Christmas Eve Morning, Duty Calls

After finishing the work project late last night, creating a database of slot machine attributes (serial number, game theme, software information, that sort of thing, for every game in the state), Heather and I went to sleep around 3:00 a.m. We woke up at 7:00, so that Heather can start packing and other things (filling bird feeders, doing the last of the baking, wrapping a few more presents), and I need to get to work again. I still have two work projects that I MUST finish before I am allowed to take time off. I am hopeful that the work will be done by noon. I should be done today, thank goodness. These 5:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. work days are getting tiresome. It will be worth it to be able to relax with Heather and Gabriel for a couple of days this week, so if that is the price I pay, so be it. I am even turning off my cell phone! I have only turned off my cell once in the last seven years, when we were married and went to Jamaica, so this is an exciting and novel idea, no cell phone calls from work for two days. Cool!

I can hear Heather upstairs, already getting things together so that we can leave this afternoon. We have been compiling a list of things to bring with us for the Christmas celebration at Mom and Dad's tomorrow. The list is longer this year than usual, for reasons that will become obvious in the next few days of blogging.

We are spending Christmas Eve with my sister, Deb, and her husband, and their two children. The kids are still at the age where the night before Christmas and Christmas morning have that special magic. It is especially fun to spend this time with them, even more than at other times of year. I heard from my sister that the kids are excited to see Gabriel, and he loves being around other kids, too.

I need to start on my work, so that I can finish and start to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere that is filled with building anticipation, and waiting for me. I've got Sirius satellite radio to work by, and chocolate cake for breakfast (oh yeah!), and I am ready to work (Yuck!) But it's Christmas, so I will get through the work just fine. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may God bless you!

A working vacation

Until I post again, here is a picture of Gabriel, clowning around with a drum. He looks like an astronaut... astronut, maybe.

I finished the big project that stands between myself and my vacation later this weekend. Of course, it is 1:42 a.m. and here I am, in the middle of the weekend and I am still working. I wonder if the other people in my office are sitting at their computers working right now.

I have two more projects that I have to finish before I will be allowed to take time off, but thankfully, I should be able to finish those projects in about three hours on Christmas Eve morning. I have to get some sleep first, but I think that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... or else I am just so tired that I am hallucinating. I'm going to bed. Later, dud.

Gabriel's Mr. Potato Head Impression

Gabriel's Nana and Papa gave him a bunch of Mr. Potato Head toys when we celebrated Christmas with them way back in the first week of November. He thinks it is pretty funny to run around the house wearing the glasses from Mr. Potato Head's noggin, er, his potato, (I guess?) The glasses are just a bit too small for Gabriel to wear, but he tries anyway. Gabriel is a nut. Ask his Mommy, if you don't believe me. By the way, Gabriel will be two years old soon. Wow! The time really flies!

Three Days Until Christmas

Wow! It is only three days until Christmas. I still have a few projects to finish before I can take vacation. The boss told me that I have to finish all of these jobs before I will be able to have time off. Sure, I am off work on Christmas, but I can't actually take any vacation until I finish all of this work. So, I have been working from 5:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. five days a week, sometimes more, for the last few weeks. I probably have another ten hours of work to do yet, and I hope to finish that by noon on Christmas Eve. I did get another project today, which stinks, but I think I can finish that in a couple of additional hours between tonight and throughout Christmas Eve day. I will have four days of approved vacation, and I can't wait. I will turn off my work cell for the first time in seven years. I figure I can keep my phone powered down for two days before the office will start calling me at home, so I think I will spend two days of my vacation with the cell turned off, and the other two with it powered up and taking calls again. I am willing to do that if it means I can just relax at home for a day or two. All I can say, once I am allowed to power off my cell phone, is "Thank God!" and "Merry Christmas!"

The rest of the week

I am scheduled to be off work for the rest of the week. This is because of having oral surgery in the morning. I could just say that I am going to a dental office to have a number of different procedures done, but being that the entire process is supposed to take 6 1/2 to 7 hours to complete, calling it surgery sounds accurate, since there will be an incision and bloodletting (so to speak), with a laser, a dentist, and an oral surgeon thrown in for good measure.

We have to leave at 4 a.m. to get to the appointment on time. I was approved for this time off, but today, I found out that there is a project that was given high priority. Now, I do get Wednesday and Thursday off, but this project has to be complete by Friday. Given that I will probably be asleep most of Wednesday and Thursday, I was given the privilege of having the weekend to complete this new, urgent project, which, for me only, must be completed by Monday morning. It does beg the question, what is approved time off good for, if my approved time off is always withdrawn a day before I actually take a discretionary day off?

On the bright side, at least I have job security.

