No Time For a Cold

This is not good. After riding back from L.A. with some sniffly people, I woke up today with a sore throat, slight cough, and sniffles. Yes, we are a close team, but this is ridiculous. So, I have some Dayquil with me, some throat lozenges, and I took extra Vitamin C this morning. And I don't want Kathie burdened with a cold on top of a broken finger.

On that topic, she goes to a specialist on Monday, so we will know more then. I don't know the name, but he is somewhere in PHX city limits. That's all the hints you'll get.

If you feel like playing a game, though, I'll take you on. Check out today's Clarity of Vision.

Did any of you notice my college roomie trying to blackmail me over our TPIR Fan Photo? I think he will soon hit me up for money. The joke's on him, though, because I don't have any.

The next two days promise to be a whirlwind of activity. We have to validate converted data (I think it used to be Catholic...) and I still need to get those training docs ready. The boss and his boss are getting a lot of pressure to train the organization. And no wonder. Since the screens are already in production, everyone must already follow the new process...and we have not even told them what it is yet.

Am I trying to get out of writing more trivial detritus in my blog? Well, yes, maybe. However, as you have no doubt seen, not having anything to say has never stopped me before.

OK, early dude is booting his computer over behind me, so I will leave you with today's calendar trivia: under what name did female bull terrier Honey Tree Evil Eye gain fame as a spokesdog in TV ads? I admit that I did not know this. I should remember in the future, though, as it is hard to forget a name like that. Anyway, it was as Spuds McKenzie, "the original party animal" in Bud Light beer commercials that aired in the late '80s.

You are on your way to challenging me for the Trivia Master title. Go practice and we can trivialize again tomorrow.

OK, Now I'm Sore

Did I mention that we rented an 7-passenger van for the trip to California? The problem was that there were 8 of us in the van, so I ended up sitting on a box of 10 reams of paper between the middle seats. That meant I had an uncomfortable seat and no backrest. We drove over Sunday and back Monday night. I did not notice anything yesterday, but today, I feel the soreness in my back. Mainly in the lower back and the shoulder blades. I sat on a small blanket and leaned back a little using the arm rests from the two seats to support me on my shoulders. Can someone stop by and give me a massage, please?

At least we played games during the drive. We played Trivial Pursuit (without using the board, of course) and Catchphrase. I declared myself the winner. No one needs to worry about who go the most right, OK?

You can see our photos before The Price Is Right by going to this link and choosing the Jan 24 8:30am taping and looking around photo 210 or so. And don't forget to check us out on TV on Feb 15. It is on at 9:00am here in PHX.

Kathie went to another doctor yesterday and they are sure she will need pins in her broken finger. So, off to another specialist. I am not sure of the timing yet. They did put a much larger splint on her left hand now.

OK, I turned to the Bible for today's inspiration. Well, let's call it a loose interpretation.

Some of the team worked late last night moving new functionality into production. So starting today, we need to scrub the data and get everything correct before we tell the clients that it is enabled. Sounds fun, right. Plus, I am still trying to even see what functionality they implemented and create the training documentation. Plus I still have some metrics work to get done.

All of that is to say, "See ya." I gots to go and get it started. Drop by tomorrow and I'll let you know how far we got.

Come On Down! And Read Today's Post

That's right. We are back after a whirlwind trip over to L.A. to be in a taping of TPIR (The Price Is Right). Wow, we had a great time. We ended up with 17 of us for the show, so a) we knew we would get in, and b) we were confident one of us would get chosen to be on Contestant's Row. We got in line at 8:25am. Those not in groups started lining up as early as midnight. The studio holds about 320, and is not nearly as large as it looks on TV. They called us over for a group photo and our name tags at about 10am. We went through a producer interview at about 11:30 and into the studio at about 12:10pm. Taping started at 12:20 and we were finished around 1:30pm.

That the high-level flow of the morning. I'll share more details tomorrow as I need to get going early today since we were out yesterday. Oh, I will tell you our show airs Feb 15, and I am sure Kathie and I got some air time.

Yes, it is possible that yesterday's experience did influence today's Clarity of Vision.
I carried home my computer thinking I might get a little done before we left. No, that did not happen. And the data is being loaded tonight, so I am at least on call from 5-9pm (what? during Chorale practice?). I do not think I need to be here on site. So, I am already leaving you after just a teaser about our experiences. I should have a little more time tomorrow.

