Friday, March 31, 2006
I Went to a Concert and a Church Service Broke Out...
This is borderline MyTunes material, but I just got back from a great show at the historic Sheldon Concert Hall tonight. It was a double feature with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Dixie Hummingbirds! I lucked out and got a seat front and center first row in the balcony, best seat in the house if you ask me. This is a small room, so the balcony is not far from the stage. The Dixie Hummingbirds were a treat to hear; they feature only 1 original member these days, but have added a young bass who delighted the audience by plumbing the depths of his range. I wasn't familiar with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band but I am definitely a fan after hearing them tonight. They brought back the Dixie Hummingbirds to close out their show and it suddenly turned into CHURCH! It was a very joyous way to end the evening. Only fitting, I guess, since the Sheldon was a revival meeting hall in a former life.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
One Slip o' the Tongue...
Yes, it's been too long between writings - just haven't had too much to write about lately.
Until today.
A big ol' stink has arisen in the St. Louis area re: an unfortunate 'radio personality' on a local talk radio station. The poor man was doing his show yesterday and in the midst of praising our Secretary of State, meant to say a certain word, but instead said another word that sounds very similar to it (click on the link - I shall not repeat the word). The word he said is commonly used as racial slur. Did he misspeak? Did he really mean to say it? Is he a filthy stinkin' racist? A huge debate has stirred up as a result of predictable coverage in local print and electronic media.
Regardless, the man did himself no favors by immediately acknowledging his mistake, apologizing all over himself in the process. He hastily segued to a commercial break and to make a long story short, he was fired almost immediately and the radio station manager apologized on-air in short order. Today we learn that he has been suspended from his teaching job at a local chiropractic college.
This is one of those situations where nothing good can result of its outcome. My questions are:
1) He had a 'delay' (OH #$%#@!!) button he could have used to prevent his words from ever seeing airtime. Why didn't he use it? Many a radio announcer has been saved via that route. It could be that he panicked, radio not being his first occupation. He had been on the job only 2 weeks, after coming over from a local low-watt talk station.
2) Did he really misspeak, as he claims? How do you make the mistake he made? Only he knows what his true feelings are. If he truly is a racist, then he deserves to be condemned as such. But then again, why would purposely say such a thing knowing he was deep-sixing himself?
I feel bad for him, as his radio career, and likely his teaching career are being destroyed over one little bit of malfeasance. Now, I don't condone any racist speech and am not personally a racist. The God I serve is not, so neither am I. The radio station's hands were unfortunately tied, as they are now mostly owned by the St. Louis Cardinals baseball club. They can't be associated with anything remotely racist so the radio host had to go. Local radio industry insiders are reacting with a mixture of disgust and amusement at the radio station manager, as he is not held in high regard for his management style. (Side note: The radio station in question dumped most of its personalities and hired new "edgier" hosts when the Cardinals ownership took over in January.)
My concern is the disturbing amount of media coverage this incident is receiving. The sad fact is that nowadays, our culture loves controversy. You make one mistake in public, and it's worldwide within seconds. "Put it out there and let it blow up" seems to be the rule. As of this writing, the story is the headline on Stltoday.com and it's even made it to Drudge.com .
Tom Calhoun is a veteran local radio man and offers a reasoned commentary in his blog.
What do my faithful readers have to say?
Until today.
A big ol' stink has arisen in the St. Louis area re: an unfortunate 'radio personality' on a local talk radio station. The poor man was doing his show yesterday and in the midst of praising our Secretary of State, meant to say a certain word, but instead said another word that sounds very similar to it (click on the link - I shall not repeat the word). The word he said is commonly used as racial slur. Did he misspeak? Did he really mean to say it? Is he a filthy stinkin' racist? A huge debate has stirred up as a result of predictable coverage in local print and electronic media.
Regardless, the man did himself no favors by immediately acknowledging his mistake, apologizing all over himself in the process. He hastily segued to a commercial break and to make a long story short, he was fired almost immediately and the radio station manager apologized on-air in short order. Today we learn that he has been suspended from his teaching job at a local chiropractic college.
This is one of those situations where nothing good can result of its outcome. My questions are:
1) He had a 'delay' (OH #$%#@!!) button he could have used to prevent his words from ever seeing airtime. Why didn't he use it? Many a radio announcer has been saved via that route. It could be that he panicked, radio not being his first occupation. He had been on the job only 2 weeks, after coming over from a local low-watt talk station.
