Unhappy Days

The first day of school was a success. Hannah had a great time, and I think was happy to get back to her routine being with her friends. It's a new year with new responsibilities. She's a really bright child, and I think she'll do great.

I headed to the Iowa State Fair yesterday. I helped staff a booth that my company sponsors. While it was fun, it was an exhausting day. Hundreds and hundreds of people streamed by our booth throughout the day, it was a non stop. I did take a couple of breaks to walk around the fair. Wow, there were a LOT of people there, and I think everyone was having a great time. The Iowa State Fair sure is different than the Nebraska state fair, which has become boring, with attendance very sparse.

Today, I started painting my daughter's room. I'm not happy about the color at all. She chose a pastel purple. I think it's too dark, and indeed, after painting one wall, I don't think I'll like it. It's her room though, but I have to live with it too. Ugh. Then, I left the door open by mistake, and the cat jumped up on the headboard which I was using to hold nuts, bolts, screwdrivers, etc. He knocked it into the freshly painted wall and put two huge knicks in the drywall. Damnit. Now, I have to get spackle and repair it, sand it, and smooth it, and paint it again.

I hate painting. Of all the tasks that a homeowner has to do, I do hate painting, period. Really, I don't like the detail work of taping and painting around the trim. That really sucks. And, for me, it has to be nearly perfect, or I'll never be happy with the result. No paint on the woodwork, no paint on the ceiling, none, nada, zip. It's just so tedious. Bottom line, I hate it. Although, we all do things for our families, even if it makes us unhappy in the end.

In fact, I'm sure there will be many unhappy days to come as I embark on painting the rest of the house. The dining room, the kitchen, our bedroom, the laundry room, two additional bathrooms, and eventually our living room. Yuck! I'm happy with the way it is, a gentle taupe color, but my wife insists that it needs real color. Decorating is overrated.

Salsa Time Again

Well, you may recall, I got into making salsa last year after tasting some of the salsa that my boss' wife made. Unfortunately, I only have one jar of salsa left from last season. In hopes of growing my own ingredients to make more salsa this year, I planted a mini garden. I had high hopes of getting a permanent garden installed, but never did get around to it. Thus, I planted 6 tomato plants and 6 pepper plants in containers and sat them in my back yard. Well, the tomatoes took off, but now they all have blossom end rot. And the peppers got off to a slow start when blackbirds snapped off all of the blossoms. So, I stopped at a local produce stand and picked up 10 large tomotoes and grabbed some green peppers from the grocery store. For hot peppers, I used some of the dried Habanero and Chili peppers from last season. So, I canned 4 pints of salsa today, at least it's a start. I should have my own peppers to use in another 10 days or so. I've got Anaheim and Jalapeno peppers coming on strong, so they should make a decent batch of salsa. I'll just have to buy more tomatoes from the local sources. I'm pretty much giving up on my tomatoes for the year, and hope to get a permanent garden built this fall. I've also got a bush full of Habanero peppers that should ripen in another 20 days or so. They are so hot, they are almost uneatable, but I still intend to dry them, and perhaps use a couple to make a kick ass batch of salsa that no one will want to eat.

Not What Our Forefathers Had In Mind

Well, I trust everyone had a great 4-day July 4th holiday weekend. However, upon experiencing some of the festivities, I'm not sure this is entirely what our forefather's had in mind. It seems that the holiday has become a drunken fest when we try to literally blow things up. Wow, it sure seems like there were a LOT of fireworks this year. There was a party in our neighborhood on Friday before July 4th, and it was huge. They had an entire truckload of fireworks, and it was a non stop barrage from 5pm through midnight. Our dogs were going nuts. Then, there were the professional displays. Fortunately, where we built our house, we can see three professional displays, looking south, north, and west. That's kind of neat. I tried to take the dogs outside to let them do their business right at the time that the show to our west kicked off. The fireworks were launched less than a mile from our house, but were exploding directly overhead. The dogs lost it, and were nothing but a pile of bubbling goo the rest of the weekend. On Monday, we attended a party at my sister-in-law's in-laws. They also had a pickup full of fireworks, and were blowing things up non stop. In fact, one of their biggest experiments was a roll of 8000 firecrackers that were all ignited at once. We think it literally blew a hole in the street. Another "illegal" artillery shell almost knocked us out of our chairs. Tuesday was a continuation of the festivities. Again, the dogs were having a hard time. So, all in all, I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday, celebrating their independence. But thank God, it's over for another year.

Moving Our Computer

We have a computer upstairs in a spare bedroom that our daughter uses for school and fun. She really enjoys spending time on the Internet, visiting various websites for kids, playing games, learning new things, and just wasting time. However, now that's she's getting older, we're becoming aware of the dangers that the Internet poses. We have filtering software set up on the computer, but still, it should be in a more visible spot. So, I think we're going to move the computer into our dining room, onto a small corner desk. While that's not the most convenient place, it will be in a more open place, giving our daughter less of a chance to do something that she shouldn't, not that she's doing that now, but we don't want to give her a chance. Thus, we intend to buy a small corner desk and a flat panel LCD monitor (to take up less space). In the end, while it may be a pricey solution, it will give us the peace of mind that we need.

Election Day

Today was our primary election. Unfortunately, I'm a registered Democrat, and we live in a Republican-heavy state. In fact, I don't know why I bothered to vote. Of all the races that I voted for, most were uncontested, i.e. there was only one candidate running. In more than half the contests, there weren't "any" democratic candidates. So, it was a wasted trip. Oh well. At least we have that right.

Hemorrhaging Cash

It's like a terrible disease. Money is hemorrhaging so fast out of my bank account, it's not even funny. When it rains, it pours, and man, am I drowning. Sigh. Oh well, I guess that's why we make money, in order to spend it. But at this rate, I'll be in the poor house within a month, or sooner. Ha.

You see, we live in a money pit. Even though our home is only 3 years old, it's falling apart. Yes, it's beginning to show its age. All homes go through this inevitable breaking period, but our's seems to be never ending. We've had to repair or refrigerator, our dishwasher, and our washing machine twice. Now these aren't old appliances, they were brand new when we moved in. Today, I had a contractor tear out part of our driveway because a huge sink hole developed and allowed the concrete pads to settle. In fact, I've got sink holes all over my property. Along the side of the house, we had a huge sink hole develop. We had to have it filled in last year, but it sunk again. And more are developing. We have a sink hole in our front yard where the water shutoff valve is. I've filled it in, but it keeps sinking. I suppose there's a leak somewhere. The good news on that, the leak is before it hits our water meter. We have a sink hole that runs the entire width of our back yard, where the electrical wires are buried. And, after working so hard on my yard, and spending so much money, it looks like crap. The neighbor's yard looks absolutely beautiful, and he hasn't done jack with it. Nothing, nada. And mine looks like, well, you know. My new lawn mower (again, purchased new with the house) wouldn't start this year. It's a Toro, and has an always-start guarantee. Ha. That's so funny. So, I had to have that repaired. My snow blower burned out a belt on the season's last heavy snow. I haven't even begun to tackle that project yet, it can wait. And, my weed eater (which was 10 years old) finally broke. The shaft snapped, so it was time to buy a new one.

