Mrs. Crocodile Hunter/Podcast, anyone?/Buzzed!...

OK, so did anyone else watch the 20/20 special interview with Mrs. Steve Irwin tonight? Didn't your heart just bleed for this woman? She appeared to be a woman of deep conviction and strength. I was encouraged that she spoke of her great faith that's helping her deal with her grief. A couple things that made me chuckle - Barbara Walters seemed taken aback with Mrs. Irwin said she felt blessed to have been married to Steve Irwin (I said to the TV, "YEAH, BARBARA WALTERS, BLESSINGS!! THEY"RE PRETTY COOL!) Also, Mrs. Irwin's ending line, "I'm Mrs. Steve Irwin so I have a lot to live up to!" That you do, that you do.

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I might just make an attempt a podcast tomorrow. I'm off work and it's supposed to be a blah weather day so I might try it. I downloaded Castblaster which is supposed to make the creation process very simple. The trial period only allows for 10-minute shows so the margin for error is slim but it's a learning process, right? : ) My thought is to do some radio shows where I play some of my favorite tunes.
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Oh, and I got re-buzzed today, too. It's basically a crewcut, but a bit longer on top.

Funniest YouTube ever?

OK, I don't like cockroaches, but this unfortunate weatherman REALLY REALLY doesn't like them. Check it out here.

Concert update...

Last night I took in my first concert at Blueberry Hill's underground 'Duck Room.' The band was Hem and the concert was great! It was a can't-miss-it affair because it's probably the only time they'll tour outside of NYC with a full band. They brought along a mini-orchestra of clarinet, harp, and violin, due to the Americana-ness of their music. For $10, I felt I got my money's worth.

Bonus: Beatle Bob speaks! He introduced the band, much to my surprise. I'd never heard him speak, only do his signature dance moves at other concerts over the years. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Beatle Bob is a St. Louis thing, that's all you need to know! : )

This is a cell-phone picture of the concert.

Yes...

...I did go to the Great Forest Park Balloon Race yesterday...

Yes, there was wind, so the balloons were able to fly, however it was so breezy that only 30 of 70 balloons were able to launch.

Yes, I took lots of balloon pictures. Yes, I walked around for almost an hour to find a suitable vantage point.

Yes, that was The 5th Dimension's "Up, Up, and Away" playing over the loudspeakers as I was leaving the park.

How About Those Rammies??...

Can't score a TD to save their collective lives, but their kicker is like, really, really, good.

The Rams opened their season much better than they did last year. The 18-10 triumph over the Broncos of Denver surprised those who expected the opposite outcome. Our defense played a heck of a game (what, exactly, got into Leonard Little, anyway?) but our offense underwhelmed. 6 field goals beat 'em, folks. That's right. Our first team still hasn't scored a TD since last season. I can't wait to read the newspaper columns tomorrow.

The Birds lost 3 out of 4 in Arizona and 5 out of 7 on the road trip, continuing their limp into the postseason. To add insult to injury, I read today that team owners intend to ask for public funding to build their promised Ballpark Village. I Don't Think So!

Friday night I attended the wedding of my friends of A & J in the chapel of our church. It was a sweet ceremony dotted with moments of hilarity that everyone agreed made it a romantic comedy. The reception was downtown at the ultra-hip Windows on Washington. It was a unique reception for two reasons: Their DJ was an iPod, and they entered to the sound of "thunder sticks" given to each guest upon arrival. The bride works for our church, so nearly all of the pastoral staff and pastoral-types attended.

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I must confess that since childhood I have been fascinated with fire trucks. That interest has been heightened in recent years since I made friends with some folks in the fire-fighting and fire-dispatching business. Every year around this time I indulge myself at the St. Louis Fire Engine Rally. It's been happening for 23 years but this was only my second time to go downtown to experience it. Firefighters from St. Louis city and surrounding communities gather together to show off their equipment and talk shop. The highlight of the event for me is the parade of fire trucks. At 10:00 sharp a colorful procession of fire trucks old and new began parading down Market Street with sirens wailing. It was an impressive lineup and I took many pictures. I wandered around for a few minutes after the parade, then took off for church.

