I missed posting yesterday. I was completely wiped out after playing golf. I played a tournament at the Southern Oaks golf club, and just couldn't do anything right. I started out well, but it quickly went down hill from there. I will have to rethink playing in the next event at Furman University.
Since I had played golf so poorly yesterday I decided to go again today. After going to church services this morning I went to Willow Creek Country Club. This is the course that I played my first round of golf on exactly 6 years ago. It was a very good decision as I got 18 holes in before the heavy rain came, and I played very well. It's amazing how much better I played today in comparison to yesterday. I played 17 strokes better today than yesterday. Quite a swing in scores.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
Out of the fire, into the water
Well the weather has finally changed from ultra hot, to ultra wet! While I won't swear I saw animals lining up two by two, it wouldn't have surprised me at all. The heavy thunderstorms of last night continued throughout today.
That will make tomorrow's golf tournament doubly tough. The course is long enough, and not getting any roll out of the fairway will make it that much longer. As long as I can keep to my game plan, I feel I'll at least give myself a shot.
I have been remiss on keeping a closer eye on the nomination of Judge Roberts. While nothing official has taken place yet (Congressional vacations, don't ya know), there is still plenty happening "off the record". Just a quick glance over the top stories, and it's obvious that the Democrats are starting to get their people in line and on the same page. It does see to be shaping up to be quite some fight.
I will keep this entry short, and get some things done here at the Bar Tab Ranch.
That will make tomorrow's golf tournament doubly tough. The course is long enough, and not getting any roll out of the fairway will make it that much longer. As long as I can keep to my game plan, I feel I'll at least give myself a shot.
I have been remiss on keeping a closer eye on the nomination of Judge Roberts. While nothing official has taken place yet (Congressional vacations, don't ya know), there is still plenty happening "off the record". Just a quick glance over the top stories, and it's obvious that the Democrats are starting to get their people in line and on the same page. It does see to be shaping up to be quite some fight.
I will keep this entry short, and get some things done here at the Bar Tab Ranch.
Crash! Bang! Boom!
I decided not to tempt fate last night and try to get online. We had severe thunderstorms last night. So violent that the thunder literally rattled the windows and doors. The flash of the lightening was so bright, it lit up the room! Now I have a surge protector, but tempting fate that way just didn't seem like a good idea at the time.
More later this evening.
More later this evening.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
A New Look
I tried to find a way to add links to the homepage of my older template, and just couldn't seem to get it done, so I changed templates. I will confess to liking the look of the old template, but this one is easy to read (at least to me) and adding links to the side will hopefully make it more friendly for the reader.
Hmmmm. I don't seem to be able to see this post for some odd reason. It says it's been published, and the number of posts has gone up, but I'm not seeing it on my home page.
Hmmmm. I don't seem to be able to see this post for some odd reason. It says it's been published, and the number of posts has gone up, but I'm not seeing it on my home page.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
One down, 9 to go
One down and nine to go.
I gave my Icebreaker speech today and it was well received. "Looking into life's rear view mirror" was it's title and got high marks form my fellow toastmasters.
One valuable lesson that was learned (more a re-learn) is that I knew what "perfect" was, but not my audience. While I recognized and passed over minor errors, mostly my audience never knew.
Another lesson learned (the hard way) was "Be Prepared". The Boy Scout motto came in handy today. I had scheduled one person for the job of Table Topics master, but as I hadn't heard from him, readied some on my own. When he didn't show, I was able to pass along the prepared topics for someone else to use, and make the transition that much smoother.
When a law is good enough for the people, surely it is good enough for their rulers?
Shouldn't that be the case? Buried in the middle of the article is a local example common practices on a national level. While a small business owner may not post advertising on public land, a politician may. While it is a minor point, it is a symptom of Washington writ small.
I gave my Icebreaker speech today and it was well received. "Looking into life's rear view mirror" was it's title and got high marks form my fellow toastmasters.
One valuable lesson that was learned (more a re-learn) is that I knew what "perfect" was, but not my audience. While I recognized and passed over minor errors, mostly my audience never knew.
