Please visit me at:

http://normalguysnetwork.com/

and

http://www.facebook.com/NormalGuysNetwork

Still lots of good stuff but now on a cool page and Facebook site.

Day 2 - Saturday

Breakfast

1 Sesame Bagel with Low Fat Cream Cheese 420 calories
1 Coffee

Snack

1 Banana 105 calories

Lunch

1 Chicken Salad sandwich (low fat mayo) 225 Calories
1/4 Cantaloupe 60 calories
1 cup carrots 50 calories
1 Diet Snapple 10 calories

Snack

1 Healthy Choice Fudge Bar 100 calories
1 ounce unsalted cashews 165 calories

Dinner

6 oz Grilled Beef 310 calories
1 cup Grilled Yellow Squash 20 calories
1/2 cup sauteed onion 100 calories
1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms 30 calories

Snack

1 Healthy Choice Fudge Bar 100 calories
3 oz LF Cheese 180 calories

Total: 1875

Diet -- Day 1

Motivation:

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/heavy-burden-obesity-may-be-even-deadlier-thought-6C10930019

Breakfast

1 Special K Breakfast Sandwich 240 calories
1 Medium Green Apple  95 calories
1 Large Coffee with Splenda and SF Creamer

Lunch

1 SaladWorks Autumn Harvest Salad 300 calories
1 White roll  120 calories
1 Diet Pepsi

Snack

4 Low Fat cheese 240 calories
1 Diet Snapple 10 calories

Dinner

1 Hamburger on bun 450 calories
1 Avocado 234 calories
1/4 Cantaloupe 60 calories
1 Cup salad 75 calories

Snack

1 Healthy Choice Fudge Bar 100 calories

Total: 1924

Goal: 2000 calories per day or less.  

I'm Back

I've been away on vacation.  I love Arizona.  Someday we will retire and move back there to live.  Even in August, with the temperature around 105, we had a great time.  Thanks to our friends that live out there and keep an eye on our place when we are stuck here in NJ.  

I've made a decision to go on a diet.  Here is the plan.....short term goals.  My plan is to go hard core until Thanksgiving 2013.  That is about 10 weeks.  I will reevaluate at that time.  I'll try and post my ups and downs here as I fight the battle of the bulge.  Wish me luck...I'm going to need it.

Day one starts tomorrow........

Dead as a Doornail

Woke up this morning and one of the two garage door openers is dead as a doornail.  (interesting saying, "dead as a door nail").  I love when an unexpected expense rears it's ugly head.  It normally pops up just after you've spent lots and lots of money on something else.  In this case, we just finished painting and carpeting two rooms.  So when cash is tight you can always count on the "unexpected expense" to tag you and say, "You're It!".  Not only do you need to deal with the expense, but there is also the inconvenience of calling a repair guy, making an appointment, and getting them out to the house.  Then you can always get the dagger when they tell you the parts are "out of stock" and need to be ordered.  Well, there is not much you can do about things like these.  It is best to not get too worked up over these small annoyances.  You really need to take them in stride and move on.  They keep coming and all you can do is hope that none are too serious.

As far as "dead as a doornail" goes, this is what I found:

William and Mary Morris, in The Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, quote a correspondent who points out that it could come from a standard term in carpentry. If you hammer a nail through a piece of timber and then flatten the end over on the inside so it can’t be removed again (a technique called clinching), the nail is said to be dead, because you can’t use it again. Doornails would very probably have been subjected to this treatment to give extra strength in the years before screws were available. So they were dead because they’d been clinched. It sounds plausible, but whether it’s right or not we will probably never know.

Birthday present from my daughter.  Now I'm really ready for opening day of the NFL season.

Thank God It's Friday

TGIF

I have had one heck of a week. Both at work and at home. I am so glad that Friday has arrived. Looking forward to getting together with some of my watch buddies on Saturday to hang out and show off my new Glycine Airman 08 Chrono. And, as an added bonus, my son will be visiting from Knoxville starting on Sunday. So, things are looking up. But getting this week behind me is my #1 priority. Just one of those weeks when I was never able to catch up. The heat has not helped either. Pushing 100+ here today with very high humidity. Seven days of this has been enough. When is vacation again? Soon, but not soon enough......

