So... 2023

Wow. A lot happenned last year. Not all of it fun. Actually, a whole lot of it wasn't fun. I understand now why it is that the only people for whom a hospital is a happy place are the people who aren't parents when they went in but are parents when they leave. I don't recommend the experience of an unplanned visit, particularly not an extended stay. The food wasn't as bad as it's cracked up to be, and the service staff was generally pleasant, but it's a really expensive way to pass the time. So, yeah, that happened. I guess I should be thankful and all, but I wasn't really afraid of the possibility of not coming back from the experience still vertical. Not really sure I can explain it, just the concept of dying doesn't really bother me as the possibility of living a life I wouldn't recognize. Sure, there's people who would be sad, and making other people sad isn't all that high on my bucket list. I'm told I'm lucky that things worked out like they did. Maybe I am. Or maybe there's something that I'm supposed to do that I haven't done yet. If it is the latter, I wish I knew what that was. Believe it or not, I've done a lot of writing over the past year. Just not on here. Maybe someday the things I've been writing will see the light of day. Time will tell.

Another New Year, another blog post to an almost entirely inactive blog...

So...2021. Yeah. Glad to see it in the rear-view mirror, much as I was glad to see 2020 as past-tense. But if I'm honest, 2021 wasn't all bad. Got promoted at work, likely the last one I'll ever see unless I get tapped for a position that falls into a "willing to do it if that's what the company thinks is the best use of my talents, but not going to seek out that role" category... Love our new pastor and am excited to see what the parish will evolve into under his leadership, even if I do still miss his predecessor. 'course I think that way about the Pope, too... There's a lot of things that could have gone worse than they did, and there will always be things that could have gone better, so it is what it is. Again, if I'm honest...I'm pretty blessed. Got kids that are surviving the adulting game without needing to be bailed out or to move back in, and have a pretty good relationship with even if we could do a better job of staying in touch. That's as much my fault as theirs, which means they got it from me... Hit 31 years of marriage. Wow. There was a time I couldn't have guaranteed you that I'd hit 31 years of age, much less marriage. Took a do-over marriage to get that far. Can't say that if you would have asked me at any point along the way what a 30+ year marriage would look like with me in it that I would have described what we have now, but it's been a good run and I hope it lasts another...well, however many years I have. Had planned to celebrate 31 years on a river cruise, just as we had planned to celebrate 30 years. Didn't happen this year either. "Next year in Jerusalem" as they say, except will be next year on the Danube. Unless it gets canceled again, but that's a topic for next year's blog post. Could write a lot more, but not really feelin' it. All the theories in this universe seem to be on autopilot.

Farewell and good riddance 2020, here's hoping 2021 will be better...

Just as I was being a little hopeful about 2021 being better, except for being reminded (once again) that God doesn't pay attention to college football, came the news that our beloved pastor had passed away, perhaps being spared the same realization about God not paying attention to college football. May he rest in peace...not sure what to think right now. He's the only pastor I've had since truly embracing my faith.

Some housecleaning...

Not sure if I'll post here any more frequently than over the past three years, but did decide to remove some crap that I didn't necessarily want to ever see again.

Anniversary Gift FTW!

I think this choice was inspired...


My lovely bride of 18 years was trying to guess what I'd gotten her while we were talking with some friends, and somehow the topic of diamond ads came up.

She said "you didn't get me diamonds, did you?"

I could only respond, "Well, it is kind of sparkly..."


I got an 18-year old single-malt Scotch, that I'm sipping as I compose this...


All in all, a good anniversary so far.

And now a word from our sponsor...

Lest it be misunderstood, I must admit that I do know, love, respect, and even admire, some people in my life who are, despite otherwise being wonderful people, well, liberals.

And despite that, I love them anyway. It isn't a fatal flaw for some people.

In fact, there are many otherwise wonderful people who are liberals. Individually, they're capable of being fairly normal and having otherwise normal lives as long as they aren't discussing politics or voting. Unfortuantely, when you get liberals in a group, this groupthink thing happens that creates a special kind of evil insanity. Of course, that insane groupthink happens with conservatives, too, it just manifests itself in ways that aren't quite so evil, and are sometimes accidentally beneficial.



There's just this lobotomy thing that happens when someone becomes an organizational liberal. You know, joins the club and drinks the Kool-Aid. Too much of that and you get itty-bitty Pelosis and Reids and Kennedys running around, peeing on the sidewalk and wiping their bottoms with the Constitution.



Maybe it is one of those things where there are exceptions that end up reinforcing the stereotype. Well, of course, this person isn't evil and insane, but...him and her and him and him and him...



Sort of like that saying that 98% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.





So if you read my blog, and you think you know me. Yes, I still love you. Anyway.

Four Things

So my eldest daughter sent me this...

Four Jobs I have had in my life
Self-employed computer consultant, computer technician, system admin/network manager, software/systems engineer

Four Places I have lived
Melbourne/Palm Bay area, FL; Atlanta area, GA; Rock Island Arsenal, IL; Columbus, GA

Four Places I have gone on vacation
Wales, Scotland, England, Umbria

Four Places I have gone on business
Norway, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands

Four Places I'd like to visit: (I'm assuming places I haven't already been)
Ireland, Australia, Austria (I've been to Salzburg, but only for part of one day), Greece

Four of my favourite foods
sushi, wild game, BBQ, lamb

Four places I would rather be right now
Home (it's currently day 6 of 7-day business trip), outside having a walk in the woods and hills around Lillehammer instead of in this meeting, Rome (Italy), Munich (Germany)

Four friends or relatives I think will respond first
Since this is a blog, I have no idea...