2) Did he really misspeak, as he claims? How do you make the mistake he made? Only he knows what his true feelings are. If he truly is a racist, then he deserves to be condemned as such. But then again, why would purposely say such a thing knowing he was deep-sixing himself?
I feel bad for him, as his radio career, and likely his teaching career are being destroyed over one little bit of malfeasance. Now, I don't condone any racist speech and am not personally a racist. The God I serve is not, so neither am I. The radio station's hands were unfortunately tied, as they are now mostly owned by the St. Louis Cardinals baseball club. They can't be associated with anything remotely racist so the radio host had to go. Local radio industry insiders are reacting with a mixture of disgust and amusement at the radio station manager, as he is not held in high regard for his management style. (Side note: The radio station in question dumped most of its personalities and hired new "edgier" hosts when the Cardinals ownership took over in January.)
My concern is the disturbing amount of media coverage this incident is receiving. The sad fact is that nowadays, our culture loves controversy. You make one mistake in public, and it's worldwide within seconds. "Put it out there and let it blow up" seems to be the rule. As of this writing, the story is the headline on Stltoday.com and it's even made it to Drudge.com .
Tom Calhoun is a veteran local radio man and offers a reasoned commentary in his blog.
What do my faithful readers have to say?
Monday, March 06, 2006
Monday, Monday...
How is everyone today? The day dawned partly sunny and cool, not bad for March.
As we march ever onward toward Spring, I have begun planning my annual home improvement schedule. Last year at this time I was deep into planning my kitchen remodel project, which took place last April. This year it's bedrooms--mine and my brother's former room. It will involve refinishing the original wood floors, new paint, baseboards, etc... Also tentavively on the list is repairing my sometimes-leaky basement. It leaks in the same spot every time it rains unusually hard or over a prolonged period of time. I've scheduled a basement waterproofer to look at it today. I expect it will be a very expensive project, so that's why it's tentative.
My garage door has gotten things off to an unexpected start by breaking a spring on Thursday so I'll be shelling out $300 for a pair of new ones. The repairman clamped it together temporarily and advised me to use it "sparingly," which means 'don't use it because it could break again while your car's inside and then you'd be screwed.' So my car gets parked outside during the 5 working days it takes to get the new springs.
--------
Enjoyed a nice time celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday Friday night. Her birthday is exactly one month later than my brother's, believe it or not. The Parents and I and them had a nice dinner at Cunetto's House of Pasta (I tried Tiramisu for the first time ever!) then The Parents adjourned to see a movie while the Young Folks adjourned to a hip birthday bash with friends in the city.
I finally saw Cinderalla Man on Saturday night. The roles were cast perfectly, in my opinion and I liked the film.
Another concert with the Metros on Sunday afternoon. The rehearsal was rough Tuesday night so I wasn't expecting a great performance, but we "acquitted ourselves well" as the critics say. It was a gray and gloomy day more suited for sleeping than singing, but we overcame and sang pretty well. One of the singers hosted a swingin' post-concert party at her home deep in the woods of Wildwood, in far west St. Louis county.
The Oscars went pretty much as I thought they would. I'm not a big movie-goer so I had no favorites picked to win. I do like Philip Seymour Hoffman, so I'm glad he won for Best Actor. Especially glad that his career has recovered from "Twister." : )
---------
As we march ever onward toward Spring, I have begun planning my annual home improvement schedule. Last year at this time I was deep into planning my kitchen remodel project, which took place last April. This year it's bedrooms--mine and my brother's former room. It will involve refinishing the original wood floors, new paint, baseboards, etc... Also tentavively on the list is repairing my sometimes-leaky basement. It leaks in the same spot every time it rains unusually hard or over a prolonged period of time. I've scheduled a basement waterproofer to look at it today. I expect it will be a very expensive project, so that's why it's tentative.
My garage door has gotten things off to an unexpected start by breaking a spring on Thursday so I'll be shelling out $300 for a pair of new ones. The repairman clamped it together temporarily and advised me to use it "sparingly," which means 'don't use it because it could break again while your car's inside and then you'd be screwed.' So my car gets parked outside during the 5 working days it takes to get the new springs.
--------
Enjoyed a nice time celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday Friday night. Her birthday is exactly one month later than my brother's, believe it or not. The Parents and I and them had a nice dinner at Cunetto's House of Pasta (I tried Tiramisu for the first time ever!) then The Parents adjourned to see a movie while the Young Folks adjourned to a hip birthday bash with friends in the city.
