Uncle Grayhawk's Front Porch

...and here I am, pounding my fingers on a keyboard and my head on my desk.

In other words, it's Monday. Hey, how the hell are ya?

So, it's been almost 2 weeks since I last blathered at ya. Been busy in that time. Between the getting ready for the holidays and putting in about 12 extra hours at work, I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. So then, a quick bullet list.

• Me: Doing OK. Trying to not think about mousecat0's upcoming surgery. Yeah, I know, it's routine. They probably do tens of thousands of them a day. But still - it's surgery, and there's always a risk. So, I try not to think about it. Otherwise ok, if somewhat tired last week from putting in extra time to cover the time I'll be taking off for the surgery. Had a bit of a revelation last week...but more on that later.
  
• Family: Doing well. mousecat0 is off some of her meds in preparation for the surgery. Everyone's been busy with schoolwork and holiday prep; it's sometimes hard to stay focused.
  
• What we've been doing. Well, since the last real update...
  • Went to parent-teacher conferences
    
  • Went to stoooooooo's and ginabeth's place for family, food, and football.
    
  • Did the Thanksgiving baking (4 loaves of pumpkin bread, 3 cornbread rounds, pumpkin pie, pear cranberry pecan pie, chocolate pie, thanksgiving sugar cookies)
    
  • Did the Thanksgiving cleaning (well, a lot of it, anyway)
    
  • Finished the Thanksgiving shopping
    
  • Did some Christmas shopping.
  Blearg.
  
• Gaming: You may have noticed a lack of gaming listed. I think, though I'm not certain, that the lack of gaming, whether tabletop or electronic, is one of the reasons behind some of my depression of late. Gaming is far and away one of my favorite things to do, and I haven't really done any lately. No fault or blame here, just the way life has worked these last few months. Once I realized that, I tried to get myself to do something, even if it's just noodle around on WoW for a while. Haven't been able to. Too much to do. Must work on this.
  
• Work: Still no word on the contract award. Still feel about 99% certain I'll have the same job come Jan 1, but about 85% likely that it'll be with a different company (in other words, I'll still be here, but someone else will be signing the checks). We shall see.
  
• New Year's: Yes, we will be doing the Open House this year. Saturday and Sunday. official announcement and eVite to go out tonight, I hope.
  
• Food Network shows: I liked Food Network Live this year. It gave me one or two ideass to work with. Also, the Swedish Chef made an appearance. What's not to like? Also appreciated the new Good Eats Thanksgiving special. Yum.

OK, I need to clean up and head for home. Got a 12 hour day tomorrow, and need to make some spiced pears and cranberry apple ginger chutney tonight.

Once again, I'd like to take a moment to remind all of you of why we do this. Yeah, the food is good and the pies better, but this is a time for family and to give thanks for the blessings in our lives. In all the hustle and bustle, let us not lose sight of that.

I remind you all to have a good day. The very fact that you woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning makes it a great start to a good day.

So, yeah, here we go...

( Saturday, Nov 20 )
( Sunday, Nov 21 )
( Monday, Nov 22 )
( Tuesday, Nov 23 )
( Wednesday, Nov 24 )
( Thursday, Nov 25 )
( Friday, Nov 26 )
( Saturday, Nov 27 )
( Sunday, Nov 28 )
As I usually do, I find myself extremely thankful for a number of things this year:

• mousecat0, B, & F.
  
• My job and mousecat0's job
  
• My clueless end-users
  
• My in-laws.
  
• My family
  
• The fact that I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and clothes on my back.
  
• And perhaps most especially, my friends, whether near or far, whether they read this drivel I write or not. (and that does mean all of you)

Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, I would ask one thing from each and every one of you. Please, try to remember to be thankful for each and every blessing in your life every day. Let the people in your life know you are thankful for them. Let us not give thanks only on Thanksgiving, but every day.

And I am thankful for all of you. Believe me when I say that even when I don't comment, I am reading what you write, and rejoice with you in your triumphs, and weep with thee in thy sorrows.

If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.
--Bing Crosby, Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)

This one is for all my friends who follow the Washington DeadRedskins:

We, the faithful fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, are not even remotely surprised at what Donovan McNabb is doing. The fact that you may be surprised means only that you weren't paying attention in the last few years.

I like McNabb. I think he did a lot of great things both on and off the field in Philly. But he just could never seem to get out of his own way to enter that top tier.

I remember after the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots, there was joke going around that McDonalds was going to introduce a new sandwich called the McNabb: The guy behind the counter would either throw it just in front of you or just behind you.

