Back in March these people sent me a letter saying my payment is past due. Well, I get another one today. I do the same as last time, and look up the payment at my bank. And, yet again, it was posted 4 days before it was due. Yet again, they send me one of these letters. I call, and of course they got the payment. I can understand 1 mistake, but 2 in the course of 3 months, up yours.
Get your shit straight. Nobody likes these letters, especially when the make sure you're paid, every month, BEFORE the due date. I will never, ever, ever use 1st National Bank of Scotia again.
Frosts the last 2 days (killed my veggies), pretty cold since the weekend in general. Where's this "Global Warming" I've heard so much about?
Late night on the 31st I figured I had to do something to prank someone, anyone, at work. So, I IMd my CTO and suggested that I lock everyone out of the time management system (which most people would use every morning), with a note like:
"Sorry, this account has been disabled. Please contact [CTO name] unless he has already set up a phone conversation with you."
He liked the idea, so at 9am on the 1st, that's what I did. You'd log in, or hit any page once logged in, and see that message. He then took it a step further. After a while, he sent out an email to the company. It said, something to the effect of, 'You have likely noticed you've been locked out of the time system. Please see this blog post for an explanation...." Then it went to an (internal) blog saying we had been bought out, he didn't know about everyones job, etc... Finally, with a link at the bottom to a press release, which really said "April Fools" when you clicked on it.
This would work if two things happened. First, someone forgot it was April 1st. Second, if they didn't click on the PR link. Both happened :-) Some people were pretty freaked out, and the prank went off pretty well.
The best thing about it, is that people want to get him back! I'm just a silent partner in it.
I need a better way of organizing my notes. I have always been in the habit of just using a single text file, where I track and note various things. But, that file is now very long. It works well for me, but I think I duplicate some things, and some things I don't need anymore, or do need but don't need them in the file.
How do others organize these things? There is probably some OS X app which could better organize these things, and I just haven't seen it. It's probably noted in the text file to look for something.
I always liked April Fools Day. I could have an excuse to play dumb pranks which spawn from my odd sense of humor. But, it's sort of hard when you're a telecommuter.
I have Food Network on a lot, and sometimes watch Rachael Ray (although she can grate on my nerves). But, she cooks quick meals and since I usually cook, I like to get ideas. But, she says "delish", and this bugs the crap out of me. What's so hard about adding 'us'? Delicious.. not hard to say, just an extra syllable and it's actually a word.
I also hate "sammy". It's a "sandwich". I'll even take "sammich", but not "sammy". If you're wanting to refer to a smaller-than-usual sandwich, at least use the word "slider". I think slider is more reserved for mini-burgers (a la White Castle), but it makes more sense than "sammy".
We were at Ocean State Job Lot the other day, and I saw this soda. It was $1 for a 4-pack, so I picked up two to try it out. Soda + coffee, how could I go wrong? I didn't. It's really really good. If you see it in a store, worth trying out.
Dear IRS,
I really appreciate that you sent a letter out via the US Mail telling me that a stimulus check may be coming. However, and I think I can speak for everyone here, when you open your mailbox and see mail with the envelope saying 'IRS' on it, your heart skips a few beats. Although your intentions are good, it's just plain scary.
Also, what paid for those letters to be drafted, designed, printed and sent? Next time, just save that tax money used for letters to tell us a check us coming, and just send the check. Not that that was a waste of tax money or anything, but it was.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Being someone who is usually up until 1am (at least) anyways, the Spring Forward time change always sucks for me. I'm sleepy.
This is brilliant. If you haven't seen it, here is Sarah Silverman's message to her boyfriend, Jimmy Kimmel:
And, his response:
I'm admittedly not the best speller, and if I didn't have spell check (spell check just told me 'spell check' isn't "spellcheck" as I wrote it), I'd certainly spell many (more) things wrong. But, if I had a company which printed things and sent them to the public, I'd spend the extra $5 to have someone look over a simple sentence.
The funny thing is, there was another box from the same company with a slightly different product right next to this one, with it spelled ok.
I've been itching to get a new tattoo. I just can't decide what, or where. My current tattoos are in places I don't get to see (back and thigh), so I'd like something somewhere that I can see. I'm not sure if I want my arm/shoulder, or something on my leg extending from my thigh down to the knee (I'd see it when wearing shorts, at least).
I also don't know what I'd want. I considered a portrait of Kyla. But, finding someone I trust to do a good portrait may be hard. Or, something which tells a story. Not sure, I guess it'll come to me.
I think Netflix recently made their New Releases section less useful. They used to have a "Releasing This Week" section, where I could see, well, what was releasing this week. I'd usually add things to my queue in there, since I would think "Oh, yeah I wanted to see that!" Now, it's just some Ajax horizontal scrolling thing which isn't of much use to me. I'm lucky if I remember the name of a movie I wanted to see 6 months ago when it was in the theater, let alone what they may categorize the genre as (is it more comedy than action? More thriller than drama?).
Am I missing it? Did they move it? I just want to know what's being released this week.
A few weeks ago I wondered if you could "beat" postage by sending something with no postage, and the sender/arrival address being the same. Well, pseudo-ironically, this was tested by accident. Someone, who I won't mention *cough*Alan*cough* sent me a New Years card. But, didn't include enough postage. So, my postman put an envelope in my mailbox asking me to put $.17 in it.
So, I guess that's what happens.
I was looking for a book, and do as I usually do.. go to eBay to try to get it cheap. Sometimes, you can get it with shipping for less than retail + tax. That's the point, right?
So, I find the book, basically half price. Good. Then, I see the shipping of this regular sized paperback is $1 less than the retail price. So, it'd cost me more to buy from them than actually stop by the book store, pay retail + tax.
I'm just glad to know that I'm not so lazy that I'm willing to pay MORE online just to not leave my house.
If you were a Nintendo DS, where would you hide?
This is from my new local Asian buffet (which is awesome, BTW). I knew Asian folks have a problem with their R's, but didn't know about their "are"'s!
I keep forgetting to take a photo of their "Hot Buttered Bum" label for one of their dim sum dishes. Maybe next time.
Making plans to go see Alan in NYC in a few weeks for a weekend. Totally psyched. Got a day off from work, got someone to watch Kyla for me, so only need to go get the train tickets.
