Busy, busy, busy

I was the social guy this weekend, let me tell you.

Friday night was career Bible study. And I even led worship. I've resisted up to this point because I don't attend that church and I wanted to be led in worship sometimes. It's a way to learn new songs. :) But there's only one other person willing to do it, and he can't be there for a few weeks, so I said I'd fill in. Went well until we got to one song. Which I need to practice tonight, don't I?

Of course, I wasn't feeling well. When I got home, I took my tempurature, and it was 99.3. Went to bed, and couldn't get warm. Finally dropped off to sleep about 1.

Saturday, I woke up and took my temp again. 98.4. Over the course of the day, it ranged from 98.0 to 99.1. I took it easy and finally decided to go to the game night. There were five of us at Debbie's and we played Catch Phrase in rotating teams with one person guessing for both teams. We had lots of fun.

Sunday I was still feeling a little off, but my temp was down to 96.8, which I swear is normal for me, so I headed to church. After church, we had a youth staff meeting. Lunch and planning for the rest of the school year. Lots of fun just hanging out. Then it was back to church for worship practice and the evening service.

Of course, Sunday is also when I found out I can't take one roommate's word for what the others are doing, even if they are all moving out together. One will give me 30 days notice after they've found a place. Another is planning to move out March 1st. You think I would have learned by now they aren't all on the same page.

So that's my weekend in a nut shell. And the dryer just buzzed, so I can get my first load of the night drying. Guess I should head out.

Word Association for January 30th

Thanks to the find folks at Unconscious Mutterings.

1. Coroner:: Dead body
2. Mystify:: Puzzle
3. Corroborate:: Verify
4. Misinterpret:: Confuse
5. Humorless:: Boring
6. Calculus:: Evil (Isn't that right, Chris?)
7. Eye for an eye:: Tooth for a tooth
8. CPR:: Heartattack
9. Stitched:: Together
10. Facility:: School

It's Wet Out There

The only way that I'm posting this from "Sunny" Southern CA is if you call rain liquid sunshine. I hadn't paid much attention until I left the condo today. That's when I discovered it was pouring. It's been raining mostly all day. Hopefully, those who were hurt by our floods had enough time to try out that today's rain won't make things worse. It's supposed to be back to sun tomorrow, so I'm not too worried.

I was right. I stopped procrastinating yesterday. Actually got quite a bit accomplished in the last couple days.

And I forgot to mentioned I've started working out again now that the fitness center has opened for the semester. Went Monday and today. And boy, can I tell I haven't lifted weights since October. Even at the small amounts I lift.

Wednesday night, things came to a head with one of my roommates and he and I had a nice long talk after I brought Matt back from watching two disappointing Enterprise episodes. Turns out some of the comments I've been taking personally were meant sarcastically. And he thought the games nights sounded like a great idea, not the bad idea he made them sound like when I came home that Sunday night. Not that this is changing anyone moving out.

Of course, that's still a problem I'm having. See, I really can't make any plans for the next six months or so, like Trixie Camp or visiting my brother and sister-in-law, if I don't have roommates. My roommates keep promising to give me 30 days notice before they move out. The problem is, until I get that, I really can't start looking for new roommates. And until I know how many roommates I'm going to have and when they're going to move in, my hands are tied. You know, this whole landlord thing is a royal pain.

I had some other rant to go off on at this point in my blog. And it was vital. :) But I can't for the life of me remember what it was, so I think I'll post this and maybe get a couple reviews written for Amazon before I go to career Bible study tonight.

This Week's TV Tuesday and Thursday Threesome

But first, the TV Tuesday from Tuesday. (Almost forgot I still had to do that.) A subject that used to be near and dear to my heart - Nick and Nite. I used to watch all the time, but hardly turn it on any more. Of course, most of their current crop don't do much for me. And the shows I like are on so late.

1. Of the many shows that run on Nick-at-Night, what is the one that you would most enjoy sitting down and watching a marathon of?
I always liked Murphey Brown and Wings. And I would gladly sit through a marathon of Mary Tyler Moore or I Love Lucy, which used to be on.

2. What classic show from yesterday has not made it to Nick-at-Nite yet, but you'd like to see it there?
It's not quite time, but I hope Home Improvement shows up eventually.

