Cait Simmons, 27, a waitress in Chicago, takes a different approach. Although she has pared down her footwear collection from 35 to 20 pairs, she says, "All my shoes count as one item."I am pretty partial to my stuff, and probably irrationally attached to several items I hold dear, particularly an afgan knitted for me by my grandmother, and my grandfather's old wooden creaky rocking chair. This article looks and smells like self-loathing freedom haters to me. As long as you are not consumed by possessing things, or them possessing you, I say what's the problem?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
These Are A Few Of My 100 Things
Time Magazine has an article about living with only 100 things. That is a pretty tall order. Depends on what your definition of "thing" is. Does a set of golf clubs, tees, balls, cart, and bag all count as one thing. I sure hope so. One of the participants is quoted addressing this problem.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Einsteins
Tory has started the summer session here at Austin Community College. His class is a MW evening class from 5:30 pm to 7:10. The campus is fairly close but we want Tory to get home on the bus, its only 50 cents. Yesterday he gets on the wrong bus and ends up at a transit station north of our house and further away than ACC. Plus he had to get off since it was the end of the line, and had no money to get on another to get back home. I had to go get him.
After picking him up I needed to get a few items at Walmart. Tory and I go in and get our needed items. As we're getting ready to check out I discover I don't have my wallet, and can't pay. Luckily I have $19.75 in my pocket. So we put back most of what was in the basket. The final item, a big bag of chips, didn't make the cut. Why, oh why, did we need that aluminum foil?
Dinner was served just after 9 and there were some grumpy diners.
After picking him up I needed to get a few items at Walmart. Tory and I go in and get our needed items. As we're getting ready to check out I discover I don't have my wallet, and can't pay. Luckily I have $19.75 in my pocket. So we put back most of what was in the basket. The final item, a big bag of chips, didn't make the cut. Why, oh why, did we need that aluminum foil?
Dinner was served just after 9 and there were some grumpy diners.
Father's Day and Golf
A pretty good Father's Day this year. Bagels and coffee with friends after church. Back home for a light lunch, a 30 minute nap, a glass of iced tea, and out to Morris Williams GC for a round of golf.
I teed off at 3:15, and the club house thermometer showed 98 degrees. Whew. The heat was somewhat mitigated by light breezes, and I tried to walk a good bit in the shades of trees. Promptly double bogeyed first hole.
I played the first 11 holes as a single, and waited not once to hit. I caught the fellow in front of me at the 12th tee and we played the remaining 7 together waiting occasionally on the twosome in front of us, and they did not appear to be to serious about golf hitting 2 or 3 shots from nearly every place. The entire round was just over 3 hours, a land speed record for me at this course. Overall score was 82 going 42 - 40 on the nines.
The problem with playing solo is no one sees your greatness. My greatness this day was off the tee. I was hitting some of my best drives ever. Unfortunately this greatness was offset by poor play from the fairway and on the green. The main theme of the day seemed to be having the ball below my feet on a thin lie. Also many times I'd be a full to half wedge away from the green and fail to get the ball on the green, often missing badly. Putting is also very unreliable. I hit all four par 3's in regulation, and had 11 putts. I did finally get on the birdie quest on the 11th hole, a par 5 sinking a 2 footer.
After teeing off at #5, I saw very bright blue bluebird. The feral parrots appear to have been run off as I neither saw nor heard any all day.
Later that night a family game of Scrabble. Tory passed off "nuke", which scored him about 6 points. "Thugs" and "jail" were in the same line together, and "ozone" made everyone giddy. Sean won this tense competition.
I teed off at 3:15, and the club house thermometer showed 98 degrees. Whew. The heat was somewhat mitigated by light breezes, and I tried to walk a good bit in the shades of trees. Promptly double bogeyed first hole.
I played the first 11 holes as a single, and waited not once to hit. I caught the fellow in front of me at the 12th tee and we played the remaining 7 together waiting occasionally on the twosome in front of us, and they did not appear to be to serious about golf hitting 2 or 3 shots from nearly every place. The entire round was just over 3 hours, a land speed record for me at this course. Overall score was 82 going 42 - 40 on the nines.
The problem with playing solo is no one sees your greatness. My greatness this day was off the tee. I was hitting some of my best drives ever. Unfortunately this greatness was offset by poor play from the fairway and on the green. The main theme of the day seemed to be having the ball below my feet on a thin lie. Also many times I'd be a full to half wedge away from the green and fail to get the ball on the green, often missing badly. Putting is also very unreliable. I hit all four par 3's in regulation, and had 11 putts. I did finally get on the birdie quest on the 11th hole, a par 5 sinking a 2 footer.
After teeing off at #5, I saw very bright blue bluebird. The feral parrots appear to have been run off as I neither saw nor heard any all day.
