Thursday

I had to go home during lunch today so that the maintenance department would come into the apartment. Even though they know about Carla they are so weird about coming in with her home. Oh well, while I was there I was able to take some really cute

Hump Day

Mid-week. So far, so good. Things at the office have been busy as usual. I'm looking forward to the weekend, it has possibilities...

This evening there was a beautiful sunset.

Tuesday

Back to work today after recouping yesterday from feeling YUCK.

Too bad that I didn't feel well enough to sit outside and enjoy the weather yesterday, and that today isn't Saturday. I could go for sitting outside on the porch listening to the birds and trying to take a few photos.

When I arrived home this evening, Miss Carla was outside laying in the grass. She looked so peaceful. But the grass is beginning to make her itchy. We've resorted to giving her benadryl again, as is the custom for this time year. Otherwise it's been a pretty good evening - more boxes have been emptied and things are beginning to get into shape. I was able to get everything into the kitchen cabinets this evening and the new doors look really great.

Walter and I were watching a show this evening on tech gadgets - there were a couple that I thought that were really neat. A pen sized scanner called a docupen. This thing could scan a document in 4 seconds flat, graphics and all. Then there was a virtual keyboard. This gadget projected a keyboard onto the desktop. Very neat!

A little extra that I got late this evening - A photo of the full moon. Carla had me outside a little late so I was able to get this one.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “In this era of big government, we sometimes forget that many of our proudest achievements as a nation came not through government, but through private citizens, individuals whose genius and generosity flourished in this climate of freedom.” — Ronald Reagan

Monday

Here we have arrived at Monday - I'm a little bit under the weather today. I'm not too sure as to what I got into but hopefully it will pass shortly. But I have been able to get a number of things done at home for work.

When I poked my head out the door this morning to let Carla out, I spied this little bird hanging out on the sidewalk.

I received a phone call from the apartment maintenance this morning to let me know that the new doors to the cabinets would be installed today. After talking to the guy that is in charge of it, he said that they'll paint the cabinet frames in my bathroom tomorrow. Now only to find out about the kitchen floor.

The cabinet guys got here around 4:30 p.m., just in time to keep me awake. I was so ready for a nap. So okay...the only trick to it was that they ended up being here until after 6:30 p.m.

Father's Day

I headed out this afternoon to visit with Dad. It was good to get out for a visit. It had been too long, since the last time I was out for a visit.

I put together a "Daddy Care Package" with all the essentials for a hunting expedition (Cokes, vienna sausages, potted meat, snack crackers, shotgun shells, beef jerky, and the absolute item -- toliet paper!).

We spent part of the time sitting out on the deck enjoying the afternoon. The birds were singing quite beautifully. I tried a couple of times to get photographs of several of the blue birds, but they tended to stay just out of reach. However, I was able to get this one of the resident rabbit that just was at the edge of the woods. He seemingly was just enjoying the warm afternoon sun. That was until he heard a noise from around the front of the house - at which he promptly retreated into the woods.

It seems that the air traffic pattern has changed over the last couple of years, and now Mom & Dad's house is in the flight path. This plane was coming in for a landing at the Richmond Airport. If you look 'really' close you can see the landing gear is already down as it is passing over their house.

I even gave Dean and ring to wish him a Happy Father's Day - I know that there was only one of the kids that would be speaking with him today. We may not get along, but he at least had earned a Happy Father's Day wish.

On the way home, I picked up some steaks and other fixings for dinner. Walter & Patrick were busy at the apartment when I arrived hooking up the various electronic equipment to a set of new speakers. The speakers sound wonderful. They guys did a great job of setting up everything.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

When God Made Fathers
by Erma Bombeck
When the good Lord was creating fathers, he started with a tall frame. A female angel nearby said, "What kind of a father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put the father up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without stooping."

God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large. The angel shook her head and said, "Large hands can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails, or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats."

Again God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets, yet small enough to cup a child's face in them."

Then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders. "Do you realize you just made a father without a lap?" The angel chuckled.

