Fostering an Attitude of Gratitude.

Lights On, But I’m Not Home

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:30:42 -0400

I have migrated to WordPress!
I am no longer updating this blog, but please join me at the new The Best Parts:
http://thebestparts.net

the new rss feed is:
feed://thebestparts.net/feed/

See you there! : )

Help me decide...

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:29:00 -0500

I am seriously contemplating switching from my iWeb blogging platform to something else. I have hesitated because iWeb is so easy. It is the “point and shoot” of content management systems. I really don’t want to learn HTML. But I am frustrated with iWeb’s limitations.

I have an idea of what I want to do, but before I take the big jump, I’d like to see what other people are using. Please take the poll. If you choose “other,” please write your platform in a comment. If you love your platform, tell me why. I’d really appreciate it!

Is it over yet?

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:06:02 -0500

I’m ready for this winter to be over!
Spring in NC arrives at the end of March! Can hardly wait!

Warm? No way! ... Hot!!!

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:49:08 -0500

This is my entry for Lee’s PhotoHunt thing that he does on his wonderflug blog, Tarheel Ramblings. The theme was “Warm.”
It was taken in Punta Cana. Check Gail out, then check his site out.

I’m on GoDaddy

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:26:27 -0500

This is the last post on my old Apple/Mac hosting.

I have switched to GoDaddy because Danica asked me to.

Please refresh your links. Simply use www.thebestparts.net

The rss feeds and everything should work now.

Thank you very much. This has been a public service announcement.

Awww!

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:54:13 -0500

This is my entry for the “Awww Monday Meme” gotten from Kimmie at Pretty Amazing Grace by way of Sandee at Comedy Plus and Twisted Sister Dawn.
He’s my little nephew, Daniel.

To My Lover!

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:32:53 -0500

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fan-tastic!

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:46:42 -0500

Eric is playing Special Olympics basketball. He loves it! God love the people who organize it and dedicate their time, treasure and talent to help these special kids. It is one of the very few things that he is able to do with other people outside of his strict daily routine of school (a special autism school) and after-school programs.

It is really kind of funny watching them play. Try to imagine his group. One has a leg shorter than the other so he sort of gallops as he runs, one is morbidly obese and looks like Al Roker, one looks like a mean dude you would hate to meet in a dark alley but is really a mild person with poor body control who just doesn’t get what is going on, most of them don’t know what is going on, one can’t hear, one laughs all the time regardless of what is happening, one has only one arm, and I could go on. When they started the season, it was like watching the Bad News Bears playing against the Keystone Cops! LOL

But you know what, because of the dedication of the coaches, and their consistent instruction, each individual has improved, and team play has really improved as well! Because of the exercise, their endurance is up. They can now dribble, pass, and shoot... sort of. Most of them have figured out the figure eight of a warm up drill. They have played against other teams. They have lost some and won some.

Because of his autism, he has difficulty expressing emotions. But you know he loves this. He is very proud of his uniform. He looks forward to practices and games. He talks about them before and after. He whines, complains, moans and groans, too, just like regular kids. It’s really nice to see him participating in something in the real world.

I am grateful there are people in our communities who give freely of their time. I have always been grateful for my children’s coaches. I have enjoyed playing sports over the years, and also enjoyed being a fan. Looking back, my four other kids have played
T-ball
softball
basketball
cross-country running
swimming
gymnastics
triathlon
baseball
track and field
soccer
hockey
football
and lacrosse.
I may be forgetting some other stuff, too.
That adds up to countless practices and games. A lifetime of lessons. A time of life lessons. The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat. All that, and more.

And now I am fortunate and grateful to witness Eric’s experience in Special Olympics basketball. Fan-tastic!!!

Rhyme Time Spin~ or... Blogku

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:21:25 -0500

Jen at Sprite’s Keeper is at it again, enticing me with yet another spin! This time, we’re supposed to be poetic and rhyme, but I don’t wanna. Nya nya! I’m gonna do what I want! I’m gonna do some blogku (that’s blog + haiku for all you non-Mimi readers.) And “haiku” is a Japanese form of poetry that in English looks like 3 lines, the first and third having 5 syllables, and the second having 7 syllables.

I also feel compelled to leave a little link love for my favorite haiku writer, Daughter at The Daily Lifeku. Her stuff blows me away. Don’t tell her I sent you, though. I’m a lurker over there. But she did inspire my meager effort. Here goes:

My Dearest E-Friends:
I’m bleary eyed reading blogs.
Got to get some sleep!

Hey you, with the memes!
I don’t have time for this shit!
Alright. Just one more.

Macintosh zombies
Vista is killing the nerds
let’s go eat their dead

Did I hear you say
you want me to kiss your ass?
Oh no you dint! Bitch!

I have a variation on the last one that I actually like better:

Did I hear you say
you want me to kiss your ass?
My pleasure, Princess!

So there you have it. My first blogku. Thanks, Jen, for helping me tap into my creative side. Too bad it’s as sick as the other side!

My Awesome Things

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:16:18 -0500

San Diego Momma Deb is one of my absolutely favorite blog writers. Smart, quirky, touching, sometimes a little gross, sentimental, intelligent, very funny, and always really real. If I weren’t such a straight up guy (no eye rolling, please) I could turn stalker. But that would be weird, on account of my being generationally challenged (OKAY, I’m old!!!), and the fact that we are both happily married, to other people. Further, her husband is called The Rock, and with a name like that could probably kick my ass. So, lucky for the both of us, she lives on the other side of the country. But despite the age difference, our different stages of life, her living on a different planet (California) and all that, I relate to so much of what she writes. SHE is awesome! I’m guessing you would think so, too.

This is like a meme. Deb did this as part of her Prompt Tuesday. Prompt Tuesday is usually a writing exercise. She gives the topic, and you get ten minutes to write off the top of your head. But not this one. This assignment is just to list my awesome things. You know, the stuff in my life that I think are, well... awesome!

Of course, the most awesome things are really not things. They are the people in my life. But this is not about that. This is about awesome things.

In no particular order:

My CharBroil grill. This makes me a real man, right?

My Toshiba 42 inch HDTV. For my potato moments.

My Trek road bike. For my non-potato moments, which I prefer!

My Panasonic leather massage chair. Originally bought for Eric (our autistic son) so he could chill. But I use it way more than he does!

My little Honda Civic. Leather, sunroof, heated seats, 37 MPG. Mmm!

My MacBook. The door to blogworld and all of you! : )

My iPhone. Can you tell I’m a Mac zombie?

My Nordic Track C2300 treadmill. Long, long winters in Toledo, but... “nobody gonna slow me down, oh no, I got to keep on movin’ ...

My Epocrates and Pandora iPhone apps. One for the left brain, one for the right.

I hope you enjoyed this short list of Ferd’s Awesome Things!
How ‘bout yours?