Catching up on Meme's While Running Out the Door

I really should be leaving right now, but here I am blogging to catch up on these things before I leave for a week. Is this a sign of addiction?

Before I start, I got a guy to come look at my heater first thing. Tripped a switch, and he showed me how to fix it in the future, so I don't have to spend money to do it. Which means my roommates will have heat if they want it while I'm gone.

Ok, this week's TV Tuesday.

1. What is your favorite Christmas special?
Either A Charlie Brown Christmas or How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

2. Do you have a Christmas special that you don't care for as much?
I've never seen Rudolph all the way through, but didn't really like what I did. Then again, I was an adult at the time. I think that makes a huge difference.

3. One recent trend is making sequels to popular or successful Christmas specials. Do you like or dislike this trend? Why?
I hadn't really noticed, except for the Peanuts specials, which I don't like because they aren't as good.

4. Is there a book, story or song just waiting to be turned into a great Christmas special?
"This Gift" by Gary Chapman that I used for my first Trixie Belden Christmas story at Zap's.

~ BONUS ~ Share some of your favorite memories of Christmas specials growing up. Also, if you have kids, what is the one Christmas special that you look forward to sharing with them either when they're old enough or each year?
When I have kids, I'll look forward to sharing my favorite two with them. Can't think of any special memories, however.

Due to technical difficulties, there doesn't appear to be a Thursday Threesome up right now. So I'm outta here! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Winding Down for the Year

Found out today that Phil's giving us all of tomorrow off, so I won't have to come in. Except I need to download statements, but that should be quick and easy. Which will mean I get to make an earlier start for my parents', which is a good thing.

But the last couple days? I got all my Christmas specials watched. Loved them, too. And got three loads of laundry done, too. So now all I need to do is wrap presents and pack. Drew will be working tonight, so I can crank up the Christmas music and enjoy.

Of course, I wouldn't mind a little company tonight. I'll be busy, but knowing there's someone around or could be someone around is nice. Which is probably why I'd be unhappy to live alone for more then a week.

Went out to lunch with my co-workers Tuesday. Macarroni Grill. Hadn't been there in years. Very good. And lots of fun. I really would like to go out to eat a little more often.

My heater has stopped working. It does nothing but blow cold air. :( I'm trying to get in touch with some from my church to see if he can fix it. Sure was nice when that was my landlord's problem and not mine. Not sure what to do if he can't. I guess Drew won't freeze to death while I'm gone. Although it's supposed to be in the 30's at night and the 60's during the day. Benjamin would be thrilled when he gets back, however. :)

I Feel a Rant Coming On

Today is seven weeks after the election. And if these comments are what we have to look forward to for the next four years, it's going to a long one for Republicans. Why? Let me show you.

Ove on Lee Goldberg's blog, he posted a story he'd found about a teacher who is being harrassed in her community for teaching murder mysteries in an English class and having her students write a murder mystery as a school assignment. While I don't agree with what's happening to her, I was insenced by this comment from his brother:

What a stunning development this recent rash of book banning stories is...could it be connected to a certain presidential election where conservatism ruled the day and crazed thumpers of certain other books had their views validated? This stuff sickens me to no end -- especially when you consider that whack job in Alabama who wants to have all books with gay characters, ideas, or themes in them removed from public libraries. Somewhere, Karl Rove slowly pets a fluffy white cat and plans his next move....

Naturally, this got a rise out of me. Of course, as far as this guy is concerned, I'm still evil because of my views even though I agree the one parent involved and the community response is over the line.

Then, I ran across this article thanks to Oh, That Liberal Media. It starts out:

Emboldened by their Election Day successes, some Christian conservatives around
the country are trying to put more Christ into Christmas this season.

Has this reporter missed the last 20 years? This is a fight we have every single December, with the ACLU sueing anyone who dares to sing "Silent Night" at a school or put a nativity scene up next to snowmen at city hall.

