Today I attempted to cut down a tree. It is a more difficult task than you may realize. The tree is up against a hurricane and cedar fence. It is also inbetween my house and my neighbor's. Every branch required some thought about where it would land. I am getting ahead of myself.
The big part of this is that I rented a man-lift. It is a Genie 34 foot tow-able model. It was a challenge getting it into my rain soaked yard. I had to remove the gate and a chunk of fence to get the thing in the back yard.
I tell you, being extended out over my house in a tiny bucket is a bad place to be. I used a reciprocating saw to get the little limbs. My father-in-law used the chainsaw to get to the bigger parts.
We are about half way through. It rained a little while ago so the morning should prove difficult.
On a personal note, my hands are swollen!!! I feel beat up.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Belly Blogging
I am laying in the floor on my belly, in my baby's room, listening to Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch singing I'll Fly Away for the 5th time now. Where do I start with this one. Well, the baby is sick. The Trifecta of double ear infections coupled with the chest congestion has us on another round of anti-biotics. This is the second in 2 months so we switched from one type to another. I say we but I mean the doctor switched us.
I am using my laptop in the baby's room because he will not go to sleep. Apparently the $4.40 generic anti-biotic that we have this month also causes jumpy little babys. A side effect that the $40 anti-biotic from last month did not have.
As I lay here listening the the one song that seems to calm him down I am reminded of my accute carpel tunnel syndrome. I used to laugh about that sort of made up ailment but I tell you my numb fingers and sharp pains in my right wrist is all the proof I need.
This leads me to my free idea. Attention all of you who have the American Dream of making a million dollars like the guy with the pet rock. This is no "Jump to Conclusions Mat" or anything but it will sell.
Here it is..... the free idea.
They sell little number key pads for laptops so you don't have to use the num lock feature on your laptop. I want to make a keyboard that is split down the middle. Use either side you want. I want the right hand version but you can order either one. Plug it in usb and there you go. My left hand could stay on the laptop and my right hand could be on the split keyboard off to the side.
Why you ask? Well, it is simple. The keyboard was designed for tiny shouldered women. I am neither tiny shouldered nor a woman so my shoulder width is at least twice that of a tiny secretary of days gone by. I have a hard time squeezing my wrists together type on laptop keyboards.
I am using my laptop in the baby's room because he will not go to sleep. Apparently the $4.40 generic anti-biotic that we have this month also causes jumpy little babys. A side effect that the $40 anti-biotic from last month did not have.
As I lay here listening the the one song that seems to calm him down I am reminded of my accute carpel tunnel syndrome. I used to laugh about that sort of made up ailment but I tell you my numb fingers and sharp pains in my right wrist is all the proof I need.
This leads me to my free idea. Attention all of you who have the American Dream of making a million dollars like the guy with the pet rock. This is no "Jump to Conclusions Mat" or anything but it will sell.
Here it is..... the free idea.
They sell little number key pads for laptops so you don't have to use the num lock feature on your laptop. I want to make a keyboard that is split down the middle. Use either side you want. I want the right hand version but you can order either one. Plug it in usb and there you go. My left hand could stay on the laptop and my right hand could be on the split keyboard off to the side.
Why you ask? Well, it is simple. The keyboard was designed for tiny shouldered women. I am neither tiny shouldered nor a woman so my shoulder width is at least twice that of a tiny secretary of days gone by. I have a hard time squeezing my wrists together type on laptop keyboards.
Monday, December 10, 2007
A Strange Season
It's hot!!! It is December and we are dealing with 80° leaf raking! I know this is the south and global warming is good for homeless people but this is nuts.
Saturday I did some spring cleaning while the fam was out of the house. Man o man, the dust was amazing! I even cleaned under the bed. I think we are going to go without a box springs for a while. I wonder if the trash service will pick that up.
I found a tv station I did not even know I had. It is called versus and it is basically MMA-WEC all the time. It used to be like hunting and fishing channel but now they don't suck.
Saturday I did some spring cleaning while the fam was out of the house. Man o man, the dust was amazing! I even cleaned under the bed. I think we are going to go without a box springs for a while. I wonder if the trash service will pick that up.
I found a tv station I did not even know I had. It is called versus and it is basically MMA-WEC all the time. It used to be like hunting and fishing channel but now they don't suck.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Uneasy tilt
I have to admit that I have written many more blogs than actually appear on this site. I am told that I don't write enough but the truth is that I don't click publish enough.