I finally saw Cinderalla Man on Saturday night. The roles were cast perfectly, in my opinion and I liked the film.
Another concert with the Metros on Sunday afternoon. The rehearsal was rough Tuesday night so I wasn't expecting a great performance, but we "acquitted ourselves well" as the critics say. It was a gray and gloomy day more suited for sleeping than singing, but we overcame and sang pretty well. One of the singers hosted a swingin' post-concert party at her home deep in the woods of Wildwood, in far west St. Louis county.
The Oscars went pretty much as I thought they would. I'm not a big movie-goer so I had no favorites picked to win. I do like Philip Seymour Hoffman, so I'm glad he won for Best Actor. Especially glad that his career has recovered from "Twister." : )
---------
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Prom Night 2006...
Every year around this time my Monday night bible study class holds a winter formal. Of course, being irreverent young adults, we surreptiously refer to it as a 'prom.' Last night was the big night! This year's bash was held at a local Marriot hotel banquet room. Fate did not smile on me when it came to seating arrangements, sadly. 2 of my group-mates and I were seated with 4 young college-age girls. Honestly, I think I've been working at my job longer than the girl to my left has been alive! I say 'fate didn't smile on me' in the selfish sense of "I hope I am sitting at a table with eligible women who are close to me in age." Once I came to terms with the realization that that was not going to be the case for me and got over it, I got to know a couple of nice young ladies. The dinner entrée was some sort of fancy chicken with decorative steamed vegetables and a suspicious herb sprig. Later on, the DJ revved up his sound system and the dancing commenced! Yours truly got his groove thang on and danced away the stress of the previous weeks in a couple of hours. When the DJ prepared to launch into the Electric Slide at 11:00, I took that as God's leading that I should head home, so I did.
Yes, I did make it to church for the 9:00 service.
Only 10 minutes late.
....................................
Double-shot of dead-pool news from Hollywood this weekend. Don Knotts passed away on Saturday and Darren McGavin passed away this afternoon. Practically everyone knows the name Don Knotts (of whom I have a vision of a loud leisure suit being worn into heaven). You might only know Darren McGavin if I mentioned "A Christmas Story." Yep, he was Ralphie's dad who spoke in tongues to the family Oldsmobile and furnace. Both great actors and will be missed.
....................................
MyTunes has updated tonight.
Yes, I did make it to church for the 9:00 service.
Only 10 minutes late.
....................................
Double-shot of dead-pool news from Hollywood this weekend. Don Knotts passed away on Saturday and Darren McGavin passed away this afternoon. Practically everyone knows the name Don Knotts (of whom I have a vision of a loud leisure suit being worn into heaven). You might only know Darren McGavin if I mentioned "A Christmas Story." Yep, he was Ralphie's dad who spoke in tongues to the family Oldsmobile and furnace. Both great actors and will be missed.
....................................
MyTunes has updated tonight.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
It's Wednesday night...
...and all is well. I haven't had much to say since last week but the drought ends here and now.
Work has been extremely busy since last Wednesday. On that day, our employees migrated to a new e-mail system (to Microsoft Exchange/Outlook from Lotus Notes). This was not done voluntarily, but at the direction of our new corporate parent, who swallowed up my company last June. They are a "Microsoft shop" and we had to come in line with that. That, coupled with the migration to a new "domain" (think of a city of computers getting a new name) a week earlier, has put us under an unusual strain for the past couple of weeks. I've been busy resolving user access problems and training users on software that I barely had time to learn before the migration and trying to soothe their irritations with all the hassles that have come as a result. The dust is settling, though, so I think I'll be OK! Oh, and did I mention that a group of users went "live" with a new production system on Monday morning? And that all our users have had to cope with new user name and password standards? It's been fun!
So last week could've really been a "down" week for me. I had no date onValentine's Day, had a trying week at work, and to cap it off on Friday, UPS delivered another wedding gift for my bro and sis-in-law to my house! They're still scoring almost 4 months after the fact! (My brother was also my roommate prior to his marriage so they had gifts delivered to my house.) They never changed their delivery address because they assumed the well had dried up, but I guess not, as they received another gift yesterday. Now, I I don't mind receiving their gifts, but it does sort of remind me that I'm not married yet! : ) But it wasn't a "down" week. I purposely kept a positive outlook. Those things are little obstacles in the grand scheme of things.
................
