New Year, New Resolutions?

I don't normally make new year's resolutions. For about the past three years I have vowed to improve my life, both mentally and physically. I believe that I have done an OK job of accomplishing these two items. I have started to read books regularly and I exercise at least five days per week. I still need to work harder.

I began thinking this week about whether I would make a resolution or vow for 2010. I don't know if I will or not. I have read some other blog posts that have intrigued me. One mentioned that your resolutions should be smaller and more focused. For instance, I will drive to the gym every day at 5:00. The reasoning here is that if you drive to the gym, you will most likely go inside and work out. A drive is much easier to get motivated for than a workout.

Another blog post recalled his plan for the decade that ends tonight. He suggests that maybe ten years is too long a a period to plan for and that we should plan for seven years. His big question is, "Seven years from now, what will you have to show for what you're doing right now?" If your answer to this question is not what you expected, you should create a new plan that will help you achieve the results you are looking for. Or at the very least be a more fun way to waste seven years.

I think that I would like to be a better person next year. A person who does things for other people. I am working on that with getting involved with Families First as a foster/adoptive parent. This will help the child(ren) that we bring into our home as well as our own family. Beyond that, I want to volunteer for some charities. I have considered Habitat for Humanity for many years, so maybe 2010 will be the year I finally get involved.

I also want to get into better shape. I have worked hard for the past few years in getting healthier, but I need to work even harder for the next twelve months. I had no issues that were flagged during my physical, but I want to feel healthier and that will take more exercise and better eating habits.

My seven year plan is still a little fuzzy at this point. I know that I want to change careers in the next five years. I would like to have a career that involved helping people. I need to feel like my job is doing something positive to help society in general. I can't justify working in the Marketing field any longer. My only problem is that I don't want to sacrifice my quality of life. This is the real reason that my seven or ten year plan is still fuzzy.

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Homie Gnomie Vacation Video 2009

Our gnome had a great vacation in Hawaii. I really wish we had all been able to go. Enjoy the video.

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Sequoia National Park, Take 1

I had good intentions. I wanted to take the family to the snow today. I have been many times over the years and to several different places. I have never been required to install snow chains before, so I did not think much about it. On the way, I decided to stop by Tina's parent's house and borrow her Dad's snow chains. It was a good thing I did.

When we got to the gate of the park, the ranger asked me if we had snow chains. I told her we did and she said that was a good thing. They were requiring them eleven miles inside the park. As I drove away, I turned to Tina and told her that we would not make it to the snow before being required to install the chains. I was right.

At the required location I pulled over and took out the chains. I struggled with them for a while and finally realized that they were too small for Tina's car. We decided to drive on until we were absolutely required to have them on. We did not get much further. I felt bad for Meg because she had been looking forward to going to the snow for a few days. She actually started to cry. I told her we would come back on Sunday. That helped a little, but she was very disappointed.

We drove back down to Hospital rock and hiked all of the trails there. We all actually ended up having a really good time, as you can see from the photos.

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Gnome Sweet Gnome

Our gnome, Homie Gnomie as the kidnappers named him, is home again. Meg found him hiding in a nativity seen in Dinuba on Christmas day. It was later revealed that Tim and Sharon were in cahoots on the kidnapping. Luckily, our gnome was unharmed in the ordeal. He actually got a vacation out of the kidnapping. Tim took him to Hawaii with him and his two friends on vacation. He stayed at Sharon's house and had some fun on the beach. We were given the vacation photo collage, which I am having trouble uploading but here is one of the photos.
We all had a lot of fun with this kidnapping. On our drive home, Tina mentioned that we should continue the adventure and take our gnome with us whenever we go on trips. I agreed. Meg does not want to put him back outside yet, even though she said that he watches over our home.

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It's Christmas!

It is Christmas morning. We sort of had a white Christmas this year because it froze last night. The grass and plants in the back yard are all white with frost. It would be really great if it snowed one year.

Christmas is a time for giving and I did my part yesterday afternoon. I volunteered at the Visalia Rescue Mission. I thought that I would be serving meals, but I ended up taking care of a few tables. I went and ordered the plates of food for my guests and made sure that they had a drink, utensils and a hot plate of food.

I was very surprised at the whole thing. For one, I thought the people would be lining up and getting their food themselves. That was not the case. The volunteers did everything for the guests. The other thing that surprised me was who exactly was getting the meals. I expected it to be a lot of really rough looking homeless people, but it wasn't. It was just a bunch of "normal" people who are just down on their luck for one reason or another.

Tina and Meg volunteered with me. Tina saw several families from her school. Most said hello to her and a few even gave her a hug. I don't know what exactly I expected to feel after volunteering, but I didn't feel as good as I thought I would. It made me feel like I was not doing enough. In the car on the ride home, Tina and I discussed what else we could do to help people more often. I don't think it is out of the question that we volunteer once or twice a month. It would be a great example for our children.

Meg is still not up yet, so we are waiting on her and Chachi so we can begin our Christmas day. It should be a great one!

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Christmas Eve is Upon Us

Are you feeling the Christmas spirit yet? It has been a little slow to come around in our house, but I think it is finally here. We have been very busy this year and we have let some things slip a little bit. Not on purpose, but just because we have been so busy.

The whole foster care/adoption process has really overwhelmed us both physically and emotionally. We have had classes to take, paperwork to complete and a lot of thinking and talking to do. It is a little disappointing that we will not be able to have a child before Christmas, but we will take one whenever they come to us. We just can't wait to share our first Christmas with a new child.

We opened gifts at Tina's parents house last night. The kids all got really excited. It was great watching there enthusiasm and patience. They are all growing up and exhibiting a lot of self control and patience.

Today I am going to the Visalia Rescue Mission to help serve lunch for the homeless. I am really looking forward to this. Tina and Meg are coming along to help. I think it is going to be a very positive experience for us all, especially Meg. Everyone needs to have a slight readjustment of priorities this time of year and this should do the trick. I want Meg to grow up appreciating all of the things that we have and understanding that not everyone is as lucky as we are.

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The Gnome Tome

So...we still do not have our gnome back yet. I am hoping that we will get him back before Christmas, but you never know. We all miss him very much.

As a matter of fact, we miss him so much that Tina actually bought some new pajamas with gnomes on them. Meg and I were shopping with her when we found them. We all got excited about them, so Tina bought them. I would not say that we are trying to replace our gnome, but we just felt, and still feel a little empty.

If our gnome kidnappers don't return our gnome this weekend, I will need to find a replacement. I just can't deel with all the sadness in our home any longer. We are all on edge. The kids have been really grumpy for about the last month or so. I didn't put two and two together until today. The grumpiness is caused by the feeling of loss in all of us. Please return our gnome so that our household can be normal again.

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AP Athlete of the Year?

Jimmie Johnson was named the AP athlete of the year. In order to be an athlete, you must participate in a sport. Auto racing is not a sport. It is a race. It is a past time. It may even require sportsmanship, but it is not a sport.

An athlete is someone who uses their physical abilities in an athletic pursuit. In my opinion, the majority of the effort has to be exerted by the "athlete." in the case of auto racing, the majority of the work is done by a machine. I am not saying that driving a race car does not require skill or endurance, but skill and endurance does not mean you are an athlete.

Poker players have both skill and endurance and are not athletes. Chess players need to have skill and some endurance, but they are not athletes. And even construction workers need to have some skill and endurance, but they are not necessarily athletes. So why are auto racers considered athletes?

I don't have the answer to that question. I just don't agree that they are athletes.

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'Tis the Season for Tamales

I love this time of year for one major reason...tamales. I cannot get enough of them. Tamales are probably my favorite Mexican food.

This year, The Queen and Chachi are making them with The Queen's mom. They are making some pork, some cheese and jalapeño and maybe even some beef. I personally prefer the cheese and jalapeño and the beef. I had a few of the first batch today for lunch and they were great.

If we end up with enough, I may share. There just aren't any guarantees though.

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All I Want For Christmas Is...

I wouldn't say that it is all I want for Christmas, but I would like to get our gnome back. He has been missing for quite some time. I have not heard from him lately and I fear something bad has happened to him. Maybe he is bound and gagged by his kidnappers?

Christmas is a special time of the year and we can't imagine not sharing it with our garden gnome. I look for him every day when I leave the house and then again when I return home at the end of a long day. His being gone leaves and empty place in our hearts.

If you have seen our gnome, please reply to this post so we know he is OK. We just can't imagine losing him forever.

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The Holiday Season

I am not much of a fan of the holidays. I think Christmas is so commercialized that it really does not matter much to me. I do get joy in seeing the look on my kid's faces as they open their gifts. I got this from my dad.

Growing up, and even today, my dad loved Christmas. I can remember him sitting next to our tree with a cup of coffee passing out gifts to my siblings and me. He loved to pass out the gifts and watch us open them. He loved to see the looks on our faces as we opened them. The only thing he loved more was disguising our gifts and confusing us.

I never remember my dad putting our correct names on our gifts. one year I might have been Charlie. Another year I could have been Sharon or even circle. He always kept us guessing. The story is that he started doing that because my mom was very impatient. She could not wait to open her gifts under the tree and sometimes opened them before Christmas morning and then wrapped them back up.

