Twas the Sunday after Thanksgiving

And the house again smelled of roast turkey.

I wasn't cooking up another bird.  I was, however, making turkey stock from the bone remains of our feast of a few days ago.  Pressure cooker makes it easy.

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I normally am not one who posts YouTube videos on his blog.  I think that smacks of laziness.  However this evening I tried making my case to Geoana that the theme from "Hawaii 5-0" is one of the best TV tunes of all time.  Took her to the iMac and brought up the YouTube of said opening.

And then I found this:



Which then led us to view this:



And finally, this:



I was laughing so hard by this time I was snorting.  Child wanted to know if I was OK.   Just fine, no asphyxiation here, just appreciation of 80's TV with some Star Trek mixed in. 

Post-turkey

Speaking of the fowl normally consumed on Thanksgiving, I noticed Syfy started their James Bond marathon yesterday with a true turkey--Octopussy.

Should I say the Texas Longhorns also acted like gobblers out on the gridiron last night?  Nah, I'll take the high road.

Geogal returned to her dorm today (fewer distractions so she can get her research paper done).  She left orders with the child that I am to be closely monitored so as to decrease the inflammation around the part of my back where the doctor did his work.

I'll never take normal functioning for granted again.

But anyhow, today will be more of watching college students break each other's bodies (football) and reading.  And watching DVDs and/or Netflix streaming.

Pray that I get better soon.

I'm Still Around

Reason for my absence?  Medical.

I've already blogged here about my back issues but unfortunately the problem didn't respond to either the physical therapy or the spinal epidurals.  So on Nov. 12 I underwent surgery.  I've been home bound ever since given I don't see the doc again until next Wednesday.  And yes, I am a bit restless.

So anyhow, my pre-surgery pain and post-op restrictions mean sitting at the computer keyboard is out of the question.  Today I decided to invoke parental privilege and use Geoana's iPad.  I'm in the Laz-E-Boy recliner tap-tapping out this piece on the virtual keyboard.

Rather than compose a piece that is very lengthy I decided instead to just put out short entries that will update you, dear reader, on the latest goings-on around here.

But for today's entry, how can I not refer to tonight's college game?  Texas versus......TCU?

Yeah, kind of the sentiments of my family.  Regardless what the sports writers and announcers on ESPN postulate, Texas versus Texas Tech is NOT a new rivalry game.

Shoot, I don't even know who Texas A&M is playing this weekend.

Other parts of the country are suffering the same issues due to conference changes.  Colorado versus Utah (instead of Nebraska); the aforementioned Huskers playing Iowa instead of CU; no West Virginia against Pitt.  Lots of folks will just have to "deal with it.".

But members of my clan will be at Austin for tonight's game.

Have fun.

First Frost

Got the first frost of the season a couple of nights ago. 

But one night before that, Geoana and I went to the homecoming game.  The usual: I want to see football that's fun to watch and moves quickly with no TV time-outs and she wants to hang with her friends. 

But this past Friday night followed the arrival of a cold front and I sat in the stands for three hours in temperatures that were not unusual for the inside of a refrigerator.  Even Geoana came to me just before the end of the game and complained she was cold as a popsicle. 

Did I mention it also was my birthday?  Hurridly opened my gift before we headed out to the game.  An Apple TV.  In just a few minutes I had it connected and running a beautiful picture to my bedroom television. 

And while I am becoming Frostilicus at the stadium Geogal texts me:  "Watching Netflix on Apple TV very very cool." 

My body is in permanent shiver and wifey is at home enjoying my birthday present.  Just seems like there's something wrong with all of that. 

By the way the home team won.  In overtime. 

Next time I need to bundle up even better and not try to be macho man. 

I Stand Corrected

The other day I wrote about the latest electronic gadgets.  In my usual snarky way I inferred Barnes and Noble responded with a "whimper" when being faced with Amazon's new Kindle offerings. 

Then yesterday I learn B&N rolled out new models of Nooks.  Turns out they were not asleep at the switch after all. 

Looking at the specs it seems the latest Nooks are definitely comparable to Amazon's products.  However they still won't dislodge the iPad from the numero uno position.  But if I was in the market I would give the Nook HD or HD+ a shot.  Being ad-free (as the Nook products are) would seal the deal for me. 

That sound you heard

...was NOT the earth stopping its rotation. 

Or hell freezing over. 

Yesterday I decided to sit down and do a math story problem just for fun.   You heard that right. 

(For the non-family member readers of this blog, please know I've been locked in mortal combat with arithmetic since elementary school.   A scholar of algebra, I ain't.) 

But at Geoana's orientation a few weeks ago the teacher had a problem on the board that intrigued me.  This weekend the child brought it home as a handout labeled "R-U-Up 4 The Challenge?" 

"Farmer Jensen has some geese and some goats.  Between them they have 86 legs and 60 eyes.  How many geese and how many goats does Farmer Jensen have?" 

Took me only a few minutes and some pencilwork to figure it out.  Mainly utilizing some Mr. Spock logic.  (Actually, the real Mr. Spock would have quickly figured out an algebraic equation for the solution.) 

However Geoana said she cannot get any outside help for this question and took a stab at figuring it out herself.  I figure we can compare answers tomorrow evening. 

And shoot, it wasn't that hard of a problem.  Nothing at all like this:


The Simpsons _ Aptitude Test Cheater by hulu

Weekend report

All's quiet here.  I am doing nothing of excitement this weekend, which is likely a harbinger of the next many weekends to come.  No major projects in the works but a whole lot of responsibilities stemming from my recent promotion at work and simultaneously heading up the local BB Gun team. 

And for today it amounts to laundry, some light cleaning, and scraping the outdoor window frames before I give them a touch-up coat of white paint.

No hunting in the near future.  I haven't yet read the state's forecast but I wouldn't be surprised if the pheasant population is down this year given the drought and high temps.   Hmmm, maybe Geoana and I can just get out to the gun range and blast away some clays. 

Upgraded the iMac to Mountain Lion.  Like it, but some of the features will not see any use from me.  Such as the share button in the Safari browser that can immediately link what I am currently viewing into a Twitter or Facebook post.  I don't have accounts on either of these services and never will.  That's a subject for a whole different blog entry.  However I am enjoying some of the other tools built into the OS, such as Dictation (did just about a whole blog post a few entries back via the Mac's built-in microphone with only light editing needed from the keyboard).  I also find iMessage useful, I can text with Geogal right from the Mac.  The notifications panel is much improved and overall the entire interface is very smooth.

Next order of business is to upgrade my iPhone and Geoana's iPad to iOS 6.  Geogal already has done so with her iPhone and immediately noticed not only is the native YouTube application gone, but she couldn't install the one offered by Google currently (her system said "you already have this app," or something to that effect).  Probably just a bug the nerds in Cupertino can fix before too long.

Now that fall's here the tech news is heating up.  Not only did iPhone 5 just hit the market but Microsoft is planning an event for late October, likely to roll out Windows 8.  Is this also when the Surface will be released?  Or even give a release date?  With pricing?  With demo units that won't freeze up while onstage?

You already know about Amazon's new line of Kindles.  (With the tech press so eager to declare something, anything, "the iPad killer!")  I'd say Walt Mossberg at All Things D is more accurate when he deemed it topnotch for watching or reading Amazon's content, but not great as an overall tablet.

My guess about reactions to the new Kindles?  Apple:  "You don't even know what we have up our sleeve!"  Google:  "We have deep pockets."   Barnes and Noble:  "whimper"

And if Apple will indeed roll out a product that will fall between the iPod touch and iPad, (the iPad mini, perhaps?  Or iPad nano?)  you can bet it will not be long before said creation hits the market, what with the holiday season approaching and all.

Interesting times. 

