Not Too Shabby

My first day of teaching a new (for me) class went pretty well.  Had to improvise a bit at first because somebody had left the wireless mouse and keyboard on and the batteries ran down during the break.  However, I had a mouse in my backpack and I liberated a keyboard from one of the lab computers and I was ready to go.

Being new to the faculty (I don't even have an email address yet), I didn't know the admin password, but I found a workaround for that as well.  This is a computer repair class, after all, and as I told my students, there will probably be many times when they need to come up with ways of getting things done that don't necessarily follow "by the book" procedures.

All in all, I think things worked out fine today.

Let Me Take a Break

I was getting ready for my teaching assignment which begins tomorrow at Brown Mackie College in Tulsa, when I decided to take a short break.
I picked up my Kindle and turned it on.  I had downloaded a short story, "The Christmas Caper" by Christopher Bunn and decided to read it.  My 12-year-old was sitting at the other end of the sofa, playing his DS, when I decided to start reading out loud.
This is a very funny story, in which Santa (a skinny Santa, Jr., it turns out) gets knocked out at his last stop, finds himself in jail on suspicion of theft, escapes with the help the only elf left at the North Pole (the others had left for vacation), and goes on a wild ride (literally) to catch the bad guys who now have the sled and the Santa Bag.
As I read this out loud, I noticed my son had quit playing his game.
"Should I stop reading out loud?" I asked as innocently as I could.
"No!  Keep going," he replied.
And so we had a pleasant afternoon, laughing at Santa, Snix (an elf armed with a taser) and a couple of other elves pulled from a party in Hawaii, as they track down the Gambinis, and....
Wait, I've said too much.  Maybe you should get this delightful story and see for yourself how it turns out.

Happy New Year!

Whoa!
The last few months of 2011 were very busy and quite stressful at times.  But now it's 2012 and time to look forward to what I intend to be a better year for me.
I may write a book.  Since I got my Kindle (for free, I might add, thanks to saving up Swag Bucks), I've enjoyed it immensely.  I might write something and put it out on Amazon.  I might not make much, or any, money, but at least I can check "Writing a Book" off my bucket list.
I'll probably continue cobbling together part-time jobs in order to keep the electricity on and the water running.  I know that someone will eventually realize my worth and make me a full time offer.  But I really don't feel like holding my breath (unless I decide to go over to Lake Tenkiller and jump off the cliffs into the water - what a rush that was, even though it's been over 20 years).
I have feeling that this is going to be a great year, no matter what I do or where I end up.

Blessing of the Animals

   This afternoon at my church (St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church) in Stillwater, Father Ken performed the annual Blessing of the Animals, which is usually held on a Sunday close to the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4).  I put my cat, Captain Morgan, in the pet carrier for his annual pilgrimage into town for the ceremony.  He's a good car rider, and if I could ever get him used to a leash, I'd probably take him with me places more often.
   Anyway, when we got to the church we saw the usual cats and dogs.  Captain Morgan likes most other cats and is pretty tolerant of most dogs that are his size or smaller.  Today, though, somebody brought a horse.

   I love horses, so I took Captain over to meet it.  Other than people who ride their horses down our road occasionally, he's rarely seen horses except from a distance.  Up close and personal was another thing!  He tried to get as far back into the pet taxi as he could as he eyeballed the monster.  The horse, as horses tend to do, took a liking to me and started nudging my arm so I would pet it.  Captain Morgan did not like that one little bit.  He started hissing - I guess he thought the horse was going to eat me or something.
   We went back to where the smaller animals were and the ceremony began.
   Father Ken spoke a few words about biblical stories involving animals and how important animals, especially pets, are to people.  Then he began the blessing, which has parts where he speaks and the people respond. 
   Every time a response was called for, he raised his hand and we responded.  About the third time, the horse had apparently figured out that when Father Ken raised his hand, the people spoke (including the horse's owner).  At this point, the horse whinnied.  And he did it another time or two during the response.
   Animals truly are amazing, aren't they?  And they certainly are a blessing!

Am I Too Simple-Minded?

   Maybe I'm stupid, but it seems to me that if more people were employed (thus increasing revenue from income taxes without raising the rates), then more people would buy stuff (thus increasing revenues from sales taxes, excise taxes, property taxes, etc.).  And if more people bought stuff, there would be an increase in demand for stuff, which would result in hiring more people to make stuff and to transport stuff and to sell the stuff.

   Sounds almost too simple.

I'm Gellin'

   Shameless plug here, but I love my Dr. Scholl's shoes!
   I like working at O-State sporting events, but as one of the behind-the-scenes personnel, I'm often there long before the first fan arrives and until the last fan is gone.  It calls for several hours on my feet and, especially during football games, many miles of walking around the venue, doing my best to ensure things go smoothly for the fans.  Afterwards, I'm usually pretty tired.
   A few years ago I was so tired and achy after some football games (the ones where my workday lasted 14+ hours) that I could barely walk to my car.  I learned quickly that good insoles were essential.  Then a year or so ago I found some Dr. Scholl's shoes at reasonable prices.  To my surprise, they weren't just comfortable, but sturdy as well.  And they are made with the Dr. Scholl's insoles as part of the shoe.
   Today I bought some insoles to go inside my already-comfy shoes.  With the heat we've had lately, tomorrow is going to be tough enough to deal with.  Might as well make sure I can "stand" it for the duration.

My Dream for Today

If I had a million dollars, I'd:
get my dishwasher fixed,
get the electrical problems in the house fixed,
get a lawnmower and mow and mow and mow,
get the car fixed,
get the dryer fixed,
get the house's siding fixed,
rent a truck to haul off the junk that needs to go,
get caught up on all my bills,
pay off the house, or at least get it ready to sell,
find a doctor who will actually listen to and help my wife with her numerous ills,
find a doctor who will actually listen to and help my daughter with her ills,
make sure my family members have the things they need,
and throw a party for all my friends who have stood by me during these troubling times.

And if there was anything left, I'd probably give most of it away to those who need it.

Maybe I dream too much.  But without dreamers, where would the world be?