I wrote recently about a wonderful salame my wife and I happened upon...very, very spicy and wonderfully tasty. It's All Natural Hot Fennel Salame, made by Columbus Salame Company, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Well, my wife and I visited the same place we bought the stuff before and found, to my dismay and horror, only one link of the stuff left! We inquired as to whether they would continue stocking it, but the woman behind the deli counter did not know...and her boss, who makes buying decisions, is away in Ireland for a week. Well, we bought that last link and are enjoying it tonight, snacking away on salame, cheese (a rather uninspired mass-produced cheddar), a bit of guacamole, some crackers, and other odds & ends.
All the while I was munching on bits of the spicy delight, I worried that I might be unable to buy more of it conveniently. I looked online at the company website (http://www.columbussalame.com/index.php) and found that I should be able to buy it in some other stores in our area...but I still was worried. What if I couldn't find any more? Oh, no! Then it dawned on my. I have a sister who lives in the SF Bay area...I could impose on her to buy quantities of the stuff and ship it to me. She might. Or, if things got too bad, I could drive out and pick up a carload of the stuff.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Mixed Messages...Random Blips on My Mental Radar
It's just shy of 10:00 pm and I should have been working on tweaking a registration database for a meeting that will be held next week. Instead, I took my wife to a Mediterrranean restaurant for dinner, after leaving work late, and then came home, turned on the television, and promptly left it on in the background while I perused the Internet. I will regret my failure to work at home, but it will all work out. There's still time.
I looked at several Mexican real estate websites, continuing to seek a place I might be able to afford on Lake Chapala. I found several, but not knowing the area, I don't know whether they are in areas I'd like. I found places in El Chante, La Roca Azul, and other places I've heard of, but am not quite sure where they are. The more I look at my business bank accounts, the more concerned I am that borrowing the money from my business could bankrupt me. But then, again, it could be the best investment I ever made. We'll see.
After drooling over some very pricey homes around Lake Chapala...places far, far beyond my means, even my dreams, I decided I needed to be productive. So, I cleaned the kitchen and took out the trash (tomorrow is trash day). While I was cleaning the kitchen, I kept noticing that my fingernails are getting far too long...I should trim them. But I'm not in the mood. I need to have a manicure. I remember that one of my brothers had a manicure while I was visiting Mexico...another reason to move there, I could afford manicures. Seriously, I need to cut these puppies...I could put someone's eye out.
New clients will visit my office on Monday, bringing with them all the "stuff" they have so desperately wanted to unload...financial management records, registration materials, website FTP access codes, etc.., etc. So, my Monday is shot. I still do not have a signed contract. I will not accept their "stuff" on Monday until I see a signed agreement. I have gotten pretty inflexible on that sort of thing of late...that, and money. I want to see money. A check for the transition fee and first month's management fees must accompany the "stuff" or the "stuff" will have to make its way back to Amarillo, along with the association officers. Life's too short to deal with the crap, without having the money in hand up front.
I have an idea for a sticker for my car. I would like to create the Christian "fish" symbol, but with a twist. At the front, on the lower side of the head, I would like to have an open mouth, with sharp teeth, outlined. The message: I'm a bloodthirsty right-wing Christian. It would probably cause an outcry of immense dimensions. President Bush would say that I am an "evil doer" who represents a "quadraxis of evil" and I would be subject to international pressure to refrain from engaging in uranium enrichment. I would be (to borrow from a really good story my sister-in-law sent me) required to place my hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the bible. I would be condemned to eternal damnation for pre-emptively taking away the gift of life of children I might have fathered had I not chosen to have a vasectomy when I was 25.
At least the Christian punishments would not (at least publicly) echo the insanity pouring forth from fruitcake Muslim clerics, who want a Muslm man who converted to Christianity killed for his abomination. I tell you, all organized religions are very, very, very dangerous and should be eradicated. Let each person pick his or her own personal fantasy...these organized, well-orchestrated mass delusions are capable of killing people!
It's now 10:15 pm. I need to begin my relaxation process so I can sleep tonight...if only I knew what that relaxation process was!
I looked at several Mexican real estate websites, continuing to seek a place I might be able to afford on Lake Chapala. I found several, but not knowing the area, I don't know whether they are in areas I'd like. I found places in El Chante, La Roca Azul, and other places I've heard of, but am not quite sure where they are. The more I look at my business bank accounts, the more concerned I am that borrowing the money from my business could bankrupt me. But then, again, it could be the best investment I ever made. We'll see.
After drooling over some very pricey homes around Lake Chapala...places far, far beyond my means, even my dreams, I decided I needed to be productive. So, I cleaned the kitchen and took out the trash (tomorrow is trash day). While I was cleaning the kitchen, I kept noticing that my fingernails are getting far too long...I should trim them. But I'm not in the mood. I need to have a manicure. I remember that one of my brothers had a manicure while I was visiting Mexico...another reason to move there, I could afford manicures. Seriously, I need to cut these puppies...I could put someone's eye out.
New clients will visit my office on Monday, bringing with them all the "stuff" they have so desperately wanted to unload...financial management records, registration materials, website FTP access codes, etc.., etc. So, my Monday is shot. I still do not have a signed contract. I will not accept their "stuff" on Monday until I see a signed agreement. I have gotten pretty inflexible on that sort of thing of late...that, and money. I want to see money. A check for the transition fee and first month's management fees must accompany the "stuff" or the "stuff" will have to make its way back to Amarillo, along with the association officers. Life's too short to deal with the crap, without having the money in hand up front.
I have an idea for a sticker for my car. I would like to create the Christian "fish" symbol, but with a twist. At the front, on the lower side of the head, I would like to have an open mouth, with sharp teeth, outlined. The message: I'm a bloodthirsty right-wing Christian. It would probably cause an outcry of immense dimensions. President Bush would say that I am an "evil doer" who represents a "quadraxis of evil" and I would be subject to international pressure to refrain from engaging in uranium enrichment. I would be (to borrow from a really good story my sister-in-law sent me) required to place my hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the bible. I would be condemned to eternal damnation for pre-emptively taking away the gift of life of children I might have fathered had I not chosen to have a vasectomy when I was 25.
At least the Christian punishments would not (at least publicly) echo the insanity pouring forth from fruitcake Muslim clerics, who want a Muslm man who converted to Christianity killed for his abomination. I tell you, all organized religions are very, very, very dangerous and should be eradicated. Let each person pick his or her own personal fantasy...these organized, well-orchestrated mass delusions are capable of killing people!
It's now 10:15 pm. I need to begin my relaxation process so I can sleep tonight...if only I knew what that relaxation process was!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Rodeo-mania
I just watched a television program about a rodeo (or a series of rodeos?) that included a segment dedicated to bronc riders over 50. I would have been killed less than 2 seconds into the rides. My god, those guys are just beat to shit almost immediately! But they limp out of the arena like champions when they're tossed from the backs of those obviously pissed-off horses that would dearly love to kill those geezer cowboys! I'll stick to competition eating...with occasional interludes of competition dieting. Both of them could kill me, but would be far less violent.
Decompression
My very busiest season is upon me, with a vengeance. Too much work, too many irons in the fire...keeping all of us very busy. So, with rare exception, I'll be blogging very little for the next few weeks. Tonight is no exception. At least I've not brought work home with me...but I can still get to my computer at the office. I hope I don't. I'd rather decompress at home. So, off I go to try to decompress.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Help Wanted
Today, I received a postcard from my nephew and his wife...it was sent quite some time ago from Bratislava, Slovakia during their visit their over the Christmas holidays. The mail may take awhile to go the distance, but it does finally make its way, it seems.
I also received today an email from a member of my staff who is away on maternity leave. Her message was giving me her resignation and two weeks notice. Inasmuch as I took extra pains to ensure that she would remain covered under medical insurance during her leave, paying for her insurance despite our PEO's [Professional Employer Organization, essentially a co-employer who writes our paychecks and gets our insurance coverage, etc.] advice to the contrary (they wanted me to terminate her the moment she had used up her sick leave and vacation time, which would have been just days into her leave), I will terminate her employment effective this Friday and she can deal with COBRA for her health insurance.
This sort of thing (the new mother who opts to leave after milking our benefits) is the reason I cannot and will not call myself a Democrat. You see, my attitude about what employees are "due" in this sort of situation leans far closer to the traditional Republican stance...i.e., screw the bastards! While I can appreciate a person deciding to stay home with the new baby instead of returning to work, I cannot appreciate being left in limbo for weeks, relying on her return. And, on top of it, I am out considerable money on insurance premiums because of her change of heart, if it was, indeed, a change of heart. I believe an employer should be protected in such situations...I should be reimbursed for the insurance premiums I paid after her leave began. Of course, that's not going to happen. While I'm a believer in workers' rights, I am not a believer in workers' entitlements, nor in workers' attitudes about being entitled to things that, in reality, I am not required to provide...and there is a difference.
On the upside, I will be able to look for (and perhaps find) a new staff member whose language skills are better...it was always embarrassing to me when I read something she had sent to a Board or all members of an association, laced with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. She had excellent computer skills, but language skill...not so much. But, then, it's hard to find people who possess both...those who do seem to be able to command an obscene amount of money in salary...and I guess I know why, but I can't afford to compete with the companies that are able to hire them.
Another subject. This afternoon, my wife left the office early to go to a networking event for a client. She was there to give out name badges, take payment from guests, etc. and to greet people and make them feel welcome...exactly the sort of thing that goes against every fiber of my being. But, on my way home from the office, I decided to swing by to join her, which I did. I munched on a few buffalo wings and had a margarita while she worked, then offered to take her to dinner. We had Thai food again. It's addictive.
Enough. It's almost 9:00 pm and I'm just now beginning to unwind, despite the margarita and buffalo wings and spicy Thai green beans and chicken. I'll write again another day. Tomorrow, I'll write a help-wanted ad.
I also received today an email from a member of my staff who is away on maternity leave. Her message was giving me her resignation and two weeks notice. Inasmuch as I took extra pains to ensure that she would remain covered under medical insurance during her leave, paying for her insurance despite our PEO's [Professional Employer Organization, essentially a co-employer who writes our paychecks and gets our insurance coverage, etc.] advice to the contrary (they wanted me to terminate her the moment she had used up her sick leave and vacation time, which would have been just days into her leave), I will terminate her employment effective this Friday and she can deal with COBRA for her health insurance.
This sort of thing (the new mother who opts to leave after milking our benefits) is the reason I cannot and will not call myself a Democrat. You see, my attitude about what employees are "due" in this sort of situation leans far closer to the traditional Republican stance...i.e., screw the bastards! While I can appreciate a person deciding to stay home with the new baby instead of returning to work, I cannot appreciate being left in limbo for weeks, relying on her return. And, on top of it, I am out considerable money on insurance premiums because of her change of heart, if it was, indeed, a change of heart. I believe an employer should be protected in such situations...I should be reimbursed for the insurance premiums I paid after her leave began. Of course, that's not going to happen. While I'm a believer in workers' rights, I am not a believer in workers' entitlements, nor in workers' attitudes about being entitled to things that, in reality, I am not required to provide...and there is a difference.
On the upside, I will be able to look for (and perhaps find) a new staff member whose language skills are better...it was always embarrassing to me when I read something she had sent to a Board or all members of an association, laced with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. She had excellent computer skills, but language skill...not so much. But, then, it's hard to find people who possess both...those who do seem to be able to command an obscene amount of money in salary...and I guess I know why, but I can't afford to compete with the companies that are able to hire them.
Another subject. This afternoon, my wife left the office early to go to a networking event for a client. She was there to give out name badges, take payment from guests, etc. and to greet people and make them feel welcome...exactly the sort of thing that goes against every fiber of my being. But, on my way home from the office, I decided to swing by to join her, which I did. I munched on a few buffalo wings and had a margarita while she worked, then offered to take her to dinner. We had Thai food again. It's addictive.
Enough. It's almost 9:00 pm and I'm just now beginning to unwind, despite the margarita and buffalo wings and spicy Thai green beans and chicken. I'll write again another day. Tomorrow, I'll write a help-wanted ad.
Monday, March 27, 2006
I Depend on a Beast
I cannot afford to retire because my car has a money-eating problem. After having spent damn year $5,000 on the beast just a few months ago, today I had to spend another $1,600 on it, getting front strut mounts and replacing the rear struts. Ever since I had the heavy work done on it a few months ago, I have heard a loud "clunk" on the right front of the car.
I took it back to the garage that did the original work, right after the work was done, and they couldn't hear the clunk...then they said they thought it was a part that just happened to break after the work was done. I wasn't buying it, so I declined to have them even quote. But the clunk has gotten worse and worse and, because I need to take my car on the highway soon, I decided I better have it checked. The Toyota dealership said the aftermarket struts the garage had put on probably didn't fit the struts well and the garage had probably tightened the struts too much, putting enough pressure on the strut mount, causing it to crack. Of course, no one will testify to that, so I'm out of luck. Knowing nothing of any consequence about cars, I am forced to let the experts tell me what is necessary. The guy at the dealership told me I could keep driving the car, but he said it was dangerous because, if the strut pulled out of the mount, it could do serious damage to the steering, etc.
So, I fed my car's money-eating habit. I want a new car...I want a replacement...but I dare not get one now, considering how much I have invested in my old beast. It's nine years old now, on its way to ten, and has about 138,000 miles on it. The dealership service manager said the only significant things he could think of that could go wrong now are the transmission and the engine...and he said there is no sign of either being on the horizon (again, with no guarantees). This, after I told him about all the work I had done a few months ago...and about the air conditioner compressor I had replaced a year or so ago.
The car acts a lot like a new car...always has...and seems very dependable, but it's getting a little ragged around the edges. The leather front seats are beginning to crack, despite my (too late) efforts to revive them with leather dressing. The fake wood on the dash and front trim is now almost all gone...doesn't look bad, though, except for the places where the adhesive wouldn't come up...there, it looks horrible.
The leather-covered steering wheel looks awful, the leather-covered shifter knob looks awful, the floor mats look awful...and there are lots, and lots of dings. But, no rust, no significant dents (but plenty of dings and scrapes). I guess I'm arguing that it seems solid now, with only cosmetic damage, so I really should get over my new-car desires. If I were to get a new one, I'd probably test drive a Honda Element, an SUV-like vehicle that gets mileage equal to or better than my car...and has lots and lots of room. But, I won't get one...not even a used one. I have $6,500 worth of investements in my 1997 Toyota Avalon to go through, first.
I took it back to the garage that did the original work, right after the work was done, and they couldn't hear the clunk...then they said they thought it was a part that just happened to break after the work was done. I wasn't buying it, so I declined to have them even quote. But the clunk has gotten worse and worse and, because I need to take my car on the highway soon, I decided I better have it checked. The Toyota dealership said the aftermarket struts the garage had put on probably didn't fit the struts well and the garage had probably tightened the struts too much, putting enough pressure on the strut mount, causing it to crack. Of course, no one will testify to that, so I'm out of luck. Knowing nothing of any consequence about cars, I am forced to let the experts tell me what is necessary. The guy at the dealership told me I could keep driving the car, but he said it was dangerous because, if the strut pulled out of the mount, it could do serious damage to the steering, etc.
So, I fed my car's money-eating habit. I want a new car...I want a replacement...but I dare not get one now, considering how much I have invested in my old beast. It's nine years old now, on its way to ten, and has about 138,000 miles on it. The dealership service manager said the only significant things he could think of that could go wrong now are the transmission and the engine...and he said there is no sign of either being on the horizon (again, with no guarantees). This, after I told him about all the work I had done a few months ago...and about the air conditioner compressor I had replaced a year or so ago.
The car acts a lot like a new car...always has...and seems very dependable, but it's getting a little ragged around the edges. The leather front seats are beginning to crack, despite my (too late) efforts to revive them with leather dressing. The fake wood on the dash and front trim is now almost all gone...doesn't look bad, though, except for the places where the adhesive wouldn't come up...there, it looks horrible.
The leather-covered steering wheel looks awful, the leather-covered shifter knob looks awful, the floor mats look awful...and there are lots, and lots of dings. But, no rust, no significant dents (but plenty of dings and scrapes). I guess I'm arguing that it seems solid now, with only cosmetic damage, so I really should get over my new-car desires. If I were to get a new one, I'd probably test drive a Honda Element, an SUV-like vehicle that gets mileage equal to or better than my car...and has lots and lots of room. But, I won't get one...not even a used one. I have $6,500 worth of investements in my 1997 Toyota Avalon to go through, first.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Pieces of Weekend, Every Day
The end of a weekend signals something to me, every week. It signals that I am ready for much, much longer weekends. I am happy on weekends, most of the time. The weather can be uncooperative, the grass can need mowing, the beds around the house can need work, and the trees can need trimming...but weekends seem to overlook such necessities, in my mind, and they provide a sense of peace that weekdays just don't. Mind you, I am not living in Zen every weekend...but I am far more relaxed than I am during the week.
