Wow, I Have A Following

Yes, I'm still here.

Some of you have wondered where I've been. OK, one of you.

Pay no nevermind that it has been a full six days since my last post. That, in itself, is a record.

My disappearance is, in part, due to my new addiction to Facebook. Damn drugs. I've been torn between, uh, playing on Facebook, or updating my blog. Hard choices.

One advantage, given my current mental state, is that I'm reconnecting with friends from high school. Why? It's keeping my mental processes from deteriorating any further than what I've been experiencing lately.

I've been keeping a journal of sorts (this helps) where I keep track of what I forget on a daily basis. For example, yesterday morning, after some parts wrangling at home, I almost drove out of the driveway with the back door of the truck open. Twice. And Monday, I misplaced my keys, my coffee cup, my phone (four times) and tried to remember to turn off the inside-shell light, also four times.

It's starting to scare me.

Even last week I left one of my prize screwdrivers at a 7-11. Somewhere. Don't remember yet which one.

This isn't a new thing - I've been forgetting things over the course of the last couple decades. Some of you might remember calling me on the phone and saying "You forgot something at..." But it never got as bad as it did last week.

Marilee says that one possible solution is to take a couple weeks off, that I'm just too stressed. So, depending on my team's activities, I should be able to accomplish that in a week or so. And that's somewhat convenient; I have another doctor's appointment at the beginning of February.

But not with Doc Fuller.

As Marilee said on Monday, after telling her what had transpired during my Friday appointment with him, that my forgetfulness is stress-related. Already having moved up my appointment by a half hour, he pretty much brushed me off, saying that my forgetfulness could be triggered by the meds I take for depression. Though after consulting the med's website, forgetfulness is waaay down the list for side effects. That, and I've only been taking them for the last four years or so. This stuff has been going on for decades.

My next appointment, for February 5th, is with Marilee's general practitioner. So much the better if I can associate my vacation around that date.

Anyway, I'm still here. I haven't forgotten about my readers.

Yet.

Out Of The Woodwork

So I was finishing up my last call of the day last evening. Expecting this to really be the last call of the day, I only sort of looked at the new call in my queue. Succumbing to the prospect of getting home that much later, I opened up the new call and started laughing hysterically. "You have GOT to be kidding!"

What had popped up in my queue was a nightmare from years ago. The company had had this belief that there was money to be made in the copier business - repairing them, that is. They went through all the hoops to be in bed with the manufacturer, accredited technicians, the whole thing.

Time passed, and the parent company, realizing something that was all too obvious, said "Get rid of it - it doesn't make any money."

That meant selling off all the equipment - not to mention the people - to another company. Short-term, that also meant a too-long period of telling callers wanting copier service that they needed to call another company; they'd do the service. Those calls continued for a year.

Fast forward to early 2008. Apparently, this little history lesson wasn't communicated, if at all, to the new transitional teams when we "changed" companies.

Now, a good three years after the fact, a [expletive deleted] copier call is in MY queue.

Calling the only powers-that-be at that late hour proved a wonderful experience. Basically, it amounted to "I don't care what you do with it, just get it out of my [expletive deleted] queue!!!"

What transpires today from this mis-directed nightmare is anyone's guess.

Note: The use of "[expletive deleted]" is SO Watergate era, but I'm old, and remember the excessive use of that phrase from back then.

Also note that there's likely only about a tenth of a percent of my readers who will find this whole thing funny, but I figure that she needed a laugh.

Brain Fart

I had a major brain fart tonight. I'm not sure if it was brought on by letting the light fixture in the kitchen fall upon my noggin last night - which I'm still feeling the pain of - or if it's something more serious. Thankfully I'm seeing Doc Fuller on Friday for a general checkup; I'll ask him what he thinks about my apparent problem, to wit:

I had a late-night service call tonight; I got home about a half-hour ago. While I did get the call completed, it took a bit longer than it really should have.

It was a simple call, really - just a bad power supply in a server at a 7-11. Diagnosis complete, I then had to find the part. Not really wanting to dig through the truck in blistering-cold weather, not to mention slippery as hell around said truck, I opted to go to the office to pillage a whole server for the power supply contained therein. But to do that, I'd have to call the boss to see how to get into the office without setting off alarms and have men in black with guns drawn show up.

