Ramblings of an Average White Guy

2003-12-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

Christmas Cards
Well, I received my first Christmas card in the mail today. What the fuck? It's the freakin 4th of December. Who is that organized or anal about cards to have them sent out this early. I haven't sent cards out in a couple of years. My wife was the one who did that. So, the last couple of years, I just haven't felt like sending cards. Maybe this year.

Home Decorating
Tomorrow, Rachel and I are going to start decorating the house for Christmas. I'm going to try and let her make most of the decisions about how to decorate. She loves putting things out, so I'm going to let her. Not planning on playing any carols while we do this, but, maybe I'll play some of the "cracked" carols such as "Grandma got run over by a reindeer".

Accounting Class
In class today, our instructor gave us all a status sheet letting us know what our current average was and our total points. It takes 450 points to get an A in the class. So far, I have 418. That means all I have to do is get a 32 or better on my final test to get an A. The problem is, I currently have an average of 104.8 (thanks to extra credit points). So, the egotistical part of me says I need to get a high 90 score on the test to keep my average about 100. I'm not going to bother figuring out what the lowest score I could get is. I'm just going to try and do the best I can.

How much is that doggie in the window?
Okay, I'm not buying a dog. But, I am in the process of trying to determine whether I need to purchase new bowling shoes (dog? bowling shoes? what?). The problem is, the pair that is being recommended to me as an equivalent or better than the worn out pair I have cost $157. For bowling shoes? Damn, that's a lot of money. Of course, what price does not having to rent shoes bring? I think I'm going to have to seriously consider just how bad I need new "quality" shoes before I even think of forking over that type of money.

2003-12-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

Thought of the Day
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines.

So much I'd like to do or accomplish, but I just can't find a starting point. It seems that I have the desire to do things, but don't know where to start. Each project I come up with seems to have a prerequisite. But, even those have things that have to be done before hand. Somehow, I need to learn how to pick one thing and start on that. Focus seems to be something I need to work on.

By the way! The first line of this post is a lyric from the song Time by Pink Floyd. So, if it seemed familiar, that's why.

Social Calendars
Once again, my 9 year old daughter has a more active social life than I do. I am having trouble keeping up with everything she has going on. From play days to birthday partys, from church to sleep-overs, she is just constantly going. Maybe that was the strangest thing that I felt while she was at my Dad's place, I wasn't driving her from one event to the next. Oh well, better she's active than a wall flower. Oh, one other thing, right now the personal phone usage is about 60/40 in my favor. I figure I have a year or two at best before that swings the other way.

Happy Birthday
Today is my son's (from a previous marriage) 21st birthday. I wish I had the chance to talk to him, but thanks to his mother and his medical condition, this is the closest I can come. One of these days I'll explain the whole situation. Suffice it to say for now that it's nowhere as close as the relationship with Rachel.

2003-12-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back among the living
Should anyone care, I'm back. Sorry about the absence, but I was hit with a mild case of flu that's been running around here in Colorado. I say mild since some people here have died from it. So, I feel lucky to have only been achy, feverish, chilled, sore, tired, etc... But, I finally feel like I'm almost back to normal. One more day or two and I should be rid of all the symptoms. At least I can finally do most of my normal activity without having to take a two hour break for every one hour I do something.

Thanksgiving and Christmas
My daughter Rachel spent Thanksgiving with the Oldcatman and other members of the family. I'm glad she was able to enjoy the holiday even when I didn't care about it (and later turned up sick that day). She had a good time with the animals, my aunt, cousin, and of course Grandpa. Course, I'm now hearing about all the chickens, cats, dog, and horses and their daily activities, but I'm just happy she had a good time.

Now, Christmas is coming up. I've always enjoyed Christmas. Guess it's the kid in me. Hey! I'm greedy, I'll admit it. I love getting presents. There is also a part of me that really likes the fact that for one brief period of time, people will think of others. Odd thing to make a conservative happy, but I do like hanging out at the mall and watching people scurry and run around. I love watching little kids talk to Santa and tell him their wants. I don't care for the Carols, but I can live through it.

Number one thing I enjoy the most is the look in Rachel's eye's when she thinks about presents, Santa, Christmas dinner, and all of that. The look of expectation and joy is just so wonderful, it can cheer even the gloomiest of days. She's the typical kid wanting anything and everything, but it's wonderful that she is happy with whatever she gets. Plus, she's getting old enough to want to make decisions about decorating the house and tree. To watch her decide what ornaments and decorations should be used this year is just heart warming.

Miscellaneous
On the housing front - We didn't get our offer accepted on the house we looked at. The sellers decided to go with the first offer. Oh well, at least now I've got my feet wet and have things prepared to move forward.

Accounting class - Just a week and a half left. If I've done my math right, all I have to do is get a 40 something or better on the final test (out of 100) to get an A. Makes me feel good to know that I'm doing well, must be my competitive nature.

Dating situation - Had to throw in something for a laugh. There is no dating going on here. Any one know a nice lady?

Bowling - Still plugging along. I've got a combined 195 plus average between the two leagues, tournaments, and subbing for other people. More than my concerns about my average, I am just really having fun this year. In both my leagues, I have people I enjoy talking, joking, and competing with. People actually seem to search me out to talk to and spend time with. It really makes me feel good to think that someone sees me and wants to spend a few moments with me. Reminds me that I may get down on myself, but that's my own emotion and is not shared by everyone. Makes me look inward and remember that even on a bad day, I still have a lot to offer.

As you can tell from some of my comments today, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. What I came up with is that I'm human. I have a lot of good qualities, I struggle with my emotions, I'm competitive, and I probably have as many people who like me as those who don't. The important thing is that I like myself. I would like to be a better person (who wouldn't), but as long as I'm okay with me and Rachel loves me, what else do I need? The answer is nothing. I simply have to remember to do things that help me (and Rachel) and not stress on what others think. Wish me luck!

2003-11-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, my aching back
Well, another tradition of winter here in Highlands Ranch. It's the annual day after the first day of shoveling snow back-ache. Nothing major, just enough discomfort to let me know my back is there. Every now and then I'll move just right and my back will tell me its tired. It's usually not bad, but this time we have sub twenties weather, so if I'm outside for any reason, my back muscles just can't warm up.

Good decision on my part
I made the right decision not to go to the Broncos game today. Heard on TV that it was the coldest temperature during a Bronco game in history. That, plus the fact that the Donkeys lost to the lowly Bears, and I really would have hated to spend the time and money to be at the game. At least the Chiefs won today, so, my tickets to the Broncos/Chiefs game should be good.

Sting Concert
One of the musicians I enjoy listening to is Sting. I liked the Police and I really like his solo stuff. He is going to give a concert here in Denver in February. I was tempted to buy tickets and go see him until I saw the prices. Standing room tickets are $62.50. Standing? You mean to tell me that they plan to sell SRO tickets before they've sold the first ticket? Oh well, guess I'll wait until the concert DVD comes out.

