Where are the watch pictures?

The watch cam pictures I have previously posted will have to be put on hold for a while. I need a serial port to plug in the interface and I just traded my laptop to my parents for one of their desktop systems.

Windows98 will not be supported by Microsoft after January 15th. So this trade was kinda essential to assure they are up and running. That way, they can still be online in the event one system failed.

Until I get a port open, I will have to just store those pictures up and post them later.

NOTE: The pictures contained inside this specific blog entry were taken with my Casio WQV-1 Watch Camera. Clarity is not the objective of this camera, it is just to take pictures.

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Where is G.I.Jane?

I was looking around the G.I.Joe site and was surprised to find out there are no women military personnel. I could swear that there were women in the military. I did find some in the "Cartoon" section where they were all very large breasted and carried laser weapons and the like.

I wrote Hasbro an e-mail to ask what they had planned for women figures. I figure this is something they are just passing by to not upset the general population or some other legal dodge. I will post an update when I get a reply. But I doubt that they know there are women Sailors, Solders, and Marines.

And NO, you can't just interchange Barbie and G.I.Joe. The clothes don't fit (Maryann always tries to do this) but the military minded woman rarely has extra long hair and a cheesy smile. They are usually strong willed, determined and completely conform to the "Work hard, Play hard" mentality.

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Customer Service and a Dis-service for ReplayTV

I replaced our Replay TV when the old unit failed and Sears could not repair it. So I purchased a new unit with the refund I obtained from Sears. This is not bashing any "company". It is more a diatribe about how customer service can't be performed by people here in the US anymore.

I guess that throws the whole "Dianetics" theory out the window.

I wrote a paper in a university class, (about 15 years ago) that a service based economy would not work here because the American makeup was not capable of supporting it. Americans of this new generation are too self absorbed. They could not withstand the onslought that the World War Two generation did. Anyway, I digress.

SIDEBAR: People wonder why I buy stuff at Sears?!? Because they do what ever it takes to make the customer happy. That, and the fact that with as many times we have moved, there has always been a Sears around to help out with repairs, parts or such.

Ok, something you need to know about Replay TV's customer service. You have two possibilities for assistance. You either get support from a person in the US (they would not tell me where they were located, i.e. city/state), or you get a person in Delhi India. There are several instances which clearly are different in how good your support is.

Here was my question and the startup of the conversation(s) which I used for both calls. You will understand once you read the next two sections:

"Hello, I have a Replay TV unit which was replaced by a new unit. I called a little over a month ago and spoke to a representative there and finally to a manager to get this resolved. The problem was I wanted to get the final word on if the roll-over of the lifetime service would be carried over since I purchased a replacement unit for one that failed and could not be repaired. I originally purchased the unit at Sears but since they do not sell Replay TV anymore, I had to get the new unit at Best Buy. What I need is the fax number to send all the information the previous manager said I needed to fax in. She said I would need to call again to make sure the fax number was correct because she was under the impression it would be changing in the then near future. So, can you give me the correct fax number so I can send this in?"

This is where things were completely different in how I was treated and what the responses were.

United States Support:

If you get a real clear call with classical music when your on hold, you have a US support person. a The person who answered was as follows: I have to assume was a Caucasian woman, about 19 or 20. She sounded like a California woman from her disdain at me actually calling in the first place. She had a tone with a strong "valley girl" inflection in everything she said. All I could envision was a picture of a very young Fran Dresher, when she played the secretary in FM (the movie).

You could tell right off that this person was really going to be able to help me. (hint-hint-nudge-nudge-say no more). As soon as I relayed my question, her first answer was "Well, we can't do that" which BTW, gave me the clear impression that I was going to lose a (previously won) battle of wits to someone with an IQ of about 85 and an attitude of a spoiled brat working for their parents so they would continue to pay for her college education, gas money, and birth control pills.

OK, so after explaining the situation again, she puts me on hold (for over 10 minutes).

That is where I notice the clear classical music. I think it was a piece by Chopin, but I could be wrong. Well the piece of music was on a loop that repeated every 55 seconds so I was getting pretty good at humming it when she returned. Anyway, the woman comes back and said "I am sorry, but I can't transfer the account over." immediately I say "I need to speak to a manager. I have already been through this whole thing a month ago. The answer then was that there was not any problem in doing this. So I went out and purchased a new unit on the word of a manager there, so let me talk to the manager."

OK. So now she puts me back on hold for another 10 minutes. Once again, the cute little tune returns and I am now watching the second hand on the clock above me on the wall slowly rotate around the clock face. I was just about to precisely know when the click-repeat was going to occur when she returned. You know, by now I was getting pretty steamed.

So she comes back on the line and says "We are going to go ahead and transfer your account over to the new machine. I need you to fax the information to blah-blah-blah. It is a voice-fax, so you’re going to have to call and tell the person you’re going to fax something." So after three times trying to get her to give me the number correctly and letting me repeat it back to her to confirm I wrote it down correctly, she says something about "Thank you for using replayt .........." in a fade out as she is putting down the phone and then she hangs up on me before even completing the sentence. Makes you want to take the thing back right then.

Now this is one of the interesting parts. The number she rattled off to me, which I read back to her (twice) and she confirmed.... was a dead number. (Automated phone recording) I'm sorry, but the number you dialed is not in service....... " I dialed this number three times to make sure it was not me who dialed incorrectly. OK, 24 minutes on the phone and about 20 or so were left waiting on hold with the repeating tune. This was really beginning to be a very bad situation.

At this point, I looked up the customer service number again and dialed it again.

India Support:

I called back to the number on the website. This time it rang about 8 times and I was just about to hang up when the automated answering system started. It sounded kind of funny at first. But the volume was way down now. The sound was rather like listening to a radio in the bottom of a well. The echoing and reverb was making the exact same recording sound rather difficult to understand.

Dehli India Support:

OK, completely different attitude now. The woman who answered the phone gave me her name and some ID number (Which I could not understand because the call volume was much lower). I told her "Hold on, I have to turn up the volume here, can't hear you" and once back, she gave the impression she was not annoyed that I made her wait 5 seconds. She once again told me her name and a number for something or other. I went through the whole speal as I did above, with the exception of telling her that "the number the first woman gave me was a bad number and that I still needed to fax the information to you.

She then said I had to hold on while she spoke to the supervisor. By this time, I was ready to take the damn thing back to Best Buy, but I kept my composure and stayed on the line.

4 or 5 minutes later, she comes back online and gives me a number where I can fax the documents. I asked how long it would take to get this setup. I also asked how she was going to get a fax in India when the number she gave me was in the United States? She told me that the fax was immediately forwarded to them there and it should take a day to get everything authorized properly. I said thanks and that was that.

You could really tell that the people here in California were never going to get anything done. I think it was more the thought that they didn't give a crap in the first place that made me think about why we are losing so many jobs to overseas concerns. Just with this simple example, would you want to buy an item from this company?

Who would want to run a business with a bunch of snotty, ignorant workers? When a business could open here, and have their entire staff overseas, where it is much cheaper to operate, and the people are going to do that extra 10% which you could never get people here to do?

If anyone wants to discuss this, I would be happy to. I can see from this experience, that it will be the US who is going to end up being that third world mass of unemployed people. And if things don't change soon, that future might be sooner than even I foresee.

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Hail Dorothy

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Why post recipes?

Mainly because I like to cook. "DOH!" On top of that, I like to share what I like to eat. Now that is why.

