Happy Halloween. Time for today's holiday themed Thursday Threesom from The Back Porch.

Onesome: Goblins. Do you do Halloween? ...or is it all too much?
As a kid, I dressed up and went trick or treating. When I hit jr. high, I started attending the youth group parties. Sometimes I'd dress up, sometimes I wouldn't. Just depended on what we were doing that year.

Twosome: Ghouls (and guys). What ghoulish dishes do you serve up at Halloween?
Considering I don't make dishes the rest of the year.... :)

Threesome: Bats. Where are you flying to this evening? Any plans?
We're still having Bible study for the jr. high tonight. Actually including dinner and outreach into the neighborhood this time. And we're starting half an hour early to boot. So I'll be at church most of this evening.

And in completely unrelated news, the covers for the first two Trixie Belden book reprints are on display over here. Just in case you happened to miss our discussions at Zap's and Jix.

The last few days have been interesting here at work. Our heater was broken. And yes, we do need it here in Southern CA during the winter. And the water main to our building broke as well. In spite of all this, we've managed to be productive workers. Well, sorta in my case.

And you know that thing I teased you with on Monday? Didn't wind up happening. Must have gotten some wires crossed.

I forgot to mention that a new season of 24 started last night. Good episode, probably would have liked it better with commercials, ironically. Set some interesting things up for this next year. Just hope they can follow through with them like they did last year. And I see Kiefer is now a producer. Also interests me to see main characters show up in that capacity.

Now, the reason I bet you're actually reading this post. Susan and I are having a friendly debate about Christmas music. And since comments were down most of the day, she posted her thoughts on her blog. I'm now going to respond, showing my impressive maturity and logic that will have her convinced I'm right and she's wrong in a matter of paragraphs. (Don't laugh. I'm just in that kind of mood, ok?)

No, one song you got accidentally doesn't constitute having Johnny Mathis. It's a start (depending on what song it is) but it's not going far enough. As soon as you're done with reading this entry, you will head over to Amazon and order the CD. You know you want to. And you know you're wrong. (Am I good or what?)

As to Charlie Brown, it's not Christmas until you've watched it. (Actually, I need to watch Great Pumpkin here pretty quick, don't I?) I love the special. Just never bought the CD soundtrack. Looked at it a couple times. I think it's on my Amazon wish list....

I, too, enjoy Acappella's music (have their Sweet Fellowship CD at work this week in fact). I just got the America CD at half.com. Hasn't come yet. Anyway, this is NOT that group. This is a group called This Hope. Their concerts (they'll be at my church in a couple weeks in fact.) are usually a mix of acapella and accompanied music. They'd just lost their piano player when they recorded this CD, so it was all acapella. If you like Acappella (the group), you'll probably like the CD. If you're interested, let me know. If they sing at the college the day after the concert at church, I can probably get you a copy of this Christmas Cd really cheaply. At least that was the case last time.

Not that big a fan of black gospel, but that's for the offer.

Now, everyone who agrees with me, go support me at Susan's blog. (And how many of you think we're both right?)

Turning the corner to something more series....

I've been feeling kinda blaw lately. Feeling like I should be doing something different with my life, but not sure what. The missionary speaker at church really convicted me this Sunday, and I've started really praying that God would direct me to where He wants me to be. As I was praying this morning, the words to a song I love came to mind. They're from Rich Mullins' (wish he'd done a Christmas CD) Jesus Record. My favorite song on there is called Hard to Get. If you haven't heard it you should. Basically, he spends the first two verses crying out at God asking if He's even still listening or is in Heaven playing hard to get. Then in the bridge and last verse, he finally realizes that God is still there and in control, even when we don't understand Him. Wonderful song. Anyway, the lyric that came to mind was "I can't see how you're leading me, unless you've lead me here, where I'm lost enough to let myself be lead." That's me. That's so me right now. Now, I just need to open my eyes and see where God would have me go next.

That pesky faith! It's so hard to follow One we can't see.

Last week, I promised to blog about my favorite Christmas CD's, then just gave a link. Since that's not quite fair, thought maybe I should follow through. So here, in no particular order, are my top 10 Christmas CD's.