SiriusXM Radio

Hey now.....

For several years now I have had SiriusXM satellite radio in my car.  I listen to it exclusively.  I am a Howard Stern listener during my commute time Monday through Friday.  My drive in to work takes me about 40 minutes one way.  If I catch it just right, I can listen to 40 minutes on the way in and a different 40 minutes on the way home.  On the occasion, and much more frequently recently, that Howard and the gang are on vacation or hiatus or just working their 3 day work week, I like to listen to classic rock channels, coffee house, or a little Top 40. I'll even catch a baseball or football broadcast if we are out for a drive.

Today my car was in for routine service.  I really love the Infiniti service center that I use.  They do excellent work and provide a loaner car for the day.  The only problem is that the loaner cars do not have satellite radio in them.  As a result I was forced to listen to terrestrial radio for the the first time in a long time. Ouch, was it painful.  The silly banter mixed in with the never ending commercials, and the repetitive weather and traffic were almost too much to bear.  I don't know what I am going to do once Howard Stern retires for good.  I may need to plan my retirement around his.  The thought of the drive to work without some laughs and the much needed distraction is scary to say the least.

This is funny to my married watch collector friends....

1973 Yearbook Picture

Found this while cleaning out the closet while preparing to paint......this was a long, long, long, time ago.

Watch Obsession

It is true that I am obsessed with wrist watches of all types.  I have been for as long as I can remember.  When I was very young my father came home with a Bulova Accutron Spaceview on his wrist. I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen.  Right then and there I was hooked.  

For the next 30 years my obsession was held in check by my lack of funds.  Now as I have some cash it has flourished into a full fledged hobby.  I am a watch enthusiast as opposed to a collector.  An enthusiast buys watches for their enjoyment, to wear and use as part of their everyday wardrobe.  I try to keep my collection small, buying and selling watches to fund the hobby.  I am amazed at how many brands and models there are.  The supply of new and interesting timepieces seems to be endless.  I truly believe that this is a hobby that could last a lifetime.  It is relatively harmless, if you can control the buying impulse.  There are plenty of groups for enthusiasts to join so that they can share the obsession with other enthusiasts.  As for watches being a relic of the past and quickly being pushed out by the smartphone, well, I don't buy it.  I think the wristwatch is here to stay.  They are miniature machines with beauty and artistry.  Here is a picture of my newest acquisition.  It is a work of art.  Take a moment to absorb some of its beauty.  

Resume Attached

How come there are so many people unemployed and I can't find a decent candidate to interview, never mind hire? Somebody needs to teach people how to write a resume and a cover letter. 

I'm serious.  I get all kinds of crap from potential candidates.  Don't they realize that this is the one shot they get at making a first impression.  The resume and cover letter are what, hopefully, leads to an interview.  Why would you send a sloppily written cover letter and an equally poor quality resume to a potential employer?  How long does it take to write a brief, well constructed, intelligent cover letter? Don't send me a form letter, a hand scribbled letter, or worse yet, a FAX cover letter with the words "resume attached".  That is the fastest way to find your paperwork heading to the shredder. 

I have two job openings for candidates with a bachelors degree in the biological sciences.  You would think that having a four year college education would enable these candidates to construct a grade A cover letter and resume to submit.  I am very disappointed in the quality of applications I see.  I think colleges and universities have done a great disservice to their students if they have not, at least, taught them this job hunting skill before they set them loose on the world.  

Good luck to all candidates hunting for a job.  If you don't know how to send in a proper cover letter and a resume, please ask around and maybe somebody can help you.  It will be worth your time and effort.

Painting Project

My wife and I started a major painting project over this long holiday weekend.  Honestly, painting is not my favorite thing to do.  I think my biggest issue with the chore is that it takes so much time out of your weekend.    I know some people enjoy painting.  I'm just not one of them.  