Of course, recall from my previous post that our digital camera broke, again, only 3 years old. Kaching, another chunk of cash floating out of my wallet. Plus, we just bought the new puppy, and she's having health problems. It's like we have a revolving door at the vet's office now, as it's like a zoo in our house with 2 cats and 2 dogs, and a batch of sea monkeys. We need to remulch our flower beds too. And, the polyurethane is peeling on all of the trim on my windows in the house. So, I'll need to strip those and reseal before winter hits. And speaking of sealing, I need to seel all of the cracks in the driveway, as that's what caused the sinkhole to develop anyhow. Ugh, I could continue as the list keeps building.

Oh yeah, not to mention, gas is now $3 a gallon. I filled up my truck yesterday, which cost $50. Ouch. That's pricey. Speaking of vehicles, my car needs new rear brakes. I've never replaced the rear brakes, they've always been OK. But, with 130,000 miles, it's time to get those back into specs. You can't discount your safety when traveling, that's the most important thing.

At some point, I'll likely have a nervous breakdown trying to keep track of all of this. Seriously, I think may visit the doctor to get something to relieve the anxiety. My mind is like a pressure cooker, and one of these days, the pressure will be too much and I'll crack. Unfortunately, I think the telltale signs are beginning.

Ideally, I long for the days of no responsibility. I long for the days when there isn't something to do, a problem to solve, or a crisis to manage. It seems there's always something on my calendar. For just once, I wish for a stress free week where I didn't have to worry about my job, didn't have to worry about my family, didn't have to worry about the money pit that we now live, didn't have to have responsibility. Perhaps in retirement. But for now, the pressure cooker continues to build.

I'm Back

Well, I've been very busy over the previous month. I've been away on a whirlwind around the world tour. I had a great time, couldn't believe the things I've seen. Ha! NOT! Actually, I just haven't had the time. Life goes on, and now that spring has arrived, it seems there's so much to do outside. Keeping up with the yard work is hard enough, but I've had to work quite a bit of overtime too over the previous month.

One new item of interest, we adopted a new puppy. She arrived last night, flying in from a breeder in Texas. She's a toy rat terrier, just like our other dog, but is black and brown. She'll likely be quite a bit smaller than our other dog, weighing in at 6 lbs. when fully grown instead of 9 lbs. like Ginger. We named her Maisy. I have to admit, I really did not want to get another dog. I really don't want the hassle and responsibility again. Puppy training the first time was hard enough, and I really have no desire to do it again. My wife really wanted the dog though, to be a playmate for our other dog. Sigh. Whatever. The puppy arrived with a really bad cold, and now today, we can't get her to use the restroom. Ugh. The timing really couldn't be worse, with my schedule, and upcoming events over the next 10 days.

I may be getting a new digital camera. We've had some trouble with our old point and shoot digital camera. It's only 3 years old, but is becoming a bit unreliable. I may buy a digital SLR camera to take advantage of my collection of lenses and external flash. It would be the pricy route to follow, but the pictures would be much better than what we've been getting.

Lucky Streak Continues

Well, I must say, my lucky streak continues. This past week, I've been to the casinos a few times. In fact, a new casino opened up here, the Horseshoe Casino, which was formerly Bluff's Run. I attended the grand opening this past week, but didn't have much luck there. So, I went across the street to my favorite casino, Ameristar. After about 8 hours of play, I was able to win $40 that day. Then, 2 days later, I visited Ameristar again, and eventually won $50. Today, I visited Ameristar once more (I had a buffet coupon that I didn't want to waste) and won huge. I won $425! So, for the week, I'm up $515! Woohoo! It was a really good feeling to stick it to the casinos. Mostly, it's an up and down game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, but in the end, you come out even. Now, after this lucky streak, I think I'm definitely up. I suppose I should back off for awhile again, otherwise, my luck may be in short supply. I kind of go through spurts, where I might go once or twice a week. Actually, before this past week, I hadn't been at all in the previous 6 weeks, so it was definitely a dry period. No, I don't have a gambling problem. It's just that I enjoy playing cards so much, this is about the only chance I get.

Hitting the Jackpot

We attended our church's annual fundraiser yesterday evening. It was titled, "The Red Carpet Gala." It was quite an affair, and we had a great time! There were literally dozens and dozens of items up for bid, but we weren't really interested in most of it. It was a silent auction where you could bid on things with your auction number, and then keep bidding against other anonymous people who also wanted to buy the item. Everyone was dressed to the nines, mostly. And, more importantly, it seemed that everyone was having fun. It definitely was a party, with about 350 families alltogether, perhaps more. It's the main social event in our church each year.

Another one of the prizes was winning tuition for a year at our school, and also the cash drawing. Tickets for each were $25, a bit on the pricey side, but tuition alone is worth about $1500, and the top cash prize was $3000. When purchasing tickets for the cash drawing, they asked how many we wanted to buy. I smiled back, responding, "We only need one, right?" We both laughed. Halfway through dinner, the tickets were drawn. Unbelievably, our ticket was drawn for the $3000 top cash prize! I didn't even know it until my wife said, "I think they just said our name." Sure enough, I could hear it loud and clear. They were calling my name, inviting me up onto the stage to accept the prize. Wow! I'm sure I was screaming like a school girl, I really don't remember. Of course, this was after having about 5 glasses of wine, so I was having fun. I was given given a huge check and had our picture taken on stage. Everyone was clapping. It was surreal. It was a euphoric moment. Even after sitting back down, with the remaining cash prizes and tuition being given away, we couldn't believe that we won the top prize. We've never won anything.

The night was winding down. We thought bidding on the Ireland vacation in the oral auction, but the bidding was out of our league, even after just having won $3000. We did contribute a sizeable donation to the church though, to help defray costs of installing a new heating and air conditioning system. It was the least we could do.

All in all, we still can't believe that we won the top prize. After taxes and the church contribution, we'll have about $1500 left over. Wow! Definitely not a life-changing sum of money, but a warm fuzzy nonetheless. What should we do? Should we go to Vegas and have a great weekend! We've never been to Vegas and have always thought it would a nice getaway. Should we buy new furniture? Should we save it for a rainy day? In the end, I'm not sure what we'll do with the newfound winnings, but it will definitely be a night we'll never forget!

