"It might as well be spring...."

If you were checking out my site and looked at my weather guy today, yep that was correct. It was in the low 80's today. Had my window opened so I got to enjoy at least some of the nice weather. Of course, it's supposed to cool off 15 degrees tomorrow just in time for the weekend.

On the heels of a great worship time Sunday night came the not so great time last night. I think only two kids were singing. The rest were the staff. The good news is they were noticing it and talking about talking to the kids. I feel kinda funny doing it myself, but if they'll start taking it on, I'll be very happy. We really do seem to have a good team spirit to the group right now.

Guess I won't be seeing Harry Potter 2 in the theater. I was planning to go one night this week, but it was only playing matinees. So I decided to rearrange my schedule and go tomorrow, but now it's not playing at all. Guess I'll have to rent it. As if I rent movies on a regular basis.

Tomorrow, I'm heading down to City Walk again. Skits is organizing a meet up for blogger in Southern CA. And since she "owns" snark!fest and several rings I'm in, thought I'd go. Actually, sounds like fun and I tried to go to a couple earlier but it didn't work out. Just thought someone should know in case I disappear to never reappear. After all, you never know about those psychos you meet on the internet. :)

Tonight is one of my rare free Friday nights. So, how do I plan to spend it? Doing laundry (if I can get into the laundry room to do it.) and watching TV. And the sad thing? Watching TV just doesn't interest me. I'd much rather pop in a DVD or read more in my book. I already have the next two lined up and would like to get through them as quickly as possible.

This week's Thursday Threesome is brought to us by the past and, as always, The Back Porch.

Echoes: What sound do you hear from time to time that immediately draws up an echo from the past?
For me, it's music. I stick in Susan Ashton's second CD, and I'm back in the summer of '94 working for Windsor Water Works. I listened to that CD so much going back and forth for work. There's a song on Evie's first album (anyone even know who that is?) that my parents and I always associate with Hendy Woods Start Park where we spent a lot of time camping. (And I miss redwoods!) And of course the Christmas music I grew up with brings back memories as well.

Visions: ...and what about something you might see now and again that evokes a scene from days gone by?
Frankly, nothing really comes to mind. I guess that just means I tend not to see what I'm seeing, if that makes sense to anyone.

Memories: "Misty water color memories"? Is there a painting or a picture you like to look back on just to remember a certain time or place?
Well, looking through our convention books certainly brings back memories. And every time I see the picture I got for Mom in Jerusalem, I think of what I went through to get it. Like wandering the Old City by myself at dusk. And waiting for an hour in the wrong place for a bus back to the moshav (sp?) where we were staying. But, I made it back all in one piece and felt safe. Of course, that was 3 years ago.

Didn't get nearly as much read as I'd planned. I finally got home and sat down to read at 9. I'd gotten a page read when Marcus came running through the door. It was time for Smallville. I tried valliently to read for about 7 minutes, then gave up. Stuck in my Goofy DVD set instead and finished up disc 1. Now I just have one more to go.

I did read at lunch time. Just couldn't get out of bed this morning. I was late to work as it was and didn't take time to make a lunch, so I went to home for lunch and took care of the things I should have taken care of yesterday. Like calling the county. They promise that I'll get paid within the next week. I'll believe it when I get the check.

And I read. For a "funny" mystery, this one's a disappointment. I haven't laughted yet. And it's definitely not something I'd normally read. Language mainly. As of now, I think I'll be voting for This Pen for Hire.

Tonight, we get to blow Matt and Jeremiah's minds with the end of season 1 of Babylon 5. Sound be loads of fun. I might even watch their faces instead of the TV set. :)

My gamble paid off. I didn't start any new books last night, and today my next book arrived from Amazon. And they said it wouldn't get here for another week at the earliest. :) So tonight I get to go home and start Buck Fever. It's one of the books up for a Lefty at Left Coast Crime this year. And since I'm going, I thought I'd give it a try before I vote. And since voting is due in a coupld weeks....

Sorta had lunch with Pete today. We got our food, went back to his office to eat (I have no idea why he's decided he doesn't want to eat in the caf any more), and then he got a call from his mom. By the time they were done, it was time for me to get back to work. And, by not going home, I completely messed myself up for tonight. Now I don't have the receipt to pick up Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD. But I don't think I need it. I also didn't call to get an appointment with the allergist for next week or call the LA county payroll office about the fact that I STILL haven't gotten my check from jury duty last July. It's only been 7 months. Granted, it's not a lot, but it's still something and I'd like to get it. Then they wonder why everyone hates jury duty.

