tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99867782012-02-16T17:06:36.768-06:00Hi there...It's just me.Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.comBlogger4011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-41318308955262564792007-09-07T06:42:00.000-05:002007-09-07T07:09:26.642-05:00

This past weekend, as my friend, Gar, and I made our way down to South Texas, we passed right by the place where it all began--Baylor University, where we met in tennis class nearly twenty years ago.I was very shy back then--it was really an accomplishment for me to go out of my way to introduce myself to Gar in the dorm hallways when I ran into him later. He said the same thing--he was so

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-31764773022972549242007-09-05T05:23:00.000-05:002007-09-05T08:07:47.874-05:00

"Oh my goodness, that place is definitely haunted!" Fran warned as she checked out the website for the 100-year-old B&B in the small South Texas town.So I had to put that statement out of my mind as my friend, Gar and I drove six hours down through San Antonio to a small town near Hondo, Texas. The town we stayed in is so small that their stoplight doesn't change--just a blinking yellow light

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-38141921777693114312007-09-04T06:23:00.000-05:002007-09-04T06:43:27.126-05:00

We're having a lot of fun getting Kaitlyn ready for her first day of preschool. She's very ready to go, and has even asked us to drive her by her school a couple of times just so she could see it again. She is extremely smart, and has a huge vocabulary for a 3-year-old. It really freaks people out, especially people who have kids the same age. I've also noticed that she uses complex grammar

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-67826252484682020762007-08-28T06:11:00.000-05:002007-08-28T06:45:04.351-05:00

Yesterday was Ryan's first day of third grade, and thus officially ends a wonderful summer. What an incredible few months it has been for our family--my kids are unbelievably brown from days of swimming and visiting the beach for the first time. I got to see Ryan turn green with seasickness when we went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. He constructed a monstrosity of a sand castle, which took

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-51974596472544548032007-08-18T08:31:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:38:07.228-05:00

Hi Everyone--I'm sorry I've been out. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that. Then, you get out of the habit of blogging. Now, I have this backlog of ideas and inspirations that will take me the rest of the year to work through. Another little side effect of being out is that my work has piled up. Two more excuses then I'll be done: My lovely wife kindly bought me a gym membership

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-19461296108639191282007-08-18T08:29:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:29:14.248-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-27047006794673619182007-08-18T08:28:00.001-05:002007-08-18T08:28:34.929-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-12782354960175266252007-08-18T08:28:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:28:05.062-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-40160295789915905732007-08-18T08:27:00.001-05:002007-08-18T08:27:40.885-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-64968876540127183882007-08-18T08:26:00.001-05:002007-08-18T08:26:58.030-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-91712107638046285562007-08-18T08:26:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:26:20.984-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-83969386413085011892007-08-18T08:25:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:25:23.587-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-74114530591273650072007-08-18T08:24:00.001-05:002007-08-18T08:24:55.371-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-9426187428584318252007-08-18T08:24:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:24:36.703-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-59927499155632347582007-08-18T08:23:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:23:46.299-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-75761002224085558272007-08-18T08:22:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:22:29.584-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-90598094487466759802007-08-18T08:21:00.001-05:002007-08-18T08:21:57.881-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-31737946968847245232007-08-18T08:21:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:21:35.060-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-73130635384134308452007-08-18T08:20:00.000-05:002007-08-18T08:20:52.106-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-4029953148388045172007-07-01T05:57:00.000-05:002007-07-01T06:55:13.013-05:00

The rain has continued here in Texas--the last report I heard said that we got rain in 22 days out of the 30 in June. I've actually been carrying an umbrella around with me--typically I just act like a caveman and sprint out of my car to wherever I'm going, sometimes using the "hold whatever is handy over your head" method of keeping my head from getting soaked. But in these recent days of

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1017497164105612132007-06-23T03:42:00.000-05:002007-06-23T05:13:33.605-05:00

It's been a rainy season here in Dallas this year. Something like 10 inches over our average rainfall so far, and counting. Yesterday, we had the privilege of both rain and 90-degree weather, turning our little concrete jungle into a humid tropical rainforest, but I had to venture out in it to the mall, no less, to run an errand that just couldn't wait. I took both my kids with me to the famous

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-28435755890436126472007-05-24T06:27:00.000-05:002007-05-24T06:54:25.825-05:00

I'm sometimes accused of being on the obsessive-compulsive side of things around here. It's funny, because I'm sure my actions can be interpreted that way, and I definitely go overboard sometimes when I get involved in a project.I think it is because I am able to really focus and carry out a project--I'm disciplined and will stick with it. So I guess there are two sides to it, like anything else:

