Gardening for the Lazy

One of the things that I have always wanted to do is to grow a garden. Because I'm generally lazy, I don't bother with finding a place in the yard or tilling the soil or anything that really requires work. Because of the price of everything, I've decided that gardening would be a wonderful and useful habit to get into. So, I've been doing some research (which, apparently I'm good at.)

Anyway, a friend of mine forwarded a link (this link to be exact) that took me to a concept called "Square Foot Gardening." I was intrigued and started reading into the details and have decided that this is the coolest thing since the invention of the plow.

So I have now decided that I will be working on this in the near future. It is a simple concept and requires very little investment, if you can find the building material cheap which, if you know anyone that can get a hold of some used pallets or wood products for little cost or free, which, I happen to be one of those individuals.

I will probably document my attempt at this so that everyone can see how wonderful this concept is or how much of an utter failure I can be. Either way, it'll be entertaining.

My next conquest, if this work is composting. Doesn't seem hard so we will have to see. There is a concept called "Humanure" which I'm not totally sold on yet. Not sure I would want to try this unless our entire infrastructure dies and we have to resort to outhouse-living again, in which case I may give it a go. But if the infrastructure is toast, composting human feces would be the least of our worries, I'm sure.

I Love Having Fun...

All 3 of you that read this blog know me pretty well. I'm a pretty good person to be around, I think anyway. (No smart ass comments please) Yesterday my wife let me know that I'm a ham and stuff like that when we get around people. I don't like to be the center of attention, but can get to that point pretty quick. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but if I annoy you...deal with it. HAHA. Just kidding, just ignore me like you have up until this point.

Anyway, one of the funnest things I like doing is messing with my wife's head. You know playing jokes on her, getting her all worked up. She gets frustrated with me because she has a hard time getting me to fall for her antics when she is always falling for mine. Well hunnee, I just wanted to tell you that I have plans set in motion for your 30th birthday present already. I'm so excited for it and it will be a good one. The nice part about telling you this now, is that it will eat at you until the end of July when you get to that big 30.

Again, having fun can go multiple ways, either being a ham in groups of people or messing with peoples heads, having fun is the way to go.

Catching up a little...

I just wanted to touch base and fill you all in on the past few things have happened that I had talked about that I would blog on. The first is my poor puppy. This is Wash the day of or the day after his surgery. We had him wear this for about 7 days where we didn't take it off. One night it rained and I went out to get him out of the rain and he had found a way to get into the dog house. It was kind of funny. He's a good dog. This coming Wednesday, he is graduating from his beginning dog training.

There are some other things that I was going to blog about, but I'm tired and I have a huge headache, so I am going to go to bed. Keighlee is being mean to everyone so I'm going to go put her to sleep and fall asleep myself.

Helpin' Mother Nature

So we have started to improve our home by planting some trees. I planted 2 trees in the yard last night. I have some raspberry bushes to plant as well but have to finish getting the area cleaned up and fenced off so the kids and dogs will stay out. Haven't fully figured everything out but will probably have the bushes planted in the next few days with any luck.

The two trees are fruit trees. One is nectarines, which I really like a lot, and the other is cherry. The one thing about cherry trees is that you need another cherry tree to pollinate but this tree is different. It has 4 different trees grafted together and is therefore self-pollinating. If it weren't a tree, I'd be worried. Anyway, I'll get some pictures up to show you but I got them planted and then moved on to other things.

Last night was Nicki D's b-day so we had some pizza and watched a movie. It was a lot of fun. Other than that, not a whole lot going on.

Movie Review - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

So I've decided that I'm not going to take the advice of the 101.9 The End movie critic guy. I've seen a couple shows now that he gave bad review and I can tell you they are pretty cool. I was hesitant to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium because of this guys review. As a matter of fact, we went and saw Enchanted in the theaters instead of this movie because of that review. I think that if he gives it a bad review, I'll go see it because he's been wrong for me a couple of times. Of course it is all according to yourself.

Anyway, Mr. Magorium's is a magical movie. I think I smiled through most of it because of how cool it was. I was really tired and expected to fall asleep through it, but stayed awake because I was just drawn in. The hardest part of watching this movie was seeing Natalie Portman with short hair. Some girls can pull of short hair, but this was too much. Her hair was shorter than Jason Bateman, who played a great part. They called him mutant. Dustin Hoffman did a great job as Mr. Magorium. He was mysterious and strange, kind of reminded me of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Just that off the wall kind of character that seems to be everywhere and thinking everything at once. It was a good show. I'm going to grade it a B+, based on Natalie Portman's haircut and her conducting, that was annoying to watch. It was a very entertaining show.

War

War is never a fun subject. Especially when it is accompanied by video. The effects of war have been felt here. Check out this video to see.

Stick with what you know....

I know that there are some people or organizations out there that think they can improve on a good thing or that can combine two different ideas to create a bigger and better idea but I'm here to tell you, not always is that the case.

For those of you that don't know, I like candy. Maybe not as much as Fez but close. I like chocolate the most usually when it encompasses some nuts, nugget, or cookie of some sort. I also like other things that are not chocolate like Mike and Ike's or Skittles. These do not necessarily go together well.

I purchased a "NEW!" Chocolate Mix of Skittles. I just have to say that I'm not impressed. I like Skittles a lot but I don' think I would buy these ever again. Anyway, just wanted to offer a candy review and to tell the MARS company, let's not screw up a good thing by trying to improve what doesn't need to be improved, OK?

Movie Review - I Am Legend

This movie is based off a novel by Richard Matheson. This is the 3rd remake of this story line. The first was "The Last Man on Earth (1964)" starring Vincent Price and the second was "The Omega Man (1971)" starring Charlton Heston. Each takes a different spin off the original story but each holds true to certain aspects of the story.

I really liked "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville. It is an interesting take on one man's struggle with being what he feels is the last healthy person in the entire world. The other living creatures have been modified by a virus of some sort that creates something different but humanoid in some aspects.

There are actually two versions of this movie. There is the original theater ending and, if you get the deluxe DVD set, they also have the alternative ending. I won't give away any secrets, but the alternative ending is more enjoyable. BTW, the daughter of Robert Neville is the real-life daughter of Will Smith (just a bit of trivia.)

Anyway, as this movie circulates more and more people become familiar with the alternative ending, I may post more of my thoughts on this show comparing it with the other movies and the original book as well.

I do recommend Richard Matheson as a writer as he has written several novels that most may be familiar with but are unaware as to the origins. The link to his name takes you to his IMDB profile of which you can see a list of his other works that have been turned into movies as well.

Movie Review - Bee Movie

Last night we watched "Bee Movie". I was kind of excited to watch this show because it looked like it was done well. We wanted to take the kids while the movie was in theaters, but we just never did. So we put it on the Netflix list as soon as we could and got it earlier this week.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I'm looking at it from the standpoint of would the kids like it and was it entertaining. Yes, it covered those well. There were some things that had me laughing out loud, including one line that made Chels and I chuckle but the kids were like...huh? A little bit of adult humor. Overall the animation was pretty good, there were a couple of times the female cartoon lead in the movie looked cross-eyed and a lot of the vehicles were square for the most part. But the overall entertainment value of the movie was good.

Now the story line was very unclear in the beginning, but progressed fairly well. There were a couple of parts that were kind of draggy, but they moved well through different aspects of the story. Like what happens when a bee stings someone and such. The story also show the importance of a bee's work. They are hear to make things more beautiful and though I don't think that it would be as drastic as it shows in the movie if bees weren't on the earth things could be a lot less colorful.

Anyway, overall the movie was good and I would give it a B grade, no pun intended.

Things that make you go "hmmmm."

So, recently, I had a few moments that I really didn't know how to respond to my own questions. They are very philosophical in nature and, because of recent events, have decided to put them out to you, the Whadda Blog fans.

1. I was thinking about restaurants the other day. I remember some ads for restaurants stating that it was "like home". I understand the concept of the cooking being like homemade, but I got to thinking a little bit more about this. If these restaurants are "like home", does the waitress come and make you stay at the table until you have finished everything on your plate? Do they not offer you desert if you don't eat all your vegetables? What about if you have your elbows on the table? Do you have to bus your own table and load them in the dishwasher? Anyway....


2. The other thing I was thinking about is swearing. I think I posted on that subject before but not quite like this. I know I don't have the cleanest speech but my daughter has picked up quite the potty mouth. I blame school or at least the other kids at school because I know that some of the word she uses, I don't. Anyway, I was thinking about swearing and punishments for such. When we were kids, and I've used this on my kids, when you swore you got your mouth washed out with soap. It made me wonder about two categories that are not discussed with this type of punishment. What about deaf children and swearing in blogs, IM, etc. Do you make them wash their hands with soap?

