A Nephew Walks Into a ...

Sounds like the start of a joke, right? It is not. A nephew and his family passed through tonight on their way to their new home in Colorado Springs. So, we went by the folks' house to have dinner with them (they had pizza and wings, I had salad and fruit and broccoli) and we had a great visit with the family. JV+KLIK were there, too. Keep them in your prayers and he is leaving the Navy and looking for a job up there.

A requiem for The Office (the American version, not the British one, although my Salesman Son prefers the original). Anyway, it was a good show. I had to include an actual quote from Dwight Shrute in today's CoV.













Remember that I told you how much rain we had in Flagstaff? If not, go look it up. It was probably a couple of weeks ago. I'll wait. OK, after one of the showers, I saw this area with a lot of daisies and I liked the look of the raindrops on the petals.

As I write this on Thursday night, we are watching Whose Line Is It Anyway. There is a new skit this season (at least, I don't remember it from past years) called What's in the Bag? You can find it on youtube.

Another of the skits they performed was Helping Hands. You should check one of them out on youtube, too.

I do not want to lose weight in this new diet of mine. Unfortunately, I am down five pounds. So, I need to be sure I eat sufficient calories and protein. Well, I had several meetings Thursday and did not reach my goal on either. I had about 1071 calories (I should be around 2100) and about 30 grams of protein (and I should be at 70). I ended up bringing home a lot of the fruit I carried in this morning (although I ate some of it with dinner). I will do better tomorrow. I promise.

Check out the title of this article from drudgereport.com.  The middle one. Do you think it is saying that 1 in 25 of the people in the CDC use sleeping pills? That must be one boring place. OK, maybe the CDC is saying the 1 in 25 of Americans use sleeping pills. We'll never know because I did not read the actual article. I just liked the headline.

I don't stay up to watch any of the late night talk shows, but I did see this mentioned on Yahoo and decided to check it out. Yeah, it's a short clip, but clever.

I also watched a longer clip of two dudes doing Parkour and editing the video to make it a real-life Super Mario Brother's game. You should watch through the end and see what happens.

OK, we've had fun this week, but it is time to top having fun...I mean, it is time to get some work done. We will get together on Tuesday since we should all be not laboring on Labor Day.

Another Hump Day Behind Us

We are on the downhill of my first week in this new project. I have two subprojects (we are calling them workstreams) that are fairly simple and one that will be my biggest challenge. That's good, although right now, I am feeling a bit behind the eight ball. So far, I have avoided getting a company cell phone. (Where's he going with this? I though we were talking about projects?) Yesterday, I had a conference call scheduled at 4pm, so I dialed in from home. Nobody was there, so I decided it was later in the week (I am still rearranging my schedule for this project). Anyway, they had changed the time but I didn't know that because I did not login to the work calendar. Oops. I missed the call. I dropped my current supervisor an apologetic note once I found out what happened later last night.

I did a CoV and a photo upload on Wednesday night, but the rest of today's post was written today. Last night, though, I worked on this during BB and Face Off. This morning, as I type, I am looking over the East Valley from my workspace on the 9th floor of a company building.

Once you get started, it is hard not to keep going on and on about the weird names celebrities choose for their children. However, I only have a few panels, so I had to stop.













It is not everyday that you see a scarecrow protecting a field of sunflowers. That is exactly what we saw in Flagstaff a couple of weeks ago. I guess it works, though, since there are so many flowers. Maybe they grow them commercially for the seeds or to make oil or something?

As I scan the interweb, I will often find something that I want to share with you. Then, on the day I create a new post, I look back through my email and find links or pictures or whatever and add them to that post. Just now, I looked back through my stuff and....nothing. It seems I have posted all the interesting stuff already. So, I guess I've got nothing else for you. Still, thanks for stopping by.

Late to Bed, Early to Rise Makes a Man Tired

Let's jump into today's post with both feet. Yes, I said today's post as it is being written entirely on the morning during which it is posted. We will start with another vegan-themed Clarity of Vision.























I had Chorale practice last night, so I did not take the time afterward to sit down and search for a new photo. Sorry. And this new project assignment keeps me busy during the day, so...no photo unless I load it the night before.

Here's an interesting infographic that all of my US-based readers may find interesting. You can see the ethnic breakdown of your local community, no matter which state you live in. I checked mine and it looks pretty accurate.

Another state-based graphic is one that shows a new distribution of states if we were to split them such that every state had equal population. And it has some interesting new names for the states.

OK, my new supervisor keeps talking work-stuff to me, so I need to let us all focus to today. Hopefully, I can get this written earlier tomorrow since this guy arrives much earlier than my official boss.

It's a New Team Tuesday

I started working with a new project and a new team Monday. I am not sure what I think about it yet. It seems like they don't really needs PMs and just need project coordinators. However, I will do my best and see what is really involved before I really know what I think. After all, I don't even have full access to the project information yet.

What's on TV as I write this? Cutthroat Kitchen. Have you seen it? We enjoyed it, although it is simply a repackaging of Chopped with added ways to place restrictions on opponents.