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-90562237370593649492007-05-21T22:14:00.001-05:002007-05-21T22:14:49.526-05:00

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-5489715121203516612007-05-21T22:14:00.000-05:002007-05-23T21:33:27.693-05:00

Bluebonnets are the Texas state flower--each year in the spring, they bloom a deep, stacatto blue which dots landscape for a few weeks. In fact, years ago, Lady Bird Johnson, as part of her highway beautification project, had wildflowers planted along the roadways--I love the fields which include Black-eyed Susans and beautiful, crimson Indian paintbrushes. We traveled down to Central Texas

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-65636425442307590082007-05-19T06:28:00.000-05:002007-05-19T06:50:22.634-05:00

We were sitting around the dinner table Thursday night, and it had already been a long week. Long hours of work, school is winding down, and we've got a lot of projects going around the house.We were enjoying some light conversation, and I wanted to include our 3-year-old girl, Kaitlyn."Kaitlyn, your teacher told me that you are the smartest one in your class! I'm so proud of you."She responded

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-12778837242015557162007-05-03T22:57:00.000-05:002007-05-03T23:08:45.621-05:00

I meant to write about this before now.Fran got a a part-time job working during market shows at the World Trade Center. She works in a very elegant showroom, and her job is to write up orders for boutique owners who want to stock their stores--she shows them stuff like candles, quilts, furniture, etc. In the meantime, she gets to drink tea and eat finger sandwiches.She hadn't worked for about

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-17533996572813415212007-05-02T22:48:00.000-05:002007-05-02T22:57:27.944-05:00

Huge storm blew through tonight--90 mph winds (hurricane force). Local storm sirens went off indicating dangerous local conditions. Then the power went out and the kids got scared. We got the flashlights out and I went to close shutters.The sky turned green.As I was looking out the front window, a huge gust of wind came through in a circular pattern--I don't know how to describe it except to say

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-63915613551518142662007-04-25T09:45:00.001-05:002007-05-03T23:13:45.182-05:00

This is Kaitlyn's stock punchline for any situation.Here's an example:Kaitlyn: Knock, knockMe: Who's there?K: bananaMe: Banana who?K: Moonyake! (hysterical laughter)Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but here's my interpretation as a dad:Kaitlyn has extraordinary verbals skills, but she's also savvy enough to recognize that sometimes things are said that are so complex that she doesn't

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-48004677590405304042007-04-19T08:34:00.000-05:002007-04-19T10:41:54.552-05:00

I really like that line from Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" where he ponders "Is it not strange that sheep's guts should hail souls out of men's bodies?". In a way, I feel the same way about jet fuel and terminals. Every time I travel, I seem to invent a new adventure in my head to entertain myself on my journey. Something about walking down one jetway, sitting down, and walking back up

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-82649966174607222862007-04-10T05:40:00.000-05:002007-04-10T05:53:13.253-05:00

I remember the very first popular song on the radio when I was a kid--it was Wings' "Band on the Run", only I knew it as "Man on the Run". I'm not sure why it stuck in my head that way, but I remember hearing it again in the '80's and it eventually sinking in to my head that I had the words wrong.I remember another time when my mom told me that I was a human bean (I think she meant "human being"

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-87706736351999058542007-04-09T05:25:00.000-05:002007-04-09T06:29:30.112-05:00

I realized why my "accounting of books" was coming to mind the other day--I subconsciusly realize that I am about to lose my box set of The Police. It's the only group that I have the box set of, and, as it turns out, I guess I didn't need to hear everything they possibly ever recorded. I think they had a version of "Roxanne" recorded in the shower and "Message in a Bottle" on a banjo. I guess

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-52675176727534959012007-04-07T06:17:00.000-05:002007-04-07T07:14:12.650-05:00

Yesterday, Ryan and I took some time in the early afternoon and went to the Texas Rangers home opener game versus the Boston Red Sox. Yes, this is my first baseball reference of 2007.We had Standing Room Only tickets, so I hoisted Ryan up on my shoulders so he could sit and watch the game. We were all the way in the back against the outfield, crowded by a menagerie of characters which reminded

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-17697149723730460282007-04-06T04:56:00.000-05:002007-04-07T06:17:36.451-05:00

