Las Vegas, Here I Come (Can I Stay Home?)

Today is the travel day to Las Vegas for the new product training. I hate leaving on Father’s Day, or any day when I will miss time with my kids, but that is what happens sometimes, when job duties call a person away from home. I had to leave the house at 7:00 this morning for the flight to Vegas. It was 56° at the Minneapolis International Airport. When the flight arrived at McCarran Airport, it was 104° and windy. It is no wonder… I would say that it did not occur to these people to plant some trees, but in the desert, what are you going to plant but a bunch of saguaro cacti and sagebrush? Those are not exactly going to slow the hot, desert winds.

I am staying at a nice hotel that is only a couple of minutes from the car rental place. Vegas is convenient, if a bit odd, in that you get off the plane, claim your luggage, and then ride a shuttle bus about fifteen minutes from the airport to a car rental depot, where all of the car rental agencies are located in one central location. The hotel is about two minutes from there. The other techs in the training are staying out in Henderson, about fifteen miles from here and quite a bit farther from the new office. I was supposed to share a car, but thankfully, the hotel there was full, so I was forced to have a hotel reservation far from the rest of the techs. I am so bummed about it, too. After all, had I been required to share a rental car with three other techs, I would have to either stay in the hotel after training each day, sort of stranded because I was not quite the joiner that I could be, or the alternative would be to go where they went. I am so depressed that I am going to miss the skanky strip clubs and over-priced bars and nightclubs, the Las Vegas strip, and all the touristy places where frustrated married men go when they are a couple thousand miles from their wives. Then again, I could be completely sarcastic in that statement and I would rather do my work and come back to the hotel to read, study, do my paperwork, and just relax in an air-conditioned room with the thermostat set at 65°. In fact, that is exactly my plan, to avoid the seedy gambling environs and to research locations to take pictures for my photography site.

I did not mention my photography website. I will roll that out before the end of the month. I have about a hundred pictures on the site, but I have many more to add, and I only want to add my best work. I will tell you about that in the next posts. I am going to get some sleep in this desert hotel before I head to the office in the southwest Las Vegas metro area. Oh, joy! Not really, but I may get to see some new sites and check out some photo opportunities, so that isn’t all bad (though I would rather not be away from the boys and my wife). Friday will come soon and I will stay busy until then. Anyway, over and out for tonight.

Aloha kâkou!

Photography 101

I wonder if winter is finally over this time. The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. If I didn’t have a lot of homework to do tonight in my statistics class, I would be outside taking pictures or seeking new locations to take pictures. I will have opportunities later this week, as the forecast is calling for mid-70s within the next few days. I love snow, I don’t mind winter, but I admit that spring fever is now in full swing… and gardening comes next! Cool!

Too bad it was rainy and cold when we were in the Cities a couple of days ago. It was a long drive and stopping at the Minnesota Zoo made it more enjoyable for the family. The weather was lousy so we checked out the Tropics building and the main building. We have seen those areas three times this year, but it gave me the opportunity to take pictures and experiment with the teleconverter and the long lens. I have another dental appointment in a few weeks, and if the weather cooperates, I will finally be able to take advantage of the brighter light conditions outdoors for the long exposures in the larger enclosures. The elevated track of the monorail may be conducive to some great photos I haven’t had the chance to capture the last few times we visited the zoo. Listen to me, talking about photos as if “they” were living things. “Watch the photograph hunter as he approaches the unsuspecting snapshot. With luck, he may finally capture a live one in its native habitat. The wild snapshot has a keen awareness of its surroundings, but fortunately for us, has not yet detected the photograph hunter”, etc., etc.

With more experimentation, I am sure that I can get the right exposure in the more complicated lighting situations, but I will keep practicing. One of my favorite subjects in the Tropics is the white-cheeked gibbon exhibit, along with the sun bear and the cougars. The lighting is great for the cougars, but at the gibbon and sun bear exhibits, the light is comparatively weak for a long-glass situation. Using the teleconverter, I lose one stop of light-gathering ability. Even with a monopod, it isn’t easy to get really sharp photos at 465 millimeters, because to compensate for the low light, I need to lengthen the exposure time to 1/30 second or longer. In the future, I will try to shoot RAW format in that building (without on-camera processing). Then I can use Photoshop to tweak the various attributes of the raw picture with much greater latitude, a lossless file format, and photo stacks so I do not compromise the original file. Then I can always revert to the original, unedited RAW file if I don't like the results of my own manual adjustments.

The other thing that occurred to me is that I should have adjusted the exposure bias to compensate for the low light. The distance is too great for a flash, and so I can manage some acceptable (but not tack sharp) photos, but the problem for me is that the result of the low light situation is that I end up needing to use an ISO around 1800-3600, which isn’t suitable for enlargements, in my opinion, due to the noise that is introduced in the photos. Had I adjusted the exposure bias and used a tripod, I am confident that I could have gotten tack sharp photos. That is the great thing about digital photography. If at first you don't succeed, go back and take a dozen more photos with bracketed exposure settings and you are sure to get it right!

Don’t let my comments sound like I am negative on this camera. The D300 takes beautiful photos, even at ISO 3200, but pictures shot at high ISO settings are best viewed at a reduced size or possibly the size that fits on a computer monitor, but not at the native resolution. Of course, this is just my opinion, and maybe I am starting to become a photo snob, wanting my pictures to be better all the time. Remember, kids, this is merely my own opinion, and my personal experience. I am still experimenting and have much room to improve, but I love every minute of it. The problems I face with the camera so far have been due to the learning curve of the settings on the camera much, much more than any shortcomings in the camera itself. Nikon, if you are listening (not that anyone at Nikon is paying attention to this), this camera is superb. The D300 is an incredible piece of photographic hardware and I think this camera rocks. I have always loved taking pictures, but the D300 has awakened a new enthusiasm in me that is incomparable.

Photography is really exciting again. I love that.

Statistics

Just a quick comment before I finally get to my homework. The university pulled a fast one, because the instructor bowed out after three days. Then a new instructor was assigned and made his appearance known for all practical purposes on the fourth day of class. He still expects a full week of participation, even though we were instructed to DO NOTHING until the new instructor was in place and gave us new guidelines for the class. As a result, it seems impossible to even get the full attendance this week, but that is life. I think that wasn't particularly fair or reasonable, since the university decided to continue this week, rather than restarting the next week on the proper starting day (Tuesday). In any case, it is what it is, and I have homework to do so that I dont get behind on my work.

Now, if only my techs will respect the boundaries of normal working hours, so that I can focus on my homework assignments, everything will be copacetic. Otherwise, I will have to set them straight and ask the guys to respect my commitments outside of work. I do not expect them to work 24 hours a day, and I dont understand why they would think that they can call on me anytime, day or night. Operations and the dispatch office in Vegas CAN call me 24-7, but the techs need to understand that there are reasonable hours, and there are things that CAN wait until the next business day.

Time to get to work. Over and out.

R.I.P. Buster

I found my friend, usually very noisy, on the bottom of his cage in a position that wasn't upright. It surprised me and saddened me. I loved my little bird. It saddens me not to hear his voice or see him flit around anymore. In fact, the empty cage is a constant reminder that he is no longer with me. I struggle with trying to figure out whether we should get Kiwi a new companion or I should dismantle the cage. I don't want Kiwi to be lonely, but I sit and wonder how much interaction he gets with Gabriel and I talking to him and the cats bugging him...if it is enough. Above all, I just miss Buster.

The rest of the week

It looks like the university pulled the plug on the statistics class for this week. The instructor had some unforeseen scheduling conflict and could not instruct, so until there is another “facilitator” in place, the class is on hold. I assume that means the class will restart next Tuesday, but I am not sure. It is not as if the school can expect a full week’s participation in four days, if there is a new instructor today, so for whatever it is worth, it looks like a brief amnesty from the anguish of statistical analysis. That is good, in a serendipitous way, as my schedule is far busier than the calendar would indicate. I just found out a day or so ago that I have an install at Prairie’s Edge today, so as soon as I post this message, it is time for me to hit the road for the casino, three hours south of here. I have to complete the install today, as I have other obligations tomorrow. It sounds like it might rain, so that would slow the drive. Yuck. But it is spring, so I am not going to look the gift horse in the mouth, as the rain is still in short supply.