Does your company offer any match on your 401K contributions? Mine does, and I always put in at least enough to get their full amount available. Well, this article counsels that you should only put on enough for the match and then put the rest you want to save into a Roth IRA because you can pull from it at retirement tax-free. Yes, tax-free!

I do have full access to recipes and ingredients for a healthy diet. So, I am still eating vegan/vegetarian kind of stuff. So, it is still good food for thought. Get it? Good food?















While we are on the cooking theme, I have a question, and you have to answer truthfully. Do you pay any attention to how you load the cutlery in your dishwasher? We have had the forks up or down discussion in our house. As you can read here, one way is better than the others, plus there are some other cleaning tips. We can all learn something from this.

Do y'all remember that chipmunk video on the internet where the duh-duh-duh music played while he turned and looked sideways the camera? This squirrel outside our room in Flagstaff reminds me of him.

One other work-related snippet. This new assignment means we work in one building Monday and Friday, and another on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. And neither of them is where my normal desk is. So, I need to go find the room where we sit. Yes, that's correct. We are all working around a table and do not have our own work space.

[Tuesday's Tales] Before I go in, though, I've got a dentist checkup. So, for the first time in quite a while, this post is written entirely at home. That means I have he TV on in the background. This morning, it is a local news program. Right now, they are talking about "dudeoir" photos with men posing in sexy ways.

Rooting For You 100,000%

That quote came up in Big Brother on Sunday night (actually, I am writing this during BB on Sunday night). How's that for a huuuge percentage? We also watched Breaking Bad, which was excellent. We have no idea how the series will end yet. Hey, did all the shows we watched start with 'BB'?

We also went shopping and I did buy some more vegan stuff. And we did do some pantry and refrigerator cleaning to make room for the food. I really do need to cook some of it. Here is another way to see it.













I played Formula D with the Games Gang on Friday during lunch. Well, I started off playing. They decided to play for two laps. I was ahead at the end of lap 1, but it had already taken one hour. So, I had to drop out. They finally finished after two hours. I just don't have that kind of time. Would you?

Did y'all watch that video I shared last week? You remember? The Animaniacs? Anyway, here is a parody they did of the Marx Brothers' movie Duck Soup. Actually here is part 2.

Did I share any of the maps that will help you make sense of the world? I cannot remember and I'm too lazy to look back through previous posts, so here is that link.

[Monday Memorandum] I found out Friday afternoon that I am on some kind of temporary assignment to another organization to be one of the PMs on a project. I think it is supposed to finish in October. In the meantime, my projects will either go on hold or be transferred to another member of the team. What will I be doing? Will I have to change my hours? Do I have access to the parking and buildings I will be working in? Stay tuned. I will let you know.

I Hope Jack is Well

We are scheduled to keep the GRANDS tonight, but I know Jack was sick earlier in the week. I hope he is well enough to stay. We don't really have anything specific planned except some swimming. There is a chance of rain, but as long as there is no lightning, we can still use the pool. After all, we are going to get wet anyway.

Yes, there is an actual conference room on one of our floors called Flamingo.

Have you ever been geocaching? You use GPS coordinates to find a hidden item or place. Now, it looks like a game has incorporated similar elements. Sounds cool...if you have an Android smartphone. I don't.

Do you remember a cartoon program from the early 90s called Animaniacs? They were a totally crazy group who did parodies of music, TV, movies. I am not sure what made me think of that show, but I do remember an excellent take off of Les Miserables. If you haven't seen it, watch Les Miseranimals.

I am watching Face Off as I write this on Thursday night. They are doing Frankenstein-inspired creatures tonight (tonight being when I watch, not necessarily when it was recorded).

Have you ever eaten dragon fruit? It's a lot like kiwi (the fruit, not the people where NZ Niece is living), but a bit milder tasting. Anyway, I saw one at Whole Foods and decided to try it. I like it.

Let me give you an update on my ever-so-much-fun vegan diet. I decided to use fatsecret.com to make sure I am getting enough protein. So, I started my journal on Wednesday and so far, my numbers look....OK. Wednesday - 43g protein, 101g sugar. Thursday - 53g protein, 162g sugar. I need to get over 65g protein and my sugars down below 60g. True, it is not as bad as it could be since mine are all from fruit. I just need to increase my veggie intake. Remember, my goal is to get off the cholesterol pills and reduce the buildup of plaque in my arteries. Yes, it is possible. read this quote from Dr. Esselstyn's website.

Drop in cholesterol levels: After 5 years on Dr. Esselstyn’s plant-based diet, the average total cholesterol levels of his research group dropped from 246 milligrams per deciliter to 137 mg/dL (Above 240 mg/dL is considered “high risk,” below 150 mg/dL is the total cholesterol level seen in cultures where heart disease is essentially nonexistent.) This is the most profound drop in cholesterol ever documented in the medical literature in a study of this type.

Cardiac events: The 17 patients in the study had 49 cardiac events in the years leading up to the study, and had undergone aggressive treatment procedures. Several had multiple bypass operations. After beginning the eating plan, there were no more cardiac events in the group within a 12-year period.

