Irony

I want to discuss finances here but I view it inappropriate. Besides to discuss the details could potentially put my family in harms way. For instance, I've had to garage a car since in order to make this happen I could not afford to renew the registration or insurance on that vehicle. This week it will be a small miracle if I can keep the kids fed. I've had to delay payment on important bills and go to arbitration with UT over a loan.

However, 3 weeks ago I made the last payment on a debt I've fought for 15 years. Part of that conclusion did include a lump settlement with the creditor. It was huge relief!

The irony?

Yesterday I received a letter from the creditor declaring me free and clear. In a separate envelop was a new bill from an unrelated source for an amount almost the same as what I just paid off. It numbs the mind.

"We must keep the proletariate down for if they rise just a litte we will not be able to keep them down."

Woke to productivity!

I woke this morning at 2am and worked for an hour and a half before making the dreaded mistake of allowing myself a "power nap" from which I rose at 5am. I found Amy half asleep on the hallway floor at the top of the stairs at 2am. She's learned to climb over the gates so I anticipate a fall down the stairs soon. I wonder if it would simply be safer to leave the gate open.

Why I'm so tense

In November I started trying to do my taxes. Every week since then I've thought about it and stressed over it at least twice in the week. April is here and NOTHING has been done on the taxes.

Welcome to my demented mind

Their real headlines vs my made-up headlines.

These are actually headlines taken from Google News at roughly 12:37pm GMT-5.

Them: Quake strikes off Indonesia coast
Me Earth splitting apart. Democrats rush to the side with the most trees.

Them: Space Station Empty as Crew Takes a Space Walk
Me: Emergency Shuttle Launch Prepared. Space Station Crew Locked Out!

Yuri says, "Perhaps comrade we could get one of those hollow, fake magnetic, meteorites with spare key outside."

Them: Jacko Case Focuses on Past Allegations
Me: Prosecution loses confidence in themselves; returns to familiar ground.

Them: Terri Schiavo Receives Easter Communion and Morphine for Pain
Me: This is the body and whoooppeee!

Them: Crowded House Drummer Hester Found Dead
Me: House Less Crowded

Them: Hail and Heavy Rain Pounds the Southeast
Me: Apparently I don't live in the Southeast like I thought I did.

Them: Court Considers Foreigners Rights in US Death Penalty Cases
Me: Foreigners may be exempt from dying.

Them: Supreme Court to Decide P2P Legality
Me: Supreme Court finds answer to sharing all those volumes of legal pleadings with other courts while avoiding royalties and copyrights.

Them: SunGard agrees to $11.3B buyout
Me: SunGard Board of Directors Very Happy. As are their children. And their grandchildren. And their great grand children. And what will be their great, great grand children. And...

Them: Mandela gives me strength - Jackson
Me: Criminals Bond

Them: Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt Officially Split
Me: Movie to be "Siamese Fraternal Twins" Cancelled
Me: We've gotten all the publicity this relationship can muster, let's move on.

Them: Irish show jumper stripped of Olympic Gold Medal
Me: When asked "So did you eat grass?" the horse replied "Nay."

Them: Nepal's Police Detain 16 More Anti-Monarchy Protesters
Me: Napal allows protesting but only one person can do it.

Them: New Hope for Cat Allergy Sufferers
Me: Help put an end to cat sneezes...because its really cute and distracting.

Them: Zimbabwe Ruling Party Blasts Archbishop
Me: UN Steps in and requests Zimbabwe turn down the music

Tea Coming

I received my email that my Adagio Tea is on its way!

Make a difference

I just posted that "It doesn't take much effort to make a difference." A few simple phone calls I have made which led to a difference: I've had speed limit signs with "children playing" posted at each entrance of the neighborhood. I've had knocked down road markers replaced. I've moved bus stops. There are more but I need to return to programming. The point is you can get things done if you are willing to make "a little" effort.

George Orwell would be proud!

What can the American people do but belief they are watching legitimate news?

The Bush administration, rejecting an opinion from the Government Accountability Office, said last week that it is legal for federal agencies to feed TV stations prepackaged news stories that do not disclose the government's role in producing them.

