Rerun #4

I'm continuing with my reruns of Aaroneous Findings for your enjoyment.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas holiday.

"A Christmas Eve Tradition"

Rerun #3

I'm continuing with my reruns of Aaroneous Findings for your enjoyment. Enjoy the holiday season.

"It's Just Some Comic Books"

Rerun #2

I'm continuing with my reruns of Aaroneous Findings for your enjoyment. Enjoy the holiday season.

Like I said last time, "dad posts" have been popular. Here's my second Father's Day post:

"Father's Day, Part II"

Rerun #1

Well, things have been busy around here. In fact, what with my laptop in the shop for 3+ weeks, blogging has pretty much been pushed to the back burner. Television shows have "seasons", and during their off time, they play reruns. So, without much more ado. Here's a rerun of Aaroneous Findings for your enjoyment.

Blogs about my dad have always been popular. Here's the first one:

"Father's Day"

Thankfully 2009

Last year, I wrote a little post called "Thankfully...". This year, back by popular demand (not really, I just decided to do it), is this year's "Thankfully" post. Come to think of it, only one section changed. Interesting.

My thankful lists, by category:

Biggees:
My wife
My son
My family
My friends
My church
My job
My home
My health

Random:
Laptops

Pimento Cheese

Gas Grills

MS-SQL

Rebooting

Droid

Good books

Prolific authors

Pickles

Recliners

Elastic

Comic books

Netflix

(last, but not least)
Spiritual:
The Cross
Grace
Mercy
A God Who Loves Me

Would You Believe $1?

So we had a huge, gi-normous church-wide garage sale on Saturday. When I say there was a LOT of stuff, it is only because I am at loss of how to really describe it adequately. You know the old saying, "Everything but the kitchen sink?"...we had TWO sinks. It was awesome.

One of my goals was that at 2:00ish, when it was officially over, was to be down to a small enough amount of stuff that it could be taken in one trip to Goodwill. And, I am happy to say, we did it! If you were there all day (which some were), you would have heard the "language" of the event change as the day progressed. I've created a timeline below for your reading enjoyment.

----

7:30 AM - "We officially start at 8:00, so we'll still be bringing some great stuff out for the next little bit, ma'm."

9:00 AM - "Anything in particular you are looking for?"

11:00 AM - "Are you interested in that? We'll make you a great deal..."

1:00 PM - "Just make us an offer, we'd love for you to have it..."

1:30 PM - "Everything must go! Everything must go!"

2:00 PM - "Take a box, fill it up. Anything you can fit in that box is yours for $1."

2:15 PM - "Take a box, fill it up. It's yours. Make a donation if you would like."

2:25 PM - "Ma'm, I'll move the orange cones so you can pull you car over here by this table and I will put everything on it in your trunk."

2:40 PM - "How much, you ask? Tell you what...how about $2...unless you load it yourself, then its free."

2:55 PM - "You can take any item you'd like, as long as you also take a couple that you don't."

----

We had a great time, raised some money, and made some new friends. It was a lot of work..and fun!

Starbucks vs. Chik-fil-A - And the winner is...

So a few weeks ago me and my fam went on vacation back to Texas. We visited friends and family, took in a Cowboy game (Go Cowboys! - that's for you, honey), and even got to take part in the Fall Fest at the church we attended when we lived in Tyler.

We stayed with my in-laws for a few days. My mom-in-law doesn't even email. My dad-in-law emails and surfs the web, etc., but he uses a cellular card to do it. I didn't want to mess with trying to install the drivers for his card or take up his laptop (after all, I brought mine with me), so I drove a couple of miles down the road to Starbucks. I even blogged about it.

I don't have AT&T Wireless, which is what Starbucks offered, so I ponied up $4 to use wireless for 2 hours. Oh, and I also bought a $4 coffee.

I thought the pricing was reasonable. It was simple, easy to get connected, and I didn't mind paying for it. I didn't even mind buying the coffee. I like Starbucks coffee. I just considered it part of the cost of having a comfortable place to sit, sip my coffee, and have access to the world wide web.

I enjoyed it so much, that two days later I went back. However, the second time I went, things were a little different.

I bought my coffee (even though it was getting a little late, I always feel like I should spend a little at a place that allows me the use of their facilities), paid my $4 to AT&T and got connected. I had been checking email, etc. for about 20 minutes when one of the young gentlemen employed by Starbucks came around to everyone and said, "We'll be closing in 5 minutes."

Hang on a second. I looked at the clock: 5 minutes until 10:00 PM. I could have sworn that the hours of service lasted until 10:30. I didn't want to waste my precious last few minutes going to the door to check so I just kept on doing what I was doing.

About 4 minutes later they turned off the lights. I decided that was my hint to leave. I packed up and headed out. As I was going out the door, the same young gentleman came right behind me to lock the door. I glanced at the glass as I came though: closing hours on Sunday? 10:30 PM.

I mentioned it to the young man.

"The posted hours are incorrect," was his only explanation. No "sorry", or "we'll get that changed".

I mentioned to him that if I had known that the store was closing 25 minutes after I had arrived I wouldn't have purchased a coffee (that I didn't really want that late) and paid for 2 hours of wi-fi when I was going to only be able to use less than a quarter of that.

He just said, "Goodnight," and closed the door.

I have to admit I was more than a little disgruntled.

Looking back, I think they just closed early on me. There was a REALLY bad thunderstorm blowing in from the west, and only about 3 customers in the store. I think they just decided to close.

And in the other corner: Chik-fil-A

Today I went to Chik-fil-A, got some breakfast (can't eat there any other time - allergic to poultry), and connected my laptop to their FREE wi-fi.

I was asked not once, not twice, but 4 times if I would like to have my "beverage refreshed", which was promptly taken care of and brought back to my table with a smile. Oh yeah, each time they asked if I wanted more ice and told me it was their pleasure whenever I thanked them for the refill.

Wow! What a difference.

So here I am, listening to All-Star United, blogging away, drinking a free refill of Dr. Pepper and appreciating Chik-fil-A.

This is the same Chik-fil-A that my wife and 3 year-old came to a few weeks ago. My son has decided that he now wants to order for himself. He ordered some chicken minis and an airplane. The gentleman behind the counter took his order with a smile.

When he brought them their food, there on the tray, was a paper airplane. My son, and probably even more so, my wife were extremely appreciative.

I really appreciate good customer service. Jesus came to serve, you know...

Incredible Imagination

Some people's creativity just blows me away. I stumbled across an article the other day on Popular Mechanics website titled "The World's 18 Strangest Bridges". It was fantastic. Some bridges were included because of their beauty, while others were included because of their innovation. Here's a couple of pictures.

If this kind of thing interests you at all take a minute and read the article. Even if you don't read every word, just check out the pictures. Incredible!

Do You Feel the Same?

Quick question:

If you are on a road trip, and you stop at a McDonald's or QT, or maybe even a generic Chevron, just to use their restroom, do you feel any onus to purchase something?

I do. Every time. I've tried to even convince myself, "Hey, I eat at 'McDonalds' all the time," but I know they are mostly franchises and the Mickey D's that I eat at in Smyrna doesn't send any money to Monroe, Louisiana, so I can't completely convince myself it is okay.

Am I strange? Insane? Have an over-developed sense of responsibility?

How about you, has the thought ever even crossed your mind?

Wow! A First...