In other news, a local suburb has denied an residential occupancy permit to an unmarried couple and their children. It seems this family doesn't meet the suburb's definition of a family. The suburb's mayor makes a valid argument, but this still seems like blatant discrimination to me. Thoughts?
..............
News of the weird - Yesterday was Senior Skip Day at a local private college prep high school. Two knucklehead members of the senior class continued the long and storied tradition of playing a senior prank. The problem was that their senior prank involved rappelling up the side of a mini-skyscraper in full view of passing motorists on a busy interstate. Predictably, the media had a field day with it (I happened to be working in the photo studio at work when our photographer on the scene was doing a play-by-play). Fortunately, both students made it back down safely and were cuffed and stuffed into a waiting patrol car. They spent the night in jail and are suspended from school.
...............
Sad news from the world of Southern Gospel music tonight. Pianist Anthony Burger collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack while performing on a Caribbean cruise ship this evening. He was a gifted musician, and one of the premier entertainers in gospel music. In recent years, he performed often with Bill Gaither and his Homecoming concert tours. I remember him playing with the Kingsmen during their concerts at the Malden Community Center when I was a child. My grandparents and I always saw them when they came to town.
Work has been extremely busy since last Wednesday. On that day, our employees migrated to a new e-mail system (to Microsoft Exchange/Outlook from Lotus Notes). This was not done voluntarily, but at the direction of our new corporate parent, who swallowed up my company last June. They are a "Microsoft shop" and we had to come in line with that. That, coupled with the migration to a new "domain" (think of a city of computers getting a new name) a week earlier, has put us under an unusual strain for the past couple of weeks. I've been busy resolving user access problems and training users on software that I barely had time to learn before the migration and trying to soothe their irritations with all the hassles that have come as a result. The dust is settling, though, so I think I'll be OK! Oh, and did I mention that a group of users went "live" with a new production system on Monday morning? And that all our users have had to cope with new user name and password standards? It's been fun!
So last week could've really been a "down" week for me. I had no date onValentine's Day, had a trying week at work, and to cap it off on Friday, UPS delivered another wedding gift for my bro and sis-in-law to my house! They're still scoring almost 4 months after the fact! (My brother was also my roommate prior to his marriage so they had gifts delivered to my house.) They never changed their delivery address because they assumed the well had dried up, but I guess not, as they received another gift yesterday. Now, I I don't mind receiving their gifts, but it does sort of remind me that I'm not married yet! : ) But it wasn't a "down" week. I purposely kept a positive outlook. Those things are little obstacles in the grand scheme of things.
................
In other news, a local suburb has denied an residential occupancy permit to an unmarried couple and their children. It seems this family doesn't meet the suburb's definition of a family. The suburb's mayor makes a valid argument, but this still seems like blatant discrimination to me. Thoughts?
..............
News of the weird - Yesterday was Senior Skip Day at a local private college prep high school. Two knucklehead members of the senior class continued the long and storied tradition of playing a senior prank. The problem was that their senior prank involved rappelling up the side of a mini-skyscraper in full view of passing motorists on a busy interstate. Predictably, the media had a field day with it (I happened to be working in the photo studio at work when our photographer on the scene was doing a play-by-play). Fortunately, both students made it back down safely and were cuffed and stuffed into a waiting patrol car. They spent the night in jail and are suspended from school.
...............
Sad news from the world of Southern Gospel music tonight. Pianist Anthony Burger collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack while performing on a Caribbean cruise ship this evening. He was a gifted musician, and one of the premier entertainers in gospel music. In recent years, he performed often with Bill Gaither and his Homecoming concert tours. I remember him playing with the Kingsmen during their concerts at the Malden Community Center when I was a child. My grandparents and I always saw them when they came to town.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
This made me hungry...
(From 4 of Clubbs' Brooke, who got it from her friend Amy)
1. Eggs? Fried or Scrambled? could go either way, depending on who cooks them
2. Chocolate covered cherries? No - strawberries, always!
3. When eating a salad, what type of dressing do you prefer to use? Homey don' eat no salad!
4. Peanut Butter? Creamy or Crunchy? Creamy - if it's crunchy it's been in my pantry too long.
5. If you HAD to eat only one flavor of ice cream for the rest of your life, what flavor would it be? Breyer's Vanilla.
6. Thick or thin crust pizza? They both have merits! Thick, but I have no problem with thin.
7. Salsa? Hot, Medium, or Mild? Medium, with a little kick.
8. Toast? Lightly toasted or practically burnt? Lightly toasted.
9. What is your FAVE food item at Taco Bell? don't eat there enough to remember.
10. When are you MOST LIKELY to pig out during the course of a day? Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies, or white seedless grapes.