3. Have repeat on Nick-at-Night given you a new appreciation of an older show? Which one?
I didn't grow up watching a lot of TV so I used Nick at Nite to catch up on what I missed out on. That's how I watched many an episode of I Love Lucy and Mary Tyler Moore. It also introduced me to Newhart, Happy Days, and Laverne and Shirley.

4. What show that is currently on the air do you think our kids will be watching in 20 years on Nick-at-Nite?
Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, and Frasier leap quickly to mind.

5. What is one show that Nick-at-Nite currently runs that you question if the classic label applies to?
Unfortunately, it is a classic, but I have never understood the appeal of Rosanne. The person of the sitcom.

~ BONUS ~ Are there some shows that don't repeat well in later years because they rely on topical humor? (For example, a lot of the Murphy Brown jokes rely on a knowledge of current events when they were produced) Do you sometimes find yourself getting the jokes that younger generations don't? Do you think this topical humor helps or hurts shows from having a long life in repeats?
I think Murphy is a good example. (And it's on now? Must watch!) I think it's a trade-off. Makes for great humor at the time, but it does hurt a show in repeats. Then again, look at The Brady Bunch. The show isn't topical, but the styles sure are. Yet it thrives in reruns.

Now we can get to the Thursday Threesome, brought to us by electricity (at night anyway) and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Light-- Light chocolate or dark chocolate? ...or no chocolate at all?
I'll eat either, but I prefer light chocolate.

Twosome: or-- Yeah, easy stuff this week : Coffee with cream or black as night? Or maybe: colas or clear sodas? ...or just water, thank you?
Just water please. Some of my friends even joke about my love of water above everything else.

Threesome: Dark-- Light-colored clothing or dark clothes? Which do you prefer to wear? Angel to goth, we're curious?
I'm about split. I wear dark jeans (blue and black) but many different color shirts. I never wear all black or all white.

Tomorrow I'll Stop Procrastinating

Really I will. I'll have no choice. My boss will be back, and I have stuff I absolutely have to get done before the end of the month so that the government doesn't come after us with fines.

I got so little done today it's not even funny.

And I'm in a funk over my roommate situation. The reality of loosing the income is starting to sink in, I think. Yet I truly don't want them to stick around. Friday, they went out and didn't bother inviting me. And it's something I've mentioned liking to do. And things keep coming back to mind. Like one roommate saying "While you were gone, we had our first roommate dinner." Excuse me??!! I live here, too! Or, being told twice by the same one, "We are not friends."

I have decided that either way, I don't want to share the master bedroom. Yes, the money would be nice, but I think it'll be nicer to have my own space.

Just talked to a guy looking to move down here. He wants to take a look at the place, and I think he'd prefer to have a room to himself for what I want for half a room. He's supposed to call me back Friday with his work schedule so we can discuss when he can take a look at it. We'll see what happens. If he doesn't call me back Friday, I'm not interested in having him as a roommate. He claims to be responsible, but if he can't do this, I don't want him to move in.

Yes, I want to be more selective this next go around. No, I don't expect these people to become my bestest friends ever. But some common decency would be nice. And I don't think it's asking for too much, either.

There's Some News in There Somewhere

Not much new going on in my life in the last few days.

Thursday night was Bible study. Friday night we had a movie night for the youth at church. Watched a video of a drama production that a church in Woodland Hills had done a few months back. It was very, very good.

Saturday lazed around the condo and then headed out to our game night. Played Mexican Train Dominoes. Came in a close second. If we'd played one more round, I might have won!

Yesterday, we had a SNYF after church. Went very well. At least I had lots of fun.

Saturday afternoon, two of my jr. high co-workers stopped by. They'd been looking at condos in my complex. First time they'd seen my place. I'd really like them to move in when they get married. It would be fun living so close to them. Hope it works out.

And I finished Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels over the weekend. I read the first book back in October when Matt and I went to Vegas. I loved this book just as much as the first. Can't wait to get my hands on the third.

Meanwhile, I'm going with a little change of pace with the new FoxTrot collection. Should finish it up tonight. Then it's a reread of O' Artful Death for my mystery group at Delphi. We're doing a book discussion on it, and I'm the moderator, so I thought it would be a good idea to review.

But right now, it's dinner time. (You saw that coming, I know.) So I'm off to eat!

