americans?

Giveitaway, Giveitaway, giveitaway now...

All in all, aside from not really wanting either team to win, it was an enjoyable Super Bowl.  I didn't have to stress about MY team, as if I play for them, winning or doing stupid things like giving the other team a Safety, Tom Brady did that a couple years ago. I didn't wince to much except for the yogurt ads.  And I found the entire thing semi-cerebral.

I geuss I don't want my team making it next year either...

And my son is now a Seahawks fan...

LOL
HAND!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...

Yeah, who am I kidding?

The psychology of what is rapidly becoming a broken holiday is mind numbing.  People complain about having to shop and having to get it done and how much they hate Christmas because it's all about presents and gifts. On and on about how it's all commercialized and etc.

I have never heard so many people in my more than 20 years of retail experience know what a problem is and not try to fix it.

And 'Thanksgiving is being swallowed by Christmas,' They complain

We let it by being led about by print ads and promises of better deals.  We are forgetting other things that go into the cost of a gift;

Time.

Thought.

Comfort.

The next time we're standing outside a store at 11:45 Thanksgiving night in the freezing cold, we should ask ourselves 'Is this worth the money I am saving or would I rather be home, sleeping, and being well rested for a few bucks more?'

People say they don't like this time of year and yet they keep dancing to the drummer of commercialism because they wouldn't want to not get a ton of presents either.

Would that be so bad?  We watch the Grinch every year and we still don't get it.

Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store,
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more...

I love Christmas.  I love the cold, the snow, and the sound of sleighbells.  I love being with my family on Christmas morning, that sparkle they get when they open a present and they realize you love them and have been listening.

I am also the person, if you ask me what I want for Christmas, I have trouble coming up with ideas.

I have a roof over my head and a warm family.  I have happiness and peace.

And I have the greatest gift of all, Christ in my heart.

Sure, I'm not perfect.  I make mistakes and I don't always act as I should.

But God loved me so much that he had a baby born in a manger to pay the price for me and for all of us.

So when the sun is rising on Christmas morning, whether over fields of white or green, realize that you can never give or get enough presents to outdo the one God has already given you.

All those objections are just excuses because it can't be that easy.

All those hard feelings are just mistakes because too human people took matters into their own hands and have said stuff that turns you away.

Get back to the core of it.

What do I want for Christmas?

Love.  Oh, wait. All ready got that...

HAND...

And Have A Nice Christmas, too...

Autumnal is one of my favorite words...

The leaves are changing and have moved beyond the colorful stage to something more dreary and dull.  They will fall to make way for spring flowers and greenery but first the trees become dormant and hibernate for the winter.

Could you imagine what the world would be like if humans hibernated for the winter.  I guess college students do.  They get like a month off between semesters.  i expect my daughter will curl up on the couch with her laptop and Nook and hot cocoa.  She loves my Keurig.

But now is the time to make sure summer is put away.  Just stored all the deck furniture, including the firepit, in the shed.  And all the memories of good times with a beer and the stars and a fire burning for Smores...

And filling up all the room I made in the shed this year so it all fit with out looking like a storage unit from Storage Wars.

I prefer Sam Adams lager while I sit on my deck grilling and making Smores.  If you haven't tried Smores with Reese's instead  of just chocolate, you are missing out.

Next the trampoline comes down to truly fully signal the end of summer and the expectation of winter.

I love winter.  I love fall.  I can't imagine living in a place without 4 seasons, and i have a pretty good imagination.

But there are still good times ahead.  Just had dinner with my Sister and Brother in law and my parents. Very good time, and I haven't spent that long after dinner in a restaurant just chatting since... the last time I went to Olive Garden.  The Sam Adams Octoberfest was very tasty too.

And fall is the beginning of Cub Scouts.  My son is a Bear this year which has got to be one of the most fun years yet.

Life is what you make of it.  You can remember the good byes or the the good times leading up to them and the promise of Hellos in the future.

HAND!

Broken Stuff...

I have never seen so much hoopla over a web site not working.  Especially with the amount of traffic it is getting.  Lets face it folks, a little common sense will tell you that any new web site, with the amount of traffic the Health Care sites are getting, are going to have some bugs.

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of the exchanges, but I get enough of people blowing things out of proportion at work.  What about Beta testing?  How many of the MMORG's out there don't need patches?  The games on Facebook and Zynga? I got a used game for our PS3 and the first time I use it, the game downloads patches and fixes.

Let's broaden the concept outside of computer programming which American Society takes as being too infallible.  It's only as good as the humans who design it.  And multiple humans design it.  These big progs are actually software quilts and every here and there the stitching doesn't match up.

You have heard of automobile recalls? Product recalls?  Read a book lately with a spelling mistake in it?I have.  I know of a fiction series that has a science mistake in the first book. A spelling mistake is  lethal in a computer program.