Tomorrow, I am getting a new crown installed in place of the previous, as that one failed after a short time. Fortunately, it is warranty work, so it isn’t going to cost me a dime. That is rare these days! After the dental visit, we will likely stop at the zoo again. I figure that every time we visit, it reduces the cost of our membership, since we only pay once a year and economize through frequent visits, dividing the cost among the visits. The more visits, the cheaper the membership. We have gone to the zoo two times this spring, but each time, the weather was lousy, so we only checked out the tropical exhibits. Maybe one of these visits, we can actually visit the open-air exhibits. One of my friends is coming with us on this zoo visit. Heather will get a chance for an introduction and we will get to show off our beautiful children! Now, if only the weather would cooperate, we can see the rest of the place.

Time to fly. Peace.

Class begins again tomorrow

On Tuesday, I start an advanced statistics class. Officially, it is a research class, but that entails some of the different types of statistical principles. I expect that this will be the most difficult class I have taken in three years of college studies for my associates, and now my bachelor’s level management degree. Some of folks I work with will have to learn to respect the boundaries of working hours, versus the rest of the night. Some of the people figure that if my phone is on, I am working so they can call anytime, day or night, and can monopolize my time through the evening. In the past, I have gotten angry rejoinders because I was reluctant to provide non-critical technical support until 10 or 11 at night. When that happens, it can get to the point that I cannot even do my assignments or live up to my OTHER commitments.

These classes are expensive, and I clearly need to set unmistakable boundaries. I don't mind the guys calling if they are in a casino, facing a difficult or unusual hardware failure or similar problem. I am willing to support them when that happens, anytime, day or night. After hours, most things CAN and SHOULD wait until the next business day, and that includes most email responses. I sometimes get irritated or angry rejoinders when I do not respond in the same evening to work-related emails. In light of the fact that I expect that I will again commit 20 or more hours per week to homework, I need to establish boundaries and reiterate the fact that I do not work 24 hours per day. I am not sure exactly how I will state that, but I suppose this is like my dress rehearsal for that statement in defiance of equivocation. When I am doing homework and it is well past the time that the management and service personnel go home, just because I am a home-based tech with 24-7 access to the network and detailed support information does not require my unconditional and unlimited service every minute, day or night. The guys are going to just have to respect that among my commitments, besides my working life, I have a degree program in which I am knee deep in the thick of the really tough classes. More importantly, the fact of the matter is this: I have a family, with two young sons. They grow up far too fast as it is, and I don't appreciate gratuitous intrusions during my family's quality time and when I am studying!

I don't want to miss the important events of my sons’ childhood simply because some people cannot respect boundaries. The guys will have to understand that while I love my job, even after all these years, I am working to live, not living to work.

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words

I added another website to my repertoire. I am not going to make the URL public yet, as it is still in development, but I will have that one online soon, likely within the next week or so. This is a showcase for my shabby attempts at photography. The site is handy, because of the templates I am using, so that I can arrange my photographs into galleries, based on date, subject material, lighting techniques, photography experimentation, and so forth. A network of amateur and professional photographers uses these templates. The thing that I like about it is that most of the photographers add details about their techniques. I find that most useful, enlightening, and educational. For example, the pictures will detail details such as the type of lighting used, f/stop, aperture, flash technique, such as slow synch, or if the flash was programmed not to fire. Looking at the content of others who enjoy photography, I can get some good ideas about fill lighting.

I can do a decent job taking landscape and nature photos, and I have only taken thousands of pictures of my children. I want to kick that up a notch and take some pictures of people that stand out and look professional. You may see some of those within the next few months. If that is the case, then I have published the URL. Stay tuned in that regard. I do like taking pictures of animals up close, so that you can see details in the eyes. That adds a lot to a photograph, I think. I am experimenting with the layout and how the subject is off-center, or how I balance the features of my pictures, so that the pictures are more dynamic or have something special that draws your eye or tells a story.

I need to get out the door for a long day at the Star. I am upgrading the bios software. This is exciting stuff… that is, if you like watching paint dry. Really exciting. I will try to post some new content more often this week and in the coming weeks. I have a few events coming up in my life that should be good for a comment or two, traveling, training, and plans in general. Gotta run.

MegaJackpot on WOFD

D_ _ _ _. Doug is on his way to North Dakota to verify a jackpot. Actually, he left awhile ago and expects to be there around 12:30 or 1 AM. The "d_ _ _ _" is because I wish I could have gone along. Once upon a time I did. I like watching my husband at work. There are 2 words to describe it: proficiency and professionalism. Besides, I like hanging out with a bunch of men behind a line which no casino patron is supposed to cross.

3:30 am ramblings and other Gabriel quotes

Jericho got me up at 2am to play and Gabriel wasn't sleeping well either. He kept calling me into his room. Eventually, I just took Jericho in there to play on the floor while I sat there with him so that Gabriel could see me and would go back to sleep. At 3:30 in the morning Jericho was still playing and Gabriel got up again, though he was obviously sleepy and not truly aware of reality. He called for Daddy twice, as if he was in the room. He followed up these calls with this sleepy statement that Doug would have loved to have heard in person: "I love you, Dad!"

The other great one was earlier in the evening when I was watching a cartoon with Gabriel. Dad was going to sleep and Gabriel was keeping me up forever, so we watched something. The background was a forest. Gabriel said it was beautiful. I kind of did a doubletake, because I did not expect him to describe it in that way. What I heard next, though, brought tears to my eyes. "Mom, you are beautiful, too." I asked him what he said, because I didn't think I heard him correctly. He repeated it. I nearly cried with him sitting in my lap. I kissed him and hugged him and thanked him for saying such a nice thing to me.

Random Thoughts from a Conversation with My Mom

I was having a discussion with my Mom about the depravity of Islamic fundamentalists who have sentenced a 70-year old man to jail and 30 lashes for walking his dog in public. A dog is considered unclean in Muslim countries and walking your dog is a crime punishable by death. My mom said that while we think this is insane, morally, it is not our place to judge, so I felt I had to reply. Of course, I went into great detail, because I felt inspired to do so. Some days, I just want to write, and I write until I run out of thoughts. If you feel ambitious, feel free to read this rambling post regarding morality and judgment. If you don’t feel like it, run along and read something else if you so choose. Isn’t freedom great (while it lasts?)

Without further ado, this is part of the discussion. I felt it was worth posting for those who wish some insight into my thought processes.

With the suspension of rational thought versus reactionary and licentious incommensurate punishments for simply living your life, I say that we can and do judge, because we must judge. Before you have a coronary and start spouting Biblical phrases ("Judge not, lest ye be judged” comes to mind, but doesn’t fit my application of judgment), let me explain.

We can and must make judgments on the morality of actions, and in doing so, do not stray from the will of God. This is because you HAVE to make judgments. For example, our children will NEVER attend a public school, because of the normalizing of behaviors that we find to be offensive and wrong. The homosexual agenda is a fact: public school districts have filed suit against non-compliant parents, and courts have already made numerous state and federal district court orders that say the SCHOOL IS THE SINGLE PARTY with the obligation to teach children about homosexuality as young as age 5. The court in Massachusetts said last autumn that parents have NO RIGHT to opt their children out of homosexuality education and that the SCHOOL DISTRICT had the final say in these matters, NOT THE PARENTS.

Parents face fines and confinement for violating a court order requiring their children to attend school district-sponsored classes teaching that homosexuality is equally valid, and arguably superior to traditional marriage. Even a parent speaking out against the teaching of homosexuality to their children can be arrested and charged with a hate crime. This can further escalate to the point that family protective services can get involved and parents can lose custody of their children for refusing to comply with court orders requiring the school district homosexual teachings for all children. This started in Massachusetts but stands by court order in Vermont. As time goes on, more states are following this model.

As parents, we have to understand that there is a defined right and wrong, not moral relativist judgments. To my knowledge, the loss of parental rights has not happened in the United States yet, but it HAS happened in Germany. Remember that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg stated that her frame of reference for the validity of law includes not only the laws of the United States but also the laws of Europe and legal input of the rest of the world. With the U.S. Supreme Court acting as final arbiter of jurisprudence for the United States, I find it disturbing and frightening that the legislatures of foreign countries can have a de facto statutory influence on the state of legal proceedings in the United States (transparently unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court is generally the final authority of U.S. law).

