Big Change Coming

I know. It's been almost a month and no posts. I've been in a little of a funk lately. Actually, I've had problems thinking about how to keep my posting going without trying to hide stuff.
This afternoon was a trip. I went to tell my employer of 6 years that I was giving my notice. If you have gotten anything out of this blog, you will understand that I have grown more as a person in the last 6 years than I have all my life. That is saying something since I'm now going on 43. For the most part this man has been there as a loyal? employer.
The bad part was the fact that I have had a little confusion on my vacation check. For some reason the accountant couldn't get the numbers right. I am NOT paid by the hour so why they were coming up with an hourly pay is beyond me. Anyway, I walk in with my resignation notice in my hand and the owner asks me if my vacation pay has been resolved. Since it's Tuesday and I haven't talked to anyone in the office on Monday. I say "No, not yet." Well, he goes over the new figures. ( they are $120 more than I calculated) Anyway he explains he is going to cut a check from the companies account and not wait until payroll. At this point I'm like.....damn how can I tell him??
Well, I hang around for a few minutes until he gets finished discussing the next days business. I follow him to the office and tell him that I've enjoyed working for him ( which is oddly enough, true) and that i appreciate his help and it's time to move on. I was waiting for the storm to erupt. But, no everything was calm and cordial.
Man I need a beer.

Long Time No Post

Holy crap. Feb. 18th. The last time I posted. I knew it had been awhile, but damn. So, why am I posting now? Maybe it's because I have a couple of hours to spare and I'm stuck in the truck. Also, I must say thanks to the Sleep Inn for providing this free wi-fi. It's a little slow. But hey, it's not like it's costing me anything.
I'm still receiving visitors after all this time which blows my mind. Considering the boring nature of my last posts and the length of time I've been absent....... Let's say, I'm honored.
What has happened? Well, for one winter didn't seem to want to go away. Maybe now it's May, we can have a little spring. I've sold one car and bought another. I've yet to go to a car show though my first of the season is this weekend. I had no idea my truck was a dirty as it was. Two full days detailed the undercarriage and engine compartment, plus a fresh wax job and it's still a LONG way from finished. I did try the clay bar kit from Mequires. I thought it to be another marketing ploy, but after removing the paint over spray from the detailing and the cement that had been deposited all winter, I'm impressed. Now, on to the interior. Hopefully I will be back in time this afternoon to shampoo the carpet and wipe down the inside.
I'm not gonna make this long. Maybe this will be the return? We can only see. I'm still not that enthusiastic about blogging.

Stop the Madness

Holy crap. Only hours after being sighted in LA with a freshly shaven head, people are already selling "ACTUAL" locks of Britney Spears' hair for thousands on EBAY. What we won't do for a dollar. Is this really what we have come to as a society? Just to see the raw footage and the way people shove cameras in her face is just......Well, I couldn't handle it. I guess I'd be one of those "bad-boy" types that are always getting into confrontations. I'll refrain from linking to the videos. I'm sure there will be plenty of places to find it over the next couple of weeks.

Ellen on You Tube

I'm sure that this link won't last long, but I have to share it. My Glo sent it to me and I'm here to pass it along. Enjoy.

Gladys Hardy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Blog Fade?

How is it I'm here in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl and I'm blogging? It's funny, I started out wanting Indy to win and soon after the kickoff I'm rooting for the Bears. Well, it's now 3 minutes into the 4th .... and the Bears are doomed. I guess I should just enjoy the commercials.
I'm sorry if I haven't blogged. I just haven't felt like sitting here. I have had many topics, but the motivation hasn't been there. Maybe I'll get back to blogging soon. Thanks for hanging in there.

Add Something Special to Your Valentines Day Card

It’s almost too late. The deadline for sending your Valentines letters to Loveland Co for their special cancellation stamp is coming fast. This is a great way to give that same old boring Valentines Day card that little extra “something”.
The program was started in 1947 by Loveland CO. Postmaster Elmer Ivers and the Chamber of Commerce President Ted Thompson and Ted’s wife Mabel. The idea of a cowboy hat wearing Cupid cancellation stamp and a 4 line poem has grown into a huge program taking many volunteers to fulfill. Loveland’s Post Office averages 300,000 cards sent to all 50 states and 140 countries.


To have your card re-mailed from Loveland CO, send the pre-stamped, pre-addressed card in a larger 1st class envelope to:

Postmaster
Attention: Valentines
Loveland CO, 80538-9998

The deadline for deliveries outside the US is Feb 3rd and inside the US is Feb 8th.

Other cities:
Bliss NY, 14024
Heart Butte MT, 59448
Juliette GA, 31046
Loveville MD, 20656
Loving NM, 88256
Romance AR, 72136
Romeo MI, 48065
Sugar City CO, 81076
Valentine NE, 69201
Valentine TX, 79854
Valentines VA, 23887

Address them as follows:

Postmaster
(Town Name): Valentine Re-mailing
City, State, Zip Code

Time to buy a hacky sack

At this time, I've laughed at soccer players. Now, it is one particular soccer player laughing all the way to the bank. David Beckham has agreed to play for the LA Galaxy for a reported $250 million for the next 5 years. Holy Chit.

80's Priced Gas in 2006?

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday. We had to go to Staples and get a few things that were "on sale". Actually, for what we bought, we saved more than we spent. I had an idea that we would go to Virginia instead of Maryland this time. Gas is normally 7-10 cents a gallon cheaper in Va than it is in WV. We had a credit at Martins (a regional grocery chain). They have a program that gives you 10 cents a gallon off gas for every $100 you spend, and our discount was 70 cents. On top of the 12 cents difference in the normal price of gas, I knew I was going to save a bit of cash. Well when we pulled up to the pump they had a small sign taped to the ad and they were giving a 20 cent discount at this store. Holy chit. So I put in my card and got my 1.40 a gallon discount and I filled up my car and the 4 gas cans I brought with me. They limit you to one fill up of 30 gallons or less. That was a good way to end 2006.