The real reason we took this on is that the existing carpet was shot.  These were last two rooms in the house with original carpet.  We cleared the MB and my office. As of this report we have two coats of paint on the MB walls and the office is prepped and ready to be painted today. Once painting is done it will be a few weeks before the carpet will arrive and we can reassemble the rooms.  Everything is packed into the spare bedrooms at this point.  Disassembling the room was harder than I thought.  The computer in my office along with the two printers and all the network connections took some time to pack up properly.  Also, this was the first time in 17 years that we really did anything in the office.  Plenty of stuff that needed to go in the trash.  The MB has been painted before.  The issue there was the furniture and moving it out.  A bigger chore than I anticipated.  At least today I can see the end of the project.  The office will paint quickly as we are painting the ceiling and the walls the same color so we do not need to be as careful as we were in the MB.  

I certainly will save a bunch of $$$ with the DYI project.  Back to work.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I know how I'll be spending mine.  

Sink Hole Nightmare

Ohio sinkhole swallows car; driver climbs ladder to escape.

Fourth of July

New Commandment

Save Our Post Office

I've had my frustrations with USPS over the years as I ship a lot of watches all over the world.  However, I think the USPS is an important part of American culture.  I believe that the USPS can be run in a manner that serves the people and is financially sound.  Please help save the USPS.

Save Our Post Office

100th Tour de France

I've always enjoyed this event, even though I'm not a cyclist.  I've lost a little interest over the years as a result of all the cheating and drug doping issues the Tour has had.  Today marked the start of the 100th Tour de France.  I turned on the race today and I must say, it was fascinating.  First off it was a sprint stage.  This means that the terrain was very flat and the sprinters would be in control at the end of the stage. With a little over 10 miles to race a huge tour bus got stuck under the finish banner.  The banner is more of a structure than a banner.  A team of people were scampering around trying to move the bus before the peloton sped towards the finish line at 50 mph.  The race organizers attempted to move the finish to the 3 km mark in order to avoid the bus.  At the last minute, the bus was moved and the finish line was cleared so the race finish was restored.  While this was going on, the racers were trying to get in position for a possible 3 km finish.  This resulted in at least 3 crashes in the last few kilometers.  Of the four top sprinters in the race, three were knocked out by the crashes.  It remains to see if any were injured.  That left a wild free for all to the finish.  The race was finally won by the last remaining sprinter, Marcel Kittel.  It was a wild Stage 1.  If this is what we are in store for this year it may be some event.

For more info:  http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2013/us/

Where is the world is .....Edward Snowden?

Edward Snowden

One simple question.  Is he a trader, a whistle blower, or both?  

I think it is a very important question to ask of our democracy.  If our government is doing something questionable and an employee reports it, even with Top Secret clearance, then is that treason?  Soldiers in the field are told it is not.  That they can disobey an order that they know is criminal, such as murdering innocent civilians.  If employees can't find the line then you can never expect them to come forward with information.  They must be able to clearly establish right from wrong and then have confidence that the system designed to protect them works.. All in all, the whistle blower laws are silly.  Can they really protect an employee from the wrath of his employer?   One of the main reasons the employee has performed a questionable practice is he feared for his job and the repercussions from ownership.  The employee generally does not profit from the act.  Ownership forces them to break a rule or overlook a regulation in the name of profit and greed.  Now if the employer is the US Government, well, who is going to protect the whistle blower?  Certainly not the Executive branch of our government, certainly not the Judicial branch, and who would expect the Legislative branch to even be able to get out of their own way.   Maybe he is better off hiding out in Ecuador or Iceland.  

Don't Eat Where You Poop

OK..this is a first.

I went to use the public restroom at work. I entered the last stall, as that one gives you a little more elbow room. When I pushed open the door I saw a Starbucks cup on the floor and a napkin with a smattering of crumbs. I can only conclude that somebody has been eating, drinking and pooping. I moved to another stall.

Sometimes I am so ashamed of the human race.

Pet Peeves

A pet peeve is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to them, to a greater degree than others may find it. We all have them.  I thought I might list a few of mine here.  This might be a good post to start and then come back to from time-to-time, revisit, and update.  

