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You will either understand the humor in this and crap your pants… or you won’t.

It’s difficult to get any one stream of thought from brain synapse to blog these days. Likely a combination of apathy and lack of disposable time for one reason or another, but I make no excuse. My mother and step-dad were in town this past weekend for his belated Father’s Day gift… ninth row seats to Robert Earl Keen at the track. We arrived early to bet on the races before moving to the infield for what ended up being a fantastic show. Likely due to my aversion to the exploitation of animals for human entertainment (other than those funny pet videos on AFV), it was my first time ever to attend a horse race. I won a grand total of $6.80 on $100 in bets over the course of 9 races. I rock. Georgia really helped me out a lot by explaining the Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, etc. and how you can box them to manipulate your chances of losing in fun ways. At any rate, it was costly, but a good time. I especially enjoyed getting down at track level by the finish line where every sinew and shimmer could be felt as the horses thundered by… like biological art really. We spent all day Saturday at the lake having a bar-b-que and taking in the weather… bird watching and chit-chatting with Mary and Jim on the patio. I stay relatively tired and tense these days, but it was a relaxing day of good food and company. Sunday was HMNS day. We checked out the Geopalooza traveling exhibit and took in an IMAX in 3D before wrapping the weekend up with a quiet evening at home. This is a short week for me. In a way, that makes it even busier than normal because there are loose ends to tie before taking time off. Five o’clock just can’t some fast enough.

Last week was an unhappy work-week. I went flying Saturday. Landed in Brehnam a few times with some respectable wind shear in gusty conditions before coming back and shooting the Localizer 17R approach into Hooks. Somerwhere that afternoon, I ate something with sinister intentions. Georgia suggested it could have been tomatos since they are in the news currently as being suspect, but regardless, I believe salmonella poisoning was the result. I spent all of Sunday in utter misery. My stomach was severely cramping and between the vomiting and diarhea, I couldn’t think of eating anything. It was terrible. I didn’t sleep well at all last night for obvious reasons, but I’m at least relatively stable this morning… very weak and terrified to eat anything… but stable. Yesterday was Penny’s birthday. There were other actual plans for the day… like Liz’s graduation party and G’s friends reception… all of which were botched by my illness. This morning had a little new drama that added to my joyous feeling. Penny started trying to eat Henry’s food while he isn’t around which in turn makes her sick. He loves to eat the thrown up food straight from tap when she starts heaving… which in turn makes him sick. It really just hasn’t been a purdy picture at Casa de Clayton.

Unrelated info, and much more interesting imho, the Empyrian Age faction warfare patch goes live on Tranquility June 10th (tomorrow). Cessna has a deal going on right now where if you take delivery of a new Skylane (182) by the end of July, you can get a free upgrade to the new Garmin SVT avionics. Too bad I’m poor. I remember back in the mid-90’s when I was getting my private ticket, I really loved the Lancair aircraft… especially the body style that has become the Lancair IV, but I don’t have the time or desire (and in all cases the money) for a kit aircraft. The planes that have always been so near and dear to my heart have always displayed the Mooney badge. I don’t know if it’s their reputation, the looks, or just that they are made right here in my home state, but I lurvs me some Mooney. Cirrus makes a nice product, but I don’t know if I could get used to the side stick. I flew a Diamond Katana (which would probably be closest to their DA-20 today) a few times back in the day and just never got a feel for the stick after logging so many hours with a yoke. Of course, my multi-engine favorite remains the Beech Baron, but it’s even further from reality for me. I don’t have a tail wheel check out, but I’ve always been intregued by the Aviat Husky for bush flying… those pilots are impressive. Despite having a few nice aircraft, for some reason, I’ve never liked Piper… dunno why. Anyhoo, I need to try and eat something solid and get some work done. Have a nice day.

Alleluia!

Amen.