So, I'm doing some fresh scambaiting, and the scammer was sending me their "Money Order" (which I "cash", and give some back). They did it via UPS to a fake address I gave them. It was sent "overnight" on Oct 3, and it's been funny watching the tracking since it's pretty much been back and forth this country about 4 times. Finally, it's made it to the right town. But, this is the latest that the UPS site says:
THE RECEIVER'S ADDRESS IS INCOMPLETE. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THE ENTIRE ADDRESS AND COMPLETE THE DELIVERY. / A POSTCARD HAS BEEN SENT TO THE RECIPIENT REQUESTING THAT THEY CONTACT UPS.
Soo.... they don't know the full address, so they sent a postcard to the address for the recipient to tell them the address. Funny stuff.
Diana Inquest: Three Key Questions - TIME
Questions:
1. Who cares?
2. Who cares?
3. Who cares?
Nope, just a barrack at the Coronado Naval Base.
So, I was looking for hotel prices in the DC area, and was on Orbitz just now. I saw Crowne Plaza Hotel THE HAMILTON was 'from' $94/night. Great.. let's see what happens when I go to book it. I did nothing in those 5 seconds except saying 3 people for the room. We're talking at about a 5 second different, 10:45pm on a Sunday...
Due to changes in availability, the average nightly rate for the hotel room you selected has changed. The rate has changed from $94.05 to $329.00. (Message 1805)
Uh, quite a jump in price, no? Maybe it's just the message? If it said "Oh, sorry... 3 people means over 300% more than you just thought.. sorry", then maybe it wouldn't look like bullshit.
Haven't had one, but still wouldn't mind a smoke. No nic-fits, still... but the "something is missing" feeling comes over me through the day.
One week down, many more to go.
Still wanting to have a smoke. I can't say my urge to have one has gone down much, although I still can't say I've had a "nic fit". I may have to not drink coffee for a bit, though. After drinking it, I start to want to go out onto the deck and smoke, which is what I usually do. Maybe I'll have some tea instead, since I don't associate tea with smoking. I haven't been overeating, but did notice I'd go open the fridge more than usual (but, generally not get anything). So, I broke out a bag of sunflower seeds so I can keep my mouth busy.
But, in either case, another day down.
Well, yesterday sort of sucked. I was a little bit edgy, although taking the patch off before bed certainly helped with the dreams. Today, not so on edge, but I'd still like to have a smoke. This morning I actually woke up feeling like I smoked last night. But, the urges today were fewer than yesterday.
So far, so good. Let's hope this time it sticks.
So the patch went on yesterday (early) evening. As I said, I left it on all night. What a mistake! Holy crap.. I was woken up every two hours by the most unwanted vivid dreams. The only one which was "scary" was when some guy was trying to stab me in the face with a needle of some sort. The rest were just very vivid, and would wake me up because of someone calling my name, touching me, etc... which would startle me out of sleep. It really sucked. I fell asleep at around 2am (Surviverman was on, and I missed the end so it was probably around 1:45am), and was startled awake for the last time at 7am. I was able to just lay there with my eyes closed for about an hour after that. Horrible night. Not because I wanted to smoke, but because I had that stupid patch on.
Today, however, no real nicotine craving. I did want to smoke. Mainly, I wanted to perform the act of smoking, and taste a smoke. But, I don't think I had a "nic fit". I think that's what quitting mainly is, getting past the habitual part of it. The dogs are even confused now, since they are used to me coming outside with them. Now, I let them out and they turn around and stare inside at me like they are saying "What the?? Why aren't you coming out?" I'm not going out because I need to try changing that pattern, of course.
So, aside last night, today was a success. I kept myself busy painting the basement, and really wasn't even on edge. It's 11pm now, and I took the patch off about 10:45, hoping I won't have these dreams tonight. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
Not sure why, but one night I felt like taking some screen grabs of me winning a tourney. Of course, I didn't know I was going to win.. but I was pretty darn sure (I'm no slouch at poker, after all, and I felt the win coming). This was at the final table. I think there were 360 or 380 people in the tourney. I'm the handsome guy on the bottom.
I'm chip lead over 3 others. A card was flying down at the time, I wasn't in this hand. When there are short-stacks I usually play fairly tight because they can have a tendency to go all-in at any time instead of trying to just win good hands and grow their stack.
The shark is gone. He went all-in, which is what I was guarding against.
Uh oh, I have Jacks. I believe I took this hand.
The rock is now gone, A7 offsuit, only raising 16k, I called.
Last grab, 195k, now I have 309k. Guess my A7 payed off.
No question who was going to win this hand. My confidence was high, and the stupid gecko wasn't going to beat me.
Flop on the (what would be) final hand. He's at 90k, either he'd push in, or I'd force him to (you can see it's my bet, so I bet 100k). He'd have to know if he folded it's be quite an uphill battle from 90k to overtake my 450k stack. Especially, at that 10k/20k blinds.
Sorry dude, my fish hooks win.
Yipee! Yet another round 2. I lost it, but recall I was in the top 60 (out of more than 2000 people).
Anyways, maybe I should take grabs more often. It's sort of fun looking back on games.
Man, I really hate filling out any type of forms, and 401K ones seem to be no different. I finally decide that enrolling in the 401k plan would be a good idea so I sit down to fill out the forms. First, easy enough.. name, SSN, address.. no problem. Then, all of a sudden there are 4 pages of various allocations. I'm not a dumb guy, but that's when it gets confusing. All I want to say is "Put N% of my check into a moderate risk plan" and be done.
It's hard enough for me to send my money to somewhere I can't touch for 30 years as it is, let alone worrying I'm going to check the wrong box and end up in some high risk plan.
When a virus is on the loose, make sure Conan the Barbarian is there save the day! The government won't say it, but he's the real reason the Bird Flu isn't the pandemic it was to be.
I love it when Google News has a photo next to a story which has nothing to do with each other. Some serious politics going on, but Clay Aiken smiling makes it all so light hearted.
Last night was the final night in the "local poker season". At least, for regularly scheduled games. I shouldn't have to mention that I won, but I did. Actually, myself and the other final guy decided to just split the winnings since we were pretty even and didn't feel like see-sawing for 2 more hours.
I'd like to thank Jesse for hosting all the time. I had a lot of fun, and really like all the guys I regularly play with. In my last group of people I played with I went to just play poker, since I really didn't like the group as a whole. But, here I never minded if I lost, because I always had fun.
"Gandhi (7:00 PM) Part of the Certified Angus Beef Movie Series"
I'm not sure why this strikes me as funny, but it does.
