Friday Light Traffic Today. Whoo Hoo!

Wow, my commute was pretty nice this morning. I am sure a number of people are taking today off since Monday is a holiday. So, I scooted along at the speed limit (I almost wrote scooted along even higher than the speed limit but that wouldn't be a nice thing to advertise). Anyway, it was not as low traffic as the actual holiday, but it was pretty nice. No, I wasn't really in a hurry to get to work, just making the point of lighter than usual traffic. OK, let's move to another topic.

Such as today's Clarity of Vision. I wanted to do a work-themed strip today.

Well, it's not so much a theme as a guideline. You never know where my mind will take you. I don't even know.

It looks like Isaac has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression. I tried to find a way to use the phrase tropical depression in a comic, but couldn't think of a clever way. You know, having Mr. Green be in a tropical depression and Mr. Blue trying to spin him to get over it. Yeah, that's why that is not today's CoV topic.

No real plans for the holiday weekend. Maybe a movie tomorrow. Maybe sleep until 7am on Monday (Yup, crazy times for sure).

NZ Niece posted again. Go check out the smelly faces, the crazy faces, and the pukeko trying to lure Justin into a swamp. And my 'Countant Cousin commented yesterday. Go read what he is up to.

I don't want to stay late today (I had a conference call yesterday from 4-5pm, so it made for a long day), so I will wrap this up. Have a good three-day weekend and get back online Tuesday to see what wackiness we can talk about as we start a short four-day workweek.

LA Woman, MS Man

I know that every Louisiana woman and Mississippi man are hoping that Hurricane Isaac move on pretty soon. In my mind, I think it would be cool to (sort of) experience a hurricane and feel the winds and get some interesting photos, but the reality is that people can get killed, homes and livelihoods destroyed, ways of life upset. So, I am not sure I would really want to be there if I had to go through the whole thing like they do. I'll just stay here with our 110°+ temps.

Hearing about high temperatures makes me want ice cream. How about you?

Lately, though, we have been more into frozen yogurt than ice cream. I found a flavor nearby that I really like called zoatmeal (the froyo place is called zoyo, so it is a clever play on words add a 'z' to oatmeal). It goes well with the raspberries, blueberries and strawberries that I top it with.

Another busy morning with a presentation needed for the CIO. I tried to create it yesterday, but I only got updates for 4 of the 15 projects. It looks like I have everything in email today, but I usually write my blog before I start "real" work. Then, I have to get another data presentation ready for a 3pm meeting over at another building. Hey, it pays the bills, my friends.

Lindsay, where are you? Lewis, are you getting much rain yet? While your world may totally revolve around my daily ramblings, mine is little impacted by you UNLESS YOU OCCASIONALLY COMMENT! However, I keep on writing posts anyway. Maybe it's part of my catharsis (from what, I am not sure). Anyway, you are welcome.

No Disrespect Intended

I really don't. And changing one letter in one word from his famous quote is merely for purposes of enabling a gag in today's CoV.

It still is amazing what the US was able to do in nine years after the challenge from President Kennedy.

It is also amazing that people keep living in hurricane-prone areas. Of course, the flip side of that statement is that people also stay in oppressively hot desert locales, too. And others live in the north where snow blankets the area for months at a time. I guess we all have our own weather extremes to, um, well, weather. Still, right now, I feel for those taking the brunt of Himicane Isaac near New Orleans, and of course, my kinfolk in Baton Rouge and Jena.

I've got a pile of things needing my attention today. Does that happen for you? A light day is followed by one during which you are swamped with work? Anyway, I've got a meeting at 9am for which I needed to generate the Powerpoint deck.

Well, as former NJ Governor Thomas Kean once said, "Everybody's got oxen to grind." That means I need to go. Oh, wait. One more. As Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa said during a debate about sending troops to the Persian Gulf, "Anxietyship is no substitute for leadership." I don't think you can argue with either of those. TTFN.

