Beatles, Clapton, Dylan, Phelps, and Lincoln

I am reading a book right now written by Chris O'Dell, who happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet all the people mentioned in the post title. It is an interesting book (and not too salacious) that brings back memories of the 60s and 70s when the groups were in their prime. It is called Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved.

I am also watching sports that I would not normally take time to see because they are in the Olympics. Gymnastics, bicycle racing, beach volleyball, swimming (I've got to watch tonight to see if Phelps wins). By the way, I read that they did the torch as 204 separate elements so that each participating country can take home one of the tulip gas jets when they leave.

Speaking of Olympics, here is today's CoV.

It sounds as if both open houses went well last night. They each got home around 8:30ish. However, Ali has a student with a peanut allergy, so she cannot eat peanut butter crackers in the room. I guess she'll need to keep an epi pen around, huh? And since the first 10 days or so, the students must have lunch in the classroom (until the gym/cafeteria is finished), she will have to have sandwiches or chicken or something.

So, Obama is bringing in Clinton for his nomination speech, right? I wonder who Romney will get? Maybe a hologram of Reagan would be his best bet? You know.. like Coachella did with Tupac Shakur? Of course, once you go down that road, why not have Lincoln make a few opening comments? "Three score and five years ago, Romney's forefather brought forth a little boy, conceived in love, and dedicated to becoming YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT! Let's give it up for MITT ROMNEY!"

The words you just read are not a hologram (unless you've got some kind of really cool monitor), but they were written some three score and seven seconds ago. Hopefully, they were not written in vain, so that this blog, or any blog, shall not perish from the earth.

Oh, My Aching Back

Did I mention we would be spending the weekend getting classrooms ready for school? Well, whether I mentioned it or not, that is where most of the weekend went. We worked until 9:45pm on Friday night, 9pm or so on Saturday, and got home early last night at 8pm. Ali's room started with boxes in the middle of the floor containing 27 desks, 27 chairs, 1 teacher's desk, 2 teacher's chairs, a filing cabinet, a 4'x6' cubby, and textbooks for math, literature and social studies. We ended with almost everything in place for tonight. the remaining cleanup with happen this afternoon after training. The open house begins at 5pm, but she'll be ready.

Now, will the rest of the school be equally prepared? I hope so. The gym/lunchroom is still being worked on. hallway boards are still being hung, the bathroom equipment and supplies are still stacked in the halls, construction fencing is still surrounding much of the complex. And with rain in the forecast today, it will be a challenging time until 4:30 or so to get ready.

So, I have not seen hardly any of the Olympics yet. I saw a few highlights of the opening ceremony, including the Queen skydiving with 007. And I heard on the news that Phelps came in 4th in his first race. That's what I know so far.

I also know that football season is coming. Can you believe there is still a team called the Redskins? In these days of political correctness? Luckily, Dallas still has its Cowboys... so far.

I did take time to go to church yesterday. Aren't I devoted? Anyway, in Bible Study (I still think of it as Sunday School), we are studying "Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts" by Dr. Jerry Bridges. It is a good study, although we as a class tend to shy away from the discomfort of discussing Calvinism and election of Saints.

Hey, sorry for taking up so much time this morning that none of you get to discuss your weekend. Oh well, it is my blog. I am outta here (meaning ending this post, not actually leaving work to go home which won't happen for 8-9 hours).

Three Days Until School Open House

We got most of Ali's classroom supplies moved last night, but still have a lot in storage. So, tonight, we will go move that. Then, she and her mother have until Monday night to get both classrooms ready for their Open Houses. Some or all of us may be spending much of the weekend at one or both schools (they are not at the same one). As you might guess, I have heard wayyy tooooo much school chatter over the past week or so.

Perhaps I have not listened to their talk with sufficient enthusiasm or even interest? That is a strong possibility. So, they might want a hubby/daddy who at least feigns interest?

By the way, this is CoV #772. Have you read them all?

