So, here's what happens at the Witham Nation this week...
--Rachel and Mommy get sick; Rachel first, then Mom. Rachel gets over it a little quicker than Mom, but both are well later Saturday. But now, Rachel has a horrific cough, and tonight, a fever. Is there a Doc in the house???
--The interruption of regularly scheduled programming at the house led Dad home early both Wednesday and Thursday. Worked at home, then returned to work Wednesday. Came home and stayed Thursday. Friday was numbing, but we made it, as always. :)
--16 down to 4.
Thursday: Goodbye Duke. Gonzaga gone again.
Friday: Washington...one foul, and it's all gone. George Mason, kicks Wichita.
Saturday: LSU and the world's largest "baby" handle Texas. UCLA makes it three #1 seeds out.
Sunday: The dream comes true. George Mason in the Final Four. Ranks as one of the biggest upsets ever. Absolutely ever. Watched the ending while at work this PM.
So, into the new week we go...a crown to receive, a surprise trip I hope to make, a visit with a very dear friend on tap, then the Final Four.
And, for the first time in, like, 20 years, losing an hour of sleep next Saturday night won't mean squat to me personally.
Woo hoo. :)
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
Post #350----
The wife and daughter are getting over a nasty virus.....
I am grateful God has kept me protected from it.....
Work is work (though I briefly lost my temper Thursday and was thoroughly embarrassed).....
Gotta get some sleep this weekend; can't sleep all day.
We have ants.
Coach K will now only be seen in car ads.
Goodbye, ACC.
Hello, George Mason!!
I am grateful God has kept me protected from it.....
Work is work (though I briefly lost my temper Thursday and was thoroughly embarrassed).....
Gotta get some sleep this weekend; can't sleep all day.
We have ants.
Coach K will now only be seen in car ads.
Goodbye, ACC.
Hello, George Mason!!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
C'mon Coach K!!
Somehow, I can't ever see the great John Wooden doing this.....
Last year I defended Coach K's American Express commercial that aired during the NCAA Tournament, because of capitalism, and, because of the way the commercial was positioned. It had motivation; a drive to working on the future that didn't bother me, even while underwritten by the evil credit card interest collectors.
This year....he's hawking cars. A sale on cars.
Oh, well----those of you who saw the bellweather that was last year, I salute you.
Last year I defended Coach K's American Express commercial that aired during the NCAA Tournament, because of capitalism, and, because of the way the commercial was positioned. It had motivation; a drive to working on the future that didn't bother me, even while underwritten by the evil credit card interest collectors.
This year....he's hawking cars. A sale on cars.
Oh, well----those of you who saw the bellweather that was last year, I salute you.
Audrey Raines Part II: No glasses, not naked, and NOT the mole....
Now, c'mon people....don't you think it's a little too early for the "eagerly anticipated revealed mole"??
This swerve is for one reason only: the needed interaction between Jack and Audrey which will, once and for all, doom their relationship. Unless, of course, Audrey likes being choked, which I HIGHLY DOUBT. This season, she's even shown some guts to actually strike back.
Now, we do throw in this possible monkey wrench.....why was she was so, so eager to stop the gas from being released in the mall? Was it really about the kids? Or was it because she knew that stopping it would go against Logan's inevitable "greater good" decision (one cannister in a mall versus 19 more), and therefore, cut off the lead to the holders of the other 19?
Nah. Too early.
The real mole still lurks.
By the way....I'm more suspicious of Evelyn, the First Lady's shadow, week after week.
And, let's not forget the ultimate question:
Who outed Jack?? Someone knew he was alive....three are dead, leaving only Chloe. So, in my mind, there's gotta be a fifth person.
Did Mrs. Palmer come back from the dead to hear her husband talk in his sleep???
:)
This swerve is for one reason only: the needed interaction between Jack and Audrey which will, once and for all, doom their relationship. Unless, of course, Audrey likes being choked, which I HIGHLY DOUBT. This season, she's even shown some guts to actually strike back.
Now, we do throw in this possible monkey wrench.....why was she was so, so eager to stop the gas from being released in the mall? Was it really about the kids? Or was it because she knew that stopping it would go against Logan's inevitable "greater good" decision (one cannister in a mall versus 19 more), and therefore, cut off the lead to the holders of the other 19?
Nah. Too early.
The real mole still lurks.
By the way....I'm more suspicious of Evelyn, the First Lady's shadow, week after week.
And, let's not forget the ultimate question:
Who outed Jack?? Someone knew he was alive....three are dead, leaving only Chloe. So, in my mind, there's gotta be a fifth person.
Did Mrs. Palmer come back from the dead to hear her husband talk in his sleep???
:)
Proud to be a member of the Chloe fan club!!!
Click right here to read a good synopsis on the lady behind the character, Chloe O'Bryan, on "24".
We love you, Chloe!!!
We love you, Chloe!!!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Normal? Right!!!
I came to the conclusion earlier tonight that......
....the most useless word in the English language is "normal".
Let's study the various definitions, shall we?
ADJECTIVE:
Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical: normal room temperature; one's normal weight; normal diplomatic relations.
Biology Functioning or occurring in a natural way; lacking observable abnormalities or deficiencies.
Relating to or characterized by average intelligence or development.
Free from mental illness; sane.
NOUN:
Something normal; the standard: scored close to the normal.
The usual or expected state, form, amount, or degree.
Correspondence to a norm.
An average.
Okay, then.
---adhering to a standard, a pattern, a level, or a type.
In order to adhere to something, "something" must be first "set", i.e.---following the rules of a classroom can only be done once they are posted and explained.
Who made the rules? Was that person "normal"? What did said person adhere to in order to create a set of rules deserving of being adhered to?
---the usual or expected state, form, amount or degree.
Usual? Expected? Let me meet 10 or 12 strangers on the street and try to gather an "expected state". Is any day, for example, "usual"? Is it really? Doesn't something happen that never happens again, or, even if it's tiny, may contribute to something bigger in life down the road, whether viewed as positive or negative?
---correspondence to a norm; an average.
Anything average is affected by those parts which are placed together to create the "average" in the first place. Whereas your "average" night of sleep is 7 hours, mine may be 13. And then, if you were able to go back and mathematically deduce how many hours of sleep you've had every night of your life and divide it by the amount of nights you've lived, would it equal the amount you just thought was "normal"?
Then finally.......
...free from mental illness; sane.
Who set the standard that determines who is "free from mental illness"?
Just wondering......
....and thus it all answers my question---why does the word, and concept, of normal even exist?
For example, I really can't ever come home from work any day and say my day was "normal". It's always different; some days more work than others; some days employee assistance; some days we talk alot in the office while we work, other days we're silent as mice.
Whew. Thank you. I just wanted to express my feelings on this subject. Now that it's off my chest.....I don't feel any more normal than I ever have.....
:)
....the most useless word in the English language is "normal".
Let's study the various definitions, shall we?
ADJECTIVE:
Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical: normal room temperature; one's normal weight; normal diplomatic relations.
Biology Functioning or occurring in a natural way; lacking observable abnormalities or deficiencies.
Relating to or characterized by average intelligence or development.
Free from mental illness; sane.
NOUN:
Something normal; the standard: scored close to the normal.
The usual or expected state, form, amount, or degree.
Correspondence to a norm.
An average.
Okay, then.
---adhering to a standard, a pattern, a level, or a type.
In order to adhere to something, "something" must be first "set", i.e.---following the rules of a classroom can only be done once they are posted and explained.
Who made the rules? Was that person "normal"? What did said person adhere to in order to create a set of rules deserving of being adhered to?
---the usual or expected state, form, amount or degree.
Usual? Expected? Let me meet 10 or 12 strangers on the street and try to gather an "expected state". Is any day, for example, "usual"? Is it really? Doesn't something happen that never happens again, or, even if it's tiny, may contribute to something bigger in life down the road, whether viewed as positive or negative?
---correspondence to a norm; an average.
Anything average is affected by those parts which are placed together to create the "average" in the first place. Whereas your "average" night of sleep is 7 hours, mine may be 13. And then, if you were able to go back and mathematically deduce how many hours of sleep you've had every night of your life and divide it by the amount of nights you've lived, would it equal the amount you just thought was "normal"?
Then finally.......
...free from mental illness; sane.
Who set the standard that determines who is "free from mental illness"?
Just wondering......
....and thus it all answers my question---why does the word, and concept, of normal even exist?
For example, I really can't ever come home from work any day and say my day was "normal". It's always different; some days more work than others; some days employee assistance; some days we talk alot in the office while we work, other days we're silent as mice.
Whew. Thank you. I just wanted to express my feelings on this subject. Now that it's off my chest.....I don't feel any more normal than I ever have.....
:)
Audrey Raines.....but not the way you wanted her....
Audrey Raines, from "24".
Jack's love interest in season four; at CTU on behalf of DOD in season five to discover Jack is not "dead"; but she's got her head on her shoulders this season, and is not the love-puppy of 18 months ago (in "24" time..)
In the past few days, my blog has come up on searches from people looking for:
---Audrey Raines glasses
---Audrey Raines naked
Here's Audrey Raines, neither naked nor with the eyewear. But, it's all the info. you need on a character that has definitely done some maturing.
Jack's love interest in season four; at CTU on behalf of DOD in season five to discover Jack is not "dead"; but she's got her head on her shoulders this season, and is not the love-puppy of 18 months ago (in "24" time..)
In the past few days, my blog has come up on searches from people looking for:
---Audrey Raines glasses
---Audrey Raines naked
Here's Audrey Raines, neither naked nor with the eyewear. But, it's all the info. you need on a character that has definitely done some maturing.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
How about these four?
Duke....
Kansas...
Illinois....
Ohio State....
Why not? There are at least 12-15 teams who could win it all.
NC State is NOT one of them.
Kansas...
Illinois....
Ohio State....
Why not? There are at least 12-15 teams who could win it all.
NC State is NOT one of them.
Monday, March 13, 2006
"24" Live Blogging: 7pm to 8pm, or, how I tortured like Jack Bauer couldn't, by Tony Almeda.
Time for another riveting hour of "24". Let's enjoy, shall we?
Do not leave until.....yeah, like Jack Bauer's gonna listen.
Bauer gets the first call tonight!
Chloe, you can do it.
This guy, whoever he is, better not press Jack.
She's feeling guilty. She shouldn't. Like any of us have been perfect towards anyone else.
OOHH!!! Good job, guard. Shot to the gut on Doughboy. Slap to the face, to boot!
Hmmmm....here comes the best part of the night.
Step one: Make sure doctor is incapacitated.
Step two: Grab gun from orderly in Henderson's room.
Step three: Get caught by Jack. Right at the point of death.
....Jack reminds Tony of his loss in season one, with a good visual of Jack and Kim looking at each other.
"Hurry up", said Tony at 7:09pm. I don't think he'll be getting rid of the gun anytime soon. Well, until the doctor jumps him.
Tony NOW SEES a better thing than simple death. It's written all over his face.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Who is going to STOP THEM?"--said wimpy Logan, who, ah, is still looking for someone else to save the day so he can look good.
And now here's the Veep, ready to turn L.A. into Poland circa 1981 pre-Solidarity.
--------------------------------------------------------
Our next contestant, ah, target, must be big. They want to open the rest of the cannisters. Must be targeting Kirstie Alley's wardrobe.
--------------------------------------------------------
Well, it wouldn't be an hour of "24" without some personal problems, confrontations, and the hourly reminder by Jack that "we don't have time!"
Oooh, dear. Buchanan gives great news now. The seals are failing. Rats.
Oh, hold on. Jack's wheels are turning. He must dig ventilation systems or study them as a hobby.
And there he goes!!
--------------------------------------------------------
BREAKING NEWS: On a sad note, word just seen online of the death of Press Your Luck host Peter Tomarken in a plane crash today. Click here for the story.
--------------------------------------------------------
Well, back to Jack, and....well.....there are bars. Not the ones where you find pretty ladies.
Shrink? Meet Chloe. She's doing better now.....
Trust me, it's there, Jack said. Some stupid level 9 nitwit didn't report the bars!!
Give me a break!!!
Now Jack calls Doughboy. Doughboy considers, and the Guard shows he was never CTU material to begin with. WOW----Doughboy shows some courage. Is he the one to "sacrifice themselves"? It's 734pm. Back in a moment.
--------------------------------------------------------
Kim comes over to talk to Chloe. Chloe....."wanna know where to find Chase?".
Chloe:...."I guess not that great." Her summation of the day thus far. We love you, Chloe!!
Now to the guard. I hate these parts. This is when I'm glad espionage never tickled my fancy.
Great news from Chloe.....and wow. I've got to hand it to Doughboy. He did it.
--------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile....Tony is about to take over. And Jack IS PISSED OFF BIG TIME!!!!
Well, way to go Kim. Blame world calamity on your Dad. I love you, but catastrophe follows you. But she won't budge and Jack may lose her twice. And, Mr Shrink holds his prized patient/girlfriend/patient/privilege infringer.
QUESTION DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAK: Is it me or is it GREAT AND REFRESHING not dealing with Logan for most of the hour?? Praises be unto the producers for giving us an hour away from him. I'll feel more composed next week. Really I will.
Oh, great, ANOTHER chance to win seven figures; this time underground with fighting. Hasn't the second part of that been the hallmark of 713 past TV shows? What's next? Win a million by guessing in which hospital room a patient bites the big one???
GIVE ME DEAL OR NO DEAL ANY DAY!! ESPECIALLY HOWIE'S 26 FRIENDS!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Shoot, spoke too soon. It's Logan. Oh, he's breaking down. Where's the Effexor?!!?? I might have some extra!!!
Martha=right again. Don't do a thing the Veep wants.
Now, returning to your crying, Mr. President.
-------------------------------------------------------------
And now the next level is, uncovered. Really. Uncovered. Wow! Oh, sorry.
Phone call with terrorists....hop into bed....tease....go back to "finish something".
-------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, boy. Time now for another "takeover" of CTU. Now it's Homeland Security who thinks they're king. Queen. Whatever. Who do they throw out? Chloe? Too valuable (they'll soon learn), Jack? Yeah, right. Audrey? She's DOD. Well, we will see.
Back at medical, Henderson's clinging, really clinging. And Tony? A little get rid of the orderly and take over the syringe department. Henderson-----time for wake up juice!!!!
Ah, dear crap. He bought it. Henderson got him. DID NOT see that coming. Where'd he go??
Tony? Next?? NO!!! There won't be anyone left to cameo in season six!!!
Goodbye Tony. And, yes, Jack is human.
Two power punches in the stomach at :59 past the hour the past two hours.
Edgar. Doughboy. Guard.
But nothing like Tony. CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!
Henderson is SO toast. Let's just hope Jack doesn't, for the first time, let his emotions get the best of him.
Now, the trailer for next week......
--Martial law
--Cruella D'Ville
--And Jack back on the street....
...but no sign of Henderson. Laying low? If he's smart, he's on the first flight to Neptune.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a good evening, if you can. That was a disturbing hour. And "24" usually doesn't do that to me.
