Walrilla's Wonderings

New Addition

2010-02-23T14:21:00.001-06:00

Picked up a new Bersa Thunder 40 at the gun show last weekend. Sweet looking semi-auto, hope it fires as good as everyone says it does.

Trying to kill Haloscan/Echo

2010-02-19T17:28:00.001-06:00

Confirming What We've Known For A Long Time

2009-10-09T09:48:00.003-05:00

Well, it's official now. the Nobel prizes, at least the Peace prize, don't mean squat!

Hasn't done a damn thing, except completely screw the US, and Teh One wins a freakin' Nobel Peace Prize.

Beam me up, Scotty, there's almost no intelligent life down here.

Walrilla

HOW LONG?????

2009-09-30T13:27:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! Not that anybody's noticed or anything.

So much has been going on, like Boy graduating Basic Training, Medic school, and Airborne school, and said Boy marrying his high school sweetheart, and, oh, just SCADS of stuff!

More later, I promise.

G@%%#&N COMPUTERS!!!!!!!

2009-04-13T16:41:00.002-05:00

I've been having trouble with my home PC for some months. Slow, sometimes rebooting in the middle of surfing or games, but nothing real bad.

Some one askoed me where the pictures of my New York trip were, the other day. They're on my computer, I replied. I'll get around to posting them soon, says I.

Well, guess what.

I ain't gonna post them now.

Why, you ask?

It's not that I don't want you to see them. It's that my ever so lovin' computer decided to do a restore back to January. ALL ON IT'S OWN! And wiped out all data back to then. Music, documents, and PICTURES! I now have no pictures of my trip to NYC!

I got even, though. I bought a brand new PC, HP with an AMD Phenom X4 Quad-core processor.

And guess what's gonna be my target the next time I go shooting?

That's right. My old POS, SOB PC.

Just me and my friends.

My friends with AR-15's and AK-47's. And Shotguns. And heavy caliber pistols.

Lots of them.

And if I can get ahold of my buddies from when I was a Civil War re-enactor, I'll see if they can bring a cannon with them, too.

Damn PC's

Walrilla

A Month!

2009-03-27T15:26:00.002-05:00

Damn! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. I am so lazy, it's pitiful!

Well, what's been going on?

We went to NYC and had a wonderful time. I even kept up(mostly) with all the walking! Actually, the walking part wasn't so bad. but the steps leading down to and up from the subway were what killed me. And I am SO P.I.S.S.E.D at not being able to get together with Erica, you can't even believe it! It was just non-stop, go-go-go, rush everywhere, that there was just no time in between.

The Broadway play Wicked was amazing! So much so that we went to Spamalot in Austin when we got back home, are planning to go to Avenue Q in April, and will go see Wicked again when it comes to Austin in August! Totally absorbing! I never thought this Texas Redneck would enjoy something like that, but I did, totally!

We went to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, to the Top Of The Rock Observatory, overlooking Central Park. And to the top of the Empire State Building at night. The view was outstanding.

And get this! No rude people were encountered anywhere, even when I was a total goober hick and ordered a Pastrami and Swiss, with mustard, on Rye. At a kosher deli. KOSHER! Erica and Elisson will understand that one. They just said "We don't have cheese here". And , of course, I realized immediately what I had just asked of them. Kinda like if I had asked for a bowl of Texas chili, with some beans in it. Podner, that just ain't done! Leastways, not in "true" Texas chili!

All in all, the New York trip is definitely one I will repeat in the future, but I definitely will pick my own restaurants next time. Dallas BBQ and Bubba Gump's were not bad, but, they were not specifically New York eats. On the other hand, I cannot recommend Trattoria dopo Teatro highly enough! Authentic Italian food, good beyond belief! We went there before we went to Wicked, and it was out of this world. I did get a "dirty water dog", a slice of "pie"(pizza), a bagel, and a Nathan's hotdog. I missed Papaya King, and New York Cheesecake, but maybe next time, huh?

Dear wife continues her weightloss journey, with a loss of an amazing 55 pounds! Mom is doing great, and boy is doing fine in Bootcamp. He made platoon leader the other day. I'm so proud of him for turning his life around!

Little Girl's birthday party is this weekend, and a co-worker is making a cake that is going to put Ace Of Cakes to shame! I'll share pictures when I get them downloaded.

See Y'all Later,

Walrilla

Tex Daddy Stylin'

2009-02-25T16:02:00.003-06:00

I am going to New York City the first week of March. This is the Senior Trip my wife and I always go on with the seniors from her school.

This year, instead of a cruise, they all voted to go to NYC.

My wife managed to sneak me in on the trip.

We will be going to see a Broadway play while we are there.

We are going to see Wicked.

Defiantly, I am going to wear my own "Ruby Slippers".

Picture it! Black suit, black shirt, red silk tie and pocket square, and these shoes. All I need now is a walking stick with a brass skull atop it, and I am {thumbsnap}FAB-U-LOUS{/thumbsnap}!

Walrilla, The Flamboyant!

(I ain't even gonna tell ya what my wife said when she saw my new shoes!)

Peace and Quiet

2009-02-24T16:30:00.002-06:00

Well, he did it! Boy's been at Basic Training in Ft. Knox, KY since Feb. 3rd, with Boot Camp actually starting on Feb. 13th. Dear Wife has received a couple of letters, and one form letter just to let us know he arrived safely.

The best part of the letters? The line saying he was "glad that Dad was as hard on me as he was", that he would never have survived the D.I.'s, otherwise. I laughed out loud at that! Hard? He ain't seen hard! Basic ain't over, yet! He'll appreciate all those "tender, loving, discussions" he and I used to have, you just hide and watch!

Also, he's bitching about how he got into a squadron of talkers, even in formation, and how they are all always getting in trouble for it. A couple of blanket parties will clear THAT shit up, quick, fast, and in a hurry!

Carry on, my once wayward son, carry on.

Walrilla

I Wanna Be An Airborne Ranger...

2009-01-30T14:09:00.004-06:00

I Wanna Lead A Life Of Danger!

On February 3, 2009, my stepson, my wife's BoBo the Monkey Boy, will board a bus to Dallas, there to enter into one of the world's most effective fighting forces, the United States Army.

Kids! How in the world can they do things that anger and exasperate us so much, then turn around and do something that fills us with so much pride, our hearts almost burst?

I'm sure I don't know, but God Bless them for that ability! He goes with our love, our permission, and our blessing.

He has applied for Airborne Ranger Medic. Y'all wish him well, please. With that load, he's gonna need it!

Godspeed, Boy.

Godspeed.

Walrilla

Update on the Wife

2009-01-05T15:53:00.003-06:00

Dear Wife made it through the holidays without screwing up on her diet! YAY! She has lost 31+ pounds since the first of December. She's doing so good with this, and I am so proud of her.

My mother-in-law had a Lap-Band procedure on the 30th, and she's doing well, too.

Y'all offer up a prayer, or good thoughts, or just an unspoken wish for these two special ladies in my life. I'd appreciate it!

Oh, and Mom's doin' GREAT! She's been to Vegas twice since the Open-heart surgery, and now she's plannng a trip to WDW with us this summer! She really appreciates all the prayers and encouragement y'all gave her!

Walrilla

I Bow To His Superior Geekness

2008-12-20T01:15:00.000-06:00

I have seen the master, and I am not worthy. He built this interface himself, or so I am told.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

We're not worthy!
We're not worthy!

Walrilla

Success(not mine)

2008-12-16T22:10:00.002-06:00

Dear Wife just came out of recovery three hours ago from surgery for a roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Everything went great, and they found a hiatal hernia that no one knew was there, and repaired it, too. She is recovering nicely.

Our daughter had a school play tonight, and as soon as DW made it to the recovery room, she was bugging the nurse for a phone, so she could call DD and wish her well before her play! I mean, minutes, just minutes, after awakening, she was on that phone!

Gotta love her! (She might beat me up, otherwise. LOL )

Walrilla

Mea Culpa

2008-12-08T15:55:00.003-06:00

Well I soppose any mention of a book is good. Thanks for buying a copy Nine bows HG

Hallett German 12.08.08 - 3:11 pm

Well, looks like I done put my foot in it again. This remark was left on my post about the Nearest Book meme. I don't suppose he'll read it again, but if he does, here goes.

Mr. German,
I would like to apologize for my flippant remarks regarding your book. It really is an excellent book on command languages. No disrespect was meant, and I hope none was taken. I actually use this nearly every day in my profession, and it was the nearest book to me.

Being that most of my readers are not technologically inclined or employed, I thought to inject some humor into what, for some, would be a rather dry subject. It was not my intent to denigrate or belittle this very educational book.

Thank you,
Walrilla

If y'all are technologically inclined or employed, get his book:

Command Language Cookbook
For Mainframes, MiniComputers, and PC's

by Hallett German

It really is an excellent book for REXX and other similar languages.

I Am Full of Teh Awsum!!!

2008-11-29T15:53:00.008-06:00

Well, full of something, anyway!

Y'all know I'm trying to get my trike ready to go, right? Well, one of the things I am working on is the clutch pedal. I need to do some mods to it, due to my wooden leg. (OK, it's not really wooden, but that just rolls off the tongue sooo easily!) One thing I need to do is ride with boots, so I have a heel, which makes it harder for my foot to slip off, or get in the wrong position, when I need to disengage the clutch. With a large part of my leg on that side reduced to a 1" shaft, lace-ups were gonna be a no-go, and pull-ons were gonna be too loose. I got to thinking(dangerous, I know) about all the plastic foam the hardware is shipped in at work, and how firm, but shapeable it is, and I had a brainstorm!

Go get a sandwich! No, wait, that's not it!