The other thing my dad did was disguise our gifts. He might have wrapped a shirt to look like a baseball bat. Or wrapped a football to look like a dinosaur. You never knew what you were opening would turn out to be. He continues to do this today. He disguises the gifts for my kids and my nieces as random, funky shapes or animals. He loves to see their reactions and guesses as to what they are opening.

He makes it fun for all of us. We are always wondering how he will out do himself this Christmas. I haven't inherited his playfullness in this respect because I just don't have the patience with gift wrapping. Maybe I should start.

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Morals

I had an interesting conversation at work the other day. It seems lately that a lot of our conversations head in the direction of the greater good. Whether it be the environment, how to treat people or even just general business practices.

Anyway, the other day one of my coworkers was talking about investing. He buys stocks and often celebrates when the market is down because that is an opportunity to buy. I made a comment about him not caring about other people's investments. I brought up a conversation that was had with another coworker when gas prices spiked to their highest levels last year. He owns stock in an oil company. When he heard someone complain about gas prices he remarked that they should buy stock in an oil company so they would benefit from the higher gas prices.

After hearing this story, my coworker said that I would be happy too if I owned stock in an oil company. I told him that I would not own stock in an oil company because I do not believe in their business practices. He was somewhat shocked and kept prodding me. I continued to tell him that I don't like the way the oil companies do business. I don't like the fact that they made record profits while gas prices peaked. I told him that I thought they were immoral.

His reaction surprised me. He asked me why they were immoral. He said, "they are not selling pornography or anything like that." This really surprised me. In his mind there is nothing immoral about shady business practices. In his mind companies cannot do anything wrong unless they are selling pornography. He links pornography with morals...and that is all. I feel sorry for him because he is caught up in the corporate mentality that all that matters is profits.

Profits at the expense of people. Profits at the expense of the environment. Profits at the expense of our future. How has this idea developed in our country? How do we continue to ignore society in our quest for more money? I don't know, but I am trying to do my part to open some people's eyes to what really matters...the greater good.

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Foster Parenting Class Part 2

As I stated yesterday, this two-day class was very informative. I learned a lot and found myself very interested in the information. I even mentioned to Tina that I would not mind becoming a social worker. The only problem is that it requires a master's degree and they pay is not good at all.

The passion for the subject matter that Maria showed really helped me to accept the information. She made me want to learn more about the behavior problems and their causes. I think that this is the first time that I have shown any interest in this subject. I may even look into it some more.

The most troubling part of the training is that now I am able to see the behaviour that is caused by abuse. I am able to see it in the behavior of kids I have come in contact with. As I think back, I have no problem accepting the figure that 80% of children in foster care have been abused. I told Tina that a lot of the behavior problems she tells me about from her school stem from abuse of some kind. She already knew this, but it was a revelation for me.

I never thought about why a child acted the way they did or why some children were slow learners. I wouldn't say that I never cared, I just don't think that I was educated enough to even think about why it was happening. Now I know differently. I don't think I will be able to watch a kid throw a tantrum in a store the same way again. I will always be analyzing the behavior and trying to determine what the cause is. I now understand why Dr. Drew is able to come to a conclussion so fast with the callers on Loveline.

This was a great experience for me.

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Foster Parenting Class Part 1

My wife and I had to attend a foster parenting class over the weekend. It was a 2-day class that I was not looking forward to. I think Tina felt the same way.

We arrived early on Saturday while the instructor was still setting things up. We chatted with her some and I ended up helping her set up her computer for the presentation. She was not able to get the presentation to be projected. It was a simple fix.

One other couple arrived a few minutes after the class was supposed to start. There were four couples that were supposed to be taking the class and only us and the one other couple showed up. My dread for the class was mounting. Maria began the class and she really opened my mind.

I have never taken any child psychology or early childhood development classes, so all of this was new to me. I started out very skeptical. I have heard many of these things before from Tina and her mom and dad. I have really never bought into the ideas much. This was different. Maria did a really good job of describing the reasons why the behaviors happen and what causes them. She was very passionate about the subject and it really helped.

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The Colors of Mexico

When you visit another country, you realize how boring we are in the United States. Even a poor country such as Mexico has a lot more color than we have back home. I have not visited other parts of Latin America, buy from what I have seen they are just like Mexico in this regard.

I spent a lot of time on the road today travelling from Mexico City to Puebla on business. I had a lot of time to observe my surroundings. On the road to Puebla there we passed hundreds, if not thousands, of people walking or riding biks on the pilgrimage for the festivities of Our Lady of Guadalupe. My friend from Mexico City told me that as many as 5 million people from all over Mexico make the pilgrimage for the festivities that take place December 12. He said that some of the pilgrims actually walk much of the distance on their knees and arrive at the Basílica of Guadalupe with blood dripping. Are these people crazy or are they just devout Catholics?

Read more about the festivities of Our Lady of Guadalupe here.

The other thing I noticed, which I have seen on all my visits to Mexico, are the colors. There are colorful signs painted on buildings, colorful cars and trucks, people wearing colorful clothing and colorful houses. These things are not just colorful, but they are pairings of colors that you just don't see very often in the United States. It makes for very interesting sights to see.

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Is Facebook a Waste of Time?

I joined the Facebook party late. I thought maybe it had a place. People were communicating with one another. It was bringing long lost friends back together.

I am beginning to think it is a waste of time. It has gotten all sappy and become a forum of self-congratulation. I feared this would be the case, which is why I put it off as long as I did.

My "friends" are busy playing games and sending hearts to eachother. That is, inbetween bragging with their status updates. Is it just my network, or is this happening all over Facebook?

I haven't given up yet, but I do login a lot less often now. Will people begin to migrate to a new platform as they moved to Facebook from myspace? I am waiting to see what it becomes.

- Posted from my iPhone

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Mexico City Here I Come...Again.

I am off to Mexico City again tomorrow. This will be my third trip to Mexico City this year. This trip, like the other two, is for business. The only difference is that this time it is just a quick trip for a meeting.

I will arrive in Mexico City late tomorrow night. Stay at a hotel connected to the airport for 2 nights and then fly home on Thursday, getting back home after midnight. A whirlwind trip for an early morning meeting on Wednesday. I would love to have more time in the city, but unfortunately I will not get it on this trip.

I really hated Mexico City after my first visit. I stayed at a hotel in an industrial area and spent all day in a trade show. All I saw of the city was that almost every space was covered in graffiti. I did not have any free time to go anywhere.

On my second trip, I found the city much more interesting. I stayed in a better part of the city. I could walk around the area and explore the restaurants, shops and Chapultapec Park. I drove by the famous golden angel and got to see much more of the city on this trip. I even made it downtown to Templo Mayor and got a tour of the city. I was really impressed.

I am sorry I will not have any time on this trip. I just can't wait to get back when I will have some free time to explore more of the city.

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Where Is Our Gnome?

It has been a while since we have heard from our gnome. We have really missed him. I hope he will be home before Christmas. I really feel like the longer he is missing the less the chance that he is returned.

Meg accused Uncle Tim of taking him on Thanksgiving. He was unusually quiet and had a fishy reaction. Is he the kidnapper? At this point, we just don't know for sure. It could be him or could just be some other random person.

Gnome...we miss you. Come home. Come home. Gnome...we miss you. Come home. Come home.

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Great Time of Year

I look forward to this time of year for a few reasons. My favorite reason is that we get to see elementary school Christmas programs. Chachi had a memorable one that we still refer to every year. The hand gestures that went with the songs were perfect and really made the performance emotional.

Cheeseball has not have any that have stood out as much, but I still enjoy them every year. We will suffer in the cold tonight, because Cheeseball's school holds all of its performances outside in their quad. In addition, we have to be there very early because there is always a great parent turn out.

Cheeseball has been practicing at home recently. She has been singing non-stop. She knows the songs, so I just hope she opens up some and really has some fun with it. I am excited for tonight!

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What is My Perfect Career?

I have always wanted to be in a creative field. I thought I wanted to be an advertising executive or an architect. I still find architecture very interesting. I just realized that perhaps I am not creative enough to be a good architect. As for an advertising executive, I reasoned that I am not creative enough to be the person who comes up with the ideas, but I am a good editor of bad ideas. I still believe this, but advertising does not really interest me anymore. I guess ten to fifteen years of sales and marketing experience have shown me the bad side of the industry.

I think I can create, but I just do not come up with many great, original concepts. I can take someone else's concept and expand on it and make it perfect though. So given these truths, what is my perfect job? Maybe a civil engineer? Maybe a pharmacist? Maybe something I haven't even considered up to this point.

I find people interesting. Not to talk to, but to observe. I like to find out what makes them tick. What motivates them. I have considered being a psychologist in a prison. I would love to find out why someone committed their crime(s), how they got caught and if they truly feel like they are reformed.

So, what is my perfect career? I don't really have any hobbies that I could turn into a rewarding job. I don't have any interests that could become my career. So how do I find out what I should be doing?

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I Am An Introvert!

