MIss Manners

Miss Manners gives her idea of the perfect new year's resolution which to live within one's own means.

I guess it is a sign of getting old, but when I read her column I just wanted to jump for joy. I envision going to a wedding (or in the LDS world, a wedding reception) where in the foyer there will be an ATM from Target where all one has to do to is run one's credit card through the reader and select a present for the bride and groom.

From my dad: Robin on Obama

Not for the easily offended. Of course, the Robin is Robin Williams, enough said.

Kwanzaa

Yesterday at church we celebrated Kwanzaa
and I was asked to carry in one of the seven candles at the beginning of the service. John was with me at church yesterday, so I asked a friend if John could sit with him until I finished my part of the program. While I was out in the foyer waiting to go in, I could hear John clearly explaining to my friend about his Winnie the Pooh DVD collection. The nice thing about taking John to church is that we end up talking to a lot more people than when I go with him.

Speaking of Winnie the Pooh, after church we stopped by a video game store, John wanted to see if there was a Winnie the Pooh game for Nintendo Wii. He didn't find one, so he decided to check for Mortal Kombat for Wii (which seems unlikely for some reason). Talk about going from one extreme to another.

Christmas 2008

We had our usual chaotic Christmas celebration today. We were very happy to have Rachel along with Russell and his lovely wife Sarah Jane with us this year, along of course with John. James and his family were celebrating together in Idaho Falls and they were very much missed.

Early in the afternoon Russell, Rachel and Sarah Jane went to the airport, Rachel and Russell to LA to attend a friend's wedding Saturday, and Sarah Jane to Pittsburgh to spend some of the holiday's with her family (I know, we are her family also, her family of origin). From LA, Rachel will go back to Washingington DC. It is always wonderful to have Rachel home for a visit though she may wonder how welcome she is at times with John telling her that she needs to go to the airport. What she doesn't hear of course is John counting down the days until Rachel comes to visit again.

I was happy to attend a candle light Christmas Eve service at my church last night. It was just what I needed to get me centered and focused on Christmas.

If we must have an officiating priest at the inauguration, we can do much better than Rick Warren. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine

Interesting editorial by Christopher Hitchens on Slate today. I am bothered by president elect Obama's odd choice of Rick Warren to give in invocation at the inauguration for a lot of reasons. Warren has managed to piss off homosexuals, Mormons, Jews and Muslims all at the same time.

Money quote from article:

"Will the American people be prayed into the next administration, which will be confronted by a possible nuclear Iran and an already nuclear Pakistan, by a half-educated pulpit-pounder raised in the belief that the Armageddon solution is one to be anticipated with positive glee?"

Facebook status

I am now on Facebook, in fact, when I post to this blog it also posts to my Facebook account. How cool is that?

I am probably too old for Facebook, let alone Twitter. The other day I changed my status on Facebook so that it said something like 'David is in Pain.' I got a couple of emails, so I figure I should probably explain.

Several months ago, in an attempt to keep John from smashing his head against a wood chair, I tried pulling him away from the chair. It only took a moment to realize that wasn't a good idea, not that letting John continue banging his head was a good idea, but that pulling him the way I did wasn't a good idea.

I had a instant flash of pain in my left shoulder and upper arm. I figured it would go away in a few days, but as luck would have it, the pain has only got worse as time has gone by. Last month I made a trip to my friendly orthopod and he suggested that I spend some time in physical therapy and see if it would get better or not. So far, it has got a little better but I am afraid I may have to go back and schedule a slice and dice on my shoulder.

Anyway, that explains the pain. It is physical, not emotional. Sorry I wasn't more specific.

Let it snow....

There is just something wrong about having snow in Austin. Last Tuesday we had a high of 81 and then we got hit by a 'blue norther.' The next morning everything was covered by a light dusting of snow. Much to the dismay of school children in the greater Austin area, schools were not closed.

Clean shaven

Where to start. I usually wear a goatee (or more properly, a Van Dyke.) Here at the office a bunch of us started off clean shaven at the beginning of November for a mustache growing contest as part of an effort to raise money to fight prostate cancer. We had the results of the contest on Dec 4th (I did not win). For most of November I grew out a beard, but I was asked to change it into just a mustache. It was for a good cause I suppose, but for the time being I think I will keep my face shaved until I get tired of doing that also.

The contest is over, but it is never too late to donate money.

John Murdock Christmas List

John
Murdock’s Christmas List

1. 

   
   

2. Sonic
   T-Shirt http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2766915

   
   

3. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Paddington-Bear/dp/B0017SBDYG

   
   

Answered prayers

In the last month or so, John has been waking up in the middle of the night and banging his head against the headboard. This is an old behavior that we hoped was behind us, but it isn't.

