Girly Rasslin'...

It seems my alma mater Missouri Baptist U. is ahead of the curve for once. P-D sports columnist Kathleen Nelson writes that MBU is going to field a women's wrestling team next fall. They'll be just the eighth college in the country at any level to do so.

Oh the Missouri Baptist Convention is going to love this... : ) Oh, wait, they don't love MBU as it is.

Townhouse For Sale...

My bro and sis-in-law have put their house on the market this week. They need more room now that Miss Lydia is on the scene.. It's a great house in a great city location and it shows very, very well. Interested? Leave a comment or follow the link below.

See it here.

Boob Tube Groove...

I decided to take the plunge tonight. At the risk of promoting a monopoly, I ordered up AT&T's new television service with a souped-up internet connection thrown in. After Sunday it'll be goodbye Charter, hello 100 channels of U-verse goodness.

In other, less glamorous news, I'm taking a day off work tomorrow to get my car serviced and a tooth serviced at the dentist. Bleh.

Easter 2008

This was what was going on periodically throughout Easter Sunday in these parts. Cloudburst snow showers! On Easter Sunday! We didn't get a white Christmas but we got a (periodically) white Easter. I guess God wanted to remind us that because of Easter our sins are washed white as snow. A good visual aid if you ask me!

I attended church with my parents in Festus. My dad sang with the choir so my mom and I sat together. She's been away from home much of the past two months caring for my grandfather and I've not seen much of her. Much to my surprise, she cooked up a great Easter lunch. Ham, green beans, her FAMOUS (to me) potato salad, and her FAMOUS (again, to me) banana puddin' for dessert. It was totally unexpected but much appreciated. My bro and sis-in-law and Adorable Lydia spent the weekend in Columbia with the in-laws.

For My Aunt M., Who Reads This Blog...

I injected myself with a shot of culture on Saturday night. The St. Louis Symphony performed Joseph Haydn's oratorio "The Creation" (or, "Die Schöpfung", which is more fun to say). The P-D's classical music critic deemed it a "not-miss" in her preview of the performance so I decided to go. I had to pay $48 plus change to sit just below the nosebleed section of cavernous Powell Hall. It was worth the price of admission and more. The symphony, chrous, and guest soloists all performed beautifully.

Here's the P-D's review from Sunday's paper.

Side note: the bass soloist was the Italian opera singer Ildebrando D'Arcangelo. Now there's a name!

You Know, I've Done This Before...

I was doing an online chat with a Hewlett-Packard tech support representative (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) today. I needed assistance troubleshooting one of their deskjet printers that had a couple of front panel lights blinking ominously. After I briefed him on my situation and how I had tried to fix it so far, I kid you not, he asked me this question:

"Did you turn it off and back on again?"

I've been in the tech support business over ten years now, buddy, so, yeah, I tried that.

We went back and forth for almost an hour before he gave up after searching in vain for a record of my printer's serial number. He finally punted, directing me to call the phone support tomorrow.

Unfortunate Reality...

My company announced a round of layoffs today. 31 people got the ax. This was completely unexpected, though not surprising. My company's industry as a whole is struggling, due to the effects of the internet and our struggling economy. Many other companies similar to mine are playing out the same scenarios. Editor and Publisher magazine tells the story well here. My department was not affected (cut back the tech support folks at your own risk, people!) and was never in any danger. A small group of people within our division did lose someone, though.

I've been fortunate in my 10+ years at my company. Never before in the company's history has there been a layoff of this magnitude. I've never been present when someone had to gather their belongings and leave as I was first thing this morning (I was helping someone in that person's department.) The whole affair was a bit mucked up when our website published the news of the layoffs before we were notified internally. I don't know yet exactly who all is leaving but it's likely I knew them. That part hurts.

I was briefly nervous even though I knew I was safe. What if I did have to leave? Am I employable enough?, etc...

Luckily, I had planned ahead and took the afternoon off. I was on call after-hours for the past 7 days and had a half-day coming, as a result. The mood was uniformly somber around the building so I was glad I was leaving. The local NBC affiliate had a news reporter parked outside on the sidewalk. She asked me if I knew anything and I gave her a polite "no comment" as I walked by.

A walk in the woods seemed to be in order so I gathered up Chili and headed out to Castlewood for a few hours. The weather was perfect this afternoon; cool breezes and bluff-top views are just the thing to ease a guy's stress level.

New Musical Goodness...

Thanks to Dusty Groove America I have a couple of new imported CDs coming my way in the next week. Swing Out Sister has a new CD just out in Japan and since an American release isn't guaranteed I am splurging to get the Japanese version. The other CD I bought is what I'm more excited about. Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends' 1968 self-titled album was released on CD by a small British record label a few years back. Swing Out Sister used a sample of one of its songs on their last CD and I've been trying to acquire the entire album since. It's all about California sunshine pop music and if the samples I've heard are any indication, it'll be worth the wait.

The Definition Of "Classic Movie"...

Memo to American Movie Classics - "Death Wish 3" does NOT qualify as a classic movie. Charles Bronson notwithstanding.

Baby Love...