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Finally, I must tip my hat to my Mom and Dad. They took part in a 5k run on Saturday morning as part of their town's "Twin City Days" festivities. My dad placed 5th in his age group and my mom WON her age group! Gotta hand it to them for taking care of themselves.

Post-Labor Day Tuesday...

Had a nice weekend. I enjoyed a BBQ with friends in south St. Louis Saturday night. It was a 2 family flat in the Bevo neighborhood. I actually played bocce ball for the first time ever.

Sunday my grandpa and his wife came up for lunch, unfortunately because they had to accompany me and my mom to the funeral visitation for the dear wife of one my late Mamaw's cousins. She was a sweet lady and will be missed.

I did get in a bike ride on Grant's Trail later that evening, which felt very good. The weather has been great for the past week or so.

Monday I did chores and then headed out to a Labor Day BBQ with some new-ish friends. I barely knew most of the people there but it was a good time nonetheless.

Today's P-D has a great piece on So Taguchi, the Cardinals' first Japanese player. Read it here.

Finally, Hem's new CD "Funnel Cloud" releases today. I highly recommend it.

Crikey!...

Mr. Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, has died in the line of duty. Can't help but not be surprised that it hasn't happened before now. In his line of work, an early grave is always a danger, I guess.

Cool it!...

or so Mother Nature seems to have said to the air masses over the Midwest this week. The temperature has dropped nicely, at least for the time being. The heat wave of July is almost, almost a memory.

I had my regularly scheduled eye exam with my eye guy last week. He says my retinal tear healed nicely. It was a small tear, but worth fixing nonetheless. Even better, he says I should try to push back my retinal specialist's one-year exam another six months, since he has just now seen me. Somehow, my glasses prescription changed slightly for the better and I am shopping around for new frames. My eye guy's optical shop didn't have much to interest me and since they don't take my vision insurance anymore, well, thanks anyway!

Redecoration update: All eleven doors painted. The six closet doors installed very smoothly. However, the three bedroom doors, well, they gave my dad and I much difficulty, to put it nicely. Dad took them home to his shop and he assures me that he can make them all work. I got my new duvet cover cleaned and pressed because it came out of its package all rumpled up and it was bugging the heck out of me.

The parents and I met my brother and sister-in-law for dinner at Chuy Arzola's for dinner last evening. We hadn't seen them in over a month so it was good to re-connect for an hour or so. I ordered beef and cheese burritos served enchilada-style with chili and cheese. Delicious! Bro and sis-in-law are doing well and staying busy. They've got a vacation to Puerto Vallarta planned for their first anniversary in a couple of months.

Have to mention the Mark Lowry podcast again - his Wednesday edition (#79) features his two dogs, Beau and Stanley, wrestling it out in his living room. I found it very funny!

Cardinals update : The team's really struggling lately. Our starting pitching has holes in it and our relief pitching has been anything but a relief. Jimmy Ballgame is seeing more stars than fly balls lately and we're seriously bidding for 900-year-old David Wells to help us limp into the postseason. Desparate times call for desparate measures, I guess. It would be a shame for our brand new stadium to go dark this October.

Ah, but football season fast approaches and off I go to compete in Madden 2003! Yes it's old and out of date but I love it! : )

Interesting...

On his latest podcast, Mark Lowry interviews noted Christian speaker and retired college professor Tony Campolo. Mark asked him a question that a viewer had recently asked. The question had to do with Jesus' statement "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?". Tony offered an interesting explanation that I haven't heard before. Basically, Jesus wasn't wondering where God was, but simply pointing people back to Psalm 22. Psalm 22 prophetically described the crucifixion in great detail, including the triumphant resurrection at the end. If people read it all the way through, they would know that the crucifixion wasn't the end, but they should wait for Jesus to rise again. Has anyone else heard this point of view?

View the interview (podcast #74) here. It comes after the song.

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Jazz trumpeter and bandleader Maynard Ferguson has passed away at the age of 78. His trademark was his stratospheric trumpet solos that would often feature high notes that no one else could reach. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to the "Rocky" soundtracks (Gonna Fly Now). I saw him and his Big Bop Nouveau Big Band in concert at a local high school 10 years ago and was very much "jazzed" by the experience.

Weekend update...

