These Darn Socks

These are my favorite socks. They're very soft and black. And you can't tell if they're inside out or not, they're all-side-out or in. Like so many socks I have, my toes have come through. Supposedly un-sight-full. Do people mend, or darn their socks anymore? These are perfectly great socks, even with the holes!

Check this out

Or this

And this

Cathy says she ain't gonna do it!

That's it, I'm gonna do it.

I'll report back!

A couple of quotes from the kitchen:

Do not overlook one drop in the ocean of virtue.

Cultivate a spirit which strives to increase the source of goodness upon the mountain of goodness.

One, Seven, Three, Five -

The truth you search for cannot be grasped.

As night advances, a bright moon illuminates the whole ocean.

The dragon's jewels are found in every wave.

Looking for the moon, it is here, in this wave, in the next.

Knowing that conscious decisions and personal memory

are much too small a place to live,

Every human being streams at night into the loving nowhere,

or during the day, into some absorbing work.

No better love than love with no object,

no more satisfying work than work with no purpose.

If you could give up tricks and cleverness,

that would be the cleverest trick!

Keep walking, though there's no place to get to.

Don't try to see through the distances.

That's not for human beings. Move within,

but don't move the way fear makes you move.

I am so small I can barely be seen.

How can this great love be inside me?

Look at your eyes. They are small,

but they see enormous things.

The War

Found this at my friend John's Blog: I hate war.


click here to learn more

It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace~Andre Gide

Dear Bill

I have decided to leave you. It's been a long time, I know, we've done some pretty great things together, and there was so much hope. But over the past several years it's been getting harder and harder to get anything done, and I feel strangled in the relationship. I think the icing on the cake was Office 2007. When you guys decided to hide the little print icon that has been in the upper left hand corner of every Windows application I've ever used for the past 20+ years. It's gone. Then, last week I was needing to switch to "overstrike" mode in a document, which used to be done by pressing the Insert key, and you could see your mode in the bottom of the window (Ins or Ovr). Thats gone too. And I ask myself, how could this be better? How could it be better that I have to learn how to use a word processing system all over again? Then, last week, I get the following instructions for how to go about upgrading to the Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. ****************************** SP 3 Upgrade Notes ****************************** I’ve been looking at the Windows XP newsgroup posts about XP SP3 problems. Here is a Microsoft article on Steps to take before you install WinXP SP3https://wam.maricopa.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950717(includes numerous windowsupdate.log Error Codes, if encountered during installation) Also, before installing, temporarily disable all real-time protections afforded by your anti-virus application, any anti-spyware applications, and any third-party firewall prior to installing SP3. Enable Windows firewall before you disable a third-party firewall: The machine should never be connected to the internet without an active firewall. Alternatively, disconnect from internet – pull the cable – then disable the 3rd party firewall and enable Windows firewall before reconnecting to the internet. After installing SP3 /and rebooting twice/, check to make sure your real-time protections have been re-enabled; If you disabled a third-party firewall, remember to re-enable it and disable the Windows Firewall. SP2 will go out of support in two years, at which time we will need to have SP3 to get Windows Update patches. Looks like we can stay with XP until 2014, at which time you’ll need to migrate to Mac OS X or Ubuntu. ;) Here are some instructions for removing malware. Phil, you might want to take a look at this. http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware ************************ Wow! **************************** Just this morning it took me over 30 minutes to install the latest Windows Update (which we do monthly). Had to install the Genuine Advantage something-or-other too. At least no reboot this time. I can't wait to tell my Mom how to do this! And one more thing, I'm not sure who put this together (Dell I reckon), but our new keyboards at the office. They now have all this real-estate tied up for multi-media, and you can't tell easily (very dim lights?) if you have caps-lock on or Num-lock on, without looking really close to the damn thing! I don't need to operate my CD player from my friggin keyboard! I'm working here! In conclusion Bill, Somewhere along the way we've lost our focus. We started to look for better ways to solve our customers problems and got lost in the looking, forgetting our customers all together. As soon as we upgrade to .next, everything will be better. Now, it's all about our problems, how we can be better at solving problems. It's about our careers, what technology can do for you! We do technology. I'm beginning to think it's the other way around, technology is doing us! I'm gonna give Steve a call Bill, sorry.

