Wednesday Tease

The end of summer!

Here's Your Sign

School of Hard Knocks

The pace has picked up at school. The work load has increased. There are time when I wonder if I can meet all the deadlines. It seems to take longer to complete the assignments than it did to begin with. I'm sure it is just me. The classes keep plugging along. I always feel like I'm just barely hanging on, lest I get behind. Oddly, I'm up to speed with the rest of the class and my grades are good. I think it comes from placing too high of an expectation on myself. I want to walk in, already knowing the material and ace the class with no more effort than showing up. Of course, I'm not that intelligent, so it will never happen. Most of my frustration comes from not doing everything perfectly right on the first try. It usually takes me at least 2 or 3 times. I hate that about myself. I doubt there is very little I can do to change it. I deal with and move on. Thankfully, a break will be upon us in a couple of weeks. I can't wait. They should have more of them. It helps ease the feelings of frustration and being overwhelmed. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Tuesday Tease

I can relate.

Monday Tease

Nice abs!

Thursday Tease

Who knew cricket players

were in such great shape!

World of Wonder

I love a comfy swing!

Wednesday Tease

This is a great idea!

What I Did Today

There was a building here......

Now relocated to here.

What I've Done This Week

Stakes for one corner of the house.

The only remaining brush pile.

Trees marked for removal by the bulldozer.

More trees marked. Thirty in all.

View to my grandparents'/parents' house.

One Million Thanks!

Ultra Dave turns 1 year old!

I cannot adequately express my gratitude for all the 1805 comments my loyal, faithful readers have left on my 1934 posts since this blog's inception. They have truly been a blessing for me. For the first time in a decade, I no longer felt alone in the world. I felt valued as a human being. There is no way to convey how much that has helped alleviate my depression and isolationism. My deepest, most heart felt thanks to you all!

Tuesday Tease

Nice musculature!

Here's Your Sign

Very specific.

World of Wonder

No one figured this out beforehand?

Monday Tease

Celebrate! Rejoice!

Busy Busy

Well, we have been at it again, now that we have finished up the renovations on my grandparent's house for my parents. We have cleared out some more trees and brush on my property. Some time within the next week, the bulldozer will arrive to remove stumps, level the place up and install the driveway. I'll get some pictures up of the before and after.

We still have to get my father's shop built, get my parents moved, and fix up the yard. As well as do some minor cosmetic touch ups to their current house before putting it on the market. Once it is sold, we will begin building. Hopefully, it will sell quickly and we can get started.

The plan has been chosen, again. This makes the third one. It has been a difficult choice as to what to build. I don't need much space and trying to find a small, functional plan was more problematic than I thought it would be. I think I've looked at almost a thousand plans. I would love to show it to y'all, but with the copyright laws are, I don't wanna take the chance of a violation.

It is only 1,000 sq ft. It has 3 bedrooms and one full bath that connects directly to the master bedroom and hallway with a laundry closet. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all open to one another, making it seem rather spacious. A large front porch and large open rear deck round out the plan. It has amble closet space for storage and wall space for furniture and art placement. A nice gas fireplace with flanking built in bookcases to either side. Some of the details are still being debated depending on cost such as the hardwood floors through out and granite counter tops, but when further along I'll be able to tell more about it.

So far, so good, even if a bit of a glacier pace. I'm getting a bit more excited as details are firmed up. Hopefully, with all the carefully planning, I won't have to cut corners to get it finished and on budget. That's where it stands as of today.

Saturday Tease

Where did those handcuffs go?

I'd help him search.

Party Over There

Later this evening, a buddy and I will be

heading to Winston Salem, NC, to a Wine and Cheese

Party of a mutual friend. It should be a nice

way of welcoming Fall.

Here's Your Sign

Ad Appreciation

If those shorts were really that enhancing,

I'd buy them!

Thursday Tease

Such a poser!

