"Murphy was an optimist!"
Crayons in the wash? No, chapstick! November 23, 2007 1:49 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Of Being DadIn 2004, we learned how to get crayons out of clothing. I wonder if the same basic principle will work for chocolate flavored chapstick.
add a commentI love me some Thanksgiving! November 23, 2007 11:39 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Holiday, Thanksgiving
I thought yesterday was very special. I was tickled that our inlaws chose to join us at our house. The official family Thanksgiving is Saturday at their house when some other relatives will be in town. Between yesterday and Saturday we should have enough Turkey to last until Christmas. For half a decade or so, I have put off (ie. procrastinated) getting a meat thermometer. Yesterday, while the turkey cooked, I went to Walmart to get a meat thermometer, some ice cream, and a few essential non-essentials only to find that I wasn’t alone. I thought I would get to park right by the door but still had to park a distance before trekking around Wally World. Who needs a gym when you shop at Walmart! I did find a few things at the store for which to be thankful even if I don’t understand it. I felt sorry for the poor guy in line in front of me who had to produce his birth certificate, social security card, photo id, bring in three unrelated people to vouch for him, and give a blood sample before he could pay with a check. I sure hope there was a valid reason for the hassles. In America we should not have present papers simply because you look Hispanic. Do our schools teach any history anymore? Can people not draw the parallels between WWII Japanese and how we locked away American citizens because of their Japanese ancestry and today how we hassle American Hispanic citizens because of immigration politicism. Do people not see the risk of another race war hidden behind the word "immigrant?" Have we forgotten our Schoolhouse Rock Great American Melting Pot lyrics?
Whoops. How do these soap boxes keep getting under my feet? Yesterday was a thankful day. I brought a long standing project to a close. I was able to relax instead of spend the day in uncertainty and panic. I was with family and they laughed and played. I am thankful to have found countless friends on the Internet (I dare not make a list of links for fear of leaving someone out or having this post extend endlessly) who share such fascinating stories. I am thankful to those who have helped us in so many ways during the extremely hard times. I am thankful that I am not out shopping today. I am thankful for my children; they make me smile! And everyone knows, I am extra thankful for my wife! She is my sun which I gravitate around; she warms my soul; provides me energy; and shines on me to make my darkness go. I can think of so many things for which to be thankful that I believe I could type this post until next Thanksgiving! I hope you are thankful too.
Update: Illegal immigrant saves 9 year old boy’s life.
add a commentDon’t put off until tomorrow… November 23, 2007 9:20 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, PhilosophySo a couple of years ago I noticed my water bill doubled. Years? I hope not. Sure I meant to type "several months ago." It doubled because the washers on the spigots needed replacing but mostly because the flapper in the downstairs toilet needed replacing. Someone would flush the toilet and it could run all night before someone realized it needed fixing. A $3 part and a few minutes of my time would fix the problem but I had more important things to do like figure out how to pay the extra $30 or so per month the leaks were causing.
Yesterday I put a new flapper on the commode. It was $3.45 and took about 2 minutes. Assuming this has been going on a year and that toilet was the total cause of a $30 increase in water costs, then I spent $360 waiting for my round tuit! I may never learn. In 1998, I left for a month of work in South Carolina to return to a very molded bathroom because I could not find the time to replace a 25 cent washer. Failing to change that 25 cent washer resulted in a bathroom remodel! Don’t mess around with water! Don’t put off until tomorrow that which you can do today!
5commentsI predict a major social change because of the war November 22, 2007 9:34 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Economy, Environment, Politics, Touchy SubjectsHow do you pay for an expensive overseas war and bring value back to a falling dollar? Simple. You reduce your countries infrastructures costs, add workers to the populace to increase gross national product, create a livable wage for those same workers for taxable income, and create a high demand product to encourage the citizenry to purchase taxable goods. Personally I would add impeach a president to the list.
These things are coming! (well…maybe not the impeachment) And your politicians have already begun the game of wag the dog to get you to accept the reduced infrastructure costs, new workers, different tax structure, and focus on purchasing a highly taxable product. The spin war is on because it is going to be a vicious one and a very hard sell because the government has been selling you a different bill of goods for almost 50 years. See, the reduced infrastructures cost will come by releasing roughly 800,000 inmates from prison.
…would save taxpayers an estimated $20 billion per year…[Source, Unlocking America: Why and How to Reduce America’s Prison Population, page 7]
It is these same 800,000 inmates who will be the new workers adding to the GNP which means these 800,000 people would be producing taxable income.
What of the product? The product must be inexpensive to produce otherwise the savings from releasing the prisoners is negated. Ideally the product should already exist and be high demand with the general populace. The United States has just such a product. It is a product that no one uses yet you cannot swing a stick in a crowd without hitting someone who does use it. The product is marijuana. No one admits to using it yet it seems like everyone around you uses it socially or medicinally from time to time. Even our presidents use it! They just don’t inhale.
