Monday, April 29, 2002

I'm in shock.

Yesterday, my parents called to let me know my grandpa passed away unexpectedly. He was 86, but seemed to be in good health. His wife died two and a half years ago, and there are times that's still hard.

I'm at work today to get several things done I need to do, then tomorrow morning I'll be heading up to my parents for the rest of the week. Not sure if I'll be able to blog at all, but I will if I can.

If I'm not around, have a good week, everyone.

Saturday, April 27, 2002

I'm warn out.

Went to bed about 11:30 last night. Had 20 pages left in my book, but knew I needed to sleep. Got up at 7 this morning for the ultimate playoffs. Sorry to say, we were eleminated. So by 8 I was done playing ultimate for the day. Rush to the ATM and Albertson's to do a little grocery shopping, then rushed to get ready to meet Angelique at the LA Time's Book Festival. Had fun and got all the autographs I had on my list, but I'm tired. Something about walking all day.

At least it didn't rain. It was mostly cloudy all day. Looks like it could still rain. But at least it didn't rain. Wouldn't have wanted my books to get ruined.

Tonight I've got a party for IM Ultimate at Baskin Robbins. Think I'll try to get to bed early once that's over. But I'm definately finishing my book, too.

I figured it was only a matter of time before one of us did one of these. Thanks to Susan for the link.

You are Trixie!

You have spunk, no doubt about it. Your insatiable curiosity leads you into some interesting situations, but things work out in the end. You may jump to conclusions sometimes, but you only have the best intentions at heart. You like to analyze things. You are not a morning person. You have a tendency to put things off that you don't want to do. You do them, but later. You also manage to get your friends involved in your escapades whether they like it or not.




src="http://users.rcn.com/leviadams/breakstuff.jpg">
Take the href="http://www.light-sabre.com/houseocheese/bwgquiz.html">Which Bob-White
Are You?
Quiz



I'm kinda surprised. I figured I'd be Jim or Brian. Of course, I think I answered questions in ways that would have applied to all 7 of them at some point. Maybe that's why I always liked the books so much. I had something in common with all of them. Or wish I had something in common with all of them. :)

Friday, April 26, 2002

I'm tired. Somebody stayed up talking to his roommate until 1 this morning before finally going to sleep. I blaim it all on Donald. If he hadn't been around, I wouldn't have stayed up so late. :)

I may have two leads on new roommates right now. One would be more permanent, but the other would be just the summer. Still it would be something to get me through the next few months.

Comments that you've all been waiting for. (Also known as the warning to skip the next couple paragraphs if you aren't interested.)

Dove Awards - I'm majorly disappointed. Steven Curtis Chapman deserved to win Male Vocalist or Artist (not necessarily both) this year if he's ever deserved to win. And "God is God" should have won song of the year. And don't even get me started on the fact that Shaun Groves and downhere didn't win new artist of the year. Either one of those two deserved it big time. But that's all I'll rant on that. If you are curious who the winners were, head over to CMCentral. Several staff members were there and they have a detailed listing of who won the major and minor awards.

Survivor - Last night was a riot! Tammy and Rob trying to save their skins after showing their true colors last week. Zoe trying to distance herself from the others, but becoming the lone wolf. Glad to see that liar gone. Rob or Tammy go next week. Tammy's made herself too big a target by winning immunity two weeks in a row. The instant she looses, she's probably out of there. Unless Rob really makes them mad first.

I'm a couple days late, but happy Anniversary to Shana and Chris. This is really funny. You see, Shana and I share a birthday. And their anniversary is on my brother's birthday (he's 20 now). I had several friends in high school with April 24th birthdays. My uncle and aunt got married that day, and her grandson's birthday is that day, too. Very popular day!

It's been threatening rain all day, but hasn't started here in SC. Sounds like it's been raining elsewhere, however. Hope it clears up like it's supposed to before the book festival at UCLA tomorrow. That would not be fun.

Tonight, I'm off to hang out with Donald. And hopefully go to sleep early.

Thursday, April 25, 2002

Good afternoon.

Last night went well. The high school youth pastor told me that he followed what I was trying to do with the music time. I'm glad someone did. Never heard from Matt, so I enjoyed Enterprise with the others. Then read for a while and went to bed. Not that I went right to sleep, but at least I went to bed.

