Up on the housetop...

There are no reindeer. Yet anyway. But, I made my yearly climb to the roof. I gave in to my wife’s “urgings” to put up the Christmas lights.

Now I’m one of those people who thinks we could celebrate the birth of Jesus quite well without tripling our electric bills and burning more fossil fuels. But my desire to have a peaceful household won out over my convictions.

Most of my neighbors who decorate their houses for Christmas got it done the first two weekends after Thanksgiving. One house I pass on the way to taking my son to work had lights up two weeks before Thanksgiving.

The home improvement store my wife works at had Christmas decorations down for sale shortly after Halloween. In fact, they sold out of outdoor lights last weekend.

We haven’t gotten the tree up yet. That job belongs to my wife and kids. After that the challenge is to keep the cats out of the tree. Then we begin the countdown to Christmas and watch as gift cards from one merchant or another fill up the tree branches.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Have a Merry Christmas everyone, and as always…

Keep Grinning

Old Friends

Last week I had a couple of opportunities to visit with old friends.

I went to homecoming at my high school on November 2nd. The game itself was exciting despite the fact that we lost. But the fun part was running to an old buddy I served on the school newspaper with.

It was good to catch up and reminisce about the times gone by.

The next day I visited with some seminary friends. Sadly, our mini-reunion was prompted by the death of one of our friends who was a year behind us in school. Still despite the fact that I had not seen these guys in almost 30 years, we were able to pick up where we left off.

We decided to try to get our class together for our 30-year anniversary. The guys who got ordained should not be too hard to track down. It's the others who will be a challenge. Our last mailing list is from 1978, and the school is now closed. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Keep Grinning!

Losing Weight

How do you lose weight? Expend more calories that you take in. The formula is simple. The execution is hard.

I have been exercising and watching what I eat the past two months or so. Coke or other sodas are gone from my diet. Also, I don’t get that daily bag of chips any more. Other changes are trying to minimize red meat, eat more fruits and veggies, and don’t put any sugar in my coffee and cereal.

A few years ago, I went from 195 to 165 in about 6 to nine months. I grew tired of the exercise routine through. I was using the workout center at my job site. But I had to leave at 5:30am to get there early. After 5:00pm, it was way too crowded. Eventually I slipped back to my old habits, and the weight came back.

There are a few tips I have learned in the meantime.

• Don’t weigh yourself too often. This is a long term commitment. I get on the scale once every two weeks (paydays). This helps me see the big picture and keeps me from getting obsessed with the process.
• Don’t give up the foods you like. Just eat less. I love pizza, so when I have some, I limit myself to two slices. If I am still hungry, I make a salad or have an apple. That usually takes care of it. If you eat out, cut the portions in half, and eat the leftovers the next day.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon. Let’s face it. Around the Thanksgiving / Christmas season, you may be going to parties and family gatherings. Lots of food is going to be there. If you over indulge, just get back on the program as soon as possible. There are worse things you could have done. Like vote Democrat (but that’s a different column.)
• Vary your workouts. I usually do the treadmill. If I vary the speeds, going from a fast walk to a slow trot and back, the time goes a lot faster. I also do the stationary bikes. Doing one cardio workout, doing one of the stations for strength training, then the other cardio workout, breaks your workout time nicely.
  
• Have fun!!

-Keep Grinning!

Possums

I hate possums. My dog hates them more. In fact, she has killed three of them. And I hate disposing of dead possums more than I hate the possums themselves. (I found out the local Animal Control will come and pick up dead possums)

The funny thing is that my dog is very gentle with the inside animals. We have two cats she gets along with, and when the guinea pig comes out, Sadie will sniff and lick it, but not do anything else.

One morning earlier last week, she was going nuts looking out the back window, so I went outside to check what was going on. Once I got outside, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was this little rabbit.

I walked over to it and it did not seem to be afraid of me. So I got my daughter, who works at a pet store and she was able to pick it up and put it outside. (Now I’ve got to fix the hole in my fence.)

When we walk out to see it, the rabbit hops up to us, so it must have been someone else’s pet. Anyway the rabbit hangs around mostly at night. I think it goes to the next-door neighbor’s back yard during the day. He keeps his gate open and there’s a lot of shade. We’ve been putting out food and water for it, and so has the lady two doors down.

We’ve been trying to find a private agency that rescues and adopts out rabbits. The only one we have found is about an hours drive away. We really can’t keep it, and if we take it to the County shelter, they will euthanize the rabbit. It is really sweet and cute, and will do well with a good home I think

Keep Grinning.

Random Notes

Is this a threat?

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naïve, the AP reported

In addition, "The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid."

That must be causing Musharraf to have some sleepless nights.

Happy Anniversary.

