Poor Diego.

Cali can't have anything to eat tonight.

To help prevent fights, and to keep Cali from feeling like she is being punished, I'm not giving Diego anything to eat either.

But poor Diego doesn't understand that we need to do this because his sister is having surgery tomorrow.

All he knows is that he's hungry.

Poor baby.

PS. Pardon the pun in the title.

I just figured out what religion I am:

OWINSBIG

Only When I Need Something Believes In God

Or maybe it's:

BIGOWINS

Believes In God Only When I Need Something

I was just thinking about Cali's upcoming surgery, and said a little prayer asking for God to keep her safe during the operation. And I was thinking about my last entry, and the grades I received in college, and the time when, totally out of character, for want of a miracle, I stepped into the chapel and asked for divine intervention to allow me to pass a test which by all rights I should have failed - and, somehow, I not only passed, but passed comfortably.

I guess every now and then I talk to God when I don't want something. Sometimes, on a particularly pretty day, I will give thanks for the beauty of that instant. And sometimes, I'll think to say a prayer for someone who is ill, or for world peace and an end to hunger.

But, I guess like most college kids (though I am long past that time myself), about the only time I have a conversation with "The Father" is when I need something from him.

Unfortunately, this would be an incorrect conclusion.

Actually, I get further behind with each passing day.

-- As a tangential note, I always get confused about which word to use - farther or further - in the context above. I even took the initiative to look up both words in the dictionary, but I'm still not sure whether I should have used further or farther above. Oh well...

So, if I'm so busy at work, why am I taking time to blog?

btfoom!

-- If you don't know what btfoom stands for, don't ask. Just accept that it is an acronym expressing a total lack of knowledge.

It must be to fill some emotional void. Or maybe it's just static emanating from a frazzled brain.

I just hate the idea that Cali will never be able to have offspring.

She is such a wonderful dog. Sweet, smart, playful.

I just hate to not perpetuate her genes.

But, she doesn't have her papers, so it would be hard to find a decent sire.

And there would always be the risk of her getting lose while she was in heat and having a fling with a traveling salesman. Not only would that create yet another litter of puppies that no one really wanted, but, depending on the size of the salesman, could jeopardize Cali's life.

And having her spayed would protect her from a number of potential future health problems and most likely prolong her life.

And the shelters are already full of existing puppies who need a home.

And, and, and.

But she will be in pain for days recovering from what (any way you look at it) is major surgery.

I know in my head that this is the right thing to do, but my heart is crying.

I have never enjoyed doing performance reviews.

I strive to keep the people on my team happy. But, to make the review process meaningful, I must be fair, and assess ratings based on performance and contribution.

For whatever reason, not everyone is an "A" performer. Unfortunately, most people want to be an "A" performer (or at least a "B" performer). I hate having to tell a person that "overall, last year you were a "C" performer." After a while, some come to accept in their heart of hearts that this is accurate; others never do. Regardless, most people don't like to be told they are a "C" performer.

Forget that a "C" is a passing grade. Forget that when I was in college, for some classes I would have almost sold my soul to have gotten a "C." The reality is that few employees like to get a "C."

So, today I had to deal with handing out the grades. Some folks were content, a few were happy, and a few were decidedly unhappy. I don't like to make people unhappy, but, I guess if work were fun all the time, I'd have to pay for the privilege of getting to do it, rather than getting paid to do it.

My favorites were "Budweiser: Instant Replay," "Bud Light: Dog Dreads," and "Bud Light: Butt Drinker." I also liked "Pepsi: Ozzy's Nightmare," "SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals," and "Gatorade: Michael Jordan" because I thought they were clever.

I guess we're kind of like blood brothers, only a little different.

Anyway, last night marked our first donation of the new year.

As usual, the highlight of the evening was our post-drain visiting and fluid replenishment.

I really look forward to these nights - it's not that often that I can do something which allows me to "give back" to my community, provides positive health benefits, and allows me to spend quality time with friends that I too rarely get to see - all in one shot (or stick to be precise).

After a fruitless week of searching, I accepted that Simon was gone forever, and ordered a replacement.

I had also been interested in a SOG Flash, so I ordered one of those too.

I received both today.

As with my previous Simon, I had to flatten the "rivets" that hold the blade guard to the frame, and loosen the set screw just a tad.

I am already quite fond of Flash. It is a nice small pocket knife. As is my usual, I purchased the combination blade. The pocket clip is perfectly placed - at the very end of the handle, and the assisted opening feature works great.