Today is Friday for me

Today is my Friday. I know, it is also my Tuesday, according to the calendar. I will be off work for a few days, for oral surgery and recovery. Mostly, the recovery means I might actually get some of my projects done around home, but more likely, I will sleep a lot more than usual for a few days. I am looking forward to not taking painkillers anymore! I am a bit leery about not taking anything after 8 tonight, as it is tough to get through an 8-hour period without at least taking some sort of pain reliever. This is going to be a spendy little enterprise, but on the bright side, I will not be paying a lot of taxes this year. I know, you pay less taxes, but the same money goes to a dental surgeon instead. Out of one pocket or the other, the money just goes and goes...

Today, I am installing two progressive signs a few hours from home. Both will be Wheel of Fortune signs, but one will be for a quarter progressive, and the other for a dollar system. It should be a piece of cake. With luck, I will be home early, but that remains to be seen. You just never know what complications may arise, especially with issues of having adequate power circuits. The sign company has various qualities of technicians, just like any other company. If I get experienced techs today, it will be easy. If these are greenhorns, well, I will work a lot more. Either way is fine. I am used to it. I guess I will venture out into the cold now... yippee, joy, rapture, blah blah blah...

The Nativity Story

Friday afternoon, Gabriel, Heather, and I went to a matinee movie. I worked earlier than normal that day, so I was done working early, as well. As made clear by the title of this blog entry, the movie we went to see was The Nativity Story. The subject is plainly obvious, of course, by the title. It was a very good movie. I enjoyed it, as did Heather. This was, incidentally, Gabriel's third movie. He was well-behaved through most of the movie, largely due to the fact that he hasn't been feeling well for a few days. He sat on his Mom's lap most of the movie, as he tends to get snuggly (is that REALLY a word?) when he isn't feeling well. During the last fifteen minutes, Gabriel and I walked the periphery of the theater, and he checked out the theater lighting on the floor (the lights that mark the way, so you don't fall on your caboose when you are interrupting the movie to go buy popcorn and carbonated sugar water). We didn't interrupt the movie, either, incidentally, as we stayed at the back of the theater, and kept quiet. The one thing that Gabriel and I did discover while examining the theater floor lighting is that Gabriel finds it fascinating that the lights shine right through his little fingertips.

Anyway, regarding the movie... Nobody knows exactly how the Nativity Story really happened. Still, the movie is presented along the traditional lines of what took place, as written in the Bible (though the Gospels offer varying details while telling the story of Jesus' Earthly birth). It does explore the relationship between Mary and Joseph, and the idea that theirs was an arranged marriage, as was typical of the time. Everyone but the Roman soldiers were very "Jewish", and it is very likely that is accurate, too. I don't know if it is historically accurate in all the details, but it was really a well-made representation of the Biblical story of Jesus' birth. The actors did a fine job, and included several who have been nominated for Academy Awards in the past. The scenery in the story was breath-taking, and was filmed in Morocco, the same location where the Passion of the Christ was made. In any case, Heather and I both give the story an enthusiastic thumbs up. Any movie with a wholesome message that is suitable for families with small children is a good thing. Hopefully, if enough people check out the movie, more movie makers will be encouraged to create movies with a family-values oriented message and positive content. This movie will be completely, totally, and in all ways artistically ignored by the Academy, though it may be considered for the musical score or technical direction, but it hasn't got a chance in any other category. Why? It is about Jesus Christ. Let's be honest here about Jesus: In Hollywood, He hasn't got a prayer.

Oh, by the way, the soundtrack was as breath-taking as the scenery. Excellent movie, good for families, good for you.

Its a bird, it's a plane, its... no, it really is a bird.

This weekend, we worked outside in this crisp pre-autumn weather, cleaning up the yard and tending to the birdfeeders. There were a couple of feeders that haven't been getting used very well. We moved those around. Then, we hung a corn feeder for those goofy squirrels. We haven't seen any squirrels on that feeder, but almost immediately after we rearranged things, we started seeing birds that neither Heather nor I have ever seen before. I did some research on the Internet. The result is that the birds are listed on all the rare bird sighting lists in Minnesota, but are rarely seen here. The last sighting in Minnesota that was reported was in 2005. Apparently, the birds are not native to Minnesota, which makes it more interesting. Not that this is that exciting to the average person, I suppose, but also, not to built too much suspense here... We have three pairs of black-headed grosbeaks that have been at our feeders for three days, and still are feeding here today. I tried to take a few clear pictures of them so that I can forward the photos to the rare bird lists. Hey... our bird feeding efforts paid off in that way: we have birds here that do not live in Minnesota, and the birds have hung out with us for a few days. I see the grosbeaks are still on the feeders this morning. I hope that they stay awhile... at least until that four-letter word is reality: SNOW. But that isn't a profane word around here. We love winter and we love snow. Bring it on, but not until we are done gardening!


