Thursday Threesome for July 29th

What, you thought I'd skip town without doing this week's Thursday Threesome? What were you thinking! :)

This week, it's brought to us by knitters and The Back Porch.

Onesome- Knit one: Do you have a crafty hobby? Knitting, stitching, scrapbooking or model building, whatever it is, tell us about it! Or is there a crafty hobby you'd like to take up if had the time and/or money to do so?
I did ceramics for a few years with Grandma Baker.  But other then that, nope.  And that was in elementary school, so it's been a long time.  I don't have room or the patience for something like that.

Twosome- Purl: Or rather, pearl. What's your birthstone? And while you're at it, what's your sign? *g*
I had to look it up, but my birthstone is aquamarine.  And my sign is pisces.  Not that I even know what that means or should mean.  I don't pay attention to that kind of stuff.

Threesome- Too: Too much? Have you had enough of the political coverage already? ...or are you waiting for things to really gear up in the Fall?
I've had way too much of politicians lying.  And I'm ready for the last month since that's the only time most people pay attention anyway.  But this is the first Presidential election in recent years I've really paid any attention to, so I'm enjoying it at the same time.  Have my VCR set for my Fox shows on Saturday.

I really don't have anything to say

Honest. Life the last couple of days has been quiet. In fact, Monday night I had the place all to myself, which was nice. Took advantage by finishing up the Tomorrowland DVD set.

Tonight, I finished Your God is Too Safe. Faith, I owe you big time. Think I need to reread it in about six months. Hopefully, I can absorb more then.

I thought I had an exciting moment for a little while tonight. I caught a personalized liscense plate driving home from work that said Bbylon5. Naturally, my first that was Babylon 5, one of my favorite TV shows. Could it be the car of the creator of the show? Didn't look like him through the window. And, considering it was a little car, and I think a Kia at that, probably not. In fact, the more I thought about it after I turned, I bet it was another fan. But it was still pretty cool.

Saw a report on TV about a new computer program the FBI is using to potentially predict crime. Anyone see Minority Report? Scares me.

Well, I need to go finish packing. Hope everyone has fun at Trixie Camp. See you when I get back from my brother's wedding.

My message Sunday

Since Mary asked so nicely, I thought I'd share the basic outline of my message from Sunday wtih you.  :)

The verses are all from I Samuel 17.  So here are 7 reasons that God was able to use David to defeat Goliath.

1) David was where he was supposed to be.  Both working in the field as a shepherd and then running an errand for his father.  (vs. 17, 23)

2) David was upset when God was shamed. (vs. 26)

3) David followed his conscience and not his peers.  Or in this case, his brothers.  (vs. 28-30)

4) David didn't let his age stop him.  (vs. 33-36)  And he was probably under 16.

5) He had abilities God had developed elsewhere.  (vs. 36)

6) His faith was in God and not his ability.  (vs. 37, 45)

7) David thought creatively.  After all, I don't think a sling shot had entered anyone else's mind when facing the giant.  (vs. 39, 40)

So there you have it.  I did promise the bare bones outline, didn't I?

Memories of the TV Past

Yep, it's time for the TV Tuesday for this week.  And the theme this week is memories.

1. What's your fondest memory of something on TV?
Watching Babylon 5 with Debbie and Josh, I guess.  Of course, that's more about the who then the what was actually on.

2. What's the first show you remember watching regularly?
This one's the easiest one this week.  Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

3. What is the (pick one: stupidest, saddest, silliest, most disgusting..) thing you've ever seen on TV?
Just about every reality dating show on TV.  And it applies to all of them.  The ads are enough to send me running to a different channel.

~Bonus~ (From the hubby! LOL) What's the best series finale you remember?
I'm really trying hard not to go with Friends since it was so recent, but I really liked it.  Left me with the right feeling of melocoly that it's all over and sorry to see it go (even though I was ready for it to go.)  Kinda of the warm fuzzies with a sad edge to them.  I tend to not like finale's that leave you wondering "What?" or that try to change the point of the series for one final laugh.

Speaking of which, I also like the Babylon 5 finale.  It's sad, but the right ending to the series.

Sometimes I get so ahead of myself

So the whole point of my post on Friday was supposed to be that I was going to take the free visit at the chiropractor, which was the whole reason I was leaving early.  And did I actually get that far before my mind wandered off somewhere else?  Of course not.

