The end of another week closing in...

Another productive day. The website stayed up and didn't appear to have any issues. We'll see how that goes tomorrow. We're now working on another site. Getting together all the necessary content and organizing it into the proper places.

I met up with Dad after work at the ballfield to pick up some fresh corn and tomatoes. His garden has been producing well so far and I really appreciate the fruits of his labor. I'm thinking that corn on the cob, fresh sliced tomatoes and green beans with diced onions sounds like a wonderful summer dinner. Hmmm...

As I pulled up to the field it dawned on me that I hadn't been at a Little League field since Sean had quit playing for the Junior Yankees...almost three years ago. Wow! It seemed like it had only been a season since I'd been there. If I hadn't of had to work it would have been a good evening to stay and watch.

Oh! At the ballfield the nephew was getting ready to play one of his last Little League All-Star games. I wasn't able to stay, but he seemed to be doing well in practice before I left. I hope that they were able to pull off a win this evening.

I went by Ukrops on the way home to pick up supplies for tomorrow's dinner. I'm fixing lasagna for Lucky. I have made it quite sometime, in fact, I had to pull out the very old Three Chopt Elementary School Cookbook that had a copy of the original recipe in it. Of course it never stays exactly the same, but the recipe is the starting point.

I got the sauce well underway before it was time for me to begin working a teleconference at 8 p.m. I was able to let it simmer the whole time the call was going on. The house is really smelling good. I'm about ready to put the noodles in and get them rolled up.

The lasagna went together wonderfully. It is all set and ready to go for tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that it is going to be a great dinner.

Walt & Patrick are heading back here this evening so that they can leave from here to go camping for the weekend. It'll be a nice getaway before Walter heads out of town for work next week, and the next, and the next....

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:

SIGN IN A PHILADELPHIA STORE WINDOW

"WE WOULD RATHER
DO BUSINESS WITH
1000 ALQAEDA TERRORISTS
THAN WITH ONE SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER!"
This sign was prominently displayed in the window of a business in Philadelphia. You are probably outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement.

However, we are a society which holds Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty.

And after all, it is just a sign. You may ask what kind of business would dare post such a sign.

Answer: A Funeral Home

Who said morticians had no sense of humor?) You gotta love it!!!

Barack's cabinetAnother Maxine Moment
No matter where you stand on the immigration issue this is a uniquely presented solution...

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately: illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida .

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.
+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

+ Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Finally Finished

We finished putting up the DentistryForDiabetics national website this morning. It looks pretty darn good, and has loads of information on it about the connection between diabetes and dentistry.

Sunday

The day has gone along quite well. I got Walter out of the house this afternoon to do some grocery shopping. We got things to put together for the coming week. Before I hit the bed tonight I'm going to put in a nice roast for tomorrow's dinner.

I was heading down to Bush Garden's this evening to see Grand Funk Railroad, but the weather didn't seem to be very cooperative, and I didn't want to get stuck down there particularly late on a Sunday night. Here it is 8 p.m. concert start time and the rain is coming down in bucket loads. I'm so glad that I didn't venture out.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

A Dumb Question
The next time someone asks you a dumb question, wouldn't you like to respond like this?.....

Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina dog chow at Wal-Mart for Athena the wonder dog and was about to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

What did she think I had -- an elephant? So since I'm retired, with little to do... on impulse, I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, but I was starting the Purina Diet again. Although I probably shouldn't, because I'd ended up in the hospital last time... but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I woke up in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry, and that the food is nutritionally co mplete so I was going to try it again.. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no; I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's behind and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!

WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore.

(Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.)

Road Trip To Yorktown

Lucky & I left out this morning for Yorktown. The route was not a quick one, but that was the point. We went down Route 10 to the Jamestown Ferry. The ride and the scenery were very nice. There was a bit of a wait for the ferry, but we did make it onto the first one to arrive.

Once under way, while I pulled out the camera, another couple (also out riding) came over and talked with Lucky about the bike and various trips. I was able to get a few shoots on the way across the James. The gulls were all crowded around the piling near the dock. The pictures were a bit tough from the movement of the ferry.

A little further out into the channel, I spotted a pair of falcons on the channel marker. What type I'm not sure, I haven't looked them up yet. The close up shot isn't the best thing in the world (a bit fuzzy) but may make identification easier.