Went running for the first time all month this morning. I haven't been that sore today, which is unusual for me. Probably won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow, but I'll worry about that then.

Tonight is the Dove Awards. And I actually get to watch them on the night they air this year! The last several years, they've been prodcast at some point. Often a couple weeks later. Last year they didn't air at all when I could watch them. And what are they, you ask? They're the Christian Music Awards of course. An equivelant to the Country Music Awards. It's the only awards show I really watch.

I still need to watch the Amazing Race from last night. And Survivor tonight. Got a full night of vegging lined up. Can't wait.
Here's today's Thursday Threesome. Brought to you today by Clint Eastwood and The Back Porch. (BTW, Deb, that was no fair copying me. I was planning on starting to do this. How dare you! :) )

Onesome. The Good. Read a good book lately? Recommend a recent read - as well as your favorite book of all time....
I'm currently reading Murder in Four Part Harmony. I'm enjoying it, but it's obviously a first novel. Needs just a tad more polish. Recent reads I enjoyed include The Stones of Jerusalem, Fool's Puzzle, Blueberry Muffin Murder, and The Chocolate Cat Caper. Favorite book of all time is harder. I loved The Bronze Bow. And that was even a school assignment, but I'm not sure if it was a favorite. Also loved The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but again, is it a favorite? Of the books I've discovered recently, a favorite author would be Jerrilyn Farmer. Her first book is Sympathy for the Devil. And I must include my favorite Trixie of all time, The Gate House Mystery. Can you tell I love book?

Shameless plug coming. If you want to keep up with what I'm reading and enjoying, check out my about you page at Amazon. Link is also at the bottom of my links list.

Twosome. The Bad. Was it so bad that you couldn't watch anymore? Tell us about a bad movie - did you leave or suffer through it? (Videos can count, too)
This will be pretty revealing. I walked out of Dead Man on Campus. Managed to sit through a rental showing of Blair Witch Project. Hated it. Didn't particularly enjoy O Brother, Where Art Thou? either. Don't like Armeggedon, but that might have something to do with the fact that I was fighting food poisoning when I first watched it.

Threesome. And The Ugly. And then things turned ugly.... Oh, have a day (or date) seem to go so horribly wrong it can only be described as "ugly"? Tell us all about it...
October 31, 1992. Senior year of high school. Several of my friends dressed up as hypocritical priests. That really hurt. Then I found out they'd hired the English teacher I knew I didn't want to teach my class. Remember a couple weeks back when I mentioned "Learning to Trust" as my favorite song? This was the day it happened. I'd caught it on the radio that morning before school and it was stuck in my head all day. Really helped me deal with everything. And God was at work. I'll have to share the rest of that story sometime.

But for now, I think I've said enough. Time to post this and get some work done.

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Maybe I should blog something today.

It's been a quite couple of days. Seth and Kiersten aren't going to be there tonight, so I didn't go over there last night. I'm on my own again tonight leading worship. :( I've got a pretty good set. It's different in that it follows a progression and isn't just on a topic or (more like I normally do) completely random. And I've incorrporated a couple songs we don't do all that often.

Things have been getting more and more complicated getting people together for Wednesday nights. Donald and I have a couple guys who come over to watch Enterprise. But since I don't get home from Bible Study until 8:45 PM, we watch it via tape delay. But when Amazing Race 2 started up, Matt insisted on coming over to watch it. So he comes over at ten, and he and I watch that via tape delay. But ever since that show started, it seems like one thing after another has come up on Wednesdays. Tonight, it's a two hour episode, but Matt probably won't come over anyway. Too much homework. Meanwhile, Donald, who normally gives the other two guys rides, has his truck in the shop, so I may be giving all three of them rides tonight. Yes, this gets complicated quickly. :)

It's less then a month until Donald moves out for his new job in the Bay Area. :( I am so going to miss him when he's gone. And I still don't have any ideas lined up for a new roommate. I'm really starting to worry. Not that it helps, but I am.

Dave's grandmother passed away Sunday afternoon. He won't be there tonight either. Bible Study will be a little strange.

