Happy Holidays :)

A picture speaks a thousand words

How white and nerdy are you?

How White and Nerdy Are You?

Forgiveness

Amongst all the news concerning the Amish children, I found this gem over at the Christian Science Monitor (here).

While Roberts is now gone, the Amish example of forgiveness is a reminder that real safety lies less in acting out of fear to prevent violence and more on qualities such as forgiveness that better connect people. Such compassion reduces fears and reaches those prone to violence.

Bob in Dallas

Bob has been in Dallas for about a week now (minus the weekend) and so far things are going well. We were really fortunate that between the two of us we had the majority of the books that he needed for his classes. I'm still amazed that he's using the same Materials Science book that I used at A&M, and super glad I kept it!

Of course the being away from each other isn't fun, but we both know how much better off financially we'll be if I keep my job here in Austin. In fact, we're getting so close to be debt free that I can almost taste it! I see the light at the end of the tunnel and having been through the stress of a life in debt I feel as though I never want to reenter that awful, hellish world. Of course, part of the hellishness of the debt world is my own doing (in addition to it being my debt, plus Bob's) in that vacation money is diverted to paying stuff off, but I hope that in the end it will have been worth the pain of not visiting Disney World in 5 years.

The kitties and bird all miss Bob and it took a bug being in the back room for them to decide they should come hang out with me rather than sitting at the front door waiting for Bob to come home, well that and me coming to get them for cuddle sessions.

In other news, work is going good. I’ve been filling out a lot of grant applications. Thus far we’ve been really successful, with 12 of the original 16 making it through the first phase. We’re also supposed to be doing some construction projects later this year, so hopefully I’ll be down on the coast for the construction. I’m really looking forward to our project constructing bird habitat in West Galveston Bay. My other work related news is that I have eight more months to study for the Professional Engineer's exam. I'm not looking forward to it, but then again, who would look forward to an 8 hour exam? In the meantime, I'll be busy cataloging the last 5 years of my professional life for the licensing board to scrutinize, completing the endless amount of paperwork and trying to study. Study, must study.

Ashita ga aru sa

There's always tomorrow.

Thanks to the Jelly Pinched Wolf and Kashi, Bob and I were recently introduced to this song. After hearing the song, we looked around online for a translation and came across the following music video on YouTube.

There's an English translation at the bottom of the screen - the video just made us love the song even more!

I get mad, I get mad, I GET MAD!

For years I've been listening to Bob do this Sesame Street skit about a goat that "gets mad!" I've always loved his rendition, and finally found the skit online at YouTube.

Enjoy: Sesame Street - I get mad!

Marie Parr Wangler (Bob's grandmother)

Marie Parr Wangler, 84, passed away Monday, June 5, 2006, at a local nursing home.

Funeral Mass: 11 a.m. Friday at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church. Burial: Mount Olivet Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Funeral Home, with rosary at 7 p.m. in Greenwood Garden Chapel.

Marie was born July 12, 1921, in Tarrant County, in the area now known as Haltom City, to Lucia Mais and Arthur N. Parr Sr. She was a homemaker and a longtime resident of Haltom City.

Marie was preceded in death by her husband, Ervin J. Wangler; brothers, Charles E. Parr and Arthur N. Parr Jr.; and sister, Helen Moore.

Survivors: Sons, Michael Ervin Wangler and wife, Joan, of Washington, D.C., Daniel J. Wangler and wife, Joann, of Allen and Jim Wangler and wife, Jacqui, of Cedar Hill; daughters, Kay Haaser and husband, Bob, of Irving, Beverly Gordon and husband, Mark, of Lenexa, Kan., and Barbara Steward and husband, Kenneth, of Arlington; 11 grandchildren; sisters, Margaret Price and husband, Bill, and Patricia Burk, both of Hurst; brother, Raymond Parr and wife, Pauline, of Richland Hills; and sisters-in-law, Theresa Matzer of Richland Hills, Jenny Parr of Arlington and Valerie Parr of Haltom City.
Copied from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram 6/8/2006.

Happy Birthday BOB!

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to my Bobby
Happy Birthday to you!

I know, I'm a couple hours early. :)

Trip to South Dakota

Bob and I took a trip up to South Dakota for my sister's high school graduation. I posted some of the pictures over at sname. Since all us girls were together I took a shot of my 3 sisters, below.