It is official. I am an introvert. I can hear everyone who knows me saying, "duh" right about now. I have always known that I have been shy and like to keep to myself. I have even had conversations with my wife about me potentially being able to live all alone somewhere. She cannot understand this, but I really don't need people as much as she does. Don't get me wrong, I love my wife and kids. I get a lot of joy watching my kids do things like play sports and sing in school performances. I even find myself enjoying watching them do things like enjoying a good book or laughing at a funny tv show.

I think that I can be an introvert and enjoy certain people. I have always been interested in people, but mostly from afar. I am a bit of a voyeur. I like to people watch. I like to think about what is going through people's minds. I even like to criticize the way they do things and question their reasoning. People amaze me, but I don't want to talk to them a lot of the time.

So now that I know that I am an introvert, have I missed my calling? Is there a certain job that I could really be successful at and enjoy much more than any other? I am starting a journey to find out if there is such a career. I have some ideas that will get me started. I will see where it goes from there.

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Relationships

Two guys in my office who have both been divorced 2 times had an intersting conversation today. I listened in, but did not speak. In a nut shell, they feel that women are crazy, don't communicate and have their own agendas.

Wow! I know why they have been twice divorced now. I have heard them talk before, but this one was very telling. They are both 50 years old plus. They both have children. They are both very selfish people! One of them referred to his children as baggage at one point in their conversation. That is a very telling statement.

After they left, I started talking about their conversation with two people who sit near me. One of these people is very bitter because he had a 13 year relationship that ended a few years ago. He is still obviously very hurt by that break up. His main point is that people are not honest about what they are looking for and what their real feelings are. I agree with this point and even went one step further.

I told him that the majority of people do not know what love really is. If they did, the divorce rate would not be as high as it is. Most people, including me, are very selfish. We are in a relationship for our own selfish reasons. The difficult part of a relationship is putting that selfishness aside to try to make your partner happy.

I told them that my wife is my best friend and that I love to spend time with my family. I actually feel guilty when I am doing something without my family. I don't feel the need to play golf with the guys every weekend or to get together and drink with the boys every Saturday night. Maybe some guys would think this makes me less of a man, but this is just the way I am.

The other guy in my office is in his early twenties and he agreed with what I was saying. He is very traditional. I don't know if he totally agreed with me or not, but what he said was in agreement with me.

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Race Against Hunger

We started our Thanksgiving pretty early. We had to be downtown by 7:00 to check in for the 5K Race Against Hunger. This was the 5th annual race held by Visalia Emergency Aid Council. The turnout was supposed to surpass last year, and I believe it did.

It was a cold morning, so it was tough to be there an hour before the race was set to start. We had to be there early because my company broke the record for the most participants in the 5K run and 2 mile walk and VEAC wanted a photo of all of our participants. So, I guess we were there for a good reason, but it was very cold.

As the race was about to start, Meg and I began to do some stretches and warm up. She seemed to be doing pretty good in the cold weather. We moved into position and ended up starting toward the back of the pack. As the horn sounded, we began to weave our way slowly through the crowd to get to some open space so that we could run at our pace. Looking back now, that strategy could have been wrong for Meg. Maybe we should have started at the front of the pack.

Meg was struggling from the beginning of the race. She had to go to the bathroom and was also having problems running on the street. I kept trying to take her mind off of all that by talking to her, but it was not helping. About 1/2 mile into the race she finally started to feel OK, but it was still not as good as she felt in our last 3 mile training run. We hit the 1 mile mark and she was still doing OK, but she wanted to slow down a lot.

I continued to encourage her and we were able to keep a pretty good pace. She started to feel a little bit better and for about 1/4 mile we picked up the pace and began to pass a lot of people. She was still doing OK as we hit the 2 mile mark. Then, she hit a wall at about the 2 1/2 mile mark. She was really struggling to continue at our pace. I kept telling her to ignore her problems and breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth. This relaxed her some, but it was still a struggle for her.

As we got close to the 3 mile mark, she tried as hard as she could. We started to pass a few people and she had a really good finish as she saw all of the people lined up at the end of the race. We ended up finishing with an official time of 29:08. Our actual time according to my Garmin Forerunner was closer to 28:53. Either way, it was a great time for Meg's first ever 5K run. I was, and still am very proud of her. I kept telling her she did great.

I didn't see any of my coworkers during the race. They all started in front of us. In the end, there was only one of them that finished in front of us and his time was in the 20 minute range so there was no way we could compete with him. I told this to Meg and again told her that I was really proud of her and that this was a great accomplishment for her.

She already told me that she does not want to run in the race next year. We will see if she changes her mind as time goes on.

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I Am Thankful For...

Today is Thanksgiving. I do not usually get cought up in thinking about what I am thankful for, however Tina's grandma likes to go around the table and ask what everyone is thankful for. I hate this exercise, but it is based upon something that is very good.

We all need to think about the things that we are thankful for from time to time. I think this keeps you humble and makes you appreciate the things you have much more. We all tend to take things for granted, so this exercise is a good one. So, what am I thankful for?

I am thankful for a lot of things, but most importantly my family. I am not really an emotional person. I do not show, or even think about, my feelings. I just go through life like a robot, doing what I am supposed to do. I don't think about enjoying life or what brings me enjoyment. My family puts up with all of this and is always there for me, no matter how I have been treating them lately. This is really important to me.

I am thankful for my health. I have been working on improving my health and it has paid off. I feel much better than I ever have. I feel healthy, vigorous and ready for the world. I can't say that I have always felt this way the past 10 or so years. I have focused on becoming healthy, both physically and mentally, for the last 3 years. I am just thankful that it has not all been in vain.

I am thankful for my job. In this economy, it is great to have any job, especially one that I enjoy most of the time. My job is very flexible, which allows me to be at all of the girls' sporting and school events. I can really be a part of their lives unlike most fathers. I am very thankful for this.

I am thankful that I live in a country that allows me to make my own choices. A country that does have the best interest of it's citizens in mind. One that gives every person any opportunity they choose to pursue. I don't agree with everything the government does and I don't agree with a lot of the people who live here, but there are a lot of worse places I could live right now.

So what are you thankful for?

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Jumping Through Hoops

We are in the middle of all of our paperwork for our background check. I went in for my physical yesterday and everything is great. I had to go to the lab this morning to have them draw blood for a cholesterol screening and get a TB test. The results of the TB test will be read on Friday. I will pick up all of the paperwork from my Doctor on Monday or Tuesday.

I feel pretty good about the process. It has not really been that much work. The big item we have left is to get first aid/cpr certified. We can do it at the Red Cross, but that is an all day class. QTRHT is trying to get an alternative from her school nurse. We will see how that works out.

The Queen and the girls still need to go for their physicals. She and Chachi are trying to go today and I have Cheeseball scheduled for next week. After that, we can send in our paperwork and schedule the first home visit.

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New Family Addition

So the cat is out of the bag. We have been discussing adopting a child for some time now. It really did not get serious until about 2 months ago. The Queen had a child in her class who was placed with a foster family. She noticed a big change in the girl's confidence and appearance. As one of Chachi's high school classes, she is an aid at an elementary school in town. She has a child in that class who is also living with a foster family.

Both Chachi and The Queen really like the children in the classes who are living with foster families. They seem to be really nice, adjusted kids. They started talking about them a few months ago and we decided that it was time to seriously look into adoption. I did some research online and we decided to give FamiliesFirst a try.

I contacted them to get some more information. QTRHT and I read through it and decided to take the next step. We called for an orientation appointment. We met with them on November 11. Everything sounded great, so we started the process. It is a lot of paperwork and we all must have physicals.

We are all very excited to get our new addition. We even asked FamiliesFirst if it was possible to have a child by Christmas and they said it could be a possibility. Cheeseball really wants a little brother or sister, so we are looking for a child that is in first or second grade. So far this has been a pretty painless process. I guess we will see if that continues.

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Easy Ways to Give

Who ever said that there is no free lunch was wrong. There are several easy, free ways that we can all give this holiday season. I have tried these and recommend that you do as well.

1. Give blood. With increased travel during the holidays, there will be increased need for donated blood.
2. Free Rice. Play some games and rice will be donated for each question you answer correctly.
3. The Animal Rescue Site. All you have to do is click on a link.
4. The Breast Cancer Site. Again, all you have to do is click on a link.
5. The Hunger Site. Just click on a link again.
6. Welch’s Harvest of Help. Click on the link and Welch's will donate juice through Feeding America. Their goal is 1 million glasses of juice.
7. Leapfish & Make-A-Wish. Tweet the provided message and Leapfish will make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
8. Kraft Foods. Send a FREE holiday e-card and Kraft will donate 10 meals to Feeding America.
9. Land O’Lakes – Click where it says “You click, we donate” in the upper right corner of their website and they will donate to fight local hunger.
10. Box Tops. Found on hundreds of products like Cheerios, Chex Mix, Cottonelle, and Kleenex. Clip the Box Top symbol from the package and give it to your child’s school, or a teacher you know. Each Box Top is worth 10¢ for your school. Clipping the Box Top takes just a second and doesn’t cost you anything.

