Happy New Year!

Happy New Year. I wish a blessed and glorious 2014 for each of you.

Last Post of 2013 (Well, For Me, Anyway)

OK, I ended up going to the doctor about my persistent cough, and I guess it was a good thing. I have early stages of the flu and mild bronchitis. So, he put me on some medicine and, hopefully, it will impede further illness. I also asked him if a vegan diet might have anything to do with catching this, but he said, if it is balanced, it shouldn't matter.

And I am still eating vegan. Articles like this help keep me motivated for healthy eating since Alzheimer's does run on my mother's side of the family.

I am typing this while watching Boardwalk Empire. We got late start on TV because I waited over an hour at the docs. We won't have time for anything else tonight.

Have you ever seen a person creating art before your eyes? This is a shot I caught of a woman painting a scene at Balboa Park in San Diego.
























And the watercolor she created was certainly based on this location.
























And here is one from Telluride. She is painting the shaded path seen in the background.

OK, one more. Here's one from a trip to Zion National Park.

And she was drawing this view.

Yes, you did get five photos for the price of three today (two were clarifications of what the artist was trying to capture), but it's the end of the year. I will not publish any more in 2013. And I will give you one more Clarity of Vision, too.

Do y'all click on the links I share? You should check out this one. The art this dude can do with a nickel is amazing. No, not "for" a nickel, "with" a nickel.

How about an end of the year joke. You have probably heard this one before, but it is still a clever one.

Mom visits her son, who shares an apartment with a female. The son insists that the young woman is just a roommate, nothing more, but Mom senses that something else is going on. They have dinner and as the evening progresses, Mom's suspicions grow. But reading her thoughts, the son tells her, “I know what you're thinking, but I assure you, we share an apartment to save money, that's it."

A few days later, his roommate mentions that their silver plate has gone missing, ever since his mother came to visit. "You don't suppose she took it, do you?" she asks.

"I doubt it," he replies. "But I'll email her, just to be sure." He sits down and writes: Dear Mom, I'm not saying you ‘did' take the silver plate from my house. I'm not saying you ‘did not' take the silver plate. But the fact remains that it has been missing ever since you were here for dinner. Love, your son.

He receives an email back: Dear Son, I'm not saying you ‘do' sleep with your roommate, and I'm not saying you ‘do not' sleep with her. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her OWN bed, she would have found the silver plate by now, under her pillow… Love, Mom.

Y'all all have a great New Year's Eve and Day and I will meet you back here in 2014. It's gonna be a great year, my friends.

Written During a "Frozen" Dance Recital

I am writing this while watching the Dallas Cowboys fall to the SF 49ers, and the GRANDS are doing a dance recital to the Disney Frozen soundtrack. I already watched the AZ Cardinals end their season earlier today.

[Monday memories] Following the Frozen songs, JV decided it would be funny to walk around to each of us wearing his blankie on his head. Crazy kid.

This past weekend, we went to see Apple: A Beatles Tribute band. They did kind of wear similar outfits, but they are not trying to imitate the look of the Beatles. They did sound a lot like them, though. And they did some less common songs that we pretty fun (for instance, when was the last time you heard Tomorrow Never Knows?). The venue, however, was less than ideal, but we landed on the very front row. The main speakers were behind us, so we were not blasted out. However, the vocals did not feed through the monitor speakers, so we heard them more faintly.

Time Travel time. Here is our Bass Pro Shop experience this year.

And here it is for 2012. We did not get a chance with Santa that year.

And finally, in December 2011, pre-JV.

Today's CoV is a challenge everyone who holds conference calls faces.

I am not finding any more stories to share with you this morning. Did you all have a good Christmas week? I know we did.

Alas, it is a workday, and the stuff does not seem to be completing itself, so I reckon I'll get involved. See you tomorrow.

Where Shall We Eat Today, Kids?

We had a great holiday with the GRANDS. Here are some candid shots I caught of our grandson.

Curious.

Sad.

Happy.

Actually, he does smile and he and I have a great time together. This past weekend, he got into a reading mood, and I read the same four-five books innumerable times. I had forgotten that from when my kids were young. I just thought these photos were funny because I was trying to get him to smile about his new gift, but you can see what I got most often.

One thing the GRANDS like is eating (and playing, of course) at Golden Arches. They have an employee website with this photo posted on it. Even they know better than to eat there.

Do you remember that the President spoke at ASU graduation a few years ago. I wrote this soon afterward.