August 1st was the 19^th anniversary of the legendary Rush Limbaugh program. Happy Anniversary, Rush. Here’s to many more years of broadcast excellence.

Baseball Notes

Baseball’s non-waiver trading period ended the other day. The Dodgers shored up their bullpen, acquiring Scott Proctor from the Yankees to infielder Wilson Betemit. Listening to Yankee games on XM, I heard their announcers complain about Proctor’s tendency to walk the lead off batter. Statistics show that when the first batter of an inning gets on base, he scores 40% of the time. Hopefully he can improve in this area in the next few months.

The Angels stood pat…oh and this just in, the sky remained blue.

My opinion is that they needed an impact bat at 3^rd. People will argue with Chone Figgins’ success since late May. However they need someone to bat behind Vladimir Guerrero. Figgins could have been packaged in a trade with a prospect or two to get a power-hitting third sacker. The problem is, most teams wanted Joe Saunders, and the Angels pitching depth is down with the injury to Bartolo Colon, and Ervin Santana pitching more like Carlos Santana, than Johan Santana. The other problem? No one seemed to be offering any power-hitting third basemen.

In addition, Vladdy needs to be a little more selective on what he swings at. If he had Barry Bonds’ plate discipline, he would be unstoppable. This “nose to toes” strike zone has got to stop. Maybe chin to shin would help.

Golf

The Bridgestone Invitational at the Firestone Country Club got underway today. Tiger Woods has won this event two years in a row, and also one three straight times from 1999 to 2001. He finished the first round at -2, one stroke behind the leaders.

Hunter Mahan is one of three golfers leading the pack at three under par. Right now there is no hotter golfer. Mahan has finished in the top-10 in his last four starts, and in the top 25 in his last six. He is making a charge to be on the President’s Cup team.

-Keep Grinning

What File Extension Are You?

I've been kind of quiet lately. Not that there's been nothing to say, I just haven't felt like writing.

Anyway, here's a fun little quiz to take?



Which File Extension are You?

Keep Grinning

It's a slow news day, so here's my take on Britney

I have had a few thoughts on this sordid Britney Spears mess. It’s probably a few too many, so I’ll keep them short.

1. Britney is not serious about straightening her life out. If she was, she would have stayed in rehab. I’m sure her handlers got her to check herself in so she would appear sympathetic to the public. But rehab is hard work. You’ve got to admit you have a problem, and she does not want to face that yet. Much of it is a result of having never been told that she is flawed, being propped up artificially by her entourage and other hangers-on.

2. Much has been made of why people are so interested in this situation. One theory offered is that people gain some sense of satisfaction when they see a celebrity or someone with some degree of notoriety. They think, “Gee, I’m not so bad”. Instead of using Britney, or Anna Nicole, or these pathetic people who inhabit daytime tabloid TV as a standard. Instead, find a role-model with good character and habits worthy of imitation. Reach up and try to improve instead of looking down on someone and feeling self-satisfied.

3. Was does it say when Kevin Federline is the stable one in the relationship?

On the bright side, “Britney” had an entertaining Q and A session with Letterman last night.



Keep Grinning!

Is this news, or something else?

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/scalias-daughter-charged-with-dui/20070214133109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Justice Scalia’s daughter was arrested and charged with DUI and child endangerment earlier this week. Obviously there is a problem here that she needs to get help for, and I hope she does.

But the question is, why is this news? Why was did AOL put this on it’s front page. What Justice Scalia’s daughter does, good or bad, in her private life, does not effect how he does his job. Is it just the media taking a shot at him, or trying to humiliate him? Probably.

Furthermore, if one if the more liberal justices, (Ginsburg, Stevens, etc) had something similar happen, would it lead on AOL, or get buried or ignored all together.

It’s similar to Wolf Blitzer questioning Vice-President Cheney on his gay daughter being pregnant. What ever Mr. Cheney thinks about homosexual behavior, he loves his daughter, and is pleased to be having another grandchild. Blitzer was just trying to embarrass the vice-president, nothing more.

Keep Grinning!

Channeling Yakov Smirnoff

My son saw this picture in a travel magazine. His reaction:

"In Soviet Russia you don't wear glass slipper, glass slipper wears you."

Keep Grinning!

Home Improvement

We've hired a landscaper to do some work on our front yard. The demo work is complete and the compost has been put in. Here is what it looks like so far.

Next week, the sprinklers go in!!!

Keep Grinning!

Respect and civility

I was out at a branch the other day, replacing a crashed hard drive. A young man caught my eye. He was obviously in the military, as he was dressed in his camos. But what really stuck out was that his hat was in his hand, not on his head. Certainly, he wore it en route to the bank, and made the effort to remove it upon entering. It would not surprise me that if I were to speak to him, he would answer "yes sir" or "no sir" to a direct question I might have for him.

