A New Snack

In my efforts to eat healthier (and in smaller portions throughout the day), I bought some apple sauce. Generally speaking, I do not like apple sauce. The flavor is just not good enough to overcome the strange texture. But they are making huge strides in the world of apple sauce. You can get it with strawberries, kiwi, and my current favorite - peach/mango. Of course, I feel like I am about 1 year old eating it... and the fact that the spoon is extra small is not helping.

Single Isn't So Bad

Two weeks ago, I decided to finally make my way over to Banff to go skiing. I have lived here for 4 months, and this was my first time to hit the slopes. A buddy of mine who lives in Houston has already gone three times this year. What is wrong with this picture? Quite a lot, actually.

Anyway, I went skiing alone... and this was a bit nerve racking for me. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy skiing as much if it was not part of a vacation with friends. Fortunately, I was wrong. I totally enjoyed it.

During the first half of the day, I skied with my iPod playing. I selected some songs that would go nicely with being out in some of God's most beautiful creation. So the first half of the day was truly more of a worship time for me. The weather was fantastic... the skiing was great... all of this made for a nice morning.

After lunch (as sandwich and chips that cost me almost $15), I decided to go into mogul mode. I had seen a run earlier in the day that had some nice bumps on it, but was not too steep. My goal for the afternoon was to negotiate that stretch of moguls over and over until I could do it without falling. I met my goal... but it took me many tries. But to make the story even better... it is listed as a black run. I felt like I had arrived. But truly, it was more of a blue-black.

Side note here. I had skied a run earlier in the day with large moguls, and it wore me out. When I saw it from the lift later in the day, my only thought was "I don't like that run." This was funny to me (and me alone, I'm sure) because it reminded me of my nephew. When a character comes on the screen of during one of his cartoons, he always says (very emphatically, actually), "I don't like that man." So I felt a strange connection to the little guy as I saw the brutal moguls - even though I was hundreds of feet away from them.

The best thing about skiing alone is the "singles only" lines at the ski lift. For once, I was happy to be counted as a "single." I rarely (if ever) had to wait in the lift line. There was always a group of two or three who needed a tag-along. I was happy to be that tag-along.

So solo skiing isn't so bad. Now I don't think I would be willing to fly to Colorado or Utah from Houston to do it alone... but given my current proximity to the slopes, I plan to do it again (maybe even this weekend).

Great Lyrics

Most of Jack Johnson's songs sound very familiar. But I really like this one... specifically the lines in italics. Such great thoughts...

"What You Thought You Need"

I can't give you everything you want
But I could give you what you thought you need.

A map to keep beneath your seat,
you've been to me in time I'll get you there.

I fold it up so we don't find our way back soon,
nobody knows we are here.

We can park the van and walk to town
Find cheapest bottle of wine that we could find

And talk about the road behind
how getting lost is not a waste of time.

The water moor will take us home in the moment
we will sing as the forest sleeps.

Well it's all for the sake of arriving with you
Well it's all .. for the sake of arriving with you

Well, I will make the table into a bed
The candle is burning down its time to rest.

I can't take back things already gone,
but I could give you promises for keeps.

And I would only take them back
if they become your own and you give 'em to me .

And it's all for the sake of arriving with you.
Well it's all for the sake of arriving with you.

We could make this into anything
We could make this into more than words we speak.

This could make us into anything
It could make us grow and become what we'll be.

Mmmmmm ..
How and we really know
It's just like it feels.

Lost in Translation

Last night I was hanging out with some guys watching hockey (that is pretty much the only sport the Canadians care aboot).

Anyway, somehow we got on the topic of real estate. I asked if the Calgary market had started to decline (because it has been on such an upward trend for the past couple years). That then led to them asking me how much a typical house would cost in Houston...

What I said: "It depends on where you are."

What was heard: "It depends on where y'ar."

One of them stopped me and repeated what I said back to me... and I just stopped an laughed. I had no idea I sounded like that.

I have been told by some that I don't have a Texas accent... and then I have been told by others that I do (especially when I say my vowels). I prefer to have one, actually. So last night was good.

On another note, I am over the snow. It is great as long as it stays frozen (and white) on the ground. But when it melts and mixes with the mud, my walk into work becomes an obstacle course. Not only do I have to worry about the possiblity of slipping because my shoes have no tread, but cars drive by and spray the slushy mud mixture on my pants from time to time. OK, so that only happened one time and it was not that bad. But once really is plenty.

A Force To Be Reckoned With

Yesterday I bougth some Jell-O at the grocery store. Yes, I am a 31 year-old man who willingly chooses to buy, make, and eat Jell-O.

Anyway, I looked at the instructions on the packages to make sure I used the right proportions of hot water and cold water. The instructions end with the following admonishment:

Do not add fresh pineapple or kiwi fruit. Jelly will not set.

Who knew that pineapple and kiwi wielded so much power in the gelatin world? Oranges don't have near this level of influence...

Airline Etiquette Lesson #1

With the advent of the on-line check in option provided by most airlines, passengers are afforded certain privileges and rights regarding their seat choices. As many of you are probably aware, Continental allows passengers to check in for their flight at least 24 hours in advance. At such time of check in, you are allowed to choose your seat from any of the available empty seats on the plane. So this means that if you are forced to choose a middle seat when you purchase your ticket, you have a slim chance of getting one of the coveted aisle or window seats at the time of check in. Of course, there are no guarantees of this, but there is a chance.

I always choose an aisle seat first... then a window seat... then (and only when it is absolutely unavoidable) will I choose a middle seat. I would rather sit in the bathroom than in a middle seat - but that is just weird, so I never do that.

Last week, I boarded my plane and took up residence in my 7th row aisle seat. This is a premium coach seat because it is at the front of the plane AND on the aisle. It really is a rare occasion that I get such luxury in coach.

Well, a kind lady and her husband boarded the plane some time after I had settled in to my seat. The wife had the middle seat next to me, and her husband purchased the middle seat in front of her. Surely they did this because there were not other seats available. My heart goes out to them... really. But the wife (not the husband, mind you) asks me if I would mind switching seats with her husband. Take a minute to let that request set in in light of all I have stated above.

What could I possibly do? You can't say no to such a request. But everything in me wanted to explain to them the process and the fact that I am 6'2"... and I do not have a swimmer's build. Middle seats are miserable for a guy like me. But I made the switch.

It is one thing to ask someone to move from one aisle seat to another... but to cross the line from aisle to middle is just too much. That is my airline etiquette lesson for you all.

Oh... and have a happy Mardi Gras and Super Tuesday.

Cheers.

Election Mania

I am not looking forward to the next few months. I am so over the mud slinging and cat fighting and he said/she said garbage. I watched the Republican debate tonight, and Sen. McCain just kept saying the same things over and over again. No matter what the question was, he found a way to bring up "timetables" in an effort to discredit Romney. Now I am not a Romney supporter, but I feel like I am less of a McCain supporter after watching him tonight. The whole thing kinda makes me tired. I know I need to vote, but I just have no idea who is worth voting for. Besides, the Democrats are going to win... so my vote will probably be wasted anyway.

(how's that for a cynical view?)

It has finally arrived...

I have been hearing stories about temperatures as cold as -40... and I was starting to think it was all a lie to scare the Louisiana Heat out of Texas Todd. Well... we are there. We are not quite at -40 in the pure sense, but we are there if you factor in the wind chill. I think the high tomorrow is -26 C (-15 F). So it is cold. Just walking from the street to the door of my building (like across the sidewalk) was enough time for my nose to freeze a little. It's true.

Early reports are that it will "warm up" by Thursday to a refreshing -10 C (14 F). Nice huh?

But I still say I prefer this weather to the heat. I will check back in on Friday and let you know if I still feel that way...

You put WHAT in the cake?

I just learned first hand that Canadian French culture and Cajun French culture are worlds apart.

One of my co-workers told me that there was a cake in the break room. So I made way over to check out what kind of cake was available. To my surprise, it was a King Cake - one of my favorite desserts of all time. I cut a slice and went to tell my co-worker that this was not just a cake, but it was a King Cake.

I then started explaining the traditions surrounding King Cakes. I told her that it symbolizes finding the Baby Jesus... and that you put a baby in the cake. It was at this point that things took a turn. Her face was full of shock. I went on to tell her that they used to bake the cake with the baby inside it... she had had enough at this point. She exclaimed, "A real baby?!?!"

I quickly explained that it was a porcelain baby... and then I was able to finish my story. We had quite a laugh over that. I guess she thought the tradition was started by Sweeny Todd and Mrs. Lovett.

No really... what's in a name?

I have been given many nicknames over the course of my 31 years. I think I may have even blogged about them early in my blogging days.

