Road Trip Adventure Part 2

As the clock hands crept toward midnight on Thursday, we were preparing to begin our latest and greatest road trip to the Outer Banks. We began by picking up Mom just before Midnight and off we went. The goal, to reach the Bodie Island Lighthouse before dawn, in order to take pictures of the light while it was still clearly visible in the wee hours of the morning. It sounds easier than it was.

We made it to the Bodie Island around 5:30 a.m. Got things set up and waited. Took a few pictures in the dark, testing out camera setting and such. As the dawn began to break we just kept snapping until around 7:30 a.m.



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Onward to Buxton to drop Carla off at the motel before continuing the journey on to Ocracoke. We stopped along the way to explore the beach and let Carla run about the beach for awhile. I wasn't quite sure that she would be up to it after her last excursion with the water chasing her.

While waiting for the ferry, this gull was quite the noisy fellow. He kept squawking almost seemingly to say, 'Look at me, look at me!' He did have our attention. The ride over was overcast and not too pleasant. Walter was quite happy to stay in the car. After we docked we drove around the island and got several photos of the lighthouse there before heading back to Howard's Pub for lunch.



The ferry ride back was quite a bit better than going over, the skies had cleared up and there were lots of birds to take photos of. The pelicans were skirting the tops of the water and the gulls followed the ferry. At the dock there were three Canadian Geese perched on tops of the pilings. They almost seemed out of place among the other types of birds.

We made back to Buxton in time to catch the sunset over the sound.

Then on a lark we decided to try to get shots of the Hatteras Lighthouse at dusk. It was much harder than the ones that we had taken first thing in the morning. Then again we had taken a lot longer to set up than we were able to in the evening.

We set up on Lighthouse Road to get these. We did drive around the area for a bit. We saw about a dozen or more deer on the edge of the road just after dusk. We went all the way up to the lighthouse to try for night photos. One wasn't all that bad, but it was terribly grainy. As we pulled around the parking lot we spotted around five deer in the field at the end of the parking lot.

We found out after we got back to the motel that Walter had broken a weld left front of his truck, so Saturday morning was going to be devoted to finding a shop to have it repaired. The remainder of the evening was uneventful and we all pretty much crashed having been up for over 24 hours.

I awoke on Saturday with a start, I had planned on photographing the sunrise, but had slept just a bit late. I did get a few nice shots, just not those as the sun comes up over the horizon.


The repair shop that Walter had been referred to in Buxton, didn't do welding, so they sent him to the go-cart shop. Which was closed. I did a bit of scouting on the Internet, but called Jeff who directed us to Golden Gears in Kill Devil Hills. They were able to fix the weld in no time and we were back in business. Walter was so much calmer afterwards, so much more pleasant to be around. We met up with Jeff and his girlfriend just a few miles further up the road and had a great time getting together. We spent the time on the beach chatting and letting the dogs play on the beach.

Since we had spent so much extra time trying to get the car fixed, we weren't able to get up to Corolla to see the horses, instead we traveled home via the Currituck ferry to Knotts Island. It was a lovely 45 minute ride across Currituck Sound. The weather was absolutely delightful and the birds were abundant.

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After we got off the ferry we drove through a wildlife refuge. The birds were everywhere. We stopped at an overlook where we spotted a couple of Canadian geese milling about on the grass. Carla was walking around totally oblivious of them until...I told her to get them. It was really all a ploy to get photos of them taking off. There was no way that she was going to catch, let alone know what to do with them if she even got close.

The one surprise was that we were able to get a photo of a Bald Eagle. I was totally surprised when I saw the shot. I didn't even know what I was taking pictures of at the time. The remainder of the trip was pretty much unphotographable. The light was bad and it is really hard to take pictures out of the windows of a moving vehicle.

All in all I would say that the trip was highly successful and we all had a great time. Can't wait to head back out again for another weekend of finding something to take great pictures of. Thanks Walter for being our chauffeur!

The Chimney Works!

Walter waited until I go home last night to build a fire in the newly repaired fireplace. So here it is two months after our move in we were finally able to enjoy a warm fire on a cold rainy night.

A Week's Worth of Happenings

It has been an extremely long week, as are most weeks that lead up to one of our two day conferences. This week was just a wee bit longer, since on top of the usual preparation necessary, I was working two teleconference calls on the Thursday evening prior. One at 8 p.m. Eastern then the 2nd at 8 p.m. Pacific (11 p.m. Eastern). In the end I didn't get into before until around 12:30 a.m. this morning.

I was surprised this morning, as I headed out for downtown Richmond, with the blanket of fog that was covering the area. Leaving the house it was almost impossible to see further than a car length in front of me. The fog certainly didn't clear out any the closer I got to the river, however things did improve by the time I made it to Cary Street.

There have been some of the usual snafu's along with a few that have been a tremendous hassel. I tried to access the office remotely (usually not a problem) and wasn't able to find the office computer. Turned out that the office router was acting up, all it needed was a reboot and things were back to normal. Yet it took a couple of hours to figure this out.

I'm exploring going back to school to get a Masters Graphic Design Certification. It is a 17 class program and would really do some back filling on what I've been doing. Since I've never really 'taken' any classes in the work that I do. I've managed to slip in a few phone calls about school during the day today and am pretty sure that this is something that I'll be doing. I'll be able to get a student loan for this and that'll definitely help get things underway and give me a way to manage it without a huge chunk out of pocket at the start.

The little squirrel was hanging out next to the fence behind the office this week. He was having a grand old time munching on Cheerios. There was a Blue Jay too, but he was much more elusive, by the time I'd get him in focus he'd fly off. Maybe next time.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought for the Day: (Fortune cookie wisdom) "Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there."

Cleaning Poem

I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been 'computering',
And I had to answer 'yes.'

He told me to get off my fanny
And tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...
I was just admiring my work.
I didn't mean to 'click.'

