Back in the day

So far I've been good in Washington. I've been able to run a few miles each day on a canal that parallels the Potomac River. I've been thinking to myself what it would have looked like back in the day when mules would pull the barges along the canal.

Today I found out. I had to run a little faster to catch up to the boat, but I managed to catch up and grab a few photos from my phone. It appears as if they had a tour group in the boat, but the guys operating the mules and the boat were in their period garb.

That's my stapler

Milton Waddams from Office Space is in the house.

"And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Kemper that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Travis too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married... But then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll, I'll, I'll set the building on fire... "

Also:

"The ratio of people to cake is too big."

DC day 1

It's day number 1 (for me) at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. It is nice rolling into an event that all of the set up is complete. But, Kemper is running a tight ship here, no slacking allowed!

We do have a cast of characters here... Kemper - Dew Tour Master, Vern - My equipment is working Master, Ray - Fonts Coordinator, Director, Producer, Switcher Master, and ME - sitting around watching everyone else work Master.

It is noteworthy to mention that I was once the Project Manager of the Legg Mason, even though it was probably in 1997. Back then we were still using DOS, Telxon's, Small Seven Segments, and Small Matrix Boards. I was the ETS guy, the EDM guy and the PM all in one. But things were simpler then. I led a team of horses and covered wagons to get the equipment from Jacksonville, FL. I used the US Postal service to get the office to mail me the graphic files on a floppy disk. I used a land line to call the office if I had any problems since cell phones were for the "rich." I know this is a hard one to believe, but back then we even had a Democrat as President and a budget surplus of nearly 200 billion.

Application

For my Father... Here it is! This picture was taken moments before I put the application into my backpack. Rest assured that I will not be using your tag to bag a deer.

Hunting Season

(photo: My Brother Todd)

Alas, hunting season is approaching. Even though the opening day of deer season is 3 months away, there are some tasks that need to be finalized over the next few weeks. One is purchase my license - COMPLETE, two is to send in my Doe License application - PENDING. The doe application process is somewhat tricky. I have to send in the license so that it doesn't arrive in Pennsylvania too early or too late. If it's too early, it will get sent back to me. If it's too late, I will likely not get a doe license. It's tricky, but not difficult. I have set a plan in place to mail the doe license on Friday, August 15 for it to arrive in PA on the following Monday - the day that out of state licenses are accepted.

Enter my Father. So far, I've had 3 emails and 2 calls reminding me that I need to remember to mail my doe license on Friday the 15th. This is a regular occurrence around this time of year. I speak to my father more in the first two weeks of August than I do over the next three months. This is part of the reason we like to call my father by the name of "dispatch." Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the calls from my father, I guess I wish that he would say "hey, how's your day?" instead of "hey, don't forget about your doe license."

The funny thing is that every time I've applied for my license I've received one. So there is no history that would cause these repeated phone calls. I did remind my father last night that I am 35 years old and have been living on my own for almost 17 years now. It is important to note that my father still mails the application for my Brother - Todd is now 42.

I guess we'll always be kids to my father. That's OK with me because I'm still a spoiled little brat. When I'm visiting home in Bellefonte, PA, I pretty much get what I want when I want. I usually walk in the door and my mother asks what I want for dinner each night. And my dad will even cook breakfast for me.

So dad, keep calling! At 35 years old it's not so bad being treated like a kid. Now, if I could only get my muscles and joints to respond like a kid.