Wonderful Weekend

As I may have mentioned once or twice on my blog, I spent the last few days in Texas visiting my niece (and brother and sister-in-law).  Specifically, I flew out there Thursday and flew back yesterday.

Now, what was wonderful wasn't the heat, although it was a big of a shock to come back to weather in the mid-80's yesterday.  They are going for a record of triple digit days in Dallas this year, so it was hot.  And unlike good old California, it doesn't cool off at night there like it does here.

This was the first time I'd seen my niece since Christmas.  I wasn't sure what kind of reaction I would get.  When she first saw me at the airport, she wasn't quite sure what to make of me, but we were halfway back to the car when she started looking around like crazy to make sure I was coming with them.

And that's prety much how the rest of the weekend went.  If I left the room she was in, she started asking about me, yelling for me, or searching for me.  Some times, she'd do all three.  And shen she was ready to leave a room, she'd grab my hand and pull me with her.

As I told some of their friends at one point, I was eating it up.

Okay, so it seemed like it was split between being called Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike, but I'm not going to quibble over minor details like that.  This is the first time I've seen her when she really was calling me Uncle anything (she's just over two), so I'm quite happy.

It really doesn't seem like I was there for three days because there was a lot going on.  Thursday, I got there in the middle of the jr. high meeting at their house.  Friday was the only normal day.  We played at the house for a while and then headed to a splash park near their house.  Basically, it's a play area with water jets of all kinds.  It was fun and cool, at least for a little while.

Friday night, the youth group at their church was having their all nighter.  My brother, the youth pastor, had originally planned it for a few weeks ago, but it had to be postponed.  I went too, and I had a blast.  I even managed to stay awake.  We played broomball, and I scored the winning goal in the adults vs. youth game.  Then we went to a place with lazor tag and whirlyball, a comination of bumper cars, lacross (with the plastic track balls and catchers) and basketball.  It was fun but pretty tricky.  Our final stop was bowling.

Naturally, that meant B and I were tired, so we slept some Saturday late morning/early afternoon.  And again Sunday afternoon.  But Sunday was church in the morning and then a meal with some people from church afterward.

So as you can see, it was busy.  And even though I can get more sleep here at home, I would go back in a heart beat and do it all again just to hear "Uncle Mark! Uncle Mark!"

Rudy's Service

Last week, I talked a little about the passing of my former Jr. Higher Rudy Acosta.  Today was his memorial service.  I'll admit I debated for a while about going.  It sounded like it would be packed, and I was right.  But I really did feel like I should go, and I'm glad I did.

The service was at my former church, Santa Clarita Baptist.  That's one reason I was reluctant to go.  By the time I got there (a few minutes late), the "sanctuary" (aka the gym) was full, so I went to the overflow at the Lutheran church next door.  They had live video of the service.  Honestly, I doubt many people knew I was there, especially since I didn't see anyone I knew inside.

The service was nice, although I had a hard time holding back the tears the entire time.  I was emotionally drained by the time it was over.  The pictures of some of Rudy's funny faces brought back such happy memories.  Rudy was always ready with a hug or a smile or both.

But what really struck me was the people talking about his sacrifice and love.  Honestly, I was convicted.  Am I really that willing to love that I would lay down my life for someone?  It left me with some deep things to think about.

And I'll admit, it's left me wondering why.  Oh, I know why we are in Afghanistan, and I still support the war effort.  By why did this particular young man have to die?  But it hasn't shaken my faith.  I know God is in control and has a reason for it even if I don't see it.  Granted, it's easy for me to see that because I'm not part of the immediate family.  And that's why I will continue to pray for all of them.

And We're Back!

Yes, we have returned from our Thanksgiving in Texas. And we have started referring to ourself in the first person plural.

Okay, not really. :)

I had a wonderful time with my family.

But I almost didn't make it. I missed my flight out on Wednesday. The Flyaway broke down, so I left a half hour later then I intended. And the traffic was horrid. Fortunately, I was able to take the next flight, which left an hour later. And it only cost me $25, which wasn't bad at all. It was too bad because I was supposed to get in 15 minutes before my parents, but considering the alternative, it wasn't bad at all.