Well, for the first time I'm actually blogging from a Starbuck's...am I finally hip now or what? Blogging, AND doing it in PUBLIC. Man, I am cool.

So...what to blog about...let's see...something profound...life-changing...

Oh! I know!

Now, that's a porta-potty!

Not That Scary

The other day I posted about my then upcoming employee physical. I was a little concerned about my health stats since it's been a long time since I've had them done.

Well, I had it today, and...not too bad.

My LDL and cholesterol were a little high, but my triglycerides were fine and my HDL was just a point off. Not bad for a fat guy. It still motivated me to want to get all my stats down within range.

At least she didn't call 911 when she saw my readings and start yelling things like "We need a CBC and chem 7 stat! Hang 2 more liters of O-!!" like they always do on TV.

Thanks to those of you that were concerned with me!

Body Image Part II

I while back I wrote about how we sometimes get an image of ourselves locked in our mind, and when we change (gain weight, grey hair, etc.) we end up in a situation where our inward image and outward image don't jive. Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but it has happened to me.

I just wanted to expand the idea a little and let you fill in the holes.

On a personal level, I'm talking about moral drift. The person that compromises just a little at work. The first time it is tough, the next time easier, etc., etc.

Organizations can do that, too. Our government, for example. How about a church? How about The Church?

Just something to think about.

Body Image

I'm forty. 40. The big four-oh. The interesting thing to me is that I still feel 18. Maybe 21. I definitely don't feel 40. Heck, most of the time I don't even feel like an adult. (Shhh!! Don't tell my son.)

Recently, my friend Chris has posted a bunch of pictures from high school. In my mind's eye, that's still how I see myself. I forget I have lots of gray hair until I look in a mirror. I don't realize how my waistline has increased until I until I get into a Hyundai. (More like "put on" a Hyundai.)

My body image is trapped in 1987...along with my taste in music. At least my hairstyle got free.

There's a bigger point to this, but I think I will save it for next time...

A Scary Day

Next week, I'm scheduled to do my yearly pseudo-physical for work. This year, we're being required to have a lipid panel and blood sugar checked. It's just a finger stick. No big deal, right?

I'm not worried about the stick. I have a pretty high pain tolerance.

The scary part is that I haven't had my lipids checked in a long time. I'm afraid that I might get my results back and they will just say:

Chol = cheeseburger

HDL = french fries

LDL = sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit

I guess we'll see next week!

Oh, and let me clarify. We're not really being "required" to have our lipids and blood sugar done. But if we don't get it done our insurance will cost us $2o more per pay period.

What's your cholesterol?

Ready for Additional Help

Okay, the other day I posted about a tree that I had seen, hoping to get some help figuring out what kind of tree it is. I went back to the tree and took some more pictures. Any ideas anyone?

The Big City

So, for 13+ years, we lived in Tyler, Texas. Tyler is what I call a big town/small city. Last I heard, the population was slightly over 100,000. It's a great place to live, and we still have lots of friends there.

For the past 2.83 years, we've lived in the Marietta area, just northwest of Atlanta. It's actually a lot like Tyler. Similar weather, similar mixture of commercial/residential real estate, both near a large metro area. Like I've already said, Marietta is just northwest of Atlanta, and Tyler is near the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.

In fact, one of the things that I always told people when extolling the virtues of Tyler was that it was just 90 minutes from Dallas. Culture, music, fine dining, all close enough to take in during a day trip. The only problem? We never did.

Okay, not never. We took a mini-vacation one time and hit the Dallas Aquarium and the West End. We went to two Ranger games and I took Cheryl to see some figure skating. But for the 13 years, we probably averaged 1 "cultural experience" every 3 years.

Now, after less than 3 years in Marietta/Atlanta, we've been to a Thrasher's games (pro hockey), to the Georgia Aquarium (twice for me, 3 times for Cheryl), the World of Coke, Underground Atlanta, seen two musicals at the Fox Theater, and a half dozen Braves games.

(We've also made a half dozen trips to Stone Mountain and a trip up to the mountains to go apple picking, but those places aren't in Atlanta, per se.)

So what's the difference? Do we have more disposable income? I don't think so. More time on our hands? That's funny. Maybe it's just a matter of accessibility.

So, to sum up:

Living near the big city is awesome, because there's a lot of cool things to do.

Thanks for reading. I think my next post will be called "Atlanta Traffic or a Root Canal...Which Would You Rather Have?"

And...Scene!

Well, after a year at the Hut, I'm done. I spoke with my manager this afternoon and turned in my 2-week notice, which turned out to actually be 2-minute notice. She's got plenty of drivers, so I'm just done.

Of course I'm a little sad, because I became friends with many of the people at the Hut. On the other hand, I skipped down the hallway when I got home!

I've got a couple of ideas (actually, just one right now) of ways to generate some extra income that don't require me giving up my weekends. I'm looking forward to giving them a go.

I think my year at the Hut was good for me. It got us through a financial pinch, caused me to "get out of the house", introduced me to some cool new people, and taught me all the back streets. Cool.

Next time you order a stuffed crust, remember me!

Concert Anyone?

I heard on the radio today that Journey was going to be in concert in Atlanta next weekend. To top it off, Night Ranger is opening for them. Two bands I would like to see, but never have.

That got me thinking. How many concerts have I seen over the years? So, without further ado, here is a list (in no specific order, other than how I remembered them) of all the big-name (and some not-so-big-name) groups I've seen.

The Thompson Twins - at the Astroworld amphitheather

T'Pau - opened for the Thompson Twins

The Cars - great concert

Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles tour...Branford Marsalis on sax = awesome

R.E.M. - front row seats with my friend Kip...I was deaf after this concert

Randy Stonehill & Phil Keaggy - Phil reached over and tuned Randy's guitar during a song

Twila Paris

Petra - saw them a couple of times

Carmen - couple of times, first time actually changed my life, believe it or not

Monsters of Rock 1987:

Tesla

Whitesnake

Poison

Aerosmith
Boston

Monsters of Rock 1988:

Kingdom Come - yes, they sounded just like Zepplin

Dokken - sound quit during the show, singer threw down the mic and stormed off stage

Metallica - had hardly heard of them at this point

Scorpions

Van Halen

Boston - again, on the same album tour as the '87 Monsters of Rock

Newsboys

dc Talk

Bleach

Third Day - couple of times, got to stage manage for them once

7 Day Jesus

Ghoti Fish

Stavesacre

PAX 317

FFH

Grits

O.C. Supertones

Philmore

David Crowder

Pocket Full of Rocks

100 Portraits

Delirou5?

Grammatrain

There are probably more, but that's all I can think of tonight. But, I saved the best for last: Audio Adrenaline

I saw AudioA twice. Both times were fantastic! The first time I saw them, they were opening for the Newsboys at the Oil Palace in Tyler, Texas. The drummer was playing on a stripped down kit: just kick, snare, 1 tom, hi-hats, crash, and ride. They rocked!

I only knew one of their songs before that night, but I was on my feet for their entire set. Sadly, their lead singer had "ongoing vocal problems", and the band officially disbanded in '06.

Of course, some of you have seen more concerts than me, some less. But let me ask you a question. Who put on your favorite show?

A Little Wood...A Little Glue...

A few weeks ago we had our Back to School Bash. It was a (Back to School) Blast! You can read more about it here.

While the event was going on, I was working at the booth passing out the free backpacks. Also at the booth was our friend Kristen. She and I were chatting (along with our spouses), and I learned that she was trying to find the right TV stand/entertainment center for their new house. They weren't having any luck finding one that combined the right price with a design they liked.