I've got a news flash for these people. There is a conservative backlash happening in this country. But it has nothing to do with the recent election. It's because conservative Christians are tired of being shoved aside, out of the public square, and told our opinions don't matter. See, we live in a country were every voice matters. That means we can and should be heard. That means our holidays can be celebrated just as much as everyone else's holidays. And I, for one, find it offensive that we can't dare speak the name Christmas when it's a federal holiday.

As to the teacher, I think she's being mistreated and the parent is going too far. However, there are things that aren't appropriate to be taught in schools. Are R rated movies censorship? Why can't parents object to what their kids are being taught without being called names? We protect kids from movies they might not be ready for, letting the parents decide if a kid should go see a certain movie or not. Why can't we do the same for what they are forced to read in schools?

Do me a favor. Don't accuse every conservative who dares to speak up of being emboldened by Bush's reelection. And don't even think about writing them off. We really aren't evil people. We view the world differently from you. But maybe, if we're both willing to truly listen to each other, we can not only heal the nation, but find ways to work together on important issues.

Or is that too radical a concept in this day and age?

Dead as a Doornail

Campus sure gets quiet when the students leave. And with people taking off for Christmas, this week will be quieter then Summer. Which is probably a good thing because this is a busy week for us. Since we're off from Thursday at noon until the fourth, the final payrolls need to be run before Thursday. At least this year we aren't running the W-2's until after the break. Takes one layor of complexity out of the system.

Ok, not only did I post a new Trixie Christmas story at Zap's, but I also got a cell phone this weekend. Can you believe that? Still not sure it's a good idea and still not sure that I need it. Especially for the money. I just keep looking at the money and thinking I could better spend it on something else. Well, this is a 30 day trial, so if I decide it's not worth it over break, I can always return it and not be committed to a contract. Of course, it might be my phone as well. Not as happy with that as I had hoped.

Of course, I did download a couple rings for the phone yesterday. "What Child is This?" for the next week, and then the Alias theme song for the rest of the year. Doesn't sound quite right, but it's still fun.

Let's see, finished my Christmas shopping Saturday as well. I'm very happy about that. Now, I just need to wrap presents.

And watch Christmas specials. I have yet to start, including Charlie Brown, The Grinch, both VeggieTales, and The Santa Clause. Add on to that laundry, packing, finishing my book, and working, and I'll be busy until I leave Thursday.

Speaking of reading, I finished Access Denied Friday night. Wonderful ending, and I'm certainly read for the next book already. Wish I didn't have to wait.

And I'm over half way through Snuffed Out. I don't think I'm enjoying it quite as much as I did the first in the series, but it's still good. Also, short. Started it Saturday, and I have 70 pages to go.

Saturday was also Stephen and Natalie's annual Christmas party. Lots of fun as always. We played Taboo, which I don't think I've played in a long time. And obviously, the teams were even because we wound up tied. :) And, they gave me a gift for being the most faithful attender of their parties, a mug with a penguin on it. Now I'll be able to go insane every time I drink (remember, one of my new bumper stickers is "One by one, the penguins slowly steal my sanity.") Some friends they are, actively helping me become more insane. :)

Started loosing roommates to the holidays today. Benjamin is gone and Tom leaves tomorrow. Drew won't be leaving until after I do, so it'll just be he and I for a couple nights. It'll be nice having a few less people around the place. I need some down time right now.

Word Association for December 19th

I've finished my Christmas shopping. Have you?

This week's word association.

1. Perfect Gift:: What they really want
2. Santa:: Claus
3. Lucy:: Ricky
4. Buckets:: Raining
5. Recital:: Piano
6. Stamp:: Act (Think I just finished a US Revolution history class? :)
7. Teacher:: Professor
8. Matchbox:: 20
9. Spit:: in the Wind
10. Feeling:: Happy

And My Grade Is....

An A! I got an A!!!! Finally, I got a 4.0 in a semester of college!!!!!!!!