Got a wonderful night's sleep last night. Don't know when Marcus came home, I was too far gone.

Tried doing some push-ups last night because I missed the fitness center. After about 40, my stomach got really sore. I had intended to do more, but I couldn't get my body to cooperate. Really pathetic, isn't it?

So, tonight, I'm going to pick up that CD and stop by the Disney store to look at DVD's (like I need more or to spend more money), do a little grocery shopping, pay some bills (including my check for Trixie convention), then curl up with my book. Kinda glad that everything's a rerun tonight.

Can I live the last 24 hours over again? Please?

Of course, I'd like to know what I know now. Like what to expect on Alias. And isn't it pathetic that I let a little TV show like that upset me? I'm beginning to regain my legs and think maybe that it will work after all. I'll have to see what the next few weeks bring. But if you want my full thoughts, head over to snarkfest.

Then, of course, there's the Super Bowl. When I got to Tim's, the score was 3-3. Found out everyone else is rooting for the Buc's and I'm the lone person hoping the Raiders win. Of course, I don't follow sports. Mainly I'm rooting for the R's because they're from CA and some of the people in church are die hard fans. So I figured what the heck. Now I know better. Fortunately, they'd finally scored a couple touchdowns before I had to leave for the SNYF or I would have really been hearing about it. As it was, I thought one of the guys was going to keep riding me forever even though he knew my true feelings about sports. And, since my parents called late, I missed the commercials for Matrix 2 and The Hulk. Meanwhile, they had the game on and I got to try to talk with Mike talking in the background to Zoë about how the game worked.

Of course, talking to them was a bright spot. Grandma's mind seems to be clearing up again. And she spent the weekend with my uncle and aunt!

And the SNYF went really well last night. We sang, for the first time in a long time at a SNYF, and they actually seemed to be singing for a change. I opened it up for requests, and they blew me away with some of the songs they were requesting. Ones I thought I was the only one who liked. :)

I probably would have felt better about Alias if I'd gotten a good night's sleep. But Marcus decided to start watching my tapes last night. He started tape 1 at 10 PM and watched all 7 episodes. Which meant that I was awake off and on all night since there's no door between floors. Which means I was very tired today.

So tired, in fact, that I skipped the weight room today. Even after I made myself late to work making my lunch. But going home and reading and finishing The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe certainly made me feel much better.

Which puts a dilemma on my hands. I placed an order at Amazon last week that shipped over the weekend. Part of the order may come tomorrow and may not. Either way, it's the part that has the book I really want to read next in it. What's a guy to do? Do I start a new book tonight or not? Especially since I was planning to read tomorrow at lunch time? Decisions, decisions decisions.

I got to the Just for Fun pretty late Friday night, but was still able to jump into a game of Aggravation. Not that we finished it. Seems the kids just don't have a very long attention span at those things. Then the entire group of us (about 15) played a dice game called 10,000. Don't know if the Duron's made it up or not, but it sure was lots of fun.

Then Saturday morning, we had a jr. high bike ride. We started on the bike trail that runs through town heading north. Once that ended, we struck out for a geo-cache site. Basically, there are lots of places set up that you can find using a global tracking devise. There's a web site devoted to helping people find the co-ordinates for them. We took a picture to post there, and once I know it's up and can find it, I'll link it so you'll know who some of these people I'm always talking about are. We had lunch at In and Out (I think I'm the only person in Southern CA who is smart enough not to like their burgers.) and headed back to church. All told, we rode a total of 5 miles. And I have now covered every inch of the bike trails through town, too. It's quite extensive, going from near my apartment to the other side of town. Really nice.

Last night was Heather's semi-surprise birthday party. She knew there was going to be a party, just didn't know who all would be there and where it would be. Fun and pizza were had by all. Then Donald, Heather, and I went out to go bowling. There were supposed to be more of us, but everyone else decided not to. I really made up for last weekend, beating Donald both games we played. Of course, it really helped that I got a turkey at the end of the last game!!!!! My first. See, bowling more often really does help me. Unfortunately, our pre-paid hour shut off before my final ball counted (must have been while I rolled it down the alley), so my final score on that game didn't come up. Donald and I calculated it to be 154 however, which is near a record for me. Unless I'm not remembering the correct way to score two strikes in the final frame. I was very happy about that.

And now to my standard unimportant topics about me.