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Chocolate Lasagna

This is the "Top Secret Recipes" version of "The Olive Garden's" Chocolate Lasagna. I hope you like it.

I just love it when we can use a box of common cake mix to clone a dessert that comes out as good as the original. With one box of devil's food cake mix you'll get 12 servings of an amazing dessert that has thin layers, like common entree lasagna. The buttercream frosting is a cinch to make and the cake is even cinchier. The real secret to this Top Secret Recipe is how we put it all together. You've got to make slices through the edge of the cake to create the three layers, so grab a long serrated knife. Lay down some wax paper so that you can spin the cake while you slice, slide the whole thing over near the edge of the counter, and you should have no trouble.

One (1) 18.25-ounce box devils food cake mix,

1.25 cups water,

1/3 cup oil,

3 eggs.

Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cup butter, softened (3 sticks),

4 cups powdered sugar,

1/4 cup milk,

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract,

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chilled,

1. Make the cake in a 13x9-inch baking pan following instructions on the box of cake mix (Preheat oven to 350 degrees; mix cake mix, water, oil, and eggs together in a large bowl; pour batter into pan greased generously with shortening.). Allow the cake to cool completely.

2. When cake is cool, make buttercream frosting by tint whipping the soft butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Add two cups of the powdered sugar, mix well, then add remaining powdered sugar. Add 1/4 cup of whole milk and vanilla, then mix on high speed for 2 minutes or until frosting is smooth and creamy.

3. Turn cake out of the pan onto wax paper. Using both hands, carefully flip the cake over, so that it's right-side-up, onto another strip of wax paper. Now you're going to cut through the cake twice, creating three layers. We'll start at the bottom slice. First slide the cake over to the edge of your kitchen counter. This way you can drop your hand with the knife down below the counter at the edge to get a nice, straight cut through the cake. Using a long bread knife or other long serrated knife, cut through the bottom third of the cake. Spin the cake and wax paper so that you can cut through all sides (your knife probably won't get all the way through to the other side). When the cake is sliced, carefully flip the top section over onto the other sheet of wax paper. Frost the bottom layer of cake with approximately 1/3 of the buttercream frosting. Break the chilled semi-sweet chocolate into little bits that are a tad smaller than chocolate chips. A good way to do this is to put the chilled chocolate into a large zip-top bag, then use the handle of a butter knife to smash the unsuspecting chocolate into pieces. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the chocolate bits over the frosting on the bottom layer.

4. Turn the top section back over onto the bottom layer. Again, slice through the top section creating the final two layen. Carefully flip the top over onto the wax paper, and frost the new layer as you did with the Ant layer, adding chocolate bits as well. You may, at this point, wish to slice the top into thirds across the width of the cake. This makes flipping over the top layer much easier. It's also how you're going to slice the cake late; so you'll never see the cuts.

5. Carefully reassemble the top section on the rest of the cake. If you have a large bulge in the center of the cake, you may wish to slice that off So that the cake is flatter on top. Throw that slice away. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting, then sprinkle on the remaining chocolate bits.

6. The cake Is served as triangular slices. So, slice It up by flint cutting through the middle of the cake, lengthwise. Next cut across the cake through the middle (widthwlse) twice. Now you have six slices that just need to be cut from corner to corner one time each, creating 12 triangular slices. Chill any cake you don't eat that day.

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It might just be me.....

But There is nothing more comforting than a new Christmas sweater, warm and soft, right out of the dryer.

Thanks Mom & Dad!

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A personal letter that I want to share.

This is a letter that my Grandfather gave to my Grandmother on their seventh wedding anniversary. You have to remember this was August 27th, 1939. Things have changed a bit in the way things are said, but this will always tell how much he loved her.

To Bessie

on our seventh anniversary

In nineteen hundred and thirty-two, Before God and maw, I said, I do, To all of my vows, I have been true, I truthfull say, I still love you.
Nineteen thirty three passed all to soon, Our marriage was, from the Gods a boon, The end of December seemed like June, This was part of our honeymoon.
Seventeen weeks passed in thirty four, On May the second, a child was bore, From the day we named her Mary Ann, I've been as happy as any maw.
Twas in thirty five, she learned to walk, A few weeks later, she learned to talk, Thru all that year, we watched her grow, She was our pride and joy, you know.
We left batavia in thirty six, In a strange city we learned to mix, We met new people, we made new friends, We hope we did nothing that offends.
In thirty seven and thirty eight, Was nothing momentous, to relate, We lived our life in the same old way, Enjoying ourselves from day to day.
Time has passed and it is thirty-nine, And I assure all your love is mine, I know that fore'er, this will be true, And so I repeat, I still love you.
        August 27th, 1939

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When is a shower just a shower?

Back when my Mother-in-Law was living with us, I didn't know that I was such a nasty boy. Well, I wasn't. She just was assuming that I was. I learned about this much later when Bridget had brought this up. I had never even thought about it till then.

You see, this started back in about 1996, when Bridget's Mother and Brother started living with us. Bridget had the normal problems with her ears. She had tubes and incisions and some pretty serious damage with the ear drums and associated tissue. With all this, she never could get water in her ears. At that time, the Doctors would not give her any kind of ear plugs since the ear canal was damanged, scarred, and big enough to stick a AA battery in. Plus, the ear canal would change constantly while it healed (over the coming year!)

To wash her hair, she had to literally stick her fingers in her ears to keep out the water. If you haven't tried to wash your with you fingers in your ears, try it. You just can't do it. The use of wax plugs was not good enough since the seal would not be good enough to keep out all the water. Cotton balls were also completely inadequate and you could not use them with something like vaseline because it was impossible to clean out after the shower. So that left us with her sticking her fingers in her ears.

Well, to acomplish the washing of her hair, along with raising her spirits as well, I had to wash her hair. This is not an easy chore if the person your trying to work on can't bend over without falling because of an inner ear problem. You have to literally get in the shower with the person to get it done.

If you have ever gone without washing your hair for prolonged periods, you can understand what I mean about rasing your spirits. I have been in that situation several times in my life. I can honestly tell you that a nice shower after a prolonged injury will definatly speed your recovery.

Anyway, the washing of Bridget's hair was a daily event. She has naturally oily hair and complection so even missing a day from washing her hair made a real difference for her emotional state.

So, every evening we would go in and take a shower and I would wash her hair. This was a long process because we had to take extra care not to ever get water in her ears. The average time was about 20 minutes. This constituted washing her hair, conditioning and finally using the hair dryer. Incidentially, she even had to plug her ears while we dried her hair because the sound of the dryer really hurt her ears.

Now, for "The funny part!"

It was not till lately that I found out that teenie (Charlene) thought we were doing some nasty husband and wife things in the shower. The thought had never even crossed my mind that she would have thought that. With all the talk about ear problems and descriptions of what had to be done to wash her hair. I had incorrectly assumed she understood we were only washing her hair. I had to laugh when I heard Bridget tell me this little story. I guess that assuming on both parts contributed to this. No wonder Teenie was rather uneasy when we would wash her hair. it is a point of view thing after all.

I guess I am done with this entry. If I think of anything else to go with it, I will post it then.

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No deed ever goes unpunished.

I finally learned that I need to keep my computer knowledge inhouse. I have vowed to never help anyone, anywhere with their PC again. Why you ask? That is OK, I don't mind telling the story of why I quit.

