Things like an evil octopus...

212 Degrees

2012-02-15T10:59:00.002-07:00

Happy B-Day to my favorite Aunt

2012-02-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today is my favorite aunt's birthday. Do to her YOUNG age she is part surrogate mother and part best friend to me. I wanted to take the opportunity to tell the world (or the 4 people who actually still read this) what a wonderful person she is and how much she means to me.

For nearly years we were the closest members of the family to each other (geographically speaking) and sporadically over that time we took great advantage of this fact.

Missy and I greeting my brother at
SLC on his way home from Chile.

There is no one on earth who could possibly have an aunt who is more genuinely concerned for them, more loving of them, or more willing to help them. And through her layers upon layers of sarcasm and ridicule (mostly well meaning), I hear the underlying message every time, "I love you."

So in the words of Ruby porter… happy birthday to you … “Aw aw arwwooooo!”

I love ya Missy!

Bravo For Bravery

2011-06-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Help me celebrate heroism in Idaho with the Red Cross! Attend the Bravo for Bravery Breakfast June 22 in Boise http://bit.ly/kIWbzi

New Look For 2011

2010-12-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have updated the look on the blog so I figured with the new year approaching a new look was appropriate. I could have written a flowery epilog about how I am going to write more in the year upcoming but I am resolving to be more honest with myself. So, I will just give you a picture of fireworks instead.

Enjoy!

Of warm fuzzy's and He-Man

2010-12-10T10:14:00.006-07:00

My little sisters always do such a great job of telling stories of my little brother Cameron. Their words make him come alive in my mind. All one needs do is peruse either of their blogs (Jil - Becca) and is is easy to find these wonderfully written narratives.

Historically, I have not written anything on his birthday. This is not because I am not thinking about him, quite the contrary (I spend most Dec 10th's on the verge of tears) it is because I do not have the emotional fabric to try to put to words how deeply I miss him with out losing it...

That said (and after a good cry already) I am could not help but wanting to try to put words to one of my favorite memories of him this year. My brother grew to be a tough whip of a man physically, tall and thin but tough as nails. Yet that is not how I remember him. My favorite memories of my little brother are from when he WAS little, specifically when he was about seven. He, Weston and I would spend hours down in his little room in our house on Dale Drive playing Masters of the Universe. Though both Weston and I had larger rooms we always played in Cameron's. He had such an energy and love of fun that we were drawn to him. He would spin the most elaborate tales and adventures that we would act out. Many of them involved defeating the "fire monster" in his closet (i.e. the furnace) or the demon he saw in the plaster swirls on his ceiling.

Both Weston and I eventually moved on in our interests as we aged and have since turned into boring men. Not to say the Cameron didn't mature, but he somehow kept that wonderment he had as a boy that made him so appealing to play with. Nothing drove this point home more fully for me than a few days after his funeral. As we were going through his possessions a shoe box was found that was full of all of his old He-Man toys. He had kept them and now I have given them to my boys. As I watch them play and run and scream around the house with these muscle-bound plastic men I see my little brother again, and I smile. Now they "... Have the power!"

Happy Birthday Cameron. I miss you!

Fishing?

2010-09-14T15:16:00.006-07:00

I have gotten back into fishing again lately. More specifically I have gotten back into fly fishing lately. This last week I was out on the Boise river and had quite the eclectic catch for the day:
- 3" white fish
- 10" German brown trout
- 6 oz. bat

It hissed at me when it touched the headlight, thus the reaction.

(I took hold of my strike indicator right at dusk, if your were curious.)

Unjust Vilification

2009-12-18T14:55:00.005-07:00

This may sound petty for a blog, particularly as I have not written anything in the last four months, but I feel compelled to stand and defend myself. A certain wonderful person, who will remain nameless, has taken it upon herself to portray me as a spineless woosie who she delights in tricking into kissing children who have been licking toilet brushes.

I want to take this opportunity to say that she is the best person I know and I am lucky to have married her, but I feel I must stand for my honor.

First, there is nothing wrong with eating a hotdog for breakfast. At least I didn’t wrap it in bacon! Thought I have had the bacon dog before (thanks to Stan’s hot dogs on the bench) and it was most tasty.

Second, I may be a bit vocal about my impending doom when I am ill but it is only done as an act of self preservation. Actual recent sick time conversation:

Me at the dinner table: “Honey, I don’t feel well.”

Mrs. Wonderful: “Suck it up.”

Me: “I think I am going to throw up.”

Parker: “Mom, McKay is bugging me.”

Mrs. Wonderful: “You probably ate too much junk food.”

McKay singing: “Rudolf the red nose…”

I get up and walk around the corner to the half bath.

Parker: “Stop it McKay!”

