This past week was a week of milestones.

Thursday was Ollie's birthday, she was 27. My buddy K.O. celebrated his birthday Friday turning the big 40. And today Chris celebrates #24.

Ollie celebrated her day by receiving approval for indigent care and submitting additional information for SSI.

K.O. said his day was just another day until late when D.O. and the boys took him to Chili's for a birthday celebration.

Chris is finishing a week of vacationing in Kansas City. He will return home tomorrow.

My week was another full week at the parts store. That's two in a row. That has meant Krl bore the bulk of the trucking. One thing about it, she is amassing a lot of contacts for future use.

Krl kept the trucks loaded and moving, even though one driver didn't do a whole lot of miles. It wasn't Krl's fault. I think this driver got to figuring I would add some pay to his check and only drove two hundred miles on consecutive days. That had some people looking for those loads in an uproar which means Krl was on the war path.

This one driver is proving to be a pathological liar. Thing is, he isn't a good liar. I can usually begin talking with him and pick apart his story before he comes clean. If he would do what he is supposed to do, and be straight about it, it would better. I know he is always in hot water with his wife, and I am sure in order to make peace he probably paints me and Krl as the bad guys.

Well, after a couple weeks of rumors and innuendos, I got a text message that simply said, "I am staying at odessa permian coach freeman". The had been a lot of speculation that he would go to Midland Lee. Personally, I think Permian is the best opportunity. It would appear that Mojo is cycling up and getting their "Mojo" back. I figure Gaines will be around a couple of years and then want to retire. If coach is the assistant head coach, I would think he would have a good opportunity to step up. Basically, it could kind of be what happened with W.T. in Brownwood.

I read an article this morning on the internet which said Kirb was not expected to be drafted in the NFL draft this weekend. I don't see this as bad. I have been told that Kirby has "graded" out very well in his NFL pro days, even though his collegiate career didn't produce the numbers everyone expected. I attribute the majority of this to the revolving door for offensive coordinators in Miami, as well as the change in Head Coaches. Of course his Baylor career was short lived because of a broken foot. I fully expect Kirby to sign with some team as an undrafted free agent. Best part of this is he can choose where he wants to go from the teams that are interested. The Matt Cassel story has to be a major motivator here, he didn't start one single college game and stepped in and took over when Tom Brady was injured last year and gave New England a quarterback controversy before being traded to the Chiefs.

I would still prefer to be the punter.

And, Krl hired a new lawn boy this week. His name is Bear. He is probably ten or eleven, red headed. He seems like a good kid, and he certainly tries. He and Krl have been working in the flower beds and in the front yard. I think much to his delight, he finally got to mow yesterday! He is supposed to come back today and do the back yard. He told Krl he would mow the yard for $10, front and back. Krl told him that was too cheap and agreed on $25 for mowing, weed eating and edging, any additional work will be extra. Krl and I met his Dad and told them what we would like to do is develop a relationship what was dependable (since we are gone so much) and that could exist for several years.

I probably need to do the yard work. I need the exercise and it would save a $100 per month, but we would have to find someone to do the yard when we leave, and most of the time they don't want an extra yard that late in the season for a brief period of time.

Our old yard man did our yard for four years and we prepaid him when we left for St. Lawrence and he never mowed again. Now he doesn't return our phone calls because he owes us money. Oh well. I would rather help someone like "Bear" anyhow!

I received a phone call the other day from a guy in some foreign country talking to me about my First Premier Bank Card. (This is a credit card I use for gas and copies, that only had a $250 limit). Several years ago I had requested that dollar amount limit. The card is paid in full every month, and always has been. Last year, when gas prices went sky-rocketing, I had talked with them and told them I needed to raise the limit and they said they would get it in the works. It never happened and I hadn't thought a whole lot about it until the other day. I guess I didn't keep an accurate mental accounting of how much I had used the card (or used it inadvertently) because this little rude man told me I needed to give him a check over the phone to bring my account back in lines with the terms. I asked what he was talking about and he told me I was past due and over limit. I told him maybe over limit, but certainly not past due. He got a little irate, and I did too. I told him I don't do phone checks. Finally I hung up and called Krl. Sure enough the card had been paid in full earlier in the month. Krl called the card company and they said my account was not due until May 11, 2009, but it was $6 over the limit, but with the over the limit charge, the monthly service charge, and the card protection, I owed them $282.70.

After Kl and I had talked, I called the First Premier Bank Card Customer Service and talked with Ali. "How may I help you", he asked.

I told him, "Cancel the card".

"Why, may I ask do you want to cancel the card?", Ali asked.

"Your people are rude and crude and they finally tripped the "Bull Sh_t meter", I replied. I gave Ali a play by play of what had transpired.

"Because of your excellent credit history with First Premier I have been authorized to offer to you a new First Premier Credit Card in addition to your existing account, and I will give you a $10 credit if you will accept my offer AND keep your old account open", said Ali.

"To little to late", I replied.

After a few more minutes of haggling, I ended the call and got a pair of scissors and cut up the card.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why United States based companies, outsource their customer service centers to foreign companies. Even Southwestern Bell has relocated their customer service over seas. I tried to talk to them about a problem with a fax line at work a couple of weeks ago.

And finally, Rian has begun his count down to summer. 23 full days and 2 half days until school lets out in Lubbock. It seems he has always hated this time of the school year, especially since he went into administration. He says when you get inside a month of year end, a lot of disciplinary options are no longer available and the students know it, add to this you can't suspend them with the mandatory State testing coming up because they still count against the school. Fact is, if they are on your attendance list in October, no matter if they move or what, they count against your testing in the spring.

Well, I may go meet K.O. today and meet with a potential promoter of a show. K.O. asked if I would be interested, and I told him yes.

Outside of that I am hoping for a laid back weekend!

Hope yours is too.

FATHER thank YOU for seeing me through another week. I ask YOUR blessings on Ollie, K.O. and Chris as they celebrate birthdays, may they have many more. I ask for a little pick me upper!