A Week Between News Posts

So what have I been up to this week? Not a whole lot of excitement.

Last Monday, Casey and I did venture down to see Chicken Little. It was lots of fun and better then I was expecting.

Saturday, we went to see The Producers. Considering it was a Mel Brooks movie, I should have seen the sexual situations coming. It had some very funny parts, but the other parts ruined it for me. And the choriography left a little something to be desired as well. It was obvious the stage director did this one as well. Could have been better.

Monday night, I also used my Christmas money to buy a mixer. I'm so happy. Used it Wednesday night to whip up some Apple Orchard Bars. Very good once again. Now I need to figure out what I'm going to make next.

I decided I'd rather be sick then work today. Ok, actually, it was yesterday. Was running a fever in the high 101's. That was my temp when I took it at 5 AM, but when I finally got up at 10, it was down to 98.8. So I can go back to work tomorrow. Which is a good thing. I have so much to do this week. Like turn in my time card and finish up my December journal entries.

Thursday Threesome Times Two

I'm going to do the final Thursday Threesome of 2005 and the first of 2006 all in one post. Feels like a time warp thing or something. Both weeks are from The Back Porch.

The first is brought to us by inconsiderate people. Or should that be automakers. Not that they drive me crazy, but well, see for yourself.

Onesome: Driving-- Hey, what are you driving this winter? Same old, same old? ...or was Santa very nice to you (and if so, please pass him/her along to the gang !)?
Still driving the same car I've had since November 2000, a Honda CR-V. Still love it, too.

Twosome: you-- Hmmm... If you could, and money were no object, what would you be driving? ...and sure: taxes, license, dealer fees, gasoline, tires, insurance, etc. would be covered by Santa!
Probably a CR-V. I'm not a car crazy guy and don't have a desire to have a fancy, expensive car.

Threesome: Crazy!-- ...and it's crazy, but we've made it through another year. Are you going to be doing any celebrating to ring in the New Year? Yes? What's going to be your way to say "Hello" to 2006?
I went to see Narnia a second time. First for my parents, however. Then we stayed up until midnight playing games. Wild party animals, I know.

Today's edition is brought to us by Texas.

Onesome: Hook-- Just to get us back in the swing of things after the holidays: when you're at home, where do your keys hang out, on a hook by the door? ...or do they have a special place? ...or do you find them wherever they landed the last time you walked in ?
On top of my dresser in my bedroom closet.

Twosome: 'em-- Do you use contractions like " 'em " in your daily conversations? ...or do people use a contraction or phrase that particularly bugs you past the point of rationality?
I don't use 'em, but I do use n't and 'll and others like that. And ain't is about the only contraction that drives me up a wall.

Threesome: Horns-- On the Horns of a dilemma: if you had only one movie you could nominate for the Academy Awards for 2005, which would it be? ...and why? The screenplay? ...the lead player(s)? ...the setting?
Anyone paying attention to my blog the last month knows the answer to this one. Narnia was by far my favorite movie of the year and I think it should be nominated. I know it won't be, but it should be. It was exactly what this Narnia fan wanted from the movie.

So, You Want to Hear About Last Week?

I had a great week, week and a half, what ever it was with my parents.

Traffic was light on the way up on Friday the 23rd. I had hoped it would be, but it wasn't a guarentee.

Christmas went better then I thought it would. My bro and sister-in-law weren't able to make it out from Texas. Plus Christmas has been very hard on Mom since we started loosing my grandparents in 1999. It was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. We talked for two hours to B and SiL on Christmas Eve. Openned presents with them that day. Well, except for SiL who hadn't gotten my present yet. Fortunately she got it in the mail Tuesday. I need to mail presents earlier next time. Mom got three different mailbox covers this year. Maybe I should have gone with something else for a little variety.

Most of the week was quiet. Dad worked and Mom and I hung out at home trying to stay out of the rain. We played lots of games and got some work done around the house.

Friday night, I went down to spend the night with Donald and Heather. Great to see them and their new place. After getting thoroughly beaten by Donald twice on the Stock Market Game, I beat him on Scrabble. Ok, so in some ways he let me win, but it was still a surprise to me.

The bad storm moved in Friday night, so getting back to Mom and Dad's Saturday was rather hard. The route I normally take was closed, so I had to work around it. Took me a while, but I made it. Dad had to go into work Saturday for a while to make sure they won't have any major flooding problems, which was too bad.

We had a quiet New Years. Went to see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe then came back home and played games.

