We choose go to the moon...

On May, 25 1961 President John Kennedy gave a speech at Rice Stadium committing the country to a program of research and development that eventually lead us to the moon. He said...

"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." (full text of the speech here)

Why did he set such an audacious goal, and how could he possibly hope to achieve it? There was clearly a political motive. The Soviets had beaten the United States in both the first satellite and the first man into space. The Soviets had clearly taken the world by surprise in their conquest of space, and we were in a game of catch up.

I have a hard time playing the achievement off as purely a political move. Perhaps it's just that the times are so different now, but looking back I have a hard time thinking that Kennedy's plan was just a cold war chess move. I like to think of it in a little more romantic way. I think of it as a leader who pressed the nation to unite behind a goal, and make sacrifices to ensure that the goal is met.

That thought, the unity of our people behind a singular goal, is the reason for this post. I'm not sure if it's our vision less leaders, or the sad lemmings that are the populace that are to blame, but somewhere this country lost the ability to create and execute a vision. I'm speaking about our continued reliance on oil, and the lack of any plan to quench the ever growing obsession for it. It's a problem that is universally recognized, but no one seems to have a good plan for solving. President Bush acknowledged our countries "addiction" to oil, and his suggestion has been to drill for more in Alaska. A suggestion that seems akin to giving heroin to a heroin addict without a treatment plan, but there really haven't been any other suggestions that make any more sense or really take on the problem. Frankly, whether Democrat or Republican, none of our leaders suggestions make much long term sense. So what should we do?

I suggest that the best course is to set a national agenda to free ourselves from our oil addiction. I think our leaders need to stop looking at ways to cover up the problem, and instead provide incentives to solve the problem. I'm not suggesting that government create the solution, but rather that the government create the vision and the incentives. The free market will solve the problem if given the opportunity and the incentive.

So what am I suggesting? It's simple... I suggest that our leaders make the commitment that within 10 years we are completely free of the need for foreign oil. That incentives are created to ensure that every American can replace their petroleum addiction with a more practical more sustainable energy source. And finally... that our leaders are held to account for making that vision into a reality. It's a tough challenge, but one that this country is up to facing. I'd like to think that the descendants of the veterans of WWII, and the children of the scientists who got NASA to the moon might like a challenge of their own. A challenge that perhaps in 50 years or 100 our descendants will look back on and marvel at our ingenuity and tenacity in solving.

- ND

Adjusted Score - Deer 0 - Jeep 1

Well I guess my pessimism over the eventual totaling of my jeep was without merit. As it turns out, the people at the insurance company must think that repair is cheaper then replacement. Then end result is that my Cherokee and I will continue to have a long and happy relationship.

(This is a rendering of the moment of impact*)

- ND

Final Score - Deer 1 Jeep 0

I would like to clarify for all of the people who think that Bambi's mother was killed in a forest fire. The sad but true story is that she was snuffed out on the front of my Jeep Cherokee last night.

If you have never seen a deer fly, it's actually quite impressive. It's quite a bit like the way Santa's reindeer are drawn in all of the Christmas books. I was half tempted, in that slow motion second of impact, to look for a tiny red sleigh tied to the ass end of the poor beastie. Unfortunately, the only gift I will likely receive will be a $500 deductible charge for repair of the damages.

(I believe that this is what it looked like)

There were no winners in this epic battle of machine vs. flesh. The Jeep has a crushed in front bumper and grill, and a leaking radiator. In driving past the point of impact on my way to work this morning it appeared that the deer didn't fair well either. Frankly it looked quite a bit like a crime scene. The only missing elements were the chalk outlines and the crime scene police tape. At least it didn't suffer... It was gone, so I assume it is being made into sausage somewhere.

We'll see if the insurance company decides that my 10 year old vehicle is worth repairing, or if they choose to let it retire. So much for the idea of no car payment.

-ND

Catching up...

Sorry to all my loyal readers for being out of touch for so long. I will attempt to make amends here for missing a couple of weeks.

Trivia night in Jefferson City two Saturdays past was quite the event. Not only did the Paddy's team handily win the contest, but we alienated ourselves from the Catholic Church int the process. Apparently the good Padre at the next table didn't find our raucous behavior suitable for the event. Perhaps it was the hearing aid he was wearing that convinced him that we were doing or saying something unseemly, but it is with all honesty that I say we did nothing offensive. What comments we made that could have offended were made in Gaelic. Being of German heritage I suspect he wouldn't have understood them. I suspect he was just a bit of a curmudgeon.

To those who were there... I offer a the following table cheer... pogue mahone!

To update everyone on the homeowners fracas... there has been Herculean effort with little tangible result. The merry band of recall supporters has yet to achieve its goal despite great effort to collect proxy's for the as yet unscheduled recall vote. In a rather tabloidesque aside, it has been reported that several boxes of paperwork from the office of our clubhouse might have been taken by the soon-to-be-recalled trustee, and a towering blaze was set in said trustees backyard. Keep in mind, that this is second hand information and goes totally without investigation. It would however fit well into the character of the person in question. I suspect that the trustee might have served on Enron's board of directors, or in the Nixon White House before being elected to the current position. Not that I'm bitter about anything...

That's the update... enjoy!

- ND

All politics is local...

Once again i have dipped my toe into the political mess that is my homeowners association, and have found the experience to be a complete nightmare. After my last experience about 8 years ago, I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow I just assumed that things would have worked themselves out. The kinder, gentler homeowners association that I hoped to find simply does not exist.

So here's the story...

One of my neighbors came by a couple of weeks back to get my signature on a petition to recall the trustee from my neighborhood. (we call it a village) I gladly signed, since I have had a number of issues with the individual, and told my neighbor that I would happily attend the trustee meeting to air my grievances in person.

On the night of the trustee meeting I was appalled by the dysfunction of the trustees. They seemed to bicker and argue and get nothing done. They must have had some really bad meetings previously because it appeared that half of the attendees were there simply to bash one of the trustees for what they viewed as threatening behavior in a previous meeting. Based on my observation of the trustee in question, I'm sure that if he acted-out in a meeting, it was purely out of frustration at the environment.

So toward the end of the meeting, I gave what I consider to be a rather eloquent speech about the trustees role in representing the homeowners, and their obligation for transparency in their duties. Everyone appeared to echo those same comments, and I'd hoped that the board would move forward with business. Specifically the business of the recall election that was the catalyst for my attendance. That isn't quite the way it worked out. They simply reviewed some old business, and closed the meeting.

The following Tuesday, there was another meeting that was specifically to cover the recreation committees request for a budget to address some issues with the pool and playground. The same core group of people who attended the previous meeting attended to get some answers or action on the recall election. After they refused to address it in the meeting, which accomplished nothing on it's agenda either, they closed the meeting. I took the opportunity to address my trustee about the recall election, and got nowhere with her in the discussion. She simply said that they would have to discuss it further.

Now I'm not a lawyer or anything, but the point of having indentures, and for that matter a process for recall of a trustee, is so that it doesn't need much discussion. When the head trustee is the person who is being recalled, they in good conscience recuse themselves from the discussion completely. But, were not talking about people here who have a lot of sense, or for that matter an interest in serving anyone but themselves.

