And I've got to get up in about 5 hours. Long flight to Seattle, but thanks to Phil I had a nice first class seat. Looking forward to seeing some nice dogs tomorrow. Kirby and Jason were talking a lot about OFC on the way up from the airport and I'm really jealous. Damn, I need to get out to do that sometime.
More tomorrow. Probably no pics since I don't have a USB cable or a card reader. I'll try to post some when I get back home Monday or Tuesday.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Friday, September 07, 2007
No, I didn't
Nope, didn't follow one of Tam's tenets on blogging. Didn't blog yesterday. Was a bit busy trying to get some of the Virtual environment set up. Had to get a haircut, go to the grocery store, fix dinner, do laundry and pack last night after work. I'm headed to Seattle tonight to judge the Northwest Sporting Greyhound Association's Greyhound Classic this weekend. I'm really looking forward to this assignment as I get to see some folks I haven't seen in about a year and I get to see some of the great NW Greyhounds we hear so much about but never get to see. I'm sure I'll be happy with what the club is doing since they're using drag (something we've not quite "mastered" here) and they're not shy about their yardage! Saturday is 1075 yards and Sunday is 905 yards. Love to see me some Greyhounds who can run some distance!
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Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Cool tech and house stuff
Sort of all over the map today. First, I've been spending a good bit of time looking for siding so that I can repair a rotted place on the house. I know I've mentioned before that our house was a foreclosure. Wasn't taken care of really well, so I still have a lot of work to do to get it up to snuff. Right now I'm painting the exterior. Along with this is repair of some rotted wood on the siding and fascia. The fascia isn't really a big deal, just 1x10 and 1x4 behind the gutters. The house has a bit of craftsmanship (not your typical ranch) and the overhangs are all angled downward away from the house and the fascia is not at a 90 degree to the ground. What happens is that I have to make some pretty complex cuts in order to make my corners.
The siding has turned into a bi of a chore since up until today I didn't really know what I should be asking for. Now I know it's reverse board and batten. Not a really good picture, but it'll do. Now I just have to find it!
Apple released details on the latest IPods today. Cool new IPod Touch and new Nano. The Video IPod is now the IPod Classic (didn't know you could be "classic" after a life of a year or so). Anyway, the IPod Touch looks really nice, based on the IPhone interface and sporting WiFi. Now you'll be able to download music anywhere you can get a WiFi signal and not have to wait until you can connect to your computer. I'm actually a bit surprised it's taken Apple this long to get to that point.
Speaking of Apple, I'm typing this on my new MacBook. Cool tool that I'm able to use for almost everything I do. What's nice is that I can play w/ Unix, Linux, Windows and Mac all from one machine. It's been years since I've played with a Mac and it's taking a bit of time to get used to the OS and the GUI, but I'm getting there.
The siding has turned into a bi of a chore since up until today I didn't really know what I should be asking for. Now I know it's reverse board and batten. Not a really good picture, but it'll do. Now I just have to find it!
Apple released details on the latest IPods today. Cool new IPod Touch and new Nano. The Video IPod is now the IPod Classic (didn't know you could be "classic" after a life of a year or so). Anyway, the IPod Touch looks really nice, based on the IPhone interface and sporting WiFi. Now you'll be able to download music anywhere you can get a WiFi signal and not have to wait until you can connect to your computer. I'm actually a bit surprised it's taken Apple this long to get to that point.
Speaking of Apple, I'm typing this on my new MacBook. Cool tool that I'm able to use for almost everything I do. What's nice is that I can play w/ Unix, Linux, Windows and Mac all from one machine. It's been years since I've played with a Mac and it's taking a bit of time to get used to the OS and the GUI, but I'm getting there.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Tam explains blogging
Tam who writes my favorite blog (she doesn't know me from Adam, but reading her blog inspired me to read and blog more) lays down some excellent blogging guidelines...
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Sunday, September 02, 2007
All is right with the world...
College football season has started and the Good Guys won! Amazing defense with a bit of shallow offense and mix in some good special teams play and you have a recipe for a slaughter of stalwart Notre Dame.
The other team pulled off a victory too, but against who?? :)
Dark day for my friend Dan, though. Not sure how Michigan became the victim of the greatest upset in college football history, but somehow they did. Sorry Dan.
The other team pulled off a victory too, but against who?? :)
Dark day for my friend Dan, though. Not sure how Michigan became the victim of the greatest upset in college football history, but somehow they did. Sorry Dan.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Just Damn
Sitting here at work, trying to figure out how to virtualize a physical server easily and without much pain (I don't think it's possible) listening to Suicidal Tendencies. I just decided to explore their music last week. Why'd I wait so long?
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Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A guy's weekend
Last weekend was great down at Neil's farm. My buddy bought this place four years ago to use as a nursery for his landscaping business. It also makes an excellent place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The farm is less than a couple of hours away, so it's pretty convenient to get to. We took off Thursday evening looking to meet up with our buddy Stephen who was driving up from Bradenton, Florida. We try to get together with Stephen whenever possible and this was our chance this year. As luck would have it, Stephen was pulling through Ellaville at the same time we were. We proceeded to the farm and got unloaded and settled in before grabbing some stuff and heading to Neil's uncle's place a mile up the road. Me and Stephen were on the four wheeler and Andrew and Neil were riding in the Gator. Spent an hour or so cruising around the property, hunting for Armadillos and just generally checking things out. Neil's uncle has some 300 acres so there's a lot of room to just roam about.
Got back to the house and just hung for a bit, drinking a few beers and just shooting the shit. Good to be around a bunch of great guys. Got up Friday morning a *little* hung over but not too bad (nothing like the previous weekend!!). Uncle Bobby headed up from Americus early so we could all have a good breakfast before getting to work. Friday was spent running back and forth to Ellaville for groceries and supplies; I think we made something like 5 trips to town that day because we kept forgetting the little things we needed! We got a couple of gallons of paint so we could finish painting the pump house that we had started on last year, hinges and door latches to fix the screen door on the porch and the door on the pump house, and a lot of other little piddly stuff that just needed to get done. We worked our asses off in some of the most intense heat of the summer. We always were having fun though! Ended up the day running down to Americus so that we could use Uncle Bobby's welder and drill to mount the skeet thrower to a 2" receiver so that it could be mounted on the back of a pickup truck. This was just a great idea that worked out perfectly! The thrower worked pretty well as it was, but couldn't really be anchored to the ground very well. Mounting it on some 2" box steel took care of that problem!! Anyway, after using the welder we agreed to help Uncle Bobby move some furniture into his daughter's new home. What should have taken about 15 minutes to move a couch and a couple of armoires ended up taking over an hour!!! Dammit, but none of us were even married to the woman and we kept moving stuff around, waiting for approval that this looked good here, there, wherever. Damn!
Rain started to fall as we were pulling in to Neil's driveway coming back from Americus.
Figured it was just a little summer shower that would pass pretty quickly. Damn if it didn't just come down cats and dogs for over four hours! I think it rained close to six inches during that time. Lightning and thunder to beat the band! We lost power an hour or so into the storm but wasn't really any big deal... Just lit candles, cranked up the grill and got to cooking a bunch of fish that Andrew had caught the previous weekend in Destin. That and some Asparagus made for a damn good dinner, all grilled just perfectly. Man we ate like kings! Of course, when you get the four of us fat asses together, we're going to eat well! Didn't really do too much more except sit around and shoot the shit for a while Friday night. Neil did keep trying to get the EMC to come out and fix the power, but that didn't end up happening until seven the next morning.
We were up early Saturday again and Uncle Bobby came up to join us for breakfast. Luckily the EMC came out early and got the power turned back on so we could have some coffee and get awake. After breakfast and a quick shower, we headed up to Uncle Bobby's place to clear a road going into the south "40" (more like the south 100). We worked until early afternoon cutting down little trees, trimming high branches and bush hogging the road to get it passable. Amazing how much five guys can get done. Damn it was hot again, and muggy as hell thanks to the rain the previous night. We went back to Neil's for lunch with the full intention of getting back to work after lunch. As fate would have it, no one was really inclined to get back out in the heat after enjoying a great lunch, instead opting for a nap. I caught about 20 minutes and woke up ready to get back to work. Neil was just getting around to changing out the bush hog for the finishing mower, so I went down to help him and ended up doing the mowing while he did some other stuff around the house. First time bush hogging and didn't do too bad of a job! Only hit one of his tree cages and mangled it pretty bad, but nothing that couldn't be fixed!
By the time I was done, Bobby had headed back to Americus and the other three had set up to shoot some skeet. Andrew, Neil and Stephen all got a turn at a stack when I finished mowing so it was perfect timing for me to get some shots in. Damn, I love to shoot skeet! It's been a while since I've had the opportunity, but it's like riding a bike for me. First I was using Neil's auto loader and knocked out 15 for 15. Woohooo! It was a good day. I think I got a couple more turns and really only missed a couple total, not including the double that Stephen threw when I only had one shot left in his pump. Stephen liberated a watermelon from the patch behind Neil's and since I had my pistol, we laid waste to that poor fruit. There wasn't much left of it by the time we finished with it. Ended up shooting until almost dark. Dinner on Saturday was awesome again. Stephen had done a really nice venison roast, black beans and rice and asparagus again. Man, what a meal! After we finished we were all too full and too tired to do anything else, so we sat around and watched Beerfest and just crashed.
Sunday morning was pretty uneventful. We did some more little jobs around Neil's until it was time to clean up and get ready to leave. I guess Stephen took off around 11 so he could get back down to Florida. It was good as always to see him, just too short of a time. We got everything at the farm back in order and cleaned up for an hour or so before loading up and heading home.
These three guys are the best friends a guy can have. We always have a good time when we're together. It's amazing to think that we've known each other for over 25 years and we all still keep in touch and see each other every chance we get. There will be plenty more opportunities to get together for years to come and I really look forward to it!
