God Speed, Little Man

Well today, Jan 21, 2008 @ 2:20 PM Maxx went on to be with Father God. It was a sad event with both my wife and I shedding a boat load of tears but in the end we are at peace.

My wife and I took Little Man and his sister (well not by blood but they lived and played together for nine years) to the nature preserve closest to our house and walked about a half a mile of trails. I realize it was not a lot but it was about all Maxx could handle. He fell twice and was pretty much out of steam by the time we got back to the car. After our little jaunt in the nature preserve, we drove over to Einstein Brothers Bagels in Plano and picked up a few to snack on in the park. Maxx was exhausted and slept while his sister bounced around looking at everyone and everything. After munching on bagels and cracking jokes about our tax dollars hard at work (state/city/county employees were fixing a broken sidewalk and not moving very fast) we headed back to the house. Maxx had already moved more in one day than he had in all of last week combined.

After he slept for a while we prayed over him and ourselves. This was especially hard on me since I had never put an animal down before. After some time praying (and weeping), we headed off to the vet to send little man on his way.

We arrived and had to wait a little but Maxx was calm. Most dogs freak out because they can smell the death. Not Maxx. He let me put him on the table and did not try to nip the vet at all. The vet gave him the first injection (to put him to sleep) and in a matter of minutes, Maxx was completely relaxed and slumbering. Our vet gave us some time as we said our good-byes and then he administered the final drug to stop his heart. Maxx started breathing very heavily for a few seconds and then he drifted off. I felt for a heart beat but could not find one and the vet confirmed that he was gone. Fighting back the tears, we thanked the vet and left.

After we had drive a few hundred yards, we decided to pull over to the park across the street from our house. We started walking down an old trail and performed some cache maintenance on one of mine that had gone missing. Sure enough it was gone so I replaced it with one I had ready. After that we headed towards the shelter and thought back to happier times with our loveable mutt. We were no longer weepy and we decided to head home.

When we came in the house felt empty, even with our other dog and the one we are pet sitting there. The spirit of Maxx filled the house even when he slept. He will be missed.

Well, I have updated Facebook and now I need to update my caching page. Once that is done we need to get ready for small group tonight.

For those who are praying, thank you. Your prayers are really appreciated.

Call Me A Wimp If You Want...

Since Maxx has been vomiting and pooping all over the house the past couple of days, we decided to let him stay in the kitchen last night, which we blocked off from the rest of the house. I dug out my sleeping bag and laid on the other side of the pet gate until we both fell asleep. I spent the night there, what little there was of it. I got to bed at midnight and was up at 4:30 AM. My back is a little stiff and sore but that is a small price to pay.

Oddly enough Maxx has eaten twice since I posted yesterday's entry. He ate a small handful of turkey jerky treats and two small fistfulls of kibble. This morning he ate 1/2 a cup of kibble and a few turkey jerky treats. My wife told me that her heart is pleading not to put Maxx down, but the reality is that Maxx would only live s short while longer and his discomfort would only increase. While this decision to put him down is killing me right now (I have never had to put a pet down before, but my wife has) I do not want his quality of life to deteriorate any further.

Yesterday I had to take Maxx out every two hours. Normally he can go much longer than that but yesterday he came and got me when it was time for him to go out and he did not waste any time once he was out in the yard...he did his business and came right back to the patio door.

Last night he did not make a mess although he was ready to go when I got up at 4:30 AM. I loved on him for a while then I made some coffee to help me shake the cobwebs away. He is laying in his box with the door open right now. He looks sleepy.

We are planning on going to one of the nature preserves near by to let him roam a bit before we take him to be put down. I had originally planned to get this done in the morning but my wife wants to spend a bit more time with him so I agreed to do this in the afternoon.

Maxx was sitting beside me this morning licking my hand while I was contemplating the task at hand today. It is just like "man's best friend" to comfort us when he is the one who is really having problems.

I have teared up several times the past couple of days. Maxx has been a very good friend. He will be missed.

Saying Good Bye To An Old Friend

Saying good bye is never easy. When I go visit family and friends out of stage, I never linger over the good byes. This behavior used to bother my mom (and dad when he was living) until recently. Now she understands. Good bye is forever.

Tomorrow my wife and I will most likely say good bye to someone we have had a relationship with for almost 15 years. That someone most likely saved my life and also helped my wife heal from a broken heart. That someone has walked with me in the rain when I have been blue and on sunny days when I have not had a worry in the world. He has been on long trips with me an my wife, visiting several southern states. That someone is one of the oldest friends I have. That someone is Maxx, our lovable mutt with more nicknames than he needs.

Maxx was diagnosed with renal failure yesterday. We knew something was wrong when he almost completely stopped eating (as I write this he has had four small meals in eight days (he normally eats two small meals each day) but dogs will sometimes skip a day or two when they are not feeing up to par, so I did not worry until day four.

Maxx has had severe allergies for the past three years or so. He started getting huge infections on his skin in the spring and fall during ragweed season that made him miserable. A couple of years ago we learned of his arthritis so his walking started to slack down. Shortly after that we learned he had thyroid issues and early last year we thought he had Cushing's Disease, but we found out that it was just his throid acting up.

Poor Maxx has been slowing down for a couple of years now and it has been hard for me. I like to hike and walk and Maxx has been my hiking buddy for years. A couuple of years ago he stopped going on hikes with me and was limited to just a short walks in the neighborhood.

When we found out that he had renal failure, the vet offered to give him steroids to prolong his life but my wife and I have played that game before with one of her cats and we will not do that again. Rather than pump him full of drugs to mask the pain and problems to give me a few more months to enjoy his company, I think it is better to let him go peacefully. While I am horribly saddened by this (Maxx is like a child to me), I cannot stand to see him lose the rest of his dignity. I was really hoping he would pass in his sleep some night but that looks like it will not happen soon and I just cannot stand to see him like this.

So for those who are serious pet owners, I think you can relate to this. For those of you who are not, the closest thing I can imagine is losing a child. If you are a praying person, please pray that my wife and I will not grieve heavily and that a peace will fall on us. We have one more dog in the house (who is nine) that we are clinging to and loving on because we don't want to miss a moment with her.

Maxx, I am going to miss you.

Historic Month (For Me)

January. The beginning of a new year. Time for change.

January has now at least two memorable days for me (there may be more but I am excited and can only think of two right now)...two days that will change my life forever.

First, January 7, 1991 was the day I left my ex-wife to get on with my life. After years of her cheating on me as well as the mental abuse, I finally had enough and I left. My life has never been better and from what I understand, her life is better as well. I am happy for her and wish her all the best. I am not bitter because that chapter of my life is over with.

Next is Jan 16, 2008. For the first time in my life, I am debt free with the exception of a mortgage. I have always had either a car payment, credit card payment, or both over my head since I have been 18 years old. As soon as the debt would get paid down to a near manageable amount, something would come up and we would be in debt again. Yesterday we paid Bank of America off and today Baylor Hospital gets their final payment on my wife's last surgery.

It has not been easy. I drive a 10 year old truck (in pretty good condition), we don't have nice furniture (cheap furniture from Rooms to Go that is about 10 years old), my computer is five years old (so is my wife's van), the house needs new flooring (the carpet is 10+ years old and looks it), we eat out once or twice a week (usually one fast food and one Jason's Deli type place), and I bag my lunch every day, eating lunch out on rare occasions.

During the time we have been trying to get out of debt The Golden has had two knee surgeries ($6,000 total), we had to have a new fence, sprinkler system, and concrete patio (total - $10,000), countless vet visits for dog issues, and three human operations (one for me, two for my wife).

Now let me add to the good news by saying that for the most part, auto repairs have been minor and inexpensive. There was one repair to my truck that set me back $1200 (which should have been covered under a recall but my truck missed it by a few months) but for the most part our auto repairs have been typical routine maintenance.

Now for the part that usually surprises most people. During the entire time we worked towards getting out of debt, my wife and I tithed to our church. If you are not familiar with tithing, it is the practice of setting aside 10% of you income to the church. So if you make (which I don't) $100,000 a year, you would tithe $10,000 (tithe means "tenth") each year. Most people do this each time they get paid to keep things simple and that is what we did. I get paid twice a month so the church received a check after my paycheck hit the bank. It was the first thing that I paid each pay period. And oddly enough, we never lacked anything. Oh, things were tight, but we always had the money. God was, and is, GOOD.

There were several times that we wanted or needed to do something but we just did not have the money, so just as we prepared to do without, God came through. Let me tell you a few examples:

Last summer, I was making my plans to go visit my mom out of state. It is a long drive (I prefer to drive) and the cost of gas (remember $4 a gallon?) was seriously making me nervous. I did the math and realized that we did not have the money for me to go. Mind you we had not charged anything for leisure in years and I was not about to start now...I was going to pay in cash or not go at all. Well, one week before I was supposed to leave, I was ready to call my mom and tell her that we just did not have the money when received a check from our mortgage company...it seems they made an error on the escrow and overcharged us. The check was a refund. The amount was just about enough to cover my gas costs. Thank you God!

