It’s late on a Tuesday night, and I am bone weary. I knew I was going to be tired, and I anticipated being tired, and maybe my weariness is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I’m going to check and set my alarms, and get to bed here in a few.

I listened to some of the national news, and I am disappointed in some folks. Some people are definitely placing their best interests over those of the country. Normally I wouldn’t give two wits about it, but the problem is that they are elected to positions where their primary responsibility and sworn duty is to uphold the Constitution, and protect all of us from all enemies foreign and domestic. They aren’t doing that.

They are in denial.

They are provided with facts and then say, “Those aren’t facts”.

They are choosing foreign influence over our own intelligence apparatus.

And yet we’re stuck with a bunch of assholes that wouldn’t consider a baby as evidence that someone somewhere had sex.

I’m walking on thin ice with some folks, but you gotta quit with this “duly-elected” crap.

Trump his his Trump Tower Moscow dealings.

Trump paid hush money to women that he had affairs with during the campaign season. If that had come out prior to the election, it likely would have had an affect – especially during the primaries.

Trump committed fraud with Trump University. That’s a period. He might’ve settled, but he had to pay 22 or 25 million in restitution to the people he defrauded.

I’m pretty sick of this clown show.

Enough for now.

Peace y’all.

It’s a Monday night, and it is the first Monday night in December. The beginning of the last month of 2019. It’s kind of crazy to think about the huge life-changing events that have hit my family in me full-frontal since January of this year.

Bonnie gradated college and proceeded to start grad school at Ohio State Univeristy. (No, I’m not going to get obnoxious and say “The”… Wichita State copied that nonsense and I don’t cotton to that either).

Dane graduated high school and started college.

Gracie figured out a few things out while she was pursuing a Masters in Architecture and Design, and in the process figured out she had a few more things to figure out.

I changed employers. It’s not accurate to say I changed careers. I simply changed who I was doing my thing for. I still kind of do the same thing I’ve been doing since 1993. I just do it for Microsoft instead of doing it for Centriq Training in Kansas City.

The big thing, of course, is the passing of my dad. I’m going to live with so many great memories of him, and a fair share of guilt as well over how things played out at the end. I can’t change it, but I do have to live with it.

I also need to forgive myself at some point.

Easier said than done.

It’s a good night to go to bed early. Tomorrow is going to be a busy and very full day.

Peace y’all.

There’s a part of me that really wants to start off my blog with this… “It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday… the regular crowd shuffles in. There’s on old man sitting next to me, making love to his tonic and gin”. But that wouldn’t be right – it’s a Sunday night, and I’ve never been a G&T guy.

I’ve got classes to teach this week, Azure Fundamentals, and I am grateful for the opportunity. One of the things we’ve been focusing on within our team is trying to improve the quality of our virtual deliveries, and I hope that I am a bigger part of the solution than the problem. Remote virtual training has it’s own challenges, not the least of which being the lack of feedback an instructor gets back from the attendees. I like to see faces, I like to answer questions in real time, and I like the banter. When you;re teaching remote classes, you miss out on some of that.

It’s the last month of the year. I’ve had a great and sorrowful 2019. I accepted my dream job, and I lost my dad. Every time I start to think about the old man, I get a little whelmed. Like any son (or daughter), I’ve got my regrets. I spent so much time away, focused on work, that I didn’t get over to Clay Center to see him as often as I should’ve. Hindsight is 20/20, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it now. I know he was proud of me, I know he loved my family, my wife, and my three kids. I know he’s with me.

December.

The last month of the year.

A few scant weeks to try and get everything squared away that need to get squared away within this calendar year.

2020 is right around the corner. I think my hindsight will be very active in the coming year, because… after all… hindsight is 2020.

Yeah, that was too easy.

Sorry.

Peace y’all.

OK, it’s Saturday night here in rural Douglas County. Bonnie has been returned to Columbus, Ohio. Lisa is off to bed. Dane has crashed in the basement. And I am practicing poor punctuation, but at this point, I don’t really care.

It’s the last day of November. Tomorrow, we begin the last month of this year, 2019. I have had an incredible year. Who knows what’s in store for 2020? I sure don’t.

I met my literary goal for the month, so that part of my blog-bligation has been addressed. I’ve had some things on my mind, and I addressed some of those things publicly, but certainly not all of the things that are troubling me these days. A guy has to have some secrets, right?

It’s a dad thing, a husband thing, a friend thing. Stuff happens, and we think about it, but don’t spend any time talking about it with others.

I met my goal for the month well before I started this entry, and I’m going to avail myself of the opportunity to call it a night and head off to bed.

Only about twenty words shy of two hundred now. I am confident that I will reach my pledge of two hundred words on this day.

Peace y’all.

It’s Friday night… (It is Friday, isn’t it? I swear, sometimes during the holidays when you’re working and then off, then working then off… it can get confusing!).

It’s been a good Black Friday. There were at least two online specials that I took advantage of. One was a 2 TB hard drive, and another, giant tube of fantasy monsters to use in a gaming environment.

I need to replace my system drive on my main desktop. The 1 TB SSD is starting to fail, and there was a heck of a deal on a 2 TB SSD for $171.00. OK, I’m mentioning the price on this blog entry for historical purposes. I want my grandchildren to know what we paid for a 2 TB storage device in 2019.

Oh, yeah, grandkids, btw… clean water was essentially free.

Another harsh reality that is worthy of discussion.