This web site seems to have a long list of pet peeves.  http://www.getannoyed.com/

Here are a few of mine:

1) Get off your damn phone and drive your car.  I think we should be able to punch anyone in the face that we catch texting and driving.  Please don't put my safety in jeopardy because you need to type "LOL" to your BFF

2) When at the Post Office can you please have the correct forms filled out before you get to the window.  Geez, all the forms are at the counter and nobody wants to stand there waiting on you to fill out the forms once you get to the window.  It is just rude to make everyone wait on you.  The same thing goes for the bank.

3) People who wait in food lines and then don't know what they want to order when they get to the front of the line.  Really?  You just spent 15 minutes waiting in a food line and you didn't use any of the time to figure out what you what to order.  

4) Be aware of yourself and cart when shopping in the grocery.  You do not need to block the isle.  When I say, "excuse me please", that means I'd like to get by and you need to move your body or your cart.  

To be continued.............

Wasted Saturday

It is a beautiful day here in the northeast.  A "10" and certainly one of the best days of the year.  Warm, sunny and low humidity.  The problem is, I am sick and can't enjoy this gorgeous day at all.  I'm moving slowly between the couch and the bed.  Dozing between innings of the baseball game.  Trying to get comfortable.  Hoping I can stay awake long enough tonight to watch the hockey game.  I hate being sick on the weekends.  During the week at least you get a day off from work.  On the weekends you lose a day of 'your' time.  The only up side is I've lost my appetite.  That is generally considered a positive.  I wish scientists could figure out how to make a synthetic appetite suppression pill that works on your system like when you're sick.  That would be a major medical breakthrough.  Take this pill, lose your appetite, lose weight.  Brilliant!  

Summer Hockey

I like the NHL, especially at playoff time when they are playing for Lord Stanley's Cup.  However, hockey in the summer seems kind of silly to me.  Do we really need to be playing into the last week of June?  The NBA is done, this year, before the NHL, It is almost the All-Star game (mid-point of the season) in major league baseball (MLB). Soon, major sports will be played 12 months a year.  The NFL and MLB could do that if they built all indoor stadiums.   The NBA could do that now.  I'd hate to see the NHL try to keep good ice in Phoenix this time of year, but I guess they could if they had to.  I realize it is all about the money.  The season is as long as it is so owners get get the maximum amount of games in and therefore the highest gate and TV revenues as possible.  It used to be that baseball was the summer sport and football was the sport of autumn, hockey and basketball filled the winter months.  This is no longer true.  Everything seems to overlap.  Other sports, like golf and NASCAR seem to never end.  Is this good for the fan?  I don't know.  I'm sure it is good for the team's bottom line.  After all, it is all about capitalism.     

Happy Father's Day

iGoogle -- R.I.P.

I love Google, Chrome, Android and all the other names that Google uses for its products. I currently use a Droid Bionic cellphone and soon will upgrade to a Samsung S4.  I have a XOOM tablet.  I use Chrome and Google+.  I have been a user of iGoogle for years.  Recently Google announced that they would retire iGoogle.  I don't understand why, but they did. It is a great product that has served me well.  I have been forced to find a new Home Page.  I am not happy about it at all. You get attached to your home page.  It becomes very comfortable and you can navigate around it with ease.  Everything is in the right place and everything has its place.   

After a few web searches (on Google) I found Netvibes, and a friend recommended igHome.  I set up both to give them a try.  igHome is the most iGoogle like.  It allows you to import settings from iGoogle.  It uses most of the widgets that iGoogle used.  You can set themes like in iGoogle.  As a result you can make it look very similar to the original iGoogle page.  

Netvibes was not as user friendly nor as similar to iGoogle as I would like.  I do not recommend Netvibes.  It is a clone of iGoogle, but not close enough for my liking.  

I currently have both igHome and iGoogle running side-by-side in Chrome.  I will run them like that for a while and fine tune the igHome page as much as I can.  iGoogle ends on November 1, 2013.  After that I'll use igHome unless some better choice comes around.  

You can find igHome here: www.ighome.com

Thought Bubble

In my dreams......