Word Association for January 23rd

Time once again for this.

1. Material world:: Junk
2. Satin sheets:: Smooth
3. Blizzard:: Snow
4. Real estate:: Taxes
5. Dress up:: Adult Clothes
6. Wesley:: Crusher (just saw a reference to him at Jix.)
7. Robber:: Friday's Monk episode
8. Saliva:: Eating
9. Slave:: Trader
10. Shift:: Key

Thursday Threesome for January 20

Brought to us this week by Fox and The Back Porch.

Onesome: The next- What would be your idea for the next great reality tv show?
Haven't quite got everything figured out, but it should be based on books. Hey, they've got one based on famous movies scenes, why not?

Twosome: American- What do you think of as typically American? Mom and apple pie? Afternoons at the ballpark watching baseball?
All of those sound good. Or how about fireworks and picnics for 4th of July. Or watermelon. For some reason, that feels American to me as well.

Threesome: Idol- Who's the one person you admire the most and why?
The hard question this week. My parents (two people I know.) Because of all their sacrifices to raise us and teach us over the years since I was homeschooled some and my brother all the way through.

Did I Need That!

Just got done with dinner. My friends (if I can call people who leave town when they graduate friends) Brandon and John were back. Plus my friends who are still students were back as well. We sat around making each other laugh. It was wonderful!

Not much new in other fronts. I have a feeling I'll be loosing all my roommates come March 1st. They have decided to rent a house and try to get 5 or 6 guys in there. Probably be enough of an incentive to get those who only want to move out if it's cheaper to move out. I don't want to try to find new roommates, and I'm already starting to hope they don't go.

Of course, at the same time, I'm planning what I could do with the place if I didn't have any roommates at all. It would require not eating. But then again, I keep saying I want to loose weight.

I must say, trying to keep 5 or 6 roommates? And I thought I was crazy trying to keep four of us around! They'll be looking for roommates even more frequently then I am. And they're rent will change each month, making them very sorry. I'm the only one who suffers from an increase in rent when someone moves out at my place. All in all, I think the two who want to decrease their rent are being stupid, but they haven't asked my advise.

And we'll see if we get any visitors here in the next couple of days. I found a discussion on teaching Intelligent Design in schools along side Evolution today. The guy's point is that ID is a religion, but Evolution isn't. I couldn't let that stand. You see, the US Supreme Court has ruled that Secular Humanism is a religion. Evolution is a major belief of Secular Humanism. Therefore, we are teaching religion in science class whether we want to call it that or not.

TV Tuesday for Jan 18th

Today's subject over at TV Tuesday is Jumping the Shark.

1. What is the worst Jump the Shark moment for a show that you've faithfully watched? Did you continue to watch after the show took the jump or did you give up in disgust?
It takes a lot for me to give up on a show. Buffy and Angel both jumped, but I kept watching. I must lean toward the worst moment being when Angel took over Wolfram and Hart. Or when they killed off Fred. Either of those was pretty bad in my opinion.

2. Is there a show that you're currently watching that you think has Jumped the Shark? Any show that currently is putting on a life vest and strapping on water skis?
Alias. To be honest, I think it jumped the shark when they took down SD-6 in season 2. It's been enjoyable sense then, but it's not nearly as exciting or entertaining.

3. Is there a show that has never taken the jump?
I don't like to say never when the show's still on, but 24 is no where near jumping yet. And I'd argue that I Love Lucy and Newhart never jumped.

4. Is there a show that got close to jumping but then came back?
I'm going to tweak this slightly. I think Mary Tyler Moore jumped when Rhoda left. While I certainly enjoy the show after that, it's not the same as when Rhoda lived above Mary. It just seems to be missing something.

5. What elements do you think most contribute to a show making the jump?
Age of the show. Loosing major characters for whatever reason. A drastic change behind the scenes or in storyline.

The Saga - The Next Chapter.

When last we left, I had just figured out that my roommates were not on the same page when it comes to them moving out. Now I'm on the same page with them. I want them all gone. Ok, I at least really don't care any more whether they go or not. And it call comes back to the game night Saturday.

I already have one roommate mad with me over it. I ask another roommate to clean their bathroom before they leave and pick up their stuff in the living room. Nothing happens, and I spend two hours cleaning the condo myself, including both bathrooms.