The appointment was fine.  Basically, the only problem I have is from sitting in a chair at a desk all day.  Did do a minor adjustment which helped me out right away.  I'm going to try some of the stretches he recommended to help my back out.  Not that it's that bad to begin with.  Still, if moving them around several times a day makes my back better, I'll do it.

Saturday, I spent all day helping the Durons move stuff into storage.  I know, should have gone to the chiropractor today.  :)  It was around 100, so I was beat by the time the day was over.

Yesterday, I actually spoke in Sunday School.  Went well as far as the jr. higher's paying attention.  Hopefully they got something from my stuttering thoughts.  :)  Spoke on why God used David to defear Goliath.  Positive traits we can use in our daily lives.

And I've gotten quite a bit of reading done the last few days.  Saturday morning, before I left for the Duron's, I finished Murder Between the Covers.  You know, I still don't know what I think of this series.  The mystery was decent, but the main character is still stupid and her situation still adds so much stress to my life it's not even funny.  Still, I'm thinking about reading the third when it comes out.

As of right now, I'm half way through Your God is Too Safe, sent to me by the wonderful Faith.  We're finally to the part where he's going to stop identifing the problem and hopefully start working toward a solution.  Since he had me with the prologue, I've been ready to get to this part for a while now.

Just got off the phone with Donald and Pete.  Having lunch with Donald and Heather on my way back from Mike's wedding Sunday.  And I'll be having lunch with Pete on Wednesday.  Both sound great.

Word Association for July 25

Which, as always, I take from here.

1. Sleep:: Tired
2. Stats:: Amazon (votes per review, etc.)
3. Portfolio:: Art
4. Lipton:: Iced Tea
5. Telly:: Tubbie
6. Immigrate:: From another Country
7. Viable:: Solution
8. Serene:: Calm
9. Mountain:: Cold
10. Natalie:: Jones

Leaving Work Early!

I'm leaving work in 30 minutes!  Of course, I skipped lunch to do it, so there is a downside.

And it relates to something I forgot to blog about Wednesday.  I'm finally taking advantage of the free message and chiropractic appointment I won back in April.  The message was Tuesday's lunch hour and today is the appointment.  Really enjoyed the message.  I can see why people like them so much.

Other then that, not really much else to report.

Last night's youth group was interesting.  The couple who was supposed to be running game time didn't show up, and the youth pastor thought they'd be there.  Meanwhile, we worship leaders were planning on that time to get everything together since one of us had been on vacation.  Basically, we didn't have an organized game time last night.  We let them hang out for half an hour, sang, did the study, etc., then let them hang out with soccer balls and Frisbees for another half hour.  Could have been worse, but not the best either.

So that's what's news in this corner of the universe.

It's Thursday, Isn't it?

Then maybe I should have done today's Thursday Threesome sooner.  Totally slipped my mind.  Anyway, this week, it's brought to us by Murphy's Law and The Back Porch.

Onesome: If-- Ever hear of that guy Murphy? If you have a story that can add to his legacy, can you share it here?
I know I do, and I've shared some in the past.  But, naturally, I can't think of any off hand.

Twosome: it can-- What is it that you can never remember to get correct? Is it which way to turn the wrench to loosen the screw? How about directions to that one restaurant? ...or maybe it's people's names? What is it you call for assistance on?
I have the worst time remember names and putting faces with names.  Or matching faces from different settings.  I really need to work on it.

Threesome: go wrong...-- ..and the big finish: what was the last thing you had go so gloriously wrong that all you could do was just stare in awe at the aftermath? I mean, come on, you can tell us ...
My desire for fun at the church campout?  I guess I'm really brain dead tonight, aren't I?

If I come up with better answer, I'll play again.

You Take the Good; You Take the Bad

My life seems to be made up of good parts and bad parts these days.  Of course, most of the bad is just me being immature and selfish, I know, but it's still frustrating.

The Good:
Lots of booksignings.  Saturday was a signing for Laura Levine's new book, Killer Blonde.  I think there were only two of us who showed up, and one got her books and left right away.  I, on the other hand, stayed visited for a while.  Really nice to get to know her a little more.  And she's a very nice author.