Georgia, Tucker, Henry, and I spent the Memorial holiday weekend in the Texas Hill Country at my father’s hacienda. Shorts sleeve shirts, shorts, and flip-flops left me with farmers tan and “racoon” feet as the weather was too nice to avoid inside. My dad didn’t hesitate to put me to work helping with this and that… I’m a bit sore this morning from loading 1000 pounds of feed into one of the massive feeders on the property. It’s just another sign I need to exercise more. This weekend, like most, went by all to quickly, but it was a relaxing couple of days with no email, cell phone, or work troubles. It’s nice to be home and settled in even if I could have used a few more days in the heart of Texas. As I sit here digging through the email backlog surrounded by the hum of cooling fans amidst the dim glow of several LCD’s, I struggle in grass-is-always-greener daydreams of making my living outside of technology. I like my job very much and am thankful to have it, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes a little break is a needed refresher. Three days is hardly a break. The longest time I’ve been away from work since Erin died has been 4 days when I went to Costa Rica and I barely remember that… fun, yes… relaxing, not so much. I’m planning on taking a week of in July to spend with my best friend and brutha from a dif’ernt mutha, Sean. He is headed back to the Lone Star State for some spiritual healin’ after too long a stint in Hell-A. I don’t mind going to Los Angeles to see him, but I’d much rather have him home in Texas. As a matter of fact, the vacation request is going in as soon as the button is clicked to stick this on the Interwebbythingamajig. More to follow…

These last few days of Houston weather have been better than the best winter daydreamers visions of hammock naps and gentle breezes in the shade. Sunny, clear skies and calm winds make for great flying, but the moderate temperatures were really what was begging folks out of their air conditioned domiciles and into the great outdoors this weekend. I flew for a few hours on Saturday afternoon… out to Katy, then to Eagle Lake, up to Brenham, and back. The fun and festivities put Father Time on meth and the next thing ya’ know, the overclocked weekend has gone so fast that remembering activities for the sake of reminiscence becomes difficult at best. I suppose the staple event for the weekend was Barrett and Jennifer’s couples shower hosted at Jimmy Wilson’s for their family and friends… not so much for the pomp and circumstance, but simply because it signifies time becoming ever short until their “big day”. I finally met Barrett’s mother, after all these years of friendship, which was a nice surprise. Apparently, she doesn’t get to Houston much. Georgia and I, with several of shower attendees in tow, headed to another friend’s 40th birthday shindig at a karaoke bar not far away once the shower was wrapping up. Some time later, 6 of us ended up at Uropa until the wee hours. I haven’t been out “in town” in a long, long time. Sunday morning, G and I headed to Dry Creek in the Heights for breakfast on the patio, drove by my ‘ole buddy Joe’s house but didn’t want to wake him, and spent the afternoon toodling around the countryside on the motorcycles. There was sushi for supper last night and a quiet evening at home… wishing the weekend could last a bit longer. The meteorologist claimed in this morning’s forecast that we would reach near 100 today in many parts of the Lone Star State. I think 95 is our local high. Where, oh where, did the weather go?

pee ess. As I was typing this, I remembered something cool Barrett told me he stumbled upon… Jennfer and Barrett set up jenniferandbarrett dot com as their announcement site and handed out the address to everyone. Some time later, Barrett typed in barrettandjennifer dot com out of curiosity and another couple by the same name came up… which is not that crazy, but… they are also in Texas just a few hours away, and getting married on the same day. Figure the odds. 

Madeline

I’m an uncle now… as of a couple of weeks ago. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mommies out there… especially to my baby sister on this, her first, Mother’s Day… just a day after her birthday! (Happy b-day too!)

i feel like more
tonight...i feel like more
feel like more
tonight...

