Tuesday, June 30, 2009
I'm scared. By Bapti
I'm scared. By Baptism I was anointed priest, prophet, and king. To whom much is given, much is expected. I believe that I'm failing.
Monday, June 29, 2009
RT @CurtJester My th
RT @CurtJester My thoughts on is anybody pro-abortion? http://tr.im/qdXp (MK: This was good, very good reading.)
Dinner tonight: half
Dinner tonight: half a tomato, boiled carrots, steamed broccoli, potatoes au gratin, fried onions & beef cube steak. All fresh, all home made.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Dan Cajka Eulogy
I was asked to write and read a eulogy for Dan Cajka, may he rest in peace, this past weekend. This is what I came up with.
Dan Cajka
Dan and Linda were married for over 52 years raising their family of four children, Belinda, Ann, Danny, and John in Pittsburg, PA, Poughkeepsie, here in Kingston, and in Chelmsford, MA. Dan and Linda’s four children gave them 9 grandchildren, Benjamin, Joshua, Nathan, Rachael, Daniel, Alexa, Victoria, Spencer, and George.
I met Dan in 1982. In the 27 years that I knew Dan he taught me a few lessons and I’d like to think that perhaps I managed to teach him a few as well. I’d like to share some of the lessons that Dan taught me with you.
Lesson 1: Be friendly, courteous, and hospitable – greet everyone by name. In Dan’s world there are no strangers – only friends that haven’t been met yet. His hospitality is legend. I can remember going to Texas in August of 1984. Only a fool would travel to Dallas in the August heat but somehow Dan didn’t hold that against me. When he came out to DFW to get me he had a cold beer in the car, a broad smile, and a hearty handshake for me. We celebrated Ann’s birthday that year in his backyard next to his pool. There was ice cold beer in the fridge in the garage and barbecued ribs on the grill.
Lesson 2: You can gain new ethnicity through marriage. Both of Dan’s parents were Slovak yet he had the luck of the Irish when he was looking for a parking place. I learned that he acquired this Irish luck by marrying Linda. He also got some of the Irishman’s blarney but that might have been there before he was married. I am now part O’Cajka, myself.
Lesson 3: Papa, my son’s name for Dan, is another word for love. All of Dan’s grandchildren loved their Papa and Nana. There was no greater joy for Dan than playing with his grandchildren. I don’t think that there was any sacrifice that he wouldn’t make for them either. Dan taught all of his grandchildren to swim in his backyard pool. Papa made the best pancakes and they were the highlight of any trip to Plano.
Lesson 4 also involved food. Twinkies are their own food group and a hot dog was a not so secret treat on a weekend shopping trip. Today I still make it a point to have a hot dog almost every weekend and salute him when I do.
Lesson 5: Crossword puzzles are to be done in ink. If you don’t know a word it is perfectly acceptable to make up your own as long as it fits. No one ever checks to see if you got it right. Doing your crossword puzzles this way makes it seem that you are really smart with a great vocabulary. However, I suspect that Dan didn’t actually make up many words when he did his puzzles.
Lesson 6: It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to peddle a stationary bike from Plano, TX to any town that had a grandchild in it. Dan often told me after his morning workout routine on the bike with a banana, a cup of coffee, and a crossword puzzle that he’d been to Nashua, NH. Some times he waited until the next day to peddle home even though he’d never left the house.
Lesson 7 came when Dan and Linda would come to visit. After George went to bed it was time for a trip to Starbuck’s for a Caramel Frappuccino with extra whipped cream before we sat in the Den for an exciting action movie. Going to the movies was something that we both enjoyed sitting on the couch with the surround sound volume up a little too high.
Dan and I had a rapport over the years that included a lot of good natured ribbing and teasing. As George and I were saying goodbye to Dan the last time we saw him alive, I joked with Dan and gave him a friendly barb. Ann asked him if we were giving him a hard time. He told her no but then raised his arm, pointed a finger at me, smiled, and said, “Just the big guy.” This was the final lesson: I was now the “big guy”, an honor that I hope and pray that I can live up to.
We all celebrated life with Dan at one point or another. Dan’s life on earth has ended while ours continues. I imagine Dan in heaven, sitting next to his pool under a warm summer sun with a drink in his hand toasting the Universe waiting for the rest of us to join him. We’ll be there soon enough but in the meantime Dan will be watching over us and helping our Guardian Angels do their jobs.
Whew! I finally made
Whew! I finally made it home. I started to Logan a little after 7 AM Boston time and just got home a little before 8 PM Los Angeles time. 16 hours of traveling!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Just finished writin
Just finished writing the Eulogy for my father-in-law's burial tomorrow. Dan passed away in January.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
June 16, 2009. Make
June 16, 2009. Make a note to celebrate the anniversary of this date. George, my teen, admitted that I was right and he was wrong today.
Gas prices are up! T
Gas prices are up! The card limit at the pump, $75, won't fill my truck's tank. I enjoyed getting a full tank of gas for a little while.
Mmm, mmm. Cold left
Mmm, mmm. Cold left over pepperoni pizza for breakfast. What more could a person want? Yummy!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Nothing gets me read
Nothing gets me ready for a nap like breakfast and a cup of coffee. Yaaaawn. S t r e t c h.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Amazing! PETA thinks
Amazing! PETA thinks that dead fish need more respect: http://htxt.it/XeMp What are we coming to? The fish are dead already.
thinks that "Loading
thinks that "Loading query results" is computer-speak for "Mike, Go get a cup of coffee."
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
There is a reason I
There is a reason I keep my hair cut so short. I have a teenager. I don't want to be able grab my hair well enough to pull it out.
Lord, I thank you fo
Lord, I thank you for all of the "cheerleaders" in my life that have encouraged me when life was hard. I ask you for the words and courage to be a "cheerleader" for others today. Amen.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Gotta de-louse one o
Gotta de-louse one of the home computers (George's). Going to use Norton 360 on it. Which product do you use and do you like it?
Friday, June 05, 2009
[WG] My 2006 Twenty
[WG] My 2006 Twenty dollar bill with serial number IG001---11B has just been re-entered into Where's George? Tracking report: http://htxt.it/lqCI
From my desk calenda
From my desk calendar: "You might be a redneck if ... You spend more time retrieving lures than catching fish." I guess I'm a redneck.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
IBM is seeking to fi
IBM is seeking to fill in their new Iowa operations. If you're interested take a moment to learn more by clicking on the link: http://htxt.it/Some I don't know anything else about the job or the recruiter.
Chris Shols of Broad
Chris Shols of Broadcomm asked me: Hi Michael: I need a QA engr and mgr for BRCM Security. Any old Seagate Bay Area folks you know who might have an interest? Thanks, Chris If you're interested let me know and I'll connect you.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Too much Conan + not
Too much Conan + not enough Tonight Show = fail. He isn't very funny. I'll give him a little more time before I give up on the Tonight Show.
Monday, June 01, 2009
It's 10:30 here on t
It's 10:30 here on the left coast. Another hour before we see what Conan is doing with the Tonight Show. All of you east of us have already seen the show if you cared to watch.
is a very proud Papa
is a very proud Papa tonight. George got several 8th grade awards tonight including Best Technology Student and the President's award.
Sometimes the line b
Sometimes the line between open-mindedness and ignorance is blurry, Satch. - Rob Wilco of Get Fuzzy
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