The other day I sent the link to this blog to a friend and former co-worker in Michigan. This person immediately responded back that I needed to be careful what I write on here.
So I'm thinking...hm...well...duh...yeah...I mean, it's not like I'd ever really post about my Most Embarrassing Middle School P.E. Moment.
But this person further clarified: "Crooks like to read blogs so they know when you're not home."
I've got to admit, that wasn't really the first thought that had occurred to me. But now that it's been mentioned, I guess I'd better clear things up right away.
So just in case any crooks are reading this, be aware here and now that:
1) Our house is protected by three security systems and additional hidden surveillance cameras.
2) I possess almost nothing of any value. (I borrow the computer at the public library to enter these posts). That's right, no valuables around here, unless you count the AK-47 at my bedside.
3) My wife Lynn and I are very happy living here with our ten pet Rottweilers. So happy, in fact, that we never leave home to go anywhere. Why would we want to, when we already live in the best place on Earth?
Thanks, CJ from Michigan, for the reminder to set the record straight! :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Reprieve From Depression
That's right!!!
You see, over the years I've lived here in the Valley of the Sun, it's been my experience that September 27 on average has marked the last day of triple-digit temperatures. It also usually marks the first date on which the end of the day temperature gets cool enough that I have to put a shirt on when going for an evening walk, so no more t*pless walks after that date.
(That wasn't a typo. I just didn't want to have to bite my nails speculating on what sort of visitors the search engines would have started to bring me if I hadn't slightly censored that last sentence).
Be that as it may, it looks like this year is going to be different. The triple digits are predicted to hang around at least through this coming weekend - yes - into October!!!!
I LOVE the heat. How much do I love the heat? So much that if I did actually believe in "Gore-bal Warming," I'd make a point of driving extra miles in my car AND deliberately spraying aerosol cans directly into the atmosphere to help things along even further! Even my wife calls me the "Heat Miser" - after the character from the old Christmas special.
Most people around here (the ones that think I'm insane for enjoying the heat as much as I do) are groaning to hear that. But they don't understand. Before relocating to the Grand Canyon State, I threw away the first 40 years of my life freezing in Michigan (the Frigid Mitten State). Yep, in third place behind only Alaska and possibly Minnesota on the Icicle Misery Index. The place where unless you're an ice skater or a skier, the only decent months of the year are June, July and the first half of August - and the first half of August is questionable and you STILL get rain or at least clouds at least a third of the time in June and July. The place where if your plans in any way depend on the weather, you are never safe making them more than an hour in advance.
Coming from a background like that, what I'm doing now is making up for lost time. I wouldn't mind a bit if I never saw a flake of snow, or a daily low below 70, or a daily high under 100, again for as long as I live. You don't have to shovel heat. And it's great to be able to just get dressed for a morning run or just about any other outdoor activity without having to check the weather forecast or even look out the window - because you KNOW it's going to be a clear, wonderful day. And even on Monday you KNOW you can look forward to a great weekend with next-to-nil chance of crappy weather ruining things.
Except during the so-called "monsoon" season. But that's a topic I'll save for next July. Meanwhile, I'm celebrating.
You see, over the years I've lived here in the Valley of the Sun, it's been my experience that September 27 on average has marked the last day of triple-digit temperatures. It also usually marks the first date on which the end of the day temperature gets cool enough that I have to put a shirt on when going for an evening walk, so no more t*pless walks after that date.
(That wasn't a typo. I just didn't want to have to bite my nails speculating on what sort of visitors the search engines would have started to bring me if I hadn't slightly censored that last sentence).
Be that as it may, it looks like this year is going to be different. The triple digits are predicted to hang around at least through this coming weekend - yes - into October!!!!
I LOVE the heat. How much do I love the heat? So much that if I did actually believe in "Gore-bal Warming," I'd make a point of driving extra miles in my car AND deliberately spraying aerosol cans directly into the atmosphere to help things along even further! Even my wife calls me the "Heat Miser" - after the character from the old Christmas special.
Most people around here (the ones that think I'm insane for enjoying the heat as much as I do) are groaning to hear that. But they don't understand. Before relocating to the Grand Canyon State, I threw away the first 40 years of my life freezing in Michigan (the Frigid Mitten State). Yep, in third place behind only Alaska and possibly Minnesota on the Icicle Misery Index. The place where unless you're an ice skater or a skier, the only decent months of the year are June, July and the first half of August - and the first half of August is questionable and you STILL get rain or at least clouds at least a third of the time in June and July. The place where if your plans in any way depend on the weather, you are never safe making them more than an hour in advance.