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The 7 Signs of a Leader

I read an interesting post on the website, www.dumblittleman.com, titled "The 7 Signs of a Leader." This really made me think about who I would consider a leader. Do I really know any leaders? After reading this, I don't think I personally know a leader.

That is a very scary thought. I know several local business owners and upper level management types and I don't think any of them meet all of these criteria. Here is the list:

1. Vision
2. Discipline
3. Emotional Strength
4. Experience
5. Respect
6. People Skills
7. Momentum and Timing

One thing that is missing from this list is "communication." I think that is the most important attribute of a leader. They may have buried it under people skills on this list, but I think it is important enough that it should have been its own point.

Here is a link to the article.

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100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

There is a list of 100 words that every high school graduate should know. The list was compiled by the editors of the American Heritage dictionary. These are the words that they say identify if you have a superior command of the English language.

I took a look at this list and I must say that I do not have a superior command of the English language. I would bet that there are not any high school graduates in the Central San Joaquin valley who can use every word on this list correctly in a sentence.

Here is a link to the list. Let me know if you have a superior command of the English language.

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Entitlement

It seems like a lot of people believe that they have a sense of entitlement. They think that they can do whatever they want to do. This can be something as small as parking where you should not park your car. I see it everywhere.

When you have this sense of entitlement, you seem to forget all of the other people around you. You have become selfish, and that is the biggest problem. You may think that you deserve to do the things you do or that other people are doing it so it is OK. This thinking is just wrong.

I get into little debates over small things like this with some of my coworkers, a lot of whom do have a sense of entitlement. The reasoning they use is just not valid. They say things like, "everyone does it" or "if you can get away with it why not do it." Wow! I must say that this line of reasoning is shocking.

What ever happened to people wanting to do what was the correct, moral thing to do. What happened to parking where you are supposed to and walking a little farther. Is it laziness that is motivating this thinking or is it really selfishness? Or maybe, it even goes deeper than that. I don't know, but it is really troubling.

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Parent-Teacher Conference

I am so proud of Meg. Last night was her parent-teacher conference and her teacher had nothing but great things to say about her. She said that Meg is a quite leader and that she is really well behaved and scholarly. Wow! I was about to tell her teacher that she acts totally different at home, but decided not to.

I told her teacher that Meg is still interested in math and that I want to help her keep progressing before she learns to hate it like most kids. I asked her how best to do that. Her answer was not what I was looking for. She mentioned a website to go to that has math games and that was about it. Meg has played those games at school and seem uninterested to do so at home.

I am going to have to really start working with her on her times tables. Then, we need to keep working on her addition and subtraction. I really want all of it to be second nature to her so she does not get frustrated and start to hate it. I wish I had worked harder when I was younger so that I was faster with my math. Helping her should also help me, so it is a win-win situation.

Meg is very strong in the language arts. She really likes to read, has great penmanship and likes to write. Her teacher said that is her strongest area, and I agree. We need to keep encouraging her to read so she loves it like Tina does. I go throug reading spurts, but I would not go as far as to say that I love it. I wish I did, but I just don't. More on the book I am currently reading in a later post.

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Training is in Full Swing

Last night, Meg and I extended our run to just under 2.4 miles and she did great. She did not get a side ache at all and she did not need to stop and walk because of fatigue. She did stop once because she said she got fuzz in her eye.

She made a game of our run. She would run up ahead of me and then slow down and wait for me. This kept her entertained and interested in her run. The only complaint she had was when we started the lap again to extend the run. I think she was just done running at that point and did not want to continue. It ended up taking us about 29 minutes for that run.

We are going to skip the run tonight and will continue our training tomorrow. I am going to extend our run again and am hoping that it will end up being about 3 miles. I would really like for us to run that distance a few times before next week so Meg will be prepared.

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This is Getting Out of Control

So I got another message from my gnome-nappers last night after my reply. They even sent a couple more photos. One of our gnome by an elevator and the one showing above. Here was their reply, "Don't worry i got away from them. They were mean. I am back closer to home having fun with some real friends.

Your Gnome,

Homie"

They are now corrupting our poor little gnome with alcohol. What is going through the minds of these sick people. Everyone knows that even a little bit of alcohol can kill a gnome. Their poor little bodies just cannot handle it. I sure hope that they did not give him too much. We really do hope to see our gnome again by Thanksgiving.

I really doubt that our gnome was even in Tulare at all. I think he may have been vacationing on an island in the Pacific. Ah, yes. I hope he liked the view from the balcony of the condo.

BRING OUR GNOME HOME!

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Gnome Update

I got another email message supposedly from our gnome. The text was, "Tulare is scary." It was accompanied by the photo you see here. This is just sick! Here is the text of my reply, "We just want our gnome back. Please don't hurt him and don't torture him anymore. We need him back for the holidays...in one piece."

I don't know what is going through the mind of this sick kidnapper. Why would you torture a harmless little garden gnome like this. Perhaps the kidnapper was tormented in elementary school. Maybe they were picked on by everyone else in their class and now they are just taking it out on an innocent gnome. Whatever the reason, this person is twisted.

I just hope our gnome is returned to us soon. We would hate to be gnomeless for the holiday season. Senseless violence against gnomes is a hate crime and will be treated as such when I testify against the kidnapper.

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New Message from My Gnome

I got another message from my gnome last night. Here is the message:

"I just want you to know that i am fine. I was tired of being in your yard with nobody paying attention to me so i will be gone for a while longer. Don't worry i will be back soon. I think that i want to travel a little and i am thinking of going to Tulare tomorrow.

Homie Gnomie.

P.S. I have changed my name for my new adventure."

It was accompanied by the photo above. It is troubling, buy I think my suspicions are confirmed by looking at the photo. I hope to get our gnome back soon.

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Where has my Garden Gnome Gone

I have not heard anymore from the kidnappers of my garden gnome. I have not received a ransom letter. I have not been sent any photos of my gnome in Paris. Where is he?

I find it hard to believe that someone would kidnap my gnome just to torture my family. We are finding it more difficult to carry on with our boring lives with each passing day that our gnome is missing. I don't know how much longer we can go on. We have chosen not to get law enforcement involved up to this point because we don't want this to get messy.

As I have said before, we have a history with our gnome. We have had a lot of good times together. The kids have played with him in the back yard. He has watched Meg grow up. These are memories that you cannot replace.

If the kidnapper is reading this blog, please return our gnome! Our family does not feel complete any more. We can't imagine celebrating the holiday season without our garden gnome.

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What is a Hero?

With tomorrow being Veteran's Day, I thought I would explore a topic that is relevant. Most people consider people who "serve" in our military a hero. I question that type of labeling. What makes someone who serves in the military a hero just because they served?

Are you a hero for killing someone from another country? Are you a hero for destroying the infrastructure of a foreign city? Are you a hero for blindly taking orders? Are you a hero for being stationed in San Diego for 4 years? What makes a member of the military a hero?

If you do something heroic, you should be labeled a hero. I don't think you earn that label just because you choose the military as a profession. And let's face it, that is what it is. The same as being a police officer, fire fighter, teacher or postal worker. It is just a profession, and for many people it is the best profession they could ever hope for. You get to travel. All of your meals and living expenses are covered. Your medical, dental and vision needs are taken care of for you. Your college expenses get paid for. And you even get a pay check. Granted, the check is not that large, buy they are for the most part uneducated members of our workforce. Does any of this make you a hero. If it does, then I know a lot of heroes.

I don't think people should be labeled as heroes just because they choose a certain profession. I think you are a hero for what you choose to do. For your actions. For what you "fight" for. I guess I am just a bit more picky in who I label a hero.

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Training Has Begun

Meg and I have started training for the Visalia Emergency Aid Race Against Hunger. It is a 5K run that will take place on the morning of Thanksgiving day. This will be my second 5K run and Meg's first. She is pretty excited.

Our first day or training was Saturday and she did very well. Soon after we started, she complained that her side hurt and she walked for about 30 seconds. I got her to run again and she did very well. I was helping her work on increasing her stride and running properly. About half way through our 2.2 mile run, she asked me when we were going to walk again. I told her we were not going to. A little while later, she was walking again.

I let her walk for about 30 yards and then got her to run again. She made it all the way home without having to walk again. She complained that her legs were frozen, she needs some sweat pants of some sort to run in. She then got undressed and laid in bed. She fell asleep in no time at all. She did very well for her first time running that distance. I think she might even be able to place in the 5K run.

The last time I was running, I had a lot of ankle pain. There were times when I had to stop and walk in the middle of my run. I took about 2 months off to let my ankles heal and I think that did the trick. I did not have any pain on our run or the next day. My legs are a little sore, but nothing major.

Tonight will be our second training day. We are going to run the same distance every day this week, then we will extend our run to the 3.1 mile distance.

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I am an Art Snob

I have decided that I am an art snob. I joke with a guy at work that he is a food snob, a tequila snob and is a snob about various other items. Now, I have realized that I to am a snob.

