A Chat with Bob from New Delhi

Disclaimer: Against the sage advice of PlaceMatt & ElMol (well known Techies from Cowtown) I purchased an HP Computer Sunday. There were several factors involved in the purchase the most important being that I get it right away as my WW (wonderful wife) was on call and needed the computer tout de suite.



Well, yesterday I went out and purchased a new HP computer. The old PC got burnt up on power outage at the house on Wednesday. Time was of the essence (see disclaimer below) and the normally long thought out process (sometimes agonizing, eh Rick?) was shortened considerably. Rick was on stand by for emergency purposes if the purchasing process went south.


The new PC has Microsoft's Vista platform........word is and I can confirm.......it is a work in progress and is undergoing changes/upgrades as I blog. If you notice that I have stopped this entry.....I am sure I will be able to pick it up later when everything is upgraded.



Now, to the chat with Bob. Having to reload software programs to a new computer is time consuming, but, nonetheless essential. Quicken is my method of tracking my finances, in particular, my checkbook (which is virtually non-existent with the advent of online banking). But, the format does give me an accurate picture of how much money I do not have.


Problems during the downloading of the program resulted in me calling the Quicken support hot line. "Bob" answered....OK it wasn't really Bob.......but, a very nice gentleman who is in New Delhi? He directed me through the process which took a good 30 minutes of uninstalling, installing, and reinstalling programs. He was quite patient with me. It is at times like this that I feel technologically inadequate. What was really interesting about the call is that there were long periods of time where we waited for parts of the installation process to take place and Bob talked to me during this "down time". Topics of discussion included my breakfast (he didn't know about biscuits), spicy food, movies, and favorite sports. While it sounded somewhat from script (i.e. - during the first "down time" ask the customer about his/her interest in spicy foods, be sure to mention Curry) and yet maybe it was his way of just getting through the arduous process without being bored. I want to believe that it was just Bob talking to "Coach" (can I call you "Coach"? he had asked). Overall, it was a nice experience and after he wished me a good day and a wonderful breakfast a phone survey asked me to quantify my experience with Bob. I rated him 7 on a scale of 1 to 7 with 7 being the best.



Halfway around the world I had breakfast with Bob while he had a late night snack. Cue: Its a small, small world.



Viva Bob
Viva the 20.5 Widescreen Monitor

Peace Out

Pool Talk - Questions 67 & 68

While taking in the "healing and therapeutic" powers of the pool on Thursday with my WW and Professor RMS it became crystal clear that the discussion of the age old questions 67 & 68 (if I may steal from Chicago)do not often pervade our life, but, must be ask and answered for there to be some meaning to this life around us.

Question 67? What is normal? 67a Who is normal? 67b What is involved in being normal? 67c Is anyone normal? While the Professor was unable to answer concisely any of these proposed questions, it became clear that it was easier to identify things that were not normal (i.e. abnormal). From a philosophical standpoint this is high intelligence shit. We left that discussion with only thoughts of KooKoo Bird Island inhabitants (inside joke). Obvious we got off track here.

Answer: Friday's mail arrived and circled on a postcard to CJ from a doctor's office was the word NORMAL (in response to some tests). Truly a sign that of the three of us CJ is NORMAL. Decision still open on me and RMS. Congratulations Babe.

Question 68 Which will be our Poll this week. How do you like your Grilled Cheese sandwich? With butter between the bread and cheese or Mayonnaise? Along with oft forgotten and hereby recognized Peanut Butter and Jelly the Grilled Cheese are two American staples that fuel us through life. Viva PB&J and Grilled Cheese
Vote in the poll.

Peace Out and Rock On.

Say Cheese!

Ok, so about two years ago my wonderful wife and I agreed to purchase a new digital camera. I had a 1st generation type that took pretty good pictures, but, it was time to upgrade. WW declared a need to have a camera with a big monitor screen (bms) on the back of the camera. Her friend had one with the bms and she liked it. A phone call to Lakeside Camera (no they didn't carry her friend's camera type anymore, but) resulted in a recommendation of a Casio Exilim Camera....bms and a high resolution of 7.2 megapixels.

Purchased the product and began using it with much satisfaction. 2 years in and on our trip to Lake Tahoe.....kapooy.....streaks in the pics....and/or very bright (too, too bright) pics. Big pink sign in the camera box DO NOT RETURN THIS CAMERA TO THE RETAILER (aka Circuit City). Mailed product according to instructions to Casio in New Jersey.