Well here we are again, Sunday night in mid-America. I had a pretty good week, I suppose. I managed to engage in physical activity four nights in a row, which I am proud of. I worked out Monday and Wednesday nights, biked on Tuesday night, and played sand volleyball on Thursday night. Tuesday was my day off; my new blinds were installed in the morning and I did handyman stuff the rest of the day. I changed two old electrical outlets and labeled the breakers in my electrical panel (after six years of living in the house, I know!)

My redecorating is coming to a close right on schedule with summer. All the wall-painting is finished and the blinds are up. I am really pleased with the blinds, especially in my bedroom. The final phase is eleven (11!) new six-panel doors that I bought on Friday night. They will be painted to match the baseboards this week. My dad got most of the baseboards installed on Friday and he and I will get the doors hung after I paint them. Pictures will, of course, be forthcoming once I get everything in place, I promise.

Lunch was especially nice with my parents today. Ribeye steaks, potatotes, and hot bread make for a perfect late-summer meal. Later, as my dad and I were watching the Cardinals/Cubs game, my mom brought us a tray of warm cookies and milk. After she left, I looked at my dad and said something like 'my, but she's a good woman!' He agreed wholeheartedly.

Headline of the Week...

From the lead photo on my.yahoo.com, Saturday afternoon

Israeli raid in Lebanon strains truce



well, yeah, I suppose that would do it.

Five on Friday!

Return to Sender

1. How often do your letters/cards come back to you?

Once in a blue moon, or pretty much never.

2. If you buy something that turns out to be defective or broken, how likely are you to return it to the store or manufacturer?

very likely, since I paid good money for it!

3. Describe your own personal "return policy" for items you've purchased or received as gifts.

If I bought it and don't like it, then it goes back, regardless. For gifts, it's only happened once, and I returned it, after waiting much longer than I should have.

4. When you borrow library books, do you return then on time?

usually, though it's been more than a year since i borrowed a library book or CD.

5. What is your opinion on Elvis? Do you think he's really dead?

Quote from Toby Zeigler, speech writer for President Jed Bartlett:

"I want to make it clear: I could give a darn."

Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
What color is your car?

RED! - not fire-engine red, but a darker, crimson red

Soup
If you could wake up tomorrow with full training in another occupation and a job in that field, what would it be?

Jazz pianist!

Salad
How many times in your life have you had the flu (or something similar)?

probably only 4 or 5 times, that I can recall.

Main Course
What is something that has happened to you this week that you didn't expect?

I've taken possession of a new flat-screen LCD monitor for my computer at work, which I didn't expect. My boss ordered some to try out and he said I could have one!

Dessert

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

you mean other than mom-kisses? never!

John...are you still alive?...

...was the question asked as comment #4 in the post below, by kmom. : )

Well, yes, folks I am still alive; I slacked off on the ol' blog this week. A bit of review:

Monday night, my mom and dad came up to help me with more work on my bedroom. Mom made "Taco Soup" for supper (in my kitchen!)

I was off Wednesday, so I got in a good workout at the YMCA then my mom came up and helped me paint my family room. It ended up getting some redecoration along with the bedroom; new paint and vertical blinds for the sliding glass door. My dad came up later and installed new baseboards in my bedroom.

Wednesday night was the mock terrorism/disaster drill at Busch Stadium. It was an interesting, if underwhelming experience. I was a 'dry/evacuation' volunteer, which meant I did not get to be 'exposed' to any 'contaminants' and therefore needed no hosing off and was only evacuated from the stadium. I was sent to one of the party roooms (which are VERY nice, by the way) with 3 other people and we waited for the signal, then evacuated down to the street and out of the way of responding emergency agencies. Incidentally, while we were waiting to be briefed before the drill began, the actual Cardinals vs. Reds game was broadcast on the big screen. The assembled crowd of volunteers watched the game as if it were taking place in the stadium! : )

My cousin J. drove up for a visit on Friday. My parents and she met me for dinner at Tucker's on Friday evening, then we took in the IMAX 3-D version of "Superman Returns" at the local mega-plex. I can't recall the last time I saw anything in 3-D. It was a thrilling experience!

Don't look now, but another week is upon us... : )

Roasting By the River...

So it's early August and it's been like, really, really hot for a long time now. Thankfully no more storms have descended from the plains so my power has stayed on and my A/C has faithfully churned cool air througout my house.

Perhaps it was the heat, or maybe some subconscious desire for change. Either way, I directed my barber to give me a SHORT haircut last week and he obliged. The back and sides are crewcut-length blended up to a short and spiky top. I love it because I can style it with my fingers, with no need for comb or brush. Yes, I'm now using 'product.' : ) Well, I actually have been since last fall but now more than ever. No pictures just yet, since my glasses broke again and I'm currently wearing my old pair. I'll post a new user pic next week.

Still working on my bedroom. Blinds have been ordered from 3 Day Blinds. I decided on faux-wood venetian blinds for both windows. I also ordered new vertical blinds for the sliding glass door in my family room. Baseboards have been bought and painted. I also bought 2 new rugs for the room. I was pleased that both the bedroom blinds and the rugs were on sale!

I volunteered to take part in a mock disaster drill at Busch Stadium next Wednesday night. Should be interesting. Mother Nature actually got a bit of a jump on the stadium when the Thunderstorm O' Doom rolled through on July 21. : )

A disaster is already in the making at Busch! The Cardinals are exasperating fans with their less-than-stellar play as of late. After getting beat down in 4 games in Chicago, they've relocated the beatings to Busch with the Phillies in town for 3 games. Something's gotta give soon if we want to make it to October.

MyTunes updated today.

A Theological Conundrum...

The Chicago Cubs have a player whose name really is Angel Pagan. As he is Latin American, his name is pronounced "An-hel Pa-GON." Otherwise, as Cardinals radio broadcaster Rick Horton noted, his name would be a theological conundrum...

It made me chuckle! : )

Pilgrimage...

Today, I joined my dad and 2 other men from our church (OK, one was the pastor so he's a holy man) on their annual pilgrimage to SEMO for watermelons and peaches. We stopped at two watermelon stands and ended up at Bader's for peaches. They have quite the operation these days, shipping peaches all over Missouri and points beyond as well as selling on-site. Their peaches have been at my local Dierbergs Market for a couple of weeks but I wanted to wait until I could buy them straight from the factory, if you will. We also made a stop at the John Deere shop to visit my papaw. My cousin J. joined us for pork steak dinners at Earnhart's before we headed for home. A good time was had by all, we agreed.

Podcasts...

There are a couple of video podcasts that I watch regularly. The Mark Lowry Show is produced by--you guessed it--Christian entertainer Mark Lowry. Through that podcast I learned of Geekbrief.tv, which features Cali Lewis, who briefly goes over new gadgets and tech-geek stuff every day. Bonus: She features each day's bloopers at the end of each show!

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So I'm thinking seriously about getting a dog. An adult dog who already knows how to be a dog, is trained properly, etc... The house is just a little too quiet for comfort and I need something to keep me from descending into couch potato land too often. I've been trolling the various local breed-rescue websites and also Petfinder to see what's available.

The lights are on...

but nobody's home at the moment because I'm at work! : ) My electricity came back on sometime during the overnight hours. Many thanks to my parents for putting me up for 4 nights.

I had a nice reunion with a couple of old pals last night. A few years ago I was in a great small bible study group with 5 other guys at church. We became rather close but as time went on we inevitably went our separate ways. The two of us that left town were back in town for the weekend and we all broke bread together with other old friends last night. Good times!

3 days and counting...

I'm writing tonight from my parents' house because it's Saturday night and my house still has no electricity! I can stand to be there only for a few hours at a stretch because it's still so warm inside. My outlook has been optimistic so far but I must admit a certain irritation and aagravation is beginning to creep into my psyche as this outage drags on. I did get my yard cleaned up today, which was very satisfying. Hopefully, I'll be powered back up by tomorrow.

In happier news, I did get my new bed linens purchased today. I did go with the aforementioned Pottery Barn products - duvet cover/shams, bright red pickstitch quilt and sheet set. I purchased a down comforter at Famous Barr as well. As for paint, it took a couple of trips to the paint store to get just the right color but I think it will pull everything together nicely. I promise to post pictures when the room is done.