Windy Picnic

The ward picnic was well attended but very windy. I was watching Ethan, Kate, and Riley so Willyne could cook.

Later in the day we were blessed with dinner with Benjamin and Grandmother Forsyth at Cracker Barrel in Springville. Yea!  (Walking details today too at http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/05/89.html)

Arbor day with the 4th grade!

LaVerkin's Beautification Committee and Tree Board started an annual Arbor Day tradition last year.  We invite specialists from the state natural resources department to come teach all of our 4th graders a short lesson about trees and then give each one a tree to take home, plant and nurture.

They are so excited!  It's wonderful to share in it with them!  This year we added a bonus.  Work on your trees this summer, then bring us pictures when school resumes in the fall.  The three best looking trees will be given gift certificates to Dairy Queen for their favorite treat.  We're hoping that builds a little competitive spirit--maybe we'll be on our way to 90 hardy new hackberry shade trees in town and a great memory for the children.  It's a start anyway!  Here's a few pictures of our fun day ...

I also walked today, I invite you to help keep me on track by clicking on http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/88.html.  Thanks!

HTC Evo 4G

I have a new phone today.  Thanks for coming and helping me, Douglas Jr!

I can definitely see the potential.  You hopefully will too when the pictures begin showing up here, this phone has an 8 megapixel camera, which promises to produce really clear, detailed photos.  Of course, I hadn't figured out how to use it completely by the end of the day, so no pictures quite yet ... It took me quite awhile just to find the street addresses of my contacts.  Seems in this new world the main concern is phone numbers and e-mail addresses, something as mundane as a physical street address requires holding down a button for a period of time, and I wound up googling the topic to figure that out ...

So why did I choose this over an iphone?  To stay on Sprint.  They were the first national carrier in our area, so I went with them soon after they arrived, and gradually many of my family followed.  Their coverage is still as good as anyone's so why change.  After asking Douglas lots of questions and checking things out on my own, it looks like the features of this phone compare well with the iphone.

Now if I can just figure out how to use it before it wears out ...

I enjoyed an evening walk, you can read the details at http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/87.html.

Oxymorons

Don't you just love that word?  Not quite oxygen ... and I've never heard anything nice about a moron ... put it together and what do you have?  A self-contradicting phrase or thought.

The Paperwork Reduction Act is definitely an oxymoron.  Take it from someone who saves coupons so he doesn't support the Lakers quite as much when he shops at Staples to buy four cases of paper for the price of three -- hoping they will last at least a few weeks!

So what is the Paperwork Reduction Act anyway?  It was a law passed by a consortium of environmentalists (who thought they could save some trees) and budget hawks (who never can pass up a chance to waste dollars in an effort to save pennies).  The concept is that each and every government form should be evaluated to assure that it is actually needed, with the hope that some of those forms would be eliminated.

I encounter my fair share of government forms in my line of work.  At one time in my life, my job required me to read the Federal Register every day.  This is fascinating reading, everyone should try it some time.  They would never have the same view of government again.  Every new regulation and many routine decisions must be published there so that we the people have the chance to read about them, if we choose to do so.  The fact that few do is besides the point.  So if you want to start a new radio station in Delano, California, the impact of your station on surrounding stations is evaluated.  Which frequency should be assigned.  Why?  How much transmitting power should the station be allowed to have?  The level of detail is amazing.  Maybe you would like to sell a new type of car.  Lots of engineering details, math, the whole bit is all there -- got to make sure the bumpers are strong enough, the emission controls work, etc., etc.  Perhaps you have a great new drug to introduce to the market ... (you get the idea).

The Federal Register used to start on page 1 on the first day of the year.  It was a pretty good size book, typically 300 full 8 1/2 by 11 size pages in small print -- every day.  The pages were numbered like National Geographic magazines used to be ... sequentially increasing with each issue, so that as the year progressed you might well be referring to something on page 73,112.  Really.