Some good friends of my brother and sister-in-law came to Thanksgiving dinner. I've been hearing about them since they moved to Texas, so it was great to finally get to meet them.

Friday night we went to see A Christmas Carol at Dallas Theater Center again. I think the kids liked it more this year, while Mom and Dad liked it less. Figure that one out.

Saturday, I met up with Lori from my Trixie boards for lunch. We had a great time just chatting. And it was my first experience driving in Dallas. My brother gave me great directions, so it wasn't a problem at all.

Sunday was church in the morning and a youth game night in the evening.

Monday we went for a walk in the White Rock Lake area.

You'll notice what is missing. I didn't make it to Half Price Books. :( Next year for sure.

But we played lots of games. Mostly Mexican Train Dominos and Settlers of Catan. I had never played that second one before. It's fun, although I don't think I'm as addicted as most everyone else seems to be by that game. I was feeling good that I was getting close to winning by the end of the weekend.

It was really cold, however. Apparently, the cold front moved in with us on Wednesday. It actually snowed Thanksgiving day. Not enough to stick, but I could definitely see it in the air. It had warmed up by the end of the trip, but it was much warmer here when I got back last night. But the ironic thing is we've had bitter cold Santa Anna winds all day today. Yep, I think we're fast approaching winter. Considering it is almost December, I guess I can't complain too loudly.

And the Youth

This should finally catch you up on the big events on my life this month.

Two weeks ago, I was asked to step down from working with the youth. The reason I was given was that I was showing I wasn't as committed as I should have been. I was tired of doing it. And the youth weren't responding to me as well. So it was time for me to move on to another ministry.

Needless to say, that made for a very emotional week. Despite the fact that I was trying to submit to the leadership on this, my heart was crying out it wasn't true. I think I went through all the signs of mourning in the next couple days. Yes, that does include anger. And there were lots of almost tears. Heck, I lost it at one point because I couldn't find a bank statement. And I hadn't even finished searching yet.

When I told the kids that Sunday, they were shocked. I actually heard a couple gasps. And I've had lots of them tell me how much they will miss me. That and the hugs really help. Not that it's any easier.

I was beginning to get to the place where I was trusting God with the decision. I knew He would show me what I was to do next. And if this wasn't what He had for me, He'd show our youth pastor.

But then some other things started happening that have made me question what is really going on.

And I know this is horrid of me, but I am not going to get into the details. It would be speculation, gossip, and hearsay at this point. But my speculations have really hurt me. There are some people I will never view the same way after all this.

Needless to say, it has been a rough month. But you know what? God is still God. He has a purpose in all this, even if it is just to teach me to trust Him more. When will I learn this lesson?

Playing Catch Up Again

Wow, can't believe I've let two weeks slide between life blogs.

Especially since not that much exciting is happening right now.

Let's see, I've finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I thought it had some flaws, mainly the same as the previous books, ie. the length. But overall I enjoyed it.

A week and a half ago, I went to a book signing for Her Royal Spyness, the first in a new series by Rhys Bowen. I finished the book yesterday and really enjoyed it.

And I went to see two movies this weekend, Bourne Ultimatum and Underdog.

First up was Bourne Ultimatum Friday night. I went to the late show with both my roommates. We all enjoyed it, they more then me. I let the shakey camera work get in the way of completely loving it, but that was really the only flaw. Made it worth watching the first two to get to see that one.

Then Saturday, I went to a matinee of Underdog. I couldn't decide if I would enjoy it or not based on the previews. One time I thought I would, the next I wouldn't. Which means the movie pretty much met my expectations I guess. I was okay, but nothing that great.

And as long as we're talking about pop culture (which pretty much seems to be all I am talking about right now), I also watched the new Babylon 5: Lost Tales DVD. I really enjoyed it, too. It was nice to be back in that universe. Yes, I wish that more of the characters had been there. But considering how disappointing the movies often were, this one was quite good.

So what else has been going on.

