Who's tougher: Roller Warriors or the Royals?

I'll have to say any member of the KCRW has more drive, intensity than most of the players on the Royals roster. Well, except for one Royal--the centerfielder who tried to catch a baseball with his face.

It was nice to see a game at Kaufman especially with the way the marketing department presents the game atmosphere. It's just a shame the baseball operations can't present a product as equally exciting.

Come on Royals. Let's get out of this funk and start playing in the 21st century!!!

Good night, Good luck

I just got done watching Good Night, and Good Luck this morning (I had trouble sleeping last night).
The movie was well done and I think on my next BFix entry, I'll do a combination post where I review both this movie as well as Bob Edwards' biography on Edward R. Murrow.

Podcasting and beer

This is a web site recommendation to all of you out there who brew your own beer and enjoy podcasting. It's the Basic Brewing web site where they render beer making tips via video and audio podcasts.


Ooooooo, life is soooo good! :)

Random notes

• The hunt for a new computer lab associate has become an arduous task. And to make matters more challenging, The Legends Shopping area recently announced 400 job openings. As I mentioned to work colleagues, I'm sure the hourly wage there will be better than what we can offer for the lab associate's position. We are in the middle of interviewing three candidates currently.
• I am enjoying my new red lawn mower. In another yard maintenance issue, I recently started an account with a local composting company. It has been really windy this spring and, thus, a lot of debris (sticks, small branches, leaves, acorns and nuts rejected by the squirrels) has been blown into my yard. I recently raked the entire yard and produced 12-14 bags of yard waste. So, I'm grateful that I set up this account. City ordinance or perhaps Missouri law forbids the hauling away of yard waste by trash companies. Right now my yard waste sits in yellow waste bags in the garage. It will probably take four weeks to get rid of the whole lot.
• Right now I get the feeling that the moles are laughing at me. While working in the yard the past four or five days, I have found more evidence of tunneling, especially along the fence that separates me and my neighbor. I may try a mixture of water and dish soap on my lawn. This apparently kills grubs and moles only eat live grubs which means they have to go elsewhere to feed. I think the suggestion of sticking sticks of gum still in the foil wrappers down the mole holes is too cruel. It makes the moles' intestines explode killing them instantly. .
• Weekend plans include attending Roller Derby Saturday night and attending the Royals-Oakland game on Sunday with C&A. I don't know which experience will be more painful: watching two Roller Derby teams wailing on each other OR watching the Royals play baseball. Hmmm......close call.

Anybody got any pain reliever?

I spent my entire off day in the yard planting three flats of impatiens, six marigolds, four daisies, two begonias, and a flat of plants whose name I can't even pronounce. Not to mention that I spent two hours yesterday morning spraying for dandelions.

I'm still feeling sore this morning as I write this.

Visitors at the Library

Aunt and Uncle paid me a visit at work today. They were on their way to Lawrence to spend the night at my sister's place, the next day to Bartlesville, OK to see a family member and then points beyond. I was not sure whether I would see them, not because I was working but because I had a scheduling conflict. I had to interview a candidate for the computer lab today. Nonetheless, I did manage to squeeze in a forty-five minute visit with them, giving up some of my off-desk time. News from their camp includes:

• Their grandchildren are starting to go to college. I think two or three right now with more kids making plans.
• The now-retired-Iditarod sled dog racer and wife are selling their sled dog teams and will live a life partially based on fishing and also spending time perfecting their sailing skills. They are presently on a sailing trip around Tonga.
• And finally, even though I suspected this, I have been officially informed that part of my family now has a health history of diabetes. In the interest of confidentiality, I won't go into detail. But I now know it's official.

I will next see Aunt this coming May when she comes to KC to participate in a Presbytery Woman's conference at Crown Center.

Weird USB Devices

Whether it's hand warmers....



or the "Puppy Cam" that you put on top of your PC Screen,




Somebody has way too much time on their hands if they are developing unusual gadgets that plug into the USB port on your PC. Click here for Wired Magazine's weird USB gadgets gallery.

Random Notes

• Monday, I will teach for the first time my "RSS and Bloglines" class. I have five people enrolled including a couple of staff members.
• I spent a good four hours raking the back yard on Sunday. It's been a windy Spring and, as such, a lot of debris has been deposited in my yard ranging from sticks and twigs to unshelled acorns (how did the squirrels miss them?). It's also been a relatively dry spring so far and my grass is not growing as in years past. I may have to reseed the lawn.
• I may have to get a new lawnmower. My present one has a leaky gas tank.
• From the "It's a small world department," my next door neighbor has a connection with a friend of a friend. MS's friend MR works at Deffenbaugh Disposal. MR buys vehicles for the company at a Ford Dealership here in KC. The salesperson happens to be my next door neighbor.
• Well, it looks like real estate development is taking over Barry Road here in North Kansas City. I've noticed several areas of trees bulldozed to the ground, meaning a business will be coming to that cleared area. Last week, a convenience store opened about 500 yards to the east of my house. And on Platte Purchase Parkway, they are building several office buildings for businesses as well as a new apartment complex. So much for that isolated feeling. It's going to be a little more crowded in my neck of the woods.

Library parody

Thanks to Ultraspark who sent me this parody about librarians.

Thanks to...

Haworth Hiker and Ultraspark...

They helped me on a blogging issue and I appreciate their support.

Oh that Dewey

Has anyone else felt this way while at desk?

For those of us with long drives into work....

Pulled from Wired magazine's web site: What's next, a pint of blood?