So I, being the genius that I am, volunteered to build them one.

What was that you asked? Have I built a lot of TV stands?

Let's see...at THAT time I had built...umm....zero. Zilch. None. Nada. Nil.

But I had a plan and the will to see it through!

So, after getting the go ahead from Nick (Kristen's husband), and Cheryl (my wife), I wasted no time in moving ahead with my plan. My plan revolved around one key ingredient, without which I was pretty much doomed to failure: Tom Little.

Tom was also at the BtSB, so as soon as I saw him I told him that I desperately needed his help...more specifically, his tablesaw. Tom, being the good friend that he is (not to mention a mastercraftsman in multiple disciplines) said, "Sure! I'd be glad to help."

Now my success was assured. With Tom on the team we were good to go.

After hearing Nick's Kristen's desires, I had formulated a plan and drew up some rough plans. To make a long story medium, we arranged a time on a Saturday a few weeks later, and Tom, Nick, and I met at Tom's house.

Well, three hours later, we had it fabricated (except for the back, we took the picture before we added that)! Nick Kristen was going to paint/stain it, so we were done!

Later that day, I dropped it off at their house. A few days later, Kristen sent me a picture via phone of the finished project. Wow! They did a great job on it.

Below is a picture of it all set up. What a fun project. I had a great time fleshing out the design,and Kristen has been very gracious and complimentary. Fun all around.

The next project Tom and I are tackling is a bunkbed for Nathanael...but it won't be just any bunkbed. I've got some ideas for that too...

Thanks again, Tom!

I Need Your Help

What is kind of tree is this? Does anyone know? It's not a fig tree. The leaves below the fruit look like fig leaves, but it's actually the leaves above the fruit that belong to the tree that the fruit is on.

Help!

Ingenuity Rocks

I have a great job. I work with great people and for a great company. I'm a Sr. Systems Analyst for a large ambulatory health care organization. I know...sounds exciting, right?

One of the funnest (most fun?) things about my job is getting to come up with creative solutions for problems. Usually my co-worker Bob and I tag-team on a lot of these problems. We've been working on one lately where we are migrating the documents for a couple of physicians from their old electronic medical record system to ours. A little over 30,000 of these documents are Microsoft Excel files. The system we are importing them into only accepts PDFs or other graphic file types (JPG, TIFF, etc.).

So, we needed a way to transform those 30,000 files from XLS to PDF. Bob worked out a system using PDF Creator, which can "print" pretty much any file type to a PDF, that could batch convert the files. There was only one problem. On every file the computer asked, "Do you want to save your changes?", to which Bob answered by pressing the "N" key. Now, of course Bob didn't want to sit at his desk for 34 hours hitting the "N" key. So he devised a plan. An ingenious plan.

To answer the question you must be asking: Yes, that is in fact a stapler, balanced on a stack of blank DVDs, pressing the "N" key.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

An Important Phone Call

A couple of days ago, my wife called me just as I was about to go into a meeting. This is how the call went:

Wife: Do you have a second? Your son needs to talk to you.

Me: Yeah, I've got just a second. Put him on.

(Pause)

Son: Daaaddddyyy!

Me: What's wrong, little buddy?

Son: (Said through sobs) I was in the front yard, and I found a stick, and I picked it up, and then I went to the back yard, and Bonnie grabbed it, and Bonnie ate it.

Me: She did?

Son: Yeah, Bonnie ate it. She ate my stick.

Me: Don't worry. We can find another one.

Son: She ate it.

Me: I know, buddy. I'm sorry.

Google vs. Bing

Bing

Maybe you've heard of it. If you're like me, you've seen all the commercials about Microsoft's new search engine. Oh wait, my bad, it's Microsoft's new DECISION engine. Big difference, right?

Well, for someone like me that uses Google multiple times a day, if there's something better out there, I want to know. So I thought I would put Bing to a little test. Better yet, how about a head to head competition with Google? Sound fun? Okay, maybe not fun, but maybe interesting enough for you to keep reading.

I've taken a few random items, plugged them into both search engines, and evaluated the results. Here we go!

1) 23rd president of the united states

Google returned the Wiki article first and a Wiki list of presidents second. Third was some website called "presidentsusa.net". Fourth was a link to the official site for the president.

Bing returned the "presidentusa.net" website first, then followed up with the Wiki article. It's third link was to a biography page about President Harrison on the website for Harrison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (This site was 5th on Google.) Fourth site for Bing? Amazon.com.

I'm going to give this one to Google, but just by a margin.

Score: Google - 1 / Bing - 0



2) Aquada (a really cool amphibious car)

This one was pretty much a wash, so I'm giving them both a point.

Score: Google - 2 / Bing - 1



3) Serenity (a pretty good sci-fi movie)

Okay, this was weird. Almost the exact same results.

Score: Google - 3 / Bing - 2



4) Eisley calendar (a great band, who I happen to know personally)

Well, Google's first link was "Eisley fan's journal - calendar", I didn't see that link at all on Bing. I thought Google had won a clean win. However, when I clicked on the link I found that the website hadn't been updated since 2004. Oops.

Score: Google - 3 / Bing - 3

5) Aaroneous Findings (you've got to do the vanity search)

Google, without a doubt, won this one. The actual address of my blog didn't even appear on the results on Bing. Google? Top of the list.

Final score: Google - 4 / Bing - 3

Google wins!


That being said, Bing does have a couple of cool features. The travel feature that they tout on the commercials is actually pretty cool. Is that enough for me to change search engines? Nope.

Plus, saying that you are "googling" something when you are searching the net sounds so much better than "binging".

A Little Test

A few months ago, I mentioned comic books in one of my posts, and how I've always been a fan. These days, it's okay to like superheros. In fact, a huge portion of the movie industry is now geared around that. It's no secret that the Spiderman, X-Men (Wolverine), Iron Man, and the most recent two Batman movies have been big hits.

So, with superheroes taking on a even bigger role in popular culture, I thought I would do a little quiz. In the first list, tell me the real name of the superhero. The second list, do just the opposite. Which superhero is it? I'll try take make each list start easy and get harder. That way you can gauge your level of geek-ness. I've also made sure that they've all appeared in movies. So, it's possible to know them all and to have never read a single comic. Here we go!


1. Superman
2. Spiderman
3. Daredevil
4. Ghost Rider
5. Beast

Bonus 1: Magneto

-----

A. Bruce Wayne
B. Bruce Banner
C. Tony Stark
D. Johnny Storm
E. Scott Summers

Bonus 2: Wade Wilson


Have fun. I expect only a small percentage of people to get them all (without the help of Google, of course).

Back to School Bash

Today my church hosted a "Back to School Bash". We had free hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, snowcones, and drinks. There were not 1, not 2, but 3 bouncy-house-thingys for the kids. There was face painting (that was incredible, I might add) and carnival games for the kids. And let's not forget the live music from the Easy Pieces, Sheri Carr and Diane Thiel (and friends). To top it off we had a prayer booth and a dunking booth. I'll let you guess which one got the most traffic.

Zaxby's donated sweet tea and free kid's meal coupons, as well promoted the event with a special coupon good during the event. The Zaxby's chicken, "LZ", was out shaking hands with the kids and hanging out. They even put the event on their Facebook page!

