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Beck: Did you say, more pepper? Luke: No, CHEESE!
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Beck: Ok, Here's you cheese. Luke: What are you up to?
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Beck: Now more pepper! Luke: Just you wait a minute.
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Beck: You want trouble? Luke: Uh, nope.
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Beck: I didn't think so, more pepper? Luke: Uh, ok.
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Beck: Like I said, never too much pepper. Luke: Do you expect me to eat this?
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Great news for Sarah today. It's offical.
From: Boston Athletic Association [mailto:registration@baa.org]
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 7:06 AM
To: Sarah BradySubject: Welcome to the 113th Boston Marathon
You're receiving this email because you are an entrant in the 2009 Boston Marathon.
The Dallas White Rock Marathon was awesome! Running in less than ideal conditions, Sarah posted a new PR of 3:39 and best of all qualified for Boston, the world's oldest annual marathon.
Sarah was so thankful for all the support received during and after the race. Family, friends and co-workers were scattered about the course as the temperatures rose above 70 degrees and the wind gusted to 30+ mph.
Post race, Sarah told me three mental things helped her get through the 26.2 miles and reach her goal.
First, she didn't want to explain why she was unable to qualify for Boston. She kept replaying the conversations in her head. Too windy or too hot were excuses she didn't want to use.
Number 2. She couldn't let me be right. You see a few weeks ago Sarah asked for my honest opinion on this subject. "Do you think I will make it to Boston?" I emphatically said no. At the time, a complete jerk move. Today, a brilliant move of reverse psychology. Honey, you are welcome.
AND last but certainly not least. Somewhere around mile 21 there was a sign that made a BIG difference. Having spent miles 14 - 18 running into headwinds on the lake and miles 19-21 running all uphill she was nearly broken. The sign Pain is Temporary got her going again. Once seeing the sign she kept thinking the phrase over and over in her head.
From mile 21 it was literally all down hill for her. Each time I saw her (mile 23 and 25) she had passed several runners in front of her. Her last mile was clocked at 7:15, the fastest mile of her race!
Sarah, Congrats on reaching your goal, Boston is going to be a blast.
Yes, we've always been on the map but now it's a little better.
Google Maps "Street View" made a quick drive through town sometime last summer. While we didn't get full street coverage, I was pleasantly surprised to see Tarkio looking great on today's new Google release.
I'd like to challenge the locals (or anyone else wanting to play) to tell me when Google visited Tarkio. I'll even throw in a free lunch anywhere in Tarkio to the winner. (Will says to shop local, I'm trying to do my part.) Here's the kicker.... I don't know when they visited. You must find proof from the street view photos to win.
Post your guess in my comments and good luck.
Word on the street is George and Laura have purchased a Dallas home in Preston Hollow.
Mr. and Mrs. W,
Consider this an open invitation to use our pool anytime you'd like. Oh and if you need some help with the move in January just give me a ring.
The Smiths
Yesterday, I was against "the" bailout. Any bailout. Bear Stearns, Freddie AND Fannie, AIG, the American Auto Makers. I'm OUT, on the bailout. It makes me mad just thinking about it.
Then someone decided to really get me going and said "You're naive". What do you mean, I'm naive? I'm not the one asking for billions yes that is with a B. A little later I read the below post from Brad Feld.
Today, I'm for accountability and taking responsibility for your actions. I'm starting with me. I'm am naive on the bailout subject, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Enjoy the read from Brad. If you have time, follow and read his links.
Take Responsibility For Your Actions
I made a mistake this morning. I allowed myself to get ramped up during my morning information routine. As I read through my online news and feeds, I kept seeing various permutations of discussions around "the bailout." Which bailout you ask? So did I. Before I knew it I was way down a rat hole of reading about all the various requests around "the bailout", tricks for getting "your share of the bailout", absurd requests from very large established companies regarding "the bailout", some surprising and particularly offensive (at least to me) requests from other companies around "the bailout", and lots of justification for action couched in terms like "economic disaster", "crisis", and "collapse."
You don't have to go very far to see where I started getting ramped up - just read the front page of the New York Times business section online this morning. Note to self - you are an idiot - you should have gone running instead.