Those of you not watching Alias yet missed an incredible episode Sunday night. When that show has everything clicking, it works so well. I was glued to the TV for the last 10 minutes and can't wait until they resolve this cliffhanger. I don't see how they'll do it, either. And just to prove that Jennifer Garner isn't the only reason I watch, she was only in about half of the episode. But they advanced several other plots plus did stuff with Sid.

24 got interesting again last night. I don't see how they're going to resolve everything in the next three hours. And, frankly, I'm going to want to know what happens past midnight. Like the fact that Jack is suspended. What will happen with Palmer's son? But I know those things won't be resolved by 12, so I'll just have to live with it. Wonder if it's coming back next season, and if so, how.

Well, off to Bible Study. Back tomorrow for the Thursday Threesome.

Sunday, April 21, 2002

Good evening. Time once again for the Sunday Op-Ed, brought to us by Chris.

1) The Rock
Going with the first thing that popped into my head. What is Alcatraz? I am right, there was a movie about that place a few years back called The Rock, right? It's funny. I lived an hour from San Fran. most of my life, yet I've never been there. Would really like to go sometime. One of the places I'd take the Bob-Whites if I ever wrote the story set in San Fran. is Alcatraz. And I'd leave them there overnight. :) (Yes, the second thing to pop into my head was Who is playing The Scorpion King?)

2) New York
What is a place I'm totally in love with even though I've hardly ever been there? I don't know what it is, I love New York. Anything about it. It probably has to do with the fact that The Hardy Boys, the Nancy Drew I read growing up, and Trixie Belden series are all set in New York. Or maybe it's just because NYC has such a fascinating history. Either way, I can't get enough of reading about the state, but especially the city.

3) Computers
What can I no longer seem to live without? Hard to believe 10 years ago I'd hardly used a computer. Now, I'm coming into work on weekend to get on the internet since I don't have my computer at home hooked up. Of course, an hour or two a day seems to satisfy me. But still, when I was sick earlier this month, I felt lost being gone so long without it.

No, Chris, I didn't look at your answers (esp. for number 1) before I did this. Obviously, great minds think alike. :)

Yesterday, I did nothing. Literally. I went home, and played Super Nintendo for a few hours. Then I watched TV. And then went to bed. Didn't even shower.

Today has been the first nice day we've had in a week. Temp just right, slight breeze. If every day were like this, I'd be content.

Went to a book signing at Crime Time this afternoon for Earlene Fowler. Stayed much later then I intended to. But she's a wonderful person, and I loved getting her stories about publishing. I've only read the first in her series. Can't wait to read more. And I have no excuse now that I have books two and three.

New Alias tonight. Looks good!

Saturday, April 20, 2002

Yes, that is egg on my face. The mystery caller last night was Brandi, not Joey Lawrence. Oops. From the clues I saw, it could have been Joey, but as soon as I heard the voice, I knew I was wrong. So I watched the entire evening to find out who. Couldn't quite place it. But I enjoyed watching those shows. Not that any of them except Sabrina will be regular viewing habbits. I watch enough TV as it is.

I'm in major pity party mood. Second day in a row with nothing going on. And I really want to get out and do something with my friends. Last night, I played Clue with Donald and Heather until their plans for the evening came together. Then suddenly I was left home alone. And that's as far down this path I'm going.

We lost both our games today. Which puts us in a three way tie for last. Which means we have to show up at 7:30 AM (yes, you read that right.) next Saturday to determine who is and who isn't in the play-offs. Frankly, I just wish we knew either way so I could plan the rest of my Saturday since I'm going to the Book Festival.

Maybe I'll go look up a movie schedule and figure out which movie to go see this weekend. I have a free pass that expires the end of the month, not sure when else I'd go, and there are about 5 movies I'd like to go see. First, of course, I need to post this, go home, and take a shower.

Friday, April 19, 2002

Today's Friday Five looked like way too much fun for me to pass up. As if you'll be surprised.

1. What's your favorite TV show and why?
I'm going to cheat and give two. Both will have similar reasons.

A) All Time: Babylon 5. I still don't consider myself a huge sci-fi fan. But this show is a political drama set in space. The story builds on itself so much that by the time you're in season 4, it's really hard to come in in the middle. But it can be done. Trust me, I did it! When TNT started in on the reruns, I wound up recording every episode. The characters grow over the series so much they feel like friends. Love that show.

