For the Birds

   I almost had a pet mockingbird today.
   There is something about me that seems to attract animals. I'm not sure why, but I've always had the knack to befriend creatures of all types - fish, birds, horses, dogs, cats, a wolf, snakes, a squirrel, and the list goes on.
   When I decided to become Catholic, I chose St. Francis of Assisi as my patron saint. I'd seen the movie "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" some years before, and I thought that even though I wasn't as flamboyant and bold as the young Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone (who became Francis of Assisi), I admired how he rebelled against his parents and was able to find spirituality in the simplest things of nature.
   Okay, so I wasn't really all that rebellious, but something about that movie stuck with me. Also, most of my Catholic friends that I met when I was in 7th and 8th grade (I was in public school thru 6th grade, but went to Catholic school for junior high) went to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Oklahoma City. It's an old church (by Oklahoma City standards) and amazing-looking on the inside, especially to the Protestant kid I used to be. My church was "modern." Lots of brass and glass and chrome. Very sterile-looking, as if only spotlessly clean people were allowed in, and only on Sunday mornings.
   I was a Senior in high school when I decided to become Catholic. I went to all the Confirmation classes, examined my conscience to see if this was really what I wanted (one of the few times I've actaully been serious in my life), and finally decided I was ready to complete my conversion. I didn't have to choose a patron saint, although nearly all folks do when they are confirmed. I wavered a bit, because I had considered "John" - my adult sponsor (and former coach) was named John, and his son (Johnny) was a good friend of mine. But the name "Francis" kept popping back into my head.
   I chose Francis of Assisi. I became Catholic. I read more about St. Francis and his connection with nature. On October 4, St. Francis's feast day, many churches (Catholic and Protestant) honor him with a Blessing of the Animals, because Francis believed that all creatures were stewards of God's creation.  
   I think he was right. I have been blessed with the ability to nurture relationships with animals. I've had many pets in my life - cats, dogs, fish, and birds - and I've been able to bond with them, sometimes to the point where they prefer my company over others. I'm always a bit reluctant when someone in my family wants to have their own pet. So far, each acquisition has ended up being my pet (or I've become thier human, whichever way that works). 
   Today, as I sat in the car with my youngest, waiting for the school bus to arrive, a mockingbird flew right up to my open window, fluttered there briefly with its wings patting my arm and shoulder, and then flew off again.
   I like mockingbirds. Maybe I'm due for another new pet. 
   I hope the cat doesn't mind.

It Figures

When you have a long document with several figures, you can create a Table of Figures to get to each one quickly. In Word 2010, it’s easy to create a Table of Figures, and this guide will show you how to do just that.

First, of course, you need some figures.

They can be photos:

Figure 1. Rainbow outside my house

They can be illustrations:

Figure 2. Revenues are moving up.

They can be charts:

Figure 3. Meaningful data to somebody

Just about anything you may need to illustrate a point.  Got the picture?

Figure 4. Happy face with a camera

The next step is to identify the figures.  To do that, make sure the figures, pictures, charts, etc. have captions.  When you insert the figure, you can right-click on it and from the context menu, select Insert Caption...

Figure 5. Context menu after right-clicking picture

After that, you can give your figure a caption and do other things with it as well.

Figure 6. This pops up after you choose "Insert Caption..."

Finally, after your figures all have captions, you can create a Table of Figures.  Go to where you want the table in the document, such as after the Table of Contents. Then go to the References tab, and in the Captions group you’ll find Insert Table of Figures, which you can click and the following window will pop up, giving you many choices.

Figure 7. It's easy to create a Table of Figures

The default will probably be okay most of the time, but as you use this more often, you’ll find things that will more suit your own style. Enjoy!

Figure 8. Have fun, and don't worry about getting messy as you practice!

An Act of Kindness to a Stranger

   I gave a man $10 today.  
   I was in Tulsa, and he approached me, asking if I had "anything against a brother from Stillwater."  
   I smiled and said, "Well, I'm from Stillwater and no, I don't have 'anything against a brother.'"
   He needed to pay off a bill in Tulsa before he could head back to Stillwater when he had just landed a fulltime job.  He showed me the bill and said he still had a ways to go.
I took a ten-dollar bill out of my billfold, handed it to him, and said, "Now you're $10 closer."
   He shook my hand and hugged me and said God must have sent me (actually, my wife had sent me to pick up some batteries on the way home from teaching in Tulsa, but he was so joyous I didn't mention that).
   I said, "I have confidence you'll get the rest of what you need."
   "Thank you for believing in me," he replied and hugged me again.


   Maybe I was played, but his troubles seemed genuine to me.  And who am I to judge?  I've had a bit of a struggle myself (massive understatement) for the past few years, so I'm probably more sympathetic to the plights of folks with misfortunes.  I'm all about good fortune, and if I can help it along, so much the better. 

Once Again...

I had a brilliant idea I wanted to share with you.
Unfortunately, I logged in wrong (note to self: Stop using so many different email accounts!).  By the time I figured out my correct login ID and credentials, I forgot what I was going to write about.
This isn't the first time it's happened to me.
Has it ever happened to you?  Do you find yourself in a comfortable routine, getting ready to do something, and then - BAM! - your thought process is disrupted, throwing you off the track, and then when you get back on the track you find that the train of thought has left the station?
Frustrating, isn't it?
But life goes on.  And maybe I'll remember what it was I wanted to say and then post it.  Or, which is sometimes the case, maybe I'll remember and then realize that it was something really dumb and not brilliant at all.  Then I'll laugh.
I think the world needs more laughter.  I hope you find something to laugh about today.
You can even laugh at me...

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.