Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope that everyone is safely at home with friends and family enjoying the holidays!
It's been a hectic week but I finally got all of my shopping done. Nothing like hitting the mall on the Christmas Eve to really make one appreciate the true meaning of Christmas. Actually, I ventured out to get our meal and pick up a few last minute gifts for grand-nieces. Picked up a few more unnecessary gifts, but was finally able to wrap it up. Was interesting to mingle with the crowd of desperate, last minute shoppers looking for that "just right" gift.
We're done. I am working on dinner for tomorrow. SIL had chemo today so tomorrow means additional fluids and a late start for opening presents. Planning to get up early and wrap a few more gifts, vacuum one more time, stuff the turkey, knock back a short run, walk the mutts, and get things set up for an afternoon tree. Hopefully, everything will work out - just as it does with any family gathering...
My parents are a pair of tough old birds. Both are doing well, despite all the aches and pains (although they have a newfound respect for airbags). My brother's comment from Sunday night was: The are doing better this afternoon. I count bitchiness as a sort of good quality. Both are back at home trying to get some rest and recuperate, but the pain meds are making one a bit loopy. The accident hasn't really sidelined them too much, but they are moving a bit more tenderly of late. Hopefully, they will be back up to their normal activities by Christmas. Not sure if they will make the next rally (New Year's).
I am off the rest of the week. No real plans aside of trying to catch up on Christmas shopping and raking leaves. Basically I am burning off a few days before the end of the year (or lose them). Will be dealing with a few left over projects (bathroom repair, foundation work, driveway, etc.). I do plan to hit the new Hobbit movie while I have the time. I hope to get a few longer runs in while I am out. Would be a good idea given that the marathon is about 30 days out.
While pondering my parents recent adventure, I ran across this clip today. It reminded me that we should all keep our eyes open for surprises along the road. This one made me think of some of my serious biker friends (you know who you are).
"Jesus Christ." - My exactwords when I got this picture from my brother as I was driving home this evening.
This is my parent's new (less than 1 year old) van. The first and foremost thing is that they are ok. Banged up, bruised, sore, but ok. The only real hurt that my folks suffered was from the seat belts and airbags deploying. They were out at a rally up north of town for the weekend and ran into some trouble (dad's words, not mine). Driving on the freeway north of town that was high congested, a truck stopped right in front of him and he plowed right into it. I talked with my dad and they were at the hospital getting checked out/x-rays for any other issues. He sounded ok but a bit rattled. They were heading back out to their trailer after they get released tonight and planning to pack it in early and head home tomorrow. A bit hard to grasp the situation right now but the important thing is that they are ok. As an Engineer and amateur mechanic, I can surmise from the picture that the van is toast. The engine is history and I won't even guess how the rest of the drive train is looking. I take some solace in the sardonic comment my dad and brother said with the picture of the van: "Time for a new van. Different color." At least his sense of humor is still intact.
It's been a while since I did a road trip. Being short two buyers has really put us behind and I haven't had the time to do some of the audits that needed to be done. Now that I've gotten a few more bodies on board, I am back out on the road again, just in time mess up my holidays. Last week it was a short hop to California. Fly out on Thursday and back late Friday. Was a very late run. And the rains in California didn't help - had a 3 hour delay in LAX. We didn't get back into Houston until 2:30 am (forgot how much I hate LAX). Was after 4:00 am before I hit the sack. This week I am up in Louisville for a day. Sitting at the airport now waiting for my flight in 3 hours. Got here early hoping to catch an earlier flight but the up charge was obscene so I am killing time catching up on blog reading and binge watching House of Cards. Good thing I have a book to read on the flight. I haven't been to Kentucky in years. Last time I was here, Carter was in office. Spent a long, cold, wet winter here learning how to drive tanks. At least my appreciation for some of the local flavor (bourbon) has improved. The children are camped out with my parents again. It will probably take me a week to deprogrammed hem. Rumor has it that they are getting eggs & bacon for breakfast. Poor doggies.
