RAIN!!!!! Wooo Hooooo!!!!

I am a huge fan of the rain today. My head has been pounding. My eyes watering. My sinuses are revolting. I can feel my heart beat between my eyes. In Mississippi, everything - EVERYTHING indoors and out - has a layer of yellow dust blanketing it. All cars are yellow. Factory paint codes mean nothing. I have a choice - I can function and suffer the effects of allergies. OR, I can combat the allergies and be groggy or asleep. I chose to fight back with medications. Now, I am sleepy AND my head hurts!!!! AAAarrrrggghhhhhh!!!

As the rain falls, you can see the rivers of pollen being created. It's a cleansing rain. A healing rain.

I love the rain.

Curses & Blessings - (Deuteronomy 27-28)

In the Pinelake Life Journal, we have been reading Deuteronomy 27-28. This is the covenant with Israel. It covers the "Curses and Blessings" of Israel. Chapter 27 deals with the "Curses" and 28 the "Blessings".

Israel is told in 28:1 - "IF YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth." (Amplified Bible) That is a promise to the nation and people of Israel. But God's promise is conditional. "If you will" means that you get these promises under the conditions outlined. And what were the conditions - "do all His Commandments" and "listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God". This means that we have the option of doing these things or NOT doing them. And as with all God's promises, there is a reward for obedience and a punishment for a lack of obedience.

Today's Life Journal reading - Deut. 28-29; Gal. 6

Living Vicariously Through Children

I am sitting here with my beautiful bride one day after our 24th wedding anniversary. She is watching some program on little girls and moms in beauty pageants. She was a pageant queen growing up. I got to be there for all of the pageants after we met. It was cool. Let's face it, i became a guitar player to meet girls - this was heaven. Sorry, i digressed. Stacy's mom was great. Stacy wanted to be there. And her mom, just let her be there and supported her.

BUT THESE LADIES ON TV ARE NUTS!!!!!!!!! These moms were living their lives through these little girls. It was painful to watch. I never saw anything like that with Stacy's mom. Thank goodness. Thank you, Ms. Holmes.

Dads, were not off the hook. I see dads living through their sons out on all kinds of field - football, baseball, soccer, and every other sport. If you never made it to the pros, don't try to live your past through your kids.

Where Did Time Go

A few days ago, March 24, Wiley left the teenage years and crossed into his 20's. Wow!!!!! I remember his birth. (In the days before cell phone, you could charge your long distance calls to you home phone. And that's what I was doing as I called the parents to let them know. As I placed the third call, the operator told me that number i gave her was not the number i gave the first 2 calls. Not sure who paid for the first two calls - but thank you.) Anyhow, it's had to believe how quickly time passes by. But, the days march on. No going back. No "do overs". We don't have Bill Murray's day in Ground Hog Day to practice or know what will happen next.

Live today like there is no tomorrow. Love like you may never see people again. Don't let things get to you. Worry will kill you faster than a brain tumor. And Laugh all you can.

25 Random Things

OK, OK, OK, already. I get the picture. Everybody wants to know 25 random things. Well, here they are:

1. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is God made flesh and sent to earth to be the final sacrifice for my sins. I am saved by God’s grace, through faith in Christ Jesus.
2. My wife is the best! I could not live without her. She truly is my completer. We got married March 10, 1985.
3. I have two sons – Wiley & Hunter. Wiley is 20. Hunter is 18.
4. My son, Wiley, is battling a very rare brain tumor called a Craniopharingioma. It has robbed him of most of his vision. It has destroyed his endocrine system – he now takes 11 medications a day to stay alive and function. Without all the meds, he can live about 6 hours past the time he needs to take them.
5. Hunter is a scientist. He wants to go to Mississippi State to study Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering. He got his momma’s brains.
6. I am ambitiously lazy. I love work. I could sit and watch it for hours.
7. I am a musician that works as a research mathematician to support my habit as a guitar player. I consider myself more of an artist than scientist.
8. I am a Dale Carnegie instructor to pay for my gear and studio.
9. I use to be a motivational speaker. It’s just like being a musician only different. One day, I’ll get back on the road again.
10. I am the lead singer, slide & rhythm guitar player for the Off 61 band. We play Christian music with a southern rock and blues feel.
11. I am trying to learn to be a song writer. For a boy that failed English almost every time he took it, this is a challenge. It took me 5 senior semesters to pass sophomore literature.
12. I get to be a substitute preacher sometimes. When I retire, I would like to pastor a church. Or, just work as a janitor at one.
13. I have written, produced, edited, and directed 13 movies. One was even picked up, in parts, by the Discovery Channel several years back for the “Weapons of War” series on the HEDI Missile system.
14. I have worked on several albums over the years. My first exposure to recording was with James Stroud, a friend of the family when I was a kid. James had just produced a Gold Album with Dorothy Moore. James is now one of the top music people in Nashville.
15. I’m a picky eater.
16. I am building a 1979 ProStreet Toyota Pickup truck. I have a Chevy 327 Small Block motor, Power Glide transmission, Narrowed Ford 9” rear end, 10 point Art Morrison roll cage, and other custom stuff. The only thing left made by Toyota is the frame from the cab forward; the front suspension and steering; and the skin on the body. I have done all the cutting, welding, and sheet metal work myself. Family and friends have helped and hung out with me along the way.
17. I love motorcycles. I have a Kawasaki KLR 650 Dual Sport. Looks and rides like a motocross / enduro bike. I would love to build a chopper – not buy one – I want to do all the sheet metal work, forming / welding, etc.
18. I still have my first car - a 1974 MGB. It needs to be rebuilt and restored. It’s next in line to be rolled into the shop and out of my mom’s garage.
19. I have a dream of building a 1948 Anglia (little British Ford car) hotrod for Wiley. I want to put pedals and steering on both sides so he can drive and I can be the co-pilot. Driving is one of the things Wiley misses most from his life before the tumor.
20. I love photography. I would love to have a studio. Stacy is a better photographer. But, we love to photograph different things. She likes nature. I love junkyards, cars, and people.
21. I would prefer to have long hair and a beard. I’m a hippy at heart.
22. I want to build a Factory 5 Cobra Replica.
23. I love playing golf. Ken Halford taught me the etiquette and how to play. We would play in the mornings. It would be the long hairs and the grey hairs. If you want to ruin a golf game, go to work in the golf industry. I have broken 90 within the rules. No fudging, no cheating, I played every shot and putted out every hole. 89 shots on a par 72 course.
24. My favorite color is camouflage / green. Closely followed by yellow and orange.
25. I love the water and sailing. But, my wife is not a water nut like me. Our biggest fights have been about water – and specifically water parks. So, I don’t push water, water toys, or water type vacaions.

30 Hour Work Days Make People NUTS!

I'm working at the office today. My one day a week to get to hangout with some of the best developers in the world. We have all been working long and hard on new software and systems. I have worked five days that exceeded 25 hours since Christmas. One work day was 30 hours. But, most days are 16-18 hour days. I have been fortunate of late. I am back to half days now - just 12 hour days.

As I got here this morning, I walked into a room full of web developers who were getting close to that 24 hour mark. And, you could tell. Heavy eyes were everywhere. They new if they stood still, sleep would over take them. So, they do what any self-respecting engineer would do - play jokes and cut up. From the USB controlled darts and a Nerf rocket launcher to practical jokes and funny stories. All tools in the battle for productivity have been employed. No time for sanity. We have milestones to meet!

The site is alive! They have succeeded in getting it migrated and published for he world to use. And, they should be commended. Not many developers have software used by thousands and thousands of consumers.

So next time use sit at your computer, think to yourself - some cat with a USB Nerf cannon, fed a diet of pizza and junk food, that has not had sleep in months wrote this. And, you wonder why it crashes sometimes. Now you know!

We Lost Another Cranio Kid

I have started writing this post several times. But, I could not finish it. And today may not be different. But, I'll try.

When we were told about Wiley's tumor, our minds raced. Would he survive? Would he be blind? Would he . . . ? Fill in the blanks. We had the question.

The research shows an average life expectancy of 10 years - on average. That means some live longer than 10 years. Unfortunately, some don't live as long. This weekend we lost another young one. It brings back the reality of mortality. You forget that this is a fight for life. So often, I get so focused on the fight for a "normal" life and fail to be thankful we get to be in that battle. Too many have lost the fight for life.

If Wiley lives the average, we have 6 more years. What would you or I do different if you knew when the last day was? Why am i not doing it?