Well, it's Friday, so that makes almost anything more bearable. Not that there is anything that would otherwise unbearable. No, rather it means we have a couple of days where we don't have to rise at the crack of dawn to go sit at a desk for 8-9 hours each day. So, the weekend break is always welcome.

I have watched one of the two Hell's Kitchen episodes for this week. So, have I already received my fill of bleeped out cursing for the week or not? I guess not since I still have a second episode to view. Probably not tonight, though, since we still have storage items to move.

Well, I have to lead a meeting at 10am and prepare the department weekly status report, so I will bid you adieu. Adieu. To you and you and you. Whoa. I just channeled The Sound of Music for a moment. I think I need a weekend break.

Moving Day Again

Well, school days are here again, and that means that teachers across the country are setting up their rooms, starting to create lesson plans, and preparing for the first open house. It also means that husbands, fathers and boyfriends across the country and help their wives, kids, girlfriends move all of the paraphernalia back into the room. So, we start tonight by pulling materials and furniture out of storage and carting it over to Ali's new school. We borrowed the larger Expedition to make it in fewer trips. Yes, I said trips...with an 's' on the end.

You don't believe she has that much stuff? Then either you don't know her, or you are one of those people who don't believe we landed on the moon 43 years ago.

Kyle will argue that it was not real, but I think that is just because he likes to argue.

There is still a lot of moisture in the air here as we gear up for more monsoon storms over the weekend. Wow, it feels so hot and muggy outside. How do you people in tropical climates do it? I think I am too used to the dry desert after almost 30 years in it.

What can I say? A vendor brought in donuts this morning (Dunkin Donuts, not Krispy Kreme luckily). Yes, I had one (chocolate cake donut). Mmm, it was good.

Yesterday's 365-funny-sayings calendar said "These kids are going out and running a mile in five minutes. I can't even walk a mile in five minutes." It was by a mayor or Decatur, AL, speaking to kids at a pep rally. I had to read it twice to understand what he said and why it was funny. Did you get it immediately? I guess you're smarter than me.

OK, I know you don't believe it, but we've been visiting for 4-1/2 minutes. We'd better get back to our desks before the boss notices. Check you later.

A One Anna Two...

Lewis, I do remember how the family would set up Grandma Walker in her den and keep us away (or at least, semi-quiet) during The Lawrence Welk Show. You are correct. That is the Que Sera Sera-type of music. I wonder what our kids will remember about our routine?

Lindsay, I am stuck on the final details needed to get the bathroom remodel underway. I think I need the contractor to meet me at Home Depot or Lowes and help me capture the final things (ideas like wall surface texture and color, how to transition floor tile into shower tile, etc). Unfortunately, with school starting next week, we are out of time, so I need to get it underway.

Speaking of out of time, this guy did not use his time wisely.

Thanks for Kath for suggesting this comic.

Wow, it was hard to get up this morning. I wonder what makes some days easier than others. Since I slept a little late (an extra 25 minutes!), I am running late on updating my blog, and that means running late on handling the initial email responses. So, let's get this party started and each do our own thing for a while. I will stop by tomorrow with a new CoV and personal comments. After all, I am a Legend.

Well, In My Own Mind.

Nothing Wrong With This Job

You may guess from today's post title that I did not get the job for which I applied. You may now ask if I was upset at not being offered the position. No, really. You may ask. I think the only thing I am upset about is that he did not want me and not so much that I am not moving into a high-stress, high-visibility (albeit higher paying) job. Luckily, I really like my current job and my current manager, so I know that the Lord worked through this. There will be another position that better suits my skill set, so I will be patient and wait on the Lord. After all, "Deus nobiscum, quis contra?"

Why did I suddenly start spouting Latin? Why do you ask? Doesn't everyone? No, actually, it is to provide a transition to today's CoV.