Ok, kiddies. Turkey day is behind us, the last whistle has blown, the rush for the best Black Friday deal is past. Time to get ready for the month of candy canes and endless holiday sales in the rush towards Christmas. Thanksgiving went off pretty good for us, if not fairy quiet/sedate. I survived the run, turkey dinner, and even managed to avoid any mall shopping on Friday
I decided to jump back onto the weekend 5/10k run wagon to prep for the half in January. I haven't done a Turkey Trot in quite a while so this one was a blast from the past. Back in the stone age when we lived in Dallas, there were only a handful of runs of this type on T-day and choices were limited. Today, you cannot throw a stick and not hit some kind of 5 or 10K around town. Instead of doing the larger Houston run down near the Galleria, I chose the local one that has been held for the past 29 years. A sweet little run. Well organized, well staffed, great lay out. A nice flat, 5 mile fast course through a residential neighborhood alongside of a golf course. Weather was spot on perfect. I think we had almost identical conditions as Abby's run, just not as dry (humidity). One nice aspect was that the run was a lot less crowded than the marathon in January with only 1600+ (a record for this trot) but it was nice to run in a smaller pack. Honestly, I haven't been running as much as I used to. I've been sort of been slacking off and been lacking the proper motivation but I am working to get back into a rhythm. I crossed the finish line in the middle of the pack with a mediocre pace. There are a number of old farts out there in my age bracket that are much faster than I, so I was not expecting to take home any trophies, just some generic race swag. The race was organized by the local running store (Finish Line Sports) and sponsored by the local hospital and this was the 29th running of this race. One of the awards they handed out post race was for a guy who has run in every one of the 29 races. In my mind, that's a pretty impressive track record. As a side bonus I did score a nice deal when I registered on Monday. This is one of those stores that specializes in running gear/clothes and they do carry the latest line of shooz for the serious hoofers. I don't changes my shoes as often as SOME people (don't run as many miles plus I'm too cheap). Normally,I look to get new shooz at the health expo prior to the marathon in January, but I spotted a nice pair of treads sitting in the sale pile. Last year's Nimbus 15s designed with the NYC Marathon logo, they were my exact size, fit like a glove and were half price. How could I say no?
I'm off for the week. It's that time of the year where I have to burn up some vacation or lose it. Several low key projects planned. Clean the house, fix a faucet, put up the tree, hang lights, reading, etc. Maybe I'll get caught up on my netflix movies or binge watch the House of Cards. Not really planning to do any Black Friday shopping but I may get sucked in for a deal or two.
SIL is doing better. She actually got enough of her appetite back to go out to dinner Saturday. We weren't sure about going out for turkey dinner so I volunteered to throw a small dinner together for just the three of us tomorrow (nothing too extravagant). My folks and my brother are planning to head to College Station for the game. Game is tomorrow night at 1830 so they plan to do Turkey dinner on the parking lot in the afternoon. A bunch of friends and family will be up there. I passed on the trip to help momma take care of SIL. Junior and his bride are heading south to Big Bend State Park for a camping trip with a group from the Sierra Club. They'll be spending Thanksgiving out hiking and camping under the stars away from civilization. Much as we would like to have them down for some turkey, we are sort of jealous - we used to do those sorts of adventures back in our younger days.
Getting ready for tomorrow. Bought a small turkey, going to pick up some sides today, will start prepping some dishes tonight. Normally, momma does most of the heavy lifting during Thanksgiving prep, but she's kinda got her hands full right now so I need to take up the slack. I may not be Julia Childs and it may not be as good as momma can make, but I can burn some meat and buy pies like a champion.
I am restarting an old tradition of mine. Back before junior was born, I used to run a lot more. My job on t-day was to get the bird in the oven early so that it would be ready after lunch. I used to do the annual Turkey Trot in Dallas as some sort of counterbalance to eating all that turkey and dressing. Normally I would stuff the bird and put it in the oven before I left for the run and it was going well by the time I got back home. Since this year will be fairly low key, I decided to sign up for the local Turkey Trot again. Not expecting to break any course records, I plan to use this as a tune up run for the half in January. That's just my excuse for an extra slice of pecan pie...
Remember, with all of the holiday hoopla and activities, don't let the stress of the holidays drag you down.
Yea, I know I am taking the easy road with a few videos, but this one has been made the rounds of our rescue group. For those who haven't shared roof (or bed) with a Golden, this pretty much sums up their attitude. Some Goldens can be very driven, focused dogs, just not in the way you may expect.
And, for the record, this is EXACTLY how Grayson would run the course...