You see, several of the membership of my Ward (Church) had caused me so much grief with working on their computers, that I have given up helping anyone with their computers completely. I even had a member tell me "I think this has been the worst day of my life" when his PC crashed while I was fixing it. That is when I called bridget to the room and told her, "I am to never going to help anyone to fix their computer again. I want you to remind me of this from now on." Being how much grief this caused to help people, she had no problem doing this.

Here is the story on this one. I was helping a person with their out of date laptop. The thing was not able to run properly due to programs loaded improperly, maintenance never being performed (probably ever from his description), and a virus problem. I did the standard free antivirus checks and repairs. They would not buy anti-virus but I thought I was doing the right thing by helping. Thus, after the virus checks and fixes, I tried to do a windows update since it was two years out of date, the whole OS crashed (probably due to bad sectors that were present on the drive). But the lack of knowledge of the owner prevented him from understanding the problem. So, me being the dumbass I am, I volunteered to fix the thing. I then spent the next 8 hours reworking the laptop back to it's original status. The hard part was finding legal software for the system since the owner either didn't have the licenses or what ever. So after wasting half a day on the system, I took it over to him (yes, I delivered it so I could get it out of the house).

Since then, I have refranied from assisting anyone with their PC. I figure, if they need help, they can take it somewhere local, and get screwed like the local computer stores normally do. They screw you for price and do a half-ass job. Or, they can take it to a place like Microcenter or BestBuy and get it fixed and dropped back in their lap without any explination on what happened or what to do to prevent it from happening again. I doubt that (a member of my ward that is) a Lawyer, Auto Mechanic, or Realtor, would do work for a church member for free. Matter of fact, I know they won't. So, why should I?

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Trying to hand out money does not work,

We tried to get the roof repaired or at least started before leaving for Florida. The estimates didn't get in before we are leaving so I guess it will have to wait. The interesting part, is that only one of the contractors understands the problem and were really willing to listen. The others instantly took the problem of the outside as the problem.

Why is it, that people don't listen anymore? I try and listen to people when they tell me things. Is it the cutthroat nature of the business with all the mini companies vieing for a piece of the business?

The bad part, is that it is very hard to find a company. One that is really worth the time to use for getting the work done. Every day or so, you see a local news expose on this contractor defrauded this person, or this company stole from that insurance company. Even the local builders in Cincinnati are plagued with bad reputations because one builder decided to not pay the money it received for homes built, and skipped to Florida with tens of millions. So even the business here is looked upon as underhanded. Even if the contractor did nothing wrong, they are automatically considered guilty of wrong-doing. I even tried to go to the BBB here, but the time to look up names is extrodinary and the person who answered the phone, could not answer any questions. So after several hours of searching online and calling the companies I found, I was only able to come up with 4 who would come out.

I guess the money is not worth the effort anymore. I estimate that the work will cost about 6 to 10 thousand dollars to repair. But no one needs money anymore, I guess I will have to see what happens.

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Well, this ought to be.... Interesting.

I can see that today's trip will be very hard to deal with. The kids are being pissy, the weather is nasty at best, and I have to sit and listen to everyone whine for the next 19 hours.

I would sit in the back and put on the headphones so I would not have to listen to everyone but Bridget is a "less than exemplary" driver and would rather ride a greyhound bus than have her drive more than an hour at a time. She is afraid of using the cruise control and is one of the drivers that surge and cruise, surge and cruise, over and over. So after about 20 minutes, I start to get sea-sick. On top of that, she can't drive worth a crap if anyone is talking to her.

This is going to suck.

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Stupid drivers

The van had to go to the dealership. The item needed "dealer service" to get working. I left home at 0730 and arrived at 0810. Between home and the dealership in Wylerville, there were:

3 or 4 wrecks on route 125,

7 or 8 wrecks on I-275 before route 32,     (These were mostly 2 to 4 car fenderbenders in each instance)

1 car flipped up on its side on 32 just before 275 on 32,     (That one was interesting because the firemen were standing up on top of the car's side)

and finally 2 between 275 and the dealership.

The funny part is that the roads were really not that slick. If the people would think with their head and not their gas pedal, there wouldn't be a problem. Just another reason I want to move somewhere that people use common sense.

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Visiting and thinking.

This afternoon, I went and visited my grandmother. It was raining and cold. But I was going by so I thought I should stop. I try and stop as often as I can. I do not think it makes a difference to her, but it does to me.

I have often wondered what would have happened if I had stayed in Cincinnati and not left for the Navy. Would have things really been that different? Would the influences of my Grandparents been as great? Even though I got along very well with them, I think it was a bigger factor in what I did after I left. The fact that I always saw them as an unchanging constant. Even though things always changed with them, It always seemed to be the same. That calm, cool, "Slow and steady wins the race" composure was always the same.

On my "Little Grandmother's" birthday, I had typed up so much stuff, I had a difficult time it reducing the size of the document. After about 4 hours of toil, I could not even post what I had written. I will go back during Christmas vacation and finally post what I wanted to write in the first place.

The thing you might not know, is why I really miss her. One of the many reason is that she always put up with my crap and always kissed me goodbye when I left, and never said anything to me that didn't have a lot of thought behind it. OK, maybe when she asked me to get a haircut when I was in high school, but that was just backing up my Fathers retort. That is one of those things you can never forget.

I could not attend her funeral when she passed, mainly because I could not bear to see her without the smile and happy laugh she always had. To remember her this way is the only way I can now. I really think that other members of the family were upset I didn't attend, but I visit regularly now as I did when she was in the nursing home. Besides, what better type of day is there to remember the people you love, than a day where you can hear nothing but the rain on the grass, and the wind in the trees.

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The four stages of life

The Christmas version:

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.

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A dedicated recruiter? Hummmmm,

It is too bad this area does not have a LDS job recruiter. There are many things that they could do to support the membership. Several ideas:

That way they could track a thousand people (job seakers) in real time,

They could provide motivation and support for people on what ever basis is needed,

They could also be responsible for updating the Presidency and Bishopric of the various Stakes/Wards.

But those are only the major tasks that could be performed. Besides, no one listens to me. I make sense.

I know that most of the people I speak with (as well as myself) are very hesitant to talk to either the ward employment specialist because they do not know them, or really don't like to talk to the Bishop for fear of having their recommend stripped. I didn't say that it was an intelligent thing, more of a fear factor of what might happen thing.

A person like a full time recruiter would be a great help to many who are past the "I can get another job" state, and are now into the "deep depression" and "I am not worth anything" state. I have seen this so many times. More with people retiring from the military. They work hard for 20 years or so. They literally have dedicated their life to a cause and all of a sudden, nothing. All that work ended up counting for nothing.

Personally, I think that you should be able to spend 30 years in the service. Sure, there are people who should get out, but it is not like academic tenure, where shitheads can continue to fill top spots like you hear about in the news everyday. The military (or at least the Navy) made sure that will never happened. If you were not a top performer, you were out of that position very quickly.

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Well, that backfired

Our thinking of keeping the house cooler has rather backfired. Now everyone has a cold and such. At least it has warmed up a little. It is pouring rain right now.

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Stupid cruise control is out.

At this time, it appears we will not be able to leave till very early Friday morning. The dog can't go into the kennel until Thursday and Bree has to finish up a couple more projects for the kids so she can give them to the kids while we are down there.