Then last night I headed down to the UCLA area and Mystery Bookstore for a signing with Sarah Stewart Taylor, author of O' Artful Death and recent read Mansions of the Dead.  Again, very few of us showed up.  One other person, two family members, and me.  She knew me right away from my reviews at Amazon.  Really nice getting to know her a little better.  Honestly, I'm beginning to think I need to meet authors to fully enjoy their work.

And Saturday night, I had fun at my friend's party.

The Bad:

I'm just frustrated with stuff right now.

Our guest is still at the condo.  Now I agree that it was good he had a place to go.  But for how long?  And, since I had never met him before he moved it, it does kinda worry me.  What if his step-dad shows up?  Furthermore, the guy who knows him has been studying like crazy, so it's fallen on the rest of us to play host.  And with a condo our size, there really isn't much you can do if you need to get away.

Of course, two of the guys are supposed to be housesitting for the next week.  And I'd think this guy would go with him.

I think part of the problem is the guy kinda moved in.  There was no explaining to us what was going on or why or how or anything.  When I asked questions (making me feel like an evil person), I was told it was just going to be for a night or two.  It's now been four with no explanation.  I have no idea what's going on and what's being done to arrange something permanent.

Yes, I'm willing to help, but I like to know what's going on.  And since it effects me, I really don't think I'm asking for that much.

In other news, last night was my ultimate game for the week.  (As well as the signing.)  We lost again.  Frankly, we were playing pretty poorly.  Were down by 6 at one point.  Lost by 4 when the lights went out.  But the most frustrating thing about the game was that the other team kept making bogus calls.  It's never fun to play when the other side is winning and still trying to cheat.

Amazon is making some major changes to their system.  As always, this means major bugs.  (Maybe they need to learn about upgrades from blogger.)  And going to the discussion board to try to get a little information only makes it worse.  Honestly, the people there just drive me crazy, still.  Their attitude is "Amazon should have run this by us first and should have worked out all bugs before it went on line."  Now I will admit to being frustrated, but I've learned that things will work themselves out.  They always do.  So we need to be patient.  There is one new feature that needs to be seriously reevaluated pronto, and people effected have a right to be upset about that one, but Amazon owes us nothing unless we've ordered from them.

Speaking of which, my order from last week still hasn't shipped even though everything shipped within 24 hours.  Now poor customer service?  That's something to complain about.  Poor launch and poor design of new features they don't have to give us in the first place?  Cry me a river.

Finally, I'm really getting fed up with the major news media who promote a story for months, but when it turns out they were misled, they bury that part in the middle of the paper.  Or spin a scary story about a former national security advisor so that his crimes suddenly aren't the issue.

Of course, part of my problem might be lack of sleep.  I went out last night after the game and didn't get home until 1.  Tonight, I go to bed early no matter what.

Tuesday Meme's

Hey, you guessed it.  Time for this week's Tuesday Meme's.  First up, the TV Tuesday, now at it's new home.
 
1.  On a whole do you feel most Special Reports are really that special?  Or are they simply annoying?  
Some are, and some aren't.  Living in LA, we often get "special reports" on car chases, high speed and low speed both.  Those have been known to just make me mad.  As when a local station spent 30 minutes searching for more looting after the Lakers won the NBA championship the first time.  But when it's a nationwide issue, I think it is special.
 
2.  What special report has effected you most?  (IE:  (9/11, Reagan being shot...etc)  
9/11 definitely.
 
3.  Do you stay tuned in for Special Reports or do you reach for the remote?  
I stay tuned for a few minutes.  If I'm interested, I'll keep watching.  Otherwise, I change the channel or turn it off.
 
~Bonus~  Not exactly a special report but more on special coverage.  What are your thoughts on some of the "Special Coverage" spots that have hit TV lately?  One that comes to mind for me is the 24 hour a day coverage of Ronald Reagan's body laying in state at the White House.  Something we needed to see or just plain morbid?
I guess I'm a modern media guy, but this seems like something for the all news networks, and something to be done in the background unless something major is happening.  In my mind, unless it's a Sept. 11 type of thing, the major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC)  should leave full time news to the cable networks these days.  Which I think is what they tend to do anyway.
 
And today, Rick has posted a Tuesday 3 from an e-mail list he's on.  Thought I'd play along.
 
1) What's the last thing you listened to on the radio?
News on the way in trying to get an update on the fires.  (Basically useless.  Their story didn't give me the info I wanted.)
 