It's been an interesting/intense few weeks of late. Last week's road trip to College Station was a welcome break. An excellent chance to step away from the daily problems, headaches, worries and break bread with a few old friends. Some of the stories seem to have grown in stature with time. In retrospect, they sound like a bunch of "old army" stories that take on legendary status (at least in our circle) but in the sober light of day, we tend to shake our heads and wonder how we survived. I'll work to dredge up a few of the more classic ones in a few future postings. Yes I will try to dig up the border crossing saga but I always felt the night we almost blew up our door in the dorm was way more epic. And here's a slight hint: Mark was a key player in both sagas. I would lament about work, but I find that I have been doing that way too much of late and I don't like to whine about my problems especially when they are miniscule in comparison to others. Everytime I think that things are overwhelming or unjust, I step back and look at other people and the problems they face and, somehow, my issues don't seem quite as big or insurmountable. A long, long time ago, I took a summer course on motivation and how to focus on and achieve goals. It was taught by a woman who had actually worked for my dad at one point but she wasn't happy with her job and he encouraged her to pursue her dreams of teaching and speaking. Interesting class, it taught me several things that I still espouse. One of her exercises was for a person to get up in the morning and face themselves in a mirror and repeat the saying: "Every day, in Every way, I am getting better and better". Repeat 10 times. Yea, I know. Sounds corny, but it did work for me (somewhat). The one thing she said that did stick with me was that you have a choice in the morning when we wake up: You can be happy or you can be mad. Depending upon which one you choose, that is normally how the day will go. Oddly enough, I found this to be true. If you wake up pissed off at the world, that is pretty much how your day will go. I prefer the former. No matter what kind of crap I get dished out, I try to take it with a smile (or at least smirk). Besides, no matter how big the problem, there is always someone lower down on the ladder than is dealing with bigger challenges. Status on SIL is about the same. It has been a year since SIL had her surgery and she is not any closer to getting her life back. It seems like she will make progress one week and then has small set backs that put her right back at the start (two steps forward, one step back). Every other week she does chemo and it seems to wear her down. We continue to do what we can to help but it has been a very long road with lots of twists and turns. My wife is still taking care of her full time and it is wearing her out as well. Being a nephrologist (Kidney Doctor), SIL fully understands her situation and the challenges she faces. Needless to say, she is very down/depressed and uncertain of her outcome. Claire is getting old and slowing down. I took her to the vet and they didn't find any issues or problems aside of her just getting old. She still acts like a puppy at times, just a goofy old puppy. And, yes, she still rolls in the grass every time we go to the park. On the bright side, we are getting new bathroom. Not exactly a planned event. I noticed a slight leak in the bathroom walls where the sheetrock was starting to get moist. We've had a shower pan leak many years ago and I know what a massive project that can be to replace it so I was avoiding it for while dealing with the other issues. When I spotted a wet carpet outside of the bathroom, I decided to close down the shower for a while to see if that would dry it out. 2 weeks later, the carpet was still soaked so I felt we might have a pipe leak in the walls. Called in a plumber who assessed that the pipe was not leaking ($75 for that diagnosis) but he really did not determine the root cause. I finally called in my insurance company to seek their help/advice and they jumped on it right away. The sent out a master plumber who figured out that it was NOT the shower pan but a leak from the toilet that has seeped under the tile floor and wicked up into the bathroom walls. The sent out a water remediation company who set up three massive blowers and a dehumidifier to run nonstop for a week drying out the room. The net result was a very loud, noisy bathroom for a week that got very warm (~90°). Finally the room dried out enough to lose the fans but the damage was done. Estimator came out last week to survey the repairs and it looks like they will have to tear out the shower and replace a good portion of the sheetrock. Since the shower tile is a classic 70's gold spec that is not made any more, looks like we are getting a new shower. We are looking at tile and wallpaper now. We will probably will get a new pocket door, shower door and new rug and as well. Of course, as with any project, there is some amount of scope creep (momma wants a new vanity with new fixtures). I would like to have the toilet replaced (Toto) while they are in there. Additionally, I am trying to convince momma to replace the bathroom window at the same time (ours is the old original single pane, frosted window). Still waiting for the contractor to get assigned to come review the job. It is going to be a holy mess and I figure it will take a few weeks to demo out the bathroom, but we are hoping to have it done by late December. Merry Christmas.
First order of business, to all the men and women who have served, I salute your dedication and service. Veteran's Day is not just another opportunity to buy a tv or get a deal on some furniture. Thanks to all my brothers and sisters who have served.
I took a break last weekend to run off to my alma mater for a small gathering of old friends and rehash old days. The team was playing out of town, so College Station seemed a bit empty for a football weekend, but it was busy nonetheless.
