Nine Things

I'm really not feeling one of the books I'm currently reading.  There are simply too many characters and unfamiliar words to take in, thrown at you all at once.  Typically I'm okay with this, but this is just too frantic and too different for me to take in right now.  I think I'm gonna take a break from it and read something else for a bit first and then try again.

Similarly, I had someone recommend a book to me, and I devoured its 120 pages in record time.  I'm now re-reading it, this time aloud to Keisha.  I've scribbled and highlighted and noted so many different things.  Expect a review next week.  Honestly, though, it's a life-changing philosophy that has made me rethink a lot of my outlook on things.  Amazing.

I've finally got around to uploading my song I did for the Good Friday service, a cover of Leeland's "Carried to the Table."  I'm rather proud of it.

I'm also rather proud of the flash fiction piece that I'm putting up tomorrow.  It's called "The Hollis Idaho Incident."  The idea just hit me, and I banged it out in a handful of minutes.  It's easy to see the inspiration behind it, but still, I think it's a fun little piece, and I hope you (read it) enjoy it.

Oho, tomorrow, tomorrow, I've got an "informal" meeting.  Not sure what we're discussing, but we're driving 2 hours for a 2 hour meeting.  These things used to make me all nervy, but after the life-changing philosophy and a hefty dose of meh, I'm ready for it.

Yeah, that was me playing Fallout New Vegas yesterday.  I was off, it was 90 degrees, and I didn't much feel like doing anything.  I think that's the first time I've had the game on in over a month.  I've still not beat it.  Too many side quests.  Nevertheless, a few hours in the Mojave Wastes made for a fun afternoon.

Off topic, but in seriousness, I'd appreciate any prayers for Keisha.  She's had chest pain off-and-on for a few years now, but the pregnancy has made it more acute.  She had a heart test done, which came back with inconclusive results, and they scheduled another type of test.  This one came back with the announcement that she has a "moderate sized hole" in her septum.  It's called a PFO (Patent foramen ovale), which is a rather common heart defect, and generally is treatable with a heart catheter or surgery.  Of course, her being pregnant tends to complicate the things, and she's been stressed, so, yeah.  You know.  And thanks.

Oh yeah, and you know what else?  A Blog of Note the other day took me to a place called Grilled Cheese Social.  This blogger apparently makes mean, awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, and she takes nice pictures of them, too.  Check it out for a long list of many delicious looking recipes guaranteed to make you salivate.

Okay then.

Fleeting Hymn #2b

I'm having *difficulties* writing the review to the life-changing book I mentioned last week.  I suppose that's to be expected.  The draft, so far, is looong, which qualifies it as a Review+ instead of a typical review.  But, if I keep going, it may reach Review++ status, which would be a first.

Keisha met with the cardiologist Tuesday.  I wish all doctors were as great as this guy was.  He obviously read and was familiar with Keisha's file before he entered the room, and his care and assurance were obvious.  Thankfully, and praise God, I might add, he sees no cause for immediate concern, and says that she can continue on with the labor plans as normal (instead of an induction and C-section).  She does have high BP, which is a somewhat common concern many pregnant women face, but other than that, the cardiologist sees nothing as bad as Keisha feared.

I'm almost a hundred pages into Scalzi's Old Man's War, which showed up at my house in an unmarked padded envelope one evening with the post.  Through careful deduction and innocent skullduggery, I tracked down who sent it to me.  It's a reader of this blog.  So thanks for that gift, and I'm really enjoying it so far. 

(As a side, it's amazing how generous bloggers and blog-readers are.  Humanity, it seems, hasn't hit the crapper yet.  Sure, there are jerks out there, and we're all idiots, but as far as I can tell, the readers of Rememorandom are some of the finest out there.)

There once was a band that had a single on a Paste sampler I once owned.  This song always brought a smile to my ears (?) whenever it entered the straits of my iPod.  And then, later, there was another free single from the band, which again was marvelous.  But that was as far as I got with them.  Until recently.  For you see, I was perusing the cd shelves in the library when, by crazy random happenstance, I saw their eponymous album.  I checked it out and have nearly swooned with tweenage giddiness at their delightful harmonies and exotic sounds.  I am talking about Dr. Funke's 100 Percent Natural Good Time Family Band Solution Fleet Foxes.  Oh my.  Fleet Foxes' Fleet Foxes is an amazing album.  Wow.  Now I need to wait for Amazon to put it on their $5 mp3 albums and get it.  Listen to this all the way to the end.  How awesome is that?

I miss Arrested Development...  Sure, Modern Family is pretty funny, but there's nothing out there that compares to the humor AD had.  Not even How I Met Your Mother, which, let's face it, is losing steam.  Uh, what?

I'm rambling.  Must be time to end this sucker.  Maybe a review tomorrow, I dunno.  Probably no flash-fic, unless I get a chance to edit some.  We'll see.  Okay then.

Happy 4th Anniversary

I would like to take this time to say (publicly) happy anniversary to my sweet, funny, compassionate, beautiful, loving, pregnant wife.  Four years ago today I was up and getting ready to marry the love of my life.  Then, a few hours and several hangman games later, we both said "I do."

So thanks for putting up with me all these years.  I hope my craziness hasn't rubbed off too much.  I love you.

Remembering Louisville

Saturday afforded me the chance to return to my college town.  Keisha had a Pampered Chef conference downtown and she had to be there early.  I offered to drive, and together we hit the road before 5am, crossing the CST/EST time zone and journeying into the future.  I dropped her off at the site, walked her to the door, and spent the rest of the day largely alone.

I say alone.  Perhaps I should use a different word, as I wasn't alone, per se, but I was in no one's immediate company, either.  Truly, in a city as populated as Louisville, being alone is probably a thing more of the mind.  Anyway, I spent the morning in my favorite coffee shop, Sunergos.  I enjoyed going there and studying, listening to the mellow tunes and breathing the pleasing aroma of coffee.  So I ordered me a plain coffee and sat at a table and read for four hours.  I started with a little bible study, and after that I read a massive chunk of the unpublished manuscript I'm reviewing.  All I can say is that it's a piece of solid writing with a very interesting magical system and some fascinating world history.  I wish the author the best at getting it published.

As lunch time neared, I packed up my stuff and headed off to my favorite deli, Franks.  It's hard to describe how perfect, how amazing Frank's is.  Their cold-cut sandwiches are cheap and unbeatable in taste.  I got a roast beef and colby with lettuce on wheat for $3.  That may seem high, but the claim to fame for Frank's is that there's enough meat and filling on the sandwiches that it's hard to finish.  I've ordered sandwiches from there before and taken off enough meat to fix me another lunch from the excess.  This sandwich was a good 4.5-5.5" thick, if not more, and it was very filling.

