I'm Not a Pawn

I may not be a pawn, but I am now an official pawn shopper. We went to check out a pawn shop on Saturday. I was looking to see if they had a Macbook Pro, but they said all computers sell the same day they put them out. I would say they handle mostly jewelry, but had lots of guns and some electronics, also. In fact, we saw a pretty nice 32" HD TV for $199. They saw us looking at it and said, "You can walk out the door with that for $160." Yeah, we bought it to replace a 22" that did not work well at Alison's house.

That same activity also led to today's CoV, thanks to a discussion we had at lunch yesterday. Leigh suggested the punchline.

I think the rest of the weekend was normal. Mostly around the house stuff. Kathie's hand is still hurting somewhat. That is not good, so keep her in your prayers. Ali came over to help with laundry. We had dinner with the GRANDS on Friday night.

PHX is scheduled to reach the 80s by the end of the week. I knew it would be here too soon. I guess the first week of March is not uncommon, but it was really nice being in the mid-60s over the weekend. I heard North Scottsdale got snow. I did see the Superstition Mountains had a dusting of snow yesterday.

I've got three hours of meetings this afternoon, so I will need to get some real work done this morning. How about you? Are Mondays always crazy?

I noticed that the inspection sticker on my windshield that says when my next oil change should be shows December, 2009. Yes, I said '09. I suppose it is about time, right? Well, I pretty much only drive it to work, so at 30 miles per workday, and about 200 workdays per year, that means I have gone maybe 7000 miles since the last oil change. That's not killer, but I'm sure it is not good. Maybe I'll do something about that this week. I said maybe.

I hear the sounds of a business waking up around me. I'll leave you thinking about your own vehicle maintenance schedule. We can meet back here tomorrow, and even carpool if you want. See you then.

Two Days in a Row

Whoo hoo. I can get on blogger.com again today. That means I am inflicting my comments and cartoon on you early in the day so you can get over it before lunch and have a pleasant evening and weekend. It also means I don't have to write any of this at night.

Speaking of night, we went to dinner with the folks at Olive Garden last night. As usual, we ate too much and so, I have leftovers for lunch. Mmm mmm. How do you like that delicious garlic smell, you people in nearby cubicles? It was to celebrate Dad's and my birthdays in December (we usually go out then but never got around to it) and Mom's birthday earlier this week. We'll worry about Kathie's birthday in a few months.

Speaking of Kathie, today we examine who the real boss is for Mr. Blue. Come on, guys. You already know.

My cousin with Down's Syndrome passed away yesterday. Cindy was in her mid-50s, which is very uncommon for people with her condition. Once I heard the news, I of course prayed for her Mom, Aunt Frances, and her brother, Lewis. You can help with that, too. It also brought to mind the special relationship we had growing up. I am so glad we got to see her last summer at the family reunion after so many years of not traveling back to Shreveport. Today, she is with her father and our Savior in heaven and is truly whole. I look forward to seeing her again someday.

I've got an idea for a CoV, but am not sure if it will work. Usually, I don't mention them until they bake, but I don't know. Here's the details. I saw a news report yesterday with the following details.

Japan company developing sensors for seniors
TOKYO -- Japan's top telecoms company is developing a simple wristwatch-like device to monitor the well-being of the elderly, part of a growing effort to improve care of the old in a nation whose population is aging faster than anywhere else.

Now, my first thought was based on the last few words. People in Japan age faster? Is it anything like one year for our dog is like seven years for us? How could I turn that into a cartoon? Ideas? I thought about having it be a newscaster and then comments from people watching, but I don't know how to get there. I don't really want to call them dogs, but how else can I get the reader to follow my concept?

No training scheduled today, and only one meeting. Sounds nice, right?

Kathie goes back to the orthopedic surgeon this afternoon. She is still in some pain, but is hopeful that the healing is on track and she can get the final cast. Hey, is there a cartoon around mistaking the word cast (as in on the hand) with cast (as in a bunch of people singing)? I'll have to mull that one over.