Angiogram evidence: Angiograms taken of the participants in the study show a widening of the coronary arteries, and thus a reversal of the disease.

I brought in my kale salad and California quinoa for lunch. That's better from a vegetable point of view. Of course, I also have my fruit...apple, orange, cherries, grapes, blueberries...you know, those fruits with high sugar. Give me a break. I am still in the transition period from the Standard American Diet.

And with that, I will bid you adieu. Now, unless you see my bid and raise me, we will end this week and head into the weekend. We pick up the GRANDS in about 12 hours, so I'd better rest all day to be ready for their energy. I'm not as young as I used to be (there's a dumb statement, right?).

It's Because We Were Grocery Shopping

Even I never know when ideas for this blog will come to me, nor when I will sit down and take the time to compose a post. On Tuesday, I did find time to write the post that night for publishing Wednesday. Wednesday night, though, I did not start today's post. We grabbed some Mediterranean food and then went fruit and veggie shopping. So, we got home a little later than normal and settled in to watch Big Brother and Face-Off. So, what you read is totally fresh stuff, just picked this morning (pretty clever, right? We were shopping for produce and now I make a fresh-picked reference).

Anyway, even though the post is whatever thoughts come to me as I write, today's CoV has actually been ripening on the creative vine for a month or so since before school started.













While the article itself may be new, the data it is sharing has been growing for ten years. Check out this really cool video of 10 years of North American weather.

Do you know anyone who is moving sometime soon? If so, you might remind them that packing and sorting time is a perfect time to update their home inventory. Why is it a good great idea? Read the article, dude. That's why I shared it.

NZ Niece, I want to roast veggies (and chickpeas). I really do. It's just that the house is up near 85F in the early afternoon, so heating the oven would make it even warmer until the A/C comes on at 8pm. Maybe I can get some stuff done on the weekend when we keep the house down around 74F all day. I did buy some quinoa salad and kale salad while we were shopping last night. Today, though, is leftovers from our meal last night. I have half of a lavosh portobello veggie wrap. Sounds good, right? It is.

I am usually reading a book on my Kindle and a different one in print. The point of this paragraph, though, is to say how poorly some of the Kindle stuff is edited or proofread. The one I am reading now has paragraphs weirdly formatted, missing letters at the beginning of some words, chapters that do not begin at the next page, etc. Speaking of Kindle, though, I do not like that I cannot sort my books by any groupings or categories of my own choosing. Kindle also does not give me any details about the books or its metadata. So, if I want to remember what the book is about when I am choosing the next one to read, I have to check amazon.com and read about it. Is the iPad better about that?

As so often happens, I am beginning to hear a few people arriving, so I will leave you to visit with them. Do not feel slighted, though. I did give you some alone time with me before they showed up. Have a groovy day.

Hey, Don't Mess With My Mine

Do you have anything or any place that you have watched for a long time and you see it gradually falling apart? No, I am not talking about what I see in the mirror every morning, although it does fit my description. No, we have some mine ruins that we visit every time we return to the mountains of southwestern Colorado. This is a photo of Yankee Girl mine from 10/9/12. Yes, NZ Niece, I did take this shot. Next time we are there, I will probably capture the same shots.

So, are you feeling upbeat about your home? Let's see how it compares to the numbers about female celebrities' homes.

Yes, our team bonding events have a limited budget. Sure, we can pretty much whatever we choose within that financial constraint, Might someone use the activity as a way to make a little money? It's possible.













I am nervous that I am not taking in enough protein. I have a lot of fruit and carrots during the day, but I don't think there is much protein in those. The soup I have been eating for dinner has a bunch of veggies and black beans, so I know I am getting some there. I found some vegan breakfast bread that I have one piece of each day has protein, but I don't know if it is sufficient. One site says I need about 70g per day. Well, a medium apple has 0.5g, a banana has 1.25g, 1 cup of blackberries has 2g, 1 cup of cherries has 1.5g, a cup of grapes has 1g, 1 cup of carrots has 1.2g. A medium baked potato has 4.3g, but how many of those can I eat in one day? I did just finish a nice quinoa (remember that is pronounced keen-wah), which has 18g per cup, so that helped. One cup of black beans (which I have in that soup) contains 13g. I had tofu throughout the weekend, and 1 cup has 20g. Hey, I'm feeling better.

More Obamacare fallout, at UPS this time. It's getting scary, folks.

If you were surfing the interweb and came across a banner claiming liver tumors were removed with an iPad, how would you interpret that? Let me ask that a different way...how do you think I would interpret it? You are correct. My first thought was, "I would prefer they used a scalpel. It's a lot sharper."

I didn't really watch much TV last night because of Chorale practice. We do need to get ahead on DVR usage since the Fall premieres are coming up in early September. I do see that Hollywood Game Night has been renewed for a second season. That's a fun show.

It's Pretty Hit and Miss, Right?

You can never tell if I will have personal photos or not. You can never know if I have a lot to say or nothing, but either way, I will say it. You never know if I wrote it at night while watching TV or the morning of posting while sitting at my desk. Hey, is there a difference in content or interest depending on when I create it?

