And the Wiener Is....

They just showed the results of a wiener dog fashion contest on the news. A cute little puppy won dressed up like Robin Hood. I guess the folks' black-and-tan long hair is the only dachshund left in the family. There used to be three of them between all the families. I don't think any of us ever did any dress-up on them except for maybe a sweater in the Fall/Winter.

You know how we can tell it is the Fall here? No, it's not necessarily cooler weather, since I just saw that the record for today is 107F. It is the fact that it gets dark by 7pm instead of 9pm. Today's high is only 95F, by the way.

I am writing this from home on Monday morning. Since today is the scheduled go-live date for our project, I have to sit with the support team in a separate building, so I cam going in a little later. Does something being 'live' remind you of a famous movie quote?














Alright, since you are (mostly) family, I will admit I am feeling somewhat depressed about the perceived results of my vegan diet. I am back on the GERD medicine. Plus, when I go on our Fall trip, I expect to struggle always finding sufficient vegan offerings in the small towns we will visit. And someone at church yesterday said I looked ill. My energy is not yet back to normal. I thought this would go differently. True, I have not had my numbers checked yet since I didn't reach 3 months yet. And I am sure that my daily diet needs more variety (and flavor). Still, I am down today.

I am sure the US is also down today since Congress is playing around with funding today. It's too bad they cannot separate funding bills into unique pieces instead of mixing health care with military support with Social Security with a dam in the Upper Peninsula of Wisconsin. We will see what happens today.

Yes, we DID watch the series finale of Breaking Bad. We liked it better than Dexter and Sopranos. How about you? I don't want to talk about it yet since some of you may not have seen it yet.

Oh wow. I need to get going for Go-Live day. I will see you tomorrow.

Ti-i-i-ime is Not on My Side. Not Today.

I had not even finished today's Clarity of Vision when my supervisor arrived and started talking about today's activities. What is up with that? Can't a guy have any time at work to do personal blogging?

Do you think the Cowboys will win this weekend? they did OK last week. And what about the Cardinals? They did not fare as well last week, so let's see if they can get back on the winning track.

Now that you are thinking about football, let's look at today's CoV.













Do you prefer any particular style of sheets? Do thread count matter to you? Really? Well, read this and see if you agree with their conclusion.

The GRANDS are coming over tonight. I would imagine that will definitely mean hitting McDonald's for dinner and playing on the playground. It will probably involve some swimming. And it might involve brunch on Saturday. It will involve doing crafts in between all those eating places. And it means a lot of Disney Channel. We are lucky that we live close to them, though. And lucky that they like to spend time with us.

I am less lucky, though, in time to write today's post. I need to go. I keep getting pulled into workplace discussions. Have a great weekend.

[Post-publish postscript] I heard that NZ Niece and J-Man are back in the US now. I need to come up with a new moniker for her now. I will need to think about it.

Where Was the Wednesday Blog Post?

What can I say? I didn't get around to it. I did not even do a Clarity of Vision. Did you even notice? While my family feels that I have been just as sick (or sicker) since I started the vegan diet, I suspect I need to balance which foods I eat more often and get more exercise. I will stay with this diet through the initial three months and get my lab work done to evaluate if it is making any difference. So, we should know sometime in November.

I did take time to create a comic on Wednesday night. Now, you can take the time to read it.
















You say you want a revolution? Well, The Beatles are not coming back, but the TV program Revolution returned Wednesday night, and it is on as I write this. The power was on and ICBMs were in flight as last season ended. What happened? Were they successful in aborting the missiles? Is the power still on? I can't say yet since some of you may have recorded the show and not watched it yet.

Back in the old days, there was an attraction called Casa Magnetica. It went away in the 70s, but was brought back a few years ago for 50 days. Here is a video of the rooms and the story that went along with it. Ex-Navy Nephew put up some info about a similar attraction up near San Fran. If you have kids, you should certainly check it out. I also seem to remember a similar place somewhere in CO but it has been years since we saw it. However, I just checked a website listing a number of these types of places and there is nothing in CO. Oh well, y'all should still check out one. They are always interesting.