We are watching another episode of Sleepy Hollow as I write this. On the show, the had a scene where someone played a glass armonica (invented by Ben Franklin). Have you ever heard of it? I will admit that I could not remember the name of it.

Just after the Christmas season, I came across this article talking about all of the Bible-based movies coming up in 2014. Some of them sound pretty interesting. However, Ridley Scott should probably find better words to describe his movie.

Great. Now, carmakers are encouraging fast starts and automating the feature. And on a Jeep, no less.

[Friday Fussing] Man, I have got this stinking, nagging cough. I do not feel bad, just cannot stop coughing. I took Dayquil earlier, so let's see if that helps.

The parking lot looked a bit more crowded this morning than yesterday, but I still expect a Friday Light amount of people in the office. Either way, though, I have some things I need to knock out while my clients are on vacation. Have a great weekend.

O Christmas Three, O Christmas Three

I hope you had a Merry Christmas. We did.

Wait. What did he just say? O Christmas Three, not Tree? Time for three Christmas photos, right?

I am thinking we do not have enough gifts here. How about you?

I am thinking we do not have enough food here. How about you?

I am thinking their food looks like a lot more fun than mine. How about you?

I am thinking we can learn something from movies that we see. How about you?

As you might surmise by the fact that there is a new blog post today, I am indeed at work. Well, by the time you read this, I will be. Right now, it is still Christmas evening and I am watching an episode of Sleepy Hollow. We watched some of A Christmas Story. Did yo catch any of it this year? I truly has become a classic.

[PC Thursday (Post-Christmas)] Man, it is quiet in the office. Sure, it is still early, but there were only 8 cars in the parking lot when I came in, instead of the normal 14-16. And the commute was really light. And there were only 8 messages in my inbox. I expect it to stay quiet through the day. Are any of you having to work today? I know a lot of people are taking today and tomorrow off so there weekend can be reallly long. I don't blame you, but I want to save my days for the annual Spring and Fall breaks. Plus, we hit Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and that cost me three days of vacay.

One thing I want to do during the holidays is catch a movie or two. There are several we want to see, so we just need to check our schedule against movie times and see which times work. I want to see Anchorman 2, Hunger Games 2, Hobbit 2, Thor 2, maybe Walter Mitty, Saving Mr Banks. Movies I did not see this year, but thought they looked interesting: Lincoln, Oz (because I read most of the original books), Burt Wonderstone, Man of Steel, Despicable Me 2, Wolverine 2, Gravity, Captain Phillips. How did I remember all those names? I checked out this site which lists the movies released during the year.

Did I dump too much info on you for the day after a holiday? Probably, but maybe this is the beginning of a list-type post for the end of 2013. Or maybe not since I am not sure what others lists I have. For today, though, we've shared enough. Go enjoy your day off or your nice, slow workday, or whatever is on tap. I need to knock out a couple of emails around 8am, so I will post this and get going.

Two Days Until Christmas!

Did you sing a bunch of Christmas hymns at church yesterday? We did three hymns and then the praise team led a new chorus. The hymns were those new, jazzy arrangements. Still, at least the choruses sounded like the good old stuff I remember. The 6-CD changer in the car is full of only Christmas CDs. Whoo hoo.

And the sermon was very good, but I especially enjoyed Sunday School. We saw a video where a dude scientifically identified what he thinks the Christmas star was. I haven't looked through the entire website yet, but since it is math-based, he had me at hello. He feels he has proven that Jesus was born around June, 2BC, and crucified on April 3, 33AD. I have your attention now, right? And what was the star? I won't tell you yet. Check the Bethlehem Star site and see if he shares it.

When is your Christmas Eve service. Ours are mid-afternoon, leaving families time to participate and still have time that evening for their own private time. We will go to ours, then have an early dinner with family.

We kept the GRANDS last night, so I didn't get around to loading any photos. We had KNW's birthday party Saturday night, then the kids last night. We've had a lot of fun.

Want a grrrrrreat discount of reallllly pricey ribs? Check out this grocery store sign.

Tired of plain cocoa (hot chocolate)? Try some of these ideas. Well, I mean, if you want to. In years past, I would get a daily cup of cocoa during the winter. Now, I can't handle that much sugar. Still, these ideas could almost tempt me to try some of them.

Let's go ahead and look at a new (well, old, but not seen in a while) Clarity of Vision.

Do you get any additional days off from work? I mean, besides Christmas Day. Do any of you have jobs where you have to work on Wednesday? What about next week around New Year's Day?