According to moral relativists, if one person steals or has an abortion because it does not conflict with their self-styled belief system, then it is not a sin for them. However, my belief system says that stealing and abortions are wrong. By the moral relativist standard, larceny and abortions can be sin-free if it suits the personal system of morality for that person. The same goes with homosexuality, promiscuity, and on and on.

Be mindful that there are organizations whose sole purpose is to normalize sexual relationships between adults and children, and this is a fact, not hyperbole. For example, the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) openly calls for normalizing relationships that are now the crime of pedophilia. This statement is copied verbatim from the web site for NAMBLA:

NAMBLA's membership is open to everyone sympathetic to personal freedom. Our goal is to end the oppression of men and boys who have freely chosen, [sic] mutually consensual relationships.

Is that sick or what? According to their individual belief system, pedophilia is not wrong, and is even to be encouraged as something healthy, normal, and positive for the development of boys.

Theologically speaking, we can never convict people based on the morality of their actions. We cannot determine the eternal destination of any person, we cannot forgive sins, and we cannot guarantee the salvation of any person. The obvious exception, of course, is the action we can take to make Jesus our personal savior, repenting and asking for God's mercy for our own salvation.

Put another way, we should always denounce actions which are morally wrong, but we should never condemn the people who commit these acts because we can never know what was in their hearts or minds that may have lessened their guilt. For example, a starving child in Uganda might feel compelled to steal bread to stave off hunger. Is it our place to judge a person such as this? We abhor the sin, but do not judge the person. To live our lives in defense of morality, we must be ready and willing to judge the morality of actions. However, the judgment of individuals is reserved for God.

Divine judgment is out of our hands. Day to day decision-making about our children's future is absolutely in our hands, with reverential prayers to God the Father for guidance.

This is my point about judgments. As parents, we categorically must make judgments reflecting the best choices for our children. If it offends some secular progressive with control issues and an ingrained loathing of religious faith, that is their problem, not mine!

Super Bowl Results

Okay, okay. My prediction was off a bit. I missed the final score in the Super Bowl. I predicted Giants 21, Patriots 20. The actual outcome was Giants 17, Patriots 14. The New York Giants played the part of David, toppling the goliath football leviathon that is (or was) the Patriots. The fact that I went out on a limb and predicted the true underdogs would win is good enough for me.

In this case, it was like horseshoes and hand grenades... close enough!

As we say in Minnesota, regarding the Vikings, there is always next year...

Super Bowl prediction

Okay, so all the 'experts' on football say that the Patriots are going to walk all over the Giants. I say that this is the match up of the titans of football. For once, I think that the teams are so well matched that this is going to be a great game! Face it. That is what 'a man named Brady' specializes in, giving a great show in the games that really matter. Statistical facts show that Super Bowls are NOT won by great offenses. Super Bowl games are won by strong defensive teams, although an occasional offensive touchdown is a bonus and of course, the traditionally-accepted scoring method for quarterbacks and their receivers. In this game, the offenses are fairly evenly matched, although Eli Manning is not nearly as confident as Mr. Brady, and lacks some of Brady's poise under pressure. These two teams are in the Super Bowl for a reason. These guys are the best. While the conventional wisdom has it that the Pats will run up the score and walk away with a victory, I think that is just following the crowd and succumbing to stereotyping and groupthink mentality. Giving credit where credit is due, the Patriots are a great team, maybe America's team for the 2000s. Ask Heather. I cheer for NFC teams. This is different. I really want the Pats to win this one for the ages! The Patriots could make history with the first 19-0 season ever, something I do not believe will be repeated again for decades, if ever. Despite the popular opinion, in this game, I just see it differently, despite my wishful thinking for the Pats to emerge victorious. This will be a history-making game. I feel it in my heart.

Here is my line: I will leave myself a tiny bit of wiggle room by not being too specific about scores. The Giants will win this game, by not more than three points.

Oh, what the hell. Let's be specific!!! My prediction - Giants 21, Patriots 20.

Change of Plans Changed By Changes to the Change to the Change of Plans

My plans changed quite a lot. I didn't make it to the service center Monday, due to service calls in the area. Ditto for Tuesday. This morning, it is so cold outside that we have to turn up our electric registers to maintain the temperature inside the house. I still planned to go to the service center but the office closed because of the dangerously cold wind chills, I hear. I will do a courtesy call and whatever service is necessary at one of the other casinos in the area today, and hope to head to the service center early tomorrow. The forecast for tonight is colder than last night, by about five degrees, so it should get down to -24 tonight. At least the gusty wind is supposed to end today. That was nuts yesterday! I was outside to grab a bill validator programmer out of my truck, and my hands were painfully cold from the wind in less than the two minutes I spent outside.

I started my new statistics class last night. This looks like a doozy, but I have to just stay on it and work diligently every night and I should be okay. To be honest, it looks like I will be committing 3-4 hours on each of 5-6 days a week to get through the material. Okay, then for anyone who says that getting a degree from an online university is buying a degree, I have only one comment. Those people have no idea what they are talking about! This is hard work. How many people commit 15-24 a week to studying and homework for one class? I am learning a lot and this is a real education. When I saw that the HR director at the company earned her masters in human resources management at the same university, it made me feel that this is definitely worthwhile. But the true measure of the quality of the education is that I am actually learning in this environment. One thing is for sure about this particular online university. I am working my ass off and when I get through this class, I will feel like I have earned my grade. I guess I better redouble my efforts so I earn a good grade!

Time to get to work. Later.

Weekend Work

While I tried to avoid work this weekend, I was not entirely successful. I did find time to play with the boys. I tell you, even a short break from work to have fun with my kids makes the less pleasant parts of the working life worthwhile. The work was not that bad. I just had to do a cycle count of my truck inventory. The only bad part of doing the cycle count is that you do not get any notice that it is your turn to do the cycle count. The only warning is when the cycle count is emailed on Friday morning around 9:30. By then, all the techs have either left the house to travel to a location for the day, or already have other work plans, and no regular time available to do the cycle count. A tech can’t really do the cycle count without interrupting the weekend a bit. Fortunately, my inventory is smaller than the other guys’, because I spend less time doing service than I used to do. I am done with the cycle count, but still have UOP work to do tonight.

My plans changed a bit. I am not going to the service center tomorrow, because there is a service call I need to handle at the Lights. I didn’t want to make a 4:00 a.m. start on a Monday, so I can live with that. I was talking with Heather about the work I want to do at the office. Honestly, I have enough work to do at the office that I could make it an overnighter and two days there. This is for the best, not going to the service center until Tuesday. Tomorrow is the last day of my Stats I class and I have lots of work and a test to do tomorrow. Besides, there is one other little thing that I need to give some attention.

Tomrrow is Heather’s birthday. She will be 29 again! Happy Birthday, Heather! We just had birthday cake for Gabriel’s birthday a couple days ago, but we will do it again. Where I come from, the only thing better than a little chocolate cake and ice cream is a little more chocolate cake and ice cream. Heather works hard around here, taking care of the boys and the Lake Country Zoo. She deserves a break, so we will see what we can do with that idea tomorrow. Feel free to send Heather birthday greetings on Monday. Good night and all that ‘Arivederci’ hoopla.

Next Week

This coming week, the work schedule is light. The only firmly scheduled item on my “to do” list for work is one day at the office, though it would be better if the office visit stretched into two days. The week after next, I am installing new games in North Dakota on a gaming platform I have not touched in six years. I admit I am a bit rusty on that hardware, so I plan to work at the office this week, retraining myself in setting options, clearing the nonvolatile storage, game hardware, and so forth. I don’t want to arrive for an install and be completely unprepared for the work. For one, that would make the company look bad, and for two, that just is not the way I work (or the way the dorks at the office say, ‘that’s not how I roll.’)

Class on Saturday

The weekend that Heather’s parents will be visiting from Indiana, I have a class at the service center. The boss told me that I could drive down on Friday, take the class on Saturday, and head home on Sunday. My thought is simply “No way!” I will drive down early on Saturday, take the class, and head back as soon as the work is done. It will make for long hours on Saturday, but so what? Life is too short, so I am going to live it while I can! =)

Unfortunately, because of the class, I will miss the daytime hours of the family visit on Saturday, but at least we can visit on Friday night, Saturday evening, and Sunday. Occasional work events that do not fit our leisure schedules are just part of the job and all in a day's work. After all these years, I am used to it, so I will manage just fine. I do have to work around my homework assignments for my Statisics II class, but that will just take discipline and planning on my part. Between Monday and Thursday or Friday, I will be stuck in a hotel in North Dakota that week, so what else am I going to do out on the tree-free prairie?

