ROGER WOKE UP FROM THE COMA!!!!!

Thank you all for your prayers that rose to our King as a sweet aroma.
HE has chosen to bring Roger back out of his coma and has restored his mind also.
My other brother Jonathan has been at his bedside daily and Roger said a groggy and labored "HI" yesterday back to Jon.
Today Roger gently laughed when Jon told him he was thinking of going on Vacation from the Hospital.

Praise God in the Highest!
More as we go.

Flying Squirrel

We had a Christmas Party at our home this evening and one of the little kids that came over tugged on my wife's sweater and said, "Excuse me, you have a squirrel in your pantry."

My wife smiled and asked her to have one of our daughters get it... She figured it was just on of the kids playing around.

Turns out... It really was a squirrel in the pantry!
But no ordinary squirrel - it was a FLYING SQUIRREL!

I couldn't believe it.
It was so cute. It was tiny (must have been a juvenile) and looked more like the a hamster with it's buggy little eyes and had baggy skin along it's sides for 'flying/sailing'.

I didn't even know those things lived in Virginia!

I scooped it carefully into a box and put it out on the back porch. I slowly opened up the box and BAM... It exploded out like a true flying squirrel should! It stepped once on the box lid, once on the top of the wood railing and then it touched down waaaaaaay across the yard near a huge oak tree!

Too cool.

My Brother

I don't have any biological brothers - but if I did - it would be my two best friends in Idaho (Roger and Jonathan).
I just got word that Roger was crushed under a truck that fell off the jack while he was changing the oil.
It crushed his chest and caused a stroke.
He is in a coma.
He's my brother... Please pray.

P.S. He loves Jesus as much as I do - I just don't want him to go meet HIM yet... Not before I have a chance to say Good-Bye.

Hang in there Rog.

Four Stages of Life

This was sent to me from my sister.
I don't care what everyone else says about her - She's great.

FOUR STAGES OF LIFE
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

Currently, I am in stage 3.
I even drink the milk and eat the cookies.
The absolute best part is putting sooty boot marks on the hearth - and watching the kids hoot an holler about them!
:)

New Hamster Croaked

I heard some hysterical laughter coming from upstairs...
it was my oldest son.
I always love it when my kids are laughing (there are millions of kids out there that are not).
:/
Anyway... I asked him what was so funny and he held out his hand.
There it was... Another dead hammy.
My son wasn't laughing at the funky position the hamster was posed in.. He was laughing because we have owned it only 3 days!
We're off to the Petsmart Pet Shop today for a free refill.
14-day guarantee with receipt (but I tossed the receipt - who knew?!)
:)

Newest Webmaster

My son (13) has just entered the ranks of the webmasters.
He was tasked to make a website in one of his classes as school (incidentally he is home schooled and loves it when the assignments connect to real world situations/issues).
He developed a website for his sister's Soccer Team - Bengals Soccer.
He did the whole thing in FLASH to boot!
Way to go kiddo - keep up the good work.
:)

Where the Hamster's go to Die

My son woke to a rigomortus rodent today.
I had forewarned my kids of the perils of owning hamsters - they croak quicker than any pet I have ever know.
When I was a kid I would loose one every other month or so.
Weird.
Wet-tail is one typical illness they get if you don't keep the cage tidy.
My son's hamster did NOT die of wet tail - I checked.
It's a fairly easy check - basically they look like they hung their whole butt in the toilet.
You know, like when you sit on the pot in the middle of the night and someone has left the seat and the cover UP!
We have no clue why this little guy bit the dust... or the cedar chips.
The ceremony in the backyard was fairy uneventful.
I used a post hole digger and we found some brightly colored leaves to toss rather than flowers.
Quick goodbyes were spoken and we all headed in out of the rain for breakfast.
I can tell they all took it quite well... life lesson and all... since they want to head to the pet store to pick another one!
Why not... they're only $8.
:)

Dog Gone It

Dog Gone.
Skipper the Nipper is out of our home.
We had several episodes of his 'Dominance' where he nipped our friends.
He wasn't BITING them.. he clearly could have done damage... but rather, he was NIPPING them - to put them lower on the pecking order in our home.

My wife's sister left with two bandaids on her nose after she had simply bent over to pet Skipper. He lurched into her face and his tooth cut her nose.
Sheesh.

Obedience training didn't work either.
After recent training, he would sit, stay, laydown, etc., but he attempted another NIP just last week.
I was petting him and saying "GOOD DOG" for not barking in the house at a friend that was visiting. My buddy bent over and pet skipper on the head right next to me and BAM.

I was able to catch Skipper in mid-air by the lower jaw.
Don't ask my how I was able to move faster than him...
May be a remnant from my time in THE MATRIX.

You think that's air you're breathing?

Anyway... The next morning (last Saturday) we took a ride back to the SPCA where we got him back in February.

Happy Trails Dude... just can't trust you in our home when we are always inviting friends over that have little kids.

Hemeroids

You know... now that I really think about it... Hemeroids really are a big pain in the butt.

Eminent Journey

I've got a journey ahead...

For most of my life I have been self sufficient (though I know God has guided and strengthened me along the way). I tend to always do things in my own strength... and recently have 'seen the errors in my ways'. I'm finally exhausted of coming around full circle time and time again. I find myself at the same spot I was only a year or so ago... again.
I liken my life right now as one living on one side of a great forest. A forest of immeasurable thickness and unknown width. On the other side lies an incredible land of unfathomable riches and glory and peace and all else that appeals to me and God.
Being too ragged to walk another 'loop', and not knowing what lies ahead - I have decide to enter the forest in an attempt to reach the other side.
If I die in the forest - I will at least have attempted to reach the other side - and I count it as gain.
My own selfish heart is in hopes the forest isn't too wide... but I am going to let that feeling go as well.
And I am fully aware it's a 1-way trip... God knows I don't want to be here again.

I feel the first branches of the thicket brushing on my shoulders as I enter.. It's going to be quite a journey.

I've got a handful of promises as my only supplies.
One of which is...
Psalm 23

Soccer Madness

I know many folks involve themselves in the Soccer Phenomenon in America - and somehow I too have been sucked into it's vortex.

4 kids in Soccer practice during the week, games ALL WEEKEND LONG and now Tournaments - is killing me.
I can't seem to get anything else done around the house - anything.

When the season first starts I am all for it (this has been going on for several years).
I cheer and hoot and holler like the rest of the freakazoidal parents.
By mid-season I begin getting this killer headache and knotted stomach when the weekend approaches (which is totally NOT what is supposed to happen - I used to LOVE weekends).
Here at Season-end with 3 tournaments ahead and countless practices - I swear I will NOT do this again (I swear this every year).

My young daughter (11) asked me when 'Jack the Yak' (4) was going to start playing.
I paused for a second to let the question register and allowed it to mingle around in my head with all the other thoughts on the subject (knowing the idea was going to get beat up badly by the ideas on the 'hate-soccer' shelf in my mind)..
surprisingly, even to me, I said "Next season."
The next thing I said was really cool and I don't know where it came from.
I suggested that everyone currently involved in soccer take a sabbatical for a season so we can all go to the Yak's games and cheer.
No dropping kids off here and there and missing each others games.

I love it.
I sure hope I can follow up with such a great idea.

Yak would certainly benefit.. And I really think we all would too.

US Presidential Election

Vote.
If you decide not to... just sit down and shut up.

Another Great Tip for Presentations

This tip is actually for someone attending a presentation - not for the presenter.

Write these down or memorize them if you can, but for heaven's sake USE them each at least once during every presentation you attend.
With a 'concerned or focused' voice simply state each of the following:

1. Stay the course.
2. Is this true?
3. If that's your only idea we're in big trouble.
and
4. I'm sure there is a worse way of doing it, but for the life of me, I can not think of it.

Also... Do NOT quote any movie lines nor song lyrics that you think of during the presentation.. save these for a nice quiet intimate eventing out with your spouse.
:)

It's a Mystery

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind."
-- Jack Handy

freakin' Godless euroweenies.

Follow this link to what is going on at the European Union in Brussels Belgium and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Tough Times at the Office

You know your office is really going thru some tough times when they replace the "Starbucks" coffee that used to flow like milk and honey with "Maxwell House"!

Oooogh!
:(
All of us had a very rude awakening when we got our first cups this morning.

The worst part is..
I am here for the coffee... So now I don't know what to do!

