lclough23's Xanga

Dishes

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:23:54 GMT

The other day when I was loading soap into the dishwasher, I counted one cereal bowl, two dinner dishes, and 9 cat dishes. That is easily explained by the fact that cats outnumber humans 2 to 1 in our household, and they eat more meals at home. Still, it was an interesting datum.

Dull

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:58:19 GMT

I am really thankful that my life is so dull and routine. One of the reasons I don't post so much on Xanga anymore is that not a whole lot happens to me. I do not face any physical challenges. My marriage and friendships are stable. I have been greatly blessed at my church. I have a steady job. Lack of excitement is really a good thing, but it is not much fun to read about. I am not so gifted a writer that I can make interesting posts out of so ordinary a life. My internal life is interesting -- to me anyway -- but it is chaotic and fragmented. A diary of thoughts is really hard to get right without it being self-absorbed[1]. Krissy once told me that I "added value" in my posts.[2] That was a huge complement from someone that I deeply admire and respect. I was so gratified that I've tried to live into that ethic.

------
[1] Note, I wrote "being" and not "seeming." This is the height of self-absorption.
[2] Over three years ago in a random IM exchange.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:11:41 GMT

Exhausted

I drove 500 miles in the last couple days. I drove 1000 miles in the last couple weeks, and then 2000 miles the previous two weeks. These six weeks of back to back business and personal travel are grinding me down. I feel vague and unfocussed most of the time.

One positive, however -- I really appreciate it when I have an opportunity to sleep. I slept in until 10AM last Saturday, and it totally transformed my outlook on life.

Another positive -- I had the chance to mow the front lawn on Sunday. It looks really good. The window of the computer room looks out from the front of the house, and I am looking down on a textured green surface with a curving slate path running up from the house to the road. To the right of the path is a jungle of tomatoe plants. It's quite a peaceful view.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:25:16 GMT

Home Alone

I am home alone. The rest of my family is continuing the execllent adventure across the continental US. When I called this morning they were in Arizona. At 8AM local time, they were not quite awake. I must be the only early riser in the family.

When I am by myself, I am often too lazy to cook and eat, but too cheap to go out. Fortunately, I had a $1.00 off coupon for Rotissarie Chicken at the deli department of a local supermarket. I went throuth the checkout line with the chicken and a bag of cat food. I thought of saying to the checkout clerk, "Everybody eats dinner tonight!"

It has gone back to being hot and muggy. I was so hoping for fall weather, now that September is here.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:20:06 GMT

Vacation August 31 - September 11

These entries were copied from another journal where I blogged them every day or so. They are not very exciting but I want to keep a record of what we did.

Road Trip

We're getting ready for our family road trip. This is exciting, between seeing my mom and dodging hurricanes. We've got someone to stay in our house and take care of the cats, so I don't expect that there will be any problems on the home front. We leave in 2 hours.

My mom lives with my sister and brother-in-law in Bryan Texas. My wife and I are driving the family minivan to california with my son so that he can have it to use when he is at school at the University of Santa Clara. I'm going to fly home from Texas on the 11th. They are going to continue all the way across, stopping to visit the Grand Canyon. I will try to keep my friends up to date on this.

First Day

We're taking a family road trip. This is exciting, between seeing my mom and dodging hurricanes. We've got someone to stay in our house and take care of the cats, so I don't forsee any problems on the home front. A, and B will continue on to California, and I will fly back from Texas.

We drove east on I-66 to I-81, and drove down the Shenandoah Valley. Our Garmin GPS is wonderful. A (the smaller carbon-based life form, in whose honor we are making this trip) objected to British English, so I switched the GPS to American English, but I kept the New Zealand accent.

We stopped in Lexington, VA to have lunch at Ruby Tuesday with Ashley, one of B's writer friends. Ashley has 4 cats! and has written 17 books, all while working full time. She just retired and moved to Virginia.

We also brought the XM Satellite radio. (My birthday present this year was a power strip that multiplies the cigarette lighter power outlet to three ports, so we can run the GPS, the XM Satellite radio, AND charge a cell phone if we need to. We spent the afternoon happily listening to '60s folk music.

We are now checked into the Best Western Colonial Inn, in Kingsport, Tennessee. When I saw the big "High Speed Internet" banner on the side of the motel, I announced that this was the place we had to stay. A, and B are in the exercise room while I happily surf the 'net.

Day 2

We must've been tired, because we slept in until 0830 Monday morning. B. was astounded at the continental breakfast offered by the Best Western hotel. (I mentioned to A. that it is clear that B. does not travel much.) But it was good. I ate three hard-boiled eggs, a bowl of raisin bran, and a couple of pastries.

We drove south and west from Kingsport, Tennessee, through Knoxville and then west toward Nashville. Shortly after we crossed into the central time zone we decided that since we were in Tennessee we should eat BBQ. So I punched BBQ into the GPS and we found Lefty's Bar-B-Que in Crossville, TN (motto 'Serving Cumberland County Since 1982' - admonition "Pig Out at Lefty's"). It was really wonderful. I had a BBQ sandwich with fried okra as a side. A and B split a BBQ platter with fried okra and onion rings.