The ladies went out and did their Black Friday shopping early, out of the house at 5:00 AM. Dane and I got up, made some corn beef hash and eggs, then watched all of the available episodes of “The Mandalorian” on the Disney + stream.

We then did a little Christmas shopping after grabbing a bite of lunch at one of ou favorite local sushi places.

It’s been a good day.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

OK, I welcome you and hope all is well in your world.

I’m not going to dwell on anything negative that is happening in my life this day.

(I need to think about starting off every day with that phrase… that in itself might be life-changing. Might also be good to soften up on my punctuation malfeasance as well. I’m good with words… not always so good at commas).

Today is the day we express gratitude. I am a person who says “please” and “thank you”, but I have to admit, not nearly enough.

I would not be the person in this place in my life without the help of others.

My parents.

My teachers.

My coaches.

My friends.

My family… blood or extended.

My bosses/managers/employers.

I have often stated that I know I’m a work in progress. I have flaws. I recognize them, and I face them, like a deer in the headlights of life approaching at dangerous speeds with poorly maintained brakes.

I am a work in progress.

Today I had to deal with feelings. Love, worry, and concern for family members, especially my mom. Too many things to digress on there, due to timing and privacy. We’ll accept that part of my reality and move on… because, after all, who doesn’t have a mother-issue or two.

Looked at my younger brother Tom at an odd angle, with a particular light, and he looked like my dad. I had a moment there.

I have so many things to be grateful for, bit mostly, I am thankful for my health and the health of my immediate family. We have our fair share of the common ailments, bad knees, kidney stones… but heaven knows it could be worse.

(BTW, God, if you’re reading my blog… I’m not interested in any additional drama in that particular area right now)

Time to wrap this up. Dane and I have an annual breakfast experience tomorrow, and I should think about heading off to bed.

I am thankful for you, too. I write to satisfy a personal need, but I know a number of close friends, family, and professional allies read this, and I hope that what I write interests you more often than it doesn’t.

Peace y’all.

It’s a Wednesday night in rural Douglas County, and I’m counting my monthly words. I figure right now I need to write eight hundred words between now and Saturday, so that means two hundred and sixty seven words today, and then two more entries over the next three days to get me to my pledge count.

Today is the day before Thanksgiving, so that mean preparations must be made for the journey tomorrow… over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.

OK, not so much my mom’s house, as it is the home of my sister and her family just down the street from my mom. It’s going to be a moment… this will be the first Thanksgiving without dad. Everything since August has been the first anything without dad. I worry about my mom, and I should try to get out to see her more often. It’s been hard to do anything to get over to see her, as my work schedule has been pretty demanding since August.

I’ll do my best to see her more. I’m going to do a better job blocking out my down weeks. I haven’t done that as well, but I’ve blocked out non-travel weeks for the first quarter of 2020 already. That will help.

Lisa and I have had all three of the kids home for the day. Worked out well with the KU-Dayton game, the championship of the Maui Invitational. It was a great game with the Jayhawks winning in overtime against a talented and scrappy Dayton Flyers team.

Tomorrow is a driving day, with a Thanksgiving dinner with family. I’ll try to keep my feasting manageable. I’m kicking myself out of ketosis for a couple of days, but come Saturday I should get back on the train and cut the carbs.

I have an incredible amount to be thankful for, as we move into the Thanksgiving holiday. My wife, my kids, my career. My friends, and my coworkers. The love of a couple of dogs. The lessons taught me by my parents, especially my dad.

That’s enough for now.

Peace y’all.

Yeah, it’s late. It’s a Monday night, and I’m in a good mood, as Kansas worked their way into the next round of the Maui Invitational, which means they have a game tomorrow night.

On that note, let it be known to all readers far and wide that I’m good. I could fill up a blog with drivel (OK, the word “drivel” is interesting… and I’m glad you are reading it. It’s one of those words you don’t throw out there in everyday conversation, unless of course, you are having a deep conversation about the use of the Oxford comma, or your daughter’s boyfriend that doesn’t catch everyday Monty Python jokes because he’s never seen “Holy Grail”… seriously, WTF dude?)

KU won the night and I am glad. Other than that, I’ve got some work stuff hanging about in the air…. like a normal human being, and some family stuff that creates a high level of frustration. Can’t say much more than that tonight. I love my family, I love my kids, and I really, really, love my wife. Lisa creates the least amount of drama in my life, and I am thankful everyday for that.

I should just pause and focus on the things I have to be thankful for now.

I’m going to bug out now.

Peace y’all.

Today I closed out the day with good news and a reacquaintment with an old friend.

Lisa and I got up this morning to a sunny and brisk Sunday morning, with black coffee (Tanzanian Peaberry, medium roast) and omelets (the ream cheese made the meal).

After the breaking of the fast and another cup of coffee, we ran off to church. It was good to have most of the kids with us at Mass this morning. Family time is important.

Lisa and I did a little shopping after church before dropping her off at her best friends house so thy can catch up.

After that, it’s been pretty blah. The Chiefs are on a bye week, so I want to watch football, but that compulsion just isn’t there. Only regret is not watching the Jets shellac the Raiders… I would’ve liked to have seen that.

Tomorrow is going to pop up too soon, as always. Numerous meetings and call throughout the day. Maybe getting to bed sooner rather than later is the right call tonight.

Peace y’all.

OK, a short post tonight before I head off to bed. It’s been a good day. Started off with me getting into bed at 1:00 in the morning, going back to the airport late in the morning to pick up the Bonnie monster.

Tonight is just one of those nights.

I’ll write more tomorrow.

Peace y’all.