A few weeks ago in church I decided to write John's name on a prayer card and then placed it in the offering basket when it was passed around. I figure, the more people praying for John, the better.

That night I woke up just before John started banging his head again.... and then I got a flash of insight that I suppose should have been obvious. That is of course, why was I sleeping in my bed when I should be sleeping with John in his bed.

I haven't had the most restful nights sleep for the last couple of weeks, but I have been able to intercept John before he starts hitting his head. He had a nasty looking wound on his head that is now pretty much healed up. I am not sure how much longer I am going to have to keep doing this, but it is certainly much easier on all of us when John isn't injuring himself.

I was touched when some of the people I know at church came up to me to reassure me that they are remembering John in their prayers.

Saw this today, and it fits

The Zen Buddhists have a pithy saying: “Big expectations lead to big disappointments, little expectations lead to little disappointments, and no expectations lead to no disappointments.”

No on Prop 8: Home Invasion

I guess this could have also been titled Gestapo Mormons.

Happy Movember

Hi All,

During Movember (the month formerly known as November) I'm growing a Moustache. That's right I'm bringing the Mo back because I'm passionate about tackling men's health issues and being proactive in the fight against prostate cancer.

To donate to my Mo you can either:

1.
Click this link and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account, or
2.
Write a check payable to the 'Prostate Cancer Foundation', referencing my Registration Number 1444556 and mailing it to:

Prostate Cancer Foundation
Attn: Movember
1250 Fourth St
Santa Monica, CA, 90401

All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

The money raised by Movember is donated directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation which will use the funds for high-impact research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

Did you know:

* Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the US with one in six American men developing the disease and more than 28,000 men dying of the disease every year.
* African American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease and should have regular annual testing starting at 45. All other men should commence testing at 50.
* Prostate cancer is 90% curable if detected and treated early.

For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had and can check out the details at:
[ Fundraising Outcomes ].



Thanks for your support,

David.



More information is available at http://www.movember.com/.

Movember is proudly grown by Canadian Club and Philips Norelco.

Movember is proud to support the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Turtle

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.

The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Sarah Palin is a post turtle.'

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.

The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top,
that's a post turtle.'


The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain.

'You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.'

Opie Andy Griffith Fonz Endorse Barack Obama!

Very clever and nostalgic.

Dear Abby: Forgiveness

----------------
Now playing: Daniel Rodriguez - How Great Thou Art
via FoxyTunes

I thought about this all day today. My own take is that forgiveness is more for the giver. I used to think that giveing forgiveness was also giving license to someone to do the same thing over again. Of course I have got passed that, I know now that there is nothing wrong with protecting myself.

DEAR ABBY: What is "true forgiveness"? I said some terrible things to a friend in anger and didn't hear from her for a few weeks. Recently, I received an e-mail saying she "forgave" me but no longer wants to keep in touch, adding that it is important for her to know that I am happy.

I wrote back saying I still want to stay in touch and remain friends. I apologized profusely for my lapse in judgment, but she hasn't responded.

Abby, I thought forgiveness meant to absolve, to cease to feel resentment -- to "wipe the slate clean." Am I wrong to feel that? Isn't she still holding a grudge against me? I realize it's up to her to communicate, but I'm confused how she can claim she forgives me while still harboring bad feelings. Can you help? -- PERPLEXED IN SOUTH DAKOTA

DEAR PERPLEXED: To forgive someone does not mean that you develop amnesia. While the woman you hurt may not be holding a grudge, she may consider you too "dangerous" to allow back into her life. May I offer a word of advice to you? Continue moseying on down the road of life, and in the future watch your mouth, or eventually you may find yourself friendless.

Perfect Joke

A cowboy, who is visiting Wyoming from Texas , walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, 'You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time.'

The cowboy replies, 'Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona , the other is in Colorado . When we all left our home in Texas , we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself.'

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.

The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.

One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, 'I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss.'

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.

'Oh, no, everybody's just fine, ' he explains, 'It's just that my wife and I joined the Mormon Church and I had to quit drinking.'

'Hasn't affected my brothers though.'

The new McCain campaign advisor

The ever funny Betty White.

PC World - The 10 Most Overrated Products

Kind of fun to read. I will have to check out the Photoshop replacement at http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,64533/description.html
PC World - The 10 Most Overrated Products: "Hype springs eternal. Lots of technologies, products, and services don't merit the praise heaped on them. Here are 10 tech items that don't live up to their billing--and 10 that deserve respect that they don't receive."

SNL - The VP debate

Very funny, very brutal, though I do hope that Tina Fey does not have an eight year run on her character.