I hate the word bailout. None of the companies I invest in are getting a "bailout." When they make bad decisions, don't execute, or run out of capital, they fail - which sucks, but it's part of the economic cycle. I tried calling 1-800-BAIL-OUT to see if I was missing something. They wouldn't help me, but they let me rant about what I think about bailouts (smart entrepreneurs!)
Every time I hear the word "bailout" it makes me think of Atlas Shrugged. There's a good idea - before you are allowed to mention the word "bailout" you have to read Atlas Shrugged - that'll slow people down a little and make them think.
I'm not against government involvement and financial support in the broad business ecosystem. That's not what got me ramped up. What got me ramped up is the pervasive and omnipresent requests for a piece of "the bailout" along with endless hyperbole justifying the naked requests for money from the government without clear consequences. This, combined with the endless language of fear and panic from our "leadership", rather than a rational discussion of cause, effect, and proposed solutions makes me nuts.
Fundamentally, I feel like the ethos of "lack of responsibility" is finding its way into every nook and cranny of the discussion. The connotation of "bailout" is "it's not my fault - please bail me out." By definition, if you are asking for a bailout, you need to take responsibility for your actions and how you got there.
Before I end, I'll leave you with two things to clean your palate. The first is from my friend Shawn Broderick titled UAW Rip and cuts to the core of the notion of taking responsibility for your actions, understanding cause and effect, and coming up with solutions based on a real understanding of the underlying facts. The second is from another friend - Karyn German (who is one of the execs at NewsGator) titled What I Have Learned About Leadership. Just reading it made me feel better.
Checking in at 2 years and 2 days old... a bare knuckle southpaw from deep in the depths of Dallas... Luke's Tale of the Tape:
Weight - 28.8 lbs - 60% percentile
Height - 3 feet 1/2 inch - 93% percentile
Head - 20 1/4 inch - off the chart
While he may be one of the bigger boys in his age group, the doctor's written comments show signs he may not be ready for the ring.
Wonderful!! Very verbal.
Then of course there is the glass jaw....
me "Luke, who's boy are you?"
Luke "Mamma's Boy!"
I guess the ring will have to wait.
Growing up, my month to party was June.
Sure, sure... the weather, no school, golf and summer league baseball are all great reasons to party in June. However, June was our party month for a different reason, 5 Smiths celebrate birthdays in June.
Mom on the 7th, Uncle Darrell 14th, Grandpa Ira Paul 15th, My cousin Tim 21st and yours truly on the 23rd. The nice spacing makes for presents and cake every single week of the month.
Recent acquisitions (marriage) and expansions (children) have created a new month to party in the Smith family. October now packs 4 birthdays into this the final week of the month. A month that once allowed us to focus all attention on Melanie (25th) now must be shared with 3 new Smiths. Luke and Amanda, Tim's wife, on the 24th then Sarah on the 30th.
The first of the 4 birthday parties kick off tomorrow with a photo scavenger hunt in LA for Mel followed by a sugerfest for Luke at the Dallas Museum of Science and Nature. Happy Birthday All!!
Since the job change I've been eating more lunches at my desk. In fact, I'm having one right now.
About three times a week I run around the corner to a ton of choices for lunch. Today while filling up my "to go" drink I releazed I'm getting shorted on my beverage amount. Who doesn't enjoy 1 or 2 no charge refills while eating? Of course, everyone does!
We "to goers" shouldn't be parched just becasue we aren't on site. Next time I eat "to go" I'm going to request the BIG size drink at regular size price. It seems like a fair request to me.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Starting at the bottom and working your way to the top is far from a novel idea but this evening I certainly put Savanna, Beckett and Luke in a great starting position. How far they go up is yet to be determined, but I promise you this... they will have a hard time going any lower.
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My recent career change to a small company of 5 local and 65 total employees has certainly provided a fair share of fresh new experiences. This afternoon's event was one finally worth blogging.
on the way to the soccer game this morning:
Yes, Sarah completed our marriage trial period today by changing her name and offically becoming a Smith.
It wasn't an easy process, and no I'm not talking about dealing with the Social Security Office or the Driver's Licensce Bureau. We Smiths have upped the entry standards. We don't let just anyone into this select group.
Here's one requirement that might surprise you. Before joining our team you must be able to milk a cow.
