Happy New Year- almost

Well it's coming around again. Time to reflect back on 2006 and ahead to 2007.

Here's my five things:

1- Just got back from a holiday party at the Kelly's. It was a fun time to chat with all our neighbor's. It looks like we'll be getting wood floors instead of carpet... thanks again Tim!

2- Here's a great article about significant players in Detroit Sports histroy as identified by the number on their jersey. It's a fun read: http://forums.detnews.com/top99athletes/index.cfm

3- Got to love those Chargers. Sitting at 13-2.. they need to win tomorrow to secure the home field advantage through the playoffs. So put on your Charger jersey's and shout... Go Bolts!

4- Here's to hoping that U-M kicks USCs butt in the Rose Bowl.

5- Time to make some Resolution's for 2007? Here's a site for some ideas: http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/holidays/tp/resolutions.htm

Another rainy Day in San Diego

Yes- it's raining again. A weather front is blowing (20-40 mph gusts) through America's finest city and right now it's beginning to clear up.

My Five Things:
1- Went to Big Lots for Laundry soap.
2- All the leftover Turkey is gone!
3- BMO has been glued to Diablo 2.
4- Our stocks are all rising.
5- The Prez from Michigan, Gerald R. Ford died last night in Rancho Mirage. A very good man and leader, Jerry never was given a chance. Handpicked by Nixon, he was doomed from the start. After he pardoned Tricky Dick, the press turned on him and sunk thier sharp teeth into his flesh on every turn. In the end, pardoning Nixon went a long way in healing our country and it's presidency. Sadly this fine, everyman's president didn't get his just rewards until now- after his passing.

Happiest of Holidays

My Five things:
1- We enjoyed a houseful of family this Christmas. Bill, Toni and Kieth joined us along with ALeix and Gary for a fancy and delicious Christmas dinner.
2- Everyone seemed to get something they wanted. I guess we were all more nice than naughty this year.

3- Honoring the legends-------James Brown, aka: the 'Godfather of Soul' and 'The hardest working man in music' died. He was 73. Owwwwwwwwwwww! Mad Dog Thornhill, a star LB for the 1965-6 MSU Spartans died- he was 62.

4- We've enjoyed some glorious days both yesterday (25) and today (26). These are the kind of days you appreciate living in So Cal and not Motown.

5- The Church was nicely decorated and it was a lovely service. Rodrigo Rodriguez serenaded us with some fantastic guitar playing and Erin only counted four people who were sleeping during the sermon... A big Amen! Maranatha.

Bonus: The Governator goes under the knife to fix his broken leg. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Arnie.

Off to the WAP--- Happy Holidaz

Hi all- Merry Christmas in two days.

Here's my Big Five for the past few days...
1- We set up the new CPU for BMO. It works well, is plenty fast and was less than $500. That makes it a winner in my book.
2- Wheeeew....... All the shopping is finally done. It's good to not have to go "out there" and fight the huddled masses.
3- We opened Granny and Grandpy's present early and went to the bank to ca$h the checks... we'll be ready for the after Christmas sales.
4- We went out to dinner with Gary and Aleix. We started off heading to Outback Steakhouse but got scared off by the 1-1/2 hour wait. I guess they take reservations by phone now since they asked us if we had "called ahead". Well hell no we didn't call ahead... or we wouldn't be here now! Bottom line was that we had a nice evening at Islands instead.
5- We're heading out to the Wild Animal Park for their "Festival of Lights". Afterwards it'll be a tour of the neigborhood --- Candy Cane Court--- before a quiet dinner at home. Yeah it'll be late.. but it's Christmas...
Bonus Plan>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Church tomorrow at Maranatha Chapel and then Monday gifts at 8 a.m. and then family Christmas dinner at 1 p.m.

Big Charger Win !

Here's my five things:
1- Chargers beat the stinking Chiefs 20-9. LT does it all- again. 199 yards and 2 TDs.

2- Got a lot done around the home front this week. Painted GMO's old room. Moved the bookcases and all the books downstairs. Moved two chairs into the new 'library'. Vacuumed, mopped and cleaned until I cried. Did five loads of laundry, cooked three meals. Sorted old notes and cleaned out a mess of junk. I'm whipped.

3- We got rain this week. For a solid day, we enjoyed some deep soaking rain... Whoops better go turn off the sprinkklers now!

4- We have been big conservers on energy last month. We were down 32% this years vice last year for the month of November.

5- Went for a long ride in the 108 horse closed sleigh to see the Christmas lights. Powered by hot chocolate, we went to Candy Cane Court and all around Poway and CMR.

Whatzup? Lucky 13

Here's my thirteen things...

1- Chargers Rock! 11-2 --- best record in the NFL!
2- It's paint the bedroom time.
3- Always let fresh spackling dry for at least 48 hours.
4- Never buy cheap paint. Unless you're whitewashing a fence you'll always need a second coat.
5- I had to buy a new paint stick and no matter how careful you are- you still drip!
6- I finished Poway Cup III- 73 USC defeated 74 Mich St 27-24 on a last second FG.
7- Time to get the teams ready for the 1962 Jalapeno Baseball Association season.
8- Got a nice yearly dividend check from the insurance company.
9- Taladega Nights! I want to watch it.
10- I'm starting to finish off my Christmas shopping.
11- I spent last night working on the Italy Flipbook... waiting for the paint to dry.
12- P-U!!! Whatever skunk is leaving his scent out there every morning I wish he'd stop!
13- It's been cold lately- I guess it's winter!

