Life Goes On

Happy New Year's Eve!!!!

You know, I get the weirdest looks and reactions from people when I try to treat tonight like December 31st. Just because not everyone worries about a fiscal year or even has one that ends tonight doesn't mean that I can't celebrate, right?

Right?

Frankly, this week has been quiet. One roommate is off housesitting yet again. Another's started working nights. Not much of excitement at all.

I did get the complete first season of Wonder Woman Monday night. Guess what I've done the last couple nights. Yep. Season 1 is better then I remember, although I like the "modern" episodes so much better.

Let's see, bought my brother's wedding present yesterday at lunch. Not that I'm going to try to get it together before I see them this weekend. Not enough time!

You know what I haven't done if forever? Stolen quizzes from Aleta. :)

Insanity Test
Username
Age
Your problem is	Multiple Personalities
Will you ever be cured?	(8) - My reply is no. - (8)
Just how crazy are you? - 46%
This QuickKwiz by insanitydefense - Taken 102424 Times.

New! Get Free Horoscopes from Kwiz.Biz

Am I cool or uncool? [CLICK] You are a Square! You are a total dork. The pocket protecter and thick-lensed glasses give it away. Try watching some popular TV.. Get yourself some fashion sense already! On the plus side, no wait hang on, there is no plus side! Nerdsville, population YOU! Cool quizzes at Go-Quiz.com

Like that's a surprise. I could have told anyone who asked that. (Although I do watch popular TV shows.

Then there's the 20 Questions to a Better Personality test. Some of this is me to a T, some of it seems way out there, however. For what it's worth:

You are a WEDF--Wacky Emotional Destructive Follower. This makes you a menace to society, depending on how you channel your energies. You chew your fingers and have an addictive personality. Properly guided, you can be enormously productive--otherwise you run amok, stir up trouble, and generally have a hell of a good time.

To your friends, you are a source of relentless entertainment. You often get into trouble, but you almost always find a way out. You are strangely popular and feed off others' energy. You live hard, seize the day, and although your more sober friends would like to see you settled down, you generally have fewer regrets and better memories than they do. Your tenet is that, at the end of the day, one regrets only what one didn't try. You are right.

You could benefit from outside help in balancing your highs and lows. Or perhaps cutting back on the caffeine.

Two TV Meme Tuesday

Today's topic seems to be TV no matter which quiz I look at.

I'll start with Mary, who graciously gave us another Tuesday Two this week. (And I'm still doing in on Tuesday according to my time zone.)

1. What fictional television moment evoked the biggest response in you?
I'm going to have to go with the first season finale of 24. Part of me couldn't believe what they'd done, but part of me knew it was the only way to go. It was powerful and great TV.

2. What non-fictional television moment, other than 911 (because I know this would probably be everybody’s answer!), evoked the biggest response in you?
I guess I'll go with Challenger. I really can't think of anything beyond 911 that has hit me that much that I have a good memory of.

And now, this week's TV Tuesday:

1. Commercials: Annoying disruption or Interesting Advertisement?
Annoying distruption, thanks for asking.

2. Is there a commercial that instantly has you reaching for the remote to mute it?
The Carl's Jr. commercials that had Heffner in them certainly weren't a favorite. Others are slipping my mind at the moment.

3. Jingles are one of the most useful tools in commercials, what's your favorite (or least favorite if you prefer)?
It's not a jingle per say, but I'm always saying "You can do it. We can help." Not that I ever need to quit smoking.

~Bonus~ Has a commercial actually ever influenced something you've done or bought?
I've tried stuff at various fast food restaurants that sounded good from the commercials. But that's about it.

And now it's off to bed. As soon as I finish this episode of Diagnosis Murder.

What a Weekend

This last weekend is, hopefully, a weekend to remember. I certainly never want to go through it again, so I'm trying to learn from it this time around. :)

Friday night I headed out to the church campout. No traffic, set up my tent, and got ready to have fun. Stayed up too late reading Friday night (and rereading at that.) Woke up because I was cold Saturday morning.

Saturday, I tried going to the beach, but it was windy. So windy that it was whipping the sand around and it was actually stinging my leg when it hit. Not my idea of fun. We were there for a couple hours, but I was more then ready to go by that point.

Got back and I headed down to the pool for a little while. Played, and got creamed at ping pong. Swam. Relaxing. But I was rather tired and needed some down/alone time. So I headed back to my tent to take a shower then finish my book. That's when the trouble started.

