How to Be Real

Brene Brown quoted a passage from the children’s book “The Velveteen Rabbit”:

“What is Real?” asked the Rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you, and a stick out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you were made”, said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you - then you become real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes”, said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.“

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up?” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once”, said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand…once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”

In a somewhat related note, I have a coworker who is like Buzz Lightyear to my Cowboy Woody, at least in my mind. Numerous similarities.

Watched an episode of Elsbeth with guest star Alan Ruck, who played Ferris Bueller’s friend Cameron in the classic movie (wearing Gordie Howe’s actual Red Wings jersey). Then in the next episode of Elsbeth, the guest star was Ferris himself, Matthew Broderick. Broderick’s son also guest starred. I think famous NYC actors enjoy playing the bad guy on Elsbeth, as there’s usually a big name guest starring every week.

Denison: Ruth Graham profiled evangelical author Aaron Renn in the New York Times. Renn is known for his historical taxonomy that has become conventional wisdom: (1) American Christians experienced a “positive world” between 1964 & 1994, when being a Christian enhanced social status and “Christian social norms” were the norms of the broader American culture. (2) in the “neutral world” from 1994-2014, Christianity no longer held a privileged status, but was viewed as one option in a pluralistic public square. (3) then the US became a “negative world” for Christians. Following Christ and holding traditional Christian moral views, particularly related to sex and gender, is now seen as “a threat to the public good and new public moral order.”

Millie is ready for the Masters - and St. Patrick's Day. Supposed to be a lot of coworkers wearing of the green on Monday, so I’ll dig out my green Ronald Acuna spring training Braves jersey, green Gwinnett Braves cap, and green striped Stance St Patrick’s compression socks.

Pi Day

Today is Pi Day, March 14 – 3/14. I’m looking for Pi Day deals. Got two slices of RaceTrac pizza pie for $3.14, plus a large Coke Zero for a buck. Guess I missed the annual Pi K Road Race down at Tech. I need to run that bad boy one year.

SOAPBOX: so many guys these days take the time to back into parking spaces. “Makes it easier and safer when you pull out. And safer” they claim. For sure. As if safety were really their concern. But what about when they pull in? There’s less room for error when you are backing into one small parking space, so it takes longer. When you back out of a space, you have the whole wide open parking lot to back out into, so it takes less time.

Less times means you’re burning less gas, which is better for that environment that people say they are so concerned about. Less time means you are holding up others less, which means you are more considerate to others. Not sure about these days, but that used to be a good thing. For many guys, backing in to a space seems to be a power / macho thing. When I see this debate on social media, the macho guys belittle opponents: “What’s wrong? Can’t back in?” Sad that macho is still a thing.

Safety? When you are backing in to one parking space, that’s where your attention is directed – not on what’s going on in the rest of the parking lot, where there’s other cars and people walking. When you are backing out of a space to leave, your attention is on the rest of the parking lot, so you’ll be better able to see other cars and pedestrians. Backing out is best. Case closed.

To run the whole parking topic into the ground, what’s best is to be able pull through the first space on to the space in front of it, so you can pull out instead of backing out. I like to park by a curb, so no one will be parking on one side of my car – giving 50% fewer opportunities for dings. There you can pull over to the far side of the space, further away from the car next to you.

I hate it when people say “Now I’ll get off my soapbox”. Most kids today probably don’t know the origin of the phrase.

Not much news on my end. Worked till 545 yesterday. Drove home and took out trash, folded clothes, and did other housework until supper at 730. Grilled chicken, grilled okra, roasted potato wedges, farm fresh green beans.

Skipped the gym and drove in to work early. A guy was supposed to pick up a piece of furniture at the house this afternoon, so I left work early. The five coworkers who sit nearest me all worked from home today. Nice to have some peace and quiet, but the work was chaos as usual.

Daring Greatly

Reading “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”, a #1 New York Times bestseller by Brene Brown. Good stuff. Goes in depth about vulnerability and shame.

My boss’ boss is Shane, a quick minded, hard worker. Always is able to come up with the perfect reply in mini-seconds. Takes me forever to come up with what to say. Shane gives everyone nicknames. I’ve had several from him over the past few years, for various reasons: Sergeant at Arms (or Sarge), Domex Dave (a type of metal) – which became Double D, and most recently The Assassin, because I’m quiet.

