Rough Day

So at 10:45am this morning I was called into a conference room and told that the company is downsizing. I was one of the 15 most recent hires and therefore had to go.

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Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!
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The thing is...I want to be angry about this, but I totally understand. I was told that they would like to bring me back if things turn around for the company. I guess that's no real consolation, but it does make me feel better for some reason. I really enjoyed working for this company and they really enjoyed having me work for them. That's the messed up part of what is happening right now in our economy. It's not that companies are just finally getting to let go of their dead weight workers and underachievers, they are being forced to let go of valuable assets because they just can't afford them anymore. Now I get to be another statistic with all the others who have lost their income and are looking for some hope.

The point is that now it's back to pounding the pavement, and it couldn't be a worse time for having to do that. Luckily the garden is in already, and we have cash in the bank from the Home refinance, but things could get real tough, real quick...

This weekend

The in laws are coming for the weekend. They will get here tonight. I still haven't lined up a project for Cary and I to work on. I guess I'm slacking this time. Maybe we can lay the tile in front of the fireplace. Audra what do you think?

Finally took one from the Brew Crew

Even Waino helped himself out. Last night was a homer fest. Hopefully we can keep the bats going and take the series today.

It's supposed to T-storm today. We need the rain.

Not much else today. Bye.

Carpenter's almost Perfect Game

Wow, that was a great game to watch. When you get to watch a game that good you don't really care if you end up winning or losing. Just a pitchers duel. Fun, Fun, Fun.

We spent most of the weekend outside tending to the lawn and gardens. Yesterday Audra and I transplanted a grapevine that was growing wild in the empty lot next to us, and put it up near the house by the deck. Hopefully it will survive. There is also at least one more wild grapevine growing in that lot. We don't know how they got there and can't figure out how we've missed them the past couple of years. They are in plain view, and judging by the size of the plants and the root ball on each, they are probably a good 3-5 years old.

I tweaked my lower back on Saturday and didn't get to throw any horseshoes at all this weekend. That sucks, because I was really wanting to. Anyway, it has been feeling better each day, so hopefully it will be healed up in the next couple of days.

3-day c'mon...

I love 3-day weekends. I hope to get a whole lot of Baseball watching in too. We start a 3 game set against the KC Royals tonight and we're coming off of a 3 game sweep of the Cubbies at home. LaRussa has really got these rookies rocking this year. Hopefully Pujols bat will come alive again and we'll see some historic shots this weekend. Last night he took out the I in BIG MACLAND, that was sweet to see.

The girls pick up their report cards today. We'll see how may booty whoopin's have to be dealt out.

Anyway, there is a chance for rain today and tomorrow, and since we haven't had any in a week and a half, we kind of need some now.

Wow, Kris pulled it off!

When Kris won last night it looked like he thought they were kidding. I thought he was going to give the trophy and the title to Adam. At one point he even said something like "this is Adams...".

I can understand humble, but man he really did not expect to win. This guy needs some confidence. I guess that was part of his charm. He was unassuming without being "awe shucks" like Archuleta last year. Anyway, Idol's over and we can now get back to our normal daily routines.

I bought the speed bag and platform from Academy Sports yesterday and mounted to the wall in the Rec room last night. Between that and the roping, I should be able to shed some pounds. Yeehaw! :) Then the ladies won't be able to resist...did I say ladies...I meant wifey.

Idol was just ok...

I wasn't really impressed by either Adam or Kris last night. The whole thing jsut seemed really low key for a Finale. I expected to see some excitement and some shit talking, but it was a dud. The songs pretty much sucked, especially the dumbass song that Kara co-wrote. It's really a travesty that the last two contestants and then the winner are forced to sing a cheesy ass coronation song like that every year. The one that Cookie had to sing last year sucked too. The reall travesty is that they are then forced to release that as their first single, and they are also forced to put it on their first album. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

Anyway, Pineiro threw a complete game shutout last night, which was a great feat, however, we still did nothing really on offense. If we don't start swinging the bats we are going to be in some real trouble this year.

Go cards.

Let the roping begin...again.

OK. I don't want to talk about the Cardinals. They are breaking my heart. Even though they are playing the Cubs the next 3 days I don't think I will watch. It hurts too much.