My prediction is that in the next decade we will see significant pressure by politicians to encourage legalization of marijuana for all the reasons stated above plus more. By encouraging the use of hemp for cloth, paper, ropes, and so many other uses, we will make better use of the land with higgher quality products (see 200 year old hemp nightgown looks like new). Watch the news. California will lead followed by Colorado and Nevada. Tennessee will follow closely since TN produces quite a lot of crops. Mark my word. As soon as the government can deprogram society from the believe that marijuana is bad (remember, marijuana was lobbied into illegality by the paper companies – apparently it is supposed to do less harm to the body than drinking alcohol), you will see marijuana sold either over the drug store counters or beside the cigarettes in the grocery stores.
2commentsThat Feeling of Disbelief November 22, 2007 7:21 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeSometimes you get a project that goes wrong. This happens more frequently if your specification is loosely defined or non-existent. I have just finished a project that threatened to drive me from consulting back to the corporate world. It is a wonderful project! A real showcase piece! (that coincidentally I cannot show anyone) One feature was very technically challenging and at one point I, the believer that anything is possible, was thinking that maybe this could not be done. Well it is done! I anticipate some cleanup but I’m through the rough waters. Time to regroup and do damage control. Now where is my desk? Anyone got a shovel?
add a commentCoder Motivation November 22, 2007 5:26 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Programming, Technology, Touchy SubjectsOne method for programmers to stay focused, keep it simple, and get the job done is to set micro-goals or micro-milestones. "When I get this query returning the correct results, I can take 10 minutes to read/write blogs." These rewards may come in the form of snacks, naps, leisure time, or anything that the coder made find rewarding and a rest from the project. I have found one reward that absolutely does not work! Never set your reward as "when I get ____ finished, I may go to the bathroom." One way or another, you are going to fail!
1 comment so farHappy Thanksgiving! November 22, 2007 3:25 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Holiday, ThanksgivingWe take this day off to celebrate that they gave us the knowledge we needed to grow food for the winter; we gave them smallpox.
add a commentProhibition Broken November 21, 2007 11:01 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeI can’t remember the last time I had some scotch. I used to drink mine neat. On a whim tonight, I bought one of those $1 airport bottles of Danfield’s Private Reserve 10 year old Canadian whisky. Wait a darn tootin minute. This is a blend! Well, regardless, mmmMmmm. The aroma is like perfume under my nose. Sort of caramelly with a sharpness to it. To do nothing more than touch the liquid to my lips produces a warmth in my gullet. The initial taste is like liquid candy. The mouth has a burning sensation as if it was holding a fireball candy. The aftertaste lingers with sweetness. Whisky has a calming affect on me. I remember why this was a favorite of beverage of mine!
add a commentWKRP Thanksgiving Turkey Drop November 21, 2007 12:18 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Holiday, Humor, Publishing, Thanksgiving, VideoI’m sure Youtube will pull this one quickly. So enjoy this wonderful piece of history while you can.Sure enough..youtube pulled it. Let’s try another one. Audio is available here.
WKRP in Cincinnati: Thanksgiving Turkey Bomb! @ Yahoo! Video
As God as my witness..I thought turkeys could fly.
Other versions: Youtube, beginning and ending cut off.
Hulu brings us the full episode! Gotta love Hulu!
1 comment so farFrom the mouths of babes November 20, 2007 5:05 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cathy, Daily Life, Family, From the mouths of babesMe: "We should make love tonight."
Her: "We have to buy groceries tonight!"
Doug’s Mantras November 20, 2007 3:53 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Doug's Mantras, PhilosophyWant a happy life? Keep a happy wife!
add a commentLet the day begin! November 20, 2007 2:17 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life2am beginnings is the reason waiting 2-3 weeks for coffee grounds just isn’t going to fly.
add a commentHeroes text message November 19, 2007 7:24 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : UncategorizedThe potential ov a virus outbreak is growing. Always remember to be cautious and keep urself safe. Learn ab
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Words of Wisdom November 19, 2007 11:56 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : PhilosophyIf it has happened in the past and is unlikely to happen again, just don’t talk about it. Nothing good can come of it.
add a commentStarbucks, please improve your gift card November 19, 2007 6:37 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeI’m staring at that container of contaminated coffee grounds trying to calculate the odds that it contains cyanide or razor blades or spit or roach eggs or something equally as horrible. I could easily join Futurama’s Fry’s 100 cup coffee zen state right now. That would be awesome! But, really, that is not an option. The right thing to do is returned the damaged container to the store.
Starbucks needs to improve their gift card. Right now, you can add money to the gift card which is cool. But others need to be able to add money to the gift card! How much cooler it would be to have a "Gimme Coffee" button on a site instead of a Paypal button! So Starbucks, if you are listening, please change your gift card so that people from the Internet can put more money on my gift card. Thanks!
Update: My wife put this idea into my head and email the suggestion to Starbucks.
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