Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Planned Jobsolesence?

According to a recent scientific survey, on Family Feud, the number one answer to “on a scale of one to ten, how easily could you be replaced at work?” was ten. They got a new host during the commercial break.

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Don't delay, check out the new DailyDamien.com today!

Monday, May 30, 2011

If someone gives you lemons...

Some quotes just stick with you... or at least to me.  One of the stickiest: "Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are."  - President Theodore Roosevelt.

Along those lines:

If someone gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Sell it.  Invest the money.  Make millions... I bet you wish they gave you more lemons.

If someone makes you nuts, make peanut butter.  Who doesn't like peanut butter aside those who are severely allergic to it?  You can always trade it in for lemons.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.  It might really be a camel and it might spit on you.

Okay, that last one might not necessarily go with the others but it's sound advice, and who knows, it just might stick with you.
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Could you be the most beautiful URL in the world?  www.dailydamien.com... the new home of The Daily Damien.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The grass is always greener... on the other side of my lawn

When I first became a home owner I was quite proud of my big, beautiful green yard.  Year two, I had a few dandelions in that yard but no sweat, after a week they were gone.  Last year there was quite a bit of green and gold in the front but it was a Super Bowl year for the Pack, So I played it off as supporting our team.  This year, I need a machete.

Never knew you needed spray to keep the weeds away or how much time, energy and greenbacks it took to keep a nice green space.   Not that your average formula for lawn care is very green in the Al Gore sense.  Just read the back of the bottle if you can handle that many syllables.

So why do we do it?  Or why do I do it?  Well, it's hard to be the only guy in your cul of the de sac with a field of weeds.  Few are they so brave withstand the societal, neighborhoodal and spousal pressure to assimilate.  Is resistance futile?

Perhaps they are but the front runners of a future trend.   Maybe someday we'll put our pesticides away and learn to desegregate the dandelions from the daisies.  Maybe someday we'll save the water from our sprinklers and hoses and put that money to better use.  Maybe mowing twice a week isn't the answer.  Maybe we can finally turn our plowshares into swords.

And maybe... just maybe I need to reconsider the title of this post.  Maybe the grass is truly greener on my side.  Crabgrass, that is.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

One Small Step for Blog...

Okay, so by the title of this post am I saying that the 2.0 version The Daily Damien blog is comparable to man first setting foot on the moon?  No… but it is.

It’s been 200 posts since I first started this adventure in the blogosphere.  If you look over those 200 enteries, you’ll see how this little experiment has changed in direction over the months.  I now have a pretty good sensibility of how I want the blog to progress in the future.

I envision The Daily Damien to be a daily dose of something that will give people cause to pause and crack a smile. (Maybe even chuckle).  And one small smile for you might very well mean a bigger, brighter smile for mankind.

There are no ads on this blog, but I’ll be spotlighting a charity that’s near and dear to my heart, Operation Smile.  Take a looksee at their site and another looksee in your heart… if you have any spare change, it can significantly change a child’s life.

Check out the prototype of the new site at www.dailydamien.com.  Still has quite a giant leap to go, but let me know what you think.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Don't Use the Word "Retarded"

I'm a big fan of The Office and just read an excerpt from Mindy Kalig's ("Kelly") new book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? 

I liked a lot of what I read but my favorite was this:
It is just so totally uncool to use the word retarded anymore to describe something you think is stupid. It is barely acceptable when uninformed small children say it (and reflects so poorly on parenting), and is completely offensive for adults. How inarticulate are you if you have to use this word? How confident are you that no one you talk to would be offended by it, or worse, have someone in his orher life that has a mental disability?
A pretty funny writer with a great spec script came into The Office to meet with producers about staffing. He was a friend of two other writers on staff. I thought he was cool initially, because he didn’t seem to take himself seriously and knew a lot about the Lakers. Then, in describing a Kobe Bryant/Shaq altercation, he used the word retarded,  and kept repeating it, the way I say like.  It was like a tiny knife stabbing me every time he used it. When our boss asked us what we thought of him, I said I liked him, but I thought his liberal use of the word retarded was embarrassing and off-putting. I don’t know how much it affected the outcome, but he didn’t get hired. 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

It took 198 posts

Well, it took 198 posts but I think I have a good sensibility of what direction I'd like The Daily Damien to take.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Here's to you!

