"Our State Fair is a Great State Fair...."

For those of you that don't know the reference, that is one of the songs from Roger's and Hammerstein's State Fair.

We went to the Utah State Fair on Friday and it was quite a lot of fun. I took the entire day off from work and, after we saw the kids off to school, Alythea and I, with the remaining 2 kids went to the state fair. It was a lot of fun to see some of the things that they had there. We saw cows and chickens and goats and sheep and rabbits. There were horses and pigs too. It was nice with only the two youngest who, for the most part, stayed in the stroller that we had.

After lunch, we went home to pick up the other two kids that were now out of school. When we got back to the fair, it was nothing but fighting and whining and running off.

We did do a couple of fun things. They had the pig races. They had "free betting" in which you received one ticket of the color of your choice that would correspond to a pig. If your pig won the race, you would receive a blue ribbon. If they called your number, you got a t-shirt. Nicole won a t-shirt for the first race.

We got to see the bird show which was pretty fun mostly because I like birds. The lady that does it is REALLY goofy but it was fun. We saw the worlds largest bull and the worlds smallest horse. It was a lot of fun, but expensive.

About dinner time, we were trying to decide what to have for dinner. When we all started commenting on what we wanted, I realized that it was going to be about 10 bucks each so we decided to leave and go to Golden Corral. It would be about $40 but we would get more for our money and Jayna would eat free PLUS we would get desert.

So, it was a lot of fun. I would suggest, for those of you with kids, doing a split day like we did. It was good to go and see what we wanted to see and then we wouldn't have to drag the kids to do the "boring" stuff. BTW, stay away from the rides. The tickets are $1 each and some rides are 2-4 tickets. You can get an all day pass for $16 per person if you are interested but that still gets expensive.

Almost Home

We are almost home. I am getting so ansy. We have been on the road since July 5th. We have driven well over 50 hours in our cars. Our kids have grown and we miss our family. We are sick of living with a whole bunch of other people. We are excited to get home. We have lots of plans when we get home. Hope it all goes well. I will keep you posted.

Back and Ready to Work

Ok, well last week was a great week. I went to San Francisco and had a great time. San Francisco is a great place. The conference I went to was good. I got to watch the 49ers win over the Rams live. It was awesome...here's a picture...


It was a great trip. Anyway, time to get to work. Laters!

Animal Farm - Finale

Despite the need for sleep, I stayed up and finished Animal Farm. It was a really good book and an eye opener. I find a few things amazing and they DO apply to us as well.


(1) Life is going to be difficult.
(2) When one tyrant is removed, another one will take his place.
(3) Most people would rather be led around by the nose than think for themselves.
(4) Politicians are pigs.
(5) We are quick to forget our past troubles.
(6) Change isn't always good.
(7) Most would not question the leader that was their friend at one time.
(8) There will always be someone that will be ready to take advantage of you.
(9) The old addage of a frog in water holds true*.
(10) Once you have your freedom, know what it entails and do NOT let someone dictate to you what your freedoms really are.

There are a lot more lessons and I'm sure that there are a lot of things that could be added to this list. Even being a "fairy tale" as was Orson Wells' subtitle, it really isn't a nice story because it hits too close to home. Those that seem benevolent in the beginning could be there to take advantage as much as they can. Those that are benevolent will usually be run out by those that want to take advantage and then lied about. As we review all those "criminals" that started out doing good, how much do we know that they actually did? Just because the "authorities" say they are now criminals, is it really the case?

Anyway, up above I put a * on number 9. I did this to indicate that I would talk about this. For those of you that don't know the addage of the frog, here you go.

If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out because it is too hot. If you put a frog in normal water, and heat it slowly, the frog will eventually boil to death. The reason is, that the water is fine in the beginning. As heat is applied, the water temperature rises slowly and if the water was ok a second ago, it still is ok. That continues until the water is eventually boiling.

It works the same with everything. As little changes are made, changes that really seem insignificant, they may be small pieces in a puzzle. What was ok yesterday should still be ok today. If we add one little, small change, what does it matter? We find out after its too late to see that all the changes have brought us to a point where we are again ready for a revolution. Then, the cycle starts all over again.

Animal Farm

I went to the library last week and got Animal Farm and started reading it. I got the movie from the library yesterday and we sat and watched it with the kids. The kids thought it was ok until the horse, Boxer, dies. Nicole was soooooo upset. It took me a while after the movie to get her calmed down. She was just so sad that the horse had died. Even Mason was crying during the movie when it happened.

Anyway, the book and movie are pretty good. It is an interesting concept but seems to be a cynical but somewhat accurate protrayal of things that happen with government, revolutions, etc. For those of you that have read the book, you know what I mean. For those of you that haven't, well, if you ever felt bad about eating bacon, after this you won't.

My Book

Figured I'd post my book. I actually got it from the library and am trying to read it. With all the free time I have, I should finish it in about a year.

You're Animal Farm!

by George Orwell

You are living proof that power corrupts and whoever leads you will become just as bad as the past leaders. You're quite conflicted about this emotionally and waver from hopelessly idealistic to tragically jaded. Ultimately, you know you can't trust pigs. Your best moments are when you're down on all fours.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Dog gone....

I know I'm posting this late, but with my schedule, it is difficult to know when I'm going to have time to blog.

Anyway, as you read previously, Tracy and his family went up to Casper, Wyoming to meet up with Nicole and Ricky. Since they were headed that way, they took Keisha and Zoey, Nicole's mutts, up with them. So, we are now down to 2 dogs. Its a lot quieter around and this weekend went pretty peaceably.

Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that I was able to help out my sister and know she will return the favor if I'm ever in a jam. I think that is what is great about family. You know you can count on them. I try to be as reliable as possible to my family and I know they also try to be reliable and accomodating. I know I can count on them in a fix and I hope they know they can count on me.

Anyway, enough of the boring stuff. Since I'm not very good at things that aren't boring, I'll end here.

Good Weekend

So our trip to Casper, WY went over without a hitch. Ok, well there were a few things but it worked out in the end and we had a great time. My wife wasn't ready to come home, something about staying in a hotel does that to her. I think it's the swimming pool and the beds being made. Nic and Rick got there a little later than expected, and I learned why have a cell phone is good, but sucks when you are somewhere that the service isn't available. They got there safe and we all had a good time. Got home last night just before 10 and got the car unpacked and the kids in bed. Then I fell into bed myself and was out. When Chels came into bed she said she gave me a kiss on the cheek and I didn't even stir or anything. I must have been tired. Anyway, the trip was fun and now it's time to start getting ready for San Francisco. I'm pretty excited for that trip. I'll follow up with both the trips with pictures later.

Pictures

These are some pictures that I took over the last little while. I think that they are pretty cool and I wanted to see how easy it was to get pictures into the blog now.



Provo River Falls




Squash vines growing in my Grandma's backyard

Go Utes!!

Good news for Ute fans! I just wanted to blog and fill you in on the latest and greatest, or whatever is going on. So our Capser trip is currently on, but as of now, we are minute to minute. We are trying to make sure we meet up with the right people. I want to go to Casper and have a good time, but we'll see what happens.

As for the training I was in all week, it was ok, not too boring like some other training I've been too.

The Utes opening game is tonight against Arizona. It will be good to see how they overcome the loss of last years graduating class and Alex Smith, who by the way threw his first touchdown pass in the NFL last night.

Well you all have a good Labor day weekend doing anything but laboring, haha.

Quick Blog

So I'm in training this week for doing portals. It's not too bad of training and I'm practicing some of my Java skills. Life is good there. We might have to cancel the greatly anticipated trip to Casper, WY. Some outside issues and gas are causing me to rethink the whole long road trip thing. My dear wife wants to go spend a few days in Logan, which would be a lot of fun. I think the idea was to get out of dodge for the weekend, it is needed. If we don't go anywhere, I can hopefully get some more done on the fence in the back. If I can get that done, then my trip to San Fran will be a little less worrisome about the family here at home. We'll see what happens. Anyway, I'm patiently waiting for my ride to come and then I'm off. laters

Another fun quiz to try

K I found this from Hobbes' blog. I like that I'm The Hobbit. I was hoping for something childlike!!

You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

New Trained Cashier ... sort of.

I have officially finished 12 hours of training and will probably be on my own for the most part on Saturday. I've done fairly well, or so I've been told. There are a few issues though.

On Wednesday, I trained with Chris who trained a certain way and on Thursday with Brett who was different in a lot of respects. Both were / are front end managers or supervisors so they should know what they are doing. BUT, there are little things that are different that have thrown off my timing on certain things.

Not to mention, the closing manager the last 2 nights keeps coming over and offering "other" advice or getting mad at my trainers for not "properly" training me.

For example, there is a way to move the groceries called the pass method (which I do and am comfortable with) where you pick up the item with your right, sweep it across the scanner to your left which then sends it to the bagger. It is called the pass because the item passes from the right hand to the left hand.

The way the front-end manager decided I needed to do it (last night at 9:45 when I leave at 10:00) is called the swim method. That is where you grab one item with the left, sweep it across the scanner into the bag while you grab an item with your right hand. Then you sweep the item in your right hand across the scanner into the bag while you grab another item with your left hand. (I tried this and I drowned.)