Mrs. Wonderful: “Parker let her sing!”

Me retching violently in the back ground for ten minutes.

Parker: “McKay, stop it!”

I hobble back to the living room, obviously spent from my intestinal battle.

Mrs. Wonderful: “Where have you been?”

Me: “Did you not hear me? I was throwing up.”

Mrs. Wonderful: “What, are you bulimic now too?”

Me: “I love you.”

Mrs. Wonderful: “Why does it stink over here?”

Third, as she stated “Davis men spoil the women in their lives. I think they are amazed that not only did we pick them, but we also stick with them.” All that I have to say to that is…yes. I am amazed that she has stuck with me for almost nine years now (thank you sweetie).

Lastly, the toilet brush thing was just mean.

My First Birdie

2009-08-01T21:12:00.004-07:00

I know this will not be big news for most anyone who plays golf but it was big for me. Friday after work I took Parker down to play nine holes before it got too dark. Parker’s average score per hole was 10-12 over par but he got better towards the end and we had a lot of fun.

The exciting part for me was that I got my first birdie ever (one stroke under par). It was a par three. I hit my ball of to the left side of the green. I got out my lob wedge and chipped it (yes dad, it was the “hinge and hold”). Much to my astonishment it hit the green three feet in front of the hole and rolled right in.

Typically, I remember my decorum on the course but apparently I had a lapse at this moment. The pro commented, as he smiled, the he could tell I had a good hole out there as he could hear my jubilations in the pro shop.

My apologies to anyone out there if I messed up your shot. :-p

Antwerp "Do"

2009-06-29T17:09:00.007-07:00

I love performance art. On this case it is a promotional stunt but it is still great!

The most amazing part is how fast they all dissipate at the end.

Triceps and Triglycerides

2009-05-27T19:46:00.002-07:00

I have recently been accused of telling very long stories, so I will try to start this one at the very beginning (as I have been told this is a very good place to start) and see how fast I can get through it.

Three months ago I went to see my doctor (don’t let the time frame discourage you). I was informed that my triglycerides were high, very high, and my good cholesterol was, well, the polar opposite. I was informed that if I didn’t want to have a heart attack before I hit 40 I needed to cut some of the fat and artificial sweeteners out of my diet and increase my physical activity.

As early death is not currently on my list of life ambitions, I have taken her advice. I am down to one diet soda a day, I have been caught eating salads, I have grounded myself from all elevators (I work on the 5th floor), and I have taken to a religious regiment of increasingly difficult pushups. (This is where Missy makes a quip about my employer).

I have personally seen and felt the effects of these efforts for a while and have often tried to show my loving wife, Kodie, the effects of my efforts. She typically says something to the effect of “Oooh, looking good honey!”

Being the trusting soul that I am, I have taken all of her compliments at face value until a few nights ago. As I was changing to go to bed Kodie came in to our bathroom. Looking at my arms she exclaimed “Holy cow! You really are getting stronger!”

I gave her a dumb founded look and said, “This is what I have been showing you for that last few weeks.” To which she replied, “Well I was just being NICE then. THIS time I can REALLY see a difference!”

This comment has left me with some conflicting emotions. On one hand it looks like I am REALLY making some noticeable progress, which is good. But on the other hand I no longer feel I trust in the sincerity of any compliments I may receive from my wife, which is not so good. I am so torn over these conflicting feelings that I am at a loss as to the validity of my own perception of reality.

Maybe early death isn’t such a bad idea…and what is a triglyceride anyway?

Blatant Plagiarism on the Ides of March

2009-03-16T08:36:00.005-07:00

My sister Rebecca said it so well. Please read her blog.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for an esophageal endoscopy!

2009-02-20T19:59:00.005-07:00

Apparently I am lax in telling my parents and family important things that are going on in my life. So here goes I spent the evening of Feb 18th in the ER. As some of you may know I have a narrow esophagus. If you notice the lovely picture, the image on the left side is a normal esophagus and the image to the right, according to my wife who actually saw the pictures, looks more like mine. I has happened in the past , more times than I care to admit, that in my exuberant love affair with food, that I put more down my drinking straw of a throat than it can handle. I am not choking, I can breathe just fine, I just can’t swallow anything. As long as my salivatory reflex is not working overtime I can occasionally wait it out until though the forces of nature, magic, and tectonic plate movement the obstruction clears.

Unfortunately this time my blood sugar decided to drop at the same time. In and of itself this is not a life threatening or even an overly dangerous thing. The common correction is to eat sugar (or something containing it, though I have resorted to spoonfuls of the granular stuff in the past). But when you have something logged in your esophagus and can’t get anything into your stomach that could then disseminate into the rest of your body, the sum threat becomes much greater than these two relatively minor parts.

