Better Than Fortune Cookie Logic

I love Chinese food.
And although I rarely eat the cookie, I like to read the fortune inside of it.
Some fortunes are good. Some are not so good.
Some are true. Others are just words.
In a devotion this week I was reading from the book of Proverbs.
I thought, some of this stuff would be great in fortune cookies.
The Bible is full of awesome messages. The entire book is a message.
I was looking at Proverbs again recently and you can really fill an entire warehouse full if cookies with these messages.
And ALL would be great. And ALL are true.

Proverbs starts like this. (from the NIV Bible). "The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young - let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance - for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise."

As I was reading and skimming through, here are some that I decided to jot down.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7

"Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you." 3:29

"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you." 4:6

"Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." 10:4

"When pride comes then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." 11:2

There are many more I could have written down.
I am beginning to read Proverbs start to finish. Like all parts o the Bible, re-reading and rediscovering the words and lessons are true blessings.
I need to do a better job at rediscovering the Good Books words.

The Beep Beep

The beep beep.

We are spending a nice decompression weekend at Pine Lake Camp.
No plans.
One goal....... To relax.

So far so good.
We are staying in the Bender House. Not a soul here except us.
Nice.
This is a true beautiful place.

We arrived last night.
Unpacked and relaxed. Set the heat. Around 9 ish. Pm. I heard a soft beep beep. I didn't think too much about it. But I did look at my phone to see the time. 9:03 pm.
Then about an hour later we both heard it. I looked at the time - 10:03 pm. So I looked under the beds. Behind the beds etc. I didn't see anything.
We were tired and sleepy so the lights went out.
I was having a battle inside of me. Coffee and Mello yello ( I drank on the trip up) vs Tylenol PM. So I decided to wait until 11 and see if I could here the beep.
So I played games on the phone. Read some news apps. Looked at the window, dozed a bit.
I looked at the clock. 11:01. Ok come on beep. I am ready to close my eyes.
The coffee/mello yellow combo still tag teaming against the Tylenol. What a battle.
11:02. Getting closer. That minute between 11:01 and 11:02 seemed like an eternity.
Eyes getting heavy. I gotta make it to 11:03. Finally. 11:03 hits.
Nothing. No beep beep.
I wait a few loooooooooong seconds. Nothing. The clock still shows 11:03.
Finally I say to myself. We must have been hearing things (knowing full well we heard it).
So I put the phone down and rollover. I close my eyes and ......... You guessed it. I hear Beep Beep.
I get up and grab the flashlight. I am again looking under the beds between mattress an Side boards of the bunk beds (they have a regular bed and a set of bunk beds). I don't see anything.
(by the way. In true fashion. As I am typing this on Saturday afternoon. At 3:03. Beep beep)
So I get back into bed an eventually fall asleep. My last thought after my prayers - I am finding the beep beep tomorrow.
Saturday morning. We are talking about the beep and wala it happens. 7:03.
At 8:03 I will be ready. I will get close to where I think the noise is coming from. I will find it.
It is Getting close to 8:03. I was going to lay on the top bunk. It came from that direction. Then I started to move stuff again. Wala in the corner. Under a bed. Behind an extra mattress. A watch.

( note - As of now I have yet to move the watch. I will before we leave.
It didn't bother us at all. Especially now knowing what it is. No biggie.
I think it is funny though. )

Buttermilk

Butter? Yes
Milk? Yes
Buttermilk? No .... In other words, I ain't Enos (deputy who loved buttermilk from the Dukes of Hazzard).

A long time ago I tried buttermilk. Couldn't do it. Just now I tried some more. Same result. Two sips (small sips) was all I could do.
I will eat buttermilk pancakes and biscuits all day long. Other baked goods with buttermilk? Yes.
But something about that thick white liquid I just can't do. I don't get it. I eat raw fish for crying out loud.
So, my buttermilk consumption will have to be through biscuits, pancakes, etc.
Now I have to go brush my teeth. Buttermilk breath.

You Tried It Alone

in and out of your stratosphere,

shooting your guns in the air,

trying to reach that higher place,

the bullets fly down all over your place,

racing the train to cross the tracks,

you gotta make your move, can't turn back,

look back once and take the turn,

you're hit so hard you start to burn,

the fire burns in your eyes,

your soul feels that eternal demise,

you struggle to your feet, you start to rise,

your pulled down hard as you reach for the skies.

slowly you realize,

slowly you fall,

all this time you did it alone,

as your body gets hard and you turn to stone.

you realize you lost,

you realize you're done,

the cauldron bells ring,

you lost everything,

your life,

your soul,

you are gone,

in your mortality, you tried it alone ....

(july 2010-oct. 2010)

My brief conversation with the barista at the hospital

I ordered a Cafe Aulait with white chocolate and skim milk ....

Coffee shop lady: white chocolate cafe aulait skinny.
Wade: (as I reach forth coffee) Thanks for calling me skinny.

Person Of Interest

This a new television show on CBS. All of the commercials really made us want to check it out. So we did. My thoughts: it started out fast. Like a show I knew would be hard to miss. Then about halfway through it hit a wall. A wall so thick I was tempted to flip to Food Network's Chopped reruns. That also had a little to do with recording the show. And that I was playing some Madden 12. But I kept the show on and I am glad I did. It quickly picked up the pace and end with a bang ( no pun intended). So it is a really good show and worth watching. It's not NCIS, Criminal Minds or Castle, but it is a good show.

Your current employer and future employer actually negotiate your notice

See title.
Has this ever happened to you?
Recently I applied for a job. I actually told my current employer that I applied for this job.
Why?
Marriage. The company I work for services the company I applied for. So there could be no surprises, I told my current employer I applied.
Since then, I was offered the position and I accepted.
So I gave my 2 week notice. My current employer said woooooaaa that will put us in a bind.
So he called my future employer and they negotiated my release, I mean my last day.
I should ask them to get together and tell me what to eat for dinner or what to wear to church on Sunday. But I won't.
I am busting my but training a person to fill in until they hire someone. So when I get to my new position I only have less than 2 weeks to train with the guy who is retiring. I am taking the position of someone who is retiring.

At first I had negative feelings toward that but since then, you know it is all good. The Good Lord got me this far so I trust in Him to keep me going.
I am very happy with this change and this new opportunity. This is the type of job I have been gunning toward if I were to stay in the transportation realm. Yes I am still in transportation but not in trucking (per se). No more "Big Trucks". Logistics describes my new career.
My point is, why complain. I will give my current employer all I got. And on Monday I will give my new employer all I got.
Plus - the mission statement for my current employer is all about the customer. Guess what? Now I am that customer!!!!!!!!

Seeing Inside Your Own Heart

I had an ultrasound of my heart today. I get one about every 3 years. Dr. Thomas has to make sure my mechanical aortic valve is still working properly. I think it is amazing to be able to see inside of my own heart. To see the valve flapping away and working like a locomotive is awesome. To actually be able to see moving parts (real and prosthetic) and blood flowing is crazy. With modern medicine we are able to see inside of our hearts ( and other parts). But you know even without an ultrasound machine or an x-ray, we can each look inside of our hearts. What is in our hearts? Love? Hate? Greed? Joy? Sorrow? We've probably all experienced these feelings and more. I know I have. So each day I strive to have positive feelings flow inside and through me so my heart is full of love, joy, peace, kindness and generosity. With these feelings and others I can also show the love of God within me.