With the cool weather, our gardening will be done soon, but I hope that it lasts a few more weeks. We still have some sweet bell peppers that aren't quite ready, but one can't control the weather. Duty calls... gotta go to work. Phooey. But that's life.

Gimme a break, gimme a break...

After this coming Sunday, I will be on break from college. The break will be for one month, more or less (28 days). I am really in need of the pause in classes, to be honest. Lately, I just don't have the energy to commit to doing the very best work that I can do. I figure that if that isn't reason enough to take a little break, what is? College courses are not cheap, and I don't want to waste the tuition money doing this half-way. My GPA is very good, so that isn't the worry. I just need a little break. Besides, this time of year, there is so much else to do, with gardening and home improvements taking center stage. The roofing project is coming up, too. By the time that project actually, finally starts, it will almost be time for me to go back to school. I will have time to prepare during the break, though, and that is good enough for me.

Random Stuff

Things have been very busy lately, between work, school, gardening, parenthood, and generally maintaining this household that I haven't taken time to write an update lately. Since I have an early morning validator update scheduled for tomorrow, this will be brief (for me).

Heather and I spent Saturday night in the Twin Cities. We went to see the Gaithers' Homecoming with our former neighbors, Janet and Paul. It was a fantastic show, albeit a bit shorter than usual. It only ran about 4 1/2 hours (seriously, ONLY 4 1/2 hours... this show is that good). This was my fifth time seeing the show in ten years, and Heather's third. Mom couldn't make it, due to a baby shower for her first-born great-grandchild, Brady (more on that later).

This is supposed to be brief, so back to the concert: It was a first for Gabriel, along with other new experiences for him. Instead of driving downtown (blasted one-way streets!) we rode the Hiawatha light rail transport system from the Mall of America. It was not a bad way to travel, being so convenient, quiet, and speedy. The cost to park at ramps near the Target Center was 15 bucks, but the LRT ride was only a buck and a quarter, and saved gas money! After the show, Heather and I were tired, so we stayed at Janet and Paul's home and came home on Sunday morning. It was a nice break from the hectic life we normally lead (doesn't everyone, though?)

I will write more about the concert, but not tonight. I need to get to bed! I am up late doing end-of-month paperwork and I need some sleep. More later. Guten nacht... and stuff.

Delays

City bureaucrats suck donkey rear end. They clearly are forgetting whom they work for and who provides the dollars to pay their wages.

We got a call from the contractor this morning. Brad went to get a permit for the roof, but was told that we had not had our septic inspected in too long. Too long in this case means 3 years (it has been 3 ½ years since the last inspection). Consequently, before the city will allow a roofing permit, the septic must have a successful inspection. If the septic fails that scrutiny, we have to hook up to city water. Immediately. We are looking at a 350-foot connection between the water main and sanitary sewer, and the house, at an indefinite expense between 10 and 20 thousand dollars. We are waiting for a septic service company to become available to inspect the drain field and tank. The question is, just what in the @&%#@ does a roof replacement project have to do with a septic tank? Absolutely nothing.

What is happening is that the city is trying to force everyone onto city water immediately, due to the large number of city bonds outstanding. We already paid the $17,500 cost for the city assessment. Our portion of the bonds is already paid. In fact, we paid the assessment within five days of issuance of the bonds.

We are waiting to be scheduled for an inspection, which may take a week. Then, we will wait about a week for the inspector to give the results to the city. In the meantime, the contractor is near to finishing the last job before us on his schedule and the roofing was supposed to start on Monday of next week. We are being bumped back on the schedule at least a few weeks due to that delay, and the setback while we wait for the results of an inspection.

We are being held hostage by city bureaucrats. We have to have a new roof this year, before winter, due to the ice dams that build up to depths of a foot or more. (How much do you suppose a sheet of ice a foot thick on your roof weighs?) The roof replacement is not optional, nor is this a voluntary upgrade.

Before we bought the house, we hired a highly recommended home inspector, part of a franchise called Gold Key Home Inspections, to examine the house. Feel free to NOT hire them to check over your house. I can only assume that the “experienced professional” who inspected our house did not know what he was doing or what he was looking for. He never noticed that there are virtually no functionally effective soffit vents and too few roof vents. I didn’t know much about home ventilation three and a half years ago, but today, I am nearing expert status, due to the progressive decline in the condition of the roof and the kitchen-living room ceilings. This deterioration is due to poor and inadequate ventilation, the fault of mistakes or shortcuts by the homebuilder, whoever that might be.

Regarding Gold Key Inspections, they checked out the roof and told us that the roof was in good condition. The fact is that the guy was incompetent, inexperienced, or both. He missed the two most serious flaws in the home's construction, the lack of soffit vents and the inadequate roof vents. Today, we are looking at a roof replacement cost of about $11,500 and also may be forced to spend $10-20,000 to hook up to city water BEFORE we are allowed to repair the roof.