Last week's Bible study was different. We were low on staff and youth, so we took them to Starbucks, hung out, and played a game. We would have a group of three were one person would tell a true story about themselves and the other two would have to lie. I was the truth teller, and no one believed my story, either.

Then there was my ultimate game last night. We lost again, although this time we managed to get 7 points before they got 15. Tonight's this week's game.

And speaking of ultimate, I went down to play on the beach in Santa Monica Sunday. Clint came along, too, and I think he regretted that because he was ready to go long before I was. By the time I took a quick dip afterward, we were there for three hours. It was a little windy, but the temperature was very pleasant.

Speaking of which, it's cooled off here. Only in the high 80's or low 90's. While I like hot weather in the summer, my electric bill was so high this month I'm not really complaining.

Retreat!

This last weekend was our summer youth retreat. For something different this year, we didn't go to the beach. Okay, part of that was due to lack of early planning on our part. But it still seems to have gone off well.

Most everyone left Friday morning. They headed to Pyramid Lake, which is part way up the Grapevine on I-5, probably about 35 minutes from me. They spend the day tubbing and wake boarding before heading to a nearby campground for the night.

Clint and I were supposed to head up after work and join them, picking up pizza for dinner along the way. You'll noticed that I said said supposed to. The traffic was horrid! There was an accident and they had the 5 closed except for one lane just north of town. We never got on the five but took a parallel surface street. We were moving faster then the freeway, which isn't saying much. It took us two hours to get to the campground. Fortunately, someone ahead of us had stopped and gotten the pizza, so they weren't still waiting for the food.

Fortunately, that was the worst part of the weekend.

Saturday, we hit the lake, which meant that some people hit it again. Kurt had his parent's boat, and one family came up, so we had two boats. The water was really choppy, so the we just went tubbing that day. I hadn't been tubbing since I was in college, so it was fun to do it again. I think Kurt was driving faster then Mr. Patterson used to. Either that or I've gotten older. Must be that Kurt was going faster. I had some bad spills that hurt a little at first (including one where I landed face first in the water), but I had fun.

When we weren't out on the boats, we were hanging out at an isolated picnic area or playing in the water. Some of the guys found some clay/mud and completely covered themselves in the muck. We just hung out and talked. It was nice and relaxing.

But it was hot! I think it may have even been hotter then it is here. I thought it might be cold at night, but the first night I was too hot to sleep for a while. Everyone was hiding in the shade as much as possible. In fact, we all hit the pool after coming back from the lake.

A guest speaker came and talked about what loving God means from I John. I was doing okay with the first two message (Loving God mean obeying his commands and loving your brothers/sisters), but that third message hit me between the eyes. The theme was loving God means not loving the world. I was thinking I was fine with this one, too, until he started talking about pride of life. And God used it to convict me about my pride in position. No, I don't boast about what I have, probably because I don't have much. But I boast in my rank at Amazon and, to a much lesser extent, my position at Epinions. I'm not sure how I can balance writing reviews and not worrying about rank as much, but I need to find a way.

Anyway, we came back yesterday early afternoon. Fortunately, Kurt worked things out so I could get Harry Potter on the way back. (Yes, the youth pastor spoils me.) Between catching up on the internet, talking to my family, and watching Monk and Psych, I only got a little over 100 pages read. After lunch time, I'm not on page 200. But I do already know the big picture. I'm quite anxious to see how all the pieces fall into place.

Unfortunately, I won't get that far tonight. I've got an ultimate game again.

Here's to Long Weekends

You've got to love getting two extra days off work. See, Master's closed Thursday and Friday, so I actually had five days free. Well, sort of free.

Wednesday, the 4th, I went with Clint to the BBQ that the career group was hosting. That was loads of fun. The weather was roasting hot, but we spent most of the time in the pool. Couldn't have asked for a nicer time.

That night, the two of us went out and found some fireworks to watch, which was nice since I missed them last year.