The only thing as ridiculous as the amount of outrage over something fixable is the defense raised by the Democrats that its the Republicans fault because they stalled the project so much.

Excuse me, last time I checked, more time to work on something leads to LESS problems.

You want to get upset about systems that cause inconvenience and waste?  The FDA no longer holds food dating as a bad violation except in the case of baby formula.  Food dating is a measure of quality now.  Stuff doesn't go bad at the stroke of midnight on the date printed on the package.  Do you know how much food is thrown out in this country because of those dates?

Do you know how much food is thrown out because it is the wrong artificial color?

Let's cash some reality checks people.  We have bigger problems than inoperable health care web sites.

HAND!!

It's Over Before You Know It...

The fall colors have dimmed passed the spectacular stage.  I missed them at their  height as well.  Autumn always seems to be like that; overnight it seems the leaves go from green to to dreary oranges and I've missed the bright natural kaleidoscope that God created. Life has been moving too fast between an ever changing work schedule made more complex by co workers out for various reasons from simple vacations to the beginnings of life.

Suddenly, the Weather Channel is reporting snow in various places and the nights are dipping into the 30's.  More frost, soon snow. I like snow but Autumn is over and I never got to experience it...

My friends invited me to stop by and spend some time with them some Saturday night like we used to.  I usually close on Saturdays or open early on Sundays.  It has been about 6 months since i have spent time with them. Sometimes I'm surprised they still want to see me...

My daughter is almost done with her first semester of college/first half of her senior year.  She volunteers at a spook house on the week ends but since it runs past 9, she can't drive to it.

Cub Scouts has started and I'm the leader of my son's Bear den.  We went to Iron Kettle farms this weekend.  I had a bracelet allowing me into all the events but I used it to keep an eye on my charges. At lunch, the bears separate into their families again and I got to share lunch with Em and Jake in the back of my truck as the sky got darker, the breeze became a chill wind, and two trucks collided on the road.  We left after lunch and I realized during the hour drive home that I hadn't gotten to play with my kids.  I spent so much time watching and supervising...

I offered to go elsewhere with them on the way home but we were so tired and Em had the spook house to go to...

My brother and sister are at my parents from out of town for a week or so.  I put in for time off to see them but we are short managers at work right now so it was denied...

My Uncle died over the weekend.  I always thought I would see him again.  My father is officiating the service.  I would like to be there but work and kids and I work a middle schedule all week. He used to come into the Sam's Club where i work from time to time and we'd catch up a little.  He was always smiling.

Time to get ready for work soon.

Time to do that thing I don't like doing.  Giving advice that I can't seem to take;

Find the time to spend with those around you.  Make memories.  Have fun.  Don't try to sleep with regret.

Because, well, read the title again...

HAND

Thank You, Mr. Ramsey...

I know, there will be a billion Blogs about Charles Ramsey and his heroic actions which freed 3 women after 10 years of captivity...

I am struck by the normalcy of our hero. How he recounts eating his Whopper when the scream came from the house next door and going into action so rapidly that the sandwich was still in his hand when he started to kicking at the door.

I am moved by his emotion that he had lived next door for a year and hadn't freed them, even though he didn't know.

I am stunned that he is already turning down a reward, wanting it to be given to the freed hostages.

I wasn't surprised to hear him say he was Christian... although hearing Wolf Blitzer site the Good Samaritan parable to typify him caused me to raise an eyebrow at Wolf.

Not that it doesn't fit.  I'm not here to deconstruct the parable and how this tale matches up.

I think Mr. Ramsey wouldn't agree that it fit.  He doesn't feel he went out of the way to run to the rescue.

I wonder what he would have said if someone had told him that by days end he would be a national hero.

I do want to call a note of caution.  Mr. Ramsey is a normal human being. 'Just like you.' as he said at one point.  Don't be disappointed if we find out how fallible and human he is.  Let's just remember that he did the right thing in an ordinary moment and is now an extrordinary individual.  And he still seems to be the man who jumped on his bike one day to get some Burger King for lunch just before his life changed, possibly forever.

Thank you, Mr Ramsey.  Heroes sometimes appear to be few and far between.  You do a good job reminding us that normal people can be heroic too...

God Bless you...

HAND!!

Parable time...

So, this guy starts eating at All You Can Eat Buffets every night.  In a couple months, he realizes that he is getting very overweight because he is getting a large belly.  Instead of looking at his lifestyle and realizing that maybe he shouldn't eat so much food and should exercise more and learn some self control, he decides to take a surgical option.  Maybe his belly being stapled or something.  Just something to get rid of the weight gain that his excesses and gluttony had led too.

Don't get me wrong, he has no medical condition that has led to the obesity.  That would be a different matter.  He just is leading a lifestyle that is adversely affecting his health.