It's Not the Years, Honey, It's the Mileage

Luckily, I woke up this morning on time in spite of having forgotten to set the alarm. Still, forcing myself to get up means I creak for a second before I get going. That brings to mind the Indiana Jones quote in today's title.

No, my parents did not drink when I was young. That does not mean, though, that I won't imply such a thing for a Clarity of Vision. This is #793, so I am knocking on #800. That calls for a drink.

Yes, I did take a few minutes last night to get my weekly refill of profanity. That's right. We watched Hell's Kitchen. I guess there are two episodes left (since the web says next week is Season Finale Pt 1).

Seeing that Neil Armstrong died reminds me of his trip to the moon and my grandmother asking my father if it really happened. She said, "I'll believe it if you tell me." He assured her that it did. Even more amazing is that they did it using the technology of the 1960s. Hey, if you see my son, ask him if he believes it. You may be sure that he can argue it either way.

Speaking of dead people, I saw some clips of Phyllis Diller on the CBS Sunday Morning news show. It seems a lot of her jokes still work. For example, "I was the world's ugliest baby. When I was born, the doctor slapped everybody." And there was a joke about Roe v Wade...something like "My husband thought that Roe v Wade was about kayaking." Anyway, you can read several of them here.

I've had fun researching her jokes as I searched for the Roe v Wade one, but we both have more important things to do. Well, you do, I am sure. So, I will let you go. It looks as if this is the end of my 1,225th post. I Neil Armstrong dying did not make you feel old, that should.

It Was Pretty Quiet Here

No hurricanes rolled in. Only one hour with the GRANDS. No Chorale concert. No profanity on TV (Hell's Kitchen tapes tonight). The temps in the low 100s. We did see a movie whose ending made me upset (Bourne Legacy - what an obvious sequel ending since the story lines were not finished), although I enjoyed the movie up until then.

It was the kind of weekend you might have spent back in the good old days.

Just over two months left before the elections. Aren't you ready for the campaign rhetoric to end? How can they find so much mud to sling? Even the regional campaigns (senate, mayors, etc) are messy. I guess I won't run for office. I am sure they could use almost any of my Clarity of Vision comics to show bias or that I am crazy as a loon.

I think we are going to see Aztec National Monument in the fall. Have you been there? The photos online do not look familiar, so I am not sure I have. We have to wait until we are 62 before we can get a Senior Pass for the parks and monuments. I'll be so old by then I will probably forget to get one.

OK, we've had some fun and we've had some laughs. Now. let's stop all of that and get to work (at least until we are 62 and can purchase a Senior Pass for the national parks). See you soon.

It's like the Tides

Is a rising tide good or bad? What about when it falls? If you saw that the CBR was 1.12, would you think that was good or bad? As I was thinking about a comic for today, I came to the same conclusion. You need more info than just a number. However, that doesn't mean Mr. Blue cannot use corporate metrics to guide his team.

Usually, I don't tell this blog the details about what drove me to create a given CoV. I leave that to my other blog. However, I came up with "It's Like the Tides" for today's title and decided I would explain it a bit.

Isn't weather funny? It was pouring when I left the house, but within two miles, there was no rain and the sun was shining. Of course, by "funny," I meant odd as opposed to chortle-worthy. I brought my umbrella, just in case, which means it will be clear and dry by the time I leave.

Did y'all watch the show Trust Us With Your Life? I think it has already been canceled (technically, it has been put on hiatus). It was an improv show with Fred Willard as MC and Colin Mochry and Wayne Brady as two of the participants. Anyway, there were a couple of segments that I really enjoyed that I had not seen before. One was Face the Music, where the guest would not be able to hear a song played as a cast member acted it out (in weird ways, of course). We started muting our TV and trying to guess it ourselves, then replaying it listening and seeing how we did. Alison actually guessed one of them. I did not.

Another fun segment was Sideways Scene where the actors were actually laying on a mat, but it was projected to look as if they were standing. So, it was possible for them to "fly" over each other, maybe looking like they were in Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger or something. I thought it was clever and fun.