This is a shot of the Jamestown shoreline (inside the National Park).Our ride continued on the Colonial Parkway. From past trips, I remembered this as being a nice drive, but...on the bike it was so much better. We saw a few heron in the wetland grasses. There were also a large number of biker's out riding as well.

We hit Yorktown and headed to the waterfront for lunch at the Yorktown Pub. Parking was at a premium, there were bikes everywhere. We lucked out and caught a car pulling out on our second trip around the lot. After a very nice lunch we started the trip home. I was surprised to see five more bikes parked around in the space where we were parked. Who knew you could park that may vehicles in such a small space. I really should have taken a few pictures of the beach at the waterfront, but...maybe next time.

We rode up Route 5 to the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge. There was construction going on on the bridge so we ended up waiting on the bridge for about 15-20 minutes before we could cross. It seems that the highway department is painting the bridge. I did take the camera out again the island in the middle of the river looked like a interesting place. I zoomed in on a few shots but really couldn't see what I was taking a picture of (the glare from the sun wasn't helping). I found out once home and able to "really" see - there were birds landing on the driftwood of the island's beach.



I also took the opportunity to take a picture of the trike and Lucky as well. While I was shooting the bike Lucky pointed out a bird flying by carrying a fish -- the bird was too fast for me to get (darn all those settings). But it was another neat thing to add to the list things that I'd seen during the day.

After the bridge was fially opened up once again, we ran into a few sprinkles, but nothing to be more than just slightly bothersome. As we coming into Hopewell - we saw a couple of does grazing back off the road. Then on the way up Route 10 towards Chester, right around the turn for Henricus we saw this huge groundhog out under the powerlines. While we were watching he started running. I don't know what scared him, but for an animal of his size he was really moving.

172 miles later, we ended the ride back at the apartment. It was a great day. Calm, relaxing, and unhurried. I'm really beginning to understand why so many people are taking up riding. It's not all good marketing.

On a different note, as I was leaving out Dean called to let me know that Sean was once again suffering from a migraine headache. This time it was a bit more on the severe side. He took him to St. Francis' to have him checked out in the emergency room. They gave him some meds in an I.V. plus a couple of other shots. One was steroid that is supposed to make the headaches much less frequent. He was home and resting comfortably when I checked back in with them when I got home.

Great Friday

The week ended up wonderfully. Pam, at the office, put my hair up in a lovely French braid.

I was able to get a number of projects that I have been working on finished up, so I'll be heading into the weekend project free. It's going to be a great weekend.

Lucky & I are heading off in the morning, on the Harley, to Yorktown and other points unknown. I'll post some photos if I get any.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “History bears witness to the fact that a just nation is trusted on its word when recourse is had to armaments and wars to bridle others.” - Thomas Jefferson

Another Day Another Graphic

I've been working on graphic images most of the day today. Fixing website images and doing image shopping online. I did get a couple of draft book covers together for the doctor's upcoming new book, "Don't Sugar Coat It". We'll see which one he like the first of next week.

We have a new doctor at the office, I do believe that he is going to be great to have around the office. He definitely 'fits' with the group.

Walter finally DID IT - he WON the Minesweeper game. It has only taken him forever, but he beat the expert level in 307 seconds. Way to GO!

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

A Legal Question...

Is this Statue-tory Rape?

Anniversary Wishes To Ben & Danielle

Productive Day

Today was amazingly productive at work. Yes, there are still a few things that were left hanging, however, for the most part things are beginning to get wrapped up. I did some work on the national website as well as worked on a couple of new ones that will becoming active soon. I even put together a new postcard for one of our doctors out of Texas.

I used time during lunch today to work up a book cover for Brian's girlfriend. She is doing private in-home exercise consulting. Jaclyn even has put up a social networking site WomenOnTheMove.ning.com.

I was amazed that I was still going full force by the end of the day especially after not getting a good night's sleep last night. Walt's already gone to bed. I'm thinking about heading that way shortly myself.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “If an American is to amount to anything he must rely upon himself, and not upon the State; he must take pride in his own work, instead of sitting idle to envy the luck of others. He must face life with resolute courage, win victory if he can, and accept defeat if he must, without seeking to place on his fellow man a responsibility which is not theirs.” — Theodore Roosevelt

Trouble Sleeping

Here it is 1:25 in the morning and I'm not asleep. I don't know what the trouble is? I just hate it when I can't get to sleep. I'm wide awake and have been since I went to bed over 2 hours ago. I keep trying to get settled down, but to no avail.