Oh, yeah, carve a section to replace the bulk of my missing leg!

Here's what I started with:

I cut it into 6" lengths, then glued them into a 5"x8"x6" block, cut it in half, carved out a channel and spaces for the shaft and the hardware to fit in,fitted it to the shaft, then started carving the block down to an approximate replacement for the leg mass.

This is what was left after carving away the extraneous foam and hot glue.

Here's the leg without the foam.

Here's the leg with the foam.(I just realized, I made a prosthetic for the prosthetic! How recursive!)

Here's all the scrap that was carved off. I think there's more here than is left in the finished product!

Here's the table after I finished, and, yes, I did get it all cleaned up before Dear Wife returned! You can see the prosthetic's prosthetic between the glue gun and the original(duplicate) packing foam.

Now, some judicious hinting to the Missus for these, and I am all set!

Walrilla

All the Cool Kids Are Doin' This One!

2008-11-29T11:42:00.004-06:00

A ~~Borrowed~~Stolen Meme Is The Best Meme!

Nabbed this from El Capitan, who got it from Elisson, who got it from somewhere's else, who got it from who-knows-where.

Things I’ve done are in bold.

What I’ve done:

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars
One of my favorite things

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower
I try to stay up for 'em.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland
(I've been by it. Does that count?)

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris
(I'm thinking Paris, Texas doesn't count, does it?)

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
After I had my heart attacks, I taught myself how to make Dream Catchers during my time off.

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping
I've GOT to tell y'all about this one sometime!

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
Both, sometimes without sleep in between!

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise
That's where I accomplished #13

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing
Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, Texas

40. Seen Michelangelos David

41. Sung karaoke
I was really drunk at the time...
(can't improve on Cap'n's answer, actually)

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance
Not Fun!(sorry, AD. Maybe if I rode with you... B-)>)

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business
A bookstore. NOBODY reads anymore!

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check
My philosophy used to be, 'Got checks, got money' {shudder}

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
I still have my little rubber/plastic squeezy dog, given to me by a most favorite southern aunt
(defined as a lady, so close to the family as to be related , but really isn't)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar
Yum, yum! Fish Jelly!(but in a good way)

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job
Numerous times, whan I was young and ~~foolish~~stupid

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone
Broke my right wrist when my pickup fell off jackstands, and the wrist got crushed between the bottom edge of the bed and my chest.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Several species worth, in fact...
(again, same answer as Cap'n)

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby
(Well, the wife actually delivered it, but I was there! And kinda involved in the creation! That counts, right?)

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Well, actually just stuck my hand in, after a drunken midnight run from Minneapolis to Duluth(don't ask, I'll tell, sometime)

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day
Umm... Actually, this isn't much of an accomplishment for me. I read way too damn fast, which kinda makes it expensive to stay in reading material.

Wow! My count has me at 55. I need to get out more!

Again, everybody's done this one, so not gonna tag, unless you really, really wanna do this.

Walrilla

2008-11-20T15:08:00.002-06:00

The rules are: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The CLOSEST BOOK, NOT YOUR FAVORITE, OR MOST INTELLECTUAL!

Tagged by: El Capitan at Baboon Pirates(OK, here's your post. You can quit making that voodoo doll now.)

OK, here goes...

The Book is:

Command Language Cookbook
For Mainframes, MiniComputers, and PC's

by Hallett German

The fifth sentence(and the subsequent ones):

These techniques could be used by the CLIST programs that generate reports:

CLIST QSAM facility to obtain the correct records on perform database transactions(such as adding or modifying a record). This can also be used to to generate a customized report.
Various string operations such as parsing, concatenating, and building arrays.
Control variables and built-in functions
Symbolic substitution to generate customized reports

Wow! Exciting, interesting, spellbinding stuff, what? A certified page-turner! Well, you did ask for the closest book. Careful for what you ask for!

Supposed to tag five people, but, nahhhh, everyone's done this one, so play if you want to, but I'm not gonna force anyone...

Except Running Behind from A Disregard For Timekeeping

Him, he needs a little prodding. Unlike me. (ha ha)

Walrilla

Trike Update

2008-11-01T23:18:00.002-05:00

Trike is coming along, slowly but surely. I got the remaining parts for the engine this week, and planning on finishing the rebuild this Sunday. Still need to move the fuel fitting from the bottom of the tank, but it's getting close. This is my kinda riding weather, cool and sunny. Ready to get the hell out there and let the wind blow through my flowin' locks.

Free On Three!

Walrilla

Hot Stock Tip! SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

2008-10-28T09:22:00.002-05:00

Y'all want a surefire secret tip for the stock market?

Invest in whichever company makes Vaseline.

'Cause if O-bummer wins, prices for it will skyrocket from the screwing we're all gonna get!

Walrilla

HEY, YOU!

2008-10-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

Yes, you!

Have you read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand?

If you haven't, read it now!

If you have, read it again!

Read it, Learn it, Live it!

Then reflect on what it means for today. Think about all those voices crying out, "Bail us out! You owe us! It's not my fault!", and come up with a reason why we have to bail out people who bought houses way beyond their capability to pay for. Tell me why we have to cover for their ignorance of mortgage financing details.

Then I'll tell you what you can do with that reason.

That is all.

I Love Mythbusters!

2008-09-11T01:23:00.001-05:00

You run into the damnedest stuff on the internet!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Now, how you gonna top that?

Trike Update

2008-09-02T10:44:00.002-05:00

Took the motor out over the weekend. My Brother-in-law is a VW "expert"(said in a good way). He raced VW beetles for several years, and is well-acquainted with the VW engine. He is helping Running Behind and me to get this thing on the road again.

Man, these engines are NOTHING to rebuild! Being familiar with only V-8's, this thing is like a toy! But an incredibly durable one.

This is going to be even better than I thought it would be.

B-)>

Walrilla

The Truth Comes Out!

2008-08-19T20:47:00.003-05:00

Hey, everybody! Now it can be told! Brad Paisley has issued a song which is a retelling of my life story, except more glamorous! Y'all go watch it, now!

Walrilla

Nothing More Needs To Be Said

2008-08-10T00:46:00.002-05:00

Clickum for biggum

I Gots Flames!

2008-08-01T23:31:00.002-05:00

Well, not exactly. But it's the closest to the flames I wanted that I can get, without special ordering the fabric and waiting four to six weeks for them to tell me they don't make that print any more.

But I'm not bitter. Really, I'm not!

Anyway, I picked up the new leg today, and I think it looks pretty snazzy, anyway.

And yes, that's really what it looks like. It's fabric, embedded over the carbon fiber of the socket, and encased in the resin. It's smoooooth!

You know, like me! B-)>

Now I just need to get that dang trike running... what... yes, I said running. Oh, I forgot to tell y'all, didn't I? I finally got time to get together with Running Behind to work on the trike. We stripped the fuel tank out of it in order to move the fuel fitting from the bottom of the tank to the back, took off the clutch pedal to turn it around to give me room to put my foot on it and push, and remove the seat to raise it 5 inches.

Well, guess what that durn fool did next? He ups and runs off to Sturgis for Bike Week, leaving my trike in pieces! Pieces, I tells ya!

Man, ya just cain't get good help these days!

B-)>

Walrilla

By Special Request

2008-07-10T17:48:00.006-05:00

This was a great hit at the blogmeet, and several people asked for the recipe, so I thought I would share it with everybody. This is a recipe I learned from my grandmother. Whenever anyone in the family had a birthday, she would cook us a meal of whatever we requested. We all had different entrees, but this was almost always requested for dessert.

It has a tart, lemony flavor after baking, not anywhere near the vinegar flavor you would expect.

Vinegar Pie

Vinegar syrup:

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water(a little more if the vinegar is strong)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp. flour

Mix sugar and flour together in pan, add water and vinegar mixture, bring to a boil, then set aside. Be very careful! This stuff will go from simmering to boiling over in a heartbeat, and this stuff is STICKY!

Make up a pie dough recipe (Now this is where I usually part ways. I mostly use the boxes of Jiffy pie dough premix. Just add water)

Mix up 1 cup sugar with 1 tbsp of flour. Pinch off a small amount of dough and roll out into a small circle. Place a half-pat of butter, and a teaspoon of the sugar/flour mixture in center of circle and roll up. In a 9x13 baking dish, place enough of the vinegar syrup to just cover the bottom, then place the rolls in the pan. Do this with all the dough. after the bottom is covered in the dough rolls, place a small amount of butter on top of each roll, sprinkle the remaining sugar/flour mixture over all, then pour the vinegar syrup over top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until brown.

UPDATE: Holder says it makes too much liquid for a 9x13, and I seem to remember that my grandmother's "baking dish" was larger than that, so maybe a 10x15 would be right.

This stuff is AWESOME! I'm sure all the Blownstar Blodgemeet attendees will attest to how good it was. Oh, and do yourself a favor. Spray the dish with Pam, or something similar, first. At cleanup time, you'll thank me.

Now on to other things, I finally got some pictures of my trike.

The pink rose and accents HAVE to go!

Pretty stylin', huh?

There's a few things to do to it to get it ready for me and my leg issue, but it's gettin' closer and closer!

In the wind, and free on three!

Walrilla

A Request

2008-07-09T08:15:00.002-05:00

Please say a prayer or spare a thought today for a lady I've never met, but I've grown to care for. Her husband passed away at 5:30 this morning.

Here recently, she and I have been corresponding by email after she wrote me and told me that I had inspired her to get a prosthetic leg for herself after being in a wheelchair for a year after losing her leg to diabetes.

Please, whatever your belief system, spare a thought for this friend of mine and her husband.

Walrilla

New Linky-Love

2008-07-03T09:15:00.001-05:00

Go check these guys out. They were the lurkers that came to our blogmeet, and now they're bloggers! How great is that?