We took a quick trip to Mt. Rushmore, walked around the trail, simulated blowing up the mountain, fun stuff.

Update

I've slowly been updating my website so that :

The pages are coded in CSS style sheets,

My photo album contains the story of the photos and not just pictures, and

I'm moving the destination photos to www.sname.com and keeping family pictures on nautmile.com.

Thus far I've moved over My Construction Project and My Goonie Adventure and added Northern California.

Other than updating the website, not much going on down here. We've had a couple monster storms that have sent us running for buckets to keep from soaking the carpet. Bob is doing well at Dell and looking forward to starting classes this fall. I may have another construction project later this year, but it depends on how quickly I can get this job permitted. My record is 2 weeks, but I cheated by having a Congressman write to the Corps to speed up the project.

I will need to start studying for the Professional Engineers exam later this year, as I plan to take it next April. I could take it later this year, but after witnessing what a colleague went through prior to taking his, I'd prefer more time to study for it. Especially considering there it no Coastal Engineering PE exam, so we have to learn some environmental engineering to take the test, an 8 hour exam.

In the meantime, I'm just swimmning and preparing to go up to South Dakota for my sister's high school graduation (bio-father's daughter with new wife). Bob and I will spend a little extra time to go see Mt. Rushmore and possibly Crazy Horse, so it should be fun.

Army on Hold

My brother's entry into the Army has been temporarily postponed.

While he was pretty bummed over the weekend, the rest of the family saw it as a blessing in disguise, particularly because my dad was admitted into the hospital last Tuesday due to chest pains and by Thursday morning the doctors were saying his chance of survival was 50-50. Envision family freak out.

My understanding of the situation with my dad is a little hazy, but his doctor said that it appeared that the bypass on one of the arteries was in the wrong location and that to correct it they'd have to go back in. In addition to that, he had 3 other arteries that were clogged. The method the cardiologist wanted to use was pretty risky, since my dad has already had open heart surgery and is held together with wires and all, so my parents got a second opinion from the surgeon who suggested that the procedure to get to his heart would be too risky and to use stents rather than a bypass.

The doctors got together and concluded that the surgeons plan was safest and the cardiologist was successful at placing stents in 2 of the 4 arteries. Afterwards, he told us that the damage was likely already done to the heart from lack of blood from the arteries he could not fix and that the only other option was to try the bypass, which he did not think we should do now.

That was last Friday and by Sunday my dad was able to go home.

After spending another weekend in the hospital I can see why Joe is interested in becoming a medic, HEB has some really great nurses. Of course, he's currently talking about going to medic school and holding off on nursing school for a couple years because he's really interested in getting out of Texas. Personally, I'd prefer him to get his RN first, then travel but I'm a school first play later kind of gal and I know he's going to do what he wants regardless and seems unconcerned about the prospect of going to Iraq, and in his words, "... would rather die in Iraq than spend the rest of his life as a pizza delivery man...."

Of course, I know going to war is the chance you take when you join the military, it's part of the job, but as his sister, I'd much rather have him in a military hospital compared to the frontline in Iraq. Yea, I'm selfish, I don't care. I just know I had to look at my dad's brothers, a medic in the Marines, picture on the mantel my entire childhood and I'd prefer my brother not suffer the same fate.

Joining the Army

After months of intense exercise/starvation, my brother is scheduled to swear into the U.S. Army tomorrow morning in Dallas. If everything goes according to plan and his weight is under the limit, as his recruiter claims it is, he is scheduled to ship off to Fort Jackson, South Carolina next Tuesday.

I’m kind of at a loss for words on what to say concerning him joining the military. Emotionally I feel as though I’ve been put through a ringer. Not because I disapprove of military service, because I was set to join the military, had taken the ASVAB and was regularly talking to a recruiter until I got accepted to A&M, well, that and I let a stupid boy get in the way of my plans, but because he’s my little brother and I worry about him. My feelings on the war in Iraq aside, the thing I fear the most is losing him. I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life without one of my best friends around, because even though he’s been a huge source of frustration for me in recent the past, he makes my world a brighter place just by being in it. Not to mention how much I’d miss the phone calls just to tell me corny jokes.