God said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, to balance a boy on a bicycle, or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

When God was in the middle of creating the biggest feet any one had ever seen, the angel could not contain herself any longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those feet are going to get out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries, or walk through a birthday party without crushing one or two of the guests?"

God again smiled and said, "They will work. You will see. They will support a small child who wants to ride to Banbury Cross or scare mice away from a summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, but a firm authoritative voice, eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an after thought, he added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied he can love as much as a mother can?"

The angel said nothing more.

Saturday

The day has been fairly slow - I slept in till about 9:30 a.m. this morning. After sleeping very soundly all evening. Not too many nights that I sleep that well.

I've spending a good part of the day split between goofing off with Walter and working on the apartment. We've been watching a few movies. We even went out to Lowes to pick up a few of those minor supplies that we needed to hang pictures and such.

This evening he's out running around with Patrick and supposedly coming back home to do a little cooking out on the grill. If...it's not raining when he gets here.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Important Information on Lightbulbs from Congress

Friday

What an interesting day. I was waiting on Verizon to change over the office phone service today and was in absolute shock when it went off without a single hitch. They almost had to pick me up off the floor - I had fully expected to have a big mess on my hands.

This evening I had a great evening out watching The Bucket List and then a pleasant dip in the hot tub. The movie was great, I was expecting a great movie, but surprised at the way that it ended.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Forgiveness
Early in their marriage, my Dad did something really stupid. My Mom chewed him out for it. He apologized, they made up.

However, from time to time, my Mom mentioned what he had done. "Honey," my Dad finally said one day, "why do you keep bringing that up? I thought your policy was 'forgive and forget.'"

"It is," she said. "I just don't want you to forget what I've forgiven and forgotten."

Rain or Shine
It was raining quite hard as U.S. Marine trainees assembled outdoors for a briefing. On a blackboard, the lieutenant instructor had prepared a detailed drawing of the tactics he wanted practiced.

"Don't think we're going to call this off just because of a little rain," he said. Then he turned to the blackboard which had been washed clean.

For Those With Boys





And you also find out interesting things when you have sons, like ...

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fa n as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.

11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Glenn Beck: Why gas is so expensive
June 12, 2008 - 13:08 ET

GLENN: You know, you might be asking yourself every time you go into a gas station, "Gee, why are gas prices so high. That's really weird." Now, Bob says there's enough oil, and there is enough oil. There's currently not enough oil for the demand but there's enough oil out there and if you want to know why there's not enough oil out on the market, let's just look back for a second.

Do you remember when Bill Clinton pulled the plug on leasing the outer continental shelf? Yeah. Me, either. I have a life. But it was back in 1998. Maybe, you know, maybe you weren't paying attention to what intern he was stooping and rolling around on the presidential carpet with. But you remember the argument back then. Clinton's affairs with fatties isn't affecting his job performance. He's still getting things done. And you're right. All of these areas were subject to a 1998 presidential withdrawal oh, that's so loaded a presidential withdrawal from leasing in 2012, okay? So in 1998 President Clinton said you can't lease anything here for oil until 2012, and there are just a few places here: Washington, the entire state; Oregon, the entire state; Northern California, Central California and Southern California. The eastern Gulf of Mexico except for a portion of land. The South Atlantic, the Mid Atlantic, the North Atlantic, all national marine sanctuaries. All of these are indefinite. The Olympic Coast, Cordell Bank, California, Monterey Bay, California, the Gulf of the Farallones, California, the Channel Islands of California; the Flower Bank Gardens Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida and the Florida Keys, Gray's Reef South and Atlantic, Monitor Mid Atlantic, Stellwagen Bank, North Atlantic. Gee, I wonder why prices are so high for gas. That's weird, isn't it? This isn't to excuse congress from their responsibility because they started their moratoriums back in 1982, stopping the leasing in 1982 of Central and Northern California. Then in 1984 it was Southern California. Then in 1990 the North Aleutian Basin in Alaska. Then in 1991 Washington, Oregon and the Florida Panhandle. Gee, I wonder why gas prices are so high. It's weird, isn't it? And this isn't to excuse the Republicans. The administration says they're for all of these things, with the exception of the Alaskan Aleutian Basin which hasn't been included in the ban since 2004. Gee, I wonder why gas prices are so high. But it's not like the outer continental shelf is important to our energy needs. That's what the Democrats yesterday said in a subcommittee when they killed going to the outer continental shelf. It's not that important, it's really not that much, we've got other things we can do. And actually with all of the bans, it still provides 30% of outline domestic oil production, which is more than we import from any other nation on the planet. Do you have that? The part that we have opened, it provides 30% of all domestic oil production, more than we import from any other nation.

