Quintessential Me

Rita updates

2007-10-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

Rita is long gone and most of my coverage was long forgotten so soon after evens. It's been two years and we recently received a small test of our new roof. The surprise hurricane howled and blew, but it failed to do anything but knock out power and down branches.

Political truth.

2007-10-02T14:11:00.000-05:00

From here are some interesting statistics.

When asked if the nation was ready to vote for a Mormon, Republicans responded around 72% yes. Democrats responded 63% affirmative. What this really illustrates is the true nature of Democrats inclusiveness. Constantly we see allusions that Republicans are racist, bigots, and religious fanatics. But, those "fundamentalist" Christians are strong within the party, and they do not consider Mormons Christian. (I can attest to this!) If these "bigots" can accept a Mormon candidate, what does it say about the reality of the party of "inclusiveness," e.g. Democrats, is less willing to do so?

Mythbusters too precise?

2006-10-19T17:15:00.000-05:00

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005234078

a speeding car driven by a naked woman high on drugs hit and killed a pedestrian... with such force that it killed him instantly and sent him flying into above ground electrical wires, severing his legs.

Someone should tell mythbusters to make an addendum to their proclamation that you couldn't be cut in half by a snapping cable. A non-snapping cable seems adequate...

Random wondering of the day

2006-10-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

Why can cell phone companies deliver caller id immediately when it takes until the second ring on your home phone?

It's Nikki Time

2006-09-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

I thought this was worth sharing and you can catch it directly from onlythreesofar.blogspot.com:

My favorite parenting book, Kids are Worth It!, by Barbara Coloroso has this list to help clue you into if you're raising a reward dependent child:
The following is a checklist of warning signs that your child might be reward-dependent. Most children will exhibit some of these signs as they struggle to develop their own sense of self.
It is the frequency, intensity, and persistence of these behaviors that would
indicate a need for concern and intervention.
1. "Does to please" to win approval of those in authority.
2. Does what is told without questioning.
3. Lacks initiative, waits for orders.
4. Sense of self is defined externally; has dignity and worth when producing what adults want.
5. Who she is and what she does are one and the same. If she does something "bad," she sees herself as "bad."
6. Uses his history as an excuse for his behavior.
7. Is pessimistic, despairs easily.
8. Places blame outside self: "He made me do it." "It's not my fault."
9. Hides mistakes, feaful of adult's wrath.
10. Lies to avoid consequences and cover mistakes.
11. Feels controlled.
12. Feels worthwhile only when on top, when number one.
13. Is competative, gets ahead at the expense of others.
14. Needs to be perfect, views mistakes as bad.
15. Seeks approval and fears disapproval, fearful of rejection.
16. Is conformist. Goes along with the crowd.
17. Considers behavior by its consequences. "If I don't get caught, what is wrong with it."
18. Focuses on the past and the future, misses the moment. Worries about "What if..."
19. Experiences self-talk that is negative; parental injunctions keep playing over and over.
20. Has private reservations about public self; "If they really knew me..."
21. Uses only simple problem-solving skills to try to solve all problems.
22. Is always concerned about the "bottom line."
23. Says what she thinks other want to hear.
24. Is cautious, insecure.
25. Has a mercenary spirit; is selfish, self-centered, greedy, does good deeds to obtain rewards or avoid punishment.
26. Is cynical and skeptical; views world in terms of "us" and "them."
27. Swallows values without question from those in authority.
28. Frames deeds with "should."
29. Holds on to resentments.
30. Is oversensitive to criticism, diqualifies compliments.
"Rewards and punishment are the lowest form of education" - Chuang-TzuI would think the easiest problem to spot would be #9. This makes #8 & #10 side-effects of the #9 problem.
If your kid is scared of you and in tears because he dropped his dinner plate, then you've got a real problem.
If everytime an accident happens, your kid cries and lies, you haven't
taught him how to deal with the problem. And when I say, "how to deal with it",
I mean, to fix the problem rather than sobbing hysterically.
For example, if the kids drops his dinner plate, he should think about cleaning it up. He'll probably still need your help cleaning it up but at least he's taken control of his mistake, his problem, and made it right. That's what you have to do in the real world too.
I think the worst side effects are the last four. If you're a kid whose looking for an authority to praise you, you can easily be sucked into a gang. You listen to your gang's values ("the gang family comes first"), you follow the gang's ideals ("He should be beaten for that look he gave me"), you never forgive any little thing, and instantly hate any teacher who gives you a criticism.

What Esquire has learned...

2006-09-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

Esquire is running a series of articles about "What I learned." The few I have looked at have at least been amusing and in some cases interesting. From Homer Simpson to Bill O'Reilly you can spend more time than you intend. I think the best one though is the fifth grader...

"Teachers aren't allowed to state political opinions. They're not supposed
to influence the way we'd vote. They don't like it when we start arguing on our
own. But it's there. It's there. I'm for Bush." -5th grader
"A best moment? You get into the sappy birth-of-the-daughter moment . . . and I'm not gonna quantify my life that way." -O'Reilly
AND ... "When someone tells you your butt is on fire, you should take them at their word." - Homer Simpson

cute kitten

2006-08-27T00:47:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that in such a short time she seems so much older, but I guess the same goes for Jadyn.

The Battle of Richmond?

2006-08-20T16:13:00.000-05:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaybird-Woodpecker_War

Named after Richmond, England, the town is rich with Texas history as it was among the 19 cities first incorporated by the short-lived Republic of Texas, in 1837. Early residents of the city include many prominent figures in Texas lore such as Jane Long, Deaf Smith, and Mirabeau Lamar. On 16 August 1889, the town was the site of the Battle of Richmond, an armed fight culminating the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, a violent feud over post-Reconstruction political control of Fort Bend County.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%2C_Texas

That's interesting history we were never taught in school!

The toilet that goes boom.

2006-07-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

At work they have some unisex restrooms that are handicap friendly -which is more and more absurd every year... can someone explain to me why I don't have enough room to open the dang door to a normal stall without being forced to collide with the toilet, but they can park a Hummer in their stall? Anyhow, this restroom has the standard fare U shaped toilet seat with pee channel. Even though these seats are designed to allow a man to relieve himself without lifting the seat up, I find that there is a small amount of incidental damage. I lift the seat, do my business, and let the seat drop. I don't want to make contact with anything in a restroom more than I have to. SLAM. The sound hurts my ears and causes an interesting discord because I barely bumped the seat. I had already started the flush and as I look down in falls a piece of the seat. Instead of resembling the typical U it looks like a J. So even though the water is relatively clean, I look at this huge piece of toilet seat and laugh. The absurdity of it strikes me. I have once before had this happen to me in this same restroom. Then though there was an air bubble that caused the seat to be weaker than it was designed to be. I stifle my laugh and sneak out of the restroom. If it happens again, I will know that the toilet in that restroom is cursed.