Home-School Network Admin

Little did I know that when we decide to home-school our children I would become our principal and Network Administrator.
It's just about a full time job dealing with the setup/connections/workflow of 2 desktops, 3 laptops, a DVD recorder/burner hooked-up to our satellite dish (classes for the kids pipe in from Bob Jones University) and a printer/scanner/copier.
Sheesh.
I had to train my son quickly and give him administration rights to our home network... especially when it comes to loading the education software while I am out of the 'principals office'.
What has complicated things even worse is the recent addition of a wireless network.
We are currently trying to get it up and running so we can all have internet connectivity and also take advantage of the single printer station from anywhere in the house.
I am soon to become the Network Security Manager as well.
:)
Gone are the days of college-ruled paper and pencils!
Woof.

Presentation Tip

If you are commonly giving presentations to groups and are using your 'working' laptop...
take a quick note to self -
"The people at your presentation do NOT need to see your scattered miscellaneous desktop icons... Nor do they need to see your personalized background image."

Here's a simple fix.

Create a separate 'user profile' called 'presentation'.
When you go to log-in prior to the presentation - simply pick 'presentation'.

It would also behoove you to have your company's LOGO as a background image and the desktop looking spick and span (only the items for the presentation present).

Professionalism could make the difference between securing the contract or not... or even repeat clients.
:)

Seminar Techniques

Here's a not so hot tip on keeping the audience on the 'edge of their seats' during a presentation.
Turn the temperature down to 'ARCTIC'.
It worked great in the seminar I was in yesterday.
It wasn't all that fun sitting there curled up in a ball, chattering my teeth.. but I was awake!
:)

Printing/Plotting Black Hole

I got sucked into the vortex of printing/plotting today (and worse in the recently past).
Today was only 24 or so sheets.. but we recently printed an entire document set... and had to schedule HOURS of our Team's time to do it.

Our Architecture firm is almost there.
We are about to implement Autodesks ADT 2005.... we've been bumbling along with 3.3 for what seems ages.
This is a mindless plug for Autodesk's newest product... I DON'T WORK FOR THEM.

If you own/use Autodesk ADT 3.3 and have needed to plot a long list of sheets.. get a fresh cup of coffee and begin the tedium.
Anyone else getting sick and tired of printing/plotting?
Having to open every drawing one at a time, tell them (yes I talk to the drawings) the page setup is 'previos plot', and hit print.. is tiresome at best.
Every single drawing, one at a time... for many many sheets.
Woof.

Best solution actually is to either hire a person that's sole responsibility is to print/plot (which I have suggested on more than one occasion) or upgrade to Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2005.
With 2005 (provided you use the Project Navigator - and only a fool wouldn't) you can simple pick the sheets to plot, tell them (I will probably always talk to my drawings) which size paper you desire and 'bam'.. DONE... it prints in the background while you keep productive (I can get back to my crossword puzzle).
They call it "automated documentation" or even "file-based collaboration".. but I call it "going home on time".

Camping / Lost in the Woods

Camping was incredible.
We called Sherando Lake Camp Ground about 25-30 Miles out to make sure of directions on the approach... they said they were ALL FULL.
The suggested we try Cave Mountain Lake about 45 minutes away.. and it turned out better!
No crowds (60 tent sites and only 30 or so used).
Cave Mountain Lake was chilly water, but wonderful.
The first evening there was NO ONE at the lake... we swam and played like we were the only ones on the planet!
The lake was surrounded by mountains and thick forest... which is where we camped... walking distance away.
We pitched out tent right on the edge of a stream which my kids played in to hunt (and catch) craw-dads.
We ate most everyone of the little critters they caught (after boiling).
We hiked up a mountain ridge on the second day.
Since the campsite was directly at the base of the ridge, I told them all they could run ahead to the camp.
We broke up into 3 groups.. the kids had to burn some energy.
My wife, carrying our 2yo, followed them and then I was behind that... with our 4 year old.
When I caught up to the 'first' group (4 kids) and asked where 'Mommy' was I got dumb looks.. and concern from my teenager.
I grabbed the boys and headed back up the mountain looking for my LOST WIFE!
We searched for about an hour and headed back to camp.
She had inadvertently taken a side ridge down a separate canyon and gotten lost.
Luckily she followed the stream back to our campsite... sheesh.
She had taken a fall too, but wasn't too badly hurt.
This is the sort of thing you read about in the newspaper - "Woman and child - lost for weeks in the woods".
Thank God it didn't end like so many stories I've read!
All in all it was a great trip... even the Copperhead snake in the dark.
But that's a different story!
:)

Sherando Lake - Virginia

We're heading camping this 4-day weekend (took Friday off)!
I expect we will be rained out totally... And I am sure to tell you all about it when we get back... But we're NOT only going for the sunshiny times.
The sun doesn't always shine and we know that... We learned a long time ago to make the absolute best of every adventure we go on... Rain or shine.
It's memories we're building here.. And they will be good ones if I can help it!
:)

Taylor Guitar

My son bought a Taylor Guitar yesterday.
Solid top beautiful instrument - inconceivably rich sound.
He has learned to play quite well on my wife's guitar (Tanara - basically unknown brand)... but wanted to OWN his own.
He told me it was the most he had ever spent - I knew that already.
It's not the money aspent ($250) that impressed me, but the fact that he had saved diligently and learned to play while he was saving.

Good character - sure wasn't my character when I was 13.
I bought him a case, some replacement strings and some picks.
I figure I will promote any quality character my kids display.

Hang in there kids.. it's a tough world.

Bathroom Camping

Someone is currently camping in the bathroom on our floor.

It's common knowledge that in a multi-story building when you have to do 'business' you always use the floor directly above or below yours... but never your own floor.
So I stepped up to the next level only to find someone has sprayed industrial strength disinfectant into the 6x6 room.
It's an acid fog that burns your eyes as you peek periodically to make sure you are still aimed at the urinal.
Sorry for the details.
Toilet room etiquette is a time honored tradition... some learn slower than others.
The sign still says 'occupied' on our toilet room door.
Camper.
:)

Gouda Cheese

I found a block of Gouda in the Cheese/Luncheon Meat drawer in the frig.
It looked to be a a few months old based on the dark yellow crusty shell and the red waxy edge falling off.
Can Gouda ever go bad?
I mean.. it smells like a butt when you buy it and it smells like a butt when you eat it.. so how do you know?
Sniffing only works for some products.
**
I cut off the majority of the crusties and got down to what appeared to be 'virgin' gouda.
I covered my sandwich with about a 1/4" layer and then finished the Dagwood Sandwich off with the typical stuff.
Well... I ate it a lunch yesterday.
I spend an hour or so in the bathroom last night!
**

--[gory details cut for your protection]--
**
Gouda does go bad... and it lets you know with a vengeance... and it still smells like a butt.
:p

Urinal Candy Bowl

Listen.
I can't stand it any longer so I will blog it and get it off my chest.

There is a candy bowl on our secretary's desk.
Her desk is the first desk you come to once you leave the restroom.
I see guys walking past there and grabbing candy and I have decided that I don't like candy any longer!

Almost no explanation is needed.. but I rant on...

Often when I visit the restroom the sink is DRY... I don't know about you, but a dry sink means one of two things... either the person dried the sink after they washed their hands or... heaven forbid.... didn't wash their hands.

Listen... DON'T PUT A CANDY BOWL ANYWHERE NEAR A URINAL.
:p

Tick Tick Tick

I was on the phone with my dad last night and I kept hearing a 'beep'.
It was exactly every 5 seconds through the entire conversation.
It sounded like some sort of medical beep... you know, the kind you hear in the hospital.
I asked him about it and he said he could hear it also.
I asked him if it could be his phone battery running out... or anything of the like.
Then it hit me...
"DAD", I said.
"When was the last time you had the battery on your pace maker checked?"
He laughed and said that it was doing fine... The 10 year old battery was supposed to conk out after 7 years and had been checked only 2 weeks earlier.
I was skeptical and told him to go get it checked!!!
The beeping sounded like a warning alarm like it was about to cut off... just like my cell phone!
:)

Push ups

I did a hundred pushups with my sons 2 days ago and still can't lift my arms over my head without pain!
The biggest pain is that I used to be able to bang out any number of pushups and recover quickly... I guess all the miles are catching up with me.
Always remember - It's not the years... it's the MILES.

