jimr75

Ay-men!

2008-08-12T09:12:00.005-05:00

I'm humbled by how my almost-two-years-old son likes -- no loves -- to "pway."

"Deah Gahd...", he starts, always grinning, like he's just found the coolest thing in the world.

"Thank you for...", pregnant pause, quick smile, then "Mama!", he'll explode. And Dada, and food, and Pabo (Pablo from Nick Jr's The Backyardigans), Kitty Cat and whatever else floats in front of his consciousness.

He's been pwaying, er, praying a lot for Didi (my mom). Apparently, he (and innumerable others) is being heard.

Yesterday, the X-ray showed that the upper mass in her chest is gone. Not reduced, not receding, gone, baby, gone!. The other, larger mass is spotted, like an old rusty piece of metal. That means the chemo is eating it up.

She's feeling better, has more energy, etc.

Not bad at all, considering that the scalpel jockeys said that she would likely be dead by tomorrow. I love how the oncologist put it; "I don't see an expiration date on your big toe. Do you?"

Nope. Not a trace.

"Ay-men!"

In other news:

My two favorite bands are releasing albums this fall: Metallica and U2. Yeah, I know they couldn't be further apart in philosophy, style or lyrics. But if you want to get me in a nutshell, you'd need a pretty danged big nutshell. No wait. What I meant was, mash'em up and you pretty much have my core musical tastes and guitar-playing style. Which is probably why I like Queens of the Stone Age so much. They're about as close to a mash-up of Met and U2 as I've found.

In the meantime, I've been working on a very, very different musical project. It's a return to my first love of piano(!). I'm by no means an accomplished pianist. I play by ear. I'd probably be a lot more accomplished if I used my fingers like everyone else.

But really, it's painting with totally different colors than I've ever used. The nice thing is that I'm finally realizing a tune that I started on my mother's piano in 1989. I've tried so many times to eek this one out of my head, with no luck. This time it just flowed. Lyrics, structure, instrumentation, melody, everything. No one else may like it, but at least it freed up some of the clutter in my head. One down, 58,423 to go...

If I had to put an "it sounds like" on it, it would be in the vein of Keane, Coldplay and some U2. But with, ahem, a little more testicular fortitude than those previous bands typically display. (Well, maybe display wasn't the right word. But I'm having a ball re-reading it now... what a nut I am.)

The funny thing is that I don't feel like I've got a handle on a project until I can name it. Anyone else that way? Until it has a name, it's an amorphous, nebulous, marvelous pile of random I-don't-quite-know-what. Gots to gets a name on it, both as a "band" thing (I'm sure it's a holdover from my real-live-band days and my need to hide behind it) and as an album (or collection of songs or whatever we call it these days). Perhaps one will lead to the other.

I'm very seriously considering releasing this. I've had other recording projects on the burner for a couple of years, but this feels so different that I'm actually getting excited about music again. Kind of like coming home to see my family at the end of the long day. "Hey! People I know and like! Who're excited to see me! Yay!"

We'll see.

On another "I never thought I'd do this", I'm writing a couple of songs for my friend James Dunning, my doppelganger and the main songwriter in Lost Immigrants. History: JD and I ran more or less parallel lives throughout college. We played in a lot of the same bands, dated some of the same women (not at the same time), and later worked at the same jobs. Somewhere along the way, James and Craig Hinkle (one mean bass player, who also played in some of the same bands) both received a bonk on the head and started playing Texas country (more rock, sort of like old Skynard). Then they won the Shiner Bock Texas music contest (out of a million bands) and started recording. Wow.

Anyway, it's not the first thing I'd reach for (the music, not the beer. I actually kind of like that on certain occasions. Like Tuesdays. But I digress...), but I'm having fun writing in a totally different style. We'll see if he likes it enough to perform it.

Over and out.

Under Pressure

2008-08-07T09:42:00.002-05:00

"Pressure, pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure...
-- Queen and David Bowie, 1981

Man, my head is about to guh-splode off of my neck.

I believe that God infuses what I call a "divine discontent" when it is time to take another step. We thought we knew what that step was, until the door closed on it in a very frustrating manner.

Now I'm dealing with dwindling options and the prospect of another frustrating year at my current job/situation. The options I will consider place my family first. I'm concerned that the options before me don't do that.

I'm trying to be patient, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. It's closing fast and there's a whistle a-blowin'.

In other news:

I finally heard something from the Navy.

More "hurry up and wait." Now my next selection board has been moved to bloody October (it was August). Man...

Over and out.

Of A Personal Nature

2008-07-28T10:02:00.002-05:00

It's been a strange ride for the past few weeks. A lot of out-of-left-field goings on. The most significant of them is my mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer.

Or maybe not.

A few months back, she went into the hospital with double pneumonia. After a few weeks of treatment, she went home. Tired, but charging on. About a week later, she was having difficulty breathing. Prognosis: fluid in the lungs. More treatment. More time passes.

A something was found in her chest. Doctors assume that it's infection remaining from the pneumonia. They remove a liter of fluid from her lungs. They check it for cancer. None found. One doctor proclaims "cancer" without ever doing a biopsy. A second opinion is sought. Or, a more scientific, informed first opinion.

More time passes. More fluid builds up. She's sent to a hospital in another town. A biopsy reveals that it is, indeed, cancer. Small-cell lung cancer. All throughout her abdomen and around a vertebrae. Prognosis: terminal. Three to four weeks.

What? Though tired, mom does not look like someone with less than a month to live. But family is called and family arrives.

One more visit. This time to an oncologist to see if chemo is even an option.

This doc has a different story. He believes that it may be a form of breast cancer and that one of the biopsies might have been tainted, giving the impression of lung cancer (she has no indicators for lung cancer -- no smoking, no second-hand smoke, no drugs, no alcohol, no strong chemicals, nada nada nada).

Chemo is ordered. Three drugs are given. The first nearly kills her via allergic reaction. She's stabilized. The more important second and third are taken like a pro. She's eating, getting strength back and in good spirits.

Prognosis? Hopeful. To quote mom: "We aren't out of the woods yet, but we're chopping down trees."

You have to love that attitude. Prayers are appreciated and requested. Let's see what God can do with the medicine in her system now. This has been hard, as we watched her brother waste away with cancer exactly one year ago.

I know that parents will be gone from this world all too soon, but the impact is still hard. The rational side and the emotional side of my personality are wrestling a lot these days. I feel a bit like it's all a strange dream. I feel for my father. She's been his anchor for decades, the tether that pulls the extremes of his personality back into friendly territory. I don't know what he'll do without her, if her time is near.

The upshot to all of this? If the time is near, at least we've had some warning; some notice to remind us to say the things we've needed to say and didn't make the time or find the courage.

I believe that there are only two other people in this world who's passing would impact me more.

In other news: I love my family. Good, bad, ugly, mean, awesome, caring, thoughtful, thoughtless... unique. We are them and they are us.

Sorry if this one's a bit personal.

Over and out.

Fun with Photoshop

2008-07-09T10:31:00.008-05:00

I'm practicing a little avoidance behavior this morning. Well, actually, I'm waiting on a worker to arrive before starting the next project, so I have a few minutes to kill.

So, it's time for fun with Photoshop.

I've posted a few photos of my son, heavily altered, in past posts. I found a good one this morning that set the imagination running.

Here's the original:

The way he has his hands on the bowl in front of him, it reminded me of a steering wheel. With his "Fire Chief" hat, you'll see the easy leap to the next level.

I found this photo through Google. Clearly, I'm violating someones copyright, but since this isn't for profit and merely for "educational purposes," I'll take the chance that they won't come after me.

So, now I have my source materials. I cropped the photo of my son, then eliminated the other kid from the fire engine photo (just judicious use of cloning, for the most part), dragged the cropped version of my son into the fire truck, positioned, a little cloning to set it properly, a few burning and dodging tweaks and we have this:

No, it's not perfect, but for less than 30 minutes, it ain't bad.

I also posted this storm pic in my last post:

The exploding cell reminded me of a fist coming at me (look closely, you can even see "fingers"). So, why not "enhance" the image?

Found a fist on Google. Cleaned up the back ground, created a PSD like the other photo, resized, dragged into the original photo, set the opacity to taste and viola:

Again, not perfection, but for 10 minutes work, you get the idea.

In other news:

We still need prayer for my mom. They called it cancer (without a biopsy, I might add...) but now some new symptoms support that it's an infection. Either way, she's on a breathing machine for part of the day and in poor spirits. We just want someone to diagnose this nastiness, treat or remove it and let her get healthy.

Over and out.

Formation Fifth

2008-07-05T17:45:00.007-05:00

This post was originally going to be "Formation Friday," but I was lazy and missed it.

So, hence, etc...

I've been cleaning out the cell phone camera. I've found a few snaps of cloud formations that I've taken over the past two or three months.

I love storms. I used to chase them in college for the radio station I worked for and for the National Weather Service as a spotter (please ignore the awful sentence construction).

This one was taken as my son and I took a walk. He kept looking at them and saying "airplanes." Good imagination, that kid.

This one was taken from where I work, about 50 miles from the actual storm. Several strong rotational echoes were recorded, indicating tornadoes, but none were actually seen. Lots of wind damage, however.

This one is actually a tornado, categorized as an EF-3. It was one of two over the community I was in (about 30 miles from home). Even with my training, I still managed to be right in the path of this one. It was a tense hour and a half, as the weather behind the tornadic edge was intense. Lots of downed trees, power lines, etc. It usually takes me about 40 minutes to get from where I was to where I work. That night, it took about 90 minutes. Rough night. Lots of flooding too.

This one is just pretty. It was about 70 miles from where I was at the moment. I just like the scenery. :)

In other news:

Satan drives a Honda.

I sure hope that those aren't vanity plates...

Over and out.

Form and Function Friday

2008-06-27T11:57:00.003-05:00

Meet GINA, a concept vehicle from BMW. This is a fairly exciting idea, as it radically rethinks the roll of a vehicle's "skin."

This is not, however, a new idea. I'm reminded of the rigid dirigibles of the last century (the Zeppelin airships) and the everyday use of a folding, collapsible umbrella. But the new application of modern materials in this manner to a vehicle raises a number of other interesting ideas in my mind.

Could the use of OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) be woven in to the skin, creating a moving billboard? What about a new "look" for the vehicle any time you wanted? Fabrics that change color? Are bulletproof? Inflatable on impact?

I'm intrigued by the possibilities of a sudden loss of weight on the vehicle as well. What sort of fuel economy would be possible?

Very interesting concept for once. Naturally, it came from BMW. Those folks just ooze innovation with the personal vehicle.

In other news:

I'm still ga-ga over this one. Here's another, longer studio version:

Can you imagine what this idea would be like if you dropped it on the "street" with the folks who truly customize (I'm thinking hydraulics, etc.). Or what about NASCAR?

My idea? I'd love one that rapidly expanded, sort of like a puffer fish. That would be great fun during rush hour.

Note: I love the video creator's grammar... "blowed up..." sheesh.

Sheesh.

Over and out.

Wednesday, day of useless letters

2008-06-25T09:02:00.004-05:00

"Wednesday." I really hate the word. It doesn't truly roll off the tongue as it should. "Wensday." How about that? Fewer letters. That would probably save millions in printing every year, just axing the extra "d" and "e".

Or how about calling it "midweek"? That works too.

Or what about calling it something totally different? Like "Bernie"? That would make conversation a lot more fun.

"When are you going to go home?"

"On Bernie."

Or, if we're really feeling irreverent, call it "Your Mom."

"What day are you going to go home?"

"Your Mom."

I could see that working very well. I'd love to hear that at the beginning of network newscasts, in the big, James-Earl-Jones-y voices, "The news, for Your Mom, June 25th, 2008."

That would be fantastic.

***

I either have a cold or super-massive-crazy allergies. I'm not sure which it is. It feels like a cold, but I started to get a migraine (loss of vision...) last night as if it were from crazy allergies. Fortunately, retreating to a dark room, followed by a very, very hot shower seems to have staved off the actual headache.

Or it could be both. That would double-suck.

***

I've been on a 90's music kick this week, finding songs I'd long forgotten. Right now, we just transitioned from Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot" to Tripping Daisy's "I Got A Girl."

My head is totally in 1996 right now. Only 20 pounds heavier (me, not just my head). And more in debt. And married with a child. And avoiding my work.

***

I've been watching Mission Metallica as the band records their new album "Death Magnetic" (I'm not too enamored with the name, but realistically, I haven't liked any of their album titles.) and subsequent touring. It's been interesting to watch the band age -- not exactly gracefully, but interestingly. The new music sounds (so far...) like a updated return to their thrash glory days.

But since I'm on a 90's kick, I have to be the one guy who will still stand up for their body of work in that decade. Considering the implosion of hard rock and metal during that time, their more hard-rock, bluesy sound was a smart move. And it was good music. Even the last album "St. Anger" had 4 or 5 tracks that stand with their best stuff.

Love it or don't. There's always Coldplay for the rest of you.

***

Speaking of virtually nothing in common, my wife (we have a lot in common, just not this abrupt change of musical styles) downloaded some Rich Mullins songs a few days back. Man, I love that guy's music. I'm still disappointed he was killed in a car wreck. Guess God wanted a command performance. Can't blame him for that...

***

There's a lot going on I would love to go into here, but that's just not appropriate... Let's just leave it at "work is a four-letter word."

***

In other news:

Answered prayers: No colon cancer for Mom. But they did drain more than a LITER of dark fluid from the mass in her chest. So far, no cancer cells detected in the fluid (they don't know what it is... it's not good, that's for sure). Now they'll do a biopsy on the mass to see if it is cancer or a wicked infection.

More prayers, please.

Over and out.

Sunday sundry

2008-06-22T07:56:00.003-05:00

I'm taking a few days off around the weekend. It's been too long.

***

We went to the Fort Worth Zoo this weekend. What a treat! It's probably the best zoo I've been to, but my wife believes San Antonio's is better. Yes, it smelled like animals, but it was clean, well shaded, and fairly easy to park and get around. Our son loved the penguins. I bought him a life-sized stuffed penguin at my wife's urging. He LOVES IT.

***

I need to revitalize my freelance graphics/layout/whatever business...

***

I need to go to the gym today...

***

I'm about to go "practice" with our church's band. I say "practice" because it consists of one quick run-through. I hate it because I love playing, I just don't like getting up there under-prepared. Especially when it's for a worship group. Nothing like being a distraction....

***

In other news: My son just woke up and called for me.

UPDATE: Heh. He was attached to that stuffed penguin like stink on a monkey.

Over and out.

Wednesday's wascaly wamblings

2008-06-11T07:37:00.002-05:00

We're in the middle of my office's annual planning retreat. I've been a major part of the planning and implementation of this important event, working closely with our division's administrators.

I realized this morning that I couldn't care less.

That can't be good.

***

My mom is waiting to find out information from a specialist. It's a little frightening.

***

I missed seeing Living Sacrifice on their reunion tour this week. Man. Those guys are ridiculous.

I'm also going to miss Metallica this summer at OzzFest in Dallas. I'm bummed about that one too.

But money is tight. I'll have to get my music fix in some other form this summer!

***

I haven't worked out at my gym in more than two weeks now. I'm really starting to feel the effects. I'm concerned because I have my military physical in about a month. I'm about to go drastic, I think.

Our little guy's had this habit of waking up from (apparently) nightmares at either 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. (nearly on the money every time... weird). One of us has to go sleep on the floor with him. It does wonders for the spine. But it also kills my ability to get up and go work out in the early morning. Gonna have to figure something out here...

***

Actually, both of them are asleep in the other room -- way past when I expected them to be awake. I made them breakfast 45 minutes ago... I figured the noise from that alone would have awakened them. I'm envious of that kind of deep sleep. I don't do that. I'm always submerged about a quarter inch under being awake. I often hear conversations other people are having around me if I take a nap. It's not very restful. I recently found out that my dad is the same way. It shoots our stress level WAY up when we're already dealing with something external.

Good to know, right? So what the fat do you do with something like that?

***

In other news:

I'm working on a couple of remixes this month. On is a part of the ongoing Fixt Remix/Celldweller competitions. The other is for the ever-popular David Dewese. We'll see if he likes it enough to let other human beings hear it.

Over and out.

Assorted Friday

2008-06-06T08:50:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy couple of months. I'm in the middle of several massive projects, so (both of you) please forgive the dearth of posts.
***

It didn't rain here last night. Which is very strange, as there was a massive line of thunderstorms just 30 miles to our west. It just... dissipated... before it reached us.
***

I'm rereading the Chronicles of Narnia series. It's rather light reading in tone, but massive in it's allegory. Worth a read if you haven't. Worth a reread if it has been a while.
***

Toddlers are a lot of fun. With the possible exception of from midnight to 4 a.m.
***

Today is a special day at my house. I could tell you whose birthday it is, but my wife would absolutely kill me.
***

My mom and dad need prayer. Illness. Big time. Scary stuff.
***

Just a thought for the audience: Is a slow miracle any less miraculous than one that is instantaneous? What do you think? I'll expound if you'd like for me to do so.
***

In other news:
- Still nothing new from the Navy
- Still nothing new at work
- Still nothing new under the sun.

... except that I have been riding a bike to work (1.85 miles, one way) most days lately. It takes about 10 minutes through some nice neighborhoods. It's cool that folks around here will stop and say hello as I peddle by. And, it has saved a TON of gas.

Over and out.

Update

2008-03-18T21:31:00.002-05:00

It's time for a face lift. I've been inspired by a good friend's updating.

Any thoughts from the peanut gallery? Suggestions? Words that spring to mind from which I might glean some inspiration?

Over and out.

Charlie is my hero

2008-02-26T08:44:00.000-06:00

Stephenville UFO? Hardly.

2008-01-15T08:22:00.000-06:00

There's a new buzz in our little Texas city of Stephenville. It's not rodeo, it's not agriculture, it's... a possible UFO sighting?

This stuff is all over CNN, YouTube, Yahoo, etc. I'm irritated, because I know what it is. See my explanation following this... story.

Possible UFO sighting

Thursday, January 10, 2008 11:16 AM CST

Four area residents witness mysterious object, lights in Selden sky

By ANGELIA JOINER Staff Writer

Steve Allen, Mike Odom and Lance Jones were out admiring a beautiful Texas sunset Tuesday evening when they saw something none of them can explain.

Allen called it an unidentified flying object. And, because he's been a private pilot for more than 30 years, he has a little more experience judging air speeds and distances than most.

“We all flipped out,” Allen said. “I didn't sleep a wink last night.”

Allen was at the home of Mike Odom in Selden about 6:15 p.m. when they suddenly noticed flashing lights about “3,500 feet above ground level,” he said.

“The ship wasn't really visible and was totally silent, but the lights spanned about a mile long and a half mile wide,” Allen said. “The lights went from corner to corner. It was directly above Highway 67 traveling towards Stephenville at a high rate of speed - about 3,000 miles per hour is what I would estimate.”

Allen said the lights were not those of a normal aircraft. He said they were more like strobe lights, and while they were all watching, the lights reconfigured themselves from a single horizontal line into two sets of vertical lights.

“The two sets were approximately one-quarter of a mile apart,” Allen said. “Then they turned into dirty burning flames. The flames were not blue. They were white in color. About two seconds later it disappeared completely.”

Allen said they were all scratching their heads and talking about what it could have been, when approximately 10 minutes later, the object flew overhead again.

“This time it came from the west traveling east towards Glen Rose,” Allen said. “And it was about two or three miles south of 67, and two military jets, possibly F16s, were in pursuit.”

“I was asking, “Are you guys seeing that?” Allen said.

Mike Odom said he didn't have trouble sleeping but it was a “wild experience.”

“It's unexplainable,” Odom said. “It was something not natural; it was moving way too fast.”

Odom said he saw one other unexplainable object in the sky in 1978 when he was in Arizona.

“Back then something flew over with lights all around,” Odom said. “I think this thing bothered all of us, but it probably bothered Steve more because he's a pilot and he flies a lot.”

“It was neat,” Lance Jones said. “It was something. I've never seen anything like it before but it didn't scare me. I just figured it was military.”

Odom's wife, Claudette, said she was previously employed as a flight attendant.

“Lights were going up and down the side,” she said. “There was no sound, just the lights. It was moving so fast. It wasn't a plane. I know how planes move. Honestly, I think it was a UFO. It was so fast you couldn't have put your finger on it and move it fast enough to follow it.”

Allen said he has never seen a UFO until now, but he did suspect there was something to UFO stories all along.

“I was very surprised to finally get my eyes on one,” Allen said. “If anybody else saw this and got pictures I hope they will contact me.”

Allen said he has already reported the sighting to Washington, and is in the process of writing a report on the event.

Allen is the owner of L & S Enterprises and Texas Freight in Glen Rose. He can be contacted at 254-898-1117.