Got back to the house and just hung for a bit, drinking a few beers and just shooting the shit. Good to be around a bunch of great guys. Got up Friday morning a *little* hung over but not too bad (nothing like the previous weekend!!). Uncle Bobby headed up from Americus early so we could all have a good breakfast before getting to work. Friday was spent running back and forth to Ellaville for groceries and supplies; I think we made something like 5 trips to town that day because we kept forgetting the little things we needed! We got a couple of gallons of paint so we could finish painting the pump house that we had started on last year, hinges and door latches to fix the screen door on the porch and the door on the pump house, and a lot of other little piddly stuff that just needed to get done. We worked our asses off in some of the most intense heat of the summer. We always were having fun though! Ended up the day running down to Americus so that we could use Uncle Bobby's welder and drill to mount the skeet thrower to a 2" receiver so that it could be mounted on the back of a pickup truck. This was just a great idea that worked out perfectly! The thrower worked pretty well as it was, but couldn't really be anchored to the ground very well. Mounting it on some 2" box steel took care of that problem!! Anyway, after using the welder we agreed to help Uncle Bobby move some furniture into his daughter's new home. What should have taken about 15 minutes to move a couch and a couple of armoires ended up taking over an hour!!! Dammit, but none of us were even married to the woman and we kept moving stuff around, waiting for approval that this looked good here, there, wherever. Damn!
Rain started to fall as we were pulling in to Neil's driveway coming back from Americus.
Figured it was just a little summer shower that would pass pretty quickly. Damn if it didn't just come down cats and dogs for over four hours! I think it rained close to six inches during that time. Lightning and thunder to beat the band! We lost power an hour or so into the storm but wasn't really any big deal... Just lit candles, cranked up the grill and got to cooking a bunch of fish that Andrew had caught the previous weekend in Destin. That and some Asparagus made for a damn good dinner, all grilled just perfectly. Man we ate like kings! Of course, when you get the four of us fat asses together, we're going to eat well! Didn't really do too much more except sit around and shoot the shit for a while Friday night. Neil did keep trying to get the EMC to come out and fix the power, but that didn't end up happening until seven the next morning.
We were up early Saturday again and Uncle Bobby came up to join us for breakfast. Luckily the EMC came out early and got the power turned back on so we could have some coffee and get awake. After breakfast and a quick shower, we headed up to Uncle Bobby's place to clear a road going into the south "40" (more like the south 100). We worked until early afternoon cutting down little trees, trimming high branches and bush hogging the road to get it passable. Amazing how much five guys can get done. Damn it was hot again, and muggy as hell thanks to the rain the previous night. We went back to Neil's for lunch with the full intention of getting back to work after lunch. As fate would have it, no one was really inclined to get back out in the heat after enjoying a great lunch, instead opting for a nap. I caught about 20 minutes and woke up ready to get back to work. Neil was just getting around to changing out the bush hog for the finishing mower, so I went down to help him and ended up doing the mowing while he did some other stuff around the house. First time bush hogging and didn't do too bad of a job! Only hit one of his tree cages and mangled it pretty bad, but nothing that couldn't be fixed!
By the time I was done, Bobby had headed back to Americus and the other three had set up to shoot some skeet. Andrew, Neil and Stephen all got a turn at a stack when I finished mowing so it was perfect timing for me to get some shots in. Damn, I love to shoot skeet! It's been a while since I've had the opportunity, but it's like riding a bike for me. First I was using Neil's auto loader and knocked out 15 for 15. Woohooo! It was a good day. I think I got a couple more turns and really only missed a couple total, not including the double that Stephen threw when I only had one shot left in his pump. Stephen liberated a watermelon from the patch behind Neil's and since I had my pistol, we laid waste to that poor fruit. There wasn't much left of it by the time we finished with it. Ended up shooting until almost dark. Dinner on Saturday was awesome again. Stephen had done a really nice venison roast, black beans and rice and asparagus again. Man, what a meal! After we finished we were all too full and too tired to do anything else, so we sat around and watched Beerfest and just crashed.
Sunday morning was pretty uneventful. We did some more little jobs around Neil's until it was time to clean up and get ready to leave. I guess Stephen took off around 11 so he could get back down to Florida. It was good as always to see him, just too short of a time. We got everything at the farm back in order and cleaned up for an hour or so before loading up and heading home.
These three guys are the best friends a guy can have. We always have a good time when we're together. It's amazing to think that we've known each other for over 25 years and we all still keep in touch and see each other every chance we get. There will be plenty more opportunities to get together for years to come and I really look forward to it!
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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Guy's weekend this weekend
Going to my friend's farm down in south Georgia for the weekend. It'll be a good time, especially since Stephen is coming up from Florida! We'll bust our asses working around the farm mostly, but there will be plenty of killed skeets and targets at the end of the weekend!!
Everyone have a good weekend and stay cool!
Everyone have a good weekend and stay cool!
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My life...
| This Is My Life, Rated | |
| Life: |  8.6 |
| Mind: |  7.8 |
| Body: | 8.2 |
| Spirit: | 8.8 |
| Friends/Family: | 7.5 |
| Love: | 9.1 |
| Finance: |  6.6 |
| Take the Rate My Life Quiz | |
I say that's not to bad. Finances stress me a bit, but not enough to ruin my life...
Seen everywhere!!! ;)
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Need a vet?
If this person
wants to contact me privately at todd at toddbirchfield dot com, I'll be glad to point you to the best vet in McDonough.
wants to contact me privately at todd at toddbirchfield dot com, I'll be glad to point you to the best vet in McDonough.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Going to Cali
I would have really liked to have blogged this live, but for some reason I can't get on the network. Not sure if it's a problem with the network here of if it's a problem w/ the POS Microsoft Vista that is installed on this machine. I'm sitting in the Atlanta Airport (fun place that it is) waiting on my flight to San Jose. I got here and tried to connect and got the splash screen to connect to a wireless provider for $7.95 per day. Wasn't ready to connect right then cause I wanted to go to Starbucks real quick and get a Frappucino. Got back to the gate and opened the laptop back up to connect and while I can see the wireless network, I can't get a connection for some reason. Shut down Norton's (that usually does it) - no good. Tried to repair, tried to release, tried to renew, no good. I've given up! And I'm a network guy! I should be able to get a connection! I really figure it's Vista. Dammit.
Got to the airport 2 hours + before my flight was supposed to leave. Went to the kiosk to check in and my flight had been canceled. Canceled! I still don't know why. Regardless, I waited in line for a human bean to talk to about alternatives. Oh, btw, the computer had re-booked me on a flight tomorrow! That's not really going to do me a lot of good since I need to be at a field trial early in the morning! Anyway, got to the human and she clicked her keys and found a flight that leaves at 8:12 pm tonight. So I've been sitting here in the airport since before 3:00 today. Bored. Can't connect to the internet. At least I have my Ipod and a book. And solitaire and Mah Jong.
Talked to my grandfather for a little while. It has been over a month since I talked to him, so it was really good to re-connect with him. Things are going well for him. At 84 years old, he's still playing golf at least 2 days every week. Even in the heat we've been having (103 yesterday, 102 today) he's still going out and playing. Good for him! I hope I can do that when I'm his age. Of course, as much as I abuse my body, I'll probably be all broken down by then!
Update at 7:11 pm. My flight leaves in an hour. I just got connected to the portal so that I can get on the web. Eh, I'll be boarding in less than an hour so there's no way I'm spending the $7.95 for a connection. Ah well, I guess I didn't miss too much. Ipod is about fully charged, laptop is topped off and my cell phone is almost there. I'm going to shut down and head to the gate.
Got to the airport 2 hours + before my flight was supposed to leave. Went to the kiosk to check in and my flight had been canceled. Canceled! I still don't know why. Regardless, I waited in line for a human bean to talk to about alternatives. Oh, btw, the computer had re-booked me on a flight tomorrow! That's not really going to do me a lot of good since I need to be at a field trial early in the morning! Anyway, got to the human and she clicked her keys and found a flight that leaves at 8:12 pm tonight. So I've been sitting here in the airport since before 3:00 today. Bored. Can't connect to the internet. At least I have my Ipod and a book. And solitaire and Mah Jong.
Talked to my grandfather for a little while. It has been over a month since I talked to him, so it was really good to re-connect with him. Things are going well for him. At 84 years old, he's still playing golf at least 2 days every week. Even in the heat we've been having (103 yesterday, 102 today) he's still going out and playing. Good for him! I hope I can do that when I'm his age. Of course, as much as I abuse my body, I'll probably be all broken down by then!
Update at 7:11 pm. My flight leaves in an hour. I just got connected to the portal so that I can get on the web. Eh, I'll be boarding in less than an hour so there's no way I'm spending the $7.95 for a connection. Ah well, I guess I didn't miss too much. Ipod is about fully charged, laptop is topped off and my cell phone is almost there. I'm going to shut down and head to the gate.
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Cal-i-forn-i-a
I'm here in Hollister, CA at 3:54 EDT, 12:54 here. Gotta get some sleep, but I'll relate the details of the trip later.
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Friday, August 10, 2007
Damned Shame
The Discovery Channel cycling team is disbanding after this year. This is one of the most successful teams in all of sport, winning 8 of the past 9 Tours de France and is the only American team that rode in this year's Tour.
Perhaps another team will be formed, but without Johan Bruyneel and LanceArmstrong as driving forces, I don't see another dominant team coming to fruition.
Sad day for America's involvement in International sport.
Perhaps another team will be formed, but without Johan Bruyneel and LanceArmstrong as driving forces, I don't see another dominant team coming to fruition.
Sad day for America's involvement in International sport.
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Thursday, August 09, 2007
This n' That
Ah, the kids are back in school as of last Monday. I remember not going back to school until after Labor Day, but we didn't get a week off every six weeks or so...
Damn, it's hot. Yeah, we choose to live in Georgia where yeah, it does get sorta hot and humid during the summers. It's been a while since it's been this hot for an extended duration and this is the first time it's been this hot since we moved into this house. I gotta get this for the house soon.
Yes, my Achilles is healing quite nicely, thank you very much. I started running again on Monday and ran a couple of miles this morning and have done pretty well. I'm doing quite a bit more stretching before and icing the tendon after my runs.