2) What's the last program you watched on TV?
I confess.  I watched the TV's Funniest Families last night.
 
3) What's the last thing you prayed?
Help me get through today.

What a Day Yesterday

Yesterday felt crazy to me.  Not that any of the craziness really involved me.
 
I got home just before two of my roommates.  One of their cars had broken down.  So instead of having an hour to myself after church, I had no time.
 
Then, the other of those roommates got a call.  A teen from his church that he's mentoring had just called the police on his step-dad, and he needed a place to go.  He's crashing at our place right now (with maternal concent.)  Meanwhile, that roommate had studying for summer school to do.  And since my roommate wasn't up yet, I had no where to go to read or watch any TV that I wanted to watch.  Basically, I got to play host to a stranger.
 
Yes, it was stressful, and I'm not completely sure why.
 
Once they left for church and my roommate was up, then I could do whatever I so desired.  Somehow, however, I wound up stuck in my room watching TV, even when he was on the phone.  :(
 
Tonight should be better.  My roommate will be up when I get home and then I can hide away in the bedroom.  I'm hoping to finish How to Murder a Millionaire tonight.  And I need to write my review of the Wonder Woman DVD set, too.
 
So what am I doing hanging around here for.  I'm off!  (No comment, please.)

News Bullitens and Word Association

Forgot a couple things yesterday.
 
Blogger has given us more features.  We can now change fonts and color and size and inbed pictures.  Cool!
 
I must give credit where credit is due.  The Dan wearing the tutu in the parade was Angelique's idea.  I wish I could claim it because it was absolutely brilliant.
 
Yes, we've got another wild fire in the area.  Close to work, but moving away.  It's a fairly undeveloped area, but with it only being 35% contained, it's still quite dangerous.
 
And now, the word assocation for today.
 

1. Nostalgia:: Romantasizing the past.
   
2. Irreplaceable:: Authographed books
    
3. Odd:: Strange
   
4. James Spader:: Actor
   
5. Flamboyant:: Enthusiastic
   
6. Intense:: Hard to get away from
    
7. Simple:: Relaxing
   
8. Septic:: Tank
   
9. Ton:: Weight
   
10. Turkey:: Thanksgiving
    

About Yesterday's Post. Or. That's Fiction!

For those of you not in the Trixie community, yesterday's post was most fictional.  The part that was true?  Unfortunately, the part about my ultimate Frisbee game Thursday night.  The false part?  The part where I went to Disneyland.
 
You see, we're pretending that all of the Trixie characters are visiting us before the convention.  Dan and Jim are only real in our imaginations.  I wish I could have had the day I described, however.
 
So what did I really do yesterday?  Worked.  :(  Not much of excitement there.  Then came home and enjoyed relaxing and doing nothing.  Watched a new episode of Monk, but that was the highlight of the day.  Nice day, but Disneyland would have been funner.
 
Today, I got a hair cut and picked up the package from Faith.  Now, I'm off to Pasadena for a book signing and a party at a friend's about a dozen blocks away.  Already looking better then yesterday!

What a Day!

Last night at ultimate was disappointing to say the least.  We had our first lost in a close game.  Final score was 17-15, but we were ahead, then they were ahead.  We were tied at 15.  Not only that, but the other team was a bad winner plus some on our team were more frustrated then they should have been.  And on a personal note, my body wasn’t cooperating.  My hip and leg were hurting a little.  No idea why, but it made me not want to run, therefore I didn’t want to play.  Which was probably best with such a close game.  This way they can’t blame me for the loss.
 
Today made up for it, however.
 
When my door bell rang this morning, Jim and Dan were standing on the doorstep.  After giving them a quick tour of my place and dropping off Dan’s stuff, Jim left for his next destination, and Dan and I headed out.  Fortunately, my boss gave me the day off, and we headed down to the happiest place on earth.  We met up with Angelique just inside the gate at Disneyland.  She was ready and waiting for us since it was my turn to be late.  And we were off for a day of fighting the crowds and having fun.
 
