Summer is almost over

I figure it's time to veer away from the Ken Lay post. I apoligize for being a tad morose on it, but it was something I needed to get out of my system. It's also time to start wrapping up Summer and saying our farewells.

Summer started out with a lot of promise. In my near 40 years of existance, I've learned much from Summers, especially when one needs a break. This one started out with my film class I teach in late May. Like I said earlier, it's a good way to walk off the Spring semester. June found my wife and I spending a wonderful three days in central Texas. Mangia Pizza, The Salt Lick, the Alamo Drafthouse, the Congress Avenue Bridge, Mi Tierra, The San Antonio Zoo, and the Mad Dog were places for good food and good times with my wife. Late evenings were spent sitting out on the balcony of our hotel room while my wife tried to get to sleep. Good times.

The following three weeks saw me playing bachelor while my wife and other family went overseas to a wedding. My Dad, Brother, nephews, and myslef spent a fun two days down near Houston. The Kemah Boardwalk, Landry's Seafood, the Ferry ride, and a day spent at the Johnson Space Center. It's the first trip I've been on with them and it went way too fast.

I missed my wife, and was darn glad to be there at the airport when she got back.

July got busier as I started teaching another class, and now August harkens the start of yet another semester.

Here's hoping.

-D

Ken Lay Dies

For those of you who know me might think this is a weird topic on which to post, and you are correct. I did not know Kenneth Lay personally, I did not lose any money when Enron imploded, and thankfully no one that I know was caught up in that catastrophe. However when I saw the headline, I was struck. Admittedly it’s something on which I had to burn a few brain cells the last few days.

Here was a man who embodied the American dream. He started out humbly and with hard work he rose through the ranks. He found something about which he was passionate, and followed it. He did all that God really asks of us.

Where it went wrong, no one but God and Kenneth Lay know. The jury found him guilty and I by default ascribe to that conclusion. The sad part of this story abides in the fact that somewhere along the journey he lost focus, he got his priorities screwed up and like someone in a position of extraordinary responsibility his mistakes had disastrous consequences for those around him.

I will admit that I’m still processing this. Again, Ken Lay is not a role model for me. I’m not rich and really have no desire to become rich. I’ve seen the problems that money can cause, and have discovered that life is a lot simpler without having to watch your back. Lay’s problems are not over as I’m sure the civil lawsuits will be years in the settling. I feel sorry for his friends and family. Once again his mistakes will affect others, in this case those he loves, for years to come.

-D

Elvis has left the building

That's one of the more creative ways I can think of to say that Summer is officially over. I realize we just got through the fourth of July and here I am wanting to get out the sweaters and mittens, but it's not that really. One of the nice things about working in academia is the seasonality of it. In an earlier post, I talked about how the last two weeks in May were a nice time to walk off the Spring semester and get ready for Summer. June came and went, and in that time I was able to celebrate my 5th wedding anniversary and send my wife to England. I got to play bachelor, and realize how much I missed my wife. July is now here, and with it come my teaching duties in addition to all the other stuff that I can't keep putting off.

SMy wife is back home now, and she's finally adjusting to being 6 hours behind GMT. She's safe thankfully, and when I left this morning she was sitting in bed watching Smallville. Life is slowly returning to normal.

July 4th was good. Decided I wasn't going to just sit around the house, so I took the dogs for a walk and ran some errands. Spent the evening watching Stephen Spielberg's 1941.

This isn't the state of California, it's a state of insanity.

-D

Trip Update

My previous post made it sound like I was in a pretty dire straights. I must admit being married for five years has changed me in a way that I found rather surprising. My wife is due back this Saturday and I'm finding myself all a-twitter over the prospect.

The trip is going well thusfar. They're on the last leg and are currently touring Paris (France, not Texas). They head back to London Thursday and fly out of London Saturday morning, stop in Atlanta, then head home.

I'll post once she arrives and I've had time to assimilate all that has transpired. I realize three weeks is a relatively short time to many, but I'm realizing the subtleties that define a house versus a home.

Yes guys, I'm whipped. Deal with it.

But then if you saw my wife, you'd do the same thing.