They've just started, but I predict great things from them.

Walrilla

This Is Just For You

2008-06-29T20:02:00.001-05:00

You know who you are!

Walrilla

Sorry For The Absence

2008-06-24T11:26:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to concentrate on some things. Everything's ok, just required some focus.

One of those things has been the acquisition of some new wheels. Three of them, as a matter of fact. Three, as in a trike, a big, long, loud(for a VW), trike.

DAt's right, I'm now a Biker! Or, Triker, if you prefer. I'm now Free on Three! I've been riding motorcycles ever since I was a teenager, but only off-road, dirt bikes and such. This is the first street legal bike... err, trike, I've ever owned. Now I gotta go get one of them damned motorcycle licenses.

Pictures to come soon.

Walrilla

Memorial Day

2008-05-22T15:05:00.001-05:00

This is a repost from last year.

How many of you have heard someone say "Happy Memorial Day!"? Did you think that it sounded out of place, kind of wrong? I know I, myself, have been guilty of this before, but now I try to think before I say it. Memorial Day is not a "happy" day, but one of quiet solemn reflection. A day to spend in remembrance of the fine young men and women who have sacrificed time, injuries, and even their lives, in order to secure freedom and liberty for others.

Go ahead and barbecue, go to the lake, or whatever you do, but spend some time today thinking of these soldiers who have sacrificed all for their country.

Walrilla

Trippin' Out The Normals

2008-05-14T15:59:00.000-05:00

Hi, all.

Still here, still doing the do. Still just trying to keep my head above water. You know how it is.

I have learned one new trick, though.

You see, I love to mess with people. Nothing cheers me up quite like someone doing a double take at something I do or say. Nothing like f#$kin’ with people’s minds to put a smile on your face.

The latest thing I do when, God forbid, I have to “camp out” in a public restroom is to take my leg off and turn it to a weird angle, in regards to my real foot. You know the ones I’m talkin’ about, right, the ones you can see under the stall walls?

Yeah, you can get some pretty funny exclamations from people. I even had one guy ask me if I was all right, or did I need some help? It’s hard as hell to convince someone you’re OK, when it’s all you can do to keep from laughing out loud, sittin’ there.

I oughta be shot.

Walrilla

Hail, Yeah!

2008-05-02T13:43:00.002-05:00

Well, isn't this interesting. Last Friday, we had a hailstorm and tornado come through our town. We were fortunate enough to miss the tornado, but not so fortunate with the hail. My son's truck got a few dings, as he was parked at the Fire Station. My Pontiac got a lot more damage sitting by our house, and my wife's Lexus hybrid SUV(SRF's that we are) lost the rear window, and received dents by the dozen.

Yesterday we went to the Insurance Adjustor's place, and we got our checks for the damage. The truck got $2400, my wife's Lexus got $3300, and my little POS Grand Prix got a whopping $5500 in repair money. What the hell? Is it made from tinfoil? Recycled beer cans?

Me, I'm gonna take the check and the car, and maybe trade them in for one of these. Hailstorms, be damned! No parking, be damned! I'll just park where, and on top of, what I want.

Walrilla

Never Let It Be Said I Don't Think Of My Friends

2008-04-25T11:32:00.003-05:00

Hey, Eric! I found something just especially for you! Now, on those dark, dreary, moonless nights, you can take this out, wind it up, and let the hilarity commence. B-D>

Walrilla

Meet Our New Mascot

2008-04-18T14:13:00.005-05:00

I'm back from the cruise. Actually, we got back Monday evening, but I've been dealing with the aftermath of something that happened at work while I was away.

See this lovely little fellow? He's our new mascot at work. His name is Kris, as in Kris P. The Squirrel.

Look well upon him, my fellow IT sojourners, and all you others, too. This is a perfect object lesson as to what happens when you make a connection from the main power line coming in to the Datacenter and the grounding strap for the lightning protection system. Ah, but what about the uninterruptible power supply system, you ask? Well, your generator may be able to come on and switch the load in 3 to 5 seconds, but that's not good enough if the bad batteries in the UPS are only able to carry the load for 2 seconds. Things get crispy(Kris P., get it?), and other things, like servers, get fried. Things like databases get corrupted, and poor schmoes like me and my coworkers get to work virtually around the clock to get everything restored.

YAY, what fun!

Not!

Walrilla

P.S. I had fun, until I got home.

P.P.S. And before any of you start yelling at me about animal abuse, the squirrel did this all on his own. He made the decision, he paid the consequence, we just had to clean up the mess. B-)>

That Time, Once Again

2008-04-09T14:02:00.002-05:00

Yes, folks, it's that time of the year, once again, where I leave these dreary, drab shores for the sunny beaches and sparkling waters of Cozumel, there to shepherd those lucky seniors(high school, not geezers) through the international waters of diplomacy and language-building(very important - you never know when you will need to use the phrases "Donde esta el bano? Yo estoy muy enfermo!" or "Donde esta la playa de la nudistas?"*)

I just wanted y'all to know where I was, and that I hadn't disappeared, not that you'd notice that from the drop in blogpost output, or anything. B-)>

Walrilla

*Don't yell at me because the Spanish grammar is incorrect. I know it, I just can't do anything about it. [sarcasm]Thanks, Blogger[/sarcasm]

Fun Times

2008-04-06T06:37:00.001-05:00

It’s 6:30 in the morning, a Sunday morning, to be precise.

I’m sitting at my desk at work.

I’ve been sitting here since 4:00 Saturday afternoon.

God damn these failing upgrades and the drunken codemonkeys who wrote them.

Doesn’t anybody have any pride in their work anymore? This is the third time they’ve sent this upgrade, and it’s still failing to install. We’re talking hundreds of jobs for me to run.

What a fun way to spend a beautiful weekend.

Not.

Walrilla

Oh, Yeah

2008-03-17T10:11:00.002-05:00

And Happy St. Paddy's Day, too!

It's to celebrate when St. Patrick got all the snakes in Ireland drunk on green beer, then ~~fell in~~ threw 'em in the green-colored river... or something like that, I dishremember(hic), eczhactly, just right now.

Walrilla

WoW Is Eeeeeeviiilllll!!!!

2008-03-17T09:53:00.002-05:00

Do NOT start playing World of Warcraft! If you do, you will be sucked into a portal between dimensions, where it will be impossible to break free, and do anything like read, or send emails, or actually keep everybody updated on the progress of your mother's bypass surgery, or your new prosthetic leg(both of which are doing extremely well, her moreso than me, and I'm not having any problems), or... well, or ANYthing!

On the other hand, I'm now a 13th level Human Paladin, with Holy Resurrection skill. And that's in just a few days' time!

Oh, God, I'm such a nerd geek, it's not funny.

Walrilla(who ought to change his name to Nerdrilla)

Wish My Leg Would've Healed That Fast

2008-02-29T14:49:00.001-06:00

Saw mom at lunch today and she said the doctor is going to let her go home tomorrow. She is doing remarkably well, considering she had a double bypass on Tuesday. She’s been walking up and down the halls, trying to get her strength up.

The doc also told her to go ahead and eat whatever she wants, to get food brought in from outside, if that’s what it takes to get her to eat. Not that she’s refusing to eat, but you know hospital food. It’s not very appetizing, at its best. I’m going to call her and see if she wants me to pick her up anything when I get off work.

I printed off all your comments and showed them to her. Tears came to her eyes as she read all the well-wishes, and she kept saying, “All this for me? They don’t even know me.” I told her that everyone knew me, and that they were commiserating with her for everything I had put her through when I was growing up. B-)>

She asked me to tell all of you that she is so appreciative of all the prayers and thoughts for her. I am, too. I need a ~~lot~~ LOT more time with her to try to repay her for all she’s done for me. I don’t know how much time we have left together, but I’m sure it’s not enough.

I’m sure an eternity wouldn’t be enough.

Walrilla

The Zipper Club*

2008-02-27T13:33:00.002-06:00

Sorry I wasn’t able to update y’all any sooner.. They took her back to the OR at 07:30, and told us they would be through around 12:00 or a little later. They kept us updated regularly, when she went on bypass, when she went off bypass, how she was doing, everything we could have wanted to know.

At 10:45, they called us up for another update, and said,”She’s through. They’re taking her to Cardiac ICU for recovery. The surgeon will be right in to talk to you.” My heart leapt into my throat. Wild thoughts ran through my head. This was too fast! The doc is going to give us bad news! Oh, God, what’s wrong! They ushered us in to a special room, not the standard consultation rooms across the waiting room! Why are we in here? What are they going to tell us?

The doc came in and said, “We’re through. Your mom is fine. The operation was completely routine. No complications, everything went smooth as silk, and so did the MAZE procedure.” He went on to tell us of other details he thought important enough to share, but I had already heard the most important detail of the whole deal. Mom came through with flying colors! She’s going to be OK! As for that “special” room? The waiting room nurse told me, “There were so many of y’all, it was the only room big enough to hold ya!” Well, thanks a hell of a lot! Maybe you coulda mentioned that fact when you took us in to the room labeled TRAUMA, instead of letting us think the WORST!

Now, if only the recovery had went as fast as the operation! She did fine, but because she has problems with her liver, she took a long time to metabolize the anaesthesia, and wake up. According to the nurses, she was doing great, recovering nicely, but they didn’t want anybody in the room when she woke up, so as not to startle her, or let her think she needed to get up and talk to us too soon. So, off we shuffled to the waiting room, to sit, and sit, and grow calluses on our butts. My stepbrother and I sent everybody else home, and we sat and waited until the nurse let us in again, around 20:30. She then told us they were going to remove the vent tube in about an hour, so we spoke to Mom, told her we were going to be back, and sent her all the love from everybody, and we’d see her in a little bit.

