Friday, June 30, 2006

Finishing up today...

Yesterday finished up the rotation at Livingston Physical Therapy. Today we meet at a classmates home near Tyler to present our case studies to the class and turn in our skill sheets and evaluations. I should make an A, but as usual at the end I don't really care. The PT at Livingston went over my case study, she has an English and said it should get an A. At 2000 words I doubt you will be reading it here unless I get writers block and they quit making those Red Bull energy drinks.

I was very happy with my performance during this rotation. I finish with a lot of confidence. Long way to go, the more I learn the more I need to know, but I have come a long way for a guy that was driving a fork lift 2.5 years ago.

Summer time starts for me. Listen for loud electric guitars and look for pictures of fish here in this spot.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

A few TKD pictures


Mrs. Wallace did a mid term testing for black belt last night, one of those test between 2nd and 3rd degree.

Here is the weapon form, the double song ja bong. That is the Korean name, you know this weapon by it's Chinese name, numb chucks.

Here is possibly the best TKD picture I have made with a digital camera. I don't know about more modern cameras, but the shutter clicks kind of slow for action shots with my old camera. I managed to time this one perfect. Here is JD a young man testing to receive his 1st degree black belt. That is a running jump side kick over an object which happens to be another student.

Mom and son.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

TKD Tournament results...

Well we are officially on the road to world champ. Mary took 1st place in the American TKD Association tournament this past weekend in sparring. To get the the championship you go to tournament and get points on how you place. This world tournament was worth triple points. She is in the 14-16 year old 2nd and 3rd degree ring. The troph was almost as tall as her shoulder.

Morgan did well, he won one and lost one, not good enough to place, but that ring he is in is very tough.

I am very proud of both kids, they drove to Little Rock by themselves, stayed safe and had a good time.

I am winding down my last week for this summer session, putting my finishing touches on a case study. I'm past 2000 words and have a nice brochure made. That's 2000 words you may never see posted here.

The unreleased writings if you will.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Happy anniversary...


To us. Me and Cathy, married 17 years today. I don't have a wedding picture on the computer and my scanner is not working so I'll use this one instead. I assure you we danced the day of our wedding also.

Friday, June 23, 2006

I hate the news from Iraq these days...

Seems like every time you turn it on there is criminal proceedings against some GI for something he has done in Iraq. It is a terrible situation to be in, I really feel for them.

He was not writing about war, but I think Bob Dylan said it the best in 1976 when he wrote:

...Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise...

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Strange house...


Saw this place on 59 passing through Legget, Tx.

Not much in Legget, there is a juke joint called Big Man's BBQ or something like that, but you have to drive by at 2am to know if it is in operation or not.

I don't know what that is sticking out the windows, click and zoom maybe you know. It is some type of art house, are those flames, an East Texas Blair Witch Project? There was a sign on the gate that said member of Christmas Tree Farmers Association of some sort.

Another view.

Ended up observing two surgeries yesterday, a knee scope and the clavicle ORIF. The shoulder was late getting started, had to wait on UPS to deliver the pins.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Get to observe surgery today...

Will get to see an ORIF of the clavicle today. This will be the forth surgery I have seen, the other three were knees.

I took a tumble over the handle bars of a mountain bike a few years ago, thought I was going to need one of these myself.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

I'm writing...

For school. A case study on a patient I have been seeing. More fun to write here, but this is one of those things you have to do. I have most of the info I need and have written a few paragraphs. Just trying to get it all to flow together and make sense.

Might not see to much posting here for the next wek or so, got to save the juice, can't waste it.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

The Great...

Father's Day/Juneteenth/Catfish Roundup/Bream Rodeo.

Ended up with 20 fish, 10 cats, 10 bream. Lot of undersize throw backs. Better than average numbers and not bad at all for a rainy Saturday. All were intent on catching.













Then the bite got started. Katie and Travis were glad they spent $11 on a single day fishing license. We got checked. Third time this year, if you are fishing out of Hank's Creek you better be legal.
Some fished till they passed out. I think the splochy pictures are due to some hot sauces and smoked oyster juice on the camera lens.









Score one for Travis.







A double.













Something tried to crawl up my back while I was tubing.
Watch that woman behind me guys. And yes old dad did catch some fish.

This story ends the same as so many others. Those fish are now swimming in our bellies.





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Thursday, June 15, 2006

Beads...


Here is a picture from the Lufkin High School Band Banquet. Me and Mary. I need to get Mary to lighten up that black hair, makes my grey stand out too much. Durn I look old.

The banquet had a Mardi Gras Theme. That is why I have on the beads. I don't think those beads have ever been in New Orleans. I would bet came straight from China.