Slate readers predict McCain's next Hail Mary campaign stunt. - - Slate Magazine

Funny list. Liked the following:

Slate readers predict McCain's next Hail Mary campaign stunt. - - Slate Magazine: "#
Divorces Cindy, marries Palin.
#
Doesn't divorce Cindy, moves to Utah, marries Palin.
#
Divorces Cindy, moves to Massachusetts, marries Joe Lieberman."

Homer Simpson votes

This is not a documentary (I hope).

Leave it to Wanda

Les Misbarack

What can I say? Very clever and at the same time very inspiring.

The Pop Vs Soda Map

I grew up in Utah and a carbonated beverage (at least the non-alcoholic varieties) were refered to as 'pop.'   After moving to Texas I found out that a 'coke' could also be a Dr. Pepper.

Fun map.  Click on link above to see a full sized version of the map.

Hurricane guidelines for faculty members

Barbara forwarded this to me today. Austin hasn't actually had a hurricane since 1961 so we aren't too terribly worried about Ike, but it does pay to be prepared.

As we watch the progress of Hurricane Ike, the following are some guidelines based upon the hurricane's intensity:

Hurricane Category #1

No excuse for being late to work. Leave earlier to give extra time to avoid fallen trees and limbs.

Hurricane Category #2

Due to the horizontal rain, you may wear jeans. We also advise you wear goggles.

Hurricane Category #3

Whereas most of the area will be flooded, we suggest you avoid wearing open toe sandals when coming to work. Canoes will be provided to those in need of crossing the street to get to the office building safely without getting wet.

Hurricane Category #4

More than likely, there will be no electricity, so make sure you charge the batteries in the lap tops. We will also have manual typewriters available to all staff members that forget to charge the batteries. Ladies, please take extra caution and wear water-proof make-up if Category 4 or above.

Hurricane Category #5

Velcro will be provided to keep you attached to your chair when the windows blow out of the building. For those that survive, we will have chocolate cake and ice-cream from HEB at 3:00 PM in the kitchen.

Keith Olbermann on 9/11

Fascinating (to me at least) diatribe by Olbermann on how the Republicans have taken over 9/11. I think part of the problem is that the Democrats let them take it over, along with American Flag and presumably motherhood and apple pie.

I wonder how much of Olbermann's rant is theatrics and how much is heart felt.

This is supposed to be a day of remembrance. Remembrance of the attack, remembrance of the national unity which followed it.

Most important of all, remembrance of the dead.

But 9/11 has become…… a brand name.

A Republican campaign slogan.

Propaganda of the lowest form.

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) The Simpsons - Homer 's Colonoscopy - Promo

See how they handle a sensitive subject...


NOT!

The Prayer

I listen to Pandora when I am at the office and stumbled upon this selection by Daniel Rodriguez was bowled away. I was happy to find a video of the performance on YouTube.

List Of The Day: Hell Hath No Fury: Scorned Women Of The Day

List Of The Day: Hell Hath No Fury: Scorned Women Of The Day

Not for the easily offended, but funny as hell.

The Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites

As if I didn't waste enough time online, PC Magazine has listed what they consider to be the best of the obscure.

I haven't spent a lot of time looking at them yet, but some seem kind of interesting at first glance. Here are a few I will check out when I get around to it.

• Drop.ioa file sharing website for when I have attachments that are too large to email.
• Mux will let me convert a video file to something I can put on my IPOD.
• CalorieLab gives has calorie info for just about every restaurant chain and type of food imaginable. Maybe ignorance is bliss?
• Criminal Searches provides the scary-but-useful data on how many criminals live in your neighborhood, what crimes they were convicted of, and, in some cases, their names and personal info. Ditto the ignorance and bliss thing.
• Damn Interesting - Their goal is to "collect and dispense damn interesting facts and ideas, whether they appeared in the past, the present, or the (anticipated) future."
• HowToCleanStuff -
  

Yes, your goofy e-mail address says something about you

I wonder what my rather bland email address says about me?

Yes, your goofy e-mail address says something about you:

"Scientists at the University of Leipzig have taken a close look at these questions, and yes, they say, people really do judge others based on the e-mail addresses they choose. What's more interesting, however, is that these judgments tend to be right."

PC World - 11 Things We Hate About iTunes

I have some of the same complaints that PCWorld points out in their article.

PC World - 11 Things We Hate About iTunes: "iPod and iPhone owners know that Apple's iTunes is the dominant software for managing digital media. But some aspects of iTunes drive us nuts."