Doing the math ... It ain't that easy in Fantasy Football

This is week 1. I am playing in 4 leagues (one starts next week). Going into the 2 NFL games tonight my fingers and toes are working. So far I am leading my games in the 3 leagues that started week 1.
Cletus' Pork Pie Hats has a 101 to 63 lead over my opponent.
DA Dodger Blues has a 104 to 51 lead.
Hayden's Heroes has a 77 to 55 lead.
no biggie right... I am winning in all 3 ....BUT here is where the tense stickiness of Fantasy Football really sets in.
when you play in more than one league, chances are, you will have to root for and against the same player. Chances are you will have a player on your team and someone you are playing in another league will have that player.
Last Thursday night I had Drew Brees in one league and was playing against him in another.
so going into tonight. I need the following things to happen.

I need Darren McFadden (RB - Oakland) to just light it up...SCORE SCORE SCORE !!!!!!!
he is my only player left for Cletus. the bad thing is (yes I have a big lead, but) the guy I am playing still has 4 players left to play. One of them is Tom Brady (QB Patriots). That is bad....why, because I need Tom Brady to look good because he is my QB for Hayden's Heroes.....but he cant look too good because I am playing against him again with DA Dodger Blues ......
confused yet?

me too, but this is what I need...

as long as the Dolphins Def, Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall and Denver RB Keshown Mareno don't look too good, then Tom Brady can do decent. If he does decent and Sebastian Janikowski (K Raiders) does good then I should be OK for DA Dodgier Blues.
But I still need Tom Brady to do good enough so Hayden's Heroes can prevail...or BenJarvis Green Ellis (RB Patriots) and the Patriots Kicker (Gostkowski) can not do too well....

I am really confused now....my goal is to start out one and O in all 3 leagues, but to win for Cletus may be difficult...so If Brady does well, I should be quoting Meatloaf "Two outta Three ain't bad."

Next year - I AM NOT PLAYING FANTASY FOOTBALL !!!!!!!!!

Sunday Reflections (The Big House, The Chow House and The "They Make Money No Matter What" House

During the Hymn singing at Church yesterday - we were singing Count Your Blessings. This is a wonderful, well written song. But during it, I couldn't help but think "It would be cool to hear the Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz) sing this song. Then I thought about when we were kids. We used to sing the Hymns at church like Bob Dylan and Bob Marley. Every now and then we threw a little Elvis or Frank Sinatra in there. Sometimes, I catch myself doing this even today.
God does have a sense of humor.

We at lunch at Zea's yesterday. It has been awhile. And this place is still really good. It has always been a great meal. thanks Zea for your consistency over the years.

At Macy's we saved over 300 bucks on the retail price of some clothes. All the stores had huge Labor day sales. Old Navy- everything 40% off. Macy's had discounts on top of discounts, then more with coupons. The shoe store had big sales.
Great for the consumer. But don't feel bad for the retailer - they still make money.
They wouldn't be able to advertise like they do if they didn't. So I wonder how much that Tommy Hilfinger (I really don't know how to spell it) shirt that I got for 9.99 cost Macy's .....

one more thought of Old Navy - Those mannequins (thanks spell check) on the TV commercials really creep me out. When I saw them live and in person yesterday - more creeped out. Weird.

2011 NFL Predictions

2 years ago. I picked the Saints and Titans to go to the Superbowl. Titans to win. The Saints went and of Course - won.
Last year I actually didn't make any picks ..... but to get back in the swing ...
This year is hard to predict so ...
Here are my 2011 NFL Predictions(Remember - I am not an expert)

NFC East
1 Philadelphia 12-4
2- New York Giants 12-4
3- Dallas 11-5
4- Washington 6-10

NFC North
1- Green Bay 13-3
2- Minnesota 8-8
3- Detroit 7-9
4- Chicago 5-11

NFC South
1- Atlanta 13-3
2- New Orleans 12-4
3- Tampa Bay 6-10
4- Carolina 3-13

NFC West
1- Arizona 8-8
2- St. Louis 6-10
3- Seattle 5-11
4- San Francisco 2-14

AFC East
1- New England 12-4
2- New York Jets 9-7
3- Buffalo 6-10
4- Miami 4-12

AFC North
1- Baltimore 12-4
2- Pittsburgh 12-4
3- Cleveland 8-8
4- Cincinnati 3-13

AFC South
1- Houston 10-6
2- Tennessee 9-7
3- Indianapolis 9-7
4- Jacksonville 4-12

AFC West
1- San Diego 12-4
2- Kansas City 7-9
3- Denver 5-11
4- Oakland 3-13

PLAYOFFS

NFC
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Arizona, Green Bay are your division winners. New Orleans and New York Giants get the wild Card.
Round 1- New York beats Philadelphia. New Orleans beats Arizona.
Round 2- Atlanta beast New York, New Orleans beats Green Bay.
Round 3 - Atlanta beats New Orleans - Atlanta gos to Super Bowl.

AFC
Baltimore, Houston, New England, San Diego are your division winners. New York Jets and Pittsburgh get the wild Card.
Round 1- Pittsburgh beats Houston, San Diego beast New York.
Round 2- New England beats Pittsburgh, Baltimore beats San Diego.
Round 3- New England beats Baltimore. New England goes to Super Bowl.

SUPER BOWL

Atlanta vs. New England

Atlanta - Super Bowl Champions.

Stomach Pains

Was it the 3 over medium eggs? Was it the hash browns with onions? Was it the coffee? The toast? The water?
Every year, about this time, my stomach starts to hurt. The cramps increase. The nervous tension mounts.
This is a good pain.
It's time for LSU football.
So hopefully the night of Jan. 9, 2012, they will go away.

Ebony and Ivory

Playing Words With Friends. I had the word ebony in my letters. I tried and tried to play it but could not. The result - I started singing the song "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul and Mikey (McCartney and Jackson). Now I can't get the song out of my head.

Also one last thought. If the Saints picked up a player with Ebony as a last name they would have Ebony and Ivory.

1 Buzzer, 2 Milkshakes, and 118 Pennies ( or the $8.24 rallyburger)

See a penny pick it up all day long have good luck.
Or something like that.
How about a bunch of them?

One of my drivers and I had to go pick up a rental truck today. On the way I pulled into a Rallys for something to drink. I ended up ordering us each a shake and myself a one dollar Rally burger. So we pull up to the window and they take the plastic and give us a bag with the burger and 2 straws in it. Then they walk away. Henry says hey what about the shakes. The girl asked what kind did y'all have. He told her while I am looking at the receipt to make sure they charged us for the shakes (I can never hear through those speakers when they talk to you). They did charge us correctly and I said dude that would have been one expensive dollar hamburger. Meanwhile the girl asks Henry if I can back up a bit (rallies has 2 sides to their drive through). O don't think about it and back up a bit. She asks if we can back up more. So I do. Them some more. I'm like what? Them I realize this buzzer is going off. Not thinking I think ( is that a play on words?) I think maybe my tires are on something making the buzzer go off. Then I realize they are on a timer and they didn't get us our order in time because they didn't do the shakes. So she is asking for us to back up so they don't get in trouble. Any way. It was funny. We backed up and then were motioned to come up to grab our shakes.
Weird really.
Then we get to the truck place and I step out of Mr. Blue an I hit something. I look down and it is a bunch of pennies on the ground.
I had to pick them up. Only because I had to see how many there were. Unless I counted wrong. There was a buck 18 worth.
Thank God for hand sanitized in the car.
Oh the shake was pretty good too.