Falling off the Face of the Earth

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. I've been very busy, and just haven't had time to post a blog. Ugh. Oh well. Let's see, our daughter Hannah got her braces off and now wears a retainer each night. It's not really that bad, and I think she doesn't mind it at all. I had the flu about a week ago. I never did throw up, but was just achy, tired, and generally didn't feel well. Work has been quiet, but I've taken on a new programming project that has taken up most of my free time. It's a contact mapping database, using Google Maps. It's pretty slick, and likely the most complex programming project I've done to date. And, I'm now setting up a website for my wife's school, so the teachers can create web pages. I even volunteered to train the teachers on how to use the software. So, between all of that, there hasn't been much extra time. Our daughter got glasses last week too. She was having trouble seeing in class, and her grades had slipped. She doesn't mind wearing them, and was surprised at how well she could see after putting them on. Tomorrow night, we're going to a red carpet gala for our church. It's the annual fundraiser. It's a blacktie event with a lot of rich folks spending quite a bit of money? So why are we going? We're not blacktie folks, and we're certainly not rich, but it should be a fun night anyhow. My brother is coming for a visit in another week. Looking forward to seeing him. I'm definitely ready for winter to be over. Yuck. We need a good a rain to wash all the sand and salt way.

Expensive Lesson

My daughter Hannah got a Gameboy DS for Christmas. She was very excited, as it was exactly what she wanted. It is the Nintendogs version, and is pink pearl She loves it. Recently, she's been taking it to school. I've told her time and again that she shouldn't take it to school, as it would be an easy target for a wouldbe thief. She disagreed. Plus, several of her friends have them too, and sometimes, they use the Pictochat program to send messages back and forth at resess, etc.

Today, she learned an expensive lesson. She usually keeps the Gameboy zipped up in her coat pocket. Well, I guess her jacket fell off the hook and someone stepped on her coat. CRACK! Yes, you guessed it. The top screen on her dual-screen Gameboy is now cracked and not useable. She was devastated, but then realized that the bottom screen was still OK. She at least saw the bright side, but understood she made a big mistake by taking it to school. She said time and again that she wished she could go back in time to make a better decision.

So, I called Nintendo to see if it could be repaired. The good news, yes, it can be repaired, for $50. That's not too bad, and we're going to get it fixed. But, it was made very clear to Hannah that she'll be paying for it. Unfortuanately, she just spent her entire allowance for a new game for the Gameboy, so she doesn't have any money. She agreed to surrender her allowance for the next 10 weeks (yikes, that's a long time for a kid) to pay for the repair.

To me, $50 is really nothing at all. But, i think we still need to teach Hannah a lesson, that she's responsible for her things, and if they break, she'll have to pay to fix them. I feel bad for her, but at the same time, know that she needs to understand that Dad won't always be there to bail her out. Hopefully, she'll also become more responsible with her expensive toys. And, she's not taking it to school ever again!

Moving to a New Server

I had to move my website to a new server. I'm still with the same company, but just a different server. Wow, what a pain, but everything is finally back in place. About two weeks ago, we lost the ability to send email from the website. My wife sends her classroom newsletter via the website, and thus, it was a high priority. For some reason, the sendmail app on the server stopped responding. Ugh. I was one of the early customers for this company, and was on server 27. So, the server was old, but it served us well in the past. Tech support could not figure out the problem, so we had to move everything to a new server. I'm now on server 449. Wow, the company has really grown. So much so, that tech support in the past has been really lacking. So, after two weeks of emailing back and forth, and transferring all of our files over (200 mb), everything is running smoothly again.

Braces Finally Off

Today was the big day for our daughter. After 20 months, Hannah got her braces off today. She's been looking forward to this day for a long time. I have to admit, I was kind of excited myself. I never had braces when I was a kid, but I can only imagine how she must feel, knowing that she can now eat all of the things she hasn't been able to over the previous year and half. It was a fairly simple process. In and out in less than an hour. And her smile is beautiful. I'm really pleased with how things turned out. I think Hannah is happy too. The orthodontist did pull three loose molars, and Hannah wasn't happy about that, but they were mostly hanging by threads, so he pulled them anyhow. Hannah gets a retainer next week. I'm not sure if she'll like that, but it can't be any worse than the braces.

Traveling Home

Today was an uneventful day. I travelled home from Colorado. I was on the road by 800 AM. the weather was great, and it was easy to cruise at 75 to 80 on the Interstate. I had a chance to watch two movies. Again, it's pretty easy with straight roads, few hills, and not a lot of traffic. I was back in Omaha by 600 pm in the evening. It was a nice trip!

What a Relaxing Day

Today was a great day. It was spent with my brother and sister in Colorado Springs. It was a pleasant day and it was nice to be able to relax, have fun, and just be lazy. We drove up to Cripple Creek, which is a small mountain gambling town about 45 miles from Colorado Springs. I hadn't been there in almost 9 years. It was exactly the same as I remembered it. The drive was beautiful as the mountains had just received about 8 to 12 inches of snow the previous two days. We had a nice lunch at one of the restaurants in one of the casinos, and we spent about an hour gambling. I played Black Jack and won $40. My sister won $40 too, and my brother won $125, but put it all back into the machines. Ugh! Then, we had a nice dinner at Fazolis with my neice and her husband and family, then went to the move "Last Holiday." It was definitely a fun day.

Doing Something Crazy

I decided at the spur of the moment to take a vacation. Since I had the weekend off, I decided to drive to Colorado for a couple of days. Sometimes you just need to get away. In fact, I actually enjoy driving cross crounty, it's kind of like therapy for me, to be able to just travel the open road, listen to good music, and to have fun. After speaking with my brother to ensure that he was still on vacation, I called my wife and told her I'd be gone for a couple of days. She thought I was crazy!

The trip was uneventful and mostly pleasant. I had my Ipod shuffle, so I was listening to some of my favorite songs. I played with my GPS on my laptop, and even watched a video. I know, that sounds crazy, but if you've ever traveled across Interstate 80 in Nebraska or Interstate 76 in Colorado, you'd know that the road is essentially straight, there are few hills, and not a lot of traffic. In other words, it's pretty easy to listen to a movie, and occasionally glance down to check out the screen.

I arrived in Colorado around 530 PM. My brother had prior plans to take some friends out to dinner, and I was invited to come along. We went to a cozy little bistro and the food was awesome. It was a little pricey, but I think that's normal for that type of restaurant. I even had Escargot. It was a first for me, and last. It really wasn't that good, but I was being social. The filet that I had was absolutely the best steak I've ever eaten. Wow, it was delicious.

All in all, it was a spur of the moment decision, and I'm loving every minute of it.