-D

LIfe as a Bachelor

It's been six days since Mrs. Geek and the girls left and I'm feeling a little lonely. I'm a little surprised at how many of my old habits are attempting to creep back into existence. Her cell phone is working, and everytime I hear Crazy Train I leap for the phone.

They seem to be having a good time. Lots of stories and pictures will come home with them, but I can tell it's going to be a long two weeks.

-D

Update

They left yesterday and arrvied in London in fine fashion. Oddly enough, I can SMS message my wife with no problem, a pretty fantastic feat considering that travel time is almost instantaneous. When I try to call her directly though, it's another matter. Here's hoping the cell phone company gets it figured out.

The Mavs faltered a little last night. It was a good game nonetheless. Shaq made his two free throws, Dirk missed on of his. Now that the initial shock is over, the remaining games should be a ride.

Only two more games is all we need!
-D

And There She Goes . . .

Tomorrow Mrs. Geek, my mom, my mother in law, and my sister in law head off for a three week jaunt in the United Kingdom. They're actually going to Scotland for a close friend's wedding and are going to take in Paris, London, Warrick, and who knows what else while they're over there the remainder of the month. It also entails me playing bachelor for a month. I'm under threats to keep the house clean, and to text my wife's cell phone with the results of the NBA playoffs. She's packend no less than three times, and now a fourth time is in order as there is an apparent heatwave underway across the pond.

My wife is no stranger to England as she spent eight weeks over there when she was in college. She will be driving over there for the first time, so here's hoping.

I'll post trip updates as they become available.
-D

Day 4

We slept in this morning (again) and I must admit, the hotel has one of the better beds we've slept in in quite awhile. After Amy's work out, the usual packing, and dummy check we checked out and headed home. The drive went well, and we got home in fine fashion. Breafast tacos for Amy and and some Hostess Apple Pies for me. Lunch was kolaches in West.

Overall, the trip was a wonderful diversion from the usual, and a wonderful gift from my wife. Am I lucky? Yes!
-=D

Day 3

This morning started out like the other mornings: me intending on getting up early and deciding that 8am was early enough. Amy went for her workout and I got ready and tidied up the room a bit (just a bit). Amy came back, got ready, and we headed out for the San Antonion Zoo.

The SA Zoo was nice. Not as immense as the Ft. Worth Zoo but well laid out and populated with the usual assortment of monkeys, birds, and grade school kids. We left around 11 and headed into town for lunch at Mi Tierra. The place was crowded and after a 20 minute wait, our table was ready. The last time I was here I tried cabrito, very tasty but a little more than I wanted this time. I settled for a beef enchilada dinner and Amy had something similar. We went to the Mexican Market Place, then to the Panaderia (bakery) loaded up, and headed home. Amy went up for another workout and I played lazy (I think you see a recurring theme here).

Around 6 we decided to head out for dinner on our last night. Since Barbecue, Burgers, and Mexican had already been done, I thought seafood was in order and Amy agreed. Joe's Crab Shack was just a short stroll away and we arrived, put our names on the list, and decided that a 45 min wait was a little more than we wanted. A further stroll down the River Walk showed us the Mad Dog Pub. 5 minutes later we were seated and ordered: Fish and Chips being the item recommended to us by the waitress. When our food arrived we were happy to find out that she was correct. The rest of the meal was spent people watching on the River Walk: something both fun and enlightening.

Back to the hotel and Batman is running on the telvision, thanks to Amy's Ipod.

-D

Day 2

This morning started off pretty well, actually the entire day was a good one. We left around 10 and headed out to do some sight seeing. I was introduced to the Congress Avenue bridge and the few thousand bats that live under it. It was an interesting experience as it's one of the largest bat colonies in the area and is comprised of Mexican Free Tailed bats. You could hear them screeching at one another and the smell of guano was present, but not overwhelming. A short drive away was a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Very inspiring piece of artwork.

