Dolittle

On my way to St. Louis I drive Hwy 44, or old Rt. 66, and I drive by a town called Dolittle just outside of Rolla, Missouri. I can't help but wonder how the town got it's name. Did the original people who lived in that town do anything? Were they deadbeats?

Saturday and Sunday I did very little around the house. Saturday morning I was all ready to take the kids to the gym while I worked out when the wife mentioned that my son hasn't stayed home in over 2 weeks since his daycare started, we worked out the previous Saturday morning and of course he is at church Sunday's from 8-noon. So I stayed home. This is a hard thing for me to do. I've always got to be doing something. Saturday I did leave the house 2 times. Once, for a drive thru breakfast and a second time I went to the grocery store for ice. I did make a homemade pizza for dinner Saturday. Everything from scratch including the crust. 1/2 bar-b-que chicken and 1/2 spicy sausage. Major accomplishment considering we average eating out 3 meals a day. Sunday I did go to church and to eat lunch afterwards, but the rest of the day I stayed home.

School started for teachers yesterday and it was a slight welcome in my book. After school I mowed 3 front yards and one whole yard and actually felt like I accomplished something. I even slept better last night.

I think I made the trip to Missouri last week in fear of doing little.

I'm Back

The Ballgame: I went with Minhaul to the game and it was hot. We parked for FREE on the White Castle parking lot. A friend of mine lives next door to a WC manager and he worked it out to where we could park for free. I was a little worried that for some reason the car might get towed. It didn't.

We received our tickets and I saw section 132 and got excited...."WE GOT GREAT SEATS." Minhaul then informed me it was section 132 Standing Room Only "seats." After the first inning Minhaul scoped out some seats about 25 rows up and we sat in them the whole game. Cards lost 5-3 in an uneventful game. They currently are stuck in a 7 game losing streak, but are still in first place.

The Ride Home: This was my 3rd trip to St. Louis in 2 months. It is at best a 9 1/2 hour trip, but it usually turns into an 11 hour trips with unforseen traffic or multiple restroom breaks. It is entertaining to listen to songs you haven 't heard in years as you travel across cattle country. I personally do not want to listen to another Cher song in my life. I also think George Michael tunes should be banned.

Last Day Off: Today is my last official day off for the summer. I do have a meeting at school from 1-4 today that I'll make part of. I do have my daughter and I don't think she'll sit quietly for the 3 hours.

Yesterday I went to school and Pigs helped me get my classoom going. Last year she stressed as I waited until the last possible minute to get my room ready for "Supply Night" or meet the teacher night. This is fun for her, necessary for me. I get professional help in setting up my room and she gets a full detail of her car. Bartering is not bad!

First Pitch Tickets

The St. Louis Cardinals are playing their first season in the new Busch Stadium and I have really wanted to go to a game this inaugural season. My family has been to St. Louis 3 times this summer and I've yet to make a game. Tickets are hard to come by as most seats are sold out. A person can only buy standing room only seats or single seats for all games. You could go to Stubhub.com or other ticket agencies and get tickets, but this usually costs a good 25% above face value when all is said and done.

The Cardinals have a "First Pitch" ticket program. The first 125 people lined up outside the ticket office at 9a.m. purchase a voucher good for 2 tickets for $11 total. Considering the cheapest seats are $13 this will at least be a $15 savings. I went down this morning with my daughter and bought a voucher. After juggling possible options of who I would take to the game Minhaul opted to forego his softball game and committed to going to tonight's game. We will need to arrive at Gate 4-15 minutes before game time to get our 2 tickets. We could get Field Box seats valued at $78 each or general reserved seats valued at $13 each. I guess some of the excitement is built around CHANCE. The type of seat depends on which seats are turned back into the box office from players, promo companies, etc. Generally unused tickets.

I am excited to be going. The easy route would have been to stay home and watch the game on TV. I really didn't have anyone that interested in going with me so when I went down this morning I really went down in blind faith.

General comments about my experience so far:
1. If you take a 5 year old take something for her/him to do. Otherwise go alone.
2. You can actually park near the stadium for $2. I was worried about parking and almost took the Metrolink to the stadium.
3. Arrive by around 8am if you want a decent spot in line. For weekend or Cubs games get there even earlier. I am sure some people will camp out overnight for these tickets.
4. Plan on using up 3 hours of your morning time. Left my mom's about 7:20am and arrived back just after 10am.
5. Take a foldable chair and something to read. Or strike up a conversation with complete strangers......easy for me!

I am sure tomorrow night's post will be about my first game to the "new" Busch Stadium. Or the 10 hour drive back to Texas.

All You Can BOWL(not eat)

Busy day here in St. Louis today. Mowed for 2 hours early. My daughter and I met a friend and his daughter at the theatre and we watched Ant Bully. After that I met Minhaul for All You Can Bowl for 2 hours for $5.95...shoes included. I paid for my daughter and she bowled for the first time in over 2 years. Her first game was a 79 with bumpers.

I bowled my best game ever...258. 10 strikes and 2 spares. I think my 5 game series went: 190, 137, 200, 258, 155. I even bowled one lefted handed game and scored 157. Minhaul bowled his first ever left handed game and broke 100. I needed a day like this because my brother and Minhaul dominated the last 2 bowling outings. I think between my daughter and Minhaul we bowled 15+ games. We probably saved at least $20 with this special.

Finished the night with a little swimming action at my friend Andy's house. Tomorrow I hope to get tickets to the Cardinals game before heading back to Texas on Wednesday.

Up Hill BOTH Ways

Remember the stories your parents or grandparents would tell you about walking to school, two miles, up hill, BOTH WAYS? ANd thru 2 feet of snow! Well I helped BillyV move yesterday and loading the truck we worked UP HILL and unloading the truck we worked UP HILL.

We started Saturday morning about 9:30 and it took about 2 1/2 hours. We had to move boxes and furniture from the basement of a local pastor who was generous to let them store their items for free. The logistics had us walking out a basement door, across a flat area, and then turning left to negotiated a huge tree and then up a steep gravel hill that was at least 20 steps long. From there you made your way to the driveway and another 20 uphill steps to the truck. If you had the energy, you walked the last 10 steps UP the ramp. This was a tough trek walking without anything let alone pulling a dolly stacked with 3 boxes across the gravel. Of about 15 trips with the dolly that I took I only had 2 spills.

It only took about 1 1/2 hours to unload. Most of the stuff went into the ground level garage, but some went up about 20 steps to the front door which led into the living area. A few items even went up one more level to the bedrooms.

I was impressed with the generals(dad and dad-n-law) who were near 60 in age. Then you had BillyV and myself at 40 and then a couple who came and helped who are mid to low 30 ish. AND she is expecting. I am so thankful that this couple made the trek too.

I ended up with one tick bite, a slight sun burn on my neck and shoulders, probably a little dehydrated(100 degree index) and this morning my calves are BURNING. Ibuprofen will be my friend today.

Red Lobster

Last night my family dined at Red Lobster for $16. That was $38 for 2 entrees and a kids meal, minus $25 for a gift card, minus $4 coupon, add $6 tip. Not bad for plenty of food with left overs to bring home.

Philly Connection: $11.30

Our Wednesday night dinner plans usually include dining at the Philly Connection. It is "Kids Eat Free" with the purchase of a large combo. Our dinner total came to $11.30.

The following was our order:

Large Original Philly Cheesesteak, no onions as a combo: fries and drink included. Basically the kids split this one,$7.39
Kids Philly Cheesesteak meal, with onions: fries and drink included. This was my meal,$FREE.
Wednesday special sandwich: chicken chunks with cheese, no onions: $2.99. The wife ate this one.

This is plenty of food for us and we even had french fries left over. We visit enough that the lady was able to punch in our order last night without help. I did recommend this place to a friend and I was SHOCKED that he didn't like it. He thought it was bland. Oh well, taste is a preference.

Eat Cheap

I am going to start posting cheap dining experiences since this is a specialty of mine. I may be able to pass on some tips to those of you with families to feed on a tight budge.

Sunday after church my family had lunch at Taco Cabana. The following is the order and food description.

1. Personal Fajita Skillet-$4.99. This meal comes with fajita chicken served on a hot iron skillet accompanied with rice, beans, lettuce, pico, sour cream and 2 tortillas.
2. 3 Taco Combo-$4.99. This meal comes with 3 tacos of choice(beef or chicken), crispy or soft tortillas, a bowl of tortilla chips, a decent side of queso and a 20 oz. drink.
3. 3 extra tortillas.

The meal total was $10.99. This gave us plenty of food to share with a little bit of the beans and rice left over. Nobody left the table hungry. Sharing the soda does lend itself to a few refills, taking turns and trading germs, but we share the same toilet so what's the big deal. Our only sacrifice on the drink is that my wife would prefer tea or coke and I try to mix a 1/2 Coke and 1/2 diet Coke.

Let me know how you cut corners and save when it comes to eating. I've got a few people I know asking me "Where can we eat cheap today?"

Bugs

Flies
In the movie Tombstone, Morgan Earp(Bill Paxton) says, "I know what they say about live and let live, but there aint no livin' with bugs Wyatt." This weekend we went to a pool party in the neighborhood and if you've read my blog in the past you know my feelings about flies(HATE THEM). When you sit there and watch fly after fly land on the deviled eggs, cheese dip, pasta salad, etc. you kind of lose your desire to eat. Especially when you know that they vomit and poop each time they land. Great diet plan I guess. I only ate the meat that was covered FULLY by the foil. We were at the party for about 2 hours when the host picked up one of the 2 remaining deviled eggs. "NO!" I screamed silently, but it was too late. I almost lost it for her. Tip: If hosting a party keep the food INSIDE!!!!!! Then keep a fly swatter handy.