Speaking of kids, we are keeping the GRANDS tomorrow night. I don't know what we have planned. I will let MBH come up with some suggestion. Maybe brunch on Saturday since we have not done that with them in a while.

After thinking about past rides at Six Flags, I am reminded of a personal favorite called La Salle's River Adventure. This video includes the narrative spiel, part of which we still periodically use in my family. "Francois, is it safe to go on?" We use it to warn each other if someone in the family is in a bad mood. Actually, we paraphrase it to "Francois, it is not safe to go on."

Is the project still crazy busy? Yes, and getting crazier everyday. We are still scheduled to go live with the first new methods for working on a degree on Monday and so management is anxious and we have to check every task to see how it is doing. Will we make it? I still think so. The team I am on is in charge of ensuring we have 24x7 support for the first week and reporting on all findings daily to management. We are finalizing our database for storing the info now and have submitted the proposed process for getting questions and obtaining answers to management for approval.

OK, I need to drop off. My supervisor is getting off the elevator now and will begin talking as soon as she enters our room. See you tomorrow.

I Heard Today is Pre-Hump Day

We hit a pita place last night for dinner and I tried a vegan veggie wrap. It was pretty good, but I am feeling a little GERD today. I had stopped taking the medicine when I started this diet, but I guess this problem is more physical than I thought (as opposed to being caused by the food itself). So, I reckon I will take it again, at least for now.

The title of today's CoV is a paraphrase of a line in Animal Crackers. Have you ever heard of that movie? Then I am sure you know who said it.






















I am back after already having two meetings this morning...and it is only 7:30am. You can tell everyone is feeling pressure because we go live on the project this coming Monday. So, let me see about finishing up soon.

This sounds like a nice way to exercise, right? Would you really like to try weightlessness?

I have more to share, but I just got pulled into two more discussions since I got back from two meetings. Hopefully, we can visit longer tomorrow.

Choosing Apples. No, I Mean Actually Picking Them

Let me start by saying... It's over. There will be no more episodes of Dexter. We watched the series finale last night. And it was also the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad. They are both horrible shows that we perhaps should not have watched. Oh well. I am sure some of you had them as your guilty pleasure, also. I will have to wait until all of you have seen them before I can talk about what I thought of their endings.

I have two apples and two pears in my lunch today. Why? Because we picked so many this weekend. From apples, I remember golden delicious, red delicious, early jonathon and fuji. From the pears, I only remember shinko, although there were at least two additional varieties. However, this was not just about getting fresh-from-the-tree fruit. It was about building a family memory, and we had a great time. Well, until Salesman Son (SS) introduced a new guessing game he "invented". It is like the Before-and-after game from Wheel of Fortune. And it begins with a clue like "Well, pilgrim. I am really good at improvisation" and the answer would be John Wayne Brady. One of the worst was "I played one of the Brady Bunch who had a sixth sense". Do you know that one? Christopher Knight Shyamalan. Can you guess who offered it? Yup, SS.













On Saturday night, the youngsters went out and the oldsters stayed at the hotel with the GRANDS. When the youngies returned, they had stopped at Target and purchased a new game. Funny or Die. We had a really good time with that one. As you can see at the link, you match photos with captions. The key to winning a round is selling your proposed answer. Well, sad to say, I came in third out of five players. I guess I am not that funny.

I did take some photos, but got caught up in the above mentioned TV shows and didn't upload them yet. Maybe tonight.

Did I stay on my diet during the trip? I was seduced by one small bite of a homemade donut, but otherwise, yes. I was careful. Here is a screenshot of my eating for Saturday.

OK, as I have been telling you a lot recently, I am swamped. I'll let my fingers do the walking again tomorrow.

