Thursday Threesome for March 31st

Brought to us this week by picnics, fast food, and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Hot Dogs--Spring picnics and cookouts are coming! Is it hot dogs or hamburgers you want to have on your plate as you head back to the table?
I enjoy hot dogs, but given a choice, I'll take hamburgers any day of the week.

Twosome: and-- ...and what else is on that plate that you just cannot be without as you work your way through the crowd? Potato salad? One of those huge pickles? Come on, there has to be something !
Chips or fries. :)

Threesome: French Fries-- ...and the real toughie: do you have to have "fries with that'? ...or will chips do well enough for you. Just curious...
As long as I get one or the other, I don't really care too much. I am a picky fry eater, so usually I'll go with chips at a picnic. Beside, at a picnic, they usually don't have fries.

Being a Detective is Easy

When you have clues dropped in your lap.

Last Sunday (Palm Sunday, not three days ago), Jennie, Angelique, and I dropped by The Mystery Bookstore in all our wanderings. It's been a topic of wondering for the last several months since the owner has been conspicuously abscent, even during their recent anniversary party. Rumors were flying like crazy as to what was going on.

Naturally, when I heard the clerk in the store talking about Shelly, I rudely shushed Jennie and shamelessly evasdropped.

Looks like one of the rumors is true. A former employee came back and started being the operations manager for the store. Shelly was happy with his work and decided it was time to retire. So he's sold his shared of the business and will be retiring to Oregon to start an on-line mystery magazine.

I know many will miss him. But personally, I may start shopping in that store. I avoided it on general principle most of the time because I always found the guy to be downright rude to me anytime I did try to get something from him, including at the UCLA book festival.

Time to Catch Up

It's been a while since I've posted here, hasn't it? Maybe I should catch you up a little.

I found out this week that my team did make it to the finals last weekend. We lost there. I would have loved to have been there and played, however. Of course, I had fun with Jennie and Angelique. Why can't I do everything at the same time?

Thursday night, Jared and Scott did an outstanding job leading worship. It's kinda scary to realize that you aren't needed in something. But it's nice at the same time. And, as I've said many times before, I certainly have no quams about being gone right now. They can fill in for me no problem whatsoever.

Thursday night late, I headed out to the trailer park to spend a couple nights with Mom and Dad in their trailer. We got to bed very late, probably something about them not coming until midnight. But we slept in late to make up for it. When we did finally get up, we ran a few errands and then headed up to a poppy preserved we'd heard about outside of Lancaster. There was a bitter cold wind blowing, and it didn't turn out to be nearly as nice as we were told it was. I think it's because it was too cold for the poppies. When our friends had come through, it was during our first sign of spring, but this last week was another round of winter.

Friday night, we played Rummikub. Mom won all but the last game we played, too.

Saturday morning we woke up early, but not by design. We awoke to a siren going off for about 5 minutes at 5:30 AM. It finally stopped and we were going back to sleep when it went off again about 45 minutes later. Dad called the sherrif's office to find out what was going on. It was an alarm to let people in the area know that a prisoner had escaped from the nearby prison. But we did get back to sleep after that and didn't get up until about 11.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out at the trailer and playing games. We played Rummikub again for several hours, and Mom didn't win once. :) We also went for a quick swim.

Sunday was church. We came back here and Dad took at look at my frig and dryer for me. Didn't find anything, so I still don't know what's going on with them. Then we went and played mini-golf. Mom won by a wide margin. At this point, we decided to get dinner, but discovered how many things were closed for Easter. And eating out with Mom and Dad is never easy since they are vegans. Finding a place they will eat is quite a challenge. We eventually did find a Subway that was open. Then we came back to my place and played games.

Now, since I regularly complain about my roommates here, I do need to shave this story as well. A latch on my parent's trailer broke, and they needed to fix it before they could leave. Dad discovered Sunday night late that he needed a drill to make the repair he wanted to make. One of my roommates loaned him his drill overnight, no questions. So they aren't always jerks. :)

Easter Sunday Word Association

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

He is Risen!

(Rest of entry taken from here.)