As we drove we played with XM satellite radio. We each got a band for presets. I punched in the three Christian stations, the '60s, and '70s channels, Reggae. and a few others. We also spent a lot of time listening to CNN and Fox to keep track of the hurricane. We also listened to the opening of the Republican convention.

We met up with one of B's writer friends, that will be putting us up for the night. The four of us had a wonderful time talking and then we all went out to dinner at Steamboat Bill's in Hendersonville. Now the two ladies are off in the family room chatting about writing and writers.

Day Three

Today we took a short detour into Kentucky to visit Mammoth caves, just a couple hours north of Nashville. Mammoth caves is the longest explored cave system in the world. Forty one of us tourists piled into a bus and were driven over to the "New Entrance" to the cave system. We hiked for four hours and saw some really wonderful things. One of the high points of the tour was eating lunch 260 feet below the surface during the middle of the tour.

After touring the caves, we drove back to Tennessee, and drive west to Jackson. We're now soundly settled in at the Baymont Inn & Suites. We had a lovely steak dinner and are now listening to speeches from the Republican Convention.

Day Four

On Wednesday we left Jackson, Tennessee, and drove all the way across Arkansas. It rained on us all day. It was too wet to stop in Memphis, TN to see Graceland, and the ring road took us north around the city instead of South, where we could have passed by Elvis Presley Blvd, so we had to give it a pass.

The Mississippi is very wide at Memphis, and It was raining pretty good. Arkansas is very flat near the river, there. We crossed lot of smaller rivers meandering across the plain. There were various grain crops, including rice. I can imagine Arkansas being under an inland see.

We stopped for lunch at Craig's Bar-B-Que in De Valls Bluff, Arkansas, This little town is about 10 minutes off the interstate highway, and the shop is so small that it has no entry in the GPS. B. found an entry for it under "50 Things" in the Sept/Oct edition of Gardens and Guns magazine. It was a house that had been remodeled into a BBQ hut. There was one small room, with 7 tables. When we got there there, it was pretty crowded. A dozen or so working men in blue jeans, with tape measures at their belts. Some of them had waterproof shells. Many of them were wearing mesh-backed base-ball caps. It had a limited menu, but the BBQ was really good.

We continued to drive, and ended up in Texarkana. The first place we stopped, a Ramada Inn, had problems with the wireless. "Oh the wireless is down," was the answer to my inquiry, so I said, "Then we have to check out." We bundled up our stuff, got our money credited back (they promised wireless internet, and didn't deliver) and we went across the street to the Quality Inn.

We ate at Longhorn steakhouse. A filled up on coke and could not finish his chicken-fried steak, so we brought it back to the motel and he ate it for breakfast the following day.

Day Five

On Thursday we slept until we woke up and then took our time getting ready to roll out. We all used the exercise room, and A. had leftover chick-fried steak for his breakfast. The rains had passed off, the sun was out, and the sky was full of little fluffy clouds.   We learned that there were still refugees from Hurricane Gustav in the motel. It had been quite full, and we were lucky to get a room.

We drove about an hour and a half from Texarkana to Sulphur Springs. We parked in the main square and had lunch at the Plain and Fancy sandwich shop. B had the Fiesta salad, and was so impressed that she asked about the salad dressing. The key is lemon chipotle vinaigrette. After that we drove over to Brad and Faith's house and chatted with Faith for about an hour.   She had put the babies down for their nap, and we were able to have a good conversation.

Then we drove to Irving Texas (an area between Fort Worth and Dallas) and met with Brad in the lobby of the building where he works. That was a briefer conversation, but I was very eager for Brad and B. to meet each other. Afterward, B. commented that I had nice, respectable friends.

We drove south from Irving past Waco to Bryan Texas. The air was clear and the late afternoon sunlight golden. It was cool and dry, but the land was green after so many days of rain. My brother-in-law was waiting for us with my Mom. The five of us had dinner together. I went out with my brother-in-law to get a fresh pizza at a place where they assemble the pizza for you, you bring it home and bake it in your own oven. It was really tasty.   My sister got home late and had a plate we had prepared for her.

Day Six and Seven

On Friday and Saturday we relaxed at my sister's house and tried to make ourselves useful. My mom lives with my sister. My brother-in-law is a Lutheran minster. He saved up some work that requires three strong men. They live in Bryan, but have 20 acres in Brenham. On Friday we went out to look at the land. On Saturday I took my mom shopping, and then we helped my brother-in-law disassemble his workbench and haul it out to the utility trailer/workshop he has out at the land. I also stopped by Wallmart to buy a pair of pants to wear to church.

Friday night we went out to a sushi restaurant. Saturday night we had "Campbell's chicken" a staple from my youth, based on Campbell's condensed milk (omitted in current version of the recipe) and cream of mushroom soup.