I was digging in my tent for stuff and looked over my shoulder. That's when what was missing hit me. My car was gone. After a few moments of panic, I spotted it across the field. With shaving cream on all the windows. Things like "Ha Ha." Even "We love you!" I wasn't exactly happy, especially since my keys had been down by the pool, but decided to shrug it off. Until I saw the inside. They'd taken a box of Kleenex I keep in there and scattered it all around the car, even the box. Taken a CD out of the case and scattered the case around the back seat. Then I got back to my tent and realized they'd also taken my sleeping back, book, and guitar. That was when I totally flipped.

To completely understand, you need to know that I've been having my doubts about why I'm in youth ministry again. Of the "Am I really making a difference?" kind of thing. Knowing that some adult had to have helped them just made me feel like an idiot. I tend to not think well when I want to have a pity party. I was so upset I took my shower and packed up and left even though I couldn't get a refund for Saturday night.

By the time I got home (two hours later) I was beginning to feel a little foolish. Especially when I tried to explain all this to my roommates. What had really been harmed? The only answer is I can't find my book with my favorite bookmark in it. Other then that, nothing. But I still felt violated and betrayed. Rightly or wrongly, that's what I felt. Got some sleep and went to church completely prepared to tell Jon I was quitting or at least taking a break.

The first doubt in my mind was when the speaker started talking about finding your ministry and sticking with it. As if that wasn't enough, God had to completely interrupt me. While I was waiting to talk to Jon, Dave came up to me and started talking. He'd been there for a few hours, while all this stuff was going on. We actually had a very long talk, moving to his office. We ranged over many topics, and that's where the revelations really started to happen.

I thought I was doing better with trusting God, but I see now that I've been taking way too many things on my shoulders and not giving any of them to God. Frankly, this isn't surprising since my devotional time is mainly non-existent. But all the things I worry about, like keeping roommates and making sure they're happy so they stay. And trying to make the kids like me. Dave again told me he feels I have a great ministry with the kids even if I'm not the one they choose to hang out with like the other guys on staff.

Then last night, I talked to the adult involved. By then I was already feeling foolish for overreacting, which went a long way toward working things out in our relationship. He shared some stuff with me that really makes me feel foolish. Like one of the kids involved who's been trying to get a gift together for me for a while all on his own. Frankly, I'm feeling about the size of an ant right now. Not that that's a bad place to be.

Then this morning, one of the fathers who's a co-worker stopped by to make sure I was ok.

Needless to say, I know feel very loved. I wish I didn't have the thin skin I do, but at times like this it sure makes me feel loved. And every so often, it's nice to know that.

So, far from quitting working with the youth, I feel right now would be the absolute worst time to even think about doing that. The kids who did this are quit upset that they hurt me. I need to make sure they see there are no hard feelings.

So what am I going to do about it all? Stay away from stuff that upsets me for a while. Make my relationship with God the priority it hasn't been for quite some time. And pray hard and lots. I need to get back to being me and letting God worry about the rest, like my roommates (which He proved He can handle just fine last month) and my perceived popularity with the kids.

Is this going to be an easy change? Nothing worth changing ever is. But it's something I need to do.

So, as you can see, my weekend didn't go the way I had planned at all. But if it leads to some permanent positive changes in my life, I won't be complaining at all.

Word Association for June 27th

Here's where I find them!

1. Lounge:: Singer
   
2. Photograph:: Picture (Oh ya. I need more film.)
   
3. Catacomb:: Rome
   
4. Crucifix:: Cross
   
5. Fired drill:: What we had at work Friday
   
6. Tube:: Socks
   
7. Dropped:: the ball
   
8. LTD:: Display of some kind
   
9. Panther:: Pink
   
10. Formica:: Counter Top
    

Memories of the Past

You'd almost think I've been in a nostalgia mood this week.

You could say it started when I got the Arizona memory book Monday night. Of course, I had to sit and read it cover to cover. I'm sure Drew and Ben must have wondered about the laughter coming from the living room. That was a great trip! And it made me wish all the more I could go to St. Louis this year. It's just killing me!

As I've been mentioning, I've been importing music like crazy into my iTunes program here at work. Well, Wednesday night, I decided to pull out some CD's I hardly listen to so I could add some songs I just love from those CD's. Now I haven't listened to some of these in two years of more, yet I still remembered every word and cue to come in. These are songs that were huge on Christian radio in the early 90's while I was in high school. While I never loved the artists, I love these songs. Brought back many memories of high school.