This past weekend was our 35 reunion of our class. 35 freakin years. Wow. I really feel old. Typical reunions are every five years. We missed the first reunion (stationed over in Germany) but have made most of the rest. A good chance to catch up with old buddies, classmates, friends. It is interesting to see the changes time has made. A chance to answer those questions of who:
looks the same (or looks older)
still has hair
has the biggest belly
has the most kids (or grandkids)
is still married
got remarried (he's on wife #3)
has retired
passed away
went to jail
Back in the 80s, we had several hundreds show up for the early reunions. Over the years, the numbers have dwindled. This last weekend, we still had a decent turnout (~200) but we attributed it to it being an away game. It is interesting to see how everyone has changed (or not changed) over the past 35 turns. I will note that most of the people showing up were members of the Corps of Cadets. We had a distinct bond/camaraderie back then that we still share today. I gotta admit that, of all of the outfits, my outfit had one of the highest percentage of participants (aside of the band guys). Out of 11 guys that graduated, we had 7 show up for this shindig. Not too shabby. We spend lots of time trying to recall some of those glory days. The quad water war, Fish Drill team, summer camp, dorm life, Bonfire, the border crossing that almost turned into an international incident, corps road trips, who bunked with whom, who set off the fireworks in Meyer's room, how many people wound up sleeping in the one room when we stole our CO's stuff, "the Trial". Statute of limitations prevents me from elaborating on some stories, but suffice it to say, we found it amazing that we survived. One of our guys has taken on the role of historian to see if he can record all of the events/stories from those days of yore. We'll see if we can put something together for the next gig in 5 years.
My roommate was always a flamboyant character. Mark was never one to back down from a fight or to charge blindly into some situation, he left an impression whatever he tackled. I'll concede this to him - he did everything with style. We had dinner Friday night at a local clubhouse and the SOB showed up in a tux! All of us old farts are decked out in casual attire and he ups the ante by showing up in style. Just guess who got his picture with all of the ladies of our class.
As there wasn't enough stress and drama around here, yesterday was enough drive a person to drink. And, NO, I am not talking football.
I had plans to knock out a few chores yesterday taking advantage of the fantabulous weather. Was going to trim the bushes in the back yard, caulk the tub, reseal the toilet, clean the carpets, and wax SIL's car (yeah, I know, I like to live on the edge down here). On top of that, I was coordinating a shipment of material from California that was supposed to be delivered to the plant on Saturday. Had people scheduled to be in to work on the receipt and everything was planned out. But, as they say, life has a way of messing with your plans. I was tracking the shipment so that I could arrange some the receiving clerk to be on site when the truck arrived. Everything was looking good in the morning and we were expecting it to arrive around 1030 so I was starting my yard work. Before I got too far, I checked back in to verify and noticed that the deliver was not made and the tracking status indicated that "Business was closed". My receiving clerk had tried to call the local FedEx office to get a status only to be told that the delivery was scheduled for Monday, not Saturday (not true). Needless to say, this was not what I needed to hear. I jumped on the phone and started calling FedEx to get the shipment resolved. Took all of my patience, tact and finesse to finally get the package picked up. Even after I had the receiving clerk drive up to the station to pick it up and they told her that she was not approved to pick up the package (another round of terse calls with my friends from FedEx). In the end, the material made it to the plant, people got what they needed, everyone was happy (well, almost everyone).
In the meanwhile, I was working on SIL's care to clean it up. I've had it for a few weeks doing some of the overdue maintenance. State inspection, oil change, new battery, etc. The car has been sitting since her surgery and the battery had died. I wanted to take care of the maintenance issues so this is one less thing she has to deal with. It was covered in pine sap and almost black from the dirt so it has taken several washings to get back to the original color. SIL hasn't been religious about following a regular maintenance schedules so it was lacking a few things. I had my service shop do a full flush of the system just a preventive measure. One thing I noted while driving the car is that the door locks had something jammed in them and anyone with a screwdriver could open the locks. Turns out that the key had been broken off in the lock. And not just the door lock but the trunk lock as well. The service guys told me they could replace the lock cylinders ($$) but I thought I could clear the locks using some redneck ingenuity. Pulled out all of my tools and tweezers and forceps and was able to tease the broken key out of each lock and clear the cylinders. Applied a goodly amount of WD40 to each lock to loosen them up and was working the keys in the locks to make sure they were not jammed. Door lock was doing well but the trunk lock was a bit "stiff". While working the lock, I broke the only other key I had off in the lock. Now, it is Saturday afternoon, the car is unlocked, all windows down, sitting on the driveway, and I have no way to move or secure the car (BTW - this was going on while I was dealing with the FedEx saga). I was calling the dealership to see if I could get new keys made and they could but I needed the original paperwork and proof of ownership (remember this is NOT my car) to get new keys made. Ran back over to SIL's house in the hopes she had one spare key and turns out she did so crisis averted. I was able to clear the lock again and get all of the locks lubed and working. I plan to have three sets of keys made today (just in case). Three hours of stress and panic that really added to weekend fun. Time to sit back and enjoy watch some football. Oh, wait, I said I wasn't going to talk football...