Here is some real Mardi Gras beads. I picked these up in the streets of New Orleans. Some of them I might have showed for. Getting beads can be hard work, waving at floats hollaring hoarsely at masked men "throw me something mister." It's crowded close quarters work and yessir, I kneed drunken college boys in the groin, pushed little kids down, fished in gutters where pools of urine accumulated and slipped down in feces just to beat the crowds to these plastic trinkets that mean absolutely nothing.

I would do it all again in a minute. In fact, after about 12 days in a row in the clinic and at the hospital I might have my own parade this weekend.

Company this weekend...


In the fine olderyouwillget tradition me and Mary climbed the water tower and painted last night. We had to, company coming this weekend. A warm water tower welcome to Katie and Travis. And it was warm, this is hard work. We sweated.

See that black silhouette thing holding the "hi" sign. That's is made to the exact dimensions of the Thong Monster.

So hurry up and get here guys before the water company cleans it off.

I'm having fun with this, we paint, they clean, it is one of those cartoon character things, trying to see who can go to the greatest lengths to outdo the other.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

New Blog Character...


This person must have their identity protected. Keep watch here for super hero type adventures.

I present you...The Thong Monster.


On the school news front I had my mid term meeting with my instructor, right on track.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Check new link...

Check out the new web link on the side bar to your right. It is for the Taekwondo school where my family trains.

If you check instructor names and the testimonials you will see various Wallace names.

A good place to work out. Master Olford is a good guy.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Beat them to the punch...

Well the Tyler paper did publish my friend Quince's (not his real name) letter from a few posts back. http://http://www.zwire.com/site/news.asp?brd=1994&pag=460&dept_id=459482

Scroll down about 8 letters, titled "Math on a Raise."

Remember, you saw it here first.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Today's birthday...

6/10, Morgan's birthday, he's 19. Happy birthday to him. Here is his picture:

Odds and ends today...

Working this weekend so I'll miss a wedding gig, but Cathy has it covered.

Saw 3 total knee replacements surgeries last week. Now I know why those folks are hurting when I get to the room to see them.

Half way through on the clinicials.

Maybe I'll list the tunes in the car or paint the water tower this weekend if nothing else interesting happens.

Several anonymous blog comments this week, no porn this time but very complimentary. "Better than most rubbish I read."

Thank you, thank you very much.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Might be a purpose after all...

Just reflected a bit on the purpose of things here. Of course it is to amuse first off. Provides info for family in friends in this busy time. An outlet for me so I can get stuff out of my head so if I was to have a home accident, fell and cracked my head, and emergency crews responded they would not be slipping and sliding in white bass fishing thoughts and tripping on little guys in matador suits running everywhere that poured out of that crack in my noggin.

The thing I though about was that maybe provided here for my friends is some snippits of how other friends are affected by the events of the world. It is real easy to be busy, life is going good and be little effected by the currents flowing through the river of life. Lot of distractions, if it aint in my living room it aint a problem. Easy attitude to have, me and many of us are pretty comfortable in the holes of our making.

Hope this page widens out the circle of that hole. Maybe here experiences can be found such as news of people in Iraq or how the policies of government effects teachers from the mouth of teachers. You know, show the experiences, not just my opinion.

Man that last one is a good sentence. Shoulda just wrote that first.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Another Birthday to Remember...

My dad, he passed away 15 years ago, was born on June 7th. In 1944 as a birthday present he got to land on the beach in Normandy during the second day of the invasion of Europe.

He never talked much about the war. I can't help but wonder what he thought that day as a 19 year old GI. I am sure much of the carnage from the first days landings was still evident. He must have wondered what was going to happen to him.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Happy Birthday Katie...

While I will be indoors all day wearing a tin foil hat folks like my daughter Katie will be living it up celebrating another day older and deeper in debt. Well maybe she is not old enough to feel the gravity of those weights, but since she lives in Austin there will be some decisions. Decisions for 6-6-06.

I am sure in Austin today people will decide to release a Death Metal cd, some will get a tattoo, and some will just sleep through it. What ever, have a good time on your birthday Katie. It is such a historical date, marking the Allied invasion of France in WW2.

Now that I think about it, invasion (Katie) 666(Katie) attacked (Katie) the beast (Katie) massive movement of men and machines (Katie)...the freeassociation just goes on and on.

Happy birthday, (sound of tuba) love,
Dad
That is Katie on the left, don't know those other two.

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Monday, June 05, 2006

I have arrived...

The evidence, two incidents that show I have been noticed at a local as well as a world wide level.

The first, yesterday someone post a link to porn as a comment to a December post about fishing. Don't bother to look, I have removed it. The blog emails me when someone posts, it gets here quicker that if I email myself. Hey, I get lonesome, don't you? Anyway my visitor log shows it was from Anakara, Turkey. At least it was not the Dutch. I was tempted to bombard their email with naked pictures of myself, but alas, I have none and Cathy is out of town with the camera.