The community budget is almost $500,000, and that's enough money to make the choice of our trustees an important decision. I intend to continue to "fight the good fight" to get this trustee recalled. Her behavior through this experience has made my desire to see her recalled as quickly as possible more intense.

I'll keep you updated as things progress. If anyone has any suggestions... short of retaining an attorney, let me know.

- ND

Payback is supposed to be a...

Apparently someone decided that a little payback was in order for old grievances. Unfortunately, they have wonderful Photoshop skills and a complete dearth of creativity.

Figure 1
(The original)

(I like the picture of Tony Blair in the background - nice touch)

Figure 2
(The cheap knock off)

(Adding the clock at 3:00 in the background was a nicely veiled Hillary reference.)

Please people, let's get creative with the content of these things in the future. No one really believes that either of these people is dumb enough to get caught doing something this stupid. They make enough legitimate gaffes, so let's focus on those. If that's not enough to keep you smiling, be more creative in your abuse.

- ND

The other PC...

I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you that I'm just sick and tired of the pervasive political correctness that drives almost everything today. It seems that everyone spends nearly as much time vetting their words to insure that they are politically correct as they do assembling them to be politically important. I'm sure that you're thinking, what did Nabor Dan see or hear from the campaign trail that raised his ire this time? Guess again... it didn't have anything to do with the campaign season. This diatribe was generated by a link I was sent to a video that perfectly expressed my view of the nature of our PC society. Have a quick watch...



This is not about Islam, it's about the perversion of beliefs. A perversion that has run rampant in our society, and for that matter, all of the western world. The belief that we must choose to tread on no one has made western culture the doormat of society. By believing that we must be sensitive to all cultures, we lose the very value that our culture is founded on. Yes, we must embrace tolerance of others beliefs and values. That is a point that I will not disagree with. But we must keep a watchful eye that we don't sacrifice our dearly held beliefs in granting that tolerance. We become the worst kind of people when we fail to acknowledge the ills of others because we fear offending their sensibilities. These same people who we are so careful to not offend are the first to criticize our culture as offensive.

We need to open our eyes. We need to see that both ends are being played against the middle. We either need to drop our PC attitudes and address things in the open, or admit that we are a culture in decline.

- ND

Look alike...

I received some pictures which were taken at a "The Real Me" gig over the weekend. I thought that the pictures were pretty good, which is not normal for me, so I showed them to a friend at the office.

One of my co-workers suggested that in the picture below I look like Tom Arnold. We conducted a poll by printing out these two pictures for comparison.














My co-workers unanimously agreed that I did in fact look like Tom Arnold. Honestly, I didn't see the resemblance. I have another picture of me from the same evening with glasses on, and everyone agrees I look less like Tom Arnold with glasses. Either way, I think they are dead wrong.

So I'll leave it up to you, my readers, to decide for yourselves. You have now seen both pictures, so please let me know what you think. I have created a poll for you to express your opinions. Don't let that stop you from commenting.

- ND

For those that haven't seen it...

Watch those pins get OWNED by Nabor Dan!



What can I say? If you're gonna do it... do it like a man!

- ND

Who's responsible...

I was watching the victory speeches this evening and heard something that galled me. I'm used to listening to the pandering speeches, with all of their empty promises in words spun so tightly that their meanings are lost in their staccato delivery. But sometimes... I hear something that I just can't digest.

Everyone who is not in a persistent vegetative state has now heard of the "mortgage crisis". It's in the media every day, and tends to be linked with the term "recession". More often then not it's credited as the root cause of the lack of confidence that has developed in the resiliency of our economy. The thing that bothered me this evening wasn't the mortgage crisis, or the recession fears that are being fanned, but rather the way that the entire crisis was being characterized. My issue was that the politician blamed the crisis on "predatory lending".

So at some point... lenders became predators.

What galled me was yet another subtle example of the continued slide of self responsibility. At what point will people finally decide to take responsibilities for their actions? If you decide to buy a home, who is responsible for ensuring that your loan is the best possible rate? The lender? Are you kidding me? Obviously the purchaser is responsible. Yet somehow, lenders have been labeled the predator. Are there examples of situations where a mortgage banker or broker acted in self interest over the interests of their client? Sure. Does that release the consumer from responsibility for their own self interest? Of course not. In Latin it's caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware.

OK people, let's all take this Nabor Dan wisdom to heart...

If you have reached the age of majority in your state be careful what you sign. If you don't understand what your signing... don't sign. Take the time to find someone who can explain it to you. Don't assume that anyone who has an financial interest in the transaction will offer you advice that is in your interest. And lastly... if you get screwed on something that you signed, suck it up and take responsibility for it. The only thing worse then someone taking advantage of you, is you not taking responsibility for yourself.

- ND

Tax rebates...

Sorry for the delay in getting a post out. My bout of the illness that has been going around is in full swing, and I'm enjoying a lot of napping when I'm not at work. Thank you for your patience... now on to the post.

Does anyone find it odd that the government proposes stimulating the economy by handing out tax rebate checks? Somehow putting $600 (or some other like amount) into the hands of nearly everyone is somehow going to change the national mindset about a looming recession? That's just crazy.

And why are so many people pumped-up about the government writing them a check for some of their own money? Won't this just add to the deficit that already exists between revenue and spending? Are people really silly enough to think this is a good thing?

Wouldn't it make sense if the government controlled its spending, and by doing so, found a way to lower taxes over time. By giving us a tax rebate, aren't they just ratcheting up the taxes that will eventually need to be collected to cover this new debt? And who do they expect to pay those future taxes? I can only assume that it's me, and you and everyone who pays taxes.

The projected surplus that was talked about 7 years ago is a thing of the past. Bigger government and wars in the post 9/11 world have ensured that we won't be seeing any surplus in the near future. Why do we keep thinking that we can spend today and pay tomorrow? Is it the same thinking that has caused the financial problems of such a large part of our citizenry? I suspect so.

In this election year, I think that these questions are especially important. Will we continue to elect people whose ideas are rooted in this same "well take care of everything for you" philosophy, or is the problem that we don't know who we are as a country? Are we the independent individualists we think of ourselves as, or have we become something else? Who does this government serve? I suggest that the answer is no one...

- ND

Remastered...

On the occasion of my 20th high school reunion I have taken it upon myself to digitize and remaster my high school movie. For those who are not versed in the tale, it goes something like this...

The Obese Beast

Basic plot summary:

The Obese Beast (seen above) escapes from prison to find Hostess Ho Ho's. In his pursuit of the snack he goes on a murderous rampage. The police investigate his escape. Much mayhem and hilarity ensue.

Being interviewed by the cops

I estimate a spring release of the remastered all digital version of the Obese Beast, with perhaps an exclusive screening at one of the upcoming film festivals. There is no distributor under contract for this film.

- ND

The dead pool...