This one is written at work. I watched Dexter last night and there is no way you can concentrate on a blog during that program. There are only four episodes left. Whew! We also watched the last Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. I liked it.

But that's home stuff; you know, personal stuff. So, I decided to get back to a work-related theme in today's Clarity of Vision.














"Associate Director of Human Resources Carla Macias informed employees that effective August 31, they will no longer be full-time employees of Forever 21." Did you see that announcement yesterday? Are you surprised that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has a dark side? Don't you think some other companies will follow suit?

Speaking of things you need to see, check out this cake. It's pretty bad.

How does this sound? I wonder if I could tweak the recipe to make it viable for my dietary restrictions? You know, wheat flour, no oil, no dairy, etc.

Did you see that NZ Niece has a new posting? I did, and it has a gorgeous sunset shot. Go look right now.

You have been so kind to stay with me all the way to this sentence. And now, to this one. And this one. OK, enough teasing. Let's start today (or end it if you are in NZ). Until next time.

50 Degrees of Grey

From the time we left Flagstaff until we got home, just over two hours, the temperature rose 50 degrees. Yeah, that was pretty gross. It certainly made our spirits gray. Luckily, we took a brief detour to see Granite Dells near Prescott. I have seen photos for years, but never taken the time to visit. I will share photos when I upload them.

Did y'all ever take a school field trip to a planetarium? There was a cool one over near Fair Park in Dallas when I was growing up, and I seem to remember going there a bunch of times. I wonder what this next generation thinks of them and their brief shows on the rounded ceiling?













Yeah, that's what I thought they would think.

We heard some fun songs the other night at Black Bart's in Flagstaff. Some songs were the same as our last trip (Step In Time from Mary Poppins) as sung by all the guys, and some were new to the show (Into the Woods from Into the Woods by Sondheim). I had the veggie kabobs and a baked potato and they were pretty good. Seems like MBH had a chicken dish.

We did find a pretty good vegetarian place that we hit twice this weekend; Mountain Oasis. I tried the Pineapple and Tofu Salad and had the Mountain Oasis Thai dish the second time. I don't see that they have a website, so no link for this one. MBH had a wrap one of the times, but I don't find the name in any of the online menus.

We tried to hike on both Saturday and Sunday, but it ended up raining on us both times. So, we hit to the pool and did some aerobics. Hey, did you know that Aerobics was started by a Dallas-based doctor in the 60s?

Six more episodes of Breaking Bad. I cannot imagine any scenario where they let the lead character live, can you? Wow, it is a dark show.

Monday seems to be breaking out all around me, so I reckon I will break with them. We can get back together on Tuesday.

The End of This Year's Wedding Anniversary

Thanks to a gift from JC+KLIK, we actually celebrated part of our anniversary back in June with a trip to San Diego. Then, we had our actually anniversary last week. This weekend, we will take a quick trip up to Flagstaff to escape the heat and end our anniversary summer. There are a number of places where we can eat vegan.

Did you realize that today is when the King died. No, not the King of Kings. I am talking about someone who was filmed from the waist up because of the obscene way he shook his pelvis while singing. Yeah, that's right. Elvis Presley died back in 1977. No, I do not remember where I was when it happened.

I do remember where I was when the inspiration for today's CoV happened. I was with the person, at lunch, playing a game. It was just last week.













Are any of you feeling Ouray withdrawal? After all, none of us have been there this summer (that I know of). If so, you can at least read about the Million Dollar Highway in this article. A stretch of road in Phoenix is mentioned, also.

Speaking of summer, whose music will always be associated with that season? Sure, The Beach Boys. Check out the horrendous job of lip synching they do in this video clip.

As I wrap up today's post, please take a few minutes to finish eating and have a seat. This next paragraph is a little distasteful.

The Games Gang got together at lunch yesterday. I did not make it, but I was involved in the emails as they planned it and I saw which game they were to play. Yes, it is a real game. Yes, one of them decided it was worth buying. Would you buy and play a game called Poo: The Card Game? I have not played it yet, although it has been proposed on prior lunchtimes.

I brought fruit and carrots for today's between meals snacking. Not as much fun as a Snickers, but a whole lot healthier for me. Do I feel different yet? Not that I notice. I did see a couple of recipes on NZ Niece's Pinterest boards that I will try (with a couple of tweaks to remove milk, cheese and oil). Will I be good while traveling? I will try. Maybe we'll carry a cooler with some snackable fruits and veggies.

OK, y'all have a good weekend and I will catch you on the flip-flop. Does that sentence remind you of any song? OK, enough. Let's get today underway, OK?

I Need to Eat More. Can You Say That?

At lunch on Wednesday, I had grilled veggie cooked with no oil, and added black beans for some extra protein. I am still a bit sluggish in the afternoon and the Vegan Evangelist across the aisle said I am not taking in enough calories. I had some oats and dried bananas for breakfast, cherries for a morning snack, and cherries and a pluot (plum+apricot) for afternoon snack. I had some of my homemade veggie soup for dinner, but it is too stinking spicy. I need to dilute the broth a bit (I suppose Rotel tomatoes and a packet of red chili flakes is too strong). I will bring a couple of bananas with me tomorrow (and more cherries and another pluot).