On a brighter note, since the garden is in and everything is on its' own for now, I have had the time to start back on the roping. Man, I forgot how much I really love to rope. I built a 7' x 7' platform in the Rec room out of 3/4" B/C plywood and painted it with gray garage floor paint. That's what I am using now to jump on. It is fantastic. I can tell already that my metabolism has shot through the roof just in the last week. I can't wait to drop about 10-15 pounds in the next month or 2.

I think I am going to also invest in a speed bag and rig. My neighbor has one and I was really amazed at the upper body workout you get from hitting that thing. So I figure that between roping and a speed bag I can get a highly intensive full body workout in less than 45 minutes.

I have also been trying to get out and throw horseshoes whenever I can. I have gotten much better at the turn throw, so much so in fact that it is now becoming difficult for me to throw the old flip shoe that I learned from Dad while I was growing up. This 1 1/4 turn style really is a superior way to throw the shoe. The way it lands and opens to the peg allows it to really "stick" when it hits. The flip shoe may open to the peg but because of the straight on angle, you have a higher percentage of bounce offs. The turn throw very rarely comes off the peg. Right now I have gotten to where I am throwing a fairly consistent 30-40% ringers. I would love to get that to 50% before I have to showcase my new skills to Dad. :)

The girls have like 1 more full day of school after today. They are so excited. Jillian told us last night that she is not going to have to attend summer school. We both told her we were proud of her, and that she may not let this happen again. Miri just wants to quit getting up at 5:30am everyday for a while.

The Adam and Kris showdown is tonight. Most people don't think that Kris has it in him to defeat Adam, but Audra and I both have a different idea. Figure it like this, Last week Ryan said that only about 1 million votes separated the top 2 (Adam and Kris), and you gotta figure that the people who were voting for Danny Gokey are more likely to throw their support behind Kris than Adam since his vocal styling are less over the top and more similar to Danny's. So, the way I see it, Kris has a real legitimate shot tonight. He just has to put some "performance" into his performance. He can't just stand there and deliver a sweet vocal, he needs to get the crowd into it. If he does that, I think we'll have a REAL showdown. Look out Adam, Kris is in da house!

Slump

What's up with the Cards? I listened to the game on Saturday and got to watch yesterday, but man, it's tough to witness. They need to get back on the horse. Maybe they can turn things around tonight with the makeup game from Friday's rainout.

Not much else going on today.

Gokey, Cardinals, both losers

So Gokey got booted. Who would have guessed? Well, I think the Aerosmith scream was what did him in. It definitely didn't help that Adam then came out this week and did Aerosmith and nailed it. Bye Bye Danny. I really hope Kris brings his game next week. It would be so sweet to see him take down Adam. Anyway, this season has turned out to be pretty suspenseful.

The Cardinals have been really struggling this week. With Ankiel and now Ludwick out, we have really cooled off at the plate. Even Albert has had a couple of 0-for games. Well, hopefully we turn it around tonight and avoid the sweep. We CANNOT let the Pirates sweep us. This weekend might be rough too if we can't pull things together. Milwaukee has a tough team.

Idol will be a squeaker tonight

Man, I think I was with Simon and had written off Kris until last night. I think he showed up both Adam and Danny. This is going to be one hell of an elimination show tonight. I won't be one bit surprised to see Adam go. Although any one of these three guys could really take the prize. Very interesting. I guess we'll see tonight.

Days are getting longer.

I noticed last night that it was still fairly light at 7:50PM. I know the length of the days has been slowing getting longer for a while, but we have had so much bad weather that I haven't even noticed. So I guess last night was the first time in weeks that we didn't have cloud cover in the evening.

We are thinking about getting a membership at either Costco or Sams. Does anyone have an opinion or a good/bad experience to share about either one of these places? I have been kind of weighing the pro's and con's of each place and want to get other peoples opinions. So far I am leaning toward Costco, even though it is $10 more per year ($50 vs. $40). We haven't spent any money at Wally World or it's affiliates in nearly a year and a half so I don't really want to start now. However, if you can convince me that Sams is better than Costco, and is worthy of my support (considering my aversion to what I call "the Wally World experience") then I am willing to give Sams a chance.

We will mainly be using it for food stuffs like rice, pasta, beans, flour, and other unprocessed bulk foods, so you know. Thanks for any opinions you may have.

Went Bowling Yesterday

We took Audra out to Shoneys for brunch and then we bowled 3 games in Columbia. All in all it was very relaxing weekend. When we got home I mowed the lawn. After that I grilled some burgers and threw some shoes with the neighbor. Then we sat down for supper and watched some tube. I was asleep by 9pm.

