I got the terrible news that my Aunt Mary Dalton passed away early this morning. Aunt Mary hadn't been very healthy for nearly as long as I could remember. She suffered from diabetes, severe arthritis, and a bad heart condition. Nevertheless, this was a very unexpected and sad shock.Aunt Mary was my dad's youngest sister. She was a vibrant and loving woman. My dad often said that she was the most normal of his generation because she'd married Uncle Scotty so young (he was 17 and she was 14) and got out of their mother's house young enough not to be incurably scarred by her emotional … [Read more...]
Just one of several reasons why I hate Larry the Cable Guy
August 15, 2007 by 2 Comments
Larry the Cable Guy is a lame comedian. Many of his jokes are very old, stolen from comedians a generation or two older than him. And, he's a total poser. Take a look at him before his "Larry" days:http://youtube.com/watch?v=VROn7ZvVoW8Kiss off, Larry - or should I say Dan? … [Read more...]
Another Quest Video and Some Book Reviews
August 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Well, Quest has turned around another video of me touting a new white paper. I think that I look better in this one, but sound worse. Of course, I'm horribly embarrassed by all of these videos. So, no matter how good I look, I still feel uncomfortable about them.On another note, I've read a few books in my most recent travels that are worth mentioning. First, are two books from Christopher Moore - The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and Fluke. Moore is best known for concocting interesting characters and situations, then turning them into slightly wacky laugh-fests. BTW, the topics are rated R … [Read more...]
Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature
August 3, 2007 by Leave a Comment
[Kevin: Agree or disagree? I'd like to hear your response to this article.]Why most suicide bombers are Muslim, beautiful people have more daughters, humans are naturally polygamous, sexual harassment isn't sexist, and blonds are more attractive.By:Alan S. Miller Ph.D., Satoshi Kanazawa Ph.D.Human nature is one of those things that everybody talks about but no one can define precisely. Every time we fall in love, fight with our spouse, get upset about the influx of immigrants into our country, or go to church, we are, in part, behaving as a human animal with our own unique evolved … [Read more...]
A Giving Heart
August 1, 2007 by Leave a Comment
From AllProDad, an inspiring story about Tony Dungy. I knew he was a cool guy, but this blows me away:Coaching the Grief-strickenBy: Bryanby Rick ReillyMaybe you could use a happy story after what happened at Virginia Tech, and maybe I've got one.I have this friend, an Iowa truck driver named Mark Lemke. Last July he wrote to SI, nominating his 19-year-old son, Cory, for FACES IN THE CROWD. Said the kid set all kinds of golf records and he'd been meaning to write for a long time. Said he was finally doing it now because Cory had just died in a motorcycle wreck.Well, I wrote a column (Aug. 21, … [Read more...]
I’m on Internet Video!
July 31, 2007 by 2 Comments
This is rather funny and embarrassing to me, but Quest has made a bunch of videos of me for marketing purposes. Here's the first example: http://www.quest.com/landing/?ID=1043Take a look and let me know what you think.Best regards,-Kevin … [Read more...]
Happy 6th Birthday, Katie Jo
July 27, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Katie Jo came into this world a bit differently than the other three kids. I'd always been rather grossed out by the whole childbirth ordeal - placentas and amniotic fluid are just not my thing. So I was always scared to death of the whole process. I can even recall with the Lamaz class I took with the kids mom that they asked all the dads and partners what they feared. My response? "All the gross stuff."However, somewhere down the line I matured to the point that when our Ob/Gyn asked if I wanted to participate in the delivery I said yes. So with Katie, I actually delivered this child!Of … [Read more...]
The Real Reason Emily Needed Braces
July 20, 2007 by 2 Comments
Braces are not cheap! I was hoping because their mom and I had good teeth that our kids wouldn't need braces themselves. But it turns out that teeth go crooked for a lot of different reasons. In Emily's case, she was a "tongue thruster" which meant that she pushed out with her tongue against her teeth enough to cause them to develop an overbite.As you can see in this picture, our teeth look great! :^)Cheers,-Kev … [Read more...]
Emily Turns 14!
July 16, 2007 by 3 Comments
I'm astounded at how fast my Emily Kay is growing up. She's getting to be such a grown up lady these days. Let's see now - she was born on July 16, 1993 at Huntsville Hospital. Dr Aulds was our Ob/Gyn at the time. As I recall it was Kelly's easiest delivery of the bunch. Kelly had her epideral fairly early and was comfortable. The family was all milling about and she was getting tired, so the nurse herded everyone out under the pretense of them getting lunch. But it was really so Kelly could rest. The nurse asked how she was doing and she said, "Good, except for a dull pain here" and she … [Read more...]
A day in Windsor…
July 15, 2007 by Leave a Comment
I come to enjoy travel less and less over the years. But at least I'm managing to go to more enjoyable places. Today, I'm in England as I will be throughout the week. Quest Software keeps a beautiful office in Maidenhead, which is just a short car ride away from the majestic Windsor Castle, part-time home of Queen Elizabeth II of England.The picture at right is taken inside the castle and shows the mote & bailey that surrounds the inner keep in the background. It's decorated with lush gardens and tinkling waterfalls.Windsor is also home to Eton College, the all-boys prep school for the creme … [Read more...]