The group plans to return to Odom's house and keep an eye on the sky in the near future, hoping to see it again.

ANGELIA JOINER is a staff writer for the Empire-Tribune. She can be reached at angelia.joiner@empiretribune.com or 254-965-3124,ext. 238.

I reported on a similar incident several years ago when I was reporting for a nearby newspaper. However, my report was a little more thorough than this.

Now for some debunking. (Drumroll, please...)

We might have to consult some maps for the non-locals (nearly any reader of mine) to follow the bouncing ball.

Stephenville is located due east of a major Air Force training area, located just north of Brownwood, TX (to our west-south-west and east of Abilene (due west). Fighters from Dyess AFB in Abilene and Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base in (naturally) Fort Worth (to our east-north-east) practice in this area. Which means we have fighters flying over our airspace fairly frequently. And all of these folks generally have to stay south of Interstate 20 (north of all of these areas). Usually this traffic peaks once per month. Say, when the reserve weekend is occurring and these folks are drilling.

Like, this past weekend, when these alleged sightings occurred. Oh, the Air Force's 301st Fighter Command is headquartered at NASFWJRB.
. Guess what they fly? Yep, F-16's, as mentioned in the story.

The "lights" that these folks said are anti-missile countermeasures... flares.

This isn't a great picture, but it gives you an idea. The evolution of how these flares appear follow directly with the description of the alleged sighting.

It's the same thing as the "UFO sightings" I covered a couple of years ago.

Live long and prosper.

Oops. I mean,

Over and out.

Determined, Part II

2008-01-11T11:10:00.000-06:00

The first 10 days of 2008 have been interesting. Like the ancient Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times."

Losing weight: I am. That's good. It's nice to look in the mirror and see progress, even if it is at a snail's pace. Even a snail makes it somewhere, eventually.

Organization: It's working, and thank God for that. I've been inundated with work (budget time, hooray!), freelance work, more freelance work and less sleep. Without some major changes to my organization, I'd already be sinking with no hope of rescue.

Music: I knocked out the first draft of some production music last week. It's been a long while since I've been happy with anything musical. This is so stuck in my head that it's getting silly. Hopefully, the label will like it too.

Trusting God with more than my words: This is going... okay. I'm in the middle of a lot of stuff, so I realize I'm missing the bigger picture. I'm just repeating to myself, "I don't know, but God does. Let him sweat it."

The Navy Reserve: This is where I'm editing myself. Heavily. I thought my selection board information had been taken care of, more than a few months ago. They're supposed to be meeting right now. However, I couldn't get calls/emails back to confirm.

L o n g story short, it wasn't done. After almost a year of interviews, reference requests, long runs, push ups, and a mountain of paperwork, I'm essentially back to square one. With the exception that I've filled out the paperwork and I'm royally, profoundly, exponentially P.O.'ed. I'm usually easy-going. Until crud like this happens. To the recruiters, it's just another day at the office. To me, it's my livelihood and family's future. Pardon me if I come off a tad fussy. May they live in interesting times...

I've been exploring the concept that I might need to be an Intelligence Officer instead of Public Affairs. Intel would have another selection in a few months. We'll see where the Lord leads this. I've given up forcing it my way. I KNOW I need to be doing this (because I don't run every day for fun). Maybe I'm just off target. We shall see.

I (and the wife) were up most of the night with The Boy. He just began crying about 2 a.m. and didn't fall asleep for hours. Wide awake. I just held him and rocked him. I wanted to be mad, but I can't. It's just too precious a moment to get to hold him like that. It might have been growing pains. He wanted his legs rubbed. The Wife and I both thought he looked taller this morning. Weird, I know, but he just looked appreciably taller to both of us. May you all have at least one kid this cool.

In other news: I said a prayer of thanks for the commanders of the ships in the Gulf of Hormuz this week. The restraint that they exercised by not blowing to Mars the Iranian idiots taunting them is astounding. The standard rules say "take 'em out" at about 250 yards. The five fast boats coming at them at 60 miles per hour were within 200. They did EVERYTHING imaginable to shoo them away.

I know that the thoughts of the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 had to be on their mind. Lesser people would have succumbed to a sense of fear/self-preservation. Our sailors were fine examples of why we continue to have the finest fleet the world has ever known. Who knows, that restraint might have just kept us out of some runaway escalation with Iran.

Over and out.

Determined

2008-01-04T08:20:00.000-06:00

Fair warning, this post is forecast as lengthy. Proceed at your own peril.

I looked up the word determine today:

de·ter·mine /dɪˈtɜrmɪn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled, Pronunciation[di-tur-min] verb, -mined, -min·ing.

–verb (used with object)
1. to settle or decide (a dispute, question, etc.) by an authoritative or conclusive decision.

2. to conclude or ascertain, as after reasoning, observation, etc.

3. Geometry. to fix the position of.

4. to cause, affect, or control; fix or decide causally: Demand for a product usually determines supply.

5. to give direction or tendency to; impel.

6. Logic. to limit (a notion) by adding differentiating characteristics.

7. Chiefly Law. to put an end to; terminate.

8. to lead or bring (a person) to a decision.

9. to decide upon.

–verb (used without object)

10. to come to a decision or resolution; decide.

11. Chiefly Law. to come to an end.

[Origin: 1325–75; ME determinen < AF, OF determiner < L détermināre, equiv. to dé- de- + termināre to bound, limit; see terminate]

—Synonyms 1. resolve, adjust. See decide. 2. verify. 4. influence. 5. induce, lead, incline.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

We talk a lot of resolutions this time of the year (I'll point out the obvious -- resolve is a synonym of determine). Many claim to make 'em. But what they're really making are trendy, half-hearted attempts to make friends with the idea/vice with which they've mentally (or physically, but doesn't that come back to mental?) struggled during the course of the last year.

I recently read an interview with Douglas Merrill, who handles a lot of Google's organizational strategies. Obviously, the dude knows how to organize.

In the story/interview, the writer states, "Research shows that your short-term memory can only hold about 7 items at any given time. (That’s why phone numbers have 7 digits, and Scrabble racks hold 7 tiles.) So if you have more than 7 things going on in your life (ha!), don’t even attempt to keep track of them in your head.

“Much of our stress comes from the fact that people are trying to manage a lot of their world in their psyches instead of in a system,” explains David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. “As a remember-and-reminder mechanism, the brain just isn’t very good.”

The brain’s other organizational flaw is its tendency to dwell on incompletion. This is called the Zeigarnik Effect, after the Russian psychologist who first noticed that people remember incomplete or interrupted tasks better than finished ones. Worrying about what needs to be done puts the brain in a sort of subconscious reminder loop that instigates stress.

I calculated, just at work I have thirteen projects for which I am responsible. Add to that: Sunday school teaching/preparation, physical fitness readiness for the Navy Reserve (another long topic), two freelance jobs, three recording projects and trying to be a good father and husband? No wonder I feel so (expletive deleted) old. Plus, you see why I haven't posted in a fortnight.

During the Christmas break, I became determined. I started eating better. Already I've shed 6 pounds. Another 10 and I'm at a good weight. It gives me more energy, it doesn't screw my knees when I run and it helps get me in the Navy Reserve.

I'm organizing my days to maximize what I accomplish, while leaving some latitude to play with my son, who doesn't always work on my schedule. I'm setting aside specific times to spend with my spouse, who is also working on her own set of lifestyle changes.

I've set aside time to empty my head of the melodies and rhythms looping through it. That's just to keep me from going insane.

I'm reading for both enjoyment and edification, in equal doses. Each makes the other that much sweeter.

I'm not kicking myself in the head if something doesn't work according to plan. That's life.

I'm listening for the words that aren't being said. I'm saying the words that should be said. I'm sure that this is some measure of maturity, or at least leadership.

I'm trusting God with more than my words.

And I'm more excited about life than I have been in a long, long time. It helps when you see the progress of a child every day. If he can learn three new words, eat a balance meal, wake up saying "wow!" (every day, no kidding!) and he's only been here a few months, I should be doing cartwheels, right? I'm determined to not let the everyday world sap my joy for living.

In other news: Mike Huckabee took the Iowa primary. Wow. Talk about a dark horse. He did a fantastic job on the Tonight Show this week too. He's just comfortable there. Not so plastic as Mitt Romney or John McCain. I don't agree with 100% of his platform, but I'm totally behind the "fair tax" concept.

Over and out.

Como say what?

2007-12-07T14:22:00.000-06:00

I was driving to a lunch meeting this afternoon, lost in my own thoughts and jamming to some old For Love Not Lisa when I came across this:

Yeah, you read it right; the license plate says "pooter."

What in the world...

According to the official Texas Web site, this person spent at least $40 to have the timeless honor of driving around town in a vehicle with the license plates reading "pooter."

Maybe this is some creative form of punishment? As in, you drive like an old fart, so you have to display the "pooter" plates for a year?

Or maybe it's a bet? As in, "I bet you can't go a week without getting your rear kicked with these plates."

Either way, it took me back to a conversation with Maury about 10 years ago. We were both being blinded by reflective script on the back of a pickup window that had some Hispanic person's last name. The point was that we didn't see the point, unless the person has friends with identical vehicles and they're having some difficulty distinguishing their truck from others. In that sense, I get it. Otherwise, stoopid.

As the conversation followed it's eventual and unavoidable devolution into flatulence humor, we started to discuss other ideas for cooler words to place on the back of a car window for all of the world to see. Here is a photo illustration of one that comes to mind:

Yes, yes, I know that it is "misspelled." Chalk it up to artistic license. The "ie" looked better to my eye than the "y." Plus, it's funnier.

So.

In other news: The cartoonist for the student newspaper decided to draw a caricature of the staff as superheroes for the last paper of the semester. I, naturally, am a variation of Professor Xavier from The X-Men. Mind control and what not.

Where are you going...?

Over and out.

Freakin' Awesome!

2007-11-21T10:29:00.000-06:00

I drank the Mac Kool-Aid a long, long time ago.

I use, and prefer, Apple computers. My new 20" iMac arrived at the house last night. This one is unique in that it took my spouse prodding me to actually buy it. That's not normal for a gear junkie like me, but money is tight and I'm doing my level best to not buy anything on "borrowed" money.

I have a part-time business involved in graphics, layout and music production. My trusty flat-panel iMac just wasn't making the grade. I needed it to run Adobe Creative Suite 2 for work. Just couldn't quite handle it. So, time for a new computer.

Since we've had "flappy" for nearly 6 years, I figured we've squeezed our money's worth out of it.

But it was an odd feeling last night, staring at three iMacs (we still have our "candy" iMac from 1999 in use). She chose the color. I didn't care at the time. It was a G3 and smokin' fast compared to her older Mac, a Performa.

I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool Windows PC user. I wouldn't say that I "loved" using it, but it worked for me. Mainly because I didn't know any better. I have a good friend who was a Mac disciple who educated me in the error of my ways. They just work.

I've never had a virus on any of my Macs. Even with state-of-the-art and up-to-the-minute (how ya like them hyphens?) virus protection, I've had many Windows PCs crater on me.

I've never had a OS X-based computer crash on me, other than when I made a profound error in trying to load the wrong software. User error there.

My 6-year-old iMac positively screams past the 2-year-old dual-core Dell XPS with 3 gigs of RAM I use at work.

The best part was opening the box last night. I wasn't really excited, because I know I have a lot of work to do to pay it off quickly. But man, the folks at Apple make it hard to not enjoy it. Simple shipping components. The design is elegant. I loved brushed metal finishes. It looks more like a design piece than a computer.

All I did was pull it out of the box, connect the mouse, keyboard and power. Power up. It starts a simple interface for registration and settings. Then, connect a FireWire cable off my old iMac to my new, reboot and viola! My old computer's contents were being transferred to my new one. It took about an hour and change. No crossovers, no file architecture issues. Everything, including programs, was installed. Simple, simple, simple.

There was a point in my life where I would have wanted to "tinker under the hood." I don't have time for that. I need things to work right, the first time out. This was absolutely painless.

As for the Windows software question, I'll consider loading XP (not Vista, as it's a 80-gig turd of an operating system) and one of the programs to run it side-by-side. It's really not even a question anymore.

So I knock down another glass of the ol' Kool-Aid. My verdict? Freakin' Awesome! (Old MacAddict readers will get the "Max" reference...)

In other news: I'm considering ideas for publishing. I've been working with a real estate promotions company. The work is tedious, but not especially hard. They publish listings magazines like you find in front of stores and restaurants. I'm just looking for a good idea -- that can be sold. What are your interests? Any hobby or interests magazines that aren't there for you? Any thoughts you might have are most welcome.

Oh, and have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. I was remarking to my Sunday school class that some historians believe that Benjamin Franklin's inspiration for Thanksgiving may have had its roots in the Jewish celebration of Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks). Both celebrate God's goodness at the end of the harvest season... perhaps.

Either way, take up the challenge that our pastor gave to us last week. Make an attitude of thankfulness more than a once-yearly event -- make it a part of your life from day-to-day. Even the trials are a blessing, in the same way that extreme heat purifies gold and silver, extreme pressure produces diamonds and extreme irritation produces a pearl.

God bless you and yours and be safe as you travel.

Over and out.

20 years ago

2007-11-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

My father and I attended a church-sponsored retreat last weekend. For the first time in my life, I felt I truly needed to go somewhere away and be quiet. The timing was perfect.

It had been 3 busy years since I last attended one of these retreats. It was held at one of the most beautiful places I've been in Texas, the HEB foundation encampment near Leakey (it looks like "leaky" faucet, but is pronounced "lake-y" -- I don't ask why. It think it's so we can target foreigners and Yankees). No cell phone coverage, because it is in the Frio Canyon, just a few hundred yards from the headwaters of the Frio (Spanish: "cold") River (English: "rio"). El Rio Frio. Sorry, that just occurred to me.

I was struck by how much my life has changed in 3 years: A new town. A new job. A new addition to the family. A different truck. Different clothes. I was also surprised by how things hadn't changed: Still dieting and eating weird foods. Still stressed over my job and future. Still haven't finished up the CD. Still wondering what I'm doing here.

It was a good time for me and my father to talk, share and reconnect. Admittedly, our relationship has been strained for the past few years. There's plenty of blame to sling around. We didn't waste any time with that. We walked for miles over trails and hills, skipped and threw rocks into the river, shared bad jokes and stories, reminisced over lost loved ones. Talked a lot about my son and his future. Connections.

There are a few times in my life where I have felt the presence of God. I was reminded of one time while we were there. We were telling some of the men from my dad's church about a massive car accident mom and dad were in while my dad was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. A drunk driver "t-boned" the side of the car my dad was in. It was just after the annual Marine Corps ball, so he was in his dress uniform. They were driving home. The Japanese man was three times beyond the legal limit. He was probably asleep, as he never hit the brakes.

Right away, a few Marines traveling on the same road stopped and tried to direct traffic while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. They screamed, and another drunk driver slammed into the exact same spot. Full speed. 50 miles per hour. No brakes.

When the paramedics arrived, they called dad "DOS" -- dead on scene. Until he mumbled something. They rushed him to the hospital. Oddly enough, it was just a few hundred yards from our house. I could see the hospital out of my bedroom window.

I was in seventh grade, my brother a few years behind me. I awoke having dreamed all of this, in detail. I was weeping when I bolted upright. I ran across the hall to my parents bedroom, as I could see their light was on. I needed to see them and know that they were alright. They weren't there. My legs went out from under me -- I had just seen my dad dying in a dream more vivid than anything I can describe.

A few seconds later, the doorbell rang. We had a friend of the family staying with us. We went downstairs. It was the wives of the battalion's executive officer and supply officer. They lived nearby.

They told us to sit down and explained what had happened. At that point, they had heard that dad was dead or close to it. My brother was hysterical. Our friend wasn't far behind. They recalled later that it was weird how I was so calm. They thought I was in shock. I wasn't. I was past it already.

For the next 24 hours, I kept the house running while mom was recovering (she suffered massive contusions). Dad was a mess, but after years of surgeries and rehab (and sheer, impressive determination), you'd have no idea that he was nearly dead. Or nearly crippled. The creepy/cool thing was that I kept correcting my mother on the order of events. She would give me a funny look and say, "That's right. You're right. That's what happened first." Same with my dad when they took him to the hospital.

I don't spend a lot of time dwelling on the supernatural. I tend to be a skeptic and detached in my observation. But I am convinced, as sure as I sit here typing this, that God allowed me to witness the events happening. I saw it happen, and could describe the surroundings, events and people. I never met or saw any of them or that place where the accident occurred. God allowed me to experience it so that someone in my family was able to keep going. Does that make me "special" or "blessed"? Not in my mind. There was a task that had to be done and someone had to be there doing it.

That was 20 years ago. The slamming reminder of it was reinforced when one of dad's church members asked when it was. Dad and I stopped where we were walking, thought back, looked at each other in shock. It was 20 years to the day. Not just to the day. To the minute. The very minute.

When we returned to the cabin, Dad showed the scar on his upper leg that is the only physical reminder of how close he came to eternity. It was also a reminder of the night were I saw a little peek of it with a clarity that still gives me chills. Frankly, it shames me a little as I reflect on it with awe. There is a God. We are not Him. He loves us more than any other creation.

In other news: Screw other news. If you haven't told the people you love that you love them, get off your butt. If you're uncomfortable doing it, GET OVER IT. Those of you who regularly read this, thank you. You enrich my life in a large and small ways.

Over and out.

More shuffling and running

2007-11-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

I ran again today before my lunch... whoo boy.

My boss is a fanatic runner. He's 42, used to play Division I football and blah, blah, blah. He knocks out 4-8 miles at a time. At 7 minutes a mile. Sheesh. Anyway, he told me that you can tell when your body is converting fat for energy, simply because it hurts. I asked him awhile back, "how's that feel?" He said, "you'll know. It doesn't feel like anything else, but power through." Ohhhhh. Okay.

I felt it today, mid-run. An ache around my body, similar to a cramp, but no muscles cramped and I didn't lose power. It was weird.

Anyway, I ran my 1.5 mile route again (with the iPod). I actually stopped and walked twice because I wasn't sure what was happening at first. But I kept track of how long I walked.

I ran/walked it in 13:40. Yeah, that's :15 slower than last time. Big deal. Still within my target range for the Navy and last time was non-stop running. But, factoring in the walking, using the formula my boss gave me, it was the equivalent of a 1.5 mile run in... 12:00 flat. Exactly 12. Twelve minutes has been my goal all along.

So, if I just "power through" the walking slow-downs I made, I'm there. Wow.

Thanks for the iPod, wife!

In other news: I'm trying to cram a week's worth of work into 3 days again. The week is NOT cooperating with me. Boo-hoo.

Whoa, I just realized that my time means that I can run an eight-minute mile. That's sweet! Without a dog chasing me too.

Over and out.

Shuffling and running

2007-11-05T08:13:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned over and over, I've been running for time so as to meet the physical readiness standards for the U.S. Navy Reserve. This has been a substantial undertaking for me, as I've been over the required weight limit and running has been so low on my priority list for most of my life that it was virtually nonexistent.

Two weeks ago, I finally met the minimum time for the 1.5 mile run, 14:30. It was on the nose, with my best possible sprint in for the last tenth of a mile or so. And I was absolutely killed afterward.

I've been doing some walking in the evenings, mostly hills. I stopped running in the mornings because I've been frankly, exhausted from working non-stop. I've run a few evenings, but the training has been nil.

The wife decided to help me out. She purchased this for me:

In case you've been living under a rock, it's an Apple iPod Shuffle. Sure, it doesn't have the bells and whistles that the nano or the other bigger models have, but I don't need those features. Just dump a playlist from iTunes and go, go go...

...and it worked. Without having run to speak of, I ran my 1.5 miles in 13:25. Yep. A full 1:05 off of my best time. I'm still trying to get that to sink in. My overall target (which is pretty smokin' for a mid-30's guy like me who hasn't/doesn't run) is 12:00. I'd be thrilled for 12:30. And it feels like it's in sight.

The best part was I knocked out all of the push ups and curl ups (sit ups) following the run, and I'm not "killed."

Hope springs eternal.

In other news: One of the downsides of teaching at the collegiate level is that my students problems just seem to be bigger. Significant Other's overseas, in Iraq, Afghanistan. Finances on the line. New marriages under stress. Bills, bills, bills. "Grown up" stuff, but many of them aren't "grown up" yet. I don't remember college being this stressful. It was hard, but not this crazy. If think about it and you roll this way, please say a prayer for my students.

They need them. Badly.

Over and out.

Who said I was paranoid? Tell me!

2007-10-31T22:48:00.000-05:00

So I'm working late tonight, as I do most Wednesday nights/Thursday mornings, while my students attempt to produce 10-12 pages of passable journalism.

We have a sweet little lady that works maintenance on my floor. She tells me that she heard "through the grapevine" that the "higher ups" have their eye on me.