As you can see Sarah seemed to enjoy the challenge and passed with top scores. Additionaly, she also passed all day cooking with Teresa and Mary Lou, Tarkio Sports Trivia and her personal favorite CB Radio lingo.
Kidding aside, just a little blog post to share the good news.
This is a quick cautionary note to the KC crowd. I ran into a couple of disorderlies while visiting your city this past weekend. Below are the two quick photos I snapped of them in action with a little back ground of what troubles they may cause.
The Muddler - Brian Slaughter
WAAY Back in 1992 this Fairfax Bulldog upset my Tarkio Indians on our senior year Homecoming night. The good news for him is he still fit into the old high school jersey, the bad news is it didn't have much negative impact on my fantasy drafting ability. I'll be looking to avenge that '92 loss in week 9 of this year's season.
The Hustler - Travis Smith
Travis was kind enough to invite me out for a round of golf at his club, Lion's Gate Golf & Country Club. The place was fantastic. However, through 5 holes of golf I was feeling pretty bad for Travis. He was all over the course. His "close" came on hole 6 with this very swing. He pulled the ball well left into the water taking yet another Bogey. Hole 7 Travis says "why don't we play for some money?" and I took the bait. He proceeded to amazingly turn his game around taking money from me most of the way in to 18.
Despite these trouble makers I still managed to have a great trip to the Midwest.
Trying saying that two times fast.
Wow. I've really been feeling the pressure lately.
Millions are tuning in daily to watch Michael Phelps with his "ooohh so boring" life of sleeping, swimming and eating. Sure throw in a hand full of gold medals, few world records and it does get a little interesting.
My dilemma? I'm getting somewhat similar traffic on this site but can't find anything blog worthy about my sleeping, working and eating. Yesterday, out of ideas, I attempted Phelp's 10K calorie diet with hopes amazing results. Kickin' it off, three egg sandwiches, four sausage links, a stack of pancakes and a o-so-big glass of OJ to wash it down. What exciting things might lie ahead of me?!?
My confidence was high... Full of fuel to power me through the day. Not 30 minutes later, I felt STUFFED and lacked the energy to accomplish much of anything.
Olympic swimmer, no. Beached whale, yes.
that's perfect.
Just a few days into my Twitter experience and I have a new market idea for them..... KIDS. Rather than a social networking service, this one is a parenting service.
Wouldn't parents love to have their kids answer the question "What are you doing?" I know I would. Text/Email messages throughout the day, with updates from Savanna, Beckett and Luke. How great would that be?
Now how can we get them texting at 12 months?
I spent good part of Saturday night and Sunday afternoon sharpening my internet skills. The result was a full Blog overhaul. I never got comfortable with my last Blog format so it was ditched and replaced with a simple set up from Blogger. The burnt orange color is a complete accident.
Aside from the format, the biggest changes you'll find are on the side bar. A quick summary of the newest widgets.
You know him as John, I call him... well I haven't actually called him. Last week, Republican Presidential Nominee, John McCain accepted the invitation to join my professional Linkedin networking group.
Congratulations! You and John are now connected.
View John's profile to:
For all but 1 of the last 9 years I have managed to keep the Chevron gas station on the corner of Mockingbird and 183 between my home and office. A pretty amazing feat considering I've lived in 3 homes, 2 apartments and had 3 different work locations during that time.
Due to it's convenience, the Chevron combination McDonald's has become my favorite stop for breakfast. Over the years, I've averaged, roughly, about two stops per week at the site. Each and every time without exception... 1 breakfast burrito from McDonald's and 1 20 ounce Mountain Dew from the station... always to go. Yes, it's the breakfast of champions.
Why does any of this matter you ask? Way back in 1999, the burrito $1.09, the Dew $1.19 both after tax. A pretty good deal. Walk in with 3 bucks walk out with breakfast and a decent amount of change for the car's ashtray. To the best of my memory those prices held fast for several years. Then, this morning the unthinkable happened.
I walked in with $3. First stop today was at the Chevron counter. Mountain Dew $1.40. I thought to myself, "Wow, I wonder when $3 won't buy me breakfast anymore?" I strolled over to the Mickey D's counter taking a nice long swig of my cold Dew. "One burrito please....." "That's $1.61" they replied.