Crickets
Pigs posted about how her home was being invaded by crickets so you can go to her site and read about it http://worldofpig.blogspot.com/ . I don't have the cricket problems at my house.

Ants
Typically when someone in Texas talks about ants they are talking about FIRE ANTS. They are nasty ants that attack when disturbed and have on occasion killed someone who reacted negatively to the bites. But right now I'm talking about the general ant. The one who in human distance travels about 10 miles in hopes of finding a crumb or a puddle of spilled Pepsi. When we came back from Missouri mid July we found ants all over the house. And since this time we have sprayed and sprayed and they still manage to infiltrate our house looking for either water, a cooler habitat, or food. They are on the counters, in the pantry, in the bathroom, scattered across the carpet. You name it. Fortunately they aren't the biting kind so until it rains or cools off we'll just learn to co-habitate with these arthopods.

What's bugging you?

To Go or Not to Go

My summer break is slowly coming to an end. My first official report date is August 7 making the next 14 days extremely valuable. That said I have one more chance to trek up north to the great picturesque state of Missouri. My best friend BillyV is moving from the Camdenton area to a small town just outside of Springfield called Nixa. There are many people that I do not hesitate to help with no questions asked. BillyV is one of the few that I would go the extra to help out regardless of the circumstances. I've known of "the move" for about a month and told BillyV that I could possible drive the 8 hrs. and help him out. My wife has school commitments and all I would need to do is bring my daughter along.

The following is the lists of PROS and CONS on making the trip

PROS
BillyV needs the MAN power(I think he has 2 other people helping-dad and father-in-law)
Friendship-my friendship with BillyV can't be replaced
Memories-I would journey the additional 3 hours to St. Louis and visit family again and use my FREE Six Flags ticket, possibly go to a Cardinals game with my dad, and spend time with my aging parents.
Boredom-I would probably be bored here at home anyway
Delivery-I could take my treadmill to my mom and 3 cookie jars to my aunt

CONS
The biggest con is it will cost me at least $150 in gasoline costs. My dad usually fills my gas tank once when I visit(-$35) and gives me a little cash so that would offset my costs a little.


I would probably drive back on Wednesday or Thursday so I would still have 3-4 FREE days before going back to school for trainings. I think in the long run I would regret NOT doing this and I usually don't spend much $$$ in St. Louis since my family usually treats and such. I could maybe even work for my brother one day if I had too.

Chime in and let me know what your opinion is.

It's HOT

It is kind of pathetic when the news meteorologists have to create new ways to draw the viewers in by leading them to think it is either going to A) RAIN or B) get cooler. All week they have shown a chance of rain for Saturday along with a cool front blowing thru the area. "Is there rain in the forecast? Stay tuned!" The viewing area that they've included expanded by 200 miles to include a trace of rain near San Antonio and I live near Dallas. Our cold front that blew in today dropped the temps to 99 degrees.

We finally called the solar screen guy and had him come out and give us an estimate of what it would cost to cover our back 23 windows.....$525. We would probably recoup that money in the short run and another positive would be that our bedroom would stay a little darker. Should consider putting one on my daughter's room since she wakes up at 7am regardless of what time she goes to bed.

It was hot across the nation so heat in Texas probably isn't getting anyone's sympathy vote. Although I was a little jealous this morning when my dad say it was in the low 60's just outside of St. Louis this morning. I do wonder during July and August why I moved to Texas. BillyV can you answer me???????

Off to a pool party....got to beat the heat!

Kids and TV

My 2 year old is FINALLY able to sit and watch a TV program. I know this sounds kind of bad, but it is a relief to be able to do something on my own without having to be at his command. It seems like it took him longer to be entertained by the TV than my daughter who is the eldest. My daughter could be babysat by the TV all day if we would let her, but she is just as happy doing other things: puzzles, coloring, playing with stuffed animals, swinging outside, etc. When we do need a break from her we recommend that she watch TV and she obliges. The cool thing with her is that she will watch Animal Planet non-stop. We do notice a little attitude from her when she ends up watching Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. Generally we prefer that she watch Nick Jr. for younger kids. It is on from 5am-5pm each day locally. And since we have Comcast there are plenty of wholesome "on demand" kids programs that are always available.

I think my choices as a 5 year old were The Lone Ranger, Mr. Rogers, and Sesame Street. I use "choices" loosely because with only 5 channels you watched what was on. Now my daughter could legitimately have over 100 different things to watch and this does not include videos.

End of a Lease

My wife and I are approaching unchartered vehicle owning territory. We are at the end of the lease on our 2003 Jeep Liberty. We have 3000 miles and 4 months to go. The disappointing thing is that if we decided to keep it we would have to finance $11K PLUS pay them a $400 purchasing fee. If we turn it in we owe them a $295 "disposition" fee. Our other options would be to sell it outright, but then we lose any tax credit we would have($700 net) should we buy another car. If we dispose of it at the dealer and buy something elsewhere we will also lose this credit.

The other pending factor is what do we buy? I think the minivan option is out. Just recently we have thought about buying an older convertible style Jeep Wrangler. We could find a 7-10 year old Jeep Wrangler for about $8000. It would be fun to have, but when it gets less than 20 miles per gallon that doesn't seem like an economical choice given the gas issues the past 2 years. A tiny portion of me says find a car that gets 40 miles to the gallon and avoid allowing the gas crisis be a factor in our monthly spendings.

I've got just a little time to figure this out so I'd appreciate any advice. AND horses don't come with AC so please recommend something with 4 wheels and AC.

I Remember When......

I remember when......

The Big Gulp was the largest drink 7-11 sold.
7-11 didn't sell gas.
Gas was under $2....okay I remember in 2000 buying gas for $1.27 at Walmart.
City parks had 2 story metal slides and swings with super long chains.
My 1st car, a 65 Chevy Malibu was 20 years old.

Up $700

Not having to spend money is about as good of news as receiving money. A few weeks ago while I was detailing a car I saw my son standing in the front seat shoving coins in this 2006 Honda Civic's CD player. When I opened the door I saw one penny hanging out and I successfully removed it. I decided to finish cleaning the car before I would check to see if the CD player worked. Well, it didn't work and I wasn't able to see inside the unit to look for other coins. I drove it by the local Honda dealer before returning the car to it's owner and they said there was no way they could tell. When I dropped the car off to the owner I explained what happened and said I would pay for any damage or for a replacement CD.

A few weeks had gone by and I guess no news is good news. Today while attending a teacher inservice I ran into Coach C and she informed me that she took it in and kind of played dumb as to why it wasn't working. The Honda dealer ordered a new CD player and had to remove a portion of the dash in the process. They told Coach C that there was 8 cents in the unit and that it was the reason it wasn't working. She kind of said she wondered if someone had put coins in the unit. They told her since it was brand new they would just cover it under warranty. WHEW!

I was thinking it might cost between $300-$500 dollars, but they told her it would have been more than $700.

I'm telling you, my 2 year old has cost us so much more money than my 5 year old: 2 trips to emergency room, he's broke the blinds in his room, he vomitted on an old car seat while traveling thru Oklahoma Sunday so we bought a new carseat, etc.

Luck was on my side this time. I guess I'll give Coach C a few FREE details since she played her cards in my favor.

Top 5 Float Trip

We went canoeing Saturday on a spring fed river in central Missouri and the following is a top 5.

Top 5 Things I Observed About The Float Trip

5. It is mainly a white person activity. 98% whites, 1% black, 1% dogs.
4. At 40 I used lots of sunblock, in my 20's I put my shirt back on when someone finally said, "you're looking red."
3. There's always one person in each group who likes to splash or tip canoes.
2. Compared to many out on the river I'm in pretty good shape........comparitively.
1. If finances and sex are the 2 most stressing factors on a relationship, then being in a canoe with your spouse has to be a close 3rd.

We made it home last night about 9:45pm. We took a 45 minute break 2 hours from home when my son decided to erupt like a volcano all over himself and his carseat. No wonder he got quiet for about 30 minutes right before he erupted.

Chocolate Bar

I'm not talking about a candy bar, but in case you wanted to know my favorite candy bar would be either the Heath toffee bar or it's close cousing the Skor bar. Last Thursday night my wife and I stayed at The Park Avenue Bed n Breakfast in the historic Lafayette Square in downtown St. Louis. Down the street a short stroll was a Chocolate "Bar". My wife and I ventured in to see red velvety decor with dark stained wood. We stood near the bar and checked out the menu. This was a place that specialized in chocolate items: beer, martinis, shakes, truffles, and other desserts. They also had a limited choice in mini-pizzas and breads.

We finally decided that we would order the fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream drizzled with a caramel sauce. It was one of the cheapest items on the menu that had desserts ranging from $5-$11. It was wonderful and was perfect for us to split since we had dinner at one of our favorite dating places, Seamus McDaniels.

If you get a chance while you are in St. Louis go and check out Lafayette Square. It was built in the late 1800's for the rich and was nearly devastated in the 1890's by a massive tornado. It took years to rebuild and then suffered a major slump in the 1920's when it became a boarding house area. A small percentage of the houses have been leveled and the neighborhood has been rejuvenating for the past 20 years. A few new homes have been built, but they have been built to match the era.

You do have to be cautious as you visit this area near Jefferson and Hwy 44 because it is a few blocks away from what I grew up calling, "The Projects", otherwise known as section 8 housing. In the early 80's there were about 4 highrise, low income housing that turned into the slums. That was all leveled and the neighborhood has actually been built back up with townhouses and apartments.

Today is get away day and we will be traveling from St. Louis back to Texas! Pray for our safety.