Will I be hurt if I complain about warm weather? See, it's supposed to be in the high 60's or low 70's all weekend again with no end in sight. So why does this bother me? Because, we NEED rain in Southern CA. Remember all the fires I talked about this summer? One reason was because everything was so dry from lack of rain. And we're getting no rain again this year. We were promised that El Nino would hit us again this year. Last time that happened (about 5 years ago), the street flooded in front of the college and they had to send us home twice. You know, water such that you can't actually stop your car at the stop sign because of the flow of water behind you. Now that's what I call wet!

Donald is spending the weekend with me. He's down for Heather's birthday. Don't know if I'll really see him, however. They're going out tonight, but then again, so am I (Just for fun.) Then they'll be gone tomorrow and I'll be on yet another youth activity. Then he leaves Sunday to return to work on Monday. And he didn't even come over until 10:30 last night. I really had intended to be in bed by then. But he and I wound up talking for a while, and it was almost midnight before I turned out the light.

Speaking of youth, Jon told me last night he appreciate what I was doing music wise. That makes me feel better. I was nervous since I was getting no feedback at all.

And if you're watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, stay tuned for an episode of Alias afterwards. Especially if I miss it due to our SNYF. Alias is supposed to be on at 7:30 out here, and we'll just be getting warmed up. I'll set my VCR, but you never know. If the game goes long or something, I may be out of luck.

I've actually continued working out in the fitness center this week. Of course, I also stopped running, but that's another story. (Lazy.) Tuesday and Wednesday my arms were very sore from Monday's workout. So Wednesday, I scaled things back a little. Guess what! I was hardly sore by that night and felt nothing all day yesterday. So today I hit the machines hard again. We'll see how I'm doing tomorrow.

I know there was something else I wanted to post, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. So maybe I'll post this and head off on for my weekend. Might be back before Monday, might not. You never can tell with Marks.

As promised, I'm back to link another couple articles from Breakpoint I thought might be of interest to those wanting to understand SusanSuth and my opinions They are written in a "preaching to the choir" style, but they are still good reads. And they are here and here. Combined with the two from yesterday, they give a very sobering viewpoint.

Frankly, it's so nice to see calm, reasoned posts on this or any controversial subject right now. On a different message board, a couple of conservative jerks have taken over recently and are posting all kinds of comments that do nothing but get everyone else riled up. Frankly, they're driving me crazy with what they say as well. Of course, some of the people telling them to be quiet and their behavior is innappropriate are the same people that have treated me in a similar but less harsh manner in the past, which really drives me crazy. Anyway, calm thoughts that actually say something instead of name calling are always appreciated.

Good morning, and welcome to today's Thursday Threesome. This week, it's brought to us by your local artist's co-op and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Still- Can't hold still? What type of music gets you going? I mean to where your just have to crank it up and start moving to the beat!
Well, this last weekend, it was VeggieTales with Donald and Heather. I'm really not sure how to answer this one. Up beat songs get me going, but usually only when I'm in the mood. I will say I have a hard time standing still when it comes to Chris DeBurg's "Lady in Red," the best nightclub two-step song ever written.

Twosome: Life- Life in the fast lane? What would it take to slow you down a bit and let you relax this weekend? Hmmm? ...or are you going to turn That Game on? (...and who's going to win?)
Relax this weekend? Maybe if I didn't have any plans. I will be watching part of the game at Barber Tim's apartment, but I've got a SNYF that night, which will definitely interfer with Alias. Which may be a good thing. Anyway, I'll only get to watch part of it. And I'm not even 100% sure who's in it. I believe I heard the Raiders made it, and since they're a semi-local team (both here and Santa Rosa), guess I'll root them on.

Threesome: In watercolor- Hey! How about wall art? What do you like to have hanging around the place for decoration? Kid pics? Knick-knacks? ...the Monet or two?
You're supposed to put stuff on the wall? All I have, in my apartment and my office, are calendars.

I didn't post yesterday, because there wasn't really much to say. I'm posting today, but there still isn't really much to say. Which might lead to a rant to two so I can fill the pages. You've been warned.

I have decided on a career I would never want. I will not go into sales. Why? Because I could never be as aggressive as they are since I hate it when they're that aggressive to me. Last night, I was walking through the grocery store, with my arms full of stuff. They didn't have any baskets and I didn't want to push a cart around for the few things I was going to be buying. Anyway, I'm walking along in front of the check out stands, and there's someone set up at a table trying to sell something. I acknowledged him, and he starts asking me to stop. I said no and kept walking, but I'm thinking to myself, "Do I look like I really want to stop and hold a half dozen items while I listen to your spiel?