Later that night a family game of Scrabble. Tory passed off "nuke", which scored him about 6 points. "Thugs" and "jail" were in the same line together, and "ozone" made everyone giddy. Sean won this tense competition.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Popcorn bargain
Going to the movies? Consider the medium sized popcorn in a bag. (from Portfolio.com)
Thursday, June 05, 2008
JK Rowling at Harvard
JK Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard today. Our family has enjoyed her books so I was interested in what she had to say, and Jo (all her friends call her Jo) did not disappoint.
The site might add video of her address later.
The site might add video of her address later.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Walking, Part 2
Its quickly getting too hot for some lunchtime walks of 40 to 45 minutes as summer approaches. On a recent walk, among all the other trash that is along the roadside was a Scratch-off lottery ticket. Of course it was a loser, and yes I checked, but I had to ask myself what if it had been a winner. And what if it had been a big winner. When is someone obligated to find the owner of a lost, but valuable item?
People find money occasionally here and there of nominal amounts to their good fortune. There are stories of cab drivers finding jewelry or huge amounts of cash left behind in their cars and ultimately finding the owner.
So, would I need to find the owner of a lost winning lottery ticket? And its a big winner. How would I do that? Perhaps a CraigsList ad - "If you've lost a $25 million dollar lottery ticket, please email me with the date and numbers, and where you lost it, and its yours."
Or perhaps I decide to cash it in. I can't find a scenario where I could be in trouble (my greatest fear in all this, accused of theft of some sort!) and would then be the winner. Clear conscious? Nothing a few hundred rounds of golf couldn't cure I hope.
The Bible has the parable of a man out walking who finds a great treasure in a field. He hides the treasure, sells all his property, then buys the field and acquires the great treasure for himself. The walking man does not tell the original owner of the treasure - maybe it was property owned by a corrupt government that acquired it threw some corrupt means, but we're not told that part of the story.
I am not sure what would happen, but I will keep searching.
People find money occasionally here and there of nominal amounts to their good fortune. There are stories of cab drivers finding jewelry or huge amounts of cash left behind in their cars and ultimately finding the owner.
So, would I need to find the owner of a lost winning lottery ticket? And its a big winner. How would I do that? Perhaps a CraigsList ad - "If you've lost a $25 million dollar lottery ticket, please email me with the date and numbers, and where you lost it, and its yours."
Or perhaps I decide to cash it in. I can't find a scenario where I could be in trouble (my greatest fear in all this, accused of theft of some sort!) and would then be the winner. Clear conscious? Nothing a few hundred rounds of golf couldn't cure I hope.
The Bible has the parable of a man out walking who finds a great treasure in a field. He hides the treasure, sells all his property, then buys the field and acquires the great treasure for himself. The walking man does not tell the original owner of the treasure - maybe it was property owned by a corrupt government that acquired it threw some corrupt means, but we're not told that part of the story.
I am not sure what would happen, but I will keep searching.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Walking Part 1
Since I haven't been getting much exercise at home, I decided to spend most of my lunches at work walking. I have been getting about 40 to 45 minutes in about 4 times a week. The weather has been good so far but will be too hot soon enough. I have learned a few things.
Walking near where I work is no picnic. Many of the roads have no sidewalks, and the roads turn out to be highways. I am constantly on the look out at traffic. Often I have to walk in a dried out ditch to avoid being too close to the road.
There is trash everywhere. Even where you think there might not be trash, there's trash. I have seen just about everything in the most unusual places except for the stereotypical fish skeleton. People are pigs!
Out walking by yourself is like mowing the lawn. There isn't much to do except walk and think about stuff. When I return I don't remember much of what I thought about either, much like my dreams at night.
Walking near where I work is no picnic. Many of the roads have no sidewalks, and the roads turn out to be highways. I am constantly on the look out at traffic. Often I have to walk in a dried out ditch to avoid being too close to the road.
There is trash everywhere. Even where you think there might not be trash, there's trash. I have seen just about everything in the most unusual places except for the stereotypical fish skeleton. People are pigs!
Out walking by yourself is like mowing the lawn. There isn't much to do except walk and think about stuff. When I return I don't remember much of what I thought about either, much like my dreams at night.
Sea To Shining Sea - By Bike!
A high school buddy of mine is riding from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic by bicycle. The trip involves 25 days of riding of about 100+ miles each day. They started with 7 straight days and then had a rest day; then 8 days more before a rest day and then finally 10 days straight to the Atlantic.
He is blogging about his ride experience and posting a few photos. The ride organizer also is posting entries and photos here.
Sounds like a great way to see the country, but as Eric writes there have been serious accidents and injuries and three riders have had heart attacks that have taken them out of the tour. Tragically one man dies in his sleep.