And, of course, I finished that Civil War mystery this week. NOT THAT I LIVED THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR OR ANYTHING!!!!!!! Frankly, I was disappointed with A Grave at Glorieta. Too slow a beginning and too little developed when it did get going.

Then I started a reread of Terror on Kamikaze Run. Still a great book with a hilarious opening short story.

Not that everything was nostalgia this week. Bible study was normal. And last night was another ultimate frisbee game. We won pretty handily this week, 17-9 or 10. I wasn't surprised since this team seems to have been fairly week during the last two weeks. (All four of the teams on Thursday have just been taking turns playing each other so far. That stops now since we've all played each other now.)

And, when I get off work in 15 minutes, I'm heading out to the church campout. Everything's packed, although most of it is in my office so it doesn't cook in my car. As far as I know, the plan is for me to share Seth's tent, but I've got my own just in case. Should be fun.

See you late Sunday.

Thursday Threesome for June 24th

Why look who finally decided to show up for the Thursday Threesome. :) This week's edition is brought to us by Webster and The Back Porch.

::Capricious: Governed or characterized by impulse or whim, lacking rational basis or likely to change suddenly::

Onesome: Characterized by impulse--Do you you consider yourself impulsive or do you tend to think everything through before you make a move?
Let me think about this. If I answer impulse what will people think? How about if I answer tend to think everything through? LOL. Actually, I tend to be impulsive with small things but think through medium to large things in great detail.

Twosome: lacking rational basis--If you are impulsive, do you rationalize and justify your actions? Like, since that item you bought on a whim was on sale, you really saved money by buying it?
Sometimes. But it’s really easy to impulsively buy something you’ve wanted for a long time but is suddenly on sale. :)

Threesome: or likely to change suddenly-- When you make up your mind, does it stay made up or do you tend to change your mind at the last minute? ...or do you waffle back and forth until you're forced to decide?
I’m the world’s most indecisive person. Until I’ve made up my mind. Then you’d better watch out because I’m going for it and you won’t be able to talk me out of it.

TV Tuesday for June 22nd

I thought I'd do this week's questions on time for something different. :)

1. Do you watch infomercials? Be honest now! LOL
Very rarely. Occasionally one will catch my eye and I'll watch 15 minutes or so just to figure out what it's all about, but I hate to waste my time on such things.

2. What's your favorite infomercial or infomercial product?
"I want my Flowbie!" Actually, I haven't paid anywhere near enough attention to know if I have a favorite or not, but that's one that stands out in my mind.

3. Have you ever bought anything from an infomercial? If so, what was it?
Nope.

~Bonus~ What's the stupidest (most annoying, most worthless) infomercial you've ever seen?
Really can't think of one. Although the one for the ab something or other came close. I was 15 minutes in seeing things for the second or third time before they finally let me know how much it cost.

Starting Another Week

So here we are starting the last full week of the year. Fiscal year, of course.

I have become addicted to importing music into my computer. I need to stop before it gets out of hand. Too late. Wonder if I really need the disc space for windows....

The weekend was uneventful and relaxing. Friday night, of the three activities I could have gone to, I went to the jr. high activity. After all, I hadn't spent any time with jr. highers all week. Like Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. :) Saturday, the big excitment was going to help Tom pick up his motorcycle. Yesterday was church.

Last night was the exciting part of the weekend. Remember back in March when I mentioned a local theater company holding auditions for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown? (I did blog about that, right?) Well, the performances are going on this month, and I went last night. Couldn't find any friends willing to go to musical theater, so I went alone. And I had a great time. If it were possible to go again this month (if I had time) I totally would. It was everything I had hoped for. I love that musical! They did the revival cast version which brings Sally into the picture and includes her hilarious song "My New Philosophy." I think I had a grin on my face the entire two hours.

In other news, I did some reading this weekend. Finished The Big Nap Friday night before Monk started. (It's back on, in case you'd missed it.) Then I read the second of the new Nancy's. Didn't like it nearly as much as the first. Finally, I started A Grave at Glorieta. This is the fourth in the Harrison Raines Civil War mysteries. So far, it's off to a slow start, but this series usually does start slow. And, I'm only 40 pages into it, so how can I truly judge yet. :)

You know, I'm thinking I need to rename my blog Random Ramblings of an Entertainment Junkie. What do you think?