It was raining almost the entire way home yesterday. Still, it was better then the spot where the wind was so strong it was rattling the windows. Again, traffic was fine. An uneventful trip down, the best kind.

Storm really hit here today. Strong winds and hard rain. Blew down a tree outside my front window. A little ways away from my unit. Can't quite tell if it hit a car or landed between them. And Casey and I are about to venture out to finally go see Chicken Little.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all fun and games last week. Casey has decided to move out. He's moving to a place closer to work and with people who attend this church. As someone without a car I can see that.

However, it once again leaves me with one roommate. After having two roommates for only two months. On top of this, Casey and I get along so well. I'm upset at having a friend move out and devistated to be back to needing a roommate desperately. I am so sick and tired of the roommate shuffle yet don't see how I can possibly get that to change in the near future. Yes, I need to start looking for another job again pronto. And maybe it's time for me to think about moving out of Santa Clarita. Now you know I'm depressed, right?

Happy New Year!

Let me be among the last to wish you a Happy New Year!

And we're going to start the new year off right around here, with this week's word association.

1. Celebrate:: "Good Time., Come Home!"
2. Resolve: Declaration of Independence
3. I need to:: unpack
4. Call:: Phone
5. Token:: Game
6. Brand:: Trademark
7. Comparison:: Shopping
8. Far away:: Journey
9. Artful:: Death
10. Fantastic:: Finish

And to All a Good Night

Tuesday, Casey and I were stupid. We went to Wal-Mart.

Or, at least that's what I would have thought had I not gone there. The parking lot was packed, but the store itself really wasn't that bad. I've seen it much worse on regular days. Or in the middle of December. But for the 20th, it wasn't bad.

Same with the mall when I went on the 21st. Monday, it had been super crowded. Maybe this means everyone in town is done with their shopping already. I know I've been hearing that retail sales were strong, so I don't think this is a bad sign.

Meanwhile, not much else going on around here.

Left work a little before three today. Still have my jeans drying in the dryer, but that's the final part of the three loads of laundry I did today.

I was going to be all packed so I could just get up and leave in the morning, but it's not going to happen. I'm way too tired, and I put off packing until my clothes were done. It'll be easier in the morning anyway because I can just gather stuff up and go instead of trying to pack half tonight and half tomorrow. Of course, it means I either have to get up earlier or leave later. Or both.

Anyway, I am leaving for my parents in the morning. Won't be back until New Year's Day. I'll check in if I can, but if you don't hear from me, don't panic.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Early Thursday Threesome for December 22nd

Remember when I used to do these first thing Thursday morning? Ok, so it's been years. Still, I'm doing it first thing today. And it's brought to us this week by emotional rollercoasters and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Daily-- Do you have a daily routine you've fallen into this Christmas? ...baking in the morning, shopping in the afternoon? ...checking your list (twice) and then trying to find that certain something at lunch? ...checking the shippers to make sure everything is on the way? ...making sure you don't miss a day with your Advent calendar?
No more then normal. I still have to work. Then I go home after work. Really not much out of the ordinary for me.

Twosome: Ups and-- USPS and DHL and FedEx? How's the inbound traffic this year? Are you receiving more from on line stores than you have in the past? (Oh, and a word to the gang on this: Amazon's "SuperSaver Shipping" is using a sequence of Airborne to the USPS to the recipient, targeting deliveries for Friday the twenty-third. Heads up tomorrow for inbound reindeer!)
I think I did about the same amount of shopping this year on line as previous years. Maybe a little more, but not too much more. There's one package going straight to my parents I don't know about, but everything that should have arrived down here has arrived already.

Threesome: Downs-- ..de' hatch? What are your thoughts on eggnog now that it's that time of year? ...and sure, unleadeed or with the traditional added 'kick'. It seems no one is fence-sitting on this holiday drink; people either seem to like it or loath it. How about you?
I remember having eggnog once in my life and not liking it. I was a kid at the time, but I haven't gone near the stuff since. It was unleaded then and I'd have it unleaded again now.

Quiz Time

Here are a couple more quizzes I've wanted to do for a while but haven't gotten to yet.


You are Brian! You are dependable, stable, and are
always there to help. You can be counted on to
fix any problem and get people out of sticky
situations. Just make sure you aren;t so stern
all the time; losen up and have a little more
fun in life!


What Trixie Belden character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ok, I'll admit I picked a couple Brian answers. But it was rather hard not to know who they were going for. Now, If I had red hair but was the oldest and dependable with parents who did a good job raising the family....


