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!!