History Lessons, Familial Perspectives

Next weekend (the weekend before Heather’s parents arrive from Indiana), I am hoping to visit with my uncle to do an informal interview of his World War 2 experiences. The last time I visited, I looked over the items he brought back from the war, including many Nazi pins and medals and other historical items. I brought back some information I need to look over and preserve, including about 100-150 letters that my uncles and my dad wrote about their experiences while they were in the service. The letters date from the 1940s, though there are more letters I still need to look over that may date from the 1950s as well. My long-term plan is to share the scanned letters and/or transcripts of the letters with anyone in the family who is interested in reading and seeing things from the perspectives of my uncles and my dad. I don’t know if there will be a lot of interest, but I bet if anyone is interested, it will be my nephew, Marty, who I think is quite a history buff. The important thing for me is that these recollections and experiences are preserved for the future generations of our family. There is so much that I do not know about my own uncles, and I don’t want that information to be lost. This is an ongoing project that will probably take me many months, if not several years, to finish.

Fitness Anytime You Want (and Can Fit It in Your Schedule)

Heather and I stopped at the fitness center yesterday and got our security keys so that we can access the exercise equipment anytime we can fit it in our schedules. The fitness center just opened for business the day we stopped in to pick up the keys. IGT was kind enough to pay for my gym membership, though Heather and I are paying for her membership. Still, it is greatly reduced from the price of a regular membership for her, because my employer paid for my membership. The cost for each of us averages out to be very reasonable. I figure that Heather can take Jericho with her, and I can take an hour or so from my homework to watch Gabriel, so that she can get in a cardio workout. I would be surprised if we can make the time every day, but I hope that we can make time for each other to work out at least a few times a week. If nothing else, it will give her a break from parenting, and will give me a chance to burn some calories and work my muscles more and my mind less. Heather will be the first to tell you that I never stop thinking, and that is one reason why I can be so keyed up at times. I am sure that strenuous exercise is probably good for the mind as well. Funny how everything is linked that way. =)

Random Thoughts

It really does bother me a little bit that I am going to miss the caucus on the 5th. It shouldn’t bother me, as I know that such a small percentage of people even bother to show up for the caucuses. On the local and state level, when it comes to politics, this is one of the few ways that the average person can make their feelings and issues known to the party. For me, I want to start networking with people who I will eventually consider getting involved in my site and its background activities, if that ever comes to fruition. I have some things in mind, but not sure where I will go with all that. For one, I was thinking about asking one or two state representatives to take a few minutes to talk with me. I know, I know: Who am I to ask for their time? I do know that at least one will be happy to talk with me. I know that he will be receptive because he writes us personal replies to our emails to his office, and he calls the house and leaves messages when our letters point out that we disagree with his policies. I have run into him around the city a time or two and we talked in passing, though not so much about politics. When he writes or calls, he asks to discuss our points of contention, and asks for the time to explain his position on things. He left us his personal cell number on one of the calls, though that doesn’t mean we are connected enough to have him make time on his schedule to talk. However, I am speculating that at some point in time, I can get five minutes of his time for an interview and to throw my thoughts in his direction, and vice versa.

Only time will tell. Stay tuned…

Answer the damned phone!

Dave worked at Grand Portage, so he stayed in the hotel on Thursday night. Before Dave headed for Grand Portage on Thursday, he dropped Josh off here so that he would not be alone at home. Since Josh started attending Blue Sky instead of a brick and mortar school, he can do his class work from anywhere he has Internet access. Dave and Josh spent Friday night and Saturday morning here. Dave called here this afternoon, upset because we didn’t answer the telephone and because he was unable to find his keys. After more than a few choice words on our answering machine, I managed to answer the telephone and got an earful. I understand that Dave was filled with anxiety because he wasn’t sure where his keys were at the moment. I called the location and talked to the casino floor manager to be sure that his keys were secured. He just has to pick them up. Hearing that, Dave calmed down. I am relieved that he found the keys. That is one of the deal-breakers for employment. No keys, no job. I am so glad he felt he could take it out on me and Heather today.

The only issue I have with it is that he was really upset with us for not answering the telephone. I don’t understand that angst and vehemence at all, not when it is directed at the voluntary telephone service patrons, since this is not a push service. That is, we have a telephone because we want to, and there is no law or compulsion for us to answer our telephone unless we feel darned good and ready to do so. Hello! This is our home telephone. We keep the telephone in our house for OUR convenience, not for the convenience of others. We have cell phones and share our numbers with the people we talk with regularly. The home telephone here has two purposes: I send work-related faxes and Heather takes calls for the crisis line. Other than that, I couldn’t give a hoot less whether we had a home telephone or not. If someone calls the house and we choose not to answer the telephone, why in the world would anyone think that they have a right to be angry with us for not answering, if we happened to NOT be busy at the time? We WERE too busy to answer the telephone, by the way. Having two kids in the house, we very seldom feel that our boys are more important than the telephone ringing incessantly (NOTE SARCASM!)

Remember, the views I discuss here are not necessarily the views of the co-contributor of this blog but we usually agree completely on these things. Therefore, the telephone is a latter-day toxin, polluting our peaceful weekend afternoon and a huge annoyance. That is just the way I see it. You can ask Heather if you want a second opinion. She does know that I really don’t care for telephones, that if the telephone rings, I rarely answer it unless it is from our Las Vegas Dispatch office or the monitoring room in Reno calling. I really don't understand how anyone thinks I am obligated to answer the telephone if I do not care to do so. Anyone who has a problem with me not answering the home telephone will have to realize that as I get older and deal with more responsibilities with the job, career, education, and family, the telephone takes a distant second to virtually every other aspect of our lives here at home.

This should be my theme song!!!

Sorry I'm not home right now

I'm walking into spiderwebs

So leave a message

And I'll call you back

A likely story, but leave a message

And I'll call you back

You're intruding on what's mine

And you're taking up my time

Don't have the courage inside me

To tell you please let me be

Communication, a telephonic invasion

I'm planning my escape...

And it's all your fault

I screen my phone calls

No matter who calls

I gotta screen my phone calls

To whom it may concern:

There is no law stating that I MUST answer my telephone for anyone, including you. Two things: Get over it, and if you don't like it, sue me!!!

Do kindly have a nice day.

The Mysterious Website

I worked on the splash page on my website not long ago. I still need to create the rest of the site, but I will try to do that in the next month or so. That is my goal, in any case. I haven’t really told my family much at all about that, but I will when the time is right. In the meantime, we still have our family site, but I haven’t updated that in ages. The last time that site was updated, Gabriel was very young and Jericho was not even in the works yet. I might even do that site update tonight, who knows? It depends on my mood.

Statistics 101

This weekend will mark the conclusion of my statistics class. It has not been enjoyable, that is for sure. The main difficulty is the challenge of juggling work and school, family and my other obligations. For example, when the guys who work for me do not call me for resolutions to problems during normal hours, I can be so distracted by work issues that I do not have a lot of time to study and do my assignments. The other problem with work is when people call my cell and want to socialize. I do not know if I have ever put it out there in my blog, but Heather can tell you, I just hate telephones. If I want to talk, I do it in person or I write an email. Impersonal? Tough! I just do not have the time to hang on the phone. I like to get on the phone, solve the problem, answer the questions, and hang the thing up and move on!

I start another statistics class next Tuesday. If I remember to do homework every night, even nights that nothing is due to be turned in, I can spread the work load out a bit and that will reduce the stress, I think. I am not even sure what follows the statistics classes. I guess I should have been a history or English major. I did not enroll in college again to coast, though. I made this commitment to really learn something. It is not always easy, but it is enlightening and will be useful in whatever comes next in my career. (I have a career? Geez… I feel so much older than when I just had a job!)

Gabriel is Three Years Old

A couple days ago, Gabriel turned three years old. It really is amazing. Where does the time go? It really does slip by so fast. I think a day never goes by that Gabriel fails to surprise me with something new that he says, or some grand conclusion at which he has arrived through his observations of the world. The perspective of a three year old is so amazing, and sometimes he makes me think of things in a different way, because of his unspoiled manner of seeing things with the idealism of a child. As Heather will tell you, Gabriel is an empathetic person, always noting when someone is hurting (on a cartoon movie or television programs), but he notices that someone is sad or upset. He has made those observations regulary for a while, since around his second birthday.