Wubi - Ubuntu Installer for Windows

This is pretty nerdy but I wanted to play with Linux without having to learn all that much about it. Ubuntu has a nice front end to Linux (that means that there is a desktop with icons instead of having to do everything with command lines). I tried downloading Ubuntu and then creating a start up disk but that was still pretty complicated. Then I read about Wubi and found that it really couldn't be any simpler. I don't see using Ubuntu exclusively on my home computer, but it is fun to play with. Since it comes standard with Firefox, I could start browsing and reading my webmail right off.

Wubi - Ubuntu Installer for Windows: "Wubi is an officially supported Ubuntu installer for Windows users that can bring you to the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other Windows application, in a simple and safe way. Are you curious about Linux and Ubuntu? Trying them out has never been easier!"

How To Tell People They Sound Racist

Something to think about. I used to think I was racist free, but growing up when and where I did, that was pretty much impossible.

30 Years

This week Barbara and I hit our 30 year mark here in Texas.

We moved here on our honeymoon. At the time I was working for EDS and was told at the time that the transfer from San Francisco was going to be temporary.

It was quite a shock to move from the SF bay area where to hot and sunny Texas. At the time I remember thinking to myself that I was very happy that our sojourn in Texas would be short. Little did I know.

Joke from my dad

As he said, been there, done that.

Once I worked as an operator on an old IBM 370/Model 138 mainframe at a local college. My position had been reclassified to fall into a new area outside of the I/S staff. One day, my new supervisor entered the room and stared at the air conditioning unit directly behind me. He studied the two flashing lights for a few moments and asked what job it was currently processing.



I killed my career by replying, "Actually, sir, it's cooling the room. The computer is over there."

Bar Exams

This is something that may never happen again. Today both Rachel and James are taking bar exams, Rachel in Utah and James in Idaho.

James of course passed the Texas bar a year ago and was sworn into the Texas bar shortly before moving to Idaho, so he is a licensed attorney, at least here in Texas.

This is Rachel's first experience taking a bar exam so she is not an attorney yet, so her title is law school graduate. Something that was pointed out to me time and time again before Barbara was sworn into the Texas bar years ago.

COMMENTARY: JOHN KELSO Rick Perry is all wet: You can put hay in a Prius

My grandfather Murdock would be happy to know that I could haul hay in my Prius if I really needed to.

Time for Some Campaignin'

Very funny (IMHO).

No good deed

Goes unpunished.

The Onion: Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Class(ic) Insults

From my friend Irish!

• The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison," and he said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."



• A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "on whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."



• "He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr



• "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill



• "A modest little person, with much to be modest about." - Winston Churchill



• "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow



• "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).



• "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" - Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)



• "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas



• "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln



• "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain



• "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde



• "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill



• "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.



• "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop



• "He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright



• "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb



• "He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson



• "He is simply a shiv ver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating



• "There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." Jack E. Leonard



• "He has the attention span of a lightning bolt." - Robert Redford



• "They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." - Thomas Brackett Reed



• "In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand



• "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker



• "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain



• "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West



• "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde



• "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)



• "He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder



• "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

Autistic man found after week in woods

Boy, this is too scary - my worst fear come true. I don't think that John would be left alone at his camp though.

Postcards

Hard to understand how this guy didn't think anyone would be offended.

Postcards: "The Orlando, Fla. vendor of the Barack Obama/White House button that touched off a furor said today that he sold only four of the $2 buttons at last week’s Republican Party of Texas state convention, including one snapped up by a newspaper employee.

In the first interview he’s given on the flap, Jonathan Alcox said he came up with the button’s message — “If Obama is President… will we still call it the White House?”—based on a newspaper cartoon showing Obama in front of a sign for the White House, thinking to himself something like: “That’s the first thing I’ll change.”

“I’m not crazy,” Alcox said. “Why would I go out there and purposely put a button out there that’s going to offend people? We’re in this for business.”

“I thought what we were doing was clever and funny,” Alcox said. “We’ve never had a black president… It was just a mistake.”"

Kim Komando: My Generation

The Zimmers is a rock band unlike any other. This band has a whopping 50 members. And each one holds a distinguished title—elderly.

The name Zimmers comes from the British brand of metal-frame walkers. The lead singer, Alf, is 91. But he’s far from the oldest member. Buster (watch for the bushy beard) is a young-at-heart 100.

In this Video of the Day, The Zimmers perform a cover of The Who’s My Generation. The video was featured in a documentary about Britain’s elderly. It was released as a single, reaching No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The Zimmers are recording a full-length rock album. It should go on sale in September.

Why you should vote Republican (parody)

This is part of my "Don't spam everyone you know" therapy.

Loyalty Oaths for Clinton Supporters Pledging their Votes to McCain

I was a Hillary supporter also, but somehow I don't see myself voting for McCain instead. Check out the link to see the various 'pledges.'