Also, the cruise control is out on the van and it is pouring down rain so I can't not troubleshoot it at the moment. I will take it out to the garage and look at it this after noon. If it is just a fuse, no problem. If it is more, we will take it to the dealership on Wednesday for the repair.

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Another wonderful trip to the grocery

Why is it that the people who park in the handicapped spaces (who are not handicapped) are always arrogant yuppie larva, who have to supplement their being with a seventy thousand dollar vehicle. About 10 percent of the time I go to Kroger for something, I see one of these "holier-than-thou" jerks appear.

Tonights waste of human flesh was a woman, about 26. She had on a bright suede leather suit with a short skirt. I think it was the 5 inch stiletto pumps that made it obvious she was a piece of crap in a handicapped spot. The body showed her athletic prowess and muscular calves were better than most you see on Fitness Magazine. Even though she had the body, the beauty was not there. It was more anger and spite for the people around here. Even the most beautiful woman in the world is not capable of beauty with wicked thoughts on her mind.

Anyway, I noticed her as she was running out of the store. The clothing was so bright and tight fitting, you could not ignore her. She had a little bag of what ever the hell it was she bought at the store and her cell phone glued to her head. Both were bouncing around as she bounded across the parking lot. The tight fitting black leather gloves holding up the cell, accentuated her long dark hair to the point where you could not tell where her ebony hair stopped, and the glove started. She truly was dressed like a woman in a Cosmopolitan article for "How to dress for the executive office party and get your boss into bed with you." Sorta like a "Jenna Jameson meets Martha Stewart" thing.

How do I know that she was not handicapped? She ran out to her vehicle in the 5 inch stiletto pumps I just described to you. It was also noticeable that with her bag, cell conversation, and ingeniously contrived attitude, she was not just arrogant, but was a good thing that she appeared that she wasn't a breeder. What makes me say that? True family people don't drive expensive 2 seaters as their main mode of transportation. That is, they don't drive one without either a Freudian complex or they have something they are trying to prove. (maybe to themselves).

I really hope Saint Peter (or just place whom ever you believe has this job) says, "Sorry, I would have let you in, but didn't listen to that still small voice telling you that you parked in the handicapped spaces one to many times. You were just too conceited and self-absorbed then and now you have to get your just deserves. Remember hearing all those people asking that you get what you deserved? Like in the old saying "what comes around, goes around"? Well, they have their wish. You need follow the red line to the down elevator over there. I hear purgatory is nice this time of the millennium. Move along now. Next please!"

This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

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It could be the start of CRS?

As you know from reading my blog, we have had some problems with the dryer lately. Well, this time the timer has failed. I will replace the time once we return home from my parents next week.

AIn the mean time, Bridget told me its not a problem if you know to set the timer on the stove. That way, you know to check the dryer in 20 minutes or so. She told me she was not concerned and would not need the timer (or something like that). This made me feel much better knowing that I didn't have to worry about the dryer repair until after Christmas.

UNTIL TODAY!

After Bridget had left for work, I did some paperwork, searched for new job postings online, and helped Maryann get ready for school. About the time she was ready to go out, I had everything in the house turned off so it was pretty quiet. The radio is usually on in the morning because I typically have Glenn Beck playing.

It is pretty cold today so the furnace was making it's usual drone in the basement. But for some reason, I thought it sounded funny. So I took a step into the basement and immediately recognized the dryer running. Since I had replaced the thermostat, It heats up to the normal hot temperature pretty fast. In other words, It had been running for an hour unbeknownst to me.

On thing you have to say here is, "Those clothes were absolutely dry". I pulled everything out real quick to check for a problem. (It was stuffed to about 110% capacity) Everything was fine and no longer was there a possibility of a "problem". With the disaster averted, I finished getting Maryann out to the bus stop.

It was apparent that we missed the bus so I drove up to school. Crisis over, no longer anything to worry about.

But is there a problem? Is it that I am so much of an equipment operator and safety person that I checked everything? Or is it that Bree is just in the first stages of CRS? Could it be she is just goofy? I would put that down as a yes. Sure, that is nothing new. She forgets stuff, breaks things, and generally walks around oblivious to common sense thinking. This is nothing new. She has been like that since the first time I met her.

The first time we ever went out, I was dropping her off at the ship. She got out of my truck and then tried to close the door with her hip. This immediately caved in the door of my brand new truck to the depth of about 4 inches. No, it was not because she has a big butt. Matter of fact, she was very petite. Anyway, this should have been a warning of future events, but I dismissed it as an accident.

I guess the problem now is, does she do these hazardous things because she is goofy? Or is there a larger problem at hand? Is the onset of CRS something I need to be concerned with, or do I just need to buy more fire extinguishers?

Only time will tell

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What is the difference?

What is the difference between Beer nuts and Deer nuts?

Beer nuts are about 2 dollars, but Deer nuts are always under a buck.

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Glenn's Coma Hot Chocolate

This recipe was mooched from the front of Glenn beck's home page. I love it. Try it and then try to stay awake.

5 pints of LIGHT CREAM or "½ & ½".

12 Hershey chocolate bars.

Slowly heat cream on stove, break chocolate bars into small pieces and slowly add to the warm cream. Stir until melted chocolate is fully mixed into the solution.

Serve ASAP and try not to go into a coma.

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Don’s killer Sausage bread

This recipe made its way to me today from Don. I have not created this gastronomic event yet, but will try it right after Christmas. If anyone makes it, please send me a line. I will pass it along. Or just look him up on his blog. There are no e-mail links for him there at this time, but that might change.

On to the recipe!

This is a recipe that has evolved over several years. Some changes can be made to it to make it spicier if you wish. I suggest using either hot ground sausage or sliced jalapenos. If you are really brave, use both. I think everyone will find this to be very good and will disappear very fast. Low carbohydrate bread mix can be used if Adkins or South Beach is how you eat. Just follow the directions for raising the bread you use off of the box. Enjoy and think of me as you eat it.

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Hot Roll mix,         (usually found in the baking area of the store)

1 small yellow onion,

1 small green pepper,

1 can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup,         (the condensed kind),

½ can of milk,         (using the mushroom soup can)

1 small package (8 oz.) of shredded mixed cheese,         (yellow and white)

1 pound of quality ground sausage,         (I use Bob Evans),

Prepare the bread first because it has to rise.

Prepare the hot roll mix as package dictates for rolls except leave dough in one ball when finished kneading.

While the bread dough is rising, place the sausage in a skillet and brown well chopping into as small of chunks as is possible. Drain and put back on the heat. Preheat the oven for 350 degrees.

Chop the onion and green pepper into as small of pieces as you like and add them to the cooked sausage and fry until onion and green pepper are soft. Not all the onion or green pepper have to be used, just add as much as you think you would like in the mixture.

When the onion and pepper are soft, spoon the condensed mushroom soup into sausage mixture and add the half can of milk. Stir as the mixture fries until the mixture is evenly coated with soup.

Take the mixture off the heat and allow to cool while bread finishes rising.

When the bread is ready, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured cookie sheet. Add as much flour as necessary to be able to press the dough out to the sides and ends of the cookie sheet. Try to keep the dough about the same thickness over the cookie sheet.

Turn the cookie sheet so the long sides are directly in front of you and evenly spread the sausage mixture over the dough leaving about an inch around the perimeter. Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage mixture using whatever amount you are comfortable using remembering to keep it even.

Gently fold the dough edge next to you over the mixture and roll away from you until you have a tube of bread with the mixture inside. Make sure the ends are pressed shut before placing in the oven.

Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Butter the outside top and sides of the loaf and allow to cool for several minutes before cutting.

If you are making two loaves, make the dough in separate bowls and when they are filled and rolled, put them on a flat pizza pan in the form of a wreath around the outer edge, but about an inch in from the edge. This fits in the oven much better than trying to put the loaves on the same cookie sheet or using two cookie sheets. Be careful as you lift them onto the pizza pan, as they will be very flimsy. The best way to lift them is to get some help. Have one person lift one end of the loaf while the other person places the pizza pan under the loaf. When half the loaf is on the pizza pan, the other half can be rotated onto the pizza pan and formed around half the pan as noted above.

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Tough laundry problems are not necessarily stains

About 6 months ago, I had finally come to the point where I was frazzled with the kids all having to sort their laundry. We are not talking shirts and pants. For those, I have them all hung on hangers.

In September, I called to the cleaners we use and asked if they knew where I could get a bunch of hangers. The not only were happy to help, they provided me with about 700 very nice hangers. So if you want to use a Dry Cleaner in Cincinnati, I highly recommend Easternhills Cleaners.

Anyway, I have all their outer garments hung up in the closet now. This leaves plenty of room for skivvies, socks, and jammies. I had the biggest problem with separating socks and skivvies. This was remedied by buying them small knit laundry bags. Each child has a small brass hook on the end of their dresser. when they get undressed, they place their dirty socks in the knit bag and once a week, everyone throws their bag down the laundry chute to be washed.

You see, that by having all their socks and skivvies zipped up in a knit laundry bag, nothing ever gets messed up. The underwear is always theirs when they open the bag. As well as the socks always have a match and are easy to put together and right back in the drawer.

I had a problem with drying the items in the bags at first. But after figuring out that I washed all the bags together, I could then open one bag, place its contents in with something like a dryer full of blue jeans, and then place all the "white items" back in the specific bag and the bagged items would still be separated.

Upon opening the washer this morning, I found all three bags of socks in the washer. Sure, that is fine, but they had all been removed from the bags and dumped into the washer. In other words, Bridget had taken the items from the closed bags, dumped them in the washer and now created more than a half hour worth of work to separate all the items after they are removed from the dryer.

This is the kind of shit I have to contend with on a daily basis. I can't fathom the amount of thought that makes someone change a 2 minute task into a 2 hour ordeal. Was it the fact that she didn't understand that zipped bags (with everyone's name stenciled on them) should just be washed and dried without being bothered with? Or was it the fact that the 8, 7, and 6 year old even understand the idea behind not having to sort laundry and just making things easier?

Why is it that I can't get a grown (36 year old) woman to remember something for more than 12 hours? I though it was me who had the bad case of CRS. I figure it is just a form of spite or something. Whether it is subconscious or active thinking, I could never be sure.

More on this laundry larceny as it becomes available. If you have any insight as to why she could be doing this, please e-mail me. I would appreciate the assistance.

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OK, stop bitching

There just has not been anything good happening in the last week. Thus, I have not posted. I will tonight.

Battlestar Galactica (The mini series) starts tonight on SciFi so I will post either before or after that. Probably after since the kids go to bed before it starts and they have lots of homework to do.

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Once again, Rioting expected in Cincinnati.

Public Viewing Version

If you have not heard the news, a man was killed while in police custody. He was black, the police officers were white.

The part you don't see on the news is that the black man was about 400 pounds, apparently on PCP and/or cocaine (as per the news reports) and was beating the crap out of the officers. What ever you do, you should not judge the situation by what is on the internet news. Most are only showing a few seconds of the police car video, and 3 minutes of the blind minions of the "coalition for a just Cincinnati" spouting racial bullcrap.

If your going to try and make sense of this, find the 5 minute (or what ever the time of the tape) and watch the whole thing. The man who was being arrested was shouting racial slurs, trying to intimidate the cops to whatever end his drugged mind was proposing. The police officers were up against a superior foe and did what they could with what they had.

The only good thing about it happening now (not that there is anything good in this situation) is that there is fairly cold weather and it is supposed to get colder and snow. IMHO, this is the only thing that will keep this powerkeg in check (for the time being)

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A nice visitor

Today, we had our first real visitor to the house. Well, he was not really a visitor. It was the man who designed the house. The front part and the garage to be exact. Nice gentlemen. Just wanted to take a look and a picture. I tried to get him to come in but he appeared to be a little bit choked up. That was just my impression. He knew Mr. Heller and the information about the plane crash right up the hill a little ways above the house.

Yes, a previous owner (Mr.Heller) apparently died in a plane crash only about 100 yards from the house. At least he was close to home when it happened. I guess that is a good thing. That would be a good thing to me. I can't speak for anyone elses view. More on that later. That story is only a partial one which has been compiled from accounts of the even from either the last owners or friends of the Heller family. That makes it rather dubious as to the exact storyline.

I gave him my business card and asked him to e-mail me. I want to send him the photos I have taken of the house. That and I want to get his information to make a permenent record for the home. No matter who owns it. I hope he e-mails me once he gets back home (in Florida).

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Message my cell phone

In case you want to message me when I am not at home, send me a message to my cell phone. It does not cost me anything and I will get them when I leave the house.

Remember, there is a 100 character limit to these messages (Including blank spaces).

I still always recommend you e-mail me with the link button near the top of the left frame, but some people are hard to convince to use it. This goes under the "You can lead a horse to water......" theme.

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Cold feet should be accompanied by a guilty conscience.

Things here are starting to get back to full health. For the last 7 days, someone has had either a case of the flu or a stomach virus. This means I have had little ones snuggled up next to me every night. This also means a severe lack of restful sleep for me and someone constantly kicking me in the side 40 times a night.

This all night kicking routine is nothing new. I usually have Bridget doing that with her "feet of ice" every night. We had started putting a blanket in the dryer to heat up and then I would wrap her feet up to get them warm. Since she has been going to bed 2 hours later than me, she will not do it herself and thus can't get to sleep. That is not my fault so I keep a big barricade of pillows between us. That way, she can't stick her cold feet on my back to warm them up. You know, I should be mad when she does that, but she has done it for nearly 10 years now so I guess I am used to it now.

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What am I reading now?

Beowulf

The story of Beowulf is one of those rare books that can translate into modern times without much of a problem. If you want to read this book, there are several things you can do:

Buy it from Amazon.com,

E-mail me and I will send it to you to read on your PC (You must have Microsoft Reader® Installed to view it)

Go to the Library and check it out, (If your in Cincinnati, you can order it online through www.cincinnatilibrary.org)

I hope you take the time to read it. It is a short book-story and is a nice change from the stuff your probably reading now.

If your not able to seperate your hand from the TV remote, there is hope for you too. Breakout a copy of "The Thirteenth Warrior". It is another telling of Beowulf and is a fine item for all you couch potatos out there. You can pick it up around here for about $7.99 at the used DVD place near here.

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Well, if a free virus scan is not enough!

Well, I have had 4 notes right after posting the free virus scan information. There must be a lot of you who are not running antivirus software. Lets stop that practice right now!

If your not running antivirus software on your machine (for any reason), I want you click on Grisoft Antivirus right now! Then look down on the left frame till you see where it says AVG Free Edition. Click on it and get a copy of their Free Edition, Antivirus Software. I run the purchase copy on one of my systems and I like it. You need to protect yourself from all the nasty virus problems going around and this is the cheapest way to do it. You can't get any better than FREE!

