Thursday Threesome for September 27th

Welcome to a frightening edition of the Thursday Threesome brought to us by Monk and The Back Porch.

Onesome: The Dentist?-- ...a bigger 'scary factor' than flying? What do you think?
I've never found the dentist that scary. I don't find flying that scary either. Maybe the dentist a little, but not too much.

Twosome: or-- maybe you have coping skills to handle dental visits? Would you care to share any of them?
I just don't consider it that scary. Then again, I haven't been in 10 years. I was lazy, and now I'm scared of what I'll learn. Maybe I am scared of the dentist after all.

Threesome: Flying-- has received a really bad rap this year. Deserved? ...or is all sweetness and light now?
I don't fly all that often, but I didn't think my trip to Niagara Falls was that bad.

Quiet

I'd feel bad about not blogging if I had something exciting to talk about. But I don't.

This last weekend was very quiet. I did absolutely nothing on Saturday. Well, I watched a couple movies and wrote several reviews. I will hit 30 reviews in September over at Epinions, which is good considering how little time I have now that the new TV season has started.

And, while I haven't been blogging here, I have been blogging. I have been invited to blog about Dancing with the Stars over at The Disney Blog. You know, that takes a lot more work then I thought it would. Either that or I set the bar too high for myself. Still, it should be fun. Granted, it doesn't help that this week it's on three times.

And I'm trying to sample all kinds of new shows. Last night, I watched the premier of Chuck. That really has the potential to be a fun show. I certainly enjoyed the pilot. Tonight I plan to watch Bionic Woman and record Life. Not to mention the fact that I want to give Back to You another few weeks to develop.

And that's just this week. Next week I'll be trying to add Cavemen for at least one week and Pushing Daisies. No wonder this is stressing me out. See, I still have to find time to write reviews, too because you know I will.

Deep breath. Repeat after me. This is supposed to be fun. This is supposed to be fun.

In other news, we had a church business meeting to talk about the pastor search Sunday afternoon. I guess the good news is that the three hour meeting only delved into a shouting match once. Still, I was emotionally spent by the time I left

Fall Into Reading 2007

So, since today is the first day of fall, it's time to list my reading goals for Fall Into Reading 2007. In my case, something like a public to be read list. The interesting thing will be to see how closely I stick to it.

I was going to start by including the books I didn't read from the Spring challenge, but there's only one. And yes, it will be included.

So, without further ado, my list for fall.

Death in Lover's Lane by Carolyn Hart
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
Face Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Green Water Ghost by Glynn Marsh Alam
The Crafty Teddy by John J. Lamb
Mr. Monk in Outer Space by Lee Goldberg
Beware False Profits by Emilie Richards
Some Like it Hot-Buttered by Jeffrey Cohen
Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier
Blood Matters by Taffy Cannon
Last Light by Terri Blackstock
Peppermint Twisted by Sammi Carter
Hell for the Holidays by Chris Grabenstein
A Threat to Justice by Chuck Norris, et al.
Staying Home is a Killer by Sara Rosett
Faint of Art by Hailey Lind
On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith

That's 18, and I usually read a book a week, so I'm already overestimating by 6 books. I guess we'll see what I actually do.

Thursday Threesome for September 20th

Welcome to this week's edition. Brought to you by me (okay, so I was going around saying "Details, details." Close enough.) and The Back Porch.

Onesome: "Details--are everything!", or so it is said. Are a a details person? ...or a big picture person?
It depends. At times I am a detail person. Other times, I am a big picture person. I think it depends on how much I care or an interested in the subject. Disney? I want all the details. I'll take lots of details on politics, most of the time. Food? Give me the big picture. (The big picture, of course being, does it taste good.)

Twosome: Details-- (in the military definition) can be a royal pain: what routine detail at your job/school/home would you cheerfully off-load to someone else?
Credit card payment detail. I hate all the work I have to go through to process people paying us with credit cards.

Threesome: Details-- and devils: what are you willing to work on nearly endlessly until you "get it right"?
Endlessly? Nothing. But I will put lots of time into reconciling stuff at work. But once I feel like I'm getting no where, I go to someone else for help.

Ahoy, Maties!

Just a reminder that today be talk like a pirate day.

So be sure to talk like a pirate as you swab the poopdeck.

Argh!

What Didn't I Do This Weekend?

Actually, lots. But I was a busy guy, especially Saturday. How busy? I left the house at 10 AM and didn't return until after midnight. I had a book with me the entire time and never once touched it.

Actually, the fun started Friday night with career Bible study. It was a nice night of worship, prayer, and fellowship.

Saturday started earlier then I wanted it to. I woke up an hour before my alarm went off. Yet somehow, I still left exactly when I wanted to. Stupid internet. :)

So I start out by driving by the courthouse in San Fernando. I'm on jury duty this week down there, so I thought it might be a good idea to find out where I was going. So far, I haven't had to show up yet. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Then I went down to The Mystery Bookstore for a book signing. I had just read Randall Hicks debut The Baby Game and wanted to get the sequel, Baby Crimes. Only one other person show up, and she was a friend of his. So the three of us got some nice time to chat.