Top Ten List

I'm trying very hard to keep this blog non-political.  You must understand that is hard thing for me to do.  Everywhere you look there are juicy topics that call out for attention.  Just to name a few:

1)  Sequestration
2)  IRS and the 501(c) (4)
3)  Benghazi
4)  Gun Control
5)  Afghanistan
6)  Unemployment and Jobs Programs
7)  Minimum wage
8)  Gay Marriage
9)  Women's reproductive rights
10) The economy

This looks like a Top Ten List on Letterman and it barely scratches the surface.  But I'm trying to steer clear of these issues and deal with more general interest day to day topics.  I'm sure from time to time a topic may have a political undertone.  After all, I am a concerned citizen.  

Who am I really?  Just to establish my political identity I have compiled the following political position brief.*

*I reserve the right to change my mind and flip-flop on any or all positions as I see fit.

I'm an 'Social Industrial Liberal'.  Meaning that I am a liberal that believes that industry has a larger responsibility to support the people that make them rich and powerful.   This means corporations should create American jobs and pay their taxes.  I'm a registered Republican, in order to have some say in my local politics, that lean heavily Republican.   I believe in good smart government not "bigger" or "smaller" government. I believe in capitalism, but I do not believe corporations should get tax breaks that average citizens do not get, nor be allowed to take advantage of loopholes and deductions. I believe that capitalism unchecked breeds greed, and greed unchecked breeds corruption.  I believe in reasonable taxes and welfare programs that are monitored for fraud and waste.  I am for public education and I support public school teachers. I am pro same-sex marriage.   I am against other wars in other countries unless we are attacked. I believe the 2nd Amendment is important, but does not come without limitations. I believe pot should be legal, regulated, and taxed. I believe the government should spend money on infrastructure and hire private companies to do the work, thereby creating jobs and taxpayers.  I believe the government (the police) should not unlawfully stop, question, and frisk people on the streets without cause. I believe very strongly in the Constitution, but I believe that all Amendments are subject to exception as per the Supreme Court.   I am pro-choice (freedom, liberty, and privacy), pro freedom of religion, so long as one doesn't impose religion on others through secular law, and pro-green energy... Need I continue?

Is it old or is it old junk?

There are lots of shows on TV these days where they find stuff in attics, garages, barns, junk yards, flea markets, storage lockers, and the like.  Some things are junk and some things are gold.   However, when I look around my house I see lots of old things.  Are they old or just old junk?  That is the million dollar question.  What is worth keeping?  Should I run to eBay and find the value on every item that is stashed away on a shelf or in a box in the basement or attic?  Is it worth more if I clean it up or in its natural state?  I do have a few items that I know have some value.  I have lots of baseball cards dating back to when my son was born in 1987.  I have stamps that I started collecting after a trip to Ben Franklin's Post Office in 1972. At least the stamps will always be worth their face value.  Someday, after I retire, don't be surprised if you get a birthday or Christmas card with a bunch of old stamps on the envelope.  My in-laws routinely drop "stuff" off at our house when they visit.  I plead with them not to bring anything to leave behind....but they do not listen.  We have accumulated items from my wife's grandmothers house (mothers side), grandfathers house (fathers side), uncles house (fathers side) and her parents house.  I have no idea if any of it is valuable.  I do have an idea if any of it is hideous to look at.  Maybe we need to take a trip to Vegas.  For two reasons; 1) maybe we can pawn a few items at the Pawn Stars place, and 2) what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  So maybe some of this junk can stay in Vegas.

Hey Now!!!

Another weekend comes to a close.  I didn't get nearly as much done as I had planned, but then I rarely do. I have my regular set of errands each weekend.  A trip to the warehouse store and the regular grocery are almost always on the list.  I don't know where the time goes.  I did make a repair or two around the house and we had the in-laws for dinner on Sunday night.  But you would think there would still be some time to kick back and relax.  Time is a funny thing.  You can waste it but you can never save it for when you need it.  There is a nice long weekend coming up in a few weeks.  The four day holiday will be nice.  After that, it will be a month to vacation.  I'm taking two weeks this year.  First time I can remember doing that.  I am really looking forward to taking the two weeks...but not looking forward to coming back to work at the end of the two weeks.  How many of you dread that first day back?  I know I do.  Sometimes it takes a few days to clear the desk, the inbox, and return the office from Def Con 4.  Well, back to work in the morning.  I hope Howard is back from his vacation.  That man never works.  He has more time off than on.  I'd love to have a job like that.  Big pay, few hours.  Hey now!!!!