Yeah, I lost track again. Go me. :rolls eyes:

To be fair, I have been busy since last I wrote here. Like, wrote for real.

How busy? Well, I'll detail that...
( under the cut )

Short version: We're alive, we're ok, we're dug out, we're sore.
( Long(er) version behind cut )
That's the way it is for now, kids.

I remind you all to have a good day. The very fact that you woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning makes it a great start to a good day.

Peas. Out.

When did that happen?

Oh well.

Nothing overly exciting happened since I last spoke at ya.

Well, almost nothing. Seems that on Friday night, mousecat0 and the kids were on their way home when a deer decided to cross the road in front of her. And while she missed that one, she was not so lucky with the five more that followed. Or, more precisely, the last one or two. Fortunately, no one was hurt (except the deer) and there was minimal damage to the TrailBlazer (front grill, driver's side headlight mount). Insurance will cover the repair (minus the deductible). We went to the USAA-recommended body shop yesterday; they ordered the parts and we'll drop the car off tomorrow night. I'll be taking the metro to and from work until we get the car back.

Otherwise, as I said, not much going on. Did the Thanksgiving shopping on Saturday. Also got the main course for Christmas eve dinner as Giant had frozen geese for sale. Damn thing cost me more than the 2 turkeys I bought. Oh well.

Made chili on Saturday for the family chili cookoff on Sunday. It came out great. Shame that the Eagles lost to the Chargers, though. I think that a combination of too many injuries and talented but inexperienced rookies is going to cost us a run at the playoffs this year, though I could be wrong.

Watched the Dear Food Network: Top 10 Thanksgiving Problems Solved special on Monday. While I was glad to see that Ted Allen was using the AB turkey frying rig, I wanna know who brought back that corpse they named Claire Robinson. Dude, she was disturbing. It took me half the show to figure out why she bothered me so - she looked like a damn zombie. The dead were alive and trying to remake green bean casserole on Food-f-in-Network! Also, I don't remember who the hell it was that did this, but some idiot took a shot at Ted Allen because he was "afraid of hot oil". I don't need to tell all y'all how many fires are started every freaking year because people didn't exercise sufficient caution and common sense when frying their turkey. Bad scripting, Food Network. Overall, it didn't suck, but it didn't help or inspire me either.

Right now, we have our "Do list" of what needs to happen when for the next week or so.
( so as not to bore people )
Is it busy? Yes. Absolutely. Will I enjoy every minute of it where I'm not at work? Most likely.

This is where and when the memories are made, folks. These are the times I treasure.

But before the rushing around and silliness starts in earnest, I would remind all of you of why we do this. Yeah, the food is good and the pies better, but this is a time for family and to give thanks for the blessings in our lives. In all the hustle and bustle, let us not lose sight of that.

I remind you all to have a good day. The very fact that you woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning makes it a great start to a good day.

Peas. Out.

Which probably translates to "More BS than ever before"!

Hiya folks. Yeah, it's been a while since I updated. And a large part of the reason for that is illness. As in, the whole family was knocked on it's collective ass last week. Trust me when I tell you that the only ones who were happy about that were the makers of Tylenol Cold medication.
( Placed behind a cut for...(insert witty statement here) )
I think that's about it for now.

Remember: You woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning. By definition, that makes this a good day.

Peas. Out.

More randomosity in titling...

For a brief terrifying second, I considered trying to do this post in LOLCat, then realized that before I got halfway through the first paragraph I'd probably be trying to gouge out my brainstem with a titanium spork. You have been spared...

So, hey, how are ya?

Me, I'm not doin' badly. I'm a bit tired, but that's more because I got up earlier than normal to get here early today. So, this might get long, but I'm a bit pressed for time, so a Bullet-List-O'-Doom is going behind the cut.
( Yes, this cut right here )
However, I wanted to take a moment to talk aboutAngel Food Ministries. Especially since there are a number of people who read this who are, for whatever reason, not in the best financial shape right now. Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states.

There are no qualifications, minimums, income restrictions, or applications. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

The base package is $30. Here's the October 2009 menu:

• 1.5 lb. New York Strips Steaks (3 x 8 oz.)
  
• 1 lb. Steak Fajita Strips
  
• 2 lb. Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Meal
  
• 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
  
• 1.5 lb. Breaded White Meat Chicken Tenders
  
• 1 lb. avg. Center Cut Ham Steaks (Hickory Smoked)
  
• 1 lb. Bake or Fry Fish Sticks (32 sticks)
  
• 1 lb. Pasta
  
• 25 oz. Marinara Sauce
  
• 1 lb. Frozen Baby Lima Beans
  
• 1 lb. Frozen Mixed Vegetables
  
• 2 lb. bag Fresh Apples (8-10 ct.)
  