Plans for the weekend? Nothing comes to mind. Maybe we can catch a movie. Speaking of which, I want to see Adjustment Bureau. Have you seen the ads? We can certainly go to brunch in the morning? It's been a couple of weeks since we were able to get up to The Good Egg. They have a Frequent Eaters club that gives you a free entree after purchasing five.

OK, stop reading over my shoulder and go do something productive today. Also, have a good weekend and come back Monday refreshed and ready to suffer through my blog. See ya.

Shh. Don't Remind Them.

For some reason, they are not blocking this site today. I can access blogger.com, so I can create this post at my normal time in the morning. Will it make a difference in keeping your interest or have I just been fooling myself anyway? Do I really care? Good point. Still, it is easier for me if I can get the whole blog thing done first thing and then move on with my day. And easier for me is all that matters.

Did you watch any of American Idol last night. I thought there were a couple of interesting arrangements of Beatles songs, but they didn't broadcast all of them. Now, I can be through with the show again until another interesting theme comes along. They did show a segment of J-Lo saying she couldn't handle having to tell people their time was finished and maybe she won't be back tonight. Yeah, right.

Some of you might have gotten onto Facebook or Twitter during or after the show. That leads me to today's CoV where I explore why we sit in meetings, but our attention is totally on our smart phones.

Oh, blast. I forgot my lunch. Why didn't someone remind me? We had Subway last night and I saved half of mine to bring today. I suppose I could eat it for dinner, but then, what would Kath eat?

Mmm. We got a box of Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts and stored it in the freezer, so dessert last night was frozen cookies. Yummy for my tummy, but it lays waste to my waist. Aren't I such a clever wordsmith?

Well, after fussing all week about not being creative at night and running out of things to say quicker than when I blog in the mornings, I have already run out of things to write. Maybe I am more creative in the morning, but that's like saying Picasso was a better painter during his blue period. I'll let you puzzle over what I meant by that. Yes, I do think the comparison works.

Of course, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I have the 8:30am meetings that I lead. So, it being Thursday and all, I need to go generate and publish the agenda and data to review. That means I've got to actually do some work. If you are getting paid, you probably have to do something, too. At least, periodically. Which is when I do something. Anyway, get out of here. After all, the business could not keep running without our involvement. See you (hopefully) tomorrow morning.

Another Evening Vision of Clarity

Hmm. It looks as if they purposely decided to block this site since I could not get in from work again today. They are pushing me to having to do this at night, and that is not nice.

They cannot stop me from doing my cartoon, though. Well, I suppose they could if they took away Visio. I am certainly not an artist, so I would have to find another way to create my characters. Here is what those sneaky little characters said today.

It looks as if my cousin, Cindy, is quite ill. I know that she has outlived the original estimates by almost double, and that I do not see her very often, but to lose a cousin in a similar age bracket is very sad. And she has been such an important part of their family, and all of our families. Pray for her family as they deal with her illness.

See, the brain freeze has already happened. I knew this would be a problem writing the blog at night. I may have to still write it in the morning and just publish it to you at night.

I have got to go buy a copy of this year's TurboTax and get my tax returns done. Alison already sent hers in. I am not sure where KLIK are in completing theirs since they use a lady.

I hear some Beatles stuff in the background, so I need to set American Idol to record. I don't usually watch, but I am interested in their arrangements of classic Beatles' songs.

OK, that's all I'm going to say about that. See you tomorrow...probably at night again.

This Morning's Thoughts Tonight?

I am finally writing today's post at home. It seems they have blocked my access to Blogger at work, so I am going to have to write these once I get home. I may create a secondary blog using Wordpress that I can create at work, but we'll see.

Since it is night, I have already been to Chorale practice. Denise was there with her sister, which brings the funeral to mind. It was Saturday morning and it was well done. At one point, the pastor said something about Pat being in Glory with the father forever. That made me remember the song Finally Home by Don Wrytzen. Here are the words that I thought about during the memorial service.