Well, this past weekend I was given yet another one.

I went out for drinks with some people from work, and one of the people happened to be a single girl who used to work for the company I now work for. So my boss up here knows her pretty well... and has a good rapport with her. Oh, and she happened to be the only female at the table.

My boss commences to try to set us up right there at the table... "she's single, you're single..." It was at this point that he referred to me as Louisiana Heat. I was actually speechless....

I know what a reservation is....

'No, I don't think you do."

This very scene from Seinfeld actually happened to me this morning. To the dismay of at least one person, I can't say that I reenacted the dialogue; I was just too frustrated to find humor in it at the time.

Last night, I reserved a car for this weekend. I booked it for 9:00 am because I had plans to meet someone for breakfast at 9:30.

*Sidebar: We met at a place called Diner Deluxe, and I am not sure I have been to a place that serves better breakfast. Buffalo Grille in Houston comes close, but this place is at the top of my list.*

So I show up to Avis promptly at 9:00. The kind young lady behind the counter (with whom I have had other "service issues" in the past) proceeds to tell me that she does not have any cars to give me. Now I walked right by the holding lot, and saw plenty of cars; but none of them were compacts (which is what I had reserved). Rather than give me a free upgrade, she tells me that I have to go to another location to pick up my car. So she gets one of the guys from the back to drive me to this other location. He does not speak English very well, so I was not sure where I would end up. It seemed like a simple (albeit inconvenient) plan, but he just didn't seem to grasp what was happening.

In the end, I got my car and made it to breakfast by 10:00. This is why Seinfeld was such a great show. It captured moments like these and made them funny.

So now, I am sitting in my appartment watching the snow come down... it really is a nice site (especially from the comforts of my livingroom with the fireplace roaring). I am living the hard life for sure.

Fish out of water... but loving it

Around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I was talking with a co-worker and noticed that it was snowing outside. I expressed some excitement/pleasure over this, and he basically said I was weird for liking the snow. I told him that for those of us who rarely see white stuff on the ground (that wasn't used as packaging), it is a bit glamorous. Of course, as one of my lurker friends said some weeks ago - it is just water on your shoes and windshield. That is true in the physics realm, but snow is just good times. I went for a run in it last night... and it was great. It is so much more enjoyable to run in sub-freezing temperatures with snow falling than in 95 degree heat with 100% humidity.

Of course, I got reflective as I watched the snow fall and stick on the ground. I likened it to God's Word in a round about way. Under the right conditions, snow sticks to whatever surface it fall on. Every once in long while, snow will fall in Houston. But it rarely sticks for any length of time. The reason - the ground is just not cold enough. It is not prepared to receive the snow. And it occured to me that our hearts are the same way with God's Word. We can read it every day, all day. But if He has not prepared our hearts for what His Word has to say - there will be no long term effects or changes.

What's in a name...

Two posts in one day? Holy Free Time At Work, Batman... what's going on?

We have a consultant up here helping us find my replacement.

*This just in - I do not plan to be up here forever. *

Well, her name is Eva. I keep wanting to call her Eva Longoria.

No, guys, she doesn't look anything like her... otherwise, I might consider relocating.

I'm just sayin'...

When in Rome....

"Yes? Please continue...."

So this post really doesn't relate to the saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." But since it does relate to me not being in the USA, I wanted to title it that. And the reader who guesses the context of the quote above gets extra blog points.

Since I am working in another country during an election year, I am getting a lot of questions about our political process. The two questions of note so far are as follows:

1. What is going on with all these primaries and caucuses?
2. What does G.O.P. stand for?

My favorite response was the one I received to my answer to the second question. I told this guy at work that it stands for Grand Old Party (which I later found out is only partially true - it was believed to stand for that, but the original meaning was Gallant Old Party). Regardless, the guy was shocked. He thought it was something much more official - where the G stood for government or something like that.

I told him that all his questions are really testing my civic knowlege... and I like that. I also found myself saying that the primaries are part of what makes our political system so great in that they force the candidates to go to all the states - not just the most populated ones.

Expensive Mistakes...

I accidently booked a first class plane ticket last week, and I just realized my mistake. Friday morning, I will be flying in luxury... and I didn't even mean to. I thought my ticket was pretty expensive, but I thought that was just because I was booking it at the last minute and it was during the Christmas season. I am not sure what my boss will say when he sees the price of the ticket... and I am not sure what I will say if he asks me about it. And to top it all off... I am flying at 7:00 AM. I can't even take advantage of the free wine at that hour.

"You probably don't like Christmas much"

Yes, someone said those very words to me just this morning. I asked why this person thought that would be true... and she said because I am a guy. Now maybe this is a Canadian thing that I just don't understand... but I just don't understand. Who knew that men were not supposed to like Christmas. Well, if liking Christmas deducts man points, I will just have to make them up somewhere else... cuz I love this time of year.

More than anything, I like what Christmas celebrates - the Word becoming flesh to dwell among us. Said more simply, the birth of Jesus. Now unless I have some readers in some distant lands... this is not news to anyone. We all know that is what is being celebrated all over the world on December 25th.... hence the big deal over saying Merry Christmas. But that is another blog topic for another blogger. I will not get into that fray. Simply put - the season of Christmas exists because God humbled Himself and was born in the brokenness of humanity so that He could redeem that brokenness. Hallelujah!

But I even kinda like the commercial aspect of Christmas. I don't like that it tends to outshine the aspect discussed above... but I like giving gifts. I like getting gifts. I like surprises. I like finding the perfect gift (which I don't always do... but when I do, what a great thing it is). I like how stores decorate for the season (this may very well deduct some man points... but so be it). I like the specialness of the season. Some things only happen between Thanksgiving and December 25th. Being a person who appreciates traditions - I eat this up.

I like Christmas music... yes, even some of the songs that don't sing about Christ. I like the ones that do a lot more, of course... but Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman, and Jingle Bells are just good tunes.

I like Christmas musical programs that churches put on. I went to the one at HFBC this past weekend, and I really enjoyed it. Sure, there are some cheesy aspects to these shows... but the central theme is still there - Jesus Christ was born. Usually, the part when the Wise Men kneel before Jesus is pretty elaborate (at least in the HFBC musicals it always has been). This year, it was very understated. But as I was telling a friend of mine this weekend... I don't care how you do it, the symbolism will always make my eyes well up.

Christmas movies, Christmas cookies (and other treats), Christmas lights, Christmas cards, Christmas parties... and on and on and on. I like it all.

So if you are reading this, I hope you have a merry Christmas. Even though I have been away from home for most of it, I have enjoyed it nonetheless.

Under Pressure

(cue the David Bowie song as background music)

I realized yesterday that I don't like myself when I am under pressure. The past few days have been terribly busy for me here at work. (Clearly things have eased up slightly since I have time to blog, right?) But I just didn't like myself. I was short with people... I was even referred to as "snippy." That is just not who I am under normal circumstances.

But therein lies the rub, eh? When my circumstances change, my personality changes. When things are not as I would have them to be, I become someone I was not meant to be.

So last night as I was going to sleep, God reminded me of my circumstances.

• I live in an appartment that has heat in a city that is experiencing prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures.
• I do not want for food. In fact, I could stand to eat a lot less.
• I have a job. Even if it is a bit stressful at times, nobody's life is at stake.

Of course, there are many other blessings and positive things I could list above... but those are the ones God specifically reminded me of.

So the point is that sometimes I just have to choose to not let things affect me. And when faced with the way my reality compares to that of others... that is an easy choice, I guess.

Sorry for not being funny and lighthearted today... maybe tomorrow.

(end music)

Negative Twenty... Cold Enough For You?

Winter is in full swing up here in Calgary, and I am noticing a couple things that I thought were blog-worthy.

1. I was told yesterday that if I refer to the temperature as being "negative 20" the person I am talking to will not know what I mean. Apparently, I have to say "minus 20" in order to be understood. That is Canadian for "20 degrees below zero" on the Celcius scale. This is rediculous to me. But in any event, it has been between minus 20 and minus 10 all weekend.

2. In Houston, we complain about the heat. "Man, it's hot." "Hot enough for you?" "Why do we choose to live in this city?" These comments are heard frequently in June, July, and August. Well, up here... it is the exact same thing but in reverse. I guess it is just the easiest thing to discuss when you are standing in line at Starbucks... or in the elevator. Everyone is very friendly, actually. They just love to complain about the cold. I tell them all how much I am enjoying it, and the look at me like I just said "it's negative 20 out there." Completely baffled.

In any event, I am enjoying the super cold weather. And from what I hear, this is just a prelude to the really cold months of January and February. I say bring it on. I get enough heat in my normal life... it is refreshing to be cold for a season.

