I've had 4 days of downtime and am basically ready to get back to work after a relaxing Thanksgiving break.

I've slept, did laundry, played on the computer a bit, and watched TV. It's downtime I guess I really needed as I don't seem to get much these days what with work, billiards, commuting, and everything else.

     So, it's mid-afternoon on Sunday, and I'm sitting here watching the Giants vs Seahawks game. The first quarter just finished and the 'Hawks are in front 7-0. I've been a "fan" (if you can call it that) of the Seahawks for awhile. I'm not a football fanatic, but I've always rooted for the Seahawks. I'm glad their season is going so well this year and I'd really like to see a Superbowl trophy head up to Seattle! Guess we'll see...

Well, back to the game and preparations for the coming workweek. Still not making much progress on the new project, and will probably be having a sit-down with project management to discuss my concerns. It seems like the system I'm supposed to be building upon isn't as far along, or ready, as I thought it was (and as far along as others thought it was as well...) Good news in billiards, my 9-Ball team has Monday off, and the 8-ball team; well... let's not go there!

My 9-Ball team performed nearly flawlessly this past Monday night. We won more than we lost, and had a good, fun, close match. This is the type of match I really enjoy; especially when one of my newest, and least experienced players manages to eke out a win, and manages to win the match for the team in the process. So, another match under our belt; 53-47.

My 8-Ball team did pretty good, we won the first two games, but I managed to get my stick handed to me pretty solidly... I played an good player and acquaintance of mine, the captain of the other team. He's a very skillful player and worthy opponent. I played very well, just not quite good enough. We also lost the fourth game, and I didn't have a fifth player available; so we lost 2-3. Better than the week before; and not as good as we could do; I've got good players on my team. I think its just a matter of me not being a very good or motivating captain in 8-Ball. This is a problem I'll have to deal with I guess. Just not sure where to begin.

As I sit here pondering the day ahead, planning activities for the day, I'm also thinking back over all the things that happened this week. I didn't get picked for the jury. I did get some type of start on a new project at work (but its going to take a while to get any understanding of this one; it's not an easy project at all and not really my area of expertise unfortunately). My 9-Ball team swept our opponent Monday night 66-34, but my 8-Ball team fell flat on its face, or they would have if they had showed up. Only Sonja and I were at the match; the rest of my team could not arrive in time to avoid forfeiting... and I got beat by an 8 on the break... not the worst way to lose; that's for sure.

I'm looking out the window and it looks like its going to be a beautiful Sunday. Clear skies, sun is shining, birds are singing. I think it's a good day to rake leaves, put away the water hoses from the summer, clean up the yard, and make everything ready for Winter, now that the temperatures have finally cooled off.

I've also got lots of chores around the house to take care of; laundry, dishes, vacuuming, you name it... typical Sunday at my place.

I guess it's time to fix breakfast and get my day going, and prepare for the coming week. It's a short one since Thanksgiving is upon us! Holidays are great; a good time to reflect on the past year and plan for the coming months. Signing off for now!

So, I'm just sittin' here at Drinks on a Friday evening. Just finished some updates to the club's site, and have been visiting with some of my many friends here. Last night, I watched a DVD of some "home-made" camera footage, taken by a friend of mine as he was journeying down to the New Orleans area taking some of his family members back to their homes. The footage was NOT at all what you see on TV. The utter devastation; homes literally "floated" off their foundations and laying in the streets (obvious, as they were being driven around). This is the state of things there NOW too. Several months AFTER Katrina visited her devastation on the area.

I visited New Orleans in 2004 for a conference... walked the streets of the French Quarter, and the surrounding area... and was at the convention center by the Superdome. Granted, my friend's video was taken in St. Bernard's Parish, not N.O. proper... but still; the total loss of EVERY home in every neighborhood they went through; walls blown in, blown out, houses completely put underwater and washed down the street by the water as it inundated the area... it really makes you think, and feel.

I count myself lucky that I don't have relatives in the area, and at the same time, I feel for my friends that DO have family and relatives suffering through this disaster.

The evening news focuses on the wrong aspects of this disaster... even a couple of months after the event. People are the story. Not the response of the government, or the police, or the riots and looting. Normal people, their lives shattered, possessions, keepsakes, family mementos, and pictures, gone. And not just in N.O., but over the ENTIRE area.

Well, enough of this... I think I'll have another cold beer. And thanks the stars for all the blessings bestowed on me.
(And darn it, I still have to get ready for jury duty on Monday!)

Good night all...

I'm just sitting here watching the end of the NASCAR race at TMS on TV... and have my laptop (in my lap, of course). I've been updating the pub websites I maintain. I've tweaked the Drink's Saloon website (www.drinkssaloon.com) and got it working and looking pretty much the way I want.

I also recently updated the ORileys Billiards website (www.orileys.com). These updates make my life a little easier since I've updated my web tools to something much more modern and easy to use. I used to use Claris Homepage 2.0 and 3.0 to do my web development. However, this software has not been updated in several years, and doesn't even run on Mac OS X... requiring me to run the Classic environment to use it. I'm getting used to the new software I'm using (RapidWeaver from RealMac Software, Ltd. - www.realmacsoftware.com) I really like the way it handles web logging (a feature Homepage never had), and also how it integrates with iPhoto to set up and manage photo albums online.

I've now used RapidWeaver on my own personal site, two pub sites, and am working on two other sites with it right now; one of which is almost done, and the other is still pretty much a "work in progress".

The other big change in how I do things now versus a year ago; I'm "wireless" and use an Airport Express base station, hooked into my stereo (so I can listen to my iTunes music), and into my Surfboard cable modem with Comcast cable internet. While I work on webstuff like this, I can download the latest developer updates from Apple that I need this coming week at work, watch a movie on TV (or listen to music if I want), and all from the comfort of my recliner instead of in my home office in the back of the house.

Things sure have changed in the world of computers! Now, I think I'll just relax a bit and get ready for an upcoming week of work, billiards, computers, meetings, and shopping. And, think about getting ready for jury duty as I just got summoned to appear in about a week...

Last night, my 9-Ball team, "Who's Next?" in Dallas APA took on the other 9-Ball team from our home club; Drinks Saloon. The first four of the five matches in our league match went basically like I expected; we won 2 of them, the other team won 2... that's the way most of the league matches go in this division; fairly close.

The fifth match, I played against (quite probably) THE best player I've ever played against. I was somewhat nervous, but not unduly so. I looked at this match as an opportunity to both learn, and to play my game as well. The first rack started off slow, but I made 8 of the 10 points in the rack (each ball is worth a point, with the 9-Ball worth two points).

The next 9 racks weren't so kind. I made 5 more points over those 9 racks, with my opponent taking the remainder, minus "dead" balls (balls going in on bad hits, or scratches. He shot 3 racks from break to the 9 while I just sat and watched. It was a pleasure watching someone so skilled at the game; I just wish he would have been playing someone else!

I did get a lot of practice racking 9-Ball racks, and attempting to make shots to try to get back into the game. In the end, my opponent won the match 17 to 3, given our respective skill levels. One thing about playing someone so skilled; it's a very humbling experience. Still doesn't make it feel any better! I like to win!