As to his other development, he has been able to say all of his ABCs for many months, and he counted to ten the week he turned two years old. (Wow... a year ago already). I don’t know how that measures up against the typical child development, but to be honest, I don’t really care. He is three years old. He is not on a deadline, and there is no reason to rush him into growing up. At that age, why bother with expecting him to be anything other than a kid, having fun, observing the world around him, and learning while having fun. I noticed that in the last couple of months, he tries to entertain his little brother and pays more attention to Jericho. Gabriel’s usual modus operandi is to make faces at Jericho and jump around like a hyper little nut. Gabriel’s quick movements, funny sounds, and comic expressions make Jericho laugh, helping to ease the burden on Heather a bit so that she can try to accomplish other things.

Plans for the Following Week on the Road

During the coming week, I will be home every night as far as I can tell so far. The following week, I will be in North Dakota for four or five days. I am not thrilled about the work up on the treeless prairie for three reasons. Number one, I miss out on my opportunity to attend the caucus here. I am getting opinionated in my old age and I want my voice to be heard! I don’t have a prayer of becoming a delegate this time around, but in the future, I do hope that will be the case. Secondly, Heather’s family will be in Minnesota the weekend of the 9th to celebrate Gabriel’s third birthday and Heather’s 29th birthday again. Being gone all week doesn’t allow me to help Heather get things in order for the family visit. Third, I hate being away from my family all week. The boys grow so fast. I feel that by missing a week in their lives, I miss a lot. I love my job, but all the money in the world isn't worth what I have when I am with my beautiful wife, and our two wonderful boys.

I have homework to do every night, too, so I can see I will be working in a casino and studying in a hotel for a week. That is fine. As long as the Internet access is decent, I can work around the inconvenience. One of the other techs, Raul, will be working with me for two or three days of that install, so at least I will have some company on the road. Little does he know the ‘rest of the story’ is that when I am traveling and working too far from home to sleep in my own bed, once I am done working for the day, I typically disappear into my hotel room and that is the last anyone sees me until the next day of work. I just do not go to restaurants or to the bar when I am on the road. Being away from home is bad enough without having to deal with obnoxious, rude people who tend to be completely oblivious to anyone else. Besides, I am not the bar-hopping kind of guy. Though I was never more than a social drinker, I outgrew that long ago, and I don’t think I even have a drink every other month anymore. I am not missing a thing, so I like it this way!

Happy Birthday Dear Gabriel, Happy Birthday to You!

Wow. Gabriel is three years old. It is so hard to imagine that three years ago today, at this very minute of the day, I became a father for the first time. As amazing as that is, what is even more incredible is how, in the three years since then, I became a Dad. Becoming a father is pretty easy. Becoming a Dad takes hard work, lots of love, and concerted efforts on a daily basis. If being a Dad is a job, then I admit the the pay is low, but the benefits are priceless!

Happy 3rd birthday, Gabriel!

Jericho

Jericho is six months old now. He is becoming more aware of his world. His smiles are always entertaining, though he seems to be cutting teeth, making him a bit less joyful. Still, Jericho is a happy baby. We were not sure if his eyes would stay the same vibrant blue color he was born with, but since his eyes haven’t changed by now, we are hopeful that he will be an unusual specimen in the family, with his blue eyes. If his eyes change color later, at least we have the pictures to prove he had such deep blue eyes for a while!

My sister-in-law, Lisa, made comment about his eyes at Christmas, and had she said she had to look to see if his eyes really were that blue. Sure enough, they were, and his eyes remain blue. There must be someone in Heather’s family with blue eyes, because to the best of my knowledge, there are not any blue-eyed people on my side of the aisle. Of course, reading up on this tells me that many babies have blue eyes during the first year of life. Apparently, it is normal for a baby with blue eyes to have a gradual change of eye color until the baby is about three years old, so Jericho’s eyes will quite likely become brown in the next couple of years. Either way, as long as he is healthy, whatever the eye color, Jericho is a unique specimen and we love him that way!

My 2 G's

I know you just assumed I was writing about $2000. I wish. I could think of a million things to do with it. No. My 2 G's are Gabriel and Gavin. Gavin was in the church nursery today and those boys had so much fun. Gavin's mom came in and immediately noted the flushed cheeks on Gavin. I told her with a smile that was expected since the boys were running circles around the rocker (one of the glider kind with a footstool) for about 15 to 20 minutes previous to her arrival. She just laughed. I like having Gavin in the nursery. He's a nice boy and Gabriel really gets along with him.

This Kid is Different

I will give Jericho 2 bowls of cereal today. He was the one that requested cereal this morning. I have been giving it to him at night so he will sleep longer. Despite that week or so he slept completely through the night, he has been waking up a couple times per night with hunger issues. He seemed to want cereal this morning, but that won't stop me from giving it tonight. I want to step it up to twice a day and he seems ready. The title of the blog says it all. He really is different from Gabriel. But I'm different too. I don't have the patience for him screwing around while he is nursing. Maybe it is because he messes around so much that I am really anxious to stop nursing. They really want you to breastfeed for a year, but I don't know if he will do it that long, and I don't know if I can tolerate it that long.

Why am I less tolerant of being a pacifier and milk cow? Maybe it is because I feel like that is what defines me these days. I think it is also because I can't do anything else while nursing Jericho. He is 16 pounds and too heavy to hold with one hand in that position. That makes me feel trapped and useless. Something tells me that Jericho will be on baby food relatively quickly, and it isn't only because I want 5 inches of personal space. He seems ready to taste other things. That is good for me. I just wish he would figure out how to eat his food instead of spitting it back at me. He gets it down eventually. He just seems a lot messier than Gabriel was.

Christmas Morning

It is Christmas morning. I just have to wait for Heather to get out of the shower and then the kids are going to open their Christmas presents. As ever, Santa Claus made his visit right on schedule, and, even without a chimney, gained access to the house to deliver a staggering array of gifts to the kids. Gabriel has a few gifts here, too, so he will be having fun opening presents shortly. afterward, we are heading to Mom and Dad’s at the farm. We usually do some of the cooking and cleaning, assisted in large measure by Mike (who makes his famous lump-free mashed potatoes and green bean casserole) and Karen (who makes the turkey at her house along with other good food, especially sweet potatoes). Mom always makes the dressing in an impressive quantity, and we bring the ham.

I delivered the ham last week while I was working at Jackpot. Mom met me at the casino to bring Christmas presents and ham to the farm. I reminded her to take the ham out of the freezer to thaw a couple of days ago, so we should be in good shape for making dinner this morning. It always turns out to be a team effort, with three or four people working in the kitchen. Its Christmas. What a great way to spend the day, with the family. I don’t mind helping with the cooking, but it is a big collaboration amongst various people. We brought drunken apples with us, and three pies from Baker’s Square. We will see how all of that goes over. As long as I get some of the Christmas silk and a taste of the Candy Cane pie, I am good to go!

It is present-opening time. I will write more later.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Peace!

Christmas Eve (Part II)

Deb and Tom’s kids, Matthew and Emily, each got to open a couple of their presents tonight, on Christmas Eve. Gabriel joined in as well. He got a Thomas the Tank Engine train set. His Uncle Tom put it together for him and Gabriel stayed occupied for a couple hours with that. In the meantime, we watched Hoodwinked and I finished posting my homework for the week. All I had to do was my weekly discussion summary. The day before that, I had to write part of a paper explaining the rationale for analyzing MLB statistics, comparing the dollars that major league baseball teams spend on their payroll (athletes only, of course, and not including office personnel). The analysis for our team is examining the relationship (if any) between payroll dollars and the number of games won in 2006, and also compares the payroll to attendance, home runs, and other baseball stats.

The class I am working on now is a pre-calculus to calculus-level research class. I posted that assignment on Sunday. The nice thing is that there is a break from school through January 8th, a break which started as soon as I posted my last assignment on Christmas Eve. Sweet! I need this time to review all the material and to be sure that I can understand and absorb all the formulas and apply it in such a way that I can put the information into excel in a coherent manner. Fortunately, the class hasn’t been too difficult so far, but on the other hand, college courses are expensive, so I might as well be challenged and learning something from all of this.