R.I.P. Hal David

Going through several of my regular sites yesterday I learned of the passing of Hal David.  Not unexpected, given he was not well enough to accept the Gershwin Prize along with Burt Bacharach in May of this year.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to confess I've been a closet Bacharach/David fan for a lot of years.  I liked their songs before Mike Myers (in the guise of Austin Powers) and "My Best Friend's Wedding" made the songwriting duo retro-hip.  I distinctly remember mom and dad's record collection containing some of Burt and Hal's hits.

Whether it was a Top-40 song such as Naked Eyes "There's Always Something There To Remind Me" or a mega-country hit "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," I had the surprise, years later, of learning David created the lyrics.

And, one of my last days in high school I took my rather large final wood shop project home in the family Suburban.  As I took it out of the back of the truck I had the radio going (naturally) and KRST played a song I had never heard before, a country oldie.  "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" by Gene Pitney.  Years later I learned it was written by you-know-who.

And now in my DVD wish list is "Lost Horizon."  Not the 1937 flick with Jane Wyman but the 1973 musical from Columbia Pictures.  I want to see it if only to watch what amounted to the last nail in the coffin for the Bacharach/David duo.  The fact that the movie was a total bust sure couldn't be blamed on the tunesmiths.  And some of the user reviews on imdb.com indicate that the picture really isn't all that bad. (Maybe it was just a victim of bad timing.)

Farewell, Mr. David.  Rest assured I have an iPod full of your compositions that will keep my mood upbeat all day.
 

The National Pastime can really hurt sometimes

The other day news hit that the Houston Astros fired their manager.  Not a big surprise given their season but also this is another reminder of the long-standing pain associated with being a fan of that franchise.

Well the pain ever end?  Yes I remember World Series not that long ago where the Astros were the participants from the National League but lost four straight games to the Chicago White Sox and I do recall 1980 where the Astros made it to the playoffs only to be dispatched by the Phillies.  

But this very same season the hot team in the National League is the Washington Nationals.  The freakin’ Washington Nationals.  This is a team that was moribund not that many years ago.  Anybody remember the Montréal Expos?  When major league baseball was talking about contraction what was the team at the top of their list?  

Yes, the franchise that (at this writing) has the best W-L record in baseball.  

Why can’t this type of thing ever happen to my beloved Astros?  So sorry to see they’re flirting with a 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks-type season.  

How bad is it for the Astros?  Even the Macalope took a swipe at them in today’s piece.  

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With a little less interest I also noticed that the bicycling authority (or whatever the USADA is) decided to finally revoke Lance Armstrong’s victories.  Vacating wins seems to be the in-thing for sports authorities these days whether it’s bicycling (Armstrong) or college pigskin (Penn State). Sticking with the baseball theme of today’s blog piece let me ask: When is major-league baseball finally going to do the right thing and return the career home run record to Hank Aaron as well as restore the single-season home run record to Roger Maris?

In The Words Of That Great Yankee Sage...

...Yogi Berra, "It's like deja vu all over again."  

August 1979, the original family of Geoguy piles into a Chevy Suburban and transports the elder Geosister to her dorm at The University of Texas. 

August 1986, Geoguy and Geodad travel 240 miles south on Interstate 25 in the aforementioned Suburban containing many of the former's belongings.  Destination:  dorm room at New Mexico State University. 

Today, all three members of the current Geofamily travel to Colby, Kansas to help move Geogal's Items Essential For College Living to her dorm room.  Included in the two-vehicle caravan is a Chevy Suburban (but not the same one as in the prior mentions). 

That's right.  For the next year I will be doing the "single-father" thing while Geogal pursues her dream.  I take comfort in the fact she's less than a 90-minute drive away and experience has taught us we can endure just about anything for a year when there's a larger goal in place.  After discussing many different living arrangements we finally agreed the dorm was the best route.  Don't have to worry about utility payments, can walk to class even if a snowstorm hits the area, and is either the same cost or less expensive then living in one of the several (crappy) apartments in the area. 

Hey, we're not so glum.  We will still see her on the weekends.

The cooler days of August

I'm obviously not in Arizona in writing a title like that. 

Yes, the heat did break somewhat.  No longer are we sweltering under triple-digit temps.  Even if the daytime highs are still in the 90-plus degree range it's sure better than it was just a few weeks ago.  My garden is starting to produce more tomatoes and squash, the chile peppers are growing, and I'm thankful I kept watering everything even when all looked hopeless. 

It's also nice to wake up to temps that are in the 60's or even high 50's.  A crispness to the morning is but a reminder that the summer oven is just about on its way out. 

And I now have NFL preseason games to watch.  Sure, the games don't count and won't have any bearing on the real season but seeing the guys in full pads going against each other is another reminder fall is just around the corner, to use a tired cliche. 

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Will I be upgrading the iMac to Mountain Lion?  Yes.  Just not for another few weeks.  I'm certainly ready to begin using some the newer features of the OS but don't see the hurry in doing the download.  Probably better to wait until Apple rolls out the 10.8.1 version as I've read some posts about mouse-related issues. 

For my venerable MacBook, however, it's a different story.  I have written before in this blog that it is on it's last OS (Snow Leopard) due to having an older processor that cannot run either Lion or Mountain Lion.  Still, not bad for a laptop I've had for six years come next month. 

And now I can wait and salivate over the prospect of getting a MacBook Air sometime in the near future. 

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For Geoana, school starts this Friday.  Where did the summer go? 

Wait, scratch that.  I can tell you exactly where it went.  The end of May and just about all of June was focusing on the Daisy BB Gun tourney in Arkansas (not just practice, practice, practice, but fundraising as well).  And when we returned from the competition the gals unpacked their bags, threw the clothes into the washer, then turned right around and packed again for church camp.  After camp?  Geoana putting in a lot of time at the sewing machine as she entered a few items into consideration for the county fair.  She also baked and created a couple of art projects to boot.  Not until fair was in the books did she spend more of her time at the swimming pool with her friends.  And now here we are. 

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Despite what you may think, I do have other interests that don't include electronic gadgets or the outdoors.  I continue to read, largely for my own entertainment.  I write a while back that I was reading something called Borderline by Nevada Barr (an author who was unfamiliar to me at the beginning of the summer).  It's a worthwhile read even if her prose doesn't quite match up to that of C.J. Box.  Borderline took place entirely in, or just adjacent to, Big Bend National Park.  Turns out that novel was just one in a series where the central character is a park ranger named Anna Pigeon.  Similar to how Box's Joe Pickett continues to find himself in scraps involving political issues in the new Wild West of Wyoming, Pigeon seems to be a magnet for murder.  I decided to get in a little earlier on the Pigeon series so now I'm reading the second book (A Superior Death).  Why the second book and not the first?  The library here doesn't have the first one. 

Just a few days ago I finished reading Box's Cold Wind, published last year.  Right now there's only one Joe Pickett novel of his that I have not yet read, Force of Nature.  I could read it but with Box I like to stretch out time between the reads and savor them when I have the book in my possession.  Besides, once I read Force of Nature I will then have to wait until the next Pickett book comes out. 

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Geogal bought me a new propane grill just recently.  I disassembled the tried-and-true Char-Broil that I owned since 2007.  I simply could not get it to work right after the episode where our own Cold Wind knocked it over last year.  Replacing all of the burners, the gas fitting, and all the other doo-dads would have cost more in parts than me just buying a new one. 

So a new one it is.  It's another Char-Broil (that brand and Weber would be the only two I will buy if I'm considering a gas grill).  It's smaller than the previous one, and since there's only three of us in the household grid size is not really a problem.  I've already used it a few times and really enjoy (again) the convenience of firing up a propane beauty versus lighting charcoal. 

The fact that Geogal bought this at our local department store didn't hurt, either.  They are in the process of being bought out by another chain, so the existing merchandise must go, at 30% off.  I think I spent more in charcoal last year than what Geogal paid for this new grill. 

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And there you have it.  Several vignettes which I might have posted in separate entries had I not been so fatigued at the end of my recent days. 

My own thought (and then someone else's)

On the penalties handed down to Penn State football today, I have no objection to most of them.  One always can hope the punishment can achieve its expected outcome:  to convince institutions that the administration should always be more powerful than a sports program (or an iconic coach).