Long story made short:

Lodged Steak + Too Much Insulin in Blood = Trip to the ER

So now you know, and knowing is half the battle…the other half is a really sore throat and a big hospital bill.

Facebook strikes again!

2009-02-08T19:48:00.004-07:00

As I mentioned before I have a moderately addictive personality. I wish this meant that people got addicted to me due to my personality; alas it only seems to mean that I become addicted to things very easily.

For those who have known me a while this should not come as any kind of a surprise (fly tying, fishing, various video games etc.) Fortunately, most of these activities come, I obsess over them until I prove to myself that I can do them as well as or better then most people and then I drop them like a bad habit (which by that time many of them have turned into).

Thanks to Shane (by the way Kodie is now gunning for you buddy) my newest obsession is facebook. If any of you out there want to add me as a friend…

I would like to tell myself that my main joy in this social media tool is the ability to reconnect with long lost friends and to keep an arms length tab on them all. And I do use it for that purpose. I could also argue that I am on there so that I can better mange the fan page for work. Unfortunately, those would only be half truths at best. I am quite enamored with all of the little games associated with it. I have limited myself to the ones I am in already or else I could play facebook games--well that is all I would do.

The down side is that my blog has been long neglected. And though it may suffer from immeasurable trauma, feelings of neglect and develop some self worth issues, it need not worry as the past has shown I will come back to it when my techno eyes stop roving.

(P.S. Kodie didn’t laugh at this post, as she said, “Well it is just too true to life.” Hmm thanks … I think?)

I must be REALLY sick

2008-12-27T18:27:00.003-07:00

I can tell I am sick, really sick, not because of the antibiotics, the sinus infection, the pink eye, the generalized body aches, the vomiting , the fever, the sore throat, the head aches, or the doctor telling me I am sick. No, I know I am really sick because my wife looked at me the other day and said, “I feel really sorry for you” and she meant it.

Don’t get me wrong here, my bride is a beautiful and a near saintly person in many aspects but sympathy is NOT one of them. To illustrate, if you were walking on a trail and fell 30 feet down the mountain, she would not offer condolences or treat your wounds. No, she would asses the damage (assuming you aren’t bleeding) and tell you to, and I quote, “Suck it up.”

In her defense about 80% of the time she is right. There really is nothing else that you can do so you should just suck it up and keep going.

To make a long story even longer, the fact that she told me she felt sorry for me was not something I expected to hear short of my death bed. And to be completely honest, on my death bed I expect her to tell me it is my own fault.

Man I MUST be sick. I think I see a light…

Worst movie … ever!

2008-12-01T20:40:00.004-07:00

Well that is a hard title to assign, particularly of late. I recently saw two real “winners”. One of them I shouldn’t have been too surprised with, after all it was picked by Parker and McKay. This cinemagraphic classic is titled “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” And it … uhm…well … Parker liked it.

The more surprising one was Twilight. It was surprising because, one I actually went to see it, and more so because Kodie actually picked it. It was single handedly one of the WORST movies I have ever seen. Being the supportive husband I let Kodie pick the movie we saw and she dragged me to that waste of film, I was hoping against hope that she was going to pick the new Bond movie alas it was not to be.

I realized in full horror what I had been dragged into when the male protagonist first appeared on the screen. He was greeted by a cacophony of high pitched, heart throb induced squealing. I was either in a room full of stuck pigs or 14 yr old girls; unfortunately, as I looked around, there was no future bacon in sight. Nor were there more than six other testosterone bearing men in the room (and two of them brought books, a wise decision).

I never thought I would find a vampire move I wouldn’t like. I stand corrected. There go two hours of my life I will never get back.

Hello my name is Bulbo and I am a Denny's-holic.

2008-11-17T19:36:00.005-07:00

I am finally willing to accept the truth. I am addicted to Denny’s. Does that mean I am ready to face my inner demons, fight the brave fight and emerge a better man for it? Sadly … no.

You can tear off the back two thirds of the menu at Denny’s and not lose anything worth missing (except the diet coke). If you order anything but breakfast at this shrine with the yellow sign, you are a sad and sick little person. I am sorry if you are one of these poor lost souls but that is just the way it is.

I have been known to venture forth on my pilgrimage of indulgence at the drop of a hat at any hour of the day or night. Nothing sings to my gut like a French toast slam with a side of hash and keep the diet coke a ‘coming ( I base my tip entirely on how full my diet coke is at any given point during the meal).