1. What time of day is too late to telephone someone? I don't usually call people after 9:30, unless it's all good with them or it's a dire emergency
2. Have you ever looked up the lyrics to a song online? Many times.
3. What’s your favorite dessert to order at a restaurant? That's hard. Hm. Appleby's Caramel Apple crunch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
1. What are your favorite pizza toppings? List your favorite 3 (or more). Beef, Ham/Canadian Bacon, Cheese
2. What was the last movie you saw (theater or rented, your choice, or both)? The Girl in the Café.
3. What is your favorite fruit? Mmmmm....Strawberries are my first love but I also love white seedless grapes.
1. Eggs? Fried or Scrambled? could go either way, depending on who cooks them
2. Chocolate covered cherries? No - strawberries, always!
3. When eating a salad, what type of dressing do you prefer to use? Homey don' eat no salad!
4. Peanut Butter? Creamy or Crunchy? Creamy - if it's crunchy it's been in my pantry too long.
5. If you HAD to eat only one flavor of ice cream for the rest of your life, what flavor would it be? Breyer's Vanilla.
6. Thick or thin crust pizza? They both have merits! Thick, but I have no problem with thin.
7. Salsa? Hot, Medium, or Mild? Medium, with a little kick.
8. Toast? Lightly toasted or practically burnt? Lightly toasted.
9. What is your FAVE food item at Taco Bell? don't eat there enough to remember.
10. When are you MOST LIKELY to pig out during the course of a day? Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies, or white seedless grapes.
1. What time of day is too late to telephone someone? I don't usually call people after 9:30, unless it's all good with them or it's a dire emergency
2. Have you ever looked up the lyrics to a song online? Many times.
3. What’s your favorite dessert to order at a restaurant? That's hard. Hm. Appleby's Caramel Apple crunch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
1. What are your favorite pizza toppings? List your favorite 3 (or more). Beef, Ham/Canadian Bacon, Cheese
2. What was the last movie you saw (theater or rented, your choice, or both)? The Girl in the Café.
3. What is your favorite fruit? Mmmmm....Strawberries are my first love but I also love white seedless grapes.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Sunday night update...
Rather quiet weekend 'round these parts. Spent most of yesterday at work preparing for our upcoming company-wide e-mail migration (more on that later). Last night, I rented a cute little film called The Girl in the Café. It is a British production for HBO that premiered last fall. It was written by the same writer who wrote Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually, so I picked it up. Allmovie.com reviews it better than I can so I'll let you follow the link. If nothing else, rent it for the female lead who is Scottish and speaks with a delicious brogue!
This was a Dare2Share conference weekend in St. Louis. Their president and founder Greg Stier preached both services at church today. He is a powerful, engaging speaker who takes no prisoners and pulls no punches when he speaks.
I'm back on the job tomorrow so I'd better get some sleep.
but before I go, Erin Bode's new record is out in stores - I highly recommend it. Get a Rhapsody.com account and preview it for free, then go out and buy it... : )
This was a Dare2Share conference weekend in St. Louis. Their president and founder Greg Stier preached both services at church today. He is a powerful, engaging speaker who takes no prisoners and pulls no punches when he speaks.
I'm back on the job tomorrow so I'd better get some sleep.
but before I go, Erin Bode's new record is out in stores - I highly recommend it. Get a Rhapsody.com account and preview it for free, then go out and buy it... : )
Friday, February 10, 2006
From one live music extreme to the other...
Last night I took in some live music at Off Broadway--BR549 with The Avett Brothers. Tonight it's the St. Olaf College Choir at MUMC. Yes, THE world-renowned St. Olaf College Choir from Northfield, Minn. From loud, hillbilly country music in a smoky bar to refined elegance in a beautiful church nave, all within 24 hours. Such is life for my ears.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Chili for a chilly day...
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Super Bowl XL weekend update
So I was wrong in my previous prediction - the Seahawks fell short in their quest to return the NFC to Super Bowl glory. History will remember it as a sloppily played game, but the Steelers were clearly the better team. How about "Big Ben" Roethlisberger winning the big game at the tender age of 23? I was just a greenhorn computer tech starting my first job at that age. If you're a sentimentalist, you love it because Jerome Bettis retired with a big win, Bill Cowher finally won the big one, and Pittsburgh finally joined Dallas and San Francisco in the 5-win club.