I wonder if old people ever become comfortable watching young people ignore their advice and make painful or expensive mistakes.
I wonder if old people ever become comfortable watching young people ignore their advice and make painful or expensive mistakes.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Tap Out
Thanks mostly to the History Channel's show Human Weapon, I have started watching MMA. For the uninitiated MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. I grew up watching boxing with my dad in the big days of Mike Tyson so boxing is nothing new but Ultimate Fighting Challenge is crazy. (or is it Champion? Who knows)
The flying kicks and jujitsu are fun to watch. While I will not likely ever punch, kick, or arm bar anyone I have a challenge for any of those MMA guys. Go countless rounds with my 4 month old. Each night I think it will be the night that I am going to have energy to do something productive after he is put to bed. Each night I am beat into being a dribbling idiot by a baby.
He is relentless! Just when you think you are doing well he starts screaming. By the time I get him to give up the awake game I have nothing left to offer. I am barely able to type this series of sentences out. I may reply to an email or check some of my RSS feeds but basically I am out. I tried writing the lunch money check tonight and had to use a calculator to do some subtraction. I wrote the date in the amount and almost started writing October on the, what do you call that line where you write out the numbers in words? I sometimes have to look up how to thirteen or is it nineteen? Oh, its nineteen. This always makes me think of that robot dancing guy on Star Search that danced to the song Nineteen by Paul Hardcastle. Na Na Na Nineteen.
Wow, I will check woot.com and go to bed.
Not even Survivorman would be able to focus after a few rounds with this baby. I can't wait until he is a teenager and I can wake him up in the morning so he can watch me drink coffee. My son that is, not Survivorman. That would be uncomfortable for both of us I am sure of it.
The flying kicks and jujitsu are fun to watch. While I will not likely ever punch, kick, or arm bar anyone I have a challenge for any of those MMA guys. Go countless rounds with my 4 month old. Each night I think it will be the night that I am going to have energy to do something productive after he is put to bed. Each night I am beat into being a dribbling idiot by a baby.
He is relentless! Just when you think you are doing well he starts screaming. By the time I get him to give up the awake game I have nothing left to offer. I am barely able to type this series of sentences out. I may reply to an email or check some of my RSS feeds but basically I am out. I tried writing the lunch money check tonight and had to use a calculator to do some subtraction. I wrote the date in the amount and almost started writing October on the, what do you call that line where you write out the numbers in words? I sometimes have to look up how to thirteen or is it nineteen? Oh, its nineteen. This always makes me think of that robot dancing guy on Star Search that danced to the song Nineteen by Paul Hardcastle. Na Na Na Nineteen.
Wow, I will check woot.com and go to bed.
Not even Survivorman would be able to focus after a few rounds with this baby. I can't wait until he is a teenager and I can wake him up in the morning so he can watch me drink coffee. My son that is, not Survivorman. That would be uncomfortable for both of us I am sure of it.
Friday, August 3, 2007
The rested and guilty
If Nature abhors a vacuum; then why doesn't she just sweep?
Are there rehab programs for workaholics? Not that I am a workaholic. I have a day job. I have a part time side job and occasionally take side project work for friends and co-workers. I have multiple volunteer jobs at multiple levels in the cap. What's wrong with that? I am not a workaholic. Stop looking at me like that.
We all start at denial. I can blame genetics or at least poor role models because I come from a family chock-a-block full of workaholics. They are all ate up with it and don't even know it.
I prefer to think of myself as a driven underachiever with a guilt complex. Years of being called lazy by other workaholics puts some unrealistic thoughts into your head.
What would rehab be like? I won't go and you can't make me. I can see some sort of reality t.v. show based on the Workaholic's Rehab center. The people in the rehab would be sneaking into the administrator's offices to use their computers to check e-mail. Maybe they would start servicing the laser printer or file paperwork.
The Doctor would come by and say:
Doc: I hear you were working today.
Me: No, I was relaxing like you told me to.
Doc: Well, the nurse said you filled all of the paper trays in the copier.
Me: That is relaxing for me. That is not work, who calls that work?
Doc: I also heard you bribed a janitor for the keys to the server closet.
Me: I thought it was a media room.
Doc: Then why did you organize and label the patch panel?
Me: Was that wrong?