Enough for now. The kids, nephew, niece, and our son, are all excited about Santa Claus visiting tonight. Our other son, Jericho, is happy as long as he is fed and in getting attention from Mom, Dad, or Uncle Deb or Aunt Tom (that was not a typo, spoonerism, or, God help me, a Freudian slip, even though Uncle Tom is kind of girly. Hehe!)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve (Part I)

We traveled to Deb and Tom’s tonight to spend Christmas Eve with their family, which is something of a family tradition for us. We have done that ever since they have lived in the same house. They have a big remodeling project going on. It really doubles the size of their house, I think. I wouldn’t necessarily do the project the same way, but that is the great thing about it for them: their house, their plans. Of course, the reason I would do it differently is because I would have so many windows and more room for our houseplants that are standing twelve feet tall now (the bird of paradise palms).

Tom made a good dinner. Deb says that he is a good cook, and I would have to agree. I hate being forced to agree with my baby sister, since I think she is kind of a dufus (stated with all the brotherly warmth that a person can muster for his little sister). Anyway, Tom baked a ham and potatoes, the usual fare, though the apple pie was very good. Side note: I found out later that the food was as good as can be bought from the Cashwise deli and then reheated at home. The food was good, so to each his own.

A Second Opinion

I knew this, but I smiled greatly when I read a card we received in the mail tonight. Aunt Helen (ok, so she is my dad's aunt and my great-aunt) got our card before she sent one out to us. This was made evident by her comments. She said he was a "fantastic writer" and his photos are "just beautiful". I would have to concur. :-)

Jericho's first cereal

At Jericho's last well-child visit, the pediatrician urged me to start him on cereal slowly, like once a day for 2 weeks, then step it up to twice a day for 2 weeks. I was resistant because I hate the baby food stage. It is incredibly messy. I also was not in a rush because he is now 5 months old. The doctor told me to do this at 4 months old. Correct me if I'm wrong, but, when I was a kid, parents were told to start baby food at 6 months. What makes my kid any different from me (barring the gender, you smart-alick!)? Well, lately he has been resistant to nursing at times. I'm wondering if he will refuse to nurse after awhile. Because I'm afraid he'll wean himself before I start him on food, I gave him some tonight. Why tonight? I was interested in his reaction, and he was awake and hungry. He liked it. All I did was mix cereal with water. At first he turned up his nose because it was cold. Then he tasted it and decided he wanted more. In fact, I was trying to feed Gabriel at the same time. When I walked away for a moment, Jericho complained. I took that as a good sign. He wanted what I was giving him. We'll try it again tomorrow.

CJ's injuries

I found out that he was skiing in Winterpark, Colorado, so flying him to Denver must have been the choice for the nearest trauma center. I was told this evening that CJ broke his hip and his femur. The doctors put a rod in his leg and immobilized his hip so it will heal. They said that he would be dead if he wasn't wearing a helmet. He is on blood thinners to prevent a blood clot. I don't know when he will be allowed to go back home or even to an Illinois hospital. I thank God for the people who developed helmets, for my aunt, who taught him to have the sense to wear one, for the doctors who have the knowledge to help him, and for God for protecting him from a devastating or life-ending injury.

CJ (my cousin) is hurt

I found out tonight at 8:30pm that my cousin CJ was in a ski accident today (ok...yesterday, Tuesday, since it is now 1am Wednesday). He hit a tree. I don't know anything other than that they flew him to Denver for surgery. It makes me wonder where he was skiing. Either he was extremely hurt (You are thinking: Duh! He hit a tree!) and that was the hospital with the specialists and medical equipment that he needed, or that was the closest trauma center and he was skiing in Colorado. I say this only because my cousin lives in southern Illinois. Denver seems to me to be a long way to fly him for surgery. They want a parent there tonight (he isn't THAT young), but I guess Aunt Carol can't get a flight until tomorrow morning. I just pray that he is ok. I would turn off my cell phone overnight, but I keep wondering if I will get a call or text message in the middle of the night to update me. I figure that I probably won't hear anything unless something really drastic happens, but I don't want to take the chance of missing it. Besides, I am hoping that being prepared for that devastating phone call in the middle of the night means that I won't get one.

Christmas with the parental units and brother

As usual, the weekend with my parents went too fast. Also typical, they brought a million presents for Gabriel. He knew it, too, and conned Nana in to letting him open as many presents before the actual present-opening as he could. She bought him finger paints and big paper, so, of course, he begged her and Uncle Josh to paint as often as possible. Doug got a laptop and portable printer so he can work on homework while on the road. I got a new phone, a new backpack, and protection from the cold for when I take the dogs out in the middle of the night. Gabriel got Spiderman bedding and lots of toys. Someday I'd like to go back to Indiana for Christmas, specially timing it for the Christmas party on my mom's side of the family. I just can't see how to do it at the moment. Travelling really long distances with a two year old is more daunting than the price of gas. I'd have to try to drum up the money for a flight.

Anyway, the only reason I am blogging this late is because Doug is in a hotel and knew he wouldn't have written about this yet....and I have trouble sleeping without him. I'm really tired, though, so I am going to bed, and Doug can write more on this later.

Smoker groomed her kitten

Ok. I can tell you that Doug would look at the title of this post and immediately assume that Smoker was grooming the Brat, sometimes jokingly called Bob. From the minute we brought him home, Smoker adopted the Brat as her kitten and continues to treat him that way to this day. Well, I was sitting right where I am now: on the bed facing the computer, except, at the particular moment to which I am referring, I had Jericho in my lap, and I was nursing him while typing. (You don't believe me, do you.) Smoker sat next to me and started licking Jericho's head, just like she would groom the Brat, and grooming she was. I had no idea how much saliva was involved in the process until I saw Jericho's full head of hair become as soaked as if I ran a wet sponge over his head. I think I need to give him a bath.

Oh, and I finally found what I did with Doug's birthday present. That is one of the reasons I am still awake. That and covering Gabriel with lotion since he woke up just a little bit ago practically in tears because he was itching. Doc says he has eczema. I'm trying to find the right lotion or whatever to provide him relief. I should stay awake and clean, but I think I'm going to get some sleep. If I don't, I won't be nice to my parents. The lack of sleep will catch up to me when they get here on Friday afternoon, not necessarily when Doug does on Thursday afternoon. So goodnight.

Putting the Brakes on My Earlier Plans

Disregard all that happy, mushy gushing about going home. It turns out that I am needed at a location in North Dakota. In the morning, I am traveling to that site. I am staying in the hotel at the casino and heading home Thursday. I hope to be home by Thursday afternoon, but at this moment, I can't say that something else will not come up to delay my return home. I am disappointed, but that is part of the job responsibility. I will be home when I get home, and whining, complaining, or cursing the situation is neither going to make me feel better about being away from my family, nor going to get me home any faster. That's life.

I will stay in the hotel one more night. We are watching our overtime hours, and because of that, I will very likely be in hotels more than I have been in the last few years. I don't know how that translates, but am guessing that I will be in a hotel at least every few weeks, if only for one night here and there. It doesn't make college assignments easier, but I will ponder that difficulty and find a workable solution in good time... whatever that means.

I have been sitting at this computer, working for six hours. It is time to log off and try to sleep so I can drive in the morning. The next stop is five hours away. I will finish the work and check into the hotel once again. From there, home is about another five hours away on Thursday.

I do not want to wish my life away, but in my mind, I am counting the hours until I am home again.

Still Training, but it is Break Time!

It’s lunch time again. Today we are covering the VLC game platform. The funny thing about it is that this hardware is so obsolete! When my current employer acquired my former employer and its subsidiary, VLC, seven years ago, the stated plan was to not continue with VLC support. There are still thousands of these old machines in service, almost exclusively in South Dakota. So here I am, training to support machines that haven’t had parts manufactured for them in seven years. How do all these little convenience stores and store-front "casinos" keep their games running with no manufacturer parts available? As explained to me by several operators this morning, and I quote, “Can you say E-Bay?” If it weren’t for E-Bay, many of the little gambling operations in the Dakotas would be out of business. As casinos finally dump their old VLC games, they auction the hardware on E-Bay, keeping other small operators running for awhile. I just found that interesting.