Another lesson learned (the hard way) was "Be Prepared". The Boy Scout motto came in handy today. I had scheduled one person for the job of Table Topics master, but as I hadn't heard from him, readied some on my own. When he didn't show, I was able to pass along the prepared topics for someone else to use, and make the transition that much smoother.
When a law is good enough for the people, surely it is good enough for their rulers?
Shouldn't that be the case? Buried in the middle of the article is a local example common practices on a national level. While a small business owner may not post advertising on public land, a politician may. While it is a minor point, it is a symptom of Washington writ small.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Sunday, July 24, 2005
UGH!
Today was a day wasted away due to sinus trouble. I'm not sure what triggered the episode, but I spent the day trapped inside. Shadow wasn't too disappointed with spending the day with me though. I took him outside and threw the ball for a while but even that didn't last too long. Not only did I have a problem with my sinuses, but it was just plain hot!
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Lazy Day
Today was a day spent being anything but lazy. I worked on the house all morning, and after lunch went into town to run some errands.
While I was out, I stopped by the new HH Gregg store to see what the store was all about. They had a bare bones store inside without the usual frills you see in Circuit City or Best Buy. Their pricing appeared to be very good. I took advantage of a good buy on a dvd player for the bed room, and oddly enough a golf umbrella. While I already have a good golf umbrella, I couldn't pass up on one for less than three dollars. While it may not hold up long, for that small amount of money, it will be hard NOT to get my money's worth.
While I was out, I stopped by the new HH Gregg store to see what the store was all about. They had a bare bones store inside without the usual frills you see in Circuit City or Best Buy. Their pricing appeared to be very good. I took advantage of a good buy on a dvd player for the bed room, and oddly enough a golf umbrella. While I already have a good golf umbrella, I couldn't pass up on one for less than three dollars. While it may not hold up long, for that small amount of money, it will be hard NOT to get my money's worth.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Toastmasters
Well, I am humbled, and very much red-faced. I am a (very new) member of Piedmont Executive Toastmasters, and was elected to serve as the Vice President of Education. This is a very important role, and one of great responsibility. My very first month on the job and I've already dropped the ball. I was supposed to have sent out the schedule for next week, but it never made it out. *sigh. Yet another SNAFU this week. Thank God for the president of the club's gentle nudge. I have sent out the schedule along with a humble apology. I am very much determined to better myself in this regard, and not allow this to happen in the future!
Regarding Judge Roberts. I see that there are already advertisements from the Republican party for the Senate to give him an up or down vote. I wonder how much this will cost the nation?
Regarding Judge Roberts. I see that there are already advertisements from the Republican party for the Senate to give him an up or down vote. I wonder how much this will cost the nation?
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Goodbye Youth. Hello High Cholesterol.
*sigh. I had the second half of my (now) annual physical. It sucks to get old. When did this happen to me and how? I suppose getting old does beat the alternative. The verdict is: High Cholesterol. High cholesterol runs in the family. I am grateful that at least now there are ways to moderate it. But after reading the possible side affects, is the cure worse than the disease? I have to take a pill every night. I'm lucky to remember my name, now I'm supposed to remember to take a pill? Oh yeah, that's a great idea. Time to set a reminder on my PDA and see if that'll help.
For those of you who don't know my current habits, a little background. I have a terrible time with remembering dates and appointments. So I set about 7 or so years ago to use (more or less faithfully) a Day Timer. This worked very well for me for a number of years. The main problem was if I was away from the office (where I kept the archived months, and next month's booklet) and the month changed I was out of luck. So after a long weekend (Labor Day weekend as I recall), I added a PDA system and left the Day Timer at home. This made keeping current easier, and it interfaced well with Microsoft Outlook, synchronizing my calendar and contact list and allowing me to download small web pages and emails. However it had massive hole for me. I couldn't take quick notes on it, nor did it have the "feel" of a paper based system.
After a couple of years working with my PDA (a Handspring Visor), I upgraded to a Tungsten C with a wireless capability. It has a small thumb keyboard, and a color screen and works better than the Visor. It also allows me to take very small notes. It will also run spreadsheets, and word documents, but not very well.