2003-11-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
Yikes, who turned off the heat? The weather here in Highlands Ranch, Colorado is a brisk 14 degrees and we've received about 3 to 4 inches of snow. Had to shovel the driveway for the first time this season today. What a fun way to pass the time. The snow is supposed to taper off this evening but the temperature won't be climbing for a couple of days. At least we're supposed to get some sun tomorrow.

Not as big a Bronco fan as I thought
I was offered seats to tomorrow's Bronco game from my friend I'm splitting the season tickets with. Seems he and his daughter have come down with the virus that's been floating around here lately. The game is against the Chicago Bears. Hmm, let's see, stay home and watch the game from the comfort of my recliner or go to the game and sit outside on a cold plastic seat for better than three hours in sub twenty degree temperatures. Tough choice, but I think I'll have to stay indoors. I'd go if it was the Chiefs game, but the Bears? I don't think so.

Movies vs. Books
Not sure if I've mentioned that I read alot. Mostly read things by Stephen King, James Patterson (really like the Alex Cross books), books on finances, and golf. Right now, I'm also reading the fifth Harry Potter book. And yes, I've read the other four. The Harry Potter movies are pretty close to the books. There are some minor changes and omissions, but nothing too major. Now, the other book I'm reading right now, Along Came a Spider (Patterson) has also been made into a movie. Morgan Freeman plays the Alex Cross character which is a perfect casting move other than he's a little older than Alex in the books. Talk about differences! The movie basically has the Cross character, Jezzie Flanagan, Mike Devine, and Gary Sonjei. Where they came up with the opening scene in the movie is anybodys guess. The kidnapping is different such as while there is a Megan Rose that gets kidnapped, she's only part of the crime. There is another child who also gets abducted and he's not Russian like in the movie. There is a basic kidnapping, investigation, and the plot twist of the supposed good guys now having the missing child. But, the entire process of how you get from point A to B is totally different. In the movie, the character Sonjei dies, in the book, he's commits multiple crimes, is married, finally captured, goes to trial, goes to prison, and then escapes. He's more of a advesary of Cross in the book than in the movie. Also, in the books, Alex has two kids and a grandmother that he lives with. I really do enjoy the movie (and Kiss The Girls), but they are nothing like the books other than they're about a black cop named Alex Cross.

2003-11-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

What to write?
You'd think that with having taken some time off from writing that I'd have a small assortment of items to write about. Well, if you thought that, you'd be wrong. I'm sitting here struggling for something to write about. So, I apologize in advance if today's post is not that exciting.

House update
Nothing new on the house situation. Didn't expect anything today anyway. There is a relocation company involved in the deal and that will generally slow things down. Last we'd heard, the listing agent thought the sellers would be thrilled by my offer. Why you'd be thrilled about a back-up offer I do not know. Unless......the only thing I can think of is that the primary offer has some contingincies that are making the seller nervous.

World Tour
No, I'm not going to do any traveling. But, I have signed up to take a world tour of sorts. There is a restaurant around here called Old Chicago's. They stock and sell over 130 different types of beer. They also have what's called a Hall of Foam. The way that a person gets into the hall is to drink at least 110 of the 130 types of beer they sell. The restaurant now has a record on file for me listing the beers I've had so far. Each time I go in, I hand them my tour card and they'll keep track of my status and let me know which beers I still need to try. So far, I'm up to 2 (Coors Light and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale). For their own safety, they will only let you add six new beers a visit (to prevent someone coming in and trying to add, say 20 beers in one night). So, I figure if I visit the restaurant an average of once a week and have three beers each time, I'll be in the Hall of Foam somtime next August. In the meantime, I will get discounts on food after I've had 10 beers, a t-shirt after 50, a ball cap after 85. Wow, get free stuff (kind of free) for drinking beer. Damn, had I signed up earlier, I'd have a house by now.

2003-11-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Oops
Okay, I goofed. I promised that I was going to write a proper post yesterday and then failed to do it. But, I had a very good reason.

After class on Tuesday, I drove around the neighborhood where I'm looking to buy a new home. Well, I came across one the had the "nice curb appeal" that I'd like. I stopped and picked up a brochure and then looked at the home on the internet. Really nice home. Nice enough in fact that I wanted to look at it yesterday which is way ahead of schedule, but the house is that nice. Unfortunately, the home is already under contract. But, they are excepting back-up offers in case the primary offer falls through. Without boring you with all the details, the short story is that I looked at the house and spent last night writing an offer on it. My real estate agents are a husband and wife team (who just happen to be my daughter's god-parents). Well, the husband was cautioning me about the remote chance of getting the home. But, the wife has talked to the agent selling the home and everything we're hearing leads her and I to believe that the first offer is a little suspect based on what the selling agent is telling us. Legally, she can't give us any details, but, she's just phrasing things and reacting to our offer like we're going to make things better. So, I'm just going to have to keep my fingers crossed. The nice thing is that I either get the house or I don't, there is no negative here.

Depressive funks
As I said in my last funk, I had a bad few days and was in a funk. When these things hit me, all my fears seem to come to the front of my mind and control my thoughts. I just get worried about taking care of my daughter, worry about money, worry about worrying so much. It's just had to shake. I don't know if you have ever been through these feelings, but man they suck. I know on a logical rational level that Rachel and I are fine. However, I just can't accept that emotionally. I guess this is my version of a female time of the month/PMS issue (not being derogatory, just kidding around). Then, I do something like look for a house and suddenly I feel better about getting something positive accomplished and all those thoughts move to the back of my mind. I simply need to realize that doing something towards a goal improves my mental state. When I feel a funk coming on, I need to work towards a goal to stave it off.

Back to Odd things
Okay, some body explain personal dress styles to me. Today at school, there was a large woman wearing a bright pinkish orange outfit. The pants were the light weight cotton variety. So, I could see every bit of cellulite and fat that was on this lady's thighs and butt. Why don't people think about this? Now, I firmly believe that everybody has a right to dress as they wish, but come on. If you are fat, it should be obvious that clingy clothing is not right for you. Similarly, if you are a well built woman, if you were a revealing shirt and short skirt, don't be surprised when guys notice you even if they stare/ogle a bit. Again, common sense. Now, no one deserves to have to take rude comments, but when you wear certain clothing, you are going to have people notice you. You have the right to wear a t-shirt saying religion sucks. But, if you wear said t-shirt to a church, don't be surprised if people react to it. Duh! I appreciate the fact that people dress as they wish and want to be comfortable. But, I just laugh when a lady, for example, wearing a short skirt gets upset because someone notices her legs. Gee, I wonder why? Lady, you are displaying 80 to 90 percent of you legs, do you not expect us guys to notice?

Mad at school
Well, I'm upset with the college I'm attending. Because I hope to be working next semester, I will have to take courses at night or on-line if I want to continue. I would like to take the second semester of Accounting next term. The only problem with that is with the textbook. We buy one book for both semesters of Accounting. So, I have used almost half of my textbook so far. Now, the idiots who run the on-line Accounting class have decided to use a different textbook. So, to continue my Accounting course, I'll have to buy another textbook that I will only use half of. I'll end up with two books (and not cheap ones at that) that I will only have used one portion of. Gee folks, thanks for thinking of the cost to the students.