This week Shane has been wearing his bright orange Hoka sneakers. Yesterday I made sure he would be today, so I wore my bright orange and optic yellow Nike Kevin Durant KD7 basketball shoes (& matching socks). Shane loved them.

GOOD NEWS: I don’t have the money to buy or lease me a nice car, much less Matthew. So I bought him the used pickup that he wanted. But I had it checked out by a professional who said it was good. He did say that at some point a gasket would need to be replaced. Now after two weeks M’s new used truck had been running poorly. Thought it might be the transmission, which would be half the price of the truck. Terrible news. But my shop kept it for two days, and figured out it was just that gasket that needed to be replaced anyway.

A good small group discussion last night on Luke 18:9-14 the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. While preparing I’ve been typing out the verses in my own words.

9. Jesus told a parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt. 10. Two men went up to the temple to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector. 11. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed “God I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get”. 13. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other man. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Wednesday: worked until 545 then headed to small group. Was making good time so I drove thru Wendys for a chicken sandwich and free Frosty. Ceil was too worn out for her small group. She crashed on the couch and watched her favorite movie. 

Up early to lift weights at the gym this morning.

Asthma

Heart rate currently 73. Not bad after drinking a large Mtn Dew. Since I was a child with bad asthma that lingered well into adulthood, drinking caffeine has always helped me breathe easier. Even today I can feel the difference the caffeine makes. Doesn’t seem to effect my heart rate too adversely. That and the sugar rush from the apple fritter.

Used to be that if I went somewhere far away where I knew I wouldn’t have my inhaler for an extended period of time, invariably I would have an asthma attack. Like it was in my head. Have I already written this 50 times? So glad that I am past that. Even raking leaves and dust and pollen don’t bother me like it used to. All those asthma inhalers I used back in the 60s 70s and 80s had propellants as ingredients that couldn’t have been good for my heart and lungs, though when I went through a battery of heart stress tests a few years ago the results came back fine. I just hope I can make through the stress at work.

Not only is there a scenic backdrop at Grant Field, but also at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Tuesday: with the work never ending it was good to knock off early yesterday. So is getting out and golfing. That said, working thru lunch, then until 6 pm most days, and on weekends helps me keep my head above water and stay less stressed out. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Gives me time to double check the little things.

At my funeral I don’t want people talking about what a good job I did at work. Have I said this before? Not sure if I make my job harder than it actually is, but if you don’t take time to drill down and review every part from start to finish, you will miss something. I’ve seen others doing similar orders that get all messed up because they didn’t take the time, and I would be called in to unravel the mess. Its sad when the people that don’t do a good job aren’t given much work, but the exceptional employees have more work piled on their plates. They’re rarely compensated unless they make a big fuss – something I was never good at. I tried to be myself, and God was provided.

Received word that we have to perform a time consuming audit because someone at another location screwed up big time. One step forward, two steps back.

Left work at 4 pm for my focus group. Took 35 minutes to eat 5 cookies, for $35.00. A nice break. On the way home I stopped by Dollar Tree and two Goodwills, since it was senior discount day. Bought a pair of shorts. Didn’t get home until 7 pm. C was stressed, because once again she had too much going on. After a supper of grilled chicken, stir fry vegetables, and jasmine rice, she worked the rest of the evening on cutting up large blocks of clay, for today’s art project at her school.

Up early to hit the gym this morning. The time change has made my commute to work in the dark harder. Mack brought in apple fritters and other goodies from Danny’s Donuts. Small group tonight.

Tiger Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon, and will miss the Masters.

Denison: the US stands at an all-time low ranking in the World Happiness Report.

I hardly ever mail anything anymore.

WNBA Insider

The WNBA is a money loser for the NBA, yet some of the more higher salaried players think they should strike for higher pay. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark was a guest on Eli Manning’s YouTube Channel show. Eli beat her at Pop-A-Shot. They also played putt putt.

In my old age I just don’t watch as much sports as I used to. Just football and golf. Hard to find a Braves telecast on my TV. Same with the Hawks. Don’t tell Lang, but March is when I finally START watching basketball (though I do keep up with the Grizzlies, Hawks, and GT). I was just browsing Poshmark and eBay for Hawks gear. I am a proud member of the Hawks Fan Council. Need to put that on my resume.