I guess I need to go think of my wife naked or something. That could help.....:)
Do not leave until.....yeah, like Jack Bauer's gonna listen.
Bauer gets the first call tonight!
Chloe, you can do it.
This guy, whoever he is, better not press Jack.
She's feeling guilty. She shouldn't. Like any of us have been perfect towards anyone else.
OOHH!!! Good job, guard. Shot to the gut on Doughboy. Slap to the face, to boot!
Hmmmm....here comes the best part of the night.
Step one: Make sure doctor is incapacitated.
Step two: Grab gun from orderly in Henderson's room.
Step three: Get caught by Jack. Right at the point of death.
....Jack reminds Tony of his loss in season one, with a good visual of Jack and Kim looking at each other.
"Hurry up", said Tony at 7:09pm. I don't think he'll be getting rid of the gun anytime soon. Well, until the doctor jumps him.
Tony NOW SEES a better thing than simple death. It's written all over his face.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Who is going to STOP THEM?"--said wimpy Logan, who, ah, is still looking for someone else to save the day so he can look good.
And now here's the Veep, ready to turn L.A. into Poland circa 1981 pre-Solidarity.
--------------------------------------------------------
Our next contestant, ah, target, must be big. They want to open the rest of the cannisters. Must be targeting Kirstie Alley's wardrobe.
--------------------------------------------------------
Well, it wouldn't be an hour of "24" without some personal problems, confrontations, and the hourly reminder by Jack that "we don't have time!"
Oooh, dear. Buchanan gives great news now. The seals are failing. Rats.
Oh, hold on. Jack's wheels are turning. He must dig ventilation systems or study them as a hobby.
And there he goes!!
--------------------------------------------------------
BREAKING NEWS: On a sad note, word just seen online of the death of Press Your Luck host Peter Tomarken in a plane crash today. Click here for the story.
--------------------------------------------------------
Well, back to Jack, and....well.....there are bars. Not the ones where you find pretty ladies.
Shrink? Meet Chloe. She's doing better now.....
Trust me, it's there, Jack said. Some stupid level 9 nitwit didn't report the bars!!
Give me a break!!!
Now Jack calls Doughboy. Doughboy considers, and the Guard shows he was never CTU material to begin with. WOW----Doughboy shows some courage. Is he the one to "sacrifice themselves"? It's 734pm. Back in a moment.
--------------------------------------------------------
Kim comes over to talk to Chloe. Chloe....."wanna know where to find Chase?".
Chloe:...."I guess not that great." Her summation of the day thus far. We love you, Chloe!!
Now to the guard. I hate these parts. This is when I'm glad espionage never tickled my fancy.
Great news from Chloe.....and wow. I've got to hand it to Doughboy. He did it.
--------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile....Tony is about to take over. And Jack IS PISSED OFF BIG TIME!!!!
Well, way to go Kim. Blame world calamity on your Dad. I love you, but catastrophe follows you. But she won't budge and Jack may lose her twice. And, Mr Shrink holds his prized patient/girlfriend/patient/privilege infringer.
QUESTION DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAK: Is it me or is it GREAT AND REFRESHING not dealing with Logan for most of the hour?? Praises be unto the producers for giving us an hour away from him. I'll feel more composed next week. Really I will.
Oh, great, ANOTHER chance to win seven figures; this time underground with fighting. Hasn't the second part of that been the hallmark of 713 past TV shows? What's next? Win a million by guessing in which hospital room a patient bites the big one???
GIVE ME DEAL OR NO DEAL ANY DAY!! ESPECIALLY HOWIE'S 26 FRIENDS!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Shoot, spoke too soon. It's Logan. Oh, he's breaking down. Where's the Effexor?!!?? I might have some extra!!!
Martha=right again. Don't do a thing the Veep wants.
Now, returning to your crying, Mr. President.
-------------------------------------------------------------
And now the next level is, uncovered. Really. Uncovered. Wow! Oh, sorry.
Phone call with terrorists....hop into bed....tease....go back to "finish something".
-------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, boy. Time now for another "takeover" of CTU. Now it's Homeland Security who thinks they're king. Queen. Whatever. Who do they throw out? Chloe? Too valuable (they'll soon learn), Jack? Yeah, right. Audrey? She's DOD. Well, we will see.
Back at medical, Henderson's clinging, really clinging. And Tony? A little get rid of the orderly and take over the syringe department. Henderson-----time for wake up juice!!!!
Ah, dear crap. He bought it. Henderson got him. DID NOT see that coming. Where'd he go??
Tony? Next?? NO!!! There won't be anyone left to cameo in season six!!!
Goodbye Tony. And, yes, Jack is human.
Two power punches in the stomach at :59 past the hour the past two hours.
Edgar. Doughboy. Guard.
But nothing like Tony. CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!
Henderson is SO toast. Let's just hope Jack doesn't, for the first time, let his emotions get the best of him.
Now, the trailer for next week......
--Martial law
--Cruella D'Ville
--And Jack back on the street....
...but no sign of Henderson. Laying low? If he's smart, he's on the first flight to Neptune.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a good evening, if you can. That was a disturbing hour. And "24" usually doesn't do that to me.
I guess I need to go think of my wife naked or something. That could help.....:)
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Initial March Madness Thoughts.....
Worked a full day today; by choice mind you.
The 6pm hour would have been considered my "lunch hour". Time for Selection Sunday!
First stream of thoughts are.....
1) Tennessee has no business being a #2 seed. That was the only announcement in the bracket that elicited a loud response from me. UNC, Gonzaga, even Florida would've been better.
2) You would think this would create a wide open scenario for UConn to head to the Final Four, but hold on. UNC is #3, and they may have to get past the toughest #6 seed by far this year, Michigan State. When they're on, they can hang with anyone.
3) Already the Winthrop cheers are coming out, as the upset specialists are jumping on this bandwagon since they drew Tennessee. I see no specific "upset special" in this region, at least so far.
4) Illinois/Washington would be a 2nd round war. Hope it happens.
5) Arizona/Wisconsin is an intriguing round one matchup, with Villanova looming as the prize for the winner. I smell trouble for 'Nova here, as either team would look at beating the 'Cats as the mark on the season they've searched for all year.
6) If BC plays like they did in the ACC Tourney, they could go to the Final Four. Having said that, they also just as easily be knocked out in Round Two by Nevada. You know, Nevada. The best team in the tourney nicknamed "Wolfpack".
7) I'm considering two upsets in this region (Minneapolis): UW Milwaukee over OU and, for as much as I'm already hearing about Georgetown, don't forget Northern Iowa. I was courtside when they knocked off a #3 seed in Missouri in 1990.
8) Why can I see Xavier beating Gonzaga and Oral Roberts giving Memphis fits?
9) Kansas/Pitt in round two could be the best matchup of the weekend. Big 12 Tourney Champ versus Big East Tourney runner-up. Memphis should be worried.
10) West Virginia and Syracuse need watch out. Southern Illinois and Texas A&M will give them trouble in round one (I really think the Orange will struggle in round one; they can't keep coming up with miracles, can they?)
Brackets (toughest to easiest):
1) Washington DC
2) Oakland
3) Minneapolis
4) Atlanta
And, I have NO IDEA about a Final Four yet. I've got 'til early Thursday AM. Lots to think about. I see at least 14 teams that could run the table.
This will be an awesome tournament!!!
:)
The 6pm hour would have been considered my "lunch hour". Time for Selection Sunday!
First stream of thoughts are.....
1) Tennessee has no business being a #2 seed. That was the only announcement in the bracket that elicited a loud response from me. UNC, Gonzaga, even Florida would've been better.
2) You would think this would create a wide open scenario for UConn to head to the Final Four, but hold on. UNC is #3, and they may have to get past the toughest #6 seed by far this year, Michigan State. When they're on, they can hang with anyone.
3) Already the Winthrop cheers are coming out, as the upset specialists are jumping on this bandwagon since they drew Tennessee. I see no specific "upset special" in this region, at least so far.
4) Illinois/Washington would be a 2nd round war. Hope it happens.
5) Arizona/Wisconsin is an intriguing round one matchup, with Villanova looming as the prize for the winner. I smell trouble for 'Nova here, as either team would look at beating the 'Cats as the mark on the season they've searched for all year.
6) If BC plays like they did in the ACC Tourney, they could go to the Final Four. Having said that, they also just as easily be knocked out in Round Two by Nevada. You know, Nevada. The best team in the tourney nicknamed "Wolfpack".
7) I'm considering two upsets in this region (Minneapolis): UW Milwaukee over OU and, for as much as I'm already hearing about Georgetown, don't forget Northern Iowa. I was courtside when they knocked off a #3 seed in Missouri in 1990.
8) Why can I see Xavier beating Gonzaga and Oral Roberts giving Memphis fits?
9) Kansas/Pitt in round two could be the best matchup of the weekend. Big 12 Tourney Champ versus Big East Tourney runner-up. Memphis should be worried.
10) West Virginia and Syracuse need watch out. Southern Illinois and Texas A&M will give them trouble in round one (I really think the Orange will struggle in round one; they can't keep coming up with miracles, can they?)
Brackets (toughest to easiest):
1) Washington DC
2) Oakland
3) Minneapolis
4) Atlanta
And, I have NO IDEA about a Final Four yet. I've got 'til early Thursday AM. Lots to think about. I see at least 14 teams that could run the table.
This will be an awesome tournament!!!
:)
Friday, March 10, 2006
Barriers.....
Barrier.....
A structure, such as a fence, built to bar passage.
Something immaterial that obstructs or impedes.
A boundary or limit.
Something that separates or holds apart.
I hate barriers.
So why do I make them, eh?? And why do some find me?
---My OCD is a barrier to some, who simply can't get past its effects to understand me, though, thankfully, it's been few.
---My Christian beliefs are barriers, which I don't like, but, the barriers are not going anywhere, because the absolute truth of Christ, well, it's absolute.
---Plain scared. That was the barrier keeping me from expressing my feelings for my first love some 25 years ago.
---Inability to talk and confess real feelings. Funny how that happening in one 45 minute conversation changes your entire life.
---Some are good indirectly! I talked to thousands of people a day on the radio for nine years and loved every moment. But I didn't see them, nor they me. The lack of a video signal was a barrier, of sorts. The best part of me got out, though, because I do have a face for radio!
---When you're the pastor, you aren't supposed to have "friends" at church. So, I didn't completely allow that barrier complete control. :)
---Today?
A) My world revolves around an 8-mile orbit. Home to work, work to home. So, if they don't work with me or live with me, I probably don't see them.
B) So, for example, a circle of friends at a church is forthcoming, but scary to find, even with God's leading. It's been a long time since I took off to this adventure.
C) Thank God for no barriers at home. The six of us (cats included) are well, except the barrier of lack of time together.
D) America's favorite office today? The cubicle. It can also be a barrier. That's why, day by day, I must do my part to follow the edict posted on my cubicle wall from one of my favorites, the Apostle Paul, from Philippians 2:3.....
Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.
The more I think of them (one specifically) and not me, God will make the corner feel a lot bigger (feeling bigger matters, not its physical size), and will help me look at what's in front of me at work as just a movable wall.
....and will help me look at what's in front of me for what's left of my life, and see it as the adventure I once reveled in living in....
....as opposed to my downward spiral of apathy that is now in its fourth year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What barriers do you have? Did you make them? Did others build them around you? Either way, make a deal with me. I'll try to work on letting my barriers go the way of Berlin Wall, if you'll do the same.
A structure, such as a fence, built to bar passage.
Something immaterial that obstructs or impedes.
A boundary or limit.
Something that separates or holds apart.
I hate barriers.
So why do I make them, eh?? And why do some find me?
---My OCD is a barrier to some, who simply can't get past its effects to understand me, though, thankfully, it's been few.
---My Christian beliefs are barriers, which I don't like, but, the barriers are not going anywhere, because the absolute truth of Christ, well, it's absolute.
---Plain scared. That was the barrier keeping me from expressing my feelings for my first love some 25 years ago.
---Inability to talk and confess real feelings. Funny how that happening in one 45 minute conversation changes your entire life.
---Some are good indirectly! I talked to thousands of people a day on the radio for nine years and loved every moment. But I didn't see them, nor they me. The lack of a video signal was a barrier, of sorts. The best part of me got out, though, because I do have a face for radio!
---When you're the pastor, you aren't supposed to have "friends" at church. So, I didn't completely allow that barrier complete control. :)
---Today?
A) My world revolves around an 8-mile orbit. Home to work, work to home. So, if they don't work with me or live with me, I probably don't see them.
B) So, for example, a circle of friends at a church is forthcoming, but scary to find, even with God's leading. It's been a long time since I took off to this adventure.
C) Thank God for no barriers at home. The six of us (cats included) are well, except the barrier of lack of time together.
D) America's favorite office today? The cubicle. It can also be a barrier. That's why, day by day, I must do my part to follow the edict posted on my cubicle wall from one of my favorites, the Apostle Paul, from Philippians 2:3.....
Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.
The more I think of them (one specifically) and not me, God will make the corner feel a lot bigger (feeling bigger matters, not its physical size), and will help me look at what's in front of me at work as just a movable wall.
....and will help me look at what's in front of me for what's left of my life, and see it as the adventure I once reveled in living in....
....as opposed to my downward spiral of apathy that is now in its fourth year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What barriers do you have? Did you make them? Did others build them around you? Either way, make a deal with me. I'll try to work on letting my barriers go the way of Berlin Wall, if you'll do the same.
Mirage.....
Mirage....
An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called fata morgana .
Something illusory or insubstantial.
I'm not connected to the first definition. The second, though.....
What in your life is illusory or insubstantial?
What is produced by illusions, therefore, insubstantial on the whole?
For me...
--where will I be Monday thru Friday in ten years?
--did my most enjoyable working years come way too early in life?
--does anyone know me (outside of God, of course) besides me?
--are distance, sight line, or barriers tools that can reveal reality?
--do we do a very good job making, in our minds, talents, fears, phobias, friendships, heck, any priorities, much more than they are in reality? If so, does this mean we're good "living the life of illusion?", as Joe Walsh once sang?
All I can say at this juncture in the Rob Witham story is this---I cannot praise God enough for His promises and absolutes.
Because if all I had to rest upon was my illusionary thoughts, hopes, dreams, and desires-----I'd might consider a bed of nails as a better alternative (no pun intended to my Lord, by the way.....)
An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called fata morgana .
Something illusory or insubstantial.
I'm not connected to the first definition. The second, though.....
What in your life is illusory or insubstantial?
What is produced by illusions, therefore, insubstantial on the whole?
For me...
--where will I be Monday thru Friday in ten years?
--did my most enjoyable working years come way too early in life?
--does anyone know me (outside of God, of course) besides me?
--are distance, sight line, or barriers tools that can reveal reality?
--do we do a very good job making, in our minds, talents, fears, phobias, friendships, heck, any priorities, much more than they are in reality? If so, does this mean we're good "living the life of illusion?", as Joe Walsh once sang?
All I can say at this juncture in the Rob Witham story is this---I cannot praise God enough for His promises and absolutes.