Thursday, I unfortunately had some errends to run. So I set out early to beat the heat. Got shot (allergy, that is) and bought a present for a wedding while getting my oil changed. Then I went home and vegged for a few hours. Unfortunately, Fox didn't air the last two episodes filmed of Drive, which bummed me out. But I had fun just watching whatever was on TV. That night we had youth group, of course, which went well.

Friday was another veg around the condo day for most of the day. I finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (crying through the last 50 pages even though I knew what was coming), so I'm not ready for book 7. I also rewatched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I still enjoyed it the seond time around.

That night was my ultimate Frisbee game for the week. We had better numbers then I was expecting. I got to play about as much as I wanted to, no more, no less. The other team had extra women, so they often put a woman on me. Not that I'm complaining. Finally, someone at my playing level. And I got a defense in. Just barely, but I will take it. I'm good for about one a season, so I'm not complaining.

Saturday was Nick and Jenny's wedding. It was down in Yorba Linda. I'm surprised their muscles didn't hurt from smiling so much. It's always wonderful to see a couple look so happy.

Unfortunately, I made a dangerous discovery that night. Downtown Disney gives you three hours of free parking. That's more then enough time to check out the Disney pins store and the World of Disney for more pins. I've found another way to feed my addiction. I think I am sunk. After all, I did buy several more pins that night. HELP!

Sunday was just a nice quiet day around the condo. Then it was back to work. How I wish this were a two day work week as well.

I did get in a couple Hitchcock movies over the long weekend as well. Vertigo is long drawn out and boring. Other then that, I loved it. :) North by Northwest was better. Still, I don't find his films terrifying or edge of your seat suspense.

Ultimate Challenge

Wednesday night, we had our second ultimate Frisbee game of the season. Talk about a nail biter!

Now keep in mind that games are to 15 as you read this.

The played horribly first half. In fact, it was 3-8 at half time. They were scoring everytime they got possession of the disc and we couldn't seem to connect with each other.

Then things turned around for the second half.

We started out by throwing the zone defense at them (instead of man to man). They just didn't seem to know what to do with it. Next thing we knew, it was 9-8. Then they scored to tie.

Neither team was ever ahead by more then two points the rest of the game. At 14-14, the captains decided it would be win by two hard cap at 17 or the lights going out.

They scored. We scored two, making it 16-15.

Then, just as we kicked off, the lights went out. That's right. We came from a five point deficit to win!

I wasn't quite as happy this week as I was the week before, but I still felt like more a part of things then before. I wonder if it's because, since I'm playing in a true co-ed league this time (equal numbers as opposed to 5-2 men), if it means the women are playing more on my level so I can be involved more. Either way, I like it.

I just need to figure out how to take advantage of the men poaching off me more.

Last night was an unusual youth group. Instead of regular youth group, we did The Challenge.

Basically, it's a huge relay race up and down a park here in town. While the kids have to complete various tasks, we staff where shooting shaving cream at them. It all ended with a huge slip and slide at the bottom.

Now I decided to do something different for it this year. Clint had told me I should show up to youth group sometime with a Mowhawk, and I figured this was the perfect night to do it. Of course, that meant he and I had to race home from work, shave it, then race to the park. Everyone seemed impressed, though, so it was worth it. Of course, I shaved off the rest afterward. My boss commented today "It must be summer. Mark's shaved his head." If he only knew what I looked like last night....

Everyone seemed to have a great time. The only problem was the kid's still haven't figured out that we start at 6:30 during the summer. We didn't start the contest until 7:20. Since I was on one of the levels of the park (there is grass on five different levels up a mountian) by myself, I got rather bored. I was stuck there by myself for an hour. Okay, I'm whining now. I'll shut up.

I did try the slip and slide. I haven't been on one since I was a kid. As I figured, I just can't do it. I don't drive except into deep water. And you need to be able to dive to do it right. Fortunately, I tried it while they were still working on the last task or after most of them had left, so I didn't make that big a fool out of myself.

Other News

So, let's see if I can get some other news up, shall we?

The 30th of May, Angelique, Casey, and I went to see Pirates 3. I think they enjoyed it more then I did. It was certainly funny, but I found they had too many plot twists. And, frankly, I really didn't care for the ending.

