It's Friday again, and time for another Blog. It seems the only time I have to Blog is on Friday's when I run THE ZONE!
So far, the third computer seems to be holding up! I guess the third time's the charm. We are sending THE ZONE to the World! I wish I knew if anyone were logged on, it would make sitting here when I am SUPPOSED to be on vacation worth while.
Our new computers arrived this week. In one week, our Communication Division here at this hallowed hall of academic excellence where I teach is going from a PC lab to a MAC lab. When I started here 12 years ago, we are a Mac based division. Then our former president (of the university, not the United States) merged us with the Business Division. So now we are the Business and Communication Division. Sound weird? It does to me also. However our former President said that she had a chat while sitting next to someone on an airplane that the new business would be based on Communication. It sounded good to her, so we were merged. Were we consulted? NO! In fact the merger screwed one of the best people I have worked for. When she heard what happened, she quit. Anyway, when the Business types came over and surveyed the building they decided that we needed to go with PC's because that's what THEY used! Did PC's do graphics, video, audio and web pages as good as Macs? HELL NO! But that didn't matter! So for the last 8 years yours truly has been bitching, moaning, complaining and requesting new Macs everytime the fiscal year ended. Fast forward to today -- our PC's, our 8 year old PC's are dying one by one. If you follow computers you now know that PC's do almost everything Macs have been known for as well as Macs. PCs still give you the Blue Screen of Death more often when trying to do graphics, but not enough to justify skipping over PCs for Macs. Fifteen minutes before I was to send in the request for new PC's to replace our division's computers, I get a call from the new president's office -- she says "I know that you have been wanting Macs for 8 years -- your request has been granted. Order new Macs! So here I am spending most of my Summer Vacation installing 22 new Macs, and a server! We are going to be cutting edge in Audio, Video and Web Design in our program. Our kids are going to be way ahead of anyone else out there when they graduate! The moral of the story -- be careful what you wish for! You just might have to give up your vacation to make it happen!
The other bizarre happening this week concerns my Father. Nice guy -- he spent 27 years in the Navy and retired in 1969, bought the farm where I grew up, and stayed there. Since my mother died 6 years ago, he has lived there by himself -- just he and the dog. He's in his 80's and I think there's something going on with him. He has Macular Degeneration -- to the point where he cannot see directly in front of him. If he wants to watch TV, instead of looking directly at the screen, he has to look to the side of the screen. That lets him see the screen through his side vision. If he's looking right at you, he can't see you. But if he looks over your shoulder, he can see you. However, since he has been driving since 1939, and spent 27 years flying, By God he's not going to let a little blindness keep him off the road. So three years, and three wrecks later, all rear-enders when he plowed into the back of stopped cars that he didn't see, he has finally totalled his truck. I don't know if he's gotten the hint yet, or if the cops have taken away his license, but I hope one of those things have happened. He hasn't hurt or killed anyone yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Two years ago was the last time I visited him at home. I went up there for Christmas, and to let him meet and get to know my new bride Terri. Everything went well until Terri started fixing Christmas Dinner. She went NUTS in the kitchen, fixing everything I could remember my Mom would fix for Christmas. She spent hours in the kitchen trying to put together the first home cooked Christmas dinner Dad had eaten since Mom died. Dad showed her where everything was in the kitchen -- including the Cinnamon -- this becomes important in a moment. Dad loves sweet potatoes. He is the only one in the family that loves sweet potatoes -- so Terri made sweet potatoes the way Mom used to. The recipe calls for Cinnamon. Terri couldn't find the Cinnamon -- she had forgotten where Dad told her it was. Dad was asleep, so she came and asked me where the Cinn. was -- it was where Mom had kept it for years, so I got it down for her. Dad comes out in the kitched (he woke up right then) sees me getting the Cinn. down, and blows his stack! I get a "World Class U.S. Navy chew out" because I got in HIS cabinets! Okay, I got these chew outs every other day when I lived there as a kid so I was used to it. THEN he turned on Terri and chews her out for going through HIS STUFF without asking.
This was after Terri spent five hours preparing the Christmas dinner. So she starts crying -- all she wanted to do was give her new father-in-law a taste of the old days for Christmas! Dad then announces that since Terri and I had gotten into his stuff, he wasn't going to eat Christmas Dinner with us. Terri runs out of the kitchen crying, and I follow her -- I find her on the stairs and tell her "get your stuff together, we're out of here". Then I go back and calmly (more calm than I thought I could be) that he had indeed told her where the Cinnamon was, and that if she forgot, then I knew where it was -- since I had lived in that house for 14 years before I left I knew where he and Mom kept things -- give her a break. He insisted that he never said where the Cinnamon was, and that he didn't appreciate us going through his stuff. So I told him that he wouldn't have to worry about it any more, we were going home, and to enjoy his dinner. He said it would be a cold day in hell before he ate that dinner, so I said fine -- and took it out into the field and dumped it. Ham, Green Beans, Rolls, Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Pie, Corn and Peas all went out onto the ground so the wild animals could have a feast. Then we left.
Dad and I didn't speak for about a year. Sure, he's my Dad, but you don't treat people (like my wife) the way he did. Finally after much cajoling by Terri, I started calling him once in a while, and writing him twice a month. HIs Birthday was this past June 2nd, and Father's Day followed not too long after that. We sent him a card for each, with a gift card worth $50.00 at Kroger for his birthday.
Today I get the Father's Day card back from him -- unopened -- marked "Refused". The SOB said he didn't want to accept the card. I have no clue what he's pissed about now, and I really don't much care anymore. The only thing I could figure is that he is pissed that I didn't call him on his Birthday? Hell, it was storming here, and he goes to bed before I get home from work. I guess I am going to try one more time to get in touch with him by mail, if that doesn't work I'll try the phone. If that doesn't work, then I don't have a Father anymore.
It's not much different now than it was when I was growing up. He was there, but he wasn't there. He was mostly drunk. Now, he's senile. The only difference is that he isn't spending the family money on booze anymore.
Enough of this depressing stuff. For the first time in three weeks it's going to be Sunny this weekend! I may even get to mow the lawn! WHOO-HOO! BLOG OUT!
posted by Eric at 3:50 PM