Because if all I had to rest upon was my illusionary thoughts, hopes, dreams, and desires-----I'd might consider a bed of nails as a better alternative (no pun intended to my Lord, by the way.....)
Silhouettes.....
Silhouette.....
A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.
An outline that appears dark against a light background. ---I could now be considered a silhouette of who I was, say 10 years ago. The outline is similar (bigger in the belly, though..), but the insides are, well, much different, much unknown/unexplained, thus, appearing dark....
---That doesn't mean I have a dark heart, by the way. I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ! But I won't be perfect nor will I understand all the stuff that comprises me and my life until I see Him face to face.
---Good news! The first two words of definition #1 are "a drawing". They can be erased, altered, even trashed and redone. In other words, change is always possible.
A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.
An outline that appears dark against a light background. ---I could now be considered a silhouette of who I was, say 10 years ago. The outline is similar (bigger in the belly, though..), but the insides are, well, much different, much unknown/unexplained, thus, appearing dark....
---That doesn't mean I have a dark heart, by the way. I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ! But I won't be perfect nor will I understand all the stuff that comprises me and my life until I see Him face to face.
---Good news! The first two words of definition #1 are "a drawing". They can be erased, altered, even trashed and redone. In other words, change is always possible.
Now had I held a press conference......
Free speech is a wonderful thing.
But some people's speech is, ah, held in more esteem and importance than others.
For example, click here.
Now, they sing incredibly well, they are hugely popular, got a few more bucks in the bank than I do, and, every day at work, I walk past the Tim McGraw calendar thanks to my co-worker.
They also have every right, especially since both of them hail from the Gulf Coast region, to have opinions, feelings, and even frustrations.
My question, though, is this: If I held the exact same view as they did, since I don't sell millions of CD's and I don't have a calendar available, would I have gotten a front page headline at comcast.com??
I didn't think so.
Now if I went outside and tried to sing one of his songs, it would make headlines. I'd be arrested for disturbing the peace.
But some people's speech is, ah, held in more esteem and importance than others.
For example, click here.
Now, they sing incredibly well, they are hugely popular, got a few more bucks in the bank than I do, and, every day at work, I walk past the Tim McGraw calendar thanks to my co-worker.
They also have every right, especially since both of them hail from the Gulf Coast region, to have opinions, feelings, and even frustrations.
My question, though, is this: If I held the exact same view as they did, since I don't sell millions of CD's and I don't have a calendar available, would I have gotten a front page headline at comcast.com??
I didn't think so.
Now if I went outside and tried to sing one of his songs, it would make headlines. I'd be arrested for disturbing the peace.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Thank you Kirby.....
The first week my wife and I dated was the week of the 1987 World Series.
Whenever we were together during a game, the Minnesota Twins won. When we weren't, the St. Louis Cardinals won. Neither of us were Twins' fans, but we "fell into" rooting for them.
There was this one guy playing for them. I didn't take much notice of him then, but would a few years later as my sports-card collecting alter ego resurrected itself.
I liked this guy. He didn't play on my team, but he's the prototype of how a great baseball player is NOT supposed to look like.
He's stubby.
He's chubby.
He's short.
The LAST place he could play is centerfield.
But he could, and he did.
He hit the biggest blast in, my estimation, the best World Series ever, in Game 6, 1991, against Atlanta. I was rooting for the Braves......but you couldn't fault him.
He's not supposed to leap a wall to make catches like that!!
In him, I saw me. I wasn't born to play ball. But he was. First in his heart, then mentally, then physically.
He'd tell you he was always the first to get to the ballpark and the last to leave, he loved it so much.
I guess that's why my collection of his baseball cards is around 200.
For your passion and love for your craft, and for bringing out the Hall-of-Famer in us all....
Thank you, Kirby Puckett.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Live Blogging!! "24" as it happens......
Two hours of "24"? Gotta blog.
Here we go!!!
FIRST: I'm not happy to have not blogged the last several days, so there are several things to catch up on post-24. Hopefully I'll make myself sit down tomorrow night and do that. How can I not blog about "National Shoney's Day"??
Having all that said and done.....
It's 5pm CTU time.....
....and that's why we don't negotiate with terrorists.
Lies, lies, damnable lies, they're everywhere!!! Logan does it, Buchanan does it.
Well, thank God Pierce survived. We couldn't have lost him!!
UT, OH-----will they believe Martha now??? Or is she "off her rocker" again?? And we thought her struggle to expose Walt was difficult....
KEYCARD!!!!!! We've waited for that word for several hours. And here's the call to implanted friend of Doughboy's sister. Expect both he and sis to be gunned down within the hour. Crap, they'll miss the 6pm news.
When Logan screws up, he throws the blame on CTU to help assuage his guilt.
Hey, it's Jack! The dead is going to visit Mr. Henderson!!!
EVEN TERRORISTS HAVE TO WAIT ON HOLD!!!! (That's from Bonnie....)
Tony equals suspicious. Is my prediction of him "turning heel" going to come true when he snaps, finding out she's dead? (I'd snap, I loved her, too!! hee hee...)
Well, that would be enough to make me snap. Not become a terrorist, but release anger against those around him. Haven't we all done that a few times?
UPDATE: Guy offered $15K on "Deal or No Deal". Deal is declined. More later.
5:17pm......the Korean War-era chopper is landing at the ranch/estate/home for troubled Presidents.
Martha......
Now, Prez on Prez. Oh, boy. She was upset. Yep, Russian Prez notices Martha post and PRE bomb. Doesn't buy the "depression" excuse, even though it's true.
Doughboy gets a phone. Does it make ringing noises? Is it rotary? Is it by Mattel?
CTU is not a laundry room. Right?? Right?? I wonder who CTU's cleaning crew is after hours?
Good thing Edgar did well in Tinkertoys and Lite-Brite! He found the right building!
Oh, no, not the dreaded "bad guy in orderly" bit again?? This is the 455th time it's been used in entertainment history! I'm a bit disappointed at that move.
UPDATE: The offer for Monty is at $30K. Oh, the board looks bad. He better take it and go home....but he listens to a family member who looks spastic. No deal. Oh, he blew it. Next offer is $16K. Oh, well.
5:29pm: Jack is back. It's SO GREAT that Jack isn't in 80 percent of the scenes. Why doesn't Jack just pretend to be LandShark from Saturday Night Live???
Jack sees wife of Christopher through window. Will return.
WAIT----see the lingering look on the Hospital Security Chief's face. Is he in cahoots, too?? Part of the diversion??? Since the gas won't be released there??
Jack's powers of persuasion are conveniently available at Green Top Sporting Goods, just north of Virginia Center Commons on Route 1.
You HAVE to love Agent Pierce. What a guy!! He's trying to figure out what's up as Martha.....puts the move on him!! Now Pierce looks bad. I know depressed, you don't want a fling with anyone who's depressed.
Curtis and Company are on site, as the invisible man lies on the gurney rolled by the bad guy. Bad guys always go through Radiology to get the job done!
UPDATE: Monty! What??? He's survived to two cases?? Deal was $38K and he refused to try and win $50K. He's holding to his original case. And, that is......
........$25K. Well, beats the heck out of your case holding a single Abe.
5:41pm: Audrey, to Bill, to Mike, to Prez. They found the right guy. Where is he? Well, we know. They don't, yet.
Jack now faces the forces of Wife of Christopher. We checked on your daughter, blah blah blah. Poor Wife of Christopher; she doesn't understand.
I hope I'm never snowed by my spouse like that.....and...ah....*gets nervous*...
HEY---THEY FOUND GURNEY GUY!!! Now, if they only knew to get through Radiology. Victor's going past Radiology!!!
Aerosmith's new hit: "Gurney's Got a Gun".....
We're under ten minutes to play now in the 2nd Cannister...Curtis closing in, and got him. But the countdown is already on. Much to their dismay, the CTU Agents Who Look Like Aliens discover the cannister, armed.
Ut oh.
UPDATE: Our next contestant starts well, is offered $21K. She refuses. Now...
...$75K is gone, $300K is gone....$400, that's better. Two to go. She should've picked her birthday!!! It was the million!!! We'll check on her later, as she attempts to change her birth certificate to reflect different date of birth....
Oh boy, X Men trailer. Yawn. Good time to pee.
It's now 5:52pm and the good guys are covered in trash bags, trying to save the day.
Meanwhile, Jack uses another Green Top purchase to almost knock out Christopher.
And now, Wife of Christopher discovers the truth!!!! Oh, no, another "I was a patriot".
YES!!! YES!!! Best decision Jack's made in awhile! Only problem, she's married to Heartless.
Well....we found the counter. Would YOU run with a cannister of bad gas? No, not the kind you get after tacos.......
....and Curtis shoots the trey with seconds to go to win the war on Cannister 2!!
SEE---I TOLD YOU THEY'D BE DEAD BEFORE THE 6PM NEWS......
-----------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of 6pm.......the following takes place.......
Voila!! Bad guy's head in, Doughboy's out.
Gotta eat. More to come.
BREAKING NEWS:
---Kim is in, and now she knows.
---FINALLY, THE VEEP IS IN!!! And, he's looking more secure in himself than Logan. Maybe Veep is too secure, as in doing what he shouldn't have. Prez isn't happy.
---NOTICE that Veep takes a dig at CTU. He will play that political card later after the CTU invasion.
Since I ate....
----Kim and Jack's reunion; not so good. Oh, see psych, date psych. Does that mean she is really co-dependent??
----Will Christopher finally crack?
----They don't even realize the kooks are in their backyard (or, better put, in their venilation system).
It's 6:32pm........
I didn't know Martha smoked! Here comes Mike....."he needs me?", Martha says. Mike tells her about the prayer, uses it as spin (courtesy of BW). Now Martha cuts to the chase. Mike spills it. But, spins some more. Be his yin to the Veep's yang, so to speak.
Now, let's go inside CTU, shall we? Notice the lovely dining area!
EDGAR!!!! Last year it was the disk (probably still on his desk somewhere), this year dissing Carrie's warning call.
At 6:36pm, Mike's spinning finally pays off. Martha approaches ratfink, I mean President Hubby.
Now Martha spins!
Oops....say goodbye to this short term character. Ewww....in a nasty way, too. Was her character's name Carrie? Why did I waste time trying to learn it??
Hey Verizon----do I REALLY want to know about her humps? Didn't think so.
-------------------------------------------------
EVERYONE GO PEE-----IT'S THE STUPID MOVIE TRAILER!!!!
-------------------------------------------------
Oh, I'm awake...really! Just shaved all the spikes off my face, too.
It's 6:43pm. The clock now starts the 4th quarter of Cannister three, just under 15 to go.
"Try to cut him some slack".----Chloe's choice word of the night. :)
Now----Doughboy knows his sister's fate. Is Doughboy showing emotions, or.....ah, the boyfriend question. Was number one concern his sister, or being found out w/out that important keycard??
OH, NO----now a big moment approaches. Does he realize the keycard is the, well, key?? And, will he admit to it being missing??? HE JUST DID.
"I'm reporting it now!!??!!"----Good job Doughboy!!!
Bill and Chloe, good job. Welcome to lockdown!!!
And, while lockdown begins, let's all enjoy stabilizing the terrorist pig so we can torture him more. Wonder if there's a co-pay each time he returns to interrogation?
It's 6:52pm, and I HATE THAT BLASTED NOISE!!!
Jack's in to look at it; gets the order......
Now, faux Doughboy has a hostage.
Edgar's going after Carrie-----will we lose Edgar???? That would explain his "persona non grata" character/personality this season.
Here comes Jack-----finds the body------looks for fake Dough Daddy. Realizes gun is gone. Now, were the Jack orders a decoy or the truth?
Truth.
He's gone (don't duel with Jack)....but now, it's EVACUATION TIME. Edgar is with Carrie, which means........he's at point zero!!!
OH, GOD----it's deployed!!!!!!
They got the three only rooms they could.
I thought so. Good-bye Edgar. Chloe tears. That's big.
FINAL NOTE------have they ever finished an episode with the clock "silent"???????
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Miss Piggy in for Jessica Simpson. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!! Piggy is so much prettier, with a personality....a brain.....but need I go on.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------
So, Charlotte gets the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. Shocker. Got a fax at work early this afternoon about a closed circuit press conference satellite feed for NASCAR radio affiliates. It said the press conference would be in Charlotte.
So, as I hand over the fax, I hear the co-worker wonder......what if.....on the feed.....
....and the winner of the NASCAR Hall of Fame is.....DAYTONA!!!.....
Ah, that wouldn't have gone over well in the Queen City. But, it sure would have been funny. :)
Good night.
Here we go!!!
FIRST: I'm not happy to have not blogged the last several days, so there are several things to catch up on post-24. Hopefully I'll make myself sit down tomorrow night and do that. How can I not blog about "National Shoney's Day"??
Having all that said and done.....
It's 5pm CTU time.....
....and that's why we don't negotiate with terrorists.
Lies, lies, damnable lies, they're everywhere!!! Logan does it, Buchanan does it.
Well, thank God Pierce survived. We couldn't have lost him!!
UT, OH-----will they believe Martha now??? Or is she "off her rocker" again?? And we thought her struggle to expose Walt was difficult....
KEYCARD!!!!!! We've waited for that word for several hours. And here's the call to implanted friend of Doughboy's sister. Expect both he and sis to be gunned down within the hour. Crap, they'll miss the 6pm news.
When Logan screws up, he throws the blame on CTU to help assuage his guilt.
Hey, it's Jack! The dead is going to visit Mr. Henderson!!!
EVEN TERRORISTS HAVE TO WAIT ON HOLD!!!! (That's from Bonnie....)
Tony equals suspicious. Is my prediction of him "turning heel" going to come true when he snaps, finding out she's dead? (I'd snap, I loved her, too!! hee hee...)
Well, that would be enough to make me snap. Not become a terrorist, but release anger against those around him. Haven't we all done that a few times?
UPDATE: Guy offered $15K on "Deal or No Deal". Deal is declined. More later.
5:17pm......the Korean War-era chopper is landing at the ranch/estate/home for troubled Presidents.
Martha......
Now, Prez on Prez. Oh, boy. She was upset. Yep, Russian Prez notices Martha post and PRE bomb. Doesn't buy the "depression" excuse, even though it's true.
Doughboy gets a phone. Does it make ringing noises? Is it rotary? Is it by Mattel?
CTU is not a laundry room. Right?? Right?? I wonder who CTU's cleaning crew is after hours?
Good thing Edgar did well in Tinkertoys and Lite-Brite! He found the right building!
Oh, no, not the dreaded "bad guy in orderly" bit again?? This is the 455th time it's been used in entertainment history! I'm a bit disappointed at that move.
UPDATE: The offer for Monty is at $30K. Oh, the board looks bad. He better take it and go home....but he listens to a family member who looks spastic. No deal. Oh, he blew it. Next offer is $16K. Oh, well.
5:29pm: Jack is back. It's SO GREAT that Jack isn't in 80 percent of the scenes. Why doesn't Jack just pretend to be LandShark from Saturday Night Live???
Jack sees wife of Christopher through window. Will return.