I am really stuck on the final decisions regarding rebuilding the master bath. I think I am going to have to ask the contractor to meet us at Home Depot and push us on the final choices. We are already in trouble as far as all three needing to take showers around the same time each morning. And then it will take several weeks of demolition and construction before it gets better. OK, you talked me into it. I will drop him a note this morning.

One challenge about the AZ monsoon season is that we have both high temps and high humidity for a while. Much of the year, swamp coolers provide sufficient cooling on homes and businesses. During monsoon time, though, you have to use an A/C. Still, even then, it is pretty uncomfortable outside. When we went to bed last night, we were feeling the humidity so the house felt warmer than the 74°F we had cooled it to.

Lindsay, I do not actually have a Doris Day album. However, in a weird fit of verisimilitude, I will admit that I remember the songs and movies myself and not from a grandparent.

Craig, after so many years of being a low-level manager and now being away for four years, I miss it. So, yes, I do want some increased responsibility because I enjoyed that part of the job. OK, sure, the money would have been really nice, too.

Hey, thanks for sticking with me through today's post. There were a lot of words in a lot of languages, so if you got lost...Welcome to the club. Now, age quod agis, OK?

I Do and I Don't

Don't you hate those types of decisions? I do want to move up to more responsibility (and money), but I don't want to mess up my enjoyment of work and home life. I have a voice mail saying a decision has been made and to call after 8am to talk about it. So, now it becomes very real and I will either accept or reject it. Don't worry. You'll find out in the morning.

One thing I cannot accept is the way lyrics in pop songs are getting more and more explicit. Just think. This is the starting point for our kids and grandkids. Imagine what music will be by the time they are our age?

Ohhh. I just looked over some notes on my desk and I had written and idea for a CoV for today based on 7/20 being the anniversary of the moon landing. I guess I will do it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

The open house at Ali's school is a week from today. However, the school is still being constructed, so we cannot move all her stuff and set up the room until Thursday night. I suspect it will be a long weekend. Kathie's school starts around the same time, but since she is in the same room as last year, she has already started working on it. And whether I take a different job or not, the reorg will force me to move to a different building, but that is not the same as setting up a classroom.

As usual on Mondays, I've got a ton to do, so I am turning on my Doris Day album and getting to work. Que Sera Sera, my friends. Whatever will be, will be.

Interviews and Attire

I have my job interview at 8:30am, so I worked on tweaking my resume last night. Then, I laid out my clothes for today, choosing to dress as I normally do in slacks and a Polo shirt. My better half convinced me to at least wear a long-sleeved shirt, even if I do not wear a tie. So, I listened to her and have on long-sleeves. Now, I just have to sound like I know what I am talking about when we meet. I worked for this guy in the past, so hopefully he is not prejudices against giving me a chance in a new job. Keep praying for God's guidance.

Speaking of prejudice makes me think of SB1070 and the Supreme Court decision and our county sheriff, Sheriff Joe. So, he became the subject of today's CoV.

They are replacing one of the A/C units on the roof this morning. Since I am on the second floor (the top floor), it is quite noisy right now with machinery and people walking. The whole building just shook as they maybe dropped the unit from the crane to the roof. And now, someone is hammering something. It could be a long morning. Of course, for a while, I will be away on an interview.

We kept Jack last night while KLIK and Aunt Ali went to a water park. I think both groups had fun.

I cannot say when I (and therefore, you) will know anything about my future. So, let's go on our way for now and I will talk with you again on Monday about stuff and maybe jobs. have a great weekend.

To Members of the Military in my Family

Get out before this happens.

OK, now we can move on into today's personal comments. Lindsay, yes, I think our company does waste a lot of its energy on changing the org rather than delivering value to customers and stakeholders. Dad, we need the Expedition next weekend to move stuff to Ali's classroom. Lewis, did you have to look up who sang Dream Weaver or did you actually remember Gary Wright's name? Architect Bro, is your house fixed all the way now?

Finally, I got my hair cut last night. So now, it doesn't look like a toupee anymore.