I Want to ask God about T-Rex (and other Saturday thoughts)

Saturday random thoughts

Ate at the Mozella IHOP for the first time today. Very good. I love the omelets and pancakes. Will go back in 6 months. 

One of my favorite things lately is toasted pop tarts. I like them because you get the right amount of crunch and softness.   

Another hot day. Oh well. 

Looking forward to tomorrow's message at church. It will be part 2. Brother Butch's topic is 10 reasons why Heaven      Last Sunday he asked us to think of things we would look forward to and questions. Ever since I was young. I really wanted to know the truth about dinosaurs. I believe they existed but when? Where? The thoughts about them are far too many to write about. I hear all kind of theories and have read lots of scientific thoughts. But to get the rock solid truth I guess I will have to wait. 
I also want to know and understand the solar system, galaxies, etc. Just trying to wrap my brain around that hurts. 

Ode to the AC

Ode to the AC

Compressor
You served this house for over 30 years. 
The last few summers you brought us a few tears. 
You always came bouncing back. 
The heat of summer you would attack.
But in life sadly there comes a time 
To say goodbye,to hear the final bell chime. 
You served us well old faithful friend. 
Your earthly life is over but it's  not the end. 
You have worked hard and sputtered and given 
Now you will be in AC heaven. 


Ps. Your friend, the inside unit, although not as old and tired will join you there. 
So adios as you go in the air. 

Fortune Cookie Logic

"Keep a green tree in your heart, and one day the singing bird will come."

My First All Ages (a.k.a. Teeny bopper) heavy metal show

Saturday August 6, 2011
Hey The Police are playing over the speakers. Cool. And some of these young kids are actually singing the songs. Man I feel old. There are like 3 old people here. Me, one of the band member's dad and the guy who owns/ runs the place.
Where am I? In Baton Rouge at a thrift store watching (about to watch)5 young metal bands play. Why am I here. Madeline is friends with Mason, the drummer of one of the bands and she has seen 2 of these other bands (I think one of these bands is actually a Christian band) play a few times at an all ages venue in Slidell. (Actually the band isn't a Christian band but they were still pretty good - more on them later in the post).
Not many young folks here yet either. So far nobody is looking at me funny. Like. whats that old dude doing here?
I am old. I thought it was after 8 pm and they should be starting. But it is 5 minutes till. Actually this is a cool place. Old lamps along the wall on a shelf. There is an upstairs area. I will end up sitting there because the room where the bands play ( downstairs) is small.
Not that it matters but just for fun. I asked
Madeline if I am cramping her style. She gave the right answer. "no dad I'm glad you could bring me and hang out. Thanks."
Hey 2 more "old" people walked in. Must be parents.
8:02 pm. The first band is cranking up.
First little band. Iridescence. Not bad. Music was really good. Didn't understand all of the lyrics but hey. First band is done.
Cool. The Ramones are playing (actually they are playing the Ramones over the speakers) while the bands are changing over. I wish it was the actually Ramones. Its hot in here but no smoke. All ages show. Hey I won't smell like the House of Blues after this show. I won't have to change my smoky clothes in the garage and have my car smell like it for 3 days.
The local dog just walked in. Seriously a dog. The dog can get in ( he/she pushes the door open) but can't get out. So he/she (I didn't look) waits by one of the doors until someone opens it. Funny.
A couple of old people out the door. Must have been parents from the first band. But OK a couple more in.
Lions Among Wolves. Second band. Again good music but the sound quality of the equipment. Hard to hear much less understand. But who am I to judge.
So far this place is impressive mainly because you have a bunch of older teenagers hanging out having a good time. They aren't out on the streets. But if it weren't for the parents, the only adult would be the guy running the place.
Aw right. Playing the group Cake now in between bands. Cool a couple of more "old" folks walked in.
The third group Walking Under Water is playing. OK music but the vocals are horrible. Can't understand a word.
Calibrate the Massacre (what a name - I have to look into that one) is about to play. This is the band Mason is in.
Calibrate is finished. Very impressive musically. The 2 guitar players are very clean and the bass and drums kept the flow going. I could tell the bass and the drums were uniform. Best band of the night so far. But the vocals - again, can't understand the lyrics too good and can't hear them either.
After their set, Mason grabs a guitar and he and one of the guitar players from Calibrate impress the crowd with a guitar trade off. Both guys can play the axe. They remind me of Zakk Wylde when he first hit the mainstream as Ozzy's guitarist. And a young George Lynch (Dokken). Clean, crisp guitar licks.
I like music - of all types. I like some better than others. So far the music from these young bands is impressive. I didn't say the vocals were impressive.
To Crown a King is next. This is one of the young bands out today that the young folks like very much. They actually have an EP out and their music is supposed to be really good. We'll see ...
OK almost midnight. The music is over. Time to head to Gonzales to sleep. This old dog is tired.
My final reflections on the night...
To Crown a King was supposed to be the best. And all in all they were - only because I could actually understand their vocals.
Musically - Calibrate was the best - hands down.
To Crown a King's drummer was supposed to be one of the best young drummers around. He was good, but Calibrates drummer - Mason - was far superior. Actually if I had to rank the drummers on the night TKAK's drummer would have been 4th best. But it wasn't about a competition, so all were good musically.
I think - at least 3 - of these bands could go pretty far if you had cleaner and better vocals. I know some younger kids wouldn't agree, but the people who have money to support (purchase records, etc) bands like these actually like to hear lyrics and vocals.
So, my first All Ages (aka teeny bopper) heavy metal show ended and I didn't even get into the mosh pit.
These young kids - although very energetic - don't respect the pit. Too many arms and fists moving around - out of control. It isn't about that. The mosh pit is about the feel. You gotta feel it and respect it.
One thing I did get a kick out of is that music really does live forever. When you have kids singing words to bands (the music played over the speakers in between sets)that were out before many of the kids were born, it is funny (in a good way) to me to watch. I got a kick out of it.

As I was Cleaning the Toilets ...

I love smelling .... the SMELL sense is definitely one of my favorites. I am truly grateful to the Good Lord for creating the nose.

I honestly could say that if I had to choose between sight and smell, it would be a difficult choice. Sight would probably win, but it wouldn't be easy. As long as my memory holds up, I would imagine I could remember what things smelled like. But I would surely miss sniffing.

So as I was cleaning bathrooms this morning and smelling the wonderful aroma of the bathroom cleaner, It made me think of some of my favorite smells.

So as I cleaned I thought of other wonderful scents ...

here are a few - (I had to expand from 5 - see below) ...

My original Top 5 were (in no particular order)

Bleach

Original Irish Spring Soap

fresh cut grass

tomatoes with fresh herbs and onions

gas - use your imagination

to add to those 5 I had to expand to a top 10... those 5 are still in the top 10

here are the other 5 (again in no particular order)

the tomato plant - when pruned by hand - the smell on your fingers

the nail place (acetone etc)

the perfect rose

the Jasmin flower

bathroom cleaner

I did a smells blog awhile back. To check it out look in the Archives of the blog from 2010 - October - "Wade's Top 5 Scents"

AC Woes and Woes nots

First. I am not really that great in the realm of ac and refrigeration, plumbing and electricity. So with that said, our 30 year old ac compressor went out the other day. Knowing the very little that I know about the subject I changed the fuses outside by the unit. No dice. So I thought it was shoooooooooooooooot. So we called for estimates. Yesterday the first guy came out to do the estimate. He works for the company that has been servicing the unit over the years. So just for the heck of it he checked it out. I mentioned to him that I changed the fuses. So let's fast forward to now. We came home from my sisters house to wait for another ac dude to come do an estimate. Just for the heck of I start messing around. I go to the fuse box inside of the house. Some of the writing on it is muddled. The fuses that can be seen are all good. The ones inside the box have to be pulled out. So I think one of them says "comp". So for the heck of it I change those 2 fuses. I walk to the thermostat I turn it on and BAM!!!!!!!!! The compressor comes on. We have ac.
My first reaction. Man I am dumb but you know, I never ever professed to know much about ac and refrigeration, electricity, plumbing, auto mechanics, etc. But I can do tile and wood floors with the best of them. My lawn skills are not perfect but I can holdl my own. I can build you a deck. I can order you a shed. And I can pressure wash off any mold. So I don't feel too bad.
Actually right about now I feel pretty good. An cooooooooooool.