I found out this afternoon, and I'm a tad excited. In case you missed it somehow.

I love the grades being posted on the network. You don't have to wait two weeks like when I was a full time student.

In other news, the Durons are back in town for a few days. They were at Bible study last night, which was really a Christmas party. And I had lunch with Dave and Beth this afternoon. At Baja Fresh, where Dave and I would always meet for lunch. It's great to see them again. Sounds like things are going very well for them in Idaho. Unfortunately. That means they won't be coming back here! (Have I ever claimed not to be selfish?) Seriously, I'm glad to see them so happy with this decision. Looks like God really was calling them there after all. :) (Kidding again! I'm kidding!)

Of course, spending my lunch hour with them meant I didn't get to spend it with my book. Only 45 pages to go, and it's killing me! But it was so worth it. I can finish this weekend, no problem. I'm really enjoying it, so all you Turing fans, look forward to another great adventure.

Well, I'm trying to get out of here early, and I need to fill out a timesheet and record a couple more deposits, so I'd better hit post now.

Thursday Threesome for December 16th

Bet you thought I wasn't going to do this, didn't you? Well, I did sorta forget it was Thursday. Anyway, this week's is brought to us by calendars (also taxed by the Stamp Act, which I forgot to mention in my final), and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Christmas--Hey, an easy start for you, what with the new layout and all: What is your favorite Christmas song? ...and sung or played by whom? You know, the one you tend to listen for on the radio or hit 'repeat' on the player...
Easy. Easy, they say. I have so many favorites, it's hard to choose. But I do really like 4Him's version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." And it's not Christmas without Evie's "Come on, Right Those Bells."

Twosome: Is-- Is the longer "Holiday Season" this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas making it easier to get your Christmas act together? Last year's was short; has this year flowed any better for you?
Yes. It's given me more time to listen to Christmas music. And, ultimately, that's what time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is all about. :) I had most of my shopping done before Thanksgiving this year.

Threesome: Coming-- Ready or not, here it comes! Are you ready? What do you have left to do with just over a week to go? ...or are you just cruising?
Figure out for sure what I'm getting one uncle, buy it, wrap presents, and pack to head to my parents. And watch all the Christmas specials and movies I want to watch every year but haven't had time to watch yet. Seems like I run into this every year about this time. Hopefully I'll have a chance next week or over the weekend of both. Or I can always do what I normally do, watch the specials while wrapping presents. Every year I say I won't do that, and every year, it comes down to needing to do that to get everything watched.

This and That. Mostly That

My final was this morning, so I'm now officially through with my class! I didn't do as well as I would have liked. I discovered this by looking at my notes on the way back to my office. :) Still, I hope I did ok overall. After all, I did do the extra credit. But I have no clue how I did on the paper. Never got it back.

Watched Karroll's Christmas on A&E last night. For a twist on Christmas Carol, it was pretty good. I got a huge kick out of it anyway.

On Thursday's post, Matt asked how I got started doing the surveys. When I started this blog, had just joined The Back Porch, which was a group blog at the time. That's kinda died out and now they just do the Thursday Threesome. Anyway, they started doing the TT about the first week I was blogging, so I decided to do it, and I've done every one since.

The word associate I found on Diann's blog, thought it looked like fun, so I started doing it, too.

And I don't remember how I found the TV Tuesday, but I thought that would be appropriate for me to do. :)

So, let's do some, shall we? First up, Sunday's word association.

1. Plot:: Fiction
2. Farce:: Funny
3. Unexpected:: Guest
4. Siren:: Call
5. Ben:: Jerry
6. Freshman:: English
7. Quicksand:: Sink
8. 24 hours:: Day
9. Spunky:: Mary Richards
10. Vicious:: Mean

And now, this week's TV Tuesday.

1. What's the best holiday-themed episode you've seen this year? (Or you can go with the worst).
Let's see. Reba and Joey are the only ones I've seen, and Reba was a Thanksgiving episode. Don't know if last night's Veronica Mars was holiday themed or not. Of the two, I'd have to go with Joey being the best.