1) Johnny Mathis - Merry Christmas You'll get very tired of me saying it's because I grew up listening to it, but that's the case with quite a few of these. This is the first example. I've listened to his others Christmas projects, and I just don't enjoy them the way I do this one. But it only takes the first few messures to get me completely under it's spell and in the Christmas spirit. And when I want to pop in a Christmas CD during non-Christmas time (like last week) I often reach for this one.

2) Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song Nobody sings it like he does. And it has a few not as familiar songs on it as well. Just don't be fool, the version with his daughter isn't nearly as good.

3) Amy Grant - A Christmas Album and Home for Christmas No I'm not cheating. If it works for Susansuth, it works for me. :) These are classics, introducing us to Tennessee Christmas; Emmanuel; Love Has Come; Breathe of Heaven; and Emmanuel, God With Us, amoung others. I'll pull these out year round if in the Christmas mood. (And it was someone like me who came up with Christmas in July.)

4) Michael W. Smith - Christmas Completely out of character with what he was doing at the time, the choral/orchestral CD is wonderful. And you have to love "Gloria."

5) Evie - Christmas Memories It's not Christmas until you've heard Come on, Right Those Bells. As sung by Evie, or course. You just can't escape it. I prefer the stuff from her first record over the second on here, and wish they'd included all of the first. But it's still a frequent resident in my CD player during December. A Thousand Candles is also a classic.

6) Sandi Patty - The Gift Goes On Title song's great. Really, the entire CD is. I prefer the version of O Holy Night she does here to her others. And you can't miss Bethlehem Morning.

7) 4 Him - Season of Love Great harmonies and fun arrangements. Especially of White Christmas and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. And Strange Way to Save the World is a personal favorite.

8) This Hope - Acappella Christmas Little known Christian group, the members are grads of Master's music department. I'm not a big fan, but this is fast becoming a December must. Can't get enough of their tight harmonies.

9) Twila Paris - It's the Thought This one is unfortunately out of print. But it's wonderfully Christmasy with some good new songs and little recorded classics.

10) Gary Chapman - This Gift Wonderful orchestration, although a fav is the acappella Hark! And yes, this was the inspiration for my first Christmas GWP over at Zap's.

11) Steven Curtis Chapman - The Music of Christmas Didn't disappoint in the least. Everything he does is good, and his unique look at classic songs and the classic story are wonderful.

12) Point of Grace - A Christmas Story Got to include this one, too. Especially love their arrangement of Holy Night.

O, you actually expected me to hit 10 right on? Don't know me too well, do you. And yes, I listen to lots of Christian music, even around the holidays, why do you ask? :)

Now Susansuth and I are having a discussion. She's never heard Johnny, I've never really listened to Bing (I know, I know) or Vince Guardelli's Charlie Brown Christmas album (and I call myself a Peanuts fan). I told her I'd get those two this year if she'd get Johnny. But she's resisting. Seems she doesn't want to just because everyone else likes it. But, the question is, can you really celebrate Christmas without Johnny? (No, I will not accept the arguement when it comes to Bing.) So, everyone, let's put the pressure on and get her to buy one of MY favorite Christmas CD's. (Yep, still all about me. :) )

WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! (What do you mean you didn't see me on the field over the weekend.) I just have to point out to all you Giants fans out there that they've lost the last two times they made the World Series. First to my A's (which I always support. Considering that I don't support teams anyway.) And I've wanted the Angels to win for years so they'd get some respect. Of course, it'll probably be the same respect the A's get. I can vividly remember being in Santa Rosa in the early 90's and being told how stupid I was to root for the A's over the Giants. Of course, I had to point out that the A's had made three World Series in a row. While they only won one of those, it was the Giants they beat. That shut up my opponents pretty quickly. :)

Found out at the SNYF last night. Major rejoicing all around. Of course, my parents are calling me a traitor since I've been rooting for the Angels. Frankly, I don't really care.

Had a quiet, relaxing weekend. Nice for a change. Played ultimate frisbee at the picnic with the career groups from Placerita and Grace Saturday. Got new pants from Mervyn's during their sale. Did two loads of laundry. Really exciting, blog worthy stuff.

Did agree to make a temporary change that will make Shana very happy. And if she thinks back into the reaches of when she's known me, she'll know what I'm talking about. Yes, I promise to get pictures and get the posted somewhere. (Misty, we really need to get my web site set up. Yes, I know it's my fault.)