But erasing the victories from 1998 to the end of last season?  I think one of the ESPN commentators got it right--the NCAA doesn't want Joe Paterno's name appearing in the record books.

However I think Paul Mirengoff at Powerline makes an excellent point.

"I once was lost, but now am found."

No, no great old hymns of the church here.  (Although I do like a whole lot of them, but that's a subject for another day.  Probably should be a Sunday.)

Shortly before we departed for Arkansas Geogal asked if I had seen her USB device in which you can insert your camera's SD card, then just attach the drive to a USB port and transfer pictures to your heart's content.  I hadn't seen it, and we didn't find it before leaving on the trip.

However while Geogal and Geoana were at camp the week following our return I was straightening up the master bedroom and found said drive on our dresser.  Shared the happy news upon their return and  now I hope she has that thing in a safe place.  I then joked that I was on a bit of a roll and that now the only thing left to find is her iPod shuffle.  It's one of the second generation models in that it is quite small (even for Shuffles) and is meant to be clipped to an item of clothing while the listener engages in whatever type of activity.  I can't recall when we last saw it, but it's been unaccounted for for at least a year (maybe even two).

So I made the joke and then forgot about it.

Two days ago Geogal lets out a shriek, then a "woo-hoo!"  Sure enough, she found her Shuffle.  It was at the bottom of one of her bags, still attached to a set of headphones that she hasn't used in quite a while.  It's now back at home on its docking station.

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Took a look at the Big 12 football schedule this morning (just for funzies, you know).

Who knows who will win the conference?  Especially since the two perennial powerhouses (Texas and Oklahoma) haven't been up to snuff recently.  I'm not bothering to follow pundits or sports websites regarding their predictions so I'm just flying blind at this time.  Here's the games to which I am looking forward:

Kansas State versus Miami on Sept. 8

Iowa State at Oklahoma State on Oct. 20.  (Will the Cowboys will be thinking payback?)

UT goes to Lawrence to play KU on Oct. 27.  For some reason the Longhorns often leave the Sunflower State with a "L."

November 17--The Sooners will be in Morgantown to take on West Virginia.

Then on December 1 the Longhorns again travel to The Land of Dorothy to battle K-State.  Will Bill Snyder's team be more focused on their ranking and a possible high-up bowl invite instead of concentrating on football field?  Or will both teams just be playing for respect and a lower-tier bowl berth?

Who knows, it might be a good product?

I'm not out to slam Google or Asus or anyone else who had a hand in this device. 


But this is just too danged funny to keep to myself. 

HT:  Curious Rat

About that weather...

Don't know if any of you noticed, but June was one very hot month here.  Hot and dry.  This is our fourth summer here and while in past years there have been just a handful of days where the mercury inched over 100 degrees it's been a different story in 2012.  Just about felt like we were living back in Chandler. 

Sometimes the heat is tolerable with the occasional t-storm but even those have been a rarity the past few weeks.  While the lack of thunderboomers cuts down on the danger of tornadoes, one wonders if the drought is worth it.  Given the heavy agricultural bent to this area and the resulting early wheat harvest due to the heat and lack of rain it is near impossible to talk to folks and not have the topic revert to the weather.  Our garden has yielded only one crookneck squash and three (count 'em, three) tomatoes.  I've given up on the yard, deciding it wasn't worth the effort and high city water bill to keep the grass looking just passable. 

Funny how during the winter we keep pining away for warmer weather.  But I'll bet nearly everyone around here is eagerly awaiting the days when the daytime temps top out in the 60's and the nighttime reading hovers just above the freezing mark.  (Note to self, read this entry again in late January, early February 2013.) 

In the winter we have wind chill.  In the summer we have heat index.  Either way, it's rough. 

For now we will keep cool by watching our Sunday evening guilty pleasure:  Ice Road Truckers. 

Alone

Since Sunday afternoon the gals have been at church camp.  I, however, have been here holding down the fort.  You might think I'd be either bored out of my skull or pining away for my loved ones. 

Nope. 

They'll be back tomorrow and I will be glad to see them.  But between work and having a quite large "honey do" list this week has flown by.  It wasn't uncommon for me to glance at the clock and murmur to myself, "9:30 already?"

The journey to Arkansas and back was uneventful.  Great road trip, and we didn't kill each other or vow to disband and join other families at the end.  Nothing was lost, save for a pair of $2.50 sunglasses Geoana left in the Wal-Mart restroom (at least the third time she's done that, always at a Wally World for some reason).  Not even as much as a flat tire to impede our voyage. 


And the Cosmosphere was worth the stopover.  We only went through the Hall of Space museum and after three hours the gals were ready to head out.  Not me.  I could have spent about two more hours there, easy. 

And I spent quite a few minutes just looking at one item.  Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 capsule, which spent 38 years at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  Some years back I enjoyed watching the Discovery Channel documentary on how the explorer team found it and brought it back up.  I wish they had it on DVD.

(Free free to click on the pic to enjoy the full size)

Oh, and seeing the actual command module from the Apollo 13 mission wasn't bad, either. 

We got home on Thursday and on Friday Geoana and I watched "The Right Stuff."  On Saturday we enjoyed "Apollo 13." 

I think she's much more up to speed on the history of the U.S. space program than her classmates. 

Yes, pictures!

I'm back!

The delay in posting was not due to fatigue, the lateness of Daisy in getting the scores out (due to a computer crash on their part), or laziness on my part.

No, it turns out the hotel that hosted the event (connected to the convention center) does not offer free wi-fi.  Now I'm not being a total cheapskate, rather it's just the principle of the thing.  Most hotels where I stay just offer complimentary wireless access as a matter of course.  But not this one.  And no,  I will not name names.  (They know who they are.)  

On to the important matters!

Feel free to enjoy some of my pics.  By the way, our team finished seventh overall when all the numbers were tallied.  Seventh out of 53 teams shooting.  That ain't bad.

First pic

Taken at the Daisy Museum in Rogers.  One has to wonder, with the way it's displayed, if someone might just knock it over. 

"What happened next was a source of controversy in our household for years to come." 

We're here! (In a new state)

Not a state of confusion.  Or anger.  That's good news.

However we are in Arkansas.  Rogers, to be exact.  Here for the Daisy BB Gun National Tournament.

But that doesn't start until Sunday evening.  In the meantime all of us are looking at doing some exploring here in The Natural State.  It's certainly nice and green in these parts, although like the rest of the country there's no escaping the horrid summer heat.  But no matter.  There's air conditioning, plenty of H2O, and swimming pool availability.

I promise some pictures over the next few days.

The Days of June

This is one of those months where I just don't have much going on.  Therefore, no fodder for the blog.

Current events?  Fugeddaboutit.  I don't do that much here and besides the summer doldrums have hit everywhere.

Sports?  Not right now.  Much as I am interested in the college football playoff system I am actually more juiced by the prospect of seeing the SEC champ meet up with the Big 12 leader at the end of the season.  Too bad the Big 12 team will get its a__ kicked for the next many years to come.

Weather?  (Always everyone's favorite topic around here.)  In northwest Kansas it's Arizona hot right now, and will be for the next several (i.e. many) days.  Sure reminds me of the summers when I lived in Chandler, Casa Grande, Tucson, and, well you get the idea.

But in real news, Geogal shot her first skeet this past weekend.  We were helping with a trap shoot fundraiser and one of the gals there got Geogal to participate in one of the rounds, using a borrowed Beretta 20 gauge semi automatic.

She's hooked.  I foresee a July and August where we go as a family to the gun range.  Geoana's youth 20 gauge should be a better fit for my lovely wife, who right now is sporting a nice bruise courtesy of the Beretta's recoil.

The family that shoots together stays together.

Gadgets?  Nope.  I refuse to join the masses who are waxing huge expectation-predictions onto the Microsoft Surface.  I'd be willing to weigh in when we have an actual release date and prices to boot.  At this point it still just looks like a prototype.