He is blogging about his ride experience and posting a few photos. The ride organizer also is posting entries and photos here.
Sounds like a great way to see the country, but as Eric writes there have been serious accidents and injuries and three riders have had heart attacks that have taken them out of the tour. Tragically one man dies in his sleep.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Rush Concert
The band Rush was here in Austin and Tory, Justin (one of Tory's buddies), Evan, and I were in the crowd for the show. Tory and Justin were in the lower floor seating, and Evan and I were in the upper arena seating, but I was pleased with our view.
Rush put on a good show. Somehow these three guys have managed to avoid getting frozen in time over the past 30 years of playing together. I can imagine that having to play "Spirit Of Radio" or "Tom Sawyer" every show for, well, ever might get stale. But I believe the very talented trio manages to keep their music fresh because they love the music, they love performing it, they aren't afraid to try anything new, and they keep moving forward by composing new music.
I have to admit that when Rush launched into some of their newer songs of the most recent "Snakes and Arrows" most of the crowd had blank faces. Tory told me he wasn't exactly taken with the new music on the cd, but hearing it live was much better. I like the songs and material, but didn't find it memorable ( a bit like a Simon Cowell might say ).
Rush did not stay away from their old hits tho. They launched the show with "Limelight", a great start, and dropped in "Freewill", "Red Barchetta", "Tom Sawyer" through out. Those are the titles I remember. I am not a devoted fan of theirs and don't carry around a Rush rolodex in my head. The guy sitting next to me was sending text messages of the set list out on his cell phone all night.
A very impressive presentation of a light show, videos, pyrotechnics, and terrific musicianship made for an enjoyable night. I will admit that I slipped in some ear plugs midway through the show and didn't miss a note. Thankfully they helped me avoid that Popsicle headache that often accompany a night after a concert. I was able to sleep without any ear ringing at all.
Rush put on a good show. Somehow these three guys have managed to avoid getting frozen in time over the past 30 years of playing together. I can imagine that having to play "Spirit Of Radio" or "Tom Sawyer" every show for, well, ever might get stale. But I believe the very talented trio manages to keep their music fresh because they love the music, they love performing it, they aren't afraid to try anything new, and they keep moving forward by composing new music.
I have to admit that when Rush launched into some of their newer songs of the most recent "Snakes and Arrows" most of the crowd had blank faces. Tory told me he wasn't exactly taken with the new music on the cd, but hearing it live was much better. I like the songs and material, but didn't find it memorable ( a bit like a Simon Cowell might say ).
Rush did not stay away from their old hits tho. They launched the show with "Limelight", a great start, and dropped in "Freewill", "Red Barchetta", "Tom Sawyer" through out. Those are the titles I remember. I am not a devoted fan of theirs and don't carry around a Rush rolodex in my head. The guy sitting next to me was sending text messages of the set list out on his cell phone all night.
A very impressive presentation of a light show, videos, pyrotechnics, and terrific musicianship made for an enjoyable night. I will admit that I slipped in some ear plugs midway through the show and didn't miss a note. Thankfully they helped me avoid that Popsicle headache that often accompany a night after a concert. I was able to sleep without any ear ringing at all.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Chupa Chups
Here is a little tune that has been stuck in my head off and on over the past week. It comes from the Chupa Chups website. What is a Chupa Chup? It looks like a Tootsie Pop except it's fabrique en Mexico. I got two of them from a hotel lobby recently - a chocolate ice cream flavored and and orange cream flavored pop. The chocolate one wasn't bad, and I've been too afraid to try the orange.
The website features some flash animation depicting various pop culture scenes from recent decades. Stick around to the end, if not just to have the tune burn into your subconscious.
The website features some flash animation depicting various pop culture scenes from recent decades. Stick around to the end, if not just to have the tune burn into your subconscious.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Golf 2008 Underway
The ribbon was cut on calendar year 2008 golf season yesterday as I headed out to Morris Williams GC for a round. I went straight from the parking lot, to the pro shop, to the first tee, and promptly parred the first hole. Not a pretty par - missed green about 5 yards off the front but then chipped up to a foot of hole and tapped in for par. Promptly bogeyed the next hole missing a 3 footer for par, and double bogey on next also missing 4 footer after dumping tee shot in water. Putting was an adventure all day - since I had no warm up the club felt like a lead pipe in my hands. Lots of good shots along the way, plenty enough to inspire me to get back out. I closed with a par on 18 going 43 + 40 for an 83.
The birdie quest is still in the starting gait however and I really only had 1 good chance but missed a flat 8 footer at least 3 inches left.
