Why Does It Keep Lingering?

I would rather just get sick and get over this cold/allergy attack. I just keep having a sore throat and some sneezing and coughing and congestion and not getting better or worse. Come on. Will I feel like singing Sunday? I hope so.

Speaking of withdrawal symptoms...

Haircut tonight. It is easy for me to decide when I need a hair blair (as the Maydelle St Hucksters of Rick and Kos called a haircut) because it looks like I am wearing a toupee. As I instruct all my barbers, use those scissors that thin hair and focus on the gray ones.

We are watching the girls tomorrow night, but they are not spending the night. And a certain someone has a birthday coming up next week, but that someone will be out of town. So, we will celebrate Saturday morning with brunch and movie and whatever else she wants to do. I'll even go shopping with her.

OK, I just got an email that I need to test a new report before we release it to the team. So, duty calls (or at least it sends an email). Have a good pre-Friday.

I Missed Chorale Practice Last Night

I knew I would not be able to sing, and since I am still coughing and sneezing, I did not want to risk infecting anyone. So, I stayed home, took some medicine, and caught up on a little TV. Well, the TV is not that little, but you know what I mean. Hmm. That sounds like a CoV idea. We watched an episode of Game of Thrones and got our monthly allotment of nudity and foul language.

Speaking of CoV, let's go ahead and read it now.

I did finish the training materials yesterday and sent them to management for review. I got no feedback, so that means either it was satisfactory or no one took the time to read it. Either way, I will train their teams on it today, so I hope they have validated the content.

I did not call Mom yesterday, but when I saw her on Sunday, she was so much better than last week. I did call Architect Bro the other day, though. Not on purpose. I "butt dialed" him while working outside. I kept hearing someone call my name and looked around to see who was around. Finally, I realized it was coming from my phone and we talked for a bit to catch up. Weird, huh? Sometime, I guess I should "butt dial" my Preacher Bro except that I don't know how to direct my backside to a specific Contact on my phone.

I need to go get some water and maybe a warm beverage to calm my throat, so I will go ahead and sign off. Don't worry. I am confident that you cannot catch anything from my posting.

Not My Favorite Long Weekend

No, it's not because we had to take an extra day off from work yesterday. I like that. And we do have a number of veterans in our family, so they should get some recognition for their sacrifice.

No, it's not because we had a get-together/cook out/game night at JV+KLIK on Sunday. Those are always fun. Kyle grilled burgers and hot dogs. Several people played games (no, I don't know who won).

 And, as surprising as it might sound, it is not because we moved Ali from Casa Grande back home on Saturday. Ali had everything very well organized, so we made short work of the final move (we started two weeks ago with the bulk of her belongings and school furniture).

It's because I was feeling pretty bad, especially Sunday. It is a cold? Allergies? Pollution-related? I don't know, but I had a huge headache on Sunday and could not even focus my eyes well. It was better yesterday, but I still have a sore throat and some sneezing and coughing. See, even those symptoms do not allow for a simple diagnosis. I have been alternating between cold medicine and allergy medicine. Last night, I took Zyrtec.

Maybe I should take some different medicine? Is there anything made just for PMs?

I did have to do a little work yesterday afternoon. On Friday, I had agreed to prepare some training materials for Wednesday afternoon before I remembered that we were not working yesterday. So, I did 4 hours of work at home pulling the data and some screen shots. That should let me complete my package today for review by management before tomorrow's class.

 So, let's got today going. As John Wayne said in The Cowboys, "We're burning daylight."

A Plethora of Pleasant Platitudes

Let's start with a praise for the day. Mom will be coming home today. They determined she does have a stomach ulcer caused by the pain medication for her back. So, that is easily treatable and not some indicator of a more serious problem. No, I have not heard yet when the back surgery, currently scheduled for June 15, will now be done. I would be a little surprised if her system was ready for it in only three weeks. Still, PTL, folks.