Lessons in Fatherhood

2006-05-22T14:38:00.000-05:00

It takes less than 2 minutes to lose a $2 glider airplane in the trees --even a tree drastically cut back from extensive hurricane damage.
It takes less than 15 minutes to damage a poorly functioning, remote-control airplane by crash landing it in 2 inches of water in the drainage ditch and then requires getting wet.
The little league is a bunch of robber-barons. They insist on you trashing your food and drinks and pay to enter the park.
Little children don't understand choosing to not trash $15 worth of food over entering a ball-park.
A child's mood can change from perfectly blissful to perfectly moody in less than 2 seconds --especially when no one seems to understand how, why, or where she pinched her finger.

Kaboom car!

2006-04-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

Stuntman Bozic hurtles amid explosion. He was injured in the stunt and hospitalized --barely clinging to life.

One must wonder why someone would do such a thing, but what a picture!

Jadyn 04/21/2006

2006-04-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

What is art?

Pulled from the reverie...

2006-04-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

I was sitting at my desk lost in thought, or perhaps just lost, when the phone rang and a stranger asked to speak to a co-worker. This co-worker does not "co-work." She works another shift.

The incessant need to leave a message betrays the bill collector. Telemarketers quite often eagerly shift towards whomever answers the phone, but a bill collector leaves a "message" that invariably includes some 1-800 number and an extension. A loan officer seeking business might use an 800 number, but they don't leave pointless messages that have little chance of being relayed.

"Can I leave a message?" she says. There was a time when I dutifully took and delivered such messages, but the specific co-worker stated certainly not to bother.

"This is," I say, "a business." Bill collectors are funny little things. They must be businesses like any other, but they are odd. Either they have her home number and she blows them off -and if so are doubly wasting their time "leaving messages," or they do not have it. Yet these pushy creditors --"Oh, I see that she works nights. Can I leave a message?"- will not call here the hours that the person actually works.

Of course they could be receiving no response from her directly at night, which means they are attempting to get her in trouble with her boss, and they are misguided because her boss has an entirely different number.

"You can't call her at home," I question. She asserts that she doesn't have her home number. She relays an 800 number and some extension. I don't even note a single number.

"What's," she asks, "your name?"

I answer, "Bob." Call me Bob. You know it's kind of funny, I pulled from my mind a name that belongs to no workers in our general area. It is also the brief nickname that a childhood friend had. I can't remember how or why he got that name, but thinking about it, I laugh as I imagine the bill collector relating to my co-worker that she left a message with "Bob."

Angel

2006-04-14T14:41:00.000-05:00

"You spend all your time waiting for that second chance, for a break that would make it okay. There’s always one reason to feel not good enough. And it’s hard at the end of the day. I need some distraction, oh beautiful release. Memory seeps from my
veins. Let me be empty and weightless and maybe I’ll find some peace
tonight." -Sarah McLachlan

There are moments and times when one must become empty to survive. This is especially true of unfulfilling jobs. It is about finding balance.

Sarah's talents lie beyond her incredible voice, her words --puntuated by me as I interpret them (Songs are typically punctuated in lines leaving sentence structure less clear... and consequently the meaning even less clear)- are powerful. Who hasn't felt the need to escape and become free of the fetters of care?

I would gladly recommend that everyone purchase the iTunes version of this song, Angel. Sarah's voice is incredible and intimate. Often production creates this "perfect" song free from the emotion and power that the artist is capable of. After hearing Sarah's "iTunes Originals," I'm forced to conclude that sometimes raw is better.

"In the arms of an angel, fly away from here, from this dark, cold
hotel-room and the endlessness that you fear. You are pulled from the
wreckage of your silent reverie. You’re in the arms of the angel.
May you find some comfort there."

"So tired of the straight line, and everywhere you turn there’s vultures
and thieves at your back. And the storm keeps on twisting. You keep
on building the lie that you make up for all that you lack. It don’t make
no difference: Escaping one last time. It’s easier to believe in this
sweet madness --oh this glorious sadness- that brings me to my knees."

"In the arms of an angel, fly away from here, from this dark, cold
hotel-room and the endlessness that you fear. You are pulled from the
wreckage of your silent reverie. You’re in the arms of the
angel. May you find some comfort here."

2, 10, 15 minutes, an hour, or three? Notified or not?

2006-04-14T14:24:00.000-05:00

Re: "If I die in a fire, sue M. D. Anderson."

I've decided that this occurs frequently enough that it should be noted. And while I'm joking at the moment, should it really occur, the constant fire alarm "drills" do nothing but desensitize employees to the alarm bell. This occurs because it is M. D. Anderson policy to hear the alarm and everyone must act as if nothing has happened and "wait" for the follow-up announcement with instructions.

Occasionally they should have drills where certain floors are instructed to take some action, but instead alarms run for often close to ten minutes and sometimes longer, and then silence greets employees for more minutes until the "all clear" --if it is not somehow overlooked- sounds.

I understand there are certain difficulties when it comes to patients, but practice runs with empty beds might be prudent. After all, the logistics of moving 100 patients' beds would be a more fair approximation than the general guidelines everyone is aware of. How do we know that the guidelines will work unless we attempt to measure them?

While I'm at it, let's discuss the "Emergency Broadcast System." Every now and again we hear obnoxious beeps announcing "a test." We are informed that in the event of an actual message, we will all be instructed to make final penance before God. I say this because anyone listening to a radio or watching TV during a major storm or Hurricane gets frequent, even frivolous information, about conditions and what to do.

The only conclusion that can be made is the only time the system would be used is in the last minutes of a catastrophic, surprise nuclear-assault, and we should be asking ourselves: "If we had only two minutes left to live, would we want them to be a frightened, stress-filled moment, or would we want to continue happily and ignorantly on towards our imminent, utter destruction?"

Let's say it was 15 minutes or an hour, that itself might not even be time to gather up your family around you. Not to mention the crippling traffic on ALL roads as nearly every driver attempts to find those closest to themselves.

And you are as likely as not to not be wrapped in either television or radio at any given point of any day. Sure we all watch more television than we should, but let's be completely honest. Even if a TV is on in your house most of the day, how much do you really "watch" it? We are truthfully as likely to be sleeping when such a message would be conveyed.

Given imminent and immutable destruction, to what extent would you really want to be informed?