Yes, I am still here but, honestly, I've been lacking serious motivation of late. Things are still pretty chaotic down here. Earlier I may have mentioned I felt like I've been juggling chainsaws. Now I am juggling chainsaws, while riding a unicycle and trying to give a cat a bath. Not meaning to neglect my duties, but I've actually started a few posts recently but I abandoned them because I thought they were turning into a regular pity party and that just ain't my style. So, in the interim, I thought I would share a few shots of the children suffering through their neglect of late.
And the mascot debate continues. Some factions are pushing for a mutt, some are going for a rescue. I am all for change (well, certain changes) and much as I think it would be cool to have a rescue mutt, realistically there are too many that feel that a Collie is the symbol of our school. Besides, we are sorta known for our Traditions.
In the interim, it is amusing to see the debate pan out on the intraweb for other possible mascots to consider:
Kyle Field Prairie Dog
12 Manatee
Kyle Field Mouse
E. King Gila Monster
Speaking of Reveille, the ESPN video of her handler blocking out the player has gone viral down here. The sophomore (Ryan Kreider) has gotten a number of interviews and attention from his simple, instinctive reaction. Good kid, nice block, seems genuinely embarrassed over all of the attention this has garnered. Just to show you how much that one selfless act meant to a few others, the Commandant of the Corps (Brig. Gen. Joe E. Ramirez) offered to buy Ryan's senior boots. Not too shabby of a gift considering they cost somewhere near $1600 these days (back in my day, they ran close to $600). I even read that some anonymous Aggie has offered to pay for his ring. Despite all the attention Ryan still appears humble and doesn't feel he deserved all this attention for "just doing my job". Of course, Ms Reveille, being the Queen she is, was pretty indifferent to all of the hullabaloo.
Sorry guys for not posting more or keeping up with everyone's blogs. I've been buried at work and just haven't had the energy to keep up with everyone's shenanigans much less come up with some witty and inspiring blog post. That's why I fall back to my dogs - they don't care how late you come home or what mood you are in. They are just happy to greet you at the door with a lick and a wag no matter what time it is. I promise to play catch up this week.
I had a post half written about all the work stress I've got right now, but I felt that was just too whiny so I'm not going to bore you with any of that narcissistic crap. Instead, I will engage/entertain you with the ongoing debate that has arisen down here about a dog. As some of you might have gleaned from my postings, I went to a certain university down here that is fairly well known in Texas. We are kinda known for certain characteristics, flair, and an over-the-top spirit that permeates the campus. Football is one of our passions (yes, Abby, we seem to have put together a football team despite someone moving off to the big leagues) and the weekend football games can get be epic events. My school is known for traditions. One of which is our school mascot. A lot of universities are known for their mascots and some are based upon animals (Baylor Bears, SMU Mustangs, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Rice Owls, Oregon Ducks, Colorado State Bison, and even a Texas Longhorn). My school is no different - we have a mascot that speaks to our traditions and spirit. We have a purebred Collie that is named Reveille. She is a regular fixture on campus, attending every game, going to class with the students and generally enjoying the attention and perks that come with being the highest ranking cadet on campus and nicknamed the First Lady of A&M. The current Reveille on campus is the 8th in the line to bear that name. While Reveille is generally known as a Collie, she has not always been that breed. Just to give you some small background, here are some excerpts from the traditions website:
Reveille I came to Texas A&M in January 1931. A group of cadets hit a small black and white dog on their way back from Navasota. They picked up the dog and brought her back to school so they could care for her. The next morning, when "Reveille" was blown by a bugler, she started barking. She was named after this morning wakeup call. The following football season she was named the official mascot when she led the band onto the field during their half-time performance. When Reveille I died on January 18, 1944, she was given a formal military funeral on the gridiron of Kyle Field. She was then buried at the north entrance to the field, as all Reveilles are, facing the scoreboard so that she can always watch the Aggies outscore their opponent.