Happy B-day, Ali

It seems like it rolls around every year, but it is my Teacher Daughter's (TD) birthday. That means she is another year older, and it means I feel another two years older. Suddenly, the memories I have of her as a toddler are like looking at a faded photograph. She's already out of high school? She has a BS and a Master's? When did this happen? Here is my birthday CoV for her. It is my gift. OK, fine, probably cash will be involved, too.













Whew. I have meetings today at 7:30am, 8:30am, 9:30am, 10am, 10:30am, and 1pm. Only the 10:30am call is my meeting. I am a participant in all the others. Other than that, though, I am available.

We will head down south on Saturday to pick apples with the GRANDS. The weather shows it will be 82F and a chance of rain, so that sounds lovely. Certainly better than the 100F and sunny that it will be here.

Since we are looking ahead, I will let you know that a concert we will attend in November has changed. It was a Bee Gees tribute band, but that group cancelled and was replaced by the Australian Bee Gees. Since I have never seen either, I don't mind. Do you like tribute band shows? We do, as any longtime reader already knows.

My personal email shows me that some girl named Ashley really wants to hook up with me. Hey, how did she get my email address? I told her not to contact me here? Anyway, there still seems to be a lot of spam flowing through our email. Is y'alls any better?

OK, time to prepare for these calls. Plus, I actually have regular work to do, too. It doesn't matter, though. IT'S FRIDAY and that makes it all bearable. See you next week. And be sure and wish TD Happy Birthday.

Something Old, Something New

We watched the finale of Big Brother last night. As had been true all season, it was somewhat predictable. In fact, I would have voted the same way. However, I am sure the program will return next summer. Some shows are ending forever, though. Breaking Bad only has two episodes left, and Dexter only has one. However, it is time for a new season of Survivor and for a new period of scooting over to the folks' house for our annual Survivor party every week. It started last night, and I ate my "delicious" vegan meal while they feasted on pizza and wings.

Since the evening was full of family and fun, I did not upload a photo for you (I know...again!). I did not even work on this blog post or today's Clarity of Vision. Luckily, I came up with an idea while showering this morning.













I did see this article yesterday that I knew I wanted to share with my reading audience. Ever since the digital age began taking off, you could have guessed that this would be a worthwhile application, right? Beam it up, Scotty.

One day, we will all stand before our Maker in judgment. Do you believe that? Well, if you do not, there will be a day when you realize you should have believed it. What about the Devil? Do you believe in him? How many of your fellow citizens do you think believe in the Devil? Are Republicans more likely to believe than Democrats? This link will give you the numbers.

We never visited Acapulco, and I imagine that these people wish they had not, either. We didn't make it there simply due to distance, but these tourists are wishing they didn't because of the hurricanes. Hurricanes? Yes, one from the east and another from the west...at the same time.

OK, supervisor just came in, so I will wrap this up. I have a meeting in just 30 minutes anyway, so I should get ready. See you on Friday (which just happens to be our daughter's birthday..but don't tell her I told you).

I'm a Survivor

Well, I will be surviving again starting tonight when Survivor: Blood and Water premieres. You know what that means? Our weekly pizza and wings get-together starts again over at the folks' place. I guess I will bring my own dinner since neither of the above mentioned foods are compatible with my diet.

At Chorale practice last night, we learned some song verses in Spanish for a concert at a local Latina church. I think we did pretty well, considering we even struggle in English sometimes. One of the phrases is the chorus for How Great Thou Art. At the moment, I cannot remember the other song. However, I won't be at the concert on Sunday. We are heading out to an apple orchard with the GRANDS to pick...guess what? Yes, apples.

Did your kids add the sound of the letter 'L' to the end of some words or names, such as 'drawl' instead or 'draw', or 'Paul' instead of 'Pa'? Ours did, and that may have influenced today's CoV title.

On our local freeways, there is a cool sign erected last year to celebrate the centennial of AZ statehood. I noticed it today during my commute and decided to show it to you.