2003-11-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm Back
Okay, I've been gone a little while. I've been in what can best be described as a funk lately. A part of me hates to admit this, but I think I've just been depressed about the holidays coming up and other things. But, I think I'm coming out of the worst part of it and am getting back to functional. Still not totally okay with everything, but I'm getting there.

This is just a partial post
I'm planning on writing a proper post tomorrow sometime, but I just wanted to admit that this post was just for the purposes of getting something out there. There is only two things I really wanted to say this evening. They are as follows:

To my daughter Rachel - I love you more than anything in this world and thank God for you daily. Even in the worst funk, I feel blessed to have you in my life.
Dad - I love you more than ever in our lives, you constantly surprise me these days with your caring and understanding of my wacky life and feelings. Sometimes, I'm afraid to tell you how I'm feeling, but then I do and you understand. I can't express how wonderful that makes me feel

2003-11-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

Apology and Promise
I'm just too tired and semi-depressed to write anything tonight. I am promising myself that I will write a proper post tomorrow morning. Until then, I am just going to go to bed and try and get some energy back.

2003-11-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

One more Marine Corps comment
At school today (I was helping a classmate) they were having a job fair. Not much of one, but they tried. Anyway, while wandering around the tables, I came across a table with a few Marine Corps recruiters. I paused long enough to look at some of the brochures they had. Still the same shit. Newer pictures, but mostly the same text. The only real bad thing was they weren't giving away any Marine stickers or decals. All they had was pencils. Guess the budget just doesn't allow for much these days.

Speaking of school
Found out yesterday that I got a 98 on my last accounting test. That brings my average for tests to 97.6. We've got one more test in class plus a 100 point project due (which I've already completed). So, unless I truly tank the last test, I should get an A for the class.

My business math class is now over. I took my last test Tuesday and will find out how I did tomorrow. My average in that class in also 97 point something. So, all I had to do was get a 21 (out of 100) to maintain at least a 90 percent and an A.

Short Night
Been busy with school, homework, laundry, bowling, etc. so I really haven't done much lately. As such, I'm going to keep this really short tonight. But, tomorrow's another day and maybe something worth writing about will occur. Oh, the one big thing I've done lately is start the 5th Harry Potter book. It was kind of cute tonight, I was reading the 5th Potter book and sitting next to me was Rachel reading the 2nd. I love seeing Rachel reading books. She has a playstation, but spends so much more time reading than playing it. I like that.

2003-11-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

Veteran's Day
To all veterans and all current members of the military: Thank you for your service. Without you, the freedoms enjoyed by us all would not be present. You are my brethren and I am proud to have served with you.

More Marine Corps
I realized after reading yesterday's post that most of what I wrote about was the personal side of being in the Marines. As this is Veteran's Day, I thought I'd take the time today to write a little more about my actual military related duties.

The thing I was most proud about during my career was being a member of the Color Guard in Kansas City. I used to carry the Marine Corps flag whenever we were present at an event. Also, when the Kansas City Vietnam Memorial was dedicated, I was in charge of raising the American flag for the very first time. I took part in presenting the colors at two Kansas City Chief's football games. I also took part in a Royals playoff game. That was interesting becuase I carried the Canadian flag. And, since a Marine cannot carry a flag of a different country in uniform, I had to wear a suit to do it. I had to march a few steps in front of the American flag, so I was all by myself while my fellow Marines were carrying the Marine and American flag. Anyone who wishes to have a Marine Corps Color Guard at their event simply needs to request one. Now, I'm sure we wouldn't do a porno event or a KKK rally, but short of those, we pretty much went where requested. I did a Safeway (grocery store) convention, a Tai-Kwon-Do tournament, several parades, VFW celebrations, a Miss Teen Kansas pagent, a Coast Guard ceremony, and a Christmas in July production of Miracle on 34th street. One of the benefits of all these was we were usually invited to have a meal and drinks with the event hosts. Plus, if the event included a dance, the ladies all wanted to dance with a Marine in dress blues.

I was also a member of the Camp Smith Honor Guard. Basically, since Hawaii was the Pacific Fleet headquarters, we received a number of VIP's at our base. When someone arrived, it was up to the Honor Guard to show the respect and honor they recieved. So, I was part of the ceremony honoring such people as Ferdinand Marcos, the Prime Minister of Fiji, and then Vice-President George H. Bush (Not Dub-ya). Being part of this unit also earned me the priviledge of being a part smaller groups that would provide security and ceremonial duties at other military events. The neat thing about that was the comments and respect that tourists in Hawaii would give us when they saw us doing our thing. It's quite cool to have someone walk up to you and tell you that they admire the job that you do because you're a Marine.

While in the Marines, I was a COBOL programmer/analyst for the majority of the time. This was no different from the jobs I've held in the civilian world other than I wore a uniform (though you could argue a suit is a form of uniform). One of my other jobs was being the Mark IV Co-ordinator (another programming language) in Kansas City. This job basically involved working with whoever needed any information about one or more Marines to complete their job. So, it was a nice feeling to know that I was supporting others to do their job. The benefit of that position was that I basically did what ever was asked, so, if I needed something, someone usually owed me and was willing to do what I needed. Kind of a rush to have that type of power in your early twenties.

By the time I officially got out of the Marines, I had been promoted to the rank of Sargeant. Four days later, the promotion list to Staff Sargeant came out and my name was on it. So, had I stayed in, I would have been promoted during the next year and would have become a manager. Another weird feeling. When I was promoted from Corporal to Sargeant, I had the highest cutting score of any Corporal within my MOS. A cutting score is computed by taking your time in service, time in rank, proficiency and conduct marks, physical fitness scores and marksmanship scores into account. It was pathetic that I had to wait that long to be promoted, but that's just the way it was. At that time, the Marines were allowing Corporals from other MOS's to re-enlist, get a nice fat $16,000 bonus and a promotion to Sargeant if they became programmers. Well, that was fine and dandy for them, but for us programmers working our way up, we suddenly had a glut of Sargeants and very few promotion possibilities. Oh well, I finally got there.

The only problem I had being in my position in the Marines was that at each duty station, I managed to work myself into a position where I was quite valuable or at least handy. As such, I was pretty much allowed to do what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. That caused problems when I took my first civilian job because suddenly, I was just another worker. I lost all the status I had held in the Marines. But, again, because my first civilian job didn't work out, I ended taking another job at the company where I met my deceased wife. So, even a bad thing turned into a plus.

2003-11-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

November 10
Today is the 228th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. The Marines were born on this date in 1775 at Tun Tavern.

I enlisted in the Marines officially the summer between my Junior and Senior year of high school a few days after I turned seventeen (in 1978). My dad wasn't too crazy about the idea but since I told him that I would sign up the moment I turned eighteen anyway, he went ahead and allowed me to enlist and signed my enlistment papers (since I was a minor). A little over a month after I graduated high school (in 1979) I headed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego for basic training.