But click, I did, and oops I found
A real absorbing site.
That I got SO way into it.
I was into it all night.

Nothing's changed except my mouse
It's very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess.....
While I sit here on my hiney.


Public Restrooms
This is hilarious
When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seatcovers'(invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty.. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest w! ay possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT . It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late.

Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat beca use YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe! with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe! (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this'

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs.

It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...

Hard to Find
Supportive
Comfortable
Always Lifts You Up
Never Lets You Down or Leaves You Hanging
And Is Always Close To Your Heart!!!

FINALLY, SOMEONE HAS CLEARED THIS UP
For centuries, Hindu women have worn a dot on their foreheads. Most of us have naively thought this was connected with tradition or religion, but the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C. has recently revealed the true story.

When a Hindu woman gets married, she brings a dowry into the union. On her wedding night, the husband scratches off the dot to see whether he has won a convenience store, gas station, donut shop, taxi cab or a motel in the United States . If nothing is there, he must remain in India to answer telephones and provide us with technical advice.

Our Conversation with the Sheriff

Walter wanted me to make it perfectly clear to everyone. That when the Sheriff walked up to the car he wasn't poised to give him a ticket. It was just a conversation. The Sheriff only asked for his driver's license, no registration or anything like that. The jist of the conversation was hi how you doing, where you headed, and did he realize that we had just gone through a 25 mph zone. He was telling us this as we sat at the speed limit sign indicating 35 mph.

He wasn't even carrying a ticket book with him. He never told us exactly how fast we were going, so I'm presuming there was no radar involved. He just said we were going a little fast and wanted him to know.

We had just been keeping pace with the vehicle in front of us and hadn't seen any change in speed limit signs, so it really was a surprise to both of us. We did make a point of checking out the street signs on the back through. Turns out that the North bound side of the road was heavily marked with 25 mph sign, while the South bound side only had one! Hmm, can you say speed trap.

Spontaneous Road Trip

This morning (Saturday) Walt & I went out to Target to pick up a few things for the house. Curtain rods, sheers and such, when conversation turned to taking pictures and me wanting to go to the Eastern Shore. Well, much to my surprise, Walter had been harboring a secret desire to find an excuse to head off to Ocracoke. So from the time we left Target to the time we pulled into the driveway at home it had been decided that we were off on a road trip to Ocracoke! Packing took less than 20 minutes and that included getting hotel reservations.

Thus began the adventure for the day. Miss Carla hopped in the backseat and settled in for the ride. We hit 460 and headed East to 17, thru the Dismal Swamp and on to Elizabeth City. We got checked into the hotel then headed off to Ocracoke.

Some where on 460, after Wakefield, I spotted several hogs near the side of the road. One sow even had piglets. I hadn't seen pigs in years, of course a picture was absolutely necessary. While going thru the Dismal Swamp we saw no less than seven hawks sitting on fence posts near the road. The rain made it difficult to get photos, but I did manage one of a hawk in flight. We hit Ivor and saw something that I had seen since Italy! Three wheeled little trucks! They were so cute. I called back to the dealer and found out that they are classified here as motorcycles! Hmm... This could be a interesting turn of events.

On the way to the Outerbanks we passed by Grave Digger and got the obligatory photos. Walter had to stop at Hatteras Hammocks to pose for a picture next to the world's largest hammock. We stopped by the Bodie Island lighthouse for photos and then headed on towards Hatteras.

We made a stop at one of the walkovers and took Carla over the dunes to the beach. I don't know who was funnier, Carla or Walter laughing at Carla. She was so excited. When we got to the dunes she had to stop everywhere to smell everything! On the beach she was so hyper, running everywhere, not quite seeming to know what to do. Walt ran down to the edge of the water and she followed right along. Until....the water chased her. That's when she took off back up toward the dunes. She was having no part of water that moved, no way!

Our ferry ride over to Ocracoke was uneventful for Walt & I, but for Carla it was another matter. We had her out on deck to stretch, but she really shied away from walking too far. She did look much more comfortable once safely ensconced in the backseat of the car, and even more so once the wheels hit dry land.

We continued our trip onward to Howard's Pub. This was the goal of the whole trip, dinner out! Having never dined there I had no expectation other than what Walter told me and the fact that it was good, amazing in itself. I definitely wasn't disappointed. The oysters, shrimp and scallops were fabulous. We even had a bowl of crab corn chowder which was flavorful and really hit the spot on a rainy evening.

The only thing that I should have done before leaving was try to get a cup of cofee to go. The coffee would have really hit the spot while riding back on the ferry. Turns out that, what we would have known if we came this way often, virtually everything on Hatteras Island closes down before 9:00 p.m. I don't know if it's that way during the Summmer or not. We did find one place in Buxton that was still open at 10:00 so we were able to stock up on coffee and a couple of other things for the 2 1/2 hour trip back to Elizabeth City.

That drive turned out to be one of the oddest things I've experienced in quite awhile. There was no traffic on the road. From the time we got off the ferry at 9:30 p.m. to the time we arrived back MilePost 1, Walter counted five cars traveling North. Of that five only 1 car ever passed us the others were just headlights in the rearview mirror. The number going South was markedly higher - giving Walter the creepy feeling that they were 'running away' from something that he was driving right into.

We got back into Elizabeth City around 12:30 a.m. It was nice to be out of the car, dry and able to stretch out for a good rest. Carla definitely seemed grateful as well.

I've posted photos on Facebook and you can see them by click on this link.

Winding Down the Week

Here it is the end of a long week. It has been quite eventful. The big snow, a snow day, a teaser snow day, adventures in ice driving, late work nights, a couple of teleconference, continued on and off construction in the house, window delivery, all to be topped off with the two-day conference.

The conference which was the big build up for the week has gone very well. Our doctors arrived on Friday morning all in good spirits, having come in from all parts of the United States (Connecticut, Florida, California, Minnesota, and even Hawaii). Our group is ever expanding, It was great greeting them all, they have become more like friends rather than just 'clients'. There were several doctors in the group that weren't in attendance and they were greatly missed. I trust that they will be here in June at our next meeting.