Having spent all of my $3, I "borrowed" THE extra penny from a guy in line next me, took my burrito, walked out to my car and while still in my parking space reluctantly ate what very well may be my last breakfast on the go.
Last night Sarah and I had our first attempt at playing the new Wii Fit.
First a quick side note. I found it funny that hundreds of stores in Dallas - Fort Worth carried the Wii Fit but not one (that I could find) had any in stock. Yet good old Tarkio, MO had four, Yes 4!, of them on the shelf at the local Pamida. David beats Goliath yet again.
Anyway back to the point of this little blog post. The wii fit is quite good. Take your top of the line bathroom scale, make it wifi compatible, add some really amazing games and you've got a wii fit. I found that my BMI (body mass index) is normal, but surprise surprise I am "a little weak" for my age. It (the wii) put me on a three week training program to tighten me up a bit. Don't count on drastic changes.
The real fun was the balancing games. Here's Sarah attempting a ski jump. Nearly perfect form, huh? They also had tight rope walking, "heading" a soccer ball, slalom skiing and a few others I don't recall off hand. Even Luke played the soccer game and had a great time. Go get a Wii Fit.
After "too" full days as a juror in the 162nd Dallas Court I had a decent idea of some good cheap fun for the kids.
The idea didn't arise from any evidence presented during the civil case but rather from staring mindlessly, during breaks, out the 7th floor window toward the plaza below.
I suspected the plaza might be a good open space for the kids to cut loose. Tonight, just one day later, I put the idea to test.
The JFK Memorial was a huge hit. The fountain park across the street was an even bigger success. In addition, the kids were little angels while dining at the downtown Sonny Bryan's.
Who knew jury duty could result in so much fun.
We opened the front door this morning and in darted this lizard.
It changed from black to brown to green before we finally caught it and had it hold still for a photo. Savanna wanted to keep it for a pet but we insisted it would be better off in the "wild".
Living right smack dab in the middle of of Dallas you wouldn't expect to see much wildlife traffic in the area. Sure dogs and cats are in abundance... no surprise there. However, who would of thought we would see the following in our own yard.
Last June a little blue heron walked through our front yard. Turns out the heron liked what he saw and set up "shop" just a block over on Hall. He must be one friendly bird as this year there are 3 heron families on Hall.
I don't know if the herons will enjoy last week's visitor to the yard. Two mallards stopped by the pool for a quick swim and some time in the sun. Time will tell if they stick around.
I'm not sure last week's problem falls into the wildlife category but snails were showing up by the hundreds.
While the kids love them, the snails haven't been any help for the flowers. I don't expect them to last much longer.
Last but not least is Elmo's worst nightmare. A small family of opossums make a showing in our backyard once or twice each week. Mo goes absolutely crazy a few minutes before they actually show up for Sarah and I to see.
By the time I grab the camera they are either gone or hiding in a tree. You can just barely see the one above through the leaves.
The neighbor's yellow cat got a hair cut yesterday and I tried to tell the kids a baby lion was loose next door but they weren't buying it.
Have any of you rolled up to an unlocked ATM? Assuming it happened, what would you do?
Would you just push the lock back in and go about your business? I doubt it. You gotta at least look inside, don't you? I mean how many times do you get the chance to see the inside of a working ATM without any supervision? How much cash is in one of those things? Ten Thousand? Maybe Twenty? So many questions. Let's take a look.
Yes, that's right. I pulled up to an UNLOCKED Bank of America ATM at the corner of Beltline and the Tollway yesterday afternoon. Why do these things happen to me?
So I pulled forward out of the drive up lane, got out of my Jeep and opened it up. Inside I found a big roll of paper for receipts, a box full of deposit envelops, a clipboard with service log sheet and pen, a full on working computer (hard drive, keyboard, monitor) and absolutely no cash. It was all locked in the bottom part of the machine.
The best part of the experience was the look I received from the person who used the other ATM while I had mine open. He kept trying to see what I was doing without letting me see that he was looking at me. I just kept smiling at him like I'd just won the lottery.
I can see it now... fast forward 15 years. The Greatest Moments in Grapevine Softball history.
OK, it's a stretch. Let's do a quick comparison.