For any of you that catch the mainstream media on the average day, you will by now have taken notice of the incredible number of celebrity deaths in the last several days. Being just the third week of January, the numbers seem out of place. Pleshette, Fischer, Renfro, Ledger, and Hillary, being a less then comprehensive list.

At this rate, will there be any celebrities left at the start of 2009? Will Paris and Lindsay be the only two celebs standing? All I can say is this... who cares.

If anyone has interest in creating a celebrity dead pool I'm in. I'll find a way to add it to the site. If things keep happening at this rate, any guess is a good one.

We live in a sad culture.

- ND

New feature...

I've added a new feature on the blog. It's a "how much I've saved by not smoking" counter. You will notice it right below the time counter on the upper right of the page. I have been looking for something like this for quite some time, and really haven't found anything that was what I wanted. That's still true, but I have settled on the one that is currently on the page.

Anyone who wants to write a little client side Javascript for me is more then welcome to get in touch. I never learned to code, and I don't intend to start just to put a counter on my page. If you're reading this and are a wiz-kid web author or hotshot Java monkey and you feel compelled to help, I won't turn you away.

I'm sure someone will be beating my door down any second to get on board for the project.

- ND

Nothing like a cold drink...

I had an experience the other day that took me back to childhood. I filled a big glass of ice water and immediately started to it chug in an attempt quench a monster thirst. As I downed the pint glass of water I noticed that as I reached the end of the glass the water was much colder then the original few gulps. Immediately I was drawn back to a moment in my youth.

I remember many times as a kid having a glass of kool-aid on a hot summer day. Often the kool-aid was warm and the attending adult would add a few ice cubes to cool the drink down for me. When I was young I required immediate satisfaction when I was thirsty, and typically gulped the small glass of liquid down in a few large swallows. I always noticed that the last gulp was cold and the first was warm. I remember, even as a child, that I scolded myself for not being more patient in drinking my kool-aid. If I just had the patience to wait, the first gulp would have been as cold as the last.

As an adult who understands the way things work, I can't help but look back at childhood and smile. Adults recognize that the quantity of liquid and the surface area of the ice play a direct role in the temperature of a liquid. Less liquid over more ice makes for a colder beverage. More liquid over less ice has the opposite effect. It's a simple rule of nature. As a child who has no grasp on the mechanics of how things work in nature, I blamed my warm beverage on haste.

So many things change as you age. You gain wisdom, and patience and come to understand the mechanics of how things work. You lose the the simple ideas and solutions that a child creates to explain the nature of things. Some things never change... like the desire to chug a beverage to satisfy an overwhelming thirst.

- ND

The first act...

Today officially begins the presidential race with the Iowa caucus. It only makes sense that the most ridiculous and least democratic method of selecting a candidate should be the first of all of the primaries. (please find no sarcasm in the last statement) Today, a handful of Iowa's eligible electorate will attend the caucus for the Democratic and Republican candidates. These caucuses are separate events for the Democrats and Republicans, and have different rules about how delegates for candidates are chosen.

For a full primer on the event visit visit npr.org

With a population of about three million, Iowa will likely have less than 200,000 people attend its caucus. Being the first event of the primary season, the media coverage of the event will be disproportionate to the value of the delegates gained through the process. The coverage will create the front runners for both parties and eliminate the stragglers. The cash to the candidates who don't appeal to the Iowans will dry up, and the rest of the nation will have fewer choices for our leadership. All from a couple hundred thousand Iowans who participate in a process that eliminates a fair segment of the potential electorate by its nature. Somehow I just can't get my arms around why we pay attention to this mess.

For those of us that actually follow politics, this is the start of an interesting year. Unfortunately, it will start with a process that doesn't make sense, and will limit our choices in the future. Keep in mind if you watch the news tonight, that there are candidates for this country's highest office that might not be around next week because the Iowa Republican and Democratic parties insist on being glactically backward in how the elect their delegates. If it's not your candidate then you probably won't care. If it is your candidate blame Iowa. More specifically the less than ten percent of Iowans who will make it to the caucus today.

I'll be watching, and I'm sure that tomorrow I'll have a stiff neck from shaking my head in disgust. When will we finally understand that good government involves the participation of the people.

- ND

Site updated...

I suddenly realized that I was constantly giving the latest update on days since I quit smoking. While the achievement for me is a significant one, I don't think that it needs to be a daily topic for posting.

I implemented a new feature on the blog today. Just below my profile on the right, I inserted a counter to track the days since I quit. Hopefully this will limit the updates to topics that are not about quitting, or topics that are about quitting but somehow insightful.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support.

- ND

The battle to spend the FSA...

Much like last year, I had a bunch of FSA dollars left to spend in 2007. Here is the breakdown of the stuff I purchased "tax free" this year...

1 hypnosis session to quit smoking
2 new pair of glasses
1 prescription for smoking related meds
1 huge purchase from drugstore.com

The glasses are a last minute decision. I didn't know how to kill some of the remaining dollars, so eyeglasses are always an easy choice. This year I went with some rimless glasses for daily wear, and a new pair of prescription shades.

Drugstore.com probably had a record day. I purchased enough stop smoking stuff (patches, lozenges and such) to get me through an extended nicotine dependency. That wasn't quite enough to eat all of the funds, so I purchased a bunch of stuff that I probably will use throughout the year. Antihistamines, band aids, antacids and a variety of other regular use items. Nothing is cooler then creating your own personal "everything is 30% off sale" at the end of the year. (thanks to the pre-tax nature of the FSA)

keep an eye out for the new spec's I'm sure that I'll be looking good!

- ND

Bert exposed...

For the person who has never seen the evidence...




The truth is out there...


- ND

Image courtesy of Bert is Evil

Ringing in 2008...

Happy new year to everyone. I hope you all had the opportunity to spend time with your families and friends over the holidays.

Tomorrow begins the third week of being a non smoker. One of my friends told me today that he was proud of me. I didn't thank him, but I probably should have. It hasn't been the struggle that I anticipated. I haven't had to constantly fight the battle of "my will is stronger than the addiction". As such, I'm happy he's proud of me, but I'm not sure that I have earned the praise. If I had known that hypnosis and the patch would have the effect that they have had, I would have tried this years ago.

- ND

Forgot to mention...

I forgot to mention in the last post... I'm smoke free for 9 days now.

- ND

Addendum...

I took a few of the most recent posts off line. I realized that I was being a huge retard, and that the only person who could improve my mood was me. Attitude adjustment accomplished!

Fantasy football correction...

I must correct a comment on one of the previous posts. It would seem that I was confused or misinformed about the structure of the fantasy football league playoffs. Although I conceded defeat last week, it now looks like I am still in the fight. All four of the teams that make the playoffs play two weeks, and the record establishes first through fourth place. My loss last weekend ensures that I will not be taking first or second place, but third is still an option.

As it turns out the payouts look something like this...

1st = $350 2nd = $250 3rd = $125 4th = $100

Highest team score for the week is $10. ( I won 4 weeks)
Cost to play the season is $125

Any way you look at it I'm a winner already. In the worst case I'm up $15. If I win this week I'm up $40. If I have the high score for the week and win then I'm up $50. So however it works out I'm still making something.