That first weekend of June, we took the youth to Castaic Lake. BBQed hot dogs for lunch and then swam all afternoon. It was a nice, relaxing day. Lots of fun.

Except for the sunburn. Wow, that hurt for a few days. I put sunscreen on several times, but it just didn't seem to help any. I'm still peeling.

Last week was fairly quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary happened during the week. Of course, Friday was a whole other story as it started a fun weekend....

(To be continued)

And the Winner is...

This weekend was the second annual employee picnic here at work. Like last year, they had softball, volleyball, kid's games, and food. They added a petting zoo, dunk tank (for the VP's and another couple volunteers. No, I wasn't one of them), and a pie baking contest.

As soon as that was announced, I knew I wanted to participate. The categories were best looking, best tasting, and best made entirely by a guy. I had to participate.

I debated a little, but quickly decided to make Joanne Fluke's Key Lime Pie. For one thing, it was the only pie I've made recently, so I knew I could do it. For another, as Bonnie and Angelique pointed out, it was a bit more exotic then normal, so it would stand out more.

So, after planning this for weeks, Friday was the day I actually planned to make the pie. I grabbed my recipe card and set off for the grocery store after work, only to discover that they didn't have any key limes! Fortunately, I looked around a little and discovered they had just moved them. Crisis #1 averted.

Making the pie went fine. Although it takes forever to juice those dang key limes. That was the hardest part of the recipe.

We had a youth activity Friday night that I planned to show up late for, so as soon as I took the pie out of the oven, I headed out the door. When Clint and I got back a couple hours later, I discovered that the meringue on top had slid some, leaving one area exposed. And it had hardened, so there was nothing I could do about it. I stuck it in the fridge and went to bed.

Saturday morning, I was feeling rather discouraged. But there was nothing I could do, so I took the pie and headed for work. When I got there, I discovered that someone else had made a key lime pie. And it was a guy. Some much for being unique. I had direct competition. That just made me feel worse.

When judging time actually came, I hung out at the booth and evasdropped on the judges. From what I could tell, they were seriously considering my pie, but decided to go with an apple pie. I was actually thrilled to settle for second place (not that I'd get a ribbon or anything).

Then they announced the winners. They did the guy category last. To my shock, they mentioned the apple as the runner up. And I won!

Of course, I was thrilled. Granted, I have to give credit to Joanne Fluke since I just followed her recipe. Guess the problems I thought I had weren't important after all.

There were 8 pies made by guys, so it was stiffer competition then I expected. And the person we thought would win didn't have time to do anything but throw things together at the last minute. Still, I am quite happy about this. Guess this means I need to bake more.

Clint would certainly agree.

Mostly Quiet. Calm Before the Storm?

After the excitment that was last week, this week has been relatively quiet.

My roommate abnd I went to another hospital Monday afternoon to try to get him into surgery sooner, but they told us we were wasting our time. The good part? They told us upfront, so we only spent about five minutes there. I had arranged to take the afternoon off, but I came back and worked another couple hours.

Other then that, he's doing as well as can be expected. He keeps taking his pain medicine. He's gone back to work for the majority of this week, and that seems to be going well. At least it did yesterday.

The surgery is scheduled for this coming Monday. Hopefully it goes as planned and we can get on to the business of healing him up.

In other news, Master's graduation was Friday night. I went as always. Got to see some extended family and some friends I hadn't expected to see. It was nice as always.

Saturday, we took the youth to a Dodger's game against the Reds. You know, I try. I really do. But I just can't get into it. Especially when I think about all the things I could have been doing with that time. And yes, my roommate went. He didn't realize where we'd be sitting and just about died when he saw all the stairs involved.

I also spent time catching up on TV from Monday and Tuesday nights. That's when I made a discovery. I hadn't taped 24 last Monday figuring I could watch it on-line. Well, Fox's system doesn't work with Windows Vista, which I now have at home. So I had to come into work to watch it Sunday afternoon. I almost didn't, assuming I'd be at the hospital with my roommate. When we got sent home so fast, I was really glad I had watched it. This season still isn't up to par, but I didn't want to miss an episode.