When surrounded by the blackness of the darkest night,
O how lonely death can be;
At the end of this long tunnel is a shining light,
For death is swallowed up in victory!

But just think of stepping on shore-And finding it Heaven!
Of touching a hand-And finding it God's!
Of breathing new air-And finding it celestial!
Of waking up in glory-And finding it home!

Publishing this at night also means you may not see today's CoV until tomorrow. Sorry about that. Let me share with you what the team at work saw this morning.


Another risk is that I am tired and not as creative as I might have been at 7am. See, that would be the reason to create a secondary blog.

Kathie made it all day back at work without a pain pill. That's good news. She is scheduled to get her permanent cast on Friday.

OK, it is bedtime and so, I am shutting down this post. Sorry if it is too short. Maybe I'll get more creative in upcoming entries. Let's go to bed.

A Heavenly Choir

I was thinking about Denise and Pat this morning. His funeral is tomorrow morning, but that is for those of us left behind. What about Pat? Well, Praise the Lord, we know where he is today. That made me remember some incidents from the past. We have known them since before they were married. He used to occasionally sing in the choir at Corona with me and had a pretty good tenor voice. In recent years, he has not been able to sing, but he would come to some East Valley Chorale concerts and would mouth some of the familiar songs. Now, I know what he is doing because I would be doing it, too. I think the words to a current Chorale song are appropriate.

I'll be singing with the saints at the morning light,
Ringing in the day 'cause there is no night;
Saying goodbye to the heartache, trouble and pain.
I'll be sitting at the throne with an angel band,
Shouting hallelujah to the Great I Am!
If you think it's a dream, well, it ain't,
I'll be singing with the saints.

I was also thinking of my wife's healing pinkie and began to think of trying to use a computer with one hand out of commission, which led me to consider what if you only had maybe 1-2 fingers on each hand available to type.

While the funeral is in the morning, we will be going to see Gnomeo and Juliet with KLIK in the afternoon. I don't think we have any other plans for the weekend.

I am only staying at work until lunch time. Alison is back at school today, so I will head on home to help Kathie around the house, fix lunch, maybe some laundry, etc. Her hand was hurting badly last night, so I don't want her trying to do too much and involuntarily flexing her broken finger. I will carry the computer home and maybe do a bit more work in the afternoon.

We have about a 50% chance of rain tomorrow. I welcome that. It will cool us down a bit and clear the air of the winter particulates. We have not had any yet this year (at least officially at the airport).

Yeah, I don't really sound ebullient today, do I? Or maybe I do, since I have no idea what I just said. Then again, I rarely get that way in the morning.

Listen, I need to get going now so I can get going later. Hey, that's kinda funny, right? Have a good weekend. See you next week.

Wiggle Your Fingers

That's what Kathie has to do as her left hand heals following the surgery. Only about one inch of the pointer finger and thumb can be seen above the cast, but she needs to keep wiggling them to help maintain circulation in that hand. There is not even enough hand available to open a water bottle.

She was able to sleep all night. in fact, she missed her normal pain pill time by two hours, so woke up with it already hurting and had to wait until the medication kicked in. Alison is staying with her one more day and I plan to stay home tomorrow.

The only thing that means to you is that there will not be a Clarity of Vision. Yes, it could make your Friday seem interminable, but it cannot be helped. Maybe you can just read the first two panels of today's cartoon today and save the other two for tomorrow?

The training session yesterday was interesting. We were scheduled for 30 minutes and it lasted 55, but the discussion was about their department processes around the tool and not the tool itself. My boss thinks this may have been the most challenging of the upcoming sessions.

The weather here is cooling off over the next few days. Our average temp this time of year is 72F, and we have been running above that for the past week or so. Now, we will be dropping back down to 67F or so. Yup, you know what that means. I'll need to break out my jacket again.

The funeral services for our friend, Pat, are Saturday morning at 10:15am at Tri-City Baptist Church in Chandler. Continue to pray for Denise and family as she goes through these next few days.