Had a major bummer last night, too. Jeff and Jen came over at 10 to watch Alias. Knew I wouldn't be home before then. Anyway, we're on the couch getting ready for a great hour, and we see Syd sitting in a chair with her blue hair. Sure enough, they decided to rerun the season premier. Makes sense opposite the final game of the World Series, but I wished I'd known sooner. This episode is supposed to air next Sunday, so can't wait until then. Some secrets reveiled. Maybe. :)

Met with Dave for lunch today. Good time to catch up with him and talk about the youth. We haven't met like that in a long time. Really should do it again soon.

Think I'll end with the Sunday Op-ed, Late Edition.

1. Niagra Falls

What have I never gone over in a barrel? (And I've never been to Boston in the Fall.) Other answers might be, what did I visit between Gettysberg and Philidelphia? And where did I get a funny mug from my "wife" from? Ok, that last one needs a little work, but you Trixie folks should get it.

2. Hawaii

Who gets a state quarter in 2008? Also, what state would I like most to visit?

3. Grand Canyon

What have I never lept in a single bound? Also, what was a little less spectacle while visiting on vacation after seeing Bryce Canyon in Utah?

Yes, I'm in a funny mood. Must be because I'm done with Monday!

I have lots to cover today, so maybe I should get started.

First, I, too, am rejoicing they've caught the snipper. Glad all my DC friends are now safe. Now, if we could just have as good a resolution to the situation in Russia right now.

I don't think any of the kids turned in their applications for worship team Thursday night - the "deadline." Interesting. Makes me wonder if the only reason we're doing this is for the new youth pastor's son (which I'd suspected all along.) Meanwhile, I think once Seth and Kiersten leave, it's going to be just me trying to lead this thing.

The Angels were embarrising last night. 4-16? Come on guys! I have bragging rights at stake here! (Val, I refuse to surrender!)

Hit a milestone at Amazon this week. My 200th review is now posted!!!! I'll let it sit at 200 for a few days before I submit the two I've already written for books I finished this week.

Couple of comments on my reality shows. I was so disappointed with the outcome of Amazing Race Wednesday night. I am so ready for Arriana and Adrian to leave! And they almost did, too. If only Heather and Eve had gone back and followed instructions. I do find it funny that AA are so intent on getting two teams out, yet keep falling down themselves. And I like the fact that all the teams are within 30 minutes of each other. That will make for a very intense leg Wednesday. Can't wait!

And over on Survivor, I was finally right. Robb (two b's) left! I was surprised he lasted this long, although he had grown on me after the first week. Knew if they didn't win immunity this week, we was toaste. His tribe definately had a 5-3 alliance going. And the preview for next week looks interesting. Like everything else this round, I think they're giving them the option of merging or not. Not merging would be a different twist on things. Guess we'll have to wait a week and see.

I know I promised to blog about my favorite Christmas CD's (we're having cold weather, so I'm certainly in the mood.), but I think I'll save that for another day. Or, you can always go here and see what I wrote about Christmas music at Amazon a couple weeks back.

(Two shameless plugs in one day. Must be some kind of record or something.)

The Thursday Threesome is back! Brought to us by the Olsen Twins (kinda) and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Bubble, bubble - As in bubble bath. What's your favorite way to relax?
Reading or watching tv. I can get completely lost in a good book. And I think you know what a tv addict I already am. :)

Twosome: Toil - What's your least favorite chore, and why?
All of them. :) Ok, probably cleaning the bathrooms. Just too icky! :)

Threesome: and Trouble - What do you get into trouble for around the house?
Being lazy. Although that's mainly with myself. My roommates are usually just as bad if not worse then me. Has something to do with being bachlors, I think.

Sorry, Val, but the Angels seem to be winning the series right now. And last night's game wasn't even close. The Angels are ahead by number of games and number of runs. (Yes, I know I've just jinxed them to loose tonight, but I don't care.)

Actually, it's kinda funny. I should be rooting for a team, but I can't seem to get super enthused about doing so. See, I grew up an hour north of the Giants, now I live an hour north of the Angels. The only pull I've really been having excerted on me is to root for the Giants, but I'm rebeling and rooting for the Angels. Of course, it helps that they are (or were) owned by Disney. :) Must have my priorities straight.