The roommate who was around Saturday worked until 3:30 or so. I was watching stuff in the living room, and he joined me for a little while. Just before everyone was supposed to come over, I turned off the TV, which he turned back on. In the 10 minutes before everyone showed up, he started watching a movie. But instead of turning it off and going into the other room, he kept watching. Guess what we spent the first two and a half hours doing. That's right, finishing the movie.

The situation has been reversed before, BTW. And I make a point of turning off the TV and/or leaving at the first chance I get.

So, I guess the lesson is, I can't have friends over to my own condo.

Once the movie was over, we started playing Apples to Apples and had a wonderful time. Man, that game is lots of fun!

Sunday brought a further run in. About the time my family calls, one of my roommates decided to clean the frig. He asked me if I wanted to help him. I said no, and he threw a towel at me and stormed off before I could explain that a) my family was about to call and b) I cleaned the entire condo by myself the day before, including his bathroom. After he got back from church, he did apologize, but still.

All this has just confirmed what I've felt for a long time. They resent my presence in my own condo. I will miss the money, but not the attitude that sprung up in my condo.

This does mean things are looking very grim for Trixie Camp again this year. :(

Word association for January 16th

As always, taken from here.

1. Yoda:: Star Wars
2. Mensa:: Smart
3. Pink:: Elephants
4. Text message:: Phone
5. Galactic:: Battle
6. Chicks:: Women
7. Quesadilla:: Cheese
8. Backpack:: School
9. Socket:: Wrench
10. Compromise:: Reaching a

The Plot Thickens

So I get up this morning, and I have a note from one roommate, and one roommate only. Yes, the one I've been complaining about the most, ironically. It's a very nice note telling me he's not planning to move out in the near future, he'll give me 30 days notice before he does, and he is looking for a cheaper place but not proactively. Since I think I'm one of the best deals in town, I'm not too worried. He also apologizes for making me worry about all this.

There was nothing from my other two roommates, however. Now happy about that, so I call them and ask them to let me know.

Finally get a call back about 5. That roommates tells me that they'll all be moving out March 1st to give me more time to find new roommates. Sounds different, so I start asking him more questions. Finally, I ask to talk to roommates number 3, who's sitting in the room. He says that he and roommates 1 (who left the note) will move out if they find a cheaper place, but not before March 1st.

So now I don't know what's going on. I do know I have six weeks before I loose them, and I will get a definite answer about March in two weeks. But March will be almost impossible to find roommates. Middle of the semester.

This does also explain why I felt like I was getting mixed signals a week ago. The three of them didn't know what was going on and each thought something different had been decided on.

I think banging my head on the wall will be less painful then trying to figure this all out!

I really, really, really need the opportunity I spoke of to come to be. I'll find out more Tuesday.

Meme Time

Um, I have some catching up to do with these, don't I?

Since this week's is about Elvis, and my answer would be boring, I'm doing last week's TV Tuesday.

1. Did you watch more or less TV during the holidays? Did you sample any new shows in repeats or watch reruns of your favorites to catch-up?
Decidely less. My family never watched TV, and most of what I watch was in reruns anyway.

2. Did you get any TV on DVD as a gift during the holiday season?
Not directly. I didn't have any under the tree waiting for me, but I did use the money I got for Christmas to get Alias season 3, 24 season 3, Crusade complete series and Monk season 2 on DVD.

3. Which do you like more--watching the ball drop in NYC or all the college football bowl games?
Watching the ball drop. Although I must admit Benjamin is wearing off on me. Sports don't drive me crazy like they used to. Then again, I'm usually reading while they're on. Hope this doesn't become a problem for me. I need more TV to watch like I need another hole in my head.

4. Looking forward--are there any mid-season replacements shows or any returning shows your anxious to see?
As you could probably guess from looking at what I bought, I'm most excited about the return of Alias, 24, and Monk.

~ BONUS ~ If you watched Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve (hosted by Regis), rate this year's event without Mr. Clark. Was it good, bad? Just OK? Did you miss Dick Clark or was Regis enough for you?
I saw a few parts of it. But no more or less then I normally watch. What drove me crazy was all the celebs talking about how they missed Dick Clark. They were obviously pre-recorded, so it was pretty lame to me.