I taped the final Jeopardy episode with Watson, the computer, playing the two former champions. Even though I know the outcome, I wanted to watch one of them. And can anyone claim to be surprised by how it ended?

Well, it is Thursday, which means I need to prepare for the 8:30am conference call. That means I need to ask you to leave. It may be Monday before we visit again, so look around a bit before you go. I'm going to sip into my shrinking cube and do some work on my smaller footprint computer. Take care.

Still A Pain

I am, of course, talking about Kathie's hand after her surgery yesterday. The doctor said it was the best of the circumstances as far as what he had to do to fix her pinkie, but she is still in lots of pain. The vicodin does not seem to be helping that much so far. So, keep praying, y'all. Thanks to Dad for taking her to the surgery yesterday. Alison is staying with her today, using a vacation day from school. Thanks, Ali.

On an even sadder note, a friend in the Chorale lost her husband yesterday. We have known her for over 20 years, and when I led music out in East Mesa, she was my accompanist. Her husband has been sick a while and in declining health, but I think this was unexpected. Keep her and her family in your prayers, too.

On a sad note, but in a different way, I have another Clarity of Vision cartoon to inflict on you.Yes, I know that is not what is changing with the new labeling laws, but the real changes are less funny.

After fussing for months, I finally have an appointment to have my eyes checked this afternoon and get some new glasses on order. If you remember, the anti-UV (or maybe anti-glare) coating on my glasses is almost worn off and has left a series of cloudy spots across the viewing area. So, for a while, I have just been removing them except for driving. I bought some reading glasses for close-up assistance. It has been about four years, so I guess it is time to check them anyway.

I have a training class to give this afternoon, so I'll be performing a final review in the morning to make sure the presentation is focused on their needs and provides the details they need to use the tool.

It looks like our The Price Is Right episode may not air until August. I am not sure what it means. Did it not air yesterday? According to the CBS Airdate calendar, they skipped over our episode even though they told us it was to be on 2/15/11. Maybe they found out about the president's news conference and delayed it? Anyway, one of the team called and it should be on around August or so.

OK, I am news'd out. No wait, one more thing. It looks like they are working on putting the musical Newsies on stage. Did y'all see it? It had Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall and Christian Bale in it and told the story of the newsboys strike of 1899. I liked it and think it could be a fun stage production.

OK, now I am really finished for today. Thanks for your patience, unless you already bailed out, in which case you are not reading this anyway, so I do thank those of you still reading for your patience. See you in 24 hours or so.

Tuesday The Price Is Right Followup

TPIR was preempted in PHX for a presidential news conference. Oh come on, there's important and there's important. Now, I guess we'll have to watch it online.

The team still held our meeting and left the news conference on the screen, but muted. At the time the events would have happened, Fai acted our the event. So, at about 20 after, he was called down and won the first item. He was called up on stage and did his thing. At 45 after, he acted out spinning the wheel. He also gave us what what going on in his mind during each activity. So, we still had a little fun.

At Least It Is Outpatient

So, Kathie goes in for surgery on her hand today. For those of you praying for her, the time has been moved up to 2:30pm (that's 1430 for you military types). Dad is going to drive her so I can save my time off for Thursday. Ali will stay with her tomorrow. Why do we need to be there?Well, just in case, since she will be on pain pills for the first couple of days. You know how that can mess up your balance and perception.

Now, how about we consider how well her surgeon was trained.

Kyle and Lyndsay got a new TV and gave us their old one. Wow. A big flat screen does help the viewing experience, doesn't it? And it is so thin compared to our 27" CRT screen. Just think how much fun it will be to watch The Price Is Right on it. You know what I mean. The episode with Kathie and I on it, airing this morning on CBS. It is on channel 5 at 9am in PHX. Does my teammate win anything? Well, he does get on stage with Drew Carey, so let's hope so.

Speaking of giving us things, I am writing this post while listening to Blood, Sweat and Tears on an old iPod that Ali gave me when she got a new one. Sure, the screen is broken, but the music still plays and I can still use the touchscreen.

