arkansas

arkansas

Well today we are heading home. We had a good visit with all of the family. My Meme Brown's health is not all that good and she gets pretty lonely. She may have to in live with my uncle in Louisiana. We might stop today in Memphis for ribs at The Rendevous if we have time.

11 secret herbs and spices

My Aunt Billie showed me how to make her specialty today. Ever since I was a little boy, her tomato macaroni has been one of my very favorite foods in the world. Today we had a big family dinner and she let me watch her cook the macaroni. Aunt Billie was my PawPaw Brown's baby sister, and has always been like another grandmother for us kids. PawPaw Brown has been gone for quite some time now. He was a pastor for many years, and was always very respected. This afternoon we are going to try to go out to his grave.

i could teach you but i'd have to charge

i could teach you but i'd have to charge

Tonight we went to Braums. Dad wanted to make sure he got in the picture. Giant milkshakes and really good hamburgers are their specialty. No trip to oklahoma is complete without a visit to Braums.

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain

Well we arrived in ok about noon today. My family is all doing well. This is my brother and his wife. It's good to see family

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain

not a creature was stirring

Well not much to report here. Yesterday was my birthday, I slept in. Then I got up and took a shower first. It is always hotter than going second like I do the other 364 days a year. And besides I didn't have to worry about getting hair all over me from the previous user. We went to a movie[Dick and Jane] It was ok. Not great, but just ok. We went out last night to one of my favorite restaurants. PRIME RIB! Oh Baby! 12oz of melt in your mouth meaty goodness. Then I went to Barnes and noble to use a gift card that I had received from one of my coworkers. I bought the latest offering from my favorite author; Orson Scott Card. He's best known for the amazing novel "Enders Game" But writes other stuff in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy area. I got the new novel, Magic Street. I haven't started it yet. Going to read it on the journey to Oklahoma to see my grandmother.

Oh yeah we might be moving. Not away, just across town. We would be 5 or 6 minutes from both of our jobs, instead of the 20 minutes we have now. Nice little house.

Well have a great Christmas. I'll try to post regularly next week, but no promises.

a festivus for the rest of us

Every year i try to send out christmas card to everyone in the church and most everyone else gets an email card. this year i sent this.

wrapping

this afternoon while Lydia went to the store i was in a wrapping mood. So i started wrapping up random things. Not gift wrapping, shrink wrapping! Well before long i had several different things done including one of her diet pepsi's. It took her about two minutes to find the fridge stuff. She was highly amused, and immediately wanted to know what i had done. I shrugged and she immediately headed for her panty drawer. I had wrapped everything in there. She about fell in the floor laughing!

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hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah... hal - le - lu - yah

Most of you know that I'm not an Ipoo user. I use the iriver h320 for my music. I thought I posted about this, but I can't seem to find it in the archives. My mp3 had twice the functionality of any ipoo out a year ago. Now it just won't play videos, which is fine with me. I used to love the itunes store because I could rip the drm off of the music files using a little app called jhymn , convert them to mp3's or ogg's and then transfer them to my player, since it won't play the apple format. This was a perfectly wonderful solution until the newest versions of itunes came out and nobody at hymn seems to want to crack the latest version of their drm. So basically I had to find a new place to buy music online.

I found this site, allofmp3.com apparently they are based out of Russia. Since I'm so over the cold war, I figured I'd give them a shot. I mean, what's the worse that could happen? I guess they could steal my identity and fill my Visa with charges from Russian prostitutes. But I gave these russkies a chance anyway and was very pleased with the results. You actually have a choice as to what file format you want to download your files in and at which bit rate. Important if your an audiophile like me. You actually pay for the bandwidth to download, so I loaded my new account with $10(that's about 286 rubles if your curious) and downloaded a complete recording of Handel's Messiah(over two hours in length). I figured the record police wouldn't get me to bad if I was doing something actually illegal.

I thought I might sing along with my new recording. Yes, I know I'm a cornball. So I pulled out my trusty old messiah score that I had purchased used from the old Foster Music front office. When I looked at it I saw that the previous owner's name had been scratched out, upon closer inspection, I realized that it had once belonged to some chick named Stephanie. I thought that was funny

long december

scott reminded me in his comment yesterday about the edge. Lydia and i were planning on working all of the edge conferences this year, but plans have changed and we are pretty bummed. Most of you have read here that our friend bill has multiple myeloma, a pretty aggresive form of cancer. Bill's wife, sally, is our church pianist. She normally substituted if we have to be out of town, but right now she never really knows if she will be able to do something. Bill is kinda touch and go a lot, so I can't really take a sunday off right now. So with much dissapointment, Lydia and I will not be working the edge. The good news is that not being busy the week after christmas is going to allow us to go with my parents to oklahoma to see my grandmother. My brother is going to drive up from dallas, and we will all get to be together.

any ideas on what you buy your 80 year old grandmother for christmas?

bustin' my chops

You know I would think that my own wife would realize that I have have been extremely busy lately. I guess I was wrong. The first email I get this morning is my wife, fussing at me for not updating my blog often enough. She even went so far as to compare my lack of updating to a certain somersetian now living in the Nashville area. You know I guess she forgot that December is like the busiest month for everyone, and especially ministers. I guess she also forgot that Sunday was our choir musical that we have been rehearsing for the last 2 months. Or maybe she doesn't realize that in my spare time I've taken on an extra job so her and the kids can new shoes for Christmas. Wait that's not me. That's one of those movies of the week that saturate the airwaves at this time of the year instead of new episodes of lost. Well anyway, I have been busy.

