I only work Thursday and Friday this week and so far (I have been here about 4 hours) it has been very slow. Not many people are here most took the week off. I could have taken off as well, I guess, but why? I can save my vacation for next year and have a good time.
I have caught up on all I wanted to do, except one more on-line training class. I tried to log on to it, but it is down and support is only for critical items. Feh. Whatever. At least I am not home painting with my wife. She is very meticulous and I am not, not to mention I do not like to paint. She is doing the trim, which is oil based. It smells and is not fun to be near. Did I mention I hate to paint?
My time off from work has been OK. I cooked some etouffee for our minister and his wife yesterday. His father passed away a couple of days ago and we wanted to do something. The graveside service was this morning, but I do not go to those. We did not go to the memorial last night. I was not really feeling up to it and my wife was not feeling overly well either.
Other than cooking, the only thing I did was grocery shop. I really do not do it enough to be quick about it, but I got through it. By the time I was finished, my leg was killing me. I avoid the pain pills as much as I can, but I took one a couple of days ago when I was on my feet for a very long time. I think I have taken 5 or so and have had the prescription for 3 weeks.
The past couple of days we have been plagued with an incredibly annoying flapping noise coming from the bathroom exhaust fan. Come to find out the vent flap is being moved by a volume of air being moved around the attic by the turbine vents. When it is windy outside, the turbines turn and cool the attic which in turn blows air back to the exhaust vent. The flapper is supposed to be one-way, but it is not working like that. I am not sure why it just started, we have had the turbine vents for at least 3 years and it is always windy here. I think it was stuck in the open position and recently freed itself. I am not sure what to do, since cool air from the attic is flooding the bathroom and of course in the summer, hot air will flood the bathroom. I removed the flapper since the constant squeaking of is worse than the cold air. Of course I removed this at 10:30 last night while my wife was trying to sleep.
TV has been a bust the past 2 weeks, which makes me happy I am not a TV person. With shows like this occupying the airwaves, can you see why I keep the TV off most of the time? I think that I should be able to stream the shows I want to see "on demand" just like digital cable subscribers can. I do not need access to all the channels all the time, just as I need/want them.
My back is not getting any better (to tell the truth I think it is getting worse) and I called and left a message with my back doctor. He was in surgery all week and his nurse was out on vacation. I was told I would get a call back. I hope so. As much as it kills me to say this, I think I am going to have the surgery. Pills and exercise are only temporary and once I have the operation, I am going to take very good care of what is left of my back.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
After Christmas Shopping
I do not like to shop, but sometimes you have to. Today I had a punch list of things to do and I completed them without too many issues.
First on the list was gas for the truck. $2.02 at Kroger with $100 in purchases (which had accumulated 2 weeks ago). Full tank was $36.00
Next was an oil change. I usually get this done at the dealer. I know it costs more, but they tend to do a better job and find the little things that others miss. I failed to use my coupon and paid $27.00 for my oil change.
Next was tires. Sam's Club has what I need and I drove away with 4 new Dunlop 50K mile tires for about $350
My wife called while I was at Sam's and asked me to look at the cordless drill box sets at Home Depot. I looked and they had a good selection...of things that I did not need at great prices or really nice things I wanted but could not afford. I settled on Lowes and got this for a $189.00.
My wife went shopping as well. She picked up her meds, a few Christmas wrapping items, lunch, and some hair spray...you know, women stuff :-).
I got home and put some things in the attic, checked the mail (2 cards, our son's cell bill, some personal mail for him, and junk mail), put the tonneau cover back on the truck (we took it off when we hauled the last load to the dump) and plugged in the batteries for the cordless drill set. I was hoping to use it today on a couple of small projects, but it has to charge for 9 hours and It will not be light when it finishes. Maybe I can pull it off early.
My leg was bothering me today, just like has for a while. The 'roids did not help as much as I hoped. I am guessing surgery is the next step. Joy.
First on the list was gas for the truck. $2.02 at Kroger with $100 in purchases (which had accumulated 2 weeks ago). Full tank was $36.00
Next was an oil change. I usually get this done at the dealer. I know it costs more, but they tend to do a better job and find the little things that others miss. I failed to use my coupon and paid $27.00 for my oil change.
Next was tires. Sam's Club has what I need and I drove away with 4 new Dunlop 50K mile tires for about $350
My wife called while I was at Sam's and asked me to look at the cordless drill box sets at Home Depot. I looked and they had a good selection...of things that I did not need at great prices or really nice things I wanted but could not afford. I settled on Lowes and got this for a $189.00.
My wife went shopping as well. She picked up her meds, a few Christmas wrapping items, lunch, and some hair spray...you know, women stuff :-).
I got home and put some things in the attic, checked the mail (2 cards, our son's cell bill, some personal mail for him, and junk mail), put the tonneau cover back on the truck (we took it off when we hauled the last load to the dump) and plugged in the batteries for the cordless drill set. I was hoping to use it today on a couple of small projects, but it has to charge for 9 hours and It will not be light when it finishes. Maybe I can pull it off early.
My leg was bothering me today, just like has for a while. The 'roids did not help as much as I hoped. I am guessing surgery is the next step. Joy.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Merry CHRISTmas
I hope you Christmas weekend was blessed, ours was.
Thursday - Haircut, vacuumed, watched X2: X-Men United. I had seen it before but was in the mood to see it again.
