WonderDawg

Working at it

2008-07-03T00:07:00.001-05:00

"It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay " - Feist

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Twitter or thinking out loud in 140 characters or less...

2008-07-02T23:02:00.004-05:00

A lot of times I think about creating a great post on something I want to say, but I fail to capture in words what I really want to say on this blog.

I am so out of the groove, but enjoying the new deluxe groove I'm in with traveling and talking to clients about search engine marketing on behalf of AT&T. I'm in my element (soon to be Honda Element) out and about in the field rather than being behind a desk all day. Since April, I'm been to Lousiville (caught my 1st sinus infection), New Orleans (saw the Ninth Ward), Baton Rouge (great seafood), Memphis (ribs and wings!), Atlanta (three weeks of traffic) and some other cities lined up.

When I travel, I gotta watch adding tonnage on my carcass, to make sure I'm smart, healthy and still can fit in my suit and tie outfits. But considering I'm walking a lot visiting business, I get some decent exercise on a daily basis.

To the right is my Twitter updates, which is the best I can do in 140 characters or less. If you're not on Twitter, you should be - it's a neat way to follow your friends, pass notes back and forth and find great info to share (like Jim did) such as:

Go to Google first
Type in “Chuck Norris”
Click on “I’m Feeling Lucky”

Other than Twittering, I'm thinking about Google and Yahoo! in my sleep, the 4th of July, fireworks, carpentry, gadgets and GearDiary.com, buying Vandy season tickets, the new iPhone and permanently laying off beef (three weeks not counting the 3 rectum rockets from Krystals).

Have fun ya'll -

Memphis BBQ Ribs

2008-06-22T22:38:00.004-05:00

Just when I thought I was done eating ribs, a group of my peers traveled to downtown Memphis to check out the Rendevous Restaurant. Good stuff and friendly service from the long time servers (even though one of them threw a hissy fit over splitting the check six ways - you're rolling the dice on additional tip monies...)

The dry rub seasoning was superb. What I found interesting is the the locals prefer eating at Corky's which says a lot about a chain BBQ restaurant; one Corky's location had a two hour wait.

More rib photos at my Flickr Memphis Road Trip collection

We'll have to see what the doctor says about the pork - more Lipitor may be a daily fixture on the menu.

Buying a Battery - Radio Shack Style

2008-06-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

Ok, picture this - I walk into a Radio Shack and ask for a battery recharger for a alarm system lead free battery. It's a small brick that is used for 12 volt applications.

"You don't need a recharger for that type of battery."

"it says on the box that it can be recharged hundreds of times..."

"The alarm system charges it everyday."

"So why is the battery dead?"

"All of the recharges have been used up."

"So you're telling me this rechargeable battery can't be recharged?"

"Nope, it only recharges while it is being used."

$37.00 later, I buy the same battery and just move on...

Reminds me of the guy who ran our IT department in North Carolina - he came from a Radio Shack.

Happy Father's Day (Homer Style)

2008-06-08T11:16:00.001-05:00

Father and Son

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY FROM 'THE SIMPSONS"
BART, LISA AND MAGGIE: START COUNTING YOUR D'OH! SUNDAY IS FATHER'S DAY!

With Father's Day just around the corner, FOX asked one of television's favorite dads, Homer J. Simpson, what's on his wish list this year:

HOMER SIMPSON'S FATHER'S DAY WISHES

French fries made of onion rings.
A time machine full of beer.
Not to have to see my father on Father's Day.
For someone to take 'cool ranch' flavor to the next level.
For Marge not to be mad at me because I didn't get her anything for Mother's Day.

A devoted husband, Homer leaves his wife with few complaints. When pressed, however, Marge did once acknowledge to a marriage counselor that Homer 'forgets birthdays, anniversaries, holidays (both religious and secular), chews with his mouth open, hangs out at a seedy bar with bums and lowlifes, blows his nose in the towels and puts them back in the middle, and scratches himself with his keys.' Despite these few foibles, Homer loves his family, and he'll do just about anything to prove it -- even if that means making himself look foolish.

Homer at peace

Sometimes frustrated at being fat and bald, Homer enjoys flashbacks now and again, which show him fat with a full head of hair. Two things, though, always remain constant for Homer, no matter what happens to him: his happy-go-lucky nature and his love for Marge and his kids."