HD rocks! We've had a pretty nice HD ready TV for about 4 years now and had put off getting HD until the prices came down a bit. We were sort of forced into going for this option by the failure of a circuit board that takes the standard def picture and processes it to show well on the widescreen 50 inch. The choices were to shell out big bucks for a new monitor, not quite so big bucks, but not small bucks for the board replacement or even smaller bucks to take out a tree in the line of the HD satellites and bargain with DirecTV for a deal on an HD DVR setup. Duh, no brainer. Especially since I do tree work and one of my best friends was willing to come down and climb for me for very little. So now we're enjoying the beauty of Hi-Def! It's certainly worth it!
Damn, it's hot. Yeah, we choose to live in Georgia where yeah, it does get sorta hot and humid during the summers. It's been a while since it's been this hot for an extended duration and this is the first time it's been this hot since we moved into this house. I gotta get this for the house soon.
Yes, my Achilles is healing quite nicely, thank you very much. I started running again on Monday and ran a couple of miles this morning and have done pretty well. I'm doing quite a bit more stretching before and icing the tendon after my runs.
HD rocks! We've had a pretty nice HD ready TV for about 4 years now and had put off getting HD until the prices came down a bit. We were sort of forced into going for this option by the failure of a circuit board that takes the standard def picture and processes it to show well on the widescreen 50 inch. The choices were to shell out big bucks for a new monitor, not quite so big bucks, but not small bucks for the board replacement or even smaller bucks to take out a tree in the line of the HD satellites and bargain with DirecTV for a deal on an HD DVR setup. Duh, no brainer. Especially since I do tree work and one of my best friends was willing to come down and climb for me for very little. So now we're enjoying the beauty of Hi-Def! It's certainly worth it!
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Wednesday, August 08, 2007
A while...
It's been a while since I posted anything. I've been more than a little busy at work, working a weekend job, painting the house and running around with kids and such. I'll get back to blogging more regularly soon.
I spent yesterday first off doing the brakes on the van. What should have taken a couple of hours max ended up taking the better part of six. One of the biggest time wasters was having to run back and forth to the parts store to get the correct size Torx wrench to remove the calipers. Sheesh, I thought I had a nice complete set of tools, but not so much. Anyway, I finally got done and cleaned up and started painting again. I've got most of the siding painting, only have the east side of the house left to finish. We still need to paint the trim, but the house is looking so much better already.
It's damn hot. Sunday was one of the hottest days I can remember. I was out cutting trees in Va-Hi and it had to be almost 100. Yesterday hit at least 98 here, probably going to be hotter today. I guess the next project after painting will be to replace the heating and air in the house. Good thing I'm working the extra weekends.
I'm headed to Hollister California this weekend for a judging assignment. I'm really looking forward to it, it's been a while since we've been coursing. Not taking any dogs, but it should be a good time. From what I hear, they really do it up right out there and focus on having fun. Can't wait!
I'll be back blogging next week. Try to stay cool!
I spent yesterday first off doing the brakes on the van. What should have taken a couple of hours max ended up taking the better part of six. One of the biggest time wasters was having to run back and forth to the parts store to get the correct size Torx wrench to remove the calipers. Sheesh, I thought I had a nice complete set of tools, but not so much. Anyway, I finally got done and cleaned up and started painting again. I've got most of the siding painting, only have the east side of the house left to finish. We still need to paint the trim, but the house is looking so much better already.
It's damn hot. Sunday was one of the hottest days I can remember. I was out cutting trees in Va-Hi and it had to be almost 100. Yesterday hit at least 98 here, probably going to be hotter today. I guess the next project after painting will be to replace the heating and air in the house. Good thing I'm working the extra weekends.
I'm headed to Hollister California this weekend for a judging assignment. I'm really looking forward to it, it's been a while since we've been coursing. Not taking any dogs, but it should be a good time. From what I hear, they really do it up right out there and focus on having fun. Can't wait!
I'll be back blogging next week. Try to stay cool!
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Friday, August 03, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Bah, China!
First, it was dog food, then toothpaste, now it's lead paint on toys. China's not quite ready to play on the world trading stage. Is this due to a rush to get product to market, so much so that the products are dangerous? Is it lax oversight by US officials?
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Monday, July 30, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
All the cheaters...
Are nothing more than asshats.
Sport is chaos without rules. Everyone knows that, it doesn't need elaboration. If you're going to be a professional athlete, you'd better be prepared to submit to the rules of your team and whatever sanctioning body enforces rules.
It seems that all professional sports have their cheaters. Pro baseball has steroid abusers. Technically for years, steroids were not verboten in baseball, but should those who have been implicated in steroid scandals be included in record books? For decades, the holder for most home runs was Babe Ruth. This man did it all not only without drugs, but half drunk and obese as hell. His feat was remarkable. Hank Aaron overtook Ruth with hard work and sacrifice. Now we have an implicated steroid abuser about to take over the all time home run record. Bonds has not used his natural talents to achieve this feat and should not be recognized.
Michael Vick is an exceptional athlete but he's proving that he's not so smart. Today he's being arraigned on dog fighting charges. As far as I'm concerned, this is associated with the thug culture that is ruining much of American professional sports. Many athletes think they need to prove how 'cool' or 'tough' they are off the field or court and have adopted this thug culture to achieve their goal.
Professional golf isn't even immune to accusations of steroid abuse. Seve Ballesteros, a leading golfer from the 1970's to the 1990's, has accused top contenders in the PGA tour of using steroids in order to compete at the highest level.
Now to cycling, one of my favorite sports. July is the month for the pinnacle event in pro cycling, The Tour de France. Cycling has had a history of doping cyclists since the late 1970's. Sanctioning bodies, teams and individual cyclists have fought to clean up the sport for years. The Tour has led and continues to lead the fight against doping and drug abuse. This year should have been the year for a drug free Tour. Riders are subject to the most stringent drug testing in all of sport. The fear of getting caught should be enough to dissuade riders from doping or drugging up. Not everyone is so smart...
Alexandre Vinokourov was found to have doped his blood. How stupid is that? Put someone else's blood, packed with oxygen carrying cells in your body and expect to get away with it. You're not going to.
Michael Rasmussen was dismissed not for failing a drug test, but for lying about his where-abouts a few weeks before the Tour. This falls into the area of just following the rules. I'm not convinced so much that he's doping or using performance enhancing drugs, but what should we believe when he lies about his whereabouts weeks before the Tour. Supposedly in Mexico visiting his wife's family, Rasmussen was seen in the mountains of Italy and unavailable for testing. Blame isn't on the sanctioning body for the strictness of the tests, but on the rider who makes himself unavailable and lies about the reason.
My faith hasn't been shaken in cycling. I agree with Phil Ligget, commentator on the US cable channel Versus, with his assessment that this should not be the darkest days for the Tour, rather the brightest. I'm encouraged that a team has no problem at all removing a cheater who was wearing Yellow. I'm encouraged that the Tour has no problem removing one of the biggest names and pre-race favorites (and his team) from the race. I'm encouraged that cyclists right and left are speaking out as well as silently protesting the drug abuse that is dominating the news of the Tour. I have faith that the sport of cycling can clean itself up. I'm still a fan and will continue to be. Eventually, riders will learn that there is no way they can dope and get away with it. The punishments will be too great for them to push the system.
Sport is chaos without rules. Everyone knows that, it doesn't need elaboration. If you're going to be a professional athlete, you'd better be prepared to submit to the rules of your team and whatever sanctioning body enforces rules.
It seems that all professional sports have their cheaters. Pro baseball has steroid abusers. Technically for years, steroids were not verboten in baseball, but should those who have been implicated in steroid scandals be included in record books? For decades, the holder for most home runs was Babe Ruth. This man did it all not only without drugs, but half drunk and obese as hell. His feat was remarkable. Hank Aaron overtook Ruth with hard work and sacrifice. Now we have an implicated steroid abuser about to take over the all time home run record. Bonds has not used his natural talents to achieve this feat and should not be recognized.
Michael Vick is an exceptional athlete but he's proving that he's not so smart. Today he's being arraigned on dog fighting charges. As far as I'm concerned, this is associated with the thug culture that is ruining much of American professional sports. Many athletes think they need to prove how 'cool' or 'tough' they are off the field or court and have adopted this thug culture to achieve their goal.
Professional golf isn't even immune to accusations of steroid abuse. Seve Ballesteros, a leading golfer from the 1970's to the 1990's, has accused top contenders in the PGA tour of using steroids in order to compete at the highest level.
Now to cycling, one of my favorite sports. July is the month for the pinnacle event in pro cycling, The Tour de France. Cycling has had a history of doping cyclists since the late 1970's. Sanctioning bodies, teams and individual cyclists have fought to clean up the sport for years. The Tour has led and continues to lead the fight against doping and drug abuse. This year should have been the year for a drug free Tour. Riders are subject to the most stringent drug testing in all of sport. The fear of getting caught should be enough to dissuade riders from doping or drugging up. Not everyone is so smart...
Alexandre Vinokourov was found to have doped his blood. How stupid is that? Put someone else's blood, packed with oxygen carrying cells in your body and expect to get away with it. You're not going to.
Michael Rasmussen was dismissed not for failing a drug test, but for lying about his where-abouts a few weeks before the Tour. This falls into the area of just following the rules. I'm not convinced so much that he's doping or using performance enhancing drugs, but what should we believe when he lies about his whereabouts weeks before the Tour. Supposedly in Mexico visiting his wife's family, Rasmussen was seen in the mountains of Italy and unavailable for testing. Blame isn't on the sanctioning body for the strictness of the tests, but on the rider who makes himself unavailable and lies about the reason.
My faith hasn't been shaken in cycling. I agree with Phil Ligget, commentator on the US cable channel Versus, with his assessment that this should not be the darkest days for the Tour, rather the brightest. I'm encouraged that a team has no problem at all removing a cheater who was wearing Yellow. I'm encouraged that the Tour has no problem removing one of the biggest names and pre-race favorites (and his team) from the race. I'm encouraged that cyclists right and left are speaking out as well as silently protesting the drug abuse that is dominating the news of the Tour. I have faith that the sport of cycling can clean itself up. I'm still a fan and will continue to be. Eventually, riders will learn that there is no way they can dope and get away with it. The punishments will be too great for them to push the system.
