I kidnapped my wife and took her to Mrytle Beach this weekend.? We did some site seeing, went to Starbucks, walked on the beach and then went to the Casting Crowns Concert Sat evening.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
I thought I saw a putty tat, I did I did....
Katy and I landed at Myrtle Beach safe and sound. The new land yacht made the trip nicely. I have a friend of mine that has an older Chevy Suburban and I used to give him grief about his HUGE land yacht. I can not tell you how many negative whiny comments I have made while driving behind one of those irritating land yachts. Not only can you not see what is going on in front of those monster machines but during wet weather they are almost as bad as a big rig going down the roads and throwing water all over the place. I can not do anything about throwing water all over the place during rain storms but I will be mindful of how it felt to be trapped behind one of those things. LOL. I love how high you sit off the ground and I like how quiet and smooth the ride is. You can not even hear the engine when it is running. Yes, if you have not guessed the obvious I am in love with the big blue beast.
On our way down to Myrtle Beach I looked over at Katy and she had this puzzled look on her face. I asked her what she was thinking about and she told me that she was thinking about the whole "Bailey must have eaten the hamsters" yarn that Bam Bam has been spinning for the last couple of days. If you think about it when the resident feline manages to catch anything there is nothing clean about it. Part of the thrill when you are hunting is when you capture the prey. It has been our experience from watching past forays into the wilderness that the kitty cat will proudly bring home its bounty and prance around in front of us or at least run past us to get under a piece of furniture so that it can play with its new found toy. Even if we are not privy to watch the feline gloating over its new found bounty you at least wind up finding the left overs when the cat gets bored with it later on. Bam bam was the only person who saw the supposed fur ball that Bailey coughed up on Thursday afternoon. The house cat is of the domesticated tame version that has not seen the grass outside of our front door. That means there is no place for the kitty cat to take its bounty except for right there where we live. Did Bailey swallow one hamster one day and then the other hamster the next day? Maybe Ginger the wannabe Billy goat is the culprit and Bailey is totally innocent.
Then there is the issue about the cage. Why would the cat suddenly grow interested in the two hamsters that have been there for over a year. If he knocked the cage off of Justin's dresser wouldn't the cage be slightly bent somewhere? If that did happen why would one hamster stay in the cage while the other one was gobbled up by the kitty cat? Did Sniffy or Huggy calmly sit by and watch the big bad putty tat eat their friend and not move a muscle. If it were me I would have died of a heart attack or made a run for my life. When we got home we would not have found either one of them. Hummmmmm
We think that Justin probably found one of the hamsters in a stiff position not breathing and freaked out about it. We have always had to remind him of how important it is to be a responsible pet owner and to be sure and feed and care for the rats in a timely fashion. He probably was worried that he would meet the wrath of mom or dad and be accused of rat abuse which ultimately lead to the demise of said rodent(s).
I am having flash backs of the yarn about the invisible burglar that crawled through the front window of our porch, broke Katy's antique table and then left out the back door without touching a thing. Nothing was broken other than the table and nothing was out of place. All sorts of stuff could have been picked up and hauled off and that did not happen. We found out several days later that the invisible burglar was bam bam himself. He did not want to admit he broke his mother's antique table that has been in her family for generations.
Missing things
As much as I try to resist it I find myself turning to my laptop and blogging for much needed therapy. I have a saying. Everything has its place. Well, it is true. If you want to find something again give it a permanent home where it resides and always put it back there when you are done using it. In the last week three things have seemingly wandered off despite our best efforts and keeping them in their respective homes. The first two items that are missing are Justin's hamsters Huggy and Sniffy. Trust me when I tell you that I was not involved in the name creation but I was involved in the adoption process. I not only paid good money for the rodents but Justin and I both signed papers at Pets Mart swearing before God and country that we would be responsible rodent owners. We got Huggy and Sniffy sometime last year. Every since then they both have been stinking up Justin's room as well as keeping the ferris wheel moving between the hours of 12 midnight and 6 am.
