Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Project 2

OK. We don't use the front door of the house... We use the garage door, so that's where we'll start.  Here's the door.

So you have to figure we'll put the shelf on the wall just as you come through the door.

Lots of issues here. Light switch is in the way. Alarm panel is in the way, and at Christmas the decorations get in the way.








So let's see about the wall opposite the door.

That doorway you see is the downstairs bathroom and the wife says she'd bump her head on the way out if we put it there.

This is the wall to the left of the bathroom wall.  Its probably the best location for the shelf.

Dolphin picture will have to go though.





Monday, November 26, 2012

Project

I have a project that I will be writing about the next several days as I attempt to recreate this:

I will be showing how I do each part and then finish the project.








 To start with I have the following:

I also have a very large board that's out in the garage. I have two more of the holders so I can put in the three seen above.






Keep visiting to see my progress and get the play-by-play.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Retired?

I "retired" in Nov 2007. After 20 years in the military. Unfortunately, I have/had two kids in college, so I couldn't just "retire". Now I'm not saying that I don't enjoy work, but this last week I had off I really got a feeling of what it would be like to really retire. Might have been the excitement of the holidays and the decorating I did, but I wish it could last forever.

Its weeks like this that make me think of opening my own business, but I can never think of what I want to do. There is cooking. I seem to be getting good at that. The wife says I should apply for Master Chef, but I KNOW I'm not that good.

I could do the real engineer thing, but that is really something that would take more time effort and money than I have now. I would love to open a Christmas Store (go figure) complete with a Christmas tree lot. I think that would be fantastic.

Well, I have another 13 years before I can even think about "retiring" for good.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Twelve Days of Christmas

We live in an amazing world. I've always wondered what the twelve days of Christmas represented. Turns out is religiously based (who knew, it was never taught to me in church). It begins on Christmas day and ends on Jan 5th. From Wikipedia: "This period is also known as Christmastide and Twelvetide." also: "Twelfth Night is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January."

All this through a simple search. Still drives me crazy when my family asks a search type question when they all have smart phones and could look things up themselves.


Friday, November 23, 2012

Haappppy Biirrrthhdayyy!

Some good memories watching some classic Rankin and Bass:

Yep Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns. Rankin and Bass were the Christmas special gurus when we were growing up.

There's a reason why these are still classics. I have the movie on DVD and I might on BluRay, but I'll have to check.

Also finished by living room decorations. This is our normal configuration. I still need to do the outside decorations and the forest of inflatables. I still have to work the formal living room though, its hardly decorated at all.


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Tradition

I guess I like the holidays because of tradition. All my favorite traditions happened around the holidays. I remember my mom getting up very early on Thanksgiving to cook the turkey and it would take hours. Now it doesn't seem to take the same amount of time as it did then, but I attribute that to better ovens.

At Christmas, we always went to the neighbors for a party, usually on Christmas eve. Which is why I love our night before the night before Christmas parties we started three years ago.

We have some traditions that we started after the wife and I got married. Some we cheat on, sometimes the tree and decorations for Christmas happen before Thanksgiving.

My Excuse Obviously when the kids were smaller we had additional traditions about when we went to see what Santa brought.

We started a new tradition tonight, not sure if we'll keep it or not. Its the pizza on Thanksgiving eve tradition. Ordered from Pizza Hut, promised in half hour came in hour and 10 minutes.

Its tough to keep traditions going if you only just start them, but I'll think about this more while I'm waiting for Santa.

I still believe.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Little Martha Stewart

Don't ask me why and for goodness sake don't ask the wife, but every year at this time of year, I become little Martha Stewart. I decorate, with candles and runners and everything. I also bake.

Well, at least my family loves me.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Its Hot!

People who know me know I like winter, could be why when the temp goes above 72 degrees, I sweat like a pig.

BTW: did you know that phrase comes from the smelting industry?

Anyway 72 is my point. But seeing as I live in South Texas, it seems its always 72. Which is why I always want to live here:


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

AH! The Things We Remember

I was in the shower thinking, its where I always think for some reason. I realized it was Wednesday. Then without warning I was taken back in time to when my parents first started giving us allowances. We'd get them on Wednesday, that's when my dad got paid.

Anyway I vividly remember leaning against our refrigerator as my parents discussed what was expected for the dollar. I wasn't really paying attention, I just kept thinking...I'm gonna get RICH!

Now you know we didn't get rich and by and by the allowance went away, but it is interesting what you think about in the shower.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Eureka!

I've got it figured out now, I'm suffering from "Social Jet Lag". My sleep clock is not in sync. So I wonder if my boss will let me sleep in on workdays.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/10/health/social-jet-lag-obesity/index.html

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, I realized I come from a family of veterans. My maternal grandfather, my father, my brother and I all served in the military. Thankfully none of us paid the ultimate sacrifice for our service.

The military is a family. We brother's in arms, feel the loss of each member we lose during military operations. It takes a toll. But it re-enforces the price of the freedom we enjoy today. Despite what one may think of the reasons we send our men and women off to war, we must remember it takes a special spirit to sign up and know that each day you may be asked to give your life for others.

So please on this memorial day, take time to remember the fallen, and give your favorite veteran a hug. Its the least you can do.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Everyday Certainly is Groundhog Day

I was asked once why I don't post everyday. My answer was a bit flippant. I said the blog was called Everyday is Groundhog Day so all the days are the same. No need to write everyday, they're all the same.

