June 13, 2014

Really?  Or......................Where's Waldo?

Short haul week, in and around NC for some distributor calls, even got to bounce a grandchild on my knee Thursday afternoon.

Let's see, where were we? Oh yes, while in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago I was listening to terrestrial radio when an ad appeared..........................the ad was telling about an area youth soccer team which was preparing for tryouts. This was not a public service ad advising parents that the league was going to have tryouts, this was a paid ad telling parents how to have their children try out for this one team. One team.....paid ad...............the only way I can begin to try to justify this is that maybe, just maybe one of the bigwig parents on the team owns the radio station. Even then I can't really understand. As Professor McCants so eloquently stated (or something to this effect): it isn't a UNC problem, it's a NCAA problem; or better yet....................... an amateur sports problem.

Off the rant; it seems as though everywhere I go there are advertisements trying to sell giant things, or sell things to giants. Either way I guess I'm missing out on a market segment. Regardless, a store in Durham is trying to cash in. For regular sized people I think the concept of a giant laptop defeats the intent of a laptop. Maybe a giant-sized laptop helps with the nearsighted. Or is it the farsighted? Or is this too insightful? Or do I have too much time behind the windscreen without satellite radio?

OK, time to play Where's Waldo? The FO found this picture online this week, from a party last weekend celebrating the beginning of our little local fishing tournament. I don't want to jinx anything so I'm not going to mention the name of the tournament or the name of the gray(er) headed guy I'm talking with..........but I sure do hope we congratulate him tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 PM.

Now Where's Waldo gets harder. This was in the local newspaper Wednesday and I sent it to the FO to see if he could..............find Waldo. Took him all of 30 seconds, I think he must be doing this a lot online or something. See if you can find Waldo, the FO did, and TAR didn't take too much longer. Here's a clue, I have sunglasses on...............

And tomorrow we fish! Gotta find some dinner fish for the Highs. No pressure

Work Work Work

............hello boys, miss me? Have a good night's rest? I missed you! Back to my own blog, but still with a few more pictures from Indianapolis.

I'm not sure the guy with the leg drink knew how much he paid for his drink, but he told me it was $20. Maybe he was pulling my leg? What a great souvenir to take home and share with his family.

In case it didn't come through on last week's entry: WE HAD FUN!!!

And we weren't the only ones: hotties with the botties relaxing in fancy deck chairs!

Next week: working in NC, then I'll be gone through July. 

This Was Easy


I'm tired, here's my entry for this week:
What he said
http://thealwayshighfishinoptishin.blogspot.com/2014/05/indy-500-weekend.html

Gradumatation Day !!!

Yes indeed the young man graduated cum laude with double majors in History and Government. The whole weekend was fun and memorable; the baccalaureate was indoors due to rain, then we went to a lecture by The Honorable Kathleen Kennedy Townsend as the school marked 50 years since her father Robert Kennedy was in the area. Not a proud moment for the area as he fought against the anti-integration closing of the Prince Edward county schools for 5 years. Too bad they didn't take questions afterwards, I was going to ask if it was true that her grandmother had a black dress......yeah, still too soon I guess.

Scott Cooper (class of 1992) gave the commencement address after his daughter won everyone's heart by singing that d****d song from Frozen. He's working with Johnny Depp on a movie about Whitey Bolger. I got really excited to hear that, but then realized he said Bolger, thought he said Ford.

So Jackson got his diploma:

Then had his picture taken at the picnic with Elizabeth, yes, she is lovely

Then realized he has to pay for all of this.................just kidding!

TAR took this picture as they drove off campus, it really is a good shot of his "one last look"

Free food brings a crowd! We were glad so many could attend and enjoy

So it is now Friday at lunch and we have a very sad funeral to attend at 2:00. Pat was a wonderful lady, Scout leader, and faithful church lady who often drove the handicapped bus. She died far too young and we will all miss her, so I thought something funny would make us all feel better:

Tonight we set off for the Indianapolis 500, can not wait!

Everything Is Different

I mean it, everything changed this week. Even this laptop I'm trying to use to enter this week's thoughts and musings...........can't wait can you?