1. I’m waiting:: You're Late
2. Speak:: "Rough"
3. Roger...:: and Hammerstein
4. Knock knock:: Who's There
5. Hybrid:: Gas and Electric
6. Can’t believe my eyes:: Amazing
7. Hooked:: on Phonics
8. Pontificate:: Talk on and on
9. Slime:: You Can't Do That on Television
10. Unwelcome:: Get out!

Just a Quick Note

Just thought I'd drop a quick note even though I should be walking out the door to youth group.

I don't have to work at all tomorrow. Thought it would be a half day, but they're giving us all of tomorrow off. My parents will be arriving in town late, so I'll be spending time with them. Probably be off-line between now and Monday morning.

Have a blessed Resurrection Weekend.

Thursday Threesome for March 24th

Brought to us this week by Londo Morlari (Babylon 5 reference) and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Wine- or beer? Or do you prefer your beverages non-alcoholic?
Non-alcoholic thank you very much. Don't like the smell, why would I like the taste? Give me fruit juice or water, and I'll be very happy.

Twosome: Women- and men. We're entirely different creatures. What do you think makes the opposite sex tick? Or do you consider their behaviour a complete mystery?
I don't think we're that different, for all the stereotypes. We both want to be loved and appreciated. We both want to be happy. Other then that, I have no clue.

Threesome: and Song- What's your favorite song? Your favorite band/ musician?
Favorite song - "Learning to Trust" by David Meece
Favorite band/musician - Chris Rice, Ginny Owens, Nichole Noredeman, David Meece, Rich Mullins, to name a few.

Adventures in Fictious Character Stalking

Earlier this month, an author I love sent me the address where her fictious character lives. Since it's in Hollywood, I decided to check it out Wednesday night after picking Jennie up from the airport.

I'd gotten directions off Yahoo maps, and my first order of business was to figure out which way I wanted to go on the freeway. Finally, I figured out I wanted to go south. Just one problem. I thought I was on the correct onramp, but suddenly found myself going north. So I had to exit and turn back around.

When I got to my exit, I found out that I couldn't turn left, as the directions told me to.

Finally, I got turned around and headed the correct direction on the correct road. My directions said the street was on the right, so I stayed in the right lane and slowed down for every single street. It wasn't there. I made a couple more passes, then decided to check out the other side of the street. And that's where I finally found it.

Well, almost. The addresses were hard to see in the dark. I made a couple passes, but I figured that the neighbors might not appreciate me doing it again. Afraid they'd call the cops about the strange car on their little street at 11:30 at night, I left.

Still, I have a guess on which of the houses it is. It's the one that best matches the description from the books. Of course, since I got the rest of the details in the neighborhood completely wrong, who knows if I was correct or not.

Still, it's always fun to see what the reality is. It was similar to what I had pictured, but not quite right. The street was shorter, the houses packed more together, and even though it knew it was close to the freeway, I had no idea it was that close.

First Day Off

So today was my first day off for the new carpeting. I slept in until 10 AM. Got up, washed my bedding, watched The Incredibles and some TV on DVD and then hopped on the internet. Nothing too dramtic. And the rest of the week is going to be about the same.

Now my weekend, however....

Saturday was day one of St. Pat's Hat for this year. Because of the rain, it was on the beach in Venice. So I trucked down there fully intending to get my shirt, play a game, and then leave.

But something happened. I started having fun. It helped that my team was on a real winning streak. We won all five games on Saturday. Most by a large margin. The largest being 11-3. The closest game was 13-12.

It rained a little for a while, but most of the time was sprinkles. I even got hot enough to take off the shirt I was wearing underneath for warmth.

Of course, my legs were downright tired after that. But it was a blast. I scored a point in the first game, and was a part of the action every time I was in. Of course, with 5 people on the field instead of 7, I kinda had to be.