My recent experience has made be realize how true "Fear leads to Anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to suffering" is, because I quickly traversed that path emotionally. It took him telling me that his AIT training would be in San Antonio and that he may take advantage of the additional training programs the Army has for me to simmer down and release some of the tension that had built up in my back and shoulders.

If you take out my fear for his well being and fear of losing him, I’m immensely proud of him. He’s lost so much weight, more than 30 lbs in 2-3 months that I’m just blown away by his determination and drive. Of course, I always knew he had it in him and told him so repeatedly, but for so long he seemed hesitant and unsure what to do with his life that this "NEW JOE" just knocks me back a bit where I just stare at him in wonder.

Plus, he couldn’t have picked a more admirable career to pursue in the military than the one he did. After Basic is over, he’s scheduled to begin classes at the medical training facility in Fort Sam Houston. Not only will he be close, but he’ll be pursuing the career that will give him better opportunities when he leaves the service than what most of the college graduates I know had when they graduated. His first step is to get Medic training and afterwards he plans to enter into either the RN or Physicians Assistant program. Of course, even if he stops after medic training it would still qualify him to be a paramedic, where his future career potential will be high.

I still worry about him and I hope we still have time to hang out but most of all, I want him to know how proud I am of him and that I wish him the best as he heads to Dallas to swear in tomorrow morning and as he heads to South Carolina for basic next week.

Interesting news item

"Pray-as-you-go"
Excerpt:

From the beginning of this month, the British Jesuits have been offering daily prayer sessions complete with soothing spiritual music and Bible readings as free downloads from the internet.

Stressed commuters can then listen on their iPods, mobile phones or other MP3 players on their way to or from work, college or school.

The initiative was due to end at Easter, but has proved so successful in Britain and abroad that the Jesuits are now expected to extend it well beyond the season of Lent.

Congratulations Citizen Bob!

We just got word that Citizen Bob was accepted to the Physics Ph.D. program at the University of Texas at Dallas. The secretary called to tell him this afternoon and told him he should get the official paper work in a week or two. He will be starting there this fall.

Yea for BOB! :)

Willie Nelson

Latest song from Willie Nelson:
Secret Cowboys

Jesus Survives

Linky

Which Sci-Fi crew would you best fit in?

Found this over at Fiat Lux!

You scored as Enterprise D (Star Trek). You have high ideals and know in your heart that humanity will continue to evolve in a better people. No matter what may happen, you have faith in human beings. A rare quality. Now if only the Borg would quit assimilating people.

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? created with QuizFarm.com

Georgie Porgie

Georgie Porgie puddin pie
Kissed the girls and made them high
When the boys came out to play
Georgies Porgie turned them gay.

HSP IV

My dad went back into the hospital Monday morning, it was supposed to happen Friday, but North Hills Hospital is incapable of performing the simplest of tasks without making it complicated.

Monday morning, he went in to have surgery on his hernia and the aneurysm in his upper right leg. The surgery went well. It took a little while for his pulse to return to his leg, but it did and he warmed back up and is now in the Recovery Center over at HEB.

Other than the slow return of his pulse to his leg and a nurse giving him morphine (to which my mom said, "You realize he's allergic" and a mad dash ensued) his only other episode happened this morning when his retard of a nurse stopped paying attention to his blood sugar and he passed out. My brother had just been in to see him and he said that my dad looked totally out of it and was not able to talk or anything. Just minutes after Joe left he passed out and his nurse was suddenly very interested in what was going on with him.

Hopefully they'll get a better nurse on him this afternoon and he'll be ok to go home Thursday or Friday.

Update: I found out last night my dad's blood sugar level had dropped to 18 mg/DL (normal is around 100). After my mom found out what happened, she called up my dad's nurse and gave his nurse a ear full. :) I love my mom. :) She started yelling at them telling her that my dad needs to be on a potassium drip since he won't eat while in the hospital. Of course, it took the doctor telling the nurse to put him on the drip before he did it, but my mom had a moment of "I told you so" when she found out that the hospital put him on the drip.

Of course, my mom gets over things pretty quick and by last night she was sharing kitty pictures with the nurse. As long as she's doing her job and making sure my dad's ok, my mom is cool.