University Days are Over..Again

I called my academic advisor Monday morning and said I did not want to continue with the PMP Test Program. I kept good notes and documented my reasoning so that they can maybe fix this class before offering it again. As I told my dude, I spent 9-10 hours on this class over the past week. Of that, about 3 hours was possible assistance for the test, but the rest was more about employing the information than knowing stuff for the test. So, I will finish my Study Group and then, I am on my own for preparing.

I am watching Elementary as I write tonight's post. I haven't been watching that closely, though, because I need to prepare a lesson for the Study Group session next week. The manager wants to review it Thursday, so I've got to knock it out in the next couple of days. I just checked and we have 12 programs recording tonight. How can we ever keep up?

Which ones of you readers have a smartphone? I suspect more of you have iPhones than Android models, but only one of those could use the Ice Cream OS.



Here is a little Photoshop playing I did a few years ago of Tolquhon Castle in Scotland. How do you pronounce that? Check the link to see. I drew the lower left of the photo in and then faded between the drawing and the photo.



Did I tell y'all about this? My notes do not show that I used this idea for the blog yet, so if you have already seen it, ignore this paragraph. Anyway, I wonder if Dad and I would have done something differently with the laundry room if we had seen this first? It's just a new way to frame.

Oh yeah, I feel much better now that the class if not hanging over me. Blast, I was hoping it would really help me prepare. I know of two others that are dropping it, also. We all shared our reasoning with our advisors.

Happy Belated Mommy's Day

Well, I did wish all of you a Happy Day last Friday, but maybe some of you missed that post. Now, we've been through it and I want to help you remember what a good time you had. I know we did. We started by keeping JV Saturday night. He was in a good mood and we had a great time. Then, after church, D-I-L had a brunch for family that included chicken and beef and salad and mashed 'taters and gravy, and something else but my mind is gone. I ate too much...and then it was time for dessert. Homemade blueberry cobbler and a brownie trifle or something like that. I ate even more on top of my way too much. I even skipped dinner last night.

Afterward, we swung by and visited with my mom for a bit to wish her a Happy Mom's Day and give her a couple of small gifts. She is doing well and we had a nice visit. Dad is doing very well too, by the way, but it wasn't his day, so that's all the press he gets.

Before Mommy's Day, though, we attended the funeral of D-I-L's grandmother on Saturday. It was a wonderful service and so uplifting. I'd like some of those things done at my funeral someday. By noting it here, maybe I'll come back and see this and make some notes.

Speaking of liking something, did it sound as if I pronounced 'like' correctly?



No photo because I am doing my blogging at the office. I was too busy doing classwork last night. Today, though, I need to make a decision if I want to continue with the course I just started last Tuesday. I will explain a bit more tomorrow.

Did you watch the finale of Survivor? We liked who won. We will watch the after-show interview another night. It was too late to stay up last night.

Are any of y'all juicers? We are thinking of doing it, at least on a trial basis. Teacher Daughter has a fellow teacher who will loan us her juicer to see if it works for us. So, if you do it, do you make up your own juice blends or is there a website you frequent?

Listen, I have to go post my final classwork and then make my decision about the future. Stay tuned.

Happy Early Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to Mom. Yes, Mom, I still look to you for motherly advice even after all these years. And Happy Mother's Day to the mother of my children, MBH. Yes, dear, you are still their mother even after all these years. And Happy Mother's Day to the mother of our GRANDS, our daughter-in-love.

It turns out that the pain MBH felt in her side was not a bruise, and not indigestion. It is shingles. Yes, people younger than 60 can indeed come down with it. She is on medicine, but I guess it takes a while before it gets better. Dad is better, though, so that's a praise. My acid reflux is worse, though, so that stinks.

The Glee season finale is on as I write this. It involves a wedding and a competition, but no spoilers here. I don't know when it returns, but hopefully in the fall. We also just watched the season finale of Vikings. The head Vike was a naughty boy. And this one doesn't come back until 2014.

Let's check on our favorite comic folks. Here is a story pulled from the headlines...of 1983.



Speaking of comics reminds me of Shakespeare. Well, not really and it is not a very good segue, but today's picture is linked to Shakespeare. The photo is Cawdor Castle, traditionally associated with Macbeth.




It's going be a long next few days. I've got assignments in the formal class I am taking for my PMP test, including a case study about a firm that wants to investigate and implement a CMS system (by Monday). Say what? I've got to prepare a presentation for the informal study group I am part of for my PMP test (by Thursday), and read the next chapter about Procurement Management (by Wednesday). I've got to prepare a Sunday School lesson for Sunday. I've got a funeral on Saturday and a luncheon at the GRANDS house on Sunday for Mother's Day. Other than that, I am not sure how I will spend my free time.

