T-Shirt Alert!

As Found Here

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Don't ya just hate when....

.... life gets in the way of blogging?

 

More posts in the future, as life should be slowing down in the future (or I will run out of energy).

 

However, please enjoy this video in my absence:

From Crackle: Mrs hughes skewed views

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Prince Caspian

One of the fun things I have done with Hope over the past year is reading through the whole Chronicles of Narnia book series.  While the movie for book two (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) has been out for a while, it looks like the movie for Prince Caspian will be released May 16, 2008.  From the trailer below, it looks like the next installment has the potential of being better than the first!

 

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I have found the perfect plaque for my office

As found HERE

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I'm a VPP (Very Proud Papa)

 

Those of you who don't know, I was raised in an OU household, of which I am not ashamed at all.  My favorite state school team was the Sooners, prior to my employment at OSU.  Now my two favorite teams are OU and OSU.  Yeah, there is a lot more orange in my closet than red (at least on my side) primarily out of loyalty to my employing campus. 

 

With that having been said, who would have expected to see the University of Oklahoma logo presented at the top of one of my blog posts?  Well, it is being done by a very proud papa of a high school senior that has completed all of the requirements to apply for an early admissions to a Masters of Occupational Therapy program at OUHSC. Yes, I said Masters program.  Occupational Therapy is a field Sarah has been interested in for quite a while.  Recently she found that OUHSC has an early admittance program to the MOT program for high school seniors, depending upon their GPA, test scores and having confirmed observation time (shadowing) with a practicing OT.  She has the grades and test scores, and recently completed all the required hoop-jumping to get her shadowing hours completed.  She submitted all of her paperwork for the early admissions yesterday.

 

Admittance to the program holds a spot for her once she has completed her bachelor's degree, which doesn't have to be completed at OU.  Being that OT is a growing field, and the graduate placement rate is almost 100%, the program is growing increasingly difficult to enter.  Her taking the initiative now, as a high school senior, will pay off huge dividends in the future.  In short, she won't have to spend her senior year in college worrying about gaining admissions to a graduate program!

 

No, it isn't guaranteed that she will be accepted into the program, but that isn't a major concern (who is stupid enough to deny/reject my daughter? It would just be their loss!).  I am just amazed at how well she has squared away her plans for the future. 

 

Extra Info:

My dad was an Alumni of OU Medical Center.

 

Just to show the level of OU involvement by my family, here is the ring-tone that plays when my mom calls my cell phone:

       

        which can be interesting when she calls during normal business hours!

 

However, I do have to have a little OU humor somewhere, so here it is:

 

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Five-Second Rule Extended to Eight Seconds

ATLANTA (CAP) - Bowing to pressure from advocacy groups and a lobby effort dating back three years, the Weights and Measures Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology has agreed to expand the age-old Five-Second Rule to eight seconds beginning next month.

 

"With all the pressures we all face on a daily basis, nobody has the time they used to," said Pete Olsen of Focus On The Family, which began lobbying the NIST back in 2004. "Three seconds may not be much, but every little bit helps."

 

Focus On The Family originally sought a rule expansion to ten seconds, citing the continued increase in the number of single-parent households as the primary factor in their request. "The numbers of cookies and crackers remained the same, while the sets of eyes to respond and react dropped," said Olsen.

 

However, the NIST countered by offering to increase the limit one second each year from 2008 to 2011, which Focus called "a watered-down attempt to throw red tape at a systemic problem." An arbitrator was brought in last June to help both sides reach an agreement.

 

After months of arbitration, both sides agreed to concessions as part of the deal to change the timeframe of the rule. Among those concessions:

- The Berber Carpet Clause was expanded to include a ban on households with cats. For households with dogs, the rule still only applies to short-hair breeds.

- Section 4.1.2b regarding gum and gummy bears was also expanded to include children's "fruit snacks." However, the two sides could not reach agreement on Starburst chews and had to reserve judgement for a future time.

- Foyers, sunrooms and entryways were added to a special section of the Approved Rooms List that accounts for appropriate weather conditions. For the drier months of July and August, the Eight-Second Rule will now apply to the floors of these rooms.

 

The two sides also agreed to meet on a bi-yearly basis going forward to review all the stipulations of the rule to make sure it continues to meet the needs of a busy population.

 

Originally reported by CAP News

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Truth in advertising?

I don't watch television that much, but when I was in Chicago last week, I was able to catch a couple hours of viewing Friday night.  I already realized that there are numerous medications for ED (erectile dysfunction), but one of the Cialis commercial was found to be quite humor.

 

Seems they have a 36 hour formula that "means you can be flexible".

 

Excuse me?  I thought 'being flexible' was the problem to begin with.....

