Thursday Threesome for August 31st

I almost went to The Back Porch and did this around noon. Now I wish I had.

Onesome: Fluffy-- is as fluffy does! It's almost lemon meringue season at that pie shop. Do you do fluffy pies? ...or is it fruit all the way for you? (Okay, Southerners: go ahead and expound on rhubarb...)
I like pie. Next question. (There's a season for lemon meringue? I thought you could get it year round. And Joanne Fluke's Lemon Meringue Pie Murder was set in the summer, if I recall correctly.

Twosome: Bunny-- slippers? Yes? No? Barefoot? Shoes? What do you schlep around the house in when it's cold outside?
Either barefoot or in slipper socks, a slightly thicker sock that keeps my feet marginally warmer then being barefoot.

Threesome: Rabbits-- Have you ever had little furry pets? What varieties? Are there any in your future?
I'm allergic to animal fur, so no.

Since the Trip (aka Catch Up Part 2)

You know, generally when you post "catch up part 1" it's good to post part two soon. Not almost six days later.

You'd think things have been busy or something.

The Wednesday after I got back (a week ago), I saw the wound care specialist again. They thought the wound's discharge was a different color. I hadn't noticed. Took a culture and I got the results back on Monday. The results showed I had an infection and they put me back on anti-biotics. It's a mild drug, and the first time I've been on one since March.

Part of me doesn't know if this was good or not. I've been hearing all along "Of course it's infected. That's why it won't heal." But I don't see the harm. After all, it is a ten day dose.

But the real shocker happened Thursday. Guess who is back in charge of worship time for the youth. Yep!

Actually, I'll probably be sharing it with one of my former co-leaders who is now in college and wants to join jr. high staff. Fine by me. We may alternate, which would give the kids a real variety. And that variety is a good thing. I played by guitar last Thursday for the first time in a while, and it felt great. We did requests, and I did fine even with the break. Of course, they picked songs I could have done in my sleep, which didn't hurt anything. And they are songs the youth really enjoy.

We don't quite have everything ironed out yet, so we'll have to see what develops.

Did nothing exciting over the weekend. Watched Arsenic and Old Lace when it was on TV. Not nearly as funny as the play, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

Been working like crazy to get caught up at work. Actually, did a pretty good job this week. Classes have started, so everything is back in full swing. Which means caf food instead of TV dinners.

Yes, the exciting eating habits of a bachelor. :)

The Trip (aka Catch up Part 1)

It's been over a week since I updated, so let's get to it.

Friday, I took off for parts north, more specifically my parent's. There was an accident on the way up, but the back up wasn't more then a mile or so, which really wasn't too bad. Other then that, the trip was uneventful, the best kind.

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out quite as planned before I left. My uncle and aunt didn't wind up coming with us camping, but I did get to see them for a few hours on Saturday, which was nice. My sister-in-law's family came over Saturday night, and we celebrated everyone's birthday.

That made it late when we left to go camping. Still, we got up their, got our spot, and then went to bed. After discovering that the refrigerator wasn't working right for the gas setting. We had to keep playing with it all weekend to get it to work right.

Sunday, we got up and going late. The rest of the family decided to hike into the nearby town. I had done it before, but forgotten just how far it was. As in two hours one way. That really wore me out. I was dragging by the time we got into town. Only because I didn't want to have anyone sitting with me waiting, I walked back, too. I probably really shouldn't have because I was wiped when I finally made it back. So, the part where my family tried to kill me was certainly the low point.

However, the weekend itself was wonderful. It was great to be back at Hendy Woods. I don't think I've been there for 9 years. And we had a great time hanging out and playing games. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have gone on that hike, but that's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Unfortunately, we had to leave Monday. We all wanted to stay another day or two. Had did with my SiL's folks and some of her family's friends.

Tuesday, on the way down, I got to see Donald and Heather and eat lunch with them. Had a really nice visit.

And that was my trip out of town.

