Went up to Kingfisher this morning for the funeral of the girls' great-uncle. There was a church service and a grave-side service, followed by a lunch.

I've never seen so many people at a funeral before. Every seat in the house was taken and there were wall to wall people in the halls, too. Just goes to show how good a guy he was. No one ever had anything bad to say about him. He was certainly always very nice to me. I should only hope to have that kind of turn-out at my funeral, not that I want to draw that much attention in my passing. But those people weren't there because they had to be, they really wanted to be there, despite the lack of space, and that's the kind of reputation I could only hope to achieve.

After that was all done I dropped the girls off at their step-grandmother's so they could go to mass, and I went in to work for about an hour to load some software patches.

2 X the Thanks

I wasn't sure how this thanksgiving would go when it got started, but so much turned out well.

First, I went to an aunt's (in Moore, OK) for a very excellent and filling thanksgiving meal, where I also witnessed the Dallas Cowboys lose to Miami. Yee-haw! So now the Philadelphia Eagles are in first place and I'm loving it. Sure, it may dimish this weekend if the Eagles loose (knock on virtual wood), but for the moment at least, I have something else to be thankful for.

Then, while I wasn't originally going to do it, I drove up to Kingfisher (about 1.25 hrs from Moore) to have a thanksgiving meal with my children. I've never liked making that country road drive, and in light of the recent death in the family I thought it would be good for the girls to spend thanksgiving with that part of the family, not necessarily with my participation. But as the day winded down I felt less and less as though it would be complete without spending some of it with my children. So I made the dreary drive up there, but definitely have no regrets. We had a great time, one of the best in years, and I am definitely thankful for it.

In the latter scenario, the two who really made the excellent meal possible (Chad and Andrea) would not have been here were it not for the funeral. So it was good to see that the tragic circumstances bore sweet fruit of thanks.

Thankful (appropriately) on this day of thanks

First and foremost, I am thankful for so many things, they couldn't possibly all be mentioned here... so lack of mention by no means indicates lack of thankfulness...

I am thankful in more ways than can be mentioned for my children. I can say with every shred of confidence in me that I have the greatest children and I couldn't ask for better. Despite what complaints I may have posted here at times, those are mere pebbles on an otherwise long, smooth road.

Of course I am thankful for my family and friends. I have the most supportive family and truly excellent friends.

And I am thankful for the way my life has gone thus far, and the products of its good fortune. My house, my car, my job, etc. While things could always be said to be better, I couldn't possibly complain because so many have it so much worse. I can only continue to be humble and thankful for what I have and where I am.

Again, there is so much more I am thanful for... this is simply... the honor roll.

There was a death in the family over the weekend, on my kids' mother's side. So the kids went up to see their grandmother tonight (Kingfisher, OK) and stay up there for the funeral. Although we just learned it will be Saturday rather than Wednesday, so they may be up there a bit (longer than the amount of clothes I packed for them).

What is with the lollipops?

After the bizarre but true lollipop on the pants story from the other day, I thought it was odd that as I walked into work this morning, I saw another blowpop sitting on the rear bumper of an SUV. WTF?

I had all kinds of questions about that one, and I suppose they shall go unanswered.

Why was it there? How long had it been there? Surely it wouldn't have been there and stayed there while the car was in motion, right? But if not, when could it have been placed there? What is the scenario for that? Oh, look, my shoe's untied, let me place my blowpop -- that I'm enjoying in the 28 degree weather -- on this here plastic bumper while I tie my shoe, only to forget it there moments later.

This whole thing just seems completely impractical. What is the riddle of the blowpop?!?


(and why on earth am I relegated to blogging about blowpops)



(you just get that blogging for blowpops thought right out of your mind mister)

The girls went with their step-grandmother to see The Cat in the Hat after Sunday school and mass this afternoon.

Here comes trouble...

After a very appreciated mild-weather week of 60s and 70s, we're about to take a turn back to traditionally November weather....

Is that a lollipop on your pants or are you happy to see me?

I picked up the girls from their mother's this evening and was planning to take them to Applebee's, one of their favorite sit-down places. But they wanted to go to McDonald's and play at the playplace. In fact, when I suggested we do that tomorrow, Shelby got pretty emphatic about not wanting to go to Applebee's, which was a big surprise.