[Friday fun stuff] For today, though, I have to contact all my project members and write weekly reports for each. I also have a class all afternoon, so the reports must be finished by lunchtime. So, I cannot hang around and jabber with your people. See you on the flip side.

No Time To Talk..Gotta Watch TV 'Cause My DVR is Getting Full

We went over to Dad's for the final Wednesday Survivor Night. Another blindside. This has been a crazy season.

Oh, I started an online University of Phoenix class today in preparation for the cert test later in the summer. I am not sure what I think of the course, but it does get me back into schoolwork. Maybe I'll take another course soon?

[Thursday thoughts] First, though, I've got to get through this class. Luckily, I woke up this morning with an idea on a direction for the first two Discussion Questions. So, once I finish publishing today's post, I will knock that out before beginning work.

Do you use home exercise equipment to actually work out or a another place to store things?



This ad for Audi is really clever. You might even say it's "Fascinating." I really liked it.

One of my favorite books ever is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I think I have read everything in the series, but this one is the original and is excellent. Now, it looks like they are making it into a movie starring Harrison Ford. They have released a trailer and you can watch it here.

I like this shot of Edinburgh Castle from a few years ago. You can see the castle in the upper left, towering above the city. I like the dominance of the castle above the clutter and crowdedness of the city below.



Bones is on TV as I write tonight's entry. The only problem with watching while I write is that I get involved in the blog and don't hear much of what they say.

New News

Father-in-law news
Lyndsay's grandmother has gone on to be with the Lord. Now, she'll no longer be in pain, her mind and body restored even better than before. And she is waiting for all of her family to join her in everlasting Glory. Still, we will all miss her.

Personal news
I am getting signed up for an online course in preparation for my project management certification. Things are fixing to get busy.

Grandfather news
Here is today's kids vs grandkids CoV. It's true, isn't it?



Husband news
I have been busy recently and have not finished sanding the laundry room walls. So, my to-do list still looks the same. Tape and bed the ceiling and intersecting walls, sand everything, apply texture.

Wife news
MBH is feeling better. The pain in her side (no, not me. That would be a pain in the neck) is betting better. It must be a strain from something she did with the kids.

[Wednesday wonderings] No, MBH is in pain today, and she decided to call the doc. Time for a little prayer.

Photo news
I think our dog looks like a sheep until he is trimmed. Don't you? Actually, it is a sheep (surprised?). This is one of those cute little UK sheep that we saw back in 2004.

Prayers and Parents and Photoshop and Grandparents and GERD

Lyndsay's grandmother is still alive, although she is weakening. Continue to pray for the family.

My father is feeling better everyday. Still, he is recovering from a heart attack and a stroke. I hope he will not try to do too much too quickly. Keep him in your prayers, also.

First kids get a lot of immediate reaction from their parents. Middle and last...not so much. Grandkids? Oh, they'll be fine.



Check out this article. It is an amazing makeup job that, at first, looks like a Photoshopped picture. No, if you read about it, he actually made himself look that way with makeup, a wig, and a good choice in clothing.

This requires a how-to video? And why stop there? What else can we mount on the bathroom walls? iPad case? Family photo album? Last week's newspaper? It's kind of funny.

We are watching Revenge as I type this. It is a weird show, but we are invested in it now. We watched Smash while we ate.

[Tuesday too] Stupid GERD. It is acting up again. I felt it the last couple of days, during which I ate Chinese food. Related? I don't know. Maybe the medicine I take for it isn't strong enough? I used to use prescription stuff, but started using Walgreen's generic. Now that I recognize it is happening, I will watch what I eat and try to elevate my upper body as I sleep.

Dreams and Disney and Dakota

I was up at 3am to let the stupid dog out. That's a pain. However, this time, it helped me remember a dream since I was in the middle of it. I wrote down some notes while I waited for him to come back in. Anyway, I was at a memorial services for a young Asian man that had died. I don't think that I knew him. And I certainly was not related to him. People were eulogizing him. His roommates said that he always shared the food his mother sent to him in the dorm. And his buddies and family all said that he would playfully say "My life is consumed with regret" when someone would chastise him.

Why did I share that? I hope each of you is not living a life consumed with regret. I hope that you share good things in your life with those around you. Why did I dream that? I am not sure.

Another parents vs grandparents viewpoint...this one relates to snacking before meals.



The other day, I shared some links from the Disney Archives. I forgot the one that actually led me to the Archives. Haunted Mansion. Interesting.