Hank told me that the compressor on my AC is shot. Kinda what I expected to hear. So now I need to call Honda and see what they'll do for me. He did indicate it might be a result of bad work when fixing the condenser after my accident, but we'll just have to see.

Seth and Kiersten showed me some pictures of the seminary they're hoping to go to in the spring. I can see why they liked the campus. It's beautiful. This obviously seems to be the direction their life is going. I'm sorry to see them go, however.

And I must comment on Buffy last night. WOW! Powerful episode wonderfully acted. And they had some great continuity with the reference to killing Angel in season 2 and a scene added to the musical from last season. That was a surprise. The last 10 minutes were incredible. I can't wait to see where they're going to take Anya from here. But I'll have to wait a week since next week is a rerun. What's up with no Halloween episode this year? I believe it's a first.

There are some mornings when you just want to sleep in. It's darker and cool outside. There's a think enough fog out that it feels like winter. Those type of mornings you should be allowed to roll back over and sleep as late as you want.

Unfortunately, I had to get up much earlier then normal.

See, Marcus had agreed to give me a ride to work after I dropped off my car for Hank (my old mechanic) to give me a third opinion on my AC. But late last night, he remembered he had to be at work at 7:30 himself this morning. So, I had to get up early, drop my car off at the mechanics, drop him off at work, then drive back to talk to Hank when he openned, then come into work. The up side is, I still had a car today. The downside is, his car is showing it's age and miles. You must get in the passenger's side and slide across. Interesting, but it can be done.

In other news, I had a great time at Disneyland on Saturday with Angelique. Even ran into Donald and Heather for dinner. They did seem to be having technical problems all day as Splash Mountain went down as A and I were riding on it, and at other points, Indy, Space Mountain, and Star Tours also went down. But we did get to ride everything we really wanted to. It's great going with people who let me drag them along on all the rides. :)

I was interested to note that they've changed Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. He now gives the Gettysburg Address. But they have these headsets now that are incredible with the sound effects of the before story about a private. I expected to be hit a time or two by things going on around me. Very cool, espeically for an attraction I bet most people skip.

Yesterday, I had a nice lazy day around home doing not much. Finished Transgression (don't bother) and caught up on TV shows. Need another couple days like that.

Grandma is out of the immidiate woods. The situation is serious, but she might surprise us and hang in there a few more years. Then again, it might just be a couple of months.

Maybe I'll try Hank again to find out about my car.

Hey, what to you know, they did post a Thursday Threesome yesterday. Brought to you by the trees in New England and The Back Porch.

New: It's been a few weeks; what's new with you?
Marcus, Grandma, insurance check. (Read this page for the details.)

Fall: Do you fall all over yourself getting bulbs in the ground for winter and spring blooms?
Actually, I have these planter boxes I haven't even done anything with for the last year. But I might put some plants out by the front door in another week or two. Not bulbs, just flowers.

Colors: Which do you prefer, the bright jewel colors of fall, the white snow of winter, the pastels of new life in spring, the greens of summer?
Greens of Summer? Not around here. :) I do prefer green (favorite color and all that), but pictures I've seen of fall folage is beautiful as well. Usually, in CA, the leaves just turn brown. Not all that pretty.

I really can't tell for sure what's going on at home right now. Sometimes I get the feeling that Grandma's doing very poorly. Then I get the feeling that, while she's going down hill, it could still be a slow process. I do know Mom and Dad told me not to head home this weekend, so I'm still off to Disneyland. Talking to Grandma, she seems to think she'll be back to normal in no time. But then again, listening to her talk, things sounded much cheerier all year. I honestly don't think she realizes how serious any of this really is.

On a much more positive note, I got a very pleasant surprise in the mail last night. I finally got a check for my expenses as a result of the accident I was in a year ago. It's been in litigation all this time. They finally must have sided with me. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

And I got to watch the Amazing Race last night. The twins (DD) are still in the lead!! And the other brother duo is right behind them!!! Meanwhile, the annoying AA team dropped from 2nd to sixth!!!! I'm rooting for them to get their comeupance any day now. I'm sorry to see the father/son team go, although the son was getting on my nerves. Hope there's something to make the teams in last place have a chance to catch up next week. Otherwise, they're going to get picked off with no real chance for a comeback. That's not completely fair. (Yes, I know life isn't fair, but I'd like it to be in this situation.)