Eat Fresh ? (did the price of onions go up?)

Have you noticed lately at subway ... the way they are skimping on the STUFF!!!!!!!
The last few times I went to Subway (eat fresh) they really skimped. I let it pass one time. Then I had one of their "breakfast" sandwiches. I let that pass to, but I shouldn't have.
I asked for the sandwich. She asked me what kind of egg? I had a 3 second blank - well blank everything...my stare ..my mind ....uh ...I said regular egg (I should have said GOOSE!).
Well she takes out this huge sheet of egg. I am hungry so the sight of that made me happy. Then she (oh - she is the person behind the counter at subway) proceeds to surgically rip apart my egg. I am left with not even enough egg to cover the English muffin. So I let it pass. I say I want cheese. I get 1 triangle. I need tomato - one small slice! I say I want purple onion. She takes some onion out of the onion tray and breaks it apart. More onion fell on the board (that would later be thrown away) than what would land on my sandwich. I get like 3 small pieces of onion. Again I didn't say anything. I should have, The thing didn't even taste that good.
The other day, I forgot my lunch at home - or I was too lazy to put it together - I don't remember. so I went to subway. I order my sandwich. She (the clerk) puts a whole lot of turkey on it. My first thought was "They NEVER put that much meat on a sandwich - has this stuff gone bad?????). Then we proceed to the fixins.....With everything I asked for - I had to say "MORE PLEASE!" and every time I asked for just a little more - I got the look - not the bad look but a look like - Why is this dude asking me for more.......Anyway - that was my last
subway trip for awhile. The bread was dry and fell apart. If I wanted hard bread I would have had the thing toasted.
As I drove back to my office to get back to the grind I thought .....
there could only be a couple of explanations to why they have been skimping......
1- the price of produce has gone WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY up.....
2- Jarred re-upped his contract and is charging Subway more for his acting skills.

and - one last observation.....you can lose weight by eating Subway - Why? Because they don't put anything on the sandwich.....

Yehaw, Quiznos here I come.


for the record....I have always enjoyed Quiznos better anyway.

I'm up to my knees...

I had to walk over my customer today to give them some stuff. Plus we had to discuss a new leak check solution. The new solution ( a whopping $150.00 per gallon - glad I don't have to pay for it) is called Snoop. I couldn't help it. My entire walk back to my office I kept singing the Pepsi Maxx commercial with Snoop Dog. "I'm up to my knees in zero calories...Snoooop. " I must say, I don't like Pepsi - too sweet. Diet Pepsi - tastes like soap. Pepsi maxx - I have no I-clue ( I meant to say "I-clue) what it tastes like. I do love this commercial. It is one of those that never gets old ( to me). You've seen it. The Pepsi guy and Coke guy are competing while building their displays. Then finally the Pepsi guy builds a stage looking thing and Snoop Dog comes out and raps "I'm up to my knees in zero calories..." then the coke dude Yells "Snoooop". Funny. I like this commercial but actually resent the one with the tanning polar bears. Come on. You can't disrespect the Coke bear like that. Plus how can a bear get a big boat like that and pay for the gas. I figured if I wrote about the tune it would leave my head but it didn't. So " I'm up to my knees in zero calories....Snoop."

Hell's Kitchen observation

We don't watch the show. But is happens to be on because nothing else is on until later ( u verse postponed it's installation). Those cooks on hell's kitchen might be able to cook a little better if they spent less time dropping the F bomb.

""I tell you not seven times but seventy-seven times"

In my opinion, something society struggles with on a large scale is also something than will ruin society if it is not sincerely practiced.
It is a very complex, yet simple act. For some, it is easy at times and hard at times. For some it is easy all of the time. For some it is hard most of the time, but eventually it becomes easy. And for some, it is simply impossible.
I am talking about forgiveness.
For some getting over a big deal is easy while small thing eat at their heart and soul. For others the small things are easy to forgive but the huge things - well they can't do it.
This is a topic that has taken (a good thing) lots of valuable time and energy for many, many people. It is discussed often in circles and it is debated quite regularly.
How do you feel about Total forgiveness?
I'm not saying it is easy or will be easy. I'm not saying it doesn't or should not take time (in many cases). When the topic is brought up a countless number of emotions pour through our hearts like the blood pumping through our veins. Those same emotions pierce our soul and beg to be transformed into words.
This blog can be a huge one with lots of examples and discussion or it can be short and to the point. Right now I am just typing and I am not sure how long or short it will be.
If someone hurts your feelings or steals from you, how will you react?
What is someone kills someone close to you? On purpose or by accident.
What would we do? Surely it isn't easy in some cases, but the bottom line is - it is what we are supposed to do. I'm not saying hey this dude killed someone I love. the next day - hey man I forgive you. But their should come a time in your life after that act where you open up to God and feel what he wants you to feel. When that time comes, you can go to that person and genuinely forgive them. The loved one they killed is gone. Your hate and agony won't bring them back. (just another note - the person who does the act should serve whatever time the justice system decides - I don't want people to think I am saying they shouldn't pay for the crime. This isn't about the paying of it - it is about the forgiveness for it). The person receiving the forgiveness should also seek it out and be genuinely sorry for what they did. If they are not, then that my friend is between them and God. But we have to do our part and show and display true forgiveness.
I know this is a hard topic and I don't even know how I would react. I would like to think that I would find it in my heart to forgive and actually help someone.
Peter asked Jesus (see Matthew 18:21-22) How many times should he forgive someone? Seven time? Jesus said no, you should forgive your brother not seven times, but seventy-seven times (note: some translations say seventy times seven). Jesus died a brutal death. He died on that cross for you and for me. God sent his Son to die for us. If God is that loving and cares for us that much to send His only Son to die so our sins would be forgiven, shouldn't we follow God's teaching and practice forgiveness?
In a recent Bible study we looked at Matthew 16:19. Jesus was saying that he will give us the keys to the kingdom of Heaven ... A brother in the study (I don't name names in my Blogs unless I get prior approval) brought up an awesome thought. He said that there are two kinds of forgiveness. The human way and the divine way. The keys, Jesus speaks of unlocks the divine way. we also talked about that night the fact that if we do not forgive, we are basically tying ourselves up.
The fact is we must forgive and I base this on what Jesus says in Matthew 6: 12-15. And this my friends, is the true Bottom line, point blank, crystal clear instruction. Jesus tells us to forgive those as we have been forgiven. And he goes on to say (quoting from the NIV bible) "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
WOW!
If that doesn't say it, nothing else will. If you cant forgive, then God wont forgive you.
We saw a story on a CBS news show. This is a story of true forgiveness.
In Minneapolis a ladies son was shot to death over an argument at a party. the killer was 16. She ultimately forgave him and now she is like a mother to him. Please do yourself a favor and check out the link for this story. It will touch your heart and your soul.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/07/eveningnews/main20069849.shtml

