Whirlwind

whirl·wind (-wind′) noun

1. a current of air whirling violently upward in a spiral motion around a more or less vertical axis that has a forward motion
2. anything resembling a whirlwind, as in violent or destructive force

I am leaving early in the morning to head to Austin to help extricate my son from school. He is finishing up his third year and he has one more final in the morning (ergo our delay in going up today) and I am helping to extract him from the dorms. He is RA this year, so he cannot leave until Wednesday, but I am trying to help him move back home, even if it is only for a brief time. Now, I am sure he could manage the move by himself, but I am willing to take a day off to help him relocate his crap back home. I know that momma would like to go, but this is more of a commando run where I will depart the SP at 0700 and make the transition to Austin to load up his gear and make the return trip in the afternoo. My brother (has 4 sons out of college), thinks we should let him make the move himself, but since junior is our only son and he is about to head out to the west coast for the summer, any help I can provide is something I want/need to do. Besides, I enjoy spending the time we have with him (since he will be graduating next year). The real pandemonium will be that he already has an internship lined up with Microsoft this summer and leaves on Sunday for Seattle. This means that we only get to see him for 4-5 days before he heads off to his job for the summer. I am glad that he has an excellent opportunity at a big time company and his future looks bright, but momma is not happy with the brief time she get to see him. I guess that I am going to have to squeeze in a road trip to Seattle this summer to visit him. Gonna be an interesting summer.

Last call

The last blog generated a morbid, but interesting line to ponder.

How would you want to celebrate your life?

A formal funeral service with all the mourners and pall bearers? A wake with an open bar?

Many people who were kind enough to respond indicated a predilection to be cremated and celebrate life in a more positive fashion. Me? I have always wanted to go out in style. Now, I am not planning anything real soon, but if I were to pass on, I want to be cremated and have a wake as a memorial service. I do not want for people to be sad and forlorn, instead, I would prefer to have my friends and family celebrate life and have a good time. If given the chance, I would also prefer to have have my ashes spread over a place that I find special meaning. I have always harbored a secret desire to have my ashes scattered from a plane over Kyle Field (the football stadium @ Texas A&M). This may turn into another thread in a blog, but I have always had a intense love/loyalty to my Alma matter and it has become a part of me since I attended over 30 years ago. I am pretty sure that this practice is not permitted and people would frown upon my desire to spread my remains over the campus where I graduated into life, but I still would like to make a go at it. If not there, then I would like to be cast to the wind over the mountains of Philmont. To me, that is one of the few remaining frontiers of America and a place I could find peace and tranquility. Both spots represent major turning points in my life and I found true inspiration and tranquility. Now, reality tells me that this is probably not allowed, but we can always dream of writing our own ending. Of course, I am not looking to close out this chapter any time soon, but one should always consider the final stop in life.

Hope this was not too morbid or maudlin for you.

Multi tasking

I made a snap decision to attend a funeral yesterday for the brother-in-law of a friend and co-worker. I knew the guy from many years back when we worked for the same company but I felt that my friend needed (& deserved) my support and condolences. I had brought my suit & tie just in case and, on my way into work, I decided to attend the service (only one from our company). Since the funeral was located in a town 1.5 hours away and started at 1100, I pretty much figured it would eat most of my day and I just tossed a vacation request with my boss and took the whole day. Was not looking to come back to work after the service since it would be 1.5 hours back to the office and a good 50 minute commute going home. I basically had about 1-2 hours in the office before I bailed. The adventure comes from trying to drive across three counties to get to the church on time. Since I was not in my suit at the outset, at every stop light I was changing my clothes. Haven't done that in years (nice to know I still have that skill set). Apologies to the lady at the light in Angleton for the shirtless display. I was able to make it to the church with 10 minutes to spare and did not break any traffic laws. After the service and burial, I headed back home to take care of a few overdue chores like picking up dog food, rotate tires, settling a traffic ticket, cleaning the oven, etc. (things I would have had to take time out during the week to get done).