After I had my lunch I drove to campus and parked behind the engineering buildings.  Saturday was nice and sunny, not too cool, so I walked from the parking lot over to the library, taking my time and remembering campus.  A lot's changed since I graduated.  It's been two years since I sat foot on UofL's grounds, but it was still very much the same campus.  My afternoon at the library went a lot like the morning.  I ate and read, a little from the STAR WARS book, but mostly from the manuscript.

This doesn't sound terribly exciting, spending a day cooped up inside reading, but I have to say, I quite enjoyed myself.  The joy ended when Keisha and I decided to drive to the mall.  The mall of St. Matthews is a somewhat special place to us.  You see, I proposed to my wife at this mall.  I didn't plan to propose at this mall, but it just kinda happened.

I planned to propose beneath the fireworks and heavenly spectacle of Thunder Over Louisville.  I planned to take her to the river and get down on one knee.  Instead, that darned ring in my pocket kept whispering things to me, making vain promises and offering visions of grandeur.  We were at the mall, sitting outside the JC Pennys beneath a copse of indoor trees and beside a mediocre fountain.  Things get a little blurry, but I vaguely remember kneeling and mumbling and talking and saying a bunch of stuff about love and that stuff and pulling out a ring and people looking at us and her face and...  Yeah.  I hadn't planned on proposing there, but it just happened.  The Precious willed it so...

I don't know why, but the city's entire population was converged at or near the St. Matthews mall.  We idled in traffic for a long time before finally getting to the mall, and then we idled more as we waited forever to find a parking spot.  Red Robbin (yum) was good for dinner, but after that we were ready to get the heck out of the city.

It's a shame.  There are so many wonderful things about Louisville that I love and miss.  However, there's plenty there to keep me far away, too, like the radiation.  I guess now that the meteor's fallen and decimated the town I'll never get to go back again.  Too bad, too.  I wonder if my alma mater will rise above the wastes and request donations to help rebuild?  Did the coffee shop survive?  News reports say that there weren't many survivors, and those that did have some kind of weird glow about them now and they're all quarantined in some secret location.  I guess it's good that we got out of the city before it happened, eh?

Happy Valentine's day!

Updates! Baby, Life, Movies, Games, Etc.

Chiefly being that we found out yesterday the sex of our baby, plus some ultrasound pictures, and other stuff.
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1.  Stewart Little, as we've affectionately been calling the fetus, is now sexed, or at least is now sexed to us.  Keisha and I are proud to say that we're having a GIRL.  So it's gonna be me, Keisha, Stewart Little, Stella, and Sofie.  I say I'm vastly outnumbered here...

Aren't those images crazy?  Watching the little bugger squirm and kick and move and punch and everything yesterday was quite surreal, and it's amazing to know that I helped make her.  See the little feet!  The face still looks alien and skeletal, but I'm smitten.  It was funny how hyper and active she was, too, but everything looked great and healthy, and we thank God for that.

2.  We ordered our crib, changing table, and dresser last night from JC Penny.  I applied for a credit card to save an additional 10% off, was approved, and then found out my limit was $50 less than what the total cost was.  So I called Penny's and requested an immediate credit increase of $100 and got that taken care of.  Then I went to finish the purchase and was asked to enter my credit card info, which I didn't have as I had no card yet, so I made another phone call.  Everything was going well until my phone died about 20 minutes into the call, so I had to call back and repeat the entire process.   All said and done, I spent about 45 minutes on the phone working it all out, but in the end we got our stuff ordered and now we're waiting for the backorder to fill and ship.

3.  My paycheck is currently 19 days late, which is to say that I'm technically due two checks, as another is now 5 days late.  This is confusing, as my firm was awarded a 10+ million dollar contract recently (though obviously we've seen no money from this yet, as the project is in its early infancy).  I simply ask for your prayers in all this stuff, knowing God will provide and take care, but it's quite stressful, too.

4.  My brother returned from Afghanistan over the weekend, and I got to see him on Saturday.  We spent an hour or so sitting around and just talking, and it was great.  I'm very thankful God watched over him and kept him safe.  His unit encountered Taliban forces 41 times, and he was part of about 35 of those encounters, so God definitely saw to him.

5.  My reading life is hectic.  I'm listening to an audio book at work (Terry Brooks' Bearers of the Black Staff), and nearly finished.  I'm finally reading a STAR WARS book that I've been waitlisted on for a while.  I also checked out Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes (so many great reviews already) yesterday, which was purchased by my request to the library.  I really want to start this soon, as I won't be able to renew it, since its waitlist is already growing.  And then I'm reading an unpublished manuscript for someone, which has been quite enjoyable so far, and I'm about halfway through that.  And then there's the smattering of graphic novels and comics I need to read and return.  (Oh, and let's not even consider the time I'm spending playing Dead Space 2.)  All of this on my plate and knowing Pat Rothfuss' The Wise Man's Fear will be shipped to my house come early March.  So much to read...

6.  As for Dead Space 2, it's been phenomenal.  It's captured all of the terror and features of gameplay the first one had and upped the graphics and added better controls.  The plot has been crazy; the necromorphs plentiful; the fear tense.  I've only got a chapter or two left before I beat the game, and I've really enjoyed this play through.

7.  We watched two James Bond films over the weekend: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.  Neither Keisha nor myself have seen much (or any) of Bond, but we both liked these movies.  Daniel Craig does great, and I'm looking forward to diving into more Bond, especially adding the older ones onto my Netflix queue.

8.  So much going on in life right now that there's no way I could cover it all.  At times I'm stressed.  Other times I'm amazed.  Sometimes I'm sickened and dismayed.  Through it all I look to Jesus and try to live like Him.  I fail, I know, but I try.

The Weekend Account of Firefly, Tennis, Beer, Church, Shoes, and Avatar

WARNING: A LONG POST BE AHEAD.

Keisha left for a week on Friday at noon o’clock, heading down to Daytona with her family while I stay here in beautiful, warm and humid Kentucky.  My friend Adam came over Friday afternoon and we hung out until last night.  It’s always enjoyable hanging out with friends you don’t see too often.

We drove up to Evansville on Friday night.  There are two nice used bookstores up there that I had a coupon for and wanted to look for some graphic novels.  Sadly, neither had what I was looking for, though I did get Keisha an Anne of Green Gables book for her collection.  When we were done with that we came back to Owensboro and stopped by the comic store, spending an hour basking in the glow of geekery.  I fully admit that I’m a geek.  I’m weird.  I’m odd.  But walking into the comic store on a Friday night when there are different role-playing games and Marvel Clicks events unfolding on the tables makes me feel a bit more normal than I normally do.  Though, honestly, I think I could relate to those people more so than I could to the other end of the social classes.  I’ve never really been one to fit into a clique.  Cliques are scary.  Anyway, I picked up the latest issue of Star Wars Legacy (#48) and we headed to Stewartland. 