I used to think that if I made X number of dollars that I could sit back and enjoy life. I was kinda right. It is actually more about debt to income ratio than about salary. We hit a magic debt to income ratio for a few years and things were nice. I stopped working outside of my day job completely but then a cascade of mergers and buyouts happened to me and that all went out the window. The magic ratio is gone and despite our higher salaries we have more expenses than ever..
So.... I work. I should be working now. Never mind it is really late in the PM and I am at home. At least my addiction doesn't kill anyone.
Are there rehab programs for workaholics? Not that I am a workaholic. I have a day job. I have a part time side job and occasionally take side project work for friends and co-workers. I have multiple volunteer jobs at multiple levels in the cap. What's wrong with that? I am not a workaholic. Stop looking at me like that.
We all start at denial. I can blame genetics or at least poor role models because I come from a family chock-a-block full of workaholics. They are all ate up with it and don't even know it.
I prefer to think of myself as a driven underachiever with a guilt complex. Years of being called lazy by other workaholics puts some unrealistic thoughts into your head.
What would rehab be like? I won't go and you can't make me. I can see some sort of reality t.v. show based on the Workaholic's Rehab center. The people in the rehab would be sneaking into the administrator's offices to use their computers to check e-mail. Maybe they would start servicing the laser printer or file paperwork.
The Doctor would come by and say:
Doc: I hear you were working today.
Me: No, I was relaxing like you told me to.
Doc: Well, the nurse said you filled all of the paper trays in the copier.
Me: That is relaxing for me. That is not work, who calls that work?
Doc: I also heard you bribed a janitor for the keys to the server closet.
Me: I thought it was a media room.
Doc: Then why did you organize and label the patch panel?
Me: Was that wrong?
I used to think that if I made X number of dollars that I could sit back and enjoy life. I was kinda right. It is actually more about debt to income ratio than about salary. We hit a magic debt to income ratio for a few years and things were nice. I stopped working outside of my day job completely but then a cascade of mergers and buyouts happened to me and that all went out the window. The magic ratio is gone and despite our higher salaries we have more expenses than ever..
So.... I work. I should be working now. Never mind it is really late in the PM and I am at home. At least my addiction doesn't kill anyone.
Highlights
I have seen some funny stuff while on a weekend get-a-way.
I saw some sort of lawman wearing a Judge Dread style outfit with chains, knobs, radios, and all manner of what-not. He swaggered as he purchased his miniature sand tarts at the fru-fru coffee shop in Alexandria.
I saw a little kid with a Mohawk. I remember thinking that this is the first step toward a mullet.
In a town called Waterproof I was passed by a car that literally looked like it just left the scene of a crime. It was going about 90mph with no back glass, no seat belts, and three thugs looking like they were high.
I can't forget the corn. This is the most corn laden road I have ever seen. If it were not for the swamps I would have thought I was in Iowa.
I have come up with a motto for the good people that live in the small town of Iowa, Louisiana.
"Iowa, the town so nice no one will correct your mis-pronunciation"
I saw a sign for a dentist who's name is apparently Dr. Booty. The business name is Booty Dental. I don't know Dr. Booty but I have some advice. Our town has a fetish of sorts for pirates and dressing up like pirates. I think Booty Dental should specialize in gold teeth as in a pirate's treasure is called booty.
This post reflects the scatter state of my mind currently. I will try harder to write later.
I saw some sort of lawman wearing a Judge Dread style outfit with chains, knobs, radios, and all manner of what-not. He swaggered as he purchased his miniature sand tarts at the fru-fru coffee shop in Alexandria.
I saw a little kid with a Mohawk. I remember thinking that this is the first step toward a mullet.
In a town called Waterproof I was passed by a car that literally looked like it just left the scene of a crime. It was going about 90mph with no back glass, no seat belts, and three thugs looking like they were high.
I can't forget the corn. This is the most corn laden road I have ever seen. If it were not for the swamps I would have thought I was in Iowa.
I have come up with a motto for the good people that live in the small town of Iowa, Louisiana.
"Iowa, the town so nice no one will correct your mis-pronunciation"
I saw a sign for a dentist who's name is apparently Dr. Booty. The business name is Booty Dental. I don't know Dr. Booty but I have some advice. Our town has a fetish of sorts for pirates and dressing up like pirates. I think Booty Dental should specialize in gold teeth as in a pirate's treasure is called booty.
This post reflects the scatter state of my mind currently. I will try harder to write later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)