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
No freaking way
I'm a fan of cycling. I'm a big fan of the Tour de France. Typically, France, eh, you can keep it. But when it comes to the Tour, I'm all over that. I Tivo every stage so that I can come home and watch the highlights after work. To me it is 3 weeks of bliss. Cyclists are amazing athletes who endure more just sitting on a saddle for 5+ hours a day than most athletes endure in a season.
What the hell is going on with cycling though. Doping suspicions are going to wreck the beloved sport. Lance Armstrong was the most tested man in sport when he was winning the Tour. He passed every test with flying colors. Last year's winner is still under a cloud of suspicion (and not recognized by the Tour as the winner, btw) after having high levels of Testosterone in his blood sample. Just yesterday, a test of Alexandre Vinokourov's blood shows that he was doping so he and his team dropped out of the race. Today I open up the 'puter and see that the leader, two time winner of King of the Mountains Michael Rasmussen has been removed from the race by his team for violation of internal rules. The rule is that he must report his whereabouts 24/7/365 and be available for drug testing at any time. According to the stories I saw last week, this all comes about because he missed a couple of flights flying to and from Mexico to visit his in-laws.
I don't know what to make of this news now. Is this to be like baseball? I was able to hold on to the innocence of sport and competition for a long time watching baseball, until steroids and strikes became de riguer. Am I not allowed to believe in sport and pure human competition anymore?
I just don't know what to make of this
What the hell is going on with cycling though. Doping suspicions are going to wreck the beloved sport. Lance Armstrong was the most tested man in sport when he was winning the Tour. He passed every test with flying colors. Last year's winner is still under a cloud of suspicion (and not recognized by the Tour as the winner, btw) after having high levels of Testosterone in his blood sample. Just yesterday, a test of Alexandre Vinokourov's blood shows that he was doping so he and his team dropped out of the race. Today I open up the 'puter and see that the leader, two time winner of King of the Mountains Michael Rasmussen has been removed from the race by his team for violation of internal rules. The rule is that he must report his whereabouts 24/7/365 and be available for drug testing at any time. According to the stories I saw last week, this all comes about because he missed a couple of flights flying to and from Mexico to visit his in-laws.
I don't know what to make of this news now. Is this to be like baseball? I was able to hold on to the innocence of sport and competition for a long time watching baseball, until steroids and strikes became de riguer. Am I not allowed to believe in sport and pure human competition anymore?
I just don't know what to make of this
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Injury?
I was running yesterday at lunch and started to have this pain in my Achilles tendon like needles. I figured I would run through it and it would just feel better. Nah. Still painful today so I'm headed to the trainer to see what he can do for me. I hope It heals quickly since I'm enjoying running so much.
Edit: It's a strain, the trainer says. So he hooked me up to a muscle stimulator and let it work me for a while. The tendon felt much better when I left. Now I've got it iced for the night and I'm going back after work tomorrow.
Edit: It's a strain, the trainer says. So he hooked me up to a muscle stimulator and let it work me for a while. The tendon felt much better when I left. Now I've got it iced for the night and I'm going back after work tomorrow.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Are you a Best Buy customer
Or do you use the Geek Squad to service your computer? Do you think your information is private when you have a Geek Squad member working on your machine? Think again!
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Thursday, July 19, 2007
A dog pic
It's kind of slow in my world today, so I wanted to share a picture...
The little guy in the bucket is Everett.
The little guy in the bucket is Everett.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Everyone is talking corn
Matt laments the use of corn sweetener in our food while Tam focuses on the subsidies associated with Ethanol production. Kudos to both!!
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Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The next...
Reader will be #1000! It's really picked up in the past few months. I really appreciate anyone who takes time to read this little blog. I know that the content is all over the map, but if you know me, you know I am all over the map.
Thanks everyone!!!!
Thanks everyone!!!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Ethanol
I've had a little interest in alternative fuels for years, ever since I used to travel with my father to the South Georgia corn fields and the many back woods distilleries stills that were producing "ethanol" back in the '70's. I barely remember, but he had contacts with farmers who would produce corn mash for, ummm, medicinal purposes...yeah, that's it... He'd get a bit of this to take back to Tech so they could work on figuring out an alternative to gasoline.
Ethanol has promise, but we're beginning to figure out that the costs with production might prohibit the wide-spread adoption of ethanol as "the answer" to our fuel woes. Using corn to produce ethanol is already causing issues with animal feed prices, leading to higher grocery prices in general. Here's a nice alternative to using corn to produce ethanol.
Ethanol has promise, but we're beginning to figure out that the costs with production might prohibit the wide-spread adoption of ethanol as "the answer" to our fuel woes. Using corn to produce ethanol is already causing issues with animal feed prices, leading to higher grocery prices in general. Here's a nice alternative to using corn to produce ethanol.
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Friday, July 13, 2007
Our pets
Tomorrow morning I have to go and say goodbye to a greyhound that I've known since 1998. Robin and I got Kookie back in September of 1998. He came to us strictly as a re-hab case, we were to help him mend and then he'd be placed back in his previous home. After seeing his condition and helping him regain his help, there was no question that Kookie was going to stay. He coursed for just a little while in 1999 and 2000. Kookie won Open stake at the 1999 II in Virginia, but we forfeited breed because he tore a shoulder muscle. After re-habbing this injury, Kookie tried again, only to break a toe. His coursing career ended with 89 points towards his FCh.
Robin and Kookie have been fortunate to have each other through the years. He has always been a fabulous pet and a very personable dog.
Kookie has not been feeling well for a while, not eating well, having to get up in the middle of the night, back legs not working well. Robin took him in yesterday and had x-rays done. The vet found a large mass in his abdomen. We are staunch believers that animals should never have to go through hell so that they might live for us just a few weeks or months. With that in mind, Robin has made the decision that we'll have to let Kookie go tomorrow.
Godspeed, Kookie.
Edit: Got a call this afternoon from Robin. Kookie was much worse today than yesterday. She went ahead and took him in. He's with his brothers and sister now.
Robin and Kookie have been fortunate to have each other through the years. He has always been a fabulous pet and a very personable dog.
Kookie has not been feeling well for a while, not eating well, having to get up in the middle of the night, back legs not working well. Robin took him in yesterday and had x-rays done. The vet found a large mass in his abdomen. We are staunch believers that animals should never have to go through hell so that they might live for us just a few weeks or months. With that in mind, Robin has made the decision that we'll have to let Kookie go tomorrow.
Godspeed, Kookie.
Edit: Got a call this afternoon from Robin. Kookie was much worse today than yesterday. She went ahead and took him in. He's with his brothers and sister now.
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Our pets
Tomorrow morning I have to go and say goodbye to a greyhound that I've known since 1998. Robin and I got Kookie back in September of 1998. He came to us strictly as a re-hab case, we were to help him mend and then he'd be placed back in his previous home. After seeing his condition and helping him regain his help, there was no question that Kookie was going to stay. He coursed for just a little while in 1999 and 2000. Kookie won Open stake at the 1999 II in Virginia, but we forfeited breed because he tore a shoulder muscle. After re-habbing this injury, Kookie tried again, only to break a toe. His coursing career ended with 89 points towards his FCh.
Robin and Kookie have been fortunate to have each other through the years. He has always been a fabulous pet and a very personable dog.
Kookie has not been feeling well for a while, not eating well, having to get up in the middle of the night, back legs not working well. Robin took him in yesterday and had x-rays done. The vet found a large mass in his abdomen. We are staunch believers that animals should never have to go through hell so that they might live for us just a few weeks or months. With that in mind, Robin has made the decision that we'll have to let Kookie go tomorrow.
Godspeed, Kookie.
Robin and Kookie have been fortunate to have each other through the years. He has always been a fabulous pet and a very personable dog.
Kookie has not been feeling well for a while, not eating well, having to get up in the middle of the night, back legs not working well. Robin took him in yesterday and had x-rays done. The vet found a large mass in his abdomen. We are staunch believers that animals should never have to go through hell so that they might live for us just a few weeks or months. With that in mind, Robin has made the decision that we'll have to let Kookie go tomorrow.
Godspeed, Kookie.
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
Good news for all pet owners
Even if you don't live in California, the spay/neuter bill could have had an impact on all pet owners. Good news came out today, the bill died in the CA senate.
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Foreclosures are down.
Following up on a post from a couple of days ago, according to this article, foreclosures dropped a whopping 7% in June. Don't get too excited though, foreclosure rates are still up 87% over June 2006.
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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Moving day
I'm going to try to move the blog to my website where I can make sure that the content will always be with me. We might experience some hiccups, but hopefully it'll go smoothly.
Edit: It's not going well at all. Well, it did until I tried to post. Then I was like, wtf? Where the hell is the post??? Can't have that, now can we?
Edit #2: Meh. Not a happy camper am I. The reason I wanted to move the blog over to my website was to make it easier to upload photos. That's a goal of mine is to begin to record more of our life in pics. Anyways, no love. So far. I'm going to keep digging to see what I can uncover. Anyone know if Blogger even lets you house your blog content on a website now? I know they used to.
Edit: It's not going well at all. Well, it did until I tried to post. Then I was like, wtf? Where the hell is the post??? Can't have that, now can we?
Edit #2: Meh. Not a happy camper am I. The reason I wanted to move the blog over to my website was to make it easier to upload photos. That's a goal of mine is to begin to record more of our life in pics. Anyways, no love. So far. I'm going to keep digging to see what I can uncover. Anyone know if Blogger even lets you house your blog content on a website now? I know they used to.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Did you sign up for a subprime loan?
Subprime Meltdown: Doomsday Coming in October For The Subprime Mortgage Industry - Consumerist
My grandfather was a director for Delta Community Credit Union (formally Delta Employee Credit Union) for some 50 years. We were just talking about this subject the other day. I've been seeing signs of problems due to subprime loans for a while. According to Realtytrac.com, Georgia has the highest rate of foreclosures as of early 2007. Henry County is pushing 1 foreclosure for every 154 households. That's just amazing!