The second incident was in my rotation today a patient called me a SOB. Was not anything I did, the statement was "Speak up you SOB I can't hear you." I good a lot of compliments from my coworkers from my diplomatic handling of the situation. It's just experience, I have been called a SOB a lot. I am used to it.

Nice to be noticed, it slays me if I am not.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

The old switcharoo...

Here is a letter that my good friend Quince (not his real name) wrote to the Tyler newspaper. It has not been published yet there yet so we got it first. Tells of the sort shift teachers get. Seems to be common practice these days that the big wheels decide they will give a name to something, say it's good and try to make us like it and call it good also. Here is the letter:

When is a Raise not a Raise?

While Governor Perry is trotting around the state having ceremonial signing of his various tax bills, many of us Texas teachers are incensed that he and other state leaders have the nerve to claim that there is a $2,000 “raise” for teachers beginning with the 2006-2007 school year.

The last raise in the state salary schedule was $3,000 in 1999. That legislation had a pass-through provision that required the entire amount to be paid directly to the teacher in addition to any local increase that would have been in effect for the following school year. No such provision exists in the latest law, which means that many local districts will provide little, if any, salary increase.

Texas teachers have never had state-paid health insurance. In 2002, for the first time, school employees were provided a $1,000 stipend that could be taken either as taxable salary or applied tax-free towards the rising cost of health insurance premiums. In 2003, the Legislature and Governor Perry reneged on their promise by taking away $500 of the $1,000 stipend. This new bill restores the full $1,000 for teachers only, not for other school employees, and requires that the funds be taken as taxable salary.

Now, lets do the math. Three years of lost pay times $500 equals $1,500. Add in $500 restoration of the health insurance stipend (now taxed). That's $2,000 (before taxes). There will not be a real raise until 2007-2008, and that will be $1,500 (before taxes), not $2,000.

Taking money from one pocket, then paying it back interest-free three years later in another pocket, is not a raise. Tony Soprano might call it a gift. Mendacity is what Big Daddy called such rubbish in A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

We are in for a long, hot summer followed by fall campaigns and elections. So, Governor Perry, Speaker Craddick, Senator Dewhurst, Representative Berman, Senator Eltife, and all others who are trumpeting success with these bills, remember that Texas teachers can do the math and it doesn't add up.

Remember in November. See you at the polls.


Thank you Quince. (Not his real Name.)

So that's how it goes, they get us all worked up over the immigrents, American idol, the code everybodies talking about while they pull the big switcharoo. Happens time and again. Look at my own situation, laid off a job, I get school funding from a federal program created by laws made ibenefitsss that benifits those that lost jobs due to trade policies. Sounds like a good thing. The owner of the company that abureaucratic this buracratic mess (don't get me wrong, the funding for a new career is nice, did all take advantage of what I have?) but they have offices, employees, computer systems and all, a huge operation and it is a contract service provided by a private company, Lockheed Martincontractorfense contracter. Seems like it might have been easier for 500 guys to keep their jobs, but no doubt it's a way to funnel money to those with friends in high places.

The old switcharoo, see how often you can spot it, all you have to do is use your head, think for yourself and when you think one thing and have the facts and they say it's the other, well you have spotted it. If you can't spot it, well you can sit there while things slip away a little more each day.

Friday, June 02, 2006

I always wanted to be bad...

A bad guy. The kind that rubbed his excretment on public restroom walls. Spelled out words with it, bad words. Words like :#*!#. But I don't have the heart to do such as that. Since they got the water tower painted and cleaned up from our last act of vandalism I decided it was time again.

I did not want to get caught painting a real bad word. Punishment might go harder if captured. Of course it is a fine line. Don't want to seem like a girly man. Is this word bad enough?

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Give me some air...

Since the weather has been nice and cool I have not seen reason to mention to mention that the air conditioner is out. Not really the air, but the fan that blows it, shaft and bearings looks like a piece of equipment at a shut down paper mill. A very old item, when I called my air man, a friend for years and told him about it he said "that thing in your attic that is 40 years old?" So old not fixable. So we take the plunge on a heat pump. At least the cool temps lets us get ready for the next dizaster. Which comes soon than I am ready.

Well last night the power has been off for the work, I got them to do a temporary wire up since the breaker that was down was the deep freeze. They did not come to finish the job today, be Friday, and that breaker threw again. When I got home I think every light was on, no people, Cathy in Indiana. Might have something to do with the breaker, the lights not Cathy's trip. So all meat thawed out. Not a tremendous amount, tossed a bunch of frozen piazzas but I gotta cook it all tomorrow.

Guess I can cook it and freeze it, lot of G meat, anybody for grilled meat loaf?
"...I know I've seen that face before," Big Jim was thinking to himself "Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf..."Bob Dylan from "Lilly Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
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