U.S. Mail Charges Increase, New 'Forever' Stamp Goes on Sale
I really should give the USPO my mailing address so they could send me a note to tell me that prices are increasing. I think I have yet to every know it's going to happen until it happens. So, yet again, the 50 stamps I have now I can't mail anything with without going to buy new stamps to add to those stamps. I was even at the post office last week, and don't recall any signage saying "BUY $.02 STAMPS, PRICE INCREASE ON MONDAY". Imagine that! That would have alerted me to the the increase BEFORE the increase while I was actually AT the place which sells stamps.
1. They don't put forth effort to complete a task
April 4, and it's snowing. Just when everything melted, too! We're supposed to get 2-4", so not too much. The ground is pretty warm, so I'm sure it'll all be gone by tomorrow evening. But, still.. snow in April? Better than a hurricane, though!
If you want to make a cross-Atlantic trip, don't plan it with Google Maps. Step 23 seems a little inefficient.
Yesterday I was activating my new AMEX card and the person asked if I could use help with anything else. I said "You can lower my interest rate." Instead of hearing a laugh, I heard "Let me transfer you to customer service."
I few seconds later the CS lady asked what she could do for me. I again said "You can lower my interest rate." Still, no laughing at me, but instead "Hold on one second, let me see what I can do." A few seconds later she offered me a lower rate. Then, she asked if that would be good for me. I said, "Can you do any better?" and got another "Hold one what second, let me see what I can do" and was offered an even lower rate.
Somewhat surprised, I asked if there was any better, and she said that was the best. As it turns out, you CAN get a lower rate just by calling and asking. A CC company "rewards" you periodically by allowing you to borrow more money, but they never seem to send you a "We've lowered your interest rate!" mailing.
I'd suggest trying this with all CCs. And, don't take the first offer, ask if they can do better. After talking with the CS lady, they offer you something "better", but not the "best" at first. Kind of like if you ask to borrow money from me, and I say I can lend you $1. But, if you ask if I can do better, I'll offer you $5. I won't give you $5 right off the bat.
In either case, I lowered my interest rate by about 6%.
Sometimes I like to do some 419 baiting. This is when you get those scam emails and respond like you are interested. There can be some funny back-n-forth. But, although I don't feel sorry for the losers who get scammed, every time they email me is a time they don't email some white trash idiot who thinks someone in Nigeria is going to send them millions.
When I do this, I say my name is "Mike Oxlong", and I own a company called "Peenile Sukers, LLC". One of the main things while baiting is to get a photo of the person on the other end. They are always willing to send a stock photo, but it can be hard to get a new photo, with them holding or doing something you request. So far, I haven't had too much luck with that. I've had a few funny conversations, and only two people who actually wrote what I wanted on something and sent it to me, but not on a photo they took for the purpose. I generally request "Mike Oxlong and I love Peenile Suking", because I'm childish and that makes me giggle.
Anyways, I was just going through an old folder and found these. Figured I'd share.
Both him and his wife love Peenile Suking. Those Nigerian swingers!
That one was from "Monica Martins". I corresponded with "her" for about 2 weeks until she said I was treating her like a prostitute by asking for the photo of her with the sign in it.
Hopefully, I can find a good way to export my emails so they would be easy to post and read. I especially like the one where I correspond with "John Edwards", and keep asking about his run for VP and being a senator, and he keeps denying that's who he is.
As of late, haven't been writing much. Simply been too busy, and when not busy, not too enticed to sit in front of the computer.
I didn't mention it, but I switched jobs at the beginning of the year. I left my other job for various reasons I won't go in to, but I needed a change. I'm still on good terms with them, so that's cool. My new job is pretty cool as well. I needed to be challenged again, and work on some fun things with a fun framework.
The snow is melting, so Spring is on its way. I'm really looking forward to doing some hiking and stuff around the yard.
Found some new people to play poker with. Pretty good bunch of guys, and I have a fun time with them. Hopefully, they learn that me being mainly quiet is just me (and me sizing them up). Once my comfort level grows the sarcastic "good time" Kevin will come out more.
Kyla is now a high-green belt in Tae Kwon Do. She is pretty happy, and I'm very proud of her. She's going to make a good black belt one day. And, I don't think she'll be one of these "go through the motions" black belts, but will be someone who can use what they have learned.
That's it for now.. just a really quick summary.
(Click image for full size)
Yep, that's what I was looking at when the cable (my net connection) decided to go out. That's me on the bottom.. I was #2 in the tourney at the time. The power didn't come back on for about an hour.. and I saw I was knocked out at #9. This was a WSOP round 1 qualifier.
So, screw you Time Warner! I was on a roll! But, no matter.. I later won another qualifier.
Since we have a few feet of snow outsite, it makes it hard to walk out there. Mainly because the snow goes up to my crotch. But, the dog poop sits nicely on the top. Usually, this would suck and the poop would have to wait until Spring, or the snow melts enough. But, thanks to my new snowshoes I was able to walk on top of the snow, and do my weekly poop patrol.
Mummified body found in front of blaring TV - CNN.com
That's sort of how I figured I'd go. Heart attack while sitting in front of the TV, and nobody giving a crap to notice for a year. I'd just hope I'm watching something good at the time.
Finally, after a super-mild Winter we are getting a snow storm. They are expecting around 3' of the white stuff.
Here's a cruddy picture (Photo Booth from the Mac) of what it looks like from my office window right now into the back yard.
iTWire - Kids at greater risk of seeing online Internet porn than ever
Of course. The first thing any kid old enough to start wonder what their "special purpose" is for searches for when they get to an un-censored 'net connection is search Google for "boobs". In fact, I just did it.. it took me an hour and half to finish this entry after doing my research.
Bad idea to get into an online card tourney that starts at 9:00pm. I thought I'd just get in and out, but ended up being up until 2:30am playing when I was finally bumped out in 7th place. I was playing Razz, which isn't really "my game" (I generally play Hold'em, Omaha or Stud), but I somehow did very well.
Razz is barely a game. If you haven't played it, the worst hand wins. That is sort of anti-poker in my mind. Essentially, the way I see it, is you need to be a big loser in order to win at Razz. And, I was a pretty large loser last night, since I did so well :-) (insert obvious cutdowns here)
I've been playing on Full Tilt Poker for a while now. I don't pay to play, and only play with fake money unless I place in a freeroll money tourney (like last night) and win a couple of bucks from it. Otherwise, it's all for fun and practice. Why FTP and not another one of the many poker places? Well, they were the first I found which had a client for Mac. But, I really like the interface and number of freerolls and WSOP qualifying tourneys. Right now, I keep playing qualifiers to get on Poker After Dark. It's a long shot, but I've made it to the 2nd round twice (and lost both times in a respectable position). If you like cards, you should check it out. It's lots of fun.