And, a cold front came through last night, dropping our afternoon highs by 20 degrees. Whoo hoo. That inspired today's CoV.

We attended Kendall's kindergarten graduation last night. I think my favorite part was when the class did the chicken dance. She had so much fun doing that. Her daddy got some video, so you'll probably see it on Facebook at some point.

Moving day is coming soon. Tomorrow, in fact. Ali is moving back to the Valley from Casa Grande and will be teaching at a new school in the fall. New both in the sense of a different school than she was at last year, as well as in the sense of it is still being constructed.

I don't know if I have a cold, or allergies (exacerbated by the wildfire smoke drifting down from the high country), or bronchitis (since Mom has it). Whatever it is, I am sneezing, coughing, draining. Well, that's graphic enough. You get the idea.

Lindsay, I didn't think about the benefits of not smelling like chlorine after swimming. That sounds nice. And I have not seen Mom in the last 24 hours, so I still owe her your hug.

OK, people, remember that Monday is Memorial Day, so I will probably not post an entry that day. Tuesday should be a normal workday, though, so we'll visit more then.

Hospital and Pool is Not the Same as Hospital Pool

Today's post starts with a comment that Mom went into the hospital on Tuesday and they are still diagnosing her problem. Initial theory is a stomach ulcer caused by pain medication, but they are still running tests. So, I spent Tuesday afternoon and evening with her and Dad, and then again yesterday afternoon. As you can tell, I am in the office this morning. And I will be at a kindergarten graduation tonight. Oh, don't let me forget my camera.

Something else changed since we last visited. See if you can guess what it is. Does the post title help?

Yes, we converted our pool to salt-water. I have not had a chance to use it yet. I will probably wait until I have the water tested for chemical levels before I do so.

It could be a struggle to get fully back into work mode today. However, I know they are taking care of Mom and Dad is there with her. Only two meetings on my calendar, so that will help.

I'm not feeling so chatty today, so you get to leave early. I will not dock your pay, though. Until tomorrow then....

Profusion of Fusion Chicken

We made another of the prepared meals last night. can you guess its name? That's correct. It was Fusion Chicken. It was a little bit spicy (the hoisin sauce, maybe?), but quite tasty. I think that leaves us only one meal remaining.

No yellow algae in the pool yet. I am adding liquid chlorine each morning and sweeping it three times per day until the pump is replaced tomorrow morning.

I think most corporations force their employees to change their network passwords at least once per quarter. And they prevent reusing passwords for some number of changes. While it is not time for me to change yet, it is time for me to make fun of this process in today's Clarity of Vision.

We should reach 108F today, but then cool off down to near 100F in the next few days. Right now, many of you should recognize that we have reached the months when AZ pays for its nice winter weather. So now, we dream of October when we move back down into the 80s.

Have I reached the age when weather is the topic du jour? I had best sign off and go research some new topics for the coming days. Then again, it's just too hot to think that much. I'll just wait and see what I write tomorrow. If it is weather and temperatures again...so be it.

Not Much Sun/Son Over the Weekend

We kept Kendall over the weekend and had a lot of fun with just one grandchild. We should find a way to do that occasionally. Then, we took her back home Saturday and saw Jack for a few minutes. So, I did not see my son for long.

Then, yesterday, I was over at the folks and we watched some of the eclipse through a pinhole projector. In AZ, about 87% of the sun was covered by the moon. So, I did not see the sun for long.

However, that does not mean I didn't have anything to say about it. You can read about it in CoV #731. Yup, you've forced yourself to read 731 of these things. Well, maybe not. Just because I wrote them does not mean anyone read them. Oh well. Since you are here, go ahead and read today's.

I needed to find a photo of Alison over the weekend, and it showed me that I do not have all my photos arranged and backed up yet. So, I reminded Dad and I will remind you. Be sure you have at least one backup of all your current photos somewhere besides your primary disk. I did not and have been messed up since the iMac G5 died last year.