Well, maybe it's not the weekdays. Maybe it's me. I need to change...let the weekdays take on the level of importance they really have. And inspire myself to enjoy the weekdays the same way I enjoy the weekends. It's all in the approach to work. I've allowed myself to approach work in a negative way...it's as if I looked at going to the office as a negative thing. I can turn that around. And I will.
Here's one way to start. Instead of spending virtually every minute at the office working (save a few stolen moments to look at real estate in Mexico or respond to a personal email), I need to set aside time for me to do things I want to do. I tend to work through lunch most days. That needs to stop. For awhile, I was taking walks during lunch. I enjoyed that. Time to start again. If not walks, then personal, enjoyable internet surfing. And maybe a break in the morning and another in the afternoon, giving myself time to relax. And, instead of doing all the administrative tasks myself, I need to delegate more...much more. And, I need to look at staff and determine if they are the right people in the right places. Finally, I need to get my wife, who works with me, to share in these insights. She tends to work more hours than I do, and I feel utterly burned out on my hours; she needs to slow down, too.
It's time to have little pieces of weekends, every day.
Well, maybe it's not the weekdays. Maybe it's me. I need to change...let the weekdays take on the level of importance they really have. And inspire myself to enjoy the weekdays the same way I enjoy the weekends. It's all in the approach to work. I've allowed myself to approach work in a negative way...it's as if I looked at going to the office as a negative thing. I can turn that around. And I will.
Here's one way to start. Instead of spending virtually every minute at the office working (save a few stolen moments to look at real estate in Mexico or respond to a personal email), I need to set aside time for me to do things I want to do. I tend to work through lunch most days. That needs to stop. For awhile, I was taking walks during lunch. I enjoyed that. Time to start again. If not walks, then personal, enjoyable internet surfing. And maybe a break in the morning and another in the afternoon, giving myself time to relax. And, instead of doing all the administrative tasks myself, I need to delegate more...much more. And, I need to look at staff and determine if they are the right people in the right places. Finally, I need to get my wife, who works with me, to share in these insights. She tends to work more hours than I do, and I feel utterly burned out on my hours; she needs to slow down, too.
It's time to have little pieces of weekends, every day.
Breakfast Weather
If the weather in north Texas were regularly like it was yesterday, I could learn to enjoy it here. It started very crisp (a bit colder than I like) in the mid-30s, but by noon it was around 65 and the high was about 71 degrees. That is nice weather. It's rare here...we have 20-30 days like that each year and you can never plan on it. But when I was grilling outside last night, I was reminded about yet another thing that "bugs" me about this area. Huge flying insects that look like enormous mosquitoes with very long legs congregate in big groups near the doors...and when the door opens, they fly inside. They don't seem to bite, but they annoy and they really get my wife on edge. Maybe a screened-in porch would be the thing...
This morning, the temperatures are a bit more to my liking and more appropriate for the beginning of the day. It's about 51 degrees outside right now...crisp enough to call for a light jacket, but warm enough so I won't feel uncomfortable if I go for a walk.
The cool weather makes breakfast sound like just the thing. Today, after my wife gets up, we're going to have a nice breakfast. I'll throw all the rules to the wind and cook eggs and bacon (the real stuff...we've been eating turkey bacon when we've had any breakfast meat at all). I got up early and prepared tomatoes, which I'll cook under the broiler. All we have in the house are Roma tomatoes...so, I cut them in half, cut off both ends so they will sit flat in a baking dish, and put them in a buttered baking dish, large side up. Then, a dab of butter, some bread crumbs jazzed up with leaf oregano and leaf marjoram, a bit of salt, and topped with grated parmesan cheese. On mine, I topped the tomatoes with thin slice of fresh jalapeño. I'll broil them just long enough for the cheese to melt and the bread crumbs to begin to brown. We talked yesterday about bacon and eggs...no mention of the tomatoes, so I hope she likes them.
This morning, the temperatures are a bit more to my liking and more appropriate for the beginning of the day. It's about 51 degrees outside right now...crisp enough to call for a light jacket, but warm enough so I won't feel uncomfortable if I go for a walk.
The cool weather makes breakfast sound like just the thing. Today, after my wife gets up, we're going to have a nice breakfast. I'll throw all the rules to the wind and cook eggs and bacon (the real stuff...we've been eating turkey bacon when we've had any breakfast meat at all). I got up early and prepared tomatoes, which I'll cook under the broiler. All we have in the house are Roma tomatoes...so, I cut them in half, cut off both ends so they will sit flat in a baking dish, and put them in a buttered baking dish, large side up. Then, a dab of butter, some bread crumbs jazzed up with leaf oregano and leaf marjoram, a bit of salt, and topped with grated parmesan cheese. On mine, I topped the tomatoes with thin slice of fresh jalapeño. I'll broil them just long enough for the cheese to melt and the bread crumbs to begin to brown. We talked yesterday about bacon and eggs...no mention of the tomatoes, so I hope she likes them.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Twitching--Red Buds--Movie
OK, what the hell is it with the twitching in my right eye? It's not new...it has been happening for years and years on fairly rare occasions. My right eye starts twitching uncontrollably...no pain, nothing really out of the ordinary, just strange twitching.
I'm sure it's nothing bad (if it is, it has been bad for as long as I can remember), but it does tend to be a tad annoying.
The red bud trees around Dallas are in magnificent bloom. All over the city, there are lovely red buds flaunting the fact that it's Spring. I promise myself every year that I will plant a few red bud trees in my yard. I'm an inveterate liar. No red buds in my yard yet.
We watched the DVD of Todo El Poder tonight. It was interesting and enjoyable. But my understanding of the dialogue would have been virtually nonexistent without the subtitles. Incidentally, it translates to All the Power. My memory told me poder means "to put." I was wrong. Poder translates to "being able to." At least that's what FreeTranslation.com says.
I need to take a Spanish course!
I'm sure it's nothing bad (if it is, it has been bad for as long as I can remember), but it does tend to be a tad annoying.
The red bud trees around Dallas are in magnificent bloom. All over the city, there are lovely red buds flaunting the fact that it's Spring. I promise myself every year that I will plant a few red bud trees in my yard. I'm an inveterate liar. No red buds in my yard yet.
We watched the DVD of Todo El Poder tonight. It was interesting and enjoyable. But my understanding of the dialogue would have been virtually nonexistent without the subtitles. Incidentally, it translates to All the Power. My memory told me poder means "to put." I was wrong. Poder translates to "being able to." At least that's what FreeTranslation.com says.
I need to take a Spanish course!
Steak and a Movie
New York strip steaks are on the grill, along with zuccini, yellow squash, quartered onions, halved fresh jalapeños, and a few leftover strips of poblano peppers. Soon, they will be ready to bring in and enjoy.
Then, I'll be back at it, looking at houses in Mexico on the Internet. A brother sent me links to a couple today, after he and his wife visited the houses. In time, I'll have a place to retire to in Mexico. In the interim, I'll eat steak.
Then, after dinner tonight, we will watch a DVD, Todo el Poder, in Spanish with English subtitles. It's about a film director who gets fed up with crime in his homeland (Mexico) and takes on a gang of criminals. The director, Fernando Sarinana, decided to make the film after being robbed at gunpoint several times. I'm going to do my best to understand what's being said without relying heavily on the subtitles. It will be a failed attempt, but I will try, nonetheless.
Then, I'll be back at it, looking at houses in Mexico on the Internet. A brother sent me links to a couple today, after he and his wife visited the houses. In time, I'll have a place to retire to in Mexico. In the interim, I'll eat steak.
Then, after dinner tonight, we will watch a DVD, Todo el Poder, in Spanish with English subtitles. It's about a film director who gets fed up with crime in his homeland (Mexico) and takes on a gang of criminals. The director, Fernando Sarinana, decided to make the film after being robbed at gunpoint several times. I'm going to do my best to understand what's being said without relying heavily on the subtitles. It will be a failed attempt, but I will try, nonetheless.
The Scene in Front of Me
I'm watching Buddha. He's sitting, smiling at me, appearing to be completely content and amused with his situation. He's holding a bag, draped over his left shoulder; it appears to be full, but I don't know what's in it. He isn't talking. He's just smiling. As for me, I'm sitting, but I'm not smiling. Well I wasn't. Now I am. It occurs to me how strange it is to write this. I'm writing about what I am doing...sitting at my desk, looking at the Buddha, typing words onto a computer screen, and drinking coffee. I was wondering what I would write about...I had no idea when I sat down here to write. Now I know. I'll describe the scene in front of me.
I'm looking down at a notebook computer, a rather sleek looking black machine with silver highlights. Behind the computer screen is a desktop picture frame that appears to be made of tall rectangles of red and orange and green leaded glass; in fact, it is plastic. Inside the frame is a photo of my wife, taken in a photo booth at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. The photo looks like a movie poster styled after a Queen of Hearts, with my wife's smiling face in the middle of it. At the top of the photo: the words Looks that kill. Beauty so powerful and dangerous! At the bottom of the photo: Cowgirl Pictures Presents Beauty with a Bullet in TexaColor.
To the left of the computer is a magazine, Living the Country Life, with a photo of a lush garden, the center of which is marked with a rustic-looking stone path. Words printed on the cover give clues to what is inside: "Artful Gardens;" "The hottest flowers for 2006;" "Buyers Guides: Pickup trucks, Cool country tools;" "Woodlot tips;" "Secure your acreage." Farther left is a videocassette, contents unknown, sitting atop a short stack of papers and Consumer Reports. Behind that stack, toward the back of the desk, is a 3-hole punch and a black & silver audio speaker. Just to the right of the punch is a stack of papers beneath two books: The Darwin Awards, the cover of which has a white and red background and pictures of 'evolving man,' and Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juárez: 1893-1923, whose cover is of an old black & white photo of Mexicans holding rifles aimed at the camera. Behind the books is an empty tape dispenser, sitting next to a a full container of Mont Blanc ink. I never use the ink; I bought it for a pen I received as a parting gift from a job I had years ago...a job I left because my employment contract was not renewed.
Immediately behind the computer are a computer power supply and a USB hub, along with wires connecting the power source, speakers, computer, mouse, and microphone.
To the right of the 'leaded glass' picture frame is another audio speaker and to the right of that is a desk lamp in a clean, Scandinavian style; all black, with weights and counterweights to control the height and direction of the neck of the halogen lamp. Buddha sits in front of the speaker. Toward the front of the right side of the desk is an assortment of odds and ends: a set of headphones from an American Airlines flight; a Charles Schwab trade confirmation envelope; a pewter-look pencil box (filled with a colorful mix of highlighters, pens, pencils, etc.) with a relief of a unicorn on the front; a clear plastic frame which was intended to have a "we accept Visa and MasterCard" sticker affixed to it but which, instead, has a twenty-year-old photo of my wife affixed to it. Other odds & ends include a large red mouse pad, a black & silver mouse, a black-colored power drill gauge, an IKEA catalog, a cell phone, a thick, well-worn brown leather wallet, and a tall white coffee cup (recently refilled with dark, French roast coffee) imprinted with a sketch of the Gordon House, which is located on the grounds of the Oregon Garden.
Scattered among the books and papers and photos and knick-nacks on the desk are post-it notes scribbled with stock symbols and passwords and reminders to take shirts to the laundry and buy a gallon can of pickled jalapeños.
Earlier, the computer screen showed the website of KOBTV Channel 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which offered news of a sheriff deputy's murder by a person believed to be a paroled inmate and which explained that Republicans were using the situation to criticize the Democratic Governor of the State.
Before that, the screen showed an information-poor website of a public television station in Gary, Indiana, WYIN-TV Channel 56.
There were many news source websites before that. But, there wasn't much news...at least not much news that was really relevant. Mostly, the news sources struggled to present anything relevant...and from my point of view, most of them failed. There are days like that.
My wife is at the office again on this Saturday morning, working to try to catch up on the increasing financial management workload that comes with large client meetings. I should be there to help, but she would rather have help from the woman who helps her regularly, and so she does. There are probably two or three others up at the office today...I may be one of them, but not now, not yet. I need my Saturday mornings to decompress.
I'm looking down at a notebook computer, a rather sleek looking black machine with silver highlights. Behind the computer screen is a desktop picture frame that appears to be made of tall rectangles of red and orange and green leaded glass; in fact, it is plastic. Inside the frame is a photo of my wife, taken in a photo booth at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. The photo looks like a movie poster styled after a Queen of Hearts, with my wife's smiling face in the middle of it. At the top of the photo: the words Looks that kill. Beauty so powerful and dangerous! At the bottom of the photo: Cowgirl Pictures Presents Beauty with a Bullet in TexaColor.
To the left of the computer is a magazine, Living the Country Life, with a photo of a lush garden, the center of which is marked with a rustic-looking stone path. Words printed on the cover give clues to what is inside: "Artful Gardens;" "The hottest flowers for 2006;" "Buyers Guides: Pickup trucks, Cool country tools;" "Woodlot tips;" "Secure your acreage." Farther left is a videocassette, contents unknown, sitting atop a short stack of papers and Consumer Reports. Behind that stack, toward the back of the desk, is a 3-hole punch and a black & silver audio speaker. Just to the right of the punch is a stack of papers beneath two books: The Darwin Awards, the cover of which has a white and red background and pictures of 'evolving man,' and Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juárez: 1893-1923, whose cover is of an old black & white photo of Mexicans holding rifles aimed at the camera. Behind the books is an empty tape dispenser, sitting next to a a full container of Mont Blanc ink. I never use the ink; I bought it for a pen I received as a parting gift from a job I had years ago...a job I left because my employment contract was not renewed.
Immediately behind the computer are a computer power supply and a USB hub, along with wires connecting the power source, speakers, computer, mouse, and microphone.
To the right of the 'leaded glass' picture frame is another audio speaker and to the right of that is a desk lamp in a clean, Scandinavian style; all black, with weights and counterweights to control the height and direction of the neck of the halogen lamp. Buddha sits in front of the speaker. Toward the front of the right side of the desk is an assortment of odds and ends: a set of headphones from an American Airlines flight; a Charles Schwab trade confirmation envelope; a pewter-look pencil box (filled with a colorful mix of highlighters, pens, pencils, etc.) with a relief of a unicorn on the front; a clear plastic frame which was intended to have a "we accept Visa and MasterCard" sticker affixed to it but which, instead, has a twenty-year-old photo of my wife affixed to it. Other odds & ends include a large red mouse pad, a black & silver mouse, a black-colored power drill gauge, an IKEA catalog, a cell phone, a thick, well-worn brown leather wallet, and a tall white coffee cup (recently refilled with dark, French roast coffee) imprinted with a sketch of the Gordon House, which is located on the grounds of the Oregon Garden.
Scattered among the books and papers and photos and knick-nacks on the desk are post-it notes scribbled with stock symbols and passwords and reminders to take shirts to the laundry and buy a gallon can of pickled jalapeños.
Earlier, the computer screen showed the website of KOBTV Channel 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which offered news of a sheriff deputy's murder by a person believed to be a paroled inmate and which explained that Republicans were using the situation to criticize the Democratic Governor of the State.
Before that, the screen showed an information-poor website of a public television station in Gary, Indiana, WYIN-TV Channel 56.
There were many news source websites before that. But, there wasn't much news...at least not much news that was really relevant. Mostly, the news sources struggled to present anything relevant...and from my point of view, most of them failed. There are days like that.
My wife is at the office again on this Saturday morning, working to try to catch up on the increasing financial management workload that comes with large client meetings. I should be there to help, but she would rather have help from the woman who helps her regularly, and so she does. There are probably two or three others up at the office today...I may be one of them, but not now, not yet. I need my Saturday mornings to decompress.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Suddenly Dropping Out
I wonder what it would be like to drop out of this American society very suddenly...just sell stuff fast, get an airplance ticket and go...or maybe drive south after getting rid of everything. That is so appealing to me, but I know my wife would never agree to it. But it's just so amazingly appealing. I've never done anything quite so abrupt...I've always wanted to.