For those of you concerned that gambling is illegal... I'm referring to "doll hairs". Kudos to those that get that reference...

- ND

One week smoke free...

First, let me start by wishing everyone a belated merry Christmas and happy holidays if I didn't get the chance to do it in person over the last several days. I hope you all were able to spend time with family and friends, and that Santa got you everything you wanted.

Now on to the news...

I have officially reached the one week mark. My first week as a non-smoker. I'm excited to have reached the one week milestone. Overall, it hasn't been that difficult.

One of my missions in quitting was to enter my 38th year being a non-smoker. Yes, for those that don't already know, I'm going to be 38 in a couple of days. I think that part of the motivation to get the "kicking the habit" process started was to quit before my birthday. I haven't spent a lot of time analyzing why the two things aligned, but I'm sure as I age the thoughts of my future came to mind. Being a smoker just doesn't have a lot of up-sides. Getting older and being a smoker has none.

When your young, you tend to delude yourself about what your future holds. You are immortal and invincible. Age grants some perspective. You see that life isn't forever, and that making the best of what you are given is always the best path. Smoking doesn't fit well into that logic. Even though you never think that bad things will happen to you, you get the sense as you age, that they can. Taking risks is part of life. Taking stupid risks is just that... stupid.

So as I age, I guess that I've become more self actualized. I think that's what's supposed to happen. I've become better at putting things into the proper perspective. Right now, smoking seems like one of those stupid risks. Who knows, perhaps one day I'll look at binge drinking and overeating in the same way. Not today though, I've gotta climb one mountain at a time.

Happy Holidays!

- ND

Day 5...

Spent the day today watching football and cleaning house. I believe that I am officially beaten in my fantasy football league. My only remaining chance is LT scoring 80 points. While possible, it would be completely improbable. I assume that he would have to score about 8 touchdowns and have most of them as a receiver. So I think I'll officially concede.

For those who are keeping track, I have made it 5 days on the non-smoking program. I ran out of Nicoderm patches today, so I am in the process of figuring out how many to buy with some of my remaining FSA dollars. They come in a variety of strengths to help wean you off of the nicotine. They call them stages. I'm currently in stage one. There are a total of three stages. Each stage drops your nicotine down by about half.

I think that I will probably need the full strength for about 8 weeks. Then about 8 weeks of stage 2 and 3 as well. That puts me on the patch for about 6 months. The cost for the first 8 weeks is about $200. The next two stages are about the same cost. So the whole program should cost about $600. A little less if I get the Walgreens "knock off" variety. I'm sure it has a cute name like Wall-oderm or something.

I'm thinking about throwing in a pack of commit lozenges as well. They are the low dose nicotine lozenge for those "I gotta have a smoke NOW!" moments. Although I haven't had any of those moments yet, I suspect that there will be one, and I would like to have something at my disposal to fend off any stray cravings. They run about $50 for 100ish lozenges.

So anyone who has told me that quitting smoking will save me money is clearly wrong. By the end of the day I will have spent nearly a thousand dollars on quit smoking related products and treatments. At this point I haven't even filled the Zyban prescription from my doctor, so I assume that the cost will continue to rise. Thankfully I have a huge unspent FSA account of all 2007 dollars that is carrying the weight. I couldn't afford to quit if this was all out of pocket expense.

Just kidding... this is not about the money.

- ND

Bend but don't break...

Day three... Last night presented the first opportunity for me to test my hypnosis in a situation that involved the consumption of adult beverages. I'm happy to report that, although there was a great deal of temptation on the drive home, I am still smoke free.

Without stating the totally obvious, I understand that drinking can have an impact on decision making. I'm happy to have successfully rolled over the first speed bump with no damage. Doing so however, was not easy. I'm glad to have made the choice not to stop and grab a pack of smokes, but the battle of the rational mind versus the desire to feed the addiction was a heated one.

Other observations from the journey include:

• My sense of smell is returning.
• My hands are now nearly free of nicotine stains.
• I traversed the stairs this morning with less effort than normal.

- ND

Almost 24hrs smoke free...

After my hypnosis session last night and the application of a NicodermCQ patch, I have made it almost 24 hours smoke free. I will go into the details of the session later. I am a little busy and I don't think I could do it justice right now.

I am headed out tonight to the Rams - Steelers game, and this will be my first encounter with alcohol and being smoke free. Interestingly enough, I really haven't had a major struggle yet. Last night after eating dinner and watching a movie I got a craving. I was on the phone with a friend when it happened, and that's when I remembered the NicodermCQ patches that I had left from my previous attempt at quitting. Honestly, I'm glad that they were still around. I'm sure that I could have done without one, but anything that makes the process a little easier is fine with me.

On a side note... taking a nicotine patch before bed has it's problems. As a smoker, you obviously don't get nicotine as you sleep. The steady flow of nicotine through the sleeping hours makes for some interesting dreams and interrupted sleep. I did a lot of dreaming about smoking last night. I woke up every few hours. After getting to bed at 1:30 I woke up at 3:30 and though it was much later.

I suspect that over the next few weeks I'll be blogging about all of the changes in my life that are happening due to my quitting. Please bear with me as I recount experiences that are normal to you, but are new to me as a non-smoker.

And for those that are still wondering... I'm not clucking like a chicken or barking and chasing cars... at least not any more then usual. Thanks for asking!

- ND

Pre-hypnosis post...

I'm headed out in a about an hour to get hypnotized, and I'm looking forward to it. I haven't quit smoking yet. I ran out of smokes earlier today, but have bummed a few from my smoking friends here at the office. With any luck, I've purchased my last pack.

There is so much of me that wants this to work. So much of me that thinks logically and knows that smoking is a silly waste of money and life. Yet I've been doing it so long that I have a hard time remembering what it is to be a non-smoker. It's like trying to remember what it was like being a child. You get glimpses, but it's not like you have a movie in your head that you can look back on. So I see myself as this, and can't remember not being this, and that's one of the hard parts mentally. I need to see myself as a non-smoker.

I'll either post something tonight, or tomorrow to tell you about the experience.

To all of the people that have offered their support... thanks. To everyone who suggested the Dr. get rid of all of my other bad habits while he's in my head... piss off.

Just kidding.

- ND

Dr. reaffirms quitting smoking is good idea...

I visited my doctor today to get some additional help with my quit smoking plan. As was the case last year, I have a huge amount of FSA (Flexible Spending Account) dollars to use or donate to the federal government. What could be better than a large pharmaceutical purchase to kill some FSA bucks quick.

Thanks to the advertising by the pharmacutical companies, I'm very aware of all of the magic elixers available to the quitting smoking demographic. Chantix the newest product sounded like something I'd be interested in to assist with my programme. A drug designed to "turn off" the nicotine receptors in my brain. That's what I need! Anything that shuts off those pesky little nicotine receptors has got to be good. Turns out that's not quite the way it wound up.

My doctor and I had a discussion about the merits of Chantix and Zyban and decided that Zyban was probably a better choice. Honestly, I think he swayed me based on the way he sold Zyban. He said that Chantix is basically the components of Zyban that helped smokers quit without all of the anti-depressant stuff you didn't need if you were just trying to quit smoking. Frankly, the more he talked about the other issues, the better the Zyban sounded.