I had my last checkup from my surgery this morning. Doc says I'm doing well. Everything looks good and I should be able to resume all of my usual activities in next few weeks. But I wonder how long I could really milk the whole, "I'm not allowed to do any heavy lifting" thing if I really applied myself. I can just imagine it now...

"Honey, You know we have to move, so call me when the new house is ready and everything is moved in because..".

"No dearest, I don't think I will be able to hold your exremely heavy winter leather coat for you while you try dresses on in the dressing room for the next two hours. You remember what the doctor said"

" Son, have fun at school. Your mother will have to help you move into the dorm because you know about my condition. Hey don't forget your cinder blocks."

merry Christmas folks, uh if your wondering what to get for my birthday on the 23rd, I'm kinda into pudding right now.

Good movie

Yesterday, my day off, I did something that that I usually hate doing. I went to a movie by myself. This is especially bad if the movie is a comedy, because you always want to laugh with someone. Occasionally, if I'm home alone, I'll watch something funny and turn to Lydia to comment or laugh only to realize I'm completely alone. Yesterday, it wasn't a comedy, and even though there were only five other people in the huge stadium theater. I had a great time.

I've been anxiously awaiting and talking about the upcoming release of Aeon Flux. Lydia made it clear that she cared absolutely nothing about seeing it, so I went alone. I thorougthly enjoyed the animated series on Mtv when it first aired several years ago, but I don't think I ever really understood the story. It's a post-apocalyptic tale set four hundred years in the future after a pandemic kills most of the worlds population. Bregna, the only remaining city has been ruled by the Goodchild family since Trevor Goodchild invented the vaccine that saved Bregna during the outbreak government is corrupt and people keep disappearing. Aeon flux is an agent with a secret group trying to expose the corruption. The big screen version was fantastic. Great costuming and cinematography! Charlize was pretty good. Driven very much by the action sequences, but the story is easy to understand. I highly recommend it.

more about me

ok so i always have trouble describing my political views, and always seem to come down on both sides on lots of issues. so i took a little test here's my results. it kinda surprised me a bit.

You are a Social Moderate (50% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (25% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

headin' home

headin' home

Lydia and I are headed home after surviving another Thankshgiving. We're cruising south on 75 with a car full of Ale8 and Candleberry candles. While in Georgetown we celebrated Lydia's dad's 60th birthday, which will be Monday. We also saw the new movie about Johnny Cash called Walk the Line. It was good, but I'm not sure Lydia enjoyed it. It was a small theater and her mom kept talking out loud while her dad was singing along with most of the songs. So she was kind of on edge. At one point Lydia's mom hollered out "THAT'S ELVIS!!!" It was loud enough for most of the theater to hear it, and I think Lydia wanted to crawl under the seat and hide. I had a good time, and I love my family. They are one of a kind. Hope your holiday was good. After we get home this afternoon we're planning on putting up our Christmas decorations.

Pit Stop

Pit Stop

We are on the road to georgetown for thanksging. we stopped in richmond to partake in some casa

a new day

Well today is my first day back at work. I still can't drive because of the pain meds I'm on, but I'm trying to wean myself off. I cleaned my office last week before I left for surgery, because I knew I wouldn't be able to clean up the mess in my weakened condition. What a beautiful moment it was to open my office door to a clean office. Even better news is that my computer at work has been repaired and returned to me. I am a little peeved that the guy who worked on it was supposed to double my memory while he had it and somehow forgot to put in the chip, but remembered to charge us.

last week before my procedure I had an eye appointment. I got new glasses, which I actually might start wearing more often, and I got new contacts. I grew a beard during my hospital stay and most people think it looks good

My stomach still feels like I ate a bunch of thumbtacks, but things are starting to look up.

return of the humpday haiku

still sitting at home
stabbing pains still shoot through me
i'm convalescing

A little update

Apparently my recent surgery turned out to more serious than I had initially expected. I was told by the surgeon that this was a simple repair and probably wouldn't have to stay in the hospital overnight. It turns out that when they got in there they realized that it was more serious than expected. I had a large hernia, and several smaller areas that needed attention as well. They repaired the large hernia and removed some extra tissue. I was surprised to learn that the extra tissue they were talking about was my umbilical cord which fed me in utero. The doc says I'll never miss it, I hope he's right. They also repaired the smaller problem areas with some mesh and duct tape. The good news is that it was all done laproscopically, which means I only have three very small incisions on my otherwise beautiful belly. However the surgery was more involved than anticipated, so it will take more recovery time. Of course I can't drive because of the mind altering substances I've been taking for pain, but I'm doing well and hope to be off those in a few days. Over all I'm doing as well as can be expected. Lydia has done a great job of taking care of me. Sometimes I get irritable when I don't feel well.