Simon's clip is just a little too small for the belt loops on my jeans (which is how - I think - I lost him), so I'll switch to Flash for every day carry, and Simon for when I wear nicer pants.

Since I will be switching back and forth between the two, the fact that I have no more room in my display case shouldn't be an issue - I'll just leave whoever has to stay home on my dresser.

One of these days, I guess I'll have to break down and get another display case...

When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was treated to a wonderful surprise.

As of this morning, I am thirty pounds lighter than the day I started my new lifestyle.

Yippee!

Well, actually, now that she is an accused felon, they don't want to call it Martha Stewart night any more, so we need to pick a new name.

Anyway, Mike and Roxanne were nice enough to offer to have us spend the weekend with them in their beautiful house in Wilmington NC.

Dave and Burnie picked us up around 5:30 PM on Friday, and drove us over - a drive of about two hours.

After arriving, the six of us walked to a local pub in downtown Wilmington and had a lovely dinner.

On Saturday, after starting with a hearty breakfast out, we all went to a neat little (well quite large actually) consignment store that specialized home furnishings. The prices were very reasonable, and there were a number of items that caught our eyes, but Jeanie and I resisted the temptation to indulge in an impulse purchase for ourselves. We did find a really cool gift for our nephew, but I'll have to wait to tell so I don't spill the beans (just in case he ever wanders over here).

The boys went back to the house to indulge in a day of watching televised sports, and the girls went back out shopping.

Since I'm not much of a spectator sports enthusiast (sorry Dennis), I spent the afternoon catching up on work e-mail.

Jeanie and Burnie whipped us a delicious Mexican themed dinner, and afterward, we all retired to the family room to watch the football playoffs. I must admit, I really did enjoy the Titans game - I thought it was football at its best. I thought the Eagles game was pretty boring.

Sunday, Mike and Roxanne's next door neighbors brought over some fresh eggs (they keep chickens under their deck) and we made breakfast burritos with the eggs and the leftovers from dinner.

After some more chatting, we headed off back to the real world.

It was an absolutely wonderful weekend.

Last weekend's visit by Jim and Kim, the weekend before's trip to Wilmington, NC just for starters...

But, it's after 11, and I'm exhausted, and tomorrow will be yet another long day.

Oh well.

Since they are mechanical, disk drives are the most likely component to fail in a PC. Other than some kind of mechanical trauma - like kicking the PC - the most like cause of drive failure is heat. Fortunately, one of my friends reminded me of this, so I installed the new backup drive in one of my "other" PCs - not my primary system.

I have been trying to figure out an economical, hassle-free method to back up my 100+ GB of data for some time now.

CD-Rs were quickly eliminated as a possibility due to the sheer number I would need.

I considered DVD-R, but the best deal I have seen for a drive is $150, and the media still cost $2+ dollars each. And, it would still require a lot of disks.

A tape drive would be nice, but the drives are expensive, even for relatively small capacity tapes, and backing up my data volume would require multiple tapes.

I wanted a solution that I could start and forget. Not one that I would have to feed media to...

So, I decided to buy a large capacity hard drive. I ended up buying a 160 GB WD drive with an 8MB buffer for a little over a buck a gig. The drive even came with a PCI controller card. It was by far the least expensive solution, and hassle free.

Now its just a matter of patiently waiting for all of the data to copy over the wire. The first copy will take quite a while, since I have to move all of the data. But once that is done, the backups should be fairly quick since I will only be copying the new and changed data.

I figure I'll just set up a scheduled task to kick of a batch file every night to do the copy.

Hopefully, having the backup drive will act as a talisman against drive failure...

Doesn't seem like and additional 2 1/2 pounds should make that much of a difference, but it sure does.

I'm glad I found those little plates. I don't think I could have handled an extra 5 pounds per dumbbell.

In a tangential vein, it once again highlights to me just how important relativity is in our lives.

2 1/2 pounds of weight gain for the average adult wouldn't be that significant a change.

2 1/2 pounds of additional weight for a blue whale wouldn't even be noticed.

2 1/2 pounds of additional weight for a regulation Chihuahua would be massive.

The significance is all in the frame of reference...

I've been working - nothing really new on that front. SOS. I've been working more hours than I probably should, but, such is life. We are in the middle of a big move in Austin; not a lot of systems, but very important systems.

We took Mom out to dinner. We went to T.G.I. Friday's for a change of pace. I had French onion soup and the Jack Daniel's steak. Yumm! Mom behaved herself, which made the evening so much nicer.

