TMBWitW and I were working on cleaning up the “office” here in the house. Earlier, it looked like a war zone. There was a play pen stuffed with toys, there are two desks (one for the computer, one for the peripherals), there is a set of storage shelves built out of 2×4’s and 3/4″ plywood, and there are the remnants/beginnings of an HO scale model railroad stacked here and there. All in a room that is 11×13. The whole thing was supposed to be the railroad room, but that got sidetracked. (get it? railroad? sidetracked? i kill me … )

Anyway - I got distracted while glancing through the e-mail. Good discussion over at Texas Fred’s place and at Bushie’s place. Jump in the discussions, I think it’s going to be a long comment session.

I also got invited to become a member of the editorial staff of Reject the UN. I accepted.

So, the office is in disarray, about to be taken off-line for rearranging and a general cleaning, the play pen has been stored, and I’m tired. TMBWitW and MEG are both napping - I probably should, too.

In fact, I think I will.

Have a good weekend!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Two things:

First, Happy Flag Day!

Second, Happy Birthday, Army!

I spent the morning putting a couple of new items together - an air compressor (did you know that Bostitch doesn’t make replacement parts for their oil-less compressors? especially the little reed valves in the cylinder head?) and a new miter saw. (the old one, the handle broke; Home Depot doesn’t sell the motor case that has the handle molded on to it, neither does Ryobi.)

We went to Sears to get the replacements - nothing like good old American made Craftsman, right?

Except for the tags on the bottom of the boxes that very clearly state “Made in China.”

Dangit!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Over at A Newt One, war has been declared on the high prices of fuel.

Get your marching orders here.

Leave word here when you have contacted the proper authority.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

I am dealing with two learning curves.

Actually, one of them is just a reminder of things I already knew, but at a higher rate of speed.

The first one is Wordpress. It is a wonderfully adaptable and ownable blog software. Finding just what you want and being able to use it is a nice change from blogger. Of course, if you happen to hit this blog while I am trying things out, the appearance may change while you are off reading the comments on another post…

The second one is raising a child. Again. In my first marriage, there were two girls that came with the first wife. I raised them both as my own. (the older one has issues, and I will not be talking about her.) The younger one was six months old when I married her mother, and she only knows me as “daddy” - which is really, really cool. She is 22 now and married, living in Idaho with her husband and dog and cat in a house they just bought.

Now, I have this sixteen month old information sponge that I am raising. I have learned that chores go a lot quicker when a toddler is helping. No, really - they have to. At least, the chores that you can accomplish while watching a small person with eighteen arms and forty two hands. For example, emptying the dishwasher. MEG has figured out how to unlock and open the dishwasher (and also how to lock it and start it, whether it’s ready to go or not) so when the dishes are clean, they need to be put away. I have found that it takes about 3.5 seconds to empty and store the dishes. (when I was a teenager, it would take me about 3.5 days to do the dishes when asked. told. commanded. ordered. threatened.) Otherwise, most of them get to be reloaded and rewashed after MEG shares the flatware with the dogs and the plates with the cats.

While I was in the Marine Corps, two minute showers were the rule. We lived in squad bays from the Korean War era (interesting sidenote - my Dad helped build most of them on Camp Pendleton. he was a Marine Corps meteorologist, which is a perfect MOS for building squad bays, right?) (they are all replaced by BEQ dorms now, two Marines to a room, no comradarie…) Anyway - sixty guys, ten shower heads, reveille was called at 0500, assembly at 0600 and chow at 0630, so there was not a lot of time for you to relax in a long hot shower. That’s history. Now, two minutes to a toddler is forever. My shower lasts ninety seconds on a slow day, so MEG doesn’t start getting upset because I’m out of sight. Unless, of course, I’m up before she is, then I grab a longer shower and get shaved and dressed rather leisurely. On those days, I even get to enjoy shaving with the straight razor, taking my time and having deep thoughts.