So I leave the 7-11, and head to the office. Upon arriving, I reach for my phone.

And it's not there.

I'd left it at the store.

Fortunately, it's a short eight-ish mile drive back to the store, then back to the office, then back to the store with the power supply.

OK, so maybe I'm overreacting by thinking I have a problem. It could all be just that I'm getting on in years - I'm only 51, dammit! But I've been noticing my short-term memory (or lack thereof) is really starting to bother me.

"First" Cat Dies

How this is relevant to the "transition" I'm not sure, but a sad story nonetheless:

First Cat Dies - FOXNews.com Transition Tracker

New Addiction

I have a new addiction. There's no real 12-step program for it, though I haven't really searched for one yet. Not excessively, anyway. Maybe because I don't want to.



It's an internet-based addiction. There's no surprise there - I've been addicted to the internet in one form or another since about 1980, since I got my first CompuServe account. Almost thirty years, I guess.

My current addiction is Facebook. Lest I be labeled a pusher, you should try it.

You'll become addicted, too.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

I Hear It's A Good Book

Lately I've been "reading" the book Your Heart Belongs To Me, by Dean Koontz. I haven't yet completed "reading" it, so I'm not sure if I like it or not.

The use of quotation marks above is necessary, since I'm reading it as an audio book. A little bit here and there as I drive to and fro during work.

Last time I did an audio book was during our (Marilee and I) 2004 2006 (sorry, brain fart; Marilee and I have been together as a couple for almost five years now) California trip, the one when we got married in Las Vegas. The book was The Davinci Code; I'd already read the book while Marilee had not, and we both figured listening to the book would help make the time go by faster. It really helped.

We had planned on listening to Your Heart... during our last trip, but the Audible copy I'd loaded on the GPS was rather tinny and difficult to listen to. And near the end of the trip we picked up the CD version, but never got around to listening to it. Now I am, albeit alone.

I try not to listen to critical reviews of books, and have not (yet) seen or looked for any reviews of Your Heart...; maybe I will once I complete it.

And just maybe I'll post a review of my own here.

Happy New Year To You And Yours!

Marilee and I are watching the Rose Parade this morning - as usual, it's another Chamber of Commerce day in Pasadena, as my Dad used to say. Considering it "never rains in Southern California", it also hardly ever rains on New Year's Day.

Some day, I really, really, want to see the Rose Parade in person.

Some day...

Sweetest Overhang

Since I've been feeling under the (winter) weather, I've been taking Dayquil during the day and Nyquil at night. Upon taking my evening dose Saturday night, Marilee asked why I don't do - prepare yourself visually - that little shimmy-shake one does when taking vile medicinal concoctions.

Likely from that old commercial that dictates that medicine has to taste bad to be good, I simply replied "I just don't".

I went to bed rather early last night, and consequently got up early - well, early for a Sunday. 7am or so. And let Marilee sleep in. She got up about a half-hour ago, at 10:45am.

Greeting her with the Sunday paper, she said I was acting weird.

"Are you having a Nyquil overhang?"

I gave her a blank stare that lasted several seconds, to which she replied "What did I just say?" followed by "What's it called?"

After I told her, we both went downstairs to flip on the TV and as a result, the TiVo.

She noticed right away that I'd recorded "CBS News Sunday Morning".

"You recorded "CBS Sunday News Morning?"

Another blank stare towards Marilee, which prompted her to stare at the title on the TiVo.

"And what is your overhang from?"

I've Created A Monster

Saturday morning brilliantly stimulating conversation:

"How do you right-click?"

That query was from Marilee.

"See the two buttons below the touch pad?"

"Yes."

"The one on the right's the right mouse button."

"Cool!"

Time passes...

Apparently frustrated, she says a short time later "I don't understand how to do this!" and "What does this mean?"

I walk over to her chair where she has a Microsoft help page open. I'm immediately scared.

"What are you tryimg to do?"

"Make a favorite out of Yahoo."

And we need a Microsoft help page for this?

"Click on 'Favorites'. Click on 'Add to Favorites'. Click on 'Create in'. Pick 'Links'. Click 'OK'.