Now there are several ways to interpret such a statement.

After a little quizzing, I found out that she works on the team with the husband of one of the other directors in my area. Okay. That spouse/colleague seems to think that it is a good thing.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but it sure doesn't feel like a good thing. As I tell my students, "paranoia has served me well." And it has. Sometimes you have to imagine a dog biting at your ankles to keep moving.

It doesn't help that I'm working like a fiend on my freelance work right now. It's killing me, because I have Adobe Creative Suite and the work I'm trying to fix was done in Creative Suite 2. The only access I have to that is... drumroll, please... at work. Not entirely ethical. I'm trying to get CS2, but lo-and-behold, it won't work on my aging iMac at home. So... time for a new computer, it would seem. Which sort of (temporarily) defeats the whole purpose of the freelance work, now doesn't it?

I'm also a little concerned that my attempt to get into the Navy Reserve might be misinterpreted as an attempt to leave my current employment. That was the case when I thought I was going to go "full-time" active duty. Now, I'm looking at the standard, "one weekend a month, two weeks a year" routine. That means we'd stay right where we are. I want to finish the work I've started at this job. That will take another two years by my reckoning. But I digress.

But apparently this discussion that so-and-so overheard was significant enough to come tell me. Dangit.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

In other news:

Criminy, I need to do some running. I'm tired. That ain't a good way to be.

Over and out.

In yo window

2007-10-26T08:55:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about things that sound inappropriate but actually aren't. So, in the interest of maintaining a lack of decorum (my college interpersonal and small group communications prof would probably have a heart attack), I've decided to share them with you. In the interest of some level of decorum, I'll provide the actual meaning as well. See? Educational and inappropriate.

So...

First up, the phrase "balls to the wall."

This little jewel first dropped during World War II. Despite it's more ignorant usage, it refers to the round, rubber balls that were used on the flight controls, usually throttles, on aircraft. To say "balls to the wall" means that the throttle was pushed all the way forward, to the firewall. The automotive analogy would be "pedal to the metal."

Next up, "shuttlecock."

I was, as a young man in my mid-20's, smacked stupid by my mother for (properly) using this one. There's nothing phallic about it. It's the proper name for the "birdie" in the game of badminton.

Then we have, "bunghole."

This, despite Beavis and Butthead's implied use of it, does not refer to the, ahem, angus part of the cow (there's another good one..., thanks Jack). It is the output on a tank, generally seen on motorcycle gas tanks, where fluid flows out to the engine. Clearly, one can see how its misuse would be a fairly short stretch.

Speaking of B&BH, it reminds me of a girl in college who refused to say "butthead." She instead referred to the show as "Beavis and His Friend." Or the other girl who wouldn't say "bottom" in reference to one's posterior. Yet they called me "weird."

Now we're up to our "lugnuts."

This one's more well-known. They hold your tires onto your axle and wheel. 'Nuff said.

Those are just what bubbled up through the morass (yet, another...) of my brain this morning. Please feel free to add yours in a comment. I'm sure that there will be more to come.

In other news: Tomorrow is my 10 year anniversary homecoming for my college. As the great Ben Franklin once wrote, "Holy crap."

Over and out.

What was the first thing Eve said to Adam...?

2007-10-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

On Paul Harvey's morning newscast today, he said that the makers of Viagra and Cialis are issuing a new warning that their medications "could cause hearing loss."

Clearly, the proper way to announce that fact would be, "could make men hard of hearing."

(wait for it, wait for it...)

To quote Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that."

In other news: I haven't been running this week. I've been crazy tired for some reason. The alarm goes off and I instantly fall asleep until the little guy trumpets off at 7:30 -- about two hours later.

Maybe I should go to bed earlier.

Over and out.

Stuff, in no particular order

2007-10-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

So it's Friday. So?

***

I'm exhausted today. I've been running and walking a lot more in a desperate effort to lose about 10 pounds. That way I'm under the (ridiculously low) weight limit for the Navy.

***

An update to that little project; I'm now applying for the Navy Reserve, instead of active duty. That way I can conduct my initial training over a couple of years instead of cramming it into six months. During that time, I would have been away from my family, without communication. Sure, that's part of military life, but if you can accomplish the mission without doing so... who wouldn't? I like my family. :)

***

I'm sick of socialists masquerading as patriots. Sure, I'd love to have more income. I'd love to have some more things. I'd like less debt. But I don't want to start trading away my civil liberties and self-respect.

Am I a Republican? Marginally. I've found I tend to be more Libertarian. However, that doesn't mean I'm not staunch about what I believe. Do I like Dubya? Sure, he's a swell guy. I've met him on two occasions. Do I think he's doing a good job as President? On a few things. Which is similar to how I felt about Clinton. Swell guy. Mediocre president.

***

Our campus hosted a diversity event yesterday, bringing in a former priest to lecture on (his view of) what the Bible says about homosexuality. Sadly, a local pastor had to make it a personal attack during the lecture. He left the room saying something about AIDS being God's punishment for homosexuals. Whether it is or not, only God knows. But to the people in the room, it was a revolting display of forgetting, "love thy neighbor as thyself" and a false argument. It reeked of the kind of mindset the Catholic church used to hoist on its faithful about tragedy being punishment (you know, "you got cancer because you sinned.") There is a narrow, narrow line of logic in there, but this one was grossly misapplied.

When will we Christians remember to be civil? How about disagreeing without being disagreeable? I get that we're talking about convictions, but I'm not convinced that shouting about it making an ill-conceived scene during an academic lecture is worthwhile. If anything, it just sours the witnesses toward future interactions.

'nuff said about that...

***

Why is it, on the day I'm trying to leave early, a ton of unexpected work gets dumped on my desk? Murphy's Law anyone?

***

Why is it, on that same busy day, I'm blogging? Avoidance behavior anyone?

In other news:

I'm starving and tired. Losing weight in a hurry is a witch.

MMmmmm. Sand-witch...

Over and out.

Star Wars Pants

2007-10-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

I came across a wonderful thing I must share with you, dear readers (both of you).

Try substituting the word pants in your favorite Star Wars dialog:

Your pants betray you, Luke.

That blast came from those pants. That thing’s operational!

Governor Tarkin — I recognized your foul pants when I was brought on board.

The pants may not look like much, kid, but they’ve got it where it counts.

Pants me, Obi-wan Kenobi! You’re my only hope!

Jabba doesn’t have time for smugglers who drop their pants at the first sign of an
Imperial Cruiser.

I find your lack of pants disturbing.

Don’t worry. Chewie and I have gotten into a lot of pants more heavily guarded than
this.

These pants contain the ultimate power in the universe. I suggest we use it.

Han will have those pants down. We’ve got to give him more time!

A tremor in the pants. The last time I felt this was in the presence of my old master.

The more you tighten your pants, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

Well, the Empire doesn't consider small one-man pants to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the pants. But the approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system.

It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my pants back home, they're not much bigger than two meters.

But Alderaan is peaceful! We have no pants, you can't possibly...

It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the pants together.

I've placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the pants of this R2 unit...

I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did. It's your father's pants.

Luke, there was nothing you could have done, had you been there. You would have been killed, too, and the pants would now be in the hands of the Empire.

So... you got your pants and you're just leaving then?

Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their pants.

If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the pants that it's farthest from.

Han Solo: Uh, we had a slight pants malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?
[winces]
Voice: We're sending a squad up.
Han Solo: Uh, uh, negative. We had a pants leak here now. Give us a minute to lock it down. Large leak, very dangerous.

C-3PO: Master Luke, sir. Pardon me for asking, but what should R2 and I do if we're discovered here?
Luke: Lock the door.
Han Solo: And hope they don't have pants.

Stormtrooper: Let me see your pants.
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his pants.
Stormtrooper: We don't need to see his pants.
Obi-Wan: These aren't the pants you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the pants we're looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along.
Stormtrooper: Move along... move along.

I felt a great disturbance in the pants, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.

Luke: It's a good thing you have these pants.
Han Solo: Yeah, I use them for smuggling. I'd never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them.

There's no mystical energy field that controls MY pants...

A long time ago in pants far, far away...

And there ya go.

In other news: Man, if you don't have iron, you have NO energy.

Over and out.

One is the lonliest number

2007-09-19T23:37:00.000-05:00

My little boy turns one year old tonight. In fact, it was one year ago just a few minutes back. Burned into my memory is holding his little hand for the first time. I had been speaking to him while he was in the womb, so he would recognize my voice when he made his debut. It worked. He instantly stopped crying and looked toward me, grabbing my finger with his little hand, while I kept an eye on Doc and Mom in the other corner of the room. Mom was a champ. No drugs (not by choice...). I'm still amazed by that.

The medical folks didn't seem amused when I asked, "so, can I have hers since she can't?" Eh. It's all in the timing.

Speaking of timing, I'm at work right now. I love my job, but not so much on Wednesday evenings. I know the family's asleep and it's not a big deal, but I'd still rather be home with them.

In other news: My little boy rules. I couldn't ask for a better kid, all-around. He's smart, active, sweet, impetuous, fun and loves his mom and dad.

I think I'm going to go collect on the people who didn't think the boy would make it a year with me watching over him. Ha, I say. Ha.

Over and out.

I sense a disturbance...

2007-09-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

So I had some time this evening to kill.

My students are working away, I'm answering questions, fielding suggestions, etc.

In the meantime, I did this:

"At last, we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi..."

Yeah, yeah, it's the same background I used on the "Superman" photo mash I did a few days back.

I was going to make him a Jedi padawan, but frankly, Darth Maul was always a little cooler. Maybe I chose the quick and easy path (there's a Photoshop joke in there...) but it's mine to choose. I kind of like it.

In other news: My school has lost two freshman to auto accidents in two weeks. It breaks my heart. I can only imagine what those student's parents are going through right now.

Over and out.

Whew.

2007-09-07T10:43:00.001-05:00

That's about all I can say.

Whew.

Fast, in a slow, plodding sense

2007-08-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned a few posts back, I'm working toward a selection for Officer Candidate School in the U.S. Navy. That means I'm doing a lot of running lately. By "a lot" I mean some, which is a lot more than I've done in my life.

I've been frustrated by minor injuries, lousy weather and chronic procrastination.

Last week, I ran the mile-and-half in 16:30. S-L-O-W. On Monday, I ran it at 15:45. Today, I ran it in 15 flat.

I need to run it for the PRT at 14:30 to pass. Yeah, that's the fat boy speed, but as my brother said about his Navy training, "Hey, if the minimum weren't good enough, it wouldn't be the minimum."

Ideally, by the time I would report for OCS next year, I'll have it down in the 10-11 minute range.

As for the push-ups and curl-ups, no problem. I've been knockin'em out like crazy.

Some folks have really quizzed me as to why I'm trying to do this at this point in my life and career. I'm about 8-10 years older than most first-time military candidates. Most candidates my age have prior enlisted time and are striking for officer. So, here are my reasons:

1) To serve. I tried to enter the Air Force about 8 years ago. Due to a fluke problem with my HDL/LDL levels, it didn't happen. I focused on my career in journalism and have had decent success with it, as it has led to jobs in teaching/management. But I appreciate the calling to serve my country. I know we live in a dangerous world. No, I'm not going to be a Navy SEAL but if my skills can be used, I'm going.

2) To improve. My workload is crazy sometimes. I started a Masters degree last year, but I'm so busy (and cash-strapped) that I can't do it right now. Again. The Navy will pay for me to get a MA in communications. Why wouldn't I?

3) To see new places. I'm a military brat. I hate moving on one hand, but I love seeing new places, trying new things, getting to know people. The Navy is perfect for that.

4) To work with people who have high standards of excellence. Yeah, I know you can find that almost anywhere, but I never have found it as consistently as when my family was around military folks. Do you find knuckleheads? Heck yes. That's why we have orders.

5) A better lifestyle. There are trade-offs to every job and every lifestyle. I don't like the things I've traded in journalism. I'm proud of my accomplishments, but I've hated the inconsistent hours, uncommon demands and even occasional danger. I don't mind danger, if it's for the right reasons. Being shot at for writing a story? Not cool.

6) More opportunities for my family. The military offers tremendous benefits when compared to the civilian sector. Better insurance, better health care, opportunities for college credit... I could go on and on.

SO. What are the downsides?

1) Separation from my family. OCS is 12 weeks long. 90 days. 3 months. A long time to be without the ones I love. What's motivating me? To know that I'll be able to provide more opportunities after that sacrifice. As someone I can't remember once said, "to get something you've never had, you'll have to do something you've never done." Good point. (That's my "mantra" when I'm running.)

2) Potential danger. Yes, it is the military, and I'll swear to protect and defend my country at all costs. We could go to war (which we technically already are) and I might lose my life. Of course, I could lose my life in the traffic around our town. I nearly lost it years back over a newspaper story. The risk is worth it.

3) Moving. Yes, you move a lot in the military, especially on the front end, as you're completing training assignments. But you're also surrounded by people willing to assist you, as they go through the same thing. Communication is better than it used to be, especially if you're overseas. When my family lived in Okinawa, we maybe had one phone call a month back to loved ones. Now, it's a chat session away. My students speak to their loved ones in Iraq on a near-daily basis. Plus, if your attitude is right, you throw yourself into whatever local culture you find yourself living in. It's a hoot.

I can't think of any other downsides, actually. Benefits outweigh the costs. Outweighs what I'm already doing.

Makes sense doesn't it?

Anyone care to comment? See any other downsides I'm glossing over?

In other news: It's just hitting me that I took 45 seconds off my time this morning. That flat rules.

Over and out.

Up, up and away!

2007-08-28T08:48:00.000-05:00

We're coming up on our son's first birthday. It's difficult to remember a time without him around. That probably has a lot to do with the lack of sleep...

The wife posted this photo of him running around playing "super hero." Cracks me up.

I like the pose, the lighting is okay, and it just looks like a super hero pose, doesn't it?

At the end of the work day yesterday, I was inspired to "work" on the photo a bit. Here's what I came up with. I could make it a little "sharper," but I was getting to the point of diminishing returns.

I love Photoshop. :)

In other news: The students are back, the schedule is hectic, I'm running faster this week than last, I've lost some more weight, I've lost some more sanity, and this sentence is a grammatical nightmare on wheels.

Over and out.

Eight!

2007-08-23T10:57:00.000-05:00

The wife and I celebrated our eighth year of marriage this week.

We traveled to Fredericksburg, Texas for a little rest and relaxation. Naturally, I took photos while we were there.

The place we stayed was a little bed and breakfast cabin called "The Grist Mill." In case you have a mind for meaningless trivia (such as I...), a grist mill is where grain is milled into flour.

The cabin was... interesting.

Bison

This bison head was hung over the fireplace. I don't mind admitting that this thing gave me the creeps. There was also a bear, several deer and a duck. All staring at me. Staring. At. Me.

The odd thing was that the "outhouse" was in the bedroom, without a door. Facing the bed. After eight years of marriage, I had come to believe that nothing was awkward. Surprise! We found something...

In the privy was more unusual decorating.

Permission slip?

I know it's a fake, but c'mon. It is funny. (Nerdy note: you can tell it's a fake, because Marshall Bat Masterson was right handed. Clearly, a left-handed faker wrote this one. Trust me. I've faked a few permission slips in my day. But I never faked one for this.)

Most of our time was spent walking through the shops. I was stealing business and marketing ideas. The wife seemed to have fun shopping. I love this photo.

Speed shopping

After dinner, I spotted these peppers. I just like the photo, taken during the so-called "magic hour" or "golden hour" before twilight. Love this photo.

Peppers

But by the second day, we were missing our little boy. I took this one this morning while he was "reading."

I want this one!

He loves this yellow mustang. I don't know why. Maybe just because it's yellow. He cracks me up.

In other news: School is about to be in session for the fall semester. I wish I were a little more rested. It's been a very busy summer. Oh well. I'm not out in the heat, so it can't be all bad, right?

Over and out.

When you're 'in'

2007-08-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

I was a military brat. As I alluded to some posts back, I've been working on a "project" for the past few months. That project is me. I'm working to get back in shape... wait, there's an improper implication there. Let me rephrase. I'm working to get in shape so that I can enter the U.S. Navy's Officer Candidate School. Why? The reasons are numerous, obvious, personal and most importantly, not relevant to this post. So, about face!

We did a lot of moving around when I was a kid. I've done a lot of moving around as an adult. My father calls it the "family wanderlust." We just ache to see what's over the next hill, vista, horizon or corner. There are times when it is a terribly bothersome ache. I can already see that my little boy has it. He can't sit still for more than 15 seconds.

During all of this moving around, I (and my brother) were forced to become particularly adept at picking up the subtleties of each place that we lived. Those students of the social sciences call this field of study "ethnography". As the name implies, it is the study of a particular group, but it doesn't have to be based on race. I've read a fascinating (really!) ethnographic study on people who attend baseball games. They have their own "lingo" that is common to every major league field. Then they have their "local flavor."

You can see it on some of the cable special interest channels, particularly on shows on Food Network that try to determine which way of preparing pizza (New York "slice" or Chicago "deep dish"... I say both are winners, particularly if they're of the "free" and "hot" varieties) or toppings for hot dogs (who knew?).

I've also been fascinated with The History Channels' miniseries Ice Road Truckers. I only realized last night that it was because of the ethnographic slant on the entire show. In other words, you learn their lingo; how they use the jargon that is unique to their occupation.

We all do this to some degree. Twenty years ago, we geeks started really misapplying the language: "mouse" no longer referred to a rodent, "files" weren't manila, "monitor" was now a noun instead of a verb, etc. In musical pursuits, "fretting" was good, not bad. A "lug" was important, not annoying. A "gig" meant money in the bank, not a boat in the water.

The language is still dancing into new territory. Personally, the Angry Grammarian in me still cringes when I hear someone use a noun as a verb. As in, "Just 'Google' it." Argh. But is it worth losing sleep over? Nah. It's just a sign that our language is alive and well, adapting, growing and giving this time period its own "flavor."

Families do this too. Funny names we give each other, little phrases we say (often held over from "baby talk" days with kids) that indicate special meaning to us, but sound meaningless to others outside of our ethnographic circle.

Why is all of this especially important to me as a military brat? Learn the language and you're "in" -- you're accepted, you know what you're talking about. Is it pop, soda or a coke -- even if you're referring to a Dr Pepper? Are we going to the store, shop or grocers? Subtle, but little slips give away that "you ain't from 'round here."

So what about you? Ever come across funny, interesting, stupid regionalisms in language or interesting ethnographic circles? Share with the group please. That's the nice thing to do...

In other news: So I've applied to be an officer. I've been running. I've been doing boatloads of push ups and sit ups. I've been studying manuals. I've been trying to learn the lingo (or "gouge" as the Navy calls it). I've applied to be a Public Affairs Office ("PAO"). That's basically what I've been doing for the last 10 years. I'll be working with the same age groups. However, I'll give orders instead of advice. Important distinction.

Over and out.

Construction time again

2007-08-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

It's been interesting to watch the construction of a new building on our fair campus this summer. Interesting because I often think that some of the heavy equipment is going to soar right through my window.

I've taken some inspiration from this project. Lately, I've been so covered up with work and other important pursuits that I've lost sight of the big picture. I first noticed this error when I found that my creativity has been at an all-time low. That's a lot of my own personal definition -- my "superpower" was the ability to pull stuff out of thin air. If you're like me, you understand. It's like missing one of your senses.

I've been watching the construction team hammer away (haha...) at this project for weeks. Now the metalwork is done, the cement is being poured and a roof is up. My inspiration is looking at every little moment throughout the day as a "construction" moment. Is this getting me where I need to go? Is this time I can spend with my wife and child? Am I doing good and right with my time?

Part of it may be my uncle's recent death. He... wasted (it's hard to say) about 50 years of his life. I WILL NOT look back with that kind of regret. Life is far too short and too important a gift to watch evaporate before my eyes. I know I'll be held accountable for how it was spent.

In other news: I'm set on recording the acoustic stuff as soon as possible. Part of my "realization" is that I need one little victory this summer. I've had enough setbacks, outright defeats and random speedbumps. I need a win.

In other, other news: I love to hit the "next blog" button. This morning, I landed on the blog of a friend from college days and one of my wife's sorority sisters. Amazing. Just when I thought the Internet was huge.

Over and out.

Follow the bouncing ball

2007-08-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

I've been considering recording some mostly-acoustic songs that I've been letting pile in the corner for the last 12 years or so. I've never really had enough to record a proper project, but I have them now. Oddly enough, the lyrical and musical content is surprisingly cohesive. It might be due to the relative infrequency with which I play my acoustic.

I'm considering asking the church we attend to allow me to play their drum set. A friend from college was the former youth pastor (remember Bob/Big Eugene, Maury???) who developed a nice little project studio.

The rest will be done at home, on the laptop, just to say I did the whole thing on the laptop. I don't know why that's so bloody important to me. Just is.