Almost PIR Time

Here in the the Phoenix area, PIR is the local abbreviation for PHX International Raceway (why international? I don;t know). However, my title refers to The Price Is Right. Yep, we leave in two days. How serious is the team manager that organized this for us? Well, we are having a lunch today to cover travel logistics, T-shirt preparation, and I think, some game strategies. I hope that the unofficial rule of ensuring one of a 15+ group will be chosen is accurate.

Kathie is going with KLIK to Disney on Ice tonight. I know they will have fun. I will either do a little cleanup in the garage or do some work getting ready for the training classes next week. We'll see what I get through today.

Monday, there will be no post and no CoV. However, I do have one for today. Another in the auto-complete series.
After I left a meeting in another building yesterday afternoon, I decided to go on home and do some work on the training docs there. I had my laptop, so I was ready...I thought. Yes, it did boot OK. Yes, Powerpoint opened as expected. I did have the computer power cord with me. So, why are you thinking I have a "but..." coming? Of course, you are right. I was all set, but I had saved the file on the network drive at work and not on my local machine. I need to get VPN configured on this Mac before I can work remotely as if I was at my desk.

Kathie pinkie is, if not better, at least no worse. There is some slight swelling on the pads of the little finger and ring finger. Still no discoloration, so that is good. And she said that she would totally forget it was hurt during the day until she bumped it or something. So, we are still self-diagnosing and self-treating for now. She doesn't need that finger for any PIR games, right?

It is early, but I need to get cracking on the documentation I need to prepare. And I already have 3.5 hrs of meetings eating up almost half of my day. So, why don't you talk about how much you like or dislike the President's policies and I will slip out of the room while you are distracted. See you Tuesday.

A Peculiar Pinkie

We took the dog for a walk last night and ended up with a dislocated pinkie. Kathie took a spill on some dried leaves on the sidewalk and reached out with her left hand to break her fall. When I got to her, her left pinkie was at about a 45-degree angle to her hand. We got home and put a cold compress on it. She moved it back into position and it did not discolor, so we chose to treat it at home as a dislocation. Today, she is taping it to her ring finger and we will see how it goes.

In further Kathie news, she will be joining the Price Is Right caravan on Monday, so that will be fun. Ali will watch the house and dog for us. Yep. I asked her to "come on down."

Some people may also think my brain is dislocated, and I suppose I could not disagree. Sometimes, even I wonder how my mind gets from one idea to another. And then, it sometimes engages my mouth to say things that even I know I should not say. Or things I should not write, such as some of the Clarity of Vision cartoons. This one is not too offbeat.
I am frantically working to meet the deadline of having training ready for this coming Tuesday. I also have an email message this morning because they have already put the changed screens into production, and one PM tried to update a project but got an error message. So, I will need to investigate when the support team comes in to work. Still, I have a job and I enjoy it...two reasons to celebrate in today's work environment.

I also enjoy the mild winter weather here in the desert Southwest. It looks like North Texas may be in for some more snowy weather. Actually, our weather is cooling down here, too. It will only reach 69F today.

The granddaughters are feeling better. They called us last night, but could not talk long because it was time to play in the bathtub. Yeah, that shows you where we rank.

Alison said she liked the American version of the BBC series Being Human. Did you watch it? It is about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost living together. Sounds intriguing, right? We recorded it and will check it out.

I here someone in a nearby cube. Hopefully, it the dude that is working on this tool with me and we can investigate the error and get that fixed. So, while I go do some CSI on our PPM tool, you finish reading this and then stay home and rest. You've done enough for today just wading through this rambling post.

It is Already Wednesday...At Least in AZ

Whoo hoo. It is already Wednesday. Still, it seems like I have already forgotten that I had Monday off. How quickly we get caught up in the hullabaloo of daily life. Hullabaloo is a good thing, right?

Have you ever been texting and the phone is suggesting what word you want using the auto-correct feature? If not, I know you have probably seen it on your computer. If you are the type of person who does a lot of backspacing because you typed a wrong letter in the middle of the word, you will understand why auto-correct doesn't always choose the word you had in mind.
Whoa. I just caught myself peeking at work email and starting to answer some of them before I finished this post. That is not a good sign. I'll finish here before I go back over there. The dude that keeps interrupting me in the mornings is not here yet, so I should take advantage of the quietness and say something pithy to you. Pithy is a good thing, right? It is not the same thing as being pithed, right?