At public courses, as a single golfer, I wonder about who I'll be paired with. Are they any good, or will it be a long day of looking for someone else's shot. Yesterday was good. Two guys in a cart played a scramble explaining neither of them were good enough to play alone. The other fellow was oriental, or as Hank Hill might ask "Chinese or Japanese?" He and I both walked. He tended to be extremely deliberate, ie before most every swing - feet together, club down, feet apart, practice swing, repeat each step, then move up to ball feet together, club down, feet apart, and take shot. What a time kill. I had to keep moving to prevent going unconscious at times. Thankfully he was a decent player.
The birdie quest is still in the starting gait however and I really only had 1 good chance but missed a flat 8 footer at least 3 inches left.
At public courses, as a single golfer, I wonder about who I'll be paired with. Are they any good, or will it be a long day of looking for someone else's shot. Yesterday was good. Two guys in a cart played a scramble explaining neither of them were good enough to play alone. The other fellow was oriental, or as Hank Hill might ask "Chinese or Japanese?" He and I both walked. He tended to be extremely deliberate, ie before most every swing - feet together, club down, feet apart, practice swing, repeat each step, then move up to ball feet together, club down, feet apart, and take shot. What a time kill. I had to keep moving to prevent going unconscious at times. Thankfully he was a decent player.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Rush tickets
This morning we won some tickets from a local radio startion to see Rush in Austin next week on the 23rd.
We went through a little comedy on the way. I originally made the call to the radio station and got through. I was telling Sean that I was going to get to play for the tickets when Tory walked in and overheard. He comes up to me and says "gimme the phone!" He was right - he's knows Rush better than I do, but we have to leave for school. So we pile into the car, turn off the radio, wait for the ads, and then the person ahead of us is up. All this is going on while we're driving to school, and I am fretting that the cell will give out or that we'll lose connection like on of the ads on TV. Tory hears the song clip and says "Freewill!" a split second later. After the first caller fails, I hear Tory connect and go on the air. He says, "I don't need to hear the clip, its 'Freewill'!" He wins. High fives all around in the car. Lots of banter with the radio guys ensues.
Tory is a big Rush fan, several DVD's of concerts, so we know what to expect, but he's never seen them live.
We roll up at the school just as he's finishing. His birthday was yesterday and the call screener saying to him "you should've said something!" I think he may have barely avoided a tardy today, but it was worth it.
Good times. BTW I won a Valentine Day package a little over a year ago from the same station identifying "Love Hurts" on the radio.
Now to decide who uses the tickets. Since we had 2 already, purchased as a present for Tory's birthday, Evan, Sean, and I will be stabbing each other in the back to go.
We went through a little comedy on the way. I originally made the call to the radio station and got through. I was telling Sean that I was going to get to play for the tickets when Tory walked in and overheard. He comes up to me and says "gimme the phone!" He was right - he's knows Rush better than I do, but we have to leave for school. So we pile into the car, turn off the radio, wait for the ads, and then the person ahead of us is up. All this is going on while we're driving to school, and I am fretting that the cell will give out or that we'll lose connection like on of the ads on TV. Tory hears the song clip and says "Freewill!" a split second later. After the first caller fails, I hear Tory connect and go on the air. He says, "I don't need to hear the clip, its 'Freewill'!" He wins. High fives all around in the car. Lots of banter with the radio guys ensues.
Tory is a big Rush fan, several DVD's of concerts, so we know what to expect, but he's never seen them live.
We roll up at the school just as he's finishing. His birthday was yesterday and the call screener saying to him "you should've said something!" I think he may have barely avoided a tardy today, but it was worth it.
Good times. BTW I won a Valentine Day package a little over a year ago from the same station identifying "Love Hurts" on the radio.
Now to decide who uses the tickets. Since we had 2 already, purchased as a present for Tory's birthday, Evan, Sean, and I will be stabbing each other in the back to go.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Happy Birthday Tory!
Here's Tory pictured in Boot Canyon at Big Bend National Park. He'll be going to see a Rush concert next week here in Austin as part of his birthday.
This birthday is going to cost me tho because he is now 17, and no longer can be used on the Child Credit for tax purposes. I am considering billing him for the difference this year.
This birthday is going to cost me tho because he is now 17, and no longer can be used on the Child Credit for tax purposes. I am considering billing him for the difference this year.
Expelled
EXPELLED - This looks to be a good effort from Ben Stein. I heard him interviewed on the radio yesterday about this new documentary. Its about "Intelligent Design" vs "Darwinism" and how these ideas are taught in schools. Or not taught as teachers who mention Intelligent Design are summarily expelled from their jobs. The film debuts on 1100 screens this Friday the 18th, but not in Austin. I will have to wait.
http://www.expelledthemovie.com/home.php
http://www.expelledthemovie.com/home.php
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
April 15
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15."
- Ronald Reagan
I love this quote from the Great Ronald Reagan.