I am looking forward to heading home in the morning. I have to help load a training game into Huntz's truck, and then I can head back to Minnesota. I still may have to stop at a casino on the way home, but am doing my best to avoid it, by requesting that the other Minnesota techs provide some telephone support while I am in training. I don’t want to miss out on sharing my birthday with Heather and the boys. I have some school work to do tomorrow, so it will probably be a fairly uneventful evening, but I still want to be home with my family to note the anniversary of the day I was born about a million years ago, give or take a millennia.

By the way, if I had been born less than half an hour later, I would have been born on Friday the 13th. Would that have been good or bad? I am not superstitious, so it probably doesn’t matter. That was my random thought for the day. Time to go back to class.

I am going home tomorrow. Sweet!

I say "Merry Christmas". Oh, does that offend you?

I read an article this morning about how a few members of the Christian clergy in Great Britain are telling people to “stop being daft about Christmas.” More specifically, the point was that it was fine to celebrate Christmas from a Christian viewpoint and to stop worrying about offending non-Christians. I couldn’t agree more.

A cashier at the local Wal-mart last week wished me a “Merry Christmas” in those words. I specifically thanked her for saying that. She thought I was offended and thanking her sarcastically. I reassured her that, no, I was sincerely offering my thanks for noting that Christmas is the point of the season. Christmas is not a secular holiday, and if that offends someone, too bad! The cashier then said that even though they were permitted to say “Merry Christmas,” employees were discouraged from doing so, and should say “Happy Holidays” instead. If that works for you, so be it, but I am tired of the political correctness nonsense.

When was the last time that you heard a Jewish person complaining about the mention of Christmas? Would you be offended if you heard someone say “Happy Hanukkah?” I didn’t think so, and neither would I.

The fact of the matter is that December 25th, for the majority of Americans, is a Christian holy day, and as such, it should publicly and proudly be recognized with a hearty “Merry Christmas!” If anyone finds that offensive, that person has bigger problems than the mere recognition of Christmas by name being odious to their sensibilities, or lack thereof.

Face it. Christmas is called by that name for a reason. Christ is the star of the show during the Christmas season. I am proud to trumpet that to the world!

Are you offended by that? I hope you get the attention you are looking for by standing against more than 90 percent of Americans, who happen to be Christians or of other faiths but have no problem with Christ in Christmas FOR Christians. Keep it up… it is soooooo cute. Really. Very cute. Now please, get a life!

That was Quick

I am done with the class for today. This afternoon's conference was, indeed, Game King hardware. The bulk of it related to the processor board and the assorted voltages, which power supply unit created what voltage, and that sort of material. There were some practical reminders in this course, so I don't mind the review.

The other Minnesota tech, Huntz, and I were discussing ways to accentuate the caliber of training at the service center. We agree that the material in this part of the training should be reviewed for all techs annually, because of the level of detail. Though it involves component-level training, and we only troubleshoot to the sub-assembly, it is helpful to recognize what process each component on a PC board actually performs. Knowing where each of the various voltages originates helps focus on troubleshooting the pertinent structure in a machine more quickly. I may mention my thoughts to the management. Annual in-depth hardware training for all the service center and remote techs would be beneficial and training dollars well-spent. I am not sure where that suggestion leads, or if the bosses would consider it. They usually do, though, so I may throw the idea out there to see what sticks.

Most of the lottery techs in the class are from Sioux Falls and are new to the field, i.e., less than a year of experience. Regardless, the Dakota techs have daily exposure to hardware explicitly adapted to South Dakota jurisdictional requirements. I did get some interesting insights based on their experiences. That alone makes the training worthwhile.

Tomorrow is the class on the VLC platform. I don't mind the refresher, even though we don't have any VLC assets in Minnesota. Lacking an immediate practical application, additional insights are useful to expand a well-rounded technical understanding of proprietary hardware. I am the alternate tech for some locations in South Dakota and the primary responder for others. This is going to be a beneficial opportunity to renew the knowledge base in my mind. Okay... I have probably bored my two or three blog readers enough talking about gaming hardware nomenclature, so I am going to post this and give my mind a rest for awhile.

I am one day closer to heading home to my beloved wife and our two adorable sons. Life gets sweeter as the days go by. I am rewarded and blessed, but eternally grateful and happily shout it out! Thank you, JC, for everything!

Later, Gator.

After awhile, Crocodile.

Not too soon, Baboon.

Break Time!

We had a break from the training, so I came back to the hotel room to have a salad, vegetables, and grapes while everyone else went to the trough, er, buffet. I like a good buffet, but it just isn't the same with a bunch of lottery guys. So, I am eating my rabbit food while the rest of the class is eating dead cow.

The class this morning was lottery-related, but was tech I (in title AND content). So far, this is the stuff that my brother probably learned in his first day of training in Vegas. The one and only thing that was new to me in the first four hours was the lottery ticket printer. The rest is 100 percent review. This afternoon is the lottery tech II class, and it sounds like it is mostly review as well, dealing with Game King stuff (the stuff I have worked on for the last 10 years). At least I get to add to the class by commenting on things the instructor isn't familiar with, so I still get to participate.

Tomorrow's class is on the video lottery terminals made by VLC (a subsidiary of IGT). I worked on VLC games back before Anchor was acquired by IGT, so much of that will be review as well, but since I haven't touched a VLC game in about five years, it will be a refresher course. Then again, the only VLC games out there are in the Dakotas, since they have video lottery and Minnesota does not. I may do the odd service call once in a blue moon, but mostly, I will be the backup tech for the video lottery equipment.

I need to get to the next training class. More later. It's about 15 degrees here, downright tropical weather we are having!

Monday, Monday

Ugh. Is it Monday morning already? The only thing good about this Monday morning is that it means I am one night closer to being on my way back to the wonderful blustery cold of Minnesota's icebox. Freezing my kiester off never looked so good as it does, when I think about going home Wednesday. The negative temperatures do not bother me that much, and the vehicles are parked inside this winter, so the temperatures are a minor inconvenience. We just tend to not be outdoors much this time of year, other than to take care of the dogs and to clean up any significant newly-fallen snow.

I start a class tomorrow, but am not worried about it too much while I am in the hotel. The first day I need to really contribute anything significant, I will be home, making it easier in that regard. For a hotel in the middle of nowhere, this joint has great Internet access, both wired and wireless. Some of the hotels where I stay (e.g., Shooting Star) have NO Internet access at all. That is the dark ages of the hospitality industry. Sheesh.

I didn't sleep very well last night. I remember being awake half a dozen times, and I woke up again at 5:30 this morning, and decided to not stay in bed at that point. I am a morning person. Maybe once we get heat in the garage-gym, I can work out and I will be energetic enough to be a morning and a night person, the way I used to be, especially on weekends. These days, a weekend evening doesn't get much better than lounging around in front of the TV, while Gabriel jumps on the bed like a hyperactive kangaroo with a double mocha latte caffeine buzz. Parenthood is good, and the boys make being a dad great.

I need to order a part for a casino this morning before I head to the training in the conference center. See ya on deck later.

A Revelation

Ok...so this is a long time in coming. I usually can't figure out what to say. My world consists of caring for an infant and a 2 year old, along with many animals of various temperments and ages, answering the Crisis Line every Wednesday morning (though I wish I was doing nights again), and going to MOPS two Tuesday mornings a month. Since I have nothing profound to write about, I forget my password. Doug reset it for me last night. Lucky you.

Anyway, if I was able to get into this thing sooner, you would have been able to read this the morning I thought about it. But then you wouldn't have gotten this wonderful color commentary on my limited sphere of existence and bad memory. Ok...so you've been suffering through my blah-blah-blahs, and this is going to be anticlimatic, but my husband and mother will enjoy it:

I was changing Jericho's diaper and started thinking (I can hear Doug now: Oh no!). We had just been talking about Gabriel and how smart he seems to be. The words he comes up with, comments that are two complete sentences in length, counting to 14, differentiating between a square and a rectangle. I really wish I could introduce him to my high school Geometry teacher, Mrs. Jumper. She had the personality perfect for working with young kids and would love to teach my kid math. I often show Gabriel Donald in Mathemagic Land in her honor. This teacher, God love her, tutored me before and after school to get me through her class. Thus my comment to Doug that I thank God every day that Gabriel got his brains and not mine. Doug can deny this all he wants, but he's the genius. It certainly isn't me.