Nuclear X-Ray - D'oh!

Bonus: Homer sings:

Radar Love
Space Cowboy

(Fox Broadcasting)

Overheard in Public Today

2008-06-06T00:38:00.003-05:00

Stuff I hear in public today because I'm a good listener. Mrs. WonderDawg says I'm Chinese and nosy.

"So you're telling me you don't recycle and you shop at WalMart? What is wrong with you???"

Man walking out of Lowe's at mad wife who is leaving him behind; "You better get back here and pay for this stuff you dumb ass!"

He walked back in and paid for the stuff himself. Not sure how he was getting home.

Bonus: Courtesy of Busy Mom:
"If a man comes to your front door and says he is conducting a survey and asks you to show him your boobs, do not show him your boobs.
This is a scam. He only wants to see your boobs."

...and best question of the day: If every job paid $15.00 bucks an hour, would would you like to do?

My answer: be a LEGO designer or at least play with them all day.

Ronald and the clowns at McDonalds

2008-05-31T09:22:00.002-05:00

Ordered 5 bacon egg biscuits; got 5 sausage biscuits instead...

Ronald is not the only clown working at McDonalds this morning. Dude!

What Work Looks Like...

2008-05-30T23:01:00.004-05:00

Last week I was in Louisville, KY working away sick as a dawg with what turned out to be a sinus infection. Dang! I've never been so miserable, taking medicine like DayQuil and NightQuil and everything in between.

Chicken soup and hot tea didn't help - neither did a big quart size of gumbo soup from Jason's Deli.

I was pretty proud that I packed less gadget stuff on this particular trip... although two laptops seemed kinda silly - one for work (Dell XP) that was strictly work stuff only like email, reports, Google Adwords... and a MacBook for the personal stuff like Flickr, GearDiary.com, blogs, GMail, Twitter and all of the other distractions that help deny that I'm really, really sick...

If I was feeling good, I would be eating like I did in New Orleans...

Lobster, filet and grill oysters from Dragos' Restaurant

Apple Hard Drive Relic

2008-05-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

Once every five years, I make a trek to the attic (or Mrs. WonderDawg makes me) to declutter and investigate "what's in that box?"

There's nothing better than to sit on the kitchen floor, listening to Annie Lennox and bagging up old cords, USB cables, telephone wires, RCA cables, and the like...

Check out this relic:

It's a monster DataFrame 10 MG hard drive for an old Mac 512 that ran on a addon SCSI port connection. I tried Googling the price, but I'm sure it was around $800 in the old days. I'm tempted to hook it up to see what kind of data is still on the drive, assuming it still spins. I can't even do the math on how many songs the 10MG hard drive would hold!

Freaking Busy - but loving it!

2008-05-13T22:51:00.002-05:00

Having started a new job marketing the big bad world of internet marketing solutions with AT&T, three weeks of training in Atlanta, one week in New Orleans, and back in Nashville... I'm settling into a new routine. The old days of going to bed by 2 am and waking up at 7 are gone.

Having a birthday, new routines, the elation of a new corporate job with the perks, great people at work, wearing a suit and tie, and loving what I’m destined to do is a real blessing indeed.

In due time, I’ll settle back into blogging, taking photographs, building LEGO stuff, writing reviews for GearDiary and much more once I get a groove going…. Doing a lot of Twitter these days, only because 140 characters is within my current brain capacity output.

I’m cherishing my weekends with my bride, cutting grass, doing the honey do lists, and fitting in an occasional carpentry and handyman fixes. Strange to say, but replacing a bathroom faucet and hanging new window blinds are good diversions from being so intwined with technology. Power tools rock!

More later…

The Ninth Ward

2008-05-01T22:24:00.004-05:00

Kevin just took us on a tour of the Ninth Ward. Homes have been washed away leaving entire streets empty... I saw the broken levee... New homes dot the landscape like settlers in the new frontier...

I am saddened to see the slow recovery here in the New Orleans; the week that I have been here, people refer life in New Orleans as pre- or post Katrina. It is a defining point in time as many struggle with rebuilding their lives (and livelihood). With rising gas prices, concerns about job security along with the increased costs of maintaining a pre-Katrina lifestyle, it has been a challenge.