Sudoku-addled jurors prompt mistrial

I knew there was a good reason for me not to play Soduku.

AFTER 105 witnesses and three months of evidence, a drug trial costing $1 million was aborted yesterday when it emerged that jurors had been playing Sudoku since the trial's second week.

In the District Court in Sydney, Judge Peter Zahra discharged the jury after hearing evidence from two accused men, one of their solicitors and the jury forewoman, who admitted that she and four other jurors had been diverting themselves in the jury box by playing the popular numbers game.

More than 20 police gave evidence in the case, in which the two accused faced a common charge of conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of amphetamines. One faced further firearms and drug possession indictments. The prosecution and defence were due to deliver final addresses to the jury this week.

A browser for autistic children

From Kim Komando

John LeSieur has created a special Web browser for his grandson. The autistic boy is confused by many browser options. But the free Zac Browser eliminates many distractions. Do you know an autistic child who has tried it? Visit my Message Board to comment on the experience.

If I Only Spoke Spanish

Deeply weird live action Spanish version of "The Simpsons," called "Los Simpson," from the comedy show "Cruz y Raya":

Wires 24/7 Dutch man injures posterior in mooning accident

Hard to feel to0 sorry for this guy.

Jun 3rd, 2008 | UTRECHT, Netherlands -- Utrecht police say a 21-year-old Dutch man is recovering after a "mooning" that went horribly wrong.

A police statement says the man and two others had run down a street in Utrecht with their pants pulled down in the back "for a joke."

It says that at one point the 21-year-old "pushed his behind against the window of a restaurant" that broke and resulted in "deep wounds to his derriere."

The statement released Tuesday says police detained the three men after the incident Sunday morning. But the cafe owner decided not to press charges after the men agreed to pay for the broken window.

The injured man was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital.

Ice Cream Prayer

I heard the story of the "Ice Cream Prayer" for the first time in church today and was touched by it. Click the link to read it if you like. One of the nice things about the web is that I could find references to the story just by typing the words prayer and ice cream into a search engine and there were several references.

I saw a reference to the story on snopes.com and was kind of surprised to read some of the negative comments about the story. I guess it is one of those things like birds and angels that sound good at first until you give it some thought. I think I was happier before I read and agreed with some of the cynical comments to the story.

Gmaps Pedometer

My newest time waster.

I used to jog but now I walk because my knees give out otherwise. Being the obsessive compulsive computer geek that I am, I was delighted to find a website that would calculate the number of miles I walked by using a hack to Google Maps. It took me a few minutes to get the hang of it, but once I got started it was pretty easy. I chose the hybrid option so I could see the street names along with an aerial view of the route I usually take on my Saturday walks (click here to see an example). I was delighted to see that I walked about 4.3679 miles.

The cool thing is that you can save the URL and send it to someone else or keep in in a spreadsheet.

Here is the what it says in the FAQ section:

What is this?

This is a little hack that uses Google's superb mapping application to help record distances traveled during a running or walking workout.

Why?

As a runner training for a marathon for the first time, I found myself wishing I had an easy way to know the exact distance a certain course is, without having to drag a GPS or pedometer around on my runs. Looking at Google Maps, and knowing there was a vibrant community of geeks hacking it, I knew there had to be a way. So here it is.
Note that there's a reason this is called a pedometer. Considering that you have to choose all the points in your route individually yourself, it's probably not suitable for driving trips and the like. But I've found it suits my purposes pretty well for getting running distances.

Something I hadn't thought of either but makes a lot of sense.
What McClellan's revelations tells us about McCain's judgment

At first blush, Scott McClellan's criticism of the Bush White House wouldn't necessarily have anything to do with the 2008 presidential race. McClellan hasn't had anything to do with John McCain, and most of the people McClellan calls out are not part of McCain's campaign.

But perhaps that's an unimaginative approach. McClellan's book apparently has quite a bit to say about the war in Iraq - clearly, a key campaign issue this year - including charges that Bush relied on "propaganda" to sell the war. The former White House press secretary added that the president failed to be "open and forthright on Iraq" and worse, "rushed to war" with inadequate planning and preparation for its aftermath.

What does this have to do with McCain? Chief Obama strategist David Axelrod knows:

"What does all his experience get us?" asked Obama's strategic guru. "What do all those visits [to Iraq] get us?"

He continued: "The fact that he goes to Iraq and gets a tour apparently does little to provoke the kinds of questions that should be asked, and what Sen. Obama has been asking since the beginning. So it is not a question of longevity in government. It is a question of judgment, it is a question of a willingness to challenge policies that have failed. And he seems just dug in." […]

"We are talking on a day where the president's press secretary released a book where they frankly acknowledged that they engaged in deception and propaganda to essentially lead America to war. Senator Obama saw through that and raised the appropriate questions. Sen. McCain didn't," he said.