Friday - I went to work with my wife to do some computer stuff for her and her boss before he went out of town.
Saturday - Gave back the dog we were taking care of. The family was ready to give it to their daughter. Bad thing was, there was a death in their family and the funeral was Friday. We got our new vacuum and I used it to clean the house. It works well. I watched "Spaceballs" and the pilot of "The Lone Gunmen".
Sunday - CHRISTmas service at our church, quick lunch and nap, then over to a friend from church's house for Christmas dinner. She made a ton of food which she forced us to take with us. Watched an episode of "The Lone Gunmen".
Today - we had breakfast with another friend from church and took a long drive (2 hours) home. It was very nice to spend time with them. Did a quick vacuum of the bathroom and the bedroom, stripped and made the bed. My wife washed the oldest dog while I did 2 loads of laundry (to clarify, I put them in the dryer then when they were finished, I folded them and put them away). I watched "Daredevil" and was not too upset with it (it did have a gratuitous sex scene, but you can FF through that...). I have seen worse. I only need to see "Spiderman 2" and "The Hulk" and I think I have seen all the superhero movies...finally.
Overall this has been a good holyday. I still have a couple more days off (I go back Thursday and Friday, off Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) and I need to get an oil change and plunk down $500+ for new tires for the truck. I am glad we got a bonus this year. Christmas was IN CASH!! w00t! No Credit Card Bills!
Thursday - Haircut, vacuumed, watched X2: X-Men United. I had seen it before but was in the mood to see it again.
Friday - I went to work with my wife to do some computer stuff for her and her boss before he went out of town.
Saturday - Gave back the dog we were taking care of. The family was ready to give it to their daughter. Bad thing was, there was a death in their family and the funeral was Friday. We got our new vacuum and I used it to clean the house. It works well. I watched "Spaceballs" and the pilot of "The Lone Gunmen".
Sunday - CHRISTmas service at our church, quick lunch and nap, then over to a friend from church's house for Christmas dinner. She made a ton of food which she forced us to take with us. Watched an episode of "The Lone Gunmen".
Today - we had breakfast with another friend from church and took a long drive (2 hours) home. It was very nice to spend time with them. Did a quick vacuum of the bathroom and the bedroom, stripped and made the bed. My wife washed the oldest dog while I did 2 loads of laundry (to clarify, I put them in the dryer then when they were finished, I folded them and put them away). I watched "Daredevil" and was not too upset with it (it did have a gratuitous sex scene, but you can FF through that...). I have seen worse. I only need to see "Spiderman 2" and "The Hulk" and I think I have seen all the superhero movies...finally.
Overall this has been a good holyday. I still have a couple more days off (I go back Thursday and Friday, off Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) and I need to get an oil change and plunk down $500+ for new tires for the truck. I am glad we got a bonus this year. Christmas was IN CASH!! w00t! No Credit Card Bills!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Life Imitating Art
OK, so cancelled Fox television series may not be very artistic at times, something jumped out at me tonight. My wife and I were watching the pilot episode of "The Lone Gunmen", a spinoff of the very successful X-Files series. In the pilot, the government hatches a plot to fly a fully loaded airplane into the World Trade Center. I know what you are thinking...Fox took a horrible disaster and created an episode for a new show to gain viewer share. That is not the case. The pilot episode for "The Lone Gunmen" aired SIX MONTHS before 9/11. SIX MONTHS.
My wife knows I enjoy a good mystery. The X-Files was one of my favorites shows. Sherlock Holmes was a hero of mine when I was a kid and phenomenon of all types intrigues me. I do not consider myself a conspiracy theorist, but this has really got me curious.
It really is amazing how Hollyweird can come up with stuff like this and it is not even considered by our government. Just read some of these quotes.
If you want some very interesting (and quite possibly bizarre) reading, go to your favorite search engine and type in "Lone Gunmen 9/11". Enjoy what you find. I did.
To top off the mystery, www.snopes.com does not have an entry for this AT ALL.
My wife knows I enjoy a good mystery. The X-Files was one of my favorites shows. Sherlock Holmes was a hero of mine when I was a kid and phenomenon of all types intrigues me. I do not consider myself a conspiracy theorist, but this has really got me curious.
It really is amazing how Hollyweird can come up with stuff like this and it is not even considered by our government. Just read some of these quotes.
If you want some very interesting (and quite possibly bizarre) reading, go to your favorite search engine and type in "Lone Gunmen 9/11". Enjoy what you find. I did.
To top off the mystery, www.snopes.com does not have an entry for this AT ALL.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Of Vacuums and Microsoft
We received our new vacuum cleaner today ... a Dyson DC14 Low Reach. It is a pretty good unit. It is a little hi-tech (but would you expect anything less from moi?), but pretty nice. Light and not nearly as noisy as our Windtunnel (while it is powerful, it is expensive to maintain). While we paid twice as much for our Dyson as we did the Windtunnel, we should recoup the loss by the money we save by NOT buy a new filter every 3 months.
When we got it, I told my wife that Microsoft was getting into the vacuum business. Yes, they are finally making a product that does not suck. ;-). She did not get the joke at first. Microsoft just is not my cup of tea. I am eventually going to move everything over to Linux. I got the one program that I wanted to run (AceMoney Lite) to work in Linux under WINE, and I think I can make most of the other programs work as well.