It looks like our The Price Is Right trip will have 16 of us. 10 are flying and 6 are driving. 10 are staying at a mid-priced hotel, and 6 are staying at a Comfort Inn. Those flying are leaving Saturday. Those driving are leaving Sunday morning sometime. I will let you surmise into which of those categories I fall. We have to be in line Monday morning at 8:30am at CBS. Taping starts at 12:30pm. We should be finished and on the road home by 3pm. I guess I need to make my hotel reservations today, huh?

Both GRANDS are fairly sick right now. Keep them (and Lyndsay) in your prayers. Having sick children is never fun.

I need to get a haircut before going to LA. Phyl, are you well now?

Lately, I have been digging into my CoV Idea Backlog instead of having new ideas. That is not good. True, I am at #423 on cartoons, but I should be able to get to 500, right? I do think that I can play with the auto-correct topic for one or two more days, but those are in the backlog file.

My cubicle is right below the A/C register. So, even though it is going to be 74F today outside, I need to put on a jacket at my desk. Unfortunately, I forgot it since I don't need it outside. I may have to go outside to warm up periodically. That probably sounds backward to some of your cooler climate types.

Dude is here now, so I am giving in and going to talk about our project. You can give in and talk about whatever it is you were not talking about while we were visiting with each other. Tomorrow, we can both give in and read this blog for the guilty pleasure it provides.

Monday Falls on Tuesday This Week

Well, for me and my house, this week's Monday falls on Tuesday. We didn't do anything big over the extended weekend. We started some garage cleanup (always fun). We had a wedding shower to attend for Courtney on Sunday. Oh, hey, we did hear a really interesting speaker at church. David Ring, an evangelist with Cerebral Palsy. We enjoyed it much more than I would have imagined. Go hear him if you have a chance.

My brain was on holiday, too, so today's cartoon is pulled from the old idea file and not from today's gripping headlines.
One problem with missing out on Monday is that some of the prep work for the weekly Tuesday morning is usually done on Monday. So, I've got to get after it to be ready by 8:30am. I almost skipped today's cartoon (and many of you may wish I had), but decided it would not be fair to the one or two of you that might have missed it.

It does mean that I am going to shortchange you on today's post. You could also interpret that to mean that I am giving you back valuable time in your day that you do not have to waste reading nonsensical comments and unintelligible ramblings. So, mosey on your way and check back in 24 hours.

Oh, and congrats to Zachary and family on the arrival of Clara Alexandra. You can see more details on their blog.

First Comic Standing

We will go ahead and start this post with a comic strip. Even though I don't think today's' CoV is really denigrating our current president, I will not be forwarding it to a couple of members of our team here. This more about the alternate interpretation of a word than the names included. What do you think?
Kathie thinks I am a Goodwill junkie. There are several within a few miles of the house, so I like to cruise by and check if they have any games for $1-$2. I mentioned just a few days ago that I found two new (new to me) games there. Last night, I did not find any games, but we did pick up a few books (again for $1-$2 each).

I got pulled away by the early bird again to talk about his project and the upcoming milestones. I am back now. Let's try to finish today's post before he returns.

Yes, you were all wondering what I was going to do about The Price Is Right. I told the manager arranging the trip that I would go. It seems that, right now, he does not have enough people saying yes to make it feasible. I guess he'll make a decision within a couple of days. I would not want to miss out on the shared experience, but I will also not lose any sleep if it does not happen.

I don't know of any big plans for the weekend. I think Ali will be with us since her housemate is leaving town for the extended weekend. Maybe we'll catch a movie if there is anything all of us want to see. It will be hard to top The Social Network.

Last night on The Million Dollar Money Drop, the final question was "Where do teenagers spend more time? TV or the internet?" What would you have guessed? The couple on TV missed it, and so did Kathie and I. He gave a hint that the winning option was 3X more popular than the other one.

Did you guess TV? We didn't. I was sure that social sites, Youtube videos, music, would all mean internet was more popular. I would have lost it all.

How many of you have MLK day off? I never did at Motorola, but I guess since we are an education company, we take many of the school holidays off. So, a three day weekend. Whoo hoo.

I made it to the end of this post with no further interruptions. So, I will get my groove on for the weekend once I put in a long, hard, challenging, grueling, (I cannot think of anymore adjectives for a workday) day at the office. I need to get it going so I can get it done. Have a good one and I will see you Tuesday.