Dog Obedience School

Our dog Skipper has a dominance problem.
I have taken the time to help him see where he stands in the 'pecking order' in our home - the bottom.
Even my littlest tiniest 2 year old can take food out of his mouth and he's obedient and gentle with her.
But when NEW people come over... he has to challenge them in attempt to place them BELOW him on the order.
Akita mix - typical.
Skipper bit a good friend of ours in the face - well NIPPED rather than bit... but it was out of line all the same and he is currently attending dog obedience school.
I am in hopes of driving this natural desire to dominate out of him... but am skeptical... since it didn't work for me.
:)

Booleans Nightmare

DON'T waste your time making polygons and extruding them...
Boolean add-subtract-intersect.
I built an entire 3D model in AutoDesk ADT 3.3 using this technique and though it looks pretty nice... and is accurate.... all the parts are separate. Thousands of separate little boxes!

My boss asked me to change a few things - simple things like move a few windows - and it took me days.
Here's the rub.
If I had used ADT walls and windows... I could have made the changes in a second (fractions of a second with a fresh cup of coffee). But because I used extruded solids, I had to modify every single rectangle/box that connected to the windows (brick, precast, soldier course, recessed panels, sills, headers, etc.)
Don't do it.
Build your models with true ADT elements and then add MASS MODELING only as appropriate.
Appropriate in this case would be a fancy trellis or a custom light fixture.

Follow this link to Chris Yancher's blog (Between the Walls).
It's a great video on the ease of use of ADT 2004/5 for mass modeling.

Frozen Cameras

Note to Self:
When working in Autodesk VIZ 2005 (great 3d program for rendering architectural models), don't put cameras on a frozen layer!
Some days I am quicker to realize my mistakes... Yesterday was not one of those days.
I wasn't watching which layer I was on (my first mistake), which incidentally happened to be frozen.
I was attempting to add a camera to the scene and for some reason... It disappeared as soon as I placed it.
Weird.
And by sheer instinct, instead of looking for a reason... I quickly clicked all over the nearby vicinity and added 14 or so more cameras... All of which were disappearing as I inserted them (actually they never appeared at all).
They didn't show up in the list of pickable/editable items, yet I could switch the active view to them!
It was downright crazy... I had never seen anything like it.
Beau Turner - alias 'VIZ gooroo' .... Listened patiently to my dilemma and then casually looks over my shoulder and says, "perhaps they're on a frozen layer".
I dismissed this immediately.. No one in their right mine would try to place items into the project without first checking their active layer...
... Dang.
He was right.
:)

I Rolled my Car!!!

Well, actually it wasn't a car... it was a... sand rail (big boys go-cart)!
A friend of mine has a bunch of property south of here in Chesapeake VA and invited me to test drive his newest toy!
 
I was racing around in his oversized go-cart yesterday and rolled it on a sharp corner!
Here's the story:

Mud was flipping up all over the place off the two front tires.  Without a windshield I was getting the flipping mud in my face!  
I blasted down a straight-away and slammed it into a hard left turn... I was sliding pretty good and mud was going everywhere... and then the over-inflated tires caught on some grass or possibly a hedgehog and the whole left side lifted off the ground.
I couldn't compensate and steer right to get it to come back down 'cause there were trees ahead... so I just held on tight and went for a full 360 roll!!!
 
Thank God for roll bars!
It was fantastic!
 
The engine cut off and I was glad not to be bursting onto flames... but that only happens in the movies.
I finished the rest of the course / track with no incident... except for a chicken that got in the way - I swerved around it out of sheer kindness in my heart... and I also found that I was slowing down into corners a bit.
:)
My shoulder is killing me today... I think I pulled a muscle.
 
But as I always say... Whatever doesn't KILL you only makes you STRONGER!
 
Good thing I'm married to a Physical Therapist!!!!

Killer Bumble Bee

Yesterday there was a huge bumble bee swarming around my kids and I as we played in the backyard.
It was honestly the biggest bumble bee I had ever seen... it looked like a giant hornet on some passes as it buzzed our heads, but it was a bumble bee.
Anyway,  it landed on my son and I smacked it off with my hand.
It flew around for a minute or two and then landed right on the top of my head.
I'm a bit low on hair up there these days, but the giant insect held it's grip despite me shaking my head.
I looked over at my son who had what looked like a book in his hand so I told him to smack the bee.
He pause for a second while I leaned over to give him a better shot.
Then WHAP!!!
My head rang with the jolt of the wood plank.
I saw stars for a second and then asked...
"Did you get it?"
 
"Yeah dad... It kinda popped all over."
I could only image what it looked like, but I was glad no one got stung. 
Woof! 

 
Then I woke up... I hate those kind of dreams.
:)

Abandoned

Weirdest thing happened.
Our cockatiels sat religiously on their 7 eggs for three weeks... then just stepped away.
They decided to move up to their perch and relax... after all that hard work.
Weird.
They seem to be back to their old selves again... playing with the little bell and flying onto my shoulder when I step into the room.
My wife says we need to remove the eggs and toss them before they rot.

Lesson learned: grab the eggs early and you can make tiny little omelets.

Thank God!

Wife Appreciation Week is OVER.
But what I learned lives on.
She and my two daughters arrived safely from Jamaica late in the evening.
I saw my wife and kids for 2 hours.
Got 4 hours sleep and caught a plane out of town for a business trip.
Sheesh.
We finally got a good debrief when I returned after 3 days.

I realize now why mommies don't blog.
If they do... they are amazing to be able to fit that in also!
And now that I'm back at my office... I can get some rest and get back into sketching.
I really miss sketching for my other blog - The Daily Sketch.... which will commence immediately.
:)

Tolerating it - Appreciating it

I realize how tough it is to "NOT WORK".
Sheesh.
When women are asked if they work... their answer should be an astounding "ABSOLUTELY!"
I had tons of fun with my kids this week while my wife was out of town and I knew about all the things she does... but I had no idea they all strung together without a pause.

It was walk the dog breakfast change diaper feed fish dishes wash laundry sweep vacuum straighten lunch clean bathroom change diaper let dog out dry laundry fix light bulb dishes wipe nose fold laundry fix door help with spelling wipe nose dinner let dog out dishes put away laundry brush teeth stories wipe nose change diaper jammies prayers let dog in lock up collapse.

All in between these were drawing pictures phone calls playing games going for walks bike rides and fishing down the street at a pond.

Fun but exhausting.
I can't wait for my wife to get home... so I can appreciate her some more.
:)

CODENAME: PANIC

Operation Mommy's Gone has officially begun.
Late night packing and instructions, baby's got a fever, lousy night's sleep... perfect... wouldn't have it any other way.
We're going for full effect here!
She was at 5:00 and out the door at 5:45am.
Baby wakes up at 5:50... fever reducer from the command center and bam... she's back asleep.
So far so good.
I'm going to work half days this week.
Number 2 [my eldest son - henceforth called RAVEN] will watch/guard the fort while I pop off to keep the papers shuffling at work.
I plan to work 6am to 10am to appease the queen and her evil henchmen.
Home by 10:20ish is the plan.
The phone hasn't rung yet... a good sign.
Raven will be getting them breakfast soon.
It's quite... too quiet.
Must stay alert.
Over and Out

Jamaica Missions Trip and Survival of the Fittest

My wife and two oldest daughters are leaving tomorrow on a Missions Trip to Jamaica.
The team has 24 members from 2 churches.
They plan to minister in construction, community development, small group evangelism/discipleship, sports ministries, Bible teaching and preaching.

The team staying home is ME.
I plan to minister in survival training, scavenging, groveling... and search and rescue operations... I may try to have some fun too.
I have been getting ready by stock-piling hot dogs, chips, cereal and spaghetti.
I put all the first aid equipment on the dining room table which I will use as a main outpost center.

Pray that my 3 sons and one tiny [2yo] daughter and myself survive the week.... Oh... and also that the missions trip is a blessing to many.
:)

Yeah, like... Whatever...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

Fatherhood

One for Father's Day.
Here is a GREAT article that a friend passed on to me... Put up the Hoop Sooner.

I have 6 kids.
I love them all dearly and can't imagine my life without them... Honestly.
I figured I knew all the tricks of the trade - 'Fatherhood', but it seems every time I read something, I glean a bit from it that makes me a better DAD.

I think I will dedicate this Father's Day to the ones that call me DADDY!