Well, all my Christmas shopping and wrapping is complete, except for the coffee my wife likes, Starbucks Decaf Christmas Blend. Darn good brew, for a decaf that is.
I was supposed to go to work with my wife today, but her boss called and asked us to come in tomorrow instead. We were about 1/3 of the way there, but we turned around and came back. That worked out for both of us as we got a few things done around the house.
The dog we are watching has shown some interesting behavior. If we leave it alone, it will howl and whine until we either come near it or we turn on a radio. She was pretty good most of the day but there were moments. Saturday will not come quick enough. Three dogs is a lot to handle, especially when one is not 100% house broken and is not obedient.
When we got it, I told my wife that Microsoft was getting into the vacuum business. Yes, they are finally making a product that does not suck. ;-). She did not get the joke at first. Microsoft just is not my cup of tea. I am eventually going to move everything over to Linux. I got the one program that I wanted to run (AceMoney Lite) to work in Linux under WINE, and I think I can make most of the other programs work as well.
Well, all my Christmas shopping and wrapping is complete, except for the coffee my wife likes, Starbucks Decaf Christmas Blend. Darn good brew, for a decaf that is.
I was supposed to go to work with my wife today, but her boss called and asked us to come in tomorrow instead. We were about 1/3 of the way there, but we turned around and came back. That worked out for both of us as we got a few things done around the house.
The dog we are watching has shown some interesting behavior. If we leave it alone, it will howl and whine until we either come near it or we turn on a radio. She was pretty good most of the day but there were moments. Saturday will not come quick enough. Three dogs is a lot to handle, especially when one is not 100% house broken and is not obedient.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Uhhh...That is Their Job...
When I read this, I first thought it was a joke. Military chaplains NOT ALLOWED to mention Jesus Christ? Lord, take me now. I have had enough.
When Words Are Not Enough, Use Pictures
Google fans are no doubt gonna be a little upset and this news. With Google buy 5% in AOL, it looks like we will now have picture ads on on our Google web page, something that has bee missing since the beginning. Google has been a long time fan of minimalistic search pages. Google ads are small, text only boxes that are not overly annoying. Now with pictures, will Google be just like every other search engine? Good thing I have Adblock Plus for my Firefox browser.
Speaking of Adblock Plus, I tend to use it a lot and it really has helped in many ways. Not only do I get speedier web pages, but some of the distracting ads (women in skimpy clothes, etc) are gone as well. As a man who desires to be a strong Christian husband, devoted and dedicated to my wife, Adblock Plus is a gift. Since I can use it to block groups of images or even all images from certain domains, once it is set, it does a good job.
Last night was night number 2 having the third dog around. Mandy whined quite a bit last night because we put her in the dog crate. She peed in the house (something she did not do the first night) and since she is SO hyper, we had to do it. In the long run it will be good for her, but right now she is not liking it at all.
I beat my wife home last night so I got to take care of all three dogs. It took 20 minutes just to get Mandy back in her crate. Then our oldest dog refused to use the bathroom, even though he had been in the house the entire day while we were at work. He also refused to eat, so after about an hour or so he went back into his area and I joined my wife for dinner. I did finally manage to get him to use the bathroom, but I had to walk him a couple hundred meters first.
My wife and I went to La Finca for Mexican food. My wife ordered a "super" burrito while I enjoyed quesadilla camerones (Shrimp Quesadillas). Ohhh..they were tasty. I even splurged and got Xangas (Cheesecake chimichunga with cinnamon ice cream) for dessert. I probably should have pushed the truck home. I was full.
Speaking of Adblock Plus, I tend to use it a lot and it really has helped in many ways. Not only do I get speedier web pages, but some of the distracting ads (women in skimpy clothes, etc) are gone as well. As a man who desires to be a strong Christian husband, devoted and dedicated to my wife, Adblock Plus is a gift. Since I can use it to block groups of images or even all images from certain domains, once it is set, it does a good job.
Last night was night number 2 having the third dog around. Mandy whined quite a bit last night because we put her in the dog crate. She peed in the house (something she did not do the first night) and since she is SO hyper, we had to do it. In the long run it will be good for her, but right now she is not liking it at all.
I beat my wife home last night so I got to take care of all three dogs. It took 20 minutes just to get Mandy back in her crate. Then our oldest dog refused to use the bathroom, even though he had been in the house the entire day while we were at work. He also refused to eat, so after about an hour or so he went back into his area and I joined my wife for dinner. I did finally manage to get him to use the bathroom, but I had to walk him a couple hundred meters first.
My wife and I went to La Finca for Mexican food. My wife ordered a "super" burrito while I enjoyed quesadilla camerones (Shrimp Quesadillas). Ohhh..they were tasty. I even splurged and got Xangas (Cheesecake chimichunga with cinnamon ice cream) for dessert. I probably should have pushed the truck home. I was full.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Content
I know that my content has been more of a personal diary the past few months (well, it is my blog .. I will do what I want with it) and many of you are looking for op-ed / commentary pieces. Those will return. As I struggle with issues in my life (health, family, work) my political opinions are just not as important to me at this time as the personal ones.
I will get back to updating this with a Christian (OK, at least mine) perspective on current events.
In the meantime, Has anyone read this? CREEPY. Who knew that Stalin wanted to play God?
I will get back to updating this with a Christian (OK, at least mine) perspective on current events.
In the meantime, Has anyone read this? CREEPY. Who knew that Stalin wanted to play God?