The Marine Corps advertises that you can ask any Marine what they thought of boot camp and you'll receive the answer that they would never want to go through it again, but are proud of the fact that they had done it. And you know, it's true. Excluding the deaths of my mother and wife, I've never been through anything that mentally exhausting or challanging. And the physical part wasn't exactly easy either. When I started boot camp in July, I weighed 210 - 220 pounds. When I graduated at the end of September, I weighed 185 pounds. During the first week of boot camp, I struggled to run a mile in one of our first runs at a nine minute pace. My final physical fitness test, I ran three miles in just over 20 minutes in combat boots. I have never enjoyed running just to run. Except, when in boot camp, I learned to love our five mile runs. It meant that for the better part of an hour, I was alone. No drill instructors yelling at me, no rifle to carry, no drillling to do, just me running and helping out my platoon mates who were struggling. It was kind of a break actually.

After boot camp, I went to Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA for COBOL programming. My MOS (military occupational specialty) was 4063. The school started in mid October and if all went well, I'd be home for Christmas. However, all didn't go well. It wasn't that I struggled or had problems, just the opposite. I was doing really well and was ahead of schedule. So, my instuctor volunteered me for a brand new course that was starting (the first time ever offered). My other classmates were all people experienced in the language of the class and they wanted to use me as a test case to see if an in-experienced person could handle the class. Well, the instructor was pissed as he was sure no rookie programmer and/or private could handle the course. What really pissed him off was that I finished first in the class and completed it before everyone else.

From there, I was shipped to Camp Pendleton, CA. My instructors wanted to reward me for helping with the class by returning me to my home state, I wanted to go anywere else. Hey, I joined the Marines hoping to travel some. Anyway, off I went to the Marine Corps Tactictal Systems Support Activity or MCTSSA for short. Short that was except when I had to answer the phone. Here's how I had to answer a call, Good Morning, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, Automated Services Branch, Systems Programming Unit, PFC O'Brien (not the real name) speaking, how may I help you. I was so happy when people who knew me (like my co-workers spouses) would stop me early on. Other folks were always just amazed that I could rattle that all off. MCTSSA was an odd place, they really didn't need someone with my MOS, so they didn't really know what to do with me. So, the first thing they did do was throw me in more classes and force me to read manuals. I had to basically relearn the COBOL language on the machine we used. Then, after slightly over a year, just when I was starting to get comfortable, I got orders to Hawaii.

Off I went to Camp H. M. Smith, HI which is located in the town of Aiea (not a mistake, it's one of two towns in the US with a name that contains no constanants) on the island of Oahu. The thing I remember most about being stationed in HI is all the sports I participated in. I was stationed there almost three years. During that time, I played softball for my unit team, played on a civilian softball team, played football for various on-base teams, played volleyball on the base team, and bowled in a bowling league. The back of my car looked like a sporting goods store. At any given time, I could have equipment in there for between one and four sports.

There is two other things that are meaningful about my time in HI. One no longer is important to me, that would be meeting and marrying my first wife. She was also a Marine stationed there. For reasons I can now only attribute to stupidity and immaturity, I decided that she was the woman I loved and wanted to marry. That marriage lasted a little over 6 years if you include the time that we were separated. The other thing (and most important) was the birth of my son. I don't know that I've mentioned him before. The reason I haven't is that thanks primarily to his mother, although truthfully my stupidity is also to blame, I haven't been a part of his life for the last 15 years. In fact, in that time, I have only seen him once. My son has Fragile-X syndrome which is a condition that among other things, gives him characteristics and mannerisms of autism. So, my wife who thinks she's the only person who can deal with, help, or suport him has shoved me out of the picture. I should talk about this some other time.

After three years in Hawaii, I was off again. This time, I was sent to the Marine Corps Finance Center in Kansas City, MO. Now, I had complained about how bored I had become with Hawaii weather while I was there. Ship me some place with seasons I used to holler. Well, be careful what you ask for. My first winter in KC, I was driving to work one early morning and noticed that each thermometer that I passed dropped in temperature by two degrees. Big deal you say. Well, it was since the first one I passed read minus four degrees. I grew up in California, even in Sonora I don't think I'd ever had encounted a minus temperature. Man, that first time was a bitch. It was bitter, cold, and mean. Kansas City wasn't a bad place to be stationed other than it didn't have a base. We had to live out in town like normal folks. That's a big difference when you in your early twenties and haven't had to deal with rent, utilities, groceries, and the like before.

I had re-enlisted before I left Hawaii and so, while I was in KC, it was about time to re-enlist again. Well, I wanted to work it so that I would go to Japan a year and then return to KC (which everybody in KC did). This plan would allow me to leave my wife and son in our home and after a year in Japan, I would return and be assured of being there three years. After the three years, I would repeat the cycle each time I re-enlisted. Nice plan. Except, I had a Major in Headquarters in Washington DC whom I had been assigned to whenever he came for an audit in KC. Basically, I was his flunky and at his beck and call 24/7 while he was in KC. He liked the work I did for him so much, that he wouldn't let the career planner send me to Japan. He wanted me in HQ. I didn't want to go to HQ because I didn't want to move my son around. He was in a good special-ed school and I thought moving would do more harm than good. So, since my plan wasn't being allowed to happen, I got out of the Marines. A part of me was happy to be out, but I did and still do miss being in. It was a great time for learning, I had great friends, and generally, I fit in. I liked the black and whiteness, I liked the rules, I liked the structure. So, I was sorry to get out. But, if it helped my son, then it was worth it. The bitch of it was, a little after a year after getting out of the Marines, my wife and I separated. Therefore, the biggest reason for getting out (to assist my family) suddenly went out the window. Oh well, if I hadn't of gotten out of the Marines in KC and divorced, I would have never have had the job which allowed me to meet Kyla (my deceased wife), marry her, and then have my daughter Rachel. So, if after all this time, the thing I have left is memories of my Marine days and my little girl, then I am truly a lucky man.

2003-11-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

A few comedic thoughts on words
England and the US are two countries separated by a common language. For example, in the US, you say erb, England say H-erb, cause there's a fucking h in it. Eddie Izzard.

We wonder why kids and foreigners struggle with the English language. Consider this, One is pronounced W-un, why? There's no W in one. Two is pronounced to even though it has a W. Maybe one stole the W from two. Gallagher.

Still teasing
Only two (regardless of W sound or not) days until November 10th. Nobody has really ventured a guess yet as to why this day is special. Here's a hint - Tun Tavern.

What to do, what to do?
Rachel is going to spend the evening with her god-parents this evening. That means I have the night to myself. The problem is, I don't know what to do with myself. Whatever I end up doing, I'll just have to be safe and not do anything too stupid. Just have to figure out what sounds like fun.

Thanksgiving
My dad and aunt want Rachel and I to come out to their place for Thanksgiving. We're thinking about going. The biggest concern about heading that way is that it involves a 5 to 5 and a half hour drive over the Rocky Mountains to get there. I don't know about you, but I don't like driving in the mountains during winter weather. But, I don't know what the weather is going to be like that weekend at this time. So, it's hard to predict whether we'll head out or not.

