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We worked extremely hard today. After our respective obligations this morning, we made a lot of progress this afternoon on our house. I worked in the yard for about 2 hours. I raked up the dead thatch where the voles have wreaked havoc, and trimmed our border reed grass. My wife started to work in the garage, and I helped after the yard work was finished.

We still had about 25 boxes in the garage, just a mixture of this, that, and everything else in between. We went through every single box, and threw out a lot of junk. Remember a couple of weeks ago I said I was ready to start throwing things away? That day has come. Everything else that wasn't thrown away was taken to our basement (remember, it's the black hole from hell). Our garage looks great. There's definitely a lot more room, but still we have work to do. I just need to get my side of the garage more organized, get some things up on shelves, add some pegboard to the walls to hang tools, and so forth. But, it's a big step.

Now that everything is in our basement, we can start making little dents here and there. We're committed to having a big garage sale sometime this summer or this fall. We also committed ourselves to start decorating our house this summer too. That involves paint, some wallpaper, a border here and there, and to starting hanging our pictures. So, hopefully, in a few months, I'll have something new to report.

After working hard today, I opted to go the casino. As predicted, I lost. I also learned a valuable lesson. Never, ever go to the casino on a Saturday night. It's just too hectic to have any fun, and not worth my trouble. In fact, if I had thought of that earlier, I would have saved myself $100. Oh well. Easy come, easy go.

Well, I've got good news and bad news regarding my car. The head job went well. It runs great, still leaks just a little oil, but otherwise runs great. However, the power steering pump started to go out after I got the car back, and the air conditioner didn't work. I drove it back to the mechanic. He looked it over, and said the power steering pump needed to be replaced, and somehow, the air conditioner didn't have any freon. He said there was leak near the pressure valve. F**k! That car is nothing but a money pit. I wish we would have sold it when we had the chance, even though it's become my primary means of transportation now. I've essentially parked my truck, and am using the car to help keep the mileage low. Plus, the car gets about 35 mpg (versus only 19 on the truck). With gas prices at all time record high, the extra mpg helps quite a bit.

Well, the University of Kentucky got knocked out of the NCAA tournament last night. They were defeated by Michigan State in double overtime. Thus, one of our two favorite teams made it to the final four, (reference University of Louisville making it to the final four on Saturday). While we would have enjoyed seeing a U of L versus U of K championship game, it wasn't meant to be.

I just received word how much my car repair bill will be. It's about $650. That was more than I expected, but that included a triple repair. While replacing the head gasket, I also asked the mechanic to replace the timing chain and gear, and also to re-true the heads. The tensioner pully was also going bad, so there were a plethora of things fixed. All in all, I'm very pleased. In other words, it was more than I had budgeted for, but it also gives me a sense of relief as well. The car still runs great, doesn't burn oil, and the engine doesn't knock. So, I think it still has a lot of life left in it, hopefully. Sometimes it feels as if we keep pouring money into a worthless cause, and other times, I believe it's money well spent. We'll see. Of course, it's a LOT cheaper than having the dealer do the job, so we can't complain.

We had a very nice Easter. We went to Church, had a great dinner with family, relaxed, and had an enjoyable day. All in all, we were happy and were thankful to be able to spend time together. I have the upcoming weekend off too, but that will be my last for awhile. We're transitioning to our summer schedule at work next week, and unfortunatley, I don't think I get another weekend off until May. Sigh. Enjoy them while they last I suppose.

I headed to the casino again yesterday evening. I had a coupon for $10 in free chips that I forgot to use on Saturday, and I didn't have anything else to do. I came home a winner once again, topping out with $100 profit. Three winning sessions in a row, woohoo! It's a nice feeling to walk away with some cash stashed in your pocket. I wonder if my streak has come to an end though, and I predict I'll lose the next time I go.

It seems that we've over spent our budget the past couple of months. My previous high hopes of paying off our credit debt have significantly dwindled. We did so good with no frivolous spending in January, but the previous two months have been killers. It makes me angry to think about it, and as much as I rant and rave about our spending habits, it doesn't seem to matter. I feel we'll be in a perpetual cycle of being spendthrifts our entire lives. There's always something that bogs us down, whether it's an unexpected car repair, extra medical payments, or my wife buying new clothes on a continuous basis. For as hard as we work, it seems as if we're always living paycheck to paycheck. Ugh.

Just when you begin to see light at the end of the tunnel, you get steamrolled with a new train rolling down the tracks. It's as if you've been dropped into middle of the ocean, and you struggle to swim to the top. Just when you're about to break the surface, the sea monster from below pulls you back in. And, you begin anew, starting over from whence you came, swimming hard to reach the surface time and again. Is there hope of ever breaking free? Perhaps, but in today's society, it's becoming an ever increasing struggle. Occasionally we win a battle or two, but inevitably, we're losing the war.

We just watched the University of Louisville advance to the NCAA final four. In fact, it's history for Rick Pitino (their head coach), as he's the first coach to lead three seperate teams to the final four. It's a warm feeling knowing that Louisville is doing so well. We lived in Louisville for 8 years, and my wife received her Master's Degree from Louisville.

We went to a movie last night, National Treasure. It was a family night, and we all enjoyed the movie very much. Even our 8 (almost 9) year old daughter enjoyed the movie. And we marvled at the fact that there wasn't a single swear word in it. That was a treat, and definitely made it a great family adventure.

I headed to the casino a couple of times this week. On Monday, I won $75, and today, I won $100. That makes up for the last couple of times that I lost. It's an up and down battle, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

I've had the last two days off, and still have tomorrow off. That's an awesome feeling. It's so nice to have a 3 day weekend, especially since it's Easter. We're planning on going to an early Church service, and then will enjoy a family dinner at my wife's parents. It should be a restful day.

Our dog Ginger is doing OK. She had an accident a couple of days ago. She went pee on the bed. No warning signals, she just squatted and went. Otherwise, she's doing great. We went outside today (it was very mild, with temperatures in the 50s) and went for a 4 block walk. That's a lot for a little dog who only weighs 4lbs. It really wore her out, so much so, she's not even hungry for dinner. The same thing happened last weekend after her puppy training class. She was exhausted. It's hard to believe that we've had her for 4 weeks already. She sure has become a member of our family, and we all love her a lot.

While driving to my puppy training class today, I learned to take multitasking to the next level. I was driving a stick shift (my truck), eating a hamburger and drinking a diet coke, at the same time that our puppy was trying to snuggle in my lap, without my seat belt on. The dog was trying to grab the hamburger, and I had to answer the cell phone. In retrospect, it was quite comical, if now downright dangerous. I often complain about other motorists and their lack of attention while driving, and here I was doing it myself. It's a good thing a cop didn't see me, he could have cited me for careless driving.

Today was our first day of puppy training class. All I can say, we failed miserably. Ginger (our dog) was very scared at first. The dog next to us weighed about 80lbs, and kept trying to eat her for a snack. Eventually she made friends with the brute, but then was too distracted by all of the other dogs, sights, and sounds. She couldn't perform any of the tasks. The "look" command wasn't even heard, and the "sit" command was a complete disaster. Needless to say, I was disappointed, if not embarassed. All of the other dogs were doing remarkably well. The other dogs seemed to walk on the leash well, and Ginger simply wouldn't walk at all. Sigh. Plus, she wouldn't go potty when we got home. Ugh. I gave up. I was tired (I worked a midnight shift, and only had 4 hours of sleep), I was crabby, and she put me in a really bad mood. Oh well. At least that's my normalcy.

Due to my rotating shift schedule, I often will eat lunch on my own. I especially enjoy going to the Olive Garden, I love the soup and salad combo, and it's a great deal. But I always get such a strange look from the hostess when I say, "Table for one please." It's like they get puppy dog eyes and feel sorry for me or something. Some of the hostesses make a big production out of announcing loudly to the waiter, "Table for one." I'm not sure if they're trying to humiliate me or not. But I ask, is it such a big deal to dine alone? People do it all of the time, there are hundreds of thousands of single people in this world. What do they do? Are single diners not supposed to eat?

With regard to table etiquette, I've always wondered what is proper. Do you tilt your head to your glass to drink, or do you lift the glass to your mouth. I know that's a trivial thing, but I've never been able to find the answer. I find myself doing both. Neither one feels better over the other.

I got new glasses today. The prescription was 1/4 point worse, but overall, I could have left it alone. I mainly wanted a different look for the frames. I went with a very small, thin, narrow lense. It definitely looks different. It will take some time to get used to it, especially positioning my eyes and head for optimum viewing, but I think I'll like them eventually. If not, Lensecrafters does have a 30 day money back guarantee that I could use.

I read on the Internet this morning that a 427 million dollar bank robbery has been foiled. Apprently, a hacker got into an overseas bank and found a way to transfer money out of the bank into 10 privately held accounts. Hmm, don't you think that would be traceable? That's why I ask, why take so much. If you really wanted to steal some cash, wouldn't it make sense to take much smaller amounts? I mean, 427 million is somewhat noticeable, if not downright obvious. Why not take 10,000 instead. That's a blip on the screen, an oversight, a transposition error. But 427 million? I really question the judgement of some people. I mean, this guy was smart enough to hack into the bank computer system to begin with, don't you think he'd be smart enough to not be so greedy, and to not take such a noticeable amount? Duh. It just confirms my theory that there are a lot of stupid people out there.

Moving on, my dog does some stupid things too. Granted, she's still a puppy, but some of her bahavior is downright neurotic. When she needs to go potty, she can't just go to a spot and go. Recently, we've begun the transition from the pad inside to the yard outside. It's a 5 minute ordeal, in that she has to sniff around, walk in circle ten or 12 times, move to a new spot, sniff again, squat, then circle again, then sniff, then possibly move one more time, then sniff, squat and pee. What's up with that? Why do they do that? I just can't understand why it takes 5 minutes to find the "spot". Maybe she'll improve with time, and this is all still new to her. But it's annoying to say the least, especially when it's downright freezing outside, and she's just as, if not colder than I, as she's only 3lbs 3ozs. Complete nuts I say.

After making my post yesterday about bipolarness, I went to the grocery store because I couldn't sleep. I thought I might as well do something productive, since I'd worked myself into an agitated state. At the store, I think my blood sugar crashed. I had an episode of the shakes, I broke out in a cold sweat, and I couldn't see straight. I thought I was going to faint. Over the years, I've had periodic episodes like this. One time, I did faint in college. I literally blacked out. I usually eat something fast though, and I recover quickly. Last night was no different. I had a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter and a glass of milk, and in about 15 minutes, I was fine, and my mood had indeed swung the other way. The funk had passed. Thus, as I did research on the Internet until about 3:00 am, I think it may indeed be low blood sugar that is causing all of my symptoms. Hmm. My bloodwork at my physical last week was fine, but from what I can tell, the only true way to diagnose hypoglycemia is with a 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I think I might head back to my doctor to discuss it with him.

I often wonder if I'm not bipolar. I can go from incredible highs to the lowest of lows, in the manner of minutes. I've been that way for a long time. I certainly have a lot of the symptoms. Today was a good example. The day started off very well. I was in a good mood, and things were OK. But as the day went on, my mood began to trend downward, and by evening, I became very crabby and irritable. And that essentially describes my life in a nutshell. I have good and bad days. Right now, I'm definitely in a funk. I often wonder if I shouldn't see someone about this, but then often deny that I might have a problem, and of course, by that time, my mood has swung again. I think my work schedule has a lot to do with it, and as I dwell on it more, that typically begins my downward spiral. Perhaps it's time for a career change? Hmm, that would be wonderful, but unfortunately, I've got such a specialized degree that it would be hard to do anything else. But, I've only got myself to blame. It's something to think about though.

Otherwise, I think I'm about ready to make a big committment to start throwing items out. We've accumulated so much junk, that it's becoming overwhelming. I'm a pack rat unfortunately, and I have a really hard time throwing away anything. I've got just about every box for every electronic item we've ever purchased. Sad, huh? I've got file folders of receipts and bill statements dating back to the beginning of our marriage. I keep every little thing. You never know when you might need it. I suppose you could even consider it obsessive compulsive. Or at least a mild case at that. Hmm, that could go along with my possible bipolarness.

We've got a lot of stuff that could sell well at a garage sale. And that's what I can't get past. I look back and think about how much money we've wasted over the years on useless junk. It's cluttering our lives. Our basement has become a virtual dumping ground for all of our stuff. And to compound matters, my wife is pack rat too, and of course, our daughter takes after both mom and dad, so unfortunately, we've all got it. I wish I could just dump it all. Take every single box of junk, not even look inside, and just put it on the curb. But then I think, hmm, we could make a few bucks at the garage sale, and thus just can't bring myself to throw it all away. I think I'd be a lot happier in the end, and perhaps someday, I can actually do it. We'll see.

Well, three months that is. Our new puppy Ginger turns 3 months old tomorrow. She's really growing up fast. I'd say she's gained about one and one half pounds in the previous three weeks. Her muscles are really toning in now, and she has become quite strong. She's doing much better on the potty training, and is back to consistently going on the pad. We went for a ride in the car today, to the pet store and to the computer store. She got to go into the pet store, and walked in and out on her leash. She met a couple of people, and another dog. It went well. Tonight, we gave her a bath, her first since she arrived. She seemed to enjoy it, but was also very cold I think. She didn't cry or bark, but just wanted out of the sink very badly. Her hair is so short, she was dry in just a couple of minutes. She smells much better now. Tomorrow, we go back to the vet for her next series of shots. Plus, she officially starts puppy headstart this coming Sunday. I'm nervous about that, but hopefully, for her, it should be a fun time. She still gets occasional stubborn streaks. That's completely frustrating, and amusing at the same time. I have to keep reminding myself that she's still only 3 months old, and equivalent of a toddler. The one thing I can't get used to are the nose kisses. She loves to kiss, especially after not seeing you for awhile. Maybe it's something you get used to with time, but it still gives me the willies. She also likes to nip just a bit, but everytime she does it, we grab her snout, squeeze gently, and say, "NO BITE!" She's starting to catch on.

My taste buds are dying. I'm not sure what I've done to them, but I'm in extreme pain. Perhaps you know what I'm talking about. You know, when a single taste bud at the tip of your tounge becomes inflammed, and it hurts very badly. Then, after a few days, your tounge has healed itself. Well, for me, it's not a single taste bud on the tip of my tounge, but about 30 or 40. I can see them in the mirror. Little red dots all over my tounge. And man, does it hurt. I've searched on the Internet, and there doesn't seem to be any definitive cure, other than time and patience. It actually started this past Sunday, and now, it's about as bad as it can get. It hurts to eat. It hurts to brush my teeth. My tounge simply hurts. And, I can't trace it back to any single event. It's the strangest thing I've seen.

Our new laptop arrived today. In fact, it arrived about 3 days sooner than expected. To our surprise, it was built, tested, and boxed in just 2 days instead of 5. I'm not complaining. It's actually very cool. However, as expected, there's a lot of bloatware installed on the harddrive. Dell always does that. I remember when we bought our desktop from Dell, there were a lot of useless programs installed. The laptop was no different. Just a lot of garbage. I deleted it all. Unfortunately, one of the programs keeps coming back though. Or at least the reminder about the fact that it was installed. I can't seem to find any reference to it in the system registry, but I will keep looking. I've got all of our own software installed on it now, and it's very nice. The lightweight laptop was definitely the way to go. It only weighs 5 lbs, but also, it's a little on the flimsy side. I suppose that's to be expected. I actually bought the 3 year service plan, along with Dell's complete care package. In other words, if anything breaks, even if it's accidental, it's covered. I figured it might be a good investment, considering the sensitive nature of laptop components these days, especially since the laptop is an ultralight, and perhaps a little flimsier than heavier units. Also, 3 years seems to be a good lifespan, and at that point, we'd likely invest in a new machine anyhow. So, now we only have to worry about paying for it. Paying a little each month, that's how we live our lives these days. It's the American Dream, right?

I received the results of my physical exam a couple of days ago. For the most part, I'm very healthy. There weren't any abnormal readings in the bloodwork, and that all looked good. So, my fatigue is indeed related to my lifestyle, and unfortunately, there's nothing I can about that, or at least nothing that I'm willing to do (quit). So, the battle will continue. My cholesterol was 188, which is less than 200, so that looked good. However, I didn't have enough "good" cholesterol. It was 32, and it needs to be at least 36. My "bad" cholesterol was 125, and it should be less than 160. So, I asked the doctor what I could do to increase my good levels, and he said, "Not much". But, I can increase my exercise, and try to eat a little better, and that should help.

We've had somewhat of a setback in house training our pup. Last night, we went out to the bar with friends, and thought she'd be OK in our bathroom. She climbed the gate though, and then wasn't able to get back over the gate to use the potty pad. So, she had a couple of minor accidents then. She had an accident this morning, and one yesterday morning too. I think she's just confused now about where she's supposed to go. So, we're starting over. Ugh. I'm seriously questioning whether or not we should have gotten the dog. In retrospect, I wish we wouldn't have gotten her.

On an unrelated note, my wife found out last week that she's alergic to cats. She's experienced a lot of difficulty in breathing over the last year or so, and we thought she had developed a case of Asthma. After a full workup with the allergist, she's extremely alergic to cats. That's unfortunate, as we have two, and have had cats in our home our entire married life. The doctor recommended removing the cats to solve the problem, but that's not really an option. They've become so much a part of our family, it would be almost impossible for us to give them up. So, she's going to limit her contact as much as possible, and will wash her hands vigorously after she handles them. They're not allowed to sleep with us anymore, and definitely no snuggle sessions. I feel sorry for them, as they don't quite understand why they don't get the love and attention from my wife like they used to, but it's the best of a bad situation.

The cranes continue to migrate through the central plains. The peak migration period is supposed to be around March 20th. I had planned on traveling west to view them sometime next week, but we may also receive our last blast of winter next week too, so not entirely sure if I'm going to make it. We'll see.

Well, life with the puppy continues. She continues to be quite a handful, and is generally a lot of fun. We're still trying to potty train her, and overall, that's going OK. She has had just a couple of accidents on the carpet. Thankfully, since we have the Dupont Stainmaster carpet, her accidents don't sink in, but puddle on the top. Then, we just use the odor and stain remover (with enzyme action) to clean up the mess. It's a little stressful, but she's still learning. She has shown her stubborn side too, and I suppose that's just the terrier instinct in her.

I had a physical exam today. From all accounts, I'm very healthy, other than chronic fatigue, and that's related to my job schedule. The doctor did order a full set of bloodwork though, just to make sure. I wonder if I'm not a little anemic. I've tried to take daily vitamins, but they don't agree with me. I often feel bloated, and quickly gain a lot of weight.

My wife is changing jobs. She's a school teacher, and will be moving to a new school this coming year. One of the perks of her current job is the laptop that she gets to use. Her new school doens't supply laptops to the teachers. Oh well. Thus, we've been shopping around, and just today purchased a new laptop from Dell. I got a really good deal, and got 37% off, plus free shipping, along with a double memory upgrade and a free DVD upgrade. I'm pretty happy. It's an ultralight, is only 1" thick when closed, and weighs about 4 1/2 pounds. It's very cool. While we don't need it for another couple of months, this was just too good of a deal to pass up. While there are always deals on the Dell website, we decided to grab this one while it was available.

Otherwise, nothing else to report. Same stuff different day. We're anxiously awaiting spring. We had a wonderful, warm weekend last weekend with temperatures in the mid 70s. It was awesome, and a sign of things to come.

Well, it's been about 5 days since Ginger arrived at our house. She arrived Sunday evening without any trouble. We were a little worried about her traveling from Texas, but it actually went quite well. She was scared at first, but then happy to see us, and was cuddling in my daughter's arms in just a couple of minutes.

We arrived home, let her explore a little bit, and gave her a drink of water and some dinner. She was happy about that, gobbled the food down, and then used the puppy pad that we had placed out. We kissed her goodnight, and put her in her kennel. She slept very well the first night, likely quite tired from her plane ride. She slept for about 3 hours, upon which she was crying. Thus, I got her up and let her out, although she didn't use the bathroom. She slept again for another 3 hours, and then it was time to get up in the morning. I on the other hand didn't sleep a week. Too much adrenaline.

Monday was a quiet day. We lounged around the house, and got to know each other. She was still a little lethargic, and didn't really want to play much. Monday night was bad. She cried all night long. She wanted nothing to do with the kennel, and missed her mom and litter mates a lot. I didn't get much sleep that night either, but did manage to sneak in a couple of hours after putting in a set of ear plugs.

Tuesday was very similar to Monday. She started to get her energy back, and started exploring the house. Today was much better, and she definitely is starting to feel a lot more comfortable. I did run a few errands in the afternoon, and she stayed at home and slept. She's also getting along pretty well with the cats. Our older cat hates her, and our younger cat tolerates her. In fact, he started playing with her, and they take turns chasing and nipping each other. I think the younger cat is happy to have a new playmate with abundant energy. Tuesday night was bad once again. She howled a lot, to the point that even ear plugs could not drown out the sound. I eventually moved to the couch, so that she could see and hear me while still in her kennel, and that seemed to help. In fact, she seemed content, knowing that I was close by.

Wednesday, we ventured outside. It was our first time meeting new people. I went to my workplace, as a couple of the women that I work with wanted to see her. They thought she was so small and cute, and Ginger generally took it in stride, although she's very timid around strangers. Hopefully, that's just the fear period that puppies experience at this age. We also went to the pet store to get a couple more balls and to buy puppy chow. Wednesday night was a little better, but she was up around 3:30 am. My wife wasn't very happy, but she normally gets up around 5:00 am anyhow, so she tolerated the early awakening. I had to work. She did have her first accident on the carpet too, but it was easily cleaned up.