Several weeks ago Justin twisted Katy's arm and they bought a new and improved HOME for the rodents. I am not so sure what was so cool about the new cage but I do know that the rodents figured out how to break out of it OR our cat Bailey figured out how to break in and free them from captivity. Just the other day Justin told us that the cat was seen coughing up a fur ball and not too long after that one of the rodents, Sniffy, was pronounced missing. Sniffy was gone without a trace. Well, without a trace plus a fur ball the cat coughed up. I called the FBI to report a missing family member but when I had to give a physical description and one of the prime suspects was the family cat they told me they do not get involved in rodent/cat disputes. So much for that idea. As of this morning the other rodent, Huggy was pronounced missing by Justin. He thinks the RAT errrrr rodent is hiding somewhere in his room. If I were a rodent I can promise you that the last room I would hide in is Justin's room. That place is a natural disaster if I have ever seen one. Not only that but there is that god awful smell that we continually have to fight. I think that has to do with the animals constantly using his carpeting to tinkle on. Sigh.....
Now that I have the feline/hamster mystery fully disclosed here I can move on to the toothbrush fetish that one of the animals must have. I am thinking that the only way for me to figure out who was the culprit would be to do a breath freshness test with all the animals. You know the drill, stand up on your hind legs, open your mouth and say AAAHHHHHHH. LOL... I have lost two tooth brushes in the last several weeks. They are always located later all chewed up. The weird thing is it is not ever the handle that is chewed on but rather the bristles. Do the animals all of a sudden have an irresistible urge to practice good oral habits? I wonder if Bailey is snacking on hamsters in the middle of the night and then needs to go brush his teeth? Is that even possible?
The other thing that is missing is my love and appreciation for insurance companies. Insurance companies have never been on my top ten list with regards to favorite things to talk about. They rank right up there with politicians. Katy informed me last night that our health insurance is going up another 164.00 per month which means that they will be taking almost 600.00 per month out of her paycheck for insurance. They were already taking 432.00 out of her check for the last year for insurance. Open enrollment is coming up and I told Katy that she needs to see about dropping some options or whatever to see if we can lower that amount. I would LOVE to DROP that coverage however that is just not an option seeing that Katy and I are both baby boomer's in our middle 40's and we have teenage kids. I also found out that along with a bigger truck payment we are also the winners of a larger car insurance payment. I think that I need a substantial raise folks. LOL... The cost of living is going through the roof and our salaries are not going up to keep pace. The economists wonder why our economy is not booming. Could it be because no one can afford to go out and just spend money? We don't have any extra money to spend after we take care of the necessities.
OK, I think I feel much better now, thanks for listening. LOL...
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Blogging is better than a rerun on TV
Can I hear an AMEN or Oh ME? Blogging is much better than sitting in front of the boob tube aka Idiot box watching TV shows I have already seen before. We flipped channels tonight until I almost fell out of the chair with boredom. Actually, I got out of the chair and shut down the laptop and figured I would do something different tonight. I gave up my time in front of the TV for a trip to the restroom and then got comfortable in front of my main computer and scanned in some OLD pictures that Katy found the other morning when I was looking for the title to the Pontiac Grand Prix that I used to own. I remember when the Pontiac was NEW to us at least. The Pontiac had 50,000 miles on the odometer and that was GREAT compared to the 238K that was on the 93 Cadillac. The poor Caddy was just about done for. The red pimpmobile had been rode hard and put up wet on more than one occasion. In 2004 we got the Pontiac even when we did not think it was possible. Looking back now Katy and I had not really started working on our credit report in earnest. At that point in time I was in a defeatest attitude and had just given up. Anyway, Ashley Preferred took care of us and gave me a HUGE down payment on the Caddy even though the car was probably only worth about half of what he gave me. I also had a friend of mine loan me a down payment on the car as well. So, when you have a good down payment on a car sometimes it really does not matter how bad your credit is. Lets not forget the OUTRAGEOUS interest rate that you will get stuck with too. LOL...