I love this quote from the Great Ronald Reagan.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Not Tiger
What could make me waste 2 spectacular weekend days in Austin, TX? The Masters golf tourney of course. I have wasted April days in years past and will again in the future. US Open dates too. The Masters, a tradition unlike any other.
Not Tiger. Not Tiger. That's what I've been saying like a mantra nearly this whole weekend - Not Tiger. Tiger Woods that is. I didn't want him to win. I am not a Tiger hater, and I'll explain what I like about Tiger before I am done. I will readily admit he's the best ever, and there will never be another as good as Tiger- ever, but I don't want him to just pile up a bunch of major titles all at once. I estimate Tiger will likely finish his career with 8 or 9 Masters alone.
What bothers me most is the nauseating gush the media, mainly the TV coverage lays on Tiger. The commentators can't help themselves fawning over his greatness. Whenever there's an opportunity to show Tiger on the scoreboard, he will be as high as possible. Usually the number of holes played determines where on the board a player is placed when he is tied with others, but Tiger will always be on top of a list of players he's tied with. After the fourth rounds on Sunday, how many golfers were interviewed on air? Two. Who? Tiger, somewhere near the scorer's tent, and Trevor Immelman the winner right before he got his jacket.
Its also very irritating to watch everyone else in the field self-destruct. After Saturday's round this year there were 5 golfers ahead of Tiger, by as many as 5 shots - and all but 1 failed to keep himself together. Four golfers, and more crumbled out on the slopes of Augusta ( which this year looked especially frightening, and the wind was unsolvable as well ). Can't any of these guys hang with Tiger? Mickelson was horrible, as was Flesch, my brothers in left-handedness. You can count on the field to be painfully undependable when it comes to battling Tiger.
What do I like about Tiger? I will keep this short. He is all business out on the golf course, every shot gets 100% effort and he doesn't like or accept a poor performance - while he is on the course. Is there any shot of his you don't expect to see go in - miracles from him are routine. When Tiger "self-destructs", he finished second.
After his round on Sunday he is being interviewed by CBS reporter Bill McAtee about his "terribly frustrating day." At the time Immelman had double bogeyed 16 and was only 3 shots in front. McAtee's last question for Tiger was, " What do you plan to do now?", of course meaning Immelman is real shakey right now and might falter on 17 and 18 and Tiger you might end up in a playoff. Tiger's answer - "I plan to go get something to eat. I am really hungry"; Tiger knew what the question wanted, an answer saying something like " well I plan to go hit some balls and stay fresh because Trevor might fail and I could still win this thing." No, Tiger paused for effect and finished by saying ' Trevor had a bad hole, but he's solid and will bring this into the clubhouse. ' Tiger knew he did all he could do and was bested - and like the rest of us wanted to eat something and let Immelman enjoy his win. I liked that - Tiger has class - especially the way he toyed with TV.
Good work Trevor Immelman. Thanks for not falling totally to pieces down the stretch, tho you tried to give a lot of it back. And thanks Tiger - you're great, the greatest. Please pardon me if I enjoy seeing the TV guys have a bad day at your expense.
Not Tiger. Not Tiger. That's what I've been saying like a mantra nearly this whole weekend - Not Tiger. Tiger Woods that is. I didn't want him to win. I am not a Tiger hater, and I'll explain what I like about Tiger before I am done. I will readily admit he's the best ever, and there will never be another as good as Tiger- ever, but I don't want him to just pile up a bunch of major titles all at once. I estimate Tiger will likely finish his career with 8 or 9 Masters alone.
What bothers me most is the nauseating gush the media, mainly the TV coverage lays on Tiger. The commentators can't help themselves fawning over his greatness. Whenever there's an opportunity to show Tiger on the scoreboard, he will be as high as possible. Usually the number of holes played determines where on the board a player is placed when he is tied with others, but Tiger will always be on top of a list of players he's tied with. After the fourth rounds on Sunday, how many golfers were interviewed on air? Two. Who? Tiger, somewhere near the scorer's tent, and Trevor Immelman the winner right before he got his jacket.
Its also very irritating to watch everyone else in the field self-destruct. After Saturday's round this year there were 5 golfers ahead of Tiger, by as many as 5 shots - and all but 1 failed to keep himself together. Four golfers, and more crumbled out on the slopes of Augusta ( which this year looked especially frightening, and the wind was unsolvable as well ). Can't any of these guys hang with Tiger? Mickelson was horrible, as was Flesch, my brothers in left-handedness. You can count on the field to be painfully undependable when it comes to battling Tiger.
What do I like about Tiger? I will keep this short. He is all business out on the golf course, every shot gets 100% effort and he doesn't like or accept a poor performance - while he is on the course. Is there any shot of his you don't expect to see go in - miracles from him are routine. When Tiger "self-destructs", he finished second.