But the surgery is expensive and it would cause some risk to his heath as well.  So he tries to find a way to get his insurance or public funding to pay for the medical option, possibly causing tax payers to pay for his healing.

And he doesn't plan on ceasing his frequent visits to buffets or learning how to control his urges or take precautions to keep himself from having a recurrence of the same problem...

He wants to take advantage of the same system that has been set up for those less fortunate than he is and continue to do whatever he wants...

And it is his body so he has a right to do with it as he pleases...

Sorry! This made me laugh...

Okay, so I was perusing old blogs after I finished the previous one about 2 seconds ago and I stopped at the one about wild things that happen at work and I remembered the one for last week...

So, of course, I was the only manager on.  And I get a call to the lot from a cart person...
Not a, hey can you get out here ASAP.  Just, Coach Tim to the parking lot.  It's usually and irate customer who doesn't like having their receipt checked on the way out, at least we don't make you walk through an impersonal scanner that 50 years from now we will find has given everyone who perused game stores too much a serious medical condition.  Or someone who has done something stupid in the lot, like the woman who ran into the handicapped parking pole because she had sped up to turn in around pedestrians.
I don't make this stuff up....
Or the person who recked there jeep trying to park in the cart corral.  Seriously.  and then he drove off and got upset when we called the police to complain about him destroying it.  He said it's our fault the corrals aren't wide enough...
I'll wait for you to stop chuckling...

Done?
So, I didn't rush to the lot but I did make my way directly there because, y'know, it could be important.
A car was leaking gas into the lot.  It was a couple gallons by the time I got there and every passerby had to comment about how we now have to call the EPA and get a full Hazmat team on site.
They train us for stuff like this.
Unfortunately, that was a couple years ago and I haven't had to use the Chemical Spill Emergency guidelines since.  Yes, there's a term for it but I'm not sure how sensitive it is but the cart person should have utilized it.  No biggie.  I got Dennis to grab some oil dry, which we sell.  And I had Chris get the plate # to the service desk to page the member.  And we blocked the area off with upturned carts and i went inside to call the fire dept...

Ok, it used to be that fire depts and police depts all had normal #s and I don't call them all the time.  So, yes, I admit I looked 911 up in the phone book.  Not that i couldn't remember it, I wasn't sure if this qualified as a 911 level emergency.

Done laughing yet?

Obviously it is because I'm pretty sure they were on site before I got back to the lot.  I think someone else called them first...

So this guy runs up, like literally 10 seconds after the page, and says
"Aw man! We just drove that car off the lot!"

The fireman says, "We have to tow it out sir, after we plug the leak."

"And we just filled the tank!"

Too which Chris says, bless his heart...

"Ain't full anymore!"

I know it's not funny but it is.  I have to not burst into laughter while I assure the man it's under control and it's in his best interest NOT to drive the car at this time.

The wife was furious because they had just bought $200 in groceries and didn't have a car to take them home in.  It was all my fault.  The fire man calmed her down.

After it was all done, I remembered to check the flipchart to see if I handled the incident properly...

Like, if the building is on fire, I'm going to run to the flipchart to see what I should do...

We got it right except the cart people decided to clean up the oil dry themselves instead of let the Fire dept do it...

HAND!

Driving Me Crazy, I Tell You!!

I've been keeping track of something when I'm filling the car with gas because it seems like it not only costs more for gas but it takes longer to fill the tank but I guess that's a product of the cost of gas because the pumps fill based on the price not on the amount you get.
Does that make sense?  I mean, if your getting 8 gallons, it should dispense at the same rate irregardless of how much you're paying for it, right?  Does it take McDonald's longer to make the same burger if they raise the price for it? A bottle of beer is a bottle of beer and the rate at which you can empty it isn't governed by the price of that bottle but by the activity...
And sometimes how many you have already emptied but that's not the point.
The length of time it takes to fill my tank, or your tank, isn't the point either.  I know we usually fill the tank to a monetary amount but I use approximately the same amount every time.
And what is it with the pump slowing down as if gets 50 cents away from the end anyway?  Is the gas pump afraid its going to dispense too much so it has to slow down?
Anyway, back to the point, so I'm spending what feel is like half an hour putting $30 in my tank, yes, I wait too long between fill ups but that's a blog for another day that will probably never get here, and since the process is almost completely automated, my mind notices things and, when given the opportunity, compares trends.
God given talent that, trend comparison and efficiency analysis.  I'm no expert but I notice things..
So why is the price of the medium grade gas more cheaper, I did that on purpose, when the lowest grade is cheaper than when it's considered high.  I consider it high all the time right now partially because I remember when it was less than a buck and people threw a fit then when it went up.  I think I dimly remember it being 25 cents a gallon but that doesn't seem possible anymore.  And I'm not complaining about the natural inflation of goods and services.  I mean, have you had your shoes polished lately?
Me neither,
Back to the point...
So sometimes, the medium grade is only 10 cents higher than the lower grade and sometimes, like now, its 25 to 30 cents more.  Is this to offset charging less for the lower grade than they should?  So why don't they do that all the time?
Is it because the medium grade goes up proportionally to the price of gas?  Doubling or tripling the gap over 50 cents is a huge ratio and, if you follow the progression down, there would come a  point where the medium grade would be like a penny more.
It's not making sense.  But I bet it makes cents.  Actually $'s.  The cost of gas is supposedly where it is by gas stations because they have to charge so much or a certain amount, right?  I find it eerie when all the gas stations in town have exactly the same price for gas.  So much for competition...
So why can the medium grade fluctuate so much in price comparatively?
As I said,  doesn't make sense to me.
Maybe it has to do with the amount of people who buy medium grade and making extra money off them.  Wouldn't that tick you off?  Being extra gouged for using a better product in your car than you are already being gouged for?
I'm not a gas expert, no matter what my kids say, but there's something not right there...