So now I use a combination of Day Timer and PDA and it seems to work for me. It can be a little awkward, and redundant, but it's Good Enough. I'll try to post more on that later
I see that another attack has happened in London. This is one American who is behind our British friends 100%. You were there for us after 9/11, we are here for you now! My thoughts are with those hurt, and my sympathies to their families.
I am listening to "Terrorism Analyst" Steve Emerson on Fox News and he made a great point. Those that blame all the attacks on the U.S. and our allies on our presence in Iraq have missed the point. The 9/11 attacks were perpetrated prior to our foray into Afghanistan and Iraq. I'm not sure who he is, nor what if any, credentials he may have. But it is a valid point he makes, and one that deserves repeating here.
For those of you who don't know my current habits, a little background. I have a terrible time with remembering dates and appointments. So I set about 7 or so years ago to use (more or less faithfully) a Day Timer. This worked very well for me for a number of years. The main problem was if I was away from the office (where I kept the archived months, and next month's booklet) and the month changed I was out of luck. So after a long weekend (Labor Day weekend as I recall), I added a PDA system and left the Day Timer at home. This made keeping current easier, and it interfaced well with Microsoft Outlook, synchronizing my calendar and contact list and allowing me to download small web pages and emails. However it had massive hole for me. I couldn't take quick notes on it, nor did it have the "feel" of a paper based system.
After a couple of years working with my PDA (a Handspring Visor), I upgraded to a Tungsten C with a wireless capability. It has a small thumb keyboard, and a color screen and works better than the Visor. It also allows me to take very small notes. It will also run spreadsheets, and word documents, but not very well.
So now I use a combination of Day Timer and PDA and it seems to work for me. It can be a little awkward, and redundant, but it's Good Enough. I'll try to post more on that later
I see that another attack has happened in London. This is one American who is behind our British friends 100%. You were there for us after 9/11, we are here for you now! My thoughts are with those hurt, and my sympathies to their families.
I am listening to "Terrorism Analyst" Steve Emerson on Fox News and he made a great point. Those that blame all the attacks on the U.S. and our allies on our presence in Iraq have missed the point. The 9/11 attacks were perpetrated prior to our foray into Afghanistan and Iraq. I'm not sure who he is, nor what if any, credentials he may have. But it is a valid point he makes, and one that deserves repeating here.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
I'm back!
Well summer has settled in with a vengance here in South Carolina! The tempratures have soared to the middle-90's, and the humidity has followed like an obediant shadow. This has made for a run of miserable days and sticky nights. But this is to be expected this time of year. That still doesn't mean we have to like it, however.
After a quick survey of several web sites, it seems that the fight over President Bush's nomination for the Supreme Court is well underway. From early reports and quick research, he seems to be falling on the side against judicial activism, which is exactly what we need. However, time and a long Senatorial Inquisition will test his mettle. I expect from the early tones taken by the usual suspects from the left that this will not be a rubber stamp approval of Judge Roberts. I will take great delight in following his progress through the Senate hearings to come.
I was introduced today to a new site that I will be frequenting. SCHotline is an amalgamation of political news from across the state from a variety of sources. I have not done much with this site yet, but it is my intention to visit early and often.
I know I've mentioned many times that I do not keep a daily record, or blog if you will, as well as I should. One of my many resolutions for this year was to better my record. I know that the year is more than half-way through, but I'm trying!
After a quick survey of several web sites, it seems that the fight over President Bush's nomination for the Supreme Court is well underway. From early reports and quick research, he seems to be falling on the side against judicial activism, which is exactly what we need. However, time and a long Senatorial Inquisition will test his mettle. I expect from the early tones taken by the usual suspects from the left that this will not be a rubber stamp approval of Judge Roberts. I will take great delight in following his progress through the Senate hearings to come.
I was introduced today to a new site that I will be frequenting. SCHotline is an amalgamation of political news from across the state from a variety of sources. I have not done much with this site yet, but it is my intention to visit early and often.
I know I've mentioned many times that I do not keep a daily record, or blog if you will, as well as I should. One of my many resolutions for this year was to better my record. I know that the year is more than half-way through, but I'm trying!
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