Next was Christmas, 2008. My wife and I had not charged Christmas or vacation in years but this year things were kinda tight. After buying photo cards and a few gifts for others, we were at the bottom of the barrel. I did not have anything left to get my wife anything. Well, my wife's boss gave her a rather generous bonus (about 10% of her part time salary), not to mention a small assortment of other gifts, allowing us to finish our shopping. My wife was able to pamper herself with things from Bath and Body Works as well as Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Me, I finally got a nice new Columbia Bugaboo Parka/Storm jacket after years of wearing thin blue collar work jackets.

The final one happened at Christmas as well. Our 7 year old digital camera was finally showing its age. While new snapshooters are not expensive, a new one as not in the budget. Well, my mom (who is by no means wealthy) gave us money for Christmas and my wife and I both agreed to get the camera with the money. As a matter of fact, I was able to get the camera, high capacity rechargeable batteries, a case, and a gig card for just about the same amount that mom sent. I love it when a plan comes together.

During the time that we had challenges, we were faithful to pay God his tithe. We tithed on bonuses and Christmas money and God was faithful to us. Now I don't tell you this to sound pious or to brag on myself. No, I tell you this to brag on my God who is faithful. He always provides if you just trust him and have faith. We did and He did.

I have told this story to many at our church (think I have to give a testimony about it sometime) and everyone seems to be genuinely happy for us. After the congrats to us, the next question is "what are you going to do with the money you were spending on debt?" Well that is easy. We hope (God willing) to put more towards our mortgage. We hope to be out of debt completely in 10 years. It will be difficult, but with God, anything is possible.

Happy January!

Little Man Update

My wife made some brown rice and Little Man ate some of it Wednesday morning but he has not had anything else since. I tried to get him to eat some last night but he balked at it. I even put some treats in with it and he still turned his nose up at it.

Overall he look a bit better but he still has tremors and falls down. He will not walk further than the end of our cul-de-sac but at least he will use the bathroom by himself. He spends a very large portion of the day (15-20 hours) sleeping.

We keep praying that if it is his time to go that God is merciful and takes him in his sleep without any undue suffering.

Concern

I write this post from the kitchen on my "sandbox" (an older test laptop borrowed from work running Ubuntu Linux) because I broke the ceiling fan light in my office. I pulled the chain as I normally do to kill the light and the chain broke off at the base of the light. Lot's of fun to repair.

My concern is with our nearly 15 year old mixed breed dog, Little Man. Little Man has had a variety of issues over the past year (many which appeared to be allergies) that we treated with diet and drugs. He appeared to be getting better now that winter is here and in full force. However last week his right side was bulging out unusually and my wife took him back to the vet (after being there three weeks ago to clear up a skin infection). We had suspected that Little Man had Cushing's Disease (he had most of the symptoms) so he was being tested for that. After those expensive tests came back negative, it was discovered he had an inflamed bowel. He was prescribed more drugs and a "bland" diet. After getting him home and giving him the first half of a can of his new food, he has yet to finish the can. After the food appeared to sit in his stomach for over a day, he threw up twice in one day. He has not eaten in two or three days and appears completely uninterested in food. He spends the bigger part of the day sleeping and when he is not sleeping, he drinks and goes out to pee. That is pretty much his life right now...he refuses to walk more than 100 yards from the house. I am afraid he is slipping away. This thought saddens me greatly. We have had him since he was a puppy and he has been one of my best friends. I have trouble imagining life without him.

If you are a praying person, please lift us up. Pray that if it is Little Man's time to go, it will be peacefully in his sleep. Also pray that we will not fall completely apart when he goes. He has been like a family member to us. We have treated him better than some people treat their kids (not spoiled, just well treated) so losing him is like losing a son or daughter. If you don't have pets you may not understand.

I Think He May Be Missing The Point

The Palm Pre is not supposed to be an iPhone killer. From what I have been told, as a phone, the iphone is only so-so. The primary reason you have a smart phone is the phone and PDA ability. The abilty to search, store, and play music is secondary. I mean I can play music on my Palm Centro, but I don't. I refer to use it as a smartphone.

To quote the author "...without the iPhone, there's no consumer smartphone audience", well that is bunk. We had smart phones long before the iPhone. Now if you want an iPod that makes phone calls, then get an iPhone. People who buy Palms are looking for a unit that is more business oriented. I am sorry, but an iPhone looks a little less professional than almost any other smart phone I know. Besides, I did not hear Palm say they were looking into having you replace your mp3 player with a Palm Pre. I would not want to go running with my iPod/Palm Pre and take a chance of it falling and breaking. Great, now I am out a PDA, phone, and mp3 player.

Do you workout with your iPhone?

I am sorry, but the article is a waste. The writer is obviously an Apple/iPhone disciple and has no love for the way the majority of the world works.

And Now, It Is Friday

It amazes me how fast this week has gone by. Now it means I only have two weeks left before I gio back on call. I am glad I have a couple of Geocaching trips planned (weather and God permitting).

I had commented on another blog that I am rather pleased with Facebook and have no qualms about opening up an account there. If I can get a few more people I chat with (AHEM, Rycherox and Knightmare_Duck) then I would be able to get all my contacts and updates in one place, well mostly. I would still update this blog, my geocaching blog, and my Vox page but I would probably tune each one to a specific area. To be honest I am thinking of dropping mistergeek.com...not for the expense, but because I am not going to update that web page ever again as far as I know. The blog is hosted there (Geobloggin') but I could turn my Vox page into a geocaching blog, use this one for my normal ranting and Facebook to stay in touch. I could do that...

Have a safe and pleasant weekend!

Giving In To Peer Pressure

I have resisted for a long time. The temptation was always there, those who called themselves friends pressuring me to do it. "Everyone does it, El Gee. Go ahead...try it." I hate peer pressure. I hate being "just like everyone else". How much temptation can one man take? The e-mails won't stop...they just litter my inbox. I delete them and try to forget about them, but more keep coming. The enticement, the mystery, the allure. STOP IT!

Weeks go by and I feel I am under control. No more e-mails from "them". Then, I get a phone call. A friend from high school calls me up and tells me that he tried it a while back and he likes it. "Heck El Gee, some of our friends from school are doing it." I know he is right...I have gotten the e-mails. Heck, even a woman who went to our church back in NC is doing it. It seems this obsession has captivated quite a few people.

I think about it, but not too long...the pressure is too great. If I don't do something, I will explode. I cannot take it any more.

I signed up for a Facebook account.

I was surprised how nice it is compared to Myspace. Myspace is for kids/teens. It is loud and in your face. Facebook is more mature. It was not long before I found 30+ people I knew on Facebook. I like it.

So if this page doesn't get updated as frequently as it used to, just come over to the dark side known as Facebook...we have cookies!

Surviving Unscathed

Well, my on rotation is over and I escaped unscathed. As a matter of fact from New Year's Day on, I was not called at all. While I still was confined to the very immediate area, it still allowed for me and my wife to go to church (twice), run to the store, grab a quick lunch, and even have a coffee date at Escapé, a local trendy coffee shop. Think of it as a Stabucks sans attitude. While my wife and I enjoyed it, she is beginning to see that spending $4 for a cup of joe is not very fiscally responsible. Not that I mind doing it for her, but she is just as happy with a cup from QT for $3 less.

I am very thankful that my on call was as slow as it was...end of year usually is not so. When I came in and asked my TL how his week of solo work was he replied, "Slow". I am glad we both had it easier than expected.

Nonetheless I was thrilled to get out of the house today. After a couple of weeks I was getting a bit stir crazy. Too bad the weather is not cooperating...it is too mess to geocache on the way home and I have a few (I think three) that I could get as long as it is not raining...four if I am in jeans and have my boots with me).

During the Christmas break I noticed my request for a company issued cell phone was rejected but only because the manager above mine failed to approve it in time. I am not sure what has to happen next to make sure I got one but he approves of my idea of getting a smartphone with data. I thought he would balk at it but when I explained that it could be used as a wireless broadband modem as well and the data/voice/text plan is unlimited and cheaper than two separate devices each with its own plan, he said it made sense and THANKED me for trying to save money. Well, I did have a bit of an ulterior motive in that I wanted to try wireless broadband and see if it was worth getting on my personal line but I did not want to get locked into a contract to find out. We are all winners.

Starting With The Usual Bang

I am flying solo AND on call this week. My colleague is on vacation after working last week solo (but he was not on call) and I hope he is enjoying it. It did not appear that he had too terribly hard of a week, but any week solo is not fun.