Our next-door neighbors, All Star Pizza Co. also chipped in, letting us store our ice in their coolers , as well supplying some wonderful baked ziti and rolls.

But the main thrust of the afternoon was to give away backpacks with school supplies for local children. That's where Cheryl and I worked, and it was great fun. I don't know how many backpacks we had to start, but we gave them ALL away. Everyone was very excited and appreciative to receive them.

We didn't solve world hunger today, or end war, but we blessed our community, offered hope to some people that might not have had it, and possibly eased the financial burden on some families going through some tough times.

Over all, I'd say that's a good day.

A special "shout out" and "mad props" to Ali, Skye, and Elizabeth for helping take care of Nathanael (and to anybody else that chased him down). It gave me and Cheryl a chance to do something we both love: serving together. Thanks!

Taking the Month Off

So I'm taking the month of August off from the Hut. I've been a little under the weather this past week, and I think part of it is just from being tired.

Job #1 has been really busy for the past several months, and when you throw the second job on top of it, sometimes it's just hard to catch your breath. This weekend is my first full weekend off, and I am already loving it.

Had a great time last night! I did some puzzles in a brain teaser book and watched Jeopardy at the same time. Wild night.

Today, we cut my hair. Actually, I should say, shaved my hair. I haven't had it cut in years.

This afternoon, our church is doing a "Back to School Bash" in the parking lot for our community. We're giving away food, going to have some live music, fun stuff for the kids, etc. But the main thing thrust is that we are giving away a bunch of backpacks filled with the necessary school supplies. (That's actually my job, the handing out of the backpacks.)

It's going to be a lot of fun. It's from 4-8 tonight, so hopefully we'll miss most of the heat.

That's it. That's all I have to say. No clever quips or witty anecdotes. Just a little about my life right now.

One of My Favorites

Last weekend while I was delivering pizza for the Hut, I took this picture. That's my cool ride. This is one of my favorite places to park when I deliver to this area.

Mwahahaaa!

You Can Count On Me

I think my son is pretty bright. He talks a lot (imagine that) and has a great vocabulary, though he still sounds like a 3 year-old. He learned his numbers, colors and alphabet early. Lately though, he's run into a problem now that he's trying to count to 20. Our conversations go something like this:

Me: Hey, buddy, can you count to 20 for me.

Him: Sure! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20!

Me: Careful! You missed a couple in there. Try it again.

Him: Okay! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20!

Me: Okay, Nathanael, repeat after me. 11...

Him: 11...

Me: 12...

Him: 14...

Me: Let's try it again...repeat me, say what I say...12...

Him: 12...

Me: 13...

Him: 14...

Me: Nathanael, say 13...

Him: 13...

Me: Try this, say 12, 13, 14...

Him: 12, 14, 15...

(Pause)

Me: Okay...what's your phone number?

Him: 770-413-2853...leave your name and number...

Like My Lunchbox?

Last year, on November 20th, I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary (as did my wife). I am not one of those guys that jokes about "the ole ball-and-chain", etc. I know how incredibly blessed I am to be married to the woman that I am incredibly blessed to be married to. ( That last sentence was on purpose. I'm that incredibly blessed.)

Anyway, my incredible blessing of a wife got me a great present last year for our anniversary. A lunchbox. But not just any lunchbox. No! It's a Captain America lunchbox! It's awesome.

Now to answer the obvious question. Do I carry it to work? You bet I do. Usually it contains some chips, a sandwich, maybe some yogurt. It can hold all kinds of great things. After all, it is a lunchbox.

Now here's the interesting thing. At least, interesting to me. In high school, even Jr. high, I would never, EVER, have been seen carrying a lunchbox like this. I was way too worried about being cool. Well...trying to be cool. I never actually managed it.

I was in the worst of situations. I was a smart, slightly (at the time) overweight kid that ended up excelling in band of all things. I collected comic books, read a lot, played D&D and Risk, and loved computers when computers weren't yet cool. (I am sure I would have been picked on more if I wasn't bigger than most of my teachers.)

Of course, NONE of this was mentioned at school. Most of my best friends were nerds, but, of course, being the lame, self-conscious, peer-aware person that I was, I tried not to associate too much with them at school. (one of the few things I truly regret from high school.) I was too busy trying to impress the "cool kids". I know it sounds like an After School special, but it's true. It wasn't the "cool kid's" fault. They didn't know that the very reason I often acted like a jerk and a dweeb was because I was trying hard not to act like a geek and a nerd.

Then I went to college. Something happened. Suddenly, I was immersed in a culture where the things that I did best (musically, scholastically) were highly esteemed. My peer group respected me.

Then something else happened. I became a Christian. I had always sort of considered myself a Christian, but had never really read the Bible or felt like God had any active participation in my life. (But that's an entirely different story.) One of the changes this brought in my life was a sense of freedom. I was no longer worried about what other people thought. I was able to be myself.

Interestingly enough, I found out I liked me. And strangely enough, other people did, too. I found that I had a gift for making friends and hospitality. You might ask, "You?" Yep, me.

I discovered that my quirks are what makes me who I am. I love comic books. I wear shorts in the winter. I love to laugh at really stupid movies. I get loud sometimes. I say what's on my mind. I love people and really mean it when I tell them, "The first time at my house you're a guest, if you come back, you're family." When I tell people, "Come to Atlanta, you can stay at our house," I sincerely hope they will.

What you see is what you get. The guy sitting in the cubicle next to you singing the Speed Racer theme song? That's me. If it bothers you, I'll stop, but I'm not embarrassed to be doing it. I've embraced my geek-ness and idiosyncrasies, and I'm loving life.

Do you like my lunchbox? I do.

I Saw a UDO!

Unidentified Driving Object.

That's what I saw yesterday while delivering pizza. It was a fully enclosed motorcycle driving down the street. It was one of the coolest looking things. It went by quickly, so I wasn't able to get a picture. Then, I took another delivery in the same area about an hour later and...there it was again! This time I managed to snap a photo with my phone through the window of the van.

It actually stopped at a stop sign directly in front of me and answered my fundamental question. Why doesn't it fall over? When it stops, two wheels (like training wheels) lower from the sides. In my (blurry) photo you can see the wheel hasn't lifted yet as it took off.

It took about 10 seconds on Google to find it. It's called the Monotracer. If you are interested in stuff like this, here's their website.

Reflections

The title's not talking about looking back to the past. It's referring to how our kids are such reflections of us.

My (almost) three-year-old son brought me one of my videos of the The Tick and asked if we could watch it. I told him that we could watch it as soon as I finished the blog that I was writing for Father's Day. Below is his reply. Verbatim.

"Okay! That would be a perfect plan! Fantastic!!"

Oh, where does he get such a flair for the dramatic? Gee...I don't know.

Father's Day, Part II

It just so happened that I started this blog in May of last year, so one of my earlier posts was on Father's Day about my dad. I've mentioned him a couple of times since then. And, since it is indeed Father's Day, I thought I would throw another little nugget out there.

Okay, two more stories about dad involving his reputation:

First Story:

I grew up in a small town. We had a sod farm, which meant we had several tractors. We not only had our own land, but we also leased land from several people. Often times, to get a tractor from one piece of property to another, we simply drove them. I've spent lots of hours driving tractors, forklifts, and other equipment down the highway.

On one such occasion, I stopped at a gas station and filled up the tractor I was driving with diesel. I topped off the tank, went inside...and realized I didn't have any money. No one was home, and this was WAY before the days of everyone carrying a cell phone.