Here's the sun setting in the Ninth Ward behind the rebuilt levees.

My messy desktop

2008-04-30T23:36:00.004-05:00

Every afternoon, I empty my pockets of stuff like smartphones*, mints, security badge and scraps of paper. Obviously, I'm very cluttered with my junk when I travel. Here's my Sheraton Metairie New Orleans desktop...

This week, I'm using a HTC smartphone and an AT&T issued Blackjack II for company emails; reading a great book - The Back of the Napkin (solving problems and selling ideas with pictures).

New Orleans Bound

2008-04-27T11:24:00.003-05:00

I'm heading to New Orleans for a couple days of work - My peer promised to take me to the Ninth Ward for a tour. I haven't been to the Crescent City since 1996 since the Promise Keepers Men's Conference at the Superdome.

I'm not a big fan of the French Quarter or MardiGras; I'm more interested in talking to the residents how they have coped in the midst of challenges of piecing their lives back together.

I'm wondering how the rebuilding process is moving along; the relief work I was part of during the Hurricane Rita damage while in Sulphur, LA for TN Baptist Disaster Relief trip Oct 11-15, 2005 was a life changer for me - especially how one person can make a difference versus sitting on a couch or a pew.

Photos of Chainsaw Relief Crew at Work

My 1st IKEA Visit

2008-04-22T21:15:00.002-05:00

I was working in downtown Atlanta today and decided to visit IKEA. I've heard a lot about the place and the grassroots efforts to have a IKEA located in Nashville. I've put together some bookshelves before and even have a catalog that my son mailed from Seattle.

No doubt IKEA was a sprawling complex from the underground parking to the wide open showroom configurations of ready to buy kitchen, living room and bedroom bundles. It reminded me of a Target like, Rooms to Go, Sam's Club shopping experience hybrid.

Still, I was not moved to buy anything. Perhaps I was disappointed with the home office setups, or the one piece that would fit well into my existing hodgepodge of a Norwalk desk, cables, and homemade furniture along with a massive display table from a clothing store that measures 48 by 60.

I walked away feeling somewhat proud of not buying anything for the sake of spending money, but yet didn't see what what all the fuss was about.

It had to be my hurting feet...

New Project with My Kids!

2008-04-20T07:18:00.006-05:00

This Sunday morning, I woke up to a site that has absolutely inspired me to revisit my kid's photos!

Back in my day, I remember maybe 6 photos of myself at best; with my kids, I've got shoeboxes full of photos. Gary and Megan, I'll see you in June for some fun photos.

Basically, you recreate imitating an old childhood photo.

Check out colorwar2008 for all of the great submissions...

Good Eating in Atlanta

2008-04-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

I'm down here in Atlanta working away and training in my new gig with a three letter telecommunications conglomerate... which I share about when I get back in Nashville.

Meanwhile, what do seven guys do for eats? Easy! Bar-B-Que Ribs:

1/2 rack of ribs, spicy sauce, Brunswick Stew and a pitcher of Sam Adam's to wash it down with...

A Road Warrior's Dilemma

2008-04-09T00:26:00.001-05:00

Whenever I travel, I struggle with carrying far too many clothes. I have yet to crack the code for carry on luggage. I remember on one trip my roommate packed one jacket, a pair of pants and two shirts to last five days. There’s no way I could go for that – I need to have a change of outfits at a 1.5 ratio per day! On my last trip, my luggage was delayed for two days; by then my jeans were standing straight up. Now look at this picture; granted I am on the road for an extended work trip, but I have to get a better grip on the amount of gear I carry. Do I need help or do all road worthy gadget lovers carry this much stuff?

(see the comments over at GearDiary.com

New Music Discovery: Sophie Zelmani

2008-04-01T11:31:00.003-05:00

One of the great thrills about music (and YouTube) is discovering a new artist. It's rare to find them on the radio... I forget how I found Sophie Zelmani, and her song "Hard to Know", but I like this clip:

Sophie Zelmani and Freddie Wadling "Once"

Easter proclaims a beginning

2008-03-21T21:07:00.001-05:00

Here's the flip side of a gift from a friend who went home to the Lord two years ago. Carved from a bar of Dial soap while he was in prison, it is one of our most prized possessions.