Word Association for Sunday, June 20th

But before we begin, Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!

Ok, now to this week's words:

1. Abundance:: Plenty
   
2. Casino:: Gamble
   
3. Shell:: Gas
   
4. Overpriced:: Expensive
   
5. Cancellation:: Unresolved cliffhanger
   
6. Eternal:: God
   
7. Lyrics:: Song
   
8. Faith:: Hope
   
9. Because:: Why?
   
10. Wimp:: Runs from Bullies
    

It's Been a Long Week

You know, I intended that as a joke since I only worked three days this week, but in some ways it has. Sunday seems like an eternity ago. But in a good way. I love getting out of town and doing something out of the ordinary.

Never being one to do anything half way, I've thrown myself into importing my CD's into iTunes. And it's really bugging me that one of the CD's I brought in my computer can't read the last three tracks of. My car and read it just fine. Still don't know why that is. But it will bug me until I can borrow a copy and get those final three tracks in there.

Maybe that's why I like Monk so much. I'm more obsessive compulsive then I thought.

Speaking of which, season three starts tonight. Can not wait!

Summer is supposed to be a nice easy time with very little going on. Right? Not this year. Normally, the only thing I have going on ultimate nights is ultimate. Not this year. I've got something else going on every night but our last two games. True, most of the time it's Bible study, but still. I've got a goodby party for the Duron's one week. I'm gone for two games. And I found out that Sarah Stewart Taylor will be signing her new book here in Southern CA one night before a game. How did my summer get so crazy busy? This is the time I relax and recharge my batteries.

My ultimate game last night was a real nailbitter. We started out trading points. My team pulled ahead then lost it to end the first half 9-8. We traded points again during the second half with them pulling ahead by two then us catching up to narrow the lead to one. Then, when we were down 13-15, we scored four points in a row to win 17-15. And this was on borrowed time, too. The lights can go out at any point after 10, but normally after 10:30. We didn't win until 10:40. Man I love that game!

A Late TV Tuesday

Since I was out of town Tuesday, I'll play the TV Tuesday today.

1. Which TV Dad would you have most liked to have for your own dad? On the flipside, who was the TV Dad you'd have least liked to have had?
I can think of several I would like to have from my limited TV watching. I'm really not up on all the classics like I should be. Anyway, "Mr. C" seemed like a nice dad. As did Ricky Riccardo. On the flip side, I would hate to have Archi Bunker for a dad.

2. Who do you consider the most realistic TV Dad? Who did you consider simply too good to be true?
Good question. Maybe Eric Camdon for realistic? In that at least he does occasionally have weaknesses. Too good to be true? Mr. Cleaver.

3. Let's play a little Dad word association, what's the first word that comes to mind when you see the following names:
George Jetson :: future
Cliff Huxtable :: Cosby
Dan Conner :: Yuck!
Gomez Addams :: The theme music
Archie Bunker :: Double Yuck!!
Jed Clampett :: He was a father?
Ward Cleaver :: Unrealistic but nice anyway
Tony Micelli :: Who?
Ozzie Nelson :: Unrealistic but nice anyway
Homer Simpson :: Doh!

I'm cheating and skipping the bonus part because my mind is gone. It is five after all.

Thursday Threesome for June 17

This week's edition is brought to us by our friends at Monsters, Inc. and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Things that go- What's the strangest contraption you've ever had to use to get from point A to point B?
I've ridden those old skyways before they were deemed unsafe and taken out of amusement parks everywhere. Basically, I'm such an American city boy that I've only ever ridden anything strange as a novelty ride or attraction at a park.

Twosome: Bump- Have you ever hurt yourself doing something you weren't supposed to be doing?
Well, there's the bruise on my knee from falling out of the kayak Tuesday. I wasn't supposed to do that. :) I'm sure I have, but no stories are springing to mind. If they do, I'll share them later.

Threesome: In the night- Do you believe in things that go bump in the night or anything supernatural?
I believe in God, Satan, Angels, and Demons. But I don't believe in ghosts, goblins, monsters in the closet, etc. Of course, my imagination can do a pretty good job with humans when it's dark and I start hearing strange noises.

I Survived!

Yes, I've made it back successfully from the river. Actually, I had a very good time this year.