I can only hope that Monday is not any indicator of what the rest of the week will be like. It started with the call forwarding system we use to route calls to the on call person going crazy and routing calls to Latin America (sorry Fabio and Armando) instead of me. I fixed that issue and then I was told of an issue with SAP that seemed to take our partner way too long to fix. The issue was finally resolved but the customer was not available to verify so I had to let that issue simmer until the customer gets in the office.

A little later we had an issue in Canada with a few of the RnD servers. I called the Unix guy on call and he looked into it, thinking it was a LAN issue since he could not connect to any of the servers on a particular switch. He called one of the on site people to check the switch but they could not find anything wrong. Finally he asked them to check the console that he connects to the other servers from and it was down. Once that was rebooted he could get in and check the other servers. He had them back up pretty quickly.

At close to 5:00 PM, I got another call stating that one of the oldest Windows servers we have (it is running NT 4.0) was having issues and no one could connect. The Wintel team (who is in Malaysia) could not remotely reboot it so an on site person was called in to do it but once he did it would not come back up. He tried calling me but the forwarding had messed up again and the calls were again going to Latin America. I did not find this out until this morning at 5:00 AM. I had finally gone to bed at midnight after being up 18 hours (working most of it). I yet again removed the bogus forwarding (wiping out the schedule completely, using a direct forward to my line) and now await the calls. As I sit here I still have two open cases, one most likely solved and the other one no closer to being solved than it was wen it was opened 14 hours ago. I guessed we missed the deadline on that one!

Pray for me!

Where In The World?

Merry Christmas!

I realize that it has been over two weeks since my last post and I am sorry. I want to say that I have been too busy but that would be a lie...I just really have not had much to blog about. But now that I am back to work (I had last week off) and the Christmas season is over, the shopping is done, and my life is almost back to normal, I hope to get back into the groove of blogging several times a week.

So, what is new with me? I guess to make it easier, I will go by categories:

Work - I have had the last week off, but I did log in a few times to see how my colleague who had to work solo over Christmas was doing. It looks like for the first few days of the holiday he was steady but it appears it slacked off the last few days and for that I am thankful since I am working solo this week AND on call. Did I mention that our customer is running end of year reports in SAP and those servers will be hammered hard the next week or two?

I am not sure if I mentioned it before but work has decided to go back to the policy of supplying mobile phones to us instead of reimbursing us for usage on our personal ones. Now most of the guys at work are pleased with this but I am not. My wife and I have two phones on a family plan (1400 min, unlimited nights and weekends) and those numbers are well known for friends and family and I do not want to port my number over for work. So that leaves me carrying two phones and my personal one probably will not get used as much. I would like to drop our Family plan down but the next lowest is 700 minutes and that is not quite enough plus it does not have unlimited nights and weekends (it has 5000 minutes which is more than enough but I really want the "unlimited" tag).

I received my yearly review and was given a favorable rating. We were given bonuses and mine is supposed to be 4.51%. There will be no raises this year so we get to live on the same pay (minus the increase in benefit costs) as last year but my wife is now working two part time jobs (each one day a week) and that will make up for what I lost and then some.

Health - I am pleased to report that I have now broken new ground and weighed in yesterday at 178 lbs, down from 192 on Nov 11th, 2008. I only have three more pounds to lose and I will be where I want to be at 175...I may go as low as 170, but that is negotiable with my wife. All I can say is I feel better (no headaches) and my clothing fits better. I owe it all to a lot of prayer and a web site that kept me honest as long as I tracked my food consistently. I started off with 2300 calories a day and worked my way down to less than 2000, with many of those days clocking in at 1500 or less. I kept my walking up, started doing some push ups and sit ups several times a week and I have also hiked a few times since I started this endeavor.

I have been eating a bit better with more fresh vegetables, fiber, and water and less fast food. My wife has noticed a difference in me.

Family - This one is mixed. I have called my mom several times over the past few weeks and the news from her is positive. My sister and her husband have bought a plot of land out of the city limits and plan on selling all three homes (their's, mom's, and my brother in law's mother's home - she is deceased). My sis and her hubby plan on building a home for themselves and my mom wants a medium sized mobile home to live in on the property. It gives her independence but still allows sis to keep tabs on her. Hopefully that will all take place this year.

The only other real family is our son, Soldier Boy and we have not heard from him since August. I saw him when I was back in WV visiting (he drove down from PA to attend a family function with his bio-mom) and we got to chat for about an hour. It is sad that we have not heard from his since...not his birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. We sent him a check but it has not been cashed yet. Lately I have been having disturbing dreams that involve him and I am not sure if that is God warning me or just my parental concern. Well, nonetheless I am not tryin to let it bother me too much. Kids will do what they want and parents cannot stop them.

Pets - The Golden is doing very well and has been a lot more playful with me than normal. She actually whines when I don't take her out Geocaching with me! My wife told me that once the dog gets "dirty" again and needs a bath that I can take her out on a caching run...OH BOY!

Little Man is a completely different story. My wife and I believe he may have Cushing's Syndrome. While is is almost 15 years old, he has really slowed down the past six months. He really is not the same dog. We are mentally preparing for him to pass on in 2009. I am going to be one sad man on that day. Little Man and I have been pals for almost as long as me and my wife have been married (we got him after we had been married six months as a 4-6 month old puppy).

Life in General - I have been offering some PC help to a couple of people at our church (pro bono) as well as some paid work as well. I have not been actively looking for extra work since my normal job keeps me busy most of the time.

Faith - I finished my goal of reading the bible in a year a whole month early. While I still read the bible every day, I am not trying to read it in one year. I have done that for the last three years (reading the bible chronologically) but this year I am going to study it more. It will mean more work, but I think I can handle it.

I have noticed a problem lately when praying outloud. My wife and I try to pray together each night and lately I cannot seem to articulate what is on my heart. I am not sure why, I have not had that problem in the past, once I got over my initial fear of praying in public. I guess I need to pray about that more...maybe God will open my eyes to what I need to see.

Well, I am sure there is more and if I can think of anything else, I will post about it.

El Gee, signing off.

Oh, one more thing, hop on over to my geocaching blog to see how I ended the geocaching year.

Good Weekend / Bad Food Day

I will start off on a positive note...I had a pretty good weekend. While I will not go into details (you can get that on my other blog), I did manage to go geocaching, not once but twice this weekend. I went out solo on Saturday and out with 9key (the guy I have cached the most with) on Sunday. A grand time was had both days.

Sunday was a bad food day, but in retrospect I still did not do too badly. I skipped breakfast (I only had coffee with flavored creamer) and by lunch time I was hungry (not starving, just hungry) and had a hankering for Taco Bell...to be precise, a Volcano Box from Taco Bell. If you have not had a Volcano Box, you are missing a tasty and affordable treat. You get:

* A Crunch Wrap Supreme
* A Burrito Supreme
* A Volcano Taco
* Cinnamon Twists
* Large drink

...all for $5. Mind you it is well over 1200 calories and more than the recommended daily allowance for fat and sodium, but it was soooooooo good. All in all I still finished out the day eating less than 2000 calories thanks to fruit, cereal, and milk for dinner. I guess you need to treat yourself once in a while.

And to all of those people who were kind enough to respond to my blue/gray post...Thank You for your thoughts. It was nice to get supportive e-mails instead of pity. Me haaatesssssss pity.

Muhahahaha

I found this little ditty absolutely hilarious.

Blue? Gray.

The last time I made a blog entry I was feeling a bit blue. I don't feel quite as isolated as I did earlier on but I still have a lot on my mind. Work and all that it encompasses is the primary but also is the fact I am not much into the commercial / festive side of Christmas. We don't decorate and attend very few holiday gatherings. I guess the biggest part of that is my fault. As the head of the house hold I am supposed to be the leader but I just have not been able to get in "the holiday mood" the past few years. I guess it would help if we were not empty nesters or if we traveled to see family during the holiday, but some things just cannot be changed.

I have no problems with the spiritual side of the season. My faith is strong and I do a lot of reflecting during the seasons of Christ's birth and death. I guess I just see the rampant commercialism of Christmas and feel betrayed. Everything is geared for the secular side and it robs me of some of the joy this season offers. I guess if I could separate the two and scale the holiday back some I would fare better but I seem to have trouble doing that.

My weight has been slowly dropping each week. I have been dieting for almost a month and have lost eight pounds. I recently cut my caloric intake from 2200 to less than 1600 per day in an effort to loss some fat. My goal is to be at 175 pounds by end of February.

I have not really increased my exercise level much since the weather has not been cooperative and that has kept me from doing any hiking in the local WMA (wildlife management areas) or even taking extended local walks. That has really put a crimp in my geocaching time. I have about three more weekends of geocaching left to do this year and I still hope to reach 1000 by years end.