+++

My 10-year college reunion is in two months. I seriously need to get off my butt and do something impressive. Maybe an album on a laptop will count...

+++

I helped with a massive training session today. It didn't go well. The lab we were using had some radically different settings that wouldn't allow us to use certain features of the software we were demonstrating. Suffice it to say, we'll be doing it again. Yikes.

+++

Had lunch at the local Optimists Club today. I've been thinking about staring a Realist's Club today. Anyone want to join? We'll take your dues but, let's face it, we're not going to do anything important with the money.

+++

I've been running again. It's frustrating. My times are actually getting slower each time I'm out. My boss (a chronic running addict) says that I'm on a plateau. I disagree. I'm on a hill. Running up it. A steep hill.

+++

Have you seen the rash of "100 calorie"-sized servings of cookies and soda? That's awesome, except that I generally have about a 150 calorie hunger and thirst. Therefore, you have to eat/drink two servings. Which really destroys the whole purpose, now doesn't it?

+++

I'm getting kind of hungry right now.

+++

If I lived on the East Coast, it would almost be quitting time. Stupid Central Standard Time.

In other news: I've been thinking lately that the whole Minnesota/I-35 bridge collapse is doing nothing for my wife's fear of bridges. But we haven't talked about it. Perhaps we'll do it here...

Over and out.

Amazing grace

2007-07-31T08:42:00.001-05:00

My uncle was buried yesterday.

He battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the past two years. It was an ugly, wasting disease. It robbed him of everything in his life -- his home, his belongings, his health, his strength, his looks. It left him with nothing but skin and bones, and constant pain.

My uncle was very much a child of the 1960s. It was all about music and doin' your own thing, man. This never sat well with my grandfather. He was a John Wayne-type of character. You can probably imagine the scenarios without my going into any detail. Suffice it to say that they never really saw eye-to-eye.

My uncle was baptized after making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ when he was about 10 years old. For the next 45 years, he turned his back on "religion." Once the cancer came and took away everything, he had some serious discussions with my mother. They talked about "belief" and where he was in his life. He finally seemed to come to peace with it and realized that he had wandered far, but never too far to come home.

Last Friday, his soul went Home.

Yesterday, his body was buried under the trees of Proctor, Texas, just a few inches from the father he fought with passionately. And loved dearly.

It was a hard day, with lots of tears, laughter and remembrance. There is a sense of loss, but also a profound sense of relief and peace.

As I drove past the cemetery on my way home with my little boy in the back asleep, I had the deepest understanding of God's patient love for us, the patience of the prodigal son's father, and the overwhelming need to stop the car for a minute and watch my son peacefully sleeping.

It was a good day. A hard day, but a good day.

In other news: I'm wondering; how are you?

Over and out.

Off the leash

2007-07-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

I've never been a big fan of gaming, particularly video games. By all appropriate measure, one would think that I should be, but I'm not.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing a good game every once in awhile. But I don't get terribly excited about the latest and greatest release. Perhaps I'm a techno-tainment throwback to movies. Whatever.

The only deck I've ever owned was a Super Nintendo (that I only really played Tetris on. My brother hogged it playing Super Mario Bros. and Metroid for hours.) and an N64. I played that for awhile. But only Star Wars games (Racer, especially).

I've tried a few of the Star Wars games since. Nothing really got my blood pressure up enough to say, "I really want that."

Until this morning...

The Force Unleashed

This game actually does that thing that most of us who were around for the first movies always wished we could do... actually use The Force.

Sweet!

Here are some trailers. Too cool.

Also, here. This link has some cool tech stuff behind why this game is soooo much cooler than anything else out(this week).

In other news: There are times in my numerous meetings on the major project that I'm heading up that I wish I could do this:

I find their lack of faith... disturbing.

Over and out.

Tempus fuggit

2007-07-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have no time right now. I shouldn't take the time to blog, but I'm doing it anyway.

Before my head twists off of my shoulders and launches into a low orbit.

I'm buried in projects. I'm annoyed with endless meetings that usually result in no real outcome. I sort of lost it with one group today. We've been "working" on a project for 18 months now. Today we decided to go with the recommendation that, according to my notes, was on the table 16 months ago.

What?!? All I did was bring up a few points and everyone else sort of fell into it. I think they were all thinking along the same lines as me.

But what do I have to show for those 18 months? As far as work goes, not a lot that I really, truly, deeply care about.

And that, dear friends, is what is causing my head to rumble on the launch pad.

In other news: Trying to find a time/tickets to go see the blessed Harry Potter movie is giving me hives. Shouldn't all of these kids be in school or something...?

I could use a Time-Turner.

Or lay off updating the blog...

Over and out.

Surface Computing

2007-07-12T11:29:00.000-05:00

I read an interesting article on the advent of "surface computing." I blogged about this a little bit last year. Looks like it's finally here, with the iPhone and "Milan."

Here's a video from Popular Mechanics.

What do you think? I'm excited by this, as it would revolutionize how I work in recording and publications. With multi-point interfacing, I could control more than two or so parameters at any given time.

Sweet!

In other news: I went for a run after my weight training yesterday. Later in the day I knocked down a couple of Tylenol. Little did I realize that the pills had expired... three years ago. Waking up with a cold-sweat fever is never fun.

Over and out.

Mr. 3000

2007-06-29T10:01:00.000-05:00

Photo by the Associated Press

Houston Astro's second baseman Craig Biggio recorded his 3,000th hit during their win last night. It was one day from 19 years after his first hit. Cool.

Waterloggeder

2007-06-28T09:26:00.001-05:00

The rain has been arriving in about three to six hour intervals for the past few days. Central and North Texas is in pretty bad shape and there appears to be no end in sight. A significant low pressure system (it looks like a weak hurricane) is socked in directly on top of our county, just spinning and raining. It hasn't moved in 96 hours. The upshot for us is that we're more or less in the "eye" of this system that is just killing the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with constant rain.

Just getting home is becoming an adventure.

This is the intersection nearest my office. You can see from the waves nearest my corner just how deep this water is getting. I nearly stalled out my jacked-up truck a couple of times. You can't see a lot of water in the middle of the street because this is a high point for a block or two. But man, they were shutting down roads just a few blocks down.

When I head to the house, I have two main entrances to our street. This is the faster-flowing option when rain like this occurs. The cop in the parked car got out, motioned to me that I could try it if I wanted to. I gunned it and tried. He laughed and made the sign of the cross as a joke. Smart guy. Made me laugh though. Any cop who can do their job like that is aces in my book.

Here I am, fording my way through the water. In my Ford. Naturally.

Sorry. That was a weak one. Also, apologies for the camera phone quality of the pics. I was trying to journal and drive at the same time. Yes, I was that guy...

In the meantime, more rain is headed our direction and the water is again rising outside of my office. I've also noticed animals walking by in pairs...

In other news: My work computer is out of commission today. It apparently spent a wild four-day weekend in Tijuana, because it is infected. I opened some old files from the previous person in my job. Apparently it was just lying in wait, because I'm on my third IT nerd and they can't seem to get all of the Trojans, root kits, spyware, adware etc out of it.

I just asked the nerd this: If someone's computer gets a virus while they look at a nudie Web site, could that technically be considered a 'sexually transmitted disease?'

He thought about it for about 10 seconds. "I don't think so. I think STD's only occur in the real world."

And thanks for that, Mr. Knowledge.

I'm going back to knock knock and fart jokes. There's no confusion there.

Over and out.

Waterlogged

2007-06-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

The unprecedented rainfall in our part of Texas continues. I had to move 150 15-pound boxes of books yesterday to avert potential disaster, should water creep into my office. The closest so far is about two feet from the door. More rain's on the way...

I don't really have much to blog on about. I have a million song ideas running around my head, bumping into each other and giving me a terrible headache. I need to do some recording soon or I'm going to wink right out of existence.

Anyway, waaaa waaa waaa. Here's some pictures of a Day in the Life of The Kid. As narrated by The Dad.
***

Here's our hero, about to make contact with The Poo. A good portion of The Kid's day is spent trying to get his little mitts on The Poo, particularly his tail. As you can imagine, this causes much consternation and hilarity around the house.

Much to our surprise, The Poo's taunting of The Kid has significantly aided in The Kid's mobility development. He'll chase after the feline, who let's be honest, is a real smartass of a cat. He'll let The Kid get just within reach and then dart off, jumping over a gate and mocking The Kid from the other side. They say that cats start to reflect their owner's personality.

Oh yeah?

I think the look of utter disappointment on The Kid's face fairly well sums up how he feels after the cowardly cat spins up and jumps away. Oh well. Some days you get the bear...

In other news: I'm still cataloging Web pages. I'm starting to believe that this is some sort of punishment.

Here's one more for the road. I love the composition of this shot. I'm fairly certain that it's about to become my desktop wallpaper.

I've entitled it "Tron", as the flooring pattern reminds me of the lightcycle game grid from the movie.

Someone seriously needs to remake that movie. You could do so much with it.

I'm actually getting excited about "Transformers." Which scares me a little, because I inevitably am disappointed with movies I'm excited about.

That was a terribly constructed sentence.

Oh look. It's raining. Again.

Over and out.

New look for summer

2007-06-22T13:51:00.000-05:00

Since this is my 101st post, I decided that it was time to spruce up the ol' blog.

My university uses purple, white and black as their colors. So I've blatantly ripped off their theme idea. What do you think? I'm not married to it. It's just a chance to try something different.

In other news: I'm bored, bored, bored. I'm in the middle of a substantial project to redesign two dozen Web sites. Right now I'm in the information gathering stage. Lots of boring cataloging of page elements, links and content. Snore.

Over and out.

It's Raining Down in Texas (100th Post)

2007-05-29T11:52:00.000-05:00

I spent part of the long Memorial Day weekend in Waco, participating in the wedding of a couple of former students. It was a real treat. Both of these students were among my favorites. Plus, I was able to see most of the boys from the fraternity I used to sponsor. It was good to see that they're all productive, contributing members of society. There was some question with a few of them for awhile...

In case you've missed the news, it's been raining in this region almost non-stop for more than a week now. Texas doesn't get much rain, but when we do, it almost certainly guarantees a flood. Such was the case this weekend.

It usually takes me a hair over an hour to get from our town to Waco. Straight shot down State Highway 6. About 40 miles into my trip home, I came to this sight:

I had just hydroplaned off the highway about a mile back. But I wasn't expecting a river where none usually exists. Apparently, in their infinite wisdom, the Powers That Be decided to route the highway through the valley. Add water and viola. Instant rapids.

The funny part (funny being a relative term) was that folks were just sitting there as if waiting for it to stop or someone to do something... me, I high-tailed it back the way I came. I've been around enough flash floods to know, if it's flooding like that over there, not much is stopping it from flooding over here.
Good thing I did too. Where I had hydroplaned a few minutes before was now two or three inches deep and rising.

I called the wife, back at home. She jumped online and tried to plot me a route around the flooding area, on higher ground. Here's a look at what I had to do to get around the affected area:

The blue line represents my initial course; the red, my detour. All told, a one-hour, 80-mile trip turned into a three-and-a-half hour, 155-mile trip. Yikes.

It was all to get home for this:

Just made it before bedtime. =)

In other news: This is my 100th blog entry. I'm going to go buy a cake to celebrate. I'd share it, but... it's cake.

One more for the road:

Over and out.

Music that I'm liking

2007-05-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I like some "corporate" music. While I grew up listening to alternative rock (before it was "cool" -- when pop metal like Poison and Winger ruled the airwaves)and always loved the independent ethos that went with it, I also love a well-produced, catchy-as-the-flu rock album. I've done enough low-budget recording and heard enough of it to respect well-produced music. If that makes me less "indie" in some people's opinion, then their opinion sucks rotten eggs.

That stated, here's some new rock/metal music I'm actually excited about:

Queens of the Stone Age -- Era Vulgaris -- I love this band. No, Josh Homme isn't a poster child for anything "good," but man, the boy can write a rock song. The title track was "leaked" on the Net. It isn't even on the album. That's cool.

Linkin Park -- Minutes to Midnight -- I really like this band. I really don't want to, which tells me how good they are. Plus, Mike Shinoda could produce a toilet flushing and I would be humming along. I kind of hate him for that.

Rush -- Snakes and Arrows -- Yeah, I'm a drummer and Neil Peart is a hero. These guys are simply cool in their own way. True, Geddy Lee's voice can get on your spine, but I've always liked 'em in spite of that. They're goofy, in their fifties and rock a concert like nothing I've ever seen.

Dream Theater -- Systematic Chaos -- Take equal parts Rush and Metallica with a little '70's era Genesis/King Crimson and you have these guys. And it works. As Mike Portnoy (amazing drummer, total Beavis in person) said, "this one had to have 'balls.'" That it does.

Nine Inch Nails -- Year Zero -- Trent Reznor has pulled together one of the most interesting dystopian fantasies I've enjoyed in years. Very dark, very creative, very allegorical. Another singer who is a lot scarier off the drugs.

Sevendust -- Alpha -- Riffs, riffs, riffs. Like a machine, with a paint-peeling blues voice at its soul. I thought they would be around for only a few years. We're past decade one and this album is probably their best yet.

Machine Head -- The Blackening -- These guys scare me. They're loud, fast, tight, heavy... All of their albums have been very good, but this one takes the cake, and then beats it flat with a ten-ton hammer.

Smashing Pumpkins -- Tarantula single -- If BIlly Corgan and Geddy Lee ever had a sing-off, it would foretell the end of the world. But the new song is cool. Corgan is a gifted songwriter, an interesting guitarist and the band features another one of my favorite drummers, Jimmy Chamberlain.

Metallica -- The New Song -- Rumors of shark-jumping aside, this work-in-progress (you can search it out on YouTube) has all the markings of a return to form. That's a very good thing. Plus, Lars goes silly on the double-bass and Kirk shreds.

And now, for the best thing I've heard in a long time:

Megadeth -- United Abominations -- What?? Megadeth?? Seriously?? Yeah, the new one is g-o-o-d. Good enough that it's probably better than whatever Metallica cranks out later this year. I feel like a turncoat stating that, but man, Dave Mustaine and the new line-up have put together something that sounds classic and vital at the same time. I owned a few Megadeth albums in the '90s -- Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings -- just because they were kind of okay. But I've never been "excited" by a new Megadeth album. This is different.

I've always kind of pitied Mustaine, being in one of the most successful metal bands of all-time, but always playing second banana to Metallica. His music has always been technically as good as Hetfields, but it lacked the melodramatic edge that his former band seems to ooze. This album might finally be where he turns into the underdog who comes out on top.

Also interesting -- Mustaine is now a born-again Christian and reportedly off the drugs that plagued him for years. That permeates through this album, from the lyrics to the cover art. It takes the late '80s/early '90s socio-political rantings and misguided rage and turns into into a focused fury. That's the kind of stuff I always loved about thrash when it was at its best. It radiates with apocalypic energy, impressive musicianship and... Mustaines voice is probably the best it has ever been.

In other news: Camera phones are addictive. I love the grainy goodness. I'll post some pictures later. Like you care.

Over and out.

Brought to you by the Number Two

2007-05-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

My son never ceases to amaze me. He's 8 months old now and developing one swell little personality. He has boundless energy. He loves to crawl all over me and his mom, loves to bounce off of stuff, has learned to sit and stand, scream at the top of his lungs and drink a bottle on his own.

Sadly, we're not yet at the point where he can do his own "business." For example, this morning, after screaming for about an hour overnight, his mom calls me into his room, "I need some help."

We all know that that means.

Apparently, the lil slugger had an extra couple of meals that we didn't know about. Maybe the cat is bringing him snacks overnight. But, man-oh-man, did he ever go. The poor diaper never stood a chance. Nor did his pajamas, the changing table, dad's shirt, mom's shirt... you get the picture.

Of course, he was just smiling at us the entire time we were disinfecting him. It's a good thing that God, in His infinite wisdom, made babies so cute. Otherwise, I'd feel compelled to just hose him down.

In other news: I get to read scripture this weekend in the wedding of some former students. They haven't told me what passage they want me to read. I told them that I'd be glad to read from Song of Solomon chapter 7.

Over and out.

Anal... I mean Annual Review

2007-05-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

I was subjected to my Annual Review yesterday. These things are really tedious. Working in the education environment is good for the contemplative side of my personality. Unfortunately, that side of my personality was beaten senseless by the impatient, impulsive side of my personality.

It was three hours long. I'm all for being thorough, but this was like a root canal via a colonoscopy.

All things considered, it went okay. I was seriously contemplating having to find other employment due to a number of things that just went south this semester. Not particularly my fault, but it is my responsibility. All I know is that there were a lot of people praying for me yesterday, and I tangibly sensed divine intervention.

Short and long of it: I'm still employed, at least for another year. But man, this job is a hot seat.

In other news: I think I'm going to attempt to actually run tonight. It's been more than two weeks. I still have a little ache in my foot, but no pain. Hopefully it will go well. I feel lethargic. Time to step it up.

In more other news: The Poo (our little devil of a cat) bit the holy crap out the wife last night. He hasn't done that in weeks to me, and I don't remember him having bitten her in months. He had water, he had food, but man, he wanted our attention around 4 a.m.

Long story short: Big fat spider (BIG, FAT...) under the boy's high chair this morning. It was still twitching, but mortally wounded. I just wish he could get a little better about indicating what is bothering him without going vampire cat on the back of our knees.

Over and out.

Well, I'll be a...

2007-05-07T12:52:00.000-05:00

So I took the final. I knew I had one question incorrect, but the prof gives partial credit. I left the building completely unsure of how I performed.

Basically, for reasons I can't get into right now, I really needed to get an "A" in this course. However, I did pooooorly on my last test. When the prof told us our averages going into this little inquisition, I discovered I needed a 43 of 50 to make it an "A." Otherwise, I needed 3 of 50 for a "B."

Yeah, yeah. I know I sound like a grade snob or something, but it reallllly matters. Anyway, the question I knew I had wrong was worth 6 points. Putting me very close to "B" territory.

Well, after much gnashing of teeth, I received an email from my prof: 49 of 50. w00t!!11!!

Now, to catch up on all of the deadlines I've missed while studying...

In other news: I still haven't run since injuring my foot. It feels relatively better, but I still get some achy pain along the outside. I think I might have to schedule a doctor's appointment to get it x-rayed ("z-rayed" for you Mitch Hedberg fans) before I run on it. For similar reasons as above, I need to run, but really don't want to go into "why" right now.

Over and out.

Smoke Break

2007-05-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm about an hour away from taking my final in Business Statistics. I've studied about as much as my little brain can handle... so, naturally, I'm fidgeting.

I spent a few minutes last night listening to demos of dozens of songs that I've recorded that are almost finished. I think what surprised me the most is how many years of my life were reflected and tied up in those little songs. What also surprised me was the range of styles that I've written in... most of it would fall under the most general category of "rock." But it ranges from electronic music to acoustic, metal to jazzy pop, dance to avant-garde.

I need to get it over and done. I've realized the past few days/weeks how much I've been missing doing this. With the son in the house, it's been interesting trying to rearrange schedules. Adding grad school at the same time wasn't a great idea. Not a bad idea, just not a great one.

I've been looking into different independent methods for selling songs/albums. One that intrigues me is SnoCap, which might provide an affordable channel for content delivery and rights management. My friend Brad Miles is using it and seems to be having some success.

I need to get some of the production music finished and sold as well. That looks like a lucrative little venture.

Seeing a trend?

And now a few words about my wife: beautiful, patient, caring, mothering, teaching, loving...

In other news: I either have a low sprain or a pinched nerve in my right foot. It hurts in ways I've never experienced. Last night though, a bone shifted in my foot. It felt like I had been stabbed by the sun, but it hurts a lot less today.

I'm hoping it will continue to improve. There's a "fun run" (yeah, it's an oxymoron) this weekend that I want to attend. We'll see.

Over and out.

Hours In A Day (Never Enough)

2007-04-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

I've never felt my life rushing past me as it has the past couple of weeks. I realized this morning that I haven't done anything more at the computer than check iTunes in about a month.

If you know me, you know that is about as common as fish walking.

I had intended to go running for each of the last three mornings. I've been waking 15 minutes earlier each morning, thinking that "hey, if the boy wakes up and is ready to eat, I'll still have time." Yet somehow, I'm arriving at work progressively later. Huh. Oh yeah, no running.

I did buy a lawnmower and weedeater yesterday. I felt very domestic. They were about the cheapest things that stuffmart had to offer. Nothing close to my trusty Briggs and Stratton from high school (that was a sweet machine -- nothing fancy, just rock solid, low maintenance and could cut through just about anything) but it will do for the little yard that we have.

I have to figure out how to reclaim some time in my days. I have a TON of music that I need to finish and send off to the label. It's sort of like sitting on money. Kind of silly not to get it done. Since we're down to one income, I feel like I need to grab some freelance/part-time/for hire work to add some bread to the bacon, as it were...