So these are the folks who are trying to reduce the use of paper.  Noble thought.  Except I haven't found a single form that has been eliminated with this law.  I'm sure there are a few obscure ones out there somewhere, just so the law can be justified.  I just haven't seen them yet.  What I have seen is the new forms that were created with questionnaires to assure that the existing forms are needed.  These forms are renewed periodically, usually about every three years.  So we have continuing new paperwork required to justify the old paperwork.  It's enough to make you want to buy shares of Weyerhauser or Georgia Pacific. 

So what exactly has me in this mode of thought?  Well, I made another donation to the folks at Intuit today ... five copies of the 2011 version of QuickBooks Premier Accountant software.  We have perfectly good copies of the 2008 version, but we do payroll processing services among other things at our company, and Intuit is seeing to it that the payroll portion of the program will suddenly stop working at the stroke of midnight on May 31.

We are downloading this software one copy at a time.  This is no small program.  It's 500 megabytes -- read 500 times 1024 times 1024 bytes, that's over 524,000,000 characters of computer code.  Even with our high quality internet connection, it still takes about an hour per copy.  It's now about 9 pm, so I got this genius idea to write today's blog post on computer A while waiting for the last copy of the program to finish downloading on computer B.

That got me thinking about the oxymoron of computing efficiency, with a detour to something you might encounter more often, paperwork reduction (not).

Computers have been doubling (or more) in speed and memory every year since they were invented.  Try multiplying 2 times 2 times 2 ... 60 times.  The answer is a really, really big number.  So if computers are so big and so fast now (and they are), why do we have to wait so long for them?

Because the programs have grown in size even faster than the computers have ...  This, my fine friends, is what the oxymoron of computing efficiency is all about!

Your friendly tortoise has a unique sense of humor.  Thanks for letting me share it with you ...

PS - What's the craziest oxymoron you've encountered?  We'll have a vote for the best entry, and the winner gets ... two units of his or her favorite candy bar (unless of course, you're on a diet and would prefer a pine float :)  (In case you're wondering, a unit for this purpose is roughly equal to 20 grams)

PPS - Yes, I did walk today ... if you'd like to know more, Terreeeblay is lonely, but his blog loves company.  Click here to see today's stats:  http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/86.html

Pitiful Pictures Of A Nice Walk

I was excited this morning to have bright light, and almost sunshine, at 7:06 am for a walk.  I love sunshine in the morning, and that is a rarity in La Verkin.  I don't have to exaggerate to say that it has been pitch black at 7 am for nearly six months ... until the past couple weeks.  (The usual question being which white T shirt am I going to wear today so cars will see me as I walk)

It was a real treat to walk outside, in the cool windy morning, and not only have light but to see the sun making its way past the Overlook.  The trees were green and welcoming as well.  So, out came my trusty Blackberry, cracked case and all, to take the picture.

I will admit it, the picture is pitiful, in the full Southern sense of the word.  I can see a group of Forsyths making fun of it in my minds eye as I type this.  Trust me though ... it looked great in person!

Walking in La Verkin is a real treat.  The school bus passed me, then Eric Nielson in his white pickup, smile, and big wave of the arm.  When I got to the corner of Center and Main I turned left to go around the school.  The recycling binnies are gone now, moved to Farmers Market, where I am pleased to say they are even better used than they were near the school parking lot.  Easier access there.

A block down the street from the school, I had another Kodak moment.  I saw this cute Super A tractor, bright red, and thought it had Benjamin written all over it.  It's for sale for the low, low price of $1,200 if you're interested ...

To Josh and anyone else interested in the numbers of this walk, the Terreeeblay blog is back at http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/85.html

Doug, I'm sorry I got busy later in the day and cancelled our time together.  I'll try extra hard to make it tomorrow.  After seeing these pictures, you're probably all hoping I try extra hard ...

See you then!