Calgarian Winter Fast Approaching

So I have been up here in Calgary for about three weeks. The temperature has been hovering around the freezing level, but it always seems to jump up to around 50 by the afternoon. However, I think that period of grace is about to end soon. I have been told that the temperature can get down to -40 (which, by the way, is where the Celcius and Farenheit scales meet. At -40, they are both the same... just a bit of trivia for those who care).

So this morning I had a nice brisk walk from my apartment to the office. I live just under one mile from work. Now that is the same distance between work and home in Houston as well, with one minor difference. Humidity. I walk to work up here, but would never dream of doing so in Houston. But back to this morning....

There is a system of sky walks called the "+15." It is named that because it is 15 feet from ground level. During the harsh winter mornings, this is where I will be between 7:30am and 7:45 am. But until then, I tend to walk outside and enjoy the nice cool weather.

As I was walking today, I noticed something that some of you will find enjoyable... and others will find annoying. The streets were littered with people carrying Red Cups of coffee.

Now those little cups are not only a sign to me that Christmas is fast approaching... but also that the coldest winter I have ever experienced is right around the corner.

Canada is a foreign country, right?

The Calgary Chronicles have not begun well. I spent all day in IAH terminal A waiting for a flight to Calgary. I was supposed to be on the 7:45 am flight with my boss and two other colleagues. Yep, I missed the flight. This has never happened to me in my life. In fact, I am the guy who usually arrives 1.5 or 2 hours before the scheduled departure time. I am ridiculous when it comes to airport punctuality. I guess I should say I was ridiculous when it came to airport punctuality.

I was up pretty late last night packing and getting everything ready to leave. Granted, it is only a three-day trip, but I still had to make sure that I had everything I needed. One of the items I packed was my alarm clock. Not to worry, though, because I have a travel alarm clock. I decided to pack my iHome clock so I would be able to listen to my iPod in the hotel and just rely on the travel alarm clock for this morning. That was my first mistake.

I set my alarm for 5:00 am. I was certain that would give me plenty of time to wake up, shave, get dressed, and still make it to the airport by 6:00 am. My plan was fool proof. Furthermore, I am not one who normally sleeps through an alarm. I have done it, and I am very prone to snoozing. But usually when I have make a flight, I wake up on time (if not early) and get up right away. You can clearly see where this is headed.

I woke up and thought to myself, “it is probably 4:30, so I have a few minutes.” But then another, more insistent, voice told me that I better check the clock. To my utter surprise and dismay, it read 6:25. What!?!?!? "You’ve got to be f---ing kidding me" were the next thoughts in my head. I apologize if that offends anyone, but it is just true. I need to begin praying for better thoughts in the midst of stressful situations. But back to the story...

I jumped out of bed (actually made the bed… not sure why), shaved, got dressed, and jumped into my car by 6:40. Fortunately, I had everything ready to go, so I didn’t need much prep time. I began praying that God would see fit for me to make this flight. Did I mention that my boss and two other colleagues were scheduled to be on this flight? Yeah. They were. Missing the flight would not go unnoticed.

So I was making good time, actually. I was sure God was answering my humble prayer. Then, as I was almost passing the George R. Brown convention center, I realized that I left my passport at home. Fool proof? Nice. Guess I am a bigger fool than my plan was prepared to handle. Holy flight emergency, Batman… what will I do?

Call my roommate. It was my only option. By God’s grace, he answered his phone and responded to my urgent need like a pro. I owe him big time. This call was made at 6:50 am.

I made it to Terminal A at 7:10, but Justin was a solid 20 minutes behind me. I asked the kind lady at the Air Canada desk if she thought I would be able to get on the 7:45. She was very kind, but responded with a negative. Great! Thanks for playing. But she did switch me to the 1:25 pm flight at no extra charge. Marathon is surely grateful for that small favor.

Justin arrived at 7:30. By this time, I had already called one of my colleagues (couldn’t get my boss’s number) and explained what happened. My prayer then changed from “Lord, please make it possible for me to get on that plane” to “Lord, please give me favor with my boss.”

At the end of the day (which it is as I post this) this episode is not a big deal. But I hope it makes for a funny blog post.

For the record, I knew that I needed a passport to go to Canada. But as I was packing my small bag, I was not thinking in terms of international travel. So that is why the passport was not with my wallet (where it normally should have been).

Which One Are You?

You may need to click on the picture to be able to read it...

Classic?

At what point does something become "classic?" According to Apple, it only takes 6 years .

The original iPod style is now being referred to as the "iPod Classic." Actually, the 80 GB and 160 GB models carry that name. According to Wikipedia, these versions (which just arrived this year) introduced the classic name. The 20 GB 4th Generation (which is what I have) is not even mentioned on Apple's web site - much less its parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent. These have all become the Macaulay Culkin of the MP3 player world - they are simply overlooked.

Apple is, in a word, amazing. Their products may not offer more functionality than their competitors, but Apple has created a brand that is the industry standard. I mean seriously... how in the world can an iPod be considered classic? Blows my mind.

Take a good look at the current iPod line-up... it will likely be totally different this time next year. From left to right: iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, and iPod Touch.

As Requested...

In my last post, someone asked if I could just post a picture of a 6 month old baby instead of pictures of my minor head wound. This blogger is happy to give the readers what they want... so I give you the following:



I googled "6 month old babies," and this is one of the many pictures that came up. There were quite a few pictures of some human babies as well... but the reader was not specific enough. :-)

It's Merely A Head Wound...

Last night, I had dinner with a couple guys (Chad and Travis) at Texadelphia. We were going to be discussing some things that are pretty personal to me, so I got a table in the far corner from the front door. Well, we stayed there for a couple hours… talked about all the stuff we needed to talk about… and then it was time to go. I just stood up as any normal person would, but the fact that I am probably a little taller than most other people caused a bit of a problem. I full-on crashed my head into the TV stand right above my head. You don’t think about how fast you move when you are standing up until a stationary object is there to prove Newton's Frist Law of Motion. I immediately sat down and touched my head… there was blood. Very nice. So Chad got the waitress to get some ice and a towel while I just sat there feeling pretty stupid. One of the waiters said, "I'm sorry." I replied, "It's not your fault… I'm just 6'2"." Then I asked if I could take the towel home with me (since it had my blood on it, I wasn't so sure they would legally be able to take it back), and the waitress said I could keep it. Apparently, they only cost about 5 cents. I told her I would pay for it on my next visit… and she replied that they probably owe me.

When I got home, I wanted some sort of proof of the indicent, so I stood at the mirror trying to snap some good shots of my head wound with my phone camera. Here is what I was able to come up with. They are not great, but you can just see the cut in the lower right corner.

Coffee Addiction

It is no secret that I am addicted to coffee. To some, it is bitter brown water. To others, it is a necessary morning elixir. I fall into the latter category.

I believe there are three kinds of coffee in this world. Really Good, Tolerable, and Not Fit For Human Consumption.

Because I have been sick the past few days, I have avoided my regular morning cup in favor of water. Since I feel much better today, I decided to go for it and partake of this delicious beverage. Unfortunately, I opted for the free stuff in our breakroom - which falls into the third category noted above.

But this is what separates a coffee addict from all other coffee drinkers... I am drinking it. I don't really like it, but I am drinking it. How messed up is that?

Things are not as they should be...

This morning saw a first for me. I overslept. I never oversleep.

Now the full story is that I woke up at about 3:45. I then went back to sleep, and my alarm woke me up at about 5:00. I snoozed... and snoozed... and snoozed... and I think my alarm clock finally just gave up. (the weird thing is that the alarm started to become a part of my dreams... but what was happening is that the people in the dreams were emitting this annoying beeping sound everywhere they went). When I woke up again (not to the alarm... but simply by God's grace), it was 7:45. I am supposed to be at work at 7:30. D'oh!!!

Now for the best part of the story. Remember the pestering nail guns from Saturday morning? Well, they were in full effect yesterday - the Lord's Day of all days. But not this morning. I guess the construction company has decided to only disturb sleep on days when people actually can sleep in.

To make matters worse, I am fighting some sort of sinus issue that is causing me to sneeze and my head to ache... so things just really are not as they should be.

Two Suburbs and a Local Island

Today was quite a busy day for old Toddatello.

My day started at 8:00am to the loud popping of nail guns. There are some loft style homes being build less than 20 yards away from my bedroom window... not a great way to kick off a weekend.

I had scheduled coffee with my buddy D-Lux, who lives in Pearland, (suburb visit #1) at 9:30am. So around 9:00am, I set out to meet him at his new coffee shop of choice. He graciously bought my coffee since I had used so much gas to get there.