It’s been quite a while since I was in Disneyland in July.  It’s much more crowded then when I usually go in October.  Still, we managed to hit all the major rides.  While Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are still closed, we had a blast on Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and the Matterhorn.  I especially enjoyed Haunted Mansion since it’s been a couple years now since I was on it when it wasn’t decked out for Christmas.  And we made Dan ride in front on Splash Mountain.  Somehow, I don’t think he minded how wet he got.  It’s been hot!  Angelique was even nice enough to let us hit Star Tours twice.  I sure wish it didn’t make her motion sick.
 
I really wish I’d remembered my camera, however.  We were just coming off Small World (I dragged them on it, but Dan seemed to enjoy it anyway), when we met someone from the park.  They were getting ready for the “Parade of the Stars.”  This current parade includes groups of guests.  Since I had wanted to do this in October but we didn’t get it, I was quite enthused.  The best part, however, was how we got involved.  They included guests in various groups like the characters from the “Dance of the Hours” segment of Fantasia.  Angelique and I got a cape like the alligators have.  And Dan?  He wound up in a group of hippos, complete with little pink tutu.  It was a riot.  Sure wish I had a picture of that to share with you all.
 
Well, the day just flew by and the three of us had a blast.  We didn’t even make it to California Adventure.  So we’ve invited all the Bob-Whites back to enjoy that.  Of course, it looks like we’ll have to get in line.  If they visit everyone again like they’re talking about doing, it could take years.  And they do have lives, too.  I also promised Dan that when they come back, we’ll hit Magic Mountain here in Valencia.  While he enjoyed Disneyland, I think he’d enjoy a day on major roller coasters more.
 
I took Dan to pick up his rental car after we left the park and then we came back to my place.  I think my roommates are a little impressed that we have such an important guest crashing on our couch tonight.  We hit the hot tub for quite a while.  It felt good on our tired legs.  Now I think we’re both ready to crash.  Especially since Dan has to leave early tomorrow.
 
I’m sending greeting to all you lucky people at Trixie Camp via him.  Now that I’ll be green all weekend.

Tuesday and Thursday in One

You know, I discovered that Mary snuck a Tuesday Two in on me this week, so I thought I'd do it today.

1. Ever set anything on fire, be it on purpose or accidentally?
Well, I’ve started fires before. In fire rings or fire places, of course. I’ve also burned marshmallows. And trash. Really exciting, I know.

2. I used to dream I was trapped in a burning building a lot. What freaky recurring dream(s) have you had?
I’ve had the standard where I’m being chased and can’t run. And a variation on that is when I’m hiding and moving from place to place and can’t seem to ever get to safety. Usually, I’m hiding from the Nazis when I’m having this dream.

And now, this week's Thursday Threesome, brought to us by summer fun and The Back Porch.

Onesome- State: What state (or territory) do you live in? Have you lived in any other(s)? Where would you like to live? And as a bonus: Any idea what year your state became a state? *grin*
CA, in case it wasn’t obvious. I’m a native, and, while I’ve lived all over the state, never in any other. I can’t think of any place else I’d rather live, to be honest. I love it here in Southern CA. And I believe we became a state in 1858, but I could be way off base.

Twosome- Fair: Or amusement parks: Did you enjoy them as a kid? What was your favorite ride? How do you feel about them now? Ready to go wander around one again, sampling funnel cakes and corn dogs and riding rides until you're sick or would you rather just enjoy the entertainment or stay home and avoid the crowds?
I never did as a kid, but I love them now. Still have my annual pass to Magic Mountain, although I don’t go that often any more. And I’m really wishing I could go to Disneyland this weekend like some of my co-workers are doing.

Threesome- And Rodeo: Have you ever been to or watched a rodeo on TV? Did you enjoy it or consider it a barbaric spectacle? If you liked it, what was your favorite event? Ever tempted to race barrels or ride a bull yourself?
I’ve probably seen parts of rodeos, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an entire rodeo. And I have this thing about avoiding activities that are very likely to lead to pain, so I have no desire to ever be part of a rodeo.

My Kingdom for a Title

At least I'm not offering anything important. Since I don't have a kingdom, I have nothing to loose if you come up with a better one for me.

I forgot to tell you something that happened this weekend.

I was taking two jr. highers to the SNYF, when one suddenly asked me if I'd ever found my book that they hid from me at the church camp out. I answered no, and then he handed it to me. It was hidden behind the sunken arm rests in the back seat, so now there's been no permanent damage from the prank. :)

That's probably the biggest news.