It's raining again!

My Five Things

1. Winter has arrived! Mini-me and I were out drinking hot chocolate and viewing the Chrismas lights and a winter began to fall. It feels good to finally be getting a little rain after so many months of dryness.

2. On a sad note, our neighbors dog started seizing and had to be put down. He wasn't that old and I know that I'll miss him. He was a very friendly and good dog.

3. Went out to dinner for the office Christmas Party at the RB Inn. Wow- what a nice place. It was the first time I'd been there and it was great. It was a good evenbing with good friends and co-workers. The boss really does it right!

4. I have been invited to join a writer's group that meets monthly. I'm definitely going to consider it. A writer's group and it's critical eye would be an excellent way to take my writing to the next level.

5. Chargers play tomorrow at home versus Denver. Go Bolts.

Bonus. I am beginning to consider our 25th anniversary and want to save up for a three week Rick Steves Euro Trip in 2007 (we'll both be 50 and it will be our 25th anniversary).



here's the link:



http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours07/product.cfm/rurl/code/EUR07/

Ola and Happy Thursday

My five things:

1- I tried some range feed, no hormones 100% Beef. It was delicious! It tastes lioke meat we used to eat as kids growing up.

2- I got the big oppps feelinmg today. When discussing thast I hadn't finished my shopping for the family back in Michigan.. a patient said "You know you need to get it into the mail by next Monday--- or it might not get there..." Gulp... I better get shopping.

3- Three interesting websites:

Health and fitness: http://sparkpeople.com
Forbidden Archeology: http://www.forbiddenarcheology.com
A place to post your photos: http://photobucket.com

4- Rain in the forcast for here in San Diego this coming Sunday and the Chargers play the arch rival Broncos at 1:15 pm at the Q. It could be interesting.

5- Cable Guy comes out to visit tomorrow. Last weekend Channel 10 was telecasting the USC-UCLA game and it was a terrible picture. I mean I nearly lost it! The cable company (Time Warner) didn't seem too upset... thus they waited nearly a week to come and check it out.Can't they get their priorities straight?

Hiking machine!

Monday (Dec 4):
1- I made it to the observation point of Iron Mt. It was 5.6 miles up and back. What a view. It was grueling hike. I started at 10:30 am and got back to my car about 1:15 pm. Whew.














Tuesday (Dec 5):
2- I was down at Balboa Park and visited the Museum of Natural History (free this Tues) , the Model Train Museum, the Fleet Science Center and the Botanical Garden. It was all free this Tuesday.
















3- Balboa Park is all decked out for Christmas. The Old Globe is doing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

Wednesday (Dec 6):
4- Went to the Commissary to grocery shop today. It was the first time I have been on a military base since I retired on Nov 1. It was sort of nice! Karen is right. I filled a grocery cart full of food (including a holiday ham) for under $150.

5- We've had a black cat (no collar) hanging around the back yard and driving our two cats wild. Talk about meowing!

Bowl games

Here's the story. The BCS system in all it's imperfections has deemed Florida as the worthy opponent to play Ohio State for the national championship.

Fellow Riverviewite, Lloyd Carr will coach his Wolverines in the Rose Bowl against USC.

Big Sunday!

Well I hope everyone reading this had a fine Sunday. It was a good one here. Have you ever noticed how nice things look at Christmastime? I would love to say that people are nicer and more polite (they're not) and that you can stop and smell the roses a little more (nope it's too hectic this time of year). But really, I think we need to MAKE the time to enjoy the season. So make a vow to yourself that you'll take a little time ot enjoy the GOOD THINGS going on around you and not rushing past them on the way to completing your next task.

I'll list my five things:

1- It was TGIO for the nanowrimo group. That is Thank God It's Over party. We held it at Callahan's in Mira Mesa and all the winners (those who wrote 50,000 words in 30 days) showed up to celebrate. Many made a pledge to keep writing and even meet for write-ins in the future.

2- The Chargers won 24-21 in chilly Buffalo, New York against the surging Bills. Dick Jauron's Bills made a game of it and it came down to the Chargers having to recover an onside kick to seal the deal. They didn't but the kick didn't travel the required ten yards- so the Chargers got the ball. Good job Chargers!

3- I completed the family christmas letter and I am beginning to hand address the envelopes to send them out. I'm trying something new and sending the card via e-mail to some distant friends. We'll see how it goes--- either I'll be seen as (1)_saving the environment and trees or (2) just cheap. I'll be happy if it's #1.

4- BMO and I went out got some hot chocolate from 7/11 and drove around to see the Christmas lights. Candy Cane Lane was already lit up and wonderful.

5- The laundry is getting caught up! Yes- it's a simple thing but very satisfying and pleasurable when it is completed!

Christmas is in the air

I've been looking forward ot saying Merry Christmas for some time- not Happy Holidays- but Merry Christmas. Just like our founding fathers (and founding mothers) did.

Here's my Five Things:

1- Uncle Sam came through on his part of the bargain with my first retirement check. I saluted the little Navy man as he dropped the money off and I said, "see you next month?" and he smiled, returned my salute and said, "aye, aye, Sir." Somehow all those endless weeks and months at sea don't seem quite so bad.

2- Brandon brought home a good report card. Aaq a bonus we'll be meeting family from out of town for dinner tonight.

3- I hung up all the outside lights for this year. I just pushed the EASY BUTTON... and ... "That was easy!"

4- Navy beat Army 26-14 and UCLA leads #2 USC 13-9 with 5:52 to go. Go Bruins!