On our way to lunch, we talked about the Hyperloop system proposed by Elon Musk (didn't I have some elon musk cologne that I wore in high school?). Anyway, we were glad he put his ideas out there, but feel it is not practical either physically or financially).

I chose today's comic simply because I wanted to use the pimp (I mean PMP) outfit again. I also used a little project manager jargon to teach you something.













And I am writing this on Wednesday night during Master Chef. That made me think of place you can eat. So, I remembered I wanted to share a photo of the power of Starbucks. It can even bring mortal enemies together. Look, even Batman is smiling. I bet he had a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino.

Listen, folks, there is a limit to what things I will do to save money. I do not want these things poking through my roof.

MBH is thinking she'd like a smartphone for her next cell phone. However, she'd better not phub me. Do you know what that is? If so, you are either up on the latest lingo or you read the article NZ Niece shared in a comment on yesterday's blog post. I had never heard that word before.

Speaking of teaching (I wasn't, but I am trying to lead up to an article I saw), do you think you would have passed this 1912 Eighth-grade exam? One of the questions is to "Decline I". Could you do that (I mean, other than saying, "I? No thank you."? I couldn't. Do you know what declension is? I didn't.

I want to know which part of the shape of my face says that I won't even make it through all the slides in this article before I decide, "I don't care."

Let's get out pre-Friday started. Hasta tomorrow.

No, Because I Was Cooking

I will let you know first thing that I did not look through photos last night for inclusion in today's blog posting. When I got home from Chorale practice, MBH and TD were using my computer for something. So, I went to the kitchen and started cooking up a crockpot of vegetable soup. I added some chopped tomatoes and a can of Rotel tomatoes for spice. I started it cooking when I left this morning and we'll see how I did in about 12 hours.

I also did not create a Clarity of Vision comic. Luckily, I had written it back on Monday night, so here it is.























We are going to Z Tejas today for lunch to say goodbye to our summer intern. He has done a good job and we will miss him. Plus, one of the projects he was leading now falls back on me. Oh, well. Anyway, they offer vegetarian lunch salads, entrees and sides. I am thinking either an achiote chopped salad or the grilled veggie platter (you know that the veggies are grilled and not the actual platter, right?).

I imagine that this is a real problem (you'll have to click the link to see what I am talking about), but I am not seeing it around me. I do know that most of the Games Gang here at work has smartphones and digital versions of at least one of our lunchtime games on it. And they do check their email throughout lunch. Hmm.

Now that I am certified, you will see my purple outfit again in a CoV (remember this?), but that is not what I am talking about. I have to obtain 20 additional hours of training in a project management-related topic per year (technically, it is 60 hours in 3 years). Anyway, that is almost 2 hours per month (actually, it is 1.67 hours per month), so I am behind my personal goal. I have signed up for a seminar early in September worth 1 hour. I need to see how the others here at work meet their training goals.

Our local utility company offers a $99 home energy audit to see where the home energy is being wasted. Maybe I should consider that. I heard from one of my Motorola work wives about their new solar system that will have paid for itself in 6-7 years. She said her August electricity bill will be around $105. Ours will be over 3X that amount. No, I am not thinking solar, but it seems a $99 investment could be worth it if we fix something and save $200 a year.

Yes, you are correct. It is that time again. I have enjoyed not actually talking to any of you since we only visit in the digital world (we are not getting addicted, are we?). Regardless, we will digitally interact again soon.

Is That Even Really a Burger?

Monday's lunch at Zinburger was quite tasty. I ordered a veggie burger, no bun, no mayo, no cheese, add mustard. I liked it. I passed on the fried zucchini, fries, and onion rings. I also passed on the milk shakes and malts they got for dessert. They had creme brulee, chocolate malt, and caramel mocha flavors.

Speaking of eating right, I will admit it is not the most fun...and I am only one week in. Here is my comment on the whole thing.















As I type this on Monday night, we are watching Hollywood Game Night. It has Al Roker, Jason Alexander, Josh Gad, and Jane Lynch as the MC. It's a pretty cute show.

Have you ever wanted to go behind the scenes at one of those home reveal kinds of programs? Well, now you can if you watch this clip.

I have said I can think of for tonight. If there is more following this sentence, I had more to add on Tuesday morning.

[Tuesday's two cents] Nope. I've got nothing. See you tomorrow.

It's Next Week Already?

That means my deadlines are a week closer and I don't feel like we really did enough last week to be safe. I'll need to get some activities underway today on a couple of the projects.

Let me think. I remember that i played Smash Up during lunch last Friday. On Sunday, I started to play Quelf, but it was a little too advanced for Bella, so we played Disney Rummikub. She won. Why didn't we play one of my games? Well, we went over there after church and I had not brought my game bag with me. We had a good time, though.