We should have about 2.5 feet of snow right now. But, we've had a total of .7" so far this year. Plus, most of Winter has been in the 50's and sometimes 60's. Today it was a normal temp of 15.
Hopefully, we'll get some darn snow soon! I'd like to ride my snowmobile, do some skiing, etc... But, I still can't complain about a mild season. At least gas prices have come down a little because of it.
Can David Beckham save American soccer? - Sports - NBCSports.com
America has soccer??
2006 is gone, and 2007 is here. Yipee! Actually, I don't think it really matters much. Years just sort of go by now. 2006 was a year of home building, selling, moving and working way too much.
Anyways, something I like to do at the start of a year, which amuses me, is to look at what prediction renowned fraud psychic Sylvia Browne said for the past year. This is the list I have, let's see how well she did.
1. The natural disasters we have been seeing in the past year will be just as bad or even worse in the coming year
Nope. No tsunamis, Katrinas or bad disasters, let alone worse. I also recall her saying the Northeast will be hit by hurricanes. Um, no. In fact, we had a pretty quiet weather year.
2. New York and Los Angeles will experience an earthquake
Well, LA experiencing an earthquake isn't exactly someting you need to be psychic to know about. I am unaware of any earthquake in NYC, which is what I assume she meant by "New York". There may have been a minor earthquake in New York (state) since there is sometime minor quakes. I'll say she got this wrong, since there was no noticable quake in New York (state), and saying LA will have one is almost a gimme.
3. The hurricane season will be just as bad -- we will have upwards of 30
Nope. Very quiet hurricane season.
4. There will be major earthquakes in Mexico, India and "volancoes going off everywhere."
I think the Philippines had a notable eruption, but the Philippines is neither Mexico or India. I think this one is safely a no.
5. Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to lose
He won
6. McCain and Kerry will announce their intention to run for the presidency.
Well, this is true. But, I can also say there would be a tornado in Kansas, and that wouldn't make me psychic. If she said Obama, or that governer from Ohio or wherever it is, I'd give it to her. But, not with McCain and Kerry.
7. Bush's popularity will continue to decrease until he starts bringing the troops home
Again, do you need to be psychic to make this prediction? But, we don't even know if his popularity would stop going down if he started bringing troops home. He finally gave up the "stay the course" thing, and that didn't help. So, for this one, no.
8. Bush will not be impeached
Since she is so far 0 for 7, I'll give her .5 on this one. He wasn't impeached. Then again, I don't know that anyone thought he would be or that this was an "out on a limb" prediction.
9. there will be no more train terrorism but truck terrorism is a concern
I'm not sure that it being a concern was a prediction, but that there would be a "truck terrorism" attack. There wasn't.
10. Britney Spears will divorce and then remarry
Divorced, yes, remarried, no. Although anyone probably could have guessed it, I'll give her .5 for the divorce.
So far, she's shooting 10%.
11. Bruce Willis will marry a 19-20 year old model
Nope
12. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are on the outs
She also said this in 2005, and she again got it wrong. Well, maybe they are "on the outs", but us common folk don't know about it.
13. Jennifer Aniston will remarry, but the hubby will not be Vince Vaughn
Nope, she's still available
14. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will get married
Nope, they have been too busy adopting every 3rd world kid.
Here are a few medical related ones. I'm not sure about these...
15. MS and ALS patients will be pleased to hear about new discoveries with the hypothalamus gland.
Don't know
16. there will be a non-invasive manner of removing plaque from the heart and arteries that will eliminate the need for bypass surgeries
Don't know
17. SIDS will be discovered to be an allergic reaction to dairy products in infants
I think I may have heard something about SIDS in the news this year, but don't recall if it were dairy related.
18. there will be a vaccine created for lung, colon and stomach cancer
No cancer vaccine's that I know of.
19. the worries about the pandemic are completely unfounded
I think she referred to the Bird Flu. This is a hard one, since only time will tell if they are unfounded. I don't think they are unfounded now, since Bird Flu has been found(ed) to, you know, kill people. Maybe a .5 on this, but I don't think so.
20. a hormone will be found that will keep people's weight off, making them feel full
Don't think so. She should have mentioned the pill to give you 500% MORE EJACULATION!!!! since SPAM says that one exists.
21. Bush will start bringing the troops home
Nope. If she added ".. in body bags", then she would have gotten it.
22. Aliens will reveal themselves in 2010
Uh... she should get a -2 for this one. I won't count it though.
So, let's see. Not counting 22, that 1 out of 21. That's a 4.76% success rate. Even being nice and not counting the medical ones I don't know about, she has a 5.55% success rate. Not very good for a psychic. Actually, not very good for someone making random guesses. And, but "someone" I mean a monkey, and by "guesses" I mean flinging poo at random words.
But, this woman will defraud hopeless people out of their money for another year, and again amuse me in Jan. '08 when I again look back at her predictions.
Starts tonight at sundown. Have a good one for anyone who celebrates.
People picks its 'Sexiest Man Alive' - CNN.com
They picked George Clooney, for a second time. Not that I expected to see myself being picked, but is George Clooney sexy? He looks like Droopy Dog to me. I'm neither a woman, nor gay, so maybe I'm not that great of a judge on male sexiness. But, Clooney?
Um.. who's the loser?
From rkbqk@yahoo.com Sun Nov 5 18:08:44 2006
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 15:07:18 -0800 (PST)
From: "rkbqk@yahoo.com"
Subject: what's up Kevin
To: blog@perlguy.com
You're a sad, pathetic loser.
Cobain bumps off Elvis as top-earning dead celeb
Dead people make more in a year than I'll make my whole life.
I'm tired today. This is somewhat unusual for me since I'm usually going with a max of 7 hours sleep and am what some may consider a "morning person". Maybe my lack of sleep is catching up to me, which happens every so often. I'm also sort of unmotivated today. I think I'd rather sit on the sofa watching recorded Judge Judy shows and movies today than anything else. Of course, that won't happen.
I bet the other 7 aren't nearly as cool as me!
Security in our schools seems to be more and more important these days. It's one thing to worry about kids who want to kill, but when you have adults who aren't parents of students coming in it's a different type of ballgame.
