gadget

Here's a funny translation:

J'ai le cafard

meaning...

I am depressed.

Literal translation...

I am the cockroach.

Here's a problem I'm running into. I'm reading my Archie comic books (in French) and I'll need to look up several words to make sense out of a sentence. So I'll get my French dictionary and start looking up words. By the time I get through them all, I've forgotten the first one and then the cycle continues. I bought a electronic French dictionary which the kids turned into a very expensive paperweight. Apparently you can't pick up a dictionary for under $100 very easy. I guess the more the look the words up the better I will remember them. Sure is frustrating though.

nc

house update.

It's getting fairly comical lately so here's a quick refresh. After the contract expired and our renter couldn't get the loan, we agreed to keep renting the house out to her but the house would go up for sell. That was May 1st. April's rent was the last rent that we have seen. No May rent and tomorrow June's rent will be due. I've sent her an email to vacate the premises and I'm going on the assumption that she won't leave peacefully and then we will start the eviction procedure all over again. I thought I'd at least give her a chance. I told her if she left, we wouldn't press the issue of the missing $1,400.

We learned some more interesting stuff. Apparently before her and her husband split up there was an incident where he was chasing her around the subdivision with a knife. The neighbor went and got his gun and was going to shoot him. The police showed up and arrested him. The subdivision is fairly nice (for Diamond standards) and mostly with couples in their 40's - 70's. So police showing up and attempted murder isn't appreciated. I'm sure everyone will be happy that both of them are gone.

I don't think we have even had any lookers now that it's up for sale again.

nc

new look

I've changed the layout of the blog. The YouTube video's kept cutting off on the side. This is the only one available that doesn't. I have also removed the Marseille time. I was using that to tell when the games were on but I've added an extra clock on my desktop.

Here's my desktop (for the interested and even uninterested).

40 more days until our cruise. Just saying...

nc

today.

Not a lot of stuff going on this weekend but today we are going to Paul and Jane's. She invited the kids over to swim in the pool.

So today will be fairly busy.

nc

music

Driving home from church last night we heard Convoy by C.W. McCall

Reading up about it, it turns out there is a British version of it. You can read the lyrics here.

nc

religion

Speaking of Catholics (previous post... read down). I was reading awhile back where Charlemagne had several priests that quoted the same prayer over and over all day for him. That brings to mind the "Hail Mary" which is repeated over and over. The idea is that if you spam God then he will apparently respond. Please note that Charlemagne is dead so whether this works or not is still up in the air. Of course, there is a technical solution.

static void Main(string[] args)

{

while (1 == 1)

{

Console.WriteLine("XXXXX");

}

}

XXXXX is the religious text that you need at any particular moment. This code (C#) will repeat over and over. Or at least while 1 equals 1 which in theory should be forever. If at any point in the future, 1 does not equal 1 then the fact that this program is broken is probably the least of your worries.

Anyway... this will repeat your prayer in high speed (hundreds of times per second). So if the priest says "Say 100 Hail Mary's" then it only takes about a second.

I'm thinking about writing, "PLEASE HELP OUR HOUSE TO SELL".

nc

updates.

Tonight is Patrick's graduation from Kindergarten. It's at 6:30. They are going to try to keep it shorter than last year.

This weekend we are doing absolutely nothing. nada. rien. WOOHOO!!! I have no idea what we will do but I guarantee that we will be bored by Saturday noon. You get so adjusted to doing stuff all the time that it's tough to just sit.

My computer is still dead. I spent all my saved up money on backup stuff so it will stay dead for awhile longer. This poor little Aspire Revo can't even handle Flash games (the small games that you play on the Internet). It doesn't have a DVD drive either.

I ordered me a new hat. This one is as normal as I get (too see it click here). It's in Tulsa today.

Bertier is growing up. He's getting big and eating a lot. Stubby still won't kick the bucket. He's 12 or 13 years old and still going strong. He is indestructible apparently.

I found a downside to learning French using the Bible. Your vocabulary is pretty good in one area but lacking in others. I was watching "Micmacs à tire-larigot" and there is a short scene where he's in a Catholic school. A nun was speaking in front of her class and I understood her perfectly. You thought you were going to get through an update without my rambling about language didn't you! Well you were wrong.

Speaking of being wrong. Apparently we aren't headed for inflation. On the downside, they are looking at yet another stimulus package. Apparently we don't have as much (per GDP) as Greece and we need to keep up. Because Greece is turning out so wonderful.

nc

45

45 more days until our cruise.

nc

IBS

Today Miranda took her class to the Wichita Zoo. They had a good time.

Tomorrow I am off to Monett.

Here's a funny clip. The movie is Jour de Fete (day of party). Apparently the postman has had too much party. I think Dad will like this one. The blog layout is cutting off part of the shot so you may have better luck clicking here.

nc

weekend

Fairly good day today. Went to Diamond and power washed the house. The lawn hadn't been mowed for probably 4 weeks and was literally tall enough to bale. The neighbor stopped by and he's going to get the house in shape for sale. He really manicures his lawn so ours will look nice as well.

Went to the graveyard and saw Teemu's grave. He died in 2003. Patrick found out that Teemu was his older brother, was sick, and died. He started crying and he wanted to go see him. He was really hurt about the whole deal. It was sweet and infinitely sad. He also asked where Grandma Jeanne was. Grandma is in a different grave yard.

Then we went to Best Buy and bought an external dock for my hard drives. The data is safe.

Next up was Cameron's birthday party in Pittsburg. Patrick and Nellie rode the rides at Kiddyland and Nellie LOVED the roller-coaster.