Thursday Threesome for August 24th

Yep. That's right. Mark went on vacation and all you get is this week's Thursday Threesome. If it's any consolation, this week's edition is brought to us by classic game shows and The Back Porch. Not helping? Deal with it. :)

Onesome: Name-- Ah, what about names? How did your blog name come to be? Is there a story there?
A fairly boring one. I knew I'd just want to talk about whatever was on my mind, so I decided that Random Ramblings would fun good. Since my initial readers were Trixie folks, and I always brag about living in Sunny Southern CA, I thought that would make a great ending. Of course, if I ever move, I'm going to have to change the name of my blog. :)

Twosome: that-- and this. We've all thought about a change of locations from time to time: is there any place you'd like to try living for a while? (You can go back home when you're done with the tryout .)
Not really. I like living here and don't really want to move. Especially if I have to move back.

Threesome: Tune-- us into what you're listening to lately. ...anything on your radar we should be aware of?
Actually, this year has been rather slow when it comes to new releases I've been crazy about. Nothing really comes to mind.

Quick Update

It's almost quitting time, and I want to get home. But since I won't be around to post for a while, I thought I'd better do an update right now.

Got back from the doctor's a little while ago. This was the dye test to see how deep the wound is. Much to the his disappointment, I think, it shows that it is just a surface wound. So I am beginning to think more and more that this is something that the wound care specialist can hopefully get healed up.

He does want me to go for yet another CT scan. I figure why not take these tests and make sure there's nothing wrong while we wait for it to heal.

But tomorrow, I leave for a trip to my parents. My brother and sister-in-law should be there by now. We're all going camping at a state park we love but I haven't been to in 8 or 9 years. I so can not wait!

Thursday Threesome for August 17th

What do you know? I'm doing my post before noon today. Miracles never cease!

Brought to us this week by something I've enjoyed for the last three months and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Free-- isn't always free! What "freebie" have you discovered over the years that really isn't?
Since I usually read the small print, I don't get bitten by the non-free freebies. Which means that none are coming to mind right now.

Twosome: Amazon-- It's been a bit since we've done our Amazon Survey: do you use Amazon? Good? Bad? Indifferent?
How, can I put this? YES!!!!!!!! I'm a top 100 reviewer on the site, and order lots of books from them if I'm not planning on going to a signing for that author. For the most part I like them, but occasionally wish they would ship stuff faster. If you use their free shipping, it seems like they take their own sweet time about shipping it. You know, if they feel like it that day.

Threesome: Prime--Time! Are there any shows you are looking forward to seeing in the Fall lineup on TV? (okay, football counts ).
I'm looking forward to the return of favorites like Veronica Mars and Lost. There are a couple new shows I plan to try out, but I don't know if I'll get hooked on them or not.

I think I posted on my blog when it happened, but I got a three month trial of Amazon Prime for free. I have loved it and bought more then I probably would have. However, the trial is coming to an end next week. Back to ordering $25 at once and waiting a week or more for things to come I guess.

Not Centered on Health

That's right. This post is not going to be all about my health. Especially since there's not much new to report.

So I'll tell you what I did this weekend instead.

Saturday, I made a last minute decision and went to see Canyon Theatre Guild's production of Fiddler on the Roof. I wasn't going to go, was going to go, wasn't going to go...then I went. And I'm really glad I did.

This was the first time I'd seen the play. Granted, I was in it when Master's did it back in 1999, but that hardly counts, right? Anyway, I really enjoyed it. And I was surprised how much I remembered very clearly since I hadn't seen/listened to it much since then.

But here's what made me very glad I went. Turns out I knew two people in it. Unfortuantely, one of them normally plays the middle daughter but her understudy got to play that part for that performance. The other one was in it at Master's. Got a chance to talk to them afterwards. All in all, a great afternoon.

Then, I had something to drop off at Kurt and Kellie's. I hadn't thought about the fact that it was around dinner time until I was on my way over. They had, and invited me out to dinner. We went to Chi Chi's, which was lots of fun.

Donald and Heather were in town this weekend for a wedding, so they came over after church on Sunday. We played Apples to Apples then watched the outtakes from the Alias season sets. It was great to be able to spend so much time with them.