That is when it occurred to me: the clean-cut, all-American boy look isn't what I'm most attracted to...it's brains. Ask my mother and she will tell you who my high school crush was. Dan Olson may have been fun, clownish, good-looking (a redhead), a good cook (I was in Home Ec with him), and the first-string receiver on the football team, but he was also the president of the National Honor Society. He had the 4.0 or better to prove it, too. Doug took AP classes in high school and graduated with a 4.0, I'm sure. He can get nearly a 4.0 in college without having enough time to put into it. And, along with all the brains, I got a great guy, too. I think I made a good choice.

At the Hotel Sunday Night

I arrived at the hotel, finally, at 8:00 tonight. Funny, Mapquest said it was an 8-hour drive, but ten hours later, I am finally (NOT) at home at the hotel. This place is like a ghost town. Judging by all the hunting-related signs, this place must get a lot of hunters. There are signs in the hotel room to the hunters to not use the nice white towels to clean the dogs or their shoes or grimy hands, to clean their firearms, etc. Where the hunters are today, I cannot say. but they are definitely not here. There are about ten cars in the parking lot, but room for, I don't know, maybe a hundred or more.

It was -4 degrees when I left the house this morning, but during the drive, the temperature steadily climbed, and it is 12 degrees above zero here in the middle of South Dakota. I packed all my food in the cooler, and what wouldn't fit there, I put in a plastic bag in the bed of the truck. There is a topper, mind you. I was surprised to find out that the bottles of soda were frozen solid, along with the ham and everything else. Fortunately, the lettuce in the cooler didn't freeze or I would be bummed. By the way, the food I brought with me is so that I have something healthy to eat, instead of eating fast food or the same old franchise dinners. Besides, that is too expensive! I am going to log off, but thought I would mention that there isn't a microwave in the room, so I am warming my sandwich by putting it on a plate on top of the lamp. It fits perfectly on top of the lighted (and toasty warm) lampshade. You know, when I am roughing it out here in the wilderness of central South Dakota, I need to improvise, so I don't go hungry. =) Besides, ham is not that good to eat with ice crystals in the middle of it.

It looks like we will be here with some South Dakota Gaming Commission personnel and various other people, maybe from casinos and the company, too. The good news is that I get to go home on Wednesday, barring the unforeseen. As a quick aside to Heather: A few inches of snow on the ground here, not shin-deep snow like at home.

Good night, folks. Back to Heather now... everyone else can go on to the next post. H, I know you will read this tonight. I just wanted to tell you to give the boys a hug and a kiss from me. I love you all and can't wait to be home again. Wednesday night can't come soon enough for me. Now, Heather, stop reading this mushy stuff, and get some rest while you can! Why are the rest of you still reading this section? Sheesh! =)

Over and out...

On the Road Again

I have my things together so that I can hit the road for South Dakota. I will be staying in a hotel in the middle of nowhere until Wednesday or Thursday. I figure I will be home the 12th, but I won't guarantee that. In this business, you just never know what will happen. I sent Heather, Gabriel, and Jericho off to work and church, knowing that when they got home I would be gone for four days. I know that stinks, but it is part of the job, maybe the hardest part of the job. Is it harder to leave, knowing that your family will come home to a house where you will not be for awhile, or to not see your family and your kids? Of course, I worry that something will happen, and I will not be here to fix it, but Heather can handle anything that life throws at her. I just hate to miss a single day with my family.

But duty calls and I need to hit the road. The drive is around 450 miles to the hotel, and the clock is ticking, though I have tried to slow it down, and had no luck at all. I need to meet with another tech to unload and set up a prototype game that will be used for training the South Dakota techs and anyone who will be working on video lottery terminals. It is about as exciting as it sounds... After more than a decade in this business, it is not very exciting, believe me.

Gotta run. I am out.

The Christmas Letter

We have the Christmas letter printing on three printers in the house. By the time it is all done, it takes 300 sheets of paper, so it takes a little bit to print it out. I actually priced what it would cost to have a printer or Kinko's (also known as the UPS here in town) do the printing, and it was so expensive, I could print a thousand pages for what that place wanted to charge.

I find it so amazing how technology has changed. We have two all-in-one printers that we are using, and also Heather's photo printer. I have another printer upstairs but I don't have that one networked with the rest of the computers and printers. On the two all-in-one printers, I use a higher image quality setting, and yet, the photo printer has better image resolution. On top of that, the photo printer is printing 18 pages at a higher resolution in the time it takes either of the two all-in-one printers to print three pages at the normal resolution. I am working on other things at the same time, and occasionally checking the progress on the printers. When one stops, I start it printing a few copies again, but I don't want to run out of ink and waste paper while any of the printers is running unattended.

I am heading for South Dakota in the morning. I am not thrilled that I have to leave for the hotel while Heather is at work. I will return on Wednesday evening with any luck. I thought about stopping at a casino to work on the way home, but it depends how I feel during the return trip, and of course, the weather. No snow of consequence is predicted, so that isn't an issue (bummer, dude!) We are looking forward to more snow. I figure that we have received about 16-18 inches of snow, although at the airport, the official record says we have received around 10-12 inches. I don't know how they measure it, but it is typically less than what it appears to be here, for whatever reason. Maybe being next to the lake makes a difference, but I wouldn't think so, since this isn't among the Great Lakes... and is not a large lake for that matter.

Back to printing... more later. Urge Heather to get blogging! Of course, she may be blogging while the world sleeps, but she told me that while I am gone this coming week, when she can't sleep, she figured she would stay up and work on the house. I am confident that means she will blog and clean, wrap gifts, decorate, and blog some more, before she cleans some more. I am not sure if it has rubbed off from my influence, but I thrive on pressure. Last-minute work and deadlines make my engine hum along like crazy, and I am starting to think that the same is becoming true for Heather, more than ever before. She never gets enough sleep, though, so as much as I would like her to blog, I would much rather that she gets adequate sleep, too.

Okay, seriously now, back to printing! Good night, Jim-Bob. Good night, MaryEllen. Good night, Elizabeth, etc., etc. All is quiet now on Walton's Mountain. My brother would appreciate that reference, but would add in more lines such as Elizabeth saying, "Jim-Bob, you're a name!"

Christmassing with You

First thing, I just wanted to note that the subject line here is wholly for Heather's benefit or detriment (negligible but amiable needling between husband and wife). You see, it drives Heather crazy when her favorite singer, other than Celine Dion, namely Karen Carpenter, uses the word ‘Christmas’ as a verb. As a self-styled affiliate of the grammar police, it is annoying, but I overlook the English language syntax mishandling long enough to play Carpenters songs whenever Heather is within earshot of the music. Ugh, where in the wild, wild world of sports are my earplugs? =)

We put up the Christmas tree in the basement, but it still needs the ornaments. I am guessing that by the time we finish it, and put up the large tree upstairs, Heather's brother and mom will be doing much of the decorating, indubitably aided, by Gabriel and the cats. I note here a potent extrasensory presentiment that sometime later this month, either Heather or I will walk by the Christmas tree late at night, half-asleep, and will abruptly become conscious of a cat's face peering back at us from about six or eight feet off the ground, snugly perched within the branches of the Christmas tree. Okay... full disclosure time: I am not psychic, but Heather will tell you that I am 'one with the cats'. Further, the last few years' Yuletide experiences have revealed that the cats enormously love to climb, and occasionally, to sleep, up near the peak of the Christmas tree. For this reason (along with the fact that we have two boys), we do not have any fragile ornaments on exhibit in our home. Maybe someday, but for now, lots of resin decorations, mostly the characters from the ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ movies, adorn the tree.

Heather could not access her blog account, but I reset it for her today. Undoubtedly, as soon as I desert the PC, she will start writing. That is okay by me, since I do most of the blog entries here. Encourage her to write! I may write more later, as I need to run an errand. Ho ho ho (and other Christmas salutations).

Christmas planning 2

I finally made the time this morning to write our annual Christmas letter. I have been working on it off and on all day. Heather wrote a bit of the content, mainly the parts about the birth of our second son and about the additions and goings-on within the populace of the zoo. I put it all together and am in the process of printing out the letter for our Christmas card recipients while I work on other things at my desk. Occasionally, I read the letter again and see something that I should have added or grammar that bugs me. So, this will be a continuously-edited letter. If you happen to be one of the people who receives our family letter, consider that you may very well be reading an edition that is uniquely yours, since I keep adding and editing the thing throughout the day. So, yes, you are special... and no doubt, your mommy used to say that to you, but meant it in a different way. =)