Got to the church just a couple minutes late Monday, which was a miracle considering I had to buy gas and get cash and do other out of the way stuff on the way. We loaded up and took off. But not before I realized I'd forgotten my sandals. The rafting company won't let you go without shoes that will stay on your feet like "Aqua socks" or strapping sandals or tennis shoes. And mine were right by the door so I wouldn't forget them. Of course, since I live so close and was driving, that was no issue. In fact, I ran by home and was on the freeway before the bus was. Hooked up again at lunch and followed the bus up to the camp ground. Much to the guys in my car's dismay. They wanted to get there so they could start playing in the river.

Monday night at the campfire we debuted the new songbooks. No real feedback on them, although they did chose some of the new songs to sing. Yep, it was request night, something the high schoolers very seldom get since they only sing with me on Thursday nights. Jared and Scott were put through their passes considering they were looking at some of the songs for the first time. But they didn't seem to do any worse then me on some of them. I need to seriously rethink some of the chords, I can tell.

Then Tuesday bright and early we hit the river. This year, we got to use two man inflatable kayaks as well as the big rafts. I went down the river twice on the big rafts and twice in the kayaks. The first time, Dave steered. Naturally, that time went well. Then, the second time, I went down with one of the new girls trying to steer. Naturally, that time almost went well. :) It took me a little bit of time, but I got the hang of getting us close to where I wanted us to be. We got stuck on plenty of rocks. Of course, I was also trying to compensate for our differences in strength. But then came the final rapids. As I feared, I didn't get us through it and we tipped. Jesse I think was better then I was. I have a nice bruise on my knee as a result. But the most panic inducing part right then was the water that lodged up my nose and made it hard to breath. Even then I had to laugh. I was floating down the river with my head firmly above water trying to get enough air to make my brain happy. Um.... :)

For the record, I've only fallen out of rafts twice. Both were on this one stretch of river on this particular run. Once last year and once this year.

In other news, Benjamin is home for the next few days anyway. He's been house sitting. Again.

The Monk first season DVD set was waiting for me when I got into work this morning. Now I need to find time to watch it. Finding time involves finding the living room/TV free. We need another DVD player.

I'm about half way through The Big Nap right now. Really enjoying it more then I remember liking the first.

I downloaded iTunes this afternoon. Now I'm fighting it trying to figure out how to get it to do what I want. If I can get it to do that, I think I'll really like it. But that's a big if. And since I have co-workers with music on it we're sharing via our network, I know I'll like that.

Word Association for June 13

Gotta get this done and get to worship team practice.

This week's word association.

1. Colorblind:: Society
   
2. Shallow:: pool
   
3. Erotica:: No Thanks
   
4. Figment:: Imagination
   
5. Eviction:: Cermemony (Guess who's roommate's been watching the Joe Schomo Marathon)
   
6. Composed:: Not embarrassed
   
7. Chill:: Wind
   
8. Girl:: Boy
   
9. California:: Home!
   
10. Bond:: James Bond
    

Leaving tomorrow morning to go river rafting with the youth. Be back Tuesday! Be good while I'm gone.

What a crazy few days

or: Sometimes being a homeowner stinks.

Wednesday morning, I get out of the shower, and the water won't stop dripping. It's been hard to turn off all the way for a while, but now it won't stop at all. So I finally dug out my insurance policy from when I bought the place and called them. Also called them on the dryer, something I've been needing to do ever since I moved in, really.

They came to fix the shower yesterday, making me take off work. It doesn't drip now. But, as I found out this morning, the hot water also looses pressure at will. So I spent all of my shower this morning trying to keep it at a decent tempurature.

Meanwhile, they came to fix the dryer today. Didn't have to take any time off work because they were there early. Fortunately, Tom was home to let them in. Replaced the coils, so hopefully it'll work now. Guess I'll find out tonight since I have a mountain of laundry that needs washing.

In other news, I wasn't super late to my ultimate game last night, even if I didn't get there until almost 9. It was only 3-2. We were ahead 9-4 at half. We let them catch up before finally ending it 17-12. Considering the first half, we really should have beaten them by more. Of course, since it was last year's captain, I did feel slightly guilty beating them by so much. :)Still, it was great to be out there again. I sure do love that game.

Thursday Threesome for June 10

This week's edition is brought to you by huge yellow vehicles and The Back Porch.