We headed out to Driftwood, Texas. Just 10 miles from nowhere, it's a small town that is home to the Salt Lick. It's a working ranch that specializes in doing some of the best BBQ I've ever tasted. You seat yourself an the menu is pretty straighforward: no fench fries, no onion rings, no burgers. Just your choice of any or all of the best pork ribs, brisket, and sausage drenched in a homemade sauce that bears more a resemblance to brown gravy than bbq sauce, but the similarity ends there. Where other places try to overwhelm the taste of the meat and sauce with copious amounts of smoke, the Salt Lick lets the meat take the forefront and their homebrew of a sauce is the perfect backup. Combine that with potato salad, cole slaw, pinto beans, and a plate full of raw onion and homemade dill pickles and you've got one of the better meals I've had in awhile. And yes, there was white bread for soaking up every last drop of that wonderful sauce.

Next up was a stop in San Marcos and a driving tour of the former Southwest Texas State University, now titled Texas State University, San Marcos. A beautiful campus and definitely time well spent. This was followed by a short stop at a local outlet mall and San Antonio was in our sights. This was yet another test of my GPS, and it did the trick, thankfully. Unfortunatley it doesn't show you the front entrance which we had a little trouble finding. We parked, and got checked in.

The Watermark Hotel is a nice place. We're overlooking the River Walk and after a little shopping we popped into Johnny Rockets for a burger. Tomorrow is the Zoo and Mi Tierra for lunch. Dinner is still up in the air, but will be someplace close by more than likely.

-D

MMMMMMM . . . .

The Salt Lick
More to come!
-D

5th Aniversary: Day One

Sorry for the dearth in postings lately (especially to edieray).

Summer has started and Mrs. Geek and I arrived in Austin, TX today for a short, but much needed, vacation. We’re celebrating five years this Friday and we came back to where it all started, or at least Amy’s half did.

When we first started dating, it was a long distance relationship. She lived in Austin and I in the Dallas area (DeSoto to be exact). We try to hit Austin every few years to retrace some old steps and take in the general vibe of the city. Austin has a very unique feel to it, and as some would say the waters here are good.

We left this morning and thankfully had no real timeline set. After a few last minute errands, we were on the road and immediately immersed ourselves in a game of 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. I decided to get esoteric on it and started throwing out some older silver and silent screen movie stars. In case you’re wondering, we did go from Buster Keaton to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. No real luck with Barbara Stanwyck, but I’ll fire up IMDB for that one.

We arrived at the Econo Lodge in Austin a little after 3PM. Its humble and in a somewhat twitchy part of town, but our ultimate destination is San Antonio where we’ll take in the River Walk and some wonderful Mexican food. I figured we could add to our fun by heading down a day early, ergo the layover in Austin. A few things worth noting:

The place we’re staying in now is off the beaten path, nice, and very cheap. I’ve got free Internet and was stunned that the front desk actually knew what a WEP key was. Internet is one thing that I found striking here: Mangia Pizza AND the movie theatre we went to tonight had Internet as I discovered on my PDA. Very cool.

This trip was also my first real foray into using GPS technology for navigation. A few months back I purchased a used Ipaq from a friend and a Bluetooth GPS receiver off of Ebay. Some software and some twiddling later (thanks to Steve for the twiddling), and I now have every man’s dream: something that tells him where to go that does not possess two X chromosomes. It’s still a little buggy sometimes, but here’s hoping my luck with it continues.

We had some wonderful pizza at Mangia Pizza, then to the hotel, then to 6th street for a short shopping trip, then to the Alamo theatre which is one of those places that shows movies and serves food. We saw X-Men (stay through the credits, trust me on this one), and headed back to the hotel. Yes, there are movie establishments like this in the Dallas area, but the ones in Dallas do not show X-Men cartoons and homemade movies beforehand, and do NOT make threats of bodily harm to those who make too much noise in the theatre. This place did. Only in Austin.

I’ll try and check back in tomorrow with yet another update.

-D

It’s over.

It’s over.

42 miles each way, three classes, five papers, three commencements, two days, two weeks, nine hours and one trustee meeting.

It is finished. Summer has begun!

One thing I’ve learned after seventeen years in academia is that there are a few days out of the year that feel dramatically different. The Friday afternoon after the final Spring commencement service is one of those days. As I left the Gym after striking the sound system, I marveled at how empty the campus had suddenly become. The bustling of the crowd just a few minutes before had given way to an almost deafening silence as if people had finally decided to move on to the next stage in their lives.