I did buy some flowers for the condo. A hanging basket of petunias for the balcony. Supposedly they'll do fine in the hot afternoon sun as long as I water them on a regular basis. Might get old, however, since I need to stand on something to get them up or down or water them. I also bought some impatiencs to plant in my planters. I was going to put them by the front door, but I'm having a real hard time doing that for some reason. I'm afraid someone will take the planters and break the window right there to break in. Probably crazy, but that's what keep going through my mind.

My co-worker is taking Friday off and going to Disneyland Friday and Saturday. I'm turning green. Especially since Matt won't treat me to a week there. :( (Long story).

Maybe if I post this now I can actually leave work at 5 for a change. Unless I get succered into reviewing or something like that.

Meme Time

And since I wasn't on Sunday, I'll do the word association now.

1. Crippling:: Injury
   
2. Tough:: Luck
   
3. Slinky:: The kid's toy that walks down stairs
   
4. Slogan:: Advertising
   
5. Stuffed:: Animal
   
6. Instructions:: Booklet
   
7. Expletive:: Deleted
   
8. Cartoon:: Network
   
9. Toddler:: 2 Year Olds
   
10. Insinuation:: Saying something bad without saying something bad
    

Due to our hostess being sick, there's no TV Tuesday until next week. So I won't do it.

Busy Weekend, I Guess

I figured I hadn't had enough of a break from the internet with my out of state vacation. So I didn't get on this weekend, either.

Either that, or I was just too busy doing other stuff and never got around to getting on. I think we'll go with option two.

Saturday morning, I just lazed in bed for quite awhile after I got up reading. In fact, I completely read the second half of my book this weekend. So, naturally, I had to start The Mysterious Code last night. Get it finished in time for book 8 to come out in a couple weeks!

Anyway, the career group from Placerita was having a BBQ Saturday afternoon. It was at a house here in the canyon where the college is. They have a pool, too. We had a great time hanging out and swimming. Actually, it's the first thing I've done with them in months. They just seemed to plan things on the worst possible nights for me. But three of us stuck around talking until about 9 at night. As I said, lots of fun.

Sunday wasn't as fun, however. It was the Duron's last Sunday at church. Have I mentioned recently how much I'm going to miss them? I gave them the guitar Christmas ornament I found for them in Victoria, and they really seemed to like it. And I managed not to break down in tears in front of anyone, either. Although I came close when writing the note I also gave them. I really can't believe how hard I'm taking this. Maybe it's because I never realized how much I depended on them before. Just knowing I could call them if I needed help brought peace of mind, which is up and moving to Idaho.

I know God will bring someone else to take their place in my life. I just wish I knew who that was right now.

Have I mentioned that patience isn't a virtue I have in abundance?

My Vacation, Part 2

Maybe I should be getting back to this saga. :) Let's see, where was I?

Saturday - my family got up early and we headed to the ferry to Victoria. It was a beautiful day. The ride took us through the San Juan Islands and into Canada. We even went by the island that some good family friends vacation on every year. When we arrived, we spent time wandering around the downtown area. Found a Christmas store, so we all got some nice ornaments. I even found a guitar that looks just like mine. Got one for me and one for the Durons. We also found a place selling real European Gelato! Naturally, we all had to get some of this different kind of ice cream. It was wonderful! But the highlight of the trip was seeing a pod of orcas on the way back. There were about 10 all swimming in a row. I snapped a ton of pictures. Hopefully a few come out.

Sunday - We finally slept in. Frankly, I didn't do much all day. We had dinner with the entire crew and then some of us went to watch fireworks. Quite an impressive display, and it was really neat watching them over the water.

Monday - Mike and Zoe had to leave. :( I tried to meet up with everyone to ride the go-carts, but that never came together, mainly because the golf group got back so late. I would have liked to do that except they left at 8 AM! That afternoon, however, Mom, Dad, my uncle, aunt, and one of my step-counsin's kids went for a sailboat ride. It was loads of fun. We all agreed we'd love to have a sailboat. Now to be able to afford it.