Onesome: School-- Since the school year seems to be over (your mileage may vary: some of you are already in summer sessions!): what was your favorite year in school? Yeah, the one you had the best time in or learned something special or had that learning breakthrough?
That's a hard one for me. Seeing as I was homeschool for 4th through 10th, many of those run together. Maybe first grade was the best? And I'm not just saying that because my brother's step-mother-in-law was my first grade teacher. :) And I did love my years at home, too.

Twosome: Bus-- Hey, how did you get to school in the early years? Walk? Bike? Mommy van? Bus? ...and for those still attending, how are you getting to and fro these days?
Walked with Mom in K and part of 1st. Went with friends in 2nd and 3rd. Walked into the kitchen in 4th through 10th (or the room upstairs once we added that in jr. high). Took the bus in 11th and drove in 12th. Cover all the options?

Threesome: Stop-- ...and when did you stop going to school? ...or did you? Are you still at it? Amy plans to go back for those who are out of the system?
Stopped after I graduated from college, although my jr. highers will tell you I'm still in college since I'm on a college campus every day. I'm seriously thinking about taking a class in the fall, however. A history class and I could take it free since it's here on campus.

Getting Things Done

I've actually gotten several things done at work today. In fact, I'm a little worried since it seems I have little to do over the next couple of days. Then again, maybe I can start organizing some stuff to be stored on our scanning network. I really need to reduce the piles of paper in my office.

And I finished Open Season on Lawyers last night. I would have liked to finish it sooner, but I was working on those song books. Really enjoyable read. Now I can finally start my reread of The Mystery in Arizona.

One thing I didn't get to do over the last couple of days was visit Reagan's library whiel his body was in repose there. In case you haven't heard, they had crowds they had no clue what to do with. The wait to get off the freeway was several hours. Then you had to wait to get on the bus and then wait again at the library. It would have been nice, but it couldn't happen since we had stuff we had to get done to close May today at work. Someone from a different department went, and it took her 12 hours from the time she left her house until she got back. I was tempted to go last night after work and wait it out, but they cut off the line at three. By the time I found that out, I could have been waiting on the freeway at three, but that's all.

Yes, I'm disappointed, but I guess I'll live. Kinda have to, anyway.

Got the song books back from Beth this afternoon with some corrections, so looks like I'll be spending one last night on them. Of course, these are things that will make the books more uniform, user friendly, and are minor. And I'll get to add "In the Light" as well.

The latest quiz from Aleta


Heart of Gold


What is Your Heart REALLY Made of?
brought to you by Quizilla

Two Meme Tuesday

I've got two Meme's I can do today.

First up, Mary's Tuesday Two:

1. Politics…do they bore you to death? Intrigue you? How does politics affect, or not, your world?
They've always intrigued me, but I've really begun to indulge that now that I've started watching Fox News so much. Of course, the blatant lies and ignoring facts of some of the extremeists drives me nuts.

2. Who was the first president you really remember?
As I said Saturday, it was Reagan.

Today's TV Tuesday should be really easy. :)

1. Do you watch daytime talk TV? If so, which shows do you watch? Do you prefer the calm shows like Oprah or the wilder side like Jerry Springer?
No, I'm at work. And even if I were home, I can't stand those shows. The few minutes I've accidentally caught when out and about or home sick were more then enough for me.

2. Which daytime talk TV show would you like to be on? What would the topic be?
If I had to be on one, maybe it could be Oprah discussing the best books I've ever reviewed. :)

3. Is there a daytime talk TV show you miss that's no longer on the air? Is there someone you'd like to see get a daytime talk TV show?
No, don't really care.

~Bonus~ Before talk TV took over game shows ruled the airways during the day, which do you prefer? Or are you a soap opera fan?
Big time game shows. Wish I got Game Show Network during the evening. Would make life much funner.

Thoughts on a Monday

I FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that's correct, I finished the new songbooks over the weekend. At 1:30 Sunday morning to be exact. Total of 155 songs, so at least 60 new ones. To say I'm thrilled is an understatement. It's so nice to have them done.

Of course, now I need to work on the music binder for myself. But I have it together temporarily anyway. Did that Sunday morning. Don't think I'll worry about that for another couple weeks.

And I've already come up with one song I would like to have included. Maybe if the Duron girls (who are proofreading for me) come up with lots of corrections, I can put it in. I had it in, but I wasn't 100% sure about having it in, and thought it might mess me up space wise. Turned out I have about an extra half page, just perfect to slip it in. So we'll see if it happens or not.