Yesterday, during our meeting, I had a conference call and was able to get near a window on the 10th floor of the Omni here in Richmond. The view was quite interesting. It was the reflections in the windows of the neighboring building that were of particular interest.




There was even a view of the James River and train tracks running beside it. Looking a little closer we were even able to see the rapids near the middle of the river.


Driving into Richmond this morning I noticed on the Wachovia Securities building sign that the DOW was sitting near 6650. Wow! Where have I been for the last few weeks/months? The last time that I had heard or noticed it was sitting at just under 10,000. It must be all the hours that I'm keeping at the office (and away from the news media in general). If they aren't talking about it on 107.3 (this is what we have piped into the office) I'm not hearing about it.

As I pulled up to the stop light at the end of the road, the daffodils in the median were in full bloom. It's hard to believe that just five days ago it was nothing but a big pile of snow. On top of that I was plesantly surprised this evening when I arrived back home. There are crocus' blooming in the front yard. It is going to be a Spring full of surprises, since we haven't a clue as to what's actually planted in the yard.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: "The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. ... I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere." - Thomas Jefferson

Hot and Cold Sex
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 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 that crazy old man," she replied.

"That's because the first time is usually in January and the second time is in August."

The Importance of Correct Punctuation
Dear John:

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you let me be yours?
Gloria

Dear John:

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever.

When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?

Yours,
Gloria

SNOW DAY!

Today is my first official 'Adult' Snow Day, in over 25 years. It is a very odd feeling. Way back in the early 80's I had one or two when I was working for Liberty Mutal, but since then...I was always home with the kids. When the kids had a snow day it was a double work day for me. Cleaning up from all the running in and out.

Now that the snow has almost ceased falling, I am in a slight pickle. No snow shovel. I'm not sure where it went from the move two years ago to the apartment, although who really needs one in an apartment. I really should have bought one on Saturday, but I was in denial...it just doesn't snow in Richmond. We get teased, just never enough to be more of annoyance. Until...you're not prepared and get taught a lesson. Looks like that will be an after the fact purchase sometime next week, that won't be used for another five years.

This afternoon...

I headed outside when there was a lull in the snow to dig out the car. I was used a dust pan (necessity is the mother of invention). It did a really nice job, but I wouldn't want to go for a long stretch doing it. Just when I thought I'd gotten things going well I started to go back into the house only to find the utility room storm door stuck. The storm door got too cold and became firmly stuck.

I didn't have keys, but I did have the cell phone. Which turned out not to be of much use since Walter wasn't answering his phone (he was inside the house). I pounded on the door some more then finally had to call Christine to get her to let me in. That's when things really got funny. The door wouldn't open for her...so she tracked down Walter so that he could open it, but then it wouldn't open for him.

He finally resorted to going out the back door, getting a shovel (albeit a very small one) and digging a path for me to the back door so I could get in. By the time we got to the backdoor and were all ready to come in, the backdoor was locked. The little guy in the house locked the backdoor after Walter went outside. After pounding on the door and trying to get the little guy to unlock the door (without success). I gave up and called Christine again to let us into the house.

I'm FINISHED with being outside. No more going out for me, being locked out is absolutely no fun.

I lied. I did head back out, but only with supervision. I wanted a few more pictures, before things got too mushy.

March Snow!

Here it is March 1st and we have our 1st, more than a flurry, snow storm. We started out with a bit of sleet then progressed on to actual snow.

Walter had us order in some pizza for dinner. It was getting late and he noticed that traffic was not moving up the road, so he walked down to pick up the pizza from the driver at the road. It seems that the little hill up to our house is giving a whole lot of people difficulty.

It looks like we have about 3-4 inches of snow on the deck railing. Carla went out to potty, and immediately turned right around and came back into the house. She's not interested in pottying in the cold wet snow. She's not that desperate yet.

The scenery is lovely. I wish I could get photos at night. It is beautiful. We don't get that much snow that looks great. I'm sensing an early morning with the camera outside, I do want to get photos before it melts away.

I snapped these out the side door of the house, they are more of the neighbor's yard than ours, but I was trying to get the snow.

A Few Things From My Email

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought for the Day: 'People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did.' 'But people will never forget how you made them feel!'

159 Years Ago

California became a state in 1850

The people had no electricity.
The state had no money.
Almost everyone spoke Spanish.
There were gunfights in the streets.

So basically nothing has changed except the women had real boobs
and the men didn't hold hands

AUSTRALIAN CARTOONS...NOT SEEN IN AMERICA

Walter

Walter has been home one too many days. I do believe that he is trying to lose his mind. He's watched one too many commericals and they are having an adverse effect on his mental stability. He has become an outspoke advocate of doing away with a number of corporations and products due to the repetitive nature of the advertisements. Craziness run amuck!!!

A Great Beginning

The weekend has started off on a right note. Walter & I headed out last night to O'Charleys to meet up with a few friends. We had a blast. It has been a long time since I've been out on a Friday night. Walter was impressed that 'the old guys' were so much fun.

This morning I've been puttering around the house getting it cleaned up from the week. We're still waiting on the new windows to arrive. It seems that the manufacturer has laid off a number of people and it is slowing down their delivery schedule. Lovely. I think that's the second thing that we've had to wait for.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: This is a quote worth reading and holding onto...let it sink in!

