Argh... Fed Ex!!!!!!!!!! Don't tease me!

So as you know, I got my FlexDock (no, not my Bowflex, you fitness crazed people.. and you know who you are!) the other day for my Tablet PC, and am loving it. I was supposed to get my extra battery and bluetooth keyboard designed for my Tablet today. Remember how I said they were coming from California and the FlexDock came from China, but it got here first? Well, even though my other stuff was to be delivered today, here it is almost 6:00 pm and it ain't here yet. So of course since this is Friday, I won't get it til Monday. Fed Ex why do you tease me so! Tracking has had it in the state since 6:59 am this morning, but the couldn't get it 3 hours down the road TODAY. Bums.

I hate Thursdays...

So here it is, 8:00 pm. On Thursdays I see patients from 8:00 am til 8:00 pm. Except since I am too busy to book out time for paperwork, I have to do that in off hours. So I have actually been here since 7:00 am. I know I don't get sympathy from some of you folks who have to do 12 hour shifts and such, and my job clearly is not physically draining, but let me tell you. This job can be amazingly emotionally and mentally draining. Nothing like hearing people's pain and frustration and sadness and depression and whatever-else-you-can-think-of for 12 hours to wear you down. I am just glad I am a guy and good at that whole "compartmentalization" thing, where I can leave it here and not drag it home. Sorry. Just had to vent.

Speaking of home. I am going there now.

Anybody know where I can find one of these?!

OK. So I have lots of testing software for the evaluations that I do on my patients. Most of it is in CD format, though some (like some key disks) are 3.5" floppies. Companies like Fellowes and Kensington used to make media storage containers designed for both CD's and floppies together. Since CD's and flash media are becoming ubiquitous and floppies are starting to go the way of the dinosaur, nobody seems to make them any more. Does anyone know where I can find one? I have even looked at Ebay to no avail...

Thanks ya'll!

Fun with Blogger hacks!

I am really digging playing around with blogger, figuring out how to customize the theme and such. I knew there were add-ons, but I have recently discovered hacks! Basically customizing the CSS/HTML code to tweak the blogging features.

I have already added two. I will let you explore the place and see if you can find them. I really like them and plan to add more. Oh, right. In my SPARE time... Anyway, ya'll should check them out... I am off to google around for some more hacks before my next patient in, oh, two minutes...

Um...we were just wrestling!

OK. After the earlier post about blogs and faith and trying to stay on the straight and narrow, I am going to try to keep this as G Rated as I can. However, this is one of those bloggable moments that any of you with growing children will eventually encounter...

...so one night last week Kelly and I get the boys to bed, and we start chatting and get, um, amorous and all...things are going along just fine (if I do say so myself) and we are settling into quite the extended session of uneven-bars-floor-exercise-vault-mattress-play...

You see what's about to happen don't you?

As were are in a somewhat compromising position on the bed, our nine year old Connor opens the door! Partly in surprise and partly in admitted anger that, um, certain rhythms had gotten interrupted, I spoke loudly to Connor to get back to bed. He says, in a most sheepish tone, "Oh, uh, sorry. Sorry." And starts to close the door. I get up (luckily the lights are very dim so it is difficult to see so he didn't actually see anything, though my beached whale skin does tend to glow in the dark) and walk to the door as he is heading back to bed. I say, "Connor I will be there in a minute!" (Well, not just a minute really... it is just a figure of speech)

Kelly and I start giggling about this - we had been saying how it was only a matter of time before this happened since our boys were getting older - but troopers that we are, we completed the gymnastics routine with, oh, I would say at least a 9.775. Except for that Russian judge... he always gives low marks. Go figure. Anyway, we recover from the rigorous exercise, and I throw on my gym shorts and go to Connor's room. Turns out he has a tummy ache. I talk to him for a bit seeing if he needs or wants anything, and he just asks for a glass of water. He then says, "Dad, sorry I interrupted your's and mom's "thing" (using the double-handed-two-finger move for a quote as he said it) a while ago." I kind of shrugged it off, saying, "Oh Connor, it was no big deal bud. Me and mom were just goofing and wrestling around on the bed."

Did he buy it? He sure seemed to - he is a relatively sweet innocent little guy. However, this weekend I think I need to go buy some wrestling tights just in case.

I love new toys....