Did you notice that I just went 10 minutes without writing in this post? No, of course you didn't, but it is true. I am already getting distracted. I've got today's 8:30am meeting, and tomorrow afternoon, I have a tool training session with a business group. So, I am already distracted. Don't forget to pray for Kathie later today. I'll give you an update tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day

Not only is it Valentine's Day, it is Arizona's 99th birthday. They are already planning next year's centennial celebration. Yes, I do know that most states are well past 100, but we are among the youngsters in the US. Anyway, today's Clarity of Vision is about VD and not AZ.
I don't think we have talked since Kathie found out that she has to have surgery on her pinkie. Yeah, it is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. She is supposed to ensure that the anesthesiologist is covered by her insurance, so they must be planning to knock her out and not use a local anesthetic. So, lift her up in prayer tomorrow at 3:30pm. And she has to take off the rest of the week, so she spent yesterday completing substitute teacher plans.

We had a fun Valentine's and Game Party on Saturday at KLIKs house. Let's see. We played Play Nine, Monopoly Deal and Take the Train. And of course, we ate way too much of both the delicious meal and the myriad of sweets. Plus, I still have cookies and cupcakes that she made earlier in the week that I ate yesterday.

Did I already run out of things to write? I think so. No need for both of us to be bored while I try to think...which is no small effort for me. So, you go back to your life and we can meet up again tomorrow when my brain is thinking again.

Put On Your Mouse Ears

Is it time for Disneyland already? Weren't we just there? Probably, most kids would never ask these questions. How magic is the kingdom for people that make the trek? Is it better when the characters seem real or when you are old enough to ride everything? Here's today's chart.
Is it just me or is the all male singing group The Warblers better than the Glee crew? Their arrangements are more complex and the blend is superb.

Is it just me or is Cake Boss more fun to watch than Ace of Cakes? I think Buddy is hilarious. He seems to be hollering even when he is just talking.

Is it just me or is the Monopoly Deal card game more fun than the board game? It moves quicker, has cards that let someone steal a property or a whole monopoly.

You know where we have not been in a long time is to the local Schlotzsky's. I'd bet Debbie thinks we moved or something. We used to hit it once a week, but financial restrictions have pushed that out to maybe once per month. And they got rid of my favorite Mediterranean Tuna sandwich.

Got plans for the weekend? I think we are going to hit KLIK's for games on Saturday. Ali has a class out in Superior at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum. That should be pleasant this time of year. And East Valley Chorale has a concert Sunday night. Maybe Kathie and I can go get glasses (eyeglasses, that is) before the games begin?

We have scheduled a meeting next Tuesday to watch The Price Is Right. Finally, a work meeting that sounds fun. I am also recording it at home. It will be interesting to watch because when you are in the audience, you cannot hear much from the stage. You are having to yell out answers, and viewing is often blocked by cameras and stage hands. Yes, I do know how well my teammate did, but I don't know how much we will actually be on TV. When they show crowd shots, look in the right rear corner for our crew. Kathie and I are in the middle row of our group.

I know we always have fun visiting, but the workday is beginning around me and I do not want to be left behind. So, I'm going to lace up my work shoes and start my day. We should have some time again Monday for talking. Have a good weekend.

Charting a New Course?

No, it just happened that I thought of two cartoons based on charts and they came up on consecutive days. So, let's look at today's Clarity of Vision.
Right now, I do not have another chart in mind, but you never know. I can easily revisit a previous chart using new percentages.

I did not go to Goodwill last night, so I have no new games at home. However, I am taking games over to KLIK this weekend. I'll let you know which ones we play. I am sure Kyle will lobby against Ticket to Ride card game, although I think he doesn't mind Take the Train. He asked that I not include Dominion, which will not be a problem since I had borrowed that and do not own it. It includes a card labeled Duchy (normally pronounced dutch-ee) that he calls douche-ee. So, actually, he asked that I not bring douche-ee.