Willis: Game 7 NBA Finals
Smith: Game 1 Regular Season C League
Advantage - Willis
Willis: League MVP, World Wide of Sports Athlete of the Year
Smith: First Start as team Pitcher, Lead off batter with no power
Advantage - Willis
Willis: started game in front of thrilled audience - voted greatest moment in Madison Square Garden History
Smith: fewer than 15 spectators - overheard "what happened to him?" from spectator
Advantage - Willis
Willis: Champagne Shower celebrating Knicks 1st NBA title
Smith: Beer in parking lot celebrating 5th inning run rule and 1-0 start to season
Advantage - Tie
I think a tie might be the best I do. Last night, after giving up 2 runs in the top of the first, I "turned" my ankle in an attempt to leg out an infield single. I, rather awkwardly, fell into the dirt just past first but was called safe.
While it hurt really bad, I just couldn't take myself out of the game. I just kept moving around and made it through the end of the game... Going 4 for 4 while holding the opponents scoreless for the last 5 innings. Today, I am paying for it. I called "Dr." Levings and was told to rub some dirt on it, keep it elevated and ice often. Wish me luck.
Today marks the 54th anniversary of one of my favorite sporting events.
Once thought to be impossible. It was a nice round number. 1.4 seconds faster than the world record for a full 9 years.
The historic event took place during a meet between British AAA and Oxford University at Iffley Road Track in Oxford. It was watched by about 3,000 spectators.
The best part of the story is the way the stadium announcer teased the crowd after the race. He famously made the below statement, drawing out the announcement of Roger Bannister's first sub 4 Minute Mile for as long as possible .
"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event 9, the one-mile: 1st, No. 41, R.G. Bannister, Amateur Athletic Association and formerly of Exeter and Merton Colleges, Oxford, with a time which is a new meeting and track record, and which - subject to ratification - will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire, and World Record. The time was 3..."
The roar of the crowd drowned out the rest of the announcement.
It appears pool season has started early this year. I'm far from ready to go for my first swim of the season, but a few visitors to the neighborhood didn't see to mind the cold water at all.
Quack! Quack!
It isn't the Kentucky, wouldn't even be considered at Lone Star Park. It is however, as good as it gets in our back"yard". They went round and round for a good 20 minutes. When I attempted to stage a race as you'll see from the below results, it was less than successful.
Two real professionals.... allowing a passing plane to completely halt the race.
Great time at the Ballpark yesterday... In a pitchers' duel, the Rangers took their 2nd win of the 3 game series with the Royals. The 2 -1 victory was the Rangers shortest game of the year ending in just 2 hours and 10 minutes. Thus leaving me at 3:30 in the afternoon with nothing to do.
My great seats were courtesy of Hicks Sports Marketing Group.
This afternoon, when I arrived home, I found the mail in its usual place on the dining room table. There stacked nicely on top of letters, the Pottery Barn and West Elm magazines was an average sized white padded envelope. My curiosity instantly rose.
I passed the stack on my way to set down my things and noticed it had my name on the envelope. What could this be thought? I don't remember ordering anything. Upon closer inspection, I found the package to be from the legendary Eric Levings. Ah, Yes. Eric had called me last week to let me know he had something he was sending my way. I ripped open the envelope to find.....
What a perfect gift! The Royals play the Rangers this week at the Ballpark in Arlington. I'll be attending the final game on Thursday afternoon. Thanks Eric, with the Sprint logo on the sleeve I hope to get away with wearing it to work.
Odds are half the people in this photo won't see a single golf shot all weekend. It's one of the 3 best weekends to live in Dallas.
Big news from the Tarkio Awards' Banquet held this past Monday. My Mom was named Citizen of the Year! She was recognized for her many years of volunteer service to, and support of, Tarkio. She is currently active in Tarkio Renewal and the Tarkio Development Company as well as outreach work through the Tarkio Presbyterian Church.
I checked with my Dad and was told in spite of the award he is still the household boss. I'd say it's debatable.
Yesterday a milestone was achieved. After 6 long years and 10 attempts at managing a fantasy team, I FINALLY finished with a 1st place victory. Yes, I won my Fantasy NBA "Ohs" League.