I'm not looking forward to heading in to work after being up all night. I won't be worth anything. I just might need to stop off on the way in and pick up some of that 5 hour energy drink. Maybe it'll give me a boost first thing in the morning.

Well...a glass of water and a couple of Tylenol may be just the trick. Yawn...just maybe....Off to try again.

Laid Back Sunday

Carla is outside sitting in the sun. She is surely enjoying being outside.

I've got Walter's laundry in the dryer and I've put my own laundry into the wash. I'm glad that I picked up a timer at Wally World yesterday. Now I'll know when the dryer cycle is finished, either the dryer we have has no timer buzzer or it's broken, but at least now I'll be able to hear it.

It has been a truly productive afternoon. Photos and pictures have been hung on the walls. The curtains are up, and a few more boxes have been emptied.

Walt has reported that his old GEO is in the final stages of body work and is ready to be painted. Instead of red this time it is going to be a gunbarrel gray. Can't wait to see how it turns out. It will be a interesting to see its transformation from wreck to repaired.

Alice and I had another meeting on Acrobat ConnectNow this evening. We've been going over some Acrobat training. Very interesting stuff. I'm going to work with a few more of these lessons.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Never judge someone...
'Some people!' snorted a man standing behind me in the long line at the grocery store.

'You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line, 'said a woman. I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine o accept her credit card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.

'It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,' said the man standing behind me. The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment. 'It was me,' he said, pointing to himself.

The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove away.

After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps; I had learned never to judge anyone, without knowing the circumstances of their life. This turned out to be the case today.

Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.

'Why would she do that?' asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement. 'I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry,' said the man.

'Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,' he said in a very firm voice.

'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied, shaking both his hands about.

The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to the shopping cart full of groceries. 'It wouldn't take her card,' the clerk told him.

'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had made the comment.

'Yes, she goes to our church.'

'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, 'Please use my card. PLEASE!' The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries.

'Hold on,' said the gentleman. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. 'Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts.

'Go back and get two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man. 'NO,' yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds. 'Four turkeys,' yelled the man.

Everyone began laughing and went back to work. When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man.

'She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,' he told the man.

The young man looked at the check and said, 'This is really very generous of you.'

'No,' said the man. 'Her brother was the generous one.'

Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap. And I drove home that day feeling very American.

We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!!! Remember our Troops of Yesterday and Today!!!

A great example of why we should be kind and patient.

Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.

May God's many blessings continue to be with you - ALWAYS!!!

It's Been A Full Day

I has been a warm day. I've been working on getting the house back in order after the closet cleaning expedition from Thursday night and Friday morning. Nothing like having to put everything back in the closets, cabinets and drawers for the 5th or 6th time in two months. Hopefully this will be the last time that it is necessary.

Walter & I both spent part of the day goofing off watching movies at http://www.watch-movies.net/ Pretty neat. Walt decided that he's buying Wall-E just as soon as it comes out on DVD. He thinks Pixar has produced another great one that he'll want to keep.

This evening he's beeen out to the Chesterfield Auto Parts to find a piece for his Jimmy. Then on to Patrick's house to do the work. The last I heard from him was around 8:30 and that was to tell me he was staying out for the evening. Working on that truck can take much longer than you think. He & Patrick will stay at it till they finish, no matter how late. So it is better that he does stay over there when they finish. No drowsy driving.

In the meantime, I've made the late night run to Wally World for groceries. Better to go now than fighting the crowds tomorrow. Even tonight there were crowds - it was amazing how many people were out after 9 p.m. doing shopping.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Bear Flight
During Operation Desert Storm, I was a legislative affairs officer for Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. Often I was required to transport gifts, sent to him from patriotic Amerians, from Washington, D.C., to his home base in Florida. On one trip I "escorted" a four-foot teddy bear dressed in fatigues and wearing a name tag reading "Bear," the general's nickname.