Yes, it is a holiday, but I'm not that impressed by Thanksgiving. It's just a day to overeat and watch whoever the Lions and Cowboys are playing. Growing up, it used to be cool just because you got turkey. Back when I was little, turkey was only available during the holidays. Nowadays, it seems like you can eat turkey whenever you want. So, that part has lost it's appeal. I know the one thing I absolutely don't like about this holiday, cranberry sauce. Especially from a can. Uggh! And that's saying something from a person who lists liver and onions or chicken livers among their favorite meals.

Bowling Marathon
Well, not a marathon in the sense of bowling a lot of games in one day. But, starting a week ago Thursday, I'm in the middle of an odd streak of bowling times. I bowled on that Thursday, did a make-up on the following Sunday, bowled my normal nights last week on Tuesday and Thursday. Now, I will be subbing for a friend tomorrow night, will bowl normal Tuesday and Thursday next week, have the All-City tournament next Saturday, and have been asked to sub again on Sunday. Then, I'll have the Tuesday and Thursday normal routine again. If you're not counting, that's bowling 8 times in just over two weeks. No wonder my poor thumb is hurting. I keep jamming into my ball (no snide comments please) about every other night.

2003-11-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing to post
I actually have nothing to post today. I had a real quiet day around the house, picked up a little, did some laundry, and just hung out. The biggest thing I did today was some accounting homework/project and ran to the grocery store. Wow, exciting life I lead at times. Oh well, at least a quiet day is better than a bad day. Just thought I would at least post something saying I had nothing to post rather than not posting anything. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

3 Days
The countdown is down to three days until a special day. Any guesses?

2003-11-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

LIFO, or is it FIFO?
Well, another accounting test out of the way. Feel like I did pretty well on the test except that I missed one question (I know because I asked the teacher when I turned my test in) for sure. Other than that, I think I did well. I was stressing out over the one I knew I missed until I talked with my friends after the test was over. They were all commenting that they hoped to pass the test. Everyone was saying how tough the test was. What the f....? It wasn't that hard. We talked about the bank reconcilliation problem on the test and I'm now worried that they may be right. God help their checkbooks if they can't reconcile them.

Spelling 1A
In our local newspaper, they had one of those people on the street question/answer articles. Now, this is not that thrilling except for some spelling issues. As you know, last Tuesday was election day. So the question was, do mail-in ballots make you more likely to vote? Two people answered that they would have gone to the polls either way. Except, our brilliant newspaper said poles instead of polls. They did this twice. Another person said they would vote wether or not they had to go to a polling place or use a mail-in ballot. Guess what the paper said? You got it, instead of whether, they had weather. This has to be a case of where a spell-checker doesn't find a mistake, but the word is wrong. Great editing job at the paper.

New Year's Eve Party
My bowling partners Harry and Pat throw a wonderful party each year on New Year's Eve. They have a huge beautiful home and really know how to host a party. Well, they've been reminding me that the party is 3 months, then 2.5 months, and most recently 2 months away. The reason for these reminders is so that they let me know how much time I have to find a date for the evening. The funny thing is that every single woman that the three of us all know, Pat thinks is a pig and I shouldn't waste my time on. It's become the joke of two bowling leagues that I can't find a date that Pat approves of (hell, I can't find a date period). Harry told me that he would make sure that there was a single female (or two) at the party that I would instantly be smitten (his word, not mine) with the moment I saw her. I told Harry that if he would make that a promise, I'd show up with a bottle of Chivas Regal Scotch for him. Would be nice to owe Harry a bottle.

Teaser
Today is the 6th of November. Does anyone know what is significant about the date four days from now?

2003-11-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Traditions
My daughter had a discussion in her class today concerning traditions. The teacher wanted to know if the kids had any family or personal traditions that they participated in. So, when my daughter came home, she asked me if we had any traditions. The only one I could think of that we currently have is eating seafood on Christmas Eve and having Champagne on Christmas Day. Not exactly monumental ones I realize, but it's what we've got. My wife used to spend the day after Thanksgiving decorating the house. She'd put on Christmas Carols, pour herself some Champagne, and spend the entire day decorating the house, putting up the tree, and such. But, thinking about this has me wondering, how many traditions do people have? And what makes something a tradition rather than a standard practice or habit? Kind of makes you wonder.

Christmas Carols
Speaking of Christmas Carols, my daughter and I were shopping last Sunday (November 2) and the store we were at had on Carols. Please folks, can we wait a couple of weeks? I'm not a big fan of Carols and haven't been for a long time. As I said, my wife played them all the time after Thanksgiving and it drove me nuts. I just don't care for the majority of them. I tend to like the comedic/parody ones like Grandma got runover by a reindeer, 12 Buds of Christmas, and Chipmunk Christmas. But as for the rest, with the exception of Little Drummer Boy, I just don't care for them. Here's an example of one that drives me nuts - the lyrics go - A child, a child, shivers in the cold, let us bring him silver and gold. Hey, excuse me, but if you have silver and gold, bring the kid a nice blanket or comforter. Silver and Gold ain't gonna warm up the kid. That song always makes me think of the Monty Python movie Life of Brian (Brian being a person constantly confused with being the Messiah). In the movie, the three wise men bring Brian's mother Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (sp?). The mother asks what is Myrrh and is told it's a balm which she mis-hears as bomb. She goes nuts until the wise men correct her. She finally tells the wise men that she thought it was a bit daft to bring a baby a bomb, next time just bring more gold. I know I should worry about how God feels about things like this, but hey, any supreme being that created this world has to have a sense of humor.

Studying and Starbuck's
While not a tradition, I have a habit of going to Starbuck's and ordering a Latte to sip while studying for a test or doing homework. Well, I have a test tomorrow in accounting, so I thought I should head to my usual place. Except, this was later in the evening and my daughter was home. Guess what, she had homework to do also. So, I took her to Starbucks (she got hot chocolate) with me. So, we had a nice father/daughter outing at Starbuck's drinking our drinks, studying, doing homework, and chatting. Very nice way to spend time together. The one type of homework I wouldn't let her do is practice her Recorder. She just got her Recorder yesterday at school and now I'll have to listen to it on a daily basis.

2003-11-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Broncos - 26, Patriots - 30
Oh man! For this I sat out in the cold for close to 4 hours? Oh well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might get. I was actually pretty comfortable sitting there rooting on the home team. Too bad the defense can't defend a pass. Or, that we have a quarterback (in name only) who can't seem to throw a ball anywhere near a place where someone could catch it. Plus, we were outcoached. At this point, even a wild card is going to be a tough task to acheive. I'm just glad I'm not a fanatic to the point that I base my own happiness on whether the home team wins or not.

The pain of parenting
Rachel had a bad day today. Seems some of her friends at school weren't very friendly today. She took a lot of ribbing and snide comments from people who she considers friends. It really gets to me to listen to her tell me about how some people sometimes treat her. Plus, she wasn't happy about the way she bowled today. Oh, had I mentioned before that she bowls in a fun intro league? At the end of the league, she gets a ball and bag. Anyway, I digress.

First, I told her that I was very proud of her and her bowling. She is out there trying her best and she is improving. I love the fact that she's trying to get better. I just don't want her to be too hard on herself (like her father) where her bowling score is concerned.