Schoolin'

I've studied long and hard for my test today. I feel good about it. If I don't know the information by now I never will. It covers the first five weeks of class so there is a lot of terminology to keep straight. Thankfully, this class has been easy up to this point and has almost been a review of the most basic computer stuff. Wish me luck!

Update: Scored a 97! Woohoo!!!

Morning Giggle

Tuesday Tease

I have a major test Thursday I've been

studying for, so posting may be light.

I wish he was my study partner!

What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

Disliking English Says You Are Energetic

You are a fast moving, energetic, and ambitious person. For you, English is too slow and nuanced. You don't have the time for all that reading and writing. Besides, what fun is living through stories when you could just go do the real thing. Forget the travelogs, you rather travel the world. Forget the poetry, you rather fall in love

What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

Afternoon Giggle

Morning Giggle

When statuary goes bad!

In Memoriam

Do you remember what you where doing

or where you were you when you

first heard the news of the

attack?

I do.

Thursday Tease

The gay world wide web!

Morning Giggle

Back To School

So far the first few weeks of the new semester have been great! Learning some new stuff, meeting some old classmates and meeting new ones. My schedule is a bit wacky this time around. I have one class at the Polkton campus, 22 miles from home from 1pm to 3pm. My next class is on the Monroe campus, only 10 miles away, from 6pm till 8pm. Thankfully, both are on Tuesdays and Thursdays so the entire week isn't shot. I usually have about 90 minutes once I get home from the afternoon class to relax, study, chill with the dog or surf the Internet before heading off to the evening class. I'm making good grades thus far and hope that will continue. I really don't see any reason for it not to. These classes actually have more homework assignment than previous ones. I've certainly had to learn to manage my time a little better, which means a little less time spent online. My biggest concern now is trying to get through it without the former problem of losing interest or medication issues.

Silence of The Lamb

Here's Your Sign

I keep looking for this area!!!

Happy Labor Day!!!!

Makes work more bareable!!! LOL

Saturday Tease

Who you gonna call?

Sport's Oops!

He really enjoys wrestling!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my father's birthday. He turned 72 years old! Amazingly, he is still in pretty decent health for the most part, no major concerns for his age. He does have asthma that is under control. Otherwise, just a little slower than he use to be and a little less stamina. Of course, now he is feeling his mortality really acutely. His father passed away at 73 with emphysema. My father seems to think his days are numbered. Hopefully, it won't become a self fulling prophesy.

He is the second oldest of 5 children, born to sharecropper parents. He managed to realize his dreams of owning a brick home a couple of times over. He is involved with Hospice and his church. He socializes almost daily with his cronies at Hardee's for morning breakfast. He has been a great inspiration to me, just to see how possible it is to rise above your circumstance. He has always been and still to this day, a hard worker, constantly busy with things around the house or for his family or neighbors. As a child, I remember him working two jobs to make ends meet. Some how he found time to coach my baseball team, take the Boy Scouts camping and still be the best father a boy could ever have!

Happy Birthday Daddy! You're gonna have many more!!

Thursday Tease

The end of summer is in sight!

Morning Giggle

September

I love the arrival of September. As the summer draws slowly to a close and the nights cool down, I love waking up to the crispness in the air that replaces the heat and humidity. I enjoy watching the leaves turn their autumnal hues and the dry rustle as the breeze sets them free. I like the cool mornings with dew glistening in the lower sun angle. The sparkle of a light frost is mesmerizing to me. It heralds the arrival of sweater weather and crackling fires in the hearth. All the really cool holidays are no longer far off. The world seems to pause and catch it's breath. It all seems more quiet, more peaceful than summer and spring. Soon the sounds of lawn mowers and fans will be a memory. I look forward to the change of seasons. I'm ready to embrace my corduroys and wools. Ready for brisk afternoon temps. And certainly ready for the holidays that bring family, friends and strangers alike, closer, if only for a few weeks each year.

Tuesday Tease

World of Wonder

Very talented and too much time on their hands!