B) Current: Alias. This show hooked me because of the complex plotting and real characters. Ok, so it's got a lot of fantasy behind it. But the show is building in such a strong way that I can't get enough. Again, taping every episode. Gives me a reason to look forward to Sunday nights when I used to dread them.

2. Who is your favorite television star? Easy one. Jennifer Garner. She's beautiful, athletic, and can convencingly play the entire range of emotions. She's enough reason to watch Alias all by herself. (But her co-stars are great, too.) She deserved her Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama. Unfortunately, she's also married. :)

3. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Little child? Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood. Didn't really watch TV again until I was an adult.

4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now? Just Shoot Me. I've watched it about 5 times, and it's just dumb.

5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season? Since I already know Alias is coming back, guess I can't answer that one. :) And frankly, I only want 24 to come back if they don't ruin the show. So I guess my answer will be Baby Bob. I'm finding it very enjoyable. It doesn't quite have it's stride yet, but I think it'll get better as they find their voice.

Ok, so that's done. Now, on to what I was going to blog about today.

Last night was a blast. I met up with a couple Trixie friends. We had a blast at City Walk. I hadn't been there for 5 years, so there were parts that were like the blind leading the blind. We found a very delicious Italian restaurant to eat at, then went bowling. When we weren't wandering around pretending like we knew what we wanted to do. What to see some pictures? Then go here, thanks to Gabi.

I also have to comment on Survivor last night. YES!!!! I can't believe how stupid the alliance was at the challenge. It was obvious to everyone what was going on. They just signed their own eviction notices. And I'm glad they started with John. I'm hoping that next week is Tammy, followed by Sean. Still don't like him and want him to go packing. Either way, the game just got very interesting. And the look on Tammy's face when she heard the final vote was priceless.

Tonight? Looks like it'll be just me and The WB. Actually, I'll probably skip out after Sabrina. After all, I think I already know that the "mystery" caller is Joey Lawrence. Too many clues on their web site. :) But tomorrow is another day of ultimate. 8 AM again. Hopefully we'll play as well as a team like we did the second game last week. If we do that, we'll be unstoppable.

Thursday, April 18, 2002

Time once again for the Thursday Threesome, brought to you today by the sky, Joseph, and The Back Porch.

Onesome. The Sun. Blow some sunshine my way, and tell me what makes you feel joyful
I'm rather easy to please. Give me nice weather and good friends to hang out with and I'm a happy content little guy.

Twosome. The Moon. By the light of the silvery moon....tell me about your most romantic evening.
I'm going to have to pass on this one for the time being. :)

Threesome. And The Stars. What's your sign, baby? And do you believe in that sort of thing, anyway?
It took me years to even remember what mine was. But I'm a picses, if that's even how it's spelled. Obviously, I don't believe in any of this stuff. Our lives are not determined by the stars, especially since we're actually a sign off from what everyone follows.

Since we're discussing romance, I'll head some people off at the pass. I haven't asked her out yet. Still trying to figure out a good first date. And I've found out she attends the Bible Study I've been thinking of joining, so I may just do that and get to knkow her better in a group enviroment so I can plan a better first date.

Now head over to your blog, answer the questions, and post a link for us at the Back Porch.

Wednesday, April 17, 2002

Last night turned out differently then I'd planned.

Donald called me at 5 to see if I wanted to go with him to Santa Monica. I kept saying I shouldn't, but didn't let that stop me. Of course, we didn't leave until almost 6. He had a quick errend to run, but that didn't work out. Then it took them forever at the take out restaurant to cook my dinner. So it was after 7 when we were leaving. Which meant I was late to Seth and Keirsten's. But that actually sounds like it worked out well. Matt still came over and watched 24. I'm rather proud of myself. I actually caught the plot twist before they told us! But it meant I did my grocery shopping late. And I have to get my brother a birthday card and get his present in the mail for his birthday next week still. If I'd remember that was in my plans for last night, I would have stayed home.