Of course, there was the one person who stopped me in my tracks. I was in the local K-Mart, and someone asked me to stop like that. I said no, and she said, "Wait a minute, Mark." That stopped me in my tracks. Wasn't wearing a name tag, either. Turns out she'd been in my class through 3rd grade. Hadn't seen her since then either. Just saw her that once, but it was quite funny.

And of course, I'm still getting telemarketer calls like you wouldn't believe. None as outrageous as the one I posted a few months back. And let's not even get into the spam I get in my e-mail. I'm even getting a little here at work these days.

In the political realm for a minute, I found this link interesting. And I completely agree with it, too.

Today is the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It's sad that women think they have more control over their bodies today, when in reality they have less. After all, if we didn't have abortion, women might actually say no to their boyfriends for a reason. The abortions for rape, incest, etc. are far less then the majority done. And it is murder, no matter what anyone else says.

And it's my blog and I will post what I feel like here. You are always free to disagree politely or not read what I said.

Finally, two very scary articles I meant to post last week. Go here and here and be worried.

Guess I didn't do too badly today after all. :)

We are trying to block Bible Study Friday night out of our minds. We won't discuss the convicting message about where our priorities are and what that really says about us. NOT LISTENING!!!!!!!

Saturday afternoon we got through 3 episodes of Babylon 5, getting us ready for the first season two parter. And since Enterprise is a rerun on Wednesday night, we should get through both parts no problem. I picked up a bag of chips and some cookies, and those disappeared before we got through the first episode. I have some root beer left, but it might have helped if I offered refills more then between episodes. But I kinda figured that if they wanted more, they could mention it some of the myriad of times we stopped. I swear, it takes us 1 hr. 10 minutes to watch an hour episode. And there are no commercials on the DVD. :)

Anyway, got done with that in time to meet Heather and Donald for bowling. Turned out to be just the three of us. I’m not going to discuss out scores, but Donald might if he shows up once he gets back home tomorrow. But let's just say that I still choke under pressure. :) Then we went out to dinner, finally settling on The Olive Garden. I'd forgotten just how good their food was. YUM! I'm ready to go back. Then we headed over and I got a nickel tour of Pete's new condo. Identical to the one I looked at in June, just a different location in the same complex. Naturally, this kept me from playing ultimate frisbee Saturday night, but it was definitely worth it.

I must say, the best part of the evening was riding in Donald's car listening to VeggieTales. All three of us were singing, clapping, etc. at the top of our voices. Basically being crazy. Anyone passing us must have thought we were nuts, but we were having a blast and that’s all that matters.

Then, they came over Sunday afternoon. Turns out we'd all planned to watch Ice Age and decided to do it together. First time I'd seen it. Great visuals, some funny stuff, but I don't think I'll be watching it again.

Then I called home. Before we got off, Mom got on the phone alone to fill me in on what's going on. Grandma isn't doing well at all. Her short term memory is gone. They're beginning to wonder if she's had a series of small strokes. She was spending the weekend with my family and was once again getting up and dressed for the day in the middle of the night. She's just so afraid of over sleeping that she'll get up. Meanwhile, Dad's brother is refusing to do anything to help. And for the nurse to come like Grandma needs, that means that she can't leave the house, so who ever she's staying with is house bound. They're beginning to look into a skilled nursing center, which sounds like a sad but good idea to me.

I finally hit the fitness center here on campus at lunch time today. And tried to do the same workout at the same level I was doing when I was working out consistently a year and a half ago. My arms are already letting me know they didn't appreciate it. And I have to do laundry tonight or I won't have any shirts to wear into work tomorrow. Could get interesting carrying my laundry basket down to the laundry room.

Yep, I'm that predictable. Or maybe it's dependable. Let's go with that. It sounds so much better. Showed up last night with songs ready to go. And Jon acted as if worship were definitely on the agenda. So guess I'll keep plugging away at that until basketball season is over and then I'll be in charge of getting kids involved.

Turnout was very low last night because of games. We had such a small crowd, I couldn't hear anyone singing but me. Could see lips moving, but no one singing. It really bugs me. Yes, part of that is because it's what I'm in charge of. But part of it is simply because I love singing so much, it bothers me to see kids who are too afraid of what others think to sing.