I'm sure there are a lot more "hmmmm" moments and as I approach them, I will try and share. There are a lot out there that I have seen in e-mail or have been told by others. Some of them are fun and make you laugh. Others make you take a step back and actually think about them.

Video of the Day - March 20th

So the winner for the first video of the day is Brad Paisley - Letter To Me



The reason I picked this video is because with the changes of seasons happening today, it always takes me back to times in my life. Whenever I hear this song I think if I could really do this, what would the letter say. I know that would be messing with the time space continuum but, it could be worth it. I think that I'd write this letter and never send it because I'd get done and realize that though I've had some things in my past that I'd like to remove, I think I've gone through all of them for a purpose...to make me, me.

So as spring starts today and you start all the major cleaning with the windows open, think of the times that you've had and think of the times that are still to come.

New Feature...

So I've been thinking of ways to make Whadda Blog more fun. One way is to introduce new features every once in a while. So, I was thinking about that the other day and came to the conclusion that I'll try to do something new on a regular basis. The question for the new feature is does it become regular or a returning favorite, like the McRib at McDonald's. So today, I'm going to introduce a new feature but I'm still working on finding something that will be great. The new feature is going to be a cousin to the Song of the Day, Video of the ...(don't know yet).

I listen to music throughout the day and since I work on computers, I like to take a break here and there and watch a music video on Launch. So I'm currently looking for a video that will be a good fit for the day and will introduce this new segment with a bang. So until I find the video that I am looking for, enjoy reading B's post Giving Away America which can be found on Whadda Blog as well as Thoughts from the Clan, which is where the link goes, on WordPress.

Giving Away America - Edited

I have decided to remove the context of this post as it isn't in the fun spirit of this blog. It is available on Thoughts from the Clan. I continue to update that sight with more thought-provoking, argument-provoking posts so bookmark it and visit.

I know I have been MIA for a little while and for that, I am truly sorry. It has been an interesting couple of days and so I'm not entirely sure what to blog about. I could tell you all of the fun and excitement over the past little bit but I don't think you all want to hear about the crappy time I've been having so I will focus on the most difficult bit over the last little bit.

I guess in the broader category, I am indecisive. I like having options available to me and by making a choice, you eliminate the other possibility. Therefore, if you don't make a choice, both options are available but time goes on and the indecisiveness creates havoc and makes me look like a wishy-washy type person. I have several decisions that I have had to make over the last little bit and each has pros and cons. I like the no-brainer type decisions (all pros, no cons) that make decision making easy.

Anyway, here are a few of the decisions I am currently faced with:

• Buying my house - Right now we are renting from my mother-in-law. If we buy, the $$ go up every month because we don't have all the other additional costs associated with a house. On the other hand, it is ours. It is definitely a "fixer-upper" but I haven't let that discourage me as anything in our price range would be just that, a "fixer-upper". I like the idea of staying in the house because the yard is big enough but I need to fix the deck, some of the electrical, and finish the basement. The yard needs some work but because of the neighborhood we live in, as long as its not full of trash no one really cares.

• Fix my car vs. UTA - My car is having problems but I really can't be upset. It lasted 2 years longer than I originally planned so I am pretty happy with it. Right now, it has over 190k miles on it and the gears are struggling a bit. The biggest problem I have is that the radiator needs to be replaced and that, with all of the parts and chemicals will cost about $250ish and that's if I do the labor myself. The labor wouldn't be too hard but I would hate to spend the $$ and then have the gears go out. I don't want to replace it yet as Alythea's van registration is due this month so I would like to wait a few months. This way we can spread out the costs associated with cars. I have checked bus routes and it looks like they made a few changes that would make it a lot easier for me to get to and from work so I'm thinking this might be an excellent option.

Anyway, I think the indecision comes when I start to look at the long term or the other possibilities. I guess I would hate to make the wrong decision and have things go completely wrong. I'm not one that likes surprises so I like to know what is going to happen but a lot of these problems you really can't "know" for certain. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do whether it be right or wrong but I think it needs to be a family decision. So, I will consult the wife and get back to you.

Very Unhelpful Sign

So yesterday a few of us from work went to lunch and on our way we had to stop at a floral shop. When we parked I noticed this sign. The first time I read it, I thought, "Hmmmm, something seems to be missing".

As I did a double take to make sure I was reading it right, I started laughing and showed the sign to those I was with. I wanted to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. We went into the flower shop and came out and I read the sign again, climbed in the car to leave and then decided that I needed a picture of this sign. This is a fill-in the blank sign and just leaves you wondering...

Song of the Day - March 17th, 2008

Happy St. Patty's Day first off. Believe it or not, I don't have a ton of Irish music, even after living there for a couple years. There is a lot of good Irish music out there though including Chrisy Moore (see blog entry). I was thinking about picking one of his songs again, but none really fit the mood. Part of the Song of the Day is for a good pick me up.

So what is the Song of the Day you ask. Well it comes from a newer artist and it is sort of cheesy to pick but it is by an artist named Taylor Swift. She is a new country singer and she has some catchy songs. The song I'm going to choose is "Teardrops on my Guitar". Don't knock it till you listen to it. It's a pretty good song, good harmonies and a catchy tune. Not real upbeat but, again, catchy.

I'm pretty open in my love for music. I like artists from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to Anthrax, Tim McGraw to Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to Queen. (Did you catch that, hehe) If you want me to listen to something, let me know and I will be glad to give it a listen.

Good Morning

So I had a long night with the dog. He hit his normal un-drugged around 3am. Which means all he did was pace. The dog has so much energy that he has to constatnly be moving, even after playing fetch for like 2 hours one day, he didn't crash like Zoey did. He's a crazy dog.

Speaking of crazy, on a totally different note, my wife is. She is in love with this twilight series of books. I think love is the wrong word for it, it's on a level with serious obsession. The saddest part about this whole thing is that she's not the only woman in her age that are infatuated with this series, she says there are 1560 of these "stalking fans" on this one website. I've read the book, the first one, and I wasn't all that impressed, I was waiting for more action. For a forbidden love story with vampires in it, there isn't much action. Even when Bella, the main character is in trouble, you don't get much action. Like a climax in the book, the story talks about her passing out rather than what they did to the bad guy, you know the good old fight scene. Anyway, she's not dumb, she's just found something to really get into and like, that a lot of other women have enjoyed too.

Part of the Family

So this morning I took my puppy, Wash, into the vet to get neutered. Now he's laying on the floor of the bedroom floor still trying to get over the anesthetics.

When I took him to the Vet this morning, I was given all the forms to sign and it reminded me a lot of when you have to go into a doctor appointment as a human. They give you the form saying that they aren't responsible if he dies and stuff like that. As I was signing all the forms and listening to the lady talk about what they were going to do to Wash and all that stuff, I realized I was getting more and more worried about leaving him. I knew that he was in good hands and that they weren't going to just let him die, but I was still worried. I was kind of in shock that I was that worried about it.

He has really become a part of the family, even Chels is coming around to liking him. She went out and kicked the ball and he'd chase it and drop it at her feet and then she'd kick it again. Now, for those of you who don't know, when Chels and I got married, having a dog was out of the question. As time wore on, she grew accustomed to the idea, knowing that he'd be an outside dog. We were thinking of getting a Jack Russel when KK got a little older then Nic and Rick bread Zoey and we fell in love with little Wash. When we brought him home, Chels wasn't exactly excited, but she tolerated it because I was happy.

Over the last about 8 months that we've had him, he's getting better and being a good dog and not an annoying puppy. He still has a lot of the annoying puppy things going on, but not as much. Last Saturday we were out cleaning the back yard and Bree was running around the yard and he would just run next to her as she ran. Before he would have been knocking her down trying to eat her hair and stuff. Now he seems to be willing to just play without having all the little annoying things.

Another thing that I think has really helped is that we've gone through 4 weeks of beginning dog training. He is getting a lot of the concepts down, but still has a lot to learn. We have 4 weeks left and hopefully he'll be at a good point in his training. I am thinking about enrolling him in the Intermediate training as well. We are doing all our training through PetSmart.

Well the family movie is over and as usual the family is asleep. I've been up getting stuff ready for our caching day tomorrow. I'm excited to go out. We have a pretty good system, I drive, look for the caches, and manage the older kids and Chels gets to read her book in the car and manage KK. At least that was the way it worked last time. Anyway, I'm gonig to go to bed. I don't think I've blogged longer than B, but it is pretty close.