Since D-Lux and I had not seen each other in a few weeks, it took us three hours to adequately catch up. So by the time I left it was 12:30pm, and I had to be at a birthday party for Cooper (son of my friends Chad and Teresa) in Katy (suburb visit #2) at 2:00pm.

In that 90 minute window, I had to purchase a gift for the lad (he turned one today), get some lunch, stop by my house to pick up a key that I had to return to some friends who would be at the birthday party, and treck across the greater Houston area. (for the non-Houston peeps... Pearland is on the south side, and Katy is on the far west side)

So I set out on my journey, and arrived at the party at 2:10pm with a full stomach (Whataburger chicken fingers) and gift in hand.

I left the birthday party at 4:30pm, and had another party to attend in Galveston (island in the Gulf south of Houston) that was to start at 5:00pm. Needless to say, I did not make it to that party on time, but I did make it. (Yes, Chad, I did send him a text telling him that I would be late...) This event was being hosted by a former roommate of mine (Clint) and his wife Gina. They recently moved to Galveston, and just wanted to have people over to see their new place. On the way, I picked up another buddy (Preston) to accompany me on the journey south (roughly an hour).

I returned home around 10:00pm after having taken a detour to avoid the closure of I-45 at NASA road and dropping Preston off at his house.

Each portion of my day was enjoyable and well worth the effort... I just need some sleep. I really hope the nail gun guys have tomorrow morning off.

Why coffee and I are still friends...

... but I have developed a love/hate relationship with the Rubik's Cube.

I was up a lot later that I intended to be last night, but coffee was not to blame. Rather, the multi-colored cube puzzle that is an icon of the 1980's is at fault.

I grew up in the 80's, but was never into the Rubik's Cube. I guess I always figured I was not quite smart enough for it, and that it was better to have never tried than to have tried and failed.

Well, as the Colts slaughtered the Saints last night, I sat on the couch twisting and turning the various sides of this infamous game... and still, I can only get to the last step. I can't seem to complete the last side. D'oh!!!

I will confess that I was using a step by step guide to help me... but it still isn't a cake walk. In any event, I am tired again this morning... and Rubik is to blame.

Why I like coffee...

...well, at least why I like it at the moment.

It is pretty helpful in the jet-lag battle. I started to feel the effects around 2:00; but rather than take a nap under my desk (cuz who actually does that, right?), I got a double shot latte. It has done wonders. I am pretty wired at the moment... I just hope it wears off by the time I want to go to sleep tonight. Otherwise, tomorrow's post may be "Why I hate coffee..."

Divine Moments

This morning, as I was leaving my house, I saw a sunrise that was simply beautiful. Shades of pink, orange, yellow, and blue filled the sky. My "commute" to work only lasts about 7 minutes; and by the time I arrived at my building, the colorful explosion was gone. But I couldn't get enough of it in those seven short minutes.

As is true for us all, there are things in my life that I just have to trust Christ for... things that can easily take me over if I let them. Well, I happened to be praying about one of those very things this morning as I was leaving for work... and then I saw this amazing site filling the sky. God graciously reminded me that just as He is faithful to make the sun rise everyday, He will be faithful in the difficult areas of my life. So it really was a divine moment that I am truly thankful for.

Seoul, Korea...

I am passing the time here in the airport in Seoul, Korea... and I figured it was a good time to post an update "from the field." Some of you may not know that I have been in Mongolia the past two weeks visiting a friend of mine who is working for a Christian ministry over there. I had a great time experiencing the Mongolian culture (and I experienced a good bit of it in two weeks, actually). I hope to have lots of posts with pictures and the like, so bear with me on that.

For now, let me share something that happened just a few hours ago. Since my layover is so long (12 hours), I decided to take a tour of the city. Part of the tour involved riding a ferry; and while on said ferry, a random Korean guy approached me and commenced to tell me that his daughter was studying English in Canada. He then asked me what my job is and how old I am. So awkward. The girl was very pretty (I have a picture of the whole family). But I am big on communication... and even if she started learning English 5 years ago, she is a bit behind for me. Sorry.

So there you have it... I basically get proposed to by a Korean girl's father. Nice.

Good Times at Starbucks...

The other night, my friend LB and I were returning from dinner and she wanted to stop at Starbucks to pick up a deliciously overpriced beverage. Well, when LB and I are together – the laughter just doesn’t seem to stop. So as we were driving up to the drive-thru window we were laughing and talking about something… and I overshot the ordering speaker box.

The voice asked if we were ready, and I told her that we needed a couple minutes. LB then told me that she wanted a Grande Orange Mocha Latte. I turned to order and realized that I was past the ordering speaker box… so I said, “Oh, I missed the thing…” The voice in the box said, “you want a Venti Mocha?” What?!?! How did she get that from what I said? Well, LB and I commenced to laughing pretty hard… and I finally got out that she would like a Grande Orange Mocha Latte.

The next thing we heard was a guy on the speaker asking if we would like an Orange Mocha McFlurry. This was followed by much laughter on both sides of the speaker… and as I drove away from the speaker, I said, “They totally think we are drunk.” Apparently, I was still in ear shot, because that brought on more laughter from the friendly baristas… which only caused me and LB to laugh more as well.

I am sure this story does not translate well in that is probably was one of those “you had to be there” moments. But suffice it to say that LB and I found it extremely hilarious… as did the baristas.

OPP - I Finally Know What It Means...

OK... I always knew what it meant in the song, but this is not that kinda of blog.

My company uses OPP as an acronym for something related to overseas travel. I have asked and asked what it means, but no one could ever tell me. The people I asked who are around my age would always snicker and reply saying they didn't know (and we would trade that knowing glance that says "we can't make a joke about that because we have to be professional"). The older folks would just flat out say they didn't know - but I would secretly laugh.

Well, when I was in Cuba a couple years ago, one person suggested "Other People's Per Diem" as a possible meaning. Ever since, that is what I have thought it to be (even though I knew it really wasn't).

Today, the mystery was solved. I now know what it officially stands for... but I think I will keep it to myself and continue to let Other People's Per Diem linger in the minds of those who care...

Mystery Bruises

I think it is Brian Regan who does a bit about mystery bruises. Basically, he talks about how as you get older… you just start to develop inexplicable bruises.

Well… I have a bruises on each are just below the inside of each elbow. I have NO idea what caused them. The one on the left arm is larger than the one on the right arm, but that doesn't help solve the mystery.

Details are everything...

I love this commercial... makes me laugh out loud everytime I watch it.

Last weekend, the comment was made by a friend of mine that it would be very difficult to be a Christian on a reality show (Amazing Race, Real World, etc). Another friend then said that it shouldn't be that difficult (making the point that it is possible for a Christian to live life in such a way that is honoring to God). This comment was met with some disagreement based on the way so many shows edit things to portray whatever the producers/directors/writers want to portray. This argument is valid, for sure. I think reality TV is reality in name only... especially with as many as there are now.

But the comment made about Christians living life in a consistent way even on camera has really struck me. I wonder what the tv world would think of my life if there was a camera on me every day (without editing). Would my life reflect a sincere love for Jesus... or would it reflect a sincere love for something else? Sadly, I fear it is the latter.

So my question for those who wish to respond is this: what does it look like to live a life that is "worthy" to be filmed and broadcast to the world for the purpose of reflecting Jesus?

I think authenticity is a large part of it, but I think we almost glorfiy our sinful authenticity at the expense of being obedient to what Christ has called us to (and empowered us for). I am not advocating legalistic sinlessness... rather, I am advocating walking in the Spirit as Paul tells us to do in Galatians 5:16 - "But I say walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

Food for thought. Comments welcome and requested...

Napping at work...

Sometimes (on casual Fridays) I will close my office door and take a short nap under my desk during lunch. I have told a number of people about this (and I thought I blogged about it, but I can't seem to find it in my archives). Regardless, I have not done this in quite some time. But I just walked by the office of one of my co-workers, and the door was shut. Not a big deal at 11:15... but her light is off. Normally, I would think she was gone for the day... but I saw her close the door while staying in the office. She is full on taking a nap in her office. I, of course, have been advocating a throw back to kindergarten days of mid-day napping for most of my professional career (albeit a short 7 year career). I guess she is taking it upon herself to start the practice in hopes that other follow her lead. We'll see...

Friday things...

It is 10:00 on a Friday, and I am bored. I am caught up on my work, and all that remains for me to do is the stuff that you always put off for days when you have spare time. But the problem is that we never want to do those things... that is why we put them off. But alas, I have no choice. I will actually accomplish some of those elusive tasks because I have been too efficient in my other tasks.

In other news, if you were not there for METRO Live last night, Afshin gave a fantastic talk about God's will. Granted, I have been thinking about a number of things that God directly addressed through the talk, but I think it was just good regardless. Check it out here.