Here's my vision of doing it...in the slower, Geezerly way. I would put my house on the market. Quietly, of course. Wouldn't announce it to friends, acquaintences, staff, etc....just get an agent to list it. Simulataneously, I'd look at how I could get client work covered in my absence...and probably would look at scheduling things so that my departure would correspond to the end of their fiscal years, etc. I'd have to make it correspond to the end of my office lease, of course, and I would have to have a plan in place to vacate the premises, get rid of enormous volumes of furniture, files, chairs, etc. It would have to be a well-orchestrated plan.
Then, at the appointed hour, I would announce to the world that "I'm outta here!" I'd have to set it up, of course, to pay staff for a while to absorb some of the shock and I'd have to ensure that clients would be able to keep clicking along. But I'd love to do it...set it up carefully, then, SWOOOOSH! Done! Off to Mexico, Chile, Argentina...or maybe Nova Scotia in summers, as I do love Nova Scotia.
Being completely without ties wouldn'd do for me, of course. I'll need my wife, my family, and a tiny, tiny circle of friends or acquaintences, as anchors. But mostly my wife and my siblings...everything else would take care of itself. Here I am, at 52, and I've yet to make my lifelong friend. I saw a program last night on cable that addressed a car-crazy guy who had donated his kidney to his best friend, who repaid him by having his "ride" totally jazzed. I have no such friends. If a family member needs a kidney, call me. I am somewhat reluctant to give one to a "friend."
Back to dropping out. I wonder if it's possible to do a "test" drop-out? You know, disappear briefly, live a wild and crazy life of absolute freedom, then come back and reintegrate? Maybe I'll pursue that. I don't want to completely screw up the works. Living my remaining years as a homeless beggar has very little appeal. It would really piss-off my wife. She might kill me with a dull butcher knife.
So, there you are. My "plans" in a nutshell. Do something, sometime, somewhere, to experience something. Very clear, don't you think?
Here's my vision of doing it...in the slower, Geezerly way. I would put my house on the market. Quietly, of course. Wouldn't announce it to friends, acquaintences, staff, etc....just get an agent to list it. Simulataneously, I'd look at how I could get client work covered in my absence...and probably would look at scheduling things so that my departure would correspond to the end of their fiscal years, etc. I'd have to make it correspond to the end of my office lease, of course, and I would have to have a plan in place to vacate the premises, get rid of enormous volumes of furniture, files, chairs, etc. It would have to be a well-orchestrated plan.
Then, at the appointed hour, I would announce to the world that "I'm outta here!" I'd have to set it up, of course, to pay staff for a while to absorb some of the shock and I'd have to ensure that clients would be able to keep clicking along. But I'd love to do it...set it up carefully, then, SWOOOOSH! Done! Off to Mexico, Chile, Argentina...or maybe Nova Scotia in summers, as I do love Nova Scotia.
Being completely without ties wouldn'd do for me, of course. I'll need my wife, my family, and a tiny, tiny circle of friends or acquaintences, as anchors. But mostly my wife and my siblings...everything else would take care of itself. Here I am, at 52, and I've yet to make my lifelong friend. I saw a program last night on cable that addressed a car-crazy guy who had donated his kidney to his best friend, who repaid him by having his "ride" totally jazzed. I have no such friends. If a family member needs a kidney, call me. I am somewhat reluctant to give one to a "friend."
Back to dropping out. I wonder if it's possible to do a "test" drop-out? You know, disappear briefly, live a wild and crazy life of absolute freedom, then come back and reintegrate? Maybe I'll pursue that. I don't want to completely screw up the works. Living my remaining years as a homeless beggar has very little appeal. It would really piss-off my wife. She might kill me with a dull butcher knife.
So, there you are. My "plans" in a nutshell. Do something, sometime, somewhere, to experience something. Very clear, don't you think?
TABC Fascism
There is, apparently, a law in Texas that allows the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to arrest people who are drunk in bars and who, in TABC officers' eyes, pose a threat. They don't have to be annoying anyone...or holding car keys in their hands...or doing anything that the averge bar patron might find offensive. They simply have to be intoxicated and be unfortunate enough to be observed by a TABC officer. Recently, TABC arrested 30 people after conducting sweeps in 36 bars. Of those arrested, 3 were in hotel bars and they were hotel guests...they had no intention of driving.
I'm all for protecting the public from dangerous people and keeping drunks off the roads is important, but I have a huge problem with people being preemptively arrested for the harm they might do, while they are doing nothing that suggests they might do harm. I am told this is not a new law, but TABC asked for funding to hire 100 new officers to enforce the law. If a person is accosting others or is being beligerent or picking fights...fine, arrest them. But if a person is simply intoxicated, the State has no interest in "protecting" the public from someone who poses no threat!
This is in the home state of the President of the United States who, as we all know, decided to preemptively attack another country to stop it from doing what we know it did not have the capacity nor the will to do. Some people do follow their leaders, regardless whether their leaders are amoral sociopaths or not. It's sickening.
I'm all for protecting the public from dangerous people and keeping drunks off the roads is important, but I have a huge problem with people being preemptively arrested for the harm they might do, while they are doing nothing that suggests they might do harm. I am told this is not a new law, but TABC asked for funding to hire 100 new officers to enforce the law. If a person is accosting others or is being beligerent or picking fights...fine, arrest them. But if a person is simply intoxicated, the State has no interest in "protecting" the public from someone who poses no threat!
This is in the home state of the President of the United States who, as we all know, decided to preemptively attack another country to stop it from doing what we know it did not have the capacity nor the will to do. Some people do follow their leaders, regardless whether their leaders are amoral sociopaths or not. It's sickening.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Chile & Argentina...and Women in Charge
This evening, I read an interesting article about Chile's thawing relationship with Argentina. Michelle Bachelet, Chile's new president, met with Nestor Kirchner, Argentina's president. The countries' respective defense ministers also met with one another. I thought the following comments from an analysis by Justin Vogler of the Santiago Times were particularly interesting:
Read the entire article here.
Military collaboration is another area of specific interest to Bachelet. Vivianne Blanlot, Chile’s new defense minister, will meet her Argentine counterpart, Nilda Garré, to ratify an agreement on transparency of defense budgets and the formation of a bi-national force to take part in international peacekeeping operations.
The logic is self evident. Both governments are keen to give their respective armed forces a new raison d’être that doesn’t involve antagonizing each other or dabbling in politics. A “strategic alliance” based on transparency, a commitment to democracy and international peace keeping is an excellent solution. A good indication of what can be achieved when you put women in charge of national defense.
Read the entire article here.
Entrepreneurial Interests
Blogger is actinq weird. I hope this post "takes."
Maybe I've posted before about a guy with whom I have spoken about his concept of renting commercial kitchen space to caterers, cooks, etc., etc. If so, forgive the replication. I spoke to the guy before Christmas, after hearing from an employee about the business, called "Just Add Chef." The guy leases commercial kitchen space in Austin. He furnished the space with a commercial refigerator/freezer, commercial oven, and all the expected cookware, etc. He rents it to people.
I had hoped to go visit with him in January, but time passed by and here it is, almost April. I spoke to him again today and tentatively scheduled a visit with him on April 9 when he will be in Dallas. As it happens, I will be returning that day or the night before from a client event in The Woodlands. We will talk about the concept and will discuss whether there are ways to take it to a broader market, i.e., franchise it. It may not be economically viable, but I love the concept. I really enjoy exploring new business ideas. I'm tired of the worn out old business idea I had in 1998, but am always ready to look into new ones in 2006 and beyond.
Even if we seize on a great concept that can work, the trick will be to get financial backing. I don't have it, nor does he.
At the very least, my visit with him will introduce me to someone who's obviously as entrepreneurial as I am and that may be good. I often feel stifled by the fact that people who work for me are just...workers. No entrepreneurial drive, no interest in trying something new, no desire to explore new ways of doing things, creating things, building businesses. I think the lack of entrepreneurial company has been responsible, in part, for me letting good ideas drop.
Maybe this isn't the right idea, but it's an idea I want to explore, and at least I'll be talking to a guy who, from what I gather from telephone conversations with him, is a risk-taker.
Maybe I've posted before about a guy with whom I have spoken about his concept of renting commercial kitchen space to caterers, cooks, etc., etc. If so, forgive the replication. I spoke to the guy before Christmas, after hearing from an employee about the business, called "Just Add Chef." The guy leases commercial kitchen space in Austin. He furnished the space with a commercial refigerator/freezer, commercial oven, and all the expected cookware, etc. He rents it to people.
I had hoped to go visit with him in January, but time passed by and here it is, almost April. I spoke to him again today and tentatively scheduled a visit with him on April 9 when he will be in Dallas. As it happens, I will be returning that day or the night before from a client event in The Woodlands. We will talk about the concept and will discuss whether there are ways to take it to a broader market, i.e., franchise it. It may not be economically viable, but I love the concept. I really enjoy exploring new business ideas. I'm tired of the worn out old business idea I had in 1998, but am always ready to look into new ones in 2006 and beyond.
Even if we seize on a great concept that can work, the trick will be to get financial backing. I don't have it, nor does he.
At the very least, my visit with him will introduce me to someone who's obviously as entrepreneurial as I am and that may be good. I often feel stifled by the fact that people who work for me are just...workers. No entrepreneurial drive, no interest in trying something new, no desire to explore new ways of doing things, creating things, building businesses. I think the lack of entrepreneurial company has been responsible, in part, for me letting good ideas drop.
Maybe this isn't the right idea, but it's an idea I want to explore, and at least I'll be talking to a guy who, from what I gather from telephone conversations with him, is a risk-taker.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Business...Punishment for Wanting to Retire
Today was busy. Very busy. A webinar presented for one of our associations (the one we own), attended by fewer than half the people who said they would. Our online evaluation subsequent to the webinar were all raving about how excellent it was...but when we asked whether they would pay to participate in the future (even though we told them it cost us $19.20 per person to hold it), half of respondents said they would participate only if we did not charge. What arrogant, stupid people. They said it was extremely valuable, useful to them...but they won't pay. The bastards deserve to go out of business, and most of them will. Narrow-minded, short-sighted idiots!
Bad news yesterday....the significant association that I wanted so badly did not come through. Today, I looked at our almost complete, but still preliminary, financials for year-end 2005...almost $23,000 in the red. Not good. But, I got word today, late in the day, that the small association I was courting finally came through...they want to go to contract and get transitioned to us ASAP. Revenue to us is very small, but obviously we can use every penny we get. I absolutely must get some new business.
I'm getting less and less enthused about business and more and more enthused about retiring or at least doing something different. Today simply deepened those levels of enthusiasm.
My energy is drained for the time being. Time to stop writing.
Bad news yesterday....the significant association that I wanted so badly did not come through. Today, I looked at our almost complete, but still preliminary, financials for year-end 2005...almost $23,000 in the red. Not good. But, I got word today, late in the day, that the small association I was courting finally came through...they want to go to contract and get transitioned to us ASAP. Revenue to us is very small, but obviously we can use every penny we get. I absolutely must get some new business.
I'm getting less and less enthused about business and more and more enthused about retiring or at least doing something different. Today simply deepened those levels of enthusiasm.
My energy is drained for the time being. Time to stop writing.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
3rd Hand Stock Advice from a Golf Course
uk I know better than to take stock tips that were obtained 3rd hand from a relative who knows someone who heard someone else say a stock is a sure thing. I know better.
But that didn't stop me. I bought 2000 shares of stock (or, I should say, I put in an order to buy 2000 shares of stock) this evening. A brother had lunch with a friend, who advised him about this hot stock that is poised to jumpt from its present level of $0.48 per share to $1.85 per share in relatively short order. I've heard it before. But, this time, for whatever reason it seemed more reasonable. I checked the stock out, to the extent I could, and found it plausible, if doubtful. It may go belly up tomorrow, but it may take off. The stock is HS3 Technologies, Inc. (HSTT). I put in an order to buy 2000 shares. I will, if I buy at that price, pay out $972.95. If it rises to $1.85 per share, I wil have made more than $2700. If it tanks, the most I can loose is $972.95. It's in a retirement account, so it's not like it's taking money out of my pocket today. It's more like taking my retirement away from me. Such is life.
I promised my brother I would not blame him if it doesn't work out. And I won't. I'm the one who said, "what the hell" and invested my retirement money. If it works out well, though, I will pay him back...when I can get my hands on the money!
Incidentally, my brother got the tip from a friend, who in turn heard it at a golf course. It really does happen.
I'm still waiting to hear from my Mexican realtor about good buys on houses in or near my intended retirement spot. The same guy with the stock tip apparently has money he wants to invest in Mexico, to build a place. I'm tempted to see if I can join the deal. There is money to e made!
But that didn't stop me. I bought 2000 shares of stock (or, I should say, I put in an order to buy 2000 shares of stock) this evening. A brother had lunch with a friend, who advised him about this hot stock that is poised to jumpt from its present level of $0.48 per share to $1.85 per share in relatively short order. I've heard it before. But, this time, for whatever reason it seemed more reasonable. I checked the stock out, to the extent I could, and found it plausible, if doubtful. It may go belly up tomorrow, but it may take off. The stock is HS3 Technologies, Inc. (HSTT). I put in an order to buy 2000 shares. I will, if I buy at that price, pay out $972.95. If it rises to $1.85 per share, I wil have made more than $2700. If it tanks, the most I can loose is $972.95. It's in a retirement account, so it's not like it's taking money out of my pocket today. It's more like taking my retirement away from me. Such is life.
I promised my brother I would not blame him if it doesn't work out. And I won't. I'm the one who said, "what the hell" and invested my retirement money. If it works out well, though, I will pay him back...when I can get my hands on the money!
Incidentally, my brother got the tip from a friend, who in turn heard it at a golf course. It really does happen.
I'm still waiting to hear from my Mexican realtor about good buys on houses in or near my intended retirement spot. The same guy with the stock tip apparently has money he wants to invest in Mexico, to build a place. I'm tempted to see if I can join the deal. There is money to e made!
Monday, March 20, 2006
An Important Message: I Am Your Dog
This post is simply the contents of an email I received from an attorney/speaker/writer (Jim Karger) on whose blast email list my email address is recorded. I've known the guy for years and have always enjoyed his writing. This message is important. Read it all.
I Am Your Dog (Or Spouse, Child, Friend)
I don't know what brought back the memory but during a talk last week I recalled attending a philosophy class my freshman year in college, a class taught by a beautiful, bright, young, articulate professor who I believed was the perfect woman. She was in her early 30's. I remember lamenting my fate that I was just 18. But for our slight difference in age, I thought, she would like me and I would like her and we'd live happily ever after. As I was telling the story I performed some simple math in my head and was suddenly struck silent, stunned that my young philosophy professor is now in her 70's.
I don't remember now the point I was trying to make but the point I should have made is that there is no time to wish or hope or fear or even to do too much planning for tomorrow. There is just Now and our challenge in modernity is living in the present instead of rendering it a mere preface to some future moment when a larger McMansion, a new BMW, or some other toy will cause more to become enough. One need only look around to know that this fantasy turns nightmarish for those who cling to it too long.
Which is why I leave the following with you, a story by "Anonymous," who titled the work, "I Am Your Dog," but which could have been named "I Am Your Spouse," "I Am Your Child", or "I Am Your Friend." Regardless who you put into the supporting role, it reminds us of the importance of Now and that we use it together, wisely.
"I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life. Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.
"You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do you see a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even! for a few minutes to be with me. So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat. Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land.
"I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "One more day" with me. Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom or Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk.
"I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you
something profound about myself, or even life in general. You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with. Someone very different from you, and here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on two feet" -- I know what you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.
"Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down if only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and whisper to my ears. Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self. We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.
--Love, (on behalf of canines everywhere)"
I Am Your Dog (Or Spouse, Child, Friend)
I don't know what brought back the memory but during a talk last week I recalled attending a philosophy class my freshman year in college, a class taught by a beautiful, bright, young, articulate professor who I believed was the perfect woman. She was in her early 30's. I remember lamenting my fate that I was just 18. But for our slight difference in age, I thought, she would like me and I would like her and we'd live happily ever after. As I was telling the story I performed some simple math in my head and was suddenly struck silent, stunned that my young philosophy professor is now in her 70's.
I don't remember now the point I was trying to make but the point I should have made is that there is no time to wish or hope or fear or even to do too much planning for tomorrow. There is just Now and our challenge in modernity is living in the present instead of rendering it a mere preface to some future moment when a larger McMansion, a new BMW, or some other toy will cause more to become enough. One need only look around to know that this fantasy turns nightmarish for those who cling to it too long.
Which is why I leave the following with you, a story by "Anonymous," who titled the work, "I Am Your Dog," but which could have been named "I Am Your Spouse," "I Am Your Child", or "I Am Your Friend." Regardless who you put into the supporting role, it reminds us of the importance of Now and that we use it together, wisely.