Where's My Tennis Shoes?

Wow, it is so crazy busy right now at work. I really should be wearing tennies because I am running from one activity to the next. Still, it is better than not having anything to do and way better than not being employed. So, let's get on to the heart of today's ramblings and then get to work.

One of the things I have to do at work today is make a presentation on using the project tracking software we use (HP PPM). However, since I have a Macbook Pro, I cannot connect directly to the projector without a special piece of hardware called a dongle. Kind of a funny word, right? Well, I thought it was and made it the heart of today's Clarity of Vision.
Another thing I must do today is the weekly Thursday 8:30am meeting. for that, I do not need a dongle, but I do need to create the slide deck. That takes maybe 45 minutes each Thursday am.

Did you watch The Cape this week? It must be from a graphic novel, and in fact, they reference that graphic novel as part of the story. It had some clever stuff, but I don't know if it will make it. I liked it more than KHW.

I have to tell the group today if I am going to The Price Is Right next week. No, I do not know my answer yet. It comes down to weighing whether $150 or so is more important or being part of a group shared experience and doing something I may never have the chance to do again. Hmm. Maybe LPW is right and it is about whether or not I really like my team? Well, we will all know my decision tomorrow.

Today's trivia question: Which letter in the Greek alphabet is represented by a symbol that resembles a pitchfork? Here's a hint: it is the 23rd letter. Give up? Psi.

Isn't it good news about the AZ Congresswoman opening her eyes yesterday? As you can imagine, this is big news for the country and is still dominating all of our state news. So, keep the entire situation in your prayers that God can reach lives through it somehow.

Patch, we'll keep your situations in our prayers, too.


Mark, the SD card is finally actually in the mail. So sorry for how long it took to return it, but it was a lifesaver for carrying a large number of photos easily. And it made me upgrade my own card to a higher capacity faster writing card.

The Legend in My Own Mind's ramblings have come to an end. I have already had two conversations about the project UAT (User Acceptance Testing) that I am assisting with, and I still have two meetings that I must prepare for. Don't I sound important? No, it's more like "Hey, somebody's got to do this stuff. Stick REW with it." Anyway, you're probably important doing whatever it is you do, too. So, let's all go do it and we can commiserate about things tomorrow.

Waiting for the Sunrise When Darkness Still Reigns

The western US is known for spectacular sunrises. However, as I look out the window, I still see darkness. I expect the sun to rise in a little while. I pray it will. However, I cannot see even a hint of it right now. For those of you (or those that you know) that are in difficult circumstances right now, your sunrise/Sonrise is coming. Have patience. It will happen in its time. So, whether it is divorce or money struggles or job difficulties, God knows what is happening. He knows your struggles. Ask Him for guidance and His peace.

Whew. I barely escaped with my life. As soon as I walked in, before I could boot my machine and create CoV and this post, a guy was already wanting to talk about his project. What's up with that? What's up with that? Where is the decency in the workplace? Where is the respect for a man's workspace? I answered his questions and then got back to the important morning activities. So, you are seeing the worthwhile results of my availability.

It looks like mid-March for the East Valley Chorale CD recording sessions. No, I am not excited right now. They are expecting it to take around 10-12 hours, or about one hour per song. The director said that many times, we may have to stop a recording and restart for something as innocuous as a cough, or the sound of a page turn. We should practice a song on Tuesday night as if we were recording and see how difficult it will be when sensitive microphones are listening. (Hmm. Is there a CoV in the ways to interpret the word sensitive?). It will be a challenge, for sure.

Speaking of CoV. let's read today's and politely chuckle so the cartoonist feels justified in creating it.OK, thanks for the displayed amusement, even if it was forced.

I got a note from the boss yesterday asking what I was working on this week and if I could work on some training materials. Hello. When the boss says something like that, it is hard to say no. So, I explained my workload and still listed a couple of things that I felt were more time-bound. He wrote back saying thanks and go ahead and start the training docs. OK, I'll work on both.

I am still thinking about The Price is Right. I guess I am leaning toward it, although I am sure it will be about $150 to go over Sunday morning and return Monday night. Still, it will be a good team bonding activity and an experience I would probably never again have the chance to do. I have to decide by Thursday, so look for an update tomorrow.

OK, another interruption for work questions. I think I should go ahead and move into workday mode. Doing so moves me one day closer to weekend mode, so let's get going. Talk to you again tomorrow.