And since I need to do every week ever of the Thursday Threesome, I'll start with the first one I missed from the 23rd. It was brought to us by My Two Front Teeth.

Onesome: All-- Ready, set, go! It's all over in just a few days. Are you ready to relax a bit and kick back for a day or two? ...or are you going to be the one working so darned hard to make it all work? (...or is that how you like it?)
By this point, I was ready to relax and enjoy. Starting with a nice car trip, of course.

Twosome: I want-- The easy one : what is it you'd really like for Christmas this year? ...any chance you're getting it?
What I wanted most for Christmas was Apples to Apples, which I got!

Threesome: For Christmas-- For Christmas? Sarah and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy yourself this weekend!
Why thank you. :)

Ok. Next up was the one from 12/30, brought to us by Work Around the House.

Onesome: Taking-- some time off? Are you on holiday schedule tomorrow? ...or is it just another day in the mines? How about a party in the evening? No?
I was on holiday schedule for an entire week and a half. Didn't work from the 23rd to the 3rd. My plans for New Years Eve fell through, however, so I spent the majority of the evening at home watching DVD's.

Twosome: the Lights-- Hey, is this the weekend all the decorations come down? When do you "de-Christmas" your place?
The decorations came down on the 3rd. Which wasn't soon enough for one of my roommates. But that's generally when my family takes them down. Although I think a couple units in my complex still have theirs up.

Threesome: Down-- time... Are you getting any relaxation time this weekend? ...or are you all wrapped up in parties and events? ..and for the students: are you done with down time? When do you have to go back
Actually, I was all wrap up in helping a friend get packed to move and taking down the lights. I got much needed down time last weekend, however.

Heck, I might as well do them all.

Here's the 6th, brought to us by dinners I refuse to eat.

Onesome: Fish- Do you have a favorite outdoor hobby or are you a strictly stay at home type?
I love to swim and play ultimate Frisbee. But that doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me or reads this blog. :)

Twosome: Chips- Do you gamble? Lotto, weekly poker night or weekends in Vegas?
None of the above. I even have a witness that I didn't gamble when I was in Vegas.

Threesome: and mushy peas- What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?
Tofu. I certainly consider that strange.

Ok, finally today's, which is brought to us by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Onesome: The Phantom-- Pick one (or more!): Hey, have you seen it yet? Are you going to go see it? Have you seen it on stage? Read the book? What Phantom?
I would like to see the movie, and I'm sure I will at some point. I did see the stage version last time it was in town, and enjoyed it more then I thought I would.

Twosome: of the-- Of the sights and sounds and smells of Spring what are you waiting for the most? ...and what is the first sign in your area that Spring is on its way?
Temps in the 70's for about a week. I love weather in the 70's and 80's!

Threesome: Opera-- Theatre? Stage? Local shows? Do you get a chance to visit any of these venues? Any recommendations on current items?
Let's see, if you haven't seen them, The Incredibles and National Treasure both come highly recommended from me. And there are several more in the theater I'd like to watch right now. I would like to see more stage shows then I do. But, aside from the money, I have a hard time finding someone to go with me.

Ok, I think this post is long enough. I'm going to post now!

Quick update and a story

So I got home last night all ready to talk to my roommates...and none of them were home! I'd been home all of 10 minutes when they all came home, so I was able to talk to them all at the same time. They seemed to think I was being logical and fair by asking for 30 days advance notice. I did tell them to tell me by Friday who was going and staying this month, so we'll see if they do or not. Which means right now I get to wait.

Although I think two of them aren't since they both promised me 30 days notice. At least I can hope they aren't moving out.

Let's see, the sun has come out big time. And it wasn't too cold outside without a coat on today. I think I'm even going to try opening my garage door again tonight.

I'm over half way through Evan's Gate. I just can't stop reading. Great as always with this series. If you haven't read it yet, go get it now. After you finish this entry, of course.

And now for the story.

I've been reading in my car on my lunch hour this week. Yesterday, two co-workers came back from lunch while I was doing so. One of them took one of my magnetic bumper stickers off my car to put on the other's car. So person number two immediately took it off her car and started to walk up to my door to move it for me. Now I'd seen person #1 take the magnet off my car to begin with, so I was already getting out of the car. By suddenly emerging like I did, I really scared them both. They were laughing loudly about it all the way across the parking lot. I got a kick out of it, too. Except for the fact that if people keep messing with them, I'm going to wind up loosing them to theft or just loss. And that's won't make me happy.