By the way, the Government estimates that the outer continental shelf, the one they said no to yesterday, has 76 billion barrels of oil in it that are recoverable and that's with today's technology. Let me put that into perspective. 76 billion barrels is enough to replace every single barrel of oil that we import from everywhere outside of North America for the next 34 years at our current pace. That's in the one place, one, that congress said we couldn't go into yesterday.

But what about the environment. This is from the Government again. This have been no spills over 1,000 barrels in 15 years of the outer continental shelf drilling. The National Academy of Sciences found that the offshore industry is among the safest industrial activities in the United States. Outer continental shelf operations are more than five times less likely to cause a spill than oil tankers who are importing oil. You listen to this next time one of these environmental pinheads talk to you about the risks of drilling. You remember these words. Imports present an environmental risk of spills 13 times greater than domestic production. Let me say it again. Imports present an environmental risk of spills 13 times greater than domestic production. And, natural seeps account for 150 to 175 times more oil in the ocean than outer continental shelf oil and gas operations. Natural seeps? Natural seeps? Now we know who the real polluter is, that evil wench mother nature. Yet it's the environmentalists who continue to dictate our energy policy. Gee, I wondering why gas prices are so high. It's weird, isn't it?

Obama yesterday said the price of gasoline isn't the problem. $4 a gallon for gasoline isn't the problem. The high price of oil is not the problem. The problem is it's just risen too quickly. Oh, okay. Now I want to vote for you. How fast has oil risen? Grab onto your seat. On 9/11 oil was $27 a barrel. Do you remember how everybody was freaking out after Katrina? "Oh, Katrina, that spike is going to kill us." Oil was $70 a barrel in that spike. We're now almost double that. And from the same government that tells us we don't need more oil, that we don't need to go in and drill in the outer continental shelf, we don't need to go in and get the shale, we don't need to go in to ANWR. We don't need any of this oil. We don't need to build nuclear power plants. We don't need to take our coal and turn it into oil. We don't need any more refineries. From that government, the same government, the Energy Information Administration in its annual energy outlook in 2005 projected that oil prices would reach as high as $52 a barrel in the year 2025. I'm sure those cap and trade estimates that John McCain and Barack Obama, I'm sure cap and trade that they are all in love with, those estimates from the EPA of only $1.50 per gallon increase, I'm sure those are totally accurate, just like the idea of paying $52 a barrel for oil in 2025 is.

By the way, in today's newsletter we're going to give you the highlights of this monologue and we're also giving you the name of the weasels in Washington yesterday that said no to the drilling in the outer continental shelf. We have the names. It was, what a surprise, it always amazes me how the Democrats and the Republicans are split evenly. All the Democrats see it one way. All the Republicans see it another way. Is there an honest soul in America that's actually serving in our capitol. Time to let them know. We'll give you the names on our free e mail newsletter today at GlennBeck.com.

By the way, you know, I can't get past the fact, there's a couple of things. The writings of Thomas Jefferson and the writings of James Madison, all of these things, they are so fresh today and we've been working on something with Fusion Magazine. Please, please, we worked on this issue of Fusion Magazine longer than we've ever worked on any other Fusion Magazine. We worked on this one for six months doing research on it. We've had the best professors, the best American historians in the country help us put this together. Compare the views of Barack Obama, John McCain with the views of Karl Marx and our founding fathers. On the issues of today. Find out how far we've drifted. Go to GlennBeck.com and sign up for Fusion Magazine. It's next month's issue of Fusion Magazine. It is totally devoid of opinion. This is just a voter's guide to see, where do you stand on the issues and where do our politicians stand.