I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't gained any either. I've been a little more relaxed with my lifestyle, so between that and the holidays, I guess not gaining is a win.

I've been exercising regularly - I guess that has helped me maintain my weight too. And it feels good to have kept it (the habit) up.

We finally got around to watching the last two weeks of West Wing episodes last night. This week's was tough given the subject (a parent with Alzheimer's - for those who don't partake). We've still got two weeks of Ed to catch up on.

We continue to enjoy "24" (I know I'm hopping around day-wise - sorry). What is that witch Sherri up to? And oh my god! Who saw that twist at the very end of the episode coming?

I'm really trying to be more positive this year. It wasn't a resolution; more of a realization that I had allowed myself to slip into a bad habit.

So, here I sit, with my puppy by my side contentedly chewing on a bone, the blobs in my lava lamp lazily drifting - up and down, down and up, my fish hovering effortlessly in his tank, and my new desktop bamboo garden quietly gurgling as the water cascades down the pottery lilly pads.

Life is good.

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb. Chorizo sausage, removed from casings
4T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 t minced garlic
2 cans RO*TEL diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can tomato paste
1 can chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Slice chicken into 1" strips
Salt and pepper chicken strips
Place 2T oil in pan, medium heat
Brown chicken for 7-10 minutes
Add Chorizo, stirring to break Chorizo up, continue browning for 5 more minutes
Pour contents of pan into bowl, set aside
Place 2T oil in pan, medium heat
Add onion and garlic, sauté until onion is translucent
Add RO*TEL, tomato paste, and broth
Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes
Drain grease from meat mixture, then return meat mixture to pan
Simmer 20 additional minutes
Adjust seasonings as necessary

Makes a wonderful filling for tortillas, or a hearty stew served with yellow rice

Variations:

Add 1/4 cup raisins in addition to the liquid ingredients for a subtle, sweet counterpoint.

Add 1 can black beans, one can white beans, and one can red beans, in addition to liquid ingredients, for Cali's Chorizo Chicken Chili. After cooking, place in bowl and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

It can buy a Clock
But not Time

It can buy you a Book
But not Knowledge

It can buy you a Position
But not Respect

It can buy you Medicine
But not Health

It can buy you Blood
But not Life

It can buy you Sex
But not Love

So you see money isn't everything.
And it often causes pain and suffering.
I tell you all this because I am your Friend,  
and as your Friend I want to take away your pain and suffering...

So send me all your money and I will suffer for you.

Wisdom courtesy of my nephew.

But no, it is about my observation that our perceptions of everything we experience is relative to our frame of reference.

I do not consider myself rich in a monetary sense by any stretch of the imagination, yet to the vast majority of the world's population, I am unimaginably wealthy.

In fact, even relative to one point in my life, this is so. There was a time in my life, where the only money I had to buy food was the few coins that I managed to find scattered around the trailer that I lived in. My "treasure" was enough to buy me a can of biscuits, and a stick of oleo - which constituted that night's dinner.

I will spend a considerable amount of effort and time to fill out, copy, and mail a form for a $5 rebate - to me a statement about the significant value of five dollars. Yet, at other times, I can consider five dollars to be a "measly" amount barely worth concern. To much of the world, five dollars represents at least a day's wages.

So, the question becomes, are there really any absolutes in life, or is everything relative... to time, to location, to perspective, to the rest of the universe?

I lost my Internet connection again this afternoon, so, since I couldn't work, I figured it was a good excuse to get the VCR working in the back room.

After a quick trip to Home Depot to get some supplies, I got to work.

I removed the splitter from its location, and replaced it with an in-line connector so the powered cable run from the signal amp to the cable modem would be "unadulterated."

I then installed a splitter on one of the RF out legs of the signal amp, and ran a new cable run to the back room.

The outside cable interface box is a little crowded and ugly inside, between the cable coming from the street, the signal amp, the splitter, and the cables coming into the house, but the cover hides all the mess. I got some nice nylon cable clamps for the new cable run, and if I do say so myself, the installation looks quite nice.

I was a little nervous when I attached the cable to the VCR, but fortunately, the picture was nice and clear, and the signal amp's power supply stayed nice and cool...

Being the nice husband that I am, I even set the clock on the VCR, and programmed it so it will record the Today Show and The View every weekday for Jeanie.

Until today, the only option I had was to use my trusty Brother P-Touch to create a label.

It always seemed that it would be easier if I could just write on the brick.