They Twisted My Words

Check out my comments on the Clarity of Vision blog. This is not at all what I thought I was going to present as today's comic strip.
I picked up a couple of games at Goodwill last night. Pirateology (a board game that the interweb seems to think takes too long and so people have suggested some modified rules to make it more fun) and Kings in the Corner (a card game). Together, they were $5.

I finally remembered to pick up a replacement memory card for my camera so I can return a borrowed one to Mark in GA. It only took me 7 months to get around to this. Mark, you were a lifesaver, and I apologize for my lack of initiative.

For some reason, I am idealess today. So, rather than waste both of our times, I will cut you loose early. However, study Chapter 3 tonight as there will be a pop quiz tomorrow. Thanks for showing up today.

Visiting Snow And Then Coming Home

After having lived in Dallas and PHX for the majority of my life, I have become accustomed to being able to drive and visit snow and play, but then come home and leaving it behind. We cruised up to Flagstaff on Saturday to play in the snow and sled with KLIK. Then, we drove back to the desert and faced the temps in the lower 60s. No commute problems due to snow or ice, no scraping windshields, no worry about layering of clothes. I cannot imagine living in that type of climate for very long. We ate at Beaver Street Brewery. No, I did not say we drank there, just ate. Very good food if you want to try it next time you are there.

Did you watch any of the football games this weekend? College? NFL? I did a little, but only in passing. I have not decided about tonight's BCS game yet (played right here in PHX, at University of PHX stadium).

So, the work group is planning a trip to L.A. next weekend to attend a taping of The Price Is Right the following Monday. I have not decided if I will accompany them or not. Since there will be at least 15 of us, we are (almost) guaranteed that one of us will be chosen. What would you do? I don't know the final price yet. They will rent a bus, reserve a number of rooms, and plan the weekend events this week.

I had an idea about a Clarity of Vision cartoon last night, but then I forgot it and stuck you with this one. No, this was my thought from last night. I was just messing with you.

We had a Chorale concert last night. I went pretty well, although the good audience helped it flow better than i expected. We did not have much time for practice since our Christmas concert, so a couple of songs were a little ragged. It was still fun, though.

I have a new Trivia calendar for 2011. Today's factoid: Who was pictured in the very first Apple Computer logo?

BTW, Denise T, the card game is called Monopoly Deal from Hasbro and is sold at your local Target. Well, that's where we got ours.

Sorry. I got distracted. It was Sir Isaac Newton in 1976. The logo, showing Newton sitting beneath an apple tree, was used only for the Apple 1 computer. It was replaced almost immediately with a rainbow-colored apple with a bite taken out of it.

I have already been interrupted twice by a coworker asking real work questions. What's up with that? What's up with that? So, I am going into a conference room with him and only one of us will walk out. That's right. He has to stay and be available to the team for questions, and I can come and go as needed. Ha ha. I caught you off guard with that statement, didn't I? It does mean, though, that I will close today's post and leave you wanting more. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration. I'll see you tomorrow.

Did You Vote This Week?

No, there was no election. I had prompted in an earlier Clarity of Vision that I wondered what your Top Ten CoV Comic Strips were. I did not get very many responses, so I kind of pulled together this list from those who voted:
1. Government Massage (12-29-10)
2. Cluttered Desk (3-27-09)
3. Run Over (4-29-10)
4. Hair (4-24-09)
5. Cubicles (4-28-09)
6. Ticket (11-19-10)
7. Locked Out (10-20-09)
8. Games People Play (8-11-09)
9. Circus (5-07-09)
10. Health Care (7-02-09)
As you can see, it seems my funniest days are behind me. What can I say? It is probably true. Today's CoV is #425.

Since we started with CoV, let's go ahead and look at today's entry.


I went for my final medical test yesterday. So now, the cardiologist has all of my initial numbers. I don't know if he will do anything else now that he prescribed the Lipitor. Hey, since I am now on cholesterol medicine, can I just eat anything I want and let the medicine sort it out? Sure, why couldn't I have already been on it during the delicious holiday meals?

Did you watch Winter Wipeout last night? That is a silly mindless show...but I enjoy it and the continuous bad jokes that one of the hosts tells. They also give clever names to the contestants that often make me smile.

It sounds like we may head up north somewhere to play in the snow a bit. That is one nice thing about AZ is we can go to the high country for cool and stay in the desert for warm. Warm is, of course, relative. We will be below normal today with a high of 62F.