Working for the Weekend!!!!

I usually post my blogs first thing in the morning. Gives me an opportunity to get the gears rolling a bit and to find out which fire I have to deal with that day at work. Today just started weird and has pretty much stayed that way.

I had barely walked in the door when I had to deal with the first item for the day. We are having some employee issues, or more to the point, issues with one employee. The last couple of days have been major discussions about how to handle this particular situation so it has not made life fun.

One of the things that I hate most about being a manager or supervisor in any capacity is to deal with other people. When you have to oversee someone else that creates problems. Not only are you responsible for the stuff they are doing but you also have to deal with that person’s entire life. Anyone who says they seperate their work and personal lives is full of crap. Everyone drags different aspects of their personal life into their work and vice versa. Your attitude and mood because of something that happens at home can distract you from your job or problems at your job can distract you from your personal life.

I know there are times when I have such a hard day at work that I go home and just want to sit and watch tv. Sometimes dealing with the kids becomes a hassle because I just need peace and quite. While I am not doing work at home or thinking about work, the effects of the day have spilled over into my personal life and dealing with the kids.

Anyone who is a parent has had to stay up late with a sick kid and that also spills over to the next day when you are tired and groggy at work. You may not discuss your home problems at work or even really think about it, but the effects of what happens at home invade your professional life.

So dealing with employees becomes more than just about work, it becomes about life altogether. We walk around and carry the weight of our world upon us regardless of where we are and what we are doing. We can put it away for a while when we are on vacation or something but it is always there. Our lives then become intertwined in other people’s lives and then you struggle with what is going on in their lives. To accomplish a work task, you have to almost change a complete attitude or solve a personal problem so the focus can be on that task.

Anyway, this week has been especially draining because of various things like this. Not only do I have employee issues, I have issues with other co-workers that have definitely added to the stress of this week. I am really glad it is over and hope that I can take a couple of days to download all of the pent up frustration and have a little fun.

Today has been especially difficult because today was blood donation day. I donate every 2 months (usually) and after getting drained today, I have not felt the best. There’s always a physical drain as your body adjusts to the loss of blood but today it was a little more severe. I’m pretty sure it had to do with being a bit tired and the stress of the events of today but.....

I am looking forward to going home, hanging out with the kids and finding something fun to do. Not 100% on what that will be but whatever it is, I’m sure we will all have fun.

I am also looking forward to some fun tomorrow. I am going geocaching with my brother and, if the weather turns bad, Guitar Hero and Rockstar. After that, BBQ.

BTW, for those of you interested, Clark Planetarium starts their U2 laser show today!!!! Next month, they are starting a new show about mummys.... Get your passes quick because it is a lot of fun.

Bravery

I was listening to a book (I listen to book-on-tape in my MP3 player) and in the story I was listening to, one of the characters who is a great warrior had felt fear on one occasion. It was a unique experience for him causing him to doubt his manhood. He has, on more than one occasion, brought up that he should leave the party because he never knows when the fear will strike again and he feels that fear is a sign of not being a man. He feels that fear is the opposite of being brave and that is something he is struggling with.

It has led me to think about bravery and what it truly is. A few years ago, when I was in school, I was taking an English class for general education credit. Most of the assignment involved a series of articles written by various authors presenting pros and cons on a specific subject and each section the subject would change. One of which that I found very interesting was about Superman and bravery. If I remember nothing else about that class, I will remember these articles because they were very profound.

The one that I remember the most stated that Superman was not brave because he knew that he could not be hurt. Bravery, in this article, was defined as standing up to a situation not knowing whether or not you would survive. Bravery was more of the battle against the fear to do what was necessary. Superman, knowing that the bullets, knives, fists, etc. would not hurt him did not fear them. He has no fear of heights because he can fly and even if he falls a great distance, he can not be hurt. A large boulder could fall on him and it really wouldn't hurt him. Therefore, according to this article, he was not brave because he did not need to fear.

At first, I did not like this article because Superman was one of those characters you looked up to. In this light, he wasn't as brave as we thought him to be. After the initial "hero-bashing" wore off, I began to think about it and it made a lot of sense.

Bravery was measured by how we deal with fear. What do we do when we are afraid? This is what defines our bravery. When things get tough and we fear that we are making the wrong choices, do we shirk from our duties or do we press on hoping things will turn out? What do we do with the fears that surround us? Do we let them rule our lives or do we take precautions and move on?

There is a lot of bad out there. There is a lot of good also but its not the good you have to worry about. Things that are even neutral can be causes for fear. Heights, outdoors, dogs, etc. are all fears that the subject of fear is not good or bad but our perception of them and what can happen to us is what feeds those fears. There are a lot of words that end in -phobia that deal explain our fears. Those that let the fears rule their lives generally do not exhibit bravery or mastery over those fears.

Most of the time fears are of general black-and-white type things; fear of heights, fear of spiders, fear of being mugged, fear of death, etc. The fears that are more common but little well known or associated with bravery deal with being a father or mother, being a role model, working at a job, or anything we face on a day-to-day basis. Think about all the decisions you make during the day and whether you worry about making the right decision.

I suffer a lot of fears. It is not that we fear that makes us weak or cowardly, it is how we deal with those fears that defines us as brave or as cowardly. It is by pressing on each and every day in spite of the fear that helps us to be brave. It is by not hiding behind our fear and our self-pity of that fear that defines us as brave.

Song of the Day - March 13, 2008

I've decided that if I miss a day, instead of going back and choosing the Song of the Day a day late, I'm just going to skip it. I'm sorry there will be songless days, but sometimes life just gets in the way. I'll writing the Song of the Day in the morning before the work day gets into full swing and I get so tied up in things that I can barely breath.

For the song today I'm going to pick one of the many great songs by the group Peter, Paul, and Mary. This is a group that for some reason reminds me of summer afternoons growing up. My mom would clean the house in the morning on Saturdays with Whitney Houston blaring, which for a teenage boy is a very wrong way to wake up. But after the Whitney albums were over, we'd pull out some of this better music. Groups like The Alan Parsons Project, Eddie Rabbit, and Peter, Paul, and Mary to name a few.

Today's song is "Lemon Tree". This song is just well written. Other songs on this album include Puff the Magic Dragon, Stewball, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) all of which could have been the song of the day. Enjoy.

Song Of The Day - March 11, 2008 (A day late)

I know today is March 12th which makes this Song of the Day a Song of the Day a day late.

So the song that I had picked out for the Song of the Day yesterday and just didn't take the time to blog it was off the new Maroon 5 album, "It Won't Be Soon Before Long". The song..."Won't Go Home Without You". If you haven't heard it, you should. I'll get to today's song of the day a little later.

Honesty... Not just a word in the dictionary

I have not always been an honest person. I have told my share of lies through my life. This is not to say that I am perfect now or that I have ever had periods where I was a total scum bag and lied about everything but I have told a few lies.

I don't think that at any point in my life that I set out to outright lie about something. Usually something would happen inadvertently and I would lie to save my own skin but I don't think I ever did anything and thought that I would do something and lie about it, it was never premeditated I guess is the phrase I'm looking for.

I don't know if it is a conscience that keeps me from doing this or the morals my mother brought me up with or just a desire to be an honest citizen. I don't think I won't ever lie again. There are just some questions that you can't help but lie to (usually referred to as white lies.) I try not to because I believe in being honest and it has gotten me into trouble a few times. I guess the reason is because I can be brutally honest.

As with most of my blogs, there is an event that sparks the fire that becomes the outpouring that becomes my ramblings. The one event opens the gateway to all the memories of events that are similar to or have something in common with the event that sparked the "gotta-get-it-off-my-chest" blog.

This incident involved a freight claim at work. We has a shipment of 8 packages come in that showed signs of damage or missing items. The person who was supposed to check the shipment did not at the time and when it was time for those items to go out, there was a scramble because 2 parts were missing.

Several people had stated that they did extensive searches for these items but to no avail. Therefore, logic states that we make a claim with the freight company for those missing items. Not more than 5 minutes of filing that claim did the missing items turn up. (So much for extensive search.) So, making sure that I cover all my bases, I asked a particular person (no mention of names) whether all was well with that particular order so I could cancel the claim.

Now, the correct response was that everything was fine. The response I got was something different. That particular order was fine but we had lost money one a couple of other shipping problems that we just corrected and didn't bother to make claim against so we should leave the claim to collect on all the other times where we should have but didn't file a claim.