My niece Lydia was 2 months old yesterday!

Snow Angel...

The predicted snowstorm happened today; ALL day it did. I was discouraged greatly when I awoke this morning at 6 a.m. and nothing was happening. By 8:00, however, the snow was falling in earnest. It took a small break in the early afternoon but soon resumed with renewed fervor and didn't stop until after 5:00 p.m. Driving to work was treacherous but the drive home was almost normal. I measured between 5 and 6 inches at my house. This snowstorm formed a narrow band of intense snow that fell mainly in the St. Louis County area. Areas just to the west and east were barely touched. Chili didn't react any differently to this snow than she did with the previous snows. I made the above snow angel in my front yard after I shoveled my driveway this evening.


OK, Mom Nature - you've unleashed your last blast of winter; bring the Spring! : )

Body Worlds 3...

I checked out the Body Worlds 3 exhibition at the St. Louis Science Center last night. It closes tonight after being here for several months. All objections about exploitation, voyeurism, where did the bodies come from aside, I found it to be a fascinating experience. It was fascinating to see how intricately designed our bodies are. How great is our God to create us so perfectly and wonderfully! I especially wanted to see how the human knee is designed because I fractured my kneecap almost 8 years ago and I realized again how foolish I was to injure it in the manner I did.

We'll leave it at that.
......................................

In weather news, the temperature has soared into the 70s today but, guess what! Winter returns! Tomorrow with heavy rain changing to sleet, snow, and other forms of slippery, icy goodness! Tuesday! Chance of heavy snow!

This has to end soon because Chili's doggie body has signaled its winter fur coat to begin shedding and I'm NOT buying her a cute doggie sweater. Non-negotiable.

Name That Tune...

I changed the quote up above just now - can any of my readers name the song from which it is taken?

(EDIT: The song is "Marie LeVeaux" by the man himself, Bobby Bare. It plays regularly on the classic country radio station I listen to but the deejay seemingly never names the song or artist. It's hard to imagine that song making on radio today.)

The Looming Apocalypse...

Better get your Starbucks while you can today. According to published reports, every, yes I said EVERY Starbucks coffee house is closing tonight between 5:30 and 9:00 p.m. local time for a "barista re-education" time.

This calls for worldwide standby of local, regional, state, and national law enforcement officials!

No, this is not the only blog about this story.

That Little Embarassing Detail...

James Brockman "Brock" Olivo was a standout football player at the University of Missouri during the mid-1990s. After college he enjoyed a brief career in the NFL. He's recently declared his intention to run for the Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Kenny Hulshof. (Hulshof is running for Governor of Missouri after Matt Blunt declined to run for re-election.)

According to a story in today's Post-Dispatch, public records show that Olivo has NEVER voted in any election since he's been eligible to vote. He admits to being a "recovering apathetic."

Would you vote for Olivo, knowing this fact?

..................

Also, Ralph Nader - please sit down and shut up. You're an irrelevant nuisance.

That is all.

Ah, Winter!...

Chili was pleased with the ice rink that became my backyard after Thursday's sleet storm.

The ice melted away on Saturday but a new blanket of snow fell overnight.

The view from my kitchen window, looking over my backyard.

Snow always beautifully coats the holly bushes by my front porch.

Slip Slidin' Away...

Chili and I awoke early this morning to a sleet storm. The "significant winter storm" that was predicted arrived much earlier than was forecast. Consequently, the early commute was one big wreck seemingly everywhere. My drive into downtown was thankfully uneventful. I used common sense, believe it or not, and drove slowly with at least one car space between me and other vehicles. Once again I bundled up in my ski pants and heaviest winter coat and hat/gloves ensemble. My house saw about an inch or so of pure sleet. We're in between storms at the moment with another wave of ice on the way. This officially makes this winter the harshest in several years.

I am reminded of a Pat Metheny Group tune from their "Letter From Home" CD - "Spring Ain't Here." Indeed.
....................

I don't often get personal on this blog, but if you're so inclined, keep my family in your prayers. My grandpa's cancer came back last summer and all attempts at fighting it have failed. He is now in hospice care at home and will be leaving us soon.

The Spoils Of Victory...

I had a rather profitable evening last night. I was part of a trivia team participating in a fundraiser trivia night for the St. Louis Spikes semi-pro baseball team. It was only my third trivia night but the third time was the charm. My team WON by 1 point! We split a $500 prize amongst ourselves, so it was $50 each minus the $20 entry fee so we each saw a $30 profit for a hard night's work. Not bad, I'd say. I think it was the pre-trivia Bandana's BBQ that helped me. : )

Dude...

I believe it was Elton John who said, "sad songs say so much." Sometimes, however, only one word is needed.

Another For The List Of Blogs I Am Reading...

I have added a link to Whipp Adventures on Blogspot. It's authored by my old friend Melissa Whipp. She was among the first people I met when I began attending the church I belong to now, back in the summer of 2001. I quickly grew to appreciate her unique personality. She married an Aussie musician in 2004 and they now live in Colorado. I recently re-connected with her via Facebook (*Yay* social networking) and enjoyed catching up with her.