"I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life. Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.
"You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do you see a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even! for a few minutes to be with me. So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat. Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land.
"I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "One more day" with me. Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom or Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk.
"I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you
something profound about myself, or even life in general. You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with. Someone very different from you, and here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on two feet" -- I know what you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.
"Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down if only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and whisper to my ears. Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self. We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.
--Love, (on behalf of canines everywhere)"
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Infusión Salón de Té
Here's an idea that might be worth pursuing. The growing popularity of teahouses in the U.S. probably will spread to the Dallas area; as far as I know, it hasn't yet, but it almost certainly will. If someone were to jump on the bandwagon early, the uniqueness of the concept would allow the entrepreneur to take advantage of early interest. Given Dallas' location, it might make sense to marry Japanese teahouse culture with Hispanic culture (to coin a punny term, "creatively INFUSE the two cultures with one another") in such a teahouse. What better way to start than with the name? The English version could be Infusion Teahouse and the Spanish version could be Infusión Salón de Té. Here's a concept of the presentation:
Of course, I have no idea of whether the Spanish translation of teahouse if correct or whether the name of the place translates well. Whatever, back to the concept.
I envision the clean, simple lines of modern Japanese architecture, emboldened with the bright colors that are so frequently seen in Mexican life. I wish I could paint a picture of the concept, but my painting skills are rusty...actually, they are completely corroded through. I can see in my mind's eye an entire wall painted black, with English and Japanese words carefully painted in white (e.g., "soothing, tranquil, peace, calm, love, joy, freedom" etc., etc.). On another wall, painted in bright red, Spanish & English words would be painted in bright yellow, blues, greens, oranges, etc. (e.g., "tranquilo, paz, calma, amor, alegría, libertad", etc.).
Plush seating and low tables would abound, as would ample reading materials and lighting that is muted, but adequate for reading. The background music would alternate between Japanese and Mexican (or Salvadoran, Honduran, Chilean, etc.)...but all of it would be of a soothing style.
Hey, it's raining hard outdoors, it's Sunday afternoon...what else would you have me do than dream up such stuff?
Of course, I have no idea of whether the Spanish translation of teahouse if correct or whether the name of the place translates well. Whatever, back to the concept.
I envision the clean, simple lines of modern Japanese architecture, emboldened with the bright colors that are so frequently seen in Mexican life. I wish I could paint a picture of the concept, but my painting skills are rusty...actually, they are completely corroded through. I can see in my mind's eye an entire wall painted black, with English and Japanese words carefully painted in white (e.g., "soothing, tranquil, peace, calm, love, joy, freedom" etc., etc.). On another wall, painted in bright red, Spanish & English words would be painted in bright yellow, blues, greens, oranges, etc. (e.g., "tranquilo, paz, calma, amor, alegría, libertad", etc.).
Plush seating and low tables would abound, as would ample reading materials and lighting that is muted, but adequate for reading. The background music would alternate between Japanese and Mexican (or Salvadoran, Honduran, Chilean, etc.)...but all of it would be of a soothing style.
Hey, it's raining hard outdoors, it's Sunday afternoon...what else would you have me do than dream up such stuff?
Holi Festival
You may not know that this is the season of the Holi festival for Hindus. I didn't know until just yesterday. It's a festival celebrating Spring; it's celebrated in several ways, not the least interesting of which is by painting people and things in a rainbow of colors. Here's something from a website I visite: ‘Holi’ falls on the full moon, in the month of Phalgun, which spans the end of Februry and the beginning of March on the Gregorian calendar. A time when Spring is in the air.
Here are some websites that discuss Holi in more detail:
Holi Hangama
Holi: Colors of Joy!
Holi Gifts
IndiaExpress Holi Explanation
Colors of India
This year's festival has passed; next year, Holi will be on March 3, 2007.
Here are some websites that discuss Holi in more detail:
Holi Hangama
Holi: Colors of Joy!
Holi Gifts
IndiaExpress Holi Explanation
Colors of India
This year's festival has passed; next year, Holi will be on March 3, 2007.
African Drought
If you want to feel two conflicting emotions at once, read this article. You'll feel fortunate for everything you have, however meager it may be. And you'll feel unbearable sadness for the people in Africa who are watching their cattle die of thirst and who are hoping that they do not follow the same path.
Weatherburst
I am easily misled by the weather. I thought, with no small degree of certainty, that the last vestiges of winter were long gone. The trees had begun budding, the azaleas in front of my house had started to show their flowers, and signs of spring were all about. Temperatures had started rising. It was unmistakable. Spring had arrived. Then, Bam! Another cold snap hits, dropping temperatures into the uncomfortable range and bringing with it rain and thunder and lightening.
I just checked the weather forecast and, sure enough, temperatures are expected to bottom out at 30 degrees tomorrow and Tuesday. Today, according to Weather Underground, the chances of thunderstorms are 100%, a rarity. It's interesting to see that today's high is predicted to be 60 degrees, with a low tonight of 45. Then, tomorrow, the high is predicted to jump to 71...but tomorrow night, a drop of 41 degrees to 30!
The four non-bearing pear trees I planted last year are in full bloom, with beautiful white flowers and sprouts of new leaves beginning to emerge. Temperatures below freezing may shut them down. The lawn is beginning to show signs of green, too, and there are plenty of healthy weeds starting to sprout.
Had this been a warm, dry weekend, I would have been out of town...ignoring my yard. But, since I am here, I am wishing it were dry and a bit warmer so I could give my yard the attention it deserves. I need to weed beds, trim plants all around the house, and generally take care of things that have been forgotten since early winter. But, not today, not this weekend.
I just checked the weather forecast and, sure enough, temperatures are expected to bottom out at 30 degrees tomorrow and Tuesday. Today, according to Weather Underground, the chances of thunderstorms are 100%, a rarity. It's interesting to see that today's high is predicted to be 60 degrees, with a low tonight of 45. Then, tomorrow, the high is predicted to jump to 71...but tomorrow night, a drop of 41 degrees to 30!
The four non-bearing pear trees I planted last year are in full bloom, with beautiful white flowers and sprouts of new leaves beginning to emerge. Temperatures below freezing may shut them down. The lawn is beginning to show signs of green, too, and there are plenty of healthy weeds starting to sprout.
Had this been a warm, dry weekend, I would have been out of town...ignoring my yard. But, since I am here, I am wishing it were dry and a bit warmer so I could give my yard the attention it deserves. I need to weed beds, trim plants all around the house, and generally take care of things that have been forgotten since early winter. But, not today, not this weekend.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Love Transcends...Sometimes
I loved my father. He was a fine man in many respects and he did a lot for me and for my brothers and sisters. One thing I don't remember him doing, except once, was telling me he loved me. I think I knew he did love me, but it was something that was, to me, noticeably absent in conversations. His retiscence to say those words is evident in my family even today...or maybe I am imagining it. It's odd, I feel like my dad was a wonderful man and he did care about his kids, but he didn't make it habit of telling us (or, at least, me) that he loved us. I guess he figured we knew it, so why say it. But it still lingers in my mind as something that was missing. The only time I remember him saying he loved us was the day he died.
He was in horrendous pain from his lung cancer, and all of us were so distraught that he hurt so badly. One of my brothers, who had been an Air Force medic, convinced my Dad's doctor that he should prescribe morphine to alleviate the pain my father was feeling. We administered injections of morphine as often as was allowed, trying to minimize the pain he felt. I administered one of his last injections. I remember my Dad saying, "Oh, how I love you kids. I love you. I love you. I love you." That tore me up. I'd never heard him say it out loud before. It meant so much to me, but it hurt me that he was able to say it to me only when he knew he was dying. God, that was a painful moment.
I think now about my brothers and sisters. I don't know the last time I told them I love them. I do, of course, but I don't say it. It's uncomfortable. It's not uncomfortable telling my wife the same thing...why should it be uncomfortable telling my brothers and sisters? I think it boils down to what was expected and acceptable in my parents' lives and what wasn't. I think my Dad's family must have viewed expressions of affection as inappropriate. My Mom's family probably did not look at expressions of affection that way.
It is remarkable that I am talking about this, something still unresolved, at 52 years of age. People should get on with their lives and be over any such familial "issues" long before their 52nd birthday!
I wonder if I am simply succumbing to selective memory? Maybe my Dad said 'I love you' regularly and I simply forgot. If so, that memory is completely erased.
If I can break out of what I think was a prison my Dad lived in, let me say to my brothers and sisters and wife and in-laws and friends who might read this: I love you!
He was in horrendous pain from his lung cancer, and all of us were so distraught that he hurt so badly. One of my brothers, who had been an Air Force medic, convinced my Dad's doctor that he should prescribe morphine to alleviate the pain my father was feeling. We administered injections of morphine as often as was allowed, trying to minimize the pain he felt. I administered one of his last injections. I remember my Dad saying, "Oh, how I love you kids. I love you. I love you. I love you." That tore me up. I'd never heard him say it out loud before. It meant so much to me, but it hurt me that he was able to say it to me only when he knew he was dying. God, that was a painful moment.
I think now about my brothers and sisters. I don't know the last time I told them I love them. I do, of course, but I don't say it. It's uncomfortable. It's not uncomfortable telling my wife the same thing...why should it be uncomfortable telling my brothers and sisters? I think it boils down to what was expected and acceptable in my parents' lives and what wasn't. I think my Dad's family must have viewed expressions of affection as inappropriate. My Mom's family probably did not look at expressions of affection that way.
It is remarkable that I am talking about this, something still unresolved, at 52 years of age. People should get on with their lives and be over any such familial "issues" long before their 52nd birthday!
I wonder if I am simply succumbing to selective memory? Maybe my Dad said 'I love you' regularly and I simply forgot. If so, that memory is completely erased.
If I can break out of what I think was a prison my Dad lived in, let me say to my brothers and sisters and wife and in-laws and friends who might read this: I love you!
Interesting Photos
I had to post links to some interesting photos I found on the Chicago Tribune website this evening. The first one is an AP photo by Ariel Schalit is of a Purim parade outside Tel Aviv, Israel. The second is a photo of a striking railroad worker in South Africa, an AP photo by Denis Farrell. The third is a St. Patrick's Day celebrant in Tinley Park (suburban Chicago), a Tribune photo by José M. Osorio. The final one is a kid resting with his pig at the Houston Livestock Show, a Houston Chronicle photo by Melissa Phillip)
If you want to see all the ones I viewed, you can click here.
If you want to see all the ones I viewed, you can click here.
Investments
I have spent quite a bit of time looking at stocks as investments, but haven't acted on my research, at least not much. I'm reticent to put much more of my money into stocks (not that I have that much), but I sometimes enjoy trying to identify stocks that have a good chance of increasing in value and/or generating solid yields. Most of my retirement money and savings is invested in mutual funds. Just so I will have a record of some stocks I've identified as being worth investing in (or speculating on), here are a few of those I've identified:
Some others I've been tempted to buy have been ADRs (American Depository Receipts), which are "negotiable certificates issued by a U.S. bank representing a specified number of shares (or one share) in a foreign stock that is traded on a U.S. exchange". Among the ones that I've resisted the temptation to invest in are:
- Citigroup (symbol is C) -- Yesterday's close=$47.41, yield=3.82% (you know this financial organization, right?)
- VCA Antech (WOOF) -- $27.82, yield=0% (I bought and sold this for much less money awhile back) (operates veterinary medical centers and diagnostic labs)
- Mac-Gray (TUC) -- $11.84, yield=0% (Another I bought and sold for much less money awhile back) (Operates institutional laundries for schools, etc. and sells some equipment)
- EMC (EMC) -- $14.10, yield=0% (provides hardware & software for network storage)
- Costco (COST) -- $55.88, yield=0.82%
Some others I've been tempted to buy have been ADRs (American Depository Receipts), which are "negotiable certificates issued by a U.S. bank representing a specified number of shares (or one share) in a foreign stock that is traded on a U.S. exchange". Among the ones that I've resisted the temptation to invest in are:
- Telecom Corp. of New Zealand (NZT) (Obviously, from New Zealand) (major land-line telecom provider, with some cell service)
- Controladora Comercial Mexicana (MCM) (Mexican retailer...owns a big piece of Costco in Mexico and various others)
Not Much, You?
I had planned on driving to Falba, where one of my brothers lives, for the weekend, but the vagaries of near-Spring weather in Texas foiled the trip. The forecast calls for much colder temperatures and high probabilities of rain. Also, my car still has a troubling "clunk" somewhere near the right front wheel, so I should have that assessed before getting on the highway for a 3 hour drive.
Instead of kicking back in the country, I'm at home. My wife went to the office this morning to try to get caught up. This is a heavy time for her because of a client conference that will occur in early April...lots of registrations to be processed for payment, entered into the accounting system, etc. I keep talking about investing in a system that will allow us to automate much of that, but I don't have time to really look into it closely to see what is involved and how much it will cost. I suspect that, if I were to look into it, I would find that it's likely to more than pay for itself in time given back to us...and we might be able to avoid hiring additional staff if we get more business. These are things that, once, I would have enjoyed looking into...but no so much anymore.
I'm not much in the mood for blogging at the moment...doing it more out of habit than having something to say. So, maybe more later.
Instead of kicking back in the country, I'm at home. My wife went to the office this morning to try to get caught up. This is a heavy time for her because of a client conference that will occur in early April...lots of registrations to be processed for payment, entered into the accounting system, etc. I keep talking about investing in a system that will allow us to automate much of that, but I don't have time to really look into it closely to see what is involved and how much it will cost. I suspect that, if I were to look into it, I would find that it's likely to more than pay for itself in time given back to us...and we might be able to avoid hiring additional staff if we get more business. These are things that, once, I would have enjoyed looking into...but no so much anymore.
I'm not much in the mood for blogging at the moment...doing it more out of habit than having something to say. So, maybe more later.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, if you're so inclined. When I lived in Chicago, they dyed the Chicago River green on St. Patrick's Day...the probably still do. I'm sure the dye was not good for the fish (if, indeed, there are any fish in the river), but it augmented the atmosphere of madness, mayhem, and lots of green beer.Incidentally, the post below is from last night...Blogger would not let me post it; I kept getting error messages.
Today, three representatives of an association I've been courting came to visit...even though it's very small, the fees I would get would, I hope, put us back in the black. We ended last year significantly in the red. So, drink a green beer and put a shamrock in your pocket for me! I should know something next week.
Mexico & Chile
Mexico City...Huge
I've never been to Mexico City, but I've often wondered what it was like. On NPR this morning, I heard a segment about the horrific water problems facing the city...and I learned that the city has 22 million inhabitants! My god, that is huge. I am amazed.
Homes for Sale in Chile
This evening, for lack of anything else to do (actually, my wife and I started watching Proof, but I lost interest...she's still watching), I started looking for homes for sale in Chile. You have to look at these places! The photos are astonishing. I found a place I want to buy (for only $205K)! (Well, maybe I should investigate first...like about a year!) Here is a link to the information about the place...a 4-bedroom, 2-bath 2,600+ sq. ft. place on 1.25 acres with lake, mountain & volcano views! If you look at the website, you'll see, but here is some more info on the place's amenties:
Or, how about a 2/1 place on the Pacific Ocean? For only $90K!
I've never been to Mexico City, but I've often wondered what it was like. On NPR this morning, I heard a segment about the horrific water problems facing the city...and I learned that the city has 22 million inhabitants! My god, that is huge. I am amazed.
Homes for Sale in Chile
This evening, for lack of anything else to do (actually, my wife and I started watching Proof, but I lost interest...she's still watching), I started looking for homes for sale in Chile. You have to look at these places! The photos are astonishing. I found a place I want to buy (for only $205K)! (Well, maybe I should investigate first...like about a year!) Here is a link to the information about the place...a 4-bedroom, 2-bath 2,600+ sq. ft. place on 1.25 acres with lake, mountain & volcano views! If you look at the website, you'll see, but here is some more info on the place's amenties:
- Furnished
- Appliances
- Laundry Room
- Pool
- Gym/Spa
- Terrace
- Patio
- Cable TV
- Lake View
- Mountain View
- Volcano View
- Double Gararge
- Security System
- High-Speed Internet
- Telephone
- Satellite Tv
- Central Heating
- Air Conditioning
- Steamroom
Or, how about a 2/1 place on the Pacific Ocean? For only $90K!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Resurrection of Longing for the Country Life
After I got home this afternoon, I checked the mailbox and found a magazine I had never heard of...it was addressed to me, but I know I did not subscribe to it. Maybe they're simply trying to get me hooked so I will subscribe later. It's called Living the Country Life, with a subtitle of Ideas and Inspirations for Your Home in the Country.