I have wondered about the security in the schools where I live. You can pretty much walk right in and wander about. That's not safe. After the killing last week in CO I emailed the President of the School Board asking about security. Today, the Superintendent of Schools called me to assure me that security is high priority and things are being discussed to make sure our kids are safe. First, I must say, I'm surprised the Superintendent called me. That, to me, says a lot.
I had suggested looking for volunteers, for the time being, to watch the front doors of the schools. Checking IDs and giving the visitor passes. I know if a bad guy was coming in, and I was there, I'd take a bullet if the sound gave someone else the time to call the police and tell teachers to lock their doors. I also suggested seeing if there are off-duty cops who may want to volunteer. There is a State Police station right across the street, so maybe finding a few cops to spare a few hours a week wouldn't be out of the question.
If you don't feel your kids school is safe, call about it. Go to a School Board meeting and ask what's being done. Be pro-active. Crazy people killing kids isn't limited to the big city, and is just as likely to happen in your town.
"People went there for one purpose: to sell drugs and to prostitute," Detective Don Woods said. "We believe the owners let it go on because it keeps rooms booked."
Purposes found by detective.. one. Purposes stated.. two.
I've been sneezing and blowing my nose for three days. I feel kinda crappy. Sort of like my head is a balloon filled with Jello. Except, it's really my head and it's snot instead of Jello.
In the pocket of a pair of pants which were in a wicker chest in the basement under boxes! Whee! I've wondered where this is, I don't think I've seen it since I moved to NY. I always had this thing with me. I'm whole again *sniff*
I'm tired. Very tired. I've really been working too much lately. Not just work work, but with everything. I can't not be doing something. I'm either working, cleaning, cooking, cleaning from cooking, picking up, re-arranging or doing something else which prevents me from just relaxing.
I need to relax. If anyone wants my undying love.. get me a maid for a month, and a personal chef. Maybe that would help me free up some time to just do nothing.
So I go to toysrus.com to look for a boomerang. Figured I'd get one for Kyla, and wanted to see how much they are retail. So, I go and enter the search term 'boomerang'..
We are having trouble locating a match for your search: boomerang
Did you mean: boomerangit
So, I click on 'boomerangit'
We are having trouble locating a match for your search: boomerangit
Did you mean: boomer
When clicking "boomer" I got to this item which is a "Boomer Plane", and I have no clue what it does.
What the hell is a boomerangit?
I've been listening to Air America over the last week. I enjoy listening to Springer, but overall this station is WAY too leftist. I mean, beyond what I can even stand listening to.
I consider myself a polictal moderate. Not that I'm middle of the road on everything, but if you averaged what I'm liberal about and conservative about, it probably averages to moderate. But, Air America is SO skewed with what they say, and don't say, is almost sad.
As you all know, it's 6/6/06. No sins count today!
I don't know why, but I think it's funny that when you call the UK, the tone of the ring is different. For some reason, puts me in the mood to listen to some Pink Floyd...
I remember years ago in college we had some guy from the UK stay with us for a bit. When he went back, I gave him a call to see how he was doing. For the life of me, I don't remember what town he lived in, but it wasn't a "major" town or city that an American would recall. His mum answered the phone, and I couldn't understand a damn word she said to me. I know she was speaking English, but the accent was so thick and distorted, I couldn't understand her and really didn't know if she understood me. Imagine if current-day Bob Dylan had a thick British accent.. that's all I could compare it to. To this day, all I think I got out of the conversation is that he was out riding a moped or something. Or, milking a chicken. Knowing him, it was the chicken.
I just learned that a local pub, Tin and Lint, is where Don Mclean wrote 'American Pie'. That's pretty cool.
Can someone explain to me why the price of gas would be lower yesterday, even though the gas station didn't get a new shipment of gas? I watch the price of oil, so I know when it goes up. I also know that the station didn't get a new shipment (I asked). So, how can the price of gas which was already put in the tank go up?
I'm not overly familiar with how gas stations work, but I assume they pre-pay or are invoiced an amount for what goes into the tank. So, if the price of oil/gas goes up overnight, whatever is in the tank is already paid for. Isn't this gouging? I'd expect to pay whatever the price is based on what was paid for the gas in the tanks... not the market price. No wonder oil companies are making record profits! This morning, $2.85/gallon for the Super Premium.
CNN.com - Rumsfeld's Iraq-Germany analogy disputed - Mar 19, 2006
"Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis"
When will people learn. You simply can NOT compare anything to Nazi Germany, or anyone to Hitler and get away clean. Never. I don't even think you can compare Hitler to Hitler or Nazi Germany to Hitler and not get people all in a frenzy. If Stalin were alive, he couldn't compare himself to Hitler!
Rule of thumb.. never compare anything to Hitler or Nazi Germany. Just don't do it. Instead of Hitler or Nazi, use something still hated but less fury enspiring, such as 'Yoko Ono'. Instead of Nazi Germany, use somewhere else people would enjoy.. like 'Graceland'.
"Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing Graceland back to Yoko Ono"
See.. much better. And, that comment would totally fit into the absolute nonsense that Rummy usually says!
First, I started seeing some more birds around. Then, over the last few days I've seen the geese migrating back. Then, this morning, the real sign. The resident ducks are back in the pond.
I think we have a few cold days ahead, and some snow showers, but Spring has basically begun to spring.
I hadn't known of Stacy Keibler until Dancing with the Stars. Well, once in a while Andy and me IM eachother with various hot-chick names to see if we agree on their state of hotness. Yes ladies, your theories that adult, well educated, men still sometimes act like 17 year old boys is true. Anyways, he didn't seem very impressed by her.
But, then my issue of Stuff came in yesterday. Look at that cover! Whoaboy. Andy, you're on crack!
At some point, I did a free account thing at classmates.com. I don't recall why, aside it didn't let me see names of people signed up unless I did. Of course, now they always email me saying "10 NEW PHOTOS ADDED!! WANT TO SEE THEM? PAY US!!", and I will never pay for it.
One thing when I look at it, is that I don't recognize the names. I'm sure I went to school with these people, and may have been friendly with some of them. But, nobody rings such a bell that I need to contact them, or pay to do it.
Besides, what would you say to someone who was someone you "knew" in high school after 15 years? "So, what's up?"
Anyone use these sites? What do you say to people? I figure if they are someone important from back then, you somehow have kept in touch over the years or have Googled someones name to try to find them that way.