I'm just saying...

HAND!

To Improve Your Shopping Experience...

Please engage your brain...

Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking or how their houses look by what they do in stores...

I try to see things from their point of view but sometimes, it's so hard...

A woman came in and reported that she injured herself in our store the previous day.  She tripped over the cart her husband was pushing...

The inevitable people who back into our cart machines from a parking space and call the police.  Imagine their surprise when they get ticketted for unsafe backing...

The people who treat the clothing area like a yard sale.  Why can't you just refold the clothing instead of leaving an Autumnal pile?

There are people who are upset right now because we stopped carrying the pumpkin bread mix after Thanksgiving...
And the ones who are looking for that item that had a really good price on it.  How can we be sold out?  We had a pallet of them last week.  The item was low priced because it was on clearance to get rid of the rest of it.  The price drop did it's job.

Some people won't think this one is funny but this has to do with my sense of humor.  A gentleman wouldn't buy something the other day because it was made in Mexico.  He only buys American...

If you didn't get the joke, it's okay.

I informed him that it was made in America.  He said 'no, it was made in Mexico."

He paused and glared at me.  "You know what I mean.  Central America."

I apologized for the inconvenience and tried to end the conversation politely but quickly.  It's frowned upon to laugh at customers.

Yes, I get the idea.  I don't do it to be mean.  And there is really nothing I can do.  It's like the guy who tells me he's never going to shop in my store again...every week... for the past 3 years.

I knowit can be a frustrating time of the year and money is tight.  Our expectations have been set too high.  We seem to be like Dudley from Harry Potter, counting the number of gifts this year and comparing them to last year.

My family gets annoyed with me every year because I don't know what I want for Christmas.  I've already got all I want and none of it can be bought with money...

Ok, the roof over my head and the food and the car are nice but I don't really need a new game or some of the other stuff.  I haven't watched all the DVDs I got last year yet...

At least we're allowed to say Merry Christmas this year.  I said it last year too.  I call it freedom of speech...

HAND!

Oops! Been a While...

Almost a month has gone by since i last blogged. Weird word that.  Imagine saying that to someone 50 years ago and they would probably have thought you had gotten sick, or drunk.

Life is busy. Stuff to do.  I try to reshuffle things so I am doing more of the stuff that I want to or should do.  Re-prioritizing, I geuss.

So, I'm the cub scout pack leader for my son's pack of wolf scouts.  Most of my Monday nights are taken up with meetings and Saturday Mornings are taken up by special events.  Jake loves it and I enjoy spending the time with him.

Now I have to find a way to spend regular time with Emily.  First i need to hide her phone, computer, and tv.  Then keep her away from her friends.  That doesn't seem right.

Working on the walls of the bathroom. All of the old wall paper and glue is gone but the Dif we used to take it off has left a residue like a blue Slimer has gone beserk in there.

Slimer.  The green globby ghost from Ghostbusters.  The first one...

I have almost all the baseboards in place in the kitchen.  It may not be the most professional looking job in the world but I did it myself and it was the first time I have done something like that. It looks pretty good to me.  And I enjoy playing with Great Stuff and Liquid Nails...

Now if I could only pry this scraper out of my hands.

The trampoline is down for the winter.  That was kinda like my brother shutting down his pool except I don't use it myself, I don't sit near it sipping Reisling, and it was far easier to take it apart than put it together.  I've always had a knack for breaking stuff down.  Ask anyone.  The only mishap was I pulled off one of the aglets on the rope that goes around the outside.

If you don't know what an aglet is look it up.

That actually was one of those mixed blessing things.  It was taking the longest to 'unweave' the rope from all the loops and such because the aglet would catch on the edges and have to be guided through every single one.  These loops exist on the enclosure, the base covering, and the frame; all around the perimeter.  Therer are alot of them.