Please stay with me...3:45AM.It's very dark outside (and inside).Crazy beeping sound. Gradually getting louder..."Oh, that must be the smoke alarm I put in the garage."Me (yawning): "Theres a fire in the garage?""No--the alarm was going off yesterday so I put a new battery in it. But I couldn't put it back on the ceiling thingy."Me: "Oh, okay." (rolls over and re-closes eyes). Crazy beeping sound

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-66783402127475184182007-04-02T08:05:00.000-05:002007-04-10T07:04:50.521-05:00

There's this guy that is a topic of conversation at our house--he's the guy who directs traffic in the carpool lane of Ryan's school. The guy we currently love to hate.First of all, you can't miss him--he's about 7 feet tall and has an Adam's apple the size of a grapefruit--you know, one of those knobby-looking, tall, skinny giants with think, storky-looking arms.More importantly, though, is his

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-34675241059887010002007-04-02T06:24:00.000-05:002007-04-02T06:56:18.089-05:00

Total number of books irretrievably loaned/stolen from me: 13-16Janet from work: Stole my book on American Sign Language which was a giftCrazy Lady who borrowed 6 books from me and never returned them including my Stephen Crane short story Book, London's Call of the Wild, Crane's Maggie, A Girl of the Streets, Henry James' The American, and Drieser's Jeannie Gerhardt and The Age of Innocence,

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-52729359102959702782007-03-31T06:10:00.000-05:002007-03-31T07:30:08.892-05:00

Last night we had a huge thunderstorm--the rain was coming down in drenching streams which reminded me of an overdone Hollywood movie set. A raging river formed in the street in front of our house, and after a while I started trying to remember where I left our stash of gopher wood...For the last month, I've thrown almost all of my energy into work-related stuff. Yes, that goes against my creed

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-66487054333548699282007-03-17T08:16:00.000-05:002007-03-17T09:14:58.606-05:00

A lot of people give me the "Don't I know you from somewhere?" question. Maybe it's just that through my job I meet a lot of people. Or it could be that "wanted" poster they put up with my face on it in the post office...Here's my favorite joke along the same lines: Two Irishmen, Paddy and Finnegan, are drinking in a bar when Paddy raises his glass to Finnegan. "Here's ta you gov! Where ya be

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-38286270036179085012007-03-14T05:33:00.000-05:002007-03-14T05:37:53.136-05:00

Kaitlyn's first fishing trip--I would say that she's at least intrigued.......and Ryan was pretty proud of himself--he hooked this fish completely on his own--I think that's a first for him, too!

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-4953581238277315112007-03-08T06:08:00.000-06:002007-03-08T06:43:44.826-06:00

After one of those "worst days ever", which usually kind of just make me laugh, I woke up the next morning and put my resume' on a job posting site. You can't believe how freeing it felt.The funny thing is that I'm really not interested in getting a new job. I've gotten several responses, but, just for the record, I don't want to work with old people, I don't want to sell insurance, and I don't

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-39257728832565333992007-03-06T06:24:00.000-06:002007-03-06T07:13:27.664-06:00

Well, sorry about my last depressing (depressed) post. I think it's funny that I consider myself to be a real optimist, but sometimes I just need to visit the dark side of things just to say "hello".Then there's the point that a lot of the things that I think are funny are really pretty bad situations seen in laughing retrospect.Take, for example, this weekend.It wasn't exactly winter outside,

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-85001858242430480512007-03-02T23:13:00.000-06:002007-03-02T23:54:06.331-06:00

Maybe it's a seasonal thing, but this time of year I usually find myself feeling a little low. Somewhere I read that there was a gap during this time of year where it is the longest interval between holidays...but I don't think that's it.Last Friday fell around me like a heavy, black curtain. I woke up at 2:00 AM to the sounds of someone breaking into my car outside my bedroom window. I lay

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-21654589485022798562007-02-20T10:29:00.000-06:002007-02-20T10:35:19.737-06:00

This isn't a "before"--more like an "in progress" shot. The "before" photo didn't get taken because the room was just so depressing--stepping out of the show onto a carpeted floor...just wasn't right. So I wrecked our house just in time for Kaitlyn's birthday party (no one knew...we kept the door closed). And dust got everywhere... Here's the final product--worth it!