She nodded, and we left for the waiting room again. We returned around 21:45, after they removed the vent tube, and was able to talk to her, and have her respond. Still kinda out of it, but responding with one or two word answers. We stayed with her for a while, and finally left around 22:00, after she started nodding off for longer and longer periods.

I got to see her again today around lunch, and she’s feeling remarkably less pain than she anticipated. I think she stressed about it more than necessary. Believe me, I was stressed enough for the both of us.

But what I really believe is that the prayers and thoughts from all of you helped more than anyone can possibly know. I appreciate all of you so much!

Walrilla

*-I'm sure most of you know, but for those who don't, the Zipper Club is an informal name for those who have had Open Heart Surgery.

Still Here, Just Dealing With Stuff

2008-02-24T22:06:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I'm still here. I've just been dealing with life stuff lately. And one of those is the reason for this post. I need all of y'all's help.

My mother was recently diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. She has Atrial Fibrillation, and the medication she took for it destroyed her liver. She needs to get on the liver transplant list, not immediately, but pretty soon, because the wait is pretty long, and the sooner you're on it, the sooner you get one.

A few days ago, she went in for an angiogram to prepare for seeing the transplant team in Dallas, to be able to get on the list. This was supposed to be a routine thing, no big deal, just something to get out of the way before she went to Dallas.

Except, it wasn't routine. She tolerated the procedure well, but they found a 70% blockage in the main artery leading to the heart, before it branches out. Actually, there are two blockages.

She goes in Tuesday morning for a double bypass operation. They're also going to do a Procedure to cure the A-Fib, a procedure pioneered at the hospital she will be in, and created by the surgeon who is operating on her. She couldn't be in better hands.

But, you know, this is my mother. Even though she is in the best place with the best people, I'd still ask you to please pray for her, if you're so inclined. If otherwise inclined, please say a blessing for her, think of her, send good vibrations her way, whatever you want to call it.

I'd appreciate all the help she can get. Because, even though I'm 43, I still need my mom.

Walrilla

142 Movies (God, Just Shoot Me Now)

2008-02-01T13:56:00.000-06:00

Everybody seems to be doin' this one, so I thought I would give it a shot. Shamelessly stolen from El Capitan, who stoled it from Oddybobo, who stoled it from Elisson, or somebody. Nothing like stealing blogcontent from your friends!

The rules are simple: Copy the list of movies below and mark off the ones you’ve seen. Add ’em up, and include the number in your post title. How easy is that?

Highlight the ones you’ve seen in boldface, should you feel like playing.

According to the meme progenitors, if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. My total is 116, but I freely admit to having no life!

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Grease
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
Boondock Saints
Fight Club
Starsky and Hutch
Neverending Story
Blazing Saddles
Universal Soldier
Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Along Came Polly
Deep Impact
King Pin
Never Been Kissed
Meet The Parents
Meet the Fockers
Eight Crazy Nights
Joe Dirt
King Kong (1933)
King Kong (1976)
King Kong (2005)

Total so far: 20

A Cinderella Story
The Terminal
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Passport to Paris
Dumb & Dumber
Dumber & Dumberer (filmed right here in May-Retta!)
Final Destination
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 3
Halloween
The Ring
The Ring 2
Surviving X-Mas
Flubber

Total so far: 28

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
Practical Magic
Chicago
Ghost Ship
From Hell
Hellboy
Secret Window
I Am Sam
The Whole Nine Yards
The Whole Ten Yards

Total so far: 33

The Day After Tomorrow
Child’s Play
Seed of Chucky
Bride of Chucky
Ten Things I Hate About You
Just Married
Gothika
Nightmare on Elm Street
Sixteen Candles
Remember the Titans
Coach Carter
The Grudge
The Grudge 2
The Mask
Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 41

Bad Boys
Bad Boys 2
Joy Ride
Lucky Number Slevin
Ocean’s Eleven
Ocean’s Twelve
Bourne Identity
Bourne Supremacy
Lone Star
Bedazzled
Predator
Predator II
The Fog
Ice Age
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Curious George

Total so far: 49

Independence Day
Cujo
A Bronx Tale
Darkness Falls
Christine
ET
Children of the Corn
My Boss’s Daughter
Maid in Manhattan
War of the Worlds (1953)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2

Total so far: 60

Best Bet
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
She’s All That
Calendar Girls
Sideways
Mars Attacks!
Event Horizon
Ever After
The Wizard of Oz
Forrest Gump
Big Trouble in Little China
The Terminator
The Terminator 2
The Terminator 3

Total so far: 69

X-Men
X-2
X-3
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Sky High
Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers 2
Catch Me If You Can
The Little Mermaid
Freaky Friday
Reign of Fire
The Skulls
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions 2
The Hot Chick
Shrek
Shrek 2
Shrek 3

Total so far: 83

Swimfan
Miracle on 34th Street
Old School
The Notebook
K-PAX (Seen the original, called 'Man Facing Southeast')
Krippendorf’s Tribe
A Walk to Remember
Ice Castles
Boogeyman
The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Total so far: 88

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total so far: 94

Baseketball
Hostel
Waiting for Guffman
House of 1000 Corpses
Devil’s Rejects
Elf
Highlander
Mothman Prophecies
American History X
Three

Total so far: 100

The Jacket
Kung Fu Hustle
Shaolin Soccer
Night Watch
Monsters, Inc.
Titanic
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Shaun Of the Dead
Willard

Total so far: 108

High Tension
Club Dread
Hulk
Dawn Of the Dead
Hook
Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
28 days later
Orgazmo
Phantasm
Waterworld

Total so far: 117

Kill Bill, Volume 1
Kill Bill, Volume 2
Mortal Kombat
Wolf Creek
Kingdom of Heaven
The Hills Have Eyes
I Spit on Your Grave, AKA The Day of the Woman
The Last House on the Left
Re-Animator
Army of Darkness

Total so far: 126

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage, AKA The Ewok Adventure
Ewoks: The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 132

The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
Animatrix
Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Team America: World Police
Red Dragon
Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal

Final total: 142

Dang It!

2008-01-23T14:52:00.000-06:00

Went to go see the prosthetist yesterday, and she made me stay off my leg for two days, because I have a rub spot on my leg. She ground on the inside of the socket, heated it, and pressed it out, in order to give it some relief, but she wants to give the spot a chance to heal. I get to don it again Thursday afternoon, hopefully.

Oh, well. Better to have it, and not be able to use it for a couple of days, than not to have it at all.

Walrilla

Astounding!

2008-01-23T13:46:00.000-06:00

My Father-in-law just sent me this news release of an amazing discovery, right here in my home state!

After having dug to a depth of 1000 meters last year, Scottish scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 1000 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 1000 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English scientists dug to a depth of 2000 meters and, shortly after, headlines in UK newspapers read: "English archaeologists have found traces of 2000 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had advanced high-tech communications network a thousand years earlier than the Scots."

One week later, Texas newspapers reported the following: "After digging as deep as 5000 meters in West Texas, Texas A&M scientists have found absolutely nothing. They have therefore concluded that 5000 years ago Texas inhabitants were already using wireless technology."

Don't Mess with Texas

B-)>

Walrilla

Here I am, Ready for GQ*

2008-01-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

Well, as promised, here are the pictures.

This is me.

(Yes, yes, I know. The pants are sagging on one side, because that's where I keep my wallet, and cellphone, and car keys, and house and work keys, and pocket knife, and about 5 bucks in change. No wonder it's sagging.)

This is me, showing off.

There it is, in all its' glory.
The socket is made out of carbon fiber, so it's stronger than steel. It's gotta be, to hold me up.

This is the liner I wear on my stump, turned inside out so I can wash it.

This is the liner, right side out, ready to be turned inside out again, so I can roll it back onto my leg. That bolt-looking thing sticking out of the end of it is the shank that goes into a lock in the bottom of the socket, which ratchets tight as it slides in. There's a button on the other side of the socket that releases it.

Well, that's it. I'm upright and mobile again. As I was walking out the door at lunch today, I passed a lady standing in the hall. She saw my crutches and said, "Ooh, that's no fun!"

I turned back to her and said, "Actually, it IS a lot of fun. I've been stuck in a wheelchair for the past year, and just got my new leg this past Friday. I'm having a blast, being up and walking, even if it is on crutches."

She laughingly agreed, saying "Yeah, I guess, when you look at it that way, you're absolutely correct!"

Next time, we'll talk about liner socks, and the proper selection thereof, and what a royal pain in the ass they are..

Walrilla

*That's Gimps Quarterly

Scary Images

2008-01-21T14:20:00.000-06:00

No, not zombies. You can quit cowering in the corner, Eric.

I'm talking about images of my new leg.

Coming tonight.

I promise.

Maybe late tonight.

But tonight.

Probably.

Walrilla

"Lt. Dan! You Got Magic Legs!"

2008-01-19T10:16:00.000-06:00

-Forrest Gump

Okay, more like magic LEG, 'cause the other one's still the original equipment, but you know what I'm going for here.

Yep, I got it yesterday, like I said I was going to, but I've been so busy dancing, and running foot races, that I haven't had time to stop and tell you about it.

Okay, so maybe not dancing and running, but I have been showing it off to family and co-workers. Right now, I'm using crutches to aid in my walking, but, by G*d, it's WALKING. I didn't think I was ever gonna get to this point.

One year and six days! It's been that long since my amputation.

What a long, strange trip it's been. And I'm glad y'all were here to share the trip with me. Friends like y'all have made this a much more bearable journey.

Walrilla

P.S. Camera batteries are charging. Pics soon.

