With our classical education finished I have been doing the job hunt and firing off applications to anywhere I can find someone hiring and looking for a 3D environment modeler.  Mostly we are looking in the Texas area because one; Texas has very good gun laws, and two: It puts us right between both of our families so visits to each will be about the same drive time.

But now, there is one more item added into the mix.  My wife is pregnant.

Yep, I’m going to be a dad.  I’m nervous, happy, scared, elated, terrified and overjoyed all at the same time.  I wonder at night what my child will look like.  Will he (or she) be a sports nut?  Maybe an artist like his parents?  Both??  I think about the things I need to know so I can raise them right.  The future for me before was one of “Don’t worry, we can do that later…”  Well, later is now here.

I have plans that have to be made.  I need to get employed, insured and life insurance so that they will be taken care of if something happens.   Will we be able to home school?  What if they have to do public school, I don’t want them as bored as I was and school was a lot tougher when I was a kid.  If I were in public school now I would probably lose my mind out of contempt for the system.  Don’t want that for my kid.

So much stuff that I need to find out, but we can handle this.  We have a move that will take us halfway across the country in the near future, doctors appointments to plan once we get there, and two cats that will not appreciate the long drive, but we can handle it.  Between my wife and I we can do what needs to be done.  The important part is that we have a child who is healthy and raised in a house with love, discipline, and animals.

I think we can handle that.

Now, I came here for the skills, which I have learned, more than the piece of paper but the paper will be nice to have too, so come December I’ll be either flying back out here or video conferencing with the board to get the final box checked.

Why December?

Well, it’s this little thing called “You took on a huge project”.  See, what I thought was going to be a manageable project size turned out to be a lot bigger than I thought the more I worked on it.  Details that I hadn’t thought of came up and items that seemed fairly simple turned out to be pretty complex in the end.   Doesn’t mean I won’t get it done, just means it is going to take a bit longer than I thought it would.

That’s been my problem through school though, really.  I get ideas that are possible but just out of my technical reach.  It does force me to learn and push, but at the same time the goal is to do a project within reason and not dive off the high board to see if you can do it.

In any event, it will get done, it’s just going to take a bit longer.

Oh, and that part about video conferencing the review.  Well, we (meaning the wife and I) have had just about enough of this area to last a lifetime so we are going to be moving out of here and to Austin, TX area.  It will put us right between her family and mine, there is a strong art and game design community there, and Texas allows concealed carry so it fits with my attitudes pretty well.

We’ll take lots of pictures of the drive. 

Dear President Obama, My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don’t believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos’n Mate. Now I live in a “rest home” located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can’t figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like: ” We’re no longer a Christian nation” ” America is arrogant” – (Your wife even announced to the world,” America is mean- spirited.. ” Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.) I’d say shame on the both of you, but I don’t think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said,” America hasn’t lived up to her ideals.”

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn’t mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don’t think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don’t, I’ll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don’t want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don’t mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don’t want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you’re the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you’re not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you’re thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president. You’re not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That’s not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure don’t want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle…

Sincerely, Harold B. Estes

I doubt the Teleprompter in Chief will listen, but I bet the next one will.  Of course, Sarah Palin has always been a patriotic American, one reason I like her so much.

You are 22% hippie.

You’re not in the lowest bracket of non-hippie-hood, but you’re close. I advise a field trip to a food co-op or a farmer’s market. Do a few interviews and take notes, because there will be a quiz next week to see if you’ve learned anything.

Are you a hippie?
Take More Quizzes

The only reason I haven’t gone on a hippie bashing spree. She’s mellowed me or something.

Of course, there were no questions about what your favorite firearm is and I think the results would have been skewed lower if there was since this is what she wants.

Ok, you conservative soul. Do you even believe in global warming? Loosen that necktie a little, and try some organic food. It actually does taste better. And go to a farmer’s market–they’re fun.

Are you a hippie?
Take More Quizzes

Again, you can blame Breda

Now, I am off to class at a hippie art school. I fit in like a fart in church….

When you sound like Mr Slave it’s hard to take the threat seriously.

My Conservative Identity:

You are an Anti-government Gunslinger, also known as a libertarian conservative or Tea Partier. You believe in smaller government, states’ rights, gun rights, and that, as Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Take the quiz at
About.com Political Humor

H/T to Jennifer (she’s a giver too)

H/T to Breda

Finally our GM goes over and asks him if he is planning on purchasing any of them.

“No, I’m just doing some research for a paper I have in my marketing class.”

“Well” says my GM, “We are actually trying to sell these books and that’s pretty hard to do when you have taken them all.  I’d appreciate it if you would put them back if you aren’t going to buy them.”

And what does douche-bag marketing student say?

“That’s not very good customer service, man.  I may not shop here again.”

You ain’t shopping here NOW, jackass.

*********

Overheard a customer trying to remember a book title with his girlfriend so I stepped in.

“Are you thinking of ‘Germs, Guns and Steel?”

“Yeah, that’s the title.”

“It’s upstairs in the Biology section.” I point out where it is since I am at the register and can’t take them up there myself.

Five minutes later he’s back with his book and a smart ass look on his face. “It wasn’t in Biology.  It was in the SCIENCE section.”

I gave him a flat look. “Right.  BIOLOGY is a SCIENCE.”

I think I confused him.

***********

To all you wanna be interior decorators, wedding planners, personal trainers, chefs, fashion designers, web designer, MCST’s, and prospective grad students.  BUY THE DAMN BOOK OR PUT IT BACK!

***********

I have not, nor will I, read the Twilight ‘Saga’, The Sookie Stackhouse books, anything by Nora Roberts, or the Vampire Diaries.  I have entirely the wrong set of chromosomes for that.

***********

“There’s a book you guys had here last week and I can’t find it now.”

Now the sad part here is I saw this guy last week with the book he is wanting.  He had a cup of coffee too.  Just a few minutes after he left the store I found the same book in the corner with coffee spilled all over it.

“Yes sir, we did but someone spilled coffee on it so we had to throw it away.”

“Well when will you get a new one?”  Not even an ‘oh, really’.  I knew he did it and he knew I knew.

“We probably wont for a while. I could order it for you.”

“Dang.  I really wanted to read it.”

“Well, sir” I said, “I could special order it and we would have it here in a few days.”

“I don’t want to buy it, I just want to read it.”

And people wonder why I hate our customers sometimes.

In the first ten minutes of the movie I had already decided it deserved a spot on the DVD shelf and it just got better from there. The main character is Gru, voiced by Steve Carrell. Gru is like a grown up version of Dexter from “Dexter’s Lab”. He’s kind of geeky, socially inept, and really just wants to be cool. Thankfully he has his yellow minions to cheer him on and treat him like the rock star he wants to be.

Gru’s nemesis is a new villain on the block by the name of Vector who reminds me of Dexter’s enemy Mandark. Anything Gru can do, Vector does better and it soon becomes a battle between the two to see who is the best villain and both of them deciding to steal the moon as the ultimate heist of the century.

In case this isn’t enough there are also the characters of Margo Edith, and Agnes. Three orphan girls who want nothing more than a home and, in the case of Agnes, a fluffy unicorn.

I won’t say much more about this except to say that this movie is perfect for boys, girls, kids and adults. The boys will love the minions, the girls will love the orphans, and everyone will enjoy the story and the loony toons style of comedy that is placed throughout the picture.

Seriously, just go see it.