Tuesday - Woke up to the sound of steady rain on the trailer. When we got up, it was still raining. This was a problem because we were taking the ferry to Victoria again, this time with the rest of our group. Thinking I didn't want to risk ruining my camera, I left it at the trailer. By the time we got on the boat, it had stopped raining, and it was actually sunny in Victoria. Mom, Dad, and I headed out to Butchart Gardens. We'd gone when we were there 20 years ago, and it was just as spectacular as I remember. And I loved seeing the Ross Fountain again. In fact, I bought two post cards of it since I didn't get one 20 years ago. My biggest regret is that I didn't have my camera to take pictures. I could have taken a million. We tried to get back in time to get more gelato, but we didn't make it. :( The ride back was pretty rough, but we made it back just fine. Did see a couple orcas, but nothing like the trip before.

Wednesday - I had to leave. Read about half of Slip Cue. My plane was delayed about an hour, and I was an hour and a half early to begin with. So I walked the terminals. Walked to the end of all the terminals in the main airport. Didn't head out to the two that are separate, however. Figured I wouldn't be able to clear security out there, anyway. And, on the plane, I started Mansions of the Dead. I'm currently almost half way through and am enjoying it as much as I did the debute in that series. Got into LAX and headed out to wait for the bus back to my car. I thought I'd have to wait about 30 minutes, but there it was 10 minutes later! Fortunately, I got on when I did because we filled up at the next stop. It was a standing room only ride, and thanks to traffic, we were going for over an hour. All told, it took my 12 hours to get home.

This wasn't a trip were we did tons of stuff, although I enjoyed greatly what we did. And it wasn't a completely relaxing trip with having to set alarms all but one day. But it was a great trip and it was nice to spend time with my aunt's family. Sure wasn't ready to come back Wednesday.

And that completes my vacation diary. Now, I'm going home to a nice quiet evening.

Catching Up on Memes

You know, I'm not sure going on vacation is worth it. You wind up with so much to catch up on. Like internet stuff. Right now, I need to do my three memes for the week, so let's get started.

First up, Sunday's word association.

1. Resignation:: Nixon
   
2. Coupling:: Failed TV Show
   
3. Grounded:: for Life
   
4. Habit:: Burger joint near me
   
5. Chainsaw:: Tree
   
6. Rental:: Property
   
7. Deleted:: Gone
   
8. Online personals:: No better then Newspaper ones
   
9. Penguin:: “Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps”
   
10. Offend:: Someone
    

Next up is the TV Tuesday for this week.

1. Daytime TV: "Gimme my soaps", "Talk shows please", "More of a Game show person", or "Home shows are best!!"
Game shows are a fun way to waste time. Which is why I wish I got GSN at night.

2. One of the latest trends in Daytime TV is re-runs of 80's & 90's hit shows, what is your favorite that's re-running now? If you don't have one which show would you like to see re-running?
I have no clue what’s even on right now. If Scarecrow and Mrs. King were on, I’d probably tape that. Or Greatest American Hero. Of course, I was going to tape and watch Dick van Dyck this summer, wasn’t I? That hasn’t happened yet.

3. What's your all time favorite day time show?
I really haven’t watched enough to know.

~Bonus~ There's lots of noise about Daytime soaps pushing the limits of what's acceptable on TV, but the soaps claim they're just keeping up with changes in society, so which is it? Are the soaps over the edge? Or has society brought it on itself?
It’s a catch-22. Society goes a little further, so TV in general tries to go a little further, so society goes a little further. So my answer? It’s a vicious circle.

And finally, today's Thursday Threesome, brought to us by weird thoughts and The Back Porch.

From "Random Lines In E-mail" we have this week's T-3:

::Not so much easy as addicted...::

Onesome: Not so much-- --to do now that school is out for the students? ...or maybe a little too much to do for those student's parental units? What are you up to this July? Back for Summer Sessions? ...off to the beach? ...headed out on a weekend adventure? Surely you must be doing something!
Well, there’s the vacation I just got back from and my brother’s wedding at the end of the month. Other then that, nothing.

Twosome: easy as-- Pie? Sure, how about your favorite pie? ...and hey, homemade versus store bought! Would you rather have Mom's Apple Pie or head on over to Marie C's for a slice of heaven there?
My favorite pie was Baker’s Square’s Chocolate Mint Silk Supreme. Now that they don’t have that any more, it’s the Caramel Pecan Silk Supreme I can’t have any more because of my nut allergy. I also love apple pie. In fact, I love a sour cream apple pie Mom used to make. So, as you can tell, I’ll eat any pie no matter where it comes from.