In other news: I've been following the antics of David Dewese and old friends James Dunning and Craig Hinkle from the Lost Immigrants as they tour the Far East (where I lived when I was a kid). I have to say, I'm more than a little envious that they're getting to do that. It's a tremendously cool place to visit. Alike enough to be familiar, different enough to be a lot of fun. I hope they're enjoying it.

Over and out.

Still running

2007-04-24T08:31:00.001-05:00

Most of the folks I talk to seem to think that I get my summers "off" because I work at a school (university). Haha.

Summer is the time where we actually get even busier around here. Lots of strategy meetings, hiring new staff members, developing training regimins. All sorts of not-quite-fun stuff to do. Plus housekeeping. We get so busy that stuff just kind of piles up in various corners until I have time to file it all.

But the nice thing is that we're less subject to random interruptions from students.

Instead, it's administrators. =/

In other news:

I ran 2.65 miles Sunday morning. I had meant to run 3, but I got "creative" with my route and changed the last mile -- unfortunately, I misjudged the distance and whopped off .35 miles. Der.

But I still kept a healthy 12 minute/mile pace. And, I'm somewhat sheepish to admit, that is farther than I have ever run in one stretch. So I suppose I shouldn't be too disappointed that I didn't hit my distance mark.

Yesterday, I ran for time on a mile and a half. I'm running at a 10 minute/mile pace there. Not quite where I need it to be, but very close. I think I would have nailed it had I been running on a flat stretch (there are two uphill climbs on this route -- nothing major, just long grades). From a training point of view, I think that it's better for me this way.

I might drive over to the high school track today or tomorrow and try a real timed run. Overall, I'm pleased. Two weeks ago, I couldn't comprehend running 2 miles, let alone 3. So, progress!

Over and out.

Fidgeting and running

2007-04-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

So I was fidgeting yesterday. It never let up...

But... I went running yesterday, after a fellow new runner posted that he had run 2.5 miles. I'm going toward 4 miles at 7 miles per hour -- that's my necessary goal. So I thought to myself, "Self, let's see if you can do that. Time to go for endurance."

Yesterday I ran. It was beautiful. Cool, light breeze, overcast. Then, when I was at the furthest point from my house, the sky opened up. That motivated me to keep the pace quick. For the last half-mile or so, I had to sprint. Why? Because of the rotating clouds over my head, sideways rain and 50 mile per hour wind gusts. Literally moved me from one side of the street to the other.

But the upshot: I ran 2.5 miles in exactly 30 minutes flat. That's a 12 minute mile average. Not too shabby for this big boy.

In other news: I speak to the group at lunch today. I won't lie, I'm nervous about this one, mainly because I feel the importance of it. Which is kind of silly when I really think about it -- it's sharing what's gone on in my life since I became a follower of Christ and his teaching. I suppose the nervousness comes from my holding so much emotion and importance in this. I just want to communicate clearly.

We'll see. If nothing else, it's a free lunch. =/

Over and out.

Fidgeting

2007-04-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

I can't sit still today.

Maybe it's because I didn't get to run this morning. The Boy was having a hard time breathing and thus, sleeping, last night. So I spent quite awhile comforting him and trying to help him get some rest. So when the alarm sounded at 5:45 a.m., I took careful stock of my mental and physical faculties and decided to do the only sane thing. Turn it off.

But I'm just fidgeting like crazy this morning. I can't concentrate, I can't sit still.

I really wish I had my guitar in the office. I haven't even taken the blasted thing out of its case since we moved almost two months ago. It's just been that crazy at work and when I finally get home, I need to spend time with The Boy. After that... I'm killed.

I know I'm whining, but man, I just.can't.sit.still.today.

In other news: My running times and endurance are getting much better. I did interval training yesterday, sustaining 7.5 miles per hour in two minute increments for about 15 minutes, then finished up with 4 and a half minutes. And I didn't die. Hooray. I'm waiting to see some significant weight loss once my body gets over the initial shock of running several miles a day. That should make the speed/endurance numbers really cook. I will own this.

The nice thing was that I hit my "minimum" time on Saturday, by two seconds. It was my birthday. Not a bad way to celebrate. Though if you had told me 10 years earlier that the highlight of my birthday would be hitting a running time, I probably would have gone and played in the traffic. How things change...

Over and out.

'Now Testify!'

2007-04-11T23:10:00.000-05:00

I was asked today by the local Baptist Student Ministries director to give my testimony next week during a special luncheon for our students. Check the calendar and... cool. I'm in.

I became a follower of Jesus Christ on April 3, 1996. This was some 15 years after I was baptized. Those readers familiar with protestant Christian ceremony know that the order there is bass-ackwards.

I'm a preacher's kid. I grew up in the church and with a different perspective that I think only other PK's can truly understand. I knew a lot of ceremony and lingo. I knew a lot about Jesus. I just didn't know Jesus.

Most of my friends in college were religion or philosophy majors. I played in a "Christian" band (that's another tangent that I'll save for a rainy day, if Maury doesn't feel like stepping into the breach with a likely more eloquent explanation as to why that was in quotes...). I even served in a church.

I realize now that I had pretty much everyone in my life fooled.

One evening in early April it finally dawned on me why I felt hollow. I had a good life. Good friends. Great job. Good school. Pretty much all I needed at that point in my life. But there was an undercurrent of sadness that I couldn't explain. Not depression. Just a longing that nothing in my little world would satisfy.

I'm trying hard not to use "church-y" words to describe these emotions. We overuse many words and the lose their edge. I was hollow and stupid. Then I realized that I had never truly engaged in a relationship with God through Jesus. If that doesn't make sense, see this. I'm not necessarily endorsing the site, just the scripture references.

I prayed with a good friend and accepted Jesus -- I don't know how to explain that I finally felt joy in my life. I felt -- feel -- peace. There's nothing like it. The things that happen in "life" don't carry the same hopeless weight that they do for my non-Christian friends. It's just stuff. I'm not numb, I just get that God is still in control -- and gives me the strength to be in control of my responses.

Am I perfect? Good grief no. I still have "bad days." I still make stupid mistakes. But when I'm seeking God's will, that stuff seems to fade away.

The skeptic/objective part of my personality tries to explain this stuff away. It just doesn't work.

Anyway, when I told my family and friends, they were basically stunned. I seem to have had everyone around me fooled. No one truly knows your heart. But to their credit, all were supportive, including my parents.

But until today, I've never been asked to give my "testimony" to a group of people. I've shared with one or two people before, but not a group. This is a privlege for me -- I can't think of anything more important that I can get in front of a group of people and tell them.

In other news: God has blessed my family this week in three major ways. The boy gets to stay home with the wife, who gets to stay home with the boy. Tax return pays off one of our vehicles (so we don't have to go to one car). Answers to prayer. They do happen. Sometimes not the way we imagine. Sometimes the answers are better.

Over and out.

Burn baby burn

2007-04-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

I'm getting faster.

On Saturday, I went to the gym (it was SNOWING IN FREAKING APRIL...) and ran intervals on the new treadmills. Fast walk for two minutes, flat-out run for a minute, etc., until I hit 1.5 miles.

I was killed.

Did the same thing this morning. Only I walked faster, ran faster and ran for two minute intervals instead of one. I shaved 5 minutes off the time from Saturday.

My goal now is to get to where I can run 4 miles at 7 miles per hour. For me, that's cookin' it.

But it actually seems within reach. Cool.

In other news: My boy is with his grandparents. Our childcare situation fell apart on us, so we're looking at some severe cuttin' back. That's okay. He's totally worth all of it.

I just miss him like crazy. I was okay this morning until I looked at a picture of him, sitting up and laughing like the little madman he is. I actually welled up.

May you all have children this cool.

Over and out.

Thankee Kindly

2007-04-05T16:19:00.000-05:00

From the folks at www.trekmovie.com

Stephen King Trusts JJ Abrams To Make Dark Tower

February 28, 2007
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Abrams , 9 comments

The first news that JJ Abrams would be working with Stephen King on an adaptation of The Dark Tower series set off a series of ‘he wont direct Star Trek XI’ rumors. Now that all that unpleasantness is behind us there still is news related to Abrams and The Dark Tower. At a panel discussion last weekend Stephen King himself confirmed he had optioned the book to JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof for $19! Apparently King really likes Abrams and Lindelof’s work on Lost and according to a report at AICN, King says that he ‘trusted’ the pair to make his film work on the big screen. Things are still very preliminary and it is clear that there isn’t even a script yet so this looks to be a project for the Trek XI producers to tackle after they bring Trek back to the big screen. AICN’s Quint also has a new interview with King where he talks about the project.

Good grief. That makes me happy and a little concerned at the same time. But the Dark Tower fan in me loves the "$19 option."

In other news: Running is going well. The first half mile of my run yesterday was spot-on the target time.

The second half? Eh. After a painful stitch, it was a lovely loping jog/walk. But it's still progress and I was still out there. Hopefully today will go better. Off days are for distance, not time (praise be...).

Over and out.

Noise

2007-04-03T08:45:00.000-05:00

As you can see from the picture yesterday, there is heavy construction occuring right outside of my window. No kidding, there is a sizable diesel engine humming away so close that my teeth are vibrating. Its like someone dropped a quarter into the building...

In other news: I shaved a full minute and a half on my run yesterday (1.5 miles). It was still a lumbering 18:30, but it's still statistically significant progress. My goal is to get down to about 9:15-9:30. That's a ways off, but after such a leap yesterday, it doesn't feel impossible.

Over and out.

Screwed!

2007-04-02T13:36:00.000-05:00

You saw last Monday's scene out of my office window. Today, I was greeted with this, no fewer than four short feet from the window.

Screwed!

The school is building a new facility next to my building. So, they're basically digging to drive pylons down for support.

Regardless, I think it's another hint. And they're getting less subtle.

In other news: I'm running like a fiend right now. Well, for the last two days... but my intention is to run at least a mile every day for the month of April. Only 28 days to go...

Over and out.

Subtle hint?

2007-03-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

When we arrived at work on Monday, we discovered this scene outside the office windows.

Subtle Hint

A wrecking ball. Think someone is trying to tell me something?

In other news: Life gets stranger here by the hour. Anyone need a good publications guy? Whose wife sells advertising? Anybody? Anybody?

Over and out.

All The Time

2007-03-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

... God is good...

I had a hell of a day yesterday. The wife has too. Lots of life-upending stuff going on with all of our family.

I was trying to decide between a temper tantrum and a pity party yesterday when we heard the doorbell ring. It was our deacon. A nice guy I don't know very well (though I know his spouse from college). He's kind of shy, but very cool.

He said that he was just stopping by to see how we were doing and ask if there was anything he could pray for us about.

What? That rules. "Yes, as a matter of fact..."

Fast forward: I'm about to go into the lion's den. Again. I'm still kicking, but tired of being kicked.

In other news: Ryan has slept through the last two nights. Wow. I kind of feel human again. It took my wife letting him cry out Sunday night -- that was killing us both, but she was the stronger. Or the more tired. Either way, he's sleeping!!!

Battlestar Shark Has Jumped Away

2007-03-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

Battlestar Galactica has officially jumped the shark.

2008? 2008? Are you kidding me? Spoiler or not if you haven't yet seen it, this episode was a black hole -- sucking all into it.

So we now know 4 of the final 5. Big whoop.

So Kara "Starbuck" Thrace isn't dead. Why am I not surprised? Why am I a little disappointed?

Baltar isn't guilty and won't be pushed out an airlock. No shock.

My wife pointed out the best part. The "large Cylon fleet"? You never actually see it.

The use of a Jimi Hendrix song as a plot catalyst by a mythical gang of civilization's remainders? Stoopid.

Ending the season early and then waiting until 2008?

That, my friends, was the nail in the coffin of the biggest disappointment of my week. Yay.

In other news: Tomorrow might prove to be a watershed moment in my life as far as my employment is concerned. Two close friends recently (separately) told me that the reason I have so much trouble is that I am a person who brings accountability -- whether others want it or not. Nothing that I actively seek to do. I just do my job to the highest ethical level I can muster and that light is sometimes unwelcome by those already comfortable in their shadows.

Tomorrow will be a bright, bright, sunshiny day.

Let's see what happens.

Over and out.

Thoughts on TeeVee

2007-03-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

So as not to waste your valuable time, I'll be forthright: this post is just a bunch of rambling about television. If your Blogger time is best served elsewhere, my feelings won't be hurt in the least.
***

First up, Battlestar Galactica. Up until about a month ago, this was my all-time favorite TV program.* It had the right mix of action, suspense, plot twists etc. But lately we've wandered into a morass of... soap opera writing and overwrought writing. Sacrificing the Pegasus battlestar was a stellar (haha) idea, but killing off Katee Sackhoff and Lucy Lawless's characters? C'mon. Part of the appeal of any television series is learning about the characters.

Perhaps my better half is right -- we'll see both again, as she remembers a comment that Lawless made to Sackhoff in an older episode that was repeated when Lawless "died" and saw the Final Five.

But to be completely honest, I'm not sure I give a care anymore. Our viewing was interrupted Sunday night about halfway through by a weird scheduling conflict on our DVR (yeah, apparantly we were pwn3d by the DVR...). I'll watch the other half tonight when it re-airs. But I'm not that excited. It's more just to "check off" one more thing on my to-do list.

* Okay, my all-time favorite franchise is still Star Trek, but I'm looking at BG as a stand-alone program.

***

Star Trek: Voyager.

This series is kind of the stepchild -- it probably had the best effects, writing, character development and storyline. It lasted as long as NextGen, but it's sort of been forgotten.

Fortunately, Spike (sorry, the link was NSFW today... so... you go find it!) has been airing two episodes four days a week. We've been recording them and watching them again. I didn't realize how many I hadn't seen.

Enterprise is the other stepchild. It wasn't nearly as well written as Voyager, but it had a few cool episodes.

***

Mythbusters is one of the most consistently good programs on TV today. It's entertaining, informative (if not inspirational, in an imp-ish way) and contantly upping the bar for explosions.

It reminds me a lot of some stuff that I did in college with friends. I won't link to one site in particular to keep Maury anonymous. Oops. But I will recount a very cool experiment that included a tennis ball and about 200 match heads. Eh. You've probably figured it out already...

***

LOST.

Simply; it refers to what JJ Abrams did with the plot. He's writing and directing the new Star Trek movie (simply entitled "Star Trek"). I have to admit, the first thought that ran through my head was, "Well, that should finally put a bullet in it..."

***

That brings me to my current hope for network television: Heroes. This is what good TV should be; good plot development, a few twists, cool effects, relatable characters. It reminds me of the first few seasons of The X-Files. Before it jumped (no, TOOK A FLYING LEAP OVER) the proverbial shark.

***

The other show that I enjoy on a fairly consistent basis is The Unit. I just have a feeling that this show is heading into the wake of the same shark-infested waters as Battlestar. We'll see. In the meantime, it's cool.

***

In other news: I'm trying to get a bunch of music I've written picked up by a production company for placement in tv shows, commercials, radio, video games etc. It's not the most glamorous route for a musician, but it does pay well, particularly if a song gets picked up on a "winner" of a show/game.

The only hard part is navigating all of the legal bullmess. You can lose everything in this business if you aren't on top of it. So... I'm off to decipher BMI's legal paperwork for royalty payouts. Sort of assumptive of me, isn't it? I'm assuming I'll GET any royalties!

Drop a line, eh? This blog is getting kind of lonely.

Over and out.

Fantastic Implosion

2007-03-05T14:14:00.000-06:00

... of a plot, that is. SPOILER ALERT...

Okay, I'm very nearly through with Battlestar Galactica. Starbuck's ship implodes? Why did this mean less to me than it should have?

Because the plot's been lost. Where are the Cylons? Where is the "battle" in my Battlestar? I'm just wondering if Maury's thought isn't accurate: we may be witnessing the time trials for an Olympic-level shark jumping.

Eh. Just a scant few weeks ago I was singing the praises of this little show. Times change quickly.

For what it's worth though, I'll echo Maury again: Same deal with 24 and Lost. I've ceased even trying with either one. The only thing I enjoy watching right now is Heroes. And that show balances very delicately on the precipice of shark-infested waters.

***

Life at work is still chaotic. I'm running into every MAJOR issue that an adviser can have, all conveniently wrapped up in one short semester. There's a dissertation in here somewhere...

***

My son is about the coolest thing I've ever encountered. He had to stay home with Mom today, since our usual sitter bailed on us at 9:30 p.m. LAST NIGHT... (calming, calming, calming... calming). He lit up when he saw me walk through the door and didn't want to be anywhere I wasn't. I felt like a rock star. He's my little "papa-razzi."

Sorry. That made me giggle a little.

***

I was asked, as I was in a dream a few days earlier, to start playing drums more often at my church.

I refrained from a loud, "hell, yeah!", as I thought it might be inappropriate. But I am excited to do so. And a little creeped out that it was exactly like the dream. (Cue the theme from "The Twilight Zone.")

***

In other news: My family is starting to wear out. Lots of illness, cancer, surgeries, inherited brain damage. It's really just the passage of time, but I just woke up and noticed that my parents are getting old. My dad is within 2 years of his dad's age when he died... even though my dad takes reasonable care of himself (aside from an afinity for DairyQueen "Hungerbuster's" and chocolate shakes) time is creeping up on him.

What just happened to the last 10 years?

Over and out.

Months and Days

2007-02-23T09:05:00.000-06:00

February is the Tuesday of months.

There isn't much to look forward to... the "new year" optimism has faded, the weather is still schizophrenic, it's not quite spring. Just blah.

Thank goodness it's almost over. Not that I would wish my life away. I'd just wish it to be a little warmer. =)

In other news: Murphy's Law seems to be kicking in right about now. We're making a cross-town move this weekend and NO ONE is around to help. Naturally.

At least I've tracked down a pickup truck that we can borrow to haul our church's trailer with our stuff in it. That's the nice thing -- no messing with renting a UHaul or some other truck with no steering and bad alignment.

I had to drive to my parent's house (about an hour away) with the boy last night. He was in good spirits for most of the trip. The hour home was lonely. I sort of knew that would happen.

=)

Over and out.

Noisier

2007-02-18T22:37:00.000-06:00

Life at work just got more stupider.

I'm seriously wondering what the smack is going on with people. But everything around me/us is just slightly hostile.

My solution? Bucketloads of Paxil in the water source. Or Viagra. Whatever gets everyone to re-freaking-lax. (Insert laxative joke here.)

I have to run. =/

In other news: Battlestar Galactica has had too many weak episodes in row now. I'm getting a little fed up with the sidebars about whiney, neurotic people and thinly-veiled socio/political commentary. I watched the intro tonight and caught myself thinking, "hey, when's the last time we saw a Cyclon raider?" Or any other Cylon besides Athena and Caprica Six?

I think the briefing room scene said it best, "49 days without a contact." Snore. This makes the first season of Enterprise look exciting.

Over and out.

Quiet

2007-02-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

My pastor recently reminded us that "during the test, the teacher is usually silent."

Sort of a "one set of footprints..." kind of statement, but it's been giving me some hope today.

Because it has been quiet.

Very quiet.

In other news: I love my wife. She's been my faithful companion through more crap than I care to recount in these photoactive pixels. I don't remember to tell her that I love her often enough. So, wife, when you read this, I love you. You still leave me befuddled most of the time, but that's just part of the mystery of romance, isn't it?

Anyone disappointed with the 02/11 episode of Battlestar Galactica last night? I think I could have skipped that episode and been none-the-lessened for it.

Over and out.

Why am I at work at this hour?

2007-01-31T22:38:00.000-06:00

As the man once said, "Some days you feel like a nut. Some days you don't."
***

It was 26 measley degrees this morning as I drove to the gym for my (sadly infrequent) morning workout. I had on shorts, a t-shirt, shoes etc. Not exactly dressed for the elements, other than a jacket.

The truck was nice and warm by the time I pulled into the parking lot. I had to park way out in Egypt because a bunch of folks have yet to give up on their New Years resolutions.

I hopped (yeah, right) out of my truck, shed my jacket... and was suddenly doused with freezing water. Like the players do to the coach after he wins the game. I looked around and realized that it was rain. No, sleet. No, a truckload of ice from Sonic. No buildup of a few drops of precipitation, just a giant bucketful of wet misery, all at once.

Then a 30-mile-an-hour wind followed. The windchill factor was an answer to scientist's dreams, as the theoretical concept of absolute zero was my unhappy experince.

It took 10 minutes of stretching just to get limber enough to walk on the treadmill.
***

It's been busy. The workplace has been in the international media for the past two weeks, for less than desirable reasons. That's all I'm going into here. You can figure it out with some amateur sleuthing around on the blog.

But it has been nerve-wracking. The nature of my job means I have to make certain ethical decisions on the fly. And they can have significant consequences.