When I was a kid I never heard of a foreclosure. It just wasn't part of the world. Now it's so pervasive that in my neighborhood of $200k-$1+million homes, we're having repeated foreclosures, and a lot of them.
This could be a good turn around though. From what I can tell, the people being foreclosed upon are those who are a little less than desirable when looking at property values. Perhaps some of these homes will be bought up by responsible owners.
My grandfather was a director for Delta Community Credit Union (formally Delta Employee Credit Union) for some 50 years. We were just talking about this subject the other day. I've been seeing signs of problems due to subprime loans for a while. According to Realtytrac.com, Georgia has the highest rate of foreclosures as of early 2007. Henry County is pushing 1 foreclosure for every 154 households. That's just amazing!
When I was a kid I never heard of a foreclosure. It just wasn't part of the world. Now it's so pervasive that in my neighborhood of $200k-$1+million homes, we're having repeated foreclosures, and a lot of them.
This could be a good turn around though. From what I can tell, the people being foreclosed upon are those who are a little less than desirable when looking at property values. Perhaps some of these homes will be bought up by responsible owners.
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Monday, July 09, 2007
Tools of the trade
Y'all remember back when I talked about using Google Reader to consolidate all the blog feeds into one easy interface? I'm still using it and loving it as much as ever. Sure makes it easy to hit all my favorite blogs as quickly as possible.
I was checking out the latest add-ons for Firefox this morning and ran across ScribeFire. It's a nice editor that is tied in to Firefox so that I can make notes while I'm reading or copy and paste without really changing windows. So far I'm finding that I like it, but I'm not ready to totally endorse it. I tried a MS product a while back and did abandon it almost immediately. I'll report back.
Thanks to Babs for the link to Feedburner. I don't get near the traffic that she and some other blogs get, but I appreciate seeing who read the blog!
I was checking out the latest add-ons for Firefox this morning and ran across ScribeFire. It's a nice editor that is tied in to Firefox so that I can make notes while I'm reading or copy and paste without really changing windows. So far I'm finding that I like it, but I'm not ready to totally endorse it. I tried a MS product a while back and did abandon it almost immediately. I'll report back.
Thanks to Babs for the link to Feedburner. I don't get near the traffic that she and some other blogs get, but I appreciate seeing who read the blog!
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QOTD #2
"We seem to be in the middle of the ADHD Age, and our tools and toys reflect that." - the munchkin wrangler
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Saturday, July 07, 2007
QOTD #1 (Quote of the day #1)
From Tam, speaking of the wonderful, hometown AJC: "Pravda on the Chattahoochee". Never heard it put that perfectly!
Thursday, July 05, 2007
My holiday
I've lived in my house now for almost six years. R and the kids have been here for a little over four years. In that time, we've totally repainted the interior of the house. When you come into a foreclosure that hasn't been updated since it was built in 1979, you have to get rid of the crappy beige and taupe paint that covers everything. Unfortunately, I didn't do before and afters of the interior of the house, but rest assured, it's a lot more livable thanks to a woman's touch! Now it's past time to repair and paint the exterior of the house. We've pretty much settled on colors for the house, trim, doors and windows and deck, so I'm getting started. Here's the deck, after pressure washing but before painting...
And after starting to paint...
The deck is about the same square footage as the house, close to 2,000, so it's going to take a bit more paint and time!
Friday, June 29, 2007
This n' that
Sweeney has broken his tail. It actually happened last Tuesday, but I've gotten lazy and haven't blogged much. We have no idea how it happened, R sat on the couch with him Tuesday night, he was on his back, 4 in the air and his tail just waving like a flag. He's not in any pain, never has even shown any discomfort. R is working hard to get it to heal straight.
A guy died here on campus the other day, in the testing center directly across the hall from my office. Very surreal. I'm working on getting our department a group rate at The Red Cross for CPR/First Aid certification. I had to honestly admit that I was afraid to perform CPR on the gentleman for fear that I would hurt him. It's literally been 21 years since I had CPR training. Evidently it didn't matter, but I really do not want to be in that position again.Just read Matt's blog entry over here. I'm ordering Merle's Door and I'll report.
I haven't been blogging much lately not so much because I'm lazy (see above), but because I've just been busy. We're consolidating a bunch of physical servers here. I'm working on that, but we're missing some key software. We'll have to wait til next FY before we can get that. E (9 yr old step-daughter) is taking riding lessons and has been at riding day camp all week. Running back and forth to these lessons is time consuming. Worth it, but time consuming. We've also been going to the pool as often as possible in the afternoon.
For some reason, R and I have decided that this is the summer for home repair/improvement, even though the bank account is as empty as ever! As background, I bought the house we're in as a foreclosure in 2001. It had been empty for a little over a year. It was in pretty good condition, but beginning to show its age as well as the signs of a years neglect. A couple of years ago I replaced the fascia on the back of the house because the gutters had leaked, allowing the wood to rot. Now I need to replace more fascia on the kitchen side and along the front of the garage. The deck is in need of a couple of coats of paint too. So why not go ahead and tackle painting the house while we're at it!! I spent four hours almost finishing pressure washing the deck last night, contrary to our local water restrictions. I'll make sure to take some pictures of the process of painting the house. It really does need a color update! Hell, it needs a roof and HVAC too, but that's really not in the budget right now!
The dogs are doing well, Sweeney's tail not withstanding. It's too damned hot right now to run them, but they'll be ready come fall.
Finally, I have to post about my friends the Alleys. I love the folks like they're my family. David and Beth, Jennifer, Daniel, Jessi and Christian are about some of the best folks you'll ever, ever meet. They've been through a lot and could really use your thoughts, prayers, whatever. Jenn had a multiple organ transplant a couple of years ago and has just passed an annual physical with flying colors! Congratulations to her. Beth had to have a grapefruit size brain tumor removed late last year and is recovering, but is having a hard time with the surgery site healing. Jenn's doctor in Pittsburgh put Beth in touch with a couple of doctors who are working with her to get this rectified. Unfortunately, for the time being, Beth and David are going to have to stay in Pittsburgh. Please take time to read their story here.
I'll try to do better about posting. If I don't, I hope everyone has a great Fourth of July!
A guy died here on campus the other day, in the testing center directly across the hall from my office. Very surreal. I'm working on getting our department a group rate at The Red Cross for CPR/First Aid certification. I had to honestly admit that I was afraid to perform CPR on the gentleman for fear that I would hurt him. It's literally been 21 years since I had CPR training. Evidently it didn't matter, but I really do not want to be in that position again.Just read Matt's blog entry over here. I'm ordering Merle's Door and I'll report.
I haven't been blogging much lately not so much because I'm lazy (see above), but because I've just been busy. We're consolidating a bunch of physical servers here. I'm working on that, but we're missing some key software. We'll have to wait til next FY before we can get that. E (9 yr old step-daughter) is taking riding lessons and has been at riding day camp all week. Running back and forth to these lessons is time consuming. Worth it, but time consuming. We've also been going to the pool as often as possible in the afternoon.
For some reason, R and I have decided that this is the summer for home repair/improvement, even though the bank account is as empty as ever! As background, I bought the house we're in as a foreclosure in 2001. It had been empty for a little over a year. It was in pretty good condition, but beginning to show its age as well as the signs of a years neglect. A couple of years ago I replaced the fascia on the back of the house because the gutters had leaked, allowing the wood to rot. Now I need to replace more fascia on the kitchen side and along the front of the garage. The deck is in need of a couple of coats of paint too. So why not go ahead and tackle painting the house while we're at it!! I spent four hours almost finishing pressure washing the deck last night, contrary to our local water restrictions. I'll make sure to take some pictures of the process of painting the house. It really does need a color update! Hell, it needs a roof and HVAC too, but that's really not in the budget right now!
The dogs are doing well, Sweeney's tail not withstanding. It's too damned hot right now to run them, but they'll be ready come fall.
Finally, I have to post about my friends the Alleys. I love the folks like they're my family. David and Beth, Jennifer, Daniel, Jessi and Christian are about some of the best folks you'll ever, ever meet. They've been through a lot and could really use your thoughts, prayers, whatever. Jenn had a multiple organ transplant a couple of years ago and has just passed an annual physical with flying colors! Congratulations to her. Beth had to have a grapefruit size brain tumor removed late last year and is recovering, but is having a hard time with the surgery site healing. Jenn's doctor in Pittsburgh put Beth in touch with a couple of doctors who are working with her to get this rectified. Unfortunately, for the time being, Beth and David are going to have to stay in Pittsburgh. Please take time to read their story here.
I'll try to do better about posting. If I don't, I hope everyone has a great Fourth of July!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Maybe I'll start buying fuel at Exxon
The silly dictator Chavez down in Venezuela is at it again, demanding that oil companies doing business with pulling the oil out for his "government" submit to being "junior partners". There are a couple of companies willing to stand up for their shareholders and principle.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The joys of driving a Jeep
I've posted a couple of times now about either getting wet or narrowly being missed by showers while driving the Jeep. I left the house this morning knowing that there was a good (60% or 90%, depending on who you listened to) chance that I'd get rained on. Here's what the radar looked like when I left work:
The point of the arrow is where work is. The cross is close to home. See the little clear area? I was able to pretty much thread that and stay dry for the drive home. Didn't get wet until I turned onto our road and only a little bit at that! Lucky lucky!
The point of the arrow is where work is. The cross is close to home. See the little clear area? I was able to pretty much thread that and stay dry for the drive home. Didn't get wet until I turned onto our road and only a little bit at that! Lucky lucky!
Monday, June 18, 2007
My first MeMe or to Dan, meme... (edited)
It looks like fun... I saw this on Tam's, Babs, RN among others...
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yeah...Well, my middle name anyway. There was this bootlegger way back in the day that my Great-Grandfather thought a lot of. So, my Grandfather, my Father and I got his last name as our middle names. It ends with me.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? A few weeks ago I was telling my step-daughter how proud of her I was.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not really. I'm told it's not legible, but I don't have any problem
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast Beef
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Three "steps". They're great!