So, she comes over, tells me she's going to check and for me to watch her. Brett, who had listened to her, disagreed with her on the method. So, with both of us watching, the Front-End manager had someone with several of the yogurt cups come through. She did a combination swim and pass method alternating methods between cups.

When she was done, both Bret and I commented on her pass method by which her reply was that she did not use the pass method but used the swim method.

Needless to say, this is getting more confusing. Hopefully, now that I am trained (for the most part) they will back off and let me do the job. I'm not interested in getting the best stats, the best times, the best methods, etc. I'm interested in doing a good job in which they pay me to do. We will see what happens over the next few weeks.

My Cyborg Name

Way cool. Wonder what I do when I'm not doing "Normally" stuff

Had to try it

So I had to do this cyborg thing and here is mine:







Nifty huh.

Life is Better Today

So I slept in this morning a little bit because I drove in. So that's always good. My kids were all awake when I left and that was fun. It is awesome that my kids feel it so important to give me a hug and a kiss before I leave. It really makes my day. Now if I can figure out how to get a car, then I can make it more of a habit. Maybe I'll start carpooling (is that one word or two?). Anyway, it's Friday and I'm looking to have some fun this weekend with my wife and kids. We have a week until we leave for exciting Casper, WY to hang with Nic and Fam. It should be fun.

On Neal's Blog he had this link to find out your cyborg name, so I did and here is mine:



See what yours is and let us all know.

A Little Bummed

Well, I am. I just got an email from a company that I was going to do some side work for and it looks like they are headed in a different direction. So they aren't going to use me. It was going to be some good extra money, now I have to find something else. If I want some extra money that is. It was going to be fun doing some work on the side with the web development. I have plenty to do at my job now and I'm definately not looking for a job, but something on the side would have been fun. Ok, well that's all for now.

Paper or Plastic

Last night was my first night as an Albertson's Checker and I was a little overwhelmed. Things went pretty well but fairly hectic for me. Since I've never been a checker, I've found out that there are a lot of things that go into being a checker. Once I start getting things down and get used to things, I'm sure it will work out.

My first little while on the register was basically a shock to the system. I was nervous. Everything turned out alright. I learned a lot and I know I will get better.

I work again tonight training and then Saturday I work a full shift as a checker.

School Starts Today

It was a whole different atmosphere at my house this morning. Usually, when I leave for work, I'm usually the only one up and awake. (On occasion, Mason will wake up early but not often.)

Today, the kids were getting up and dressed around 6:30 for school. Nicole and Jayna woke up, (I think because Jayna had a nightmare or something and her crying woke up Nicole.) Alythea was even up at around 6:30 today. What an exciting day.

It was nice to give everyone hugs and kisses before I left for work. The two students were excited to start school. They look really good in their uniforms. Their uniforms mainly consist of certain color pants/shorts/skirt and shirt. Mason was wearing black pants and a red polo-style shirt and Aurora was wearing a blue blouse with a black skirt.

Alythea is excited because she will only have Nicole and Jayna home for most of the day today. It should be relatively nice and peaceful for her.

Tickets Came

Ok, so I'm getting really excited for this trip to San Francisco. The tickets to the Niner's game came yesterday. I'm way excited. Hopefully the trip will come and go without to many problems. I'm not seeing any right now and things are getting organized. Not much time to blog today, just wanted to fill you in on the good news. Laters!

UPDATE: 1st Interview

So, apparently Albertson's either moves really quick, or they are in dire need of employees. I have been hired tentative to my drug test. (I keep thinking the answer on #3 was C but I marked B.) Anyway, we'll see how it turned out.

I have orientation, if that is the case, on Tuesday. She was thinking of starting to train me on Saturday (REALLY QUICK) and luckily, she has someone else to train this weekend. So, next stop, I need more pants.

The "uniform" is beige pants, an Albertson's shirt and Apron. They supply shirt and apron. So, once she calls to say that I passed my drug test, I have to fill out more paperwork, then I can go and get more pants. How cool is that?

Well, have a good weekend.

Fun For All

Ok, well here we are again. Late in the afternoon, the clock is winding slowly, and I've got a few things to do that should send me into the weekend feeling free of work. Which is a good feeling. I'm sitting here listening to a proclaimers song thinking about the weekend plans and not sure if I want to do anything at all. I've got some stuff I would like to do in the old yard, like dig holes for fence posts so my wife will get off my back (;) Chels). Actually she's not really on my back, but I'm getting more annoyed that my garage looks more like a lumber yard than a garage. So I want to get working on it. I only have about a dozen or so more holes to dig and could get them done pretty quick if I just did it, but I'm lazy and don't want to do it most times. But now I'm feeling that I need to get it done. The yard looks lots better without all the weeds. Anyway, I'm just rambling and need to get some work done so have a great weekend.

1st Interview

First of all, this post is 201 which is also an accomplishment. It basically means we have WAY too much time on our hands.

Anyway, today I have my 1st interview for my 2nd job. (Confused yet?) Actually, I have an appointment at 1pm to work part time nights and some weekends at Albertsons. I've put in several applications and this is the first to respond. Hopefully all will go well.

I'm more than qualified for all of the jobs I've applied for. It is only about learning what the company quirks are and their little systems. Everything should be a walk in the park. I've ran cash registers, done inventory, stocked shelves, etc. Nothing should be hard but hopefully it will be fun and help us to earn a little extra money to get us to our goals.

So, I'll post later giving an update.

200 POSTS!

I would like to congratulate everyone that blogs on this blog site. We have hit the 200th blog, well this is the 200th blog. Even though our readership still stands at like 4, we have now successfully entered 200 entries that are available to read to whom ever wants too. Ok, that's all, more later.

and now, HARRY AND THE POTTERS!!!!

I thought this was the funniest thing. There is a group that has called themselves "Harry and the Potters" and their songs are based off of the Harry Potter books. Their songs can be heard at their myspace website. They also have another website at this site. So, check it out. Aly and I listened to the songs available last night and they, well, they grow on you. I just think its funny and, anyone looking for Christmas ideas, they have both CD's for sale, in case you were wondering.

I'm Excited

Ok, so it's going to happen. On September 11, 2005, I am going to accomplish one of my life goals. I will soon have in my possession one ticket to see the San Francisco 49ers play the St. Louis Rams. Yes, I'm excited! I have always wanted to go to a 49ers game and I get to go. I'm going with three friends here at work and it should be a good game. Hopefully Alex Smith will get to play and Kevin Curtis for the Rams. He was at Utah State when I was going to school up there. Other than that, life is going pretty good.

We have been watching the Lord of the Rings triology over the past little while. It's such an awesome show. We finished The Two Towers last night, we are watching the extended version by the way. This weeked we are saying that we'll watch The Return of the King and then we'll be done. They are good and the kids are even sitting quietly through them. Which is nice, Jarik has had to ask a couple time, to reassure himself, that the Orcs and the other bad guys are really just people dressed in costumes. And he's not the biggest fan of Gollum, but he's pretty strapped to the tube when we are watching them. Tiaree loves it and still giggles when she sees all the bad guys because they are ugly. Anyway, it's time to post this and get to the day.

Yahoo Groups

For a while now and off and on over the past few years, I have contributed to a few different groups through www.groups.yahoo.com. Well, recently, I've found one that is actually quite cool. Its called freecycle.com. Through this group, if you want something, you ask for it. If you have something you want to get rid of, you offer it. That's pretty much how it works. The group site is Salt Lake Freecycle.

Anyway, that's my news. I posted a couple things to get rid of and a couple of things that I want and I will report back. So far, the things I have to give away are going better than the things I want, so we will see.

Bad Tracy, Bad

Ok, so I did the ultimate diet no-no today. I went to a fast food place and I wasn't there to order a salad. Basically, I went to Carl's Jr. ordered the Famous Star with Cheese, I didn't want the cheese, they put it on and I forgot to ask them to take it off, a large fry and then I had a diet coke. HAHAHA, I've turned into one of those people that I usually make fun of, the ones that order the biggest most fattening thing on the menu then they have a large diet coke to set things right. The reason I had a diet coke is because it doesn't add to the points that my meal racked up. I'm only 7 points over for the day total, but I haven't even had dinner yet. Well it's time to get back to work.

Rainy Days

A storm rolled in yesterday and it is still cloudy today. Its a nice change of pace from the heat and I like summer storms. They are actually kind of fun especially if you get a lot of thunder which this storm, unfortunately, doesn't have a lot of.

I think that the storms have infected some people around here though. There seems to be a cloud of bad attitude that has decended upon several people here at work. I feel sorry for them. I know that sometimes I'm not the easiest person to get along with but I don't know that I have as bad of days as these people.

So, today has been a trial in keeping a good attitude when all around you are screaming and yelling. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for these people.

I BOOKED IT!!!

Whadda BlogOk so we have been out of town for 2 months now and well my hubby has worked close to 70 days straight now. Well he had two days off to drive here and get settled but a 16 hour drive is hardly a day off. Anyhow... I am getting ansy and want to do something or give myself something to look forward to so I did. I booked our timeshare in California for October 31st through November 5th. We are going to go to San Francisco California on the 28th and hang out. Probably hit Alcatraz on that saturday. I have been there before but Rick hasn't and I know he would love it. Then this is the best part for Rick -I am excited about it too. We are going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game at the 49ers home on that sunday the 30th. Then we will head to Anaheim after driving through Sequoia National Park. We will spend 5 days there hitting the theme parks and beach and stuff. Then we may go to San Diego so we can go to Legoland and possibly the Zoo. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

So I have this plan to have my kids earn this trip. They are getting old enough to understand many things. In other words they have some how turned into the snottiest kids ever and I have tried everything. Besides making them bleed or pass out for a few days. I am gonna go with the marble method. I am going to give them each a jar and when they do something nice they get a marble when they do something bad they lose a marble. They have to earn all the marbles before we go. I pray this works. It will relieve my tension from not getting so angry with no answer and hopefully they will learn from it. I saw it on one of those new nanny shows. So wish me luck.