Seven

Oh... and Maya the Cockatiel layed another egg to celebrate my Birthday!
:> o

Happy Birthday to ME!

Well.
I made it.
As unbelievable as it is... even to me... I made it 40 years!Yesterday was my birthday.
I don't think I look 40... nor feel 40... but I honestly don't know what 40 is supposed to look and feel like anyway!

I took the whole day off work because for the past 10 years or so... I haven't worked on my birthday and I'm not going to start now.

It was great.
Besides the new shirts, underwear and misc. treats I am fond of...
My wife brought each of my kids and presented them to me as Gifts.... and they certainly are the most wonderful gifts God has given to me.

They proceeded then to make me an incredible breakfast of an omelet, toast with jam, mango slices, cooked ham, and juice... A fresh strawberry/banana shake too.
We rode bikes and played in the yard, and later all went to pizza.
Fun was had by all.
Not everyone gets this when they turn 40... so I am blessed.

Someone along the way told me that when one turns 40, they turn in all their mental problems for physical ones.
Well, I'm not so sure I am ready to give up all my mental problems!
I have taken YEARS to develop these multiple personalities and I'll be darned If we are going to get rid of them so fast!!!!!

And besides, I'm not even half way yet!
:)

Dear Editor

We are not born with character... good nor bad... we develop it slowly over time.
Same goes for habits.
Good or Bad habits are not part of our life when we arrive here on this planet.
So if you have something in your life that you don't like...
or something that you DO like...
it's because you've taken precious time to place it there.

And if you wish it gone... it will take a precious long time to change.

No better time than today to... EDIT YOUR LIFE!
:)

Egg Count

Six.
:o

Fire Fire Fire

My church burned down [well half of it] last night.
I got a call on my cell phone at 1:30am and rushed right over.
Of course there was nothing we could do but just watch the fire fighters blast our church with water... tons of smoke billowed into the cool night air.

It was hit by lightening around 9:30 in the evening while some of my friends were there for worship practice. They said it was incredibly loud and blew out a couple of the channels on the sound board!

They checked all around and even in the attic... nothing.

A fire broke out sometime after 10:00pm.... apparently it smoldered until it caught onto something flammable in the attic.

It's not all bad news though!
We were wondering which way to expand and now it's fairly obvious!

One of the pastors said something really cool...
"The CHURCH didn't burn down... the BUILDING did!"
:)

This whole thing brings new meaning to being "On Fire for Jesus"!!!!

Pet Update

Eggs
Maya [cockatiel] has 3 eggs now... and probably laying another today.
I wired a make-shift plastic nest into the cage and she is using it!!!
She lined it with tissue and is taking turns sitting on the eggs with Rico... the daddy.
Maya is eating the plaster off the wall behind the cage - a good thing I think. She's getting her necessary calcium.
I think.
What is in plaster anyway?

One Legged Gecko
I had to separate the lizards.
Papa lizard was continuing to hurt Mama... [but her tail nearly off] so I build a nifty little separator wall out of wire mesh.
It effectively divides the 20 gallon tank into 2 separate lizard environments.
Mama hasn't been the same... it's like battered women... the love the guy that is hitting them.
Anyway... she isn't eating and it's only a matter of time unless she gets counseling.

Tae Kwan Do for Inmates

My wife was checking out the local Tae Kwan Do school [just to see what it was all about].
The instructor let my kids participate in the back row of his class.
They LOVED it.
Of course they would... this would be an excuse to smack on each other.
Anyway, the guy asks my wife what I do for a living... and instantly she was aware that her answer was going to set the price of instruction.
She, like George Washington, cannot tell a lie.
After he heard that I was an Architect he smiled and told her some ridiculously high price.

I told my wife later that the best response would have been:
"He is in PRISON. And hopes to be paroled soon".
Since that is actually more the truth.
:)

Life in a Comic Strip

I saw something that made me laugh out loud.

I shouldn't blog about it in case she reads it... but I'm fairly safe because only 2 people I know have ever read this.

Anyway... There is this college student that works here at our office [for the summer]... we call them "Summer Scholars", but the truth is we needed some supplemental slave labor.

She is a pretty girl, totally skinny and a very tall.... VERY tall.... with an BIG afro.
She honestly looks like a giant Q-tip.
Her face is like a cartoon character for some reason that I can't place... like I have seen her among my daughters dolls or on Nichelodeon.
It's like having a 'characature' from some comic strip walking around.

Perhaps I AM IN A COMIC STRIP!!!!
:)

Sand Soccer and Swim Suits

What a fun departure from typical soccer.
My kids were involved in a Sand Soccer Tournament in Virginia Beach this past weekend.
It was great fun for all.
The game is 4 and a goalie against 4 and a goalie on a significantly smaller field - if I had to guess it would be 40 x 60 feet or so. Dinky for soccer.
It was lightening fast despite being in deep dry soft sand. The ball must be airborne to go anywhere - on the sand it rolls a few feet and stops.
At one point in the game the two goalies were throwing the ball at each other, each attempting to make a goal!
They broke the game into thirds rather than quarters and took a 1 minute break in between each.
My kids loved it... though their team lost the tournament.

We all ran over to the ocean surf between games to cool off.
Sand castles, waves, beach soccer... perfect weather [partly cloudy with a nice cool breeze].

In the car on the way home I had this glassy look on my face.
My wife looked over and said "What... is anything wrong?"
I said, "Too many boobs."
She smiled. She knows I'm a man and that I love her more than anyone in the whole world.
Still...
I tell ya, it's tough for a guy with integrity when the swim suits all come bouncing by...
Woof.

Quotable Quote

Sitting on my couch the other day, an old idea I had wondered by.
It looked me straight in the eye and said,

"Hi... I'm your great idea. One day you will look for me and I will be gone."

I think it was wandering around as it anticipates my birthday... another year passes.

Eggs in the Nest

Our cockatiel layed 2 eggs this past weekend!
My kids spotted them first of course.
"Daddy Daddy... Maya layed an egg!"
We all rushed up stairs and found Maya trying to sit on an egg in the bottom of the cage - on the bars.
Sheesh.
I quickly grabbed a shallow plastic bowl, lined it with come tissue and set the single egg in it.
Maya hopped over and sat on her egg in the new nest.
Too cool.
I just got a phone call from home regarding yet another egg in the nest!
Woof... think I better read up on breeding cockatiels.. no wait... we're past that... I need to read up on what to expect should these two eggs ever actually hatch!!!
And as I have just read [on the above link] I can expect MORE EGGS!!!!
YIPE!!!!
:O

Chiggers

I seem to have stepped into some chiggers and pick up 2.
If you've never had one here's what happens:

The little buggers are just that... bugs.
They climb up from the ground until they reach the top of your socks... the first SKIN they come to... and then they burrow IN at the edge of a hair follicle.
Yep... they don't just BITE... they actually tunnel in about 1/16th of an inch or so... THEN they start munching on your flesh!

For some weird reason, it itches rather than hurts!
Talk about ITCHY!

A friend of mine stood in a nest of them while we were in Jamaica last summer.
He had over 50! I only got 8 or so that day!
He said the best thing to do was to put fingernail polish on them which would shut off their air supply and kill 'em.
I just left mine alone - ABSOLUTELY NO SCRATCHING.
Mine went away in 3-4 days... his lasted for nearly 2 weeks since they didn't like the fingernail polish and contunued tunneled all around under his skin to get away!!!!!
My advice is simply to leave 'em alone.
:)

Fort Copperhead

My kids helped me move the wood pile that the copperhead was hiding in.
We carefully lifted each peice and relocated it into the woods... no snake.
Good and Bad.
I wanted to terminate it because now I know it lurks around the yard/woods behing our house.
Bummer.
We relocated the wood pile behind our property in the woods... we stacked it up around some elevated planks and made the coolest fort! I fully expect the snake will return to reside under the new fort, but that's actually fine... since the cracks are too small for the snake to get a bite on our feet!

Fun was had by all... expecially when we found 10 wood beetles and some skinks.

Bug Shake

My son and his best friend went into our backyard and collected as many bugs as they could find:

rolypolys, worms, beetles, ants, etc.

They tossed them into the blender....LIVE.
Then they tossed in some ice-cream, splash of milk, fresh strawberries and some yogurt.
The blended it for a minute or so and then filled up a couple tall tumblers!
My son turned around with the first 'bug shake' and said, "Here DAD, you try it!".
So I grabbed the glass and to a few healthy chugs...
IT WAS GREAT!
Well... it was OK... except for the half a worm that didn't get blended... and the beetles leg that got caught in my throat...
but other than that I highly recommend it.
:)
BTW... this REALLY happened.