Holy shit. This blog is neglected… I know. Honestly it comes down to laziness. Take the slices of pie in my day that are not work, sleep, or other preoccupation and there isn’t much pie left to generate motivation to type here… especially when it’s become more self-documentary than expressional. Is that even a word? Let me give you the run down on the last little bit of me since I visited here… more or less. I went to Costa Rica for a week in April. My buddy Barrett was engaged a while back and on the night of this officiation, he explained to me that his brother was the best man… no if’s, and’s, or but’s… but that he would need some help planning the bachelor party. “I only have two conditions”, he says. Easy. I know these before the words even reach his lips. Standard bachelor party conditions imposed by Future Wives of America… no strippers/whores and no drugs. It’s straight out of the Bachelorette Distrust 101 curriculum. Then, he surprised me… “Condition 1: It’s got to be in Costa Rica.” Now we’re talkin’… “Condition 2: It has to last at least 4 days.” Like a rock star. I have to admit that over the months to follow I had little to do with the actual planning… I mean, after all, it wasn’t my party… he should get what he wants and how he wants it. Who knows better than him? Fast forward to early April 2008 and you will find Barrett and I along with 4 compadres (Andy, Mike, Doug, and James) in a private 6000 square foot villa on a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean complete with butler, maid, private rooms, infinity pool, and jacuzzi. Here is the view from the veranda of my bedroom:

We went deep sea fishing 43 miles off the coast in a private 50’ Hatteras yacht. We rode ATV’s through the jungle basin. We zip-lined through the rain forest canopy. We ate, drank, and were merry. Random sampling of photos aqui:

headed out to sea


my sail


taking a break after a hard ride


me? dirty?


Einstein’s got nothin’ on me.


extremely cool ride


BCRL (blood Crown Royal level) was high


goin’ to town

I literally have over 4 GB of photos and movies from the trip. Most of them highlight how out of shape I am as I lounge around the pool like a beached whale. I had a fabulous time despite not being able to take nature and landscape photos as I’d hoped we could fit in… but hey, it was Bear’s special trip, not mine. I must admit that I came back from vacation needing a vacation. I know you know what I mean.

I’ve been working a lot, but no where near the amount I was the first 3 months of the year. That was just insane. I’m not at my number (linearly) for the year, but I’m close, so I’m glad to have a moment to breath. Late in the year, as I might have mentioned, I received my VA eligibility certificate for educational benefits earned while serving in the US military. I’ve enrolled in a Part 141 VA approved flight school and am working on my Instrument and Commercial pilot certificates. I spent almost 2 hours in flight under the hood today and my brain is fried. It is quite challenging early on to maintain the multitasking for such extended periods. I fly again tomorrow around 1:00 in the afternoon and am looking forward to a relaxing evening over at Georgia’s. Henry is over there on a play day with Tucker right now so I’m sure he’s going to be pooped when I get there this evening. It seems there were a few things here and there that I’ve dropped along the way, but honestly I’m doing good just to post this… if I remember, I’m sure they will find there way here eventually…

...or not.  :)

Summer is announcing it’s arrival as we peek into the 90’s this weekend. I need a cold front. Now.

Toodles.




update: pee ess… taken out of context, I see now that the shirt can be quite, well, not “me” and more Steve Stifler. The Monster is a giant burrito at a local chain. It’s quite good. The shirt is from there…

Is this thing on?

Arrrrrg… I’m sleepy and otherwise feeling worn thin, but I’m around. Sorta. This is the placeholder for what would have been a post if I wasn’t so set on crawling under a bunch of covers and snuggling with my little Peanut.

Quite possibly one of the most under-celebrated special days in the history of mankind. Have a wonderful holiday!

