A Tree Falling in the Forest

Today is my last day in my current job. On Monday, I start the new job in Richmond.

I don't talk about my job on the blog... that's on purpose. I am quite sure I would offend someone or say something I shouldn't and get in trouble. So, best to steer clear of the danger by not talking about work at all.

Time to clean out the files, save the electronic versions of my work, turn in my ID, Blackberry, cellphone and laptop. Recycling a year's worth of paper is a healthy way to let go of the projects I have worked on. I am not sad about leaving, but I will miss some of the great people that work here.

I am sure it will not be as exciting as the last day in my last job, when 30 or so FBI agents busted through the door and told me to stand behind my desk and not touch anything. But that is a story for another time.

We'll have cake and goodbyes later in the day. I may be asked to say something, in which case I will make something up and try to be witty. Then I will shuffle down to my truck loaded with a few pictures and personal belongings and bid farewell. Off to start a new chapter.

Another thing about selling our house...

Here is a tip for real estate professionals hoping to earn the right to list a home: "Don't insult the owners or the owners' pet."

A real estate broker toured our home as we were considering who to list it with. I think she was probably the best person to list with, but she made the fatal mistake of insulting our dog.

As she walked through the livingroom she pointed at Shelby, our dog and beloved member of our family, and said, "What are you going to do with that?" She said a couple more things along the way to offend me, but really, referring to our dog as if she was an ugly piece of furniture is really all it took. "That" is second only to baby Charlie in terms of importance in this house. Thank you for your time, don't let the door whack you in the butt on the way out.

Selling our house is becoming an unsatisfying experience. Not because it hasn't sold yet, after all it has only been on the market for 5 days. It is unsatisfying because we don't receive any feedback from the many potential buyers that have toured our home.

You go through our house, you have unfettered access to our closets and belongings, you see all the work we have done to paint and renovate and you say... nothing. No compliments, no complaints, no suggestions, no feedback, no nothing.

One of the reasons I liked school was I got frequent feedback. I turn in a paper, it's graded, commented on, and returned. I have the satisfaction of an A or suggestions for how to get an A next time. Like Lisa Simpson when the teachers of Springfield Elementary go on strike, I feel like yelling out our front door, "Look at me! Grade me! Evaluate and rank me! I'm good, good, good and oh so smart! Grade me!" Ugh.

I am not sure why Ken Jennings is bitter, but it sure makes me chuckle.

A few excerts from the full AP article.

NEW YORK - "Jeopardy!" ace Ken Jennings, who won $2.5 million during his 74-game winning streak, has a few unkind words to say about the show — and dapper host Alex Trebek.

"Nobody knows he died in that fiery truck crash a few years back and was immediately replaced with the Trebektron 4000 (I see your engineers still can't get the mustache right, by the way)."
Jennings also takes aim at the show's "effete, left-coast" categories and "same-old" format.

Trebek, 66, has hosted the show since 1984. In a "correction" posted Monday on his Web site, Jennings offers an apology of sorts.

"We regret the insinuation that Mr. Alex Trebek is a robot, and has been since 2004. Mr. Trebek's robotic frame does still contain some organic parts, many harvested from patriotic Canadian schoolchildren, so this technically makes him a `cyborg,' not a `robot.'"


Ha-ha... "patriotic Canadian schoolchildren"... as if there is such a thing.

97.1 Wash FM is playing Christmas music today to celebrate Christmas in July. I listened on my way to work today. I wasn't sure what was going on when I tuned in and heard Bruce Springsteen singing "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." It was a little surreal sitting in traffic listening to Christmas music in 80 degree weather.

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year. By then, the drama of buying and selling houses and moving should be behind us and we will be well into a new chapter in our lives.

Still at x-11 on the weight loss plan, but I have a reasonable excuse.

I haven't step foot on the treadmill since I had a stomach virus a few weeks back. In fact the treadmill has been moved out of the house and into a storage unit. Apparently, it is not aesthetically pleasing.

Which brings me to another topic... Susan, Charlie, Shelby and I are preparing for our grand exodus from inside the Washington DC beltway. I have accepted a job in Richmond, Virginia, my former and future home.

We have been working feverishly to get our house ready to put on the market. The listing became active today. Painting, fixing, and rearranging has been our life for the past three weeks. I have done a lot of work on this house, so it will be sad to move out. But, my grief will be tempered by the ability to buy a house in Richmond with a garage and a bigger yard.

(The link to the listing seems a little fussy... http://homes.longandfoster.com/Real-Estate/PropertyDetails.aspx?MlsCompanyID=2&MlsNumber=AX6128586)

Hopefully it will sell in a reasonable amount of time, so we can start looking at homes in Richmond. We've listed it much lower than the other two homes for sale in our neighborhood.

A bit of wisdom from Thomas Sowell on the effectiveness of peace movements.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/07/pacifists_versus_peace.html

One of my favorite candies is Strawberry Twizzlers. Over the years I have eaten pound after pound of red twisted tastiness, especially on long road trips between Maine and Virginia (or Ohio, or South Carolina, or West Virginia.) I prefer buying the large bag; they actually taste different than the small package. Once the package is open you have to eat the whole bag or have a way to reseal it to avoid allowing the candy to dry out and lose precious flavor. I usually use a chip clip to seal mine, and then place the bag safely under my center arm rest.

My affinity and loyalty for the product has lead me to try other Twizzler offerings, always with the same result... disappointment. Like a fool, I see a new flavors and succumb to the impulse buying demons in the hope of finding something as delicious as the original. It never happens. The texture and flavor never surpass or even come close to the original.