Problem is, the bricks are usually black, so standard markers don't show up.

I tried using a metallic ink gel pen, but it skipped too much.

While we were at OfficeMax
today looking for Free After Rebate CD-Rs and slimline cases, I noticed a new product - the Sanford Sharpie Metallic. It has silver metallic ink, and works like a charm!

Highly recommended.

The new episodes of American Dream and Alias were both really good.

My theory was that a different brand of VCR would work fine in the back room.

Turns out the sale VCR was out of stock, so we ended up buying a slightly higher-end model for $12 more. Can we say "bait and switch?"

Guess what? It didn't work either. Same problem. Fortunately, I didn't blow the power supply.

After doing some detective work, I figured out what the problem is: the cable run that I chose to split for the run to the back room was a bad choice.

I was able to get into the outside cable box and see how the signal amp is wired. There are five terminals. One is for the cable coming in from the street. Three are RF out, to go to our TVs. The fourth is a combination RF out and power in. Power to the amp is supplied from an A/C transformer inside the house. The current is sent to the amp via the same cable that goes from the amp to the cable modem.

Since the cable to the cable modem is the only cable that is accessible from underneath the house, that's the one I split for the run to the back room. Since it carries a current, it is no wonder that problems arise when I hook a vcr to that run. The only thing I don't understand is why the connection to the TV in the back room doesn't cause problems.

The solution will be to split the cable coming from one of the other three RF outs, and run a new run outside/under the house to the back room.

It will be a pain, but at least I have a plan now...

The one good outcome is that we can take the VCR back to Target, and get the "original" Panasonic VCR which was less expensive, but had more features.

The latest concept in the relationship between foods we ingest and the impact on our blood sugar levels is the concept of "glycemic load."

Basically, glycemic load starts with the calculated "glycemic index" value, but then adjusts for the number of grams of carbohydrate in a standard serving.

As an example, carrots have an extremely high glycemic index - your body readily converts them into blood sugar. So, you might determine that you should avoid carrots, although to most of us, this seems counter-intuitive. When adjusted for carbohydrate grams/serving however, it turns out that carrots have a very low glycemic load.

The concept of glycemic load is still fairly new, so there are not many extensive tables available yet, however, I have found a few:

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

And here are a few links that explain the concept in greater detail:

Link 1

Link 2

So, highly refined foods (like white sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.) are still no-no's, but some foods (like carrots) that were "banned" list based on their glycemic index are now back on the "okay" list.

I'm guessing that they fudge the results high to try to get you to join...

Tonight is actually the last of the old season, but it feels like the start of the new...

The nice help agent told me that the local office opened at 8:30 AM, and did in fact have signal amps on site.

Jeanie drove over to the Time-Warner office and arrived right as they opened. When she requested a new power supply for the signal amp, she was informed that they didn't have those in stock. The power supplies are only carried on the technician's trucks.

Fortunately, the agent was thinking on his feet, and commented that they had a returned unit in the back. He offered to give it to Jeanie for us to try. Fortunately, it did work, and we're back on-line.

Jeanie went and exchanged the VCR.

I hooked up the new one, and almost blew out the new power supply. Fortunately, as soon as I saw that the picture was fuzzy with the new VCR as well, I immediately disconnected it. The cable modem had lost it's connection, and the power supply was warm, but fortunately, I disconnected the VCR before it was able to fry another power supply. I guess there is something about the design of the cheapo Panasonic VCR which makes it incompatible with the Time-Warner signal amp.

We'll have to return the VCR, get our money back, and try to find a different brand of affordable VCR for the back room.

Oh well, it could have been worse - at least we're still on-line.

Jeanie bought a new VCR for the back room. She got it for a great price - $59 for a four head Panasonic unit.

The plan is that she will tape Today and "The View" every day, and then watch them time delayed while she exercises in the afternoon or evening.

I hooked it up for her tonight, but the picture on the TV was horrible. After trying a different cable, we decided the unit was defective. After I boxed the unit back up so Jeanie could return it, I noticed that I had lost my Internet connection. I also noticed that the reception on the TV was fuzzy.

It seemed like the cable amplifier had died. Sure enough, it was hot to the touch, and had that unmistakable aroma of fried electronics.

I called Time Warner to find out when the local store opened so we could purchase a new unit. After fifteen minutes on hold, an agent finally picked up, and then promptly hung up without even uttering a word. Arg!

Oh well, I guess I'll try again tomorrow morning.