You are Jim! You are a gentleman who ALWAYS tries
to do what is right in every situation. People
apprectiate your honesty and the humor that
often peeks out from your proper front. Make
sure your aren't SO honorable that you lose
friends because you are a goody-goody.


What Trixie Belden character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I guess this just proves how much alike those two are. All I did was chance the hair color question, and I went from Brian to Jim.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	6.1
Mind:	5.8
Body:	5.3
Spirit:	7.9
Friends/Family:	4.8
Love:	0.8
Finance:	8.1
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Love life seems harsh, but I guess it's accurate.

You Should Learn Swedish

Fantastisk! You're laid back about learning a language - and about life in general. Peaceful, beautiful Sweden is ideal for you... And you won't even have to speak perfect Swedish to get around!

What Language Should You Learn?

But don't they speak that is Sweden? Isn't that like, a very cold place? No thanks. :)

Party Time

This was a very busy weekend. Christmas party time, you know.

Thursday night, we took the youth caroling. Took the bus this year, which I was very thankful for. Only made four stops, and we kept having to go back and forth because one gated community was going to let us in, then wasn't, then was.... What's really funny is we had no problem getting in a couple weeks ago.

Friday, I met for lunch with Pastor Jon. we talked about my future in ministry in the church, and specifically youth ministry. We reached absolutely no conclusions other then the fact that I would definitely stay through January. Still, it was a very good time.

Friday night, Jon took the youth staff out to dinner. It turned out being mostly Jr. High staff. We were going to the Cheesecake Factory down in Hollywood. Since no one got there to put our name in before 7:30, it was 10 PM before we were seated. That's what happens when you have a large group on a busy night. Most of us hung out at the Barnes and Nobel next door the entire time. That's where I found the book Smart Answers to Dumb Questions. A cartoon book depecting the sarcastic comments you often want to say to the questions you get asked all the time. "Would you liked to see our menu?" "No thanks. we'll just guess what you have?" "Is this book supposed to be funny?" "No, it's supposed to be read." Or my personal favorite exchange. Guy entering elevator on bottom floor: "Going up?" Guy in elevator: "Actually, we thought we'd break the monotony and go sideways today." Ok, so have I ever claimed not to be a wise guy? I came so close to buying the book, but I didn't at the last minute. Now I'm wishing I had.

Anyway, we did finally get seats and get food. It was quite good, and the cheesecake was fabulous. I also really enjoyed hanging out with these friends. The down side was, we didn't get home until 1 AM.

Naturally, I slept in on Saturday. Which didn't give me time to do anything much before I had to be down at Konrad and Carol's for the game night. We met early so we could spend some time making chocolates. Then we played Mexican Train Dominoes. I lost royally. It might have had something to do with me drawing more dominoes then anyone else to start.

Sunday evening was the annual Christmas carol sing at church. I always love that service, and this year was no exception. We didn't have a time for requests this year, but we still sang "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly," a personal favorite that is often overlooked. And we ended with "Come On, Ring Those Bells." I couldn't have planned it better.

After that (no, my partying isn't over yet), I went to Stephen and Natalie's for their annual Christmas party. Plus I got to meet their new son, Dylan. Again, I had a wonderful time. We played Wise and Otherwise, a game kinda like Balderdash using old proverbs. I loved it and am quite disappointed to learn that the game appears to be out of print.

At the end of the party, one of their guests, told me I needed to get a wife when she heard me talking about enjoying TV and books. I was too offended at the time, but later I thought about how funny it was. If she only know what my weekend had been like. Plus it tied in to a discussion we had at the game night about how the church puts pressure on people to be married.

So that's the tale of my weekend.

A Little Behind the Times

I got a funny piece of mail Friday.

It was a reminder to vote on November 8th from the Republican party. Icluded the governor's propositions so I could vote the right way.

Anyone else think it's funny that I got it six weeks after the election?

So, the question becomes, did someone at Republican head quarters slip up? Or is this another example of the post office delivering mail very slowly?

Of course, the flier looks familiar. I bet I got two or three of them before the election.

Anyway, I thought it was funny.

Word Association for December 18th

Two WA posts in a row. Aren't you lucky?

1. Replenish:: Supply
2. People:: Magazine
3. Trend:: Fashion
4. Girlfriends:: Group of female friends
5. Spirit:: (is) Willing
6. Banshee:: Yell
7. Oasis:: Water
8. Thrills:: Chills
9. Fountain:: Water
10. Boxes:: Packages