Thursday Evening

I had an interesting evening. While I was taping a teleconference this evening Walter noted that there was a reoccuring question that kept being asked, "Just call Judy?" Well, about this point, Walter decided that I needed a t-shirt that reads "NO". His second observation was that those on the teleconference weren't necessarily paying attention as well as they should, because they repeatedly asked the same questions. How's that for an outsiders observation?

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

True Love

An elderly gent was invited to an old friends' home for dinner one evening. He was impressed by the way his buddy preceded every request to his wife with endearing terms such as: Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc.

The couple had been married almost 70 years and, clearly, they were still very much in love.

While the wife was in the kitchen, the man leaned over and said to his host, 'I think it's wonderful that, after all these years, you still call your wife those loving pet names'

The old man hung his head. 'I have to tell you the truth,' he said, 'Her name slipped my mind about 10 years ago and I'm scared to death to ask her what it is!'

{Walter says she probably thinks her name is Honey, My Love, or Darling too!}

The Four Cats!
This funny came from a retired government employee!!!! Obviously they can laugh at themselves.
Four men were bragging about how smart their cats were .

The first man was an Engineer, the second man was an Accountant, the third man was a Chemist and the fourth man was a Government Employee.

To show off, the Engineer called his cat, 'T-square, do your stuff.'

T-square pranced over to the desk, took out some paper and pen and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart.

But the Accountant said his cat could do better.

He called his cat and said, 'Spreadsheet, do your stuff.'

Spreadsheet went out to the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies ..........Everyone agreed that was good.

But the Chemist said his cat could do better. He called his cat and said 'Measure, do your stuff.'

Measure got up, walked to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces without spilling a drop into the glass.

Everyone agreed that was pretty good.

Then the three men turned to the Government Employee and said, 'What can your cat do?'

The Government Employee called his cat and said....'Coffee Break.....do your stuff.'

Coffee Break jumped to his feet...........

ate the cookies...............

drank the milk..............

sh*t on the paper....................

screwed the other three cats.....................

claimed he injured his back while doing so.................

filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions........

put in for Workers Compensation...............

and went home for the rest of the day on sick leave..............!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday

Philadelphia in the rearview mirror as we headed back home.
Passing by Washington, DC

Good Wednesday Morning from Philly

I woke up this morning to a lovely sunrise. The temperature is suppose to drop to a much more reasonable 88-degrees today, definitely much more tolerable than the 100 of the past couple of days.

We'll be packing up this morning so that we can leave for home right after the last session of the conference.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Bosses Night
At an annual Bosses Night dinner for Helena, Montana, lawyers, sponsored by legal secretaries, it was time to announce the Boss of the Year.

The master of ceremonies began: "First of all, our winner is a graduate of the University of Montana. So that already eliminates some of you as candidates. Our winner also is a partner in a downtown Helena law firm. That eliminates some more of you. Our nominee is honest, upright, dedicated..."

A voice from the audience cut in: "Well, there go the rest of us!"

Tuesday

It has been an extremely busy day. I'm headed to bed. Tomorrow is the trip back...Hmmm maybe be some rest for the weary or better yet a much better diversion for the weekend.

Monday Afternoon

The conference went full force today. I did slip out for a short time during our lunch break and took in a bit of the local historical sites. I was able to get a few shots of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Monday

Taken from the 11th floor of the Hampton Inn, Philadelphia, PA around 5:15 a.m.

Sunday

What a wonderful morning! I went out this morning for brunch at Cracker Barrel. Then just a laid back drive around and about. Very, very relaxing. I had a spectacular time. I was given a wonderful send off on my trip. Too bad I'll have to wait until Friday.