Essentially, what we are looking at is that we absolutely must fix the roof, may be forced to connect to city water, and then may not be able to afford to even stay in the house anyway, unless I work a second job. Big deal, right? People do it all the time.

My job precludes working a second job, simply because I am on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every week, including holidays. How can a second job be possible with that condition? I am also a full-time student and a parent. We have already cut expenses and discretionary spending severely. I am looking at working two jobs, while a full-time student, so that we can assuage the asinine capriciousness of free-spending city bureaucrats. I have heard from many people in the area who are being forced out of their homes due to rapidly rising costs, driven by citiots (idiots from the Twin Cities) who have second, or third homes in the lakes region. You know, these are the jackasses who drive like they do, in fact, own the road.

If we are ultimately forced out of our home, the dollar amount we can expect to get from its sale would not cover the cost of the repairs and city water connection, on top of the mortgage. We couldn't even consider selling the property without repairing the roof and connecting to city water immediately, while demolishing the septic system and backfilling the resulting hole next to the house. The appraised value of our home increased by $25,000 this year, despite the fact that we have not done a single, solitary thing to improve the property. In five years, this will work in our favor as our improvements are completed and then-current appraisals reflect the modifications. That is tomorrow. Today we are damned no matter what we do.

Roof, roof

No. That was not an impression of any of the people in our family (i.e., family members of the canine variety, obviously). It was a clever heading to a blog entry about the roof. Okay, so it was not that clever. It was probably even a little sophomoric, jejune, or annoying, but I like it anyway, so sue me.

Anyway... Brad, the contractor, stopped at the house tonight to discuss the roofing project. If the weather cooperates, the roofing project will be getting underway next Tuesday. We are adding a number of skylights and ridge vent, among other improvements. Some of the improvements are functionally very significant. It’s like this: Brad looked at the house and in a nutshell, said, “No wonder you have problems with the roof. The house can’t breath.” Seriously, how did the contractor get in a nutshell in the first place? Whatever moron built this house, they didn’t put any venting in the soffits, causing ice dams that accumulate up to a foot thick in the winter. The project is taking on a life of its own, and it is just in the planning stages, as we add in soffit vents, ridge vents, proper venting for the bathroom exhaust fan, and on and on. The plans changed a bit, because the skylights will not fit in the kitchen quite the way we envisioned. We will have six skylights spaced more or less equally in the kitchen and living room, instead of eight. In our bedroom, we will have two skylights instead of one. However, we have one more skylight that we thought we might put in Gabriel's room. Because of where the valley between the two roof peaks ends up, there is not going to be room for a skylight in Gabriel’s room. Bummer. We have until Tuesday to rethink our plans for the last skylight. Any suggestions?

Sticks and stones do not a racist make

Saying that there should be a limit to the number of immigrants who enter the United States does not make you a racist, just because most of the illegals invading America happen to be Mexicans and Latinos. Anyone who wants to enter legally can get in line, take part in the legal process of naturalization, and be welcomed to America as a land of opportunity. But these illegal aliens protesting suggestions that the laws be enforced, while demanding amnesty reveal their true agenda, to refuse to assimilate and to remake the US of A in the image of Old Mexico. When they stand together, demanding legal immigrant status, while holding Mexican flags, what does that say? Their actions speak louder than their words about what they really want. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself."

The arrogant calls for rights that illegals have no basis to demand will catch up with them when enough Americans get tired of getting kicked around by illegals. My simple advice? Leave the Mexican flags at the border, and at least act the part of eager American-in-waiting. Act as if you want to actually be Americans with a right to be here. Right now, you are neither Americans or justifiably present in the United States. Assimilation is not an option. English is spoken here. Period. If you disagree, congratulations. You have a right to dissent in America. If my statements offend you, boo hoo. This is America. There is no constitutional protection against being offended. Deal with it or go back where you belong.

Telegram for Screamin' Howard Dean

I know this is so unlike my usual posts, but I am going to make this one rather brief. Screamin' Howard Dean, embarrassment to the Democrats that you are, I got a kick out of another flamboyant show of ignorance on your part. Today, you said that amnesty for illegals was a civil rights issue. As a man with several advanced degrees and years as a politician, if you were not so focused on partisan political pandering to illegals, you would know that illegals have human rights, not American civil rights. By definition, civil rights are reserved for citizens and lawful residents. The unfortunate news is that the constitution calls for legal redress of persons, not citizens. You can count on wacko judges to decide, by that ambiguous definition, this means any person in the entire world... including apes and other primates. Seriously. For example, the Socialist government of Spain is pushing legislation giving Great Apes status with full human rights. Thank God that in Spain, abortion is not only legal but also encouraged. More room for the Apes, after all. Think I am making it up? Look for yourself:

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/apr/06042702.html or http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=spain+%2B+apes+%2B+rights&btnG=Google+Search