Also found out last night that Angie, one of the female staff, is going to IBEX next semester. (That's Master's Israel campus.) Now I have someone specifically to worry about. In spite of what the profs over there say, I don't think it's safer right now then LA. Definitely not safer then Santa Clarita.

Didn't mention earlier this week, but we found out why Marcus hadn't been getting any mail. Turns out it's all been being fowarded to some previous Johnsons who lived in the complex. Who moved to Vermont! Explain that to me if you can.... Especially since they moved out at least a month before Marcus moved in. And I got all kinds of mail for Smiths long after Donald moved out even if it was addressed to a different Smith with a different apartment number clearly written on it. Our mailman has serious problems. :)

Speaking of which, we got a piece of junk mail the other day address to Marcus Baker. Um....

Tomorrow, I'm having my regular Wednesday night crew over for a Babylon 5 marathon. Should be lots of fun. Then there are plans in the works to go bowling with Donald, Heather, and who knows who else. And, depending, possibly ultimate frisbee as well tomorrow night. It is a full moon after all.

Time for this week's Thursday Threesome, brought to us this week by champaign and The Back Porch. (And sorry I'm so late, Susansuth. I had work I had to get done the moment I walked into the office today.)

Onesome: Health- Do any of your hopes for the New Year concern health issues?
For me, not so much, but for Grandma, yes. Hoping the swelling goes down in her leg so she can have the knee replacement surgury she needs. Things seem to be going well otherwise.

Twosome: Wealth- What if you didn't have the ten million we were talking about last week on the Porch. What if you had an extra $100 dollars? Where would it go? Uh-uh! No necessities! You can only spend it frivolously!
That's easy. I've already spent more then that this month on books and DVD's. But there are so many more I could buy if I wanted to....

Threesome: And Happiness- What would make you happy today? ...and not world peace, just something easy for you.
I think right now it would be my office magically filed and in a neat order. With all my back work finished. Of course, last Thursday all it took was Quizno's having their Chicken Carbonara sandwich back. It's my favorite of their specialty or regular sandwiches.

Yesterday was quite interesting. Came into work to find that the power was out. Something they'd been working on had much of Newhall without power. This side of Placerita was without power, but the part of campus on the other side had plenty. We hung around most of the morning, but they let us go at 11.

Naturally, I took advantage of my unexpected freedom and tried to spend lots more money. Unfortunately, the items I was shopping for weren't on store shelves yet. Which is probably a good thing considering I went wild at Wal-Mart Monday night buying DVD's I don't really need but want to get. I did rent the new version of Importance of Being Earnest. Once again, disappointed. Guess it's not possible to film a good version of that play.

Meanwhile, things are weird over at Amazon. We can only access our 10 most recent reviews. At least now we can get in fairly consistently to those 10. Been this was since Friday. Hope they get it fixed soon because I have a lot of new reviews to post. I spent part of my time hand writing reviews yesterday. I was on a roll, got three done. But since the one I submitted last Thursday showed up and then disappeared completely this week, I think I'll wait.

In other news, I finished my novel last night finally. Right after Donald and Heather left. Donald kept calling to change the time, and it turned out to be much later then originally thought.

Meanwhile, it's dinner time, and the cafe is finally openned again. Students came back in the midst of the blackout yesterday. And of course, the dorms are on this side of the street. Bible Conference starts tonight, but I'm going to be bad and go home. I can't attend any of the other sessions, and I'll out nights the rest of the week. So I'm going to head home, read, and watch Angel and Celebrity Mole.

I have never been so happy to be wrong in my life!

It all started yesterday when I was talking to my family. They announced that Jon's wedding was going to be July 12th. I was thinking this was right in the middle of Trixie Convention. Naturally, I was bummed. Even after I say this, Mom is hardly phased, saying "At least it's not in the middle of any of our planned trips." Mind you, they have 6 weeks of trips planned this summer. The fact that this interrupts my one weekend planned doesn't bother them.

I actually don't know if I've mentioned these particular friends on my blog before. There oldest daughter and I were in Kindergarten together, and our families and have friends ever since, so this is something I really want to (and should) go to.

I was depressed last night over this, too. I finally convenienced all of you to have a convention on my side of the continent, then I can't come. Not to mention that there are so few of us who have been to all of them. I don't want to become ordinary like everyone else. :)

But, I decided to double check when I got in this morning. And that's when I realized I'm a week off and can do both! Of course, I'll miss Becky and Daniel's wedding, but it's not the same as Jon's. I haven't known them nearly as long, and I'm not nearly as close. If I had nothing going on, I'd go, but I don't so I won't. If I'm even invited. I could see them not inviting me to cut expenses. Which would be just fine.