The pool pump died on Saturday. That is NOT good when the temps are over 100F. So, I am pouring in liquid chlorine and brushing the pool often to keep some water movement going. The pool company cannot come until Wed morning. I don't want too much algae to grow. And AZ now has a law requiring a variable-speed pump if you must replace one, which raises the price from $250 or so up to $1000 or so. Why is it so expensive to be green? I think it won't pay for itself unless I can keep swimming into my 90s.

OK, I am hearing people talking around me. That means let you readers go do your stuff while I go do mine. Welcome to the week, my friends.

It's Sleepover Night!

We pick up the granddaughters this afternoon for a little sleepover. So, even with all the stuff ANW is bringing back, we had to straighten the middle bedroom so B&K can sleep there. That meant I had to move all the games back into the front closet, move a couple of other boxes into the garage, and pick up. OK, girls, we're ready for you.

One nice thing about the early heat up here in the Valley is that the pool will soon reach the optimal swimming temperature. What is it? It's a big hole in the ground with water in it, but that's not important now. The water temp should be cool enough that you need to keep moving to stay warm, but warm enough that you are not constantly shivering. For the girls, though, they were fine with the temp a couple of weeks ago. Remember? Did you hear me talking about it in this blog? Back then, though, the temp was still a bit ugly for me.

Speaking of ugly, or maybe speaking of hearing, it's time for today's vision clarification.

I don't know if something blew in recently or I just caught a little bug, but I have had a lot of allergy-like symptoms, including sneezing, a tickle in my throat, drainage. That is another nice thing about the coming heat. It lowers the allergens by drying up the offending plants and flowers. That's why, in the old days, people came out here for allergies and asthma and such.

I need to get started on a nap so I can be ready for our sleepover tonight. Please do not disturb me unless absolutely necessary. I'll share some details next week.

Whazaaaap?

Did the title make you think of anything in particular? A commercial from the late-90s, perhaps? If not, you might as well skip over today's Clarity of Vision.

I was not in the office yesterday. Did anyone notice? Don't answer that. I had planned to do some work from home, and I did a little. I did not, however, write a CoV. And I had an idea for one that I seem to remember was funny, but I could not remember it today. Why didn't I write it down? Foolish. I guess I thought it was funny enough that I could not forget it. Is WASUP Doc it? No, I forgot yesterday's idea.

We've got a couple of houseguests coming over tomorrow. Yup. Kendall and Bella. I guess we'd better straighten up tonight.

Wow, it looks like my "healthy" PB&J sandwich for lunch is not as healthy as I thought. This bread is flaxseed, so it has healthy fiber, but is 240 calories for two slices. The PB is organic (that's healthier, right?), but is 200 calories for 2 tbsp. The J is blackberry, and is 45 calories for 1 tbsp. So, I'm guessing that is 240+300+90, for a total of 630 calories. And I don't have any chips.

I have almost finished rebuilding my photo library back to where it was when my iMac G5 died a couple of years ago. I still have not pulled the HDD from any of my old machines, but I think I found enough copies of everything to have most all lost photos. Thanks to Dad for sending on Reunion photos to relatives back in La. That galvanized me to finish gathering (and backing up) all my disparate photos. We need to choose some for hanging on our walls anyway.

People, people. I have got to figure out how to finish our master bathroom design so we can get someone working on it. Maybe I'll look for another firm that does that as their business instead of a remodeler that can also do bathrooms? It might cost a bit more, but they would bring in their own designers.

Maybe I should do some work today? Yeah, I think so, too. Thank you for listening to me drone on about CoV, I&K, PB&J, and HDD. More letters tomorrow.

I Wish It Was My Friday

We have made it through another week. Oh, I was wrong. It's only Tuesday. Maybe it's my soreness that is confusing me. Maybe it's the heat (106F today). Maybe it's my age? Anyway, I guess I still have a whole week ahead of me.

