The Plan is taking shape

I was looking online last night at what airfare will cost me for a round trip ticket from either Manchester, NH (MHT) or Boston, MA (BOS) to Dallas (DFW) for three days. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $300.00 and up. There are so many on-line places to purchase airline tickets these days that it can get kind of confusticating. So I called my older sister C and left her a message & sent her an e-mail.

I decided to call her back tonight, since I hadn't heard back from her. Older sister C (as opposed to younger sister C) was a travel agent for many years and currently works for an airline at the Portland, Maine airport. Right off the top she suggested I use one of her "buddy passes." She gets eight of these every year, at significant discount from regular airfare. So tomorrow she will find out the cost so that I can send her a check and then she will send me the tickets.

It's all about who you know, right? How cool is that?

I will be in Dallas sometime on Wednesday, March 1. The reason for my going takes place on March 2 & 3. As it stands now, I'll be flying back on the 3rd, but maybe on the 4th or 5th, depending on what the best arrangements I can make are and what other things there are to do in the "big D".

Actually, I'm kind of excited about it. It is always interesting going to a place for the first time.

Now I have something to look forward to.

A step in the right direction

I'm tired of this.

What, you may ask, am I tired of?

I'm tired of watching my life swirl in a cloud of indecision and futility while I sit around and watch. I want things to happen (need them to, in fact) but am hesitant to have my life turned upside down by the decisions (or lack of) that I make...

So tonight I have started the process of jumping back into the game. Bigtime.

For now, all I'll say is that the first step of my journey to change & take hold of my life begins with a trip to Dallas, Texas at the beginning of March. I know I'll be there, now I just need to purchase the airfare to get me there. Or would it be cheaper (and a lot more time consuming) to drive the measly 1,768 miles ONE WAY?? NO, I'll probably fly there & back again, this time...

This will also be my first ever jaunt into the great state of Texas, so that in itself is something.

I will however ask you this: For those of you who are Christians, please pray for me and this decision. If everything works according to The Plan, it will be a huge, life altering decision for me. I've known that I've needed to do this for a while now but have been procrastinating.

Of course, my friends, I will post more about this as The Plan crystalizes and becomes more clear.

A few more forgotten words

NOVILUNAR: Pertaining to the new moon; [from] Latin novus, new, and luna, the moon.
-Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c. 1850

Yesterday was the first new moon of 2006.

Customs of the Year's First New Moon
Look at the first new moon of the year through a silk handkerchief which has never been washed. As many moons as you see throughthe handkerchief(the threads multiplying the vision) so many years will pass ere you are married. But it is unlucky to see the new moonthrough a window pane....At the first appearance of the first new moon of the year, go out in the evening, standing over spars of a gate or stile, and looking on the moon, repeat:

All hail to the moon, all hail to thee,
I prythee, good moon, reveal to me
This night who my husband shall be.

You will dream that night of your future husband. This rite is practised too in Sussex, where they say alsothat if you can catch a falling leaf you will hae 12 months of happiness.

-William Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England, 1879.

LUNTING: Walking and smoking a pipe.

-John Mactaggart's Scottish Gallovidian Encylopedia, 1824

CALIFORNIA WIDOW: A married woman whose husband is away from her for any extended period; a "grass widow" in the least offensive sense of that term. The expression dates from the period of the California "gold fever," when so many men went West, leaving their wives and families behind them.

-John Farmer's Americanisms Old and New, 1889

Gold Fever

On January 24, 1848, gold was found on a site along the American River, near Sacramento, where the emigrant entrepreneur Johann Sutter was building a sawmill. This discovery would seem to have secured the financial futureof the German-born Sutter, who also owned a store, several other buildings and a sizeable ranch nearby. Instead, it prompted the exodus of many of his employees, who eagerly traded in their mundane existencefor the seeming promise of riches in the first wave of what became the California Gold Rush. Sutter's various operations were further disrupted by the hordes of footloose fortune-seekers who swarmed over his lands. He was forced to file bankruptcy in 1852 and later moved to the East.

The Bill of No Rights

From my infamous grandmother, another email which I thought was funny and really makes you think about the freedoms we take for granted in this country.

NON-BILL OF RIGHTS

"We, the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid any more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt-ridden, deluded, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim that they require a Bill of No Rights."

ARTICLE I:
You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II:
You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone — not just you! You may leave the room, change the channel, or express a different opinion, but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III:
You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV:
You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V:
You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI:
You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII:
You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII:
You don't have the right to demand that our children risk their lives in foreign wars to soothe your aching conscience. We hate oppressive governments and won't lift a finger to stop you from going to fight if you'd like. However, we do not enjoy parenting the entire world and do not want to spend so much of our time battling each and every little tyrant with a military uniform and a funny hat.

ARTICLE IX:
You don't have the right to a job. Sure, all of us want all of you to have one, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE X:
You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to pursue happiness — which, by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an overabundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

If you agree, we strongly urge you to forward this to as many people as you can. No, you don't have to, and nothing tragic will befall you should you not forward it. We just think it is about time common sense is allowed to flourish — call it the age of reason revisited.

Check out the original myth busting page from www.snopes.com for the history behind this piece.

Simple things that make me smile

Have you ever seen the movie Madagascar?

My kids really enjoy this movie. We watched it tonight because Saturday is M's night to pick the movie that we watch as a family. If you've ever seen the end credits of this film, you'll know that the first song that plays over them is really neat.

What always makes me smile is how M always dances around the room singing, " I wanna move it, move it." He gets all crazy and dances without the slightest bit of self-consciousness, every time he hears this song. Then he gets V into it, but she doesn't have the enthusiasm that he does.

I love it when my kids make me smile. One of the best feelings in the world, that is.

Adverse working conditions

As some of you might know from reading some of my previous posts (mostly in archives by now), I work for a manufacturing company that makes medical implant devices. I work with heavy machinery and plastic polymers, which get heated up and molded into many variouos devices, depending on which customer we're making product for.

Our main and major customer hasn't been placing as many orders so far this year as they did in 2005, so work has been slow for some of us and for myself occasionally. We have many r&d projects that we're working on, which have great long term potential and possible large financial impact on the company's bottom line. In the short term, however it seems like were on a holding pattern. Nothing to do for days at a time and then at the snap of a finger, 50 projects that need to be done and shipped yesterday.

One of my main responsibilities, along with my partner J, is to disassemble, clean and reassemble the parts of the machine that actually handle the molten plastic. Cleaning these parts takes time and involves a lot of fine detail work. Cleaning, polishing and polishing some more, until the original shine is restored (or as close as we can get to it). Cleaning the parts until they not only shine, but are particle free. Particles left over are bad because it is these particles that usually find their way into the parts that are being made.

Well, on Thursday this week, J was out and I was on my own. The workshop where the cleaning takes place is in the same area where the loading dock is. The temperature of this room is directly related to the air temperature outside and in the room where all of the raw material we use is stored, since they are on the same air line (or someting like that). Which means that this room is much cooler than the rest of the building is. This is real nice in the summer when the weather outside is hot, but in the winter this is not a good thing. The good part of working in the workshop is that I can play the radio loud, so I can hear it over the hum of the other machines in the room.

You also should know from reading here that I am not a fan of being cold, at all. Thursday was a real challenge for me in that the workshop area started the day being a crisp 49 degrees Farenheit. During the course of the day, the temperature only rose 3 degrees. And I needed to be in there cleaning stuff all day. What made it worse was that I needed to sit at a table right below the vent, which constantly was spewing cold air at me. So I took a few unscheduled breaks throughout the day to wander around in the warmer sections of the building.

I did have a sweater on underneath my work sweater but due to the detailed work I was doing, I was only able to wear thin plastic disposable gloves. Those gloves are really only useful to keep my hands from getting dirty. It would be hard to keep these parts clean if I was constantly handling them with dirty hands.