If the link to the free edition has changed since I created this entry, just go to the main page and go from there to find it.

Now there is absolutely no reason why you should not be running an antivirus on your system. So for all those people who are asking me for ways of removing a virus! Ask no more because you will be protected.

Questions? Just ask me (The link to my e-mail is right there in the left hand frame) and I will answer to the best of my abilities. If your not willing to purchase antivirus software, or do manual scans with a free antivirus software version, then you can not expect me to help you out the next time your system gets infected. Do not expect me to put in the time to help you out with a virus, if your not willing to protect yourself in the first place.

This sofware was recently rcommended on Tech TV's "The Screen Savers".

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Free Antivirus scanner

In the last few days, I have had so many people ask me about this or that computer virus that I have reposted a link to the TrendMicro free virus scanner.

Just look over near the top of the left frame and you will see it moving and blinking. If your not viewing graphics with your browser, the accompanying text is there to tell you where to go.

This is only one of about 5 FREE antivirus scanners on the web, but it is my favorite for ease of use. If you feel you might have a virus and are currently not running any antivirus, please go here and clean your machine. Even if it does not detect a virus in the scan, at least you know you are virus free.

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Virus is masquerading as a PayPal account notice:

This is not an Urban Legend

Don't be fooled by an email circulating the Internet disguised PayPal account expiration notice. The worm will arrive in your email claiming that you must run the attachment to keep your PayPal account active. The attachment prompts you for private information including your credit card number, social security number and mother's maiden name. If you open the infected attachment, the virus will also send itself to email addresses it collects from your address book. Please always use extra caution when opening emails with attachments. I have persoanlly received over 60 of these in the last few weeks. I will not use Paypal due to its security problems and client problems so I have deleted every one right away.

For more information on this, please go to your antivirus software's website. All of them should have it up and listed since this is a fairly high incident level at the current time.

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Tonight was nice

We spent the afternoon at our friends the Mannings. Had a really nice Thanksgiving dinner and all. Even sat down and watched a football game. I think the last time I sat down and watched a football game was in 1986. I didn't even care who the winner was. It was just relaxing.

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Strange, but probably not true

This is one of those stories you wish were true, but you doubt it is. Anyway, I thought it was good. With the way things are and the things I have seen here in Cincinnati, I do expect it is true but I would have liked to have seen it. I have to put up with this crap on a weekly basis so I am numb to it anymore. I was sent this by a friend who keeps me up on all the neat things to make you smile (like this one).

The story as sent

I got off the train in Roslyn because I had to use the bathroom and the train was moving quite slowly. When I was getting back on the train, there were protesters on the train platform handing out pamphlets on the evils of America. I politely declined to take one. An elderly woman was behind me getting off the escalator and a young (20ish) female protester offered her a pamphlet, which she politely declined. The young protester put her hand on the old woman's shoulder as a gesture of friendship and in a very soft voice said, "Ma'am, don't you care about the children of Iraq?" The old woman looked up at her and said, "Honey, my first husband died in France during World War II so you could have the right to stand here and bad mouth your country. And if you touch me again, I'll stick this umbrella up your ass and open it."

I'm glad to report that loud applause broke out among the onlookers and the young protester was at a total loss for words.

At any rate, it was a good story.

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Spybot & AdAware have new pattern files

If you run AdAware 6 and "Spybot - Search and Destory", you need to update the pattern files for both applications and run them.

If you Immunize with Spybot, there are 34 new blocks you can install too. Don't forget to do this task, it will make life much easier.

If you have any questions about this, e-mail me. I am glad to discuss it.

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Stupid Snow

Yes, it snowed this morning. It was 72 last night when I took out the trash. I just can't figure that one out.

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Dumbest weather around.

This shows how stupid and unpredictable the weather is here in Cincinnati. This is from MSNBC's weather alerts.

The Three day forcast for CINCINNATI, OH

SUN: Partly Cloudy, 72/39.

MON: Snow Showers, 39/16.

TUE: Partly Cloudy, 45/31.

This goes along with why it is never boring here in terms of weather. Right now I have the doors open with the breeze flowing through, while I fill up the kerosene heater, check the filters in the furnace, and make sure the kids have their winter coats ready.

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Has the population really gotten that bad?

Public Viewing Version

Fox news just announced that there will be a worldwide candlelight vigil for Michael Jackson so he can get through his situation.

OK, I am going to PUKE at this point.

I can't believe people are so stupid and-or moronic that they actually care about this guy, thing, whatever. It is apparent (to me at least) he has to be insane and unable to contemplate what life really is.

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Ouch, That hurt!

That was interesting. Passed another kidney stone. Now I know why my side was aching last week. I was at the Microsoft seminar downtown on Monday and took a break for a minute. I was really surprised that all of a sudden, 'tink' and there it was. I didn't even expect it. The one thing I was not going to do was fish it out and take it to my GP. I also heard another one last night about 3 but figured it was not worth worrying about. I will just get a bottle of cranberry juice this weekend and flush out anything else that is in there.

That should be a commercial for Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice. Makes your body go 'tink'!

>

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You might be from Ohio if:

A very good friend sent me this and I thought it was funny enough to publish. I have several others but I figured that if I smiled when I read it, that was sufficient enough cause to post it.

Jeff Foxworthy on OHIO

You may be from Ohio (pronounced O-hi-uh) if:

You think all Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange!

You know all the 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, Construction.

You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.

You know what a buckeye really is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

"Toward the lake" means north and "toward the river" means south.

You know if other Ohioians are from Northern or Southern Ohio as soon as they open their mouth.

You can spell words like Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Bellefontaine, Tuscarawas, Wapakoneta (and know which letter is doubled in Cincinnati)

"Vacation" means spending the day at Kings Island or Cedar Point.

You measure distance in minutes.

Your school classes were canceled because of cold.

Your school classes were canceled because of heat!

You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You know what should be knee-high by the Fourth of July.

You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition (Example: "Where's my coat at?")

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You think of the major four food groups as:

Beef,

Pork,

Beer,

Jell-O salad with marshmallows.

You carry jumper cables in your car.

You know what 'pop' is.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightgown.

The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page, (but requires 6 pages for sports)

You say "Please?" after someone askes you a question and they look at you like your insane.

If your from Ohio, you actually get these jokes, then forward 'em to your OHIO friends, wherever they're AT.

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Job interview today

I delivered my resume and application for a position at the Ohio Veterans Home in Georgetown. The woman who was to meet me apparently forgot the conversation (Or was just surprised that I actually was there as she scheduled). Not that it matters. With a State job, they go by the application. I was also able to submit an SF-171 that shows I am a disabled Veteran. Not that it will make a difference in the process. By all accounts, I am ahead of everyone else who applies who is not a disabled Veteran. There is a way that is supposed to work:

Disabled Veteran,

Veteran,

Non-Veteran,

Whether that accountability really happens or not I am not too clear on. The people down at the VA indicated it is not clearly adhered to most of the time.

I also have to take an application and resume to the Veterans Hospital downtown later on. I am allowed to keep a resume and application on file for 6 months since I am a Disabled Veteran.