Secondly, I told her that the situation with her friends was not her fault. See, my daughter is a warm, wonderful, approachable, and caring friend. The problem is that she knows a bunch of kids who decide to be buddies with someone else on a given day knowing that Rachel will be there if things don't work with the other friend. So, poor Rachel is stuck with kids running off with someone else knowing that if they need her, Rachel will be there. I love that quality about her, but god it hurts to hear that people are treating her that way. My daughter has learned how to be a true friend from her mother and I. And, she's learned that lesson well. Unfortunately, some of her friends haven't learned the same thing.

Oh, but after feeling the pain of Rachel's bad day, I got a great present. After we talked things out, she was feeling better. Then, I put her to bed. After I thought she was laying down, she came out of her room and said she had something to tell me. She said "So what if I had a bad day, I have you and Buddy (her stuffed teddy bear) that love me, and that's all I need". Talk about an emotional pendulum. I went from hurting because she hurt, to feeling like a million dollars. I do so dearly and truly with all my heart love that kid and thank God daily for her.

Is Driving that tough?
What in the hell is wrong with people and their driving? Damn, it's getting to the point that I get nervous driving around my neighborhood. People can't seem to read speed limit signs. Can't obey traffic signals, stop or yield signs, or follow simple rules of the road. And, forget courtesy on the road. I can't tell you how many people go zipping by me giving me dirty looks (or a finger) just because I obey speed limits or stop when a light turns yellow. See, here in Colorado, if you are within two cars of an intersection when a turn signal turns red, people seem to think you still have the right to turn. I used to be one of these people who moved the instant a light turned green. But, I had to learn to delay because of the late turning fools around here. Gunning it at a green light here in Denver is sooner or later going to cause an accident. Well, all I can say is that I'd rather get somewhere ten minutes later and safe than to risk hurting Rachel, myself, or my car.

2003-11-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Writing Early
I am going to the Denver vs. New England football game this evening, so, I need to write this thing earlier today. Why am I going to a football game I could easily watch at home when the temperature is going to be at or near freezing? Because I bought the tickets when it was warm and didn't think about going to a night game in November is why. Oh well, I'll just bundle up and deal with it.

Apostrophes
I have an apostrophe in my last name. Normally, I have no problem with that fact. However, there are times when it's a royal pain in the ass. For the purpose of this post, let's say my last name is O'Brien.

The first annoying thing about an apostrophe is telling your name to people who are going to look something up on a computer. First they type in your name with the apostrophe. Oops, didn't find it. Let's try it without. Oh, there you are, there's your name. No folks, that's not my name. My name is O'Brien which is pronounced Oh-Bri-en. It's not Obrien which might be pronounce Ob-re-en. Would you like it if I omitted a letter from you name, especially if your name was Shmitt?

Now, I know the reason computers don't often have apostrophes in the names. It's due to programmers (like myself) who are lazy or unwilling (unlike myself) to code for the damn thing. You see, normally a programmer will take input from a screen and string it together with other information. Names are enclosed by single quotes which look alot like apostrophes (same thing in fact). Well, if you put O'Brien in single quotes, you get 'O'Brien' which the computer looks at as unbalanced quotes. What you'd have to do is put things in double quotes or put extra single quotes in. To save the whole programming lesson, it's a little extra work, but nothing major. It's just that if one program recognizes an apostrophe, then all of them do. That's what makes it a pain.

So, if you have an apostrophe in your name, companies will either remove the damn thing or will replace it with a space. If replaced with a space, my name becomes Robert O Brien. Now, is O my middle initial, or part of my last name. I was in the grocery store today and this store uses the space method. So, when the cashier looked at my name, she said "Have a nice day Mr. Brien". This doesn't really bother me, but it is a little annoying. What's amusing about this is that on the receipt where she was reading my name from, it shows Robert A O Brien. So, does the cashier think I have two middle names?

The second odd thing about having an apostrophe (and how a computer deals with it) is the interesting effect it has on my mail. Here is a list of how I get mail addressed to me:

Robert O'Brien
Robert A O'Brien
Robert A O Brien
Robert A Brien
Robert O Brien
Robert Brien
Obert Brien - Don't ask my why somebody dropped the R in Robert

At least you can then tell what companies share what mailing lists. But, I've often wondered if technically it's legal for me to open mail addressed to a name that isn't mine even if it's just a mistake. I don't think it would be, but hell, get a postal officer on a bad day and who knows what can happen.

2003-11-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Poker
Had a good time playing poker last night. Played nickel, dime, quarter stakes and ended the night up $11.40. Which looks even better when you consider that I only started with $10. Wish I could go to Vegas and do that with my money.

Bowling Make-up
Let's see, I was the one doing the most bitching about having to bowl on a Sunday morning. The lanes will suck, it's too early, I can't drink or smoke while we bowl, etc.. So, after all that, guess who bowled the best this morning? Your's truly bowled games of 242, 216, and 202 for a series of 660. The lanes were very dry so it took some time in practice to figure out the shot. But, managed to figure out what to do and was able to do it consistently during the games. Half way through the second game, I had had 12 strikes, 1 spare, and two opens. Strikes didn't come as easily the rest of the second and third game but I got enough to score well.

Clothes Shopping
Took Rachel shopping for some clothes today after bowling. Thankfully, Rachel doesn't want what I would consider really odd, trendy, or tacky clothes (now, shoes are a different subject). She usually picks out some nice clothes that I don't object to. I do wish she wear clothes that were a little more feminine, but she's still just a young kid. Besides, she'll start doing that soon enough and I'll be wishing she wore more boyish clothes at that time.

Poetry
Noticed while reading my Dad's blog today that he was posting poetry written by my aunt. As a person who never graduated beyond "Roses are red, Violets are blue" level poetry, I have a hard time reading modern poetry (yes, including my aunt's). I just don't get poetry or haiku's or things of that ilk. Shakespeare is about the closest to enjoying poetry that I get. Like most art forms, it takes skill, passion, and committment to truly be good at something. So, I admire those traits in the people who do attempt artwork. I just don't seem to be equipped with the wiring to truly appreciate certain art forms.

2003-10-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Blogger's working tonight
There I was, all set to write last night's post. Logged on to the Internet, no problems (thanks DSL service). Click on favorites to go to E-Blogger and suddenly get a damn error message. A problem has been encountered and has been reported. If the problem persists, please trying logging off and then back on. Well, after 30 to 40 minutes of trying, I said the hell with it and went to bed. Once again, I'm forced to think of an alternative to E-Blogger/Blogspot. I don't want nor need the hassle right now.

Happy Halloween
Went to Rachel's school today to assist with a class project called pumpkin math. This project used math to turn creating jack-o-lanterns into a learning experience. The kids had to estimate such things as the circumference, diameter, weight, thickness, and number of seeds of their pumpkins. Then, the did the actual measurements of those items to see how close they came. Finally, we carved the pumpkins (which is why the adults were there). The kids then took the measurements and as a group figured out the minimum, maximum, and average numbers of the pumpkins. As a way to learn, it was pretty cool. Sure beats some lame party where the kids just get hyped up on sugar.