Reveille I
Reveille II was not a Collie either, but a Shetland Sheepdog donated to the University in 1952 by Arthur Weinert, Class of 1900. She was originally cared for by committee by the Aggie Band for a couple of years before a cadet found her wandering around campus in 1954 and began the tradition of taking her everywhere he went. Reveille II had a rebellious streak, as well. It wasn't until 1966 that a purebred Collie was selected to serve as Reveille III, and details on the decision are not well-documented. However, like many traditions, it probably began largely by coincidence.
Today, Reveille is considered a member of the corps of cadets and attends every game as well as classes with her handler (a sophomore student from the outfit in charge of her care). Tradition has it that, if Reveille barks during class, the class is let out. Just to give you an idea on how well Reveille is being cared for comes from the football game this past weekend. Needless to say, the ESPN clip garnered a lot of attention to the cadet who was just doing his job (his words).
This comes on top of the news of last week that they are planning to retire Rev VIII after this year. I dimly recall when they retired #7 a few years back and #8 was selected.
Reveille VII & VIII
This has spurred some heated debate over what Reveille IX should be. As we had during the last selection process, a number of people have voice the opinion that we should go for a rescue dog instead of one from a breeder. There are some who argue to go back to a rescue mutt as with the first Reveille. The ensuing debate is getting interesting. I am on the fence. I am all for keeping with tradition, but as one who has adopted two incredible rescue mutts, I can definitely see the benefit of going with a rescue.
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees Line Baking Sheet with Parchment Paper Bake 18-20 minutes, flip treats and bake 10-12 minutes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Been uber busy (yeah, like I haven't used thatexcuse before). Really, I've been swamped at work trying to recruit/hire two buyers, dealing with the FDA, working with our Chinese supplier to fix a major problem to support a project launch, and just generally trying to keep the bus between the ditches. Was able to pull off a road trip to College Station last weekend for the first home game of football in our refurbished stadium. Nice trip if not a bit of weather drama included. The dogs enjoyed the trip, change of pace.
Today was our annual Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue picnic. Weather was pretty good, if not a bit cooler/cloudy. Still pretty impressive to me to see ~150 Goldens all in one spot at one time. No fights, no drama, nobody left the picnic hungry. Lots of fun and neat prizes and treats. I think my two kids wore themselves out. Claire did her typical mooching for attention from every person there while Grayson was running around like a kid on the playground.
From the way the kids are passed out right now, I would assume they had a blast. Of course, there is always the obligatory selfie....
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I cannot accept,
And the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people
I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
And, help me to be careful
Of the toes I step on today as they
May be connected to the ass
That I might have to kiss tomorrow.
Amen.
Yea, it's been THAT kind of week. Sorry, my plate's kinda full, right now. No more customers on the Agg ride. You'll just have to wait your turn like everyone else.
Not to worry, I managed to eek out of the week into another weekend. Hopefully, the next few weeks things should lighten up a bit. I am solooking forward to football and hunting season.
Yea, I'm still here. Funny how I thought that July was going to be a tough pull. Once we got past the external audit, the supplier trip up north, my dad's surgery, I figured that we could coast through August getting ready for the fall football season. Silly rabbit. I am working through the weekend getting ready for another audit (more about that later) and trying to pour through resumes and interviews for new buyers (more about that later as well). The next 2 weeks are looking to be "interesting" (if I survive). Needless to say, my supply of scotch is woefully under stocked. The good news is that both my dad and SIL are doing very well. Recovery is coming along nicely and SIL seems to be making improvements (finally). Went across town last night for dinner with the family, check up on my dad's progress, exchange insults with brothers, swap good bull stories. Somewhere along the line someone was complaining about something trivial annoyance and my eldest brother (always a smartass) commented that they were in need of an Optirectomy (a surgical procedure that detaches the optic nerves from the rectum so you won't have a shitty outlook on life). Maybe it was the wine talking, but we found that hilarious. In the interim, I thought I would leave you with a few random goofy dog shots (doing a little spring cleaning on my iPhone).
Really? I am so gonna urp up my dinner in your closet.
Where's Waldo (or Grayson)?
Attention hound
Hanging out at the local farmer's market
Interesting things to see at the farmer's market
I am working on a video montage of Claire, but I don't have the videography skills like Mel and I am trying to find the software to patch together several iPhone videos.