Thursday was an OK day. Ginger has definitely become very comfortable in our house. She plays hard, and now explores rooms on her own, and has found her voice. All in all, she's doing very well. I slept for about 4 hours in the morning, and she was fine through that period. I'm sure she slept too, but also entertained herself with toys and rawhide chews. I got up and we had a couple of very vigorous play sessions. She's a riot. It's so funny to watch her run (actually hops like a rabbit), to see her pick up toys in her mouth and shake them to death (that's how they do it), and to hear her bark at the cats. She also loves to cuddle. She's very happy snuggling in your lap, or in the crook of your arm, or around your neck. She definitely likes skin to skin contact. Last night, she slept the night through. She was in the kennel for about 7 hours, and didn't make a sound all night long. I don't know if she was just really tired, or has realized that we're not leaving her. Nevertheless, it was the most restful 7 hours of sleep I've ever gotten I think. After being run ragged with only 2 or 4 hours of sleep over the previuos 5 days, it was much needed.

Today, we traveled to her first checkup with the vet. He said she's very healthy, and everything looks great. She's gained 10 oz. in the previous week, and should mature at 7 to 9 lbs, just like the breeder thought. She had her first heartguard treat, and will get another set of shots in another couple of weeks. She's sleeping now after having a grueling play session. She likes to run laps around our love seat. She runs so fast, it's like a blur or white and brown and she whizzes by, barking along the way, and occasionally stopping to growl and chew on a ball or a squeaky toy. It definitely wears her out, and hopefully, we can continue to do that each night before bedtime.

Tonight will be a big night also, as my wife is having several friends over for scrapbooking. So, she'll be able to meet another 5 people or so, along with a couple of other dogs, Max and Murphy. We're supposed to introduce her to 100 people or pets in the next couple of months, so far, she has met 6. Puppy training class starts in three weeks. That should be fun.

Well, today is the day that our new pup arrives. She's enroute right now, traveling via Continental Airlines Petsafe program. The breeder dropped her off a couple of hours ago, and she'll arive here in Omaha in another couple of hours. We're all very excited about the new addition, but very nervous too. I think we're ready. We've got all of the supplies. We've got chew toys, treats, collars, leashes, potty pads, and an array of other assorted items. I've done as much research as I possibly can, and feel comfortable in what I need to do. While it will be an adjustment, I think we'll do just fine overall, and hopefully it will be a great experience. Hmm, we'll see.

Well, I have much to report. It's been a busy week though with life moving forward. Our new bed is working out very well. In fact, now that we've gotten used to the new feel, it's become a very comfortable bed. It's still very warm, and I end up sweating most nights, I just let some cool air in to solve that problem. So, I'd say that almost a month later, we're very happy with our decision.

My wife made soup again yesterday. If you remember from a couple of months ago, she made soup, and I hated it. This soup wasn't much better. In fact, we didn't even eat it. We decided to abandon the project, and made PB&J sandwiches instead. Crazy!

My wife had a Tastefully Simple party this past Friday. I spent the day cleaning the house, and rearraning clutter. It was a lot of hard work, but the house looked really good. And, only a short day later, it's back to normal, looking cluttered and disorganized again. Sigh. It's frustrating to work so hard for so little, but that's just the way it is I suppose.

I went to the local gun show yesterday with my father in law and one of his friends.
It was OK, but so much old crap. I think as a society, we hold on to things much longer than we should. I don't have a lot of room to talk though, as our basement is cluttered with box upon box of junk. I did buy a new knife though. I've been looking for a good pocket knife with a jean clip for awhile, and finally found what I was looking for. It's a heavy duty knife. My wife wasn't impresed, but it's exactly what I wanted.

NASCAR started up again today with the running of the Daytona 500. While I'm certainly not a diehard fan, I do enjoy a good race once in awhile.

I'm starting to get a little nervous about getting the puppy next weekend. I think we're ready, or at least as ready as we can be. It will definitely be a big adjustment in our lives, and while it will be a LOT of hard work, it should be a lot of fun too. Ha!

I'm still in the midst of a four day weekend. I have tomorrow off. It's one of those holidays that I'd just rather work (and receive double time for), but it will be a good day to spend with my daughter too.

Otherwise, if you recall, I paid of my truck loan a few months early (earlier in the year). I've been waiting for the credit union to release the title. Unfortunately, it seems that the post office has lost the title in the mail. The credit union mailed it almost two weeks ago, and I've yet to receive it. Ugh. Now, I'll have to get another release of lien, and get a duplicate title. While it's not the end of the world, it's a hassle nonetheless. We're also trying to rearrange some finances, to hopefully pay down some credit debt. If all goes as planned, we should be able to pay off our credit card debt altogether in another couple of months. Yeah!

Of course, something else will come along, it always does. In fact, I just found out that the head gasket needs to be replaced on our Saturn. The car has 115,000 miles, but I think the engine still has a lot of life left in it. The engine does not knock, it doesn't burn oil, it just leaks it very badly. My father in law's private mechanic should be able to repair it for well less than half of what the dealer was going to charge, but even still, that's about $400. Yikes. But, I think of it as an investment in my transportation. Again, the engine for all purposes still runs great, and the gas mileage is excellent at 35 mpg on a bad day. Oh well, again, that's life.

I know this may sound strange, but I think we might have a ghost in our house. Yesterday evening, my wife was inquiring of the wherabouts of her kitchen shears. We have two pair, but the good pair was missing. I haven't used them in quite awhile, and when I do, I usually leave them in the kitchen. Our daughter indicated she hadn't seen them, so apparently, they just disappeared.

Today, the kitchen shears mysteriously appeared on the counter. Now I know my wife thinks I'm playing a joke, but I honestly didn't have them. I swear. Our daughter vehemently denies having anything to do with them, and my wife also said that she didn't have them. So, this only means one of two things. First, someone is lying, and my wife had them all along. In other words, she doesn't want to admit that she misplaced them. I made her look me straight in the eye to say that she didn't have them, but I think she was looking over my shoulder, and not directly in my eye. Or, the other option is a little scary, in that we have a ghost living in our house.

Now we don't believe in ghosts, but there really isn't any other explanation. My wife indicated that a ghost couldn't possibly be living in our home, becuase it's a brand new house, and we're the only ones that have lived here. I basically said, "Duh, have you not seen the movie Poltergeist?" LOL!

So, someone is playing a trick, or we have a ghost living in our house. Either way, it's an erie feeling.

Well, we've made it offical. We've made arrangements to adopt an 8 week old toy Rat Terrier. She'll be delivered in a couple of weeks from a breeder in Texas. She sure is a cute pup, and should be about 7 or 8 pounds when fully grown. So, while she'll not be a big dog, it's a breed that has a lot of energy, but also has the terrier instinct. But, from all accounts, Rat Terriers are loyal family dogs and get along well with cats too. I'm definitely a little nervous about the extra work involved with raising a new puppy, but it should be an interesting experience. We've been talking about getting a puppy for awhile, and have decided that now is as good of a time as ever. I've been able to rearrange my schedule over the next 6 weeks so that we can give her as much attention as possible.

My daughter learned a valuable lesson in school today. She learned that kids can sometimes be cruel, even if they didn't mean too. It all began when my daughter approached a couple of girls at recess to ask if she could play with them. Apparently, they said that they didn't want to play with her, which hurt her feelings, so she went over and sat on the end of the stage. She said she didn't cry, but from what I can gather, she was at the verge of tears, but was able to hold them back. That's a big thing for a young girl to handle. This is the second year at this school, so she does have other friends to play with, but I think she was crushed.

Apparently, the teacher witnessed the whole ordeal, and spoke with the two girls, and then spoke with the mother of one of the girls. The mother proceeded to call my wife, and had the girl apologize to my wife, and then called our home and apologized to our daughter this evening. That was a nice gesture. Hannah said it was OK, and that she'd see her tomorrow in class.

So, while it's not an earth-shattering event, I think Hannah did learn a good lesson today.

Well, the groundhog saw his shadow today. That means six more weeks of winter. Hmm, that's just about the amount of time until March 21, regardless, so I'm beginning to wonder if this groundhog thing is all a hoax. Haha

Today was a beautiful day across the plains. It was mild, the sun was shining, and it was a grand day. My daughter had an early dismissal from school, so I picked her up and we went to the zoo. It was a slow day, and a lot of the animals were still indoors, but we really wanted to see the IMAX movie Alaska. We like to see the IMAX movies, they are both educational, and inspirational. The 6-story screen and awesoem 6 channel sound is exhilirating. The movie itself was grand, with amazing vistas and breathtaking scenery. It was a fun afternoon.

After the zoo, we drove to the pet store to look at puppies. I think we've decided to get a dog. Our guinea pig died this past week, he was about 6 years old. He just lied down one day, stopped eating and drinking, and couldn't move. About 5 days later, he died. We had debated on whether or not to get another guinea pig, but I think we've decided on a dog. I'm lukewarm about this idea, as it certainly will be a big change, with a lot of additional work, but I think we're ready, as a family that is. Everyone is expected to pitch in with the work, so hopefully, it will be a good experience. We thought about getting a Chihuahua, but after playing with one at my wife's mother's house (she's watching one for a friend), we think it's too small, and too fragile. So, we did some research, and settled on a Terrier, either a Jack Russell or a Rat Terrier. The books indicate that Jack Russells aren't the best dogs for first time dog owners, so a Rat Terrier it is. We're thinking of the miniature variety, which should weigh about 12 lbs when fully grown. Perhaps the perfect size. We found a breeder, and as luck would have it, they have a litter of pups available. So, we'll have to think long and hard, but we might be adopting a new little girl in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

Well, the new mattress was delivered this past week. Wow, that thing sure is big. It's about 18" deep, and even with a half-height box spring, it still feels like I've got my nosed pressed against the ceiling when I lie down. Oh well. It's a bit softer than the floor model at Nebraska Furniture Mart, and we've basically worked ourselves into a complex over it. The first night, we both slept fitfully. We had our previous mattress for almost 12 years, so it's something that we definitely got used to. The second night was just as bad, we both didn't sleep well, although I felt rested in the morning, and didn't ache, so that's a good sign. With all things, it will just take time to get used to the new feel. It's a top-end Sealy mattress, we spared no expense. Ha. The cat's like it very well, although anything other than the floor to them feels like a palace.

I did hit the casino a couple of times this past week. I went on Monday so that I could get my free Mardi Gras beads (every month, they give away a free prize, such as a tee shirt, a hat, or beads, etc). I won $75 that day, and would have liked to stay longer, but I needed to depart to get some lunch, and opted not to head back after. I headed back to the casino last night for a couple of hours. I was down almost $100, in fact, down to my last $5 chip, and won it back, eventually being $50 on the plus side by the end of the night. I would have stayed longer, but this really fat guy sat down next to me, and he smelled very bad, enough that it almost made me gag, so I pulled the chips in and left. Maybe he saved me some money, I don't know. It wasn't the typical body odor, but more of an unclean, nasty, gunky odor. It was bad.

I watched a good movie last night, The Towering Inferno. I know, that movie is like 30 years old, but I've never seen it before. And, in the world of DVR, we're finding that we record shows we wouldn't have bothered with before, simply because we can. It was a long movie, on American Movie Classics, but a good thriller nonetheless.

Let's see. I've got my taxes just about done. I hope to send them off this weekend, and plan to Efile. I'm not thrilled, but the sooner I pay them off, the smaller the penalty will be. I also made arrangements to pay off my truck loan about 5 months early, and my health care savings account has been set up too, so hopefully, I can pay off our daughter's orthodnotia bill early too.

We had a get together with my family yesterday. It was our annual holiday party, only a couple of weeks late. We didn't have time to get together in December, so we postponed it until January. It was a fun time, we all laughed a lot, had some great food, played cards, eventually the Newlywed game. We all had a great time, it's good to see family, to catch up on their lives, to laugh, and remember old times. Just wish we had time to do it more often.

Well, my career as a professional black jack player probably still needs some finetuning. Last night, nothing was on TV, and I intended to go to the gym. Instead, I decided to drive over to the casino boat. I was too tired for physical exercise, but awake enough to play some cards. After about 2 hours of play, I was up $20. I decided to call it a night and head home. In other words, I couldn't make a living, but it sure was fun. Had I left about 10 minutes earlier, I would have been up $60, but I managed to lose about 8 hands in a row, and that was my clue to pack it up and leave. Ah, $20 profit is better than anything in the red.

Well, we picked up our new entertainment center and TV on Sunday. It was quite a job, required two trips, and the assistance of two of my brother-in-laws and my father-in-law, but it's all set up, and boy oh boy, it sure is sweet. I got all of the HD channels activated, and it's breathtaking. It's almost to the point of being spoiled watching HD TV, and then having to watch regular TV thereafter. It's just not as good. You get accustomed to seeing the super-clear, awesome picture, and then get let down when you watch regular channels. Oh well, that's what it's all about. Ha.

Yesterday, we went back to Nebraska Furniture Mart and got a new mattress set. We spent about 300 dollars more than we wanted to, and bought an ultra plush, when we were mostly set on getting another firm mattress like the one we have now. It was somewhat out of character for us, but the ultra plush felt so nice, it was amazing. Hopefully, it won't be too soft, but we'll see. If it is, it will be an expensive lesson.

We put everything on the no interest plan until 2007, so we do have 2 years to pay for it. Should be easy enough. But, it was just the initial thought of dropping $3000 so quickly, especially when we have income taxes that are due very shortly. But those taxes are due right away, and these new payments can be deferred for a few months. LOL, ah, it's a vicious cycle.

We decided to have Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast. It just happens that there was a Starbucks Coffee shop right next to the doughnut case in HyVee. I've never had a Starbucks in my life, but I think my wife is addicted to it. I called her, and inquired what she wanted. She wanted a peppermint mocha, non-fat, with whipped cream, whatever that might be. Me, I just had their daily coffee. I'm not into fru fru coffee (as we call it). I just like a good cup of jo, with cream and sugar. I have to admit, my coffee was the most bitter coffee I've ever had. That was even with a full packet of sweet and low. I can't believe I paid $1.75 for a cup of coffee that quite possibly could have been the worst cup of coffee I've ever had. In other words, I'll never have Starbucks again.

We bought the HDTV. Well, let me rephrase that. "I" bought the TV, and my wife reluctantly agreed. She never said "No." She did express concern about the price, but she technically never said no, so to me, that meant, sure, go ahead, be frivolous.

We decided on a 34" flat-screen TV (no, not a flat panel, but a flat screen, traditional tube TV.) Ok, the downside of this, the thing is an absolute beast at almost 200 pounds. The upside, it's got the "BEST" picture quality of any HDTV on the market right now, and it fits exactly into the new entertainment center we bought to go along with it. I mean exactly. There's about 1/2" to spare all the way around, otherwise, it's an exact fit. It's almost as if the entertainment center was built for this specific TV. The entertainment center was labeled as an "HDTV" entertainment center, so maybe it was.

We bought a 34" Sony WEGA model. Link here if you'd like more info on the TV. You can read some customer reviews from the Circuit City site, or check out the reviews from Epinions.com for additional details.

I have to admit, I'm pretty excited. I think we got a really good deal at the Nebraska Furniture Mart, and think we'll enjoy this TV for years and years to come. Sure, it's frivolous, and very extravagent, but hell, you only live once, and by golly, we're making sure that our one shot is an enjoyable one.

Well, I have to admit, after almost two weeks of having DVR, it's definitely an awesome feature. In fact, I think it will revolutionize the way we watch TV. Recording shows is so easy, I can't ever imagine going back to a regular VCR. The clarity of the shows is astounding too, and it's unbelievably easy to not only set the recordings, but watch them as well. It's almost as if watching TV has become more efficient. Plus, when using the onscreen guide, which goes out about 6 days, you can set up your whole week's recording schedule in just a few minutes. Another cool feature, you can set it up to record the entire series of a show. Thus, with a one-time program, you can record every new show of Everybody Loves Raymond for example. That's it. Every new episode thereafter will be recorded. It's very cool.

Now, I'm considering moving to the next step. The DVR has a built-in HD tuner. However, we don't have an HD TV. So, I've been doing some research on big-screen TVs. I think it would be cool to have a nice, large, HDTV. We had intended to buy a new TV for when we finish our basement, but that is years away. I'm seriously debating whether we should just get the TV now. Nebraska Furniture Mart has a deal going on now, no interest if paid off by January 2007. That's two years we'd have to pay it off. Hmm, very tempting.

My wife on the other hand thinks we need to buy a new couch and love seat instead, I'm not so sure. Our old couch can hold up another two years (doubtful, ha). Seriously, we do need new furniture. Our couch is sagging severely in the middle, and every time we sit down on the love seat, it makes these creaking noises, like the wood is about to crack. Yikes.

And, we need a new mattress set. We've been using our current set for 11 years, I think it's time we get a new set. So, what to do. I guess it boils down to the needs versus the wants. We need a new mattress set, and will probably need a new couch and love seat. But I want a new HD big-screen TV. Hmm, decisions, decisions, decisions.

OK, I don't know if you've seen the commercials for Herbal Essence where the woman moans wildly about shampooing her hair. Now that's exciting. But otherwise, shampoo isn't all that energizing. Most of use shampoo, and for most of us, we use it every day. Do you think our hair gets tired of the same old shampoo, day in and day out? I actually do. It's like after months of use, it's not quite as effective. It's like building up a resistance to the shampoo's cleaning effects. And amazingly enough, if you just change to a different brand, then it seems life is good again. Shampoo becomes exciting. Your hair smells great, it's clean and shiny, and the shampoo does its job. I know this has nothing to do with anything really, but it's just a thought that came to me.

Well, it's mid January, still about 6 weeks away from good sandhill crane viewing. I enjoyed my visit to Central Nebraska so much last year, I'm axiously looking forward to the visit this year. I don't know that I'll see anything new, and it might just be the same old thing, but for some reason, it's kind of exciting. Especially if the day turns out to be as beautiful as the trip last year. And, to see a beautiful sunset on the Platte River is awesome.

Well, Lady Luck has been on my side the past few days. On Monday, I decided to go to the gym to get some exercise. I left the house around 800 pm. I got to the gym, and the parking lot was nearly full. I had forgotten how crazy it can be right after the first of the year when everyone has made their New Year's resolution to lose weight. So, I decided to kill a couple of hours. I first went to the bookstore, but there wasn't anything that I was interested in buying. So, I ventured out to the casino boat. It's only 20 minutes away, almost too convenient. After about an hour, I was up $125. I was giddy. I decided to take the profit and run. Finally. Too many times I've been up $60, $75, or even $100 and have lost it all. Not this time.

Yesterday, after work (I got off at midnight), because my sleep pattern was altered too much (from working midnight shifts earlier in the weekend), I decided to head back to the casino for another try. I wouldn't be able to sleep for another 2 or 3 hours, so I decided to spend it at the boat. After 20 minutes, I was up another $100 bucks. I couldn't believe it. Neither could everyone else at the table. The pit boss was a little upset. I walked away, again. I went home and watched the movie Truman instead.

It was a great movie. I'm finding that I really enjoy learning about United States history. In college, I struggled to get C grades in the two history classes that I took. Now, I wish I could take the classes over again, when the grades don't really count, to actually learn something that I didn't know before.

Anyhow, back to my story. Today, before work, I was still feeling a lucky streak inside me, and I headed back to the boat once more to hit the cards. Again, I was up $50, then down about $40, and eventually, after about an hour, was back to $100 on the plus side. That's $325 in 3 sessions. Totally awesome!

It's funny how Lady Luck can pay you a visit. But, unfortunately, you can have just as long of a bad streak too. That's the way it goes. Up some days, down others, but as long as you have fun, it should be worth it. It's important to remember though to not gamble with money you can't afford to lose. I do like to play the cards, that's all, of course, that comes from my father and mother who had the hot gambling bug in them, but it sure is fun. Especially when you win!

Well, another 6 inches of snow fell last night, but there really wasn't a lot of wind. Thus, same story, different day, I fired up the snowblower, and had the driveway clean in about 45 minutes. I then headed out to run some errands, and also get a new toy. We have been discussing the need for a digital video recorder (DVR), and thought it was time to take the plunge. Thus, I exchanged our old digital cable box for a shiny new DVR, and boy oh boy, is that thing cool. You can record up to 60 hours of TV, or about 15 hours of HD TV. We don't have an HD TV, so we get the full capacity. You can record two shows at once, you can pause and rewind live TV, it's totally awesome. All in all, it will be an extra $10 a month on our cable bill, but from first impressions, I'd say it will be worth every penny. Now, I'm wondering why we didn't do it sooner.

Well, we received our 8 inches of snow afterall. We awoke this morning, to find that the advertised lull between systems was here. The wind blew quite a bit overnight, and drifted the snow a bit, but overall, it's not too bad.

My father in law gave me a pair of heavy-duty coveralls right before winter set in. He works for the post office, and these are the same coveralls that mail handlers wear. Wow, were they ever warm. In fact, it's the first time I've ever worn coveralls in my life, and it's probably the warmest I've ever been when pushing snow. He also gave me a a balaclava to go over my head. It was awesome. I now know what I've been missing all of these years.

The snowblower fired right up, well almost. I had to prime the engine a bit more than expected, but it took. Unfortunately, we have an east-west driveway, and the wind was still blowing from the north around 20 mph, so anytime I tried to blow the snow north, it blew right back into my face. Hmm, that was kind of nasty, but otherwise, I made quick progress, and had the driveway cleaned out in about an hour. Not bad.

Therafter, we ventured out, to grab a few supplies at Walmart (my wife now has the bad cold that I had right around Christmas), and also to an orthodontist appointment for my daughter.

