I have some wonderful, close friends, and for that I am very thankful. However, in general, where did all the good people go? Is there more evil than good in this world? At this moment in my life, I think there is more evil.
What happened to doing right thing not because it is easy, expected, or looks good, but because it feels good and is personally rewarding in the end? I think I’ve almost lost faith in the human race.
Comments welcome, and encouraged.
It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.
But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.
Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow-men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness–are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.
Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open–are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.
Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world–stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death–and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.
And if you keep it for a day, why not always?
But you can never keep it alone.
Inspired by Beyonce, this modified version of If I Were a Boy sums up the current predicament I find myself in:
If I were a girl
Even just for a day
I’d roll outta bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after boys
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it.
Cause they’d stick up for me.
If I were a girl
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a boy
I swear I’d be a better woman.
I’d listen to him
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause she’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
If I were a girl
I could turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that he’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)
It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say it’s just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
But you’re just a girl
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a boy someday
You wish you were a better woman
You don’t listen to him
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken him for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a girl
So I’ve missed having a cat on my lap, and a co-worker of mine (Dean) has kittens. They are not ready to go home yet, but I’ve picked one out for myself. His name is Mongo =)
You, you’ve been looking at me just a little too long, now I can never look the same
Blindness and kindness, there’s no difference in the two when I can no longer see the good in you
So won’t you show me a little shame
Won’t you show me a little shame
Now ’cause I’m, I’m a gentleman, lookin’ for a gentlewomen, so-called ladies keep breakin my heart
Show me a house, show me a home, show me how it could all fall apart
So won’t you show me a little shame
Won’t you show me a little shame
Won’t you show me a little shame
‘Cause now I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through crying and I’m sadder then before I wept
I get through thinking and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speaking and I can’t remember not a word that I said
You change your mind so many times, I wonder if you have a mind at all
And I’d rather be by myself than to have your lonesome company come to call
So won’t you show me a little shame
Won’t you show me a little shame
Won’t you show me a little shame
I spent the last 6 days at Disney World. I was sent there with a co-worker for training and a conference. Kronos, the vendor for our time keeping system, holds a two day technology training session, followed by a 3 day conference. I gained lots of valuable information this year, partially due to improved course subject material, and now that I actually have used/supported this software for 3 years. The last conference I went to in 2005 I had never touched the software. I went to learn about the software, which I have learned is a horrible way to introduce someone to a technology they have never used. Conferences != training!
I really don’t have anything against Disney World. It’s a fun, happy place with something for everyone, regardless of age. However, I have been there every year for a week for the past 3 years. I’m getting kind of tired of the place. Hopefully I wont have to go there for another couple years.
After working late Thursday, I went home, packed, and got up at 5am to catch my flight on Friday. We got down there with no trouble and almost immediately hit the Magical Kingdom. Got back to the hotel about 9pm and crashed.
Day 2 training started at 8am. I was pumped after this course, because this was the type of information I needed 3 years ago when I started working with this software suite. Its such a hybrid system with many disparate components and technologies residing in many locations. That training ended at 5pm, and we then met up with my buddy Matt and his wife who live in Melbourne. They drove into Orlando and we had dinner, and then went outlet mall shopping. I got back to the hotel at 11pm that night.
Day 3 training started at 8am. This class was good, but not as useful as I hoped. It was on troubleshooting and tuning the suite. Parts of the session deviated from the course description, but others were useful. I was hoping for a more hands-on approach to the topic. Perhaps they could have setup a poorly performing system on each VM (we each had virtual machines to do our training on) and have us resolve the issue. However, I picked up some good tips. That night we had dinner in Paris at Epcot. Excellent meal… Excellent.
Day 4 the conference kicked off with the keynote speech delivered by Malcolm Gladwell. He is the author of “Blink!” (which I am currently reading and is excellent), and “The Tipping Point.” The keynote was on his book, “Blink,” which deals with decision making with too much information, and its negative impact on our ability to make accurate, quick decisions. Fascinating. I was fortunate enough to meet him and get my book autographed. The sessions for this day were mediocre, in my opinion. Later that night we went to Epcot for dinner. I enjoyed a well-deserved Spaten in Germany, then we headed over to Mexico for dinner.
After that we watched the big fireworks show and then called it a day.
Day 5 consisted of more sessions, mostly useful. went to Epcot again for dinner, and ate at the German Bier Garden. We were seated at a table with German family. They were here visiting from Bremen, Germany. It really added to the experience. The lady sitting next to me explained many differences of the regions of Germany and the food. We talked about the origins of my family, and she noted that people from Baden-Württemberg were very smart and hard working. What a funny way to describe a region and its people, but nonetheless, I thought it was cool. We got a good seat for the fireworks that night, and I took some really cool photos which I will post later.
Day 6 started off with a few sessions, lunch at the ESPN Zone, and then caught a flight home. We got home about 9pm last night and then crashed and went to bed.