I just applied to work this summer at the MLB All Star Game FanFest, a 4 day event July 12-15th. I think it will be at the Cobb Galleria, across 285 from the Braves stadium. They need 350 people. Not sure how many will apply. Includes the MLB Draft at the Roxy Theatre in The Battery, as well as section where former players (legends) make appearances. Round two of the hiring process is in May, but I may not know until June whether I make the cut.

While C is watching her Hallmark movies, I am usually on my laptop or phone. Every day I receive well over 100+ junk emails in my personal email. I try to keep the box clean, but recently fell behind. Gotta check in case I win a sweepstakes.

C may start swimming and cycling. We played pool in college, at the GT BSU. I was partial to bumper pool, RISK, and backgammon. Ever heard of “table shuffleboard” ? I played it once while on a business trip. Look it up. Very fun.

You ought to try the Frappuccino at McDonalds. Like the Arbys coffee milkshake, but better. Expensive. I would wait and use points to get one. I’ve started back drinking protein shakes. I am one of those people who can eat the same thing every time (lemon chicken enchiladas). But those chicken tacos were really tasty. Might have to order those next time.

Christmases and other holidays weren’t huge deals in our family. I remember on a youth retreat we were asked what was a big family time. I went first and said when we went to Falcons football games, because we’d have a tailgate before going into the stadium. Then everyone else said Christmas. Then when I married Ceil, Christmas and Thanksgiving was a huge deal, with her cousins and aunts and uncles. Then when we all had kids, those holidays got even bigger. We’d have 30 people all together. Enough kids to sing the 12 Days of Christmas, and play a football game.

Yesterday I worked until 6 pm. Ceil stayed at with the girls until Will got home from work. She didn’t get home until like 845. I got home and ate leftovers for supper, then crashed on the couch. I hadn’t gotten much rest over the weekend.

Left work at 4 pm today for a focus group on cookies.

Reid Turns 90

We had a great day yesterday at Reid’s 90th birthday luncheon. I wanted to just hang out with Reid, but felt like I’d better talk to the others there as well. Even Ceil said she had a great time. I should’ve taken more photos, but just wasn’t in the mood. Claire took a ton.

Reid Edie Claire Andrew Megan Liza Caroline Abby John & Margaret Condra Rev & Mrs Sapp George, me and Ceil, plus one other couple. When we arrived Liza came up and introduced herself. Once Abby warmed up to me, she gave me a hug. Megan sang a beautiful song, and later helped C when C spilt the contents of her purse. Reid held up the amazing map of his daily walks ever since the SPdL FLC opened some 35 years ago - far enough to cover the distance from Atlanta to Destin, then west to San Diego, north to Seattle, and back east to Chicago - and counting (above).

I bet most of the people there wanted to speak, to give tribute to Reid. Edie did a great job. I knew he didn’t want anything “funny” from me. I didn’t write anything down, but had in mind several serious things to say – but Edie covered those things better than I could have. I was able to have nice chats with Claire, Margaret, John, and Andrew. Ceil got to talk Taqueria recipes with George, who told me that to him, I am “Anna’s father”.

Of course I ate too much. Great food. Chips, salsa, queso, lemon enchiladas, and tacos made to order – chicken or ground beef. Edie brought three desserts. Didn’t eat any supper.

When we left Taqueria we took Briarcliff / Moreland all the way to I-20, then west to W&MC’s. Ceil was playing a John Piper sermon on our drive. At one point it didn’t seem like the point in his sermon to go from laid back to really preaching excitedly, but Piper’s speaking went from slow to more emphatic. Piper was speaking faster and faster – then I realized Ceil had accidentally hit something to make the recording to play faster.

Arrived at W&MC’s at 4 pm. Will was at work and MC had to pack for her trip to DC (Jenna Bush is attending her event tomorrow). We watched the movie “Happy Feet” with the girls, played, fed them supper, and gave them a bath. Didn’t get home until 9 pm.

Up early to go to the gym this morning. Cruddy drive to work in the dark and rain.