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Quick trip to Chicago

As of this weekend, I have been to Chicago twice in the last two years (previous visit).  The previous visit was give a presentation to the Barr Foundation Board of Directors.

 

What is the Barr Foundation you ask?  I will give a short answer here, but provide a more detailed description in the future.

The Barr Foundation has a three-fold mission:

1. Provide financial assistance to amputees in need to provide prosthetic components.

       (those who have no financial mean, not to help with insurance deductible)

2. Provide assistance in third-world countries with donated components.

3. Promote the Ertl procedure of lower limb amputation

 

For the last three years I have been very instrumental in the promotion of the Ertl procedure, via both being the webmaster of ErtlReconstruction.com and talking to as many people as I can about it.

 

This visit wasn't primarily to give a presentation to the Board.  It was actually attend as a "Director nominee".  After the meeting was called to order and previous meeting minutes reviewed/approved, the first order of business was to review the nominees and vote on their membership status.  My nomination was approved by a unanimous vote (as was all the others who voted in).

 

Another item of distinction of the evening's meeting was when the foundation operation method was modified to utilize committees to move forward.  Previously, before Tony Barr passed away, the president of the foundation was very active in all aspects of the mission.  It was really his full time job.  However, all of the directors have their own full time job, with foundation work being an additional responsibility in their life.  As such, we have split the functional areas (Executive, Financial Assistance, International Missions & Ertl promotion/education) to be governed by small committees, with them reporting back to the Directors as a whole.  While non-foundation members are allowed on the committees, the primary rule is that at least 50% of the committee members must by BF Directors.

 

I have been asked to be the chairman of the Ertl Education committee.  Another one of the new Directors, Dr Jan Ertl has agreed to be on the committee as well.  I already know of one non-director wishing to be on the committee and I have an idea of another I am going to ask to join us.  When all is squared away with the committee, it will probably look like a grade-school kid leading three Phd students around.  Reasoning is that the committee will most likely be comprised of two orthopedic surgeons, one internationally known CP (certified prosthetist) and me.

 

That's all for now, but I have a feeling there will be several posts in the future about the Barr Foundation in general, with detailed posts about Ertl activities.  

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Sitting in an airport waiting for my flight...

Found this and thought I would share it here:

Scientists Decode the First Message From an Alien Civilization... Simply send 6 x 10 to the 50 atoms of Hydrogen to the Star System at the top of the list, cross off that star system, then put your Star System at the bottom of the list and send it to 100 other Star Systems. Within one-tenth of a Galactic Rotation you will receive enough hydrogen to power your civilization until entropy reaches its maximum! IT REALLY WORKS!

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Happy 100th birthday OKLAHOMA!

Have a great weekend
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Can you said AAA?

Associated Press:

SOUTHWORTH -- A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, Kitsap County sheriff's deputies said.

 

The 66-year-old man had been repairing the car for two weeks at his home northwest of Southworth and east of Port Orchard and had gotten all but one lug nut off the right rear wheel before getting frustrated Saturday, Deputy Scott Wilson said.

 

From about arm's length the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with 00 buckshot and other debris.

 

Wilson described the injuries as "severe but not life-threatening."

 

I think an annual membership with AAA would have been a lot less expensive!

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60 'channels' with plenty to watch (except the final score)

Last week I received a call from the Support Service Captain of our University Police Department, asking if I would like to start working for them running their camera system for selected sporting events. He explained that they had a new system being installed with the number of cameras being too great for their current staff to be able to maintain along with their other duties.  Being that I have been offering to help out in their Command Post for the past few years, I quickly agreed to the request.

Interesting side note: When I was an officer with the PD, this Captain was a Lieutenant and was responsible for my getting involved in computers and information technology items way back in the dark ages.

 

Fast forward to today... After arriving at the PD and getting my press box credentials, I went to the squad room to attend my first police briefing in a dozen years.  In the room were many officers I had worked with previously, a couple I had trained and several new faces.  About halfway through the meeting and before I had been introduced, Renee (my lovely bride) called me.  In case you are wondering, this is the ring-tone I have for her:

 

      

       Yep, that is Hot Legs (by Rod Stewart)

       Yep, my phone wasn't on silent

       Yep, I answered the phone and exited the room very quickly

       .... and, Yep I turned several shades of RED

 

Once I returned to the meeting, I was introduced as a former officer who had been asked back to run the new camera system at the stadium.  After the normal police humor was shared and laughed about, the briefing was adjourned and all were transported to the stadium.