I didn't really watch anything last night after Chorale practice, but we did start watching the finale of Master Chef before I left. I am OK with the two finalists, so we will probably finish that tomorrow night. Why not tonight? Hey, go back and read the first paragraph. We are busy tonight.

OK, it's time to get Hump Day underway. And if you've seen the commercial, you know how happy that can be. Thanks for staying with me through all these words.

Yes, I Did... Sort Of

You are all probably dying to know if I made my delivery deadline yesterday. Well, I did publish a plan, but it is not really pretty and, therefore, not really something we will use to track the work. However, my supervisor is already here at work and she said she had an epiphany this morning and we will talk about it in a few minutes. Here's my question. Is an epiphany something you can talk about in mixed company? Anyway, for me, Microsoft Project is good for tracking tasks and dependencies, but not easy to show a group and have them easily review it. We'll see what she says.

Does your company sponsor a blood drive periodically? Ours does and it is on site today. However, I cannot donate because I traveled to the UK back in the 80s and ate beef, so United Blood Services banned me for 150 years because I might have mad cow disease.













I am writing this while sitting in a meeting with a member of another project team. So, my writing could be disjointed as I try to share personal thoughts with you while listening to work stuff at the same time.

OK, another supervisor has joined the meeting. I think I need to publish this and be 100% in my work stuff. Sorry. Work wins. Hopefully, we can visit more tomorrow.

They Were Sore Afraid

Have you ever heard or read that verse in the Bible and thought it was a funny choice of words? Probably not, but I have, and it came to mind as I pondered what to tell you today. Why? I spent the weekend helping my son and family move to a new home. That meant that I was part of the crew that drove back and forth between the houses and loaded and unloaded furniture and boxes. So, I am feeling a bit of soreness today that I expect to get a little worse by tomorrow. Even though I hit the gym a bit, this weekend involved some movements that I don't perform during my normal exercise routine. We got most everything moved, so they are almost out.

Their new place does not include solar. Do you remember that I mentioned that a friend of mine has solar on their house. They love it. It looks like prices may soon reach the point where more of us consider it.

I did not have the GRANDS in the car with me, so no one fell asleep as we drove. I remember when one of my kids would not fall asleep, we could drive around the neighborhood for a short while and they would be gone. So, have you wondered how little movement is required before someone falls asleep?













We did have the TV turned on to the football games each time we got back to the house. Luckily, Salesman Son has the NFL package so we could choose which games to watch. These people were apparently not so lucky, and the TV station apologized for it.

One of the games in the afternoon was the AZ Cardinals game. I saw this pass, but it certainly caught me off guard that it was not from the quarterback.

Speaking of TV, I cannot believe that both Dexter and Breaking Bad are almost over. The good thing is that it will give me back some time that otherwise would have been spent watching them and discussing them with family.

I've got to have a first draft of the implementation plan for the program (a group of related projects) by noon. That means no dilly-dallying today.

Friday the 13th Fun

Did you notice that I wrote yesterday's blog post but then forgot to publish it until last night? I usually write it (as I am sure you know) either the night before or before 7am on the day for which it is posted. So, I write everything, but then my supervisor came in and we got busy preparing for a critical meeting we had at 8am. I will certainly post this one before I move on.

Friday the 13th. Do you care? No, me neither.

If you do not understand the title of today's CoV, you are obviously from the next generation. To see a mix of what I am talking about and what you have grown up with, check out this mashup of Barney saying "Nip it" with a rap.

This new assignment is crazy busy. By noon on Monday, I have to complete a draft of an implementation plan for all the new software and business processes we are rolling out for Sept 30. I have not even seen all the pieces yet, so I will be crafting a number of gentle queries to the team leads to get me their input by close of business today. Oh, for the pleasant non-stressful life of some working in Kiwiland for the past year.