As I boarded the plane, I explained my mission to the flight attendant and asked if she could store the bear in first class. She was honored to do so, and I disappeared into the coach section. Then, just before takeoff, an announcement came over the intercom: "Colonel Preast, would you please come up to first class? We have an extra seat for you to sit next to your teddy bear."

Breakfast Order
A guy comes into a coffee shop and places his order.

He says: "I want three flat tires, a pair of headlights, and a pair of running boards."

The waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, goes to the kitchen and says to the cook. "This guy out there just ordered three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards. What does he think this is, an auto parts store?"

"No" the cook says. "Three flat tires means three pancakes, a pair of headlights is two eggs sunny side up, and running boards is 2 slices crisp bacon."

"Oh," says the waitress.

The waitress thinks about this and then she spoons up a bowl of beans and gives it to the customer.

The guy says, "What are the beans for?"

The waitress replies, "I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires, headlights and running boards, you might want to gas up."

Library Argument
On a visit to the library I happened to notice a man and a woman, both deaf, signing with intense gestures, apparently in a heated debate.

The man said something, and the woman seemed upset. She started signing her reply very fast, to the point where the man couldn't understand a word; she also signed in big, wide gestures.

Finally, looking strained, her companion took her hands, "silencing" her. The he signed, very small and slowly, "You don't have to shout, I'm not blind."

Friday

I spent the day at work today working on videos. It was pretty repetitious. I've been a little flaky today - lots of peeling. I do hope that it passes soon.

I'm heading out right after work to pick up Carla from Mom & Dad's house. Mom said earlier today that she had been doing just fine.

This is a mug that Jamie's husband had done for Connie who had retired from the office. I did the graphic for it. I was so pleased the way that it came out. Now I know who to call if I want graphics put onto mugs.

Thursday

It has been an unusual day. We did get a number of things done, but the day felt weird. I know its because I didn't go into the office yesterday. It made today feel like it should have been Saturday. I showed Brian the new Adobe ConnectNow at Acrobat.com it is a very nice online meeting service for three people. I can see a number of places where this could be really handy.

I took Carla out to Mom & Dad's for an overnight stay. They are going to be doing some work in the apartment tomorrow and this way she can have a better day than hanging out locked in a bedroom all day. Miss Tweat is even going to get to hangout outside tomorrow as well.

The sunburn from the weekend is beginning to peel. I knew it would after all the extra sun that I received yesterday at Bush Gardens. Things will even out here before too long. I did get some aloe to help speed along the healing process. Should only take a few days.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

A LITTLE FELLER IN EAST TEXAS
Barack Obama, is for banning all guns in America. He is considered by those who have dealt with him as a bit more than just a little self-righteous.

At a recent rural elementary school assembly in East Texas, he asked the audience for total quiet. Then, in the silence, he started to slowly clap his hands once every few seconds, holding the audience in total silence.

Then he said into the microphone, 'Children, every time I clap my hands together, a child in America dies from gun violence.'

Then, little Richard Earl, with a proud East Texas drawl, pierced the quiet and said: ''Well, dumb-ass, stop clapping!'

Wonderful Wednesday

The day off was a much needed mental health day. Roz, Courtney and her friend, and I all piled into the car this morning to head for Bush Gardens. The weather was beautiful and the lines were short. We spent the entire day there.

I got Roz on some rides that she didn't even think that she would be able to go on. We did the Gryffin, Apollo's Chariot, Big Bad Wolf, and Alpengeist. Her favorite...the Gryffin & Apollo's Chariot. Smooth rides. The one thing that we all rode that neither she nor I was too fond of was the Roman Rapids - you stay wet forever...way too much water in all the wrong places.

I'm heading to bed - it will be a good night for sleeping.

Unexpected Development

It was an interesting day. I've been working on magazines and handling customer service issues.

Due to the boss being out of town everyone in the office has been taking a day or two off while he is gone. I hadn't really planned on taking any time off but due to an unexpected development.... So, in lieu of going to work in the morning I'll be taking the day off and heading to Bush Gardens with a Roz and Jamie from work. We're planning on heading out first thing in the morning and I've not a clue what time we are planning on returning home. Hmm...I expect it to be a fun day.