So apparently the Zyban has all of these other cool "side effects". It can help you with ADD, give you energy, improve sexual performance and a host of other things that all sounded really great. Not that I had any of those problems, or a least I didn't think I did, but why not take the shotgun approach.

So for those of you that will no doubt be monitoring my progress over the next months... If you notice me smiling more and being more focused... it's the Zyban. If I'm smoking when you notice these things... then I guess that I've just officially joined the ranks of the overly medicated.

- ND

Time to quit...

I've been talking about quitting smoking since the first time I realized that I was really "a smoker". Unlike many smokers, I started when I was in my mid-twenties, and should have know better. I've always had a battle between my desire to quit based on the intellectual grounds that it was a stupid thing to do, and the addiction that makes quitting nearly impossible. So I've decided to try something different. On the 19th I've scheduled a visit with a hypnotist.

I really don't know what to expect from this experience. I have a friend who has been hypnotized, and he described the process as relaxing, and almost as if he was unaware that it was even happening. On the other hand I have, like many of you I'm sure, seen people dancing around like chickens when hypnotized, and that concerns me a little. Don't get me wrong, I've been known to dance around like a chicken myself so I don't sit in a position to judge, but the perceived power of persuasion exhibited can be unnerving.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to try something new and hopefully cure myself of this nasty addiction. I just hope I don't become the Manchurian Candidate in the process.

- ND

Tribute to Dave...

About a month ago I received an e-mail asking me to share any memories or stories of Dave Scheidecker on his memorial Facebook group. I struggled with the project for a number of reasons, but finally put together something I was happy with. I'm posting a copy of my tribute below.


I have been reading the posts in this group for some time and want to thank everyone for their thoughts and memories of Dave. I never posted, because I didn’t think that I could muster the words to describe what Dave meant to me. How he influenced my life, and how much I miss him every day. How whatever tribute I might be able to create would fall short of what he would deserve. How is it possible to take the experiences of the time I knew Dave and condense them into several paragraphs? How do you take measure of such a great man? It’s not something that you describe; it’s something that you feel.

To say that I was never his student would only be true in the academic sense. I’m sure that everyone who knew him outside of his career in teaching would feel the same way. He had many ways of sharing his wisdom. The things he taught me were simple lessons of life. He did it through his stories. His casual telling of his experiences in a way that made you connect them to your life and your experiences. He was a teacher of life.

Here are a couple of memories I’d like to share.

Dave the fisherman

Several years ago Dave and I went on a trip to Canada to do some fishing. We drove from Chicago to Northwest Ontario and then took a small plane to a remote cabin. There were six of us on the trip, and we paired up in two’s to go fishing every day. Most days Dave and I spent 8 to 10 hours a day together fishing. It was a great opportunity to share stories and enjoy each others company.

The lake where our cabin was situated had several surrounding lakes that you could portage to from our lake. The trails taking you from lake to lake were anything but well traveled. The only thing that made them trails was the occasional marker tied to a tree to indicate you were headed in the right direction. Based on the change in elevation, and the map indicating that our portage would be a quarter mile or so, we decided to travel as light as possible. We were both wearing rain suits, and we needed at the minimum our rods and tackle. We packed the tackle into a backpack that Damian loaned us for the trip, and packed the pockets of our rain suits with everything they would hold. I put on the back pack and grabbed the rods and we headed into the wilderness.

The rigor of the portage took its toll on Dave, and I carried everything on the way out. By the time we got back to the cabin that evening Dave was very tired and sore. As we were sitting around talking after everyone else went to bed, Dave said something to me that I’ll never forget. He said, this is probably the last time I’ll be able to do a fly-in trip to Canada. Of course I disagreed with him, and told him that I’m sure that in a couple of years we would do it again. He said perhaps, and let the conversation go in other directions, but I can’t help looking back to see he was right. He didn’t get the chance to do it again. I’m glad that I was able to spend his last trip to Canada with him.

Dave was an excellent fisherman, and being the teacher he was, taught me a number of techniques that made me a better fisherman. Like so many of the experiences that I shared with Dave, I came away much richer from having been with him.

Dave the builder

Dave and I shared a love of building things. It seemed that he always had some kind of construction or wood working project going on. When I would visit, I would usually find him working on some sort of project, or being shown a project that he had completed since my last visit. Some of the projects were of a grand scale, and others simple, but he always seemed to take joy in the process of creating something with his hands.

When the time came for me to work on a big construction project, Dave was there to lend a hand. I had a rather large deck to build, and Dave made the trip to St. Louis on several weekends to help get the main structure built. Working with Dave was always a pleasure because he brought such a range of construction experience to the project. Equally important, he always brought his sense of humor with him. As my project progressed he created the mantra “good enough for Dan” which was used whenever something wasn’t quite perfect. We continued saying that as a joke whenever we saw each other and something didn’t quite work out for me as expected.

There are so many stories to tell and so many wonderful memories that I have of my time with Dave. I admired him as a man, and held him dear to my heart as a friend. I wish I had the skills to write something that really conveyed who he was, but if you’re reading this you probably already know. He probably touched you in some way that left you with the same indelible marks he left on me. I’ll never forget him. I think If God would only have granted Dave one more day for each of us who loved him he would have lived forever.

I miss my friend.

To Dave’s family:

Kelly… thank you for bringing your father into my life. Kathy and Damian thank you for sharing him with me. My life will never be quite the same without him.

- ND

Dog plasma...

Finally, after years of making references to this and having people think I'm insane, I have found the original source... Enjoy!

Crazy Mixed Up Pup

Sorry, but YouTube won't let me embed the video...

- ND

Kansas City weekend...

10:47 am and I'm the only one awake. Hardly your typical Saturday morning. Especially true if I was at home. Normally I'm the one sleeping till noon. Any doubt, see the previous post.

I'm sure that there are a number of factors for my early morning. The air mattress and sleeping bag are surely contributing factors. A twin air mattress is just not big enough for me. I have become accustomed to a full mattress or larger, and a twin just doesn't have the space for me to thrash around like I'm used to.

The sleeping bag really doesn't help either. Being forced into the decision of zipping it up and being confined to a thin little cocoon, or opening it up to be exposed on one side to the cold, is really not a good set of options. Perhaps I need to invest in a second, or two new sleeping bags, that I can zip together into a single large bag. I'm sure that the two bag solution would make for a more comfy sleep. Of course, I'd need a larger air mattress as well.

Really, I'm not sure that the air mattress or sleeping bags are the issue. I had another night of restless sleep because of my dreams. If you are a regular reader here then you will remember the dreams entry I posted a while back. They were back with a vengeance last night. I woke up several times, and each time I was haunted by the same type of dream. I'm sure that all of the updates about what has been going on with my life that started once I arrived in Kansas City are to blame. They say that your brain deals with the things you can't handle in the waking hours by bringing them into your dreams. I hope that's true, because I really don't want to think about this stuff when I'm awake anymore.