Everything else is in a hurry - her hurry. Somethings don’t get done - the floor has little piles in the corner (I’m not going to tell you piles of what, so don’t even bother asking.) and the entertainment center needs to be dusted - again. But, I am not going to take time away from MEG’s learning curve to satisfy someone else’s idea of clean. The house is not going to fall apart, and we can still tell what color the tile is.

Make sure you wish your mother a Happy Mother’s Day tomorrow.

I may even break my own rule about not allowing bitterness to creep into my life and call my own mother. Maybe. Long story for another post.

Have a good weekend.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Just John has this up on his, and he got it from Hammer.

I hereby tag anyone who wants to do it, unless you already have, in which case leave a link to it in the comments.

Seven Weird Things About Me
1. I can let the mess build up around me, but when it gets to a certain point I go on a cleaning spree that would scare most people.

2. I live in the desert, but can’t stand the heat. I would rather live in the cold, since you can always add layers, but I just cannot take anything else off without scaring the dogs. And the neighbors.

3. When I was younger, I would drive like an absolute idiot. Now, I’m the old guy the absolute idiots are yelling at as they race to the next red light.

4. Where I will then nonchalantly slow right next to them and catch the green in perfect timing, pulling way ahead of them while they struggle to “impress” me with their gear-shifting abilities.

5. I still crack my knuckles, even though I’ve been told that they will swell up and give me arthritis. Newsflash - arthritis runs in the family anyway, and my knuckles still haven’t swelled up.

6. I never fill out memes or forward emails that tell me I gotta - so don’t send them to me. OK, except for this one.

7. When I have a nasal infection, I can smell it - when I am breathing through my nose, it smells like I need to check my feet to make sure I didn’t step in a dogpile on the way back inside.

OK - now, it’s your turn.

I dare you.

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Tissue Warning

I saw this over at Gawfer’s place.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Listen, then read:

We have had a lot of requests to replay the phone call that Pastor Mike shared during our church service on Sunday, Nov. 11th, 2007.

Here you’ll find the video clip that was created just for you. We’ve placed the video on YouTube so that you can watch it and share with family and friends.

Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf . His words have wisdom beyond his years.

Since airing the audio of the phone call and now the making of the video clip, it has taken on a life of its own. People are forwarding it all over the world. We encourage you to share the love of Christ with anyone you can.

May this Christmas season find you in good health, with family nearby, and in the company of His grace.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

ht to TexasFred and Guy K at Charming, Just Charming.

Watch the video, and then read the text. And then, join me in lambasting NBC for being a bunch of wussified PC leftards.

WASHINGTON - NBC has rejected a TV ad by Freedom’s Watch, a conservative group that supports administration policy in Iraq, that asks viewers to remember and thank U.S. troops during the holiday season.

The spot was to be part of a seven-figure campaign that includes newspaper ads and television commercials. The ads are to run on CNN and Fox News Channel and are running in various newspapers. The New York Times ran a full-page Freedom’s Watch ad Friday that said “Thank You!” and depicted a soldier reading a letter. The newspaper ad also contained the Web site address.

Full story here.

Come on, NBC, the New York Times ran the ad, and you can’t because the web site is “too political?” I am throwing the BS flag on that play, NBC. Guess which network just got blocked by the user on my satellite dish? That’s right, and all your little connected channels, too - like SciFi (Eureka is in reruns, anyway) and especially MSNBC.

Like Guy K says, if all the vets tell NBC where to go hide this crummy little weasel play, they might realize what kind of a customer base they just pissed off.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

First, Happy 232nd Birthday to my Marine Corps brothers and sisters!

Second, may this Veteran’s Day find you all deep in conversation with a veteran, involving the phrase “Thank you for your service.” (Confidential to all my vet friends, family, and passers-by: Thank you for your service.)

Third, did you wear red yesterday?

Fourth, this was Thursday’s home improvement project:

This is the old sink. TMBWitW has been dropping subtle hints (”This sink shows EVERY MARK!”) since we moved in, and it has only taken seven years to find the right replacement sink.