From there, I headed to Glendale Centre Theatre for their production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I barely found a place to get lunch before it was time to meet Angelique. They did a great job and we both enjoyed it. They made great use of the limited space and pulled it off quite well. I so want to go back and watch it again.

Because Angelique had to go, I decided to stick around in the area for a sneak peak screening of The Kingdom. It was wonderful to see Jennifer Garner again. What else did I think about the movie? Really didn't like it. Too much shakey camera work made it hard to concentrate on the story.

So, after all that, do you think I went home? Wrong!

I really wanted to head down to pick up a limited edition pin at Disneyland celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Jungle Book. And since Glendale is half way there already.... I was proud of myself. I spent about two thirds of what I have been spending on those trips.

Sunday didn't involve nearly as much travel, but it was still eventful.

At the Sunday morning church service, we were told that the search committe has decided not to submit Pastor Jon to us as a candidate for our new pastor. I am sure everyone was as shocked as I was. I think everyone has assumed he'd get the job. So I have no clue where we will head from here. One candidate at a time is all I know. Frankly, I still have mixed emotions about the decision.

Sunday night, I attended an activity sponsered by The GAP. It's the new group at church for college grads, singles, and young marries. Basically a chance to sit around and socialize. Got to talk to someone at our church who used to work for Disney, so that was fun.

You can understand why I was ready to get back to work yesterday. I needed the rest.

The Only OJ I Care About...

...is the kind from oranges. But since everyone else, or at least the news media, is focused on a different one....

So, good ole OJ Simpson has gone and gotten himself arrested. Again.

I hope this time that the police don't bungle the case. The guy needs to learn that his celebrity status doesn't let him get away with robbery. It may have let him get away with murder, but there has to be a line somewhere.

At least the judge was smart enough not to let him out on bail. That way, TV won't be interrupted with another low speed chase on the freeway.

If he wasn't famous, no one would even care.

Frankly, I wonder how many people care now.

But you know what I find most ironic about this? This happened just days after his book came out. And did you notice the subtitle the Goldman family gave the book? "Confessions of a Killer." And look at the font on the cover. Nice.

Thursday Threesome for September 13th

This week's edition is brought to us by marksmen and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Right-- around the corner from where I live (or work) there's this neat little..... (Go ahead, add your own ending to that sentence!)
Are you kidding? I live in Los Angeles. If it's right around the corner, I don't know about it. But if it's across town, I could tell you all about it.

Twosome: on-- the other hand, I'll travel clear across town to..... (Same deal: fill in the blank so we'll know what will get you traveling!)
So, having said that, I tend to visit chains most of the time. I honestly couldn't tell you about any specialty shops in town. Now, I will admit that I love SouPlantation and will gladly drive across town to go there.

Threesome: Target-- or Walmart? Nah, no contest. How about Target or Mervyn's? Hmmm... That would limit us to clothes, but that's okay, go for it! (No, Macy's isn't eligible...)
No contest? Which way? Because I can't remember the last time I bought anything from Target, but I go to Wal-Mart once a week or so. Which also means Mervyn's wins. I buy lots of my clothes there, in fact. As an interesting fact, Mervyn's and Target are in the same shopping center here in town.

Six Years

I can't let today pass without acknowledging the sixth anniversary of 9/11.

In past years, I have talked about what I was doing that day. And I have talked about my belief that we as a country aren't committed to fighting terrorists.

I find it highly ironic that today, the sixth anniversary, there is a hearing in Congress to determin what will happen in Iraq. And the generals can't even give their testimony because of the anti-war protestors.

If you believe that Iraq isn't part of the War on Terror, listen to the terrorists.

And if you don't think we need to be concerned about terrorists, remember 9/11.

Settling Down to Life

So I've been back in town for a week, and not much has happened.

Frankly, that isn't surprising. My life has been work and youth for years. And with youth out of the picture, that leaves me work.

And reviewing, of course. I am participating in a 50 reviews by Halloween challenge at Epinions. So far I have 18 published and 21 written (3 still in draft to publish over the next few days.) So I'm getting close to half way. Of course, two have already finished and there are lots more ahead of me. I'm hoping to be at 35 or so by the end of the month, but we'll see what happens.

And, I'm going to hit 1000 reviews at Amazon tonight. Just need to get those last two written.

Saturday, Clint and I went to the aquatic center here in town. He'd been raving about the pools and how non-chlorinated the water is. Well, he was wrong about that. We both left with our eyes burning. But it was fun. We spent time in the diving pools and I went down the water slide quite a few times.

My right leg is really hurting. I'm not quite sure what I did to it, but today is worse then yesterday. I'm trying to take it easy. Hope that helps. Certainly glad I don't have ultimate right now.