I've mentioned before that I don't remember my dreams. As today goes from morning, to afternoon to evening, I hope that the memories of my haunting dreams fade away. If not, I guess that having my friends here to distract me from them will at least make the forgetting easier.

-ND

That's about what I thought...

I took a quiz on the 7 deadly sins, and here are the results...

Greed:	High
Gluttony:	High
Wrath:	Very Low
Sloth:	High
Envy:	Very Low
Lust:	Low
Pride:	Very Low

Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Take the quiz and post your comments. I guess it'll be warm where I'm headed. That's a lot of sloth.

Happy Turkey Day!

- ND

Nabor Dan's legacy...

So I've been thinking lately... what is my legacy? Not to be morbid, but if I died tomorrow what would I be remembered for... if anything. I'm not sure what got me thinking about this, but it's been something that has been swirling around in the back of my mind for a few weeks.

I guess that I should define what I mean by a legacy.

To me a legacy is the contribution or gift that you give to others. It's the mark that you make that creates and indelible place for you in the future. It doesn't necessarily involve some remarkable feat or breakthrough that changes the fabric of society. It could be as simple as making a significant difference in the life of one person.

So I ponder... what is Nabor Dan's legacy?

- ND

The name of the band is...

Nabor Dan is off to the Pageant to see Cowboy Mouth this evening. If you have never seen Cowboy Mouth then you have missed the greatest live band ever. Your loss.



Are you with me???!!!!!

- ND

Disclaimer...

I love disclaimers. I found this compilation online. Please feel free to add anything you think is necessary...

This product is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. List each check separately by bank number. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. Subject to approval. This is not an offer to sell securities. Apply only to affected area. May be too intense for some viewers. Do not stamp. Use other side for additional listings. For recreational use only. Do not disturb. All models over 18 years of age. If condition persists, consult your physician. No user-serviceable parts inside. Freshest if eaten before date on carton. Subject to change without notice. Times approximate. Simulated picture. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Breaking seal constitutes acceptance of agreement. For off-road use only. As seen on TV. One size fits all. Many suitcases look alike. Contains a substantial amount of non-tobacco ingredients. Colors may, in time, fade. We have sent the forms which seem to be right for you. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Not affiliated with the American Red Cross. Drop in any mailbox. Edited for television. Keep cool; process promptly. Post office will not deliver without postage. List was current at time of printing. Return to sender, no forwarding order on file, unable to forward. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. At participating locations only. Not the Beatles. Penalty for private use. See label for sequence. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Do not write below this line. Falling rock. Lost ticket pays maximum rate. Your cancelled check is your receipt. Add toner. Place stamp here. Avoid contact with skin. Sanitized for your protection. Be sure each item is properly endorsed. Sign here without admitting guilt. Slightly higher west of the Mississippi. Employees and their families are not eligible. Beware of dog. Contestants have been briefed on some questions before the show. Limited time offer, call now to insure prompt delivery. You must be present to win. No passes accepted for this engagement. No purchase necessary. Processed at location stamped in code at top of carton. Shading within a garment may occur. Use only in well-ventilated area. Keep away from fire or flame. Replace with same type. Approved for veterans. Booths for two or more. Check here if tax deductible. Some equipment shown is optional. Price does not include taxes. No Canadian coins. Not recommended for children. Prerecorded for this time zone. Reproduction strictly prohibited. No solicitors. No alcohol, dogs, or horses. No anchovies unless otherwise specified. Restaurant package, not for resale. List at least two alternate dates. First pull up, then pull down. Call toll free before digging. Driver does not carry cash. Some of the trademarks mentioned in this product appear for identification purposes only. Record additional transactions on back of previous stub. Decision of judges is final.

- ND

If I post it... they will come...

I apologize for the layoff on posting, but I just couldn't come up with anything worth saying. Although that condition still exists, I have decided that the maximum interval between posts has been reached and a new post is necessary.

This weekend I decided that my pile of unopened mail had risen to a point of collapse and had to be dealt with. I tend to get the mail from the mailbox about twice a week. I'm not sure if it's the walk down there that bothers me, or the knowledge that anything delivered via the mail is going to be bad news. I usually find only one or two items that are not addressed to "or current resident", and depending on my level of motivation I may pull out the ones actually addressed to me. More often than not I just put the little pile of folded over coupons and grocery adds that shelter my mail on the counter and ignore them.

Through scientific method, I have determined that the cloak of invisibility for a stack of mail has a life of about two weeks. My study has yet to determine if the cloaking diminishes due to the effects of outside forces, such as creditors who demand payment, or the cloaks inability to sustain itself as the mass of mail overpowers its cloaking mechanism. Either way, the result of my as yet unpublished study, indicates that two weeks is the maximum sustained unopened time period for cloaked mail.

Thanks to the devious marketing techniques of mass mailing companies, it is nearly impossible to determine what mail needs to be opened and what could simply be chucked into the trash. I tend to open everything that has my name on it to ensure that no personally identifiable information lurks within. So that means that with the exception of the grocery circulars, I pretty much open everything. As soon as I recognize the mail is trying to sell me a mortgage or enroll me into some kind of protection scheme I hastily shred it into a thousand tiny pieces.

That brings me to the only truly enjoyable part of mail processing at Nabor Dan's... the shredding. I know it must seem somewhat juvenile, but the process of using a power shredder is cathartic. Watching the mail turn from informative targeted direct mail pieces, into tiny unidentifiable shreds is somehow uplifting. I can only think of shredding as the completion of the mail circle of life. I'm sure it goes something like this; idea, creative, printing, processing, mail handling, delivery, review, revulsion, shredding. I'm glad to do my part in helping every piece of mail achieve it's destiny. I think I need to start looking at industrial shredders.

- ND

Readers survey...

Because I always receive such wonderful insight from my readers, I pose the following question for your musings?

Which of these things is more important?

• Becoming who or what you want to be.

• Being satisfied and comfortable with who you are.

I await your thoughtful replies...

- ND

Losing faith...

As I was reading STLToday this morning, I came across an article that got me really mad. Here's a link to the article:

They're throwing them away

The article discusses a large number of Iraq war veterans who are being denied full benefits because it has been determined that they suffered from pre-existing mental health issues before their deployment. The military is suggesting that the mental health of these soldiers after their deployment is the result of these undiagnosed pre-existing conditions rather than PTSD from their experiences in combat. Because of this they are receiving downgraded VA benefits, and in many cases reduced financial support.

Let me lay out what I believes this country should do for it's citizen soldiers.

• Every citizen that takes up arms to support this country should have lifetime health care benefits. This applies to every person who serves not just those who serve in a combat zone. It is our responsibility to ensure that those who serve in any capacity in the defense of our freedom deserve the best care in return.

• Everyone who serves in the military should have complete access to our higher education system. The days of allotting a fixed education benefit should be replaced by a commitment to providing the best education that the individual can attain. No one who serves should have to choose what they can afford, they should be able to attend wherever they choose. They also should be provided living expenses while they are in school.