5- I finished the Christmas card letter and it was a poem this year. Here it is:

It was a good year- I am happy to say,
I’ll hope to inform you in a very nice way.
We’re all doing well- our health is quite good,
We’re all exercising and eating right- like we should.

Gary our eldest is doing quite well,
He makes us the proudest we’re happy to tell.
A senior at college, learning many new things,
Computer programs, mathematics and about Saturn’s rings.

He’s studying hard and working a ton,
Part time at Circuit City and having some fun.
Living in an apartment is something quite new,
Cooking and cleaning to name just a few.

A new high school grad was our Erin in June,
She finished her studies and shot for the moon.
She successfully navigated the educational maze,
Graduating from Poway High School- with all grades as A’s.

This Spring we received some very good news,
She soon would be wearing UCLA’s true blues.
She is studying hard in her dormitory halls,
And spending her weekends watching Rose Bowl footballs.

Brandon is growing up tall- like a tree,
He no longer looks like a mini version of me.
Taller than Karen he smiles at the thought,
At thirteen with bruises his skateboard has wrought.

With Karen in D.C. we should all sleep quite sound,
We’re safe from the terrorist threats that abound.
Protecting us from dangers- both old and new,
Concentrating on stopping the nasty Bird Flu.

As for me I’ve retired from Navy employ,
No more commuting for hours- Oh, what a joy!
I’ll still be a dentist, of that I won’t tire,
I’m out there in Poway, tooth-fixer for hire.

From our family to yours I hope to convey,
The happiest, most merriest and blessed Christmas Day,
To bring us new life- Christ was born on this day,
So we’ll wish you the best in our own special way.

Last Day of November

Five Things



1- Well, it's the end of November, the end of National Novel Writing Month. My Novel "Saving the Triple S Ranch" was completed with room to spare. The winner's party will be Sunday at Callaghan's in Mira Mesa.



2- I edited my blogger page- hope you all like the new look.



3- I included a photo. Yesterday I went hiking down at Sycamore Canyon and came across two deer and two wild turkey's. The deer moved out first, but Mr. and Mrs. Turkey stayed around for the photo.



4- It's been C-O-L-D here! Cold as in nearly freezing cold. We've had low temperatures in the 30's. The furnace guy will come out tomorrow morning to fix the clanging noise coming from the furnace. We've been using our little 'heat dishes' but they only heat one room at a time. Brrrrrr. He can't get here too soon.



5- Looks like the Christmas lights go up tomorrow, while I'm waiting for furnace guy to show up. Hope it doesn't turn out like the photo! Looking forward to December!

Write Like a CHAMPION today... breaking the 50K barrier and becoming a winner!

Cue up the Rocky Music... I did it. I completed a 50,000 word novel in one month (actually 27 days). Tada.

Things I learned while writing this literary piece of work:

1- I can do it. It was tough being disciplined ebough to actually sit down and write, on average, 1,667 words per day for an entire month.

2- preparation is the key. Even though I thought I had plotted out my story with enough scenes- it wasn't so. I spent an hour in the middle of the month redefining and adding scenes and plot lines to lengthen and improve my novel.

3- My writing actually improved the more I wrote. and so did my typing. I really do need to learnvto touch type. That one skill will make this much easier the next time around.

4- You don't need to edit your work critically while you are writing it. A rough draft should be justthat... rough.

5- I will use an outliner program the next time I write anything this long again. 'Papel' is a program that a fellow author turned me on to and I only wish I had it to use before I started this project.

6- Next time I will make character cards so that I can keep first names, physical characteristics, and scenes straight in my mind and on the paper. THis is one area I was unprepared to deal with and it became tricky near the end when I was tying up the loose ends. I resisted the urge to go back and check on the exact facts. I can do that in the re-write pfase of this.

7- I fell into this trap last year and avoided it and told everyone else to avoid it ... EDITING. I was compelled to go back and editr vthe story avout 1/3 the way in (same as last year) but I refused to fall for that trick this year. Instead I forged ahead and decided I would deal with the imperfections later. BUT once I started to use the alphasmart word processor, I indulged myself (and ny internal critic) by re-reading, correcting and adding to the story after I had uploaded it to my computer and MS Word.

8- and that's it! If I can write a novel in 30 days or less... than so can you.

9- crack open the champagne... it's time to celebrate.

Getting Very Close to 50K- 92% completed

I am sitting at 46,091 words... just 3,909 words asway from the finish line. The crowd began to chant... Go, Poway, Go, Slugger, it's your birth day...!

My things:
1- I turned the furnace on for the first tmie this winter and "ccccccccchhhh" is the sound coming from it. It still makes heat but the noise sounds almost like an alarm bell going off. Furnace man is due out on Friday.

2- Everyone made it back safely after Thanksgiving. Long lines and rides abounded for our family travellers. It also netted the missus a $300 voucher (and anb expensive airport lunch) for being bumped.

3- Chargers win again! They squeaked out a win vs the hated Radiers 21-14. Any win against the Raiders tastes GREAT!

4- We put up the white christmas tree and blinking lights at the top of the steps and junior slept underneath the tree last night. I think he lives to sleep there when we get near Christmas.

5- It's the Yin Yang College Football championship game. Poway Cup Three has begun. The score is Mich St 7 USC 7 at 3:33 in the first quarter. If you like sports simulations and haven't tried Action PC Football yet, here is the link. The baseball and football games are second to none.

http://www.dksports.com/

Caio

43,755 official count

chugging along... making progress. only 6,245 words to go. That's nearly 88% completed. Well--- that's quite an improvement over last year--- and to think I only finished a little over 25,000 words last time.