WAIT----see the lingering look on the Hospital Security Chief's face. Is he in cahoots, too?? Part of the diversion??? Since the gas won't be released there??
Jack's powers of persuasion are conveniently available at Green Top Sporting Goods, just north of Virginia Center Commons on Route 1.
You HAVE to love Agent Pierce. What a guy!! He's trying to figure out what's up as Martha.....puts the move on him!! Now Pierce looks bad. I know depressed, you don't want a fling with anyone who's depressed.
Curtis and Company are on site, as the invisible man lies on the gurney rolled by the bad guy. Bad guys always go through Radiology to get the job done!
UPDATE: Monty! What??? He's survived to two cases?? Deal was $38K and he refused to try and win $50K. He's holding to his original case. And, that is......
........$25K. Well, beats the heck out of your case holding a single Abe.
5:41pm: Audrey, to Bill, to Mike, to Prez. They found the right guy. Where is he? Well, we know. They don't, yet.
Jack now faces the forces of Wife of Christopher. We checked on your daughter, blah blah blah. Poor Wife of Christopher; she doesn't understand.
I hope I'm never snowed by my spouse like that.....and...ah....*gets nervous*...
HEY---THEY FOUND GURNEY GUY!!! Now, if they only knew to get through Radiology. Victor's going past Radiology!!!
Aerosmith's new hit: "Gurney's Got a Gun".....
We're under ten minutes to play now in the 2nd Cannister...Curtis closing in, and got him. But the countdown is already on. Much to their dismay, the CTU Agents Who Look Like Aliens discover the cannister, armed.
Ut oh.
UPDATE: Our next contestant starts well, is offered $21K. She refuses. Now...
...$75K is gone, $300K is gone....$400, that's better. Two to go. She should've picked her birthday!!! It was the million!!! We'll check on her later, as she attempts to change her birth certificate to reflect different date of birth....
Oh boy, X Men trailer. Yawn. Good time to pee.
It's now 5:52pm and the good guys are covered in trash bags, trying to save the day.
Meanwhile, Jack uses another Green Top purchase to almost knock out Christopher.
And now, Wife of Christopher discovers the truth!!!! Oh, no, another "I was a patriot".
YES!!! YES!!! Best decision Jack's made in awhile! Only problem, she's married to Heartless.
Well....we found the counter. Would YOU run with a cannister of bad gas? No, not the kind you get after tacos.......
....and Curtis shoots the trey with seconds to go to win the war on Cannister 2!!
SEE---I TOLD YOU THEY'D BE DEAD BEFORE THE 6PM NEWS......
-----------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of 6pm.......the following takes place.......
Voila!! Bad guy's head in, Doughboy's out.
Gotta eat. More to come.
BREAKING NEWS:
---Kim is in, and now she knows.
---FINALLY, THE VEEP IS IN!!! And, he's looking more secure in himself than Logan. Maybe Veep is too secure, as in doing what he shouldn't have. Prez isn't happy.
---NOTICE that Veep takes a dig at CTU. He will play that political card later after the CTU invasion.
Since I ate....
----Kim and Jack's reunion; not so good. Oh, see psych, date psych. Does that mean she is really co-dependent??
----Will Christopher finally crack?
----They don't even realize the kooks are in their backyard (or, better put, in their venilation system).
It's 6:32pm........
I didn't know Martha smoked! Here comes Mike....."he needs me?", Martha says. Mike tells her about the prayer, uses it as spin (courtesy of BW). Now Martha cuts to the chase. Mike spills it. But, spins some more. Be his yin to the Veep's yang, so to speak.
Now, let's go inside CTU, shall we? Notice the lovely dining area!
EDGAR!!!! Last year it was the disk (probably still on his desk somewhere), this year dissing Carrie's warning call.
At 6:36pm, Mike's spinning finally pays off. Martha approaches ratfink, I mean President Hubby.
Now Martha spins!
Oops....say goodbye to this short term character. Ewww....in a nasty way, too. Was her character's name Carrie? Why did I waste time trying to learn it??
Hey Verizon----do I REALLY want to know about her humps? Didn't think so.
-------------------------------------------------
EVERYONE GO PEE-----IT'S THE STUPID MOVIE TRAILER!!!!
-------------------------------------------------
Oh, I'm awake...really! Just shaved all the spikes off my face, too.
It's 6:43pm. The clock now starts the 4th quarter of Cannister three, just under 15 to go.
"Try to cut him some slack".----Chloe's choice word of the night. :)
Now----Doughboy knows his sister's fate. Is Doughboy showing emotions, or.....ah, the boyfriend question. Was number one concern his sister, or being found out w/out that important keycard??
OH, NO----now a big moment approaches. Does he realize the keycard is the, well, key?? And, will he admit to it being missing??? HE JUST DID.
"I'm reporting it now!!??!!"----Good job Doughboy!!!
Bill and Chloe, good job. Welcome to lockdown!!!
And, while lockdown begins, let's all enjoy stabilizing the terrorist pig so we can torture him more. Wonder if there's a co-pay each time he returns to interrogation?
It's 6:52pm, and I HATE THAT BLASTED NOISE!!!
Jack's in to look at it; gets the order......
Now, faux Doughboy has a hostage.
Edgar's going after Carrie-----will we lose Edgar???? That would explain his "persona non grata" character/personality this season.
Here comes Jack-----finds the body------looks for fake Dough Daddy. Realizes gun is gone. Now, were the Jack orders a decoy or the truth?
Truth.
He's gone (don't duel with Jack)....but now, it's EVACUATION TIME. Edgar is with Carrie, which means........he's at point zero!!!
OH, GOD----it's deployed!!!!!!
They got the three only rooms they could.
I thought so. Good-bye Edgar. Chloe tears. That's big.
FINAL NOTE------have they ever finished an episode with the clock "silent"???????
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Miss Piggy in for Jessica Simpson. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!! Piggy is so much prettier, with a personality....a brain.....but need I go on.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------
So, Charlotte gets the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. Shocker. Got a fax at work early this afternoon about a closed circuit press conference satellite feed for NASCAR radio affiliates. It said the press conference would be in Charlotte.
So, as I hand over the fax, I hear the co-worker wonder......what if.....on the feed.....
....and the winner of the NASCAR Hall of Fame is.....DAYTONA!!!.....
Ah, that wouldn't have gone over well in the Queen City. But, it sure would have been funny. :)
Good night.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Doughboy jailed! Jack fooled! Curtis did not smile! Audrey has guts and looks prettier than last season!
Okay, I need to stop with the headline lest I have nothing to blog about here.
"24", 4pm to 5pm.
Another excellent job by the writers/producers of shaking up the formula. Jack is out of the picture much of the hour, then, is shown as human! He meets up (shows down) his CTU mentor, Christopher, who Jack helped, well, end up kicking him out of CTU, due to some no-no's Christopher denies he ever did.
He's gone into private sector work, and just so happens to work for the company that made the gas we're all waiting to be "set off" by the bad guys. "But we sold it to DOD, it's not my problem!", Christopher says.
Oops. After some dialogue and a token laying down of the gun, Jack gets duped. Hook, line, and sinker. When he ends up in a locked room realizing part of the computer he was using earlier was actually a bomb, he admitted fault.
"How could I be so stupid?"
I say that 15 times a day, but, then again, I'm not Jack Bauer.
But, in another great choice by the show, they go ahead and take care of the "bomb" storyline rather than extend it into the next hour, because I found it much more motivating to know Jack's going for his (beep) next hour as opposed to "will he survive the bomb". We know he will, so thanks for not using that as the hook for the 47th time.
Other thoughts:
--Doughboy jailed!!! I'm beginning to wonder if Audrey didn't decide earlier to just keep sneaking around him, so he'd become so raving mad he would fall into the Article 112 trap. Maybe I'm too much the conspiracy theorist tonight....
--Curtis rocks! Takes consideration of Article 112; argues need for evidence, then later, when presented with bucketfuls of evidence, calmly kicks Doughboy to the curb. My favorite moment? When the guard brought in by Doughboy says, "What do you want us to do, Mr. Manning?" GREAT moment.
--Russian President is NOT happy. No, go beyond the heat seeking missile. He knew something was awry long before the fireworks began; he read Martha like a brochure at AAA. So, placing that knowledge into the cauldron of an assassination attempt, you know he's going to somehow, someway, either overtly or covertly, go after the "real answer" of who spilled the beans on the motorcade route. The Prez HAD to have something to do with it; otherwise why would Martha act like she "KNEW" something was about to happen??
--Now, off to next week----the promo for the two hours of fun. (Two!! Woo hoo!!)
1) Doughboy isn't done. A co-worker made a great point tonight that the "Presidential Connection" will come into play at some point, since he threw the term "sent by the White House" around so much. I've been so looking forward to the "CTU invasion" by his sister's friends, who are, by the way, co-conspirators, so the "card key" can be discovered and Doughboy REALLY implicated in the whole mess.
2) Buchanan's wheels will be turning as to the President's reaction to the "news" of the assassination plot. If CTU just turned it up, how/why does Prez react like that?
3) Mike is going to have to save Logan, period. He will somehow come up with something that will at least stave off the truth leaking out for several hours. If he could lock up his equal in season two trying to get the Veep in as Temp-Prez, he can certainly devise something.
4) Finally, my big prediction on the "shocking surprise" promised for next week.
TONY'S GOING BAD.....
Always notice the marriage of dialogue and picture in any television commercial, promo, etc. There's always subliminal signs. Nothing is "thrown together" (unless it's poorly done)....so, thus....
The "shocking surprise" discussion....in the middle of it....who do they show for one second? Tony Almeda, rising from his bedside, pulling off his eyepatch.
Remember, when Jack found the assassin in Tony's room, he had killed the doctor already so he could "be the plant", then he went for Jack, resulting in the fight and his demise.
Tony's fighting for life in a hospital bed, completely defenseless. Why doesn't he just shoot him quickly and have his "secrets" die with him? Remember, Jack had to talk to him! Why hasn't he "had" to the last several hours? Several things just don't add up here, which is why I'm looking for Tony to snap.
Long-term plan to change? I don't know. MAD because Michelle died? Could be.
This reminds me of watching your favorite "good guy" wrestler become the "bad guy".
We'll see if sticking my neck out here was smart or not. :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEBRUARY'S WINNING NUMBERS: 1, 8, 15, 17 and 25. One more and I could've played Mega Millions tonight!
But I'm not up for it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, and did I forget to say Audrey Raines looks sexy in the "secretary glasses/DOD woman-in-charge/kinda open blouse/kick your butt" role, as opposed to last year's namby-pamby, "oh, Jack how could you torture my husband after I've bad mouthed him to you in bed for the past year??"
This year's Audrey.....much better.
"24", 4pm to 5pm.
Another excellent job by the writers/producers of shaking up the formula. Jack is out of the picture much of the hour, then, is shown as human! He meets up (shows down) his CTU mentor, Christopher, who Jack helped, well, end up kicking him out of CTU, due to some no-no's Christopher denies he ever did.
He's gone into private sector work, and just so happens to work for the company that made the gas we're all waiting to be "set off" by the bad guys. "But we sold it to DOD, it's not my problem!", Christopher says.
Oops. After some dialogue and a token laying down of the gun, Jack gets duped. Hook, line, and sinker. When he ends up in a locked room realizing part of the computer he was using earlier was actually a bomb, he admitted fault.
"How could I be so stupid?"
I say that 15 times a day, but, then again, I'm not Jack Bauer.
But, in another great choice by the show, they go ahead and take care of the "bomb" storyline rather than extend it into the next hour, because I found it much more motivating to know Jack's going for his (beep) next hour as opposed to "will he survive the bomb". We know he will, so thanks for not using that as the hook for the 47th time.
Other thoughts:
--Doughboy jailed!!! I'm beginning to wonder if Audrey didn't decide earlier to just keep sneaking around him, so he'd become so raving mad he would fall into the Article 112 trap. Maybe I'm too much the conspiracy theorist tonight....
--Curtis rocks! Takes consideration of Article 112; argues need for evidence, then later, when presented with bucketfuls of evidence, calmly kicks Doughboy to the curb. My favorite moment? When the guard brought in by Doughboy says, "What do you want us to do, Mr. Manning?" GREAT moment.
--Russian President is NOT happy. No, go beyond the heat seeking missile. He knew something was awry long before the fireworks began; he read Martha like a brochure at AAA. So, placing that knowledge into the cauldron of an assassination attempt, you know he's going to somehow, someway, either overtly or covertly, go after the "real answer" of who spilled the beans on the motorcade route. The Prez HAD to have something to do with it; otherwise why would Martha act like she "KNEW" something was about to happen??
--Now, off to next week----the promo for the two hours of fun. (Two!! Woo hoo!!)
1) Doughboy isn't done. A co-worker made a great point tonight that the "Presidential Connection" will come into play at some point, since he threw the term "sent by the White House" around so much. I've been so looking forward to the "CTU invasion" by his sister's friends, who are, by the way, co-conspirators, so the "card key" can be discovered and Doughboy REALLY implicated in the whole mess.
2) Buchanan's wheels will be turning as to the President's reaction to the "news" of the assassination plot. If CTU just turned it up, how/why does Prez react like that?
3) Mike is going to have to save Logan, period. He will somehow come up with something that will at least stave off the truth leaking out for several hours. If he could lock up his equal in season two trying to get the Veep in as Temp-Prez, he can certainly devise something.
4) Finally, my big prediction on the "shocking surprise" promised for next week.
TONY'S GOING BAD.....
Always notice the marriage of dialogue and picture in any television commercial, promo, etc. There's always subliminal signs. Nothing is "thrown together" (unless it's poorly done)....so, thus....
The "shocking surprise" discussion....in the middle of it....who do they show for one second? Tony Almeda, rising from his bedside, pulling off his eyepatch.
Remember, when Jack found the assassin in Tony's room, he had killed the doctor already so he could "be the plant", then he went for Jack, resulting in the fight and his demise.
Tony's fighting for life in a hospital bed, completely defenseless. Why doesn't he just shoot him quickly and have his "secrets" die with him? Remember, Jack had to talk to him! Why hasn't he "had" to the last several hours? Several things just don't add up here, which is why I'm looking for Tony to snap.
Long-term plan to change? I don't know. MAD because Michelle died? Could be.
This reminds me of watching your favorite "good guy" wrestler become the "bad guy".
We'll see if sticking my neck out here was smart or not. :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEBRUARY'S WINNING NUMBERS: 1, 8, 15, 17 and 25. One more and I could've played Mega Millions tonight!
But I'm not up for it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, and did I forget to say Audrey Raines looks sexy in the "secretary glasses/DOD woman-in-charge/kinda open blouse/kick your butt" role, as opposed to last year's namby-pamby, "oh, Jack how could you torture my husband after I've bad mouthed him to you in bed for the past year??"
This year's Audrey.....much better.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Friends.....
....have as many as you can.
....make sure they know you appreciate them.
....be really grateful for the close ones.
....treat them with a servant's heart and tell 'em you love them.
....and there are only a few really close, really great ones that will come along.