At home I wanted Adam to watch Firefly, as he’d never seen it before and I just got my blu-ray in the mail.  So we started the ill-fated, beloved show that night and wound up staying awake until 3am watching Mal and the gang.  I still don’t understand why the show got the axe, just like Arrested Development, and I never will.  Nevertheless, Adam enjoyed it.  At some point Stella started yelping and barking in agony and it scared me pretty bad.  At first I thought Sofie had bit her, then we thought she might have been stung or bit by an insect.  She was limping and quite pitiful.  So I rubbed on her leg and she finally calmed down after several minutes of tenseness.

Saturday morning I woke up early and decided to play Heavy Rain while Adam slept.  I wound up beating the game and was mostly satisfied with my performance.  There are a few things I’d do differently, but overall the game was fun and the story was certainly intense.  The temperatures soared to the hundred degree mark and over with the heat index around lunch time, but that didn’t stop us from playing a little tennis and disc golf.  I think this was my first disc golf outing since January or February, and I pretty much sucked the entire course.  Still, it was fun.  We watched some more Firefly that evening and wound up talking about different things.  I had never had a beer or an ale before, and Adam wanted to take me to a bar and buy me one.  I agreed, but if I didn’t like it he was going to drink it.

The bar was nice.  Very clean.  Well-lit.  Excellent decor.  Beatles music was playing.  Charlie Chaplin was on the big screen.  He picked me out a drink (he wanted me to try Blue Moon, but the bar didn’t have it, so instead I got Indian Pale Ale) and the bartender put the foamy beverage in front of me.  I have to admit, the smell was much more pleasant than I was expecting, something akin to apple juice and white wine.  Unfortunately, the flavor tasted like drinking carbonated water, of which I am not a fan.  His drink also tasted like crap, though again the smell wasn’t that bad.  I sampled one other thing, some sort of really dark-like-Coke drink, and did not like it either.  I guess I’m just a wine and liquor kind of person if I’m to drink.  I wound up just drinking water, something much tastier than all that other junk I tried.

We were getting ready to leave when Adam struck up with a loner sitting beside him.  The man was from New Zealand, currently living in Kentucky working for a farm entrepreneur.  We wound up talking to this guy for three hours.  The man, Matthew, was hilarious.  We talked about the differences between New Zealand culture and American culture.  Differences between words we use.  Life in the country and life in the cities.  All in all the conversation was fun, funny, and pleasant.  Plus, I’d never met anyone from NZ before, so that was cool.

After midnight we headed home and finished off disc two of Firefly, finally falling asleep near 2am.  Stella had another incident like Friday night, though this time I was watching her when it happened.  The dogs were playing and Stella moved somehow that popped her knee out of place.  (Her other back knee used to do this, but it never pained her.)  I’m guessing this knee joint is tight and the thing is hurting her more than the other leg did.  I put the thing back in place and he immediately quit yelping, though she walked timidly.

Sunday morning Adam went to church with me.  Our normal pastor, Bro. James Dean, is gone on vacation right now, so the youth pastor led service.  Bro. Will preached a strong message on faith and church and the mediocrity of most American Christians.  It was an exceptional and challenging message.  At the end of the service he untied his shoes and placed them at the altar, telling the congregation that Christianity is a challenge to be active.  He was walking out without his shoes and invited the rest of the congregation to do the same.  The shoes would be collected and taken to the local shelter (which happens to be the one me and Alex lead worship at). 

How many pairs of shoes do we have and how many do we need?  How many people walk around without them, or with shoes that are held together by a thread?  It’s odd.  That morning, before church, I actually took the time to think about wearing my favorite New Balances or just some simple sandals.  I opted for the tennis shoes.  And then during the service I remember crossing my legs and thinking, I like these shoes.  They’re in good condition and look pretty good.  Then we get the challenge at the end of the service and I put my shoes at the altar.  Truly, how many pairs of shoes do I need?

Worship at the shelter was a bit disheartening.  No one showed up, music practice was rough (I forgot my thin pick and had to use some horrible thick thing), and it was hot.  They were thankful for the shoes, though.  Three garbage bags were collected.  That’s around 50 pairs of shoes.  In some ways that’s impressive, that fifty people would remove and give away their shoes for someone else who needs/wants them.  On the other hand, there were between 200-300 people at the service, and the 50 pairs is rather indicative of our good ole American Christian Culture.

Sunday night service was equally impressive and more moving.  Instead of a normal song-prayer-preach formulaic church service, we had a time of prayer and worship.  We played music continually, lifting up songs and praising God for His majesty.  We prayed with purpose, with passion, with determination, with faith.  I felt worship, in my heart.  It’s hard to play and pray and sing and keep an eye on the worship leader.  The service lasted around an hour, and I loved every minute of it.  To me, that is what church is.  Desiring God, longing to bring Him glory and honor, desperate to give Him praise.  He is worthy of it all, and I don’t think our church (or many others) truly worship Him on Sundays.  We get into familiar patterns and repeat familiar songs and pray familiar prayers.  This is not worship.

After the night service I went and ate with Alex and Rachael and then went home.  I was exhausted.  Staying up late like that is something I rarely do.  I’m usually in bed by eleven or midnight, so I guess I was just groggy over the lack of sleep.  Nevertheless, I had my final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender to start, and I couldn’t go to bed without watching at least one episode.  I popped in the DVD and snuggled up on the couch with the dogs.  Episode One, “The Awakening,” was great, and I’m eager to finish the series.  It’s definitely joined the ranks of being one of my favorite shows.  Hopefully the show ends on a positive note, but I’m expecting dark things for the future. 

So the weekend was long, but it was fun.  I was busy, but in a good way.  Throughout the days we worked several crossword puzzles, watched some good television, played some humid tennis, and glorified God.  All in all, a very good weekend but for one thing.

I miss Keisha.  Her absence hit me Saturday night when I lay down with the dogs.  I couldn’t begin to imagine not having her in my life.  I love her more than I love any other living person, and I know I don’t tell her enough.  She truly is my best friend, and I’m ready for her to get home again.  Of course, with her gone down to Florida, I can play all the video games I want to and not worry.  Woe is me.

A Memorial Day Well Spent

Memorial Day is a special holiday to me for two reasons.  First, my brother is in the army, currently serving on his second tour, this time in Afghanistan.  His job is dangerous (though he assures us that it’s not really that bad), as he is constantly on the road, driving as an armed escort to and from places.  This puts him in harm’s way more than I like to think.  Thankfully, he’s never had any problems, and prayerfully, he never will.  He will be returning to the States for a two week R&R in August, and then ending his tour next January or March.