I really wanted to play again Sunday, but with Jennie in town, there was no way I could do everything I wanted to do. So, after church, I talked to my family then went down to meet Angelique and Jennie. We went to a very late lunch. Then we played miniture golf. I wound up winning. Of course, they'll clame it was because I was keeping score. But it wasn't. Honest! We headed down to Westwood, then went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. First time I've ever eaten there. Food was great, service wasn't. The kitchen was slow, which might explain why it took us over an hour to get our food. Once we got our food, we had to hurry to get Jennie to the airport on time. But we made it with time to spare. By the time I got home, it was midnight.

With all this stuff going on, can you understand why I slept in until 10 this morning? I must say, it felt wonderful. And I'll be sleeping in again tomorrow.

Of course, I got sucked back into the Amazon customer review board again today. Found a couple reviews on a product that were commenting on other reviews, especially one written by Harriet, the #1 reviewer over there. I headed over there to read the thread about it. As I figured, most of the board is supporting the jerks. Keep in mind that both of them are ex-top 100 reviewers who know the rule about commenting directly on other reviews. And the fact that their review wasn't about the product they were "reviewing." Yes, it got me to post on the board. One of them has been her normal non-civil self. Neither think they did anything wrong. I reported their reviews and their reviews only, and Amazon took them away, so I feel vindicated. Hopefully, I can leave the board again by Wednesday night.

Right now, 24 is on and my roommate is about to go to bed. So I need to post this and go.

Word Association for Palm Sunday

Man, I need to be in bed asleep right now. In stead, I'm on the internet, doing this.

1. Stink:: Me (I haven't showered after the ultimate tournament, still.)
2. Renewal:: Library books
3. I remember...:: History
4. Loneliness:: Sad
5. Ooooh:: Aaahhhh
6. For real:: Not pretend
7. Titanium:: Good
8. Get down:: Boogy
9. Rupture:: Break
10. Dramatic:: Spectacular (like some of the dramatic catches I saw today.)

A Late Update

Heck, for most of the world, it's already Saturday. But it's still Friday, my time, so I can call it a late update.

I'm off work until Thursday. They're replacing our carpet, and they decided it was just going to be too hard to try to set us up to work somewhere else while they move everything out, put the new carpet in, and then move everything back in. So I don't have to work Monday through Wednesday.

Tom says I'll get bored. Is he kidding? I already have two weeks worth of stuff I want to try to get done in these three days. There just isn't going to be enough time!

I forgot to mention that Monday my friends Steve and Karla took me out to dinner for my birthday. And they gave me a gift card to Barnes & Nobel as well! Guess which bookstore I'll buy the next two Trixie's from.

And yes, I'm finally reading Peach Cobbler Murder. So far, so good. :)

Tonight we had a game night for the youth. Fortunately, we had a lot more guys because the game was definitely a guys game. One of our high schoolers made it up with his friends. The guys seemed to have a good time. Way to violent for me, so I wound up playing Survivor: The Game with some of the staff and the jr. high girls (who would not have done well at that game at all.) It's interesting, but could take a very long time. We cut it very short. No, I wasn't the winner.

I just learned something interesting. Today is St. Patrick's Day as well. :) I have a Foxtrot daily rip-off calendar (aka a page a day calendar) sitting on my computer moniter. It says today is St. Patrick's Day. I just double checked, and it did say that for yesterday as well. Pretty funny error.

Well, I'm tired and I have to get up early tomorrow for the St. Pat's Hat ultimate frisbee tournament. We've been moved to the beach in Venice since it's raining. I really don't want to go and play in the rain. If I hadn't already paid my money for it, you'd better believe I'd sleep in and forget about it. We'll see how it goes. I might not stick around. I guess you could say I'm a fair weather ultimate player. Why do you think I live in Sunny Southern CA?

St. Pat's Edition of the Thursday Threesome

Brought to us this week by the Irish and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Happy-- No matter what's going on in your life, what always makes you smile?
A friend being nice to me. A funny joke. Lots of Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Twosome: St. Patrick's-- St. Patrick's Day is March 17th. Do you celebrate and wear green? Drink Green Beer? Ignore it?
I always wear green, but that's about the extend of it.

Threesome: Day-- What day of the week is your busiest?Tell us about your schedule...
I think it's Sunday. Between church in the morning and evening and talking to my family and youth group stuff, the days just seems to fly by.

