Tomax India knows how to party!

I haven't been to a Tomax Christmas party for the past three years because I've been at the US National Table Tennis Tournament in Las Vegas. But this year, we're skipping that tournament so I'll get to go.

I noticed that Tomax India sure knows how to throw a party. Everyone is all smiles! Last time I went to a Tomax Christmas party, it was lots of drinks and fancy cheese. Not much smiling and real partying. Someone from Tomax India ought to come over and help us to let down our hair!

Looks like they even got Tay Zonday to come dance for them. Luckies!

Cathi is finally on her own

After Cathi's marathon yesterday, I convinced her to keep her own record instead of piggy backing on mine. So she created her own - http://cathigridley.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment so she is motivated to stick with it.

Don't be self centered people!

This morning really early, I took Cathi and a couple of her running buddies to Salt Lake to catch the bus for the start of the Deseret News Marathon. Just as we got off the freeway heading for the Energy Solutions Arena someone mentioned Obama and the new initiative to reform Health Care.

Cathi asked, "So what's the biggest problem you have with it?". The first answer.... "The biggest thing is that I'll have to help pay for everyone else." He kept going on and Cathi asked me "So you're not going to pipe up?" I said "No, you guys are starting a Marathon in a few minutes here and I don't want to start a debate." Seriously I didn't want to make any comment that would distract them from focusing on their race, but the comments started to annoy me.

"Emperor Obama" (as the runner titled him) has demanded a decree. Why are so many people (including myself) willing to consider politicians as angels or demons. Not everything is black and white. There is grey area everywhere and very few (including the politicians themselves) completely understand every impact that many of these important decisions really will make on our country. There is so much speculation on what the outcomes really would be from a particular change.

My take on this particular issue of socialized medicine in the United States is very simple....

It's no mystery that one of the historical and most likely future systems of community living among LDS folk, is the United Order. One of the main things is that those who enter the law of Consecration do so voluntarily. But last time I attended the temple, there weren't a whole lot of people raising their hands or walking out in a huff. Don't these anti-social people realize that socialized health care is one step towards something more resembling the United Order, than what we have today? So if you're one of those people who object to living the law of Consecration, keep on complaining, you deserve to. But if you agree that living the law of Consecration is for you, then please zip it regarding "paying for everyone else".

Many people who cannot afford health care don't get the care they need. And when people who have it, don't want reform mainly because it means they'll have to step up and help those who don't, chaps my hide. Sometimes we forget that everything we have comes from the Lord, and we need to quit worrying about how we're going to keep all we have to ourselves instead of helping others.

Now I'm not saying that everyone who opposes socialized health care is stingy, or self centered. There are many reasons to oppose it, but if that is the main concern, that bugs me.

Qwest technician

A couple days ago we finally caved in and decided to get the internet at home with a couple of rules:

1. Someone must be in the room with you when you're on the internet
2. Three strikes and the internet is gone from our home
3. If you accidentally stumble on something, report it, or it counts as a strike
4. All activities will be monitored so don't try to be sneaky or it will count as two strikes.

Anyhow, the guy who installed it said there wasn't a phone line in the office. That wasn't true and I found it hard to believe. But I was at work when he made the claim and wasn't about to argue with him at work. So he installed it in the kitchen and then we had to use the stupid netgear wireless adapter to get it to work on one computer in the office. Lame.

So when I got home from yesterday's triathlon I took a look on the side of the desk and sure enough there was a phone jack. I plugged a phone into it and got a dial tone. Lazy qwest dude! So I plugged the router into it using the filter thing and didn't get the DSL light to stay solid. I called tech support and they had to actually wire the jack for the internet. So I set up an appointment for Monday.

About an hour later I thought, how tough can it be? At least open the cover and see what kind of wiring it involves. So I did and there were only two wires to hook up. So I changed the wiring in the office to match the kitchen and moved the kitchen back to using a normal phone connection. Still no connection. Then I asked Jacob if the tech went downstairs at all. He did, so I went and looked at the connections downstairs. Apparently the green wires aren't used at all for phone. The was only one set of green wires that were connected. So I traced the line from the office and took the green wires from there and hooked them into one set of green wires that were hooked together and joila! Internet service. Took about 30 minutes to figure out and now we got it.

So it wasn't that tough. Any idiot can do what a qwest technician guy does. I'm a perfect example of that.

Lucy's 9th Birthday

Lucy turns 9 next week, but Austin and I will be up at Scout Camp so today we're celebrating her birthday. This morning I got up and took her to IHOP and she ordered some Strawberry pancakes. She's such a little eater. She could barely eat half. Afterwards she picked out a toy up front and got a cow bank. When you put a coin in the top it would Moo. She loved it. I let her take all the coins out of my car and put them in and it was mooing the whole way home.

I love Lucy cause she is so obedient. When I ask her to do something she typically just says "Yes Sir." and does it. Occasionally she complains, but for the most part she just does it without any attitude. Sometimes I'm afraid she doesn't see me as a Dad, but as a drill sergeant. One day she kept calling me "Sir". She would start a question with, "Sir?" After about half a dozen times of her calling me that, I would remind her, "I'm your Dad, you can call me Dad". Makes me think sometimes I'm a little harsh with these kids and need to tone down the ordering.

I'm glad I got at least one girl. Lucy puts up with alot and can dish out the pain just as well as the other boys. On her Low Reunion Jersey her nickname on the back of her shirt says, "Outnumbered". That is true, but she is good about collecting supporters. She has her club which Isaac, Sam and Jonas all seem desperately to be a part of. That little collection of four can often times take on Austin and Jacob pretty well. And Oliver is a toss up between anyone who will give him attention. Jacob and Lucy do that quite well.

Happy Birthday Lucy - Your a wonderful daughter!

Sam's stash of cookies

I got home from work yesterday and was in the garage when I looked down and saw Sam had stashed a huge bag of cookies right into his bike seat (with the missing top). I had to laugh, cause there was probably 2000 calories worth of ginger snaps in there.