tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78399752024-03-12T23:12:09.172-05:00To Whatever EndNg3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.comBlogger439125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-58441638494375651382013-11-03T05:21:00.000-05:002013-11-03T05:21:02.686-05:00Annual Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Evidently posting on here has become an annual event. So here we go: my annual blog post for 2013. </div>
Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-43011416849702211452012-09-27T20:43:00.001-05:002012-09-27T20:43:52.303-05:00The search for the perfect notebook continues...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.starwars.com/play/online-activities/crawl-creator/index.jsp?cs=djruqdrgcu">The Habana Notebook</a></div>
Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-67260102180324754922012-07-28T12:23:00.002-05:002012-07-28T12:23:40.225-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Nice to see that I'm consistently inconsistent with blogging. Also nice to see al the new features on blogger. Now if only I could find the motiviation to write something worthwhile.....</div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-3780790498448044482011-09-04T08:50:00.002-05:002011-09-04T08:52:45.619-05:00Malaise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_x6y4i7="133"><div closure_uid_bexdqw="125"><span closure_uid_bexdqw="142" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All is quiet around the apartment this morning. Too quiet, actually. <span closure_uid_629han="170">For some reason or another I can'tseem to get going; I feel "blah" overall and am deeply fatigued, despite the solid sleep last night. The usual</span> three cups of coffee have only been of limited benefit and I'm tempted to put on another pot, which I'll probably do in a bit. First up is a brisk walk around the neighborhood to see if that clears out the physical and mental fog plaguing me this morning.....</span></div></div></div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-39533900911464709892011-08-30T18:41:00.002-05:002011-08-30T18:57:18.013-05:00Recent Events<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_vlqrif="153">What an eventful last few days. I returned from Honduras last Thursday and was immediately swept up into the drama that was Hurricane Irene (which included working the weekend), battled a wretched summer cold (from which I'm just now beginning to recover), and today sorted out everything needed for classes which also began this week. At this rate, I'm going to soon need another vacation. </div><div closure_uid_vlqrif="153"><br />
</div><div closure_uid_vlqrif="153"><div closure_uid_2551uq="124"><div closure_uid_6lvbmw="125">I went to Honduras earlier this month to celebrate my birthday with some friends there. The main event was a fiesta complete with lots of traditional foods and entertainment provided by a mariachi band that lived up to their reputation of being one of the better ones in the Copan area (partly due to their hotshot accordian player being both present and sober). Friends wanted it to be a memorable occasion and they certainly succeeded. What a wonderful way to spend ones <strike>21st</strike>, <strike>30th</strike>, <strike>35th,</strike> 40th birthday. </div></div></div></div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-21040436125764467762011-08-30T14:34:00.002-05:002011-08-30T14:40:23.653-05:00UpdateOver a year since my last post. Remarkable just how quickly time passes....
<br />
<br />At any rate, all is well with me. A few changes have occurred since my last update which I may get around to discussing at some point in the near future....
