Rev. Erudite Redneck, B.S., B.S., M.A., M.Div.

Hi there, E.R. It's 7:37 p.m. and I'm still working. Almost a 12-hour day so far with lots of breaking news of my own up here. Still have another hour's worth of work, minimum, and I'm starving. The description of your pizza started me drooling.
I think this must be "Eat Like a Barbarian" week or something.
Hmm. Soup. I have three cans of soup in my desk drawer. Nah, tempting as it sounds right now, I think I want to push forward with the work and get the HECK out of here.
The Shy Longhorn is on my blog waiting for you to say hello.
 

We have made our acquaintance. :-)
 

I might be able to trump your day, yet I might not.

Today was my first foray into my online class. Books have been shipped and likely will be here tomorrow. I downloaded the right software to view the lectures, then viewed the first lecture and did the classwork. It was fun, a lot like those first-day-of-class assignments where you get to know one another in a real-live classroom.

Then I did some other things, ventured through the syllibus, noted on the lecture that I was to download Dreamweaver 8 and order a book. Damn. Dreamweaver 8 was gonna cost me $70, and the book another $40. Another $110 damn dollars.

Just to confirm, I send the instructor an e-mail. He informs me that is from last semester's class. Don't need the book at all. I'm relieved. Then he pops another e-mail my way, which reads, "But you'll need to download Dreamweaver CS3."

OK. No problem. Cept Dreamweaver CS3 runs 4 hunnert bucks. Hell, that was my freakin' tuition for this semester, now doubled for the program.

Anyway, I've been helping my friend with his shipping business, figuring a way to make some ends meet while I try to work my business. It offers me time to do my business and work on class while helping customers. It works out quite well, actually, and I'm able to get a lot done when I'm there.

Today, though, the day I decide to get busy with this class, is a snow day. My kindergartner doesn't have class, so either my bride or I must take off work to watch our little one. My bride makes real money, while mine's more of the play variety, meaning her paycheck's consistent, and mine, while the prospect is fabulous, is not consistent right now.

So I tell my buddy I can't help in his shop today for obvious reasons, and he understands. But now I've got a 5-year-old who doesn't like to play by herself roaming around the house a touch bored. OK, a touch is putting it lightly. She adjusts when I explain that I've just got too much work to do and that I know she wants to play, but if she were in school, she wouldn't get to play all day there. Kindergartners have assignments, which I've found out since August.

She does really well, though it's still a stretch. Let me just say she'll be damn excited if there's school tomorrow. No crowing about having a wonderful snow day outta her.

As the sun began to perk a little mid-morning, I felt the need to scoop the decks and sidewalks, and I'm glad I did. They're bright and clear now, not even slick -- that after a six-inch snow overnight. After lunch, the youngster and I hit the hill behind the house for some sledding. It was fun, but I knew I had 50 pages to read yet today. So after an hour or so, I lopped back in front of the computer and got back to work. It took the rest of the afternoon and into the evening to get my next assignment done.

I like this part of the lecture much better than I did when I was in college the first time. Two decades ago if I missed something in the lecture, I was screwed. If I had to potty, I was out of the loop.

Today if I missed something the instructor said, I hit the pause button, rewound the little video screen a little and re-listened. If I needed to hit the can, I paused, peed and went back to work. That's kinda cool.

I'm pooped, though. Spending time with my little girl was a joy, but it was also very tiresome. She's fairly demanding, and though she was marvelous today, it's a lot easier to get work done without dozens of interruptions per hour. Of course, hauling my fat butt up that damn hill wore me out, too. Still it was worth it when I hit that pile of snow and got about three feet into the air. The sudden stop when my butt hit the ground wasn't all that pleasant, but it was still worth it.

Now I want to veg, relax, hold my wife and maybe work on our other important task of adding to our family. But that's her call, as always.
 

Thanks for leavin' a comment, Teditor -- but more than that: Thanks for writin'!

...

My Bird, BTW, has dropped her online graduate classes already. I am disappointed, but still happy, because she's happy. Got her a job workin' with animules.

For exactly, to the dollar, what I made at my first job out of college 20 years ago.

And ... I ... but ... oh ...

I'm happy. Because she's happy.
 

Same as what you got paid two decades ago? Whoever hired Bird got one hell of a bargain, 'cause I knew what they were payin' your sort in the 1980s.

As long as she's happy ... :-)
 

Very good week in Loboworld.

My doc says I don't have to shoot up with stuff to stay alive after all. All I gots to do is pop a dozen pills and watch the fats, sugars, proteins, carbohydrates, salts, fibers, and....anything digestible.

I can walk without the cane this week, and my wife has finally decided to actually retire this year so we can carouse around the world...state...well maybe the town.

At last the large limbs and tree trunks brought down by the ice last month are pile up on the curbs and out of my frickin yard!
Now it is just that two tons of small shit.

Good week on the learning scale, been working on the influence of Alexandria and it great Library and Scholars therein on religion and knowledge at the shift of the age of Aries into the age of Pieces. Especially interesting is the syncrenism of the Egyptian religious concepts into the Grecian concepts and thus into the Christian concepts. It kind of explains the Black Madonnas spread around Europe to a large degree.

Yep, good week all around.
 

It's cold, the basement is still leaking, research continues to go almost no where, (did I mention it's cold?)...

But it's also Friday. w00t!
 

That's great news, DrLobo. Especially the med part.

Sorry, Alan!
 

My follow-up tests dhow I don't have cancer...so...THAT'S a load off of my mind, and the phone calls to my family that I would have had to make can be crossed off my list of impending unpleasant tasks.
 

Wow! Great news, Teresa!!!
 

Teditor: Have you checked to see whether there's a student version or discount available on Dreamweaver?

Teresa: Yay!!!! Almost a year ago I got the same news, and I had an "unpleasant tasks" list too. Shredding something has never been so satisfying.

As for my week, the semester got underway for me as well. The Wednesday night class looks like it'll be a good one, and I'm looking forward to my other class on Saturday.

Work's been steady but otherwise quiet. Realized in yoga class that I've been doing a pose incorrectly (no *wonder* it was so difficult!). Got to drive home in the "snow" after class Wednesday night.

But the best thing: Saturday night I'll get to see Pink Martini in concert with the OKC Pops! Woo Hoo!!
 

Teresa,

Yes, I'm looking into the student discount, but it's a little more complicated. Neither the bookstore at Hays nor the bookstore in Maryville offers that particular Dreamweaver, at least via the online store. So I've got a message in to the folks at Adobe.

But thanks for the insight.
 

Blog o holic? Yes...

http://fleshisasgrass.blogspot.com/2007/11/bloggers-anonymous.html

and of course...

http://fleshisasgrass.blogspot.com/2007/12/top-10-ways-to-tell-if-youre-addicted.html

Guilty as charged! :)
 

Ooh, Kirsten is lucky!

I saw Pink Martini the first time at the Ann Arbor summerfest last year. Had never heard of them, but a friend recommended we go. Now I'm a nut for 'em. Would love to see them with a fully symphony for backup!

Have a great time!
 

Thanks, Alan!

I used to live in Oregon and have always seen them perform at outdoor venues where everyone gets up and dances, so I'm just hoping I don't annoy my seat-neighbors when I start wiggling around and tapping my feet!
 

Pink what?

Hi, Timothy! I AM hooked! :-)