How we treat the soldiers that defend our freedom reflects on us as a society. The soldiers who serve to keep us free should receive benefits from our society greater then those who choose not to serve. Although we owe these patriots a debt that can never be repaid, we should do our best to ensure that we make every effort to compensate them for their sacrifice.

People speak of our WWII veterans as "the greatest generation". I believe that the solders that serve today are every bit as great as generations past. They answered the call to serve, and make great sacrifices for their countryman. Let's ensure that we don't break the faith that we have established with them.

- ND

Frankly...

Jim loaned me Sinatra at the Sands for the drive home tonight. Frank always has a song that speaks to me...

Its quarter to three, theres no one in the place
Except you and me
So set em up joe, I got a little story
I think you should know
Were drinking my friend, to the end
Of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
I know the routine, put another nickel
In the machine
I feel kind of bad, cant you make the music
Easy and sad
I could tell you a lot, but its not
In a gentlemans code
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
Youd never know it, but buddy Im a kind of poet
And Ive got a lot of things Id like to say
And if Im gloomy, please listen to me
Till its talked away
Well thats how it goes, and joe I know your gettin
Anxious to close
Thanks for the cheer
I hope you didnt mind
My bending your ear
But this torch that I found, its gotta be drowned
Or its gonna explode
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

They don't write 'em like that any more...

- ND

Unmoderated...

After the comments received on the last post, I wonder if I should turn this into a blog about my eating habits. Keep in mind, that as a single person, I tend toward the economical and simple rather than the healthy or palatable. That however, is not what I really wanted to follow up on.

I must admit that I really look forward to the comments I receive on my posts. They usually contain the wit that I wish I displayed when I posted the entry. Whether on or off topic, they normally give me reason to laugh, smile or scratch my head quizzically. Thanks to all of you that have been responsible for those reactions.

More to the point, I want to make sure that the comments section does not become overly personal or a place for individuals to take shots at each other. I have chosen to keep the comments on this blog unmoderated, because I believe that my readers are capable of moderating themselves. I do not wish to become a moderator or an apologist, so use your best judgment and keep it light.

I'm thick skinned, so please mock me mercilessly if you'd like.

- ND

Nabor Dan has new chef...

I never thought hiring my own chef would be so economical...




and no, I'm not kidding... I prefer the tortellini.

- ND

Vacation to recover...

I decided to take today off. I needed a day off to rest and hopefully recover from a sinus infection that had been plaguing me for about a week. In the last couple of days it has has moved into my chest, so now I probably really have a cold.

Friday is always the best day to waste a vacation day. Unlike many employers, the company I work for does not discern between sick days and vacation days. Sick equals vacation, so all the better if you take the day on a Friday or Monday. Sick sucks no matter what day you're sick, but if you can string the days together into a three day weekend, it sucks a little less.

- ND

Not much to say...

I haven't had much to say lately so I have intentionally neglected blogging for about a week. I started a post the other day, but I was having a couple of beers, and noticed that typing coherently was really difficult. I thought better of publishing the post as I was afraid that it would be an embarrassment.

I made a deal on a car on Monday. That makes me the owner of three vehicles. Two functional and one boat anchor. I really need to get the Mustang running again. It just sits collecting dust in my garage, and although it costs nothing to let it sit in that state, it's a bit disgraceful to have such a sweet car that is so neglected. I will have to get my neighbor interested in a little winter project.

The new vehicle, although not really new, is a 2000 Jeep Cherokee. I decided to purchase it from my cousin after discussing it while on vacation at Lake of the Ozarks. It isn't as upscale as my current Cherokee, but I figured that it would keep me out of car payments for another couple of years. I'll have to get used to driving a manual transmission. I've never had a daily driver that wasn't an automatic, so we'll have to see what driving in rush hour traffic is like.

Here is a stock photo that looks remarkably like my new ride.


That's all for now. I hope to be inspired to write some more tonight.

- ND

Another recall...

The latest item manufactured in China to be recalled...



Slide at your own risk!

- ND

Just some thoughs...

Sorry I have been away from posting for a few days. I came home the other night with every intention of sitting down and creating a new entry. I stopped by my parents house to do a couple chores, and by the time I arrived home it was 9:00pm. I started to empty the contents of my pockets onto the counter when the whole house went dark. Storms had been brewing for the last few hours, but I figured that since we hadn't seen any rain in weeks, we would be passed over once again. I was wrong. The power continued to cycle on and off, mostly on, for about an hour. I just couldn't see myself sitting in my office, typing a blog entry and getting shut down every 10 minutes. So I decided to do some reading and then get some sleep. So that is the explanation of why you haven't seen anything in a few days.

More coming soon...

- ND

Just catching up...

I haven't had much time lately, so my posting has suffered a bit. I appreciate the continued comments on previous posts, and the excellent advice. This is especially true of my relatives to the north. There must be something about the long cold winters that generates the kind of wisdom I've been seeing in their posts. If you have the opportunity to do a conversion from vodka to beer that would be appreciated. After all, you are the math people. Fractions scare me... I think it's the line... could be the small numbers... I cant say.

Nothing new to report on the continued grind that is my emotional collapse. I am keeping my chin up and keeping busy. I suspect that if you spend time watching the markets, you will have noticed the upward trend in the commodities surrounding the brewing industry. If you know my proclivity for consumption, make your investment decisions accordingly.

The phone conversations with my friend from out west, after meeting in Vegas to catch-up, have been great. It's always nice to have a kindred soul out there. Even if they live 2000+ miles away.

Shout out (to use a term ANON. seems to like) to my new friend Jim for keeping me in a long string of happy hours. Thanks for keeping me grounded.

To all the rest that I'm either forgetting or trying to forget... thanks or good riddance accordingly.

- ND

Drama...

This always makes me laugh...



- ND

South Park says it best...

From the Loch Ness monster episode.



Pretty much sums up my view...

- ND

Music that fits my mood...

(In constant sorrow through his days)

I am a man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my day.
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The place where I was born and raised.
(The place where he was born and raised)

For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasures here on earth I found
For in this world I'm bound to ramble
I have no friends to help me now.

[chorus] He has no friends to help him now

It's fare thee well my old lover
I never expect to see you again
For I'm bound to ride that northern railroad
Perhaps I'll die upon this train.

[chorus] Perhaps he'll die upon this train.

You can bury me in some deep valley
For many years where I may lay
Then you may learn to love another
While I am sleeping in my grave.

[chorus] While he is sleeping in his grave.

Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger
My face you'll never see no more.
But there is one promise that is given
I'll meet you on God's golden shore.

[chorus] He'll meet you on God's golden shore.

Achtung!

NABOR DAN OFFICIALLY DECLARES EXTENDED PERIOD OF EGOTISTIC HEDONISM.

Today, Nabor Dan officially announced his intention to spend an indefinite period engaged in egotistic hedonism. Nabor Dan released the announcement through his blog, and stated that he simply couldn't be bothered to announce his intentions in person because he was already busy doing whatever made him happy at the moment.