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-38040203629282688182007-02-18T06:28:00.000-06:002007-02-18T07:02:21.332-06:00

It's that classic dilemma portrayed by the angel sitting on one shoulder and the devil over the other, each giving advice. My wife has told me before that she really enjoys the blog entries I write where I talk about my kids. I would say that she's a pretty important critic.On the other hand, I read someone mocking that type of blog, calling it a "mommy blog". I was kind of chuckling about it,

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-77064262816154271602007-02-15T20:41:00.000-06:002007-02-15T20:50:12.276-06:00

I got home tonight, and just felt like going out, so we headed for a nearby Mexican food restaurant. Kaitlyn, who was sitting in her high chair at the head of the family, has recently been exhibiting all the drama of being a three-year-old. It's very tiring to endure the highs and lows, which seem to change by the moment.One minute, ecstatic to see a container of steaming tortillas with butter

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-50700567882105357892007-02-10T06:56:00.000-06:002007-02-11T07:30:49.172-06:00

I was watching a show on TV yesterday and something reminded me of an old friend named Gary. Just one of those guys who walks along with you on the path of life for a while and then gets off the path and is never seen nor heard from again. But thinking of Gary made me laugh.It had all the potential of an awkward situation. I was working as an evening supervisor at a nationwide call center, and

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-85016120750730979982007-02-05T04:12:00.000-06:002007-02-05T04:34:43.063-06:00

Overused word alert: the world really can't be as AMAZING as it is being cracked up to be these days. The first sector I heard it from was the highly religious. I think it was intended to replace "flippin' sweet!" Now, it is permeating everything in every media format that I see or hear. Yesterday, I had the radio on for several hours and heard no less than four different commercials touting

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-50766555627623144202007-02-01T06:44:00.000-06:002007-02-01T17:47:06.206-06:00

Among mothers, I've noticed that it is a form of unpardonable insult for a dad to say that he's "babysitting". I suppose babysitting only applies when you are watching someone else's kids. I just always thought that was funny--they seem hyper-vigilant to become ticked off about the term.For the past couple of weeks, Fran has gone back to work at a temporary job. This is part of the "Year of Fran"

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-85351354708954196252007-01-23T08:17:00.000-06:002007-01-23T09:24:47.087-06:00

I got an Email a couple of months ago inviting me to a reunion of all the guys from my old scout troop--they were getting together the ones who had earned Eagle Scout, the highest award you can get. It turns out that there have been over 200 Eagle Scouts from the troop that I belonged to as a kid--the troop is now 30 years old, and I was around and knew some of the founding members, so I felt

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-46313782102590160362007-01-16T06:37:00.000-06:002007-01-17T10:17:09.167-06:00

So far, I've started this entry five different times. I mean, on five different days. Then, disgusted, I just exited out without saving. I think I've just forgotten how to write--lost my touch. I think you can really lose it, and start copping out a little. The issue isn't filling a space, but putting something together that is actually enjoyable to read.Here's an example: One of my entries was

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-4021138528914475562007-01-05T06:00:00.003-06:002007-01-05T06:27:38.337-06:00

Tomorrow is the second anniversary of my blog. 374 total posts for an average of about one every other day. Of course, when I first started out I was a little manic about the whole thing and sometimes posted three times a day for a while. That's just the way I do stuff, sometimes.I think over the past month I've really blown the average--I haven't really looked, but I feel like I've just

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-25737375755286346692006-12-24T06:25:00.000-06:002006-12-24T07:31:46.284-06:00

The update itself doesn't really have anything to do with Christmas Eve, by the way. I just happen to have a little time on my hands today.I guess I've been a little bummed out for the past few weeks. It doesn't usually happen to me during the holidays--I look forward to the kids getting their gifts on Christmas morning. I remember being a kid and feeling a little guilty about getting presents.

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-37398734594868195222006-12-19T00:13:00.000-06:002006-12-19T01:08:43.405-06:00

We walked along the Gaslamp district of San Diego. It was the evening dinner rush, and our group's first choice of restaurant, a bustling sushi place, had a wait which was too long to bear.We walked along the sidewalk in somewhat of a daze, passing sights which had become familiar over the past week. Each restaurant in this area had an old-fashioned style gas lamp on their patios, which was a

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-16128382718364563192006-12-18T13:53:00.000-06:002006-12-24T12:57:57.947-06:00

I mentioned before that I spoke to Ryan's class. They each wrote a Thank You note and some of them felt compelled to provide drawings. Here are my favorites: Mwop Mwop Mwop! The Penguin Returns!I'm wearing my flesh-colored mittens and saggy-crotch unitard...At least I'm smiling, right? I thought this was funny, too. A quite disinterested expression...This was pretty funny--if you can figure