It was a Catholic service (haven't been to one of those in years) and very interesting. I have been to too many funerals in my years and this was one of the more regimented versions. Too much protocol and formality for my taste. Many people take comfort in this kind of service but IMHO, the best memorial service that I ever attended to was for a friend who was killed in an accident. It was a Baptist service but very open and inspirational. He was a regular card in his life and his church and they had a very contemporary service with his favorite pictures/jokes (Farside cartoons). It was a very open and uplifting service with lots of good memories and humor. I decided that, when I go, that was the kind of service I would like to have. Life's too short to sit and bemoan the loss. Instead of feeling sorry and regret, I feel we should celebrate life to the fullest. When I go, I want a party/wake. I would prefer people to remember the funny stuff. I kinda get morbid like that when attending funerals. Ever pondered how you would like to be remembered?

Max capacity

Ok, who keeps moving the finish line?

This is another one of my whiney grips about the mountain of crap we have to do at work. I know, I know, I should be grateful for the work and the opportunity and staying busy, but do you have to pile it on at one time? I feel like posting that OSHA warning sign:

Typical week on the farm. Multiple reports due, several status meetings, still trying to test out the new system (we go live in July), trying to coordinate deliveries, just got tagged with two audit responses, the finance auditor want to dig up information from two years ago, trying to go to a funeral tomorrow, got a doctor's appointment Friday, got reviews to write, and trying to plan a road trip in June. I like being busy, but sometimes I feel like the old carnival ride that's seen one too many state fairs.

At least I can honestly say its not boring (who has the time?)...

Yo Momma

A toast to all the moms out there (especially to my mom and my wife).


Happy Mothers Day terri, abby, meleah, judy, nonna, brigid!


We have so much to be grateful for. You brought us into this world, loved us unconditionally, showed us how things are done, healed our hurts, paid our bills, and set us on the path of life. No mere card or flowers or cheesy bauble or hallmark momento can ever express the gratitude I/we owe. As I said on my birthday in March, thanks for making it all happen. It may be just a guy's opinion, but I think the hardest thing of being a mom is letting your children go.

Thanks Mom!

And remember, you made me what I am (so, in some way, you are to blame)...

Celebrating life

Ya know, sometimes you just have to cowboy up and get on with life. Was feeling a bit peckish this morning after my long night, but was able to get some rest and started feeling well enough to go to the office for a bit. Slept until 1300 and woke up feeling MUCH BETTER, so I decided to head into the office to see if I could at least knock out a few reports that were due today. I was able to skate out after 5 to come home and take my sweetie to the Cheesecake Factory for our anniversary dinner. We have a new one down here that I have never eaten at and I thought it would be nice for the two of us. Slow night, lite crowd. Even given my recent digestive problems, I felt OK enough to try something not too heavy. Think I will stick with chicken or fish for a while. Very nice dinner & great food. Of course, the specialty there is cheesecake. My son, who is off in school in Austin, had called in an order for an entire cake for us that is absolutely decadent. The cake is just oozing chocolate. Not sure how we will be able to eat this thing, but we'll just have to cowboy up and give 'er a try.


Nom nom nom...

Great gift from a great son!

Inspite of all rumors to the contrary, life's pretty damn good

Feeling like hammered dog poo

How's that for a catchy title?


Was having a good weekend but got sicker than a dog last night. Heartburn, nausea, upset stomach. These nasty fellas joined up to keep me awake all night. Finally, around 0400 I wound up calling ralph and imediately felt better. Called in sick (or send it an e-mail) and went back to bed. Feeling somewhat better now, but tired and headachey. May try to go in to the office after lunch, but it depends on how much rest I get. We had some steaks & potatoes last night that didn't sit well with me. Lately, it has gotten where I don't eat a lot of steak because of this reaction, just not this severe. If I eat beef too late in the day it seems to settle in my stomach like lead and I don't sleep well. Will stick to the chicken next time...


And, no, it is not the swine flu.

Blarg....