Letter from Casio.....cost to fix your camera $134.78 plus $7.95 p&h........further down the letter.........however, if you choose to you can purchase a RECONDITIONED camera.....3 possibilities available all in the same price range......from various price ranges......all coincidentally near $134.78 plus $7.95. So, we opt to move up to a thinner (called Card) model with similar features for the price of $135.00 plus $7.95.

In makes me wonder.....what does Casio have going with this deal? I will have to get back with you for that answer....will the camera last only another 2 years? or more? or will they offer another upgrade at some time? what about a 4th generation camera?

All this has me thinking back to a Christmas purchase I made for my WW from the Pottery Barn catalog.........one of the articles I purchased came ever so slightly damaged. I called to get a new item and did......here was the kicker.......the customer service rep when asked by me if I needed to return the original item stated that I could keep it......apparently whatever item I had purchased was not worth their time and effort to return/restock/fix, etc.....this happened on two different occasions! Questions: How much did those things cost?...apparently not much.....How much was I paying for them?......eh....Pottery Barn.....apparently too much.

Spend Wisely,
Peace Out

The Fence

Having just pulled out of my driveway, moving down the road, and listening to my 91 yr. old mother tell me story of family things from long ago....she stops mid-sentence to say "Ooh, I like that fence." as she glanced to her and my right.

I began to laugh almost uncontrollably and then gasped for air....I was thinking how funny it was that she picked out Broussard's fence and then almost as if I realized he was gonna love hearing that....I gasped for air.

Of course, my mother reacted to my laugh/gasp and asked me what had brought on my response. I could hardly gather myself to tell her that Mikey was a fanatic about his fence (I didn't bother to get into the truck, garage, grass cutting, etc. previously discussed in some detail on this blog).

Yearly Mike (if he doesn't repaint it) cleans (a brush and some type of clorox cleaner are necessary) his fence. Mildew is his enemy and he strikes out at it with a vengeance! Green or black shall not dot the corners or edges of his fence. He is faithful in his duties to maintain a clean and visually pleasing fence.

The fence matches the lawn or vice versa or it matches the garage or vice versa or it matches the truck. Oh, enough already all this talk of Mr. Perfect is making me tired. It is hard to keep up with perfection.

Peace Out

Grass Cutting Problems Solved: Kenny Verbene

Having not quite yet fully recovered from a bout with poison ivy, oak, or sumac I filled one of Dr. Bob's (my dermatologist) prescriptions (Rx: "Get a lawn boy"). Kenny Verbene, come on down!

Kenny showed up to yesterday and for a nominal fee rolled out his zero turning radius mower and weed whacker and trimmed the front and back forty here on Maple Street in no time at all. High marks for Kenny as he was able to carefully cut around the path lighting that surrounds the pool. It was as if he had just done a good ole flat cut on a head of hair.

Kenny is a good ole boy from Husser with a vibrant personality. He fits the Broussard mold (btw, Kenny's comment on Broussard......"he has definitely got some military in him").

Peas in a pod, I say.

Peace Out.

Pause to reflect.

My good friend Rick called me the other day with news that his wife's uncle (really her father figure) had awakened at 2 a.m. with a severe headache (caused by an aneurysm) subsequently he suffered a stroke, heart attack, and passed away.

He text messaged me upon his passing and his words resonated in my head....."he was a good old dude, I wish I had told him that more often". Why is it that we are taken from life and people are left with thoughts that they should have expressed? Do we not take the time? Do we feel that it would sound silly to the person we want to say it to? Probably, not. It is more likely that we think we are going to see the person again. But unfortunately that doesn't happen. For it seems that only upon someones death do we pause to reflect on them and our relations with them.

I had encountered this man on several occasions and can truly say that Richard Powe was a man who presented himself as someone with a gruff exterior. If you delved deeper you knew that he used that gruff exterior cover his pleasing disposition and caring spirit.
I agree with Rick he was a "good old dude".

I think he would like the fact that Rick spoke highly of him to everyone and that people outside his family circle thought well of him, too. Yes, we didn't get to tell him. But, now those that read this will know what we know.

May God Bless him and may he rest in peace. Amen.

This week why not share with a friend or family member that you feel they are a "good old dude"?