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

~~~ The late Dr. Adrian Rogers , 1931 to 2005, Former Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis , TN ~~~

It is indeed sad that those who really need to know and understand this very simple logic will never see it and are too dumb to comprehend it.

OBAMA'S TWO-WEEK RECAP
1. The American people elect a black president with a total of 42 days experience as a U S Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to close Gitmo and make sure Terrorists civil rights are not violated.
2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.
3. The CIA Boss, Leon Penetta with absolutely no experience, has a daughter Linda we find out, that is a true radical anti-American activist who is a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.
4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State; bought and paid for.
5. We got a Tax Cheat for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.
6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.
7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.
8. A Labor Sec'y nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct.
9. A Sec'y HHS nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes.

And that's just the first two weeks . . . but who's counting.

America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~ Barrack, Nancy, and Harry ~ and they are still trying to define stimulus.

Stimulus is where the government gives a smidgen of your tax dollars back to you making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated] that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!

One Big Ass Mistake America

Mid-week Musings

Heading out this morning I was bombarded by sleet. It was as if a small army had taken it upon itself to try to slow down the movement of traffic and raise the hope of school children everywhere with its attack. It was not to be. Traffic still moved and children still went to school. The snow that followed was pretty, even though it was not long lasting. The rain for the rest of the day just made everything cold and wet. Yuck!

I was steadily busy all day at the office. First thing this morning I was surprised by an email for yet another teleconference that was going on. Wow! The biggest and 'bestest' thing that happened this afternoon was the arrival of the Dell technician to work on our server. What should have been a very simple operation turned into a minor nightmare. As the story goes, the new DVD player for the server that was purchased last week (it took 3 hours to make the purchase) turned out to be for a different server, not ours. The tech spent 1 1/2 hours on the phone trying to track down what had gone wrong. He talked to people in California and Panama. How and why he got connect to Panama we may never know. [Sort of like the old Tootie Pop commericals, "And the world may never know."]

Finally after much fanagling we was able to pass me off to someone who was compentent to handle the situation. Although it was made much more challenging than it should have because the phone call kept getting dropped. The representative did have my number, thank goodness, so she was able to call me back. Come on a dropped call is one thing, but six times is a whole other thing. In the end they were able to save the company over $120.00 on the new part. I guess you could call it the silver lining at the end of a three hour phone marathon.

The evening teleconference happily turned out to be much shorter than anticipated. I was able to have a few minutes afterward to talk with Roz. Normally neither one of us has much time to just chat. Work keeps both of us hopping.

Here's to a speedy Thursday, although it is going to go long. After hours tomorrow the office is having a reception for patients to celebrate Dr. Martin's 25th year of doing implants. In addition to that there are two teleconferences. One at 7 p.m. followed by one at 10 p.m. EST. Busy, busy.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought for the Day: A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.

Cow's Tail
A man staggered into a hospital with a concussion, multiple bruises, two black eyes, and a five iron wrapped tightly around his throat.

Naturally, the doctor asked him, 'What happened to YOU?'

'Well, I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife, when at a difficult hole, we both sliced our golf balls into a field of cattle. And I noticed one of the cows had something white at its rear end.'

'I walked over, lifted its tail, and sure enough, there was a golf ball with my wife's monogram on it - stuck right in the middle of the cow's fanny.'

'Still holding the cow's tail up, I yelled to my wife, 'Hey, this looks like yours!''

'I don't remember much after that.'

A Day of Discovery

Here we are already into another week Walter & I have been searching the house high & low for his wallet that was last seen on January 20th. I have been through virtually every box, bin and drawer in the house. Well, I got a little note from Walter just as I was heading home from work today letting me know that he had made the great discovery....he found the wallet.

Now before I tell you where I must say the he had already purchased a new wallet, you know buy a new one and you find the old one. He was trying everything before making the dreaded call to the bank for a new debit & credit card. He finally broke down and made the call at the end of last week and low and behold I found his debit card in a box of desk stuff. Today he found the wallet in an ammo box. And as luck would have it today his new credit card arrived in the mail, just what he had been trying to avoid in the first place by putting it off. Hmm....

His message said that he must have been on drugs when he put it there, which is absolutely true. Pain killers from his surgery must have really had him loopy for it to have been put in there. Following the train of 'fuzzy logic' involved with putting your wallet in an ammo box - it would be a safe place. And as luck would have it today his new credit card arrived in the mail, just what he had been trying to avoid in the first place by putting it off. Hmm....

An update came in on what we thought was a dog attack on the cats in the neighborhood. Turns out that it was a grey fox. It had apparently been roaming around the neighborhood and met up with a car sometime in the last day or two.

A Post

I have been informed that I am not blogging enough. Of course, I have been spending quite a bit of time over on Facebook catching up with a whole lot of people from high school.

Let's see...there has been so much going on over the past month it is hard to keep it all straight. We closed on the 9th of January on the new house (Walt bought the house while having surgery.) We moved into the house on the 24th. The movers were great! I even have moving pictures, alas not uploaded or even edited.

The house was to say the least not ready for us. We moved in without the carpets installed, the painting hadn't been done and various other things were in a terrible state of disarray. We slept on the sofas for 3 days before the builder took pity on us and set up the beds in the uncarpeted bedrooms so we could at least get a decent night's sleep. By the next weekend things were beginning to come around

So far the bedrooms have been carpeted and painted. The hallway has a new coat of paint and floating hardwoods. The Florida room has new floating hardwoods and a fresh coat of paint. The laundry room has a new floor and paint job. They came in last week and started re-roofing, but were short by one container of shingles, now we're waiting on the store to be open for them to pick them up. (It seems that President's Day threw a wrench into the works.) We're scheduled to have new windows installed on Wednesday or Thursday. I'm not sure if they which day that will get started. Once they are done the list of things to do shrinks considerably. Leaving only 3 rooms to patch and paint. Hopefully we'll be finished with all the construction by the first of March