Jillian and Miri both got their rooms cleaned up this weekend. Miri's was just a matter of picking up, but everyone knows that Jillians always requires a bit more attention. Anyway, she dilly dallied at it all day Saturday, and then we headed to bed at about 10:30pm, or so I thought. Apparently Jillian went to her room and while the rest of us slept, she stayed up until midnight and got a huge amount of her room cleaned up. When I came into her room the next morning, I could not believe it. I went and got Audra and had her come look. What a Mothers Day gift for Audra. Jill finished it up yesterday and I think she even vacuumed. The kicker is that she did all of this of her own accord. I am so proud of her.

HTPC

I have been working on this HTPC on and off for a few months now. I put in the dual ball bearing fans this week and noticed while I had the case open that one of the fans on the power supply was dead. So I fixed that this morning and thought I'd post some pictures and specs for everyone. The case was a nasty OLD tan desktop case I got from work. The motherboard is an ASUS K8NE-Deluxe with an AMD 64-bit 3200 Processor. 3GB's of PC3200 RAM. The OS runs on a 250GB SATA HDD, and for storage I have a 1TB SATA HDD. Video card is an AGP Sapphire HD3850 with 512 RAM on board. DL SATA Liteon DVD Burner for an optical drive. It has a total of 8 very low DB low RPM fans in it, which means it pushes plenty of air through it and it always stays nice and cool, but the fans all run very quiet.

I have our entire movie library (most of them DVD ISO images), music library, and picture library all on this machine. This means that I never have to play and actual CD or DVD anymore even though it can. So I boxed them all up and there are now in the attic (not getting scratched).

This is also the machine that host my Subsonic Music Service. For media playback you have lots and lots of options. I use XBMC (Xbox Media Center) for all movie, music, and pictures. I use the internet to pay media like Hulu or MLB.tv premium (Cardinals games). It's really nice to have and it beats the crap out of a standalone DVD player.

Let me know what you think. Also, if you want an account to my Subsonic Music Service just let me know, it's free, and I have quite a bit of music.

Guess what the weather is like today

You're right, it's raining. How did you ever know?

Miriana had a stomach bug this week, but went to the doctor and is feeling better and back to school today.

Jillian has brought all of her grades up a letter point. I am very proud of her.

The kids only have 1 1/2 weeks until summer break. I know they are itching for it.

4 for 4 including a Homer

How can anyone make an argument against Pujols being the greatest player in the game today? It's impossible. We still don't know if he's the greatest ever, and won't know that until he's done. But, come one. Is anyone else in either league capable of the consistently incredible numbers this guy puts up? I mean 4 for 4 in Pujols book is nothing. For most guys they are glad to pull out a 2 for 4 night.

What's amazing to me is that he doesn't really seem to care about his personal stats all that much. When they ask him about an accomplishment, he always defers to whether they won or lost the game. He could go 4 for 4 with a homer in a loss and be upset that he didn't do more to help the team win. He's unreal. Really!

El Hombre, The Machine! These are nicknames that definitely suit him, but I would go so far as to add one more. THE CARDINAL, because he is THE CARDINAL. He started here, he has dominated the game here, he defines all that is good about (Cardinals) baseball here, and I truly believe that no matter what, he will stay here until the end.

Go Albert. Keep on doing what you do. We love to watch!

The Mystique of the Beard

Of all the facial hair styles that one may choose to wear, the full beard is the most powerful. It is the "King of Men's Beard Styles."
It may seem like the easiest style to grow and wear, but ask those who have tried and only ended up patches of tuft all over there faces. Even if you are genetically gifted and able to grow a full beard, don't be fooled into thinking it will be easy. The King of Beard Styles is not one to be trifled with. It may be technically easy to care for as far as trimming goes (although you will need two beard trimmers for proper care) but the emotional fortitude necessary is second to none.

No other beard style will require more commitment and dedication and yet no other style will give so much back. It is beautiful picture of making the big commitment and reaping the benefits of risking your heart and soul. When a man properly wears the full beard he is indeed a lion, he is the king. He demonstrates regal strength and power in a firm and fair way; he will turn heads and command the respect of his peers.

