hitting the books and a little more

Certification tests are coming up quickly, so I've been studying any chance I get. Every student needs to take a study break to revive themselves. I spent my 5 minute break with a friend.







It was good to see you again old friend!

it's a beautiful morning.....

I haven't had the opportunity to ride for a few days, but I thought I'd post a few pictures from one of my last times out. If you need exercise, I would suggest buying a new bike (Trek) and heading out before the sunrise: Mornings are beautiful!

say ahhhhh

After weeks of pain and my wife pushing me to go, I spent my morning in the doctor's office. I have a terrific doctor that is always willing to listen and answer question: that doesn't mean I enjoy it. I'll have the x-ray results back in the next couple of days, but I have pictures I took of my room ready right now! Apparently, I'm obsessed with blogging.

blatant bias

Although I shouldn't be surprised by it, the absolute bias towards the liberal agenda in the mainstream media continues to grow and become more astonishing. I had the opportunity to see this while clips from ABC's "The View" were shown on "Fox & Friends" this morning. It was all I could do to keep from yelling at the television! The idiocy of some of these women is appalling.

Clips were shown of the times when Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barak Obama made their respective appearances on this ridiculous program.

From the get go, John McCain is hammered by Joy Behar and Barbara Walters about his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Question after question is fired at him without giving the man a chance to answer any of them. The look on Walters' face is almost one of disgust when speaking of Gov. Palin. It's pretty obvious that Sen. McCain was invited on just to be attacked. Barbara Walters used to be a trailblazer when it came to reporting. What happened to her?

Sen. Barak Obama: all-knowing, understanding, brilliant, articulate. This is the way the women of "The View" treated him. They completely fawned over him. Tough questions? Yeah right! At one point, Walters talks with Sen. Obama about being related to Brad Pitt and refers to him as sexy. Gee, thats some great reporting there Barbara!

Please understand, I do not think of anyone from "The View" as legitimate reporters. Walters was at one time, but has now decided to push her views on the public rather then reporting news and letting us make up our own minds. This is just one example in a very large list of offenses perpetrated on the American people. The media only wants to give us one side of any story, so the outcome can be pushed in their favor.

early morning commute

I have nothing too interesting to write about today. Due to this perplexing situation and because it has been days since my last update, I'll post about having my very own driver bring me to work!

Before you become envious of me (thinking I've won the lottery), take heart, it was just a shuttle service from Davis-Moore. The NAV system in my wife's van in not reading DVDs properly, so I woke up bright and early to drop it off before 7:30. The big problem now: How do I get to work? I was informed by the kind gentleman from the service center that they will take me to work. Terrific, my own driver! Lets get a move on.....and be quick about it!! Yeah right! Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to drive, would rather BE the driver, and I would never treat one in that way. Either way, it doesn't matter: I was one of 5 other people who were crammed into a small van and driven to work/home.

Long story shortened; I was the last person dropped off, so I enjoyed a nice 40 minute ride around the city as the others departed for places unknown to me, all the while listening to the kind, older driver talk about the different people he's driven around. It was a nice trip that delayed my arrival to another busy day at work. As he pulled the van away, I took the moment to capture a picture of van (I already knew it would make it to my blog).

Will I ever see this shuttle or driver again? Only time will tell. There is a pretty good chance though; I still need a ride back when my van ready!

I'm singin in the rain, just singin in the rain!

There is definitely a problem when I can surf to work!

Don't get me wrong: I love water. I like to shower in it, drink it in my coffee, wash my car with it, etc...

However, being a born and breed Kansas native, this boy is not used to seeing an ocean on his morning commute. Judging from the radar image, Ike invited one of his friends to come by for a visit. He must have given the wrong address.

taking a Fall

My wife and I love Fall! As far as we are concerned, Fall is a do-over for the last four months of sweltering heat and humidity. We are so ready for it to be here, I was persuaded to climb into our attic and pull down all of the Fall decor. Since there have to be others out there who feel the same as we do, I'll post some pictures to get you in the mood!

always remember

Even though most people were not directly affected by the events of September 11th, 2001, I'm sure it stirs many thoughts and emotions in all Americans. While getting ready for work, I watched Fox News' tribute to the 9/11 victims this morning. I stopped what I was doing and stared at those images that I've seen countless times. The same feelings come flooding back: terror for people in the towers, anguish for families that will never see loved ones again, respect for men willing to run into such destruction to help people they don't even know, and a burning anger against those attacking my country.

My prayers go out to those who were personally touched by this attack and to those brave men and women in harms way working to protect all of us from another 9/11. I ask that the citizens of this nation and most importantly those we elect to lead, never forget that there are those in this world willing to do anything to destroy us.

I pray that the United States turns to God for direction and that he will bless our nation!

so long good friend.....

Today, our family has to say goodbye to a fond friend; one that has been there for us through many ups and downs.........in temperature that is! Our new furnace & A/C are being installed as I post.