A red-light camera

2006-03-31T14:12:00.000-06:00

On the way to work today, my car and I were nearly hit by a golf ball. Surprised and distracted I looked toward the golf course that I routinely drive past. In the process I nearly ran the red light and had to slam on my brakes. The intersection was completely clear. Red-light cameras automate the human decision making process when driving. Sometimes that is good and sometimes it isn't. Despite logically knowing that I was not placed in a dangerous situation, I feel that I could have been. Weird situations are bound to arise. Split decisions should be made on the basis of safety and risk and not made on the basis of accruing tickets.

Keith got married, and I discover Audible.

2006-03-28T14:34:00.000-06:00

My brother who has been living in Utah for some time is now going to be in Dallas for the summer. He and his wife will be within weekend-visiting distance and I think my wife and I will take full advantage.

My wife has met Keith's bride somewhat briefly. I myself have met her only a touch more.

While my wife was too chicken to fly, I have always enjoyed flying. Until I was 10, my dad was a military man and we traveled the globe. As a kid I found take-offs very fun. Landings were ok, but they lack the fun. As an adult, I find the seats more cramped and the cabin-whine annoying, but it is still my preferred way to travel for trips that are more than a day's drive.

I flew to his wedding in Utah.

When Keith and Leslie made their first trip to Texas, her father recommended Audible. (It's often too easy to ignore good advice.) Audible is an online audio book club. There are only two real ways to enjoy legal downloaded audiobooks: the iTunes store and Audible. There are other services, but their selections are limited as most publishers require some form of Digital copyRights Management commonly referred to as DRM. Audible and iTunes provide DRM.

iTunes is a great music source that also sells some audiobooks. Audible is an incredible audiobook source that also sells miniscule musical selections.

My wife could spend hundreds at iTunes. I could spend hundreds at Audible. This is the very reason that I joined one of their monthly listener programs. For $15-22/month one can get one to two audio books a month. (It's a little complicated because you get credits, but I haven't found a book yet that required multiple credits.) This means I scale my purchases back from what I want to one audiobook a month. One of the perks of signing up for a 1 year commitment to audible is that they will sell you an iPod for one-hundred dollars cheaper than you can otherwise get one. We decided to take advantage of this and purchase the entry level iPod video for my wife since I already had a Nano.

It is remarkable that my iPod drove the desire to subscribe to audible which drove the desire to take advantage of the iPod savings.

iPods are great products that I would heartily recommend with only a single complaint to Apple: The screens are back-lit but the buttons aren't... At night, skipping a track on a car-docked iPod requires flipping on cabin lights or fairly good memorization of control location. Believe it or not, it's more difficult than it should be. While switching a playlist could result in a dangerous situation, simply skipping a track should be easy and is sometimes an ordeal without back-lit buttons. It's simply too easy at night to hit the center button or the wrong part of the outer ring.

This complaint is somewhat minimal when I consider the number of hours I use it in the daylight and the enjoyment and ease of having over 20 CDs stored into a player that is smaller than a credit card except for being about an 1/8th to a 1/4th of an inch thick instead of being a few millimeters thick.

When I see Keith's wife this summer, I'll be sure to tell her to thank her dad for telling me about his Nano and Audible subscription. And by the way, should you decide that Audible is the way for you to go, please let me know!

Happy Listening!

Cat tales

2006-03-24T13:37:00.001-06:00

I cannot claim to be one of those people who dislike animals although I do question the sanity of anyone who has more animals than an eager Catholic has children. Even still though, I have attempted to stifle my wife's yearning for pets. We once "owned" a stray that took to illness, and, without attempting a pun, the situation was very short lived. While the situation was regrettable, the cat had proved friendly and relatively care-free. An outdoor cat had been almost ideal.

My wife itched to get another pet. Her first attempt was a Chihuahua. If there are people who can house-break dogs, it was quickly apparent that we are not among them. Many times we took the puppy outside, and it played gleefully. After variable amounts of time ranging from fifteen minutes to an hour, we would decide that the dog didn't have to go and come inside. At that moment some inexplicable and seemingly hard-wired switch would flip in the little dogs brain; she would immediately charge towards any carpeted area and go. We had a choice. We could attempt to ignore murderous impulses to punish the dog- a seemingly daunting task as each failure at training compounded our frustration, or we could place the Chihuahua up for adoption.

Anticipating failure, we gave the dog to someone with large amounts of dog-training experience. This failure of the pet to be endearing briefly held my wife at bay. The pet had not proved to be easy to love. It filled none of the reasons one gets a pet. If she thought that our "baby" would be occupied and play with the dog, the Chihuahua proved to play too roughly. The baby both loved and feared the dog. The only thing the dog did do was create an immense amount of frustrating, resentful work. The guilt we felt about sending the puppy packing was quickly assuaged immediately by the increased sense of peace in our home. Confident that we, although both of us had grown up with pets, would be a pet-free home, I was satisfied.

If my fears that Shana would want a pet had been allayed, they were mistakenly so. One day while petitioning my wife to take a look at something (I often feel this way, that to ask her to take an interest in something that I am interested in or amused by is a terrible mistake sure to disappoint me), she quickly said, "I have something I want you to look at."If her lack of enjoyment in my curiosities and interests was ever troubling, it was just as unsettling to have her respond with a bold and challenging assertion. She nodded toward the newspaper unfolded to reveal the classified ads.

If I have a fault, it is that I am quite often a passive individual. On occasion Shana takes me out of my comfort zone and places me where I ought to be. Expecting the employment section, my nervousness increased when I realized what she had circled, "Free cats to good homes..."After spending a few moments attempting to gently negotiate a no-cat-household, I found myself beleaguered. I, against one I love, was cornered. Being allergic was immediately countered with an interesting truth; my parents had indeed once had a cat albeit very briefly. The cat had been a beautiful Siamese that my mother had taken off the hands of one of her coworkers. While I liked Hermes, my parents had decided that allergies and Asthma would be unwise companions over time.

Incrementally she won the argument. "Let's just go look" was the first and most terrible petition. Each subsequent event would only culminate in a disastrous chain of events. Each event led to another event in which the denial would become harder and more heartless.

Foolishly acceding I consented to "look." Resigning myself to the hope that she would not see a cat she liked- and thus permit me to work on her over time, I was deluded. With the subtle battle lost, I had already lost their. We arrived at the cat lady's house. It was clean. It didn't smell of cats. Both were terrible blows. If her hygiene and her house's cleanliness had been substandard, my wife, herself, would probably be repulsed and abandon the idea. (Although here slept a small risk- that this situation could backfire as well if she deems the cats need rescuing).