Will I covet the new Macbook Pro with Retina display?  Possibly but my sights are actually set on one of the new Macbook Airs.  But rest assured my nearly six-year-old Macbook is still running quite well, thank you.

What's going on around the house?  Geogal and Geoana are watching our friend's kids this week (there's five of them).  Geogal cooked up some Hamburger Helper (provided by the family) for the little ones' lunch today and experienced some spillage.

Spillage that resulted in my task this early evening standing over our range with a razor blade and a full bottle of ceramic cooktop cleaner.  But the good news is that once I was done you would never have known just how cruddy everything looked at midday.

At least I have a short work week this week.  Looking forward to a little downtime and going to a place I have never been.

Now with the material

Wake up this morning, the first of June, and I see it's raining.  And cool.  I won't make a metaphor out of it but suffice to say I was jonesing for hot black coffee all morning.  And felt sleepy on top of it all. 

No matter, I'm sure within a couple of days it will be back to the hot dry wind and near-100-degree temps. 

Speaking of the hot dry wind there was plenty of it last Saturday.  Given most of the local farmers planted wheat it gave a real meaning to the verse "amber waves of grain." 

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Sold the pop-up camper a couple of weekends back.  Given we will not have a chance to camp this summer, nor the next (courtesy of Geogal's school commitment) our household decided to let it go and have someone else enjoy it.  Doesn't hurt to have some extra cash lying around, either. 

We certainly got plenty of fun out of it.  It was a great way to start learning the basics (and the culture) of the campground.  At first I started the self-pity exercise when I thought of everything I had spent in gear.  But wait. 

After procuring the thing in April of 2010, we bought a Coleman camp stove, two lanterns, wheel chocks, a dogbone adapter (allows you to plug the 30-amp connector into a household outlet), camp dishes, a wash basin, and numerous other doo-dads.  Then it dawned on me, all of these things can be used in our next rig. 

Ah, our next rig. 

It will be a travel trailer.  Preferably a bunkhouse model (useful if Geoana wants to bring a friend along).  Not too big, something that our Suburban can pull with little to no effort.  Climate control.  A bathroom.  A working kitchen (to allow means to cook if it's raining outdoors, which did happen our last night during last summer's trip). 

Yes, I've already got my eye out even though we won't be buying for at least two years.  Ebay and the local classifieds are great ways to lose myself in the pleasure of fantasy.  I can even imagine a return to trip to Yellowstone.  And Rocky Mountain National Park. 

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Finished reading LBJ: Architect of American Ambition.  I'm now enjoying some fiction.  First I breezed through my latest C. J. Box read, Nowhere To Run, and when returning that book to the library Geogal found a tome that might interest me.  The author is Nevada Barr (whom I had not heard of before a few days ago) and the book is Borderline.  Takes place in Big Bend National Park.  How could I not like this read?  I'll be sure to post my thoughts in an upcoming post. 

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Any other upcoming summer activities?  For me a fair amount of home improvement work.  I see a whole lotta painting to be done before summer turns into fall. 

The vegetable garden is much smaller this year.  Some tomatoes, crookneck squash, onions, and green chile.  Not the nicely hot Big Jim variety of peppers from last year's garden but a more mild yet flavorful variety developed by New Mexico State University (yeah!). 

That's all for now.  Welcome, June. 

Bookending May

It's the end of the month.  I intended to write a longer entry this evening but got sidetracked due to wife and child tearing out the old carpeting from the basement family room.  I avoided the harder work (mainly due to being at the office earning a living to provide for my family) but still helped out with some rearrangement and sorting out of the electronic pieces including, but not limited to, the home theater system. 

So in between that and the other responsibilities of the evening I now find myself at the keyboard with the clock closing in on 10 p.m.  And the sandman is fast approaching. 

I will write more tomorrow, I swear! 

Begin another week...

It's nice to be home this weekend.  You see, over two of the past three weekends we've been east either in or near Alma, Kansas for BB Gun tournaments (first for 4H, then for American Legion).  I definitely don't have anything against that town or the region but being there that frequently is a bit taxing on those of us who come from western Kansas.  Drive time, combined with the costs of lodging and meals takes a toll on all.  At least this weekend I don't feel like I've been cheated out of the normal two-day respite from Real Life. 

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I'm doing something different today.  I bought a charcoal smoker while in Topeka (on one of our BB Gun jaunts) and am doing my very-first-ever meat smoking.  I've got a (nearly) five pound chicken fryer resting over a pan of water and hot charcoal/wood and will likely have it there for the next five to six hours.  I just hope the rest of the family realizes I am in new territory here and not to expect the bird will taste like it came from Famous Dave's.  As with all of my cooking the best results will come with practice and a whole lotta experience. 

At least I have the assurance that if the chicken doesn't turn out as planned we're not out much money (versus if I tried to smoke some ribs or a brisket which are considerably more expensive). 

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In an entry from a few days ago I made reference to Tribbles.  In case you were curious Geoana and I are nearly through the second season DVD set of Star Trek (TOS), we have either 4 or 5 more episodes to view to round out the Really Good Season with Really Good Stories. 

Then we will muddle through (gaaghk)....Season 3. 

Maybe I shouldn't be so critical, there are a few gems in that segment of the series.  "The Thaolian Web," "The Day Of The Dove," "Wink Of An Eye," and "Turnabout Intruder" all can stand with the best offerings from seasons 1 and 2. 

Plus I swear there are a couple of episodes in that third season that I have never seen.  

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Rest in peace, Goober. 

Is this covering all the bases?

Just checking Weather Underground this evening seeing if any rain is in the forecast. 

I usually don't pay attention to the ads, I consider them just one necessary (and easily ignored) annoyance as part of the 'Net experience. 

Yet tonight they caught my attention.  I won't even bother to describe them, it's easier to just post a pic: 

Lesee, it doesn't matter if I'm an uber-zealot nut job convinced The End Is Near, a far lefty who covets a meal with the current White House occupant, or a guy who just likes to check out pictures of gals wearing revealing swimwear and is too cheap to buy the SI swimsuit issue.  Really spreading the net wide, aren't you, ad folks? 

Back home from more shooting

However I'm not the one shooting, it's Geoana.  She (and the rest of the team) just wrapped up their third out-of-town competition in eastern Kansas.  At least for our drive home this time the weather was benign, just some rain and nothing else.

We're all a bit tired and run-down as you might expect.  I have both extremes of thoughts/emotions right now, glad it's over but a bit dysphoric that our next venture won't happen until early July.  I'm sure a return to my routine beginning tomorrow will set things right.

One member of the team had something, not sure if it's the cold or the flu.  He didn't shoot as well as usual but the team still came in second place overall (there were 16 teams competing).  Then this morning we heard his father was up all night with an ailment I won't describe here.

This evening I don't feel all that great myself.  Just gotta keep convincing myself it is the result of fatigue and travel and nothing else.   Yeah, that's it.

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Starting about a week and a half ago our house (and our town, and our geographic area) was invaded by "miller" moths.  Same thing happened about this time last year.  Those creatures are everywhere.  And there's a whole lotta them.  Last weekend I could swear they were multiplying as fast as tribbles.

A week ago Sunday I got out my Shop-Vac and in the course of vacuuming up the dead ones I put on the extensions and sucked a few of the living ones in as well.  (All the while reminding myself I don't believe in the philosophy of ahimsa.)  Today it finally seems they are under control.  There were a few lingerers when we got home this afternoon and I turned the flyswatter on them, which wasn't a difficult task as they were obviously circling the drain anyway.  Nothing like keeping the house closed up for a few days to kill those little annoyances.   Still, I'd rather deal with them then cockroaches or scorpions.

Couple of quick sports items for a Friday morning

First off, the April 2012 edition of "I know there's an Aggie joke in here somewhere."