Not Much to Say

It's Wednesday, so I need to blog something, but I really don't have that much to say.

Things have been pretty quiet at home for the last couple of days. Which is nice.

Weather's getting colder again. In fact, it's supposed to rain and be in the 50's over the weekend. So my St. Pat's Hat tournament might move to a beach. Playing in the rain is fun for an hour or two, but all weekend? And I'm hardly ready to play on a field, playing on the sand will literally kill me. I'm guessing lots of people don't show up if that happens. Heck, I might join their ranks. Especially on Sunday. But we'll see.

I was watching an episode of Wonder Woman last night, and both Tom and Chris wound up watching with me. Why is it that program gets so much cheesier when someone watches with me? I was almost embarrassed by some of the stuff going on. Of course, I've always known it was bad, but enjoyed it anyway. So we mocked it together. Me doing a little, but not much. Then they both watched Amazing Race with me. I'm getting quite a kick out of what Rob's pulling there. He's making it a season unlike any others. I think Phil is enjoying that as well.

And I haven't book blogged in a long time, have I? Meanwhile, I am reading faster then normal. Probably due to fewer new episodes on right now.

Drop Dead, My Lovely is a humourous mystery, as you'd expect from the title. It tells the tale of Pete Ingalls who, after a bump on his head, thinks he's a PI. Problem is, he's extremely stupid. Quite funny, especially his narrations on life along the way. However, the character's language was a real turn off for me.

The Flaming Luau of Death is the new Madeline Bean novel. Loved it! As always, the plot is a wild ride that you'd never expect. This time she's in Hawaii for a vacation/bachelorette party for employee/friend Holly. I thought the change of location might hurt the series, but I enjoyed it just as much as the others. I just can't get enough.

The Waking Nightmare is the newest Diagnosis Murder book. I'm half way through and loving every minute of it. If you were at all a fan of the series, get these books. They are just as if the series never went off the air. Can't wait to get back to it.

Well, it's a little after 5. Need to head to dinner so I can get home and change so I leave on time to meet Jennie at the airport. Will be fun to see her, even if the tournement is taking up some of the time we could be hanging out. Of course, most the time she'll be attending the conference that is the real reason she's out here, so it's all good.

I Need Patience. Now!

Or

Only 78 days until my roommates move out, but who's counting?

Yeah, they were driving me crazy this weekend, why do you ask? Ok, mainly yesterday since I wasn't home on Saturday.

The guys in the second bedroom have started sleeping with the sliding door in the living room open, the door to their room open, their window open, and their fan on. One of them should have known how I feel about that since it's been an issue before. When I talked to him about it Sunday morning before church, he got angry with me. "We need to cool it off in here." I suggested opening it earlier, to which he replied, "I wasn't home. I was out witnessing." So being out doing something spiritual is an excuse to ignor your roommate/landlord's wishes? That's news to me.

He didn't come home until late at night, when I brought it up again. I started by asking if he knew why I wanted it closed. "Probably some stupid security reason. We'll close it when we go to bed." Obviously, he wasn't happy about it. When is he going to learn how to get along with his roommates? All I have to say is, I feel very sorry for his future wife. She's going to be in for several rocky years when they're first married.

Meanwhile, it's been three and a half weeks since I asked my roommate to clean our bathroom. I'm still waiting. He's sorta cleaned it once the 10 months he's been here.

Can I just saw I want mature roommates in the future. Who respect me and will give me the courtisy I give them?

Saturday was a fun day. Got up early to go running before I left for book signings. First was Lee Goldberg's for his latest Diagnosis: Murder book. Then comes Ellis Weirner for his new book. Then I went to the Mystery Bookstore by UCLA to hang out at their party for an hour or so. Ran into a friend I haven't seen in over a year, so that was very nice. Then dance class and game night.

That turned out to be interesting. Ran into one of the Quizno's employees I see each Thursday after youth group. Said hi to him, but those with me thought he was a friend of mine not a casual acquaintance, so they invited him to join us for the evening. We had fun, but it could make life interesting in the immediate future.