Day Eight

On Sunday we all went to the church where my brother-in-law is the pastor. It was Sunday school appreciation day, so the church was full of kids, and families. The church will hold a couple hundred people, and I didn't see any vacant pews.

There was a luncheon in the parish hall afterwards. Folks from the church grilled hamburgers, and we had chips and homemade desserts. I was amazed how many people in the congregation remembered me from when I was there before (though some of them may have confused me with my brother, who has also visited this church).

In the afternoon we helped my sister load the recycling into the back of her Toyota Corolla liftback, and one of us went with her to the recycling center.

For dinner, my brother-in-law grilled steak and chicken. The steaks we ate Sunday night, and the chicken was saved for Monday. We also finished off a pear cobbler that B made on Saturday.

After dinner we sat around in the family room/study and chatted into the evening. It is very relaxing to just sit with family and talk.

Wrapup

On Monday I helped my brother-in-law distribute food. His church takes a turn at the food one week a month. A week of meals is prepared and frozen, and volunteers distribute it to folks on the list. Seveal of the folks he knew through one or the other of his churchs. Some he met for the first time that day.

Tuesday and Wednesday we helped my brother-in-law replace the back door to his house. Even with a pre-hung door, that was difficult, tricky work.

On Thursday, A and B dropped me off at DVW airport, and continued West to Amarillo. I had very convenient flights. They were all on time. My 50 minute layover in Atlanta was just the right amount of time.

Now, I'm home. The cats were very glad to see me.

Squeezed

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:22:48 GMT

I feel squeezed like toothpaste. I am very happy to have work, and I really enjoy my job, but we're working toward a major milestone, and I'm back to working "half-days" -- 0630 to 1830 four days a week, a normal day on Monday, but some hours on the weekend. When I get home, I barely have the leasure to check my e-mail and I have neglected my online friends. *sighs* It will only get more crazy at the end of August when I have a month of travel to look foward to.

Dinner Table Conversation

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:17:34 GMT

The smaller carbon-based life form has an idiosyncratic view of the world.

A: You know that study about happiness? It turns out that Denmark has the highest average happiness rating.
C: Why is that?
B: Universal health care.
A: Otherwise know as "socialism"

...

A: The last time a third party candidate won the presidency, 600,000 Americans were killed.
B: Who was that?
A: Lincoln
C: Sure, the Republicans were a "third party" back in that day.

...

A: I wonder if the Civil War was preventable? I bet it was.
C: How would you have prevented it?
A: Not elect Lincoln.

Visiting Mom

Sat, 03 May 2008 12:12:42 GMT

I arrived safe in Bryan, TX, after only 14 hours of travel. Mom was happy to see me, and we are settled together very comfortably.

B. took me to the airport at 0700. My American Airlines flight took off on time, but there were bad thunderstorms in the midwest, and the flight was rerouted south to avoid them. We got to DFW an hour late. Since I had only an hour layover, that flight landed just as my connecting flight took off. The airline automatically booked me to fly to Hobby at 4:20PM, but after wandering the concourse for a half an hour, I was finally able to find an agent who would put me on standby for the next AA flight from DFW to IAH. There were 28 people on the standby list, but I was number two. Two people got on standby. God is good.

I had booked the Ground Shuttle (a van service) from IAH to College Station. Since I had missed the one I had booked, I had to rebook myself on the 6:45PM shuttle. There were only three of us on at 10 passenger van. The guy pulled out his GPS and was able to find my Mom's house just fine. I recognized the mailbox. I arrived about 8:45PM.

I presume my brother-in-law has his own internet connection. I found a lynksys wireless router, turned power on to it, and have a connection. So I'm on the 'net for now.

My mom is frail and forgetful. but we are getting along just fine. The three cats seem happy to have another person in the house. One of them is settled in by my laptop, asleep. [S]he wanted to sit on the keyboard and lick my face.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:54:27 GMT

Change with the Times

During a downturn, it is all too easy for job seekers to “live in a state of fear,” said Janet White, author of “Secrets of the Hidden Job Market.”

“It’s that fear that’s going to poison anything they try to do,” she said. “Whatever you believe to be true becomes your experience.”

With the right attitude, on the other hand, job seekers “can often turn this crisis into a real advantage for themselves” by moving their life in a new and more fulfilling direction, Mr. Bolles said. When they look back, he said, they often realize that “this is the best thing that ever happened to me.”[1]

[1]"The Economy Changes, So Change With It" By PHYLLIS KORKKI, The New York Times,
Published: April 20, 2008

The Circle of Life

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:55:16 GMT

We were driving to church this morning along a two-lane road past a horse pasture, and as I rounded a curve I saw a couple dozen huge black birds flocking on the ground and sitting on the rails. "Something has died," I thought. Sure enough, as we drove home after church, we saw that they were buzzards, they were all still there, and in the rain-sodden gully there were scraps of hide that must've belonged to a deer. It was scary how huge and fat the buzzards were.