Stealing American civil rights

If you had your TV or radio on for more than a few minutes today, you had to hear that the illegal aliens are collectively demanding amnesty, stating emphatically that they have every bit as much right to be here as you or me. Riiiiiight. And, uh… further, these so-called undocumented workers are saying that they are angry because they are being called criminals. Oh, the horror of it all. How dare Americans slander these honorable people? After all, in this politically correct world, they steadfastly maintain that they are not breaking any laws, and that Americans are hurting them by insulting their [cough, cough] honor. In their words, these people are not illegal invaders challenging the sovereignty of the United States. Further, the words I heard today from one wacko Mexican woman, loaded with resentment towards American citizens: America has no right to admit or deny entrance to whomever we choose, and that we have no right to secure or close the borders. Political correctness demands that we understand that illegal immigrants are merely citizenship challenged… and you [pointing at YOU] are at fault, for not being a welcoming party to the invasion of the U.S.A., you, you… American.

By the way, the definition in Webster’s dictionary states that a criminal is “One that has committed or been legally convicted of a crime.” Most illegal immigrants who have invaded America have not been convicted of a crime by entering unlawfully. However, by definition, entering illegally is just that… illegal. Therefore, these invaders are, in fact, criminals. One who commits a crime is a criminal. So why in the blazes should they respect the rest of the American laws when they don’t give a rat’s rear end about our border security and immigration laws? Now, we cannot ship the indefinite millions back where they belong or charge them with felonies, even though that would be a well-deserved reward for invading the United States. Can you imagine a criminal trial for every illegal alien who was taking part in a de facto invasion of the United States? That would tie up criminal court in America for years, maybe decades. As it stands today, the clowns in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, are frantically pandering and kissing Mexican ass in the hopes that when the Latinos far outnumber those damned gringos, the legislators can hold onto their insatiable, demented Congressional grasp of power. I admit, I say that in a way that suggests that my opinion is that being a politician is a foul or wicked profession. Given that these Congressional creeps will never secure the borders (not close the borders, SECURE THE BORDERS!) or represent the genuine interests of Americans, who can you trust? Politicians are intrinsically narcissistic and arrogant.

Maybe it is time to get together a posse comitatus and take back our country, before these horses’ rearends throw it all away for the votes of illegals. The last time I checked, influence peddling was a serious crime, at least for a constitutional originalist conservative. Never forget, Dems, your expertise with voter fraud will go a long way towards attempting to steal another election. The failure to steal the presidential elections of ’00 and ’04 for radical liberalism must bear a nasty sting, eh?

The Great Escape

Okay...so they can sue me for the copyright infringement. They won't get anything out of me. I could change it to "The Great Jail Break", but this is cat paradise, not jail. Anyway, we were moving skylights on Thursday so the garage door was open. We opened the screen door to the garage to get some air movement and let the cats enjoy it. The crazy kitten, so far only known by the moniker of "brat", decided to climb the screen. We chased him down and went to the garage at the end of the driveway. By the time we returned, we saw 2 cats near the deck. Doug questioned whether they were neighborhood cats but had a dreadful feeling that ours had escaped somehow. I took Gabriel with me and captured a kitty while Doug found the escape hatch and blocked it off. The brat had punched his way through the screen door. I grabbed a cat and brought it to Doug. We went for the other one, who really was kind of freaked out. I don't blame him. The dog kennel is close to the deck, and he was being subjected to harassment. I'm happy that they are all back safe and sound. The current dilemma is what to do with the screen door so that we can use it again. How do you cat-proof it?

A little credit is due - part deux.

Thanks to media distortions, no good news from the White House will ever see the light of day, at least until Billary assumes co-presidency again, God help us, and the Clinton criminals will likely pilfer the White House silverware and china… yet again. Why doesn’t the main vein media point out that it was George W. Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative and new energy rules that he signed into law that will start to bring energy independence to America… someday. Since almost noone knows what those laws require: George W. Bush's initiative requires the use of 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel annually by 2012, renewable fuels produced IN AMERICA, by American farmers, reducing our dependency on foreign petroleum reserves, while raising the prices and demand for American cash crops like corn and soybeans.

I, for one, am sick and tired of the incessant deceptions spread by liberal stooges. It's like this. Repeat those so-called progressive fabrications often enough, with enough vehemence, and eventually, what you have wrought is the veneration of government and liberal laissez-faire perverted living of the lowest common denominator (i.e. you know the usual liberal hippy lines: if it feels good, do it. Free love! All we are saying is give peace a chance. The government is here to help you! (That last one scared the hell out of me)). And yes, I did intend to have two parentheses at the end of the last sentence.