As much as I would like to say I had the best team, it was lots of luck that left me at the top this season. It seems to me luck plays as much of a factor as any when lacing up the fantasy shoes. Granted good managers get their teams in position to win year after year, but most times it is luck that determines the winner. A few examples from this season.
My 3 Keepers (best players) Amare Stoudemire, Baron Davis and Rashard Lewis spent very little time injured. A few of my toughest competitors limped into the playoffs with their best men on the IL.
John Salmons. Never heard of him? It's no surprise, John was my last pick in the draft at #146. Then Ron Artest and other Kings went down to injury leaving my man John with loads of playing time. What Luck! He finished the 86th best player.
The last example happened to our league's best player, the atm machines. He's so money. On the last day of his semi-final game Mo Williams, averaging 6.4 assists, sat out with stomach pains. ATM finished the game in an "assists" dead tie 162 - 162. Then lost on the tie breaker, "most points". Ouch!
Without ATM's misfortunes I surely would have been left chasing my first title again next year.
I'll end with an old telecom saying.... "I'd rather be lucky than good any day of the week."
It started with a "let's all get together". Lots of planning (not by me) and a few flights later resulted in 2 Great Grandmothers, 4 Grand Parents, 1 Great Aunt, 5 Aunts/Uncles, 5 Parents and 6 Kids under the age of 7 all at Harrah's in Kansas City.
It wasn't your typical weekend trip to a casino, but it was one great family reunion. Lots more photos on Flickr.
The best part certainly was being on the opposite end of the sell. Over the 3 day process I heard several little attempts at closing the deal. With Sarah's help all were were shot down. Oh, and it being the last day of the month didn't hurt either.
You'd think one would be safe sneaking off to spend a week with family. But when you have celebrity good looks, the paparazzi always seems to show up.
This photo landed Luke on the cover of The Avalanche. One can only guess how much the photographer was paid.
While Sarah and I were enjoying the sunny beaches of the Caribbean, Luke traveled north to the very popular destination of Tarkio, Mo.
As one would expect, Luke loved T-town and had a great week with Grandma and Apa. I posted several of the photos from his trip on Flickr today.
WAAYYY Back in 1995 four good friends, "Buddy", two monkeys, an occasional "Gizmo" and I lived in a great little place at 444 Spring Ave. Good ol' 444 certainly had more memories than the structure could physically hold.
One such memory was the 5 of us, and usually a few others, visiting a favorite spot, Legends, for a few rounds of darts on their two side by side electronic machines. During these trips you were 
either a winner, playing on the right machine and thus a "Right Sider" or a loser on the left machine, "Left Sider." I'm sure my memory is a bit fuzzy but I don't recall spending much time as a Left Sider. Trust me, Right Siders was a great group to be a part of.
Today, with much resistance I rented a car and joined all Cayman drivers as Left Siders. What a sorry bunch! Before pulling onto the road ALWAYS LOOK RIGHT! Left on Red? Are you crazy!?! We survived and wasted the $13 of full insurance coverage.
Sarah and I are just about to finish off our first full day in the Cayman Islands. Today, two things didn't go as expected.
1) Although it's much warmer than most of the country, Texas is no place to work on your tan in December and January. Our SPF 4 "sun screen" lost the battle with the sun. Tonight, we are walking lobsters with limited options tomorrow.
2) Looking to pick up a few necessities, I made a short walk down the street to the neighborhood store. Being the only customer at the time I thought I would make nice with the local resident behind the counter. She was quite engaging.
local: "Where are you from?"
me: "Texas"
a little small talk then...
local: "Who are you voting for?"
me: "McCain."
something told me before I even answered that I was stepping on a bomb. now she's not so friendly.
local: "He wants to get rid of all the immigrants"
me: "kind of?"
local: "not good"
I'll be keeping my political opinions to my self for the remainder of the trip.
Let's start with the end of the story. You will love this one.
Yesterday, at the end of the day, Sarah stated "I don't remember ever being so proud."
I was in a work meeting for most of the day. As things were finishing up at the office, I received a text from Sarah. It read, "Where is the fuse box?"
Curious, but having a good idea what was up, I texted her back "Outside by the whirlpool."
5 minutes later another text "I FIXED THE HEATER!"
