Working to become more efficient

I’m flawed, more than some, not as much as others. I have a problem with procrastination. I watch too much TV, and embrace escapist activities that have little redeeming value. I am now 46 years old, and still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, other than a good father to my kids. I’m going to try and focus (I hear Yoda grunting at me, “Do or do not! There is no try!”), work on my blog more and get more information on here on a regular basis.

I need to live more and observe less. Time to get on that horse…

Time to get back to writing.

I’ve taken too much time off. It’s now time to get back to writing. I’ve always been an awful procrastinator, and I need to work at this a little more.

I need to recommit. I guess that starts now, right?

I really hope I have the same dream tonight…

… that I had last night. It was a pretty cool dream about some sort of game that had become very popular, and there was cool accessories, and cultural stuff.

Anyway, I hope I have the same dream again. And then I’ll take better notes when I wake up.

Praising my eldest

Tonight I went to my daughter’s orchestra recital. She’s been playing the violin this year, and she seems to want to stick with it. After tonight, I want her to support her interest. Gracie still wants to play drums, and Dane may now have an interest in playing the bass. That’s pretty cool in my book. Me? I’ll stick with the six-string.

Comments about Comments

I don’t get many comments about my blog. Understandable - I don’t write much worth reading, and I’ll be addressing that in coming blog entries. One thing I do need to get out there though has to do with the comments I do receive. Just about every comment that I moderate is porn related, and I mark them as spam. It’s ittitating as hell. I’m a father, I have two pre-teen daughters and the last thing I want my daughters involved with is the filthy gutter of objectification that is porn.

I know they won’t stop, but it would sure be nice if I didn’t have to mark 40 links to porn sites as spam everyday.

Something

OK, it’s been a couple of days. I’m really proud of the KU Women’s Basketball Team, for the way they battled in the WNIT. It was nice to see as many people sow up to root them on as there were - over 16,000, a new record! In the end, USF won, but I doubt they’ll ever see as many fans show up to support them as showed up to support the Lady Jayhawks today.

Next year, I’m confident the NCAA tourney will be their postseson experience rather than the WNIT.

Writer’s Block

I’m recommiting to my blog, but sometimes I have a hard time coming up with something. Some days are pretty boring. I had a bagel for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and roast beef for supper. My son threw a couple of scoops of ice cream in a bowl for dessert. Earlier in the day, I talked with a golf pro about getting golf lessons for my wife and kids, and maybe a little help for myself, too. I replaced the old spikes on my wife’s golf shoes with new soft spikes, and I played a little Tiger Woods Golf on the Wii with the kids late in the afternoon. Now, I’m sitting on my butt watching an episode of “Reaper” that I recorded while the kids watched “America’s Funniest Home Videos” earlier.

And that’s it… not much to write about, but I wrote about it anyway.

Returning to Golf… and My Inspiration

I gave up golf a number of years ago. I was a busy entrepreneur, with lots of travel and a young family. I also have a right knee that I destroyed playing basketball at the Y when I was in my late 20’s.

Now, my daughters are 12 & 10, and my son is 7. Dane has a friend that is taking junior golf lessons this summer and we were approached about having Dane join him so he’d have a friend out there. After some discussion, we decided maybe golf would be a good summer sport for all three kids, especially our daughters. (We used to play softball, but after a few experiences with some real driver Type A personalities, we decided maybe that wasn’t the best idea).

I’ve decided to get back involved as well. I dusted off the clubs, bought some new balls and headed out to the golf course. I think I’ll be driving up to see the golf pro as well about getting some lessons. Maybe I can figure out how to play without hurting myself, and I know getting out and walking a course would be a good idea.

In the meantime, I’d like to thank Sir Charles, Charles Barkley, for making all of us hackers feel better about our golf swings, and letting us know that hope springs eternal. I can improve.

(I believe in you, Charles. You can do it!)

Time to Get Serious about Windows 7

The time has come. I was checking with my scheduler, and it looks like I’ve got a one day class/hands-on lab with Windows 7 coming up in May. I probably ought to get a box loaded with Windows 7 and immerse myself completely in it. I know that many parts of it are going to be very similiar to Vista, but I’m very excited about the other things I’ve read/heard about the OS. The real big deal is the fact that it seems at first blush to be a much leaner and meaner operating system that can run well on older hardware as well as take advantage of the features available in new hardware (USB 3.0 support is on the way).

Here’s one of the more interesting and comprehensive sites on Windows 7.

The Next Five Golf Links…

… I hit using StumbleUpon. I’ve decided to take the game up again after an absence of about 10 years. I’ve gone out to try and play a few times, but that’s not nearly enough for someone like me. I need practice, I need coaching and I need lessons. I set up my wife with a set of starter clubs, and she’s on board, as well as the kids. We joined a club (social membership) that includes unlimited access to an executive 9-hole course up by the university. I need to get out there and walk the course - getting in shape 9 holes at a time will be good.

1. The first golf related thing I hit is a video of Fuzzy Zoeller getting one in the hole in amazing fashion.  This is one of the reasons I’m getting back in to golf - it’s absolutely incredible what happens on a golf course (and I’m too old and fat for basketball).

2. Badgolfer.com - For the Golfer who really sucks. OK, I know I’m starting over and I’m lousy, but I have to admit, I probably won’t be coming back to this site. I’m an optimist at heart. I know I’m that bad, but I also know that I’m going to get better. I refuse to focus on the negative. That tack is for those that embrace misery, and that ain’t me.

3. Came across the website for The Open Championship at Turnberry later this year. That reminds me of playing Turnberry in some golf game a number of years ago. I really ought to see if it’s one of those courses that gets unlocked in Tiger Woods Golf for the Wii. Lots of good info on this year’s Open for competitors and spectators. I thought about filling out an application as a joke.

4. The home page for the USGA. At what point is it appropriate for a hacker to join the USDA? As I engage in this pursuit, I’ll get serious about my handicap. Maybe joining will be a motivator.

5. Lastly, I hit this site called Mr. Golf, specifically on the page addressing golf etiquette. I’m not going to claim to be some expert on golf etiquette, but alot of that is just common sense. As I am going to be working with my kids and getting them involved in junior golf, maybe a book on golf etiquette for kids would be a good idea.

So, there are five sites that I hit using the toolbar for StumbleUpon.com set to look up info on golf. I shouls also like to add, if you are someone looking for clubs, balls, apparel accessories for the game and you either live in Lawrence, Kansas or are passing through our humble community, I found Kyle Taylor at Golf USA very helpful. He has a knack for under-promising and over-delivering, and he fixed my family up for the game, and I am grateful for his help.