Back on PIM --- 41867

That's right ladies and germs... I'm 84% completed. The story will be reaching a climax soon. Once that happens the writing will take off and I'll be a NaNoWriMo winner!





Five things:





1- Chargers play tomorrow... It's Raider Week!











2-USC won again --- could it be a USC- Ohio State battle for the NC?

3- I'll be the cab driver tomorrow. Airport at 7 a.m. and train station at 9 a.m.


4- It was a good food day today ... home made chicekn enchilada's and tasty guacamole.


5- I fixed the gushing sprinkler (from a previous post) this morning. Hope it works!

Nearly 40K

I passed out from too much fun yesterday- but managed to get my word count up to 39,654 before hitting the sheets. (that's slightly behind pace- I should be at 40,000)

It's been a great weekend having evryone home for the holidays. We put up the Christmas tree yesterday and decorated it with all the ornaments. So far the cats haven't been trying to climb it- yet.

We had some good home cooking this weekend. Turkey soup yesterday and homemade chicken enchiladas today.

Our neighboor Tim stopped by last hgiht at 1o:30 to let us know we had a geyser in the front yard. One of our sprinklers is broken. I think that geyser is at least as reliable as "Old Faithful" until we get it fixed (later today).

Happy Thanksgiving from Sunny So Cal (38,511)

Happy THanksgiving to anyone reading this blog.

Five Things:

1- NaNoWriMo. I'm ahead of pace but intend to get a chapter written today. Total is 38,511 (77%)

2- Lions play (err get beat) on national TV today.

3- We've got a great meal planned. Mr. Turkey weighed in at a buff 20 pounds and is now on his way to being dinner.

4- I found three golf balls on my walk this morning.

5- I had my best nights sleep in weeks!

37,893 words 76% complete !

NEWSFLASH: Hitting his stride Powayslugger is coming into the back stretch running strong and writing fast and hard. Weaving an intricate plot using the finest nouns, verbs and adjectives, that money can buy. This 1977 RCHS grad is making a bid to be the first in his family to win at NaNoWriMo. Sitting at a healthy 76% of his novel completed, he enters the last eight days in rare form and 1,226 words ahead of PIM. Stay tuned for the stirring climax to this magnificent literary acheivement.

Over the hump at 35,453

They say that if you can hit 35,000 in NanoWriMo you can make it the rest of the way. Well I hit 35K today... right on PIM. Yipeee! Looking good.

I'm not Jimmy the Greek

Don't use me to pick your football winners for you. I was only 2 of 6 in picks this week. (Heck- I even picked the Lions to win!)

Here's my five things:

1- I'm 65% of the way there in NaNoWriMo.... 32,592 words and counting. It was a good day at Cosmo's Coffee Shop in La Mesa. Big thanks to all those encouraging words from you guys, Kip, Bettina, etc.

Click the link to see my stats:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/simpleinfo.php?uid=84440

2- Well MSU is going to get a new coach and as of today we have no idea who it might be.

3- Gooooooo Chargers! What a great win. Any win over the Broncos is big and beating them at in Denver is bigger, but beating them in Denver after trailing by 17 points is H-U-G-E!

4- I just dusted off the Christmas tree box and put it up today. That way when everyone is home for Thanksgiving they can have the fun of decorating it. Now to bring the stuff down from the attic...ugh.

5- My Alphasmart word processor is up and running. This low tech machine is really cool. At less than 2 pounds it runs on two AA batteries. It easily uploads to my computer (any word processor program- MS Word, Word Perfect, Notepad). It is so easy to carry around that it is almost a no brainer. This is making it super easy- no excuses for not only NanoWriMo, but taking it almost anywhere to write. IDEA: I'm thinknig of putting together an e-book (PDF style) on neck and back health for dentists.

Bonus- Lions are #1. It looks my Detroit Lions are making a very strong push to win the #1 draft choice this year... by losing to the hapless, spineless and clueless Arizona Cardinals.

NaNoWriMo is at 30,212 words (60% complete)

enuf said...it was a good day.

29,393... oh baby baby!

Cruising along now. I'm in the fast lane with a few additional plot lines and a head of steam pushing me along. I watched the U-M loss to OSU. Those two big boys are #1 and #2 in the country. Don't let the talking heads on ESPN tell you any different.


RIP Bo Schembechler. You and Woody created that great rivalry. It was a hell of a ten year war.


Enough for now- back to work, back to work, work-work, work-work....

A Big Fat Zero

Too much busy work yesterday yielded zero NaNo words... zero! This is about the time last year when I started slippimg. Help!

I'll need to get to 30,000 today from my present count of 26,673 the new math says that is 3,327 for today''s effort.

Five things...

I'll comment on before I start writing on my novel today.

1- U-M coach Bo Schembechler died- he was 77. No one will ever confuse me with a Michigan fan. In fact I hate the Wolverines and only in the direst of circumstances will rout for them. That said, Bo was a man among men. Honest, hard working and loyal. THose words describe him and are the highest praise a man can earn.

2- I finally got all the Halloween stuff up into the attic. Watch out if you go up there- the skeletons didn't go into boxes they got hung up.

3- Prez Bush is in Vietnam. Amazingnthat our president is now sitting in a conference in our one-time enemies capital. Thank President Clniton for breaking down that barrier.