Rachel went trick-or-treating with a friend this evening and had a blast. I sat with the parents of her friend while another friend took the girls out. This meant that I did not have to hop up and down to hand out candy. Of course, it also means that I had purchased candy for passing out at home that didn't get passed out. Rachel isn't too sad about that. More for her.

Who turned the heat off?
Damn, it is cold around here today. Wednesday, the temperature here was 82 degrees. Yesterday, it was in the low thirties and today the "high" temp was 30 degrees. Plus, it's been raining, drizzling, and snowing around here, so we have a nice amount of ice hanging around. I had to go spread salt around on my front porch before any kids came by tonight just so they wouldn't slip and hurt themselves. I think tomorrow we have a chance at hitting fifty. Will probably seem hot compared to the last couple of days. At least this weather has helped the two fires we had earlier this week.

Poker Night tomorrow
I have a poker game to go to tomorrow evening. This will be the first time I've played poker (other than PokerStars.com) in several years. Why is it that people (usually guys) don't play cards much anymore. I remember years ago that my dad used to play quite often at his apartment complex. I also recall screwing up a hand or two for him or his friends by commenting on their cards during a hand. I don't recall the stakes of the games my dad played, but I don't think that the money was the most important thing. When I play poker (usually nickel, dime, and quarter), I play more for the conversation, joking, drinking, smoking, and just general bull that occurs. I'm not going to this game looking to make a mint, I'm just looking to have a good time. Sure, winning a couple of bucks would be nice, but it's not my main reason for playing. I'm more interested in the play than the outcome. It's nice to think more about the enjoyment of just playing a game then to stress about the outcome.

The other reason I mention tomorrow's game is that I may not post before I leave for the game. So, if you don't see something here tomorrow, it's because I'm out being a guy and drinking, smoking, and gambling. Wow, sounds better every time I mention it. Now, if I could only hope for a stripper, I'd be set. Just kidding. No, I'm not.

2003-10-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Judi's House
My daughter Rachel (don't know that I've actually typed her name before) and I went to a place this afternoon called Judi's House. This place is basically a grief counseling place primarily for children (although the parent(s) have counseling available) who have lost someone close to them. The house is named after Judith Griese who was (former Bronco quarterback) Brian Griese's mom. He set up this house as a place where kids can go and learn about grief, how to handle it, how to deal with it, that they are not the only ones going through it, etc...

So anyway, while my daughter was touring the house, I had a chance to speak to one of the counselors. Well, to keep a long story short, she determined that I could use at least some group grief therapy, possibly some private therapy, and probably some meds to treat anxiety and/or depression. All of that is probably true to some extent. It's just weird to have someone you just met tell you that. The interesting thing is that I usually feel that I'm fine. However, the woman I was speaking with today asked me just a handful of questions that made me really emotional. I can't quite remember what the questions were, but they sure did strike a nerve. So, maybe I do need to talk with someone. I don't know. But, if talking to someone helps me and my daughter, it will be worth it.

Fire!
There is a fire about 30 miles (as the crow flies) from my home. The last report I heard, over 800 acres have burned to this point. When I went out today, I could see the cloud of smoke hanging over the sky. I could see the red/orange/yellow influence of the fire in the clouds. I can also smell the smoke from my house. This is nowhere near the size or intensity of the CA fires, but they still are big enough to be concerned about. Hopefully, we'll get the snow/rain they are predicting tomorrow or Friday. That will help the situation.

Short post tonight
Well, the counselor really got to me today. I don't feel bad, but I'm sitting here just thinking about "stuff". So, I'm going to keep it short tonight. I'll let you know what I learn concerning grief therapy. Could be interesting.

2003-10-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Ugh! No Bowling tonight
Damn, for the first time in several years, my team did not bowl tonight. Seems one teammate (Harry) is stuck in Arizona (possibly because of CA's fires) because his flight was canceled. His wife (Pat) doesn't bowl if Harry is out of town. Also, the other female on my team (Tracey) came up sick today. So, her husband (Dave) and I were the only ones who could bowl and 2 people is not enough for a legal line-up. Therefore, no bowling for us this evening. This means that we will have to go in on Sunday and make-up the games. I hate make-ups. One, you're bowling in the morning on lanes that are in whatever condition they were left in from the previous night. Two, you're bowling by yourselves, so it's difficult to pace yourself properly so you don't tire out from bowling too fast. Three, it's just different bowling early in the morning versus after a normal day, you aren't feeling the same physically, you can't drink (well, you could, but who wants to drink that early), and lastly, you have to put up with open bowlers who don't know the first thing about bowling etiquette. Oh well, still going to have to do it, so might as well just prepare myself to do the best I can.

The worst part about this is that I didn't know what to do with myself this evening. I am one of these people who when they sign up for a league (or class) commits to being there every week. This is the seventh year I have bowled with Harry and Pat (4 years with them, 3 just in the same league). In the three full years plus this season I have bowled with them, I have missed a grand total of zero weeks. We're talking 35 week leagues. So, we've bowled 8 weeks this year so far and have had 105 weeks in the preceding years. That's one reason Harry and Pat asked me to be on their team. They know I will show up each week. In fact, this past summer I actually missed a week of bowling due to a trip to Missouri. It was the first week of bowling I'd missed in 3 years. In those three years, I was in a league year-round and often bowled multiple times per week. I am one of only two or three people each year who haven't missed a week. It's something that I'm proud of.

Extended Unemployment
Found out today that I qualify for the Colorado Extended Unemployment Insurance benefits. This means that I will continue to receive unemployment benefits for the next 13 weeks. This also means that I will be able to complete my current classes at school without having to worry about an income. This means that I can now plan to start applying for a job in December (probably at a bank or other financial institution) and hopefully start working in January. I'll receive benefits until the beginning of February, so I should have plenty of time to find something. Wish me luck.

Colorado Schools
My father (aka Oldcatman) left a comment asking whether my daughters school district wasn't one surrounded by expensive homes. Well dad, actually no. See, Colorado has what is called, open enrollment. This means that a child can attend any school they desire as long as the school has room. My daughter and I currently do not live in the district for the school she attends. However, when we moved into this home, her current school was the closest elementary school with room for new students. The elementary school for the district we are in hadn't been completed when my daughter started school. So, she started at her current school which is where a lot of the kids in our neighborhood go. But, we also have an equal number in this neighborhood who now attend the new school. There is another elementary school a mile or so from our home, but it currently does not have room (and hasn't for awhile) for students outside it's boundaries.

One other thing about moving into my the correct district is that it will allow my daughter to attend the same middle and high school as her friends will. Right now, she would attend one middle school, her friends attend another, and the kids in the elementary school a mile away, will attend still another school. One thing we are not short of here in my neighborhood is schools. We just had our fourth middle and high schools open up here. That's in a sub-division (not a town) of less than 60,000 folks. And, we're not talking about small schools here. Each of these schools is classified as 5A schools which is the category in Colorado for large schools. At least it's nice to see my tax dollars doing something positive.

So, just to summarize dad, your granddaughters school district is in an area of older, less expensive, and smaller homes. But, they're good houses in a good neighborhood, so the kiddo will be safe.

