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.