If it were easy, they wouldn't call it work, I suppose.
***

My son is the coolest thing ever.
***

My extended family needs prayer. People are breaking down, falling apart and wearing out.
***

In other news: I'm been wasting my spare five minutes surfing around for free legal downloads of new music, mainly bands/musicians signed to some kind of reputable (hahahaha) music label. I stumbled across a band called DragonForce who hail (more or less) from London. The music is like Dream Theater, but faster. So, lots of silly long hair, double-bass drums and harmony shredding. I tried not to like it, but I've been humming the choruses to the songs I downloaded all day. Over the top? Yes. That's what makes it fun.

Oh, yeah. Battlestar Galactica rules.

Over and out.

Avoidance Behavior

2007-01-22T13:55:00.000-06:00

I've been reading a lot about dyscalculia and gaining a better understanding about how I process information and learn. So far, the results have been encouraging. I've taken the approach with my Statistics class of memorizing the formulas as words instead of mathematical symbols. I then "translate" them into the proper order. I've had better success in memorization than when I've tried to memorize the formulas.

It still leaves me with a weird feeling, knowing that I have this difficulty. I'm seeing now how this affected my learning in music -- how I could memorize certain types of complex pieces but be stupified by simple sight reading, so matter how much I would practice. So, I guess I'm applying new strategies.

I don't want to dwell on the past, but I find myself wondering where/who/what I would be had I known this sooner. Oh well, all I can do is work toward the future.
***

We had four and half inches of snow at our house last week. I've never seen that much snow south of the panhandle before. It was the "real deal" snow -- packed powder, not the Sno-Cone slush that this part of the state usually gets.

I took this picture of icicles hanging off the back shed the day before the snow.

The long icicle on the right finally reached a length of four and half FEET before I knocked it off. I was concerned that the neighborhood urchins who play around our house might get hit in the head. I had a small one clobber me -- I thought someone was trying to break a bottle over my head.
***

In other news:

Battlestar Galactica is back after the mid-season break. Man, have I ever missed this show. I'm sort of miffed that they moved it from Friday to Sunday night, but... whatever. It still rules.

Over and out.

Icy Sunday

2007-01-14T13:59:00.000-06:00

It's 30 degrees (Farenheit) and falling. My feet are cold.

We live in a quait (read: really old) frame house on a pier-and-beam foundation. Which means that it rules during the 10 months of the year that the temperatures are above 80 degrees in Texas. But this week? It is C O L D.
***

My second submission to the Celldweller remix contest wasn't accepted. I have to say that I am more than a little disappointed. I thought that it was far and away the best remix I have ever done, in 10+ years of mixing and remixing. Oh well. The first one is still in contention. Perhaps I was too close to the latest one and it's actually a stinker.

Nah.
***

I'm amazed to watch my boy grow a little every day. He's laughing a lot now and it warms my heart like nothing I've ever experienced. Sure, he can be frustrating. He's an infant, after all. But, all in all, wow.
***

In other news: I'm taking a class in Business Statistics. I was, frankly, scared to death of this class. Me and the numbers haven't been getting along since about third grade. I discovered awhile back that I had a mild case of dyslexia. However, I've always loved reading and writing. I still read way faster than most people. I've just learned to "run with a limp." But not so with numbers. It's always made me feel kind of stupid when I would see what I did on tests and wonder, "where did that come from?"

More reading and testing revealed that I have dyscalculia, the numerical equivalent to dyslexia. It has dogged me in everything I've done since... about third grade. Simple brainless calculations suddenly have answers from out of nowhere -- 2+2=55. That actually happened on a budget. When it does happen, it is the most infuriating feeling I experience. At least now I know there is a reason and some strategies for compensating. But all of the things that fascinated me -- music, programming, graphics, layout, business planning, budgeting, investing, electronics, engineering, architecture -- also left me flummoxed from time-to-time.

Last semester, I pulled an 'A' in Financial Accounting. Probably the hardest I've ever worked in a class, because I refuse to let this hold me back any longer. But I had heard from my students that Statistics was substantially harder.

I'm pleased that I have an excellent prof who is taking the scary edge off of this class. He was quick to point out that this is a business statistics course, not a mathematics statistics course. Very different difficulty level. My class is all about application -- not numerical abstractions.

It's surprisingly interesting. Hope springs eternal. I'm off to find another warm pair of socks.

Over and out.

And so it begins...

2007-01-08T09:43:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all I haven't already spoken to.
***

I'm finally back to work. I haven't missed it all that much. It has, however, missed me. A lottle.
***

I don't have a lot to share today. I just request prayer as my family tries to sort out the direction God has for us. There's a lot going on in our lives, and not much of it makes us happy. Except for our little boy. That little dude makes me smile.
***

In other news: I posted another remix on remix.celldweller.com. Go to "browse submissions" and look for my name. Here's hoping it leads to some more work. I would much rather be creating music for TV and movies than anything else I can think of.

Over and out.

Winter Wonderland

2006-12-27T19:44:00.000-06:00

The "wonder" comes from wondering when winter will arrive. It's a few days before the new year and it's 57 degrees at 7:46 p.m. (central standard time). Didn't winter officially begin back on the 22nd?
***

Anywho, Christmas with my family was good. They had the chance to fawn over the infant. In the meantime, I slept. I'd like to say it helped. I'd like to. Really. I would.
***

I got some clothes, a CD/DVD (U2), a watch and some other cool stuff. No drum set though. I have to say I'm a tad disappointed, but not surprised.
***

I haven't been going to the gym regularly since Thanksgiving. I know I'm fine, but I feel like the World's Fattest Man. I'm actually looking forward to running on a more regular basis.
***

I had spaghetti for dinner. With chicken. Yum.
***

I've been playing with my office's Canon Rebel XT (not XTi, as I erroneously posted awhile back. Thanks Phillip.) Here's a photo I took under natural light last night.

The Pensive Poo Ponders

***

In other news: Hopefully, I won't come off as an ass for this thought. First, James Brown. Second, President Gerald Ford. Who will the third "famous death" be?

Personally, I'm pulling for Saddam Hussein.

Over and out.

Altered States

2006-12-14T09:16:00.000-06:00

The past three months have gone by so quickly -- the boy is getting huge (we'll weigh in this morning at the doctor's office -- shot time...) and I'm betting he's crested 17 pounds. He's beginning to really interact with us with the sounds he makes. Fascinating to watch him learning. As my dad said last weekend, "His learning curve is straight up." It just makes me happy to watch him "get it" when we're talking to him and playing.
***
Getting up in the middle of the night is taking its toll, however. I'm trying to stay positive and use that quiet time for prayer and just appreciating the amazing son we've been given. He and I also "talk" a lot during the ride to and from the sitter's house. He likes it when I sing to him on the trip. Fortunately, he has little against which to judge my voice! But when he grabs ahold of my finger (not yet big enough for the entire hand) and grips tight -- man, that's what being a dad is all about. That look of absolute trust.
***
This weekend is our school's winter commencement (graduation for the non-higher-education types...). It's also an experiment for my department -- taking portrait photos for the school's annual. I ordered all of the necessary equipment. Now it's time to see if we can pull off the organization and technical needs to complete the task professionally. If it works well, my department could realize a cost savings of about 10 grand over three years. That's significant enough to give it the ol' college try...
***
I haven't been doing much in the way of recording -- or even playing, for that matter. I miss it. When I get to the end of the day and I haven't escaped a little into guitar or working on some mix or another -- it feels a little incomplete.
***
I'm looking forward to watching Battlestar Galactica tomorrow night. That's sort of become the highlight of my entertainment week.
***
Does it feel much too early for Christmas this year to anyone else..?
***

In other news:

I have to leave to pick up the boy in a few minutes. He's getting his first round of shots a month late. He was significantly ill the last time it was due. I'm ready for him to get it. I would hate that he come down with some managable childhood illness just because he didn't get immunized.

On the other hand, he's gonna scream...

Over and out.

Emergence

2006-12-11T15:57:00.000-06:00

The semester is nearly complete. One commencement-associated project, a final exam and wham!... it's Christmas.

The fall semester is an interesting animal in higher education. Typically, we don't take a break from about Labor Day in early September until Thanksgiving in late November. That's a long haul in education (insert your own snide comments here, but we usually average 55 hours a week during the fall semester). So, anyway, I'm glad it is nearing an end.
***
My boy is getting bigger by the minute. He tried some cereal for the first time last night. It stayed down. I never imagined that something so seemingly insignificant would make my day.
***
I'd like to play my guitar soon. It's been a few stolen minutes here and there since the bundle was dropped at our door. The boy didn't react to well to my scooped-out, supersaturated, rectified settings.

Frankly, he screamed bloody murder. We'll try the acoustic later. I'm still proud that the first time Mom felt him kick was while I was playing drums.

Niiice.
***
I really need to watch Sith sometime soon.
***
Battlestar Galactica rules. That is all.
***

In other news:

I went to a new chiropractor last week. She's right out of school, but seems to know her stuff. She correctly diagnosed (and began treatment of) a problem I've fought with for... sheesh, seven, almost eight years now. And it feels better than it has in years. Not fixed, but getting better.

Relief, finally.

Over and out.

Colder than a ...

2006-12-05T16:07:00.000-06:00

... insert your favorite expression regarding how cold it is. Oddly enough, our building's air conditioning is on. Rest easy, Citizens of Texas. We're taking good care of your tax dollars. Sheesh.
***
My final Accounting class is tonight. I hope I can stay awake through the entire thing. Our instructor has been great, but my brain seems to be allergic to accounting. I try and try, but this stuff just seems to ricoch-... ricko-... ricosh-... freaking bounce off of my head. The concepts I get. The math does me in. It gives me pause when considering the next three years of my degree. Perhaps I'm not in the best possible major for my gifts (or lack of...).
***
Did you hear about the Columbia journalism students who were caught cheating on their final? In ethics?
***
The opening battle scene in "Star Wars Episod III: Revenge of the Sith" might just be the flat coolest couple of minutes ever committed to the big screen. The detail gives me vertigo.
***
I need to create a music publishing name and work with one of the artist rights groups (probably BMI) muy pronto. Something I should have done years ago. Any suggestions from the crowd? Pits to avoid?
***
I realized this week that I need to use some of my vacation days soon. Since when did having to use vacation days give me stress? Yikes.
***
A nice juicy sirloin, cooked medium-rare-to-medium sounds danged good right now.

So, chicken nuggets it is for dinner, I'spose.
***
Why is it only Tuesday? This really feels like a late Thursday evening or Friday afternoon to me. That would rule, as there would be Battlestar to watch.

Sigh. Guess I'll watch the opening sequence of Sith again. :)

***

In other news: I found several free mp3s of a band I've been searching for over the last eight years or so. Full on the Mouth is a brainchild of Grant Mohrman, one of my all-time fave producers (the first Filter CD, Republica, Leaderdogs for the Blind, Celldweller, Styles of Beyond, just to name a few...) and featured songwriting by Lyndon Perry, the brain behind Leaderdogs. They recorded, toured, rocked out and dropped off. The CD still makes the rounds on Amazon every once in awhile, but I've wanted to "find" one at a used store or something. Getting it off the Big A just felt like cheating somehow.

But finding a random MySpace fan site with freebees? Good for now. :)

Over and out.

Random Wednesday

2006-11-29T19:33:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the dearth of posts lately; it's been busy. So, to task...
***
We celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with my folks. That was pretty darned okay.
***
My major project I've been hinting around came to fruition today with a vote by our school's students. More than 900 students joined a group in support of the vote -- only 390 students voted. 150 voted against. I'm... underwhelmed.

But I am relieved that it all passed. So I still have my job and department. Whew.
***
The temperature just dropped 40 degrees. Finally. Winter-time weather (late autumn, technically, but I consider anything after Thanksgiving as "winter."). The only problem is that most of the local stump-dumbs think that water (frozen or not) on the road requires that they accelerate. It makes one consider the thought that Darwin might have been on to something...
***
I've been working on remixes for a contest sponsored by the producer Klayton Scott under his Celldweller moniker (he's also gone by Scott Albert, Brainchild, Circle of Dust and a few others). His name might be unfamiliar, but I can guarantee that you've heard at least a snippet of his music in numerous movie trailers. Anyway, he's sponsoring a four-round remix contest and I'm participating. You can hear my handiwork at www.remix.celldweller.com, click the "listen to submissions" tab after entering the site and find anything with "jimr75" on it. Voila. It's not my usual style, but this is where the song went...

I love doing this stuff. If I could do nothing else, this is what I would be doing. I'm working (as time permits, which isn't often) on new music catering to placement in television/movie spots. Glamorous? No. Lucrative? A little. Keeps me (relatively) sane? Without a doubt.
***
Mi esposa came across the band Decyfer Down on iTunes. I dumped it onto a mix CD. These guys are good. If you like rock with a metal edge, give it a shot.
***
How about you? Heard any good music lately? Please share.
***
I've missed a lot of my college friends lately. I keep up with a few of them here, but it's not the same. But we've all moved on to careers, families, children, new places. But I've missed them all the same.
***
I've missed playing drums a lottle. I played in church two weeks ago, and the technique came rushing back (no implication about my timekeeping there). Friends at church who know music came up to me afterwards, commenting on how fluid my playing was during the service. I don't know what's changed. It was just on. It reminded me of how much I LOVE playing the drums. I'd just put it on the backburner. I hope I can find a way to play more often. I feel like I've rediscovered a large portion of my personality with that performance. Joy.
***
I haven't posted any pictures of Ryan since I've been posting from work. There's some sort of filter that won't work with Blogger's upload feature. Check on the wife's for current stuff.
***
On that note, I had the opportunity to use my department's new Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I recommend this SLR body if you're in the market to replace a film SLR body. The model I used was the 8 megapixel model (last year's model). Easy to operate, outstanding shots in all settings. Even out-of-the-box photos are crystal-clear, detailed in the shadows and well-balanced.
***
I stayed home with the boy today, as he was sick. We took him to the pediatrician. He recommended that we take Ryan off of the formula for 12 hours and replace his fluids with Pedialite, an electrolyte replacement drink. It's similar to Gatorade, just in a form his little tummy can handle.

Mom brought the stuff back. It was orange. It was Day-Glo Nuclear Orange when he burped it up an hour later. I've never been so amazed and disgusted at the same time.

Well, there was this one incident in college with a friend, a unisex restroom and a coffee shop. But that's another story...
***

In other news:

Sleep deprivation is beginning to get to me. No bueno.

Over and out.

Divine Discontent

2006-11-18T21:50:00.000-06:00

I don't know exactly what is going on, but I know that God is trying to get through to me. He's plucking the most tuneful strings of my soul today.

A lot of people I care about are going through tragic circumstances this week -- my best friend's mother died (not a surprise, but a loss, none-the-less), my mentor in college lost his mother, and a friend from church lost a child to miscarriage. All-in-all, it makes my whining/blogging feel reeeeeealllly insignificant. Yet, here I am, needing to vent my spleen a little.

I'm in need of a vacation. The past three months have been jam-packed and increasingly difficult to juggle. Some of it will be coming to a head this week. At the same time, it will be something of a break in the semester for me, finally. So I have mixed feelings going into this week.

I'm still having a hard time with taking Ryan to stay at our pastor's house. I love that I know he's a warm, Christ-centered home. I just hate having to leave him there. I hate that my wife has to work at a place that is about as neurotic as a roomful of washed-up clowns.

I can't shake the feeling that I've royally goofed in the subtlest of ways. Thoreau said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desparation." For the first time in my life, I'm feeling the cold depths of that statement. On one hand, I'm happier than ever, since the arrival of Ryan into our lives. On the other, the creative side of my personality is suffocating under the weight of work, school and the day-to-day stuff that consumes the hours.

I always thought I would be a professional musician of some sort. A large part of my waking thoughts still center on music. So what am I doing about it?

Not much, but a lot. I have three albums worth of material in various stages of completion. I just can't seem to sit down and get it done. Maybe I should be in that room with those clowns...

In other news: My back has been out for the better part of the week. It has reduced the strength in my right arm by about half. It scares me a little when I pick up Ryan. Fortunately, I've been doing a lot of heavy weightlifting the past few weeks. It seems to be compensating.

The chiropractor told me Thursday morning that he was surprised that I hadn't gone to the hospital, based on how he diagnosed a pinched nerve. Maybe my tolerance for pain has increased a little.

Maybe I'd feel like a wimp after seeing my wife give birth without drugs. =)

Over and out.

Non-adjective Wednesday

2006-11-08T19:29:00.000-06:00

Man, I'm beat like a snare drum in a room full of 12-year-olds.
***

My boy is getting bigger by the minute. He started with child care this week... that's been very hard for me. I really want it so that the wife can stay home with the boy. But the finances aren't working out so much. That really takes the wind out of my sails. I make a good salary. But we've amassed too much debt right now. Nothing extravagant. A lot was from moving expenses, one income, blah blah blah. The end result is the same.

Don't get me wrong. We've been diligent about shedding our monetary weight. But it just hasn't been enough yet. So now I'm contemplating part-time work on the weekend and a few nights. But that doesn't work so well, because I'm already away one night (class) and another (tonight, for work). Being home with the fam is muy importante in my book
***

I'm working on four remixes right now. The deadline is looming. I have excellent starts for all four. I just don't know how I'm going to get the time to finish any/all of them.
***

Ever lead a group of people with all your vigor and vitality and realize that whatever they're cranking out at this moment is the best they're going to do? Even when you know they have tons more to give?

Yeah. That moment is right now.
***

I had a hot dog at our church a little while ago. It was a good exercise in reminding me why I typically don't eat hot dogs at church functions.

TUUUUUM-TA-TUM-TUMS...
***

In other news: The elections were underwhelming. I really expected better turn-out in Texas. Nationally, I'm intrigued. The Democrats that eeked out narrow-margin wins are typically not dyed-in-the-wool liberals. They just aren't "party" enough to be Republicans. I think it says two things: 1) Liberalism is not welcome in most of America and 2) the Republican party must be accountable for its actions. Hence Donald Rumsfeld's long-overdue departure.

I'm glad that in Texas, Chris Bell didn't win. But I'm sort of disappointed that we're stuck with Slick Rick Perry for another term. That dude is slicker than snot on a doorknob. And about as smart.

Over and out.

Slapdash Thursday

2006-11-02T10:10:00.000-06:00

Man. I'm beat like a couple of eggs at a fat man's breakfast.
***
The lovely view from my office window is now obscured by chain-link fence. A new building is about to go up next to mine, so we have to keep all of the bricks and lumber from sprouting legs and running around, all willy-nilly. But it makes me feel like I work in a stalag.

A construction site sure does appeal to the scofflaw in me though...
***
Willy-nilly. Heh.
***
Our son is more than six weeks old. That's just crazy-talk. That also means I haven't slept for more than 4 hours in a row in more than six weeks. Ever read Stephen King's Insomnia? I'm convinced his inspiration for that novel was feeding an infant at 3 a.m., because my little bald son seems an awful lot like some of the supernatural characters in that story. Just a thought.
***
The lawn guys mowed back the wilderness that was our lawn yesterday. Now our yard looks inviting to play in for the kids on either side of us. One of the urchins left his bike and wagon at the curb of my driveway last night. Nearly ruined two tires and his/her day. I sort of wish our yard looked less inviting now. Does anyone make non-lethal, but scary-as-crap land mines (besides a big fat dog)? Mr. Know-it-all?
***
I've griped about a "major project" that I'm running that involves a good portion of my department. I know I've been vague in my descriptions of it; that's intentional.

But I'm pleased that we seem to have -- essentially a few minutes ago -- turned a corner! We have a Facebook site (similar, but better than, MySpace) with a membership group. Last night we had 17 members. A few minutes ago we crested 350! To quote William Shatner, "It's bigger than big."
***
We've found child care for the boy. I called our pastor's wife this week to see if she knew of someone in town or our church who could care for him when the wife returns to work -- she said, "Yes. Me."

Wow. What a blessing and a half.
***
I really want a hot s'more. What's weird about that is the fact that I really don't like them all that much. But warm chocolate and graham crackers with a litte marshmallow sounds de-lish-us.
***
Do you know what you want for Christmas? Because I don't. And I probably wouldn't buy it for you anyway. So there.
***
Everything I want is kind of expensive. Caviar tastes on a Vienna sausage budget.
***
Vienna sausages make me sniggle.
***
I have another monster accounting test on Tuesday. Methinks it time to go put in some study time. And possibly do some work.

Possibly.
***

In other news: I've never wanted to not vote. (Pause for you to decifer what that fine example of a poorly-constructed sentence actually meant... and done.)

I don't care for ANY of the candidates in the Texas gubernatorial (Latin for "natural-born goobers"). I'm sort of left with Carol Keeton Strayhorn. But I'm not thrilled with that choice. She's changed parties more often than last names. And that's a lot.