home

I'm finally home from the hospital. Yesterday we went home around 3:00. I had to prove to the hospital staff that I could void my bladder without the catheter in. I've never been so proud of such a small bit of urine. I can get around a little bit, but of course it's slow going. No church for me today. I'm going to veg in front of the TV. It has come to my attention that while under the effects of anesthesia, I tend to say things that are slightly inappropriate. I'm sure this is no real shocker to most of you. I'm still on quite a bit of medicine, so excuse me if I sound loopy.

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I never realized how painful this would be. I just walked 10 Yards up the hall. Everyone was proud of me. Still in the hospital. No real foods to eat just liquids. Having a cathater shoved in your urethra is no fun at all.

The knife! Tomorow morning i

The knife! Tomorow morning i go in for my hernia surgery. I guess they will probably shave my belly. I hope it wont itch much. Prayers are good

terminator

terminator

I had to go in to the eye doctor today. I broke my brand new sunglasses this morning, and since i knew they would be diallating my eyes, i borrowed there monstrosities from my dad. People can not stop staring.

coffee

coffee

Every morning around 9:30 we have our daily coffee break

first moblog entry

I just got through eating with eli, our church secretarys grandkid

first moblog entry

fried

my work computer is fried and has been on the fritz most of the week. It's at the doctor for some repair work to the fried motherboard and processor. I usually blog from work.

Much like my computer, I have been to the doctor this week and found out I also need some repair work performed. I have kinda had a slight bulge on my stomach for a few weeks now. I can hear all of you laughing and saying that I've had it a bulge for a lot longer. Seriously, It turns out I have a epigastric hernia(this is not a picture of me, my breasts are much smaller) and will need surgery. It is scheduled for the morning of November 9th. Most probably I will be able to go home, but may have to stay overnight. It will be laproscopic surgery, which is better for recovery time. I guess most folks would say that it's not a serious surgery, but any surgery is seriouys when your the one who will be wearing the gown laying on the gurney. I would appreciate your prayers

being sick...

sucks!

I took some much needed time off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Monday was great! I slept in for the first time in about six months. Lydia is on fall break so we really got to just hang out a bit. Tuesday I woke up with an intense burning in my throat. I assumed it was just my allergies kicking up. I didn't think much about it as dad and I shopped for new cell phones. Wednesday morning, I had an appointment with my new doctor. I'm ok...For the most part. As the day wore on, I continued to feel worse. By church time I was miserable, but I went and had choir practice anyway. This morning I have a full blown cold and I'm so miserable I could SCREAM. I have a lot of work to do today and tomorrow since I took off the first off the week, so I can't really go home. I would rather break a bone than have a runny nose.

Oh BTW I found the phone I wanted. It's an LG vx8100. very cool

foto friday

Call me a whatever you want, but i just don't get the whole sport of boxing.
I see nothing "sweet" or "scientific" about it

...whatever I feel like, gosh!

Ok I admit it's been a little while since I posted, but I've been super busy. Our church has been in revival and of course I've had to be at church every waking hour for the last several days. Next week I'm taking a few days off, but it won't be much fun cause I got to go the doctor. I have been one of the millions of uninsured American for the last several years. Luckily no major illnesses happened and the lord prevented me from injuring or otherwise maiming myself. However, I'm glad to say that we have insurance now. And it's actually good insurance. Yesterday I used my insurance card for the first time. How I love amoxicillin! The endodontist thought I needed it when we finished up the root canal. Jokingly, I told Lydia the other day that I might break my arm on purpose just to see if this isn't a dream. She said that it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

This morning, I got a random call from Steve Hammond, an old BSU buddy, trying to find Dave Falkenberg. I was no help, but he called later and said he had found the found number and gave to me. Maybe I'll give him a ring. Steve seemed to be doing well. He lives in Louisville.

Anybody going to see "Elizabethtown" by famed filmmaker Cameron Crowe this weekend. I noticed in the preview that orlando bloom is wearing an Ale-8 shirt in one scene.

humpday haiku

yesterday my watch
was left laying on the bed
felt naked all day

Dr Greenlee

During our recent trip to EKU homecoming, Lydia and I got to visit one our most favorite people. Dr. Greenlee was our choir director during the time we were in school, but He was so much more than just a teacher. He was a really great friend. He has been one of the biggest influences in my life and I constantly hear myself saying to my choir at church things he used to say. He always encouraged me by letting me know that I could make it as a professional musician if I wanted, but still supported the calling I had toward the ministry. He has profoundly affected my life in a way that few others have and I owe Him a debt of gratitude.

