Fastest Post Ever!!!!!

I was on my way home from work today when my boss called me on my cell phone. I answered, and he said he wanted to tell me about a project that I probably wouldn't like. He said he needed someone to do a 72-hour study of the new hump at Memphis. It would involve timing how long it took to hump a cut of cars, how many pins were pulled for each cut, how long until the cars were pulled out the other end, etc. I told him it sounded like he needed someone to go to Memphis. He agreed and informed me that he needed someone to leave tonight or early tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is Wednesday with Nora, and I didn't think I could go. He reiterated that this would be a really good opportunity for me to get some more experience and exposure. The past couple of times he's had these opportunities for me, they've turned out pretty well. However, I'm the only childcare for Nora on Wednesdays, and the other 2 usually spend the night with me and I take them all to school in the morning. I told him I would make some calls and let him know. I was so sick to my stomach that I didn't even call anybody. I called him back and told him I couldn't go. After I hung up, I thought about it some more and realized that I might've just lost all the flexibility he has given me in my job. I called my ex and explained that my boss has never asked me where I was going or why. He only asked that I get my work done on time, and be available to go places when needed. This was a time when I was needed. Long story short, she called back and said she had it covered. I found some other people to cover my stuff at the Y, and I'm headed to Memphis. Right now, we're at Gilman, IL, and gas is $3.69 at the K&H Truck stop. Stop on down and fill'er up if you're in the neighborhood.

The Cubs open up their 2008 World Series run tomorrow, and I'll be watching cars roll down a hill. The Vice-Presidential debate is on Thursday, and I'll be watching cars roll down a hill. But, let's not forget, everyone else was at work on Wednesday, and I was out with Nora, going to lunch and playing in the park. Everyone else was at work on Friday, and I was at Wrigley Field, like 5 times, so it kinda evens out. The best part.....I'm going to get some of Gus's Fried Chicken tomorrow, and maybe the next day, and quite possibly the day after that. The last time I took the train back to Chicago, I got a bag of ten pieces (they were in a greasy paper bag which was awesome!!) to eat on the train. It was all gone by Carbondale. Don't worry though, I did bring workout clothes, my YMCA card, and my iPod. I should be good to go.

So here I sit, ripping through the heartland at 79 mph, watching the lights of the countryside go by, thinking about how much I love my job. Life's good.

New Camera

I also got one of those little grypton tripod thingies. I figured out how to use the timer on my camera and decided to take a little family picture. After seeing it on the computer, it's not as good as I thought, but it's still decent for a first effort. The tripod was on the table shooting up with the sky in the background. I don't know if that threw the sensors off or what. It looks kinda hazy. If anyone's got any tips for overcoming that, I'll hear them at this time. Otherwise, take a gander at me and my darlings. I've got another where Nora is looking at the camera, and Maggie and Grace don't appear to be seeing one for the first time; it's taken with a higher resolution and is 2.25MB. I didn't feel like waiting for it to upload via the old air card.

PS - My eyes seem to disappear when I smile....I'm surprised I'm not better at math.

PPS - Those last 2 statements are totally un-related, any connection you make is yours and yours only.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. We had a little drama in the neighborhood Friday night. Someone missed the curb and took out not one, but two dumpsters.

Wednesdays With Nora - My Login Still Works Edition

I took a little break for the rest of July, all of August, and the first half of September. Anyone who knows the demanding schedule I undertake knows I needed the time off. To answer the most received question, Maggie has indeed returned from camp. She had a great time and can't wait go go back with Grace next year. She had an ear infection from being in the lake 3 times/day, but is otherwise no worse for wear. What else?

Maggie and Grace are in their 3rd year at Calvary Christian School and still doing well. Nora missed the kindergarten cutoff by 15 days, so she's having another go at Pre-K. I'm really disappointed that we couldn't get her in kindergarten this year. Being the baby sister, this would've been her 3rd time through all of this material. She can write her name and spell it in sign language. Today, we were adding 2 and 3 to single digit numbers, and she was getting all of them right. She's got skills of a first grader and the attitude of a teen-ager. She's as sassy as ever.

The Cubs are going back to the playoffs. I made it out to a few more games and have a secret weapon for the post-season. The last 2 games I went to, I ended up needing to use the restroom in the 7th inning. Wrigley is ok for number 1, but you'd rather wait for home if you need to do more. I did not have that luxury and had to bite the bullet 2 games in a row. As luck would have it, I visited the restroom in the top of the 7th, and the Cubs homered in the bottom of the 7th each time. That, combined with Zambrano's no-hitter, the dramatic comebacks, and I must say this is out year.

Nora's dance teacher is still around. I don't have the high hopes that I once did, but keeping my hopes in check makes her more fun to hang out with, if that makes sense. We made it to the Bears game on Sunday to see the home team blow a 10-point lead with less than 3 minutes to go. My record at Bears home games is less than stellar. I am 1-0 on the road, though. Dancin' girl and I have some other stuff tentatively planned, but I've got some other lines in the water. The good side to this is that if nothing gets going with anyone and I just focus on my children, church, and work, that's not the end of the world either.

Finally, I lost my digital camera a couple of months ago. I just got around to getting a new one. I got a nice deal on EBay, and I like it alot. It's a 7.2MP, about double what my old one was. The picture above was taken today with the new camera. Look at the detail on those chicken strips!!!! ...and Nora brushed her own hair today. For whatever reason, I can't post anything without having a picture, mine or someone else's, to go along with it. Look for a little more out of this blog in the near future. I'll probably get hot for a few weeks, then take another month off. I'm hit or miss like that.