When the aglet popped off, and I couldn't slip it back on.  Silly thought, I know.  I realized that now I could pull the rope through three loops at a time!  And next year, I will ue the end with the aglet to thread the rope through.

The deck is cleared off for winter.  It is still full of happy memories of making kabobs for visiting family or just sitting around the porch fireplace as the night sky deepened to just stars and planes.

I'm glad i took the trampoline down before I accidentally glued the paint scrapper in my hand with Great Stuff!

HAND!

I tried not too... Belling the Cat...

Y'know that guy at work who does stuff he shouldn't or does, basically, nothing but escapes notice by pointing out the flaws of his co-workers?

Would you vote him in as President?

Or the person who uses the work of others as their own accomplishments?

Or just points out what a bad job someone else is doing and says that if they had that job, they could do better?

I don't know when the last time I went to a job interview and tried to get the job by making the other applicants look like they aren't a good choice so hire me...

Name calling? Funny quips?  Fact distortion?

Is this a presidential election or the 5th grade?

A few  thoughts, correct me if I'm wrong with constructive criticism...

One of Barak O'bama's running points before was ending the war by bringing our boys home.  The hint was that the mission would not be completed and I thought thats what people voted for. 

Now the mission is complete and our President is taking the credit.  yes, he has to ok the operation but aren't we glossing over the fact of all those soldiers and intelligence workers putting the thing together until it was handed to the President, whoever it was?  What would be the response if such had happened and the go ahead had not been given?  After all this time and energy and lives spent?

Point of order; it has been hinted that there were times in the past that the problem may have been handled pre 911 but the President at the time did not give the go ahead.

So, unless there had been a total withdrawal, wouldn't the mission have happened no matter who was President?

The war had started before he took office so he can't be blamed/ hailed for that.  This was the culmination of the work begun then...right or wrong. 

But I'm not sure what the other guy will do and the waffling and softening of position has begun to please the... contributers?

A sociology professor of mine once said that maybe there should be a 'None of the Above' button in the toll booth so that people wouldn't have to split along party lines or try to vote in a 3rd party canidate who, frankly, doesn't stand a chance in our media driven culture.

And maybe if None of the Above got the most votes then the 2 VP canidates would have to lead the country together until more suitable canidates could be found instead of the two guys with the deepest pockets and the most friends. 

We're not voting for the Prom Queen here, people.

I'm finding it easier and more satisfying to be non-partisan now than ever before.  Unfortunately, the way things are, this is a two person race.  the guy who's been doing the job and the guy who wants to do the job.

And, in my mind, they are spending tons of money calling each other names when we have an economy that is hindered partially by our countries ever increasing debt.  There's something to spend the money on.

Can someone give me a percentage of the debt that could have been paid off by the amount of money spent on the election include dinners and fundraisers?

I'm an assistant manager and I have closed and re-opened a position because no one who has applied was qualified.

I have also hired the wrong person before.

So, in conclusion,

Go out and vote, it's our right and duty.  Just, please, vote with your head and not with what others tell you to do or what you've always done in the past.

And don't get your hair stuck in the polling levers...

H.A.N.D.

Hello! I'm talking to you!!

I finally figured it out yesterday.

I had heard tons of reports and commentary about texting, most of which i can't remember except the whole keep the phone a foot from your head...

You know about that, right?

Anyway, the problem I have with texting...

I text a ton.  i'm not as bad as my 16 year old daughter but between work, friends (from work), and family I get the amount up there. 

The problem... this is why people don't like my blog.  i can't stay on topic...

And that's the point.  Kinda.

Conversation is immediate.  Conversation is reactive.  When you are talking to someone there is also body language and tone of voice...

The average length of time between statement and response is 3 - 5 minutes. i'm at work and text my boss about an issue at work.  5 to 10 minutes is a long time to wait for a resolution.  Usually it becomes like a test answer if his response matches what I did.

And, in a text-ual conversation, people will often just not repoind to statements they don't want to address.  Kinda like a political debate.

Or they just never answer.  I didn't get the text or I was busy or I must have accidentally erased it.

And then there are the people who get upset if you don't answer right away.  Like, I'm driving or at work busy. Give me a break. 

They are also the people who just never get back to you when you check on them and then are mad when you run into them in the grocery store.

That's like me saying something to you and you walking away and the next time we talk you get mad at me for not saying good bye the last time.

And saying goodbye has gone away too.  My daughter doesn't say goodbye to her friends when she talks to them on the phone.  When she calls them.  I have seen her text a friend who is on the other side of the car.

Now I;m telling us to bell the cat here.  I mean, what can we do?   I geuss we need to work on conversational closings so you know that the conversation is over.  And maybe coloring the messages would help with tone of voice.