2. What's your all-time favorite holiday-themed episode of any show?
Mary Tyler Moore. Feeling alone at Christmas and then having her co-workers show up to cheer her up is just great. Enjoyed several from Sabrina, but that's the one that sticks out in my mind the most. Of course, if you want to go Halloween, you can't top the "Ghost of A. Chance" episode of Dick van Dyck.

3. Is there any show that did a holiday-theme episode that you avoid like bad eggnog?
None spring to mind. For the shows that I normally watch, anyway.

~ BONUS ~Jaded and cynical, sweet and sappy, somewhere in between. How do you prefer your holiday-themed episodes of your favorite shows?
Obviously, it would have to depend on the show, but I'd have to so with sweet. I'm not too jaded and cynical when it comes to Christmas, so I don't enjoy that in others at this time of year. :)

Abadonded Blog for Sale. Cheep!

I can't believe it's been so long since I was here. I'm sure I have some excuse here, somewhere.

So, news....

I finally got back in touch with the guy whose Frisbees we borrowed for the Frisbee golf day for the jr. high back in September. He's supposed to stop by and pick them up today. So far, so word from him, however.

I left work early Friday due to a pain in my stomach. Dragged one of my roommates to the doctor's with me. Finally concluded it's got to be a pulled muscle from my month of coughing back in October. :( It's been coming and going for a few weeks now. Hope it gets better soon.

Saturday I got very little on my to do list done. Did finish Chocolate Puppy Puzzle, which I started Thursday night. Loved it! Then I ran some errands. Finally swapped out the pipe in my shower, so it's no longer leaking around the shower head. And put my old "rain" shower head on. I'm thrilled to have that back. Got a longer extension chord as well, so I was able to rearrange the lights on my balcony. I think they'd be better for they were white, but I'm happier with how they look now. This is quite a change for me, because I usually don't like white lights.

And the weather was gorgeous Saturday. In the 80's. So, naturally, I took the opportunity to go swimming.

It did feel wrong, however, to go Christmas Caroling that night. I only put my jacket on at the very end!

That was something else. The kids seemed to want to do nothing but push my buttons all night. I wound up yelling on more then one occassion. It didn't help that the staff member in the car with me was egging them on. Like telling them to open the doors when I locked the controls for the windows. And they were trying to do things like tickle me, which is unsafe when I'm driving. No, not one of my better youth activities.

Sunday, I went with Matt (the other one) and Casey to see National Treasure. Fun movie. Give it it's own logic, but lots of fun.

And I've started Access Denied. Finally getting back to Turing Hopper! I'm enjoying it. Would like to be going through it faster, but I also need to study for my final tomorrow. Can't wait until that's over and done with! Feeling pretty good about it, however. We'll just have to see how I feel after tomorrow.

Thursday Threesome for December 9th

Welcome to this weeks Thursday Threesome, brought to us by Jingle Bells and The Back Porch.

Onesome- Dashing through the snow: Do you get much snow where you live? Do you enjoy winter sports like skiing or would you rather stay in by the cozy fire?
I've never gotten a lot of snow where I live. And I'm rather proud of it, too. :) As a result, I've never much gotten into winter sports. Beside, it's too cold out there!

Twosome- In a one horse open sleigh: Have you ever been on a sleigh ride or a carriage ride? Do you even like horses? Or would you just rather travel by your own two feet?
No on the sleigh ride for sure. Think I've been on a carriage ride at one of the living history places I've been to, but I wouldn't swear to it. Horses are fine, but I haven't been around them too much.

Threesome- O'er the fields we go: What's the first thing that pops into your mind when someone says field? Corn? Football field? Outfield?
Must admit, it's a corn or wheat field rather then a sporting field of some kind. Heck, even over an ultimate Frisbee field.