A must read: Jeff Hullinger reports: A former Tech player has curated a museum in honor of Bill Curry. (below).

Rabbi says there is no red heifer suited for the ceremony of third temple in Israel. If so, this means the end times are not quite as imminent as they could be.

It’s hard to imagine all the pure evil that’s going on in the world around us, but some stories provide a small glimpse, like: The Most Evil Man In Evangelicalism.

How to Wear a Sweater Vest.

Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety.

Denison: the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The former leads to the latter.

Top ten players (by WAR) whose last name has never been duplicated in MLB history AND whose first name has likewise never been matched by any other player on any major league roster. Full list here.

Player                  WAR

Shin-Soo Choo.....34.6

Harlond Clift.........42.1

Gavy Cravath.......33.0

Jacoby Ellsbury...31.2

Topsy Hartsel.......31.3

Orel Hershiser.....56.0

Dolf Luque...........48.1

Firpo Marberry.....30.6

Vada Pinson........54.2

Urban Shocker....58.6

Most Bunt Singles

Mickey Mantle retired with the most bunt singles in history. Sixty years later, he is still ranked tenth.

1. 189 Brett Butler 29 in 1992

2. 91 Rod Carew

3. Ichiro Suzuki

4. Maury Wills

5. Bert Campaneris

6. Pete Rose

7. Juan Pierre

8. Lou Brock

9. Kenny Lofton

10. Mickey Mantle had 7 in the World Series

Reading the national bestseller “DOPESICK: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America” by Beth Macy. How a drug company bribed doctors and politicians to prescribe addictive opiates in Appalachia, the inner cities, and eventually suburbia. Same thing now is happening with “weight loss” drugs like Ozempic. A Danish company’s drug is banned dangerous in their own country, but they’re paying US politicians to allow it in America.

Asthma inhalers. I have saved of five or six inhalers in case I were to need one some day, though I haven’t needed one in years. I am forwarding them on to Matthew, who still struggles with coughing and breathing sometimes.

I did have several old pair of my glasses and readers stashed here and there. I might’ve gotten rid of a few of them. Used to have a pair of drug store readers that I loved. Man lately my eyes have been dry. My eyes ain’t what they used to be, especially in my right eye after that “stroke” that I had in my eye several years ago. Hard to read with that eye, and I can’t see a baseball thrown to me. On Monday Will was strapping his girls into the car and grabbed a football and threw it to me. I really had to concentrate. Hard for me to hear in crowds as well. A couple of my friends already wear hearing aids. Will probably be in my future at some point.

One of my many bad habits / hobbies is entering sweepstakes while sitting around watching TV at night. I try to pass on those hard to enter. I look for cars, cash $10000 & over, trips to Europe, Japan, Alaska, Disney, or other interesting places, and maybe other prizes that look fun. Here are a few recent ones that I have stumbled across.

Disneyland Sweepstakes

Ireland Sweepstakes

Hawaii Sweepstakes

Bedroom Makeover Sweepstakes

$25000 Sweepstakes

Ft Myers Sweepstakes

Travel Sweepstakes

Ever see the commercials about the people who start acting like their parents after becoming homeowners? I have a coworker who acts exactly like those people in the commercial.

CHRISTY MATHEWSON  [SABR Bio] was denied the chance to pitch in his first World Series because of a personal grudge. The New York Giants cruised to 106 wins in 1904, with 33 of those wins belonging to Mathewson. But because of acrid relationship between NYG manager John McGraw and AL Founder/President Ban Johnson, no postseason games were held that year. His streak of 12 straight 20-win seasons is the longest in the 20th century. From 1903 through 1914, Big Six never won fewer than 22 games, with a .710 winning percentage, averaged 323 innings a year, and an ERA barely over 2.00. He avoided pitching on Sundays, in accordance with his mother’s wishes.

DENISON: In the book The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West, technology billionaire Alexander C. Karp and his deputy Nicholas W. Zamiska warn “abandonment of belief” has “left us unable to confront issues with moral clarity” and “an aspirational desire for tolerance of everything has descended into support of nothing”.

DENISON: a Gallup poll shows that only 22% of Americans are satisfied with the nation’s “moral and ethical climate.” Do we need to turn to religion in response?