I expect that Thursday will be very busy on my return.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Tiny Cabin In The Woods
A hiker from New York City was hiking through the mountains of Tennessee when he came upon the tiniest cabin he had ever seen in his life. Intrigued, he went up and knocked on the door.

'Anybody home?' he asked.

'Yep,' came a kid's voice through the door.

'Is your father there?' asked the tourist.

'Pa? Nope, he left afore Ma came in,' said the kid.

'Well, is your mother here?'

'No, she left before I got here,' said the kid.

'But,' protested the city slicker, 'are you never together as a family?'

'Sure, but not here,' said the kid through the Door. 'This is the outhouse!'

A Rainy Monday Morning

The morning began with what seemed to be bucket loads of rain pouring down suddenly, followed by a more calmer steady rain. The work day began seeming normal enough, until I went to save something to the server...ut oh! no server to be found. I put th call out to our technical support, but they are in California (3 hours behind us), so it will be almost mid-day before I hear from them. It is not a fun situation.

Well the server situation was able to almost resolve itself. I was going to try rebooting it, but it turned out that someone had actually turned it OFF! Who, How and When are all good questions at this point. I was able to leave word with tech support that their help wouldn't be necessary. Nice to have it taken care of without waiting around.

The website fiasco is still in play, I'm awaiting word on where to take it from this point. Our programmer is going to be out of touch until Wednesday so it won't make it live until Wednesday evening at the earliest.

After a phone call to the FIOS area manager this morning, we were able to get the FIOS connected throughout the office in about an hour. YIPEE!!! He's even going to come back into the office as a patient.

This evening Walter showed up as I was getting ready to leave the office to take me out for dinner at the Mongolian Grill. Very cool place to eat. It is a buffet, but not in the normal sense. Here you actually pick what you want cooked and hand it to the chef who cooks it up on the spot. The grilling takes maybe 1-2 minutes. Fun to watch and very good.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:

"Engine Trouble"
A friend, driving home from a fishing trip in northern Michigan with his boat in tow, had engine trouble a few miles inland from Lake Huron. He didn't have a CB radio in his car, so he decided to use his marine radio to get help. Climbing into his boat, he broadcast his call letters and asked for assistance. A Coast Guard officer responded, "Please give your location."

"I'm on Interstate-75, two miles south of Standish."

The officer paused, "Could you repeat that?"

"I-75, two miles south of Standish."

A longer pause. Then an incredulous voice asked, "How fast were you going when you hit shore?"

Road Trip Return

This morning we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel then headed back home. It was a great trip. I can say I put in 340 miles over the weekend. I got back into the house around 2:00 p.m.

Well after a late lunch with Walter I'm going back to work on the website and get it finished as well as the flow charts to go with it.

Kidnapped

I was picked up on Saturday morning for an unexpected 'road trip'. Lucky & I were off on the Harley for a weekend adventure.

We road up to Montebello, stopped there at the fish hatchery. They are some hungry fish. Lucky was feeding them while I took a short movie. They had a real feeding frenzy.

Then we headed of to Lynchburg. We fooled around in Lychburg during the evening, winding up the evening with a late dinner.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Golf
A man goes to a public golf course.

He approaches the man behind the counter in the pro shop and says, 'I would like 18 holes of golf and a caddie.'

The man behind the counter says, 'The 18 holes of golf is no problem, but all of the caddies are out on the course. What I will do for you is this: we just received 8 brand new robot golf caddies. If you're willing to take one with you out on the course and come back and tell me how well it works, your round of golf is on me today.'

The golfer obviously accepted the man's offer.

He approached the first tee, looked at the fairway and said to himself, 'I think my driver will do the job.'

The robot caddie turned to the man and said, 'No sir. Use your 3 wood. A driver is far too much club for this hole.'

Hesitantly, the golfer pulled out his 3 wood, made good contact with the ball, and the ball landed about 10 feet to the right front of the hole on the green.

The golfer, delighted, turned to the robot and thanked him for his assistance.

As the golfer pulled out his putter he said, 'I think this green is gonna break left to right.'

The robot then again spoke up and said, 'No sir. I do believe this green will break right to left' Thinking about the last time the robot corrected his prediction, he decided again to listen to the machine.

He made his putt and birdied the hole thanks to the robot and his advice.

But his luck didn't end there. His entire game was the best game he ever played, thanks to the assistance of the new robot golf caddie.