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably not. I can be quite the asshole. Actually, maybe... I'm more just straightforward than an asshole. Some people just can't handle that.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not much.
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yeah.
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nah. A lot better ways to get from here to down there.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I didn't eat cereal for years, til I got remarried. Now, with the kids eating cereal a lot, I've started to again. Pretty much anything w/ Honey in the name. -Bunches of O's, -Nut Cheerios, -Nut Chex.
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Depends. Most of the time I wear slip-on somethings, boots, sandals, whatever.
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Compared to a lot of 40 year olds, yeah, I guess. I cut trees as a side job and you sort of have to be.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Attitude. Just be yourself and not some blow-hard.
RED OR PINK? Nope. Earth tones
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I love being fit, but damn it's hard to have the self control.
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandmother and my Father. I didn't get to know my Father well enough. My Grandmother was my best friend for many, many years.
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki cargo shorts and white New Balance.
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Mmmmm. Slim Fast.
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? White Stripes "Icky Thump".
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Something green, I guess.
FAVORITE SMELLS? Cut grass, pine trees, a cool North Georgia trout stream early in the morning in the Spring, Greyhound feet.
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My step-daughter. She asked for her mom... :)
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? College Football, and I have to agree w/ Tam... Baseball, but it's a game, not a sport.
HAIR COLOR[S]? Brown, with a small streak of white and some smatterings of gray.
EYE COLOR? Brown
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No contacts, no glasses.
FAVORITE FOOD? A nice New York Strip, seared and rare.
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Not a big fan of pure horror, but suspense works for me. I like almost any kind of movie.
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End.
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Yellow/Navy striped golf shirt.
SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. I'm getting tired of being cold in the Winter. And it doesn't get that cold where we are.
HUGS OR KISSES? Yes, please.
FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake w/ good strong, black coffee.
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one. Well, Dan might.
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Anyone.
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Tom Clancy's The Sum of all Fears.
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Optical mouse don't need no steenkin mouse pad.
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? The Riches.
FAVORITE SOUND[S]? The sound of my wife's voice.
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Rolling Stones.
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Tropic Star Lodge, Pinas Bay, Panama
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can take stuff apart, fix it, and put it back together. I learned 2/3 of that from my dad and developed the last part myself!!! :)
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Georgia Baptist Hospital. But I think I was switched at birth.
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Yeah, anyone.
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yeah...Well, my middle name anyway. There was this bootlegger way back in the day that my Great-Grandfather thought a lot of. So, my Grandfather, my Father and I got his last name as our middle names. It ends with me.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? A few weeks ago I was telling my step-daughter how proud of her I was.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not really. I'm told it's not legible, but I don't have any problem
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast Beef
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Three "steps". They're great!
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably not. I can be quite the asshole. Actually, maybe... I'm more just straightforward than an asshole. Some people just can't handle that.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not much.
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yeah.
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nah. A lot better ways to get from here to down there.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I didn't eat cereal for years, til I got remarried. Now, with the kids eating cereal a lot, I've started to again. Pretty much anything w/ Honey in the name. -Bunches of O's, -Nut Cheerios, -Nut Chex.
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Depends. Most of the time I wear slip-on somethings, boots, sandals, whatever.
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Compared to a lot of 40 year olds, yeah, I guess. I cut trees as a side job and you sort of have to be.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Attitude. Just be yourself and not some blow-hard.
RED OR PINK? Nope. Earth tones
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I love being fit, but damn it's hard to have the self control.
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandmother and my Father. I didn't get to know my Father well enough. My Grandmother was my best friend for many, many years.
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki cargo shorts and white New Balance.
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Mmmmm. Slim Fast.
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? White Stripes "Icky Thump".
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Something green, I guess.
FAVORITE SMELLS? Cut grass, pine trees, a cool North Georgia trout stream early in the morning in the Spring, Greyhound feet.
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My step-daughter. She asked for her mom... :)
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? College Football, and I have to agree w/ Tam... Baseball, but it's a game, not a sport.
HAIR COLOR[S]? Brown, with a small streak of white and some smatterings of gray.
EYE COLOR? Brown
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No contacts, no glasses.
FAVORITE FOOD? A nice New York Strip, seared and rare.
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Not a big fan of pure horror, but suspense works for me. I like almost any kind of movie.
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End.
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Yellow/Navy striped golf shirt.
SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. I'm getting tired of being cold in the Winter. And it doesn't get that cold where we are.
HUGS OR KISSES? Yes, please.
FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake w/ good strong, black coffee.
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one. Well, Dan might.
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Anyone.
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Tom Clancy's The Sum of all Fears.
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Optical mouse don't need no steenkin mouse pad.
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? The Riches.
FAVORITE SOUND[S]? The sound of my wife's voice.
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Rolling Stones.
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Tropic Star Lodge, Pinas Bay, Panama
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can take stuff apart, fix it, and put it back together. I learned 2/3 of that from my dad and developed the last part myself!!! :)
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Georgia Baptist Hospital. But I think I was switched at birth.
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Yeah, anyone.
Friday, June 15, 2007
This is cool
Yeah, geeky, but cool. It's been since the 1880's since the standard for the kilogram was last set. Now scientists are going to get a little more precise in the standard. Thanks to /..
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Say it ain't so
I've never been a big boxing fan. Sure, I'd be happy to get together with the guys and toss back a few while watching the big heavyweight fights back in the day, but that was more socializing than fandom. My uncle, however, has always been a boxing fan. I remember as a teenager going to my cousins and listening to his analysis of the latest fights. One of his favorites, thus one fighter that I was exposed to and semi followed some of his career was Hector "Macho" Camacho. Seems he got himself in a bit of a pickle. Too bad. He was a hell of a fighter once.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Justice...
Genarlow Wilson freed.
I don't get what was so hard about this case.
[Edit: 8:10 pm EDT]
What in the hell is my state guvment thinking? Now they're going to spend the taxpayers hard earned money to fight the judges decision to free Wilson? Must be why Sonny vetoed the property tax "rebate" earlier this year.
I don't get what was so hard about this case.
[Edit: 8:10 pm EDT]
What in the hell is my state guvment thinking? Now they're going to spend the taxpayers hard earned money to fight the judges decision to free Wilson? Must be why Sonny vetoed the property tax "rebate" earlier this year.
Friday, June 08, 2007
AB1643 - California Health Pets Act
SayUncle and Squeaky Wheel Seeks Grease have both picked up on the fact that AB1634 passed the California General Assembly last week. Both blogs are focusing on the fact that if you are a breeder of pure-breds, you are exempt from this bill. Truth is, in order to be exempt you have to be licensed breeder, subjecting yourself to the whims of local and state legislation and regulation. Ok, so you're saying 'So what?'. What if you're a hobby breeder, raising show dogs or as we do, raise performance hounds in order to preserve function? In Sacramento, an intact dog or cat will cost you $150 for a license. Most of these hobby breeders aren't making any money, just doing it to try to preserve and hone function. The vast majority come off the hip for vaccinations, feed, exams, to the tune of thousands. We're supposed to shell out more money for an already losing proposition?
So, just to be fair, this isn't class warfare. It's not pure-bred v. mutt. What it comes down to is we all need to stick together to fight more government intrusion in our lives!
So, just to be fair, this isn't class warfare. It's not pure-bred v. mutt. What it comes down to is we all need to stick together to fight more government intrusion in our lives!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Cool weather gizmo
I've used weather.com for years, like most people I'm sure. I switched for a while to using weather underground and still use it occasionally. The Weather Channel now uses MS Virtual Earth satellite photos for their mapping. You can see down to street level what the weather is doing (or not). BTW, the rain didn't reach the ground and the Jeep is dry so far! :)
Pass this around
I got the link to this here. I've seen eBay auctions and heard plenty of tales of empty boxes being "mis-represented" as actual merchandise (ie "Apple Ipod-30G-box"), but I never imagined that a brick and mortar could get away with it. Luckily, I don't have to boycott CompUSA since they've closed them all in our area.
Technorati Tags: rip-off
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Other than that
Last night, we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It was a great movie, full of spectacular effects, but a little confusing at times. I was pretty much able to keep track of what was going on, but the crossing, double-crossing, triple-crossing and even quadruple-crossing got a little convoluted. Overall, it was a fun movie, not quite as fun as the original, better than the second I think.
This morning I got to sleep until about 8:00. Quite a difference from the past three nights when dogs and kids have gotten us up and kept us from getting a real good nights sleep. After getting up, I had a cup of coffee, caught up on a few e-mails and read some blog stuff. I found a link from some post to Windows Live Writer Beta which I'm trying out for blogging. So far, I kind of like it.
Went running this morning too for the first time in about a week and a half. The last time I ran I got this sharp pain in my hip. I went out a couple of days later to give it a shot but the pain was making me alter my stride so that I was actually pulling my back. So, I've rested for a few days and was able to make the full run this morning. The hip feels better so I guess I'll get back on a regular schedule.
Not at the II
I'm sitting at home on Saturday morning, the first day of the II. I can't believe that we're missing our second II in a row. Last year was all about kids and injury. Sweeney was coming off his ligament repair surgery and wasn't ready for 2 days of competition and the kids get out of school right before the II weekend. This year, it's money money money and kids :) . Once again, kids got out of school Friday, so it makes it hard to get away. Gas prices being upwards of $3.00/gallon would make the driving portion almost $350! I drove a motorhome from Cartersville to Taos, New Mexico then up to Colorado Springs and back for around $400 a few years ago. That's the impact of gas prices!
Another factor in not making the trip is the fields. The fields are small. We would not have run our fast Greyhound on that field at all. Whippets might have done well, but there are visual barriers all the way around the field. We just didn't think that we'd get optimum performance out of our Whippets.
Hopefully we'll get a good location, during a good part of the year. I doubt we'll miss another II. The dogs are getting older and next year will be on the east coast. There's a group in Region 8 who have secured what I hear is a very nice field in Leesburg, Virginia for the 2008 II. The sticking point now is the date since the field is available not only on the first weekend of June, but also during cooler parts of the year. Although I'm not too bothered/worried about it since my dogs are acclimated and run well in the heat, Virginia can be quite hot in June. So, I guess we'll have to wait a bit to find out where the 2008 II is.