Luke 7:1-10 Temptations to Sin:

1. Jesus said to his disciples” Temptations are sure to come. woe to the one through whom they come!

2. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast in to the sea than should he cause one of these little ones to stumble.

3. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

4. If he sins against you seven times in one day, and turns to you seven times, saying I repent, you must forgive him.

5. The apostles said to Jesus: Increase our faith!

6. Jesus said If you had the faith of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you.

7. Will any of you who plowed fields or kept sheep say to him when he comes in from the field “Come at once and recline at the table”?

8. Will he not rather say to him “Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink”?

9. Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?

10. So you also, when you do all that you were commanded, say “We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty”.

R.I.P. Joe Suggs

Joe Suggs passed away this week. What a character. Younger brother of my friends Rob and Steve (and Jim). Joe was at Mercer when I worked for his father Jim Suggs at Sepco from 1983-1987. I can’t believe it’s been nine years since I met up with him to catch up. Read more about his interesting life, and his “relationship” with Jay Leno.

I watched the legendary extra inning July 4th Braves / Mets game at the Suggs house with Rob, Steve, Joe, and Franc Neal, when Rick Camp hit his famous two strike, two out game tying home run to extend the game. I went to a Braves game a few years ago with Rob. Back at Tech, I wore Steve’s tux to take Cathy Stephens to the Walton prom at the World Congress Center.

Joe was rarely seen without his signature Braves cap. In college in the early 80’s he owned an authentic wool 1969 Clete Boyer wool Braves pinstripe jersey, quite the rarity in those days. Nine years ago I asked him if he still had the jersey, but he wasn’t sure where it was. One more amazing thing about Joe: his backyard animal friends would come up and feed out of his hand. Amazing.

Jane Warren was particularly rocked by Joe’s passing. Jane was best friends with Lynn Lemmons, Joe’s longtime high school girlfriend. Lynn is currently undergoing chemo. Joe Suggs will be missed. Some great stories about Joe from friends on his Facebook.

It used to be that when something bad happened, people would say they would be praying for you. Then a few years ago that changed to “I’m sending thoughts and prayers”. When the whole “thoughts and prayers” thing started, I knew what would happen. Now people say “I’m sick – please send me your good thoughts”. Does that really help? Do people actually think about what they are saying?

Reminds me of a verse we discussed this week: Luke 17:3: “Pay attention to yourselves!” My ex-friend Paul should take heed.

Last night I worked past 6 pm. Had a discussion with my boss about the issues with my job. He’s already wanting me to stay on for 20 hours a week. I asked what would be taken away, considering my current job is 60+ hours a week.

Ceil was worn out on the couch when I got home. I plopped down and we both fell asleep. At 745 she finally cooked some stir fry.

Up early this AM to play golf. So nice that I had to pull off my quarter zip. Arrived “late” and didn’t tee off until 645 am.

1. Mulligan was good. Third attempt at a fairway shot was good. A so so chip. Great lag putt. Double.

2. Worm burner off tee got a decent roll. Chip was a wormburner that rolled off the back of the green. There was a guy playing behind me, so I didn’t hit as many shots.

3. Tee shot drifted left. Two decent chips.

4. Tee shot drifted left. Cruddy chip followed by a better one.

5. Great 7 iron off tee to the front fringe. Poor lag putts.

4. Doubled back behind the guy behind me, to play 4 and 5 again - only to find another guy playing the 3rd hole. Chip didn’t look good, but it rolled to the fringe. Two putt for bogey.

5. Another decent tee shot to the front of the green. Two poor chips. So so lag putt from the rough. Two putt. Double.

6. Great hybrid off the tee, to the 150 yard marker. Great 6 iron to the front off the green - shot of the day. Then a pretty good chip. Couldn’t sink the par putt. Bogey.

7. Another great hybrid, most of the way up the hill. Flub, then a 7 iron to the left rough. Bad chip followed by a good chip. Decent lag putt. Double.

8. Didn’t hit the driver great. Not sure where it went. With the golfer behind me, I kept playing. Great 8 iron to the back of the green. I hadn’t realized it had had made the green, so I dropped a ball and executed a great chip. “Par”.

9. A good straight hybrid off the tee. An okay chip to the right of the sloped green. Tried to putt out of the rough. Bad idea. “Double”.