So what did I do? Simple.

I went up to the counter and said, "I just filled up my tractor and realized I don't have my wallet. Can my dad stop by later and pay?"

"Aren't you Bobby Butler's son?"

"Yes."

"Sure. No problem."

Like I said, simple.

Second Story:

Another time a friend and I were going to go fishing in a little pond on one of the properties that we leased. As we were driving across the property toward the pond, a truck came barreling across the field towards us and pulled up next to my window. The following conversation occurred:

"What do you boys think you are doing?"

"We were gonna go fishing."

"Who told you could go fishing in my pond?"

"My dad said he didn't think you would mind..."

"Who the $%^& is your dad?"

"Bobby Butler."

"Oh...well...you boys go ahead."

And he drove off.

Needless to say, my friend and I were a little concerned from that exchange. We fished for maybe 10 minutes, but we felt so uncomfortable that we headed back to my house. When we arrived, the gentleman was already there, apologizing to my dad for using such colorful metaphors when talking to me.

My dad probably could not have quoted Proverbs 22:1 verbatim:

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

But he knew the truth of it, he believed it, and did his best to live it. He knew the asset and/or liability a man's (or woman's) reputation can be. His reputation around the small town that I grew up in was that he was a tough but fair, honest, hard-working man. His reputation around our home was that he rocked!

Friends

This past week I've been thinking about friendship in general, and all the wonderful roles friends have played in my life over the years. So, I just thought I would list a few. I don't want to embarrass anyone, so I'm going to let each anecdote remain anonymous. You know who you are.

1. Once, I was riding with my father in his 18-wheeler. One of the front wheels broke into two pieces (yes, it was as scary as it sounds), and we were stranded on the side of the road. My dad called one of his friends (who also owned some trucks) and found a replacement wheel. I called one of my friends, who picked the wheel up, then drove almost three hours to bring us the wheel.
2. I have multiple friends that took a week off of work (some multiple times over the years) to go with me and serve at youth camp. I know they weren't doing it just for me, but it blessed me still.
   
3. I had a friend show up at my house one day with the #1 issue of the comic book "The Tick". One of my favorites. No reason, just thought I might like it.
4. In the midst of moving, I found out I was coming down with Strep Throat. A couple of our friends not only helped us move, but came back over that evening, brought us dinner, and helped with Nathanael and unpacking.
5. One of my friends drove our moving truck all the way from Texas. Some more of my friends, who just happened to be teenagers, came along to help.
6. Several of our friends have come all the way from Texas just to visit us in Atlanta.
7. One of my friends climbed up on the roof of my house to install my TV antenna for me.

There are many, many more that I could list. But I think I'll save some for later.

Ecclesiastes says, "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

How true!

Sometimes Not Enough Is Just Enough

At my day job I support and develop electronic medical records. We have things called "GLITCHes", which are problems directly reported by our end-users (usually physicians) to the IT staff. When they submit one, it is sent both to our email and cell phones.

Some of us don't have email on cell phones. We have to go to our email to get the full message because the cell phone text message limit will truncate the GLITCH We will only get the first part, which is usually something like:

"Having problem with referral template, can't open..."

or something like that. Every once in awhile we get a funny one. This past week we got the best one ever. The physician was trying to discontinue a medication on a patient and was having a problem. Here's the message we received:

"Computer will not allow me to disco"

Classic. Maybe you should try to mambo instead...

You May Have Missed These

Since my last post was about a movie, I thought I would follow up with a short list of movies that I've always enjoyed that you might have missed. Here we go!

Roxanne (PG - 1987) - A modern-day retelling of the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac, Steve Martin plays the leading man, with Darryl Hannah in the title role. This is a light, romantic comedy, with just enough stupidity to for my sense of humor. My favorite scene involves a tennis racket, two jerks, and Steve Martin. "Earn more sessions by sleaving!" Wonder what that means? Watch the movie!

Serenity (PG13 - 2005) - Like westerns? Like sci-fi? Like comedy? Like action? A little romance? Written by Josh Whedon, this movie has it all. Set in the future, this movie feels like a western in space. The main group of characters are great, the dialogue is catchy, and the plot will keep you interested until the end. If you watch it and like it, go back and watch the series that preceeded it: Firefly. Didn't make a big splash at the box office, but if you like sci-fi at all, you'll like this.

That Thing You Do (PG - 1996) - Tom Hanks wrote, directed, and starred in this wonderful movie. It's not a musical, but about a band in the '60's, this movie is chock full of great songs. There's a great ensemble cast, but I recommend as you watch it and that you pay special attention to every line that Lenny (Steve Zahn, one of my all-time favorites) says. Recognizables in the cast are Liv Tyler, along with a significant appearance by a young up-and-coming starlet named Charlize Theron. You may have heard of her. Kevin Pollock, Peter Scolari, Rita Wilson (Tom Hank's wife), Chris Isaak and Clint Howard (Ron's younger brother) make cameos.

Sneakers (PG13 - 1992) - It's no secret this is a great movie! Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Akroyd, River Phoenix, David Straithairn, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell and a surprise cameo (I guess it's not a surprise anymore) by James Earl Jones...need I say more? That's a pretty rockin' cast for an espionage movie. Smart, funny, and not too full of itself, this is a very enjoyable movie. The plot keeps you guessing and the final act at the end is great.

Well, there's my list. I'd like to think there's something for everyone. Let me know what you think.

Any recommendations for me? I'm always looking for a good movie!

Steve Martin, Martin Short, Chevy Chase

I worked in a video store when I was 18. One day a 10 year-old hispanic child walked in with his grandmother. They walked up to the counter. He translated:

Excuse me, sir, do you have The Three Friends?

You mean The Three Amigos?

Yes, The Three Friends. Do you have it?

The Three Amigos? Yes, we have it.

Right, The Three Friends. You have it?

Yes. It's called The Three Amigos.

The Three Friends?

(Pause)

Yes, we have The Three Friends. It's in the comedy section.

ItBroke

Mostofmyblogging isdone from a littlelaptopthatIkeep in thelivingroom. Mysonpulled offthespacebar. Iputit back, butit only workspart of thetime.

Frustrating.

Yes, That Is A Plane In His Yard

I have a blog-friend who goes by the handle "Misfit in Paradise". She has a couple of blogs, one of which is a photo blog of the area around where she lives. I find it very cool and interesting. As I am driving around delivering pizza, I notice all the things I would like to take pictures of and share in the same way. Usually I don't have the time...pizzas to deliver and all!! Tonight, though, there was one photo op I couldn't pass up. Below is the story...

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I knocked on the door of the house. A gentlemen answered and asked for the total. I told him. We exchanged money for pizza. Then I asked the question.

"Did you know that your neighbor had a plane in his front yard?"

"Yeah...nice guy...a little eccentric...but nice."

Click on the photo for a larger view.

Three Movies

In the past month or so, I've seen three movies at the theater. That's unusual because I typically see one, or maybe two movies a year in the theater. So for your enjoyment, and my amusement, I thought I would give you the rundown on them.

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Watchmen (R)

Starring:
A bunch of people that you've probably never heard of. Except for the guy that plays Rorsach. He's played by the same guy that played Kelly, the cigarette smoking, trash talking, long-ball hitting, punk kid from The Bad News Bears.