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-88729093793394328862006-12-18T13:07:00.000-06:002006-12-18T13:20:34.494-06:00

All I had to do was say "Kaitlyn, stay out of the leaves!" Then it was the most fun thing on earth...I didn't notice how coordinating her clothes are--pink accents on her jeans and shoes. A little much for a 2-year-old? Of course, I was hoping she would fling herself on the pile and roll around--I have a shot of Ryan doing the same thing a few years ago.Fall came late to Texas this year--It was

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-12365487938328106892006-12-16T18:48:00.000-06:002006-12-17T21:47:33.497-06:00

My sister, Melanie, has had a running joke that I am secretly some sort of international spy. She knows I speak a couple of languages, travel a lot, know how to shoot guns. My job is just vague enough and my travel schedule random enough that it is a little weird but explainable. Also: I went to the FBI Academy for a month when I was a kid--maybe I got brainwashed or something...There have been

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-87839049733222569082006-12-05T20:41:00.000-06:002006-12-05T20:49:45.589-06:00

This is the picture you will be getting...I told Fran "Great! Everyone is going to think our kids are Russian!"Yes--we had snow last week. Here in Texas, we get a day of snow usually once every two years, but we've gotten it for the past three years (so much for the theory of global warming).On the second day, I went out to my car and started to clear the snow off the windshield. It had already

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-10976361381447588202006-12-02T05:20:00.000-06:002006-12-02T06:11:13.850-06:00

I had the weirdest dream last light.I hiked off in the woods to be by myself and write. I came to a tall vista and sat down on a flat spot on the ridge of a cliff and looked out across the water--it was a beautiful scene, an overlook. I was writing on a pad and paper.As I was sitting there, I felt the ground under me give way a little, and I started to slide down the cliff. The next thing I knew,

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-70486563189256434752006-11-27T23:04:00.000-06:002006-11-27T23:22:10.705-06:00

I sat in the very comfortable waiting room completely alone, except for the distracted receptionist. It was the swankiest dental office I've ever seen--antique golf equipment, expensively matted prints, and shiny, dark cherry furnitue were accented by dramatic, red walls and thick upholstery. It flashed through my mind that I can't trust any recommendations from this doctor--he needs to cash in

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-6055478109059713842006-11-27T06:52:00.000-06:002006-11-27T07:06:26.266-06:00

That's how long I have to write before I have to run upstairs and wake up Ryan to help him get ready for school. He's been off for a week for the Thanksgiving Holiday (we used to get 2 days when I went to school), so he's off schedule.We spent a lot of the weekend putting up Christmas lights and our tree. I'm the painfully sentimental one in our family, but Fran is the one who loves to decorate

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-67144791935297490342006-11-20T16:32:00.000-06:002006-11-20T16:36:41.982-06:00

Fran's been checking out all these weird books from the library and reading them. She brings home a bag of 7-10 books every week or two, and reads through them quickly. I'm starting to be convinced that she's just run out of options and is scraping the bottomo of the barrel for something to read. Currently on her nightstand: "The Shunning", complete with dramatic, swooning Amish girl on the

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-47344853174899668502006-11-15T08:48:00.000-06:002006-11-15T09:50:08.139-06:00

Sometimes I wonder if my life is some giant psychology experiment like "The Truman Show" or something. I seem to get into funny situations which sometimes turn stressful--all from the best of intentions.For Ryan's soccer team, I agreed to take action shots of the kids during the games--we did it last year and the kids were really happy to get dramatic, stop-action photos of themselves in the

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-40393333400443033492006-11-13T22:41:00.000-06:002006-11-13T22:58:08.949-06:00

When I went to get the mail last Friday, this magazine, wrapped in a clear plastic bag (to protect it from stray drooling), winked up at me, wedged amongst piles of bills and Christmas ads.It's funny that Ryan really doesn't have a taste for candy. This Halloween, when we dug out his bag for trick-or-treating (for my non-American acquaintences, please let me know if you don't follow me here..