Hey, y'all, I am going to interview for a management position today or tomorrow, so keep that in your prayers. I have been in an individual contributor position since coming to this company after year's of middle management at Motorola and US Airways. So, a couple of managers are moving around as part of the reorg and a position has opened for which they recommended me. Worst case is that I don't get it and stay in this position, which I enjoy anyway. No, wait. Maybe worst case is that I get it. Ha ha.

Reorgs always cause a need for a lot of data analysis, so I need to get going on providing some information. Thanks for your continued patronage.

Changes Never Changes

The need for change seems to be the only thing that never changes at work. We are in the midst of another re-org and the Project Management Office is impacted this time. We are being split into several smaller groups and moved into the business we support instead of being in an IT area that supports all businesses. We were organized like this in 2009, so this may also cycle around in a few years.

In support of this change, we will need to go through a period of reviewing the currently active work and deciding which projects are still needed. Maybe Ninja PM can help them?

We are getting haircuts tonight. As you know, I can tell when I need one because my hair gets full and it looks like I am wearing a toupee. I will tell Phyll to focus on cutting out the gray. Luckily, she cannot really do that since that would then leave me bald.

Mom and Dad were able to come to Chorale practice last night. That is a great sign of how well Mom is healing after her surgery. I don't know if they will make it to the concerts on Sunday, though. I hope so.

Well, to support the new org, they need some reports to help prioritize and evaluate ongoing projects. So, I had better get to work on them. I want to prove I can still snatch the pebble from their hand. Don't understand that reference? Google it.

Where's My Dry Heat?

I thought it was a dry heat in the desert of the Southwest. What is up with this 65% humidity. Luckily, it is stay around 100°F right now, but it feels pretty muggy. Just another six weeks or so and we'll be back to our 10% humidity again.

And, once again, the A/C in our building is acting flaky. I would guess it is 76° or so already and it is not even 7am yet.

Speaking of getting mugged (OK, muggy to mugged is a stretch), it is time for my quarterly change to passwords. Does your company force you to change your network password periodically? Do they have a bunch of rules on resetting them? We do.

I am hearing rumblings of changes at work again. Well, it has been several months since a reorg happened. Bring it on, people.

I have a meeting in another building at 10am, so I will lose my covered parking space. If the other people in the meeting had any compassion, they would come over here so I would not have to drive.

The Olympics start in less than two weeks. Do you think the positive nature of international competition will balance out the negativity of political campaign ads during the Games? Who will dive deeper - Obama and Romney or the Olympic divers?

OK, I need to get some stuff done before that meeting at 10, so let's just agree to disagree. Until tomorrow....

It's Over Already?

How is it that vacation weeks go by so quickly, but normal workweeks seem to last forever? It's true, isn't it? Oh well, we need these periods of work to help pay for those weeks of vacation. We did have a good time, though, Perhaps you saw our feet on Facebook?

Maybe because I knew I had to get up, I woke up several times during the night. And maybe because I woke up, I remember a couple of weird dream sequences from the night.

One of them involves my college roommate starting to make his own cheese. I did not say they were logical or even interesting, just weird. So, all I remember is Craig getting a package at my house for cheese-making equipment and I had to arrange getting it to him in TX.

Another involved my cousin, Lewis, writing a book about Ballet. Now, I don't know that he has taken Ballet classes or even attended one. And unfortunately, that's all I remember, so I don't know that the book was ever written.

Now that I have jerked you around with my weird dreams, you probably wish you had air bags to protect you from sudden changes in my direction.


OK, vacation was nice, but now that I am back, there are things I need to get done. So, I will take another sudden turn and drop this post unexpectedl....

An Easy Day at 7000 Ft

Our mini-anny continues with a laid-back day planned. We started the day at the Elden Pueblo just north of town. Kathie remembers when we visited years ago and said they have done a lot of reconstruction since then.