I completed a draft of the final (that I know of) training deck for our project management tool. I asked for the leadership team to review it since they have already begun scheduling training using the slides. I guess I will use my version if no one has suggestions or corrections.

I have got to get some new glasses. It is just wrong to have to take off your glasses in order to see. The UV coating is wearing off in large splotchy sections, several of which are directly in the central viewing section of my glasses. I was thinking to wait and see a friend at Walmart in Queen Creek so we could maybe get a good price, but that is really inconvenient. I need to decide either to use the vision insurance VSP at a place that takes it or go back to Nationwide where Kyle used to work.

I still have pains in my back (maybe my neck, too, but that's a whole 'nother story). Anyway, I have had some pain ever since the TPIR trip to LA. I may need to go see my chiropractor. Should I wait on exercise until it is better or would exercise actually help it?

Finally, Kathie goes in for her pinkie cast tomorrow. I wonder if it will be big enough to sign? No, I mean to write names on it, not do American Sign Language.

You may remember that I lead conference calls each Tuesday and Thursday morning. So, I need to generate the slide deck for today's call. Thanks for dropping by and listening to my ramblings. I will almost certainly have nothing to say again tomorrow and I will say it anyway. See you then.

Pi R Square

Let's go ahead and get today's geeky cartoon out of the way.
Choir practice was interesting last night. At first, the power to the church campus kept going out, so we are trying to read our music using only emergency lights. That was fixed after 15-20 minutes. Then, the second half of practice was to have been using accompaniment CDs. However, maybe because of the power glitches earlier, the equipment would not work, so we fell back on the pianist to work with us. Normally, that is not a problem. Since we are working to record a CD next month, we want to use the accompaniment tracks so we get used to the sound of the orchestral parts and the fixed tempo. We had a good time anyway.

A cold front is passing through the state right now. We are dropping all the way down to the mid-60s. Now, where did I store my ski jacket?

I am working on the next phase of documentation for those that will use the application but are not part of my immediate team. I am having to learn what the screens look like and what the workflow is. However, my boss' boss has already announced that we are ready to start scheduling training. Ahh. I've got to try and knock a first pass out today for review.

Ever since our cat got locked in a neighbor's shed a few months ago, we have been keeping our cat indoors. One side effect, though, is that he is now huge. I guess he eats because he is depressed. So, recently, we have let him out back for a while, thinking he could not make it over the block fence. Well, he did and went into the yard with the shed. However, he could not come back to our side, so we had to ask the neighbor to let us in and retrieve him. So, if we let him out anymore, we'll need to stay out back with him and catch him if he tries to leave.

Since I had Chorale practice, we did not play any games last night. However, there is an upcoming Valentine's party at KLIK. Maybe they'll want me to bring games.

Well, it is time to do the next thing I am going to do today. No, I am not sure what that is yet. I will probably work through remaining emails and then pull some historical (which is not the same as hysterical) data from the system. Then, it will be time to get back on the documentation. Y'all can go read your emails now. See ya.

Countdown to a CD

We are about six weeks away from recording a CD in the East Valley Chorale. It is currently scheduled to take 12 hours over the final weekend in March. That is about one hour per song. My throat is tired just reading about it. Hopefully, the adrenaline will keep us going. It will surely be easier that having to yell for an entire hour during the taping of The Price Is Right. Our TPIR will air one week from today. Set your DVRs.

Today's CoV is pulled from the idea file. I wondered what the time difference would be between waiting in a long line behind someone with a piled full cart and looping through an express line multiple times.
Well, the training class I taught yesterday went fine. I only had about 45 minutes, so I moved fairly quickly through the material. Now, I need to prepare for training outside of the Project Management team. First, I probably ought to learn what their screens look like. I'll get on that today.

So, I know you have heard all about Christina Aguilera messing up the words to the national anthem. I also imagine you have seen the majority of the Super Bowl (TM) commercials and chosen your favorites. I certainly liked the Darth Vader kid Volkswagen commercial. The Roseanne Barr Snickers commercial was not as clever as the original with Betty White. The Doritos ads were cute. I laughed at the Pepsi Max can thrown at the girl. What did y'all think?