That's all for now... but seeing as how I am bored, I may pull a double entry today. But then again, I may not. Last week, my boss walked by my office and asked what I was doing. The funny thing is that he was asking the question because I was in a different office than normal... but I responded saying, "I'm working on my blog." He then said explained that he was not asking about that... but that I had just busted myself. So I need to be a little more careful, I guess. Fortunately, he is an understanding boss and didn't give me too much grief for it.

OK... that is really all. Can you tell how much I don't want to do those other tasks? Seriously.

No More Faith

I have known of this song by Andrew Peterson for a while now, but I was reintroduced to it this weekend. The lyrics just scream of a reality that many of us don't like to admit is true in our lives. If you have not heard much by Andrew Peterson, I suggest that you check him out... he is really good. On iTunes, he is compared to Rich Mullins (which is fair enough) but he does have his own style. In any event, these lyrics have been resonating with me for the past few days...

No More Faith

This is not another song about the mountains
Except about how hard they are to move
Have you ever stood before them
Like a mustard seed who's waiting for some proof?

I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief

Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
That only love remains

Have you heard it said that Jesus is the answer
And thought about the many doubts you hide
Have you wondered how he loves you
If He really knows how dark you are inside

I say faith is a burden
It's a weight to bear
It's brave and bittersweet
And hope is hard to hold to
Lord, I believe
Only help my unbelief

Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains

So I will drive these roads in thunder and in rain
And I will sing your song at the top of my lungs
And I will praise you, Lord, in glory and in pain
And I will follow you till this race is won
And I will drive these roads till this motor won't run
And I will sing your song from sea to shining sea
And I will praise you Lord, till your kingdom comes
And I will follow where you lead

Till there's no more faith
No more hope
I'll see your face and Lord, I'll know
When there's no more faith
And no more hope
I'll sing your praise and let them go
'cause only love
Only love remains

Thursday iPod Stories

Story One - "iPod Lost and Found"

Last week, I had quite a scare. I got in my car on Thursday morning to head out on my "commute" to work, and I opened the center console to retreive my iPod. When I saw that it was not there... I really think I may have gasped. I was horrified. I knew I had it on my drive home the night before, so I couln't imagine where it was. I caused myself to be late to work by looking all over for it (I even looked in the trash). Well, fast forward to lunch time of the same day... I decided to look in my gym bag one more time. It had fallen into a side pocket that I don't use... so it had simply been overlooked. Poor thing. It must have felt so abandoned in there.

Story Two - "iPods and Panties"

Thursday night after METRO Live, I volunteered to take the musical guest to his hotel by Hobby airport. On the way down there, he said he really wanted to stop for some Taco Cabana because he can't get it in Nashville. So we pulled into the closest one and sat in the drive thru. As we sat, he commented that he was great friends with the guy singing the song that happened to be playing. He then asked if he could look at who else I have on my iPod... and I said sure. He thought that was awefully brave of me (and when he said that, I suddenly thought it was too... and I got a little nervous). So as he scrolled down, he commented on some of the artists I have (Beyonce', G. Love, and Nickle & Dime being the most notable) - but surely he noticed that he was not in there. D'oh! Oh well... he is now. Back to the story. When he finished his investigation, I told him that was quite an intimate moment for us to share since we had just met and all... to which he retortred, "yeah, it is kinda like I just looked through your panty drawer."

So my poor iPod spent the morning dealing with abandonment issues... and the late hours of the night dealing with identity issues.

Pain Avoidance Update

Turns out that I did, in fact, pull my calf muscle. In fact, early reports say that I may have torn it. I wish I had a camera so I could take a picture of my the lower part of my leg. I first noticed the bruise on the calf Thursday night. Then, on Friday, I noticed some bruising on the shin. Then on Sunday, I noticed a bruise on my ankle. The whole inner portion of my lower right leg looks like I have been beaten with a lead pipe (well, maybe not quite that bad... but it is pretty discolored). I am sure I can draw a spiritual parallel about the visible signs of the pain in our lives... but I will just leave it at that and let your imagination run. In any event, I was wrong about being able to run on it by the end of last week. I still can't... and I don't expect to be able to for a couple weeks.

Pain Avoidance

I hurt my calf muscle yesterday while working out. I think I pulled it... but I am not sure. However, it has caused me to walk with a limp since it happened. Yesterday, I was still trying to walk normal... but today, I have figured out a way to walk without feeling the pain in my calf muscle. So at first, I thought my calf was getting better... but really, I just learned to move in such as way that avoids the pain while the muscle does what it needs to do go get fixed.

Isn't that what we do in life? We think things are getting better; but really, we just medicate life's pain in other ways.

Even as Christians... life does not really get better (contrary to what many of the preachers on TBN will tell you). Rather, we know Who to turn to when life is painful. The pain does not always go away... nor does the underlying problem causing the pain. (this is the point where the calf injury analogy breaks down... because my calf really is getting better and I will be running again before the week is out)

Unlike the pseudo strut that I naturally developed to avoid the pain in my calf, truly seeking refuge in Christ is not something we naturally do. The next time you walk into a bookstore, check out the Self-Help section and you will see my point proven. Furthermore, my new way of walking is only temporary. Eventually, my calf needs to heal for real. Christ offers ultimate healing... but it may take a lot longer than a couple days for that to take place. In fact, some of the hurts/troubles in our lives will never be fully healed this side of Heaven. But He promises us Himself in the midst of the pain... and really, that is more than enough.

Already Too Cool For School...

This picture was taken this past weekend when Brad's family took a trip to Florida. I am telling you, this kid is gonna be a heart breaker in about 15 years.

Nominal Christians

As Voddie Baucham says, "If you can't say amen, you better say ouch!"

Unfortunately, I think I have to say ouch... I see myself in this description all too often.

Looks can be deceiving...

I think I will ask this guy to disciple me in the ways of entertainment...

Hot Lips...

Every year, my brother's in-laws have both sides of the family over for a crawfish boil. This year, it was held on Good Friday since everyone was off work. The Legnon's live in Lafayette... so I can always bank on having well-seasoned crawfish at their house. This year was no exception.

At one point in the afternoon, Renee commented on the color of my lips... and then dubbed me "Hot Lips" for the rest of the afternoon.





Since he is the star of every family gathering, I can't pass up the opportunity to say a few words about Landon. He is now just over 2 years old... and getting more and more lovable each time I see him. He was not sure what to make of the little mud-bugs while they soaked in the salty water... but he knew what they were and that he should not touch them. He was seen in this position many times during the cooking phase of the day...



After everything had been cleaned up, Landon told me (did not ask me, but told me) "Crawfish all gone." Indeed they were... and quite tastily gone.


After eating, everyone else decided to sit in the house and visit... but Landon wanted none of that. Like a typical little boy, he wanted to stay out side and kick the soccer ball (or any other round object he could find). So Uncle Todd gladly volunteered for Landon Duty... unfortunately, there are no pictures. It was definitely good times for both of us, though...

And lastly, I couldn't resist putting this fine shot on the world wide web. Yes, folks... this is my father.

Shock and Awe

In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote a satirical article entitled A Modest Proposal.

This morning, I recieved this article from a buddy of mine. Note that this one is not satirical.

The state of our world scares me. It really does.

Thank You

Tonight at church, we had a service to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made to restore fellowship with God... a fellowship that was broken when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden. It was truly a powerful service as we heard various passages of God's Word spoken... various passages that told the great story of Jesus and why He came to earth. There was no commentary... just the pure Word of God. Nothing compares to it, honestly.

At the end of the service, we sang a song that repeatedly expresses thanksgiving to God for the cross. The lyrics "thank you for the cross" are repeated over and over again. I have sung that song many times, but it hit me in a fresh way tonight. As I was singing it, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the 10 lepers who were healed by Jesus. Of those 10, only one returned to Him to say thank you. Only one. I so want to be that one. But it occured to me that just saying thank you to Jesus misses the mark a little. He did not come to save only me... but rather, He came to redeem and restore a world that is broken and separated from Him. So I want to be found faithful in sharing what He has done with others so that they also may run back to Him and say thank you.

Another funny email..

This morning, I received the following email from a friend...

Today is Norah Jones' birthday. She's 28. Thought you might like to know. :}

So I am canceling my weekend plans, and booking a flight to wherever she is to celebrate with her. I am perplexed by the fact that she didn't mention it when we talked earlier this week. I guess she wanted me to find out on my own and surprise her.

Don't ask the question...

... if you can't take the answer. I received this as an email forward, and since I am not a fan of the forward, I decided to post it here instead.

I was shopping at the local supermarket where I selected:

A half-gallon of 2% milk,
A carton of eggs,
A quart of orange juice,
A head of romaine lettuce,
A 2 lb. Can of coffee, and
A 1 lb. Package of bacon.