 

Once I got to the stadium I was presented with:

 

   (click on pictures for larger versions)

 

What you see here are eight monitors, controlling four zones of cameras.  Each zone uses two monitors, one showing either 14 or 16 images from the zone cameras and the other showing a full size image of the particular camera being controlled.  I used the first hour or so learning the system controls, which worked out fine considering we got to our locations a few hours before the game began.  Once the stadium started filling up, I was able to quickly focus one, if not more, camera(s) on the areas officers were dispatched to for various issues.  Everything considered, it was a good day.

 

Well, it was a good day, if you didn't consider the football game.  Someday the Cowboys will understand there are four complete quarters to play.  All was good and then ... Poof! Just like that, a 21-point, mid-third-quarter Oklahoma State lead vanished before my very eyes.

 

Yep, Texas scored 24 unanswered points to come from behind.  They kicked the winning field goal with 0:00 left on the clock!

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If You're Reading This - Tim McGraw

 

If you're reading this
My Mommas sittin there
Looks like I only got a one way ticket over here
Sure wish I could give you one more kiss
And war was just a game we played when we were kids

I'm laying down my gun
I'm hanging up boots
I'm up here with God and we're both watching over you

So lay me down
In that open field out on the edge of town
And know my soul
Is where my momma always prayed that it would go
And if you’re reading this
I’m already home

If you’re reading this
Half way around the world
I won’t be there to see the birth of our little girl
I hope she looks like you
I hope she fights like me
Stands up for the innocent and the weak

I'm laying down my gun
I'm hanging up boots
Tell dad I don’t regret that I followed in his shoes

So lay me down
In that open field out on the edge of town
And know my soul
Is where my momma always prayed that it would go
And if you’re reading this
I’m already home

If you’re reading this
There’s going to come a day
When you’ll move on
And find some one else and that’s ok
Just remember this
I’m in a better place
Where soldiers live in peace
And angels sing amazing grace

So lay me down
In that open field out on the edge of town
And know my soul
Is where my Momma always prayed that it would go
And if you’re reading this

If you're reading this

I'm already home

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I should have bought this shirt 2 years ago...

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Eye Test

Polish man goes to the optometrist. The optometrist says "could you please read the line second from the bottom on the chart?"

E

O U

C S U

N Y P D

B I S O K

Q W E R T Y

G O P O K E S

B L O G S P O T

S T A N S T A C Y

U R B A N O W I C Z

L O L H A H A R O F L

 

So the Polish guy says "Read it?? I know him!"

 

(special joke for a special reader)

key to eye-chart

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Hello, I'm Ron .... and I'm a seed-aholic

(this is where you say: "Hi Ron")

 

I can't remember how long I have been a sunflower seed lover, but it has been since at last junior high or before.  Anytime I drive long distance, you can usually find a package of seeds and paper/styrofoam cup right next to me.  I usually have the excuse of 'eating seeds helps me stay awake when driving long distances', which is actually true considering the constant action required to enjoy them:

     1. pour in the hand

     2. throw them into the mouth

     3. position extras around the jaw

     4. crack shell open

     5. eat the seed

     6. spit out the shell

     7. repeat steps 4-6 until out of seed

     8. Go to step 1

 

I am the type of person who finds something they like and sticks with it.  Why take a chance on ordering/buying something you might not like?  As such, I normally just buy David Original sunflower seeds. However while attending a football game a couple of weeks ago, a guy sitting beside me had a bag of David Dill Pickle sunflower seeds.  Yep, dill pickles (another of my eating vices).  Being that most seeders are not overly selfish with their supply, I asked for a small sample and was quite surprised with the taste.  So much so that it was hard not to ask for a few more samples. ;-)

 

As we were gearing up for our trip to Colorado Springs last week, Renee went to the corner Conoco (best vendor for David seeds) and got me a big bag of DP seeds and surprised me with them.  Yep, she loves me more than you will ever know!

 

One thing I have learned over the past few years is the fact I have to 'seed responsibly as the sodium content will increase fluid retention.  Normally that isn't a problem, but as an amputee, fluid retention/settling in my residual limb (pc term for 'stump') makes it difficult to put on my prosthetic limb of a morning.  When driving to Mexico in 2004, I ate seeds almost continuously, while my pros was lying the floorboard beside me.  When we got to a rest stop, I wasn't able to get my leg completely on!  With the construction of my newer leg, I have a better method of driving comfortably (without worry of fluid issues).

 

After going to DavidSeeds.com to get images for this post, I found a few more flavors I may have to try:  Bar-B-Q, Jalapeno (hope it is flavor and not heat) & Nacho Cheese.  But, I think I will stay clear of the Ranch (never have liked ranch) and Sizzlin' BBQ (not into the heat).  I might have to find an official Travel Cup as well.