Weekend, Weight Watchers, and Whatever else

So the weekend came and went pretty quick. I don't like when the weekend goes so dang fast, but what can you do. I spent a few hours outside on Saturday pulling weeds and cleaning up some of the yard. It's amazing what a few hours of work will do when you put your mind to it. Anyway, it was fun working in the yard and the nice part about it was that it wasn't too hot. We had a bbq on Saturday at Copperton Park, it was a lot of fun. Then we did dinner at the in-laws and that was pretty fun too.

Weight Watchers is going well. I realized that it helps you loose weight without having to cut back on the things you like to eat. Instead of eating and eating and eating, you limit what you have and wala, you loose weight. I'll keep ya posted on how it's going.

There really isn't a whole lot of whatever else, I started this post an hour ago and with all the breaks inbetween, the whatever else I had in mind is no longer there.

Another Weekend Gone

So, another weekend has slipped by us. I'm actually glad that this weekend is over because it wasn't the best of weekends. Friday, we went shopping. Not just regular shopping, but school clothes shopping. Not just school clothes shopping but specific style and colors because the school our kids are going to is a uniform school.

I have mixed emotions on this. The only downside that I have is the initial investment into the new attire. Since they didn't have things that would fit within the requirements, we had to buy new clothes. So, Aurora and Mason each have 3 new outfits.

The only other problem that I can see, and it is just getting used to this idea, is that the kids need to change from school clothes to play clothes immediately upon return from school.

Well, the rest of the weekend was ok. Had a bbq on Sat night. Learned that I don't like lamb ribs. (Almost everyone else hated them also.) The meat has a different flavor that wasn't palatable. I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to see whether you have the same results. At least I can say I tried it once.

Friday Has Come

Well Friday has come. What a joy. Friday around the office is usually pretty quite. I've been working on my project all day and have decided to let a few things slide and move on. I'm going to get into the Java stuff here shortly and then I have a meeting at 2 and that's all for the day pretty much. I was going to walk over to the hospital and get some stuff, but decided not to. Ok, well time to go. Goodbye!

Wascally Wabbits

For those of you that don't know, we have invested in a rabbit. Cage, water bottle, food, etc. It's a cute little female rabbit that has a fun personality. Apparently, most rabbits are like that. They like to have fun and play around.

We have done this for a couple of reasons.

(1) For fun. Basically we felt 2 dogs and a cat just wasn't enough so we got another furry thing.

(2) Apparently, rabbits are edible. Not sure how I feel about this, but if we can't go over on groceries for a month... (Actually, this is a partial truth. We don't have to be low on the grocery budget.) Ok, real truth. From my previous posts, Aly and I are looking at ways to get back to basics. We are thinking of what a self-sufficient life would be and raising your own food would be a good start. Because of where we live, pigs, goats, cows and chickens are out of the question. So, we start with the next best thing.

Well, as I was doing some research on the computer, my wife called me to inform me that we are out of bedding material for Fidget (that's the rabbits name.) I went to Walmart and bought bedding and a few treats for the rabbit. Its been fun and the kids have gotten involved with it. They have had fun with the rabbit as well.

So, those of you interested, I have purchased a booklet on building rabbit cages and we are going to learn to breed them in the not-to-distant future. For those of you that want pets, let me know. For those of you that don't, I've got some recipes also.

Just Another Day

So today, I woke up, after sleeping pretty crappy last night, it was noisy around our house and we sleep with our windows open. Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, not too tired, not extremely awake, but in a good mood. When I left I had a bit of bounce in my step as if today was going to be a good day. So far it's working out pretty good. Started to do Weight Watchers with my wife, well kind of, she's paying for it and I'm just eating what she eats for the most part. Maybe I'll get skinny too. You never can tell if you don't sign up but I'm going to wait a few months and then maybe I'll sign up. Anyway, the day isn't half over and I'm already 3/5 of the way to my point total that I made up for myself. We'll have to see what happens. Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that at this moment in time, the day is going pretty good and looks to be headed in that direction.

I started reading a book today called, Dark Force Rising, it's by Timothy Zahn and it is part of the Star Wars books. It's pretty good, it's #2 in a 3 book series. I think I'll finish that and then start on Robert Jordan again. Well that's about it for now. Laters.

Nonsense ramblings

I guess it all started off last night when the lawn mower ran out of gas with only two or three strips left to mow. "Put more gas in it" is the reply I hear from all of you, well it was 8:30 and I didn't want to drive down to my sisters to get it. I know lousy excuse, but it had been a long day. Well today, I took some of my lunch hour to read some stuff in the paper and on ESPN.com. If you all remember a few months ago I stopped doing the Sports secion on my blog, because the sports I really care about kind of ended, or at least the seasons of the teams that I like. Well this year I'm getting more excited about the upcoming NFL and NBA seasons. The 49ers will hopefully do better then the tragic season that they had last year, and crossing my fingers or knocking on wood, the Jazz won't be sidelined with so many injuries. One thing that makes me laugh is the way people get about their sports teams, if they the management make a stupid, or what a fan thinks is stupid, then the fan runs for the hills and becomes a fan of whomever won the last NBA Championship, btw, congrats Spurs. Let's remember that true fan loyalty is being loyal in in the face of adversary, or as people here in Utah are thinging, the return of Greg. To anyone who cares, I'm a Greg Ostertag fan, yes, I wish he was more consistant, but for the most part he's a great player. Anyway, loyal fans, grab your Jazz foam fingers and other Jazz merchandise and let's get ready for a great year. That's all, pretty lame, but it made me feel better. Laters.

Low blood content....

Today was my day to go donate blood. If you are eligible, you can donate once every 8 weeks. I always feel better after donating blood. Not because I'm doing something for others (which is a good thing and I do feel good about that, but that's not why.) I read somewhere that it is healthy for men to give blood on occasion. Kind of like eathing a salad is healthy, getting bled every once in a while is good also.

I'm not sure if this is propoganda to donate or to make friends with a vampire (but I wouldn't put it past those darn vamps to try to do something like this) or whether it is a true health benefit of donating. ANYWAY, I feel a lot better for a couple weeks after. The day of is always a little difficult. I get a little drawn and am usually in need of a nap but that could be because I don't sleep as much as I should, eat as well as I should or do that exercise thing that everyone talks about (mental note, need to look up exercise to find out exactly what it is.)

So, I'm tired, it's almost time to go home and then I can think about going to bed earlier. I probably won't because I haven't finished HP6 yet, but its a thought.

I Finally Finished HP

I liked it, espically at the end when Harry kills Ron for snogging wiht Luna. Haha, just kidding, that would never happen...Ron wouldn't snog Luna. Anyway, I was mostly impressed with the book, J.K. Rowling did a good job and getting into the hearts of the readers and helps you live in Hogwarts with some of them. I find myself getting excited about the Quidditch matches and what is going to happen in the next class with Snape. I'm not going to write anything that gives anything away, and B, if you were talking about me telling you something, sorry, didn't mean too. Anyway, there was one part of the book that had to fit in there but for me got really boring and seemed that all Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to do is fight about one thing or another. But that was only for a couple chapters and then it all seemed to clear up. Anyway, I liked the book and will be reading the whole series again once the last one gets closer to coming out. If the dumb author would get off her butt and work...haha. Ok, well there are my opinions for the person who hasn't read it and I have my speculations as does everyone, but I'm not going to start doing it now because it would give some stuff away. Laters!

Men vs. women

Whadda Blog
Can we just take a moment and talk about men vs. women. I received an email that was fairly accurate on how to please each other. Basically women are high maintenance and Men just want food, sleep and sex. Not neccessarily in that order. I just don't undestand why we have to be so different. Referring to my hubby and I. Lets just put it this way I care about things and he doesn't give a hoot about much.

Men have it too easy. They don't have as many emotions, worries, stresses and what not. Men unfortunately get to be dads when it is convenient. No offense guys but the opportunity you have to get up and do pretty much what you choose. You don't think well what do I do with the kids? do they need baths? food? etc. Again not entirely your fault. Yeah you have to work but still work can be an out. When you spend 24/7 with toddlers you will understand why we talk your ears off when you call or get home. Or how we can spend hours on the phone with another mom. Most the men I know are great dads. You men just got a little lucky on the raising the kids end. Its really not your fault its just the way it works. Just remember that us ladies didn't get ourselfs pregnant.

Men like it when we cook, clean and give special treatment and do those house wife type of things like in the old days and that is ok. I am fine with that but I think us ladies deserve to have the utmost respect that women used to get. Flowers, love, romance, hell a car door being opened would be nice once in a while. If men want old fashioned women that "stay in the kitchen" then you better be an old fashioned man that makes us feel like a million dollars no matter what.