We then headed over to Buffalo Park and hiked a couple of miles, expecting a view from the mesa (or so implied the interweb). However, it was flat, but a nice park. Good thing it only reached 86F or so. This was originally a wild west park which included bison, elk , deer barnyard animals, Indian hogans, and a stagecoach ride. The park closed in 1969 when the buffalo kept escaping the harsh winters and entering neighboring yards. So, there's you history lesson.

We then continued our history lesson watching a documentary on our 16th President and the true tales of his life. I did not realize how vital he was to controlling the spread of vampirism in these United States.

After the difficult battles with night creatures, we had to wind down in the hot tub. I barely have energy to enter this post. You are just lucky that I am a creature of habit and not of the night.

Early Anniversary Trip Day Two

We are certainly enjoying our mini-Anniversary trip up in the cool high country of Arizona. You can see a little of the trip in the photos of our feet on Facebook. Tuesday's shot showed our hiking boots.

Another photo on Facebook that you may have seen is Monday's sunset.

I missed the sunset last night. However, I did catch the late afternoon sun on one side of an aspen near Snowbowl.

I have often enjoyed natural-looking fences and I found one around the aspen grove.

Even though it was quite warm in the sunshine, we hiked near the ski area on Snowbowl. While there, I saw this butterfly on a flower and decided it was a moment I wanted to remember.

What are our Wednesday plans? You'll have to wait and see.

Cooling Our Jets Up North

I heard on the news last night that PHX set a record high for yesterday and is on track to do so again today. It is actually pretty warm in Flagstaff, too, with a high yesterday of 86F. Today should reach 87F, so we will go up into the mountains and hike through the aspen. I have a favorite photo spot I like up there, so we will hit that. We will also probably ride up the ski lift to the top of the mountain for some hiking.

We did not start any of that yesterday, but hung around the hotel grounds. We saw this guy as we first moved in.

Once we reached our room, we had a visitor. At first, he laid on our little balcony and checked out the neighbors.

Then, he turned his attention to us asking for handouts. We slipped him a pistachio and he did not want to leave.

We had dinner at Black Bart's Steakhouse last night. We hit this place every visit and always enjoy the Broadway music they sing. The pianist is the musical coordinator and I am sure he does well at that (since we always enjoy the whole evening), but listening to him when he does a solo piece is truly amazing. He did an arrangement of the themes from Pirates of the Caribbean that was really fun.

It is time to get today going. I may be back tomorrow or I may not. Check back to find out.

Enough to Last You a Week?

This morning seemed much more pleasant that yesterday. Maybe the moisture is moving out and we will dry out again. I do see that we should reach 110° by Sunday, so I hope it is a dry heat. We have a concert at the Veteran's Hospital, and it is always warm in there, so again, let's dry out.

Speaking of melting away, Ninja P.M. always looks like he is melting away, but it is more of a fading with him as he employs his skillset to the situation at hand.

We are caught up on watching Hell's Kitchen. Does that mean it will be almost a week before I get my profanity fix again? No, I cannot think of any other weekly program where there is quite so much bleeping. And on Dallas, I am not sure if I trust Christopher's wife yet. Hey, that is the same thing I said when The Soprano's was on. I didn't trust Christopher's wife then, either.

I will be away next week, so there may not be any blog postings. We are getting away for a few days to cooler climes (which, compared to here, could be almost anywhere except Death Valley). As a hint, we will almost certainly go to Black Bart's for a meal while we are there (wherever there is).

If I am going to get away at all, I have some things I need to finish before I leave. So, I will go work on those. While I am gone, go to youtube.com and check out the interesting fireworks display from San Diego from Wednesday. There entire show only lasted 15 seconds.

It's Monday on a Thursday

The morning commute was certainly heavier than I would have expected. True, I was running a bit late, but I really thought more people would take the rest of the week off after having a holiday on a Wednesday.