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-72292668158468663072006-11-11T06:36:00.000-06:002006-11-11T06:56:38.926-06:00

First of all, I love this picture of Kaitlyn.She loves to watch the movie "The Sound of Music", and one day she was inspired to go and find props to match Maria's guitar and suitcase. Not bad creativity for a 2-year-old. I suppose there's no good single answer to the question of where I've been, though.Here's kind of the funny, poetic justice answer:About two months ago when some of Ryan's

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1161514921931345912006-10-22T04:29:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:07.458-06:00

We are having the weirdest issue with our next-door neighbor, and I'm not sure what to do about it. For some crazy reason, they keep parking their industrial-sized truck in front of our house. Flashing back about 12 years, to when we lived in an apartment...We had a downstairs neighbor whom we called "ape-man", because he was 6'5", weighed 360 lbs, was very hairy, and acted quite simian--I

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1161362325915944392006-10-20T11:09:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:07.290-06:00

Yesterday was a crisp, October day just like the day we were married in 1991...The years just seem to have flown by.There was lots of controversy back then--we were very young, so we were trying to make everyone else happy on our wedding day. We had a formal ceremony with 250 people in attendance at a church. A choir sang the chorus that the nuns sing at the beginning of "The Sound of Music"--

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1160415247701159922006-10-09T12:29:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:06.908-06:00

Surreptitiously snapped as I slinked by the open door...

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1160394637174440002006-10-09T06:18:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:06.745-06:00

North Texas experienced a pretty traumatic case of a missing boy recently. The 2-year-old was playing in the front yard and just disappeared. Authorities searched the area thoroughly for two days, and were about to declare that it was likely that he was kidnapped, when a helicopter spotted him from the air. He was leaning over to drink out of a cattle pond. He had been wandering around for

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1160221915333535502006-10-07T06:38:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:06.605-06:00

1) Being 100 calls and Emails behind for four days due to last week's craziness. Everywhere I went, I was late. Everything I did, I was behind. Everyone I was trying to help was mad at me for taking so long to get to them. Still not caught up.2) Working with another guy in very tight quarters yesterday for a couple of hours. After a period of listening to him sniffling, etc. I asked him "Are your

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1160033499287383502006-10-05T02:01:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:06.425-06:00

The sun was just starting to come up as I shifted in my position against the small tree. I felt the smooth, wood stock of my shotgun--the barrel was still cool. I could smell gun oil, and I anticipated the bitter smoke from the gunpowder that would float in the air once the gun had been fired a few times. Under my feet was the powder-dry, foot deep, rich, brown dirt which had been recently turned

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1159758177163289402006-10-01T21:09:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:06.253-06:00

I promised it would be an awful week--one worth running away from...and it didn't disappoint. Seriously, I could write a book about this week. For the record, this blog contains fictionalized accounts of events interspersed with reality and my filtered insight mixed with hyperbole to help make a point. Now that I've made that clear, I would like to further state that my blog should never be

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1159184298425919892006-09-25T06:24:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:05.974-06:00

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the things in front of me--this is going to be one of those weeks.Yesterday I was trying not to think of all of these things that I have to do--I was trying to just enjoy the day at the zoo with Fran and the kids. The weather is finally starting to turn autumn-like, which is one of my favorite times of the year. But yesterday I was fighting the urge to make

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1159096614567663862006-09-24T05:19:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:05.821-06:00

I had an opportunity to go to a software training class this week, and I went--but under false pretenses. Not too much was covered in the meeting that I didn't already know. The truth is that the only reason I went to the meeting was to get a read on a group of guys--and now I know I'm in trouble.It's really just a minor dispute over some accounts within our little group--I've got prime real

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1159008527595281842006-09-23T05:39:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:05.685-06:00

Narrator: "Sometimes reaching the size of automobile hubcaps, the black eyes of the giant squid are the largest eyes on this planet."My son, gasping "That must mean that there arelarger eyes on another planet!"

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1158753529433533922006-09-20T06:11:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:05.553-06:00

By this time, all nervousness by this time had vanished. I looked across the aisle at the thin, hawk-nosed attorney opposing me. I thought about his grey suit, which flowed loosely as he moved around the worn table in the dimly lit room. I felt a little underdressed in my slacks and starched white button-down with no tie. I wondered if it would have an effect on the decision either way. Am I

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1158235736563092932006-09-14T05:58:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:05.244-06:00

It started out bad and got worse. Then, it became a dilemma. An epic struggle between convenience and morality, if you will.I practically live in my car--I have driven OVER 200,000 miles in the past five years. The law of averages catches up with you after a while--earlier this year, I had a bouncing piece of metal nearly kill me in a construction zone. It didn't kill me, but it did put a hole in

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1158060997968967792006-09-12T06:21:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:05.109-06:00

Ryan has been learning creative writing in second grade. Actually, he has been very frustrated with it. He was given an assignment to write a story about a dog that got lost and had an adventure. As he sat down to write the story, his eyes filled with tears and he became frustrated and upset. He stood up and threw the paper on the floor and stormed off. Fran went to talk to him and ask him why