So, in one of the more funny moments of my fast food experiences, after we placed our order at McDonald's and were waiting for our food, the woman in line behind me was ordering when I noticed there was a lollipop on her pants. We're not talking a cheapy-flat, three-bytes-and-its-gone lollipop here, we're talking an apparently barely licked blow-pop. Huge, right, by comparison? But there it was, sticking to her pants somewhat grossly, just behind her right knee.

So now the questions...

- How do you NOT notice a blowpop tagging along for the ride on your pants?
- Do I tell her about the blowpop and risk further quandary?
- Do I ignore the blowpop and mind my business?
- Do I not tell the woman but carefully observer her until someone does tell her, for the humorous value of the moment?
- Do I seize the opportunity, pull the blowpop off her pants myself, and enjoy a tasty treat, following the certain smack to the face I'd receive in the confusion of the moment?


Well, I think I chose wisely. Not ten seconds after I politely informed the woman of her slightly embarrassing predicament ("Excuse me, ma'am, but you have a lollipop on your pants," I said), her rather burly husband exited the bathroom. Just think what mayhem would have ensued had I personally seized the blowpop...

For your further ponderance... my kids were in the bathroom washing their hands during this comedic moment. Just think if they hadn't been. Shelby, the completely indiscreet wonder, could have made that situation a whole lot funnier.

One of my prime goals of the weekend was to take care of xmas shopping for the girls while they were at their mothers. That's where I've been most of the afternoon, and I think I'm 98% of the way there, so that's pretty much mission accomplished. Still have family shopping to do, though. Surprisingly, this is the first year in the last four years that I'm not doing the bulk of my shopping online. Guess I'm going retro.

While I was shopping I picked up a little something for myself. The new Blink 182 CD. So far, so good, though I'm not all the way through it yet. However, there has yet to be a bad Blink album, so I have faith.


Earlier in the day, I had to swing by my office to take an hour-long online course. We're being asked by the company to complete a series of eight online courses about employee-ownership and I've now got seven down.

Shelby had a dance performance with her school's dance team tonight during the half-time of a basketball game. She did pretty good, though the performance was cut a little short by the half-time-ending buzzer.

Today we had our annual Thanksgiving lunch at work. We cramed 100+ people in an office area that usually holds 25. And there was SO MUCH FOOD. It was tasty. We should do that more often. Be thankful I mean. :)

When I left work at 5:43pm on this fine late-November day, it was 71 degrees out.


I am SO okay with that. I just hope it keeps on coming. Can we have some of this in December? Please?

What follows is from an ACTUAL tech support ticket that came in today at work. Funny stuff!

----------------------------------

Subject: Need PC Serviced

I need, want, and am begging for a new computer. And I don't want to have to wait for Christmas as I have not been a very good girl. Please oh please!!!! My computer is so slow. And I mean sooooooooooooooooooooooooo slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Sometimes there are complete work stoppages. I have tried rebooting (and I mean several times per problem) and it doesn't do any good. Help me, help me!!??!?!?!?!?!? I literally can't go on this way. If there was a window close by, I would not need your help. Have I made my case crystal clear, if not tune in for tomorrow's "As the World Turns".

Gym-short mayhem

The background info: It costs $15 per set of P.E. (gym) outfits at my daughters' school. A gym outfit consists of a t-shirt, and a pair of shorts, each with the school logo. Hardly worth $15, but okay, we'll get over that part. They have gym two days per week, and they change back into their school uniform after gym. So we're talking an hour or two in their gym clothes on gym days.

Now on to our story...
Last year, Darby -- the responsible one -- lost her gym clothes outright, about two-thirds through the school year, so we bought a second set with money from her piggy bank since she lost them. Lesson learned, right?

Well, not quite. A few weeks ago she lost her gym shirt. So for these few weeks, I've had her going to gym in a different school shirt, while insisting every day that she check the lost and found. Mind you -- her name is all over this stuff, so it's not like someone can pass it off as theirs.

No glory. Last week I decided to buy another shirt, though I hadn't actually done it yet. So last night, as I'm getting her school stuff ready, I can't find her gym shorts. Darby, I say, you did put your gym shorts in your school bag last week, right? She says she did, so I go through her school bag, the recently washed clothes in the laundry basket and dryer, and through the dirty clothes. No gym shorts.

Great.