From the photo archives, we find an interesting shot I took at the Youth Museum in Mesa. As you can see, somehow, the faces of the presidents were on this mountain some 1.6 billion years ago. It is a good thing we chose some people who looked like that mountain, right?



We are watching The Office right now. I guess there must only be 2-3 episodes left of the series. Tonight's theme was a good one.

Finale of Amazing Race tonight. We don't care which of the three teams wins.

[Monday musings] And it turned out that we did not mind the team that won. Speaking of TV, you people that have not yet watched last week's Survivor...GET ON IT. How can we talk about it and be ready for this week until you have done so. Plus, it ends next Sunday, so you don't have much time.

[Monday more] Dad is doing great. He seems to have bounced back from his heart attack and stroke. The only story about an impact to his memory is not being able to sing the Chorale songs, and if that is the only long-term effect, Praise the Lord. However, he has not yet been evaluated by his personal doc, so let's see what the doc says. Keep the prayers coming.

Home Again, Home Again

It seems that the neurologists have finished their testing and the cardiologists are working to bring up Dad's heart strength before they release him from the horsepistol (that's hospital for you lay readers). Preacher Bro said Dad is feeling well enough to be ready to get released, although I am sure he understands their concerns. You know how it is when you are better but not well. Keep our family and Dad in your prayers.

I am home again today watching the GRANDS. Lyndsay's G-mom is still growing weaker, but not ready to go Home yet. Keep the family in your prayers. The GRANDS and I don't have any real plans, so I'll just play it by ear. And when they start singing and playing the piano, I play it by blocking my ear. Still, it is a sound of happiness and that's fun. Jack enjoys it, though.

Speaking of being a grandfather, it is a lot different from my fathering days. As is often said, now I understand why I became a parent. So that I could become a grandparent. Still, we do see things differently now.



And now I'll throw you into confusion because here I am reading a paper while one of my princesses plays, taken last April...



Mickey's Playhouse is on the telly as I type. The girls are playing Handy Manny's Green Planet Show on disneyjunior.com. Jack is still asleep. Kendall ate breakfast. Nothing yet for Bella and I.

The first paragraphs reminds me of the language invented by my brother and his friend a few decades ago. Remind me to tell you about it sometime.

Also, NZ Niece, I have to wonder if it's a good thing or bad that my photo looked like your daddy (my Architect Bro). Maybe it's an insult to him, huh? Still, our genes are certainly related, right?

When It Rains...

On Tuesday afternoon or evening, Dad had a stroke. He is in the hospital and we do not know the full extent of the damage yet. We are waiting to hear. Preacher Bro and family and Mom are there with him.

I am staying home with the GRANDS today as D-I-L deals with the pending Homegoing of her grandmother. Right now, I am typing this and watching the news, Kenz is jumping on the couch, Bella is playing on the other computer and Jack is down for his morning nap. We had breakfast earlier, and we've already had a morning snack.So, guess what today's CoV is about.



Since we did not have a CoV or photo yesterday, let's have both today. Here is a shot of MBH and me before Casey's wedding.



Other than that, nothing is going on with us. What's up with you?

OK, it seems I need to let Kenz have this computer, so my time is up. Until tomorrow.

All Wednesday, All the Time

Well, maybe not all the time. Today, it is all Wednesday because we had other things going on last night that prevented me from creating a Clarity of Vision comic and from writing this blog post. So, at least for this week, I am doing my blogging on Wednesday.

In fact, since I am doing this at work, there will also not be a personal photo. I guess you are going to have to live with a bunch of words instead of the sweet, sweet eye candy I can normally provide.

And since I am not at home, I don't know what is on TV as I write this. We did not even watch anything last night. We spent a while over at Lyndsay's grandmother's apartment, but her grandmother slept throughout our visit. I don't know how much longer God will keep her around, but I was glad we had a chance to visit with her family for a while.

Today, MBH is staying home with the GRANDS, and I have already warned my boss that I will likely need to stay home tomorrow. We will have some fun, though. With the GRANDS, I mean, not with my boss. Which is not to say I don't have fun with my boss. OK, let's end this apology-laden paragraph right now.

My application to take the project manager certification test was approved. And the test changes at the end of July, so I've got three months to prepare for and take it.

This was kind of interesting. And there is another one about Disney voice actors that was kinda fun.

OK, I have thrown a lot of words at you. It's kind of like the Jeremiah Johnson quote "It's been a long time since I had so much of the English language spoken at me." Do you remember that 1972 movie with Robert Redford? You should find it. It is a family favorite. In fact, family, here is the entire script.

So, if you have not nodded off in complete boredom yet, I will let you get back to your boring lives. We shall see if I get a CoV built tomorrow, or have time to create my blog post tonight. Oh yes, we shall see.