Grandma was over when I called last night. Mentioned to me again, "When are you going to get married?" I replied, "After I find the right woman." Dad jumped in at that point, fortunately. One thing I'm very thankful for is that my parents don't give me a hard time about getting married. They leave that completely up to me.

And, frankly, I'm not sure if I'm ready to get married or not. Some days I'm so ready it hurts. Then there are the days that I'm glad to be single because I can do all the things I'm involved in. I'm sure that finding the right woman would make me willing to settle down.

BTW, don't know if I mentioned, but the woman I was blogging about in April is now engaged. Probably for the best. But why am I only interested in women who any idiot can see wouldn't work out? And I do indeed know, so I guess I'm only partially an idiot. :)

In other news, I didn't try to bother Jon. Don't know what I'll be doing for Thursday night yet. I'm thinking about just showing up in protest to what he said last week. Ah, who am I kidding? I'll be prepared as always and we'll see what happens. But I think I may try to be a little more low key about it. We'll just have to see what happens. But that's three days away. No need to worry about it right this second.

Guess I made up for that two posts in one day thing by not posting last night. I just couldn't get my brain to function when it came time to post.

So, Thursday night I show up to youth group. Jon starts giving me the schedule for the night, and he throws out "And a song of two if we have the time. But since it's just you...." I was floored. I NEVER thought that since it was just me right now we'd skip singing. I quickly told him I was prepared, and he did work me in. But now I don't know what to do or expect.

Things went well, expect for this one song where no one knew that I was trying to end it when I did. Need to figure out how to make that work better. Got no feedback from Jon afterwards, so I guess I need to corner him again tomorrow morning.

Last night was career Bible study at Placerita. Except it was just praying through the last year. All well and good, but wasn't really what I needed last night. It was such a struggle to go when I had DVD's calling. Frankly, Friday is beginning to be a struggle again. When it rolls around, all I really want to do is sit home and relax. Yet, I know if I'm not out there, I'll get lonely and depressed again. Don't think I can handle that right now. So I'm stuck with busy and stressed. Is there no middle ground?

Today started off early. Met at the church at 8 AM for a jr. high day trip to the snow. Yep, beach one weekend, snow the next. Plenty warm. Wasn't much snow to be found and it was rather icy, but we found enough for a couple hours of fun. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I know I sure did. And my head didn't get too cold cause it was nice and sunny. Looks like I didn't burn either, thanks to sun screen.

Right now? I think I'm going to head home and enjoy a nice, relaxing evening getting stressed over the first few hours of 24. With maybe a little I Love Lucy thrown in for good measure.

Two posts in one day. Feel spoiled. :)

I didn't leave until almost 6 last night, playing around on the internet. When I got home, there was a message from Heather. Called her back, and we decided to go to see the new Star Trek. Had just enough time to scarf down some dinner and watch the alternate ending to 24. Now, I'm usually one for happy endings. That's one reason I love Trixie so much. But in this case, a happy ending just doesn't work. The way they ended last season is just so powerful.

Anyway, the movie was great. I couldn't help but feel drained, in a good way, when it was over. Then I got to jump start her car because the battery had died. Got home just in time for Celebrity Mole. Maybe it was just me, but I was feeling like it was very slow. Needed to be sped up lots. And they need to bring Anderson back. He's a much, much better host. No theories yet, but I can tell you who it's not! :)

So today was allergy shot day. My arms are sore and tired. Yet I need to go home and finalize our songs for Bible study tonight. Yep, when it's just me, it gets put off until the very last minute. This surprises you?

Better get today's Thursday Threesome posted so Susansuth can steel it. :) Brought to you this week by Hallmark and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Commercial- Are there any TV commercials that really grab you? I mean, to the point you want to show them to other people?
Well, as Diann has been discussing, I like the new Sprint commercial with the dachshunds. Heck, I love most of the Sprint commercials. Really very funny. However, my favorite is the Visa Check Card commercial with the Sheens. Has me laughing every time.

Twosome: Holiday- Valentine's Day is coming up, do you celebrate the holiday or do you prefer to just let it pass you by?
Valentine's Day? Doesn't that come in February sometime?