Frustration is the Name of the Game

I'm just feeling very frustrated with life.

There's me and the lack of work I get done during a "work" day.

There's the money I'm trying to track down that was deposited into our bank account last month and no one in our office knows why. Furthermore, I keep hitting nothing but brick walls at our bank.

There's trying to decide on a laptop computer. Too much info, do many decisions! Make it stop, make it stop! But I'd really like to have one by the time I head to my parents for Christmas so I can get on line on my own when I'm there.

And I'm trying to decide something on a wireless phone, too.

Between those two, it obviously means the world's about to end, which frustrates me because I'm not ready for that yet.

I'm frustrated with politians for continuing recounts in Ohio over the Presidential election and Washington over the governor. (And guess who's supporting both of these recounts because they lost. I'll give you a hint, it's not the Republicans.)

I'm frustrated with CBS news for not firing Rather by now.

But most of all I'm frustrated by my social life, or lack there of. Except for a brief interlude the last few months, I once again am without anyone to hang out with. My roommates have made it very plan that they don't consider me someone to hang out with. Maybe because I'm always in my room watching TV. Then again, they're always in the living room watching something I have no desire to see or playing Halo 2, which I can't play to save my life.

Still, hanging out with Matt these last few months was fun. And it meant I saw more of Matt and Casey, too. But now I look around for someone to do something with on a weekend, and I don't see anyone. I actually got depressed for not being invited when two of my roommates went over to someone's house to play Halo 2. Yep, depressed because I wasn't invited to do something that would have bored me to tears. And I'm frustrated with myself for it.

Honestly, the thought has crossed my mind that maybe it's time to look for a new church. One with more people my own age. But I just can't leave my church. I'd feel so guilty for it.

Welcome to my world, where any answer can only make me feel worse. :)

And in a non-depressing subject, I've met my reviewing goal for the year. I hit 600 reviews Monday night. I'm currently sitting at 603 with probably 3 more to go this year. I feel so accomplished. :) And it's nice because I plan to review one DVD and then just review books as I finish them. Give me the rest of the month off to recharge my ever present, "What can I review next" batteries.

Hm, maybe I need to worry about reviewing less next year and release some stress from that and focus more on other areas of my life. Like loosing weight or finding other ways to make friends.

Well, maybe I've rambled on long enough. What do you think?

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

At least at my place. I decorated this weekend.

Friday night I dug the tree out of the garage and put it together and put the lights on it. Then I got my other boxes out of the storage closet and went to bed.

Saturday, I set off to catch up on Survivor, the only TV I was behind on. Unfortunately, my VCR in the living room had other ideas. It wasn't registering the tape at all. Took it to a repair place down the street from me, and he figured out the problem, just maintenance issues. Fixed it no problem cheaply!

Then I put the lights on the balcony. From a distance, they just look like a mess, but up close, they look nice. Either way, they're very colorful. Then I put the decorations on the tree. With the memories associated with them, that's always fun. With Grandma's ceramic Christmas tree in my room and a nativity scene on the entertainment center, I think we're all set.

Saturday I also talked to lots of people. Donald, Seth, Carol, Mike Lovell and Mike & Zoe. Really is amazing all I was able to get done. Found out ML is recently married. Another of those I thought would never marry takes the plunge. There really is hope for me!

Finished my book last night. Second half of The Shilo Sisters was definitely better then the first. Looks like that may end the series, which would be ok with me. I honestly don't know if I want to read any more.

And last night was family fellowships after church. Enjoyable evening.

Looks like my book package from Amazon still hasn't shipped even though the DVD's have. Considering those are my next three books, we might have a problem. And their recent order part of their site has been down all day, so I can't go in and check for sure. :(

But that's ok. I need to concentrate on stuff for class the next couple of days. That way, when the books do get here, I'll be able to read and enjoy them.

Word Association for December 5th

Also, a good friend's 30th birthday.

Anyway, today's word association.