I see that the game is now the most viewed TV program ever. That may be, but I wonder how the total number compares to the percentage of TVs tuned to programs in the past. You know what I mean? An average of 111 million watched the game compared to 106 million average for the M*A*S*H finale. But I would think that 106 million in 1983 was a bigger percent of the total number of TVs compared to now.

The AZ Super Bowl committee is hoping that the inclement weather in Big D last weekend gives us a leg up in trying to win the 2015 Super Bowl. Still, we will obviously be competing with Tampa and Miami for warm weather spots.

Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company. See you real soon. Why? Because I like you.

Post Super You Know What Blues

Today, millions of guys across the nation are preparing for professional football withdrawal. The annual commercial-fest with a little football has ended. Locker rooms are being cleaned out this week. They do have the upcoming draft, but it is not the real season. At least the season ended with a interesting game.

Yes, I did avoid using trademarks phrases or names in the introductory paragraph. I do not want to get sued for trademark infringement. Have you heard of the league suing anyone for calling their event a Super (followed by the word Bowl) party? I have and that's what today's Clarity of Vision tackles.
We had a good time at Casey's party. Plenty of food, snacks and sweets. We even fit in a couple of card games (Play Nine and Monopoly Deal). Molly (KLIK's dog) came over for the second half. She looks just like a dog Kyle had when he was growing up.

On Saturday, we went with KLIK over to the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. It was fun, especially thanks to Marmalade Skies (a Beatles cover band) and MC6 (an a capella group). Will we go back next year? I'm not sure, but everyone should try it one time.

Also on Saturday, we saw True Grit with Jeff Bridges. It was pretty good, although I would like to see the original movie again with John Wayne to see how they compare. Well, I mean see the movie starring John Wayne. I cannot see it with him since he is dead.

What's up for this week? Anything special? I think for us, it will be the normal grind. Well, Kathie will be getting a permanent cast on her broken pinkie on Friday. I wonder what color she will choose?

It sounds like a change made to our production project tracking system over the weekend broke it. That will bring unfortunate visibility to our team for a while until it is fixed. I guess I will go talk to the project manager to see if anything else messed up. It will all be better tomorrow, so check back then.

At Least I Made It to Work

We do not often get snow days here in PHX. We have to drive our kids up north for them to even know what snow looks like. Of course, we will pay for the blessings of no snow when summer comes and we spend 1/3 of it above 100F and maybe even above 110F. When we burn our fingers opening the car door or taking the keys out of the ignition, you have my permission to laugh and tease us.

Speaking of snow, though.

I took home my computer last night, but was not able to convince myself to work at home. I've got all day today to get the next training deck complete.

I did not take any cough medicine last night. That is the first time in a week I slept with no medicinal inducements. I still have a minor cough and some congestion, but I should be able to make it without pills now.

I think we may go investigate glasses on Saturday. We have been needing them for a while, but have not checked out the best deals yet.

Anything else for today? Nothing pops into my mind. That is probably good for both of us. If you will hang on for a second, my fingers will coast to a stop on the keyboard and we can both walk away with no shame or embarrassment. See you Monday.

Cold For Us is Not the Same as Cold For You

OK, while we are supposed to reach 50F today, I am thinking maybe some of you are in colder climes. Yeah, I guess I will take the PHX version of winter over the rest of the country's weather today. I did leave a slight drip from a faucet last night to prevent freezing, but that is because we rarely have to worry about unprotected water pipes here, so few builders worry about it. And it is probably less prevalent in the city compared with rural areas. Uh oh, My parent live off of Rural Blvd. Co-inky-dink? I think not.

It is unlikely that me including a Clarity of Vision cartoon in today's blog is a coincidence either. Nor that you will read it right now. There. That wasn't so bad, was it?