Stereotyping

On our way down to see fireworks last night my wife asked me to stop somewhere so she could get a pack of gum. I exited the highway in a marginal area of St. Louis. I saw the Walgreens and decided that was the best place considering the options. I was fortunate enough to find a front row spot so I pulled up and let me wife make the purchase. As I sat there many black(African-American) people entered and exited the store. When she got back into the car we discussed the feelings we had of being in a heavily black area. "Lock the doors," was one of my comments. We also noticed that many of the black men would wear blue jean pants or shorts that wouldn't stay up without an occasional crotch grab. All guys I saw at the Walgreens also wore either a white t-shirt or white tank top. This was reinforced today as we drove near the same area.

It was just a weird unsafe feeling mixed with stereotyping coming true. Along this area that we drove, Broadway Blvd, there were many 2 or 3 story brick buildings, many boarded up and the others dotted with black families sitting on the front porches. There are many beautiful brick buildings, many close to 100 years old with awesome architecture, just waiting to be torn down or renovated.

Today as we scoped out a bed and breakfast in a nice neighborhood that is surrounded by poverty I got to experience purchasing gas at a station where few white people visit. It was the first time that I bought groceries by pointing and guessing from the outside of a bullet proof window. "Uh, how much are those chips........., no those on the next shelf....." I got a little nervous as the line started to back up behind me. This is an area that I often drove thru as a teen and at that time I was either naive, didn't realize the separation between whites and blacks, or the area wasn't this bad.

This said, I do appreciate the few black people that I work with. I am comfortable enough with 2 of the guys to discuss any questions or feelings that I have about black people. They may not appreciate the questions that I ask, but we do seem to enjoy each other's company.

Fireworks

Fireworks are a big thing this time of year. In our area a person can buy the fireworks, but not shoot them off in our county due to a severe drought and ban on fireworks. As we drove up thru Oklahoma and into Missouri you realize how many dollars are spent on flashing and exploding pyro devices. There are roadside stands everywhere.

This time of year is my brother's favorite. He'll spend as much as $500 on fireworks and usually has a large group of Missouri rednecks come out to his property to camp and watch for FREE!

Monday night we watched a firework display in Smalltown Missouri that was put on by the optimist club. Why are they called "optimists?" The fireworks actually went on for about 30 minutes and is probably the best up close display that anyone could hope to witness.

Now last night my wife and I drove thru the sporadic, drizzling rain, and went downtown St. Louis to a park called Kiener Plaza. From there you could see the old courthouse between the legs of the St. Louis Arch which is the backdrop for the Veiled Prophet fireworks show. Downtown St. Louis was a near madhouse as we drove in about 9pm to find a place to park and watch. We dediced to give up on finding a FREE parking spot and found a parking lot for $5. We walked about 8 blocks and the fireworks show started as we were about 3 blocks away from Keiner Plaza. The show started at 9:30. I thought it was at 9:45. OOPS. Bottom line is it was a top notch fireworks show with the Arch and courthouse as the ultimate back drop to the fireworks.

My wife brought up the fact that my overall enjoyment of the trip can ride on how easily I can "get away" from the crowds. I always try to find an escape route. I found a parking spot that wouldn't trap me in. It was on a busy street that allowed us to get away from ground zero. I also had access to 2 major highways. It did take a little bit of time to get away, but I never felt trapped.

Only downfall of the trip was the occasional smell of urine as we passed the downtown skyscrapers. The little bit of rain and high humidity didn't help that situation at all.

What did you do for the 4th?

Back in St. Louis

Finally made it to St. Louis via Camendton and Jonesburg Missouri. Left right after church on Sunday and drove to BillyV's in-laws on the lake. Got to take a trip out on the boat. July 4th week is one of the lake's busiest weeks. It was pretty calm late in the evening. It is really eye opening to see all the resorts and lake houses along with boats that start in the low $20K's. We saw a few on the strip for up to $200,000. I'm sure there are some that cost more than that.

We visited the wife's family last night and today. Got to visit the small town 4th of July special. Free carriage ride and bounce house. We did have fried fish sandwiches along with home made ice cream. The fireworks display was delayed about 30 minutes due to inclement weather. My kids could care less about the fireworks so I'm not sure that we will go anywhere tonight. If we do, it will be without the kids.

I'll be here in St. Louis taking it easy so if you want to get together just leave a comment. We'll be staying at my mom's place here in Arnold, Missouri, fast food capital of the world.

Summer is Over

June 30th means one thing, July is here. Usually in July I stop detailing cars because even at 8am it is too hot. July usually means we wrap up vacations as we will do the 2nd-9th as we travel to St. Louis to visit family for no particular reason. Sunday we will stay with BillyV and his family at the lake. Monday a short drive will take us to my wife's family. On July 4th we plan on watching fireworks downtown St. Louis near Kiener plaza. The Arch provides a picturesque backdrop. Not sure about Wed-Thur other than one of those days will be reserved for bowling. Friday night my wife and I will stay in a bed and breakfast to celebrate 11 years. Saturday morning we will canoe down the Meramec River, the only river north of the equator that travels north. We will return for the final weeks of summer on July 9th. I am sure I will take a few professional development classes the last week of July and my wife reports to school July 31st with an August 7th kid start date.

Right now it is hot, it doesn't rain, and we are under watering restrictions. Today happens to be my day for watering!

I just read an email from our district communication person and I get a $3,700 pay raise for next year along with my wife bringing in a teacher salary too! Time to get out of debt and time to start tithing to the church consistently AND joyfully!

Prison Trip Review

Last Saturday we went about 2 hours Southeast of Dallas to a transfer prison called the Gurney Unit. It houses 2100 male inmates and maximum stay time for anyone is 2 years. The ministry men basically go not knowing anything about the prison they are playing in and this trip was no different. We turned off the major highway in Corsicana, Texas and drove east about 50 miles. There was not much to look at other than a few houses and countryside. I guess they don't build prisons in highly populated tourist areas.

My first apprehension came when we finally entered the inmate area. I wasn't worried about inmates, but the fact that we were walking down the middle of a painted area that separated passing inmates. As a free person I didn't want to offend those who couldn't walk in the area. When I asked the Sergeant she said, "You're not a inmate so you get to walk down the middle." We continued our walk to the gym and walked by lines of inmates, 2 by 2, going from one place to another. All inmates were in white jumpsuits.

We got to the gym and there were about 70 men waiting for us, most sitting on the metal collapsable chairs. I would say the break down was about 90% black, 5% non-white or hispanic, and %5 white. We have no idea what they are in for, but since they were handpicked from 2100, I would assume they were non-violent offenders. A good majority of the men had tatoos and most were wearing government issued boots. We walked past the men and put our bags on the otherside of the gym. Sort of a separation between them and us, or white jerseys and red/black.

Most of the inmates were very nice, hospitable, and appreciative of our being there. As I said earlier, they complained about my reffing less than my own friends. I guess they play all the time without refs so anything our men dished out would have been minor. I did have one inmate who wasn't playing come up to me after one game and apologize for saying rude things to me. I said no problem and told him I didn't hear him anyway.

It was good for me to be around men that God created to worship HIM, although these men had made bad choices. Not once was I afraid for my own safety and really feel my interactions were probably more positive than if I played at an all day tournament at a YMCA. The inmates really did have positive attitudes.

We did eat a prison lunch: low grade balogna, cheese, choice of bread, greens, squash, beans, and some type of macaroni salad. The tea was good although the sweetener came in a bottle that could have doubled as an eye solution bottle.

Advice: get outside your comfort zone and see how others live. This was extreme, but it helped me to appreciate what a good friend is going through and it makes me appreciate all that I do have.

Calling Fouls on Convicts

I agreed to go on this ministry trip. I ended up as the LONE ref on one of the 1/2 courts. The game was 3 on 3 and WHEN a person was called for a foul the other team got to shoot 2 shots AND keep the ball. I guess this is designed to reduce agressive play. We also played multiple 12 minute games with a running clock. I put on the stripes and found my whistle. Then it hit me, I am going to be calling fouls on behind bars criminals. In all honesty I wasn't intimidated and felt that I called the games with confidence, whether good or bad.

What I found out about calling pick up prison games:

+ It wasn't easy. The first few games were easier to call since the players were more fresh and less aggressive. I also think that as our players began to fatique the play became a little more sloppy. This was evident after we had our balogna, greens, squash and beans lunch.
+ I did get a few complaints about not calling fouls from both sides. Actually of the 9 guys from the ministry team I took the most verbal abuse from the only 2 guys I knew. Only one other ministry person complained a few times. I only had one convict seriously complain about not getting foul calls. It was to the point I stopped the game and reassured him I was doing the best I could by myself. Ironically I later had this guy call games with me and he rarely called fouls either. Having him ref took some pressure off me and was probably the best thing I did all day.
+ I think by not calling a tight game early it did allow for a little more aggressive play later in the day.
+ A few players definitely played clean ball while others just played more out of control.

This was the first time in about 8 trips that the SportsReach Ministry team lost the overall number of games. Could blame it on me and my poor officiating. Although I one point I yelled, "I can't put the ball in for you!" Plus, one of our guys, CB, was 1 for 8 from the free throw line.... a al SHAQ!

It was a good experience. Most of the convicts were playing in government issued boots. One guy's socks were poking out the holes in his shoes. Only a few guys were wearing the prison issued tennis shoes which we were told are marked in case they ever escaped.

We also found out that is was only the 2nd time in a year that the indoor gym was used. Normally these guys are out in the hot sun playing ball WITHOUT a referee on the blazing pavement. I'm sure that game is a lot more physical than the ones I witnessed.

End result of the trip is that a few guys accepted Christ, a few rededicated their lives, a few asked for bible study material, the guys received a few real leather balls to play with, and I got to see that convicts are real people too.... and they complained a lot less than the freeworld guys.