And that's my weekend in a nutshell. And if my roommates don't back down for the next couple months, I'll be in the nuthouse.

Word Association for March 13th

As always, from here.

1. Shape up:: Ship Out
2. New Orleans:: Sqare (Disneyland)
3. In the bedroom:: Sleep
4. All the time:: Always
5. Philosophy:: My brother's major
6. Tyler:: Lane
7. Disturbed:: upset
8. French kiss:: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
9. Solidify:: Freeze
10. Furtive:: Glance

Mostly Good News

But first the bad.

Remember how a week ago I was all excited about having found a roommate for when my roommates move out in June? Looks like that's falling through because the guy is being forced out of his current place even after his landlord told him he'd work with him about rent this month since the guy had lost his job. Yep, the same guy who "needed" three months notice would rather be without a roommate then wait an extra two weeks for his money. Call me crazy, but I'd do it the opposite way around.

Speaking of which, I have a roommate who still owes me rent money, don't I?

But on to the good news.

We're starting worship time last night. I've read Psalm 100 as a call to worship and am playing the intro to the first song when suddenly, everyone starting singing "Happy Birthday." I'm sure I turned bright red, but it was very much appreciated. They had a card for me, and there were brownies afterwards, too. Plus some gift certificates from Kurt, Kellie, and Nick and cookies for me from Kellie. I felt very loved and appreciated.

Honestly, I think this is the first time my birthday has been acknowledged with the youth, while everyone else's has. I really appreciated it this year. It doesn't need to be this big every year, but it's nice to have something happen.

I'm sure I had a goofy grin on my face all the time, too. I hope they know how much I appreciated it.

There was also a couple there last night who was introduced as being new jr. high staff. Maybe they've found someone to take over, so it won't be us inmates running the program much longer.

Thursday Threesome for March 10th

Today's Thursday Threesome is brought to us by Randomness and The Back Porch.

Onesome: A Somewhat-- We're in somewhat of a lull between holidays. Are you decorating for St. Patrick's Day or going right for the Easter season. ...or are you just hanging on for margaritas by the pool?
There's a lull between holidays? Not in stores. :) Actually, I don't do much for either holiday. Do play in the St. Pat's Hat ultimate Frisbee tournament. And I'll be in church Easter Sunday, but that's about it.

Twosome: Aimless-- Aimlessly waiting for Spring? What are you just waiting to do once the weather clears up?
Swim! Water is calling me loud and clear and I can't wait to swim again.

Threesome: Hodgepodge-- Where's the hodge podge collection at your place? You know, that drawer or shelf or cabinet where 'all the other stuff' ends up when there's no place assigned to it. Yeah, that one !
Guest towels, an afghan, papers of some sort, tools, and other stuff I can't think of right now. Hodge podge certainly defines that shelf in my closet, doesn't it?

Where is My Head?

And that's not the set up for a joke. I have hardly been able to concentrate on anything today. My mind is elsewhere. Not that I know where it is.

For one thing, I keep thinking it's Thursday. Why I wanted to skip Wednesday is beyond me, but I did. So I wanted to do the Thursday Threesome today. And I wanted to read the rest of April's current story.

But part of it is the fact that I didn't sleep last night. At least not very well. Didn't go to sleep until after midnight, woke up at 3 and for good at 5. Yet I'm not tired. Just not connected.

Of course, I spent all that time awake thinking about a Trixie universe I could create....

And yes, yesterday was my 30th birthday. Doesn't make me an old man, however. I refuse to become an old man ever!

Didn't really do anything special for it. We had the standard office party, which was nice, and I talked to my family at night. That's about it. Thought about several things, but didn't wind up doing any of them, including my original plans to read and watch Wonder Woman before The Amazing Race. O well, it was a pleasant night.

And speaking of pleasant, can I tell you how nice the weather is? (I put it down here so you'd read more of my post, Chris.) If it's not 80 out there right now, I'd be shocked. I've had my window open all day. But I decided what I really needed was a laptop with wireless networking so I could sit outside and pretend to work. I must say, this nice weather certainly didn't help my mind focus on anything productive.