Based upon what is arguably the best comic ever written/drawn, Watchmen was an interesting movie. It's got costumed heroes, a gratuitous sex scene, and multiple compound fractures. What's not to like? (Please note the sarcasm.) Visually, it's a very powerful movie. The acting is good, and the story holds pretty true to the original. However, it almost feels more like a crime noir than a superhero movie.

Final Verdict: If you like superheroes or are a fan of the comic, you ought to check it out. Otherwise, not so much.

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine (PG-13)

Starring:
Wolverine/Logan - Hugh Jackman
Deadpool/Wade Wilson - Ryan Reynolds, the guy from Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place
Victor Creed/Sabretooth - Liev Schreiber, the Manchurian Candidate, etc.
Chris Bradley/Bolt - Dominic Monaghan, Merry from the Lord of the Rings; Charlie from Lost
Some other mutants/some other actors

If you are a die-hard comic fan, be aware that it does stray some from the original storyline. If you're not, then you are probably saying to yourself, "Comics have 'storylines'? Weird."

Final Verdict: Did you like the X-Men movies? Then you'll probably like this. Just remember, if you are thinking of taking a youngster, more Wolverine = more stabbing.

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Star Trek (PG-13)

Starring:
James T. Kirk - some guy I've never heard of...he does a good job though
Leonard "Bones" McCoy - Eomer, the young horse dude from the Lord of the Rings
Scotty - Shaun of the Dead
Spock - Siler from Heroes
Uhuru - the Voodoo lady from Pirates of the Caribbean
Sulu - Harold and Kumar...he's Harold
Chekov - never seen him
the Villain - Black Hawk Down, the Hulk in the first Hulk
Captain Pike - President Kennedy in 13 Days
Spock's mom - Wynona Rider
Kirk's mom - the girl on House that just married the Australian guy

A "red shirt" dies. All the catch phrases are worked in. F/X done by ILM. As my friend Jeff said, Star Trek brought to you by Star Wars. On top of creating a pretty good ride of a movie, they also manage to reboot the entire Star Trek universe, which opens up all kinds of future movies.

I think this movie would appeal to anyone that even somewhat likes sci-fi. My friend Tom said, "I really liked it, but there was just something..." After thinking about it, I decided that it was the fact that in all the other Star Trek movies, I came into the movie knowing the actors as the characters. This time I had to adjust to seeing each person in their new role. Not bad, just different.

Final Verdict: A really good movie. I got to see it at an IMAX, which was cool. If you have the opportunity and you like sci-fi, give it a try. I think you'll like it.

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If you're still with me at this point, thanks! One final (somewhat obvious) observation. All three of these movies have strong sci-fi elements. I guess this is the age when geeks do rule. Coming up this summer: Transformers and Terminator. More sci-fi!

To My Mom

If you've read my blog before, you've probably seen some posts about my dad and the influence he has had in my life. But, of course, Dad was only half the equation while I was growing up.

I've mentioned my mom in a few posts, but without further ado, here's some additional thoughts and comments about my mom.

• The last time I was home for Thanksgiving there were 40 people at my Mom's house for lunch. I'm only related to 12 of them.
  
• My Mom once dressed up as a werewolf for my childhood Halloween party.
• My Mom and her friend spent hours creating handmade outfits for my sister's Barbie dolls. My sister found the box before Christmas.
• Mom made me a Ultraman costume out of paper-mache when I was a kid.
• She kept me out of school one day just to take me fishing.
• Likes to listen to Willie Nelson, Freddie Fender, and Metallica.
  
• Still likes to hear me play Greensleeves on the trumpet.
• Has her concealed handgun permit.
  
• She's an award winning cook.
• She has a HUGE Santa Claus collection that takes over the house every year at Christmas.
• She loves her family (and friends that she treats like family).
• Everyone is welcome in her house. My mother has never met a stranger, and really taught me how to love people.

I could go on and on, but for now I'm just going to say Happy Mother's Day Mom!!

Labels? Schmabels!

Just to clarify, this is not the same post my good friend Jeff wrote entitled "Label Schmabel". I mean, it's obviously not exactly the same. My title is plural and has punctation. You ought to take a few minutes and read his when you have a chance.

My thoughts aren't crystal clear on this subject yet, but I thought writing about it might help. So, here goes.

If you've ever watched The Breakfast Club, a movie about a group of high school kids that spend a day in Saturday detention, you know it deals with stereotypes. At the start of the movie, their judgemental supervising teacher gives them an assignment to write an essay about who they think they are. At the end of the movie, you hear the essay read as a voice over.

Dear Mr. Vernon,

We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us...

In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...

...and an athlete...
...and a basket case...
...a princess...
...and a criminal...

Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

Very interesting, huh? Like Mr. Vernon in the movie, we all, in general, define people by the "groups" that they belong to. A few examples immediately come to mind:

teacher
Texan
musician
liberal
adult
environmentalist
biker
geek
Christian
professional
father

Whether it is because of a person's profession, gender, political leaning, age, or socioeconomic class, we all tend to view people through those stereotypes/labels/paradigms. But, also like in the movie, the reality is that no one is only one of those things, or a perfect representation of any particular group.

You might ask, "Aaron, if a movie from the 80's has already explored all this, why are you re-hashing it?"

I might answer, "I don't know." But I won't. Instead I'll answer by saying that the thing I wanted to remind myself (and you, if you are reading this) is that when we let labels define people, we ascribe faults and strengths to people that they may or may not have. I have one friend who always says (only half-jokingly) that anybody with dreadlocks smokes dope.

When I met my wife in college, I volunteered to tutor her in trigonometry. I'm a big guy, and in college I was in (much) better shape. My (future) wife's response internally to my offer was, "How can he tutor me in trig? He's just a big dumb jock."

You know what they say...don't judge a book by its cover. (But you may not know what I say...don't judge a book by its movie. )

Though I may have looked it, I, of course, am not a big dumb jock.

What do you think people might assume about you? Who do you tend to "pre-judge"? It's worth thinking about.

There you have it...told you I didn't have my thoughts organized very well on this.

I've Said It Before

Kiefer Sutherland is possibly in a little bit of trouble.

The bizarre case took place at a costume gala afterparty at New York's SubMercer bar, where Sutherland reportedly saw fashion designer Jack McCollough knock over Brooke Shields. When Sutherland asked the Proenza Schouler designer to apologize and was pushed instead, Sutherland reportedly headbutted McCollough, breaking his nose.

If I've said it once, I've said it a dozen times:

Don't mess with Jack Bauer.

A Fun Little Task

My son loves the movie Cars, so the other day when I was at Kroger picking up a few things I bought a Cars book for him. It was a very cool book. It was a pop-up book that had pop-up cars that popped out. AND, more importantly, it had a fold out racetrack in the back.

I knew the pop-up pop-out cars wouldn't last long, but I wasn't too worried. He has Hot Wheels that he prefers to play with anyway. But the racetrack was a different story. I didn't want that to get destroyed because he was having such fun with it.

I like to build stuff. I think it's fun. So I got the bright idea of making the racetrack into a table. My mom has a little table that's less than a foot high that she always pulls out for kids to play blocks on, etc. I thought that something along those lines would be perfect for this.

So I built a little table, took the map out of the back of the book, and mounted it on the table under plexiglass. Thanks Home Depot. It sits about 6 inches tall and measures about 18" X 30".

Cheryl tells me he played with it all day!

Fun for me and for him.