Second, I see Dwight Howard will be having surgery to repair his herniated disk.  I'm not an NBA fan and actually couldn't care less about the league or its players.  However I did see he suffers from the same ailment as I and I sure hope surgery isn't in my near future.

But I'm sorry to say that after nearly two weeks of physical therapy and daily exercises I am experiencing no relief from my pain.  In fact the last couple of days it's been hitting me as hard as anything.

Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th

No bad luck on either day!

Thanks to all the family and friends who expressed concern about our traveling yesterday.   The end result is simple enough:  We made it home in normal time with no problems in regard to the storms.  Also no tornado activity during that time of day.  The route we chose and the time we drove it worked out perfectly--just missed a heavy rain and passed through before the next cell hit.

Geoana also shot very well yesterday, she improved on her KSRA tourney aggregate score by several points.  We still haven't heard yet if the team's score was enough to put them over the top and secure a slot in the national competition, we hope to hear about it sometime today.  (That's what happens when you hit the road right after your kiddo is done shooting.)

Last night was spent in front of the tube watching the continuous coverage of all the storm cells throughout the state.  The Big 3 affiliated stations in Wichita carried no network programming during prime time, instead devoting the entire broadcast evening to weather.  Our town and county only got some rain with hail in small areas, nothing here at the house save for a few dirty raindrops.  You know, the kind that will make your vehicle look atrocious.

But it's raining steady now.  No thunder, no lightning.  Just a nice gentle rain.  However the precip is enough that it ruined my plans to cut the grass today.

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At the hotel yesterday morning, right after I posted the last entry the gal behind the front desk saw my shirt (I was wearing the BB Gun team shirt which features the town name on the back) and asked if I was indeed from this burg.  I responded in the affirmative.  She then asked if I knew a certain family.  Don't know them per se, but have a passing acquaintance as they attend our church and he dabbles in real estate and showed me a couple of houses back in April of 2008.  Turns out she's engaged to marry their grandson.

Yet again the world shows how small it can be.  You expect this type of thing throughout western Kansas but it can still surprise you when it occurs in a sizable city a 300-mile drive away.

Good morning from Tornado Alley

Here I am in Topeka.  We're here (spent the night last night) because of Geoana having a 4H BB Gun tournament in nearby Alma.  Normally we'd stay in either Junction City or Manhattan but due to a contingent of soldiers returning to Fort Riley a hotel room in those locales was hard to find and pricey to boot. 

I suffered through the drive out yesterday, a whole lotta sitting.  I did have a physical therapy appointment yesterday morning and the inversion traction always feels good but overall my pain level yesterday was more bothersome the the past few. 

It is possible I was carrying some tension about the upcoming road trip which translated into a higher pain level. 

We ended up eating supper later than usual yesterday evening.  Since we are where we are we decided to indulge in some suburban behavior, namely eating at Texas Roadhouse.  

(Two days ago I mentioned to Geogal that we should be thinking about where to eat Friday night.  I said we should consider a cuisine that is not available in our small town.  She and I laughed simultaneously and said, "Yeah, that really narrows it down.") 

Because of the late meal we weren't up for much afterward.  I did bring my mat and did my daily back exercises.  Then this morning, after a hot shower and getting dressed I walked down to the hotel breakfast.  Passed the pool area. 

Time for a figurative slap on the forehead.  Yes, I could have walked down to the spa and let the heat do its work.  I even packed my swimsuit which shows I was thinking ahead. 

But no excuses.  And I also will stop with the self-flagellation now. 

Time to concentrate on the day and making sure we get back home before evening hits, the forecast today for locales on and east of U.S. Highway 81 indicates thunderstorms with a likelihood of scattered tornadoes.  Geoana shoots at 12:30, should be no problem.  I hope. 

Still around

And still largely doing the same stuff.

Where do I start?

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Easter was good.  Whole lotta people in church (always a good thing!), then came home to a wonderful ham dinner featuring garlic mashed potatoes on the side.

The long weekend was good (I got Friday off).  Nice to get some spring cleaning done.

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I didn't pay much attention to the NCAA championship game.  Sure, Kansas was one of the competitors but it seems at some point since moving here in '08 our household decided to root for the K-State Wildcats rather than chant "rock, chalk, Jayhawk!!"

I'd rather make a point of the women's championship game coming down to a contest between two church schools.  Howzabout that?

Of course now, with news reports surfacing of Baylor's numerous (alleged) recruiting infractions, who knows whether the undefeated Baylor season will be thrown out?

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And on the subject of college sports, noticed Bobby Petrino at Arkansas no longer has a job as of tonight. I'll sidestep the pile-on regarding how he couldn't have numerous midlife crises at once and expect to emerge intact.

Rather I will simply say that Texas A&M might just now have a chance to beat the Hogs this fall during their annual matchup in The House That Jerry Built.

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BB Gun competition is still in full force.  Our local team does indeed stand a chance to snag an invite to nationals (held in Rogers, Arkansas).  Who knows?  That just might be our big summer getaway.

We'll know more after this weekend.

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In one of my recent entries I exhorted spring to spring.

Power of the written word?  After posting that, sure enough the temps started to rise.  So much so that a couple of weekends ago we had to run the air conditioner.

But since it is spring and this is western Kansas the hot spell eventually broke.  I think we've again clicked the control over to "heat" for a day or two.  But still it's reassuring to know that we're through the snowstorms/road closures for another season.  

I've already planted onions in the garden.  Looking forward to those home-grown tomatoes as well (but those will have to wait until April turns into May).

The passage of time

A couple of things to share here. 

First I realized (during the 4-o'clock-hour) that today marks exactly four years since I arrived in this town.  Next week will mark four years at this job. 

Wow. 

I sure didn't think I'd stick with it for this long.  We have several friends who predicted our return to the Grand Canyon State within a couple of years, at most. 

I guess that's what can happen when one enjoys his work and his workplace.  I can't picture doing what I'm doing for the rest of my career but I can envision staying here for another few years.  We will certainly see what transpires. 

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The other thing:

Ever since mid-January I've been struggling with pain in my lower back and down my left leg.  Geogal finally had enough and just about ordered me to the doc.  An examination, some X-rays, and an MRI later we finally have an answer. 

I have a herniated lower disc. 

Wasn't caused by any kind of traumatic event.  It's not a consequence of lifestyle.  I'm not overweight. 

Bottom line, I'm getting older and this is the age range where these types of things show up. 

Now I'm looking to see what the medical professionals have to say regarding treatment. 

At least it's good to know what's causing the problem. 

Portland becomes New Mexico West later this week

Congrats to the Aggies!   (Yes, yes, to the Low-blows as well.)  

Here's hoping fans from all over the state will introduce Oregonians to the delicacy known as green chile. 

Geogal's already checking the web to see about procuring us some tourney title T-shirts. 

I couldn't watch the game, though.  My pilot light burnt out way before 11 p.m. Central Time. 

What was more fun today, seeing where the Aggies would play or seeing the University of Arizona kittycats get snubbed?  (Actually the latter should be changed to "seeing the whole Pac-12 get burned the selection committee.") 

I also work alongside a WSU alum (#5 seed) and we both report to a Creighton grad (#8 seed).  Should prove to be a jolly morning meeting tomorrow. 

And here's hoping Indiana arrives in Portland far too overconfident.  Let the madness begin!!

And now, two things from southern New Mexico

Go Aggies!

Nevada lost yesterday so NMSU plays Louisiana Tech tonight for the WAC title.

Up until this morning I kept thinking NMSU would stand a good chance of going to the postseason NIT.  Even though their overall season record is pretty good they simply didn't stand a chance of getting an at-large bid to the Big Dance. 

But now, with a decent shot to win tonight's game things just got much more interesting.  I'm wearing my 2007 Aggies WAC championship t-shirt today as a long-distance sign of good luck. 

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And speaking of southern New Mexico, Geogal found this which just demands a mention in my blog.  Even though I haven't lived in the Land of Enchantment since 1993 it's good to know some things never change.