The second reason Memorial Day is special is really more of a bittersweet reason.  Keisha’s dad passed away shortly after we started dating.  She was sixteen.  I was a freshman in college.  I remember getting that frantic phone call and I dropped everything and sped home, making the two hour trip in almost half the time.  The loss of her father was life-changing for her and her family.  Keisha still struggles from time to time with it, and it’s painful to go through something like that. 

On Memorial Day, I think about these things.  I remember the people that have given up their lives for our country.  I thank God that we live in a place where we do have freedom.  And even though we like to complain and bicker and argue over our rights, at the end of the day, our country is still far better off than many other places in the world.  I also like to remember the loved ones that have gone on.  Many of them are in a better place, and these thoughts are things that truly bring a smile to my face.

Yesterday, on Memorial Day, Keisha and I got up early and drove to a flea market.  We spent the surprisingly cool morning shopping around for deals and bargains (I bought Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box for fifty cents! and Fallout3 for $15!).  We enjoyed just looking at the odd things people try to sell.  We enjoyed our time there, and afterwards we went to Keisha’s mom’s house to spend some time at home.

Keisha is teaching a VBS class next week, and the theme is western.  Keisha grew up with horses, though the desire to ride them stagnated after her dad’s death.  He was going up to the barn to shoe some horses, and on his way there, he had a heart attack and collapsed near the barn.  The horses were kept up until just a few weeks ago, when they finally were sold.  I went to help Keisha get some saddles and other things from the tack room.  The room was dark, dusty, musty, dirty, and all-out undesirable.  I bravely ventured inside, armed with a pitchfork, and slowly procured the few things she wanted.  After all was removed, we headed down to sit under a shade tree and clean the stuff.  It took all afternoon, wiping down and oiling the leather saddles, washing away years of dust and grime.

The whole time, I’m sure Keisha was thinking of things years back, when things were simpler and life hadn’t yet been disrupted.  I know I was.  I would do anything to be able to have her dad back, but I know there’s nothing I can do.  Hope for the future is the only reassurance I can offer her, a faith that promises a reunion in heaven.

At the end of the day, we were both exhausted and filthy.  Memorial Day was filled with a business that wasn’t restful, but at the same time, it was fun to be home with family.  It was nice to work outside on things.  It’s easy to see that life slows down in the country, and this is one of the things I love about where I grew up.  Rural life is more pleasant than I can describe, and simplicity really does rule the day.  While I don’t consider my current home to be rural, ultimately Keisha and I both want to move back to the country. 

Once again, I want to thank all of the men and women who have served our country.  They deserve honor and recognition for what they do.  I, for one, will never slight them, and I pray you never will, either.  And for those who have lost loved ones, I offer you my condolences.  I truly believe God knows best, and that’s a faith I will die believing.

Car Wreck

I got one of those phone calls you never want to get yesterday afternoon.  Keisha called, crying and very upset.  She was in a car accident.  It was her first wreck.  She pulled out of the high school (where she’s currently student teaching) and looked down for a second to adjust the volume of the radio.  When she looked up, she slammed on her brakes, but she collided with another vehicle that was stopped at a red light.  This vehicle hit another car, and that one slid into another car.  So four cars were involved, and at least two were totaled, Keisha’s and the car in front of her.  Thankfully, nobody was injured.  Keisha’s got a big purple bruise from her seat-belt, but other than that she’s just emotionally shaken up.

My blogging may be absent for the next few days as life is now very, very busy.  I’ll also very likely be traveling on a work trip next week and will likely be away from a computer, but I won’t find out for sure until later this week.  I’ll try to have up something again soon, but I make no promises.

Wish us luck.  Thanks for reading.

Weekended, a Video Game Aside, and the Winner

Wow, what a weekend.  Drove down to Nashville and spent all day Saturday at the mall, scouting for things to bring and wear on our cruise.  Spent a little money, but got a ton of excellent deals.  Had fun spending the day with the wife, even if it was at the mall.  Normally when we go to the mall I bring a paperback with me and read (after I’ve finished my browsing).  This time, however, I forgot, so I walked around and pestered Keisha.  But we had a good time.

Sunday was a blur.  Praise band practice at 8:30, Sunday School breakfast at 9:15, special church lunch at 12:00, pastor’s special meeting at 12:40, attempted nap at 1:30, give up on nap at 2:30, PS3 until 3:25, homeless shelter worship service 3:45, choir and music practice at 5:30, church at 6:00, and Easter music practice at 7:00.  It was a constant moving, busy day.  I had the light off and was in bed before 10:00pm.  But even though yesterday was hectic and busy, I smile thinking back on it.  We’ve searched for a church to call home for many years now and we’re blessed to be involved at Macedonia.  We’ve been here for about eight months and we’ve met a lot of great people.  The preaching is solid and foundational.  I love my SS class.  We just got a new worship minister in January and our church has grown tremendously in worship.  All things considered, it’s great, and I’m okay to wear myself thin every once in a while.

I was playing Final Fantasy last week when I suddenly had a burning desire to shoot some undead space zombies.  I whipped out Dead Space, one of my favorite games (reviewed initially here), and have been playing it ever since.  I miss FF, but I just have a desire to play a FPS for now.  And even though I’ve already beat Dead Space before, I still really enjoy the game.  The story is still gripping; the gameplay is still fun; the mechanics are still awesome.  Also, this is the first time I’ve played it on my own PS3, so I’m getting to unlock all the trophies and stuff for my own system as opposed to William’s.

The autographed book contest ended yesterday.  So, to be completely random, I wrote down all the entrants names, cut out little pieces of paper, lay them down and shuffled them around and let them simmer for a while.  After an hour or so of basting I then picked up the entries and shuffled them around some more.  After a bit of humbleness from one of the entrants, the entries dropped from twelve to ten.  Sadly I received no funny email entries.  Ultimately, I cast the slips around like casting lots from the Bible, and the last slip to remain in my hands won.  That winner is…

Krista, from Life, or Something Like It…, who actually had a 30% chance of winning, and, in this case, the statistics proved true.

So, Krista, if you could email me your mailing address I’ll put the book to post soon.  You have 72 hours to respond or there'll be another drawing.  To everyone that entered, thank you.  You fought hard, but in the end, statistics kicked you upside the head.

I should have a book review up soon.  Take care.

About Writing

Most of you know that I like to write.  Heck, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be blogging five days a week.  I don’t really consider myself a writer, but at the same time I do, too.  And like most writers, I hope to have something published one day, but that’s not my driving factor for why I do it.  No, I write because I have to.

