Jeez, where has the time flown away to?  I can't believe it has already been 5
weeks since my last blog entry.  Just looking back at the calendar, I've had
the good fortune to enjoy several weekends out on the farm and the not-so-good
fortune of being at work for a couple of them. The weeks have been keeping me
busy trying to get a couple of software releases done before the end of the
September.  October 1 is the end of the fiscal year here, so there is a HUGE
push to get everything done before the money goes *poof*.  Hence, that is why
I'm here on a Sunday evening to get all the paperwork in order.  

All of us in the immediate family went out Friday evening to watch my brother
race at the Farley dirt track.  Last year my brother decided he was going to
enter the hobby class racing circuit.  So, he scrounged for several cars of
the same make and model, built himself a car trailer and harassed his brother
and father for sponsorship money.  Well, I had to finally get out and see what
my money bought. ,)  The night started out well, as the weather started out
pleasant and my brother's "heat" came up.  He managed to fend off the gal with
the juiced engine for his first 1st place in the heats.  Now for those who
aren't familiar with racing, the heat races are for determining your starting
order for the main event race.  Then, I even got my reward for sponsoring as
my sponsorship was announced as they announced my brother and his finish. 
Whee!  Then, we got to watch the other car classes do their heat races. 
Meanwhile, the whole skyline to the west lit up with lightning. 
Unfortunately, the rains came before they could get my brother's main races
in.  So, just our luck, my brother's best race starting position gets rained
out. 8(

Weather has been so unusually cool here this summer.  The month of August did
not crack a single day in the 90's around here, which is highly unusual.  I
guess our environment must surely be in bad shape for all of the years of
strange weather I've noticed in the last 10 years.  There is never a "normal"
year's worth of weather.  I guess it is the farmer in me that constantly keeps
an eye on the sky.  And never ask me about the weather, I'll find something to
complain about it as well, which is another farming trait.  Anyways, the crops
have suffered with all of the cool and wet weather we had.  The corn has
yellowed in several spots due to overly wet spots and the neighbor's beans are
dying due to white mold.  My Dad and I just shake our heads as the "experts"
claim we have record crops out here.  I love how the goverment already reports
that next year will be another record year and we haven't even harvested this
year's.  I know too many corporations need to have low commodity prices to
keep their high profit margins and thus statistics and hearsay will be used to
keep the status quo.  Someday soon I hope to see when the corps try to use the
corn that isn't there and then watch the panic.  Another house of cards in
this society.

Another thought that rattled about in my mind as I was driving back to Cedar
Rapids from the farm this evening.  During this weekend's sermon, Father
Peters brought up an interesting viewpoint.  His point was how our society
encourages you to look out for #1 while the biblical message is to look out
for your fellow man.  Well, Father then said, you have to look out for
yourself.  With the society the way it is, you have to live defensively. 
However, that doesn't excuse you from doing the little courtesy things in life
to make life better for mankind.  How true is that?  Even more interesting, is
to watch Bat as a microcosm for society.  How often are you trying to screw
over someone else just so you can be a little further ahead?  

Oh yeah, before I forget.  I'll be in all-day classes for C# and .Net
Tues-Thur. this week.  Also, I'm being forced to go to Austin, Texas for work
Sept 14-16th.  Ugh.  Travelling for the company sucks ass.  I'm secretly
hoping that I'll get violently ill before I have to go.  I'm still a country
mouse at heart and it really takes an act of courage for me to travel further
than I can drive in a car for 3 hours.  Hence the secret reason I don't go to
Campcon besides the fact I'm so freaking busy in the month of June with the
farm it isn't funny.  Dammit Entropy, move it to the 4th of July weekend when
I actually get time off. ,)  Shoutout to Entropy!