1. Delightful:: Lovely
2. Impact:: Colision
3. Consolation:: Prize
4. Donation:: Check
5. Blue moon:: Once in a
6. Grinner:: Happy
7. Smoker:: Unhealty
8. Muse:: Inspiration
9. Tweet:: Bird
10. Guitar:: Worship Chorus

O the Weather Outside is Frightful

Actually, the temperature has increased from Wednesday. It's probably in the mid-50's to about 60 today. It's the wind. The wind is absolutely bitter cold and blowing hard and dry. I think we're finally getting the Santa Annas we usually get in the fall. I was hoping maybe they'd passed us by this year. Brr! It just seems to cut through everything. And, it also bugs my allergies.

Maybe that's been my problem this week instead of a cold. Either that or I got the world's mildest cold. Bit of a sore throut, bit stopped up, but not really that bad at all.

Yes, I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather, why do you ask? :) That's why I live in Southern CA.

So, we turned in our papers today. After class, I went up to ask the prof. a question about the final, and he mentioned that he was looking forward to reading my paper. (We'd turned in topics at the mid-term). Great. It wasn't a strong paper to begin with. If he's looking forward to it, it's sure to disappoint him and get me a bad grade. :( Which means I really need to do the extra credit questions he gave us. Something else to pile onto my weekend, I guess. Along with decorating and trying to call a few friends I haven't talked to in ages.

Worship went well last night considering we hadn't practiced for a week and a half. And we're permanently moving worship time to the choir room. Smaller room so we can actually hear the kids sing instead of just ourselves. Makes all of us happy. At least those of us on worship team.

And I got another comment on my bumper stickers today. Seems people get most of them. They just don't get the "One by one, penguins slowly steal my sanity" one. So, what does it say about those of us who do get it?

Meme Catch Up Day

Time to get caught up on these things!

First up, Sunday's Word Association.

1. Limited time only:: Offer
2. Voluptuous:: Full
3. Nutritionist:: Health Food
4. Belt:: Pants
5. Star crossed:: Lovers
6. Snakeskin:: Boots
7. Athlete’s foot:: Itch
8. Boom:: Bust
9. Freezer:: Cold
10. Store hours:: 9-9

And now Tuesday's TV Tuesday.

1. What's your favorite thing you've watched in the past week?
CSI and Without a Trace were both excellent last Thursday. And Veronica Mars was great as well Tuesday. For that matter, so was Lost last night. Can I say everything?

2. Have you found anything new you liked? (You can use disliked or any other adjective you want.)
Nope

3. For those who had access to them, did you see any really cool parades on TV?
Nope

~Bonus~ Holiday dinner: TV on or off?
Off

That was easy after the first one. :)

And, finally today's Thursday Threesome. This week, it's brought to us by weird animals and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Dancing-- Dancing? Does anyone go dancing anymore? I mean, disco died, and the club scene? Hmmm... Is dancing dead? ...or are we just here on the web instead of out for the evening?
I'd love to go dancing. I miss my ballroom dance days. If Master's ever changes their rules against dancing, then I'll start dancing again, trust me!

Twosome: Polar-- Polar bears seem to do well in the snow... How about you? Is snow just another thing you deal with when it shows up, or is it shutdown time? ...and if you're posting from a non-snowy locale, do you make trips to actually see snow? It's okay to admit it...
Considering I'm freezing to death in a 50 degree with strong wind climate, I think we know how well I'd do in snow. :) Often take a trip to see it, but usually with the youth.

Threesome: Bears-- Bears? Christmas Bears? Have you seen the number of bears on the shelf this year? Are you getting one for anyone? ...or are you looking forward to receiving one? ...or do you still think that inguana in the elf outfit is more your style ?
I'm really not into stuffed animals, period. And if I did, I don't know if I'd put out stuffed Christmas bears. My roommates would probably revolt. :)

I forgot last week's, didn't I? I'd better correct that. Two Thursday Threesomes for the price of one this week. :) Last's weeks was brought to us by the Salvation Army.