And up pops Yahoo on the Links bar.

"That's it?"

I smile as I sit back down on the couch.

She says "I learned something new today!"

A short time later - I had already sensed that she was staring at me - she says "You've turned me into a nerd."

"What, because you have your own laptop?"

"Yes."

I'm soooo in trouble.

Wet Burritos

Sounds REALLY appetizing, doesn't it?

So said the menu at a Mexican restaurant in San Diego on our recent trip to California. So close to the Mexico border, we decided one night to have a real Mexican meal. It had to be good, right?

In reality, it was just, literally, borderline.

So after Marilee told the attendee what she wanted, "smothered" was lost in the translation for my order. I'd ordered "smothered burritos" at local Salt Lake City Mexican restaurants in the past, and every time, my order of burritos has sauce ladled over the top. Mmmm good stuff.

Even at Cafe Rio, another fave local restaurant, it's "enchilada style". But WET?

After realizing that smothered wasn't doing the trick, I scanned the menu to see what I was missing. Then it hit me.

"Wet"?

I haven't been able to get that vision out of my mind since.

Over The River And Through The Woods

I'd have to make a guess that every Utah blogger is writing about the weather today. A real, live Winter Wonderland. Last night, the back porch light made the snow sparkle. Positively beautiful, if only because the driving part was over.

OK, so Christmas with the family was awesome. The driving? Not so much.

With two distinct detours - one on 7800 South and another on 4100 South, and not being able to see the road, I'd guess we drove over the Jordan River half-a-dozen times, and went through at least one wooded area. Whether the wooded area was ON the road we were on, I'm not quite sure.

This morning, 7800 South was still closed due to blowing and drifting snow, and last night's closure of 4100 South was from a snapped power pole - the area we were driving in and to had a wind gust of 57 MPH. And today?

Snow shoveling at its worst. At least since I've been in the snow shoveling business. And since we have a corner lot, there's that much more to shovel. Though I don't know how much there actually was out front, I traipsed out back and measured fourteen inches in the deepest part of the yard.

I had a service call in Provo this morning, and while Utah County had snow, it wasn't nearly as heavy as the southwestern part of Salt Lake County.

A second call in the hardest-hit area - West Jordan - made it painfully obvious just how much snow they had: even major thoroughfares either hadn't been plowed or the plow operators just couldn't keep up. Probably the latter.

And to top it all off, now I have a scratchy throat.

I'm going to take it easy this weekend - as much as I can - so as to not exacerbate whatever my body's trying to tell me.

And the rest of the white and drifted snow can just sit there until the spring thaw.

Bailey The Unknown Reindeer

There's That Four Letter Word Again

I don't much like shoveling snow. Then again, who does? This morning, though there twern't any new snow, I had to shovel what had become a cement-like layer of ice that had formed from the last two (or three?) storms. One, which fell while we were in California, and two additional snowfalls since.

And why would I want to get rid of the layer of ice? Simple:

Marilee had a nasty fall (not to be confused with autumn) last Monday at work, and has been house-bound since. And since we didn't need to have her fall again (not to be confused with winter), I decided this morning would be a good time to get rid of said snow.

Bad idea.

Because now, instead of a layer of snowpack to walk on, which, as anyone who's had to shovel snow can attest, that snow affords much more traction than ice - is much more treacherous than walking on plain snow.

And since my snow shovel is rather flimsy when it comes to removing ice, well, it's time for a new one.

Lest anyone fall on the underlayment of ice, and lose their traction.

And be IN traction as a result.

I'll Have That With Frys

On our trip to California, there were a couple of things I really wanted to do - go to a Bob's Big Boy and go to Fry's. As it turned out, we only got to do one of the two...

When I left California twenty-plus years ago, one thing I've really missed is Bob's Big Boy restaurants. And the Big Boy hamburger. Not to mention the Silver Goblet chocolate shake. Marilee remembered Bob's as well, and we really were looking forward to the delicacies.

I'd last gone to a Fry's on my last trip to California; I got my current Bluetooth headset there. I'd gone on the pilgrimage with my cousin Erin, and we spent more time than I'd care to admit going up one aisle and down the other ad infinitum. For at least two hours. After I left for home on that previous trip, Erin took my aunt Mary Lou to Fry's, and she was even more impressed, if not overwhelmed. So naturally, I wanted to take Marilee on our trip.