Talking is another issue. Women love it men hate it. What is up with that? I talk a lot I know it. I speak my mind I know it. Why should I hold it all in so I can have issues down the road, yeah thats a good idea. Guys talk a lot too but usually about nonsense. My hubby could go on for hours making fun of me or those around me. Or I talk he makes fun of me then I get mad so I stop talking and he all the sudden wants to talk. I don't get it. Funny thing is if I am talking to much I get told to stop and if I am not talking at all I am told to start. Weird how that is. Damned if I do, Damned if I don't.

Okay here is another. Why can men dish the crap but can't take it? I see it in every man I know. They punch you its funny. You punch them back and they get mad. They make fun of you its hillarious but when the tables turn and they want to have a somewhat serious conversation and you do to them what they do to you they get pissy about it.

I just wonder every day why we are so different and why we are ok with that. I just wonder if us ladies started acting more like the men what would happen. I am not huge into the whole women taking over the world thing. Anything a man can do so can women. Well if ladies want to more power to ya. I don't mind being the wife and mom but I do expect the respect and appreciation I deserve for doing it thats all.

Taking a moment to blog...

So, why do people have to vent? I'm not complaining, I'm a venter myself. I guess a better question would be, why are people stupid and cause people to vent? So to shorten it, Why are people stupid? That's the question of the day. Why are people stupid? Don't get me wrong, I'm a stupid person sometimes, but not as stupid as others. For instance, when you are driving down the road and someone isn't really staying in their lane and you finally get enough space to pass them, you notice that they are talking on a cell phone or doing their makeup, I've even seen people reading a book or newspaper. Anyway, that's the stupid I am talking about. People who do things that interupt what we think should be normal and it causes the nerves to boil and then we vent. Venting is great though, espically to someone who has seen that same tard on the road. It helps to get a good laugh at others expense sometimes. Anyway, I haven't vented today, it's been a pretty good day, but I'm pretty sure that by the time we reach the end of the day, I'll have done it at least once. That's all, this moment has turned into quite a break here at work.

SSDD

Well, today being Thursday means we are one day closer to the weekend than we were yesterday. It is the gateway to Friday just as the previous Thursdays have been. The days and weeks just roll on faster and faster. Things just build momentum and before you know it, you are well into a new month.

Today is just one of those days. You realize that you no longer worry about the date because the day of the week is more important. You don't normally watch a calendar on a regular basis unless you have a special event coming up. You refer to days as Monday or Tuesday and when pressed about the actual date, you have to concentrate really hard or refer to a calendar or you computer.

Anyway, that's my ramble for the day.

For fun stuff, I finished my library book and now have started on HP6. I've just finished through chapter 3 of 30. Things are pretty exciting thus far. So, don't post any spoilers as comments. I've already received one and am not happy about that. (For the person that released that info, if you read this, you know who you are and what you said. Shame.....)

Success!!

Well we did it! Tiaree successfully completed her first day of school. I successfully got through her first day of school with minimul crying. It's really funny because when I saw her short little face sticking up looking out the window of the bus I had such a wave of relief wash over me. I was sooo nervous to have her come home all by herself on the bus. But I grew a backbone and let her and she got home just fine. She has a tag she wears that tells what bus she is on, her home address and her name. Her teacher put her down on the list for the right bus right in front of me so I was somewhat calmed by that fact. I knew her teacher would get her on the right bus. I was so worried because I forgot to tell her what stop to get off at. But luckily there is only one stop before the one she gets off at and I can see that bus stop too. The only problem is that she was too excited to get off and left her backpack on the bench and had to wait to go get it until all the kids got off. But a nice boy went ahead and grabbed it and gave it to her.
I can't believe that my little girl is old enough to go to Kindergarten and old enough to ride the bus by herself. Tiaree might be able to fall right into the routine of things but Mom is going to take some adjusting to get used to it!

Here we are again...

Ok, so I said I'd blog laters and here it is laters and I'm blogging. I just ate two hot dogs for lunch and I'm washing it down with a little Dr. Pepper. It wasn't a bad lunch, except I think that the hot dog buns were a little moldy, at least I got a funny taste in my mouth that could have been mold. I finished the hot dog, just not the bun. Anyway, now that you know what I had for lunch today, what did you have?

Well life is going well right now. I'm still having a hard time realizing that it is August. The year is going really fast, which is good and bad. Yesterday marked the fourth month of living in the new house, and I was realizing how fun it was as I did some little house maintenance chores. I like being a home owner, but I know that it is going to be a lot of fun as things get older and older. We finally got our sprinkler system set up to run on the timer, it's so nice. One less think I have to worry about. Next up is the fence, which is going to be a lot of fun.

So in my efforts to write a novel or a short story or just a first page to something I have an idea of how I'm going to start it. Here it goes, let me know what you think...

"It happened"
"What happened"
"It...you know..."
"Oh, that. When do you leave?"
"This afternoon. I'm on the 1:21 flight to New York."
"They don't waste time do they."

Ok, so I didn't give you as much as I wanted to, but I got side tracked and lost my train of creative thought. Or whatever you want to call it. Anyway, I think starting out that way is going to work ok, introductions will come shortly after that opening dialog and then it will go into the rest of the story. Let me know what you think of something starting out that way.

Today's the Big Day

Today is the day Tiaree starts school. I'm a little nervous. It will be fun to get home and talk to her about it. Ok, well I'll blog again later.

Blog of the Day

Well, my car wasn't ready yesterday so I will be getting it today. I called, its ready, I can come and pick it up. So, that's pretty exciting.

Still deciding on the part-time job thing. I applied at one place and plan on putting in a couple of other resumes. I was planning on doing one yesterday but did some other errands instead. Our dryer had gone out on us. That actually makes 2 dryers. Irma's, which she left in the house, died a couple of weeks ago. The dryer that we had previously didn't want to work properly either. So, we went to a place that sells refurbished appliances and got another one. Hopefully it will work better.

I got the books that I recently ordered. One is a back to basics type book, two of them are farming type books and the last is on the designing and building of rabbit housing. We looked through them and they are very informative. I will start reading them soon. I think it will be fun to start learning some farming/gardening techniques.

Wow, It's Been a While

As the creator of this blog, I'd like to welcome me back. Thanks. It's been a while since I blogged. I went on vacation and didn't get on the computer till late in the week last week and it was only to look something up online. Nothing long enough to blog, although it only takes like a minute to put something online. To let you know what's going on in our lives, Tiaree starts school on Wednesday. Big step in our family. We are going school shopping tonight which should be loads of fun. Anyway, I need to get some stuff done, just wanted to welcome myself back and share a little info.

Changes....

We have started with some of the changes that we discussed. First, I went and bought another vehicle. I actually get it today because there are a couple of things they had to fix. It's a cheap car that will help me get around a little giving me some freedom from the UTA transit system.

Second, I have applied for a job with another company. This will be a second, night/weekend type position. I also have by brother-in-law putting out some feelers to see if there is anything else out there also. I'm looking at a non-desk type preferrably in a retail type setting. I am also going to look at Hollywood Video because, well, I actually like that store.

If neither of those pan out, I may look at gas station because, well, part time menial work is part time menial work. The money earned will help pay for the increase in the budget with the new car (payment, fuel, insurance, etc.) but will also help give us the cushion we need to start makeing some other changes. Not 100% on what those changes will be but it doesn't hurt to put the money away for them right now.

Another thing that has really been bothering me of late is that we, as a family, do not have a consistant work ethic (I say that as I'm blogging on company time, so what does that tell you?) Actually, we don't focus so much on what needs to be done. Instead, we focus on what is easy and will give us that notch that we did something today. For example, (not sure if I mentioned this or not but we have a new rabbit and a hamster), Mason will change the water for the rabbit and call it good for a day. It is 1 task just as cleaning his bedroom is 1 task but the rabbit is easy and then he can say he did a chore.

We did spend a good amount of time in the backyard getting some things cleaned up. Have quite a few things to do still. I'm looking at doing a dump run by the end of the month as we are getting a pretty good stack going. Once I get rid of that junk, finish mowing down the weeds, and get rid of the car in the backyard (that doesn't run), life will be a lot better.

The stitches are out

Last night I went and had my stithes removed. For those of you that don't know, I had 3 stitches in the tip of my right index finder. We had a broken window that I was removing glass out of a week and a half ago and my finger caught one of the edges.

I really didn't want to go to the InstaCare, but I did anyway. So, last night, I'm happy that they are now out. My finger is healing fine. It still feels a little funny because there is a scab under the tip that hasn't disolved yet, but soon.

So, I can type a little better these days.

Life

Recently, my wife and I have been discussing our life in general. I can't say we are entirely excited about the position we are in. Not to say we are in a bad position, we just want something different.

I, myself, am tired of the 8-5 desk job. I want something different. I have a few ideas, but don't know that I'm 100% into being able to do it or wanting to do it. Plus the fact that I make a certain amount that I need to maintain to provide for my family.

Second, I think we are fed up with the Salt Lake area. It was so nice to get out of town this weekend and go to Manti. We passed through Manti, Ephraim, and a couple of other small towns south east of Salt Lake. Here's a good example of the differences.

I drive about a mile to get to the local Smith's store. It's not that long of a drive but with all the other "drivers" out there and all the lights, it is extremely frustrating. THEN, when I get there, its a hassle to find a parking spot, shop, buy, and get out. Everyone you run into is so rude. They cut you off on the roads and then with the shopping carts too.