We have Molly this weekend, which means we are in for a bark-fest. Morris always barks more when she visits (and he barks a lot anyway). She does not normally bark, but Morris gets her going, too, which amps him up even more.

Are you as tired of reading this as I am of writing it? I'll be back on Monday with more to say, so maybe you will have recovered and be ready to read again by then. See you in a couple of days.

Now You've Got to Kiss Me

Did you "Miss me. Miss me...?" I did not post yesterday. I pulled something in my back or something. So, I rested and Tylenoled (can that be a verb?) and heat-padded (another less common verb) myself. Today, I feel kind of sore or something. I say "or something" because I don't know how else to describe it. It feels like I worked out yesterday, but I did not.

I also did not come up with a new idea for a CoV either yesterday or today. So, I pulled this from the old idea file and chose to share it with you.

I don't even know if it is PC to talk about things being PC anymore. Oh well.

Hey, remember when we bought several frozen meals with the folks and I shared the results with you? We found one in the freezer that we never ate and had it for dinner last night. Chicken Saltimbocca. It seems the prosciutto in the original recipe was replaced by bacon in the one we purchased. Regardless, we really liked it, although plain noodles was a little too bland. The meal overall was great. We would do that one again.

Sometimes, I point you to Lindsay if she updated her blog. When I checked it the other day, I missed the earlier one after she posted two on the same day. Go back and check yourself to see if you did the same thing.

We are having a small wet spell right now. That's OK. It is a nice change. I wonder if this is how Seattle residents feel when they have a dry spell?

OK, you may be experiencing Uncle R overload right now after a day off. Sorry. I'll stop just in case. Tomorrow's Friday, so let that carry you forward through today.

Your Weekly Fill of Profanity

I got my weekly dose of profanity last night when I watched Hell's Kitchen. Now, it's your turn.

Today, I need to work on some training material to teach how to track budgets in our project tracking tool. I think I know how. I used to. So, first, I'd better make sure it still functions the same way, and then build the slides to train the teams.

I am also working on a little Visual Basic to dynamically generate some charts from Excel. Nice, huh? Dynamic? Doesn't that just sound impressive? Basic, though. That just sounds...well..basic. We will create the report in Crystal Reports later.

OK, enough work talk. Did you see the R&D photos of NZ in LWW's blog? Did I include enough initials in that sentence? Anyway, go check them out. She probably posted several of them in Facebook, but I rarely check that. I'm just excited that someone still blogs.

The chicken and veggies dish was a little too bland last night. I ended up drowning each bite in spices and it made it palatable. I brought some for lunch today and also brought the spice bottle. And I think I overcooked the noodles, too. Lynds, I may give up my dream of becoming a famous chef and working for Gordon Ramsay.

Lewis, I have not heard from you in a while. What's cooking over in Shreveport?

OK, enough non-work talk. Let's get today started.

No DIS For Some of Us

We are not going to Disneyland this weekend, although some members of our family may leave on Friday. It looks like the upper 70s for the weekend, though, so that makes for perfect theme park weather.

What is going on here? I just went over and reviewed my work email...in the middle of creating this post. That is just wrong. I am really struggling to come up with things to say to you people. As the movies always say, "It's not you. It's me."

Maybe I should go read my ORB.

We whipped up a crockpot meal for tonight. Chicken and veggies. That's right. They are vegetables of the spirit. Thanks to Lynds for the spices.

OK, I think that I will call it a day (at least for my blog) since I am creatively uninspired. I hope to be back in my groove tomorrow.

Still I Wonder, 'Who'll Stop the Rain?'