You had to feel for the broadcasters of this game, having to spit out names like Tatupu, Roethlisberger, and Palomalu.
The Steelers sealed their victory with a touchdown on a successful trick play. Somewhere in the San Diego area, somehow, Mike Martz is smiling.
How about the commercials? I felt they were more violent this year overall, unfortunately. My favorite was the Sprint "music on your cell phone" commercial with the homage to Benny Hill.
.......................
I covered the night shift at work last night, as I have to do occasionally. 6:00 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. It can be a lonely shift, but I managed to keep busy. It was during the ride home that I noticed my headlights were either not working, or not working very well. Now, that's a bad situation to be in at between 1:30 and 2:00 in the morning, traveling down the interstate half-asleep with little or no headlights to guide you along. Thankfully, I didn't encounter any smokeys or county mounties during the trip home. I checked them today and something is wrong--fortunately, I have about 1,200 miles of warranty left. It's oil-change time anyway, so into the shop it goes tomorrow.
You had to feel for the broadcasters of this game, having to spit out names like Tatupu, Roethlisberger, and Palomalu.
The Steelers sealed their victory with a touchdown on a successful trick play. Somewhere in the San Diego area, somehow, Mike Martz is smiling.
How about the commercials? I felt they were more violent this year overall, unfortunately. My favorite was the Sprint "music on your cell phone" commercial with the homage to Benny Hill.
.......................
I covered the night shift at work last night, as I have to do occasionally. 6:00 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. It can be a lonely shift, but I managed to keep busy. It was during the ride home that I noticed my headlights were either not working, or not working very well. Now, that's a bad situation to be in at between 1:30 and 2:00 in the morning, traveling down the interstate half-asleep with little or no headlights to guide you along. Thankfully, I didn't encounter any smokeys or county mounties during the trip home. I checked them today and something is wrong--fortunately, I have about 1,200 miles of warranty left. It's oil-change time anyway, so into the shop it goes tomorrow.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Saturday...
Another Saturday off... yah! Spent the majority of the day setting up my parents' new computer (they got a Dell, dude!). Spent the majority of that time wrestling with their Linksys wireless router and adapter trying to persuade them to talk to the cable modem so as to promote general internet connectivity. After several hours and a couple of aborted sessions with Linksys' offshore Indian tech support (live chat and on the phone) it just started to work, for no particular reason. AUGHHHHH!!! That's the kind of thing that drives tech support pros crazy! Anyway, all is now well and my parents are navigating the information superhighway in a Mustang now, not a Festiva. Somehow I think this counts as a good deed.
I've rented "Broken Flowers"..I hope it's as good as advertised.
I've rented "Broken Flowers"..I hope it's as good as advertised.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Tastes like chicken....
One of the advantages of having parents who live a half hour away is that when they are out and about near your home they can drop off, say, a container of homemade chicken noodle soup loaded with vegetables. Such was the case tonight.
Thanks, Mom!
Thanks, Mom!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Another weekend over and done with....
Here it is Sunday night again....where do the weekends go?
Friday night....outing to the St. Louis Science Center with a few friends. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been there. Fun times! Funny moment: friend B. cajoled us into joining him at a nearby Steak N' Shake for a late night snack. We drove to the described location only to find a pile of rubble where the restaurant should have been. "I SWEAR IT WAS THERE A MONTH AGO!!!!" Luckily he saved face because there was a Denny's in the vicinity.
Saturday....I spent several hours with my dad in his basement wood shop. We've been working on building some plantation shutters for my kitchen windows. I'd been looking to buy some but they're mighty expensive so Dad dug through his woodworking magazines and found some plans. We put in a Saturday a few months ago and got one pair mostly built. Yesterday was spent painting the individual parts. I'll be saving a TON of money and they'll look just as good as what I'd have ordered. My mom made some killer chili for supper - we ate while taking in their Saturday evening marathon of home-improvement shows on PBS. They draw the line at Lawrence Welk, however.
Today was church and lunch with the family, including bro. and sis-in-law. They're thinking seriously about getting a puppy to complement their happy household.
Pittsburgh and Seattle in the Super Bowl, huh? How do you suppose advertisers will like that matchup? I actually think it will be an exciting game. Seattle is the more dominant team, in my estimation, so I tentatively predict a return to glory for the beleaguered NFC this year.