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1158060079535063002006-09-12T05:53:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.967-06:00

Saturday, I took Kaitlyn to the park to play. There's this really weird phenomenon that happens when a dad takes a small child out in public--I get odd, suspicious looks like it's my court-appointed custody weekend. I don't know how to describe it.We went to the donut shop and got some health food, then stopped to get coffee and juice, and headed to the park. There is a little lake with a path

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1157717248543326532006-09-08T06:41:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.834-06:00

Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,Is the immediate jewel of their souls;Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing,'twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;But he that filches from me my good nameRobs me of that which not enriches himand makes me poor indeed.-Shakespeare, Othello (Act 3 scene 3)I had an evil teacher in high school who made us all memorize this

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1157515643268467672006-09-05T23:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.693-06:00

1. Full Moon and Weird stuff2. My new Hero: Neil from Dell who was professional and Emailed me about my blog entry, wanting to help...3. A story about Ryan striking out every time during one game and coming home crying and wanting to quit the baseball team. The next game, he struck out but the opposing team's coach made an exception and gave him an extra pitch because the machine malfunctioned (

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1157434974574191332006-09-05T00:05:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.574-06:00

It's midnight and my contacts are starting to fog up. I almost crashed out at 9:30 PM but somehow caught my second wind. I'm doing mental calculations--like a diagram of the kinetic energy that I'm going to have to expend for the rest of the week. I'm rechecking my math, but I'm pretty sure that the energy budget can't accept an all-nighter.Today it rained.That may not sound like a phenomenon,

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1157404421719150322006-09-04T15:54:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.436-06:00

The concept of modular, flat-pack furniture sounded great to me when I first heard it. My wife, Fran, went bananas at Ikea and I got carpal tunnel syndrome turning their crazy Swedish allen wrench-thingies all night trying to bolt together bookshelves in 65 easy steps. Ryan's hairdryer-inflated oversized denim chair is still a favorite among the kids.We got the new catalog in the mail, and my

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1157017981393599502006-08-31T04:46:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.291-06:00

Up at 3 AM again. Just me and Ryan's fish, Marlin, who has lived with us one year. I think I woke him up by turning on the kitchen light. I think he just shot me the middle fin-bone.Do we still call it "Ryan's fish" if I'm the one who has to change the water? In doing so, I broke the bowl, so we got a bigger one--guess that makes the fish get bigger, because he seems to be. Then, instead of

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1156912331063417122006-08-29T22:55:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.155-06:00

A year ago, my sister Nicole and her husband, Nate, were visiting us from Seattle. It was a very nice visit. This may sound kind of weird, but it was the first time she was ever in our home. Nicole is actually my half-sister from a father I have never met-Even though she's just eight years younger than me, I didn't even know she existed until two years ago, when, after a very long search, I found

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1156597807809372692006-08-26T07:49:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:04.022-06:00

Part IFor about three weeks I've had this draft on my blog about Union Square. In a short summary, I got obsessed with Union Square in San Francisco for about three weeks (I know, I'm weird sometimes and there's no cure). When I came back from my trip out there (during which there were no earthquakes), American Movie Classics was running a movie called "The Conversation" which is a terribly

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1156512969848818812006-08-25T08:29:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.900-06:00

My whole life I have felt deep inside that I’m a good guy. In fact I know that I am. I had a rocky start to things and a pretty unhappy childhood, and found myself at age eighteen broke beyond belief, kicked out of my parents’ home for no good reason and on foot. I nearly starved to death, eating one meal every two days and even suffered the happy embarrassment of having cans of corn and beans

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1156030530578784822006-08-19T18:34:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.779-06:00

States I have visited... your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1155915872443710912006-08-18T10:40:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.653-06:00

1. Snacks on a Plane!2. Soap on a Rope!3. Snakes near Mike!4. Wasps in an airport! (Thanks, Stormfilled)5. Bunnies in a Garden!6. Mimes in a Phonebooth!7. Flakes on a Plane!8. The Rain in Spain!9. Sheikhs on a Plane! (reloaded)10. Crepes on a Train!