On a positive, at the end of last week, a neighborhood guy came by looking to earn some money. Nothing like a teenager wanting to work for money. He's now in charge of raking all the leaves in the yard. He is quite the industrious worker. He has a plan I think to have it all finished or close to it by the end of the week. Walt tells me they are going out of town at the end of the week for a week long vacation (now we know why he wanted to earn some money.) I applaud him though, it is difficult to find someone who's willing to do yardwork.

When Dogs Attack

Well, Walter gave me a call this morning at the office to report on the fracus that occurred in our yard last night. He had heard a dog chasing a cat last night and some questionable noises following so this morning he went out after I left and discovered that a feral cat dead in our backyard. He did some looking around and from what he saw it appears that the neighbors dog took out after the cat, that was sitting next to our deck, and chased it towards the wooded area behind the houes. The cat got about 30 feet before the dog got it. From his account the cat was torn up (not a pretty sight at all). He went next door and talked to the neighbors about it and found out that they have a pitbull. Lovely! Just what we need next door. I hadn't seen that particular dog at all. I knew that there they had a small dog, but a pit bull. No fun whatsoever.

This means we are going to have to watch more closely when we let Carla out in the evenings and probably during the day as well. I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to her - I mean she's not much larger than a big cat.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Stupid Women #@^*">>?##

This morning on the Interstate,
I looked over to my left and there was a
Woman
In a brand new Cadillac
Doing 65 mph
With her
Face up next to her
Rear view mirror
Putting on her eyeliner.
I looked away
For a couple seconds
And when I looked back she was
Halfway over in my lane,
Still working on that makeup.
As a man,
I don't scare easily.
But she scared me so much;
I dropped
My electric shaver,
Which knocked
The donut
Out of my other hand.
In all
The confusion of trying
To straighten out the car
Using my knees against
The steering wheel,
It knocked
My cellphone
Away from my ear
Which fell
Into the coffee
Between my legs,
Splashed,
And burned
Big Jim and the Twins,
Ruined the darn phone,
Soaked my trousers,
And disconnected an Important call.
Stupid women drivers

A Friday OFF

It has been an extreme week. Moving last Saturday into the new house, that is definitely not ready for us. There is still quite a bit of construction remaining to be done. But overall things are beginning to come together. It looks like we just might have all the flooring completed in the bedroom 'wing' of the house by evening. This will be a most welcomed relief. No sandy, sawdusty floors to walk around on before bed. The carpets went in yesterday and they are putting in the floating hardwoods in the hallway. So yes there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

Brian & I put in a late night at the office last night. We shot a live webcast at 7 p.m. and the grimlins got into the software. That caused us to have to reshoot the 'replay' webcast live at 10 p.m. for those on the west coast. The 2nd webcast recorded without a hitch and had us all set up for an archived copy. It was around 11:15 when I left last night. 7:30 -11:15 did make for the long day.

I had today off to work around the house and unpack a few more things, but the productivity hasn't been all that I had hoped for. But on the bright side the floating hardwoods are going in.

Mid-January?

Here we are at the end of another very busy week. Busy week, that's beginning to sound redundant, since just about every week is very busy. We're all prepared at work for our conference that begins this morning and runs through Saturday late afternoon. With all the preparation that has been it will be fantastic if things go as smoothly as planned. No glitches will be an awesome end of the week!

Catching up on the house, they found another place in the joist that had been cut incorrectly. It could have been a big issue later if it hadn't been found. Thank goodness we were already fixing the opposite side of the living room floor. The contractor was being very through in checking for problems. It is going to save us so much further down the line. We've begun taking picture of the interior as they have started working. The carpet was removed a couple of days ago. So Walt will see progress has been made when he heads over that way today.

Only 8 more days till the move, next Saturday is the big day. All the plans are in place. Movers scheduled, utilities turned on. Now just to finish up the final few boxes and we're off. I'll be getting the boxes finalized this weekend as much as possible after our conference.

The week begins.

The day went fairly well. Lots of productivity at work.

Walter met with our builder today and construction will commence tomorrow. YEAH! About time. He also spoke with an HVAC guy who will be getting started in the next week or so. That will get us in and warm. I've still got to find out who to get to come in and clean and inspect the chimney.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

"Horse Looking"
One day a man passed by a farm and saw a beautiful horse.

Hoping to buy the animal, he said to the farmer: "I think your horse looks pretty good, so I'll give you $500 for him."

"He doesn't look good, and he's not for sale," the farmer said.

The man insisted, "I think he looks good and I'll up the price to $1000!"

"He doesn't look so good," the farmer said, "but if you want him that much, he's yours."

The next day the man came back raging mad. He went up to the farmer and screamed, "You sold me a blind horse! You cheated me!"

The farmer calmly replied, "I told you he didn't look so good, didn't I?"

Sunday

Walt was able to sleep in some this morning. He seemed to have done well throughout the night. I spent the day catching up laundry for both Walter & myself. The last load is in the dryer. I did get a few more boxes packed.

It's coming along, I just hope I've got it all together by the 21st. That's my goal for having all but the bare basics ready to move.

Must buy packing tape tomorrow and bring home newspaper for packing.

Saturday

We've had a busy last couple of days. Early Friday morning (5:15) Walter gave me a call wanting me to bring him a couple of things to the hospital before I went to work. It made for a beginning of a very long day. After a very full day at the office I was back over at the hospital after stopping off for a few groceries, which turned out to be a problem.

Somewhere between swiping my debit card at the register and the car I lost it. How, I haven't a clue but needless to say it was gone. Not fretting too much, I figured it was in the bottom of my purse and I just couldn't put my hands on it. While I was visiting with Walter, I dug through the purse and came up empty. I left him sleeping soundly and head back home. I called and reported the card lost and found out that someone had used the card at a BP station shortly after I had been in the grocery store. Thank goodness I'm covered - I'll be reimbursed for any fradulent charges. Now just to wait for the new card to arrive so I can get back to normal shopping.

Today I did get to sleep in for a little while. I started out the day packing the bookcases and trying to get things cleaned up for Walter's return home. He had brought a bunch of boxes in on Thursday and they were beginning to take over everything. Mom jumped in and came over and help to begin packing up the kitchen. In the midst of all the packing, Walter called to tell us that he was being discharged.