Snip Snip Snip

All went fine with Skipper the Snipped.
All except that the vet did extra surgery to locate and cut out a non-descended stinking testicle!
What was supposed to be a quick $40 [reimbursed by the SPCA] is now a $200 plus bill!
And they didn't call me to tell me they were going to do it either!

I swear it's just like the repair shop where I USED to take my car.
I take it in for a routine inspection and they replace an axel... "It needud fixin mister".

I hate it when that happens.
Anyway... Skipper is not so skipper right now.. he is just slowly walking around the kitchen looking for some scraps.
No snacks for him until the anesthesia wears off... it makes him vomit.
Which I found out.
:)

Comments

Oh my GOSH!
When I changed templates for this blogger site... I totally lost both of my comments!
:)
A friend of mine says that Blogger has added commenting as a really easy option... we'll see.

Cut That OUT!

My dog is under the knife today!!!
Good Luck Skipper!
Hope everything comes out alright!
:D

Jamb the Bad Luck

My dog got out of the house yesterday, and since he is NOT an outside dog - except to poodoo - he ran like he was on fire!
Down the block and back up the block and across the road and back across the road... he is a totally maniac.
And I must admit, I am a total maniac for chasing him... he thought it was a game and kept running.
Nearly got hit by a car he did.
Finally when I tired he ran right to the front door and my wife let him in.
I jammed my thumb trying to wrestle him into his kennel for a short lived punishment.
My wife is a softy.
He was out right after dinner... dang.
She keeps reminding me that, "He is a puppy still."
It does actually give me some pleasure knowing that as often as he does this... he will get his... we're taking him to be 'snipped' this Thursday!
:)
I hope the smirk I have lasts for a while... at least until my thumb stops hurting.

Jamaica Pie Auction

What an incredibly great idea for a fund raiser!
Our church, Community Church of Chesapeake, is sending a second team to Jamaica this summer.
Similar trip as last year - Practical help for utter poverty and Spiritual Help since everyone needs to know their maker before they meet Him.
:)
To help fund the trip we had as many people donate pies to be auctioned - 40 pies showed up.
Fresh bakes Strawberry, Cherry, Apple and Peach pies... Chocolate, Cheesecake and even a Shepherds Pie!
It was a great showing of church members too.
A friend and I were nominated the 'auctioneers' and we had a total blast of fun for about an hour and a half.
I nearly lost my voice from all the auctioneers talk'.
The average pie went for around $100 and one even sold for $320 bucks!
My wife and I bid on and won 4 pies - the best of which [for me] is a fresh Home-made Blueberry Pie [my wife says the Dutch Chocolate Pie is by far the winner]... regardless... We dine well tonight, knowing that these are the most expensive pies we have ever eaten!
And also knowing that it all goes to a great cause!

We followed the auction with a talent show where anyone could show off their talents.
We laughed for another half hour at least... and fun was had by all.

Jamaica here we come... we raised well over $6000 for the trip.

R/V Fay Slover

The Research Vessel Fay Slover - owned and operated by Old Dominion University [Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences - College of Sciences] set out for a routine research day last Sunday... with ME as one of the crew!

Not officially a crew member, but I helped with the lines and the experiment/research.
I was invited to board and observe as part of an outing by a University Event Planning Group - Town & Gown.
We motored out into the Elizabeth River just off the Naval Operations Base, Norfolk and lowered some equipment into the water.

They had a contraption [I later found that it is called the 'rosette'] that could [and did] take water samples as they lowered it deep into the River... all the while, streams of data [salinity, oxygen levels, chlorophyll, etc.] were being read thru a data cable that ran inside the steel tow cable. A computer on board had multiple screens and readouts that were fairly easy to understand, especially with a scientist rattling off continuous explanations.
Here are some recent pictures of the vessel/operations.
:)
Fun was had by all... but... what on earth are they going to do with this data?
I would really like to follow up and see how they use the data collected... perhaps they can see how the water is changing over time as the Navy Pumps their bilge into the river.
:)

New Addition to the Family

Add to the mix one fine rodent specimen - A Hamster.

We are systematically purchasing all the animals from the local pet shop and creating our own private zoo!
We don't intend to ever sell tickets, but if you happened to stop by the attractions are:

6 fish
2 parakeets
2 leopard geckos
1 dog
2 cockatiels
3 guinea pigs

and now... 1 hamster.

There is rumor of a friend being allergic to their guinea pig... so we may be up for an adoption.
My kids love it... they are getting pretty responsible cleaning cages, feeding and watering, and actually 'playing' with these pets... and not just owning them!

Security Alarm

A friend asked my kids and I to watch/feed/walk their dog while they take a nice 4-day camping trip... no problem.
They do this every other month or so... and the dog is a great big old golden retriever... a great dog.
We look forward to the whole affair since they insist on paying $10 a day... and we all go out for a nice dinner when all is said an done!
:)
Well.. all was well until last night.
They left around 5:30pm and it was approx. 9:30pm - dark neighborhood, people all thinking about going to bed...
... well... not with us setting off the security alarm!
At first I thought it was my 4 year old that tagged along - playing with a toy ray gun.
But when I stepped out the back door it was clearly a rooftop mounted alarm signal - and LOUD!
The neighborhood power had gone off for a couple hours just after our friends left and the security alarm [which they had turned OFF] had reset itself!
It was great.
We called them on my cell phone at the campground and got it settled.
The dog loved the adventure.
It was also a good time for me to teach my kids how NOT to panic when things go wrong.
[They liked the object lesson... but still wished it had never happened.]
:)

Mower Murderer

My old mower was nearing the end of its useful life.
I'm pretty good with mechanical things, so when it started giving me some trouble [not running for more than a minute at a time] I decided to remove the carburetor and clean it.
All went well.
Its incredible how simple yet refined the inside of the little carburetor is.
I cleaned it so that it could pass for a new one, placed it back on the machine and STILL had the same problem.
My lovely wife, bless her heart, waves over the next door neighbor [mechanic] and says we're having lawn mower trouble.
Mr. Redneck has read my mind somehow and blurts out... "Ya got a screwdriver and a crescent wrench?"He said it like I should have had it in my pocket and looks off into the street since I had to go to the work bench to get it.
Before I go further, I'll say.. he is a nice guy, and has good intentions... just don't ever get him mad at ya.
Rednecks are like elephants, not necessarily because of their memory, but more because of the swarming flies.
Anyway, he takes the screwdriver and cranks the set-screws all over the place and then takes the crescent wrench and starts banging on the side of my carburetor.
It took me a second to stop him since he couldn't hear because of all the banging.
He did end up using the crescent to open the carburetor up and monkey with the insides like he was looking for keys or a rock or something to fall out.
I told him I had cleaned it and it was probably something else... but he looked off at the street again like my suggestions were offensive to his master mechanic mind.

I'll shorted this story by saying he stumbled on a solution that worked - forcing the spring-loaded throttle open by wedging the screwdriver into the exhaust housing.
He said, "There ya go.... jest pull the screwdriver out when yer dun mowin'."
Later that evening I found the cable was simply slacking because of a bend in it's routing... that would have been the easy solution.
But there is no REST for the WEARY... the carburetor now leaks like a sieve due to the housing not fitting properly because it has a bunch of dents in it.
Go Figure.
I told my wife to please not invite neighbors to touch anything on our property anymore.
:)
... oh... and I bought a new mower yesterday... since the old one was on it's last leg... or wheel anyway, before it was murdered.

Copperhead

There is currently a fine specimen of a venomous snake under our wood pile.

Yesterday afternoon, a nice sunshiny day, my son went out in the backyard to play.
He came running back to the house yelling "SNAKE... SNAKE", which is translated to "Get out here and check this out guys!" in my family.
A small dust cloud followed us all to the backyard and sure enough there was a snake.
He had hearly stepped on it while throwing a ball.

The snake was clearly an adult Copperhead and was slowly slithering toward our wood pile.
I took a stick and gently lifted the snake up, but he slithered slowly off the stick before I could toss him into the woods behind our house.
He found refuge thru some logs and dissapeared from sight.