On a serious note, today was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday in churches across the country. I believe all life is sacred, no matter what. That's as political as this blog will be, I promise.
My Tunes has updated tonight. Also, Whatispossible has updated with a tale of an annoying roommate. :)
now to put the sheets back on my bed so I can sleep in it tonight...ugh..here comes Monday.
Friday night....outing to the St. Louis Science Center with a few friends. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been there. Fun times! Funny moment: friend B. cajoled us into joining him at a nearby Steak N' Shake for a late night snack. We drove to the described location only to find a pile of rubble where the restaurant should have been. "I SWEAR IT WAS THERE A MONTH AGO!!!!" Luckily he saved face because there was a Denny's in the vicinity.
Saturday....I spent several hours with my dad in his basement wood shop. We've been working on building some plantation shutters for my kitchen windows. I'd been looking to buy some but they're mighty expensive so Dad dug through his woodworking magazines and found some plans. We put in a Saturday a few months ago and got one pair mostly built. Yesterday was spent painting the individual parts. I'll be saving a TON of money and they'll look just as good as what I'd have ordered. My mom made some killer chili for supper - we ate while taking in their Saturday evening marathon of home-improvement shows on PBS. They draw the line at Lawrence Welk, however.
Today was church and lunch with the family, including bro. and sis-in-law. They're thinking seriously about getting a puppy to complement their happy household.
Pittsburgh and Seattle in the Super Bowl, huh? How do you suppose advertisers will like that matchup? I actually think it will be an exciting game. Seattle is the more dominant team, in my estimation, so I tentatively predict a return to glory for the beleaguered NFC this year.
On a serious note, today was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday in churches across the country. I believe all life is sacred, no matter what. That's as political as this blog will be, I promise.
My Tunes has updated tonight. Also, Whatispossible has updated with a tale of an annoying roommate. :)
now to put the sheets back on my bed so I can sleep in it tonight...ugh..here comes Monday.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Thursday...
It's Thursday - nothing much happenin' this week.
The Rams are thisclose to hiring Scott Linehan as their new head coach. Word is that he's on the same offensive level as our former coach. That's fine, but I hope he hires a high-level defensive coordinator to give our defense an extreme makeover. Does he come equipped with thick skin? I hope so. I guess all NFL coaches do, to some degree. I hated to see Joe Gibbs and Tony Dungy lose their games last weekend. They are both good men and excellent football coaches.
Last night was my division's annual holiday party. This year it was a holiday/retiree party due to the 11 people in my IT division who have retired or will be retiring soon. They all took the early retirement buyout that was offered last fall. Unfortunately the new VP got stuck dealing with a systems problem and didn't make it until very late. That's the breaks when you're in IT, unfortunately. (side note: luckily, our new corporate parent didn't replace the retiring VP with one of their guys. They promoted from within our ranks, which means he is temporarily doing his old job while also being the VP of the division.) The party was held at the Moolah Theatre's basement bowling alley and lounge. We dined on Hodak's famous fried chicken and sides, and a marvelous sheet cake for dessert. Yours truly even bowled a few frames.
I should clarify why our holiday party is held in January. A few years back, my boss was recovering from surgery in December. Therefore, we decided to hold the Christmas party in January, when he could attend. It worked out so well that we have made it a new tradition. This ensures a better attendance, since we invite executives and manager-types from other divisions that we work with.
The Rams are thisclose to hiring Scott Linehan as their new head coach. Word is that he's on the same offensive level as our former coach. That's fine, but I hope he hires a high-level defensive coordinator to give our defense an extreme makeover. Does he come equipped with thick skin? I hope so. I guess all NFL coaches do, to some degree. I hated to see Joe Gibbs and Tony Dungy lose their games last weekend. They are both good men and excellent football coaches.
Last night was my division's annual holiday party. This year it was a holiday/retiree party due to the 11 people in my IT division who have retired or will be retiring soon. They all took the early retirement buyout that was offered last fall. Unfortunately the new VP got stuck dealing with a systems problem and didn't make it until very late. That's the breaks when you're in IT, unfortunately. (side note: luckily, our new corporate parent didn't replace the retiring VP with one of their guys. They promoted from within our ranks, which means he is temporarily doing his old job while also being the VP of the division.) The party was held at the Moolah Theatre's basement bowling alley and lounge. We dined on Hodak's famous fried chicken and sides, and a marvelous sheet cake for dessert. Yours truly even bowled a few frames.