Come On, 3 O'clock

2008-01-18T13:51:00.000-06:00

That's when I leave work to go get my new leg.

Me, impatient? Nah!

Walrilla

This Leg is Made For Walking*

2008-01-13T20:30:00.000-06:00

Guess what?

I walked! For the first time in over a year!

That's right! They finally got my test socket ready Friday. I went in, tried it on, and walked between parallel bars for the first time in over a year, which felt so good, I didn't want to give it back to the prosthetist for more modifications.

At the same time, it felt weird to be standing again, with no crutch, or walker, or leaning against a wall or car. Just my own two legs. Well, mine and the soon to be mine. B-)>

I go back Wednesday for the refitting, then the final leg will be ready FRIDAY! How cool is that? Gait training is gonna be a bitch, but one I am willing to put up with, if it means I can get back up on the trail again.

Walrilla

*With apologies to Nancy Sinatra

Catching Up

2008-01-02T20:42:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it. The Holiday season is death to blogging. So much going on, so little time, so many cool things to play around with! Let's see if I can hit a few high points:

New Nintendo Wii

The kids got a new Nintendo Wii game console, and this alone has caused all productivity at the house to come to a dead stop. This thing is freakin' amazing! Wireless controllers! Motion sensing! Exercise, in a sneaky way!

New Karaoke Machine

Daughter Dear got a Karaoke machine, which she loves! She sings along to all of the High School Musical Soundtracks. Me, not so much. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket with two hands!

New Washer and Dryer

Just before Christmas, our washing machine finally gave up the ghost, after numerous service calls. It was decided ~~for me~~ that a new machine was necessary. It was further decided that a new dryer was necessary, in order to match the new washer. After all, it would be most improper to wash clothes in a spiffy new washing machine, then dry them in the same old ratty dryer. Hence, the brand new Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer that magically appeared in our laundry room. In theory, since they came after Christmas, they were an anniversary gift from me to Dear Wife. The pedestals they sit on were a gift from Dear Wife to me.

New Ring

In her defense, I must say she also gave me a new wedding ring. See, I lost mine changing a tire in our driveway a couple of years ago. I've looked for it ever since, even going to the point of asking a friend of mine to bring over his metal detector to search in the grass. Sadly, all this was to no avail. I've been saying lately that I need to get a new ring, since the old one was apparently long gone. The morning of our anniversary, the 28th of Dec., we were leaving for our annual Dinner And A Movie Anniversary Date when she handed me a little box, and said that this had already been purchased long before the washer went out, and had just been waiting to give it to me. It's a beautiful Tungsten grooved ring, dark charcoal gray, and polished to a mirror finish on the bevels and inside the groove.

No New Leg

Alas, no new information on the leg front. If I don't hear anything by this Friday, I'll call and see where it is, but I didn't really expect anything until next week. Oh well, at least I'm thisclosetodone!

Walrilla

Salutations

2007-12-20T20:35:00.000-06:00

Well, I fooled around and forgot to submit my name to El Capitan's great Christmas Card Blowout. I was kinda sad, too, 'cause he's a good friend and an all around good guy, and I was bummed because I thought he'd be insulted, like I didn't want a card from him this year.

Well, guess what I received in the mail today?

That's right! An official Piraty Christmas-gram, wishing me, my family, and my leg well this coming year.

Oh, and more proof he's a man of his word. He said in his post that he didn't lick the envelopes, because he wasn't feeling up to snuff, and didn't want anybody to get sick, too. Well, what could be more proof than this?

Now, is that a great guy, or what? Guarantees in writing right on the envelope! Does kinda dis the cats, though.

Walrilla

P.S. Yes, I was a lazy asshole, and didn't send any cards out this year. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

Great News

2007-12-20T20:34:00.000-06:00

Almost forgot to share this.

I went back to the Prosthetist Wednesday. As you all remember, I was supposed to be casted for the new leg the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. Instead, I went ahead and got sick and developed Cellulitis in the good leg, and in the stump, before Thanksgiving. That put the kibosh on that.

Well, I finally got another appointment, figuring they would just look at it, ensure that it was still doing well, and schedule the casting for later on. I got in there, she called me back, and when I got in the room, she told me to scoot a little closer to her, onto the chair mat, because she was a little messy with the plaster.

That's right! They went ahead and casted me on Wednesday! YEEEE-HAAAAW! She said that she would send the mold off to be recreated in clear plastic. This is supposed to come in as soon as next week! Then, she'll fit it to my leg, shaving some off, building some parts up, and whatever is required. Then it goes back and they cast the real socket. I go back in, get fitted in that, and WALK OUT WITH MY LEG! That's right, I said WALK out!

How cool is this? I am almost beside myself with anticipation! I am so ready to get out of this wheelchair and back on my own two feet, I can't stand it!

Walrilla

We Gotz LOLKittehs!

2007-12-18T23:58:00.000-06:00

As promised, here are some pics of the furballs, and some of the Grand Matriarch Cat. She really hasn't accepted the kittens yet, but we have to keep them seperated for a week, because the kittens have worms, and our cat doesn't.

That's Isabella on the left, with the whiter patch on her nose, and Smokey on the right. Remember, our son is a firefighter. The first time I saw these cats, my wife told me of her plan to let the kids name them. I told her right away, that Dear Son would name her Smokey. Now where the name Isabella came from, that's any body's guess.

Mah lazers r charged, but Ah'm not thru sulkin' yet!

This is Priscilla, sulking under the bench at the end of our bed, because we have the kittens out of their isolation room.

We can see here how tore up the kittens are about Purr-purr sulking in the other room.

Ok, done sulkin'! You may hold me now. I said, you may hold me now!

Walrilla

Checking In

2007-12-14T11:23:00.000-06:00

Hi. Once I got out of the hospital and back to work, I got stuck on a BIG project that's taking all of my time, hence, no posting. Sorry.

On a sadder note, my wife lost one of her cats right after Thanksgiving. the poor thing had crystals in her urinary tract, was miserable, and not getting better. The vet ~~recommended~~ suggested removing her from her pain, and my wife reluctantly agreed. This tore my wife up for a good while.

Just yesterday, my wife called me at work and said another teacher had some kittens to give away. Their mother had been killed by a dog, and he had rescued them from the same fate. He was going to make them outside cats, unless he could give them away.

Now, how am I going to say no to a story like that?

Long story short, we're now the GRANDparents(ostensibly, she gave the cats to our kids, meaning, they get to name them, we get to care for them) to two 8-week old fuzzy little furballs. They're Chocolate-Point Siamese, according to the vet.

My wife is bound and determined to turn me into a cat-person.

Walrilla

P.S. Pictures soon, I promise.

Clarification: I know it sounded like we put her to sleep pretty fast, but it wasn't like that. My wife gave her two or three courses of antibiotics, the cat stayed at the vet for a while, all that stuff. Believe me, putting her to sleep was the LAST thing my wife wanted to do. There was just no other option. Sorry I made it sound like that.

Suffering from Cranial Ossification

2007-11-30T14:26:00.000-06:00

How come I can think of a hundred things I want to blog about when I don't have access to a PC, or even a sheet of paper and a pen, but when I sit down at the keyboard, all I can remember is "Duuuuuhhhh"?

I think I'm gona blame it on being sick. Yeah, that's the ticket, sick. I had a ~~cold~~, ~~the flu~~, the rare Bolivian BeBe Fever! And I couldn't blog because, um... my fingers fell off, yeah, that's it, they fell off, and I had to get them sewed back on! Yeah, that's the ticket! (w/apologies to Tommy Flanagan fans, everywhere)

Walrilla

P.S. The title refers to being a bonehead, not to that other, not quite so uncommon, ailment, Recto-Cranial Inversion, where your head is up your... um... Well, let's just say I run into people with that condition all too often.

I'm Out

2007-11-27T17:39:00.000-06:00

I finally got out of the hospital Monday night at 1830. The Dr.s aren't saying much, but what they are saying is that it probably wasn't MRSA, but just a bad flare-up of the Staph infection I got in my leg last year. What it means to me, though, is that I can kiss my prosthetic goodbye for a while longer. I now have to wait until the Dr's release me to start wearing the shrinker sock again, and for the swelling to go down and my stump to shrink back, until I can start getting casted, again. So close, and yet, so far away.

Oh, well. At least I'm alive to complain in the first place, huh?

Gotta go, will write more later.

Walrilla

Sittin' In The Horsepistol, Again

2007-11-25T10:35:00.000-06:00

That's right, I'm in the hospital again. This time, it's for dehydration and Cellulitis. I came in Wednesday before Thanksgiving, with dehydration, from getting a stomach bug on Monday. I noticed the cellulitis on Tuesday. They've en running me full of vancomycin and Clendomycin and something called Zosyn. My blood sugars are out of control, too. Thiey've been over 350, ever since I've been in.

They're going to do an MRI on Monday, to see if I have any osteomyelitis in my stump.

Will write when I can.

Walrilla

A Late, But No Less Heartfelt, Thanks

2007-11-11T22:47:00.000-06:00

To all Veterans out there:

Words would never be enough to thank you for everything you sacrifice for our country, but words are all I have, so:

To my grandfather, who served in the Army in WWII, thank you.

To my father, who served in the National Guard in the early '60's, thank you.

To my father-in-law, who served in the Marines in the late '50's, thank you.

To my uncles and cousins, who have served, and are serving, in various services, at various times, thank you.

To all my veteran friends, in real life, and in the blogworld, thank you.

Without all of you, this land, this country, this "Grand Experiment", would never have lasted as long as it has, nor be as free as it is.

Thank you for everything.

