Hello from Houston

Glenora and I went to Fredericksburg, TX for a long weekend. Our agenda was to go back to Enchanted Rock and go to the National Museum of the Pacific War for the first time. The museum is located in Fredericksburg because Admiral Nimitz was born and raised there. The history of Fredericksburg is pretty interesting.

First of all, it is really good! I look forward to updating this blog with news of the family, travels, and other good things going on with us. It has been awhile! I am planning to use this time to work on our genealogy and retrace as many of our ancestors as possible. 

Post script- I am now gainfully employed. 60 days ago I found myself unexpectedly unemployed. The purpose of this is to give some observations about my experiences during this time. Ok so I was employed and thought everything was going pretty well. There were some warning signs but I thought I would be able to manage through them. I was wrong and at a later time I will give some additional insight on that. Here are some of my tips and tricks to help get a job as quickly as possible: 1. Be prepared to be judged very quickly by your prospective boss. He/she will be looking at you with essentially one question in mind- how quickly can you solve my immediate problem? If that is sales then how does your background give me confidence that you will be able to produce the fastest. So you as the job seeker better uncover that need before the interview and make sure your every word on the interview is directed towards answering that question. 2. Be prepared to take a really deep dive into y...

http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/01/19/what-do-hand-washing-and-financial-illiteracy-have-in-common-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/ Really good podcast about this issue.

We hope everyone has a great New Year. If anyone reads this blog I have 2 Texan Playoff Tickets for sale. They play the Bengals next Sat at 3p here in Houston. The tickets are section 513, row H seat 17 and 18. Let me know if interested.

We went last year and had a blast. Looking forward to another great weekend. Staying at the Royal Sonesta with a balcony room.

http://www.latimes.com/health/healthcare/la-fi-healthcare-hospitals-20110430,0,5301654.story Latest story on rewarding those hospitals with high quality indicators

After 10 years with Memorial Hermann Healthcare systems I have chosen to leave and join HyGreen Inc. This is a new technology company designed to help hospitals and other healthcare providers increase hand washing compliance and reduce hospital acquired infections. My role is Central Area Sales Manager with responsibility for sales throughout TX, LA, AR, OK, and NM. I have worked with several of the people involved with HyGreen in past companies and look forward to growing the company and making a difference in the area of infection control. www.gohygreen.com

Dear Tiger, Your statement regarding your intent to take a break from golf seems to be a very childish reaction to your personal problems. Considering you weren't expected to play again until Feb 2010 what difference does it make except to throw the whole sport into disarray? Your statement should have concentrated on your family. Love and kisses

1. Americans are satisfied with their current health care. Compared to what? Most Americans have no choice but what their employers can afford to offer. 2. American business should love health care reform. It frees them from being the administrator of health care benefits and allows them to focus on what they produce. In a global economy this should be seen as a good thing. 3. Medicare needs to become more like a managed care company than a benefit for old people. MCOs started as a wellness concept and a public health option can push this more. American business has little incentive to provide wellness because the employee may leave and they lose the benefit of a healthy work force. 4. Health care insurance being tied to employment is a fluke of government wage price controls during WWII. This system is not one of the 10 commandments. 5. Those opposed to Health care reform say this will lead to health care rationing. WE ALREADY DO RATION HEALTH CARE BASED ON PRICE. 6. The Republicans ...

MY loving family bought me this great shirt for fathers day. The wrong shirt came orginally but this is the real one. I want 3 more so I wont have to talke it off.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dharrington1190/StephenSCommissioningAndUTGraduation#

http://tinyurl.com/cdk396. Is this the power of marketing or what? How is MD Anderson 's approach to cancer care really different than whatever is being done in Phoenix (or Orlando or Madrid ) for that matter? Has cancer been eradicated in SE Texas ? If not why the need to open branch offices ? Could it be that the population of insured cancer patients has gone down and that is reason to look for new more fertile grounds? Didn't Texas http://tinyurl.com/c3prhb pass funding for cancer research ? Are the benefits of this research funding being exported to areas outside of Texas at the tax payors expense? Is this what is funding the MDA expansion? Maybe MDA needs to change its corporate charter and renounce its not for profit charter and have to raise money and compete in the for profit markets. Should tax payors be the funding mechanism for not for profit growth when that growth has no benefit for the local tax payor?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6403885.html . OK our crackpot Governor calls for Texas to succeed from the Union. I think there is another alternative... how about we disband the legislature and executive branches of the so called state government and become wards of the Federal government?

The Quiet Coup - The Atlantic (May 2009) : "The Quiet Coup". Excellent article about the current state of American finance. Another good reference is Paul Krugman who advocates nationalizing the banking industry. We have to stop believing that powerful people who have made a lot of money are not the people who should remain in power.

The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter Michael Hyatt I like Michael Hyatt's blog, but Twitter is losing its appeal for me. It is becoming a site for scam artists to troll for leads and I am pretty tired of it.

Thanks for visiting my (now our blog).

Pretty amazing, but not surprising considering the life he has been living. C'mon you have to pay your taxes. The bigger question is the fate of healthcare reform in the US. If you have read his book you have a sense of where he was going and Barney Frank continues to ask if we should be severing the link between healthcare coverage and employment.

What a great game. The offense pulled it out and stepped up big time. Cant wait till next year.