My New Winechiller

For Christmas, I received a Vacuvin wine chiller.  It has a refreezeable gel pack that chills a bottle of wine in 5 minutes, and is supposed to keep the wine cool for several hours.  I have to say, it works really well.  After 5 minutes, it had cooled a room-temperature bottle of wine down to about 48 degrees.  It was really nice.  So, I think it will be a gift I definitely get a lot of use out of.

New Cell Phone

I’m in the market for a new cell phone.  Actually, it’s my wife’s cell phone.  Her phone was not holding a call, and was becoming basically worthless.  Of course, she talks a lot more (a lot) than I do, so I thought it was her battery.  We traded batteries.  That didn’t work.  So, we traded phones.  Actually, we just swapped the SIM card, which holds all of our numbers, the specific phone and account info, etc.  Her phone had about 110 hours of talk time, and mine has less than 15 hours.  Something is goofed up, but I’m not sure what.  Unfortunately, I can’t upgrade my phone yet with my wireless company (Cingular), and the phone is past the warranty period.  So, my only option is to buy a phone outright.  I’m not too thrilled about that, but it’s about the only option I’ve got.  Ugh.

Tackling an Impossible Project

Our basment has grown legs and fangs, and has taken on a life of its own. It's absolutely horrid down there, mainly because we've been using it as a dumping ground for all of the stuff that we don't want upstairs. You see, no one really ever sees the basement, except for the occasionaly repairman that has to go down there, or my wife's sister who takes delight in the fact that it's so messy. But, I've had enough. Even if no one sees it, it's gotten out of control. Thus, I kind of hit a brick wall tonight, and threw a fit. I vowed to start tossing things in the garbage. It's amazing at how stuff accumulates. We're being buried with stuff. And, we just keep buying more. And, we never get rid of anything. So, the stuff piles up. We did have a huge garage sale this past summer, and got rid of a lot of stuff, but it's funny how when you get rid of a bunch of stuff, you just get more.

Anyhow, the time has come. So, I started cleaning the basement. It's really a huge project, and I don't even know where to begin, but you have to start somewhere. If you keep looking at the mountain peak, you may never get there. But, if you just start working on the pile in front of you, then do the next pile after that, and the next, eventually, you'll prevail. One box at a time, making little strides, and sooner or later, it will be done. I know it won't happen overnight, but I'm shooting for March 1st as my deadline to have it all re-organized and complete. Hopefully, at that time, I wont' be ashamed if someone other than me sees it.

Awesome Dinner

This evening, we decided to go out to dinner. Well, in fact, we've been eating out a lot. It just seems that both I and my wife have been too busy lately to worry about making or planning dinner. I really hate to do both. I'm not a cook. I hate to cook. Actually, it's probably one of my least favorite things to do. I'd rather clean the house than cook. So, my wife mostly takes on the cooking chores, and I help whenever I can, but mostly don't do the lion's share at all, or only rarely. It's just that it's easier to eat out sometimes, rather than do the work at home. I suppose that's my lazy side coming out, but the food at restaurants just tastes better sometimes.

So, tonight was no different. Actually, my wife had prepared dinner in the crockpot, but it didn't turn out as we expected. So, we tossed it in the garbage, and went to Camille's Cafe. They serve soups, salads, and sandwiches. It's a really good place to eat. Tonight, we hit the jackpot. Because of their frequent eater program, I was due for a free meal. So, we used that for my daughter's tortilla rollup, and, it was buy one get one (BOGO) night. In other words, we only had to pay for one meal, and the other two were free! Woohoo, we felt like we had hit the jackpot. It was awesome.

Sand Everywhere

One of the measures used to treat roadways here in Nebraska includes using sand and gravel instead of salt or other chemicals. It seems more often than not, the road crews are spreading sand. And, unfortunatley, that sand gets tracked into the garage. So much so, the garage was looking really gross. Yuck. so, yesterday, I got the hose out and washed it out. It was mild enough (temperatures in the 40s) so that freezing wasn't a problem. After about 1/2 hour, the garage was clean again, and all of the sand was on the driveway. Wow, it was a lot of sand.

My Back is Getting Better

Well, after taking it easy for the last several days, I have to admit that my back is feeling a lot better. I'm about back to normal, but still am taking it slow for the next few days. I wish it would never happen, but at least I know how to make it feel better once it does.

My Aching Back

Damnit, I threw out my back again. This happens periodically, two or three times a year. I hate it when this happens. And, when it does, I'm layed up for a few days at least. I think I may have slept wrong last night. If I sleep on my side in a certain position, it really twists my back. It gets so painful, that eventually, I can't even walk. That's about the way it feels now. It's not so bad if I'm standing, but if I sit, or lie down, it's almost impossible to even get up. I think I'll take the day off tomorrow to just stay at home and rest. Hopefully, it won't last long.

Prelim Income Tax Summary

Woohoo! After a preliminary look at our income taxes, I think we're actually going to get a refund this year, from both federal and state. After the devastating blow last year of having to pay several thousand dollars, we made some quick (and correct) adjustments to our withholding tax, and it looks like it all worked out in the end. We also sold some stocks at a loss which helped to balance things out too. I'm just glad that we don't have to pay. Woohoo!

How Does Your Garden Grow

We've decided to plant a garden. Last summer, some friends gave me salsa ingredients, and this year, we've decided to grow our own. We've got plenty of space, but we haven't really prepared the ground. Thus, we intend to build a raised bed in the back yard using brick pavers. Ideally, I'd like to start off with a plot about 10' by 15', which should be enough for now. We need enough space to plant tomatoes, various peppers, and of course, we'd like to plant a few other veggies, such as squash, zuchini, cucumbers, and cantaloupe. I've thought a lot about the plot, and how it should be layed out. For now, I've got a plan, at least a preliminary plan, and have also devised a planting schedule. In order to stagger the expected crop of salsa ingredients, I'll plant the seedlings incrementally, which should provide enough separation to allow for 3 individual crops. I'll also need to start the seedlings indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before putting them out in the real garden beginning the first weekend in May. In other words, I may be getting in over my head, but we're going to still try. Ha. Hopefully, if it all works out, we'll at least get a couple of good batches of salsa out of the ordeal, and can then adjust the schedule for next year based on lessons learned this year.

The Era of Star Trek

I've noticed over the last 2 weeks, 3 people who have communicator-like devices attached to their ears. They are more than just a hands-free headset, in fact, they are the entire cell phone, based on Bluetooth technology. As far as I can tell, they are voice activated. They look a little weird, but I think this may be the trend of the future. In essence, the "personal communicator" used by Star Trek personnel has arrived. Yikes. The future is arriving faster than I ever thorugh it would.

As a side note, I really like my new toothbrush. In fact, it's aweseme. I've never used an electric toothbrush, and I do have to say, my teeth have never felt as clean. It's amazing. I think it was money well spent.