After his round on Sunday he is being interviewed by CBS reporter Bill McAtee about his "terribly frustrating day." At the time Immelman had double bogeyed 16 and was only 3 shots in front. McAtee's last question for Tiger was, " What do you plan to do now?", of course meaning Immelman is real shakey right now and might falter on 17 and 18 and Tiger you might end up in a playoff. Tiger's answer - "I plan to go get something to eat. I am really hungry"; Tiger knew what the question wanted, an answer saying something like " well I plan to go hit some balls and stay fresh because Trevor might fail and I could still win this thing." No, Tiger paused for effect and finished by saying ' Trevor had a bad hole, but he's solid and will bring this into the clubhouse. ' Tiger knew he did all he could do and was bested - and like the rest of us wanted to eat something and let Immelman enjoy his win. I liked that - Tiger has class - especially the way he toyed with TV.
Good work Trevor Immelman. Thanks for not falling totally to pieces down the stretch, tho you tried to give a lot of it back. And thanks Tiger - you're great, the greatest. Please pardon me if I enjoy seeing the TV guys have a bad day at your expense.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Adventures in grocery stores
Last night, pushing my cart along in an HEB at MoPac and Hwy 183, I looked up to see something flutter overhead. I didn't get a good look but whatever it was circled back and flew right over me again. This time I had no doubt, it was a bat. I watched it's random flying for a minute or so, and then saw one of the male employees there chasing after it with a large plastic milk carton. I warned him that he might want to be careful not to harm or kill that bat or HEB would probably get in a bunch of trouble. He ran off and I suspect was successful in catching the bat as I heard loud proud exclamations later. Something you don't normally see on a grocery run.
I wasn't really too worried about that bat flying into my hair and getting all tangled up in there.
I wasn't really too worried about that bat flying into my hair and getting all tangled up in there.
Google street maps
I received an email from my brother John late today telling me that the old car we recently sold is shown in front of our house on Austin street maps. My response - what are Austin street maps. After he replied telling me it is part of google maps, I looked up my address, and holy cow, there is my house. Two cars in front. Christmas lights are still up. So this was done over Christmas. The view can be maneuvered with the mouse. Wow. Its really good.
I have to wonder if this is a good thing tho. There have got to be a lot of creeps out there that could use these views for nefarious deeds. I don't really know what could happen to us personally but it bothers me in the back of my mind.
PS The basketball goal is gone - it fell on the Honda during a heavy storm over the Christmas holidays.
I have to wonder if this is a good thing tho. There have got to be a lot of creeps out there that could use these views for nefarious deeds. I don't really know what could happen to us personally but it bothers me in the back of my mind.
PS The basketball goal is gone - it fell on the Honda during a heavy storm over the Christmas holidays.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Unplugged
I was listening to Laura Ingraham's radio show yesterday as I took the end of the week off for Spring Break. She was talking about "unplugging" from the electronic connected world, if not for a short a period of time to cleanse and rejuvenate the brain. She also spoke with Jon Mattleman (link from Technorati) about programs he uses with middle schoolers and why unplugging is a good thing.
This topic is constantly lurking about our house. As our kids use the internet more for email, chatting, and stuff, we are battling to limit the time spent online. But our kids don't come close to the hundreds of minutes a day online either - but on occaission they can come close.
How difficult is it for us to unplug? In my opinion we're not in too deep. Only one computer in the house, well except for Evan's and nobody wants to go into his room and he doesn't want to come out, and as a result demand far outstrips supply as far as online time goes. Only one family cell phone with no text messaging and I have a business cell phone - no texting. Cable TV is only the basic of basics. We get 12 channels maybe and several are the community access stations which are jokes. Everyone now has a personal mp3 player too, except Evan recently had his stolen and is using Sam's. Beyond that we're relatively free of technology, and yet we feel its tidal pull. Email must be checked, Facebook page maintained, mp3 players managed, research for school (something actually productive!), and checking the blog reader. Homework on the computer is accompanied by Instant Messages, and other chatter and distractions.
Unplugging is a conscious effort, hard work most of the time met with resistence. We took a trip last October to Big Bend National Park as part of unplugging, but an mp3 player or 2 went along, and all the pre-trip planning happened online. It was successful but we were swept back into the tech current as we returned home.
I can't argue against a regular respite from the information superhighway, on a family basis too, but its a planned, announced event.
This topic is constantly lurking about our house. As our kids use the internet more for email, chatting, and stuff, we are battling to limit the time spent online. But our kids don't come close to the hundreds of minutes a day online either - but on occaission they can come close.