Famous Greenlee'isms

"hot fudge!"

"Tree's don't move"

"Let those crazies pass you by on the interstate you'll pull up right behind them at the exit"

"Put a quarter in it"

"Everyone's a quarterback. We have no second string"

laughter is good

I know I've posted cartoons from perry bible fellowship before, but this really cracked me up this morning. It's a new take on an old story.

new crowder

Hey blog type folks. Last weekend I was browsing around the iTunes store looking at what new music was available. I do this most weeks, but normally on Tuesdays. I saw where if you pre-purchased the new David Crowder Band album you got a bunch of neato extra stuff, like unreleased mixes and other fun stuff. It also included a pdf of the liner notes. Have I mentioned how much I miss reading liner notes when purchasing music online. Their brilliant marketing worked flawlessly cause I jumped on it without giving it a second thought. Tuesday when I logged into iTunes to see what's new it popped up and told me my purchase was ready to download. I normally listen to something immediately when I get it. But if I don't listen all the way through the first time, I may just listen to the first three songs over and over cause I liked them. I was busy Tuesday and didn't have the time. So today, I finally listened to the album all the way through after running it through JHymn to unlock it the files and then converting it to mp3 so it can be played through our networked TiVo's and in my player which is 10 times better than an ipoo.

The album is fabulous. This is really something, considering I don't often say that much music is great. It's just refreshing to see somebody doing something original that I actually like. Don't get me wrong, lots of people show originality, but a lot of it is original crap. Recording an album full of the sound a dry erase marker on a white board makes would be original, but who wants to listen to that. Anyway, check out the album it's good. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so. It was as high as #2 on iTunes, and currently sits at #4. This is pretty impressive for a "Christian" artist.

If you want a listen check them out on myspace...uh actually their space on myspace

things to do when bored

I saw a fun thing over at shlog the other day. It was a link to a little applet that lets you make a customized south park character of yourself. I've never been a south park fan, but this was kinda fun. Go here to try it for yourself

South Park Me



I also did this one, with a little help from photoshop

It's on it's way

Monday in the middle of my novocaine induced high, I ordered a new tshirt from busted tees. It should be here tomorrow. I think I might have some feminine tendencies. Let me explain. If I'm not feeling well or I'm kinda down, buying something always makes me feel better. I don't even feel ashamed of myself.


They have some great shirts. Of course most of them I would never wear in public, but they're funny.

humpday haiku

malaise setting in
I've sharpened a few pencils
better break for lunch

this getting older thing...

...it sucks

I had my much dreaded trip to the endodontist yesterday. I can hear you asking, "What's an endodontist?" He is a dentist that has gone to school longer than regular dentists and specializes in only the worst kind of pain. The Root Canal. It took forever to get me numbed up. Eventually he had to give me a big shot right in the gaping hole in my tooth. This is when I screamed and wet myself a little. After two hours of drilling, grinding, and gagging it was over. I stumbled out several hundred dollars poorer, but glad it was over. I gotta go back for some more work in two weeks. As an aside the dentist mentioned that some people lack the microbiology that causes tooth decay. You have got to be kidding me. I want to find one of these lucky idiots and punch them.

Disclaimer: Many of you may think that I am an Anti-Dentite. I am not. I appreciate the roles they fill in our society, and the holes they fill in my teeth. I just wish I didn't have to go.

funny things we say

I have always had a great fear of saying something really inapropriate or dumb while preaching. I bet this guy wishes he had chose another topic

Jeff showed me this,
http://media.putfile.com/pitching_tents

or

http://www.zippyvideos.com/3089765581281236/pitching_tents/*punditguy

homecoming

Our time in Richmond was great. We had a wonderful time and took pictures, so check them out at flickr. We stayed with Jeff, Holly, and Bryan Prosser; our dearest friends in the world. Bryan asked if I would write about him in my blog, so here's one better. We got to see some old friends, some old teachers, and some old haunts. We stocked up on ale-8[now in twist-off].

on the road again

I've crossed over into the promised land. a land flowing with ale-8 and casa fiesta. I'm posting live from casa del prosser. our super good buddies. will post more later

humpday haiku

homecoming weekend
on the campus beautiful
will you be there too?


This weekend Lydia and I are off to big Richmond for EKU homecoming festivities, stock up on ale-8, and hang with good buds we don't get to see often enough. Hope to see you all there!

tv time

I've posted before about my great love for television, and it's time for all the premier's to start. So today, I used my day off to plan what will be TiVo'd this fall.