Visiting the Dentist

I went for my bi-annual dentist visit today. I really don't like going to the dentist, but I do like how clean my teeth are when I leave. In fact, I kind of dread going to the dentist, as my jaw hurts so much when I'm done. But, it wasn't as bad this time, and I was in and out in about 35 minutes. I also bought an electric toothbrush from them. I bought the Oral B Triumph, their latest and greatest model. I've been thinking about buying an electric toothbrush for awhile, and the sales pitch from the dental hygienist was too much to ignore. I thought it might be worthwhile to give it a try. It was $95, about $25 cheaper than buying it at the Walmart, plus, there's also a $10 mail in rebate. But, the replacement heads run about $20 per pack of 3, so that's pretty pricey. We'll see. It does have a 30 day money back guarantee, but I'm guessing I'll like it.

Another Round of Snow

It snowed again today, another 4". Wow, the winter is starting out with a bang. And, it's supposed to get very cold over the next few days, below zero at nighttime. That's one thing I could do without. Plus, all of the extra salt and sand in the garage is really messy. Yuck.

We went to the Nutcracker ballet tonight. Previously. after attending the Legend of Sleepy Hollow ballet (before Halloween), I vowed to never go to another ballet again. But, my wife and daughter wanted to go, and I agreed to buy the tickets. However, we almost didn't go afterall. We got into a huge family fight before going, and I practically ripped up tickets right in front of them. Then, my wife said she wasn't going to go, and I walked out with my daughter in tow. My daughter and I went to dinner without her. After dinner, I called her one last time to see if she wanted to change her mind. She reluctantly agreed to go.

So, we attended the ballet in angst, but I'm not sure if anyone in the family really enjoyed it, considering our fight. It was a nice show though, but I still really don't get ballet. I guess I just don't have the artsy gene in me. There were a lot of other guys there, and for the most part, they seemed to be really into it. The music was nice, but that's about as much as I got out of it.

Let It Snow

We got more snow today. Yikes. Another few inches. It's ironic actually, as I used to hate winter. Now, it's not so bad. I used to hate snow. Now, when we get a few inches, it's no so bad. I used to hate driving in the snow. Well, I still hate driving in the snow. I don't think that will ever change. I used to hate the cold. Now, cooler temperatures are OK, although frigid temperatures still suck.

Today, I went to the casino for a few hours. Upon leaving, the snow was already coming down. By the time I got across the river, the visibility was 1/2 mile or below, and traffic on the interstate came to an extremely slow pace. The roads were horrible. I guess the first snow that came down actually melted, then flash froze as temperatures still tumbled down. The roads were extremely icy as a result. It was scary. Actually, it took 1 and 1/2 hours to get home, in what usually takes only 30 minutes. Wow, I couldn't believe how slick it was.

And so, after arriving home, I decided that snow wasn't so bad. It's actually kind of pretty, especially when the wind doesn't blow. It blankets everything, and hides the ugliness. Our dog didn't like it very much, but otherwise, it's beautiful.

Hunting Success

Phew, I can only say that I got my tuckus kicked today. Ron got his elk. And, it took us ALL day to get it off the mountain. I am so sick. My cold is settling into my chest, and I feel horrible. I'm so glad that we're going home tomorrow. I don't want to be here anymore.

This morning started as it did yesterday. We were up at 430 AM and on the road by 500 AM. It was a foggy morning. Dense fog had settled into the valley. It seems the fresh snowpack, along with clear skies and very cold temperatures allowed dense fog to develop. However, as we ascended in elevation, we quickly drove out of it with a veil of fog below us. It was weird.

Upon driving up the trail to the mountain, we came across a spike elk. He was alongside the trail, and then bolted around the corner. As we drove further in, he stopped and looked at us. He was 25 feet from the truck. We drove around for awhile, commenting on how nice it would be if an elk would scamper onto the trail we were driving. We found a point to drive out onto. It didn't offer the best vantage point, so we found another point. And, it didn't take long. It was about 630 AM, just 5 minutes after the legal time to start shooting.

Ron got out of the truck to hike down the hill just a bit. He asked if I wanted to come. I was feeling very sick. I declined, and said I'd watch the hills from the truck, and if I saw something, I'd come get him. It wasn't more than 5 minutes and I heard a shot. Then another. And finally a third. I glanced over to my right, and saw three elk running down the hillside. They were about 300 yards away. Then they were gone. I got out of the truck and ran to where Ron was standing. He said he saw 4 elk, and thought he hit the third one, because the shot ended with a thud. We waited. We scanned the hillside. But, we didn't see anything. Then, on the far hillside, about 600 or 700 yards away, we saw three elk, standing, waiting, looking back. But, we didn't see the fourth elk. It gave us more confidence that Ron indeed had a hit with his third shot.

We decided to drive around to the next point to look back into the valley. At first glance, we didn't see anything, although Ron did see a patch but he thought it was rock. So did I. I took a second glance though after hiking down the hill about 100 yards to get a better look. Sure enough, I saw a leg. It wasn't a rock, but Ron's elk afterall. I looked up the hillside from where it was and saw a blood patch on the snow. It apparently ran about 50 yards from where Ron hit it, then stumbled, and rolled down the hill into a thicket of trees. Jackpot. The hunt was over.

However, the work was just beginning. Ugh. The euphoria was quickly overshadowed by the realization that this was going to be a next to impossible task. We had to hike about 1/2 mile down the mountain to get to her, and upon arriving at the scene, Ron realized that this was the biggest cow elk that's he's ever shot. He estimated that the elk weighed at least 500 lbs. Indeed, we found out that it weighed over 650 lbs from the butcher. Damn. It was huge.

Ron quickly got busy doing what was necessary. Even though I was born and raised on a farm, I've never seen this in person. Let's just say it wasn't what I expected. It was worse. Because the elk was so big, we decided to cut in half, just under the rib cage, and haul each piece out individually. Ron brought along an old army stretcher for just this purpose. So, we hiked back up to the truck to get all of the necessary gear. It was going to be a long day. And, my cold was getting worse.

After hiking back down to the elk once more, we tied the hind quarters onto the stretcher, and realized that it was going to be nearly impossible. It simply weighed too much. Ron decided to skin the elk right then and there, to remove as much weight as possible. After about 45 minutes, the elk weighed about 50 lbs less, and we again tied the elk to the stretcher. We began the trip up. It was hard going, and we could only carry the elk for about 10 seconds before having to stop for a break. For some reason, my left arm couldn't take the weight. I did slip on the snow earlier in the morning, and must have tweaked my arm some how. So, 10 seconds at a time we hauled the elk up the mountain. At one point, I thought I was going to die. The 10000 feet of elevation was killing me, and my cold was really straining my system. I couldn't catch my breath, and I started to hyperventilate. I lied down, and really thought it was the end. I'm not joking. I think my heart rate was over 250 beats per minute. I told Ron that if I died, to tell my wife and daughter that I loved them, and that I was sorry. But, eventually, I caught my breath and prevailed.