I really like the Autumn because my two favorite events happen this time of year. Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. My only problem is that I am very picky about the type of decorations that I like. First of all, they have to be fairly unique. Second, they can't just be slasher type items. I like the items to have a folksy or almost cartoon feel to them. They need to have unique colors and textures and have to tell a story.

I think this is why I am drawn to Dia de los Muertos so much. Most of the artwork for this "holiday" is hand made and has a Mexican folk art feel to it. I really like this style a lot. I wish that there were more Halloween decorations with the same feel available.

I have scoured the internet looking for items that I like. I have tried ebay and etsy with not much luck. Most of the items on etsy are just really small. I have found some I like, but I need things that are larger in scale for my home. I like the work by Flor Lario which can be found here. I also like the work of Lupe Flores. I would like to be able to purchase larger, original paintings by these two artists, but I have only found the smaller pieces and prints of their paintings.

I am not giving up. I will start looking much earlier next year. I think I may even try to construct a Dia de los Muertos alter for next year.

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Garden Gnome Still Missing

My garden gnome is still missing. I replied to the email I received, but my gnome has not been returned to me yet. Garden gnome, we miss you, come home...come home. Garden gnome, we miss you, come home...come home.

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The Sanctity of My Home Has Been Violated

I think I pay attention to details more than most people, but I guess I do not after all. Obviously, I have missed a very important detail of my house the past few days. Last night I received an email message that was signed, "Your Gnome."

The following message was sent to my gmail account at 5:57 PM last night, "I see you don't miss me. I ran away from you since you do not pay attention to me. If you want me back all you have to do is ask and i will come home. Hopefully i will see you soon." I read the message at about 7:30 PM and immediately went outside to check to see if my fears were realized. They were. My gnome was missing.

After confirming he was missing, I immediately sent a reply to the email address that the original message was sent from, gnomebodyshomenow@gmail.com. Here is my reply, "Please come home gnome. We really do miss you. I wish you would have told me that you felt unloved. A relationship should be built on communication. See you soon." I think this sums up my feelings quite well.

My wife bought the gnome for me for Christmas about 4 years ago. It was in the back yard of our old house from that day forward. When we moved to our new house last December, my brother placed the gnome in our front yard under a rose bush by our garage. There he has remained ever since. I am guessing that the gnome was kidnapped on Halloween night, which means I have missed him being gone for 3 days. That is bad on my part.

The real question is, who kidnapped him? It has to be someone who knows my email address and it has to be someone who is ornery. I can narrow it down to just a few people who were at our Halloween party on Saturday night. Either our friend Chris or our niece Hailey. I don't care who it was, I just want him to come home safely very soon. I hope they don't demand a ransom.

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New Weezer Album Quick Review

I preordered the new Weezer album, Raditude, a few weeks ago. I first received the single, "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" at that time and I really like that song. The entire album was downloaded early this morning. I listened to it a few times through at work and think that it is a strong Weezer album.

There are some good Weezer songs on the album and some of the bonus tracks are good as well. I really like the bonus track "Kids/Poker Face," but I have been listening to that for sometime now. I like the "I Want You To", "Tripping Down the Freeway", "Let It All Hang Out" and even "Can't Stop Partying" which features a rap by Lil Wayne. I think at this point "Let It All Hang Out" might be my favorite song on the album.

The band is experimenting with some R&B and rap and they are mixing it with their rock sound very well. These songs come off as good Weezer songs. The one song I don't quite understand is the ballad "Love Is The Answer." It features a sitar and has an Indian sound. I may have to listen to this song some more for it to grow on me. I don't think it works as well as Cornershop's album "When I Was Born For The 7th Time." I don't mind the band experimenting because most of what they do really works.

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Time Change

Daylight Savings Time really screws me up for a few weeks after it begins and again when it ends. You would think that when it ends and we fall back one hour it would not affect you very much, but it does. This evening I was really off and I was not the only one. Meg kept saying that it was really one hour later.

It just seems that when it gets dark so early you get tired early. I was watching Monday Night Football and actually fell asleep in the middle of the game. Tina and Meg fell asleep early watching Friends. I am hoping the same thing will not happen tonight as we have some errands to run.

I would be happy if the time never changed. I know that it started as a way to allow farmers better daylight hours for farming and it has also been used to try to conserver energy. I don't think that it is worth the hassle. In this day and age, we have artificial lighting that allows us to work outside even when it is dark. We are also doing a better job of conserving energy, so this time change is no longer necessary. I would like to see the hard facts to learn if it is really necessary.

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Halloween Recap

We spent our first Halloween in our house and I am exhausted. Because Tina's mom is in Mexico for Dia de los Muertos, we decided to do Halloween night at our house. We also decided to have a friend birthday party for Meg at our house in the afternoon.

The afternoon friend party went off without a hitch, but Meg's friends are a wild bunch. I see why she likes them. They played hide-and-go-seek, bounced on the trampoline and just ran around the house playing. The parents picked up their children at almost exactly 3:00, so we had some time to rest before the night crowd started showing up at 5:00.

Everyone started gathering around 5:00 and the kids were ready to go trick-or-treating by about 6:30. I wasn't sure what to expect since it was the first year to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. Some of our neighbors went all out with decorations. I would say a little more than 50% of the people were home. There was a pretty good crowd of kids walking through the neighborhood. The trick-or-treating at our house was over by about 8:30 which was surprising since it was a Saturday night.

Meg was the daughter of Captain America, I was Nacho Libre the monastery cook and Tina was Sister Encarnación. My parents showed up dressed as Superman and Supergirl. Kathleen and Lisa were both dressed as witches and Jaime was a vampire. Most people did not get who I was, but that was OK. It was a long night.

The Halloween song playlists I prepared disappeared into the background, which I thought would happen. They did help to set the mood.

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House of 1000 Corpses

I have been listening to Halloween music for a few days now trying to put the party playlists together. It has started to get me in the mood, but I needed something else. I read a tweet from someone yesterday talking about The Devil's Rejects, so I felt like I needed to watch a horror movie. I knew I wanted to watch either of the first two Rob Zombie movies. After looking at the cases for both, I chose House of 1000 Corpses.

I turned off all of the lights and asked my wife if she wanted to watch it with me. She declined, so I settled in and turned it on while Meg was in the shower. I am not a big fan of traditional horror movies, but I do like this movie. There enough freaky characters and situations that make this movie fun and entertaining. I love the Captain Spaulding character and his gas station/tourist trap/fried chicken road side attraction.

I had forgotten that Chris Hardwick and Rainn Wilson were in the movie. Chris was the host of the show Singled Out on MTV along with Jenny McCarthy. And of course, Rainn Wilson is Dwight Schrute on the office. The movie also features Rob Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon as Baby. I did not know until today that Rob Zombie got the names for his villains in the movie from Groucho Marx movie characters.

This is a good horror movie and it really put me in the Halloween mood.

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Halloween Playlist 2

For the evening festivities, we can get a little more creative, and macabre, with our song choices. It will feature some songs from horror movies mixed with some from The Nightmare Before Christmas and others. We might even enjoy Thriller by Michael Jackson. Here is the playlist:

Whispers - Midnight Syndicate
Howdy Folks - film track
Welcome - Disney's Haunted Mansion
Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
Halloween 1 - Theme Main Title - John Carpenter/Alan Howarth
Blackest Rose - Midnight Syndicate
The Omen Theme - Jerry Goldsmith
Halloween Montage - John Carpenter/Alan Howarth
El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama - White Zombie
Walt Disney World® - Disney's Haunted Mansion
Myer´s House - John Carpenter/Alan Howarth
Fantasia for Strings - Hans Werner Henze
No One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo
Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie
Tubular Bells - The Exorcist Original Theme - Robert Miles
Dead Girl Superstar - Rob Zombie
Bonus- Jason's Hack Track - Harry Manfredini
A Mother's Love - Harry Manfredini
Oogie Boogie's Song - Ed Ivory/Ken Page
Everybody Scream (Theme from Dr. Wolfenstein's Creature Double Feature - Rob Zombie
Prophet Of Doom/Introduction to Horror - Friday the 13th Main Theme - Harry Manfredini
He's Alive - Harry Manfredini
Run, Rabbit, Run - Rob Zombie
Dr. Satan - film track
This Is Halloween - Danny Elfman
Call of the Zombie - Rob Zombie
Amityville Horror Theme
Born of the Night - Midnight Syndicate
Transylvanian Transmissions, Pt. 1 - Rob Zombie
Nightmare On Elm Street -Freddys Coming For You
Little Piggy - Rob Zombie
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Goodbye-Goodbye - Oingo Boingo

This playlist should set the scene well for a night of trick or treating and a birthday fiesta. I think there is enough diversity here to satisfy the kids and the adults. It will just be background music, but I know some of the songs will catch the ear of people. It should be fun.

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Halloween Playlist 1

Since Meg is having two different parties on Halloween for her Birthday, I need two different music playlists. Her official party will be in the afternoon for her school friends. This is really the first party she is having for school friends, so it is a big deal.