So Motion Computing, the makers of my wonderful Tablet PC, put some of the accessories for my model on sale, since they just released two new Tablet models. So I promptly ordered a FlexDock, extra battery, and bluetooth keyboard designed for my Tablet. Evidently the keyboard and battery are being shipped from California and the Flexdock from China. I get the Flexdock first. Go figure.

This thing is great! All my power and peripherals plug into the dock instead of my tablet. So instead of plugging and unplugging everything multiple times per day, all I have to do is slide the tablet into the dock and it automatically connects to my power supply and peripherals. It even adds an extra USB port on the front of the dock.

But here's my favorite feature. Those of you who know Tablet PC's know you can use them in portrait or landscape orientation. Though I typically use mine in portrait mode, there are times when I need landscape. And pressing a button to "scroll" through all four orientations (90, 180, 270, 360 degrees) to get the orientation I want is a pain. With the Flexdock, all I do is rotate the screen on its bevel thingie, and it automatically changes the screen orientation!

Yeah, a lot of you people go, "So what?" But those tech geeks out there (and I know who you are) are loving this and wondering why YOU don't have one!

I don't have my camera with me, but I will wait until the wireless keyboard comes in and take pictures of both together. See ya then. Back to work. Got patients to see.

Blogging dilemma... putting my faith where my fingertips are...

So here I am blogging again... wow... amazing that I have done it what? two days in a row now? I have been enjoying trying to figure out how to customize it a bit... probably spending more time... no... I KNOW spending more time on it than I should.

Here's the dilemma though: my interest in blogging got rekindled when a bunch of my XBox Live gaming buddies (most of whom I have known since the beta days, what.. 3 years ago already?) decided to start posting and linking their blog addresses. So I have been in the process of going through all of them and adding them. But... some of the content on some the other sites makes me a bit uncomfortable, especially given my own personal Christian beliefs and personal "fleshly" weaknesses which I consciously try to avoid. I have family that pops by here, as well as possibly other friends from other circles of life. The last thing I want to do is be a negative witness to others or damage my own integrity by ignoring my faith and my conscience and convictions to avoid those things. I know my weaknesses and know where I fail if given the chance. All my mind needs is a "foot in the door" and the search for "more" will be on. The lessening of my standards will begin AGAIN. I have to fight and scratch twice as hard to get them back every time. It is just exhausting.

Ya'll have to understand that trying to walk the Christian walk in today's world is TOUGH, and I have to make conscious efforts to avoid things that I know make me fall. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14... "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." In other words, it is a whole lot easier to mess up your Christian walk than it is to stay on track. So sometimes you step on a few toes when you do in your efforts. As such, there were some that I simply did not feel comfortable listing just now given some of the content. You may feel I am being a prude and stickler or whatever, but I gotta go with my convictions. No, I am not condemning anyone. Each man in this world has their own decisions to make, and it is not my place or desire to judge them, since I have so many weaknesses myself - I am in no way blameless in this world. That is hypocritical and definitely not a Christian way of thinking (though way too many Christians today ARE too judgmental).

Hope ya'll will understand why I did this, and why I had to talk about it here. Heck, for all I know, my discussion here (and what will be a theme of this blog - my faith) will likely turn some of my friends off and they'll remove me from their links list. I respect and understand this. If any of you need to contact me about this more... you know where to find me.

Sean

My Christian "Mantra"... Colossians 3:2... Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.

Everybody needs a fresh start...

Well, I started my days with Blogger... then switched over to MSN Spaces because it has a few extra features. But it just doesn't have enough storage space. So here is the beginning. I am going to transfer all my old posts there (to be honest there weren't many) to this place to keep it up to date.

Now I also thought about switching to the old McKay Wildlife Preserve theme I had before since most of it was about my three boys. But really, my posting tendencies are becoming much more varied than just them. Really, this place is MY place to vent and share my feelings and thoughts, since I spend most of my days providing that to others who walk through my office. So welcome to the place, but it's My Turn to be on the Couch!

Promise Keepers 2005...The Awakening

So this year I had to trek up to Nashville for Promise Keepers. Six hour drive, but hey, I was used to that when I lived in Bismarck and had to drive to St. Paul, MN for the nearest event. It was in Atlanta last year, and will be next year. But this year Hotlanta got skipped and the nearest were in Nashville and Mobile, AL. It is virtually the same distance to each, but I found out that Steven Curtis Chapman was doing the concert in Nashville, so that settled it. Promise Keepers (and men's ministry in general) has been a passion of mine since my first PK event four years ago. I was able to wrangle up 17 other guys to go with me this year from my church, and it turned out to be a great event!


