cc: file, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner. Diane Cluff, and Andrea Shirts
"What a week. I guess this fact is highlighted by the fact it is 11:22 PM on Sunday night and I am just getting started on my Thoughtlet for this week. Needless to say I am not going to put the time into this weeks words which I normally put into one of these notes. Oh well!
Paul, it was great to have someone to go running with me this week. I remember when I first started running. Roice challenged me to a race around the Emerald Green Block and I could only make it half way. Roice, wasn't that about the time you ran the olympic tourch through the Nottingham Country subdivision? I just remember how proud I was of my son for his accomplishment. And look, it was only the first of a myriad of wonderful accomplishments!
So on Sunday evening Paul told me he was willing to go running with me this week. And so Monday morning at 5:15 I woke him and Mike Reed up. Mike had forgot his alarm clock and had to catch an early flight out to Mexico City. I sent last week's Thoughtlet at 10:05:40 (according to the computer), and had been up until about midnight. So I was suprised I wasn't so tired I couldn't function. Paul got up and we took off to go around the block. I think most of you know, due to competition with Roice, my block increased to be out the main entrance to Green Trails Estates, down Fry to Greenwind Chase, east to Baker Road, north to Kingsland, west to Crescent Green, and then in the back way to Emerald Green. It is about a 4 mile block. Well I made it to Greenhouse Road (on Kingsland Boulevard) before I stopped and started walking. Paul walked with me and then sprinted the last block to the house. The day was a blur of meetings, and Paul gave the Family Home Evening lesson. It was Mike and Janet Smith's last time to join us (they got Painting Packet #546), the 4 Laws were here, Sister Moreless, and Paul and I. Paul's lesson was about his mission and it was neat. Everyone needs to get him to go through all of his pictures and tell some of the experiences he had in Siberia. In addition to talking in Sacrament meeting this next Sunday, he will be giving a 40 minute talk to the Young Men and Young Women and anyone who comes ought to stay and listen to both talks.
Tuesday we got up at the same time, started the same, and didn't talk quite as much. I reminded Paul of the time I was running with Ginger, how she jerked away from me early one morning, and I ended up stepping on a skunk. Paul, it was cute how you said `I remember that one Dad!' I remember taking a big can of tomato juice and giving myself a shower in tomato juice to get the smell off of my legs. Ohhhhhh! I didn't make it to Kingsland on Baker Road before I started walking. Paul looked back, saw me, came back, pushed me, and got me started again. Again I made it to Greenhouse Road, and then I walked the rest of the way. Paul ran on home, got breakfast and was ready to joint study `The Lectures on Faith' by the time I finally got to the house. The most interesting meeting on Tuesday was with my Landmark salesman. He let me copy his file on me. I havn't read it yet, and he says it is really interesting. Do you kids remember the night Landmark gave me a dinner and gave me a lifetime license to their geophysical software? This is documentation of all of the follow-up there has been on that dinner over the last 5 or 6 years. I was suppose to arrange to set up chairs for the Relief Society Tuesday evening, and I forgot. I ended up working late and didn't get back to the house until about 8:30 PM. Oh well! I apologized to the new Relief Society President today, and promised to do better next month. Maybe I need to title my Thoughtlets mistakes every week (.../9902.html).
Wednesday morning Paul didn't come back for me when I stopped running at Greenhouse Road. It is over 3 miles, and I am a fat old man, so I wasn't feeling too bad about walking the last mile. Wednesday was University day. We seemed to be running between meetings with administrators from the University of Houston and from The University of Texas about intellectual property issues. Both meetings took a lot longer than I expected, and I ended up staying at the office for a teleconference with the Evolver group. It was 7:30 before getting back to the house. Just in time to watch the two Star Trek shows on Wednesday night, and catch up on mail and Time Magazines during the commercials. Paul, hopefully you are not too disappointed to learn I don't always work.
Thursday morning I was starting to get my wind back and I made it all the way to the entrance to the Forest Green subdivision. Then I walked the rest of the way. One of the problems with getting old, is that when I stop running I have to go to the bathroom. Being a farm boy, and since there wasn't a toilet in Nelson Packing Plant or out on the farm, I learned to just find a tree and take care of business. Especially when it is dark and I think I am alone. I remember once early in my mission taking the train from Cantebury out to Ayleshem to see Sister Kirkham and as we started the half a mile walk to her house needing to go really bad, and seeing the shock of my proper English companion at seeing the meadow being watered. Oh well! Thursday afternoon was spent with two visitors from Boeing in Seatle. It was a very interesting meeting. Roger was snowed in up in New York City and so he joined us by telephone. They have about $1.8 million for a pilot project in Advanced Logistical Control, to be split between the commercial side and the Department of Defence. It is really exciting stuff, and can make a big positive difference to the oil industry. Melanie, they both loved your painting, and when I gave them a copy of the prints, they asked if there were any more of Ken Turner's paintings around. I took them to Beef 'N Bird Rotisserie for dinner. It was so much fun to watch them as they discovered Ken's paintings. As we stood in front of the painting of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysberg, one of them turned to me and said `This artist is not going to be painting any portriats of Bill Clinton.' I was struck by his insight and his candor. When Ken came over on Saturday and I repeated the comment, Ken talked about how it is his opinion that the Clinton debacle has the Constitution hanging by a thread. If he is only censored, it means that those with power or money are above the law, and the law is no longer equally applied to all, which is what the Constitution is all about. He further said that this was the real tragedy of the O. J. Simpson trial. I agree with this insight.