Speaking of holiday, did y'all go out and watch fireworks? We did not even though the rain that occurred earlier in the day had cleared out. We did have some on the TV, but that doesn't quite feel the same. And I certainly did not break out the camera to snap some photos of TV fireworks. Some of the shots they showed, however, did have Katy Perry's song playing in the background (as I did on Tuesday...remember?).

Speaking of sports.... OK, nobody was speaking of sports, but I needed a transition to introduce today's CoV. One of the key Suns players was traded to one of the key Suns opponents yesterday. I wanted to do a comic about that but I knew that not everyone would know the players involved. So, here is a kit to make your own hilarity in the privacy of your domicile.

I did not see the GRANDS, but I did have a chance to play a game with family. We chose Quiddler. I won at least one game and Dad won at least one. I don't think Ali won any this time. Say La "V". (I wrote that in case some of you would not know how to pronounce c'est la vie.

Well, the fact that I am blogging almost always implies I am at work. And being at work almost always implies I have some tasks to accomplish. So, if I am going to imply that the company should retain me, I should accomplish at least a few of those items. I will be back tomorrow, after I . Oops, I forgot to complete my blogging post template.

A Cool Surprise

K+L got back from CA last night. They had a good time and really enjoyed Catalina Island. We'll have to go there sometime. And the GRANDS loved the gifts they got. It reminded me of coming back from business trips and the kids said, "Daddy! We're so glad you're back. What did you bring us?" We had a great visit with the girls and swam both days.

What is up with me and fortune telling? Yesterday, it was a fortune cookie. Today, it's fortune telling.

Oh, I almost forgot. Did I mention that the A/C went out on the van? So, we got that fixed. The temps here are unbearable anyway, and I think it would be dangerous driving around kids (especially a two-month old) with no air conditioning.  While we were out, I went ahead and got the A/C fixed on Kyle's commuter car. So, they got back to a cool surprise. Get it? A/C? Cool (as in temp) and cool (as in fun and exciting)? OK, just checking. Don't bite my head off.

We are still in the midst of getting the final bathroom design and choosing colors and tiles and fixtures, etc. So, no date nor final price established yet.

I've decided to take tomorrow off, so no CoV nor blog entry. OK, fine. We all get tomorrow off for Fourth of July. However, there is a chance of rain, so there may be no fireworks. Then again, since it should still be over 100° at 9pm, I am not sure I will be out there anyway. How about you? Do you never miss a chance to sit out under the stars and watch fireworks, or is it OK to watch the show on TV?

I've got a 9am meeting and I need to get some numbers ready, so I'll leave you with Katy Perry singing "Firework."
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in "awe, awe, awe"

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Dog Days Indeed

We are currently in the midst of our "monsoon" season here, so the relative humidity is higher. Once we move into the double digits, it is very unpleasant here. Of course, this year, we are merely experiencing what must of the country is feeling with high temps and high humidity. How do you people stand it?

Of course, many of you read CoV each day and ask, "How can I stand to put myself through this day after day?" Too late. I can tell your eyes are already darting down into the comic strip. Go ahead. You know you want to.

We picked up the GRANDS yesterday from their maternal grandmother, only to find that the A/C has gone out in JV+KLIK's van. No. That is unacceptable right now. So, we dropped it off at the repair shop and will find out what is wrong. Our best hope is that it merely needs more freon. Anyway, I drove it to our house yesterday at 2pm and was very sweaty 15 min later when I got home. I am sure it would have been dangerous of kids, especially a three-month-old infant.

The kids were all great last night and we had a good time swimming and eating froyo. And they were all still asleep when I left for work, so that is a praise. K+L are back tonight after their brief anniversary trip to the CA coast and Catalina Island.

What is going on here? A dude is already talking to me. Doesn't he know it is too early in the morning for chats? It is the new dude in the team and I suppose he is being friendly. OK, he left. I guess he got the message when I did not stop typing.

Too late. My brain is already beginning the shift. I will go to work and let you go catch a nap so you don't end up naked today.