TGIF

Friday has arrived.  TGIF as they say.  The weekends go by so fast.  Often they are nothing more than a blur come Monday morning.  I used to have a job that had summer hours.  This meant that we got out of work at noonish on Friday.  It was an amazing benefit.  It made the weekends seem so much longer.  Friday afternoons gave you time to clear out your errands or play a round of golf, or take care of some appointments when offices are open during normal business hours.  As a result you could often wake up on Saturday and not have to get the engine starting nearly as early.  One of the biggest benefits of summer hours was the ability to get a jump on weekend traffic if you were heading off to some relaxing weekend destination.  I no longer have summer hours at this job.  I miss them.many of my clients have summer hours so Friday afternoons tend to be very slow in the office.

Very Powerful Commercial

This is one of the most powerful commercials I have ever seen.  Please watch it.  There should be no need for me to comment further.

I've Got Nothing

I have been very prolific the few days since I started this blog.  I've made a blog entry almost every day. Some of them have actually been good.... OK at least some are better than the others...LOL   I'm sitting here tonight and I've got nothing.  Usually I have a topic in my head and the words flow out fairly easily.  It is normally more about sentence structure and cohesiveness than content.  Today's entry will be short and not so sweet.  As I said, I didn't get an inspiration today.  I'm just going to sit back tonight and watch the boob tube, hang out on the watch forum and play Words with Friends and Catan on-line.  Everyone, take the night off and have some fun.

I'll try to bounce back with something interesting tomorrow.....

Grading Teachers

I have no issue with grading teachers.  However, if we are grading teachers we need to grade at least two other groups.

1) Administrators
2) Parents

Administrators can't go around grading teachers without the same sort of evaluation being performed on themselves.  If they are not supporting the teachers in the classroom, they are doing more damage than good.  Too many administrators (read principals and superintendents) are way too political.  Pandering to the parents and to the school board.  They often leave their staff on an island.  Having served as an elected official on a large school board, I have seen this behavior first hand.  Selective supporting of the rules and inconsistent messages to staff and students is a serious issue.  Before you grade the teachers you need to grade the management.

Parents are the #1 problem in public schools today.  (OK, #1 may be a bit of an exaggeration when you consider school budgets).  There is no accountability for parents.  Yet, they have an integral role to play in the success of education.  Often it is the parents that create a jumbled priority list for the student.  Placing extracurricular activities before school assignments, not insuring that assignments are completed, pulling kids out of classes for all types of reasons and many more examples of parent interference.  I have even heard a parent tell a teacher that they didn't get it, that his child was in school to have fun and that the teacher was making him work too hard.  Please!  Grade parents and I'll bet that half of them fail.  I give these types of parents an F.

Problem Solvers

Where have all the problem solvers gone?

I am worth my weight in gold to my employer for one reason and one reason only.  I am a problem solver.  Not always by the rules, not always clean and tidy, frequently with some yelling and screaming.  But always solved!  When I hire new employees I often wish there was a test that would give me a problem solving score on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best.  I'd hire anyone 8 or over on the spot.  You just can't find problem solvers anymore.  Most of today's young employees are the anti-problem solver.  They get hung up on every obstacle.  I blame our generation.  We were helicopter parents and swooped in and took care of every little problem for our children.  As a result they never had to solve a problem as a child or young adult. It was too late for them by the time they were off to college or entering the work force.  Problem solving is a skill that is learned but can't be taught.  Make no mistake about it....this is a huge problem in the business world.  Now businesses are full of non-problem solvers.  As a result problems are not getting solved the at the same rate as they did in the old days when problem solvers were abundant.  It is time for us to go back and develop this resource in our youth.  That is one problem I'd like to solve.........

Rules to Live By

I only have a few simple rules to live by.  I thought I'd share them with you.  If you have any of your own I'd enjoy hearing them.