I should not have mentioned age in the same post where I dredge up memories of disco in my CoV.

According to the National Confectioner's Association, here are the holidays for May:

May 12 – National Nutty Fudge Day
May 15 – National Chocolate Chip Day
May 23 – National Taffy Day

According to State Symbols USA, these are the May holidays:

May 1 National Chocolate Parfait Day
May 3 National Raspberry Popover Day
May 3 National Chocolate Custard Day
May 4 National Candied Orange Peel Day
May 4 National Hoagie Day
May 6 National Crepe Suzette Day
May 7 National Roast Leg of Lamb Day
May 8 National Coconut Cream Pie Day
May 12 National Nutty Fudge Day
May 13 National Apple Pie Day
May 14 National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
May 17 National Cherry Cobbler Day
May 18 National Cheese Souffle Day
May 19 National Devil's Food Cake Day
May 20 National Quiche Lorraine Day
May 22 National Vanilla Pudding Day
May 23 National Taffy Day
May 24 National Escargot Day
May 25 National Brown-Bag-It Day
May 26 National Blueberry Cheesecake Day
May 31 National Macaroon day

Oh, who to believe? For today, I choose NCA since that makes it Chocolate Chip Day. Mmmm. Cookies.

I am running a little late today due to the challenges of learning Visio on the PC, so I've got to do some work before the boss is in. I apologize for getting your taste buds going so early today with my food holiday lists. I'm going to walk around and see if I find a breakfast pastry before I work. But, "If I can't have you," donut, I'm going to let loose a little "Jive talkin'." Cover your ears.

Sore Afraid

Today's title could refer to Luke 2:9 , where the shepherds were sore afraid of the angel of the Lord. And of course, Queen Elizabeth I wrote a poem entitled, "Ah, Silly Pug, wert thou so Sore Afraid." However, I actually am sore today after moving much of ANW's stuff from her current home back into ours. And I am afraid of where we will put the remaining items, since the garage and her room are already full. Ah well, we'll figure something out.

"The president said what?" We have been saying that for years, at least from Nixon onward. Obama's support of gay marriage is just another in a long line of amazing proclamations from a president. Let's remember some of them....

I am still rebuilding my Outlook calendar after the MacBook mishap. So, while I show only a single meeting today, there could be more that I do not remember. I guess I'll know if anyone calls and says, "Where are you?"

I am not sure I can exercise tonight. I am mainly feeling it in the soles of my feet and my back.

We had a good time yesterday at the annual Mother's Day Brunch at Casa Lyndsay. And, since family was together, I brought games and got a few takers. However, the highlight was the food and the four desserts LMW (or is it LSW?) made. And, as I often say, photos to come.

The day is already heating up, and since I don't want any heat from my boss, I'll get started now in the cool of the morning. Thanks for stopping by.

It's The End of the Week As We Know It

Well, for those of us who work M-F, it's finally F. Whoo to the Hoo. However, even though it is Mother's Day this weekend (Happy Mom's Day, Mom), some of us will be moving a daughter back home. So, we start 7:45am tomorrow and will do as much as possible. We cannot empty her school classroom because school is not yet over and they don't want her taking everything out yet. And we cannot move all her clothes because, as I already mentioned, school is not yet over. Weren't you listening?

Speaking of school, there is some controversy here over a local Catholic high school that is forfeiting a championship baseball game because a girl is on the opposing team. Here is what I have to say about that.

Earlier this week, we went with the folks to eat at Chompie's, a local New York Deli. It looks like it is a local place, so you'll have to come to the Valley to try it. Anyway, we have been there a few times and I like it.

During the next 10 days, we only have three days of temps lower than 100F. I guess we have reached that time of year. We are on a plan with our electric utility where the rates are lower during off-peak hours (8pm-1pm) than on-peak (1pm-8pm). So, it tends to warm up in the house until we can finally cool it each night. Plus, our washer and dryer are in the garage, so it is even hotter there. I look forward to October when we cool back down.