Ups and Downs

I'm really tired of living on emotional rollercoasters. I honestly don't think I've gotten any better then when I was a teenager.

The good - One of my roommates came in to apologize for some stuff he had said about me and his attitude toward me that evening. The best part? It was something I had missed all together since I was in the other room. But it was nice to be apologized to for not being included and invited to be included.

The bad - I am loosing one to three roommates by the end of the month. And I can't get a straight answer as to how many. Right now is when I need to be lining up replacements, not two weeks down the road when they decide on something. Plus the fact that I don't want to have to adjust to new guys yet again. At least I'm getting enough warning to be flexible. :)

Of course, my lack of sleep isn't helping this at all. I stayed awake later then I had planned, partially from a 24 induced adrenilin high and partly worring about money last night. You think I'd learn about God taking care of me. After all, last time this happened I found roommates no problem. Yet here I go again. I can't take this much more.

And yes, this might effect my attendence at Trixie camp this year. If I can't get new roommates fast enough, I can't go.

On the weather front, the "heavy rain" we were supposed to have today never showed up. Which I'm very happy for since we are way water logged. None of the mud slides have effected me directly, but it's rather scary. I hope we have several weeks to dry out and absorb the water we've been given. Yes, this coming from the guy who has been gripping about lack of rain for two years now. Never satisfied, am I?

And can I just say how much I love 24? I got to watch all four episodes of this season last night. Yes, it was a bit much, but I loved it. They had me hooked in the first 5 minutes. Can't wait to see where this season's thrill ride takes us. I'm guessing it's not where I expect it to go.

Yesterday=Great. Today=Not So Great

Most of yesterday was the normal church/talk to my family type stuff. But last night I met up with some friends in the evening. We had dinner then played Harry Potter Uno (yes, there are a couple small changes). We had a blast. It was a much needed time with friends. In fact, we decided to have a regularly scheduled game night.

However, when I got home and told the one roommate who was home and up about it, he was really rude about it. I announce they'll be over, but varified that he'd most likely be out of town. In fact, two of my roommates plan to be out of town that night, which is why I volunteered to go first. He seemed really put out by the fact that I was planning to have friends over at all. And then he says, "Well, can I reserve the house for the 27th." After double checking the date, I say, "Sure. What's going on?" "I don't know yet."

Mind you, this is after I've told him that all my roommates are more the welcome to join us if they're in town.

I don't know what it is, but he and I are butting heads constantly these days. This is the same roommate who seems most included to exclude me from things the other three are doing. So you'd think he'd be happy to see my developing a social life. But I guess he just wants me to stay home and mope all the time.

Anyway, after that, I finished Third Watch. Actually, I read about 2/3's of the book this weekend. Just spent a nice relaxing weekend in the condo trying to stay out of the rain. Great book. Much better then the last one.

For some reason, the condo has gotten very warm over the last few days. And I could not get it to cool off last night. Finally went to sleep about 2:30AM. Got up and going in time to get to work on time, but then I had to fight my garage door. Seems it only wants to open about 1/3 of the way. Maybe it's due to the storm. I really don't know. But I had to get it open all the way to get my car out. Stopped for gas, but the gas station I was planning to stop at was closed. And I had ants all over my keyboard when I got into the office. Honestly, I wanted to head back to bed.

But the days been ok once I got to work. Nothing exciting happening either way. Except that my package from Amazon hasn't quite made it here yet. Hopefully tomorrow!

So now, I need to get gas and head home. Figure out what's wrong with my garage door and watch last night's premier of 24 so I can watch tonight's episodes. You know, 4 hours in two nights is a little too much.

Word Association for January 9th

Wow, it's been a few weeks since I've done a word association. I hope I still remember how to do them. :)

1. Pistol:: Gun
2. Rick:: Drive
3. Full circle:: Back to the Beginning
4. I wish:: Into the Woods
5. Frame:: Glasses
6. Adult:: Kids
7. Photography:: Pictures
8. Stew:: Rabbit
9. Cheat:: Liar
10. Brad:: Garret

And For My Second Post of the Year

Yes, I'm still alive and kicking. This week was just too busy at work to update much.

