The Life and Times of Jim
Hi, there. I'm Jim. Welcome to my phlog!
This site was written for Las Vegas, then LouisVille. Now, it seems to be about anywhere. In these phlogs, you'll see a lot of my personal notes and pictures. I like to post my observations here to remember life and celebrate it. I'm not religious. I don't pray for good fortune. I'm ecstatically grateful for the gift of life and I think our time should be remembered and not taken for granted. I'm not a writer. I think pictures tell stories so much better than words. I love just about everything in this life, and, I guess that would have to include you. So, if you've seen me, don't be surprised if your picture is in here somewhere. Of all the critters, people are absolutely the most interesting. 
<< 10/2006 < 09/2007 Calendar 11/2007 > 10/2008 >>Sign InView Other Logs
Fri 
10/12/2007 13:20:42
 jim  If we leave, this is what I won’t miss
Toilets that you have to flush 3 times.
Freeways that split, then split again, then merge, just to split again!!!

Some of the people are clickish,

But then again, I guess thats okay.
-- Uh, I guess thats about it --
Fri 
10/12/2007 10:46:26
 jim  Louisville,KY-Petrus,StevieRays,Jim,Becky
Thu 
10/11/2007 07:04:36
 jim  I’m writing a book
My Four Little Programs
By James R Cutlar
10/11/2007

This is probably the funnest assignment I've ever had!
Instead of complaining about things, I should be rejoicing.
Ok, so I'm not programming. And ok, it might be a little technical.
But its got flow charts, diagrams...COLORS..wow!
I know its crazy, but its cool.
I've always put documenation in the programs, where I can find it.
KISS.
Wed 
10/10/2007 22:02:19
 jim  If we leave, this is what I’ll miss
Opportunities have been drifting my way for jobs in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Arizona.
They all sound great, but I will miss it here.
I'll miss the friends I have here,
the countryside, and all the excitement.
What I'm going to miss most of all though, is being a 7 minute walk away from 4th Street Live! It is, by far, the most exciting place in Louisville. Michael Bolton and Michael McDonald are coming in the next few weeks. Three Dog Night will be here too. And they'll be around the block from where we live.
These are the best times I've ever had.
I wondered why destiny sent me here, and now I think I finally realize the reason. It was to simply to enjoy life, and to not be such a nerd!
Tue 
10/09/2007 17:46:15
 jim  Programming Manuals
Mon 
10/08/2007 00:00:00
 jim  Columbus Day
Sun 
10/07/2007 12:01:42
 jim  Pumpkins 2007
Sun 
10/07/2007 11:43:32
 jim  HuberFarms Market
Sat 
10/06/2007 11:06:27
 jim  Octoberfest 2007
Octoberfest in Louisville 10/6/2007 
I don't know if I'll ever get to like the oompah music, but its fun to dance too!
------- Rod and Jesse joined us -------
Louisville has a lot of local events !!!
Fri 
10/05/2007 22:18:40
 jim  Buggy Ride 2007
Fri 
10/05/2007 17:17:12
 jim  Falls of Ohio
Fri 
10/05/2007 00:14:43
 jim  The Blue October and Yellowcards Concert
Thu 
10/04/2007 22:22:12
 jim  Once upon a time in Louisville
Thu 
10/04/2007 20:36:02
 jim  Louisville,KY-4thSt-Blue October
Thu 
10/04/2007 18:31:46
 jim  Blue October
Thu 
10/04/2007 07:21:09
 jim  Beckys Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BECK
Y
Don't you wish you looked this good.
Becky makes anyone look good that's near her.
She's a go anywhere, do anything kind of person.
Becky's secret:
A good attitude - If you've lost your smile, you've lost it all.
Most Quotable Saying:
He wants his cake, and sleep in it too.
What Becky wants most for her birthday:
ME !!! Ya just can't beat that.
Like I tell everyone that sees me with her,
"You gotta get yourself one of these !!!".