So I'm going to post this and the get ready for jr. high group so I can leave a little early and hopefully get Mike's card so that's out of the way.

Added a couple links to the right.

Thank you and good night!

Tuesday, April 16, 2002

I'm baaaaack!

Ok, more thoughts.

I've added a new ring. I'm now part of the California blog ring. Seems appropriate to me somehow.

I meant to mention the weather we've been having yesterday. (I can do that since it's my blog and it's called "... Sunny...” I planned ahead.) I did mention getting sunburned on Saturday. Well, it was 93 degrees Saturday. It was a little cooler on Sunday. But yesterday... It was drizzling when I came into work. Today's been mostly cloudy. And the temps back into the 60s. So much for our early summer. :(

I finished my last Scumble River mystery at lunch today. Now I know the author is a Trixie fan, but I didn't enjoy either book. (I've read the first two, even though the third just came out.) Many of her characters are really caricatures. All of her conservative characters and any that take their religion seriously are portrayed in a bad light. And the plots left a lot to be desired. The first book we had no clue who the killer was until he or she tried to kill the main character. There was no way to get there from here. Then in this one, I had the entire thing figured out about half way through, including where we'd find the final piece of the puzzle. The bad thing is, I'm curious as to what happens to the main character in the next book. But not enough to buy and read it. O well. On to my next book now.

Brief TV recap for the week so far. (I know you're just dieing for this.)

Alias - great ep, even if I did see the ending coming a mile off. Don't these characters realize they're in a TV show? That certainly helps me jump to conclusions I wouldn't normally reach.
7th Heaven - Glad to see they aren't making the Camdens into the hate mongering family I thought they might from the preview. I'll hold further thoughts on the story line until it wraps up in a few weeks.
Angel - Where's Cordy? How will they get Conner? Will Angel ever forgive Wes? I can't wait to see how this gets resolved.
Baby Bob - Not my favorite subject matter for a show, but funny.
Becker - Man that show can be hilarious. I love it!

Got all my laundry done and got a hair cut from a friend BEFORE the shows started up for the night, too. Is that impressive, or what? Went a little shorter then I'd planned, but I'm loving it anyway. May ask for this next time, which will probably be next semester.

Can't believe the school year's almost done. And I still have no prospect for a new roommate. But I'm doing my best to get the word out.

Deb, I love your new graphics. I need to start figuring out what I want to do with this site graphics wise.

Off for the usual Tuesday activities. (Yeah, new 24. You're probably wondering what I'll talk about come summer reruns. We'll just have to wait and see.)
If you keep your eyes openned, sooner or later, you'll run across one of these quizzes that really interests you.

You are Civilian Calvin!
You don't get to travel much outside your neighborhood, but you still manage to get in plenty of trouble. When you're not acting up, you like to wax philosophical.
Take the What Calvin are You? Quiz by contessina_2000@yahoo.com!


I know Hobbes is one of the options. I wonder what the others are. I'm sure Spaceman Spiff and Stupendous Man are also results.

And somewhere there's a What Alias character are you. But the link didn't work for me to find the quiz. But when I find it, I'll be taking that one for sure.

Back with more later.

Monday, April 15, 2002

Riddle for you: What happens when you don't turn a computer on all day Sunday?
Answer: You wind up a day late answering the Sunday Op-Ed.

1) Cheesecake
What is one of my favorite desserts? I love the stuff. Especially Strawberry Cheesecake. I can never resist. But does that mean I've gone to a Cheesecake Factory yet? Of course not. I've been by the one in Pasadena lots of times, but never eaten there. Someday.

2) Wine
What is the area I grew up in best known for? That's right. I grew up in Sonoma County, which is right next to Napa County. Between the two.... But I've never tasted the stuff. I'm too afraid of getting hooked on alcohol, so I stay as far away from it as possible.

3) Dancing
What is one thing I really miss doing? I haven't really danced for 7 years now, and I really really miss it. I used to perform and help teach ballroom dance when I was in Santa Rosa. But it's frown on down here at Master's (how much seems to change depending on who you ask.) So I haven't persued it recently. But I'm not giving it up completely for the rest of my life.

So, now it's time for a weekend recap.