Upon returning to the clubhouse, the man behind the counter asked, 'How was your game ?' The golfer stated, 'It was, by far, the BEST game I ever played. Thank you very much for letting me take one of your robots. See you next week.

A week passed, and excited, the golfer returned to the pro shop.

Upon entering, he turned to the man behind the counter and said, 'I would like 18 holes of golf and one of those robot golf caddies, please.'

The gentleman from behind the counter turned to the man and said, 'Well the 18 holes is no problem. However, we had to get rid of the robots. We had too many complaints.'

Confused, the golfer cried, 'COMPLAINTS? Who in the heck could've complained about those robots? They were incredible'

The man sighed and said, 'Well, it wasn't their performance.

It was that they were made of shiny silver metal, and the sun reflecting off them was blinding to other golfers In the fair way. '

The golfer said, 'So then why didn't you just paint them black?'

The man nodded sadly and replied, 'We did. Then four of 'em didn't show up for work, two filed for welfare, one of them robbed the pro shop, and the other is running for President.'

Finally Friday -- The Weekend is Here

It was a busy day at work - I worked on a website all day. Turned out in the end that there was an error that is sending me down a different path to complete the thing. The deadline for completition is Monday. It looks like that there is going to be time involved over the weekend to get it done. At least I can get comfortable while I'm working.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:


Professor Wichman E-mail
Claim: A Michigan professor sent an e-mail telling Muslim students to leave the country.
Snopes Status: True.

The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indrek Wichman.,

Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association. The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist. The group had complained the cartoons were 'hate speech'.

Enter Professor Wichman. In his e-mail, he said the following:

Dear Moslem Association,

As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest. I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called 'whores' in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.

This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile 'protests.'

If you do not like the values of the West - see the 1st Amendment - you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option. Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially,
I. S. Wichman
Professor of Mechanical Engineering

As you can imagine, the Muslim group at the university didn't like this too well. They're demanding that Wichman be reprimanded and the university impose mandatory diversity training for faculty and mandate a seminar on hate and discrimination for all freshmen. Now the local chapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, apparently doesn't believe that the good professor had the right to express his opinion. For its part, the university is standing its ground in support of Professor Wichman, saying the e-mail was private, and they don't intend to publicly condemn his remarks.


"Bath Note"
Dear Kids,

Don't be alarmed, the world isn't coming to an end. I am simply taking a bath. It will take about thirty minutes and will involve soap and water. Yes, I know how to swim. Even if I didn't, forcing myself to drown in a half-inch of lukewarm water is more work than I've got energy for. (Which reminds me, I'm all for science projects, but the next time you want to see if Play-Doh floats, use cold water.)

Don't panic if I'm not out right on time. I've heard that people don't dissolve in water and I'd like to test the theory. While I'm in the tub, I'd like you to remember a few things. The large slab of wood between us is called a door. Do not bang to hear my voice. I promise that even though you can't see me, I *am* on the other side. I'm not digging an escape tunnel and running for the border,no matter what I said a while ago. I didn't mean it. Honest. There will be plenty of time later to tell me about your day.

"Later" means at a time when I am no longer naked, wet, and contemplating bubble gum in the blow dryer. I know you have important things to tell me. Please let one of them be that you have invented a new way to blow bubbles, not a new way to add gum to your hair.

Believe it or not, shouting, "TELEPHONE!" through the closed bathroom door will *not* make the phone stop ringing. Answer it and take a message. Since Amazing Mind-Reading Mom has the day off, you'll need to write that message down. Use paper and a pencil. Do not use your brother and the laundry marker. We can't send him to school with telephone number tattoos.

Water makes me wet, not deaf. I can still tell the difference between the sound of "nothing" and the sound of a child playing the piano with a basketball. I can also hear you tattling at the top of your lungs. I'm *choosing* NOT to answer you.

Don't call your dad at work and tell him I am unconscious in the bathroom. He didn't appreciate it last time. He won't appreciate it more this time. Trust me.

No matter how much I would like it, water does not make me forgetful. I remember who you are and why you are grounded. No, you can't go to Shelby's house to play. No, you can't go to Shelby's house to use the bathroom. If someone is in our other bathroom, you will just have to think dry thoughts and wait. Unless you have four feet and a tail, do not think of going outside to "water" the lawn. I know the dog does it. The neighbors don't feel the need to call me when the dog does it.