Prison Guard

When we arrived at the prison one lady went through our bags thoroughly while our host chatted with us. I was worried that my spare BVD undies might make a guest appearance, but they didn't. Once we were okay'd we were escorted by a real happy lady who was as nice as many of my Bed N Breakfast hosts. I was really impressed with her hospitality. She was very informative offering information only if we asked. I know in some situations people tend to offer way too much information, but this lady didn't.

I'm not sure if she was just a regular guard or if she was a Sargeant. I really think she was the latter. She had shared that she started in 1984 and had been there ever since. She appeared really well accepted by the inmates too. When we were leaving for the day all I could say was, "Thanks for your awesome hospitality."

This lady left a positive impression on me about prison workers. I would think that it would be easy to be calloused having to be in charge of criminals day in and day out for more than 20 years. I know how calloused I am after working with 10 years olds for just ONE year.

Tomorrow's post: Calling Fouls on Convicts

In Prison

Saturday I went with SportsReach Ministries to a State Pen. in Southeast Texas. This ministry group plays pick up games of basketball with inmates. We had 19 guys total. A good friend, CB, has been asking me to participate for about a year and I finally agreed, but said I would referee instead of playing. We left early and arrived at the Gurney Transfer Unit about 9 am. It was truly an experience. My knowledge and experience of the prison system is from watching documentaries on cable. This particular unit was more of a hold over area for inmates awaiting final sentences or placement in Texas. We were told the longest anyone could be kept was 2 years. Some people are there as short as a few weeks.

I feel like I went for various reasons: 1) I was asked by a brother in Christ 2) it was a ministry opportunity 3) I was curious about prisons 4) A really good friend of mine is serving time and I could possibly witness what he is going through.

Since it was Saturday there were about 10+ cars being searched at the initial gate. Our 4 vehicles got to bypass the search, but each of us had to show our drivers license before proceeding. We then met a lady Sargeant we escorted us each step of the way. She was a super host and it seems she is well liked and respected by the inmates.

Today I am only going to share a few general things. I was only briefed on a few dos and don'ts. We only took our bags of sports items and a driver's license. No money, phones, etc. We were to only use first names and were not to give the inmates anything. The inmates were all dressed in whites and did not have any identifying numbers. Of the 60 who were allowed the privelege of playing about 50 were black with the other 10 being split between white men and hispanic. This unit houses up to 2100 men.

I was there on the inside, shaking hands, calling fouls and sweating amongst America's, or should I say, Texas' outcasts.

I'll blog about general observations and experiences this next week.

Down and Out

I took my turn with a stomach virus after all of my family struggled through it this past week. LAST Thursday my wife and daughter went thru the vomitting and diarhea episodes. Friday when my wife called to confirm my son's 2 year doctor check up they almost cancelled his appointment because the office was going through the same bouts of illness. They kept his appointment and Saturday he ended up with the vomitting symptoms. By Sunday he was okay and we took him to church even though they have a "policy" that he is supposed to stay home since he had been vomitting within the last 24 hours. Pretty hard to stay home when both my wife and I have 8:30 am teaching commitments.

Then came Tuesday morning. My stomach was awful rocky and it didn't help that I absorbed some buttered popcorn at the movies Monday night(Nacho Libre-pretty good guy movie). Most of my time Tuesday and Wednesday was spent laying still on the couch. My problem is that I don't throw up. I did experience nauseating feelings, but when the uncontrolled urged to throw up would hit I would sneeze twice. Then I would be okay for a while. Nice alternative to throwing up. My wife and I concluded that instead of the 24 hour virus that my family had I actually kept it twice as long since I couldn't throw up.

The only things I had yesterday would have been a snow cone and a vanilla shake. This morning I actually ate a pumpkin muffin and tonight I braved a plain chicken burrito from Chipotle topped off with an ice cream cone from DQ.

What a blessing it is to actually be able to pass gas without worrying about sharting. Hopefully I am back to normal now: mowing, working out, detailing cars.

The Gym

Last Thursday we joined the gym and actually used it for the first time Friday. On Friday my wife and I got familiar with the circuit machines doing a set or 2 on different machines just trying to find the ones we are comfortable with. Late Friday night I could feel my body tightening up a bit. Saturday morning I was sore. I had not worked out in a while and even though we went light on Friday I am still sore on Sunday. We did go back Saturday for an hour of cardio and I sampled the sauna and 104 degree whirlpool.

One thing we need to do as a family is buy decent work out clothes. My wife borrowed a pair of my nylon shorts only to show me that the side was ripped. A few minutes later she found that there was a hole in the front crotch. Fortunately I brought a second pair for me to change into so she got lucky.

The cool thing about this is that the $60 a month is well spent. My kids love the daycare play room and I get some recreational companionship. It is rare that my wife and I can even carry on a conversation without being interrupted by the kids. On top of every thing WE should improve our physical conditioning.

First goal is to lose weight. Second goal is to change my mindset to being healthy therefore making better eating choices. The last thing would be to look better as my body tones up a bit.

We are extremely happy with this gym and really look forward to going about every day this summer.

To Van or NOT to Van

We are no more than 4 months away from having to purchase our next vehicle because our 2003 Jeep Liberty lease will be up in November. We are visiting uncharted territory because we have owned our 2000 Neon for 5 1/2 years and the Liberty for 3 1/2. Rare especially since we had 10 cars the first 6 years of our marriage.

We think we would like a 7 passenger vehicle for those times that grandma and grandpa come to town, but that limits our choices on affordability. The obvious vehicle that would meet our needs is a mini-van. You can find a 6 cylinder Dodge mini-van for about $16,000 pretty well equipped. About a $7,000 savings. Kelly Blue Book rates the Honda Odessy as the best value taking into consideration overall costs in 5 years, but it would take about $10,000 more to buy that vehicle.

We could also forget about the 7 passenger thing since it really comes into play 2-3 times a year and buy something more economical. We are drawn to the new Dodge Caliber which is replacing the Neon. It would sell for about $15,000 for a basic one. Then I think only $1,000 more for a van with lots more equipment and practicality.

We are not in a hurry because both our vehicles are running just fine and we have 3,500 miles still to put on the Jeep. We could also buy a Jeep Wrangler and have a "fun" vehicle to drive around. Remember, I do have Jeep in my blood. I sold them and have owned 4 different Jeeps.

Help, the clock is ticking.

Joining the Gym

My wife and I are wanting to join a local gym and have most likely settled on LA Fitness which happens to be the closest to our house. It comes highly recommended from friends at church and a couple guys I work with. I dropped in for a visit yesterday to take the tour with my "sales guide." It is a new building and seems like it is exactly what we need. Membership costs would be $60 a month plus tax for both myself and my wife. One HUGE positive is that the membership includes childcare for when I visit to work out.

The membership cost per month is favorable compared to LIFETIME Fitness, but the only reserve I have is that they want first and last month's fees, PLUS the initial membership fees of $189.00 making the total due at signing a little over $300.

Has anyone joined a gym lately? Is any of this initial cost negotiable? Please let me know ASAP since we are going back up Thursday as a family to check this place out.

Time to get into shape. NO EXCUSES!

Naps

Raise your hand if you like to take naps.

I usually am too busy to take naps normally, but with school out I do have a little extra time on my hands. I did take a bit of a nap on Saturday as the kids napped and the wife shopped. And when we got home about 2pm on Sunday after church and lunch I stretched out on the bed with the TV on in the background. The wife took up her half of the bed and I think some TLC program was on so I dozed off. Problem was she would woke me up and was giving me a hard time for wanting to take a nap. What else am I going to be doing other than wasting my brain cells watching mindless TV? I was a little short on sleep since I stayed out 'til 3am Friday night playing cards. Then at 7:30am Saturday morning my son was demanding attention. After I was clearly awake my wife throws in a "leave daddy alone......."

The thing is my wife gets frustrated if I want to go to bed early or if I try to take a nap. I don't know why, she just does. I've got all summer off so napping is a luxury and a right.

What is your opinion of an occasional nap?

Flies and More Flies

Our back door was open often today as my wife grilled burgers and we also had our neighbor's 2 kids over on our baby sitting/date night exchange. I think 2 flies came in each time the door opened. On my top 10 most passionate list is my distaste for flies. I HATE THEM. I'm not sure if they spit or poop each time they land, all I know is I think they are disgusting. Flies=MAGGOTS. I will waste up to 20 minutes chasing one fly around with the swatter, and what an invention. I am impressed at my brother's ability to catch flies with his hands. I would say he is 99% successful when he attempts to catch a fly that has landed. My favorite part is when he shakes them up and them slams them on the ground causing them some serious headaches. In our younger days he would pull the wings off or tie a thread on their leg and treat them like a kite. I prefer just smashing them. That said, my main job for the night is to get the vacuum cleaner out and clean the areas below the windows. I think I am up to over 20 kills. "That's right Iceman, I am dangerous."

I would get one of those fly strips, but to me that seems so backwoods hoosier.

Free Child Care

My wife came up with a great idea for FREE child care, Vacation Bible School....aka VBS. Most Baptist churches and many other churches have a week long program for neighborhood kids. Ours is June 26-30, 9am-12noon. We figured we could find a different church each week to take our soon to be 5 year old who is finally going thru her terrible two's. If we were fortunate enough we could find a morning program at one church and an evening 5-9pm program at another church. Just pull up, drop her off, go and enjoy some peaceful time with our 2 year old and go back to pick her up 3 hours later. I really do wonder how many people do use the church for free child care. I know when I taught elementary kids back in St. Louis most of them were dropped off on Sundays by there non-church going parents; nine to noon childcare.

Any other ideas because she is driving us crazy!