I wonder if there is a high school reunion coming up. I missed the 10 year one, but I guess there isn't a 16 year one, so I'll have to wait 4 more years to sit in a room trying to remember how I knew someone. I long to have an evening of "Wow Kevin, you've changed!".. "Thanks, I'd say the same to you but I have no idea who you are."
But, it could be funny. One year I had a haircut called a 'Gainsville'. It's basically a shaved head, but the front has long hair which came to my chin. Sort of like a 'slab', but less hair (Kelly, you there? Remember that?). I still have my class photo of me, with that haircut, wearing a P.I.L. (Public Image Limited) shirt. It would be funny as hell to have a shirt made with that photo on it, and wear it to a reunion. Then, say innapropriate things around peoples spouses. "Bill, remember that time you put peanut butter on your nuts and let Jeffs dog lick it off? Man, that killed me. Oh wait, Bill didn't have a dog!"
I crack myself up.
This man is angry about:
a) The CIA airstrike in Pakistan
b) The Pakistani Government working with the US
c) His Colgate toothpaste and extra waxed mint floss shipment was stopped at a checkpoint, and not allowed through to his village... for the past 30 years.
Since I'll be on vacation next week, I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmass, Happy Hannukah, Fun Festivus, Cool Kwanza, Happy Kevmass and Happy Whatever Holiday You Celebrate In A Religious Or Secular Manner.. and a safe and happy New Years.
Now that you know your days are short for getting me a Kevmass gift, a Think Geek gift certificate is always quick and easy :-) I could always use a new shirt, or some caffinated mints. Amazon is also good, and eBay.
Only 6 more shopping days until Kevmass!
The inside of a garbage disposal is one of the nastiest things I've had my hands in. The other day I was using a hand-held can opener, and my Hurculean strength broke it, sending the sproket into the drain, jamming the disposal. Today, I had to get it out. Ick.
Chinese Buffet.. the friend of hunger and enemy of the stomach.
I had a good time in L.A. It was mainly work related, so I didn't get to do too much. But, Saturday was spent being driven around see various areas. UCLA, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, etc...
For the most part, I don't care much for L.A. The only place I liked was in the mountains (imagine that!). But, L.A. itself, and pretty much the surrounding areas were just too congested for me. So many people, so little blinker use. 1,200 square foot homes on a whopping 5,000 square foot lot for no less than half a million bucks.
I look forward to returning and seeing some places again, but I could never live there. I'd probably live there before I'd want to be in Florida again.. but a paper cut on my retina followed by eye drops of lemon juice is more appealing than moving to either place.
I hope almost everyone down there in SoFla came out OK from the latest hurricane. I watched it on TV.. looked like it sucked.
(Thanks to Justin for the image)
In the spirit of buymeaferrari.co.uk, I figure if that guy can raise a few bucks, so can I! The difference, is that in my case, you'd not just be buying me something, you'd be helping me provide the best for my daughter!
What would the money be put to? It would be directly put to the down payment of the house. The more I can put down, the less debt I'm in and the lower my monthly payments are, which means more time and money to spend on Kyla. For the most part, I don't buy squat for myself, and everything goes to/for her. This is your chance to be a part of that!
What do you get out of it? Not only do you get the warm fuzzies for being nice, but if you donate enough, I'd likely even plant a tree/shrub in your honor in the new yard. That way, as the years go by I can always be reminded of the random kindness of virtual strangers.
So, how about it? I'm sure you have an extra few bucks in a PayPal account. If you come here somewhat regularly, I'm sure I've made you laugh a few times, or smile, which may be worth something. And, if you are a regular, then you've missed every single birthday and this would make up for that! :-)
Anyways.. I don't expect this to work.. but worth a shot.
Anyone have any experience with Berber and cats? I'd like berber, but get nervous the cats will rip it. Easy to repair? Hard to happen?
do, do do do, do, do do do, do, do do do, dooooooo
Guess the song and you'll know what I'm watching right now, and the song will be in your head all day.
I've been quit for a while. No real reason why.. hiatus from journaling I suppose. Although, there has been a lot of things I've wanted to spout shit on. Maybe soon.
or
The first is embarassingly long, but may be better. I like the double handle. The second seems pretty easy, but wonder if there could be less control. One handle, but it's closer to the bike.
Decisions.. decisions...
Been quiet as I was in Toronto for a week, and I was sick the last few days. I'll have to update on the cool city of Toronto, YAPC and other random crap.
Two days ago I drove up the street and notice a 'Sold' sign in front of one of the houses. It happens to be the same house as mine, about 5 or 6 houses up the street. Actually, it was the house we saw when we decided to build this one (that one was already built and sold). The only difference I can recall is that it had stainless steel appliances. They have no fence, and they have a much smaller deck. And, no good view of the pond.
When I saw it I was like "huh?? When did that go on the market??" I was just out talking to some neighbors about our new island in the front yard, and they remarked if I saw the sold sign. They said the house was sold the same day it went on the market. SAME DAY! But, they don't know for how much. I need to talk to my other (real estate agent) neighbor and see if she knows. Very interested in what they got.
I was driving back from the store this morning and saw a jack rabbit. In my head, this is what happened:
"Awww.. what a cute rabbit"
"hop hop hop... cute"
"Holy shit, it going in front of the car"
"MOVE!!"
"It isn't moving away!!!"
"Screeeeeeeeeech" (that was my tires, not a sound in my head)
"Whew!"
Rabbits and deer are both pretty stupid animals when it comes to roads. Coyotes run across as well, but do it well since I've never seen a dead one. Turkeys seem to stand there like they own it.
Oh man, this would be sooooo much fun to go to. Sick skating, crazy motocross. Maybe Kyla would like it. I think this is one reason to take a trip into Albany!
A few years ago I saw an accident on the way to work, and journaled it. Soon after, an insurance company took my statement, and I figured that was the end of it. Today, I got a letter from an attorney for one of the people.. turns out the one whose insurance company did not call me.
They said they were trying to find me, since I was the only person (out of the probably dozen+ cars who saw it) which stopped and spoke to the police. They asked me what I saw. Being that it was in 2/02, I couldn't recall which car I thought was the asshole by running a red. But, thanksfully, I put it in my journal! I just looked it up, and it call came back to me.
Of course, I'd rather not be bothered (like the dozen other cars which saw what happened), but then again, it's nice to know I can help and did the right thing.
The smell of freshly cut grass is great. Until you leave a tashbag of it open in your garage overnight.. then it stinks.