I picked him up close to 2 p.m. He was so happy to get home. He couldn't stand the bed at the hospital. I do believe that it was about to drive him nuts. He was able to relax once he got here. I was glad to see him settling in. It does appear that he is doing better this time. Could be a good sign of a quick recovery....let's all hope and pray that is the case.

Dean & Sean came by to visit with him for an hour or so. They had their own good news as well. They are buying a house off Genito Road. So they will be getting out of the apartment in a few months as well. The visit wore Walt out so he's headed off to bed. I don't expect to see him till morning.

An Amazingly Hectic Day!!!

It has been one hectic day! A normal day is hectic enough with ever changing deadlines and new projects, but today really has taken the cake.

I left out this morning with the anticipation of only needing to deal with work and to go visit Walter in the hospital following his surgery. Well...that didn't last long. A quick phone call from Walter threw the afternoon into turmoil. They could schedule closing today! Of course, the sooner the better the only trouble was it was scheduled during his surgery.

So here I sit at the realtor's office awaiting our closing. Walter will only be here in spirit as he is currently in the OR (they took him into surgery at 3:05 p.m.). The title company representative isn't here yet! The pokey person. Punctuality would be great.

Well, I finally got into signing papers around 4:20 p.m. It took about 35 minutes to sign the quarter inch stack of papers in what seemed like triplicate. Sign for Walter, sign for myself, initial for Walter, inital for myself. Ahhhh.... No wonder people don't like to go through this mess too often. Well it was all worth it. Walter bought his first home while he was in surgery.

I made a run by the new house to pick up the key, have one made for Walter and dashed to the hospital. The doctor came in around 6 to let us know how he had done. Everything seemed to have gone fine. They got him in his room around 8:15 p.m.

Mom & I waited until after Walter got in his room before we left. He was in good spirits in general. He was very pleased about his purchase and was definitely ticked about having his own key. The only complaint that he had was lack of morphine. He's on a pump, but it doesn't work the way that the one that he had in Tennessee. We left him as he was finally settling in to sleep.

I drove Mom back home and finally got home myself after 10:15 p.m. It has been a long day and Walter wants me to come by on my way out to work in the morning, so I foresee another long one. Plus I've now got boxes out the ears in the dining room. It will make us look like alcoholics when we move, but they are good moving boxes.

Time to hit the hay. More updates tomorrow.

Closing Day????

Walt was up early this morning and out of the house with me. He went in with me to help finish up the computer from yesterday's virus episode. He took care of everything and was finished up just in time for us to head out to the attorney's office.

We were preparing for the house closing by getting together a few of those necessary legal documents that you need in life. What started out as two documents swelled to seven quickly, at least the services were reasonably priced. We went for two 'freebies' and were up-sold the others. I'm not gripping, they were needed.

We were suppose to close on the house late this afternoon, but things have gotten pushed back to either early tomorrow or Friday morning. The hang up was suppose to be the lack of the water being turned on in the house, but I had that rectified and the inspector was able to verify that was on. The absolute biggest hang up has been the seller's agent. They just don't seem to want to cooperate - not answering emails, phone calls, or even knowing what's going on half the time. It will all be worth it when we finally sit down and sign papers. I know Walter will be thrilled to finally have that part over. Then comes the next leg of the race to our move in date.

Viruses and Rogues

It has been a day full of viruses and rogue computer programs. The morning started off innocently enough, we had the normal beginning of the year 'Annual Planning' meeting. Then the other shoe dropped. The same computer that I dealt with all afternoon yesterday began exhibiting new virus symptoms. Several virus scans later and a phone call to Dell confirmed that the computer would have to be completely be erased and reinstalled. Many hours later we were down to one program remaining to install (the disk wasn't in the box - it must be hiding somewhere).

Back in the groove

Here it is a new year at the office and time to get back into the groove of things. There's video to edit, new magazine's to produce and a whole lot more.

On the whole the day started out fairly well, until the virus crisis struck in the back office. I had to mess around for about four hours getting four trojan virus' and a rogue program off of it. It wasn't just being there working it through it took several trips to research what I was dealing with along with a call to Dell tech support for a clue on what else to do. I was sure glad to see the virus scan come back without any infections.

After work Walt & I ran out to Lowes to pick up out carpet and vinyl for the house. It turned out to be pretty quick. Neutrals colors all around. We even think we found a remant for the utility room that is perfect. Let's just hope that it is still there when the builder goes out to pick it up.

Sunday

It's been a pretty uneventful day. Walt & Patrick came back in from their camping trip to Lynchburg during New Year's weekend. They both seemed to have had a good time and neither was frozen or worse off from the trip.

We made an excursion out this evening to the new house to check on a couple of things. It also gave me a chance to start playing with the furniture layout. Time to break out the graph paper and get things lined up. It will make it so much easier on moving day.

Masquerade Party

The party at Roz's house was as ambitious as ever. The party went quite well. There were loads of people from work, her volleyball team, and family too. I snapped a few photos. These are just a few.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2009 everyone. I've been having a blast chatting with a lot of old friends on Facebook. So glad to have signed up for that darn thing.

Since I was packing anyway, I've been going through all the old photos and scanning in a few.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

THE COUNTRY OF TEXAS
Please note that Texas is the only state with a legal right to secede from the Union . (Reference the Texas-American Annexation Treaty of 1848.) We Texans love y'all, but we'll probably have to take action since B. Hussein Obama won the election. We'll miss you too.

Here is what can happen:

#1: Barack Hussein Obama becomes President of the United States, Texas immediately secedes from the Union.
#2: George W. Bush will become the President of the Republic of Texas . So what does Texas have to do to survive as a Republic?

1. NASA is just south of Houston , Texas . We will control the space industry.
2. We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States.
3. Defense Industry--we have over 65% of it. The term "Don't mess with Texas ," will take on a whole new meaning.
4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need for the next 300 years. Yankee states? Sorry about that.
5. Natural Gas - again we have all we need and it's too bad about those Northern States. John Kerry will have to figure out a way to keep them warm....
6. Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications--small companies like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Miconductor, Dallas Semiconductor, Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, etc, etc. The list goes on and on.