In this sense, the timing of the McClellan book is pretty helpful - it offers the Obama campaign a chance to reinforce the fact that when the White House was making a bogus argument, McCain bought it and Obama didn't. McClellan was, to borrow a phrase, catapulting the propaganda. McCain embraced it from the outset, and never let go.

McClellan helps put all of this on the front page, right where McCain doesn't want it.

Garrison Keillor, Mutterings over the graves of soldiers | Salon

Great quote.

"The Current Occupant tossed Nazis into a speech last week, something he rarely does since it only reminds people of Dick Cheney."

Here is another from the same piece. Less humorous though more true.

"On Memorial Day we'll hear about men who gave their lives for their country, but many lives were not given, they were taken, and taken stupidly and carelessly. And there has been great public piety about those men and their "sacrifice" on the part of politicians who blithely sacrificed them."

Great Cartoon

One of those things that make me realize I am getting older, I am just not into text messaging, especially with a cell phone. I guess my fingers are too fat.

And Rachel did not reference any text messages when she spoke at her graduation last month.

Rachel gets a job

Way to go Rachel!

Click on the link above to get to Rachel's blog and read all the details.

One of the nice things that I hadn't thought of before is that James, Rachel and Russell can all network information about opportunities that they may not have otherwise known about. Russell found out about the Presidential Management Fellowship at UT where he goes to school, and passed that information along to Rachel.

Recently someone at work told me (and I hope he was joking) that some of my co-workers hate me because all of my children have turned out so well. I took that as a great compliment to my wonderful children.

Slate V- How To Spend Your Tax Rebate

Finally, a test I answered correctly.

1 in 5 US Households Never Used Email - I4U

Fox51

1 in 5 US Households Never Used Email I4U - 3 hours ago According to a new study from Parks Associates 1 in 5 US households have never used email. That is pretty hard to fathom for technophiles out there. Survey: 20% in US have never sent an e-mail Computerworld Digital divide in US closing slowly but still 'significant' Bizjournals.com VNUNet.com - WebProNews - TG Daily - TMCnet all 68 news articles

Interesting article that points out what is the same and what is different between Mormons and born-agains.
Who's that knocking on the door? Research examines Mormons and ... - Church Executive Magazine

Who's that knocking on the door? Research examines Mormons and ... Church Executive Magazine, AZ - 2 hours ago The Mormon faith perspective parallels the prevailing born again view in various ways. For instance, more than nine out of ten Mormons have made a personal ...

What a horrible nightmare for the family. A parent's worst fear is to lose their child. When Russell was two, I took him to the mall with Rachel and he decided it would be great fun to hide in a rack of skirts. I was not as amused as he was.
Forgotten tot left behind at Vancouver airport
(AP)



AP - An immigrant family left a 23-month-old boy in the Vancouver airport and learned he was missing only when contacted during the next leg of the trip.

Colbert imitates O'Reilly's vintage meltdown

Instead of sending this to everyone....

Not for the easily offended: Rev. Grampa Simpson

Spot Award

At work today in our weekly status meeting I was surprised to be presented with what is called a 'Spot Award.' Carla, our technical writer (and anyone who reads my posts know that she earns her money) had nominated me for this award for helping her out on a project.

I was happy to receive the award and the Traveler's check. It is kind of funny, one can do all sorts of things that go above and beyond, but then get rewarded for doing something that is pretty easy.

Craig Ferguson

Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson hosted the White House Correspondents Association annual dinner Saturday night.

Rachel's Graduation - The Day After

It was kind of weird staying at Barbara's mother's house this time around since Barbara's mother had passed away a few months back. A lot of things were still the same, but a lot of other things were different, for instance, the phone and cable had been turned off.

One of the things that stayed the same is that a lot of people gathered at the house last Saturday. Barbara met with her other six siblings to divide up some of the books and the jewelry. Being of sound mind, I met up with an old friend and went out to breakfast. My friend afterwards took me around downtown to show me what was new since my last trip. The Union Pacific Depot is now part of a downtown shopping district. I explained to my friend that I had a lot of memories about the depot, since I had gone on a number of train trips as a child to Milford and points west.

I got back in time to see all of the in-laws busy at work deciding who got what. James, Emily and the boys had stayed over at the house also. Rachel drove up from Provo to spend the day with us. My brother Richard came in with my mother around noon for lunch and visiting. He helped his son and daughter-in-law move things to Idaho Falls, where of course James and Emily currently reside, and then Richard came down on the bus to visit for a couple of days. I believe he flew back up to Portland Sunday evening, after Barbara and I flew back to Austin. It was nice to visit and to show off my beautiful grandchildren.