Later, the piano tuner came by to tune the piano. It hadn't been tuned in probably 15 years. It was severely under pitched, but after a couple of hours, it sounds beautiful again. Unbelievable how different it sounds.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and the fire is oh so delightful. The aforementioned snow storm has arrived with a vengeance. We're expecting several inches, somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 to 14 inches. The entire region is in a flutter about the upcoming snowstorm. It's already started snowing today, and should continue right on through Wednesday. So thankful that I have my snow blower. I got it out yesterday, cleaned and gassed it up, and it's ready to go. Hopefully, it won't be too bad, as the snow is expected to come in two pieces. 6 or 8 inches today, and another 4 to 6 inches tomorrow. Ah, fresh snow is so beautiful, but when the wind blows, it gets bitterly cold, which I don't care for at all.

Well, the new year has arrived. We made it through the holidays just fine, although I was under the weather with a terrible cold. My wife and daughter drove to Kentucky to visit some good friends there, and I stayed at home and played Black Jack. I had to work too, but I was able to hit the casino a couple of times.

We didn't have much weather to speak of, but within a few days, we should have a pretty big snow storm. Looks like by next Tuesday and Wednesday, we could see several inches of snow.

I did a preliminary tax estimate too. It's bad news. I in advertently claimed too many exemptions. Instead of claiming 3 total, I claimed 6 (3 for my W4 and 3 for my wife's). Yikes. Sure enough, right now, it looks like we're going to owe about $2400 to federal (plus penalty) and about $350 to state. Damn. That's not exactly the new years present I was hoping for, but, nothing that can be done about it now. I was originally angry as hell about the whole prospect, but have now come to realize it's my own fault. Had I paid "more" attention, we wouldn't be in this mess. Oh well. Life sucks sometimes.

With regard to new years resolutions, I don't think I'll make any. I invariably don't follow them. One time several years ago, we tried to seal our resolutions in an envelope to open the following year. That was kind of fun, perhaps we'll start that again for next year.

Today is Christmas Eve. Only it doesn't feel like Christmas. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't. We decided to do a little last minute shopping today. Not for Christmas presents, but for a new electric knife to carve the turkey and ham. Our old electric knife broke a couple of years ago, and we've never gotten around to replacing it.

We were amazed at how many people were still out and about. The stores were full, the streets clogged, I honestly didn't believe that many people would still be shopping on Christmas Eve. It's almost as if it's just another day, nothing special.

We made peanut butter fudge today. It was an old recipe that my administrative assistant gave to me. Her fudge was very good, and we wanted the recipe. Our first batch may have turned out a little dry, but it was fun nonetheless, but a lot of work.

I had to work this evening, from 4 pm until midnight. Sigh. Maybe it would feel more like Christmas if I didn't have to work. It kind of takes the magic out of it. Another reason, I think our 8 year old daughter finally has given up on Santa Claus. She didn't want to go see him, or even write him a letter. So, that's kind of sad in a way, but expected I guess.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Well, yesterday, I started feeling under the weather. I could feel a cold coming on. I thought I was getting one last week. I traveled to Kansas City for some work-related training. It seems that whenever I travel to KC, I always get sick. But last week, I was able to beat it down. I thought I was over it.

Now today, I've got a full blown cold. It's in my throat and chest. I've lost my voice. I can't hardly speak, and I'm coughing hard. I haven't had a cold this bad in about 10 months. I suppose it was time. My job depends on my ability to communicate to not only my coworkers, but also to my customers. I'll make do, but my voice is so raspy, I honestly don't know how I'll cope.

Hopefully, I can begin to get over this before the holidays arrive.

Cell phones have become the modern-day necessity. Everyone has one, and if you don't, well, then you basically need one. Really. It's true. Actually, I don't believe I know anyone that DOESN'T have one. It's amazing.

We've all come to the point where we feel we NEED to have one attached to our hip. It's almost comical. I saw a good friend today who I haven't seen in awhile at a meeting. Sure enough, he had his cell phone firmly attached to his belt. I asked him if he uses it much. He said, "No." I asked him why he carries it on his hip. He said, "In case anyone ever needs to get ahold of me." I asked him if he received many calls. He said, "No."

So, there you have it. Many of us have them, and do any of us use them for anything important. Mostly, no. I've had a cell phone for about 5 years now. Have I ever used it for anything other than mindless dribble? I can't recall a single instance where I couldn't have gotten by without it. Sure, I don't doubt that cell phones have saved lives, and I suppose it's a good piece of insurance to have, but I think we've taken the obsession to the next level.

There's always something bigger and better. The newest model. The newest gimick. It used to be analog, then digital, now global digital. Cell phones used to be the size of a brick, and now, they're the size of a postage stamp. They used to be black and white, and now, they're in color, capable of broadcasting streaming video to your personal web page. Just more nonsense for communications companies to continue getting richer while the majority of Americans scrape by. It's an injustice. We're being conned by corporate America.

Is it worth it to pay my $80 per month for the cell phones that my wife and I now carry? I personally am beginning to question that. But, the first time I could actually use it to save someone's life, I might be thinking a different tune. It's all about convenience. As a society, we've become accustomed to getting instant gratification. Instant communication. Instant feedback. I think we've gone off the deep end.

My daughter has been begging me to set up the Christmas tree. She's become quite anxious, and for the last two weeks, has been asking if we can start decorating the house. To me, it's just more work on top of an already busy schedule. I've lost the luster of the holidays, and I'm not really into them. In fact, I'd just prefer for them to be over. Then, things can settle down to normal once again, and life can go on.

Ah, but to see the holidays through children's eyes. To see the joy and wonder, to see their faith in a deceiving tradition, to enjoy the suspense of receiving their heart's desires come true. I remember those days, and wonder what it would be like to feel that way once again. I remember fondly my holidays past, and am a little sad that I can't give that to my daughter.

I'll put on a good face, and in fact, we did set up the tree today. We unpacked box after box of Christmas docorations, and my daughter was overjoyed. You could see the twinkle in her eye as she discovered ornaments and decorations that she'd long forgotten about. It was fun. If only to be a kid again, just for awhile, that would be priceless.

Even though I've been married for almost 12 years, I've come to the conclusion that I still don't understand women. Well, most men don't, so I'm not alone. It snowed today. So, my wife decided to make soup. That sounded great, and I thought it would feel good after being out on a chilly day. After she arrived home from the grocery store, I ventured out myself to run a couple of errands. I said I'd be home in a couple of hours.

After getting home (I was starved, as we had an early brunch), my wife immediately informed me that she didn't think I'd like the soup. She even said she didn't know if she'd like it herself. You see, my wife likes to experiment with new recipes, and this was a new recipe. I on the other hand have never been excited about these experiments. While there have been a few good recipes gleaned from the process, a lot of the time, it's not pleasant. Tonight was no different.

The soup was a hamburger, green bean, and corn mixture. First of all, I've never been fond of corn in soup, period. I guess I've just never told her that. The soup was too thick, and the taste too harsh. This is one recipe I'd just rather do without. To my wife's dismay, I ate a few bites, but then pushed it aside. My daughter was making gagging noises as she tried to eat it. While that was probably a bit over the top, my wife got upset and went running from the table.

About an hour later, after throwing a few dirty glances in my direction, she's still fuming. She also made a pumpkin pie, which I didn't get to have on Thanksgiving. I thought I'd at least help heal the rift by enjoying a piece of dessert. As I grabbed a plate from the cupboard, she shot back, "I didn't say you could have a piece of dessert." I shrugged my shoulders, put the plate back in its place, and began to walk away. I guess she was feeling guilty, and said, "I was just kidding. You can have it." I glanced back without showing much emotion, and said, "No thanks." That prompted another uproar, and she went storming out of the kitchen, mumbling "You've managed to insult me again."

So, I just don't get it. I suppose I never will. She feels that we (my daughter and myself) never appreciate anything that she does, but that's not correct. We appreciate very much all that she does for us, but I guess she just doesn't see that. She prefaced the dinner with words of caution that the soup was going to be bad. And it was. I ate a few bites, but that's all I could take. I didn't say anything, except that I didn't like corn in my soup.

I apologized. But, she's still on the warpath. Sigh.

OK, enough is enough. I think the stores have taken rebates to the extreme. It seems you can't buy anything these days without a "mail-in" rebate attached to it. As I type this, I'm waiting on 12 rebates. I still haven't figured out the whole rebate scheme, but as far as I can tell, companies are buying our contact information so that they can bombard us with junk mail. I guess it doesn't really matter, I don't even bother to open 50% of it. I simply throw most of it away. I suppose the other angle would be that businesses hope that we just won't bother with the hassle of collecting the proper forms, cutting the UPC symbols, making copies of receipts, and so on. A recent tax software purchase is a prime example. I had to spend $180 out-of-pocket to get all of the freebies and upgrades. After filling out paperwork for over an hour, hopefully, in the end, I'll get about $120 of that back. That's if all of the rebates are accepted. I've sent in rebates before, only to receive a letter in the mail stating that they were missing the proper form, or that the UPC symbol fell out of the envelope in transit, or some other line of BS. And, in the end, it takes 8 to 10 weeks to receive your money. There's so much of a disconnect there that it just doesn't feel like you've gotten the bargain that you signed up for. Oh well, the retailers have us by the walnuts. The only choice we have is to put up with the nonsense, jump through their stupid hoops, and give up up personal information, or pay the higher price. Sometimes, the higher price just might be worth it.

I begin my vacation today. I've got the next 7 days off. Unbelievably, we're not going out of town for the holidays. It's going to be an awesome feeling. Being away from work hopefully will give me a renewed spirit, and because we're not rushing around like fools, it should be a peaceful time. I've got a few errands in the house that I'd like to get done, but if I don't, the world won't fall off its axis. If I get a chance, that's great. So, we can enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, attend my sister-in-law's wedding reception, and just enjoy the break.

Today, we attended my sister-in-law's wedding. It wasn't a traditional wedding, in fact, it was a very non traditional wedding. She decided to get married at the court house. She originally was going to run off to Las Vegas, but we convinced her that was a bad idea. So, she got married by a judge. It turned out to be a really beautiful wedding. The judge's words were very touching. It brought back memories of my own wedding. And, I think the bride and groom were both truly happy. It was a good day.

Last night, we drove away from the city for dinner. I had received word at work about a great steak house that was in a small town about 30 miles away. We drove there once before to eat, but it was too busy, and the wait was over 2 hours. So, we decided to try our luck again last night.

This was definitely a step back in time. I grew up in a small town, and steak houses such as this were common to me. But, it was a new experience for my wife. Actually, we found it quite amusing.

Now please understand, this is a small town with a population of about 400 people. We arrived, and instead of taking our names, the owner asked us to take a seat in the bar. Sure beats standing up. We ordered drinks, and relaxed while beginning to watch the Oklahoma/Nebraska football game.

After about a 30 minute wait, we were shown to our table. The restaurant is a historical landmark, and we were seated in the balcony. The ceilings were low (about 5 feet) but were covered with original copper plates. It was beautiful. The menu choices were mostly peppered with steak entrees (typical of a small town place), and it was then that I noticed in bold, black letters: "We do not accept credit cards."

Wow. It hit me like a rock. I've come to assume that ALL places accept credit cards. It's the way we live. Well, actually not via a credit card, but a Debt card for us, but it still works the same. Thankfully, I had just gone to the bank earlier that day and I did have enough cash in my wallet, otherwise, we would have had to pay for our drinks and leave.

The food was OK, the ambience was great, and overall, it was a pleasant evening.

Ah, life is good when things are new. Take our new car for instance. Six weeks ago when we drove it off the lot, it was divine. The feelings were unexplainable. It was a euphoric moment. Now, with a little mud on the tires and grime on the windows, the bloom is off the rose. I took our car to get it washed yesterday. It needed it. I spent about an hour, washing, buffing, drying, and cleaning. Now, it looks new again. I didn't feel the same as when we drove it off the lot, but it felt good again. I'm not sure why, but driving a clean car makes me feel at ease.

I decided to do a little furniture rearranging in our guest bedroom. Actually, it's a computer room most of the time, and once or twice a year, we have guests. Anyhow, back to my point, I decided to switch the location of the computer and dresser.

I purchased a new desk, to tidy things up a bit, and also give us more space. I debated on buying a real-wood desk, but decided on a pressed-wood kit instead. I've been looking for awhile now, but couldn't find anything that suited me. Finally, I found the perfect desk, and brought it home. It was heavy, about 100 pounds, and needed assembly.

As I unpackaged the contents, I was amazed. The desk was broken down into about 30 wooden pieces, with a gallon-sized bag of bolts, nuts, screws, nails, and other associated hardware. Wow. I was overwhelmed. So, the quest began.

I started on page one, and continued to plod through 24 more pages of instructions (full size pages, front and back). Most of it was graphical, but still, it was a daunting job. Overall, I spent about 3 hours putting the desk together. It actually looks really good. It's a nice desk, and will serve its purpose well.

Several times throughout the ordeal, I was cursing to myself under my breath, as I couldn't find the correct part, or didn't understand the instructions. Once, I dropped the bottom shelf on my big toe. It still hurts even today. It always makes me uneasy though when you've finished and you still have several bolts, nuts, and screws left over. I know that I followed each direction properly, I'm assuming the company sent a few extra, just to confuse us a little more. Did I really miss something? ha

Anyhow, that crosses another 2 items off of my "To Do" list. Slowly but surely, I'll get that list done, eventually. It only takes time and patience.

Yesterday, we took our piano out of storage so that our daughter could begin piano lessons. This is the piano that I was given when I was a child to learn how to play the piano myself. I was about 10 when Dad purchased the piano. I took lessons for about 4 years, and then lost interest as I became a teenager.

That was one of the items that I wanted when my folks passed away. I felt that I deserved it. Afterall, it was bought for me, and only myself (among 7 other brothers and sisters) learned how to play.

When my mother passed away, the piano, as willed, was given to me. At that time, I really didn't want anything to do with it. It only reminded me that my parents were gone. Every day that I'd walk past the piano, it would bring back painful memories.

Then, we moved across country, and I decided to leave the piano in storage, in our garage. It was wrapped in blankets, and covered in plastic. We did have plans to move it into our basement, but I could never coordinate enough people to do it.

Then, this past week, my daughter started her own lessons, unbeknownst to me. My wife and I had discussed it, but I didn't realize she was starting so soon. How could a child take piano lessons I asked, without having a piano to practice on?

So, we decided to move the piano into the house afterall. There really isn't room upstairs, so we placed it in our front foyer. While it's not the ideal place, we do have room there, it just looks a little odd. I cleaned it all up, blew out all of the dust with an air compressor, and cleaned the keys. Actually, it still looks beautiful. It hasn't been tuned in probably 15 or 17 years. It doesn't sound that bad, but will sound much better after a thorough checkup.

And, so it goes, passing down from generation to generation. My father and mother gave that piano to me almost 25 years ago, and now today, I'm giving it to my daughter. It almost makes me feel old in a way, but then again, those feelings of sadness that I'd always associated with that piano have disappeared. It's been 4 years since my mother's death, and that time has allowed me to heal. I'm thrilled that my daughter is taking lessons. I'm even more excited about the fact that she's not only using the piano that I learned how to play on 25 years ago, and indeed, even my mom took a few lessons too. It's a wonderful piece of heritage to share with my daughter.

It's beginning to be that time again when Old Man Winter will soon be descending upon us. The leaves have turned, the flowers have died (for the most part), and I'm mowing the grass for what I hope will be the last time this year. I've got winterizer fertilizer to put down, and I'm trying to get as much done outside as possible.

I don't particularly care for winter. I was born and raised in this part of the country, so I should be used to it, but I moved away for so long, I came to enjoy the mild winters of the south. Last winter was our first winter back on the plains, and it was a record setting winter at that with huge amounts of snowfall. I hope we don't repeat that again this year, but time will tell.

I generally prefer spring and fall the best. I love spring because I like to see the emergence of new growth, the beautiful flowering trees, and the color that transcends into summer. I love the fall for its cool, crisp days, and I love to see the fall colors emerge upon the horizon. I do however have fall allergies though, but have learned to cope with those for the 6 or 8 weeks that they bother me.

Winter is depressing. It's cold, dreary, and colorless. I really don't care for snow at all, having to drive through it, having to watch for other drivers lack of winter driving ability, and the cold, blustery conditions. Summer is OK, but it's often hot and muggy, and occasionally uncomfortable.

Ah, the change of season. Something that marches on, unchangeable, and always present in the back of our minds.

I voted today. Frankly, I'm not sure my 2 hour investment was worth it, (yes, I stood in line for 2 hours), but nonetheless, I voted. There was much grumbling in line among voters, especially because only 1 person was checking everyone in. Our precinct must be half of the city. It was unbelievable. Then, a lady walked in and began talking with the gal a couple of people ahead of me. She said the line at the other school across the street (the next precinct over), there were 4 tables for checking people in alphabetically, and that there were only 3 people in line. Ugh! So, I've done my civic duty, I voted, I'm not sure it was worth it, but I at least cast my ballot.

Interestingly enough, my 8 year old daughter informed me last night that she was voting for George Bush. They were having a mock vote at her school today. She said that she heard John Kerry was going to pass a law that all kids had to go to school all year long. She was concerned because kids need summer vacation, and she thought George Bush would be better as president by not passing such a law. Mind you, she's in the third grade, but at least she's got a viewpoint.

I'm not an overly political person. I never have been. But, this year's presidential election could prove to be interesting. I just read that the candidates have spent over 600 million on political advertising. I can't even begin to believe that. Imagine what could have been done if that money were spent elsewhere. It almost makes me angry, as I'm a middle class, regular joe, struggling to make ends meet, often living from paycheck to paycheck. I know there are tens of millions of people out there just like me. It's amazing how much money there is in the world, yet it's shocking to know that people still go to bed cold and hungry at night. It's wrong.

And speaking of wrong, I read in another poll that up to 10% of the eligible voting population (one of a thousand different polls that have been taken in the last few weeks) won't even bother to vote. That's insane! We were given constitutional privileges by the Bill of Rights, and it's crazy to think that someone wouldn't exercise that responsiblity. Especially when you have people in other countries that fight everyday for the freedom and independence that we as Americans take for granted. And, it's these idiots that won't vote who often complain the loudest when they don't like the way things turn out.

They say the election will be too close to call. The latest polls again have the candidates neck and neck, making a final sprint for the finish this coming Tuesday. I'm betting that we'll not know the official outcome of the election for a few days or even weeks. It simply will be too close, and there will likely be several contested races in a few states. The process will come to grinding halt. Again!

And, to make matters worse, why does Ralph Nader even bother to run? He has no chance (let me repeat that, NO chance) of becoming the next president. I believe his only desire is to cause more chaos in an otherwise disorderly system. And why would someone waste their vote on such a candidate, knowing that those votes could tip the scales in another candidate's favor? Idiotic.

Well, for what it's worth, I'm gong to vote for John Kerry. I believe that George Bush has mislead the country by leading us into a war that wasn't necessary. The pricetag continues to escalate, something on the order of 200 billion. Imagine what that 200 billion could have been used for right here at home. Things such as education, healthcare, social security, and so foth. I believe that America deserves better. I understand the need to protect ourselves from terroristic threat, but I feel the war with Iraq was launched for the wrong reasons.

John Kerry has some outlandish ideas, and he's promised much more than we can pay for, but I'm willing to give him a chance. It's got to better than 4 more years of George Bush. Sometimes, a fresh face can give new life. Sure, things could be worse, but I have hope that they could be much better.

My wife on the other hand said she's voting for Bush, and that she can't possibly vote for "Herman Munster" as she keeps referring to Kerry. Sigh. I hope that folks across America are going to base there vote on more than that. So, our votes will cancel each other other. I'm afraid it might be that way across the entire country.

This evening, my daughter and I went trick or treating in our neighborhood while my wife handed out candy back at home. We were on a mission to hit every house that had their lights turned on. About halfway through, we noticed a peculiar sight. An upscale SUV, I believe it was a Lexus, was driving toward us, stopping at every 3 houses or so. The children would get out, go trick or treat at the front door, then get back into the car and drive to the next set of houses. You see, there are still a handful of homes that are still under construction, and I think they were using the vehicle to bypass the empty houses, or those houses that weren't celebrating the tradition. I guess it's the ultimate form of yuppie trick or treating. The weather was nice, but breezy, and about 60 degrees outside. Certainly nothing to seek shelter inside a warm, cozy SUV. Oh well, it never ceases to amaze me that the world is full of idiots. I see proof of that theory nearly every day.

I haven't posted in quite awhile about my diet, or lack thereof I should say. You see, I think I've really given up on the diet craze. Instead, I've simply started to buy bigger clothes. Mainly just pants. I've really been wanting to get comfortably back into my size 34 jeans, but have decided to just accept the fact that I'm getting fatter. So, I've invested in a few pair of size 36 pants, does it really matter? Ha, to everyone but me, certainly not! Oh well. Life's too short to worry about something so petty. But, I still go to the gym. I actually enjoy it. I don't work out hard, but usually just go to remain active. I've got the membership, I might as well use it. So now, my mission isn't one to necessarily lose weight, but just to do some exercise, to elevate my heart rate, and to do something good for my body. It still doesn't stop me from enjoying a Krispy Kreme (reference a previous post) or a Rootbeer Custard freeze now and then. :)

I know we all have our personal pet peeves, those things that really make us steamed. Have you ever had the ice break away from your cup as you were taking a drink? You know what I'm talking about, you take a drink, but the ice has frozen together. Just as you tip the cup, the ice breaks free, and you get a face full of liquid, which also dribbles onto your chin, and down your shirt. I hate it when that happens.