This wasn't a hard decision for me and took very little time to recognize this as dishonest. If there were reasonable claims in the past and we just pushed through them and corrected the error without bothering to file claim paperwork, apparently it wasn't worth enough to worry about. This isn't about accumulation and finding one claim with which to "get even" for past events.

I started to think about all the other events in life where dishonesty reared its ugly head. I'm not talking about the little lie when someone asks about their hair or makeup but the big lies that can cause loss and problems. The one's where you have to keep up the lies. You make up stories to save your own skin or keep out of trouble or to get something in which you are not entitled.

Movies and books have been written about it. Aesop wrote fables about it. I think this fits into the category of the "Mean People Suck" blog. It is so sad because there is good in everyone. It is possible for people to be honest but they just find it "entertaining" to lie, cheat, and steal.

I find it troublesome that people would not take responsibility for themselves enough to be honest with their fellow man. I, myself, find it difficult to understand why people would want to continue to lie when the truth is so much easier. I guess for the same reason why people want to be hurtful towards others.

So many things could be avoided by just being honest. I can see that there are some benefits in the short run with lies but they are mostly superficial and, in the long run, you lose a lot more than you gain.

There are some "lies" I still perpetuate (just so that someone doesn't bring them up.) Certain childhood characters that benefit children in one way or another are something that I really do enjoy fulfilling the role of. I'm not sure if these are counted as lies or just a displacement of credit to a fictional character. You decide for yourself but I don't necessarily count these in the "lie" category.

Too harsh?

Most of the people that know me know I am always wanting to improve something. What that something is depends upon my mood or what I can see at the time. A lot of times I want to do something with my house or yard. There are a few things that stop my progression. First, money. To do much of anything you need money. Second, more pressing chores. How can you work on the yard when you need to wash clothes or dishes? Third, a lot of the clutter around the house has nothing to do with me and if I decide to just get rid of it, I would end up divorced or at least separated.

Last night I did spend a couple of hours raking the front yard. I do not have a single tree in my yard but since neighbors on both sides have multiple trees, my yard gets a lot of leaves. So, I spent the evening listening to a book on tape raking, sweeping, and piling in the garbage. Between my front yard, the little strip close to the curb, the gutter and the sidewalk, I filled a trash can (one of the big ones the garbage man dumps every week.)

Several things happened last night that I wonder about my own mood and motives on some things. My youngest decided to take her shoes off outside, which isn't a great problem but I asked her and her older sister to find them and get them in the house. They played, and I told them again. This happened repetitively for quite some time. Then I asked them to go get my wife to help them find the shoes before it got dark. They did make it in to tell her that I wanted her but she assumed I just wanted to show her the yard so she blew me off. (Not a super huge surprise since most people blow me off anyway.)

I was a bit upset when I got in for a couple of reasons. I was happy with the way the yard looked and the work I did though. First, I only found one of the shoes and it was getting to dark to look around. When I went in, everyone had had something to eat (it was fend-for-yourself night) and not one single person bothered to put their dishes away let alone load them in the dishwasher and run it and the recycling bin was full. Needless to say, I was upset that no one bothered to do anything.

This is only one example in a series of events through my life that this has happened. I struggle to understand why people can live in a mess or not care enough to clean up after themselves. My family isn't the only one, I see or hear about similar stories all over the place. It is difficult to understand and I wonder if I should be upset about it or if that is the norm and I am just an abnormality when it comes to that type of stuff.

It is hard to care when everyone around you doesn't. Not just at home but at work as well. It is hard to keep up with all of the things that need to be accomplished when everyone around you seems to work against you. It definitely is a struggle. One day I may figure it out.

Song Of The Day - March 9, 2008

How do you pick the Song of the Day? That is a question that I can hear you all asking yourself, but are afraid to ask because you think it is a stupid question. No, not necessarily a stupid question, more like a stupid response. I really don't have any real reasons behind it, a lot of times it is just saying in five clicks on random in iTunes, that will be the Song of the Day. So today, because I've been sick in bed all day, I'm going to do the three click on random and the third song will be the Song of the Day.

Today's Song of the Day, randomly picked, is called "Delirium Tremens" by an Irish singer named Chrisy Moore. This song isn't in iTunes to buy. I bought this album while on my LDS mission there about 10 plus years ago. This whole album is good and if you know me and would like to hear more, please let me know.

Looking Back

So I'm going through some of the pictures that I have on my external hard drive and came across one that is cute and brought back a bunch of memories. Knowing Bree now and seeing this, we should have seen the signs of the trouble to come.



This picture was taken after a trip to Mirror Lake in the Uinta's. We decided to walk a little bit around the lake and the kids got really close and we told them to stay away. The two older ones did a good job at it, the younger one, Bree at the time, didn't. She fell into the lake and got soaked. We put Jarik's sweatshirt on her to keep her warm. She is mischievous and the smirk on her face shows that she had a lot planned for the future.

I'm First!!!!

Driving is so much fun. You get to see how stupid people really are. Truly, they are morons. I'm not saying I'm a perfect driver, far from it, but I do realize that I'm not the only one on the road and that I may own a small part of it through my taxes, but I'm not the only one.

I've been thinking about drivers and blogging about them for quite some time. There are so many different aspects of driving that I could touch on in the way of "this really bugs me". I could probably write an entire book on it, maybe entitle it something like "Stupid Human Tricks - The Driver's Edition."

I can't say I haven't done some really stupid things driving, mostly from not paying as close attention to the road as I should but I don't blatantly do idiotic things. Anyway, post any examples of things that really bug you about other drivers.

One of my favorites is the people who, knowing a lane is going to end, try to get as far ahead as possible. They will push ahead just one more car as if that will make all of the difference in the world in their travel time if they just get ahead of that one more person.

Another one that I like are the people that speed up as you are coming onto the freeway. They ride the right lane and even though, at current proper speeds, you will come out ahead of them, decide that they want to go from 65mph to 100mph just to make sure that you are behind them. Instead of moving over or allowing you just to merge, they get to the point where they almost force you off the road because you ran out of lane and they are right in the way.

Idiots!!! Anyway, what is your favorite "quirk" about drivers?

Song Of The Day - March 8, 2008

Well it's Saturday and I haven't been listening to a lot of music so it was hard to pick the song for the day. So as we were driving home from getting some dinner, which means we were lazy today, I realized what I was going to pick for the Song of the Day.

Today's Song of the Day is the theme song for the hit NBC comedy show, The Office. Chels and I watched the first 3 seasons of The Office on Netflix, the part where you can watch the shows on your PC. They have really annoying commercials on the radio for it. So we finished up season 3 today and started watching season 4 on NBC.com. We are somewhat new fans to the show and can't wait for the show to continue on April 10th. So as lame as that may be, that is my pick for the Song of the Day.

Song Of The Day - March 7, 2008

This was one of my favorite things to do when I wrote in this blog regularly. I'm going to start it up again...just for kicks. The song of the day is one that is put together just to give you a good song that may describe the kind of day I'm having or a song that just sounded good to me in my iTunes library. I have just under 3100 songs in my library and they are all pretty good, except for most of the Neil Diamond, that was bought for my wife.

So today's song is by Rascal Flatts. Reasons why, I wish I was going to their concert, except I'm too cheap to buy tickets. It's a good song for the weekend. The song is "Life Is a Highway" from Cars. In the iTunes store this is listed as their top selling song and is a good one.

That is the song of the day...take it or leave it.

Looks Like Fun

Once in a while, when I get bored of my music, I go to Launch and find different music videos that I want to watch. It's pretty cool. I was a big fan of MTV when it was actually music videos and not the stupid shows that are there now. I did like watching the Osbourne's every once in a while. Anyway, back to Launch...

I've always thought it would be a lot of fun to be a singer and/or someone involved in making these videos. Some videos that come to mind from way back when are "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard and "Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. During the summer we'd watch the top 5 or ten videos of the day and these two were on it when we watched it. Some of the videos I watch now a days for kicks include some of the newer songs on the radio..."Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne, "White & Nerdy" by Weird Al, although that song hits way to close to home, and others. Launch has a lot of "Fans Only" videos where the fans have taken the song and made a video, you know singing and dancing in their element. I have seen a video of "These Boots Were Made for Walking" that would make the video maker very jealous, but it is hilarious. Anyway, videos do a great job of curing winter blues, especially if they are a fun summer song or a Kenny Chesney video, they are almost always on a beach somewhere tropic.

Something for a little fun...I heard Donny Osmond on the radio with the 101.9 guys this morning and this video came up. Here is the Donny cut that everyone needs to see.