I'm glad Copperheads are relatively non-aggressive snakes, but I still don't like having a venomous one in the backyard.
The bite isn't usually fatal, but is extremely painful.
I'm not sure what it would do to our 2 and 4 year old kids!?

We're gunna restack the wood pile just OFF our property, in the woods, later this week... I'll let you know what we spook up!
:)

Chinee Foo

I have taught my kids to say "Chinee Foo" instead of Chinese Food and they love it.
No disrespect intended by dropping the last sounds/letters... that's just how I hear it!
:)
My kids eat the stuff up - even the red hot chili peppers swimming in the Sechuan dishes!
We call them 'Bay Sharks' - they have a bite.
Anyway...
Yesterday we decided to all go out for Chinee Foo and eat AT the restaurant.
The place is an awesome little family run take-out place, but has a couple tables if you wanna sit.
And we always do.
The owners come out and chat with us and we tell them it's the best chinee foo we've ever had.
And it is.
I called ahead to have the order ready when we got there... and it's always waiting for us.. they are quick.
Well, we arrived and all piled in... but no food.
They warmly greeted us... but didn't know of any "foo yoo orde".
I looked at the number I had dialed and sank... I hand inadvertently called the wrong place [their sister restaurant].
I had to make a quick decision either to order here and wait while the other restaurant had a NO-SHOW... or to wave good-bye and eat down the block.
Problem faced - problem solved.
We left and enjoyed the "foo down brock".
No feelings hurt at all... turns out the same guy runs them both.
:)
Great foo was eaten by all... with chopsticks of course.

Food Poisoning

Last week, Wednesday I think, a friend called me and asked if I could meet him for lunch.
I love it when that happens.
So I tossed my chicken salad sandwich into the frig here at work [it had been under my desk].
The next day, to my amazement, I was called by yet another friend to lunch!
Twice in one week... I couldn't refuse.
So my sandwich sat and waited.... thru the rest of the week.. .thru the weekend... until yesterday.
I pulled it out and ate it for lunch.
It smelled and tasted fine... but boy did I get the hot flashes and woozy stomach for a few hours.
My system is pretty tough from all the junk I pour into it... and I made it thru the day without vomiting.
You know what helped also... tons of water.
I must have drank a gallon trying to dilute the acidy feeling I had.
Woof... I sure am glad that's over!

Killer Geckos

My kids have inherited two Leopard Gecko's from their cousin... [thank you very much if you read this].
The lizards are a pair.
They procreated a while back [I didn't watch] and laid an egg the other night... right under the heat lamp!
It was dry and looked like a huge white raisin by the time I noticed it in the morning! It was technically my fault for leaving the light on all night and not getting them a 'proper' breeding box... sheesh.
The other day there was a nasty fight.
I figured that was normal. How am I supposed to know?!
It seems fairly normal in the human world, so why not lizards?!
At first I thought my leopard gecko's were just being a little aggressive during mating.
The male was biting on the females neck and back... all seemed fairly normal... until I looked in the cage the next morning!
He had bitten a fairly sizable hole in her tail and chewed off her left hind foot!!!
I hate it when that happens.
It's all healing quite well now, but there for a while I really thought I was going to lose the little female.
Looking back and trying to figure out what happened and what could have caused it... I can only guess it was a fight over food.
I usually feed them 'super worms' which are a very cool giant meal worm looking critter. Every now and then I toss in some crickets, which incidentally the hate and can't catch very well. The crickets also keep me up for a week after I toss them in there... they usually die rather than get eaten. This weekend I tossed in some 'wax worms'.
This turned out to be a very good idea... the geckos are eating them like candy!
The eat one and then sit back licking their lips [or what would be lips], enjoying the moment... and then they go after another one.
All is well for now in the tank, though I am doubtful the foot will ever grow back [like some lizard tails will do].
:)

Whacky Bridge of Death

There is a bridge I cross each day that is insane - The Berkeley Bridge over the Elizabeth River in Virginia.
Here is the situation:
Approaching the bridge from the South [and connecting exactly at the bottom of the bridge] is an on-ramp from a check/weigh station, 2 lanes of North bound traffic from a freeway and 3 lanes of North-bound traffic emerging from a tunnel.
All these hit the 3 lane bridge at the same time... who designed this?.
The constant movement of cars ON the bridge itself explains all chaos theories - because despite the insanity, there are rarely accidents and everyone seems to get where they are wanting to go.
People on the left seem to all want to be on the right [for exits I'll get to] and people on the right want the opposite... no one wants the middle because just past the top of the bridge is one of those plastic and metal smashing posts that helps you choose a direction.
Anyway...
Where was I... Oh yeah....
Should you choose to go RIGHT you have 2 lanes that soon merge into 4 headed East.
Should you choose to go LEFT you have 2 lanes with an option to peal off to the right for a loop-around under toward the West. The 2 lanes that continue forward are greeted with a traffic signal within a few yards as your entrance into the city.

I am sure there are worse situations out there... but for the life of me I can't think of one.
:)

Writing Style Analysis

A friend of mine found this great website and did an analysis of my writing style.
The analysis checks to see if the words were written by a man or a woman!
A simple cut and paste at first seems like no big deal... but when your gender is on the line it's another story.
Thank God the results were in my favor!
I would hate to have to go home this evening and tell my wife of 19 years that I was actually a woman.
Not that there is anything wrong with that!
:D

Dog Nearly Croaked

Our dog 'Skipper' was napping on a cool air vent yesterday.
One of the items on his collar somehow caught on the vent and when he tried to stand up - he couldn't.

He totally FREAKED!

He pulled the whole vent cover off and thrashed about in the kitchen until it finally broke free.
He was thoroughly dazed and in 'shock' for a few minutes... and rightly so.
He had a nasty gash across his neck that, thank God, didn't cut any arteries.
He recovered by sitting the in the sunshine on our back deck most of the day.
Woof.
Who says only 'CATS' have nine lives!

Firsts

There are few things as precious as a child's first steps, first words, first time they call you DADDY, first bowl of spaghetti, first spilt milk, first joke that isn't funny but you laugh anyway...
... firsts are great.
Well, my 3 year old just hit another FIRSTS milestone...
... He figured out [quite well I must add] how to dial my office phone number from home.
The novelty is almost overwhelming.... both of us!
:)

Great... just great.

I put a counter mechanism on my site and then it starts giving me errors.
Fairly typical... since my middle name is Murphy.
Kidding.
Follow this link anyhow for more Murphy's Laws!
:)

Counterpoint

My narcissism was acting up quite badly today.

I decided to put a "counter"element on my other blog... The Daily Sketch.
I just had to know how many folks actually look at the sketches besides a few friends and family!!!
:)

Kyrie Eleison

I always wondered what Mister Mister was saying in that song... "Kyrie Eleison"... now I know.

Great, all these years I thought it was just mumbo jumbo song lyrics like "Inna Godda Davida Baby" by Iron Butterfly, or the lyrics "The girl with colitis goes by..." in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by Elton John [John Lennon and Paul McCartney original lyrics].
At least those aren't Greek... just mumbles.

Here is a link to more miss-heard lyrics. KISSTHISGUY.COM

Kyrie Eleison is Greek for "Lord Have Mercy".
People cried out for Mercy in the Old Testament and were healed by Jesus on several occasions.

A dying Christian was asked on his death bed, "Are you going to receive your reward?"
"No, no!" he breathed. "I go to receive not my reward but God's mercy."

Top of Mt Everest

Feeling like you're on top of the world?
Check out... this link!
May take a second or two to load... but well worth it.

Empty Trap

Rats!... I mean Mice!
Weird how I was disappointed not to see a mouse in the trap.
I guess deep down inside I'm not convinced that it is over.
I'll keep my eyes open.
If I see any new mouse poo-doo around, I may have to switch to new tactics...
heh heh heh
:)

Got Another One!!!

'SNAP' went the trap.
'SNAP' went the neck.
Mouse number 2 is down for the count!
I can't tell whether this little critter was the parent, sibling or child...
since they are all about the same size.
:)
Dog food was the bait.
A tasty morsel had he got one millimeter further.
Shall we try for 3?

Mouse in the House

Actually, it wasn't in the house... it was in the garage.
Since my wife doesn't read this blog [yet] I can freely say there was a mouse in our house.
She would freak if she knew.
She hates meeses to pieces.
She would NOT venture into the garage if she knew a tiny rodent was lurking around and possibly watching her every move.