Good luck to everyone in Minnesota this weekend. Wish I was up there with you!!
Maybe Dan will post another update tonight.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
A dog post
Most of you dear readers (all three or four of you) are dog people and read this because you know us through coursing. I've got some interesting information that I want to get out and get some feedback on. According to a well placed source, the ASFA BOD is considering a proposal from some Region 8 clubs to host the 2008 International Invitational in Leesburg, Virginia. They propose to host this on the normal first weekend in June. The alternative at this time is for the ASFA BOD to step in and run the II for 2008.
Unknown and unconsidered to most of the fancy, sources say that the field that Region 8 is proposing to use is available at other times during the year, specifically cooler parts of the year. Now, I personally did not have a problem running the dogs we have at both Leesburg in 1999 or in Remington in 2005. The weather was hot and humid, but not unbearably so. I do think that if the opportunity exists to run in cooler weather, I would much prefer to do so. If not for reservations about the field and gas prices, we'd be at the II in Minnesota this weekend. I am confident that the weather will be ideal for running dogs.
So the question comes down to this. If an alternate, possibly (probably?) cooler weekend were available, would you rather ASFA keep the II on the first weekend in June, or would you like to see it in a cooler part of the year? Comment here or email me at todd at toddbirchfield dot com and let me know!
Unknown and unconsidered to most of the fancy, sources say that the field that Region 8 is proposing to use is available at other times during the year, specifically cooler parts of the year. Now, I personally did not have a problem running the dogs we have at both Leesburg in 1999 or in Remington in 2005. The weather was hot and humid, but not unbearably so. I do think that if the opportunity exists to run in cooler weather, I would much prefer to do so. If not for reservations about the field and gas prices, we'd be at the II in Minnesota this weekend. I am confident that the weather will be ideal for running dogs.
So the question comes down to this. If an alternate, possibly (probably?) cooler weekend were available, would you rather ASFA keep the II on the first weekend in June, or would you like to see it in a cooler part of the year? Comment here or email me at todd at toddbirchfield dot com and let me know!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Who Gives a F***!? - or, What's wrong with mainstream media
A prostitute lists out the "Sexiest Athletes". This makes the front page of the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation dot com.
What about immigration? What about sanctions on the Sudan? Nope. We get a list by a whore.
What about immigration? What about sanctions on the Sudan? Nope. We get a list by a whore.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
Remember what the day is about. Remember those who have fought and died for the freedoms we cherish.
A little over a week ago, I posted about my Grandfather. Here's a link about the China Burma India Theater. I need to sit down and interview him.
A little over a week ago, I posted about my Grandfather. Here's a link about the China Burma India Theater. I need to sit down and interview him.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Watch where you wi-fi
This story is a good reminder to be careful about how you decide to access the internet. I've heard of people getting busted for piggy-backing on their neighbors wi-fi, but never heard this about free internet. Maybe he should have bought a cup of coffee!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Ethanol is The Answer?
You hear a lot about alternative energies these days. Hybrid cars, Hydrogen fuel cells, bio-diesel and ethanol are all darlings of the media and politicians. John Stossel debunks some of the myths about ethanol.
h/t to Boortz
h/t to Boortz
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
California trying to impose Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Sounds good? Another infringement on your rights! Please oppose this crappy bill, especially if you're in California.
This short video was put together by George Bell. Thanks to Dan Gauss for the heads up.
This short video was put together by George Bell. Thanks to Dan Gauss for the heads up.
What we're breathing
The wildfires in S. Georgia/N. Florida are 90% contained. I think 100% of the smoke is blowing into the Atlanta area...
That ^ was taken at about 7:00 am edt. Below were taken @ 10:20 am edt.
That ^ was taken at about 7:00 am edt. Below were taken @ 10:20 am edt.
ZOMG!!!
Camille. Andrew. Katrina. We all know how bad these storms were. The names will go down in history and will never be used again. What happens when both your first and last names are used back-to-back in the same year to name hurricanes? What are the odds of this happening?
I've known Karen and Mike for quite a few years. When I met them, Karen was the perfect storm, red-headed, full of bluster and a whirlwind of activity. Her kennel name is Winds. She's always been in the center of controversy since she has bred some of the finest lure coursing and amateur racing Greyhounds in the United States. Now she's being honored... (thanks Wanda Mae!)
Presenting the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
I've known Karen and Mike for quite a few years. When I met them, Karen was the perfect storm, red-headed, full of bluster and a whirlwind of activity. Her kennel name is Winds. She's always been in the center of controversy since she has bred some of the finest lure coursing and amateur racing Greyhounds in the United States. Now she's being honored... (thanks Wanda Mae!)
Presenting the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
Monday, May 21, 2007
Dealing with trouble
Along this vein, this story will cheer those of you who have lost faith in parental units everywhere!
h/t to Boortz!
h/t to Boortz!
Vacation
Last year, I lost quite a few days of vacation since I maxed out what I could roll over. So last Friday I took the day off work, intending to do nothing more than run errands for R, read and generally just lay around. Instead, I called my grandfather up and we got together in the early afternoon at Spivey for a round of golf. For those of you who don't know, my grandfather is a better than par golfer. At 86 years old. At least twice a week. He plays from the front tees now instead of the backs, but still... He can out drive me by a long shot. He hits straight and long, and most importantly, accurate. Every time. Not bad for a man who didn't take up the game until he was in his 40's, and then only so that my father couldn't have a sport in which he could beat him.
It's a pleasure to be schooled on the golf course by my grandfather. I don't spend enough time with him, what with kids, dogs, jobs, etc. I'm doing better than I have in the recent past though and try to do as much with him as possible.
It's more than just being out on the golf course, a worthy destination in itself. Being with a man who has so much experience in life, and so much still to teach. Not just golf, but life. Makes me think of the quote by George Bernard Shaw, "Youth is wasted on the young." I wish as a younger man I had the wisdom to really listen to what he said. I gleaned a lot, but I also have to admit that I resented his attempts to step in as a fatherly figure in my life.
My grandfather is a great man. He's one of the Greatest Generation. He lived through the depression in very rural Alabama, getting out during World War II and spending the war in India. The Army Air Corps gave him training in repairing avionics and instruments. After the war, he came home and gathered up my Grandmother and Father and moved to Atlanta to work for Delta Air Lines for 40 years. After being there for a few years, he was asked to serve on the Delta Employee Credit Union board, a position he held for over 50 years, representing both his department and later retirees.
He raised two kids and helped raise me and my sister after my father died back in 1985. Soon after my father's death, we moved to Lake Jodeco, just a few houses down from my Grandmother and Grandfather. They were gracious enough to keep an eye on us while my mother was flying for Eastern Air Lines in the late '80's. While I'm on the subject, my Grandmother was probably my best friend for many years. Needless to say, my Grandparents were very important in my life. Thankfully my Grandfather still is.
It's a pleasure to be schooled on the golf course by my grandfather. I don't spend enough time with him, what with kids, dogs, jobs, etc. I'm doing better than I have in the recent past though and try to do as much with him as possible.
It's more than just being out on the golf course, a worthy destination in itself. Being with a man who has so much experience in life, and so much still to teach. Not just golf, but life. Makes me think of the quote by George Bernard Shaw, "Youth is wasted on the young." I wish as a younger man I had the wisdom to really listen to what he said. I gleaned a lot, but I also have to admit that I resented his attempts to step in as a fatherly figure in my life.
My grandfather is a great man. He's one of the Greatest Generation. He lived through the depression in very rural Alabama, getting out during World War II and spending the war in India. The Army Air Corps gave him training in repairing avionics and instruments. After the war, he came home and gathered up my Grandmother and Father and moved to Atlanta to work for Delta Air Lines for 40 years. After being there for a few years, he was asked to serve on the Delta Employee Credit Union board, a position he held for over 50 years, representing both his department and later retirees.
He raised two kids and helped raise me and my sister after my father died back in 1985. Soon after my father's death, we moved to Lake Jodeco, just a few houses down from my Grandmother and Grandfather. They were gracious enough to keep an eye on us while my mother was flying for Eastern Air Lines in the late '80's. While I'm on the subject, my Grandmother was probably my best friend for many years. Needless to say, my Grandparents were very important in my life. Thankfully my Grandfather still is.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Where the Braves play
The Atlanta Braves have a new owner in Liberty Media Corp. Personally, I don't think that AOHell/TimeWarner did the Braves any real justice until this year when they were looking to sell so they loosened the purse strings a bit. The new owner at least acknowledges that a sports franchise should be run by a sports person... Here's hoping the Braves will be given the tools to succeed for many seasons to come!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Updates
Well, it turned out that a BIOS update I tried to install was probably the cause of my problems on Friday. The HD showed up on schedule Monday and I started the install process. Started getting the same ol' BSOD at the same point I was on Friday when trying to install XP. Strange... So, I do some deeper Googling, and find that not only could that error be the HD, but it could be the RAID drivers. Hmmmm.... So, I go into the BIOS and change the RAID settings, do the install and BAM!, no problem. I'm now the proud owner of XP...again...
The old HD was corrupted still, so the machine wouldn't boot from it. Even when I installed it as a second HD I couldn't see the file structure. Found a program that promised to allow me to view the file structure and retrieve the files off the corrupted HD (I know, I could have booted to Knoppix, but didn't feel like it). TestDisk has a DOS interface that allows you to browse, scan and copy directories and files. It worked for me! I was able to retrieve all the files that I needed off the old HD. Now, if I could figure out a way to convince Dell to let me keep the HD, I'd be pushing 1 TB built in and 300 GB removable USB storage! But then again, what would I ever need that much space for... :)
The best news is that I'm sitting here working on this XPS M1210 now. I've been using my old laptop for quite a few years and it was getting a bit worn out. The OS wasn't quite as stable as it was in it's younger days, and the batteries were showing their age; One had shorted out on my trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago. So, it was time to update and the latest compact, powerful machine from Dell is now mine. I opted for Vista as the OS on this, here's hoping that I don't have the same issues with a native install that I did with the upgrade I did on my desktop. So far, it's working well. I do notice that boot time is extremely long. I'll have to do some research and see if I can figure out what's going on there.