....with them; hang on tight and don't let go.
And, in closing, pray your heart out that God's Spirit is present with them, so you'll be present with them......in His Kingdom, forever, and ever.
This post is for my favorite foursome in Ashland. :)
....make sure they know you appreciate them.
....be really grateful for the close ones.
....treat them with a servant's heart and tell 'em you love them.
....and there are only a few really close, really great ones that will come along.
....with them; hang on tight and don't let go.
And, in closing, pray your heart out that God's Spirit is present with them, so you'll be present with them......in His Kingdom, forever, and ever.
This post is for my favorite foursome in Ashland. :)
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
I hope the Panama Canal didn't hurt Central Americans like this......
I had my first root canal today.
Novicaine and lots of gas. That was good.
I have a small mouth and the work was in the bottom left hand corner. That was bad.
Came home and slept the day away. That was good.
My jaw hurts and I can't eat on one side of my mouth for a week. That's bad.
So, it's not the tooth that hurts (yet), it's the stinkin' jaw.
What else is gonna hurt? Trying to go back to work after spending a Wednesday (albeit for a price) in bed.
But, that's much better than more jaw pain. :)
Novicaine and lots of gas. That was good.
I have a small mouth and the work was in the bottom left hand corner. That was bad.
Came home and slept the day away. That was good.
My jaw hurts and I can't eat on one side of my mouth for a week. That's bad.
So, it's not the tooth that hurts (yet), it's the stinkin' jaw.
What else is gonna hurt? Trying to go back to work after spending a Wednesday (albeit for a price) in bed.
But, that's much better than more jaw pain. :)
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Olympics, Daytona, work, and sleep......
...there.
My Sunday in five words. Oh, I bought gas, too. And showered.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since we last met.....
...U.S. Hockey is suffering. Ladies get stopped by Sweden, while the men can't find the goal against same nation today.
...U.S. Curling Men make it to the medal round!!!!
...I'm very disappointed that the ladies didn't, because I was REALLY enjoying checking out the matches during the first few hours of a day at the office. Curling babes! From cold country!!! I'll take a curler in an ice rink over a plastic surgery patient lying on the beach anyday!
We FINALLY have a CCM station again!!! The 90.5 frequency in Fredericksburg is now back on track with CCM thanks to a new simulcast with WPER, Culpeper.
First thoughts on CCM circa 2006:
---alot of the music sounds the same....
---kinda gruffy sounding male lead....
---lotsa acoustic and don't forget the drums....
....and I never played most of the artists I hear on the air. Boy, has life really passed me by??? I, to my defense, know that I'd know more had he had a CCM station all this time. I look forward to listening more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm looking forward to Wednesday like I'm looking forward to a root canal.....
...that's because I'm having my first root canal......
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone know when the Muslim season of "Cartoon Killing" ends?
Now, let's see how one justifies killing 16, including three children and a Catholic priest, through this cartoon crap.....
I understand the biggest row made by area Christians today was when Shoney's prematurely ran out of tomatoes on their salad bar.....
HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY!!! Celebrate your favorite! Here's mine!
My Sunday in five words. Oh, I bought gas, too. And showered.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since we last met.....
...U.S. Hockey is suffering. Ladies get stopped by Sweden, while the men can't find the goal against same nation today.
...U.S. Curling Men make it to the medal round!!!!
...I'm very disappointed that the ladies didn't, because I was REALLY enjoying checking out the matches during the first few hours of a day at the office. Curling babes! From cold country!!! I'll take a curler in an ice rink over a plastic surgery patient lying on the beach anyday!
We FINALLY have a CCM station again!!! The 90.5 frequency in Fredericksburg is now back on track with CCM thanks to a new simulcast with WPER, Culpeper.
First thoughts on CCM circa 2006:
---alot of the music sounds the same....
---kinda gruffy sounding male lead....
---lotsa acoustic and don't forget the drums....
....and I never played most of the artists I hear on the air. Boy, has life really passed me by??? I, to my defense, know that I'd know more had he had a CCM station all this time. I look forward to listening more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm looking forward to Wednesday like I'm looking forward to a root canal.....
...that's because I'm having my first root canal......
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone know when the Muslim season of "Cartoon Killing" ends?
Now, let's see how one justifies killing 16, including three children and a Catholic priest, through this cartoon crap.....
I understand the biggest row made by area Christians today was when Shoney's prematurely ran out of tomatoes on their salad bar.....
HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY!!! Celebrate your favorite! Here's mine!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Ch-ch-changes, and quick tidbits....
1) The age of the Cougar is coming to a close. February 9, 2006 will go down as an important day in Witham Nation history.
2) The "conversion van" era is now underway. Long story (no pun intended), more to come as time allows.
3) Bill O'Reilly positions his show as an "opinion/interview" show. I don't see him being an "anchor" on something labeled a "newscast".
4) Go to msnbc.com and look at the TV main page......see how they describe Countdown with Keith Olbermann as "news without the snooze".
5) Therein lies the rub. Keith, call Countdown what it really is, an opinion/commentary show; one that's currently being hidden under the thin veil that is the term "newscast". You know, the same veil the big 3 networks have used for many years.
I don't care if you lean left, right, or unusually center, to the back, whatever...
....if you want to work your opinion/agenda into it, fine. But DON'T CALL IT A NEWSCAST!!
Those are the things with which I lose respect for people, entities, etc....simply because it's easy to see through that aforementioned veil.
CARTOONS:
Okay, now we're REALLY seeing the nutcase wing of the Islamic community. I mean, how long will they burn things and attempt to kill people and exact revenge before they can "get over" cartoons?
One march? Yes, but should be peaceful....Two? If it seemed the message didn't get across, I could understand.
But we're hitting double digits in the amount of days these extremists are going out and, let's face it, wreak the havoc they love to wreak in the name of "anger over something sacreligious".
Isn't it about time we began to ask serious journalistic questions, such as, "What's your end game?" or "Do you plan on doing this until the year 2065?"......
More to come. I have to hide the funny pages from my kids before going to bed. Peanuts and Beetle Bailey can be extremely offensive, causing me to rally for two years......
2) The "conversion van" era is now underway. Long story (no pun intended), more to come as time allows.
3) Bill O'Reilly positions his show as an "opinion/interview" show. I don't see him being an "anchor" on something labeled a "newscast".
4) Go to msnbc.com and look at the TV main page......see how they describe Countdown with Keith Olbermann as "news without the snooze".
5) Therein lies the rub. Keith, call Countdown what it really is, an opinion/commentary show; one that's currently being hidden under the thin veil that is the term "newscast". You know, the same veil the big 3 networks have used for many years.
I don't care if you lean left, right, or unusually center, to the back, whatever...
....if you want to work your opinion/agenda into it, fine. But DON'T CALL IT A NEWSCAST!!
Those are the things with which I lose respect for people, entities, etc....simply because it's easy to see through that aforementioned veil.
CARTOONS:
Okay, now we're REALLY seeing the nutcase wing of the Islamic community. I mean, how long will they burn things and attempt to kill people and exact revenge before they can "get over" cartoons?
One march? Yes, but should be peaceful....Two? If it seemed the message didn't get across, I could understand.
But we're hitting double digits in the amount of days these extremists are going out and, let's face it, wreak the havoc they love to wreak in the name of "anger over something sacreligious".
Isn't it about time we began to ask serious journalistic questions, such as, "What's your end game?" or "Do you plan on doing this until the year 2065?"......
More to come. I have to hide the funny pages from my kids before going to bed. Peanuts and Beetle Bailey can be extremely offensive, causing me to rally for two years......
Friday, February 10, 2006
What a week.......
Ever had "one of those..."....of course you have. We all have. Many of them. This was one of them.
Workload at work "exploded". Now, don't get me wrong, that's a GOOD thing. I just didn't expect it. With Valentines Day coming, I should have known this was going to happen, but for some reason I didn't have any warning bells about it in my mind from past years.
I was going to work before the Super Bowl Sunday to "get ahead", and I didn't. Too tired. I paid for it Monday and Tuesday.
So, I pitched a tent Wednesday and Thursday nights, making sure I got home by 11pm to watch Match Game on GSN. Hey, you can't beat a little blankin' circa 1974 with Gene, Brett, Richard, and the gang!
Gene Rayburn, great host; perfect timing. He passed in November 1999, but click here for a sad story from Al Roker, who by chance ran into him in 1996.
Richard Dawson, one of the anchors (but not THE anchor in my opinion, having relived the game 32 years later...) of the panel, the prime choice to win $5K, and the one who benefited the most career-wise by being on the show (can anyone say Family Feud?)
Brett Somers: I've come to appreciate her role on the show more and more recently. She picks at the audience and the judge; her answers are, sometimes, out of left field, and she plays herself as insecure. But what I like the most is she can throw a zinger to someone, and then, when they returned fire, she'd laugh her head off.
Charles Nelson Reilly: Official poker of fun to Brett, who was good sport to all the hidden gay references on the show, which, in the 1970's, reflected the less-than-welcoming attitude of the day, BUT, having said that, it was more welcoming of the issue of being gay, in an "under-the-radar" way.
Many other great guests come and go, (my personal favorite in the bottom right chair was Patti Deutsch), but we cannot end this impromptu Match Game tribute without the man who started every show.
Johnny Olson: Best known for his work on The Price is Right, he played a small, but important role as announcer for Match Game...
"Get ready to match the stars!!"
He always got the chicanery started. God bless ya, Johnny!!
Okay, well, let's go back to this week....
We survived a busy Friday today (it's always the busiest and most stressful day of the week), but I will be making appearances in the cubicle this weekend.....
....unless.....
IT SNOWS!!! WHAT!??!!!
We've had a warm winter, now, out of nowhere comes a chance of snow for the weekend. Heh, I'll believe it when I'm sweeping it off the van.
So, I finish the week in a mood best described as, "estaticly miserable". Make sense??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JANUARY'S WINNING NUMBERS: (how could I forget??)
1, 3, 10, 11, 17, 18, 28
It was a Happy New Year!
:)
Workload at work "exploded". Now, don't get me wrong, that's a GOOD thing. I just didn't expect it. With Valentines Day coming, I should have known this was going to happen, but for some reason I didn't have any warning bells about it in my mind from past years.
I was going to work before the Super Bowl Sunday to "get ahead", and I didn't. Too tired. I paid for it Monday and Tuesday.
So, I pitched a tent Wednesday and Thursday nights, making sure I got home by 11pm to watch Match Game on GSN. Hey, you can't beat a little blankin' circa 1974 with Gene, Brett, Richard, and the gang!
Gene Rayburn, great host; perfect timing. He passed in November 1999, but click here for a sad story from Al Roker, who by chance ran into him in 1996.
Richard Dawson, one of the anchors (but not THE anchor in my opinion, having relived the game 32 years later...) of the panel, the prime choice to win $5K, and the one who benefited the most career-wise by being on the show (can anyone say Family Feud?)
Brett Somers: I've come to appreciate her role on the show more and more recently. She picks at the audience and the judge; her answers are, sometimes, out of left field, and she plays herself as insecure. But what I like the most is she can throw a zinger to someone, and then, when they returned fire, she'd laugh her head off.
Charles Nelson Reilly: Official poker of fun to Brett, who was good sport to all the hidden gay references on the show, which, in the 1970's, reflected the less-than-welcoming attitude of the day, BUT, having said that, it was more welcoming of the issue of being gay, in an "under-the-radar" way.
Many other great guests come and go, (my personal favorite in the bottom right chair was Patti Deutsch), but we cannot end this impromptu Match Game tribute without the man who started every show.
Johnny Olson: Best known for his work on The Price is Right, he played a small, but important role as announcer for Match Game...
"Get ready to match the stars!!"
He always got the chicanery started. God bless ya, Johnny!!
Okay, well, let's go back to this week....
We survived a busy Friday today (it's always the busiest and most stressful day of the week), but I will be making appearances in the cubicle this weekend.....
....unless.....
IT SNOWS!!! WHAT!??!!!
We've had a warm winter, now, out of nowhere comes a chance of snow for the weekend. Heh, I'll believe it when I'm sweeping it off the van.
So, I finish the week in a mood best described as, "estaticly miserable". Make sense??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JANUARY'S WINNING NUMBERS: (how could I forget??)
1, 3, 10, 11, 17, 18, 28
It was a Happy New Year!
:)
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Free speech.......
Piss Christ.
Maybe you remember the row in the mid-90's when the NEA funded an artist's work which depicted a crucifix immersed in urine....thus its title above.
Christians and conservatives called for not only its removal, but for the plug to be pulled on the NEA, period. That hasn't happened.
This post is not about the NEA, or urine.
It's about Muhammad.
Cartoons....think about it.....cartoons, have created a worldwide furor, claiming nine lives, causing millions of dollars in damage, great schism in multiple nations, Ambassador recalls, and, as another example of the lunacy.....Norway now wants compensation from Syria after their embassy in Damascus was set ablaze.
Let's compare, shall we?
Christians: Call for ending of government funding of above discussed depictions.
Muslims: Call for end to the violence over this cartoon fury (thank goodness!)
Extremist Christians: Would protest the author, and, a few looneys would consider killing him/her, a la knocking off abortion doctors.
Extremist Muslims: See above.
Now, this is a pretty fair look at the "average people" of the two religions.
BUT......
....have you ever heard of embassies being attacked....NATO troops being engaged, and people killed because of "Piss Christ"?
No, you didn't.
Did nine people die in its protest?
Did thousands and thousands erupt in the street?
Think not.
As I asked in a previous post.....there are cases of Muslims who, in Muslim nations, where there is no freedom of religion, will go down to the Christian church and either kidnap or injure or attack or kill people because of their status as "infidels".
Last time I checked, the only stampede I've heard of from a bunch of Christians after a Sunday morning pep rally was to the all-you-can-eat buffet to, of course, get there before the other denomination gets there and takes the best fried chicken off the bar!
The next time some lefty wacko (or, say, Keith Olbermann), decide to cry out the horrific behavior of American Christians, remind to reply with two words:
The Cartoons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's an interesting aside.....the comedy geniuses in Iran decide to hold a "Holocaust Cartoon" contest to test the tolerance of the West.
Should Jews be outraged? Sure! The Muslims were! I wouldn't be putting money on thousands of Jews storming buildings and killing people over it, though.
So, to our friends in Tehran; careful when playing a game of "tit for tat"; it actually may backfire and expose your extremism.
Maybe you remember the row in the mid-90's when the NEA funded an artist's work which depicted a crucifix immersed in urine....thus its title above.
Christians and conservatives called for not only its removal, but for the plug to be pulled on the NEA, period. That hasn't happened.
This post is not about the NEA, or urine.
It's about Muhammad.
Cartoons....think about it.....cartoons, have created a worldwide furor, claiming nine lives, causing millions of dollars in damage, great schism in multiple nations, Ambassador recalls, and, as another example of the lunacy.....Norway now wants compensation from Syria after their embassy in Damascus was set ablaze.
Let's compare, shall we?
Christians: Call for ending of government funding of above discussed depictions.
Muslims: Call for end to the violence over this cartoon fury (thank goodness!)
