An Old Hand Returns to the Ranch

Immersed in study and self-actualization, your intrepid logic hand has not entered anything relevant to this blog-spot for many moons. I thought it best to simply abandon these 40 acres of reason ranch; let the weeds grow, the ponies run free and the fences fall. Who is reading, anyway?

Well, I will update on my status now although I think no one is watching. This is more for me than you anyway. Perhaps Howard Roark is rubbing off on me.

Thomassaurus Rex had a swollen lymph node that scared us. The doctors would not rule out the “C” word, specifically leukemia, until they removed the gland and let Stanford Hospital do a biopsy. They removed it and he was released, and then his wound became infected, he had a fever and the wound swelled up to the size of a tennis ball. This looked significantly scary on a 3-year-old boy’s neck. After a week, they released him to come home again, and the wound eventually healed.

Fanning the flames of rebellion, Princess Pork Chop has fought her parents tooth and nail regarding cleaning her room, doing her homework, completing her chores, brushing her hair…you name it! Confrontation leads to nothing more than denials of fault or control over her own responsibilities. Sending her to “time out” in her room only results in muttering of “Attica” under her breath, and Barbie-doll legs being sharpened into shanks “to stick it to the man” when he is not looking.

Buzz Lightyear is full-grown and very hairy. Someone told me that dogs see their human family as a pack, as they would see their own families of dogs. Buzz sees himself somewhere above both T-Rex and Princess PC in our family “pack”. He herds T-Rex, nipping him gently on the ankles and heels when they are on a run. He also puts up a fight with Princess PC, who acts a little too wimpy with Buzz for a 10 year-old girl.

Mrs. Ruslfish has started her Graduate program in Project Management at U San Fran. She is eating it up, but also far too nervous about her writing skills and ability to grasp course content. This is same strong, intelligent woman who received all A and A-s except for one B in her undergraduate program. I need to be nicer to her about this silly fear, but it just seams ridiculous at times.

I completed all my classes for my Organizational Behavior undergrad degree at USF. I still need to complete three general credits and then I graduate. Graduating from USF will also enable me to return to Foothill College and get my AA in Philosophy. Foothill allows a student to forego the math requirement if the student already has an undergrad degree. I tried to CLEP out the three units on Saturday, and totaling failed! I could not get a 50% on a College Algebra exam. Sure, I am more an English/history/philosophy type, but for crying out loud! College Algebra is logic! So, I have to hit the books again and find 3 general units I can complete. I am banking on Management Principles.

Work moves on. I have been making many trips to CO Springs and FL for a proposal called NSOM, which will be the follow on contract for my present contract. I am a defense contractor and a program manager working in telecommunications for the US Air Force. My type of work involves 5 year spurts of employment, followed by re-competing the work and hoping your company makes the best business case to the government so they retain your company. I feel confident in our abilities on this one.

I have nothing to say about Imus, VA Tech, or anything that has been going on recently. I have been reading Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, but do not spend enough time reading it as I should. I will remedy that tonight. Cool book so far, though.

I’ll have something more witty and thought provoking later this week. Or not.