That is a courtesy you don't see much anymore. People can't be bothered any more to remove their hats when entering a place of business or someone's home. At one time it was a common sign of respect a gentleman would observe. Now hat's stay on heads (all too often with the bill facing the wrong way I might add).

And I admit I am often guilty of non-chivalrous behavior. I forget to hold doors for my wife when entering a building. If my 17-year old son is with us he will remind me though. Perhaps this young soldiers example will stay with me and remind me to behave respectfully towards other people and when in a business.

Keep Grinning!

My calendar says January, but it feels like July

The past two days were unseasonably warm as evidenced by this screen shot from weather.com. I'm not trying to gloat but...

Seriously, I know people in the northeast and upper mid west are freezing right now. And I sure would like to get some rain soon. Still, it made for a nice weekend.

Keep Grinning

The Super Bowl is over...

That's right, that one team beat that other team. And that one guy, he's going to Disneyland.

But the clouds have parted, the sun is coming out and I can gladly report...pitchers and catchers report in 12 days!!!

Keep Grinning!

Henrik Stenson wins the Dubai Desert Classic

Now why would I post this headline. Because most of the other web sites are posting that Tiger Woods lost. Stenson shot a 68 inlcuding a birdie on the last hole to hold off Tiger, who birdied four of the last six holes, finishing with 69.

The headline in ESPN.com read "Els, Woods fall short of Stenson for Dubai crown".

"Woods Finishes Third in Dubai Desert Classic" is how aol.com teased the story.

Sportsline.com says "Tiger falls short in Dubai; Stenson wins"

The Golf Channel reports on their web site, "Stenson Tops Els, Woods in Dubai" But the typical visitor to that site will likely be more familiar with Stenson than those to the other sites. And most of the sports news sites are talking about some football game taking place in Miami today

I understand, most sports fans are going to ask, "Who the hell is Henrik Stenson?" Tiger is one of the most recognized sports personalities in the world. Of course most of the news reports will use Woods' name to grab attention. But give Stenson credit. He played well over four days, and made the clutch putt on the 18th to finish one shot over Ernie Els. So here's to you Henrik for a tournament well played.

Stuck

Well, it happened the other night. I was doing some after hours work on the server at one of our branches. After confirming with the on-duty manager that the branch was closed and all work done, I started my work. It wasn't complicated, just swapping out a defunct hard drive and make sure after the BIOS and firmware on the server was up to date. It took about 20 minutes because no updates were needed.

I went out to the manager to report I was done and to get let out. Well, he wasn't at his desk. I checked the lunch room and the men's room upstairs, but he was nowhere to be found. Of course I didn't have any keys, and I didn't know when the custodial crew was going to arrive. I called our security and explained my predicament, and they were going to dispatch someone to let me out. Just then the courier comes in to pick up the daily work, so I had security cancel the assistance, and walked out with the courier.

Next time, I'm reminding the closing manager that I don't have keys, and to wait for me to say I'm done.

Hillary for President??

As you may have read, Hillary Clinton announced on January 20 (a rather symbolic day if you ask me) that she is forming a presidential exploratory committee. In a video posted on her web site, she states, "We're all going to be part of the solution" In other words, get out your wallets people, because we are going to pay through the nose for all of her plans.

I did watch the video on her web site. Thankfully, I had already drank a couple of beers before I went to her web site. Otherwise my monitor would have a hole in it now.

Have a great day!

GG

Hello

Well, I've decided to get into this blogging thing.

First let me introduce myself. Actually I'm not going to get into too much detail. Yeah, I'm a bit paranoid. Let's just say I'm a married father of two, I live in Anaheim about two miles north of Angel Stadium and two miles east of Disneyland. For me that's just about an ideal location, as I baseball fan, and I have had an Annual Pass for over 20 years now. I am employed as a PC technician (no, I will not fix your computer) at a Southern California financial institution.

You may ask why I am calling this blog Grinning and Golfing. Well if you've seen me play golf, you would laugh. Take a gander at me swinging a golf club.

As far as hobbies are concerned, besides golf, I enjoy reading. Right now I am reading "God in the Dock" a collection of lectures and essays by C.S. Lewis. I should probably say trying to read. After a few minutes I am fighting to stay awake. Not because what Lewis is trying to say is boring, it's just that reading puts me in a relaxed state and before I know it I have nodded off.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to read more. My wife and kids are readers. There is always a pile of books in the bathroom and we have three bookcases in the living room. In addition I watch too much TV. There is not a whole lot of must-see-TV for me. But I spend a lot of time flipping channels. We have DirecTV and I am amazed that I can't find anything to watch after 170 channels.

Also, reading gets my brain going. I can imagine that I will read something and run to this blog and post a comment or take notes for posting later.

Anyway I guess that's it for now. But it's a start. See ya round