Saturday - Started with ultimate frisbee at 8 AM! Too early. We lost that game, but won the second. Matt and I had decided not to try to cram a trip to the beach into the day, but we did hang out at the pool for a couple hours. And I got a nice sunburn on my shoulders and upper back. Then we went to the concert. Nichole Norderman was too quite to really hear, which was too bad since I was going to see her, too. But Steven Curtis Chapman's part (the majority) was great. And the part with Steve Saint was very moving. A little unusual for a concert, but I really enjoyed it. After all, it was focused more on God and not on SCC. Nichole was supposed to be signing autographs afterward, but I couldn't find her, which was diappointing. Over all, it was good, but we got home late.

Sunday - The alarm clock went off way too soon. Stayed awake during church, however. Then talked to my parents, read, napped, played SNES with Donald, and came over to campus for the SNYF (Sunday Night Youth Fellowship.) Jon had planned out a scavenger hunt of sorts. Our youth pastor, Dave, and been "kidnapped." We had to follow the clues and find the person and then him. The guys team won, just barely. Some of the clues were much harder to find in the dark then Jon had figured, but it was fun. Ran all over campus, too. Then I went home and watched Alias. Much happier with last night's episode then last weeks.

Today? Work. Started two of my four loads of laundry at lunch. New episodes of 7th Heaven, Angel, Baby Bob, and Becker tonight. Guess what my plans are? :)

Friday, April 12, 2002

Had a great time last night. We went to Java N Jazz and hung out. Something I only do when these friends are in town. I was really tempted to join them at Magic Mountain today, but I needed to get the statements out, so I stayed and worked.

They're actually saying it'll hit 80 here over the weekend. Matt and I might try to hit the beach tomorrow. But probably not since that would make for a very long day.

You see, tomorrow night, we're going to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert. And I can't wait. I've never seen him in concert, but I've heard over and over again that he's great live. Plus his openning act is Nichole Norderman, and I love her music, too. But that's in Annehiem. So when you couple that with an ultimate frisbee game at 8 AM tomorrow, I should probably take a nap since I'm the one driving.

But the call of the water is strong.

The jr. highers are having a paintball day tomorrow, but needless to say, I'm not going. Paintball doesn't really interest me, and I already missed IM ultimate last weekend. Dave just called to find out if I was going. Then he asked me to call some of the kids, but since I don't know where my directory is, he skipped that. I'm feeling kinda bad cause he's busy with family stuff tonight. But such is life.

I watched Survivor at lunch time. I must admit I have mixed thoughts on Rob leaving. He was certainly making things interesting. I really would have liked to see him stay long enough to make the jury, then be booted. Guess we'll have to see what happens next week.

And on that note (LA!), I'm going to post this. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 11, 2002

A few thoughts to finish out my day.

For those watching 24, a bit of location news. Saugus is a sub-section of Santa Clarita. Not sure where in Saugus they were supposed to be, but that's definately my town they were talking about. Not near Placerita Canyon, where the wife and daughter were being held. The other side of town. Interesting to see if they make that connection at all.

The weather has finally gotten nice here. They're predicting 70's with no end in site. I love this weather. Although it makes it hard to stay in on work days. Still, I've had my office window openned almost all day.

Shana, you've really been on my mind all week. I've been listening to my Margaret Becker best of for the first time in months. If you ever heard it, you'd recognize a few songs from those marathon e-mails we used to send each other.

Well, I'm going to connect with some old friends I only see a couple times a year tonight. They're in town. Should be lots of fun. Not sure when I'll get to watch Survivor, but I've got the tape all ready to go. :)

And, for the heck of it, I'll end today with a little survey. Haven't done one in a while.

You are Fozzie!
Wokka Wokka! You love to make lame jokes. Your sense of humor might be a bit off, but you're a great friend and can always be counted on.
.



Scary thing is, this fits me pretty well.
Guess what time it is. Yep, time to answer today's Thursday Threesome.

Onesome: Red. Color me passionate...what are you passionate about?
Food. Wait, just kidding. I'm not sure how to answer this one. Passionate.... I guess I'd say God, friends, favorite authors and series.

Twosome: White. Color me truthful...or is it little white lies? What's the last "little white lie" that's come from your mouth (or keyboard)
You know, I honestly can't remember.