Truth is, it was sneaking into our dog food bin.
I wouldn't have known except for when we reached the bottom of the bin... I spotted a little tiny piece of mouse poo-doo.
I knew what it was instantly and set a simple squash-your-head-off trap.
PETA go soak your head.
The trap worked like it was supposed to.
:)
I've used the sticky traps in the past, but different brands make different 'sticky' stuff and mice have escaped... leaving some fur and poo-doo.
The whole idea of being stuck there with their face in a dollop of peanut butter causes them to wet themselves.

I reset the trap just in case he's got a family or some smoking buddies.

Chapped Lip Faux Pas

Cold weather tends to dry out my lips - nothing new here.
YET... when it comes to chapped lips...
Two things I've observed really crack me up.

One is the little kid that licks his/her lips... the skin for an inch around their mouth turns bright red and gets an even worse chap which they continue to lick.
One kid I saw had a chapped face as far as her tongue could reach - from nose to tip of chin and just as wide.
I nearly laughed out loud as the kid stood there coating her lips with saliva every few seconds.
Poor thing.
I can't say they didn't teach her correctly... my kid did it once this winter too and I was always reminding him to use the Carmex.

Second thing that cracks me up happened to me just today.
Here's the scenario:
Chapped lips.
Carmex in my pocket but not being used often enough.
My lip had a little flake of skin flapping up and irritating me.
So I reached up and got a gorilla grip on the little flap and pulled.
I literally filleted my lip.
The flap opened up what I believe was an artery and hurt so bad I yelped.
The stinging and bleeding lasted a good 10 minutes... and did I learn my lesson?
No.
I do this every winter 2 or 3 times.

Take my advice.
Keep some lip balm on ya... and use it.
And when you get tempted to tug at that little irritating flap of chap... DON'T!
Instead... pull out a few nose hairs or pour lemon juice on a hang nail... There is no blood loss and you recover quicker!
:)

A conversation I heard

[Mother who lost her child] "No one cares."
[Policeman at scene] "That's not true... Almost no one."

Back from Brussels!!!!

What an incredible trip.
I can't possibly tell you all that happened, but can say it went incredibly well.
highlights are:
- we rode every possible type of transportation [train, tram, metro-subway, taxi, bus, etc.] all ON-TIME! no delays.
- dogs were everywhere [on leash] and the people did NOT clean up the doo doo. the rain washes it away in an hour or so.
- they brought their animals INTO the restaurants - a cat [not on leash] sat next to me for lunch one day
- it was drizzly and cold the whole time and even snowed for two days
- the people don't think that God is relevant
- people were all speaking French... it was great to use my high school psudo-language!
- i ate pate for the whole week and found out the last day it was goose-liver.
- there is a statue i town that is a MAJOR sight-seeing monument - it's a little statue of a kid peeing.
- Chinese tourists all stand 4 meters apart when they are in public squares and 4 inches apart when they are walking as a group
- the beer is the best in the world
- people don't sleep there - i had lunch with a lady that gets up at 7, work by 8, home at 6, bars until 2... then does it all over again - daily.
- computer keyboards are all mixed up... i was paying by the minute at the internet cafe and had to pick&peck
- Brussels is a gorgeous city despite everything being damp with a constant mist.
- waffles are for sale all over the place... they call them geoffs [pronounced go-fffff].
- there is NO normal coffee there... it's espresso or nothing. if you order American coffee' they fill a cup with milk and add one t-spoon of espresso!
- brussel sprouts are NOT from brussels
- they sell french fries in every single cafe... but don't have any ketchup. typical dipping medium is mayonnaise or hot-spice cheese.
-the currency exchange rate hurt my wallet... 1.29% ouch. hand 'em a 50 [USD] and you get back 38 euro with change. :(

If I think of any more, I will let you know.
:)

Brussels Belgium

I can't believe it's here already... and for those who don't know yet... I'm flying to Brussels tomorrow.
One week walking the streets and talking to everyone willing to talk.

It's a survey trip.
We're looking for a good location to start a church.
A christian church that follows the teachings of Jesus.
Seems that according to the lastest survey...
there are only 1% Christians in Brussels.
That's really low for Christ's sake!!!
Apparently all the cathedrals are now museums.


We're NOT going to build anything either.
The church is the people... not the building.
It won't be just another sit-in-the-pew and get preached at church... but a real church.
Probably in someone's flat or a regular meeting in a cafe.

A place where people actually reach out and help each other,
where people see others as more important than themselves.
You know... what church was meant to be.

There are people out there that are at the end of their ropes, that think noone cares and they don't know where to turn next.
There are also people out there that seem to have it all, but are missing the big picture altogether.
[WHOEVER DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS STILL DIES]
Well... I would hope this new church would be a light for them in their darkness and not just meet their spiritual needs... but the physical ones they are dealing with also.

Here's a link to a webcam in the heart of the city - Grand-Place in Brussels.
You may see me there!!!!

Out of the Gutter

Apologies to my dear family and friends for not keeping you abreast of the daily cross I bear.
:)

WE GOT THE DOG.
It seems to be mostly an AKITA... but since it's from the local SPCA it has no doubt been crossed with a LAB.
Seriously.
If you view any of your local SPCA dog 'please adopt me' pages... you'll see that most every dog in there is a LAB mix!
There is either one incredibly busy dog or there is an underground canine society that we don't know about.

The dog has pooped on my floor a number of times.
I remember Triumph the insult dog every time!
"Now THAT is a NICE carpet!"

Stay tuned for my personal training tips on how to break a dog from pooping in the house!
:)

Mind in the Gutter

I was running around this past weekend like a head with my chicken cut off... and finally found a block of time totally free.
I sat for a short time and thought of all the possibilities... bike ride, nice long run, clean more in the garage, play more with the kids...
I had spend all last Saturday in the garage... so that was out.
I had spend all morning playing with the kids... so that was out.
I had already gone for a run.
The chain is broken on my bike... I guess I could fix it...
So what to do?
Then it hit me.
I am sick and tired of cleaning out the gutters on our house.
The gutters are all dented up from Hurricane Isabel that came thru here...
So I did it.
I dragged the gutters off the house!

The task wasn't as easy as you would at first think.
The one over the front of the garage came off pretty nicely and without incident.. but the 2 story eave across the full front of our home was a trick.
I climbed up onto the top of the roof... pulled out a few of the 6"+ nails that hold the gutter to the fascia.
Then I tied a rope around the gutter, up over the house and to a tree.
I did this to the other end [40 feet away] and then pulled out all the nails.
I simply went to the back yard and slacked the rope slowly until the gutter laid gently on the ground.
It was great.
I tell ya... when you're a loner at heart you tend to find ingenious ways to pull stuff off without ever having to ask anyone to help!
:)

WHAT AM I DOING????

I can't believe what's happening.

I just got back from visiting the local SPCA.
My wife is somehow brain-washing me into thinking we need a dog!!!

It took me 9 years to get rid of our first one - it was a Dalmatian.
It had a seizure disorder and lost all bodily fluids once a month.

It took me 9 weeks to get rid of our second one - Miniature dachshund.
He chewed up all my daughters favorite dolls heads... and peed every place but outside.

It's my twin daughters 11th birthday and my wife thinks we need to get them a dog.

By the way... if you girls are reading this I want you to act surprised if I get persuaded to actually get you a dog... OK?!

She [my wife] has got me fully reeled into her delusion and I even said what 'breed' we should be looking for!!!

Golden Retriever

Send help.

Clearwater Revival

I'm losing it.
I actually felt sorry for the fish.
Some friends came over and witnessed the experiment themselves.
They all wanted to know what chemicals I was using to treat the tank...
Chemicals?
There are supposed to be chemicals?
When they left I stared deeply into the murky waters and saw movement... and decide to further traumatize their measly little lives once again...

I did a FULL water change!
I again drained the tank and tossed them onto a temporary flower vase... looked pretty cool actually.
I scrubbed the tank and all items inside... rocks included.
I found a serious micro-culture of algae living under the undergravel filter system!!!! The bloody culprit!

I replaced all and refilled the tank... treated the water with some 'chemicals' and then tossed in the suckers.
I tested the pH levels and the ammonia levels with a handy-dandy kit I forgot I had and all seems fine.. for now.

Water was clear this morning.
They survived the night.

We'll see....
:)

Fishtank of Death

I can't believe it myself.
I took an hour yesterday cleaning out my fishtank and it's totally, no kidding, totally green and cloudy today.