Revocable Living Trust

I spent some time last night learning about revocable living trusts. I had a friend suggest it because, apparently, a will doesn't do what we all think it does. Here is what I have learned.

Wills are a document that give the directives you would like to have completed at your death. What is listed may not be what actually happens and the state and greedy lawyers get to have their hands in the pot as well. It could take up to 1 year to settle your affairs as well. Wills have to go through probate which means they are a matter of public record. Everyone gets to know your business. Lawyers get a fee for dealing with a bunch of nothing really and your relatives get taken to the cleaners.

A revocable living trust basically makes it so none of that happens. This is one of those things that they have 2 laws, one for the uninformed (which gets very expensive) and one for the informed (which saves your estate a ton of $$.)

The US is one of the only countries that still deals with probate and the main reason why it is still enforce here is that it is a very lucrative business venture for lawyers.

Anyway, I'm not going to go too indepth here but I would suggest everyone look into getting (or borrowing from the library) a book on living trusts and setting up estates. Its not just for the rich and shameless anymore and could save your hard earned moola and property for the people you want to have it.

If I had a million dollars.....

This is a statement commonly used with kids in junior high or high school. If you had a million dollars or were independently wealthy, what would you do with your life? The answer to that question would be what you should go into for your work or employment. It would be the "ideal" job for you.

I'm not sure if anyone that reads this has been asked that question or has ever thought about it. We all have our dream jobs in one way or another. This question is meant to get you to think about life. What you would do for a career, not just Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm, but what career would be part of your being.

I've asked myself that question many times through my life and each time the answer varies a bit but there is one answer that has popped up more than once in different forms. Of course, I've had my periods where I wanted to be a police officer or a soldier or some other type of "hero" position. There is one answer that really made me think enough to form a goal. I've talked about it before but have never been really serious about it until just recently.

The last time I asked myself that question, my answer was to stay at home with the kids and home school them. To be a part of their academic lives, take them on field trips, teach them, show them all of the stuff I feel that they are lacking. I've joked with Aurora many times about getting my teaching degree and getting hired on in whatever school she was in. She scoffed at it as though she would be totally embarrassed to be a teacher's child but every once in a while she would make mention of it.

So, I've decided that I need to get my teaching degree. Not sure how long it will take or when I will start but since I officially made the decision today, I'm sure I will take the time to figure it out. I'm not sure which subject(s) I will teach, but I'm sure it is something that I would really like to do. I love all subjects and just need to get started.

I've thought about this before but by making a public declaration, I am one step closer to that goal. I will figure out how to do it and make a living at it even if it kills me. Anyway, I wanted to share so that those of you that know me beyond the computer can kick me in the butt to make it happen.

Mean People Suck!!!!

So, there was an incident. Who the mean person is, I'll probably never know but if I ever find out, you can be assured that there will be an imprint of my fist on their face.

I received a virus yesterday. I was finally able to get it weeded out. I got it at work and it was spread to a couple people but was contained. One was my brother (sorry about that T) and then a coworker.

What pisses me off the most is the fact that there are people out there who are deviant enough to do stuff like this. Why do people have to be so mean? It is truly upsetting that anyone would do something harmful to another person. This was pretty mild compared to some of the truly sick and demented people out there. This really hit home when a news report hit, "1 in 100 Americans in jail." Out of every 100 people, one of them is in jail. That is a lot of people.

What is going on? It really makes you wonder why. What could we do as a society that would prevent such monstrosity? There is no fear for prisons. People go to jail, get 3 squares and a cot plus cable TV, a library (which some use to learn about the law and file all kinds of lawsuits), workout room, and they don't have to do anything for it really. Just commit a crime and free pass to paradise. Maybe you end up as somebody's girlfriend but most get over that pretty quick.

I think jails and prisons should be scarier. I'm talking punishment. Chain-gangs, bustin' rocks, diggin' ditches, gruel, bread/water, solitary confinement, etc. That's what prisons should be. Don't make them a pleasant experience. Here is the difference in thought.

(Current) - Future convict sees nice car and wants it. The thought is that he can go for a joy ride, and if he doesn't get caught, can do it again. If he does get caught, goes to a "Prison Resort" for a while, gets out with good behavior (or because of overcrowding) and then is back on the streets to do it again.

(Should-be) - Future convict steals car, gets caught and has to put in 9 months hard labor working in a mine. Gets crappy food, very little rest and poor working conditions. Criminal thinks, "Hey, I don't ever want to be here again." and is scared straight to be a good citizen out of fear.

See the difference? He gets out, goes and tells all his friends about his awful experience, and scares them into not committing crimes. Prison should be punishment!

Things we should have in prison:
- Expedited appeals for death-row inmates. They are already on their way out, let's not pamper them for 20 years.

- Chain gangs - Road work, ditches, etc. Crap work that no one wants to do. Put collars on each so if they try to run, you can zap them (just like dog collars.)

- Get rid of cable - They don't need to watch Oprah or any other program. If they need to watch TV, let them watch the weather channel.

- Right to lawsuits - If they are in prison, they should not be allowed to file any lawsuits. They have shown that they have a disregard for the law by breaking it to end up where they were. Why should it work for them when they have disregarded it so easily?

Anyway, there is a start. I'm sure I'll think of more but for now, time to work.

Getting Myself Into Trouble

Looks like I have a year to get my affairs in order. You see I'm probably not going to live much past next winter. Why, you ask. Well I've been talking to my friend Harold and we got talking about snowboarding. I don't like snow. I don't like the idea of strapping plastic to my feet and heading down the hill. I'm not very coordinated when it comes to standing on something that is moving. I've never been able to get up on water skis either. So, he told me that I should try it and that he'd show me. I'm a firm believer that you should try things before you can truly say you don't like it. I've been skiing and can say I don't like that, but snowboarding is something I haven't tried. So I agreed to try it once and he said I had to go at least 3 times. So next winter, I'm going to go snowboarding at least 3 times, well unless I die on the first time. I know my wife skied when she was younger and has mentioned that she'd like to get back into it, so, I'll try snowboarding, then if I like it we will have something to do during the winter rather than stay in the house and complain that it's cold outside. I told Hess that I was going to blog about it and he said I was excited. I told him it was more out of dread and such, but I'm actually thinking it could be fun. (There I said it, happy Hess?) Please, wish me luck.

Mice Update

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the mice problem that we were having (Ramblings on Chels' Blog). Last night I went out to close to close the back blinds and make sure the dog had water and I saw that the mice had taken to playing in the new playground between the screen and the window of our sliding door. I got dressed, put on my gloves and told Chels to come help. I tried to block them in the screen, and then wanted to trap them in a Tupperware container and release them into the wild, or at least the field up the street from our house. Well in the process of trying to catch them, the little one got away and I killed the bigger one. Not on purpose mind you, but I just squished him a little to hard. I don't really know if it was a he or a she, so I'll just use him. I didn't squish him so that he was splattered all over the window, just enough probably to suffocate him. Poor little mouse. I put him in the mac and cheese box that was still on the counter from when I made me some dinner. Folded the top over and taped it and tossed it in the garbage can. Poor little guy. Now we just have to get the little one and we'll hopefully be mouse free. Cross our fingers.

Wanting what you have

I have been faced with some dilemmas as of late and it has made me think about life in general. Because of the ease with which people confide in me, I find that there are some common themes among some of the issues brought to me for the "Complaint Department." This isn't necessarily about anything recently but is a common theme that I have discovered over the last decade or so.

Most times, people have everything they need to be happy except for the attitude. They think of things past or could-have-been. They contemplate "what-ifs" and make their current life seem like the bottom of the barrel. There is a consistent desire to see what they want. Life would be all roses if something different would have happened, if you would have chosen a different spouse, gone to school, taken a different opportunity. There is one thing that I can say; life would have been different but not necessarily better or worse.

One thing to understand is that if you live your life as though you made the wrong choices, you will find that you will have lost not only what you dreamed up but what you have. Right now is very important. Take a snap shot of right now and evaluate it. Not for what was or what could be but for right now. Are you happy in your spousal relationship? If so, why? If not, why? Are you happy with your home? Are you happy with your kids? Are you happy with your career? If you are happy with things, what can you do to keep things happy? Are you doing it? If you aren't, what needs to change.

Life is not a dream. It isn't what appears on the big screen. Not always does the good guy win, not always is there sage advice that will help boost you out of your rut. Not all crimes can be solved in an hour of TV.

Life is a series of events. Some are good and some are bad but they are all events that happen to us. Some happen to a few people while other events affect large numbers of people. It is the culmination of these events that help provide us with the opportunities to define ourselves. How we handle these events and the repercussions that are a result of those event is what creates the person we are and the happiness or sadness we feel.