No other beard style can do that for you, the depth of the full beard cannot be measured. It is a well that has never run dry; its source is the beginning of mankind. Its potential is limitless and that is why all other styles will forever bow to it. It's no coincidence that every facial hair style is born of the full beard, the full beard was the beginning and it too shall be the end. When you don the full beard you are making a bold statement, if you lack the necessary strength of character and will power you will be shamed. Don't worry about the beard itself, for unlike any other style it can never be shamed. The prestige of the beard is too strong to be affected by an unprepared user.

OK enough already...

Seriously!!! It did not rain at all yesterday. So when I got home last night I threw on my old tennis shoes and basically mowed the lawn at a running pace. I got the whole thing mowed in about an hour and a half. That's close to a record. Ate supper at about 8pm, and then tucked in the girls. Audra and I watched Fringe (our favorite show this year) and went to bed about 9:30pm.

So of course you know by the time we got up this morning it's raining again. It looks like we'll get several more inches today, and they are predicting rain everyday again for the next week at least. Neither of us can bring ourselves to complain too much about it though given the past couple drought years. However, it does get dismal, and you do start to notice that things never get/stay dry. For instance, you take a shower in the morning, and then the next morning your towel is still wet from the morning before. I have started to put my towel in the dryer before I get in the shower, that way it's dry when I get out. The humidity makes everything sticky, and because everything is staying moist, I fear that we are going to start to see mold popping up in places. There's really nothing you can do about that when it's this wet all the time.

I noticed this morning that the Tempo passed 292,000 miles on the way into work. Rick, you should have kept yours, you could still be getting 30 mpg. Ha Ha. Anyway, this year she turned 16, which I guess means that she should be able to drive herself now. Man am I on a roll or what.:)

One last thing. You know if I was Brad Lidge, I wouldn't even think of throwing a hittable pitch to Pujols ever again. I mean the guy just continues to make Lidge look like a batting practice pitcher. I guess Pujols does that to a lot of people though.

Awesome!!!

Unbelievable to us now days. My God we've come far.

But seriously, Audra, have dinner ready by 6pm....or else?

Thanks Colleen.

Sprouts coming up

So last night I walked the gardens and here's what I saw. Onions, beans, and potatoes all sprouting. We are still waiting on the carrots and beets. The tomatoes are starting to flower already. the yellow squash, zucchini, and cucumbers are all coming along nicely. The peppers have all grown several inches, and the lettuce and spinach are doing great. Out front Audra's herbs are kicking. She has chives, lemon balm, lavender, parsley, dill, thyme, oregano, etc...

I forgot to mention that we have tons of strawberries too. some of them are really getting big, but the quantity is what I am amazed by.

Last week I made up a skin and beard conditioner using the lemon balm and lavender. In a sauce pot I steeped a bunch of the leaves from both in some olive oil and mineral oil until the leaves were fairly wilting. Then I strained the leaves out and added pure bees wax until I reached the desired consistency. After that I poured it into a couple of containers. It has a salve-like look and feel and smells very subtle, but it conditions my beard very well and is great as a skin and cuticle salve. I didn't have a recipe or anything I just made it up. That's how I roll...

I went out last night at around dusk and adjusted the new flood lights so they are now pointing exactly how I want them for maximum backyard illumination of the Horseshoe pits and the deck. What a wonderful addition to the house. Between the new flood lights, the outdoor speaker system I installed last summer, and the new Horseshoe pits, we are set now. Bring on the party.

Cards got it handed to them last night by the reigning Champs. I guess you kinda had to expect that. Oh well, we can still split the series. Thank God, Ankiel didn't break anything with that crash into the wall. I can't believe he made that catch though! Get better quick Ank, we need ya.

I don't remember a time before the RAIN.

I have forgotten what the Sun looks like, and how it feels on the skin. I could never live in Seattle. It has now been raining nearly non-stop for like 8 days. How dismal. Anyway, we're supposed to get a break from it tomorrow, and then it's back on Wednesday for several more days.

Onions, beans, and lots of other things are sprouting. The grass is out of control, but it's been toooooo wet to even attempt to mow. I may need a scythe by the time I can think about mowing.

Got the flood lights up and they work well.

16-7 April

What a way to start the season. 16-7 and rocking. I hope they can continue the pace. It's been so exciting to watch. I will say that aside from the Pujols homerun in the first, last nights game was a little boring until the ninth. Anyway, we got the job done.

I post this with thunder in the background. The rain finally got here last night. It knocked out the power in the middle of the night and if it hadn't woken up Audra we would have all been late this morning.

I wish you all a happy Cinco de Mayo. Bye.