Is this legal? In a contradictory memo on February 17 Comptroller General David M. Walker wrote:

such stories -- designed to resemble independently reported broadcast news stories so that TV stations can run them without editing -- violate provisions in annual appropriations laws that ban covert propaganda.

As a citizen it is your right and obligation to step up to the plate and protect your rights and freedoms. When you see information like this that disturbs you, contact your state representative or congressman. They all accept emails, phone calls, letters and faxes. It doesn't take much effort to make a difference.

Awakening

It took me an hour to draw myself from bed but I'm up at the hour I like to rise and I'm working!

Speechless

I've wanted to comment on the beautiful weather and the evening thunderstorms. I've wanted to give my wife's belly more recognition and congratulate her for finding her way into The Zero Boss' blog. She's had a record number of people see her now. I've wanted to talk of the fantastic Easter morning and the joy and excitement experienced in the kids. And so much more.

I've been mired down in my own lack of productivity. I think I flat-rated a project that I greatly underestimated the amount of effort. I'll pay for this in so many ways.

The day

So last night I cut and marinated the brisket and this morning began making beef jerky. If you don't own a dehydrator you really need one. Wonderful cooking tool!

Negative: I have a client very unhappy with me.
Positive: I overcame a major hurdle on their project today.

Positive: Started cleaning the bedroom floors and moved furniture
Positive: Boiled eggs for coloring
Super-positive: Painted wife

Nice Canvas!

My wife is so beautiful! She is an absolute work of art!

It's the Easter belly! 

Mother Nature's Symphony

I love waking up early. I almost got up at 3am today but gave myself permission to sleep until 6:10. When I took the dog outside the air was crisp and the birds, hundreds of birds, were singing away. It was loud and beautiful. I could identify some. Between 4am and 7am the birds sing the most and I could sit outside the entire time and do nothing but absorb what they have to say!

Progress!

Hit a couple of major milestones on a project today. That feels good. Much more to go.

Scientists say T-Rex tastes like chicken

Preserved meat found in fossil.

I shall finish the game, Doc

William H. Bonney: You remember the stories John use to tell us about the the three chinamen playing Fantan? This guy runs up to them and says, "Hey, the world's coming to an end!" and the first one says, "Well, I best go to the mission and pray," and the second one says, "Well, hell, I'm gonna go and buy me a case of Mezcal and six whores," and the third one says "Well, I'm gonna finish the game." I shall finish the game, Doc.
Young Guns II

In a plant's mind

So, that talking you've been doing to your plants and the classically music played for them to hear apparently doesn't make you all that crazy afterall

Not only can plants communicate with each other and with insects by coded gas exhalations, scientists say now, they can perform Euclidean geometry calculations through cellular computations and, like a peeved boss, remember the tiniest transgression for months.

Next time you need a little help on that math homework talk to your plant. (the story)

The Tea Links

I forgot to meantion that on the banner above clicking each flavor takes you to a different page of the Adagio site.

Look Ma! No wires!

I had a very productive and fun day of wireless networking challenges. I connected an office wirelessly using two DLink 7100APs. One acted as the access point and the other as a repeater. Much fun!

Day in review

Woke at 5:30. Spent the day at the computer. Had an afternoon break to help Sarah deliver Girl Scout cookies. Skipped dinner. Spent 5 hours removing some nasty spyware and viruses from a computer. Returned home to grab 20 minutes of sleep then return to programming on the computer after brewing my final pot of coffee. The bean is dead! Java no more! Have an 8 hour day planned for tomorrow to help a company move their office and make sure all their computers are working.

Progress!

I had a 5 hour computer repair tonight. I would have liked to have laid hands on the computer for another 3-5 hours. People really can't afford to pay what repairing these machines are worth because if I billed an appropriate hourly rate they'd be better off buying a new machine. Of course, the data is what is actually valuable to people and businesses. I think I'm going to publish the method I use for cleaning the machines.

As for now, I'm exhausted but really need to work through the night.