As I was unloading my items on the conveyor belt to check out, a drunk standing behind me watched as I placed the items in front of the
cashier.

While the cashier was ringing up the purchases, the drunk calmly stated, "You must be single." I was a bit startled by this proclamation, but I
was Intrigued by the derelict's intuition, since I was indeed single. I looked at the six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual about my selections that could have tipped off the drunk to my marital status.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I said: "Well, you know what, you're absolutely right. But how on earth did you know that?"

The drunk replied, "Cause you're ugly."

Not for the faint of heart

The Black Donnelly's is a new show on NBC, and like the subject says... it is not for the faint of heart. It is as if the writers took 1 Cor 6:9-10 and decided to bring it to life on the screen. These Donnelly brothers are pieces of work for sure... the only thing that is sacred to them is family (and I wonder if that will change as the seasons progress). They will literally do anything for their family. The show is well-written, the acting is great (especially the lead character), and the story is well-developed. I am holding out for the writers to pull in 1 Cor 6:11, but doubt they will...

Bizarro World

I just walked into our break room to find two grown men watching The View. In all fairness, I think they were truly taking a break (they were there to replenish our vending machine), but they are tall enough to reach the TV to change the channel... yet neither of them did. Very strange.

My new love...

So I have a crush... I am 100% smitten with the Toyota FJ's. I think the white tops are the real magnet that draws my eyes to every single one of them on the road. Not a day goes by that I do not covet one at least once. At first, I wanted a blue one because they look like a Smurf. But then I decided that novelty would ware off. So silver is my number one choice... my birthday is July 12. I'm just sayin'....

Accountants are detail people, right?

So I spent about an hour yesterday and the past 1.5 hours looking for a variance that popped out in a reconciliation that I prepare each month. (Those of you who don't like or don't get "numbers people" may just want to stop reading right now).

Every month, I have to compare two sets of data to ensure that they equal. Even for those of you who do like numbers... the explanation is more than you would care to read - trust me. So I began preparing the reconciliation yesterday afternoon by gathering the appropriate numbers... dropping them into my nifty spreadsheet... and I was left with a variance of $232,640. Now for an oil company in this day, that is not a lot of money; but it still needs to be addressed... I mean we aren't ExxonMobil.

So like I said, I spent 2.5 hours looking at this... there was no reason that the variance should be there. It just didn't make sense at all. Well hold and below... I had simply left an entire number out of the calculation. Any guesses on what the number was?

Yeah. I know... I take almost a month off from blogging and this is my comeback? My appologies. I just felt like such an idiot that I felt the need to share it with anyone who would listen.

Dinner Bill Shortfall...

We have all experienced it at one time or another. You are out to dinner with friends... the bill gets passed around... money is collected... and you are just short of a reasonable tip for the server.

Well, as I have grown older, I have noticed that this happens less frequently than it did when I was in college or just out of college. But this past Monday night, it happened. We were only a few dollars short, but it was still short. I had not ordered much, and I was sure I had put in well over my alloted amount... so I just let others make up the difference (because I KNEW it couldn't be me).

For whatever reason, I woke up this morning to the realization that I had ordered a beverage on Monday night that I had completely forgotten about when the bill came around. I rarely order anything but water, so I never have to consider that extra amount. But this particular time, I had ordered a beer. So it was long gone and had been replaced by water by the end of the meal.

So this is my public apology for those who covered me on Monday night. You know who you are... and I am pretty sure you all read this.

Nobody likes "that guy" who doesn't carry his dinner bill weight...

Little Joys

So this is totally superficial and rediculous... but a very attractive girl just smiled at me in the elevator. What can I say... that is never a bad thing when you are a single man.

Wierdisms... thanks, Dovie

So I have been tagged ... and I will respond. I will not, however, tag anyone else. Sorry. All the people I would tag have been tagged...

These are in no particular order:

1. I always feel the need to explain myself (see the line above this one).

2. I have a difficult time sitting for extended periods of time without crossing one leg over the other (in the fully masculine way as opposed to the feminine way...oh, and this is also an example of #1).

3. I have two wierd sleep habits. Of course, this could be broken into two different items, but I will combine them as one. I must have a fan or some other "white noise" making machine going in order to get to sleep. I also have a horrible habbit of snoozing for inordinate amounts of time.

4. I can stretch my arm around the back of my neck in a very odd manner... and would do this quite frequently as a child. Ask me to demonstrate if you ever see me in person.

5. I blog about Norah Jones. Enough said.

6. I treat text messages like real communication. By that, I mean that I rarely abbreviate and I use punctuation when needed. Oh... and I use a lot of ellipses marks.

Hymns - Timeless, Tried, True

Here are a few lines from a few hymns that have been an encouragement to me tonight...

I Need Thee Every Hour

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord,
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

It is Well With My Soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Hiding Place

But when Thy spirit shines within
Makes me feel the plague of sin
And how I long to see Thy face
'Tis then I want a hiding place

My Sweet Norah...

She's back. I downloaded her newest cd yesterday at lunch. It features not only her delicious voice, but it also showcases her writing ability. She was involved in the writing of every song on the cd. Some of the songs sound similar to her earlier stuff, but she has explored some different styles with this project. Check it out... the title of the cd is "Not Too Late."

Edamame and Catan

I tell you what, I truly enjoy edamame (soybeans). I think the only reason I feel this is blog-worthy is that I am eating lunch, and my lunch has some soybeans in it. Regardless, here is the deal... they look like lima beans, but they are so completely different from lima beans. I am repulsed by lima beans... I think it is all in the texture. Lima beans are mushy... soybeans are crisp.

So there you have it... a basic pro/con on the lima bean vs. the soybean.

In other news, the game referred to by Jeanine spoke of in her comment on my last post is called Settlers of Catan. I have only played twice (well, I played a knock-off version once and the original once). Regardless, the game is all about strategy. Your goal is to settle the Island of Catan. To do this, you must trade with other would-be settlers to build your settlments. I am not very good at the game. A dear friend of mine was trying to encourage me by saying that it probably takes a few time to get the hang of it. She, however, grasped it the first time. I just can't read the board like everyone else. Now there is a huge element of luck in the game. You role dice... and much of the game is based on probability. But probability does not always go the way it should.

So, Jeanine... you will have to just play the game to understand it. The rules take about an hour to explain... but it is worth it once you know what you are doing.

I just finished my lunch, and I want more edamame. I am addicted...

Choices...

Being that it is 11:40, I am ready to go to lunch. So I was just thinking to myself, "I want to eat something delicious for lunch..." As those words rolled through my mind, some antagonistic words marched up to the line as if to wage war. Those words were, "healthy... salad... eat better in 2007..."

I am not kidding when I say that there was a visible change in my facial expression.... so now I am left to decide: Delicious or Healthy?

Hmmmm.....

I am a week behind...

Last week, I kept hearing everyone say how tired they were. For whatever reason, I was fine last week. But today... totally different story. Now I am not tired enough to eat cheese paper, but I am tired nonetheless.

In other news, my roommates and I have HD TV now. I am a little disappointed with how excited I am about it, but it really is nice watching anything in HD. I can't wait to see the Lost spring premier on it.

Blast from the past...

This morning, I pulled out an old Nickel & Dime CD (or rather, I scrolled down to it on my iPod) and played "Ultimate Man." I remember this song being very meaningful to me back in my college days... and it was just as impactful today - probably because I had just read the third chapter of Hosea.

In any event, here are the lyrics (simple and concise):

You are the One who has healed me
You are the One who has saved me
You are the One who forgives me
You are the Maker of mercy

You are the Ultimate Man
You are the One with no sin
My hands are dirty, Lord, my tongue is dry
The way I'm living makes me wonder why
You love me still
Ultimate Man

I'm Back...

Yes, I have taken a little time off from the blog world. My apologies. But I am back with what I think is one of my funniest posts.

There is an old saying about being able to laugh at yourself. Well, this post is proof that I can do just that. My friend Mandy (also know as Ginnsu) sent this to me, and it created a true LOL.

Living Room Sessions

I downloaded two cd's this weekend... both of them by Chris Rice. The are entitled "The Living Rooms Sessions" and "The Living Room Sessions Christmas." They are simply Chris Rice playing various hymns on his piano in his living room. I highly recommend them.

Karma or Grace?

Well, if you know me... I hope you know that I do not believe in karma. And so the answer to my question above is definitely grace. But let me play the role Paul Harvey...