Threesome: Blue. Color me with music...what one piece of music really speaks to you?
It's been 10 years since I first heard it, but David Meece's "Learning to Trust" is still my favorite song. It's a powerful reminder and prayer that I pull out whenever the slightest uncertainty enters my life. Reminds me of who my trust should be in. Hmm. Maybe I need to go pull it out again tonight.

So there are my answers. Now go post your own.

Wednesday, April 10, 2002

Been a couple days. Guess I should blog something....

Got a real cool collector's item yesterday. While eating lunch with Cameron (Quizno's), he mentioned having seen a record copy of Michael W. Smith's original release at the Goodwill store. So I headed over there after work and bought it. 99 cents. Very different cover from the release/CD cover. Looks like he's in the front of a Tron era video game. And no, it'll do nothing but collect dust now, but who knows. It's in great shape. I'm sure I could get something for it if I needed to.

I only had 60 pages left in Stones of Jerusalem last night, but I still didn't finish it. Donald and I played Tetris and Tetris 2 on my SNES all night. But I finished it at lunch time.

Have I mentioned that there's no Bible study tonight? This week (don't ask me why) is spring break at Santa Clarita Christian School, so almost everything has been canceled. The high school group is still meeting, but Seth and Keirsten decided they didn't need me. :( LOL. So what will I be doing with my freedom? Remedial TV watching, of course. Plans are to watch last week's Enterprise for the first time, last night's 24 (I was available, but the friend I watch with wasn't. Ironic.), and tonight's Amazing Race. Should keep me out of trouble.

But right now? I'm off to write a review of the book I just finished at Amazon. And I might just be the first review, even though the books been out for 3 weeks.

Monday, April 08, 2002

Let's see....

I would probably be feeling better if I had gotten to sleep earlier. I blaim it all on Donald. None of it is my fault or Nick at Nite's fault for putting on the shows I wanted to watch in the first place. Over all, I think I'm just about over whatever creeping crude I had.

One of my co-workers announced today that she's leaving the middle of next month. We were all in shock. Her husband took a job pastoring a church in the central valley. She's worked here for almost 20 years. She may be old enough to be my mom, but she's become a very good friend. I will miss her very much when she moves. Yet at the same time, I'm very happy for her since this is something they've wanted for a long time.

No major plans for tonight. I might finish my book, or I might watch the episodes of N@N I recorded when I went to bed. I'm finally going to get to see the Cheers finale. Anyway, I'll post this so when Matt comes, we can head off to the cafe for dinner.

Sunday, April 07, 2002

If this is Sunday, it must be time for the Sunday Op-Ed thanks to Chris.

1) Daylight Savings
What is the stupidest thing ever invented? I mean, think about it. It's summer, so we already have light late. But we need to set our clocks ahead an hour to make it light even later. Yes, this is the post of a tired man who did not want to get up for church this morning due to that hour of lost sleep. But I've really never seen the point of doing this every year.

2) Elijah Wood
Who is the actor who will forever be known as Frodo? I've been meaning to look up, because I can't remember what else he's been in, but when I see it, I'll kick myself. He does a great job in FotR, too. But I bet that whatever else he does with his career, he'll be type-cast as Frodo. Of course, you could be type-cast in a worse roll.

3) Music
What is a big part of my life? I almost always have some kind of music going (CCM of some kind.) I still listen to stuff from favorite artists I grew up listening to in the 70's and early 80's. Yet I also listen to stuff released today. Have I mentioned I love Ginny Ownes' new CD this week? :) Also, since I lead the singing time in jr. high Sunday School Sunday mornings and help with the worship time Wednesday nights, I'm known for music to the youth of the church. My guitar and I. And of course, I just quit the handbell choir after 4 and a half years. Of course, if I didn't like music so much, it wouldn't be the big part it is.

A few other things.

Feeling better today. Did nothing really exciting yesterday since I was trying to take it easy. Hopefully, I'm on my way to getting over it.

I've got to post this and run, however. I'm trying to get to Pasadena in time for the Sisters in Crime meeting this afternoon. This is one of the reasons I quit handbells after all. So I need to go home and eat lunch and change clothes.