Sometimes, you forget to blog about the most important things going on in your life. Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Dad. Grandma Baker, my only surviving grandparent was in the hospital. They found water around her heart, and she was extremely annemic. We could tell for a while that she hasn't been doing well, but apparently things are much worse then we thought. I called Mike at lunch time and found out that she's headed to her sister's house for tonight at least. We'll just have to see what happens from here on out. And the strained relationships with that side of the family aren't making things any easier at all. Any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

Looks like they may actually let me in today. I tried to blog yesterday and update my link to Mary's new blog, but I couldn't get in most of the day.

I thought I was coming down with a cold yesterday. My throat was scratchy all day. But I'm feeling fine today. Which, with some many people out sick, is a good thing. Especially since I'm going to Disneyland on Saturday.

And what is up with our weather! We're having winter weather, and it's only October! Cloudy and in the 50's. It's supposed to be clear and in the 70's for at least another month yet. Obviously, no one consulted me.

Last night was a late night at Seth and Kiersten's. After getting ready for Thursday night, we sat down and talked through what we're going to say and the questionaire we want the kids who are interested with helping in worship to fill out. Was profitable, but I didn't get home until almost 10:30. Went straight to bed where I read for a while. I'm currently reading Transgression. Interesting book. The main characters have traveled back in time to kill the Apostle Paul. Not that all of them know it. Anyway, I'm enjoying it very much.

But I should probably get to work now. Unfortunately. Not much in the way of fun sitting in my in box.

Yes, it's me. Don't faint, I'm actually blogging today. :)

This weekend was as wild as I thought it would be. Donald's girlfriend had a major project due today, so he didn't spend as much time with her as he might have otherwise. In stead, I got to spend time with him. And beat him at America Monopoly. Saw Jonah a second time. Enjoyed it again.

In the midst of playing host, I had Jeremiah over to watch the pilot of Enterprise and Jeff over to watch last week's Alias. Heck, I needed to have Josh over so I could have had all three of my former roommates (or is that ex's) over during the weekend. Actually, I just need to return his call.

Marcus was back in Riverside this weekend, so it could have been crazier. :) Got back about 15 minutes after we'd turned out the lights last night.

Frankly, I'm surprised I'm as awake as I am right now. Donald and I were talking until 2AM Saturday morning, 1AM yesterday morning, and midnight this morning. Meanwhile, I was getting up for church yesterday, and Marcus had to get up at 6 this morning. I never did get back to sleep after his alarm went off. Almost did, at 7:30. :)

Other comments? Haven't posted on Amazing Race, and finally got to see Survivor over the weekend. (Actually, I'm all caught up on my Tv watching, except for one hour from yesterday. Feels nice.)
AR - they need to get rid of some of those young male/female teams. I can't really keep them all straight. In previous seasons, they've done a much better job of having a variety of teams compete, which makes it easier on the viewer. And I guess I'm the only one rooting for the twins. I like them. And the fact that everyone else wants to see them illiminated just makes me root for them harder.
Survivor - I'm so glad that Ghandia is gone. She was horrid to Ted (not that he was innocent, but she made it a dividing issue) and was the reason there was so much tension in that tribe. Now, if we can get the other team to vote out Stephanie....
Alias - Wow, Jack's back in the I can't trust him catagory. Which doesn't surprise me. We've been trusting him too much recently. And how about that cliffhanger! Nice to be back to a Syd in trouble cliffhanger. Can't wait to watch again with Jeff, whenever that turns out to be.
Angel - I'm actually starting to really like this show this season. Still, if push comes to shove, it's Alias all the way.

And maybe I'll close out with Chris' Sunday Op-Ed The Late Edition.

1. Smile
What should be your umbrella? (Misspelled, right?) Of course, if a smile is your umbrella, all it would do is catch the rain. It's upside down to do you any good. :) (Donald, I'm blaiming this answer completely on you.)