Today was moderately better, as the temperature in the workshop started out at 54 degrees Farenheit and during the day rose to 62. I did have on an additional layer to help keep myself warm, assuming that it would be just as cold in the workshop today as it was yesterday.

As with everything else at my company, these things run in cycles. Either everything is clean and ready for use or every piece of equipment in the building is on the queue waiting to be cleaned.

Despite the chilly temperatures inside the workshop, I'd rather be busy than trying to find stuff to do. Being busy means the day goes by faster.

Not so bad after all

Hello everyone:

Just a few random thoughts & such for today.

1. Even though I said I would do it a week ago Wednesday, I just filed my 2005 income taxes tonight. Gotta love e-filing. The damage wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. I should get my refund just in time to pay the rent & catch up on the bills.
2. A few interesting percentages from my tax software, which calculated that based on my 2005 income, I paid:
1. 5.62% in federal tax
2. 4.97% in MA state income tax
3. 6.19% in Social Security taxes
4. 1.44% in Medicare tax AND
5. took home 81.74% of my gross income.
3. I had a job interview yesterday afternoon after work. The job would pay more than what I'm making now BUT I would have a longer commute, thus spending more on gas AND I would have to pay for health insurance, which I don't do now. PLUS the job is still in MA and would require me again to pay MA income tax. If I get a second interview, I'll need them to up the offer in salary to compensate for that. The interview itself went well, I think and I am definitely qualified for this job.
4. At the job interview I learned that the guy who interviewed me grew up in the same town as I did and he married the sister of a guy who has worked for my brother's landscaping company.
5. Regarding any job, including the one I currently have: I don't really want to sit at any desk job, unless it's my own desk at home. I'd stay at the job I have if I could get a substantial boost in salary, though. My problem is this: I'd like to transition to a self-employed freelance copywriter, but how to make ends meet during the transition has me stumped.
6. I always have a bad attitude when getting out of bed in the morning, and that grumpiness has carried over into the first part of my workday. This is not a good thing.
7. I am always tired.
8. There are so many books I want to read (all at the same time) and finish. But choosing one to start is not as easy as it would appear.
9. I spend entirely too much time on the internet, but it's one of my few vices.
10. My desk is a mess. My kitchen table is a mess. I need to change out the kitterbox (yuck).
11. I don't mind doing laundry, i.e. washing the clothes. Its folding them that I hate. As a result I have a basket of clean unfolded laundry sitting in my room from Sunday. I will go around wrinkled when I wear these clothes.
12. My kids arrive for the weekend tomorrow evening. They will be happy there is no football on television this weekend.
13. I'm hungry and need a snack, so I'll just leave you with this Forgotten Word from my calendar:

CURMURRING

A low rumbling sound; hence, the motion of the bowels, produced by flatulence, attended by such a sound; borborygmus; Scotch.

-William Whitney's Country Dictionaryand Cyclopedia, 1889.

Murmuring, grumbling; sometimes applied to that motion of the intestines which is produced by slight gripes. This is one of these rhythmical sort of terms for which our ancestors had a peculiar predilection. It is compounded of Suio-Gothic (the ancient language of Sweden) kurr-a, to murmur.

-John Jamieson's Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808.

Curmurrin, a source of grumbling.

-Alexander Warrack's Scots Dialect Dictionary, 1911.

FEAST DAY OF ST. TIMOTHY

a protector of those with intestinal ailments. The American journalist and linguist H.L. Mencken facetiously came up with the pseudo-Italian neologism flatuoso, which he suggested might be an elegant term for one who is continually troubled by flatulence.

Is it necessary to copyright your work?

A few days ago amz left a comment on one of my posts regarding the copyright I have in my header. She was wondering if she should copyright her poetry before posting it on her blog. So as I was surfing the net, I came across this article from www.writersdigest.com:

Q&A: Copyright Before Submission?
Q. Do I have to copyright my work first, even if it's a short story,(poem, etc.) before I send it off for someone to publish?
--Philip Atkins

A. Your work is protected under copyright law the second you write it or type it (as soon as it is "fixed in a tangible medium"). That said, registering your copyright with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress will help you prove your copyright in a court of law. For more information about registering your copyright, visit here. Keep in mind, however, that a publisher will re-register your copyright once your book is published if you are writing a book.
If you do register your copyright before submitting your work, we don't recommend indicating that on your manuscript. Some agents and editors feel that including the copyright information on your work is a sign that you don’t trust them, that you’re warning them you’ve copyrighted it and they’d better not steal it. Editors and agents already have a working knowledge of copyright and the legal costs of copyright infringement. They don’t appreciate amateur writers covering every page of a manuscript with copyright information.

Writers also tend to be more paranoid about copyright infringement than they need to be. There are so many ideas out there some will naturally overlap, but direct plagiarism is rare. An idea is only as strong as its execution, and if the writing isn’t professional, no one will go to the trouble to steal it.

If you still feel the need to include the copyright symbol on your submission, simply write © followed by your name and the year the manuscript was written at the top right corner of the first page of your manuscript.
--Jerry Jackson Jr., assistant editor, Writer's Digest

Another fun test to take...

I'm never one to shy away from posting these little tests. This one I got from American Guy who stole it from The Surrealist.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Green!

1. The moon is 400 times closer to the Earth than Green, and 400 times smaller.
2. Green is the only bird that can swim but not fly.
3. Originally, Green could not fly.
4. During severe windstorms, Green may sway several feet to either side!
5. Some birds use Green to orientate themselves during migration.
6. There are roughly 10,000 man-made objects the size of Green orbiting the Earth.
7. Forty percent of the world's almonds and twenty percent of the world's peanuts are used in the manufacture of Green!
8. Four-fifths of the surface of Green is covered in water!
9. Two thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in Green.
10. If you lick Green ten times, you will consume one calorie.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

200th post: Evolution Revisited

When I started blogging, in June 2005, my blog went under a different name. For a while I had two blogs, one that was going to be more "controversial" and this one. Soon I discovered that it was hard enough keeping up with one blog let alone two. As this was the only post I ever entered on to the "controversial" blog, I decided to save it and re-post it at another time. The other blog no longer exists.

Earlier this month I posted a list of things about myself that you should know. This was #5 on that list:

I believe evolution is just a theory. It is a scientific impossibility and a load of bull****.

No one has been able to sufficiently prove me wrong with credible evidence and until they do my stance will not change. So here, for your reading consumption is this, the text of that original post. Plus the only original comment left on it, which appears at the end of this post. Any additions to the original post are noted in red.

Much to the chagrin of evolutionists, the debate between evolution v. intelligent design is growing, rapidly. The question is, should Intelligent Design be allowed to be taught in public schools alongside evolution? I did a google search on this topic and found many interesting articles, including this one:

Intelligent design vs. Evolution


Briefly, my view is that these two topics should be allowed to be taught in public schools to allow for balance in a student's education. This despite the fact that I think the theory of evolution is impossible and therefore a load of crap.

For too long the evolutionist camp has had free reign in American schools and universities, thus brainwashing a generation (or more) of students into this narrow, naturalistic worldview without any reasonable alternative. This is not an argument for intelligent design, just a simple fact.

The next bit I mention for the sole purpose of adding context to what I just wrote and background to what follows after.

For two years I had a long and really good e-mail conversation with a friend of mine that I've known since elementary school (thirty years or so but who's counting...), who while growing up Catholic is now an avowed atheist. During the course of this conversation I was forced to do an awful lot of reading about evolution (more than I care to admit) in order to try and understand where my friend was coming from with his arguments, and establish the framework for some of my responses. This conversation/debate has ended, but not in a satisfying way and not by my choice, because it left me with many unanswered questions about the theory of evolution that my research and reading did not cover or the answers given were unsatisfactory.

Some of these questions follow:

1) Even before the cell, how did the chemicals that form a DNA strand come together? What was the cause?

