It's a wonder

I have a neighbor that would rather poke a sharp stick in her eye than go to the bank to have something notarized. Now I don't feel that way about much but I am starting to understand. You see, this afternoon I went to the post office.

I have long felt that one way for the post office to save money is to stop Saturday delivery. In this day and age, the only thing that actually comes in the mail is junk mail and bills. Just think of the benefits. Less people to staff, less vehicles on the road, it is a win/win situation. But my point about all of this is that I am really starting to dislike the post office. I got there at 5 minutes before they closed with 12 people in front of me. So what happened in that time that I was standing there? 2 of the 3 people working the front counter left. Somehow, I don't think that would work out too well at my place of employment. Where is the customer service?

I needed to send a book back to an individual that tried to sell me a 4th edition poor excuse of a textbook as a 5th edition in excellent condition. I am sending it back to her after she refunded my money. Anyway, the envelope that I picked (cheaper than the box) was $15 to ship but the box was $10 to ship. What sense is that? I would have been better off going to FedEx or UPS, which I probably will do next time.

All of that leads me to this, when will the airlines finally realize that the reason people aren't flying is not just because of the economy but because they treat their customers like crap? Personally, I have not stepped foot on a plane in over 2 years. It isn't because I don't want to go anywhere because I could probably name off at least a dozen places without thinking about it that I would like to go to tomorrow. But I won't. And I won't because I refuse to pay that money to be treated poorly.

While I am on the subject, lately (say, the last 6 months or so), I get the impression that I am paying more but getting less at fast food joints. The biscuits used to be bigger at Churches. The fries at McDonald's used to have more in them. Guess what, I notice and my doctor wants me to quit that stuff anyway. So, with that in mind, I am eating out less.

It isn't that I am wanting any special treatment. Just treat me like you value my business.

I have a choice and I choose to vote with my wallet. You won't hear much from me unless I get exceptionally poor service. But if I get poor service, just know that you won't hear from me.

Programming Note

I just wanted to put this out there for all readers. Isabelle's dance troupe has been invited to perform at Disneyland/California Adventure on Saturday, November 21st. I don't know all of the specifics and won't know for another several weeks, including on whether we will be going or not. We would like to go and I suspect that we are probably 70% sure that we will be going. It is also my understanding that Disneyland does their Christmas decorations (including snow) starting on November 16th so this gives you a good excuse to go. The performance will be a 30 minute performance and my wife told me that there are several of Ryan's classmates in this class (sounds like a big group but this is a class where "no parents are allowed").

Anyway, if you are interested in joining us, please send my wife or I an e-mail and we will put you on our notification list.

Yesterday was Ryan's birthday and we may be rained out for the waterpark today which is a bummer as we have such a good time when we go.

Words of Wisdom

I just wanted to follow up to my last post. My brother sent me the following regarding my mother:
1) She told me the reason she helped people was she hoped that if one of her kids where somewhere and needed help she hoped that someone would help them.
and
2) She also told me that just because someone else had different religous belief it didn't mean that hers was right and theirs was wrong, i guess that could go for a lot of different kinds of beliefs

So, thank you to my brother for filling in those words of wisdom from my mother.

Personally, what I find important is to treat others as you want to be treated, you know, the Golden Rule (and not "he who has the gold makes the rules").

And so with that in mind, I am going to enjoy my last weekend of freedom for a while. You see, school starts up next Monday. And more importantly, Ryan finally hits double digits on Friday (that would be 10).

How Time Flies

As I sit here pondering where the summer has gone, my mind starts to wander. I have had about a month off of school and I start back again in about a week from now. I have only 4 classes left, 3 of which I am taking this semester. I am not going to gripe/whine about these next 4 months of hard work as I know that I am almost done with this endeavor. And so, as I sit here, I ponder the past two years and think, where did it all go? I took a lot of classes and enjoyed most of them but for the most part, just went along thinking about finishing this class to move on to my next one, a step in this journey, so to speak.

And as I think about this, I can't help but think about all else that is in my life. I have a wonderful wife and two wonderful kids. My son turns ten in about a week. Where did that come from? He can't possibly be ten. And while he will be ten, he just started 4th grade. I remember my 4th grade well. It was the year that my mother married my step-father and we moved to the east side of town and suddenly, a family of 15 (including mom and "dad" and let's not forget the "border Stan - may he continue to rest in peace" we had at the time) (editor's note: my mother was always bringing someone home to live with us that needed someplace to go. I never did discuss it with my mom but accepted it as life and as I look back on it, I am sure that she was acting as an angel on earth. I learned a lot from my mother and sadly, it wasn't until she passed that I truly figured it out.) My son can't possibly be ten since that was just a few short years ago. As with most parents, I remember the day clearly and it feels like it was just yesterday.

I also am left to ponder that the anniversary of my wife and I's first kiss (I know that I didn't word that right, but there you go). How many years ago was that? Okay, married in '97, so 15 years? That can't possibly be right. That also seems like it was just yesterday. And yes, for some reason, I remember the date of my first kiss with my wife. What does that say about me?

Of course, a lot has happened in the past 15 years. Marriage, children, numerous jobs and work experiences, the death of my mother and subsequent destruction of the entire family as a family unit. I still look back at the family getting together as a family and actually miss it when everyone was together. But, as we all know, time waits for no one and there are constantly changes.

As we get older, we are constantly reminded of our own mortality. We blink and the people that we knew are no longer there. So and so has cancer, or passed away or divorced or whatever else happens to people as time goes on. It makes me appreciate all that I have, coming full circle back to a loving wife, kids, and relatively good health (or so my doctor tells me).

And so I would like to leave you all with this much discussed thought but rarely considered: live life for today as you never know what will happen tomorrow. I promise to do my best to be the best father I can be to my kids, best husband for my wife, and a generally good person. I also must constantly remind myself to stop living for tomorrow and just enjoy today. I hope you try to do the same.

I know that was supposed to be my last comment but I have one more that I want to tell everyone. I made mousse for the first time this weekend. Not just any mousse, but White Chocolate Grand Marnier Mousse. It was a mixed response to be blunt, but everyone did like it. Some of us thought it was too much alcohol. Someone said that yes, it had a lot of alcohol but he likes it that way. Someone else, who is the first to complain about too much alcohol, loved it. So, I don't know. I will probably make it again but probably only for special requests (i.e. I probably will not make it for myself). Next on the list is a Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis. When do raspberries go out of season?

First Day of School!!!

First Day of school for my kids and their cousin. No one was real happy about having to get up early and get started, but all went well and we will see when it comes time for school to let out what their take on the new year is! Yeah, school!!!!!!!

Pictures!

We are back from our WONDERFUL vaction to Disneyland! Got a TON of pictures to show off so I may end up boring you later with pictures!!! Here are just a few to get started!