Holy Week
Quotations to stir heart and mind.
Compiled by Richard A. Kauffman

IN THE CROSS IS SALVATION, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection from our enemies, in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross is joy of spirit, in the Cross is the height of virtue, in the Cross is perfection of sanctity. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the Cross.
Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

HE DIED, but he vanquished death; in himself, he put an end to what we feared; he took it upon himself, and he vanquished it; as a mighty hunter, he captured and slew the lion.

Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer; but it did exist, and now it is dead. O life, O death of death! Be of good heart; it will die in us also. What has taken place in our head will take place in his members; death will die in us also. But when? At the end of the world, at the resurrection of the dead in which we believe and concerning which we do not doubt.
Augustine, Sermon 233

THERE IS WONDERFUL POWER in the Cross of Christ. It has power to wake the dullest conscience and melt the hardest heart, to cleanse the unclean, to reconcile him who is afar off and restore him to fellowship with God, to redeem the prisoner from his bondage and lift the pauper from the dunghill, to break down the barriers which divide [people] from one another, to transform our wayward characters into the image of Christ and finally make us fit to stand in white robes before the throne of God.
John Stott, The Preacher's Portrait

EASTER is not the celebration of a past event. The alleluia is not for what was; Easter proclaims a beginning which has already decided the remotest future. The Resurrection means that the beginning of glory has already started.
Karl Rahner, Everyday Faith

Copyright 2006 Christianity Today

I'D ALWAYS KNOWN, in one place in my throat, how Jesus must have cried in the garden--crying not to die, because there was no fear of death, and not to leave his friends, because he walked alone, and not to suffer, because the blood and bruises and thorns were part of his perfection--but crying because he could not find his Father's face, because when he would suffer all that he could bear, the pain of every person, living and dead, in that dark moment, there was really nobody there.

Paul Shepherd, More Like Not Running Away: A Novel

Downtown Canvas

2008-03-19T22:30:00.003-05:00

Downtown Nashville - capturing the rich tapestry of the downtown landscape on canvas...

St. Patrick's Day Encounter

2008-03-18T00:53:00.004-05:00

Not being Irish, I was taken aback by meeting / encountering a leprechaun ...

Too Busy and Lost Count

2008-03-16T20:44:00.004-05:00

I can't keep up anymore (at least for the moment) for my 366 photos in 2008...
Probably because it takes so long to optimize the batch of 200-300 photos I take every week...
Anyway, I threw a batch up on my Flickr page; and will try to make sense of it all later.

However, I do love taking photos - a change of scenery would be in order to freshen up my zeal; I've taken just about every downtown photo I can think of or stumbled upon.

Day 58 of 366 for 2008

2008-03-01T23:53:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love this photo of twins that I met in San Jose -

Day 59 of 366 for 2008

2008-03-01T23:27:00.004-06:00

The cool cats over at Nashville’s Hammock Publishing have a 16-year-old annual tradition of giving out T-shirts to the people they work with throughout the year. I got to meet Rex, Megan, Laura, and others via the world of blogging. One of my fondest memories was meeting Summer and Cole via Thunder (the blog dog) which you can read about: here - Thunder, The Christmas Miracle Story of 2006 and at the RexBlog

This year Hammock Publishing added a new twist to that tradition: T-shirt+Photo=Laptop. Wear the t-shirt, add a photo to the map on their web site and they wil donate a laptop to the educational efforts of the One Laptop Per Child Foundation in developing countries.

A great way to make a difference! So here's my contribution to add to the map in front of Jerry Yang's place in Santa Clara:

The Missing Project 366 Photos

2008-03-01T23:11:00.003-06:00

I've got a bunch of missing photos that I didn't upload - since I was so swamped with business, travel, family life and too much TV like Survivor, Terminator and yes, American Idol.

So I'm going to post ten photos over at my stash at the WonderDawg 366 for 2008 Flickr set which will allow me to be current... However I got some that I really excited about sharing in separate postings.

Meanwhile I finally found my Project 366 photos in 2008 number at a Mexican food bar and grill in downtown San Jose!