Growing up an artist (another term I use loosely), I had a creative group of genes within me.  Coupling that with my love for the written word, it’s no wonder I like writing.  (Plus, grammar is a beautiful thing.)  It’s just another way for self-expression and artistic endeavors, and we all like to express ourselves.

I’ve been working on The Absurdly Epic Tragedy of Oscambria since last August-ish.  As for the actual writing, the story is still chugging along, but at a slower pace.  I’m not enjoying myself as much as I was when I started.  Fortunately, I like where the tale is heading.  It’s difficult for me to find the appropriate balance for absurdity.  The ending’s been finished for a while, and I’ve got a few scenes ahead written, too.  Currently, I’ve written over 30,000 words, but this includes my plot outline and writing notes/references, too. 

Really, the point of the exercise is to write and finish a complete story.  So many times I start a story, really enjoying it.  Then, I’ll think of another idea I want to explore, but it won’t fit nicely into my current work-in-progress, so I switch over to a new story, leaving behind the scraps and unfinished work.  With my Writing Wednesdays posts, I feel a little responsibility that keeps me motivated to write when I don’t want to or don’t have time to.  The stuff I put out on Wednesdays is rough, largely un-edited, and sometimes just plain horrible.  But I like to keep the NaNoWriMo mindset: first, just finish the thing, then go back for editing and revisions later.

Another thing that’s actually helped me for this story is that I’ve used an outline.  Rarely do I write outlines and plan ahead.  I’m one of those “off the cuff” writers, spewing forth whatever comes.  Sometimes this works.  Other times, not so much.  But I’ve found that having written an outline really does keep me focused on where I’m going.  It’s not rigid and concrete, but it’s a great tool.

Fellow blogger Okie has started a Wednesday Writing session on his blog this week.  The first piece (found here), titled “The Magazine Salesman,” was exceptional.  Vividly written.  Intriguing plot.  Great little short-story that I heartily recommend.  Be sure to check out his blog while you’re at it.

Random Bits & Pieces

Keisha’s sick.  She went to the Urgent Care place on Tuesday, they gave her some prescriptions for ear infections, she didn’t get any better, she went back yesterday, they gave her three more prescriptions, and now she’s at home lying in the bed in agony.  She’s only allowed to miss one day student teaching.  Today is her fourth (I think).  Both ears are infected.

I came across this amazing artist the other day while doing something on the Interwebs.  (There’s really no reason for me to justify it, nor can I explain myself.  It’s like the Wikipedia curse.  You go to read one article about something or someone (Kevin Bacon, say) and end up reading an interesting piece on thermonuclear reactions.  That’s how the Interwebs work.  It’s a mindless, sucking hole.  We’ve all arrived somewhere and don’t know how or why.)  Alexa Meade is a 23-year-old artist in the DC area.  Awesome stuff.  She stretches the boundaries of perception, and her medium is pretty cool: Acrylic on flesh.  Check out her website here.  (You really should follow the link.  I can’t post any of her work here, but it’s mind blowing and totally cool.)

I can’t get Led Zeppelin out of my head.  Babe…  ooh Baby… 

This was a smart and clever little video.  I laughed.

My brother called me the other day.  He was heading towards the Statue of Liberty.  The Army took a trip to Ground Zero and then they had some free time.  It was nice talking to him.  He’s been stationed in New Jersey for the past two months, training and preparing for his trip to Afghanistan.  He actually headed out yesterday for Ireland, and then he’ll be in the fray just a few days later.  I’ll say thankee sai for any prayers you spare him.

Babe Babe Babe Babe Babe Babe Babe Babe ooh Baby…  I’m gonna leave you…

Happy Weekend everybody.  Looks like it’s gonna be a beauty here in Kentucky. 

The Beautiful Account of Thursday and the Shiny New Pickle

Why yes, it is a beautiful day outside today.  The sun is up.  The sky is blue.  It’s beautiful and so are you, dear Prudence.  Got some great music playing through the iPod, got a nice USGS Quad map in front of me.  Got me a Jonagold apple waiting.  Got a date with a sweet, lovely lady tonight.  What else could I ask for?

“Ask for a pile of coconut shavings, Logan!”

Yeah… I don’t like coconut stuff, though. 

If you think you might like some indie folk music, I strongly suggest trying out the Mumford & Sons album Sigh No More.  It’s currently $7.99 on Amazon as an mp3 album, which is available here.  The album has a wide range of sounds, from simple acoustics to a full-fledged background band.  The singing is exceptional, as the band is British, and the lyrics are powerful, especially when coupled with such awesome music.  (One of the best songs, “Little Lion Man,” has the F-bomb in the chorus, if that sort of thing rankles you.)

Keisha and I recently started watching the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica.  From my understanding, Battlestar is one of the finest sci-fi television shows ever.  The writing is superb.  The action is intense.  The characters are completely believable and real.  The imagination is futuristic, yet familiar.  Overall, I’ve really enjoyed it so far, and I hope the rest of the show stays up to my expectations.

We’re going to watch Shutter Island tonight.  Keisha doesn’t do scary movies, so this should be fun.  I’m expecting some intense moments.  You should expect a review.  Maybe.  Maybe you should expect a jar of pickles.

“I said ask for a pile of coconut shavings!”

I read the hilarious Stuff Christians Like blog, which basically pokes fun of many things in the Christian culture.  From there I found a few other blogs I liked, and one of them had this video the other day.  They created it.  I laughed.  You should too, especially if you have a house dog.

Keisha gave Stella a bath last night.  I dried her off.  We use the hair dryer.  It’s funny.  Then we clipped her nails.  It’s not funny.  But it kind of is.  She always feels like a giant warm cotton ball after she’s had a bath, so that’s nice.  And she runs around and around and around playing afterwards, too.

On to work.  Time to figure out what the heck this stuff means.  Or at least try to.  When life hands you lemons, make pickle juice!  (Okay, that’s just nasty.  I’d rather have… coconut shavings.)

A Film Review + Amusing Photos

Today I thought I knew what I wanted to post about.  I had it in my head (and it’s really already written) to post my review of Ted Dekker’s Green.  But for some reason, I’m just not feeling it.  Instead I have a brief post for today.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that fellow blogger Mattson Tomlin was giving away another free DVD to four people.  I’ve been Following Mattson’s blog for quite a few months now, interested in seeing his ideas develop and come to life.  He blogs about various aspects of directing and creating a film, from the perspective of a young SUNY Purchase student, and occasionally posts a finished product.  I recently received and watched the DVD in its entirety, which is composed of three separate short-films: Solomon Grundy, (i), and Until the Sky Falls.