2. Sing
What do I love to do? I may not have the best voice you've ever heard, but I don't let that stop me at all!

3. Potatoes
What do I like except in salad? I've just never been a Potatoe salad fan. And probably my favorite way to eat them is bake and then refrigerated.

This has been a wild and crazy week.

Wednesday, tried to make up for missing stuff on Tuesday and picked up Matt and Jeremiah a little late for Enterprise. (Good episode.)

Thursday, we had youth group on our new night for the first time. We were supposed to meet after the girl's volleyball game at SCCS. However, the game was still going strong at 8PM, so we gave a couple brief announcements and dismissed the kids. Frankly, I was ready to be gone by that point, too. I think we're going to have a fairly rocky transition. Got home in time for Do Over, however. I really am enjoying that show. (BTW, I see that ABC is canceling That was Then. My first canceled show of the season.) Then watched CSI (GROSS!) and Without a Trace (good).

Today. I was already awake when Marcus's alarm clock went off early. Couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to get ready early and head over to Sears to get my flat tire fixed. Even though I was there at 8, when they open, it was 8:20 before anyone helped me. (I was the second one there.) Then, they waited half an hour before they even looked at the dumb thing. I was there until after 10. So, instead of being a little late to work, I was 2 hours late. Worked through lunch instead of going home to watch Survivor. Frankly, with what I've gotten done today, I'm not going to worry about the other hour. Bad I know. The thing that frustrates me is, if they'd told me they weren't compitent and it would take this long (what it really boiled down to), I could have come back someother time, like this weekend, when I almost had two hours to waste. At least I'd had the forsight to bring my book, and I got a bit read in it. But have I mentioned how cold it was? I had to go out side to warm up, and it wasn't especially warm here today. Definately didn't need the AC blowing.

Meanwhile, tonight I've got a Just 4 Fun at the Durons starting at 6, Bible Study at 7:30, then Donald shows up sometime in the middle of the night to visit his girlfriend for the weekend. (I can now start being mean to him here since he's reading it and can defend himself in replies. In this case, I'm blaiming him in advance for me being up late when he's planning to get into town about the time I'd be going to bed anyway.)

Last night did not go as planned at all!

If you'll remember, I was supposed to go down to the Farmer's Market in LA and get autographs from the cast of Alias. I've been trying to make this work all week. But here's what really happened.

I grabbed a really quick dinner in the cafe, then headed home. On the way home, I drove through the scene of a recent accident. I was watching traffic and didn't realize it until it was too late to do anything about it. And by back right tire picked up a bolt. By the time I drove the two blocks to my apartment, the tire was FLAT! So I spent an hour changing it.

Even though I was running much later then I wanted to be, I decided, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," and headed out anyway. I got down there 15 minutes before it was supposed to start, and they'd already sold out of books and weren't letting anyone else in. Turns out some people started showing up at 6 AM to get tickets to hold their place in line. Like I could do that! So last night was a complete waste all the way around. The only thing that saved it was a good episode of Buffy, which I watched when I finally got home.

In completely unrelated news, Marcus has indeed moved in. Seems like a nice guy, but it's hard to tell for sure after a couple hours of interaction. Of course, with him coming so highly recommended from the Durons, I'm really not worried.

You'll never guess who was at church last night! My friend Brad. No, don't go searching archieves for him, I haven't seen him in over a year. And I found out why, he's moved to Long Beach. But sounds like he'll be moving back, so maybe I'll get to hang out with him again in the near future.

I don't know whether I hate baseball right now or am thankful for it. I discovered that I didn't get Firefly last week because of a baseball game. Think ultimately it's for the best.

But I did get to see John Doe. The mystery of who he is gets more intreging every week. Hope the mystery is solved before the show leaves the air.

Becker and Angel had good premiers last night. And Alias was great as well.

Yes, I'm in a bit of a hurry right now. See, Marcus is coming to move in after I get off work, so I want to be sure I'm off work and home in a timely manor, especially since I'll nead to head out to a few places tonight so I can spend all of tomorrow night in line to get autographs. Yes, I finally get to meet Marcus in less then an hour.

Good afternoon! At the tone, we will start the Sunday Op-Ed. BEEP!

