Reality Me

I’m on a local contract now that may provide the flexibility I need for my lifestyle to work as well as pay the bills. I just can’t talk about it much as the company regards confidentiality and ethics very highly. They will read this blog if I have to get a clearance.

Still faced with the challenges of angry collectors, home and child catastrophes, more to do than time permits, battles with the school administration, etc. but all in all things are looking up lately.

Condensation pump died on the a/c and flooded a corner of our closet. The corner we stash Christmas presents to be in. Lost half the stash including one fairly significant one.

This happended because I over stacked stuff in the garage once then opened the garage door crushing part of the top garage door panel. Now the garage doesn’t seal as well as it used to and outside air mixes with the inside air causing the a/c to produce an unnatural amount of condensation. The pump works over time. It slowly dies. I clean it out giving it a reprieve but forget to check it until its too late. It never recovered from the cleaning.

My lack of follow-thru bites us again.

A New Day!

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This Morning

I thought of staying up late but was dizzy with tiredness. Woke at 4 but could not motivate. Woke again at 6am and stared at the ceiling until 6:15. I really wanted to be programming and sleeping at the same time.

I’m upset with myself that I have not been forcing solid, uninterupted blocks of productivity over these past several months. I’m behind and I’m not sure how I am going to catch up.

Today: work all day, take 4 kids to Rocky Hill’s open house and book fair by myself, program

Yesterday

Started my contract in Oak Ridge. Was nervous as I could possibly be without getting ill. Things worked out. A part of me enjoyed the atmosphere. A part of me wanted to have a spell of vertigo. Felt like a combination of a scene from Office Spaces (amz) and the beginning of The Matrix (amz) when Neo is talking to his boss.

  

A New Day!

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This Morning

I tried to get up at 4am and didn’t get up until 5:45. This day is going to be tight. I have contract work to get done, rental equipment to return, cars to clean, Tommy’s D&D game, and programming.

Yesterday

As predicted, no programming. I allowed my self a diversion in the morning and as I’m getting in programming mode, Amy’s finger gets smashed in the front door. Looking at her mangled finger I fail to remain calm. I do not yell at any of the kids. Cathy tells it differently. I figure somewhere down the middle we together are correct. We tend to her finger. I take her to the trampoline to calm her and see how she reacts when she falls on the finger. Everything is looking fine. Sarah and I take her to the doctor anyway. He prescribes some Motrin and says no x-rays are needed. All is well.

I get home to realize I promised a client that by today I would remove certain software from his machines. Off to client location.

Back just in time to go to a Scout Leader meeting roughly five minutes late.

After the meeting I tend to family matters then its off to a friend’s house to pickup some software. From their I check on the cat at the house we are watching. From their its back to the client’s business until after midnight.

I debate an allnighter but give into much needed sleep.

My wife just made an exceptional post on 9/11/01.

9/11 for me does not represent tradegy. It represents glory. It represents life. When someone mentions 9/11/01 my mind doesn’t jump first to seeing world famous landmarks demolished (although it angers me that my children cannot visit the top of the Towers as I did nor can I or they see the statues of Budda). My mind jumps to the little wheel my wife’s GYN was holding when she said, “Do you want to know what you were doing on Sept 11?” and to all the giggles, messy diapers and lessons of the wonders of life, learning and growth that followed. September 11, 2001 represents my fulfillment as a human being to leave a legacy.

As for the political side of things, it represents a loss of freedom as a coverup of a government mistake. Terrorism has always been present. I used to be proud to say that the only time the United States had ever been attacked on its own soil was during the Civil War (granted there were some pot shots from U-boats and Japanese subs during WWII). I saw the terrorists won. Their goal was to change the way we live. Most Americans live unrealistically in fear. The fear is irrational but it is what the terrorist wished to achieve. They have won. I feel like I’m living in George Orwell’s book.

The silence in the skys on September 12, 2001 was wonderful and eerie. It was complimented by the silence on the roads. If we could have turned off all electricity and moved momentarily beyond the horror, I think it would have given a nation a day to be incredibly introspective, relate better to the ways our forefather’s lived when they founded this nation, and appreciate more the modern conveniences on which we have come to depend.

I can no longer carry my pocket knife on an airplane. The pocket knife which is a reminder of achievement, safety, acts as a worry stone and fidget toy, and can be an ice breaker since I can do a great magic trick with it; However, I can drink from a coke can which can be ripped into a razor sharp weapon and I can wear a necklace of garrotable steel and I can carry eye stabbing pens and I can allow my fingernails to grow long to enable me to rip out your carotid artery bringing a messy rather instant death and I can hold my hand with my index finger and pinky straight out with the other two fingers bent and punch really hard into a mans neck crushing his Adam’s apple giving him about 3 minutes to live (you can recover from this by painfully pushing your hands on the side of your throat to pop the Adam’s apple back into shape) and I can cite many other examples from keys to belts to lady’s products. All these added security measures that are great inconviences are simply misplaced funding to put on a dog and pony show for the American public and give them a false sense of security. It simply keeps an honest man honest.

We no longer refer to our emergency service as 911. It is now E-911 to distinguish from “the event.” Some schools no longer run field trips to Washington DC to allow our students to learn about our government (it’s easier for the dictators to supplant our lifestyle if a whole generation doesn’t know how its suppose to work).

Our way of life as changed. The terrorists won.

  

Student: My brain is fried.

Master: Better than being raw.

Poster I could see this one backfiring but its still good.

A New Day!

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This Morning

The toy banging eight year old.

The screaming toddler announcing she wanted out of the bedroom.

The slobbery stench creating bed pouncing puppy.

The countdown timer on available programming hours.

The plumbing snake suggesting it be used in 3 more places.

The near vomit inducing coughing.

I wanted to sleep in.

I’ve snaked the plumbing and the upstairs sink now drains properly. No more excuses for the kids to not brush their teeth or wash their hands.

We have the Flexi Comfort 3 (amz) retractable dog leash for Molly and I must say that it is wonderful! Does anyone have any idea what is the intended use of the smaller strap? I see no where to attach it. Our packaging was quickly discarded so if there were instructions they are long gone. It seems to big to be intended as a collar and the material too thin without presenting a cutting hazard. To me it would seem to serve as a safety strap perhaps attaching to the device and your belt loop incase you dropped it but I see no way to do that. Any suggestions? 

A New Day!

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This Morning

Woke this morning feeling hung over. The sinus seems a bit better. I think its allergies. Took my last zyrtec (sp?) today and will have to switch to allegra. Still irritated that I’ve gone most of my life without allergies and now they suddenly pop up.

Today is going to be rough.

Half Naked Thursday 

“I Remember the Value of Friendship”

Yesterday I was reminded of the value of friendship.

Friendship is like a plant.

Treat it harshly and it will die.

Forget to nourish it and it will go away.

Talk to it or it will not grow.

Take it for granted and lose it.

Visit with it or else it becomes just another thing.

Friend, like a plant, is beautiful – keep it well!

-DM 5/10/1998