Extremist Christians: Would protest the author, and, a few looneys would consider killing him/her, a la knocking off abortion doctors.
Extremist Muslims: See above.
Now, this is a pretty fair look at the "average people" of the two religions.
BUT......
....have you ever heard of embassies being attacked....NATO troops being engaged, and people killed because of "Piss Christ"?
No, you didn't.
Did nine people die in its protest?
Did thousands and thousands erupt in the street?
Think not.
As I asked in a previous post.....there are cases of Muslims who, in Muslim nations, where there is no freedom of religion, will go down to the Christian church and either kidnap or injure or attack or kill people because of their status as "infidels".
Last time I checked, the only stampede I've heard of from a bunch of Christians after a Sunday morning pep rally was to the all-you-can-eat buffet to, of course, get there before the other denomination gets there and takes the best fried chicken off the bar!
The next time some lefty wacko (or, say, Keith Olbermann), decide to cry out the horrific behavior of American Christians, remind to reply with two words:
The Cartoons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's an interesting aside.....the comedy geniuses in Iran decide to hold a "Holocaust Cartoon" contest to test the tolerance of the West.
Should Jews be outraged? Sure! The Muslims were! I wouldn't be putting money on thousands of Jews storming buildings and killing people over it, though.
So, to our friends in Tehran; careful when playing a game of "tit for tat"; it actually may backfire and expose your extremism.
Man.....I've disagreed with mechanics, but.....
....I wouldn't shoot one point blank after doing me a big favor to further the war on the war on terror.....
Welcome to 1p to 2p on "24", here's some brief notes:
---I was concerned in retrospect with Mike's look on his face last night. I can't believe he'd turn heel (little wrestling reference there), so we'll follow that one.
---When (if) he goes back into hiding, Jack should just open a little air business with helicopters, and, since he has a radio voice, he could contract himself out to do live traffic reports on the local rock station.
---Nice to see our guest star this week is an alumnus of "The Pretender". His role turned out to be much less than I thought, but it did carry us into the next hour.
---Did it occur to anyone else that the 15 year-old girl was very handy with a gun? And where'd she get it, anyway??
---President Logan. He needed two or three more right smacks from the Missus. Something isn't right there, either....keep your eye on President Logan.
---Why? Let's see, last week he wants Jack to disappear....this week, he begs Jack to stay and help save his legacy as President...I...I mean stop the gas. (My wife has asked me to stop the gas for years, but that's another story...)
---Oh, speaking of the wife; she thinks Walt was killed and planted to make it looked like he hung himself. Hmmmm....
---But the best analysis comes from a former parishoner, always a friend from church who is in his first season of "24".....
.....what if the needed "chip" were implanted in the 15 year-old girl?
Welcome to 1p to 2p on "24", here's some brief notes:
---I was concerned in retrospect with Mike's look on his face last night. I can't believe he'd turn heel (little wrestling reference there), so we'll follow that one.
---When (if) he goes back into hiding, Jack should just open a little air business with helicopters, and, since he has a radio voice, he could contract himself out to do live traffic reports on the local rock station.
---Nice to see our guest star this week is an alumnus of "The Pretender". His role turned out to be much less than I thought, but it did carry us into the next hour.
---Did it occur to anyone else that the 15 year-old girl was very handy with a gun? And where'd she get it, anyway??
---President Logan. He needed two or three more right smacks from the Missus. Something isn't right there, either....keep your eye on President Logan.
---Why? Let's see, last week he wants Jack to disappear....this week, he begs Jack to stay and help save his legacy as President...I...I mean stop the gas. (My wife has asked me to stop the gas for years, but that's another story...)
---Oh, speaking of the wife; she thinks Walt was killed and planted to make it looked like he hung himself. Hmmmm....
---But the best analysis comes from a former parishoner, always a friend from church who is in his first season of "24".....
.....what if the needed "chip" were implanted in the 15 year-old girl?
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Barksdale is back where it belongs!
114 seats.
That's all there is in the original Barksdale Theatre, at Hanover Tavern. And, after a 10 year absence, the magic has returned in a beautifully renovated facility that hasn't changed the ambience one bit.
Remember, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, and many others slept there.....
I went to two plays in the theatre before it was closed and renovated over the past ten years. I'm SO glad it's back.
There we are, to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary, on the front row on the left side, close enough where I can touch stage props. There'll never be a better place to watch theatre (sorry, Broadway---and I've been there.)
And, they selected a marvelous production to begin the new era. Neil Simon's 1963 comedy, Barefoot in the Park. Bonnie's seen the movie; I know nothing about it. So, she's spending the show comparing it to the movie, while I'm watching the story of Paul and Cory unfold for the first time.
And, in a word, the show is.....HILARIOUS.
Click here to see the review from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It's dead on, except I didn't see Cory as over the top in the first scene.
Tremendous, tremendous. You live in Richmond, go see it. It ends March 5th. It will be an evening while spent.
Later this spring, "No Sex Please, We're British"; that oughta be a hoot. I hope to be there again.
WELCOME BACK BARKSDALE!!!
That's all there is in the original Barksdale Theatre, at Hanover Tavern. And, after a 10 year absence, the magic has returned in a beautifully renovated facility that hasn't changed the ambience one bit.
Remember, Patrick Henry, John Marshall, and many others slept there.....
I went to two plays in the theatre before it was closed and renovated over the past ten years. I'm SO glad it's back.
There we are, to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary, on the front row on the left side, close enough where I can touch stage props. There'll never be a better place to watch theatre (sorry, Broadway---and I've been there.)
And, they selected a marvelous production to begin the new era. Neil Simon's 1963 comedy, Barefoot in the Park. Bonnie's seen the movie; I know nothing about it. So, she's spending the show comparing it to the movie, while I'm watching the story of Paul and Cory unfold for the first time.
And, in a word, the show is.....HILARIOUS.
Click here to see the review from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It's dead on, except I didn't see Cory as over the top in the first scene.
Tremendous, tremendous. You live in Richmond, go see it. It ends March 5th. It will be an evening while spent.
Later this spring, "No Sex Please, We're British"; that oughta be a hoot. I hope to be there again.
WELCOME BACK BARKSDALE!!!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
"24"---12noon to 1pm: Someone IS stupider than President Logan....
So, you're the Chief of Staff, and, you think the only way to save your skin is to actually tell the President, well, enough of the truth to hold him "hostage", as it were, as he knew Logan is more worried about his Presidential legacy than things such as, oh, national security....
Walt? Meet Jack's knife! Couldn't help but think of the great verse in Matthew: "If your right eye leads you astray, pluck it out and throw it away." So, actually, Walt should have let Jack do him a favor. My friend at work closes her eyes when Jack goes into "torture" mode; it's one of my favorite personality traits.
NOW...Jack and Mike need to get the record straight, so he doesn't implicate Mike in all this, too.
Then there's Diana. We're not done seeing Diana, according to another long-time "24" friend from church....and I agree. Audrey can't "disappear" with Jack after this is over, can she? Remember, he told President Stupid that he would vanish again. I certainly looked at the Diana/Audrey dialogue and thought....you'd be better off with Diana.
MAJOR FAUX PAS OF THE HOUR: No Chloe until 12:55pm. Simply not acceptable.
BEST LINES OF THE HOUR:
1) "I am protecting you, sir..."---Agent Pierce to the Prez while Jack gave Walt "The Bauer Treatment."
2) "That's because you don't have the experience to know any better."---Buchanan to Dough Boy...I mean, McGill.
Oh...and that nerve gas video...looks like the way people react to my cooking.
Well, it's 1pm. Next week oughta be a gas. (Could not resist).
Walt? Meet Jack's knife! Couldn't help but think of the great verse in Matthew: "If your right eye leads you astray, pluck it out and throw it away." So, actually, Walt should have let Jack do him a favor. My friend at work closes her eyes when Jack goes into "torture" mode; it's one of my favorite personality traits.
NOW...Jack and Mike need to get the record straight, so he doesn't implicate Mike in all this, too.
Then there's Diana. We're not done seeing Diana, according to another long-time "24" friend from church....and I agree. Audrey can't "disappear" with Jack after this is over, can she? Remember, he told President Stupid that he would vanish again. I certainly looked at the Diana/Audrey dialogue and thought....you'd be better off with Diana.
MAJOR FAUX PAS OF THE HOUR: No Chloe until 12:55pm. Simply not acceptable.
BEST LINES OF THE HOUR:
1) "I am protecting you, sir..."---Agent Pierce to the Prez while Jack gave Walt "The Bauer Treatment."
2) "That's because you don't have the experience to know any better."---Buchanan to Dough Boy...I mean, McGill.
Oh...and that nerve gas video...looks like the way people react to my cooking.
Well, it's 1pm. Next week oughta be a gas. (Could not resist).
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Ah, the high-society wanna-be's.....
My daughter's elementary school, which opened last year, has, well, not even come close to achieving much cohesiveness to become its own "family" or "community".
Why? Well, first it is always difficult to bring several communities into one fold to create a new one.
It's also a problem if you have, well, ah, some adults who could be perceived as feeling superior to others.
I'm not naming names; what I will say is....my wife and I have certainly felt as if we've been looked "down upon", and not as equals, by some who came from another location.
One reason why I believe this?
Recently, a letter came home from our (yecch) PTA, and in it, they told us to read "The Far West End Press" for a regular column about our school.
That's nice. One problem. Our school isn't anywhere near the "far West End".
The "Far West End" is considered by most to be the most affluent location in the Richmond area, or, at least, north of the James River. Need a three-quarter million dollar home? Head to the Far West End.
Meanwhile, there's the "Northern" part of our area. Nice area, a great mixture of old and new housing, social diversity.....on the whole, a great place to live.
But, if one dared call themselves from "Northern" Henrico, there are plenty of people who would immediately begin pondering the stereotypical assumptions placed on this area, just as any other area gets.
The Far West End is the rich part of town. This is true.
The Northern Henrico area is, well, nice...but....it's nowhere near the West End.
That's the mindset of what I call the "high-society wanna-bes". Apparently some people are so interested in being identified with the ritzy area that they attempt to gravitate their location and identity to it.
Now, let's stop a moment.
QUESTION: Does Northern Henrico have a similar newspaper?
ANSWER: No.
So, is it fair to say that this isn't an issue of desired perception but of necessity? Possibly.
But, let the record state there are two newspapers that cover all of Henrico County, so, therefore, there is a reasonable place to release the news of your school, church, or business from any geographical part of the county.
So, to the figure that, in my mind, kind of seals the point and ends the debate.
I mapped via Yahoo! the school to the two major centers of shopping in both regions. Short Pump Town Center is in the new heart of the Far West End. Virginia Center Commons is as northern Henrico as it gets, on Route 1, with I-95 just behind it, those roads coming right up the middle of the metro Richmond area.
Results:
Distance from school to Short Pump Town Center: 10.4 miles
Distance from school to Virginia Center Commons: 2.4 miles
So, my conclusion?
I cannot and will not spend time trying to "prove" people there have some sort of superiority complex, part of which is wanting to be identified with an area considered "better", because, as I previously said, the Far West End Press may have been their best choice in getting information out to the public.
May have been....
If this complex does exist, it proves conclusively that those of us who don't mind saying they live in "northern Henrico" or "near Virginia Center Commons" have probably been looked at as if we are not first class.
And it's sad. Because, if found to be true, this elitist attitude will prevent a new elementary school desperately in search of an identity and a community from having both until all current parents have left, and a new group arrives without knowing the mess at the outset of the "marriage".
That could take five or ten years.
Who pays? My daughter, and every kid that walks into the school every day.
In life, you can aspire to be whatever you wish...but, do society a favor....
....don't call your aspiration your current identification. It does no one any favors.
:(
Why? Well, first it is always difficult to bring several communities into one fold to create a new one.
It's also a problem if you have, well, ah, some adults who could be perceived as feeling superior to others.
I'm not naming names; what I will say is....my wife and I have certainly felt as if we've been looked "down upon", and not as equals, by some who came from another location.
One reason why I believe this?
Recently, a letter came home from our (yecch) PTA, and in it, they told us to read "The Far West End Press" for a regular column about our school.
That's nice. One problem. Our school isn't anywhere near the "far West End".
The "Far West End" is considered by most to be the most affluent location in the Richmond area, or, at least, north of the James River. Need a three-quarter million dollar home? Head to the Far West End.
Meanwhile, there's the "Northern" part of our area. Nice area, a great mixture of old and new housing, social diversity.....on the whole, a great place to live.
But, if one dared call themselves from "Northern" Henrico, there are plenty of people who would immediately begin pondering the stereotypical assumptions placed on this area, just as any other area gets.
The Far West End is the rich part of town. This is true.
The Northern Henrico area is, well, nice...but....it's nowhere near the West End.
That's the mindset of what I call the "high-society wanna-bes". Apparently some people are so interested in being identified with the ritzy area that they attempt to gravitate their location and identity to it.
Now, let's stop a moment.
QUESTION: Does Northern Henrico have a similar newspaper?
ANSWER: No.
So, is it fair to say that this isn't an issue of desired perception but of necessity? Possibly.
But, let the record state there are two newspapers that cover all of Henrico County, so, therefore, there is a reasonable place to release the news of your school, church, or business from any geographical part of the county.
So, to the figure that, in my mind, kind of seals the point and ends the debate.
I mapped via Yahoo! the school to the two major centers of shopping in both regions. Short Pump Town Center is in the new heart of the Far West End. Virginia Center Commons is as northern Henrico as it gets, on Route 1, with I-95 just behind it, those roads coming right up the middle of the metro Richmond area.
Results:
Distance from school to Short Pump Town Center: 10.4 miles
Distance from school to Virginia Center Commons: 2.4 miles
So, my conclusion?
I cannot and will not spend time trying to "prove" people there have some sort of superiority complex, part of which is wanting to be identified with an area considered "better", because, as I previously said, the Far West End Press may have been their best choice in getting information out to the public.
May have been....
If this complex does exist, it proves conclusively that those of us who don't mind saying they live in "northern Henrico" or "near Virginia Center Commons" have probably been looked at as if we are not first class.
And it's sad. Because, if found to be true, this elitist attitude will prevent a new elementary school desperately in search of an identity and a community from having both until all current parents have left, and a new group arrives without knowing the mess at the outset of the "marriage".
That could take five or ten years.
Who pays? My daughter, and every kid that walks into the school every day.
In life, you can aspire to be whatever you wish...but, do society a favor....
....don't call your aspiration your current identification. It does no one any favors.
:(
Office Spouse?? What???
So, I learn from my Fox & Friends' Friends yesterday about the phenomenon that is "office spouse". This would be someone at work with who you have a close friendship and apparently are to share with them deep secrets so that, if people looked from the outside, they would suspect an affair was underway.
I immediately resented the term. Why? Because it makes the following blanket statement:
An adult male and an adult female cannot be close friends without it having something to do with romance, sex, or breaking up families.
Bullcrap.
Why does this tick me off? First, most of my life, most of my friends have been females. Most of my close friends...heck, a majority of my friends, period, in high school were female. I had close female friends in college.