Turning Thirty

For some reason, I've had this Randy Stonehill song running through my head all day. :) Even though the specifics don't apply to me, I like the attitude. Enjoy.

I've got a house down by the ocean
The rent is not too high
And I love to watch the ships come in
And hear the seagulls cry
And lately I've been taking stock
Of all that I've been through
Oh tomorrow is my birthday
Feels funny but it's true
I'm turning thirty

Now I've got a wife who really loves me
She makes my life so sweet
And a little baby daughter
Who plays games around my feet
And my world is very different
From lost lazy bachelor years
But if I had the chance to go back
I'd rather stay right here
Turning thirty

And I have friends who care about me
They're the best I've ever had
And they always stood behind me
Whenever times got bad
And I love to play my music
Though the road can be at trial
But every time I walk on stage
It's worth each dusty mile
Turning thirty

Well, now thirty ain't like fifteen
And it's not like twenty-five
My back's a little stiff
And there're some lines around my eyes
But I've still got my energy
And I've got most of my hair
And I'm not too old to rock 'n roll
And I'm not really scared
Of turning thirty

Oh, the eighties look like tough times
The world is turning sour
So I'll keep on serving Jesus
And await the final hour
And though I've often failed Him
In these thirty rocky years
His mercy brought me this far
And His love has dried my tears
I'm turning thirty
I'll treasure these years
I'm turning thirty
I'll treasure these years
Turning thirty

Spring has Sprung!

And it's only supposed to get nicer this week! :)

It was in the mid-70's today, I'm sure. Actually got too warm reading out in the sunshine at lunch time and had to move to the shade.

Yes, I spent my lunch time reading today. I was all set to work out. Even motivated. Got to the fitness center to find that they were closed until 1 PM. I could have worked and gone later, but I wasn't quite that motivated. :) So, I finished Bilge Water Bones. Glynn now has a problem on her hands. I'm going to start demanding the next in this great series a month before the book even comes out. (I was reading an advanced review copy.) Great writing and a good story, although it does appear to loose it's way in the second quarter. In reality, everything that's happening is important, you just don't know it yet. And the suspense really builds in the second half.

My office still stinks. I was hoping to air it outby opening the window now that it's nice out, but they're drilling the sidewalk outside my office to replace gas and water pipes. It's just too loud to make opening my window even an option for most of the day. :( Hopefully they'll be done with that soon and I can open it the rest of the week.

I am going to enjoy this weather while I can. I don't think it'll be here to stay for another week or two.

Word Association for March 6th

As always, you'll find them here.

1. Usher:: Church
   
2. Cherish:: Love
   
3. Mistreat:: Abuse
   
4. Forum:: Message Board
   
5. Systematic:: At the root
   
6. Warning:: Danger!
   
7. Wash:: Dry
   
8. I wish:: Into the Woods
   
9. Candles:: Birthday
   
10. Metallic:: Taste
    

Remote Blogging

I'm down at the ING Direct Cafe in Santa Monica as I type this. Had a coupon for a free drink, so I thought I'd check it out. Opened a savings account with them a few months ago. Free internet, so I'm checking in.

Went to a signing for Jerrilyn Farmer's new book down in Thousand Oaks this afternoon. Lots of fun. Now I can't wait to read the book. And I still have half of Bilge Water Bones to go!

Speaking of going, I'm supposed to be at Debbie's in 15 minutes to leave for dance class. It'll take me at least that long to get there. Gotta run!

3/4/5

Is it geeky that I love today's date? Yeah, I thought so.

My office continues to smell. It seemed to be doing better yesterday, but it's definitely worse today. I'm glad I don't have to come in for a couple days.

Wednesday night, I've piled Matt and Casey into my car to leave, and the car will hardly move. Get back out, and discover that I have a flat tire. And I mean very, very flat. It had a screw in it, but that had been there for a few days. Don't know what made it loose air so quickly, but we got it changed and left within half an hour.

And can I just say I'd forgotten how powerful the last few episodes of Babylon 5 are. Man, I love that show.