Saturday things and things

Back from Illinois - quick trip but a productive one.
Good meetings, good networking and good rubbing elbows with the Big boys.
Great to be back home.
Had a great flight - wonderful views of the sun setting from my seat all the way in the back of the plane and all to myself (the row - not the plane). On both legs of the trip (on the way up and on the way back) I sat either just in front or just in back of young kids. I heard some funny stuff, got my seat kicked a few times, but it was good. Listening to the excitement of kids flying and seeing things out the window and questions they asked their parents and grandparents was refreshing. It reminded me of how I think we all should be about life. Trying to be excited about it. Asking questions no matter how stupid they may sound. Smiling at the little things. Life is hard and stressful enough so when we get the chance we need to smile and laugh and act crazy - just like a kid.
Still working (does thinking about count as working on) the Forgiveness blog....well ... I thought I had more on my mind than that ....Have a great Saturday
Now I must get back to my "desk" work.

Flying high again

When we landed in New Orleans back in April ( after a loooooooong flight from Alaska) I didn't want to see an airport for awhile. That flight seems like eons ago and here I am back at MSY. Very early. Very early in the am and somewhat early for my flight. I hate rushing at airports. Lots of people here this morning. I got to go through that scanner thing. No biggie. You stand in a cylinder thing put your shoeless feet on the yellow feet painted on the floor and raise your hands. Then you are done. Now I am sitting at the gate. Waiting for my Southwest flight (haven't been on the SW in a long time). ESPN is on the TV. They have some nice seats. Like miny recliners. With a little table for my yet to be drank coffee. Shoot. This is as close to first class as I will get today on this flight but it ain't a bad start. Hope the coffee is good. All in all. I would rather be home in my bed.

Exacurate

Want to be a little more accurate? Want to be a little more exact? The solution is simple. You just have to be EXACURATE.

Having a Conference Call with 2 of My selves

Don't break out the straight jacket.....yet. I have been having this office phone for over 2 years. In that time, I had the need to conference in 2 people once. Well today I needed to do it again and I didn't remember how to do it. I had to pull the book out. Luckily one of the parties didn't answer so I had a small reprieve. I told the other guy I would call him back. In the meantime I opened the book. I called my work cell phone and told Wade to hang on while I call the other Wade. Then I called my personal Cell and told that Wade I had the other Wade on hold and that Wade would conference them both in. My first try didn't work. I hit the wrong button. So I called the Wade back and he asked why did I keep on calling him. I said I needed to test my Conference call set up abilities and told him to chill out while I called the other Wade. I called the other Wade and he gave me the same attitude. What is with these Wades. So this time it worked. The first Wade was able to conference the other 2 Wade's in. The conversation from there was quite interesting but super pointless. Finally the first Wade thanked the other 2 for helping him test the conference call system. Before hanging up, the other Wade's gave Wade the attitude again. Man, you cant get away from attitude these days.
Finally the first Wade - heard a Wade voice inside of him. The Wade voice said that he shouldn't share this with anyone, but now that you are reading this, he didn't listen.
I think Wade needs to get back to work.

Remembering Staxx Records

I posted a song from Booker T and the MGs on face book this morning. I had to mention Staxx records. Through this and a couple of comments from friends, I was thinking back to our visit to Staxx Records (seemed like a long time ago). And then it made me think of Otis Redding.
I went into the Copious Cogitations (my former Blog) archives and pulled this piece I did from 2009.
FINDING OTIS REDDING'S GHOST.

enjoy

http://copiouscogitations.blogspot.com/2009/02/finding-otis-reddings-ghost.html

if ever in Memphis, you owe it to yourself to check out the Staxx Records museum.

Thank You Nathan Hale

When the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, Nathan Hale was a school teacher. He and his five brothers joined the fight for independence. Hale fought under General George Washington in New York. When Washington asked for a volunteer to go on a spy mission behind enemy lines, Hale stepped up. He gathered information on the position of British troops for weeks. But he was captured while returning to the American side. Because of the incriminating documents he possessed, British General William Howe ordered Hale to be hanged without a trial. Patriot Nathan Hale was hanged on September 22, 1776. He was 20 years old. Before he gave his life for his country he made a short speech and he ended it by saying "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
John Quincy Adams said "You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you make good use of it."
"This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's" 2 Chronicles 20:15
(this piece paraphrased from a Men of Integrity devotional.

Enjoying the Locust Concert

You can't beat it. The concert. The serenade. If you can take the heat and the mosquitoes don't come down to take your blood, the sound of the locust in the trees is simply amazing. Try it sometimes. If you open your mind and ears you whole lot more than just some noisy insects. These things have rhythm they have melody and harmony. And every now and then you get a solo. This isn't one of my funny blogs. This is music. This is life. This is locusts at their finest. If they sounded this beautiful when God sent them to Egypt (see the book of Exodus), the Egyptians may have thought nothing of it - at first. I will close and enjoy the concert for a few minutes before going inside.

Sunday morning

Yes it is.

Dove Wars

We saw something this evening that we haven't seen before. An aggressive dove. We labeled it the Dove Warrior. First we saw one dove chasing another as they ate. Playing? Courting? The more we observed we came to the conclusion. That this is one bad dove. We threw a Rick (sorry Rick. I meant rock). The other dove flew. The Dove Warrior stayed. We sprayed the hose. It flew but came right back. We made noise. Talked. Sprayed some more water. The point is everything we did - normally the doves fly away. Doves are a "fraidy cat" ( is that an oxy moron?) breed. But not this dove. This was one bad dude ( or dudette - we couldn't tell). As I type it is still eating ( is our bird seed that good?). We tried to recruit it to go up against the mocking bird in the 12th annual WBWF ( world bird wrestling federation) championships. We also tried to see if it wanted to audition for Angry Birds, but the thing won't stop eating. Oh well.
Note: we love doves and we don't normally try to scare doves but this was an experiment. And NO BIRDS WERE HARMED DURING THIS BLoG.

The Wierd and the Wierder - Dreams

Within the last week, I have had 4 dreams that not only confused me, but downright terrified. I wouldn't call them nightmares, just weird dreams. And the terrible thing is 2 of the last 3 dreams, I can recall vividly. And another bad thing, all 4 had something to do with work (either work or someone from work).
The dream I had Monday night (6/27/11) and the dream I had Tuesday night (6/28/11) - I can tell you every detail of those dreams. The dream I had last night (6/29/11) - I could give you most of the details but some are sketchy.
So, do I try to interpret them? I would lean toward no but I would say if Joseph (from the Bible) lived next door to me, I would have to ask him about them.
So my quick thoughts....maybe I am having these dreams with people from work in them (note - there are many folks in my dreams - but someone from work seems to always interrupt me with a problem....WAIT that is reality!!!!!).....maybe I am having the dreams because it is an unconscious way to say goodbye to them. Maybe I will be leaving.....YYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!
Well, at any rate, last night's dream was not as vivid. Maybe that is a sign that the weird dreams are fading....
Sweet Dreams.....Happy Trails and Kumbaya!