Most people have tunnel vision. They see one or two items and focus so hard on those items or events that they do not see all of the glory surrounding them. If you are in a forest and see the only dead tree but that is all you see, to you the forest is completely dead. Every once in a while you have to lift your head from the rat race and look around to see what is going on around you. This is not to compare with any of the other's running the race but to look at what you have gained.

One example is this. Let's say you live in a house. It is not the best house nor is it in the best neighborhood. The yard needs a lot of work, there are a lot of maintenance needs inside and outside the house. It is drafty and needs new carpets. The walls could use paint and some of the cupboards are falling apart. Kind of dismal, I know but look at the bigger picture.

The house really is in decent condition. It could use some work but for the most part it is clean. Not only is it a house, it is a home. You live there with your spouse and kids. Your cupboards that are falling apart are full. The yard that needs work also houses some toys for the kids to play on and maybe a sandbox. There is an area to plant a garden. You can afford it plus afford to do a few extra activities with the family. You can have a pizza night every once in a while. Because the carpets and walls are not pristine, you don't mind letting the kids have movie night in the front room because popcorn can be vacuumed up fairly easily. Everyone is happy and healthy.

A lot of what we struggle with is the perception of what we have to what we want. Most ignore what they have because they are focused on what they want. We want that tree to be healthy but we ignore the rest of the forest because of that one tree. Its OK to have a few bad trees in our life if we focus on the entire forest. Take the time to appreciate the forest of your life with its good trees and its bad trees.

Life

So I'm sitting here in the dining room listening to the movie that is one downstairs and thinking of how life is going. I have no complaints at this time, which is good. I have been thinking a lot recently of things that I would do if I came into a lot of money. Taking trips, golfing all over the place, having money to go out to eat when we feel the desire. You know just having a good ol time. Money wouldn't solve all my problems, but it would sure make things a lot funner.

One thing I was thinking about is how nice life is right now with my family. Knock-on-wood, we are all pretty healthy and happy, except for Keighlee who is currently crying in her bed. Life seems to be headed down the right road and work is getting better. I was struggling there a little bit for a while. Now things are starting to move forward and hopefully I'll get to help them move along.

One nice thing about things today is that the snow is finally melting. I know, there will be more before the end of the season, but I'm excited that what is there is going away. It's nicer to have a spring snow storm because it doesn't usually stick around very long.

Well that is all I have to say today, have a good night.

10 Years!!!

Today is my 10th anniversary. I am really excited about that. It makes me really think about relationships and I realize that you can never really tell where something will lead.

When Aly and I got together, I don't think either one of us really knew what to expect. We had both been in a variety of relationships that were good, bad and ugly (sometimes all at once) but never was a fit enough to last. I know that I have not been and am not the easiest person in the world to get along with and there are very few people that I have ever met that can really deal with me. This is why I have so few friends but I am ok with who I am. You either like me or you don't and that's ok.

Aly and I dated in high school for a very brief time. It didn't last long because I was a jerk and was not ready for any type of relationship. I wanted one but wasn't ready to commit to one. Up to that point, I had only had one real relationship that mattered at all and I wasn't ready for anything different. I liked the idea of relationships, I always have but was awful at them. Mostly because I was too self-conscious and shy.

Luckily, I didn't commit to anything right after high school because I had a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do. I went to basic training and came home trying to grow up too fast. I tried school and work right after getting back when I should have taken a break and failed at both miserably. I spent the next 5 years trying to figure out what it was that I wanted. In fact, it was my 5-year high school reunion. I almost didn't go because I had a class.

I went for a little while and talked to maybe 4 people while I was there, one of which was Aly. The rest were fairly superficial conversations and as I looked around to everyone showing up, I realized that I wouldn't have anything in common with 99% of the people that showed up anyway. So, I left (after getting Aly's number, of course.)

We pretty much clicked right away (after I finally called her. It took me a month.)

Anyway, long story short, we made it work. It hasn't been easy and I have learned a lot about me during that time. I woke up this morning and knew I had made the right choice 10 years ago. I love Aly and our kids and the life we have created for ourselves. I am excited to see what the next 10 years holds.

Loads of Snow

This is my neighbors yard. My yard wasn't this bad, probably only about half as tall. Lucky I have a nice neighbor with a snow blower or I would have never dug my way out. Thanks to all those that helped me and such. Not that any of them read this...

Happy Valentines Day!!!

When I was growing up, Valentine's Day was always one of those holidays that really wasn't much for me. I didn't have many girlfriends through my youth and I don't think I ever had one during the Valentine's Day season. I always liked the symbology of Valentine's Day though. I never thought that you needed an excuse to tell the ones that you love that you love them or to celebrate that love but we have a holiday to celebrate that. Those of us that celebrate our love through the year, Valentine's Day gives us one more excuse, just like an Unbirthday gives you a reason to celebrate as well. For those that are a bit slower that need a hint, it gives them that hint to show the ones that they love the appreciation they deserve. Back when the wife and I were just engaged, we were trying to pick our date to get married. It was January and we weren't planning a big wedding. We didn't have the 6-month or year wait that is typical. We sat down with a calendar and tried to pick a day that was convenient for us as well as our attendees so we looked at Saturdays. That year, Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday and as we debated the day, we had several pros and cons for picking that day. One the one hand, what a day to get married? The holiday that celebrates love could be our anniversary along with all the cliches that came with it. On the more practical hand, try getting a reservation anywhere for your anniversary if its on Valentine's Day. Good luck to that!!! The other con came from the wife. Her parents had been married on Valentine's Day and that had ended in divorce so, to her, that was a cursed wedding day. So, we chose Feb 21st. We had decided that since our anniversary was so close to Valentine's Day, that we would celebrate both together on our anniversary and reserve Valentine's Day for us and the kids. Anyway, a bit of history but relevant to the time of year. I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you all get the chocolate, flowers, or dinner from the one you love.

Ouch...

Last night I went sledding with the Young Men of the ward. All I can say is...ouch. I'm not that old, but I know what people mean when they say they felt their age. There was this one run on the hill that we went to that was very, very bumpy. Hitting those bumps helped me remember that there are bones in my body, mostly because all of them were rattling together. After feeling like I wanted to lay in the snow for a bit to feel better about the bone jarring run, I found a run that wasn't as bumpy. This one looked smooth, so I thought, good, one that won't kill me. About 1/4 the way down I notice that there is a drop off in the middle of the hill. It was only about a 6 inch drop but when you are flying down the hill, you hit that and then you hit the ground. Let's just say I have a bruised tail bone. Then one of the young men found the nicest run and we went down that for the rest of the time we were there. Now I'm sitting at my desk and wishing that I would have used the brains that I have and not gone sledding with the youth. I could have watched from the bottom of the hill. But no, and I fear that I will act not my age again as time goes on. I better get in shape so that I don't have to feel so old the next time my 31 year old body acts 15 again.

Pile it on

As I sat in my office trying to dig my way out of the mountain of stuff I need to get done, the GM came in to my office talking about all the stuff we should be doing. Why limit ourselves? Well, let me tell ya....

If you REALLY want to know why we can't bring on more thing, it is because there are only 24 hours in a day and because of the laws of physics and biology, I can only operate at a certain speed without having my head explode. There is only so much work that can be done in an 8 hour work period and I have to function as a father and a husband to get stuff done at the house, help with homework and provide entertainment to all the people there. Not to mention laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and trying not to be a grumpy old man.

So, at this point, I can do more but the quality of work is going to severely suffer. You have a choice, quantity or quality. I'm guessing a good mix of both with a lean toward the side of quality. Quantity just doesn't cut it if you have to re-do something.

Anyway, thanks for the vent. I feel much better and it didn't cost me $150/hour.

Caffeine for Me

So last October, I was having issues with being tired all the time. I took drastic measures to figure out what it was. So I cut caffeine from my diet, well caffeine in the form of soda pop. Well after 4 months, I'm back to the faithful beverage of Dr. Pepper. I'm not drinking a ton of it and I've implemented a lot more water into my beverage diet, but I'm back to my caffeinated ways. Why you ask, after four months, why return to the vice. To make my excuse, I'm a big pop fan. I love soda and it's hard for me to go a couple days without the refreshing taste of something artificially flavored and carbonated. When you are a soda drinker and don't drink caffeine, you limit your selection of soda pop and you get really tired of drinking the same stuff all the time. So for the time being, I'm drinking more choices of soda pop and if it has caffeine, oh well.