Threesome: addicted-- Okay, what is it you are addicted to, that element of your life you simply cannot do without. Reading? The Net? Little porcelain dolls? Oh, yeah: Money? Nah, make it something you'd spend your spare change on...
Reading. The internet, although I did survive my trip without it. It seems like TV, although I didn’t watch my tape last night. In stead, I got on the internet. :)

My Vacation, Part 1

I'm back!

I had a wonderful time. But I've spent all night trying to catch up with my on-line life and ignorning the suitcase behind me needing to be unpacked. There's always tomorrow, right?

So I thought I'd give you a description of my vacation. Starting with Thursday night. :)

Things went very well with the kids that night. As I'm going through my long winded, rambling speech, I had a couple ask if I was leaving. When I said no, they looked relieved. This just confirms my opinion that now would be the worst possible time for me to think about leaving for that reason, not to mention loosing the Durons.

Friday - I have no recollection of turning my alarm off. But there is was, turned off when I woke up half an hour later then I was supposed to. Which, naturally, made me half an hour late leaving. I had allowed plenty of time to get to the airport, so I only worried half as much as I would have other wise. Found the shuttle in Van Nuys and took that instead of parking at LAX itself. Saved me half as much money plus we used the car pool lane, which probably saved me time as well. Got to the airport, checked in, through security, just as they were about ready to board the plane. Not a lot of time to spare, but I made it! :) While on my way up, I finished We'll Always Have Parrots (LOVE IT!) and started Slip Cue. I arrived and wandered around the Seattle airport a little waiting for the others to arrive. That's when I found the problem with our plan. We were to meet up at the Enterprise Rent A Car counter. But there were two of them! Fortunately, we found each other fine without it.

The rest of the day involved driving up to Birch Bay and finding and settling into the condos where the majority of the group was staying. My family arrived last and we didn't connect until after dinner, when Mike and Zoe picked me up and took me to the trailer park where we were staying about 15 minutes away.

I really had intended to get further then this tonight, but it's late and I'm tired. More updates to come, promise!

Just popping in for a minute

Trying to finish off something at work before I take off for almost a week, so thought I'd pop in here while I'm waiting for my co-worker to finish up her part of it.

Yes, I'm going to Washington State and leave bright and early tomorrow morning. Like 6 AM, I hope. Meeting up with Mom, Dad, Bro, Sis-in-law to be, my uncle and aunt and a bunch of her family. Should be loads of fun.

Last night, however, was a thanks to the staff party at the Duron's. They fed us dinner and had little gifts for us. Mine was a small guitar pick (in green!) with a vs. about praising God on it. Of course, since they just wrote on it, I'm afraid to use it to play for fear of rubbing it off. I'm thinking about finding a little frame for it when I get back so I can put it someplace and not loose it.

I led worship for a little while, too, which was fun.

Then I took off for my ultimate game. Got down there with only a few points left to play. We won 17-11 or something like that. Played three points, however, so I feel it was worth it. Especially since in one point, they threw me the disc, I caught it, and passed it on to someone else. Good confidence booster! Hey, I'll take it where I can get it!

On the way home, however, I think it really hit me. I'm not sure how I will take the next month as the Durons actually leave. I'm going to just have to keep giving it to God.

This proves that I'm still fairly emotional. Should make tonight interesting as I talk to the jr. highers involved in Saturday's incident for the first time since I left.

Thursday Threesome for July 1st

This week, it's brought to us by American folk music and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Yankee- Hey, this is the 4th of July weekend here in the States; do you have any plans? Fireworks? Watching the Boston Pops? Hiding under the bed with the dog?
I’m not sure what we’re doing for the Fourth itself, but I leave tomorrow morning bright and early for Washington State for the weekend. Taking an extra couple days on the end, so I won’t be coming back until Wednesday.

Twosome: Doodle- Is there any paper safe from you, or are you a doodler? If you are, when are you most likely to doodle and what do you draw?
Nope. Don’t doodle at all. Write notes an any scrap of paper I can, but don’t doodle.

Threesome: Dandee- Or dandy. It's one of my favorite words. How about you, do you have any favorite words that you like to use, just because you like the way they sound or just because you can?
Smock. I just like the way it sounds. Smock, smock, smock.
Ok, so I’m not Hobbes. :) But I can’t think of any word I like to say. Expressions? Sure. But words? No.