Self-Serve Butter

Went to see The Da Vinci Code last night for FREE*. I went to the brand new Cinemark theatre nearby my house. Having helped open a Sony Loews theatre in 1997 I was anxious to see our closest new theatre so I took my *Pepsi cash free movie ticket and avoided paying the $7.75 ticket price. I also used an in the mail coupon to get a FREE small popcorn. Before you laugh understand that I was able to upgrade to the large popcorn by paying the difference. All told my night at the movies complete with a large drink and large popcorn only cost me $5.25. I could have paid $15.75.

When I ordered my popcorn I asked for the "butter flavor" to be layered. The young man scooped some popcorn into the bag and walked to the end of the counter and pumped some yellow liquid(partially hydrogenated soybean oil) onto the popcorn. He came back and filled the bag with popcorn. He informed me I could top off the popcorn with oil on my own, self-serve butter topping dispensers.

I do like the idea of controlling how much butter flavor I put on my popcorn, but this makes it difficult to layer the flavor. With salt I am able to put some in a courtesy cup for later dispensing. It would be awkward to carry a cup full of butter flavoring into the theatre. Lucky for me last night I was the only one in line since it was 10:30 pm. On a busy night I guess I would have needed to leave the movie to spritz up the second level of popcorn. I could time it with my need to use the restroom since I do order the 44 ounce drink.

Nice theatre, great service, good popcorn, decent movie.

Power of Prayer

The night before I left on my 9 day St. Louis trip the wife of a friend of mine called and left a message concerning her husband. Even though it was late I called back. She informed me that my friend was diagnosed with the milder form of luekemia. I got back Monday night and called him to see how he was doing. He sounded great and informed me he was still in the hospital. Another friend of mine went with me to visit him yesterday and my friend looked great for having received one round of chemo and also being locked up in the hospital for 2 weeks.

My friend is a Christian who shared that he had a renewed spirit 2 years ago when his daughter was baptized and it was obvious many people were already praying for him. I would credit his positive attitude and side effect free first round of chemo treatment to prayer. Prayer and a positive attitude goes a long way.

I share all of this in hopes that you too will pray for my 35 year old friend, husband and father of 2. Even if it is a quick prayer right now or if you put him on a regular prayer list. His chances of survival are good, but every prayer will help.

Pray specifically for his health and that he doesn't waste energy worrying about his everyday duties. Pray that his wife remains strong and positive. Pray that his children are understanding. Pray that he makes new friends in his month long hospital stay. Pray that he finds a bone marrow donor and that the transplant is successful. Pray that he is surrounded by plenty of friends.

Thanks for your time.

46 Years Together

Sunday while in St. Louis I put together a little birthday party at an entertainment center for my 2 year old. Only had 8 kids total and it seemed like a good party. When the party was over my kids rode home with family on the other side so I was with my mom and dad. When we were getting out of the car my mom and dad mentioned that if they had stayed together Sunday would have been their 46th anniversary. I kind of looked at them and thought they don't look as old as some of those people who have their 50th anniversary picture in the paper. Maybe they would in 4 years. Then again I'm starting to feel as if I am looking 40ish my self.

46 years ago would they have still gotten married if they knew they would divorce after 23 years? Would they still have kids knowing the 2 products they have right now? Have the 46 years been worth it since they are friends again and they do things together. THEY DO NOT DATE! They are on friendly terms and it is nice being able to bring my family in from out of state and not have to visit grandpa and then visit grandma. We do the one stop visit for the most part and everyone comes to visit us.

I am back in Texas after a 9 day trip and I slept until 9am sort of. I did stay in bed until after 9am.

Traffic

One thing I've noticed about being in St. Louis besides the fact that there are a lot less SUVs is that all of the highways seem to have those portable message signs. I have noticed that they cause confusion and traffic and are probably more harmful than helpful. I'm the guy who wants to know the statistics like, "accidents caused by signs." People are being asked to slow down, take their eyes off of the road, read, then avoid all of the brake lights ahead of them. Many times the messages are totally irrelevant.

Some of the messages I've read this week:

Air Quality Orange, drive less.
Air Quality Green, breathe easy.
Construction Zone next 8 miles, travel time 9 minutes.
PS bridge construction 6/5-6/9, avoid area.

There have been others, but people are slowing down and taking their eyes off the road to read stupid messages. Add using a cell phone, smoking a cigarette, drinking a cold beer, yelling at kids not in a car seat, playing with the radio, etc.

IT'S JUST DANGEROUS!

Manual Labor

I worked for my brother today. That meant waking up before 7am and arriving for work by 8am. I was filling in for one of the 3 employees who took a 3 day vacation. I was weed eating and mowing before 8:15. Took me about 2 hours in total. For those of you who know me mowing is no big task. I practically consider it one of my hobbies. I definitely got a work out as I tested out my sweat glands. It is really humid here in Missouri. I also helped clean a few cars also. I got to leave at 2:30 so it wasn't a full 8 hour day of hard labor.

The humbling thing is the worker that I filled in for has been with this company for about 23 years and he is making about $10 an hour, without benefits. Walmart is advertising night stockers for $10.50.

My brother doesn't mind paying me because it means that I'll have spending cash for bowling, drinks and dinner later in the day.

I got tomorrow off!

Gone Fishing

Memorial Day we had an informal bbq at my brother's house and around 4pm we left for my moms. The kids took the usual 30 minute car nap so while they were napping we stopped at her place to get a few fishing poles and we drove to a small park nearby. We got there early enough to visit the farm animals: pigs, small ponies, goats, a sheep, a turkey, rabbits, chickens, and geese. We also tried a little bit of fishing. I did learn that you need a license to fish between the ages of 16-64. That's why I was holding the pink Barbie pole.....I was helping my 5 year old.

Got up early this morning and drove the kids to my dad's place. We ended up fishing 2 different small lakes. Ended up catching about 10+ fish: perch, blue gill and small mouth bass. Now if I can just get the fish smell off my hands.

My daughter really gets into fishing. She touches the worms, tears them in half, and even wants to hold and release the fish. She even catches a few fish on accident.

Wednesday we will either go to a 12 noon Cardinals game or try to go to the St. Louis Zoo(FREE).

600 Miles From Home

Is home where you are originally from or where you are currently living?

Right now I am back to where I grew up, St. Louis. Already I am reassured as to why I moved 600 miles from my family. Saturday I drove 9 hours and arrived at my brother's weekend cabin to find 90% of the inhabitants intoxicated by 4pm. I guess if you are getting ripped at the same time as everyone else you don't notice how stupid everyone is being. They were being obnoxious.

Sunday was relaxing as I got about 3 hours to myself while my mom took the kids to church with her. It was one of the rare Sundays that I didn't go to church. Sunday afternoon I made it to a friends pool party. One of the guys just finished his one year commitment in Iraq so there was reason to celebrate. Plenty of Bud and Budlight for everyone. Seems like Sunday was just day 2 of a 3 day "celebration" for this clan as I found out Saturday most were partying at the lake and today many of them were going to the Cardinals/Astros game at 3pm.

I guess I just don't understand how someone can drink alcohol 2-3 days in a row. Even in my 20's and single days I rarely drank 2 days in a row. Whether I had 2 or 3 beers or binged with double digit numbers I was always tired the next day. Growing up with the nickname "Porky" it suggests that I probably couldn't afford the extra 1000+ calories that came with drinking a 12 pack anyway.

This brings me to Memorial Day with my family. Even with cell phones we are not that succesful in communicating. My dad is taking a 6 hour round trip to visit gravesites in Smalltown Missouri. "Dad, you're retired, go on Tuesday when the traffic won't be so bad." My brother has 3 different kinds of steaks ready to grill and he just called wanting to know what time we were coming over. "Bro, I guess that means we are coming to your house today."

Probably to most flexible person in my family is my mom. She invests the most time in my kids and always has the "just tell me what's going on" attitude. I do take after my mom, fortunately.

Meet Me in St. Louis!
Tuesday: fishing
Wednesday: the St. Louis Zoo
Thursday: ???
Friday: Cubs/Cards game??? Billy V in town.
Saturday: Birthday party for the boy
Sunday: A day of rest before driving back to Texas.

Busy Week

Haven't posted in a while. Maybe it is burn out mentally, or maybe I am just really preoccupied with the end of the school year stuff. Friday is the last day of school. This is my first year of having my own class of 20 so it is all really new, even after 8 years of teaching. It has been a great year with a few bumps. From what I hear from my mentor, this has been a difficult year. That means the next year should be easier and more rewarding!

Heading out for St. Louis on Saturday to spend 9 days with my family. I am taking my 2 kids and giving my wife a 9 day break from me and the kids. She's spent the last 2 years at home with the kids and will be going back to teaching next fall. She needs this break and I need some family time.

I'll try to post from St. Louis, but I'll be busy so I won't promise anything.

Top 5 Things I Want to Do In St. Louis
5. Take a brewery tour
4. Visit special friends
3. Stay at my brother's cabin
2. Go bowling
1. See a Cardinals game

I Got Thonged

While watching the talent show at school yesterday I was enjoying the entertainment with a fellow female teacher when a parent came and sat near her child. When she squatted down she exposed about a 6 inch gap of flesh and right there above her jean line was THE THONG. I simply turned to my colleague and said, "Didn't expect a show like that." She acknowledged that she was a victim of the thong also. When I glanced back at the students near me one boy was looking at me as if to say, "Did you see that!" I simply shrugged during that one second of eye contact and looked away.

Are thongs the female equivalent to muscle shirts? Is it a matter of comfort and preference or is there unwritten rules for who should wear them? There aren't too many men who should wear a muscle shirt in public, me being one of them. You should be in decent shape if you are going to wear a tight fitting muscle shirt in public. Is it the same for thongs? Should you be between certain ages to wear a thong? Should your size or shape determine if you should wear one?