Unless the house catches on fire, stay inside and keep the doors locked. Do not go outside and throw rocks at the bathroom window to get my attention. I know it works in the movies. This is reality, the place where people don't like to sit in a tub while rocks and broken glass rain in on them. Do not set the house on fire. Call me if there is an emergency.

Emergencies ARE:
1. Dad has fallen off the roof.
2. Your brother and/or sister is bleeding.
3. There's a red fire truck in front of our house.

Emergencies are NOT:
1. Dad has fallen asleep.
2. Someone on TV is bleeding.
3. There's a red pickup truck in front of our house.

One other thing: Being forced to use the last roll of toilet paper for a towel does not make me happy. It makes me sticky with little white polka dots. In the future, when the tub overflows, use a mop to clean up the water instead of every towel in the house. For my sanity's sake, let's pretend it was the tub, Okay? No, I don't want to hear the real story. Ever. Especially not while I'm standing in the pool of water you missed.

By the way, all Play-Doh experiments are hereby canceled.

Be good. Entertain yourselves. Yes, you can do both at the same time. Try coloring, playing a game, or paying that stack of bills on the coffee table.

I'll be out soon. Maybe.

Love,
Your Mom

HEADLINES FROM THE YEAR: 2029
Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California .

White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.

Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.

Baby conceived naturally! Scientists stumped.

Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica . No other country comes forward to help the beleaguered nation!

Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.

Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.

85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.

Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.

Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third consecutive year in Mexifornia and Floruba.

Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.

Abortion clinics now available in every High School in United States.

Senate still blocking drilling in ANWR even though gas is selling for 4532 Pesos per liter and gas stations are only open on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches.

New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2030 .

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.

Floruba voters still having trouble with voting machines.

I Love This Country! It's The Government That Scares Me!

New Nails

It has been a full day. I was much much later getting home than I had anticipated this evening. The trip to the nail salon took way too long....Walter called twice thinking that I'd been kidnapped.

Halfway Through the Week.

We started off the morning a little damp. It had rained again during the night. It made for a humid start to the day.

Work went well today. I've been working on helping get a website up. So there's been video editing and conversion, and a few graphics. The BIG thing was the prospect of having FIOS installed today. It's there, but not connected to anything but the back phone room. I'll be talking with the networking fellows tomorrow and see what we can do about getting the FIOS router connected in properly. Headaches...this was suppose to be easy...yeah right! Only in my dreams. I'll never be so happy to have a project behind me, as I will when this FIOS is finally humming along on it's own without anyone needing to 'think' about it.

This evening has started out with more rain. There is a possibility of more storms. Oh boy, I can't wait.

This is a photo of Walt with his birthday present for himself. I've been teasing him about having a new 'girl friend'. It's all he's been talking about for quite sometime now. I'm glad that he has finally been able to get what he wanted.

I'm going to spend some time this evening exploring my new software, Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. It has a whole lot of whistles and bells, but it will take some time to actually be proficient at using them. I did get to use it today during business hours, but not to really investigate how many of the new features work. Embedding video into a pdf is going to be interesting.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms.” — Thomas Jefferson

And the Fun Continues

This evening Dean & Sean dropped by with birthday wishes for Walter. Sean and Walter had a great visit together.

I was able to finish up a project that I had been working on for a couple of weeks at work today, as well as move towards finalizing a second big project. But...there is always another 'big' project just hovering in the wings to be worked on. Onward and upward....

Mom is returned home today from her trip to the family reunion. I'm sure she is glad to be back home. I know the majority of her trip was filled with lots of activity.

Walt's had a big evening playing Guitar Hero - he made it all the way to the point where he could play "Free Bird". It made his evening. He also got a phone call from Roz & Courtney wishing him a Happy Birthday. It seemed to really tickle him.

Happy Birthday Walter!!

Great Meeting

I attended a meeting of the RAUG this evening with Alice. The program was on InDesign from the printer's perspective. There were a number of tips that I picked up on InDesign as well as two or three for Acrobat.

Mosquito Spray...any one tried this before?

This novel way to beat the mosquitos from an email buddy of mine. Could work...