<br />Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-59645287100030447972010-08-14T06:28:00.002-05:002010-08-14T06:42:35.402-05:00CompletionI am happy to report that the masters degree is finally finished. All that remains is to deliver the five copies of the thesis to the Registrar first thing Monday morning along with all the associated paper work, the last step which will bring this endeavor to a welcome and satsifying end. This is long overdue. I should have finished it up in 2007 upon completion of my research, but alas became distracted at that time with work and sundry other things and before I knew it, three years had passed before I began to consider seriously the data analysis and writing. Sure, at various points along the way I tinkered with this or that, wrote a paragraph or page here or there....but the serious work didn't begin until May of this year. Despite the distractions and delays, it's a great feeling to have this thing behind me.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-15469689742991731882010-03-28T09:41:00.002-05:002010-03-28T09:43:46.703-05:00Panang Curry<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S69q28DuVcI/AAAAAAAAAFo/UrfIKNngYgg/s1600/panang+curry.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453695165836187074" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S69q28DuVcI/AAAAAAAAAFo/UrfIKNngYgg/s320/panang+curry.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Panang curry(with beef and topped with fresh diced chilies and Kaffir lime leaves) from a few nights ago. Served with steamed rice and lightly wilted watercress (cooked with garlic and tomatoes). </div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-56116021298299090112010-03-22T07:06:00.003-05:002010-03-22T07:15:35.682-05:00Monday BlurbOff on sick leave today due to pesky allergies. Something wicked is blooming and I would love to discover what and kill it. I hope too the rain and showers will soon clear the air of whatever nefarious pollen has done me a mischief.<br /><br />I have given a lot of thought lately as to where I am in life and where I want to be. For quite some time now I haven't been entirely happy with the present state of things and have recently resolved to make some changes for the better. I've explored some options and put a few things in motion so if all goes well, 2010 will be a year of change, of calculated risk in pursuit of greater happiness.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-2790755070037385462010-03-13T15:24:00.004-05:002010-03-13T15:33:12.192-05:00Travel BugOne would think that having spent a good part of December in Honduras, followed by a long week there in February, the travel bug would be cured for the time being. Unhappily (only from a certain point of view) such is not the case. The urge to travel abroad has returned stronger than ever. I want nothing more than to strap on the hiking sandals, throw on the backpack, and disappear for a while into some little corner of the world. It is there where my soul is the happiest.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-37678340406998427022010-03-11T18:43:00.003-05:002010-03-11T18:45:52.426-05:00Chicken Adobo<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S5mAX5yP9qI/AAAAAAAAAFc/BrZblRRMbiA/s1600-h/chicken+adobo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447526372418254498" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S5mAX5yP9qI/AAAAAAAAAFc/BrZblRRMbiA/s320/chicken+adobo.jpg" /></a> Chicken adobo made a couple nights ago. I used a three step cooking method for the chicken (boil, fry, simmer) which left the chicken super tender. Served with sides of bok choy and shitake mushrooms and rice topped with fried garlic.<br /><div></div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-65811347399333295492010-02-28T11:26:00.002-05:002010-02-28T11:28:59.824-05:00Dinner: February 25<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S4qZhBn-lnI/AAAAAAAAAFU/UCIjXJ9Z6aE/s1600-h/dinner+Feb+25.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443331892281513586" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S4qZhBn-lnI/AAAAAAAAAFU/UCIjXJ9Z6aE/s320/dinner+Feb+25.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Stir-fried beef and bok choy in a spicy sauce along with fried rice, into which I added a handful of fresh Thai basil. </div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-41375732827317774342010-02-21T10:58:00.003-05:002010-02-21T11:03:50.248-05:00Chu Chee Curry<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S4FYTuojZyI/AAAAAAAAAFM/PA-wXOa7zzg/s1600-h/chu+chee+curry.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440726920799151906" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S4FYTuojZyI/AAAAAAAAAFM/PA-wXOa7zzg/s320/chu+chee+curry.