So, it's not three birds so it's not exactly Bob Marley lyrics.
We have these two little trees which flank our front door. And, over the past week or so I notice two little birds fly from one of them whenever I go close to the door. I figured, at first, it was just random birds, since they are all around now due to Spring starting. Then, I noticed it was the same ones. I would sneak to the side window and try to see them. Here are two pics of them sitting on the tree. One is male, one is female.. that much I can tell. The pictures suck since I was standing far away from the window so they wouldn't fly away.
When I stick my big head in the window, they either fly away or flutter there watching me. A few minutes ago they would fly to the roof, swoop down, look, see me, and fly back up. So, I ran upstairs and took this photo of them.
What are these? Finches? Sparrows? I have finch food, for some odd reason, and may put a dish out for them.
Today is the first nice day of Spring. It's now 58F outside, sunny with a light breeze. I took a nice drive to the bank, and stopped by a tile store on the way back (we want to tile our backsplash). Not exciting, but got me out for while. Now Kyla is home, so I'll finish up some work and we'll head over to the park for a while. Then after I come back I'll do some more work, and go pick up the rest of the dog crap in the back. I know you're jealous about that. Nothing like poopie patrol on a nice Spring eve.
Is there a proper way to dispose of a cross? One came in the mail from somewhere asking for a donation. It's a necklace, silver and is about a 2 inch cross. I wouldn't wear it, know nobody who would wear it and don't know what to do with it. Is there some proper way to get rid of this religous symbol? Would I be struck down if I toss it in the trash?
I've mentioned some pros and cons of working from home. But, I was re-asked to list some of the pros and cons. So, here we go.
First, I'll say I've been working from home for close to two years. For some of that, I wasn't really "working", I was doing odd (programming) jobs. I've been working full-time from home since last summer. I have a flexible schedule, as far as my work hours go.. but I usually put in at least 50-55 a week. What I do can easily be done from home, rather than an office. I can't think of any ex-coworker who can't effectively do their job from their home, at least part time. But, for some reason many places feel that somehow programmers are better kept in cubes with bad lighting. I don't think I've met anyone who says "Man, I do my best work while in a cube as opposed to my home office. The distractions, politicing, random meetings and uncomfortable desk chair sure allow me to do my craft the best I can." But, that's another rant to do. I think if these folks could telecommute, they'd be so much happier.
Let's get on with it. I'll start with the cons, since there are fewer:
Cons:
1. No people. Little opportunity to get to know who you work with on a non-virtual basis. This could, or could not, be a good thing.
2. Sometimes things can take longer because people work at different times. Sort of relates to #1. I can't walk to somehomes cube and know they will be there to get an answer. If I'm working 9-6 and the other person is working 12am-8am, there can be a lag in conversations. But, this isn't a huge deal. Important things do get done in time.
3. You're always at work. When you're home, your at work. You can overcome this being a problem, but it's still a con.
4. No "war room". You can't just take a co-worker into a room and brainstorm on a whiteboard. You can still brainstorm.. but no tag-team whiteboarding. I suppose if you live in the same area as your team members, you can still do this. I don't.
Pros:
1. No people. It's nice not to smell other peoples farts, catch their colds, hear them yell at their wife on the phone, etc... Nobody poking their nose in saying "meeting.. now", or asking "How is project XYZ going?" 5 times a day.
2. Work when I want to. I usually work the same hours. But, I sometimes mix it up. I may work late in the summer so I can sleep in since I don't have to get up to get Kyla to school. I can go for a hike, a bike ride, grocery shopping or whatever I want during the day. I could work half a day one day (or just take the day off), then just make up the time. This is really a very nice freedom. It may be a bit mental being that you don't feel Big Brother owns you for certain hours of every day.
3. More time which isn't work-related. If you have to be at work from 9-6 (8 work, 1 lunch), plus spend an hour before work getting ready, a 30 minute commute each way and another 30 minutes un-offitizing, you're spending at least 11 and a half hours a day doing things related to work. You can gain 3 or more hours a day for yourself. Compared to when I last commuted, I save about 60 hours a month.. which is 1.5 full work weeks.
4. Lower bills. I don't have to buy a wardrobe for work. I don't buy lunch out, or at a cafe, 3 or more times a week. I spend money on gas only for personal things. I have lower car insurance since I don't drive anywhere. Pretty much any money which would be spent for travelling to an office, I keep in my pocket.
5. Write offs. I write off my home office, electricity, mortgage, broadband, and everything else which I purchase that is work related.
6. No dress code. I could work nude if I wanted. I don't, but I could.
7. Environment. I control where I sit, what the lighting is, what I'm wearing, what music is on, how loud, if the TV is on, the temperature, etc... I can make my environment to whatever I want it to and whatever is best for me to accomplish my work. Much easier to get into a "zone" and accomplish quite a bit.
8. State of mind. Being able to do some of the above really helps keep you sane. No traffic, accomplishing things, being comfortable. I feel less tense, don't dread Monday mornings when it's still Sunday and generally feel who I'm working for cares about me (since they let me work from home). Good morale.
9. Sick/Snow days and vacations for Kyla. If she doesn't have school, no problem. Nobody has to call out of work, lose pay or vacation days or have anything bad happen. Someone is already home and can be there with Kyla.
10. If Kyla got sick, or had any problem, at school I can take care of it. One day she needed a new pair of underwear. No asking the boss to leave, running home, running to the school and running to work. I just took 'em over, and came home. When she's been sick, done the same. No permission needed.
11. More time with Kyla. I get her off to school, see her off the bus, cook her dinner and get to spend more time with her. Want to go to the park after school? No problem! Flexible hours allow for that.
12. More time for the house. I can keep the house cleaner, since I'm always here. I can do a little through the day, or the whole house. Although I sometimes get too busy, it's still kept cleaner more often than when we both worked outside the home.
13. Can work when sick. Unless I'm doubled over in pain, I can pretty much work when I'm sick. No worry about getting other sick, using a sick day, or getting sicker. If I can sit at the computer for at least an hour at a time, I can still get plenty of work done.
14. No meetings. I still have 'phone' meetings. But, there aren't unexpected meetings with 10 people. When you're in an office, meetings can sometimes take up so much time out of the day, no real work is done. And, let's face it, most meetings are useless anyways.
15. Less gossip and drama. I hate drama.
16. Train of thought. If I am in a zone and I'm working on something as my train of thought is on target... I can allow for myself to not be disturbed. I can not answer IM, not check my email and not answer my phone. Since nobody can just "pop in" and wreck the train of thought, I can block everything else out.