Unfortunately, only half the work was done. We had to make another trip down the hill to get the front quarters and head. I really didn't want to do it, but we had no choice. At this point, my cold was overtaking me, and I was feeling very bad. I couldn't keep my sinus under control, and I was coughing nearly constantly. Breathing that cold mountain air at 10000 feet was making it worse. I knew that I was getting very sick, but I didn't tell Ron a thing. I took a deep breath, and hiked back in to do what I came to do.

The second trip was just as bad as the fist. Ten seconds at a time, and after about an hour, it was over. Both halves were in the truck, and we were heading down the mountain. It was about 530 PM. The sun was just setting, and it was beautiful. I felt horrible, as my cold was really moving into my chest. I really thought it would have turned into pneumonia if we'd had stayed one more day.

We did stop at the meat processor on our way into town. Ron wanted to get the elk quartered and cleaned up for the trip home. The sun was down, and it was getting cold. It took about an hour to get the job done, which didn't help my condition any. By the time we got to town, I just wanted to sleep. We did head up to the restaurant to eat, however I wasn't hungry. I did eat some soup and had a couple of crackerss, but that was it. We went back to the motel, I took a warm shower, and am heading to bed.

We're getting up at 430 am again tomorrow to make the trip home. I'm thankful that Ron got his elk. He hasn't gotten one in 3 years, so it was his time. However, I'm also thankful that we're going home. While I learned a lot here, I doubt I'll ever come again. It's just not my cup of tea. I'm glad that I was able to help Ron get the elk off the mountain, but I don't want to do it again.

Hunting Trip Day 3

Today was an uproductive day. We got up early and headed out. We were on the mountain by 545 AM or so. I don't really remember though. I was really tired. We headed to Battle Ridge and decided to sit in the truck on a ridgetop, in hopes that an elk would come along. It was snowing, and had snowed another few inches overnight. We decided to not head to the mountaintop, as it was snowing too hard, with visibility only 1/2 or 1 mile. We didn't see much, but did see a bull elk sitting about 1000 yards away. We pondered if he was wounded, as it seemed weird for him to just be sitting there. Nevertheless, Ron didn't have a bull tag, and we would have had to hiked down into the valley, and back up the next hill. With the ongoing snowstorm, we decided to not attempt it.

We drove around to several other spots throughout the day. At least another dozen or so snowy trails, driving, parking, scanning the hillsides with binoculars, but not much to see. We headed back into town so Ron could pay for the motel. Because of our late arrival last night, he wanted to make sure that the motel owner wasn't getting worried.

On our way back to the mountain, we picked up a hitchiker. He was heading home to Laramie, after spending the summer and fall in California. He was a drifter, but seemed to be a good kid. He was cold, and hungry. We gave him a juice and snack, and wished him well.

We headed back to the hunt, to try to find something for sunset. However, we didn't see a thing, and decided to head back into town for dinner. So, a wasted day. I am getting a cold. I think the exhertion from yesterday led to a period of sweating, and then I got chilled. Hopefully, it won't be that bad, but I really don't want to go out tomorrow. I may ask Ron if I can hold back. I'm not sure I should be up on the mountain with my cold as it is. It will only get worse if I go. I'm sure I'll give in though. Afterall, what if he gets an elk. He'll need my help to get it out. That's why I'm here.

I can say, I'm really not enjoying hunting that much. I've discovered that the men really like to tell their stories, to outdo one another. But, I can also see how it makes them feel good. And, I think some of the guys really need to hunt to be able to feed their families. It seems it's a time for men to get in touch with nature, to relive times gone past, but also to just enjoy nature, and get away from the hustle and bustle for awhile. Still, it's not something that I think I'd enjoy, and doubt if I'll ever go again. Actually, it's kind of boring too. It's a lot of sitting, and talking, and looking, and waiting.

Hunting Trip Day 2

Well, we almost got stuck up on the mountain again. I have to admit, this hunting trip has stressed me out beyond belief. Let me explain.

Today, we arrived at the repair shop at 700 AM to get the starter fixed. At first, I thought the guy was really going to take us for a ride, as he wasn't saying much, and just seemed to be intent on screwing us. Then, he opened up a little, and realized that we weren't that bad afterall, and realized that it was just a frayed wire that shorted out the starter. So, after a couple of hours, we were ready for the hunt.

We arrived up on the mountain about 1000 AM, and learned that a herd of 250 elk had come out of the valley, ascended into the mountains, and then scattered as hunters descended upon them. We tried to drive up the mountain along a very steep, narrow trail. The snow was 20" to 30" deep here, with only about 12" of clearance on either side, with a steep dropoff on the driver's side. Again, Ron thought nothing of trying to climb the trail, but I was on the edge of my seat. In fact, we actually got stuck half way up, which literally scared the daylights out of me. Even the 4-low option couldn't get us out. The only choice was to back the truck down the mountain, and that was dicey at best. Probably one of the scariest times in my life. Finally, we got to a point where we could turn around, and made it back down safely. Thankfully, there was another trail up, which we drove without any trouble.

Once we got to the mountaintop, we drove back into the woods to see what we could find. We found hundreds of elk tracks, fresh ones at that. Sure enough, it seemed that the elk had scattered on the mountaintop, and were now back in the dark forest. It was a good spot. We drove around for another couple of hours. We did stop to put chains on the front tires. Ron assured me it would only take a few minutes. Well, 30 minutes later, the chains were on, and we were 4-wheeling even moreso than before. Damn, it's still scary.

Eventually, we found a trail that Ron wanted to follow. It was a ATV trail that went down the mountain. He wanted to hike it to see if we could stumble upon a few elk who were resting within the woods. I hiked along for the company, but regretted doing so. Ron walked down, down, down. I kept asking how far he wanted to go down, and he kept saying just a little further. He did comment though that we'd better stop soon, because we'd have to climb back up the hill. After about 45 minutes going down, it took us almost 1 and 1/2 hours to come back up. Wow, that was a hard hike. It really challenged my ability, especially after hiking through 10" of snow. We both vowed that we'd never do that again.

After arriving back at the truck, we had some juice and a snack and decided to find a good spot for sunset which was quickly approaching. We drove down and around, as we thought the elk might be down in the valley. We finally found a couple of trails, with a fork in the road. Ron decided to take the left fork up, but it was a tight squeeze. The trees were scraping the sides of the truck. When we got to the top, Ron asked if we should take the other trail down. I looked at the trail, and did see tire tracks, so thought it was a safe trail. I said go for it.