Solomon Grundy is an interpretation of the classic English nursery rhyme, “Solomon Grundy.”  Jimmy is young and nervous and he has a dark side.  He tries to keep it in, but he’s not always successful.  And when it shows itself, bad things tend to happen.  I’ve liked the “Solomon Grundy” rhyme ever since reading Batman: The Long Halloween, so I was eager to see Mattson’s interpretation. 

The film is well shot, the acting is solid, the script is great, and the plot is interesting (if a bit predictable).  I found it refreshing to see this up-and-coming director’s take.  The only problem I had was I felt that the build-up to the climax was a bit too long, but considering the film is only 7:31 in length, I understand.  If you’d like to watch Solomon Grundy, click here to head over to YouTube.

The next film, (i), was a film experimenting with technology.  Mattson wanted to shoot an invisible man piece.  He blogged about his “how to” do this here, which is even more interesting after having watched the film.  (i) was the weakest film of the three, but it was cool seeing the technology used come to life.  The acting was great, though I felt the digitalization was a bit shaky at times (certain backgrounds, etc.)  Overall, though, I liked watching the brief film, and I would likely watch a full film of this feature.

The last film was the longest (around 20 minutes) and best on the DVD.  Until the Sky Falls is a dystopic, post-apocalyptic silent film.  The video style and look of the film was pretty sweet.  I’m not sure if it’s because it was filmed using 16mm film or if there was some type of editing, but I really liked it.  It definitely added to the theme of the movie.  The plot itself was also very interesting, especially since it was told using no words.  The acting was superb and I’d like to see more like this.  You can see more about this film on Mattson’s blog around April-June of 2009.

In the end, I really enjoyed this small DVD.  I’ve liked watching Mattson’s work and progress.  I don’t know him at all outside of the blogosphere, but I think he’ll be going places with what he does.  He’s currently fundraising on Kickstarter to try and film more in the Solomon Grundy world.  If you’d like, throw some support his way.  I’m sure he’d appreciate it.  You can check out his studio website at www.wackeychan.com.

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As some of you know, I’m going on a cruise in May.  We don’t necessarily have to have our passport for the cruise, but it’d be much easier if we did.  So Keisha and I went and had our Passport photos taken.  There were some strict rules to getting those photos.  Ears had to show.  Face had to be just right.  Look natural.  Don’t smile.

Well, after paying $15 for both photos, I was expecting something awesome.  Instead, we wound up with two mug shots.  Neither of us look happy.  “I’m so mad that I’m going on a cruise.”  “I know.  It’s awful.”  Anyway, take a look and see for yourself.  And by all means, DON’T TURN US IN!

By the way, I took a lot of that wording from the actual wanted posters stemming from President Lincoln’s assassination.  Of course, a few things were changed…

Looking for the Homeless

My friend, Alex, came up with this really cool and practical idea a few weeks ago.  After one of the Sunday School lessons he got it in his heart to try and locate the homeless of Owensboro and provide for them.  He bought some backpacks, warm blankets, thermal underwear (long Johns, we call them in Kentucky), bottled water, and a Bible.  I bought some foodstuff.  We filled the backpacks and tonight we are going out on our first quest.

We’ve been trying to go out for the past two weeks, but I was sick and didn’t feel up to it last week, and Tuesday it poured down cold.  Tonight it’s going to be frigid (somewhere around 20 degrees) and windy, but we’re aiming to go.  I think the plan is we’re going to bundle up and go park downtown.  Then we’re going to walk the streets, each with a backpack, and keep an eye open for homeless folk.  If we see someone that needs a jacket, they can have ours.

Hopefully we find people in need and hopefully we can meet that need.  I know we’ve both been praying for this.  I’m not sure how many homeless people there are in Owensboro, nor where they would be, but we’ll look.  The city is fairly large, but shelter’s seem to handle most of the homeless here.  Regardless, we’ll keep our eyes and hearts open.

On a different note, tickets for STAR WARS Celebration V went on sale today.  I really really really want to go, but I have no one to go with.  Keisha’s going to have just started a job (hopefully) and Alex can’t go.  I’m thinking I may put a shout out on Facebook and see if anyone would like to go.  Really the trip wouldn’t be bad at all.  All four days of the convention for $120, and air fare is really cheap right now.  Celebration’s not until August 2010, so I’ve got time.

This is a small snapshot of what I’ve been working on for, well, practically since I started my job back in May.  The orange lines are the current thing I’m doing.  Drawing drainage areas for erosion calculations.  It’s a bit tricky and will vary from person to person on how it’s done.  The entire project is quite large.  It’s a slow process, but someone has to do it. 

That’s really about it for today.  Keisha’s finally finished with commuting for the semester, so she’ll actually be home during the week now!  Christmastime’s coming up quickly, and we’ve still got a bit to do.

I’m toying with the idea of not posting every weekday beginning with the new year.  At least once or twice per week, but probably not every weekday.  And if Dave drops off the blogosphere and you read both of our blogs, then it’ll be like a double whammy.  (Big bucks, big bucks, no wammy!)  I’m not completely sure yet, but just maybe.

Wish us luck tonight with our journey.  And pray for us, too, if you’d like.  And just in case you’re interested, the Amazon deal of the day is the complete series of Seinfeld, all 32 DVDs, nine seasons, for $84.99.  That’s a heck of a deal.  Plus it comes with a nice 226 page coffee table book anthology, highlighting every episode.  I’m not linking it, but it’s there folks.

Shadows, Erosion Control, Birthdays, Nashville, and a Homeless Shelter

It’s been a rather busy week and the weekend promises to be stuffed absolutely full. So much to say so much to say so much to say so much to say. I like lists.

1. “Shadows” is a song written by David Crowder Band, from their newest cd. A friend of mine, Alex, came o’er the other night and we practiced music for a while, including this song. After he left I decided to record a cover just to put it out there. Alex plays bass, which you’ll notice is missing. Hopefully we’ll be able to add the bass-line in soon. Anyway, I recorded each instrument as one track then mixed them all together to get the end result. Enjoy. (And if you would like to hear a different song/sound all together I did, check out this one.)

So there are a few problems throughout the track, like the staggered timing of some of the instruments. But hey, I’ve only been learning the piano for a little while now. All in all, I liked the sound, but it by no means compares to the awesome original, which you can hear here if’n you’d like. (Actually, I recommend it. And if you’ve not got the band’s newest album, you should definitely consider it. Absolutely brilliant and amazing. Available as a cheap mp3 album here at Amazon.)