The cat lady seemed nice and we were directed to several cats. If I remember accurately, she described one as mean. This one was clearly out of the question. Next was a cat so ugly it was cute. It had long hair. It was friendly. My wife wanted it. Objecting I said that it had long hair, and as such was more likely to inflame my allergies. I believe this is true about animals in general.

But this was only a part of the equation. The cat was beyond friendly. It was needy. This is the reason that the Chihuahua was doomed in our house. I suggested the prettiest cat of the bunch. The cat had short hair and was friendly but not excessively so. We agreed to return with Wal-mart supplies including a pet carrier. It was a concession, but it was also a victory.

Returning home with a kitty that clearly objected to being in a carrier, we found our daughter elated. This excitement has slowly dwindled but never died out. The best description would be to say that she annoys the cat. The line between cruel and annoying is one that she manages blur. Initially we tried to teach her to be gentle, but it has slowly progressed to "Leave the cat ALONE!" The other common refrains are "be nice" and "be gentle." Recently she attempted to sit on the cat. The cat endures the torture with an unbelievable amount of tolerance.

All cats must be named and my wife immediately disliked the original christening. My wife and I have a daunting inability to agree on names. The cat is female, so "Ron" for Ronald Reagan is out. Shana has already claimed the name "Reagan" for any girl we might have in the future. For some reason I really wanted to have a Republican cat. Reagan was also called Dutch and he played the "Gipper," but Gipper never left my mouth. Dutch... Dutchess... Duchess.

I would have spelled it incorrectly to credit Reagan. My wife would spell it correctly. Given that we both know what spawned the name, we spelled it properly. A cat, given such a proper and refined name, would usually inspire a spoiled and fluffed feline starring in a cat food commercial. Duchess is, however, a bundle of random energy often suddenly leaping into motion and moving at lightning speed. She is agile but not refined. She is however quite content to occasionally sit in your lap and rest. She is entertaining.

The lady from whom we acquired the cat said the cat was a rare and sought after breed. Duchess is a "Mongolian Leopard Cat," or, as the veterinarian says, she is a standard American Short Hair. I'm still debating on whether the cat lady was out of her mind or such a cat lover that she would lie to deliver the cat a good home. My wife is confident that the lady is out of her mind.

The cat lady informed us prior to getting the cat that she would call us in two weeks to check up the cat. This sounded obsessive but ok. When we missed her call the next day, we noted the number and decided to no answer. It has now been in the neighborhood of three weeks, and we've already had the cat "fixed," so it seems fair to say that we're keeping the cat. If allergies prove torrential, we'll see if Mollo wants to make a Trip to east Texas to pick up her new pet. ;-)

Allergy Season

2006-03-23T12:40:00.000-06:00

I arrived today at work with a headache. More precisely on the way to work I at one point realized that my head hurt. I took two, generic Aleve.

30 minutes later starting to feel a medicated fog, I'm still aware of the pain. Typically Aleve works quickly and effectively, although it often generates a disconnect with more than pain. It creates a desire to sleep. I sincere believe that what Aleve does is not alleviate pain but assuage all senses.

At any rate, every spring I love the weather and hate the headaches, sniffles, and sneezes. Indeed, allergies trouble me beyond the normal individual. Athsma symptoms become more common, and my entire body seems to suffer more.

The fall has similar weather and I think I prefer it; fewer allergens...

Out of Shana's parents house.

2006-03-05T18:59:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I never mentioned that we are out of Shana's parents house and back into our own house. I need to post some pictures and I also have a story or two to tell about a cat...

A man and electronics.

2006-03-04T17:35:00.000-06:00

Ok, I admit it. Owing to certain male genetics, I love electronics. This lifelong passion however has forced me to realize something: Women love electronics too.

Specifically my wife loves electronics. More specifically, she does not love them in the way that some women and seemingly all men love them. She loves the moment that she gets to tell friends and acquaintances alike that I am obsessed. "I'm going to get," she remarks, "one of those handheld click counters to see how many times in a day he says 'receiver'."

I've considered actually buying her one off eBay- another obsession. The counters are easily found by "handheld tally", but since I've told her that I'm going to avoid spending money on eBay, I'll make is short and sweet: Less than five.

Ok, ok, I'll concede... That if we were to include the times that I thought about electronics, including the word receiver, it would be an arduous task.

When selecting our new receiver, I spent atleast a month wavering between products always looking for the absolute best deal. I have a partial preference for brands that were sold under the "Home Entertainment" franchise before it was swallowed in the Tweeter Corporation. As such, I always look at Sony, Pioneer, Denon, and Yamaha. I'm aware enough to know names better than these, but when my wife heard that I wanted to buy "nice" models from their respective lines, I knew instantly that higher prices were out of the question.

When I first met my wife's brother, he felt slighted when I admitted I knew little about the Onkyo brand. This admission was nothing more or less. He knew that I had worked at Home Entertainment before. He interpreted that the brand was unworthy of the store which isn't the case. The real secret around Houston wasn't Home Entertainment (or Tweeter), it was "The Home Theater" store on Westhiemer. There one could dream and even buy with an extremely and generously endowed wallet. Home Entertainment made Circuit City feel like Wal-Mart. Oddly enough the Home Theater store doesn't make the feel of any other chain seem like a bargain basement clearance center or diminish them at all. It is Disney World for geeks, nerds, and technophiles--well audiophiles at least. You'll still need to shop Fry's electronics for your other technophile dreams.

So when my wife claims I'm obsessed, I know it's true even if I might pretend it isn't.

One Week into school and one illness later.

2006-01-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

I always prefer not to miss any school days, but it would seem that my wife and darling daughter have seen fit to share their illness. Last semester I toiled under a cold that would not die. Perhaps the fact that I would not stop and rest had something to do with the matter, but nonetheless, I was feeling off for several weeks. This time I was forced by a violent but short lived illness to accrue an absence. I guess I would prefer short ilnesses, but they are so difficult to appreciate at the time!

The would be reviewer.

2006-01-05T12:41:00.000-06:00

Initially I was going to write a long and elaborate review giving things to look for when selecting a home theater receiver, but this effort fell quickly to the newfound workload of a full-time load at a University and a full-time load at my job.

I have been in school for exactly one day. In that day I arose at 6:30 am. I tracked to my 8 am class to have it dismissed within 20 minutes of syllabus review. Deciding to make the most of my day, I began reading the first chapter of the text associated with that class. Difficult and slow going could easily describe the return on my reading effort.

Breaking the effort, I tracked to the "HAL" computer-account people. They informed me of my password and kindly instructed me on the needed actions to log into a "WebCT" session. One of my classes is online and is something I have never attempted before. The choice of whether to take Philosophy online or listen to a Philosophy nut lecture seemed an easy one.