Or maybe some courtesy instead of just never answering.  Apologize later. Tell what happened.  It's ok if you can't answer back right away.  If you need an instant answer or a conversation, dial the phone.

If I am too busy or driving, I won't answer.  or I will answer and explain that now isn't a good time.

Just some thoughts.  I still prefer face to face conversation...

Stripping! It's not what you think...

Get your brain out of that gutter.

I spent most of my Saturday off stripping the old wall paper in our bathroom with the help of my mom and wife and kids.  It was actually fun.  and i kinda like the new appearance of the room with just the plaster and wall board, little scraps of wallpaper and glue still clinging in spots waiting to be scrubbbed/scraped off while we prepare to paint.  The old dingy room is getting a new look.

I was pondering this after i dropped Jake off at school this morning and realized a theme.  kinda the frying pan to the back of the head as the Lord showed me a connection to other things.

I also shaved my moustache off a couple weeks ago.  I was done hiding behind it.  I was never one to believe much that facial hair meant you were hiding but, as I looked back at the past, oh, 20 years, I realize I came to Corning with a full beard, mustache, and long enough hair to tie into a small pony tail.  Over the years, the hair got shorter, the beard became a goatee and then just a moustache.  I would chew on the moustache when it got too long and it would smell gross at times.

So I shaved it off.  My son didn't want to get in the car the first afternoon after school until I spoke.   He wasn't sure it was me.  People at work tell me I look good. neater.  Younger.  15 years younger to be exact by the usual estimate.

And I felt better.  I have dealt with some old baggage and struggles.  I can't believe I carried some of this stuff around for so long.  Not that shaving the moustache got rid of the baggage but what i got rid of made me appear younger.

And I didn't do it because I thought I would look better but because I was sick of the old thing.  Too much time spent making it more presentable, like old wall paper that no longer serves its purpose.

Now I'm starting to wonder why a couple of people at work are growing out their facial hair.  Wonder if they are trying to hide something from themselves...

Random Thoughts...

To answer the question posed, I geuss Billy Joel doesn't write classical music, although John Williams can be found in the Classical music section of a store.  He would be writing orchestral Music.  Point conceded.  I don't sweat the small stuff.

Do I really want a President whose first name is the larval form of head lice?  Just to be non partisan.  I picked on the DNCC last time.

The Patriots lost again.  Close good game though.  I geuss there was a bad ref call.  I don't watch Patriots games for the reason that they always will start to embarass themselves while I am watching.  Yes, I watched last years Super Bowl.  I have also come to the conclusion that bad ref calls are part of the game.  Like weather.  They just happen.  If the game is that close, there are other problems than a bad call.

Does anyone else feel like both presidential candidates have done such a good job convincing me that neither of them should get the job?  Is Mickey Mouse running again this year?

A good driving habit kept me from having a car accident today.  I was at McDonalds getting coffee and was waiting for traffic to clear enough on the 4 lane to get out of the lot when a very nice guy in a truck waved me in front of him.  Having the previously discussed good habit of only pulling into the near lane when turning onto a four lane, I was missed by the driver moving up the left lane of traffic, as he has the right to do because there was no traffic there.  Wouldn't have been pretty.

Jacob has a new Darth Vader sweat shirt that has a zippable hood that looks like a Darth's mask which he proudly wore to school today.  He got it on a BTS shopping spree with his grand-mother Saturday.  He became upset in the car as I dropped him off because the kids were already moving into the school when we arrived.  He would not be able to show them the cool clothing because they are not allowed to wear the hoods in school.  I was proud of him for knowing the rules and wanting to obey them over his own desires.  He would have to wait until recess or after school.  Small stuff.

There's a good christian song about the little things which drive us crazy.  i can't remember the artist.

It's called 'The Little Things.'  It's kinda a fun song.  Give it a listen some time.

Is our country's economy caught in a ping pong game between the 2 political parties?

I would say that this one wasn't so random but calling the presidential race and the economy small things doesn't seem right.

Maybe I should call the random thoughts editions Small stuff.

HAND!

Aaaah! Autumn!