However, upon entering the trail, we quickly realized it was a huge mistake. Before we knew it, the snow gave way, and we were heading for a set of deep ruts, at least 4 feet deep. There was no way to stop, and in another few seconds, we were high centered with nothing but air underneath of the tires. Damn.

The sun was setting. We got out of the truck, and realized how dire the situation was. There was nothing to do. Ron said that we had to start getting trees to put into the ruts. It was our only hope. However, he didn't have a chain saw, and didn't have the special type of jack that he needed. It was hopeless. We tried everything. We gathered as many downed trees as we could. We broke smaller branches, trying to build up support for the tires to grip. We used a winch attached to a tree to try and pry the truck out.

Thankfully, we did pass a camp about a mile down the road, so I offered to hike down to the camp to ask for help. After hiking down, I realized that no one was home. They were likely still hunting. I waited for 1/2 hour, and still, no one showed. I hiked back up to the truck, and we both conceded that our best option was to ride the night out in the truck. We had plenty of food, and were going to start a fire. It wasn't cold, and the wind wasn't blowing, but a storm was brewing. We could tell that it was going to snow later that night. I knew we'd survive, but it could be a long, cold night.

We both decided to hike back down to the camp, to see if the tents were open. If another snow storm was brewing, we thought about seeking shelter there. One of the tents had a wood stove, so at least we would be warm. However, the hunters were back, after getting a huge cow elk. They offered their help, and we went to work. He got his chain saw, and special jack, and we hiked back up to the truck. We cut down a few more trees, and used the jack to get the best leverage. Finally, the tires were able to get a grip, and we got the truck out. There were still 4' deep ruts down the rest of the trail, so Ron had to straddle the ruts as best he could, then make a cut across for the last leg. Upon doing so, he tilted the truck up on two wheels, to an alarming 45 degrees, and one point, I thought he was going to roll it. But, by some miracle, we made it out alive, with no damage to the truck. It was almost 1100 PM. The clouds were moving in, and snow was beginning.

We drove off the mountain rejoicing in the fact that we were able to get out, period. We were thankful that we found the camp, and that indeed they had come back. We were happy, but tired. So, the second day was exhausting, and exhilerating. I'm so glad that we got off the mountain. In fact, I'm not very excited about going back. I really don't want to jeopardize getting stuck yet again. I feel as if our luck is running out. We've been stranded on the mountain two nights in a row, but have gotten out OK each time. But, I don't want to push it. Tomorrow is another day though, and I know we're getting up at 430 AM to be on the road by 500 AM.

Hunting Trip Day 1

Today was a long day. We left home around 300 AM in the midst of a rainstorm, but after about 30 minutes of driving, it quickly changed to snow. The winds also increased to 30 to 40 mph. It didn't take long to drive out of the inclement weather though, as we were driving on dry pavement in about another hour after that.

The trip was rather uneventful. I took a nap. I read the newspaper. Soon enough, we were driving through the mountains between Cheyenne and Laramie, and then ventured off the interstate to go up and over the pass between Laramie and Walden. We arrived in Walden around 200 PM, and had enough time to do some scouting to find a good hunting spot the next day.

My father in law has hunted here for at least a dozen years, so knows the area very well. Snow was plentiful, about 6" to 10" at the lower elevations, but 12" to 20" up on the mountaintops. I also experienced my first 4 wheeling experience. Ron turned off the road, and was heading up the mountain on a small trail, with about 15" of snow. We bounced around, slid sideways, and eventually made it OK. It was kind of scary, but after I realized what the truck could do, it wasn't so bad.

We drove to another very remote spot, and stopped the truck. Ron wanted to take a quick nap, and I was playing with the GPS receiver attached to my laptop computer. After about 20 minutes, Ron woke up and tried to start the truck. It wouldn't start. There was plenty of juice, but nothing was cranking. Ugh. It was about 330 PM at this point. We flagged down a passerby, and he offered a jump start. It didn't work. It seemed that the starter had given out. My cell phone didn't have a signal. The guy in the other truck had a satellite phone, so we called a tow truck.

The tow truck driver said he didn't think he could make it out this far. We assured him the road was OK, and he would be able to make it with no trouble. He assured us he'd be there in 45 minutes. Well, 2 hours went by, and he still hadn't shown. We thought he stood us up, and were actually quite mad. Thankfully, another vehicle eventually came by, and offered us a ride into tow. Unfortunately, our hunt was getting off to a bad start. On the way into town, we met the tow truck driving out. He came upon another car in the ditch before getting to us, so had to take of them first. So, Ron headed back with the tow truck driver to get the truck and I headed into town to the Motel.

Wow, I almost thought we'd be spending the night up on the mountain. I didn't think we were going to find a ride back into town. I'm so thankful we did. So, we'll have to get the truck fixed in the morning. It's been a long day. So many adventures, and the hunt hasn't even begun.

The Hunting Trip Looms

Well, the big hunting trip is scheduled for this week. We leave for the mountains on Tuesday. The only problem, the place where we're going (near Walden, Colorado) is expecting 10 to 20 inches of snow. My father in law wanted some snow to drive the elk off the mountaintop, but now, I'm not even sure we can make it there. To get to Walden, we have to go up and over a 10,000 foot pass. Yikes. With that much snow, the pass might even be closed. I'm not excessively worrying about it, as this is mostly a vacation for me, but I also don't want to get stranded either. So, it will be an interesting week. After the winter storm winds down Tuesday, it should be dry the remainder of the week. I've got my pile of stuff ready to go. I'm taking several magazines to read, a couple of good books, and also am taking my laptop to watch a few DVDs. I also bought some new software to play with, so should have plenty to keep my busy. There won't be any Internet or cell phone access, but that's OK. It will be fun to just get away for awhile. I've got my cold weather gear ready to go, including long johns, and several layers of clothing, wool gloves, coveralls, the whole nine yards. I did buy a new pair of boots, a pair that has some insulation, and also are more waterproof than my old hiking boots. I've also got my daypack ready to go, and re-stocked my first aid kit. Ron has all of the food planned, and I bought a case of bottled water. So, all in all, I think we're ready. I've never really seriously been in the mountains during the wintertime, so it will definitely be a new experience. Until next week.

I Am So Motivated!

I attended the "Get Motivated" seminar this past Tuesday. It was a long day, but overall, I think there were some excellent presenters. We got there about 645 am, and were sitting in our seats about 710 am. It's a good thing we got there early, because the crowds were unbelievable, which eventually brought traffic to a standstill. In fact, the Get Motivated Seminar overbooked the event by about 2000 people, and initially, those folks were turned away, but eventually, they opened up a side room to let them in.

The speakers were engaging, and I felt in awe to be able to hear some of them. The first speaker was former Husker coach and current US representative Tom Osborne. He didn't really have a clear message, but he did pump up the crowd to get them ready for the day. After that, the next speaker was an immigrant at one time, but is now the Vice President of Operations for Zig Ziglar's motivational company. While he spoke very fast, he was very enthusiastic, and I actually enjoyed his presentation very much. His name was Krish Dhanan, and he had some very humorous stories to tell.