It's a slim publication, only 48 page plus covers. But it's really interesting, at least this issue (early Spring 2006, Vol. 5, No. 1). Glancing through it and skimming a few articles, my interest in having a place in the country (or, at least, a very private place with lots of room) was reinvigorated. Information about garden tractors and tools, along with articles like 'Getting Into Goats' and 'Artful Gardens' piqued my interest again. I already own almost an acre, and have the deed to an adjacent acre (basically, owned 50-50 with one of my brothers), so I started thinking, again, that I could put in a number of trees near the front of the property, build a place that's situated for privacy, and add a garage, a shop, and a place to put my mini-tractor, tools, ATV, and other country-related stuff.
My problem, of course, is that I want to do it all...except, of course, what I'm doing. I want a place in Mexico, I want a place in the country, I want to travel extensively...all things that require money, of which I have very little. It's either the lottery, or a very productive life of crime. And I'm alergic to jails and prison, so the lottery looks like the best option.
But, maybe I wouldn't want to milk the goats to make the cheese. Maybe Manhattan, instead. Oh, I'd like a penthouse there, for my periodic forays into Bright Lights, Big City.
It's a slim publication, only 48 page plus covers. But it's really interesting, at least this issue (early Spring 2006, Vol. 5, No. 1). Glancing through it and skimming a few articles, my interest in having a place in the country (or, at least, a very private place with lots of room) was reinvigorated. Information about garden tractors and tools, along with articles like 'Getting Into Goats' and 'Artful Gardens' piqued my interest again. I already own almost an acre, and have the deed to an adjacent acre (basically, owned 50-50 with one of my brothers), so I started thinking, again, that I could put in a number of trees near the front of the property, build a place that's situated for privacy, and add a garage, a shop, and a place to put my mini-tractor, tools, ATV, and other country-related stuff.
My problem, of course, is that I want to do it all...except, of course, what I'm doing. I want a place in Mexico, I want a place in the country, I want to travel extensively...all things that require money, of which I have very little. It's either the lottery, or a very productive life of crime. And I'm alergic to jails and prison, so the lottery looks like the best option.
But, maybe I wouldn't want to milk the goats to make the cheese. Maybe Manhattan, instead. Oh, I'd like a penthouse there, for my periodic forays into Bright Lights, Big City.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Nut Case...Me...Nut Case...I Should Author a Book of Idiocy
She smelled the way a cat looks when it's found in the closet, eating a mermaid.
As a rule, I try to avoid killing children unless their parents disappeared during the rapture.
Marie's sharp, valiant nose was fully engaged in fear...no one else knew.
I began my life as a 79 year-old man...I died at age 8, singing the blues in a karaoke bar, the son of Mexican immigrants from Ethiopia.
Have you ever eaten sharp cheddar porridge while posing for someone else's high school year-book photos? Me, too...let's have children together!
Jenny just loves the smell of freshly mown kittens.
Brian Elroy was only 11 when his sister, 12 years his junior, was eaten by a bobcat.
His deep, baritone voice was beet red, but only when Auntie Emma walked in the room naked, dragging her demented Chihuahua with a metal chain.
Irene was not as stupid as she would become, but easily as stupid as she would be in her later years.
Monica was a deeply religious atheist who practiced her lesbianism only on Wednesdays during Lent.
Psychographics can cause lung cancer in laboratory animals...so, if you are a laboratory animal, do not ingest psychographics.
I loved her...but she kept trying to kill me, so I baked her as in Baked Alaska and fed her to the new Parson...he loves sushi that had prehensile tails.
Debbie used to be a shameless beggar, living in the streets, but then we had wild sex and she decided to be an ophthalmologist with socialist leanings.
We've decided to reintroduce obsidian as a kitchen counter option, but only in or near St. Petersburg. For details, call a Muslim.
As a rule, I try to avoid killing children unless their parents disappeared during the rapture.
Marie's sharp, valiant nose was fully engaged in fear...no one else knew.
I began my life as a 79 year-old man...I died at age 8, singing the blues in a karaoke bar, the son of Mexican immigrants from Ethiopia.
Have you ever eaten sharp cheddar porridge while posing for someone else's high school year-book photos? Me, too...let's have children together!
Jenny just loves the smell of freshly mown kittens.
Brian Elroy was only 11 when his sister, 12 years his junior, was eaten by a bobcat.
His deep, baritone voice was beet red, but only when Auntie Emma walked in the room naked, dragging her demented Chihuahua with a metal chain.
Irene was not as stupid as she would become, but easily as stupid as she would be in her later years.
Monica was a deeply religious atheist who practiced her lesbianism only on Wednesdays during Lent.
Psychographics can cause lung cancer in laboratory animals...so, if you are a laboratory animal, do not ingest psychographics.
I loved her...but she kept trying to kill me, so I baked her as in Baked Alaska and fed her to the new Parson...he loves sushi that had prehensile tails.
Debbie used to be a shameless beggar, living in the streets, but then we had wild sex and she decided to be an ophthalmologist with socialist leanings.
We've decided to reintroduce obsidian as a kitchen counter option, but only in or near St. Petersburg. For details, call a Muslim.
Pizza Night
One of my administrative staff is on maternity leave. If people want to have children, they should have the courtesy to wait until they retire so they do not put their employers in a predicament. There you have it...now you know...I am filled with maternogyny (a neologism...meaning filled with hatred for maternity leave).
Oh well, given that I can do nothing about it, I went about trying to find a temporary employee (not from an agency...they typically send people whose crystal meth habits have eliminated most of their brain cells). I passed the word to lots of people I know and, surprise, I got several resumes.
As usual, though, my employee selection skills (coupled with feeling rushed and unable to devote the requisite amount of time to the search and assessment process) seem to have resulted in a bit of a problem. I hired (thankfully, I have it in writing that it's a short term assignment) a woman who seems very nice but who also seems to have a very serious learning disability. That is, she cannot learn. My very bright, happy, friendly, always-smiling, never-a-harsh-thought Australian administrative person was frank with me when I asked how she thought the new person is doing. She said, in essence, "She is very, very slow to learn. I can see she is really trying, but she just isn't learning. I can't get my work done because I have to show her how to do everything...over and over and over. And she is very nervous, she doesn't want to answer the telephone and can't figure out how to respond to emails." I thanked her for her candor and said I would have a word with our new person, which I did. I explained to the new person that she needs to jump in with both feet and perform, that I did not expect her to instantly absorb everything, but that I did expect her to answer the telephones, respond to caller inquiries, and get caught up on email. This is for one client, mind you. I tell everyone who walks in the door that they have to juggle a thousand details...and learn to do it fast.
Anyway, after my talk with her, things apparently improved. Rebecca (the Aussie) reported at day's end that she had seen a marked improvement. But Rebecca wants everyone to be fine. I hope she is right.
Let's see, other news...someone had the unmitigated gall to outbid my wife and me on the condo in Mexico! Imagine! Well, we will keep looking. Maybe next time our offer will be more reasonable...I just didn't realize how high the market must have gone.
Oh, my sister in law wrote a wonderful story about artisans in a village in Mexico. I won't give away what the article covered, as it could give away her identity (and mine), but suffice it to say that she's a good writer and gets to the heart of a story.
My wife is on the way home...tonight we have pizza. I will stop writing so I can prepare it.
Oh well, given that I can do nothing about it, I went about trying to find a temporary employee (not from an agency...they typically send people whose crystal meth habits have eliminated most of their brain cells). I passed the word to lots of people I know and, surprise, I got several resumes.
As usual, though, my employee selection skills (coupled with feeling rushed and unable to devote the requisite amount of time to the search and assessment process) seem to have resulted in a bit of a problem. I hired (thankfully, I have it in writing that it's a short term assignment) a woman who seems very nice but who also seems to have a very serious learning disability. That is, she cannot learn. My very bright, happy, friendly, always-smiling, never-a-harsh-thought Australian administrative person was frank with me when I asked how she thought the new person is doing. She said, in essence, "She is very, very slow to learn. I can see she is really trying, but she just isn't learning. I can't get my work done because I have to show her how to do everything...over and over and over. And she is very nervous, she doesn't want to answer the telephone and can't figure out how to respond to emails." I thanked her for her candor and said I would have a word with our new person, which I did. I explained to the new person that she needs to jump in with both feet and perform, that I did not expect her to instantly absorb everything, but that I did expect her to answer the telephones, respond to caller inquiries, and get caught up on email. This is for one client, mind you. I tell everyone who walks in the door that they have to juggle a thousand details...and learn to do it fast.
Anyway, after my talk with her, things apparently improved. Rebecca (the Aussie) reported at day's end that she had seen a marked improvement. But Rebecca wants everyone to be fine. I hope she is right.
Let's see, other news...someone had the unmitigated gall to outbid my wife and me on the condo in Mexico! Imagine! Well, we will keep looking. Maybe next time our offer will be more reasonable...I just didn't realize how high the market must have gone.
Oh, my sister in law wrote a wonderful story about artisans in a village in Mexico. I won't give away what the article covered, as it could give away her identity (and mine), but suffice it to say that she's a good writer and gets to the heart of a story.
My wife is on the way home...tonight we have pizza. I will stop writing so I can prepare it.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Clinical Dependency on the Internet
I lost access to the internet and email today at my office...fortunately, it was relatively late in the day so it did not wreak havoc, but if it continues tomorrow, it will be a major issue...will have to come work from home. I blamed AT&T until the DSL was thoroughly tested...so it may be the DSL modem, the router, or the network server. I sometimes loathe those machines...they're so vindictive!
Condo Mexico Update
I was anxious to get home to check email to learn whether I had received any more word from the Mexican real estate agent I asked to submit on a condo on my behalf. I heard from him earlier...another bid has been submitted and the seller has until Wednesday to respond. So, my guess is my wife and I will have to keep looking.
Barra de Navidad
Last night, after watching 24, I surfed the internet, looking for information about some of the places my Falba-based brother told me about. I found a number of interesting-looking places in Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, a small seaside town on the Pacific coast. My brother fell in love with the place. I found some webpages with photos that help explain why. Here is a link to a panoramic photo (use the navigation bar to view the full panorama) and here is another panorama. It's much warmer than Ajijic, where I am aiming to get to, but it does look inviting. I used to really enjoy salt water fishing (I was almost a fanatic about it when I was in high school); I bet I could enjoy it again in Barra de Navidad. An interesting place I came across is Coco Cabañas, which advertises itself as a solar-powered seaside inn...with a Thai Asian fusion restaurant.
National Embarrassmints
A woman who works with me went to breakfast today with some hotel reps from a new hotel property. The reps apparently heard about her political leanings, so they presented her with a little tin of mints with a doctored photo of George Bush (and some uncomplimentary comments about him). The "brand name" of the mints: National Embarrassmints.
My Recommendations on the Best Use of Sharp Scissors
Speaking of Bush...if I must...I have been reading conservative blogs that say hateful things about all liberals and progressives. They piss me off. I shouldn't read them. But I feel an obligation to tolerate their ranting and raving and blind stupidity so I can learn what the "other side" is saying. But when I read how they suggest that liberals should be physically harmed, as some of them do, it makes me want to....suggest that all peace-loving liberals take a brief hiatus from their gentleness, grab a pair of sharp scissors, and lacerate the jugular veins of at least ten particularly offensive conservatives who call for harming liberals. Just joking! Scissors could be put to better use (though I'm having a tough time remembering what, at the moment...).
I lost access to the internet and email today at my office...fortunately, it was relatively late in the day so it did not wreak havoc, but if it continues tomorrow, it will be a major issue...will have to come work from home. I blamed AT&T until the DSL was thoroughly tested...so it may be the DSL modem, the router, or the network server. I sometimes loathe those machines...they're so vindictive!
Condo Mexico Update
I was anxious to get home to check email to learn whether I had received any more word from the Mexican real estate agent I asked to submit on a condo on my behalf. I heard from him earlier...another bid has been submitted and the seller has until Wednesday to respond. So, my guess is my wife and I will have to keep looking.
Barra de Navidad
Last night, after watching 24, I surfed the internet, looking for information about some of the places my Falba-based brother told me about. I found a number of interesting-looking places in Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, a small seaside town on the Pacific coast. My brother fell in love with the place. I found some webpages with photos that help explain why. Here is a link to a panoramic photo (use the navigation bar to view the full panorama) and here is another panorama. It's much warmer than Ajijic, where I am aiming to get to, but it does look inviting. I used to really enjoy salt water fishing (I was almost a fanatic about it when I was in high school); I bet I could enjoy it again in Barra de Navidad. An interesting place I came across is Coco Cabañas, which advertises itself as a solar-powered seaside inn...with a Thai Asian fusion restaurant.
National Embarrassmints
A woman who works with me went to breakfast today with some hotel reps from a new hotel property. The reps apparently heard about her political leanings, so they presented her with a little tin of mints with a doctored photo of George Bush (and some uncomplimentary comments about him). The "brand name" of the mints: National Embarrassmints.
My Recommendations on the Best Use of Sharp Scissors
Speaking of Bush...if I must...I have been reading conservative blogs that say hateful things about all liberals and progressives. They piss me off. I shouldn't read them. But I feel an obligation to tolerate their ranting and raving and blind stupidity so I can learn what the "other side" is saying. But when I read how they suggest that liberals should be physically harmed, as some of them do, it makes me want to....suggest that all peace-loving liberals take a brief hiatus from their gentleness, grab a pair of sharp scissors, and lacerate the jugular veins of at least ten particularly offensive conservatives who call for harming liberals. Just joking! Scissors could be put to better use (though I'm having a tough time remembering what, at the moment...).
Monday, March 13, 2006
Today's Random Comments
Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as President of Chile on Saturday. The Santiago Times describes her as "a former prisoner of the Pinochet regime, a former exile, a lifelong Socialist Party activist, an unmarried mother of three, and an agnostic." According to the publication, the world first started taking notice of Michelle Bachelet after her victory in the runoff voting that took place in Chile on January 15, but I took note of her some time before that. The first time I mentioned her in my blog was, I think, December 5 last year, but I am sure I knew about her well before that. In any event, it's done. She is President of Chile.
Condo Mexico
I'm waiting to hear whether our bid on a condo in Mexico has been accepted. I don't have much hope that it will be, because the realtor says he thinks someone else is making an offer very near the asking price. I guess we'll see tomorrow. I now wish I had offered more...but I'm really a bit skittish about it at the price I offered, since we don't have that kind of money laying about. If we get it, great, but we'll need to do some shuffling to make sure we don't find ourselves broke.
Mexican Websites
Speaking of Mexico, I have visited lots and lots of websites operated by Americans who live in Mexico. For some unknown reason, I have noticed that lots of them are badly designed, ugly, and relatively useless. I wonder if I could make a living in Mexico, redesigning those websites? I've developed a fairly decent repertory of skills in website creation, though I'm not by any means a pro...but compared to the designers of some of the sites I have seen, I'm more of a pro than some designers are.
The Darker Side of Mexico
An item on NPR this morning talks about rapes of American women in San Miguel de Allende. The NPR website, which has a link to the audio, says this: "Over the past few months, three American women have been raped in a Mexican town known for being an expatriate haven. Locals are upset because the foreigners are trying to force the government to take action when, they say, this happens to Mexicans all the time and no one does anything." When I listened to the segment, though, I did not hear the Mexican women sounding like they were upset...they expressed respect and appreciation that the rape victims were speaking out.
Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as President of Chile on Saturday. The Santiago Times describes her as "a former prisoner of the Pinochet regime, a former exile, a lifelong Socialist Party activist, an unmarried mother of three, and an agnostic." According to the publication, the world first started taking notice of Michelle Bachelet after her victory in the runoff voting that took place in Chile on January 15, but I took note of her some time before that. The first time I mentioned her in my blog was, I think, December 5 last year, but I am sure I knew about her well before that. In any event, it's done. She is President of Chile.
Condo Mexico
I'm waiting to hear whether our bid on a condo in Mexico has been accepted. I don't have much hope that it will be, because the realtor says he thinks someone else is making an offer very near the asking price. I guess we'll see tomorrow. I now wish I had offered more...but I'm really a bit skittish about it at the price I offered, since we don't have that kind of money laying about. If we get it, great, but we'll need to do some shuffling to make sure we don't find ourselves broke.
Mexican Websites
Speaking of Mexico, I have visited lots and lots of websites operated by Americans who live in Mexico. For some unknown reason, I have noticed that lots of them are badly designed, ugly, and relatively useless. I wonder if I could make a living in Mexico, redesigning those websites? I've developed a fairly decent repertory of skills in website creation, though I'm not by any means a pro...but compared to the designers of some of the sites I have seen, I'm more of a pro than some designers are.