We departed the office this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. for Philadelphia. We all piled into the giant "marshmallow" and started off. We didn't experience any difficulties with traffic until we got near Fredericksburg. There were flash backs of California - stopped vehicles for no apparent reason. Once we made it through, we stopped some where in Maryland for dinner at a Ruby Tuesday's. The food was fine and the waiter was...oh well...different.

Kirsty & I are sharing a room on the 11th floor of the Hampton Inn here in downtown Philadelphia. It looks like we have a nice view of the area. Tomorrow 'll be here soon so it's about time to sign off for the night.

Saturday

Here we are on the last day of the conference. Things have been hustling along at a rapid pace allthewhile feeling like things are dragging along at a snail's pace.

I guess it could be because as soon as we finish up it will be time to commence packing up for our company trip to Philadelphia (leaving on Sunday afternoon). At the same time I should and probably will be actively working on getting more boxes unpacked from the move. I think I'm suffering from a bit of "Clutter Overload". Too many boxes and not enough order.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

The Clock
A man died and went to Heaven. As he stood in front of the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, 'What are all those clocks?'

St. Peter answered, 'Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock move.'

'Oh,' said the man. Whose clock is that?'

'That's Mother Teresa's,' replied St. Peter. 'The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie.'

'Incredible,' said the man. 'And whose clock is that one?'

St. Peter responded, 'That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abraham told only two lies in his entire life.'

'Where's Hillary's clock?' asked! the man.

'Hillary's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan.'

Friday

The conference is going full force, as usual.

Walter has been home today dealing with the results of my ranting to the apartment management. So far, they have come in to measure for new cabinets/cabinet doors; preparing for some painting; replaced the washer & dryer; and done a few other minor repairs. I don't know how many other things that they are going to get done today.

Much to my despair, I arrived home to the melodious sound of the carbon monoxide detector going off...ahhhh. Turned out that it was just a battery, but it took forever to deal with. Hopefully now the rest of the evening will be uneventful.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “When it’s time for action, the time for preparation is past.” – Suzanne

"Why do they call it a drop cloth when the paint usually drops where the cloth ISN'T?"

Three Thoughts
(1) Zero Gravity
When NASA started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside-down, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 C.
The Russians used a pencil. Your taxes are due again--enjoy paying them.

(2) Our Constitution
'They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq . Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and well, we're not using it anymore.'

(3) Ten Commandments
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a Courthouse is that you can't post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians! It creates a hostile work environment.

Lightning Driving

Two men were talking. One says to the other, "My wife drives like lightning."

His friend asked, "She drives fast?"

"No, she hits trees."

Dog Calls
Bernard, who is noted for his gracious manners, was awakened one morning at four forty four a.m. by his ringing telephone. . .

"Your dog's barking, and it's keeping me awake," said an angry voice.

Bernard thanked the caller and politely asked his name and number before hanging up.
The next morning at precisely four forty four a.m., Bernard called his neighbor back . . .

"Good morning, Mr. Williams.... Just called to say that I don't *have* a dog."


Health Benefits Of Being Overweight
A new report suggests that being overweight is not as harmful as is commonly believed, and actually confers some surprising benefits.

Being five to ten pounds overweight could protect people from ailments ranging from tuberculosis to Alzheimer's disease, research indicates. Those carrying 15 to 25 extra pounds are better able to recover from adverse conditions such as emphysema, pneumonia, and various injuries and infections, states the report.

Thirty to forty pounds of flab could help fend off breast, kidney, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancer. And an extra fifty pounds on the scale may improve eyesight, reverse baldness, cure the common cold, and reduce global warming.

In general, the report concludes, overweight people are happier, more successful in business, smarter, and friendlier.

The study was funded by a research grant from McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Domino's Pizza, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs, Sara Lee, and Krispy Kreme.

Thursday

Our initial day was long....I ended up being involved with the various sessions until around 10:30 p.m.