Compare that with the shopping trip to Ephraim (which does have a Walmart by the way). We lost the pin for our trailer hitch. I needed a $2 part but we were in Manti Canyon. It took me 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to get down the canyon, drive through Manti down the road to the end of Ephraim. I get there, not at all minding the drive because it was peaceful for the most part (no one cutting me off) and get to Walmart. Most of the people I passed coming down the canyon are very courteous and most of them wave. I get to the Walmart in Ephraim and find a parking space pretty close to the store. I get inside and its not that crowded. Those that are there, make sure they are kind and courteous. I get to the check out without much of a problem. I drive back up the canyon with similar results as before.

There you have it. We haven't figured out what we want to do yet, but we have tossed around a few ideas. We are not going to do anything drastic in the next little while, but we are definately looking at making some changes. Hopefully in the next couple of years if we can manage to make changes that we would like.

Blog time

Well I haven't been on for a while but I feel I could blog for days. But here is one issue that strikes me hard. So we are here traveling around to new places working in these walmarts. Pros for them are well obviously money, working in the same place for 4 to 6 weeks, seeing new places, and well money. The cons are that we aren't at home. Being here for me does and is a lot better then being home alone. But here is my issue. Rick has had two employees/friends/family that I think have shown some interesting sides to them. One (his bestfriend) quit to make a lot less money and go to live in a city about 15 minutes outside of Casper, WY. I just don't understand. Knowing what Rick offered him and well offered to take his wife and baby too. I guess I am greedy I would have jumped all over it. Well he leaves mind you without any notice, then when he finds out we are going to work in Casper so he calls Rick and asks if he can come help out a little bit. I think "no" you jipped my hubby and now you want a favor and anyhow how much do we pay him. Its not fair to pay him what we were. Who knows its all frustrating. Then on to the second employee (his cousin) right after the first quits Rick and I ask very specifically are you gonna stick around and do this with us for a long while. Walmarts I mean. The answer is yes. So Rick and I figured that would be for at least 1 or 2 years. Well he gets a $2.00 an hour raise in town and he is definitely getting paid way too much for working here. Considering I myself could work faster then him. We find out earlier this week that he is quitting after Casper. Unless we have work in town then he might stick around for a little while but is no longer traveling. I know its hard to travel when you have a girlfriend at home but since what we are paying him will pretty much get him completely out of debt. He doesn't need us any more. I guess I am just so damn tired of false promises and people who can't be straight forward. It may upset us for a moment when you come out with things and feelings but finding out via the grapevine and stuff upsets us for much longer. This business is fun but hard to do with family and friends. Hell its hard period. So what do you do with an over generous hubby and people that take advantage of him? It hurts me to see it and well Rick just takes it with a F#$% it attitude. The other hard part too is knowing how much my hubby wants to do these Walmarts and how hard it is to find good hard working employees that will stick around. Who knows. Well that felt good to get of my chest. Beats paying a counselor for it. HAHA. Until the next blog.

Bowling for Lunch

Ok, so today has been a good day and I'm ready to go home. We went bowling for lunch today, it was a lot of fun. I shot a 178 and won out of everyone that went, there were 11 of us. It was just fun to go bowling again. Well now that I've wasted a few minutes I should get back to work.

Updated....

So, it's been a week since my last post and it has been a somewhat tramatic and fun week. Last Thursday, I met up with Aly, Harold and the two oldest at Lagoon. It was a lot of fun. Mason is barely 46" which means that he now qualifies for almost all of the rides. He was pretty excited.

Friday was another "event" filled night. We went to the main library branch for Muggle Maddness to celebrate the release of Harry Potter 6. Very interesting night. They had a variety of classes from Transfiguration to Potions. They had wand making and the sorting hat. They also had Quidditch out on the lawn. Thanks to my son, Griffindor won the match. He was the seeker and made a spectacular show of it. Then it was off to Media Play to collect our books.

Saturday, Aly was in bed sick all day which was convienent for her so she could read HP6. Sunday, she was still down so we didn't go to church but, thanks to my sister's dog, I had to have 3 stitches in the tip of my index finger on my right hand. She had helped to break a window and, glass being what glass is, well, there ya have it...

The rest of the week has been pretty standard. We are going camping this weekend. I have Friday and Monday off so we are going to go camping for 4 days which will be really nice for us. We are excited to get out of town for a while. Help clear the head and give us an opportunity to be together and think about what we want for the future. So....

I'll post next week to tell you of our adventures.

So Many Ideas

Ok, so I have had a head full of ideas that will probably go nowhere, but I'm going to share a few with you anyway. The first one is that I think I want to write a book... Ok, if you are done rolling on the floor laughing, let me explain. I want to write a book about "Managers" from the peon perspective. The idea is basically that as peons will help "Managers" better understand what we think makes them good. Not always the fun and games that work should be but from all aspects. Right now I have an awesome manager who gives his team free reign to do what we want, as long as it's in the scope of the project that we are working on. Which is nice because we are building a web app that is going to be done in Spring and Java. So we get a lot of chances to learn at our own pace and what we feel is important to learn. Anyway, I think it would be a short book, but it might be worth it. We'll see.

Secondly...now that I rambled that out my idea bank has closed for lunch or something, which is weird because lunch was like 2 and a half hours ago. Anyway, I have had a load of ideas and they won't leave me alone, so I think I'm going to have to act on them. Just have to finish HP and the Half-Blood Prince and I'll be set to go.

If you are a peon and want to contribute to the book, leave me a comment, clean comments please, and I'll see if it will fit into the book.

What a Nice Weekend

Well this weekend was one of the best weekends I've had in a while. I've been really big on getting stuff done in the yard, but this weekend it was just to hot to even think about going outside. So on Saturday, I got out of bed and made some pancakes for the family, then did the dishes and sat down to watch whatever cartoon that Tiaree was watching. She wanted to play a game on the computer so I gladly turned it on and let her play and I went and watched golf on TV. It was one of the majors, the British Open played in St. Andrews, the Old Course. It was nice to sit in the house and do what I wanted to. My wife, she was tied to the new Harry Potter book and she finished it during lunch on Sunday. She would have finished it on Saturday, but we watched Ocean's 11 instead. Now I'm reading HP and I'm into it about 45 pages and so far I like it. My wife and I talked about it, so I know who dies and so on and so forth, but I'm reading it because I want to see all the stuff for myself so I can speculate with her. My wife liked it and one of my friends who finished seemed unimpressed. When asked if he liked it he said "Not really". We'll discuss it after I finish the book. Anyway, it was a nice weekend and now the week has started and I have a friday, a weekend, and a vacation to look forward to next week, so I have a lot to do.

Give Peace A Chance.....

It has finally got me to a point where I'm going to complain about it. I've made mention off-blog regarding terrorism and the state of affairs in the world today. I think I've reached my limit with the past couple of events. First, London. What a bunch of wimpy, cowardice terrorists. Instead of fighting the people that are fighting against them, they are involving civilians. Of course, they may occasionally hurt or kill a soldier that fights against their kinsmen, but more often then not, it is innocent bystanders who's only crime is to have been born where they were. You're not winning very much sympathy you IDIOTS!!!! (Sorry about yelling, but I'm a little upset at the moment.)

NEXT, they kill their own kids. How stupid! To send a bomb filled SUV into a group of kids that could be your nephew/niece or other relative and blow it up ONLY because they are accepting gifts from soldiers. What kind of stupid, idiotic, cold, heartless, perosn would think up CRAP like that? The worst part, the PARENTS blame the soldiers? Does the word MENTAL mean anything to you? Sure, someone is nice to my kids and another person kills them but I'm going to blame the nice person for my child's death? If that's what wearing a burka or a towel around your head causes, count me out. If you ask me, the masses are just plain stupid.

So, now that I got that off my chest, I do REALLY hope that things will calm down. We have fellow citizens in extreme situations that they shouldn't be into. There are families without mother's and father's because we can't all get along. We can't allow someone else to be who they want to be. What a sad world we live in.

Friends

I just have to say how awesome friends are. And that I totally miss mine. The only 2 really good friends I've ever had, people that I can talk to about absolutly anything, have both moved 5 or 6 hours away. It sucks. But they can still be good friends. My one friend from St. George just emailed me and gave me some advice on some hard things that have been happening to me. She's been through it and so it really helps. She said she is there if I need to talk and I know that she means it. It really is so cool so have such good friends. I hope that I can make others eventually, some that live closer to me, but I will alway cherish the friendships that I've made and I know that I'll always be able to count on those people. They can always count on me. They will always, always be my best friends!

Time to Blog

Ok, so today is Monday, July 11th and I'm in the mood to blog. About what, is a good question. First off, I just finished an excellent bowl of this awesome pasta salad that my wife made. Yum! It was great. Next, I want to tell you that things are going alright. I spent most of the weekend asleep, which was nice. I also got a few things done. Chels and I put up the fence posts on the north side of the house and soon there will be a fence there. It was a lot of fun. Last week I finished "Speaker for the Dead". Great book, that and "Ender's Game". I think there is one more in there, but I don't have it and so I haven't started reading it yet. I'm not much of a reader, unless I ride the bus. So now I'm reading William Goldman's "good parts" version of "The Princess Bride". It is a fun read, I can picture the movie a lot as I read and it makes for a lot of fun. If you haven't read it, William Goldman is the one who did the screen play for the movie and a lot of the dialouge between characters is word for word from the book. You learn a lot more of the history of the characters, like Fezzik and Inigo. You learn how Inigo's father died and why Inigo says "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." It's a good book and I'm almost half-way through it. Well it's time to get back to programming. Have a good day.