The next presenter was Top Hopkins, a former real estate guru. His presentation was on sales tactics, and the skills necessay to close deals. I found his presentation to be a little creepy, and he really opened my eyes to the slimy things salespeople will do to get you to sign the contract. It really kind of left a bad feeling inside, knowing how low salespeople will go. Hmm.

The best presentation of the day was Rudolph Guiliani, former mayer or New York City. Honestly, I think he's positioning himself for a presidential bid for the 2008 race. When he entered, the PA system played "New York, New York", red white and blue ticker tape shot out of cannons on the stage, fireworks were sent off (yes, this was indoors), and red, white and blue confetti streamers fell from the ceiling. It was really cool, I have never seen anything like it. His speech was so interesting. I just felt that he made such a unique connection with the audience, and he seemed incredibly genuine. His speech was definitely worth it, and probably the best speech of the day.

After that, we listened to Phil Town as he pitched his stock buying methods. I was initially really turned off by this guy, knowing that he was ultimately trying to sell his stock seminar for $995, discounted from the original price of $6000. What a joke. But, his enthusiasm was catching, and he really sold his product well. In fact, there were literally hundreds of people signing up for the seminar after his speech. I considered it, but feel that it's not in my best interest right now, although I truly believe his approach will work. He had some really good ideas, and he was definitely a good salesman. It's easy to see why he's a multi millionaire, especially when he convinces so many people to drop a grand to learn his program. Although, I'm sure there's another catch, in that you'll have to spend a lot more to really get what you need from the class.

Lunch was interesting to say the least. Just imagine 18,000 people all trying to eat lunch at the same time, from the few snack stands that were available. It was a disaster. I know some of the folks I went with didn't eat at all. I finally found a lunch area on the other side of the arena, without a line. All of the other counters were 100 people deep, and I walked right in and had lunch in 10 minutes. It was $10, and people were complaining about spending the money. But, you would have spent that much at one of the regular vending booths, so I'm not sure why people were grumbling so much.

After lunch wasn't as much fun. Zig Ziglar spoke for about 1 1/2 hours, and I was truly unimpresed. I've never heard him speak before, and frankly, I could have done without his presentation. I think perhaps he's past his prime. I understand he's been doing motivational speaking for a long time, and overall, I think he should retire. His message was so disjointed, as he kept going in to many different directions. In other words, I never got a clear sense of direction of exactly what he was trying to convey. I'm not sure why it was so hyped up, but it really didn't do much for me at all.

Then, John Smith spoke. He was selling he real estate investing seminar. He had a really weird sense of humor, kind of like Stephen Wright. Overall, he wasn't a really good presenter, but I did undertand some of his concepts. Like Phil Town, his ultimate goal was to get you to attend his 3 day real estate seminar, for only $99. I was shocked it wasn't more. There were a few people signing up, probably about 1/10 as many as signed up for the stock investing seminar. Basically, he buys real estate through various methods, cheaply I might add, then trys to get low income families into the homes. One of programs he runs is that if the families rent from him for 180 months, they get the home free and clear after that time. He does a lot of other deals too. I know thought that after hearing others talk, they didn't particularly enjoy his presentation, so I'm not sure how much of a connection he made with everyone else.

After that, George Ross from the Apprentice television show spoke. Again, he didn't really have a clear message that he was trying to convey, and was only there for the TV celebrity factor I think. He's 77 years old, and still going strong. I thought he was amusing to see, if only because he's become somewhat of a TV personality, but that's about it. I thought he might have had more to say, but he really didn't.

Beyond then, we left. It was already 430 pm, and the others that I went with wanted to go home. Suze Orman was speaking when we walked out the door. I know who she is, but don't really know what type of message she wanted to present. Jerry Lewis was also scheduled to speak. I understand his presentation was entirely humor based, and had some really good stories to tell, but again, we didn't get to see him.

Overall, I had a really good time, and felt that I picked up some valuable pieces of advice. These seminars are designed to expose you to a multitude of ideas. It's not intended that you absorb every bit of it, and encorporate everything into your personal character. It's a process. If you keep discussing these kinds of ideas, you become a better person because of it, without an overnight transformation. It was time well spent.

Another Lengthy Period

I just don't have the time for this that I originally intended. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Let's see, where to begin? I recently started another batch of wine. It was a gallon-size batch of White Niagara, from Welches frozen concentrate. So, I've got quite a few batches going right now, including Apple, Orange Mead, Port, White Zinfandel, and the White Niagara. Yum. Hopefully, this coming week, I'll bottle the White Zin, and will be drinking it soon thereafter.

Our daughter has started piano lessons again. We finally found someone who was within the affordable range, and she's really excited. I don't think she's too happy about practicing though, but overall, I think she likes to play.

My wife had her Tastefully Simple party a couple of nights ago. She had a really good turnout, in fact, her sales rep said this will likely be her highest-sales party to date. Yeah. Although, I wasn't very happy about having to do all of the extra housework by myself, but I got over it.

We went to a ballet last night at the Rose Theatre here in Omaha. We have season tickets to the children's theatre productions, which includes 2 ballet performances throughout the year. The show was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I was a little unsure of what to expect since I've never been to a ballet before. And, I'm not familiar with the story at all. But, it really wasn't that bad. The program had a few paragraphs of the Sleepy Hollow story in general, so I was able to follow along pretty well. I'll admit, I was enchanted by the story, and trying to figure out what the expressions being conveyed by the dancers. Really, it wasn't that bad, and at least I got to do something that I've never done before.

I'm scheduled to attend a "Get Motivated" seminar this coming week. Nearly 3/4 of the staff in my office are going, so it should be an interesting day. Actually, it's a cleverly disguised scheme for an all-day long informercial, to get you to buy more of their products and seminars. But, mixed in, there are motivational speakers, including Zig Zigler, George from the Apprentice, and Rudy Guiliani. There are a few other personalities, including Tom Osborne, Jerry Lewis, and Suze Orman too. So, if I can stand to sit through the high pressure sales pitches, it should be a fun day.

No other news to report. Oh yeah, I am going elk hunting in a few weeks with my father in law. We're going to Colorado for a week. Well, I should say, I'm going along to be a companion, but am not hunting myself. I'm just going for moral support, and to help haul out the game if Ron gets anything. I'm a little nervous about the whole ordeal, but it will be a good time to get away and relax for awhile, away from society, albeit only for a few days.

The holidays are quickly approaching. Ugh. I'm not really a holiday-oriented person, and actually could do without the hassle. Ha. But, for our daughter, I intend to put a good show.