George W. Bush is certainly not a perfect president. However, the economy will grow by 4.2 percent this quarter, with unemployment at its lowest level in more than 20 years. Unemployment, in fact, has been lower, on average, under G.W. Bush than during the Clinton administration. So, how about giving credit to the current administration when they do something right... give some credit for a change? Oh, this is important enough to repeat, and pay attention, kiddies: Liberalism is evil, no matter what the Democrybabies and Screamin’ Howard Dean might say. When radical Democrats open their mouths, lies fall out like dentures without Polygrip. Moreover, because so many ignoramuses (or is that plural… Ignorami) will believe anything they see on TV or in the major newspapers, the extreme leftist demagoguery in the media is dangerous to the future of America.

Ah… I got that out of my system, and I feel a bit better now.

Okay, hypocrites... a little credit is due-part 1

Okay. George W. Bush is certainly not a perfect president, by any means. However, the way that he is portrayed as an absolute failure by the mainstream media is disingenuous at best, and is deliberate propagandist deceitfulness at the worst. The likes of ABC, CNN, and newspapers like the New York Times are blaming the Bush administration for high fuel prices. First, that is completely asinine and utterly duplicitous, if not seditious crimes against the state, seeking political influence to undermine the chief executive officer by misrepresenting the facts (also known as lying, propagandist anti-American political tactical warfare). No president can do that much to cause changes in the economy in the day-to-day world. Expecting hairpin fiscal turns in the largest economy in the history of the world, based purely on presidential authority is like turning a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, such as the CVN RONALD REAGAN around when the thing is cruising at 30 knots. It is going to take an awful lot of water to turn that ship around, as in, an aircraft carrier spinning u-turns the size of small tropical islands.

Here is the reality: The liberal main-vein media are a bunch of wacko hypocrites who have no interest in facts or the health of America's economy, unless such facts support their radical socialist agenda. All these creeps care about is destroying G.W. at any cost, including devastating American socio-economic harmony. The salaciously caustic nature of the media’s distortions is tantamount to treason. Did you ever notice that the (very) unprofessional reporters at ABC and CBS bare their ugly liberal prejudice by disrespectfully referring to W as Mr. Bush, while they STILL to this day refer to Slick Willy Clinton as President Clinton? Liberalism is evil, no matter what the Democrybabies say. These folks spin the media with a twisted merchandising of distortions that liberal politicians own, presented as hard news, when the reality is that the liberal media is the de facto mouthpiece of Ted 'Hiccup' Kennedy and other spiteful liberals like Billary Clinton and Chuckie Schumer. Why these jackasses are reelected (in some cases for more than 40 years) is beyond comprehension. It is the duty of every American to understand the issues and vote intelligently... or to just simply NOT vote. Would it be such a bad idea to have a test of awareness of current events before opening the polls? Yeah, I know, that would be an unfair test because political and social morons would not be allowed to vote. Ummm... cha ching. That’s life.

Preparing for the Roofing Contractor

We are getting a new roof on the house soon. I am not sure when the project will begin, as the contractor had some weather-related delays on current or recent jobs. It sounds like the work may start next Wednesday, the 3rd of May. It is probably a good thing that the work was delayed, because we have preparations to make. Each day when I come home, I put wood sealer on the frames of the new skylights. There isn't enough room in the garage to do all of the skylights at the same time, so I did four of them first and am working on the last three now. That would be a total of seven skylights, in case that was as clear as mud. We will ultimately have nine skylights, eight in the living room and kitchen, and one in the bedroom. The idea is that we can open the five venting skylights (2 kitchen, 2 living room, 1 bedroom) and cool the house during the summer, without air conditioning. The two current venting skylights, when opened in the summer, cause the temperature in the house to drop markedly within minutes. So, hopefully, this will help with the heat and make for some happy houseplants.

On a sidenote, we could use central air to cool the house, but our home has hot water heat. That is why we don't use central air, so now you know. By the way, some home-buying advice: never buy a home in December in Minnesota, unless you pay attention to the fact that the hot water heat doesn't allow central air. Oh well. We manage just fine. Anyway, I have put four coats of satin wood sealer on four skylights and tomorrow will start the last three. It takes four to five days to finish each skylight, one coat every 24 hours. Very exciting stuff I am writing tonight.

So is Jeanne my sister-in-law-in-law? :-)

My brother-in-law, Dave, one of Doug's older brothers, got married recently (for any non-family member who stumbles on this site) . Yesterday Doug, Gabriel and I traveled to meet them for lunch. Of course, it is a 2-hour trip one way and Gabriel slept both ways. Since we left at 6pm, Gabriel was awake until midnight. Dave has a son, Josh (12). Dave's new wife, Jeanne (she pronounces it Jeannie), has a son and 2 daughters, one of which has Down's Syndrome. I guess the parents decided total emersion into the new family thing is the way to go, because I instantly became Aunt Heather to 3 new kids. That's not as weird as the feeling I get when I talk to my oldest nephew who got married 2 months before I did. Anyway, Jeanne's kids must love babies, because everyone wanted to play with Gabriel. It became a contest to see who got the better reaction from him when they tried to hold him. Poor Uncle Josh didn't get a much better reaction out of his nephew than the kids did. Such are the moods of Gabriel.