Oh What a Night ... Mid December Back in 2005
Sorry to all of you who do not get the title of this post. I can find humor anywhere...
Yesterday my wife called and asked me if we could keep a puppy for a friend at church until Christmas Eve. We have 2 indoor dogs so I told her it was OK. NOTE TO SELF: 2 dogs is plenty. As much as I love them, they are a lot of work. Especially when they are inside dogs.
The pup, which is an adorable Golden mix, is very timid but curious. She craves attention but is almost impossible to walk with our other dogs. She likes to play and is trying to establish dominance over our dogs (who, by the way are not happy with our new guest), and reminds me of a Border Collie in her energy level. She is FAST...much faster than our dogs.
Last night she understandably did not want to be put in a crate, but we finally got her in it. This morning, it was raining. She whines when we are not in the same room with her. It is going to be a long week, but these are the things you do for your Christian brothers and sisters.
Yesterday my wife called and asked me if we could keep a puppy for a friend at church until Christmas Eve. We have 2 indoor dogs so I told her it was OK. NOTE TO SELF: 2 dogs is plenty. As much as I love them, they are a lot of work. Especially when they are inside dogs.
The pup, which is an adorable Golden mix, is very timid but curious. She craves attention but is almost impossible to walk with our other dogs. She likes to play and is trying to establish dominance over our dogs (who, by the way are not happy with our new guest), and reminds me of a Border Collie in her energy level. She is FAST...much faster than our dogs.
Last night she understandably did not want to be put in a crate, but we finally got her in it. This morning, it was raining. She whines when we are not in the same room with her. It is going to be a long week, but these are the things you do for your Christian brothers and sisters.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Beef, it's What's For Dinner and I Really Hate Taking Medicine
Friday...A slow day at work that ended in eating more beef than I care to admit. Our office went to Fogo de Chao, as reported earlier, for our yearly Christmas get together. I sat at the end of the table with my manager, one other and a few of the beef fanatics. I tried to pace myself so I could savor and sample as much as possible without feeling over full. I almost succeeded. The food was good but I realized that I was not really in the mood for festive eating.
On my way home I decided to ... CHRISTMAS SHOP ([perish the thought) for my wife as well as get a gift card for our care group hosts/leaders from El Fenix. I was able to get from the restaurant district in Addison, stop by El Fenix, hit to other stores, and then home in 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Not that bad.
I started taking my steroids on Friday morning and was somewhat queasy all day long. That may have been what put a damper on my eating earlier. I have never taken steroids before and I can tell you that they do not do to me what the pharmacist said they would. First off, they make me drowsy (not keep me awake), they make me queasy (not boost my appetite) and they make me produce room clearing flatulence. I am glad I only have 3 more days (at lowering doses each day) to take them.
Saturday was a men's breakfast / workday in which I was able to only partake in the eating part. I really would have loved to work, but since my back is sore and I m supposed to be resting it (and straining it would be a really stupid thing to do since I am taking meds to relieve inflammation) I had to WATCH while 10+ others worked. I felt so useless. At least my truck was valuable. They used it to haul the old flooring to the dump. Bless you wife, for filling in for me.
I got home and vacuumed (I did not strain myself...I promise) and watched the play by play of the UNC game (GO HEELS!) reloaded my laptop (I screwed up some settings and I was too lazy to research on how to fix it). I went to bed early and got plenty of sleep.
Sunday My back felt pretty good all morning long until I carried a box (that was heavier than I thought it was) of cookware from one side of the parking lot to the other for a member of our church. We went back to the Ghengis Grill for lunch. My wife really likes that place. After that we went ... shopping at World Market. It would have been nice, but there are so many people out shopping that it takes away the pleasure of being there and I really like that store.
I got home and took a nap. I fell pretty good, except for my upper back is a bit sore. I think I is because I am over compensating for my lower back being weak. I also took my last meds for the day. 3 more days left.
On my way home I decided to ... CHRISTMAS SHOP ([perish the thought) for my wife as well as get a gift card for our care group hosts/leaders from El Fenix. I was able to get from the restaurant district in Addison, stop by El Fenix, hit to other stores, and then home in 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Not that bad.
I started taking my steroids on Friday morning and was somewhat queasy all day long. That may have been what put a damper on my eating earlier. I have never taken steroids before and I can tell you that they do not do to me what the pharmacist said they would. First off, they make me drowsy (not keep me awake), they make me queasy (not boost my appetite) and they make me produce room clearing flatulence. I am glad I only have 3 more days (at lowering doses each day) to take them.
Saturday was a men's breakfast / workday in which I was able to only partake in the eating part. I really would have loved to work, but since my back is sore and I m supposed to be resting it (and straining it would be a really stupid thing to do since I am taking meds to relieve inflammation) I had to WATCH while 10+ others worked. I felt so useless. At least my truck was valuable. They used it to haul the old flooring to the dump. Bless you wife, for filling in for me.
I got home and vacuumed (I did not strain myself...I promise) and watched the play by play of the UNC game (GO HEELS!) reloaded my laptop (I screwed up some settings and I was too lazy to research on how to fix it). I went to bed early and got plenty of sleep.
Sunday My back felt pretty good all morning long until I carried a box (that was heavier than I thought it was) of cookware from one side of the parking lot to the other for a member of our church. We went back to the Ghengis Grill for lunch. My wife really likes that place. After that we went ... shopping at World Market. It would have been nice, but there are so many people out shopping that it takes away the pleasure of being there and I really like that store.