On the way out of the hotel I was surprised to see a group of Confederate soldiers at the corner of 11th & Cary Streets. It seemed as if they had stepped out of the past - the funny thing was that they looked right at home here in the former capital of the Confederacy. The first couple of shots look like they are murky images from the past, once they crossed over to where I was I was able to get a clearer image. After speaking with them, I found out that they were in town to celebrate the anniversary of Jefferson Davis' birthday. I figure that they must be members of the Sons of Confederacy.




Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Why We Have $4.00 a Gallon Gas

Sunday

Here we go working on finding the furniture underneath all the boxes. I've put a dent into the pile this morning. Things are beginning to come together. Hopefully it won't take long to get a full blown path through the apartment. As soon as I get the old scrapbooks out of the living room, I can get the computer desk put together and the dining room table cleared off.

Walter is going to be hooking up all the remaining electronics shortly. We're going to see if we can't get the living room computer set up as a printing hub. It will nice to be able to print at anytime without worrying about needing to hook up the printer to the laptop.

I've managed to get about half of the boxes emptied and at least put in the proper rooms where the contents is going to finally reside.

I had a great evening - I went out for a ride on a motorcycle. First time ever! We rode all the way to the Red Barn and Powhatan. What a great way to break up the moving monotony. It was a very fun adventure. It was amazing the way that you could feel the temperature change the further we got away from town. It was a dramatic difference. I'm glad that I took the ATV course with Walter a few years ago.

When I got back this evening I started to get to work on the laundry only to find out that the washer doesn't work. Grrrr.... The maintenance department says they will have the washer & dryer checked out tomorrow, and while they are at it they are going to check the freon (or whatever it is now) in the air conditioner unit.

Well the rain has finally hit us. It is really pouring down. I'm glad that we got the ride in earlier today. I'm sure that we'd have looked like drowned rats if we'd been out this evening.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

40 Detroiters

Saint Peter was manning the Pearly Gates when forty people from Detroit showed up.

Never having seen anyone from Detroit at heaven's door, Saint Peter said he would have to check with God.

After hearing the news, God instructed him to admit the ten most virtuous people from the group.

A few minutes later, Saint Peter returned to God breathless and said, "They're gone!"

"What? All of the Detroiters are gone?" asked God.

"No!" replied Saint Peter. "The Pearly Gates!"

Saturday

Even though there wasn't but so much left in the apartments, it almost overwhelmed me. I was able to get everything packed into boxes and will help from both Walter & Sean. Everything was loaded and moved to the new place.

There is so much stuff to sort through. I've got to get the contents of two apartments combined into one and figure out what goes where. No easy task and I may just scream before it's all done getting organized and things are all in order. I did get the keys all turned in to the office so we are 'through' with the old places, so now I can at least focus on the new place.

Sean helped me with the moving out till about 1:30 p.m. After that I got him back home.

Walter was out in the country doing some skeet shooting, when they experienced a big thunderstorm complete with hail. The storm missed us here although we did experience strong winds here.

Friday

I had a surprise this morning at work. Christie brought Master Carter in for a visit. He has grown so much in the last 5 months. He is getting so big.

















It has been a busy evening. I picked Sean up after work and we headed off to Wally World so that I could get my nails done before we headed back to the apartment. It ended up taking us longer than expected, but boy to my hands and feet feel so much better. I even got creative and had them paint a design on my big toe nail. :)

Sean enjoyed sitting in the massage chair. He was almost asleep at one point. Quite relaxed.

On the way home we were treated to this wonderful sunset.

Thursday Evening

Here we are at another Thursday. The day has been hectic as usual. I've been working on getting the things together for our next conference. Sometime in the scope of all the going ons over the next seven days, I've got to get some laundry done. Most likely this weekend.

Sean 'll be coming over to spend the night on Friday and part of the day on Saturday. The loveseat hasn't arrived yet (pull-out sleeper) so we'll have to back up and punt on the sleeping arrangements. But at least he'll have his own room to sleep in.

Hump Day

Hump Day has arrived. It's overcast and looks like it could rain at any minute.