My wife doesn’t understand the depth of my problem but occasionally she allows me my guilty pleasure. This Saturday was one such blessed moment. On any given weekend if I am woken at 5:45 a.m. due to a size six toddler foot planted firmly in my stomach half falling out of bed being held in only by the tenuous grasp of entangled sheets, grumpy MAY come close to describing the beginnings of my emotional state. But this particular morning my wife piped up with the unexpected comment, “Let’s all go to Denny’s.” Suddenly the heavens opened and a choir of angels serenaded five befuddled people in pajamas as they piled into the mini van and were off to the greatest place on earth.

“I’ll have a French toast slam…”

Historic Day

2008-11-07T10:56:00.005-07:00

I know I am not the first to say this, but I feel compelled to say it anyway. (Plus it helps me keep up my apparent theme of presidential pictures.)

Be you red, blue, green or some other shade of political affiliation, the people of the United States of America have spoken. We have our first African American president elect. Breaking from the mold of upper class older white males, we have made a very public step towards the equality our nation has paid lip service to for so long. As Tomas Jefferson penned in what may be called our nation’s first cry for equality, the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,…”

Q. Did I vote for him? A. Does it matter? I am writing this not in support of or as opposition to his political stance or proposed policy issues. I am writing because I am awestruck that we have come to this point. Call me a dreamer, but I like to see this as a very public expression that as a nation we are really moving towards greater tolerance of those who are different than we are. Mayhap in my life time there will truly be a day where as MLK said “my … little children will … live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

There I said it.

The blind "following" the blind

2008-11-05T15:43:00.007-07:00

Call it a social experiment, call it a overdeveloped need for acceptance, whatever, but please follow my blog. Not that I have a pressing need for you to feel as though you MUST know what ever I may say. No it isn’t that at all. In fact I fear it is moderate case of compulsive hoarding syndrome.

I take a perverse little joy in seeing the collection of faces. Yes, I may have labeled it “minions” but I promise the servitude required is very minimal. After the first year or so you won’t even notice…

The picture of honest Abe has nothing to do with the content of this post. Parker wanted it.

Catering to the masses

2008-11-03T09:07:00.005-07:00

As Red Skelton stated and the Kinks reaffirmed in 1981, "Give the people what they want, and they'll come out for it." Well the Kinks got the first bit right at least.

So per request I present to you the following:
1. A picture of Dwight D. Eisenhower

2. A public admission that my Aunt Missy is funnier than I am. (but looks...)

3. For those of you who feel I don’t post enough pictures of my kids I give you the following link: thekodiebear.blogspot.com

In regard to my recent poll, “Why don’t you comment on my blog?”:
1. If you have nothing to say, just tell me how wonderful I am.

2. For whoever voted that they hate me, well I hate you too. Now let’s be friends.

3. This banana would keep my mouth shut too! (ware the ninjanana)

4. For those who are afraid the internet will steal their soul, I Googled it and the answer was no. So be at ease. (Bur wait isn’t Google on the internet? Hmmm)

Now that all of your concerns have been addressed let the open dialog commence!

90% of what people think of you ...

2008-10-20T19:18:00.005-07:00

I have been told that 90% of what people think of you is based on how you look or present yourself and only 10% is based on what you actually say. Thus JFK can go to Berlin and call himself a jelly filled pastry (a simple error of syntax) and people still go wild, maybe they thought it was American slang ("hey, I’m a jelly donut!").

Thus I present to you the new look of my blog. I figure that after three years it could use a face lift. Now as the theory goes, you will now find me to be more intelligent and sophisticated though the actual quality of the content will not change. This is due entirely to your perception of the page. Voila instant credibility!

Blog on a Blog

2008-10-15T08:03:00.004-07:00

My wonderful wife has started her own blog. And the odd thing to me is that, at only two days old, her blog has received more comments than mine has cumulatively in its years of existence.

Oh well, I guess people know what they like. And honestly, I would pick her over me any day!

Life lessons are a good thing to gather.

2008-09-03T12:54:00.002-07:00

I am starting to gather life lessons from others now so that i can improve my own quality of life early on. Here is one that was shared with me recently:

Working people frequently ask me what I do to make my days interesting now that I am retired. Well, for example the other day the wife and I went downtown and went into a shop. We were only in there about 5 minutes. When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket. We went up to him and I said, “Come on man how about giving a senior citizen a break?” He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. I called him an ignorant fool. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires. So the wife called him a butthead. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket. This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote. About then our bus arrived. We try to have fun each day now that we are retired. It’s important at our age.

Such wisdom.

Will I ever learn to say no?

2008-09-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

As a continuing testament to the Sauron-esk power my daughter holds over me I present the following picture.

I dare any man to look into those big blue eyes and deny the request, “Daddy, can I have a yellow kitty?”

His name (though we have been instructed by our princess overlord we are to call it a her) is McKay Cat. And I think it’s feet have touched the ground a total of 15 minutes in the 24 hours we have had “her”.

