cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts via mail.
"This is one of those weeks I do not feel like writing a Thoughtlet. And I will. It is 8:05 AM Sunday morning. I just finished reading through the paper. To me the most interesting articles were (1) an article about a new city design competition for Junior High School kids, and (2) an interview with Mary Tyler Moore. The future and nostalgia, the story of my life. At 7:15 Andrea woke up and came in and said `Didn't you have a High Priest Quorum Meeting this morning. Opps! I forgot, and it started at 7:00 and I wasn't ready. My memory is failing. Guess that is what happens when one daughter get's married, and a son fathers one's first grandchild. I feel like I'm becoming a bicentennial man, even though I'm really a semicentennial man. A hundred years is a long time to a human being, and two hundred years is even longer.
Stressful week at work. I wrote and submitted a paper to GeoCanada 2000 (I was asked to give a keynote speech for one session), worked on editing the papers for the May Issue of The Leading Edge, wrote the introductory article for that issue, gave my talk `The Impending Obsolescene of Maps" at the CADCentre Deratech Reception, went to lunch with Jack Land and one of his friends who is selling some prospects in Florida, went to Danny's Sports Bar (ucky cigarette smells) where Dave Monk's going away party was held, took pictures of Santa Fe Energy working one of their Argentina deals in the theater, answered e-mail, etc. The stress was tied to our investor, Mr. Finstad, visiting town, and not knowing what the future of the company will be. We are not making anything close to the sales we need to be making to be a viable company. He has committed to fund us for a couple of more months, and even though he is sticking to his plan, it is stressful.
Especially since with the 10% pay cut a couple of months ago, personal finances are very tight. We have a $2,700 KISD (Katy Independent School District) tax bill due tomorrow, and we don't know for sure we are going to be paid at least $5,000 of the $25,000 currently owed us by Continuum for leasing one of my Landmark software licenses. This lease has been the means of funding a wedding, honeymoon, trips to Utah, and other things which otherwise would not have been possible. Roice is working on some software for me he would like to be paid for. I want to shower gifts on Ben and Sarah and KREE. I believe Paul would like money to purchase some jewerly (some of the rest of you probably would also). Heather and Nate need a car, although they are ok for the time being. Melanie has a reception and wedding to plan and fund. Audrey is working too hard and struggling keeping up with school. Sara wants to do a semester abroad, and I promised to take Audrey and Sara on a trip overseas with me last summer and havn't. Rob's car is broken again, although I don't feel a lot of responsibility there since he is not attending seminary. Rachel wants to go to Florida with me. And Matt tells me all I care about is Continuum Resources (and not him). Maybe the stressful week was not at work, maybe it was tied to my attempting to be everything for everyone.
When I feel stress, I need to remember there were a couple of very nice personal touches this week.
Roice and I exchanged a dozen or so e-mails. He has built this really neat program which turns spread-sheets into images. What was especially exciting was to get a note from him yesterday with attached pictures showing how he is using the program to debug some software he is working on. I will post two of his pictures with this Thoughtlet (../0005.html), the left image (or top depending on the width of your display window) showing the fractal nature of possible solutions, and the right screen capture (or bottom) showing where the solutions are as yellow dots.
Melanie sent me a couple of very nice e-mails. Melanie, the one where you talk about how hard it is to learn to do all of this grown-up stuff brought tears to my eyes, and I wonder if I will ever learn these lessons.
Riley Skeen called from Cody, Wyoming to catch up. Marathon is again reorganizing. If he is asked to move to Houston, he said he will this time. Riley has turned down and quit more jobs than I have had to keep from being moved to the Gulf Coast. And as a result his carreer home has been in the country we both love, like: Billings, Montana; Denver, Colorado; and Cody, Wyoming. Oh well! Guess I am not the only one feeling a little stress at 50.
Lyle Rowbury invited Andrea and I, Cory and Marilyn Grua, and a couple from Westlake Ward to join him and a selected group from his company at his retirement party. Can those of you who know Lyle believe he has actually retired. He was talking about his retirement when we moved into Nottingham Country Ward in 1984! And it has always been something that is going to happen next year. So now he has the stress of deciding what he is going to do in his retirement. Lyle doesn't know how to sit. It was especially gratifying to hear his boss say how Lyle has earned Exxon over $150 million and he never had to worry about him when he was out on a trip. He was thrifty, always turned his expense reports in on time and accurate, and is completely trustworthy. A true scout to the end of his career. I asked Lyle at church if he was bored being retired yet. He said he turned in his company car on Friday, and he is ready to go back to work. Wondered if any of the C.E.S. projects had come through yet, and whether he could get involved in them.
At Dave Monk's party, Pete Worshnop was talking to me. He said, "Did you hear about the federal govenment's committment to geothermal energy in the west?" I told him I had. He said, "When I heard about it, I said to myself, Roice Nelson was right yet again." For those that have not heard there is significant federal funding for geothermal research in the west. I have geological reason to believe there is an opportunity for geothermal energy out by Enoch, possibly in the vacinity of Shirts Canyon, as well as southwest of Hurricane. I made arrangements with a friend, Byron Arnason (../9945.html), to test this out in the fall of this year, if I can put together about $20,000 to cover expenses.
Our Venturing Crew Planning Meeting on Wednesday evening was a hoot. We have the joint activity next week, and it was interesting seeing the guys interact. They got me laughing and almost got me to forget about work for an hour our so. They are going to have an olympics, and some of the events are really funny.
Friday evening Andrea and I went to see Galaxy Quest. What a hoot. Maybe you have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this kind of stuff. It was really funny to me, and an enjoyable evening. When we got back there was an e-mail from Sarah, who ftp'd files for me to put up on the web. I moved them over before going to bed (http://www.walden3d.com/bsnfriends or http://www.walden3d.com/ptl/bsnfriends). Rachel had soccer games all day on Saturday. I worked on catching up e-mail. Finally caught up some notes Nate sent me (http://www.walden3d.com/nate). I also trimmed trees by the basketball hoop. Rob, Matt, and I finally made it to see Bicentennial Man. Matt had seen it before. There was a lot of talk about reproduction, which was not appropiate. However, Rob and Matt, I'm sure you have both heard it all at school, and hopefully we have taught correct principles so you will use these powers in the manner Heavenly Father ordained their use. Overall I thought the movie was wonderful. I'm not sure why it tugged at my emotions. It did, and I discovered tears several times. The part of the movie that was really unrealistic to me was the husband and wife playing chess. Oh, that reminds me Paul, it's your turn (http://www.walden3d.com/dialog/paul). And anyone else who wants to watch this battle to the death is welcome to tune in. I can play 25 games at one time if some of the rest of you think you are good enough to take on SEMICENTENNIAL MAN!
When we got back, Andrea's stomach was still hurting, and so we didn't go to the Ward Party and didn't listen to Alan Peterson, Steve Salt and `The Mid-Life Chrisis.' Matt had a hard time doing his jobs, and it was hard for both of us to talk about what was really going on. Matt, you are really good playing your trumpet, when you finally decide to practice. I'm sorry I used those two words that upset you. Although I am only a semicentenial man, I do care (and although this is for each of you kids, I feel especially close to Rachel and Matt who live with me and whom I am able to interact with each day) as much as if I were a bicentennial man."