I am in Serious Trouble

You know, posting last Wednesday turned out to be okay. I actually got everything done in my room I wanted to get done. Which is a good thing.

Thursday was a weird youth group. We started out with a small group, so I decided to do requests instead of what I had planned for worship. But we wound up with a large group anyway. Still, it was a good night.

Saturday was an absolute blast. Angelique and I met up at Disney's California Adventure. It was the first time she'd been and only the second time for me. The park is as I remember, rather small. It was easy to get everything we wanted in done, including two trips on Sourin' Over California (my favorite), California Screamin', and the Monster's, Inc. ride.

But we also gave in to temptation and started collection the pins that they sell in the stores. We hit all the shops since I was looking for a particular pin I had spotted in March. We did find that, but we found plenty we liked. I bought 10 pins and I don't remember how many Angelique bought.

They would be dangerous enough if it weren't for the fact that you can also find them on-line. Ebay has lots up for auction. I have been spending way too much time over there in the last few days and I bet I've bought at least another 10 pins by now, including the one I couldn't find. I may seriously need some kind of intervention. I don't think I can afford this hobby. Espcially since this weekend is the LA Times Festival of Books, where I always spend lots on books.

I really shouldn't be doing This

So, tonight I was going to spend some serious time tackling my room, cleaning stuff up to make room for Clint to move in next week. Instead, what am I doing? Reviewing and blogging. Yep, still the lazy guy I've always been.

Not that I haven't gotten something done. Sunday, I cleaned the closet, so I am only taking up half. Of course, I am taking every available space of my half. And I have put my CD's away. But I still have a ways to go.

Saturday, I certainly didn't have time. I started the day by heading down to Mysteries to Die For. They had three new authors I wanted to try. The author who was first was great. She had part of her book printed out like a script, and she had two audience members read with her. I read the part of the main character's brother. It was lots of fun. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the second two authors started their talk since we had a youth picnic of sorts and Kurt and Kellie's. Since the weather was cold, we spent most of the time indoors playings games. Still, it was lots of fun.

After that, Clint and I came back here and watched Spider-man 2. I must say, my opinion hasn't changed. While I like the first Spider-man, I find the second one too slow and boring. Not to mention depressing with everything Peter goes through.

Then, last night, my car was invited to spend the night at the Honda dealership. I took it in for minor service, and they found a couple other things that needed to be fixed. Most of it was covered by the warrantee, so it didn't cost me nearly as much as it could have. And they even paid for a rental car last night. It was nice, but it might have been more trouble then it was worth. Especially since I paid for the insurance and gas. Anyway, I have it back now. It's so nice to have my own wheels again.

Also last night, I got so addicted to Drive. I recorded it over the weekend, not sure if I wanted to get hooked on another show or even if I would like it. But I decided to watch the first of the three hours I have to see if I liked it. I watched all three hours last night. I couldn't stop. I am counting the hours until the next episode next Monday night.

That was Work

I did more work this weekend then I'm used to. Not work work but actual physical labor.

Saturday morning was a church work day. It was supposed to be for the youth, but it was basically youth staff. We were planting and transplanting stuff around the church mostly. Actually, I enjoyed it more then I thought I would since I love transplanting plants. That's the one part of gardening I wish I could do more.

Then Sunday Kurt and Kellie got the keys to their house, so they are trying to repaint things before they get new carpeting Thursday. So I was over there for five hours helping paint the bedrooms. With the people that were there, it was fun. Although I was reminded how much work it is. I had actually been thinking about trying to repaint my place, but I've changed my mind.

Not that my weekend was all work. Saturday afternoon, I went to a book signing for Steve Hockensmith. I just read his first book, Holmes on the Range and enjoyed it. He's out selling book two, On the Wrong Track. I enjoyed getting to meet him.

And I even brought along a friend. Clint was looking for something to do when the work day ended, and I invited him to join me. He jumped at the chance. We even went down to Santa Monica afterward and walk around. I hadn't been down there for a couple years. Anyway, it was a nice day just chatting.