This is the brand new shiny stainless steel model. The bowls are eight inches deep, as opposed to the old bowls that were only six inches deep. TMBWitW is very happy with the new sink. Total time: 2.5 hours. including a quick run to Lowe’s because somebody forgot the plumber’s putty…

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

It seems like it was just yesterday when I was happily drawing kitchens.

I sure miss those days. Weekends off, daytime working hours, seven to eight hours of sleep - at night! in a row! - and now, I just seem to be losing track of the days. Sleep deprivation has gotten the better of me. My accountant tells me that I am losing money in this contract, with having to pay a helper seven days a week. My internal clock tells me I’ve just lost track of the better part of a week. My mind and my body are on the verge of mutiny (on the “plus” side, I’m down to 196) and I am physically unable to keep up this pace. A typical day:

0000 hours: I’m driving towards the dock, to pick up the papers. I may stop for gasoline, if the tank is thirsty. It’s usually thirsty.
Between 0100 and 0200 hours: papers loaded, headed to the first stop.
Between 0430 and 0600 hours: route finished, heading home.
0600 to 0800 hours: paperwork, updating the online database, filing, sorting, getting things ready for tonight’s run.
0800 to whenever little Miss wakes up: nap. Feed little Miss, help her learn how to play, read to her, wait for her gorgeous blue eyes to get heavy and fall down. Nap for about an hour, while little Miss also naps. Repeat as needed, per little Miss’s schedule. Shower when possible. Shaving is an option, but only until TMBWitW gets home.
1700 hours: TMBWitW is home! Family time, dinner, conversation, TMBWitW catches up with little Miss.
2100 hours: print out new run sheet for that night.
2115 hours: lay head down for another nap.
2345 hours: get up, try to jangle the body into awareness, slam some caffeine. Cold water works well, also. Make sure everything is in order for the run tonight.

Yes, this is seven days a week. Sundays are a bit different; I need to pick up my helper and get the trailer, so my evening nap is cut short by thirty minutes or so.

Your mind plays tricks on you after not getting enough sleep. It’s hard enough for me to type, since I am slightly dyslexic, and I have to concentrate on every word to make sure it’s spelled correctly so these entries are legible. Bad spelling makes my reading slow way down, because then I’m not sure if what I’m reading is spelled correctly or not. When I have enough sleep, this process is almost seamless and I can operate at the same speed as most of the world. When I haven’t had enough sleep, though, it’s way tougher than normal.

If the schedule were consistent (notice the variable at the dock - you can’t count on when the papers are going to come off the line, so you can’t really sneak a nap while at the dock), or if there were days off for recovery built in, I think it wouldn’t be so bad. But, here I am, with a sleep schedule so out of whack with what God designed, that my whole being is disrupted.

Which brings me to this point: I won’t be doing this much longer. I have caught myself taking naps at red lights. Not a problem when I’m the only one on the road, but sometimes it’s during the day. Or during rush hour. Phoenix area drivers are notoriously impatient, so don’t even delay them getting to their oh-so-important destinations. I’m getting pretty good at identifying vehicle make and model by the sound of the horn… Anyway, July 29 will be my last day as a contractor. I am so looking forward to maybe getting some sleep after that…

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

I had a goal, a while back, when I first put the “Religion of Peace” widget in my sidebar, that I would someday have more visitors according to my sitemeter, then there were islamic attacks counted since 9/11.

I recently surpassed that number.

Mostly, it was due to the article I crossposted from Warriors for Innocence. That managed to get the attention of over two hundred readers for two days. I’m sure that most of them won’t be returning since they came over here to see who dark_christian was talking about. (I’m not linking to dark_christian because I don’t believe he’s the kind of person I would hang out with, due to the topic(s) being defended.)

At any rate, I’m up past that goal. Now, my goal is 10,000 readers. If you happen to be the ten thousandth visitor, please drop me a comment or e-mail and I will announce your name. Sorry, no prizes for this one. Just fun and recognition for you!

In case you missed it, I was on Political Pistachio Radio this afternoon, please go and listen to the archive of the show. DVG promised he would e-mail the rest of the questions he didn’t get to ask, and I would post them and my answers. In the meantime, watch for a Monday Campaign Note.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008