Ten o'clock proved to be an entertaining diversion as well. The professor is a lawyer and spoke on the importance of the university certification. With a several hour break, I chose to eat and review the previous class' textbook. It seems like an easy read -great deal!

Tracking to the LDS Institute, I hung around until my next class. This class is a Management Information System class and is taught by a rather annoying woman who seems to think that Dr. Spock's haircut in the original Star Trek serries was worth trying herself. She asks questions but her demeanor immediately reprimands any takers. It's immediately clear that her class will be the most troublesome although she clearly thinks that the technical premises of her class will be challenging. I highly doubt so. It will be her behavior and demands that will prove to be harrassing.

So Finished with a quite full day, I shot off to meet my wife for our little one's doctor appointment and subsequent labwork with several obnoxiously long waits. Three hours later, we grabbed some dinner, visited Home Depot purchasing a few needed items for the house, and made our way home.

We arrive "home" at Shana's Parents house with enough time to browse the web for some nominal waste of time and retire promptly around 11:15. A busy day indeed and I would feel better about it had I actually already "had" my online class...

So reviews or even explanations of what I want in a receiver will have to wait!

Eddie Bauer Expidition

2006-01-05T12:17:00.000-06:00

Did Ford's Quality Assurance team take a nap? Several days ago I caught sight of a man driving what appeared to be the most base model of the Ford Expedition. It would have been wholy unremarkable except for large block letters adorning the vehicles rear window. These cheap letters appeared to come from some sticker package to spell whatever a person should choose. This person had selected "EDDIE BOWER." I only wish I had a camera...

Popcorn stove.

2005-12-09T15:08:00.001-06:00

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/09/051209141924.flu6l9pn.html

Americans are turning to corn burning stove-like heaters in the face of high gas prices...

Only one thought came to mind, "Does it sound like popcorn?"

8 hours later.

2005-12-06T21:32:00.000-06:00

Today M.D. Anderson has been interesting to say the least. First thing off the bat I was called into a meeting of which I was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Basically, I'm not the target... One of the targets must have some comprehension that an investigation was pending as he tried to talk to me about it. I lied to him claiming to be ignorant and excused myself from the conversation.

A touch later, a technician --who claims to receive direct revelation from God- came to repair a printer for about an hour and left 8 hours later after gnawing on our ears. Some people don't know how to pick up on the subtle clues that distinguish between polite conversation that marks indifference -or perhaps slightly worse- and actual interest. This kind of thing can only happen when you are the last job of the day of a contractor who must not have a happy home life. I know I've stayed over on occasion, but I'd never vent my life to complete strangers who'd rather not feign interest at all.

I hate studying geology.

2005-11-29T18:56:00.000-06:00

Equally annoying is the lab section. Ever have a lab with an obsessive-cumpulsive lab intrstrustor? "If I see a scrap of paper on the floor, the class loses a point from their final average." Is it wrong to wish that she be granted an opportunity to meet her end with large rocks that she loves?

If I die in a fire tonight, sue MDA.

2005-11-03T20:35:00.000-06:00

"Your attention please! Please disregard the following flashing lights and sirens. We are conducting a test of the safety system. This is only a test. Thank you."

Of all the places to see a deer.

2005-10-28T13:29:00.000-05:00

I have one rather brief but vivid memory of hitting an animal -what we later thought to be a wild boar-- at highway speeds. In the blink of an eye there was animal, brakes, and impact. It was followed by a brief off-road excursion, releasing the brake pedal, and gently steering back onto the road. The later proved to be a mistake as the extent of the damage showed an inability to steer the car on pavement. Oddly enough the offroad environment allowed the damaged parts to operate, but the high traction environment of the road placed me stopped dead center of a two-lane part of a dark country, four-lane divided highway. Time continued to slow. There were massive amounts of people offering "assistance." Initially hesitant to move the car, I quickly acceded and the car was dragged off the road. Then the hoards of "helpful" citizens left me alone to wait beside the highway for the wrecker I called (who happened to be my father in law). More technically, I suppose, I called my wife who called him. After a considerable amount of time, quite a good deal of turmoil, and the resolution to always use my high beams when possible, we made our way home towing a shattered shell of a hybrid car.

Needless to say that when the other day in the middle of Houston driving on I-10 at night, I was less than pleased to be startled by a deer imediately before my car with an imminent collision approaching. The deer quite nimbly leaped into the next lane in one hop and into the subsequent lane on its second hop. Deftly avoiding traffic, the dear made its frightened way across the congested, 12 lane divided highway until I could no longer see its progress across the 6 lane medium. Astounded I wasn't alone. Had it really made it across 7 lanes before I encountered it or had it crossed 5 and changed course backtracking? Given the deer's progress and direction, I'm forced to believe, to hope that the beautiful animal skillfully completed the rest of its course. It was incredible.

Your next Halloween potluck dessert.

2005-10-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.copykat.com/asp/copykatrecipe.asp?recipe=395

Kitty Litter Cake can provide a tasty treat sure to turn your stomach. Spawning multiple questions, such as:
"Who will brave it?"
"Who will laugh as they pass it over?"
"Do we really want our children conditioned to eat kitty litter?"

And perhaps the most disturbing part of the directions is the admonition of using both new box and scooper; Do people really need such admonition?

The Verdict? Disgustingly funny.

Congrats to the Astros, Mollo's observations on Prince

2005-10-20T14:57:00.000-05:00

Differing with Radio and TV sports commentator Jim Rome, I must say, once again, that not playing Lidge was the right decision. I'll accept the analysis that Lidge needed rest and was played four nights in a row, but given so, even with the need for Lidge to feel recovered from the blow, how would playing him without the break he needs bring Lidge to greater heights. In truth all it would do is expose him to an eager and capable Cardinal team. Giving him the extended break and allowing him to recover over a longer period of time could make the difference in a real recovery and a stay of execution.

Over at onlythreesofar.blogspot.com, mollo notes Princes hip replacement, but linking to the article one finds:

And, in a freak accident this summer, David Bowie was temporarily blinded when a
lollipop hit him in the eye during a concert in Oslo. The stick became wedged
between his left eyelid and eyeball - which he damaged as a child in a fight at
school - and had to be removed by a roadie.

Removed by a roadie? Gives new meaning to the phrase "eye candy."

Sorry mollo, that's funnier than Prince.

Now consider yourselves introduced to copykat.

2005-10-20T14:23:00.000-05:00

Somewhere on the web lies a cozy little site dedicated to allowing would be chefs their hand at copying restaurant recipes.