How difficult is it for us to unplug? In my opinion we're not in too deep. Only one computer in the house, well except for Evan's and nobody wants to go into his room and he doesn't want to come out, and as a result demand far outstrips supply as far as online time goes. Only one family cell phone with no text messaging and I have a business cell phone - no texting. Cable TV is only the basic of basics. We get 12 channels maybe and several are the community access stations which are jokes. Everyone now has a personal mp3 player too, except Evan recently had his stolen and is using Sam's. Beyond that we're relatively free of technology, and yet we feel its tidal pull. Email must be checked, Facebook page maintained, mp3 players managed, research for school (something actually productive!), and checking the blog reader. Homework on the computer is accompanied by Instant Messages, and other chatter and distractions.
Unplugging is a conscious effort, hard work most of the time met with resistence. We took a trip last October to Big Bend National Park as part of unplugging, but an mp3 player or 2 went along, and all the pre-trip planning happened online. It was successful but we were swept back into the tech current as we returned home.
I can't argue against a regular respite from the information superhighway, on a family basis too, but its a planned, announced event.
Happy Pi Day (3.14)
Happy Pi Day. Here's to hoping that last decimal place will never be calculated.
Pi are not squared, pi are round.
Monday, March 03, 2008
For Once Please Keep Talking
At work one morning I was a bit hungry and remembered there was some good thick French bread leftover from the previous day's lunch of BBQ. I heated it up and piled some peanut butter on it nice and thick, then headed back to my desk. I sat down, took a big bite, started to chew, and the phone rang. Without thinking I picked up the phone and discovered I couldn't open my mouth due to the peanut butter. I think I mumbled something and feverishly began chewing. Luckily for me, it was a sales call from a temp/staffing agency and she was telling me how great her company was. All I could think of was - Please Keep Talking - and she did.
It was Jerry Lewis all over again.
It was Jerry Lewis all over again.
High Speed Wheelie
On the way home from work as I am driving on interstate 35 I glance over to my right to the access road and see a motorcycle. At that moment the motorcyclist lifts the front wheel off the pavement and rides a wheelie. He keeps that front wheel up for quite a while. I look quickly at my speedometer and I am at 65 mph - the motorcycle is even with me and holds that speed, even passing a car or two in other lanes while on one wheel. It looks crazy to me to risk falling but he maintains it for about 15 seconds, over a quarter mile, before setting down to slow due to an approaching red light.
Not good for anyone's blood pressure.
Not good for anyone's blood pressure.
Wisdom teeth
Evan had his wisdom teeth pulled this past Leap Day. All four came out. I took off the morning from work to take him in and he was in for the procedure a little after 8:30 a.m. Sean showed up from her office about an hour later before Evan was put in recovery. When we first saw him he was in a recliner and looked to be completely out. But he came to briefly and asked us if his teeth had been pulled yet. After we indicated yes his teeth were out, he went back to sleep for about 20 minutes. I brought him home and he promptly took some meds and hit the sack.
I remembered two things from the past from this. First was a doctor's visit I took Evan to when he was about a year old. It was to have his ears drained. He was crying and miserable from the pain, and I was there only as a substitute because the more qualified pediatric nurse mom was working. The doctor explained briefly what was to happen with me and started to take Evan to the back rooms to work on him. I was told to stay in the waiting room. As I handed Evan over he began to reach back to me and ratcheted up the crying a few notches. He looked horrified. I don't like that memory much. But he was put in a "papoose board", they drained his ears and he was happy on the way home and that night.
My own wisdom teeth came out in 1979 during the summer. I was working as unskilled labor in an oil refinery in Sulphur, LA and developed a blue ribbon toothache in my right lower jaw. I couldn't work and I had the feeling our supervisor thought I was faking. X-rays were taken - and the doctor tells me I have a serious bacterial abscess under my wisdom tooth on the right, but he can't understand why the left side does not hurt because it is worse. The surgery was scheduled, but the night before the pain was so bad that my mother took me to an ER for the pain. I got my first shot of demerol, but being in the ER with a toothache is little embarrassing. I remember seeing a fellow that had rammed a screwdriver into his hand, and one or two other real looking ER victims so that I felt silly with my toothache. Surgery was routine - for the doctor anyway - all 4 wisdom teeth were removed and I went home to spend the next few days having the abscesses cured. A good friend of mine came over while I was recovering and wanted to play gin rummy - penny a point.
I remembered two things from the past from this. First was a doctor's visit I took Evan to when he was about a year old. It was to have his ears drained. He was crying and miserable from the pain, and I was there only as a substitute because the more qualified pediatric nurse mom was working. The doctor explained briefly what was to happen with me and started to take Evan to the back rooms to work on him. I was told to stay in the waiting room. As I handed Evan over he began to reach back to me and ratcheted up the crying a few notches. He looked horrified. I don't like that memory much. But he was put in a "papoose board", they drained his ears and he was happy on the way home and that night.