I should clarify why our holiday party is held in January. A few years back, my boss was recovering from surgery in December. Therefore, we decided to hold the Christmas party in January, when he could attend. It worked out so well that we have made it a new tradition. This ensures a better attendance, since we invite executives and manager-types from other divisions that we work with.
Got the message?
I found this on the floor - comes in handy if you ever encounter anyone who doesn't get the message. :)
Monday, January 16, 2006
There's no substitute for the real thing...
(studying Genesis 16-17 - the story of Sarai and Hagar)
- in the lecture, the teaching leader ( white male, mid-30s) made his first point: "Whenever a Hagar is substituted for anything, nothing good ever comes of it. Case in point: Van Halen." That was almost as funny as the night he dropped a "can you smell what The Rock is cookin'?" in the middle of a lecture a few years ago. Coming from a straight-laced Christian attorney-type, it was unintentionally hilarious.
- in the lecture, the teaching leader ( white male, mid-30s) made his first point: "Whenever a Hagar is substituted for anything, nothing good ever comes of it. Case in point: Van Halen." That was almost as funny as the night he dropped a "can you smell what The Rock is cookin'?" in the middle of a lecture a few years ago. Coming from a straight-laced Christian attorney-type, it was unintentionally hilarious.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Friday the 13th...
Today is Friday the 13th, so here's a little off-kilter, random-thoughts post for your reading pleasure...
................
Courtesy of Wikipedia - "Blazing Saddles" was the first movie to feature a character breaking wind on-screen. That zany Mel Brooks!
...............
Q: Where does a crazy person walk in the forest?
A: on the psycho-path!
...............
It snowed this morning, but none of it stuck to anything. That just doesn't seem right! :)
Actually, it did stick. to the grassy areas.
.............
How about Rhapsody.com? 25 free song-plays with each account. That's a nice try-before-you-buy deal that I've taken advantage of recently.
.............
I'm meeting some friends tonight at a local coffeehouse for a talk on the significance of Bob Dylan's music in modern society--should be interesting.
.............
As previously stated, I normally work Tuesday-Saturday, but scheduling needs have dictated that I work a straight Monday-Friday for the next couple of weeks. Which means I get a 1-day weekend this weekend but a 3-day weekend on the back end. This, coupled with the fact that I have to be in at 8:00 this Saturday morning and at church for tech at 8:00 Sunday morning, means that I don't get to sleep in until next Saturday at the earliest. Ugh.
...........
................
Courtesy of Wikipedia - "Blazing Saddles" was the first movie to feature a character breaking wind on-screen. That zany Mel Brooks!
...............
Q: Where does a crazy person walk in the forest?
A: on the psycho-path!
...............
It snowed this morning, but none of it stuck to anything. That just doesn't seem right! :)
.............
How about Rhapsody.com? 25 free song-plays with each account. That's a nice try-before-you-buy deal that I've taken advantage of recently.
.............
I'm meeting some friends tonight at a local coffeehouse for a talk on the significance of Bob Dylan's music in modern society--should be interesting.
.............
As previously stated, I normally work Tuesday-Saturday, but scheduling needs have dictated that I work a straight Monday-Friday for the next couple of weeks. Which means I get a 1-day weekend this weekend but a 3-day weekend on the back end. This, coupled with the fact that I have to be in at 8:00 this Saturday morning and at church for tech at 8:00 Sunday morning, means that I don't get to sleep in until next Saturday at the earliest. Ugh.
...........
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Rainy Tuesday Night...
Tuesday night trivia party + warm apple pie with friends at Applebees...I can think of worse ways to end a rainy Tuesday night.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Monday Night...
The Blockbuster mystery is solved - my brother rented a movie while he and his wife were visiting her folks for Christmas and the movie was returned to the wrong store. The part about it being rented on January 1 was their error. I think I'll let him keep the card for now...
St. Louis Rams radio broadcaster Jack Snow lost his battle with staph infection tonight. He was a true Rams "company man," putting in many great seasons for the team on and off the field.
My BSF class started back up tonight after a 3-week break for the holidays. We studied Genesis 15, where God makes a covenant with Abram. It's a deep chapter with some great passages of scripture.
St. Louis Rams radio broadcaster Jack Snow lost his battle with staph infection tonight. He was a true Rams "company man," putting in many great seasons for the team on and off the field.
My BSF class started back up tonight after a 3-week break for the holidays. We studied Genesis 15, where God makes a covenant with Abram. It's a deep chapter with some great passages of scripture.
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