T minus three, and counting....

Ho...hum...

The daughter (child #1) is about to turn seven (7) on Monday, and, it has been weighing heavy.

Using the 'wayback machine', I still remember holding her moments from her arrival, looking into her eyes with wonder, amazement, and realizing the potential of this little person. I reckoned that those little hands would never grow, her feet never destined to carry her weight, and that little body would stay eternally small.

And, it seems like the blink of an eye, she's turned seven on us.

Where did the time go? I mean, I still remember the smell of the diapers (and, carrying the bag out to the trash), buying diapers, all the small clothes we bought, sleepless nights, and the amused constant carrying and singing to calm her down for a few precious hours of sleep.

I remember the haggard look in the Minister of Finance's (MoF) eyes, the 'Its your night' commands, and learning that the diaper should be snug, not a 'tad' loose or wrapped like a noose.

I remember her first bundle up to go out into the snow, and the horror of watching her fall, only to get back up and do it about 25 more times, all the while giggling and getting rosy and red cheeks that would pale a burning coal. I remember her red wagon, traipsing about the neighborhood, with a blanket as a bumper inside and dragging it up our slight hill numerous times. I remember her cruising about the coffee table, learning her first steps, and, gaining confidence to do it solo. I remember her pacifier hanging in her mouth, to the point of almost falling out, then being sucked back in like a gumball.

The baby that was daughter is growing so fast. She's bounding off to second grade, learning, and mastering marvelous skills that are the foundation for further learning. She's making friends, learning personality, and getting one of her own. She tests the bounds of her envelope within the family, gets scolded, yelled at, and sometimes corrected. And, we are learning that the worst is yet to come...

I always wondered why my mom said 'never take your eyes off them,' as she held my nephew, 'because they'll grow up on you too fast'. She was right in more ways than one.

There are plenty of things I would love to do over. Wrongs to right, make more time, even to increase the exposure. But, sadly, here and now is important as long-gone. The honest treasure besides my family is the priceless scrapbook behind my eyes. Its filled with sights, sounds, pictures, movies, and even smells (some that I swear, will never go away...) that I don't plan to share. Maybe, one day, they're perfect a way to save them on a medium that can be shared. I'd give it to her as a priceless rememberance of days gone by. And, then, she'd understand how she looked thru our eyes...

There are some gifts one should prize and retain like a King's ransom...and, to give a ransom for...

Happy Birthday Monkey! Many more to come...

PS - there is more to being 'rich' than geld...

What is going on here?!?!?!?!?!

I've been following the Able Danger bruhaha, and I'm getting confused here.

(for a good overview, go to Captain's Quarters, Intel Dump, and Laura Rosen)

I just find it hard to believe that a) the 911 commission would overlook the data found by this DOD project that found (via datamining) the names of many of the hijackers, their trails and tracks, and the foreshadowing of events b) Members of the AD team (Smith, Phillpott, and Shaffer) report their findings, yet get the veto, and c) the trail, evidence, and even the 2.5TB (terabytes of data, folks, meaning 2500 gigabytes of collected data) were deleted and no document trail can be found.

Jerry Doyle (of Bab5 fame) has been railing on this for a while, along with other talkshow hosts. (His show is a hoot - I listen to it on the way home on the Sat radio in the Saturn)

I know our GOV holds back info (heh), yet, I find it rather insulting that these Military officers come forth, present their case, and attempt to correct the oversight. Now, Fillpott and others are getting Bork'd - and, the first round of discredting them is one Miliatry member loosing his Clearance creds for $67 in charges for personal use on a Mil Cell phone account. Wow - what's next, double parking? Smoking in a school zone?

I've seen secracy within the Military. Heck, I even did it myself. But, how about some consistancy, being forthwith with the Citizenry. We're adults (not too sure on Bubba and his 'best friend') - we can take bad news. 911, the tsunami, and even hurricane Katrina and Rita show that we can handle the bad, along with the good.

Come one guys! Don't do a Jack Nickleson in 'A Few Good Men' and the 'You can't handle the truth' speech. Believe me, after 9/11 and the Iraq war, we can take it...

Klingon Fairy Tales

thanks to Mike Richardson-Bryan (and, my Sis-n-law - Thankx, Tracy)

"Goldilocks Dies With Honor at the Hands of the Three Bears"

"Snow White and the Six Dwarves She Killed With Her Bare Hands and the Seventh Dwarf She Let Get Away as a Warning to Others"

"There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe With a Big Spike on It"

"The Three Little Pigs Build an Improvised Explosive Device and Deal With That Damned Wolf Once and for All"

"Jack and the Giant Settle Their Differences With Flaming Knives"

"Old Mother Hubbard, Lacking the Means to Support Herself With Honor, Sets Her Disruptor on Self-Destruct and Waits for the Inevitable"

"Mary Had a Little Lamb. It Was Delicious"

"Little Red Riding Hood Strays Into the Neutral Zone and Is Never Heard From Again, Although There Are Rumors ... Awful, Awful Rumors"

"Hansel and Gretel Offend Vlad the Impaler"

"The Hare Foolishly Lowers His Guard and Is Devastated by the Tortoise, Whose Prowess in Battle Attracts Many Desirable Mates"

9/11 - Never forget...

Thanks, Iowa...

I ment to post this yesterday, but I was suffering from Football OD...

Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm

Its been a lame week...

Labor Day was a nice break, but its hard to get into the work swing.

And, lets not talk about alergies...

But, the last though - TGIF!!!