A new wrinkle has surfaced at work. It seems that my employer has decided to start providing and paying for cell phone and usage. For the past 4 years, we have provided our own phones and service and the company reimbursed us. Now the switch is interesting because back when we were hired, we were issued cell phones to use, paid for by the company. The issued the phones and they paid the service...we never saw a bill. Then one year after hire, that policy stopped and we were told to fend for ourselves but the company would reimburse us for any work iusage. Since I was getting on call pay (5%) I never bothered with getting reimbursement for my mobile phone usage. However, they stopped paying on call back in April and I have started submitting an expense report for part of it. But that is going to change, yet again. Sigh.

Now to add to THAT, I am on a call now and the guy whom I am speaking to is telling me that on call is going away all together. That would make my personal life a lot more livable but that throws a whole new set of issues that I need to chew on before I blog about them. Double sigh.

Not Fishing / Health Update

I am not sure what is wrong but I am just not myself this past week. I was to attend a care group Christmas party on Wednesday and I did not go. Tonight I am supposed to be at a Christmas party for the leadership of the church (I am on the board of trustees) but I have no desire to attend. I wonder if I have S.A.D.

I am on an island right now...an emotional one. I feel disconnected from just about everything and everyone...even my wife. I only come to work to get out of the house...I hate being here. I am also on call this week which means when I am not at work I am at home...shivers.

At work we just signed a new contract with our customer and the conditions of that contract are different than before. Many of the ways we used to work will be changing and they don't make a lot of sense to me. That is a big deal...I have trouble adjusting to things that don't make sense to me. Maybe that is why I never joined the military...I cannot just "do things" because I am told to...they have to make sense.

I have asked the powers that be what benefit the changes have to either party and those same powers cannot answer the questions. They are just doing what they are told...being "sheeple". I sometimes wonder how long I can take being here. Will I lose it and walk out, quitting on the spot, risking our home and standard of living?

Not only am I on an emotional island, but I am irritable...nothing seems to bring me joy. I feel about a million miles away from God and prayer is not coming easily. My thoughts wander, my words hollow and meaningless. I feel like a hypocrite.

The Christmas season seems to bring out the worst in me. I have no desire to buy gifts for those I love nor do I have the desire to receive them. About the only thing that is appealing is the evening walks. Those who put up lights have them lit and it really brightens my mood...until I get back home. I would stay out longer but it is generally cold and my poor 15 year old dog cannot handled being out long.

I am not sure why I am even posting this...I am not fishing for sympathy...just the opposite. When people notice (I tend to cover it up pretty well most of the time) and offer sympathy, it irritates me. I don't want the sympathy.

On to a cheerier subject, I am down to 185 lbs and most of the time I have been able to keep my appetite under control. I fasted for 24 hours the other day and when I woke up this morning I was only mildly hungry so I had a small breakfast and no lunch. I am still drinking 62 ounces of water at a minimum each and every day and I think that is helping a lot.

I have been reading a lot lately on dietary concepts...not diets per se, but concepts on how our bodies react to food. One that I read that was interesting (although a little weird) stated that our bodies have a weight point that is determined on how "tasty" our food is. It said that if we eat mostly tasty food our bodies associate the taste with appetite. If we eat food that is more bland, we convince our bodies that the food is only fuel and it will only crave what it needs.

There was more to this but that was the main concept. It was part of a diet called "Shangri La" and it advocated consuming a small amount of light olive oil or sucrose water a couple of hours between meals and then eating meals that are bland or unfamiliar. The idea is kinda kookie but it got me to thinking about how much processed food we as Americans eat each day. I figure the more processing that is done with food the less our bodies need to do to digest it and digesting food actually does burn calories. Not to mention that unprocessed foods will fill you up and will not be completely digested so they will be eliminated by the body naturally.

It is amazing how obsessed I have become with what I eat. I keep a log on "The Daily Plate" and it has been helpful in showing me what foods I need to cut down on or avoid all together.

Why Should He Care?

This quote bothered me:

"We have to make sure that produced oil is used for consumption and not for storing." - Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani

Now, let me see if I understand this. It is okay for us to buy it as long as we are not saving it for a rainy day. You want us to only buy what we are using. I guess that makes sense since you are OPEC and if we need it and you want to jack the price around we have to pay it because we need it.

Folks, this should be another reason why we have to ween ourselves off of foreign oil. OPEC wants to dictate what we do with the oil as well as how much we pay. What ever happened to supply and demand?

Think about it. If we need 1 million barrels of oil a day they will sell it to us, but if we are saving any of it, they want to charge us more. I cry, "BULL!"

Happy Turkey Day

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. My wife and I had a non-traditional day having lunch at Furr's Family Restaurant and the doing a bit of geocaching. We had thought about cooking a big spread like we normally do but we both decided that eating dinner out and not having to cook and clean was appealing.

We had never been to Furr's before, but I thought it was a lot like K&W cafeteria back in NC...a place I sorely miss. Anyhow, the food was good and it was all you could eat for $9.09 + drink and tax. I think it was just under $12 person so my wife and I only spent $24 (not including tip) for the two of us. Sweet deal and good food. A little too much salt, but overall it was very good. We will be back, for sure.

After a great meal we headed out to Breckenridge Park to see how many caches we could get before either we ran out of life or my wife ran out of energy. Ever since she had her thyroid removed she has no been the same spunky wife I know and love. We ended up walking for about 2.5 hours and she asked to call it quits. We managed to find seven caches and a bonus cache.

We came home and took care of unloading the van as well as watering and feeding the dogs. We had taken The Golden with us (but not Little Man) so she did not need walked. After their food digested I took little man out to let him get some exercise and so he could use the bathroom.

After I got back I was a little hungry, so I ate a few leftovers from last night (meatballs, peas, and mashed potatoes). There is not much to watch on TV (my wife is watching Moonstruck) and I am pretty much caught up on all my TV watching this week. I guess I should go read.

Non-Christians, Please Read

Robert Spencer has a great piece on his web site, "Jihad Watch". It really hits the nail on the head on how Islam is getting away with things no other religion could.

No Christmas?

Another celebration drops "Christmas" from its title. Folks it is only going to get worse.

Interesting

Personal Health Or Spiritual Health?

I am not sure the message that President elect BHO is sending. Skipping church to go work out but still smoking?

OK, let him smoke, but at least go to church like the past two presidents did.

CNN Has No Clue

I was browsing CNN's (Communist News Network) web site and found this little ditty. While I the headline grabbed me, the real gem is the sheer ignorance of the interviewer. It is obvious that he does not have a clue about the Christian faith.

Just for the record, I admire the pastor's responses. I think he did a pretty good job defending the faith.

And to clear things up for you, if you are truly a Christian, then you believe in your heart the only way to heaven is to know Jesus Christ on a personal level. There is only one path, and Jesus is it. If you think there are "many ways to salvation", you are mistaken.

10 Days

I have been tracking my diet (food journal) at livestrong.com on a section called "The Daily Plate". While far from perfect, the tool does list quite a few foods by name brand and also many restaurant items as well. It makes keeping track of my food intake a lot easier.

After tracking my diet for 10 days, I have notices this. Per the FDA guidelines:

* I have only been above calories one day (14th)
* I have been above the suggested fat intake two days (14th and 19th)
* I have been above the suggested cholesterol levels on two days (15th and 17th)
* I have been above the suggested sodium levels on five days (11th, 12th, 14th, 17th, and 19th)
* I have been above my suggested carb intake only once (14th)
* I have only consumed the suggested fiber amounts once (19th)
* I have exceeded the protein quota every day but one (19th)

After studying 10 days worth of data I have determined I really need to increase my fiber intake (fruits and veggies) and cut back on the boxed/frozen foods that are high in sodium. I also need to cut my protein intake some. The days I exceed my quota I am doing so by 50% or more. One day (14th) I was at 200%. Yeah, the 1th was a bad day. Fat, calories, sodium, carbs...I really took the prize then. If I remember correctly, I had pizza for dinner that day and a huge bowl of granola for breakfast. Lunch included one pint of chocolate milk and some Parmesan cheese pasta...lots of fat and sodium.

This exercise in monitoring my food intake has been very helpful and I plan on continuing for as long as I can.

Pray for me. I need help in eating more fresh fruit and veggies and less protein, fat, and salt.

One other part of this is to track how much exercise I get. Normally it is only walking th dog and my geocaching but I did go jogging once last week and did some push ups and sit ups. I did more than I was used to so I was a bit sore the next day...

Nothing New

I am sure most of you have read about the Somali pirates who have boarded a Saudi oil tanker. This might be shocking to some, but this really nothing new...it has been going on for years.

This really is not surprising at all. Somalia is a Muslim country and the Muslims have been pirates of the high seas for hundreds of years. Every hear of the Barbary Pirates? The wiki is a good read and very educational. Many people forget that the US was at war with these pirates in the late 1700's and even wrote up a treaty to end the hostilities.

This is just more proof that we fight a war with radical Islam and it needs to be taken seriously.