Peace Out.

GC 101, Mr. Broussard, 5-6pm, Tuesdays and Saturdays

Yes, finally a course on Grass Cutting coming to a University near you. Lets start with the basics: Make sure your mower has gas, you change the oil (and check it too) regularly, and keep all accessories in their assigned place nearby.

Lesson #1 be sure to never cut the same area twice, oops, what I meant to say was the same path (direction) twice in a row. You see, grass grows better if it is cut in different directions.

So today as I cut the grass I went in a different direction than the last time. Previously I have used the left to right diagonal cut and the right to left diagonal cut both are classic Broussard touches. Today I did the rectangle with the clockwise cut.

Somehow I got completely lost in thought while cutting and began wondering about a concentric circle cut and a parallelogram cut......whew....suddenly I realized I was just a moment off kilter. Happily, I returned to reality and thought about the objective of changing cutting directions was what? Getting the grass to grow better! WTF was I thinking? Do I really want the grass growing better so that I have to cut it better? Truly the dichotomy of this whole situation.

Next time I have class with Mr. Broussard I promise to report further on his infinitesimal and infinitive wisdom as it relates to grass cutting. BTW, Mr. Broussard is a proud, self-proclaimed proponent of Scott's Brand Grass stuff.

Peace Out!

WTA: Subtle vs. Overt

These are actual (color that real) cases of WTA from our files:

Friend J calls someone he has contracted with to do work at a profit at his business and asks for a favor = Overt use Working the Angle.

Friend R uses the term "Big Dave" and is allowed entrance into an entertainment venue = Subtle use of Working the Angle.

Which is better.....Subtle, of course....there was no pressure for the subtle WTA to work and that is the beauty of it. Also, there is usually more joy for having worked that kind of angle.

WTA aka Working the Angle

This phrase was born out of the Salmen Fieldhouse back in the day when the Football Gods looked down upon the place with a smiles on their faces. Its meaning is diverse, it is an art form, and yet it is uncomplicated. To fully explain something of this higher nature one must sometimes start at the end to get to the beginning.

While I could expounded virtually limitlessly on this subject, today I will choose to make the following assertion:

One can work the angle without actually knowing they were working the angle. This is angle workage in its purist form. I am not sure that the reward in this WTA situation is as fully appreciated as when one has to practice the art of WTA.

Peace Out.

Life Lesson

Tonight for all of you out in Blogdom I have these words: I pity those of you unable to have contact with the Philosophical Genius of Our Time --- Professor RMS. For it is without the ability to be in contact with, interact with, study at the feet of, or just be friends with this man that the less fortunate of you in Mankind........lose out.

I am forever bound to spread his message and its meaning to one and all.

Read these words as written by the MASTER himself in a comment to one of my earlier posts:

Oh the pain !!! My eyes well up with tears as my heart aches after being shot with the arrow of censorship. Censorship: That demon that bares its fangs at the feet of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I ask you, oh wise sage of blogdom, how can we , as defenders of truth, justice and angle-workage, in clear conscience hold back the wisdom that we possess from those that seek it??? Is it not our duty, nay our destiny, to spread these words that WE know to be true to all. And if we do not, are we not as guilty as those we seek to expose??? Change and reform do not come without risk, my friend. If we're going to leave this world a better place than how we found it, we must NOT sit back and wait for change to happen on its own. How many times have we criticized those who choose to be reactive when they should be proactive??? I leave you with this single thought: In order to make an omelet, you've got to break a few eggs. Bon appetit !!!

Sheer Fucking Genius!

I apologize profusely for allowing the Censorship to take place. However, I am reminded of a certain individual who just yesterday was relieved of their employment for having placed words on a blog. Big Brother has a way of reaching out into the Blogosphere and slapping down those of us that would seek truth, justice, and the American way. Although I must say I am not certain what the "American Way" is anymore? As for Angle-workage I hope to pour forth a treatise on this in a blog to come.

Profound statment for today: "What you get, is what you got." John Mayer from the recording: Waiting on the World to Change. An obvious reference from this singer/songwriter that he too knows/relates to/believes in the genius that is Prof. RMS.

Peace Out.

Life Lesson

On a day that I hoped I would be the Big G in the 'hood. Someone pissed in my cornflakes and I am left with the words from a Howard Jones song:

Aspirations in the clouds but your hopes go down the drain.