Another pet peeve of mine, stupid, idiotic drivers that drive like a bat out of hell, doing anything and everything to get ahead of you in traffic. They have no disregard for other drivers, and no matter how fast you're driving, it's never fast enough. Invariably, they cut you off, and often, offer some form of obscene gesture to make them feel superior. What's really funny though, as you drive up to the next stop light, there they are, no further in their pursuit than they were before. Hurry up, then wait! Idiots. That's all I can say. For us normal drivers, it's usually quite amusing. While they're busy tearing up their vehicles, we mosy along at our normal snail's pace, and often get to the same place, but only seconds apart. It doesn't make sense.

Have you ever noticed how fast or slow you eat? I mean, really, it's not something we think about. We eat when we're hungry, but who ever really times it? This morning, I decided to treat myself to Village Inn for breakfast. I always order the Village Inn breakfast, I don't even have to look at the menu. Scrambled eggs, bacon most of the time, and pancakes. If you get there early enough, they can have everything ready in about 10 minutes. When you're by yourself, you don't have anyone to talk to, no interruptions, just you, your breakfast, and a ticking clock. I admit, I can eat fast if I need to. My wife certainly can. She's a teacher, and has learned the fine art of shoveling food into her body as fast as possible, to remain alert for devlish children. This morning, after gobbling down my food, the waiter came by, and made a remark, "Wow, you sure ate that fast." How am I supposed to respond to that? I mumbled, "Yeah, I was hungry." And then he left. I suppose it's no different than our two cats. If we open a can of tuna and give them a little to make them happy, they can clean the plate in 30 seconds flat. I don't know if there's any proven research that eating fast makes you hungrier later on, if it makes you gain more weight, or if it's bad for you. But, sometimes you do what you have to do.

As I was driving home from taking my daughter to school today, I drove past the local Krispy Kreme shop. The smell was enough to make me pull over and get a couple of doughnuts. Of course, they always offer a free sample hot off the line, and I opted for a custard filled confection for my second choice. As I was driving home, it occurred to me, do doughnuts have any nutritional value. Well, according to their website, not much. In fact, a regular glazed doughnut has 12g of fat, and 22g of carbs. In other words, one doughnut has more carbs than an Atkins dieter is allowed in an entire day. Was it worth it? You bet. Nothing better then a glazed doughnut, hot off the line, that literally melts in your mouth.

Well, our family has recently experienced a round of the flu. Our daughter was exposed to the flu this past Thursday. We were hoping that she wouldn't get it, but she did. It came in full force yesterday, as she threw up in the back seat of my wife's new car. Now the good news, since we decided to go with the leather seats, cleanup was a snap. The bad news, the flu spread to me soon after, and possibly to my wife today. While my daughter threw up, I fortunately did not. I was just nausious, achy, very tired, had the chills, a bad headache, and had intestinal troubles. I feel a little better today. But, those same symptoms are now manifesting themselves in my wife. My daughter feels better too. So, was this the super bug that has America running scared? I doubt it, and I'm sure there will be more to come, the season has only just begun.

We drove away yesterday with our shiny new car. It's awesome. We feel really good about the car, knowing that it'll be a very reliable means of transportation. We took it for a long drive today, to stretch her legs, and to see what it's got. Wow! Driving down the highway at 95 mph, with the tachometer only reading 2800 RPM was a rush. And, it barely felt like we were driving above 60. So, this V6, 240 horsepower, hot rod machine can rock, and it definitely had a lot more to give. Mind you, we don't intend on driving 95 mph down the highway on a regular basis, but it sure was fun. Smooth ride, awesome radio, I'm not sure what more we could ask for. I think we're going to love, love, love this car.

I went back to the dealership this morning to negotiate the price. They weren't willing to budge yesterday, but I thought they could do better. After talking with the sales manager, I offered the following pitch:

"Look, I think you can do better. We're not trading in a car, and it's the end of the year closeout. It's also the end of the month, and I'm sure you've got sales quotas that have to be met. I'm buying your top of the line accord, of which you currently have 10 in your inventory. Plus, you're getting a $1000 dealer incentive from Honda on this car, and I'm paying cash. What can you do for me?"

He walked away, and a few minutes later, came back to say that we had a deal. After some tense issues regarding a credit application (we were financing through our credit union, so no need for a credit ap), the papers were signed. Snip snap, in about an hour, we were the proud new owners of a 2004 Honda Accord EX, V6, top of the line, leather seats, sun roof, fully loaded, Redondo Red, kick in the pants car.

Even though it's a extravagant, expensive, car, I'm happy. It's exactly what my wife wanted, make, type, color, and options. She's thrilled. In fact, it will be early birthday present for her. We're not picking the car up until Friday, which is OK. I'm excited. It's a sharp looking car, and am just glad that we've got reliable transportation again.

I've decided to repair our old car afterall. I'm not sure what we could get out of the car if we don't repair it, and feel that we can likely get close to blue-book value if the car is in working order through a private sale.

In the meantime though, we've decided to go ahead and get the new car, but just 6 months sooner. This way, we can save a few thousand dollars on a year-end closeout, instead of buying a new vehicle next April, when discounts would be few and far between.

A couple of months ago, we started weeding through replacements, and shopped around a bit, viewed brochures, peeked inside windows at dealerships, and so forth. I had pretty much narrowed it down to a Honda Accord. The reliability is a high priority for me, and it's been consistently rated in the Top 5 automobiles for the last 10 years.

After finding a car that we wanted, and even the color, my wife stopped by for a test drive. She loved it. So, I think tomorrow, I'll talk to the dealer again, perhaps try to haggle the price a little more, and put an offer in if they're willing to bargain.

Needless to say, my wife is thrilled.

Well, after having towed the car to the Saturn dealership, I anxiously awaited for a call from the Service Manager. After a few hours, the word was in. The complete wiring harness and ignition need to be replaced on the car. They don't know for sure if the electrical surge got into the air bag system or not, but possibly. They're unsure of what actually caused the short, possibly just a wire being chaffed, and short circuit likely developed. To fix the problem, the bill will be ~ $955 plus tax and supplies. And, if the fire caused any damage to the air bags, it could be another one to two thousand dollars.

After considerable debate, I decided to hold off on the repair. I wanted to think this through, and weigh all of my options before I decide. We were going to buy a new car in April of next year regardless, as soon as my truck was paid off. Should we go ahead and buy a new car now, get a good deal on a 2004 closeout, and pay my truck off early? We hadn't really planned for that, which would also require a stock sale, but perhaps it's the best solution? The Saturn is only worth $2500, is it worth it to put so much money into it?

My initial impression is to not repair the car, and junk it out. Can we trust the car if the repair is successful? What will go wrong the next time? The car has 110,000 miles on it, right now, I don't think it's worth it to repair it.

Today, my wife's car died. She called me this morning to let me know that her airbag light was flashing. Sigh. It's always something with that car. She has a 1997 Saturn SL1, and it seems, every other month, something else breaks. She called back later to say though that the airbag light had gone out, so I thought maybe it was just a glitch.

This evening, we decided to go out for dinner. We got into the car, started it, and immediately, smoke started pouring through the vents and from under the dash. I huriedly backed the car out of the garage, and told my wife and daughter to get out. I retrieved a fire extinguisher from the garage, but by the time I returned, whatever was burning had put itself out.

Thus, I'm extremely upset at this time. I'm guessing that we've burned out a good portion of the electrical system. The fire was definitely coming from under the dash. Must have been a short somewhere. Perhaps the air bags shorted out (hence the blinking light this morning) and the short fried the system when we started the car this evening.

We'll have it towed into the shop tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to hearing the diagnosis. I know it will be an expensive repair, and the car's not worth that much to begin with. We've been waiting for the other shoe to drop on this car for some time, and perhaps it just did.

Today has been a somber day. Four years ago, my mother passed away on this date after a long battle with bone cancer. I remembered the events with vivid detail as if it were yesterday. Ironically, today was also my father's birthday. He would have been 78 if he were still alive.

I regret that I did not have time to drive down to my mother's grave. I'm not an overly sentimental person, but I do have deep feelings in my heart. The past cannot be changed, and we have to move on and face our own lives, and my parent's souls will live on in me forever.

Today was an uneventful day. I awoke early, had a good breakfast, and was on the road by 8:00 AM. I bid fond farewell to the Black Hills, knowing that I'd be back another day.

I was headed south, then east, the miles seemed to drift by. I wasn't sleepy, despite a somewhat short night last night. I was alert, watching the western Nebraska sandhills fly by. I took the back roads, wanting to experience a different Nebraska than I've known in the past. I wanted to travel roads that I'd not been on before.

It was a surreal expereience. It was amazing to me that Nebraska could be both beautiful and dull, at nearly the same moment. I realized how thankful I was for my city home. While I used to be a farm boy a long time ago, that is so much a part of my past, and a place I've chosen not to revisit.

A couple of tanks of gas, and a couple of stops for food along the way, and sooner than later, I pulled the truck into the driveway once again. It was a long journey, about 1400 miles, with so many highs and lows. I'd climbed a mountain. I'd had a fight with my wife. I'd grown in the end, and realized, that it was still all somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of life.

On the way back to the hotel last night, I called my wife. It seems that things have changed, and she's now having regrets about letting me go on a vacation by myself. I asked 6 weeks ago if I could go climb a mountain, and she said yes. I asked 3 days ago if it was still OK to go, and she said yes.

Now, it seems she's a little jealous that I get to have fun, while she's stuck at home, working hard, and becoming frazzled with each passing moment. I was angry. It really upset me. If she really felt that way, I wish she would have told me the truth before I left, but here I sit, having feelings of regret.

I contemplated bagging my vacation early, and driving home. I wasn't in a mood to have fun anymore. It was as if all of the joy of yesterday had been erased. As I ate breakfast, I weighed my options. In the end, I got it. I could understand where my wife was coming from. While she said "yes" on the surface, deep down, she was jealous, and feeling that our relationship was inequitable. I felt bad. I felt selfish. I was still angry though.

I decided that I'd already invested too much to leave early. The hotel room was already paid for the 3rd night, with no refund possible. Thus, I decided to stay. I wasn't in a good mood though, and wasn't in a groove to hike. I had intended on another full hiking day, another 8 miles or so (just as I'd done the day before), but my heart wasn't in it.

I drove to Wind Cave National Park instead. I hadn't been to that particular cave in many, many years. We stopped to take a cave tour several years ago, but passed at the time. It was an enjoyable tour, and I learned a great deal. After the cave, I decided to drive to Deadwood, to learn more about Wild Bill Hickock. It was about 60 miles to the north, but I had a lot of time to spare.

Upon arriving in Deadwood, I got trapped in the traffic while a wild west gun showed was presented. After that, I parked the truck, and walked the streets. They're lined with casino upon casino, just up my alley. I couldn't find a casino though that had any black jack players. Lot's of dealers, but no players. Plus, it was senior citizen city. I had to laugh.

Finally, I stumbled upon a casino that had a few players playing the cards. I walked in, and began what was to be a 5 hour run. I was playing with $60, but the table minimum was only $2, so it played out long and slow. I was up, and down, and in the end, walked away only down $10 for the day. I decided to get some dinner. After a great 12oz ribeye, I decided to win my money back once and for all. After another 2 hours, I was up $25, and had enough money to pay for my steak dinner too.

It was late though, about 10:30 PM, and I still had to drive about an hour back to my hotel. I asked the dealer about the possibility of deer in the road, and he warned that I should be very careful. Indeed, I saw 14 deer alongside the roadway as I headed south. It was a very scary afterall.

Tomorrow I head home.

I didn't set an alarm this morning, despite my desire to get going by a somewhat decent hour. I slept in, and awoke shortly before 8:00 AM. Not bad. Although, I had anticipated getting up earlier. I showered, and packed my duffle, and headed downstairs for a couple of cinnamon rolls in the hotel lobby.

After stopping at a local grocery store for supplies, I was on the road. It would be about a 45 minute drive to the trailhead of Harney Peak, a very enjoyable drive through the South Dakota Black Hills. As I came closer, I occasionally tried to find the peak off in the distance, which is marked by a CCC fire observation tower that was built in the 1930s. With each new curve, the forest grew denser, and soon, Rapid City was far behind.

Soon enough, I arrived in Custer State Park to begin my journey. It was a cool morning, with bite in the air. I drove to Sylvan Lake, and eased my truck into a spot near the trailhead. This was it. This was a moment I've been waiting for. I was about to climb a mountain. I've hiked many, many times before, but have never really "accomplished" anything. This was different. This was a new adventure, and I was excited.

I changed into my hiking shoes, packed my waist-pack, and within a moment or two, I walked into the forest. I glanced back once or twice, knowing that I'd be back in a few hours. Warning signs indicated that up to 6 hours should be allocated, but I thought I'd be back in 4. And so, the journey began.

It wasn't a hard climb, just difficult portions here and there. I managed to take my time, enjoy the trip, and see some great things. I rested, I stopped to sneek peeks of the fire tower off in the distance, and I overall relished the experience. It was everything that I had hoped for. After about an hour and a half, I was at the top. I definitely earned the view.

Once atop the mountain, I sat behind a rock outcropping, and just gazed in amazement. It was windy at the top, maybe 30 or 40 mph, but from my position, the wind was blocked. The sun was shining on my face, and I felt at peace. Even though there were dozens of hikers milling around the mountaintop, it didn't matter. We'd all come to experience the destination, and savor the moment. I ate my lunch in solitude, not wanting the moment to end. It was all that I expected, and more. It was a great day.

After about 45 minutes of exploring the fire tower, I knew that it was time to leave. I gathered my things, snapped my pack, and headed back down. I took a different trail down, just to see some different scenery. It was an uneventful trip down, rather steep in once section, and near the end, the soles of my feet were burning. I was thankful to have my truck in view. Only a few more steps, and I'd be back where I started.

I headed to the hotel to clean up. It was about 3:00 PM. I took a long, hot shower, and changed into new clothes. I layed down to rest, and to catch up on the news of the day.

That evening, I headed to the Flying T Chuckwagon Supper and Show. We've been there before. It was a fun evening that I wanted to experience again. It was a pleasant evening, and I drove back to the hotel with a feeling of satisfaction.

Today, I headed out of town for a mini vacation. Just me. I'm heading to Black Hills in South Dakota to climb Harney Peak, which is not only the highest point in South Dakota, but the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. It's elevation is about 7250', with about a 1200' climb from the trailhead.

After scrambling yesterday to get everything done so that I could enjoy a few days off, I left early this morning, and was on the road by 9:00. I was pleased with that. I didn't pack afterall until 15 minutes before I left, so I was making good time. I grabbed a couple of pair of jeans, a couple of pair of shorts, some clean underwear, and couple of shirts, and grabbed my toiletries. I grabbed my hiking gear, the maps that I had printed, my camera and cell phone, and a stack of CDs, both store bought, and custom burned. I was ready to go.

The trip was rather uneventful. I jammed to great songs along the way, listened to talk radio, and tried to make contacts on my ham radio, but couldn't muster a single person. It was a 9 hour drive, just long enough to make you appreciate the effort and be thankful that you had arrived. I stopped along the way at Cabela's in Mitchell. I debated on stopping at the Corn Palace and at Wall Drug, but decided that I've "been there and done that" for both, so I motored on.

I arrived with plenty of time to clean up at the hotel before meeting a friend for dinner. He's lived in Rapid City for several years, and we were on a tech team together for several years. It was good to see him. I enjoyed his company.

After a great dinner and good conversation, I called it a night, anxiously awaiting my journey the next day. I was eager to get started, and was nervous about the difficulty the climb might pose. Tomorrow, I thought, I'll be on top of the world!

I've joined the new craze, downloading music (yes, legally) on a per-song basis. There are several services to choose from, but since I already have an account set up at Walmart.com, I decided to download the files from them. It's actually pretty cheap, at 88 cents per song. This way, you can download just the songs you want from a particular album, and not have to waste money for songs that you don't like. It's awesome.

Just today, I spent several hours downloading 36 of my favorite country songs. I spent about $33 total to download the songs. That's about the same price as 4 CD's but I have my favorite collection of songs from about 30 different artists. Imagine if I had to buy all 30 of those albums, just to get my favorite songs? Wow, that would be expensive. $270 to be exact. Ouch! And, I'd have a very large collection of CDs that would take up precious space.

Now, with 2 70 minute custom burned CDs, I've got the entire collection. Now how cool is that?

It's amazing how your "to do" list can grow, and grow, and grow. Especially when you're busy with other things, working full time, and squeezing everyone else in too. I decided to just write all the tasks down in a Word document, so that I could keep track, and not forget them all.

I decided to tackle a job on the list today, and man, did it kick my butt. Now that we have neighbors behind us, we decided it was time to hang a curtain on our patio door in the basement. I ordered the rod and curtain from JC Penny about a month ago, and it arrived about 2 weeks ago.

In all honesty, I had been putting this job off. I wasn't looking forward to it, and it somewhat intimidated me. Well, today was the day. I opened the box, and tried to sort through the instructions. They weren't very clear, and I was quite frustrated. Then I realized I didn't have all the hardware I needed (I needed pins to hang the drapery), and then realized that I needed wall anchors, because I couldn't tap into the 2x4 studs. Ugh!

After reading through the directions about 8 more times, I finally got it. I understood the brackets, the measurements, and the entire concept. I made my trips to get my supplies, and after a couple hours of labor, I have a new curtain hanging over the patio door. It looks good. It should be functional. I haven't figured out how to attach the cord pulley to the wall yet, but another 2 or 3 times perusing through the instructions should solve that.

Phew. One item off the list, but just this past week, I added another 5 or 6 things to my "to do" list. It seems it's a constant battle. One step forward, and 3 steps back. Sigh.

A few months ago, we purchased a Nintendo Gamecube system for our daughter. We also purchased several games, titles that we thought she might enjoy. In fact, she enjoys most of them, but her favorite game is Animal Crossing. It's a reality-based game where she moves into a town, makes friends, does odd jobs for money, has a house, bills, and even a mortgage. Deep down, we were very uncomfortable with this game, as it's sometimes hard to distinguish it from the real world.

Our daughter became so obsessed with this game, that we often worried, "Is she playing it too much?" We would joke that we'd occasionally sneak downstairs and play her character while she was sleeping, which would drive her completely nuts.

Our daughter built a house, and worked around the city to earn bells, the game's version of money. She occasionally paid bells to the bank after finding new things throughout the game, and would buy clothes, etc. It's surreal. She paid off her loan to get a bigger house. She worked harder, and eventually had enough money to build a basement. She continued to do odd jobs, and decided that she wanted a bigger house still. It seems that she was running out of room to hold all of her "stuff".

Sound familiar? It's eerie how it mimics real life. She was upset that she missed the fireworks on the 4th of July. We were on vacation. She watched the meteor shower in the middle of August. She got up every morning at 6:00 AM after that to attend daily aerobics. I think it was the game's way of getting the kids back in the habit of getting up early for school. Neat trick.

Anyhow, back to the house. She asked the town handyman to build her a bigger house. You see, he never told her how much it was, she just asked, and he was happy to oblige. In a couple of days, she had a house. It was huge. It was big enough for 10 characters. Her new mortgage was 398,000 bells. She was completely flabbergasted. She didn't think it would be that expensive. Hmm.

Tonight, after dinner, she let it be known that she decided to delete her old town and start a new one. Yes, with a couple of keystrokes, she deleted the town off the memory card, and all that she had accomplished. My wife thought it was because of her huge "mortgage", and he feelings of despair in never being able to pay it off. She's worked so hard. She's been playing the game daily since April. She wouldn't let us touch it, and now, in an instant, she's deleted it and started over. Hmm.

So, when it's all said and done, after hard feelings over the game's control on our child, I'm beginning to wonder if it doesn't have some valuable lessons to teach. Was this her way of declaring "bankruptcy", and starting over. She's 8. She doesn't fully understand the concept of money, but she was smart enough to realize she was in over her head, and that something had to give. She commented, "Dad, I'm not going to be so dumb next time."

Ahh, if it were only that easy.

OK, I realize I haven't put a lot of new entries in my journal lately. Honestly, I've been busy. Really. I have. I've thought of a dozen different topics that I'd like to comment on, but just haven't found the time. Oh well. This is the last on my list of priorities, and I never meant this to be an everyday thing, but I promise, in the future, I'll try harder to post. Ha.

Ok, I started my diet a couple of weeks ago. It's been an up and down battle, I've had good and bad days, but in the end, I'm down about 6 pounds overall. I was down about 8 total, but fell off the wagon for a couple of days, and gained a couple of pounds. Ha, let's just say my willpower was failing me when I needed it the most.

So, the battle continues. A little here, a little there, and if I can't maintain my present course, I should continue to lose a pound or two a week. While I can't say that it's been easy, it hasn't been all that bad either. Hmm, as long as I don't fall of the wagon again. Ha. We'll see.

It seems that we've been plagued with challenged neighbors our entire adult lives. Even now, living in a somewhat upscale neighborhood, I'm no less prone to problems than before. It's frustrating. Perhaps I'm being somewhat of a snob, and believe me, I know that I'm no angel, but give me a break.

We recently built a new home. In fact, we've lived here about 10 months now. The neighbor on my left also built a new home, about a month before me. You'd think after spending this kind of money on a new home, you'd want to take care of it. The guy hasn't even pulled the painter's masking tape from the glass block window in his bathroom. Unbelievable. The landscaping that they installed around the front and sides of their home is dying. His yard doesn't look the best, and he's already killed one new tree, and the other is gasping for water. Sigh. What's next?

Well, I'm back on the diet craze again. I decided that enough was enough, and it was time to start getting serious once again. I had reached my highest weight ever of all time (near 200 lbs) and felt and looked miserable.