And, in the best portrait of this---I was a stay at home Dad for 2 1/2 years (the first years of my daughter's life), and, at the time, there were many "starter" families (young couples, young kid/kids) on the block. So, many late afternoons would have the kids out riding bikes, playing street hockey, etc., while the parents watched.
So, on our block, it would be Dana, then Sharon, then Christie, sometimes one or two others, and.....me.
When Bonnie gets home from work as the "guys" in the other families do so, they begin to join us outside. It was never a surprise when my wife would go talk shop, cars, home remodeling with the guys drinking beer, while I talked parenting, etc with the ladies. Bonnie would spend most of the time with the ladies, but you'd never see me popping a cold one with the other guys.
I don't hunt, I don't fix cars, my wife owns the toolbox....that's just who I am.
So, when I returned to the work force six years ago, it came as no surprise that I made friends who just (SHOCK) happened to be female.
For the past five years I have shared a large office with three females! My best friend at work is......oh my goodness.....female!
Get the picture? If "office spouse" becomes a presumed reality in all male/female work relationships, two things will happen.
1) Eyes will look with questions in the minds of those seeing the friends co-working.
2) I'll be considered a gigilo.
I got one spouse. I have many friends. I have some great friends, and a couple of close friends. There are plenty of females in each category, even in the last one.
So what. I spit on the idea of "Office Spouse", not because it doesn't exist (I'm sure it does), but that it automatically injects the "affair" factor into what could simply be a close friendship between two people.
In closing....if a man at work has a best friend who works in the next cubicle and happens to be a man, does this qualify as "same-sex office spouse"?
I immediately resented the term. Why? Because it makes the following blanket statement:
An adult male and an adult female cannot be close friends without it having something to do with romance, sex, or breaking up families.
Bullcrap.
Why does this tick me off? First, most of my life, most of my friends have been females. Most of my close friends...heck, a majority of my friends, period, in high school were female. I had close female friends in college.
And, in the best portrait of this---I was a stay at home Dad for 2 1/2 years (the first years of my daughter's life), and, at the time, there were many "starter" families (young couples, young kid/kids) on the block. So, many late afternoons would have the kids out riding bikes, playing street hockey, etc., while the parents watched.
So, on our block, it would be Dana, then Sharon, then Christie, sometimes one or two others, and.....me.
When Bonnie gets home from work as the "guys" in the other families do so, they begin to join us outside. It was never a surprise when my wife would go talk shop, cars, home remodeling with the guys drinking beer, while I talked parenting, etc with the ladies. Bonnie would spend most of the time with the ladies, but you'd never see me popping a cold one with the other guys.
I don't hunt, I don't fix cars, my wife owns the toolbox....that's just who I am.
So, when I returned to the work force six years ago, it came as no surprise that I made friends who just (SHOCK) happened to be female.
For the past five years I have shared a large office with three females! My best friend at work is......oh my goodness.....female!
Get the picture? If "office spouse" becomes a presumed reality in all male/female work relationships, two things will happen.
1) Eyes will look with questions in the minds of those seeing the friends co-working.
2) I'll be considered a gigilo.
I got one spouse. I have many friends. I have some great friends, and a couple of close friends. There are plenty of females in each category, even in the last one.
So what. I spit on the idea of "Office Spouse", not because it doesn't exist (I'm sure it does), but that it automatically injects the "affair" factor into what could simply be a close friendship between two people.
In closing....if a man at work has a best friend who works in the next cubicle and happens to be a man, does this qualify as "same-sex office spouse"?
Friday, January 27, 2006
...and another thought today, I think while in the restroom....
I'm going to be 40 in 17 months, so, today, my thoughts wander to the fact that I'm, I guess, in prime age for the "mid-life crisis", which, many men assuage by having a May to December with someone about half their age.
You know....graying, portly, insecure 42-year old man hooks up with new college grad just starting her first job in the same office building, age 22.
Why did I think about this?
Well, I wondered, if this problem ever tried to arise in me, how would I respond??
First, the answer is NOT with a woman, as my wife has this really sharp sickle....
hee hee....
...but I can tell you it would not be with a twenty-something who doesn't remember rotary phones.
I would definitely be inclined to go with same age or somewhat older. Why? Experience.
It's funny, now, when I see the mother/daughter tandem shopping at Target, I check out the Mom! That's all part of the aging process. 1984, check out the girl. 2006, check out Mom.
I have a better appreciation for my generation of women, and the fact that beauty as defined as "young" is really overrated.
Like the link I have a couple of posts down showing the picture of Lauren Graham. She's four months older than me. There's no one 30 or below who could compare.
So, NOT because I'm searching, but I'm just thinking about all the "stuff" I'm supposed to face in this new age of life, when it comes to seeing beauty, first--it is from the inside, and second, the lines on your face accentuate the beauty. Long live middle-age!!
:)
Now, off to watch Match Game on GSN!
You know....graying, portly, insecure 42-year old man hooks up with new college grad just starting her first job in the same office building, age 22.
Why did I think about this?
Well, I wondered, if this problem ever tried to arise in me, how would I respond??
First, the answer is NOT with a woman, as my wife has this really sharp sickle....
hee hee....
...but I can tell you it would not be with a twenty-something who doesn't remember rotary phones.
I would definitely be inclined to go with same age or somewhat older. Why? Experience.
It's funny, now, when I see the mother/daughter tandem shopping at Target, I check out the Mom! That's all part of the aging process. 1984, check out the girl. 2006, check out Mom.
I have a better appreciation for my generation of women, and the fact that beauty as defined as "young" is really overrated.
Like the link I have a couple of posts down showing the picture of Lauren Graham. She's four months older than me. There's no one 30 or below who could compare.
So, NOT because I'm searching, but I'm just thinking about all the "stuff" I'm supposed to face in this new age of life, when it comes to seeing beauty, first--it is from the inside, and second, the lines on your face accentuate the beauty. Long live middle-age!!
:)
Now, off to watch Match Game on GSN!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Just a thought driving home.....
I would rather have had a Saved Majority than a Moral Majority any day.
If conservative Christians had spent all the time and money used on politics these past 25 years on feeding the poor, building AIDS hospices, medical clinics in the Third World, etc....
....by SHOWING God's love, wouldn't we have been more like Jesus than to try and legislate Him?
Oh, boy. I'm guilty, too, but, lately, have seen a different perspective. I'm not blaming, fingerpointing, etc.....I'm just saying if we pulled the political plug and got back to full-on "love thy neighbor", Christianity might become attractive to the masses again.
It isn't right now.
If conservative Christians had spent all the time and money used on politics these past 25 years on feeding the poor, building AIDS hospices, medical clinics in the Third World, etc....
....by SHOWING God's love, wouldn't we have been more like Jesus than to try and legislate Him?
Oh, boy. I'm guilty, too, but, lately, have seen a different perspective. I'm not blaming, fingerpointing, etc.....I'm just saying if we pulled the political plug and got back to full-on "love thy neighbor", Christianity might become attractive to the masses again.
It isn't right now.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
25 years ago tonight.....
...I'm surrounded by all my Oakland Raider "stuff" (pencil, notebook, wearing my hat, etc., etc.), sitting on my bed, watching one of my favorite football games of all time, Super Bowl XV.
Final: Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10.
MVP: Rod Martin, Linebacker
HKB: Me (that stands for happy kid in Beaverdam)
When will the Raiders ever return to this glory??!!???
Final: Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10.
MVP: Rod Martin, Linebacker
HKB: Me (that stands for happy kid in Beaverdam)
When will the Raiders ever return to this glory??!!???
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Now if my wife had told me.....
.....that this was who I was missing by not watching Gilmore Girls, I would have ceased what I was doing to join her in watching the show.
Lorelai---WOW!!!!
Lorelai---WOW!!!!
"24" in review: Chloe rocks the house again!!!
Various thoughts on last night's good episode....
COOL! I want to ride on the side of a Ford SUV like Curtis does!!
WHAT?!? I couldn't believe they shuffled off the Jack was framed question that quickly. Hi Jack, we know you're innocent, here's a Level Two. Huh???
NO DUH: Like Diana couldn't see right through Audrey in, what, under two minutes, though I will give Audrey credit for a good conversation with Jack.
THE BUDDY SYSTEM: Jack to spend some time with Diana's son. Maybe they'll hit Friendly's for ice cream once the day is done...which would be...oh, tomorrow.
START THE CHANT: At work today, another huge "24" fan says, "When McGill comes into a scene, I start chanting, "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"".
CHLOE IS THE BOMB: It's official. Chloe is the best television character ever!! She reminds Edgar that he needs, well, a life, turns skewer in the room with Spencer and Buchanan; has the good sense to check the computer she just saw Spencer on, and gets in several award-winning looks.
Oh....and the quote of the night...."well, it really wasn't an apology, it was more like an observation..."
FIRST LADY ON THE LOOSE: So, if you saw a dazed Laura Bush running down the street, what would you do? After thanking God it wasn't Hillary you ran into....
Once I found Martha; I'd help her to a safe location, buy her some coffee, then suggest poison in the President's tea to our nation's current leadership misery. Logan, what a joke!
Well----we're looking now to the battle between Walt and Jack, which, based on the promo, will take some time to play out (wonder if Mike will get taken into custody, too?) This is the perfect time for Jack to call him out ("I'm NOT CTU.").
After all, it's high noon!!
One more question------who's the vice-president? We need some reassurance!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other news:
---a successful operation for a co-worker today, I'm happy to say. She'll hopefully be back in three or four weeks.
---I've already got my curling notes up on the bulletin board at work to prepare the masses for the best winter sport (other than hockey)....
---Have really been enjoying Match Game reruns on GSN at 11pm...that is, when I'm not trying to sleep. (AOL Keyword: Trying)
So, until such time as we meet again, hope springs eternal here. Why??
My wife is nuts about the "Gilmore Girls", but we don't have a WB affiliate in Richmond. So, this merger of WB and UPN to create CW means our current UPN station will probably go CW, and, with the network interested in taking the best of both networks and merge them, I suspect she might finally get to see Gilmore Girls! That is...if they have a new season come fall. :)
COOL! I want to ride on the side of a Ford SUV like Curtis does!!
WHAT?!? I couldn't believe they shuffled off the Jack was framed question that quickly. Hi Jack, we know you're innocent, here's a Level Two. Huh???
NO DUH: Like Diana couldn't see right through Audrey in, what, under two minutes, though I will give Audrey credit for a good conversation with Jack.
THE BUDDY SYSTEM: Jack to spend some time with Diana's son. Maybe they'll hit Friendly's for ice cream once the day is done...which would be...oh, tomorrow.
START THE CHANT: At work today, another huge "24" fan says, "When McGill comes into a scene, I start chanting, "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"".
CHLOE IS THE BOMB: It's official. Chloe is the best television character ever!! She reminds Edgar that he needs, well, a life, turns skewer in the room with Spencer and Buchanan; has the good sense to check the computer she just saw Spencer on, and gets in several award-winning looks.
Oh....and the quote of the night...."well, it really wasn't an apology, it was more like an observation..."
FIRST LADY ON THE LOOSE: So, if you saw a dazed Laura Bush running down the street, what would you do? After thanking God it wasn't Hillary you ran into....
Once I found Martha; I'd help her to a safe location, buy her some coffee, then suggest poison in the President's tea to our nation's current leadership misery. Logan, what a joke!
Well----we're looking now to the battle between Walt and Jack, which, based on the promo, will take some time to play out (wonder if Mike will get taken into custody, too?) This is the perfect time for Jack to call him out ("I'm NOT CTU.").
After all, it's high noon!!
One more question------who's the vice-president? We need some reassurance!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other news:
---a successful operation for a co-worker today, I'm happy to say. She'll hopefully be back in three or four weeks.
---I've already got my curling notes up on the bulletin board at work to prepare the masses for the best winter sport (other than hockey)....
---Have really been enjoying Match Game reruns on GSN at 11pm...that is, when I'm not trying to sleep. (AOL Keyword: Trying)
So, until such time as we meet again, hope springs eternal here. Why??
My wife is nuts about the "Gilmore Girls", but we don't have a WB affiliate in Richmond. So, this merger of WB and UPN to create CW means our current UPN station will probably go CW, and, with the network interested in taking the best of both networks and merge them, I suspect she might finally get to see Gilmore Girls! That is...if they have a new season come fall. :)
Monday, January 23, 2006
T-minus one hour to 11am....
....quick notes before "24".
Guesses....
....first character to yell tonight: President Logan
....first character to use cell phone: Curtis
....exact Eastern time of Chloe's first wonderful smug look: 919pm.
We hope to be here, following all the action live.
Guesses....
....first character to yell tonight: President Logan
....first character to use cell phone: Curtis
....exact Eastern time of Chloe's first wonderful smug look: 919pm.
We hope to be here, following all the action live.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
9a to 11a and other quick notes...
First---"24" Monday night. Two more excellent hours. My beef, though, is...
--they went back into "Jack fight for the world" mode way too quickly, considering he had been "dead". The feelings about his possible role in Palmer's death (i.e.--assassinating him) have been strange, too.
Having said that, the action portions, and character development and introduction are being done well. Bill Buchanan, I feel like I know him a little now, whereas last year, other than finding out he'd been with my dreamboat, Michelle (and he did NOT ask permission), he was just there, taking calls, making orders. Now we'll see how he handles loss of power and we'll see where his real loyalities are concerning Jack.
Chloe, though, is THE STAR so far this year. She is the most underrated character on network television...period.
---someone, as my wife yelled out Monday night, has GOT to realize there's a mole! How else did the guy in the airport that looked like Ben Gazzara suddenly discover Jack is in the house??
---I'm glad to see previews showing we'll be getting back into the character of Jack in "prove I'm innocent/this is a set-up" mode. Introduces another side of Jack that has to be.
OTHER NEWS:
I'm tired. Duh.
And, that's about all for now. Except-------------
I like the new Wendy's spot where, upon receiving a burger he didn't order, the staffers of the "generic burger joint" begin to sing "Love the One You're With."
Good work, Dave! We miss you. :)
--they went back into "Jack fight for the world" mode way too quickly, considering he had been "dead". The feelings about his possible role in Palmer's death (i.e.--assassinating him) have been strange, too.
Having said that, the action portions, and character development and introduction are being done well. Bill Buchanan, I feel like I know him a little now, whereas last year, other than finding out he'd been with my dreamboat, Michelle (and he did NOT ask permission), he was just there, taking calls, making orders. Now we'll see how he handles loss of power and we'll see where his real loyalities are concerning Jack.
Chloe, though, is THE STAR so far this year. She is the most underrated character on network television...period.
---someone, as my wife yelled out Monday night, has GOT to realize there's a mole! How else did the guy in the airport that looked like Ben Gazzara suddenly discover Jack is in the house??
---I'm glad to see previews showing we'll be getting back into the character of Jack in "prove I'm innocent/this is a set-up" mode. Introduces another side of Jack that has to be.
OTHER NEWS:
I'm tired. Duh.