Monday
9:00 - Las Vegas [starts tonight]
10:00 - American Chopper on Discovery

Tuesday
8:00 - NCIS
9:00 - Amazing Race

Wednesday
9:00 - LOST [on Livingroom TiVo]
9:00 - Apprentice: Martha Stewart [on Bedroom TiVo]

Thursday
3:37 AM - Veronica Mars [great show repeated on our local CBS affiliate at an ungodly hour because we don't have UPN]
8:00 - Survivor [LR TiVo]
8:00 - Alias [BR TiVo]
9:00 - Apprentice

Friday
7:00 - Firefly repeats on scifi

bad news

I blog when I'm happy. Lately I've had a difficult time maintaining an acceptable level of happiness. We found out this week that Bill, my sunday school teacher and good friend, has been diagnosed with Mutiple Myeloma. It a pretty mean type of cancer of the blood that affects the bones. It has really been devastating to his wife Sally, their family and to our whole church family as well. Sally is our pianist at church and works with Lydia at DuPont Elementary too. The prognosis is not good, and the cancer has been advancing at a fierce pace. We have been praying that God would touch Bill, and that if that isn't His will that He would give peace to everyone affected. I would appreciate your prayers.

we took this a few weeks ago when we were walking in the riverpark

supreme court

I was thinking about the vacant seats on the supreme court that W is gonna be filling. I wasn't really thinking about the major impact W will have on the court, but was more wondering if new members get hazed or initiated in any way. When I joined the boy scouts, the first overnight trip we took involved an initiation ritual for me and the other new guys. I was blindfoldedand had to do some chanting and be led around by the rest of the troop and stuff. I know most of my friends in school that were a part of a frat went through hell for that stupid little pin. I was just wondering if the new justices on the supreme court get called "noob" behind their back. Maybe they become the target of practical jokes around the building. You've got to think that there is more to these folks than the public persona we see. I wonder which one of them is the most gassy? You know if a group of people are around each other for very long everyone figures out who "the farter" is. The thought of all of the justices playing jokes on the new guys really cracks me. I can just imagine seeing thomas and suitor giggling like schoolboys because they lit fire to the back of "new guys" robe, thankful they aren't the new kid on the block anymore.

late night haiku

actually it's not wednesday anymore.

four in the morning
major pain waking me up
pain meds kick in now


This is horrible. The pain is not being relived as fast as I would like.

apologies

I know I've been a little unfaithful lately. Sorry! It's been a busy week. and I've been kinda down. I've been working like a slave at church tyring to get the great office remodel over. Last week my knee and back were really hurting a lot. The back has returned to normal and the knee is well on it's way to full strength. One of my teeth has been hurting a lot, and I was putting it off as long as possible. I went to the dentist and he says I need a root canal. He gave me a copy of the x-ray, meds, and a referral to a root canal specialist. See for yourself. Anyway the pain is starting to subside a little. I'm no anti-dentite, but going to the dentist is one of the few things that really gets me uptight. dentists and clowns. Before you ask, Yes that's really my teeth.

I know if your like me you've probably spent lots of hours watching coverage and looking at images from the Gulf Coast wasteland. It's horrible, and I can't imagine the pain and loss so many are feeling. They are in my prayers.

Here are four pieces of good news.(1) Konfabulator, a great little app, has been bought by the fine folks at yahoo, and it is now free. (2)Todd Snider is coming to town, and I'm going to try to make the show(late saturday night and early sundays). (3) my wife is scratching my back even as I type. She's good people. (4) I'm 2% away from having the entire first season of Veronica Mars in my possesion. It's a great show, and chatt has no upn.

stuff i like

one of my favorite blogs that I check every monday is the Perry Bible Fellowship. It's a very sick and twisted weekly comic strip that I find oddly amusing. Not everything there is exactly PG rated, so read at your own risk. Here's one of my favorites.

monday monday

Watched VMA's last night. Keeping tabs on the massive storm tearing up the deep south. Moving offices around and tearing up carpet in prep for new carpet being laid tonight. Knee still hurts. Sad because one of my favorite blogs, Heat Damage, went belly up. Listening to the new podcast of TWiT even as I type. Don't have much time, gotta get back to work.

foto friday

Before you all think I've been vandalizing local houses of worship, you should go check out http://www.churchsigngenerator.com .

I hurt myself tuesday, and have been laid up with a bum knee and back. My posting has been kind of inconsistent of late.

Due to the spam this blog has been reciving in the comments, I am having to delete certain comments of a commercial nature. Consequently, I may have to turn on word verification for commenting.

humpday haiku and other stuff

hai·ku def: A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables,traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

Heater sent me this
I guess I'll participate
Don't quite get tagging

I do this with serious reservations, but I value my relationships. Next thing you know I'll have a mood indicator and a froogle wishlist on the blog.

heater Tagged Me

10 years ago: 10 yrs ago, I was convincing my parents I needed a semester off before I began college, and it wasn't really necessary to get a job, because I was trying tio find myself.