It is raining this morning. It brought to mind the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Who'll Stop the Rain?" However, it is good for the region to get these monsoon rains since we are so dry otherwise. On my commute this morning, it almost got me in an accident, though. I was on a flyover transitioning from one freeway to another when the car in front of my braked and swerved. Luckily, a) we were both going slower than normal due to the rain, and b) no one was beside him. I braked as much as I could without losing traction and the car moved around another that was facing in my direction. He must have spun out earlier. There was a car beside me and I could not stop in time, so I split the difference between the two cars and just made it. My heart was beating a mile a minute, but we were not driving that fast, so it all worked out.

That car pointing at me in my lane was an eyeful, but here's another.

No big plans that I know of for the weekend. We are not living in a cool place like NZ with new sights and gorgeous mountains and fall weather. At least is will be below normal in temps, but it will also be raining. We do have a pair of East Valley Chorale concerts on Sunday, so lunch will be somewhat hurried. Oh well, that's part of this ministry.

Only one scheduled meeting today. That doesn't mean I will only have one meeting though. You know how it is.

Did you see Lindsay's response to yesterday post? All she gets as snacks from the company is coffee, tea and different milks. Different milks? What, like white and chocolate and strawberry, or more like whole, 2% and non-fat, or maybe cow and goat and badger, or maybe hot and cold and room temp?

It's Friday. Let's pretend to work for a few hours and go catch a movie later, huh? Actually, I don't even know what is showing right now. Our local cheap theater ($3 tickets) is still showing Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, Snow White and the Huntsman, MIB3, and Hunger Games. OK, I checked our usual theater and see that Bourne Legacy, The Campaign and Dark Knight Rises are showing. And K might like to see Hope Springs. Maybe we'll do that in the morning. I say maybe.

OK, Friday has to end before any of that starts. I'm leaving you so I can leave here in a while. Bye.

We're Burning Daylight

Yup, I have no excuse for letting so much time go by with us all using a single shower. So, I will really finalize my design, check that we have all materials identified, and ask for an updated quote from the remodeler. I also need to get my camera and lenses cleaned before Fall Break. So, John Wayne's quote from The Cowboys is an apropos title for today. Did someone say "You're short on ears and long on mouth?" That is a classic John Wayne quote, but I don't appreciate what you're implying.

Yesterday would have been apropos for today's CoV, but I wanted to get the final Olympics comic out within a few days of the actual close, so this waited until today.

Did someone say "This is my favorite part of the day?" No, I didn't think so.

The candy tray from yesterday was empty by 2pm (and I put it out at 8:30am). I am debating whether to refill it today or not. I am running low on some of the items, so we will see if this little benefit continues as we tighten our fiscal belt. So, the company provides some candy, water, coffee and tea. Did someone say "Wow. You're lucky?" In some ways, that's true. What does your company provide as a snack?

It looks like we will publish our Red/Yellow report this morning instead of last night. We had to regenerate the numbers yesterday afternoon to ensure we reflect the most recent updates from the project managers. My partner on this task will be on vacation in two weeks, so I will have to create the next update by myself. Did I hear someone say, "Poor baby?" Thank you. That is the appropriate response.

My pool is looking a little dirty after the recent monsoon and dust storms. I'll need to do some work on it this weekend. However, I hear that mud baths are popular at the spa. Maybe I should wait just a few more days and see if that's what the pool becomes? Did someone say "Amen?" Must have been dreaming.

OK, I know I heard someone say "That's too much to read?" Yes, I thought so. I will not write another thing until someone says "Don't quit now."

If You Don't Like It, You Can Lump It

Why did I think of that phrase right now? I have no idea. However, I did find that it has been around since at least the early 1800's and maybe much longer. Lump, of course, meant 'to look sulky or disagreeable' as far back as the 16th century. OK, enough etymology. Let's not make up our own words.

Or maybe we should. At least, I will in today's CoV.

Writing this comic reminded me of riding in a car with some friends in Austin when this movie was first released. We saw a bunch of helicopters flying in formation from Bergstrom AFB and I quipped, "Hey, look. It's Apocal-Austin Now." We had a big laugh and I forgot about it until just now.