Tribute

Yesterday afternoon (and into the evening) Geogal and Geoana spent quality time in front of the tube watching episodes of "The Monkees."  I was in and out, working on the garden area and enjoying the mild temps (see previous post). 

But even with my occasional trips to the basement (where the entertainment center is located) I today still have aftereffects of the show.  My mind's ear is treating me to a medley of Monkees hits. 

....Take the last train to Clarksville.........she, she told me that she loved me.........she's a star collector (collector of stars), she only seems to please, young celebrities..........then I saw her face, now I'm a believer, not a trace, of doubt in my mind............I wanna be free, like the bluebirds flying by me.........cheer up sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean, to a daydream believer and a homecoming queen......Mary, Mary, where you going to? [Glen Campbell guitar riff]..........I'm gonna buy me a dog, cause I need a friend now......


And now they're in your head too!   Ha!!

Come on spring, SPRING!

I'd like to begin this entry with "spring has sprung" but I know better.

Sure, the tulips in the front flower bed are sprouting upward, a few weeds are already making their presence known, and we're getting more daylight.  However this is March and we've learned that around these parts winter can still make a nasty appearance before May rolls around.

Plus I know spring won't even be official until March 21 or 22, whenever the vernal equinox takes place.

Still this morning was a nice surprise.  I went out to warm up the truck and was struck by how, well, mild the temps are this a.m.  Bright sunshine greeted me as well.  Didn't need to start up the vehicle and let it idle for a few.

I plan to enjoy it while I can.  Am planning to spend more time in the backyard today, get the garden ready for planting.  In truth, it's just the grown-up way of saying I want to play in the dirt.

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Our family is quite a sight right now.  You already know about Geoana being on crutches.  Add to that Geogal struggling with her thyroid-related achiness then include my recent issue with (what we believe is) sciatic nerve pain.

We just don't get around easily like we used to.

For me, at least, ibuprofen and Naprosyn help take the edge off.

Leap Year Day

Given the only-once-in-four-years opportunity to blog on February 29th, why not?

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Geoana is on crutches, courtesy of torn ligaments (courtesy of a friend who accidentally stepped on her foot).  Her mom and dad are adjusting to a kiddo in need of some extra attention and assistance.  She's taking everything in good stride (pun intended).

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What am I reading currently?  LBJ:  Architect of American Ambition by Randall B. Woods.  It's just a bit short of 900 pages, should keep me occupied for a while.  I'm at the time where he just assumed the presidency and 1963 became 1964.

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Had the first BB shooting competition of the season.  Was this past Saturday in Oakley.  Geoana placed second overall in her age group, and among the best shooters in western Kansas that ain't bad!

Their team overall came in second.  Geogal was keeping an eye on the targets and stated our kids weren't far off the leaders.

The day itself was your typical horribly windy Kansas prairie day.  On the way home Geoana looked up from her book and asked if we were driving close to a storm.

No.  Just a whole lotta dust in the air.  Mental note:  change air filter soon.

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Davy Jones died today, victim of a heart attack.  I already got our boxed set of "The Monkees" TV series out of the closet.  Later tonight we can honor his memory with an episode or two.  (Did I mention Geogal is a HUGE Monkees fan?)

He wasn't her favorite one, however.   That honor goes to Micky Dolenz.

Miscy

Now on the downside of February, here's another snapshot of what's happening in our territory. 

My last post noted a new snowfall.  There's still residual white stuff in the shady areas because, unlike my late teenage years in New Mexico, the temps usually don't climb high enough to melt off the snow completely within two or three days, as often occurred in the Land of Enchantment.  Since I am well into adulthood snow just doesn't hold the same novelty as it did when I moved to the mountain west from Houston Texas (where any measurable snow accumulation is as rare as a 70-degree day in Kansas in February). 

Still it was fun to take the kiddo and her friend sledding on fresh powder. 

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My thoughts on the football season just concluded? 

I barely watched the Super Bowl, didn't even give much heed to the commercials.  Have to wonder if both of these events are becoming victim of their own success.  However it was gratifying to watch the Pats lose (again) to the Giants. 

Me rooting for the Giants.  See what's become of me??

Three more positives for the 2011 season:  

1)  No Bret Favre
2)  No Terrell Owens
3)  No Tiki Barber

Here's hoping I can add Randy Moss to that list this time next year. 

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In the lamest-make-a-connection-department I saw that Apple is soon to release a newer version of its operating system.  It's named "Mountain Lion."  

Features and improvements aside, speaking of felines you don't want to encounter in the wild unarmed here's a pic I took a couple of weeks ago when going to the local auto parts store.  I was planning to use it in an entry here with a phrase such as "You know you live in a small rural town when..." 

When you go to buy a new car battery and the vehicle next to you has several dead bobcats on the flatbed.  It is trapping season, after all. 

Finally some snow! Plus an update.

It’s not that nothing’s been happening, it’s just that there’s not been much about which to write.  

Yes, starting a blog post with a grammatically incorrect sentence is not the best way to get going however it is early on a Saturday morn and the laziness factor is in full gear. 

Woke up this morning to a nice snowfall.  Not any surprise, as we have been watching the forecast for days now.  In fact it cut our business with not a whole lot of pleasure trip this past week just a bit short. 

Trip?  Yes, we were gone to Colorado ever since Sunday afternoon.  You wouldn’t hear about it here until after the fact (we have enough intelligence not to advertise being away from the domicile--never mind that we took our iOS devices with us!). 

In fact upon our return we got a message on the machine from our across-the-street neighbor expressing concern about our whereabouts.  This wasn’t due to a lack of communication, however.  Rather our neighbors were away from town themselves and didn’t return until after we hit the road.  This, combined with a text from our next-door neighbor on Thursday morning reminded us that part of small-town life involves folks being truly concerned for each other. 

Gotta like it. 

Anyhow, back to the present.  Since there’s a worthy amount of the white stuff on the ground today I see Geoana and I heading to the park with sleds on hand.  Plus she gets to wear her new snow pants, Christmas present from Geogal, who was concerned that we might not get any more measurable snow this season. 

Scratch that concern. 

How was Colorado?  So-so.  I had a conference/symposium, which in my field means you sit on your backside in marginal-quality chairs for several hours per day (my sciatic nerve just loved that) and Geogal was able to spend her time doing observation for her academic program (in a field completely unrelated to mine).  We didn’t have a great deal of downtime but did manage to hit some good restaurants and enjoy cuisine that we don’t have in our corner of the world.  (Geoana stayed behind as neither she nor we were thrilled with the prospect of her missing a week of school.) 

Wanted to hit Ikea, didn’t happen.  Wanted to visit some RV dealers and check out travel trailers, didn’t happen.  Wanted to go to the Apple Store, that DID transpire. 

Headed home a day early to avoid the storm that has dumped the white stuff here and shut down I-70 from the Kansas border to Denver. 

There’s no place like home. 

With the college football season winding down...

Lots of long faces around these parts today.  There's more than a few K-State fans around this town and I've met several that absolutely bleed Wildcat purple. 

"Just wait until next year!"

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I'm not saying that the lower-tier bowls get any disrespect, but then again....

Here's a screenshot I took off of ESPN's site after the first couple of postseason games concluded.  Seems they both took place in the Palmetto State.  Still probably a better locale than Albuquerque or Boise.

Eatin' In The New Year!

Got my traditional First of January New Mexico-esque dish that is supposed to bring me good luck. 

Posole! 

Maybe next year I'll branch out and make a pot full of black-eyed peas. 

Closing thoughts on 2011

Figured I should get this in under the wire....

Geogal and I don't mail out Christmas letters any more.  We still get a few and some are downright laughable.  No doubt Facebook and the like have made these types of manifestos a bit meaningless.  This entry isn't meant to sound like one of those end-of-the-year-pump-ourselves-up mailings but I thought some musing wouldn't hurt. 

