Category: General (page 15 of 121)

In one of the daily quote things I get, Colin Powell said…

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.

Funny…someone must be trying to tell me something. I’ve already been thinking about this and related issues all day long. Hmmm…..

Same basement. Different music…

Just for a change of pace, I’m working out of my basement this morning. I’ve got the decrepit laptop but a great wireless connection from two stories above.

I’m sitting at my “original” desk – U.S. Geological Survey surplus – bigger than some houses, solid as Stone Mountain.

John Coltrane’s Giant Steps is playing, and I’m trying to act as though life is good.

My little Bodum French press has just delivered up the goods from some freshly-ground Caffè Verona. My books and notebook are piled conveniently nearby, like old friends waiting for some great conversation and give-and-take.

How’s your Friday going so far?

“…and it is us!”

So said the great philosopher Pogo.

I was going through my Bloglines feeds tonight, and came across this gem over at Be Excellent. Did you ever have one of those “look-in-the-mirror-but-hate-what-you-see” experiences?

He could have been talking about us when he wrote this…wow! And ouch!

…Pearls Before Swine style!

I’m still not really clear about the legal, moral, and ethical standards for posting actual comics on your blog, so I’ll just point you to today’s Pearls!

Mash that link above, and get ready to spit your caffeine all over your monitor! (Well, at least that’s how it affected me this morning!)

Seems the venerable department store Harrods in London is already putting out the Christmas hype! Which reminds me…

There’s only 27 days left until the Christmas music kicks in at the “Just Charlie” hacienda! (See, I have to force myself to wait until Labor Day, just to avoid driving the lovely and gracious “Mrs. Just Charlie” bananas. If it were up to me, there would probably be Christmas music playing right now!)

Ok, here’s the deal…

Our cell phone contract is up. And it’s a good thing, too. Because, the cute girl in front of the library in the rain notwithstanding, lately, we have not had great service with Cingular. Talk about your dropped calls! Talk about your rotten coverage! Talk about your less bars! So, we’re looking to switch.

We’ve been with Cingular from way back in the big ol’ phone on the dash of the car, BellSouth Mobility days – a long time! I’m just getting a bit tired of the rotten service and all that jazz.

So, here’s what I need the help with…

We need good reliable wireless coverage at least from Atlanta to Rome and all points in between. Actually, we need to have great coverage over the whole state of Georgia. We don’t need a lot of bells and whistles. “The Boy” doesn’t think he can live without text messaging, but the lovely and gracious “Mrs. Just Charlie” has used maybe 17 minutes of her total over the last month. She doesn’t care one whit about cameras, and mobile web, and texting and all that stuff. I don’t really need all that, but I’m open to using it if necessary. We need a “family plan” deal, with good prices on basic, but reliable equipment.

We’re looking really hard at Verizon Wireless. Any Verizon users from the ATL around and about? Got any tips? Helpful hints? Suggestions? I’ll take ’em all! Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the input, y’all! Very helpful all the way around.

As it turns out, the Eastern Star folks – and I thought they were all going to be sweet little old ladies, not male chaplain-types who gave tie-tying advice! – did their little deal at the funeral home before we went to the cemetery. They were over and done with. I did get a little education as to the nature and character of the Eastern Star bunch. Interesting, for sure…

And speaking of education…

When we got to the cemetery, the deceased was to be interred in a mausoleum or crypt thingy (technical term there!). Now you would think that living in New Orleans for a couple of years would have been all the education I needed about above-ground burials, but I guess I just never paid attention to the grave closing guy. With the caulk gun!

Oh, well, another interesting day that will most likely find its way into the chapter on weddings and funerals!

Thanks again, guys, for the help!

Helllllooooooo, faithful readers! How are the both of you doing? Got a quick question for some of you guys who are smarter than I am…

I’ve got one of those “Rent-a-Pastor” funerals tomorrow, and the service will include an Eastern Star ritual/ceremony/whatever.

Any quick info on what I need to know about this?

Thanks!

One of the daily quotes I found today. This one from Alfred Hitchcock, relates to the previous post about books and publishing and reading…

This paperback is very interesting, but I find it will never replace a hardcover book – it makes a very poor doorstop.