If evolution is correct and all life originated from a single cell then:

2) what did the first cell use for food?
3) what was the impetus for some cells becoming animal cells and some cells becoming plant cells?
4) how did those early cells know what improvements/changes were needed to survive and how to make them?

5) Survival of the fittest is one justification used by evolutionists to describe reasons for an animal species to evolve from one form to another. How does survival of the fittest apply to the many plant species, which are often used as food for animals and can't run away as a form of defense from predators?

6) How did the many kinds of plants make it around the globe, since they can't move on their own?

7) As an evolutionist, how do you justify the Cambrian Explosion?

8) As an evolutionist, how do you justify the billions of different species of animals and the complexity of each species?

9) Since there are billions of different spieces of plants and animals in existence today, there should be a heavily documented fossil record of both plants and animals. If evolution is correct, how do you account for the lack of these transitional forms in the fossil record?

10) A defining charachteristic of humans vs. animals are intangibles such as the display of emotions; the ability to think and reason and the need to love and be loved (for fun let's add compassion, anger, greed, etc.) to name some. How does evolution, which deals with the physical nature of life account for the existence of these intangibles? Things that can not be measured, weighed or broken down into base chemicals and elements? Where did these things come from?

I'm sure I have more questions which I will ask in later posts. Up until this point, however, no evolutionist that I know of or read about can answer any of these questions logically or with any shred of reasonable proof. Yet all evolutionists claim that evolution is a proven fact and all serious scientists know this. However, I can provide names, specialty and university where the degrees were obtained of 50 serious scientists who also do not believe in evolution.

It seems to me that when pressed for answers they don't have, an evolutionist will do one of threee things:

1) avoid the question asked
2) lose interest in the debate
3) make stuff up to fit their worldview that sounds good.(I hope this one isn't true).

Can anyone of the atheistic/naturalistic worldview answer these questions with solid answers that make sense? Is there anyone out there who can meet this challenge?

On September 1, 2005, one comment was left. One intrepid person, whose name has been omitted, gave it a go and attempted to answer some of my questions. For that attempt I applaud him, however his answers are not at all satisfying and leave a lot to be desired. He said:

"While I consider myself an evolutionist, I haven't spent my life studying it, therefore could only offer some off the cuff answers for some of these questions. Incidentally, even though I see evolution as the most probable cause of life's development, I also concede that there are many holes and questions that still need answers, just as there are in the faith of many Christians. Theologians spend their lifetime trying to answer the questions of other theists who have encountered holes in their faith. For me it's the scientific process that I enjoy, rather than being proved right.

Q 5) Actually, fittest is a misnomer. More accurately it means, survival of those that survive. Plants don't need to be able to move to have defences, they can be toxic, or they could grow spikes. So how would a non-intelligent plant know what "defensive" changes needed to be made? And how would it go about making them? They may also have evolved without the required nutritional aspects that certain species of animals need to survive, making their potential as food, 'fruitless'. Again you are assuming intelligence here where there is none.

Q 6) Plants don't move, but seeds do. "And the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind." Sure, seeds do blow in the wind, but what happened to the plants in the meantime - the stage between plant and seed? Which came first, plant or seed? And wouldn't it take a really long time for all of these "evolved" seeds to randomly float about the earth, landing, germanating and producing more seeds?

Q 8) Mutation (In all known cases, mutation causes defect and degeneration. In no recorded case was any "new information" added via mutation.)

Q 9) I think it's a bit unreasonable to expect that by now we should have found every bit of evidence that millions of years of evolution has left for us. We're finding new things all the time. What? We're also still missing an arc. If this arc is missing, how do we know it's missing?

Q 10) The intangibles you mention are not what i'd describe as defining characteristics between humans and animals. In fact, i'd say that animals exhibit all of those intangibles to varying degrees. (Really?) Have you seen the way an elephant behaves when a family member dies? So that elephant can think about, reason out and rationalize the death of a family member, as humans can and do? Many aspects of man's emotions are currently being reduced to chemicals. Which ones? Where is the scientific documentation? What's the chemical for love? I need more of that. How about compassion? I could use more of that, too. Can I buy the chemicals at the store and mix them together myself?

So, I can't answer all your questions, but based on the evidence I have seen, I think the potential for all the questions of evolution to be answered at some point is extremely high. Aaaaaahhh, the eternal optimist...

In fairness to him, I asked him what some of his problems with Christianity were, so that maybe I could help out his understanding. He gave me some questions to ponder, and I have. But his questions and my responses will be a post for another day.

Bang on my head (like a drum)

The time now is 04:44. Let me explain why I'm up this early, because I'm usually not.

Around 21:30 I started to feel a headache coming on, so I took two generic aleve, hoping it would not get worse. It did. By 22:30 I felt like my head was the bass drums in a large marching band. So I went to bed early. 22:30 is early for me. I lay there for about ten minutes and decided to take two more generic aleves since my head was still pounding. They apparently worked because I fell asleep shortly after.

While I was waiting to fall asleep I confirmed what I already know: that I am addicted to this blogger thing. Why? Because while my head was still pounding and I'm trying not to think about anything, my mind is still working - thinking about how I'd write about this lousy headache I'm having here for you all to read about.

Pathetic, isn't it?

I woke up because I had to pee. This waking up to pee is "old man's disease" as my friend AG diagnosed himself with a while ago. I discovered that he put an effective name to what was happening to me, and this was before I had my kidney stone issues a few months ago. Due to the stones, I now have a wimpy left kidney as I have to pee now every few hours. I used to be much better at holding it when I needed to, especially at night.

I'm posting now instead of at a reasonable hour because I left my computer on before I went to bed. Sunday morning at midnight is when I have scheduled for my anti-virus software to run, so the temptation was there to post since I didn't have to wait and boot up the machine. Another sure sign that I'm a blogslave, "since the computer is already on...it'll only take a few minutes to leave a post..."

So now that I've done it, I think I'll go back and find those pillows until my kids wake me up asking me, "Dad, can we have breakfast?"

BTW, my next post will be my 200th, which you won't want to miss.

NFL Playoffs-Championship Games

Ok, last week was a bad week for my predictions. After a totally perfect start, I picked incorrectly for the final three games. So far in the playoffs, I'm 4-4. Mediocrity is not a good thing when picking games. Sometimes when I read too much about these games, I tend to overanalyze and I get in trouble. So this week I've stayed pretty much away from other "experts" picks. So buckle your seatbelts and prepare for an exciting Championship Sunday. Enjoy the games and we'll see you in Detroit on February 5th.


Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos (-3; o/u 41): If the Patriots had taken care of business last Saturday, they could be hosting this game. Instead, they gift-wrapped it for Denver, committing five turnovers which Denver converted into 24 of their 27 points. If Denver plays as they did last week, showing no ability to sustain long, time consuming drives, they will not win. Denver's vaunted running game was virtually non existent. Pittsburgh's defense will show similar prowess in stopping Denver's run game. The Steelers on the other hand should have lost, but won on a miraculous, game saving tackle by QB Ben Roethlisberger and a horrendous potential game tying field goal miss by usually reliable Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Pittsburgh survived wining in a tough RCA Dome. They can do it in Denver, too.
My Prediction: Steelers 28, @ Denver 21
Actual Score: Steelers 34, @ Denver 17


Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks (-3 1/2; o/u 43 1/2): You could almost hear the Pacific Northwest scream when star RB Shaun Alexander left last week's game in the first quarter with a concussion, not to return. Never fear, QB Matt Hasselbeck & company proved that they can win with their other offensive weapons and a strong defense. Carolina went to Chicago and avenged a regular season loss, taking advantage of the Bears inexperienced QB Rex Grossman. Not this week. Seattle is 9-0 at home this season and will make it a perfect 10.
My Prediction: @ Seahawks 21, Panthers 17
Actual Score: @ Seahawks 34, Panthers 14

What's a father to do?