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>A shot of the chu chee curry I made a couple weeks ago. The fish was cod, which worked very very well. The only substitution I would make would be to sprinkle kaffir lime leaves over the dish when done and not cilantro as pictured here. Cilantro worked, but lime leaves would fit the overall composition just a little better. Happily I found the leaves today during a trip to an Asian market in Virginia Beach...so guess what's on the menu again tonight? :)<br /><div></div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-91968552448140316852010-02-21T07:48:00.002-05:002010-02-21T08:08:28.754-05:00EspanolAfter several years of it remaining little more than a good idea left unfulfilled, I enrolled in a beginning Spanish course at a local college back in January. While the class has been a bit of work, I am thoroughly enjoying the time; not since the anthropology courses of the distant undergradute years have I taken a class as rewarding and as interesting as this one. I regret waiting three or four years to finally begin the language after deciding I want to learn it, but as they say: better late than never. While I feel as though I am learning a lot, I harbor no delusions about becoming fluent in the near future; that aspect is probaby years away. And that coming to pass only with regular and diligent study and practical use of the language.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-75019056612595378532010-02-20T12:38:00.001-05:002010-02-20T12:25:22.234-05:00Proof<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S4AarrtsEKI/AAAAAAAAAFE/8e1iS4cFfSI/s1600-h/bm-image-737954.jpe"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440377687634612386" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/S4AarrtsEKI/AAAAAAAAAFE/8e1iS4cFfSI/s320/bm-image-737954.jpe" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo">Just proof for the more incredulous that we did receive snow here in Virginia a few weeks ago. </p>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-66971572547785458782010-02-20T11:13:00.001-05:002010-02-20T11:15:16.545-05:00BackRemarkable how long it has been since my last post. Certainly doesn't seem as though <em>that</em> many months have passed since I last posted the usual nonsense on here.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-30362273748949492702009-06-22T05:23:00.002-05:002009-06-22T05:39:16.564-05:00Back to the GrindIt's back to the grind today after a delightful four day weekend during which I did little other than read, purge some junk from the apartment, visit the parents, and cook. It was nice. Very nice. Calls and/or text messages from work were kept to a minimum (mostly) and those that I did get I generally ingored.<br /><br />An interesting observation though: usually a little time away from the office restores my energy and enthusiams for it and increases tolerance for all the daily nonsense and pettiness that transpires. But it's a little different this time around. I have no desire, no interest in returning to that wretched place. Tendering my resignation and starting anew somewhere else has a powerful appeal, but it's not realistic at this time, at least not until other employement is secured. Were it not for bills to pay and trips abroad to plan, I would almost risk being unemployed for the short term.<br /><br />Anyway...off to have more coffee in hopes of fully bracing myself for the terror of the day.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-20755312323522400792009-06-21T19:38:00.000-05:002009-06-21T19:30:31.218-05:00Dinner June 21<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/Sj7Qp5mShtI/AAAAAAAAAE8/6jDE2BrcQD0/s1600-h/bm-image-731221.jpe"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PLvYRcF7uSM/Sj7Qp5mShtI/AAAAAAAAAE8/6jDE2BrcQD0/s320/bm-image-731221.jpe" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349942825617360594" /></a></p>Thai style beef and basil along with rice.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-53176390581659269922009-06-20T11:14:00.003-05:002009-06-20T11:39:01.026-05:00WritersblokOn a whim this morning, I headed over to Norfolk Stationery to spend a little time lusting over their broad selection of fountain pens and inks. Almost immediately upon arriving, I noticed on a shelf behind the endcap full of Moleskines, a collection of notebooks unfamiliar to me.<br /><br />"Whazzat?!?" I said to myself.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kikkerlandshop.com/writersblok.html">Writersblok</a> notebooks they were and, as they seemed a viable alternative to Moleskine, I picked up a pack each of the smaller (pocket sized) and medium soft-cover sizes to try out. As to paper selection I chose the dots, which seems a novel concept for those who like blank pages but have the singular inability to keep the lines straight without some sort of guide sheet placed beneath the page. What's more, the dots are somewhat narrower than the lines found in ruled Moleskine journals which is a Godsend for my miniscule handwriting.<br /><br />So today I've a new thing with which to experiment. I'll write a review of sorts later today or tomorrow after I've put the Writersblok notebooks through their paces.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-80714650581905689972009-06-13T08:22:00.002-05:002009-06-13T08:25:00.497-05:00Today's Wisdom<em>Tourists don't know where they've been; travelers don't know where they're going.