Then there's the bittersweet news. After 10 months at Epinions, looks like I will be leaving. I know, I know, you've heard that before. But this time I don't have much of a choice. They are changing their policies to prohibit cross posting of reviews. Well, there's no way I'm going to write two different reviews for each item. And there's even less of a chance I'm going to leave a top 100 position at Amazon for another site.

There are things about the community I will miss. I've made some friends there and I enjoy rating reviews. However, the thought of not trying to take my huge number of reviews at Amazon and make them work at Epinions is incredibly freeing. I didn't realize how much the desire to get things cross posted was taking the fun out of my hobby.

They're still working on the new policy, and I'm going to see how it all shakes out before I decide what to do with what I currently have there. But unless something drastic changes, I won't be posting anything new and won't be spending much if any time there in the future.

Word Association for August 13th

From here.

1. Kim :: Possible
2. Designate :: Driver
3. Liner :: Garbage Can
4. Weed :: Pot
5. Infusion :: Center (as in where the wound care specialist is)
6. Nutritious :: Meal
7. Favorites :: Bookmarks
8. Transform :: Change
9. 42 :: Hitchhiker's Guide
10. Sunday afternoon :: Lazy

So Tired....

I don't know why, but I have been dragging most of the week.

Granted, last Friday I didn't sleep well. And I didn't sleep well again Tuesday night. Fine. But then why haven't I caught up yet.

Wednesday night, I had the lights out by 10 and was asleep shortly there after. Last night, I was out by 10:30.

Both mornings I slept through my alarm clock.

And I still have been dragging all afternoon.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow when I get to sleep in until whenever I feel like getting out of bed.

What really scares me is the possibility that I could be getting sicker again. I'm hoping it just means my body is fighting something and will get better with a couple days of rest. But we'll have to see.

In other news, it's official. Nick is head to Azusa Pacific for at least a year. Not only does this mean I'm loosing a great friend, but he's been the force behind jr. high ministry for the last year. This is going to be hard to overcome.

Of course, I've seen this happen before. I know God will once again provide. I'm just doing my usual panic before He steps in.

You'd think I'd learn.

Thursday Threesome for August 10th

It's Thursday. It's after 5. Must be time to do this week's Thursday Threesome, which is brought to us by Frisbee golf (which is NOT related to the true sport of ultimate Frisbee) and the Back Porch.

Onesome: Disc--overy channel madness: did you catch the Mythbusters show with the bit about the Mentos and Diet Coke (episode 57)? Have you tried it at home yet? What am I talking about? Psst: it's a fun project with the kids...
No and No. (That was easy.)

Twosome: Golf-- Do you play? Do you watch? Do you care? Even the Opens? Just wondering...
I used to play. I have clubs. I wouldn't mind playing again. I don't watch golf, however. Don't really watch any sports.

Threesome: Season----ing salt? What spices do you routinely use when you're cooking up a little something for yourself? A little tarragon? Cinnamon? White pepper? What perks up a meal for you?
Whatever the recipe calls for. Although I must admit to liking cinnamon.

Two for the Price of...Well...Two

Yes, I did have to pay for both those doctor visits yesterday. But my co-pay is low so it's not too bad. Of course, with the frequency this year, it's getting pretty expensive.

Anyway, you probably are here to learn what I learned.

The wound care specialist was very encouraging. Said the wound is 1.5 centimeters shorter and .5 cm narrower. The deep part is still as deep as it always was, but she thinks it will heal from the outsides in given enough time.

Then I saw the surgeon. He still is concerned there's something underneath causing it to not heal. He suggested a dye test to determin if there was something deeper no one could see. Sounds reasonable to me, so I go in for that in a week and a half. Until then, I really won't learn much.

The wound care specialist did say she thought it would be two months before everything healed, so I still have a long road ahead of me.

In other news, Debbie and I went to see a play Friday night. Finally, after years of hearing about it, I made it to Glendale Centre Theatre. They were doing Arsenic and Old Lace, which neither of us had seen before. And we loved it. Laughed the whole way through, in fact.

That was my excitement over the weekend. Went to church Sunday, but that was about it. Finished Chocolate Bridal Bash, too. That makes my 7th book since July started. Just three more to go and I'll have read 10 books in two months. Meanwhile, Paul hasn't started one....