7. Medical Care - We have the largest research centers for cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world, as well as other large health centers. Dallas has some of the best hospitals in the United States
8. We have enough colleges to keep us going: University of Texas , Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Rice, SMU, University of Houston , Baylor, UNT ( University of North Texas ), Texas Women's University, etc. Ivy grows better in the South anyway.
9. We have a ready supply of workers. We could just open the border when we need some more.
10. We have essential control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.
11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard. We don't have an Army, but since everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an Army in 24 hours if we need one. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call the Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over Chuck Norris and a couple of Texas Rangers.
12. We are totally self-sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs, and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables, and let's not forget seafood from the Gulf. Also, everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. Don't need any food.

This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of Texas in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have.

Now to the rest of the United States under President Obama:

Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only President Obama will be able to drive around in his big 9 mpg SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes.

You won't have any TV as the Space Center in Houston will cut off satellite communications.

You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes, but since Mr. Obama has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas as long as you survive the 2000 years it will take to get enough heat from Global Warming.

Signed, The People of Texas

P.S. This is not a threatening letter - just a note to give you something to think about!

SLEEP WELL TONIGHT THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU!!

New Year's Eve

We'll we are closing in on 2009 a little less than 3 hours to go. May everyone have a healthy, happy & prosperous New Year.

Today has been fantastic. I've been able to catch up with a number of people from high school on Facebook today and have been having a blast! 2009 is going to be a great year. I'm already looking forward to a road trip in the Spring.

Busy Start to the Week

I hit the office running this morning. Seven pages of to-do's before next Monday. Yikes. The owner decided that we all need to 'clean house' while he was out of town on vacation. Nothing like sorting and shuffling bunches of files, CDs, DVDs, and assorted miscellaneous stuff. Finding a home for some of this is going to be nothing short of miraculous.

We received good news at the end of business today. Walt & I were able to get out of our apartment lease without any difficulty. They aren't even going to have us pay any penalty for leaving early, which is particularly good news.

After work, we ran out to Home Depot and purchased appliances. Now that was a real experience. Buying seven appliances all at once. Thank goodness they are delivering.

The house closes on the 7th, and there is so much to get done, our list is several legal pad pages long. Even with that much of a list, I do feel as if I'm leaving a lot of items off.

Sunday

Off we went this evening with Mom & Dad to Texas de Brazil, this was their first trip there. Walter as always was quite impressed with the service and food.

Otherwise the day was basically spent packing. I do detest packing, although it is a necessary evil. Only 10 days to closing and 26 days to moving day.

After Christmas Festivities

Yesterday, Walter & I got up very early...he was dying to get to Wally World to buy a computer game (Spore) that his younger brother told him about on Christmas day. It was a true male mission - he was in full hunting mode until he had it in his hand. After than, whatever, he had achieved his goal for the day. We poked around in the Christmas clearance for decorations for the new house for next year, but really didn't find much. The prices were the same as before Christmas. We tried Home Depot in search of a couple of deer for the yard, but they too were out of them.

Walt dropped me off at Mom's and she and I set out for a shopping adventure. We began at the mall, not really shopping for much in particular. I found a diffuser for the flash on my camera, it will make a great deal of difference in the close up shots.

The time we had out was fantastic. We haven't had much time to have a 'girls' day out in ages. Even though we both didn't buy very much, we did have fun. I found the deer for the yard that I was looking for at Target. Poor Mom, she took everythign that I did buy back home with her to store until after the move. At least I won't need to pack what is at her house.

This evening Walt's taking Mom & I downtown to photograph the lights. I just hope that the rain holds off until we get back.

No rain this evening, just nice weather to be out and about.

Here are some of the photos from tonight.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all!

We had a pretty sedate day. Sean wasn't up too early, but was pleased with his 'party pack' of Family Guy DVDs. We all ended up watching the silly things for a good portion of the morning.

Dean came by to pick up Sean and brought along Buddy. It took him a little while to calm down, but he was fairly well behave on the whole. We all met up for lunch at the Mongolian Grill, one of the few places open today. Lunch was surpisingly civil, plenty of pleasant conversation.

Walter is all fired up this evening about a new computer game that Sean & Dean were telling him about. Poor thing was disappointed that Wally World wasn't opened this afternoon so he could buy his very own copy. So in lieu of getting is today, we're off for an early morning shopping adventure in the morning.

Christmas Thoughts

I use to love Christmas. I couldn't wait till the day after Thanksgiving to put up the tree and outdoor decorations. Last year I duly put up the tree, but with Walter's accident and not seeing the other kids, it was almost a moot point. This year it seems, that Scrooge has come been lingering around the apartment. I'm still holding out that it will improve, at least next year will "hopefully" be more settled.

Just heard from the youngest, he's not coming over until tomorrow. Too much to do. Oh, well.

Walter & I headed out for the evening with a stop by Roz's house to deliver the much asked for "peanut butter candy". Courtney was pleased that we brought it by. I doubt that it lasts very long. Glad to have someone enjoy it that much.

We had dinner out at Mom & Dad's with the family. Alice baked a Yule Log cake. It was beautiful. The lasagna was delicious and the company was great. The kids all did great for such an exciting time of year. I've posted a bunch of photos in my Facebook album. The best photo by far was of Terry. He opened up his gift and was tickled to so much with the tags! If only we all could be so excited about something so simple.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: "Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom." - Plato, The Republic

I BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her. On the way, my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted .... "Ridiculous! Don't believe it! That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.

Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care...

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

Christmas Break