We need background music for the party, and the kids may even start dancing on the back patio if they feel it. This playlist will feature the entire Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack as well as some other songs. We may even have to put on some Miley Cyrus or other dance music. Here is the playlist

Welcome - Disney's Haunted Mansion
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Walt Disney World® - Disney's Haunted Mansion
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - Johann Sebastian Bach
The Addams Family Theme - Vic Mizzy
Halloween Dance Macabre Organ
This Is Halloween - Danny Elfman
Otherworldly Music - Disney's Haunted Mansion
Overture - Danny Elfman
Opening - Danny Elfman
Jack's Lament - Danny Elfman
Doctor Finklestein/In the Forest - Danny Elfman
What's This? - Danny Elfman
Town Meeting Song - Danny Elfman
Jack and Sally Montage - Danny Elfman
Jack's Obsession - Danny Elfman
Kidnap the Sandy Claws - Catherine O'Hara; Danny Elfman; Paul Reubens
Making Christmas - Danny Elfman
Nabbed - Danny Elfman
Oogie Boogie's Song - Ed Ivory/Ken Page
Sally's Song - Catherine O'Hara
Christmas Eve Montage - Danny Elfman
Poor Jack - Danny Elfman
To the Rescue - Danny Elfman
Finale (Reprise) - Catherine O'Hara/Danny Elfman
Closing - Danny Elfman
End Title - Danny Elfman
[Untitled Hidden Track] - Danny Elfman
Beetlejuice Theme - Danny Elfman/william Ross

I don't want to get to morbid with the kids, since I don't really know them or their parents. Speaking of parents, I don't know if they will be staying for the party or not. Last Saturday we had 17 kids at our house before the Harvest dance and we ended up with about 10 or 11 parents as well so you never know. My next post will be the playlist for the night gathering.

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Halloween Music

I have been attempting to put together a soundtrack for Meg's birthday party on Saturday, which is Halloween. I have been digging through all of the "standard" Halloween music and I must say that I am disappointed. Most people consider songs like "Purple People Eater" as Halloween classics. I don't consider most of these songs Halloween at all.

I am disappointed with the creativity of Halloween songs. I have always thought that "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo is a great Halloween song and that it would make a great party theme. Meg is too young for that, but when she is older we will definitely use it.

Today I took a major turn in my search and went to horror movie songs and I am much more satisfied. They have the sound I associate with Halloween. The Silver Shamrock commercial jingle from Halloween III is one of my favorites. I think it just has that sound of a kids song, but there is something sinister behind the sound that makes it work. Another great song for Halloween that is along the same lines is "This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas. While it is not from a horror movie, it is a great song by Danny Elfman who is formerly of Oingo Boingo.

Of course the Friday The 13th and Halloween theme songs are classics. I am a little disappointed that there aren't any original songs from the Rob Zombie movie The Devil's Rejects. There is however some good Rob Zombie music in the movie House of 1,000 Corpses.

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Halloween

I have been really busy updating our decorations for Halloween, and Meg's birthday which are one in the same. I find most of the Halloween decorations to be either ugly or just cheap looking. Most people have no problem with this, but I really do love this time of year and am very particular about what I buy.

On our last trip to Disneyland, we added a few items from the Nightmare Before Christmas movie. We bought a Jack Skellington bobble head and two Jack tea light holders. They are just Jack's head. In addition, my sister bought Meg both a Jack doll and a Sally doll for her birthday.

I mix in my collection of Dia de los Muertos items and masks from Mexico along with our Halloween docorations adn they go great together. I am more partial to creative Halloween items rather than just the horror type items a lot of stores sell. It is really hard to find stuff, so this will be a collection that grows as the years go by. Maybe at some point I will just start creating my own items. Who knows?

I can't wait until Meg is ready to go to her first haunted house/forest/attraction. The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is just not scary at all.

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El Dia de los Muertos

I really love the idea and imagery of Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican celebration of loved ones who have passed away. Many people may see the sugar skulls and Catrina dolls and think that this is a morbid holiday. It is quite the opposite.

For Dia de los Muertos, grave sites are decorated very elaborately with marigolds, sugar skulls and the favorite food and beverages of the departed. Pan de Muerto bread is eaten and the life of the person is celebrated. It is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day, which occurs on November 1st, and All Souls' Day, which occurs on November 2nd.

The celebration can be traced back to an Aztec ritual to honor the deaths of ancestors. The festivities were dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the "Lady of the Dead." This is the origin of the modern Catrina dolls.

I have collected a few Catrinas on my trips to Mexico. I really like them and what they stand for. They are very traditional and the good ones are extremely delicate. I have spent many days gluing fingers back onto the dolls after they have been broken in transport. I don't think I have one that has not been broken.

Two of the best Dia de los Muertos celebrations take place in Tzintzuntzan and Janitzio in Michoacan. I have really wanted to visit there for the holiday and will make it there sooner than later.

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First Prius Review after Trip

One of the main reasons we decided to go to Disneyland was to take the Prius for a drive. I really wanted to see how it would handle the Grapevine on the way to Southern California. The car was great on the trip.

I averaged 50.9 miles per gallon on the trip down to Los Angeles. I found myself mesmerized by the data that was being displayed on the dash. I was constantly watching to see how many miles per gallon I was getting at each moment. I was also watching to see how well I was doing on the trip as a whole.

On the trip home, I realized that most of the way is up hill slightly. I also realized that the trip over the Grapevine from LA was more uphill than downhill. I only averaged 49.6 miles per gallon on the trip back home. The entire trip was 444.4 miles and was done on one tank of gas. Not bad!

We really got a chance on this trip to play with the navigation, audio system and interior features. Tina loved the heated seats on the trip home. Sirius' sattellite radio offerings are very limited. There was not really a good choice of current rock music and I could not get the Sunday night NFL game on the trip home. I will definitely not keep the sattelite radio when it expires. The navigation system worked very well on the trip. I can see that it will be very usefull in the future. The seats are not as comfortable as you would expect and the road noise is louder than it should be, but overall the Prius is a great car.

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Disneyland Trip Summary

We really had a lot of fun at Disneyland. Teet and Unk Timmers ended up meeting us there, they were actually there before we were. On Friday night we met up with them in Downtown Disney. Cheeseball got bored really fast, so we went to a store called RideMakerz. It is a great concept based on Build-A-Bear. You pick out all of the options and build a car. Cheeseball and Chachi both enjoyed building their remote control cars. They were expensive, but it was a lot of fun.

We started in Disneyland on Saturday morning. We got fast passes to Space Mountain and got in line for Indiana Jones, The Queen's favorite ride. We rode Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and went through the Haunted Mansion. We went to California Adventure for lunch and then got Cheeseball on California Screamin' for the first time. I rode with her and she was scared to death and cried for most of the ride. She said that she would never go on it again. We made our way to the Tower of Terror and then to Soarin' Over California. We then headed back to Disneyland for our Space Mountain fast passes and the fireworks show.

Space Mountain we renamed Ghost Galaxy for Halloween, but the change was not that impressive. Space Mountain is a great ride, but the decorations were not that great. We rode some other rides and then headed to Main Street for the fireworks show. It was a good show. Not very Halloween themed, but a good show. We walked back to the hotel to get ready for Sunday.

On Sunday we went to Toontown first, then back to Indiana Jones. It was busier Sunday than on Saturday. We got frustrated with the crowds and decided to go back to California Adventure. Cheeseball, Unk Timmers and I watched the High School Musical 3 show. She made a deal with QTRHT that she would ride California Screamin' again if we could ride Tower of Terror again. We ended up getting a fast pass to California Screamin' and getting in line for the ride. Cheeseball had fun on the ride this time, even though she started out not liking it. Ofter getting off of the ride, we walked around some and got some Ice Cream. We went back and rode California Screamin' again and then waited in line for Tower of Terror again. We did some shopping and then left for home. It was a very fun trip.

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Weezer - Raditude

I am a big fan of Weezer and cannot wait for their new album to be released in a few weeks. I have been listening to the two singles that have been released, "I Want You To" and "I'm Your Daddy" and they are getting me excited for the new album. They are both pretty strong songs.

I saw Weezer in concert several years ago at Selland Arena in Fresno. I really enjoyed the show, even though there were not very many people there. My wife and I were able to walk down onto the floor to get a great view. I would really love to see them again on their current tour.

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An Epic Battle in South Bend

USC vs. Notre Dame on Saturday! This should be an epic battle pitting their offensive strength against the USC defensive strength. This game scares me a little as the streak has to come to an end sometime. I just hope that Matt Barkley, the stable of running backs and receivers can put everything together and break out this week.

The game is in South Bend, so I expect some shenanigans again. I expect that their grass will be a little taller than usual to try to stop the speed of USC. Who knows what else Charlie will come up with to try to save his job? I believe that he is really on the hot seat this year, especially if he cannot beat USC.

Charlie has recruited well during his tenure at Notre Dame. He has had his guys in place for a few years now, so he has no excuses for them to underperform. JC is his quarterback and has three years of experience now. He has a good group of wide receivers to throw the ball to, even with the injuries. Their defense should also be improved with Manti working his way onto the field.

I think the USC defense can contain ND’s potent offense, but I do have some doubts. I hope the USC secondary can just shut them down and force them to run the ball. I think the front seven can contain their running game very well. I am just afraid that the secondary may let JC pick them apart a little bit. I hope I am wrong.