Threesome: Madness- Even if you don't celebrate it, do you sucumb to the madness and buy up boxes of chocolates, just for you?
Not really. I'm not that big a chocolate eater, so I let others buy up the candy before and after any holiday.

And that's exactly why I don't like using a public laundry room. Got home by 5:45 last night, grabbed my clothes and headed down. Sure enough, the place was packed. But I had room to do laundry, if I moved a couple loads that were just sitting in the washers out of my way. Naturally, I did that. And I was back immediately to get my clothes drying. That's when I discovered that the coin tray on one of the four dryers was jammed. So, there were only three dryers available. None were in use, so I got my two loads started and went back in an hour to get my clothes. That's when I discovered that someone had removed one load part way through drying, so I had a dry load and a mostly wet load and I had to spend more money to get that load dry.

The good part of all this? I did get my laundry done before Buffy started. And I do have a laundry room in my complex. I'd go crazy if I had to drive somewhere.

The wind seems to have left for good. And I slept great last night. I even slept through my alarm clock the first time it went off. It was so hard to get out of a warm bed this morning.

Supposed to be going to the movies with Donald's girlfriend Heather tonight. Donald's idea. (Good thing, too, since he occasionally reads this.) But I haven't heard from her yet.... May get a quiet night at home with Enterprise, Celebrity Mole, and my new season 1 boxed set of 24.

So, here we are with the promised musing on youth group music and phone bills.

Sunday, after the morning service, I snagged Jon and asked what the plan of attack was for Thursday nights. (BTW, did I mention we're sticking with Thursday after considering switching to Wednesday?) It's just as I figured. I'm going to be in charge of Thursday night worship time. The good news, he wants to get away from the the scripture and stuff that Seth was doing. Wants it to be more "youth" friendly then Sunday adult friendly. The bad news, I'll be very surprised if we get any adults involved at all. And he wants us to start with getting the kids involved. Basically, he was just waiting until Seth and Keirsten left. This has bad news written all over it for me. I'm now going to have to deal with high schoolers who think of me as jr. high staff only. This could get ugly.

Then Sunday night, when Marcus comes home, he wants to discuss the fact that I have him paying for part of the phone each month. Since he's already paying for a cell phone here and in Riverside (don't ask.), he doesn't want to pay for a third number. That makes sense, except that he gets more calls at home then I do. I'll just wait and have to prove to him that he needs to pay. Of course, if I'm wrong, it's not like it's that much. But, even when he's telling people not to call our number to reach him, they are.

And, a bonus rant from last night. Headed down to the laundry room, and there was a sign asking us not to do laundry. Of course, it was gone later. So, now I need to get home and get it done before Buffy and 24. And I have to pick up a couple things (including dinner) on the way home. My life is just so rough. :)

Man, I didn't post anything new all weekend?! Do we have lots of catching up to do.

Friday, when I got home, there was a message on the machine from Josh. He and Bonnie were heading to The Lion King on the giant screen. Naturally, I jumped at a chance to see it with them. We met Marcus for dinner, then the three of us headed to the movie. (Marcus didn't come.) As the preview for Aladdin next year comes up, Josh gets excited. That's his favorite, and he figures since last year we saw my favorite (Beauty and the Beast) and this year we were watching Bonnie's favorite, next year we got to see his favorite. Sounds good to me!

The movie itself was still good. And it didn't have nearly as much of that lazy background stuff that I spotted so easily on the giant screne B&tB last year. We talked for an hour afterwards, then headed out to Denny's and talk some more. It was lots of fun.

Saturday, met up with Mike and his roommate Mike at Manhattan Beach. The weather was perfect! High 70's, slight breeze. Tossed a frisbee around for a while, relaxed on the sand, took a sunset dip (and I mean that dip part literally. Just in and out.) Couldn't ask for a better day.

Yesterday, I tried to go play ultimate frisbee in the afternoon, but no one was there. :( O well. Wound up taking a nap while trying to finish up one of the new Disney Treasures DVD sets. Then went out to dinner at Wendy's with Seth after the evening service. Didn't get home until 9:45, so when Jeff called to discuss Alias at 10 (like I'd ordered him to.), I hadn't seen it yet. Of course, I remedied that before I went to bed. Great episode.

But the wind has picked up in the last 24 hours. Kept most of the office awake most of the night with the howling. Sounded like a tornado or something out there. Mostly died down today, although it did pick up again around lunch time. Have I mentioned I HATE wind yet this year? :)

I'd better get so I can get my laundry going (way over do) and be ready to call my family at a time that works well for them. Tomorrow we'll features stories on youth group music and phone bills. (How else do you expect me to remember what I haven't discussed yet?)