Weekend Plans

So, as I signed on earlier, I was asked what plans I have for the weekend and the more I think about it, I realized something very profound. I really don't have anything specific planned this weekend. I mean, I have plenty to keep me busy, but I don't have a specific function this weekend as I have had with the past 2 months. It is almost mind boggling. I hope I can function without a weekend schedule.

Stupid Glue

You know what I hate? I hate it when I get the bug to scrapbook and end up not being able to because I'm out of glue, or something like that. I really need to scrapbook, I've only done up to Tiaree's first birthday and she is now 5, but I have to be in the mood. Well today I'm really in the mood and I have no stupid glue. GRRRRRR. I can't go to the store becaue of sleeping children and by the time they wake up I will have to start dinner and such. So that's my complaint. Stupid glue.

Rock in My Shoe

So I put my shoes on this morning and as I got them all tied up and stepped out the door I felt this little pebble in the bottom of my shoe. Instead of sitting down on the steps and taking care of it, I decided that I was going to go ahead and start walking and take the rock out of my shoe at the bus stop, a one mile walk. As I started walking I could tell the rock was there and tried to adjust it in my shoe so it wouldn't hurt as bad. I finally took the rock out of my shoe after about 5 minutes of walking because it was just to annoying to leave it in there for the full 1 mile journey. Which brings me to this point, no matter how big the smallest pebble in you shoe is, it will be an huge annoyance and pain in the foot.

Rough Weekend

We originally planned on camping in the Mt. Nebo area for the weekend of the 4th but things didn't turn out very well. After reaching the point and coasting down towards Lehi, our engine overheated. We were VERY upset about it thinking that we were going to make some pretty significant repairs to the van or that it was just not capable of towing a loaded trailer long distances. Nic came and rescued us. She towed the trailer back while we babied the van back to SL.

Determined to have a good weekend, we planned on hanging out and doing different activities. So, we still had our regular camping meals, eat outside, and tried to do family oriented things.

We decided to go target shooting Saturday night and hung out in the west desert for the night. Still had problems with the van but we think that they have been solved (for the most part). We think we know what is wrong its just a matter of getting them fixed.

Went out and took the .22 caliber rifles and the pistol. We really enjoyed going out. I designed and built target holders from 1/2 PVC pipe. They turned out really well and luckily, they are pretty easy to build. A .22 caliber rifle is strong enough to go through PVC. (I kind of figured that, but now it is no longer a theory, it is fact.)

We taught the kids gun safety and they did REALLY well around the firearms. They didn't hit much, but it was a lot of fun.

Harold went with us and he enjoyed it. I think we got the bug to go on a "guy's day out" type adventure with those interested. We are also thinking of taking out the shotguns and shooting up a whole mess of clay pigeons.

Anyway, don't have a joke of the day. Work has been busy so my usual "goof around" time is reduced. I have less time to look for things to make you laugh, so I hope you won't be to offended.

Time of Reflection

So, as Tracy did 2 weeks ago, I feel it is my time to reflect on the past 31 years of my life as today is my 31st birthday. I won't say I'm that old because there are people who would definately disagree, but I won't say I'm young because, well, I'm not. Being one of the oldest in my family is sometimes one of the most difficult tasks. My wife would agree. I was the oldest of 3 kids and missed out on a lot of things because I was the oldest.

I was aware of what was going on when my parents divorced. I was aware prior to that that they were having problems. I was there to help with my brother and sister growing up. I helped by being a babysitter. I wasn't able to do some of the things that they were able to do because it was either a new concept to my mom, or we were not in a good position in which to make those types of things happen.

I had to grow up fast. I had to be a role model, which I didn't succeed all the time at, but I did try to make a difference in each life I touched. I watched as a lot of people looked up to me and looked to me for advice or help and that big brother role was extended to them as well.

Not always was my advice heeded, and I was not always successful at my endeavors to help people. It hasn't stopped me from trying to help or from holding out hope that all things will work out in the end. Afterall, somehow, I became an optimist.

Still, to this day, I know that I am looked upon for advice or for help and, regardless of the cussing out I get from those who offer me advice, I will still try to help in anyway I can but each time I become a little wiser.

I do not regret any of it though. I look back on my life and know that I have made some difference and it is my hope that those people that took a different direction than what I offered will look to that advise and learn from it. Not for me to say "I told you so" because that is not what it's about. It's about love. It's about caring. Its about wanting to see great things for people. I hope that I have made a positive difference in this world and that I will continue to learn, grow and achieve, even if it is one person at a time.

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Take it, but do it in IE, it doesn't like FireFox very well.

Blog, blog, blog

Ok, well it's Wednesday and I want to blog about something good...let's see...I could blog about the Jazz's pick in the draft yesterday, or the fact that the University of Utah has done something no other school has done, like have the #1 draft pick in both the NFL and the NBA in the same year. That's pretty cool. So I want to say something profound today, just so my readers and who ever stumbles on this blog will say, "Man is he smart or what". I can't think of anything so I will just get back to work. Well, goodbye for now.

I AGREE

Whadda BlogLife is full of tough choices. I have spent the last couple of weeks running and running to get things done. I am almost completely worn out. My husband is busting his butt and I wish I knew how to show my appreciation more. My kids have no idea whats going on and I worry about them when we leave and how much they will want to see their cousins and friends. I worry about my home and my family and all of my extended family. I will miss them a ton and I have no idea how this is all going to pan out. I am sure being out of debt will be worth it but the sacrifices along the way will be a challenge. I struggle more and more each day with my own choices. Knowing right from wrong I have a hard time choosing which one I would rather. Spending time with my family this last weekend was great getting to hang out with everyone and see everyone was awesome. We all have such busy lives now and I am grateful that we have come together at times. It is well worth it. I love how we all get along so well. I can only hope that we will always stay this close. BTW the house looks great. If you haven't seen it go by it looks so good now. It's a completely different home. Lots of memories there thats for sure. Many that will be missed but some I am glad to let go of. Its a totally different house then from when we were growing up maybe that is why it is so easy to let go of it. I just hope someone else will enjoy it as much as we did. I have so much more to do before sunday but I can't wait for the experience and coming home. Tracy leave my tv alone. haha. Well I think I have blogged long enough. I am just rambling it is 5 minutes to two in the morning its time for bed I think. Good night all!!

Tough Things in Life...

In "The Little Mermaid" Ursla, I don't know how to spell it, the Sea Witch says something to Ariel that was very true. The line; "Life's full of tough choices, isn't it" or something to that effect. Well I'm here to say that not only are the choices we make tough at times, so are the things we do. You get rid of one monkey on your back and there are usually two or three more ready to jump on. I guess if we didn't have trials and such in life we wouldn't appreciate it as much. So, last night I had to do one of the hardest things that I've done, up to this point in my life. We took a positive pregnancy test a few weeks ago and were really excited to prepare our home for our one more little one to join us, then last week we lost the baby to a miscarriage. My 5 year old was more excited than all of us I think and she would show it in little ways. Like last night, we received a post card from Chels' parents in as they have been traveling the West Coast with the Choir. The card was addressed to Tiaree, Jarik, Bree, Mommy and Daddy. When Chels got done reading the card, Tiaree mentioned that when the baby came we could put his name on the card too. At that point we realized that we hadn't addressed the subject with the kids about how Chels had miscarried and the baby wasn't going to come too soon. My 5 year old daughter, put her face in her hands and looked as if she was trying to hide the tears when she blurted out, "I can't handle it" and burst into tears. It was seriously the hardest thing that I have had to do in my life. To see her tears tore me apart. We were able to explain to her that the baby was going to come, just not right now and that we'd would tell her when it was time. It was a sad night.

Well regardless of the tough choices and other things that happen in life, we need to remember that there is one that went through it all before us and I am grateful for Him.

Busy Week

I'm going to be swamped this week. We are going camping on Friday through till Monday. I have Bishopric meeting tonight and I have a training class tomorrow. So, between packing, shopping, meeting, learning, and working, I'm one busy person. I'm hoping to have everything done so that I can enjoy the camping trip and spend some time with the family.

Didn't get to look at the website stuff with Tracy, but with all the family around, its difficult to get some quiet time to look at stuff.

Anyway, I'm slacking a lot too. I don't have a joke of the day, so suffer... I'll get back to the laughs soon though.

tcmfam.com rollout

So I decided that since I have some time on the bus, that I was going to work on my website tcmfam.com. So far I've done a few things that are still sitting on my Laptop. The new rollout will be in a week or so and it will hopefully be everything that you wanted in a family website and more. So if you have any ideas for it let me know. I am going to put links to the blogs on the website so that we can increase the readership, maybe even double it. Doubling 2 should be pretty easy. Ok, well I'll keep ya posted on the rollout. Laters.

Not sure...

Not sure about what to blog today. I'm coming up with a blank. I posted at McGee Films a new idea for a start-up film. (Not really a new idea, rehash of an old idea.)