• 10 ct. Flour Tortilla Wraps
  
• 32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
  
• Dozen Eggs
  
• Dessert

The food is good stuff; plus, they have additional specials which can be ordered as well. We've been participating for over a year. We don't get preached at. We don't get looked down on. It's a good way to help make ends meet. Go to the website and check it out.

Hm. I guess that wasn't as long as I was expecting.

Remember: You woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning. By definition, that makes this a good day.

Peas. Out.

And remember that worrying about H1N1 will do more to shorten your lifespan than the actual flu will.

Hey, happy Friday Eve Day! Hope everyone is doing well. I'm doing reasonably well this morning. A little sleepy, but that's in large part because I haven't gone to sleep before 1 am either of the last two nights. Oh, it's all my own damn fault, so no sympathy requested or required, just explaining where I'm at.

So, how about a quick bullet list o' doom!

• Administrivia: Welcome to hopefulspirit & ruaalien2 who found me through a friending frenzy held on hopefulspirit's LJ. Pull up a chair and help yourself to somethin' to drink. I generally suggest that people read this post if they want to know more about me.
  
• Family: mousecat0 is still trying to kick her cough. She's spending the next 4 work days at one of the buildings she manages overseeing some work being done. Words can't express how thrilled she is. Kids still enjoying school, but not homework. We're all a little disappointed by the turnaround in the forecasted weather for the weekend, but figure that it happened specifically because we canceled our plans. That's ok, because we have other...
  
• Weekend plans: Friday night is F.'s first Cub Scout Pack Meeting, which is also a picnic being held at one of the local parks. Saturday, we'll do a bit of cleaning, then some shopping for fall/halloween decor and some other organizational stuff. On the way home, we'll get some pizza and then make a movie night out of it. Probably start with Jason and the Argonauts and go from there. Sunday, F & I are helping staff a table to recruit more cub scouts around 10:45 am, then we'll head up to stoooooooo & ginabeth's for football. Speaking of which...
  
• Football: Ah yes, the season has started. And not one week into the season, and my beloved Philadelphia Eagles are already in a bind. Yeah, we beat the Carolina Panthers, but our franchise QB, Donovan McNabb, got hurt. And with Vick suspended for at least one more week, it's no wonder that the team signed Jeff Garcia. They had to. They needed someone to back up Kevin Kolb. Whatever. I don't have much hope that they will beat the New Orleans Saints, but we shall see. In other football news and thoughts:
  • I think that the loss of Brian Urlacher will have a bigger effect on the Chicago Bears defense than the loss of Troy Polamalu (doo doo dedoo doo) will on the Pittsburgh Steelers Defense.
    
  • Anyone who didn't see this coming from T.O., raise your hand. ::looks:: Yeah, that's what I thought. No hands.
    
  • Looking at the weeks games, I don't see many compelling ones:
    • Steelers at Bears: Good defense on both sides; expect this to be a defensive struggle
    • Raiders at Chiefs: This could decide who ends up last in the NFL
    • Vikings at Lions: How will rookie Matt Stafford do against an actual defense?
    • Patriots at Jets: Same thing, substitute Mark Sanchez for Stafford.
• Gaming: Played some WoW over the last two nights. Some guild drama occurred in my absence. Otherwise, I still seem to be able to play my Retadin well.
  
• It seems that an fair number of you want me to perform experiments on myself in the name of "Science". Fine. So be it. The orders for the Dungeons & Dragons Soda and the M:tG soda are placed. Anyone want to help with the testing?
  
• X-Entertainment has begun their annual Halloween Countdown!!! Check it out for all kinds of Halloween Fun!
  
• Speaking of Holidays, I'm starting to collect recipes that sound interesting for use with Thanksgiving dinner. I need to test them before then. Maybe I should do a bunch and invite people for tastings...

OK, I think that's all for now. I need to go change out backup tapes.

Remember: You woke up on the proper side of the grass this morning. By definition, that makes this a good day.

Peas. Out.

I’ll say the same thing here I’ve said elsewhere:

As much as I despise what Vick did, I would encourage everyone to remember that he, like the rest of us, is human. As such, we occasionally foul up. And yes, he fouled up in a much larger fashion than most of us ever will. That said, we all deserve the chance to atone for our misdeeds, learn from them, and hopefully become a better person.

Just sayin’, is all…