Friends of Nabor Dan were perplexed by the announcement. Many of the people questioned seemed confused by how this new course was any different then what Nabor Dan has been doing for the last 37 years. One friend, who requested to remain anonymous, said "I really don't get it. This guy already does anything he wants, so why does he think that this is special. Frankly, I think that he's just trying to get some attention. That's what my wife thinks anyway."

Nabor Dan was last seen boarding a flight from St. Louis to Las Vegas. His immediate plans are not known. How he will exercise the self declared period of egotistic hedonism is at this point undetermined.

We will continue to follow this story, and update as events occur.

- ND

Guest post. - 9-11 no joke...

This is a guest post from my sister in law. I'm headed to Vegas today! - ND

It's funny what will pop into your head while you're driving. Last week, while waiting for some fellow drivers to figure out the conundrum of what do to at a four way stop when more than one car is there (hint: the answer isn't "everyone wait, then everyone go"), this popped into my head:

"Did you know that Christie McAuliffe had blue eyes? Yep, one blew this way and one blew that way."

Oh my! Classic and classy in one breath!

And that triggered the starving Ethiopian jokes. I cringed at recalling that at one point in my life knowing what you call an Ethiopian with a stubbed toe was funny to me. Why did we tell these jokes? It wasn't because they were funny. It's a 3 wood; see? not funny. Why did we poke fun at other people's tragedies?

And then - as I smoothly yielded to the car on the right and was nearly hit by the moron on my left - it occured to me: where are the 9/11 jokes? It's been six years, and I haven't heard a single one.

A quick Google search of "9/11 jokes" turned up a bunch of pages. I guess you could assume I live under a rock if I haven't heard any of these. But I suspect it's that these haven't been told and retold like we did as kids at school. That's remarkable when you consider how easy it is to forward dubious and tasteless things by email. Does this mean that we, as a society, are "growing up"? Maybe, in an age of terrorism, we can't take quite so much pleasure at other's tragedies because they could very easily have been our own. We had a college friend who was on a NY subway heading for a Trade Center station, but they were shut down before it arrived there. A cousin was in the Pentagon when it was hit.

These jokes would probably draw punches, not laughs, if you said, "Did you know that (insert name of friend/relative) had blue eyes?" It didn't stop us from inflicting that pain on the McAuliffe family 20 years ago, so why is it stopping us now?

I would sure like to believe that we are more empathetic of the people around us. That may not be the case, but it's the thought I'm going with today. Maybe it's possible that we have become a little more considerate of people's suffering in the last 20 years - even if we can't remember stuff from the driver's permit test.

By the way, did you know that Muhammad Atta had blue eyes?

- ND (The other ND) Guest Poster

Something different...

Haiku of me...

Wistful memories;

Like autumn leaves die and fall.

Time renews all things.

- ND

Selfless, Cold and Composed...

If you are wondering about the post title... well its a song title from Ben Folds Five. It happens to be a song that I have been listening to a lot lately. It really doesn't have anything to do with the post, but if you get the opportunity give it a listen.

While on the topic of music, I read that Pavarotti died today. I have a DVD with a sampling of the Three Tenors, and I get chills when I listen to Parvrotti's part in Nessun Dorma. I can't claim to be an opera fan, but I must admit that this is one of the most moving pieces of music I've ever experienced. Here is the same clip that I have on DVD from YouTube. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.



Enjoy -

- ND

Apology for possible offense

My humblest apology if anyone is offended by the hyper link in my previous post. I know that I attract only the most sophisticated readership, and wouldn't want anyone feel that I was talking down to them by hyper linking a word to its definition.

I just found that the German word was a better choice than the English translation.

The Germans are a crafty people, and when they are aren't attempting to conquer the world, they add priceless new terms to the lexicon. Schadenfreude is my favorite.

Damn I just did it again...

- ND

Cute puppy - soul cleansed

Post-post Redact

To all of the faithful...

If you had the opportunity to read my last post, then you are among the chosen few. I really couldn't leave it up for public view. It was a little on the harsh side of what I want this blog to contain.

I will search for some cute puppy photos to post in an effort to redeem myself.

- ND

Back in the saddle...

Hello everyone... or no one as is probably the case.

I hope to get back to posting regularly. I have been away from blogging for a few months and hope that I can be more diligent in getting fresh material out.

Thanks for your patience and continued interest in my musings.

-ND

best friends - old friends

What can I say.... I happened to be out having a few libations last evening. Mid sentence, and for those that know me that that could be anywhere in the evening, I received a call from an old friend. Despite the fact that I was in the middle of some very important conversation, I take the call...

As we talked, I couldn't help but think how great it was to get the chance to re-connect with an old friend (if you are reading this... old, references the duration of our friendship not your age), Somehow it seems that we always connect at the least opportune times. (and by that, I mean you call me when I don't have the time to talk at length)

I must admit, that it is really my fault for not keeping in touch as much as I should... All of the Catholic guilt aside, I really appreciate the fact you continue to keep in touch, and more importantly, keep me in your thoughts. Thanks for keeping the connection going. I always look forward to the calls, and I am always amazed by the stories.

I hope you don't mind I post a picture here from one of the ones you sent me. I hope that one of these days, I can be with you on one of the trips out into the wilderness...

Sorry if I can't tell Pine from Spud. One day I hope to meet them both...

The e-mail I promised is on the way...

-ND

Cutting the cable...

Well I am officially disconnected from Paul Allen's "wired world". So here's the story... Before I departed for Vegas the cable stopped working. I have had short outages before, so I know what to look for when things go awry. This is certainly so with all of the connections and cabling inside my house. So looked everything over, and did the requisite reboots of all of the devices, and still nothing. I knew it was time for the dreaded call to customer support.

This it the yacht I helped Paul Allen buy. I bet it's got satellite!

After a frustrating 20 minute call to the Asian sub-continent, it was determined that an on-site service call would be required to remedy my problem. The call was peppered with scripted questions that any 5 year old would have tried before calling, so needless to say, I was pissed by the end of out conversation. I told the customer service rep (and I use that term generously) that I didn't want to schedule the service call because I would have to decide whether I wanted to keep their service. Additionally, I really didn't think that I should have to take a minimum of half a day off work to diagnose what was clearly their problem. The rep then said politely "OK" and "Thank You" and hung up. That was the final straw. If they aren't going to do anything special to accommodate a 13 year, always paid on time and in full, customer... They could take their cable and shove into their unmentionable places...

The coup de grace happened when I returned my equipment. The representative at their office mentioned in front of about 10 people, in a loud voice, that I owed them $120. I said that I had paid my final bill about a week ago, and had just looked at my statement that morning on the Internet. Their system online indicated that everything was paid in full. I assume that from the look on my face she realized how angry I was, and decided not to pursue the issue. About two days later a credit of $36 showed up on my bill for the unused portion of the month.

So... that's my experience with the folks at Charter Communications. Feel free to comment on your experiences if you like. I'm sure that among their millions of subscribers, there must be a few satisfied people out there. As for me... it looks like the people over at Dish Network have earned yet another customer through the utter incompetence of their competition. I guess that's the great part of monopolies... You don't have to be good at anything, just keep the competition out.