 

You just gotta love a few of the quotes/slogans from David's website:

The DAVID Seeds Travel Cup makes a statement that says. "I am a Seeder, and I Spit Responsibly."

Eat, Spit, Be Happy

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First view of the day

(camera phone just doesn't do it justice)

 

Obviously, we aren't in Stillwater this morning.  However, this was the first view of the day as we woke up.  This view is out of the living room window at our friend's house, and if you don't recognize it, you are looking at Pike's Peak.  You can't see the Air Force Academy for the trees.  Needless to say this was an incredible site to wake up to.

 

Being that we got here way past Dark:thirty, this is the first thing that Hope saw when she woke up:

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The Beauty of Math

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

 

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

 

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

 

Brilliant, isn't it?
And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

 

Now, take a look at this...
101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?
What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Have a nice day & God bless!!!

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If you look at the complete process...

It's pretty amzing that our society has reached a point where the effort necessary to extract oil from the ground, ship it to a refinery, turn it into plastic, shape it appropriately, truck it to a store, buy it, and bring it home ....

 

 

... is considered to be less effort than what it takes to just wash the spoon when you are done with it!

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Pencil Politics

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Vindicated ... somewhat

As many of you may already be aware, I am an amputee as of Dec 2003 (as a result from trauma received during a fall in June 2001).  One of the good things that has come out of this experience is the ability to provide support/mentoring for other amputees or those soon to be amputees.  I am also the webmaster for ErtlReconstruction.com, a website the promotes the Ertl procedure of amputation (overview of procedure).  While I don't work for any surgeons or medical facilities, I do maintain close email contact with both my surgeon (Will Ertl) and his cousin (Jan Ertl).  When I receive inquires for the surgeons, I normally reply back to the sender (with a bcc to the surgeon) letting them know I have forwarded their message accordingly.  I have no control over the length of time it takes the surgeon to get back with either me or the original sender.

 

Two days ago a friend from Croatia emailed to let me know that an individual in an internet forum was attempting to locate Dr Jan Ertl (the forum site is hosted by Heather Mills).  I went to the site and found the thread in question that was originally started in early August of this year.  I recognized the information of the original posting individual as one that I had recently had several email messages from/to, and had even called him to chat about his situation. 

 

The thread started out with this individual (let's call him "Bob") inquiring from the forum readers if anyone had the contact info for Dr Jan Ertl.  That inquiry included:

....the information on http://www.ertlreconstruction.com/ is NOT good enough. I have emailed though their site a few times with no results

 

One of the readers (Freddy) provided the suggestion of:

When I clicked on webmaster I got this email address. Did you email him?
webmaster@ertlreconstruction.com webmaster@ertlreconstruction.com

 

The response from "Bob" was:

Yup Freddy I've tried that 3 times now and all you get back is -- "I've forward your email to Jan Ertl. --webmaster Ron King". the ONLY thing i have not done though the Ertl site is make an appointment with one of his brothers and then drill them for Jans location and contact info and I bet that would go over like a lead zeppelin but thank you for your efforts

 

As I have already stated, I have no control over the speed and timing of the responses from the surgeons.  But, since "Bob" mentioned my name, I felt the need to share my side of the story.  So, I entered into the thread with this:

Quick note from webmaster Ron King:
I maintain the ErtlReconstruction.com website at the request of the Barr Foundation. I do not work for any of the Ertls, or the medical facilities where they are practicing. Also, I have no control over the speed at which they reply to email messages that I forward to them. All I can do is continue to forward the info as often as requested.

 

Jan has been away from an active practice for quite a while and I believe he is preparing to enter back into practice, however I am not able to share that location until everything is confirmed.

 

I thought, at least I get to put my side of the situation out there for whoever cares.  What I didn't expect was "Bob" posting one additional post for the rest of the world to see:

Hi Ron,
This is an old post and I'm the one you helped hunt down Jan, I have talked to both you and Jan since I last posted here. However I would like to tell everyone else here on the boards that RON was a great help to me and is a fabulous person to talk to if anyone ever needs information on the Ertl procedure or anything amputation related for that matter. Ron has always responded to my questions and has been a great help to me personally in my quest to get an Ertl amputation. Thank you Ron for you wisdom and information and you do a great job keeping up the Ertl web site.

 

I don't believe "Bob" meant for his message with my name in it to "tarnish my reputation".  However, I did take it as somewhat of a personal slap, especially considering how powerless I am in regards to getting information back from the surgeons.  As such, you have no idea how much that final message from "Bob" meant to me.  He could have just let it look like I was just trying to "save face", but he took the time to share with all the forum readers (and it really is a very active amputee forum) that I am one who strives to help others in their time of need. 

 

"Bob", if you actually follow the links in some of my emails to you, THANKS!!!

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