Other than that, not a lot to talk about. Keeping busy as usual. Tracy posted a pretty thought-provoking topic. Just don't think I can top his for the day, so I won't try.

Have a good day and see you tomorrow.

Blowing your Nose

Ok, here I go, I'm going to blog on a discussion point. If anyone wants to join me in this please feel free. So, when you blow your nose you generally are trying to clean out the snot and bugers that are blocking your air ways so you can't breathe through your nose. Well, and here's the discussion point, why would someone want to blow their nose in the bathroom. I guess it's a politeness thing to go where people can't hear you. Or, maybe, it's beacuse 99% of the time the bathroom has a semi-soft peice of tissue or toilet paper in it. Well, I'm just curious as to why people would go into what could be the smelliest room in the building to clear their air ways. Usually when I get done blowing my nose, I usually take a big deep breath and fill my lungs, hence I usually don't do it where I may burn the hairs in my nose when I do it. Anyway, that is something that has made me think on multiple occasions as people come in while I am doing the duty. Anyway, I know this is gross, but I think it is a valid point. Ok, well that's all. Thanks for letting me ramble.

JK I have a blog

Whadda Blog
First off my dog has some major gas holy cow she puts Rick to shame. Anyhow I didn't think I had anything to blog about but I do. Some of you know that Rick is in Mount Pleasant this week. He calls me this evening and tells me he is going to see a movie "Madagascar". I think what a jerk I am stuck here with 3 kids typing on my computer in major heat cuz our central air upstairs doesn't work. So tell me is this fair? I think not. He tells me I could find a sitter and go but what fun is going out by yourself. Men seriously are retarded and nobody can tell me different or prove me wrong...
I could go on for days about men but I don't have days to type nor does anyone have days to read.
Men... can't live with them can't live without them!

Whadda Blog

Whadda Blog
Hey there thanks for letting me join in on the fun. I only set up my own cuz I thought I had too. Anyhow... yes we are leaving till September but hopefully I can blog my way through the midwest. It will be an interesting trip but what do you do. Thanks again

New Addition to the tcmfam Blog

I'd like to welcome Nicole to the blogging community. She probably won't post here too much because she set up her own blog, Life. As well, she is leaving the state for 3 months. Welcome anyway...

Busy Weekend

Boy, we did a lot this weekend. Friday I took a half day off work to go to Lagoon with the fam. Turned out to be EXTREMELY crowded. More so that would normally be expected. So, did the Lagoon-A-Beach thing for a while, rode a couple rides, then watched one of the shows.

Saturday, got up early and went to Public Affairs training with the Red Cross. It was a lot of fun but 6 hours of training.... Anyway, now I can talk to the media effectively (not really but we can pretend.)

Got home and decided that I wanted to see Star Wars III. WAY AWESOME MOVIE!!!! I don't think I will ever view Darth Vader the same way again for the rest of my life. When I watch him do the nasty stuff he does, like kill OB1, it'll be "Poor Vader".... So, really recommend it. It was a very hard movie to watch because it was very dark and evil but it tied up a lot of loose ends from the movies and books.

Sunday was normal church activities. So, that brings us to today which is turning into a Monday. You know the type. The ones where about mid-morning, you wish you were home... hiding under your bed.

So, JOTD... This one was forwarded from my wife. Enjoy...

Joke of the Day:
An older, white haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with a beautiful young gal at his side. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend.
The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring and showed it to him. The old man said, "I don't think you understand, I want something very special." At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. "Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000," the jeweler said. The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement. The old man seeing this said, "We'll take it." The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, by check. " I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon," he said. Monday morning, a very teed-off jeweler phoned the old man. "There's no money in that account."
"I know", said the old man, "but can you imagine the weekend I had?"

Drawing a Blank

I should start making notes of the things that I want to blog about. When you ride the bus to and from work, you get to see a lot of things that would be funny to blog about. I thought of one this morning, but can I remember, nope. So I think that I'm going to start pulling out the old PDA and writing myself reminders. I don't know, that seems like cheating, hopefully my 3 readers won't be mad. Anyway...so I was going to blog my idea for a movie, but B pretty much has the same idea as I did. I'll pitch it on the McGee Films blog a little later, if I get around to it.

I've also been thinking of writing some short stories, just for the heck of it. They probably wouldn't be any good, but I think it would be fun. So I'm putting the question out to all my readers; What comes off better, first person or third person? I like the fact that I can put myself in as the character, but I'm not sure what makes a better story for the reader. Let me know in the comments if you have a preference when you read a story and I'll do what I think would be the funnest. Laters.

Full Throttle vs. Rock Star

Ok, so I'm not the biggest drinker of energy drinks, but I think I did find a new favorite. Here is my short list of comparisons for Full Throttle and Rock Star. Full Throttle is a Product of the Coca-Cola Company, where as Rock Star was founded by some guy named whose last name is Weiner. The RockStar website is pretty cool, if you like Flash, Coke's is kind of difficult to find informatio that you want. Now on the ingredients, I don't have a can of RockStar here with me, but I am guessing they are pretty close to the same ingredients. The taste is a lot different. When I drink a RockStar, I have a hard time getting through the sweet taste. It's nice and not what you expect when you take your first drink. Now with Full Throttle, the taste is a little smoother and not too sweet to make you want to gag half way through the 16 oz. can. It has a taste similar to Mtn. Dew. Not that I'm a avid Dew drinker, Dr. Pepper is my choice of beverages when the choice is there 9.8 times out of 10. Anyway, I think that if you like RockStars and want to try something different, Full Throttle is a good replacement.

Van troubles....

Yesterday, my wife picked me up from work and we went to the local Home Depot for a couple of items. We then went to my Aunt's house to go to her friends house and pick up a king size bed.

On our way home from picking up the bed, our van temperature went from "We are ok" to "HOLY COW" in a matter of a quarter mile. We were still a distance away from our house and we could smell antifreeze. I was afraid that a hose popped.

So, we pulled over and checked out the engine. Antifreeze was all over the place. I checked the hoses and they all looked ok. I have one of those caps that has a pressure release before you take it off and there was still pressure inside the radiator. After the engine cooled, we went down the road to 7-11 and bought some dinner and antifreeze. I refilled the radiator and we drove on down the road to our home without another incident.

I want to thank a few people who were willing to change their plans to come help me. First, Sue and Greg for taking the time to go with us to get the bed. I didn't have something to use to carry it in and they brought their truck. (Amber and Riley too. They came along for the ride.)

Tracy and Chelsea. I know, even being his b-day, would have come to our rescue if needed. Nicole, also. She called to make sure everything was ok and was ready to drop everything to come help us to get home or transport where we needed.

It is so nice to have family, especially a family that will do anything to help you out of trouble. Love you all.

Now, onto other news. My first movie idea is posted. It can be read at McGee Films. Hope you all view it, read it, comment on it, and feel a deep satisfaction that you too can be a part of this.

Lifes little conflicts....

So, my wife and I have had some issues of late and we have been arguing more and more. We got to one point that we were afraid it might seriously damage our relationship. So, we started to write to each other so that we could be heard without interrupted and to allow us to express ourselves in a more friendly environment.

Last night, I got home from work and we sat and talked about the issues. The letters helped us to resolve some of the emotions and then we sat and talked. Come to find out, we are both extremely bored and want to do more fun things and we feel trapped into the situation we are in.

Part of the trap is because we haven't discussed further than our current situation and once we both knew we were on the same page about our living arrangement, we both felt a lot better about that. We have made plans to start doing additional things together as a family and I think we both feel a great deal of relief that we were able to sort through it.

One thing about fights is that, once they are over, you wonder why you made such a big deal about it.


Anyway, little bro's another year older today. Time marches on and all I can say to that is, he's got more gray hair than me.... Hahahahaha...

JOTD... Tracy actually sent this to me over messanger. I really liked it, so here it is.
Joke of the Day:

"Did you know that if you play a Windows XP CD backwards, you will hear the
voice of Satan? That's nothing! If you play it forward, it'll install
Windows XP." -- Unknown

Another Year Down

Why is it that when you get near a b-day you get reflective of the past XX years? And it seems that the older you get the more reflective you get. I look at it this way, when you get old, one of the only things that got you where you are and will maybe help define where you are going in the future is your past. So as I sit at my desk in the job that I love, with the pictures of my growing family all over my cube, I like to think of how I've been blessed with a pretty good life. To my friends that have been with me over the years, and some have been there for a lot of years, thanks for the fun, let's keep it going. Well turning 29 isn't all that bad, it feels like i'm still 28, haha. Life is going to continue, and I will just get older so I'm not going to complain, as long as I'm breathing on my own, I will do my best to stay happy. Ok, well that's all for now. Laters...

Yes, It's True, Three Days in a Row...

This hasn't happened anytime recently, where I wrote something for my blog three days in a row. I just wrapped up writing some Java Objects for a new system we are creating and I need to take a few minutes to let the mind relax. So...here I am.

So, a friend of mine sent me a link to this stuff online called Strong Bad emails. I think I'm addicted. Sometimes they are really funny and sometimes they are only soso. It's just fun to go and watch them, it's good for a break here and there. Anyway, go check it out.

That's all for the day...