We are home now and Christmas home movies from our video camera are being backed up as we speak.

nc

quiet

I never noticed how loud it was in the computer room with my computer on. The fan was quite loud apparently. It's quiet now.

I think I'm going to stick with this one for awhile. I need to get some external SATA drive enclosures and try to get my data off of the old hard drives.

nc

crash

My computer crashed and burned last night during the night. Not sure if the storms did it in or what. So I'm on my Acer Aspire Revo and it's so quiet in here. The fan on my computer was loud. I'm hoping that I can get it going but I'm not sure what it is. I turn it on and it just sits there. The fan runs but nothing else happens. If the motherboard goes out, it will make all kinds of beep (sorta like Morse Code for computers). I don't get any beeps. I wonder if the power supply went out. Hopefully my data is still there. I don't really have that much and it wouldn't be terrible to lose it but I'd still hate to lose it.

nc

random updates.

I got a letter in the mail from the State of Kansas to the Pella - Kansas Division. That's right. I'm head of the Pella - Kansas Division. I'm also the entire Pella - Kansas Division.

Patrick read my t-shirt logo last night. "Tu me veux". He also correctly pronounced "veux" (sounds like voo). Miranda said, "Oh no! Now he can read French too!". He loves reading and is very good at it. He is definitely going to be a reader (hopefully in French "aussi").

Want to read some confusing French? Try Gospel of John, verses 1-3. It's fairly complicated in English. For a beginner in French it's hideous. Verse 3 is the real killer:

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

French:

Toutes choses ont été faites par elle, et rien de ce qui a été fait n`a été fait sans elle.

Patrick is in t-ball this summer. I'm not looking forward to that. He likes it though.

nc

economics

Found a good quote here:

"We are witnessing a worldwide repudiation of big government and Keynesian economics."

nc

doctor

I went to the allergist today and I'm allergic to basically everything. I'm not sure what to do next with it. I have the option to medicate or take shots to (hopefully) help/cure the allergies.

This weekend is going to be crazy again. Friday night we are going to JoNell Filsinger's high school graduation. Then on Saturday at 10:00AM, I'm a pallbearer at Mildred Asbury's funeral in Vinita. Mildred was an elderly lady that went to church at Vinita. Then after the funeral we are going back to Diamond to power wash the North side of the house. Back home afterwards and then to church on Sunday.

This week hasn't been much better. We are busy every night.

As for music, I've found this...

and this (hilarious):

The timing on this song is interesting to say the least. I'd hate to be a member of his band and trying to play that song. I keep thinking that he needs to switch chords but he keeps singing (after you watch it you'll understand what I'm talking about).

nc

program.

Patrick had his program last night. It was very nice. Mom and Dad came up and a good time was had by all.

Miranda started laundry last night and heard some thumping in the dryer. Luckily she heard it too. Apparently some meowing was coming from the dryer. The cat had sneaked in the dryer and was being tossed around.

Tomorrow afternoon is my doctors appointment at the allergist.

Here's a cool video... British, American, and French troops marching in Red Square in Moscow.
Apparently a lot of Russians are mad because it underscores WWII and the Cold War.

nc

explanation

Here's Goldie Hawn explaining the problem of overpopulation

That explains everything.

nc

weekend.

Busy weekend. Vinita and Scammon for Mothers Day stuff. Parsons for church. Diamond for the house. From here it looks like most of the weekend will be spent on the road.

We made it without Miranda around here yesterday. She was in KC and made it back fine. The house is a disaster with the bathroom and everything. The bathroom floor is finished and looks great. Tonight is probably going to be spent cleaning the house.

Today is Track and Field day at IBS and they are having hamburgers for lunch. Miranda invited me to come up and have some burgers.

Funny story... I was reading in a magazine and do you know what one of the more fashionable places to eat in Paris is? Fajitas. Apparently Mexican food is all the rage. Boy... could we hook them up here in the Midwest. That's probably one of the only places to get enchiladas in Paris. We have 3 places that I know of in Independence (Maria's, El Pueblito, and Mi Terra). I probably have missed a couple too.

nc

Marseille!

Marseille are now the French champions in Ligue 1. The have mathematically eliminated Lille and AJ Auxerre.

nc

floor.

Last night we spent the night in the Apple Tree Inn in town here. It was really nice. Their web site sorta oversells Independence though:

Thankfully, Apple Tree Inn is conveniently located in the heart of Independence’s downtown shopping district, and is just across the street from theaters, museums, and fine dining.

I wouldn't call it "downtown", or "shopping", or "district". I would also take exception to the "fine dining". The room was nice and they had a neat pool.

nc

update.

Been awhile since I updated. Things are pretty hectic around here. The bathroom floor is hopefully getting done today. I'm taking the day off as I don't want to deal with that and I have some errands to run. I've got to get the tags on the car. I get to deal with the tag office which is always great fun. I also have made a breakthrough on Mr Brewer's computer. I managed to boot using a Ubuntu Live CD, save off his data to my Passport drive, and then hopefully get his computer reloaded today.

I managed to get an appointment made with the allergist in Bartlesville. They are apparently the only business left in the world without an automated answering system of some kind. The first time I called them, they were apparently closed (odd at 2:00 in the afternoon). I let it ring about 10 times and they never picked up. I couldn't leave a message either.

I rarely get on facebook anymore. Thinking about deleting my profile.

Since we won't have a bathroom tonight, I think we are hoteling it. Patrick doesn't know it yet as he would bug us incessantly.

I got a new version of Lotus Notes installed on my work computer. They somehow managed to make it worse. At this point, I think they've hired a midget to sit inside my computer and manually write down each of my messages, steal my car, drive to Monett, hand deliver the message, and finally come back to Independence. It's so slow that it's the best answer I can give.

nc