So I express my dissatisfaction with her and we finish the bedtime routine. The next morning at school, we go to the place where one might find additional gym clothing, and purchase another set for the low low price of $15. For those of you that haven't been following along, this is our THIRD (3rd) set of gym clothes. We used a marker to again unmistakably identify the clothing as hers, and we put them in her school bag and trotted off to class. I remind her that the $15 will again come out of her piggy bank for her irresponsibility.

So we're all settled. We have gym clothes again, and equilibrium has been restored, right?

Maybe not quite.... so I arrive to pick the kids up from school, and as we're getting Darby's homework supplies into her school bag (since she never has it ready like I ask her to), I notice there is only a gym shirt.

Grrrrr.

Darby, I say, why on earth is there only a gym shirt in this bag? Please tell me you didn't lose your brand spanking new third pair of gym shorts. She says she knows she put them in there... show me, I say. Alas she cannot.

Find them. Right now.

So we go on a gym-short quest. Up and down and side to side we sweep the school for gym shorts. (eew)

As you might imagine I am oh so pleased at this point. But then I realize that this is not my duty. So I tell her to keep looking until she finds them and that I'm taking her sister to the car to wait.

Ten minutes pass and no Darby. A moment later I see her pacing at the glass door. I step out of the car to flag her down, she comes to me and says she looked EVERYWHERE. But still no gym shorts.

Grrrr.


So I again express my dissatisfaction and we get in the car and head home. In the car I tell her for her irresponsibility she is to do her homework, eat dinner, and go to bed when we get home. I explain that Thursday is her next gym day and that she has tomorrow to find her shorts, or we spend more piggy bank money on a fourth pair of shorts.

[snip]

So I'm making pork chops for dinner, and we are way behind schedule given the delay at school, and Darby comes into the kitchen. Daddy, she says... Don't daddy me, I say, have you finished your homework? No, but I found my gym shorts....

REALLY?!?


And where might your gym shorts be?

Under my skirt, she says.


Grrrr.




Apparently the one parental duty I neglected was to advise my daughter to first check under her skirt when seeking the whereabouts of her gym shorts. But that was a pleasant exercise and we are now well trained in gym-short hunting. If anyone ever assembles a rapid reaction gym-short recovery task force, sign us up. Hoo-ah.

Once again today I learned that doing -- or in my case, saying -- the right thing can get people very, very mad at you. How can something so right be so wrong?

In what would have been a more timely reference for a previous post, today I learned that hell is exothermic. While sure, this isn't technically new information, it is pretty darn funny every time you read it.

I can't believe it didn't make the list

In my previous droolings over Time.com's coolest inventions, I failed to notice that THE coolest invention I'd seen in awhile didn't make the list. I read about it just a week before in the latest issue of popsci, which covers the "Top 100 Tech Innovations of 2003". Check it out.

At long last, there is a new poll on the home page.

Now make me proud and exercise your right to vote.

Update in the continuing server saga...

Watched the Compaq onsite guy replace the motherboard and SCSI controller in my ailing server today. That was interesting. Server boots successfully, now we await some burn-in lest it crash again while we rebuild it.

After Sunday school and lunch, the girls went with their step-grandma to the arcade to play some games.

While they were out, I read almost the entire issue of this week's Time magazine. The best part was the review of some this year's coolest inventions.... some very neat stuff came out this year. As a guy with an appreciation for "power tools" created soley for the destruction of things, I found the media destroyer to be quite cool. Not the coolest, mind you, but one of the more practical on the list.

The day started out with brunch at IHOP. It was way packed because of all the people on the way down to Norman for the OU game.

Later in the afternoon we went to see Looney Tunes Back In Action, which was pretty funny. There should be more of that kind of movie, vs. what the alternatives are.

After the movie we were pretty hungry since we didn't have traditional lunch, so we hit the nearest eating facility, Texas Roadhouse, where I had very tasty 11oz sirloin.

We visited a friend's for a bit after dinner before calling it a night. Though after the girls went to bed I watched my recently rented Italian Job DVD. Quite good. Recommended in fact.

Ugh...

This evening my oldest, nearly eight year old, daughter asked me if Santa Claus was real or if we just buy the stuff and wrap it.

Ouch.

I was saved by the bell. We were just pulling into the driveway and I said let's get in the house and get to bed. It's past bed time.