1. Meat
What am I a picky eater of? I'm not a pick the meat off the bone kind of guy. I love hamburgers, chicken, etc. But if I have to deal with the bone, I'll try something else.

2. Fish
What is another form of meat? Contrary to what many people seem to think, fish is meat. Simple as that. (And, BTW, it tastes horrid, too.)

3. Pasta
What do I love? I can eat pasta most any time. As long as the sauce is decent, I'll eat it. With or without meat is just fine by me.

We decided to not worry about worship time on Thursday night because all the kids will be at a volleyball game until after 7 or so. Works very well with Seth and Kierstin being gone and me wanting to meet the cast of Alias. Looks like I'll actually get to! :)

I really need to cut back on the new shows I'm trying to watch. If I watched everything I wanted to tonight, I'd have Becker, American Dream, Angel, and Alias. Alias is a given, think I'll record Angel, watch Becker, and forget about Dreaming. Really wouldn't be a problem if I required less sleep.

Ah well, off to a Sister's in Crime meeting. The reader has a very interesting sounding book.

Never made it over here yesterday. AT 4:15, Phil told me we were ready to me to do the next to last step in closing the month. That's when I realized the file I needed was in the subdirectery that had gotten deleted Wednesday morning by persons unknown. So we worked to create a substitute file to get it all done. But we didn't finish until 5:15, so I didn't bother posting.

And after dinner, I went straight home so I could get ready for going to see Jonah, A Veggietales Movie. Really enjoyed it. Any movie that leaves me with a big grin on my face is well worth it. Just be sure you stay all the way through the closing credits if you go to see it. Not only is the Newsboys song at the beginning worth hearing, but the closing credits song I talked about a month ago is at the end of the credits.

Also found out yesterday that both jr. and sr. high youth Bible study is moving to Thursday, starting this week.

In other news, Marcus is now moving in on Monday, which frees me up to do what I want and need to do this weekend, like finish Jennie's book.

Quick TV talkings:
Survivor - Shii-Ann almost got herself voted out by not working on the immunity challenge. Glad to see that tribe finally go. But was shocked the Robb didn't get the boot. He's still the one I think should go (which means he'll stay around a long time like Kathy did last time. Of course, Kathy also started to grow on me right about now, too.) Next week, more from the drama queen at the other tribe. (Yes, my take on things is she's trying to get Ted out. I think she's taken something and gone too far. After all, he did apologize, but she's still decided to use it against him.)
CSI was cool. And I still like the original better.
Without a Trace - very cool new show. Definately on my must watch list.
Friends - Can anyone fill me in on how Chandler got out of moving? Since I have to use my VCR to change over to another show at 8:30, I keep missing the scene during the closing credits. (And it's annoying me like crazy.)
Do Over - I love this show. Very funny with appropriate (if not historically accurate) music. Hope it continues to do well.

Now, I'm off to edit. (And you'll notice, I didn't get political at all in this post.)

Do the Democrats think we're all that stupid???????!!!!! Or maybe I'm the only one who's upset about the ruling in New Jersy. I mean, come on! The deadline has passed. They've picked their horse. They were the ones concerned about making sure every vote got counted in Florida, yet they don't care about the military voters now. And the courts? Who gave them the right to make law? It's the same thing courts (in Florida as well as the Supreme Court) did in 2000. Some democracy we seem to be living in.

And the arguement about a right to a competitive election? Where was that again? I believe our first President was elected by a landslide. And in my area, our Representative has run unopposed or won by a landslide.

I think Virgina Postrel's comparrison to Calvinball is pretty accurate in this case. And as much as I like Calvin and Hobbes, I don't want my life run like Calvinball. (Link found via InstaPundit.

Ok, got that out of my system.

The weather is wonderful here today. Got to be mid 70's. I've had my window opened all afternoon enjoying the fresh air and wishing I were out in it. It's been so cold the last week, but it's supposed to be warming up again. Looking forward to that.

Watched the first episode of the new Amazing Race at lunch today. They didn't have a Road Block. Is that a sign of things to come this season? Either way, I'd forgotten how much I love the show. Looking forward to another season of it. And I was sorry to see the Soccer Moms go so soon. Wish they could have stuck around. Espeicially since they were the only three of the last three teams who acted like they were still in the race. The other two teams assumed they had lost and acted as such.