Where is my Mt. Doom? What small hairy footed creature will save me from this servitude? How long must I toil in the shadow of her dominance over my will? I mean look at her…

…well maybe save me a little later.

Back in Seattle again...

2008-08-26T13:52:00.003-07:00

...out where a friend is a friend, where the local people feed on the Thai food full of weeds, oh I'm back in Seattle again.

I am in Seattle for the week doing training on a data base program we use at work. Pros and cons:

Pros:
• I am in Seattle and I love it here
• I am getting great training on a critical program for my job
• I get to eat at so many of my old favorite restaurants
• I get to do some of the things I had always meant to do when I was here before that I never got around to (i.e. the Underground Tour)

Cons:
• I am not home the second week in our home (I can’t help unpack)
• I have found that if you don’t stay in touch with people it can be hard to find them 10 years later
• Most difficult is … I miss my wife and kids!

Tonight I am going to revisit the international district. Uwajimaya here I come!

New House

2008-08-07T13:24:00.004-07:00

YEAH! We are closing on our new house on the 15th (barring unforeseen problems) *knocks on wood.

Housing Update

2008-07-16T08:01:00.005-07:00

Well I have three items to report to you all today (and I apologize for the delay in getting them out).

1. Least important on the list is that I am now 31. Though I received many kind words, phone calls and gifts my favorite is my sister Boo’s tribute.

2. We sold our Orem home. Mixed feelings on this one. Very glad to have sold it and have gotten a pretty decent deal out of it as well. Not so glad to officially have it out of my life (I have a lot of great memories there. I brought home all of my babies to that house. *sniffle*)

3. We made an offer on a home in Meridian and have since walked away from it. I will admit we came in low but given the current market conditions I didn’t feel it was unreasonable. Unfortunately, the sellers were unable to get the house down to a level that I felt worked for us (they may be over their heads in it) so we dropped it. The real down point here is that my wife and I made the mistake of getting our kids excited about it before the deal was set in stone and now they are heart broken, but recovering.

So for all of you, that is the current update from the Boise front.

One man's trash...

2008-06-26T07:06:00.002-07:00

… is another man’s treasure. Apparently the “treasure” of my cute little brick home in Orem is not viewed with as high a regard by others as I give it. We have now had it on the market for 60 days. We have been #2 on many buyers lists but we stay there. No offers yet. I am trying to be patient but…

My biggest concern is getting into another home in time for my son to start the school year. He is hurting up here in Idaho. He loves the farm but he REALLY misses having friends. There are no kids close to his age in the area. One of the saddest things I have ever seen in my life is watching my 5 yr old sitting on the front fence watching the 10 yr olds playing with their friends across the street. He has literally done this for stretches of time up to 2 hours!

I feel in my heart that I did the right thing bringing my family to Idaho but sometimes I wonder.

Hey remember these guys?! (Pork and Beans)

2008-05-30T14:48:00.002-07:00

I remember all of these guys from back when the intertron was fun. Now it seems i only get on for work. :( Oh well.

Remember Drivers Ed?

2008-05-22T09:20:00.004-07:00

Just found this quiz. If you must know I aced it *brushes nails on shirt*. I know I am rather amazing *hears wife choking in disbelief in background*. HEY!

Dizzy

2008-05-12T18:10:00.003-07:00

Have you ever had that feeling that EVERY thing is turned on its ear? If you have then you know how I feel right now. I left a home I loved, friends that I will always remember and a job that I was comfortable in and turned it all upside down. True, I do feel that in the long run it was the best thing to do but EVERY thing seems to be in a state of flux now. It is rather dissettling.

I now live in Boise, or I should say in Emmett ( two e's two m's two t's and, until the last few years, two stoplights), in my in-laws home. This is rather emasculating, though they are wonderful people and being very gracious about it. I am buried in trying to learn a new job. And did I mention that, out side of my family, I don't have any friends here yet?

I know I know, wa wa wa ... you did this to yourself. I know this sounds like I am complaining and for that I apologize. I do like it here! It is simply the overwhelming feeling of being well... overwhelmed.

April 27th

2008-04-21T09:54:00.004-07:00

Yes it is my anniversary thank you! But it is also the day we are blessing little Deacon. I have had a little bit going on in my life lately and have been told that I was quite negligent in not posting this earlier. My most sincere apologies.

Please call me and let me know if you plan to attend.

Are you looking or know someone who is?

2008-04-18T10:40:00.010-07:00

Yes, we did the hardest thing for me just recently, we have put our home up for sale. I LOVE this little house. I have put a lot of blood sweat and tears into fixing it up and making it the comfortable masterpiece it is today. I know it sounds silly, but i feel like I am letting a good friend down by leaving it.