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Crazy Weather

We are having some crazy weather recently. It rained earlier in the week and today it is warm and sunny, but humid. This weekend it is supposed to reach into the low 80s and then drop back down into the low 70s for next week. It is also supposed to be foggy tomorrow.

I personally like the rain very much. I don’t necessarily like to be out in it, but it sets a great mood. I just learned that Meg also likes the rain. She does not like it when there is thunder and lightning like I do though. Rain cleans out the air and makes everything smell fresh. It also makes you feel a little lazy so you can lounge around and eat soup.

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What is Love

I don't think that many people today truly understand what love is. I am not saying that I know for sure, but I think I have a good idea. First off, most people think love is going to be something like you see in fairy tales. This is absolutely false. Love is not easy, it takes a lot of hard work.

Love is something that you know. You may feel it or you may not, but you know it is there and that it really does exist. Just because you love someone does not mean that you are always happy with them, after all we are all humans so we cannot be totally happy all of the time. But we do always know in the back of our mind that we love that person and that they love us.

Love takes work. A lot of work on both people's part. And you do this "work" because you love that person and you like to see them happy. You anticipate their needs and you do your best to try to meet them. You may fall short some times, but at least they know that you tried to do your best to make them happy.

It love was easy, everyone would stay married for their entire lives. It is not easy and most people do not know this. Most people, including me, are very selfish. You have to put that aside and try to be there for the person(s) you love. This may mean making dinner for your spouse, including dessert. It may mean walking to the mailbox together. It may mean going for a bike ride with your children or playing a game with them. And sometimes it even means sending flowers to your spouse. But most of the time it is just the little things you do that make them smile. This is the "work" that love requires.

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Anticipation Part 2

Anticipation also applies to human interaction and this is where I need to work harder. If you anticipate where people will be and what their needs may be, you will be a better person. Anticipation will make you more attentive to the needs of those around you.

A classic example is that when a man sees a woman approaching their seat, stand up and offer your seat to the woman. This is an example of chivalry and is very much appreciated.

I believe anticipation and attention to detail work hand in hand and may even be one in the same. It seems to me that people who pay attention to detail also anticipate very well. I think both traits can be learned to a certain extent, but attention to detail may be much more difficult to teach. Most people today have very little patience which will make them less detail oriented. It takes a patient person to learn how to pay attention to detail.

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Anticipation Part 1

Anticipation is the key to a successful life and it is something that can be learned. Athletes are taught to anticipate their opponents moves. Chess players are taught to anticipate the moves of their oponents. I believe that anticipation is the key to life and may even be the meaning of life.

I was taught anticipation at a fairly young age when my dad was teaching me how to play racquetball. When playing racquetball, you must anticipate where your opponent will hit the ball and position yourself accordingly. You must also anticipate where your opponent will be on the court when you are hitting the ball so you can position your shot.

More on this topic and how it applies to life in my next post.

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The Happiest Place on Earth

Meg is very excited that we are leaving for Disneyland after school today. She practically jumped out of bed this morning when I woke her up.

I am looking forward to the trip, but I am still recovering from my trade show. We are meeting up with Sharon and Tim, so it should be fun. I hope we can make it to our hotel by 8:30. By that time, Sharon and Tim may be filling fine.

Disneyland is always a challenge for me. I don't like the fact that the kids and parents have gotten pretty rude. It is difficult to get a photo of my kids and a character without other kids crowding in. For me, it is not usually the happiest place on earth.

I am really going to have fun this trip. This is our first visit while the park is decorated for Halloween. Meg will really enjoy it. I may even get a chance to blog while in line for a ride.

- Posted from my iPhone

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Back from Vegas

I just returned from a business trip to Las Vegas late last night. I really dread my trips to Vegas every other year for a trade show. The show alternates between Chicago and Las Vegas every other year. I really enjoy the trips to Chicago much more.

I don't gamble, so Vegas is wasted on me. I also don't like to be trapped in smoke filled buildings with sad, desperate people who are giving their rent money away. Granted, there are some really great things to do and see in Las Vegas, but the whole vibe of the city just feels wrong.

I checked into the Treasure Island hotel on Sunday evening and looked out the windwo from the 29th floor. I was overlooking the pool...and a whole lot of rooftops and concrete. Not the best view in the world. I headed off to a meeting at the Hilton, which looked much nicer than the last time I was there. After my meeting, I met up with my boss and some coworkers at the Wynn. That is a very nice hotel and casino.

I woke up on monday morning and was feeling fine. By Tuesday morning, I looked like I had been out all night on a drinking binge, but I was in bed by 10:00 the night before. My eyes were puffy and red. My throat was sore and when I blew my nose the tissue was full of blood. The dry desert air and smoke filled casinos really did get to me and some of my coworkers felt the same way.

Tuesday night one of our vendors had a reception in the Voodoo Lounge in the Rio Hotel. I think it was on the 51st floor. It had a pretty nice view of the city. That was probably the hightlight of the trip.

It is great to be back home. The only problem is that my throat is still a little sore, my eyes hurt and I am very tired. I need to get rested for our trip to Disneyland

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Definition of Prius

I was thinking about the word "prius" just yesterday. And when I start thinking about something, I need to hit the internet and find the answers to my questions. I spent a little bit of time doing my research and found what I was looking for, that is if you can believe what you read on wikipedia.

The word "prius" is a Latin word. It is a comparative adjective or adverb with meanings "ahead, in front, leading, prior; before, previously, first." Latin has gender divisions for some plurals. The masculine for prius would be prium, the feminine would be prieau (pronounced Pre-ay). There is a quote on wikipedia from a Toyota spokesperson who stated that "Toyota chose this name because the Prius vehicle is the predecessor of cars to come."

That is all fine, but what is the plural of Prius? I did some more research and found a quote on a Prius owner's forum. The state that they, asked a Toyota executive in charge of the initial Prius rollout how his people refer to more than one Prius. His response was "Prius". Since Toyota built and named the car and they refer to more than one as a "Prius", that must be the plural form of the word. Some people do like to refer to more than one as "Prii" and I even saw an arguement that said that if we say two "geniuses" it would follow that we say two "Priuses'.

I still don't know what I will call more than one Prius, but I do know that I am happy with my purchase so far.

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The Lost Symbol

I just finished reading Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol. The main character of this book is again Robert Langdon and the setting is Washington DC. The story really held my attention like The da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Some of the plot of this story was more predictable than the previous two books.

I would give the book high marks overall. It weaves mystery, suspense, history and symbology seamlessly and there is a very surprising twist near the end that I could not even imagine would happen up to that point. The plot twist just comes out of nowhere, but it is a very important part of the story.

This was a good book, but my favorite of the three was Angels and Demons. This book does make me want to go back to Washington DC and visit all of the locations that are mentioned. I didn't really get that urge after reading the other two books.

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The Prius Attracts Attention

I pulled into the parking lot to pick Meg up from her after school program yesterday. Most days when I pull in there are at least 2 Prius' in the parking lot and yesterday was no exception. One day last week there were a total of 5 or 6 Prius' in the parking lot. I don't know if there really are more on the road or if I am just more aware of them since I really started looking at buying one.

As I was walking up to the front of the school, a teacher rushed out of the office and asked me how I liked my Prius. I told her I have only owned it since Saturday, but so far I was really impressed with it. She pointed out that she owned the first generation Prius and that she has been very happy with it. She told me that I will love it.

She asked me if Toyota was offering any incentives on them yet. I told her they were not and that I was told it was because inventories of Prius' are too low to offer any incentives. She was dissappointed and told me that she has been waiting for about three months to buy the new 2010 3rd generation Prius. She asked me to let her know if I heard of any incentives.

Yesterday was the first day I drove the car in my daily routine and it already got attention. I was talking to Tina last night about celbrities who drive them and I told her that they drive them because they are hybrids and because they are so recognizable. When people see the celebrity in them they know that they care about what we are doing to the environment. I am the same way. I could have bought a hybrid Accord, Camry or even Malibu but I wanted people to know how I feel about the environment. And my Prius has been a wonderful car so far.

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Obligations

Why do we feel like we are obligated to do certain things? Do people make us feel this way? Is it an emotion that takes control of us and makes us feel this way? Is it a feeling we get from someone that makes us feel this way?

Feeling like you are obligated really limits your choices and can force you to make a decision that you may regret in the future. There really is no reason to make people feel like they are obligated to do something for you. I genuinely try to avoid making people feel this way, but I often sense that other people feel like I am obligated to do something. I really dislike that and most of the time I just make my own decision anyway.

It really is wrong to make people feel this way and I think it is rooted in jealousy to a certain extent. The worst thing is when you know someone feels like you are obligated to them, but they insist that there really is no obligation. Are they just unaware that they are making you feel this way or are they just trying to use psycology on you and make you think that you are not obligated? Either way, it is wrong.

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New Addition to the Family

We picked up our new baby this morning after Meg's soccer game. We opted for a mixed race bundle of joy, a 2010 Toyota Prius. We ended up getting the Barcelona Red one and the reason is because it makes me laugh. I just find it very funny to have a little hybrid car that is race car red.