Fast forward through 2.5 years of driving the silver bullet with little to no maintenance nightmares. The car certainly did not leave me stranded on I-26 at midnight like the Caddy did after getting off at 11 pm while working security downtown. I can not tell you how much fun that was. There is nothing like being stuck in a broke down car on the side of the freeway watching all the motorists fly by you and no one other than the police to stop by and check on you. One of the main reasons we got the SUV was we needed more room for passengers and cargo. There was nothing wrong with the Pontiac other than the kids were out growing it and we needed more room to be able to cart their friends around to church and youth group activities. So, now we are in a 2006 Dodge Durango. Did I tell you that I absolutely LOVE this vehicle? Did I tell you that I am praying that the gas prices will go DOWN even further since it costs more to fill it up than the pontiac. I figure that my gasoline expense went up about 80.00 per month with this new vehicle. Oh yeah, I need a name for the "Blue Goose" which I guess is the name for it until someone can come up with something clever.
There is not much new on the employment front these days. I go in at 8:30 am and get off around 5 or 6pm depending on how soon I can get out the door. I figure that there is no sense in my getting off at 5pm because the sooner to 5 that I enter into the drive home madness the more I will sit in a traffic jam. I told someone the other day that the reason we moved out of the BIG CITY in August of 1997 is because we HATED the big city living and the big city traffic nightmares. Atlanta Georgia is not much better in comparison and Charleston SC and Goose Creek SC are half as bad as that. Yet still the traffic around here is starting to remind me of big city congestion.
Despite the fact that I spend 90+ minutes of my life in traffic I am still riding in style these days. That reminds me of something. I have several friends who have been jumping my case about Katy not driving the new vehicle and getting stuck in the OLDER vehicles all the time. LOL... I had a LONG talk with Katy last night and told her that any time she wants to drive the SUV , she has a key, all she has to do is jump in and go. Does that mean that I will be over joyed at driving her 93 Ford Escort Station wagon? Of course not, anyone in their right mind would pick the Durango in a heart beat. Katy told me that if she wanted to drive the SUV she would but she would rather that I use the newer vehicle to make the longer trip to downtown Charleston. The Ford Escort has a LOT of miles on it and we are trying to baby it for as long as we can. We certainly can not afford a 2nd car payment. Well, anyway, that is the story on Katy and her driving the Durango. Katy has full access to it anytime she wants to drive it. In the very near future I will see about getitng her AC fixed in her car as well. I actually did go buy a hose and several cans of freon and tried to get the system to take it but it did not work. That probably means that something is wrong with it that will need to get fixed. Other than that the Ford is running ok for now.
I hear my bed calling me so I am going to wrap this up for now. Have a good day tomorrow and a good weekend.
Fast forward through 2.5 years of driving the silver bullet with little to no maintenance nightmares. The car certainly did not leave me stranded on I-26 at midnight like the Caddy did after getting off at 11 pm while working security downtown. I can not tell you how much fun that was. There is nothing like being stuck in a broke down car on the side of the freeway watching all the motorists fly by you and no one other than the police to stop by and check on you. One of the main reasons we got the SUV was we needed more room for passengers and cargo. There was nothing wrong with the Pontiac other than the kids were out growing it and we needed more room to be able to cart their friends around to church and youth group activities. So, now we are in a 2006 Dodge Durango. Did I tell you that I absolutely LOVE this vehicle? Did I tell you that I am praying that the gas prices will go DOWN even further since it costs more to fill it up than the pontiac. I figure that my gasoline expense went up about 80.00 per month with this new vehicle. Oh yeah, I need a name for the "Blue Goose" which I guess is the name for it until someone can come up with something clever.
There is not much new on the employment front these days. I go in at 8:30 am and get off around 5 or 6pm depending on how soon I can get out the door. I figure that there is no sense in my getting off at 5pm because the sooner to 5 that I enter into the drive home madness the more I will sit in a traffic jam. I told someone the other day that the reason we moved out of the BIG CITY in August of 1997 is because we HATED the big city living and the big city traffic nightmares. Atlanta Georgia is not much better in comparison and Charleston SC and Goose Creek SC are half as bad as that. Yet still the traffic around here is starting to remind me of big city congestion.