How did everyone fare with the first full workweek in a while? It was OK for me, although I am ready for the weekend.

I did get another whiny email from the craigslist "alleged" scammer yesterday. He said:
Hi,

Something new?

I presented product as we spoke,what happens to you? not the answer.

Please send the payment :((((((((((( please :((((((((((((

I have trust in you...:((((
No, I don't care. That deal is off the table for me. It is worth paying a little more to know I will get the machine I expect.

How about we get today out of the way so we can start our weekend? Well, you cannot do that sitting here reading this, and I cannot keep writing all day, either. Have a good weekend and stop by Monday for more not-as-funny-as-in-the-past COV.

It's Official

OK, I have finished all my cardiac/cholesterol test except a final blood test. I plan to go for that today before I can eat anything. They did find some calcium (read: cholesterol) buildup in an artery from the Cardiac Score. The ultrasound showed that valves and pumps of the heart are all functioning normally. Yesterday's stress test showed no beat irregularities during the 9:20 before I reached 105% of my maximum heart rate. So, I am now (and the doc says probably forever) on Lipitor. I had hoped they would let me try to control it using diet and exercise, but they want to reduce the existing buildup, and that cannot be done without medication. Yeah, it is better that we find this and correct it now rather than after a cardiac problem occurs.

Isn't that the cuss? Speaking of cuss...

The folks went to see True Grit and loved it. I do want to see it, so we'll need to do that in the next couple of weeks. Of course, it is not like delaying will prevent me from knowing the story and the ending, since it is a remake of a 1969 movie. Can Jeff Bridges replace John Wayne? The Duke? We shall see.

The next couple of weeks are shaping up to be busy as we prepare for changes to our project tracking system. We've got to finish the testing and update/create documentation for the different roles that will use it. They told me I'd better wear tennis shoes everyday because we will be moving fast. Good. That will make the days pass quickly.

How's the new year treating you? Did you make any resolutions? I did not do any officially, but I do know I need to eat better and exercise more. Hmm. Now that I am on cholesterol medicine, can I eat anything I want and let the pills control it? Well, not grapefruit, I know. No, I need to take care of myself. So do you, so don't be looking down your nose at me. Yes, I saw you.

The company added back in some of a benefit they removed last year. They will now provide a 43% discount to spouses who want to continue their education. That is the same percentage they provide employees (for those courses not approved as part of a company-specific degree or above the maximum annual allotment). So, we will investigate whether or not to have KHW go back for her Masters.

No computer yet, but a link SKS provided in yesterday's comments shows that even craigslist says don't buy until you can see the whites of their eyes (well, those weren't the exact words, but that's what they meant).

If I am so busy, why am I still writing you? Good question. And it is time to prepare for the weekly Thursday 8:30am meeting anyway. I am lacing up my tennies now, so I'll run back by here tomorrow.

Post 838

No, there is nothing special that I can think of about the number 838. I just happened to notice that tidbit as I logged in this morning. So, I have reached out to you, my public, some 838 times so far in the last five years. That's only about 170 times per year. Where is the other 200 days per year? Well, I did start mid-year in 2005. OK, no excuses. I did not used to post daily like I do now. With the introduction of Clarity of Vision, I am much more consistent during work days.

Just a few hours until I am forced to exercise like an automaton. The handout from the doctor's office says they will review the results with me today, so I will see what is implied by the Exercise Stress Test. Then, I just need to have a followup blood test and my cardiologist will have all the data he has asked for. Hopefully, he'll say, "OK, that's enough for now. Come back in 5 or 10 years."

Speaking of exercise...

I got another email from the "alleged" computer scammer yesterday. It seems his grammar is getting worse. Oh wait. I just checked and it seems I got another email today. Here it is:
Hello

I write this email in hope that you are still a real person as I thought at the beginning of the transaction.
I trusted you at first, I paid my money in about 80 gbp for delivery charges at Chronopost, I lost time on the road that I think of dealing with a serious buyer and not a liar.
I could find another buyer but i trusted in you. Now my product is in a Chronopost custody and they expect the payment to begin delivery.
Please do your part by understanding that we can successfully conclude this transaction.Please go today to MoneyGram offices in the town to pay you the amount negotiated for this product.
Please send me email after payment has made and your Chronopost informed about the details of payment.
Thank you in advance
Well, what do you think. Real person or the last gasps of a con man trying to get my money? It doesn't matter. I think I can live with myself.