Draft Notice

Well all the liberals who hate war and voted for B.H. Obama are going to hate this. It is a draft, pure and simple. You can put all the tax credits for young adults you want on it but it is still mandatory service...just like many other socialist countries.

Again (and I will keep saying this) for all y'all that voted for BHO, I hope you will stand by him when he starts implementing his policies. I know who some of you are and I will keep tabs on you just to make sure that you are true to your candidate. God knows I stood by GWB during his two terms. I may not have liked everything he did but I stand by him.

Don't be a hypocrite!

The Report

Well, the doctors office just called and all my blood work was normal. No thyroid or prostate issues and no cancers that they know of.

I then asked about my cholesterol and I was told my total was 199, which is good because it is below 200. The break down was:

Triglycerides (good cholesterol) - 135, which is in the good range
LDL (bad cholesterol) - 119, which is borderline.

They want to wait a year and take it again to see if my LDL goes up, stays the same, or goes down. My diet is already pretty low in cholesterol and I have a feeling that it is mostly hereditary. If it goes up any, they will consider putting me on drugs to lower it. My doc knows I am no a big fan of taking drugs so anything I have to take long term will be new for me. However I am not going to fret...I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Omnivore

You know the routine...post this list and bold what you've eaten. I am borrowing this from Spork who shamelessly lifted it from Ellie Mae...

If I counted correctly I got a 51.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese - I bought some once, but couldn't make myself taste it!
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips - but I don't see the point
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Har
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Es'plain This To Me

I read on Foxnews that there is a ad campaign that has me a bit miffed. It is from Why Believe In A God Dot Org and the reason I am miffed may not be what you think.

Here is a link to the ad. I am not upset that they are telling people they don't have to believe in "a god" (personally I believe in THE GOD, but I understand that I am biased...) but the tag line, "just be good for goodness sake" as me bothered. How should a person define "good"? Wordnet has a great listing for good, but is that really what the ad is asking us to do?

I am not smart enough nor do I have the time to postulate on all the details so I will just leave it at that. Before anything can be defined, you have to have a benchmark. Also if you can do good, then you have the ability to do evil and again, how is that defined?

The web site is pretty clear that we should not have ethics or values set in stone but we must remember that morals and ethics are not the same. Look them up.

Tub Of Lard

Part of the signing up for benefits at work is getting a "health coach" from WebMD (this whole process saves me $300 a year on my medical bennies...whoo hoo!). While I am in pretty good shape (not Sig9 good, but not bad for a 43 y/o who has had some minor back surgery) I knew exercise and diet were some things I needed to work on. So I signed up, got my $300 benefit bonus bucks, and let the "Health Coach" (who I was told by the CS rep, had a "Mastorate"...I am not a smart man and I had not heard of that term before....Mastors, yes, Doctorate, yes, Mastorate, no) call me. We discussed my eating and exercise habits and found out...surprise - I am "fat", or overweight by about 15 pounds.

Most people who see me full clothed (read: EVERYONE but my wife and doc) had no idea that my 5'10" frame carried around about 190 pounds. While I am no Adonis, I am somewhat muscled in the upper body and legs. However when the shirt comes of, the first thing you notice is my "ice cream gut"...which is where those 15 pounds are hiding.

The health coach told me to keep a food and and exercise diary to help me get a handle on my eating habits and since I had a physical yesterday, I figured yesterday was a good day to start. So, I started filling in the health journal WebMD mailed me and was off.

Later that day while searching for the number of calories in a 3 ounce portion of Perch, I found The Daily Plate at livestrong.com . Not only does it have lists of foods by their name brand, but it also has many restaurant menus listed. Being rather curious, I signed up for a free account and started logging my food from yesterday. After entering in some info on my height, weight, and weight loss goals, I was informed I could eat about 2200 calories a day if I wanted to lose one pound a week. Since I am a slow and steady kinda guy, that is the plan I selected.

Yesterday I clocked in just at the total number of calories allowed and still lose my pound this week. I was about 50% higher than recommended in levels of sodium and 8% too high in fat. Everything else was good. This looks like a nice tool to help track my weight lose.

I won't know the results of my physical until the blood work comes back but my guess is that my cholesterol will be a bit high...everyone in my family seems to battle that although my blood pressure was in the "normal" range.

Do They Really Deserve It?

Reports are streaming out of the news agencies that a top priority for the Obama camp is "to work on policies to help the stricken US auto industry adjust to the economic crisis." (quote taken from breitbart.com). Why?

Why must the American taxpayers give money to those who ventured into capitalism and are failing? Why reward good behavior? Also on the list is helping those with upside down mortgages. Again, why? An upside down mortgage only hurts if the person is trying to sell. Why does this person need help? Owning a home used to be "the American dream", but now it is viewed as a right. If you bought beyond your means, then I think you need to reflect on what you are doing. This country has become too entrenched in credit. Now I understand mortgages to buy homes and I can even see loans to by cars but America is addicted to credit cards.

"Come on El Gee, you have credit cards." Yes I do. I have one that I use for online purchases which is paid off each month and I am also paying off one that we got carried away on but other than the $2000 I owe on that one card and our mortgage, we have no debt (except for a hospital bill for my wife's thyroidectomy a few months ago).

"AHA! See, you have debt and part of it is medical. If we had a socialized medical system then you would not owe on it at all."

Wrong. Had we been on socialized medicine, my wife would not have been given the surgery and while the details are personal, lets say that had it not been for her PAC (Physicians Assistant, Certified) being very curious then the surgery would not have happened at all.

I have a real problem with the stimulus packages and bailouts that have been granted and that are proposed. It just seems to me that we are rewarding bad behavior and bad business choices. Using the logic that our federal government is using I should go out and start a business and when it fails, expect the fed to bail me out. How ludicrous!

I am not going to jump on the anti-Obama train because after re-reading my history I learned a lot about the great depression and how we are mirroring it to some degree right now. FDR did some radical things that were viewed as "socialist" at the time and this country survived, even flourished. Obama and the democrats are looking to head down the FDR road and I cannot say that I blame them, but I can say that I really do not like where that road leads.

This country is in a bit of a mess. We have allowed greed to overwhelm us and cloud our thinking. We have become excessively greedy and I am afraid that it has really hurt us this time.

America, pray for our leaders. Pray for our country. Pray for Jesus to come quickly. And if you do not know Jesus as your personal savior, then please search your heart and accept him. He knocks, will you answer?

It Is Getting Ugly

I will be quite honest and admit that I am not happy about the results of the elections but I refuse to disrespect the president elect Obama. I may not respect him, but I will respect the office.

I am really disappointed in many comments left on the conservative blogs this morning. I am also disappointed in the proliferation of "My President Is Black" mementos that are for sale online. Had I wore a shirt that says "My President Is White", then someone would have called me a racist.

People, this is not the time to fight with each other. This is EXACTLY what the Enemy wants us to do. All the Devil can do is lie and that is what he is doing right now. White or Black, we need to stand together and get over our differences.

Barack Obama, I implore you to bring this nation together. We are becoming more polarized each and every day.

Conservative bloggers, stop feeding the fire. Show the world who is "the bigger man".

OMG, Now What?

I have been reading a lot of news sites/blogs this morning, trying to get a spin on what they are feeling and I am proud to see that while they are disappointed, they are not sore losers.

Many people are asking, "What now?" My answer, which is the same as the other conservatives, is "keep fighting the good fight". Fight for what you believe in, support the officials you elected, keep writing your congressmen and representatives, and mostly, RESPECT the OFFICE of the president.

We cannot afford to lick our wounds, pout, cry, or withdraw. This is the time America needs to stand together. If things "go to hell in a handbasket", we dare not shout to all the liberals, "WE TOLD YOU SO!!!!" As much as it would be liberating, it would be the wrong thing to do.

As I have mentioned, I voted Baldwin/Castle (and I still need to see how they did) so I was going to be disappointed either way, but I am happy to see that it looks like record numbers of voters turned out this year. That is a POSITIVE THING. More people need to vote.

The reality that we have proven that a man of color can run and be elected to the highest post in the USA is reassuring. This truly is a great nation and can remain that way if we all work together. Black or white, we are all Americans.

There is one thing that puzzles me. Why is the world so interested in our elections? They don't want to live here and they have no direct connection with our government. Americans don't fret over who the next king or queen of Europialand is (although we do take a mild interest when a communist government becomes a democratic or socialist one) and we shouldn't. Alas, I digres.

America, your change is coming. You have a mostly democratic government now and your ideas will have an easier time to be passed into laws. Make the most of this time. Prove all the Independents and Republicans wrong...show them that BHO is the man and the liberal Congress is right. I will be glad to admit that I am wrong, but I have a funny feeling that I won't have to.

One other thing. When things don't turn out the way you wanted them to, don't start blaming the Bush Administration. We were not allowed to do that with Clinton and Carter, so you don't get a free pass, either.