Finished at 750 am. Tonight the time changes, so no more weekday morning rounds for several weeks.

Drove to the office to catch up on some work. By working extra, I am less stressed during the week. That’s what I tell myself anyway.

Spelling: my company has recently added “AI” autofill to our email, where it suggests the word you are trying to type. In some cases it will autocorrect a misspelling. But I rarely notice because I am looking down at my fingers typing on the keyboard. Then when I am done typing I will look up and sometimes catch a misspelled word. I can not ever see me asking AI to write for me. I enjoy writing too much. Back in high school I made an A in typing, then I rarely typed until like 25 years later when I got a computer. Now I type with just one finger on each hand, staring down at the keyboard. I’m not super fast but maybe not too slow.

Denison on the Department of Education: Reagan campaigned on dismantling it the following year, and seeing the department dissolved back into its disparate elements has been a goal for many ever since. States pay for 90% of education expenses.

Bryson & Brady

Watched a video of Bryson DeChambeau and Tom Brady trying to break 50. Brady wasn't much help, but he did ask Bryson some good questions. Many questions that Bryson and the cameraman asked Brady, Tom would later ask Bryson the same question. I might've heard that Bryson is turning down millions from LIV to return to the PGA tour. Bryson said that since he is on a LIV team he wears the team cap, instead of the derby he used to wear like Byron Nelson and Payne Stewart and others.

Tuesday: worked through lunch, then past 6 pm. Stopped by Dollar Tree on the way home. C hadn't been feeling well but fixed baked chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, and salad. I went up to bed around 945 pm.

Wednesday: wanted to play golf as the temp was 52 degrees, but in the middle of the night my back started aching bad. Couldn't go to the gym so I came in to work early. Another day full of stress. Ny boss's boss's boss wanted to know why something hadn't been done – it's because I am up to my ears trying to keep our customer from shutting down. When I was asked why, this was my quick reply…

I am buried with other work. VMI still is waiting on 5 parts so they can rec. Dennis is out today so I have to enter the 44 PO's so VMI can rec. Got a hot PO at Georgia Plating. Need to give five PO's to Collier. Got to answer purchasing about something. Need to enter several SIOP requests. Brad is waiting on me so Feb shipments can bill. I haven't told Mowbrey what did and didn't ship. The plant is waiting for me to update an order. I got the Fanello call. Need to tell stampers what to ship tomorrow. Plus lots more.

Used to be people would stay in one job their entire career. Nowadays young people hop from job to job. WANT TO KNOW WHY? It is because when you get in a job you might get promoted once or twice, but eventually you plateau, and the company is happy to keep you stuck in the same job year after year.

I had many reasons why I've stayed in my job for so long. I've been able to do many things, but basically for the past 19 years I've been stuck in the same position. My company is thrilled that I do the very difficult job that I do. To say that I am taken for granted is a huge understatement.

It's hard to not care as much about doing a good job. Seems like the only way to not be given more work is to do a bad job. When the weather warms I will be playing golf in the morning once or twice during the week. Dang time change is coming at just the wrong time.

The whole world is set up to go go go go and busy busy busy. It's a constant fight to dial back. Believe it or not, I am better than many people at not being so busy.

Thursday: worked past 6 pm. Ceil fixed BBQ, cole slaw, spinach with onions, and roasted French fries.

Friday: lifted weights at the gym this morning. I've lost a couple of pounds, but have a long way to go.

It was great that C was available to babysit so much when she was needed last week. Wished I could've helped out more than I did. As was the case last week, oftentimes I have to take over some of the other commitments Ceil had. Other people rarely see that.

OREL HERSHISER  [SABR Bio] holds the record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched. On 28-Sep-1988, Hershiser broke the record set by Don Drysdale 30 years earlier. Hershiser's 59 straight scoreless innings bested Drysdale's mark of 58-2/3. He dropped out of college after failing to make the baseball team as a freshman, but later hitchhiked back to Bowling Green to resume his studies. He was the 1988 NLCS MVP for LAD and the 1995 ALCS MVP for CLE.

Denison: when politics replaces religion: The Hill called Democrats' actions "an extraordinary display of partisan scuffling even by the standards of the polarized modern era."