Friday. Frieday. I wonder if that is what they really meant?

While this has been a really difficult week, it has had its moments.

The day began looking for repair parts. With no luck. The parts man said one of three pieces is in. The other two pieces show to be in stock at the regional warehouse. Today is eight days waiting. Krl and I ran some errands and stopped by the truck dealership because I knew they had received their stock shipment since we had talked. No luck. When the parts person knows you by sight you can bet either you are a good customer or a pain on the parts counter stool. I just try to continue to be a customer.

Actually the lack of parts has meant some concentrated time for Krl and I, and this week I have needed it.

A large portion of yesterday was dedicated to cell phones. It has been a round robin. This is the only cell phone number I have ever had. Almost sixteen years and I haven't been wooed of dazzled by any of the competition. At some point the family business began paying for my cell phone and after a period had the billing changed to that address. When I left the family business I continued to do some things with and for them, although it was mostly seasonal. Krl's cell phone had been "stacked" on top of mine. When she worked at the family business and I was gone for extended seasonal work, she was the "road mule", running supplies and overnight packages from the office to Abilene and vice versa, the comptroller at that time felt it was important for her to have communication equipment.

Last summer we had discussed splitting all the phones up from the family business account. (Although the business is no longer in place, the cell phone account was). My request was for Krl's, my, Memama's and the Stl. phones to be grouped together and I would take them. Some of the Stl. phones were being used by other people so that never happened.

Krl and I realize that there are better services for the areas we frequent, and recently we had received a pre-approved letter from a service we wanted to check out. Problem was we couldn't change services and keep the same numbers because we did not have the bill! So, what began as a simple task ended up taking the large portion of the day and required thirty-two miles of driving. Best part was Krl and I stopped and ate at Skeet's. When we sat down with the service specialist she pulled up usages for our group of phones. Turns out there were five phones piggy-backed on top of my number. These phones shared the minutes. The service specialist said her Sweetwater counterpart had called saying they had had conversations from my brothers contingent and they had told them when we left, to turn off any remaining phones on that plan. When I looked over the numbers, one that stuck out was Memama's, and it was supposed to be canned! I told the girl to keep it active and to just stack it on top of mine and Krl's. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of phone usage the last three months. Of course Memama would win the miser award, thirty-four minutes in three months. I did not recognize some of the other numbers being turned off. I wonder if there are people still carrying these phones that are no longer working for any tangent of any spin off from the family business? Inquiring minds want to know. The service specialist laughed when she was looking at the old business's plan, she said at one time there were a lot of phones on a lot of programs, I would add that some of them were so old their phone numbers were in Roman numerals!

A light moment occurred when Krl and I walked into the cell phone offices. They had two old switchboard stations sitting in their lobby. Krl was taken back many years to when she worked as a telephone operator in Sweetwater and Fort Worth. It makes you stop and think about how far we have come (or how far we have strayed), how impersonal interaction has become (you've lost that human feelin'), and reflect on whether we are better off now than we were then. It was a much simpler time. I could have sat and talked with Krl forever about how the switch boards worked. The hand crank on the lower right, the state of the art headset, the multiple cables and receptacles. As best I could tell the lines were grouped. Probably similar to the old party lines.

I got a call late Thursday that the fire extinguisher project I began a week ago, is near completion. All I have to do is go and pick them up. I'm glad I didn't need them.

I've got a secret, but I can't tell until tomorrow! It's about to eat me up! Heh, heh!

I was excited yesterday. I received notification from the Indianapolis Star that my 2006 Indy 500 coverage order had been received and processed. I will received the newspaper from May 6 through May 30 including and official program from the race! Let me enlighten you. I didn't order it, I never have ordered it. Jeanetta has returned to work at the Star and as in past years that she worked there, she ordered it for me! Thanks! It has been several years since I have received it, during those years I was relegated to the Indy website or other motorsport sources. (To be honest, I enjoy reading the paper from up there, of course if I am totally honest I must tell you if repair parts come in a box stuffed with newspaper I usually spread it out and see where it came from and what was important there!)

Speaking of reading. I am ready for another "Grisham". Since I have returned from the seasonal work I have been re-reading some of his books. It is interesting to see his development as a writer through the books. It is quite common for me to sit down with a new "Grisham" and read it cover to cover in one sitting. Usually I will immediately begin to re-read it at a more leisurely pace. Normally I will read a book per week when I am home. On the jobsite I struggle to read a book each month (in fact this past year I read three books in six months +). Reading is my "great escape".

I visited with Pat yesterday. I wasn't aware but she and Hag are going on Highland's Senior class trip, as sponsors (I know, at first you thought they were rednecks because it sounded like they were in the same grade as their child). Pat said Kyle had been pestering them to sign up. Hag had resisted but one night they were talking and he told Pat to sign them up, around the area there were kids begging parents "not" to go and they had a kid begging them "to" go. Actually I would imagine this will be their cheapest option to ever take a trip to Hawaii. I guess it could also be billed as an empty nest celebration for Pat and Hag. (Waiting to exhale!)

Trc and Kat came by yesterday. They were beaming. They informed us that plans were in place in a month for their family along with Krl and I to go to Mexico for a week. A little business, a lot of pleasure. They had just left the travel agency. Five years ago we had taken a four day trip there and it was a hit. In fact the girls wouldn't hear of any other destination. Best part was, I was no where around when it came money time! Yippee! Actually the travel agent should give me a freebie because when they told him the destination and hotel they wanted, he couldn't find it. Turns out they have changed the name, luckily being the reader I am I had read the entire name on the door and I was able to help bail the agent out. (You'd think they would keep records.)

I received my paperwork from the consultant in Lubbock. I appreciate his prompt attention in returning it. I was very surprised there was no bill with it. Unfortunately, our attorney, also in Lubbock, has not responded to our request for our client escrow accounting and refund. (I wonder if when they are doing their escrow accounting is billable time? Grisham has me watching like a hawk!)

I have the name of another consultant in the Metroplex, so now I have to decide if I open that can of worms today or Monday.

Whatever you decide to do today, do it well!

Be the real deal.

JESUS loves me. And I'm glad.