Upgraded the house just a bit, mostly by adding an egress window to one of the basement rooms.  Now we officially have three bedrooms.  And an office.  And a large basement catch-all that tends to be the center of social activities for little Geoana.  Also replaced the garage door and cut down a couple of black walnut trees resulting in more sunlight and less mowing mess during the summer. 

Upgraded our technology, too.  Since the beginning of 2011 we have replaced two run-of-the-mill cellphones with iPhones.  Also got an iPad mainly for Geogal's schoolwork but during semester breaks the tablet sees a never-ending Angry Birds tournament. 

Cut back on the summer getaways.  Made only one journey, to Rocky Mountain National Park.  This coming summer, likely no trip.  Between limited funds (thanks to Geogal's schooling and not working full time as a result) and a lack of destinations within reasonable driving distance we might just do the "staycation" thing. 

Expect more hunting ventures, trap shooting Saturdays, and basketball games thanks to the interests of little Geoana.  Who will not be referred to as "little" after this entry due to regular readers not likely confusing her with Geogal.  The child is also not that little anymore. 

Interesting, how did this entry go from being a look back at 2011 to a look forward at 2012?  That's my style of writing for you. 

Happy new year!

You Know It's Good When....

For yesterday's Christmas meal I prepared a rib roast (not prime rib mind you, prime grade is just a bit out of our budget and almost impossible to find in these parts).  The rib roast for Christmas day is fast becoming a tradition at our house given I've made it at least three years in a row.  Right now I just can't recall if I cooked one for our first Christmas here in 2008.

Before cooking the weight was 3 and a half pounds.  Next year I'm getting a bigger one as I keep forgetting some fat renders off in the oven.  Yet it still yielded sufficient red meat to satisfy all three of us during yesterday's Big Meal.  Didn't have as much left over as I would have liked.  And then later in the evening Geogal gets hungry and pulls the rib roast meat from the fridge and nuked it together with a dinner roll.  I look at her plate and said: "Would be nice if there was just a little left over for me to enjoy."

Her response?  "I promise I won't have any tomorrow.......morning."

What's been going on? Read on

No entries since December 4?  There’s a reason. 

Numerous reasons, actually.  The last month of the year seemed to be a non-stop sequence of commitments. 

Such as going to the minister’s open house on the first Sunday of December; Little Geoana having church Christmas musical practice thrice weekly until their performance on the 11th; Little Geoana’s traveling girl’s basketball team continuing their practices and Saturday schedule of games topped off with a day-long tourney last Sat. in which her team won the first game but was then defeated by Hoxie yet the child’s team did win the consolation bracket which netted them third place overall; Geogal hollering at the officials in the Hoxie game in which I am still surprised our team didn’t get hit with a technical foul; yes there were tears after the loss to Hoxie but that’s a great opportunity for all of us parents to teach the girls how to deal with defeat and also the importance of demonstrating good sportsmanship; Geogal getting sick with some sort of a cold during the better part of the month and since she had already completed her schoolwork for the semester she spent nearly every day at the elementary school subbing in one area or another and we all know how much germs and bacteria thrive in the schoolhouse given the number of kids therein; Geogal finally going to see the medical practitioner and being diagnosed with bronchitis, she is now on a slew of medications which prevent her from enjoying dairy and alcohol for the present; by the way the obligations continue such as the elementary kids’ Christmas musical performance last Monday night in which Little Geoana sang her heart out even if she didn’t get seated near any of her friends (but then again maybe that was a positive thing); during the time Geogal was down with the crud I had the task of shuttling the kiddo to her practices/rehearsals/events and me saying how time-consuming it is and Geogal giving me a look that could wither the most hardy cactus and saying: “Welcome to my world;” the ongoing Sunday night small group Bible study which culminated with a party a few nights ago in which we found out who’s good at games and who steers clear of such things and Little Geoana was the life of the party despite being the only child there (all of the other couples have grown children) and we also heard of folks who always equate egg nog with ingesting alcohol (not me, I just remember it being a delicious drink and didn’t know grownups put adult beverage in theirs until I was a teenager); the normal ongoing events including Little Geoana’s BB gun practice, AWANA, and American Heritage Girls; me learning at the last minute that we had a commitment this past Wednesday evening which the child I and fulfilled given Geogal was too run-down to participate in such a thing; despite all of the goings-on that I’ve just detailed I actually did something smart and got on the computer a couple of Wednesdays ago, hit a few web sites and did all of my big Christmas gift shopping from the comfort of my downstairs study; took a vacation day yesterday and Geogal and I traipsed to Kearney and in doing so I knocked out the stocking stuffers so by 12:30 yesterday afternoon I was OFFICIALLY DONE with the shopping (like most men I dread any sort of retail experience that doesn’t involve something related to home improvement or sporting goods); last night I also got smart and decided to do the wrapping since neither Geogal nor Geoana seemed inclined to leave the comfort of the Laz-E-Boy recliners and what a wonderful feeling it is to have all of the gift-work out of the way unlike other members of my family of origin who shall remain nameless but who were known to wait until coming home AFTER midnight mass and then take care of the gift-wrapping and yet their gifts were still wrapped more pristinely than the ones I did since I wrap presents as most guys do but I’ve also noticed no one ever rejected or returned one of my gifts just because the wrapping was below acceptable standards. 

And there you have it in excess of 700 words why I haven’t exactly found time to sit down and blog. 

The Return of Old Man Winter

Friday:  Dry and cool. 

Saturday:  Colder, snow, then sleet, then more snow. 

Little Geoana is in a traveling girls basketball league.  On Saturday her team was scheduled for a contest in Grinnell.  By the time I headed home from work on Friday I was aware of the winter weather advisory.  Already was planning out what to do in case of blowing snow.  Figuring out what gear I needed to stow in the truck. 

Fortunately smarter heads did prevail.  The decision-makers for the league agreed to cancel Saturday's contests due to the inclement weather. 

Right move.  I woke up Saturday morning to just a little dusting (barely an inch) but about 8 a.m. the clouds started to plop down more of the white stuff.  By the time it was all over we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 inches.  That's just enough to collect on the roadways and snarl the careless drivers. 

Little girl didn't get her energy expended on the basketball court but instead did burn off calories sledding, tubing, and overall sliding down the hillside at our main city park.  Several of her friends were there as well and everyone had a blast.  I even took a couple of trips down the hill myself. 

For the benefit of my family and friends in Texas, Arizona, and California I snapped these pictures on the way home from church this morning. 

The only thing lacking is the punch line

Let me get this straight....

Texas A&M University, after decades of being denigrated, minimized, and humiliated at the hands of UT and its associated strata, makes the move to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC. 

This was a move initiated and consummated by the university's ruling Powers That Be. 

Now they can their football coach before the Aggies play even one down of football as official members of the SEC?  

Now they have to find not only a new head coach, but one that is also expected to be competitive in the brutal, sub-NFL college conference that has taken home the national championship for the last several years?  A league that includes such powerhouses as Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida? 

And they expect immediate results?  Even though their annual matchup with Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium has had the Aggies walking out of there as losers since the series began? 

And you blame the head coach for dropped passes, drive-killing penalties, and a questionable personal foul call that gave UT 15 yards in their final drive of the final Texas/Texas A&M matchup? 

I just know there's an Aggie joke in here somewhere.  If only I could put all the elements together....

Can't believe it will be December in a few hours

Where does the time go?  (The years certainly didn't fly by like this when I was a kid, when I would have enjoyed them going quickly!) 

Haven't taken out the Xmas decorations yet.  And I doubt we will get to that chore this weekend as little Geoana has another basketball doubleheader and then we are participating in a church small group outreach activity on Sat evening.  At least Sunday will be a day of rest (sort of). 

Looking forward to a low-key Christmas this year.  No traveling (haven't done any over the holidays since little Geoana was born) and there won't be a lot of gift exchanging this year for a variety of reasons.  Geogal, however, has intimated she will be hosting a "bake and drink" get-together for a few of her friends about mid-month, once school is over. 