When a member of our team left a couple of months ago, I became the keeper of the key to the candy drawer. Once or twice a week, I put out a few snacks for the people in my area. As you can imagine, the tray is quickly emptied each time I refill it. Sometimes, my team fusses at me because the other areas eat it before they arrive. So, at the moment, there is a tray filled with candy sitting on my desk before I put it out. Luckily, not much of it tempts me although there is quite the variety. Smoked almonds, mini-Milky Ways and Snickers and 3 Musketeers and Butterfingers. Reeses, Lemon heads, LaffyTaffy, Sweetarts. Mini-Hersheys.

We've got a report about projects that have troubles or delays (which means their current status is flagged as Red or Yellow) that must be published this morning. So, I need to generate the presentation while I wait on the PMs to give me the details. So, I've said too much. I haven't said enough. And most of you know what that means. I'm Losing My Religion. Well, That's what the singing group REM says.

Needs More Profanity

Had Gordon Ramsey been part of the classic Saturday Night Live skit with Will Farrell and Blue Oyster Cult, the phrase may have become "Needs more profanity" rather than :Needs more cowbell." OK, maybe not, but Hell's Kitchen certainly contains more profanity per minute than anything else on prime time TV. I think it must even be part of the contract the contestants sign.

Today's commute was fairly easy. Not much congestion. No accidents. Still, I was running a few minutes late, so what could I do to reduce my getting ready time in the mornings?

The COV title includes Flowbee because I ran out of room in the comic. Do you remember the Flowbee for giving yourself haircuts? Check it out here.

Did you notice a 10-minute gap between the last sentence and this one? I got pulled away by a business call. What is up with that? It is way too early to think.

It seems school must be settling in. I am not hearing as much classroom chatter as I did for the last two weeks. So, if any government agency is listening to our calls for classroom chatter, they must be sorely disappointed.

We had some lightning and thunder pass through last night, but it did not give us any rain. The dog gets very nervous when he hears thunder, so that's the only reason I know it happened. There is a chance of rain during the weekend, so that's good. We will actually move below 110°F by then.

My mind keeps drifting back to that business call, so I'm going to go ahead and take action on the problem. You've heard enough from me today anyway.

Oh Happy Day

Did that bring the old song to mind? Well, it should have because it is a fitting reminder of my oldest granddaughter getting baptized yesterday. She had her parents and grandparents and great-grandparents there to share in the memory. Amen and Amen.

Then last night, I was thinking I would sit back and enjoy the Olympics closing ceremony. No, I just recorded it and watched the 15-20 minutes that were bearable. It was so boring. Did you watch it? However, I am kind of glad the Olympics ended. I always watched an event or two and then stayed for the next and the next. I watched sports I don't even care about.

We went over to KLIK+JV on Saturday night and they had taped one Olympic event for us to see. Horse Dancing. Well, technically it is called Dressage, but it was this prancing around, all Devil-may-care. Lifting up its hooves, pausing for a couple of seconds with it in the air, then doing the next. The horse even walks sideways. We had a good laugh watching that. Then we played Ticket to Ride: The Card Game. I cannot remember who won. I just know that it wasn't me.

We did not see any movie this weekend. Did you?

I have to assist in an interview this afternoon to replace a contractor that left. So, sometime before then, I need to find my list of standard interview questions and think about which ones I would like answered. I just printed his resume and I will review that, too.

This is about the time every year when I question the sanity of all of us who live in the desert. 115°F yesterday, cooling to 114°F today. Luckily, we will move down to 104°F by the weekend. Still, it is our version of whatever malady people in snow country get in the winter (or maybe whatever NZ dwellers get during our summer/their winter).

We can only put off Monday for so long, and I need to work. So long.

Do You Know Anyone Named Les Moore?

Let's go ahead and read today's CoV so you can see what made me think of today's post title.

I do not know anyone named Les or Lester Moore. If you had a kid and your last name was Moore, would you do that to them? It would be like being named Jay Walker or Justin Case.