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Blood, Milk, and Squirrel Bones

Now that is a combination you don't see every day. Let me explain this one a little more. I let in my outside cat (whose name is actually Dawg) to finish off the milk the kids had left over from breakfast. Well, he polished that of in no time and walked back to the basement. I was doing the dishes and I didn't see him for a few minutes. Then he appeared again and laid down on the floormat in the back (and continued his practice of "I'm ignoring the world routine").

I had gone back into the basement to get some cleanser (to clean the countertops) and WOW, he had puked up a whole big gray squirrel. Of course, it was inside out and all chewed up, but there was the whole thing, fur, paws, tail and all.

YUCK!

I think it was the milk that made me want to puke. That and the little eyes looking up at me. Oh well, at least it was one big pile to clean up. And it is not that I don't feed him. He actually eats a can of dog food every day.(he likes it better than cat food). And it is normally mixed with some cheap dry cat food. Besides, the price of one of those big cans of dog food is about 30% of the price of one of those little tiny cans of cat food. Go figure. It must take a lot of energy to catch squirrels, chipmunks, snakes, crawdads, bluejays, mice, and some pretty big rabbits, which he brings up to the doorstep for me. At least we don't have a problem with mice anymore.

No!, I will not post any pictures of it. Too many silly people out there.

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Secure Memo

Here is a nice little app. It is called "Secure Memo". It is a password protected notepad app. It uses 128bit encryption and is nominally secure. But if you lose the password, the document (it is a notepad or text item after all) is locked forever. To download it without the installer, just click on the gold padlock (below)and put it somewhere on your system. It will run anywhere, but I recommend you put it in your program files directory under it's own directory. Then make a shortcut to it. Will solve the problem of forgetting where you put it.

Another way to get the application with an installer, is to visit the creators website. If you go there, you can download the app with an installer which takes all the work out of putting the application where it should go. Try this one if you don't like to put things where they should be in your filesystem.

There are other free apps there you can pick up in your search for all things free and easy on the web, so check it out.

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BOHICA!, Revision 1- part 1

The one thing I forgot to mention in the Windows98 demise is a better alternative. You can always install either a Unix or Linux operating system. Most of the current Linux builds include installers and configuration managers. You can even get free versions of OpenOffice to run on it.

So, for about $50 (or less), you can get "everything" including a great browser, Free Office suite, and no future hassles. And this will even run on your old machine that Microsoft will no longer support.

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BOHICA!

Windows98 is now at the end of its Life Cycle. Microsoft's support for Windows98 will expire on Jan 15, 2004. Between now & then, please make sure that you visit Windows Update and retrieve all the updates. If you don't, no computer repair shop (no I) will be able to help you. Should your computer crash after that date, it will be almost impossible to restore the system. Repair shops are encouraged to sell you Windows Millennium as a replacement. If the computer is a Pentium-2 or Pentium-3 processor, putting WindowsME on it is better than putting Windows XP on it.

FYI: WindowsXP is designed for Pentium-4 computers, and particularly 1.5 Ghz speed or faster. I wouldn't put XP on anything slower than a 1.5 Ghz processor.

For all you that thought right away that they would just slap on WindowsNT4.0. Sorry, the last word is that Microsoft will only support this until the summer of 2004. DOH!

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At least "Finding Nemo" was not (another) Tom Hanks movie.

The kids watched "Finding Nemo" and I am happy to say, it is not another Tom Hanks Voiceover. The Fathers role was spoken by Albert Brooks. He has that whines, "I don't want to be here" while using a kind of intonation what makes you want to get up and leave, but the graphics are stunning so you will stay. The other lead is Ellen DeGeneres who plays a memory deficient fish who drives the other characters in the storyline.

The only two reasons I like this movie are:

The ocean sounds sweeping around you with the surround sound,

The ocean views where everything sways back and forth,

I have to give this movie a 6 out of 10. I just was not impressed with the story. Honestly, I would have been more in tune with the film if they would have had much different voices for the main characters. Maybe an Aussie like Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee fame) and even someone like Gillian Anderson has a voice that would have sounded better.

For a film that was supposed to be taking place on the Great Barrier Reef, you would have thought they would have picked someone that does not have a New York accent. Who wants to watch what are supposed to be Australian characters, with an east coast American accent? Yep, it totally threw me off for this film. Hey, it is the little things in life that make the difference.

A movie that cost tens of millions to make? You would think they would have taken these small things into consideration. Like...You probably should have been told why they sounded like Americans (since they did). I don't care if it was or was not part of the story. It was annoying. The previous Pixar films were110% complete. what happened here? I guess it will be left up to you to figure it out why.

The only voice that gave the film a positive note was William Defoe. He played the tough fish in the fishtank. See, I said one good thing about the movie.

The best I can give it is a 6 on the 10 scale.

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How do you host a friendly "class warfare" event?

Why is it, (IMHO) that we are having class warfare at the ward? It always happens around the holiday time, that the "haves" try and outdo the "have-nots". I don't think it is intentional. Matter of fact, I doubt that anyone knows it is an issue. But for a lot of my friends (and even people we really do not associate with out of church) who go to our ward, they have expressed that they feel the same way. Especially when it comes to having events at members homes of affluent status.

Sure, we have a fairly nice home. Its not worth half a million dollars, but we have it because it fit into what we wanted...."isolation". Matter of fact, it is not very "large" at all and it sure is not new. It just looks big and interesting. Look back in the archives and you can see the inside pictures.

Maybe it is just me. Maybe Bree and I are looking at this in the wrong perspective. But when your not "big money people", you just can't feel comfortable around others homes who are. Especially when it comes to drinking. Maybe it is the fact that members who do drink (which is against church doctrine) are hosting events for members who don't for whatever reason above the "Church doctrine" idea. I.E., we do not drink for personal reasons and had stopped way before joining the church.

Did any of that make any sense?

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A Sunday night call,

Sunday night, I received a phone call from Jon. (He is my son from my first marriage) That call was something I never expected to happen. It will take a couple of days to finish digesting the conversation. Apparently he wants to be an EMT after high school. That changes every time I speak to him, but due to the current situation, I can only really talk to him for a few minutes once a year or so. But at least he has his sights on something that will never be unneeded. There will always be a need for medical personnel.

Sidebar, I knew this when I was in but didn't have the need to go as far as that. I even tried to apply to get into the physicians assistant program while in the Navy but didn't have enought time left and enough core-reqs to get in under the age limit. But at least I tried.

Back to Jon. The picture here is his senior picture. You can't tell it from this picture, but he is very tall. Much taller than me or my father. If everything works out, he should graduate from High School in May or June. I don't know the date or anything. If I hear anything more from him, I will post it.

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additional text

I really need to make entries in this blog daily. Unfortunatly, nothing interesting happened to day. Maybe I can come up with something later.

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Whow, now that is a misplaced commercial.

There is a big Veterans movie marathon on American Movie Classics. I few minutes ago, when the commercial started, I thought I was imagining it. But there was actually a Barbara Strisand commercial on. The one person I would never believe would advertise on a Veterans Day Marathon, is Babs. That to me is about the equilvent of Jane Fonda advertising during a Veterans show. It just should not be happening. If you can't understand what I am talking about, your either 12 years old, or a far left liberal.

It is just my opinion, I could be wrong. (NAH!)

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Is your Yahoo Messenger up to date?

If you use Yahoo Messenger, I recommend you go to the security page yahoo maintains. There you will see if your IM client has the necessary updates to keep you fairly safe. Isn't nice to know, that if you are on a Windows machine, running Internet Explorer 4 or later, the page will automatically detect if you need the upgrade.