4- Anyone out there who has a good joke please leave it as a comment. I need some new material.

5- Gotta love these weekends football matchups. My picks:

1- Michigan rides an emotional wave to upset Ohio State.

2- San Diego beats Denver by two touchdowns.

3- Arizona gets beat by the Lions.

4- Penn St. pounds Mich St. to send JLS away as the loser he proved to be.

5- Cal upsets USC.

6- UCLA gets beat by Arizona State

NaNoing at 26,673 words...

... and still more plot to go! I went into this year's novel with more plot line and it has paid off. I'm over halfway done and I'm still going strong. A big thanks to my writing buddies that are pulling me along.

So far the write in was very helpful and I expect to attend another this coming Sunday!

NaNo (24,050 @ 7:57 p.m.)

Cruising down the road to 50,000 words.

Top Five Highlights for today:

1- hitting 25,000 words (sometime tonight)
2- Our daughter Erin saying she "aced" all three of her mid-term exams @ UCLA.
3- Getting the last of the Halloween stuff boxed and up the stairs.
4- Buying a 20# honeysuckle turkey (for $0.39/pound) for Thanksgiving.
5- Finding a fresh and fruity Beaujolais wine for Thanksgiving dinner.

------ Bonus: In my Yin Yang 3 Football League (Action PC Football) the 1973 USC Trojans (8-1) will play the 1974 MSU Spartans (9-0) in the championship game for the Poway Cup.

Two thumbs down for:

1- O.J. Simpson's new book.... what a #$%^@& scumbag! That's all the effort I'll waste on that worthless hunk of protoplasm.
2- Not joining the Kyoto Protocol... again. C'mon guys it's the air we breathe...!
3- Trevor Hoffman not winning the Cy Young Award. The guy deserved it not a 16 game winner for a 4th place, 12 games behindf the winners pitcher.

Early Tuesday (Nano 21,715- and ahead of pace)

It's getting cold here in San Diego. The mornings have been crisp- but turn into beautiful 7o degree afternoons. Eat your heart of you frozen east coasters!

Top ten things for me to do today:

1- Get to 23,334 words today for NaNoWriMo (2h)
2- Check out the price of turkeys (5 min)
3- Call SWA and check on UMs for mini-me. (10 m)
4- Get a haircut (1 h)
5- Go on a hike after dropping the kids off at school (1h)
6- get the last of the halloweenie stuff into the attic. (1h)
7- pull down the christmas tree (10 m)
8- get the yard cut and trimmed (2 h)
9- drink a glass of red wine (30 m)
10- take a nap (45 m)

Sounds like a busy day.... that means No More Internet!

Sunny Sunday (NaNo @ 19,717)

Just a quick photo from K.B.F. in Bueno Park, CA. As an aside my novel is at 19,717 words. and needs to be at 25,000 in three days... oiy. I will make it.... bahhhhaaaaa.

Top scores from college. Ohio St wins, U-Mich wins, Spartans pounded (again), UCLAS triumphs, Navy on top, Irish and USC both win.

After almost a month of being out of the Navy I can say... I love it !

I walked on the golf course today and loved it. What a great morning.

Well, I've managed to waste some more time and kept myself from Na-No-ing. No more procrastination.... off to the novel!

So long for now.

Went to Knott's NaNo Slips

Mini-Me and Me enjoyed going to Knott's Berry Farm and riding the X-celerator and the Ghostrider. Went with two of Mini's pals and had a great time. Powered by cheese chili fries and coca-cola, we conquered all the rides (except the drop and curse) and left happy and tired at 10:30 p.m. They rode the Silver Bullett three times!

On a downer note I fell behind for the first time in my nanowrimo novel: Hidden Gold. To stay on pace for Friday the goal was 16,667 but my total stands at 15,273. Go, Go, Go! (or should it be write, write, write?) Don't worry- in the words of Dickens... I gonna catch up!

Sitting on Top (NaNo... 11,912)

My Five things:

1. I'm at the top of the Heap in my Fantasy Football League. Here's the standings:

Monkeybutlers..............7-2
Miller75..........................6-3
Jax Wasted Life............5-4
Horray Beer..................5-4
Yoghurt Slingers...........5-4
IrishFan.........................4-5
Go Team........................4-5
Smokin'..........................4-5
I Will Win......................3-6
Big D...............................2-7

My team players are:

QB Huard, KC
QB Kitna, Det
QB Hasselback, Sea
WR Holt, StL
WR Bruce, StL
WR Furrey, Det
WR Horn, NO
WR Gabriel NE
RB R.Johnson, Cin
RB McGahee, Buf
RB K.Jones, Det
RB Parker, Pit
TE Gonzalez, KC

K Carney, NO

Def San Diego


2. These elections were crazy. I got called twice from Arnold (he said he'd be back) and once from Clint Eastwood (it made my day). Of course they were recordings. I voted at lunch and ran into a neighbor who was working the polls. He grew a goatee and it came in gray. Ouch!

3. NaNoWriMo. Good progress. 11,912 words and beginning chapter 13.

4. Also I joined a Walking Web site called America on the move. You can sign up for walk across america. Just keep track of your miles (or your steps) with a pedometer and it will give you a daily track of where you are on the map. Currently I am crossing the Klondike. Here's the site if you are interested:

http://aom.americaonthemove.org

5. I had a very fun day at the office.

That's it for now.

Word Count Breaks 10K (10,333)

I'm picking up steam and roaring into the second week. Election Day is tomorrow and I have to work. That will put my writing to the test. Wish me luck.