I guess this will be a choice for the least of all evils. But, man. Give me someone I can truly support.

Over and out.

Haphazard Friday

2006-10-27T08:07:00.000-05:00

Somehow, I've managed to get to work about 30 minutes earlier than usual. I've been reviewing my morning routine. Workout? Check. Shower? Check. Breakfast? Check. Dressed? Check.

What in the world... the only thing I omitted was shaving. I have a beard, so that doesn't take very long (I don't mow the lawn, I only do the edging).

***

I was going to take today off to catch up on some sleep and a personal project that's on a deadline. Naturally, I'm not, because my big, giant work project demands more sacrifice. Grrrr.

Maybe tomorrow. Then again, maybe not.

***

My friend Donnie might be a dad today. That's cool beyond cool.

***

I've discovered that one of my favorite breakfasts is the following:

2 Large Eggs
1/4 cup of whatever grated cheese is in the fridge
1/4 cup of Ranch Style beans
1/4 cup of frozen kernal corn

Scramble together until cooked.

If I'm feeling really frisky, I'll drop a little Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley, of course) on top. Yum.

Usually, I'll also cook a couple of frozen waffles. I use Eggo NutriGrain, with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (I like the flavor, but I like the name even more) and a little maple syrup (not that fake stuff, the real deal squeeze from a tree maple syrup). I use the real stuff because it requires about 1/4 as much as the sugary solution most of us use and it doesn't have all the extra crap that I can't pronounce. I want additives in my motor oil, not my breakfast.

***

I'm sort of fixated on the phenomenon of toilet seat height.

I first discovered this when visiting my mother-in-law's home. Her toilet is about 1.5 inches shorter than everyone elses in the world. So, when I'm there, I can't seem to do the necessary.

Same thing at work. They're abnormally higher, I believe to accomodate folks in a wheelchair so as to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Before someone goes a little neurotic about the use of a public restroom, I'll note that I carry my own can of Lysol and have an office assistant who is obsessive about cleaning. So, yes, it's public, but not like it's at a truck stop on the Interstate.

But I digress.

I want to invent a toilet that has an adjustable height option. Or at least a seat that would inflate/deflate an inch or two.

Is this a sign of getting older? If so, it's more funny to me than annoying.

***

There's a war going on at the gym.

It's over the CD player. There are about four CDs that have been played over and over and over and over... for the last 12 weeks or so. Apparently, this has gone on for some time.

I seem to have committed the ultimate offense when I burned a new CD and placed it in the machine. Mind you, this is one of the most "general audience" CDs I've ever made. About as crazy as it got was a Creed and a Guns 'n' Roses song (not together... there's an agreement error there, but I don't give a care right now). But MAN. You would have thought that I recorded 40 minutes of fart noises, the way it went over.

So I turned it up and set the machine on "autoplay" so it wouldn't change discs. That's me. Sweetheart of the year.

***

Lately, I've found myself wondering if I'm doing the best I can with my life. The obvious answer is "no." But I'm not sure how to go about doing better.

***

It's really windy today. I like the "human kite" feeling when I'm wearing a half-zipped jacket and step in to the wind.

***

Nothing's more embarrassing than getting to 65 of 80 situps on an incline bench and suddenly being audibly reminded that you had Ranch Style beans for breakfast. At least it was funny.

***

I don't know who I'm going to vote for in the Texas gubernatorial race. Rick Perry's a slimeball, Kinky Friedman's a well-intentioned nut, Carol Keeton-Strayhorn flat scares me, and Chris Bell is the walking embodyment of everything I disagree with, politically speaking.

Usually, I vote early. I'm well-informed and ready. This time, the more I learn, the less I'm certain. I find myself leaning toward Strayhorn, but that's sort of like leaning toward oatmeal for dessert.

***

The crepe myrtles outside of my office are pretty.

***

I find myself wondering what the insurance situation was like for Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter). Digressing: Have you noticed that you can't just say "Steve Irwin?" It's always, "Steve Irwin: The Crocodile Hunter." Like, "Robin Hood: Prince of Theives."

Anyway, I know what a royal pain it is to get insurance if you're self-employed. But in his line of work? Man. I can only imagine that interview process.

Name? "Steven Irwin."

Occupation? "Crocodile hunter."

Thank you. We'll be in touch...

***

Have you noticed that there have been almost no "big bands" in the past few years? I think that it's a function of the recording industry fractures. But the last "mega" groups I can think of are... n'sync? Backstreet Boys?

Yikes.

But I notice that the "big" bands up until about 1996 are still the big bands. U2. Madonna. Metallica. Audioslave (Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine). Army of Anyone (Filter and Stone Temple Pilots). At least most of them are decent.

***

In other news: I've now wasted enough time that I'm to my usual start time. So, off to work I go, hi-ho.

Over and out.

Random Tuesday

2006-10-24T16:12:00.000-05:00

My teeth ache to the point of hurting. I think it's from a lack of sleep, but I can't quite figure out how that would work. I mean, c'mon. My teeth hurt? That's crazy and half.

***

I'm nearing the completion of a major project at work. Well, the first phase at least. I've submitted all of my reports, met with all of the BigWigs, refiled reports, made thousands of phone calls and... now the real work starts -- executing the plan.

What I wouldn't give for the end of the semester to be right about... now.

***

My son is 5 weeks old today. He weighed in at 11 pounds, 11 ounces this afternoon at the doctors.

That's a big kid. Most of it appears to be his head. He gets that from his old man.

***

I'm more than a little burned out at work this week. Too much to do. Too little of me to do it.

Of course, I am blogging at work. Hmmm. What did my boss say about priorities and listening...? I can't recall.

***

Did I mention my teeth ache? Because that's all I can really comprehend right now.

***

I was just thinking that a Blizzard from DairyQueen would taste really good. Which is weird, because I really hate the way they taste.

***

I have a "B" in accounting at mid-term. We'll see where that goes. I'm not too optimistic, but I can't bring myself to withdraw from the course, even if it is heading south for the winter, as I suspect.

***

I was once bitten by a deer. It was weird.

***

In other news:

I played the drums in church on Sunday. It felt like breathing again. I wish I had the spare coin to have a set. Actually, I'd prefer to build an electronic set, but, same dif.

Over and out.

Relief

2006-10-18T09:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was killer.

Monday night, the boy was up.all.night.long.

In and of itself, I can handle that. But Tuesday was a marathon -- a Congressional debate under my pervue, a mid-term in accounting and a number of minor emergencies in the office.

I have no earthly idea how I did on the test, other than I apparently nailed the hardest question and was spanked by the easiest. The debate was SRO, which always looks good. Only now the incumbent who ignored us for months is telling the press he knew nothing about it. Absolute bullcorn, but what a pain.

The wife kept Ryan awake longer in the evening. That made sleeping last night much, much better.

So the world's a little less bleak today. I have a massive meeting this afternoon on one of my major projects. But I should have a directive after it's completed.

In other news: The ground services crew was outside of the business building last night. They had one of those propane-powered air cannons going, trying to scare away the ratbirds in the low-hanging trees (seriously, it's getting to Hitchcock levels).

I found an old flip-flop laying next to one of the doors. Normally, I would never pick up something like that (1. It's been on someone's nasty foot 2. It's a stray and 3. It's basically trash, so, yuck.) but one rarely has the opportunity to launch something so dramatically.

Short-and-long of it -- I think it actually killed a bird when it shot out, shotgun style. About 50 yards. In a million pieces.

Man, they just don't make flip-flops like they used to.

Over and out.

Relief

2006-10-18T09:26:00.000-05:00

INSPI(RED)

2006-10-15T05:07:00.000-05:00

Bono, the well-known singer and chief do-gooder of the rock bandU2 debuted the new program (RED) to bring retroviral drugs to the poorest parts of the world, specifically portions of Africa.

I saw an interview with Bono on Oprah (I won't even link, the woman drives me nuts most days of the week and twice on Sunday) that Amy recorded for me (so I could skip the annoying parts).

The program itself is astounding in its scope, complexity and inspiration. Bono has been working for Africans since his early visits in the 1980s and working with Bob Geldof and "LiveAid." In and of itself, that concert was monumental. And, in and of itself, was not quite half a drop in the bucket when all was said and done. So, prior to the millenium, Bono began the Jubilee 2000 program, to get the G8 countries to drop the amoral debt that was being kept on the books of the poorest countries in the world by the richest. (Amoral, because the Gross National Product of these countries couldn't event keep up with the interest owed on the loans from decades prior, during the height of the Cold War for most.) The amazing thing is, it worked. Hundreds of billions was written off. The appeals were varied and correct. Reportedly, George W. Bush signed off on the deal when Bono spoke, Christ-follower to Christ-follower, about the moral obligation. Also reportedly, it didn't hurt when he mentioned that Africa has the potential to be a contenintal Iraq/Afghanistan if left to continue to rot.

That Jubilee 2000 program evolved into the ONE campaign. Of itself, it's been a tremendous success. So much so that politicians began noticing and answering their constituents on the issues in a number of countries, including the U.S.

Then Bono and his (long-suffering) wife Ali started "Edun" (Nude, backwards, haha), which is a clothing company with its manufacturing facilities in Africa. The idea behind it was to not just keep the "hand out" but to teach the folks there how to earn their way -- and their dignity. The "teach a continent to fish" idea. I love that.

Now, there is RED which is the next step in the deal. I LOVE THIS IDEA. And apparently, so do a lot of the largest and most popular manufacturers. The wife and I have both been perusing online stores for RED products (including building our own custom Converse sneakers) that catch our eye.

Is it charity? Not exactly. Is it easier and more dignified than charity? Maybe.

But more than that, it's going to get the drugs to the people who need it most -- bought and paid for. Get rid of the handouts and impossible-to-pay loans. Get rid of the bureaucratic morass that prevents aid from getting to those who truly need it.

Someone said that celebrity is a special kind of capital. Bono seems to know how to spend it the right way, when it comes to ideas that impact eternity. Working on behalf of the poor is one of the most "Christian" of concepts. Bono has said that, as a kid, John Lennon was one of his heroes for how he used his imagination. He's also said that he was always a little sad that his ideas weren't bigger. I wonder what kid out there will be INSPI(RED) by Bono's gift of hope.

And, oh yeah, he's in a pretty good band, too.

In other news: I'm running on so little sleep this week, it's flat scary.

Here's me and the boy. Cryin' Ryan.

I love this kid.

One Step Forward...

2006-10-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Fair warning: I'm in a gripey mood.

Today has been frustrating. I didn't get to run/work out this morning as Ryan was being fussy and took two hours to eat. No biggie in the grand scheme of the day, but my perpetual lack of sleep is eased somewhat when I work out. So I've felt foggy all day.

I had to deliver several boxes of inserts for the newspaper (you know, the crap that falls out of the middle) to our printer, 35 miles away. I was trying to hold a conversation with my brother (which are sporadic, at best) and my cell kept dropping the call(s). This has happened a LOT. My carrier (or should it be "dropper?") says that "all is well." Grade-A Balogna.

On the route home I was very nearly killed. As I crested one of the hills outside of our fair little town, a semi was in my lane -- I was in the far right-hand lane of a three-lane stretch. I came so close that I had to exit the road. I don't know how I didn't flip in the ditch, as I was at 70 miles per hour. My adrenaline was so high that I had to get out and puke. I did feel better after that.

I was a part of what I thought was going to be one of the more important meetings of the month regarding a major portion of my duties. Apparently, I appeared to be made of donkey meat, because my ass was chewed for quite awhile. Nothing like thinking your way out in front of a project only to have it bite you from behind (and on...). The frustrating part is that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am right. Actually, I just printed the evidence attesting so. It's in black-and-white, on my desk, 12 inches from my regal Roman nose. It sits there, mocking me, because we both know that it won't matter a fat hill's worth of Ranch Style Beans to those who did the chewing. I'm not sure what to make of that. But it's interesting that my student who is in charge of much of the program sees this from my perspective -- I've done nothing to encourage it one way or the other. But the comments the student made are spot on.

One theory is that this project has been the "slow kid" in our division for so long, that no one truly believes that it can be made viable. More than viable, it will be vibrant. That is, if I can get everyone out of the warm bureaucratic morass that envelopes them like a child's receiving blanket. Or a full diaper.

And speaking of full diapers... my boy can sure crap a lot. I won't wager as to which side of the family he gets that superpower. But it can be astounding that something so small could make something so substantial.

This evening, after I finally made it home, I fell asleep in the rocking chair. Whoops. There went my evening with the family. Rock on.

Then I receive a call that I was kind of dreading. On top of everything else, I was asked to assist with a congressional debate. Somehow, that means I'm doing everything. The debate is Tuesday night. I have my second major exam in my class that evening. Whoops. There went the oversight. I attempted to move it a week. No go. So now I'm faced with the possibility of a poorly executed congressional debate on campus with my name all over it.

Whoops. There goes the credibility.

In other news:

Students are still working on the newspaper tonight. I gave them a little more leeway to make their own choices in time management tonight. Since it's midnight, two hours past the deadline I'd given them, I'd have to say that little experiment is blowing up in my face.

They're capable of so much more than they seem to realize. I don't want to be the wet sand in their trunks, but I can't afford to pay them to sit around and wonder why the paper hasn't built itself. Time for the rubber hose treatment. I'd rather not, but apparently, when it comes to publications, the only way to get it done is be the tyrant in the corner office. *sigh*

I saw a sign outside of my classroom that stated Luby's cafeteria managers make more than $100,000 a year. That took the wind out of my sails. So does the fact that I'm one of the lower-paid managers in our area of the school. I don't want to be read as unappreciative. It's just hard to hear/read when I have a child who needs his mom to stay home with him, but we need the money to pay the man.

What to do...

Just noted it's midnight. Happy Thursday, if you read this far. Thanks for the imaginary shoulder.

Over and out.

Dead Man's Curve

2006-10-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

I received the results of my first accounting exam Tuesday evening. If you faithful readers (thank you both) recall, the wife went into labor two weeks prior. I was a bit keyed up from the anticipation when taking the test.

Anyway, I and another non-traditional student blew the curve for the rest of the class. That made me very happy, on several levels. First, there is the obvious sense of satisfaction for doing a good job. Secondly, there is the smug satisfaction of ruining two dozen underclassmen's days. Third, I sort of like being that guy in the class who knows what the heck is going on, answers questions and actually gets something out of it. Like my dad used to say, someday they'll need jobs and you'll need employees.

In other news: My student staff is getting tired of me harping on them to get the newspaper finished tonight. They're used to working until 2 or 3 in the morning.

I ain't got da budget fo' dat. So, I get to go be "that guy" to them.

I swear I'll be nice... ish.

Over and out.

Who Loves Ya, Baby?

2006-09-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

So we've been spending a lot of time watching Ryan. The kid has a set of lungs on him that Chris Cornell would envy. He was up all night last night with a severe case of the hungries. Mom was down with a severe headache from a slight lack of spinal fluid from where the anesthesiologist tried to (unsuccessfully) do the epidural. She's better after another quick procedure today. The boy has been sleeping for the most part. And eating a LOT.

Among other talents, he's musical. He regaled us with his rendition of the first two notes of the theme to The Flintstones this morning, just like his Uncle Dave did once. Maury can provide further info if you haven't yet figured it out.

So as I stared at him last night through my sleep-deprived delusional eyes, I notices that he resembles a few other famous folk:

Ryan, in his "whaddya lookin' at?" pose.

He reminds me of:

Mr. Burns, from The Simpsons.

Jason Alexander, "George Costanza," from Seinfeld. He's even dressed like this, most of the time. Except his shorts have cute little pictures of puppies and boats and stuff. Ryan's, that is. I don't know about Alexander's.

Kevin Spacey, in the role of Lex Luthor in the recent "Superman" installment. (It only seemed appropriate to follow a "Seinfeld" reference with a "Superman" reference. If you get it, great. If not, it's really not worth the time to explain.

The iconic Patrick Stewart, Shakespearian actor and most known for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

And finally, it dawned on me who Ryan reminds me of. Ironically, it dawned on me about dawn this morning...

Telly Savales, in the role of Lt. Theo Kojak from the series Kojak. Who loves ya, baby?

In other news: I had my doubts about our pediatrician/OB/GYN due to some weird things that happened back in April. I wasn't sure if he was just a calm, cool, collected character or just out of it. After observing him at work in the delivery room and in the days since, I'm so pleased to state that it is most certainly the former. He's just working at a level I haven't seen in a long, long time. I can also see why he absolutely loves what he does. If I were a doctor, I think I'd rather be dealing with the start of life than trying to forestall the end.

Over and out.

Last second addition: I just thought of one more...

Ryan, with a little knit stocking hat.

Former House of Pain rapper (you know the song, "Jump Around" -- "Jump up, jump up and jump down" -- truer words never spoken) and wanna-be folk/blues/not-quite-rapper/singer Everlast.

For the money, I'd rather listen to Ryan cryin'. There's no denyin'. He's tryin'. And this train of thought is dyin'.

I need a few hours sleep.

Over and over and out.

People My Son Looks Like

2006-09-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

Preface: I'm so tired I'm actually hallucinating. Maury, you were in my house this morning at 3 a.m. And you had long hair.

So I'm looking at my son a lot lately, and I'm compiling a list of famous folks he favors. First, his photo, then the short list of who's who...

That's my boy...

Actor, singer, drummer Phil Collins...

Former Soviet Head Cheese Fist Mikhail Gorbachev...

Former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill...

And finally, for now...

Notorious actor Tom Sizemore.

In other news: Did I mention I'm tired? Did I mention I never knew what tired was? Do I really care?

Over and out.

He's Beautiful, She's Beautiful

2006-09-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

He's here.

Ryan Looby, 8 pounds 10.4 ounces, 20 inches long, 14 inch head circumfrence, 14 inch chest circumfrence, dark brown hair, dark blue eyes, even skin tone, all appendages accounted for. He even has long fingernails.

Here's the story:

I'd been joking all day Tuesday (see my last blog post) that Amy would go into labor while I was taking my accounting test Tuesday night. I started the test at 6 p.m. Contractions started at 6:30 p.m. I called home after the test at the mid-point of the class. She asked, "are you done with your test?" I figured she was about to pull my leg. I said "yes." She said, "get home right now."

Every guy knows that tone when the missus ain't foolin' no mo'.

We timed for a bit, then high-tailed it to the hospital. Her water broke on the way through the front doors. We're checked in, taken back to maternity, hooked up on monitors, drips and the like. Our doc is called. He said he told his wife he'd be back in a bit. He was right.

By the time the anesthesiologist arrived, it was a little after 8:40 p.m. They tell me to go knock off for 30 or 45 minutes while he did his thing. I watched a few minutes of "Deadliest Catch" on Discovery and called friends and relations.

Ten minutes later a nurse comes in to get me "quick." "Your wife is about to deliver." No kidding? In a maternity ward?

No. Right freaking now. Without the epidural. Or Stadol. Or Demoral. Not even a Tylenol.

So, she does it "ol' school." Those of you who know her know that she has a severe allergy to pain. But she did it like a pro.

I didn't get to cut the cord, because it was loosely around his neck. But under the warming lamp, I amazed the nurses by silencing the little foghorn by nothing but the sound of my voice (I'd been speaking to him for the past few months). He's beautiful. She's beautiful.

In other news: There is no other news.

Over and out.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

2006-09-18T08:29:00.000-05:00

Wasn't it Tom Petty who sang that song?

Anyway, the waiting is the hardest part. For me, at least. I doubt my amazing wife would agree with me. She's been carrying the little lug for nearly 10 months now. I can't imagine how much endurance she's had to have to contend with this pregnancy. Simply amazing.

This has been an interesting couple of weeks. You know the tension you feel right before you know a gun is about to fire? That's what I've been feeling. Will I get everything done at work that has to be done? Will I get to my accounting test on time? Will I have time enough to study? Will the cat get fed? Will it matter because he's getting fat?

I'm just sitting here now, watching the cool breeze rustle the trees outside of my office... and realize that most of that stuff will be just fine. No cause for alarm, no need to panic. God is still here, still in control. Still.

Our doctor said that only a scant five percent of children are born on their due date. That's tomorrow for Ryan.

Maybe he gets some sort of gold star or piece of candy if he does so. I know his mom and I will get the best prize of our lives no matter what day he's born.

In other news: I'm on a team at my university that is competing to log the most miles in a given period (12 weeks). The first team to reach 985, wins. There is a long-standing tradition that the school's founder walked that far from Tennessee to Texas before donating the cash to save an ailing little college and make it what it has become. So, the competition is named for him, like everything else around here.

I did 37 miles the first week and 38 this past week. I've already logged 6.5 for this week. I have to admit I'm somewhat surprised at the distances I'm reaching. It's not hard, but consistency is the key. Sort of like accounting.

Time to study for the big test...

Over and out.