First, let me mention that Jennie commented on my post from Tuesday while I was posting yesterday. And she stated that she disagreed with what I had posted on the Back Porch but thought I had the right to post and believe it. Novel idea, huh?

Now, let's go with the Thursday Threesome, coming from Oz and The Back Porch.

Onesome. follow. Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower or somewhere in between? Tell us why...
I'm quite content to be a follower. I hate making decisions others have to live with. Heck, I had making decisions I have to live with. :)

Twosome. the yellow brick. what's the wildest colored structure you've ever seen? Give us a mind picture!
Probably this house near my grandparent's house. It's in a neighborhood of old Victorians, and is painted a deep dark purple. Very pretty color, but looks weird on a house.

Threesome. road. traffic problems? Tell us about the busiest road in your neck of the woods!
I'm actually very lucky to have good traffic in Santa Clarita most of the time. Probably the worst intersection in San Fernando Road and Soledad Canyon. It can take you 15-20 minutes to get through there at rush hour. Often, you sit through two or three lights minimum during 5-7 PM. But the rest of the time, it works like a regular light. Then there's Lions Ave., which has many lights and might take you a while to get from one end to the other. But you're almost always moving. I love that about this town.

Gabi, Diann, and Susan, thank for your support on my last post. Always nice after something like that. I'm still getting a bit of a laugh over the whole thing.

So, what have I been up to?

Finding out that due to my not knowing all the laws, I've cost Master's $2,000. In my own defense, I was on vacation when the problem started. Now I just need to tell Phil.

Went over to Seth and Kierstin's last night. Found out that starting next week, the high school Bible study is moving to Thursday. I don't know if jr. high is moving or not. And Dave's out of town until Friday night. Communication really is wonderful. We should try it sometime. The good news is that I might be able to go to the signing by the Alias cast next Tuesday night. I got directions today just in case. :)

And I got David Meece's new CD yesterday. It's taken a few listens to get into, but I'm really enjoying it now. Probably never topple some of his best, but still a good CD.

And I'm in a major funk again. What do I want to do with my life? Should I be buying something or not? Donald called last night and suggested a mobil home. With how frequently this has come up recently, I'm beginning to think God's trying to tell my something. I don't know.

You know, being a grown-up is really hard.

Maybe he thought he'd be getting away with it, but I refuse to let him.

Who, you ask? Dr. Heller, of course. I had quite a surprise when I logged into my blog this morning. I was scrolling down the comments on my main page and discovered I had a new comment on the oldest entry. Curious, I clicked and found this:

I am commenting about your small-minded view of the universe. You are obviously one of those conservative dimwits that thinks your personal religious views should be established law. I'm refering to your talk about book banning on THE BACK PORCH. It is because of lame closet-cases posing as born-again-Christians that creeps like Jesse Helmes get elected to office. Keep your religious fundamentalism out of our public schools. ---Dr Heller

If you're curious about my "small minded views,” check out the original entry that this is discussing. Here's what I find interesting. My entry on the Back Porch was from last Friday, the 27th. Yet he chose to comment on my unrelated entry on this site from the 20th. Why? Especially since it's dated yesterday, when I had a new, uncommented on entry. And he left no comments on the entry itself over on the Back Porch. Afraid I'd see it and respond? Afraid some of my readers might respond? Well, now I'm moving the issue to the top of the page so everyone gets to see it.

(BTW, he did give an e-mail address, Baron Heller. So I'm assuming he's a man. If I happen to be wrong, I will admit that. But, that's why I used the masculine pronoun in this entry.)

So, after that lengthy intro, here's my response. Last time I checked, this was a country that supported freedom of thought, speech, and religion. All I was doing was expressing my opinions, which I have the right to do. As far as public schools, they are a public institution. My tax money goes to fund them. I've attended them. That gives me the exact same right that you have to be involved in what happens inside the walls. As long as I'm in a free country, I intend to exercise my rights in all these matters. I'm sorry this offends you, but I refuse to be silenced. And I will continue to vote for whoever I think is the best candidate come Election Day. You have the same rights to argue back (not name call) and vote for whoever you think is the best candidate.

Thank you all for listening to this. I’m frankly curious to see what other opinions are out there.