The Darker Side of Mexico
An item on NPR this morning talks about rapes of American women in San Miguel de Allende. The NPR website, which has a link to the audio, says this: "Over the past few months, three American women have been raped in a Mexican town known for being an expatriate haven. Locals are upset because the foreigners are trying to force the government to take action when, they say, this happens to Mexicans all the time and no one does anything." When I listened to the segment, though, I did not hear the Mexican women sounding like they were upset...they expressed respect and appreciation that the rape victims were speaking out.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Little Things
Things change fast. Yesterday, I thought my Mexican realtor was blowing me off...not so. I was simply unable to get the email he sent to me via web. When I got the messages today, I decided to instruct him to move forward with a bid on a condo in Mexico...I'm crossing my fingers that I get it. That, despite the fact that my wife and I may not be able to get health insurance in Mexico when we retire...we really won't know until we apply for it. Our pre-existing conditions could make us ineligible...or maybe not.
Yesterday's yearning for migas was fulfilled today, as my wife and I went to Bigote's, our favorite place for Mexican breakfasts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Then, we went to the office and worked...I was there about 4 hours, maybe longer. Pain in the ass on a Sunday! Then, we went out to do errands. Ultimately, we got home early enough that I was able to get a big errand finished.
Months ago, I bought a 32 inch television (used) that I wanted to put in the master bedroom, where my wife "nests" and watches DVDs, etc. First, I had to buy a table the right size and strength to handle a big TV that weighs 165 pounds. We got the table last weekend. Today, I had to replace the electric plug, get a longer phone cord (for the satellite configuration signal), and then get the DVD and satellite receiver and TV all hooked up. Moving the monster TV was the hardest part. I finally got it done and it was worth it. My wife is in the bedroom now, enjoying her new big screen. Earlier, she came out to tell me how wonderful it was to see Iron Chef on such a large screen. It's the little things.
Yesterday's yearning for migas was fulfilled today, as my wife and I went to Bigote's, our favorite place for Mexican breakfasts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Then, we went to the office and worked...I was there about 4 hours, maybe longer. Pain in the ass on a Sunday! Then, we went out to do errands. Ultimately, we got home early enough that I was able to get a big errand finished.
Months ago, I bought a 32 inch television (used) that I wanted to put in the master bedroom, where my wife "nests" and watches DVDs, etc. First, I had to buy a table the right size and strength to handle a big TV that weighs 165 pounds. We got the table last weekend. Today, I had to replace the electric plug, get a longer phone cord (for the satellite configuration signal), and then get the DVD and satellite receiver and TV all hooked up. Moving the monster TV was the hardest part. I finally got it done and it was worth it. My wife is in the bedroom now, enjoying her new big screen. Earlier, she came out to tell me how wonderful it was to see Iron Chef on such a large screen. It's the little things.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Past the Point of No Return
Sometimes, things can fall into place in ways that are good, but don't satisfy. Today's experience, for me, is an example. I wanted to make an offer on a condo in Mexico yesterday, but questions and issues got in the way. The Mexican real estate agent seemed miffed with me for failing to put in an offer at the asking price...which was probably the right price to offer. I was reluctant, though. He said he would contact me today to see about preparing my offer...no contact. Drag.
But, as I was perusing information about living in Mexico, I came across something that indicated that people with pre-existing medical conditions (e.g., heart problems) cannot qualify for the Mexican health insurance system.
That puts a huge crimp in my plans to move to Mexico with my wife.
Shit!
Now, I'm trying to verify or debunk the information. Absent that, I'm seriously going to take another look at Chile. I do not want to live in the U.S. for any longer than I must. This country is past the point of no return. A shame, but it's a fact.
But, as I was perusing information about living in Mexico, I came across something that indicated that people with pre-existing medical conditions (e.g., heart problems) cannot qualify for the Mexican health insurance system.
That puts a huge crimp in my plans to move to Mexico with my wife.
Shit!
Now, I'm trying to verify or debunk the information. Absent that, I'm seriously going to take another look at Chile. I do not want to live in the U.S. for any longer than I must. This country is past the point of no return. A shame, but it's a fact.
No Migas...'Nuff Said
No Migas
I've been awake for hours on this grey and dreary day. When I awoke, it was still very dark outside. The sun has long since brought daylight to the sky, but the cloud cover is thick. I had hoped to entice my wife to go with me to breakfast at my favorite place for migas (a long drive), but she's still asleep. She told me yesterday she would have to go to the office today because the volume of payments coming in for a client's meeting is so high...not enough time during the regular work-week to process them all. So, a dull day. No migas and a choice of going to the office or staying home or going out and doing my own thing on this grey day...that's not the way a weekend day is supposed to play out!
Grilled Stuffed Jalapeños
At least I can think about food...that's a good idea. My wife told me yesterday, as we were driving home, about an interesting recipe I may try soon. Remove the seeds from large fresh jalapeños (from the stem end...leave the jalapeños intact). Mix cream cheese with very large amounts of freshly-pressed garlic (4-5 cloves of garlic to a small package of cream cheese). Using a gadget one would use to do cake decorating (I can't recall the name), inject the cream chees mixture into the jalapeños, then wrap them with a slice of bacon and affix the bacon to the peppers with toothpicks. Then grill the bacon-wrapped jalapeños until the bacon is crisp. When they have cooled enough to eat, do so. I think I'd doctor the cream cheese a bit with comino, chile powder, etc.
Phobia
I seem to have developed a phobia almost overnight a few years ago; maybe I have written about it here, maybe not. It is, I assume, somehow related to a fear of heights, but it is not quite that simple. I feel what I can only describe as almost a sense of panic and paralysis when I am driving acar over a high bridge or highway overpass. I feel that I must clamp my hands hard on the steering wheel and I must focus very, very carefully on what I am doing. I have a sense that any distraction, however momentary, will result in my driving off the bridge. It's particularly acute when the bridge or overpass I am on curves. The first time I felt this sense of absolute panic was when my wife and I were driving over the Red River from Texas into Oklahoma, about three years ago. It caught me completely off guard. My hands got clammy and beads of sweat broke on out my forehead...very wierd. It's still with me and I live with it, I just don't like it. Since then, I have on occasion driven miles out of my way to avoid what I think might be an especially uncomfortable bridge.
Not a Neologism...or Maybe...
I just used the word "forehead." I remember when I was in school...I'm not sure when, it could have been as early as junior high school or as late as college...I was involved in an exercise in which I was to select the word from a list that was not really a valid word. I don't recall what the other words were, but the one I chose was "forehead." It didn't make any sense to me when I read it. I remember feeling awfully embarrassed when I realized what I had done. Now that I'm thinking about it, it was probably in college, because it seems linked closely in my mind with my creative writing professor, Michael Mewshaw, discussing "insinuendo" as an example of a neologism. I wonder what ever became of Michael Mewshaw. He had authored at least one novel, I don't recall the title, that was set in Washington, DC. I'll have to look him up. Now I'm thinking of related words...on occasion I listen to Whad'Ya Know on NPR (though I generally do not like Michael Feldman, the host) and always find it amusing to hear the name of his book, Something I Said: Innuendo and Out the Other.
I've been awake for hours on this grey and dreary day. When I awoke, it was still very dark outside. The sun has long since brought daylight to the sky, but the cloud cover is thick. I had hoped to entice my wife to go with me to breakfast at my favorite place for migas (a long drive), but she's still asleep. She told me yesterday she would have to go to the office today because the volume of payments coming in for a client's meeting is so high...not enough time during the regular work-week to process them all. So, a dull day. No migas and a choice of going to the office or staying home or going out and doing my own thing on this grey day...that's not the way a weekend day is supposed to play out!
Grilled Stuffed Jalapeños
At least I can think about food...that's a good idea. My wife told me yesterday, as we were driving home, about an interesting recipe I may try soon. Remove the seeds from large fresh jalapeños (from the stem end...leave the jalapeños intact). Mix cream cheese with very large amounts of freshly-pressed garlic (4-5 cloves of garlic to a small package of cream cheese). Using a gadget one would use to do cake decorating (I can't recall the name), inject the cream chees mixture into the jalapeños, then wrap them with a slice of bacon and affix the bacon to the peppers with toothpicks. Then grill the bacon-wrapped jalapeños until the bacon is crisp. When they have cooled enough to eat, do so. I think I'd doctor the cream cheese a bit with comino, chile powder, etc.
Phobia
I seem to have developed a phobia almost overnight a few years ago; maybe I have written about it here, maybe not. It is, I assume, somehow related to a fear of heights, but it is not quite that simple. I feel what I can only describe as almost a sense of panic and paralysis when I am driving acar over a high bridge or highway overpass. I feel that I must clamp my hands hard on the steering wheel and I must focus very, very carefully on what I am doing. I have a sense that any distraction, however momentary, will result in my driving off the bridge. It's particularly acute when the bridge or overpass I am on curves. The first time I felt this sense of absolute panic was when my wife and I were driving over the Red River from Texas into Oklahoma, about three years ago. It caught me completely off guard. My hands got clammy and beads of sweat broke on out my forehead...very wierd. It's still with me and I live with it, I just don't like it. Since then, I have on occasion driven miles out of my way to avoid what I think might be an especially uncomfortable bridge.
Not a Neologism...or Maybe...
I just used the word "forehead." I remember when I was in school...I'm not sure when, it could have been as early as junior high school or as late as college...I was involved in an exercise in which I was to select the word from a list that was not really a valid word. I don't recall what the other words were, but the one I chose was "forehead." It didn't make any sense to me when I read it. I remember feeling awfully embarrassed when I realized what I had done. Now that I'm thinking about it, it was probably in college, because it seems linked closely in my mind with my creative writing professor, Michael Mewshaw, discussing "insinuendo" as an example of a neologism. I wonder what ever became of Michael Mewshaw. He had authored at least one novel, I don't recall the title, that was set in Washington, DC. I'll have to look him up. Now I'm thinking of related words...on occasion I listen to Whad'Ya Know on NPR (though I generally do not like Michael Feldman, the host) and always find it amusing to hear the name of his book, Something I Said: Innuendo and Out the Other.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Dubrovnik...a Traveler's Dilemma
After an extraordinary amount of time, energy, frustration, and anger, I finally have an itinerary to and from Dubrovnik. It's expensive and annoying. If only I could start an airline!
First, I had to get round trip tickets from Boston. For some reason, going to Dubrovnik from Boston is much cheaper than going from Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis...I tried them all. So, I got tickets (finally) leaving from Boston on a Sunday night. I fly to Amsterdam and then scramble to catch a flight about an hour later to Frankfurt. I wait for several hours in Frankfurt for a flight that will get me to Dubrovnik late in the day. Returning, I leave Dubrovnik very, very early in the morning on flight to Frankfurt. I wait a few hours, then leave for Boston, arriving there at 8:30 pm.
The Dallas-Boston flights are annoying, too. I will fly up on a Saturday morning (my beautiful wife finally agreed to go with me as far as Boston...but not to Dubrovnik...and stay until Monday morning). Then, I leave late in the day on Sunday for Amsterdam (as I mentioned). My return gets me back to Boston so late in the day I cannot get a flight back to Dallas. So, I stay overnight and return to Dallas the next day.
The cost for this series of flights is just about $2,000. Maybe a bit more. Plus, I pay $260 for Boston hotel, probably $1500 for hotel in Dubrovnik, etc. This is EXPENSIVE! Fortunately, it's not my money. Well, my wife's travel is our expense, but everthing else is not. SOOOO thankful for that!
It would be nice to be able to get to Dubrovnik, which I understand is a wonderful destination, without the hassles!
First, I had to get round trip tickets from Boston. For some reason, going to Dubrovnik from Boston is much cheaper than going from Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis...I tried them all. So, I got tickets (finally) leaving from Boston on a Sunday night. I fly to Amsterdam and then scramble to catch a flight about an hour later to Frankfurt. I wait for several hours in Frankfurt for a flight that will get me to Dubrovnik late in the day. Returning, I leave Dubrovnik very, very early in the morning on flight to Frankfurt. I wait a few hours, then leave for Boston, arriving there at 8:30 pm.
The Dallas-Boston flights are annoying, too. I will fly up on a Saturday morning (my beautiful wife finally agreed to go with me as far as Boston...but not to Dubrovnik...and stay until Monday morning). Then, I leave late in the day on Sunday for Amsterdam (as I mentioned). My return gets me back to Boston so late in the day I cannot get a flight back to Dallas. So, I stay overnight and return to Dallas the next day.
The cost for this series of flights is just about $2,000. Maybe a bit more. Plus, I pay $260 for Boston hotel, probably $1500 for hotel in Dubrovnik, etc. This is EXPENSIVE! Fortunately, it's not my money. Well, my wife's travel is our expense, but everthing else is not. SOOOO thankful for that!
It would be nice to be able to get to Dubrovnik, which I understand is a wonderful destination, without the hassles!
More Odds, Some Ends, Friday Night
Mexico Real Estate
Today, I spoke to a real estate agent from Mexico about a condo my wife and I have been considering. The agent was in a huge rush to get us to submit a contract for the place, but I am leery of the pressure, even if he's right about saying another bid was being submitted and we needed to act quickly. I was leery, too, about submitting a bid at the asking price...and without any mention in the contract of the place being furnished. Maybe it's just the way things are done in Mexico, but it made me uncomfortable. I did learn, after asking the agent for the information (information that would be provided without special request in the US), that the homeowner/condo owner dues are $850 per year, which to me seems to be a good deal...but then, again, I know nothing about what they cover. And I still know nothing about what insurance I would need, where I would buy it, etc., etc. Maybe I need to do more homework before launching into a pretty pricey purchase. But, then, I want to buy before prices outprice me.
Eating (with) a Prospective Client
I heard back from a potential client today...the president of the organization (I provide association management services through my company) wants to meet me for an early lunch next Friday (with two of her fellow board members), then go to my office for an interview. She asked me to identify places to eat that are near my office. I offered a variety of places, from upscale Italian to utterly unpretentious Mexican to steakhouses to continental cuisine. I actually offered two Italian places...one upscale, the other not so much. She responded that I should pick the place, but Italian and Mexican are good for her. I'm inclined to pick the down-home Italian place, because its prices are very good and I like its schmaltzy look...chianti bottles hanging from the ceilings amid plastic grape vines. I would not take a group of doctors there, but then I probably wouldn't take a group of doctors anywhere...we live in different dimensions.
Gale Norton Resigned
Interior Secretary Gale Norton resigned today, five years after she took office and proceeded to wreck the accomplishments of her predecessors who made great strides in protecting the environment. Norton is a proponent of drilling in ANWR...she claimed recently that drilling in ANWR would supply every drop of oil needed by Florida for 29 years. Oh...then we should do it. Idiot! I'm expecting Bush to select a replacement who is a big proponent of seal hunting and polar bear cub killing.
Friday Night
It's Friday night, for god's sake! I shouldn't be blogging, I should be doing something completely different. And so I shall!
Today, I spoke to a real estate agent from Mexico about a condo my wife and I have been considering. The agent was in a huge rush to get us to submit a contract for the place, but I am leery of the pressure, even if he's right about saying another bid was being submitted and we needed to act quickly. I was leery, too, about submitting a bid at the asking price...and without any mention in the contract of the place being furnished. Maybe it's just the way things are done in Mexico, but it made me uncomfortable. I did learn, after asking the agent for the information (information that would be provided without special request in the US), that the homeowner/condo owner dues are $850 per year, which to me seems to be a good deal...but then, again, I know nothing about what they cover. And I still know nothing about what insurance I would need, where I would buy it, etc., etc. Maybe I need to do more homework before launching into a pretty pricey purchase. But, then, I want to buy before prices outprice me.
Eating (with) a Prospective Client
I heard back from a potential client today...the president of the organization (I provide association management services through my company) wants to meet me for an early lunch next Friday (with two of her fellow board members), then go to my office for an interview. She asked me to identify places to eat that are near my office. I offered a variety of places, from upscale Italian to utterly unpretentious Mexican to steakhouses to continental cuisine. I actually offered two Italian places...one upscale, the other not so much. She responded that I should pick the place, but Italian and Mexican are good for her. I'm inclined to pick the down-home Italian place, because its prices are very good and I like its schmaltzy look...chianti bottles hanging from the ceilings amid plastic grape vines. I would not take a group of doctors there, but then I probably wouldn't take a group of doctors anywhere...we live in different dimensions.