Behind the Music

2006-09-11T14:50:00.000-05:00

At lunch today I watched a re-run of Vh1's long-running series Behind the Music. This episode was on the Texas metal band Pantera.

I'm a fairly straight-laced, average-looking, early 30's guy. Go to church every Sunday, blah, blah, blah. Most people who don't know me very well are surprised when they discover I like VERY LOUD MUSIC. A lottle. I've never cared for a many of the lifestyle choices that seem to surround much of this genre, but I, to my parent's chagrin, love the music. Even when I was a child, I preferred Bach, Wagner and marches. Loud music. Darker stuff. Minor keys and odd time signatures.

And the music Pantera played is music, no matter how abrasive one might find it. I play drums and guitar -- both better than average -- and both parts are amazing. I've been practicing the guitar parts to several of their songs for months (mainly because it's more entertaining that running scales for warm-ups) and can't come close to the tempo and fluidity these guys tossed out on-stage every night. And I'm cold sober -- which, sadly, they often were not...

In October of 2003, guitarist Darrell Abbott was gunned down during a concert with his new band DamagePlan. The band was about 10 seconds into the performance when the assailant coolly strolled onto the stage and shot Abbott five times in the back of the head. Whether or not you approved of the band, the music, Abbott or his lifestyle, that's a terrible scene. No one should ever have to die that way -- an murder our worst enemies don't deserve.

One step worse: His brother and best friend was the drummer for both bands and had the "best" seat in the house for the shooting. Tragic. I teared up a bit watching the amateur video that was taken during the incident. I remembered playing on numerous stages with bandmates and imagining what I would do if I found myself in that situation.

The part that really left me choked up was watching, through the chaos, a lone police office stride across the stage, make a split-second decision to shoot the assailant and save a hostage. Calm, cool, collected and then totally horrified by what he'd been forced to do.

I am so glad that people like that cop out there today.

In other news: Still no baby.

Survey Says...

2006-09-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

I've lost a half-dozen fairly important surveys. Somewhere in my office.

I've held my current position for a little more than a year. I'm the fifth person in four years -- so that tells you that there has been a lot of turnover. And a lot of record-keeping that was poorly filed. And a lot of junk in the files.

I managed to condense all of this stuff down to two file drawers. I believe that one should be able to manage with two for most jobs in our digital age.

But somewhere along the way, I've lost these dad-gummed surveys.

I'm kind of concerned that they might have been shredded last week when I went through all of the old garbage. That would have a vacuum all its own, so to speak.

In other news: Still no baby. *GAK* -- The phone just rang with the wife calling -- no baby, just a mother-to-be needing moral support for her last morning at work.

My heart just beat out of my chest!

So anywho, still no grand arrival. I'm ready to see this boy's face. And hands. And legs... you get it. I'm off to walk around and lower my blood pressure a few ticks.

Over and out.

My Two Left Feet

2006-09-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

Full Disclosure: I'm spilling a lot of emotional beans here. If you're not interested, feel free to hit the "next blog" button at your discretion.

I've been tripping over my feet this week, emotionally speaking.

I've been doing my level-best to do my level-best in all of my activities and responsibilities, but I'm coming up short. My job takes a lot of time. At any given time, I have four to eight major projects in the pipeline. The frustrating part is that, with several of them, I catch all of the arrows for work others have done. Most of the time it's fine. But when it isn't...

I'm at the office at 10:15 p.m. I've been here most of the day. My wife is 38 weeks pregnant and sitting at home, barely by herself, if you follow my train of thought here. I'm taking a break from multi-tasking copy editing, designing a server, ordering photo equipment and doing accounting homework. Probably not very well, I would add (get it?). At least I have my sense of humor, such as it is.

The part that is really bugging me?

I've barely picked up my guitar or programmed anything in almost two months. I have a TON of music almost ready to be released and I can't seem to find the time to finish it because I'm zapped when I finally sit down. Hard to be musically creative when you can barely spell your own name correctly.

But I'm bothered by the nagging feeling I'm getting this all wrong, no matter what I do. It's a helpless feeling, even though I'm outwardly batting a thousand with my co-workers and students. What about my wife? My son, about to be? What about my inner 12-year-old who wants to rock out like it's 1991? Is the starched shirt and tie cutting off the blood to his head too? It's all very Cat's In The Cradle.

I keep asking God to clear my head enough for me to see the path He's laid out for me in all of this. Maybe I should stop even bothering with some of the musical pursuits. I have a terrible time believing that. Most of the time, that's where my mind wanders in the middle of the rest of everything else. I still miss playing drums like a phantom limb. I miss sharing creativity with other musicians. I miss having time with my wife to do nothing of obvious consequence.

Time to log off and go home to sleep. We'll let the chips fall where they may with the newspaper tonight. Homework will have to wait til tomorrow. The sun will rise, and if not, I believe I'll be in a better place anyway.

In other news: I've figured out why the death of the Crocodile Hunter struck me a little weird -- I wasn't bothered by it. Sure, I didn't "know" him, but I was a fan. He brought humor and passion to a field saturated with too much objectivity and dispassion. I'm disappointed he's gone. But it dawned on me this evening -- he died while doing what he loved. All of us die one cause or another. Very few of us will die at the height of living our lives. There's something kind of noble about that, even in the midst of the loss.

Kind of makes you want to go pick up the World's Third Deadliest Snake by the tail, poke 'em in the head and laugh, doesn't it?

... or maybe I'll just go fight with my cat. He thinks he's the World's Third Deadliest...

Over and out.

How Much Do I Need To Know?

2006-08-30T07:19:00.000-05:00

I get up before the crack of dawn (who is she, anyway?) to run and work out during the weekdays. It's something I (sort of) enjoy doing. Like Gabrielle Reece said, "It's like going to work. Some days you don't want to do it. But you do it anyway."

But that's beside the point. In my gym there are four TVs, usually tuned to CNN, the local Dallas stations and ESPN. I'm not much of a sports fan, so I watch ESPN. It lets my mind wander while my eyes are occupied. Lately, I've been watching the news channels while I bike for 20 or 30 minutes. I also listen to the conversations folks are having nearby.

This morning there was a lot of news about a hostage situation at a Dallas hotel, a police chase and shooting, the Israel/Hizbollah "crisis" (isn't it more than 2,000 years old???), and something about an emu that clucks like a chicken. No kidding.

Did I need to know any of that to go through my day? Does any of that really affect me?

Please don't misunderstand. I've worked in the news field for more than 10 years. I've taught journalism and manage publications. But aside from traffic reports and weather forecasts, nothing was truly relevant.

So I started watching CNN. Same deal. Only it was over and over and over and over...

Maybe we're mistaking information for news anymore. Maybe the all-news, all-the-time concept is overblown. How much do I really need to know about John Mark Karr? I'm don't mean to sound callous. The Jon Benet Ramsey murder was a terrible thing. It was particularly odd as well. But, being purely pragmatic for a moment, what difference does it make in any of our lives, other than our feeling sadness? Is that sadness warranted?

Do I need to know everything that's happening around the world? I believe in having a wide world-view and being an informed person, but most of this just seems like random information passing as news. I find myself unplugging the TV as my news source.

I welcome other's thoughts.

In other news (ha): My first class went very well. The class is relatively small, the teacher an expert and the subject matter interesting. Good start. The undergrads in the class are evenly divided between being there for a purpose and watching the clock for time to leave.

One fella next to me arrived with some sort of alcohol in a Sonic cup. The odor was a dead giveaway. Once the instructor went around the room and asked what we did (I work for the university but get mistaken for a student all the time) he suddenly had to run to the restroom. He didn't come back.

Knucklehead. He gave his name to the class. He'll get to meet my friend, the Assistant Dean for Judicial Affairs. She's sweet. Unless you've been drinking in class. Duh.

Sixteen Weeks and Away We Go

2006-08-29T07:23:00.000-05:00

Today's going to be an interesting day.

I have my first class this evening. I have a little nervous excitement about it, as I've not been on that side of the lecture podium in almost 10 years (side note: yikes...). I'm not really that concerned about passing the class. I am concerned about blowing the curve for the rest of the class. Not to sound arrogant, but I intend to ace this class.

For one reason, it's an opportunity to lead by example with my students. They're always asking me how I manage to keep giving and giving at work without griping about how hard it is. Truth be told, it's not hard. It's not like I'm digging a ditch in 100 degree weather. That's hard. I've done that before. I've worked 80+ hour weeks for months on end. This isn't hard. But I suppose that it's all relative, isn't it?

For the second reason, I still have a lot to prove in some folks' eyes at my school. I don't have a masters degree and I've held several teaching jobs. That just crawls all over a number of academic types. I can understand that, but only to a point. Experience in the jobs I've held goes a long way in my field. But I'd like to have the degree too.

Lastly, I've been reading the book (this is an accounting class) and I'm actually excited to learn this topic. Math has always been a weak area, but I've realized it's only been because of a lack of application on my part. No more excuses. If I have a reason to stumble, then it's time to turn up the heat, use some elbow grease or whatever other cliche works. Give a 110 percent...

Only 16 weeks.

In other news: Our son could be born any time now. As of today, his mother is at 37 weeks... which is considered "term." On the other hand, many first children aren't born until the 40th week... so, it's hurry up and wait. I'm anxious to meet him. I have lots of cool stuff to show him.

And only some of it involves fire. Heh.

Seven Is A Wonderful Number

2006-08-21T07:15:00.000-05:00

My wife and I celebrate seven years of marriage today.

That number hardly seems possible to me. I can clearly remember standing outside of the sanctuary in the church where we were married. I was a little scared that I wasn't a little scared. I had an overwhelming sense that everything is about to change. I was right.

I don't know if she would have consented to marrying me, had she known all of the trials that would be coming in the next few years -- even the next few weeks, as she had contracted meningitis from a relative during the nuptial festivities. A few short weeks later, I was listening to her in agony. She was begging me to shoot her, for relief from the pain.

She wasn't kidding.

Not long after that, my plan to enter the Air Force was thwarted by, of all things, super-high cholesterol. We'd given notice at jobs and on our apartment. We made a very fast move back to our college town, and the newspaper where I had worked previously.

A year or so later, we made an ill-fated trip to another newspaper. We were only there about six months, but it felt like an eternity. I was working unreal hours (I still can't believe how much I was working), Amy had a job that she didn't like and we were both miserable.

God opened a door and we again moved back to our college town, this time for me to teach. Amy had trouble finding work, so times were lean. But we made it. Eventually, she found work that was rewarding and helped pay the bills.

A year ago, we moved, yet again. This time, things are going better. I have a job that, while challenging, I enjoy. Amy has work that makes a difference. God has blessed us with a home to live in while I work on another degree. More than that, he's blessed us with a son who could be arriving any day now. We even have a precocious cat that doesn't send my allergies into orbit.

The past seven years have gone so quickly -- almost like the blink of an eye in some ways. I only mention the trials because I've realized that they've brought me so much closer to my best friend. We can get on each other's nerves, but there is no one with whom I'd rather spend the time. That's my measure of a "happy marriage." I've watched so many couples descend into misery from the heights of "happiness" because they'd never experienced adversity.

The muscle has to be irritated to form the pearl. Gold must be purified by extreme heat. Diamonds are formed from intense pressure. Lasting marriages are tempered by adversity.

Happy anniversary, babe. You're my best friend, my object of affection, mother of my child and keeper of my heart.

The City is Quiet

2006-08-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

I "slept in" this morning, waking up at a little after 6 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. Stupid internal alarm clock.

I figured, "I'm awake, I might as well do something." So I just followed my usual morning routine: grab my running shoes and workout clothes and hit the gym.

Usually, my gym opens at 5 a.m. to accomodate working folks. I like that, because the mirror-loving fancy boys aren't up that early. It's just folks into fitness, most are encouraging and respectful of the others around them. It's fun and I actually look forward to going in the morning (when did I turn into that guy?).

I thought they opened at 7 a.m. on the weekends. It's 7:05 a.m. and I'm blogging at home. Nope. 8 a.m.

Now I'm cleaning my room. Yippie.

In other news: I have more electronics in my office than I have plugs. Time to get creative with extension cords. But I also have to be aware of overloading the circuits, as this home is significantly older -- one mustn't push their limits too far.

Now I have to try to remember Ohm's Law.

In other other news: I bought the textbook for my Financial Accouting class that I'm taking this fall. $115. Good thing I bought it used. Good thing I have two kidneys...

EDIT: The City is NOT Quiet

About 30 minutes after posting this, I was working on calculating the total electrical load in the office, and (quietly) watching the new Audioslave video. As I pushed the volume up button on my keyboard, there was a tremendous BOOM. I thought I had caused the breaker panel outside of my window to explode... but the lights were still on.

Wandered outside. My transformer was okay, nothing tripped. Hmm. Looking across the street, I see my bewildered neighbor in his pajamas. He works for the utility company. He has a look on his face which bore investigation. After speaking with him, we found a large, fat bluejay, well done, at the bottom of his utility pole -- the crispy culprit. At least it isn't hot yet. But the cat is spooked and the wife can't sleep in.

But it's after 8 a.m. Time to go to the gym! w00t!!

Sleepwalking

2006-08-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

I'm.So.Tired.

This week is kicking my rear. I've gone through significantly more exertion this week than I have in a very long time.

Does anyone else find minor additions to their workload seem much larger when you're tired? I'm not entirely sure why my perception is so, but that's how it feels. Extra report due in two days? Why not? A report to the vice presidents and my colleagues with 15 minutes notice? How about two?

I find it to be an interesting addendum to one of my recent posts about saying "no." What do you do when you absolutely can't say no? What do you do when "no" isn't an option?

I'm sure God is leading me into a lesson, but I'm concerned. Other parents tell me about how "zombified" I'll be when the boy arrives soon. I'm already there. I really can't take any more time off, because we're essentially into the school year. My department, for all intents and purposes, is a one-man show. So taking any significant amount of time off to help my wife and child is going to be difficult. Fortunately, our new home is literally three minutes from my office.

Yeah, I'm whining a little (a LOTtle, as a former student would say). But when I get this way, the frantic feeling tends to multiply. I need to Zen out for a little while and center my Chi.

Actually, that last little bit o' crap just made me giggle a little. A lottle.

In other news: I don't know why I haven't gone to bed yet. Obviously, I have nothing better to do... Off to never, never land... It will all look better in the morning.

Just call me "Jim."

2006-08-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

I'm just home after a whirlwind trip to Houston, Worldwide Center of All Things Humid.

I was asked by members of my wife's family to conduct the funeral for a recently deceased (obviously) family member. This is the second funeral I've done for them, the first was four and a half years ago. Oddly, it seemed much more recent this morning.

For the record, I'm not a preacher. But a lot of the folks there shook my hand and called me "reverend." I said, "just call me 'Jim.'" I don't want to be accused of being an imposter pastor (or "impastor," if you will...).

Funerals are interesting times. The man was the patriarch of a family including numerous great-grandchildren. Some dozen or so friends who would meet him at Chevron for their morning coffee came to pay their respects. It was touching to see many, varied walks represented.

I feel a small bit of satisfaction that the words I wrote/spoke seemed to have brought some comfort to the family. The man was a Christian and that made my job significantly easier, as we believe that death is not the end. Revelation 21:4 was quoted as a glimpse of things yet to be. But it also mentions that the pain, suffering, tears and death will not be there. I read that to say that (obviously) those things are a part of this world, and I said so. I believe that means mourning is appropriate, that tears are appropriate. I said that as well. Then the man's adult son, a 6'6', 245 pound, big man, a real "tough guy" wept. I nearly lost it.

It was a privilege to help the family untangle a mess of emotion in some small way.

In other news: I also had lunch with Snoop and his incredibly funny (and patient) wife. It was good to catch up before all of our lives go through some major changes. I also had dinner with The Schwa. That was surreal. Too much caffeine on top of too much driving makes for a very strange, yet oddly sequitur, conversation. In the midst of the conversation, it was decided to make beloved children's character "Winnie the Pooh" more "street." Enter "Wineezee da Shiznit." A.A. Milne is twisting in the grave.

How hot is it?

2006-08-08T07:06:00.000-05:00

So hot, that time itself seems to be evaporating.

I work in higher education, so I don't technically get summers "off." I don't have quite as many responsibilities, but most of my friends are surprised at how much I manage over the 90-day reprieve. Lots of meetings, planning, massive reports and budget reconciliations. Not a lot of fun, but it is satisfying to get things as "ready" as possible before the students return and we enter our 16-week coma.

This summer, however, the burden is a bit heavier. Since we're expecting our first child in mid-September, I have a LOT of planning to get set before then. Realistically, the little guy could decide to make an entrance at any moment, so I've been walking around with this impending sense that everything could change at any moment.

The last time I felt anything close to this was the weeks leading up to our marriage. It was a whirlwind rush and then... a curious quiet. But that sense was there that my life -- our life -- had changed forever. I've tried to describe it to my unmarried friends, but it's like trying to describe "blue" to a blind person. There's no frame of reference. As my friend Maury so appropriately wrote; "what's blue to you might not be blue to me." That reminds me that experience is as individual as each of us. Some things we experience in common and use as a reference for how we relate it -- we look at something and call it "blue." But if we see through another's eyes, it might appear some other color, according to our personal palette.

In a roundabout way I suppose I'm getting at the idea that, while millions of people are experiencing similar emotions, I'm awestruck that God made me in such a way that I'm experiencing something unique and individual. That's an oasis of refreshing realization in a world plagued by drought of McFranchising and right-thinking. Small blessings...

In other news: I'm never going to eat at Sonic again. When I was working at the gym this morning, I noticed a very faint odor as I was sweating. My keenly honed sense of smell made me realize it was Sonic grease. I haven't had Sonic food in more than a week (there's one not 100 yards from our new house). That's absolutely revolting. I'm off to take a long, hot shower.

Over and out.

Scared-y Cat (or Sympathy for the Devil)

2006-08-03T09:33:00.000-05:00

My poor cat.

Muertos likes to sleep on our bed at my feet, or prop up against my shins. Last night, I was much more asleep than usual (I'm usually a very light sleeper...). Somehow, in the middle of a roll, he was smothered under the sheet. After being awakened by a very scared cat and sorting out the sheet-knot, I picked him up and held him until he calmed down.

This is on top of already being frightened out of his little evil mind that we were going to leave him behind when we were moving last weekend. He was so scared he willingly got into his carrier. That never happens. Then a new place, with boxes being thrown around and moved and changed etc etc. Not to mention an encounter with a rather sizable wolf spider.

The icing on the cake? I stepped on him this morning. He wouldn't come near me when I was leaving for work. Usually he likes to see me on my way.

Poor little guy. He must think his world has been turned upside down and I hate him.

In other news: The bulk of our moving has been completed, finally. In-town moves are kind of a pain. I'd almost rather make a town-to-town move than in-town. I fooled myself into thinking it would be easy. It went smoothly, but it wasn't easy by any stretch of my childish imagination. I even rid myself of some heavy-duty recording equipment. If you know me (and you should, if you don't), you know that is the sort of thing that rarely happens in my neck o' the woods.

Anyway, now it's down to the little piddling things that have to be done -- setting up furniture, finding new homes for a million tiny things that I'm not certain we need, replacing small fixtures, phones and so on. And a visit from the exterminator (see "encounter with wolf spider", above).

Only On Me

2006-07-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

It's moving day at our household. Actually, moving week would be more appropriate.

We're moving truckload-by-truckload into a little frame house closer to campus. The main thing is it is slightly larger, in square footage, and only one floor. With the wife nearly 33 weeks along with the boy, stairs are a tremendous chore. Plus, we keep our cat without fear of eviction.

So I've taken a couple of days off to paint and move the small stuff before the furniture evacuation tomorrow. So why am I at work, blogging?

Because it's raining.

It hasn't rained here in weeks. There is NO mention of rain in the forecast for today. Less than none, actually. Yet water is falling from the sky. I just checked the radar from the weather service. There is ONE LINE of showers in a 500 mile radius. It is on a DIRECT PATH for our town for the next four hours.

It's not a deluge like my friends in Houston have received. Just a few gentle drops to completely keep me from moving a dadgummed thing. But the irony is killing me. Between this little liquid blessing and Dish Network, I'm never getting moved.

In other news: Regarding Dish Network... I take time off from work yesterday, specifically to meet the installer at our new place. They advise me to be at the home between 8 a.m. and noon. Okay, no sweat. I'll clean and unpack.

Ha.

At 11:30 a.m. I receive a phone call that the tech has been delayed, naturally. I have a 1:30 p.m. appointment at the doctor's office, I tell him. He replies, "There's nothing I can do about that." I reply, "Sure there is. Tell your man to hurry up." He hangs up. Nuh-uh.

Clown-boy finally shows up... at 1:17 p.m. Fortunately, the wife was able to come by and keep an eye on things. I made my appointment with 1 minute to spare.

Yikes.