Things are Going to Get Interesting

Wednesday, when I got home from work, I had a message from the doctor I've been seeing for months about this wound wanting an update. After playing phone tag for two days, we finally connected this morning. While I'm desperately trying to get the deposit for the day together (but that's another story). He decides he wants to see me as well, so I now have two appointments Monday. The first is with the wound care specialist at 4:45 PM. Then I have one with him at 6:15. I wonder what kind of advice I will have by the time I get home Monday.

Meanwhile, we had a very small turn out at youth group last night. Lots of the youth were at camp this week. Frankly, I'm glad to see them going. I know that some of my biggest spiritual growth came from camp. For years, no one from our church really went. I'm thrilled to see that trend changing.

Work has been crazy the last couple days. Our annual audit starts Monday, so we're rushing trying to get everything finished for it. Plus Jason and Phil have had to take time off for various reasons. I wonder how long we'll wind up working this weekend.

But tonight, I'm going to a play with Debbie.

Which means I should post this, close down the credit card batch, and go.

Thursday Threesome for August 3rd

Got to get this in before I need to leave. Brought to us this week by waiting rooms and The Back Porch.

Onesome:Time-- wasters in your life... Just a brief jump onto your soapbox: What is the biggest bother you have in this department? I mean, something you can post without incurring familial or job related problems ...
The internet in various ways is a big time waster. Playing poker at Yahoo, trying to keep up with message boards, writing reviews.... Still haven't gotten over my addiction to epinions, either.

Twosome: to-- beat the heat! It seems like it's all sort of hot all over the Northern Hemisphere this Summer! What are you doing to handle the heat? ...and for those Down Under? Well, your turn may come in just a few months; do you have any plans for then?
Staying in air conditioned buildings as much as possible. :) Of course, my electric bill was almost $90 when it came this week.

Threesome: Fill-- your cup with a cold something! What are you drinking this summer to keep cool? ...and if you're a tea drinker: is it "ice tea" or "iced tea"? Just curious...
My usual water and fruit juice. Love them both.

Keeping Up With the Blog

Every so often, you need to post about your life, right? At least if that's the "theme" of your blog.

My wound continues to...I don't know. I'm keeping the dressings changed once a day. I just can't tell if it's getting better or what exactly it's doing. I think part of that is because I don't really know what it's supposed to be doing with this new dressing on it.

On top of that, I have decided to get stomach cramps once a week the last couple of weeks. This week it was yesterday. Instead of going home and writing reviews (which I really need to do), I went home and lay around watching TV. It worked. I fell better today. Well, except for my back, which is killing me at the moment, no matter how I try to sit.

Man, I'm getting so old!

On a happier note, I got together with Debbie Saturday and we went to see Pirates again. I think I enjoyed it more the second time around, although I still wanted some kind of resolution. Still, knowing one wasn't coming made the disappointment so much less.

Friday night was the career Bible study. I stayed late talking, and it was really nice. Then I got home and was inspired to look through the Trixie Camp memory books. I started about midnight, and it was two before I went to bed. Really enjoyed the walk down memory lane, however. We've had some great times on those trips.

Ok, now I am going to give all of you out there a marketing tip.

Yesterday, I got some mail here at work from Union Pen. It was a sample pen to "help you celebrate your institution's 80th anniversary." It's a sample, and we can then order more to give away to people for $1.25 a piece.

First, the obvious laugh. I have no clue how they got my name since I have nothing to do with any decisions like that. Our purchasing manager or one of the VP's would have been a much more logical choice.

However, here comes the really funny part.

The pen itself has a great 80th anniversary logo on it. Then it has Masters College and Semina on one line and Santa Clarita CA 91321-12 on the next.

Did you catch that?

See, while we sometimes refer to ourselves as Masters, on something like this it would be Master's, which is our official name. Further more, we'd want something with Master's College and Seminary on it. I don't see why we'd want all nine digits of our zip code on the pen, but if we did, we'd want all nine, not seven of the nine.

This really makes me want to rush out and order a bunch of these pens.

Of course, I did get a free pen out of it, so it's not all bad. And I get to mock them every chance I get, too.