5 years ago: 5 yrs ago I was just getting adjusted to sharing a bed, marriage, and had just began working at FBC Richmond

yesterday: I went to work and installed a projection screen in the sanctuary, and somehow managed to injure my back and right knee, so todaI'm'm hobbling around like an old man

5 snack I enjoy: Cottage Cheese. Pepperjack, PopTarts, Peanut Butter M&M's, Reece's Cups

5 song I know all the words to: "the Chicken Dance", "Happy Birthday", "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", "Great is Thy Faithfullness", and "Church" by Lyle

5 things i would do with 100 million dollars: buy a descent vehicle, get a tummy tuck, invest in jello, buy new underear, buy things from my wishlist

5 place I would run away to: a cave, the beach, Krystal, Starbucks, the Library

5 thing I would never wear: a thong, fishnet shirt, anything with St Louis Cardinals on it, a pinky ring, daisy dukes

5 tv shows that I love: Lost, Survivor, Big Brother, Alias, and Lingo

5 bad habits: picking my nose in traffic, wiping it in obscure places, sticking my hands in obscure places, finding things that were previously left, crack

5 biggest joys: My God, My Wife, My Family, My Job, My Computer

5 favorite toys: Camera, Mp3 Player, TiVo, Xbox, rubber Chicken that ejects an egg from rectum when squeezed

4 people I'm tagging: Saddam, Kim-Jong, Osama, Pat Robertson

school daze

Hey homies, I know most of you are EKU BSU peeps, So I figured it might be a good idea to spread the 411 on homecoming 2005 here. EKU Homecoming is Saturday, September 24th. The BSU stuff starts at 10:00 and the game is at 3:00 against Tennessee Tech. Lydia and I are planning on being there and it would be good to see a lot of you guys there. We got a letter this past week about the events and festivities. If you aren't on their mailing list you may want to give them a call and update your info.

braves game

Yesterday a group from the church including Lydia and myself went to Atlanta to see the Braves take on the Padres. On the way there we got stopped in Atlanta traffic. Apparrentlty a man was threatening to jump off of an overpass. Get the story here. Once we got to the game it took about thirty seconds sitting in the outfield bleachers for me to realize what bacon must feel like when it gets cooked. It was roasting. I guess the temp in the stadium was around 100 degrees. I was fine as long as I was sitting, but when I went to get more water, I almost passed out. So I gave up my choice seat and went and sat farther up in the stands in the shade with all of the women and children. The ushers had been instructing people with kids to sit in the upper levels and I joined them. Round about the fourth inning the aforementioned overpass jumper traffic arrived at the game and wanted their seats wich were being occupied by heat exhausted women, children, and fat people. It was a scene. The braves lost by a grand slam in the top of the 13th inning.

This was my first Braves game. Turner field was great. The seats were a little small, but that's my problem. As a loyal Cubbies fan, I faithfully resisted the urge to do the Indian tomahawk chop thingie every other minute with all of the other lunatics. It was a good day thanks to copious ammounts of spf 48.

foto friday

NASCAR fans are scary

happy b-day bro

Yesterday was my big brother Sean's birthday. He's always been a good brother...well mostly. He always got to do things before I did because he's 4 1/2 years older than me. He got His license, got to wear all the clothes that were handed down to me , and choose how to get his hair cut first(jess was a great barber recommendation). The advantage of this was that he showed me some of the secrets and pitfalls in life before I could experience them firsthand. It was my brother that taught me that a wadded up piece of tinfoil works just as well as a BB if your gonna shoot somebody point blank in the leg. It was him that taught me that knives are forbidden weapons to pull during trampoline karate matches. It was him that taught me that a empty mountain dew can and a steady hand will suffice if dad won't stop at a rest area. And it was my brother that taught me that drill bits get really hot when you use them for extended periods of time. They will even burn the flesh off your neck. Most of these lesson have left mental and physical scars on me, but they were lessons well learned. Thanks for the years of imparted wisdom.

Happy Birthday Brother
(I'm sorry mom always made us dress alike.
You didn't deserve that, and neither did I.)

humpday haiku

hai·ku def: A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables,traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

This weeks haiku is about something I watch on TV. Feel free to post your own on your viewing habits.

I have addiction
The TV calls it Lingo
I must watch nightly

If your completely clueless right now you probably don't watch enough of the game show network.

pk in nashville

friday and saturday I went with a group of guys from church to Promise Keepers in Nashville. We had a good time. I had never been to a pk event, and it was different than I had expected. I don't consider myself a macho man. I don't hunt, fish, or watch sports 24 hours a day, but I do like to scratch and belch a lot. Somehow I had a good time in spite of my obvious lack of machismo. We got to hear some great speakers and the worship band was pretty good too. It was awesome to see 15,000 men with their hands lifted high praising God. We wrapped it all up with a trip to Joes crab shack. mmmm barbecue dungenes crab legs.

