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My friend the fiend caffeine

Spread out caffeine jolts to stay alert

…a new study suggests that it may be better to stretch out the daily dose by drinking smaller amounts throughout the day.
… sleep-deprived people who took low-dose caffeine tablets did better on cognitive tests than those who took a placebo.
…those who took caffeine also reported feeling sleepier, which suggests the enhanced wakefulness of caffeine does not replace the restorative benefits of sleep…
Hmmm.. to drink or not to drink?

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Late afternoon/eve

Came home to watch the kids while Cathy ran errands. Sarah and Noah immediately shot out the door to their friends. Noah later returned with sandwich bags of Cicada exoskeletons..Cathy will be thrilled when cleaning his room tonight. Sarah returned right behind Noah and was less than thrilled when I asked her to write down phone numbers of the people she invited to her party complaining “I’ll call them!” Well, if I waited until she called them she’d be 12 before I knew who was coming to her 11th birthday party.

She ended up helping me and I completely 11 phone calls to her 3. She will not be a call center operator that’s for sure!

Dinner was cooked. Pizza for the younger 3 and 30 minutes later brocoli and cheese stuffed chicken breasts for Tommy and I. Cathy is at a Girl Scout Council meeting and will eat later. Tommy was angry that he wasn’t eatting thin freezer pizza declaring “It’s not fair!” in a huff. He was later very happy with his meal wanting more after shoving it down. Amy ate most of her slice of pizza and is helping me finish my chicken. Cathy left a half a 12 oz glass bottle (long neck) of orange creme soda here and Amy keeps drinking from it–never spilling a drop!

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Eat then Dump

Had lunch with some old business associates. We reminisced briefly then mostly talked about our families. Took a trailer load of trash to the dump. Need to do about 2 more but I don’t see it happening.

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Book Burning

High school bans book on censorship.

The book that started the flap, “Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress,” is a novel about censorship.
Fifteen-year-old Brandon Jerome was caught off guard by the sexual references in a book for his ninth-grade English class…read a passage about a virgin having sex.
…a student drew an explicit picture of a boy and girl having sex as part of a class drawing exercise on the book. The drawing was displayed with others in the classroom.
Obviously not understanding the full circumstances, my initial thoughts are that this censorship is an overreaction. As a curious 15 year old (and much earlier) I had been reading my friend’s father’s Hustler magazines, magazines found in my own house (where I learned my first French Oui!), medical journals, National Geographic, novels and anything else that would give me a clue about the female anatomy and how I might chance to become more intimate with it. I think that when the schools can integrate a sexual education into the material without stepping into perversion that they are doing nothing more than answering questions that the students are already seeking. When coupled with important encouragements such as “don’t be afraid to talk to your parents about sex” the environment can be a catalyst for students making the right decisions. When we remove the mysticism from things like sex you lessen the need for exploration and discovery. I’m not discouraging sex and not implying that talking about it will make teenagers not do it. I am saying there is no harm in educating them about the main thing on their mind.
I am ordering a copy!

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Carpool

Sarah and Noah got themselves read with happiness and no problems. After dropping them off at school I returned to find Amy playing happily in the girls’ room. I opened the door slightly and started to return to the kitchen to hear an excited voice say “ooeh Dada!”

How is it that if you put something in a pile for Goodwill that the children know it must be pulled out and played with. Amy instantly went to a ride-on toy lion although she has the most exceptional ride-on toy car. Amy is jolly this morning. Non-stop talking. Playing very nicely.

  

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A New Day! Let’s start the day off with a PayPa…

A New Day!

Let’s start the day off with a PayPal donation link:

This Morning

My body is adjusting to the concept of waking earlier. At 5am my wife kicked me because the music alarm was on and I had not silenced it. I never fell back into anything more than a light sleep. Mostly I stared at the clock until 6am. The next challenge is making myself get out of the bed.

Sarah wanted something out of her room so I went to get it and Amy squeaks in the sweetest little voice “Hi Dada.” I had to reply “Hi Amy. Nite nite.”

This morning I’m in a cool, calm freak out. Needs: call all my contacts, letters to business, call local developers.

Last Night

What more Futurama with the wife. Can’t find any easter eggs on Disc 3 for Season 3 which is somewhat disappointing. After watching an episode of Futurama on DVD we turned on Futurama on television (just worked out that way) but we were both falling asleep so Cathy says turn it off. I began to get frustrated because the dvd remote was having absolutely no effect on turning the show off. After a few seconds Cathy says, “Oh! This is the tv!”

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Progress and Not Progress

I got a pile of trash (mostly construction debris) off the driveway and into the trailer so I can take it to the dump. I need to make 3 such trips this week to prepare for guests. I have an impossible amount of work to do, the money is gone, and I need to spend every waking moment trying to get work.

I have a networking opportunity tomorrow with a group of old associations/friends that could help but at the same time I need to be at Tommy’s psychologist appointment. Perhaps I could show up for 15 minutes then meet Cathy, Amy and Tommy at the appointment. That would accomplish both while not having to buy lunch at a restaraunt and not getting caught up in old gossip.

I made calls today regarding work — that was good. I should have made calls until my ears bleed — not good.

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Job Mirages

Just checked in with the recruiters and each of them said they’ve got me in the hands of 2 potential hiring managers and “end of the week” is a possibility for interviews. I hope my phones still work at the “end of the week.” There is also “another possibility” out there with one of the recruiters. And I’ve got my own searching that is supposed to have me an interview this week. That puts us at 5.5 possibilities with potential salaries ranging from $45k/yr to $80k/yr.

Lottery is Wednesday…