Oh well I MAY be a little to attached to it.

Here are some of the listings we have out there for it:

KSL
Craig's List
Zillow

Zillow was valuing it at $199,000 before I said I would sell it for $188,000 but look at what it says all my neighbors places are worth to see what a steal it is.

And here we have Idaho...

2008-04-17T14:45:00.003-07:00

And here we have Idaho
Winning her way to fame.
Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze,
and romance lies in her name.
Singing, we're singing of you,
Ah, proudly too,
All our lives thru, we'll go
Singing, singing of you,
Singing of Idaho.

It is official. Kodie and I along with our little family are moving to the Boise area the first part of next month (May).

We will be closer to elements of both of our immediate family so it is an exciting prospect for us.

My vote for 2008!

2008-04-08T15:44:00.002-07:00

Shame faced at my own knowledge...

2008-04-02T09:38:00.003-07:00

I am ashamed to say I got every question right on this currency quiz .

What does it say about me that I know this medium that well?

Deacon 2.0

2008-04-01T09:08:00.005-07:00

Here are some more pics of our new little guy. (OK, technically they are pics of the family interacting with him, cut me some slack will ya?)

McKay and Parker being proud big sister and brother respectively.

McKay being apprehensive about holding "baby deacon" for the first time.

Annie you are way to young to be baby hungry!

I am so proud of all of my children. Next to my wife, they are the great things to ever happen to me.

Deacon William Davis

2008-03-27T11:25:00.005-07:00

Here he is. 7lbs 5.2 oz 20inches. He and his mother are doing fine. This is 30 min after birth so please excuse the palor of his complexion.

Here is a really cute picture from the hospital.

The time has arrived...

2008-03-25T08:42:00.001-07:00

We will be welcoming our new son, Deacon, to the world on Wednesday the 26th of March. Pictures upcoming.

Robot Power

2008-03-21T14:47:00.002-07:00

A news cast from the near future in our robot controlled society.

The Boredom Threshold Reborn

2008-03-21T10:09:00.004-07:00

This is a formal request that The Boredom Threshold repost again soon. I need more clever witticism in my life.

Also how well do you know your corporate logos ?

And Chuck Norris wins it by a fist (and a round house)

2008-03-20T12:00:00.004-07:00

And here is a list of reasons why he apparently whooped the competition.

Click here for reasons to fear Chuck Norris

5 Years Ago

2008-03-17T12:48:00.002-07:00

Years ago Saturday (the ides of March) I lost my little brother Cameron. His handle on line was Evil Octopus (thus the name of my blog). Even though my dad never liked the name (he always argued that there was nothing evil about Cameron and I agree) the name has since taken on a special meaning for me. So...

Fear the Bulbo

2008-03-14T14:53:00.006-07:00

I just learned my Hobbit name is Bulbo Loamsdown. Hmmm ... this requires some deep thought, I fear.

Ultimate Battle?

2008-03-13T10:09:00.003-07:00

See the poll. Vote in the poll. Participate in the system! (for write in candidates add them to the comments on this post and I will put them on the formal ballet, um ... napkin in my satchel)

Did you say hello...

2008-03-12T13:45:00.005-07:00

"No I said 'ello but that's close enough." So my little sister has inspired me to make another run at keeping an updated blog. So this is just to let you know that I will be up and running again. I have very limited time right now so that is all.

Sorry So Slow

2006-10-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently people think I have died. Well sorry I am still around. I have just been very busy with work. I hope to post again very soon.

Newbie on the Way

2005-05-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Baby McKay

OK, if you can't tell my wife is pregnant with our second child. My wife believes it is a girl ands I hope so as we can only agree on a girl's name. So we are already calling her McKay, my son pronounces it Bouquet. We won't know the gender for certain for another couple of months.

I am very excited. I love my son and I am eager to have another child. Yea, I am a big sap.

My Son Likes Chicks

2005-04-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Easter 2005

This is a picture of my son on Easter, gathering eggs with the help of our "big" chicken, Penny. She was disturbed by the plastic things in her yard so she would go peck at it until my boy would pick them up. She would then go find another one and peck at it etc. This made finding the eggs easier for my son but he still loved it. For days afterwards he would beg us to go hide the eggs for him to find again. It was great fun.

My son loves the chickens. His favorite is Bubba, a white crested black polish. This poor chicken is the runt of the group and the bottom of the pecking order. She has a black deformed toe, a cowlick in her crest and a black spot on her beak. She is far from what anyone would call a show bird. But she is spectacular in my son's eyes. I guess it shows again that it isn't what is on the outside that really matters.