I got home and took a nap. I fell pretty good, except for my upper back is a bit sore. I think I is because I am over compensating for my lower back being weak. I also took my last meds for the day. 3 more days left.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Of Doctors, Treatments, and such
I wanted to post an update regarding the visit I had with the spine specialist.
I made my appointment, filled out the paperwork, and waited for the specialist to see me. We spoke, went over my symptoms and ran a few range of movement tests. The results are in: I have a medium to large herniated disk at L4-L5. It is applying pressure to my sciatic nerve and low dosage anti-inflammatory drugs are not doing any good. The doctor gave me the run down and since my pain has bee there at least 6 months, he is going to try steroid therapy on me for a while and if that helps, praise be to God. He did say however that surgery is the most likely treatment for my condition. Since it is difficult to stand for more than 20 minutes or so, pain killers (I am taking Ultracet when the pain gets too great) are not a viable alternative. The doctor asked me if my quality of life was acceptable using pain killers and I told him know. I also told him I was not excited about going under the knife. He then explained that the procedure is now out-patient surgery and there is a 96% success rate. Good news, but I am still a chicken :).
The option to use epidurals was given to me, but he stated the success rate is only about 40%. My problem is a bit more sever and he thinks it would be a waste of time and money.
While I was at the doctor's office, my son called and asked me if we could talk. My mind thought the worst and then I thought he might be asking to move back in. I was wrong on both acocunts. He just wanted to chat. Of course, this was prompted by a call from my lovely wife, but he made the effort to drive to see us. I bought us burgers at Jake's, then we went to get my steroid prescription filled. After we picked up the drugs, we got gas at Kroger and then home.
We chatted about his health, school, career, the Army, his grades, social life, church, finances, his car, etc. He seems to be under control except for finances. He has a mobile phone set up when his current one runs out and he has some very good job options available to him after he graduates and gets out of AIT. The kid looks good in a uniform.
I started my steroid megapack today. I have to take 6 pills today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the next day, etc until they are gone. then I should feel some relief. If not, then the next step is surgery.
It is quiet here at work. We have a lunch get together at Fogo de Chao today in Addison later in the afternoon. The food is so good there, even if I normally do not eat much beef.
Next week is a short week. I work Mon-Wed, go to my wife's office to help on computer stuff on Thursday, have Fri-Wed off and work the last two days of the week. Then we get a long weekend, and then it is back to the grind. The holidays are almost over.
I made my appointment, filled out the paperwork, and waited for the specialist to see me. We spoke, went over my symptoms and ran a few range of movement tests. The results are in: I have a medium to large herniated disk at L4-L5. It is applying pressure to my sciatic nerve and low dosage anti-inflammatory drugs are not doing any good. The doctor gave me the run down and since my pain has bee there at least 6 months, he is going to try steroid therapy on me for a while and if that helps, praise be to God. He did say however that surgery is the most likely treatment for my condition. Since it is difficult to stand for more than 20 minutes or so, pain killers (I am taking Ultracet when the pain gets too great) are not a viable alternative. The doctor asked me if my quality of life was acceptable using pain killers and I told him know. I also told him I was not excited about going under the knife. He then explained that the procedure is now out-patient surgery and there is a 96% success rate. Good news, but I am still a chicken :).
The option to use epidurals was given to me, but he stated the success rate is only about 40%. My problem is a bit more sever and he thinks it would be a waste of time and money.
While I was at the doctor's office, my son called and asked me if we could talk. My mind thought the worst and then I thought he might be asking to move back in. I was wrong on both acocunts. He just wanted to chat. Of course, this was prompted by a call from my lovely wife, but he made the effort to drive to see us. I bought us burgers at Jake's, then we went to get my steroid prescription filled. After we picked up the drugs, we got gas at Kroger and then home.
We chatted about his health, school, career, the Army, his grades, social life, church, finances, his car, etc. He seems to be under control except for finances. He has a mobile phone set up when his current one runs out and he has some very good job options available to him after he graduates and gets out of AIT. The kid looks good in a uniform.
I started my steroid megapack today. I have to take 6 pills today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the next day, etc until they are gone. then I should feel some relief. If not, then the next step is surgery.
It is quiet here at work. We have a lunch get together at Fogo de Chao today in Addison later in the afternoon. The food is so good there, even if I normally do not eat much beef.
Next week is a short week. I work Mon-Wed, go to my wife's office to help on computer stuff on Thursday, have Fri-Wed off and work the last two days of the week. Then we get a long weekend, and then it is back to the grind. The holidays are almost over.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
White Elephants and Difficult Choices
Last night we had the last care group meeting of 2005 and we decided to have a 'white elephant" gift exchange. If you have never participated in one, here is a link describing it. It was one of the most polite exchanges I have ever attended. My wife walked out with a couple of soy wax candles from a local shop in Saint Paul, Texas and I got an old Polaroid camera that I think will be passed on next year. It is customary for some of the more "unusual" gifts to be passed on year after year. That makes the game fun ;-) .