I like to write, I'm not very good at it, but I like it. I'm also torn by the medium used. I like my electrons. I am, after all, a geek, but there's something to be said for journals and fountain pens. Writing down your thoughts in a library strewn with red oak and old books. Leather reading chairs...heaven.

But everyday here is like groundhog day. Weekdays start with the alarm at 4:00, I hit the snooze more times than I'd like. My intention is to walk the treadmill, but usually just hit the snooze. Shower, dress, sometimes actually eat something, drive to work about 5:20ish. At work by 6:00, email, workflow, meetings. Lunch at 11:00, more meetings, head home by 3:30 unless I have to work overtime. Television, dinner, bed.

Weekends aren't any better. Awake at 8:00-9:00, television, breakfast, television, lunch, television, dinner, television, bed. Real exciting isn't it. This is what makes summer especially bad, no new shows on to watch.

We did go out to Ecanto's last night. A local band plays there about once a month and a friend of ours has a friend in the band, they play 70's folk rock. Its usually a good time.

I guess I'll have to start trying harder to live a more interesting life, so I'll have interesting things to put in the blog.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Till Death Do You Part

I was a junior in high school, she was a senior. My best friend, Larry, was working with her at Zarda's Dairy. I asked him to introduce me to her, they were both trainees so I was introduced to his 'sister' Sheryl Trainee. I was lost from the start, not sure what she thought at the time, but a couple of days later I did tell him that someday I was going to marry that girl.

We were in choir together and I chased her for over two years, primarily through roses. I would cut a rose of my mom's rose bush and take to her. Then I figured I would take roses to her mother, that helped alot. We dated all through college and she even let me join the military, yes I needed her approval.

One Christmas with the ring I bought with my $100/month stipend from my ROTC Scholarship that her mom helped me pick out, I proposed and surprisingly she said yes.

We were married 27 years ago today. It was a beautiful spring day and as you can see my bride was also beautiful. In my eyes she's still just as beautiful.

I was able to put one wife's tale to rest before the wedding. My groomsmen suggested we pose playing cards. The picture is what I was actually dealt. It was a natural straight. They apologized for the lucky in cards, unlucky in love bit, but after 27 years I would say I had the best of both worlds.


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Curmudgeon, thy name is Kenneth

So today we had the ATT folks come out for television problems. Really frustrated, called because TV always freezes and sometimes blue screens. Seems to happen at between 11:00 and 15:00. So they ran tests and said there was something wrong with the wiring.

Came out, changed all the connections at the box, changed out the modem and within 2 minutes of the guy leaving it blue screened again. Called the guy back and he went to check the ATT box. Blue screened again twice which I assumed was him testing.

Two hours later TV went out completely for 45 minutes. Called and he said they were testing underground line. Since its back on its blue screened twice and froze three times.

I now know why curmudgeons are the way they are.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

What's in a birthday

Forty Eight, not the ultimate answer, that's 42 (See Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). No that's the number of my birthday. Today is that day. Good news is both my parents lived longer than 48 and since I've made it now I have to assume I have a few more years.

There was a time when I was truly excited by my birthday. I remember one time watching the Kansas City Royals play baseball in old Municipal Stadium on 22 May and being more thrilled about the fact that my birthday was the next day than the ball game I was watching.

But this birthday is just like any other day, I don't want it to be. In fact I think I'll be upset if no one notices or does anything for my birthday, but in the infinite scheme of things it doesn't really matter, its just another day.

I guess it will hit me in two years when I turn the big 50. Now that one scares me. One half of a century is just unfathomable.

Hopefully I feel like celebrating more when I'm 50.


Monday, April 30, 2012

I'm Indispensable!

I've finally made it, I'm indispensable! I took some time off today to have a doctor's appointment. I got texted, called twice, and finally called by my boss to see where I was. I'm indispensable.

Of course when I actually got to work, nothing was as important as they thought it was. I hate when they do that.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

TIL: Today I Learned

I don't know how many of you have Keurig coffee makers, but mine has started just not brewing. This isn't the first time its done this and as I always do when something goes wrong, I looked in the manual. Nothing. Then I googled (is that a verb now). Nothing. Well it started again this week, so I googled again. As last time the problem is mentioned but none of the solutions worked last time either.

But this time was different. There was a solution that I hadn't seen before. Namely, you unplug, take off the reservoir, turn upside down, and.....wait for it.....slap it and burp it like you would a baby. I thought, no this is silly, but I tried it anyway and sure enough it works! No more waiting minutes for coffee that never comes.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

I want to live here.

So why do I want to live here. Why do I have such a fascination with winter and log cabins. I can't explain it. But I always have. This is the main reason I don't really like Texas.

Don't get me wrong this is a great place to live, but I miss days like the above. Its a shame I'm have/had to put two kids through college or I would buy a piece of property in Colorado or Wyoming, just to have this.

I know April is a little early to think about winter, but I think about it all the time. 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

TIL: (Today I Learned)



That men are the primary sufferers of color blindness. Apparently women don't suffer from it as often. Could be why women are always saying to their men, "You aren't wearing that are you?"

I suffer a bit from color blindness. On those color blind tests, I can't see any numbers past the first one. It could also be why I wear stuff like this:


Now I see the same blue in both the tie and the shirt, but several people told me it didn't work. I especially think it looks better from a distance.


OK, so maybe not.

I actually did have an idea for an iPhone app. Take a picture of all your ties and all your shirts. Then pick a shirt or a tie and the app will tell you the best match from the other. I think I'll call the app Wifey. Now if I can just find someone to do the programming.