Ok, so here I am reading some blogs about an hour ago, when my 8 year old daughter V comes to me and says that she can't get to sleep because of an awful itch in a private area of her body. Sounds to me like what my ex once described as a yeast infection.

Greeaaaaat. a yeast infection on an 8 year old.

So what am I supposed to do about it? I've got no clue and there are no other women here (in my apartment) to ask. My daughter is almost to tears saying it itches real bad and she wants to scratch "like every two minutes." I tell her that I don't know what I can do for her now, BUT I will call the ex at work and ask her advice and opinion - then we'll go from there.

Ex tells me this is maybe not as bad as a yeast infection and that I might fill up the tub and let V soak for 10-15 minutes or so, while having her wash that area thoroughly with soap. Then she suggests (and I agree) that there may be some medication that I can buy tomorrow at the pharmacy. So first thing in the morning when we start our Saturday errands will be a trip to the pharmacy and a consultation with the pharmacist on what medication, cream, ointment or whatever is best for an 8 year old, or if anything at all will help.

Now I consider myself to be a pretty resourceful guy, but I'm at a loss when it comes to these kinds of things (obviously).

That's gotta be the one drawback to being a single dad with a daughter.

Ed. Note @ 23:25 - It's been almost two hours now since the soaking and I've not heard a peep out of V. I guess the bath and washing helped. For that, I'm grateful. Believe me.

---

Forgotten English word of the day, with interesting story to go along with it. Enjoy.

WHIZZ-BANG: A mixture of morphine and cocaine injected subcutaneously.
-Maurice Weseen's A Dictionary of American Slang, 1934.

The Mysterious Death of George V
Official documents described the demise of England's King George V from influenza on January 20, 1936, as having been a "peaceful transition" into eternal sleep that occurred after he had inquired about the welfare of his kingdom. Technically speaking, this may have been true. But the notes of George's physician, Lord Dawson, declassified a half-century later, revealed some royal omissions. "At about 11 PM," Dawson wrote, "it was evident that the last stage [of illness] might endure for many hours, unknown to the patient but little comporting with the dignity and serenity which he most richly merited, and which demanded a brief final scene. I therefore decided to determine the end." His majesty was first numbed with a small dose of morphine but not before barking his indignant last words, "Damn you!" Then with consent of his wife and the prince regent, he was apparently put down with a whizz-bang.

Three more years

As I was flipping one of my perpetual calendars to Friday's date, I realized that it will be January 20th tomorrow. Do you know what that means?

It means that we have exactly three more years to put up with the idiocy that is Dubya's presidency. Then, hopefully then, we'll be done with Bushes in the White House. Forever. Then maybe our government can focus on domestic issues (like, say THE ECONOMY), instead of what's going on in Iraq & warmongering all over the place. Then maybe this recession we're in will improve enough & possibly go away - so that people have more discretionary income to spend instead of watching it all fly out the window to pay the bills.

Ok, enough of that.

---

I had to go to the grocery store tonight. While I was in the checkout line, I was looking at the woman in front of me. She was a big, tall woman, which is not to say a fat woman. Let's just say she was not a paper thin, waif-like woman. Anyway, she had on these pointy-toed shoes with thin, three inch (?) heels that obviously made her look taller. But it seemed to me that she was fidgeting around in those shoes like the heels wouldn't support her for very much longer. These shoes did not look comfortable AT ALL. (Yes the color of the shoes matched her business-suit attire...)

The reason I bring this all up for comment is to ask you ladies who read here these questions:

DO you wear heels?

Do you LIKE to wear heels?

How OFTEN do you wear heels?

and WHY do you wear heels???

Do you think they make you look sexy? Make you feel feminine, womanly or sexy? Do these have anything to do with it at all? I mean, flat soled shoes look a lot more comfortable and certainly are much more practical. So why bother with heels at all? I'm a guy and I just-don't-get-it. Maybe because I'm a guy I never will get it and maybe for that reason I'm not supposed to.

But it sure does baffle me.

---

More forgotten words for you ;>)


HOLER: Adulterer; libertine; [from] French holier.
- Herbert Coleridge's Dictionary of the Oldest Words in the English Language, 1863.

SCROGGINS: Interjection used to express astonishment.
- Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary, 1896-1905.

31 Biblical Virtues part III of III

Ok, boys 'n' girls, let's review one final time. There will be a quiz tomorrow & three page book report due at the end of the semester, so pay attention.

1. Salvation
2. Growth in grace
3. Love
4. Honesty and Integrity
5. Self-control
6. Love for God's word
7. Justice
8. Mercy
9. Respect (for self, others, authority)
10. Biblical Self-esteem
11. Faithfulness
12. Courage
13. Purity
14. Kindness
15. Generosity
16. Peace-loving
17. Joy
18. Perseverance
19. Humility
20. Compassion
21. Responsibility
22. CONTENTMENT: "Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength" (Phil. 4:12-13).
23. FAITH: "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Lk. 17:5-6, Heb. 11:1-40).
24. A SERVANT'S HEART: "God, please help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men.
25. HOPE: "May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13).
26. WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY TO WORK: "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23)
27. PASSION FOR GOD: "Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee' (Ps. 63:8 KJV), one that clings passionately to you."
28. SELF-DISCIPLINE: "Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair" (Prov. 1:3).
29. PRAYERFULNESS: "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph. 6:18).
30. GRATITUDE: "Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20, Col 2:7).
31. A HEART FOR MISSIONS: "Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Ps. 96:3)

Gotta love that

Gotta love WHAT??

Rain in mid-January, that's what. Especially here in New Hampshire, New England, and the Northeast in general, where it is supposed to be really cold, all of the time in the winter. One weather report I heard was that it was supposed to have approached 60 degrees Farenheit today. Not that I would know, working inside all day. 60??? A veritable heat wave!!! Bring it on.

Of course, if it gets to be 60 during the day come July/August, then that will be COLD!! And I will complain!! But for now, I'll take it.

While driving to my meeting tonight, amidst the rain, I saw two things that were absolutely amazing/stunning/fantastic: a beautiful winter sunset and a huge rainbow. I tried to get out my cell phone camera while I was driving, so that I could post pictures of it here for you all to see, but alas - by the time I found the camera in my bookbag, I had passed it. Not that I would have been able to aim the camera successfully while driving at 75 MPH...

But it was really cool.

Yes, I know that I drive too fast.

And another thing you gotta love (besides ME, silly!!) Well I love it anyway...

I got my tax software in the mail a few weeks ago and I finally got my W-2 form from my employer today. Yup - only one employer this year, instead of three or four. So I'm going to do my Federal and state taxes tomorrow night and e-file them. Yes, I know New Hampshire does not have state income tax. That's the bummer of living in NH and working in MA. I have to pay MA state taxes. And I won't get nearly all of it back, which is lousy, though I should... Before I know it I'll have my refunds in my hot little hands...

Oh, yes, before I forget (not that she'll ever read this BUT), Happy 41st to my older sister C.

31 Biblical Virtues part II of III

Let's review a bit here before we continue, ok? Good.

1. Salvation
2. Growth in Grace
3. Love
4. Honesty and Integrity
5. Self-Control
6. Love for God's Word
7. Justice
8. Mercy
9. Respect (for self, others, authority)
10. Biblical self-esteem
11. FAITHFULNESS: "Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Prov. 3:3).
12. COURAGE: "May my children always be strong and courageous in their charachter and their actions" (Deut. 31:6).
13. PURITY: "Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Ps. 51:10).
14. KINDNESS: "Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else" (1 Thess. 5:15).
15. GENEROSITY: "Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age" (1 Tim. 6:18-19).
16. PEACE-LOVING: "Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace" (Rom. 14:9).
17. JOY: "May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6)
18. PERSEVERANCE: "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do and help them especially to run with perseverance, the race marked out for them" (Heb. 12:1).
19. HUMILITY: "God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all" (Titus 3:2).
20. COMPASSION: "Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Col. 3:2)
21. RESPONSIBILITY: "Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load" (Gal 6:5).

to be concluded on Thursday...