Dr. Martin brought in a copy of the new practice magazine, Smiles of Richmond, that we put together. I was so delighted to see all the hardwork had finally come together into a great final product.

Ah...a brief vacation from the normal routine of life. We only worked until 12:30 today, then had a delightful luncheon at Maggiano's at Short Pump Towne Center.

Hmmm...Another Fast Paced & Full Week

It has been one heck of a week. It all began last Friday...Walter had put in an offer to buy a house and was waiting to hear if the offer was accepted, but there had been no reply by end of business. So we wen through the whole, oh well, I guess we'll just stay where we are deal. He even went so far as to start cleaning closets and organizing to stay put.

I put in a long Monday with our out of town copyrighter at the office and even did some video shooting. By the time I got home Monday night, Walt was telling me that the sellers had accepted his offer, even though he had heard nothing. Well, turns out he was absolutely right.

The realtor called him first thing Tuesday with the good news. Well, I got the news early on Tuesday and am going in with him to make the purchase. The house is a great investment and once it is all said and done he'll be ahead when we close. I spoke to the mortage broker and did all the preliminaries for the mortage over the phone, everything went through without issue.

The house will require a little bit of work before we move in, but it is a real DEAL! As you can see it does need a new roof, but that isn't a biggie. Funny it's almost the same color of the house that we lived in on Leiden when Walt was little.

Here's the House - Fordham Road
I put in another long night - till almost 10 p.m. Doing several video shoots after hours for the consulting company. When I got home Walt had lots to tell me and we ended up going over details until nearly 1 a.m.

Now that we have started down the road to closing which is going at such a rapid pace I can hardly believe it. Walt has been taking care of all the details, he even brought papers by the office for me to sign on Wednesday. It was the fastest signing I've ever done. When I got to the end I noticed that the closing date had been changed to DECEMBER 30TH! Two weeks! from offer to close. My head is still spinning. We're meeting on Monday to sign papers with the mortage broker.

APARTMENT UPDATE
I'll be so grateful to be out of this stinking apartment. The ceiling still has a gaping hole in it and there is still water puddled in the carpet in front of the door.

Walt was here on Wednesday when they came and replaced the padding under the carpet, which was removed last weekend becaused it was soaked. They did the replacement and then....a contractor climbed up on the roof and hosed down the roof. Which caused the ceiling to leak and water to soak the newly laid carpet padding. They never did come to clean up their mess.

Then Thursday rolled around and it rained. Hmmm...guess what happened, again! More leaking and more soaked carpeting. I made the call first thing Friday morning to maintenance and left a message, "Good morning, it has rained and now for the 6th time, the ceiling is leaking and the carpet is soaked. Please send someone out to get the water up."

Walt informed me this evening that they did come out, but maintenance isn't allowed to drive on the grass any longer, so they can't bring the carpet machine over to extract the water from the padding. The comedy never ends.

Rainy Disaster

Here is it pouring down rain and the ceiling and front door at the apartment are leaking. So far the water has expanded about 40-inches into the apartment. This is really no way to live.

I've contacted maintenance and they tell me that they can't do anything to fix the problem, the "best" that they could do today was to come in and cut the huge hole in the ceiling, exposing the upstairs neighbor's floor (also you can see there isn't any insulation between the floors).

I'm waiting for the 'repairman'. Walter tells me that they told him that they had to contact a contractor to come out and fix the problem. Hmmm...they also said that he would most likely be installing a stoop over the front door. That sounds just like what I told them that needed to be done three rainy, leaky door days ago. Amazing! Call maintenance. They can't do anything and then they do exactly what you tell them needs to be done.

Even as I am sitting here, the puddle inside is growing with each passing hour. I expect that it will be another five or six inches larger in diameter before morning. You would have thought that maintenance could have brought up a shop vac to suck up some of the water. In fact, I asked them to do so this morning...LAME!

In the meanwhile, we've moved furniture out of the path of the puddle. Hopefully, I may have to put the end table up on top of something before I go to work in the morning. I don't want ruined furniture. It was also mentioned by someone I was talking with this evening that it was a wonderful electrocution hazard. I hadn't really thought about it but, in order to turn the lights on and off in the room we have to access the switch by the front door. It could be a shocking experience.

Sunday Search

Walter continued his search for a house this morning. I believe that he has found the "one" that he wants, it is just a matter of writing up the correct offer. Hopefully, he will have an answer by the first of next week.

A weekend in December

Mom & I went out to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens on Tuesday night to view their GardenFest light display.


See more photos
Today I went out with Walter, so that he could look at houses. He had a handful to look at today and has another handful for tomorrow. He may have found what he is looking for, but we'll see. It is as he said, "a diamond in the rough." It would be a great deal and give him loads for his money. It would just be a matter of the type of offer that the sellers will accept.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: "Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom." - Plato, The Republic

Bank Line
With only two tellers working at the bank, the line I was standing in was moving very slowly. As I waited, I began to fill in my withdrawal slip. Not sure of the date, I turned and asked the woman behind me.

It's the fifth," she replied.

A man from the back of the line advised, "Don't write it in yet!"

Consumerism in Christianity
A man was stranded on the proverbial deserted Pacific island for years.

Finally one day a boat comes sailing into view, and the man frantically waves and draws the skipper's attention. The boat comes near the island and the sailor gets out and greets the stranded man.

After a while the sailor asks, "What are those three huts you have here?"

"Well, that's my house there."

What's that next hut?" asks the sailor.

"I built that hut to be my church."

"What about the other hut?"

"Oh, that's where I used to go to church."

Monday This & That

It has been a busy day loads of video and audio files to mess around with.

This evening Alice and I attended the RAUG meeting at TecHead. We had a great time and picked up a bunch of new tips and tricks for Illustrator. I know that I came out with about five different things that I will use regularly.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

A few things from the email box. Just too funny!


The Centers for Disease Control

The Centers for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically. This virus is called Weary Overload Recreational Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely. If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises.

Take two good friends to the nearest grocery store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

You should immediately forward this medical alert to five friends. If you do not have five friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.