I'm sorry I missed chat last night. Sounds like it was lots of fun. And now I'm being blaimed for stuff that I had nothing to do with. I'd like to point out once again that I am innocent of all charges until proven guilty. And you'll never prove it. NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway....

Looks like I'm hitting the beach tomorrow. When I checked the weather forecast, they were predicting 70 here and 75 in Santa Monica this weekend. That's just too good to pass up. So, I tried Seth K. Still go nothing but his voice mail. I'm getting a little worried. Anyway, this afternoon at lunch time, I called my friend Mike. He was in Colorado, but he's flying back into town in the morning, so we're meeting up in the afternoon. Skiing one day, beaching the next. What a life, eh?

Works being going well for me this week. All the bank recs I have done, and other misc. stuff. Next week I really hit the books hard.

Speaking of books (and I'm always willing to speak of those), I'm having lots of fun with my current. It's called Show Control and is the prequel to Coffin's Got the Dead Guy on the Inside, which I read in September. While it's not as funny, the characters are all over Southern CA, which I love. They live in Passadena, and I recognize many of the street names. Plus, they spent some time at Castaic, which is the town just north of here where the triathlon has been the last two years. Also, it openned on New Year's Day, the day I started the book. Didn't even know that until I started it. Enjoying emensly.

Got two loads of laundry to do tonight in addition to the one I did over lunch. And I plan to spend more time watching DVD's tonight and reading. Thilling life I lead, ain't it? They'd better hurry up with more seasons of Mary Tyler Moore. With every episode, I'm realizing how much I love the show. Didn't know I was missing it this much.

Of course, my big news is till that I made the top 500 reviewers at Amazon. Hope I stay up there. But if you came this afternoon, you already knew all about that.

Everyone, look quick!!!!! I've already made one of my resolutions. :) And, look quick before I slip back a little out of the top 500.

As promised, here I am with this week's Thursday Threesome, brought to us by the US Post Office and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Postage Hey, did all your packages and cards get delivered? ...or are you (or perhaps someone on the receiving end) still expecting something 'any day now'?
If they're still expecting something from me, they're going to be greatly disappointed.... :) Didn't send cards out, don't plan to, haven't in 4 years. All presents got delivered in person.

Twosome: Due: Are you due for a break after all the excitement of the holidays? ...or are you just moving on with life? Maybe the upcoming weekend is a good thing to see on the horizon?
Just moving on. Funny, I wouldn't have said I'd had a break, but I'm feeling more rested then I've felt in a long time.

Threesome: Two cents... What's your two cents on things wintery? Has it been one you can handle so far or a bit too much for your taste?We've been having a mild winter again this year, even for us. Although the last two days have been very cold, especially in my apartment. The upstairs really messes with the heater. We desperately need more rain soon! If we have the winter we did last year, we're going to have no water all summer and even more fires then we did. Plus, I've missed my rain in winter.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Saw yet another movie yesterday. Kept my NYEve tradition alive and watched The Two Towers. Now, no body hate me or anything, but what's the big deal with this story? I mean, I was so ready for the movie to be over, had several things figured out LONG before they happened, etc. Yes, I'll be watching next year to see how it ends. And maybe that's my problem. I'm just ready to see how it ends and be done with it. Maybe my attention span isn't what it's supposed to be after all.

However, my New Year's plans seem to have fallen through. I was supposed to head out to Ventura with Seth K (other wise known as OtherSeth) early this afternoon. He was going to call me when he was free. I've left two messages for him on his cell phone and am still waiting. On the bright side, I finished the new Thoene novel (one of my Christmas presents) and read a little fan fic. Still, I'm majorly bummed out. Had been looking forward to this for a couple weeks.

And, I've been posting them elsewhere, so I thought maybe I'd copy them here so you can all mock me, too. See, I'm actually making New Year's Resolutions this year. As if they'll last beyond the month. But here they are anyway. :)

1) Eat healthier and loose some weight. Also included in this is working out in the fitness center on my lunch hour and running a couple mornings before work.

2) Actually spend the majority of my work hours working. :)

3) Make the top 500 reviewers at Amazon. Now I know I have a pretty good shot at that. I'm currently at 511.

In spite of what I just said, be back tomorrow morning with the Thursday Threesome. (Hopeless. Completely hopeless.)