Happy Birthday, Ben & more forgotten words

The great American statesman, publisher, inventor (and he that graces our C note), Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) would be celebrating his 300th Birthday today, if he were still alive.
Franklin, (born in Boston, Massachusetts) was the first real American Renaissance man. He is best remembered for his contributions to American independence and for his wise, often humorously ironic sayings, such as, "All would live long, but none would be old." An invenerate inventor, he devised bifocal glasses, the odometer and swim fins. He helped introduce to America the catheter tube, a windsurfing apparatus, the public library, and the notion of matching gifts in charity fund-raising. He also charted the paths of storms over North America and discovered the course of the Gulf Stream. As a publisher, he printed America's first political cartoon and some of its earliest editorials. At age 22, he composed this cheerful epitaph for himself (which he revised a number of times): "The body of B. Franklin, Printer (like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stript of its lettering and gilding) lies here, food for worms. But the work shall not be lost; for it will (as he believ'd) appear once more in a new and more elegant edition revised and corrected by the Author."

NOVITIOUS - newly invented.
- Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828.

JEJUNELY - hungrily; [from] jejune, wanting, empty, vacant, hungry, dry, barren; from Latin jejunus [fasting]. Jejuneness, poverty, barrenness; particularly want of interesting matter.
-Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c.1850

SECOND-WEDDING-DAY - A reception given by newly married couples on their return from the honeymoon.
-John Farmer's Americanisms Old and New, 1889

Wedding Bell Blahs
On January 11, 1787, the London World reported this bizarre tale: "Two brothers of the same name, Stott, who live at Wookey, being equally captivated with the charms of a female of Wells, daughter of a Mr. Lovell, a mason, paid their addresses to her. The elder brother, percieving that she manifested a partiality for the younger, declared that unless she would accepthis hand he would hang himself. The tender-hearted nymph, to prevent so melancholy a catastrophe, promised to gratify his wishes - and they accordingly married se'nnight. But the parties soon found themselves so much deceived in each other that on Saturday last the husband actually sold his bride for half a crown to his brother, to whom he, that evening, delivered her... in the presence of a large party at a public-house, where purchase money contributed towards the expense of a convivial meeting."

31 Biblical Virtues part I of III

I received this thing in the mail as part of an ad looking for subscribers to "Pray" magazine. It was written in 1999 by Bob Hostetler. The full title is "31 Virtues to pray for your kids". But really, you can replace the words "my children" and "their" in each of these to fit whomever you choose.

1. SALVATION. "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10).
2. GROWTH IN GRACE. "I pray that my children may growin the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
3. LOVE. "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2).
4. HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21).
5. SELF CONTROL. "Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do" (1 Thess 5:6).
6. LOVE FOR GOD'S WORD. "May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb" (Ps. 19:10).
7. JUSTICE. "God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do" (Ps. 11:7, Mic. 6:8).
8. MERCY. "May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful" (Lk. 6:36).
9. RESPECT (FOR SELF, OTHERS & AUTHORITY). "Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands" (1 Pet. 2:17).
10. BIBLICAL SELF-ESTEEM. "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10).

to be continued on Wednesday...

A reminder

PSALM 8 NIV

For the director of music. According to gittith [a].
A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers, the moon and the
stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds, and the
beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic
is your name in all the earth!

Footnotes:
Psalm 8:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 8:2 Or strength
Psalm 8:5 Or than God

What a wonderful psalm this is. When I think of verse four I am reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for me, a sinner. I think of how wonderful it will be one day to see Him face to face and thank Him for dying a most horrible death on the cross, just for me.

So I wanted to share this with you. It is a cross necklace that was given to me on my birthday in 2003. I've only taken it off three times since I got it. It reminds me of the price that was paid for me, one that I can never repay. Even though I fail in my walk more often than I succeed, I am thankful that I am a child of God. That He will never forsake me. Ever.

Catching up on forgotten words

Since I didn't get my page-a-day calendar until January 9th or so, I have a few new forgotten English words to share with you that you might like. And since today is a slow posting day it is a good day to get caught up.

bunnel - A dried hemp-stalk used by smoakers to light their pipes.
-Captain Francis Grose's Provincial Glossary, 1811

shumpgullion - a glutton.
-Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary, 1896-1905

scurryfunge - A hasty tidying of the house between the time you see a neighbor and the time she knocks on your door.
-John Gould's Maine Lingo: Boiled Owls, Billdads and Wazzats, 1975

pulpatoon - A dish made of rabbits, fowl, etc., in a crust of forced (stuffed) meat.
-Walter Skeat's Glossary of Tudor and Stuart Words, 1914

From Latin pulpamentum, tidbits.
-William Toone's Glossary of Obsolete and Uncomon Words, 1832

To make a pulpatoon of pigeons ... half roast six or eight pigeons, and lay them in a crust of forc'd meat... Scrape a pound of veal and two pounds of marrow and beat it together in a stone mortar.
-Eliza Smith's Compleat Housewife, 1758

In 1770, a huge Christmas pie was baked for holiday consupmtion in London. According to the Newcastle Chronicle, it was made of "two bushels of flour, twenty pounds of butter, four geese, two turkeys, two rabbits, four wild ducks, two woodcocks, six snipes, four partridges, two neats' tongues, two curlews, seven blackbirds and six pigeons.... It was near nine feet in circumference at bottom, weigh[ed] about twelve stone, [and] will take two men to present it to table. It is neatly fitted with a case and four small wheels to facilitate its use to every guest that inclines to partake of it at table."

belly-bender - Floating pieces of ice, or weak ice, which bend under one as he passes from one cake to another. Boys take great pleasure in this precarious amusement.
- William Craigie and James Hulbert's Dictionary of American English, 1940

England's Coldest Day
Starting around 1205 and for several centuries, January 14 was generally thought to be the coldest day of the year in England. The claim was renewed in 1564, a few years into the reign of Elizabeth I, when a "frost fair" was held on the frozen over River Thames. As John Stow's Sumarie of Englyshe Chronicles (1565) described: "The ice became firme and... then all sortes of men, women and children went boldly upon the icein most partes... People were many that set up boothes and standings upon the ice, as fruit-sellers, victuallers, that sold beere and wine, shoemakers and a barber's tent." These invigorating gatherings cropped up occasionally during cold spells through 1814, allowing enterprising shopkeepers and fun-loving locals a unique outdoor experience. But the formerly broader and shallower Thames was narrowed by the nineteenth century Embankment project, creating a swifter, deeper river that was unlikely to freeze.

NFL Playoffs- Divisional Round

Ok, last Friday I gave you my take on the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. I correctly picked three of the four games. My predicted scores were close, but not quite accurate. Let's see how I will do this week. So, without delay, here is my take on this weekends games, which are all rematches from earlier games this season:

Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks (-9 1/2; o/u 41) In Week 4, at Washington, the Redskins eeked out an overtime win vs. Seattle, 20-17. It will be very different this time. Washington had less than 150 total yards of offense in last week's win at Tampa Bay. They'll have to do much better against one of the league's better offenses, featuring MP RB Shaun Alexander. QB Matt Hasselbeck leads a potent offense. Seattle is undefeated at home this season. They'll stay that way, despite a strong game from Washington's defense. Expect a close game with a late touchdown giving Seattle a deceptively large margin of victory. Discount the fact that Seattle hasn't won a playoff game since 1984. That was a lifetime ago.
My Prediction: @ Seattle 20, Washington 10
Actual Score: @ Seattle 20, Washington 10 WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START THE WEEKEND!!