The old HD was corrupted still, so the machine wouldn't boot from it. Even when I installed it as a second HD I couldn't see the file structure. Found a program that promised to allow me to view the file structure and retrieve the files off the corrupted HD (I know, I could have booted to Knoppix, but didn't feel like it). TestDisk has a DOS interface that allows you to browse, scan and copy directories and files. It worked for me! I was able to retrieve all the files that I needed off the old HD. Now, if I could figure out a way to convince Dell to let me keep the HD, I'd be pushing 1 TB built in and 300 GB removable USB storage! But then again, what would I ever need that much space for... :)
The best news is that I'm sitting here working on this XPS M1210 now. I've been using my old laptop for quite a few years and it was getting a bit worn out. The OS wasn't quite as stable as it was in it's younger days, and the batteries were showing their age; One had shorted out on my trip to Phoenix a few weeks ago. So, it was time to update and the latest compact, powerful machine from Dell is now mine. I opted for Vista as the OS on this, here's hoping that I don't have the same issues with a native install that I did with the upgrade I did on my desktop. So far, it's working well. I do notice that boot time is extremely long. I'll have to do some research and see if I can figure out what's going on there.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Poor excuse for a day
Showed up to work at 7 this am to find a nice frozen screen on my desktop. Aw hell, Vista is such a piece of crap! Froze up again I figure. Do a hard re-boot and it goes into the endless loop of post, safe mode choice, re-boot, etc, etc. Can't blame this one on MS or Vista. Seems the HD is the piece of crap this time.... At least it's under warranty, I'll have a replacement on Monday. Now to see if I can get all the files off the old HD...
To add to my misery, I have to be here tomorrow for the graduation broadcast. Actually, I could pull off my part from home (more than likely), but as soon as I do, I'll need to be here to push some damn button...
There is one bit of good news. This should be arriving in my office early next week!
To add to my misery, I have to be here tomorrow for the graduation broadcast. Actually, I could pull off my part from home (more than likely), but as soon as I do, I'll need to be here to push some damn button...
There is one bit of good news. This should be arriving in my office early next week!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Happy news for a Star Wars fan
Cool from FoxNews.com:
Hat tip to /.
"And here's a little news: Lucas tells me he will make two more live-action films based in the "Star Wars" era.
'But they won't have members of the Skywalker family as characters," he said. "They will be other people of that milieu.'
The two extra films will also be made for TV and probably be an hour long each. But, like "Clone Wars," Lucas doesn't know where on TV they will land.
Hello, HBO and Showtime. It may be time to pony up."
Hat tip to /.
And a dog brag...Simply...
We went to SEGC on Sunday in Cartersville. The dogs did very well, Sweeney finished his LCM, Everett took BoB and Lobo took 2nd. A good day.
No dog brag time
It's time that I finally brag on something that R and I have been doing since the first of the year. I had just about reached maximum density, and R wasn't real happy with where her body was headed. We decided that we both would work together and try to become not just lighter but healthier. Four and a half months later, we've both made huge strides towards our goals. Actually, R has reached and passed hers already. I've reached and passed my short-term goal of losing 25 lbs while lifting weights. So, I've lost a couple of inches in my waist (damn, I wish I had taken some measurements other than weight at the beginning). I've worn 38" waist pants for many years and haven't seen the south side of 36's since, oh, the late 80's. Now, my jeans and shorts are literally falling off (walking through the Mart of Wals) and my shirts are pretty baggy. Everything has gotten leaner, from my neck all the way to my legs. I've gone from a personal high of 250 down to 220 lbs! This is very close to my post-divorce-diet weight!
I haven't been under 200 since I put on the Freshman forty in 1985/86. My long-term goal is to get below 200 lbs for at least a little while and then hold around 205'ish. I figure if I can do that, I'll have restored at least a few days on to my life expectancy!
I've been on a pretty serious exercise regimen as well. I hit the gym for weight lifting at least 3 days a week, usually four. I'm not quite benching my all-time high, but I'm getting there. I'm doing cardio usually three times a week, right now I'm up to running between 17 and 21 minutes.
The hardest part about losing weight has been changing my eating habits. I love to eat, love good, rich food. I never really thought I ate too much, I didn't snack all the time or eat huge portions. R went on-line and signed up for Weight Watchers. She did a damn good job keeping up with the points while I rode her coattails. We figured out what we needed to cut out (mostly anything white) and what we needed to keep/increase (!). We've pretty much gone whole grain when we have to go "grain" at all, we've increased our veggie/fruit portions and we're maintaining a healthy balance of proteins (fish, chicken, some pork and some beef). The hardest part for me is limiting beer. I love me some good beer, but good beer packs on the lbs. So, I try hard to keep the consumption of said treat to a minimum. Mostly I succeed, but with Summer around the corner, it'll get harder and harder to resist!
Where does the next six months lead? Hopefully fulfilling my goal of getting below 200 lbs. I know that I'm going to keep up with my running since I feel so damn good when I finish (although it's hard as hell to get going). I plan on running the Peachtree Road Race again in 2008 (last time was 26 years ago). I better work on getting some side jobs so that I can buy a new wardrobe.
What I'm really looking forward to is having people not recognize me! Oh, and hopefully you won't ask if I'm sick!
I haven't been under 200 since I put on the Freshman forty in 1985/86. My long-term goal is to get below 200 lbs for at least a little while and then hold around 205'ish. I figure if I can do that, I'll have restored at least a few days on to my life expectancy!
I've been on a pretty serious exercise regimen as well. I hit the gym for weight lifting at least 3 days a week, usually four. I'm not quite benching my all-time high, but I'm getting there. I'm doing cardio usually three times a week, right now I'm up to running between 17 and 21 minutes.
The hardest part about losing weight has been changing my eating habits. I love to eat, love good, rich food. I never really thought I ate too much, I didn't snack all the time or eat huge portions. R went on-line and signed up for Weight Watchers. She did a damn good job keeping up with the points while I rode her coattails. We figured out what we needed to cut out (mostly anything white) and what we needed to keep/increase (!). We've pretty much gone whole grain when we have to go "grain" at all, we've increased our veggie/fruit portions and we're maintaining a healthy balance of proteins (fish, chicken, some pork and some beef). The hardest part for me is limiting beer. I love me some good beer, but good beer packs on the lbs. So, I try hard to keep the consumption of said treat to a minimum. Mostly I succeed, but with Summer around the corner, it'll get harder and harder to resist!
Where does the next six months lead? Hopefully fulfilling my goal of getting below 200 lbs. I know that I'm going to keep up with my running since I feel so damn good when I finish (although it's hard as hell to get going). I plan on running the Peachtree Road Race again in 2008 (last time was 26 years ago). I better work on getting some side jobs so that I can buy a new wardrobe.
What I'm really looking forward to is having people not recognize me! Oh, and hopefully you won't ask if I'm sick!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Playing (race) cards
Hopefully, you won't need a login for this, but Jesse Jackson is in the news today, lamenting the fact that The Atlanta Braves aren't doing enough to promote black players. So, the Braves made the concession to actually meet with Rainbow Coalition members. Now that they've made that gesture, can we get on with playing ball?
Oh, aren't there other colors than black in a "rainbow"?
Oh, aren't there other colors than black in a "rainbow"?
Friday, May 04, 2007
It really sucks to be him...
Robbers Glue Victim to Exercise Cycle
Maybe he should have been packing fingernail polish remover!
Maybe he should have been packing fingernail polish remover!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Something techie
So, being a geek, I sure am behind the times. I spend a little bit of time each week reading blogs, typically clicking links from my blog to what I want to read. This can be time consuming and fruitless at times. If a blog hasn't been updated, I have clicked through for no reason. RSS readers have been around for a long time, I know. I just never really found one that I liked. That is, until I tried Google Reader from Google labs. It's cool, easy to manage and makes blog reading easy. It's allowed me to add more blogs and feeds and read in a much more efficient manor. Try it out!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Earth Day
Didn't even realize until today that yesterday was Earth Day. Ends up I celebrated in my favorite way, by cutting down some trees.*
*I don't advocate cutting trees for the hell of it, but if they're threatening property or are diseased/dead, no problem.
*I don't advocate cutting trees for the hell of it, but if they're threatening property or are diseased/dead, no problem.
Mass murder v/and suicide
Flippant? Why, yes! Opt for the suicide and leave the rest of us out of your misery.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
What's going on
Non-ASFA folks might want to just keep on moving... Last weekend I was in Phoenix for the ASFA ACoD. I thought the convention went well, even though we didn't pass the Discipline article that had been demanded at last year's convention. I'm amazed that this didn't pass. Last year, the uproar was about the ASFA BoD getting involved in what basically boils down to a breeder dispute. The floor of the ACoD was outraged (even though this wasn't included in the official minutes... hmmm) and demanded that CRC re-work Article IX (discipline) to include some limit on jurisdiction. Unfortunately, in the manner of the ACoD, delegates were either too unfamiliar with the background or were too involved with their own agendas to vote for what was obviously a step forward.
If you're reading this and you're involved in the "legislative" process of ASFA, please feel free to request information about this. Luckily, the issue will come back in front of the ACoD next year for another vote.
If you're reading this and you're involved in the "legislative" process of ASFA, please feel free to request information about this. Luckily, the issue will come back in front of the ACoD next year for another vote.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Good things
It might have only been 45 degrees, with a wicked wind whipping, but baseball came back to Atlanta last weekend. Thanks to one of Andrew's suppliers, Andrew, Neil, Will and I went to the game on Saturday. Yeah, we froze, but there was beer, peanuts and baseball. To me, it's a combination that's hard to beat! Oh, the good guys won the game too. Got to see John Smoltz pitch a nice game and hand the traitor Tom Glavine a loss. Not a bad day at all!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Missing it...
Hope everyone in Kansas is having a good time and their dogs are doing well. I wish I was there.... Drop me an email as soon as results are available!
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