Invariably, the next two weeks following commencement are a bit of a lead into Summer; almost like a warm up. No summer classes per se, but lots of Mini term classes that provide a good way to walk off the Spring term. It’s also the week I teach my film class, so a majority of the time in the evenings is spent watching films. Very fun.

On a more reflective note I can honestly say that this semester has been one of the more difficult of my life. I got nine hours knocked out, but I lost a few friends along the way. Amy W. (a friend of mine) passed away suddenly, and some other friends of mine had their lives irretrievably changed because of work issues. I will miss all of them. All this and teaching while working almost full time was a challenge that I could not have met had Amy (my wife) not been there for me. You are my wife and I love you. You were the encouragement I needed, the kick in the pants I deserved, and the shoulder to cry on when things got hard.

This Summer is for us. Amy and I are heading down South to celebrate our 5th (whooda thought?), and I’ve got plenty of projects to work on this Summer with which to relax, reflect, and purge my system for Fall, when I finish out my final nine hours of my residency.

Here’s hoping.

-D

A Good Thing

Hey folks, I hope things are going well for you. Paper 1 is done and papers 2-4 are working.

Dr. Jim Denison is Pastor of Teaching at Park Cities Baptist Church. In my line of work I've had the privelege of hearing him preach on numerous occasions and he grabs me like few others have. He is genuine, he is intelligent, and he is extraordinarily down to earth. I am also honored to say that he is friend of mine.

He has a broacast on KRLD 1080 AM called God Issues that runs mornings at 7:50 am. He also has a companion web site that follows the broadcasts and is well worth checking out.

He's currently doing a series on The DaVinci Code.

-D

I'm not dead yet . . .

But three major papers in three weeks is gonna put me in my place, ergo I may not post again until Mid May.

Here's hoping . . .
-D

A word from the wise

Steve is a good friend of mine who I've known around 20 years. It's not often he issues some advice like this, but when he does I take it to heart since he's one of my go-to people when my computer problems start getting serious.

Spyware is a serious problem, and just this morning I was fighting it trying to get some stuff done. Here's an email he sent out today that I really liked.

Give me a day or two and I'll try and link everything up. For now you can Google these titles and find them.
===========================================

I can't tell you how many people I've had to help with their spyware infested computers at home. This problem eclipses all other problems. In the course of helping these folks I've built up a check list that seems to work and doesn't cost anything. I thought I'd share it...

1. Use Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. Use Internet Explorer only when necessary. The latest version of Firefox works on 99% of sites and is much much less prone to Spyware. Firefox is also a fantastic browser when you spruce it up with Extensions. Extensions is a whole other list that I won't get into here but trust me, you can turn Firefox into something that makes Internet Explorer look pathetic. P.S. Firefox won PC Magazine's product of the year for 2005.

2. Use Mozilla Thunderbird instead of Outlook Express for your email needs. Thunderbird protects you from ActiveX attacks that happen in Outlook Express and you can block images by default and handle junk mail. Thunderbird does everything that Outlook Express does and more.

3. Patch your Windows to the latest patch level. Most problems with Spyware are related to Internet Explorer, but not all. Patching is always a good idea.

4. Use antivirus software that also blocks Spyware. Two products that are free are AVAST and AVG. Avast is my favorite.

5. Scan your PC with several free anti-spyware tools (don't use just one). I use Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, SpywareBlaster and Windows Defender (beta product from Microsoft). Here are some details on the products:
a) Ad-Aware - the personal version is free. It's great for cleaning up spyware but it doesn't protect you from getting them.
b) Spybot Search & Destroy - free for personal use. This cleans spyware and also protects you if you use "Immunizations" (which protect you from some websites).
c) SpywareBlaster - the free version requires you to download updates manually but it helps with spyware removal and protects you actively.
d) Windows Defender (beta) - This Microsoft product will be part of the upcoming Windows Vista. It's purpose is to scan for and actively protect you from spyware.

6. Hide your Internet Explorer and Outlook Express icons so you (or anyone else) are tempted to click on them (after replacing them with Firefox and Thunderbird).