Now, if you don't know what Promise Keepers is, it is an organization started by former University of Colorado football coach, Bill McCartney, as he saw a dire need in our country for Christian men to become more involved and connected with each other. These events are filled with worship music, wonderful speakers on all kinds of aspects of issues important to the struggles of Christian men in this unfortunately increasing secular culture, drama, comedy, and just general "guys being guys." But because it is men only, there is no pretense, no trying to be macho to protect your image (since everyone there admits having the same struggles you do), no "men are strong and don't show emotion" stuff. It is honest talk and exploration about what we Christian men struggle with to "stay the narrow path" and overcome pronography, infidelity, workaholism, ignorance of our families and our children, substance abuse, anger, and so on. But since it is men talking to men about being men, let's just say that things are informal and lively and at times hilarious. Speaking of hilarious, Christian comedian Brad Stine performs at all events now (well, for the last two years) and, if you have never heard the guy, he is amazing. I have never seen a man so intricately weave comedy, evangelism, and social commentary with such agility!

I know many popping through here may not be excited about something like this, but it is an amazing ministry that has personally touched me and helped me re-focus my life on what is important. I gotta tell you, there is almost nothing as emotional and awe-inspiring as being in an arena like this and hearing 15,000 men singling "Holy, Holy, Holy" acapella!

If you want to know more, you can always email me... or join me in Atlanta on July 21-22 2006! *hint hint*

Yet another month has flown by...

I just don't get it. Am I the only one in the time-flies-faster-than-Tom-and-Katie's-courtship time warp? I guess when you're dealing with your own business, 3 VERY ACTIVE boys, becoming more involved in church activities and organizing our Promise Keepers trip, time just skips by (and blogging drops WAY LOW on the priority list)...

Some recent and upcoming things.... So we fenced in the back yard a couple of months ago so the boys could play unattended (especially Mitch and the pups), but nobody was playing in the back yard.... Hmmm... I wonder why? BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE BACK YARD TO PLAY WITH. So we decided to add a bit to the debt (why would you want to start crawling out of that hole NOW? LOL...) and get the boys a nice play set. Professionally constructed out of redwood, with two swings, a glider, slide, club house, and deck on top... Was done on Monday. I will get pics soon and post a few. Needless to say the boys are excited. LOL...

Tomorrow night I am taking Connor, Luke, and my sister page to a DCI (http://www.dci.org) drum and bugle competition. Haven't been to one in years (well, kinda hard to when they never came to North Dakota!), and since Connor has started drum lessons I figured he'd love it. We are ALL excited to go, and I can't wait to suck my two older boys into the "shock and awe" of a field full of brass and drums blowing our faces off with a wall of sound! Will post their reactions afterward...

Upcoming goodies for daddy... My annual River Trip with my dad and our buddies as well as my annual trek to a Promise Keepers event is coming up in August. Though we usually do the Chattahoochee down to the gulf and back, this year we're gonna do the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee River in, um, Tennessee (duh!). Whereas the 'Hooch is littered with sand bars all the way to the gulf - great places to stop and eat and relax - the Tom is huge and WIDE. No sand bars to stop at there.... I guess whenever we want to stop, we'll just all tie-off together a'la Jaws 2 and have a floating barge of sorts. I can't wait. One of the things I am most looking forward to is seeing my cousin Scott. We only get to see each other about 1-2 times per year, and this is one of them. Great guy. Just wish our families got to see each other more...

Then there's Promise Keepers! Started going I think 5 years ago, and wouldn't miss it for the world now. I need a good spiritual recharge every now and then, and this is it! Where else can you be in a sporting arena with 15,000 other men praising God and learning how to become better and more faithful fathers, husbands, and mentors!? I think this is gonna be our best trip yet! So far I have 18 other guys on board to go with me, and the event is not til mid-August. Hope to fill up a bus by then! Men are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the household, but unfortunately we are usually the ones dragged kicking and screaming. I hope this event does some miraculous things in the lives of these men (and me)!

Well, better get back to work. It never ends. LOL...

Oh, speaking of work... the practice is really growing and I HAVE to hire a colleague... This is a scary step for us since we have never done anything like this! The ad will be in the July/August edition of the psychologist's trade magazine. Please keep us in your prayers that we will find exactly who we need (and God wants to be here) quickly, and the transition occurs smoothly!

Until next time (which hopefully will be sooner than later)....