Friday morning was one of those experiences that will probably be remembered through the millenium (and yes I realize it would just be a forgotten nothing if I didn't write it down). Hopefully it was the only time in my life I will be flagged down by a policeman with flashing lights when I am out running. Paul was a little slower getting up, I read the paper and the comics before we left. We ran and didn't talk much, and I was going to make it to Chisel Point Drive. However, I got tired and started walking when we got to the Forest Green subdivision. There was a policeman sitting there watching for speeding cars. I waved to him and he waved to me. As we went around a little bend and I could see that he could no longer see me, I looked ahead as well as I could through the bushes, thought I saw Paul running away from me, stepped into the bushes next to the wall and proceeded to relieve myself. No sooner had I started than I realized it was not Paul running away from me, but two women walking in my direction. I didn't want to say anything to bring attention to myself, and by the time I stopped and closed up shop they were adjacent to me. As I turned around they saw the bushes move, and started to scream and run. I didn't want to chase after them and try to explain myself, and so I just started on down the trail towards the house. There was a kid ahead of me, he saw me jogging and he started running. So I stopped and walked. Eventually the policeman drove down Kingsland, turned around, came back with flashing lights and stopped me. As he stuck his head out of the door I said: `I'm sorry, I just had to take a leak.' He said, `I thought it was something like that, but you sure scared those two women.' I said `I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Do you want my name and address?' He said sure, and after I gave them to him he told me that was all he needed and drove off to explain what happened to the two women. It is interesting how our fears can drive us to make irrelevant conclusions and create a tremendous hulabaloo over nothing. As I walked the rest of the way back to the house I could imagine the headlines on The Katy Times: `Mormon High Priest Assistant Group Leader Arrested For Indecent Exposure.' Oh well! Paul didn't even know the excitement had happened when I got home, and I considered keeping it a secret, and there are probably several of you reading this who wished I would have. Oh well!
I got to the office at 7:40, and seemed to have a half a dozen things to get done withing the first half hour. At 8:15 Terry Smith, Gary Crouse, and I left for a meeting. As we walked out of the building I said, `Well do you guys want to ride in my new company car.' Terry asked which car, and Gary pointed out the Lexus and said `No, let's ride in mine, then you can talk.' Gary has an old Suburban. I was suprised and a little disappointed. As we got in I asked Gary why he wanted to drive. He said, `Well, I've always been taught to tell the truth. It was obvious when I rode with you the other day your mother taught you to look at other people when you are talking to them. I'm more comfortable driving and letting you talk.' Beind kind of dumbfounded, I proceeded to tell them I was beginning to be worried about the day based on getting pulled over by a cop with flashing lights when out running and then being told I really don't know how to drive. We made it to our appointment to evaluate a GIS (Geographical Information Management) system without running late. Then we made it back to the office and continuing all of the stuff going on getting ready for the SGI (Silicon Graphics Incorporated) Visualization Summit in Galveston next Monday through Wednesday. I headed out for home about 5:30 thinking Rob was going to stay with me and that my friend from Greece and his wife were going to attend the receital with me at the church later in the evening. Neither happened, and recovering from the morning, I sat in front of the TV and watched Cosby's `Kid's Say The Darndest Things,' `Candid Camera,' and the movie `The Great Escape.' The relationship of these three shows to the events of the day seemed natural.
Saturday morning I slept in until 7:30, and when I asked Paul if he wanted to run with me he said he would pass. So I took off in the fog, hoping I wouldn't see any policeman, and telling myself not to stop and water the plants. I stopped running about the same place, and as I walked across Chisel Point Drive, a long time friend from a major oil company waved me down and we talked for a half an hour. He is responsible for the risk process for his company, and is very interested in the stuff we are doing. It seemed like more than coincidences the two of us being at exactly the same intersection at the same time (.../9715.html), expecially since Roger and I have been talking about finding people doing what he is doing in phone conversations all week long. As I walked the rest of the way to the house a beautiful blonde lady, with no rings on, walked past me, and ran off into the fog. I wondered what other coincidences I was missing. At 9:00 Ken Turner came over to work on Heritage Galleries On-line. At 10:00 Joe Roberts came over to talk with us and to feed us sausages and tamales. Then Paul and I went to the grocery store, took Sarah Turner to play basketball at the church, went and looked at computers, got gas, picked up laundry, peeled potatoes, and got ready for the High Priest Party at 6:00. Paul went and ate pizza with Alma. There was a good turn out at the party. The ground was wet, and I learned from Brother Rowbury to put tinfoil under the coals to get the dutch oven's heated up. We had a lot of fun opening the white elephant gifts. The Indian Goddess is no longer part of the High Priest gift exchange. Oh well! Everyone left about 9:30, and by midnight the Christmas tree and decorations were all put up.
This morning I didn't go running. I slept in. Got up in time to polish my boots, trim my nails and cuticle, and look at the paper before church. When I got home from Church Albert and Roger were waiting for me and we had an Evolver meeting/telephone call until I left for the Philmont planning meeting. I came home to a High Priest Group Leadership meeting, and followed this up with fixing dinner, talking to a friend having some personal problems, making my calls to Utah, and writing this. On Thursday Bridget was baptized in Cedar City and she was confirmed today in Pennsylvania. It has not been an easy decision for Des and Sara and Brian to accept. It is the first time I have been on this side of the fence. Andrea was able to attend, says there were 70 people there, and it was a beautiful service. Bridget, I am very proud of your decision, and I hope a spiritual testimony the doctrines and principles of the gospel were the basis for your decision. I also learned that on Friday Sara was one of 5 individual recipients of Community Services Plaques for 1999. The company Andrea works for, Morton Metalcraft, received the outstanding industry award, and she was able to sit with Sara and Des and Bridget at the awards banquet. It was a big deal, and certainly deserved. And until it was decided, Sara wasn't didn't even now she was in the running.'