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Microsoft Office 2003 Launch Event

Now, I can tell you about the Launch event. It was very nice. It was also very crowded.

Why am I so happy after going to an all day, packed conference where people only talk in "Geek"? Because I won the big prize of the day! A new Fujitsu Tablet PC worth about $2,500 retail. I searched around on the net and that is what they are going for. I have to find a picture and post it. It's only about the size and weight of three pads of paper. You probably know what I mean. The kind of 8.5x11 writing pads that fit in a portfolio. The picture here is a bad one taken right now for the heck of it.

NOTE: The pictures contained inside this specific blog entry were taken with my Casio WQV-1 Watch Camera. Clarity is not the objective of this camera, it is just to take pictures.

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Instant messaging dilemma

I have been doing a lot of thought about what takes up study time around here. One of the biggest time-takers is instant messaging. Just when I get into studying, a flurry of messages appear. Sure, I like to chat as much as anyone else. I even have friends I really enjoy chatting with whom I have never met face-to-face.

Due to the addiction of IMs, I have come to the decision to not have my IM running during the day. That way, I can concentrate completely on what I really need to be doing. Sure, when I was learning all about Instant Messengers, it was necessary. Now that I have either functioned on an IM support helpdesk or managed an IM server system, I do not have the luxury to chat outside of personal time.

So, as of this message, I will not be chatting during business hours. The only time I will chat is during the evening and early morning. Thus, if you have something to say, please send me an e-mail. I have filters setup to manage all my friends e-mail separately. Then at the end of the day, I will answer all my friends e-mail first. Everyone must maintain that this is nothing personal and or directed at anyone. Some of you might even take this personally, but it is exactly the opposite of what I am trying to do. I can't just chat with one person and ignore the other friends I have here. I have to nip this in the butt completely. I have about 40 people who IM me all day long and that is one thing I am extremely thankful for. I just need to focus on my priorities more.

One more thing. If you see that I am online from my blog, remember that when my laptop is on and connected to the net. That does not mean I am at my PC or even at the house. It just looks that way. Also, I have found that when my system interfaces with the network, like when it downloads the new antivirus pattern file or check for new mail, it changes my online status from "idle", to "I'm available" even though I am not there. It even shows me as active on my blog if I am logged into my yahoo account with just my browser at "My Yahoo" or "Yahoo Mail". Just think of it as a feature or undocumented function. An annoying function I admit, but a function all the same.

Go figure. Murphy's Law seems to always be in effect here.

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Busy week.

Sorry I have not posted this week. I was busy feeding my brain.

Monday - Deploying the Desktop with WindowsXP, Tuesday - Microsoft Office 2003 Launch Event, Wednesday - ITEC convention and training classes, Thursday - ITEC convention and training classes, The good thing is I won the Tablet PC at the Microsoft Launch Office 2003 Event. There were a thousand people there, I won. Silly think cost over $2,000.00 and is definitely nice. WindowsXP Tablet Edition is definitely strange to work with. It will take me a few days to learn how the different input methods work. But I still can't believe I won it. More on that later.

I have to fix dinner now so I will try and update this later after the kids get fed and their homework done.

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Time at the park,

We took a trip up to the park last night. Everyone played on the playground equipment.

We found out that there are lots of fish in the fish pond. Some, are pretty big too. I would have to estimate about 16 inches long. Not sure what they are, but they look like Crappies. (don't give me any grief here people, it is the name of the species of fish) There are even some really big Koi in there too. Looks like about a 9 pound orange one. They like to eat break and cheerios so I believe we will try and make a trip up there every couple of days.

NOTE: The pictures contained inside this specific blog entry were taken with my Casio WQV-1 Watch Camera. Clarity is not the objective of this camera, it is just to take pictures.

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Identity theft, the easy way.

Today, I officially am steering the Chuggles (or "non-Computer folk") away from MSN messenger. I have just turned up three bogus login screen popups which not only look authentic, they are identical to the login screens Microsoft uses. (I.E., like to have users log into their passport accounts) Unless you were on guard 24/7 for these types of hacks, you probably would not know better. There-in lies the problem. Most Chuggles aren't vigilant 24/7.

*See my Saturday, October 04, 2003 entry on "Chuggles = Non-computer folk" for an explanation.

The inherent danger is that many people have a lot of personal data associated with their Microsoft Passport. The extent varies from their phone number to credit card numbers and eBay accounts (which hold credit card numbers). The last one I saw pop-up on my screen, I traced to some website in Hong Kong. So, if you have personal information (or even if you don't), I recommend never logging into a Microsoft Passport "pop-up" unless you are absolutely sure it was supposed to happen.

Remember, there are many ways to steal your identity, just don't fill in the passwords for the thieves yourself.

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Found a really good internet radio station.

I have been listening to this station for quite a while. I normally stream it in while online. I classify it as "No-thought-required" music.

Sri Lanka's #1 hit Music Station. Covering Colombo, Kandy, and Islandwide.

If you want to hear news like you never expected it, this is the place. It has a weird "Third-person" feel that catches you off-guard. Sure, the audio is about AM quality, but it is fine when it is streamed.

Just click on the button and it will open up in a new window. They didn't have any buttons so I made one up real quick.

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We all went out for the normal Trick 0r Treat this evening. The kids were looking forward to this for weeks. I think I heard more "Countdown to Halloween" than I did for Christmas last year. We stopped at my Aunts as we usually do. She was not there so we proceeded to the streets up on the top of the hill. It was about 1730 when we started so we started just at dusk.

While up on top, the kids only hit about 50 houses but came back with some much candy and things they were actually complaining about the weight of their bags. The people up there do not have inexpensive things either. Hershey bars, Milky Ways, M&Ms, and Twix bars. And I do not mean those tiny ones that take three for a whole bite. I saw in the bags, the big dollar each 3 Musketter bars and regular sized Hershey Chocolate bars. I am concerned they will go into some type of diabetic coma if they eat much of that. (Or I might if someone leaves alone in front of that pile)

The kids wanted to show "Miss Pam" their costumes so we drove by. She was not there but the kids will make arrangements later so she can see them. They really wanted her to see them. The good part is that they will have these for quite a while.

The highlight of the evening is that we go over to the Hunters home next door. They are the absolute best people. Melissa and Ian make these great big baskets which must take days to make up. I would guess that they would be about $50 in a store with all they do. I only hope that the can see how much We (I) appreciate this. It is like family having them next door.

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Remember what I said about government officials?

You should go find the 10/19/2003 12:38:42 AM entry titled "Did IQs drop sharply while I was away?" (I will try and post a link here later). Read that entry and then read this. I was sent this and had to post it. No, I have not investigated it yet but it was so bizarre I had to post it.

I was wondering why Court TV didn't pick up on the murder case being tried at the City Island Courthouse in Daytona Beach of the female day care operator in which the accused's mother was convicted of attempted to off the accused's girlfriend and the accused's new lover is a public defender who believes the accused is innocent, unsuccessfully represented the mother, and was ultimately forced to resign from the public defender's office for abusing attorney-client jail visitation privileges and accepting 212 collect calls from the jailed accused.

Yeah, me too. I had to read that one about four times to understand what happened. I am amazed that the mainstream media didn't pick this one up. Guess there is no money value on incestuous lesbian trysts in the court system, like there are with a big money basketball star(s) alledged a raping small women who deliver room service. Doesn't this sound familiar?

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