I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, I don't leave home without it.....Pass it on.

OUR FRIEND'S COMMENTS: I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89. It really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as expensive to use as the can of Bug-spray you buy that doesn't last 30 minutes. So, try this, please. It will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house.

Now these are Good Mosquitos!!!

Saturday

I've been working on figuring out the workings of Facebook. I signed up for an account there to become a friend of Dentistry For Diabetics a program for diabetics. I do think that virtually everyone in the youth department at church has a Facebook page.

We've had a bit or rain this morning. I've not checked the weather report, hopefully it won't stay around all day. Walt & I have gotten a wild hair and are heading for Bush Gardens for part of the afternoon & evening. We started off our trip to Bush Gardens with a stop at Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que just outside of Williamsburg. The food was fantastic. I couldn't believe how crowded the place was. It was standing room only and tables were at a premium. It would be worth the trip that way just to have the barbecue and the sweet potato stix. YUM!!!

We had a good time at Bush Gardens. We were able to park up close to the gate, without any trouble. Walter was able to get a special access pass - since he has trouble standing around in line for a long time. It was pretty neat. We were able to pop to the front of the line on the rides that we got on today. Nothing like quick access and getting to sit near the front on Apollo's Chariot. We also were able to catch a couple of shows. I even got some fairly good video of the show in Ireland.


We really lucked out just after we went in for the show, we notice that people coming in after us were quite wet. Turns out that the sky opened up just after we were seated. As we were leaving it was just beginning to sprinkle. We made it back into the car before it began to really rain. Once we started home we were nearly drowned by the downpour. It's a good thing that we knew where we were going, because otherwise we'd have never seen a sign with a rain coming down.

We had dinner at the Sino American Restaurant, the food wasn't nearly as good as we thought that it would be...but Walter did enjoy trying the crawfish. They even had frog legs - which were very good. A quite unusal item for a buffet.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

A very interesting read....

....545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. One hundred Senators, 435 Congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a Senator, a Congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if; they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the Speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to by a 2/3 margin.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Happy 4th!

I slept in this morning, it doesn't happen often, but it sure felt good. Walter & I headed out to Mom & Dad's house this afternoon for lunch. Dad had cooked up plenty of hamburgers and hot dogs. Tim & Alice's families were also there. The kids were all playing outside with squirt guns and having a fabulously good time.

This afternoon has ben pretty slow. Walt's been playing on the computer - I had the opportunity to take a nap. That is such a rare occurrence - felt good. We had talked about going out to the fireworks at Brandermill, but there's the possibility of a thunderstorm and staying in is bugless.

Thursday Evening

I had a wonderful evening out this evening. We went to the Chop House near Virginia Center Commons. It was a delicious meal. We had some fantastic seafood. The batter that they fried the fish in was so light as to almost not be there. Afterwards we we on a very lovely drive out to Doswell with the top down on the convertible.

We stopped a really nice wayside. The park was very pleasant. This little guy was up in the tree near the picnic tables. What a fun guy to watch.

Wednesday

I got out of the office this afternoon around 2 p.m. for lunch. I stopped at Einstein Bagel's at the Stony Point Shopping center off Huguenot Road. I was greeted by a pair of ducks as I walked up to the door. The weather was so pleasant, I sat outside. Where I was entertained by a variety of creatures. The ducks paraded around like they owned the place. There were dozens of other birds that joined the party and were quite vocal. Then there was this sly little critter, who slipped quietly out from under the shrubbery to seek a snack.

I was so thrilled that I had the camera with me. Chipmunks are so quick that they are difficult to take photos of.


The ducks took refugee under at the edge of the bushes, briefly...until another group of diners started throwing pieces of bread to them.

Tuesday

It has been a nice day. Work was pleasant and productive. I'm on the verge of being finished with laying out the doc's new book. It won't be too long before it goes to press.

This afternoon, I slipped out a bit early to pick Walter up from taking his car to be repaired. He was just dropping it off this evening, so we'll be repeating the process tomorrow. We're having company this evening for dinner. Walter invited Patrick and his sister over. They're out on the patio visiting and watching the stuff on the grill.

Check out the bottom picture - there are a couple of hidden things there. Can you find them?

I'll be back to work shortly with another teleconference this evening, until then...