Being with her is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Thu 
10/04/2007 06:46:28
 jim  Calls are coming in for jobs
Being on the market for jobs means you've got to be ready for phone calls, anytime.
Its a big world out there with lots of time zones.
I came home last night, Becky was out front with Ms Beatty.
They wanted to know if I could help her by taking a couple of boxes to the Greyhound Bus Staion. I said sure, but I've got to hop the phone for an interview. It turned out it wasn't a couple of boxes, it was a truckload, and it had to be hauled from the six floor. We emptied out the truck, loaded up the boxes, and I had my phone interview in a parking lot. Ms Beatty gave Becky $50, which was really nice, but we didn't ask for anything.
Thu 
10/04/2007 06:34:51
 jim  October in Louisville
 
Wed 
10/03/2007 19:32:54
 jim  Louisville,KY-Sunset
Mon 
10/01/2007 09:07:18
 jim  Blonde Jokes
Distance Calculations
Two blondes who were living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking,
and one blonde says to the other, "Which do you think is farther away... Florida or the moon?"
The other blonde turns and says "Helloooooooooo, Can you see Florida ?????"
Car Trouble
A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She Tells the mechanic it died.
After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
She says, "What's the story?"
He replies, "Just crap in the carburetor"
She asks, "How often do I have to do that?"
Speeding Ticket
A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely if he could see her license.
She replied in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your act together.
Just yesterday you take away my license and then today you expect me to show it to you!"
River Walk
There's this blonde out for a walk.
She comes to a River and sees another blonde on the opposite bank.
She shouts "Yoo-hoo! How can I get to the other side?"
The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and shouts back, "You ARE on the other side."
At the Doctor's Office
A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched.
"Impossible!" says the doctor. "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left Shoulder and screamed,
then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more.
She pushed her knee and screamed.
Likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?
"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said. "Your finger is broken."
Knitting
A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car On the freeway.
Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!
Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window,
turned on his bullhorn and yelled, "PULL OVER!"
"NO!" the blonde yelled back, "IT'S A SCARF!"
In a Vacuum
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was her turn.
She rolled the dice and she landed on Science and Nature.
Her question was, "If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?"
She thought for a time and then asked, "Is it on or off?"
The Blonde Joke to End All Blonde Jokes!
A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had Acquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were.
The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex.
Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?"
"HELLLOOOOOOO......," answered the blond. "They're watch dogs!"
Sat 
09/29/2007 22:58:57
 jim  Bowling Green
Bowling Green does have a strange name, doesn't it?
I think they should have named it Bingo Green instead...cause I didn't see a Bowling Alley.


Sat 
09/29/2007 21:13:04
 jim  Nashville Accident


We were in the left hand lane,
travelling south on 7th or 8th street, near the stop light at Union.
A red truck was in front of us. A bus and a limo were stopped in the right lane. The red pickup truck looked like it was having a hard time getting around the bus.We saw a man hop out of the red truck, run in front of our truck and into the path the oncoming Toyota SUV.
He looked for oncoming traffic only after he was in the lane.
The SUV hit him pretty hard, and he was thrown about 40'.
I hopped out and called 911. 
The impact was strong enough to knock everything out of man's pockets.
The ambulance and police showed up after about ten minutes.
I gave my statement, consolled the driver.
I gave my contact info to the police and driver.
The driver of the Toyota SUV was in terrible shape.
Her emotions might be shredded for weeks.
She called her boss and someone called her lawyer.
The fellow that got hit, had incredible reactions!
For a guy that wasn't paying attentioned, he did well.
As the Toyota hit him, he put his hands out,
then maintained a perfect skid on his back.
He may have gotten lucky with just a nasty bruise,
but he was conscious, and screaming in pain.
The people that also saw the accident:
- Two pedestrians from Memphis,
- Some lady from India who was screaming and crying. No one knows why she was so emotional. We thought maybe she was involved somehow.
- The convenience store manager said he saw it too. He thought the girl was speeding. I wanted to tell him to just Shut Up !!!
There was nothing the girl could have done.