1. Never say anything behind a person's back that you wouldn't say to their face
2. It is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission
3. Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

Now those are three fairly simple rules.

I'm not 100% there yet in rule #1.  I try really hard to live by it but sometimes I am weak.  I need to keep working on that one.  #2 is a gem.  Once you ask the boss and he says NO, you are bound to respect the NO, or you may be looking for a new job.  However, if you don't ask and the boss never says NO, well, then you can go ahead and always apologize and swear never to do it again.  It is genius.  And for a problem solver it is a way of life.  #3 is nothing more than survival instincts.  I mean come on man!  Just because you can't make up your mind, get things moving, or are just plan lazy, then don't dump on me and ask me to perform a miracle for you.   It isn't fair and I'm not going to do it.....unless properly compensated.  :)

Than is all for tonight.  The Bruins, Yankees and the NBA are on tonight.  Got to go.

Wise Men

Our founding fathers were very learned men.  They were well read for the times.  They were smart and thoughtful and enlightened for the time.  But most of all they were "wise" men.  They gave the issues of the day deep thought and rendered very wise decisions.  These decisions were not only for the time they lived in but seemed to be for the future as well.  They had vision.  So they were both wise and with vision.  I can't say the same for the leaders of today.  They are not wise in the same way as the founding fathers were.  They seem to lack vision.  I can blame the lack of vision on the need to get reelected every few years.  They are so concerned about pleasing the masses that they can't have the vision required for longevity. What does this say about us?  We have high technology at our finger tips.  We should be far advanced as problem solvers over the founding fathers.  We can communicate in an instant when it took them days or months.  But instead we are not problem solvers.  We get bogged down with what seems like the simplest of issues and we make them into crises.

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
John F. Kennedy

Mondays (or in this case Tuesday)!  They get harder and harder to face each week.  I think it is 50 parts work sucks and 50 parts I'm ready to retire that makes them as terrible as they have been.  Today is by far the worse one yet.  I am not looking forward to going into the office today.  There is nothing but problems waiting for me.  Some I can solve, and some, I know I can't.  None were created by me.  As a result, I was up all night.  Just so many thoughts going through my head.  Planning and re-planning all night.  Then morning came and I still don't have any answers.  Time to head off to face the music.  It will be a long day.

Memorial day weekend.  Not much going on this weekend.  My wife and I spent the day yesterday working in the yard.  We planted some flowers and some herbs.  We also performed a few of the rituals of spring.  A prune here and a fertilize there.   The house looks very good this year considering we lived through Hurricane Sandy only a few months ago.  Since then we had the tree guys clean up the downed tree and take down several others that were nothing short of a miracle that they didn't come tumbling down.  We had a new fireplace insert installed and had it hard wired in.  We also had the electrical panel replaced so we could hook-up the generator directly through an interlock switch to the electrical panel.  We replaced the motion sensor light over the garage, repaved the driveway and several other small fixer upper jobs.  The funny thing about owning a home is that the list never seems to get any shorter.  There is always something else that needs to get done and never enough time, energy or money to get everything completed.  There comes a time when you just have to pause and try to enjoy the home as it is.  Accepting it will never be perfect.  I think we are close to that point.  I hope you all have a great holiday weekend.  Don't forget to pause and remember what the holiday is all about.  many brave men and women have sacrificed for us to have the freedoms that we do in the country.  Many serve in dangerous places so we can throw a burger on the BBQ and watch the Indy 500.  God Bless them and keep them safe.

I just found out how to set up this personal blog.  I wish I had more time to explore this tonight but it will have to wait.  I am switching between the Bruins / Rangers hockey game and the Yankee / Oriole baseball game.  The Bruins are really giving the Rangers fits.  I have been a Bruin fan most of my life.  I grew up in Pawtucket RI and Bobby Orr and the Big Bad Bruins were a big deal in those days.  Funny thing is I'm a life long Yankee fan.  Go figure.  There are not many Bruins / Yankee fans.  RI is Red Sox country after all.    Well, I'm cutting this short and getting back to the game.  Third period and the B's are up one goal.  Back later.