If you've noticed, this post if pretty much about the song books. There's a reason for that. That's pretty much been my life for the last few days. Worked on it Tuesday through Thursday nights. Did go to 8th grade graduation first, Thursday night, however. For some reason, a one hour ceremony didn't seem so bad this year. Especially since I wasn't in the sun on metal folding chairs. :)

And Saturday I went to a high school graduation party for one of my former jr. highers. Nice to spend a little time catching up with his family since they've changed churches. Used to be friends with them before, but we seem to not have too much contact since. Isn't it sad how we seem to loose contact with people we don't see on a regular basis? We really should change that.

I can not believe the nerve of some people. Morbid curiosity brought me back to the Amazon Customer Review board Saturday to see how people there were reacting to President Reagan's death. The thread was quickly taken over by people who, "in good conscience can't say anything good about him at all." It's quickly sunk into a fight and one person promising to put someone else on ignor. Ok, so you don't have to love the guy. And I'll admit he wasn't perfect. But what's wrong with leaving a post like, "While I disagreed with the guy on many important things, I am sorry to hear he has died." Or ever not saying anything at all. Next week we could start discussing his legacy, but not right now. Is this really beyond understanding for some people?

As little respect as I have for Clinton, this is one time my hat is off to him. I didn't actually see what he had to say, but my understanding is that he has offered a nice tribute to the man. As have both Presidents Bush. That last one is more expected because of the family connection. I have seen clips of Kerry saying nice things. This is the attitude to take for the first few days. Later's the time to begin debating areas of disagreement.

My car is at the Honda dealership right now. Got the brakes and rotators replaced/cleaned today. Hopefully that part time squeek I've been hearing will be gone now. :)

And I think I want to get married and have kids. This really is something new for me. A month ago I would have told you that marriage would be nice and I really wasn't sure about kids. But something seems to have drastically changed over the weekend, and suddenly the idea of raising kids and spending the rest of my life with one woman sounds wonderful. Of course, it's not like I've met anyone, so this isn't something I can change overnight. But with a change in attitude like this, maybe it will change. Then again, maybe this decision won't last. :)

The flavor quiz, stolen from Aleta, who I think had it first.

I taste like Peanut Butter. I am one of the most blendable flavours; I go with sweet, I go with sour, I go with bland, I go with anything. I am practical and good company, but have something of a tendency to hang around when I'm not wanted, unaware that my presence is not welcome. What Flavour Are You?

I was rather liking this until the end there. :)

Word Association for June 6th

Via Unconsicous Mutterings.

1. Charity:: Churchmouse
   
2. Scale:: Back
   
3. Jennifer Lopez:: Needs to find someone who truly loves her. And I don't necessarily mean in a husband/wife sense.
   
4. Coercion:: Forced
   
5. Meter:: Rhymn
   
6. Pressure:: Cooker
   
7. June:: July
   
8. Infestation:: Insects
   
9. Serial killer:: The book I'm reading now
   
10. Anguish:: Sob of
    

Ronald Reagan 1911-2004

So former President Reagan passed away today. Yes, it's been expected for some time, but, as always, it's still hard on me.

Reagan was the first President I have any recollection of. Of course, this makes sense since I was only 5 when he took office. I don't have too many memories of his first term. I think I have a vague recollection of the assassignation attempt on his life. My biggest memories start with the reelection campaign. And then with the Iran Contra scandle. Frankly, I still don't know completely everything that happened in that or how I feel about it, but I really don't care.

Naturally, as the years went by after he left office, he was relegated to the back of my mind. It's only been the last couple of years that I've had much of an interest in politics or news at all.

I think part of what changed that was Donald. I've made reference on more then one occassion to going to the Reagan Presidential Library. Donald was the first person to really tell me about it/get me to go. Of course, it was because of a Disney exhibit, but I've been back numerous times afterward. And it's there that I've grown to really appreciate the leader and visionary he was. Frankly, I wish I remembered more of the 80's then I do. He was a man of conviction who acted on them. I hold him personally responsible for the fall of the iron curtain.

Yes, he had some failures are President, as has been pointed out quite bluntly on my usual old haunts. But he was a good man who served in an important part of history that has been overlooked by many.