After the subject of how one makes and spells carrot souffles spurred workplace discussion, I passed on to my coworkers the wonders of copykat. It has knock-off and alleged actual creation recipes of famous restaurants. (For my purposes, all creations are knock-offs because the staff of the restaurants don't do the cooking.)

Among it's wonders are some Landry's entree knock-offs (Landry's has a long host of well known restaurants with a prominent Joe's Crab Shack among them) and some Pappa's chains including Pappadeux's. I simply love Pappadeux's, so I've decided to directly link to their Crawfish Bisque. They also have "bloomin' onion" and "awesome blossom" recipes.

And of note to those seriously culinarily inclined is a Ruth Chris entry.

They even have a blog...

My wife introduced me. You can thank her for the information.

Some GQ advertisers are nuts

2005-10-15T19:08:00.000-05:00

He is one ugly woman!

GQ does a rather interesting article on Cameron Diaz. Throughout the entire article she comes off as a complaining, needy celebrity albeit a very beautiful one even though the pictures clearly show her airbrushed. Compare them to the cover of Seventeen.

Although I'm sure she would disagree with my take on her, I don't find it surprising that privacy is the ultimate commodity to a woman who makes her living by stripping away as much of her clothes as her ethics can stand.

Also providing a fair picture that clearly isn't airbrushed is "adfreak". See their comments below:

Remember when aging screen stars like Norma Desmond could hide behind favorable lighting and a soft lens? Well, according to entertainment magazine OnHD.TV, some of Hollywood’s finest aren’t quite ready for their close-ups. (If you want to read the New York Post's pick-up of the story, click here.) Among the celebrity flaws noticeable on high definition TV are Cameron Diaz’s acne, Brad Pitt’s crater face and Joan Rivers' facial seams. On the other hand, 23-year-old Anna Kournikova has nothing to hide and Catherine Zeta-Jones is “absolutely gorgeous.”
If you believe the hype, HDTV’s inevitable apex could mean the decline of Max Factor. With such high res pictures, actors may soon be relying as much on the digital effects editors as they do on their makeup artists. Just remind me not to watch my home movies on HDTV.—Posted by Deanna Zammit Photo credit: Giulio/Sipa/Newscom

Hmm HDTV sounds like maybe we'll start to see more realistic people. Do we even want that from TV and movies? I have trouble accepting that Catherine Zeta-Jones is an incredible beauty. I've never really felt the pull towards her. The Sprint ads seem to show an aging woman who isn't even close to the beauty she possessed a few short years ago. I have already noted that Cameron Diaz is less than flawless naturally, so it is no shock at all that HDTV brings it into focus... so to speak. It's amusing that the standard of beauty set by Hollywood isn't even met by Hollywood.

A perfect perfume.

2005-10-15T18:13:00.000-05:00

Pure Turquoise

an unspoken understanding

2005-10-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

For quite some time, there has been an unspoken understanding in my wife’s side of the family; I am an outsider. I’ve considered whether it has been my own doing –my awkward inability to call my mother-in-law ‘mom,’ but regardless of whether it is the consequence of my own actions or a natural occurrence to millions of husbands or wives, it is revealed at poignant moments when the smallest comments reveal indifference to my considerations.

Recently, she took to cross-examining S on whether or not we might move closer to my job. (This is a natural concern for any parent who wants to stay as close as possible to their offspring, but, even so, S and her mom have an unnaturally close relationship.) For years I have commuted beyond anything that could be considered reasonable. To be fair, S has always taken care of me well, but it's been clear that our lives would be richer if my insane commute weren't what it is.

So, as hurricane Rita placed us temporarily closer to my job, it was only natural, to be honest, that we've discussed moving. We have only said to each other that we should evaluate the possibility. There was no more, nor was there anything less. Although my mother-in-law was never part of any discussion, nor did we ever suggest that we were discussing a possible move, she has taken to religiously nagging S until she gets nervous and reassures her that we are not currently planning to move –true- and that we haven’t discussed the possibility –false.

If I had to say what my m-i-l was doing, I would call it running interference, and this interference is now part of the deliberation; this is the secondary desire of my mother-in-law with the first being the destruction of any move.

There seems to be some territorial scuffling involved here beyond what there should be. During the evacuation period (and beyond because our house is in a chaotic shamble), we have been occupying a spare room at my own mother’s house. Perhaps this is, in and of itself, part of why S’s mom has taken to scratching the ground, flapping her wings, and pecking us (just kidding).

S’s m-i-l, my own mother, has a history of aggravating S. My mom is one who will annoy anyone to death through repetitiously asking if the person is sure about not wanting a drink:

“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“It’s really no trouble.”
“I’m sure.”
“We have Cokes, Sprites …”
“I don’t want anything”
And so on.

One day in expressing her enthusiasm, she told S, “I’m not ready for you and the baby to leave yet. Just stay a few more days. I’ll fight your mom if I have to.” This upset my beautiful wife, who now smells like an absolute angel thanks to her premature birthday gift from me.

S firmly believes that my mother was saying exactly what she meant rather than being kindly in expressing her appreciation of the time we’ve been able to spend together. I’m unsure if this comment made it to S’s own mother, but her reactions seem consistent enough to hazard a guess. I believe the opposite about the statement. My mom is one to annoy out of trying to help.

I’ve suggested that S simply take the direct approach with both sides of the family: We have discussed considering whether to move closer. We aren’t planning on it. We simply would like to discuss it. This seems to be a convenient point to evaluate it because our life is already upside down. Could you help us weigh our options?

This approach could open communication lines, ease tensions, and make it clear that we wouldn’t be bullied either way.

S thought I was insane. “My mom would flip out,” she said before interjecting, “She’s already flipping out!” I assured her I was certain the opposite would happen with my own mother; she would back off.

I guess it should tell me how much she has come to trust me, because soon after, I heard S answer a phone call from my mother and begin to spill her beans about all that we had discussed. Even further to her amazement, my mother said, “you don’t want to move away from your family.”

I’m glad that my mom and S are becoming closer. I wish the same would happen with my m-i-l and I.

“Why are you going to his parents tonight?”
“He has to work tomorrow.”
“So? He drives from here all the time.”

Then, the preceding interchange would give way to a more compassionate option:

“Why are you going to his parents tonight?”
“He has to work tomorrow.”
“Oh, OK. That’s good let him drive less while it’s convenient. If you wanted to consider moving, I would support whatever decision you make.”
“Well, I am sure he would love your insight on the advantages and disadvantages.”

Instead, I am an outsider.

Pictures; Bedroom 4

2005-10-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

Pictures; The Kitchen/dining area

2005-10-13T14:26:00.000-05:00

Pictures; The Master Bedroom

2005-10-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

Pictures; The Master Bathroom

2005-10-13T14:12:00.000-05:00

Below: The sink covered in insulation and crumbled sheetrock.