Hey, we had to go to the Fire Department last night. We went to a local jeweler to have Kathie's rings cut off so the doctor can set her broken pinkie. They told us the wedding band was too wide for their tools and suggested that the Fire Dept would have the appropriate tool. Off we went and they were not sure they could handle it either. If not, they said an emergency room would have to do the ring removal. Well, it turns out they were able to cut both rings off. Wow. Her finger was swollen more than either of us realized. So, now she can get a more permanent cast for her little finger.

I guess we are going to Casey's house for Super Bowl. I will throw my newly-sorted game-carrying boxes into the car in hopes of playing a little in between commercials. Surely someone will want to play Play Nine with me. I'd like to see how it changes the strategeries with 3 or 4 players.

I ended up working at home last night trying to finish the documentation that everyone is waiting on. I finally stopped around 9:30pm. That is just wrong. Since there is still work to be done, I think I will go do it. You should get yours done, too, so you don't have to work at home tonight. See ya.

Weird Dreams

I am thinking this cough medicine is giving me some weird dreams at night. The other day, I dreamed that my maternal grandmother, Neen, was showing us her "prison tats" the other day. I cannot remember why, but I had told Kathie about it, so luckily, she remembers more of the story. Last night, I dreamed that my paternal grandmother, Mamaw, was talking to my cousin about another cousin that knew Herman's Hermits. Why? I don't know. And I am quite sure Mamaw would never have even known that Herman's Hermits ever existed. I hope my cough is over soon.

I can certainly relate to how the weather is so cold right now across the nation. After all, we will not even get up to 50F today. I had to wear a sweater!

Are y'all going to a Super Bowl party this weekend? I think we are toying with the idea. And a local radio station did a poll and found that 60% watch the game for the commercials. Well, of course. The football is just gravy on top.

How about a little levity?Still waiting on levity? Sorry. That's all I've got.

Anything else going on? I did not go to Chorale practice last night. The cough is still too strong, and I knew there was no way I cough try and sing. I did, however, go and organize my carrying boxes and bags for my games. I only have two that are domino-based. The rest are word/trivia-based or board and card games. I need to make a list of what we have (and check it twice? Ha!). I would guess we have maybe 40 games or so. Last night, Kathie and I played Play Nine: The Card Game of Golf. We liked that a lot. I had another game ready, but we played several holes of Play Nine. Thanks, Goodwill. This was a good $1.99 investment.

I have got to get going on that documentation/training. The wolves are howling and I don't want to get eaten. So, while I would rather talk about games, I am going to go earn my paycheck. You can go earn yours, too, and we will meet again soon to spend it.

Like Warmed Up Leftovers

Yeah, that's how I feel right now. I mean it is better than the last few days, but not optimal. I still have a horrible cough, so I will avoid people today and probably Chorale practice tonight. Still, it is not bad enough to keep me at home. I am sure I am not contagious. Well, as sure as I can be after diagnosing myself.

If you remember my comments from last week, I was so far behind that I was blurry eyed. After missing work, I am so far behind that I cannot even see how far behind I am. I guess that's its own blessing, huh? It does mean, though, that even though I have much to tell you, I will not include it all in today's post.

Kathie does not have to have surgery on her pinkie. Yea!! She went to another doctor yesterday and got the final determination. She does have to have her wedding and engagement rings removed...probably by cutting them off. That's a major bummer. We will try a jeweler rather than the ZKW method of jewelry removal.

Today's Clarity of Vision is specific to terminology used here for transferring system knowledge from the project team to the support team. Still, I will share it with you.That's just the kind of guy I am.

Kathie and I missed out on the Zoo outing with KLIK last Saturday. It sounds like they had a good time. On the plus side, I did catch up on TV watching. Well, sometimes, I caught up on TV listening. I had a program on, but because my head hurt, I would listen to the program and open my eyes to catch scene changes.

I want to talk more about the behind-the-scenes stuff at TPIR, but not today. No, today, I must get ready for the 8:30am and then work on the documentation. maybe tomorrow. Check back then.