Help...

I'm sitting here and wanting to hear some summer music. I'm so burnt out on the snow and need a pick-me-up. If you have a song that reminds you of summer, please send it my way. Anything to give me a mind set of chillin' on a nice summer day with a cold pop in my hand.

So Good....

I just finished putting the first season of Firefly on my laptop. When I'm working on something at work that doesn't require a lot of reading, basically when I'm writing code, I'll watch something. It breaks up the day a little. So I just finished watching an episode of Firefly. All I have to say is shame on Fox for letting this show fail. Joss Whedon is a genius with this series and it is just so good. If you haven't seen the series, and I think all 3 of my readers have, I suggest you pick it up. I think you can generally get it from your local library or buy it on iTunes. Either way, it is a must see series. Ok, that's all for now...

Waste of Time

So last night for our FHE activity we decided to watch Spider-man 3 which we got from Netflix. The kids have been really excited for it and I'd heard that it was better than the other two. So I was kind of excited. I'm not the biggest fan of the first two movies and I think Toby McGuire is a horrible actor. It was a waste of time in the fact that I had to watch the movie, it was fun sitting with the family and watching the movie, though that is usually uneventful. The kids are old enough now to just watch the show and not be too annoying, like kids can be. Well except for KK, she's a cute little pest.

Back to the movie...I missed the Jazz beating the Spurs for it. The highlight of the movie was Topher Grace. He did a great job as the bad guy. In my opinion he was the best actor in the whole movie. Kirsten Dunst just looks drunk during the whole movie. It was funny to see the cameo of Stan Lee. I laughed at that and then had to explain why I was laughing to my wife. She's not a huge comic book fan so she didn't know who he was. Anyway...if I was going to grade this movie, I'd have to give it a D. Only watch it when there is absolutely nothing else on. And if possible, borrow it from some dope that bought it, don't waste your money on it.

That's all I have for my movie review blog. I have Oceans 13 and The Game Plan at home, so I'll post again on those. Have a great day.

Family Games

This weekend my mom was able to come into town. I think its fun when she comes in because we all get together for a little while and share some food and laughs. This weekend we got together on Saturday night and I was able to try the new Singstar game.

For those of you that don't know, Singstar is like karaoke with the music video for the background and a score. So not only do you have to listen to your own crappy voice like you would with karaoke, you are getting scored by the game console. Rankings like "Wannabe" and comments like "awful" make for a great morale booster while allowing others to laugh at you. The only redeeming quality of the game is that they have the original music videos playing in the background.

If I really cared what people thought of my crappy singing voice (it IS crappy and I know it and I really don't care), I might not ever want to play again but I really enjoyed it. Especially when I'm singing side-by-side with my brother who's voice is about like mine.

One of those days....

Sometimes things seem to run smooth and then you hit patches where everything seems to hit at once. Well, the last month as been one of those patches. So here is a list of events that have occurred in the month of January to give you an idea of just how much Murphy really hates me. Most of it is annoyance so its not really painful but its enough to keep you on your toes:

1. Stove died - Not all of it, just the oven portion. There is a computer board inside our oven that regulates the temperature, self-cleaning, etc. Well, that board went out 2 years ago and we replaced it at the cost of $450. It went out again this month. The stove is probably 7-10 years old so its not under warranty (of course). We have since been to Lowe's (awesome store) and we get our new stove Saturday. (They will be hauling the other one away which is good because it may end up at a target practice range if they didn't.)

2. Toilet plugged - It was a partial plug so it would somewhat flush sometimes and then clog others. You could plunger it and it would work fairly well for a little while and then clog again. It ended up being a part of one of those kid's meal toys. It was far enough down that the toilet had to come up, a new wax ring and new bolts applied, and resealed. The first time I put the toilet on the bolts (really difficult by yourself because the bolts don't just stick up and line themselves up), one came out of its socket and I ended up at Walmart at 10:30pm on a Friday to get a new wax ring. 2nd time was a charm (only because I bought a spare wax ring in case I screwed up one.)

2a. Toilet cabinet broke - I placed this under 2a but it was a separate problem. It is linked because if I didn't have to work on the toilet, it wouldn't have broke. Anyway, it was sitting outside the bathroom door. At about midnight, I'd had enough of the bathroom. Took a shower and then sat to watch a little tv. The wife's cat decided it would be a good play toy, jumped up on it and toppled it over breaking the doors off in the process. It has since been replaced by a better cabinet.

3. Sick daughter (kind, of) - Jayna has complained off and on about a sore ear. She complains, then runs off playing and having a good time without another thought. Tuesday I was called by her school because she was complaining and they were a bit on the sensitive side because a week ago they had a case of strep throat in that class. So, I went and picked her up, took her to the doctor's office on Wed. She doesn't have strep but did have a little bit of a red throat. She's fine other than it being winter.

4. Computer problems at work - The day I take off to take care of my pseudo-sick daughter, I get a call that our accounting program won't let anyone sign in stating that they are already signed in. After 1-1/2 hours at work shutting down computers, restarting the server (more than once), we finally get it fixed. After that, I head off to the doctor's appointment.

5. Flooded basement - Before you get excited about this (I was excited about it enough for everyone), my wife called me while I was waiting for the doctor to come in. She got a call that our basement might be flooding. So I rush (after the doctor gets done with Jayna) out the door heading home. Come to find out, the frost-free faucet in the front of the house decided that it didn't want to be closed anymore. I think the gasket seal inside decided to finally conk out. It had problems before but would still seal so I wasn't really surprised. Anyway, I already had one purchased, got it changed and got the water back on within 10 minutes of getting home. (Most of it was trying to decide where I hid the new frost-free faucet.) Amount of water in basement was a gallon or less with one wet sweater, one wet Animal Shelter uniform and the bottom of one box.

6. Various work issues that seem out of the ordinary. Too many to mention individually but its been interesting. Maybe I'm being over-sensitive or maybe people just need to take a nap. Haven't figured out which yet but if there's a nap to be taken at work, I will volunteer.

Anyway, just a glimpse into my life. I'm not trying to complain but blogs are cheaper than therapists and blogs can't have you committed. (I guess they do provide a written record that can be used against you, but we will worry about that at the hearing.)

Just Sittin' Here

I'm sitting at home today. January is a crappy month for kids and family being sick. Jarik came upstairs last night and said that he had thrown up in the toilet. Chels spent the night in his room because he wasn't feeling well. Which in turn I think made her feel a little sick as well. So I stayed home today to help them all feel better. I just was sitting here watching my dog eat his own poop, which is really gross. I don't think he's feeling well. He's a big dog and he's a lot of fun to play with, he's just crazy. Anyway, now that I've succeeded in blogging about nothing, I'll finish now. Have a great day.

So much fun ... I'm sore.

Last night we went to Bouncin' off the Walls for my niece and nephew's birthday. It was a lot of fun but it really helps you to know just how out of shape you really are. I got to throw the kids around, tackle them, ride down the slide with them and let them beat me at air hockey.

Today though, I'm paying the price. I'm tired and sore; I have a rug burn on my knee. The cool thing is that I don't mind because it was a lot of fun. Every time I move and feel a bit sore, I remember the smile on their faces and know it was worth it.

Blog, Blog, Blog

I got a message from my daughter that she wants to start blogging and sent me her beginning message. We discussed a bit then I sent her to a couple of sites where I blog and realize, I don't blog enough.

Anyway, boring day at work. Going to go hang out with the fam in a little bit to go play for my niece and nephew's b-day party. Nothing like a birthday to bring the family close together. Mostly so you can beat them at air hockey!!!

Blog Just to Blog

So I'm going to blog just to blog today. Things are going well right now. Work is going in a direction, which direction that is, is yet to be determined. Things are moving forward, which is nice.

The family life is good. Kids are growing and doing all sorts of fun stuff.

I actually had an idea to blog about something earlier today and didn't so now it's left me. If I remember I'll revisit and add another blog laters.

Go Elf Yourself

This is funny...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1311440760

Stupid 'Where' Clause

So I'm taking a little break and decided to write in my blog. It has been a few months since my last entry. I know I'm a slacker. Anyway, I'm taking a break because I did a programmer mistake and I'm now waiting for my database table to come back up. I'll make this as simple as possible. In programming we use Oracle databases and to update a table you simply write a query that tells the database what you want to change but you need to tell it what exactly to change or it will change everything. Hence the 'Where' clause comes in. Well I forgot the where clause and updated the whole table. That is my embarrassing moment for today. Have a great day.