You know, when I first get up in the morning, I am not super steady on my feet. And even in general, I am not quite as spry as my younger days. Even at my best, I could never do a backflip. So, when I read that someone had done over 40 of them, I had to see it for myself.

It is not the video links, but you can see snapshots of great moments in SNL food history. How many of them do you remember?

OK, the boss just came in, so I will skip out on you so I can post it. Have a great weekend.

Big Doings Today

I've got to lead a big meeting at 8am. We need to build a plan for how we will prepare for and staff some teams to support all the new stuff while we get a long-term support plan in place. At first, you usually keep using the project team that knows the stuff well. Anyway, we have to know what all needs support, who their experts are, where will the sit, what number should people that need help call, etc.

You've heard this before. Yeah, OK, it is not original, but it is apropos of what I should be doing as a vegan.














I like this shot of some bells at a church a few years ago and it just seems to fit the style better. Doesn't it work?

A Somber Date

On the radio during my commute this morning, I heard the ceremony going on in NY in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy. Here we are twelve years later and, hopefully, a little safer and a little wiser about the threats to our lives and livelihoods. However, I still am not sure what I think about the US striking Syria.

For the Clarity of Vision today, I did not feel that a 9/11 comic would work, but I did incorporate a little reminder in it. Otherwise, it is a normal weekly meeting of the DJs association and their chaplain. Yes, Preacher Bro, he should look familiar.













I had to check on the folks last night since they did not come to Chorale practice. No problem. Everything is OK...they just forgot it was Tuesday. We are having dinner with them tonight.

I was in a meeting all morning yesterday to see how all the workstreams of our project are doing and what their plans are over the next 3-4 months. Wow, there are a lot of moving pieces. My supervisor wants me to check on the different ways that the teams are tracking the day-to-day type items that are too small to include in the big project plan. Uh oh. I should probably have some checklist of my own before I look into the glass houses of others, right? So, I will be leaving you pretty soon.

Today's meal plan includes a Trader Joe's Veggie Wrap, some guacamole, two figs, some grapes, some carrots, one rambutan, a kale and zucchini salad, and a slice of wheat bread. Now don't tell me you are not jealous. I will have an appetizer of some black beans and salsa before we go over for dinner. Now that is fine dining.

OK, I've really got to knock a couple of things out before a meeting at 8am. Take care, my friends. I don't always write a blog post, but when I do, I prefer A Legend In My Own Mind.

Terrific Tuesday Today

I am actually creating the majority of the post on Monday night as we watch one of the final episodes of Dexter. After this episode, there are only two left. There is no way this can end well, nor should it. Weird that such a bad dude is the protagonist of the program, huh?

[Sunrise surprise] I am typing this, though, on Tuesday morning as the sun rises over the Valley. Thanks to the clouds hanging around after yesterday's frog strangler, it is reflecting the reds and yellows of a sun on the horizon and is just gorgeous. Go over to your window right now and look out. I think you'll be impressed.

Do you remember the topic of yesterday's Clarity of Vision? Let's take it to the next step.














Hey, what is it with all these hashtags nowadays? Do you know where that symbols came from? Did it start hundreds of years ago? And what is a pilcrow? Read this and you'll know about several punctuation marks.

Don't you sometimes wonder how fast you can hit a speed bump and still live? I know someone who calculated it.

And again, my supervisor is in so early. What is up with that? He wants to give me an update on one of my project areas, so I need to let you go. Thanks for reading, though.

Rainy Days and Mondays...Are the Same Today

Yep, we are having a gloomy, rainy Monday. The storms should last through Wednesday, but that's information for another post. It brings to mind a group I really like, The Rescues, and their song, California Rain.