Speaking of speaking, would you like to start learning a language for free? There are a few links in this article.

Speaking of guys speaking of things...













I may have mentioned that I am trying to eat a little more healthily than I have in the past. One of the options that I may choose is going with veggie burgers instead of beef or even chicken. You could do that, too, with a minimum of diet disruption. Hmm. If I wanted to do that at home, which choice tastes the best? This article can help you with that.

One of the other project management directors is taking the newly certified PMs out to lunch today. Luckily, the burger place to which we are going offers Clint's Almost Famous Vegetable Burger, so I will get that with mustard instead of mayo and no cheese. I brought in some veggie soup and fresh fruit, but I guess I will save those for tomorrow. It also means I will not be available for the Games Gang during lunch.

I don't feel like digging up a photo share today. Is that selfish of me? Is it lazy? Is it nothing more than being ornery? Probably some of all of them, but the reality is that i just forgot to save one of my newer ones last night at home. That's right. All of today's post contents were written on Monday morning.

I also don't feel like writing anymore.

Big Brother's Boring

Are you watching it? There was a double eviction tonight and both votes were unanimous. No one was willing to step up and make the big move, so the alliance in charge will just keep running the game until the end. Boo.

What else? I am watching the burn off of the final episodes of Zero Hour. It is OK, but to fit this type of Da Vinci Code-ish show, everything has to be resolved so easily. Only two episodes left to watch, though, so I will finish the program.

How about another call to the Help Desk?













How about another shot of the Golden Gate Bridge? This is the composite photo showing all the shots I took to build a big panorama of the bridge, the city, and the fog. You can see that I did not use a tripod, and I didn't want too much land in it, so it is too high on the left and too low on the right. Once all the shots are combined, you crop it down to standard panorama size...maybe 10" by 30" or so.

Did you expect to see the photo here? Well, because it is a compilation of 12-15 shots, it is just too big for Blogger, even if it save it in its lowest quality. Sorry.

NZ Niece, two comments in two days? Whoo hoo. Maybe I will even tempt you to do a post. How about sharing a vegan recipe y'all liked. Hey, are you measuring in grams instead of ounces now?

Here a shot of a really cool ride at Knott's Berry Farm called Pony Express. You sit on a horse saddle and the ride lowers something against your back that holds you in a leaning over position. The ride is weird and fun, but too short. Can you see if any of our party are on this ride?

[Friday factoid] I checked in on the folks yesterday and they are doing well. In fact, Dad said they attended Chorale practice Tuesday night, the very same afternoon he was released from the hospital. Now, he just needs to make appointments with his doctors. Hint, hint.

[Yesterday's Yikes] The insurance adjuster who inspected our roof yesterday morning said the damage is not severe enough to warrant replacement. So, the amount he OK'd is less than our deductible and we should work with our contractor to negotiate the work. Boo.

And with that, it is time to start the day. Y'all have a great weekend and I'll check back with you on Monday.

My Week Seems Off

Do you ever notice that, if you miss church on Sunday, you can never remember what the current day is? We did go to church Sunday, but we worked in the nursery during the worship hour. And then, I missed Chorale practice last night to stay home with my bride on our anniversary. So, today has seemed like Thursday all day, but then I have another Thursday tomorrow.

Raise your hand if you know what BSOD means. OK, I see a couple of you. When Windows gets very confused, it displays a blue screen with no help. It is colloquially known as the Blue Screen of Death. Now, you are ready for today's CoV.















I am typing this post during Big Brother. Since I am at home, I remembered to upload a photo from the summer trip. Here is a cool room where these little silver fish swim in a circle above your head. I suppose they must stop at some point, but not while we were standing there.

And here is a shot of a sailing ship coming back into the Bay underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. I liked its traditional look contrasted against our modern times.

I saw this story the other day online. can you guess how I interpreted the headline I highlighted? Yup, I thought, "Oh, that poor woman."

OK, the laptop is cooking my legs, so I think I will finish this in the morning.

[Thursday's thoughts] I am working from home for a while this morning. An insurance adjuster and the roof repair company are due between 8am and 9am to see about getting some wind and hail damage repaired. The repair dude had been planning a lot of fixes, so we will see what insurance will allow.

[Thursday, too] I have been adding some recipes to my Pinterest page. I really need to facilitate my own move into healthier eating. I do not want to give myself any reasons to eat foods not conducive to preventing and reversing heart disease. And even though I know it is good for me, it is more work and I still have those fat and sweet cravings.

Home Again, Jiggity Jog

Well, Dad has returned home. I know he is even happier about that than the rest of us. So, what did they find after all the tests? They found that.... No, actually, they did not diagnose the problem yet. His multiple doctors are discussing what to do, and he has to go see his personal physicians soon. Don't you hate it when you are paying docs big bucks and yet still do not know how to avoid the problem in the future? They did decide to pull him off blood thinners for now.

