I Don't Wanna Be a Pharisee

Hello faithful readers. I come to you tonight from lovely Madison, WI. Doggoneit, it's been quite a long week for me. Last week when I wrote, I was digging out from a big snow storm, the biggest snow storm in Baltimore's history actually. Then, another storm had the AUDACITY to come through and dump another 2 feet of snow on the city. HOW DARE IT? The snow is taunting me. It knows I don't like it and therefore keeps coming around, like that one acquaintance you tolerate but really don't want around because they annoy you yet they keep showing up wherever you are. Well, due to the fact that my job doesn't stop just because it snows (and 7 of my 8 markets weren't snowed it) and there was too much work for me to do to try to work remotely, I stayed at a hotel during the storm. I then walked to work, where I was the only person there because the building had shut down. Yes, I'm just that dang dedicated. It was peaceful though Wednesday & Thursday. But my staff was still working from home remotely. They are awesome! But I was happy for Friday when things were back to normal, everyone was back at work, my car was unstuck, and I could eat something besides canned food! But then I worked late Friday, and Saturday, I had to shovel a heckuva lotta snow. I'm still achy. I'm fat, out of shape, and arthritic. I really should see if I can get a doctor's note and have insurance pay for someone else to shovel the snow. I'll check on that at my doctor's appointment next week (I will actually ask about my ankle though. Say a little prayer. My ankle has really been hurting for close to a month now. That can't be good)

But now I'm in Madison for work. Shoveled snow & washed clothes Saturday so I could pack and come here and help out our station here like I did in Raleigh. More cold & snow. Times like this I hate the north hahaha. Thankfully I love my job, too bad we aren't in Florida. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes I can handle. But my trip here was pretty uneventful (besides the girl behind me who seemed to have to hit my seat too often. I should have just leaned back in the seat), except I couldn't get the car charger on my GPS to work in my rental car. I should have gone back and asked the guy at the counter about it, but he was VERY blond and blue eyed. I think he was a grown up version of the kids in the movie "The Children of the Damned". Since I had no clue where I was going, that could be dangerous! So I tried on my iPhone. That worked, except instead of left & right, it uses east & west! Seriously? What, left & right too difficult? Turn east on X Road and bear south. NEWSFLASH: I WASN'T A BOY SCOUT! Give me left & right and I'm good. Also, I don't deal in miles as much as I deal in minutes. I live about 20-25 minutes from work, not miles. I did finally find where I needed to go after not too very long. Bad thing about Milwaukee, when I merged onto the interstate toward Madison, part of it was a steep curve. Those scare me to death! Hated that. So are large sporting arenas, it's the heights fear. Passed Miller Park in the dark, freaked again. Yup, I'm weird like that.

But I made it here to my hotel, which unlike the last 2 places, has WIFI and not just a wired high speed internet. Now I can sit on (sink into) the bed and not be tethered to the wall. I got drinks for the week, then to Denny's for hamburger steak with brown gravy, always a favorite of mine. I should have gotten a dessert. They had a brownie a la mode cheesecake. Cheesecake with nuts, hot fudge, brownie pieces, and topped with chocolate ice cream. ICE CREAM & CHEESECAKE? So gross I bet it's awesome, like those KFC bowls were!

I've watched some of the Olympics. Opening ceremonies had some good moments (the visuals of the whales & prairies, the use of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" which is one of my favorite songs ever) and some bad (the Nelly Furtado/Bryan Adams duet was PAINFUL!). Apolo Ohno is much less cocky & annoying now which is good. The death of the luger was tragic. Watched the finals of luge, and in a purely superficial moment, I asked myself "What's with the cowbells?" Sounds like a bunch of MSU rednecks drove up to Vancouver from Starkville.

Church today was very good. The preacher spoke about the verses in Luke where Jesus compared the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Tax collector were thought of in very low terms in those days. Pharisees thought highly of themselves. The Pharisee prayed to make a spectacle of himself and show just how "holy" he was. The tax collector prayed to ask forgiveness and humble himself because of how sinful he was. Are you praying to be seen by others or be heard by Him? There's your Sunday sermon.