Tuesday...the Second Day of the Week

Ok, I've been working on reading my Pro Spring book. It's a lot of fun. I was trying to use Netbeans for development and I decided that IDE's really suck, for the most part. I like Netbeans from the standpoint of the way it will help me finish some of the brackets and such like that. Programmers always forget to close one thing or another and it busts up the program and is a pain to troubleshoot. Anyway, I stopped using Netbeans, I'll go back to programming in Homesite+ and compiling via command line. It will make some of the stuff a little easier. Well, now that I've bored you to tears with this blog, I'll get back to work.

Just Another Monday in the Trenches

So I rode the bus to work today. It was kind of nice. I'm a little tired, but that's because my kids are having a hard time going to bed, which takes its toll. So riding the bus in today, I read and dozed it was kind of relaxing. I'm going to give the bus a chance for a while because I kind of like the walk and that early in the morning it is nice to be outside. So I will try it for a little while and then see if I'm making it ok and then when it gets cold, I'll hook up some more carpooling.

I was excited to get to work today. Why, you ask. Because last Thursday we bought some books on Spring and I wanted to get in and start reading it. Yeah, I'm a big computer geek. I made fun of people who got excited to read programming books, but now I'm one of them. You know the saying, "If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em" well I did. Well, I'm going to get back to reading.

Weather related issues

Ok, I'm glad we are getting moisture because we have been so long in a drought but COME ON, this is rediculous.... I was hoping for summer to be here and now, guess what, it's still SPRING... Not a good spring either... Moist, wet, cold, miserable stay-in-the-house-watch-the-weeds-grow-out-of-control spring.

Anyway, now that I got that off my chest, its time to JOTD.... this one is from Netscape... Enjoy.

Joke of the Day:
Worst Pop-Up Ads

You have 4 messages...or do you? Buy our product for $199.99 and find out!

To keep an idiot busy for hours, click here.

If this is flashing, you have a computer!

Click here for instant rectal exam.

Click here to initiate CPU self destruct sequence.

In debt? Buy a gun!

Click here to stop pop up ads!

Meet people in your area! Click here to turn off your computer and go outside.

Click for a free trip to North Dakota!


(Post comments if you have some other fun one's that you've thought of.)

Email Forwards...

I want to take a moment and discuss email forwards. First off, I don't mind receiving them. And to all the family and friends that have sent me those that say something like "Send this back and I'll know you love me" or "like me", I still love you and I'd hope that by not returning some cute email is showing you that I don't love you.

The other type of emails that are sometimes annoying are those that are patriotic or about God. The ones with the really touching stories or the "petition" for prayer, at the end or the email it will say "If you are a true American..." or "If you believe in God...". If forwarding email is the only thing that makes me a true American or makes me have a belief in God, then this world is really screwed up. What about all those people that didn't have email. Was George Washington and true American, he didn't forward an email, he didn't even know what email was.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is if you are reading this and you want to send me something, send it, I don't mind reading it, but if it is something that needs to be forwareded, I won't!

New Blog

The more I think about all the fun stuff I want to do, the more I want to do it. I made mention before about making films and also came up with my first film idea. So, I created a new blog called McGee Films. The first blog on there gives the general purpose of it.

So, this is my attempt to get everyone excited about a stupid idea that we have no idea how to accomplish with limited equipment and with VERY limited resources and that we have absolutely little time to work with. So,

Who's With Me?!?!

Post a comment or let me know if you are interested. I'm going to start moving forward because, well, I want to and I think it will be a lot of fun. I also think it will be a good growing experience.

June Weather

It is almost double digit June and it feels like mid April. Which to be honest, I haven't really minded. It's watering my new sod and I don't have to worry about it too much. My mind feels like mush today. I was home sick yesterday and woke up with a migrane today. What a crappy week. Well, I have Friday off and I am ready for the weekend. It seems that I have had a pretty hard time over the last couple of weeks but I am getting back into the swing of things now.

Caring for the Masses

It's been a while since I posted. I know, its my own fault but since there are only 2 or 3 people that actually read this, I guess it limits the amount of pain felt when I don't post.

Last week, I posted about the Intro to Disaster class and that went well. Tonight is a class in "Mass Care" where we get to learn about the different things that need to go into caring for the masses. I'm looking forward to it. After taking this class, I will be assigned to a Disaster Action Team (DAT).

We will see how that goes. I know of a bunch of other training classes that I will be signing up for. I'm excited and it will be nice to be more active in my community as well.

Also, exciting weekend coming up. Aly goes to the temple to receive her endowments on Saturday. We are all happy about that and she is definately excited as well.

So, now that you are up-to-date, we will move onto what you actually come here to read, JOTD... This one was forwarded to me from Aly and I think its pretty funny.

Joke of the Day:
Seven Degrees of Blondes

FIRST DEGREE

A married couple were asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning. The wife (undoubtedly blonde), picked up the phone, listened a moment and said, "How should I know, that's 200 miles from here!" and hung up.
The husband said, "Who was that?"
The wife said, "I don't know, some woman wanting to know if the coast is clear."

` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-,_ ,.-:* `

SECOND DEGREE

Two blondes are walking down the street. One notices a compact on the sidewalk and leans down to pick it up. She opens it, looks in the mirror and says, "Hmm, this person looks familiar."
The second blonde says, "Here, let me see!"
So the first blonde hands her the compact.
The second one looks in the mirror and says, "You dummy, it's me!"
` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-,_,-:*` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-,_,-:* `

THIRD DEGREE

A blonde suspects her boyfriend of cheating on her, so she goes out and buys a gun. She goes to his apartment unexpectedly and when she opens the door she finds him in the arms of a redhead. Well, the blonde is really angry. She opens her purse to take out the gun, and as she does so, she is overcome with grief. She takes the gun and puts it to her head.
The boyfriend yells, "No, honey, don't do it!!!"
The blonde replies, "Shut up, you're next!"

` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,-:*` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* `

FOURTH DEGREE

A blonde was bragging about her knowledge of state capitals. She proudly says, "Go ahead, ask me, I know all of them."
A friend says, "OK, what's the capital of Wisconsin ?"
The blonde replies, "Oh, that's easy: W."

` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,-:*` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* `

FIFTH DEGREE

What did the blonde ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
"Is it mine?"
` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,-:*` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* `

SIXTH DEGREE

Bambi, a blonde in her fourth year as a UCLA freshman, sat in her US government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was about.
Bambi pondered the question then finally said, "That was the decision George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware."

` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,-:*` *:-.,_,.-:* ` *:-.,_,.-:* `

SEVENTH DEGREE

Returning home from work, a blonde was shocked to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and reported the crime. The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the radio, and a K-9 unit, patrolling nearby was the first to respond. As the K-9 officer approached the house with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out on the porch, shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on the steps.

Putting her face in her hands, she moaned, "I come home to find all my possessions stolen. I call the police for help, and what do they do? They send me a BLIND policeman."

Back...again

Haha, I laugh because the title to this blog. So I was in the office all last week and only blogged once. I was sort of still on a mental vacation and didn't know right from left when I got to work. Things are a little better today, so far... Anyway, it was a pretty good weekend and we got a few things done. On Saturday, I went to my mom's and mowed her lawn. I was going to start sanding and getting the laundry room ready to be repainted, but I got lazy and decided that there were things that I needed to do at my own house, so I left. Then, we went to my sisters and cleaned out our van, which was really nice because it was so dirty. Later Sat evening I got more of the rocks cleaned up off my side walk, which is making things look really nice. Anyway, now that I gave you my entire Saturday, you are probably asleep and not reading any more, so I will go now and blog when my rambles will be a little less meaningful and hopefully a little more entertaining.

Fun with Disaster

I've found a new calling in life. One of the many hats I should wear as a responsible member of this community. I'm joining up with the American Red Cross as a member of their Disaster Action Team.

To begin my journey down this path, I've taken an intro class last Wednesday. It was a good class and had a very good overview of the ARC and it's disaster action. I hope that I will be a very valuable member of the team.

Training continues next Tuesday with a class in Mass Care. So, life should get interesting as I learn how to deal with disasters and help people during those perilous times.

So, Joke of the day..... I know, I know.. I'm slacking. Today is kind of fun. This came to me in my e-mail and is a thank you to all those that forwarded e-mails regarding, well, you'll see...

Joke of the Day:
I want to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send
me your chain letters over the past two years. Thank you for making me
feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy. Because of your concern...
I no longer can drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these
products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.
I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be
pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a
water buffalo on a hot day.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a
perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually
Al Qaeda in disguise.
I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our
troops.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a
stupid number for which I will get the phone bill from hell with calls
to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.
I no longer eat prepackaged foods because the estrogens they contain
will turn me gay.
I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant
freaks with no eyes or feathers.
I no longer go to bars because someone will drug me and take my kidneys
and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I
forward an email to 7 of my friends and make a wish within 5 minutes.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who has
been dying for the past seven years.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive
the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in
their special e-mail program.

I will now return the favor.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 1200 people in the next 60
seconds, a large bird with diarrhea will fly over your head at 5:00 pm
and the fleas of a thousand camels will infest your armpits. I know
this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of a friend
of a friend's neighbor's cousin, and he's a lawyer.

Back...

Well I'm back at work. My yard looks like a yard now. It looks great and I am excited to have the grass in. Mother Nature is taking care of the watering for the time being, which is good because a couple of my heads are leaking a little, well a lot. I think it's the funny pipe which is an easy fix. Anyway, just thought I'd let you all know about the yard and I will try and get some recent picts posted.