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (-3; o/u 44) In Week 6 at Mile High, Denver jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and led 28-3 before the Patriots closed the gap to only lose by 8, 28-20. That was a different New England team. So many key players missed that game with injury are back now, including Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown. The Patriots gave up three plays of over 55 yards and allowed Denver 178 rushing yards. In their last 11 games the Patriots run defense has improved dramatically. Expect a close game all the way through. But don't discount this: since 2001, the Patriots under Bill Belichick have not lost to the same team twice in the same season and are 6-0 in such games. Until someone beats the champs in the playoffs you have to pick them to win. It will be tough, but the Patriots will do it.
My Prediction: New England 27, @ Denver 23
Actual Score: @ Denver 27, New England 13 TURNOVERS WILL KILL YOU EVERY TIME.


Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (-3; o/u 30) In Week 11, Carolina went to Chicago and lost 13-3. Carolina's quarterback was sacked 8 times by the Bears excellent defense. Expect the game to be another defensive struggle, with points and field position at a premium. Don't expect another sack happy performance, but do expect the Bears to contain the Panthers WR Steve Smith. Rex Grossman, Chicago's QB wins his first playoff game, managing a tidy, low scoring game. However, this game would not surprise me if Carolina pulled off the upset. Still -
My prediction: @ Chicago 17, Carolina 13
Actual Score: Carolina 29, @ Chicago 21

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts (-9 1/2; o/u 47) In Week 12's Monday night game which Indy won 26-7. Pittsburgh fell behind early and got away from their running game. If that happens again, Pittsburgh will lose bigtime. The Colts haven't played a meaningful game in over a month. Will they be rusty? I don't think so. Not many players prepare as thoroughly as Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning does. Pittsburgh will keep it close in the first half, but Indy will pull away in the third quarter.
My prediction: @ Indianapolis 40, Pittsburgh 17
Actual Score: Pittsburgh 21, @ Indianapolis 18 WHO SAW THIS ONE COMING? not me.

Sesame Street persona test

So I stole this from Sarafina's blog. It was a good test and I was surprised with my result.



Snuffleupagus

You scored 66% Organization, 53% abstract, and 50% extroverted!
This test measured 3 variables.
First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are somewhat organized, both concrete and abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

I bet you didn't think you were Snuffleupagus. Let's find out why.

You are both somewhat organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Alloyius Snuffleupagus (and all Snuffleupagus') is not sloppy by nature, but he moves so incredibly slowly that it is impossible for him to be totally organized.

You both are about equally concrete and abstract thinkers. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course. Snuffy generally has very basic interests, but he explores his abstract sensitive side when he plays his snuffleflute.

You both are somewhat introverted. Originally Snuffleupagus was very shy and was only Big Bird's invisible friend. However as he has aged he has started to build new friendships with new characters. Like Snuffy, you probably like to have some time to yourself. However, you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations.

Take the Your SESAME STREET Persona Test here.

Colorgenics profile test

Ok, so I stole this from Kristi's blog from yesterday.

I'm not sure if my results are entirely true but certainly some of it is accurate. Try the test for yourself, here.

You are the sort of person that needs a peaceful environment. You seek release from stress and freedom from conflicts and disagreements, of which you seem to have had more than your fair share. But you are taking pains to control the situation by proceeding cautiously and you are right in doing so as you are a very sensitive person.

You are very talented, imaginative and sensitive but you are holding back as you do not really like going it 'on your own'. In preference you would like to team up with someone, someone with similar attributes as your own, to explore - to seek out and go perhaps 'where no other man has trod before'. It is the unusual that attracts you and which will give you a sense of excitement and adventure.

You wear your heart on your sleeve and since you are an emotional person you are apt to give your all - heart and soul - to all those that show you a little affection; but take care - it would appear that you have been extremely hurt in the past and you keep leaving yourself wide open for punishment.

You are feeling trapped by the situation as it stands at this time and what is more, you feel powerless to remedy it. You are stressful, angry and disgruntled. You feel that everything that you try to do to change the situation is thwarted and your hopes and aspirations all seem to be receding into the ever distant future. You have reached the state where you now doubt whether your dreams will ever be achieved and this is not only causing mental stress but heartache. You need to get away from it all - you need to have time to think, to recuperate, to be able to make your own decisions.

You wish to be left in peace... no more conflict and no more differences of opinion. In fact you just don't want to be involved in arguments of any shape or form. All you want is for 'them' to get on with it - and to leave you alone.

Just like Christmas - well, sort of

I went to bed late last night and was still very tired when I got up this morning. I had a full day in the works and knew I wasn't going to get back home until 8:30 PM tonight.

Today did not start out well. I try to plan for myself as little down time in the morning as possible, because if I don't I may never get out to go to work. What went wrong? The new gallon of milk I bought three days ago was sour, even though the "use before" date said Jan. 17. One spoonful of my ceral and I knew the milk was bad. No breakfast for me. No time now.

My work schedule has changed back to a normal 5 day work week instead of a four day work week. So I no longer have Mondays off but in exchange I get out of work every day at 4:00 PM. It is still light when I get out, and that is wonderful.

I had my meeting with the man tonight. We went over my assignment that I agonized over last night and he showed me ways to improve it. Then we looked at some job sites and postings on the internet that I had selected as part of my assignment. I have another meeting a week from tonight and yet another homework assignment. This week's assignment builds off of last week's assignment, so it should be easier and less stressful to do.

Then at 7:00 I went to my Bible Study group, which sadly is my main social outing of the week. We are studying in the book of John in chapter 16.

Because I felt tired this morning, I told myself that when I got home tonight that I would not turn on my computer and check my email - or go on blogger. I told myself that I would just go to bed. But the anticipation of getting mail, even e-mail and reading the comments left on blogger for what I have written is just too much temptation to resist. PLUS I eagerly scroll down through my blog reading list to see what goodies you all have left is too big of a temptation to resist. Then, since I'm already logged in, I might as well take a few and leave a post for you.

Nothing fantastic today. Maybe tomorrow.

How Scary are You

You Are a Little Scary

You've got a nice edge to you. Use it.

How Scary Are You?

absentmindedness & procrastination

Do absentmindedness and procrastination go hand-in-hand?

Soemtimes I think so because most of the time I am both.

I got a call on my cell phone yesterday. It was a local number with the 603 New Hampshire area code but not one I recognized. Generally, unless it's a person I know whose number is stored in my phone's memory or unless I'm expecting a call, I will not answer the phone and let it go to voicemail. I missed this call but returned a call back to the same number, asking where I was calling.

Turns out it was the photo department at Wal-Mart in Hudson looking for me because I had brought in a roll of film (actually one of those disposable cameras) for developing and forgot to pick it up. The date on the envelope when I brought it in was October 22, 2005, and they were getting ready to throw it out, since it had been almost three months ago that I brought it in. In fairness to me, that was a few days after I had been diagnosed with the kidney stone, at the ER and by the urologist/surgeon/torture master/evil grin guy. And I was in pain.

Good thing for me they didn't. The pictures were (in reverse order) my son M's 6th birthday party and many shots of V and M swimming in the pool here at the apartment. They took some of me, too. The first few pictures on the roll were taken at Logan Airport the night I was supposed to meet "the woman" from Russia. Eerie foreshadowing that both pictures came out waaay to dark to be of any use. Same as her, but I'm not bitter. Really. I'm over it.

Anyway they were nice pictures.

----

I have a meeting tomorrow evening at 5 with the company that I hired to rework my resume & get me focused on the "career search." This is my second meeting with them since I went back there at the end of December. This is the meeting that was supposed to take place last week, in part becasue I was sick and in part because I didn't do the homework assignment. (I reallly was sick...still am to some degree)

So I did the homework assignment tonight, while still procrastinating as long as I could manage. Constant Rain helped me out with that with a nice IM conversation. Thanks Constant!