Walter and I got the kitchen stuff moved out of my apartment last night. I need to get down there tonight for paintings and curtains, as well as a my painting supplies. Then....hopefully we'll be done with that one.

I've started getting the boxes at the new place unpacked and stuff put away, but moving this time has been so unorganized. I usually have boxes labled and at least know where they go, but not so this time. I don't even have my room layouts drawn out.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “Strive to be the greatest man in your country, and you may be disappointed. Strive to be the best and you may succeed: he may well win the race that runs by himself.” — Benjamin Franklin

Insanity: Doing the Same Thing Each Day and Expecting Different Results!

A Simple Explanation of Baseball
This is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count.

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out.

When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out.

The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.

Doctor's Orders
A guy says to the bartender, "A glass of your finest Less, please."

"Less? Never heard of it."

"C'mon, sure you have."

"No, really, we don't stock it. What is it? Some kind of foreign beer?"

"I'm not sure. It was my doctor who mentioned it. He said I should drink Less."

Restroom Use Policy
FROM: Human Resources Department
SUBJECT: Restroom Use Policy

In the past, employees were permitted to make trips to the restroom under informal guidelines. Effective immediately, a Restroom Trip Policy will be established to provide a more consistent method of accounting for each employee's restroom time and ensuring equal treatment of all employees.

Under the policy a "Restroom Trip Bank" will be established for each employee. The first day of each month, employees will be given twenty Restroom Trip Credits. These credits may be accumulated.

Within four to six weeks, the entrance doors to all restrooms are being equipped with personal identification stations and computer- linked voice print recognition devices. Before the end of the month each employee must provide two copies of voice prints (one normal and one under stress) to the Human Resources Department. The voice print recognition station will be operational but not restrictive during the entire month. Employees should acquaint themselves with the stations during that period.

If the employee's Restroom Trip Bank balance reaches zero, the doors to the restrooms will not unlock for that employee's voice until the first of the next month. In addition, all restroom stalls are being equipped with timed paper roll retractors. If the stall is occupied for more than three minutes, an alarm will sound. Thirty-seconds after the alarm sounds, the roll of paper will retract into the wall, the toilet will flush, and the stall door will open. If the stall remains occupied, your picture will be taken.

The picture will then be posted on the bulletin board located in the Employee Relations Office. Anyone's picture showing up three times will immediately be terminated. If you have any questions about this policy, please ask your supervisor. They have all received advanced instructions.

Crocheted Dolls
There was once a man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything.

They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue.

She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll." The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears.

Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

"Honey," he said, "that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?"

"Oh," she said, "that's the money I made from selling the dolls."

If
In ancient Sparta, citizens were noted for economy of speech.

Legend has it that Philip of Macedonia, storming the gates of Sparta, sent a message to the besieged king..."If we capture your city we will burn it to the ground."

A one-word answer came back:

"If".

Hot/Cold Sex as viewed by Grandpa and Grandma...
After his exam, the doctor said to the elderly man: "You appear to be in good health. Do you have any medical concerns you would like to ask me about?"

"In fact, I do," said the old man. "After I have sex with the Mrs., I am usually cold and chilly; and then, after I have sex with her the second time, I am usually hot and sweaty."

After examining his elderly wife, the doctor said: "Everything appears to be fine. Do you have any medical concerns that you would like to discuss with me?"

The lady replied that she had no questions or concerns. The doctor then said to her: "Your husband had an unusual concern. He claims that he is usually cold and chilly after having sex with you the first time; and then hot and sweaty after the second time. Do you know why?"

"Oh, for Pete's sake - that crazy old fart!" she replied. "That's because the first time is usually in January, and the second time is in August."

Monday

Happy Memorial Day.

Sunday

We both were pretty much worthless today - Although we did get all the clothes moved over.

Walter & I hit Mi Hicendia for dinner this evening. We saw this sign painted on the handicapped space. I was amused at the unusual take on a common sign.

Friday

I'm not in the 'mood' to move. I'm just not 'motivated' to gather up everything and schlep it from place to place. Walter & Patrick have been shoving stuff in Patrick's truck - wiht the hope of reducing the cost of what the movers will be.