You see, the heater at the house has been on the fritz. As learned when attempting to fix the dishwasher, BFS, our home warranty company, can not be depended upon. Sarah decided to take matters into her own hands, solving our heating problems for good by throwing the breaker.
When I got home today, Sarah asked me "How many people did you tell?" My answer of "No one." thoroughly disappointed her. So here it is for all the world to see.
Sarah fixes heaters!
Several years back I reluctantly accepted the fact that a PGA Tour career was not in my future.
However, about a week ago I was told the dream could still be alive. The news came in the form of an email with a simple little link to the World Golf Tour. I have since passed along the link to numerous others.
In it's current format, you play a 9 hole closest to the pin challenge. You are then ranked against all other competitors in the world. Also, awards are given out for Holes in One, Consecutive Shots inside 20 Feet and Top 100 rankings. A full 18 hole course is rolling out in the near future and you'll be able to play foursomes online with friends.
I haven't cracked the top 500 players in the world, but am doing my best to hold my own here in the Southwest Region. My caddie spot is still open.... any takers? Levings?
It happened when I least expected it. I was dominating Savanna in a game of Dodge Ball. She seemed to be enjoying defeat. Laughing hysterically each time she was struck
Turns out she was just waiting to take me out with one big blow to my ego. As I wound up for the last point, Savanna yells to me "BRING IT ON OLD MAN!"
Game, Set, Match.
Savanna - 1
Old Man - Humiliated
The last few days I've been on a roll, both on the blog and around the house.
Two weeks ago to the date, our dishwasher began to have water standing at the completion of the wash cycle. We phoned our home warranty service, Broward Factory Service better known as BFS, to have the issue repaired.
A few days later a "technician" arrived on site only to tell us we needed a new part. A few more days later he returned to install the part and deem the dishwasher fixed.
That evening water still stood at the bottom of the machine so we called again and was told their "Best Man" would be out tomorrow (which is today) to fix our dishwasher. He did come by, did something and again deemed the dishwasher fixed.
You guessed it. Still water standing. You see when water is left after the cycle, the next cycle doesn't really get clean. Which means you have to re-wash the dishes by hand. As I've been told a time or two.... "if you want something done right, do it yourself".
So I pulled the dishwasher out from under the counter. Took off the two drain covers from within the machine. There appeared to be no blockage. So I next pulled (I use that term loosely) off the back and the water began to drain into the "bucket" I provided. I next blew into the hose and "felt" something dislodge from the hose. I was feeling pretty good. Everything was put back together and pushed back under the counter.
We just finished our first cycle in two weeks with ZERO water standing at the end.
Woo Hoo. BFS' "Best" - 0 BPS - 1.
You might want to second guess that home warranty coverage from BFS.
You can't do without it, It's Electric.
This weekend Sarah and I received a new light for the dining room. There was some concern by my better half, that I wouldn't be able to install this Christmas gift on my own. Given my family history with electricity, I completely understood her concern.
Now I had successfully hung a few ceiling fans in the past and thus didn't expect any issues today. Still I had something to prove. I carefully read the limited instructions. Turned off power to the room. Made SURE Green, White and Black MATCHED Green White and Black. Utilized an electric tester I had purchased in the past. You get the idea, crossed each "t" and dotted each "i".
And surprise, surprise, the install was completed without much trouble at all. No blown light bulbs, microwave, furnace or washing machine.
Next time there's electric trouble in T-town, give me a call. I'll be glad to offer some help.
Luke loves the bath! Sent using Mobile Blogging via my new Motorolla Q9c.
This evening Sarah is still at the office working to have one very BIG month. With my free time I went out to the web to see if anyone still visits this site. I was pleasantly surprised to see I have some loyal followers. You know who you are, thanks for always checking in.
Also interesting, I get about 1 hit a week (I'm big time!) via a google search.
From Illinois "no one comes into our house and pushes us around" visited for a few minutes.
Someone in Denver was looking for info on the "kfc bowl" and found it here.
The funniest search finding my site? From NY "1,2,3 to the 4 snoop doggy dog and dr dre at the door" I bet they weren't expecting a kindergarten story.
And my favorite, "Turkeys are done, People are Finished" enjoyed the read so much they came back a few days later.
So my tag line "My feeble attempt to contribute to the wonderful world of the internet." is a success! :-)