It's hard for me to say which kind of toast I like better.  A public compliment/well wish followed by a drink... or a good piece of bread nicely toasted.  I don't think I could live happily ever after without the kind I eat with eggs.  But regardless, here's to you for reading this blog!  Please treat yourself to whichever toast you like best.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I have to take out the garbage and do the dishes

Sometimes I wish the dish would run away with the spoon... and take the garbage with... and that the other dishes would follow suit... and that someone would find them and wash them and return them for a reward... but that they refuse any monetary reward since they have a Superman-complex... I mean, they could keep the garbage.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.  It would all work out fine.

Monday, May 23, 2011

We all make mistakes, it's not the end of the world

There are a lot of jokes going around about Harold Camping and his doomsday prediction going down in flames or lack thereof.

I do admire him in the way that I admire Jehovah's Witnesses having the gumption to go door-to-door.  I admire the "gullible" people who sold everything for what they believed in.  They may have been misguided but they actually lived their beliefs.

I've been misguided myself... often following my own nose.  I've been wrong about things I was absolutely certain about at the time.  We all make mistakes... it's not the end of the world.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Back to work, bub!

It's been a great week off. But now it's back to work. I'll be working half days to ease the fan into the new norm of full days with Teresa and Levi.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

May, 21, 2011

Well, as it turns out, May 21, 2011 was not the end of the world as a certain preacher predicted. I just tried to check in on his website but it must be maxed out... perhaps the end of the world... wide web for him. I must admit all the hoopla his prediction got did get me and a lot of other people thinking about the end and maybe that's not such a bad thing.

I didn't buy in to the prediction as some of his faithful did, selling their belongings and quitting their jobs to prep for the rapture. The thing that really made his claims seem bogus was that only 2% of people would be saved. Isn't God's mercy greater than that? I've heard heaven is a gated community, but wasn't Christ's sacrifice for more? I surely hope heaven's population is greater than hell's.

The bad thing of course is that since May 21, 2011 wasn't the end it just makes all of Christianity, if not all religions seem just a little less reputable. We do a good enough job of that ourselves.

Friday, May 20, 2011

A beautiful end to a beautiful week



Doc checkup for Levi. He's doing just great... Weighing in at 11 pounds!

Went to the Botanical Garden with the kids - beautiful! Glad we have a family membership since we only got through half.

Supper with parents and Kai!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

PTO Day III: The rainy day that never happened

Forecast called for rain in the afternoon but the sun truly reigned supreme for my third day of PTO.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Let's Go Fly a Kite



It was a windy day in GRB.  After picking up all the sticks in the backyard so I could mow, Teresa and I bought a kite.  We were inspired by watching Mary Poppins. 

Lots of fun getting it up in the air.  We had two airings in between playing on the slides.  The second flight was after Teresa noticed some teens trying to fly their kites without much luck.  Teresa literally flew circles around them.  She named the kite, Lou Lee

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Congrats!

Congrats to Laura and Pete on their wedding today!

Friday, May 13, 2011

In love and fear

For fear of blogger deleting another one of my posts, here's a short one.

Man, I love my wife and kids!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

A miss no fault of my own!

I missed today due to Blogger maintenance... I was the first to email the phrase that pays.  Looks like Google/Blogger got rid of my 5/11 post too.  Measures will be taken.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

To Weed a Yard

Got home to a couple of surprises.  First I was surprised by my fam having a special pizza Feast Day celebration for Saint Damien of Molokai.  Pineapple pizza!  Yum! 

Part of that surprise was a bouquet of flowers... well, dandelions... and the unhappy surprise was that they were from my own yard... and they were EVERYWHERE.  Just popped up this very day.  And I'm the only one in the neighborhood with dandy lions.

So at around 8pm I got the hand sprayer together and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed.  Whew! 

I've completely bought into the fact, if it's not one thing, it's another... or both.

Note:  Hey Marty - the Apple article is going to be delayed by this late-breaking news story.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Conspiracy Theories from a Reluctant Insomniac

Funny the thoughts that come to occupy the mind at the wee hours of a sleepless night.  Too much caffeine to stay awake during the day... too few Z's at night.   Those are the conditions where most conspiracy theories are born.

His subscription to Time ran out.
Now let me just start out by saying I don't even buy this one.  And it's not even really for sell.

So we all know the story.  The Elite Navy Seals raided Osama bin Ladin's luxury compound in Pakistan in the middle of the night and dropped the dime -- make that a quarter -- on OBL.  Then they buried him at sea.  And that's that, right?  That's what we've been told.