In this way I wish I was more like my 2 1/2 year old son. How much better the world would be if we could all see the value of our fellows and look past the differences and flaws that we all have. Ah, to see the world through the eyes of a child again.

Trauma as a Chick

2005-04-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Dumpling

This is Dumpling. She is the newest addition to my flock. My wife MADE me buy her (not that I was opposed to the idea). The two birds I had that were supposed to be Light Brahmas are looking more and more like DARK Brahmas. Which is cool, I suppose but I really wanted ONE white chicken and that just wasn't happening.

To make a long story even longer, we went to the feed store the other day to get some grass seed and layer mix. When we noticed he still had one Light Brahma and my wife told me to get her (as we could already tell she was white from her star feathers). This is a picture of her right after we got her.

She is not all cute and fuzzy here but I know she is the same age as the other girls, which at this age is fairly important (same dietary and climatic requirements).

Now for the trauma, Mrs. Cluck who was supposed to be my Light Brahma had a bite of reality yesterday. I learned all this via a phone call with my wife. Apparently she got out of the hen house and squeezed through a gap in the wire in the run.

She found her way to our home again by the way of our back yard neighbor’s mother (she was visiting her new grandchild, she also happens to have chickens at her home). Upon arrival she (the bird) was sopping wet and quite disheveled. Mrs. Cluck had been pulled out of the jaws of the dog, who had initially found her.

Well for the last two days Mrs. Cluck has done nothing but sit in the back corner of the hen house and shake. I don't blame her. To be saved from the jaws of death like that...

The Feng Shui results

2005-04-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Real Deal

Here are a few pictures of my new office. This is a picture from the door way.

As I can tell that no one has come to see my site for the last three days (I don't know how I failed you all) I am rather disinterested in giving these to you. But I suppose I am not really dong this for you. I am doing it for ME (although I did enjoy the boost to my ego.)

To think, some one out there considered me interesting. That must have meant that I was more interesting than their perspective of their own lives. In a VERY roundabout form of logic this must have meant that my life was in some way better than theirs. And that though made me feel better about my position. Oh well.

If all that nonsense is the support of my happiness then I am on a rather feeble foundation indeed. Good thing it isn't.

Yeah, ME I am doing this for ME. Ha HA hA ha ha ha ha ha ...

Floor Plan

2005-04-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Floor Plan
This is a copy of the floor plan I made before deciding to actually do the move. I wanted to make sure that everything I wanted would fit into the room. As you can see the total space is only 9.5 feet by 8.8 feet. Pretty small, a total of 84 square feet.

Wrap Around

2005-04-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Office WrapAround
I know that this is not the best or even close to good. But it gives a general idea of how the room looks. It goes from the door clock wise to the door again.

Week Three for the Chicks

2005-04-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Three weeks

Well here are the Girls at three weeks of confirmed age. I have suspicion that Little Red and the newly added "Dumpling" are a week older than the rest. Well I know they are a week older as they were at the store I got them at least one week before my other chicks arrived.

As you can see they are feathering out and are looking rather awkward. Hey, everyone is a teenager at some time in their lives. As previously mentioned they are soon to become "your Chickens."

I have more pictures to post I will hold them in reserve in the event that I have nothing interesting to report. Up coming are pictures of the new chick Dumpling and a current picture of Penny and an Easter picture of my son and Penny.

Apparently more really IS better!

2005-03-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

As no one has read my site for the last four days I am accepting the inevitability of the fact that if I ignore you all, you will ignore me in return. What a cruel truth. Well just so you know, my office is all done. Tomorrow when I have a minute I will post some photos. Also I think that FuzzMo is now the same type of chicken as Mrs. Cluck. But I am skeptical as to whether any of them are Light Brahmas. I am leaning now toward Dark Brahmas but time will tell. The other chicks are all getting into their "Awkward Teen" phase. My wife commented the other day that they are soon to be "Your Chickens."

For those of you unaware of how I got into chickens, My wife saw them last year as chicks at the local farm supply store(we were buying fertilizer and flowers.) She instantly fell in love with them and BEGGED me to get her one. So I got her two (as I think it would have been lonely to be a lone chick in this dreary world.) She would love them and cuddle with them and talk "chicken" to them. But as soon as they got awkward looking they ceased to be "my girls" and became "your chickens." Anyway I had grown to love them as they got personalities and grew a little, so I took them in. And rest, as THEY say, is history...

Wife's Blog

2005-03-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

Check out my wife's blog. She is a very intelligent person and a great writer in my opinion. She puts a lot of thought into everything. Unlike me.

I tend to fly by the seat of my pants through life. This has convinced me of one of two things. Either some higher power really likes me or I am d**n near the luckiest person on earth.