Sat 
09/29/2007 19:23:56
 jim  Nashville Buildings
Sat 
09/29/2007 18:52:22
 jim  Nashvilles 1st and Broadway
Sat 
09/29/2007 18:43:02
 jim  Nashville People
Sat 
09/29/2007 17:57:48
 jim  Nashvilles Capitol
Sat 
09/29/2007 14:34:20
 jim  Mammoth Cave
Sat 
09/29/2007 12:56:01
 jim  MammothCave,KY
Sat 
09/29/2007 07:14:44
 jim  Job Satisfaction.
I got a chance to talk one-on-one with Peter about values.
Specifically, we talked about money vs job fulfillment.
For me, the rule is the most amount of money for the least amount of work, but that's changing now.
Here in Louisville, the cost of living is half of what it is in Vegas. We don't need a lot of money.
Almost any kind of job would pay the bills.
And I'm happy here.
If I were to lower my work expections, a lot of jobs would open up.
It seems both Peter and I are tired of being disposable employees.
We know some day, we'll be going through the gates at work, and they won't open.
Then we'll call, and find out we don't work there any more. It will be that abrupt.
And then there's also the issue about taking orders from people who burn their knuckles on the carpet when they walk.
Is it worth it?
Do I really need to make five times as much as the average person?
There are money pressures, for sure, but I've created all of them. 
I could eliminate them just as easily as I create them, if I could only decide to just let go.
All I have to do is decide what I want
Happiness is a state of mind that only exists in the present. You can't plan a happy future.
So, planning to be happy some day in the future isn't logical.
I know Becky would like to stay here, and so would I.
But what would we have to give up to stay here in paradise?
I think I'd have to give up the unique existence that I've grown so accustomed too.
My self image would have to drop from exceptional to normal.
Happiness is a personal decision based on a persons environment and self esteem.
A really good self esteem can override any bad environment.
But a good environment is like WD-40 for a rusty soul.
It makes a good self esteem easier to accomplish.
However, Maslow's self actualization can be achieved in thought. You can be happy anywhere.
I've seen happy bums.
Fri 
09/28/2007 22:17:26
 jim  Average White Band
I was surprised that most of the people who had heard of the Average White Band, didn't know what they sang.
Several people, like me, thought they sang Play that Funky Music White Boy. They sang Cut the Cake...
The crowd was PACKED with wall-to-wall people. Would couldn't even see the band. And the walkways were filled too, so there was no way in or out. I guess Security lost control of the crowd.
We listened to some songs, split a burger at the Hard Rock Hotel, then took off for Rods place.
There, we were greeted with open arms. I love going over there. We can sit back and talk, and its the most personal experience I get here. These are my friends, which I have so few of and its so nice to be able to just ramble off conversation, and not have to filter what you say.
Fri 
09/28/2007 20:54:01
 jim  Louisville,KY-4thStLive-Average White Band
Fri 
09/28/2007 20:54:00
 jim  4thStLive,KY-Average White Band
Thu 
09/27/2007 22:15:26
 jim  Becky met the people I work with today.
We all ate at the Hard Rock Hotel downstairs.
They all liked her! It was great!
Later, Becky and I went to an outdoor Indian restaurant.
Gosh the food was really good.
The restaurant is on Restaurant Row, down on Bardstown road.
Bardstown road is about 3 miles of nothing but Mom and Pop stores and restaurants, and its always packed.
Most of the streets surrounding it are single lane with parking on both sides, but they are 2 way.
So you have to pull over if someone is coming your way.
And Bardstown road is a four lane, until dark. Then two of the side lanes become parking lanes. They have stop lights in each lane that tell you which way to drive.
Sometimes, the whole road goes only one way!
Now that....is different.
Thu 
09/27/2007 12:37:59
 Jim  .Jimmy.... Check your LVDUDE email. I sent you som
And time sensitive???
Well, it all comes down to not waiting until someone else fills the position.