2003-10-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Untitled
Well, I'm back to posting. Haven't written anything in three days for a couple of reasons. One was that Friday night, I was changing an electrical outlet for a friend (female) of mine and we then went out to dinner. I wish I could call this a date, but it was truly just two friends going out and spending some time together. Course, that kind of sounds like a date, but I tend to consider a get-together a date only if the possibility of intimacy is involved. Sexist, yes. But, when you go out with someone for lunch, it's not a date. So, this doesn't qualify either.

The second and main reason I haven't written anything is that I was trying to solve a problem I've been having lately. Basically, the problem is that I have allowed my computer (including this blog) and alcohol to turn me into a lazy bum. Time that I should have spent doing things around the house, I instead spent playing games, surfing the web, blogging, and generally wasting time on the computer. Add the fact that most days I was drinking way too much, and you don't get much done. The drinking was relaxing me to the point that the only thing I could get the energy to do was play poker on-line or to write my posts (which may explain a few of my poorer posts). Instead of spending time with my daughter, reading, relaxing, or whatever, I was too busy being lazy because I had had a few (or more) drinks.

So, this weekend, I decided enough was enough. I told myself that I wasn't going to go near my computer (other than to clean my office) for the weekend. Also, I was going to do any drinking. Success on both parts. I spent my time cleaning the house, playing with my daughter, doing laundry, reading, having breakfast with friends, and pumpkin shopping with my daughter. I made it through the entire weekend (and today) with having a single beer or glass of wine. Now, at bowling tomorrow, I'll have a couple of beers. I'm not trying to totally ban alcohol from my life, just trying to not let it be my life. Every now and then I have a problem where I'll let life's daily events get to me to the point that I drink more than I should. If I'm not careful, then it becomes an issue. Well, I have the power to control this situation, so thats what I'm going to do.

Words (revisited)
Here's an interesting happening here in Denver. A few days ago, a local reporter for the Denver Post reported (in an opinion column) that the Denver Police use transcribers to document the questioning/interviews the police conduct. It seems that the transcribers will phonetically spell out words that people say. Well, guess which group of people were the most offended by this news. Some of the local blacks were in a tizzy because most of the differences between an English vs. Phonetic word were transcribed in interviews with blacks. This practice makes fun of blacks and makes them sound stupid they said. It wasn't fair to point out the differences in speech patterns. Blah, Blah, and so on. The reporter was commenting on how awful this practice was. This was truly being insulting when it was obvious the transcriber knew what the right word was. Okay, I agree that maybe transcribing is not the best idea. Especially if it's not being done across the board to whites, latinos, asians, and blacks. But, the really funny part of this entire situation was that right next to this editorial spouting that writing words as they sound or in street lingo was demeaning to blacks was the following headline/article - Sistah Pride Conference (Empowering Sistah's to.......). Guess his rantings don't apply to his own paper. The humorous part of this is the number of letter writers who are expressing their opinions on the subject and commenting on the Sistah's headline.

Decision
I am currently 95% positive that I will be moving sometime after the first of the year. The remaining 5% is for the possibility that my home won't sell or that I won't be able to find a suitable place.

I talked with my daughter about this and she is fine with it. She should be, she'll be within walking distance of her friends and school. Her biggest question about moving is wheter she can get new bedroom furniture, a trampoline, a dog, and her latest desire, an ATV. Greedy little bugger I'm raising.

Between now and the new year, I am going to be spending time acquainting myself with the neighborhoods closer to my daughter's school. I'll be reading MLS (multi-listing service) reports to identify homes to go look at. Probably walk through a few homes to get an idea of what type of homes are in the area. Do the open house tour through some homes, typical stuff. This will be really interesting since the last place of my own that I picked out was my apartment after my divorce. Other than that, I've had a female do the majority of the house hunting. My biggest worry is that I'll not think of something like window coverings, appliances, etc... that I really should consider. Just what I would need is to buy a house and then realize that I don't have a stove or oven.

2003-10-23T22:22:00.000-06:00

Feeling Better
It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do for you. I slept fairly well last night, just woke up a couple of times. But, I got enough sleep so that when I woke up in the morning, I felt pretty good. Most of my cold is gone, and I actually feel like I have some energy.

School Days
Found out today that I got 100% on my last chapter test in Business Math. That makes my current average just a little over 97% in this class with two chapters remaining. I'll be taking the next test probably next Tuesday or Thursday. That will leave me with one chapter to go before finishing the class (self-paced, if you haven't guessed). Combine that with the fact that I've only missed out on 5 points out of 210 in my Accounting class, and I'd say I'm doing well this semester.

Decisions to be made
Well, I've reached a point that I feel I have to make some decisions in my life. I've come to the conclusion that my career as a mainframe computer programmer/analyst is probably over. Accepting this fact, I'm now exploring other possible employment possibilities. I'm leaning toward finding a job in the banking industry either as a teller or a personal banking representative. I would like to wait until I finish my current classes before I get to work, but that will depend on unemployment and whether something pops before then. Either way, the fact that I'm not going to sit around waiting anymore is making me feel pretty good. I'm just so tired of waiting for someone to approach me about a programming job. So, I'll move forward on my own.

Another decision that I am currently working on is selling my current home and buying a new one. My daughter and I live in a home that really is more than we need. So, I've been thinking that maybe I should sell this place and buy a smaller one. Thankfully, I own this place outright, so I should be able to buy a smaller (cheaper) home and come out ahead. My biggest requirement in a new home is that we still reside in my daughter's school district. This would in fact possibly get my daughter closer to more of her friends. If she doesn't have to change schools, that would make her happy.

I'm also considering trading my Lexus RX300 in on another car. Basically, I have quite a bit of equity in the car, and I'm making monthly payments. With any luck, I can find a smaller vehicle that would suit my needs and eliminate my car payments. This would help make a lower paying job doable. I could keep the car with no problems, but there is a part of me that is saying the more I can cut back, the better I'll be.

Financially, neither the move or car situation has to be done. The one benefit to being a widower, is that I have the financial resources to ride out a long dry spell. I'm just choosing not to ride that long. I want to get back to feeling that I'm moving ahead instead of just treading water. I am willing and able to do whatever I can to help my daughter and my situation. And guess what, I'm going to do it. I have reached the point where I am ready to take charge of things and make the best life for both me and my daughter.

2003-10-22T21:21:00.000-06:00

Sick and Tired
Bet that title makes one think that something has really upset me. But, the truth is that I am feeling sick and I'm really tired. I've been fighting a minor cold for a few days and now it's starting to win. A big part of the reason for that is that I haven't been sleeping well at all the last couple of nights. So, I'm literally, sick and tired. So, this will be a short posting.

Parent/Teacher Conference
Had a conference with my daughters teacher this evening. I am very proud to say that my daughter is doing quite well. She is doing great on the three R's (Reading, writing, and arithmetic - only one of which starts with an R, no wonder kids have problems at times). The teacher said my daughter is attentive, thoughtful, pushes herself, and a general joy to have in class. I can't tell you how proud I am of her. Especially since last year spelling was such a difficult item for her (it was the only thing she was below grade level on). And now, this year, she is doing great on her spelling tests. Way to go kiddo!