i think that first, i would like to say kudos to my far better half. she has worked hard at her schooling to become a teacher. i have no worries what kind of teacher she will be. she is a caring and understanding individual. and that is just a part of what will make her a great teacher. her grades throughout the year have been high, with a 3.9 4.0 average. she still also manages to keep things going on the kid front at home.

frankly. she remains my best friend!

jonathan continues to amaze. he’s got good grades and is continuing to grow into a young adult. it is so interesting to watch. his hand eye coordination has improved, thanks to any number of shoot um up games that he plays constantly. he takes drivers education classes this summer. going to be a long year. i can feel it.

devin is moving along in his normal direction. being an adhd kid has it’s drawbacks, but even though his studies have suffered a bit this year, when he’s on, he is really on. i presume that he has what i have. too many things going on and never enough time to complete any of them. he enjoys some of his subjects more than others, as was my way in school as well. in his 5th grade year, he had a teacher that believed kids wouldn’t have any homework to take home, and worked very hard at making that happen. however. i really believe that it has hurt him more than helped him. ultimately he will be fine. he knows it. and so do we.

during the year, i was also able to hear from my oldest son ian. he seems to be doing fine. there were some bitter moments in our initial conversations, but we seemed to get through them. i miss him. there are times, when i find his early pictures, that i can think back to the fun times we had when he was younger. i soured those times by trying to get him to follow a more traditional path. i know what it is like to not follow that path, and i didn’t want his life, nor jon or devins, to be like it has been for me. but. he is his own man, and for that, i am thankful. here’s to you, ian. i hope things are going well.

my dad is doing terrific! he turned 79 this past october. i always feel bad for him in the winter because owning a miata makes winter drives more like skating with sheet metal. but he’s doing fine and is a pleasure to have around. when ever i think about it, i realize that he has seen everything. from the beginnings of sound and video, to blue ray disks, the internet and our first african american president. he is, without a doubt, a wealth of information. and i cherish every moment we have.

barb and john were able to visit us a couple times this year. they are influenced by the ‘grandchildren’ effect. that’s when the grandchildren use the powers of their minds and cause you, as a parent or grandparent, to have a need to see you in person, instead of on a skype call. it’s always a good time. and we are guaranteed to eat browns chicken (though. as of this writing, browns had filed for bankruptcy protection. bummer.)

the year itself was full of surprises. we elected a new president that is working hard to help get the country back on it’s feet. the whole experience has taught me that as much as you can wish for change, one man can not do it alone. it takes far far more. i hope that some more of our fellow countrymen and women learn that lesson. i am still a strong supporter of our president, but i admit to being a little bit sour of some of his attempts at change. i believe that his voice should have been much stronger during the health care debate. though i understand the idea of allowing the congress create the bill, it is his leadership that should have helped keep the fox and friends gang from becoming a detrimental voice in its creation. if i have a wish, for 2010, it is that any nmuber of fox folks become unable to speak. its not that i don’t believe in the ability to speak freely. it is that fact that when you speak, the truth should be what is spoken, not the twisting of words to fulfill your own agenda. glen, rush, michele and the like do that almost constantly. and their stirring of the pot can only do harm instead of good. that is just a pity.

it’s like the bears. at the beginning of the season, with the addition of a new and previously successful quarterback, it seemed that the bears would be almost unstoppable. yet. it proves the point that it takes more than a single change to reach the outcome that you want. i think that the addition of cutler to the bears showed the other, previously hidden holes, that weren’t visible prior to the addition. that we need receivers. that our offensive line is old yet also young and less experienced. yet. i don’t blame the coach. i think he did, and does, a fine job.

work was ok. i have lots of respect for most of the people that i work with, and for. reiling is there from back in the comark days which make the sap part of my job bearable. and i also work with a very bright group of ‘techies’ which makes the day go by well.

past that, the year went by pretty much like i expected with all the things that have happened. the economy sucks. the value of our house isn’t what it was. nor are any of the other houses that we have lived in, with the exception of the house in elgin. but. i believe that will change over the next year or two, yet i hope that the changes are gradual and are not the same as they were before.

but. i am thankful that my family is healthy. my job is secure for the moment. my friends are all in pretty good shape. and coffee hasn’t been outlawed!

i hope that this is a great year. i believe that it will be.

i hope that all is good for you as well. that your world is full of happiness and that all goes well for you.

thanks for reading. enjoy your day!

things started out ok. wins. losses. some more wins.

but the tide, as it were, never turned. it seems that we have had one of the worst august’s that i  can remember.

several times, during the last couple months, rick asked if i wanted to ‘buy out’ for half, and i had said no, still believing that my beloved cubbies would make it.

then, during this stand against the nationals, and a horrible loss, i decided that maybe it was worth it, and bought out my bet. $10 in lottery tickets was bought with my buyout, which then netted him $5.00. he still won, kinda.

i hope the cubs finish better than they look like they are going too, but playoff bound, looks far far away.

there’s always next year…

cleaned up a neighborhood.

helped a kid at sports, or reading or writing or arithmetic.

volunteered their services locally before or after work.

bought lunch for someone in need.

adopted a pet to a good family.

read stories to folks in the library.

connected with friends and family.

rode a bike.

hugged someone.