This is a repeat of an earlier post that drew irate comments directed at another person/s. While I appreciate the frank nature of such comments I cannot allow those persons to go out on the proverbial gang plank for me.

Peace Out.

Life Lesson

I don't know exactly where I might have heard this...my best recollection tells me it was possibly during a class on Ancient Philosophical Concepts -- I believe it was APC 504 taught by Professor RMS. It was about the time I was involved in completing my Specialist Dissertation in the fall of 1997.

Chew on this thought, it rang true for me this weekend and should be something all of us can learn from......"If you have friends and family that love you, that is all you need, from there you can move forward."

Enough said with that quote, the Prof got it right once again. Sheer genius on his part. Oft times we overlook the obvious when our emotions run amok.

Peace Out.

Life Lesson

Professor RMS went deep into his philosophical trick bag yesterday afternoon to produce the following profound and deep thought:

We are told all our life (from birth to death) that if we work hard, get an education, gather all the experience and credentials we can; then we will have set ourselves up to get the job we want. Here is where the professor paused and finish it off with: "Of course that is until politics jumps in to screw it all up." I have paraphrased this from what memory I have of that important moment of time.

I will tell you that I hung on his every word as he shared little before heard profound statements about life as we know it. I hope to continue to share these snippets of philosophical wisdom with you as time goes on.

Winzying and Standridging!

Throughout life you meet individuals who for some reason or another give you pause to think about life. These individuals can in some way set a standard (maybe even principle) of living that one can either espouse to or run from.


Enter Mr.'s Winzy and Standridge each in their unique way have characteristics that we have been able to identify and label. If you ever engage in these behaviors you maybe quickly and succinctly be called out as either Winzying or Standridging depending on the given situation.

An important point to note is that these two individuals did not write the book on their behaviors, in fact, you yourself may know a person or persons that exhibit these same behaviors.

Here is a breakdown:

Winzying - is the process of being late or not even showing up for events you are invited to attend and have agreed to attend. This often happens at a 50% or higher rate. Now, you may know someone like this, but, this is how Mr. Winzy differs from others and thereby renders himself unique: Mr. Winzy has no recollection, no remberance, no idea that he has committed himself to be at any event he misses. If he is late, it is as if he is not late. Maybe he did not remember the time that he was suppose to be there, so being there whenever he arrives is in fact being on time.

The final and most important aspect of this characteristic is that when you are late or if you have not come at all and you are confronted with the knowledge of your lateness or abscense you offer no excuses. I would described this as "situational amnesia" a.k.a. Winzying.

Standridging - most prevalent in marriages. This is where the person agrees to attend an event and doesn't. Or begs off attending altogether. In either case the person uses the standard "I have (or I had) to do something with the family" excuse. This excuse is used at an extremely high rate - 99% or higher. While it is admirable that someone is focused in on their family, at this high a rate it is a cause for concern amongst fellow friends who know that this is strictly a "control" issue.

Haven't we all suffered from situational amnesia or lack of control in our lives?

The Monkey Principle

This is a principle or theory, if you will, that explains how a leader deals with problems:

People in leadership positions are confronted daily with the fact that people under them, people in supervisory positions over them, their customers, the law enforcement community, any and all other interested parties to their line of work will come to them with a monkey. Some in fact come with more than one monkey. Their objective: They will be trying to give you the monkey(s).

Sometimes you will take the monkey and pass it on to someone else. Sometimes you will take the monkey. Sometimes you will give the monkey back.

Lets examine what happens as a result of each of the three scenarios.

You pass the monkey to someone else. First, the person that brought the monkey is happy (they now have no monkey). Secondly, you are happy (or maybe not, depending on how person receiving monkey acts) to no longer have the monkey. Lastly, the person with the monkey is probably not happy.

You take the monkey. This is worst case scenario...being left with the monkey makes more work and often becomes complicated as you try to cage the monkey.

The third option: giving the monkey back is preferable. However, if some one that is a supervisor over you brings you a monkey oft times you are stuck with that monkey. Unless you can hand it over to someone else.

You seem to get many more monkeys (disproportionally) from persons over whom you have supervisory position. The reason being is that these people have probably created the monkey.

Words of Wisdom?
Do not take Monkeys.
A Barrel of Monkeys is NOT FUN.
Peace Out!