To make up for Wednesday, Thursday I got an awesome surprise. At lunch time, I headed over to Borders for a book signing for Joanne Fluke's newest book, Peach Cobbler Murder. Had a great time, as I figured I would. The surprise came when I got it back to my office. I was thumbing through the recipes and then took a gander at the acknowledgements. Guess who's name was listed there. Yep, I made the acknowledgements of a second author's book. And it was a complete surprise, too. Naturally, that made my day.

Youth group last night was horrid. At least half the kids were talking constantly. While trying to lead worship, while the video was playing, etc. At least the two guys in my small group also thought it was a problem. That made me feel so much better.

And I may have the roommate situation taken care of. One of the guys on high school staff is looking to move, but his current landlord wants three months notice. And my roommates are leaving in ... three months. I hope this works, because I think he'd make a great roommate. And he's willing to pay for a whole room by himself, meaning there would just be two of us in there. That sounds like Heaven right about now.

Thursday Threesome for March 3rd

But first, there was a new TV Tuesday this week.

1. Do you like awards shows? If you do, what do you like best about them? If you're not a fan, tell us why.
I watch occasionally, but usually don't. Most of the time, stuff that's nominated isn't anything I've seen or am interested in seeing, so I don't care about the outcome. And stuff I like doesn't win if it is nominated. I also find sitting down and watching them boring.

2. Which awards show is your favorite? Are there any awards shows you can live without?
The one awards show I've watched faithfully for years is the Dove Awards, now the Gospel Music Awards. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it last year, so I didn't get to watch it.

3. Do you tune into the red carpet specials before the awards shows?
Nope. Don't care about fashion and the interviews don't interest me, either.

~ BONUS ~ Have you ever been to an awards show or to the red carpet? Is there one that you'd like to attend? Or would you be more interested in the after-show parties with the stars?
The only one I'd like to attend (and I'd be in Heaven if I did) is the Gospel Music Association week.

Ok, now for the Thursday Threesome, brought to us this week by autos and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Routine- Tell us about your morning routine. Do you get up at the same time every day, or do you sometimes hit the snooze button on your alarm clock more often than you should? Do you head straight for the coffee or into the shower?
My alarm goes off at roughly the same time every day. Get up a little earlier if I'm planning on running. Of course, the time I actually get up varies based on my laziness. :) I hit the bathroom and the shower, get dressed, then eat breakfast and race out the door.

Twosome: Scheduled- What’s on your schedule for the day? Do you schedule every minute or go with the flow?
I schedule stuff, but then see if it works out. :) I'm heading to a book signing for my lunch today. Once I get off work, I hope to watch Lost before heading to youth group. After that will be dinner and Survivor, then more of my book and bed.

Threesome: Maintenance- What do you do to maintain your sanity each day in this hectic world? Do you find a little time to yourself each day and meditate, or wait until everyone’s tucked in for the night and log on to the computer or settle down with a book? Or do you run off to the gym and maintain your body while maintaining your mind?
Who said I was sane? Seriously, I find reading helps me get away from it all. Most of the time. Not when I'm stressing to finish a book before a self-imposed deadline.

What Stinks?

That would be my office.

Yep, I'm back at work. The flood waters have receded, and things are returning to normal. My computer, which was on the floor, even works just fine.

The problem is that it still smells musty and moldy in here. And with my allergies the way they are, it's not pleasant working these days. Granted, it's better now then it was when I came in yesterday, but still. And since it's cold outside, we don't want to leave doors and windows open to air the place out.

Couple that with my roommate being sick and another friend being sick, and you can bet I'll be getting sick soon. I'm taking bets as to when it'll happen if anyone's interested. :)

Went to Wal-Mart yesterday but didn't get the tires. Didn't have time on my lunch hour, although it was very tempting to be gone longer then I should have on my lunch hour. But I did pick up Bambi for a great price. And I got the second season of Wonder Woman, too. Watched a couple episodes last night. Even though season 2 doesn't start with it's best episodes, it's great to be able to watch season 2 again.

That's all the excitement around here.