Thanks to all of you for the good wishes on our anniversary. We did not do anything real special, but I will tell you about our evening. I snuck out a little early to get her flowers, as I do each year. I got to the store and... noticed I did not have my wallet. OK, I can fix that. I headed home to pick it up and... I also did not have my house key. Again, OK because there is one window that does not securely latch. I guess I fixed it at some point in the past because that dude will not open. KO, let's go get the garage door opener from MBH. We visited for a few minutes at the school (she was sad because a favorite cousin had died earlier in the day), and decided we would save the money from the flowers and use it during an upcoming weekend trip for our anniversary.

Hmm. What could I do that would help her be less sad and show her I love her and wanted to celebrate 37 years? Well, have I mentioned we are starting to eat healthier? I decided to cook her a meal. I made a fruit salad and quinoa with veggie and lentils. It wasn't too bad. I felt it needed more spices, but it did make her happy that I took the time to do that for her. I promise that I will not wait another year before I cook for her again. Well, unless she wants me to. Ha ha. Unless that is true....

You know that I listen to talk radio during my commute each morning. Yesterday morning, I heard a statistic that a child drowns every five minutes. You also know that my brain seems to be wired a bit differently than yours. So, here is what I interpreted that to imply....























Do you ever have to go full manual controls on your camera? Do you even use a camera anymore? Since I don't have a smartphone (mine is not even smart enough to be called stupid), I still use my camera on trips. Anyway, as has been happening recently, I did not think to upload a photo last night, so I am sneaking back to the well of previous shots to grab this one. As you can imagine, I use Manual because a) I wanted to force the blurry bokeh in the background, b) I needed to make sure the focus was all on the grass in the foreground, and c) since it was night, I needed to keep the shutter open longer. It came out kind of cool.

Let's wrap this up. Thanks for your prayers and I praise the Lord that Dad's problem was not more severe. Now, let's pray the doctors can find a treatment plan. Thanks again for the anniversary wishes. And thanks for occasionally reading this blog (unless you don't, in which case, how are you even reading this sentence? Ha ha. Caught you).

Anniversary, Edited photo, In hospital, Orton, Undiagnosed so far

Why is today's title a bunch of vowel words? I don't know. It just happened.

Another day, another...night in the hospital. I bet you thought I was going to say another dollar, right? Actually, in the hospital, it could be another thousand dollars for a night. So, as you have now guessed, Dad had to spend another night there. The MRI yesterday afternoon was inconclusive and did not point to the cause of his nausea and vertigo and loss of appetite. So, they have a second CAT scan planned for today. I am thinking they must plan to put him in a different position or something to see another view than they saw Sunday. Pray for an answer so they can treat whatever is going on. Dad seems fine, he is alert with no current symptoms, which makes just sitting in a hospital feel even loooonger.

Today, though, is more than just Dad's illness. It is also our wedding anniversary. So, Happy Anniversary, Dear. I'm glad we found each other 5 years ago. What? It's been longer than that? Well, it doesn't seem like it.

Having a happy anniversary is also the theme of today's CoV. Well, at least the anniversary part is mentioned. No, MBH, I am not doing this.













I got about halfway to work today when it started sprinkling. That means I don't have my umbrella with me today. Yes, I think those things go together. A couple of weeks ago, I carried it to work for several days in a row and....nothing. I never opened it. So today, I have the opposite problem. And of course, I have a meeting mid-morning over at another building. Even if I drive, I still have to walk across the parking lot and down a connecting sidewalk. Maybe I will change it to a telephone conference?

I did not upload a photo last night...again. Sorry I keep forgetting. So, as I often do, I will share something from the past. Here is a shot of Ouray colors enhanced using the Orton effect. This was taken in 2006.

I had a roasted sweet potato sandwich for dinner last night after leaving the hospital. that's pretty close to my new diet, right? Well, except it was on focaccia bread (white bread not allowed), and it had some mozzarella on it (cheese not allowed). Everything else was hunky-dory. Still, I have not jumped fully into it yet. I am researching recipes to be sure I stay with it once I really start. Curious? Read the QandA page for some of the reasons I am probably going to do this. Dad's current hospital stay is also a good reason for me to start now.

Enough..both writing and preaching. We've all got things to do today, and they are not going to do themselves. Let's go.

Here We Go Again All Over Again

OK, time to crank up the WPM (Walker Prayer Machine) again. Dad is back in the hospital after forgetting yesterday's (Sunday) lunch order while we has placing it, not feeling hungry before eating anything, tiredness, and vomiting. So, we had him transported back to the hospital and he spent the night. A CAT scan shows a new infarction in the brain, but no active bleeding. They will take an MRI today and he will meet with a neurologist. The ER doctor said it could be as simple as aspirin to break up the clot or it could be more serious, but it is not as life-threatening as last visit. We had certainly hoped to go longer before going back to the hospital. In fact, one of the ER nurses said to me, "I remember you. Weren't you here with your Dad not long ago?" That is not something you want a hospital worker to say. Anyway, Tech Sis stayed with Mom last night so she wouldn't be alone.

CPA Cuz, be sure to share this prayer request with the family.