Two Girls and a Daisy

You know, I wonder what my life could have been. I was thinking today of some of my earliest memories. Not the ones like: “Mommy…go potty.” or even the memory of my first sips of JAX beer at the age of 4. Not even when I said damnit for the first time. No, those are just “growing up” memories.
I’m talking about “girl”, memories.
I was one of those cute, all-American boys early in grade school. (Now, people would ask, "What happened?") I wasn’t very cool though, because my mother was constantly making our clothes. I can remember the late summer trips to Hancock’s fabric or Howards (an early Wal Mart). We would spend most of the afternoon looking through patterns. Big collar….long sleeve….button holes or snaps? Once we would decide the pattern, it would be off to find the material,(usually some sort of plaid) and buttons.
In the 1st grade, I spent the a good portion of the year showing that I could read as well, if not better than everyone else. I didn’t go to kinder garden, so I started out behind the rest of my class. The only problem I had was telling time. My folks bought a clock in Louisiana in 1968-69 that ran backwards. Counterclockwise was clockwise to me. Hmmmm….. Maybe this explains me getting my left and right mixed up. After my mother explained this to Mrs. Meekins, I racked up a string of satisfactory and excellent grades.
Time now for 2nd grade. After a seemingly short summer, where my days were filled with baseball and riding our bikes through the neighborhood. Ok, so I pushed mine. I don’t know why, maybe it was the lack of available “launch platforms”. I actually pushed my 1st bike until I wore out the bearings on the rear wheel. Everyone would take off and I’d be the last one to get there, pushing my bike. The only time I actually rode it was leaving the house. We had a small drainage ditch that made it easy to touch the ground on both sides until you got your speed up.
Back to school. Here I was, ready to master my 2nd academic year. This was also the year I met a girl. Barbara Humble- a freckled-faced girl from Mrs. Bellew’s class. We would meet after lunch in the playground and would run to the back of the school’s wooded playground to our favorite tree. This is where we would spend our time smashing out faces together, initiating something that might be mistaken for a kiss. It wouldn’t take long before a gang of other kids would be circling us daring us to “do it again”.
Hey, here I was, the uncool kid with homemade clothes, now stud on the schoolyard. I’m not sure how many weeks or months we kept up our little rendezvous. I am sure if Barbara was asked if it was as good for her as it was for me, the answer would be …no.
I was only able to bask in the spotlight of playground Romeo for one short year. The winter of 3rd grade spelled disaster for my future.
It was time for the annual school play. I was given a small speaking part. I practiced for days (I actually sounded pretty good). My mother worked feverishly the day before the program to finish my costume.
Now picture this….here I am stepping to the front of the stage for my 3 or 4 lines, I’m in my costume, which consists of brown pants and shirt. My mother had fashioned these green pointed leaf looking things for my arms out of crepe paper. The best part was the bright yellow, scalloped circle around my neck.

Yes, that’s right. I was a DAISY!! I had just gone from the class Casanova to the school flower. Needless to say I never recovered from this.
Fast forward two years. I had slipped into book worm/ geek obscurity. I can say at this point I also had learned the pleasure of bologna sandwiches in the afternoon after school. I was fast on my way to being the largest dude in school. (And not in a good way.)
We had a parent open house at the school one evening. It was the week of Halloween, so the kids dressed in costumes, Hmmmmmmmm.. is there a pattern here? Now, I wasn’t dressed up, but a few of the other kids were. The one I remember even to this day was Mary Richardson. I can say that she is the first girl I really liked.
I can picture her going through the halls. Bright red devil costume, carrying her pitch fork and that devil tail swishing in the air. Wowwww!!! I think I followed her all that evening and pretty much through the next 5 years of school.
I dont have a payoff to this post. I thought I would be able to tie it all together. Maybe Mary in that little devil costume explains my fascination with the show CATS and
any woman in leopard skinned anything.
In the end I want to thank Barbara for making me kewl, Mary for making me HOT. And that freaking school play for making me a cream-puff of a daisy.

The grades are In

Wow. I'm, like so surprised. Shocked, even. I "happened" to check out my grades at school. The last time I blogged, I was about as bummed as I could get with school. I had a horrid time with my final. Like I said, at one point, I was ill.
I actually made a 350 out of 400 on my final. So, surprise, surprise. I got an "A" for the class. I still don't think writing code is for me though.

I'm Back from School

Hello my two favorite readers. Ok, I guess I shouldn't discount the many first time visitors, but hell at this point who gives a crap. I tell ya I'm in one hell of a mood. It seems last night I proved to myself how unprepared I was to challenge the halls of higher education.
I can't think of a time where I've choked on a test more than last night. The only time I've come close was in high school chemistry. That was one class in which I never knew what I was doing. It reminded me a lot of this class. I stayed lost the whole time, (here too). The only difference is, so did everyone else. At least in the chem class I could "ride the curve". Here....... hell I'm the lowest point on the curve.
It was so bad I almost got ill. My nerves or the (2) energy drinks, had my stomach tied up in knots. I totally did not know where to start. And the worst thing was trying to get the binary code for a decimal number. I was SO upset about the questions I had to skip before this one that I spent 20 mins trying to get this damn problem calculated. Wow, I couldn't even divide by 2!!!!
Needless to say, at this point I feel this class was an expensive lesson on the reasons why I shouldn't be a programmer. I don't have the talent or the temperament for the job. The only problem with coming to this realization is.....What do I do now??