It's Been A While

Wow! I haven't posted since the other day. My family was gone to Texas for two weeks, and I kept myself pretty busy with "honey-do"s. Since they returned on Saturday we've just been playing catch-up.

So, if you have wondered if I had fallen off the face of the earth, the answer is no. First of all, it has been proven that the world is, in fact, round, and therefore has no face from which to fall. Secondly, I promised the other day to only post if I had something to say. Truthfully, I've been so busy I haven't had time to think about anything to say.

That being said, I have a few things I will probably be posting about in the next little bit.

1) Labels

2) Dreams

3) Other stuff

See you soon.

As You Wish

We interrupt our typically humorous blogcast for this important, somewhat serious, totally heartfelt, private service announcement...

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You may have seen from a previous post that my wife (and son) were going to Texas for a couple of weeks. They've only been gone for 3 1/2 days, but tonight it got me thinking.

We've been married 15 years, and known each other for almost 18. I've known her longer than I can remember not knowing her, if that makes sense.

And you know, it's true what they say, that you don't always have those initial butterflies, that excitement you have as you begin a new relationship. But it's NOT true that you NEVER have them. I'm already anticipating next weekend when she returns. I admit that when I think about her coming home, I get a few Monarchs in my belly. I can't hardly wait!

How cool is that? After 18 years I'm still in love with a wonderful woman...absolutely, totally smitten!

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We now return you to our regularly scheduled series of witty anecdotal blogs...

A Little Dancing Never Hurts

This morning, shortly after my 2 year-old received his Easter basket with a toy race car, some candy, and a lot of fake grass...

My son: Dad, I made a mess.

Me: Really? What did you do?

Son: I put da grass all over da floor in da livin room.

Me: You did?

Son: Uh huh. And I danced on it a little bit.

Confession is good for the soul.

Life on the Hut Line Part IV

Being a delivery driver, I've had a few things to say about working at Pizza Hut. So, in my continued efforts to be generally informative and helpful, please consider the following things when placing a delivery order:

1. Give the correct address. Whether over the phone or via the Internet, the correct address is a must. Try to include the street name AND number. If you live in an apartment, a number or letter is helpful. Also, make sure that the number is actually on your house/mailbox and visible.

2. The correct phone number is important, too. A working phone number is not enough. It should actually be YOUR phone number.

3. After you place your order, don't leave. Or take a nap. Or a shower. Or go in the backyard and mow.

4. Answer your phone, even if you don't recognize the incoming number on caller ID. Unfortunately, we are not issued "Pizza Hut Cell Phones", so if the delivery driver needs to call you, you probably won't see "Pizza Hut" on the caller ID.

5. If you live somewhere weird, inaccessible, dangerous, or just plain stupid, give really good directions, or offer to meet them somewhere.

6. Tip. Almost without exception, if your order is late or wrong, it is not the driver's fault. However, if they forget your drink or Parmesan, that's a different story. Just remember they depend on tips.

Follow these simple guidelines, and everyone will be happy.

Bach(elor)-ing It

Monday morning my wife of 15 years is heading to Texas for two weeks. Her sister just had a little baby girl on Monday. Welcome to the world Ella Grace! (That brings my total to 6 nieces and 3 nephews). Cheryl is going to help her sister out and spend some time with family and friends.

Two weeks!! That's the longest I've been alone since we've gotten married. I hope I can handle it! Apparently my wife is a little concerned for me as well. Check out the picture of our freezer. That's right! Tater tot casserole and meatballs (with green olives and feta cheese) and mashed potatoes.

What a woman. Only one of many reasons that my ringtone for her is the Wonder Woman theme song.

Proverbs 31:28-29
Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: “Many women have done wonderful things, but you’ve outclassed them all!”

My Word Is My Blah

Have you ever seen the movie "The Freshman" starring Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando? If you haven't, you might want to check it out. It's a (sorta) dark comedy about a college freshman named Clark Kellogg (Broderick) who becomes a delivery man for a godfather-like character named Carmine Sabitini (Brando). It's got some funny moments, but there is a particular scene that stands out to me. I actually think about it fairly often.

Near the end of the movie, there's a scene where Clark really, really wants to talk to Carmine. Carmine brushes him off and Clark presses the issue. I couldn't find the actual script, but in my head, this is the way the scene plays out:

Clark: I really have to talk to you.

Carmine: We'll talk after dinner.

Clark: Do you promise?

Carmine: By definition, everything I say is a promise.

Think about Carmine's last line for a minute. I'll wait.

(Whistle, whistle, whistle...toe tap, toe tap, toe tap...checking watch)

Okay!

"By definition, everything I say is a promise." That's something worth striving for. If we find ourselves having to reassure the people in our lives that we'll do what we say we'll do, then that's a problem. I want to live my life in such a way that my family and friends never feel that my words are an empty promise. I have a couple of friends that are great friends, but it's sad to say that if they say they are coming over, I don't count on it until they drive up.

I understand that there are some instances where you just can't do what you've said. It happens. Sometimes circumstances change. Am I living this idea out perfectly? Nope. But I'm trying. This is something my dad stressed when I was growing up.

It also makes me think of this Bible verse:

Matthew 5:37
Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

What do you think? Is this something you think about? Something you struggle with?

On a Similar Note

Last week I blogged a little about my feelings toward the military, and my appreciation for those that serve our country. I mentioned that my nephew was in serving with the USMC in Iraq right now. He just re-enlisted while he was over there. Apparently, they take pictures of that, so I thought I would just share a couple of them with you.

We're very proud of him.

Another-nother Update

Those of you that have been with me a while, may remember that my sister had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was undergoing treatment. If you need to catch up, click here and you can see all the previous posts. That being said, here is the most recent update:

Today Neal & I went to see Dr. Pant (my oncologist) for my first “after Keemo” visit. I’m doing great! My hair is growing back. The style which I refer to as a "No Maintenance Bob" is just FULL of "silver highlights". She said…”Go on with your normal life. Follow the 2-week rule…if something "normal" like a cold doesn’t go away after 2 weeks….come see me! You will have "stuff" like a normal person and it doesn’t necessarily mean the cancer is back. Just get over it and live."

Easy for her to say! I had a cold/allergies a couple weeks ago and the cough kinda freaked me out. I had a bit of anxiety about going today which I think is normal...so I had a long walk before my appointment this morning and a talk with God. He heard me and comforted me. I suppose I will get used to going to have a check-up every two months. I am blessed. Prayers are answered…we only have to ask. I feel stronger everyday as the Keemo drugs leave my body.

How's that for awesome! Wahoo! Check out those silver highlights!

A Humbling Experience

The other day, I attended the funeral of the grandfather of one of our close friends. He was himself a dear friend of ours, and a wonderful man. He had served in the United States Marine Corps when he was a young man, so he received a military funeral. There was a team of young Marines there that carried the casket, folded the flag, presented it to his wife, etc.

George Tyler, one of the elder statesmen of our church, was also at the funeral. He was in his mid-eighties, but still pretty spry. In the hallway after the service, he walked up to one of the young marines and told him that he had served in the Marines, what division he had served in, and in what theater of war.

I didn't know that George had served in the Marines, and I thought to myself, "Hey, that's cool. Very interesting, George."

I expected the young Marine (he was probably 20, or 21 years old at the most) would say something along the same lines. Instead, he reached out, shook George's hand, looked him in the eye and said, "Thank you."