I actually got to see/do very little at the parks. my park pass was actually a waste, in my opinion. Almost every free moment I had, with the exceptions of dinner, I found myself working remotely. We’ve been working diligently to get a new system ready for our International office, and we ran into issues of course, right before I leave for a trip. So I got up early every morning and worked until the conference started, during breaks, and each night up until the time I went to bed. The internet connection there made this even more of a challenge. I had a wired ethernet connection in my room, which was as fast as dial up, and no wireless connection in the lobby of the hotel or anywhere. However, I believe we were able to keep things moving along and not slow down the process. Work has been crazy busy lately. I’m being pulled in so many directions I’m not sure which end is up anymore. We are stretched thin as a group, and I am on 3 high profile projects at once. I need a break.
Anyways, look for some photos to be posted in the next few days.
Yes, that’s right. sustained winds of 50 mph, with gusts up to 80 mph for a duration of 4 hours (photos here).
As I checked my email and the weather this morning, I noticed that there was a high wind warning and didn’t think much of it.
By about 11:30, the wind really started picking up. I went to Natorp’s to pick up a couple Hollies, and were amused by all the plants and trees falling over. On the way home, I noticed the power was out everywhere from Liberty all the way past Tylersville. As a side note, people really ought to learn how to drive. Lights out means four-way stop people! We saw 2 accidents happen, one of which the lady behind me got rear-ended.
Surprisingly, I had power when I got home. I noticed that the patio furniture was blowing all over creation, so I strapped it all down with bungee. I then watered my new grass and the straw in hopes if it were wet it would not blow as easily. For some reason I decided that I was going to go up to Bern’s and look at some Rhododendrons. I just got down the road and noticed it was closed due to a tree being down. As I made it back, I saw this dust cloud building over Sharonville. I also noticed the shingles were starting to come off people’s houses.
By the time we got back to our house, the wind storm was up to full speed. The shingles on the back of my house were flapping up and down, and randomly blowing off. All of the straw I put down was gone. All the neighbors came out. Siding was flying off people’s houses. I saw a mailbox break in two. Why we were all outside, I am not sure, but it was like nothing we had ever seen before, especially in Cincinnati.
The wind hurt. There were particles of dirt bombarding me, along with leaves, branches, etc. It was actually hard to walk in, and almost fell a couple times. Later I drove around the neighborhood and found out we were quite lucky. Many, many houses lost shingles. A good number also lost siding. A couple lost all the siding one one side of the house. I’m a bit concerned about my windows. They were moving in and out as the wind hit, and were making bad sounds, particularly the big bay window in the kitchen. You can see where the sash was pushed in away from the frame.
There are approximately 853,000 people without power in the city. It is estimated to take 2-5 days to restore power. Miami canceled classes at all 3 campuses tomorrow, which is a good thing. I was going to stay home in the morning anyways to patch my roof until it can be re-done.
Check out all the photos here!
First off, I’d like to celebrate the fact that I finally reached my goal of weighing less than 200lbs. That brings me to a grand total of 58 lbs lost. I haven’t weighed that little since I was in high school!
This summer the yard is finally starting to come together. I was able to get the whole back garden cleared and some new stuff planted. I can’t believe we got it done, and it looks spectacular. For those of you who don’t know, the garden runs the entire width of our property in the back. Its dimensions are 195′ X 20′. Now that all the weeds are gone and ivy is trimmed back, you can see the beautiful stone work.
I also put the finishing touches on an old Troy-Bilt Horse tiller. After a few minor adjustments to the carburetor this year, and an oil change, it runs like new. Last year I rebuilt the carburetor, put a new wheel on it, changed the spark plug, installed new fuel line with a cutoff switch, and put a new throttle on it. This week I was able to till up an area that we are reverse-landscaping back to grass for a solid hour with no problems. I apologize to my neighbors, because the thing sounds like a motorcycle, and I ran it until 9:30pm the other night =).
I also decided that I was done pushing my half acre lot and bought a riding mower. I bought a John Deere LA115! I now can cut the yard in under an hour. Its so much nicer than spending 2 hours convincing my push mower to go up the slope in a 90 degree Cincinnati sauna.
Other than that, I’ve been working like crazy trying to get projects finished for the beginning of the school year. I can’t wait until it starts; I am so ready for a vacation.
Yes, it is I, the master of this award winning website. I am alive and doing well. To my loyal readers, I apologize for my absence.
I got to thinking this morning about my morning shower. So many things become clear to me while showering. I figure out problems in the shower, including many programming/coding ones. I guess it’s my version of the thought pot.
While doing my daily thinking, I realized that every day while I am in the shower a random song pops into my head. I wake up, turn the shower on, get in and…. some song starts in my head. Yesterday it was “Taylor” by Jack Johnson. Today it was “Razorblade” by The Strokes. I’m gonna keep track of these songs, and perhaps make a mix or something. I’m also curious to see what type of songs come to my head different days of the week and if there are any trends.