Before that, though, we did have the GRANDS with us Saturday night. We swam over at the folks' house (they have that diving board, remember?) and had pizza and wings. I ate fruits, veggies, and one piece of pizza with no toppings or cheese. The kids were great and we are certainly lucky to get to see them often.

Today (Monday), though, it is back to work, and I am much less excited to get to see them often. I have an initial kickoff for a new project that I inherited when the company pulled another project manager into a special project.

Speaking of work, it must be time for today's Clarity of Vision comic. Yes, really.













Hey, hey, people. Let's lighten the mood a bit, shall we? Check out this parakeet. Typing that reminds me that we had a parakeet for a while when I was younger. I remember that Architect Bro and his buddy Kos called it a chicken. These are the guys that called a donut a doan-blair and a haircut a hair-blair, so they were a bit off.

And take a gander at these "unique" hotels. Have any of you ever stayed at a odd hotel that you want to tell us about? Maybe some of us would want to visit...unless it is in NZ, in which case that might be a bit extreme on our travel time and budget.

Dad's return visit does make me recognize the need to clean up my eating habits to try and stave off this for myself. I had fruits and veggies for lunch yesterday, but then had two pieces of pizza with no toppings and fruit for dinner. The pizza had regular bread crust and I should not have that. Sure, it is better than meat, but that will not help cleanse/heal my body. I want to maybe reach that 3/4 point like NZ Niece and JW.

No gaming this past weekend, but I did play Formula D on Friday. Here's the track we played on. In the photo, you can also see the little gear shift boxes. I really liked this game, but it does take a while. My car broke down, so I ended up fourth out of five.

I gave you one photo (taken from Boardgamegeek), but none from home. I got home a little late and was not thinking about the blog after spending the afternoon at the ER. Sorry.

OK, I need to clean up my presentation for later. I will let you know what the doctor says about Dad in my next blog (most likely tomorrow). Keep praying.

Is It Friday Already?

Do you ever say that to yourself? Yeah, neither to I. All week, I have been saying, "Isn't it Friday yet?" Finally, it is here. "Oh, frabjous day. Calloo, callay." Did that phrase sound familiar to you? No? It is from Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. Why did it come to me as I wrote this paragraph? I could not say.

Why did today's Clarity of Vision come to me? I could not say, although our company, like so many others, does outsource some roles.























I see that today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. I never knew there was such a thing. That would not work if I were a vegan. Speaking of vegan, we ordered pizza last night from Dominos. To try it, I made mine gluten free. Ca-ching!$!$! Eating healthy is not cheap. Mine ($14.99) cost more than Teacher Daughter's larger pizza ($5.99) and MBH's pasta ($5.99) COMBINED! It wasn't bad, and I am sure it was more healthy. I got no cheese, double sauce, spinach, mushroom, and diced tomatoes. I finished it up with some red grapes (sweeter than green, but oh, so tasty).

Speaking of health, you smokers out there should stop. Well, that is easy for me to say since I have never smoked, but yesterday, I thought about a song I heard years and years ago about a guy coughing and hacking during the song. I thought it was hilarious. It turns out it was Rex Williams and I found it on youtube. It is still pretty cute. There was actually a video that accompanied it. This is not the version I remember, though, since that one has the singer interrupting the song several times while he coughs. Oh well.

Let's look at some photos. Oh, wait, I forgot to upload any...again. Tell you what, let's take a look at one I published back in 2009 from the entrance to a cemetery in Albuquerque. I am not always the most visionary photographer, but sometimes, I am in the right place at the right time. I like this one.

Speaking of photos and post-processing, these are really clever, even if I do not know the reference for each.

Did I mention that it was Friday? I did? OK, then you will understand if I told you I have some things I need to finish this morning. So, I'm going to wander over to the work side of my desk and build today's deliverables. I'll be back to the blog side of my desk first thing next week.

She Said Debacle?

We were driving to dinner last night and Teacher Daughter started telling a story from her first day back with students. I was only half listening when I heard her say something was "a debacle." Wait. Did she just use a big word in the correct way? Maybe she is growing up? In her own school days, English was never her strongest subject (she was always much better in math). She later said another word which surprised me, but I don't remember it.

I am getting very nervous as I approach my own decision about diet and health. Truly going vegan will totally disrupt our family dining habits and my own enjoyment of most of our daughter-in-love's cooking. It will also throw a wrench into dining out with the folks, eating on vacation, and snacks at work. What am I thinking?

Here is a view of San Fran's Transamerica Pyramid looks like from the Alamo Square park where the Painted Ladies houses are. That's a nice view, and it is a nice little park.

Yesterday was our monthly team event, and it was "low budget" as we brought in some lunch and watched Brian Regan on DVD. What might a very low-budget event look like? (The title of the comic refers to the dynamics of developing a high-performance team - Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing)













For some reason, it has taken me a while to settle in and complete today's post. Nothing in particular that has slowed me, and I still knocked it out before work, but...just different. Usually, I have so much to say that I purposefully omit some until the next day. And I do have other links I had planned to share, but it took so long just for this. True, I did read some work emails during the same time. Anyway, I will save the links I planned for today until our Friday get-together.