On Friday night, I hung out with some buddies of mine while they played poker. I did not play simply because I was tired and didn't want to be stuck there all night. I stayed at my buddies place for about an hour... specifically, from 11:00pm to 12:00am. Well, good times were had watching the Flop, the Turn, and the River... etc, etc. But when the clock struck midnight, I was done. So I walked outside only to discover that my car was not where I had parked it just 60 minutes earlier. Hmmmm... what could have happened?

Well, a careful examination of the curb revealed the words "NO PARKING." Methinks a tow truck may have been involved.

Thus began an hour long journey that involved me smarting off to the man who had my car... my buddy driving me to pick it up... and me shelling out $185 (cash only, thank you). Not cool. But truly... I had broken the law (even though I didn't realize I was doing so), and the punishment (albeit severe) was justified.

Then today, I was called into my boss's office. I recently worked on a project that has taken most of this year to complete (I was batting clean up in that three or four other people had attempted to resolve the issue). My boss called us all in the office to give us a reward for all of our efforts... the reward - a $200 AmEx gift card.

So if you put this on a balance... I am Even-Steven (actually, I am $15 ahead). But in reality, I deserved the punishment of the $185... and didn't deserve the $200 at all. I mean it is my job, right? So it is not karma... it is grace. And the best part is that receiving $200 is meaningless compared to the grace shown to me by the Lord... I can't imagine going through life trusting only in my good outweighing my bad (especially when I don't always know when I am doing the bad).

Attention to Detail

Yesterday, while in the grocery store, I decided to buy some protein bars to eat for my mid-afternoon or mid-morning snacks (instead of the Little Debbie cakes that our admins provide). So I stood there looking at the various brands of protein bars... but more important to me were the various flavors. I saw some that were flavored "lemon zest" and "smores" and "dulce de leche" and "chocolate peppermint stick." So I decided to buy one of each...

Well.. I just ate one (lemon zest), and as I looked at the packageing, I noticed various figures of women in various active stances... dancing stances to be exact.

I then read the following:

"The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women" (italics NOT mine)

I had no idea that Luna Bars were intended for women... and what is up with them getting all the good flavors?

For Dovie's Proverbial Record, Luna is actually a division of Clif Bar. Note the contrast of the manly Clif Rock Climber with the graceful Luna Dancer. So in the future, I will just buy the Clif Bars... even if the flavors are not as appealing. But ladies, I highly recommend the lemon zest... very tasty (for a protein bar, of course).

It's My Creation...

Last night, I had three things at my disposal to use in creating dinner. I had left over grilled hamburger meat (very well done because it has been sitting in the fridge all weekend), a box of Minute Rice, and a bag of frozen veggies. I decided to combine all of the above items into a casserole of sorts... and it isn't too bad. I told my roommate last night that I probably would not bring it to potluck or enter it in any food contests... but it did the trick. And that trick was to somehow make the overcooked hamburger meat edible so as to not have to throw it away. Mission accomplished. Add a little Tony Chachere's, a little basil, a little soy sauce... you have yourself a true "Sweep the Kitchen" meal.

Too Much...

Our break room is equipped with coffee machines, tea packets, and all the "extras" that go along with those drinks. Well, we also have packets of Starbucks Hot Cocoa. I have noticed them for a while, but never read the cover of the packets until today. This is what it says:

"Indulge in a deliciously creamy, exquisitely chocolate, gourmet cocoa"

As I read that, I thought to myself... "am I gonna want a cigarette when I finish drinking it?"

The answer to the question is "no," but it is pretty tasty when mixed with coffee. I am "indulging" as I type.

Featured Pandora Station - Curtis Mayfield

It has been a while, and Denison was growing old. A lurking friend of mine compared John Mayer to Curtis Mayfield, so I decided to throw his name into Pandora's box. So he is the featured artist this week.

Newfound Culinary Delight

Today we had our monthly birthday breakfast (aka. forced socilization). I had already eaten breakfast, so I skipped it... but I did partake of the leftovers for my mid-afternoon snack. One of the items on this month's banquet table was an assortment of Einstein Bagels and cream cheese spreads. I saw one that was orange in color, so I decided to check it out. I thought it would be a sun-dried tomato flavor or roasted red pepper... but instead, I discovered that it was pumpkin flavor. Initially, I scoffed at the idea... but then decided to try it out. Well... I am glad I did. It was/is delicious. So tomorrow morning, stop by your local Einstein Bagel store and check it out... you will not be disappointed.

The Richards Bunch

A few weeks ago, my family and I took a trip up to Minnesota to see my grandparents. We had a great time... and Landon was definitely the center piece of the weekend. It was his first time to see this set of great-grandparents... and (obviously) it was their first time to see him. It was a good time, indeed...

I am sure that in 50 years or so, I will look very similar to my grandfather. He is 86, and not as quick as he once was. But he still has some of that wit in him... I remember as a child how funny he used to be. There were flashes of that humor this trip... it just takes him a little longer to get the words out.

Here is a picture of four generations of Richards men. Good looking bunch, huh? That is why I stayed out of the picture.

The last picture I have is of Landon and my cousin's son... they are only two days apart in age. They played well together... and this picture was one of about four that were taken of the same event. Every time they would hug each other, they were facing the wrong direction. Finally, Brad got them to look at the camera.

Time with family is always enjoyable (even if stress levels escalate just slightly)... truly, I do love my family. The Lord has blessed me beyond measure in that regard.

Continuum

So I have been gone for a while. I took a family vacation... served on a jury... and now I am back. I plan to blog about both of those events, but work is a little busy. So I only have time to pimp out my new favorite CD (at least for the moment).

John Mayer's new CD - Continuum. This is some good stuff, y'all. His style seems to change with each CD that he produces, and each one has been good. This one is more mature than his previous three. By that, I mean that not all the songs are about him... or about his love interests... or whatever. So check it out.

Pandora is on hold as I am enjoying this CD too much.

Featured Pandora Station - Denison Witmer

Taking the advice of Eye Doctor Justin, I have landed on Denison Witmer for this week's Pandora artist. Since I will only be working two days this week and three days next week... Denison will be the featured artist for two weeks.

I have yet to hear this dude... so I have no idea what to expect. But I am sure it will be worth my time as Justin has good music taste (even though he does not want to be called a musician).

Peace out...

New Addiction...

So I have spent the past three days catching myself up on Lost. I have been watching the second season on DVD... about two each night. I am halfway through with season 2, and have two weeks before season 3 starts.

If you are not on this bandwagon, jump on as soon as you can. However, do so at your own risk. It will suck you in and keep you.

Just now, I was on the elevator and I pushed the button for my floor. Well, it lit up as normal... and then went dark again. This happens quite frequently because our building is old... and I normally don't give it a second thought. But today, it caught my attention because of all the Lost episodes I have been watching. I mean that is the kind of thing that happens to these people (well, except that there are no elevators on the island... that we know of yet).

But to make matters worse... I work on floor 23.

I'm Matt Burgundy?

It is no secret that two things I enjoy very much are the movie Anchorman, and sermons by Matt Chandler. (yes, I know the verses in James about salt water and fresh water coming from the same spring... and olives growing on fig trees...)

Anyway, this morning I was listening to part 13 of a 20 part series on the book of Hebrews taught by Matt Chandler (a great series of talks that I recommend to anyone - check them out here. They are dated 1.8.06-5.21.06).

OK... so back to the point (this is the most A.D.D. post ever).

So about 20 minutes into the talk, he is trying to make a point about why God gave us the Law. He says, "I'm gonna throw this out there... if you want it, take it..." Now you could hear a handful of people in the congregation laughing pretty loudly (I would have been one of those people, to be sure). And then Matt realized that only this handful got what he said and then he started laughing as well. He said, "some of you are with me..." He then continued on with his point.

Those who like and appreciate Anchorman will find humor here... the rest of you will just think I am a little high right now.

Oh... and the point about why God gave us the Law was not so that it could make us perfect (because it can't). Instead, God gave us the Law to show us that we need Jesus to save us because we can't obey the Law.

Featured Pandora Station - Guster

This week's Pandora station is Guster. I made it through the week of country music, but I will not likely be doing that again for a while. That music is just not enjoyable to me unless I am dancing...

Guster may produce some stuff very similar to other stations I have listened to in the past, so we'll see.

If anyone has any suggestions for future Pandora stations... just let me know.

I Just Don't Get It...

While reading Runner's World (a truly enjoyable groomsman gift) in the past few weeks, I have learned about two events that I can only describe as crazy.

The first one is a 50 day event being undertaken by a man named Dean Karnazes. On September 17, he will run the first of 50 marathons in Missouri (that's 26.2 miles in case you were not aware). He will then run another marathon (did I mention the fact that a marathon is 26.2 miles?!?!) each day for the next 49 days - finishing in New York City on November 5. He will be running a marathon in each of our country's 50 states. A total of 1,310 miles in 50 days. Click here for more information on this.