The lovely couple who host the care group meeting in their home asked for special prayers last night regarding "Darlene's"* job. She works for a local travel agency and has been feeling a bit unsatisfied there for some time. She decided to stay there an minister to a woman who is battling breast cancer and now that her treatment is almost over, "Darlene" feels it may be time to move on. Enter me. I found a listing at www.christianjobs.com for a CHRISTIAN travel agent. I naturally thought of "Darlene" and sent her the link. She went and interviewed with the company and was blown away by the atmosphere. While it was not paying as much as the secular job, she could see the perks might just outweigh the cut in pay. She must have really wooed the people there, because they called her and asked what it would take to get her to come on board the new place. She told them she would have to pray about it and last night we did.
Now just between you, me and the fencepost (one of my grandpa's favorite sayings) I think her time has come to move on. I know nothing about either job, but I am getting good vibes from the Christian company. To be honest, I am a tad jealous that she gets a chance to work at a Christian company. That is something I have wanted to do for a couple of years now. I have had Christian bosses and team leads, but having an environment where everyone is in love with The Lord is so appealing.
Health news: My back specialist visit was rescheduled for this evening. It was originally scheduled for yesterday, then it was moved to this morning and yesterday they called to move it to this afternoon. My back is killing me today. It hurts enough I took one of the super pain pills (Ultracet) my doc prescribed. I hate taking them since they make my head swim, but I need some relief. I have had them a couple of weeks I think and have only taken 4 or so. They are narcotic, so I want to be careful. Oh. It just kicked in. Let the swimming begin.
Christmas shopping is almost complete. I only have a few things to get for my wife. I am going to get her a gift card and a couple of small things and then I am done.
Sopping for our son has been tough. He does not return e-mails much and I know his grades are slipping quickly. I checked his grades online and if he does not do something QUICK, he is going to fail this semester in a few subjects. I will lift it up to God and pray that my son makes the correct choices to get back on path.
*not her real name
The lovely couple who host the care group meeting in their home asked for special prayers last night regarding "Darlene's"* job. She works for a local travel agency and has been feeling a bit unsatisfied there for some time. She decided to stay there an minister to a woman who is battling breast cancer and now that her treatment is almost over, "Darlene" feels it may be time to move on. Enter me. I found a listing at www.christianjobs.com for a CHRISTIAN travel agent. I naturally thought of "Darlene" and sent her the link. She went and interviewed with the company and was blown away by the atmosphere. While it was not paying as much as the secular job, she could see the perks might just outweigh the cut in pay. She must have really wooed the people there, because they called her and asked what it would take to get her to come on board the new place. She told them she would have to pray about it and last night we did.
Now just between you, me and the fencepost (one of my grandpa's favorite sayings) I think her time has come to move on. I know nothing about either job, but I am getting good vibes from the Christian company. To be honest, I am a tad jealous that she gets a chance to work at a Christian company. That is something I have wanted to do for a couple of years now. I have had Christian bosses and team leads, but having an environment where everyone is in love with The Lord is so appealing.
Health news: My back specialist visit was rescheduled for this evening. It was originally scheduled for yesterday, then it was moved to this morning and yesterday they called to move it to this afternoon. My back is killing me today. It hurts enough I took one of the super pain pills (Ultracet) my doc prescribed. I hate taking them since they make my head swim, but I need some relief. I have had them a couple of weeks I think and have only taken 4 or so. They are narcotic, so I want to be careful. Oh. It just kicked in. Let the swimming begin.
Christmas shopping is almost complete. I only have a few things to get for my wife. I am going to get her a gift card and a couple of small things and then I am done.
Sopping for our son has been tough. He does not return e-mails much and I know his grades are slipping quickly. I checked his grades online and if he does not do something QUICK, he is going to fail this semester in a few subjects. I will lift it up to God and pray that my son makes the correct choices to get back on path.
*not her real name
Monday, December 12, 2005
Weekend Update
We had a rather enjoyable weekend to cap off a busy week. There were many blessings for us and I wanted to share them with those of you who are following us from afar...
Friday I stopped by Fry's to pick up some replacement fans for my PC. The case fan and the CPU cooler fan were both making horrible noises and I figured I better replace them. Once that was done, I realized that the chipset fan was going bad, too so I replaced that with a spare I had. We are now much quieter! Now if I could just find a PS for my Linux box that was quieter. The replacement I put in a few weeks ago is LOUD.
Saturday I made a house call to work on 2 PC's for a security guard for our buildings. I charged him a lower rate (and gave him 2 hours free) and offered to give him e-mail advice when needed regarding the particular issues he was having. Even with the discounts and he was 25 miles away, I still cleared a small profit. Not my normal profit, but I think it was a win-win situation. Now if I could just land more customers...
That afternoon I did my normal housework duties and when that was over, my wife and I joined her boss, his wife, his foreman and his wife for dinner at Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy. I really enjoyed myself. I had a beer (which I have not had in a long time), a Mexican version of surf and turf, and dessert. My wife and I both left very stuffed. She was blessed with a monetary bonus and a gift card from her boss. WOW!
Sunday was a normal Sunday for us, with the exception of a few things. First, we picked up one of the people our church adopted who was displaced by Katrina. She lives nearby and we gave here a ride to church and back. Once we got there, I felt the overwhelming need to pray for her at the alter call. My wife and I escorted her down to the alter, got her a chair to sit on and we prayed. I am sure the Lord heard it. I can just tell. She is having so many issues with the apartment complex she is in and with FEMA. I want to see her issues go away!