I ended up going out for the evening - it got me out of their way. I was out at the reservior after dark and tried a new method of photography - just shooting in the dark. Much to my amazement I was able to get a shot of a couple of ducks that were swimming nearby. I missed one of a heron that landed in the area, maybe next time.

Saturday

I had a wonderful first night in the new apartment. (Walter & Patrick had moved my bed in first). The chore of moving is looming for the day - we're waiting for the movers to arrive. Somewhere in here we are also going to be seeing the cable guy.

Eagles Concert

Here are a few pictures that I was able to get of the concert using the cell phone. Distant and grainy, but it is a cell phone and they wouldn't let me take the camera. :(

Walter & I rolled back into Richmond this morning at 2:30 a.m., just in time to get to bed, turn over a couple of time and get up to head off to work. My brain has been pretty much mush today. Running on empty....














This evening I've been working on putting stuff in boxes. Ahhhh.....We're moving in just over 48 hours and I am no where near ready. Hmmm....I wonder who I could get to pack for me....I don't want to pack...

At least I've got all weekend to move the miscellaneous stuff. Hopefully nothing will get broken in the move. I'm trying to get the old and important stuff into a couple of boxes off by themselves so that they can be handled with extra care.

In just a little while, I'll be running the teleconference for the evening.

Tuesday

It's been a busy day at TecHead learning Dreamweaver. It is amazing how much of this stuff actually make sense. Most likely because I've been piddling around with the html code for a number of years now. But having the ability to apply it in CSS will make a remarkable difference in the way that I get things set up in the future. Who knows I may even get energetic and redo my own website!

I'm off this evening to dinner at Sine's on Cary Street. I'm looking forward to getting out and doing some socializing. I'm sure that the company will be quite pleasant.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Political Correctness
The following is the winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term.

"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

Restroom Use Policy

FROM: Human Resources Department
SUBJECT: Restroom Use Policy

In the past, employees were permitted to make trips to the restroom under informal guidelines. Effective immediately, a Restroom Trip Policy will be established to provide a more consistent method of accounting for each employee's restroom time and ensuring equal treatment of all employees.

Under the policy a "Restroom Trip Bank" will be established for each employee. The first day of each month, employees will be given twenty Restroom Trip Credits. These credits may be accumulated.

Within four to six weeks, the entrance doors to all restrooms are being equipped with personal identification stations and computer- linked voice print recognition devices. Before the end of the month each employee must provide two copies of voice prints (one normal and one under stress) to the Human Resources Department. The voice print recognition station will be operational but not restrictive during the entire month. Employees should acquaint themselves with the stations during that period.

If the employee's Restroom Trip Bank balance reaches zero, the doors to the restrooms will not unlock for that employee's voice until the first of the next month. In addition, all restroom stalls are being equipped with timed paper roll retractors. If the stall is occupied for more than three minutes, an alarm will sound. Thirty-seconds after the alarm sounds, the roll of paper will retract into the wall, the toilet will flush, and the stall door will open. If the stall remains occupied, your picture will be taken.

The picture will then be posted on the bulletin board located in the Employee Relations Office. Anyone's picture showing up three times will immediately be terminated. If you have any questions about this policy, please ask your supervisor. They have all received advanced instructions.

Doctor's Orders
A guy says to the bartender, "A glass of your finest Less, please."

"Less? Never heard of it."

"C'mon, sure you have."

"No, really, we don't stock it. What is it? Some kind of foreign beer?"

"I'm not sure. It was my doctor who mentioned it. He said I should drink Less."

Monday

Walter called me early this morning, it seems that his house guest has left the building. But not before leaving him with a memorable experience.

I'm off to my Dreamweaver class beginning today. I've got three days of it. I'm sure it will be a lot to take in. I've got the yellow legal pad to take notes.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison

Sunday

I was able to catch up with Walter and the little 'tramp' that has decided to move in with him. I walked and caught her, so here is the evidence...