Hot Dog!

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, July 3 marks the beginning of the forty (it runs through August 11 .. do the math) hottest, most sultry days of the summer months.

These "dog days of summer" get their name from Sirius (I'm serious), the "Dog Star" which is the brightest star in the heavens .. besides the Sun.

This dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans and according to Brady's Clavis Calendarism, these days were believed to be quite evil. A time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad ('I had to shoot my dog the other day.' .. 'Was he mad?' .. 'He wasn't too happy about it.'), and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies."

Just to add my "two cents" .. you sweat a lot, too.

In recent years the term "Dog Days" has also been used when referring to the stock market where summer is typically a slower time (great .. now I have to live at least ten more years than I planned just to recoup what I've lost). Stocks that perform poorly (what I did during most of the departmental recitals during my college days) and have little potential (two words that reoccurred frequently from the voice professors who attended those departmental recitals) are often called .. "dogs."

Today's blog entry is a departure from the norm: Informative with very little humor (as opposed to the usual: Non-informative .. with very little humor).

Still, some of you will be back tomorrow .. doggone it.

"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." - Proverbs 26:11

I Can't Handle the Pressure

I am now on day three of one of the must horrific sinus headaches I believe I have ever had. My face hurts. My neck hurts. Even my hair hurts.

I have been popping pills (Allegra-D) to help relieve the pressure (it finally got to me), but so far that has not been very effective. Like a small, sick .. if I had a dollar every time someone said I was sick .. child, I just want to be held (Hugs not Drugs).

Of course, there can be side effects when taking any type of medication (warning: may cause nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, blurred vision, vomiting and liver damage .. no problem, doc .. I love all that stuff) and this "med" (what the pros call it) is no exception.

The decongestant (that's what the 'D' means .. I am well acquainted with this letter, but strictly in the academic sense) can cause sleeplessness (ding, ding .. we have a winner!!) and irritability (wipe that smirk off your face or I'll slap it off for you .. Mrs. Wilson).

Allegra-D should be called a "recreational drug" because about an hour after taking it I could easily go mountain climbing (of course I usually just settle for the walls .. and ceiling).

So, here I sit.

I've had no sleep to speak of and my head is still pounding. I wish someone would take a ball-peen hammer and put me out of my misery.

Great news.

Cheryl just volunteered.

"It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt."

- Genesis 31:29a

Kev's Klip of the Week

Thanks jb for posting this on Facebook. When I saw it last night I immediately knew it had to be my mid-week movie moment: Mozart.

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound."

- Psalm 89:15a

The Cat's Out of the Bag

In the world of computers and technology I've never been what they refer to as an "early adopter" (evidently neither are Greg and Sheila, bless their hearts .. maybe this adoption fiasco is almost over), being the first on the block to have the latest and greatest.

I did stand in line on "opening day" when the iPhone 3G came out last year, but please remember that was the second generation version. There's a difference.

If anything, I wait until just after the new model comes out (that Heidi Klum .. five foot, eight and a half inches tall .. four feet of that is legs) to purchase the "end of life" version .. the best bang for the buck (I understand bangs are 'in' this year in the male deer community).

Since Apple's new OS .. that's 'operating system' for you non-technical folk .. (Snow Leopard) is due out in September, it only seemed fitting that I finally upgrade my operating system (Tiger) to the current version (Leopard).

Of course, I used to think Panther was the cat's meow, but as newer software started being developed it was clear by the "minimum requirements" .. that cat had been declawed.

Last night I pounced on Leopard and, so far, it hasn't come back to bite me.

What's next .. Ocelot? Cougar? Tabby?

There are still several more varieties of the feline family from which to choose.

Me?

I'm staying with Leopard for a while .. as long as it runs fast and keeps purring smoothly.

Gotta go wolf down some breakfast. Later.

"And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning." - Ezekiel 1:14

Good Morning, Americans .. It's Monday

I can't believe it's Monday again! Didn't we just have one of those .. last week?

While searching for a picture for today's post (btw, I spend more time trying to find the 'perfect pic' than actually writing this stuff .. shocking, isn't it?), I stumbled upon a cartoon of the word "Monday" lying on a psychiatrist's couch next to the doctor who had pencil and pad in hand. The caption read, "Everybody hates me!"

Why do we have so much disdain for one little day of the week?

Wouldn't it be better to direct that anger at something far more horrible .. like lawyers, tax collectors or music ministers who never pick your favorite hymn .. or even worse .. never pick a single hymn?

What did Monday ever do to deserve this type of shabby treatment?

1) It is always consistent (every seven days you can count on it being there .. check a calendar if you don't believe me). 2) It is the first day of the week (okay, Sunday should deserve that honor .. however, most people consider it a part of the weekEND .. a time where they do exactly what they want .. as demonstrated by yesterday's church attendance) and everyone likes being first. 3) On occasion, Monday is turned into a holiday (Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.), resulting in a three day weekend.

What's not to love?

Monday. So underappreciated .. and misunderstood.

Join me tomorrow as we discuss what it feels like to be "number two."

It's about Tuesday .. gutter mind.

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Sunday: A Day of Rest .. from Blogging

"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." - I Timothy 5:13

Reunited and It Feels So Good

The trip I had to make to Memphis yesterday proved to be a productive one.

My MacBook Pro (which had been sent in to replace a faulty graphics card) was ready for pick up so I also made an appointment at the "Genius Bar" (Apple's name for their tech support area .. and btw, don't walk up and say, 'Hey genius, tell me what's wrong with this' .. they can be offended easily) to repair a broken "ring silence button" on my iPhone.

I had an 11:45 appointment with one of the geniuses .. uh make that tech guys .. so I arrived at the Apple Store about thirty minutes early to "ooh" and "ah" a bit over all the "goodies."

Every time I go to the Apple Store I'm just like a kid in a candy shop .. of course the "candy" there is more expensive and if you grab a "piece" and try to run out the door, they call the police and STILL call your mom .. totally not worth it.

Upon arrival I reported to the "Concierge" (who's really like a Wal-Mart greeter .. except about forty years younger .. Apple really knows how to "class up" things .. I bet they could even make poop seem exotic) who checked me in and called someone in the back (this would normally be a 'stockboy' .. I'm not sure of his 'Jobs ordained' title, however) to retrieve my repaired (at no charge) laptop.

The MacBook Pro came out with a new logic board and some new memory (a two gig stick of RAM) which was evidently causing a Kernel Panic (the Mac equivalent to Microsoft's 'blue screen of death' .. not to be confused with Colonel Paneck, the military leader).

One down. One to go.

My iPhone 3G will be a year old on July 11 (I was number ten in line on 'opening day' .. see that post in the archives if you want to relive it with me) and I was prepared for them to do an in-store repair to replace the broken button. However, I wasn't prepared for what was in store.

They gave me a new phone. That's right. A new phone.

For my money (oh, wait .. it didn't cost a dime) Apple has the finest customer service, bar none.

Make that .. GENIUS bar none.

"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things I do declare" - Isaiah 42:9