After dropping her off and going to lunch at Jason's Deli (they make the biggest and best baked potatoes), we went home to check on the dogs and let them use the bathroom. From there we went to go see "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". We missed the two showing s we wanted to see, but the 3:35 showing (in DLP) was open and we bought advanced tickets for that. Since it was only an hour away, we waited in the van, sipping bottled water.
The movie was good, but I am not going to go way out and say it was fantastic. The beginning dragged a bit and it is not 100% true to the book, but it is a good family film. I noticed it easily was number one at the box office this weekend. Not bad for a "right wing Christian" film :-) .
We got home, fed and walked the dogs, and then really just vegged out until we went to bed (which was early...we were both tired) at 9:30 PM.
This week we have "white elephant gift exchange" at care groups on Wednesday, I have a doctors appointment on Thursday and we get to go to Fogo de Coa on Friday as our Christmas dinner at work. w00t! Add that to my normal work week and I think I am set. All that a a week-long vacation starting the middle of the week before Christmas.
Thank you, Lord.
Friday I stopped by Fry's to pick up some replacement fans for my PC. The case fan and the CPU cooler fan were both making horrible noises and I figured I better replace them. Once that was done, I realized that the chipset fan was going bad, too so I replaced that with a spare I had. We are now much quieter! Now if I could just find a PS for my Linux box that was quieter. The replacement I put in a few weeks ago is LOUD.
Saturday I made a house call to work on 2 PC's for a security guard for our buildings. I charged him a lower rate (and gave him 2 hours free) and offered to give him e-mail advice when needed regarding the particular issues he was having. Even with the discounts and he was 25 miles away, I still cleared a small profit. Not my normal profit, but I think it was a win-win situation. Now if I could just land more customers...
That afternoon I did my normal housework duties and when that was over, my wife and I joined her boss, his wife, his foreman and his wife for dinner at Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy. I really enjoyed myself. I had a beer (which I have not had in a long time), a Mexican version of surf and turf, and dessert. My wife and I both left very stuffed. She was blessed with a monetary bonus and a gift card from her boss. WOW!
Sunday was a normal Sunday for us, with the exception of a few things. First, we picked up one of the people our church adopted who was displaced by Katrina. She lives nearby and we gave here a ride to church and back. Once we got there, I felt the overwhelming need to pray for her at the alter call. My wife and I escorted her down to the alter, got her a chair to sit on and we prayed. I am sure the Lord heard it. I can just tell. She is having so many issues with the apartment complex she is in and with FEMA. I want to see her issues go away!
After dropping her off and going to lunch at Jason's Deli (they make the biggest and best baked potatoes), we went home to check on the dogs and let them use the bathroom. From there we went to go see "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". We missed the two showing s we wanted to see, but the 3:35 showing (in DLP) was open and we bought advanced tickets for that. Since it was only an hour away, we waited in the van, sipping bottled water.
The movie was good, but I am not going to go way out and say it was fantastic. The beginning dragged a bit and it is not 100% true to the book, but it is a good family film. I noticed it easily was number one at the box office this weekend. Not bad for a "right wing Christian" film :-) .
We got home, fed and walked the dogs, and then really just vegged out until we went to bed (which was early...we were both tired) at 9:30 PM.
This week we have "white elephant gift exchange" at care groups on Wednesday, I have a doctors appointment on Thursday and we get to go to Fogo de Coa on Friday as our Christmas dinner at work. w00t! Add that to my normal work week and I think I am set. All that a a week-long vacation starting the middle of the week before Christmas.
Thank you, Lord.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Morning Fun
Being the FNG (Friggin' New Guy) on the UNIX team, I am not going to get the prime assignments. Heck, I do not even have root access, so with the way we are set up, I am limited on what I can do. On any given day I will monitor our ticket queue, send out reports on cases that need attention, compile stats on previous weeks / months performance, answer the phone, check e-mail, do research on the web for my boss, etc. In any spare time I have, I do some online training in Solaris and Linux. Online training gets a bit old after a while and it is much more interesting when I can SSH into my Linux box at home, here from work to practice the root stuff. I have not been doing that lately because my Linux box's power supply died and the replacement is louder than the failed one. It stays off quite a bit.
Yesterday the weather turned cold and we had some freezing rain. The precip froze and it has not gotten above freezing to melt. It got down to 18 F last night and is expected to get down to 11 tonight. That is cold for Texas.
The drive home was a bit tricky and our short journey to our care group meeting was entertaining, but not bad. This morning our drive to work was at 20-30 mph top speed (depending on road conditions) and I was one of 3 people to make it by 10 AM (we got here at 8:15). At 11 AM or so most people showed up. One guy just left, so my guess is that we are working a half day today.
When I got in, we had 3 tickets for a database server in our queue. 3 tickets, one db server. I figured if it is getting that much attention, then I need to up the severity and call in help. To make a long story short, my TL walked me through restarting services on the Solaris 450 server. All 3 tickets are closed, I am eating lunch and the day may be more normal now.
I read this story earlier. While I understand the lynching comment, why is it so wrong to pick on Santa when we Christians have to tolerate people pick on our beliefs? I am running out of checks to turn...
Yesterday the weather turned cold and we had some freezing rain. The precip froze and it has not gotten above freezing to melt. It got down to 18 F last night and is expected to get down to 11 tonight. That is cold for Texas.