Have you been following this Duck Dynasty uproar? The father is certainly staying true to his beliefs. I pray I could be so strong and resolute.

I'm sure Daughter-in-Love already knows these cookie baking tips, and I knew most, but I did not know part of #2. Curious what that is? Check it out.

Probably no blog post tomorrow, but never say never. Of course, I didn't say never, and sometimes I do say never, and other times, I say probably. You probably understood me from the beginning, so let's move on.

I will not say thanks for reading me during 2013 yet, saving that for sometime next week. I can say, "Have a Great and Blessed Christmas Holiday!" I'll see you later in the week.

Last Friday Before Christmas

Our PM Holiday party went well and we had a good time. It seemed almost everyone tried at least one piece of the Beyond Meat Buffalo Wings, and most liked them. They still left enough for us vegan types. I ended up with a travel mug and cocoa, tea and caramel coffee mixes.

ZooLights is still going on, but here is a shot I lucked out to capture at ZooLights six years ago.

The colors in that photo remind me of the nice colors I captured on the Riverwalk in San Antonio a few years ago.

I do not have a clever transition from photos to CoV, so let's just look at it.

GRANDS are spending Sunday night with us. Before that, though, we are having a b-day celebration for middle GRAND on Saturday. Before that, though, I have to make it through another workday. Boo. Those other things sound more fun, right?

Do any of you still watch Saturday Night live (SNL)? Back in the day (whenever that means), we stopped, but have been watching again for the last few years. Anyway, we like Taran Killam. Can you guess which of his characters he likes the most? This will let you know and show you one of the skits. They are funny.

We only watch(ed) two of the top five, and one of the bottom five TV programs from this story. How about you?

In checking my notes for the blog, I don't find anything queued up for use, so unless I think of something else to say before I end this paragraph, I will let you get your weekend on.

Nope. Nothing. Have a great weekend and I'll visit with you soon.

Ten Eleven

Do you remember what you were doing on October 11? I'll give you a moment to think about it.

Well, anything? What if I asked you about Oct 11, 2012? Oct 11, 2011? I remember them all because that seems to be a day we are always on our fall trip. Let's start with this year, 2013. Here is a shot driving west out of Telluride, CO. I liked the bright colors against the drabness of the day.

Let's look back one year to 2012. We were south of Ouray looking at an old suspension bridge from the mining days. The linked article notes "The slurry bridge across Corkscrew Gulch, still intact today, was once the longest suspension bridge in Colorado."

Hey, Dad. I found out that part of the road we travel on West Dallas Creek is owned by Ralph Lauren. Who'd'a thunk.

So, two years ago, way back in 2011, we were in central California at Yosemite National Park up on Sentinel Dome, looking at the Upper Falls. To our right is Half Dome.

I was going to show you the CoV for Oct 11, 2010, but for the same reason I have photos of our trips above, I did not create a CoV on any of those days. So, we'll just continue the journey backwards, moving now to May 8, 2009.

We went out with the folks last night to celebrate his birthday. Whoo hoo. A wild time was had by all. Maybe not so wild, but he did get a free dessert. And they had a veggie burger that i could eat.

Today is the fourth annual PM Christmas Party (that name is probably trademarked, so don't go repeating it all around town). I ended up getting "Beyond Meat" Buffalo Wings. I brought some salad makings to serve with them. Let's see how much of it gets eaten. Unfortunately, I left my White Elephant gift at home, so I will need to make a dash home later this morning.

I've had those wings before in a wrap, but today, they are individual wings. And with that, today's post is a wrap, but don't try to eat it. You'll probably get indigestion just from reading it anyway.

Birthday Greetings

He is known by many names. To some, it may seem he has been around forever. To others, he is their youngest sibling and may be perceived as a spring chicken. To me, he is Dad and I wish him a Happy Birthday!

The trees here are still gaining their fall colors, but I don't see anything with colors as bright as we saw in Colorado earlier this year.

And while we have many beautiful sunsets, I haven't seen anything look like this peak.

And my daily commute looks nothing like this.

But my CoV looks exactly like this (or at least it did back in the day).

Speaking of adventures in CO and CoV makes me think of Disney California Adventure which makes me think of the World of Color. They have a new one called Winter Dreams. You should check out some of their info about it here.

For some reason, I thought of Birkhill Castle near St. Andrews, Scotland, last night. I think that I saw mention of someone names Siobhan (pronounced shuh-vahn)and that is who we corresponded with and interacted with with when stayed at that castle back in 2004. According to their website, she is the Countess of Dundee. So, I searched back through this blog to find a photo to repost, but I did not start the blog until Summer, 2005. I know. It feels like a lot longer to me, too.