Did I remember to wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day? Oh, yeah, I did. Also, Happy Mother's Day to my better half (not my mother, but the mother of my kids) and my daughter-in-love (also not my mother, but the mother of my grandkids). While I am at it, Happy Mother's Day to all you followers who are mothers.

OK, there is a dude waiting on me to do some real work, so let's wrap it up for the week. Yes, I do have some recent photos I have not shared. I will try to remember to prepare some at home this weekend. If I forget, oh well, I'll just inflict another CoV on you.

That's Not My Cube, Man

OK, I picked up my retainer this morning and then went straight to the building where my morning meetings are being held. So, I just found a cubicle where no one sits and am working there until 9am, when I get started. I plan to head back over to my building after lunch.

However, even though I am misplaced, I am at work, so I can create a Clarity of Vision. Check out the other blog to see why I chose today's topic.

We are in the midst of the Great 2012 Closet Cleanup at home, getting ready for a new house guest. Our daughter is changing jobs and moving in for an undetermined time. We need room for her clothes and furniture. We will bring the first load of stuff on Saturday.

Wait a second. We have a serious problem here (although it may be a major blessing to you). I have run out of things to say. It could be because I am not at my desk, or because there are people in neighboring cubes already talking a lot, or I really might have nothing to say today. So, let's wrap this up early. Thanks for reading this far, though.

And Where Were You, Mr. No Post Yesterday?

If you must know where I was yesterday, well, it's none of your business. Actually, I told you about it earlier this week. I had a dentist appointment and by the time I got to work, it was too late to write a CoV or a post. And I may miss tomorrow since I stop by the dentist, then am working out of a different building in the morning.

My dentist was commenting yesterday that he should be able to decide if he's overweight or not and not the government. That led me to cover that same topic in my own way.

He gave me another potential CoV idea, but I have not cogitated on it sufficiently to determine how I would handle it. Cogitated. Good word, right?

It is Survivor night. I guess our last one since the series ends Sunday. We will be out in Queen Creek with JV+KLIK for Mother's Day and I don't know if we will be back in time to go over for a Survivor Sunday.

Did y'all hear about that Hot Dog Hooker in NY? I debated covering that in today's CoV, but suspected it might be a little too risque.

Anything else you are wondering about? No? Well, let me know if you think of anything. Until then, let's do some work.

Grief Over Star Wars Day

Last Friday, I mentioned that I decided not to have May the Fourth Be With You in my CoV. I heard from more than five people who were upset I chose not to participate. Sorry, guys. It was either Cinco de Mayo or Star Wars and I chose the mayo. It will be 2015 before both of those days fall on workdays.

And no, I did not do Star Wars today, either.

Moving days are coming up as Ali moves back to the Valley in preparation for her new school next year. We have begun the unpleasant job of cleaning closets and deciding where all her stuff will live. At least it forces us to do some Spring cleaning, right?

We went to a fund raising event at Bella's school Friday night and had a good time. For a charter school, that place was large. And so, we got to see Jack for a little while. Kendall went through a long hill-climbing-type bounce house and was quite proud of herself. It was funny. I have a photo of here, but have not loaded it yet.

I am running late posting this because my PC would not boot. What? I just replaced my Mac because of it's problems and now, I cannot even boot my Lenovo? Maybe it's me. Maybe it's my cubicle? I don't know.

So, running late also means I am late getting started on some of my reporting needed for the weekly 11:30am meeting. I gotta go.

A PC-Entered Post

Yes, today begins my first full day using a Lenovo laptop instead of my 17" MacPro. I just hope I have better luck with it. And to ease my withdrawal, I do still have Macs at home.

It does have Microsoft Visio on it, so I was able to write my Clarity of Vision on it. Here is today's comic, covering tomorrow's topic.

We are attending something at Bella's school tonight. A production? A graduation? I don't really know, but I will take my camera and be ready for anything.