Wow, our house was hot yesterday. I don't know how anyone can feel comfortable in a house where the temp routinely reaches about 81° or 82°. We are on a program from the electric company where we pay more for electricity during the peak usage hours but pay much less during off-peak. So, we let the house reach up to 85° between 1pm and 8pm and then cool it to 74° between 8pm and 1pm the next day. Weekends and holidays are considered non-peak, also. Still, from 5pm-8pm, while our temps are reaching 115°+, it is quite uncomfortable. The power company includes a note on each bill saying how much we saved. However, it is not valid because I might not cool the house as much if the rate wasn't reduced, nor would I let it reach 85° if the rate were not higher. OK, too much math. Let's move to some other topic.

The girls are stopping by this afternoon. JV or someone must have a doctor's appointment. So, we will probably cool the house a little to make it more bearable while they are there. We will find out how Bella's school is going and how do Kenz like pre-K. Oh, and we might talk to K&L, too.

Plans for the weekend? Nothing jumps to mind. No, that is not true. Well, I mean, it was true just one minute ago when I wrote that, but now it is not true because I have an idea of something I need to get done. I have to get motivated to finish the design for the master bathroom remodel. We are making do with one shower in the guest bath, but it is inconvenient. So, I will do some work on that this weekend.

Lindsay, it's been a couple of weeks since you posted. I know your folks are there, but it would only take6.67 minutes to let us know what's happening. I guess you might be posting to Facebook, but I rarely check that.

Preacher Bro, clever retort yesterday. Hmm, did you have to have a tort first?

Cousin, I agree that those accountant jokes were clever, but perhaps a little too cerebral for you? Which one made you chortle? I liked "Your Momma is so fat; her health insurance premiums are automatically 25 to 30 percent higher than over 80% of women in her age group."

OK, we cannot start the weekend without actually ending the week. So, I'd better hit the water cooler and get Friday officially underway.

Man, It's a Hot One, Like Seven Inches From the Midday Sun

You can imagine why the lyrics to Santana's song, Smooth, come to mind these days. It is a hot one, and not only one. We are staying at 113°F for the rest of the workweek. And every afternoon at 3pm, teachers at my wife's school stand outside with their students waiting on parents. That does not sound like fun. So, why do we start school during this hot, humid month? I don't know. Back in the day (I am old enough to say that now and really mean it), we didn't go back until around Labor Day. I am also old enough to remember when they would say no white after Labor Day. No, that has nothing to do with this post. It is just a Labor Day-related factoid.

One thing that I do know is that we all wish we could be as effective and, dare I say it, as cool as Ninja PM.

Hey, do I have any readers who might appreciate a good accountant-related joke? If so, take a moment to look here and enjoy.

Do I have any readers who might appreciate preacher-related jokes? Well, I cannot help you. They have no sense of humor.

I have to go home during lunch to meet an electric company person to review setting on the new pool pump. Since the pool company got some rebate when they installed my energy efficient pump, the electric company checks to make sure it is set to minimize usage while still being effective on the pool. That bad thing is that means I will lose my covered parking. NOOOO. The car is too stinkin' hot then for my commute home.

OK, enough humor and frivolity and jocularity. Let's get our Thursday started.

It's That Time of Year

The August heat seems somehow more unbearable because Fall activities such as school are starting, but the relentless heat continues. We should reach 113° today, and humidity is up. Luckily, since I come in early, I get one of the few covered parking spots at our building.

Speaking of covered parking...

Chorale was good last night. Can you believe we are already starting Christmas songs? I kind of like a couple of them. And we are scheduled to record a second CD in the Spring. I have not heard our first one yet.

It is a nice, easy two meeting kind of day. However, I have to present at one of them, so I'd better finish the presentation materials this morning so management can review it before I present. That is a break for you because I am already thinking about it and will end the blog post early. TTFN.