My own wisdom teeth came out in 1979 during the summer. I was working as unskilled labor in an oil refinery in Sulphur, LA and developed a blue ribbon toothache in my right lower jaw. I couldn't work and I had the feeling our supervisor thought I was faking. X-rays were taken - and the doctor tells me I have a serious bacterial abscess under my wisdom tooth on the right, but he can't understand why the left side does not hurt because it is worse. The surgery was scheduled, but the night before the pain was so bad that my mother took me to an ER for the pain. I got my first shot of demerol, but being in the ER with a toothache is little embarrassing. I remember seeing a fellow that had rammed a screwdriver into his hand, and one or two other real looking ER victims so that I felt silly with my toothache. Surgery was routine - for the doctor anyway - all 4 wisdom teeth were removed and I went home to spend the next few days having the abscesses cured. A good friend of mine came over while I was recovering and wanted to play gin rummy - penny a point.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Crossword Diety Gather
Its no secret we are crossword geeks in my family. Mom and Dad, all my brothers, myself and Sean, my paternal grandparents, all have a thing for crosswords. But as good as we might think we are either individually or collectively, we are still on the human level of solving - or in golf terms we might break 80 every once in a while, otherwise bogey golf.
Our routine here in Austin is pretty simple. I work the Friday Wall Street Journal puzzle, and then the Sunday NY Times, and if I get through those the Sunday LA Times, and maybe a few dailies from the NY Times. Speed is not of the essence. I choose to solve at my own pace. Piecing together themes, wordplay, and puns is its own reward.
The crossword deity are gathering this weekend, Feb 29- March 2, for their annual competition. Its all about speed and accuracy there. Check out the movie "Word Play" for the 2005 competition caught on film. Its time for Al Sanders to break thru and win this thing. He is the Susan Lucci of this event. C'mon Al - Get 'er done.
Our routine here in Austin is pretty simple. I work the Friday Wall Street Journal puzzle, and then the Sunday NY Times, and if I get through those the Sunday LA Times, and maybe a few dailies from the NY Times. Speed is not of the essence. I choose to solve at my own pace. Piecing together themes, wordplay, and puns is its own reward.
The crossword deity are gathering this weekend, Feb 29- March 2, for their annual competition. Its all about speed and accuracy there. Check out the movie "Word Play" for the 2005 competition caught on film. Its time for Al Sanders to break thru and win this thing. He is the Susan Lucci of this event. C'mon Al - Get 'er done.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Another Night of Theater
Saturday the 23rd was the final night for Sam and her 7th grade classmates to perform their play. A correction to earlier post - the title of the play is actually "Final Dress Rehearsal." Another cheery performance by the cast.
Not being a regular live theater goer, I can imagine that it may be a bit difficult to watch the same play on consecutive nights, and some families there may have seen this four times as there were two classes performing the same play. This being light comedy some of the punchlines were not getting the crowd reaction comparable to the previous night, especially during the fourth performance. But the cast did not notice and put full energy into their act.
Afterwards another round of high fives for all, and then the cast and crew headed out to IHOP for a post play get together. Samantha says she asked their waiter for the wine list while ordering. That's a pretty short list at IHOP.
Sean pulled up sick Saturday right as the play was ending. On the way we had to pick up Tory who had been baby sitting for some friends we know from our church. After getting him we got Sean and Tory (ever hungry) a Panda Express bowl, and evidently Sean's had some chicken in it setting off major allergic reaction. We hustle back to the house and she downs a benadryl. We watch a movie, Aragon, I pick up Sam at IHOP near 11:30 and go home.
Sean looks as if she's recovered by the time I get back from church Sunday a.m., but it seems she gets an aftershock or two periodically over the day.
Not being a regular live theater goer, I can imagine that it may be a bit difficult to watch the same play on consecutive nights, and some families there may have seen this four times as there were two classes performing the same play. This being light comedy some of the punchlines were not getting the crowd reaction comparable to the previous night, especially during the fourth performance. But the cast did not notice and put full energy into their act.
Afterwards another round of high fives for all, and then the cast and crew headed out to IHOP for a post play get together. Samantha says she asked their waiter for the wine list while ordering. That's a pretty short list at IHOP.
Sean pulled up sick Saturday right as the play was ending. On the way we had to pick up Tory who had been baby sitting for some friends we know from our church. After getting him we got Sean and Tory (ever hungry) a Panda Express bowl, and evidently Sean's had some chicken in it setting off major allergic reaction. We hustle back to the house and she downs a benadryl. We watch a movie, Aragon, I pick up Sam at IHOP near 11:30 and go home.
Sean looks as if she's recovered by the time I get back from church Sunday a.m., but it seems she gets an aftershock or two periodically over the day.
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