The democratic process has been used and we have seen a changing of the guard. I am glad the race is overwith and patiently wait until January when BHO takes office. I am interested in seeing who he appoints and what his first actions are.

Busy Week

Last week was rather busy for me. Not only was work busy but home/church life was rather busy as well. I had a meeting on Monday night, two meetings and corporate prayer on Tuesday, Care Group on Wednesday, fix a friend's computer on Thursday, Church Work Day on Saturday, Teach Sunday School on Sunday and I still had to prepare the lesson at some point...WOW!

While I was tired, I did manage (with God's help) to get it all done. I still managed to go out on Sunday and do a little geocaching, although it was not overly memorable. I am just trying to get to my goal of 1000 caches by the the end of 2008. I have 138 to go and not a lot of free weekends to do it in. Wish me luck.

This week does not look quite as bad, but I am on call. I was supposed to be at two meetings last night at church but I had to cancel because I was working on a call. To my knowledge there is nothing planned for tonight and we have care group on Wednesday.

Most of the meetings at church are geared around our financial situation. We have a lot of things that we have to consider and the decisions are not ones to be made lightly. Pray for us as we try to do God's will.

A Tale Of Two Installs

Ubuntu Linux released version 8.10, aka "Intrepid Ibex" last week. I have been a faithful Ubuntu user since lat 2004 when I installed it on an older 400 mhz sandbox I had. It did not take too long for me to duel boot that and WinXp on my main PC, a P4, 3 ghz, Nvidia 5600 video card home built unit with Ubuntu being the OS of choice.

I have only done a complete reinstall a couple of times and those were mostly due to upgrade failures...I am not sure which version but one of them failed horribly on most of my upgrades (both home and work). I have been very pleased with the free OS from Canonical. It has been stable and performed very well in the Windows-centric world we live in.

I have faithfully upgraded to each new version with only a couple of failures along the way...not bad for seven to eight upgrades. On Saturday I upgraded my loaner laptop from work, an HP NC-6000 with an ATI Mobile Radeon 9600 graphics card, 1 gig of RAM, and a 1.5 ghz processor. It was formally my work laptop until the handware refresh a few months ago and it served me well for 3+ years.

The install went smoothly, albeit slowly (the download speeds were bouncing up and down a lot) so it took about 3 hours to download, install, and configure the laptop before I considered it finished. Outside of the length of time it took to get the upgrade complete, my only complaint was the video. I kept getting an error telling me that it was going to default to generic video settings. I fought with it for a while before I managed to find this link that explained and helped me out. A few minutes later and I was back in business with the open source drivers and the laptop was "good to go". Well, there was one small issue. Since I was wireless when I did the upgrade, I was knocked offline and forced to enter the WEP info again. I was glad I had it memorized.

On Sunday, I decided to upgrade my dual boot "main" PC to 8.10. After my experiences with th laptop, I was a little nervous, but I knew that there was little I could not fix if I set my mind to it.

As before, the download took a long time but the installing and configuring went much faster since the P4 was faster than the mobile centrino processor in the laptop. Once the configuring was done, I rebooted and BINGO, the machine was back up and running.

So, what do I think? Not much difference so far. No problems or crashes to report. I will have more to report later.

BTW, 8.04 will not prompt you to upgrade to 8.10 unless you tell it to (System | Administration | Software Sources | Updates | Normal Releases).

New Shiny

I am a geek, but I am a cheap geek. I cannot afford to spend large amounts of money on toys. Even if I could, I am not sure I would spend $200+ on a smart phone/PDA phone.

My Palm Tungsten E (I am a Palm snob) is three plus years old and is under powered. My freebie cell phone from Cingular (now At&T) was acting up (dropping it on concrete a few times will do that) and the menus were a bit garbled. It was evident that I needed a new phone and a new PDA, so after careful examination of my available funds and my current needs, I decided on the Palm Centro (Electric Blue). It is a lot smaller than I thought. The CNET employee who reported on this must have tiny hands.

To be honest, it has a lot of things I will never use because I don't have a data account. What I really needed was a replacement for my failing Palm T|E and a phone in one unit so I would have less to keep up with. Oddly enough it was my wife who suggested it.

I got a refurbed Centro for $49. While not a stellar deal, I like what I see so far. I do not know how well the battery will last, but it is rated pretty well and according to CNET it exceeded expectations. Go Palm!

First impressions:

The Good - It is a tad faster than my T|E. Simple Palm navigation helps a lot. Being able to dial from my contacts list is nice. It appears to run all my old apps (paid and freeware). It feels solid. It is "pocket friendly". It is much louder than my T|E or my Samsung phone.

The Bad - The stylus is pretty flimsy...I much prefer the metal one on ny T|E. The screen and the keyboard are both small. It will take some getting used to.

I will post a review of it a little later when I have had time to play with it more. Hey, it has been less than 24 hours...cut me some slack!

Throwing My Vote Away

Well, that is what my dad would have called it. My wife and I voted early (Tuesday last week) and while my wife voted straight republican, I did not.

I just could not bring myself to vote for either Sen Obama or Sen McCain so I voted third party for Baldwin/Castle. My dad would have thrown a fit.

My father (who is deceased) always thought that if you did not vote Dem or Rep, you were wasting your vote. I always disagreed with him and it caused some very interesting arguments. I know that the popular vote does not elect the president and no matter who I vote for, the Electoral College has the last say. So with that in mind, I voted to let the college know not everyone voted for "the lesser of two evils". The lesser of two evils is still evil.

Baldwin is not perfect but he closely resembles what I want to see in a president.

I voted my conscience.

The Warm Up

This weekend was a warm up for what I expect to be a busy week. Let me start with Friday.

Friday at work was rather slow, the way it has been for the past few weeks. I am not complaining but I know that it will hit with a fury sometime...most likel when I am on call :).

On Friday I finally took the time to order new mobile phones for me and my wife. I ordered her a basic Nokia 6085 (in pink) and a refurbed Palm Centro, in blue for me. It will be my first PDA "smart" phone.

The ordering process on AT&T's web site was pretty painless although I could not order both phones (which share a family plan on the same accout) at the same time. I had to make two separate orders. No big deal, but it was a tad frustrating. They should be in Tuesday.

Saturday I had a laundry list of thing that I needed to get done. My wife was helping a a local charity event so that left me with some laundry, the dishes, the vacuuming, stripping and making the bed, getting my hair cut, and mowing two lawns. It was enough to keep me busy from about 8:30 AM until noon, when I stopped and did a little geocaching. I was only out about four hours then I came back and mowed the two lawns, finishing about 7:00 PM. I was exhausted and after a shower, I hit the hay.

Sunday we had church as usual but afterwards we took our Nigerian visitor, E.C. Okoye to lunch. Two other couples asked if they could join us and we all went to a local Italian place and had a couple of hours of good quality time. The only drawback was that one of the couples has three boys and I just felt that it was not very intimate with them along, but it was not too bad.

During lunch I got a call from a sister at church who needed some PC help. I went over but did not have what I needed to complete the job so I told her I would have to return. She only had Thursday free so I guess that is when I am going back.

After I got home I did some e-mail and watched a few of the fights from UFC 90 on the mma video sites. It looks like it would have been a good event to see live but I am okay with watching the videos online.

Before I knew it, it was time to go back to church for a meeting/covered dish supper with E.C> Okoye. The food was pretty good but I did not eat much. I was rather full from lunch. We had our meeting afterwards (which was just a call to band together and not have any division among ourselves) and then we had dessert. Again, I ate very little. once I was finished, I washed up a few dishes and then we went home.

I called my mom and chatted for a while. Nothing much new with her...same old, same old.

It was then I realized I have a busy week lined up for me:

Monday - Care Group Leaders meeting
Tuesday - Church Board emergency meeting and then after than, corporate prayer.
Wednesday - Care Groups
Thursday - Computer house call
Saturday - Church work day
Sunday - Teach Sunday School class (meaning I have to write a lesson sometime this week)

Not a whole lot of time for me, but I tend to get a lot of that anyway.

The next two months will of course, be very busy with Thanksgiving and Christmas (no shopping done yet). The good nest, I am not on call during either holiday. The bad news is I have to make up a weekend in November and I am on call the first and last week in December.

Avatar

I have gotten a few questions about my avatar in the upper right corner of this blog. I built it on the Yahoo! web site and yes, it is as close to looking like me as I can get...including the type of clothes I wear when I am at home.

Surprise Attack

It seems like a long time since 9/11/01. It has been seven years and to many people, seven years is a long time.

After thinking about the election and the condition of the economy this morning, I had a chilling thought. What would happen to the US if we were to fall victim to another major terrorist attack akin to 9/11? What would happen if it happened in the next two weeks?

We are a nation that is polarized. Our economy is in bad shape. We are fighting amongst ourselves. People are being laid off. We have a fiercely fought election coming up in less than two weeks. If some extreme terrorist group were to launch a major terrorist attack now, I am not sure how bad things could get. We have a lot of enemies and the enemy loves to kick you when you are down. Wouldn't Ahmadinejad just love to see us stumble again? He believes that the US is in a downward spiral and this would confirm it to him.