We went to a birthday party (no 13) at a friend's house this evening. Kids had fun as always.

While playing dominos with the adults, it was determined that my cows are either wholly or holey, but not holy.



Shelby's weekly school behavior report... tallies every day...

As previously alluded, since my server was ailing, we swapped the hard drives with those of a healthy but otherwise identical server to see if the errors would follow the drives or stay with the chasis. Well, they stayed with the chasis. That server was taken down yesterday and upon further diagnosis with Compaq tech support, they are sending someone out next week to replace some hardware.

Hopefully the wise Compaq man will help me put humpty back together again.

Ghost of a good blog

There was going to be a cool blog here about my morning parking experience. In fact, I typed a whole lot of stuff here all about it and was almost done. But as I clicked "post" to save my work, I experienced some "connectivity funkiness", and lost about half of the total post. There's just now way I can get that back and I'm too tired to try to remember pages worth of text. So you'll just have to suffer through yet another boring, content-less post, forever wondering about things such as "critical parking mass" and "mostly-illegal quasi-spot grab".




(you D/C fans might recognize the title of this blog as a song title tribute)

Don't think I sat at my desk for more than an hour today. I had four meetings and Darby's final leg-doctor appointment. Just a final checkup to make sure everything is going okay. She checks out, though she is still limping. Doctor says that's just a habit she needs to break.


Forgot to mention that yesterday I picked up a couple of Lost Dogs. A couple of WTFs, but mostly way cool stuff otherwise. I can't believe some of this stuff wasn't released sooner. How could you just hold on to this stuff and not tell anybody?

Sad thing is (no pun intended... you'll only get that if you look at the track listing), there's probably more where that came from. But I can't complain. There's more to come before too long.

In a corporate management class today and tomorrow. Pretty good stuff. Very practical day-to-day management kind of stuff that I think will be useful to me. Should have had this two and a half years ago when I first became a supervisor.

Took the girls to see Brother Bear today. They had been wanting to see it for some time. I think they enjoyed it. I actually fell asleep for a good chunk of time. Not sure how much, really, but they were into the movie well enough to not notice.

Of course, on the way to the theater I had to gravitate back to Best Buy to get that TBS CD. I'm listening to it right now. And I just don't know how to type the sound I'm making right now as I listen. Oh, and I got such a great deal on it. When I checked Amazon, it was $16.99, but at Best Buy it was only $9.99. What a deal! They actually charged me $12.99, so I had to go back to customer service to get credited. When I asked if it was marked wrong they said probably. Ha! Yea for me.

After the movie I took Shelby in for a haircut. She had been asking to get her bangs cut for some time. We let them grow out in the Spring so it could be put up at her aunt's wedding and she has wanted it cut ever since.

Now here's some funny stuff...


This morning, when I was taking a shower, I grabbed the wrong (kids) shampoo, and now my hair smells like banana.

Via my recently aquired Best Buy gift card, and in between seeing the Matrix and picking up the girls, I became the proud owner of End is Forver, by the Ataris. It rocks. It is their album before the one that's out now (So Long, Astoria) and could have easily been their major label debut instead of Astoria.

But alas I am full of regret. I should have also picked up Tell All Your Friends by Taking Back Sunday. I've been clamouring for that for awhile and must not have come across it while browsing, and so forgot about it. How could I do such a crazy thing. I just might have to get it tomorrow, because now I'm thinking about it and I've already listened to the three publically available tracks about two dozen times since I realized my error.

Yes, it's that good.

Not convinced? Go check out Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team) for free. Listen to it intently at least three times through. You'll see.


But to come full circle back to the Ataris, they're playing on Friday here in OKC and I am NOT going to get to go for several various reasons. That kind of sucks. They rock so hard on their albums I think they would put on such a great show.

Darby got a free kids meal at Garfield's certificate from school for good behavior last week, so I took the kids there this evening after I picked them up from their mother's. They got to take their time and then have ice cream sundaes after dinner. Afterward we walked around the mall for awhile. Actually until they closed. I let them gawk in the pet store for quite awhile, and we hung out at Waldenbooks for probably an hour looking at books. We each got to pick one out to buy. I also got a leather case for my cell phone at one of those cell phone accessory stands. I intended to take them to the Hallmark store to pick out a Christmas ornament, but we took too long doing other stuff. Maybe next weekend.