Might get snow later this week.  Still not quite adjusted to the cold temps.  Haven't even gotten all of the leaves raked. 

And then I look around the exterior of the house.  Paint around the trim is flaking. 

Oh yippee. 

I know what lies in store for me come the warmer months.  Wire brush, drop cloths, masking tape, inhaling odor of not-yet-dry chemicals. 

I'd better enjoy this winter. 

The Last One (For A While) (Maybe) (But....)

As promised, I watched all four hours of the Texas/Texas A&M game on Thanksgiving evening.  (OK, so the game itself wasn't four hours but it began at 7 and didn't end until almost 11.) 

Saw Texas win on a last-second field goal.  Glimmers of earlier in the day where I saw the Cowboys win their contest on a last-second field goal.

Classy move, Show Band Of The Southwest, doing a "Thanks  T/A/M" formation during the halftime show.  Pity someone hasn't yet put that on YouTube. 

Last one?  I figure not.  I (and a whole lotta folks in the Lone Star State) hope cooler heads prevail and keep this contest on the schedule.  Still, it seems plausible they won't meet on the gridiron for a couple of years or so. 

Friday night I caught most of the Backyard Brawl (that's Pittsburgh versus West Virginia, for my kin who disbelieve football exists in the Eastern time zone).  Just as with the Longhorn/Aggie game, this one too will fall victim to conference realignment.   Another rivalry sacrificed to school greed. 

Yesterday I watched some of the Border War.  (Come on, folks, I explained this one in a previous posting.)  Some mention was made of that contest possibly being the final one but it doesn't seem to evoke the emotional outrage of the Texas schools matchup or the scrum between the Mountaineers and Panthers.  Likely because Kansas is much more a basketball school but it also might be that I just am not acquainted with that many Jayhawks. 

So what about the future college pigskin matchups for Thanksgivings to come?  I've heard talk that Texas versus Texas Tech is the touted replacement for the Aggie game. 

Say what you will but everyone knows it just won't be the same.

All the more reason for the decision-makers to do the right thing.

On the subject of rivalries, an aside before I close out this entry:  I caught the documentary "Roll Tide, War Eagle" on ESPN.  Yeesh, makes Texas versus Texas A&M look like child's play.  

Now There's Time To Write

Even though I haven't made any new entries here since Nov. 2 that doesn't mean I've been idle.  Work keeps me occupied (as it should) and the child's extracurricular activities gobble up much of the weekend's free time.  Rest assured I have plenty of concepts bouncing around my noggin. 

Since the last time I wrote an entry all hell broke loose in State College, PA.  Many have written about the events and the ever-present larger meaning of them all.  I won't add my voice to what already exists and is accessible via the Web.

But I will interject this aside-- Bobby Bowden must be thinking to himself, "Maybe the way I went out wasn't so bad after all."

And I recall reading this entry in the Omaha World-Herald following the Nebraska/Penn State game on November 12: 

Jay Paterno, Joe's son and the Lions' quarterbacks coach, said he thought his father was handling his situation well Thursday night when he stopped by his home for dinner.
"I think we'll see," Jay Paterno said. "And I think he'll find another challenge."

Wishful thinking, son.  Don't be surprised if your dad takes a downhill slide faster than anyone expected.  Between the legal wranglings and Paterno's already-known health issues I don't see him hanging around much longer.

I also agree with some pundits who suggest Penn State should take a pass on going to a bowl this season.  As with everything, we will see how things progress.  

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Speaking of things progressing, no doubt I will be watching the gridiron action from College Station tomorrow night (probably concurrent with digesting turkey and other fixings).  The last game.  Who woulda thunk it?

Now It's November

The Powers That Be finally enacted the office move. Today was my first full day in the new digs and I spent it seeing snow fall through my (large) window. Most folks might get dysphoric over such a sight but I simply relished the ability to see the changing weather. (I've spent the last 3 1/2 years in an interior compartment at the mercy of refrigerated air and fluorescent lighting.) My routine was disrupted and jumped the track several times today but I'm sure I'll adjust in due time. Nothing like change to keep one's brain cells chugging.
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Will the Texas-Texas A&M Thanksgiving game really become history? Possible. I know my Lone Star State kin aren't thrilled with this prospect. I'd invite them to converse with a few new friends I've made since relocating to Rural America. Nebraska Cornhusker fans. These are guys who truly know that the "N" on Nebraska's football helmets stands for "Nowledge." They would be happy to commiserate over the loss of football tradition and rivalry. It started some years ago when the Big 8 became the Big 12. Suddenly the annual Nebraska/Oklahoma game was played far less often. Then there was this year, where Nebraska and Colorado both defected to other conferences. So long to the traditional Thanksgiving weekend matchup. There's also the spectre of Missouri defecting to the SEC, which would put an end to the Border War (KU versus Missou-rah at Arrowhead Stadium). The times, they are a-changin'.

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That's all for now. I'm bone-tired and already looking ahead to the weekend (problem is, it won't be a lazy one).

But It's All Good In The End

The iPhone 4S is a hit with consumers, even if the techie pundits and industry writers weren't wowed by the product at its official unveiling. 

All's fine with the smartphone world.  Apple will continue to be profitable.  The competition will keep Apple on its toes (and vice versa).  And we the public will continue to be offered periodic "way cool" gadgets. 

Now I can post this.  Let's all just have a laugh.  (Warning:  contains PG-13 language):

Danged near perfect

Last Friday evening I took little Geoana out to the high school football game.

I enjoy the game.  She partakes in social activities.

I sit in the stands.  She goes to the grassy hillside and holds court with her friends.

I follow the game.  She's vaguely aware of the gridiron contest.

We both make use of the concession stand.

Last Friday evening was about as close to perfect as football game weather can be.  Clear.  No wind.  Cool temps.  In fact the temps started going down quite a bit once the sun dipped below the horizon.

The only thing marring this outing was the performance of our guys.  They were shut out and were plagued with mental mistakes.

But I guess that's not important in the long run.  Not when you're making memories like what I just described.

(Taken during pregame warmups.  If this isn't Americana I don't know what is.)

To 5 or to wait?

Today's big question for the after-work leisure time:  Do I update the iPhone to iOS 5 or wait a couple of weeks? 

Reasons to do it now:  Because it appeals to my geeky nerdy side which likes gadgets and all updates heretofore.  Start using iCloud right away, check out all of the other cool functions of the newer interface. 

Reasons to wait:  Let the bugs be worked out for several days.  No hurry (not like the new release is going away anytime soon.  Best to not do this during the busy workweek. 

I'll wait. 

However my newness appetite is satisfied anyway.  Geogal gave the OK to update her iPad2 to the new OS.  I'm sure she'll check out the features once she finishes her Angry Birds tournament. 

I didn't intend to post today, but....

Just a few thoughts about the death of Steve Jobs.

First, a reminder that you can be one of the wealthiest people in the world but riches don't guarantee you a long life.

Second, there's a lot to be said for having a vision and following it.  We can all do that, right where we are.  We don't have to be CEO's, entrepreneurs, or in otherwise "high positions" to do so.  Make a difference, right where you are.

Why am I writing this right now?  Regular readers of this blog know I am a fan of Apple's products and will continue to watch the company's latest offerings (as I did yesterday).  Geogal will be getting herself an iPhone before much longer and little Geoana is saving up for an iPod Touch.

Here's hoping Apple will stay the course.  I like their products because they work.  Simple as that. 

In parting, here's a look at what started all of the Apple phenomenon:

The Great Pumpkin Waltz

Was invited to a friend's pumpkin picking party (how's that for alliteration?) this past Saturday evening.  To use the colloquial expression: a good time was had by all.  Little Geoana got to play outside with a few friends plus enjoy cooking hot dogs and s'mores over an open fire.

But the entire time one song kept going through my mind's ear.

Here's the original version from the Vince Guaraldi Trio:




And here's an update from 1988 or so, courtesy of Chick Corea: