Well, Carrie Underwood is starting off this year's awards show by oversinging to show how loud she can sing. Unfortunately, the audio person is cranking up the electric guitar even louder than her. I guess the audio guy is a Taylor fan. Brad Paisley & Keith Urban came on to play guitar and banjo respectively. They make her look more & more like a robot. No, I'm not a huge Carrie fan. She has a great voice, but annoys me. But then the opening monologue further proving how awesome Brad Paisley is. Redoing Buck Owen's Tiger By the Tail into a Tiger Woods song was brilliant.
Ty Pennington looks like a tall skinny oompa loompa. Orange isn't his color. Lady Antebellum wins single of the year for "Need You Now", a great song about a booty call, but a classy one. It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now. That's class. haha, I kid I kid, it's a great song and I downloaded their album. For those of you under 30, album is an old term for a big CD.
Rascall Flatts sang a song that wasn't horrible cheesy and overly emotional for a change. But I don't know where the lead singing shot got that couch to shoot so someone could make that shirt. By the way, his name is Gary Le Vox. That's not his real name, he changed it. Le Vox is Latin for "the voice". Pretentious much?
What happened to Kellie Pickler's face? WOW! She looks like a mannequin, and not in a good way. Song of the year went to "The House That Built Me". That is one of the best songs I've heard in a long time. It's just brilliant. Miranda Lambert sang it beautifully. More funny from Brad then some Blake Shelton. I've watched Blake on Chelsea Lately and he's at least half crazy and dang proud of it. I appreciate that.
Miranda Lambert is just flippin awesome. But it's odd still to see country music sung in fancy clothes. The sound mixing is still awful. Are they really afraid people won't be able to hear the electric guitars? George Strait is and always will be the King of Country Music. Kids, this is how to be cool, by not forcing it. Just let the cool be. Nicole Kidman was so moved by it, her over botoxed face almost showed emotion. Glad Zac Brown Band won New Artist. But I promise you he looks like the homeless guy who used to show up around my office at my first job. But their performance was just down home awesome, especially when Alan Jackson came out to sing with them. Then Kenny Chesney came out to sing his football song. He makes weird faces when he sings, and the song is pretty schmaltzy and predictable, but it perfectly captures football, especially in the south.
Bring on hour 2!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
I'll find a reason to believe.
This weekend has been more bad than good. I think I'm done with people for a while. I think Thoreau had it right, even though Walden bored me to tears. Although, with the life I lead, I almost feel like I'm isolated at Walden Pond, or I'm the Unabomber, one of the 2 haha.
Eh, I'll start with the bad and work around to good. Bama lost. South Carolina just outplayed them. It was painful to watch, but it didn't ruin my weekend. It won't ruin my week, month, or year. If a football game affects you that much, you really need more to your life haha.
Other things can tick you off instead. I've lost 35 pounds. That's great and all, but now, my pants look like a drawstring bag on me. I still have more weight to lose, so I don't know how long I'll be in that size. Therefore, I don't want to make a huge investment. I want to be economical. You'd figure I could find some pants, but NOOO! Either they don't fit right or they aren't the right color or style. Yes, I'm picky. I have to wear them everyday so they need to be something I like. I made it through the redneck mall in York (although there is apparently one that's even more redneck), the Towson mall, Kohl's, & Marshalls. I think I know most every style of pant (including short jorts, YIKES! Gotta please the rednecks) and none are right. So I have to be droopy for a while longer. I hate shopping. I hate it more when nothing is right. Maybe I'll wear sweatpants everywhere. I have a pair that fit.
Then, there is my phone. Had trouble getting & keeping a signal. Went to Best Buy first. Went to the one closest to the office. Wanted to make sure my iPhone protection plan was still good. Guy there, well, not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Yes, he could have been the butter knife. He suggested I check with the store where I bought the phone. So I did. That guy thought the other guy was just not smart. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. Told me to check with AT&T and Apple before switching out my phone. He thought it could be a network issue that AT&T could fix easily. Saturday, went to AT&T. He said it wasn't a network issue. Wouldn't even humor me and check. Best Buy guy was right. They work on commission. If you ain't buyin, they ain't tryin. So that made me ill. Went to a different mall today. Different AT&T, same result. So I went to the Apple Store. OK, it's like Wal-Mart at Christmas in there. And you have to make an appointment they are so crowded. I was lucky to get one 1.5 hours later. But the one chick there either hated me or hated her life. She wasn't friendly. Maybe it was because I rolled my eyes when she said 1.5 hours. Well excuse me for thinking that's odd. So I looked at more pants that were too expensive. Got seen about 15-20 minutes after my time. Lady said she'd restore/reset the phone, should take care of it. She did it, I leave, tried to make a call, same problem. Went right back in, she reset it again. I went outside, had to try a call. It worked, but then it went back. GRRR!! Went right back. Had to deal with Little Miss Sunshine again (she really needs charm school). This time, instead of resetting it, my technician Toni (who actually was very nice, unlike other chick) got me a new phone. So it worked and off to more fruitless pants shopping. Get back to the apartment, I'm having trouble with iTunes and have to call Apple. I apparently have them stumped until tomorrow. At least I didn't call for an iPhone problem. I would have had to PAY for a tech call about that. Yeah, ridiculous. Ugh, nothing went right. Braves couldn't even hold a lead in the 9th. Weekend wasn't great.
Also found out that my neighbor from up the street back home (Alabama is home, I currently live in "the apartment", I don't call it home) passed away. Mr. Shuttlesworth was always just the nicest man, always with a smile, always a Godly man. He lived a good long life and I was blessed to know him. RIP to a dear man.
But at least The Social Network was a great movie. Who knew the story of Facebook was so interesting. Jesse Eisenberg was amazing, Andrew Garfield (soon to be the new Spider-Man) was also very good. Justin Timberlake even did a good job. You must see this movie. And I sang at church this morning. Small solo that I first went over just the other night. It all worked out. Yeah, those were the only good things. Dang, my weekend did suck. haha
So I move on to next week. Gotta be better, right? I hope my phone gets fixed. It's my key to my friends & family. Tough being away from home. Hope everyone has a great week. I'm done whining. For now at least.
Eh, I'll start with the bad and work around to good. Bama lost. South Carolina just outplayed them. It was painful to watch, but it didn't ruin my weekend. It won't ruin my week, month, or year. If a football game affects you that much, you really need more to your life haha.
Other things can tick you off instead. I've lost 35 pounds. That's great and all, but now, my pants look like a drawstring bag on me. I still have more weight to lose, so I don't know how long I'll be in that size. Therefore, I don't want to make a huge investment. I want to be economical. You'd figure I could find some pants, but NOOO! Either they don't fit right or they aren't the right color or style. Yes, I'm picky. I have to wear them everyday so they need to be something I like. I made it through the redneck mall in York (although there is apparently one that's even more redneck), the Towson mall, Kohl's, & Marshalls. I think I know most every style of pant (including short jorts, YIKES! Gotta please the rednecks) and none are right. So I have to be droopy for a while longer. I hate shopping. I hate it more when nothing is right. Maybe I'll wear sweatpants everywhere. I have a pair that fit.
Then, there is my phone. Had trouble getting & keeping a signal. Went to Best Buy first. Went to the one closest to the office. Wanted to make sure my iPhone protection plan was still good. Guy there, well, not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Yes, he could have been the butter knife. He suggested I check with the store where I bought the phone. So I did. That guy thought the other guy was just not smart. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. Told me to check with AT&T and Apple before switching out my phone. He thought it could be a network issue that AT&T could fix easily. Saturday, went to AT&T. He said it wasn't a network issue. Wouldn't even humor me and check. Best Buy guy was right. They work on commission. If you ain't buyin, they ain't tryin. So that made me ill. Went to a different mall today. Different AT&T, same result. So I went to the Apple Store. OK, it's like Wal-Mart at Christmas in there. And you have to make an appointment they are so crowded. I was lucky to get one 1.5 hours later. But the one chick there either hated me or hated her life. She wasn't friendly. Maybe it was because I rolled my eyes when she said 1.5 hours. Well excuse me for thinking that's odd. So I looked at more pants that were too expensive. Got seen about 15-20 minutes after my time. Lady said she'd restore/reset the phone, should take care of it. She did it, I leave, tried to make a call, same problem. Went right back in, she reset it again. I went outside, had to try a call. It worked, but then it went back. GRRR!! Went right back. Had to deal with Little Miss Sunshine again (she really needs charm school). This time, instead of resetting it, my technician Toni (who actually was very nice, unlike other chick) got me a new phone. So it worked and off to more fruitless pants shopping. Get back to the apartment, I'm having trouble with iTunes and have to call Apple. I apparently have them stumped until tomorrow. At least I didn't call for an iPhone problem. I would have had to PAY for a tech call about that. Yeah, ridiculous. Ugh, nothing went right. Braves couldn't even hold a lead in the 9th. Weekend wasn't great.
Also found out that my neighbor from up the street back home (Alabama is home, I currently live in "the apartment", I don't call it home) passed away. Mr. Shuttlesworth was always just the nicest man, always with a smile, always a Godly man. He lived a good long life and I was blessed to know him. RIP to a dear man.
But at least The Social Network was a great movie. Who knew the story of Facebook was so interesting. Jesse Eisenberg was amazing, Andrew Garfield (soon to be the new Spider-Man) was also very good. Justin Timberlake even did a good job. You must see this movie. And I sang at church this morning. Small solo that I first went over just the other night. It all worked out. Yeah, those were the only good things. Dang, my weekend did suck. haha
So I move on to next week. Gotta be better, right? I hope my phone gets fixed. It's my key to my friends & family. Tough being away from home. Hope everyone has a great week. I'm done whining. For now at least.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
I Feel Good, I Knew That I Would Now
So, who's sick of me talking my weight loss? Well, tough luck buster, I'm talking about it some more. What's more, you get a few more details tonight. Yes, you'll even get numbers tonight. I know you've been waiting on that. haha. But before I tell you where I am, I must tell you how I got here.
I never was the skinniest of kids. I was even born big. 10 lbs, 9 oz. Sure, I was over 3 weeks late, but that's not the point. In elementary school I got a bit chunky around 3rd or 4th grade. I even wore "husky" size jeans. Yeah, don't get me started on calling jeans husky. Even though I played little baseball & basketball and was on a swim team, you wouldn't know it by looking at me. That probably had to do with the fact that I wasn't very good. haha. Then around the age of 13 or 14, it evened out. I grew taller and had to give up fried foods because of my stomach condition. Eh, it helped. So in high school I was never fat, just not as skinny as everyone else. Same thing in college. Just your average guy, a little heavy. Then I went to Savannah, GA on summer missions. Being so active that summer and in the sun, I came back 10-15 lbs thinner and tan. I wasn't complaining haha. I finally evened back out to my normal weight.
But that didn't last forever. After a few years, I started noticing some pain and stiffness. I finally went to the doctor when it became too much to bear. I was diagnosed with arthritis. When it hurts to move, you don't move. When you don't move, well, you obviously gain weight. It took 4 years to find the right medicine. But finally I did. I felt like the Tin Man after Dorothy used the oil can on him. Physically, I was better. But after 4 years of being lazy, it's tough to be unlazy. Once I moved to Baltimore, I had my arthritis doctor and my primary care doctor telling me I needed to lose weight. I will admit, the worst part about going to the doctor wasn't getting blood drawn, it was getting weighed. That number kept going up. I learned to live with the weight gain. I had mama move over the buttons on my pants until I finally had to go up a size.
I even joined a gym back in March. I was good about going at first. Then I got sick or hurt or busy or had high blood pressure or something and I didn't go as much. Then I kept thinking about doing some sort of weight loss program. I had semi decided on Weight Watchers. I'd heard good things about it. I kept seeing my weight go up and then got a look at myself in some pictures, including that one I put on Facebook. I was heavier than I wanted to be. So when I was in Alabama, I signed up for Weight Watchers.
On Sunday July 18th, I weighed myself at home. My weight was lower than it was earlier in the year, but still too high. I weighed 263.3 lbs. Yup, I'd been in the 260s for a while. But with Weight Watchers and working out 3-4 times a week, I started losing weight. I was losing more than I imagined I could. 5 became 10, 10 became 15, 15 became 20 and so on. I can't tell you how good it has felt to see the numbers on the scale go down. My arthritis doctor was pleased. My only regret is that my family & friends back home can't share it in person and I can't rub it in their faces :-) Kidding.
Well, I weighed myself this morning and I was at 230.0 lbs. Yup, I'm almost in the 220s. Just 2-2.5 months ago, I was firmly in the 260s. I thought I was destined to stay there. I look back on pictures now and I can't believe the change. Thanks to everyone for all their encouragement. It has meant a lot. I can't wait to get back home to show off to everyone in person. It's a great feeling. I'm not done yet. My primary care doc suggested being under 200 for my height. So I'm aiming for that. I'm pretty much halfway there. This is but one goal I'm working on. Bring it on world, I'm ready for ya!
I never was the skinniest of kids. I was even born big. 10 lbs, 9 oz. Sure, I was over 3 weeks late, but that's not the point. In elementary school I got a bit chunky around 3rd or 4th grade. I even wore "husky" size jeans. Yeah, don't get me started on calling jeans husky. Even though I played little baseball & basketball and was on a swim team, you wouldn't know it by looking at me. That probably had to do with the fact that I wasn't very good. haha. Then around the age of 13 or 14, it evened out. I grew taller and had to give up fried foods because of my stomach condition. Eh, it helped. So in high school I was never fat, just not as skinny as everyone else. Same thing in college. Just your average guy, a little heavy. Then I went to Savannah, GA on summer missions. Being so active that summer and in the sun, I came back 10-15 lbs thinner and tan. I wasn't complaining haha. I finally evened back out to my normal weight.
But that didn't last forever. After a few years, I started noticing some pain and stiffness. I finally went to the doctor when it became too much to bear. I was diagnosed with arthritis. When it hurts to move, you don't move. When you don't move, well, you obviously gain weight. It took 4 years to find the right medicine. But finally I did. I felt like the Tin Man after Dorothy used the oil can on him. Physically, I was better. But after 4 years of being lazy, it's tough to be unlazy. Once I moved to Baltimore, I had my arthritis doctor and my primary care doctor telling me I needed to lose weight. I will admit, the worst part about going to the doctor wasn't getting blood drawn, it was getting weighed. That number kept going up. I learned to live with the weight gain. I had mama move over the buttons on my pants until I finally had to go up a size.
I even joined a gym back in March. I was good about going at first. Then I got sick or hurt or busy or had high blood pressure or something and I didn't go as much. Then I kept thinking about doing some sort of weight loss program. I had semi decided on Weight Watchers. I'd heard good things about it. I kept seeing my weight go up and then got a look at myself in some pictures, including that one I put on Facebook. I was heavier than I wanted to be. So when I was in Alabama, I signed up for Weight Watchers.
On Sunday July 18th, I weighed myself at home. My weight was lower than it was earlier in the year, but still too high. I weighed 263.3 lbs. Yup, I'd been in the 260s for a while. But with Weight Watchers and working out 3-4 times a week, I started losing weight. I was losing more than I imagined I could. 5 became 10, 10 became 15, 15 became 20 and so on. I can't tell you how good it has felt to see the numbers on the scale go down. My arthritis doctor was pleased. My only regret is that my family & friends back home can't share it in person and I can't rub it in their faces :-) Kidding.
Well, I weighed myself this morning and I was at 230.0 lbs. Yup, I'm almost in the 220s. Just 2-2.5 months ago, I was firmly in the 260s. I thought I was destined to stay there. I look back on pictures now and I can't believe the change. Thanks to everyone for all their encouragement. It has meant a lot. I can't wait to get back home to show off to everyone in person. It's a great feeling. I'm not done yet. My primary care doc suggested being under 200 for my height. So I'm aiming for that. I'm pretty much halfway there. This is but one goal I'm working on. Bring it on world, I'm ready for ya!
Monday, September 27, 2010
I never heard the melody, until I needed a song
Wow, it's been a while since I blogged. I didn't think it'd been a month. Time flies when you have no life. Well, anyway, I looked back and on my last blog/note, I was down 20 pounds. Now, I'm down close to 30 pounds! I'm well on my way to my original weight of 10 lbs., 9 oz!! Yes, I even lost a pound on vacation. I kept up with my points and walked around a lot, which was my exercising instead of the gym.
So yeah, I went on vacation about a week and a half ago. I went to San Diego. If you read this at all, you know this. No, I don't know anyone in San Diego, although I did find out that I did know someone who would be there (more on that later), I have no family out there. It was a random choice. Free flight from Southwest and I've always wanted to go to California. My flight was mid-morning so I didn't have to wake up too early to get to the airport and I made it there in plenty of time. I had my book ready and my Vanity Fair & Games magazine on hand as well. I was prepping for an uneventful flight. I got on the flight and thought I was gonna have drama courtesy of one woman. She and her husband were the last 2 passengers and the only seats left were center seats. She complained without complaining to her husband about it and made a big deal of the inconvenience. Her husband was sitting by me, she was in the row behind. The lady in the window seat behind me heard her griping too and offered to switch seats after she was done with her work. She also told griping lady that if you check in earlier, you won't have this problem, but in a polite way. Griping wife finally made friends with the passenger on the other side so when working woman offered her seat later, she politely declined. She said her husband probably was enjoying the peace & quiet. Since I was reading Vanity Fair rip Sarah Palin to shreds, I wasn't talking to him, so I imagine he was enjoying the peace & quiet. Glad I could help you out sir!
So then I landed in San Diego. I saw sunny skies & palm trees. I loved it already. Hotel wasn't far from the airport and I didn't get lost, so that's good. Went to my hotel, which wasn't fancy, but it was clean and nice and the pool was good - and it was CHEAP! then I got something to eat. I headed to the beach so I could get some west coast sunset pictures. It look a long time to find a park, but I found one just in time. There is a huge pier at Ocean Beach and I got some great shots. Leaving the pier, I saw some guy with rolling papers and he was putting something in them. HOPEFULLY it was tobacco. I was too intrigued to look away but too paranoid to stick around. Then, I went to eat at the Mexican restaurant at the hotel that night. I got a spicy chicken sandwich, I don't like Mexican food. Then I prepped myself to be a tourist!
Thursday was zoo day. That is a big zoo, and it's really nice too. It's layout is good. They have a lot of animals and they do a lot for animal conservation. I got lots of pics of some sort of critters. Some of them I even recognize. I even dealt with some work issues while there. I'm a multi-tasker! The day started out sorta cloudy, but by noon, it was perfect. Clear skies and temps in the 70s. Yes, I got too much sun that day. But I couldn't be in California without coming back with sun. After the zoo, I went to the Wild Animal park which is about half an hour north of the zoo. I don't know why I went. It had some of the same animals as the zoo, the exhibits were just ok, and it overall looked decent, but like it was an afterthought or maybe once had been more dynamic. It looked like the old mall in what's now the lesser part of town.
That night, I went to Old Town. Mainly because I heard it was cool and I could get there without getting on the interstate. I walked around a bit, tried to find something to eat, and scope out haunted tours. I found a lot of Mexican restaurants. But I found a place called O'Hungrys. They had 2 guys singing and playing guitar, but more importantly, they had $5 entrees. I was sold! It would be my home the next 3 nights haha. I also found the "haunted" Whaley house and made plans that next night to visit there. It was good to hear the stories about the house. They give history tours of it by day, ghost tours by night. One night in Old Town, I even saw a man who set up camp outside a store and had 2 dogs and a chicken. Sometimes, the chicken would ride on the dogs' backs. Yeah, it's weirder than it sounds and that says a lot.
Friday, was Sea World. My friend & former co-worker Brook, I found out, was in SD the same time I was. Happy accident. I was at Sea World the same day she, her husband, and her sister were. I had hoped to run into her but she found me at the sea lions show. I loved that show. It was actually funny & entertaining. The dolphin show had too little dolphin, too much weird aerial ballet & diving. Shamu was good, but with some horrendous Disney style song that could have benefited from a sound system malfunction. I saw a dog & cat show too. Yes, at Sea World. No, I didn't get it either. I saw dolphins up close, I saw sharks, I dealt with a work issue, I rode the sky tram and didn't freak out (but was scared, I freely admit it!). It started off cloudy but soon gave way to clear skies and temps in the 70s. Sea World was awesome. Later that evening, just before sunset, I got in the hot tub at the hotel. I was all alone in the pool area and loved it. I looked up and saw the sky begin to change colors from blue, to red, to orange. I saw the tall palm trees sway gently in the breeze. I was perfectly at peace. I was in a hot tub in southern California at sunset. Loved it!
Saturday, I had plans at one point to drive up to LA. I'm glad I thought better of it. So I took a trolley tour of San Diego. I went to the Harbor (it was the beginning of fleet week so it was PACKED!), went to Coronado and saw the hotel there. It's HUGE!! And it's wooden and had a red roof, but it's nothing like a Red Roof Inn. Apparently, parts of Some Like It Hot were filmed there. I went to eat lunch at a restaurant there (after the seafood place at the harbor messed up my order) and found some Tennessee fans. They were very nice people. Bama was demolishing Duke and UT was in a dogfight with the Gators at the time. It was good to be around folks who cared about SEC football though. One last night in Old Town, then off to pack to come back to Baltimore and deal with work issues on Sunday morning. The plane ride back was quieter. I sat next to the 2 nicest older ladies on the flight to KC. They were sweet as can be. I sat close because I had a quick turnaround between flights, but I need not have worried. I had to go 30 feet to my gate and still way 10-15 minutes and deal with a work issue before boarding.
So yeah, then it was back to reality. Back to work on Monday. Back to the gym but with still sore feet, back to my exercise class, back to choir practice. Back to life, back to reality, back from a fantasy (thanks Jeff for also thinking of that song for me earlier this week, it was already in my brain haha). I did see The Town on Friday. Awesome movie, a must see! Yesterday, it was the church community fair, then back to the apartment to watch Bama come back in the 2nd half for a huge win, watched a kinda decent episode of SNL, then sleep. Today was church, WalMart (and some NedWrecks!), Steel Magnolias (don't judge), NFL, and Mad Men. Yes, I'm that boring.
My deep thought of the week is about resilience. Kids are some of the most resilient creatures on Earth. They have short memories of heartache, despair, and pain. Yesterday, a little boy at church busted his mouth open, he was crying, he was bleeding, his world was awful. His dad was inside packing stuff up, his mom was at his grandmother's car. He needed his parents in a bad way. So I scooped him up and we went searching. It hurts me when kids are crying & in pain. Mom was found and she took over. I checked on him a few minutes later, his two front teeth were out and he was cleaned up and smiling. He was happy again. 5 minutes earlier was an awful time for him, but he bounced back that quickly. He even smiled for us all and showed his new profile. Why aren't we like that? Why do we let petty things drag us down? Why do we have such long memories? Jackson has a lot to teach us I believe.
Have a good week everyone. Wake me up when September ends.
So yeah, I went on vacation about a week and a half ago. I went to San Diego. If you read this at all, you know this. No, I don't know anyone in San Diego, although I did find out that I did know someone who would be there (more on that later), I have no family out there. It was a random choice. Free flight from Southwest and I've always wanted to go to California. My flight was mid-morning so I didn't have to wake up too early to get to the airport and I made it there in plenty of time. I had my book ready and my Vanity Fair & Games magazine on hand as well. I was prepping for an uneventful flight. I got on the flight and thought I was gonna have drama courtesy of one woman. She and her husband were the last 2 passengers and the only seats left were center seats. She complained without complaining to her husband about it and made a big deal of the inconvenience. Her husband was sitting by me, she was in the row behind. The lady in the window seat behind me heard her griping too and offered to switch seats after she was done with her work. She also told griping lady that if you check in earlier, you won't have this problem, but in a polite way. Griping wife finally made friends with the passenger on the other side so when working woman offered her seat later, she politely declined. She said her husband probably was enjoying the peace & quiet. Since I was reading Vanity Fair rip Sarah Palin to shreds, I wasn't talking to him, so I imagine he was enjoying the peace & quiet. Glad I could help you out sir!
So then I landed in San Diego. I saw sunny skies & palm trees. I loved it already. Hotel wasn't far from the airport and I didn't get lost, so that's good. Went to my hotel, which wasn't fancy, but it was clean and nice and the pool was good - and it was CHEAP! then I got something to eat. I headed to the beach so I could get some west coast sunset pictures. It look a long time to find a park, but I found one just in time. There is a huge pier at Ocean Beach and I got some great shots. Leaving the pier, I saw some guy with rolling papers and he was putting something in them. HOPEFULLY it was tobacco. I was too intrigued to look away but too paranoid to stick around. Then, I went to eat at the Mexican restaurant at the hotel that night. I got a spicy chicken sandwich, I don't like Mexican food. Then I prepped myself to be a tourist!
Thursday was zoo day. That is a big zoo, and it's really nice too. It's layout is good. They have a lot of animals and they do a lot for animal conservation. I got lots of pics of some sort of critters. Some of them I even recognize. I even dealt with some work issues while there. I'm a multi-tasker! The day started out sorta cloudy, but by noon, it was perfect. Clear skies and temps in the 70s. Yes, I got too much sun that day. But I couldn't be in California without coming back with sun. After the zoo, I went to the Wild Animal park which is about half an hour north of the zoo. I don't know why I went. It had some of the same animals as the zoo, the exhibits were just ok, and it overall looked decent, but like it was an afterthought or maybe once had been more dynamic. It looked like the old mall in what's now the lesser part of town.
That night, I went to Old Town. Mainly because I heard it was cool and I could get there without getting on the interstate. I walked around a bit, tried to find something to eat, and scope out haunted tours. I found a lot of Mexican restaurants. But I found a place called O'Hungrys. They had 2 guys singing and playing guitar, but more importantly, they had $5 entrees. I was sold! It would be my home the next 3 nights haha. I also found the "haunted" Whaley house and made plans that next night to visit there. It was good to hear the stories about the house. They give history tours of it by day, ghost tours by night. One night in Old Town, I even saw a man who set up camp outside a store and had 2 dogs and a chicken. Sometimes, the chicken would ride on the dogs' backs. Yeah, it's weirder than it sounds and that says a lot.
Friday, was Sea World. My friend & former co-worker Brook, I found out, was in SD the same time I was. Happy accident. I was at Sea World the same day she, her husband, and her sister were. I had hoped to run into her but she found me at the sea lions show. I loved that show. It was actually funny & entertaining. The dolphin show had too little dolphin, too much weird aerial ballet & diving. Shamu was good, but with some horrendous Disney style song that could have benefited from a sound system malfunction. I saw a dog & cat show too. Yes, at Sea World. No, I didn't get it either. I saw dolphins up close, I saw sharks, I dealt with a work issue, I rode the sky tram and didn't freak out (but was scared, I freely admit it!). It started off cloudy but soon gave way to clear skies and temps in the 70s. Sea World was awesome. Later that evening, just before sunset, I got in the hot tub at the hotel. I was all alone in the pool area and loved it. I looked up and saw the sky begin to change colors from blue, to red, to orange. I saw the tall palm trees sway gently in the breeze. I was perfectly at peace. I was in a hot tub in southern California at sunset. Loved it!
Saturday, I had plans at one point to drive up to LA. I'm glad I thought better of it. So I took a trolley tour of San Diego. I went to the Harbor (it was the beginning of fleet week so it was PACKED!), went to Coronado and saw the hotel there. It's HUGE!! And it's wooden and had a red roof, but it's nothing like a Red Roof Inn. Apparently, parts of Some Like It Hot were filmed there. I went to eat lunch at a restaurant there (after the seafood place at the harbor messed up my order) and found some Tennessee fans. They were very nice people. Bama was demolishing Duke and UT was in a dogfight with the Gators at the time. It was good to be around folks who cared about SEC football though. One last night in Old Town, then off to pack to come back to Baltimore and deal with work issues on Sunday morning. The plane ride back was quieter. I sat next to the 2 nicest older ladies on the flight to KC. They were sweet as can be. I sat close because I had a quick turnaround between flights, but I need not have worried. I had to go 30 feet to my gate and still way 10-15 minutes and deal with a work issue before boarding.
So yeah, then it was back to reality. Back to work on Monday. Back to the gym but with still sore feet, back to my exercise class, back to choir practice. Back to life, back to reality, back from a fantasy (thanks Jeff for also thinking of that song for me earlier this week, it was already in my brain haha). I did see The Town on Friday. Awesome movie, a must see! Yesterday, it was the church community fair, then back to the apartment to watch Bama come back in the 2nd half for a huge win, watched a kinda decent episode of SNL, then sleep. Today was church, WalMart (and some NedWrecks!), Steel Magnolias (don't judge), NFL, and Mad Men. Yes, I'm that boring.
My deep thought of the week is about resilience. Kids are some of the most resilient creatures on Earth. They have short memories of heartache, despair, and pain. Yesterday, a little boy at church busted his mouth open, he was crying, he was bleeding, his world was awful. His dad was inside packing stuff up, his mom was at his grandmother's car. He needed his parents in a bad way. So I scooped him up and we went searching. It hurts me when kids are crying & in pain. Mom was found and she took over. I checked on him a few minutes later, his two front teeth were out and he was cleaned up and smiling. He was happy again. 5 minutes earlier was an awful time for him, but he bounced back that quickly. He even smiled for us all and showed his new profile. Why aren't we like that? Why do we let petty things drag us down? Why do we have such long memories? Jackson has a lot to teach us I believe.
Have a good week everyone. Wake me up when September ends.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
I'm not drowning, there's no one here to save!
Welcome back blog readers. It's been a couple of weeks, I hope you missed me, because I enjoy being missed. Only in America and only on the interwebs could the travails of a single guy who does as little as possible be read by anyone. Well, the only people that read it are people who know me, so I guess it's not as spectacular as I would have myself believe. (cue the sound of bubble bursting).
Well, after an opening negative, I will now move on to a positive. I have now dropped 20 pounds through Weight Watchers and exercise. I still can't believe I get to say I've lost that much. Now, I have to keep it up because I'm nowhere near my goal yet. But I'm very proud of that 20 pounds. It came off easier than I thought it would. That's just an evil tease of that weight. Sure, the first 20 are easy, now try for more. I'll kick your butt you stupid weight! BRING IT ON!
I've been going to the movies lately for some tacky cheesy horror movies. Piranha 3D was exactly what I thought. It was gory, bloody, and stupid. I had a great time! I went to see The Last Exorcism this past Friday night. It wasn't exactly what I expected. It took a few turns. Some people will hate the twists. I may not have agreed with them, but I appreciated them. I think the twists can be traced back to stuff earlier in the movie too. It's not for everyone, but it kept me on the edge of my seat. If scary movies scare you, well, then, you are a wuss. MAN UP!
I've taken a few daycations lately as well. Last weekend, I went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. I went expecting to find a bunch of really nerdy people in ye olde timey garb speaking like bad Shakespeare and generally being annoying. Sadly, I was wrong. But I still had a good time. The look of it was fantastic. It's on the estate of a winery in PA and the old buildings and all the trees made it look authentic. They had a lot of shops with all sorts of clothes, knick knacks, turkey legs, things like that. There was some stupid dance troupe which was a bit ridiculous. But I did get to see a guy in stilts as part of an audience participation circle dance. You don't see that everyday. Once a week, maybe, but not everyday. The Queen was also there! Not Helen Mirren, or Aretha Franklin, the ACTUAL Queen!! Sure, she died in 1603 but it had to be her. They also had some performance shows. One was a group of Squires & Sirens telling dirty jokes & singing dirty songs. Apparently, the time of Elizabeth I was like an episode of HBO's Def Comedy Jam. Who knew! There was a human chess match which had two knights fighting because one insulted the other. They finished it on the final jousting field. One knight championed by Sir Francis Drake, the other by Sir Walter Raleigh. Well, Raleigh's guy insulted the Queen a few times. It made it seem like a 16th century WWE match. Turns out that Raleigh's guy, unbeknownst to Raleigh, was working with the Spanish king to overthrow Good Queen Bess. Then there were attacks, explosions, blood, all sorts of fun stuff. Overall, it was a well done production. Very professional, with dirty jokes, fire, knives, another Spanish defeat! Next time, I need to have a turkey leg!
Yesterday, I went to the Inner Harbor. A bright sunny day. I got on a speedboat. I got a sunburn. But I look good with color. It helps me avoid looking like a vampire extra from Twilight or True Blood. But being around people, at the Faire or out in public, I've come to realize that we really need to keep people from wearing certain things in public. Not every body type was made to wear a tank top with, um, a lack of support. Not every foot was made for flip flops. Think before you go strapless. All shorts should be a minimum length on your leg. Also, bikers, are bike shorts REALLY necessary? I need scientific evidence or an episode of Oprah to convince me. I just don't get them. Also, I wonder, are bike riders supposed to be like car drivers or like pedestrians when on the road? I've seen both & it confuses me.
My next goal in life is to win a contest. HGTV is giving away an apartment in NYC. A NICE apartment. I want that!! I was gonna get political on stuff, but ya know what, I don't have the energy to do that tonight. I'll tell everyone on both sides how stupid they are at another time in the future. For now, I'll go back to watching the Emmys. I've been pretty happy with the awards so far. However, I never wanted Kyra Sedwick to win for The Closer because her southern accent is horrific. Anyway, how ya doin? How's yer mama n'em?
Well, after an opening negative, I will now move on to a positive. I have now dropped 20 pounds through Weight Watchers and exercise. I still can't believe I get to say I've lost that much. Now, I have to keep it up because I'm nowhere near my goal yet. But I'm very proud of that 20 pounds. It came off easier than I thought it would. That's just an evil tease of that weight. Sure, the first 20 are easy, now try for more. I'll kick your butt you stupid weight! BRING IT ON!
I've been going to the movies lately for some tacky cheesy horror movies. Piranha 3D was exactly what I thought. It was gory, bloody, and stupid. I had a great time! I went to see The Last Exorcism this past Friday night. It wasn't exactly what I expected. It took a few turns. Some people will hate the twists. I may not have agreed with them, but I appreciated them. I think the twists can be traced back to stuff earlier in the movie too. It's not for everyone, but it kept me on the edge of my seat. If scary movies scare you, well, then, you are a wuss. MAN UP!
I've taken a few daycations lately as well. Last weekend, I went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. I went expecting to find a bunch of really nerdy people in ye olde timey garb speaking like bad Shakespeare and generally being annoying. Sadly, I was wrong. But I still had a good time. The look of it was fantastic. It's on the estate of a winery in PA and the old buildings and all the trees made it look authentic. They had a lot of shops with all sorts of clothes, knick knacks, turkey legs, things like that. There was some stupid dance troupe which was a bit ridiculous. But I did get to see a guy in stilts as part of an audience participation circle dance. You don't see that everyday. Once a week, maybe, but not everyday. The Queen was also there! Not Helen Mirren, or Aretha Franklin, the ACTUAL Queen!! Sure, she died in 1603 but it had to be her. They also had some performance shows. One was a group of Squires & Sirens telling dirty jokes & singing dirty songs. Apparently, the time of Elizabeth I was like an episode of HBO's Def Comedy Jam. Who knew! There was a human chess match which had two knights fighting because one insulted the other. They finished it on the final jousting field. One knight championed by Sir Francis Drake, the other by Sir Walter Raleigh. Well, Raleigh's guy insulted the Queen a few times. It made it seem like a 16th century WWE match. Turns out that Raleigh's guy, unbeknownst to Raleigh, was working with the Spanish king to overthrow Good Queen Bess. Then there were attacks, explosions, blood, all sorts of fun stuff. Overall, it was a well done production. Very professional, with dirty jokes, fire, knives, another Spanish defeat! Next time, I need to have a turkey leg!
Yesterday, I went to the Inner Harbor. A bright sunny day. I got on a speedboat. I got a sunburn. But I look good with color. It helps me avoid looking like a vampire extra from Twilight or True Blood. But being around people, at the Faire or out in public, I've come to realize that we really need to keep people from wearing certain things in public. Not every body type was made to wear a tank top with, um, a lack of support. Not every foot was made for flip flops. Think before you go strapless. All shorts should be a minimum length on your leg. Also, bikers, are bike shorts REALLY necessary? I need scientific evidence or an episode of Oprah to convince me. I just don't get them. Also, I wonder, are bike riders supposed to be like car drivers or like pedestrians when on the road? I've seen both & it confuses me.
My next goal in life is to win a contest. HGTV is giving away an apartment in NYC. A NICE apartment. I want that!! I was gonna get political on stuff, but ya know what, I don't have the energy to do that tonight. I'll tell everyone on both sides how stupid they are at another time in the future. For now, I'll go back to watching the Emmys. I've been pretty happy with the awards so far. However, I never wanted Kyra Sedwick to win for The Closer because her southern accent is horrific. Anyway, how ya doin? How's yer mama n'em?
Monday, August 16, 2010
Daycation All I Ever Wanted
I'm becoming increasingly aware that people actually read & follow what I write & what I do. Wow, I don't know how I feel about that. haha. It gives me pressure to keep it entertaining. Eh, I'll do what I've always done. I'll write to entertain myself. If others are entertained, so be it!
As you know, I went to Philly on Saturday. Earlier in the week, I decided I needed a day trip on Saturday, or as I called it, a "daycation". I thought I was clever and original with the name. Um, no, I wasn't. I still like it though. After scouring the area to see what was within driving distance, I settled on Wilmington & Philadelphia. After researching Wilmington further, I decided I'd only lunch in Wilmington and spend the afternoon in Philly. Come Friday, I still didn't know exactly what I'd do in Philly. I did find a lunch place though. A retro type diner in Wilmington. I even kinda knew what I'd order. Then, luck and Google would shine on me. WALKING TOUR. I love walking tours. You get to see so much more. This one took you to the historical areas in Philly. Then, more luck. There was a deal to get a few bucks off when you buy a walking tour ticket AND a ghost tour ticket (called Spirits of 76. Clever!). Boom, my day was planned.
After my exercise class Saturday morning (yup, still going to the tai chi/yoga/pilates hybrid class. The people in it are very nice too. Some of the moves are just odd though), I got ready to head out. Still no scale at the gym after some MO-ron smashed the old one to smithereens. A picture of it was even posted. Bizarre! I didn't get lost at all on the way. I would have gotten there sooner but there were a couple of wrecks. By the time I reached them, the wreck & police presence was over. I'm guessing folks were slowing down to look. DON'T DO THAT!! Drive past and move on. I think people who slow traffic by rubber necking should have their car keyed. I also had to pay a couple of tolls. I've never been through many tolls booths. I've only been a passenger through them. I didn't realize it until I went through them. Is it odd I've never tolled? Anyway, some of these toll booths reminded me of pit stops in NASCAR. You get off the exit at the same time them you split off and find the booth with the shortest line before anyone else gets there. I was expecting to get my tires changed or radio my crew chief. Since I left from Maryland and came back to PA, I had different routes. The route going back had 1 toll. There were 2 coming from MD. Just saying.
Anyway, made it to lunch. Friendly retro place. Most of the servers were guys. That was odd to me. Had the Monte Cristo, which was ham, turkey, & swiss on French toast. Pretty good. Plus a side of home fries. It was way too much for me to eat all of. Then on to Philly. Found my parking garage, then tried to find my tour which was many blocks away. Yeah, I should have taken a cab (or is it a taxi, or a taxicab?). Twice I was asked if I was from Philly so they could ask directions. I think it's because I made eye contact with them. Here's a hint, if someone makes eye contact, they probably aren't local lol. Saw giant board game pieces in front of a museum, a guy riding a motor scooter shirtless, and a guy skateboarding in traffic, stopping at a red light & everything. So yeah, weird.
Finally found where I needed to be. This exercise must be paying off because my walking was fine :-) GO ME!! At first, I was the only one on the tour, then others joined at the last minute, including 3 Brits. I find that hilarious, but they were awesome. Tour guide was great. Very informative, plus he's an actor so he sold it really well and did a few accents. Got to see a lot of historic places that shaped the country today. After the tour was over, I still had a few hours to kill before the ghost tour. So I decided to go ahead and eat. I found a place that served cheesesteaks. Probably not a well known place for them, but I didn't care. Had one, had some baklava and a diet ginger ale. All in all, pretty nice. Then I still had a ton of time to kill so I found the place, then walked around a while longer and saw some more cool buildings. Finally, the ghost tour started. I don't believe in ghosts and spirits and stuff like that. I know that sounds strange since this is my 3rd ghost tour (in addition to Chattanooga and Fell's Point) but it's fun hearing the scary stories and walking around the town. There were 2 children on this tour. Why you'd take a child on a scary GHOST tour is beyond me. One kid was about 9 or so and she was smart and she was fine. The other poor girl was about 4 years old (Yeah, 4 on a ghost tour. Lazy parents) and kept talking and asking questions and asking if the ghosts were mean & stuff like that. Plus, some of the stories were pretty gruesome. I saw no orbs, no spirits, no specters, no cold chills, nothing. After that, I got in a cab, back to my garage, and off I went alone into the dark Pennsylvania night.
All in all, it was a good day. I saw a lot, got to do some fun things, eat, say I've been to Philly. I did have to cross over one sort of scary bridge, but it could have been worse. Plus, the temperature wasn't too warm. I was fine in jeans. The world didn't need to see me in shorts. Oh, and 1 person got that the A on my shirt stood for the University of Alabama. He asked if Bama was gonna win the SEC. I told him yep. I would have stayed and chatted with him, but we were about to start the tour and he was on a break from the visitors center so he was probably about to head back to work. Less than 3 weeks till kickoff. RTR!
Got in at midnight Saturday/early Sunday. I was exhausted and sweaty. But I still made it up for church today. Then I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. AWESOME movie. Too much fun. Action, comedy, non stop fun. Then back to church for a church wide meeting. It's fun seeing folks other than Sunday morning. You get to talk with them more when they aren't in a rush.
I haven't lost as much weight this week, but after a few days of futility, the scale at least is headed back down. WooHoo!! Other than all that, work, Dale Carnegie, and trying to help a friend get over a romantic crisis, life's been pretty simple. Got to decide when my next daycation is and where to go. I have friends in DC so I could go there. A lady in my exercise class and the awesome Janet Cash both suggested places in northern Virginia. But my next accomplishment will be my San Diego vacation next month. Maybe a trip to LA too while I'm there? I wonder if either of them have ghost tours. Hmm...but pre-schoolers aren't allowed this time.
As you know, I went to Philly on Saturday. Earlier in the week, I decided I needed a day trip on Saturday, or as I called it, a "daycation". I thought I was clever and original with the name. Um, no, I wasn't. I still like it though. After scouring the area to see what was within driving distance, I settled on Wilmington & Philadelphia. After researching Wilmington further, I decided I'd only lunch in Wilmington and spend the afternoon in Philly. Come Friday, I still didn't know exactly what I'd do in Philly. I did find a lunch place though. A retro type diner in Wilmington. I even kinda knew what I'd order. Then, luck and Google would shine on me. WALKING TOUR. I love walking tours. You get to see so much more. This one took you to the historical areas in Philly. Then, more luck. There was a deal to get a few bucks off when you buy a walking tour ticket AND a ghost tour ticket (called Spirits of 76. Clever!). Boom, my day was planned.
After my exercise class Saturday morning (yup, still going to the tai chi/yoga/pilates hybrid class. The people in it are very nice too. Some of the moves are just odd though), I got ready to head out. Still no scale at the gym after some MO-ron smashed the old one to smithereens. A picture of it was even posted. Bizarre! I didn't get lost at all on the way. I would have gotten there sooner but there were a couple of wrecks. By the time I reached them, the wreck & police presence was over. I'm guessing folks were slowing down to look. DON'T DO THAT!! Drive past and move on. I think people who slow traffic by rubber necking should have their car keyed. I also had to pay a couple of tolls. I've never been through many tolls booths. I've only been a passenger through them. I didn't realize it until I went through them. Is it odd I've never tolled? Anyway, some of these toll booths reminded me of pit stops in NASCAR. You get off the exit at the same time them you split off and find the booth with the shortest line before anyone else gets there. I was expecting to get my tires changed or radio my crew chief. Since I left from Maryland and came back to PA, I had different routes. The route going back had 1 toll. There were 2 coming from MD. Just saying.
Anyway, made it to lunch. Friendly retro place. Most of the servers were guys. That was odd to me. Had the Monte Cristo, which was ham, turkey, & swiss on French toast. Pretty good. Plus a side of home fries. It was way too much for me to eat all of. Then on to Philly. Found my parking garage, then tried to find my tour which was many blocks away. Yeah, I should have taken a cab (or is it a taxi, or a taxicab?). Twice I was asked if I was from Philly so they could ask directions. I think it's because I made eye contact with them. Here's a hint, if someone makes eye contact, they probably aren't local lol. Saw giant board game pieces in front of a museum, a guy riding a motor scooter shirtless, and a guy skateboarding in traffic, stopping at a red light & everything. So yeah, weird.
Finally found where I needed to be. This exercise must be paying off because my walking was fine :-) GO ME!! At first, I was the only one on the tour, then others joined at the last minute, including 3 Brits. I find that hilarious, but they were awesome. Tour guide was great. Very informative, plus he's an actor so he sold it really well and did a few accents. Got to see a lot of historic places that shaped the country today. After the tour was over, I still had a few hours to kill before the ghost tour. So I decided to go ahead and eat. I found a place that served cheesesteaks. Probably not a well known place for them, but I didn't care. Had one, had some baklava and a diet ginger ale. All in all, pretty nice. Then I still had a ton of time to kill so I found the place, then walked around a while longer and saw some more cool buildings. Finally, the ghost tour started. I don't believe in ghosts and spirits and stuff like that. I know that sounds strange since this is my 3rd ghost tour (in addition to Chattanooga and Fell's Point) but it's fun hearing the scary stories and walking around the town. There were 2 children on this tour. Why you'd take a child on a scary GHOST tour is beyond me. One kid was about 9 or so and she was smart and she was fine. The other poor girl was about 4 years old (Yeah, 4 on a ghost tour. Lazy parents) and kept talking and asking questions and asking if the ghosts were mean & stuff like that. Plus, some of the stories were pretty gruesome. I saw no orbs, no spirits, no specters, no cold chills, nothing. After that, I got in a cab, back to my garage, and off I went alone into the dark Pennsylvania night.
All in all, it was a good day. I saw a lot, got to do some fun things, eat, say I've been to Philly. I did have to cross over one sort of scary bridge, but it could have been worse. Plus, the temperature wasn't too warm. I was fine in jeans. The world didn't need to see me in shorts. Oh, and 1 person got that the A on my shirt stood for the University of Alabama. He asked if Bama was gonna win the SEC. I told him yep. I would have stayed and chatted with him, but we were about to start the tour and he was on a break from the visitors center so he was probably about to head back to work. Less than 3 weeks till kickoff. RTR!
Got in at midnight Saturday/early Sunday. I was exhausted and sweaty. But I still made it up for church today. Then I went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. AWESOME movie. Too much fun. Action, comedy, non stop fun. Then back to church for a church wide meeting. It's fun seeing folks other than Sunday morning. You get to talk with them more when they aren't in a rush.
I haven't lost as much weight this week, but after a few days of futility, the scale at least is headed back down. WooHoo!! Other than all that, work, Dale Carnegie, and trying to help a friend get over a romantic crisis, life's been pretty simple. Got to decide when my next daycation is and where to go. I have friends in DC so I could go there. A lady in my exercise class and the awesome Janet Cash both suggested places in northern Virginia. But my next accomplishment will be my San Diego vacation next month. Maybe a trip to LA too while I'm there? I wonder if either of them have ghost tours. Hmm...but pre-schoolers aren't allowed this time.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
BEWARE IT'S A LONG BLOG:
Well, well. Another week and another month have come and gone. July was pretty good. I had two 4th of July parties, went to the carnival and the parade, turned 35, went home, saw my sweet girl Caroline, started exercising and Weight Watchers (and even lost weight!!), finished reading one book and even started another. Church & work were good. I saw Inception which was amazing. August, you are on alert, you better bring it!
So where should I start? OK, with the weight. I've been on WW a couple of weeks now and I've almost hit my first goal. I am even exercising 4 days a week. I went back to my BodyFlow exercise class. This time, I didn't have to chug down a SlimFast before class so I didn't feel sick 15 minutes in. Let me tell you, all that balancing and stretching ain't easy! Especially when you have to support your own body weight to do it. And the part where we work on abs, ok, listen skinny teacher, don't ask a person with a stomach to lay on their stomach. It just gets in the way. Same thing when I bend. But I was tired and sore after so that had to be good (plus I'm losing the weight). I was even able to, thanks to the freaky yankee summer, walk on the trail 2 nights this week. It's usually pretty low key with people walking or biking. But one guy had the NERVE to be fit and shirtless and running. Really, you are gonna show off? That ain't brave. Dragging my arthritic overweight out of shape self on the trail in sweatpants and chugging along at a good pace for 40 minutes, THAT'S BRAVE!
I'm still in awe of the number of people who read this thing. Weird that people are entertained by it. I'm surprised I am. But it makes me feel connected to friends. Well, this and Facebook. I swear, I keep up with people more now than I used to. Well, this Facebook and text messaging. But you get the drift.
Anyone have the iPhone 4 yet? Would it be worth selling my iPhone 3GS on eBay (what's with all the weird capitalization on stuff? WooHoo! I'm glad I don't do that) and investing in the iPhone 4? Or just forget it and live with what I got?
What's next? Um, let me get things which tick me off out of the way first. As you read on Facebook, Domino's is now my enemy. That's what I get for splurging. I order ahead to have it delivered at 730pm and it gets there cold an hour later. I call and I get excuse after excuse. Not "I'm so sorry. My sincerest apologies. You are correct sir". I didn't "Go Holt" on Antoine the phone answerer or George the driver. I did kinda "Go Holt" on Domino's in one of my famous complaint emails though.
#2 complaint is political ads. People buy too many of them. You think you hate watching them? Trying placing them! Politicians in Tennessee should be glad I don't live there. I'd say more but I still want the FCC to love me. Speaking of politics, here is #3 complaint. When did we as a nation turn politics into a playground shouting match? People can't discuss politics without this current of hatred and vitriol aimed at the other side. Commentators, who should be there (in my opinion) to help clear things up for us, instead stir the pot to where we don't know what's up and what's down. Politicians, you are worse. As lawmakers, you are entrusted with doing the best for the country. Instead, you do just enough to strike fear in your power base of voters so you can get re-elected. That's not helpful, that's not progressive. For YEARS now, you can't even admit if the other side does something good. That's why I'm looking into the Coffee Party Movement.
OK, enough of that. But going on those themes, like I've repeated to y'all ad nauseum, I just read "The Unlikely Disciple" by Kevin Roose, about a guy who spent an entire semester at Liberty University. He's not an evangelical conservative Christian. He's a liberal Quaker from the Ivy League. But I was happy when I read it that he was able to have most of his stereotypes busted, and busted theirs. A few of mine were reinforced, mainly Christian guys use of nicknames and facial hair. Add in fist bumps, seriously where did that start and can we end it soon--at least the ones where it looks like your hand explodes after you bump because that annoys me, and you have the triumvirate. But if someone can come into that environment and focus on similarities instead of differences, why can't all of us? Why do we look for differences which separate us instead of similarities to unite us? Why are we still living with an us vs. them mentality. This man was able to conduct an interview with Jerry Falwell and bring out his humanity even though his family and friends were fearful for him. If you can't like people because they are people, you really need to re-read the New Testament. These themes are also echoed in my current reading adventure, Kathryn Stockett's "The Help" about maids and race relations in 1960s Mississippi.
Finally, on a funny note, with just a little lyrical tinkering, I think I can turn Whitesnake's 80s power balled "Here I Go Again" into a Christian song. I am singing at church next Sunday, but I don't think I'll break it out just yet haha. Look at the lyrics and see if you can see it too. Maybe soon, I'll have it rewritten for ya. But for now, "Mad Men" wooHoo!!
I don't know where I'm goin
but I sure know where I've been
hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday.
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time
but here I go again, here I go again.
Tho' I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for.
Oh Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on
'cos I know what it means to walk along the lonely street of dreams.
Here I go again on my own
goin' down the only road I've ever known.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time.
Just another heart in need of rescue
waiting on love's sweet charity
an' I'm gonna hold on for the rest of my days
'cos I know what it means to walk along the lonely street of dreams.
Here I go again on my own
goin' down the only road I've ever known.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time
but here I go again, here I go again,
here I go again, here I go.
Well, well. Another week and another month have come and gone. July was pretty good. I had two 4th of July parties, went to the carnival and the parade, turned 35, went home, saw my sweet girl Caroline, started exercising and Weight Watchers (and even lost weight!!), finished reading one book and even started another. Church & work were good. I saw Inception which was amazing. August, you are on alert, you better bring it!
So where should I start? OK, with the weight. I've been on WW a couple of weeks now and I've almost hit my first goal. I am even exercising 4 days a week. I went back to my BodyFlow exercise class. This time, I didn't have to chug down a SlimFast before class so I didn't feel sick 15 minutes in. Let me tell you, all that balancing and stretching ain't easy! Especially when you have to support your own body weight to do it. And the part where we work on abs, ok, listen skinny teacher, don't ask a person with a stomach to lay on their stomach. It just gets in the way. Same thing when I bend. But I was tired and sore after so that had to be good (plus I'm losing the weight). I was even able to, thanks to the freaky yankee summer, walk on the trail 2 nights this week. It's usually pretty low key with people walking or biking. But one guy had the NERVE to be fit and shirtless and running. Really, you are gonna show off? That ain't brave. Dragging my arthritic overweight out of shape self on the trail in sweatpants and chugging along at a good pace for 40 minutes, THAT'S BRAVE!
I'm still in awe of the number of people who read this thing. Weird that people are entertained by it. I'm surprised I am. But it makes me feel connected to friends. Well, this and Facebook. I swear, I keep up with people more now than I used to. Well, this Facebook and text messaging. But you get the drift.
Anyone have the iPhone 4 yet? Would it be worth selling my iPhone 3GS on eBay (what's with all the weird capitalization on stuff? WooHoo! I'm glad I don't do that) and investing in the iPhone 4? Or just forget it and live with what I got?
What's next? Um, let me get things which tick me off out of the way first. As you read on Facebook, Domino's is now my enemy. That's what I get for splurging. I order ahead to have it delivered at 730pm and it gets there cold an hour later. I call and I get excuse after excuse. Not "I'm so sorry. My sincerest apologies. You are correct sir". I didn't "Go Holt" on Antoine the phone answerer or George the driver. I did kinda "Go Holt" on Domino's in one of my famous complaint emails though.
#2 complaint is political ads. People buy too many of them. You think you hate watching them? Trying placing them! Politicians in Tennessee should be glad I don't live there. I'd say more but I still want the FCC to love me. Speaking of politics, here is #3 complaint. When did we as a nation turn politics into a playground shouting match? People can't discuss politics without this current of hatred and vitriol aimed at the other side. Commentators, who should be there (in my opinion) to help clear things up for us, instead stir the pot to where we don't know what's up and what's down. Politicians, you are worse. As lawmakers, you are entrusted with doing the best for the country. Instead, you do just enough to strike fear in your power base of voters so you can get re-elected. That's not helpful, that's not progressive. For YEARS now, you can't even admit if the other side does something good. That's why I'm looking into the Coffee Party Movement.
OK, enough of that. But going on those themes, like I've repeated to y'all ad nauseum, I just read "The Unlikely Disciple" by Kevin Roose, about a guy who spent an entire semester at Liberty University. He's not an evangelical conservative Christian. He's a liberal Quaker from the Ivy League. But I was happy when I read it that he was able to have most of his stereotypes busted, and busted theirs. A few of mine were reinforced, mainly Christian guys use of nicknames and facial hair. Add in fist bumps, seriously where did that start and can we end it soon--at least the ones where it looks like your hand explodes after you bump because that annoys me, and you have the triumvirate. But if someone can come into that environment and focus on similarities instead of differences, why can't all of us? Why do we look for differences which separate us instead of similarities to unite us? Why are we still living with an us vs. them mentality. This man was able to conduct an interview with Jerry Falwell and bring out his humanity even though his family and friends were fearful for him. If you can't like people because they are people, you really need to re-read the New Testament. These themes are also echoed in my current reading adventure, Kathryn Stockett's "The Help" about maids and race relations in 1960s Mississippi.
Finally, on a funny note, with just a little lyrical tinkering, I think I can turn Whitesnake's 80s power balled "Here I Go Again" into a Christian song. I am singing at church next Sunday, but I don't think I'll break it out just yet haha. Look at the lyrics and see if you can see it too. Maybe soon, I'll have it rewritten for ya. But for now, "Mad Men" wooHoo!!
I don't know where I'm goin
but I sure know where I've been
hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday.
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time
but here I go again, here I go again.
Tho' I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for.
Oh Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on
'cos I know what it means to walk along the lonely street of dreams.
Here I go again on my own
goin' down the only road I've ever known.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time.
Just another heart in need of rescue
waiting on love's sweet charity
an' I'm gonna hold on for the rest of my days
'cos I know what it means to walk along the lonely street of dreams.
Here I go again on my own
goin' down the only road I've ever known.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time
but here I go again, here I go again,
here I go again, here I go.
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