If You Enjoy The Reruns ... It Might Be A Good Show

I only let myself get interested in one television show at a time.  It's a matter of time -- I don't want to devote any more time than an hour a week to TV.

So what kind of shows catch my interest ... I'm not sure how you classify them.  I still like quoting Schultz from Hogan's Heroes "I know nothing, I see nothing!"  The show was funny for its absurdity.  Maybe that also explains why I liked Northern Exposure and Ed when they were on.  Northern Exposure helped me enjoy Rob Morrow, so when he reappeared on Numb3rs that was a plus ... but lets get real here, how could I of all people, pass on a show called Numb3rs.  There are lots of people who understand mathematics better than I do.  My gift is more in the realm of arithmetic ...  and Numb3rs included plenty of arithmetic along with heavily theoretical mathematics.  Showing Caltech's botanical garden of a campus didn't hurt either.

As Numb3rs neared its finale, along came Castle.  Willyne enjoys it, so I get the double pleasure of being with her along with the show.  To me, one measure of a good show is that you can watch a rerun and it is just as exciting the second time as it was the first.  It is still suspenseful, and you see things you didn't see the first time.  Castle is one of those shows, tonight was a rerun.

It was good!

Writers Block

I guess I do have an audience here ... after 380 days of writing, I took a 2 1/2 week break beginning April 8.  Today I heard from three of you ... thank you, you know who you are!

One of the things that kept me going every day was the knowledge that inertia is a powerful force.  Objects in motion want to continue in motion.  Objects at rest want to continue resting. 

If anything, that is more true for writing, not less.  So once the force of getting everyone's tax returns done got to the point that I felt compelled to take a pause, it has been hard even thinking of what to write ... perhaps that is curious coming from a tortoise who simply tries to write about whatever happens to him with the hope that the variety itself will make the tale interesting.

I did start walking again one day last week.  That lasted exactly one day, then the next day there was just too much to do.

So ... I'll just start again and see where it takes me.  If I'm a little slow warming the engine back up, well I'll ask your patience in advance!

One other note ... one way I make it easier to write at the end of the day is that I send text messages to twitter as things happen during the day.  You can see the most recent few tweets in the right column of this blog ... you don't actually have to go to twitter if you don't want to.  It is really interesting figuring out how to say something meaningful in 140 characters, but I think I'm getting better at it ...

For now, it's 10:45 and past my bedtime, so that's where I'm headed.  After all this is the Keep Dad Alive blog, and I notice sleep is a very important part of the plan :)  See you tomorrow and thanks for the love!

7 Apr 11

I'm happy to say that the soreness in my bones has gradually passed over the last two weeks and I am feeling great walking these days ... http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/82.html

Since this is the Keep Dad Alive blog, I am also pleased to note that I am continuing to respond well to the cancer treatments I had last year and have not needed anything new that way this year.  I was told that it could take a year to fully recover from radiation.  Overall I am doing quite well, but occasionally go through stretches where I remember that I did spend two months with George and the giant rotating laser last spring.

The tortoise continues passionately smiling!

I am listening to "Evacuee" by Enya in an attempt to destress while writing this.  I have already had a phone appointment this morning and am about to head out the door for work on seven tax returns with four clients over the next twelve hours.  I am quite thankful for the opportunity, while praying for alertness and to listen well.

It was nice to make it through the deep symbolism of much of Revelation to a familiar missionary scripture today,

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people"

-- Revelation 14:6

6 Apr 11

Join the fun!  Guess whether the tortoise will walk 100 days or 100 miles first ... http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/81.html

A special thought for today ... "Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."~Goethe

I'm spending a lot of time on the phone these days, that's no surprise during this season.  One of my calls today was with Gary Lynn, my long-time (since second grade) 777 pilot friend.  He shared a special treat with me, an evening with President Uchtdorf who was a keynote speaker last Thursday night at an LDS Health Professionals awards dinner in Salt Lake.  So how does an airline pilot get himself invited to that?  Well it helps when your sister is a nurse :)

Gary is a smart man.  He follows the advice of both Willyne and her mother, Floryne.  He had a great teacher in his father as well, actually Bert Lynn would make a good blog post topic all on his own.  ("The Only Way To Fly" man).