To Revolve or Not to Revolve... THAT is the question

Saw Matrix Revolutions today. I'm not going to put out any spoilers until most good friends have seen it, but while there were definitely technological revolutions, the revolutionary story I was expecting was... well, not so revolutionary.

Questions remain. Answers are few and at best non-authoritative.

I'm FLYING, I'm FLYING!


Oh, wait, that was a FLU shot, not a FLEW shot. Disregard.

What is up with the weather?

A few days ago I was in a t-shirt. Today, I had the winter jacket out. And gloves.



Anyway, Shelby had a performance at school tonight. It went well. About to check out the pictures to see if any are worth posting to the album.

Sigh... (of the relief variety)

Well, perhaps my cries of damnation were slightly rushed... or at least should be a little delayed.

Server was down, but brought back up quickly. There may still be a looming problem, but a hardware swap was done for diagnoistic reasons. Everybody cross your fingers. Or you can Cross your fingers; that would be fine, too.


Many thanks to my swift and diligent co-workers for their strength in holding back the hell and the high water. May your hands be fire and water proof.

Hell... it's what's for dinner

I thought I would give you all a diagram of my world.

A co-worker sent me this very apt illustration of Dante's Hell. It seemed so very appropriate for the moment.



Caption: "I am here"

So I was about to thank my many fine co-workers for their selfless efforts in getting my server back online..... but it just went down. Again. Literally, like twenty minutes ago.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(if I weren't so darn tired, I would just have to add an audio clip to that)



I already have my hours in for the pay period and was going to have to eat about twenty more. I CAN'T do another all-nighter recovery session. If ever there was a time for miracle... this would be it.

Girls had dentist appointments today... clean bill of health...

Help Help I'm being repressed

At work, we had server issues since Friday, culminating in a crash on Sunday (the aforementioned hell-like experience). I was up at the office for more than 24 hours starting Sunday. Judging by my timecard so far, it's been a hell of a week, and it's only just started....

Taking a break

In spite of my current tour of hell, or something like it (more on that later), I departed for a little family birthday get together, along with the kids (no 12).

It was a nice break, but I must go back in..... cover me.

Now THAT is Service

(aka The Free Balloons for Everyone Theory)
(aka Balloons, the Lost Secret of Happiness)

I went to Best Buy this evening on the way back from picking up the girls from their mother's. It was supposed to be a quick trip, just getting a gift card for someone, but Darby had other plans.

She had a big fit about wanting to throw her candy cane away. Usually you can't pry her away from candy, but in this case she wanted to throw it out like it was fuzz-covered. She wasn't halfway done with it and wanted to throw it out on the way into the store, but I told her not to throw it out because we would be in there less than five minutes and that would be a waste. Well, she started crying because she thought they would think she stole it, but I explained that there wasn't candy in this store and that I would have had her leave it in the car if I thought there would be an issue. But that wasn't good enough and she stopped in front of the store and wouldn't go in. ARGH.

[snip]

Well, after we finally got in there, I grabbed what I needed and went to the register, and it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Well, the young woman at the register saw that Darby had been crying and asked her what was wrong. I explained that she just had a little fit. So she asked if Darby wanted a balloon, but Darby said no. However, that got Shelby started... She began jumping up and down "I want one, I want one." So I started looking around and didn't see any balloons and I thought WTF? Well, just then the young lady CLOSED HER REGISTER, lead us to the stock room, went in the back where there were apparently balloons and a hellium tank (go figure) and she proceeded to fill two balloons and tie strings to them. She brought them out and handed one to each girl with a smile.

Holy cow. All over a candy cane. So much for a five minute trip.

So I apologized to her when she brought the balloons out, for distracting her from her duties, but she just said "That's okay, balloons make everyone happier."


That was strange and unexpected. Unfortunately it doesn't break Shelby from the belief that anywhere you see a balloon you can just ask for one. There have been several instances in the past where Shelby saw a balloon or balloons and asked for one -- when they were clearly for decoration and not for giving out -- and she is so cute that people just say okay and give her one. I think she believes in free balloons for everyone as much as she believes in Santa Claus right now.

I was at the mall today and the gosh darn Christmas stuff is out..... I would add "already", but I know that it's about that time. I'm just not ready for it. And I'm a little upset that the summer is so far away now in either direction.