Let's see......very impressed with the personnel at Ventamatic. That was the understatement of the year. This week I've been learning a lot, or trying to act like I'm learning a lot (well you see John, you can't access your company e-mail through G-mail because we use Outlook not G-mail.....remember?) I'm lucky to be able to turn this thing on and off, the laptop runs well.

Announcements have been made and travel could start as early as next week. Since I've been gone so much the last week I'd already planned a couple of office days for next week, but it could be only a couple.

Dink got out of rehab this week proving that once again crystal meth can be beat. She's been busy trying to convince everyone she is just fine while all the time barking out commands, so in other words nothing has changed.

Seems as though I'm carrying out a family tradition being in the fan business. Actually I was in the fan business for a few years with Emerson, but I found this picture in the archives recently. Daddy rigged cooling for the little house many years ago. Pretty work and it did the job.

From a fancy restaurant in Fort Worth called the Rodeo Goat, or was it the Goat Rodeo? Can't remember but the food was good and the message obviously unread.

Whatever Throwback Thursday means this picture was posted on Facebook this week, hot huh?

 I like the Hampton Inn in Fort Worth which will be by home away from home when I'm in Texas, but if I'm going to get a good night's sleep someone has to fix this. FYI the sign was glued on. Wonder if I left the television on?

Love the new job, let's go fishing

There Was Something Else......

.......that I wanted to say and danged if I didn't forget it. But anywho we are in the middle of a string of big weekends. Last weekend we went to cousin RAT(L)'s wedding and boy oh boy did we have fun? No seriously, did we have fun? Here's a great picture of the blushing bride

Yes I know, should have kept that one to myself. BTW her exploration was unsuccessful. Hope they're having fun on their honeymoon for many many years.
Then off to DC for the spring AHRI meetings; I was glad to end my time with Skuttle doing this. I've always enjoyed the section work in this organization and will miss seeing that fine group.

And SWMBO did get to eat at Old Ebbitt's Grill, followed by a walk around the White House and down Pennsylvania Avenue. Nice exercise trying unsuccessfully to walk off that bread pudding. 

Cooper Riley: this one is just for you. I'll get you started....................KNOCK KNOCK

Tomorrow morning, no wait, this morning we have to unpack, repack, get Terri's car from the shop, get Dink's van from the shop, take the seats out of the van, drive to Farmville, VA and get everything Jackson owns, then to Midlothian for a good night's sleep. Then back to HSC for festivities and the baccalaureate service and back to Midlothian. Up early Sunday, drive to HSC for the 10:00 graduation, lunch and festivities; then to Morehead City to unload and repack because I have a 5:20 AM flight Monday morning to Texas to start a new job. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it.  But very excited to see new opportunities for us.

Leaving a good job is difficult, I don't do this very often but I've still got a fire in my belly and look forward to many years with Ventamatic. How does one say goodbye? TAR claims that every time I say something funny it is because I stole it from somebody, well, OK, I'll admit many times but not every time, just nearly every time. So I will give proper credit to one of the AHRI crew, and one of their brightest stars Mr. Eric Chen who looked said this to me Wednesday night and then walked off
"I'm not very good at saying good bye"

ChChChChChChChchanges

Captain Columbus landed one of his ships in Morehead last weekend and we were there to capture it on film. Some of the natives thought we were capturing their souls in our magic box but we convinced them otherwise. 

Actually took this picture myself in Roanoke, I've called them to work out an endorsement deal with TAR.

While on the water last weekend we found a familiar boat, glad to see her out and running.

And not catching fish either, as shown here in a remarkably good photograph

Happy 23rd to Jackson. We'll see more of him in the very near future.

Just plain funny as we see Yankee fans boo at a picture of Robinson Cano upon his return to Yankee Stadium as a Seattle Mariner. Is there something wrong with trying to improve your financial package? 

I was able to go through Farmville Tuesday night and have dinner with Jackson. He remarked that his last college class was that day, he didn't know where the four years went. I thought about that yesterday when I made what was probably my last call for Skuttle. Where did those 16 years go? Wow. Next week I will be in DC (for Skuttle) at the AHRI meetings, then to VA for graduation on Sunday, then a 525 AM flight the next day to start a new career. 

Better hang on, or better yet as Ferris Bueller said "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.