There's a couple reasons I love where I live.  I know taxes aren't great and the town is strange but I love New York seasons.  I love all four but, to be honest, Summer is my least favorite.  Hot days make me a lethargic.  Humid days are just plain uncomfortable and hard to handle, especially with a wife and child with asthma problems.  I do enjoy the golden sunlight and the outdoor activities but the threat of sunburn, Jake got burned twice this year and he had sunscreen put on both times.  Re-appliction was the issue and once was at park program, and heat exhaustion, Jake and Steph fell prey to that this year as well, take some of the joy out of it.  I don't like looking out the window at a bright sunny day but knowing that we can't go out to play because of the heat index.
Then again, I'm a precipitation freak.  And I love to watch the leaves turn colors in the fall.  Just like I love to watch the barren branches start to green with buds in the Spring.  And then, suddenly, there are leaves and flowers.  And, yes, pollen.
Sometimes I think I like Winter because most people don't.  Invariably, when I tell people I like winter, I am told that I must ski.
Nope. Never have.  Don't foreesee it happening either.
The long, cold darkness, as someone called it recently.
I find sunny days in the winter after a good snow to be brilliant!  All that white is so beautiful and refreshing!  It's like a purification! And I still like snow angels!
I don't mind the driving as much in the winter either, having grown up in the country on back roads.  I've been in ditches and skidded out.  My mom once did a 360 in the car she was driving me to school in.
I love seasonal changes.  I get bored of the same thing all the time.  Days of heat that seem to wilt us worse as they continue.  Everyone says they love it but they get more irritable as the heatwave continues.  Tempers flare and I find myself in 'discussions' with people anout the cruelty of dying plants on the sales floor or why are we biased against Macadamia nuts.  We carry all other sorts.
Seriously.
I love rain.  I love wind.  I love snow!  It's beautiful.  I love to look at ssingle flakes on a windshield.  I love the patterns of frost as the coat the world.
Dew is cool as well.  I enjoy fog.
Seasons of the planet are like seasons of life.  You can either sit there and complain about what its like outside or you can enjoy it!  Find the good in it!  I also like winter because I don't have to mow the lawn! 
And, as I always say, its more fun to warm up with someone you love than to cool down!

HAND!

A view from above...

I go back to work today after 10 days of vacation.

Not that I didn't work over my vacation.  I got a lot done around the house, as you probably know.  Started repairing the driveway.  Got  a good start but ten bags of asphalt got the job half done.  I have to wait until payday to get more.  I'm still sore but then again...

Climbed up onto my roof yesterday.  Scary experience for all.  While the top is flat, getting there was very steep.  I might be sore from that too.  Got a nasty contusion on my shin from crawling up and down what had to be a 75 degree angled roof.  And I do mean crawling.  The highlight was when I went to put my foot on the first wrung to get down off the roof onto the relative safety of the ladder, there was no way I was planning on trying to get lowered to start on the second wrung, the cuff of my pant leg snared the top of the ladder side.  So my left foot was flat on the wrung with part of the ladder up my pant leg and there was no room to put my right foot unless I turned to face out from the ladder and I was having trouble getting my foot up high enough to get it free...

I could almost hear my guardian angel sigh.  Leave it to me to get into a situation you would only find in a Vacation movie...

I survived and got down safely, obviously.  Probably mostly due to fervent prayer from the family.  The roof is patched with tar now.  I got all the way up there with a brush in my back pocket and used a rope to get the can of tar patch up next to me, no way I was going up that roof with the can in my hand or even mouth.  I think I grabbed the edge of the roof with my teeth once when I started skidding backward on my ascent.

You home repair specialists know whats coming next.  I needed a putty knife, not a brush.  IT LOOKS LIKE A PAINT CAN! OK?

So, my family finds a putty knife, actually a paint scraper  but it worked.

While waiting for them to find this stuff, I took the time to do something which, I think, I have become known for.  I made the best of a tenuous situation.  I cracked jokes, my personal stress reliever.  I scanned the neighborhood.  I looked at the clouds and the sky and the sunlight on the trees.  It looked like rain was on its way but I wasn't concerned about that.  Sure that would make the descent problematic but that was in the future.  I had enough problems for now.

The work on the roof was easier than the preparation and clean up.  I didn't realize I had hurt my leg until I went to shower and saw the bleeding.  Adrenalin can be a wonderful thing.

I couldn't have done this alone.  I am afraid of heights.  My head gets tight and my spine starts to vibrate.  A panic lurks in my head ready to pounce on every nasty danger...

I hope the wind doesn't pickup...

The extension ladder felt like it would snap in half and the incline of the upper roof...

And my family telling me I didn't have to if I thought it too dangerous.  I did feel it was very dangerous.  My brain was screaming for me to give up.

But I couldn't live with that.  I wanted to try harder and defeat these fears and do the job.  I could do it.  I knew it could be done.  People do stuff like this all the time. 

And I didn't want to give up in front of my son who is at that age where the stuff I do in front of him will become parts of who he is.  I wasn't reckless.  I thought things through.  I took my time.  And I prayed alot.  I'm sure he heard me reciting the 23rd Psalm on my way down to the ladder...

I didn't do it.  I had a lot of help, mostly heavenly, to complete the job.

Proof you say?

As we started taking down the extension ladder, rain began to fall.  Good thing I hadn't worried about it.  It was already taken care of...

HAND!

What now?

Football is here.  I love this sport but, yeah, these guys make a lot of money.

So don't politicians.  Do we really need a 4 day convention to tell everybody something we already know?