This car is made for tech geeks. Their are so many little gadgets in the car that there is more than one owner's manual and even a DVD. So far, I have just read up on the features I will need immediately, like the bluetooth handsfree calling and the navigation system.

I will be reading a lot in the near future

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When Did Life Become No Fun?

I was listening to a radio show on my drive to work this morning. They were discussing a paradoy song that they wrote about a song that their station plays a lot. They were not happy that their station management cannot make a decision on their bits and that anything that is prerecorded has to go to the corporate lawyers for approval.

The show I was listening to was Kevin and Bean. If you know anything about their show, part of the humor is that they offend people. They routinely complain that anything they send to the lawyers gets rejected because they are so careful to not offend anyone. This flies in the face of what they show is all about. Why would their company continue to air their show if they don't want to offend anyone?

This brought to mind the fact that life itself is becoming boring. We are always told that we cannot say things because they will offend people. While I am very respectful of people's feelings, I think we have gone too far.

I see a parallel in my daughter's life. AYSO has removed goal keepers from the field until you move beyond the under eight level. Goal keepers are an integral part of the game. I don't know the exact reson for this decision, but it seems to be rooted in the feelings of the players. Goal keepers often get blamed for a goal that is scored. When I coached my oldest daughter's team, I did not allow that to happen. I was always telling the players that it is not the goal keeper's fault. After all, the team made it though all the rest of them before getting the shot on goal.

I see the same things happening in our schools. Teachers now must embrace positive discipline. In most instances this does work, but when you are dealing with a child who knows you cannot make them do anything the system begins to break down. If a kid knows that their is no punishment, or "easy" punishment, for their actions then why would they change their behavior? It is a tough situation for our teachers and administrators to be put in.

Life is not always going to be easy. People will offend you and hurt your feelings. Everyone who puts themself out on a line and pushes their limits will fail sometime, and their feelings will be hurt. I think our society is failing to teach people the skills to deal with these situations. This just makes it hurt worse when it does happen.

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How Hard is it to Buy Something?

I sure cannot believe that we are still in a recession if I have to judge by the response I am getting to purchasing two items. I am currently starting to shop for a new car and am also exploring my options for a swimming pool. I am really having trouble getting people to respond to my requests.

I used the Toyota website to build my Prius and then searched for a dealer in my area. Once I selected the dealer, my information was sent to them. I have been contacted by them via email, which I prefer, and have responded with questions. My email replies have only been responded to one time, but they keep sending me other emails asking how their service has been. I guess I really need to reply and let them know that it has been two weeks since this started and they actually have the car I am interested in sitting on their lot.

I tried to contact a pool builder that I saw at a home show last year. I could never catch a live person, so I thought maybe they were out of business. I made contact with three other builders with no problems at all. I continued to call the first builder and began leaving messages for them to call me back. I finally received a return call. I got all four builders to come to my house and start the work for estimates. One of them got back to within a few days, one got back to me within a week and one set a follow-up appointment for me at the original appointment, though it was almost two weeks later. The fourth, however, did not get back to me after almost two weeks. I finally called them and they got back to me the next day.

Two builders still owe me drawings. One of them told me they would email me the drawing on Monday and I still have not seen it yet. I am meeting with the fourth builder, who is my leader at this point, tomorrow. They are installing a pool down the street from me, which is how I found them in the first place. I am concerned that they did not get back to me until after I called them back though.

All I can think from these experiences is that either the recession is not as bad as everyone thinks and the car business and pool business are just slammed with customers or they are just two very flaky industries. I am inclined to believe the later at this point, until proven otherwise. I wonder if I would have the same luck trying to give away my money if I just stood on the corner with a sign that read, "I will give you all my money, just ask for it?"

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Insane Killer Recaptured

The title of this blog was a small headline in our local paper today. The small story that accompanied the headline raised several questions in my mind.

The killer was in a mental institution in Washington state after being declared insane. "He was committed after he was diagnosed as schizophrenic and acquitted by reason of insanity in the slaying of an elderly woman in Sunnyside in 1987. He soaked her body in gasoline to throw off search dogs." Click here for the story.

I question the sanity of anyone who murders another person. I think it is obvious that if you decide to end another persons life, you are mentally unstable. So how then do we decide that some people should be sent to prison and some should be sent to mental institutions?

The larger question however is why are we taking people in mental institutions on field trips? Especially if they are there for committing any crime. This makes no sense to me at all. And why would the chosen field trip be to a county fair where there are many children, often not watched very closely by their parents? The tax dollars of Washington state citizens are being used to pay for field trips for murderers. In this economy, I can't believe that tax dollars would be spent so frivously, expecially for those who have committed crimes.

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Good Food, Good Drinks & Good Conversation

We decided to have dinner at Henry Salazar's last night. I ordered a michelada and because we sat near the bar, I could here our waiter, the bartender and one of the owners of the restaurant discussing how to make the drink. I heard one of them say something about Clamato, so I got up to tell them I did not want Clamato in the drink. They gave me the option of a "bloody beer" or a beer with lime in it. I decided on the "bloody beer."

After our waiter brought me the drink, the owner came to our table and asked me if that was what I was looking for. I told him it was. I told him that in different parts of Mexico they have different recipes for the drink and that in Mexico City it was a beer with lime and ice in it and in Guadalajara it was made with tomato juice and spices. We started talking about Mexico and he asked me when was the last time I was in Mexico City and what I thought about it. I told him that after my first visit I was very disappointed, but on my second visit I actually got to take a tour and really got to see the good side of the city.

He said that he was scared to go from everything he had heard. He asked me where to go and what hotel I stayed in. I told him to stay in Polanco and that I stayed in the Camino Real next to Chapultapec Park. I told him it was a great place to stay.

A little later, we overheard him telling someone else about our conversation. He and the other gentleman came over to our table. He introduced us to his partner, Henry Salazar. We started talking about Mexico again. We talked about Michoacan and Mexico City. We talked about the art, Dia de los Muertos and many other topics. They told us that they buy most of their decor from a store named Polanco in San Francisco. We told them about Del Sol, where we have bought pottery in Visalia. It was a great conversation. We definitely will not wait so long to go back.

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Complete Game

Meg had one of her best soccer games ever today. She simply dominated the game. In the end she had two goals and one assist in a 3-0 victory. And she did it all in front of her family. My mom and Tina's sister's family were in attendance.

The game was very slow to develop as the opposing team consistently kept three defenders back near the goal. We had a couple of shots on goal early, but nothing was going in due to the number of defenders they kept back. A little later in the first quarter, Meg took a shot from pretty far out and threaded it between the defenders and into the goal. She normally does not take shots from far out, so this one was a new option for her.

At halftime, we were up 1-0. In the third quarter, Meg just took over the game. She was using her left foot as much as her right. She was sliding and hooking the ball to keep it in down the line. She was running her fastest to catch the other team's players when they had the ball. She also scored another goal to give her team a 2-0 lead.

The fourth quarter was more of the same. Meg just continued to make great plays. Her passing in this game was fantastic, as usual. On one possession, she saw a team mate running down the middle of the field and made a great pass with two defenders between her and the goal. Her team mate took the shot and scored the third and final goal of the game. After the game I told her that the assist was her best play of the game. She was very happy with her performance and said that she will eat Apple Jacks before all of her games from this point forward because of the great day she had.

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Tulare County Fair

Well, I was two for three on my prediction. It was dirty and crowded, but it was not hot. And now that I think about it, it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be considering it was kid's day and they received free entrance.

It ended up being me, my wife, my youngest daughter and my nephew. We started the evening by looking for the art submitted by my wife's class and my daughter's class. We found the art from my wife's class fairly quickly, but really had to search for the art from Meg's class. After circling the room three times, we finally found it up really high. They were too high to read the poems, but we could see the paintings.

After that we headed over to the midway, purchased some tickets and got the kids on some rides. I have never been to this part of the fair before. On previous trips, we stayed in the area that contains the kid's rides so this was a new experience. It was a mix of teeny boppers and carnies. You may think this a strange mix, but it worked well and I was busy people watching. That never gets old for me.

At about eight o'clock, the kids finally ran out of tickets so we left the midway and started looking for pizza for the kids. We bought them pizza, found a table to sit at and then I went to buy Tina and myself corn dogs. You just can't go to a fair and not eat a corn dog. We shared some garlic fries that weren't very good.

After eating, we stopped by the "musical instrument petting zoo." That was pretty cool. Meg likes to play instruments, so she had a blast. They had several drum kits, keyboards, electric guitars and acoustic guitars. There were even some tambourines. I walked over to look at the photography exhibits with Eric while Meg and Tina continued to play the instruments. When we returned, Meg got her chance to play the drums. She rocked it!

We decided to leave at about nine o'clock, but not before the kids convinced us to buy them some light sabers. The kids fell asleep in the car on the ride home.

I must say that I really had a fun time at the fair. When we got home, Tina mentioned something about the Fresno Fair so I guess we will be going there next.

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