So, a new beginning has arrived. I know, I've tried this before several times, and failed, why will this be any different? In the end, it probably won't be, but it will give me the chance to get back to where I started at least, if nothing else. Otherwise, I could continue to gain weight at my leisure and be obese within no time at all. So, the battle continues. Up, down, and somewhere in between, I guess it's called life.

It seems that I'm off to a decent start. I've lost 5 lbs in 3 days. That seems a little excessive, but it's probably mostly just water weight for now. I don't notice that my clothes fit any better, and seems typical of most extreme diets that I've heard about. I understand this cycle won't continue much longer, and I should be able to reach my balance of losing weight at a steady, but slow pace.

I'm actually trying the Atkins Diet again, just to get me about half way to my goal weight, and will then adjust to a sensible, yet balanced diet thereafter with continued exercise. I'm also using an herbal supplemental program, in conjunction with a short term Atkins plan. I tried the Atkins Diet once before, in 1999, and lost about 11 or 12 lbs in about 3 weeks. So I know it worked before, and it appears to be working again.

More to come in the future. I'm keeping a detailed diet journal, and will likely post it in a few days.

We recently purchased a piece of home fitness equipment. While I have a gym membership, and have the time to actually go, my wife on the other hand does not. We could buy her a gym membership too, but she simply doesn't have the time. So, we decided to buy an elliptical trainer for her to work out in the basement before she goes to work.

We looked at elliptical machines, but frankly, they were a little more expensive than we had imagined. So, we settled on Gazelle, a glider-type system being hawked by Tony Little. I was skeptical, (as I always am), but my wife was excited. She has a friend whose parent's have a Gazelle, and they've had great success.

There are several versions of the Gazelles, ranging from about $100 on the low end, to about $400 on the high end. We decided to purchase a mid-range model, and actually got a good deal on free shipping from the Home Shopping Network.

The Gazelle arrived this past Monday, and I promised that I'd have it put together by the end of the week. Today was my deadline, and I decided to unpack the box and get my wife started. The unit itself took about an hour to put together, and as I type this, she's going through the beginner's video right now.

I tried it, and I'm not impressed. I was on it for about 10 minutes, and I wasn't even out of breath. And, it felt awkward. So, it seems that maybe it wouldn't be for me, but perhaps it might help my wife achieve her own goals. I suppose if I gave it another try, and really expended the effort, it might be OK, but I'd rather head to the gym.

Our daughter Hannah got her braces on today. She wasn't very happy about the whole ordeal, and was pretty grumpy after her one hour appointment. She received braces on both the top and bottom, along with an expander to expand her top palette. She chose purple and yellow for the color inserts, to match her school colors.

All in all, they don't look too bad, but I think she was in quite a bit of discomfort. It will take a few days of adjustment, but I think she'll be OK. She's having a little trouble speaking, but that's understandable. In time, she'll figure that out too.

I'm a little concerned about her teeth cleaning habits, and the fact that we'll have to be much more diligent in the future. The dentist recommended buying a water pick to help clean out food from within the braces. I agreed. I've never used one, but my wife said they do help quite a bit.

So, for the next 13 months, our life will be a little different. Considering some of the things she's been through over the previous 10 months, I know she'll get through it just fine.

This past weekend, we attended my nephew's wedding in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was able to get some very affordable round trip airline tickets, and thus we flew instead of drove. However, the catch to the affordable tickets was that we had to leave on Saturday morning (the day of the wedding) at 7:00 AM, and return on Sunday morning at 7:00 AM. My wife says that I was being cheap, I like to think that I was being thrifty.

You see, if we drove, it would have required an eleven hour trip each way, plus, we likely would have rented a car. This way, we could fly up for the wedding, and be back home to do other things.

Well, let's just say that from the beginning, we were destined for failure. The night before our trip, we received a call from the airlines, indicating that there was a maintenance issue with our flight, and thus, we were bumped to the next flight. This would put us in detroit around 4:00 PM instead of Noon. After grumbling just a bit, we decided we could still make the wedding set for 6:30 PM.

Our first flight to Chicago was quick and painless, although, upon arriving at O'hare, we discovered that our flight to Detroit was delayed about an hour. This would still put us in Michigan with plenty of time to arrive at the wedding, but just barely. We arrived in Detroit soon enough, and within about 3 minutes of walking off the plane, we were on a shuttle bus to the rental car facility. It was there that additional problems began to mount. It took us no less than 45 minutes to rent the car, and needless to say, we were steemed.

So, we took off like a bat of out hell, and rumbled down the Interstate doing almost 90 mph, in hopes of making up time to reach it to the wedding before it was over. My wife changed into her wedding clothes in the bathroom at the rental car booth. I changed into my clothes while driving down the Interstate. OK, well, that part's not really true, but it makes the story that much better. Really, my wife did change in the bathroom, and I changed at the motel after we checked in. We flew as fast as we could to the Church, and believe it or not, we made it with 9 minutes to spare. All of that worrying for nothing, ha.

It was the most beautiful non-traditional, traditional wedding that I've ever seen. Very few flowers. No ushers. No ring bearer. No flower girl. But, the vows were very touching, and the bride was radiant. It was a very pleasant event. The non-traditional part continued after the wedding, when we realized there would be no reception line, no bubbles, no throwing large quantities of bird seed, and so forth.

The reception was no less non traditional, in that it was a reception with music and food. However, the food was a vegan/meat split, with a lot of eclectic entrees, and wedding cupcakes, the beer was home brewed by the groom. Everyone had a great time, and enjoyed not-so-typical music. In fact, a lot of people wanted to hear and participate in traditional wedding songs, but it was apparently in the DJ's contract to not play them. Sigh.

Nevertheless, we had a great time, although my wife did have a large amount of wine, and was quite tipsy by the time we closed the joint down (we were literally the last carload to leave).

After arriving back at our hotel, I tucked my wife into bed, and then visited with my family until the wee hours, it was about 3:00 AM when we said good night. I tried to sleep, but was too keyed up, and since we had to be on the road by 5:00, I decided to stay awake and watch movies.

After waking my wife up around 4:30 AM, she promptly woke up, and realized that she was about to be sick. No, it wasn't from the alcohol, she apparently had received some kind of food poisoning, possibly from the pesto or the fish the night before. She threw up and felt better.

In fact, by the time we arrived at the airport, she was hungry, and wanted something to eat. She ate a half of a bagel, and had some Coke, and she said she felt very good. However, by the end of the first flight, she was feeling very sick again, and threw up what little she ate just as we landed. It wasn't pleasant. On the next flight, she continuously felt nautious, and held the sick bag in her hands for self comfort. She didn't throw up again until we arrived home.

Myself, I was suffering deeply from sleep deprevation. The adrenaline was kicking in from my wife being sick, and I couldn't sleep if my life depended on it. Finally, I slept for about one half hour on the second flight, which was apparently enough of a boost to allow me to drive the 55 minute journey home.

So, perhaps we learned some valuable lessons this past weekend. Number one, it doesn't pay to be cheap, because in the end, there's always something to come back and bite you. In this case, it was an exhausting weekend, only to save about $160 on airfare. Number two, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to drive, although, at the time, it sounded like a long trip. Number three, use caution when eating somewhat exotic food. You never know, and in this case, it turned out to be more bad than good. Ha.

By the end of the trip, I was in a very pissy mood. My motto, to everyone that dared get in my way, was basically, in a nuthsell, "FOADYSB." I'm not inclined to print the actual words. If you can't figure it out, send me an email, and I'll fill in the details.

We visited the orthodontist for the second time today. Our daughter is in the midst of getting braces to make room for teeth on both the top and bottom rows. In fact, she doesn't really have the braces on yet, just spacers and bands, in preparation for the actual braces next week. So far, it hasn't been a pleasant affair, and I have to admit, I don't have any experience with such things, as I've never had braces myself. It's going to be rather pricey too, about $3000 for the first round, but we've set up a payment plan, which is good.

However, while waiting in the lobby while my daughter was being worked on, it dawned on me that this whole tooth scheme is somewhat of a racket. However, what isn't these days, huh? The office is lavishly decorated, is somewhat appealing, has individual game stations for the kids while they wait, and a gourmet coffee station. Ha. I could do without the extra ameneties if it meant a smaller bill.

Sigh. The things we do for our children.

Well, after falling off the wagon hard, it's time to start thinking about my diet again. I haven't really dieted at all in the last couple of months, and have not worked out at the gym in nearly as long. And, you can tell. My weight has escalated out of control, and I now sit at my near all-time high weight level. The scales tip out around 196. That's almost 20 lbs. higher than I was in early November. Oh well. It's not really that big of a deal, so I'm overweight, but not obese. My clothes are tight, and ideally, I need to be about 25 lbs. lighter. So, the diet begins anew.

My wife is also starting a diet, and actually, she ordered a new piece of exercise equipment for home use, the Tony Little Gazelle. While I'm skeptical, she says that she's committed to losing weight, so perhaps we'll try it together. I intend to start going back to the gym on a regular basis, I intend to start watching what I eat again, and I intend to maintain a healthier lifestyle. I did it once before, how hard can it be this time? Ha, we'll see.

We just got back from a great vacation to Colorado and Wyoming. While it was brief, it was good to get away. Actually, we visited an area that I've never been to before, so that was very neat. I've been to Colorado dozens of times in my lifetime, so that wasn't anything special, but we did visit the Medicine Bow National Forecast in southeastern Wyoming. We drove through the Snowy Range, and frankly, it was awesome!

We decided to rent a car for our vacation, instead of putting the 2000 or so miles on our aging car, which has almost 105,000 to begin with. We rented a Dodge Stratus, which was brand new, with only 1 mile on it when we rented it. While that was somewhat nerving, knowing that ANY scratch would be attributed to our record, we managed to drive around 1900 miles without incident.

Driving to Colorado, we decided to play the licence plate game to pass the time. My daughter wasn't very interested, but she perked up when I announced that the winner (person coming closest to their guess) would receive a crisp $20 bill as a prize. I guessed 39 states, my wife foolishly guessed 20, and my daughter guessed 41. After about 2 hours, my wife realized she had guessed very low, as we had surpassed that milestone quite easily.

It was a pleasant enough drive, with nothing too uneventful. We did manage to drive through a brief hailstone, and saw 3 dust devils and one tornado, so that was kind of cool.

Otherwise, we spent time with family, hiked in the mountains, enjoyed cool, refreshing air, and saw awesome scenery. The mosquitoes were terrible in the mountains, but otherwise, it was a pleasant week.

Upon arriving home, we had encountered 43 states in our license plate game, which actually included 2 provinces from Canada. Thus, my daughter, to my chagrin, won the prize, immediately doubled her "allowance" stash, and prompty spent it on a Gamecube Accessory. Ugh!

We moved across country over a year ago, and my wife decided it was time to start digging through some of the boxes that still remain in our garage. Some of her craft items were yet to be discovered, so she was on a mission to find them.

She invited her sister over for the day, to help go through the boxes. I was sleeping, as I am working the night shift this week. I only asked that they keep it down so I could get some rest.

After awaking around 400 PM this afternoon, I arose to a complete and total mess. Empty boxes were strewn about the house, in the basement, in the garage, and in the driveway. The upstairs was littered with items from our past. Needless to say, I wasn't in a very good mood, but took it all in stride. She did find the craft items she was looking for, and we did find some things that, while not necessary to live, would be nice to have again.

We've always had this theory, if you've not used an item within the last year, then you probably can get by without it. Well, some of these boxes have been sealed for the last year, so I was getting used to not having such a cluttered house (albeit the boxes were cluttering the garage, but they were nicely stacked).

We've decided to have a very large garage sale sometime this summer. Most of the stuff that was unearthed today will be going in the "Sell" pile, hopefully. But, there are just some things that we can't part with. For example, I found the first ever coffee mug that I used in college. We found a souvenier cup that we received on our vacation to Walt Disney World. We found another souvenier cup that we received while vacationing on one of our anniversaries. In other words, we have a lot of junk, but a lot of it is sentimental, and hard to part with.

Why do we have such an attachment to stuff? I think we're just wired that way. Some people are like that, and others are not.

Reading is an acquired taste. I myself never found much joy in reading a book, unless it was a really good book. My wife on the other hand can't stop reading, and in fact, can read a novel-length book in just a few hours is she sets her mind to it. I find reading to be a chore.

Our daughter has proven that the apple usually doesn't fall far from the tree. Thankfully, our daughter has picked up on my wife's habit, and reads quite a bit. A lot more than I thought any 8 year old would. In fact, she reads so much, she stays up hours past her bedtime, reading, and often has been found under the covers at night, with her flashlight reading just one more page.

I think that's awesome. My daughter, in every way is just as stubborn and independent as I am. So, she's the apple of "my" eye, but in every way, she's picked up the reading bug from her mother, so she's the apple of "her" eye too. Am I complaining? No Way! I've been told time and again by friends and family that children that read when they're young turn out to be bright, talented people. What more could we ask.

Yesterday, the Check Engine light came on in my wife's car. Typically, when that happens, it means something bad has happened. Shortly thereafter, she heard a loud clanking noise coming from her engine, and her A/C and power steering quit working. I checked her engine when she came home, and it appeared that her serpentine belt was not turning. There was a lot of slop in the belt, but I couldn't tell if the belt was just too loose, or if the main flywheel wasn't even turning. So, we arranged to have the car towed to the Saturn dealership this morning to have it looked at.

Once they finally got the car into the shop, they indicated that the tensioner had gone bad, and thus, wasn't doing its job of providing proper tension. The belt was varnished in the process, so we had to replace the belt too. So, after about $320, everything was back to normal.

Ugh! The car has about 105,000 miles on it, and we've replaced about half of the components on it. Needless to say, we're not very happy with the Saturn name, and would definitely not buy another one.

You know how things always happen in threes? Well, let me continue.

Upon awaking this morning, the electricity went out soon thereafter. To get the car out of the garage (for the tow truck), I disengaged the remote opener, and opened the garage door by hand. I then pulled my truck out, and closed the door by hand. Our door has a foot step to push the door firmly down to engage the manual lock. Just as I was doing that, the foot step bounced off and landed on the driveway. While it's an easy fix (for the most part), it pissed me off.

Two for three. Later in the day, we decided to grill steaks for dinner. I decided to move the grill just a bit to block the wind (it was blowing about 25 mph), and realized that the grill seemed very light. You see, I had just filled up the tank not more than a month ago. Since then, we've used the grill for a total of 15 minutes. And now, the tank was empty. I've gone an entire year of cooking on the grill with one tank before, so this was a shock. Sure enough, about 2 minutes after I lit the grill, it flamed out.

Upon further diagnosis, the grill was caked with grease, and it became quickly apparent that we've been robbed. There is a lot of construction going on in our neighborhood, and recently, we noticed some migrant workers (working on the house next door) living in their van while they framed the house. So, we're assuming that they helped themselves to our grill, and used up all of our gas. I feel totally violated, and am angry as hell. I know it's only a tank of gas, but it just confirms my belief that most people are trash, plain and simple, especialy vagrant immigrants who shouldn't even be allowed in this country.

Well, the story doesn't end there. Two nights ago, we had one hell of a storm move through. Lightning was flashing across the street, and the thunder was so loud, our bed literally shook. It was kind of scary. I wondered if we might experience any trouble, and it appears that we might have. Our remote keypad for our garage door no longer works. It can't be programmed, and seems to be draining batteries. So, the electric shock might have fried its circuitry.

So, all in all, it's been a shitty day. Oh well. Tomorrow, the sun will shine again, and all will be right with the world.

I've discovered a new diet, and it works quite well. It's called the Toro Diet, perhaps you've heard of it?

It involves buying a new Toro lawn mower (the one that weighs about 100 lbs), and bagging your clippings instead of mulching. Oh, I also forgot, another key component involves mowing your yard during the heat of the day, typically at 3 or 4 pm, without any rest or water breaks.

Well, that's about it in a nutshell. It works for me, I sweat profusely, and just about die of a heat stroke each time, but I think I'm losing weight. Ha.

Actually, I did buy a new Toro lawn mower (and yes, it weighs almost 100 lbs). It's supposed to be a self propelled version, but I find that it doesn't work as I had envisioned. In my mind, I thought I could jump on the back, and have a joy ride, but it doesn't quite work that well.

I decided to move away from my mulching mower, as the grass here is just too thick, and it grows too fast to keep up with. So, I bought a couple of extra garbage cans for the yard waste, added the service to my garbage collection, and bought a bagging mower. In the end, as I slog through the yard, I only mutter under my breath, "What was I thinking?"

Let's just say that it's hard work. You see, I have almost one half acre to mow, which allows the grass clippings to pile up very quickly. I've mowed twice now with the bagger, and on average, I've emptied the bag about 12 times each try. While that adds extra time in the long run, the yard looks a lot better. Actually, I think there would more clippings, except I mow at the second-to-top setting, as I like to keep my grass somewhat on the high side.

So, while it's extra work, it does provide for a good workout, and I'm definitely tired in the end. The grass looks better, which makes me feel better. Will it be an award winning diet plan? Doubtful.

Last week, I couldn't buy a blackjack win even if I would have wanted to. Needless to say, I walked out, slightly lighter in the wallet than when I went in.

Yesterday, I headed back. The planets must have been in align, as I was $100 up only after about 20 minutes of playing. Then, I received a call from my wife, to let her know the good news. She informed me that work called, and that they needed help. So, I headed home, a very happy man, avenged from the previous week.

Today, I attempted a storm chase, although I was about 20 minutes behind the storm the entire way. I only captured the rainbow, which was magnificent. I soon realized that I'd never catch it, and turned the truck around to head for home. As luck would have it, I drove past the casino. I decided to stop and get some dinner, and since I was already there, decided to sit down at the blackjack table once again.

Imagine my surprise, when after 25 minutes, I was up another $100. So, $200 up in two days, with only 45 minutes of time invested. Wow, that's awesome! So, needless to say, after my many pursuits over the previous months, I'm up $120 total. I couldn't make a living doing it, but I sure do have fun.

I guess the bottom line is this. You have up and down days, and in the end, if you have more up than down, you've nothing to complain about.

Today was a National Day of Mourning for President Reagan's funeral. I was able to watch most of it, and was glad that I did. While I was still a teenager while Reagan was in office, I can appreciate the type of president that he was, and some of the good things he did.

However, I think many people are just being sentimental, suggesting that monuments be errected in his name, currency be changed, and so forth. I also remember some of the negative things about Reagan, and some of that was beginning to come out late in the week.

Nevertheless, whether you agree or disagree with his politics, he deserves the respect and admiration of a former president, and I feel the state funeral is something that America needs to see.

One thing that I noticed througout the week, the former first lady, Mrs. Reagan, never shed a tear in public. She appeared to be a very strong woman, and I can understand her pain. It's been a long journey, taking care of her husband day in and day out, and in some sense, I'm sure she's happy that it's over. At the same time, I'm sure she'll be quite lonely, as I believe they possessed a genuine love for one another. You can see it in her eyes. I thought it was very touching as she spoke to Mr. Reagan, caressed the casket, and blew soft kisses. It was overwhelming for me at the burial at sunset, Mrs. Reagan finally broke down in uncontrollable tears. I cried too. I felt silly, a grown man crying for someone he didn't even know. I didn't know if I was crying for Mr. or Mrs. Reagan, but probably a little of both. It brought back a lot of memories of when my own father passed away, and my mother had to say goodbye, if only temporarily, until they could meet again.

Life moves on. I've learned that lesson too many times. First when my father passed away, and eventually my mother. Time heals all wounds.

Yesterday, we had an opportunity to attend a charity auction at our Church. Our school has an educational trust, and each year, they hold a fund raiser to replenish funds that have been withdrawn the previous year. I knew that it would be a big affair when I found out the tickets cost $75 apiece. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

Upon arriving at the door, we were politely asked to purchase entries in the Heads or Tails game. One token for $50, or two for $75. With the flip of a coin, you could parlay that into a $2500 prize. Well, it's for a good cause, so of course, we bought two. We just found out that our daughter needs braces (to the tune of $3000), so the thought of winning big to pay nearly the entire bill was quite enticing. Ha.

Otherwise, there were about 30 items for auction after the dinner. They ranged from season tickets to our local sports teams, vacations to Las Vegas, local resorts, dinner with our pastors, and so forth. We were totally shocked when the first item, a round of golf with the Senior Pastor went for $1100. At that point, we knew that there was a lot of money in the room. Items proceeded one by one to go up for bid, ranging from $2000 to $8000 apiece. Wow! Unbelievable. I was keeping track, but I think they raised over $100000 for the entire event, and that may even be on the conservative side. Unbelievable.

So, that was my experience at a charity auction. I must admit, after some trepidation, I had a great time, and it was really a fun evening. The catered food was OK, not great, but as good as can be expected. The drinks were good, the dessert was delicious, and it was a pleasant evening. In fact, I'm looking forward to the dinner next year.

After my trumping at the casino a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try again. It couldn't be as bad as last time, right? I decided to stick with my original betting strategy, it has worked so many times before, so no need to alter it now.

The evening got off to a good start, and I was hitting hands, and essentially doing the right thing. After about an hour, I was up about $150, and decided to color-up chips into a single $100 black chip to stow into my pocket. I was actually have a great time. I was winning, having fun, and enjoying the moment.

However, over the course of the next 4 hours, I proceeded to waste away my entire profit pile. So, after 4 hours of playing, I walked out of the casino, no better or worse than when I entered. I wasn't overly upset, but somewhat disappointed in myself that I didn't walk away when I had the chance. Hindsight is 20/20, and it's easy to say that now.