Sure, I have my down times, but all in all I have to say that I come out on top of, or much nearer to the top of, things than I deserve to. I would love to say that it is because of a superior intellect or talent base that I am able to spuriously accomplish all that I have. But that would be pushing the envelope of reality further than it could reasonably handle.

When I was a very young man I got in a head on collision with the "average guy next door" wagon and I don't think that I ever fully recovered from that incident. Now, my mother obviously wouldn't agree with that (but who’s would?) and depending on my wife’s mood you may get an answer like my mothers idealistic thoughts or much closer to my own realization.

Regardless of all that, I still think I am the coolest thing since the ice age. But even in that regard I am not alone. Deep down in the center of their beings, every guy thinks this. Yup ladies, you are all surrounded by the self perceived crowning glories of all creation.

Man are we cool or what? (Comments welcome. They may help us, the male side of mankind, with our enormous ego problems.)

I got a little off track there, just look at my wife's site IT is actually full of thought and insight on things that matter.

Until next time eat more calamari!

Feng Shui this!

2005-03-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today the move began. I am currently home taking a break before I go back tonight to paint. Everything stared well but as I was progressing every one seemed to keep having these "Great Ideas". Essentially I am now relocating all of the storage and stockpiles of other peoples stuff. It turning out to be quite a bit more than I bargained for. I have piles of things spread through nearly the entire office.

I told every one that it would all be done Monday, my mother is coming into town tomorrow night with her parents (my 90+ year old grandparents), and for religious reasons I don't work on Sunday. This leaves me with one busy evening tonight and a fun morning tomorrow.

If I survive I will let you know the results and may even post a picture of my new office.

Signing off, a very tired evil Octopus (those four other limbs would sure be helpful).

Office Zen and the art of Feng Shui

2005-03-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

I am going to move my office. The one I am in now has no windows and gets very hot. The new room I am moving into is currently our storage room. NO one minds as we all think that we need a larger storage room and I want the window so badly. The new office is smaller than the one I am in but I have measured it out and feel that it is sufficient for my needs.

Because it is a smaller room I have been reading up on my Feng Shui. I want my smaller office to have a more comfortable/healthy feeling in it. So I am going to incorporate the following elements:

Something Red on my south wall.
An 8x10 inch mirror so I can see the doorway (unfortunately the size and layout requires that my desk face away from the door)
An odd number of green live plants
A fountain of water /picture of running water near doorway
A Quartz Crystal by the computer monitor

As I have never subscribed to the Feng shui Philosophy I don't know if this will work. But I have always held an interest in eastern cultures (I even speak Laotian and Thai fairly well) so I am willing to give it a try and if it works ... Don't knock it until you try it as THEY say.

Experiment Failed

2005-03-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well, after the silence experiment yesterday I have come to a few conclusions. One my friend must have listened to awful music or there are two types of people on this issue, those who do well in utter silence and those who don't.

I found that not only did I not get more done than usual but I did less, a lot less. I couldn't keep focused I was jittery and on edge. I felt like I was in an isolation camp.

After this I came to realize that I really don't "listen" to the music while I work. I do occasionally tune my mind in to a song that I really like. But for the most part it is just back ground noise. I feel like I am near other people and I guess that is important to me.

So instead today I am trying a relaxing music (Enya) as opposed to the regular chatter and annoying advertisements on the radio, to see if that improves the work experience.

No Music Today

2005-03-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

The other day a friend of mine told me that he stopped listening to music in his car or at work and that his productivity increase dramatically as well as his sense of peace. Well always one to give something a try I am trying it today, and quite honestly, so far all I feel is the oppressive silence in my office.

As I am in the far back corner office next to the copier and no other human soul, I use my radio to add back ground noise to keep me from going crazy. But if I can get more done at work well...

I will let you know if any thing changes but I am not sure that it will.

New Chicks

2005-03-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Click here
These are my new "Girls." I have a full grown bird as well and as soon as I get a decent picture of her I will post it here as well.

These girls are all breeds that I carefully selected for visual variety in both their plumage and laid egg color. Well all of them except for one. The store that was kind enough to put in the order for me to Murray McMurray (you need to order a minimum of 25 birds which is just more than I can have with current zoning regulations) received an additional chick in the order.

As he wasn't planning on it didn't get put into his inventory, added to the fact that we couldn't figure out what breed or gender it was he gave it to me for free.

It will be a little experiment I suppose. We have named it FuzzMo. I will keep you informed as to its progress.
new chicks

OK here is the deal ...

2005-03-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

My brother's band/website/computer/every thing else was dubbed Evil Octopus. He was shot down and killed on the ides of March 2003 and I took on the name in his memory. He was a brutally honest, straight forward, and hilarious person. With that in mind, I plan on sharing those very things here.

Here begins the journey.