Can't release the picture because that would be in bad taste.  Besides we all know that kind of thing could be easily Photoshopped -- especially since bogus ones were quickly created.  And somehow the bogus ones make not having a real one seem more real.

The Perfect Plan:  Let's just say we made the whole thing up.  Oh, sure we did a "raid"; a charade.  We're best frienemies with Pakistan more or less and they were feeling the pressure to play nice with the USA... so they were okay with our little surprise raid on their airspace without going literally ballistic.  Badda-bing, badda boom: we tell everybody... got him! -- he wasn't in a cave after all.

So he's really not dead... What's he gonna do?  "Hey!  Everyone!  I'm not dead!  I'm over here!"  So that's where he is!  We bomb 'em!

Maybe he'll send out a video tape?  Obviously a fake!

Hey, Daily D, what about his terrorist friends saying he's really dead?
  C'mon, his friends are tired of him.  He's out of money and his cave kinda stinks.

So there you go!  We got him... no matter even if we really didn't.  A brilliant plan!

Yep, that's what I came up with at 4 am.  I think there was a diaper involved in there somewhere.  And like it, that theory stunk... so I also threw it away in the diaper champ.

Now don't get me started on chemtrails.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

It occurred to me today that there's something to celebrate almost every week if not every day.  Wasn't it just Easter?  Then Divine Mercy Sunday... Today, Mother's Day.

I was just thinking there's always something to look forward to and that's pretty cool.

Today we celebrate Mom's and that ought to be a big deal.  I just recently saw what a mother goes through to give birth... there should be a parade!  Or at least a t-shirt (see pic).

Saturday, May 7, 2011

A New Hope for Sleeping Like a Baby

Had a long night with Levi but I decided to make the most of it and so, as is the tradition that I started with Teresa when she was young and restless, we watched Star Wars.

I think I must watch Episode IV every year or at least every other.  I always forget how amazing it is.

Now Levi doesn't really watch it.  But I think he digs the music and enjoys all the classic lines.

And I don't think any Star Wars geek dad could resist, "Levi, I am your Father!"

Friday, May 6, 2011

The ramblings of one tired dude

Yes, I haven't had much sleep.  No, I haven't had much sleep.  Just like fat chances and slim chances are about the same thing.

We're all rooms with a view.  Some are nicer than others.  Every one is a little different.  And somehow it all works out which is amazing.

These days I find myself more and more amazed... impressed when things do work.  We plan for obsolesce. 

We're built to spill and yet we clean up good... with a little grace.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Triumph of the Victor

Or victory of the triumphant.  Took another shot at fixing the mower.  Went over the whole thing.  A bunch of theories about what happened and then started it up.... no leaks! 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Not quite Mister Fix-it

I'm definitely having a Charlie Brown moment.  Got our rider mower all prepped for Summer with the help of my neighbor Jim who can fix, repair, invent anything.

Got a new battery in.  Changed the oil and the oil filter but alas, all the oil came out as I pulled the mower back in the garage.  NUTS! 

Or maybe I should say good grief.  I'm not quite Mr. Fix-it. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Dream Vacation

Okay, so there's a few things I want to do on my next few days off...

Let my wife sleep in. 

Lots of daddy-daughter time... one cool thing is I've been making an extra effort to give time and attention to her since Levi is kind of in the spotlight. 

Just hold my son for hours and hours in the rocking chair my mom used to rock me in when I was his age.

Make a tuna casserole.

Moby Dick.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Osama bin Laden is dead

Okay, I must admit a guilty pleasure... I was watching Celebrity Apprentice.  Yeah, I know... pretty pathetic.  The show was building to a melodramatic end, when NBC news broke in to report a special news report that the president was about to speak on something big.

Then, they should have had a spoiler alert because they let the cat out of the Bhagdad (weird analogy and not quite geographically correct), and stated that Osama bin Laden was killed by US Troops.  An hour later the president gave his speech... yep, everything we heard in the 60 minutes leading up to it.  Sometimes the trailers spoil the movie.

Okay, how do I feel?  Good I suppose.  Justice may be delayed but, in the end, it's never denied.  It doesn't make me want to run outside and cheer U.S.A!  U.S.A!  I just hope the world is a safer place for my kids.  I hope for a better tomorrow for everyone in every country.  Maybe the world got a little mercy today.  Maybe Osama some too.

Now don't tell me how Celebrity Apprentice ended.  One spoiler is enough today.