That evening all of the Murdocks present went to dinner at the local Sizzler Steakhouse. Grandpa was pleased that the boys were on their very best behavior, and great-uncle Richard was very impressed. A good time was had by all.

Rachel stayed over on Saturday night, and the next morning before we had to go to our separate locations, Helen and Joan came over and treated us to a nice brunch. Emily was surprised to discover that one of her brothers was going to be in town, so he came over for a short visit also.

There is something about that house where people seem to connect. I am going to miss visiting there. It is fun to fantasize about Barbara and me buying the house and moving to Salt Lake City to be closer to family, but from a practical point of view it doesn't make a lot of sense. To modernize and 'John proof' the house would require a substantial amount of time, effort and money. I joked with James and told him that if we bought the house he could could come down every weekend from Idaho Falls and help us remodel. The joke is of course that I would have no clue what to do to remodel a home except write the checks to pay for someone else to do it.

Rachel's Graduation - The Trip Up

Barbara was able to get us a good deal on the airlines going up to SLC. On the trip up, we flew up on Continental Airlines from Austin to Houston to SLC. The plane from Houston was very small, two seats on one side of the aisle and then one seat on the other side. It kind of reminded me of being in an MRI. I didn't used to be so claustrophobic, but as I get older I am getting more and more so.

We have lost several pieces of luggage through the years as the luggage has gone off to college without us, and some of the pieces have fallen apart. For this trip Barbara selected an old hard sided Samsonite suitcase .

When we picked up the luggage, Barbara's piece had been smashed so badly that there is no way it could be used again. She took it over to the Continental Airlines baggage booth. The agent took one look and exchanged the battered suitcase with a brand new piece. Granted, it did not look like it could have been used as a prop in the movie Airport, but it was pretty darn nice.

Rachel's Graduation - Thanks to Russell and Sarah Jane

for watching John while we were gone. Taking John to the graduation would have been counter productive, I don't think he was going to sit quietly during the ceremony so Barbara and I were very glad that Russell and Sarah Jane agreed to move in for a few days and be there with John.

Rachel's Graduation - One very proud dad

Barbara and I got back last night from an action, fun packed four days in Utah. The main purpose of the trip was to motor down to Provo, Utah and see Rachel graduate. Not only did she graduate from the BYU law school, but she was also one of the two student speakers, and she participated in the law school choir. Her talk of course was wonderful.

Besides Barbara and myself, many friends and family came to the ceremony to honor Rachel. My niece Lucinda was kind enough to drive my mother down for the ceremony. We were joined by my son James, his lovely wife Emily, and my youngest grandson Will. My other two grandsons, Harry and Jack (ages 4 and 2) were left with some friends of James and Emily.

Barbara's two sisters Helen and Joan drove down to Provo with us from Salt Lake City. We were joined by Barbara's brother Jim and his wife Sharon, and Barbara's brother (Elder) Bill and his wife Vickie. Since Bill is a member of the First Quorum of 70, he had front row seats, so Barbara, Helen and Joan sat with him while the rest of us enjoyed the view from the balcony.

It seemed half of the audience was there to see Rachel, she has so many friends and admirers. I didn't get to see them, but there were folks who previously lived in our ward here in Austin that had moved to Utah who also came to the convocation.

There is so much to say about this trip so I will break it up into smaller posts. In closing, I just would like to say how proud I am of Rachel. She not only managed to make it through law school, she also was able to make a lot of friends and have a good time.

Stupidity

Sent to you by davidaustex via Google Reader:

Stupidity

via LiberalLand by Alan on 4/21/08

Pastor Roger Byrd of the Jonesville Church of God put this sign up outside his South Carolina Church. He says:

"His name is so close to Osama I have a feeling he might be Islamic therefore he doesn't recognize Christ."

His congregation voted to keep the sign up. None of the members are African-American.

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Anything worth doing....

I had to smile, Jack and Harry spent so much time at our house playing with marbles.

Inspirational work meeting

This was supposed to jazz us up today. It didn't.

One of my co-workers asked me how I liked the meeting, and I decided the best thing to do was to use a quote from Bambi.

Quote from George Burns

You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.
- George Burns

Google Maps

I have been having some fun (which is the same as saying I have been wasting time) with the new street maps feature of Google Maps.

Perhaps it is more dangerous than one would think at first.

Nebraska Technology

After having dug to a depth of 10 yards last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their New York ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 yards, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: 'California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.'