The one thing this does mean is I got almost no reviewing done this weekend. I really need to work on that if I'm going to get as much money as I would like from the contest Epinions is having this month. I could use the extra bucks.

Tired. So tired.

You'd think I'd have learned by now. Never come in to work the day after a youth retreat. I'm always next to useless.

See, this weekend was the winter retreat for the youth group at church. And what an adventure it was.

We left Friday afternoon (I got a couple hours off work), and headed to Kurt's family's cabin in Crestline. The girls stayed there and the boys stayed in another cabin we rented.

Now, the town is high enough that they get snow and ice. Which meant I had to drive on ice. On a hill. In a borrowed car. With people in the car. Naturally, that made me very nervous. Especially after the first night. On the way up, we got stopped. Naturally, any attempt to move forward was met by sliding back down the hill. Honestly, I don't know how I avoided hitting the cards behind me, but the brakes seemed to stop me. So I spent about half an hour with my foot jammed on the brake before another leader came, took over for me, and backed it down the hill. Meanwhile, someone trying to go down the hill slid and came within inches of hitting the van.

The other adventure of the weekend came Saturday. The main activity of the day was to be snowboard or skiing for those who wanted to go. We were going to have other activities for those who didn't want to pay the extra, but I was the only one who didn't want to go. So the plan was for me to go, sit in the lodge, and read. I'd be there to hang out with anyone who got tired. The plan worked for the most part in the morning, but just before lunch, one of the students got hurt. He went off a jump wrong, flipped, and landed on his upper back/neck. After being checked out by the medics, they decided he was ok. He spent the afternoon in a car, and I stayed with him. He wanted to sleep, but people kept coming by to check on him, so he didn't get any sleep and I didn't get much reading done.

Then there was coming back Sunday. There were six of us driving, and only two who knew the way. The plan was to carpool. Well, we got seperated leaving town. The two who knew the way went the right way and the rest of us went the wrong way. One of the cars had a GPS in it, so we got home, but we took a much longer way and ran into traffic. The upshot is we wound up getting home an hour and a half late.

On the whole, it was a great trip, however. Everyone seemed to have fun. The messages were good. No major injuries (although the one guy was going to go to a doctor to make sure he's as fine as he feels). And everyone got home.

But boy was it tiring. I "slept" on the floor Friday night. I don't think the fact that I didn't sleep had anything to do with that. Even though I didn't snowboard Saturday, it was an early morning followed by a late night. I don't know if I'll make it through 24 tonight. I'll get the VCR ready just in case.

Random Ramblings from Snowy Southern CA

Ok, so the title would have been best last week when I promised Matt I'd have a fun play on blog's title for the post title.

Confused yet? Me, too. Let's just move on, shall we?

Last week it was downright cold here in Southern CA. Highs in the 40's. Lows in the teens. For just about a week. We're finally getting weather in the 60's during the day and 40's at night. Decent winter weather.

And Wednesday last week, we had some seriously freaky weather. Some day it snowed, but the only thing I ever saw was hail. I did hear it snowed in Malibu. That's just not supposed to happen around here.

Frankly, I wish it had snowed. That would have been something fun to talk about later.

Other then freezing to death, I've been busy as always. The 13th we took the youth to a conference down in Anaheim. Yes, I was that close to Disneyland and didn't go. I haven't been in over a year and am having serious withdrawls. Other then that, it was a great day. Several different sessions and some fun games in the afternoon, including human foozeball. And, unlike when we did it in June, I got to play, too.

TV shows are starting up again. Veronica Mars tonight, in fact. And last week was 24, which I guess I won't be watching any more. After they killed me off at 10 AM. Do dead people watch TV? (Yes, I'm joking.)

Saturday night, I had a movie marathon, watching Jump In (new Disney channel original movie) and Guilty Conscience, a mystery recommended by Paul. Very interesting. Look for the review coming soon to an Epinions near you.

And speaking of reviewing, I'm two reviews away from 900 reviews at Amazon. Plan to write both of them by the end of the month.