Gale Norton Resigned
Interior Secretary Gale Norton resigned today, five years after she took office and proceeded to wreck the accomplishments of her predecessors who made great strides in protecting the environment. Norton is a proponent of drilling in ANWR...she claimed recently that drilling in ANWR would supply every drop of oil needed by Florida for 29 years. Oh...then we should do it. Idiot! I'm expecting Bush to select a replacement who is a big proponent of seal hunting and polar bear cub killing.
Friday Night
It's Friday night, for god's sake! I shouldn't be blogging, I should be doing something completely different. And so I shall!
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Odds'nends
Dubai Ports
Too bad. It appears the showdown between Congress and the President won't happen. Dubai Ports World has decided to turn over most operations of the port terminals it bought to an American company. I would have enjoyed seeing how the showdown would have played out. But, really, I never understood all the fuss. From the time I heard a couple of pros explain how the industry works and talk about the issue very early on, I felt that the shrieks about it were Democrats grasping at anything to slam the President. But then Republicans joined in. That was good for the Democrats, because if the Republicans had not been just as myopic, they could have turned the uproar into a weapon against the Democrats. The Democrats dodged the bullet on that one. I'm among the first to proclaim that "if Bush believes it, it's wrong," but in this case, I think Bush had the right position....though I firmly believe he had the wrong reasons for holding it...the man is incapable of rationale thought.
Sark: The End of a Feudal Empire
I heard a snippet on NPR this afternoon about Sark, a tiny island off the coast of England, which has ended its feudal governance in favor of democracy, but not because it wanted to. Read about it.
Kinky Friedman for Governor of Texas
I made it a point not to vote in the primaries this week so I could sign the petition to get Kinky Friedman on the ballot in Texas next November. I don't for a minute look to him as the saving grace for the state, but he is an outside, his political views are based on reason and not so much (or at all) on what's politically correct, and it will just give the Republicans and Democrats fits. All reasons to support him. I may even support him financially. Pass the word: Kinky Friedman for Governor of Texas!
Buying a Home in Mexico...Maybe
I'm hoping to get some more information soon about a Mexican condo that my wife and I are considering buying. We've not seen it, but lots of photos suggest it is a nice place and, if the economy and the market continue on their present path, probably will escalate in value over time. No guarantees, of course, we understand. My brother and his wife live near the place and we may ask them to act on our behalf to make an offer.
I Want to Buy Your Land!
Twice during the past six months to a year, I have received unsolicited mail telling me that someone wants to buy my undeveloped land in Walker County, Texas for cash. I take that to mean someone wants to fleece me out of land at bargain basement prices. So, I have ignored the messages. Maybe I shouldn't, though. Another brother, who lives next to my land, is talking about moving to Mexico, too. But now, I'm thinking I should build a little place on my land and use it as a source of rental income. I think I could build a small, but very decent, place for probably $45-$55K. I could use it as a retirement backup in the event the Mexico plan didn't work out. Maybe. I need to think more about this.
Dubrovnik
Well, I finally bought my tickets to Dubrovnik...at least some of them. I have yet to buy my round-trip tickets to Boston, where my overseas journey will start. But I do have the flights locked in, beginning on May 7 at about 7:00 pm. I fly to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Dubrovnik. I return on May 15, departing Dubrovnik early in the morning. I'm not looking at my tickets (I don't have them in hand yet), but I think I fly from Dubrovnik to Frankfurt, then to Boston, arriving about 8:30 pm. I'm probably going to get a hotel room at the airport and fly back to Dallas the next morning. But, all of it depends on my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. They live in Boston (in Revere Beach, just north). I may fly in early and stay a day with them. I can't make my RT Boston tickets from Dallas until I know. Soon.
Bye-Bye Abu Ghraib
It's appalling that the U.S. has taken so long to finally decide to close Abu Ghraib. It's worse that Guantanamo is still operating at capacity. Would you join me in calling for the impeachment of George Bush and his entire administration?
Chile con Arroz
Michele Bachalet will meet with Evo Morales (Bolivia's new president) on Friday and Condeleesa Rice (the U.S. Secretary of State and Bush lackey) on Saturday. According to The Santiago Times, the Rice visit on Saturday is recognition that the Friday meeting with Morales is more important. Condi Rice is no doubt intelligent...too bad she is a Republican and too bad she values her involvement with the Bush administration more than she values truth, honor, and dignity. I would not vote for her as president even is she were running against a pro-slavery candidate. She is as 'evil' as her boss.
Oh My Cod!
Dinner's in the oven. We're having baked cod tonight. It's really very tasty. Oh my Cod! Food's almost ready! I have to go!
Too bad. It appears the showdown between Congress and the President won't happen. Dubai Ports World has decided to turn over most operations of the port terminals it bought to an American company. I would have enjoyed seeing how the showdown would have played out. But, really, I never understood all the fuss. From the time I heard a couple of pros explain how the industry works and talk about the issue very early on, I felt that the shrieks about it were Democrats grasping at anything to slam the President. But then Republicans joined in. That was good for the Democrats, because if the Republicans had not been just as myopic, they could have turned the uproar into a weapon against the Democrats. The Democrats dodged the bullet on that one. I'm among the first to proclaim that "if Bush believes it, it's wrong," but in this case, I think Bush had the right position....though I firmly believe he had the wrong reasons for holding it...the man is incapable of rationale thought.
Sark: The End of a Feudal Empire
I heard a snippet on NPR this afternoon about Sark, a tiny island off the coast of England, which has ended its feudal governance in favor of democracy, but not because it wanted to. Read about it.
Kinky Friedman for Governor of Texas
I made it a point not to vote in the primaries this week so I could sign the petition to get Kinky Friedman on the ballot in Texas next November. I don't for a minute look to him as the saving grace for the state, but he is an outside, his political views are based on reason and not so much (or at all) on what's politically correct, and it will just give the Republicans and Democrats fits. All reasons to support him. I may even support him financially. Pass the word: Kinky Friedman for Governor of Texas!
Buying a Home in Mexico...Maybe
I'm hoping to get some more information soon about a Mexican condo that my wife and I are considering buying. We've not seen it, but lots of photos suggest it is a nice place and, if the economy and the market continue on their present path, probably will escalate in value over time. No guarantees, of course, we understand. My brother and his wife live near the place and we may ask them to act on our behalf to make an offer.
I Want to Buy Your Land!
Twice during the past six months to a year, I have received unsolicited mail telling me that someone wants to buy my undeveloped land in Walker County, Texas for cash. I take that to mean someone wants to fleece me out of land at bargain basement prices. So, I have ignored the messages. Maybe I shouldn't, though. Another brother, who lives next to my land, is talking about moving to Mexico, too. But now, I'm thinking I should build a little place on my land and use it as a source of rental income. I think I could build a small, but very decent, place for probably $45-$55K. I could use it as a retirement backup in the event the Mexico plan didn't work out. Maybe. I need to think more about this.
Dubrovnik
Well, I finally bought my tickets to Dubrovnik...at least some of them. I have yet to buy my round-trip tickets to Boston, where my overseas journey will start. But I do have the flights locked in, beginning on May 7 at about 7:00 pm. I fly to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Dubrovnik. I return on May 15, departing Dubrovnik early in the morning. I'm not looking at my tickets (I don't have them in hand yet), but I think I fly from Dubrovnik to Frankfurt, then to Boston, arriving about 8:30 pm. I'm probably going to get a hotel room at the airport and fly back to Dallas the next morning. But, all of it depends on my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. They live in Boston (in Revere Beach, just north). I may fly in early and stay a day with them. I can't make my RT Boston tickets from Dallas until I know. Soon.
Bye-Bye Abu Ghraib
It's appalling that the U.S. has taken so long to finally decide to close Abu Ghraib. It's worse that Guantanamo is still operating at capacity. Would you join me in calling for the impeachment of George Bush and his entire administration?
Chile con Arroz
Michele Bachalet will meet with Evo Morales (Bolivia's new president) on Friday and Condeleesa Rice (the U.S. Secretary of State and Bush lackey) on Saturday. According to The Santiago Times, the Rice visit on Saturday is recognition that the Friday meeting with Morales is more important. Condi Rice is no doubt intelligent...too bad she is a Republican and too bad she values her involvement with the Bush administration more than she values truth, honor, and dignity. I would not vote for her as president even is she were running against a pro-slavery candidate. She is as 'evil' as her boss.
Oh My Cod!
Dinner's in the oven. We're having baked cod tonight. It's really very tasty. Oh my Cod! Food's almost ready! I have to go!
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Back to Mexico
Now that I'm back from Washington, DC, I am going to turn my attention back to Mexico. Buying a place (once I learn all the things to do and not to...and things to watch, etc.) and then figuring out how to get there.
My wife said to me a couple of days ago, after reading my brother's cautionary tales offered by a real estate agent: let's look at this as an investment...if one of us were to get sick, we'd sell it. She knows the risk, but loves the idea. I love it, too.
My brother wanted to give us the cautionary warnings, which I appreciate, but now we're ready to get serious about buying. We just want to make sure the buying process doesn't bite us.
Too tired to write more now...maybe when I can speak Spanish better.
My wife said to me a couple of days ago, after reading my brother's cautionary tales offered by a real estate agent: let's look at this as an investment...if one of us were to get sick, we'd sell it. She knows the risk, but loves the idea. I love it, too.
My brother wanted to give us the cautionary warnings, which I appreciate, but now we're ready to get serious about buying. We just want to make sure the buying process doesn't bite us.
Too tired to write more now...maybe when I can speak Spanish better.
Tomatoes and Eggnog and Thunder
This morning, I was on a flight from Washington, DC to Dallas. I was scheduled on a flight that left DC at about 11:30 am, but realized I had scheduled a conference call for 1:00 pm Central time...and my flight was not scheduled to arrive in Dallas until after 1:30 pm. So, I tried to get on an earlier flight. I was successful in getting a middle row seat just 10 minutes before take-off. Because the overheads were completely packed, I had to cram my carry-on under the seat in front of my. I was carrying an overcoat and wearing a sports jacket...no place for either of them, so I wore my sports jacket as I sat holding my overcoat. Rather miserable, but I got back in time to participate in a conference call with three client association board members and an applicant for membership who the board members suspected of being a shady character. I had been put in the position of being bad-guy to the applicant and had to ask him the tough questions and explain to him that we were very suspicious of him and why. All very uncomfortable.
Back to the flight. As I was sitting uncomfortably in the middle seat, a scene started developing in my mind. A character in a story I might write appeared in there (in my brain) somewhere. He was explaining to someone the appearance of the sky just before a massive storm erupted. He said, "The sky. It was tomatoes and eggnog and thunder." I know that sounds absurd, but I began trying to paint the picture in my mind and I think I was able to get a good visualization of what the sky looked like and why he described it that way. Better yet, I was able to construct (in my mind, at least) a plausible explanation of why that description was apt. It wasn't an explanation, so much, as it was creating a series of scenes in my head that made the description seem appropriate.
Certain phrases seem to stick with me. My own creations (e.g., "Thinking across time in foreign languages," and "Tomatoes and eggnog and thunder") sometime resonate with me for no apparent reason, but I'm more apt to take a liking to phrases that are, in my experience, unusual and powerful and provocative (e.g., "the game is not worth the candle"). I wish I hadn't deferred my interest in language for so long. I remember being extremely interested in literature in high school and college. I enjoyed college courses about Shakespeare and creative writing and English composition. I liked my literature classes. But I succumbed to the notion that knowledge in those areas would never get me a job and would only nourish my mind and soul...but not my body. So, I guess I bought the idea that the body is more important than the mind. That's so completely wrong, I think now.
Ah, well. Tomorrow it's back to the miseries of dealing with idiots. I'm about to resign one of our tiny accounts...the chief volunteer leader is asking for way too much and is being nasty to my staff. Life's too short. The bitch will learn tomorrow that I've reached geezerhood and I won't put up with it.
Enough for now.
Back to the flight. As I was sitting uncomfortably in the middle seat, a scene started developing in my mind. A character in a story I might write appeared in there (in my brain) somewhere. He was explaining to someone the appearance of the sky just before a massive storm erupted. He said, "The sky. It was tomatoes and eggnog and thunder." I know that sounds absurd, but I began trying to paint the picture in my mind and I think I was able to get a good visualization of what the sky looked like and why he described it that way. Better yet, I was able to construct (in my mind, at least) a plausible explanation of why that description was apt. It wasn't an explanation, so much, as it was creating a series of scenes in my head that made the description seem appropriate.
Certain phrases seem to stick with me. My own creations (e.g., "Thinking across time in foreign languages," and "Tomatoes and eggnog and thunder") sometime resonate with me for no apparent reason, but I'm more apt to take a liking to phrases that are, in my experience, unusual and powerful and provocative (e.g., "the game is not worth the candle"). I wish I hadn't deferred my interest in language for so long. I remember being extremely interested in literature in high school and college. I enjoyed college courses about Shakespeare and creative writing and English composition. I liked my literature classes. But I succumbed to the notion that knowledge in those areas would never get me a job and would only nourish my mind and soul...but not my body. So, I guess I bought the idea that the body is more important than the mind. That's so completely wrong, I think now.
Ah, well. Tomorrow it's back to the miseries of dealing with idiots. I'm about to resign one of our tiny accounts...the chief volunteer leader is asking for way too much and is being nasty to my staff. Life's too short. The bitch will learn tomorrow that I've reached geezerhood and I won't put up with it.
Enough for now.
Sunday, March 5, 2006
Unexpected Feelings...Off a Bridge
There are days that feel sad and somber and heavy. Why is that? Why is it that some days feel like the earth's pain is wrapped up in a blanket that's draped across one's chest? I don't know. But it happens. In my case, there is nothing in particular that precipitates these feelings of sadness. I don't believe it is depression, at least not in the clinical sense. But it is an overwhelming, powerful, suffocating sadness. It pops up without warning. My eyes tear, my memories are drawn to things from my past that are painful to this day. I feel like weeping, but without reason. What the hell is that? It's relatively rare, I'm glad to say, but when it hits, it's like a sack of heavy rocks tied to my belt. I've gone in and out of it today. I'm out of it now and I hope it will stay that way.
When I feel that somber heaviness, though, I feel connected to my past. I remember things my mother told me, I remember my father's advice to his young son. I remember feeling, in school, that I was sharper than the average student. But then I got knocked down. I've been so up and excited about buying a place in Mexico, this quick-serve depression is unexpected and most certainly unwelcome. I'm feeling like I've walked off a bridge. I don't want to to do it..I'm just down.
When I feel that somber heaviness, though, I feel connected to my past. I remember things my mother told me, I remember my father's advice to his young son. I remember feeling, in school, that I was sharper than the average student. But then I got knocked down. I've been so up and excited about buying a place in Mexico, this quick-serve depression is unexpected and most certainly unwelcome. I'm feeling like I've walked off a bridge. I don't want to to do it..I'm just down.
Take Action
Sometimes it's hard to be...period. This afternoon I was feeling a bit melancholy for no reason. Not big deal, but this sense was in my mind. Then tonight, my wife and I were watching the Oscars (she was...I was in and out), when I heard a comment that took me by surprise. Basically, the comment suggested that you can either take action or be guided by the world. I'll take action.
IKEA
My wife and I like last night's dinner...so we're doing it again. If you missed it, click here for details. I don't want to explain it all over again.
We went to IKEA today, looking for a television table that is the right size to accommodate our bargain-purchased Sony 32" Trinitron TV. It's a monster. Weight 165 pounds. It's been sitting in my study, waiting for me to find the right table for it to put in our master bedroom. So, we found it at IKEA today. Oh, we found plenty of other "ideal" tables, but the prices were outlandish. IKEA wanted only $99 (versus $1500+ other places), so we decided to go for it.
I put the table together this afternoon, after the requisite grunts, vulgar curses, yelps, howls, screams, etc., etc. I found that the electrical outlet we use for the bedroom TV is screwed up, so I have to replace it. The big TV is not yet on the table. I want to replace the screwed up outlet and then get everything in perfect order before moving the monster TV. It will be a day for screams and yodels.
Speaking of IKEA, if we were to decide to build a place in Falba, as we originally planned, it would be very small. A square or rectangle, probably. Then, we would furnish it and equip it from IKEA. Cheap, much cheaper than built-ins, etc.
Maybe we will build a tiny little place in Falba, after all. We want to go to Mexico, but we need help.