One week later, the 'Hemingford Ledger,' a local news paper in Hemingford, NE reported the following:

"After digging as deep as 30 yards in corn fields near Berea, NE, Larry the Cable Guy, a self-taught archaeologist and dyed-in-the-wool Husker fan, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Larry has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Nebraska had already gone wireless."

The Job: A little too close for comfort

Daily Affirmations

From my dad.

• I no longer need to punish, deceive or compromise myself. Unless, of course, I want to stay employed.



• A good scapegoat is nearly as welcome as a solution to the problem.



• As I let go of my feelings of guilt, I can get in touch with my Inner Sociopath.



• I have the power to channel my imagination into ever-soaring levels of suspicion and paranoia.



• Today, I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there are no sweeter words than "I told you so."



• I need not suffer in silence while I can still moan, whimper and complain.



• As I learn the innermost secrets of the people around me, they reward me in many ways to keep me quiet.



• I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.



• I honor my personality flaws, for without them I would have no personality at all.



• Joan of Arc heard voices too.



• When someone hurts me, forgiveness is cheaper than a lawsuit. But not nearly as gratifying.



• The first step is to say nice things about myself. The second, to do nice things for myself. The third, to find someone to buy me nice things.



• As I learn to trust the universe, I no longer need to carry a gun.



• Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day watching TV. Instead I will move my TV into the bedroom.



• Who can I blame for my own problems? Give me just a minute... I'll find someone.



• Why should I waste my time reliving the past when I can spend it worrying about the future?



• I will find humor in my everyday life by looking for people I can laugh at.



• I am willing to make the mistakes if someone else is willing to learn from them.

Cruel and unusual punishment?

LAURA BRANIGAN: The Filipino prisoners are back, performing "Gloria".

Lawyer joke: When Grandma Goes To Court

I am so proud of myself, I did not forward this to everyone.

Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer.

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?' She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.'

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?'

She again replied, 'Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.'

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, 'If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair.'

Even if you don't speak Dutch, this is funny

HEMA is a Dutch department store. The first store opened on November 4, 1926, in Amsterdam. Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands . HEMA also has stores in Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany . In June of this year, HEMA was sold to British investment company Lion Capital.

Take a look at HEMA's product page . You can't order anything and it's in Dutch but just wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens.

Aspiring Pol Changes Name To Pro-Life

Now why didn't I think of this?

A Senate candidate has legally changed his name to Pro-Life and will appear on the ballot that way this year, state election officials say.

As Marvin Pro-Life Richardson, the organic strawberry farmer from Letha, 30 miles northwest of Boise, was denied the use of his middle name when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006 because the state's policy bars the use of slogans on the ballot.

Now, though, officials in the Idaho secretary of state's office say they have no choice because Pro-Life is his full and only name.

Priceless

This is of course is why I have a blog - it keeps me from forwarding jokes to the world.

A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper Sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally...I assumed you had stolen the car."

TGI Friday

It has been a long week.

Last night I came home and found a big Styrofoam box on my doorstep from Omaha Steaks. There was a greeting offering condolences to Barbara for the loss of her mother. I unpacked the box and put the steaks in the freezer, after Barbara comes home we can thaw some out and see what they taste like.

Yesterday I went to John's school for to discuss his transition from high school in a year. I left the meeting feeling more positive about the future than I have from similar meetings in the past. At the end I mentioned that I had probably spoke more than I had ever in all the previous meetings since Barbara was not there to answer all the questions. She certainly is more up on the answers to those questions than I am.

From all reports the funeral last Monday was a success. Barbara has close to 100 first cousins and is one of seven children so it makes sense that the church would be packed. Barbara gave the closing prayer at the service, and James and Rachel participated in a grand children's chorus. I wish I could have been there of course but it just wasn't feasible.

John has been spending a lot of quality time with his attendant this week and will spend more this weekend. Should be fun.

Just Found a Red Sock in the Laundry

Found this on the way to something else. If you need a laugh.

LA Rally: Oprah Winfrey

What a great speech. I am almost convinced.

Sonny and Cher

I have to say this made me tear up a little bit. This was (is still really) one of my favorite songs. Made me think of old friends that sometimes I get reunited with.

The Onion does Romney

Mitt Romney Defends Himself Against Allegations Of Tolerance

Red State Update: A proper send-off for Chris Dodd and Joe Biden

Language warning:

Back to normal

Rachel flew back to Utah yesterday for her last semester in law school. Time flies whether or not you are having fun, but it is always fun having Rachel around. Barbara goes back to work on Monday and if I can get John up Tuesday morning he will be heading back to school also.

Red State Update on the Iowa Caucuses

A redneck satire on the elections.

Slate V- Explainer: How to Caucus