Oy Vey, What a Day

There are just some days, when you pause to think about them, make you shake your head and wonder. Was that a good day or was that a bad day? Case in point, yesterday.

Starts at 6 in the morning, getting final emails out to a possible funder and producing a document to be faxed.

7 a.m. - fax won't go through, emails are completed, and now you realize you will have to hand deliver the papers to be faxed.

7:30 a.m. - answer a telephone call from a lady who wants to come and work. Money isn't a problem, just wants to work with kids. I really think she should work on not slurring all of her words so early in the morning.

8 a.m. - have papers in an envelope, heading out of town to a meeting scheduled for 10.

8:30 - papers delivered and stop to fill tank of car. Things look like they will be going smooth. Talk on cell phone to dad, daughter, scheduler, funder, director of operations, school superintendent, and a friend.

9:45 a.m. - arrive in Sweetwater. Have accomplished the following - secured a place for my daughter's wedding, rehearsal dinner, and secured necessary items for decorations. Talked to the folks who can help fund her internship in Thailand. Talked to the funder, they will participate financially in 2007 (a wonderful thing), have a plan in place for transportation for our summer programs, and heard a great story from my friend. Things are looking good.

10-noon - have an excellent meeting, tour, and discussion about a possible new club in an extremely depressed area where a Club would be a wonderful answer to some of their concerns. Everyone seems to be excited and it looks to be a win/win for everyone. Stop to talk to local Chamber of Commerce about businesses/donors and then grab a hamburger and head back to Abilene.

1 p.m. - have enjoyed the trip back and was able to chat with my best friend for awhile as I head to finish up exemption papers for licensing. Starting to feel queasy and have a headache.

2:30 p.m. - papers completed and delivered. Get a call from a local foundation, yes, we have received a 50k grant for reading programs! Yeah! Head hurts worse, stomach is doing some strange things.

3 p.m. - into the office, sort through mail, check emails, and head over to do taxes for the community.

8 p.m. - head home. Feeling really strange, weak, and head is hurting terribly.

Rest of the night I am getting to enjoy my bathroom with multiple purges from the stomach, headaches galore, freezing, sweating, and fitful sleep. Feel like someone has run me over multiple times and there is a moment or two I think death might not be so bad.

This morning I am up and still feel like I should be shopping for coffins. Oh well, another day and if it gets worse from here, I'll call it a day and go back to bed.

So was it a good day or a bad day? Hmm... maybe it was a gad day... or egads! Welp, gotta run, the ol' gut is rebelling again, #$(&$%*!)$&#!

Time is the coin of your life.

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
Carl Sandburg

Go Carl! You hit this one on the head and these days it seems I am laying that coin down everywhere. Tonight we start doing taxes for people. Yesterday I received word I lost one of my two volunteers which means I am now going to cover one night a week by myself.

Next week we start a mentoring program for kids who want to go to college and help them fill out FAFSAs, hunt for scholarships, and apply for colleges.

I am pretty sure I now officially have no Saturdays free in February.

United Way proposals kick in during March which gives you weeks of late night and weekend sessions of assessing information, building cases for funding, and wrapping it up in a nice presentation for review.

Toss in three major fundraising events between now and the 4th of July...

I think I need a larger denomination of coin.

Hopefully there will be help soon.

Hmm, time warp

Here it is Wednesday and I was so proud of myself this morning getting my Thursday Thirteen completed... and I realize I was a day early. Hmm... that probably means something but I'm not sure what.

I guess there will be no TT for Thursday afterall.

Sigh.

Plumbing Blues

So I'm putting in the kids' Christmas present to their mother and horror of horrors, the job that should take two hour max ends up taking all day. Plumbing never comes easy and sure enough, one pipe breaks, another is weak, and before you know it I am revamping all of the pipes underneath the house.

This morning I am sore from bumps, scratches, and having been in positions that would have made a yoga guru proud.

So a poem is bubbling out... I just feel it!

Why is it that projects simple
Seldom work out like we plan
And become the proverbial pimple
On the butt of frustrated man?

I offer you plumbing
As an example quaint
Cause it is quite numbing
When what should be, ain't.

Chasing one problem after another
You find your project grows
And you'll be crying "mother"
Fighting your plumbing woes.

So what is the lesson taught
As you are feeling dumber?
You should do as you ought
Spend the bucks, pay a plumber.

Friday finally

It is Friday morning, early, and I'm looking towards some quality writing time so I can finish up grants that are due today. A Board meeting at noon... Laundry to pick up... Lights to hang... Food to cook for a meal ... if that doesn't inspire poetry, nothing else will...

Friday Lament

Well it is Friday, my friend
A week of utter insanity
I hoped someone would extend
A chance to re-enter humanity.