Now on the bright side, it is quite possible that the people of this great nation would band together and we would rally to overcome, just like we did after 9/11. There would be a surge of patriotism and people would work together to get this nation back on its feet. We have been through a lot and we can weather a lot. It reminds me of a Charlie Daniel's song, "In America":

Well the eagle's been flying slow and the flag's been flying low
And a lot of people are saying that America's fixing to fall
But speaking just for me and some people from Tennessee
We got a thing or two to tell you all
This lady may have stumbled but she ain't never fell
And if the Russians don't believe that they can all go straight to hell
We're gonna put her feet back on the path of righteousness
And then God bless America again

And you never did think that it ever would happen again
In America, did you?
You never did think that we'd ever get together again
Well we damn sure fooled you
We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again in America
You never did think that it ever would happen again

From the sound up in Long Island out to San Francisco Bay
And ev'ry thing that's in between them is our home
And we may have done a little bit of fighting amongst ourselves
But you outside people best leave us alone
Cause we'll all stick together and you can take that to the bank
That's the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks
You just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan
And I think you're gonna finally understand

Of course the Russians are not the same Russians Charlie sang about...today he would probably use "al qaeda" or "bin Laden", but the sentiment is the same.

We are strong.

We are Americans.

Ten Days Later...

Yeah, I know it has been a while and I am sorry. I really have not been in the mood to update my blog...no motivation. I have updated my geocaching blog but not this one.

So, what is going on? Well, work has been about the same, albeit a bit slower. That of course will change next week as we start end of month close and we prep for Period End Close (PEC) with our customer.

I have been unusually tired the past couple of weeks. I have been napping almost every day and go to bed early as well. I still get up at the same time but my body seems to crave sleep in the afternoon.

Our church life has been pretty good although we (the church leadership) are struggling with finances. We simply have too much debt and not enough income and that has many of us scared. We have some plans but only one of them looks good...the others will be painful.

I still have a couple of more times to cut the grass then I will be finished for the season. I will still need to put out fertilizer and weed killer but that is just about all I need to do on the lawn.

We still have yet to paint the outside of the house and I fear that the wood will have rotted some before we get a chance to do it. We had some wood replaced a few years ago and my wife prepped it for painting with Killz, but we never actually finished the job. We really need to buckle down and do that.

My wife has been struggling with low energy levels as well. Of course hers is related to her thyroid and the doctors are trying to get her on the right dosage so she will be back to normal but that is long process. so far the 88 mcg dosage does not look like it is quite enough.

My wife and I have been keeping up with the presidential election process and have been blown away on how biased the main stream media (MSM) is. If you believed everything they reported, John McCain is the anti-christ and Barack Obama is the messiah. The smears (from both sides) have been pretty bad, but the media bias is bad as well.

Hopefully I will have something really blog worthy in the next few weeks.

Just Some Guys In The Woods By The Lake

This weekend was the annual Faith Fellowship Men's Retreat. The date is always fluid, as is the location. In past years we have gone to a Methodist camp in Glen Rose, TX and to Sky Ranch near Tyler, TX. This year we went to Camp Straight Arrow, in Pottsboro, TX which is right on Lake Texoma. The weather was perfect.

This year also marked the first time that James organized the retreat, with a little help from our pastor. Since it was his first time scheduling an event like this he was a little nervous but it turned out pretty well. There were only a few snags and I am sure those will be worked out next time we go.

This retreat was a little different because instead of staying Friday and Saturday night, we just stayed Friday. While we were able to stay late on Saturday, we did not spend the night. I am not sure why but it was the pastor who vetoed the Saturday night stay. To make up for that, those who could come up early could stay on Thursday and Friday night (for an extra $15). I was on call last week but I did manage to switch Friday-Sun with my TL so I could enjoy the retreat.

Friday I took off work and cleaned house before I headed north to Pottsboro. I decided to do a little geocaching along the way and took my time driving. The lake is only about an hour away but I took four hours to drive and cache. More about that on my geocaching blog.

I arrived about 5:00 PM and went to the fire pit where everyone was meeting and talking. About half the men were still out playing golf, which is the kickoff event of our retreats. Since I do not golf, I show up around dinner time.

After an hour or so of pleasantries, we went back to the cabin to prepare dinner. James wanted to kick the retreat off in style so steaks (on the grill) were on the menu, along with baked potatoes and corn on the cob. After dinner and clean up, we headed back to the fire pit area, lit a nice bonfire and had some worship and fellowship until about 9:00 PM.

After worship, I grabbed a shower and then joined some of the men and watched, "The Bucket List" which is a great movie (with the exception of the language) with a great message. After the movie was over I decided to go up stairs and try to get some sleep. We had 20 men in two large rooms (each room slept 20 people) so we had room to spread out a bit. There were still a lot of people up so I did not get to sleep until about midnight or so.

At 4:30 AM, woke up, unable to go back to sleep. I got up and got dressed and headed out to the fire pit area for some "God time". It felt really good to be out under a starry sky away from the city lights and noises. After about an hour, I went back to the cabin and chatted with a couple of the other early risers until the son came up, then I went back to the fire pit and read my bible until breakfast was ready.

After breakfast I helped clean up (I washed dishes) then got ready for our morning devotional/message. All in all the speaker did a good job, although I am not a fan of his style. Mind you, that is just me...there is nothing wrong with being outspoken and charismatic, but it is not me. I am a little more reserved.

After the first message and a small break, we gathered back in the great room for the final message. This one was rushed a bit since the first one ran over the alotted time so I did not enjoy it as much. We went directly from the message to preparing lunch, which was burgers on the grill with all the fixin's. While I was still kinda full from breakfast (pancakes, grits, bacon, eggs, and sausage) I still ate a couple of burgers. I helped clean up a little (cleared the table, put away leftovers) then wnet back to sit down, maybe take a nap.

We had a large block of free time that many of the men were going to use to play yet another round of golf. Since I had not been to this area before, I took my geocaching equipment and went out on a geocaching expedition. More info about that on my "Geobloggin'" web page.

Once the men who went golfing had left, it only left about 10 of us back at the cabin and over half of those just went home early. A few stayed back and played cards, ping pong, and chatted. By the time I got back at 5:00 PM, I was a bit hungry but I did not want to put the pizzas in the oven since the majority of the guys were not back yet, so I waited. Once they returned we put four of the six pizzas in the oven and ate in record time. It was getting late and the we were supposed to be out by 8:00 PM. It was about 7:30 PM or so and James called us all together to recap the weekend. It got a little drawn out but I was able to leave by 8:30 PM and was home by 9:30 PM. I was sweaty from the geocaching that afternoon and I needed a shower before going to bed so after I unpacked, I hopped in the shower and slept like a baby.

Sunday morning I woke up refreshed and ready for church. Dr David Reagan from Lamb and Lion Ministries was preaching and since I really enjoy his energy and message I was not going to be late. As expected, the sermon was great and we were able to chat some as well.

The rest of the day was filled with a nap, a quick meal, our "Voice of Faith" service that evening, a phone call to mom, and walking of the dogs...oh we are dog sitting Kelsie again.

One interesting thing that was mentioned during the conversation I had with mom was that my sister and her husband are buying some land and are buildin a house. They want mom to move in with them but the are not biulding a "mother in law" wing, they are just giving her a private bed and bath. Mom is not too keen on that idea and asked them to put a small mobile home on the log (it is in the country) for her. They are not real keen on that so it looks like I will have to call them and help move the idea along.

I am glad mom is sticking to her guns. My sis and her hubby smoke (in the house) and he swears like a sailor. Mom is a Christian like me and my wife are so she does not take kindly to that sort of talk. Also they have a boxer and mom has a little Shitz-zhu and they do not get along. Since mom is not is bad health, I think it is kind of degrading to have to live with someone if you do not have to. I want mom to keep her dignity.

Medication Changes And Other Updates

I have been taking Zyrtek D and Flonase for a little over a week and the difference between then and now is like night and day. Breathing and sleeping peacefully is a Godsend!

After taking both meds for a week (and being low on Zyrtek D) I decided to skip a dose yesterday and again this morning. So far I cannot tell any real difference by just using Flonase. I am still able to breathe at night and I wake up refreshed. No major sneezing and no infection that I can tell. I still have the sinus drip in the back of my throat causing a mild cough now and then, but I still feel great 24+ hours on only one med.

I am not a big meds person so I try to take as little as I can. Flonase has worked because it is just two sprays in each nostral once a day. It is a steroid, but it is safe enough for kids to use, so I am not worried.

