Greetings & Salutations Faithful Stapleton Blog Readers
Well since I see it has been a month since an entry lets get everyone up to speed. First of all last month was short and very busy. I drove 5,120 miles and converted and trained 4 bank branches all the while maintaining my normal work responsibilities. I commuted about 300 miles a day during the process. Yes I could have got a hotel room but I only needed to be in the bank from about 10 to 3, and you know when you travel a lot if you have the chance to sleep in your own bed you take it. However the conversion went extremely well and I ended up receiving several kudos both internal and external for pulling it off; putting another feather in your cap never hurts.  Work has finally allowed me to get a Blackberry I have only had it a few days but its sweet! It is my hope that this will allow me just to keep up with my email while I am out of the office so I don’t have to come in every night and spend my first 30 minutes answering emails. Jess has been working like a dog as well plus continuing her full time graduate classes. I have finally talked her into taking half time next semester at this point she has accomplished so much it should only delay her graduation by a semester.
The house is coming along we have a lot of the ceiling up in the basement now. I took my last vacation day on February 26th and that weekend I painted 220 feet of trim with 2 coats of paint. Then on that Monday I hung quite a bit of it for a vacation day it was pretty sweet. I played with my power tools and Patton was on AMC (there is of course cable in the man cave oops I mean “garageâ€) it does not get much better than that. I am making preparations to landscape around the front of the house something has to be done there are some really really unattractive plants out there. Several people have asked for pictures of the house but I am only going to publish them when the house is done so everyone can see the before and after. But I fully expect it will take me the rest of the year to finish out the house.
Last Friday Phoebe suffered a domestic accident she was trying to get through some railings on our kitchen chairs and was stuck. When I found her she was struggling hanging upside down by her hips. So after 2 sets of x-rays she has nothing broken but she is of course uncomfortable and her hip pops out when she walks. So the vet prescribed some pain pills to give her for 8 days. Now let me ask this question have you every tried to give a cat a pill? Let me describe it to you this way imagine wrestling with an ill tempered porcupine that is on fire, that holds a grudge and there you have it. So we have this long tube you stick down her throat to shoot the pill in her mouth, Jess is doing the shooting while I have the cat wrapped up in a towel trying to hold its mouth open. Gee you know we only have to do this 7 more times. At least we are getting some free entertainment I think that the cat believes that Care Bears are here and play with her! (Obscure 80’s movie reference)
Jess and I are looking forward to some much deserved time off this year please feel free to pass long any suggestions for vacation destinations. I tried to talk her into going to Jamaica to stay at Ian Fleming’s Goldeneye estate but for some reason she thinks $900 a night is a little steep the nerve!
Everyone take care talk to you soon.