The two remaining fish must really wonder what I'm up to.
You can tell they are alive because every now and then they come over and press their noses against the glass.
My kids get all excited and spread the news that they made it another day... sick I tell ya.

Usually the tank lasts for a week or two before it clouds up... but I must confess... I didn't do a totally thorough job this time.
I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't take out the rocks and scrub each one.

I drained the water, dragged out the sorry suckers [two overworked algae eaters], rinsed the plastic vegetation, even put in a new filter and new treated water... but didn't mess with the rocks.
Dang.
Anyway... the cruel experiment goes on and on.
:)

Headache

I finished out the last 3 hours here at work with the worst headache I've had all year.
Ouch.
I don't think it's caffeine... those usually get me on Sunday.
It's probably the onset of something I DON'T want... like a cold or flu or worse... Anthrax or SARS.
I took Tylenol and Advil and wish I had some Aleeve... that usually works.
The absolute worse part was that I was honestly trying to stay productive at work and felt my head pound at every productive thought.
There was a slight lull when I drifted which made for a very interesting dialog between my work ethic and my sinuses.

Have a good weekend.
I'm going to go get some hot tea and lay down someplace.

Full Benefit

I robbed myself of full benefit of a possible hallucination.
I went ahead and slept 1.5 hours last night.
Dang.
You know... good sleep like that will ruin efforts for a real mental extravaganza!
I was going for "1 hour of sleep in just as many days" to see how long I could go...
... well I broke down and got an extra half hour.
I at least made it 4.
Perhaps next time.

I'm doing a 3D architectural model on the side if you must know... and it's DONE.
I charged the guy $1000 for this wonderful experiment.
[I only got to work on it late at night after i tucked the kiddies in bed... of course with their stories and prayers, etc... so they got full benefit too.]
:)

Marathon Weekend

It's been years since I felt the effects of sleep deprivation.
I've had 3 hours sleep in just as many days... side job.
Remind me again why I do this?
Woof.
When I was in the Navy, part of the 6 months of training was an entire week of ... no kidding... NO SLEEP.
It was Sunday evening... we'd been awake all day of course... the anticipation of the coming HELL WEEK kept all of us from falling asleep in the tents pitched on the sand. We had no clue what was about to be asked of us... and we had no clue what we were about to ask of ourselves. An entire week of psychological and physical warfare.
Too much to tell ya, so I'll just talk about the lack of sleep.
First couple of days were actually easy... constant [no kidding] contests/races/timed events... end to end to end to end.
The instructors came at regular intervals... all well rested.
They fed us 3 meals a day and then another at midnight... we ate like pigs and filled our pockets as well.
You couldn't sit for long at the table or the fatigue ebbed in.
Pain helped. We all had some sort of gash or abrasion, even cellulitus for some... me... I only had a broken metatarsal. Three actually.
The pain was intense but lasted only a few seconds... excruciating went to ludicrous which slipped to numbness as we picked up the rubber boats, put them on our heads and trotted off toward another 'event'.
On the 6th day... they put us in a dim room with Mozart playing... could have been Led Zeplin... we were tired.
They told us to write an essay about our experiences of the week.
I wrote about some extremely vivid hallucinations I had seen... I still marvel at the power of the mind.
Anyway... I made it... so did a bunch of other men I'd fight to the death for.
A week of NO SLEEP. [AND the hardest Military Training on the Planet... but you can see that on TV/movies.]
:)
Oh... I couldn't get to sleep the night Hell Week was over.
Go figure.

Pay people their due

I'm NOT a rocket scientist after all.
There is a satellite over the southern USA called the T5.
Apparently it gives many satellite aiming people trouble... even with sophisticated equipment... So I don't feel so bad.
I called around and it costs upward of $200 to aim at this particular satellite [lowest quote actually was $150 to show up, and $50/half hour from there].
I called one final guy and his 'Mobile-Satellite' Company... he and his wife started a company when he saw how much demand there is out there for this sort of stuff...
He said for a fellow brother [Christian] he would do it for $60.
He's on his way over right now.
Pays to be in the family.
:)

Pay people their due

I'm NOT a rocket scientist after all.
There is a satellite over the southern USA called the T5.
Apparently it gives many satellite aiming people trouble... even with sophisticated equipment... So I don't feel so bad.
I called around and it costs upward of $200 to aim at this particular satellite [lowest quote actually was $150 to show up, and $50/half hour from there].
I called one final guy and his 'Mobile-Satellite' Company... he and his wife started a company when he saw how much demand there is out there for this sort of stuff...
He said for a fellow brother [Christian] he would do it for $60.
He's on his way over right now.
Pays to be in the family.
:)

Satellite Smatellite

I guess it IS rocket science.
I was on the roof nearly an hour with the cell phone... all the while my wife kept me informed of the 'no signal' on the TV screen.
Sheesh.
My sister kindly informed me that there was a device at the store that can help with this sort of thing....
Now I've got to decide whether I want to invest in yet another device that I may or may not have success with... or invest in a guy and his business aligning these things.
:(

On the Roof

It's been extremely cold out at night around here.. and yet I had to get the satellite dish up and running.
NO... it's not for better football coverage for the Super Bowl... though that would be nice.
We've got a direct link with the satellite dish to Bob Jones University for some of my kids home-school classes... and so to keep them up and running [they personally aren't in a hurry].. I've got to get it working.
Here's the history:
satellite was working fine.
Hurricane Isabel came thru and nearly ripped the dish off the roof.
Isabel also took about a hundred shingles and distributed them about the neighborhood.
We had our house reroofed [thank God for insurance - the roof was needing replacing anyway!!! :)]
The clown that took the satellite dish off the roof didn't have a clue how to re-install/re-aim it.
I froze my 'you-know-what's" off climbing up there and mounting it to the 8:12 sloped roof.
I need to figure out where the actual satellite is in the sky and somehow aim the dish in it's general vicinity.

This CAN'T be rocket science... I mean... there are high-school kids mounting these for summer jobs!
I should be able to do it...
Just how precise do I need to aim... we'll see?
Either I will figure it out... or I will pay the $ to have it done...
But I'm not going to give-up until I at least TRY ....for crying out loud!!!
:)

On Coffee and Caffeine

We were chatting here a couple days ago about how much coffee we drink.
We decided that it may just be easier to get an IV set up with any flavor on a steady drip.
One guy had the best idea of all... and I would be willing to bet this becomes available to the public within the next couple of years....
...A COFFEE ENEMA.

More likely will simply be a caffeine supository.
:)

Post Vacation Blues

It's a natural phenomenon.
Really.
When people take off serious amounts of time and then return... their brain makes the connection that the continuous good times have come to an abrupt end.
Depression, anger, even quitting are common symptoms.
Simply returning from vacation can cause it...
Going home for the evening doesn't usually do it... but there have been some extreme cases that were aided by large amounts of alcohol and sleep depravation linked to this phenomenon.
Weekends will and often cause people to say stuff like... "I'm allergic to Mondays" or "To Hell with this."
People that return from 4-day weekends often take multiple cups of coffee to get rolling and several trips to the uplifting/inspiring poster in the hall to help them slip back into denial.
I personally review my list of other professions I turned down until the coffee kicks in and the 'Blues' subside.
This year has been pretty good.
I've only considered owning a pet store twice, moped rental once and am getting by on 2 cups of coffee a day.
I remember co-miserating once with my office friends when this guy [foreigner] walked by and interjected with a smile on his face... "I don't know what you guys are complaining about... I'm just happy to HAVE a job."
:)
We referred him to this website... www.despair.com

Vacation

I can't possibly tell you all that happened over my vacation... far too many memories were made.
What stands out the most is 'ABSOLUTELY NO AGENDA' for well over a week.
Incredible.

Nags Head N.C. Time share - ON THE BEACH
Sandcastles - every shape and size
Waves - the water was icy
Kites - light breeze, my 3 year old was the most amazed/thrilled
Kill Devil Hills - Wright Brothers first flight site - awesome
Shells - we collected well over a hundred
Sand - our van and pockets are still full
Seagulls - the kids fed them bread and they came from everywhere
Grisham - I finished reading The Testament - I didn't want it to end
Birthday - My oldest son became a teen-ager... here we go.

All in all a totally wonderful vacation
Couldn't have asked for more.
I am currently bracing for POST-VACATION shock...
:)