Work

I spent most of the past week on the road, not in the typical fashion, but staying in a hotel. I have always liked being home at night, but being a dad makes it that much harder to stay away. It is part of the job, so I deal with it, but I do not stay in a hotel unless it is essential to the work I am doing. I spent the first week installing Star Wars and Wheel of Fortune Special Edition systems at a location too far away to drive every day from home. Last week, I worked at the same casino, installing a Partytime system. This week, I will be installing Star Wars and Twilight Zone games at another location a few hundred miles from home. For the third week in a row, starting tomorrow, I will be gone all week. It appears that this will be the last week that I will be on the road for days at a time, at least for awhile. That is a relief. I can drive 500 miles every day in this job and it doesn't bother me in the least. But the truth is, this is one guy who likes to be home with his family every night.

Gabriel's first haircut

Gabriel got his hair cut. I know, it isn't a big deal to the average person, but to a one-year old, a strange woman coming at you with ominously large scissors in hand, she is so much bigger than you, and isn't mommy or daddy, well, it is a frightening experience! Gabriel was very overdue for a haircut and since I was home for a change (lately), we decided to get his hair cut. His hair was so long that it came down beyond the tip of his little nose. He took to the experience like a champ for the most part, but by the time his hair was trimmed, he was looking a bit uncertain, reaching out to his mommy. Gabriel handled it pretty well though, and he looks like a little gentleman.

Wilf says "No Tice"

Mike Tice is no longer the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Zygi Wilf didn't handle his decision to change the coaching personnel well at all. To be honest, he bungled this thing completely, alienating the Vikings players by not telling them that their leader had been canned mere minutes after the Vikings beat Chicago convincingly in the last regular season game. The players learned that Tice was fired from the media, not from the owner as is customary. Tice wasn't perfect as a head coach, and there were plenty of missteps and scandals this year. But the public image problems were largely the fault of players, not the coach. Tice was a leader, a damn fine leader, and he wasn't a babysitter, despite Wilf's apparent conclusion to the contrary. The fact that Wilf handled this firing so poorly undercuts his image as a decent owner, and it already is damaging his standing with Minnesota Vikings fans.

Should Tice have been given another year? Let's put it this way. The Vikings had a slow start this season, but won 7 of their last 9 games. Surely, Mike Tice had a hand in building that momentum. A vote of confidence would have been nice. Regardless, Tice is history.

There is always next year to resurrect the Minnesota Moving Company, but the cohesive foundation built by Tice in the locker room is dead. Thanks, Wilf. You may own the team, but you don't know shit about public relations, you do not own the spirit of the Purple Pride, and you will never be a Minnesota Viking.

Iran so far away.

America will soon be extremely busy. War is coming to Iran and, logically and necessarily, to Syria, since Syria swore allegiance to protect Iran against attack. The only good thing I can see coming out of war with Syria will be the destruction of Iraq's WMDs, which the whole civilized world (except for CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN) understands were shipped to Syria in caravans of trucks in the weeks before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Check the satellite pictures. The truth is quite clear: Syria has the WMDs. Enough biological weaponry to kill hundreds of thousands of people can fit into one suitcase-sized crate. The average person apparently doesn't understand this, or, the media isn't telling the truth, or both. Hard to imagine, huh? This is a move that is lamentable, particularly the loss of innocent life, but this forceful step to defend the steadiness of the world into the future is exceedingly necessary. God, I wish that peace would be effortless, painless, and without blood and tears.

In the real world, sometimes, to make a cake, you have to break a few eggs. The lunacy in the Iranian power structure necessitates military strikes with lethal precision, and the sooner the better. As an aside, Russia will soon deliver advanced weapons systems to Iran, capable of destroying laser-guided bombs and JDAMs. Whose side are they on again? Iran's Imams have stated that they must have nuclear weapons within the first months of 2006. Why is the timing so critical for these madmen to have nukes? A brilliant entrepreneur, Steve Forbes has issued a dire warning: Iran's soon-to-be-successful push for nuclear weapons poses an "increasingly mortal threat to our safety."

The certainty is that the peace mongers can and definitely will say "All we are saying is give peace a chance" til they are blue in the face. Here comes reality for you: the ominous harbingers of death are clear, as Iran defiantly hones their nuclear knives. Iran has gone crazy with an obsession for Semitic annihilation. What can we do? Wait for death to come knocking, or strike first and strike hard? It is unfortunate, but people are going to die to safeguard the permanence of Middle Eastern subsistence. It isn't a painless route, but democracy is coming to Iraq, if we give freedom time to work its therapeutic wonder of empowerment on the free Iraqi people. Hey, I embrace peace whenever possible. I love peace, but when these maniacal wingnuts have nuclear conquest in their sights, and will be nuclear-capable within months, there is no time to waste. Sometimes the way to peace is through war. That is clear to the enlightened world.