Too Hot Too Sday

It is too hot on this first Tuesday in August. Actually, this is a normal hot, but the increased humidity makes it feel so much more oppressive. How do you people in humid states do it? Of course, we have the opposite problem. It is normally so dry here that you have to make sure your water bottle isn't open until you place it against your mouth. If you pour it from any distance, the water evaporates before it reaches the glass or your mouth or whatever.

We had a nice little anniversary dinner at a local middle-Eastern place. Then, we went home and watched a little Breaking Bad. I know what you are thinking. What about my weekly profanity fix from Gordon Ramsey? Yeah, it was a repeat; probably to avoid getting beaten in the ratings by the Olympics. We then watched some of the Olympics. I noticed that Blade Runner was beaten in his race and is out. Too bad, but it is an interesting story.

Speaking of interesting stories....

OK, maybe that wasn't interesting or a story.

I show three meetings on my docket today. That's not bad, right? And they are all in the afternoon, so I can get a little work done until then.

We registered to receive early ballots for future elections. What about you? Do you like to wait at the polling location on Election Day so you can get your little sticker? Or would you like to vote early but forgot to register for the early ballot? Or do you even vote? You should vote. It's how we get to make our voice heard.

Well, I will get off my soap box. Hey, will future generations even know what a physical soap box is? In fact, do I even know? I don't think so. Oh well. Have a Terrific Tuesday.

She Stayed Another Year?

Yup, we have rejoiced through 36 years and I would not be surprised if we make it all the way to 37. Well, maybe a little surprised. After all, would you put up with me for even a fraction of that? Happy Anniversary, Dear.

My wife is hot. Well, she is but I was talking about the title to today's CoV (#778).

I went with KIK to Weird Al last night. We had a great time and the girls seemed to really enjoy the show. That guy is certainly creative. The songs ranged from old stuff like Bad and Fat up to the newer stuff like Polka Face and Perform this Way. His encore included his Star Wars-themed pieces with an amazing chant in the middle which included some Tiki Room stuff. They then stopped for a minute without moving and resumed Yoda. It was a lot of fun.

KaBaJ (Kendall and Bella and Jack) spent the night Saturday night. Everyone was on their best behavior and we had a good time, including going to Organ Stop Pizza and dancing to some of the songs. We even swam (no, the pool is not as hot as a bathtub).

However much fun the weekend was, it always seems to come to a sudden stop when Monday intrudes. (And now, just in case my boss should ever read this) However, when you have a job as fun as mine, even Mondays mean the fun gets to continue. (OK, now back to the real blog).

Leftover Chinese food for lunch. I am usually the designated leftover keeper when family goes out. Yeah, I don't mind them and have some for lunch about half the time. Today's is Kung Pao chicken.

OK, let's get this anniversary day underway and knock out those stinking reports due every Monday so I can get home with my beautiful wife. Thanks for dropping by on this 112°F day for a visit.

p.s. I found the set list for Weird Al. Here it is.

1. Polka Face
2. Frank's 2000" TV
3. TMZ
4. You Make Me
5. You Don't Love Me Anymore
6. Smells Like Nirvana
7. Skipper Dan
8. Party in the CIA
9. CNR
10. Canadian Idiot
11. Wanna B Ur Lovr
12. Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies / Whatever You Like / Another Tattoo / eBay / I Want a New Duck / Theme From Rocky XIII / Spam / My Bologna / Ode to a Superhero / Lasagna / Eat It
13. Amish Paradise
14. Craigslist
15. Perform This Way
16. White & Nerdy
17. Fat
18. Encore:
18. The Saga Begins
19. Yoda

Old Spice? No Dice.

These stinkin' Olympics mean I cannot watch anything else when I get home at night. How about y'all? Are you watching more than you expected? Trying to keep up with Phelps and Franklin and everyone?

Speaking of Olympics, there have been several ads that mimic events or the Olympics themselves. At least they have not gone this far yet. BTW, this is CoV 777.