Today, I tried "Twizzlers Rainbow Twists." The "rainbow" refers to five flavors: strawberry (red), orange (orange), lemonade (yellow), watermelon (green), blue raspberry (blue), and grape (purple). Each flavor is more disappointing than the last. You have been warned.

If you had a Sugar-free Chocolate Jello Pudding Cup with the date "July 31, 2006" on the side would you:

A. Open it up and enjoy it's tasty goodness.

B. Immediately throw it away along with anything that was in its vicinity in the fridge.

C. Save it until August 5, 2006 to eat it and prove a point.

On July 16, 2006, I ate two. I like to live dangerously.

Yesterday one of our neighbors had an open house. This is the neighbor with the 666 house number. She and her boyfriend have spent months working hard to get the house ready to put on the market. Remodeled bathrooms, new landscaping, paint, carpet, the whole deal. I was busy working on our house so I didn't take the time to go through for the open house. Susan did and described it well enough that I get the picture.

No matter how nice, I don't think I could live in a 666 house. I would have to change it to something... 664.5, 668A, something. I can't believe the neighborhood architects or builders didn't clue in on the fact that it is stupid to number a house 666. Granted, it is a very memorable address. I am sure it will turn off some potential buyers. I just hope it doesn't attract any buyers for the number alone.

I happened to be painting windows so I saw some of the traffic coming in for the open house. I didn't see anyone dressed in Goth wear or smelling of animal sacrifices. It is a half million dollar house, so most of the traffic was young professional couples and families. One pair did get my attention... Remember the old men from the balcony on the Muppet Show? Statler and Waldorf. They stopped by for a look. One had to stop for a brief rest on the way in.

Time out for science...

I remember seeing a video in high school about innovative ideas and conventional wisdom. The narrator/host demonstrated a 3 wheeled vehicle that used hydraulic motors for propulsion. The advantage, he said, was that energy could be captured from braking in the form of hydraulic pressure and the small engine used to build additional pressure could run at its most efficient rpm range to power the vehicle. He even demonstrated that it could be driven with the engine turned off. He also went on to state that the technology would be unlikely to take hold because consumers prefer the familiar (ie. traditional engine transmission configurations).

This obviously made an impression on me and I have since wondered if the technology could be utilized to make more efficient vehicles. I think that was about 1989, which means the video was probably made in 1982.

Fast forward to today... "Through the use of innovative hydraulic hybrid technology EPA and its industry partners have been able to create the most efficient and cost-effective powertrain technology in the world." "Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles (HHVs) rely on proven innovative technology which can be applied to light duty work trucks, SUVs and heavy duty urban vehicles such as city transit buses and garbage trucks." "There are three key design features enabling an HHV to provide maximum fuel efficiency: Regenerative Braking. Optimum Engine Control. Shutting Engine Off When Not Needed." This EPA brochure explains how the Hydraulic Hybrid Works.

John Miller did a piece on the top 50 Rock 'n' Roll songs with conservative messages in the June 5 issue of National Review. (I would include a link, but you have to have a subscription to view the article.)

I was surprised there were no Ted Nugent songs. Anyways, following are ten of my favorites from Mr. Miller's list.

1. "Won't Get Fooled Again," by The Who
2. "Taxman," by the Beatles
4. "Sweet Home Alabama," by Lynyrd Skynard
7. "Revolution," by The Beatles.
25. "The Battle of Evermore," by Led Zepplin
26. "Capitalism," by Oingo Boingo
28. "Janie's Got a Gun," by Aerosmith
33. "You Can't Always Get What You Want," by the Rolling Stones
38. "I Can't Drive 55," by Sammy Hagar
46. "Wind of Change," by The Scorpions

Time out for a commercial...

I have been a fan of the Demotivators artwork of Despair.com for many years. This is one of my favorite of their posters:



On the site there are a few short videos based on the book The Art of Demotivation. I particularly enjoyed the Addressing Employee Complaints video.

My folks were in town last weekend to visit the new baby. We had a very nice time and a few laughs.

My favorite moment was while we were driving through town and my dad pipes up and says, "wow, look at her, it must be freezing out there." Confused, I look to see a women of middle eastern heritage wearing culturally appropriate attire.

I will admit I was a little weirded out by Dad's attire during his visit. He wore shorts every day, which is particulary odd given I have seen him wear shorts about 5 times over the course of my entire life. I was reminded of Frank Costanza and his precious cruise wear.

Charlie came to visit me at work today while the M-o-m took care of some work related business. As we rolled down Capitol Hill towards my office with his stroller he slept. Then around the office to visit a couple folks and back to my desk for his 2 pm feeding. Like clock work he woke up, got fussy, needed to be changed and fed... no surprises. Normally when I feed him he is very neat and tidy. But, since I was at work in a suit and tie, rather than at home with jeans and a t-shirt, Charlie decided to have a little fun. He blurped up a truck load of formula and got my shirt, chair and floor. As he finished his meal and settled down his mother called to pick him up. So now I smell of formula with no one to blame it on and with no obvious cause. Ironically, Charlie managed to miss his own outfit so he smells fine.

I listened to a lot of the radio yesterday as I finished painting the den in our house. Specifically, I was listening to Big 100.3, a local classic rock station. I almost fell off the ladder when I heard, "The Greatest Rock and Roll of All Time is Powered By Regent University."

And all this time I thought Regent's motto was "Christian Leadership to Change the World." Silly me.