The solution will not be easy, since Iran isn't completely brainless (just insane). These clowns have long planned for their nuclear psychosis, with hardened bunkers and nuclear facilities far underground, not impervious to daisy cutters and bunker busters, but mighty close. Iran will not allow anything or anyone to stand in their way. Obliterating their murderous nuclear ambitions will be tremendously complicated, but is becoming a more critical matter with every passing week and month.

Okay, back to Steve Forbes, and his thoughts on this. This comes courtesy of Townhall.com. Forbes writes in his Fact and Comment column that Iran's imminent nuclear capacity is particularly alarming because its new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is "lethally delusional." He is fanatical about the Mahdi, the expected Messiah of Muslim tradition, who is to return just before Judgment Day. Ahmadinejad believes he must prepare the way for the Muslim messiah’s return, according to Forbes. He must prepare by slaughtering all of Israel. The Iranian leader has maintained that the Holocaust never occurred, as if it was some Jewish conspiracy to increase sympathy or something bizarre like that. He said, blatantly, that Israel must be wiped off the map. Iran plans to follow up on the sadistic rhetoric with action in the near-term future. Why don't the majority news people say a word about Iran's bold calls for the death of Israel? Because they support Palestine and don't care what happens to Israel, perhaps? Just a guess, but actions speak louder than words, don't they? Islam is a religious of peace. Really, it is. What a boatload of shitake mushrooms.

"Thankfully President Ahmadinejad's consistent public statements on the 'myth' of the Holocaust will make clear to not only us but also the European masses and elites that this regime poses an increasingly mortal threat to our safety, that European-style diplomacy (a mechanism for doing nothing) is no longer viable."

Thank you, Steve Forbes. I couldn't have said it better myself. And God help us if we wait too long.

The Best Movie of the Year (click here to see Narnia)

Gabriel went to his first movie on New Year's Eve. We saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during the cheap, economically family-friendly matinee. Despite the nonsense that the major media wackos spout about twisted (and dare I say, agenda-driven?) movies like Brokeback Mountain being such great movies, Heather, Gabriel, and I went to what should be considered the best movie of the year, 2005. To elucidate on that, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the best movie a parent could take their kid to see this year. One caveat, though. The action is intense, and some of it wouldn't be suitable for a kid under about the age of eight or so. Every child is different, and so each parent must make such decisions individually. A bit of my democratic Christian conservative philosophy coming out there. Silly me. By the way, that was democratic with a small "D." I could never sink low enough to soil myself by associating with the misguided, misanthropic deceitfulness of the Democratic liberal agenda (with a big “D”). Sue me if that is a problem for you. And have a nice day.

With that clarified, let me tell you, the movie is fantastically done, rich in imagery, with seamless special effects and computer-generated creatures, including the handsome and regal Aslan, the King of Kings. There are no heavy religious overtones, despite what you may hear from the self-declared journalists at ABC, CNN, or CBS (and I use the term, journalist, extremely loosely with regard to these jokers. Maybe it has to do with ABC, CNN, and CBS being the handmaiden of the malignantly narcissistic radical left). But I digress.

As I was saying, the theatrical adaptation was exceptionally consistent with the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia, with a single three-minute scene in the movie being created by whatever artistic license the movie people thought was needed. That movie segment takes place at the river when the ice starts to break apart. Other than that one divergence from the triumph of C.S. Lewis’ Narnian Chronicles, the movie was very true to the books and the Focus on the Family version of the story. I attribute that unfailing harmony with the original written saga to the participation of Doug Grisham, the stepson of Lewis. Grisham was not only a fan of the stories as a child, before his mother married Clive Staples Lewis, but Grisham acted as the associate producer and advisor during production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Bringing this movie to the silver screen was a 15-year labor of love for Grisham. He said that he wanted it to be done as Jack Lewis had described it to Grisham as a child. All I can say about its perfection is that I truly hope that Walden Media does all seven Narnia stories, and does them with the same exacting attention to munificent detail. Yes, the movie is that good.This was Gabriel's first movie, as I said. However, he slept in his mom's arms from the beginning of the movie until he woke up just before the credits started rolling at the end. Perfect timing. We will take him to a movie he will actually watch when he is a bit older. What a great kid Gabriel was in the theater. He is definitely his mother's son.

Check out this movie. It is a beautifully manufactured story, without the pretentious silliness of trying to force "progressive lifestyle choices" or other politically correct malevolent garbage on anyone. This is the best movie of the year, bar none. This movie rocks. So there.

Blessings, good fortune and success to you. Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2006.