2. I spent all day yesterday in a training class. At the end of the day, there was an exam, which brought back memories of college… If I passed the exam (and I think I might have) then I will become a certified Kentucky Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (KEPSC) inspector. This is a little scary, as I have little-to-no practical experience (and only a tad theoretical) in these fields. Regardless, it is something that I think I will enjoy if I get to do it, plus I’d be one of the very few certified erosion folken in my company. But for now, this takes the back burner.

3. Yesterday was my brother-in-law Clint’s birthday. He turned eight. Tonight we’re going to Chuck E. Cheese’s to celebrate. Should be a rocking crazy fun wild and imaginative time.

4. I believe I’ve mentioned it a few times here on Rememorandom, but I love Joe Purdy. The man knows how to write lyrics and create beautiful songs, from tragedy to joy, from happiness to anger. I’ve got two concert tickets for tomorrow night’s show in Nashville, and I’m taking my wonderful wife with me to go and finally see him. It’ll be my first Joe Purdy show and I am double-plus super excited. Keisha and I are going to spend the day in Opry Mills. We’ll get to see the Christmas lights and whatever else is up this time of year. Then, when the concert finally rolls around, she’ll get to hear me sing for 2 hours or so. Man o man am I ready.

5. I mentioned that Alex and I were playing some music at my house. We’ve been getting together once a week to practice on some songs. Typically, when our Sunday School class has a worship service at the homeless shelter (twice a month), Alex plays bass, I play guitar, and my Sunday School teacher plays guitar and leads the songs. This weekend, it’s just going to be me and Alex leading worship, so that should be…fun?

6. I was contacted yesterday by someone who wants to do a guest post on my blog. Since my blog is called Rememorandom, I had no problems with this. I don’t do as many random posts as I once did, but my subject matter is still random and whatever comes to mind. With that in mind, I thought it’d be perfect for the blog. Not sure when the post will come, but it will come. Hopefully. Until then, the guest blogger will remain anonymous, unless they decide to leave a comment here and reveal themselves, which would ruin the suspense but give me reason to keep this sentence going on much longer than it should, thus making it a run-on sentence, a common mistake in writing, which is the act of creating written works was invented by Barnabas K Polka-party in 2012.

That mostly sums everything up. Oh, we did get Stella’s hair cut this week. Here are two pictures for your puppy enjoyment.


If you look on the counter in that top picture, you can see the Sunday Crossword of the LA Times for this past week. And if you close your right eye and move your head a bit, you can block out my face and just see Stella on the bottom one! If you want to see more pictures than you can shake a stick at of Stella, from puppyhood to now, you can view my Picassa album here.

Midnight at the Oasis, or Energy Drinks and Other Jazz

I guess I have David Wagner to blame for my current predicament. See, he’s mentioned it a few times before that he likes to drink a Monster energy drink poured over ice, which I thought was rather brilliant. Why had I never thought of anything like that before? And how much different is Monster from Diet Mt. Dew?

So I decided yesterday on my way to work, at my normal Texaco pit stop, to buy an energy drink and a cup of ice. Instead of the crazy expensive energy drinks, I focused on a $.99 one, which led me to buying two. Getting to work, pouring my drinks in ice, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

I greedily drank the first one, my mouth exploding with the rich, sweet taste of caffeine and sugar. “Egads!” I shouted, “David was right.” Before lunch had arrived, I had consumed 32oz of a high-caffeine energy drink on ice. Like 99.83% of all other energy drinks, I find their taste a mixture between pixie sticks and Sprite, thus, enjoyable. (It’s actually an odd set of descriptors. A Pixie is a fairy creature, as is a Sprite, though I don’t actually mean the energy drink tastes like fairy sticks and a fairy. Just an interesting observation.)

Nevertheless, this consumption was not without problem. Apparently caffeine makes little boys wanna go tinkle, and so I found myself in the restroom five times within four hours. I’m not sure how my bladder had so much liquid, unless the energy drink actually set up a Logan-to-Liquid factory inside me.

Of course, as I am sitting here at my desk, a new day presents itself to me. Of course, on my to work I made my mostly-typical pit stop. Of course I decided to buy a cup of ice and another energy drink.

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Yesterday I found this pretty sweet article titled “Inland Seas Worth Seeing: The 10 Most Amazing Lakes.” The environmental engineer inside of me was intrigued, and I decided to take a gander at these so called amazing lakes.

It was pretty unbelievable that such beautiful lakes existed on our often depicted ugly world. The pictures were, indeed, amazing. Jellyfish Lake, Palau, was featured on Survivor or something, but it looks pretty cool. I really, really liked the otherworldliness of Mono Lake, California, a hypersaline lake in our great USA. The color-changing Diego de la Haya of Costa Rica has some awesome pictures, too, as does the Dead Sea in Israel. Yes, friends, if you want to be amazed at some beautiful scenes our planet can give, check out the link provided.

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Our perfect puppy, Stella, made like a debutante this week, and we introduced her to a large society of fellow captured and tamed beasts. That’s right, Pet Smart was hosting a Halloween costume contest for pets, a puppy parade, and a free photo of your dog, in addition to a million coupons and free goodies. So Keisha made Stella a ballerina outfit, complete with a pink tutu, a pink feather boa, and a baby’s white tee-shirt, and we took our fluffy puppy out to see the world.

She’s been out a few times, but never with this many pets. There were dogs of all types and size, from a St. Bernard to a tiny Chihuahua. There was even a ferret on a leash. Anyway, Stella did remarkably good in the dog’s company, and she didn’t really get too agitated or anything. While she didn’t win the contest, she did get a lot of free goodies, which I’m sure is okay with her.

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Tonight I am going to try my hand at a new desert/snack: Sweet-Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash Wedges. You can find pictures (they look fantastic) and the recipe here. Hopefully mine turns out as good as these, and if so, I plan to have them finished around the time Keisha gets home from classes as a surprise.
It’s going to be a busy day. Clean, cook, watch Flash Forward, 30 Rock, and The Office, and possibly even Project Runway.

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Finally, yesterday was a very enjoyable day. Sure, I had a stomach ache, but that’s okay. Other than that, I got to hang out with a friend from high school. We had enough daylight after work to play 17 holes of disc golf, and we both shot really good. We then went to Stewartland and played a game of chess. (And man was it fun. It’s been so long since I’ve actually played real chess with someone that I forgot how much I enjoy the game.) Sadly, we ended in a stalemate, though technically I had my king and a pawn and he had just his king… Then we got out my book of Sunday crossword puzzles from the New York Times, the ridiculously difficult ones, and proceeded to almost completely solve one puzzle in around 2 hours or so. All in all, an enjoyable evening.