The second one is an annual event that takes place on a mountain... Pike's Peak to be exact. Runners (crazy runners, I might add) run 13.39 miles up the mountain, and then come back down. WHAT? This event is limited to 800 people, and the most recent one (August 20) filled its quota in 23 hours. It takes most people around 9 hours to finish. That is 9 hours of absolute insanity, if you ask me.

My mind's playin' tricks on me...

This week, as you probably know, I have been listening to country music at work. A number of times a song by David Lee Murphy entitled "Dust on the Bottle" has played. The chorus is as follows:

There might be a little dust on the bottle
But don't let it fool ya about what's inside
There might be a little dust on the bottle
It's one of those things that gets sweeter with time

Pretty straight forward song, really... it is all about the singer getting an old bottle of wine for his first date with a young lady, and how they have been together all these years... and their love just gets better and better as the years go on.

Well... the point of this post is that when I first heard this song years ago, I only paid attention to the chorus. BUT... I thought it was saying:

There might be a little dust on the Bible
But don't let it fool ya about what's inside
There might be a little dust on the Bible
It's one of those things that gets sweeter with time

Hmmmm....

I am in that place where I have been consistent enough in my blogging that I feel compelled to post, but have very little to say. I was talking with one of my lurking friends earlier this week, and she said that the more frequent the posting the lower the quality. Of course, that is not always true. But this post is a prime example.

So there you have it... a post about nothing. They should make a sitcom like that... it would be gold. Gold, I tell you!

Featured Pandora Station - Pat Green

I am not a big fan of country music (though I like dancing to it), but I decided to mix it up a little bit this week in the interest of charting new territory. I do like Pat Green, so I hope this week will produce some good stuff. I have already heard a Brooks & Dunn song... so I am not too optimistic. But as I have said before, I will hear the music without knowing who sings it... so I may be surprised. But the favorites list may have fewer songs this week... I'm just sayin'.


Here is that Pandora says about Pat Green's style: "...it features mild rhythmic syncopation, mixed accoustic and electric instrumentation, major key tonality, slide/pedal steel guitar and accoustic rhythm guitars." So there you have it... again, not sure what most of that means.

Norse gods and the like...

In my building, most people have their ID badges clipped to the belt loop on their pants (well, the men clip them there... the ladies don't always have belt loops - but that is beside the point). Anyway, in the elevator today there was a gentleman dressed in a suit (not the norm for Marathon culture) and I had not seen him before. So I took note of his name as I was curious who he was (perhaps he was important and I should know him). He also had a bit of a Euro look to him... I can't place what it was, he just looked European. Well... when I looked at his ID badge, I discovered that his name is Thor. Seriously... how cool would it be to be named Thor?

On a side note... his name reminded me of the old 80's movie Adventures in Babysitting. Does anyone remember this movie? It starred Elizabeth Shue. Cheesy, but definitely entertaining for me as an 11 year old kid.

The Apple of God's Eye?

In the this article, John Piper addresses an issue that has long been confusing to me.

The Bible teaches that God is supremely valuable. It also teaches that he delights in His children. So how does Someone of supreme value delight in/give praise to someone of lesser value?

The article offers one explanation... it is long, but worth the read.

Grammar Patrol

I was just reading a few of my more recent posts and I found a couple errors. Where is the grammar partol? Now granted, one of the errors was simply using the year 2006 instead of 2005 (you basefall fans were just too kind to point that one out to me, but I assure you it was a typo). The other one was the use of the word "of" instead of "or." Either way, I am ashamed of my blogging performance. Two errors in one week is simply unforgiveable. Do not let me get away with that in the future. I am sure if Joel Bain still read my blog, he would have pointed them out - in grace and kindness, of course. That guy has a keen eye for grammatical errors. But I digress...

Featured Pandora Station - Howie Day

This week's Pandora Favorites will be from my Howie Day station.

Pandora offered the follow explanation for why it played one of the songs so far:

"...it features basic rock song structures, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mixed accoustic and electric insturmentation, major key tonality and prominent organ."

So I am not sure what all of that means... but it sounds good.

I'm not sure...

but I may be sinning as I type this post.

I just went walking around my office looking for some kind of afternoon snack (an Antone's 7 Layer bar would have hit the spot, but alas I had none). Well, one of the admins on my floor has various snack items by her desk, so I made my way over to that area. I found snack that looked like it would satisfy my afternoon hunger. But I'm not sure God would approve of me eating it... it is one of the Little Debbie Raisin Creme Pies.

"...even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.'" - Hosea 3:1

Take me out to the ball game....

for 18 innings.

Last night, I went to the 2nd 18 inning game in Astros history. I did not, however, stay for the second set of 9. My buddies and I left after the 9th.

I did, however, attempt to will the Astros to a W by watching them on TV. I stayed up with them until 12:30 (yes, I am paying for it this morning). I retired to my slumber after the 17th inning ended... only to wake up this morning to find out the following:

1. The game only lasted one more inning (I could have stayed up for that).
2. The Astros lost.
3. Lidge has officially been pulled from the closer position.

Number 3 is one of those bits of information that you know needs to happen, but you don't really want it to (kinda like putting a dog to sleep). I heard this last night during the game... and apparently it has been discussed on the sports radio stations lately... but Lidge just has not been the same since the Pujols debacle of 2005.

A highlight of the night for me was when Mateo hit Clemmens in the 5th... only to have Clemmens take the mound and instill fear in Theriot by aiming straight for his chest/face region. I mean the Rocket was relentless... and while I felt a little wrong for encouraging such behavior, I cheered it on with the rest of the home fans. Roger received his warning and the game went on. Good times!

You see, I have this condition...

I have decided that my favorite movie (at least for the time being) is Memento.

It is my favorite movie because I have watched it 4 or 5 times since it came out a few years ago... and I still have to watch it all the way through to get the full story. If you are not familiar with the movie, it is shot in a pretty unique way that matches the condition of the main character. He can't make new memories and can only remember things about 5-10 minutes back. Well, the movie is a series of 5-10 minute chunks of events that happen in his life... and through out the movie, you realize some pretty shocking things about him and those around him.

The reason this is on my mind is that I watched the movie on Saturday and remembered just how great it really is.

So who else likes/dislikes the movie... and what are some other favorites out there?

(yes, this is a shameless ploy to get comments from my readers...)

Featured Pandora Station - Matt Wertz

This week, I will be listening to my Matt Wertz staion on Pandora. So my Pandora Sidebar will list songs that I like that (according to Pandora) have musical qualities similar to songs by Matt Wertz. Enjoy.

On a side note - check out the movie Inside Man if you have not already seen it. I watched it yesterday not knowing anything about it... fantastic movie.

That's all...

That thing is good... I mean REAL good

I just finished eating a gyro from Antone's. I can't tell if it is that I was hungry (cuz I was even though I had a decent breakfast) or if the gyro was that much of a standout meal. Seriously, from the frist bite, I wanted to be friends with it. The meat was perfectly seasoned... the only drawback was that it was a bit messy. But good food always is, right?

Anyway, later I will be enjoying my 7 layer bar from Antones (mid-afternoon coffee snack). I hope it pleases at least half as much as the gyro.

Pandora Favorites Sidebar

I have mentioned the website Pandora before, but it is worth mentioning again. It is a website that suggests music based on the style of a song or artist of your choice. Each artist you choose creates a "station" that will play music with similar qualities. I am not sure how it all works, but it is one of the best websites I have ever seen (thank you Daniel by way of Catha).

Anyway, I have recently added a sidebar to my blog that will show the songs I add to my favorites list from Pandora.

So I will be featuring a different station each week. This week, I have been listening to my "The New Amsterdams" station. This means that all of the songs that appear on my favorites list have musical qualities similar to the band The New Amsterdams.

There will likely be repeat stations if I continue this, but I will try to do a different one each week.

Enjoy...

The Line Between Fact and Fiction...

Well, that line can be very thin... at least in one's mind.

I was just at home eating lunch, and I decided to flip over to Food TV (some of my readers will remember from an earlier post that I have a mental love affair with Giada De Laurentiis - the host of Everyday Italian).

So when I flipped to channel 52, Giada was explaining what she would be creating today... and it looked good, so I decided to watch some more.

As she was preparing the meal, she explained that it was a picnic with a steak pasta salad... and some other things I didn't get to see her make. And she kept referring to Todd. She was cooking the steak medium rare because Todd likes it that way... she was using basil and parsley because Todd likes basil and parsley... she was packaging the food to take it to "Todd's office.

Unfortunately, I was watching the show alone and could not share the humor with anyone... so you all get to be in on the joke.

Maybe I should follow in this guy's footsteps.