One of the unexpected highlights was getting to see my boy Dave. Things seem to be going well for him and Sara, and I really miss getting to hang out with that negro( if you knew Dave you'd get it).

my dream

I'm what I call a "boring dreamer". My wife is one of those "technicolor dreamers". She remembers the smallest details about every part of her dreams. On the other hand if you ask me what I dreamed, I might remember being cold or warm, but typically don't remember anything.

The other night I had one of those vivid dreams. I was being chased by a wild animal. No it wasn't a lion, tiger, or bear. It was a duckodile! It had the body of a duck and the bill was the snout of a crocodile. It was chasing and snapping at me. I woke up trembling just as it finally caught me and its long teeth were sinking into my leg. When I told Lydia what I dreamed she just laughed at me. Most people I have told about the dream say that I'm crazy.

one of my fav blogs

Hey guys I've been reading over at SHLOG for some time now. My buddy Ben is a friend of Shauns and turned me on to his blog. If you haven't checked out his White Flag CD, you should. It's all based on the beatitudes and very cool.

humpday haiku

hai·ku def: A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables,traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.



why is it so hot?
my van A/C does not work
underwear always melting

finally...a good excuse

I read this article today and felt relieved. I always get accused of not listening to my wife, and now I know why.

it says: "The female voice is actually more complex than the male voice, due to differences in the size and shape of the vocal cords and larynx between men and women, and also due to women having greater natural 'melody' in their voices. "This causes a more complex range of sound frequencies than in a male voice."

This might explain why I have trouble understanding my wife

foto friday

one of my favorite things to do is browse the web for interesting photos. Thhis week I found this. Can you say, "Wedgie"

btw: it took forever when we posed for this. :)

things that will get you hit

While reading this post, it will help you understand my tone if when you see "stuff like this" you imagine I'm using a very sarcastic tone and doing the "finger-quotes" thing.

I'm a pretty non-violent person. In fact, a lot of people would probably even consider me a "wuss". I'm not completely sure that they are all wrong. If you really want to see the inner beast that normally lays comatose in some dark corner of my mind be released into the glaring sunlight, there a few things that will definitely awake him from his slumbering. You can call them "pet peeves", "annoyances", or even "things that will make Geron hit you". I have plenty, but today I'll mention two.

#1 the thing that annoys me most is gross mouth noises. Let me clarify: Gum chewing, loud food chewing, slurping, lip smacking, gum popping, etc. Last night in bible study a sweet and wonderful woman sitting next to me was thoroughly enjoying her chewing gum. The longer she chewed, the louder it got. My mind began racing as the sound got louder and I thought to myself, "Can't anyone else hear this?" Finally after about 30 minutes I turned to her and said, "If you don't stop smacking that gum I'm going to lose it!" She laughed and spit it out. This was a smart move on her part because the links in the chain holding the inner beast back were starting to weaken and give.

#2 People that go on and on about the great value of a "Christian Education", and if you don't have the "privilege" to go to a private school or university your pretty much worthless. I have heard all of the arguments. There's the "My university is great because all the teachers are Christians" argument, and the old "we don't want all those mean old atheist professors trying to brainwash our youngins", as if all the staff at Christians schools were "Christian" and all the staff at secular school were "pagan" . My favorite argument is the "I know it that it's four times as expensive, but excessive debt teaches young people a great life lesson". I went to a "Christian" school as a child and saw behavior that didn't match up with what they supposedly believed. I think it may have "scarred" me a little.

By the way, special thanks go out to the army of teachers that went through the school library with magic markers and drew "appropriate" clothing on all of the natives in the National Geographic magazines. It really helped my young and fragile mind.

No, I'm not kidding. It really happened.

humpday haiku

hai·ku def: A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables,traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

stomach is rumbling
I wish Quiznos was closer
subway really sucks

The only Quiznos in "The Chatt" is way across town. And unfortunately, the sandwiches at Subway continue to get worse. A couple a weeks ago I went to subway and got the seafood sensation sub.This is my usual fare at the subway. It tasted like cold dog turds spread with mayonnaisee. I could only eat a few bites before i quickly lost my appetite. Do you understand how serious that is? An hour later as I hunkered over the throne of contemplation screaming in pain from the burning coming from my most nether-regions I realized that it was probably the spoiled subway. Today I get cold chills if I even looks at a subway as I pass.

regularity

no not that kind of regularity

life seems to be returning to normal. Today, typically my day off, I got up and went to work. For once it was because I wanted to, not because I had things to do. Monday is payday here. Most of the trips are over for a while and everything seems to be settling down. Lydia is gearing up for a return to school. This year she will be fulltime at Dupont Elementary.