</em><br /><div align="right">-Paul Theroux from The Happy Isles of Oceania</div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-24838963908863083562009-06-07T18:21:00.012-05:002009-06-13T16:41:53.830-05:00Burn baby burnHave been somewhat out of sorts today due to a rather severe case of sunburn acquired during a photo expedition to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge yesterday. As it turned out, I egregiously miscalculated (no surprise as I'm bad at math) the sunburn threat. Low and heavy clouds? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pfffft</span>! Will leave the sunscreen at home. As a result of this error, I'm red today, the degree of which is several steps beyond lobster red. It's more along the lines of a mean and angry red. A Republican red.<br /><br />As yesterday was my first Free Day in ages, I decided a photo expedition was in order and, thus, early in the day I gathered the camera and sallied forth to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge just south of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sandbridge</span> in Virginia Beach. With the low <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">clouds</span> and spitting rain, it promised to be an ideal beach day, when conditions are dark and moody and I'm the only person for miles around. This is much preferred to those sunny and hot days when one can't take a shot without some overweight and frightfully <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">under dressed</span> tourist from New Jersey wandering into the frame.<br /><br />But if anything, I was the one decidedly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">under dressed</span> yesterday given the brisk north wind and grey skies spitting rain, that overpriced-camera-hating rain which seems to follow me on every photo expedition. Shorts, sandals, and a light polo shirt. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Under dressed</span>, yes, but not frightfully so. I had dressed for summer and yesterday was more akin to October. But the rain had stopped by the time i arrived at the preserve, so I decided to press onward along the trails of the Back Bay side in hopes the tangle of bushes and stunted trees would serve as a wind break at least until it warmed enough to allow beach wandering in comfort.<br /><br />I pressed on along the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bayside</span> trails and discovered the open areas within the bushes and shrubby trees teeming with dragonflies of various makes, models, and colors. This pleased me greatly as as I've long been fond of those seemingly clunky, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">over sized</span> insects. Alas, they weren't particularly cooperative to photographic endeavours save for one which, I would later discover when reviewing the day's photos, was missing a wing. So there it was. Less in the way of photographic prowess, and more in terms of a damaged insect probably in need of a breather. Dragonflies were soon to rise even higher in my estimation when I forayed out along the marsh trail boardwalk where I encountered the wrath of those wretched biting flies-the bane of picnics anywhere near the coast, which soon had me in full retreat back to the sheltered areas of bush and trees. Finding me very much to their liking (or perhaps delicious), the biting flies pursued me into the sheltered clearing. And here the air duel began. As the biting flies swarmed me, the dragonflies swarmed them, those big and surprisingly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">unclunky</span> insects diving here and there in close proximity to me, presumably picking off their lunch. Within moments the biting flies had vanished as had the dragonflies and I was left alone wishing I had studied <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Odonata</span> and not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Diptera</span> for the masters in biology.<br /><br />Having been cleared of biting flies by my new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Odonatan</span> friends, I wandered back towards the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">trailhead</span> and onto a low wooden platform over a pond and immediately noticed to my lower right a log floating in the water. A brown scaly log slithering among the light gray branches at the water's edge.<br /><br /><em>Snakes. Why does it always have to be snakes.</em><br /><br />And not just any snake, mind you. A cottonmouth moccasin about three feet in length and with a diameter larger than my arm. As is often the case in predator/prey relationships, I froze in place, trembling like a field mouse. A six foot two field mouse. The snake paid me little interest and began to swim out towards open water.<br /><br /><em>Go away, please. Just go away.</em><br /><br />Whether attracted by the clicking of the camera, or perhaps my mouse-like whimpering, the snake stopped, turned and, waving its head left and right, flicked its bifurcated tongue a few times in my direction. A moment of hesitation, a moment of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">assessment,</span> and serpentine decision.<br /><br /><em>Help me, Obi-wan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Kenobi</span>. You're my only hope.