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I haven't had a chance to post a summary of the Memorial Day weekend until now.



Saturday was taken up by grocery shopping and other mundane tasks. We grilled some burgers for dinner. DAG and I went down to Shadowland Saturday night. It was nice to get out, but none of our friends were there and there was an odd crowd.



Sunday started with me trying to find where the kids from my Sunday School class were, as they were not in the classroom. I hunted them down in the Library and we had at least part of the lesson! After church I went home and tried to watch the Indy 500, but the weather in Indy didn't cooperate too well. We had Cedar Plank Salmon, grilled portabello mushrooms and rice for dinner. Sunday night I watched the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race.



Monday, memorial day, was excellent. I think it is important to honor those who sacrifieced so much for us and our Country. I belong to a U.S. Civil war reenactment group. We participated in our Township's Parade and then a ceremony at the local American Legion Post. My son was also in the parade with his Boy Scout troop. DAG and the girls watched the parade and then we all were at the ceremony.



A couple pictures of the 71st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. See if you can pick me out!

What is up with stubbing your toe? Why the hell does it hurt so much? I've had surgeries, cut half my face open when a diving mask broke, broken my nose etc, etc. But NOTHING seems more painful than stubbing my toe!



Last night I stubbed my toe on our coffee table. It ripped the nail off when I did it. It STILL hurts like hell!



I just don't get it!

Since last November I have been taking a course for certification in "Lean Manufacturing". There has been a full day class one Friday in each month. In addition there were 3 1/2 day "roundtable" discussions, I had to go on a tour of another manufacturing plant and take part in a 3 day "kaizen" event.



Tonight was our graduation ceremony which was coupled with an event the local Industrial Resourse Center sponsored. The speaker at the event was Doug Hall. He is one of the most prolific inventors and has developed a system for new product development.



The good news was the open bar and yummy dinner. They had a huge antipatsa table, a pasta station with tortollini and gnocci, a Prime Rib slicing station and a Dim Sum station.



So now, after 7 months of class and work I have a lovely plexiglass "trophy". wow

I attempted the Acolyte test for the 3rd. The past 2 times I was done with plenty of time to spare, yet got 1 or 2 too many answers wrong. This time I figured I would slow down and be sure of every answer, even if I "knew" the correct answer right off the bat. Well, my strategy failed me as I ran out of time with 2 questions remaining. If I got them right I would have passed.



I am unpatiently waiting for June 20th to arrive.

What a week! I am just plain worn out!



Monday I spent all day at work getting ready for a visit by a consultant as well as an Engineer and the Poduction Manager from our plant in Iowa. They are having some severe quality problems that we have not been able to fix with the people in our company so we called in the world's top expert to help us with the issue. As he was going to be in our facility anyway we also contracted with him to conduct training for 2 days.



Tuesday I spent the entire day with the consultant and our production and engineering staffs working on the problem that our Iowa palnt is having. We have the same issue at our plant, but to a much lesser degree. The good news is we found some things we could do to eliminate the problem, the bad news, these things likley won't work for the Iowa plant as their equipment won't allow it!



Wednesday and Thursday I spent "facilitating" the training classes. This meant I had to sit through them except when I had to go get lunch up to our training room, find chairs for people who showed up uninvited, find props the expert needed, take attendance, round up people who didn't return from breaks on time...Ugh.



Today I had my final class in my "Lean Manufacturing" certification course.



So I am worn out as hell AND when I go in Monday I have all of the work I should have done this week to do! Yeah.



Luckily Gina and I are going to Dracula's Ball Saturday night. That should put me in a good mood!

Well my timing was a bit off. Chrissy's boyfriend showed up at the house 3 minutes after we finished unloading her stuff from the car!



Welcome summer!

This afternoon DAG is driving to Bloomsburg, PA to pick up our younger daughter, Chrissy, for the summer. She is taking her last final as I am writting this. She is completing her Sophomore year. On Friday Gina will drive to Shippensburg, PA to pick up our Oldest daughter, Allie, who is finishing her Junior year.



So tonight, I am sure that Chrissy's boyfriend will be at the house, just like every other night she is not away at school. He will become a permanant resident on our couch until late August!



We will also be treated to the constant displays of "Sisterly Love" from the two girls. "Stop wearing my cloths, do your own damned laundry, I was sitting there". Hard to believe that they are considered "adults" sometimes.



BUT, I love them so and it will also be good to have them home for a while. It won't be too long until they are off living their own lives and not have much time to think about Mom & Dad.

So a pet food company tries to save a few bucks by buying wheat gluten from China. The wheat gluten the Chinese producer made wasn't quite high enough in protien to meet the specifications of the pet food producer. So "someone" (The Chinese producer or the international broker) spikes the wheat gluten with melamine resin, which fools the pet food suppliers protien test.



The pet food producer innocently uses the adultrated Chinese wheat gluten in the pet food it makes. People's pets eat the food and get sick and die.



The pet food company recalls the affected pet food. What do you suppose they do with it?



Most logical people would think that they destroy it .....Most logical people would be WRONG!



They take the pet food with the melamine resin and mix it into batches of Hog and chicken feed.



The giant poulty and pork companies (Perdue, Tyson, Smithfield etc.) stricktly control what feed is used raising the animals they use. Smaller farmers go to their local feed store and buy hog or chicken feed. They do not think that the feed they buy is made from pet food that was recalled as it was killing pets.



So now that this has come to light 20 MILLION chickens, mostly raised by small farmers, can't be sold for food. The FDA and USDA refuse to certify these animals for human consumption. What the hell do you do with 20 MILLION chickens?



The greedy bastards at Menu Foods should eat nothing but chicken until the 20 MILLION chickens are consumed. Let them pay the farmers for the chickens and accept the health risks themselves!

Today is May Day.



May Day always makes me think of my Mother. She always expected (yet never got) flowers for May Day.



Growing up I never really knew the Celtic / Pagan roots of May Day. I just thought it was the day the Russians picked to all stand in Red Square and watch tanks and missile launchers drive by!



Of couse, now I'm more elightened and understand the relationship between Beltane and May Day, and the seperate May Day / International Worker's Day / Haymarket Day interconnection that all happen to share the same day.



In any case, I wish my Mother were still with us here on Earth. I would buy her some flowers for May Day.

Full house, Dominars and Acolytes!

2 pair Sentorans and Dominars.