supported the grand union of the united states of america and all of it’s promise.

what would the news shows have to talk about???

heading into dominicks, jon and i started our chore. it didn’t take long to determine that the prices, were, well, higher. we were shopping with coupons, and a limited list. but even so, when everything is all said and done, the money i svaed would have been better served at the walmart. see the prices were high enough that i lost the coupon savings against walmart. bummer. and here is an observation. the shelves were no where near as full of options and choices as they had been before. nor wee there as many people there, as i remember. anyway. lesson learned. back to the walmart.

driving while texting is dangerous. so is eating a big mac. applying makeup. driving with kids. talking on the phone. driving into the sun. now i know that these are all dangerous things. or can be. but. they are easily solved by folks just using something that most all of us have. common sense. i only say this because i have found that having a blackberry makes it really really hard to sms while driving. but. i think that the lady in front of me today, finishing her make-up work, at speed, was much more dangerous. common sense people. it’s just that simple. no laws. no other discussion. just use common sense.

i watched a couple reality shows this last season. survivor was one of the best ever, and the more deserving person won. way to go jt!

on amazing race, there were these 2 girls. both ex-cheerleaders and one if not both, were probably the rudest people that i have ever seen. it really strikes me that people in foreign lands believe that we are rude, based on folks like these two. they were hideous. i was so glad that they didn’t win the cash.

my wife’s taking time off from school, as her foot is in pain, and the doctor said to stay off of it. don’t know for how long, but, she deserves the rest. well, except for homework.

i’m tired and sick. all started on thursday. and though the fever is gone, it’s hard to keep going all day… and keep the house going. much easier when it is the both of us. i forget sometimes, just how much my better half does. has made me a little cranky.

i still think that our president is doing a fine job, with what he was left with. honestly, i don’t understand why anyone would want the job. brian will understand this. i would rather do that job that he found online than be president. safer. less trouble.

here’s a shout out to john and his capable friend on their help with that sap software. now all i have to do is sell it.

hi joe. long time. good to find you and hear from you. glad things are good.

would someone please turn of beck and the pill popper. man i am tired of listening to their crap.

f1 started again, and my driver of choice is having a tough time. those brawn cars are, however, kicking some rubber rolling ass.

the better half is back in school. spring break drove her crazy. didn’t have anything to do, and was a little antsy. however, did fantastic with her last classes.

jon made high honor roll. he’s consistently on that list and i can’t relate to how proud i am of him in words. he’s a good kid. he’s going to make a fine citizen.

lady dog is starting to feel the effects of old age in her walk. it’s such a shame. she is such a good dog. her friends snickers and mystery still keep her on the run. it’s always fun to watch them try to maim each other in the back yard.

the markets were looking better this week. seems like maybe things are doing better. man. i hope so. it is so hard not to worry about your life right now. even though you are personally sure that you are doing the right things and working hard, there are so many things that you can’t control, that it takes its toll.

here,also, is a special thanks to joseph. i’m glad we talked!

the market was in another dive today. and we are going to bail out aig, with more cash. i’m no longer sure that it is the right thing to do. i think that wall street believes that they have us all behind the eight ball and are showing us that their decisions are going, to yet again, win, going forward. i hope that doesn’t happen. really.

sorry that i have been delayed on the cubs upkeep. give me till tonight.

the good news is that barack obama is the presumptive democratic nominee for president. i couldn’t be happier. i had hoped many moons ago, that the ticket would be obama/clinton. but after her actions over the last few months, and especially the speech she gave last night in new york, was without a doubt, pitiful. therefore, i wish her good luck on whatever she chooses to do, but i hope that it isn’t as the vice president of the united states.

here, would be my choices. john edwards. colin powell. there are others, but these are my 2 favorites. however, i can hardly wait to hear his list.

i do believe that the media, all the media, did a lot of harm to the races themselves, in how they treated all the candidates. i listen to them now so they get me fired up. news for me is 780wbbm radio. cnn, msnbc, and the like are shows. there is no getting around that. shows. it’s like watching entertainment tonight with a different format.

soon, i will be sharing some of the most unusual emails ever. no name will be included, but reading them, is a wonderful thing. its not that i am trying to be mean, but rather, insightful. it is one of the things that folks have cheated on. i am certain that you can look in your own email boxes and find mails that are painful, and at the same time humorous. it is the way the world is now. soon. under the ‘email’ tag.

its going to storm tonight. i love storms.

the better half has a school thing this saturday. starts in the wee hours of the morning, and it will last for several hours. guess i’ll sit in a starbucks and surf the net.

however. this stops us from going to the lake. bummer. i like it there more than almost any one place on the planet. quiet. stars. happiness. family.

all this is boring, but not to me. so. off to hang with the love of my life. enjoy your evening, or day, depending…

last week, from wednesday on, i spent 5 hours and 45 minutes in commuting time. in those same 3 days, i put on 132.2 miles. that includes 1 trip to the coffee store. and the average miles per gallon was 17.1.

what i was struck by is the drive time. i expect that this week, i will commute a full 8 hour day to work 5 days. that just seems so wrong. the cost, in just fuel, averages, for those 3 days,$28.64.

I’m gunna run this all again this week. not that it matters, because there really isn’t so much a choice. but i do find it interesting.