Turns out I had gotten the last spot at Northrop, so I appreciate it that you made my road a little easier on me, by taking 5 days to type up your resume to submit to Resource One. That's what I mean by "time sensitive". By the way, the "from" and "to" on the headers of this "thread" are backwards. 
Jimmy..
Your "to" and "from" in the headers are backwards. Time sensitive, in that don't sit on it for 5 days or so, and let someone else capture the opportunity.
Thu 
09/27/2007 06:07:53
 jim  The most spectactular light show
Its right outside my window!
Thunder smacking the sides of high rises.
Rain pouring down.
What a way to wake up !!!
The lightning looks like its right outside my window.
I guess thats because IT IS !!!
I just recorded lightning striking right next to us...
the camera fell off the window sill. SO COOL!!!
I didn't have time to upload the pix...
I'll have to put it on later.
Thu 
09/27/2007 03:10:24
 jim  Ate with Peter, Susan and the gang
We went to, you guessed it, TGIFs!
Its nice to have everything within walking distance.
Its also nice to talk to people that you have things in common with too.
Like Peter, taking a contract, and it lasting one week. The computer was still on the pallets.
Like me, taking a contract, and not even having a PC set up.
And this other guy, who started, but has nothing to do at all, but wait, and read.
I used to think it would be great to get paid the big bucks for doing nothing, but it feels awkward.
Its feels odd, being a disposable worker.
We know that some day, we'll come in and our security cards won't work, and we'll be gone.
I've heard it so many times:
You'll get fired for walking into the secretary's office when she's not there,
or tweaking a program from the web and not removing the authors name,
or using the phone for personal business
or letting a former employee in.
Maybe Peter's right to get out of the trade.
Susan would like to see us all do something new and rewarding.
Its nice to sit back and shake out new ideas.
Nothing earth shattering has come up yet.
It will though. It always does. And it won't be something any of us would expect.
I have lots of faith in the belief that Everything always works out for the best.
Lots of failures don't matter if you succeed.
After all the 10,000+ failures, the light bulb was created from only 1 success.
wow...what am doing up and why are you reading this...bwaahaahaaha
Wed 
09/26/2007 22:21:12
 jim  To find out what Tandem release you are on...
TACL> SYSINFO
I've worked on maybe 30 Tandem computers
And I never cared what system I was on, unless I was doing a sysgen, then you have to read the Softdocs.
But the question always comes up in the interviews "Are you familiar with the X-Series?"
If they ask me this, I always want to say, "Oh my yes, that was my favorite processor!".
And I'll think, "Yeppers, that's the release that changed almost nothing that I care about.".
The Tandem has remained pretty consistant over the decades. Thats what I really like about it.
lol
Wed 
09/26/2007 18:02:20
 jim  Kids and their knowledge of History
Below, are examples of sixth grade research projects. Enjoy...
  1. Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.
  2. Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea where they made unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.
  3. Solomon had three hundred wives and seven porcupines.
  4. The Greeks were a highly sculptured people and without them we wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.
  5. Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.
  6. In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled biscuits, and threw the Java.
  7. Julius Caesar extinquished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out Tee hee, Brutus.
  8. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw.
  9. Queen Elizabeth was the Virgin Queen. As a queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted hurrah.
  10. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking. Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper.
  11. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet is an example of a heroic couple. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet.
  12. Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.
  13. Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats backwards and declared, A horse divided against itself cannot stand. Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.
  14. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. They believe the assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.
  15. Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian and half English. He was very large.
  16. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.
  17. The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions.
    People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine.
    The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. 
    Cyrus McCormick invented the
    McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred men.
    Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis.
    Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species.
    Madman Curie discovered radio.
    Karl Marx became one of the Marx Brothers.
Wed 
09/26/2007 12:28:04
 jim  ..Don’t ya just hate it when you’ve got a 6 month
I'm already getting my feelers out.
I'm not optimistic about anything coming up....BUT, you just never know.
I got this contract on a out-of-the-blue phone call.
Shoot...if things really go south, I think I'd like to drive a truck for awhile.
There's a lot of schools around here.