New Story idea

Not sure if everyone is linked to my "McGee Films" blog, so I thought I would share here also. I have come up with an idea for a video-short which, if all goes well and we get enough collaborators and help, can turn into a series.

I have posted the series idea and episode 1 summary in a document on Google.com. There are a few collaborators (Tracy, Chels, Nic, Aly) that can view this and add to the idea. Here is a brief summary:

I have come up with a new idea for a video-shorts series. It is "Brother vs. Sister". While it is on the hush-hush for the moment (except for a select few), I think it will be a lot of fun. If all goes well, we could have this 1st one filmed and on YouTube, MySpace, or any other video sharing site. I think it will be a lot of fun.


That was the post on McGee Films. Anyway, for those of you that are interested in helping (I know there are a lot of creative types that we know and that were interested in helping with other projects before), send me an e-mail giving me your gmail account and, if I count you worthy, will add you to view the documents to start the little hamster running the wheel that is your mind.

Anyway, will post more later.

New Music...

As you all know, all 2 of you that read this post, I'm a big fan of music. I'm always on the lookout for new music that I can add to my ever growing collection. The radio started playing this song...



a while ago. It's pretty cool. This week iTunes has Bubbly free. Go get it, it's definitely worth having in the collection. Let me know if either of you hear any more good music.

P.S. I think I have 2 readers, but I may be way over-exaggerating.

Oh, the memories

So today I've been thinking back on the past. What a fun journey. I got up early and went golfing, it took me back to the days in Logan when we'd get up at the crack of dawn to hit Logan River before class. Those were some good ol days.

As well, the other day, I was laying in bed with the fan running and Chels was putting on some of that girly lotion that smells good. I woke up and thought for a second that I was back in Logan going to school in our small apartment in Aggie Village. It was a nice memory. Our apartment in Logan was always hot and Chels would put that lotion on and the sweet smell would spread throughout the house. Another good memory.

Then today I was just playing on YouTube and found the Def Leppard video of Pour Some Sugar on Me.



I just remember when I was a kid in Rose Park and we'd watch MTV when my step-dad wasn't around and this was always on the top 5 videos that we'd watch. Def Leppard and this one by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince...



Enjoy!!!

Introducing Wash...

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the McGee family...



This is Wash. Named after the pilot on Firefly and Serenity. I picked Malcolm, but Chels suggested Wash and it stuck.

Beans, the Musical Food

Last night for dinner we had Navajo Tacos. You know scones and chili. It is sooo yummy. Well while we were eating, Bree, the 3 year old, was picking like she normally does. She gets this bean stuck on the end of the fork and says, "Beans make you fart". It was so funny, it was just out of the blue and we normally don't talk about how beans make you fart. We do sing the beans, beans song once in a while when we do have beans, but I didn't know she had picked up on it. It was just funny. OK, back to work.

Another Year...

...under my belt. Saturday I turned a year older than I was, 31. Am I any wiser, no, fatter, yes, but not much wiser. Had a good birthday, could have been a little funner, but with it being Father's Day weekend, I decided not to do to much. I'm starting to feel like a home body. Going places where there are crowds just annoys me. It is usually fun when I get there, it is just the idea of going into a crowd. I don't know if that is the old talking or the fact that I have 4 very "active" children that have broken ears most days. I told everyone that my kids weren't going to be like that, but they are like that and worse. Buy my kids are the best kids on the earth. They make my day. Anyway, just some odd ramblings.

Thanks Hess and Crew...

Yesterday one of my best friends left for training with his National Guard unit on their way to a one year tour in Iraq. For this, I want to say "Thank You". Something about Hess that I think everyone needs to know. This man has always put himself in the face of danger for those he cares for. Even if it is facing up to a monkey boy that was more than a foot taller and about 150 pounds heavier than him. He cares about all of us and knowing the type of man he is, and the group that he's with, I'm glad that they are there helping to protect this great country we live in. While this blog isn't coming out as it is in my head, I hope that everyone that reads this will know that I truly appreciate all he and his fellow soldiers are doing for me and mine.

I heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing the Star Spangled Banner live yesterday and what a sweet song to help me remember that I have freedoms that I wouldn't otherwise have if it wasn't for people like Hess. I know he's not to fond of praise, to that I say too bad. As I said to you when you told me you were going, I'd be right there by your side brother. Thanks! See ya in a year.


Read Neal's Blog - "Godspeed My Brother"

SO COOL!!! So Bored!!!

It is Sunday, I'm sitting at the hospital working on a big ITS initiative to go from paper charting to electronic charting. For the most part I sit here and twiddle my thumbs. I was curious yesterday if I could find that pinball song from Sesame Street online, and sure enough...



SO COOL!!

Finally...San Fran Pictures

So I put all my photos from my recent trip to San Francisco online. There are some good ones and some ok ones, you choose. I added some captions for some of the pictures, but not all of them. Enjoy the slide show.

San Francisco, JavaOne 07

Funny Stuff

Over the last little while, Bree has had a hard time going to bed. She shares a room with Tiaree so I always thought she'd be ok. Recently she is crying when we put her to bed because she is scared. Or at least she says she's scared. I ask what of and she never really answers clearly enough for me to make out what she is saying. The other night, she said she was scared of the thunder, it was a cloudless night.

Last night, I went in to say goodnight after getting home from Young Mens and she was doing the normal crying thing. I knelt down and told her that if she was scared she could think of pink butterflies. Tiaree added that she could think of blue ones and green ones. I left the room with her smiling really big. Went and did a couple things then heard her crying again. I went into see why she was crying and she told me "I don't know what butterflies look like". It made me chuckle. So I laid down with her till she fell asleep. It was cute. Kids do say the darnedest things sometimes.

Back From San Francisco

Well I am back from San Francisco. I can't believe that it went by so fast but there was so much going on at the conference and at home. Things are better this week. I took a few pictures while I was there and hope to eventually get them online, got neighborhood cleanup today and tomorrow so I'm going to be busy in the yard and what not. Here are a couple pictures from the trip.


This is Barry Bonds hitting home run #745. This was cool, but the Mets still won, which was cooler.



This is Lombard Street taken from Coit Tower. Got to love the good 'ol zoom lens.

I have about 400 images that I'm still trying to sift through to get the bad ones out. For the most part, they all turned out pretty good. I'll keep you posted on how it is going to have them posted.

Remodeling

I am so excited to announce that we have almost completed our 1st home improvement project. There are a few more things to do but for the most part, the hardest stuff is done.

For our first project, we decided to work on the master bedroom. We have painted it and pulled the old carpet. Tomorrow we lay down new carpet. Tonight is electrical night. I am going to change out the plugs and light switch and put in a ceiling fan.

Once everything is done, I will take pictures and upload them for everyone to see. Once the items above are done, we are going to put up some shelves in the room and hang a new door. Those will be completed later after we have moved back into the room. I'm still debating on closet doors or curtains for the closet and we have to figure out the window coverings but that shouldn't be too hard.

I'm Stoked

So on Monday I leave for the JavaOne Conference in San Francisco. I got online today to find out if the Giants were playing to maybe catch a game. The Giants for those of you who don't know are the Major League baseball team in San Francisco. It just so happens that they are playing the Mets. Which is my favorite team. I don't keep up with baseball all that much, but I really like the Mets and I keep tabs on them. So I'm going to go watch the game on Monday or Tuesday and I'm taking my Mets hat and maybe my ball glove if it will fit. Anyway, just wanted to blog and say I'm excited for that. Ok, laters.

Only 8 More Shopping Months 'Til Christmas

Pretty catchy title aye. I thought so. It's there to reflect how quickly this year is going. I can't believe that in less than a week, 4 months of 2007 will be gone. Crazy days I tell you. I don't know if it is the kids that make things move faster or if it is the busy days at work. Either way, the days are flying by.

My world, well nothing is happening right now in the McGee household. We just planted two trees, a ash tree in the front yard, and a peach tree in the back yard. It's cool. we also have a nice little garden going, radishes and peas are growing well. It's exciting. I have a little bit of work to go on the garden to get the other stuff planted that we want to plan.

Well that's all for today...I'll write again eventually.

New Post

It has been over a month since the last post. How much our lives are either too busy to post or too boring to tell anyone.

Anyway, just wanted to blog about how cool life will get soon. It is now spring and moving into the summer months. Lagoon is open again and is working on a new and exciting ride. Plans are being made for camping, hunting, fishing, geocaching, etc. Lots of fun things going on.

That's pretty much it. That's basically the excitement of my news. Hopefully life will get more entertaining than that. At least enough to give details but until that time, I guess this will have to do.