We went to IKEA today, looking for a television table that is the right size to accommodate our bargain-purchased Sony 32" Trinitron TV. It's a monster. Weight 165 pounds. It's been sitting in my study, waiting for me to find the right table for it to put in our master bedroom. So, we found it at IKEA today. Oh, we found plenty of other "ideal" tables, but the prices were outlandish. IKEA wanted only $99 (versus $1500+ other places), so we decided to go for it.
I put the table together this afternoon, after the requisite grunts, vulgar curses, yelps, howls, screams, etc., etc. I found that the electrical outlet we use for the bedroom TV is screwed up, so I have to replace it. The big TV is not yet on the table. I want to replace the screwed up outlet and then get everything in perfect order before moving the monster TV. It will be a day for screams and yodels.
Speaking of IKEA, if we were to decide to build a place in Falba, as we originally planned, it would be very small. A square or rectangle, probably. Then, we would furnish it and equip it from IKEA. Cheap, much cheaper than built-ins, etc.
Maybe we will build a tiny little place in Falba, after all. We want to go to Mexico, but we need help.
Memories of Spring
The signs are everywhere now. Spring, all two weeks of it, will soon blossom in north Texas. We may have a few cold snaps to get through, but Spring is here.
The Arizona ash in my front yard has already begun the process of budding, having has dropped thousands of spent buds on the grass and sidewalks in front of my house. I'm not quite sure what the things I call "spent buds" really are, but they make a bit of a mess. Birds seems to crave them, crowding almost every branch of the tree and fighting for the opportunity to taste what they must consider glorious morsels. When I open the front door and walk outside, the birds act as if a shotgun blast had shaken their tranquil worlds, taking flight en masse, only to return almost immediately. It's as if an invisible hand had shaken the branches hard, bouncing the birds several feet off the branches...and they just fall back in unison to land on the same branches.
Spring is a time that my wife and I used to take long, leisurely drives on the back roads of north and central Texas, viewing beautiful fields of wildflowers along the roadsides and down rarely-traveled county roads. We would join hundreds of families in their annual quest for natural beauty, and we'd find it. The Indian paintbrushes, bluebonnets, Indian blankets, evening primroses, wine cups, butter cups, and a thousand other beautiful flowers erupt almost overnight, creating brilliantly-colored landscapes that invite the artist in all of us to want to capture the beauty. We'd see parents placing their children in these beautiful fields so they could take photographs. I can imagine that many of those photos were indeed just as beautiful and precious to them as anything else they own. Years ago, when my wife's mother came to visit us in Texas, we took her for a long ride and stopped, along with the other families, to get some photos. We still have a picture of my wife and her mother sitting together smiling in a field of lovely bluebonnets.
Business responsibilities and time pressures have taken a toll on those long, leisurely drives. We rarely do that anymore. Instead, we cram our outtings into stolen moments among what seem to be endless weekend errands, rarely taking the time to just enjoy ourselves and the world swirling about us. The pace of life, not just ours but everyone's around us, has taken a toll, too, by making it hard to drive slowly along those country roads. Cars speed by, horns honk, people are in a hurry to get somewhere or do something. They don't even seem to notice the beauty outside their car windows. It's a pity, because there is so much beauty for them to see. Even here, even in north Texas where the landscape is not one of the area's drawing cards. It's not just the time, though, it's the number of people and the space they need. Now, it's necessary to drive farther away just to find fields of wildflowers; development has destroyed many of the places that were once prime viewing areas for wildflowers nearer to us.
It's time for me to start feeding the lawn so the grass will come in stronger than the weeds. I should be outside right now, pulling weeds from the flower beds and tidying up the yard. I remember a time when I enjoyed doing that. Now, my knees cringe at the thought of it. I remember when I delighted at the smell of freshly-cut grass, how energized I felt when I first smelled grass clippings in the Spring! I still delight at smelling freshly-cut grass, but I prefer someone else to do the cutting. All these memories flood back when I think Spring will be here soon.
But when I remember Spring, I must also remember that Summer comes quickly on its heals, with miserable heat, parching sun, and annoying insects. What a happy thought! Come on, I have to tell myself, enjoy Spring before you let the Summer heat get you down!
The Arizona ash in my front yard has already begun the process of budding, having has dropped thousands of spent buds on the grass and sidewalks in front of my house. I'm not quite sure what the things I call "spent buds" really are, but they make a bit of a mess. Birds seems to crave them, crowding almost every branch of the tree and fighting for the opportunity to taste what they must consider glorious morsels. When I open the front door and walk outside, the birds act as if a shotgun blast had shaken their tranquil worlds, taking flight en masse, only to return almost immediately. It's as if an invisible hand had shaken the branches hard, bouncing the birds several feet off the branches...and they just fall back in unison to land on the same branches.
Spring is a time that my wife and I used to take long, leisurely drives on the back roads of north and central Texas, viewing beautiful fields of wildflowers along the roadsides and down rarely-traveled county roads. We would join hundreds of families in their annual quest for natural beauty, and we'd find it. The Indian paintbrushes, bluebonnets, Indian blankets, evening primroses, wine cups, butter cups, and a thousand other beautiful flowers erupt almost overnight, creating brilliantly-colored landscapes that invite the artist in all of us to want to capture the beauty. We'd see parents placing their children in these beautiful fields so they could take photographs. I can imagine that many of those photos were indeed just as beautiful and precious to them as anything else they own. Years ago, when my wife's mother came to visit us in Texas, we took her for a long ride and stopped, along with the other families, to get some photos. We still have a picture of my wife and her mother sitting together smiling in a field of lovely bluebonnets.
Business responsibilities and time pressures have taken a toll on those long, leisurely drives. We rarely do that anymore. Instead, we cram our outtings into stolen moments among what seem to be endless weekend errands, rarely taking the time to just enjoy ourselves and the world swirling about us. The pace of life, not just ours but everyone's around us, has taken a toll, too, by making it hard to drive slowly along those country roads. Cars speed by, horns honk, people are in a hurry to get somewhere or do something. They don't even seem to notice the beauty outside their car windows. It's a pity, because there is so much beauty for them to see. Even here, even in north Texas where the landscape is not one of the area's drawing cards. It's not just the time, though, it's the number of people and the space they need. Now, it's necessary to drive farther away just to find fields of wildflowers; development has destroyed many of the places that were once prime viewing areas for wildflowers nearer to us.
It's time for me to start feeding the lawn so the grass will come in stronger than the weeds. I should be outside right now, pulling weeds from the flower beds and tidying up the yard. I remember a time when I enjoyed doing that. Now, my knees cringe at the thought of it. I remember when I delighted at the smell of freshly-cut grass, how energized I felt when I first smelled grass clippings in the Spring! I still delight at smelling freshly-cut grass, but I prefer someone else to do the cutting. All these memories flood back when I think Spring will be here soon.
But when I remember Spring, I must also remember that Summer comes quickly on its heals, with miserable heat, parching sun, and annoying insects. What a happy thought! Come on, I have to tell myself, enjoy Spring before you let the Summer heat get you down!
Saturday, March 4, 2006
A Little Cheese, a Little Sausage, Some Crackers, Some Wine...Wonderful
I have to be in the right mood for the kind of meal my wife and I had tonight. I must be in that mood. It's was very, very simple meal, with no time spent in preparation. This afternoon, we wandered through a gourmet market that happens to be inside an upscale liquor store where we had stopped to get some rum...I thought I was in the mood for a Cuba libre and we did not have any rum in the house. I hadn't had any rum since our trip to Mexico last December.
As we were wandering through the market, my wife noticed that there were several cheeses available for tasting, so she tried a few...so did I. They were tiny nibbles, but tasty enough to leave me wanting more. She had the same idea. We talked briefly about what we would have for dinner and decided wine and cheese would be just the ticket for our evening meal. We'd had a sizable lunch at one of our 'old standby' Mexican restaurants, where I had guiso de nopalitos (a really nice pork stew heavily flavored with a thick chile de arbol sauce and laced with lots of nopalitos [strips of prickly pear cactus] and potatoes) and my wife had enchiladas verdes. It was a lot of food for lunch. So, a smaller meal for dinner made good sense.
We bought a wedge of Double Glouchester (rich, crumbly, delicious), a wedge of Golden Cheshire, and a wedge of Pyranees with green peppercorns [for me...my wife did not like it at all]. We also bought Hot Fennel Salame (a very, very spicy French-style sausage [I didn't know the French made spicy-hot foods!] made in San Francisco by a company called Columbus Salame Company) and some sweet pepper & basil crackers. To complement the meal, we bought a bottle of André Brunel Grenache Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2004, a very inexpensive (less that $10) French Red Rhone Wine. We'd had the wine before, as the store had hawked it recently as a good, inexpensive wine and we thought it was worth trying. It was, so my wife decided she wanted to get it again.
My favorites were the Hot Fennel Salame, the Pyranees, and the Golden Cheshire. But I really liked everything else, as well. Even though all that may sound like a lot of food, it wasn't...it was a very small meal, in fact, but it hit the spot.
What a wonderful dinner! I'm documenting it in this blog for my sake...I want to remember what to get next time I'm in the mood for a small wine, cheese, sausage, and cracker dinner.
As we were wandering through the market, my wife noticed that there were several cheeses available for tasting, so she tried a few...so did I. They were tiny nibbles, but tasty enough to leave me wanting more. She had the same idea. We talked briefly about what we would have for dinner and decided wine and cheese would be just the ticket for our evening meal. We'd had a sizable lunch at one of our 'old standby' Mexican restaurants, where I had guiso de nopalitos (a really nice pork stew heavily flavored with a thick chile de arbol sauce and laced with lots of nopalitos [strips of prickly pear cactus] and potatoes) and my wife had enchiladas verdes. It was a lot of food for lunch. So, a smaller meal for dinner made good sense.
We bought a wedge of Double Glouchester (rich, crumbly, delicious), a wedge of Golden Cheshire, and a wedge of Pyranees with green peppercorns [for me...my wife did not like it at all]. We also bought Hot Fennel Salame (a very, very spicy French-style sausage [I didn't know the French made spicy-hot foods!] made in San Francisco by a company called Columbus Salame Company) and some sweet pepper & basil crackers. To complement the meal, we bought a bottle of André Brunel Grenache Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2004, a very inexpensive (less that $10) French Red Rhone Wine. We'd had the wine before, as the store had hawked it recently as a good, inexpensive wine and we thought it was worth trying. It was, so my wife decided she wanted to get it again.
My favorites were the Hot Fennel Salame, the Pyranees, and the Golden Cheshire. But I really liked everything else, as well. Even though all that may sound like a lot of food, it wasn't...it was a very small meal, in fact, but it hit the spot.
What a wonderful dinner! I'm documenting it in this blog for my sake...I want to remember what to get next time I'm in the mood for a small wine, cheese, sausage, and cracker dinner.
Celebrating Health & Mexico
My cardiologist's office called yesterday and left a message on my answering machine. The message was that the results of my stress test were normal and that I should plan to have another on in one year. Hot damn! That's good news, so I'll celebrate.
I'll celebrate some other things, too. For one, I'll celebrate that my wife and I have begun the search for a house in Mexico, with the help of my brother and his wife who live there. I'm almost 53 and she's almost 60, so neither of us are awfully close to the U.S. government-approved retirement age, but I think we're both very, very ready to retire...if only we can figure out a way to support ourselves. If we can buy a place in Mexico and rent it our for a few years, we may well be able to retire early. In Mexico, our limited resources would go further and it may be possible to use our savings and the proceeds of the sale of our house, etc., to support ourselves until our Social Security and 401Ks, etc., kick in. We have to figure out how to buy the house in Mexico, of course, but we think we might be able to swing getting an inexpensive place. So, we're ready to celebrate, but not loudly...we don't want to count our chickens before they cross the road...or whatever.
I'd like to explore what I have HEARD is possible, that is, using money from a 401K to invest in real estate...I'd love to be able to take money from the 401K and purchase a house/condo in Mexico. Not sure who would be able to tell me straight out whether that is possible. I get conflicting information, depending on which accountant I talk to.
Much work to be done around here today, so I have to stop the bloggery.
I'll celebrate some other things, too. For one, I'll celebrate that my wife and I have begun the search for a house in Mexico, with the help of my brother and his wife who live there. I'm almost 53 and she's almost 60, so neither of us are awfully close to the U.S. government-approved retirement age, but I think we're both very, very ready to retire...if only we can figure out a way to support ourselves. If we can buy a place in Mexico and rent it our for a few years, we may well be able to retire early. In Mexico, our limited resources would go further and it may be possible to use our savings and the proceeds of the sale of our house, etc., to support ourselves until our Social Security and 401Ks, etc., kick in. We have to figure out how to buy the house in Mexico, of course, but we think we might be able to swing getting an inexpensive place. So, we're ready to celebrate, but not loudly...we don't want to count our chickens before they cross the road...or whatever.
I'd like to explore what I have HEARD is possible, that is, using money from a 401K to invest in real estate...I'd love to be able to take money from the 401K and purchase a house/condo in Mexico. Not sure who would be able to tell me straight out whether that is possible. I get conflicting information, depending on which accountant I talk to.
Much work to be done around here today, so I have to stop the bloggery.
Friday, March 3, 2006
Climatic Horror
Today, I learned that the latest scientific data about icecaps of Antarctica is not good. Scientists had forecast that, as the icecaps of the Arctic melted, the warmer temperatures on earth would result in more snow over Antarctica, which would create a more dense ice pack. Not so, apparently. Both the northern and southern poles are seeing more rapid melting of the ice than previously thought to be the case. Scientists are warning that the world could see 200 foot increases in sea level (not in my lifetime...but sooner that would have once been thought possible). I heard one scientist predict that, unless we somehow reverse the process, children today will see 80 foot increases in sea level by the time they reach middle age.
OK, Bush and pals, I will concede that there is no definitive proof that global warming is the cause of this catastrophic development. I'll concede, too, that severe restrictions on emissions of green house gases could have a negative impact on businesses, if business simply fails to respond to restrictions by redirecting resources and energies into other revenue streams. But I will not concede that damage to profitability trumps damage to the future of the planet and all the creatures on it.
This country, this EARTH, so desperately needs leaders who will be open, straightforward, and brutally honest. We need leaders who will insist on massive changes in political policies that will not only promote policies to minimize emission of greenhouse gases, but will punish countries, companies, and individuals that don't change their behavior. We need a U.S. president who will say, "Americans, we are at a critical crossroads. We must either take immediate, bold, and dramatic steps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases or we must take responsibility for the irreversible destruction of the planet. Today, not tomorrow, but TODAY, we must act to change or we will be signing the death warrants on our children and our grandchildren...and if we do not act, we will be assuring our children that we have sacrificed them for our own convenience." Or words to that effect.
OK, what if the scientists are wrong and the U.S. president is right? What if greenhouse gases aren't responsible? What if it's a natural cycle? Well, the economy might (or might not) be harmed temporarily. And the U.S. president will be proven right. (Chances: 1 in 999 trillion.)
Then it won't matter that we cut back on greenhouse gases...the world won't notice.
But if the scientists are right, the world will be a very different, awfully uncomfortable place (if it is even habitable). Enormous numbers...millions and millions...of people will suffer and die. All because our president and our people are unwilling to rein in their greed.
OK, Bush and pals, I will concede that there is no definitive proof that global warming is the cause of this catastrophic development. I'll concede, too, that severe restrictions on emissions of green house gases could have a negative impact on businesses, if business simply fails to respond to restrictions by redirecting resources and energies into other revenue streams. But I will not concede that damage to profitability trumps damage to the future of the planet and all the creatures on it.
This country, this EARTH, so desperately needs leaders who will be open, straightforward, and brutally honest. We need leaders who will insist on massive changes in political policies that will not only promote policies to minimize emission of greenhouse gases, but will punish countries, companies, and individuals that don't change their behavior. We need a U.S. president who will say, "Americans, we are at a critical crossroads. We must either take immediate, bold, and dramatic steps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases or we must take responsibility for the irreversible destruction of the planet. Today, not tomorrow, but TODAY, we must act to change or we will be signing the death warrants on our children and our grandchildren...and if we do not act, we will be assuring our children that we have sacrificed them for our own convenience." Or words to that effect.
OK, what if the scientists are wrong and the U.S. president is right? What if greenhouse gases aren't responsible? What if it's a natural cycle? Well, the economy might (or might not) be harmed temporarily. And the U.S. president will be proven right. (Chances: 1 in 999 trillion.)
Then it won't matter that we cut back on greenhouse gases...the world won't notice.
But if the scientists are right, the world will be a very different, awfully uncomfortable place (if it is even habitable). Enormous numbers...millions and millions...of people will suffer and die. All because our president and our people are unwilling to rein in their greed.