No, I am not bragging. Is that one of the seven deadly sins? Here is a map of the US where the seven deadly sins are the most prevalent.

The Beatles may be bragging after releasing new outtakes of classic songs. I imagine they are selling well. However, Paul may not be bragging about his twelve weirdest songs.

Let's end today using the title of another Beatles song, The End. As always, your continued readership is appreciated.

Pre-Christmas Season Continues

On Monday, we had a team Christmas lunch together. Three of the five of us are now vegans, so we wanted a placed where we could eat healthy food. We all chose to get "Vegetarian Chickpea-Fennel Sausage Meatball Sub with Roasted Onions and Peppers, Marinara and Provolone Cheese with fresh fruit." We asked them to skip the cheese. It was really good.

We have a Project Manager party on Thursday and I still have not chosen a veggie-friendly main dish. This is not good.

If I remember correctly, Mrs. Claus was saying, "Sure, he may be jolly and old, but he's no saint."

Everyone here was really happy because Santa said, "Mrs. Claus said that? Then I'm coming to live with you."

However, they had to give up their car for Santa's mode of transportation. You can see how happy it made the family.

Let's say "Hasta la vista" to this silly theme and get back to a classic CoV.

Now, let's say "Say What?" to this unsettling report (at least, it is unsettling to me). People and animal robots that are actually looking like something from a sci-fi movie. What do y'all think?

Less unsettling is this story from Conan O'Brien about newscasters. That is not so surprising to me.

And whether you've seen it once, twice or ten times, this type of story is always interesting. Did Jennifer Lawrence really need to be airbrushed in the first place?

Did you hear that? It's the sound of work needing to be done today, so I need to head outta here. We'll visit again soon, my friends.

Countdown to Christmas

How was your weekend? Mine was busy.

Two concerts, a birthday party, a work Christmas party, looking at Christmas lights, having the GRANDS for a while, the season finale of Survivor...all of that added together means I did not get around to uploading any photos for today's blog entry. I thought I would get preemptive before you went crazy wondering about that.

One of the birthday gifts is a copy of the newest Straight No Chaser CD and tickets to see them in concert. Sounds fun, right? You don't know about them? Check out this video of their version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Speaking of work Christmas parties, we have an org-level one coming up on Thursday. I am supposed to bring a main dish. I would really like to bring a vegan one, but am not sure what translates as a main dish. It would be nice to show people that vegans can eat some tasty stuff, too.

And before you start wondering about this, here is today's Blast-From-The-Past Clarity of Vision.

Yeee Hawww! The Cowboys have an almost insurmountable lead at halftime. Oh wait. The Packers are catching up. Wait, Romo, don't throw now. Nooooo. So much for the playoffs. Probably.

Are you ready for Christmas? I think MBH has taken care of that for us. I chose not to put up the outside lights this year. I could try to justify that by mentioning how brief the time was between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but really, I just didn't feel like it. I suppose I might have if there were another 7-10 days there, but maybe not.

At work, we have to reboot our machines at least once a week. When I plugged in this morning, it seems I must do that this morning and it started a timer that will force it if I do not reboot by hand. My time is counting down, so I will finish this and let it restart.

Thanks But No Thanks, Best Buy

We received a delivery from Best Buy on Thursday night. Interesting, since we did not order anything from them. The name on the front was not us, and the street name had three of the same letters, and the numbers were the same. So, USPS brought it here. We opened it and I got a name from the packing slip and found him by Googling a bit. I dropped it by his front porch and left without telling him. I a, sure he will wonder who came by and opened the box but took nothing.

We watched the first Sing-Off tonight. We are still two episodes behind, so don't spoil it for me.The GRANDS said something about judge Ben Folds reminds them of me. That's kind of fun to think of, since I do like him on this program.

Let's return to the amusement park for a bit.

Two kids, B and K, talk to Princess Tiana on the riverboat.

Two granddaughters, B and K, posing with Merida.

Two silhouettes, Walt and Mickey, in front of the castle.

Two cube mates talking, at least as envisioned by me 4-1/2 years ago.

[Friday Final Feelings] We have our department Christmas party this afternoon. Apparently, many people are boycotting to express their discontent with the CIO. True, many of his decisions and the recent layoffs (plus the ones last year where I was caught) seem arbitrary, but couldn't we all just get along? What about you? Would you skip a party to show an executive that you disagree with him? The question for me is...how long do I have to stay there before I can fashionably leave? It's Friday afternoon. I have a Chorale concert tonight. Of course I would like to use the party as an excuse to leave early.