The "assignment" wasn't hard or really difficult. I just didn't want to do it because I hate looking for work, as I've said before, even when I'm still employed... But it's done now and that's a good thing. I probably could have finished it in 30 minutes or so. Procrastinators like to drag things out. Things that we want to put off/avoid, etc. are easy targets.

----

Today's word was: aftertale, which means a postscript.

--Herbert Coleridge's Dictionary of the Oldest Words in the English Language, 1863

Kind of lame, I know but there is a cool story that follows:

Beginning of Britain's Penny Post
W. & R. Chambers' Book of Days (1864) trumpeted the commencement of mail service in England on this date in 1840 as "a memorable day in the history of civilization." Just a year after the Penny Post began, English clergyman Sydney Smithfelt compelled to admit in a letter, "Correspondences are like smallclothes before the invention of suspenders - it is impossible to keep them up." Eighty years before the inception of the Penny Post, lexicographer Samuel Johnson commented sternly: "A short letter to a distant friend is, in my opinion, an insult like that of a slight bow or cursory salutation - a proof of unwillingness to do much, even when there is a necessity of doing something." But as his life drew to a close, he seemed to have relaxed that stance. "An odd thought strikes me," he confided to his friend and biographer, James Boswell. "We shall receive no letters in the grave."

If only he could have forseen the sound bite or the short email we find so common today. Sometimes if it weren't for short messages, none would get sent at all, I'd bet. I know I wouldn't be sending them. Then again, they didn't have computers, internet, cable television, radios, or even telephones (invented in 1876, I believe), so folks must have had a lot more time to write nice long handwritten letters. So I appreciate being able to sit here at my desk and relay my ideas and thoughts to you at home, however short they might be - to wherever you might be.

On calendars

First, let me take care of some business.

I did warn you that I was going to be a bit serious and personal in some of my posts this year. I hope you enjoyed them. Perhaps there will be more to come.

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Since there are more NFL Playoff games this weekend, Friday's post will focus on the divisional matchups and again I'll give you my "expert" predictions. While my scores & predictions weren't perfect, I did come close to the mark on three out of four of the games. Hopefully I can do as well this weekend.

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During the day I was thinking about what I would write about for today's post. After I went to the post office and cleared out my mail box, I went to Barnes and Noble. Now if you've read some of my archives, you'll know that I don't like bookstores. Not because I don't like books because I do. I dislike bookstores because I always tend to spend more money in them than I intend to or have budgeted for. Tonight was not as bad as it could have been. I did walk out with a few more things than I had intended on buying, though.

Specifically, I was looking for a Dilbert page-a-day 2006 calendar, since I've had one of these for the last three years. Now that the new year is slightly over a week old, stores that sell calendars are panicking that they will not be able to sell their stock and have drastically discounted the price. Tonight calendars were 50% off. That was good. Perhaps next week I'll go back again to see what stock is left & how much more they will be discounted.

Have you ever considered just how many different calendars are printed each year? Tonight I must have seen at least 45 different page-a-day calendars and probably over 100 different wall calendars. You can find a calendar for just about any interest or hobby. Any subject you like - pick one.

Some of the calendars that I recall seeing were about sports teams, Nascar drivers, swimsuit models, pets and wild animals. There were calendars offering daily jokes, jokes about doctors, jokes about old people, several comic strip based calendars, new words, Bible verses, trivia games, tips on crafty things. Calendars showing scenery, sunsets, windmills, waterfalls, lighthouses, constellations. There were calendars based on movies from the past year, airplanes both modern and military, motorcycles, cars, trucks, road signs. I even saw a page-a-day calendar offering 365 different sex positions a year, including simple drawings on how to do them. This calendar was a new one for me. They also had your basic desk calendars, calendar notebooks, calendar-date book-journal thingies. Absolutely amazing was the variety. All for half off.

Wouldn't you know it, of all the page-a-day calendars they had, I could not find any Dilbert calendars. So I ended up buying a small book of dragon stories for my daughter's birthday (planning way ahead) and two calendars. One for my mom and one for me.

My calendar of choice is called Forgotten English, a 365-day calendar of Vanishing Vocabulary and Folklore for 2006. So today and throughout the year, I'll share some of these forgotten English words and folklore based stories with you, starting TODAY.

Today's word was: PLUVIAL: pertaining to rain; rainy. From Latin pluvialis, rain.

-Daniel Lyon's Dictionary of the English Language, 1897.

Wanted: Green's Ideal Woman

I'm going to shoot from the hip here and try and paint the picture of my ideal woman. I'm too old to be doing the dating thing for long, so I'm looking to find my life partner, best friend and soul mate here.

She must be a Christian. Whether it be a "new" Christian or a "seasoned veteran" does not matter. I enjoy discussing issues of faith and want someone who can grow and learn in the Word with me. Our shared faith would only be a positive in forming a lasting, lifelong relationship.

She must not be a smoker, or at least making a serious attempt to quit. I get nauseous around cigarette smoke and refuse to expose my kids to that.

I love kids, so I certainly don't mind if she has children from a previous relationship. Afterall, if she's got to accept the fact that I have two kids from a previous relationship, then I certainly can't disrespect any kids that she might have. She should also be open to and willing to discuss the possibility of either having or adopting another child with me.

She's got to be mature, honest and have integrity. Having an open line of communication is key.

Let's see, what else....

e-harmony.com suggested an ideal age range for me of 26-37. That's an agreeable range to me, so I'll stick with that. Height, weight, eye and hair color is not really all that important, since there is more to my soul mate than physical appearance. However she should have a healthy, well rounded dose of self-confidence. There does need to be a bit of chemistry and I must find her attractive.

She must understand that I am an introvert and a rather low-key personality. So I think she should not be too far from that. She also needs to accept that I'm not perfect. Occasionally I will screw things up and make mistakes. I'm not expecting her to be perfect, either. But we should be "perfect" for each other.

She needs to be intelligent and be able to hold up her end of any conversation. She should be able to tell me when I'm wrong and should be able to admit it when she is wrong as well.

As far as hobbies and interests go, there should be some things in common but we should also have other interests.

She should want to travel some with me and explore new places and share new adventures.

The first four points are pretty much non-negotiable. Other than that, I'm open for discussion.

My seduction style

Your Seduction Style: Ideal Lover

You seduce people by tapping into their dreams and desires. And because of this sensitivity, you can be the ideal lover for anyone you seek. You are a shapeshifter - bringing romance, adventure, spirituality to relationships. It all depends on who your with, and what their vision of a perfect relationship is.

What Is Your Seduction Style?

Stole this from Sarafina

You Are Phish Food Ice Cream

You've been described as gooey and fudgey. Sorry.