NaNo-ing (9,180 words)

That's right I'm nearly 20% completed. Click here to check my progress:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/simpleinfo.php?uid=84440

Newsflash.... My Top Five

1. Saddam Huessein is found guilty and will hang
2. Chargers win 32-25 over ther Browns
3. Lions beat Falcons 30-14
4. Election Day is Tuesday November 7th.
5. We're going to Knott's Berry Farm on Friday November 10th.

Happy NaNo to you ! (I am at 8173 words)

Well it is day five of National Novel Writer's Month. No this is not some kind of gimmick by the greeting card people like grandparents day or bosses day. For novelists or want-to-be novelists, it is the month (30 days to exact) to write a 50,000 word novel. Is it a contest? Well, yes and no. Yes because you are competing to get to the 50,000 word finish line and also no- because you are only competing with yourself.

How am I doing well click this link to see my profile and updated word count:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/simpleinfo.php?uid=84440

Take care and happy writing!

Matt

Halloween Photos

1- Who's that scarey guy... Don't
say his name three times! 2. Watch out the guy with
the crazy smile spilled
laughing gas.

3. BMO came popping out of a

garden storage in with chain

saw roaring.
4. It's showtime!
5. Gary is giving me a "hand".

Happy Halloween and Happy National Novel Writing Month!

Here's the top ten:
1- My first day of military retirement.

2- We had a great halloween at our place. Pix will be coming. Seems today isn't a good day to upload them to the blogger. (I've tried twice and failed)

3- Tigers made it to the World Series- (but lost).

4- I am dropping off my old uniforms at the "Thift Shop".

5- It's National Novel Writer's Month. I'll make my 2nd attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 day. I went to the Kick off Potluck at Scripps Ranch Library and met some wonderful writers and had a great time. I'm looking forward to this year with excitement and enthusiasm. Wish me luck with NaNoWriMo.

6- Sometihng new Cerac 3-D. Probably the coolest invention in dentistry. CAD-CAM technology to produce all porcelain crowns without a lab. And we'll be trying it out.

7. November 7th is election day.

8. My new set of business cards arrived.

9. I'm using David Allen's "Getting Things Done" philosophy with my Palm Pilot and finding it very useful. Where was this idea ten years ago when I needed it most?

10. It's just friggin' great to be alive.

Ding Dong---- Outta there!

Well the big day came today... I'm out of the Navy. Retired and rested and ready for more time with my family in San Diego.

What the heck..where's the time gone? Just a few notes to anyone who reads this--- if you do please leave a note. Ten things that have been going on in my life.

1. Brandon and I went to Italy in April. Went with a great group of people and visited Rome (coloseum, Forum, Trevi fountain) Vatican City(saw St. PEter's, Il Papa- the pope- for Easter blessing), Florence (David, Duomo), Venice (canals, gondola ride), Assisi (St Francis Basilica), Pompei (entire city). Yes- all that in 8 days. Also visited Autogrille about a dozen times!
2. Portugal is going ahead in the World Cup... first time in 40 years... Ya Portugali.
3. How about those Detroit Tigers? Best team in baseball.
4. Our 22nd wedding anniversary.
5. Good Friend retired from USN after 30 years. I was a sideboy.
6. I'll start moonlighting in a private practice starting this week.
7. Erin graduates this coming Wednesday
8. Went to Breakers Beach. Boogie boarded and got sunburned.
9. Took and passed my last Physical Readiness Test (PRT). Yes in 21 years of active duty service. Took at least 2 PRTs each year. Passed them all and never missed one!
10. Stood my last Uniform inspection.

That's it until next time.

Been awhile

Yes it has been a while. If there are any blog viewers left- I apologize. Here's my top ten:

1- Erin our daughter got accepted into 4 UC schools... UCLA, UCSD, UC-Irvine, UCSB. wahoo!
2- We go to Italy next month!
3- What's with gas prices? I filled up for $2.61 this morning.
4- How about the NCAA March Madness Tourney? Go UCLA!
5- I'm back to using a Palm Pilot. God help me. I quit using one because I lost all my phone numbers and addresses in it.
6- I get to go to a CE course next week.
7- Been running and losing wt....neither one is going very fast :)
8- QB woes...Brees goes to Saints and Lions to cut Harrington.
9- Going golfing on Friday weather permitting.
10- Did I mention we're gonig to Italy!!!!

Keep smiling!

Super Bowl Teams are Set

With 10 minutes left in the game it looks like it will be Seattle and Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL. The bus gets to go home to Detroit. Looks like a great match up. Here's my one minute drill on the past week:

10. We had a little earthquake in SD.
9. Still waiting to hear from the painter on when they can start our house painting.
8. We're still on line to go to Italy in April.
7. We need a new printer...can you buy "just a printer"? Seems like everything out there is 17-in-1 stuff.
6. Try buying a good quality electric frying pan... does anyone know of a good one?
5. Did anyone watch the hurt that MSU put on Iowa this Saturday? I caught the final score...go Green!
4. What is the deal with the new lines head coach? Anyone think he can win in Motown?
3. Is anyone out there prepared if we the "bird flu" strikes?
2. What's up with Iran? They have always been a pain in our a$$e$. But I guess we don't need to worry... Israel seems to have a plan.
1. Who are you betting on in the Super Bowl?

Beast of the Road

Well since we got a vehicle stolen, I am taking the "beast" out of the garage and up to 29 Palms this week. At a whopping 17-22 mpg combined with sluggish handling and twice the car length it should be a real treat. It will be a good time to bring back my bowflex.