Here's some more from my friend Ryan: OK. Can you tell me why, after years of a clean menu system MS has devolved to the Office ribbon? Now, in Outlook if I want to spell check they have the feature on the Message tab, over to the right. Where is this very same feature in Excel? Oh, on the Review tab, naturally, way over to the left. The same functions are organized under different tab headings in different applications? What freggin’ sense does this make? After years of knowing exactly where every menu/toolbar feature is now they have to change it. Retarded! I wish I knew someone who worked at MS so I could CC them on my rants. It’s one thing to create the ribbon, but at least make it consistent across your product suite. I’d love to meet the genius responsible for this design. OK, done now. Love you too.

The Happiness Hypothesis (Book Report)

The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt

Last nite I finished this book. Anyone who knows me at all could figure this one would end up in my hands, I can't resist the title. I love reading about happiness, I'm a voyeur that way. But, me aside, please. My boss Dave handed it to me a week ago or so. Hmmmm.

Overall I feel appreciation for the way Jonathan presents his case. It's a gift really, a wonderful exploration of the topic, covering all the interesting angles, with just enough compassionate, thoughtful opinion mixed in with loads of research from everywhere. As a psychologist he could have written this for his peers, but, thankfully, he wrote it for us.

I am always inspired by a person who is willing to look at all the available sides of a "story" and to listen with an attitude of learning, not just confirming what they already believe. It is refreshing to have this kind of material presented so maturely. It actually seems like a kind gift of love from him.

For me, I found his scientific psychological explanations provocative, even after he kind of implies that the Buddha didn't have it "all" right! Science, who knew?

He doesn't end with the magical bullet that I've been infamously searching for, but maybe he does. He carefully and kindly brings together much of what has been learned by humans from all over time and space, and reminds us of what matters over and over again, in all kinds of places and cultures. It's not that hard really. The quest for happiness is about finding what's important to you, and taking care of it. I think we can do this, don't you? We must.

I recommend the book, it was obviously a major undertaking on Jonathan's part, and I greatly appreciated his efforts to do the exploration and package it up with all of us in mind.

[Photo from Pass Mountain. Click for full size]

Winter Visitors

Mom and Dad came to town for a couple of weeks. While they were here we got some other Royals together, as usual. As always, we are blessed. [As always, remember you can click on the photo to get the full size.] love you, bobJuan Jordyn & Baby Ryan. My two great babies! Princess Ryan: Cousin Jesse:

The world's most beautiful woman!

Andy:

Papa Jim and the Princess:

At Boyce Thompson.

Cathy's 3 Day Walk

Dear Friends and Family, I would like to start off by saying that the 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk was an experience that I will never forget and I sincerely thank you for all your support and love. The first day was very exciting to meet new people along the way and hear their stories of courage and faith. It was about 19 miles to our campsite. I made it the first day and very glad to have no blisters on my feet. The campsite was great; it was actually like one big slumber party with matching pink pajamas and accessories. Day 2 was a little harder on my legs. I made 10 miles and my muscles cramped up on me. I was rescued by my Bob who patiently massaged my cramps away. I spent the night in my own bed that night and was glad I did. Day 3 was slow and steady and very hot. I was very happy to have passed every single first aid station at our pit stops. It was an extremely emotional moment to finish that day feeling grateful and complete! Some of my favorite photos are here: Love, Cathy L Droll [as always, don't forget to click on pic for full-size]

Big Day

Today was a big day around here. Started by getting up at 4 to take Cathy to the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Breast Walk. Just got off the phone with her, she walked about 18 miles her first day! Feeling good, and feeling beat. When I drove away from there this morning I thought how brave she is, no team, just Cathy, doing what she said she would do. She had some good times today, glad to be with all the beautiful folks doin the damn thing! I usually don't miss her on the first nite, but tonite, I do.

Then, there's Angel. About a month ago she started having a problem with her eye, vet said scratched cornea. Don't get me thinking about eye pain. Didnt' heal right with the cream, treatment we've been trying, so today, surgery. Not only her eye, but a growth removed from her skin too. So, she's got the cone, and a t-shirt to keep her from messing with her owies. She's gettin some extra special love around here tonite.

Her and BooBoo are here right now, hanging with the old man, missing their mama too. Sometimes, your weekend isn't what you thought it might be, but more often than not, it's pretty damn good to be alive, sorrounded by loved ones.

[remember, click for full size!]