Coming from a background like that, what I'm doing now is making up for lost time. I wouldn't mind a bit if I never saw a flake of snow, or a daily low below 70, or a daily high under 100, again for as long as I live. You don't have to shovel heat. And it's great to be able to just get dressed for a morning run or just about any other outdoor activity without having to check the weather forecast or even look out the window - because you KNOW it's going to be a clear, wonderful day. And even on Monday you KNOW you can look forward to a great weekend with next-to-nil chance of crappy weather ruining things.
Except during the so-called "monsoon" season. But that's a topic I'll save for next July. Meanwhile, I'm celebrating.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
YIKES! (I just realized what today is!)
Holy cow, it's the 25th.
Of SEPTEMBER.
Meaning there are only three months left.
Until CHRISTMAS.
The busy season. The crowded malls. The one hundred Christmas DVD movies to check off my must-watch-before-Dec. 24th-list. And...the Christmas cards...and the stamps, and the addressing, and the sticky tongue from all the licking...
Oh. Wait a minute. STOP EVERYTHING. I don't do that anymore. No need for me to go into cardiac arrest after all. For several years now, I've been publishing an annual Christmas newsletter document and sending it out by email to everyone on my list.
Well, almost everyone. There are a few people whose ISP's don't let them receive documents with as large a file size as those year-end extravaganzas of mine. But maybe now that I have a blog, I can get around that by posting my newsletter HERE and just sending a link! I'll just have to brush up my XML skills and see what I can come up with.
Another bit of good news is that for these same last few years I've gotten around that whole issue of the last minute panic-rush to come up with ideas to get that newsletter filled up. I've stuck to a format whereby I allocate a space for the happenings of each individual month of the year - and I actually write the "chapter" for each month at the end of that month. So that means by next week I'll be three-quarters done with the newsletter!
Which will leave me more time for catching up on those videos.
And posting on this blog.
And playing Christmas songs on my iPod.
And shopping for the fruitcake and eggnog.
And eating the fruitcake and eggnog.
And going on long runs to BURN UP the fruitcake and eggnog!
These next three months may not be so bad after all! :)
Of SEPTEMBER.
Meaning there are only three months left.
Until CHRISTMAS.
The busy season. The crowded malls. The one hundred Christmas DVD movies to check off my must-watch-before-Dec. 24th-list. And...the Christmas cards...and the stamps, and the addressing, and the sticky tongue from all the licking...
Oh. Wait a minute. STOP EVERYTHING. I don't do that anymore. No need for me to go into cardiac arrest after all. For several years now, I've been publishing an annual Christmas newsletter document and sending it out by email to everyone on my list.
Well, almost everyone. There are a few people whose ISP's don't let them receive documents with as large a file size as those year-end extravaganzas of mine. But maybe now that I have a blog, I can get around that by posting my newsletter HERE and just sending a link! I'll just have to brush up my XML skills and see what I can come up with.
Another bit of good news is that for these same last few years I've gotten around that whole issue of the last minute panic-rush to come up with ideas to get that newsletter filled up. I've stuck to a format whereby I allocate a space for the happenings of each individual month of the year - and I actually write the "chapter" for each month at the end of that month. So that means by next week I'll be three-quarters done with the newsletter!
Which will leave me more time for catching up on those videos.
And posting on this blog.
And playing Christmas songs on my iPod.
And shopping for the fruitcake and eggnog.
And eating the fruitcake and eggnog.
And going on long runs to BURN UP the fruitcake and eggnog!
These next three months may not be so bad after all! :)
Friday, September 24, 2010
E. Michael Gannon enters the Blogosphere!
Ta-da! Well here I am!!! Now what do I do? Oh, right - blog!!!
Actually, I don't know just how much I'm going to post here - if at all - after this! The truth is I only signed up for a Google Account so I could post on the blog of a favorite ex-Disney podcaster - Jonathan Dichter, Voice Of Mouse Tunes - who for three wonderful years brought the mayhem to the All About The Mouse podcast which he so skillfully co-hosted with Bryan Ripper.
Then I saw the option to create my own blog - with my own personalized Internet URL - and couldn't resist. Over ten years of surfing the Information Superhighway and I've never had my own URL before - so after years of posting anonymously on various forums it was about time.
So will this be my first and only post? Or will I be unable to resist the "ham" nature in myself and start blogging? Only time will tell.
Actually, I don't know just how much I'm going to post here - if at all - after this! The truth is I only signed up for a Google Account so I could post on the blog of a favorite ex-Disney podcaster - Jonathan Dichter, Voice Of Mouse Tunes - who for three wonderful years brought the mayhem to the All About The Mouse podcast which he so skillfully co-hosted with Bryan Ripper.
Then I saw the option to create my own blog - with my own personalized Internet URL - and couldn't resist. Over ten years of surfing the Information Superhighway and I've never had my own URL before - so after years of posting anonymously on various forums it was about time.
So will this be my first and only post? Or will I be unable to resist the "ham" nature in myself and start blogging? Only time will tell.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)