I'm sure I can come up with more pros. There are a lot of mini-pros mixed in to each pro listed above. Being able to manage your own time, and knowing that you actually gain personal time is such a boost. Again, I'm a programmer. This career is really great for working from home. Even if not every day, there is probably little reason to not work from home more than not. I can't speak for other professions, but assume that they would have much of the same pros as I mentioned.
That's what the weather folks said at first. Then, before bedtime it was 2-4 inches. Wake up, 12". This year the weather folks have sucked. Last year, they were good. I think they should just say "It's going to snow, but instead of lying to you and showing I am wrong, yet again, I'll say I have no idea how much snow there will really be."
You really start to realize how large a yard is, which seems to grow, when you go around picking up a Winters worth of dog shit. There was finally enough melted snow to start this task, so I did some tonight since garbage day is tomorrow. Dirty job, but someone has to do it!
There is actually a recipe for a cake called Tunnel of Fudge. Sounds like the title for a show on late nigh Cinemax or something.
"Would you like to try my Tunnel of Fudge?"
Thank God! I really can't stand that commercial they have with her singing. It's so damn annoying, and it forces me to mute the TV when it's on. Frankly, SJP isn't very good looking. She was a but-her face a decade ago, and now she's just repulsive. She isn't cute and nobody but middle aged women who watched Sluts In The City, or maybe some gays, care for her.
They are replacing her with Joss Stone. She's a 17 year old soul singer who gets compared to Joplin quite a bit. SJP is all pissy about this:
"Joss is not only a teenager, she's also a virtual unknown. Had her replacement been a big star, perhaps Sarah wouldn't have minded so much."
I'd wager that Joss is known in the demographic the Gap wants to attract... and SJP is known by middle aged women, and those of us who saw her in a movie 20 years ago or watched her on 'Square Pegs' in '82. The last halfway decent movie she was in was 'Honeymoon in Vegas' in '92. In either case, I don't know how she'd make people want to shop at the Gap, or who would believe she would wear Gap clothes if not being paid to.
Why do I care? Eh, I don't. Just feel like griping about something this morning.
Suzy got some new air freshener thing which automatically sprays from a mini aerosal can every 45 minutes. *shhhhhhht* is what I hear every 45 minutes, which startles me every damn time.
Locally, there is an issue with Wal-Mart. Not the store which currently exists in my town, but one they want to build in a town about 15 minutes away. It's sort of the classic issue which arises with Wal-Mart in various places... including a town divided.
Why doesn't the town need Wal-Mart? First, it's a nice little town. Nice Main Street and things to do. They certainly don't need the extra traffic, which has already been growing since the area itself is growing. Also, Wal-Mart does drive small business out. They don't need that. Actually, most places don't need that. Not to mention there is a Wal-Mart Uber-center here in my town. Wal-Mart does have a pattern of opening multiple stores close together, driving out others, then closing a store. Nobody really needs two stors so close, and nobody needs one shutting down in a few years. The people there aren't starved for shopping. There is Target and whatnot in the area. The area also isn't impovrished. I don't know the need for minimum wage workers is really needed. As far as I know, people are pretty well employed around here. Again, this could be wrong but I certainly don't see much people in need. Anyways, that area is all part of a "Tech Valley" which is in the works, and I think Target is re-opening a distribution center around there. Not to mention another Wal-Mart about 15 minutes South of there in Clifton Park.
Also, my town benefits from the Wal-Mart there is. I think my town let some people build here in order to offset some taxes. I know we don't pay some taxes (city taxes or something) because of some of the things we have here. I certainly want the tax money from people from out of town shopping here. But honestly, I'm not sure how much it would effect my personal finances, short or long term, if there was a new store.
I'll be watching this and see what happens. I do hope they don't let them in. I know that some people who Wal-Mart wants to buy land from want it to happen, but many others don't. It's mainly a small town attitude here, and a "big box" store can crush that. It hasn't where I live for two reasons. One is that it's contained. It's where we border with Saratoga Springs, about 2 miles from 'downtown'. The rest of the town is kept rural except that one area which is maybe around 2 square miles, if that.
My mom left a Pilates DVD workout thing here. The other day, I decided to try it. I mainly followed the "mod workout person", or as I called.. "the example for fat retards like me" person. I did pretty good, and my stomach was pretty sore the next few days. I haven't had a chance to do it again yet, but do want to do the 20 min. workout every day. My belly has grown and I need to rid myself of it. Luckily, Spring will be here soon so I'll be able to do some hiking as well to help that (I think I said that last year too).
I also noticed my flexibility was, er, lacking. Back in high school and college when I was wrestling, I could bend myself like a pretzel. Now, I can't get my leg straight when extended in the air.
I'll try this workout thing and see what happens. I don't see how doing this, even every day, would actually help. It's not a very hard workout. Maybe I can also jump rope or something in conjunction with it, and add in a 30 minute bike ride when the weather warms up.
Or not.
I order my stamps from usps.com every few months. That's convenient. I could just go to the post office, but, eh.. I don't want to. It's a nice post office though. Very small and sort of a "the Pony Express still operates here" feel to it. But, eh, I don't want to go there for something I can order.
But, every time I order, I forget to grab my CC before I sit down to do it. So, I have to get up, get my wallet, get my card, enter my order, put my card away, put my wallet back, and come back. Ugh.. not to sound too lazy, but that's SOOOO MUUUCH! I won't save my CC info on their site, since I really dislike doing that. Seems half-convenient. Then again, I'm usually ordering them on Sunday nights and am extra lazy then.
Man, it's 32 out and sunny. Almost feels like Spring. I think we're supposed to get flurries about every day this week, but still be warm. Kinda sucks since my mom is coming up and I was hoping for deeper snow for some snowmobiling. But, we still have some down, and as long as the sun goes in for a while, it should stop melting. I've noticed more birds lately. Some sort of bird which looks like a Robin, but smaller and not quite like a Robin. If I can, I'll get a picture of one.
Yep, so mom gets here Friday. We're all pretty excited about it, and glad she's coming up. Kyla has some mid-Winter-nonsense-Presidents-Day-Vacation next week, so she's coming up at a good time. Plus, I have Presidents Day off of work, and Suzy will also be home. I think my mom is worried about the cold. It's been years since she has seen real coldness. But, that's what heat and a fireplace