By Erik France on 7/29/2007 8:37 PM

I read a great quote today.  Here you go:

"Not even computers will replace committees, because committees buy computers."
-- Edward Shepherd Mead

This, and other quotes, are available on my Quotes page.  Enjoy!

By Erik France on 7/23/2007 10:32 PM

I had to go in to the office around 11:30pm on July 16th for an over-night update of one of our systems.  While the update is not too impressive, I found out several things I had not thought about in the past.

Sleeping when your kids are awake is not possible.  The kids usually go to bed around 8:00pm.  But they learned I was leaving for the office and the questions began.  "When do you go to the office?"  "Why do you have to leave us?"  "Will you come back?"  "Do they still have cookies at your work?  Can I get one?" So, while this is going on, Julie and I are trying to get them to go to bed.  I thought I might get a bit of sleep prior to going to the office.  Not a chance. No one is on the Interstates.  This is not a huge revelation as I have known there are fewer drivers late at night.  But there was no one on the Interstates.  Ok, to be honest, I did see three or four cars and one semi.  Compared to what I see normally, this still equates to "no one". Entering the building is a bit creepy. ...

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By Erik France on 7/23/2007 10:29 PM

Sorry for the delay in posting. I had a server issue to deal with and not much time to look into it. I have finally resolved the issue and expect to be back to posting on a more regular basis.

By Erik France on 6/30/2007 6:52 AM

OK, maybe that title is a bit misleading.  I did not think this event would never happen but I knew the right combination of factors would be tough to get together.

Last night I talked with my brother.  We talked about his up-coming bike ride through Utah.  It is seven days of riding and sounds like fun, if I had any intention of sitting on a bike seat for that many miles.  But I pray that he and his friends have a wonderful time.

Then Steven told me, "Well, the other thing I called to talk about is that I finally found a woman who would say 'Yes' to me."  Holy cow!  He's getting married!?!  Rachel, I have to think you are being brainwashed.  :-)

But honestly, I wish you two all of the happiness this life has to offer.  I know any woman who can put up with Steven has to be a wonderful person.  Congratulations to you both.

By Erik France on 6/27/2007 2:55 PM

My co-workers have shown me the ways of disc golf and I am now hooked.  I have discs and I am trying to play more often.  I figure it is fairly good exercise ... at least I get out of the house and walk around for a while.

My new desire is to find a disc golf basket which I can set up in my back yard.  There are ways to build my own, but I am not good at completing projects which I start.  Just ask Julie about all of the home projects which sit for months before being finished.  I am looking for a portable basket.  I have found a few on-line so maybe I can get one soon.  It sure would be nice to practice in the yard.

I'll let you know if I finally get one.

By Erik France on 6/27/2007 2:47 PM

I like this comic strip called "User Friendly".  Today's strip is pretty good and talks about how Al Gore invented the Internet.  I thought it was very good.  Take a look.

By Erik France on 6/11/2007 9:08 PM

Everyone at our house is feeling better today.  That is a good thing.  We have had enough sickness for a while.

By Erik France on 6/10/2007 7:49 AM

Remember that saying, "What goes around comes around"?  Well, it does and it did.

Warning:  The rest of this post talks about my family and the sickness we have had recently.  If you do not like this type of discussion, you have been warned.

 

 The whole family has been sick in the past week or so.  For me, it has been something to observe and marvel at how easily a virus or sickness can be transmitted.

See, about ten days ago Carter had a cold.  He did not sleep well for a couple of nights but then had only a runny nose.  Hailey then developed a runny nose and coughs at night.  So there were another few nights which were not too pleasant at our house.

Monday night of this past week Justyn began Vacation Bible School.  When I picked up Carter and Hailey that night, Justyn's teacher found me and said Justyn had spent quite a bit of time in the bathrooms.  So I found Justyn and he told me his stomach hurt.  Being a guy, I told him to tough it out.  Oh, and the fact that Justyn likes to use that excuse whenever his is in a new or unfamiliar situation.  So I dismissed the episode.

...

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By Erik France on 6/5/2007 11:57 AM

I finally went through the graduation ceremony for the University of Phoenix on June 2, 2007.  I was not really looking forward to sitting in the auditorium for two or more hours, but I really wanted to be hooded.

The Ceremony It was actually a very enjoyable experience.  I was able to see all of my classmates and catch up a bit on their lives.  That was a lot of fun.  It was also fun to remember some of the more trying times we experienced together.  I guess it is true that adversity pulls a team together because I am closer to that group of people than to many others in my life -- and we did most of our interaction over the Internet.

I also enjoyed being able to have my parents there.  It was, perhaps, a small element of my overall experience in gaining my Masters Degree.  But I started my education with them around and it was very fulfilling to have them there.  So, thanks Mom and Dad.  Your presence made the day seem more special to me.

Finally, the day just would not have been a success...

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By Erik France on 5/30/2007 10:54 PM

I received a phone call from Julie today around 11:00 a.m. during which she told me I needed to go home over lunch and help her remove the carpet in the kids' bathroom.  Julie was afraid it would stay wet and mold.

Well, I should explain.  You see, the boys decided to play "Corps of Engineers" and build France Lake right there in the bathroom.  It is amazing how two little boys with cups can splash almost six gallons of water onto the bathroom floor.

By the time I got home, Julie had used the Shop-Vac to clean up most of the water.  Together we took out the carpet, carpet pad, and tack strips.  The sub-floor seemed to be in good shape so we left it and let it dry. After having the fan blow on the bathroom floor for the rest of the afternoon, there is only one small spot of the hallway carpet which is still damp.  But it should be dry in the morning.

France Lake has been removed and everything appears to be dry.  While I am happy about that, I am a bit upset that we now have to move the "Tile...

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