Oddly enough, my creative well seems dry at the moment. I don't know what to say. I'll let you go early. After all, it is Friday. See you next week.

Almost De-Mac-ified

I came in this morning to find a new Lenovo Thinkpad and keyboard on my desk. In my email is a note saying, "I left your machine in your desk drawer. Let me know if you need help transferring files." Uh, helloooo. Of course, I want them to do it. They know better where to find all the files and make sure everything is copied. So, maybe by tomorrow, I will be writing this on my PC instead of my Mac. The only constant is change, right? At home, though, I am still a macophile.

Today's CoV involves ads that want you to change something, whether it is you flooring or your political leader.

I was wrong about who would be voted out in Survivor. I am not afraid to admit it. The ending involved not only a classic blindside, but a great reaction by the person voted out. However, they cannot keep Tarzan around until the end because the boys would all vote for him, just to spite the girls. And tonight is the next episode of Unchained Reaction on Discovery. Have y'all watched any of those? Have you ever heard of a Rube Goldberg device? I know you have seen them, even if the name is unfamiliar. You should check the show out. It is hosted by Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters. You have heard of that show, right?

OK, I need to get something to my boss before his morning meeting with our new CIO, so this will be it for today. Me and my PC will see you in the morning.

Mea Culpa. Are You a Culpa, Too?

OK, let's start with a clarification. In reading yesterday's post, I noticed that I put the wrong dates for Jack (and the girls, of course) to spend his first night with us. It is the end of June, not the end of May. So, he will be another month older and be interacting more, and I like that. Also, it might have sounded like I do not want them over. Nothing could be further from the truth. I luuurves me some grandkids. I am just a little more comfortable with kids once they can walk and talk, and Kathie handles babies a lot better. So, we will divide the duties and I will play with Bella and Kendall and Kathie will hold and talk to (and change) Jack.

Now, I was very clear in assigning designer duties to my daughter-in-love. She has a knack for it that KHW and I lack. I even sent her a link yesterday with a lot of design ideas in it to jump start the process. My hope is still to have our bathroom rebuilt before school starts in the fall and three of us are fighting over a single shower. That means we need our design plans settled ASAP so we can engage the builders and get going. Maybe they can start demolition while we finish picking colors and stuff?

Too bad we cannot just zap something into place or have a holodeck like Star Trek.

Did I mention to this group that I have a parallel blog where I upload the Clarity of Vision each day and explain where I got my inspiration? It is linked over on the right, so check it out sometimes. Occasionally, I have a story about what I heard and how it triggered my imagination. Sometimes, it is just another place for me to go "blah, blah, blah" and put you to sleep.

Survivor night. Will the final man be eliminated? I think so.

Kyle was promoted to Sales manager at his job. Congrats, son.

As for the rest of you, like Jeff Probst will probably say tonight, "Head on back. I've got nothing for you." See you tomorrow.

Working Up Sweat Equity

We finally made it back to the gym last night. In fact, one of the employees there said he thought we had quit since it had been over three weeks since we were last there. Then, I suppose it tired us out more than we thought because we overslept by 40 minutes today.

When we got home last night, we made the Crispy Ranch Chicken from Dinner A'Fare. It was pretty good. It was not quite as crispy as it could have been, but it was very tasty.

Do you think that exercising will make my internal organs more valuable to hospitals if I donate them?

It sounds as if Jack will spend his first night with us at the end of this month. That's a little scary, keeping a two month old. I am certain we will divide duties such that I take more care of the girls while Kathie watches the baby. That's OK with me. I am much better with kids once they can communicate with me.

With Ali moving back in at the end of this month, we have got to get going on the bathroom remodel. Both the general contractor and now Lyndsay keep asking us what we want, but we don't know. I guess I need to dig into Pinterest and see if there are good ideas there.

OK, as I mentioned, I am running some 45 minutes late today, so I've got to get going. Tomorrow should be more normal.