Author: David Thuis

We’ll once again work was a ball today… Not only did I get some great news (see “confidential” below), but once again I had absolutely nothing to do. I’ve said this to a bunch of folks but, my job is a waste of American tax dollars. My bosses keep telling me how important and vital I am but I don’t see it. I complete all the menial tasks they give me within the first 30 minutes at work and then try to be “creative” the rest of the day. The good news is that I get plenty of gym time, hey, I’ve lost 20 some odd pounds and my physical fitness score has raised 21 points just this year. I don’t know guess I should just sit back and enjoy the ride but doing “nothing” sure gets boring after a while.

My boss wants me to start working on my annual performance report… He states I have tons of “great” work to add to the report… Again I don’t see it. It’s terribly hard to write good things about yourself, especially, when you don’t have a job to be good at. I just hope he rates me slightly higher than last year when he gave me the lowest rating on a performance report I have received in 19 years. He wrote it to “motivate me to work harder at being proactive and forward leaning”… That report sure raised my morale and motivated me to work harder (at nothing).

We also had our last Basketball practice tonight. I should have cancelled or just called in “sick”. We’ve played about 10 games this year and we have not won a single game. The kids try but we just don’t have the team “chemistry” we need to click. Out of the three years I have been coaching kids at PAFB, this has been the most frustrating. I just hope that it is not that we moved up to the next level (7-9 yr olds vs. 5-6), because if so, my coaching “career” may come quickly to an end. Oh well, final game is Saturday and then off to Outdoor Soccer. I don’t think I will be able to coach this soccer season due to AF commitments. Who knows maybe the break will do me well and I will come back in the fall full of vigor.

See http://360.yahoo.com/thuisd (must be a “friend” to view blog)

Some mature material– not for innocent ears _ Pretty Funny though!
https://home.comcast.net/~jfmelnick/fruitcakelady.wmv

For Immediate Release

Contact: Karen Tosten

1-757-867-8916

ktosten@cox.net

The Search for the U.S. Air Force’s BEST Recipes is Underway!

For several decades, Quail Ridge Press has been collecting and preserving classic recipes from all over America for their acclaimed Best of the Best State Cookbook Series.  They are now searching for the Best recipes from military families.  The initial volume will consist of participation by both active and retired Air Force personnel only. (Later volumes will consist of recipe collections from other branches of America’s armed forces.)  Anyone who is or was in the Air Force is eligible to submit their favorite recipe(s). The final chosen recipes will be included in Best of the Best from Air Force Families Cookbook, to be published in the fall of 2007.

Karen Tosten will be researching this project over the next year.  She will be seeking as many recipes as possible, and hopes to gain a greater knowledge of the foods and traditions that make up Air Force “cuisine.”  Military personnel, due to their frequent and far-ranging travels, have had the opportunity to develop a cooking style that incorporates the influence of many different regions and cultures.  Karen has already determined from preliminary research that these opportunities have resulted in outstanding recipes.  She hopes to collect approximately 350 superb recipes for the Air Force edition. 

Each recipe contributed to Best of the Best from Air Force Families Cookbook will feature your name beneath the recipe, your city and state, as well as your relationship to the Air Force (example: Karen Tosten, wife of Major William Tosten, USAF, Yorktown, VA).  Please be sure to include all of this information, along with your phone or email address.  (At a later time, we may request photos and/or stories.)  Mail, fax, or email to:

Karen Tosten, 122 Hedgerow Lane, Yorktown, VA  23693

Email ktosten@cox.net • Phone/Fax 1-757-867-8916

If you would like to receive more information, contact Karen at the above address.  The deadline for submitting recipes is May 31, 2006.  Don’t miss out on being included in Best of the Best from Air Force Families Cookbook. 

Today had to have been one of the most boring days in recent history… Work was totally uneventful and even though we did have a Cub Scout meeting tonight, I could not even get excited about that…. Anyway, I wanted a blog input today, and since I have nothing exciting to write I send a copy of the “termite” e-mail that I have received three copies of 🙂

From:
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 8:44 AM
Subject: RE: Homeowner’s Beware

If you use mulch around your house be very careful about buying mulch this year. After the Hurricane in New Orleans many trees were blown over. These trees were then turned into mulch and the state is trying to get rid of tons and tons of this mulch to any state or company who will come and haul it away. So it will be showing up in Home Depot and Lowes at dirt cheap prices with one huge problem; Formosan Termites will be the bonus in many of those bags. New Orleans is one of the few areas in the country were the Formosan Termites has gotten a strong hold and most of the trees blown down were already badly infested with those termites. Now we may have the worst case of transporting a problem to all parts of the country that we have ever had. These termites can eat a house in no time at all and we have no good control against them, so tell your friends that own homes to avoid cheap mulch and know were it came from.

Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 10:55 AM
Subject: RE: Homeowner’s Beware

There is a little thing called “Strict Liability” this means that if this did happen, and your house was damaged you could sue anyone and everyone in the chain of service…ex: The place that sold it to you, the distribution center that shipped it out, the manufacture/producer, etc… I think places like Home Depot and Lowes will be smart enough to avoid this “supposed” termite infested mulch in order to save themselves from huge law suites. Buy your mulch from a reputable establishment and you’ll most likely be fine. Man, this Business Law class I’m taking is already paying off!!! Hehe

Jim

From: Thuis
Subject: RE: Homeowner’s Beware

This is a great enough threat that the commissioner of agriculture in Louisianaimposed a quarantine for the Formosan subterranean termite on October 3, 2005. (http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/termites/)

However, this e-mail is a bit overblown… Although the possibility always exists that wood products moved from one area to another might harbor and spread termites. Entomologists have said they doubt that termites could survive the mulch shredding, packaging, and transportation (in shrink-wrapped bags that expose them to high temperatures with a limited air supply and limited moisture) process in the first place, although others maintain that they’ve encountered examples of these termites successfully traveling in packaged mulch. In any case, there are a number of mitigating factors that could halt the spread of Formosan subterranean termites transported to other areas, such as the fact that they are rarely found above 35° N latitude because the colder temperatures typical of higher latitudes prevent their eggs from hatching (Colorado sits between 36° and 41° N latitude, this is above the 35° N latitudeline).

Excerpted from: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/termites.asp

Dave

It’s been over a year since I asked this but, does anyone read this stupid blog???