It is only fitting that I had a thong experience at the end of the year. The first week of school during a team building activity I got to find out which 8 staff members were wearing thongs. We were playing the game, "I would like to meet someone who is........." and whoever was it would add something like "wearing a thong." Anyone who fit the category had to get up and find a new chair. The last person standing got to do the new tag line.

Velveeta Cheese

Went to WalMart tonight to pick up a few groceries for card night tomorrow night. We first went to kindergarten open house to meet next year's possible teachers so by the time my family arrived at WalMart I was pretty much beat. I picked up a few necessities but was disappointed that as big as WalMart is they really don't have much variety. I went to the cold adult beverage aisle looking for 2 different Mexican brews and they didn't have either. Then the biggest issue I have is how the grocery department is designed. We also were looking for Velveeta cheese. I know exactly where it is located at our variety of grocery stores, but not at WalMart. You would have thunk that Velveeta CHEESE would be somewhere near the cheese section. It wasn't. I walked every food aisle and finally found a small section of Velveeta cheese next to the pasta. What's the deal with that? At a grocery store Velveeta tends to have an endcap for display and the grocery store even has a cheaper version. And why at WalMart is it on a non-cooled shelf and at grocery stores it is in a cooler section? I know it isn't really food and its SHELF life is about 2 years.

If you don't have anything to do tomorrow night come on by for cards, wings, nachos and a few cold ones. I'll harvest my first jalepenos from my garden tomorrow.

Forecast: fun.

I See the Light

My wife signed a contract to teach for the next year. That means our income will go up come September when she gets her first paycheck. Things are looking better financially and hopefully we can climb out of debt and start positioning money for the future. By September our income will go up and we will have lowered our monthly bills by $500. Our biggest concern now is trying to find decent daycare for my son who will be 2 years old this Summer.

Other than that right now we've got about 2 weeks before our schedule lightens up. Seems like there is something every night and on top of that I am mowing 4 lawns and this weekend is my teams turn to mow the church lawn and I'll have the kids while the wife is out of town.

Boring post....sorry.

Doing Extra

Real busy week for me even though I only put in a 4 day work week and one of those days was a blow off day considering I wore my Cardinals jersery and a ball cap to work Friday. How serious could that have been?

I made about $450 extra this week doing miscellaneous jobs. I detailed 5 cars this week and made $250, got paid for 3 weeks worth of mowing $90, and announced to girls playoff softball games yesterday and today and made another $110. This on top of my $150 extra I make a week working our before and after school program. Making this extra cash does help us get by each month a little more comfortably. 8 years ago the bulk of my extra cash came from working at a movie theatre making $8 an hour. I'd have to work about 90 hours extra each week to make the equivalent that I made this week and I only worked about 27 extra hours.

Before you go thinking I worked 67 hours this week figure that 2 of those hours were from mowing pay for 2 previous mows and I did take one day off and worked about 8 of those hours on the day that I took off. Still about 15 hours above a normal 40 hour work week.

My question is how am I so active yet I carry around extra weight? Alright PIGS, fire away. I did confess this week to having eaten french fries with all 3 meals the day that I took off.

Mission Impossible to Follow

Since I was taking the day off today I went to the 10pm showing of Mission Impossible III last night. The movie was very enjoyable, but I came home wondering what it was really about. Plenty of action and I stayed with the movie, but seriously I don't know what the overall plot was. If anyone saw the movie could you answer a few questions that I have.

1. Who were the "buyers" in Rome?
2. Was the first agent that was kidnapped just bait for Ethan?
3. Who actually had possession of "the rabbit's foot" before Ethan captured it?
4. Do you think they editted out the capturing of "the rabbit's foot?"

No controversy here today. The In the Ghetto post was enough for the week.

Awesome day out today. Took the day off to watch the kids while the wife interviewed her 3rd time for a job. Detailed one car and mowed 3 lawns. Finished the night going to church for a session on "Decoding The Davinci Code."

In the Ghetto

Who sang, "In the Ghetto.......and his momma cried?"
billy v will get this one right away

If you are an occasional reader of my blogs you would know that I am involved in church, I teach, am a family man and really not that confrontational or controversial by nature. Not much offends me. Maybe I'm calloused, older, or just calm by nature. I'm not sure why. This weekend AT CHURCH my wife stood near a conversation of a few ladies one of whom teaches in the same district that I do. This lady's conversation included the statement, "I'm so glad I won't be teaching in the ghetto next year." This is the 2nd time my wife has overheard this lady saying this comment.

She is referring to having to teach at the school with the overall lowest net income, highest hispanic and black population. This bothers me on several fronts. FIRST: How unprofessional is it to talk that way about kids who can't help their situation? SECOND: She is at church and CHRIST would never talk like this. THIRD: I live in the "ghetto" she is talking about. I don't live in the rough parts, but my daughter would go to that school if I weren't a teacher and she can go to my school.

Keep in mind the church I attend is in one of the wealthiest areas in the country. It is surrounded by homes that range from $150K up to $1 million.

I hope my wife addresses this because if she doesn't I think I will talk to her husband who is responsible for her behavior. I would hope that he wouldn't condone her behavior.

In the Ghetto -Elvis

16 Years Ago

What happened 16 years ago today?

A. I watched The Kentucky Derby
B. I was working on a Saturday
C. I started selling Jeeps
D. All the above

ALL THE ABOVE

May 5, 1990 was my first day selling Jeeps in St. Louis at Reuther Jeep-Eagle. I remember the day as if it were yesterday as the Reuther family hired 5 outside the family salesmen for the first time ever. Everything stopped when the Kentucky Derby started in the afternoon. I went from delivering pizzas to selling Jeeps. It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since I left the Reuther family and moved to Texas where getting into sales proved unsuccessful. What a blessing.

We are getting close to the end of our lease on our current Jeep Liberty lease and I wonder why buying a car has to be so unpleasant. I sold for one family for 6 years and now a salesman rarely stays at one dealer for 6 months. Why can't buying a car be like buying a pair of pants where the price is the same at each like store? The sales on Saturday at most stores are for everybody.

In auto sales you only qualify for the advertised price if you:

A. Have A+ credit
B. Don't have a trade in
C. Give up the Specially Advertised Interest Rate
D. Are a current "Loyal" customer
E. Lease the new vehicle
F. Finance with the dealer
G. Are currently in the military

You see a $13,990 price and $275 payment, but for YOU it is $16,500 and a $350 payment. It's not necessarily the salesmen as it is the manufacturer. Salesmen are just the puppets at the dealership. No wonder Honda and Toyota are doing great......they make great product and DON'T JACK WITH REBATES and teaser leads. Sure you pay a little more, but their cars are worth more years down the line. Paying $1000 more up front for their product can yield you double that in the end.

Do The Right Thing

Last Friday night I joined an impromptu card game since my wife had a friend come over with her kids and they planned on going to dinner. I headed north for about a 15 ride on the highway arriving around 7:30 for the 8pm game. I settled in with a cold drink and got our mini-snack buffett going as the final 3 contestants showed up.

We had a good mix of guys and I was really enjoying the company when the phone rang. It was my wife telling me that a severe weather system was headed our way. As we were in the last 15 minutes of a timed card event I told her I would check the TV, finish up our game that would end at 10:30pm and then call her back.

We turned the TV on to see massive storm systems heading Northeast towards our area. At first it looked like my house would be spared, but when we turned to another station they showed the storms heading due East. Around 10:45pm one of our players felt it was best to just head back home in case the system hit as bad as they were predicting. That made it easier for me to cash in also and head home.

I left a little after 11pm and made it home by 11:30pm. The storm never hit. Like the Moses and the Red Sea our city seems to part the storms.

I took a little razzing from the host about leaving and I understand his point. In reality leaving early cost me about an hour or 2 of card playing.

The following is a breakdown of what I could have done and what the outcome probably would have been on the homefront.

Stay/No storm=wife a little miffed
Stay/Storm=wife really miffed...REALLY MIFFED
Go home/no storm=wife pleased
Go home/storm=wife very pleased....VERY PLEASED

The next day my wife was trying to tell me that she wasn't telling me to come home and that she was just warning us since we wouldn't be watching TV. She really never tells me no on anything I want to do, but we have a great relationship and usually I can just tell what she is really wanting. She would feel better if I came home.

I'm sure by coming home we've had a better week than if I hadn't come home. I just told her that since I came home early that didn't count as my one night playing cards. I get a REDO!

A Night Out

A rare opportunity to be alone with my wife presented itself this Saturday. About a week earlier one of our newest neighbors whom my wife has befriended suggested that we take turns watching each other's kids one night a month. We accepted the offer. Our window of opportunity was from 6pm until about 10pm.

I first made dinner reservations for a high end wood fired grill restaurant called Goodhues. Before I called I noticed that our $50 gift certificate had actually expired 3 days earlier. It took us one full year to do this. The gentleman on the phone said they would still honor it. From 6pm until 7:30 we shopped for shoes. Not much fun, but after 10 years of marriage with 2 kids anytime without the kids is kind of new.

We arrived for dinner early and talked about things. My favorite way to spark up conversation is to play "I remember when......." I can include remembering about a vacation, a dinner out, a hospital visit. It avoids any moments of silence. Dinner was very good: I had ribeye and she had pork roast.

We almost went to a nearby bar/grill to see a band, but we declined since we didn't leave Goodhues until 9:40. Come to find out our good friends were at this place so we could have enjoyed a little time out with friends too. Going home I did avoid having to climb out of smoke filled clothing.

We finished the night off by playing a game of Scrabble. One of my wife's favorites. Especially since she wins half the time now.

Simple as that!

Small Investment

Tonight is the 4th day and night that I've decided to go the extra and leave positive marks on other people. Every morning I've left my wife a note or a card with words of encouragement, words of affirmation, or words of humor. I've seen her attitude and spirit light up some this week.