People have demanded my time
Appointments out the wahzoo
I wonder if it would be a crime
If I snuck off and hung with you.

A moment to get away from it all
And let my mind wash clear
Of deadlines, reports and pitfalls
Just hanging with a friend so dear.

Oh well the clock is ticking
Another day of challenges to meet
But if I was doing the picking
Friday, we'd be hitting the street.

Hope your Friday and weekend are good ones!

Some days you probably should stay in bed

Yesterday started off with a bang; snow, ice, and cancellations by the score. We even closed the clubs for the day so the kids wouldn't be endangered getting to and from them. This made work a productive day as no one is in the office and there is little if any disturbance.

Great day, right? Sure... sort of... okay, it didn't end so well.

Had an appointment cancelled without notice.

Get home and while I'm carrying a TV upstairs, I trip. Some yahoo had dusted the wooden stairs with Pledge, it is like ice now (okay, I'm that yahoo but still...) My knee is killing me and my other leg is just sore. I know this will take some time to work all the stiffness out. Oh, don't worry about the TV, it made it up the stairs unharmed. Go figure.

The day did end well though with a friend dropping by to chat and Jman and I finishing up the evening having breakfast (served my world famous fried eggs seasoned with toasted garlic, pepper, and olive oil. okay, they might not be world famous but I've never had a complaint yet)

Sore but well fed, I crawled up the stairs and called it an early evening. Was in bed by 9.

Today will be a better day.

I've been a baaaaaaaaaaaad boy

Okay, I have not posted for a few days and that means I am delinquint in my writing. My world has been hectic to say the least with preperations for hearings with CPS over licensing issues. The initial hearing is over and we have two weeks to produce recommended policies in order to comply with exemption criteria. No problem. Luckily I already have an additional 8 hours of the day that I am not working in which I can whip those puppies out.

Our annual report is almost finished and my brother is doing an excellent job on the layout. It will be a product worthy of pride!

As for me, I'm just plugging along. Have two grant requests due today, one is finished, one is still being tweaked. No problem, I'll knock 'em out.

I have a narrative to write for the UW today. No problem.

I think I am also supposed to propose a plan for world peace with an additional sidebar addressing world hunger... no problem.

Okay, a bummer of a post. Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

It's tough to win a shoot out without a Colt

Welp, my Longhorns lost.

Goodbye National Championship.

Hello, "Hey, we can still be Big 12 Champs!" Hmm, that seems a little like kissing your sister (okay, I've never had a sister but if I did, I sure wouldn't want to kiss her).

Somehow you knew it was coming. Maybe after Colt McCoy was hurt scoring Texas' first touchdown or maybe when you saw how fired up K State's defense was and the quickness of their secondary.

Either way, the dream has crashed but I am not depressed by any means. If Texas finishes 11-2, then I will be thrilled. I suffered through enough 4-7 years to be joyful at a winning season no matter what.

Okay, enough of the remorse. Time to start thinking about something positive... hey, the Aggies did lose yesterday...

A late night moment of reflection

It is just now past midnight in Atlanta and we have finished for the day.

I am beat. I am thinking having 18 CEOs in a room trying to come to an agreement over a powerpoint presentation is about as effective as trying to nail jello to a tree. We finally did finish the rough and have another two sessions to gather and fine tune the presentation. The interesting part is the group is highly intelligent, talented, and resourceful. Perhaps what prohibits positive progress is the river of strong personalities and opinions that flood the room.

Oh well, the presentation will be good. I think.

So on this early morning I think I will go to bed with a few lines of randomness...

They tell me this city is full
Of crime and wicked deceit
I'm sure there are men who'll
Kill you on these wet cold streets

Perhaps the cold I feel inside
Isn't from fear of evil or the cold
But is from having to abide
In this city of red and gold.

I'm so tired I can't even think
So weary there's an ache in my bones
I would go home in a blink
Instead of staying here all alone.

So as the fog settles into the mass
Of grey matter called my brain
I am wishing the rain will pass
So I can remain sane.

Happy Wednesday Ya'll!

Allergies

The cold fronts that are moving through the area have brought on all the allergies. I don't normally suffer from allergies but when the cedars start popping and the broomweed decides to kick in too, I do have a time with them.

So taking the over the counter stuff that seems to help but still you feel like you are operating at less than 100%. Hopefully this will all end soon.

I do love the cold though, it is so nice to see the temps fall into the 40's.

Better go medicate again, I feel the sneezes building up again.

Oh, thanks to Dem and Mike who kept me up to date on the UT game. I missed out on the exciting ending until I had a chance to play the DVR later. Exciting finish.

Hope everyone's weekend is going well.