Earlier in the day, we had just visited with our daughter's orthodontist. I knew she needed some work done, but wasn't expecting the news we received. She needs two sets of braces, one set now to begin correcting her teeth problems, and likely another set of braces in a few years for the final touches. The first set will cost just under $3000. Yikes! That's expensive! I was still in shock from that somewhat, and all through the night, played scenarios in my head of how I'd raise the money, and what plan of attack I'd implement. Visions of winning big at the casino a few times definitely worked against me, and of course, that's exactly the frame of mind the casinos want us to be in.

Greed is a funny thing. It almost feeds on itself, in that the more you have, whether it be money or possessions, the more you want. The more you want, the more you need. It's a vicious cycle.

So why is it that the easiest lessons often are the hardest to learn? Life's funny that way.

Well, so much for my idea of becoming a professional gambler. Last week, the money came very easily, and this week, it went right back to the casino. Ha. Last night was bad, I just couldn't get the karma to start flowing, as it had in the previous days. Nothing seemed to work for me. I tried moving tables, I tried moving to a new game, nothing. I did play for about 4 hours though, and eventually lost my stake. I would be really down, then have a winning spurt, and would make a comeback at least halfway, then would be down again. Sigh. I guess the planets just weren't in alignment. So, easy come easy go. There's always next time.

On another not so important note, today is my birthday. Wow. Yippee. Blah blah blah. It doesn't feel like my birthday. In fact, it's just another ordinary day. I decided to take the day off from work, and just have some fun though, even if I will be myself. I think I'll go shooting at the range this morning, will have a nice lunch, and may go to the zoo this afternoon, to see a new exhibit, and also to see an IMAX movie. I have a technology meeting to attend this afternoon, and then I think we'll go out for dinner this evening. So in other words, nothing exciting. I usually end up being disappointed each year on my birthday, as the day never lives up to my expectations. I'm not sure why this year should be any different.

Wow, what a weekend. This weekend was filled with a lot of activities, and very little sleep. It started on Friday when family from out of town arrived to help celebrate high school and college graduations.

We went out for dinner at a local brewpub on Friday evening, and then stayed up until about 200 am that night catching up on old times. On Saturday, we attended my niece's college graduation (which was a very long ceremony by the way), and then attended her party later that evening. Another late nate, but we all had a lot of fun visiting until the wee hours. Then, more graduations on Sunday, this time, 2 high school graduations, separated by only an hour. We attended a portion of one, and then flew down the road to try and catch the other. Of course, graduation celebrations for both were enjoyed immensely.

In other words, it has been a very busy weekend, with a whirlwind of things to keep us busy. I don't regret any of the late nights though, as it's always good to have family around. Now, time to get back to the grind, go back to work, and get back to normal.

Oh, I did manage to gain some weight over the weekend too. Actually, over the last month, I've managed to gain about 7 pounds. It started with my daughter's first communion ceremony a month ago, and eventually involved a wedding ceremony, a birthday, and four graduations, each with too much cake, and someone (me) with not enough will power. Oh well, South Beach here I come. ha!

Ok, call me a fool, but I went to the Casino again this evening. I headed to the gym, and decided to head to the casino afterward. And I must say, I had a great time, of course, every time you win, you have a great time!

It took about 30 minutes to find a table on this busy Friday evening, but when I did, wow, was I hot. After about an hour of play, I was up $137.50, and decided to call it a day. I tipped the dealer $7.50, and walked away with another big, big grin on my face. Unbelievable.

In fact, I never had less than $100 on the table at any one time, so I was doing quite well. Usually I'm down, then up, and so forth. But, I laid $100 on the table, and my pot never went below that. I've implemented a new strategy over the previous 3 gambling sessions, and it seems to be working well. I only play Black Jack, and really get bored playing the slot machines. My strategy is simple. I bet the table minimum until I win, and then keep adding money to the bet until I lose. Once I lose, I rebet with the table minimum, and repeat. Of course, judicious use of doubling down, splitting, hitting and holding at the right time help too, but I think the bet bigger each win seems to be paying off.

Everyone else at the table was pissed at me, but I don't really care. I don't know them, they're strangers, and I'll likely never see them again. You see, I was on a roll, and actually, won $40 on a single hand. Everyone else either busted or were beat by the dealer. I was happy, it was a big hand. I clapped twice, and silently mouthed the word "Yeah!" The asshole next to me got in my face about celebrating on a hand where everyone else lost. I politely looked him in the eye, and said, "Hey dude, I just won $40 on a single hand, I think I have a right to celebrate." He wasn't pleased. About 10 hands later, the shoe was empty, I was up, and decided to walk away. It's amazing how much of dick a guy can be when he's a sore loser.

Today was a rotten day. My work schedule over the last several days has been something of a nightmare, working a mixture of days, midnights, and single days off in between. It's mostly my own fault, as I traded shifts with another co-worker so he could travel with his son's baseball game. I also asked for a day off to attend my nephew's wedding. So, I brought the turmoil on myself.

After nearly 26 hours of being awake this morning, I was looking forward to getting some decent rest. It was then that my cell phone rang, and my wife informed me that our daughter had forgotten her science project at home, along with her lunch. So, instead of getting much needed rest, I had to drive across town (through morning rush hour traffic) to deliver the goods. I was upset, but nothing that I could do about it. I did eventually get a few hours of rest, but awoke in a very bad mood. That's to be expected though.

This evening, I decided to go to the casino. I needed some "me" time, and thought this might cheer me up. In fact, apparently it was my lucky day, as not long after I walked through the door (about an hour to be exact), I was already up $75. I decided to call it quits, and walked away a happy man.

So, can you have it both ways? Can you have the most horrible day, but still end with a warm fuzzy feeling? You bet!

I just got back from the shooting range, and I must say, I had a really good time. I just purchased a new "toy" and had to put a few bullets downrange to try it out. Although, I say that in gest, as handguns are certainly not toys, but I did feel like a kid at Christmastime!

After some debate, I decided to purchase another gun (I know, my wife is thinking the same thing), but a 9mm (I already own a couple of .22s, both a rifle and handgun). I did a lot of research, spent a lot of time shopping, and actually rented a few guns at the range. I eventually settled on a Springfield Armory XD9, an import from Croatia. I originally was thinking of getting a Glock 19, but the Springfield felt better in my hand, and it was a little cheaper.

So, I ordered it on Monday, and it arrived on Tuesday. How's that for service? Ha After becoming very familiar with all of the mechanisms, I headed to range this morning. Now, I'm not that great of a shot overall, but can hold my own with my .22s. Let's just say that I did OK with the 9mm, but certainly there's a lot of room for improvement. And that's OK. You don't get to be an expert on your first time out. Despite that, I did manage to hit the bullseye a few times, from both 5 and 7 yards. Not bad. It was fun though, and I put 150 rounds downrange, on 5 different targets.

So, bad guys watch out, if you mess with me, you just might find a jacketed hollow point aimed in your direction.

I've had broadband Internet access for almost 5 years. When DSL was first introduced, I was one of the first customers. The high speed was addicting, and having a constant connection to the net was just something we took for granted. Never once did I have any trouble with the DSL, never once did it go down.

Then, we moved across country, and decided to get a cable modem instead. The speed was 3 times faster than the DSL, and again, it's just become a part of our life to have an "always on" connection. We do so many things via the computer, that it's hard to imagine life otherwise.

Yesterday evening, the cable modem lost its sync. Our highspeed life had come to a complete halt. What? I was without words. I was lost. I couldn't surf the web before going to bed. I felt angry. I really wanted to check my favorite bulletin boards, send a couple of emails, and update the virus definitions. So, I went to bed, and hoped it would be back on in the morning. It wasn't. I was still mad. I called our provider, and they said they'd dispatch a technician. Huh? You mean I have to wait for another 4 hours? Lions and tigers and bears oh my!

Ok, time for a reality check. It wasn't that bad afterall, but it just reminded me of how useful the Internet has become, and how much intertwined it is with our own lives. I maintain my personal calendar on my website, so I have access to it whether I'm at work or home. I couldn't reach it to add several appointments that I'd scheduled this morning. There were about a dozen other things that I could have done on the net this morning, but couldn't because we didn't have a connection. I actually had to find the phonebook, and look up the businesses that I needed to contact via the old method. Normally, I'd just go to the online yellow pages and do the same thing. Sigh. What a pathetic life! Ha

In the past, I've had major back troubles, but haven't had any trouble in at least 18 months. You see, my left left leg is about 1/4 inch shorter than my right leg, and that causes my hips to be uneven. I've had numerous episdoes, probably at least a dozen in which I've been layed up for at least a day or two. Also, if I sleep wrong, i.e. on my left side, with my legs spread eagle, I can count on several days of pain.

Yesterday was a reminder of just how out of shape I am. I mowed my yard (which is much bigger than I anticipated) for the second time, worked in the flower gardens, trimmed around the edges, blew the remains into the wind, washed the driveway, and did other errands. I was dog tired at the end of the day. Even though I was tired, I felt good, and my back showed no signs of pain. I feel asleep, and slept soundly for 8 hours.

This morning, I awoke without any trouble, although, I had a twinge in my back. Usually, that's the first sign. I arrived at work, and after about 15 minutes of sitting in our crappy chairs, I realized that another episode is manifesting itself. I don't know if it's the combination of too much work yesterday and sleeping wrong last night, or something else.

All I know, I'm likely in for at least a day or two of pain, and frankly, this is a bad time. We're having a big party at our house next weekend, and we're expecting a lot of company. Drats! Just when I need my strength the most, I'm vulnerable to another attack, something I haven't had in a very long time. Why now?

Today is that dreaded day when income taxes are due. This year has been particulary painful, in that we owed almost $4000 in excess tax, due to a number of reasons. Namely, we went 9 months without paying mortgage interest, we moved across country, had employer-reimbursed moving expenses, and received significant raises. All in all, it was a bad year.

For the past 3 months, I've been diligently gathering all of the documents, preparing the forms, and verifying the information within Taxcut. I waited until the very last minute, not wanting to pay up sooner that I had too. I was worried about having to pay a penalty, but the software assured me that I didn't. We'll see.

So, on April 13th, I efiled our federal taxes, and then mailed our partial year state returns on April 14th. Just for fun, I decided to re-run the numbers for next year, just to see where we're at. So, I made a backup copy of my return in Taxcut, and proceeded to adjust as necessary, deleting items here, adding items there, etc. But, for some unknown reason, the backup file wasn't created, and in fact, I was hacking the original Taxcut file. Sure enough, after I saved, I realized my mistake, and then realized that I completely overwrote my original Taxcut file. Ugh. I'm sure glad I printed out an extra copy for my own records, otherwise, I'd be sunk.

Needless to say, next year will be much better, and assuming no other unforseen circumstances, we'll be in much better shape, and should receive a refund from both our federal and state returns. Phew!

We bought our daughter a Nintendo Gamecube for her birthday. She turned 8 years old, and has been playing Gameboy for a couple of years now, so we decided to buy a game console, so she could 1) play other games at home, and 2) play her Gameboy games on the bigger screen. The Gamecube seemed the most logical choice among the other selections, given the game content available for this age range.

I guess I just don't understand today's games, and in fact, they're very confusing. Growing up in the 80s, I literally grew up on some classic arcade games, and it just seems that the games being produced today don't compare, in my opinion. Sure, the kids love the games (why, I don't really understand), but as an adult, I just don't get them.

The games just don't seem to have an obvious point. I can understand a game like Pacman, or Digdug, or Spyhunter. There's an objective, to get to the end, and it's clear what you have to do. Each new level gets progressively harder, and new challenges are introduced. While today's games are built on the same premise, it's seems the end objective is often obscured, and one must wade through a myriad of puzzles and self discovery to figure out what to do next. To me, that's just dumb. I don't have the time or energy to figure out the "meaning" behind two dozen characters, and then somehow stumble onto the solution.

And, the number of different hand maneuvers in today's games are simply mind boggling. In classic arcade games, you had a joystick, and maybe one or two buttons. On the Gamecube controller, there are left and right buttons, A and B buttons, X , Y and Z buttons, there's the start/pause button (which has other functions that start and or pause), and there are two joysticks which each have numerous functions. In the Super Mario Sunshine game that Hannah was playing, the guidebook was about 40 pages, mainly used to describe all of the various moves that are needed to navigate the game. For the Super Ball Double Spin Romp, you have to twirl the joystick, press the A two times, then press the Z and right button simultaneously, and then use the 2nd joystick to point in the direction you want to jump. Geesh, and that's just one move. I simply don't have the patience to learn all of that, to not even understand the game objective to begin with. I can't do that once, let alone remember how to do it under pressure when you're about to lose your last game life. Give me a break.

So, while the kids thrive on a new generation of games, give me the old standards. Give me Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros (original version), Pacman, DigDug, Galaga, Pole Position, Spy Hunter, and the like. Those are my types of games, they're fun, the objective is clear, and they're easy to control. Is technology passing me up? Perhaps.

Well, I went to the casino again last night, and made money once again. I actually went about 3 weeks ago too, and made $40 that night, and made another $50 yesterday. So far, that puts me about even, maybe even about $20 ahead. I got into a winning streak last night, and was down about $60 when I thought I'd try one more blackjack play. It proved to be the beginning of a winning streak, and I proceed to win $110 over the next half hour, which put me up $50 for the night when I decided to head home. Everyone else at the table couldn't believe that I was giving up on a lucky streak, but I knew that my luck could have turned the other way just as easily as it did the first time. I colored up, and went home a very happy man!

I grew up on the Central Plains, a place that many people think is eternally flat. While that's true for many areas, where I lived, there were gently rolling hills, so it wasn't that bad. I live in the Missouri River valley now, where again, the countryside is characterized by gently rolling hills.

Yesterday, I drove across Central Nebraska, and it reminded me just how "flat" the countryside is once you get away from the river valleys. In fact, it's so flat, you can literally see for dozens of miles in any one direction. The kind of place where you can drive on an open road and easily hit 100 mph without even blinking.

As I drove by countless farmsteads, I was also reminded of my youth. The smell of a freshly plowed field had escaped me after living so many years in the city. It brought back a lot of memories seeing farmers venture out into the field to prepare the land for another year's crop and bountiful harvest. I'm thankful for my upbringing, and am thankful that farmers still do the jobs they do.

I took a road trip today. I travelled through the countryside, visiting local state parks and recreation areas, and learned more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I drove over 400 miles, and saw some beautiful sites. Driving through the countryside, it reminded me of my past, and how different things are from then to now.

When I was a child, I used to roam the hills by myself. I'd venture into the timber, roaming miles from home, and never once did I feel in danger, or even feel scared.

Today, I get nervous if my daughter plays outside alone, and I don't know if she's in the front or the back of the house. But, we live in a city, and it's certainly different in the country. But, times have changed too. Even in the country, you just never know. Country life has its charm, and country folk tend to protect one another.

As I drove down the road, I was reminded of this time and again as I received the one finger wave from every vehicle that I met. And no, I'm not talking about that unfriendly finger, I'm talking about a true gesture of fondness. I used to do it too. As you drive with one hand on the wheel in the twelve o'clock position, you gently lift your index finger a couple of inches as you meet each passing car, and perhaps nod your head just a bit. It's a way of saying, "Hello. How ya doing today?" Everyone does it, to strangers and friends alike.

So, have things really changed? In a way, they have, and they haven't. I think people are more cautious now in general, even if you do live in the country. I remember when I was a child, we never locked our house, and left the keys in the car. I'm sure that still happens, but hopefully, somethings do change for the better.

Recently, I was driving through the countryside around dusk, and had not one, not two, not three, but four near-death experiences. All in the same evening. All within about an hour of each other.

Occasionally, I saw a Deer Xing sign, but it didn't really register. However, as I was driving down the road at 60 mph, it suddenly became very clear. I passed a herd of deer, about 10 or 12, standing by the highway. I thought to myself, "Phew, close call." I wondered what would have happened had the whole herd been standing in the road. I probably would have been seriously hurt. I vowed to be more careful, and to remain very alert.

My alertness paid off. About ten minutes later, I saw three deer in my headlights. I slammed on the brakes, and thankfully, they darted away. I slowed down. My heart was beating about three times its normal rate. I didn't let my guard down though.

About 30 minutes later, it happened again. Only this time, there was a single buck, maybe 3 or 4 points, standing by the roadside. I saw him well in advance, and he ran into the dense woods as I sped by. Wow, three close calls within 40 minutes. What are the odds?

There was to be one more encounter. In another 10 minutes, I saw one last group of deer, about 3 or so, two on the left and one on the right. As I approached, they fled in separate directions, and never once crossed the road.

Soon thereafter, I arrived at my destination, and was safe and sound. But wow, what a night. I'm not sure I had any adrenaline left. I was wired. It wasn't really that fun, and hopefully, it won't happen for awhile. An occasional scare is good for the heart, but 4 in one night? That's too many.

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about introducing a constitutional amendment that would define "marriage" as a union between a man and a woman. In essence, it would prohibit same-sex marriages, or in other words, we're trying to write discrimination into the Bill of Rights that our forefathers founded over two centuries ago. Let's just say that I'm appalled. In fact, I'm outraged.

I've always thought the Constitution of the United States of America was designed to grant rights, not take them away. We've made great strides in the past to eliminate all forms of discrimination. I think we're finally to the point that people are treated equally (or I'd like to think they are). And now, our politicians resort to supporting a constitional amendment that would make it OK to begin discriminating again, but this time based on sex, rather than race, religion, of social status.

Does that seem fair? Obviously not. Amending the constituion is a very involved process. It's not something that happens overnight. It often takes years. Perhaps what bothers me the most though, I feel that this effort will take up valuable time and resources that would be better spent on something else. There are far greater problems in this country that must be dealt with.

Now is the time to act. I think we, as citizens, need to take a stand, and let the politicians know that we're not happy about this. Even if you disagree completely with the concept of same-sex marriages, how do you feel about people being legally discriminated against in this country, just because they don't fit the profile. That's not right. What exactly is that profile based on? Personally, I think a marriage is a union between two people who love and are committed to one another. Does it matter if they're both men, or both women? To me, I don't care. And neither should the government.

I love music. Of course, who doesn't. Country music can be especially true to life, often telling stories of love, life, sorrow, and happiness. Garth Brooks is one of my favorite artists, not only for thy lyrics, but also the uncomplicated melodies, often only accompanied by a guitar or a piano.

Recently, I heard his song, "If Tomorrow Never Comes" on the radio, and it reminded me of how haunting that song really is. The underlying meaning is quite powerful, asking in a sense, if tomorrow never came, would you be ready to go? Would all of your affairs be in order? It sure makes you think. It makes you think about the way you live your life, and if you do all that you can do, and to make each moment count as if it were your last.

Thinking about it further, I began to ponder even more. What if today were the last, and tomorrow never really did come? I thought about my funeral, and where I'd like to be buried. It's something that people don't like to think about, as it makes them uneasy, and some people may even think it's morbid. Have you ever really thought about it? I mean, truely, thought about where or how you'd like to be buried? Or, does it really even matter?

It occurred to me that I'm not really prepared. Should I be buried in my hometown cemetary, next to my father and mother? Do I want a small or large funeral? Do I want to be cremated? I'm still young, only in my 30s, but it's something to think about.

We recently bought a new kitten. His name is Skip, he's 4 months old, and is very handsome and loving. A few months ago, we had to put another cat to sleep. His name was Oliver. He had urinary tract disease, and wasn't even 2 years old. Our other 9 year old cat Jinx has taken to the new kitten better than I could have imagined. We knew that Jinx was lonely after we had to put Oliver to sleep, and seeing the old cat and the new kitten interact proves that.

I'd forgotten how much work new kittens can be, and how much fun they provide at the same time. Watching this little guy frolick and discover new things is amazing. A second later, he's doing something bad, like climbing "into" the couch. Not on it, or over it, but in it. He found a way underneath to get inside, and we couldn't get him out. He was crying, I was laughing, and eventually, he found the hole where he'd entered. Pesky little critter.

This afternoon, I decided to let him roam the house awhile. He's curious, and is exploring surroundings. And his big brother Jinx is there to guide him, to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. That's brotherly love I think. Watching out for the little guy, but still making sure he doesn't get into "your" stuff.

It's been awhile since I've posted. It's funny how life's events catch up with you, and time ticks away. In the last few weeks, we've had near record snow, and received 31" within about a 12 day period. Thereafter, it got very cold, and sizeable snow drifts still remain. I feel it will a long time before the snow goes away. Having said that, every day is one day closer to spring, so that's exciting. I honestly can't wait.

I attended a "Field Operations Management" class this past week. It was a good course, covering many important topics. We talked about leadership and management skills, effective communication, policies and procedueres, and about being a good supervisor. It really opened my eyes, and literally, a light bulb went on it my head. One of the more interesting topics was "Whale Done", a positive approach to managing people, developed by Ken Blanchard. It made me think about how I treat the people I work with, and to some extent, my family and friends too. It boils down to accenuating the positive and redirecting undersirable behavior.

I've been sick the last week too, getting a chest cold early in the week, but transitioning to a full sinus infection this weekend. I haven't been ill in a long time, (almost a year or more), and while it's been rough, I'll survive. It's nothing compared to what some people are faced with in their lives.

My diet has faded again. Even though I've been sick, I've gained weight this past week, despite watching what I eat. I honestly think it's a lose/lose battle, and I'm beginning to question the need for it all. Is it possible to be happy with the way you are, without needing to always be changing something?

Have you ever taken the time to watch how people act or behave, especially when they aren't aware that anyone is watching them? My father used to watch people all of the time. I, as a typical kid, would often get impatient, and we'd move on. I never understood why my father enjoyed it so much.