And we're two weeks away from the start of fall, and that can only mean one thing, the Fall Reading Challenge. Take a look at the event and join us if you are so inclined.

Thursdays Threesomes

Since I was in New York last week, I need to do a little catch up with these.

Both were taken from The Back Porch.

And the first was brought to us by The Wizard of Oz.

Onesome: "Over-- the Rainbow" Has someone 'Somewhere' done the song better than Judy Garland did in the movie? ...or does she still 'own' it in your opinion?
You know, I don't think I've heard anyone else do it, so Judy wins by default.

Twosome: the-- best all time album in your collection? ...or one you'd like to have? Sure, the Go-Gos count, but hey...
I'm going to keep going back to David Meece's Learning to Trust, although I have several close contenders.

Threesome: Rainbow"?-- As sung by Billy Ray Cyrus? (Yes, on his latest album.) Who has done the best "cover" of a song you like to listen to? You know, better than the original artist...
Believe it or not, I'm going to go with DC Talk on this one. I think their version of "In the Light" is better then the original.

And now this week's, brought to us by, well, The Thursday Threesome.

Onesome: The-- best things in life are free? What's your favorite freebie? I'm thinking of some annual event you partake in...
Without doubt, the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA.

Twosome: T--buckets, Model T's, maybe even Thunderbirds? Do you have any ties to classic cars or modified roadsters?
I've had old cars, but never classic cars. And the closest I've come to any is looking at them drive down the road.

Threesome: 3-- days until Sunday, but the NFL season begins tonight! Who's your team this year? Not a football fan? Post your rant on why not !
It's not really a rant, but I just don't get into sports. I only care if I am playing. There are so many other things I'd rather sit around and watch, like movies and TV shows. Or I could be reading.

Trixie Camp 2007

I'm in mourning. I don't want Trixie Camp to be over again already.

:(

Yes, that means I had a great time.

One thing that was great was the weather. It was absolutely perfect. Mid 80's with little to no humidity. Much better then the heat wave we've been having here in CA for the last week. I got off the plane at midnight, and it felt like an oven. It's never that hot here at night.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I left Wednesday night. Angelique and I flew out of LAX about midnight. After a three hour layover in Detroit, we landed in Buffaloo and were picked up to head to the hotel.

Fortunately, the hotel let us check in a few hours early. So we dumped our stuff and went strolling around for a place to eat. After lunch, we walked to Niagara Falls.

Yes, that's right, our hotel was about three blocks from the falls. I walked across the border into Canada twice during the weekend. And from the Rainbow Bridge, you have a great view of the falls. Both the American and Canadian parts.

Thursday night, we all congregated at our fabulous cordinator's house for dinner. Kaye's obvious a brave woman, having us all over. She's also a great cook.

Friday was a day of whirlwind touring. We started the day at "Cave of the Winds," a series of walk ways build at the base of American Falls. Fortunately, they give you yellow ponchos that basically work to keep you dry. I did still get wet where water leaked in around the top. Of course, it didn't help that I went on the "hurricane deck," an optional platform built closest to the bottom. And you can feel the force of the water on the whole thing. But especially in one corner where the water is coming down so hard it hurts.

From there, we went on the Maid of the Mist ride. This boat, takes you to the bottom of the horseshoe falls. They give you blue ponchos for this one, but you don't get nearly as wet. That was fun was well, but I found Cave of the Winds much more impressive.

After lunch, we head out to Fort Niagara. Now tell me if this fort has really served its purpose. It was under French, Brittish, and then American control. Sounds a bit suspect to me. :)

From there, we headed to Canada. We rode up in the tour (full name has escaped me), then went to the wax museum. You know, posing with those wax figures was lots more fun then I thought it would be.

And just in case you thought our day was over, well, you'd be wrong. Next up was dinner, followed by fireworks at the falls. Then some of use went down the street to Twist of the Mist for ice cream. And lots of talking ensued both there and back at the hotel. Yet this was the night I tried to go to bed early. Not that I fell asleep or anything.

Saturday, we went to Statford, Ontario for the day. First up was a tour of the down via double decker bus. After lunch, we went to a one woman play called Shakespeare's Will. I'd never seen a one person production before. I was quite impressed with how well she held my attention the entire time. That evening was more hanging out with friends. And I walked back to the bridge to see the lights on the falls at night.

Sunday, unfortunately, we all headed home. Fortunately, Angelique and I were the last to leave. Why fortunately, you ask? Because, it meant that we got to hang out with Robin for a few extra hours. We went to the just opened Corn Maize and had a blast trying to get through their three courses. We only had to cheat once, too, although we did get several tips from the workers wandering through the third maze. I had always wanted to do a corn maze (or any kind of human maze for that matter), so I was thrilled.

As I was saying earlier, Angelique and I got home about midnight. I was glad to have Monday off. Didn't do a thing buy laze around the house. A nice conclusion to a great weekend.

So, when do we leave again?