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This post has been all over the place, filled with ************ as my only transition between ideas. I know, you may think ********* is not an appropriate transition, but it works fine with me. Really, I’m not kidding. It does. Mostly. Ok, ok, I apologize for the gratuitous use of ************, it’s not like I didn’t try, but ******* just kept coming and I couldn’t stop it. (I’ve had a lot of caffeine already today, and I’ve only been awake for one hour and forty-seven minutes. Looks like it’ll be another good one.)

Indecision and Artists

I'm not big on indecision. I used to be pretty indecisive, but I soon realized it was a waste of time and really didn't matter anyway. For instance, back when Keisha and I were dating we would play the "What do you...?" and "I don't care, whatever you want..." game back and forth. This continued for a while.

Somewhere down the line I realized how pointless being indecisive is. Now it's like "What do you want for supper, Logan?" "I don't care, whatever you want to fix." "I don't care. It's up to you." Pause. "I think I want tacos then."

I give the window of opportunity for one considerate indecisive moment, and if the choice has not been made, then I pick. Or, at least this is my goal. Furthermore, apathy is death according to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II, and so I try to limit it.

But I've reached a point where I'm not sure about something. I've been toying with a few ideas about some posts, but I don't know if I want to do it or not. In a way it's like stepping off the Grand Canyon and hoping the impact isn't too rough. See, I've recorded a song with vocals and I think it sounds okay. I kind of would like some feedback on it, but I'm not sure really if I really want any or not. I've also got several stories I've been writing on, and I'm thinking of posting a prologue here, too, for similar reasons.

I consider myself an artist. I like to draw/paint/etc. I like to sing and play music. I like to write creative and sometimes thought-provoking pieces. I love theatre, but I'm too busy and too big a chicken to try out, so I watch it instead.

The way I see art is like there is something inside of me, needing to get out in the form of expression. There are times when I simply feel that I have to pick up my guitar and put something out. There are times when I feel that I must write something, anything. These are times when I feel particularly creative. Then there are times when I just want to express my feelings and ideas, and they take the form of song or canvas or prose.

Artists are fickle folk, I think. In that I mean that we're typically subject to our creative whims. The introvert doesn't want to put their stuff out there for the world to see, while the extrovert longs for global fame and recognition. I'm also an engineer, which tends to make me a bit pragmatic and realistic, which tends to fight against the artistic whims.

Ah, well. My rant is over. I've got to get to class. Perhaps I'll reach my decision soon. Lord knows I hate being indecisive.

Getting Over the Quasi-Flu

My beloved, Keisha, has been sick for a few days now. We went to the doctor last week and he said that if she had a few more symptoms then she'd have the flu. The following day, she got more symptoms. However, since it wasn't diagnosed by a doctor, I call it the quasi-flu, as it is most likely the flu but we're not 100% sure. She's really been in a weak state, exhibiting signs such as headaches, fatigue, hot/cold switches, soreness.

Being a good husband, I went to Wal*Mart and bought some Minute Maid orange juice and some Theraflu. Minute Maid cause OJ is the way to go when you're sick; Theraflu cause Keisha didn't like Nyquil. I also made some homemade chicken noodle soup, using my own recipe and making do with what I had available.

12 cups water
1 bag egg noodles
2 thawed, boneless chicken breasts
2-3 sliced carrots stalks
2-3 sliced celery sticks
10 chicken bullion cubes
2-4 tsp parsley
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp basil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp rosemary
<1tsp ground sage
salt, pepper, garlic pepper, chopped onion to taste

I realize this looks like a lot of bullion cubes, but I didn't have any chicken broth. Furthermore, I found a recipe that said to make chicken broth, equate 1 cup water to 1 bullion cube. Anyway, mix all ingredients but noodles, bring to a boil, let boil for about 15-20 minutes, stirring, then add noodles and drop heat to low-med and stir occasionally for about 15 more minutes. Serve and eat and enjoy.

Now, a few days later, she's feeling better, and her throat still sounds hoarse/weak, but over all she's much better. In fact, she's going to go to her Girls Bible Study here pretty soon, braving the crowds.

I just wanted to document this. I don't like it when she's sick, but unfortunately it's something we have little control o'er. You can pray that her blood pressure will go down, as it was 139/108 the other day, which is pretty high.

Don't let the world move on without ya, may it do ya fine.

Tonight

I'm going to play midnight BINGO.
I did a lot of homework.
My wife is sick and probably has the quasi-flu.
I made her homemade chicken noodle soup.
I finished Mistborn.

Tomorrow
I'm going to do some land surveying for my Capstone project.
I'm going to do more homework.
I'm going to be cold. And tired.

Wish me luck.

Fun With "Reply to All..."

My wife just exclaimed, "I wonder why people reply to all on emails when they don't need to address everyone?" I found this humorous, and it got me thinking back to one particular instance of "Reply to All" for me.

Back when I was taking Chem 201 there was a lot of nervous freshmen and sophomores in the class. I was a junior, and I was rather knowledgable about chemistry, so I didn't worry. Furthermore, these nervous freshmen would miss classes constantly, and in their despair, they would send out emails to the class all the time, begging for help, for notes, for clarification, for anything, really. I found this rather annoying. This went on for most of the semester, and my frustration at people missing classes and wanting help/handouts was building.

One day I decided to type a message and Reply to Everyone in the class. My message was short and simple.

Did you all see our professor lick the chalkboard today?

Of course, this was completely made up, but I thought it was rather funny. One or two people replied to me, curious and wondering about it, but I didn't reply back.

The point of this post: when replying to an email, make sure it's directed at who you intend and not at everybody. Everything is much better this way.

The Greatness of Cornbread

I've been married for over a year and a half now. It has been the greatest year and a half of my life. I knew before I married her, my Keisha could cook. There wasn't much that she couldn't do in the kitchen, and I can tell you that if you've never had her jambalaya or orange juice cake or shepherds pie or potato soup, then you really are missing out. I'm not kidding you. My wife is a really, really good cook.

However, since we've been married, she's been unable to make satisfactory cornbread, until just recently. See, cornbread has long been one of my favorite foods, especially my mamaw's. Mamaw cooks hers in the old iron skillet, and is loaded with love and years of experience. And so, last Christmas, mamaw gave Keisha a set of iron skillets as a gift. After a few failed attempts at cornbread, she gave up. One day, thankfully, she had an epiphany and tried it again. The result was a wonderfully tasteful cornbread that I love so very much.

And since then she's been happy to make me cornbread whenever I ask, which it seems is quite a bit. She is a great cook, and I'm thankful to have her around. In addition to her cooking, my mom and mamaw, and my mother-in-law and grandmom-in-law are all wonderful cooks, and for the holidays I'm always way overstuffed.

Oh well. I just thought I'd take a moment to blog about how great cornbread is. But if you read behind and through the lines, I'm really writing about how wonderful my wife is.