Now, as an adult, I'm beginning to get the picture. I find myself doing the same things that my father used to do, I watch people. I watch how they interact with their friends and family. It's very insightful into pure human emotion. And occasionally, I walk away having learned something from the experience.

Does it make me uneasy that someone is probably watching me? A little. But, that's part of life.

A few years ago, my family and I were travelling across country to visit Mount Rushmore. It was a fun trip, we had a great time, and saw a lot of beautiful country. While driving, we passed through a town, although I don't remember the name. Out front, a very large sign read, "If We Don't Have It, You Don't Need It." We saw that sign and laughed, thinking it was a bold statement, but probably true.

It happens to everyone. We often take things for granted, assuming they'll always be there. Whether it be your family, your job, your spouse, your friends, or just common, everyday things, we all do it. Let me explain.

I realized this last night as I was literally scared to death at the gym. I enjoyed a hard workout, and headed for the sauna to relax. After the sauna, I took a shower, and headed back to my locker. Only, my things were gone. All of my "stuff" was missing. The lock was gone, and the locker was empty. Suddenly, I panicked, realizing that my whole life was just taken away. There I stood in a towel, with nothing else to my name but a swimming suit, dripping in my hand. My car keys were gone, my cell phone, my wallet, my gym bag, my watch, my glasses, my clothes, my walkman radio, my shoes, my winter jacket, all gone. I was devastated. How could this happen? I've never had any problem at the gym before, and now, I've been violated. It was then that I realized how we take things for granted, and when they're gone, it's hard to accept. Very hard.

I had another guy get the gym attendant. He arrived, and indicated that we'd need to fill out a report, and call the police. I said that I'd have to call my wife so that she could bring me some clothes, and another coat, because it was frigid outside. The gym attendant asked, "Are you sure you didn't put your stuff in another locker?" And that's when it dawned on me. When I arrived at the gym, there were several guys in the area where I "usually" go. Therefore, I decided to move to a locker across the hall, to a less crowded area. It was a hard habit to break, and when my workout was through, I headed back to my original locker. The process of moving to a new location didn't even register in my mind. And there I stood, with only a towel, feeling like an idiot. I apologized to the gym attendant, and tried to explain my story. He understood, but I could tell, he was having a hard time holding in the laughter. Sure enough, all of my belongings were exactly where I had put them an hour ago, in the locker in the next aisle.

So, I guess the lesson to be learned, never take things for granted, because when you least expect it, they may be gone. While the outcome in this instance was good, there may be times when something dear to you really does go away, or is stolen, or chooses to leave. And it's at that moment that you'll realize how much that "thing" meant to you, and you may have a deeper appreciation for taking things for granted, resolving to not do it in the future.

I admit, I have not been going to the gym on a regular basis. Many things have happened to prevent that, so it's not a total lack of willpower, but other circumstances prevailed. I'm back to about 185 pounds, where I started a few months ago. I've still been able to get to the gym about once a week, but only to hit the suana, and not really do any hard exercise. Last night, I was able to do a full session, and it felt good to get the heart rate back to where it needs to be. It felt good to work up a sweat again, and to be dog tired afterward. So, here we go again for round two. If I can do what I did before, mainly eat less, eat the right kinds of food, and regular exercise, I should be able to shed a few pounds and feel good again. I got as low as 177 previously, while building muscle at the same time. I think my goal should be somewhere around 170, but we'll see. I think I need a new radio to motivate me. Ha! Actually, my old one doesn't work very well, and I've been needing a new one for awhile, so I suppose this is my chance.

It's hard to describe the feeling when you find something that really warms your heart. For example, when I get a good night's sleep, I feel awesome. In fact, it happened the other day. I occasionally work the night shift, and on my first day in the schedule, I typically am awake for about 26 hours straight. After that, I'm tired. And, usually I fall straight to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. But, often I don't get good sleep, because of external factors. Last week, I slept very soundly. I don't think I moved for an entire 8 hours. And it felt good, and it gave me that euphoric feeling.

It also happened one evening this week when I was dining at Panera Bread. I wasn't feeling very well, and had a slight cold, something that I'd been battling off and on for a week. I ordered a bowl of chicken soup, and sat down by the fire. The food was good, and I was toasty warm, and that feeling came over me once more. It felt good to eat good food, be warm, and enjoy a light dinner.

As you probably know, we recently built a new home. It's very nice, and all of our dreams have come true. Our master bathroom is huge, and the whirlpool tub literally takes an entire corner. I haven't used it yet, despite the fact that my wife says it is wonderful. Tonight, I decided to try it. And, she was correct. It was awesome! It felt good to relax in warm, massaging water, and to not worry about life and its complications, if only for a few minutes.

It all makes sense now. Life should be filled with more moments like this. Sometimes, you just have to lay caution to the wind, and just relax, without a care in the world. Your troubles will be there when you're through, and if it helps you to make it through the day, then nothing ventured, nothing gained.

However, having said all of that, there are moments when things happen that makes your blood boil. That happened today. You see, we just received another big snowfall a few days ago, and now, our vehicles are a muddy mess. I decided to wash my truck today, as it finally warmed up enough that the water wouldn't freeze on contact. I was waiting to turn left into the lone, remaining, empty car wash. Just as I was about to turn, a car turned onto the highway, and was barreling at me at a high rate of speed. I decided to yield, to let the yahoo pass. Instead, he turned into the car wash, and zipped into the empty slot, the slot that I was waiting for. Son of a bitch! Of course he didn't look at me as he got out of the car, for fear that I'd shoot the bastard.

It's times like that that I'd like to forget. I was angry. I was very upset. I loudly yelled every swear word I know through the window, even though he couldn't hear a word I said. There was no use fighting it, he won. So, I waited for the next slot, which of course took about another 10 minutes.

Warm feelings? Angry notions? I'll take the warm, fuzzy ones any day.

Why is it that shower faucets are so touchy? I mean, when you're taking a shower, why is it that 1/1000 of a turn goes from luke warm to unbearable? Seriously, you probably know what I'm talking about. You barely even touch the knob, and suddenly, it's scalding hot. I've never been able to figure that out, and every shower is about the same.

I enjoy singing a good song, and feel that I'm an OK singer. I used to be in our high school show chior, and can carry a decent tune in Church. However, it was apparent to me yesterday that I do "not" have as good of a voice as I thought I had, as I heard my slightly off-tune Christmas carols through a Karaoke machine at our annual family holiday party. I'm reasonably certain that my state of inebriation probably had something to do with it, but I can't necessarily prove that.

Did I still have fun? You bet? Will I do Karaoke again? Probably not. But, that still won't stop me from singing along to my favorite tunes on the radio.

In fact, that brings to mind something funny that I'm has happened to nearly everyone at least once. Have you ever pulled up to a stoplight, and glanced over at your neighbor in the next lane? And, have you ever noticed that sometimes, it looks like they're talking to themselves? And don't they look silly? At least I think it looks odd, sitting alone in the car, and it appears that you're carrying on a conversation with a ghost. But, they're probably just singing along to the radio, like everyone else. I mumble under my breath, "Idiot!" and drive on. But, it usually doesn't take too long, and I'm the one sitting at stoplight, singing along to a good song, with people giving me the unusual stare, and thinking I'm out of my mind. They probably mumble something under their breath, drive on, and do the same thing themselves. It's a vicious circle.

Well, I have to admit, the temptation to eat is winning, and my drive to remain on the diet has diminished. In fact, I haven't had a chance to get to the gym in over a month. I know what you must be thinking, but honestly, I have not had a free moment. The last month has been a blur. So, I'm back above 180, holding steady around 182, after dropping to 177 about a month ago. It's not that I'm not eating a lot of junk, because I'm not, for the most part, it's just that I'm not exercising. And, I think that's a big deal, especially after you've been exercising regularly for the previous 2 months.

So, I'll get through the holidays, and hit the gym again after January 1. No need to make a New Years Resolution to buy a gym membership, I already own one, I'm just not using it. But, once the hubub settles down after the holidays, I'll be able to get back into a routine. Count on it.

It has recently come to my attention that life is too complicated. This occurred to me while I was in our master bathroom, and looked at my wife's side of the vanity, and noticed 4 curling irons plugged into a single outlet. It seems that not too long ago, one curling iron was enough, but now, hair styling has become so involved that it takes not one, not two, not even three, but four curling irons to get the job done.

If you look around, you'll probably begin to notice what I'm talking about. Everyone has a cell phone attached to their hip, and we all have gadget envy. Gadgets can be found everywhere, and society has a keen knack for collecting "stuff".

We recently moved across country, and became very aware of just how much "stuff" we have accumulated. In fact, it filled an entire semi truck. I never knew we could have had so much "stuff". After unpacking it all in our large home, I realized that I now have a lot more room to accumulate a lot more "stuff". Great. Just what we need.

So, I've come to this conclusion. Life should be filled with less stuff and more laughter. Life shouldn't be so complicated, instead, it should be less cluttered. Life should be about wanting what you have, rather than worrying about whether or not you can have what you want. And if we could all do that just once in awhile, the world just might be a better place.

After reading this, you'll probably think I'm the Grinch of Christmas Present. I just don't get into the holiday season as many other people do, and in fact, it typically puts me in a bad mood. Today was a good example.

I decided to start Christmas shopping, and headed to Best Buy to look around. I really only have a couple of gifts to buy, my wife takes care of the rest. First of all, the parking lot was a nightmare. And this was about 1:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. My first thought, "What the fu**?" It took me almost 10 minutes to find a spot. Upon arriving inside the store, the line for the checkout registers stretched all the way to the back wall! I'm not joking.

So, after I snaked my way through the store, I finally arrived in the aisle with the goods that I came to see. It was jam packed. It seems everyone else had the same idea. It was time to start Christmas shopping, and today was the day. I cornered a sales guy, and asked, "Is there some special promotion? Was a new movie or record released today? He politely explained, "No sir, it's just Christmas."

I did finally get my turn viewing the merchandise, and made a decision on what to buy, but then muttered under my breath, "This is bullsh**! I'm not doing this today." I then walked out of the store.

So, it's not so much that I don't enjoy the holidays, because I do. I enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. I enjoy seeing a beautiful display of lights. I enjoy singing along with familiar holiday tunes. I enjoy catching up with friends and family. I just tend to think that Christmas has become so commercial, and some of the peace and joy of yesteryear has gone by the wayside. Society has become so involved in finding that perfect gift, and outdoing each other in the Christmas newsletter. Things seem so rushed. We all frantically scurry around, and have little time to reflect why and how we celebrate to begin with.

So, I say ba humbug. And, because of that, you can call me the Grinch of Christmas Present, I don't mind. To each their own, and that's what makes the world go round, having the freedom to be who you are.

I still put up a good front for my daughter, and always ensure that the holidays are wonderful and filled with magic. If only to see through the eyes of a child, and it could all be so wonderful once again.

Recently, my brother told me that I was the most impatient person he knew. That kind of hurt my feelings, and I didn't really think I was that way with my friends and family. I see myself being very impatient with strangers, many of whom are typical idiots, not having much of a clue, and basically just getting in my way. But I always thought I've been quite patient in other regards, to the point that I'm often not assertive enough to stand up when an injustice occurs.

After that comment, I took a good, hard look at my life, and in some way, I can see where my brother comes from. But, I can also be very patient if I need to be. In fact, it brings to mind a comment attributed to Margaret Thatcher. "I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end." Can you have it both ways? Can you be both a patient and impatient person at the same time? I think a lot of it depends on my mood. If I'm in a bad mood, I tend to be less patient with people, and if I'm in a good mood, I tend to let more things go.

Do I need to be more patient with people? Perhaps so. Is it something that will be easy to do? Time will tell.

While I generally dislike winter altogether, I do enjoy a beautiful snowfall. A blanket of white covering the land tends to hide some of the drab that winter has to offer. Especially at the beginning of an event when the snow is prisitine, whiter than white. The countryside truly becomes a winter wonderland.

Recently, we received about 6 inches of snow. However, along with the snow came howling north winds from 30 to 40 mph which created considerably blowing and drifting snow. That's one of the main reasons I dislike winter on the plains. If the snow came without the wind, I'd love winter. But, unfortunately, we're never usually that lucky.

Not only was the wind a problem, but the persisitent construction in our neighborhood poses additional challenges. With construction vehicles making the roads a dirt path on a daily basis, the prisitine snow that fell earlier this week soon became a muddy, slushy, mucky mess. And, that gets all over your vehicles, and ultimately into your garage. Our brand new garage floor is a disaster. I intended to wash out the garage today with the garden hose, but alas, the garden hoses were frozen solid. In fact, when I tried to remove the spray nozzle from the hose, it simply twisted off in my hands. Drat! Not only do I NOT have a hose to wash the garage out with, my only spray nozzle just broke.

So, until the construction is complete in our neighborhood, we have to put up with an unsightly mess. Hopefully, by next winter, the construction will be finished, and we can enjoy the snow once more, and continue to "Dream of a White Christmas."

The more they stay the same. Several years ago, during college, I used to watch the Young and the Restless. My mother watched it, one of my brothers and one of my sisters watched it, and even my uncle watched it on a daily basis. In fact, I had a 3rd cousin who operated one of the cameras on the set. Her name was Cindy something, the last name escapes me.

After I graduated from College, I didn't have time to watch a daily soap opera, so I relegated to reading the weekly summaries in the newspaper. Eventually, I stopped reading those, and occasionally asked my mother or sister what was the latest scoop. And finally, I got to a point where I didn't even care.

Today, after nearly a 10 year hiatus, I sat down and watched Young and the Restless. And, it reminded me of the time worn phrase, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." All the same characters were there, along with few new ones. But, things were all jumbled. Characters who once loved each other were now arch enemies, and chacaters who despised one another were best of friends. I suppose it makes good drama for characters to switch sides, and keeps the dialog interesting.

Will it be interesting enough to get me hooked again? Definitely not. Was it amusing? Mildly so. :)

The first big snow of the season came yesterday. I was nervous as I was unsure how my "no wheel drive" pickup truck would do. We've lived in the south for the last 8 years and got used to the mild winters.

A couple of weeks ago, we were expecting a major winter storm, but it never developed. I made arrangements to get both of our vehicles in the garage, went and bought a brand new snow thrower, and put about 280 lbs of sand in the back of my truck. I was ready.

The snow storm came, only a couple of weeks late. We received about 6" of snow, along with north winds of 30 to 45 mph. Needless to say, it created a lot of blowing and drifting snow. While it was pretty, I had to venture home from work in the middle of it.

And, I made it, actually without any problems. Imagine that. So, my repressed fear of getting stuck with my truck in a ditch didn't come true. In fact, it wasn't that bad at all. This morning, I got up, and cleared the driveway (including 2 feet drifts) in about 30 minutes. Amazing. I'm so glad I bought the snow thrower, it was a large investment, but one that will pay off time and again. The streets in our neighborhood are pretty bad, but I drove through them without any problems. Snow is at least 6 to 10 inches deep in most areas, and the truck was fine. I could sure do without the bitter wind chill though.

I noticed in our local Best Buy ad that Tax Software was already on sale. It's getting to be that time of year again, and I always like to get a jump start, to get a rough idea of how much we'll owe, or if we'll get a refund. It's something I've always done through my adult life. December is my planning month where I gather the preliminary figures, and plug the data into the tax software, and generate an approximate estimate.

I was actually in a good mood today. Best Buy had a deal, you buy the tax software, get a free music CD of your choice instantly, and also get Norton Antivirus 2004 free via mail order, after rebates and so forth. Our financial situation has now settled down, and I was ready to start playing with numbers. I was even optimistic that I could start squeezing away an extra percent or two into my Thrift Savings 401k.

After a couple hours of preliminary paperwork, and running the numbers a dozen different ways, all I can say is, "Help me, I've fallen, and I can't get up." Those were the words that I was muttering to myself after I literally fell out of my chair as I looked at the figure on the screen. Something must have been wrong I thought, perhaps I transposed a number, or forgot to input some deductions. After checking again, everything was correct.

The bottom line is this. Because of a number of factors, including promotions for both my wife and myself (which boosted us into a new tax bracket), our move to a new state (which included reimbursements from my employer), and the fact that we went without a mortgage deduction for 7 of the 12 months this year, we'll owe several thousand dollars in extra tax. Wow. Even as I type that, I still think, "Help me, I've fallen, and I can't get up." It certainly was a shock, but like all other things, we'll pull through, rally the wagons, and get through it.

When we moved into our new home, I thought it would be a good idea to get a really good vacuum cleaner. The vacuum we used to use (and still do, keep reading) was OK, but it was only the $59 Dirt Devil Featherlite. It did an adequate job, but I assumed that if one were to spend more money, say $250 or $300, one would get a much better product.

After some research on the Internet, and visiting our local super mega vacuum store, I opted to try the Hoover Windtunnel, self-propelled, which also had a whole suite of other bells and whistles, many of which I'd probably not need. According to Hoover, it was the best on the market, with a vacu-suck rating of 31 (the top of the line), with a price tag of $299.

To say that I'm mildly disappointed wouldn't even give it justice. First of all, the thing is made of cheap plastic, and every time I use it, I feel as if it will break at any moment as I kick the toe release. I don't expect it to last over a year. Second, while the self-propelled feature is nice, I feel that I don't grip the handle with both hands, the thing will get away from me, which brings visions of the movie "Mr. Mom" into my head (think of the vacuum cleaner chasing the children). And third, this top-of-the-line vacuum is no better than my $59 Dirt Devil in the cleaning department. Both are quite capable of picking up the dirt in both small and large quantities.

Why do consumers always want the biggest and best of everything? Often, we're disappointed, and usually end up spending more money than was necessary to get the job done. Remember, bigger isn't always better.

I dislike automotive service centers. You're at the mercy of the reputation of the shop or mechanic, and often, I believe they take advantage of the normal consumer with every chance they get. Many repairs are beyond the scope of the average guy, and even if it is a simple repair, you may not have the time, tools, or talent to solve the problem.

I'm that type of guy. I usually don't have the desire or the means to fix automotive problems on my own. I once installed an alternator on my wife's car several years ago. What would have been an hour job for any competent mechanic took me an entire day. But that's another story. And, I have this weird ability to turn every simple task into a complete nightmare. It always happens. That's just who I am.

Recently, my ABS light came on in my 2000 Ford Ranger 2x2 Truck. I've got 55,000 miles on the truck, and that's not out of the question. It's almost 4 years old, and things break. About an hour later, my speedometer quit working, well, at least with any speed below 35 mph. Above that, it was fine. So, after some quick research on the Internet, it appeared to be a bad rear speed sensor. Many "average" joes were able to fix it for under $50 themselves with a couple hours of invested time.

Having moved to a new city recently, I have not yet needed a mechanic. Previously, I would take my truck to the Ford dealer where I bought the truck, as they were located in a small town, and I could trust them. That's just the way things are done in a small town. However, big cities are new territory. So, not knowing where to look, I opted to take my truck to the local Ford dealership that I hear about on the radio almost on a daily basis.

After about 2 hours of waiting patiently, the final diagnosis was what I expected. The rear speed sensor had gone bad, and the final bill was $175. Of course, $75 for the diagnostic test, $50 for the part, and $50 for labor too. The truck actually has 4 sensors, and each one had to be ruled out. So, after a quick dip into my checking account, the ABS system is working again, along with the speedometer.

Could I have fixed it myself? Probably, but had I tried, I just know that I would have chosen the wrong sensor to replace because that's the way things work with me. Nothing is ever simple. I'm the perfect example of Murphy's Law. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. So, whenever a simple repair comes to mind, I can count of two things if I do it myself. 1) It will take me three times as long to fix it than I originally planned, and 2) cost me twice as much. That's just who I am.

We moved into our new home a couple of weeks ago. And just recently, it got cold outside. Low temperatures have been down in the teens for a few days. It's difficult getting used to a new home. There are a lot of new noises, and it takes time to learn what is normal, and what may be a potential problem. For example, whenever I hear the dishwasher running, it sounds like there's a water leak, and I go into panic mode to determine if there's a problem.

I noticed over the last several nights, our house makes a lot of noises through the night also. Mainly, it's popping and pinging sounds coming from the ducts and wood, expanding and contracting with temperature changes. It's a little weird, in that it's a new home, and I that I didn't expect a "new" home to have so many noises so soon.

But, after some research on the Internet, it appears to be normal. The heater kicks on, and blows warm into a cold duct, and the metal begins to expand. Click, click, click. The heater stops, and the ducts now begin to cool. Click, Click, Click. The wood floor joists respond to the colder temperatures in the basement. Pop, pop, pop. And repeat.

It's just one of those things. It takes a while to get used to the new sounds, and again, to differentiate between what is normal, and what is out of the oridinary.

Well, believe it or not, I'm still on the diet, although, during my daughter's surgery and recovery, I haven't been to the gym nearly as much as I would have liked. Also, I've been busy moving into our new home, and felt that carrying boxes and running up and down the basement stairs were a good workout. I've still been watching what I eat, and ensure that I have snacks in between meals too. Although, the Halloween candy probably curtailed my efforts just a bit.

This morning, I weighed 178.5 pounds. That's still down several pounds from when I started, and even though I haven't lost a "lot" of weight, my clothes do fit better, and that's important. In the mirror, I look better too, I still have a small "spare" tire around my waist, but it's shrinking. LOL.

I've discovered the sauna at the gym. Wow, it sure is hot in there, and makes you sweat a lot. It's the equivalent of a minor workout, because the heat increases your heart rate, not enough for the full cardio workout, but enough. And, it seems that it cleanses your pores, and a cool refreshing shower afterward feels very good. I've never really understood the health benefits from a sauna, and have always been confused about dry versus wet, i.e. the sauna bath versus the steam bath. I prefer the dry, hot sauna over the steamy, wet sauna. The steam room is simply too wet for my tastes.