Also, each night I've put on a puppet show for my daughter and it is paying off in huge dividends. We've had difficulty convincing her to go to bed AND stay in bed for a while now. Monday night I took 2 of the many stuffed animals that she sleeps with and spontaneously put on a puppet show and she was so giddy and happy. One of the nights I held hands with her and the animals as we said our prayers. Last night my wife could just see her beaming so much that she couldn't hide her happiness.

My daughter is soaking all this one on one fun attention in and it is so much better than making her go to bed and threating a spankin if she doesn't stay in bed. The 10 minutes I spend putting on the puppet show requires so much less energy than trying to quickly put her in bed with her being reluctant. Tonight I shared my satisfaction with her staying in bed and told her if she could stay in bed then there would be another puppet show tomorrow night. Maybe she is falling asleep quicker thinking about which 2 stuffed animals to put on stage.

So my advice is this, see where you can actually invest some positive actions or time. Hopefully it will reap many returns for you as it has for me.

Ketchup or Catsup?

I sometimes wonder if ketchup and catsup are different. Currently we have ketchup in the fridge, Hunt's, produced by ConAgra foods. Main ingredients include tomatoes, corn syrup, vinegar, onion and garlic powder and NATURAL FLAVORS. I read somewhere in a book that natural flavors can include rodent hair, droppings, etc. They are natural.

Anyway, even though I've learned about the natural flavors I still use ketchup on occasion. I personally feel that there are some things you should NOT put ketchup on. These would include eggs(any style), waffles, chicken strips or nuggets, etc. Today a generally good student got in trouble for mixing ketchup and cheese. In our cafeteria we put a HALT on behavior generally reserved for boys that includes mixing 2 to 3 drinks or putting food in drinks. But today a nice young girl mixed ketchup and cheese. Was she acting like a boy? Or was this a normal food behavior for her?

What do you put ketchup(catsup) on?

The world's tallest Catsup bottle is located in Collinsville, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis.

ER trip #2

Last night around 8:30pm as the night was winding down the whole family was in our bedroom watching the Next Food Network Star and I was attempting to fold clothes with 2 crazy kids wrecking any sense of accomplishment or success I was dreaming of having. Seems like this is the only time that the laundry basket is the coolest toy in the house. I gave up and settled down on our bed in hopes of reading the Sunday paper while watching FoodNetwork. The kids wrestled with the basket and each other. It was kind of fun watching my son put a ball on the blanket that she was using to make a basket hideout. She would then kick the ball causing it to fly across the room. She kicked the ball back behind the treadmill and my son went after it. Then it happened. My son misstepped coming off the treadmill falling face first into our bedrail. It was a hard hit and I knew it wasn't good. It took a few moments for the blood to show, both inside his mouth and the centimeter gash on the outside. I yelled for my wife who was on the phone and she quickly came in to help. The boy was screaming as we tried to get control of the bleeding. This little guy is strong and he's not even 2.

My wife did a great job putting ice on the outer wound causing the bleeding to stop. It was her job to entertain him on the way to the E-care. I was thinking major hospital emergency room for stitches when she mentioned that we had a miniature E-CARE emergency room closer by.

The boy was calm when we got there and the place looked closed. I walked closer to the door and saw that it was open until 10pm, over an hour away. All told we were there maybe 45 minutes from sign in to discharge. The toughest part there was when he was screaming while my wife held the numbing agent to his lip/chin area. The easiest time was when he lay there completely still as the attendees glued his skin shut. When we left there were about 6 cares on the lot. Good timing I guess.

When you have more than one child you compare them and compared to our daughter our son is high maintenance and expensive when it comes to bumps and bruises. All my daughter has ever needed was bandages.

His new nickname: Crash!

To Beer or Not to Beer

I generally reserve drinking a fresh brew for special occasions and rarely store it at home in my fridge. I currently have a Shinerbock that someone left Feb. 18 when they attended my birthday party, a 40 oz. BudIce birthday gift(I was 40), and 3 Kirin Ichiban's that I purchased a month ago to have while playing cards. For me the timing of having a beer is key.

Top 5 Times/Places to have a Cold One
5. Card night
4. After mowing on a hot afternoon
3. Baseball game/Sporting Event
2. Meeting up with old friends
1. After a long hard day/week

3 of these came into play last night. (1) It was Friday and we just completed the toughest week at school having administered the state tests for 3 days and having the other 2 days be less than normal. (4) I went straight from school to mow the church lot from 4:15-5:30 in 90+ heat. (3) Last night my school purchased about 300 tickets and I donated "a night at the ball game with Mr. MANFC," meaning I went to the Minor League ballpark to meet a few of my students and other parents and students from school.

I arrived at the ball park still feeling the effects of a long week, a hot afternoon of mowing, and I could smell the ballpark food. Then I heard it, "COLD BEER HERE!" The situation was right, but the timing wasn't. Of course I walked in on the wrong side of the park and had to walk from the right field side all the way around home plate to the left field side. I must have passed up 20 COLD BEER vendors. Each time I could see the iced up, condensation laced, plastic bottles. I did think that I could have ONE before I arrived at my seats. Problem was I would need 3 to cover the (1) long week, (4) just mowed, (3) ballgame atmosphere.

I sat with my students during the game and one of the student's parents attended and they were drinking ice cold beer. I supressed my urges and decided NOT TO BEER.

Thank You For Smoking

Went right after school today to see the movie Thank You For Smoking. Having a strong opinion about cigarette smoking I thought this would be a good movie for me to see. The movie had more stars laced in it than a cigarette has nicotine: William Macy, Katie Holmes, Robert Duval and other recognizable faces. The movie was very entertaining all the way thru even though it was only 92 minutes long, short by current movie standards. I do recommend seeing it as long as you can put up with profanity.

I remember growing up in a household where both parents smoked, their friends all smoked and a 6 year old could buy candy cigarettes with the red tips. Smoking was cool back then even for kids. I thought it was normal for families to have ashtrays full of butts and ashes. It was no big thing to see cigarette butts laying on sidewalks outside of stores. We even had one of those sand ashtrays outside of our Baptist church. I remember laying in the floor board of our family car on long trips avoiding the trapped in smoke(long before we used seatbelts or carseats.) Our house on party nights had this floating smoke line that the kids tried to stay under. Teacher's lounges had smoke billowing from them at schools. Mmmm the side effects of smoking.

But now we are a little more educated. The reduction of public smoking has been one of the most positive changes the past 10 years in society. 2nd hand smoke isn't as prevelant, especially for many educated people. I admit that I don't really feel bad when cigarette get heavily taxed although I'm not sure anyone ever benefits from the money raised.

Overall since I've never smoked it is hard for me to understand why someone would smoke. I do realize it is very addicting as I've had friends and family who have tried forever to quit with no success. Although my mother has not smoked in 10 years after having a near fatal heart attack in 1996. Years after her doctor warned her about it. Nowadays I've only got a few friends or acquaintances who smoke and they are very courteous or sensitive to mine and other's desire to not be around smoke.

As the movie basically stated, the smoker has become the outcast in society.

Not Guilty Plea

We live in a sick and twisted world when a 26 year old male abducts, kills, then sexually assaults a 10 year old girl. This happened in Oklahoma this week when the young girl went missing and a few days later the girl's body was found in a plastic tub inside the man's apartment. When picked up the GUILTY perp said, "Go ahead and arrest me. She is in there. I chopped her up."

How is it that this perp is allowed to go before a judge and enter a "not guilty" plea and then have a court appointed lawyer use up tax dollars and stretch the emotions of people whose lives will never be the same?

The guy admitted to it and the girl's body was found in HIS apartment.

I pray for peace for the family of this girl.

Disposable or Not

I have always been the type to throw something away and go out and buy a new one. This works for things like: mowers, weed eaters, tools in general and sometimes cars. This Spring I've made some uncharactistic decisions that may have saved me some $$$ believe it or not.

1. My mower wouldn't start and since it was one I bought used 3 years ago I thought about sitting it curbside and buying a new one for less than $200. Well, my friend Billyv and I tampered with it in March cleaning out the fuel filter area and actually got it to working pretty good. Savings of at least $150.

2. My gas grill is about 8 years old. One of the cheapest they offer and it has moved 3 times. I've replaced the burner 3 times and just recently the burner was going bad and the wheels were falling off. My wife suggested buying a new one. A new entry level gas grill would be about $125. I went ahead and bought a new burner, new wheels, and new ceramic briquets. I spent about $50, but it cooks meat just as good as a new one. Savings at least $75.

3. Lawn keeping season is upon us and since I mow my yard and 3 others I really need a decent weed eater. The shield broke on mine last fall and I used it a few times this season and have cuts and scrapes on my shins to show for it. Just recently it quit working on me and I just knew the time was right for a new one. Then I realized my 10 year old extension cord was bad and the weed eater actually still works. So tonight I got online and looked up what it would cost to replace the shield. $8.22 versus paying at least $45 for a new electric weed eater. Savings of about $35 or 350%. Now I just have to follow thru and order the part, or check the lawn care place nearby to see if they can get it for me for around the same price.

It feels good when you avoid making a new purchase and are able to prolong the life of something that you own.

It's A Jeep Thing

My history with Jeeps started back in early 1990 when I was 2 years removed from graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. I was working for a pizza place and I happened to deliver a pizza to the manager and son in law to the Reuther Jeep family. Actually during college I worked part time for an auto replacement company and I kept up with used car inventories for about 20 dealerships and Reuther Jeep/Eagle was one of them.