Messin With The Man ... The Telemarketing Man (or Woman)

You're relaxing on the sofa after a hard work day. You're feeling the chill then the phone rings. You answer it and immidiately wish you hadn't. It is the dreaded telemarketer on the other end. Do you hang up? Do you politely say no? Do you listen to the sales pitch? Or do you have a little fun? For a long time I used to hope for those calls. I had lots of fun with the folks on the other line. I was never rude. I just had fun. Some of the telemarketers laughed with me. Some didn't care for it. Some just sort of kept going on their sales pitch. I never, however, reached my goal. My goal was to have one of the telemarketers hang up on me. I felt I had a right to mess with them because back in the day I used to do telemarketing for radio. Of course I called businesses not homes. And it was still hard.
So I do feel for telemarketers.
Today - on my office phone - I had the same call from a credit card company. They act like they are calling from your credit card company. Knowing it was baloney I hung up the first time. The second time I couldn't help myself. When the guy came on I started speaking ChiJapVietnamese (my version of the Asian language).
It was funny. But you know - I didn't get the joy out of it that I used to.
Am I maturing? Am I feeling for the telemarketer?
I don't know. Maybe I will do the respectable thing and politely say no thanks. Or let the answering machine earn it's money.

My Last Meal

We were having boiled crawfish and crabs tonight and as I sucked the heads and pinched the tails and picked that delicious lump meat out of the crabs ... I had a thought.
If I knew I was dying tomorrow. Passing on. Adios amigos. Heading to heaven. What would I want as a last meal?
As much as I love Broussard's ( restaurant) Louisiana Bouillabaisse and turtle soup ( by the way, New Orleans has so many wonderful eating establishments. And I love many of them - but if I had to pick a favorite - Broussard's. If you haven't been - GO. NOW!!!!! If you are disappointed I will buy your meal)(... Back to the rambling) I would have to pick - as my last meal - a good down home seafood boil with family and every friend I can think of. Crabs. Crawfish. Shrimp. All of the fixins. Raw oysters. Some good Des Allemands fried catfish. Some of the alligator sauce piquant my mom makes. Some white beans.
And no seafood boil is complete without hot dogs for the kids. Man that sounds good. Even as I type this - hands burning from the spicy crawfish and belly full - it makes me want to dig in some more.
One last thought. If a person on death row requests Fresh Louisiana boiled crawfish as their last meal - and it isn't crawfish season. Would they get a Stay?

What are Green Beans anyway? ... and a Mexican Truck Driver

One night in the recent past, I opened a Tupperware container that was in our fridge and leftover green beans were in it. So, not really being hungry, I decided to take a bite - not sure why. They were so good, I ate all what was in the container. As I chewed and swallowed I thought.....What are Green Beans anyway?
The pod is green, the little balls inside are green. They don't look like a red bean or white bean or pint bean.
Why don't we call them green pods?
So I looked up the green bean on the web.
Green beans - a.k.a. French beans or Runner beans - "are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean, whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also be called snap beans." from Wikipedia
Green beans are found in two major groups, bush beans and pole beans.
There are over 130 varieties of snap beans. WOW. Snap Snap.
I love Green Beans.
Oh, the Green Beans and the Mexican Truck driver have nothing to do with each other, but I figured it would get your attention.
My drivers bring loads to the Texas/Mexico border. there, a Mexican driver comes across with an empty trailer and my driver swaps trailers with the Mexican driver. On Wednesday when we made the swap, the Mexican driver handed my guy a DOT (Dept. of Transportation) write up. It had nothing to do with us, but the Mexican guy had no clue what it said or what to do with it.
The driver from the Mexican transport company, Transportes Lopez E Hijos Sa De, was written up for .....and I quote...."Driver must be capable of reading and speaking the English Language, sufficiently to converse with the general public." Now, before you laugh, this is an actual rule in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Handbook. It is under Section 391.11(b)(2).
If you ever get one of these books, you should check it out. There are many interesting items in it.

And while I am at it. Not all truck drivers are bad, so before you listen to some of those lawyers on those TV commercials, check out the entire situation. At the same time, I will admit, there are some drivers out there that should scare the general public.

Adios.

how i feel today - in pictures

Do You Ever Get To The Point...

That is a loaded question, but it actually isn't a question... (hence the ...) ...
That statement is sort of funny coming from me, because if it were a question, my answer to myself would be yes, but it takes a long time. I tend to talk (and sometimes write) in circles.
What I was originally getting to with this blog thought was possibly starting a "DO YOU EVER GET TO THE POINT..." series.

Like, DO YOU EVER GET TO THE POINT where the jokes you make about selling everything and moving to Mexico REALLY sounds like something you should do. The joking is almost gone, that reality is looking pretty good. Until you do it and get salmonella from the rotten chicken you bought at the 2 pesos DVD market.

I bet if you really think about it, you can come up some really good DO YOU EVER GET TO THE POINT... thoughts.

Father's Day thoughts - a few days late

The morning of Father's day I was thinking. Father's Day and Mother's Day and other special days we celebrate are really nice days. But do we, as a people, make those days more special than any other day?
It is awesome to honor our dads and moms on those days. It is wonderful to honor our kids, and spouses and other family on their birthdays. It is a great thing to remember your anniversary and treat your spouse to something nice. But do we treat them better on those days than any other day of the year? Do we gear up for those special days and lay it all out and just go about the rest "ho-hum"?
I'm not saying we buy a gift everyday as if it were Father's day or Mother's Day or a birthday, but I am asking again, do we take the other days for granted.
Lets take it a little further. Do we honor Jesus only at Christmas? Do we remember his death only on Good Friday? Do we celebrate the resurrection only on Easter?
This blog isn't solely intended to discus when we think of Jesus (although it could - maybe should be). It is about honoring and loving those close to us EVERYDAY with the same enthusiasm and joy as if it were a birthday or a Father's or Mother's day. It is about showing Love to others, everyday.
I have asked before in the church, why does the church (I am thinking of the greater Church here) pretty much Celebrate Christmas at Christmas, Easter at Easter, etc. There is no Wrong day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. There is no Wrong day to remember Jesus' death. There is no Wrong day to get excited about Jesus' resurrection. There is no Wrong day to tell a dad Happy Father's Day. There is no wrong day to tell a mother Happy Mother's Day. There is no wrong day to tell someone Happy Birthday (even if their Birthday is months away). The point is, there is no Wrong day to tell people how important they are to you.
For the record, I had an awesome Father's Day. And I am blessed to have many wonderful days.

Planned Obsolescence

Planned Obsolescence - I first heard this term a long time ago when I sold knives for Cutco. Actually I sold for Vector Marketing. That was a job that literally made my stomach hurt. But it was a wee bit fun at times. I actually was the third top seller in the South for one quarter. Then I ran out of friends and family to sell to. I remember one of the dudes talking to us at a conference always used the term "Poss" (as in positive). He used it so much I think I felt negative towards him. They taught us to talk about other knife companies using planned obsolescence when it came to their knives. I will say this - we still have our Cutco knives. But this blog isn't about knives at all.
It is about the Dental world. I had a crown pop off the other day. It actually took the whole tooth and it just came out of my jaw. The screws that held the crown in place on the tooth broke. Don't worry. It never hurt. I immediately thought of planned obsolescence. Could it be? Does the dental world use "not so tough" cement? I don't know. I doubt it. It could be my imagination. I actually started this post this morning in the dental chair waiting for the dentist to cement my tooth/crown back in. He came in acting weird. I wonder I he was reading over my shoulder.
In any case. Dentist probably do their best to fix it right the first time. But they sure are not cheap.
Also today. I had to get a lecture on not scheduling my cleanings. Hmmmmmm more money.

Aromas from the Nail place and contemplating Conversion ... and other Saturday thoughts

We had to bring Mr. Blue to the shop for them to re-do an alignment. Then I came with my honey to her nail appointment. I don't venture into nail places (what is the proper term for these places - manicurist?) very often but the 2 or 3 times I have been in places like this I can't help but be amazed by the interesting aromas floating in the air. The predominant smell has to be the acetone type products. But I can't put my finger on what else is mixing in the air. All I know is that I like it.
I posted a Top 5 Smells blog awhile back ( you can check it out in the archives). I think I need to revisit that at a later date. The nail place may make the new list.

Pyromania vs. Shredder
Today is a big day in my life. I am exploring the probability of converting. Yes, you read correctly. You see, one of my best backyard buddies is our chiminea. One of my favorite past times is burning credit card receipts and other sensitive documents that most people would shred. Well the fire pit has officially wore out. Plus with the dry days we have been in, burning may not be a great idea. I bought a 19 dollar shredder yesterday so I will take another path to destroying documents. Sometime today I will take the (what used to be) the garbage bag full of burn papers and I will explore Shreddism. I will keep you posted on that quest.

Lastly this morning: sonic: I like sonic but when you swipe your card you have to punch your zip code on the key pad. Those key pads are gross. To think a bit further. Think of everything you touch in public. ATM machines. Gas pumps. Shopping carts. Doors. Money. I feel sick.
Is the thought of junk in public?
Is it my missing the burn pit?
Or is it too much acetone?

Have a great Saturday.

Things to Ponder

This will be a busy (busier than normal) work week. My boss is in town and we have several meetings and such. So you may not get posts for a few days. With that said, I will leave you with a few things to think about. A lot of this will be in future posts.
1 - Total Forgiveness - have you ever thought about what this truly means? How easy is it for you to forgive? Does it depend on the act against you?
2 - This little piggy. Especially the "roast beef" part.
3 - onions. Have you ever thought about first time an onion was bitten into?
4 - listen to any good music lately?
5 - Dodger fans. Will we win it all (even though we aren't looking that great right now). Why I think we will.

A couple of more random thoughts.
After watching "Back To The Future" recently, I realized that when you talk to a person and the seem like they are in a hurry and maybe a little weird, that may be for a reason.

When I look at that old beat up dump truck rolling down the highway, I think of the world. That nasty, ugly truck was once new."

And finally. To quote Lebron James on when he was asked if he was upset that many fans were happy that the Miami Heat lost the NBA championship. “Absolutely not. Because at the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point.”

A Simple Question Can Change A Life

This past week the "Men of Integrity" devotional had readings from Eric Bryant's book "Not Like Me" for us to study and think about. They were all interesting and thought provoking entries but one caught my eye before I read it because if the title. The title for Tuesday's devotion was "I Stole It." Needless to say my desire to read what Eric wrote heightened. He wrote about a time where he stopped for gas late one night. He went in to pay and he asked the thin store clerk with scraggly hair and multiple earrings what he did to pass the time working the night shift. Eric - at first - was just making conversation while he paid. But that question turned out to be a whole lot more. The clerk responded "I've been reading through the Bible.". Eric went in to write that this through him off guard so he asked where has he been reading. The clerk said he started in Genesis and now he is "First Cronthans." Eric figured he was new to the scriptures due to his mispronouncing "Corinthians." He went to ask what he thought of it etc. Then he asked where he got the Bible. The clerk said "I stole it from my friend's dad."
With that question Eric knew this clerk was at least interested in the book he stole, so Eric invited him to continue the conversation later. Eric brought him a bible. A week or two later Eric asked Jason ( the clerk) if he believed in God. Jason said "I never did, but now I know he is real because he is speaking to me through the Bible." And as
time passed they became friends and talked more about the Bible and God. Jason had some issues in his personal life. And the entry does not go on to say how or if he worked some of those out.
This devotion struck me because this guy's life was transformed because a stranger asked a simple question. The answer to that question could have been anything. God led Eric Bryant to that gas station that night and He led him to ask a simple question.
How many times do we pass up an opportunity to make small talk? How many times do we get aggravated at people who make small talk while we are not in the mood?
You never know what a simple question or comment can produce.

Saturday random

Road in a car ( actually I drove) with 3 teens today. Boy we learned a lot. Everyone should try it. It was actually fun.

Horse racing. This is the first year in a long time we haven't watched a single triple crown race. Not sure why. Then again. I couldn't tell you how the Dodgers are doing lately. If you know me you know that is very odd.

It has been so dry here. I mowed the lawn today. Weed eated (is that a word?) and blew the grass around. It has been so dry I had to floss grass out of my teeth.

Not much on the mind tonight but then again I have a lot.

I have a new "favorite" song (at least for a few minutes)

I have a new favorite song.
We watched a little America's Got Talent last night. This is a show we have watched - for the most part - somewhat regularly. But it isn't a show where we HAVE to be in front of the tube when it comes on. Thankfully, we really don't have any of those. But when it is on, we watch it if we are home. But I will say that the show - so far - isn't really too good this years - so far.
Last night, an interesting looking dude came on there and sang a folk type song. He got 3 Xs in no time. I felt bad for the guy because he wasn't the best, but he was better than a lot of acts that moved on to the second round. Immediately the Twitter started lighting up about how he was wronged, etc.
Well, to do my part in making sure the world hears this song, it will become my new favorite song - at least for a day or so.
But to add to it, I will use it as a sort of Theme song - if you will. The song is called Truck Drivers aren't Supposed to Cry".
Being in the trucking business, I actually do get a lot of truck drivers crying (complaining, etc). I give them the time of day because we all have to vent, complain sometime......So I type this sort of tongue in cheek. When my guys and gals start to complain, I will just sing this song to myself and smile at them.
Now the song isn't really about whining or complaining truck drivers, it is about ______ (not really sure what it is about). I think it is just about a driver not crying from being out all night or away from home.....

For the record, I respect my drivers and most drivers out there. So this piece isn't about bashing a truck driver. IT is simply me (since It is my blog) joking around and having some fun. without the driver and the transportation industry, things would not move. Just about everything you eat, wear, drive, drink, etc gets moved around by a truck driver.


So, here's to all the drivers out there and here's to Walt Winston for bringing us "What is sure to be a classic." Maybe - maybe not.

Wednesday Quote

"Words are loaded pistols." - Jean Paul Sartre (French writer, philosopher)

What the world sees

There was a man who was bit by a spider.
His name was not Peter.
He had a wife but he could keep her.
He did not like pumpkins or asparagus roasted.
He liked his scrambled egg sandwich with his wheat bread toasted.
He was a man who never ever boasted.
He saw a pigeon fall from the sky.
The branch in it's beak hit him in the eye.
With one eye, he still went on to the show.
He went to see the paintings of Vincent van Gogh.
A giant white goose with a "I love Mom" tattoo followed him into the museum.
The goose holding it's seeing eye glass in it's beak.
The museum had a Thomas Jefferson statue at its entrance.
But the funny thing was ...
The people at the show didn't see the really odd goose waddle by.
All they saw was the man with one eye.


Author's note: there is moral to this tale. If you ask the author will tell.

Camp

I dropped Madeline off at the carpool spot heading for Pine Lake Camp today. As I drove back to work I couldn't help thinking of the camp and how special it truly is. I don't think anyone can go to that place and not feel some special connection to something wonderful. And the longer you are their, the stronger the connection.
We often talk about the camp and memories from our times at camp. It is a special place and a wonderful gift from God. It is one of those places where you feel God around you. The pure nature of the place itself just reinforces how beautiful and awesome God is. You see His living examples everywhere at the camp. And it is a very peaceful place. If you've ever been you know what I am talking about. I can go on and on but just saying that the camp is an inspiring and breathtaking place just about sums it up.

Random thoughts

Since the blog is back ( hopefully I can keep it going), I may or may not go back to a structured deal. Example: I used to do Music Mondays. Quotes on Wednesday. Don't know. I might go back to that I might not.
Today all I have are some random thoughts. I have so much in my head but lately it is hard to get it out. It seems I have lots of thoughts or ideas in the shower. I need a waterproof pen and paper or a waterproof dry erase board. All you have in the shower is you, soap products, towel (unless you don't use one), manicure type stuff and water.

A while back we were watching Back To The Future and I realized that if you run across someone and they seem sort of in a hurry or sort of weird, it may be for a reason.

I'm thinking about doing that 30 Day Song Challenge I see on Facebook. Not sure but in the past I was working on trying to figure out my 100 top songs of all time. Talk about a challenge. I "may" get back on that. Or at least my 100 top albums. Still a lot of work.

Well that about all I got. Hope I didn't bore ya.

Hate is such a strong word. But is it ok when it comes to plumbing?

Toilet woes. Well were do we start? A looooooong while ago our toilet in the front bathroom started to "run". You know that heart wrenching sound ...... Shshshshshshshsheeeeeewwww ...... So the obvious problem. The flapper. Or depending where you are from Da Flappa. (flap on flap off .... The flappa). So I changed the flapper. yep. The toilet still ran. So I figured the flapper I bought was "malfunctioned". So I bought another flapper then another. Same result. So after talking to many " home plumbers" I agreed that the gasket that the drain tube is on top of must be bad. So off to the store. About 30 bucks later I come home with all sorts of plumbing parts. Well vacation was looming. Alaska. So I figured " hey. Why stress about plumbing now. Wait until we get back from the AK". ( by the way. After flushing the commode I would just turn the water off. Awesome ). So we have a wonderful Kodiak Alaska vacation. We come home. Get back in the swing if things - sort of. And it is time to "tackle the terlet" I take the tank off of the toilet. That took forever. Have you ever tried to take a tank off of a comode that has been there for awhile? Enough said. So Loooooooooooooooong story short. I change gaskets. I change gaskets again. I put old gaskets on. I use silicone. I keep telling my wonderfully patient wife " I have one more thing to try". Etc. Etc. Etc. ( an IHOP commercial just came on the tv while typing this. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. I have no clue what program is on the tube. But that IHOP ad got my attention) anyway back to the toilet. So I keep thinking it through. When I wake up at night I think about how to stop the " running" and the large leak that I have at least reduced to a small, very small leak. ( hey at least I wake up thinking of plumbing instead of work). So finally. I throw in the chips. Throw in the towel. Kick the dirt. Say " awwwe shucks". Call a plumber. Then for some unforeseen reason. We cancel the plumber. A sign? Back to the thinking. More thoughts. Man if a plumber can do it I should be able to. Well the good news ............. A plumber is coming. I hope I can re post and say the toilet woes are OVER. We shall see.
So 2 thoughts. 1 I am tired. 2. I wish I was a better "home plumber" and 3 (hey I know I said 2 thoughts but it is my blog )3- I am craving IHOP. And 4. To the question of the title. Is hate a strong word when it xomes to plumbing. Probably yes. So I will say I strongly dislike plumbing. Is that the same thing?

Do you ever feel like MONK?

I was in a local Printer/office supply store today picking up my new Rubber stamp (I was getting tired of handwriting "Approved - Wade Cortez - Taft and the date on countless numbers of invoices). while I was waiting I noticed a stack of legal pads on the shelf and one of them (about a third way down on the stack) had some bent edges. That actually bothered me. Then while I was paying for the stamp, they had a rack of various business cards and one was cocked up to the left. Yes - I had to straighten it. And on my way out of the store I had to go straighten that legal pad. And I think I unconsciously looked around the store (keep in mind it is a real small area of store where the public actually does business in) real quick to see if anything else was "out of sorts." So was my "Inner MONK" coming out? Not sure.

Just in case you don't know, MONK is a TV show the USA Network. Adrian Monk is a detective who is obsessive-compulsive. It is actually a pretty good show.

http://www.usanetwork.com/series/monk/

Letting things go. Hard? Easy?

I should be working but something is urging me to jot down a quick blog. As I sat this morning (around 4:30) in the dark house thinking of my plan of action (due to a truck breakdown) I had a calm. A calm I rarely had in these situations. I wasn't totally calm but something felt different. Then I read a couple of quick emails and I had one from a friend giving me a phone number I asked for. Then he went on to say he is having some problems at work this week but he has turned it over to Jesus and he is having a great week. After reading that I couldn't help but respond ( hopefully his email doesn't go "ding" - it was early). I basically said that was calm in the currant truck breakdown issue but now I am calmer. He is right. Turning it over to Jesus is what we should do. So letting things go. Hard? Easy? I think it is both. But I think turning it over to Jesus is not sitting back saying " OK Jesus you got it see ya later". But it is trysting that Jesus will see us through our trials. I say this a lot ( but don't always listen to myself). The outcome is going to be the outcome. But how we act through the situation is what affects us and others. This to me is a positive vs negative fight. So, among my issues today, I will give them 100 % of my self to work through and resolve. But I will TRY and I pray that I succeed in being calm. Because I know that Jesus is in my corner through trials. Large and small.

Memorial Day

Driving over to Gonzales to baby sit Hayden today, we had NPR on the radio. An array of topics were discussed but one of those was a short piece on Memorial Day. It said that many people don't fully understand why we actually observe this holiday. Actually it only became a federal holiday in 1967. This is an important day where we remember those who died for our country in any and all wars. As you go about today. Let's do this: 1- remember those soldiers who died fighting for our country. 2- remember their families. 3- pray for all of our military abroad and those who are serving stateside. Those men and women should be honored everyday. 4- not just on Memorial day, but every day we should remember our trips who died and those fighting the harsh battles today. 5- while we are at it don't forget the police force and firemen who risk their lives everyday. 6- make sure your kids know about this holiday and why we observe it. So if you are grilling today or just chilling today. Working or not. Raise a glass, a cup, a rib or a piece of chicken to those who fight for our country and our streets everyday. And remember those who lost their lives doing so.
I tried to find the link for that segment but couldn't. But I did come across the web site below.

http://www.usmemorialday.org/

South Louisiana night

The heat (for the most part) has left this end of May day. The breeze - if you call it that - is trying desperately to chase the muggies away. Dark clouds are slowly moving in the distance. Could they be from the shower I drove through earlier? Could they bring the rain we need? Whatever it is, we can use it. The locusts are singing their tune in the trees. One flies from the oak to the pecan. It is barely visible from ground level. The mocking birds are still working hard feeding their young in the awesome nest they built in the avocado tree. Other unidentified birds are singing their last songs of the day. The squirrels are getting their last bit of play in as they startle a quiet dove from it's perch. The starling pokes it's head out of the orange bird house they have claimed for the past 3 years. The starling checking out the neighborhood before turning in. Daylight is fading. Darkness fast approaching. Another beautiful South Louisiana "heels of summer" day coming to a close. God I love this place. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.