So, the battle continues. I have only seen the personal trainer twice. I had a third appointment, but had to cancel so I could take care of my daughter. Hopefully, sometime in the next month or two, I can sit down with him and evaluate my progress.

I have to admit, I dislike winter and cold weather in general. Thus, it's still surprising to me why I moved back to the Central Plains, except for the sake of family. I've lived in the South for the past 8 years, and honestly, the winters were great. It was just cold enough, but the cold never lasted very long, and if it did snow, it usually wasn't a lot, and was gone in a few days. You see, I also drive one of those "no wheel" drive trucks, and I'm terrified that I'll have a hard time getting around in the snow.

So, for better or worse, here I sit, on the midst of a potentially harsh winter season on the Central Plains. Like all other things, I'm sure it won't be as bad as I've pictured it. Oh sure, it will snow, it will blow, and it may be downright cold and absolutely miserable. Will I survive? Yes, I imagine I will. Will I be a stronger person because of it? Probably, but still, I'd rather just not have to deal with it.

I decided to go to the Casino again on Halloween night. I had a coupon for $10 free dollars, and I didn't want to waste it. And, after my last experience (last month, when I lost $60), I was ready to try again.

I have to admit, it was pretty fun. It was Halloween afterall, and most of the employees were dressed in costume, and about 1/3 of the patrons were dressed up too. I walked in, surveyed the gaming tables, made the rounds once more, and was able to sit at the $3 Blackjack table, the only one. I proceeded to play for about 2 1/2 hours, after starting with $40. By the end of my time, I had $90 on the table, plus, the free $10 that I got for walking in the door. I called it a night, and headed home. So, now we're even. Until next time.

Watching the clientele at a casino can be great fun. I didn't get there until about 11:00 pm, and left about 1:30 am. Casinos draw people from all genres, young and old, happy and sad. I tried to imagine the lives of each of the people that I observed, wondering if they had children or grandchildren, wondering if they were wealthy or poor, wondering if their hearts were good or bad. Despite being strangers in the night, we all had the common desire to "hit it big" and go home with a jackpot. Hopes and dreams were probably won and lost that night, the losers going home with a chip on their shoulders, the winners enjoying a euphoric moment.

But rest assured, whether you win or lose, somehow, the casino draws you back. When I lost my stack last month, I vowed to never return again, and yet, a month and a half later, I did return, the lure was too powerful, and it drew me in, just like a fish. The thought of getting even is sweet revenge.

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted any comments. I've been busy. Since then, we've moved into our new home, although we haven't unpacked everything. Let's just say that it will be another few weeks before everything is where it needs to be. Also, my daughter had her surgery 9 days ago, so our lives have been consumed with that. She was in the hospital for 7 days, and we've been home for two. Which brings me to the point of this entry.

My daughter had major spine surgery, and now must walk with a walker until she can get her land legs back. She's also in a body cast that weighs roughly 1/4 of her weight. She's doing really well, considering, but has her bad moments too.

Today, she felt good enough to venture out for the first time. We went to Taco Bell for lunch. She was afraid to go out though, as she thought she looked ugly, felt like an old lady with the walker, and knew that people would stare. I tried to convince her that it didn't matter, but she still felt bad.

My daughter was right. People did stare. And probably just for curiousity, it's human nature to be curious, especially about little girls who walk with a walker, and are in a body cast. We sat at a table so Hannah could have her back to them, but I was able to watch their every move. They stared. They tried to be polite, and cast an occasional glance in our direction, but they still stared. And I'm probably guilty of this too, and now that we've had a chance to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, I think I understand a little better. Handicapped people are just like everyone else, only they're in a wheel chair, or walk with a cane, or walk with a walker. They're still only human, and sometimes, looking in from the outside, we tend to forget that.

Well, we were able to close yesterday on our new home. After signing what seemed like an endless supply of paperwork (we have two loans, instead of one), taking about an hour, the whole process has come to a close. For better or worse, there's no backing out of it now. There were still about 5 minor details that need to be addressed by the builder, but that's OK.

Today, we made a big push to move everything in. Actually, we started yesterday evening, but today was the big push. My wife's parents were a tremendous help, along with my sister-in-law (on my side of the family), my brother-in-law (on my wife's side of the family), and my daughter's god-mother, her husband and son helped too. Thank you everyone!! After 9 pickup loads, and 3 Uhaul truck loads later, we're almost finished. About 1/3 of a Uhaul truck left, which we'll get in the morning, and a small collection of odds and ends.

The women also made a big push to get the kitchen unpacked, and it looks really good. The garage is another story, as I'm sure it will take a few weeks to get everything organized, and stowed away in the basement. Hopefully, we'll be able to park the cars there by the holidays, at least it's our goal.

We sure are tired, but refreshed, knowing that we're in the house, most of our things have been moved (except for odds and ends), and we can finally relax. Now, we only have to get through my daughter's surgery next Tuesday, and life will be back to normal.

The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling, at least that's what it feels like.

Many things have been happening this week, too many, and too little time. We close on our home tomorrow, and the week has been filled with minor details, and coordinating with our builder to ensure that all of our concerns have been addressed. I still don't have the final figure's available for the exact amount of money we need to bring to closing, despite my numerous pleas to the mortgage company. The landscaper punctured the underground sprinkler system...and are back yard was more of a lake than a yard, with the new sod being flooded under a few inches of water. That in turn upset the sprinkler company, who in turn proceeded to rip out all of the landscaping in that region to fix the problem. It's not our problem to fix, but it only added to our stress level.

We've been preparing for our daughter's surgery which is scheduled for next week. Thus, we're completing the necessary pre-operative appointments and tests this week, meeting with each of the surgeons, touring the hospital, and seeking additional family counseling.

I awoke earlier this week to find grey hair on my temples, I attribute it to all of the stress I've been under. Hopefully, it's only a temporary condition.

I've been working crazy shifts at work, various hours here and there, trying to coordinate all of the appointments with nearly everyone and their brother.

For some reason, even though I've been eating like a sparrow, and have been exercising regularly, I'm now gaining weight (not muscle, at least not that I can tell), so not sure why, but again, I attribute that to stress.

And, the last straw, we had to put my daughter's cat to sleep yesterday. He was very sick this past January, and almost died then. We spent alot of money then to fix his problem, but it returned. His diet is no longer able to correct the imbalance in his system, and he was in a lot of pain, with kidney failure setting in. Thus, we made the decision to have him put to sleep.

So, you can see, it's been a busy week. The weekend and next week will only be worse. We'll be moving into our new home, and then, surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, with recovery thereafter.

The honeymooon is over. The euphoria with our new home nearly complete has been very exciting over the last week. All of the small details are finally coming together, after a long, expensive wait. But, how quickly things change, :|

We chose an outside paint color called "Delicate Cream", modeled after another home we saw in another neighborhood, with the same brick. I matched the paint swatches exactly (I even trespassed on their property to match it perfectly), and asked the homeowner for the name of the color, and was excited about the combination for our home.

Watching the paint go up yesterday confirmed that it was the right color. It looked good. But, after both coats were on with the entire house complete, it's simply horrible. It's too yellow, and that's under a cloudy sky. Yesterday evening, under the full sun, it was positively miserable. It's almost as if I made a mistake when I was transcribing the color code from the paint chip, or the paint company made a mistake in the color mix recipe, or the color swatches are not even close to what they should be.

So, all good things do come to an end, and now, after 5 months of anxiously awaiting our dream home, well, all I can express is utter disappointment in myself. We'll let it ride through the winter, but my gut feeling tells me come spring, the painting contractors will be repainting our new house. Whether I hire the painters to do the job for me, or waste the time to do it myself, either way, it's a very expensive mistake.

Now you may say, it's only paint, and that's true. It can be changed, with a little time and investment. But I still feel like the bride being dumped at the altar, or a contestant on the "Trading Spaces" show after a horrible decorating job. After all that hard work, and the high hopes and dreams, to be jilted in the end, and not because of the fault of someone else, but because of your own ignorance.

Sure, it could be worse, like I said, it's only paint, and it will get better, it usually does. But, two phrases are running through my mind right now. "Stupid is as stupid does," (Forest Gump), and "Doh!" (Homer Simpson).

There has been a flurry of activity at our house over the last week. The entire inside is finished, except for carpet, which should be installed today. The painters are painting the outside today also, and the sprinklers are being installed today and tomorrow. The landscaper arrives on Monday, and sod will be installed next Wednesday. And that's it!

So indeed, we'll make our October 17th closing date, the home insurance policy has been puchased, the mortgage papers have been finalized, and we're set. I never thought this day would get here as the days seem to drag by, but in retrospect, it's been a quick 5 months. I flash back the various stages in my mind, remember the first day I chose the lot. Then, I remember the countless days that I'd simply go "walk" the lot, walking around, visualizing how the house would look, and where things would be. I've been out to the lot every day since then, sometimes, two times. I've walked over every square inch of the house hundreds of times.

And finally, after a flurry of activity and last minute details, we'll own the house and all will be complete in about a week. Wow!

I've reached a plateau of sorts with my weight. I'm still on the diet, and watching what and how much I eat, and am also hitting the gym 3 days a week. Thus, I think I've achieved a balance, in that I'm burning fat, and starting to build muscle. At least I'm not gaining any additional weight, but have stopped losing. I'm holding steady at 181.5, but my clothes fit much better (at least I think they do). But, I'm somewhat sore. I'm using muscles that haven't been used in a long while. I'm not sore to the point that I can barely walk, but just a little stiff. Last night, I worked out after my regular shift, from about 12:30 am to 1:30 am. I thought it might relax me, but found out just the opposite was true. Upon returning home, I was physically tired, but couldn't get to sleep. Those darn endorphins were too numerous in my blood stream, and I found myself staring at the ceiling. Sigh. So, I'll try to rearrange my schedule so that I can work out "before" going to work, instead of after. LOL.

Overall, I feel good. I don't think I'm as tired as I used to be, I'm definitely eating smarter, and I think I'm starting to look better (healthier) too. Was the large cash outlay for a gym membership a good idea? One month into the program, I'd say yes. I've got a 3 year membership, with a very small renewal few thereafter. For now, the membership is worth it to me. I've still got 3 more sessions with the personal trainer, and then, I'm not paying the $60 hourly fee after that. They've set up a program for me, and have guided me in what to eat, and how to exercise to gain the most benefit. Now, it's up to me to continue the program, but it's certainly not worth $60 per hour, at least to me.

Never again will I venture to the grocery store on a Sunday morning. Don't people go to church anymore? It was the absolute busiest I've ever seen it. You see, I shop at the local Super Wal-Mart, mainly because the prices simply can't be beat.

My wife usually makes a list, and I usually do the shopping. It works well. But after today, I've vowed to 1) never shop on a Sunday morning again, and 2) the printed list that we use needs to be changed.

Actually, in our old city, I had the grocery shopping routine down flat. I had the layout of the store (Meijers) memorized, and had a pre-printed list of the items in each aisle. My wife simply prints off a grocery check list, checks or circles the items she needs, and I drive up and down each aisle retrieving the necessary items. However, we've moved to a new state, and I still haven't had a chance to memorize the layout of the new Wal-Mart. To make matters worse, my wife decided to use a "new" pre-printed grocery list that she downloaded off the net. Sure, it's a nicer-looking list, but it's completely backward, and requires one to back track across several aisles, so bottom line, it's definitely not consumer friendly.

So, here I am, at 10:30 am this morning, traversing the aisles of Wal-Mart, hopelessly lost, and battling the other throngs of shoppers who hoped to enjoy a quiet morning at the store also. It wasn't pleasant. And, I think it's mandatory training for everyone who shops to attend a "grocery" seminar, to learn proper grocery store etiquette. I mean, it's not that hard, but a few simple common sense rules would certainly go a long way.

For example, in life, don't we drive on the "right" side of the road? Why not utilize the same methodolgy in the grocery store. But no, the aisles are filled with complete idiots who insist on using the "wrong" side, i.e. driving straight toward me in my line. What about yielding? Again, if we'd follow road rules, everyone would be much happier.

Anyhow, after over an hour of battling along with everyone else, I was ready to check out. In our previous grocery, I could be in and out in under one half hour. I had a list, I was on a mission, I knew where everything was, and it was simple and carefree.

To make matters worse, the checkout clerk obviously didn't have a clue. The poor boy was mixing food and household chemicals, warm and cold items, and used about twice as many plastic bags as necessary. And, the icing on the cake, he not only "smooshed" one loaf of bread, but yes, both loaves were about half the size they originally were.

Sigh...Never Again!

The time is drawing near for us to close on our home. In fact, we're closing on October 17, which is now less than two weeks away. Thus, we're about to become "house poor", like many other typical American families.

I'll admit, this has been a fun process, designing and implementing our home plans. Until now, we haven't had to worry about making the mortgage payment, although we could certainly use the interest deductions, something we've gone without for 6 months now. But that's another story. While we'll certainly be able to afford the house payment, I did have to adjust my retirement allocations at work, and am now contributing a much smaller percentage of my gross pay (plus a 5% employer match) than we previously were. And, we blew our base budget by a few thousand dollars, but this will absolutely be the last house we ever build, so we thought it was important to do it right.

So, in a couple of weeks, we'll have our dream home, and a lot of nice things to go along with. In fact, we just bought a new dining room table today, along with a whole suite of other "material" things. :)

And, if we're "house poor", as I think we will be for a year or two, then so be it. If that means sacrificing a vacation, or sacrificing the latest toy, or additions to the wardrobe, it's something I'm willing to live with.

I've been on the diet officially for a couple of weeks now. I started around 187 pounds, and am now down to 181 and a half. Overall I think I'm doing very well, and yesterday was the ultimate test.

I had to take our car in for it's periodic maintenance, but did not have a chance to grab breakfast before leaving. At the auto service shop, they usually have coffee and doughnuts available for the early customers.

I arrived at the shop about 7:45, and sure enough, there was a fresh box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I opted for two cups of coffee, and no doughnuts. I know, unbelievable that I'd pass up KK's, but, this is a new regime, one that doesn't include doughnuts. Sigh.

So yes, the diet is going OK, I've found out I do have some will power, and hope to make this a lifelong choice.

We must admit, we're getting very tired of living like gypsies. Our new home is nearly complete, they're painting and staining this week, and then it's carpet and vinyl, and the final cleanup and we're done. In the meantime, we've been living in a townhome, but it's rather small. We're tired of living out of boxes, and not having enough room to relax. We're tired of not having a permanent home, and tired of waiting. Bottom line, we're crabby. We just want to be able to finally settle down, and get back to a normal life.

But, there's light at the end of the tunnel. We close on the new home exactly 5 weeks from today, and believe me, it will probably be a very long 5 weeks. Although, in the grand scheme, it's merely a blip, but to us, it will seem like an eternity. Sometimes, you take things for granted, for example, knowing where that tool is, or knowing where that needed file folder might be. For us, we've been living day to day, but not really living, not really having a sense of completeness, only existing.

It will be good to actually unpack, settle down, and relax.

Well, after watching the first episode of Survivor, all I can say, "Wow!" What a great episode. I loved the twist of throwing the castaways overboard in their dress clothes. I loved the way they had to barter for items in the village. Although, I was disappointed when one tribe stole from the other, but had to laugh when the other tribe basically walked out of the village in their underwear. If the first episode is any measure of things to come, it should be an interesting season! On a related note, I understand the next Survivor will be an "all-star" edition, and Jeff Probst has signed on through Survivor 12.

I had my first personal trainer appointment today. He took all the pertinent measurements, etc, set up a meal and exercise plan, and introduced some of the equipment, and how to use it. I jumped on a treadmill, and walked for about 20 minutes, at about 4 mph, with a 0.5 incline. It got my heart rate up to about 160 beats per minute, near the upper range of my peak heart rate. It felt good.

And so it begins. I'm on track now to exercise 3 times a week, and have started a diet, not so much a strict diet of counting every single calorie or carb, and not so much following to the letter the meal plan that was set up. But at least I'm watching what I eat now, am doing a mental calculation of caloric intake, and will start eating healthier (fruits and vegetables), and cut out the junk food.

With the improved diet, and a steady exercise routine, I should be able to start trimming fat and building muscle sooner or later.

I must admit, I'm a Survivor junkie. I loved the show when it was introduced a few years ago, and have watched each season thereafter. But, for me, the craze is wearing thin. Oh sure, I'll still watch the upcoming season, which starts tomorrow, but I guess I'm kind of to the point, "Been there and done that", and not sure how much longer it will, or even better, should continue. Although, there's just something about voyeurism that keeps people tuning in, to see what outrageous stunt may be pulled on the next episode.

And, on another unrelated note, it was sad to hear of John Ritter's passing last week. Kind of scary too, he was only 54. He was on the show, 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter, on ABC, just beginning it's second year. As I understand it, the show will continue, and they will write his death into the plot. I'm not sure if that's a good idea, in fact, I think it's a somewhat distasteful idea, but that's just my opinion. Personally, I've never watched the show, and doubt if I will.

We're building a new home. We have been for almost 5 months. We'll be done soon, and I honestly can't wait. However, the game we play with our mortgage company is no longer fun, and I decided to end the cycle here and now.

I'm talking about interest rates. When we initiated this process several months ago, I rate protected our 30-year fixed interest rate at 5.77%. I thought that was a great rate, and was tickeled pink to get such a great deal. However, as the weeks progressed, I watched the interest rate continue to fall, and finally, early in the summer, the rate had fallen to an enticing 4.95%. My instinct told me to LOCK!

But, the mortgage company wouldn't lock a rate, as we weren't scheduled to close for another three months. The only option was to play the waiting game, and to hope that rates would hold. My mortgage counselor was adamant that rates were going no where fast, and would probably continue to fall even further. Hmm, let the games begin.

No sooner than the very next week (I'm not joking), Alan Greenspan meets, and lowers the interest rate by 1/4 percent, but the market was expecting a 1/2 percent cut. The industry misintrepreted the message, and long-term mortgage rates skyrocketed. The window was lost, the opportunity forfeited.

Now, two months later, we still won't close on our house for another 6 weeks, and the original rate protect period expired at the beginning of September. But, because rates have risen so high, the new rate protect cap is now 6.16%, but still down from 6.35% last week, but still higher than our original 5.77% cap from several months ago.

Ah, let the games begin, again. This time, bad economic news in the form of very high unemployment figures allowed the rates (which are at their highest point in 2 years) to plunge again, dropping about 1/2 percent in 3 or 4 days. This past Friday, the 30-year fixed rate had fallen to 5.77%.

Without hesitation, I locked that rate. And thus, round and round we go. That's exactly the same rate that we started with 5 months ago. We watched the rates plunge to 4.95%, only to be denied the opportunity to lock, and then watched the rates skyrocket to 6.35%, worried that we'd lost an opporutunity, and then watched the rates fall quickly again to 5.77%, where we locked.

Will the rates go even lower, or will they rebound once again? Honestly, I don't care. I'm happy with the rate we've locked, and am satisfied to leave it at that.

You know that old saying, "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step?" Well, I've taken the first step.

I've been thinking for a long time that I really need to get some exercise. I've wanted to join a gym for the longest time, but have been putting it off.

I decided to join the local 24 Hour Fitness (despite the bad rap that they receive for their shabby sales tactics) after discovering their newest promotion seemed like a really good deal. If you pay for one year up front, they'll give you 2 years for free, and then it's only $20 to renew each year. So, bottom line, while there's a large start up fee up front, you've got gym access for 3 full years, and very cheap renewal thereafter. What did I have to lose, save a few hundred bucks?

So, after a weekend of thought, I'm a member. There's no backing out now. The contract has been signed, so hopefully, the hefty outlay of cash will keep me on track, and keep me moving forward toward my goals.

My goals you ask? I do have a few, but honestly, they're not that rigid. My main goal is to simpy get more exercise than I've been getting (which is basically none), and perhaps trim down a few "select" areas, and build muscle in others. And, I thought it might be a reason to get me out of the house, and to motivate me to do something worthwhile.

I'm not sure how my schedule will adjust, but it will. I want this to be a fun experience, not a chore that I feel required to do.

So, the journey begins. Which leads me back to that old saying. I've taken the first step. Let's see if I can continue to take a few more, and we'll see where the path leads.

I decided to drive over to the local casino this evening. I hadn't been in a long time, and I was feeling lucky. Whenever I gamble, I give myself a limit, and once I've reached that limit, I usually walk away. My limit tonight was $60. Also, I'm not a slots player, I only play Blackjack. That's my game.

It was a good night, and after about 2 hours of playing, I had doubled my money. I had $125 on the table, and was having a great time. I let greed take over my best judgement, and decided if I was doing this good, I could probably do even better, and I was having fun. Over the course of the next 2 hours, I proceed to not only lose the $60 in profit, but also the $60 that I started with.

But, gambling is supposed to be a form of entertainment, and I was having a really good time when I was winning, and a not-so-good time when I was losing. I should have known midway through the night to get up, walk away, and BANK. But, alas, hindsight is 20/20, and I went home empty handed.

Bottom line, easy come, easy go. Maybe I've learned my lesson for next time?

These three are perhaps my favorite quotes. I've used them for taglines for years.

Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching. Incidentally, that last phrase just happens to be the title of my Blog.

And another favorite...
In order to discover new oceans, one must have the courage to lose site of the shore.

And finally...
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, and a dark side, and holds the universe together.

Of course, I have a lot of others that I like, which can be found here:

List of Quotes

I've wanted to do this for a long time, but have just now gotten around to adding the script to my website. So, for now, there won't be much, but within a week or two, I should be ready to begin updating it.