Walrilla

Spreadin' The Love

2007-11-09T10:46:00.000-06:00

Y'all need to go over and see my bud, Kenny. He just had his knee replaced and your well wishes would speed his recovery. He's a good guy, and needs some of our support.

You all were so great when I had my surgery, and I'd like him to experience some of that, too.

Walrilla

My Sentiments Exactly

2007-11-05T22:28:00.000-06:00

I just found a video that fully expresses the nuances and subtle shadings of my feelings about that big freakin' chunk of bone they left in my leg.

Here, take a looksee:

It was very clear in its delicate phrasings, no?

Walrilla

A Damned Nuisance

2007-11-04T10:45:00.000-06:00

I just want to apologize to everybody who comments on my site using Blogger Comment. I have had to turn on word verification. I have a spammer hitting my archives HARD, with probably a hundred comments in the last couple of days. I haven't wanted to turn it on, because I considered it such a nuisance when commenting, but I have no choice now. I'm sorry.

Dirty Rotten Filthy F$%^ing Spammers! I hate them!

Walrilla

Some Good News, And A Bad Incident With A Good Outcome

2007-10-31T18:56:00.000-05:00

Got some good news today! The Prosthetist finally fitted me for a Shrinker Sock! Hah, that's a fancy title for a stretchy tube of fabric that gets pulled up over the stump, then the loose end is twisted and pulled up over it, too. It aids in shrinking the stump down to a size compatible with fitting into a socket on the prosthetic. It forces all of the lymphatic fluid up out of the stump, since there's no return path for it, anymore.

So, that's the good news. The prosthetist thinks I can be in a leg by Christmas! HOT DAMN!!

Now, for the Bad Incident, take a look at the picture below. See that fuzzy, whitish-cream colored, pointy thing? Yeah, it's not really that fuzzy. It's a freakin' bone ~~chip~~ chunk, that's been in my stump since the surgery! Remember that I have a spot that just won't heal? Well, I think I found out why. Monday, it made its way to the surface, coming out of that aforementioned spot.

Monday afternoon, I had propped my leg up on my desk to place a bandaid over this wound. I wiped it with a Kleenex, and saw a white spot, which I thought was just a scab or some skin. I wiped it in the opposite direction, and it snagged the Kleenex! I was able to grab it with my thumb and forefinger, and started wiggling it side to side, VERY carefully! It finally dawned on me that it was bone, and I started pulling it out. And pulling it out! And pulling it out! I thought it was never gonna end! it's about a half-inch long, about an eighth of an inch across, and the spikes sticking out of it about a quarter inch long. Yeah, that's right, I said SPIKES! Sharp, pointy, cutty SPIKES! In My Leg! No wonder it hasn't healed yet! No way it could with this monstrosity inside there, poking and jabbing and cutting and slicing, oh, my!

So that's the Bad Incident With The Good Outcome. Bad, because this thing was stuck inside there for over 10 months. Good because that was what it did, outcome. Come out, I mean. Now I want my stump x-rayed, or MRI'ed, or something to prove to me there's nothing else inside there.

Now, let's git ta healin'!

Walrilla

P.S. I still have the chunk. I'm looking for a small glass vial to place it in so I can place it on a necklace and wear it around my neck. Hell, celebrities ain't the only ones what can be weird, doncha' reckon?

UPDATE: The spot I spoke of? The Spot That Wouldn't Heal? Well, guess what?

That's right, it's healing! It's not quite healed yet, but it's a hell of a lot better looking than it was before the chunk removal! HOT DAMN! Maybe my new leg's got a chance, after all.

The Thrilla With Walrilla...

2007-10-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

And Baboon Pirates...
and Yeah, Right, Whatever...
and A Disregard For Timekeeping...
and Blogonomicon...
and... gosh... who knows who else!

That's right! It's Mini-Blogmeet time! El Capitan from Baboon Pirates has set this whole thing up and we're all meeting in Lockhart Saturday, Oct. 20th, at 11:00 am, at Kreuz Market, 619 N. Colorado St., 1 block S of Hwy 183 & 672, across from City Park. It's gonna be BBQ heaven!

It's gonna be a great time with a bunch of great people. All bloggers within sight of my blog are welcome to attend.

Yeah, that's right! I'm talkin' to you, K-nine, and you, too, 10%. B-)> Y'all need to come on down and join us. And anybody else that wants to see what a gaggle of bloggers looks like, come on down!

Walrilla
(Email me or El Capitan for more info)

Some Linky Love Going On

2007-10-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

I just found a link in my stats meter to a fellow in Austin that everybody needs to check out. I haven't read a great deal of his archives yet, but what I have read is very entertaining. Sounds like someone I'd like to hang out with.

Walrilla

If It's Helen Time In Georgia, It Must Be Time For...

2007-10-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

My annual phone call from Zonker to rub it in that he's there, and I'm not!

That's right, last night I was graced by a call from...

Zeejus Hizzownself!

Then Erica poured a little salt(Kosher, no doubt) into the wound by telling me how much fun she was having at Helen!

Even Richard from Shadowscope rubbed it in my face about how I shoulda been there!

Jeesh, enough, already! I know I shoulda been there! Believe me, if there had a been any way I coulda swung it, I woulda been there, poppin' wheelies in the 'Hooch!

All kidding aside, it was really great hearing from everybody, and you don't know how much I wished I could've come. Just no way to spare the simoleons this year, but hey, there's always next year, right?

Thanks for the call, peeps, you guys(and gals) are the greatest!

Sorry

2007-10-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

I'm here, I'm here! I'm just kinda... down. I'm not doin' anything, and I'm not makin' any progress, and it's just got me a little depressed, so, instead of puttin' a downer on everybody else, I've just been quiet. I'm okay, I just don't want to go all whiney on everyone. This is all my own doing, and y'all have been so very supportive. I hate bitchin' about stuff that is all my own fault, when everyone else has legitimate gripes and concerns.

Oh, and I hope everyone has a blast in Helen! Maybe next year, I can get there.

Walrilla

Hey, Everybody!

2007-09-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

How's everyone doin'? Things are pretty copacetic around here, although I've been in a cast for the last week. No, nothing new, just this same leg... ok, HALF-leg, still not healing in one little spot, and a new spot has opened up that the young doctor said was from bending my knee. The bending was causing the bandage to rub on that spot, hence causing skin sloughage(wonderful word, sloughage, innit?). So he thought he'd just show me, and put the leg in a cast up to mid-thigh.

Know what? Unless specifically made to be weight-bearing, casts don't hold up too well, or at least my casts don't. The end was crushed in, the upper rim was going soft, and the crush aspect from the end was moving up toward my knee. Hey! Gotta go to work, right? Gotta get in and out of my car somehow, right? At least I couldn't bend my knee! Doesn't matter how awkward it was for me to move around, or to transfer into the car. Gotta keep that knee straight, at all costs!

Well, today when the older Dr. saw me, he asked me if I knew how to wrap my leg with just an Ace Bandage. I told him "Give me one, and I'll show you!" I wrapped that sucker up in a heartbeat! He said, " Well, I guess you do. Come see me in two weeks." Now I'm back to this two week appointment crap. Guess I'm just gonna have to build that wheelchair after all.

Walrilla

Zoom, Zoom, NO Crunch!

2007-09-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

Well, as promised, here are some pics of MY car.(Of course, I had to steal them from the dealer's website, but... ehh...)

From the front...

From the rear...

This is what the rims on it look like. It has ABS and 4-wheel disc brakes, which makes brake jobs very easy, and allows it to stop a little faster.

This is the inside. This picture makes it look a little lighter than it really is. The entire interior is black and dark charcoal. The tinted windows make it pretty dark inside, which really allows the A/C to cool very well.

The trunk is large enough to fit my wheelchair very easily, and the height of the top of the rear door allows me to swing my folded walker around it to put it in the backseat with ease. It's a 4-door, which makes the family happy for not having to crawl in and out of a 2-door, and there's sufficient room in the back seat, as long as my 6'5" friend isn't sitting in the front passenger seat.

All in all, a somewhat sporty car that serves the family well.

I'm happy, mostly. Of course, the Pontiac wasn't my first choice, but I think it's a happy compromise. B-)>

I'm Mobile Again!

2007-09-21T15:45:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally got something to motorvate around in. A 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT.

This is not mine, but it looks just like it, down to the color of the paint, and the spoke rims. Mine has tinted windows, though. I had my mechanic check it out, and he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

It's not exactly what I wanted, but it'll do. At least until I get that Ferrari Testarossa. B-)>

Walrilla

P.S. Pics to follow soon.

Here I Go, Making Ya Think Again

2007-09-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

Just stumbling around today, and caught this on YouTube. Watch it, and give me your opinions on it in the comments. I'll update this post after a few days, after I read your opinions, whereupon I'll give mine.

UPDATE: As promised, Here are my thoughts on this video. I, like all of you, found it a little sad, especially at the little tear at the end, but, here's the thing. Is that a tear of sadness from his fear of death, or is it a tear of joy from finally achieving his one and only heart's desire, flight? I found it very inspirational, that one should strive to achieve one's goals.

Remember, anything good is seldom easy; conversely, anything easy is seldom good.

Walrilla

Makes You Want To Cringe

2007-09-16T11:44:00.000-05:00

Last night, my daughter said something that stunned me. We were watching something on tv that had nothing whatsoever to do with her statement. She said, "Daddy, I'm not comfortable."

I asked her what she meant.

She said, "I'm not comfortable around Black people."

Now, I'm not the most politically correct person in the world. In fact, I'm pretty f$#kin' far from it. But never, ever, ever have I espoused such a concept as that to her. She's 9 years old, for Pete's sake!

I kept questioning her and found out that there's a little girl in her class who's been hitting my daughter, and won't stop when Dear Daughter asks her to. I asked her if she's said anything to the teacher, and she said she had, but the teacher didn't do anything.