We had a good time with the GRANDS Saturday and Saturday night.We got pedicures (and by we, I mean not me). We had McDonald's and playground time for dinner (and by we, I mean not me, although I was there. I brought my meal with me). And we went swimming (and by we, I mean not me. I spent my whole time cleaning the pool so it wouldn't be dirty for the rest of them).  Then, Sunday morning, we got dressed and went to church (this time, we does include me). On Sunday night, since I had not finished my work while the GRANDS we there, I had to do some work on the 2014 plan for our project. I did not quite finish because I did not know how much detail to include. I will talk to my supervisor and my business contact in a bit.

Any yesterday, the preacher brought something different to mind. read this and then guess what the sermon was about.













Well, it was about Jesus and the temptations, just not The Temptations. However, my mind got distracted at some point and I sent this idea to myself so I would remember to share it with you.

BTW, I gained 0.3 pounds this week, so maybe I am finally getting a handle on my eating and nutrition. I only exercised twice during the week, though, so I still need to get that worked out. Ha ha. Get it? Exercise...worked out?

Do you watch Glee? The first two episodes of this new season are featuring songs by The Beatles. So which songs by the Fab Four will Glee take on? Check out the track list for the show's upcoming album, Glee Sings The Beatles, which features songs from the first two episodes:

1. "Yesterday"
2. "Drive My Car"
3. "Got To Get You Into My Life"
4. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
5. "Help"
6. "A Hard Day's Night"
7. "I Saw Her Standing There"
8. "All You Need Is Love"
9. "Get Back"
10. "Here Comes The Sun"
11. "Something"
12. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
13. "Hey Jude"
14. "Let It Be"

You know what? I really don't have a lot to say today, and my current supervisor just came in the room, so I am going to wrap this up. I hope your weekend was as nice as mine (and by mine, I do mean mine). So, stop back by tomorrow for more goings-on.

Friday Family Fun...Finally

I must have done a bit too much in my workout yesterday because my left arm is reallly sore today. I did not eat any spinach yesterday, though.













I guess it is a good thing I am getting some exercise because, yesterday, I moved between five different buildings for meetings and stuff. (What is stuff, anyway? Is it good or bad?) Today, it looks like I only need to be in three buildings for various meetings and stuff (Here, stuff means typing up minutes, working on plans, and other administrivia that is not meetings). In and around meetings, there is a 10am-4pm training on Project Server that I should sit in on.

I did not get around to working on today's post last night, so I am writing it in the silence of an empty office (at least for a few minutes more). Even so, I have already been over into my work calendar and email four times. That is an average of one work incident per paragraph of this post. That is sad, peoples. Sad.

We dropped by Sprouts on the way home from the Y last night to grab a few fruits and healthy cereals. I picked up a horned melon (which I have not tried yet) and some rambutan (and I have already eaten one of those). I used to get rambutan in Malaysia and I really like them, so I bought eight. My food tracker, Fat Secret, does not include fresh rambutan, though. Too bad. You can see on the link that they have a lot of nutrients in them. So does the melon, and it is in the food database.

GRANDS are staying with us tomorrow night. I am not sure what our plans are, but they usually revolve around one trip to Golden Arches and its indoor playground. Maybe we'll hit the newly remodeled one over by the folks' house. We will also do a bit of swimming.

This is kind of an interesting story about one of Hitler's bodyguards. Wow, his remembrances certainly seem sanitized.

I seem to have run out of steam on today's post. We can visit again next week, OK?

And I Don't Even Have a Pressure Cooker

Oh man, I am feeling the pressure at the moment at work. We are 25 days from a huge launch and my piece, which is the process for supporting all the implemented changes for thirty days after the implementation, is still not defined. I am working on a questionnaire for the business to describe their new stuff and what needs short-term support and what needs longer-term support, etc. I need to get that out this week so I can build the plan and staff it next week. Can you tell I am even typing this quicker so I can get back to my planning?

Two days in a row of Clarity of Vision with the grandkids? So it seems. I usually do not know what my CoV will be for the next day until I sit down to create it. And this idea, which I first wrote down in May, seemed to flow this time (I have looked at it before, but was not sure what I wanted the final panel twist to be).