I was humbled. He got it. He understood the sacrifice that every person that joins our military makes. My nephew Travis is serving with the USMC in Iraq right now. So, even though it's not Veteran's Day or Memorial Day, I would just like to take this opportunity to say thanks.

To everyone that has served our country in the military, past or present, thank you.

Economic Crisis Not So Bad

So, as most of you know, I'm a comic book fan, and have been for years. I have lots of comics, and several comics that are worth well over $100 apiece.

Today I heard that a copy of Action Comics #1 just sold at auction for $317,200 dollars. You read that correctly, I didn't put the comma in the wrong place or leave out a decimal. That's 312 THOUSAND dollars. Apparently, the current "economic crisis" hasn't reached everyone.

Do you know what's special about Action Comics #1? A bet a lot of you do. If you don't, and you want to find out, here's a link to an article about the sale. There's a couple of other interesting tidbits about this particular sale that are also in the article.

Do you collect anything? Are they valuable?

Shifting Gears

When I was about 4, I used to ride on our John Deere lawn mower with my older sister while she mowed the yard.

On a side note, people make me laugh when they call their lawn mowers "lawn tractors". I don't know...I guess it's because I've driven lots of tractors, and anything you can load in the back of a pickup is not a tractor.

On another side note, I always say that I "mowed the yard". I never "cut the grass" or "mow the lawn". I always mow the yard.

Back to the story...

On one particular day, my sister and I were mowing the yard (not cutting the grass), and she pulled up by the house and parked. We got off the lawn mower (not tractor) and went inside for something to drink. We stayed inside for a few minutes, and I was ready to get back to work. So I got the key off of the hook and went back outside.

You see, I thought I knew how to drive the lawn mower. It was simple. You pressed down the pedal, cranked the engine, let out the pedal and drove. There was another pedal you held down to start the blades spinning. If you wanted to go backward, you pressed down the pedal, looked backwards, let the pedal out and started going backwards.

Of course, all this time what I HADN'T seen was my sister reaching down on the side and changing the gear from forward to reverse. One small, but vital, piece of info.

So, I climbed up in the seat and pushed down the pedal. I stuck the key in ignition and cranked it up. I turned and looked back behind me, let out the pedal...and promptly ran the lawn mower into the side of the house.

Blogging

Due to the length of my last post, I thought it important to let everyone know that, generally speaking, blog posts shouldn't be overly long.

The Soundtrack of My Life

As I was driving around Saturday night, delivering pizza, I had it on an "oldies" station. A particular song came on (to be honest, I can't remember which one), and it instantly took me back to a particular time and place in my life.

This got me thinking about the songs in my life that did that to me. These are the milestone songs that are irrevocably tied to an era in my life. So here it is: the soundtrack of my life. Sorry it is somewhat long...but I am 40 now.

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up to 8
Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott (The Statler Brothers)
Saturday Night (The Bay City Rollers)
When I hear these songs I'm taken back to the home of my childhood. I would listen to these songs (and others) on 8-track (click here if you don't know what an 8-track is), and play pool in our little gameroom. Sometimes we would use the pool table to have a place to play with all my army men.

3rd - 4th Grade
Summer Nights (Grease Soundtrack)
This song takes me back to 3rd/4th grade. The first time I remember hearing it was at Shari Morris' house on their 8-track. For some reason, I also always associate this song with my first girlfriend, Kelly McGraw (other than Luann Teboe in kindergarten...I broke up with her because she got the mumps). She lived right down the road from Shari...maybe that's why. I wonder if Kelly ever knew she was my girlfriend?

5th - 6th Grade
Tommy Soundtrack (Various Artists)
By this time, we had moved into the "new house". We had a gameroom there as well. I had left behind the Statler Brothers, and now liked to listen to Tommy while playing pool, and, you guessed it, pinball. I fancied myself a pinball wizard. Of course, this was on 8-track as well.

Summer Before 9th Grade
Friday Night Videos (Various Artists)
Ahhh...1983...the year Friday Night Videos made its debut. I'll never forget that night. It opened with Billie Jean (Michael Jackson, of course). Also that night: Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran, Duran), Let's Dance (David Bowie). I want to say that Come on Eileen, Our Love's In Jeopardy, Safety Dance, and Our House were also on that same episode, but it may have been later. Regardless, any of those songs takes me back 25 years instantly.

9th Grade
More Than a Feeling (Boston)
Being in 9th grade to me meant a lot of changes. I was in high school now, and I had friends that could drive. One of my best friends from my freshman year was Tyree Collier (he used to give his name as George when we would eat somewhere that put your name on the ticket...I always thought that was funny). Tyree was a senior. We fought back and forth that year for trumpet section leader, and became good friends while doing so. One thing I learned from Tyree has had a lasting impact on my life: the guitar. Tyree played guitar, and since he was a senior, and extremely cool, I thought playing the guitar would be cool. He introduced me to Boston, and one of the first songs he played for me was More Than a Feeling. So, years later, after all the bass and guitar gigs I've played, in church and out of church, in cover bands and original bands, it can all be traced be traced back to Tyree and Boston.

10th Grade
Eliminator (ZZ Top)
When I turned 16, my parents gave me a 1977 Camaro. I know, cool, huh? It rocked. I used to drive around town, listening to my ZZ Top cassette on my 8-track adapter. That's right. It had an 8-track AM/FM radio...and I had an adapter. Like I said...it rocked.

High School in General
Anything from any John Hughes movie or Back to the Future(1985)
Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future...play a song from any of these and I am in high school again.

Freshman Year College
Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns n' Roses)
My freshman year in college, I was in a cover band called Shattered Image. I know, cool name, huh? We played pretty regularly, had the worst sound equipment ever, had no idea what we were doing, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Tim Moss, Keith McLeod, and Bryan Armstrong were the other members of the band. Sweet Child O' Mine is indelibly linked to that time in my life.

Sophomore Year College
Lead Me On (Amy Grant)
For you Christian types out there (you know who you are), you may recognize that this is the first song by a Christian artist on this list. It's true. I didn't even know that "Christian music" was a genre until then. This was the time of my personal spiritual awakening, when I started reading the Bible and trying to figure out what I really believed.

Senior Year(s) College
Out of the Silent Planet (King's X)
Fast forward a few years, and you'll find me in college in a Christian band called Reckless Abandon (or Restless Ambition, as we were introduced one time). I roomed with several guys from the band (and some guys not from the band). Me, Mark, Coe, Russ, Tornado Tommy, Randy, Kenny (unofficially Seth...it just seemed like he lived there) all live at one time or another in what we called the Reckless Abode. We had quite the time. At one point, there were 6 of us living there. Tommy, who is worthy of his own blog post, introduced me to King's X. To this day one of my favorite bands (at least their first 4 albums). When I hear Goldilox from their Out of the Silent Planet album, it's like I'm back in the Abode again, fighting over who should have to wash the dirty dishes.

Circa 2000
Mezzamorphis (Delirious?)
This is one of my favorite albums of all time of all time. Also, King of Fools, another album by Delirious? is one of my other favorite albums of all time of all time. One reason I think this album, and two songs in particular off of it, My Glorious and Mezzanine Floor, evoke such strong memories is that I used them in a video I made about the youth ministry I was leading at the time.

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Well, there you have it. These things are, of course, always in retrospect. I'm interested to see in 10 years what songs make me think about moving to Atlanta. If I'm still blogging then, I'll let you know.

Care to share any songs from your soundtrack?