From what I've been told, everything started out a little dicey. The workers were there much earlier than expected and rang the doorbell multiple times; waking up the kiddos, who have yet to calm down. I've also been warned that the house is very dusty and has a lovely fragrance. I have a feeling that my old furnace is trying to foul things up so we just scratch the whole idea.

No matter how many bumps along the way, this has to be done. The old furnace might not make it through another Kansas winter and is starting to look like a fire hazard. The A/C still has time left, but it's not very efficient.

This is the first step in a list of updates for the house. Next up will be a new bathroom. After that will come, new wiring, plumbing, and possibly windows. A long list of goodbyes await us.

So farewell good and noble furnace/AC. Our time with you was short (4 years), but you served us well!

Seattle would be nice

the cure for a rough start to the day is beautiful gray, rainy weather. Fall cannot get here fast enough!

shots taken from the front steps of the old courthouse

a happy good bye!

I would like to say thank you to the executives at NBC & MSNBC for making the choice to remove Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as anchors of political events. I have never watched them for analysis, but I've read plenty of transcripts and watched enough video to know that these two are COMPLETELY in the tank for the liberal Democrats. My biggest problem with these two is that they call themselves reporters. That is a far cry from what they are. The Webster definition of a reporter is: a person employed to gather and report news. I don't see anything in that definition about interjecting their own biased opinion. Olbermann loves to bash conservatives and tout the liberial party line at every corner. Here's a quote from Chris Matthews during the presidential primary about a speech Obama gave;

"It's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often."

Does anyone really think that Matthews can be objective? I certainly don't believe so. Like Olbermann, he is going to hold the Democrats up any chance he gets. These two are not news reporters.

Don't get me wrong, while I have many problems with the Democrat philosophy (Socialism), I have no problem with someone wanting to be a Democrat. That's what is great about this country! You have the right to make that decision. I believe true Conservatism will win out every time, but you still have the right to make the wrong choice.

the timing couldn't be better

I received a great email from my mother-in-law Deane and thought I'd post it. Being on the Helpdesk can make it difficult to keep my anger down. This note came at the right time! Thanks Deane!
Ecclesiastes 7:9 - Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

NAIL IN THE FENCE
Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.
(Most importantly the last sentence)
There once was a little boy who had a bad
temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his
temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his
anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down. He discovered
it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't
lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that
he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally
able to tell his father that all the nails
were gone. The father took his son by the
hand and led him to the fence He said, 'You
have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same. When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one. You
can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say I'm
sorry, the wound is still there. ' A verbal
wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They
make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share words of praise
and they always want to open their hearts to us.'
It's National Friendship Week. Show your
friends how much you care. Send this to
everyone you consider a FRIEND, even if
it means sending it back to the person who
sent it to you. If it comes back to you,
then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!
Now send this to every friend you have!!
And to your family.
Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.

your company's computer guy

...the day was spent in a place that makes most computer analysts and technicians cringe: The Helpdesk. In explaining my day to a friend, I joked about taking a poll to see how many people knew where the on/off button is on their computer and that judging from the daily calls, it was running about 50/50. As always, the day was spent with the usual calls: I don't remember my password, my account is locked out, my printer is not working, and even: can you help me fix the games on my computer? What a day! 1 down, 4 to go.

the dungeon that is Helpdesk

the best way to get through the day: Coffee

Yes...I am a KC Chiefs fan. It took years of therapy for me to be able to admit it, so back off!

I'd like to say congratulations to my Chiefs for taking it down to the wire and almost not losing to New England. It only took Tom Brady getting injured for them to keep it close, but hey, we'll take the "nonpounding."

With the injury to Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs will be using backup QB Damon Huard. Same story line every year.

who is this guy?

Being one who never really knows what to say, I'll start this out trying to explain myself and what I'm doing. As the title states; I'm a normal guy and these will be my thoughts and observations on almost anything in my everyday life. Please understand that I am not a prized philosopher showing how intelligent he is or some grand writer with multiple accolades on the wall. I'm your everyday guy who works in the computer field, has a wonderful wife, and two terrific kids. There are so many things happening everyday and I feel like I need to put my two cents in about them. This could be daily, weekly, or even minute by minute. It is not my intent to offend anyone, although this could happen. Let me explain. I am a conservative christian who whole-heartedly believes that Jesus is our Savior and that this country, which I dearly love, was founded on this premise. This is Truth supported by the Bible and our country's founding fathers. This is the worldview that I hold and the prism through which I will be viewing things.

Not every post will be about spiritual or political things. I do have kids that you'll see pictures of! I have a psycho Jack Russell Terrier that you'll get to know. Music is always fun to talk about and I've recently taken to early morning rides. Some pictures from those rides could very well end up right here.

The whole idea behind this is to get my thoughts out and to make people think whenever possible. Not just others, but myself included. I hope it does that for you; the thinking has already started here!