I'm sure this temporary lull in life will soon be over. We found out Saturday that Lydia's sister Ann is now OFFICIALLY engaged. She will wed a wonderful guy named Daniel who is originally from India. So a wedding will be planned soon, and knowing Ann and Daniel, I'm sure it will be interesting

very proud

Other than the fact that the laptop network card went kaplooiey and I was without internet, the week was great. The assembly in Knoxville is over until next year. I was asked to lead in worship for the missions convention on Wednesday and it went well. The real highlight of the week for me was getting to be there for my dad's ordination as an elder into the Church of the Nazarene. Although Dad has been ministering for several years now, he just recently finished the course work to become an ordained elder. It was a great service. Dr. Talmadge Johnson, one of the General superintendents of the church led in the ordination service and rite. Ironically, My pawpaw Brown Served under Dr. Johnson's father in the Duncan, Oklahoma church many many years ago. It was a pretty special occasion for my family. My Grandmother and great aunt came in from Oklahoma, as well as two of my dads brothers from Louisiana for all of the festivities. It was an extra treat to get to sing in the service. Dad wanted me to sing "In Christ Alone", so I did. It's His favorite song.

Afterward we all went to O'Charleys for a celebration. Our waiter, who had been in the choir at Lee University, sang to dad after a little prodding. It was real fun.

here's a link to all of the pictures

on the road...again

This week, like last week, I'm on the road. Last week was vacation. This week it's the East Tennessee Nazarene District Assembly in Knoxville. Lot's of meetings, voting, reports, and preachers. Large crowds of preachers kinda make me nervous. Strong cologne, Loud ties, and big bibles are the norm. It seems that almost every conversation includes the words, "how many are you running in worship?" It's a great scene.

I'll try to be faithful to post this week. I know so many of you miss it when I don't.(said with sad smile)

peace

visitors

For several weeks now we have been trying to find a time to get together with our great friends Ben & Bekah. They have been longtime friends and I even took Music History with them at EKU(o the stories they could tell). They got in late Friday night and left this evening. It was short, but a splendid time was had by all! It was so relaxing just to take it easy, drink ale 8, play cards, and catch up on old times. We had the inaugural game of settlers that I just bought, and I think they may have liked it. We hardly left the house at all.

Thankfully, I had no outbursts of random object throwing during all of the games. That has happened before; not pretty. Apparently, taboo brings out the worst in me. By the way, if your reading this julie, I'm sorry about that. I hope you've learned your lesson and won't interrupt or distract me anyone else when they're trying to concentrate. I hope your scars have started to healed up. :)

In all seriousness, Ben and Bekah have been there for me and seen me through some of the "valley-of-the-shadow" times in my life, and I count myself lucky just to be able to call them "friend".

back and better than before

Today it's random musings that have been going through my head over the past few days.

The new Harry Potter was very good, very eventful. no spoilers here

It's funny how some people have become a little paranoid since I have begun blogging(you know who you are). I think they believe that I will use this to slam them. I might buy one of these to give folks fair warning

I survived Gatlinburg, and didn't even buy an airbrush tshirt. Got some great pics that I will post over at flikr soon. I really missed being able to blog while on vacation.

One of the best things about vacation was playing "settlers of catan" almost every night with Everett my brother-in-law who introduced us to it. It's new to me(I know I've been living in a hole), but so fun that I had to pick it up on the way home.

We've got houseguests coming this weekend. Ben & Bekah are two of our greatest friends and we love nothing more than hanging out and playing games. However, if I've had too much garlic, it becomes pure agony.

bear with me

Vacation starts tomorrow, and I need it. I will try to post a few times this next week, but don't expect much. I picked up Harry last night. You'd think the geniuses at Walmart would open more than four lanes at the release of largest printing of any book in history. I guess you can take the consumer global superpower out of arkansas, but you can't take the arkansas out of the consumer global superpower.

tonights the night

Well unless you've been living in the armpit of a giant, you should know that the new Harry Potter book comes out tonight. This is the largest first printing of any book in history.

10.8 MILLION COPIES.

I haven't been snared in by those midnight book party's at places like Barnes & Noble. But I'll do what I've done ever other release. I'll be purchasing from what some call the real dark lord, "Wal-Mart". Cheaper than anywhere else.

We leave Sunday for vacation with Lydia’s family. We’re going to the “Redneck Riviera”; otherwise known as Gatlinburg, TN. I imagine Harry and I will be spending a lot of time together.

humpday haiku

TiVo on the way
bedroom will also rewind
UPS brings joy



Yeah, I'm amped! We took advantage of a special deal that TiVo had going. If you buy a year of service, you get a free TiVo box. I ordered it monday night, and it will be delivered today. Now we have "His" and "Hers" TiVo's.

what "His" will record
Star Trek, Mythbusters, Family Guy, Big Brother 6, Good Eats(food network), American Chopper, Iron Chef, and of course Seinfeld

what "Hers" will record
Smurfs and Lifetime Movies with titles like: "She Said No", "My Husband Beats Me" , "My Daughter: The Tramp", and "He Said He'd Stop: My Husband Beats Me 2"

I don't get it. She loves these movies. They all begin with a beautiful woman with a promising career or a member of her family being victimized. And they all end the same way. "We the jury, find the defendant guilty on all charges" cue the emotional celebration