Well, it is Friday the 13th, but I do not expect any bad luck. Hmm, unless I cannot leave the party early. OK, have a great weekend.

Mary and an Angel Appeared to Me Last Night

We went to see the granddaughters in a church nativity play last night, so no photos today. One was Mary and one was an angel (in the first play and a member of a a wandering singing group in the second). Children's plays are always fun, aren't they?

I met with our financial management company yesterday to see if any changes are needed as we enter the last few pre-retirement years. We did decide to add an annuity that will pay a guaranteed amount for a little assurance against a somewhat volatile stock market. It seems weird to really be planning for this (and telling you about it). And for you younger types, read this and make sure you are thinking ahead.

Hmm, It seems I shared a writing credit on a CoV back in 2009. I cannot remember doing this any other time, so she must have really refined the idea instead of me just hearing a phrase an capturing it.

Does your family have an Elf on the Shelf? Does your elf appear in any photos. Check these out. Pretty clever.

This article shows the reality behind airbrushed ads. I enjoyed reading it.

It looks like this week's SNL is new. These promo videos are really funny and I hope the show delivers on what they promise.

Do you hate robot sales calls? I do, and thanks to my cable displaying who is calling, I never answer a phone number I don't know. Anyway, listen to this guy pushing back and challenging if the voice is real or robotic.

And with that, our time for now has come to an end. We will visit again soon, and no, I am not a robot.

Good Morning, Good Morning, Good

I am writing the first part of this blog before Chorale practice as I watch the most recent Homeland. Wow. What is going to happen before the mid-season finale?

Today's post title is brought to you by The Beatles. It is some of the lyrics from the song Good Morning. Since we are talking about mornings, let's check out a breakfast from our hotel last week. Here are the girls enjoying their pancakes. BTW, yesterday was the younger one's birthday. Happy Birthday, KNW! Doesn't she look older?

Not to be outdone, here is JV enjoying his pancakes.

And finally, we are getting ready to enter the park for the day.

Did you read that Disney bought Star Wars (Lucasfilm)? I was apparently using the Force on my Clarity of Vision back in 2009.

OK, it is Wednesday morning and I have more to say.

While there are newer and perhaps more elaborate Christmas light displays, this one is short and clever. If you want to see some others, this article lists several.

Having trouble finding that perfect gift for your loved one? Who doesn't love chocolate (besides IT Sis)?

What brings the season to mind better than carols? I know you are tempted to say a new Britney CD, but you would be wrong. Duck Dynasty Christmas Carols.

I have not seen Frozen, but I do know about Hidden Mickeys. Apparently, there are some in the movie. Did any of you see them?

Has What Does the Fox Say? been out long enough for a parody? Of course. What Does the Spleen Do?

I have played long enough. I need to knock out some real work before my lunchtime meeting with my financial adviser. I plan to be back real soon, though.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Do you ever drive somewhere (especially a familiar place) and get there, only to realize you do not remember the journey? I certainly have. What about typed something and not think about the typing activity itself? Or if someone asks you about where a key is on the keyboard, you have to physically manipulate your fingers as if typing to find the key? Scientists have determined that you type without thinking at all of the keys themselves. That's kind of funny, right?

Did you notice a minimum of activity on the blog the last couple of days. We took a quick spin over to California to have fun at an amusement park. Which park did we choose? Well, here is the official welcome we got from one of the employees there. You can see that JV really liked seeing Minnie.

Sure, I took a few photos while we were there. I remember, one day, when we.... No wait, I don't remember going to the park that day. Maybe I have photo-taking impairment effect?

And it was my first visit with the newest area in the park...Cars Land. Oh yeah, it was as cool as I had heard.

Here is one more shot of the new land. Oh, buy the way, the moon up above was done by God, not Disney. I know. I was surprised, too.

We wore our coats everyday in the park, and at night, it really felt cold. Luckily, it was not quite as cold as the temps in this place.

I ate pretty well during our visit, and I noticed that all the adults seem to be reducing their intake of soda. Studies like this indicate it is happening more frequently now.

We drove over to LA and did not fly nor take a cruise. However, many people seem to do both of those, as I noted back in 2009.

I hear the factory whistle going off, telling me to get to work. So, I will since they pay the bills. Until later, my friends.