Onesome: Christmas-- Is it Thanksgiving? ...or just the day before the start of the "Christmas Season"? (...and how are you supposed to shop if you're all stuffed with food?) Hey, is anyone going out tomorrow to save tons of money standing in endless lines with 10,000 of your closest friends? Just curious...
I dont' think I've ever shopped on the day after Thanksgiving. And this year was no exception. And last Thursday was definitely Thanksgiving.

Twosome: Bells-- Okay, we'll give in and admit that maybe the season has started: what decorations are you looking forward to seeing in the next few days? ...the lights in the downtown? How about knowing you'll soon have a tree with that memorable ornament? The Toys for Tots drop off? What makes you comfortable knowing the Christmas season is really here?
Looking forward to digging out some of my favorite ornaments this weekend. But I also plan to head down to one very decorated part of town this year. The neighboorhood is amazing. Haven't been for several years, so hopefully it will hold up to memory.

Threesome: are Ringing-- ...in your ears? What song are you just dreading to hear this season? Come on, the one that just makes you scrunch up inside and want to duck into an iron foundry so you can't hear it? Weird Al? Something from "The Nutcracker"? Those dogs? I mean come on, there's some bad stuff out there ...
I might hear a Christmas song I hate once or twice my the jr. highers. But for the most part, I can't think of anything I hear that I hate. I love too much Christmas music and concentrate on that.

I'm Baaack!

Sorry about not making it over here to update yesterday. The afternoon just got away from me.

I had a fabulous time in Dallas with my family.

I left later then I wanted to Wednesday afternoon, but I still caught the 1 PM shuttle to the airport. Got there in plenty of time, too. My flight from Las Vegas to Dallas was delayed an hour, however. My family wasn't happy about that, since it got me in at 11:30 PM. But it did allow me to finish reading the textbook for my class, which I was thrilled about.

Thursday, we just hung out at my bro's apartment. It's very nice, and the complex is beautiful. Very jealous here. Dinner was great. As if Thanksgiving dinner could be anything but.

Friday, we explored downtown Dallas. Went up in reunion tower. And walked around the square where Kennedy was shot. Blanking on the name at the moment. Saw a special on it a few months back, but being there was interesting. And, for some reason, being at this particular historical place was more special then some of the others I've been. Anyway, we also walked around some of the historical/shopping disctricts.

Saturday we headed out to Bridgeport. My parents lived there for 9 months before I was born, so it was neat for me to finally see this place they've talked about all my life. Certainly a different part of Texas then Dallas.

Sunday we went to church. I really like my brother's church. Great worship. I got to hear the assisstant pastor, and he was great. Then we went down to the seminary and walked around and drove to some rich areas of town.

Monday, Mike took me to Half Price Books before we left town. It's a huge used book, music, movie store. No Trixies, but I did get a couple mystery novels I've been wanting to track down, so I was happy about that. And a bonus Amy Grant CD that I didn't know existed but I had to have.

Then we flew home. Mom, Dad, and I were on the same flight to Phoenix. No delays or anything getting home, but I swear I got the slowest shuttle driver possible. It took us an hour to make all our stops along the way. Probably because it took him about a minute to load luggage under the bus. And wouldn't let anyone on until all the luggage for that stop was loaded. Yes, that means it would often take 15 minutes at a stop to load all the luggage. But I did get lots of reading done.

In fact, I did a pretty good job on the trip. Read Sugar Cookie Murder (loved it) and reread Happy Valley Mystery. I'm in the middle of The Shilo Sisters. I don't think I'm going to be disappointed to see this series end, but you never know.

Last night, I finally got the footnotes into my paper and printed it out, so it's all ready to turn in Friday. And I bought the Beach Boys Christmas CD. Sounds a little too much like their normal stuff to be Christmassy, but I think I'll like it.

Right now, however, I need to head to dinner.