Despite the fact that I spend 90+ minutes of my life in traffic I am still riding in style these days. That reminds me of something. I have several friends who have been jumping my case about Katy not driving the new vehicle and getting stuck in the OLDER vehicles all the time. LOL... I had a LONG talk with Katy last night and told her that any time she wants to drive the SUV , she has a key, all she has to do is jump in and go. Does that mean that I will be over joyed at driving her 93 Ford Escort Station wagon? Of course not, anyone in their right mind would pick the Durango in a heart beat. Katy told me that if she wanted to drive the SUV she would but she would rather that I use the newer vehicle to make the longer trip to downtown Charleston. The Ford Escort has a LOT of miles on it and we are trying to baby it for as long as we can. We certainly can not afford a 2nd car payment. Well, anyway, that is the story on Katy and her driving the Durango. Katy has full access to it anytime she wants to drive it. In the very near future I will see about getitng her AC fixed in her car as well. I actually did go buy a hose and several cans of freon and tried to get the system to take it but it did not work. That probably means that something is wrong with it that will need to get fixed. Other than that the Ford is running ok for now.
I hear my bed calling me so I am going to wrap this up for now. Have a good day tomorrow and a good weekend.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
In loving memory of Jessica Ann Moffitt
September 11, 2001 is remembered by most due to the horrible disaster that happened when two jumbo jets flew into the north and south tower of the World Trade center. On that horrible day many innocent and not so innocent people lost their lives. All this week we have been reminded of this by the media and while it is important that we never forget those who lost their lives I feel regret that the families of these lost souls must be reminded over and over again via the media of their loss. One thing that we must remember is that a week from now the media reports will dwindle but the families will experience the pain of grief long after that.
Today lives in infamy for my family not only because of the world trade towers going down and the loss of human life but it reminds us of our daughter Jessica Ann Moffitt who would have been 16 years old today. Jessica Ann Moffitt died of cancer on August 5, 2001 around 2:30 am. I will never forget that moment in time for as long as I live. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of my daughter Jessica who brought so much joy and happiness to our lives. Jessica was born 3 months premature and spent the first three months of her life in NICU. We had a lot of folks praying for our little ray of sunshine and God brought her home to us and gave us 10 years with her. I am looking forward to the day when I reach the other side when I can run up to her in Heaven and hug her neck and tell her once again in person how much I love her.
Jessica, you live on in our minds and hearts and you will never be forgotten.
Love Daddy
James Moffitt
http://www.lightourworld.com
http://moffittjc.blogharbor.com/blog
james.moffitt@comcast.net
Today lives in infamy for my family not only because of the world trade towers going down and the loss of human life but it reminds us of our daughter Jessica Ann Moffitt who would have been 16 years old today. Jessica Ann Moffitt died of cancer on August 5, 2001 around 2:30 am. I will never forget that moment in time for as long as I live. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of my daughter Jessica who brought so much joy and happiness to our lives. Jessica was born 3 months premature and spent the first three months of her life in NICU. We had a lot of folks praying for our little ray of sunshine and God brought her home to us and gave us 10 years with her. I am looking forward to the day when I reach the other side when I can run up to her in Heaven and hug her neck and tell her once again in person how much I love her.
Jessica, you live on in our minds and hearts and you will never be forgotten.
Love Daddy
James Moffitt
http://www.lightourworld.com
http://moffittjc.blogharbor.com/blog
james.moffitt@comcast.net
Friday, September 08, 2006
Configuring the Cisco 851W or 871W: Standard IOS
This is an excellent article on how to configure a wireless router from Cisco...
Configuring the Cisco 851W or 871W: Standard IOS
Configuring the Cisco 851W or 871W: Standard IOS
Wireless Security Article from Tech Republic
The six dumbest ways to secure a wireless LAN by TechRepublic's George Ou -- For the last three years, I've been meaning to put to rest once and for all the urban legends and myths on wireless LAN security. Every time I write an article or blog on wireless LAN security, someone has to come along and regurgitate one of these myths. If that weren't bad enough, many "so [...]
James Moffitt
http://www.lightourworld.com
http://moffittjc.blogharbor.com/blog
james.moffitt@comcast.net
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Icicle and her ducklings
I must be bored because I decided to film my neighbors ducks and give them a few minutes of fame on the world wide web.? So, without further fan fare I give you Icicle and her ducklings.
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