NEW ALIAS TONIGHT!!!! Don't forget to tune in. It sounds like a great one!

Friday, April 05, 2002

A day late, but I'd like to start off by doing my Thursday Threesome for the week.

Onesome. Love. Ever felt that "unconditional love"? Tell us about it....
Most certainly by my parents. It's wonderful knowing they're behind me no matter what. But I'd have to say the biggest would be form God. The fact that He loves me even on days when I don't love myself just blows my mind.

Twosome. Labors. What was your first paying job (not counting baby-sitting)?
Hmm, that would probably go for yardwork, too, right? (That was my first paying job. Worked weekly for a neighbor for 8 years.) First paying job otherwise was helping to teaching ballroom dance as part of the Nordquist Jr. Dance Club. That was a lot of fun. My first summer job was at Windsor Water Works as a water slide operator. That wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounds like.

Threesome. Lost. Have a knack for losing things? Is there something you lose "all the time"?
As disorganized as I normally am, I usually know where stuff is. So I really can't think of something I loose that much.

So, why am I late doing this? Because I was home sick again yesterday. I didn't even go to Bible Study Wednesday night. I still can't shake this cough. I heard this morning that if this is what's been going around, the fever comes and goes and it takes forever to get rid of it and the cough. Just what I don't want.

You want to hear the ironic part? I have this book I've been dieing to get my hands on and all day to read it, but I don't crack the cover all day. I spent the day watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote, Honey I Shrunk the Kids - the TV Show, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and tapes I have at home of You Can't Do That on Television and Wonder Woman. Fun, but doesn't get the book read.

I'm planning to skip ultimate tomorrow morning and see if I can't shake this thing.

Not my week on reality TV. The people I was rooting for most of Amazing Race and Survivor got voted off.

I was flipping to news channels a lot yesterday, too. Mainly it just made my blood boil. Am I missing something major? I don't see much difference between the position Israel is in and the position we were in after September 11th. And before anyone says what the new media says, the Palestinians keep giving up their rights to the land and rights to be heard by their past actions. If they can act like grown ups to Israel, then I'll start considering supporting their claims. But I've study the history too much to give them much credence right now. Seems to me like right now we're proving the old saying "Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." Unfortunately, President Bush is caught between a rock and a hard place politically. He has to do what he's doing to avoid World War 3 (a sequel I can go without seeing). I understand what he's doing, but I don't support it. I did find it interesting that any Arabs I saw being interviewed yesterday avoided all their questions or just pointed the finger back. And I'll agree that Israel is not 100% perfect, but no country is during a war. And that's ultimately what's going on here. Probably my favorite was the guy I saw being interview who would shout down the other person being interviewed whenever that person starting to make a point. Seems to me like he felt he had something to hide.

Stepping off my soap box now. For the time being, anyway.

Meant to post this Wednesday and forgot. This comic from a couple weeks ago describes me in a collection mindset perfectly.

Well, breaks over. Need to get back to inputting credit card receipts. Why do I have to be sick this week when I've got so much work to get done?

Wednesday, April 03, 2002

I'd just like to say it's not all my fault I haven't blogged since Friday. I would have blogged yesterday if blogger had let me in. So, let's do the recap thing.

Friday night, got to have dinner with my brother as he came through town on his way to Mexico with the high schoolers from church up there on a missions trip. Then met up with my parents.

Saturday, we went to the Getty art museum. I'm still not cultured. Bored out of my mind. But Mom enjoyed it. Then we went back to my place and watched The Princess Diaries. They loved it, and I enjoyed it alot more on the second go around. Fun flick.

Sunday, we went to church. The program was awesome. I'm in the process of tracking down a CD copy as we speak. Then we went out to the trailer and played games and hung out.

Monday, I stayed home sick with a fever.

Yesterday, returned to work and tried to catch up on work (1st of month stuff) and internet stuff since I'd been off line for three days. And finally got the new Thoene book. Started it last night even though I'd already started another book. But the first chapter isn't that far along, right? But I didn't get my check for $1 million yet....

I must get back to work now. Awesome 24 last night. Next week's looks even better. And there's an all new Alias Sunday night. Life doesn't get any better then this. O wait, it does. :)