On another note church service yesterday was great and the sermon renewed my spirit. Praise God!

We went to see the Chronicles of Narnia at UltraStar (early bird matinee). We saw a diffrent version while on Guam years ago. This one was very much true to C.S. Elliott and the first version- but much more graphically exciting. Asland, the Lion, Looked real. It was an allegory of Christ and the battle of good and evil... (it's hard to believe Disney was involved).

I am really enjoying "podcasts" with my new ipod. Some of my favorites are:

* The Enlightened Spartan
* Bleacher Guy Radio
* Bolt Talk
* Naked Scientist
* Tips from the Top Floor
* More Hip than Hippie
* Travel With Rick Steves
* Your Earth

Well that's all for now. Here's a photo to leave you with:


A Year-round Waterfall in Rancho Bernardo near Lake Hodges. I went on a hike- got lost and then "found" the correct trail that took me to this nice waterfall that emties into the Bernardo Bay portion of Lake Hodges in Escondido.

Have a great MLK day.

Who Knu about Bird Flu?

Q- How long has this bird flu business been around?
A-

21 May 1997... Bird flu virus H5N1 is isolated for the first time from a human patient in Hong Kong. The virus infects 18 patients after close contact with poultry, with six deaths. Fortunately the virus does not spread from person to person. Within three days, Hong Kong's entire chicken population is slaughtered to prevent further outbreak.

28 Feb 2003... Outbreaks of chicken flu occur in The Netherlands due to the H7N7 avian flu virus. By April the virus has spread to nearly 800 poultry farms and resulted in the culling of almost 11 million chickens. The virus infects 83 people causing conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms, and kills one man. The drug Tamiflu helps protect people against further spread of the virus.

Dec 2003.... South Korea has its first outbreak of avian flu in chickens, caused by H5N1.

Jan 2004... Japan has the first outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) since 1925. WHO confirms H5N1 infection in 11 people, eight fatal, in Thailand and Vietnam, but no cases of person to person transmission. The virus has wreaked havoc among poultry in Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, and has also appeared in a duck farm in China. WHO is developing vaccine candidates using H5N1 viruses isolated in 2003 and 2004, at laboratories in the U.S. and U.K.

6 April 2004... Avian influenza virus H7N3 confirmed in two poultry workers in British Columbia who developed flu-like symptoms.

June 2004... Tests on chickens and mice show that avian flu H5N1 virus isolated from ducks in 2004 is more virulent and harmful to mammals than in recent years.

Aug 2004... H5N1 is reported to have killed an additional three people in Vietnam.
Chinese scientists report H5N1 avian flu infection in pigs, raising concerns that the virus could exchange genes with human flu strains in this 'mixing vessel'. H5N1 virus has spread throughout most of SE Asia, resulting in the culling of over 100 million chickens. In Vietnam and Thailand, the virus has infected at least 37 people, with 26 deaths.

Nov 2004... WHO warns that the H5N1 bird flu virus might spark a flu pandemic that could kill millions of people, and is concerned that "much of the world is unprepared for a pandemic" and needs to enhance preparedness to reduce its potential impact. WHO officials meet with vaccine makers, public-health experts and government representatives in a bid to speed up the production of flu vaccines to avert a global pandemic.

Dec 2004... WHO reports the first human case of H5N1 in Vietnam since early September.
Sequencing of the chicken-genome (published in Nature 9 December 2004) may help provide insight into which genes prevent the spread of bird flu from person to person. Since the beginning of 2004, bird flu has caused the deaths of 32 people in Vietnam and Thailand, and millions of chickens across Asia.

May 2005... Rumours of human deaths in China from H5N1 remain unconfirmed, while the virus has killed more than 1000 migratory birds. Indonesia's government confirms reports of H5N1 infection in pigs.

July 2005... At the end of a three-day conference in Malaysia, World Health Organization officials announce that $150 million is needed to fight the spread of the disease in people and another $100 million to stop its spread in animals in Asia. The Philippines, so far the only Asian country unaffected by bird flu, report their first case in a town north of the capital, Manila, but do not confirm whether it is the H5N1 strain. On 29 July, the World Health Organisation confirms that samples from an 8-year-old girl who died on the 14 July, two days after the death of her father, who was Indonesia's first confirmed human infection of influenza A (H5N1).

October 2005
Greece becomes the first EU country with a bird flu infection as the country's Centre for Veterinary Institutes detects bird flu in one turkey on the eastern Aegean island of Chios. Officials confirm the virus is a member of the H5 strain, but not yet identified as H5N1.
The WHO reiterates that the level of pandemic alert remains unchanged at phase 3: a virus new to humans is causing infections, but does not spread easily from one person to another.
On 13 October WHO states that tests conducted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) confirm the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in samples taken from domestic birds in Turkey. Days later, the presence of the virus is confirmed in Romania.

Billboards from God

Perhaps you have seen these before. Created by The Smith Agency of Ft. Lauderdale, this advertising campaign graced billboards throughout South Florida from September 1, 1998 through November 30, 1998. It featured the 18 messages below- all signed by God. The person who contracted the billboards remains anonymous.

