Family and Friends

Someone's birthday

I’m hoping you’ll read this one, even If you ignore most of my posts. Tomorrow is Cheryl’s birthday. She’s not going to get what she deserves because it’s impossible to quantify. She’s not going to get what she’s worth because everything is beyond my means. Instead, she’s going to get up and do what she does every Friday: wake up, take the kids to…
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Computer

Dating myself

First, a little background. HANDS OFF THOSE MICE! I’ll keep it quick. Beth is a smart, 15 year old kid who has been using computers at home for most of those 15 years. When she was a little over one we bought an original iMac. ‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving (in 1998) and all through the store, folks were swinging mice like weapons, crying the holiday motto: MORE! Then, like now…
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Wellbeing

Cut 2 C Spine

A word of warning: I’m going to do a fair bit of whining to start, but I promise it will get better. I’m done. Cheryl thinks I should have come to this conclusion a year ago. That’s how long the pain in my neck, shoulder, arm, and head have beat me up and down. For now I’ve given up on physical therapy, massages, chiropractors, pain management specialists, and a few others…
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Computer

When good drives go bad

My first computer with a hard drive of any kind was an original 128 Macintosh in 1984. It was my dad’s, but I was only twelve and a regular user (programing, school projects, etc), so I use the word mine with a clear conscience. If you only consider that and the computers I’ve owned since, not the parade of PC clones assigned to me at the office, I’ve suffered the effects of ONE…
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BethFamily and Friends

The stone! Give me the stone!

The set-up: My boy Adam and I were driving home after a haircut this weekend. We were listening to the radio but only one of us was paying close attention. The conversation: “I wish I had my notepad.” Why do you say that Adam? “Because I want to write something down.” That’s my boy! “What?” Nothing. What do you want to write down? “That commercial…
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Wellbeing

Forgive me

Forgive me Father for I am considering sin. My neck isn’t any better than it was almost a year ago. While I haven’t given up hope my issues above the shoulders will improve one day, it’s time to stop waiting. It’s time to start doing. It’s time I started exercising again. We interrupt this post for a moment of rationalization. It’s not that I haven’t been…
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Wellbeing

Death of a Civic

It came too soon. I only had my little Civic for eight years. I’d planned to grow old with the little fella. My little five speed manual, two door coupe, was small enough to get pretty good gas milage and be fun to drive. There’s a responsiveness to a car with a manual transmission, a link between man and machine, that you don’t get in an automatic. They have no soul. It made replacing my…
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Soapbox

Fighting the good fight

The latest skirmish in the Insurance Wars… a conversation with a customer service rep.** You said you paid that bill. “We did but we changed our minds.” Come again? “We paid it but we took our money back.” I realize your reasons seem self-evident to you, but could you give me a clue? “We sent you a letter in the beginning of the year which clearly states this…
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Wellbeing

Freak out

I’ve started this post once or twice a week for months. I get out a sentence or two and stop – too tired, too fried, or too apathetic to continue. I’ve been MIA most of this year, clicking the occasional “like” the few times I venture out into social media. Reasons and excuses abound, but there’s no biggie I can point to and say, “that’s the one you…
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Beth

When in life

I was really excited this morning. I surfed the web for images and maps of campus. I gave Beth ten answers for every question she asked. Maybe one in ten were pertinent to the question. I found a picture of a room from the dorm she’ll be staying in at UF. Countless pictures of my dorm came to mind. There was so much excitement and nostalgia floating around it’s hard to imagine a better…
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