We were doing the W-2's we would normally do before Christmas. It was rather nice to not rush around and try to do them before break. Especially with the problems we had. Which meant I was actually working during work hours most of the time. :)

Frankly, there hasn't been a whole lot going on in my life this week. With students gone, it's been very quiet, in fact. Come home and hang out around here, mostly.

Wednesday was the season premier of Alias. Finally. While there is some potential there, I'm not as excited about it as I'd hoped to be. It seemed like they were trying a little too hard to recapture season 1 with some stuff that made no logical sense. But we'll just have to see what happens. I'm certainly not going to write it off yet.

And Thursday was our first night back at youth group. It felt good to be back. And Scott and Jared let me play even though I missed practice Sunday, which really boosted my ego. It was also nice that they put the songs together themselves without any adults around to make them. I was very happy about that.

And please pray for me. I had an opportunity presented before me when I got home last night. Don't want to get too much into it here and now, but please pray for wisdom for me and most of all for God's will to be done. It makes me nervous both ways.

Oh How the Time Goes By

Looks like I'm finally going to get a chance to update this thing with my Christmas/New Years news. So let's get cracking.

I spent a week with my family in Northern CA. It was crazy busy. I hardly had time to turn around or relax, which was what I really needed more then anything. And Mom and I had several moments that weren't great.

The first involved her numbering syster for packages. Normally, they don't put out presents before Christmas Eve, then we aren't allowed to see them until we actually go to open them. This year, presents were out when I got up there, but they numbered. And Mom kept going on and on about how we had to figure it out. Including at 2 in the morning when we were trying to go to bed after picking my brother and sister-in-law up from the airport. Finally, I mentioned that I don't necessarily enjoy games like this. O, she wasn't happy with me for saying that. Frankly, I was tired of her constant talking about it. When Mike did figure it out, Mom wasn't happy we figured it out because we weren't supposed to figure it out. MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!! And, we're the only people she won't put names on before hand. I feel like I'm being treated like a little kid.

And that really didn't help with this next one. Before I said what I did about not enjoying the game, Mom told me that I couldn't buy anything on my Christmas list I did'nt get until after my birthday. Um, hello! I'm 29. You can't order me around like that any more. Based on what I got for Christmas, I'm sure I know what they got me planning for my birthday. And it wasn't something I was planning to buy between now and then. But every year, they talk about how happy they are with my Christmas list because it gives them lots of options. I come up with that by not buying things for the last few months of the year planning to do that after Christmas is I don't get them. If this is going to be the new policy, my Christmas list will suddenly shrink. Trust me.

Finally, there was the moment alone in my car when she asked me "Do any of your married friends ever try to set you up?" When I answered in the negatory, she reponsed "Why do you think that is?" You know, I always appreciated the fact that Mom never went on and on about me being single. I hope that's not going to change.

But over all, I had a great time. Enjoying seeing Mike and his wife. Spent one night with Donald and Heather, which was great. (And a much needed break, I might add.) And got to see some extended family Wednesday night before I left. Even managed a visit, finally, to the Charles Schultz Museum. Really enjoyed that, being such a fan of Peanuts.

Came back and spent New Year's Eve home alone for the most part. Which brings up another rant about my roommates, but that's for another time.

Finally, New Year's Day, got to pick up Matt from the airport and head down to his parent's house. We were supposed to finish off Babylon 5, but since he got in a week later then planned, we only had time for 5 of the 14 episodes. Spent most of the time helping him pack up his room to move cross country. So I start the year saying goodby to yet another friend. I honestly don't think I can take much more of this goodby nonesense.

And I got a new haircut yesterday. A flattop. I surprised myself by actually getting it to stand up after my shower this morning. I think I like it. Probably keep it for the foreseeable future. Although I may shop around a little. Not completely happy with how it was cut.

Today was the first day back after vacation. Naturally, it's crazy with end of calendar year stuff going on. And at some point this week, we need to run W-2's.

Happy New Year!

Let me be the first post you see dated and timed for this year.

Yes, I've made it back safely from my parents. I know I need to post about it. I promise I will. Eventually.

But for now, may God bless you in the year to come.