Messages from God
1. Let's Meet At My House Sunday Before The Game. – God
2. C'mon Over And Bring The Kids. – God
3. What Part of "Thou Shalt Not..." Didn't You Understand? - God
4. We Need To Talk. – God
5. Keep Using My Name In Vain And I'll Make Rush Hour Longer. – God
6. Loved The Wedding, Invite Me To The Marriage. – God
7. That "Love Thy Neighbor" Thing, I Meant It. – God
8. I Love You...I Love You...I Love You – God
9. Will The Road You're On Get You To My Place? – God
10. Follow Me – God
11. Big Bang Theory, You've Got To Be Kidding. – God
12. My Way Is The Highway – God
13. Need Directions? – God
14. You Think It's Hot Here? – God
15. Tell The Kids I Love Them. – God
16. Need A Marriage Counselor? I'm Available. – God
17. Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be A Test. – God
18. Do you have any idea where you're going. – God

Ponderable thoughts. . .

Top Twelve "Big Picture" Things to Think About for 2006:


1. Avian Flu. Is the World Health Organization correct on it's pandemic predictions?

2. U.S. Spying? I can understand the paranoia about terrorist plots and agree that we need to know what the "bad guys" are planning. But where do you draw the line on "spying on your own citizens"... and... who decides who the bad guys are?

3. Green "hydrogen fuel cell" cars. Last year the talk was of Hydrogen fuel cells- well- I'm still excited. What's the progress and when will we start seeing these "H" cars on the road? That might be the biggest news... it would give us environmentally friendly cars --- and--- stop our dependence on foreign oil. Get with it--- we put a man on the moon and it only took a decade.

4. It's the economy stupid. Where is the housing market going and will we slip into a recession without Captain Greenspan at the helm?

5. What will happen in Iraq? I've heard that we'll be over there (militarily) in one form or another for 50 years. I'm concerned that some people just can't handle democracy and self-government and that perhaps it's the Iraqi people. Some people just need an iron-handed dictator! Seriously- they need to step up and take control of their own country (and I mean the good guys- not the insurgients!).

6. President Bush. Jeez he's been in the job for five full years... just how much more trouble can G.W. get into? Last year we had:
a. spying
b. flopped cabinet & supreme court appointments
c. Hurricane Katrina/FEMA problems
d. North Korea
e. Iraq
f. Tom Delay
g. Iran
h. Kyoto Accord failure
i. Scooter Libby, Carl Rove and Leaky Lips
j. ________________

What other crap can the President (with help from our left wing media) step into in 2006?

7. Global Warming. Fact: the earth is getting warmer. Fact: We burn fuels that put carbon in the air. FAct: CO2 holds in the heat and warms the earth. (I don't care if it's cow poop or burning coal- it is still warming the air). Why is that hard to understand? Sign the Kyoto Accord dammit--- and stick to it. All these huge companies are making huge money and polluting the air while doing it. They can still make money (okay- maybe a little less) and clean up the air. JUST DO IT-- now before it's too late.

8. Genetic engineering. Where is this technology going? Is it responsible for some of the weird diseases and things going on in the world? Not to go conspiracy theory on you but- I hope some mad scientist isn't trying to create a master race... ala Adolf Hitler.

9. Child Molestation and Child Rapists. If you follow the news this sort of shit pops up every day. It's usually some backwater scum from Florida or Alabama or some fruitcake weirdo from California... but it continues to happen throughout the U.S.A. Weak sentencing and "therapy" for these predators doesn't seem to be working. Don't treat it as a disease- treat it as the horrible crime that it is. Their behavior is something that we cannot tolerate as a society. There is a permanent solution. CASTRATION. We need to castrate these bastards so they can't molest and can't father any more children. The slogan could be: "No more Molesters- the World needs more Eunuchs."

10. Terrorist held in Cuba. We are going to have to decide what to do with these guys. Are they POWs? Are they Terrorists? Are they guys caught on the wrong side of the lines? We're going on three years for many of these guys held in captivity... DECIDE.

11. Future Energy Sources. Where is it going to come from in the future? Solar? Wind? Oil? Nuclear? Hydrogen? Keebler elves? Seems like some smart guys should be studying this and giving some recommendations. (BTW- it shouldn't be guys who are paid by the big oil companies).

12. World Wide Terrorism. This could have the biggest impact in 2006. Imagine if all the terrorists that are now bombing the citizens of Iraq were left to do their stuff in the rest of the world. The one thing they have in common besides a fanatical fundamentalist Muslim belief is that they absolutely HATE us (Westerners or in their vernacular- infidels) ! What happens if they decide to export their thinking overseas to America instead of keeping it "all in the family" over in Iraq? That's a scarey thought!

All's well. Bring on 2006 !

Well it's Tuesday and we've survived a stolen car and some rather wet weather. The eldest's car was stolen a few nights ago, while he was visiting a friend. That's a pretty lousy way to start out the new year.

Replaced a dead car battery today and also helped our neighbor re-light her water heater.

I have been enjoying my ipod. after loading some music on it... that's a job... I have started exploring the world of podcasts. There are some very interesting ones out there... everything from music to world history.

Looking forward to the NFL playoffs? Who's your favorite? I think it will be Indianapolis and Seattle in Detroit for Super Bowl XL.

Any opinions on the name ....




for a publishing company?

Leave an opinion if you have one.

Caoi Bella

Prospero Ano Nuevo

Hope everyone made some high powered New Year resolutions. I have and hope that when year 2006 ends I will be able to look back and see my accomplishments. The coming year offers many challenges to me and my family. My wife and I both will be pursuing new jobs, one child is at college and another will finish high school and go off to university.

How about you? Are you planning on anything exciting for the new year?

See you later.... Happy 2006.