My dad passed away a couple of weeks ago, following a battle with Parkinson’s Disease. I want to post a few things about his life to honor his memory, but for those who didn’t know him, I’ll start with his obituary. I drafted it, and if you’ve never written an obit for a loved one,… Continue reading In Memory of My Dad
Ten Years of Fire Ant
Today’s a semi-momentous occasion for the Gazette, as it marks the ten year anniversary of this blog-like thing. Due to a few other more important things going on – which I may elaborate later – I’m not going to do much more than note the event, but I figured it warranted at least a mention.… Continue reading Ten Years of Fire Ant
Fun with Office Supplies
Perhaps I’m easily impressed and/or amused, but I had no idea until I went back into the world of corporate dronage that the Liquid Paper I grew up with had been replaced by cool correcting tape that’s applied with a dispenser filled with all kinds of rollers and gears and semi-circuitous pathways. Anything worth engineering… Continue reading Fun with Office Supplies
A Running Story
It was the most rare of days: cool and clear, with hardly a breeze, and it occurred to me while driving home from work that this would be a perfect day to ditch the usual treadmill workout and go for a run outdoors. I figured I could easily get in five miles before the sun got too low… Continue reading A Running Story
Two Things: HaloRig / Flyboard
Our Two Things spotlight today focuses on a couple of “add-on” products, things that make other things work better, or at least differently. HaloRig: Video Stabilizer Anyone who’s tried to shoot video with a small digital camcorder, point-and-shoot camera, or phone knows how hard it is to keep the dang thang steady. The form factor… Continue reading Two Things: HaloRig / Flyboard
Shoe Down
Looks like a muddy shoe, doesn’t it? Only it’s not. It’s what a spontaneously delaminating Tecnica hiking boot looks like, and it’s not a pretty sight…nor a pleasant experience when it happens while one is walking across a parking lot in a rainstorm. That’s precisely what happened to Debbie yesterday. She wore these boots to… Continue reading Shoe Down
Two Things
This is the first in what I hope will be a periodic – if not regular – series in which I share, well, two things. Each pair may or may not have some relationship to each other; it’s possible that the only thing they have in common is that they happened to catch my eye… Continue reading Two Things
A Damp Tour Through the Neighborhood
I’m pretty sure we’re setting some kind of rainfall record in Midland, Texas today. While it’s not unusual to have monsoonal downpours in September, it’s been years since we’ve actually experienced one. I’m of the opinion that, except for reasons of bereavement or illness, there’s no such thing as a bad day off, especially in… Continue reading A Damp Tour Through the Neighborhood
The Five Stages of Dealing With A Missing Morning Newspaper
Once upon a time, newspapers were delivered right to one’s doorstep. Except when they weren’t.
You’ve Been Warned
We’re totally gonna put one of these in the company reception area: OK, maybe not, but it’s hilarious to contemplate. This is an edited version (hey, this is a fambly blog, sort of) of a sign that’s posted on the door of a certain local oilfield service’s company tool repair lab. They do some seriously… Continue reading You’ve Been Warned