Caleb, here is one of the videos that show the Old Spice commercials being filmed. It looks like NBC has blocked the other one about being on a horse. Why were we talking about an old ad campaign? Because Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice guy, was in the movie.

Caleb, Lauri and I went to see The Three Stooges last night at the cheapie theater. It was fun if you like the old Stooges films. The new leads did an amazing job of channeling the characters. Larry David had a great part as one of the nuns.

I tried the new chef-inspired salad at Taco Bell last night. I thought it was pretty good (although it coasts more than most menu items at $4.79). It could have done with a bit more lettuce.

Listen, if I am going for the gold in my job, I need to start my warm-ups now. Have a great weekend.

The Hurrier I Go,...

the Behinder I get. That good news, though, right? It means I still have a job and people looking to me for information. So, let's get this post finished so I can finish yesterday's assignment and get going to today's.

We met KKCL for dinner last night at Fuddruckers and they gave me no small amount of grief for ordering a veggie burger. C went so far as to say that should not even be classified as a burger. He also asked if I would put lettuce and tomato and pickles on it, thereby adding more veggies to my veggie burger and should it now be called a double veggie burger. Is this a case of "You reap what you sow?"

From the book of Pahrump, Chapter 6, we read:
1. And Preacher Great Grandfather Singleton begat Organist Neen and his days were 80 years and change.
2. And Organist Neen begat Artist Mom and her days were 80 plus years.
3. And Artist Mom begat Preacher Bro, who begat Preacher-elect Nephew, and there was mild rejoicing.

This morning, I saw an ad on TV for a local vision correction company, but I wanted to do a work-related comic. This is what I ended up with.

Pahrump 3:7 And Preacher Bro said, "Lo. What doth hinder me from moving South of town into my own abode?" And there was a smidgen of rejoicing.

There is a contractor who periodically works out of our building. I only know him because he says hello each day, He arrives before most folks and I am one of the 2-3 that are in the building at the time (as you might guess, he came in a few minutes ago). I mention this because he bring donuts and offers me one. I have to take one. It is common courtesy. Wouldn't you?

I said that I had a whole lot to do this morning so I could not stay long in Blogville. And yet, I am still here. Which of course, reminds me of another verse. Pahrump 8:23b "...and there was great rejoicing."

K&A were quite tired after their first day of school yesterday. Enrollment is not ramping up very quickly at A's school, so she fears staff right-sizing may occur. I hope she is not affected. K's school is doing OK, and she has about 24 students right now.

Whatever else I may have to say can wait. We all need to get busy (or at least look busy. Am I right? Can I get an Amen?).

OK, I finished my glazed chocolate cake donut. I can now type without fear of donuting my keyboard. I am going to work now.

Being Bad in Badminton and Being Direct in Directing

Last night, as usual on Tuesdays, was Chorale practice. What was less than usual was the fact that our family made up about 15% of the group. Right now, Preacher Bro is in town with his better half and two halflings. So, counting myself and the folks, there were seven of us out of around 40 singers. And then, I directed one song, which is always fun. I think a good time was had by all.

And then, this morning, controversy in London erupts as several teams are disqualified for throwing a match in Olympics badminton so they could move up in the round robin tournament. That deserves some comment in today's CoV.

You know what? I am just going to have to meet the bathroom remodel contractor at a store and let him help me make the final choices. I am really stuck in getting our design completed and today is the first day of school, so all of us are sharing the one shower.

So, as I noted, K&A both have their first day with kids at school today. You can keep them in your prayers and I know they will both be exhausted at the end of the day. Luckily, we are meeting family at Fuddrucker's, so that'll be a nice ending to a long day.

We got K's car fixed a few weeks ago and it looks like something was not fixed correctly, so back we go. Don't you hate that? Thanks to Dad for the loan of one of his cars so we can leave K's Cavalier for a day or so.

Hey, you! In the back! I see your eyes glazing over. I guess I have been talking too much, huh? All right, we'll stop for now. I'll be here tomorrow. Will you?