We recognized each other as I delivered the pizza and jokingly mentioned that I'd rather sell Jeeps than deliver pizzas. A few weeks later I was one of the first "non-family" salespersons for Reuther Jeep/Eagle. I started May 5, 1990 and I remember watching The Kentucky Derby on my first Saturday. I sold Jeeps for them from 1990-1996 and owned 2 different CJ-7's and 2 1997 Jeep Wranglers. I first bought a 4 cylinder and traded it in on a 6 cylinder right before I quit Reuthers to move to Texas.

Long story short, I got to relive some of my Jeep soft top days this weekend when a co-worker of mine let me use her Jeep in exchange for a thorough detailing. Yesterday I took my family on a drive through the outskirts of Dallas where farmland is slowly being churned into new home subdivisions. Sunny and in the 70's matched with a stiff breeze made Jeepin on a Saturday a blast. Sunblock for everyone!

Whenever I clean Jeeps for friends I romanticize about owning a soft-top Jeep again. Not just any Jeep because I have a Jeep Liberty, but the authentic, take the top off, Jeep.

Ironically a good friend in St. Louis called his Suzuki Samurai a "Jeep." I DON'T THINK SO. I'd never put my "It's A Jeep Thing" on the rear spare of that vehicle.

Rough Day

Sure was a rough day at school today. My morning started off with HEAVY traffic on the highway that I drive by. Keep in mind that I only drive about 4 miles to work. Early this morning the State Highway Patrol(probably) decided to recreate the scene of an accident that happened just past midnight 2 days ago. A truck on the service road wrecked into the guardrail keeping the truck off the high, BUT the passenger was launched onto the highway. An 18 wheel tractor-trailer stopped to assist. A 3rd vehicle full of 20 somethings ran over the ejected driver and then rear ended the 18 wheeler killing the guy on the highway and 3 passengers. WOW.

My day pales in comparison. I've not felt 100% for about a week or so. My whole family has battled sinus issues. I showed up to school about 5 minutes late due to traffic. I was crabby all day and so were 2 of my colleagues. The student's apathy and blatant lying are really wearing thin on us. I AM SO GLAD TOMORROW IS A HOLIDAY!

On a positive note my wife had the kids napping when I got home at 4:15 and as of 5:15 they are still napping. One full hour alone with peace and quiet.......YES!

Dine Out Consultant

I read an article in the USA Today about Lifestyle Consultants who help high end clients manage their lives. They help take care of picking out clothes, hairstyles, shoes and other things. They charge as much as $10,000 for 10 consultations. This probably caters to the CEO's and professional sports figures more than the common man.

This got me to thinking as I frequented 2 restaurants today that maybe I could create a position called "Dine Out Consultant." I know how to find deals. I know which restaurants have meals big enough to split with a wife. I know where kids eat free on certain days. I know which places have great kids meals that you can get a shake or a scoop of custard with the meal. I know which restaurants have the best happy hour prices and when appetizers are 1/2 price. I even know which places serve Coke vs. Pepsi.

I have even thought about creating a webpage devoted just to food deals. When it got big enough I could sell it to Google and retire.

Anyone willing to invest some capital until I get this thing running smoothly?

NRA vs. Democrats

Received an unsolicited phone call the other night from what appears to be someone representing the National Rifle Association. I was actually in the mood to waste the telemarketers time so I listened silently. The man brought up the 2nd Ammendment and how Democrats such as Hilary Clinton and Ted Kennedy were seeking to abolish the 2nd Ammendment that would do away with the citizen's right TO BEAR ARMS and would I listen to what the NRA President had to say.

"Sure" was the first words I uttered.

After listening the a taped message I then got a 2nd live person asking me my opinion of what I just heard.

"I have no opinion in this matter," I simply stated.

The 2nd live person proceeded to try to sell me a 5 year membership to the NRA for a one time fee of $150, "just $30 a year."

"I'm not interested."

He proceeded to say that he understood that times were hard for many people and that they had 3 year and 1 year memberships....blah, blah, blah.

I became confrontational at this point saying, "I'm really offended by the comment that you understand how times were hard and that he assumed 'times were hard' for me."

He stammered for words trying to apologize saying he didn't mean that times were hard to me. I basically said I wasn't interested and hung up.

So was it a call slamming the Democrats or was it a call trying to sell NRA memberships? Or both. Should I contact the NO CALL LIST people and file a complaint? I think I handled it correctly. I wasted their time as I unloaded the dishwasher. I was also polite and to the point.

Clothes Shopping

I've been putting it off for a long time, but couldn't really wait any longer as Spring arrived and now Easter is one week away. I decided to go clothes shopping. Clothes shopping for me really means traveling to ONE store and buying a few outfits. My wardrobe lacks over all anyway and 50% of my pants collection is almost off limits now that the weather is warmer.

I invited the family along knowing that this fills my wife's love tank and plus she could be the judge of whether an item would be purchased or not. I've had success at the Haggar outlet before and that is where we ventured to last night.

Final purchase included 2 pair of non-stain khaki pants, 2 short sleeve polo type golf shirts, a silk button up shirt and 2 long sleeve clearance shirts at $5.95 each. Total bill was $120 with the pants taking up about half of that total. I could easily have purchased another 5 long sleeve shirts for next year and may just do that after next paycheck.

It felt really good to wake up this morning and put on new clothes for church. I even managed to avoid getting any lunch on them so I could wear today's outfit to school one day this week.

On top of this I purged a few items from my closet and then ventured into the sock and undies drawer, much to my wife's appreciation.

Why do guys find it so hard to get rid of old undies?

Another Food Post

Took the family and a pre-teen neighbor to Arby's tonight for their "Pick 5" for $5.95. This is more than their 5 for $5.55 sandwich deal. They offer some pretty good choices. We ordered 2 of the deals and the items we chose were: 3 soft drinks $1.49 ea., 2 cheese sticks $2.69 ea., 5 sandwiches $1.99 ea. We added a family curly fry for $1.99 and the total bill was right at $15. Without the deal it would have added up to more than $22. Pretty good amount saved.

Problem was as we dined I kept staring at the menu trying to figure out how great the deal was. We received medium drinks in a 20 oz. cup, but it was hard to match which price was actually the medium since they don't list sizes anymore. My wife turned it into a state test(TAKS) question by asking me what is the range of the potential deal. If you ordered all fries the amount would be $6.5o, but if you ordered all cheese stix then the amount would top out at $13.50. A pretty big gap.

Overall I don't really care for Arby's since they serve low grade roast beef, but when you are trying to eat cheap it'll do.

Top 5 Things I've Learned This Week

5. The week of Daylight Savings in the Spring is a long, tiring, week.
4. 4 grade students like to take a full box of pencils and rip the erasers off so they can throw them at each other.
3. Teachers say things like, "How did he end up on his head?" and "Unless you have hemroids you need to sit down."
2. Teachers and students are both burned out at this time of the year.
1. Some foods just aren't meant to be eaten the next day as a leftover lunch.***

***Some foods aren't meant to be eaten away from the restaurant. Yesterday I had 2 dinners. The first was a kids meal at a local Steak n Shake burger place. The cool thing is for $4 you get a small shake. That was gone before my food came out. The fries at this place are great only if you eat them hot at the restaurant. About an hour after the kids meal I was still hungry so I went for sesame chicken at a local chinese joint. Chinese dishes don't serve well at home either unless they aren't a deep fried dish.

Foods that are okay the next day would include chili, some pizzas, warmed up fajitas, most pastas.

Simply Chocolate

I actually had a small glass of chocolate milk tonight. As I drank it I remember having chocolate milk as a kid. We often just had Nestle Quik chocolate powder which required lots of mixing. I think the rabbit promoted it.

I have a couple of chocolate questions for you.

1. If you are having chocolate milk which do you prefer? milk and powder, milk and chocolate syrup, premixed chocolate milk.

2. If you are having a chocolate shake would you prefer, One made from chocolate ice cream or a vanilla ice cream with a chocolate syrup?

I also liked eating Coco Puffs because when I finished I was able to drink the chocolate flavored milk.

Simple things......chocolate.

Church Confusion

Our Pastor made a decision that our church family would not move their clocks forward until AFTER church services on Sunday meaning we didn't lose an hour of sleep until after church. We arrived at church at our 8:00 am time which was really 9 am for everyone else. I do know of some negative reception of this decision and time will tell if it was a good one or not.

The reason for the delayed time change was that the Sunday after daylight savings time is traditionally one of the lowest attended Sundays.

My observations:
-the low attendance numbers are because members are lazy and take advantage of the time change and make it the excuse for staying home
-the visitors parking is right outside my room and I saw at least 4-5 families that pulled up, unloaded, found out we were on a different schedule, and left
-some of those families may not have come back
+I did see some families return
+2 families brought their 3 year olds to my class and stayed with us
+I got to know a couple that I wouldn't normally have gotten to know
-it was really 1:20 by the time we left church
-we didn't get home until about 3pm after lunch

I found out today that daylight savings time will start sometime in November and end in February the next time around.

Don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke detectors!

F#*& THIS and F*$& THAT

Posting early today because my wife and I have a sitter lined up from 9-3. FREEDOM.......FREEDOM!

Watched the movie Inside Man and overall I rate it a good movie. One thing I had trouble with was the usage of the "F" word. I know movies can keep a PG-13 rating if they only use one F word so this movie jumped to the Rated R category pretty quickly. I sat there wondering why the F word was used so many times. Sure it was a movie about a bank robbery, but it ruined it for me as I sat there thinking time and time again, "was it necessary?" Every time I hear the F word it is like someone is punching me in the stomach. I just don't hang around people who use the F word so is there a true audience for it? Is there a certain segment that might say, "That was a pretty good movie except there werent' enough F bombs in the movie." I have walked out on 2 movies due to profanity so do others walk out because there is no profanity?

I'm pretty calloused or acceptable of some things, but won't budge on the "F" word.