I have been on call for the past few days and worked solo yesterday. The calls have not been bad but the really nice things is that I get a day off tomorrow to go to a men's retreat at Lake Texhoma with the guys from church. My TL traded weekends with me so I will have to make up the time next month but that is a small price to pay to get away again. Who knows, maybe I will even do some geocaching in the area...there several nearby.

I Can Breathe (And Sleep)

Well, the doc knew what he was doing. I went in and told him what was going on he listened and made some notes. The he told me to continue taking Zyrtek D and that he wanted me to try FloNase. Wow! I can actually breathe through my nose (something that I rarely am able to do because of sinus issues) and sleep through the night. The only down side is the draining in the back of my throat, causing me to cough once in a while. I was given a 'script for that (as well as an antibiotic) to fill only if I got worse. Well, I feel much better.

I still take the Zyrtek D twice a day and the Flonase keeps me from sneezing constantly. The two together work very well.

Whoo hoo!

Fear or Fodder?

I noticed that Tina Fey has now performed three skits in four week on SNL portraying Sarah Palin and it got me wondering. Is the liberal media afraid of Sarah Palin or is Sarah Palin just providing fodder for NBC?

Now, to begin, I am most likely not going to vote for McCain/Palin (nor am I voting for Obama/Biden), but I am rather proud of Sarah Palin's accomplishments as a mayor and a governor. While I still think she needs some more polish to become an effective national leader, I appreciate her down home attitude and style. She does not look or act like a Washington insider.

NBC, like most of the mainstream media giants, are incredibly liberal and any threat to their ideals will cause them to begin mocking the easiest target. McCain is old and an easy target but how many old jokes can you tell before it gets old? Palin is the shot in the arm to the Republican party and the liberals know it, so they attack her instead of McCain.

The other side of the coin is that Palin offers so much that can be used as fodder that the liberals at NBC and SNL cannot help but latch on to it. But I doubt his theory because the skits that have picked on Palin have been centered on her with some light jabs to liberals once in a while.

Oh, why doesn't anyone mock Obama on TV? The answer is quite simple. If you poke fun of a black it is racism...poke fun at a white and it is humor. Forget politics...all parties have given SNL something to pick on.

The Agony Of It All

I am miserable. I have been suffering with some of the worst allergy/sinus issues of my adult life. My head is so stuffed that breathing through my nose is almost impossible. I am sneezing and today my eyes finally started to itch...

I have taken Claratin, Sudaphed, Tylenol Sinus, and Zyrtek...nothing gives me much relief. I have an appointment with the doctor at 8:50 AM to see if it is just allergies or if there is something else wrong. My chest was a little "rattley" a couple of days ago but it feels better now.

I have been fighting with allergies my whole life. When I was a kid I was miserable. As an adult they got better (I could afford better drugs) but over the years they have gotten worse. I have tried one prescription med that has helped, Xyzol. It works but it is kinda pricey. However if I don't get relief soon, I will be willing to take out a loan for it if needed.

Time Flies

It has been almost a week since my last post and I am not sure where the time has gone. Heck I am not even sure I know what all has happened during that time.

The most memorable event in the past week was my little Geocaching adventure on Saturday near Monksville, Texas. It was my first long hike (nine miles) Geocaching and has to be one of my favorite trips ever. It ranks right up with my caching trip to WV a few weeks ago. You can read more on that over at my geocaching blog.

Work as been tolerable. There are always little things that irk me (like changing processes and not telling anyone) but over all things have been pretty good. My colleague is on call this week and we are both covering for a colleague in Brazil who is on vacation. I am not sure how other countries can afford to let employees take two to four weeks off at one time (we could never get by with that here in the States) but I am glad he can get some time off. He is a very busy man.

Our weather here has been warmer lately than I would have expected. We had a cool snap that kept me in long sleeves at night for a few days but that is gone now...we are back to normal later summer temps which is causing two problems for me: Allergies and the tempurature of our office.

Rag weed is heavy right now and since I am allergic to the stuff, I have been stuffed up so bad I can hardly stand it. 24 Claratin only lasts about 12 hours or so at best (one day it lasted about 6) and I hate to mix and match meds just to get some relief. Thankfully this should end soon and I will be back to "normal"

With the late summer temps comes the HVAC's system at work becoming "confused" on what to do. Right now it is blowing ice cold air into an already cool office. Not only is out office ice cold but the restroom closest to my office is bitterly cold. This happens every fall and it really is annoying. It is so bad my office mate wears a jacket in the office. It is about all I can do to tolerate it.

My wife got an e-mail from our pastor the other day. He is a young pastor, with the majority of his experience coming from pastoring youth. He also is very likable and somewhat boyish, but I digress. The reason for the e-mail was to have my wife and I pray for him as he delivers a sermon on Sunday on tithing. The subject of giving is always a touchy subject. Many who feel they do their share are offended and feel singled out. Those who do not give a tithe or give one regularly think the church is greedy. I used to feel like the latter until I decided to give tithing a try.

It was not easy but after a few years I was able to gladly write out my tithe (10% of my income) check to the church. And while things have been tight, we are still eating, have a roof over our head, and employed. Besides, if your budget is so tight that 10% will make or break you, then you need to reexamine your priorities.

A lot of people look for a way to lower their tithes like some people try to lower their taxes. They bicker over tithing on the net or the gross, on re-embursed funds, tax returns, bonues, etc. I think it is silly to do that. The rule is in my house, that unless you have already tithed on it, you will tithe on it! And sometimes we will tithe on something like a tax return as an offering to God. Yes, since we tithe on the gross, we have already tithed on that money, but what the heck, it all belongs to God anyway.

How Do You Start Your Day?

Well, if you are me, and the day is today, you start it by having all FIVE smoke detectors issuing a "low battery" warning at 5:00 AM. They started one at a time until all were chirping by 5:30 AM.

The dogs noticed it first...they hate that noise and run away from it when it starts. The problem was, there was no place to run because the 1650 sq ft home we live in is covered with smoke detectors.

And of course we were all out of 9v batteries. So my wife takes the more social dog and jumps in the van to go to the drug store to get some. The drug store is closed, so she goes to another one not to far away. An alarm is going off as she pulls up, so she leaves...slowly. She then goes to Wal-mart and picks up two 4-packs of 9v batteries, but it takes her over an hour. During this hour, I get to listen to a cacophony of chirping smoke alarms, each one going off at an interval different than the other four.

My wife finally gets back and I quickly replace the batteries, which leave three for the next time this happens. Well, we really need five, so she is taxed in picking up at least one more 2-pack.

I then get ready to start working from home. My mailbox is full, mostly for issues I am not tracking but people want to "keep me in the loop". I get a couple of, "why did you do this?" e-mails, which to be honest one of them was my screw-up. Never put me in charge of something if you are not going to give me instructions on how to do it. They will get over it and I am sure I will not lose my job over it, either.

My wife begins getting ready to go out with one of her girlfriends while I check my personal e-mail. Oh boy, my sling bag (for Geocaching) is going to be delivered today. I got a great deal on it ($8) but raped on shipping ($7), however the overall price ($15) is very good for this so I am not too irked. It only took four days to get here via Standard Shipping US Mail. At least I have it in time for this weeks adventure.

It has been a busy week for me so far. Monday and Tuesday I had church business meetings and Wednesday we had small group. Today I am free once I get off at 4:00 PM but I do not know what my wife will want to do. Maybe nothing. I am okay with that.

I am working from home today, like I normally do on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I took yesterday off to burn another day of vacation. I wasted it on a Geocaching run in Plano. It started out pretty badly but ended up okay. I onoy got scratched up a little.

Finances have been a major source of concern for us, as well as the thought of more layoffs at my job. 24,000+ jobs to be cut, half of them in the US, most of them in my business group. I really would like to be out of debt but that just is not possible right now. We are hoping for some bonus money and an income tax refund that will clear out what we owe. It is not much by most people's standards, but it is enough to bug me. Of course all the issues with banks over the past few days are beginning to worry me some as well, but only a little.

We have deposit placed on the beach house for next spring. Since we cannot pay it off in 2 payments like the owne asked, we are sending him payments monthly. My wife going back to work has helped, so has working from home.

Off The Hook

I wish all my on-calls were like my last one. I did not get called all weekend long and the calls during the week were few. As a matter of fact, the week was rather light compared to the past couple of months. While we did have a few lingering issues (just like today), there were no frantic calls at 2:00 AM asking to have a server rebooted or a report of a network being down...although one call did come in at 4:00 AM. While that issue was a mess, at least it was resolved with minimal problems.

The only other notable issue was the hurricane that tore through the Texas Gulf. While it had little effect on us (it was about two hours east of us) we did wind and rain, although it was minor. The real damage is being realized today as the gulf area of several states is being investigated and searched. It looks pretty grim. About the only plus that I can see is that the impact to oil and gas production will be a lot lower than expected. I am glad I filled up on Friday at Kroger ($3.33/gallon) since now it is $3.60/gallon and rising.