The advice?  Gary goes to events early.  Of course there was a crowd waiting to shake President Uchtdorf's hand after his speech.  It was much easier to say hello and visit with him before the dinner began ...

It is probably no surprise to you that President Uchtdorf is very personable and considerate.  He took a personal interest in Gary's flying.  There were two awards given.  One to the medical professional of the year.  The other for outstanding service period.  They called President Uchtdorf for the latter, but he didn't go straight to the podium to accept it, first he stopped at Gary's table where the recipient of the first award was sitting and gave her a warm congratulations.

Gary also noted how when President Uchtdorf talks of something especially spiritual or meaningful to him, he will talk much softer to emphasize it.  Then when he goes to his next point, he returns to a louder, dynamic voice.  Very effective.

I'm sure Gary will remember that evening always.  I thank him for sharing his experience with me today!

5 Apr 11

A thought from Sharon Cohen today (she writes, her website is http://www.zazzle.com/heartensoul4u)

"Never let failure progress from an action to an identity"  Say that one three times.  Then commit to it.

I walked to the church and back with Willyne tonight.  Sorry, Terreeeblay, you make a great walking buddy, but Willyne's smile has you beat by a country mile :)  More at http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/80.html

4 Apr 11

Back to work.  Conference ends too soon!

Willyne is in Salt Lake visiting her uncle Thom and checking out some documents at the family history library with her mother.  I miss her.  Even when I work extra late while she's gone ...

One foot in front of the other ... http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/79.html

3 Apr 11

Two more great sessions of Conference today!  Lots of family!  Lots of good food!  I paced myself, especially because I wasn't feeling so good today.  I even took an hour nap following the afternoon session, which helped quite a bit.

I also got to hold Maude awhile and rock her to sleep once, twice, three times, four ... she's a fighter, doesn't want to miss anything so she wakes herself back up.  I love gently rocking my grandbabies ...

I also finished another blog post on Elder Holland's talks at our stake conference March 19-20 if you would like to read that:  http://ibelieve-dougbeecher.blogspot.com/2011/04/if-you-really-love-lord-what-else.html.

The morning conference session highlighted the 75th anniversary of the church welfare program.  I enjoyed it enough to look up this information on the welfare program and this milestone, maybe you'll like it too:  A great way people have helped people for 75 yrs-http://lds.org/church/news/welfare-services-celebrates-75-years?lang=eng&cid=twitter-shared

2 Apr 11

I love Conference weekend.  I limited work to one tax return and got to enjoy two of the sessions today, along with the traditional dinner with my boys -- all four this year, plus Ethan and my brother Steve.  Ethan looked really good in his crisp, long sleeved white shirt and tie -- and he was good in the meeting too.

Thank you, Benjamin, for making the trip down from Orem ... it was great to visit with you ... and thanks to all of my sons and their families for coming, along with my daughters for checking in with pictures and text messages :)

There were several talks on marriage, including this quote by President Thomas S Monson that I thought was especially worth pondering: "Choose your love. Love your choice."


The tortoise continued sweating with Terreeeblay early this morning before conference.  You can read about that, and also receive an invitation to his first Series 4 walk (coming up Saturday, April 23) ... http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/78.html

1 Apr 11

I have started reading in Revelations.  The New Testament Institute manual is my study companion, and it is helping a lot with the symbolism.  Thank you!

We have two weeks to go to the tax deadline day, and this was the first Friday we had more than one of us in the office.  It has been steady, but we have been able to keep up without overtime this year.  It was a good day there.

I was back on my treadmill friend Terreeeblay today:  http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2011/04/77.html