I'm sure that his family is experiencing a mixed feeling of relief and sorrow. Relief that he is no longer suffering but sorrow that he is gone. My prayers go out to them during this time.

I've had Fox News on for the last couple hours, and the rumor is that he will be in state at his library for a day before heading to DC. If it is at all within my power, I will be there.

Thursday Threesome for June 3rd

Morning. Time for this week's Thursday Threesome, brought to us this week by one of my favorite historical people and The Back Porch.

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do." -- Walt Disney

Onesome: When you're curious- Is there a specific subject you're especially curious about? A person? A region of the world? An animal? A field of study?
US history has always fascinated me. I wish I could find more good historical fiction dealing with that time period.

Twosome: you find lots of interesting- What do you consider your most interesting trait/ feature?
My love of Trixie Belden or my obsession with reviewing at Amazon.

Threesome: things to do- What's on your list of things to do everyday, whether you want to or not? Filing, phone calls, homework, chasing around after kiddos, cooking, cleaning, etc.
Work. I’d much rather be doing other things. :) But that probably goes for everyone. Still, I’ve become rather attached to eating, owning clothes, having a roof over my head at a minimum. Not to mention buying books, CD’s, and DVD’s.

Maybe I Should Post Something

So, what I have been up to the last few days? I'm so glad you asked.

Monday night, Tom and I went to see Shrek 2. Really enjoyed it. Quite funny and, while it had it's crude moments, it wasn't nearly as bad as the first one in that department. I loved Pinocchio's bit at the climax. "I'm a real boy!"

Work's been quite the last couple of days, although I have gotten quite a bit done. Especially for me. I know I need to get more done, but I think I can.

Last night, I actually sat down and got a lot done on my song books. Took a lot longer then I thought it would to get the copyright information on every song. But that part is done now. Now I just need to figure out what other songs I'm adding.

Drew started moving stuff in last night. Meanwhile, Erik won't be moving out until Friday. Gives us a bit of crowding fun for a couple days, but we'll survive.

Fortunately, I got some warning that Drew planned to move his desk over today, so I spent an hour last night going through everything in the garage looking for my long lost Maranatha! Music praise books. I haven't seen them in years, for obvious reasons. I never would have guessed where they were in a million years. Under my receipts and old bills in a big box. But I'd looked everywhere else so I decided to dig. The bad part of all this? I started about 11:30 last night. Didn't get to bed until 1 AM. Couple that with not sleeping until 2 AM the night before, and I was dead on my feet at work this afternoon.

That didn't stop Jason and I from figuring out a major problem we've been having with our software. At least we think we figure it out. Which will make quarterly payroll reports much easier in the future.

Curisty of the fabulous Misty, a new quiz.


You're a Speak & Spell!! You nerd, you. Just
because you were disguised as a toy doesn't
mean you weren't educational, you sneaky
bastard.


What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Yeah, we even got the same results.

Now, I need dinner and then I need to get back to the song books. I really need to have them done by this weekend.

TV Tuesday for the First of June

Once again, I'm doing the relatively new TV Tuesday meme.

1. In the US many stations run "marathons" all day on Monday, many stations have also went to running all weekend marathons of old sitcoms. So question number one is: Did you watch any of the marathons running this year? In part? In whole?
My TV watching yesterday was limited to DVD's (including I Love Lucy and my Saturday Fox News shows.

2. Is there a show you'd like to see run an all day marathon? On the flipside is there a show you'd avoid in marathon?
Greatest American Hero springs immediately to mind. Man, I want to see that show again. I'd put Wonder Woman in the same catagory, but it is coming to DVD before the end of the month.
Avoid? Any show I hate, which would take too long to list. Let's just say there are lots I'd avoid.

3. Is there a show/movie/program that brings back special memories for you and what is it?
Charlie Brown Christmas. It simply isn't Christmas without watching that show.

~Bonus~ What show featuring those who protect your country (fiction or non-fiction) is your favorite?
Would Wonder Woman count for this? Better yet, 24! Yeah, we'll go with that one. As much as I love historical fiction, I very seldom watch war related programs on TV or in the movies. Too predictable for me. And I never got into MASH. But since 24 is one of my favorite programs currently on and they race around trying to protect the country, I'd say that's it.

~Bonus #2~ Out of curiosity, what's the longest you've ever watched TV in one stretch?!
Probably 5 or 6 hours. Maybe longer as a teen when home alone. I really couldn't even begin to guess.