Below: The bathtub with Insulation and a large piece of sheetrock.

More insulation:

The ceiling:

As promised: pictures. (The reference information)

2005-10-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

The picture (right) is a rough estimate of the layout of our house. I can visually tell that the layout is wrong here, but if I correct the kitchen/dining area to be smaller, the adjoining rooms seem incorrect. The same is true of bedroom 3.

We spent a good deal of time and energy working on the house about a year ago. The only unfinished room was the non-master bathroom. There was damage to the roof.

The roof damage allowed damage to the Master Bedroom (including closet), Master Bathroom, Kitchen/dining area, and bedroom 4 (including closet).

It seems incredible to me that after putting extensive efforts into getting the house ready to go about a year ago that one good storm can ruin the effort.

House work goes on.

2005-10-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

I really do fully intend to post pictures of our devastation. Amazingly, the orchid survived the few days of intense Texas heat outdoors. The plant did scorch somewhat but not really bad at all. I've given the plant to my mom. I purchased it on eBay from a Canadian grower who advertised it as "near bloom size". Well, it's almost a year later, and I have never seen it bloom. It is much larger than when I received it too. I expect to have it at "bloom size" sooner or later.

We spent the whole of Monday pulling down sheetrock and insulation in preparation for the repairs that will need to be performed. We've seen some mold and took to killing it and removing it where it coincided with what the insurance company will repair. It sounds like easy work, and it truly would have been if we had insulation off of a roll, but our insulation is the blow in paper kind. Basically ripping sheetrock down creates an avalanche of paper crud that sticks to your arms, clothes, and neck. You then have to shovel the insulation in garbage bags and throw them to the curb. If it weren't for the mold, we wouldn't have to throw it out; we could save it and reuse it.

After spending the day working, we went out to eat with S's parents. The few restaurants that were open had lines. It looked like at least a half hour wait to go through the drive through at Taco Bell. I like Taco Bell as much as the next man, but I can't imagine waiting that long for it.

The Texas Roadhouse Bar and Grill looked like they were doing healthy business. The parking lot was more crowded than usual. It seems to be one of the Willie Nelson restaurants and he must be making plenty of money off of it. We passed it up.

At the Mexican place across from Central Mall (I can't remember it's name at the moment, not Chula Vista--), they were very discourteous informing us that they were not accepting any more clientele and that they were running out of food, so we skipped across the street to Applebee's where the staff was friendly and polite, even quick! The food was good and I would have trouble finding a valid criticism of their operations.

I must say that if you had a portable food stand, you could make a killing in Groves, Port Arthur, and Port Neches selling barbecue! Now that I've made myself thoroughly hungry, I'm tempted to get a snack.

Death, Destruction, and mayhem.

2005-10-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

OK, perhaps there was no death, at least not yet. Fully intending to rescue my Orchid from the house and bring it to my parents, I left if on the ledge of the porch. The plant is a mild weather plant whose leaves will burn with too much sunlight. If you can say one thing, it's that Texas weather is not mild. I'm hoping the plant is still alive the next time we return to the house. Some God-given cooler weather would be instrumental in accomplishing this.

Groves does indeed have destruction... Not the least of which is my house. It would seem that hurricane force winds ripped our roof and allowed wind and rain into our attic. It seems the paper-type insulation was then sodden and heavy collapsing much of the ceiling's sheetrock. We then had insulation and rain enter into our house. We had to pull carpet up and expect our lives to be in disarray, but otherwise fine.

mayhem? I think the massive law enforcement in the city as well as the enforced curfew has held the criminal element at bay.

The Sneak Report.

2005-09-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

OK, so we didn't have to sneak. As it turns out, the authorities decided to open the area up to residents to inspect their properties, gather a few items, and leave. My wife's parents have made the trip. In fact, when I left for work this morning, my father-in-law was on the roof with tar paper at minimum. This was after he video taped the premises and took pictures.

My father, mother, and I plan on making a run this Monday. My wife may come, but I'm unsure. She doesn't want to face the disaster yet, but given that we already have an appraisal of the damage from her family, she may be prepared to make the trip after all.

It appears that the addition, the newest section of house, had some sort of collapse. I don't believe it's as drastic as that sounds. I think the roofing was removed and some sheetrock came down. The sheetrock was holding the insulation in, so on the add-on side of the house there is this layer of paper insulation crap and water. We'll need new sheetrock and some roofing done at least. My car speakers that had never made it into my Corolla are toast. They were nice speakers too. Hopefully I will get some good replacement value on them. I'll probably post some pictures later.

Can The Living Marry The Dead?

2005-09-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

Tim Burton's latest piece, The Corpse Bride, is at once masterful. It is at once both beautiful and repulsive. Fans of Burton will want to see the film, and its music is enchantingly breath-taking. Danny Elfman always seems to meet the opportunities that Burton provides him. Every brushstroke seems placed perfectly until almost the very end.

It is at that very end when the film seems to resemble a common occurrence: A new shirt is bought and all is well until a loose thread is seen. Despite the beauty, one cannot help but to be continually drawn to the thread. Years of experience teach that pulling the thread is the last thing to do, but the taint of the thread seems strong that in the end, the thread is pulled in the vain hope that the thread will break instead of unraveling.

It always unravels. And so does The Corpse Bride. Its weak end seems to somehow strike a discordant note and leave the viewer wondering how the right effect could have been achieved.

That is not to say that fans of either Elfman or Burton will not enjoy the film; they will, but they will not leave the theater professing a newfound Burton favorite. It is difficult to say whether Elfman's fans will find a new favorite as the movie's weaknesses obscure the prowess the composer displays.

Sneaking into Port Arthur.

2005-09-28T15:16:00.000-05:00

I have it on authority that it is completely possible to sneak into the region. I'd like to make that trip myself, if for no other reason than to grab my remaining clothes, our computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I'd also love to get some photos.

Work turned out better than expected.

2005-09-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

I worked a good deal, but I was surprised to see that M. D. Anderson was operating very smoothly. The main house power and air-conditioning never did go out. I can't help wonder whether this had more to do with the fact that the storm turned towards Beaumont or whether it was structural changes since Allison. I think it must be more the first.

Moving In With My Parents

2005-09-27T17:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it turns out that most of the Port Arthur to Beaumont area will be refugees for a longer period of time than Houstonians. After pulling 28 hours of overtime, I purchased gas, spent the evening lodging with my parents, and the following morning driving 5 and a half hours to Longview where my wife's entire extended family was located.

