Christmas Time A Coming

With the "Advent" of Christmas, in addition to a season of preparation comes also more secular concerns. I'm working on cards, photos, letters, gifts, trips, parties, work, school events, clothes and all sorts of things that make this "The most wonderful time of the year".

Watched Father of the Bride on TV with Sarah last night. A good movie and I am starting to feel a bit like George Banks. As his wife said, no eye rolling, complaining or loosening the top button on your shirt.

Predictions made for 2009

Reviewing some notes made this January 5, 2009

What will 2009 bring?

Effective marketing and pricing will be prized

Take nothing for granted - changes are going to be expected and desired by business and customers e.g hiring, pricing, buying

Pretty much on target - maybe a little strong.

The word for 2009 is likely: FLAT. Not a big downturn, but little movement upward as well. Must keep pushing for 2010.

Three more work weeks in 2009: want to make the most of them

Reviewing the to-do's for 2009, I got them done in the nature of getting the cases resolved. But I am falling a little short on the 52 new clients goal set. So far, it's at 32. Maybe there'll be a rush but if I can get 4 more, I'll be happy and ready for 52 or more in 2010.

Friday after Thanksgiving

I went into work today, working at the court until 11 and then in the office until 3:30. Very productive and ready for Monday.

Tomorrow is my my 18 mile marathon training run starting at 0600. Down Col. Rowe 2nd St. Trail, over to Chase Tower and Bentsen Tower and up parking garage. Down to the airport, over to 10th and to 2nd and then back up 7 miles to home. I'm ready.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is Thursday Nov. 26 and the U.S. Thanksgiving. We've got Susan's parents here for the day or two and dinner is about to get cooking by yours truly. I've followed our tradition by getting the meat already prepared from the local BBQ joint, Rudy's. In Houston we used to get it at a place called T Bone Tom's which I understand was recently featured on Guy Fieri's show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Pretty amazing of all the places in Houston they'd find that one, but its a good place.

With a captive audience, I'm trying a few new recipes. I'm going to use my new fryer and make sweet potato fries at home. Hope some will enjoy but ... we'll see. It's good to be the cook.

I've got to do a little (little) work tomorrow but over the weekend, I hope to

get the Christmas cards started

get the outside Christmas lights hung

do an 18 mile marathon training run (did a 6 mile turkey trot today)

watch UT beat Texas A&M tonight

see the movie The Blind Side (good book BTW)

play 9 holes of golf

That way, I'll be ready for Monday, next week and next weeekend.

200+ Miles Saturday

Friday afternoon I rented a Harley Davidson Street Glide for a day. I picked it up at 4:00 from the dealership. There are new owners, Gene and Bobby. Bobby is a local attorney I know a little. Kind of a glamorous business to get into, like owning a restaurant. Lots of inventory and employees.

It was raining slightly and getting dark so I went straight home Friday. Saturday, I went for a run of 9 miles and then met Tom, his son Mark & Jeff and we went to pick up a 5th but he had been out late and was in no riding shape. From McAllen we headed east to Raymondville where we had breakfast at a little cafe, Casa Blanca. Amazing the places you go into on a motorcycle that you'd never otherwise stop in. The waitress was very nice and the food was good and cheap. Afterwards we headed east to Port Mansfield. I had never been there. Its kind of a dead end right in to the bay. Some house and commercial sites there but very small. After a break there we came back down a road I had ridden my bicycle on, FM 1420. That is where we had to stop due to high wind in the Jalapeno 100 in 2008. I saw the little church we were at.

Going further, we stopped at Camp Perry which is the local Boy Scout camp. It was a nice setup right on the arroyo. Tom is very active in the scouts (both he and his son were Eagle Scouts/Order of the Arrow) so we were able to go in the OA Leader room where Tom showed me his "Wood Badge" which he called the Ph.D. of scouting. There was a camp going on so people were there. We also met Pete who is the camp director.

My scout history was not so illlustrious. We moved when I was in junior high. I had been active in the Cub Scouts and Webelos, but going to a new Boy Scout troop, I never quite fit in and lost interest. Never even made it to Tenderfoot rank and only earned one merit badge (in Music!). You earned several badges by going to scout camp but I never made it there.

After the camp, Tom asked if I had ever been to Dirty Al's in South Padre. "No"... "Well we've got to go there then!" Off we went, and it was worth it. The fried shrimp were as good as promised. Excellent. At this time it was 3:30 so time to head back. I got the motorcycle back at 5:00 p.m. and it was a long day of riding. When I got home, I was not able to stay up and watch the Longhorn game. Out by 8:00 p.m Susan said.

Today I was at home mostly. We got the backyard trimmed and cleaned up the beds. It looks good. It was a nice day so I washed the car and went to the driving range in preparation for my golf game tomorrow at the redesigned Brackenridge Park in San Antonio. I'm looking forward to see how they fixed up one of my favorite courses of all.

Thursday Nov. 19

Today was a productive day getting into the office relatively early. The work I've been doing to get ready for the holiday has been beneficial. Now it seems like I am waiting for things to happen. At least I've already done the work to get to this waiting part. Marie came in a bit late (she's not feeling 100%) but that was OK. I think she is mildly surprised to see what kind of boss that I am. "Treat people the way you'd like to be treated" - works every time.

This evening, I worked on my guitar playing. I was looking at a new guitar the other day but it seems like the ones I have work just fine. Talked with my friend Paul and he was telling me about going to a guitar show (like a gun show/swap) in Arlington so maybe I'll make it up there next year.

Feeling sick

I think I'm coming down with a cold so I'm trying to keep well rested today. I was supposed to get up early to run but it got cancelled and I used the extra 2 hours to sleep. We had two trials in court today and then I went to the end of a seminar. After my orthdontist appointment I thought that the 73 degree weather deserved some outside time. So I went the golf course late in the afternoon and got 9 holes in, shooting 43. I finished as the sun was going down and it reminded me of many similar golf games when I was in high school and college. It is always nice to see the sun set when you are outside.

I figured the fresh air would do me well. I hope to rest up again tonight and feel better tomorrow.