I kept telling her that this girl is just mean, and that it had nothing to do with the color of her skin. That there was no reason to be afraid of Black people in general, just because her tormentor happened to be black. Her mother and I have tried to raise her with this ideal; that just because a few people do something, it's not an indictment of the entire race.

I just fear we're losing.

Walrilla

Pennies From Heaven

2007-09-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

The adjuster finally called yesterday, and guess what? They're going to give me more than I expected for the car!

It's not as much as I wanted, but it is more than I expected, so I'm happy.

Now, I can start searching in earnest. I've had my eye on some Ford Mustang GT's, but I can't fit my wheelchair in the back, so I guess I'll end up with an extended cab pickup of some sort.

Oh, well. At least I'm rolling again.

Walrilla

It's Official

2007-09-07T08:05:00.000-05:00

I heard from the other driver's insurance adjusters yesterday. They're going to total out my car.

Woo-hoo!

They're supposed to get in touch with me today to tender their offer.

They better make it good, that's all I'm sayin'.

Walrilla

Update: Got a call from them a little after noon. She said "Our computer's been down allll day. I can't get in to tell you the value of your car. I'll have to call you Monday."(You did read that with the proper amount of whine in your voice, didn't you?) Delay, delay, delay. I'm getting mighty tired of this!

More Photos

2007-08-28T22:56:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple more pictures of my car... excuse me, my heap of iron and plastic.

Still haven't been able to get the other adjuster on the phone. It's starting to piss me off some. I need a vehicle!

What's really ticking me off is the off-chance they will try to fix this car. Don't get me wrong, I loved this car. Turbo-charged engine, Bose sound system, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, automatic, quick, responsive, fun to drive, what's not to love?

On the other hand, I DO NOT WANT this car back! It's been in a pretty serious accident, it was hit hard enough to trigger the airbags, and it was hit from the side. If I got it back, it would not be the same car. It would not track right. It would just not be the same car I liked. I would have to trade it off as soon as I got it out of the shop.

Guess I'm just being picky.

In other news, we're all doing OK. My bruise is almost all gone. Dear wife's foot is not hurting as bad. The worst thing left is the scrape above my elbow. It's scabbing over and hurts like hell when I stretch my arm. Thinking over what could've been, though?

Yeah, it's all good.

Walrilla

Some Semi-Good News

2007-08-27T23:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I heard from our Insurance adjustors today. They went out and inspected the car, and have pronounced it totaled.

Yay.

Now If the other driver's insurance would just come out and inspect it, and come to the same conclusion, maybe I can get reimbursed, and get another car. Or truck. Or something! I'm ready NOW, dammit!

Walrilla

PEBKACs Abound!

2007-08-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

What the hell is going on? Out of the last 100 hits on my blog, 52 of them have been searches for PEBKAC! Did this get mentioned somewhere on TV, outside of tech channels? Was it used on that new show about two nerds and a hot girl? Where is it coming from?

Walrilla

P.S. Not that it's a bad thing, though. It's driving up my traffic! B-)>

Update: I still haven't found out why everyone is searching for pebkac, but I have been remiss in not defining what it is. PEBKAC is an acronym used widely in the Computer industry, most usually in the HekpDesk area. It describes what some users main problem actually is. It stands for Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair and is a very descriptive, if not flattering, term.

Quick One

2007-08-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

Still fightin' the insurance companies, but accidentally found the reason for Jimbo's unnatural fear.

Voila!

A picture from his elementary school!

Walrilla

That's It!

2007-08-20T01:13:00.000-05:00

I'm never going to complain about nothing going on to blog about, ever again. As soon as you do, all hell breaks loose!

That is a bruise and blood blisters closest to my wrist, a slight scrape just below my elbow, and a bigger scrape above my elbow.

I know it looks like a big slice, but it's just a scrape, really!

Looks bad as hell, though, don't it?

Just in case you're wondering, that's what your arm looks like after the airbag goes off in your steering wheel. Yep, that's right, we were in a wreck.

My wife, my daughter, and I were exiting the loop, and a three kids in a car ran a stop sign, and smacked into my right front quarterpanel, just on or just in front of the front wheel. Everybody's OK. I was the most injured, but it was only scratches and bruises. The ambulance took my daughter to the ER because she was complaining of pain in the hip area, and my wife rode with her, complaining of pain in her knee and foot. I let a firefighter put a couple of 4x4 gauze pads on my scrapes, and I stayed at the scene, talking to the officer working the accident. The other driver said her brakes went out, not allowing her to stop. She got three tickets for running the stop sign, not wearing her glasses, and having no insurance. She says she has insurance, but only had an expired insurance card with her.

She better hope she does.

My wife and daughter were X-rayed at the ER, and palpated and examined, and pronounced fine. I'm ok, except for the scrapes, but my poor little PT Cruiser... according to my wife, the whole front end was shifted over. My door was jammed shut, but I was able to muscle it open from the driver's seat. Looks like it might be totaled out. I failed to get any pictures at the scene, but I'm going in the morning to the body shop where they towed it, to get my CD's and my disabled placard out of it, so I hope to take the camera and get some shots.

Guess I'm gonna need that Jet-powered wheelchair, after all.

Walrilla

P.S. My first thought, after finding out everyone was OK at the scene? When the paramedic or firefighter came up to ask me if I was OK, I thought about saying, "I can't find my foot!", and then laughing like hell after they started to react to a severed leg, but I was good and didn't pull any pranks at all. Can't say I didn't laugh my ass off thinking about it, though!

Update: Here's a couple of pics I managed to snap this morning at the body shop.

You can see where the bumper hit just behind the wheel.

Ain't Got A Lot Of Time...

2007-08-17T14:17:00.000-05:00

So I'll just send you to this list of why I support Gun Control... snrk, mmpphhttt, snrkk... Sorry, I couldn't even type that with a straight face. Go look at the list, anyway. It's a "Top 40 Reasons" list that now has over 300 entries.

Read 'em.
Learn 'em.
Live 'em.

(How very Fast Times At Ridgemont High of me!)

Walrilla

It Figures

2007-08-14T23:02:00.000-05:00

Well, we went to SeaWorld Friday and Saturday, and guess what? That's right, I forgot the damned camera! Oh, well, weren't much there to speak of, anyway. Everybody had fun, I got a little burnt, and I got to see the funny sea lion show, so it's all good.

Tomorrow, I go see a new doc about my leg. It's been since January and it still ain't healed. Oh, and I found out that the doc at East Podunk Bait Shop, Beer Stand, and Hospital, where I had my leg amputated, had to call the Big-Name Level-one Trauma Center Hospital to get information on how to do an amputation, 'cause East Podunk's done so FEW of them! Well, don't that just give you the warm fuzzies? Hell with that mess! If I had known that beforehand, ain't no WAY they would've been sawing on me! I'da gone to the hospital and the doctor I'm going to tomorrow. And just maybe, if I had had a competent doctor in the first place, maybe I'd have my new leg by now!

Sorry for all the exclamation marks, I'm just kinda torqued off right now. I bet this new doc will set me right quick, fast, and in a hurry.

And just in case I'm not able to be fitted for a prosthetic leg, secret testing continues on my new wheelchair!

Walrilla

Same Old, Same Old

2007-08-06T13:10:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. No posting means no readers, but there has been absolutely NOTHING going on around here. Get up, go to work, come home, go to sleep. There, that's everything that's been happening for about two weeks. Sorry I'm so dull.

We're going to Sea World San Antonio this Friday. I'll take the camera, and try to live vicariously through the excitement of others, in order to have something to post, 'K?

B-)>

Walrilla

Family Happenings

2007-07-29T08:04:00.000-05:00

Still here, still busy as hell, but just hadda share what my stepson has done now. Last week, he went to Texas A&M to take a firefighters training course. He serves as a volunteer firefighter, and the department sent him and a few others to this course, on the department. About halfway through the week, he gets such a feeling of brotherhood and camaraderie, he gets some of the other attendees to take him comparison shopping, and he purchases a symbol of his devotion. Friday, when he comes home, we are greeted with this:

What was funniest about the whole thing was his mother's reaction. She laughed about it, and liked the tattoo, but she told him that he would have to tell me and his grandparents by himself, expecting us to hit the roof. When I got home from work, she came into the bedroom where I was changing and said "Da Boy has something to tell you, and I want you to listen, and not get mad until he's finished, if you get mad."
After interrogating her as to whether I was going to get mad or laugh, and her not telling me, except to say she laughed, she called him in.

He started telling me about how, even though he was a part of the VFD, he didn't really feel like a member, and that after some time in the class , he now felt that way, and that as a result of that new bond, he wanted to show his devotion to the brotherhood. Then he lifted his shirt and showed me the tat.

My first thought was "Where in the hell did he find a temporary tattoo that good?", and my second reaction was "Cool!" when I figured out it wasn't temporary. His grandparents had much the same reaction. This took all the wind out of my wife's sails. "I thought you would react more than this. You're taking all the fun out of this!", she exclaimed, after neither his grandparents nor I evinced much of a reaction past "You're eighteen. Do what you want." She was expecting explosions and got wet powder.

Oh, I know it looks big but it's not really. It's only about an inch and a half across. Here's how it looks on him, fuller view:

Kids. What are ya gonna do? Can't live with 'em, can't seal 'em in a barrel, and feed 'em through the bunghole 'til they're twenty, either.

Walrilla

Rumors Of My Demise...