And Nascar, and other races, isn't the fuel supply tight enough?  Pollution?  Anyone? Anyone?

When all was hunky-dorey, no one really thought about where we should cut back and what are un-needed expenses.  Most american families are making these decisions now.  Where to shop, how much to buy, how to cut down on extra trips.

But some of the people out there think this is business as usual.  Things may be fine now but, some day soon, hollywood might find out that the price of movie tickets and popcorn is just too high.

Add into that the cost to drive there.

Or to go to a sporting event.

And then there's the time investment.

I didn't get to watch too much football today because I had other things to do; a roof to patch, decorations to hang, a family to spend time with who don't enjoy football.

Just a thought tonight.  The Steelers/Broncos game is entertaining.  Everyone else is in bed asleep so I can spend the time to watch it...

HAND!

Random Thoughts!

Like I really have anything else...

Does it bother anyone else that the Democratic Convenition acronym is DNC? I geuss if your a Democrat it doesn't. Actually it does, I heard it called the DNCC on the news yesterday.

Just so you know, I'm a registered Nothing.  Not an Independent.  I am a registered voter.  I know that means I can't vote in Primaries but when was the last time that mattered.  Bob can tell me I'm sure! LOL!

I actually think a lot of the problem with the country night now is the 2 party system and the liabilities that come with it.

I'm gonna get Comments now...

We rented the original Pink Panther 2 last night, still very funny, and I pointed out that the credits came at the beginning of the movies back then.  Now they put hidden scenes at the ends of the credits so you'll sit through them.  I usually sit theough the credits because I want to take note of all the people who have worked hard on a movie.  i'm probably one of the few who can recognize several composers by their movie scores.

I hear Billy Joel is supposed to write Classical music.  Maybe he should do some movie scores.

I still can't get over how half-starved looking women are supposed to be attractive.  Wasn't it Julius Ceaser who said he would rather have well fed friends as they are satisfied and less likely to stab you in the back?

Have you seen the ads for the new tv show where there is no power so people have to use crossbow and such to defend themselves?  I didn't know handguns needed electricity.  My daughter pointed out that it takes electricity to make ammo. I informed her that guns existed prior to electricity.  Well, captured electricity.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite lines from a great movie.

'They used to say a demon lived past the speed of sound.'

The Right Stuff.  With Neil's passing, now would be a great time to go rent that.

Micheal Duncan Clark died Monday morning.  We have had a slew of great actors and writers leave us.  I revere MDC because a person of his physical dimensions you would think would only be an action movie star.  He was very talented.  His roll in Armageddon is my favorite.  I used to sing the theme song from that movie as a lullaby for Emily.

And anyone who has heard my singing knows that I shouldn't sing lullabies.

Another of my favorite songs, and now Emily's too because we taught her to listen to the words, is Time After Time by Ms. Lauper.  I still remember the first time Emily got to see Cyndi Lauper in a video.  She was amazed by her looks. 

Remember when you didn't have to be attractive to sing well?  Or need a synthesizer? And bands played their own music?

And you didn't have to be attractive to be a great actor or national leader?

They say Kennedy won a presifdsential election partially because of the first televised debates...

I geuss those thoughts weren't so random after all...

What a difference...Redux!

And traffic is mostly back to normal today around town and near Jake's school.  Go figure!  Where are all the cars that were parked and the parents dropping off their kids and the traffic jams of people dealing with buses!  The high school went back into session today so I thought it would be worse but we'll have to go to Stephanie for that story as she took Em to school.  Or Em drove herself.  And a friend...

I'm glad the roads were less busy.

But it seems odd that the day of so much importance, yesterday, has now become the next day and its all routine.  The kids are still getting used to having to return to school.  One day is like a trip to a boring museum during the summer...

My kids like museums.  They beg to go to museums.  Museums they have been to EVERY year, sometimes more than twice.  I have weird kids.

Now the little students are going to be realizing that this WILL be an everyday thing.  I think the second day is important too, if not moreso. If you can get them excited about the year now and keep their interest this first week when they still are thinking about all they used to do during the day all Summer...

Swimming, going to museums, playing video games, day trips to someplace fun...

Then they have a better chance of staying the course.  Being focussed!

Jake came home from school and the first words out of his mouth was the Math test they took in class that he did awesome on! It was easy and he only got a couple questions wrong!  And he did perfect on the Time quiz!  He can even read a not-digital clock! (His words)

There's some good teaching going on in those two statements.  Nothing succeeds like success and you have to know where you are to get where you're going.

If you need some more conversation on where I get that, don't hesitate to ask.

Jake blames his Star Wars wall clock for his ability to read dials.  He says he just looks at the pictures.  Something most be sinking in...

Now if I can just find children's workbooks on how to be a video game designer...

HAND!