No, I did not write this at home, so I did not plan for a photo. No dog in a kayak today. And therefore, no TV in the background as I write.

How's my diet going? Pretty well. I had 2300 calories on Sun, 1911 on Mon, 1612 on Tues, 1940 on Wed. So, I am still playing with how to have daily meals with sufficient nutrition and protein, although I still have one vice. I will have a couple of Werther's candies after my meals. Don't tell, OK? It still sounds like I may be doing better than Bill Clinton, though. Michelle Pfeiffer says she is a vegan, too. Why does this suddenly sound like a stanza from Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song?

Let me think. After soup, what is the next thing they will make for the Keurig coffee makers? Hopefully something vegan, right? Am I right? Give me a Whoop Whoop.

The GRANDS are coming over for Saturday night so their parents can pack. Let me think. Watch grandkids? Pack a house? Yeah, we got the better end of that deal.

OK, I played for a few minutes, but I really do need to get going for today. It is pre-Friday, so my week is running out quickly.

Short and Sweet (Hmm, do I mean strawberry shortcake or this post?)

Today's post was written this morning at work. We had a Chorale concert last night, and by the time I got home, I didn't really want to work on the computer anymore. Why? Well, I came home a little early to get some work done and ended up working even later than usual. So, I was burned out for the day.

If you remember, I usually tell you what is on the TV as I write the blog. I have no TV this morning, but last night, we watched the most recent Under the Dome. I cannot predict where it will end up, but I like Dean Norris, the guy who plays Big Jim. He was also the brother-in-law on Breaking Bad.

I also usually share a new Clarity of Vision with you. Well, I wrote one of those this morning, too.













There is a lady sitting behind me in this shared conference room and I feel a bit self-conscious working on the blog. She is meeting with us at 8am and she was here sometime before 6am. Talk about your over-achiever. Anyway, that means I will not check my usual spots to find links to share. So, I guess we are finished for the day. Maybe tomorrow will be more normal.

Even Three Days Isn't Long Enough

How was your Labor Day holiday? You did have a holiday, didn't you? If, for some reason, you had to work, I hope you picked up time and a half. We had a nice weekend that included piano moving, Ikea shopping, and veggie sandwich eating (well, only I had that sandwich).

One thing that I had planned, but did not do, was work. Hey, it was a holiday. I really wanted to. I really needed to. I didn't do it, though. Instead, I watched the final episodes of the BBC version of Being Human and one of the episodes of Master Chef. In fact, that makes me think of an idea for CoV.














What about all your Microsoft Excel lovers? Is there anything you can't do in it? I found a site where you can even handle photos in it. Go read about it here.

OK, now that you know how to do photos in Excel, let's see if we can improve your life in other ways. Don't have any ideas of other things that can make life better. You probably suspected that I had some ideas to help you, right? OK, look at this.

You know, I recently shared a photo of a cool place in Prescott, AZ, called Granite Dells. While we were there, we saw definitive proof that kayaking is going to the dogs. You know what is coming, right?

Traditionally, Labor Day signals the shift from summer to autumn. I suppose it might still mean that, since our average daily high is creeping downward towards 100F. This week, no day is expected to go higher than 108F. Whoo hoo. Since we are still so stinking hot, I wonder if I could still wear white shoes or pants? Yeah, like I would do that even before Labor Day.

Well, the next holiday from work isn't until Thanksgiving, and that is a looong way off. So, I had better start on that work I did not do this past weekend. You need to get busy, too. We can visit later.

[A Tale on Tuesday] Oddly, I am working at my usual desk today. Remember that stuff I said I did not work on during the long weekend? I have got to knock that out today and I am thinking I have a better shot at that hiding in a private cubicle than in a common conference room with five or six other people. Plus, I have a full-size keyboard and external monitor so I don't have to only use my laptop. Hopefully, my current supervisor will understand.