2007-07-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

Are greatly exaggerated. Well, maybe not greatly, but still exaggerated, nonetheless. Y'all know how it gets sometimes, too much to do, and not enough time to do it all. That seems to be my main problem, that and too much month at the end of my money, but we've all got that complaint. B-)>

I've been tasked to take over new responsibilities at work. Ain't giving up none of the old, though, so I've been busier than a one-legged midget at an ass-kicking contest(you think about that for a minute). C'est la guerre!

Good to see Livey and Jimbo finally got rid of their steam-driven computers and moved into the jet age.

On a related note, look who's blogging now! That's right, it's SweetThing, GuyK's better, and much prettier, half! Charming, just charming! And she is, too.

I went back tonight and read all the comments y'all left on that post letting you all know about my amputation. Damn. Talk about an outpouring of love, for somebody most of y'all had never met. I still get choked up reading them. That was a major reason I got through it so well. If I haven't told y'all lately, then just read on.

Y'all are some DAMN GOOD PEEPS!!!

That can't be said loud enough, or often enough, to express my love for all y'all and everything y'all did, just by your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes!

Walrilla

P.S. I know I say y'all a lot. I'm just trying to educate the rest of America on proper usage. Y'all can mean one to three people, while all y'all means four or more.
Just tryin' to do my part for proper grammar. Proper Texas grammar, that is.

Asking For Help Again

2007-07-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

Where my literary dawgs at?!

Y'all helped me the last time, when I was looking for a movie, and gave you just a small description of the opening credits. Now let's see what you do with a description of a novel I read a couple of years ago.

It starts off just after the Civil War. Two fellow ex-soldiers are bumming around the south and run into an elephant and its trainer from a defunct circus. They then decide to open their own circus. The story goes on about the trials and travails of nomadic circus life for several years. It's an amazing book, albeit somewhat dark and disturbing.

For the life of me, I cannot remember the title or the author. I'm depending on y'all, the intelligentsia of the bloggy-sphere, 'cause I've racked my brain to no avail.

Any and all help would be appreciated.

Walrilla

UPDATE: See, this is why I love y'all. I posted this about 1:30 pm. By 3:15 pm, I already had my answer from this lovely lady, and by 03:30 pm, somebody else was already sayin' they had read it and others by the same author. I actually remember reading Aztec, too. I'm gonna keep looking until I find something obscure enough to stump y'all.

Check me out!

2007-07-06T00:26:00.000-05:00

Hey, y'all! Check out this video of me dancing last weekend.

Riiiiight! Like y'all believed that was my fat ass out there.

Seriously, though, these guys are amazing! I couldn't do that if I lost 90 lbs. and took lessons for 10 years!

Walrilla

And Now For Something Completely Dumbass...

2007-06-30T17:14:00.000-05:00

Big Dick is redoing his bathroom. From what he is putting on his blog, he is almost done with it. Well, I need him to come on down here when he is finished and help me hang a new door on my pantry. I somehow seemed to have acquired a hole in it. a mysterious, fist-sized hole, about shoulder level of a guy in a wheelchair. Don't know how it got there(looks innocent), but all I'm gonna say is, don't forget to take your happy pills, especially if you have teenage children.

Walrilla

UPDATE: I've already went and bought a new door. When I got back, I hit the door again fairly hard; it didn't do anything to the door, but it made my knuckles hurt.

I didn't feel anything in my hand the first time I hit it.

Those of you who have met me know this isn't me, but...

I'm scared it's what I'm becoming.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2007-06-28T01:04:00.000-05:00

This one here's for my buddy, Eric. I know he'll get a kick out of it.

Not that I'd mess with him, or anything. Heh heh.

Walrilla

A Signal Honor

2007-06-26T23:56:00.000-05:00

Well, dang! Seems like ol' Groanin' Jock, over in ~~Scotchland~~ Scotland has done flung a Thinking Blogger Award at me. Now, don't worry, I won't tag none a' y'all, since I already did this one, but I did want to recognize him for this honor he has shown me.

I am also grateful that, of all my posts, erudite and otherwise, he chose the one I felt the most strongly about. For that, I am doubly honored. Honored in the fact that he thought enough of that post to nominate me for the award, but also, in choosing that post, the message contained therein will be spread to an even greater audience.

Thank you, my friend.

Walrilla

P.S. As I said last time, everyone on my blogroll makes me stop and think, and he has definitely earned a spot there.

You're Free To Go...

2007-06-22T13:59:00.000-05:00

Where we want to allow you to go! This is outrageous!

Police said there are plenty of streets with sidewalks around the city and suggested Schneider stick to those.

Sounds like discrimination to me. Granted, he could've handled it better, but, still, are we not allowed to go where we want or need to go?

If the illegal aliens aren't restricted from "going where they want to go", why are we?

Walrilla

Words

2007-06-15T12:06:00.000-05:00

Go read this, then come back.
Mental retardation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do you have a word or phrase that makes you cringe, and die a little inside, to hear, regardless of context or the direction to which it's applied? You know, words like nigger, spic, wetback, spearchucker, wop, dago, kike, greaser, beaner, chink, slant-eyes, gook, honky, ofay, porch monkey, pepper belly, chili chomper, zipperhead, or others of their ilk? I think we can all agree these are hateful, hurtful words. You can argue that words are just words, but that's specious. Words have a specific meaning, and are used for a specific intent, or should be, anyway.

I have a word. I feel it is every bit as full of hate and hurt as any of those words I listed. I think most people, though, see nothing wrong with it because they haven't been touched by it. They don't know anybody that has it. Therefore they go around flinging it at people who make a mistake, at someone who does something wrong, like push on a door marked PULL. You want to call them a dumbass, or stupid? Fine, I can go along with that.

Just don't call them a retard. You have no idea how physically sick it makes me to hear that word used. You wouldn't use any of those others, up there. Stop using this one, too.

Walrilla
Father of a developmentally delayed, very mildly mentally retarded, extremely beautiful daughter, who I love very, very much.

And You Thought Your Child Was Stupid...

2007-06-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

Take a look at these!

Redneck Skiing - Part 1

Redneck Skiing - Part 2

Idiots, right?

The idiot being pulled is my son. No, really! That's my son, being pulled around his friend's yard.

Yep, I'm so proud! Mah boy's gonna be an intarwebs celebrity!!11!!
(shakes head slowly)

Walrilla

A Long, Strange Trip

2007-06-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

Sure am glad this wasn't me!

Walrilla

The Skunk Stunk, Alright!

2007-06-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

Friday, my wife was busy with graduation, so I decided to take my daughter and my mother to a little restaurant in a Czech community about 30 minutes from our home.

As we were going along, we ran through a cloud of that unmistakable aroma of roadside carnage known as Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road. There's no confusing that aroma with anything else in the world.

While we wrinkled our noses, my daughter piped up from the back seat, "That was a stunk, wasn't it, Daddy?"

"Yeah, baby, that was a skunk."

Walrilla

Dang!

2007-06-02T00:28:00.000-05:00

Well, the post below is no longer accurate. I'm still in the #1 spot, but it's from that post, and not the original one. Shucks!

Just to take my mind off of that, here's one of the funniest Family Guy skits I've ever seen.

Oh, and it's somewhat related, too! Bonus!

Now, that's some high-quality entertainment for ya!

Walrilla

A Monumental Achievement

2007-06-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so proud!

Go to Google, and enter "fried food = juicy fart", without the quotation marks.

Look who's in the NUMBER 1 spot.

YEAH, BABY! WHOO-HOO!!

It's so nice to be recognized.

Walrilla

Every Day Should Be Memorial Day

2007-05-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

My buddy sent me this too late for Memorial Day, but I thought it needed to go up, anyway.

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"
She heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart"
With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far.

You see he is a Marine
and died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a special
person, an hour to appreciate them,
a day to love them, but then an entire
life to forget them.

Take the time...to live and love.
Until eternity. God bless!

Take the time everyday to think of and/or pray for our armed servicemen.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell

Walrilla

Slowly Easing Back In

2007-05-30T15:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm slowly easing my way back in to the blogosphere. Sorry for pulling a hissy fit and disappearing, but please know none of you had any thing to do with it.

Just to keep things kind of light, here's some info that Mostly Cajun must have pulled straight from my insurance plan:

MEDICAL INSURANCE EXPLAINED

Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase , “HEY MOE.” Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.

Q. I just joined an HMO . How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories: those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don’t worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day’s drive away and a diploma from a third world country and the third grade.

Q.Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those you need.

Q. Can I get coverage for my preexisting conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don’t require any treatment.

Q. What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You’ll need to find alternative forms of payment.

Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand . I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomachache. What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.

Q. What if I’m away from home and I get sick?
A. You really shouldn’t do that.

Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem . Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office?A. Hard to say, but considering that all you’re risking is the $20 co-payment, there’s no harm in giving it a shot.

Q. Will health care be different in the next decade?
A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.

To Your Good Health (because as you’ll see, you’ll need it!)

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION with Dr. Kenmiester:

Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good !

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING !!! … Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

This has been shamelessly stolen from Mostly Cajun, who probably stoled it his ownself. B-)

I'm back

2007-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'm back, but with a little bit of blog-ennui. I've got some things going on, so I won't be posting here for a while.

Keep me in your rss readers. I'll be back.

Walrilla

Delays, Delays, Delays

2007-05-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, looks like it's gonna be next week before I can get up a recap. I've been busy as hell at work, and my wife and I leave Thursday morning on our annual cruise. We'll be back Monday, so regular non-blogging will resume then.

Sorry the recap is gonna be late, but just know that the blogmeet was the most fun I've had in a long time.

Walrilla

For a Dear, Dear Friend

2007-05-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Upon special request, I present for you this image. For those of you who want to know what I look like, and for others who want to know how I lost my leg, just follow this link, and all will be explained.

DUNZ - lolfrenz turnament #001 - Dictionary Challenge: Lolrus

Walrilla