clanMcGraw.com

…while I bend - but not break - the Golden Rule.

Mr. Burrough retires today, after XXX years with the company. I wish you all the best, sir, though you never agreed to sell me your truck at a price that I could afford.

Now back to regular blogging…

We’re back from a week in Gatlinburg, TN. Just some little highlights:

- Ripley’s has discontinued their ‘as-much-mini-golf-as-you-can-play’ in a week discount. I think that the boys and I can personally take credit for that, due to the sheer amount of golf we played last year.

- GreenBriar restaurant: Very nice. Go if you have the chance, but I bet the scenery’s much better in the fall.

- I hate sky-lifts. But I rode the one in downtown Gatlinburg, casually noticing all the erosion taking place around each of the steel columns holding my rear end about 20,000 feet up in the air.

- Don’t assume that all indoor pools are heated. Performing a cannonball to impress your kids can almost become a lesson in words you shouldn’t say when you re-emerge from the 60 degree water.

- We went to Cades Cove to picnic and drive to see some deer. After playing in the creek to find salamanders, Brandon casually remarks, “There’s a deer” as a fawn wanders nonchalantly through the picnic area. We later drove the loop and counted 36+ deer.

- I love driving go-karts with the boys. Especially when I win.

- We went to The Comedy Barn for the first time. It really is a good clean show. I also learned about this YouTube clip for the first time.

- Google Reader stops counting at 1000 unread feed items. I shudder to think what my work inbox will look like on Monday.

Story of a Peanut: The TiVo Remote’s Untold Past, Present and Future

I love our Tivo. The entire idea of being able to pause, rewind, and fast forward through a TV show was monumental. But I never stopped to think about how much work went into the design of the interface - the remote control. This article steps you through the design process, and shows you some of the early design attempts.

Bah-boop-bah-boop!

Next time, buy the good stuff.

Well, we just got word. The kidney was not viable for Diane.

It’s been a little bit of a roller-coaster today, but we’re taking it all as very positive news. The fact that UAB called Diane tells us that she is, indeed, still a transplant candidate, and that she has bubbled her way to the top of the list.

Please remember her in your prayers, and thanks for all of your kind words & emails today.

Who knew, that on YouTube, there are entire collections of popular swordfighting scenes from movie, edited to include lightsabers?

For your enjoyment…

The “top 10″ are available at VideoGum.com I believe that the Highlander clip is my favorite.

We got a call about 30 minutes ago. Diane received a call from the transplant team at UAB. They have a kidney that might be a match for her. They are doing tests on it now. We will know by 12 noon if it is a go or not.

Guys, I’m crying as I type this. Please pray that this will happen.

I had a chance to get backstage access tonight to see Montgomery Gentry.

I was so close… but the chance evaporated.

It’s… gone.

But major congratulations to my buddy Jodey, who hung out with MG & Toby Keith.

Brian’s deli.cio.us links for June 19th:

• Science proves that bikinis turn men into boobs - msnbc.com - Wow. People get paid to study this? I’m in the wrong line of work.

Brian’s deli.cio.us links for June 18th:

• ‘Water-Running’ Car Gets 100 Miles To The Ounce, Inventor Says - If this is true, then I’d rather vote for him than McCain or Obama