Sunny California is where I be. Lots of nothing and a little something has been happening since I last clickitty-clacked this soon to be migrated blogournal. Apparently “they” are moving the OS supporting the server this is hosted on to a newer, better, faster, leaner, meaner, shinier, sparklier version tomorrow. I’m not a server savvy chap, so I don’t know what will break and what won’t. The hosting company (1&1 thanks to a tip from Lisa) claims it will be seamless. I have no other option but to trust them as I’m certainly not in a position to fiddle with anything. I tried something as simple as backing up the database and get nothing but errors from the web server (500). The front line support at 1&1 are snacking on lead paint chips and it takes a monumental effort to get to anyone above them on the technical food chain, so I’ve given up. If this page is indeed blank tomorrow, you’ll know why. In other news, I’ve been working a lot. I flew for the first time in 10 years a week or so ago and realized just how very much I need to shake the rust off. I’m going to attempt a BFR next week when I get back to Texas, but I’m not sporting a lot of confidence at this juncture. I’ve been in Cali all week working at my companies headquarters in Santa Clara. Georgia is flying out tomorrow and we are going to spend the weekend in San Francisco and Napa Valley before heading back Sunday. It’s the closest thing to time off I’ve had in a while. Mom is pet-sitting while I’m away and looking over the house and such. Not much else new here… Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is coming, so I was able to attend my very first WWBBQ cook-off this year… my best friend’s step-dad was kidnapped and subsequently recovered through a huge joint effort force of multiple agencies including the FBI and Texas Rangers (and that is just too freaky to talk about)… there is the flying thing I mentioned, but there will be more of that later as I struggle to get back in the saddle and work toward my Instrument and Commercial ratings… I started to get really sick and tried one of those oddball neti pots which are just crazy weird, but work… etc and so on. I have an inkling of motivation to upgrade EECore to the new version and start writing here again if the server upgrade doesn’t make the history of this site go bye-bye tomorrow. I’m still tired all the time and need a vacation that includes actual sleep and sloth-like movement during waking hours… preferably nestled in a couch, sofa, chaise, beanbag, futon, or similar sedentary device.

I’m so tired… and sick. I’ve been spread pretty thing recently. Rewind a few weeks to the last time I posted here and since, I’ve been to Lufkin a couple of times, to California for a week for my annual global sales conference in Silicon Valley, to my current trip to southern Illinois by way of Indianapolis. It’s snowing outside. The week I was in Cali and unfortunately, on this trip as well, I put in 18 hour days. Yesterday it all caught up to me. I’m miserable when I’m sick. I’m certain there have been many tidbits along these weeks that have been work blogging, but I have not the will to sit in front a computer a second longer than required these days. In the years I’ve been doing this, there has always been ebb and flow. One day, the tide will come back in. For now however, I just want to come home and get well.

Tenacious C and the CR

The weekend at the coast was nice and relaxing. I don’t like the long drive, but I enjoy seeing family. My 6.5 month pregnant sister was in town for likely her final visit before my niece makes her grand entrance. We went maternity clothes shopping on Saturday in Corpus, but other than that, we just enjoyed some down time with conversation and games at the house. Georgia and my mom were walking through one of the spare bedrooms at my grandmothers and found some old photos of me in a display cube… stuff like my baby pic on a bear rug, my father and I on a motorcycle, etc. The one that really stood out was this one… my first exposure to Crown Royal. I was about 6 months old at the time of developing (the date on the framing), but my mother thinks I was probably closer to 4 or 5 months old in the photo. Just think… all this time I thought I drank it so much because it tasted good. Hehe.

Right.

So, this evening was a rather impromptu birthday dinner for my good friend, Ed. I wanted to do something special for his birthday (which was December 31), but have really just been so busy with life, the universe, and everything that the occation keeps slipping. I’ve been spread a little thin at work these days. The beginning of the year is hard enough, but my boss has me covering for another rep out of Chicago until he gets an engineer of his own. I honestly don’t mind a bit and am happy to help. I just find my days growing longer and more cluttered. Barrett came over this afternoon just as I was getting off work to catch up and spend some time with me tonight. He participated in Ed’s birthday night and stayed for a while back at my place afterwards for a long conversation. I should be exhausted at the moment, but I just can’t seem to fall asleep, so I decided to throw a few letters on the page for proof of life. I’m excited to finally see my prego sister this weekend… for the first time in nearly a year. I have some other travel coming up, but my schedule is a big jigsaw puzzle at the moment. If it weren’t for the automated calendar reminders, I’d likely be afk from RealLife™. I’ve noticed trends of wordiness swinging to aloof and often missing here over the last 6-ish years. Today, it’s not disinterest or even lack of content. It just comes down to time. I don’t make it. Sad, isn’t it?