The drive home was a bit tricky and our short journey to our care group meeting was entertaining, but not bad. This morning our drive to work was at 20-30 mph top speed (depending on road conditions) and I was one of 3 people to make it by 10 AM (we got here at 8:15). At 11 AM or so most people showed up. One guy just left, so my guess is that we are working a half day today.
When I got in, we had 3 tickets for a database server in our queue. 3 tickets, one db server. I figured if it is getting that much attention, then I need to up the severity and call in help. To make a long story short, my TL walked me through restarting services on the Solaris 450 server. All 3 tickets are closed, I am eating lunch and the day may be more normal now.
I read this story earlier. While I understand the lynching comment, why is it so wrong to pick on Santa when we Christians have to tolerate people pick on our beliefs? I am running out of checks to turn...
Health
Monday, I went and had an MRI done on my lower (lumbar) back. The results came in Tuesday and I was not in the best frame of mind. They found a herniated disk at L4-L5 which is pushing on my sciatica nerve, which is causing the extreme pain in my leg, from hip to ankle.
I have an appointment with a specialist NEXT Thursday to see what my options are. I will tell you right now, surgery is not something I am looking forward to. I have this dislike for doctors as it is...having one cut me open? No unless it is life threatening.
A cold snap has caused temperatures in the Dallas area to drop to the teens at night, something the locals are really hating. I am not enjoying it much either, mostly because of the wind that blows all the time. Exposed skin is likely to get wind burned.
At our weekly care group meeting last night, we had a Texas style dinner to treat our missionaries from Pachuca, Mexico to. Everyone enjoyed it and the dialogue with the missionaries was very interesting. Our goal is to begin supporting them (as a small group) next year with letters, e-mails, and small gifts.
The shooting in Florida is a sad story. I am sure the fallout from this will go on for quite some time. The full story will never come out and this will no doubt cause more distrust in the air towards government and possibly non-Anglo's.
I have an appointment with a specialist NEXT Thursday to see what my options are. I will tell you right now, surgery is not something I am looking forward to. I have this dislike for doctors as it is...having one cut me open? No unless it is life threatening.
A cold snap has caused temperatures in the Dallas area to drop to the teens at night, something the locals are really hating. I am not enjoying it much either, mostly because of the wind that blows all the time. Exposed skin is likely to get wind burned.
At our weekly care group meeting last night, we had a Texas style dinner to treat our missionaries from Pachuca, Mexico to. Everyone enjoyed it and the dialogue with the missionaries was very interesting. Our goal is to begin supporting them (as a small group) next year with letters, e-mails, and small gifts.
The shooting in Florida is a sad story. I am sure the fallout from this will go on for quite some time. The full story will never come out and this will no doubt cause more distrust in the air towards government and possibly non-Anglo's.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Keep Me in Your Prayers
I am having an MRI done on my lower back tomorrow. The pain in my left left is getting worse and I am not sure how much longer I can take it. I went to the doctor Thursday and after chatting with me and my symptoms, the doc is a bit concerned about my back, not my leg/hip. He thinks this could be resolved with steroids, but he is not sure yet. The MRI will tell him more. He gave me some Ultracet to take for the pain. I can take 1 or 2 every 4-6 hours. If I take one, the pain is lessened (not removed) although I can feel the effects of the meds. If I were to take two, I am sure I would not be much good to anyone. Needless to say, I only take one.
On a brighter note, I picked up to CD's at Family Christian Book Store, Disciple and Day of Fire. Both rock. Hard. I like my rock with an edge and I want to be a good Christian and listen to positive music. These two bands help me do both at the same time.
News thoughts:
Mayor wants N.O. residents to come home. To what?
Death from above. Be afraid. Very afraid.
I am sure it was not to invite the President to lunch. He looks happy, no?
On a brighter note, I picked up to CD's at Family Christian Book Store, Disciple and Day of Fire. Both rock. Hard. I like my rock with an edge and I want to be a good Christian and listen to positive music. These two bands help me do both at the same time.
News thoughts:
Mayor wants N.O. residents to come home. To what?
Death from above. Be afraid. Very afraid.
I am sure it was not to invite the President to lunch. He looks happy, no?
Thursday, December 01, 2005
I Knew This Was Coming ... Sooner or Later
I hope my wife does not see this. She will have me on treatment in no time.
Quotes:
"These specialists estimate that 6 percent to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in this country have a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug addiction, and they are rushing to treat it."
"Dr. Cash and other professionals say that people who abuse the Internet are typically struggling with other problems, like depression and anxiety. But, they say, the Internet's omnipresent offer of escape from reality, affordability, accessibility and opportunity for anonymity can also lure otherwise healthy people into an addiction."
I guess the article holds some truth, but if you play the violin 6-8 hours a day, are you addicted to that? (just kidding, AAA)
Am I "addicted" to loving Jesus Christ? I hope so!
Quotes:
"These specialists estimate that 6 percent to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in this country have a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug addiction, and they are rushing to treat it."
"Dr. Cash and other professionals say that people who abuse the Internet are typically struggling with other problems, like depression and anxiety. But, they say, the Internet's omnipresent offer of escape from reality, affordability, accessibility and opportunity for anonymity can also lure otherwise healthy people into an addiction."
I guess the article holds some truth, but if you play the violin 6-8 hours a day, are you addicted to that? (just kidding, AAA)
Am I "addicted" to loving Jesus Christ? I hope so!
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