</em><br /><br />With alarming speed, the snake launched in my direction. It's robust body <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">undulating</span> upon the calm surface of the water, leaving a wake in its path. I took defensive measures, but the Vile Serpent was undeterred by the heavy curses hurled in its direction. I then considered my options.<br /><br /><em>A. Wet my pants</em><br /><em>B. Scream like a schoolgurl</em><br /><em>C. Run away! Run away!</em><br /><em>D. Both A and B</em><br /><em>E. Stay and fight like a man</em><br /><br />Thankfully I have long legs and with but a few great strides I found myself on the beach, a half mile away, where I spent the remainder of the day photographing waves and shore birds and horseshoe crabs long dead. And getting sunburned. Terribly, terribly sunburned. Even with the by then partly cloudy skies. But at the time, sunburn was the furthest thing from my mind. The beach was deserted save for a few Clean the Bay Days folks in the far distance, visible only because of their bright orange trash bags fluttering in the breeze. I was alone on that beach, with the constant roar of the breakers, blowing sea foam and the smell of salt air, and the flight of birds and sand crabs scurrying here and there, cautiously peering at me with stalked eyes from the safety of their burrows. Here one feels a certain <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">connectedness</span> with their surroundings, where two worlds meet, aquatic and terrestrial, and the life that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">flourishes</span> at the angry and malleable juncture of the two. There is something restorative about time spent in this setting where life is reduced to things elemental, which, for those so inclined to look deeper at things, constitutes a meditative endeavor.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-33278138644699431202009-05-25T15:59:00.005-05:002009-05-25T16:26:47.701-05:00Summer BeginsAhhhh. The Memorial Day holiday. The official start of summer fun. The incessant laughter and high-pitched squeals of small children playing in the pool next door brings to mind this song....<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N7vCww3j2-w&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N7vCww3j2-w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-29944998749751225892009-05-10T08:22:00.003-05:002009-05-10T08:51:03.387-05:00A New DawnHaving had a late night out with family and some friends, I allowed myself to sleep in a bit this morning, finally crawling out of bed at the ungodly late hour of 8am as opposed to the usual 5:30-6am time frame. I was slighly out of sorts when I first woke due to last night's alochol, but after copious amounts water and coffee I'm feeling back to normal, or at least very nearly so. In a bit I'll ready myself to foray to the parent's house for a Mother's Day cookout, which is the primary activity on today's agenda.<br /><br />Yesterday proved to be highly productive in terms of the issue mentioned in my last post (the "control my life and not have my life control me" thing). A good portion of the day was spent evaluating this issue, which included reviewing daily journals and diaries and giving serious consideration as to patterns that are so much more apparrent when documented in such a format than, say, via memory alone. To say that the endeavor was a real eye-opener is a bit of an understatement. I've long been convinced that the task of daily journal keeping, though at times mundane and tedious, has merit which was confirmed during yesterday's evaluation process. But at any rate, the key point I want to make here is this: a number of key factors were identified, from which I was able to develop a work plan (or road map, if you will) to regain control of my life. I cannot begin to describe the peace of mind, the excitement, the determination I now have. It's a new dawn, a new chapter of my life beginning to open as long as I maintain the discipline necessary to see the endeavor through to a happy conclusion.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-23733804555317747162009-05-09T06:18:00.003-05:002009-05-09T06:36:07.812-05:00Saturday blurbBeen up for about an hour and am working my way through the third cup of coffee. Not much on the day's agenda other than some assorted chores (laundry...yay!) and such. There is a pronounced need to go to the office to do some things today, but for once I don't see that happening. I've worked the last few Saturdays and want this one to be my own.<br /><br />The need to claim today as my own is symbolic of a much larger issue going on in my life. My traditional iron discipline has slipped and I feel as though I'm letting things control me and not the other way around as it should be. This has been vexing me for quite some time and it has finally gotten to the point that I have to say no more. So beginning today I'm putting into effect a more vigorous attempt at being in control of my hours, my days, my ultimate destiny.Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7839975.post-39378863114298033052009-04-28T18:32:00.000-05:002009-04-28T18:33:37.688-05:00Quote of the Day<div align="center"><em>Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so.</em> </div><div align="right">- Bertrand Russell </div>Ng3http://www.blogger.com/profile/02339198363921661549noreply@blogger.com0