7. Teach your whole family (and anyone else using your computer) to "just so no" when they get prompted on various websites to install any software. Kids love to visit sites like "Playstation codes and cheats" that are riddled with spyware. This is especially true with boys. I thank God I had a daughter. :)

8. Make friends with a good computer geek and buy him/her lunch. I personally like Herrera's, Empress Cafe and Ton's Mongolian Grill. :)

Hope this helps. I also hope that the next version of Windows is a lot less vulnerable to spyware.

It's Raining It's Pouring . . .

I cannot believe the amount of rain that has fallen in the last 24 hours. I love rainy mornings, especially ones that I can sleep a little late on, but this has got to be some kind of record. Spring Break is slowly slipping away and I look at my to do list realizing that my plans and reality didn't quite jibe, once again.

So the post isn't a total loss, and to recall drier times, here is a picture of Spooky, one of our cats. She was a stray that followed my wife home one day and stayed. She's fun, a jumper, and has a stuffed frog fixation that we haven't quite figured out yet.
-D

It's done

Amy's funeral was today. I got through it without losing it, but when setting up for the event yesterday, it felt wrong. I've done hundreds of these events in my 16 years of working there, but this is the first time that it felt completely wrong, like a bad dream.

Last week things were fine. I was getting ready for (and looking forward to) Spring Break. Last Thursday I was prepping for class. Today I was mourning a friend who hadn't even turned 30. Last Thursday I was business as usual. Today I was trying recall the last time I'd seen her. What was the last thing I said to her? Amy was such a normal part of life around there that when she left us, it was as if the sun wasn't going to come up ever again. When working on my class today I still had to fight the urge to pick up the phone and call her for some help.

I know that with time all wounds will heal, but this one may take awhile. Tonight my wife and I sat out on the deck while I cooked burgers on the grill and we talked. Life was slowly returning to normal. I'm lucky to have my wife. She knows me better than I know myself most times, and she's good therapy. She's also one of a kind.

To quote one of my favorite comedians:

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again!

I realize that someone may have said it before Jerry Lewis, but I'll let the attribution and the sentiment stand. Amy, you were one of a kind, and I'm a better person for having known you.

And to my wife, thanks for getting me through this. You were there when I needed you, and I'm lucky to have you in my life. I love you
-D

Amy Walker: I’ll miss you

I realize this is an odd post, since I've been out for the last month, but I felt the need to do something constructive tonight.

I found out a few hours ago that a close friend of mine passed away suddenly. The actual cause of death is still to be determined, but I’ll miss her nonetheless. She died way too young, and had a lot ahead of her.

I'd appreciate it if all of you would keep her family in your prayers.

-D

I got tagged

Not sure if I"m doing this correctly, and if I'm not expect this to disappear pretty quickly. My close friend edieray tagged me and I thought I'd give this modern version of a slambook a try (remember those?).

Here goes!

Four jobs I've had:

1. AV Tech at a local college
2. Adjunct Prof at the same local college
3. Mailroom Worker for the Women's Missionary Union
4. Warehouse worker at the now defunct Best Products (it's where I got to know Ensign Eddie)

Four places I've lived:

1. Dallas
2. Duncanville
3. DeSoto
4. Arlington

Four websites I visit daily:

1. Internet Movie Database
2. CNN
3. FoxNews
4. The Smoking Gun

Four television shows I love to watch:

1. Good Eats
2. Iron Chef
3. MASH
4. MythBusters

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Mexican Cokes
2. Sauteed Onions
3. Steak
4. Meatloaf

Four albums I can't live without (at least for the moment):

1. Genesis - We Can't Dance
2. The Producers -OST
3. Linus and Lucy - The Music of Vince Guaraldi
4. Blue Collar Comedy Tour

Four DVD's I can't live without:

1. From the Earth to the Moon
2. Love Actually
3. Jackass
4. Blackadder

Four places I'd rather be:

1. Disney World
2. Disney Cruise
3. On my deck
4. Clarksville, TX

Four people I am tagging to do this meme are:

• Gotta work on this since everyone I know has already done this.

later

=D