There was a little frozen something on my car this morning. I wonder what it was? I had to use the heater and the wipers to clean it off the windshield.

OK, I am struggling to find anything else to share. That means I need to pack up and move on. Probably, by tomorrow, I will have something else to write about. Check back and decide for yourself.

2011 is Well Underway Now

Hey, you came back. I was not sure you wanted to hear any of the stories I mentioned yesterday. Or maybe you did not read yesterday's and arrived here blissfully ignorant of my rampant verbosity. Well, let's get started.

I recently thought I had found a good deal on a computer through craigslist PHX. So, I contacted the seller and said I was interested. He responded that he was currently in the U.K., but would employ a multi-national shipping company as a go-between for us. I mentioned this in a previous post, and a nephew said he almost got burned in a craigslist scam and that I should be careful. So, I worked with my Preacher Bro and we found stories of scams on the interweb with this same seller's name, and even the same verbiage from the craiglist posting, but in Baltimore. So, I wrote to the seller, to the shipping company, and to craigslist saying this seemed like a scam and I would not follow through. The seller wrote again saying there were no worries since he had the shipping company in the middle. Still, for me, it feels too risky. So, I am still looking.

We recently saw The Social Network at the theater. As previous comments mentioned, it is a very good movie, and the presentation moving back and forth between legal proceedings and the movie about the founder really facilitated it. We also went to see Gulliver's Travels with the GRANDS and that was fun...if you like Jack Black movies. We do, so it was good. And on TV, we saw Shutter Island. That was pretty good, too. Also on TV, we saw the musical Nine. That was not pretty good. It was horrible.

Speaking of computers, that is the subject of the Clarity of Vision comic strip today.

So, I had the heart CT yesterday. It is kind of like an MRI machine, but is not fully enclosed. So, this weird rotating camera kept going around and around while they moved the platform back and forth to get a 3D image of the heart to measure calcium buildup. They send the info to my cardiologist for review, so I don't know the results yet. Tomorrow is the treadmill stress test. Then, one more blood test and I can see how healthy I am (or not).

Have I bored you enough for today? Is anybody even still reading at this point? I know I am not. Oh, hey, I talked to the guard, Erick, this morning about his prowess in the kitchen. He said he has not had time to cook recently, but he likes it because it builds patience. So, for him, I guess James 1:3 (Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience) is better stated as Erick 1:3 (Knowing this, that the frying of your cake worketh patience).

OK, my allotment of time for the daily brain dump has come to an end. Of course, there will be more tomorrow. 'Til then, I am, as I ever was, and ever will be, yours. (from the musical 1776, which I did not watch this week).

Happy New Year 2011

Wow, we have already finished the first decade of a new millennium. That is just crazy talk. What's next? Another decade?

It seems like there was something I meant to write last week and decided to include in today's post, but I don't remember. Whatever it was must have stayed in the first decade when I came over into the new one. I kept the nursery during church yesterday. I had the one year old class, but they did bring in Kendall. Someone else came in and changed diapers, so that helped. So far, I have not been to church all year.

I have a doctor's appointment today to have a cardiac score done. According to web research, it is a CT scan of the heart to check for calcium buildup. It sounds like an important part of a health workup, right? Still, they warned me that insurance does not pay for it. I have my stress test on Wednesday. I have, of course, had no symptoms of problems and yet I am apprehensive about the stress test. Weird, I tell you.

We had a game night on NYE, but only played a few games because the girls were staying up with us. Well, maybe more than a few games if you count hide and seek and firework lighting. Then, we had a game day on New Year's Day over at the folks. Bang made an appearance for the first time in a while. The outlaws won.

It seems our short workweeks are over for a little while. That is a shame, but not as abrupt as teachers who were off for two weeks and now go back for five whole days this week.

And for the first time in a couple of weeks, I hear computer startup sounds around me before 7am. I guess I'll get going on work stuff, especially since I will be out for a while with my medical procedure. Y'all are probably busy too, since you have not been at work for a while. Go ahead and get started. We've got all year to catch up with each other. In fact, let's schedule some time for tomorrow.

Oh, I almost forgot. Clarity of Vision is still around. Check it out before you check out of the blog.

I just remembered. I'll tell you tomorrow about how I almost got caught in a craigslist scam. Uh huh. I've piqued your interest now, haven't I?