My wife was almost ready at once to return, but I insisted on staying atleast one day. After spending a day with her family I was too quite ready to return. We had to drop someone off in Cleveland Texas but even still made pretty good time.

Once re-united with my own family, I was told that my place of employment was making people fill out questionaires that determined how many hours they would be paid for; they were discounting sleep time. I think I might fudge my numbers as I really was working and what ever sleep I got was desperate. We will see what happens.

Rita claims lives before she even reaches land.

2005-09-23T17:05:00.000-05:00

It would seem that the first casualties are 24 people who boarded a bus evacuating a nursing home. Reports are that the bus caught fire which caused the senior citizens oxygen tanks to rupture creating an inferno. It is one of those events that is so sad, the shock of it makes you give a nervous laugh because it seems like a caricature. Sadly it isn't.

[Update 10-7-2005: I've discovered that I have a work acqaintance whose mother died in this fire. They are planning on legal action. I don't blame them; I would too. ]

On the good news front is the Rita seems to have weakened to a Category 3 storm. Most sites are now predicting her being a category 2 storm or very close to being a 2. Landfall as a 2 would lighten the stress of many. One of the explanations I read was that drier air around the landmass is being mixed in with a weakening effect. Any chance the Arizona drink company can bottle their air and import it over here? Texas is hardly known for dry air.

A touch disheveled, but otherwise good.

2005-09-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has become one giant employee camp out. Between the general lack of a place to get fuel, the chance of getting stuck home, and the fact that what a better way to ride out a storm than getting paid overtime while sitting in as close to a fortress as exists these days, many employees chose to spend the night last night. This night will not be optional. The gates close at noon and will not be reopened anytime soon.

Last minute Wal-Mart trip.

2005-09-22T15:50:00.000-05:00

I thought I would pick up a few last minute essentials at Wal-Mart last night as I drove from work to my parents house where I'll be riding out the storm until the inevitable happens- getting stranded at work or I'm cleared to rejoin my family. Into my cart I placed two ten dollar movies, a case of cherry cokes, a large bag of pistachios, and a thing of windshield washer fluid, so my idea of last minute essentials is a bit off. I braved the long line, placed the cokes on the belt-driven counter, and realized that they were leaking. I said never mind and went without any last minute "needs". Unfortunately, at that point, my route to my parents house converged with evacuee traffic. In what should have been a 5 minute drive, I noted that it took at least 20 minutes. It's times like these that audio books come in handy as I am not one who can listen to a music station forego music to talk incessantly over the obvious. The drive into work proved interesting. Going the opposite direction as the evacuees, I must have seen at least 10 miles of cars either standing still or very near to it.

Rita hits Category 5.

2005-09-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

I have the unlucky designation of "essential personnel" at M.D. Anderson. This means that while middle and high-level managers ride out the storm, in the location and acquaintances of their own dictation, I will be sitting at my desk working as if there was no storm at all until the inevitable happens.

Having worked during a previous weather event, I can predict some of the events that will likely occur assuming no changes have been made to infrastructures previously:

The house power will go down.
The emergency power will stay up.
Air conditioning will be on house power.
Emergency air conditioning systems for the computer systems will simply keep the air from rising beyond bathroom hand dryer conditions.
I will end up working my own replacements shifts.

While impact to myself seems to be otherwise minimal, my family is preparing to exodus in mass to Longview. They are lucky that my wife's parents, and indeed even her other extended families, are RV people. They, at a minimum, have modest accommodations although I fully expect tempers to rise. Their tempers are sometimes bubbling even without extremely cramped accommodations.

Lamar University promptly cleared all class schedules for Thursday and Friday. Cheeky classmates inquired as to whether the geology field trip to the beach was reschedule so that we could visit the beach this weekend.

Personally, I feel quite safe inside a modern building. It's better than a house anyway, although I wish I could be evacuated with my family. My situation isn't that uncommon however. I happen to know an EMT that is not allowed to leave either. So be it. Bring it on.

Going insane.

2005-09-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

OK, I know it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind, but if my wife changes her mind once more on whether the dog stays or goes, I will literally lose my mind.

This whole situation is compounded by the fact that my wife does not make telephone calls. This already places controntation because I'd prefer not talking to strange people either, but I am capable of doing so. So when she decided that the dog was going to the Humane Society, naturally, I had to call. The lady answering said that they generally have a waiting list for admittance, but because it was a Chihuahua they could find space for a small dog. I know enough to infer that they are taking the dog for the very reason my wife originally wanted it; everyone wants a small dog. The instructions were simple. Arrive with the dog "before 4 p.m." Simple enough.

Well, at this point things are apparently rolling too smoothly. I arrive home no later than 20 minutes after arranging to deliver the dog and also no fewer than 25 minutes from her instructing me to arrange things with the shelter. My wife is on the phone with her brother's wife asking her if they would like the dog. Just about to my horror they do.

It isn't that I dislike the dog. It's quite the opposite to tell the truth, but training her has proved something that neither my wife or I are adept at. When she fiddled back and forth about keeping our new "Pixie", I simply stepped back and said I would support her either way, but I want her to make a decision quickly because it makes it harder on both the dog and us.

So at this final capitulation, I was upset. I asked her to call the shelter and inform them of the decision. She refused and said it'll be fine.

I ended up calling the Humane Society myself.

[Editorial note: My wife complained to me I've made her sound like a real witch. She of course isn't. She also adds that she was unaware of the effforts that the shelter might undertake. I'm certain this is true, but I don't think she was attempting to think about the consequences of her actions --which is precisely why I was irritated.]

Jadyn gets a puppy.

2005-09-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

In what was supposed to be my wife's anniversary present yielded frustration when our precious daughter took right away to the little menace. My wife and I are completely foreign to the world of puppy training and immediately realized that it was probably a mistake to adopt such a bundle of energy. It was also immediately apparent that Pixie was a very fitting name. Even though Pixie does not fly, she does accomplish amazing feats such as scaling the baby barriers that were placed at each of the entrances of the carpeted areas in our home. It seems that the barriers slow our entry more than our new puppy. I have never heard of a dog climbing a "fence" like that. It is this particular ability that almost placed the dog outside our home. We even went so far as to place a free ad in a local internet site. We even received several calls that very same day. Ultimately, however, we could not bear to take away something that our daughter had grown attached to -does that make our daughter spoiled?-- and the chihuahua stays.

Thanks to P-Rat for the Learning Profile Quiz.

2005-09-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

I spent time I should have used to do some collegiate reading. I even took it a second time to see if the results were different. They were very much opposite, but I expected that because I was re-examining the questions. It does provide an interesting profile though.