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

Worst Job

Wild Card Weekend: My Predictions

Ok, you know that I'm a football fan because you read the list of things about me from yesterday. Becasue I told you last Sunday that I would do this, here are my predictions for this weekend's NFL Playoff games:

Saturday, Jan 7th

Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2; o/u 37).
I'm going to pick the Redskins on the road in this game. Their defense is playing well - better than Tampa's. Even though Bucs QB Chris Simms is playing well, the Patriots showed in Week 15 what you have to do to confuse him (Simms sacked 7 times). Simms is a rookie QB playing in his first NFL playoff game. That means too much pressure. Clinton Portis, the Washington RB will outshine Tampa Bay's rookie RB Cadillac Williams. Both coaches have won a Super Bowl, but Gibbs has won more big playoff games as a coach.
My Prediction: Was 21, @ TB 17
Actual Score: Was 17, @ TB 10

Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (-7 1/2; o/u 37).
I'm picking the Patriots in this game. No one gives Jacksonville a chance to win this game. And rightly so. The Jaguars QB, Byron Leftwich hasn't played due to injury in 5 weeks. He'll be rusty. Jacksonville's other QB has limited starting experience. On the other hand Pats QB Tom Brady and Coach Belichick are 9-0 in playoff games the last four years. They know what it takes to win in the playoffs. The Pats defense is peaking at the perfect time. They are as healthy as they have been all season. The Patriots are hoping to set an NFL record for most consecutive post season wins. (Coincidentally, the last team to defeat the Patriots in the post-season was Jacksonville, 25-10 in the 1999 playoffs.) When you have arguably the league's best QB, the league's best clutch kicker, and the foremost defensive coach in Bill Belichick, you have to pick these guys to repeat until someone beats them in the playoffs.
My Prediction: @ NE 31, Jax 13
Actual Score: @ NE 28, Jax 3

Sunday, January 8th

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3; o/u 46) at Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers won in Cincy earlier this season. They know how to beat the Bengals. Run, run, run then run some more. Cincinati is slumping - losing two in a row and looking pathetic doing it. As long as Pittsburgh makes Cincy one dimensional, the Steelers win easily. The Steelers are largely playoff tested. The Bengals make their first playoff appearance since 1990. Though I'd like to see Cincy win, unfortunaltely, it's unlikely to happen.
My Prediction: Pit 31, @ Cin 23
Actual Score: Pit 31, @ Cin 17

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants (-2 1/2; o/u 43 1/2). Eli Manning struggles but Tiki saves the day, running for 160 & change. Carolina had a good defense but have been inconsistent. Their main ofensive threat, Steve Smith, can't do it alone. This game's going to be a shootout. I'll take the Giants at home.
My Prediction: @ NYG 40, Car 37
Actual Score: Car 23, @ NYG 0

Four teams have byes this weekend and will host games next weekend. The Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos are the top two seeds in the AFC. The Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears are the top two seeds in the NFC. The exact matchups for next weekend depends on who wins this weekends games. I'll make those predictions next Friday.

One of my favorite words

Thanks, genna for inspiring this clarification (you did it again):

From Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, page 1277:

SCHMOOZE (shmooz), v.i., schmoozed, schmoozing, n. Slang. -- v.i., 1. to chat idly; gossip. -- n. 2. idle conversation; chatter. Also, schmoose, schmoos. [ Yiddish, v. use of shmues Heb. shemu'oth reports, gossip (root sm' hear)]

I use this word, not because I'm into gossip, but becasue I can't say this word without smiling. ;>)

Try it - frown and say schmooze. Hard to do isn't it?

The Man Behind the Monster

Last Thursday I threatened to reveal to you more about myself, since I won't post my picture here and well, I know you are curious.

This post was inspired by a few similar lists that I saw on some blogs that I regularly read. When I read those particular posts, I thought that there was no way I could come up with as many things as they did. Then I thought about it some more (as I usually do) and it became sort of a challenge to myself. Sometime before Christmas I came up with this list, and added to it as I typed. So here goes. Don't say I didn't warn you. ;>)

1. I am Christian.
2. I attend a Baptist church now, becasue I disagree with some things that #3 teaches.
3. I grew up in The Salvation Army (which is an actual church; not just kettles at Christmas).
4. I believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority regarding all matters of the Christian faith. I believe the Bible should be interpreted hermeneutically (which is the proper term for plain, literal interpretation, using context and consistent meaning from the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek)
5. I believe evolution is just a theory. It is a scientific impossibility and a load of bull****.
6. I'm 5'7" and weigh -, well let's just say I'm a short, thin, out of shape guy.
7. I have brown hair and hazel eyes.
8. I've had a moustache since my daughter was born in 1997.
9. This summer I grew a fu-manchu style beard. It makes me look older (I think).
10. I've worn glasses since the start of the sixth grade.
11. I don't look like George Clooney, nor do I look like George from Grey's Anatomy.
12. I don't consider myself to be an overly romantic person. I have my moments, occasionally.
13. The few close friends I have I have known for a long time. (So if I count you as a friend, you're stuck with me, like it or not.)
14. I don't like my middle name, even though it's also my dad's middle name. Thank god he didn't make me a junior. Then my first name would be Warren and I'd hate both my first and middle names.
15. I'll ignore you if you address me by a certain variant of my real first name. Only a few people can call me that and get away with it. Chances are you'll not be one of them.
16. I love to read, therefore I have a weakness when it comes to buying books.
17. I love to watch movies, therefore I have a weakness when it comes to buying DVD's.
18. I love the classic video game systems like Atari 2600, Nintendo, and Vectrex. I own all three and many games for the Atari & Nintendo.
19. I have bought & sold many things on ebay under the name of john14124.
20. My ebay username is a derivation of my favorite Bible verses (John 14: 1-4).
21. I'm a huge procrastinator (I posted about that recently.)
22. A few years ago I was diagnosed with having ADD. It is soooooo true.
23. I'm intensely neurotic about some things and intensely nonchalant about other things.
24. I was married for 9 1/2 years. For the most part, no regrets.
25. I will have been divorced for two years on April 14, 2006.
26. I have two children from that marriage. V, my daughter and M, my son. They are awesome kids.
27. I love to write and want to be a published author one of these days.
28. I'm addicted to caffeine. (Mountain Dew and Chocolate)
29. My favorite common candy is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
30. My favorite not quite so common candy is maple sugar candy.
31. I'm right handed (left brained, I guess.)
32. It took me three tries to get my driver's license.
33. My half-birthday is always Christmas - so I get presents every six months. Nice and neat.
34. I used to be more of a night owl than I am now. I still am, just not quite as bad - most of the time.
35. I can fall asleep anywhere.
36. I need to be doing something with my eyes 99% of the time or I get bored.
37. The shortest job I ever had lasted for two days, then I got fired.
38. I love to watch professional baseball and football, either in person or on television.
39. I love to play baseball and football but am horrible at both.
40. My favorite professional teams are the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots.
41. I was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island but never lived in that state.
42. I grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts - which is roughly 20 minutes north of Boston by car.
43. I graduated from Burlington High School, class of 1987. There were over 300 students in my graduating class. I was no where near the top 10% smartest people.
44. I've been to Jamaica twice, Hungary, Austria, Israel and Egypt.
45. I've never been farther west in the United States than Macomb, Illinois - and that was in 1985. (03/06 update: I've since been to Dallas, Texas which is farther west than Illinois.
46. My favorite place to visit (so far) in the United States is Washington, D.C.
47. The next place I want to visit is England, where most of my family comes from.
48. My family has an official Coat-of-Arms, and it looks cool.
49. I HATE being cold. Therefore I am not a fan of winter or anything to do with it.
50. The longest time I spent at one employer was 5 years.
51. I'll listen to most music, except rap and acid rock.
52. I'll never understand the popularity or appeal of certain reality television shows. (Hello Survivor & similar.)
53. I don't need to be rich or famous. My ego isn't that big. I just need to be able to make ends meet.
54. My favorite food is beef. Give me a steak & potatoes any day. Or my specialty Roast beef sandwiches with the special sauce. ( I posted about this once)
55. I also love Mexican food, Chinese food and Japanese food. Maybe there's more, but I'm not sure.
56. The only television show I watch without missing is ALIAS. Sadly this show is ending in 2006. Other than sporting events I don't watch much television.
57. I tried smoking ONCE. I took two puffs on a cigarette, gagged and wondered how in the heck anyone can do this or become addicted to it.
58. I don't drink and have never had coffee. (Last thing I need is another addiction with caffeine in it)
59. I'm not too fond of alcohol. When I drink (rarely) the taste has to be well hidden.
60. I don't like the taste of mint/menthol. Because of this, I can only use one toothpaste - becasue I'm used to the taste.
61. One of my favorite words is schmooze. I can't say this word without smiling.

Ok, I'm going to challenge you to make up your own list and post it on your respective blogs. Hey, if I can do this, you can too.