If that works out, then I'll just buy my own rig...sounds like a cool idea, doesn't it?
This one owner/operator in Florida was delivering cars from LA.
He had 8 of them on his rig. He charged $800 per car.
If my math is right, with a trip going to and fro, he should be able to gross 8x$800x2=$12,800.
And there's always the notary/courier/delivery thingy in Vegas,
but I don't know if I'm ready to go back just yet.
I'd like to stay here as long as I can.
Thanks for caring Rodney.
I gotta swing by soon and show you this IPhone !!!
Wed 
09/26/2007 12:28:04
 jim   (Reply)Don’t ya just hate it when you’ve got a 6 month co
- its delayed one month coming in.
- it gets sold
- the new contract isn't adjusted for that month.
- your Yellow Page ad comes out, but you decided to give up an active business to come out.
- the people you work for think its a 3 month contract
- and you have alread paid up a 6 month lease.
I could see there was a misunderstanding after my second week here.
There really is no development going on here...just maintenance.
My project was the first real development project they've had in years!
But, I just found out I won't get to implement the project.
Its got to wait months and months and months before it goes in. It's dependant on other departments.
So thats depressing...hmmm.
Anyway, I am VERY proud to have had this chance, and its been great living in Kentucky again!
October 26th is my last day. 
Maybe...I'm not sure where they got that date from.
Its in no contract that I've seen.
Wed 
09/26/2007 06:54:11
 jim  Tumbleweed Restaurant
We were so happy to have our transportation back, last night, we took off for an Irish Pub on Frankfort St. Along the way we came across the Tumbleweed Restaurant and curiousity steered us in.
The Tumbleweed sits off the Ohio River.
Its one of the few well lit places on the Riverfront Road. I had fajitas. Becky had a chicken enchilada. The bill was only $23, with drinks! Thats an incredible price! It was the best fajita I'd ever shovelled into the feed pipe and Becky enjoyed her enchilada too. (Don't know why that girl isn't fat). Great sauce! 
Outside of the restaurant there was a gaggle of geese and these geese are hungy!
Never wear sandals around these fellows.
They eat your feet!
hmmm - Man eats duck. Duck eats man. haha. The restaurant doesn't serve duck.
Tue 
09/25/2007 20:09:37
 jim  Louisville,KY-Tumbleweed
Tue 
09/25/2007 07:12:15
 jim  Do stocks have a personality?
I've been watching the stock market, and noticed between 10 am and 11 am, stocks will take a jump, usually around 2% in one direction or the other. I'm thinking its from night trading, but I'm not sure.
They also seem to respond opposite of the way they you'd think they would.
One of Boyd's hotels just burned, and its stock went up?
I wish I could just invest in whatever Dick Chaney invests in.
Mon 
09/24/2007 19:36:03
 jim  4thStLive,KY-SaraJohnson
Mon 
09/24/2007 17:39:22
 jim  Alas...my truck is fixed.
Ahhh....Rod called about 6:30 am asking if I needed a ride.
What a guy!!!
The Ford people (three blocks away from the apartment) gave me a ride to work.
At first, they said they couldn't give me a ride back after 3pm,
then at 4:30pm they called and said they could.
They also said my truck wouldn't be done until tommorrow,
then at 4:45pm they said it was done.
YIPPEE!!!

I feel like a new man!
By the way, Ford gave me an oil change for only $12 and a new battery for $80. What a deal!!!
Sat 
09/22/2007 10:37:01
 jim  We are grounded for the weekend
The truck just barely runs. Sheesh. I think its the fuel pump.
I would replace it myself, BUT, I don't have any place to work on it..and if I did, my tools are in Vegas.
I could think of worse places to be though.
We hung out with Peter, Tim, and Susan for about an hour, then went to the Saddle Ridge.
Surprisingly, while this looks like a guys bar, there's usually as many, or more, girl customers than guys.
Women out number men here in Louisville...look it up.

<< 10/2006 < 09/2007 Calendar 11/2007 > 10/2008 >>Sign InView Other Logs