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1155780757265114182006-08-16T21:02:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.524-06:00

Okay, that's a movie I'm not going to go see...EVER! I guess someone is trying to give me a heart attack. I really don't even like snakes in the zoo.Last week, Fran called to tell me that she was leaving her friend's house and a 4-foot snake was crawling over the road slowly. She rolled over it and felt a crunch. Then she stopped and put the car in reverse. No crunch. She looked over to see it

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1155643555767671392006-08-15T06:47:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.390-06:00

It's not often that I have one of those literally jaw-dropping moments, but it happened yesterday when I read that Dell had decided to recall a bunch of laptop computers because the batteries could spontaneously combust. I caught myself staring into empty space, remembering an incident from about a year ago...It starts with a small indulgence that I allow my son, Ryan. I'm not sure exactly how it

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1155307652637037672006-08-11T09:23:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.260-06:00

School starts Monday--Ryan will be starting second grade. This, like many other changes in life, has generated a little controversy in our circle of friends.Since Ryan started kindergarten, Fran has organized a monthly outing of a group of the moms--everyone is invited, and the group has gotten larger. Some of the more fun teachers even come along at times. One of the things that it helps out

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1155137510373276392006-08-09T10:31:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:03.141-06:00

A cup of coffee and a fortune cookie...Fortune: Be prepared to receive something special.I'm ready! And, if I may say, it's about damned time.

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1154954091961965632006-08-07T07:15:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.893-06:00

Blistered soil, gawkingGrieve as thick, solemn clouds passGranting no pityall is forgottenof rest, peace, quiet, funeach Monday morningCrushed goldfish crackersSaturday morning cartoonstiny arms, big hugsTowering redwoodPalms grasping rough, aged skin-then,I feel you quiverSmiling, deceivingFoot solidly held down flatHiding the worn sole

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1154866010121496472006-08-06T06:30:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.771-06:00

Fran and I agreed that we had to go back to the Redwoods north of San Francisco when we were there a couple of weeks ago. The last time we were there, we bought her mom, who has a severe case of the "Green Thumb", a redwood seedling. So, maybe 2000 years from now these trees will be considered indigenous to Texas. The light was gorgeous, the weather was thankfully 40 degrees cooler than when

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1154522933893644262006-08-02T07:48:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.658-06:00

My cell phone rang at 7:30 PM. It was an unfamiliar number.Was Fran stranded at a gas station somewhere?Is someone in the hospital?Is it a telemarketer? Did someone find something I've lost? Couldn't be that--when I lose something, it tends to be gone forever...Like that shiny new $450 watch I absentmindedly left on the table at the restaurant while trying to set the time correctly.No--it was a

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1154473520125932702006-08-01T17:47:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.450-06:00

I really wish I were a good photographer. Unfortunately, I'm lucky enough to have a nice camera but not skilled enough to use it properly. My strategy is to make up for it in volume. I shoot tons and tons of pictures and then pick the ones I like, crop them to make them interesting, and enjoy them. I think I have a pretty good eye for composition--especially in "post production" mode.This day, my

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1154057893305893582006-07-27T21:58:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.349-06:00

This is one of my favorite lines from the movie Jaws. When I find myself against a seemingly insurmountable problem, I'll say it quietly. I'm not sure why...I have this weird, cursed brain that remembers odd lines from movies, songs, and books and spits them out when applicable (sometimes even when not applicable). The problem with this condition is that it makes it difficult for the afflicted to

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1153743332403868902006-07-24T06:36:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.219-06:00

It was smoky in the restaurant--we were seated by the smoking section of a nice place near the airport, close to the hotel where I would drop him off shortly for the evening. His flight was first thing in the morning and we had arranged for a shuttle to come and get him. I felt like an adult babysitter. This is the reason that there are expense accounts and taxis and rental cars--so you don't end

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1153320762119183722006-07-19T09:06:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.130-06:00

On our visit to San Francisco last week, we took a break one day to go check out a famous bookstore--City Lights. This place is well-known for publishing beatnik poets like Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsburg and is known for being pretty anti-establishment. I thought it was funny that they had two full shelves of Dostoevsky--or I guess that isn't funny. Maybe I'm losing track of who represents

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1153285793167921732006-07-18T23:14:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:02.034-06:00

I have to admit that this is a little personal and embarrassing, but I have realized that I've been playing it a little safe lately.I have lived my entire life in Texas, which is sometimes called the "buckle" of the "Bible Belt" (does that make Mexico the crotch?).Living in this area, many, if not most of the people in the circles I grew up in, oppose drinking alcohol. It is really looked down

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9986778.post-1153187145508037702006-07-17T20:44:00.000-05:002006-11-11T06:20:01.927-06:00

 

Mike's Drumbeatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02935095421283117213noreply@blogger.com7