Having already left the southern part of California, and concentrating on the drive, I'd pretty much forgotten about both destinations. But when we'd gotten off the freeway to go to the factory stores in Barstow, there was Bob's Big Boy!

We split a Big Boy hamburger, and all the memories of that comfort food came flooding back. I picked up a Big Boy bank (to save for our next trip?) and we were off for Las Vegas.

And Fry's?

Interestingly enough, there just happened to be a Fry's on the southern edge of Las Vegas. "HEY! There's a Fry's!" I think I must have startled Marilee with that one. But since we were on a mad dash to get to the Mirage, and avoidance of the aforementioned volcano, I didn't again think of Fry's until we'd gotten into Utah.

Oh well.

Of course, now knowing that there's a Fry's in Las Vegas, we'll just have to add that to our itinerary.

Again.

Rustic Charm

From the Heidelberg Inn in Solvang:

Eating out in Solvang is a treat. Danish goodies galore, from bakeries to traditional restaurants. And Spanish influences too, from the original settlers of the region dating back to Junipero Serra and the California Missions.

The rustic charm is evident from the photo above; most if not all of Solvang caters to this same ideal of a quaint Danish town.

The windmill at the entrance of the Heidelberg Inn is a landmark, and the food is more than you'd expect.

And with numerous wineries, don't miss out on the wine tasting rooms in the area.

You just might have to spend an extra day to take it all in!

Ah, There's The Reuben

So said the menu.

The gastro-intestinal clot above is a Reuben sandwich. But completely unlike any Reuben sandwich I'd ever eaten. I'd seen this mountain on some cable channel or other in the past month or so. And yes, it was called a Reuben. However, when I think of a Reuben sandwich, I think of this:
That's the Reuben from Arby's. And it's oh, so tasty. But that mountain?

While we were staying at the Mirage, and this one particular night, not wanting room service, we decided to partake of restaurant food. In-house was one Carnegie Deli - apparently a duplicate of the Carnegie Deli in New York City.

And as it turns out, the cable channel was doing a report on THE Carnegie Deli in New York. But I didn't realize it at first.

Underneath all that cheese is tender corned beef. And some tasty sauerkraut. And no, I didn't (or wasn't able to) finish it.

That's no space station, it's a moon!

There, It Doesn't Snow

Sunday morning after Saturday's storm:

The temperature in Santa Barbara during our California trip was in the 50's; the temp outside Sunday morning was 25.

I miss the 50's.

GOOD Evening

This was one of the shots in Santa Barbara before the batteries died on the Olympus.

December 5th. About 5:30pm.

The image itself is quite grainy, I'll admit, but there are a few particularly noisy spots on the image that, if you were to ask Jenn, are spiritual in nature. In nature, I think they're flies.

This time of year, I really hate trying to gauge just when sunset (and, to a lesser extent, sunrise) occur. There's either too much light or not enough. With all the cool scenarios to think of - the boats in the morning, the lights at night, the seagulls - I could spend an eternity in a place like this and just take photos all the time.

And, hopefully, sell some of them to keep myself in batteries.

Well-Trodden

I don't know if you can tell how popular a place is, particularly a "natural" area, by how well-worn the ground is.

The dirt trail going to and from the trail to Nojoqui Falls is well-packed - there aren't many places where you might lose your footing. The trail is fairly wide in most places, and other than veering off the trail to get a better photo, or just sitting on a bench to take in the beauty affords your fellow hikers plenty of room for navigation to take it all in.

But watch your step! Those aren't twigs and branches on the ground in the above photo - they're roots that have come to and above the surface.

And there aren't many of these bridges to get yourself over the stream that runs down the little canyon - thankfully they're rustic enough that they don't deter from the natural beauty of the area.

Look everywhere on this hike. There's much to see.

Just under the surface.

Not A Tropical Rain Forest

...but considering there's moss growing on the rocks adjacent to the falls, tropical works for me.

Another from the hike to Nojoqui Falls:

Rainforest? Not so much.