And, that's about all for now. Except-------------
I like the new Wendy's spot where, upon receiving a burger he didn't order, the staffers of the "generic burger joint" begin to sing "Love the One You're With."
Good work, Dave! We miss you. :)
Sunday, January 15, 2006
And we're ALL watching "24"....
Let the live blogging begin.
The following takes place between 7am and 8am.....
They said 10 minutes. The first 10 minutes. Let's see.....
Good to see the real Prez! He knows something's up.....
Oh, God. Not him!!!
The stupid Prez isn't mourning...he's scared for himself! And heartless, too.
Chloe....how romantic!! "Get outta here!"
Wisdom: have gun in sofa; in case old foes try to return. The lady at the door was prettier than a potential assassin.
AHHHH....Michelle....and not in the stupid suit! Woo hoo!!!
Good gracious.......this was a shocking beginning, but it makes perfect sense. All Jack's "allies" have to be gone. No one can come to his aid. So the set up of Jack has begun (so someone knows Jack is alive), otherwise they wouldn't be so calculative.
At least I got to see Michelle in casual clothing.
831pm.............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I guess the fence will wait another day.....
Well, look who's back! How will Audrey suffer this season?
And now we welcome the First Lady....she's supposed to be interesting....
Was she grieving or fearful---but the official mentioned how close they were....hmm
And now, we may have a developing situation.....ah, cooler heads prevail. So how were Martha and President Palmer once connected? (They didn't have to be THAT for heaven's sake; I've had/and have wonderful friends who are female and I didn't want that with them!)
846pm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ford didn't re-up their sponsorship; Jack's driving a Toyota.
So, I guess symbolically, the Frank character is dying and the Jack character is up and running again. And the copter heads to L.A.
The President is not taking his wifey seriously, and he won't investigate her request any further. He's so obsessed with the Russians, you'd think he was one.
So, does Palmer's brother know anything? Bonnie asks if the chief of staff ignores the President and follows up with Martha.
Bonnie also says Harrison Ford is too old to keep playing these characters.
Chloe is more adventurous this year, and is bleeding!!
So is that guy, but more profusely.
Jack, you're supposed to shoot the driver anyway, just to make sure!!!
Well, we get some info out, including the one thing the bleeding guy shouldn't say. He shoot Palmer, Jack shoot him.
THOUGHT: What's in the transcripts of the autobiography of President Palmer that could provide clues to all this?
And thus ends hour one....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following takes place between 8am and 9am. (Starts around 910pm Witham Nation time....)I
If you're going to be with Jack, be conscious.
PROBLEM: They accepted Jack's existence way too quickly. Much too quickly.
Okay. We see first "leader" of the bad guys. Of course, he's got to be the sixth level down from the ultimate bad guy. Hey, maybe Habib Marwin staged his own death plunge! Or, it's Behroos Araz (sorry, couldn't remember how to spell his first name)
Hey, Wendy's, good new commercial!! But as obsessive as I am, I'd just throw the darn burger away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, tell me, who else breached security a la Chloe? You know someone's gonna shoot at Jack anytime now.
Ha!! "Relax, he's really good at this". Go Chloe!!
This kid is completely freaking out----how did Mom get along with this guy??
Jack is a master at psychology----and the best thing about it is, he uses the truth to get what he needs done done.
Edgar; you're giving up Chloe and don't even know it! I cannot believe how gullible CTU is----they automatically assumed Jack's picture was true, threw away 18 months of "deadness" in two seconds......c'mon guys! Apparently Buchanan isn't as good as Michelle....
Skating with Celebrities......what's next, "Shuffleboard with former Nixon Administration leaders?" I sure miss Battle of the Network Stars!!
Jack, grab a snack before you leave the....ah....kitchen.
That agent should have called in loopy today.
Ut oh. Chloe, stink. And I love her so much!! She'll come through, don't worry.
And now of all times for Jack to have baggage. Yes, he's a human being, but it sure would be better if he didn't have to drag him around.....
Oh---Carnival Cruises....my wife is going on a cruise with her best friend in October. Me? Go? HA! I can barely go look at a small brook. I hate water. Somehow, eight days of throwing up doesn't sound like paradise to me.
Sprint---when your phones can also automatically wash, dry, and fold my clothing, I ain't buying......
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wait a second.....if he tells her his real identity, we'd have a little ditty about "Jack and Diane"!!!!
Alright, who's actually going to try and break down Chloe in the holding cell??
Who's setting up the First Lady?? I'm beginning to think the President has something to do with this. What is it about Logan and the Russians, and, what did Logan find out about Jack which would give him a reason to call him out in this very drastic way. Jealousy over an affair???
Of course, I think it's the President who's not taking his medication.....
For those who may read this in the Greater Richmond area, I would like to announce we are one step closer to the end of the world. WHY would the Fox News at Ten tease with the wedding of Eminem??? That's the biggest story in the world today?? God help us all......
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buckle in, here's the end of hour two.
So, who's gonna kill Diane?
And, again, MOM KNOWS THE CONSPIRATOR BEFORE I DO!!!!!
I was pointing at the Prez; she said Walt all along.
Well, I don't know about you but tomorrow night should be wild. See ya then!!!
The following takes place between 7am and 8am.....
They said 10 minutes. The first 10 minutes. Let's see.....
Good to see the real Prez! He knows something's up.....
Oh, God. Not him!!!
The stupid Prez isn't mourning...he's scared for himself! And heartless, too.
Chloe....how romantic!! "Get outta here!"
Wisdom: have gun in sofa; in case old foes try to return. The lady at the door was prettier than a potential assassin.
AHHHH....Michelle....and not in the stupid suit! Woo hoo!!!
Good gracious.......this was a shocking beginning, but it makes perfect sense. All Jack's "allies" have to be gone. No one can come to his aid. So the set up of Jack has begun (so someone knows Jack is alive), otherwise they wouldn't be so calculative.
At least I got to see Michelle in casual clothing.
831pm.............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I guess the fence will wait another day.....
Well, look who's back! How will Audrey suffer this season?
And now we welcome the First Lady....she's supposed to be interesting....
Was she grieving or fearful---but the official mentioned how close they were....hmm
And now, we may have a developing situation.....ah, cooler heads prevail. So how were Martha and President Palmer once connected? (They didn't have to be THAT for heaven's sake; I've had/and have wonderful friends who are female and I didn't want that with them!)
846pm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ford didn't re-up their sponsorship; Jack's driving a Toyota.
So, I guess symbolically, the Frank character is dying and the Jack character is up and running again. And the copter heads to L.A.
The President is not taking his wifey seriously, and he won't investigate her request any further. He's so obsessed with the Russians, you'd think he was one.
So, does Palmer's brother know anything? Bonnie asks if the chief of staff ignores the President and follows up with Martha.
Bonnie also says Harrison Ford is too old to keep playing these characters.
Chloe is more adventurous this year, and is bleeding!!
So is that guy, but more profusely.
Jack, you're supposed to shoot the driver anyway, just to make sure!!!
Well, we get some info out, including the one thing the bleeding guy shouldn't say. He shoot Palmer, Jack shoot him.
THOUGHT: What's in the transcripts of the autobiography of President Palmer that could provide clues to all this?
And thus ends hour one....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following takes place between 8am and 9am. (Starts around 910pm Witham Nation time....)I
If you're going to be with Jack, be conscious.
PROBLEM: They accepted Jack's existence way too quickly. Much too quickly.
Okay. We see first "leader" of the bad guys. Of course, he's got to be the sixth level down from the ultimate bad guy. Hey, maybe Habib Marwin staged his own death plunge! Or, it's Behroos Araz (sorry, couldn't remember how to spell his first name)
Hey, Wendy's, good new commercial!! But as obsessive as I am, I'd just throw the darn burger away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, tell me, who else breached security a la Chloe? You know someone's gonna shoot at Jack anytime now.
Ha!! "Relax, he's really good at this". Go Chloe!!
This kid is completely freaking out----how did Mom get along with this guy??
Jack is a master at psychology----and the best thing about it is, he uses the truth to get what he needs done done.
Edgar; you're giving up Chloe and don't even know it! I cannot believe how gullible CTU is----they automatically assumed Jack's picture was true, threw away 18 months of "deadness" in two seconds......c'mon guys! Apparently Buchanan isn't as good as Michelle....
Skating with Celebrities......what's next, "Shuffleboard with former Nixon Administration leaders?" I sure miss Battle of the Network Stars!!
Jack, grab a snack before you leave the....ah....kitchen.
That agent should have called in loopy today.
Ut oh. Chloe, stink. And I love her so much!! She'll come through, don't worry.
And now of all times for Jack to have baggage. Yes, he's a human being, but it sure would be better if he didn't have to drag him around.....
Oh---Carnival Cruises....my wife is going on a cruise with her best friend in October. Me? Go? HA! I can barely go look at a small brook. I hate water. Somehow, eight days of throwing up doesn't sound like paradise to me.
Sprint---when your phones can also automatically wash, dry, and fold my clothing, I ain't buying......
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wait a second.....if he tells her his real identity, we'd have a little ditty about "Jack and Diane"!!!!
Alright, who's actually going to try and break down Chloe in the holding cell??
Who's setting up the First Lady?? I'm beginning to think the President has something to do with this. What is it about Logan and the Russians, and, what did Logan find out about Jack which would give him a reason to call him out in this very drastic way. Jealousy over an affair???
Of course, I think it's the President who's not taking his medication.....
For those who may read this in the Greater Richmond area, I would like to announce we are one step closer to the end of the world. WHY would the Fox News at Ten tease with the wedding of Eminem??? That's the biggest story in the world today?? God help us all......
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buckle in, here's the end of hour two.
So, who's gonna kill Diane?
And, again, MOM KNOWS THE CONSPIRATOR BEFORE I DO!!!!!
I was pointing at the Prez; she said Walt all along.
Well, I don't know about you but tomorrow night should be wild. See ya then!!!
Friday, January 13, 2006
While Bonnie watches "Monk"......
It's the new season premiere, so there'll be no noogie from that side of the great room.....
I'm seated on my Christmas present typing on Bonnie's present, and I have no idea what I'm going to blog about tonight. It's one of those days where, actually, most of what is experienced and/or thought about is "non-Bloggable".
I don't know----maybe it's a good thing, actually. That way, as I return to the sliver of the blogosphere known as "All Things Witham", it may actually become my "escape clause" of the moment. So, let's look at things to blog about for some apparent reason.
And, this disclaimer. If you actually read this entire post, you are officially in need of simply more to live for. :)
1) I am psyched for Sunday night---I have something to look forward to all weekend as I rest, which is cool. We're, what, under 46 hours away from it.
Kiefer was on Letterman last night; spent most of the interview talking about his experience as a road manager for a group signed to his new record label, so not much talk of the show.
On the other hand, Letterman continued to use a "24-Style" split screen, with the kind of clock you see on a tape machine in a TV studio, and, of course, complete with my favorite television sound of all time.....I can't "write" it, but if you've ever seen even one segment of "24", you know what it is....
Dave also did a very simple bit, and it was one of the most hilarious I've seen since I got to start watching him again earlier this year. He just took "roll call". The more it went, the funnier it got. So, if you ever see Kiefer Sutherland listed on an upcoming Dave repeat, WATCH IT.
2) I am gonna take some time tomorrow to take the kids to a record store, a card shop and a Dairy Queen, just the three of us, no matter what. If all I do tomorrow is get up, fix lunch, take them on our trip, come home, and go to bed, I'm gonna do it. I hope this Dairy Queen has burgers.....:) Maybe I'll have a "DQ Sandwich", which is their version of an ice cream sandwich, which I used to order all the time at the DQ near the radio station where I worked in Chester (I miss there...:))
3) Football? I'll see some, maybe. No games are "must-see" to me, except maybe Carolina and Chicago. It should be a defensive war (my favorite type of football game), but, who knows. Lots of Redskins fans are all fired up about the Seattle game. If they are also Virginia Tech fans, the Skins give them something to escape their Hokie misery right now.....
4) SPEAKING OF WHICH.......I, first off, totally agree with the VT decision regarding Marcus Vick. He knew he was under a zero-tolerance policy....
....but can someone tell me why Christian Laettner was only charged a technical foul when he did the same thing on an opponent's stomach in the famous 1992 Duke/Kentucky Regional Final? Technically, he shouldn't have even been on the court to take that last shot. Why wasn't he ejected??
I know, 13 years in between incidents, but, for some reason, that bothers me.
5) The only Alito hearing footage I've seen was a clip on Letterman last night between Spencer and Kennedy. A faction of Christian conservatives (with whom I used to be in lock step with) probably think they're moments away from taking government back to where it should be.
I've come to the conclusion that Christians, by trying to save souls via the Federal and State Government, have done a horrendous job by alienating many people who, well, if we spent our time, money and effort loving people, feeding the poor, opening AIDS hospices rather than point fingers at victims, help Third World Nations do real community and economic growth and viability, etc.
What was the praise chorus circa the 1970's? And they'll know we are Christians by our judicial activism and hope for Republicans to right government (pun intended)?
See folks--you CAN be a conservative and actually agree with liberals on something. We've done lots of talking, and little action. Had we put all our energies into expressing Christ's love to individuals all these years, praying for their salvation, I believe the Holy Spirit would have loved to bring forth a cultural revolution, not via the government, but via the human heart, by way of the Cross.
Remember the St. Francis of Assisi quote from the last post? Go read it. It's true. I'm desperately trying to learn that every day.
Monk's over. Good night!
I'm seated on my Christmas present typing on Bonnie's present, and I have no idea what I'm going to blog about tonight. It's one of those days where, actually, most of what is experienced and/or thought about is "non-Bloggable".
I don't know----maybe it's a good thing, actually. That way, as I return to the sliver of the blogosphere known as "All Things Witham", it may actually become my "escape clause" of the moment. So, let's look at things to blog about for some apparent reason.
And, this disclaimer. If you actually read this entire post, you are officially in need of simply more to live for. :)
1) I am psyched for Sunday night---I have something to look forward to all weekend as I rest, which is cool. We're, what, under 46 hours away from it.
Kiefer was on Letterman last night; spent most of the interview talking about his experience as a road manager for a group signed to his new record label, so not much talk of the show.
On the other hand, Letterman continued to use a "24-Style" split screen, with the kind of clock you see on a tape machine in a TV studio, and, of course, complete with my favorite television sound of all time.....I can't "write" it, but if you've ever seen even one segment of "24", you know what it is....
Dave also did a very simple bit, and it was one of the most hilarious I've seen since I got to start watching him again earlier this year. He just took "roll call". The more it went, the funnier it got. So, if you ever see Kiefer Sutherland listed on an upcoming Dave repeat, WATCH IT.
2) I am gonna take some time tomorrow to take the kids to a record store, a card shop and a Dairy Queen, just the three of us, no matter what. If all I do tomorrow is get up, fix lunch, take them on our trip, come home, and go to bed, I'm gonna do it. I hope this Dairy Queen has burgers.....:) Maybe I'll have a "DQ Sandwich", which is their version of an ice cream sandwich, which I used to order all the time at the DQ near the radio station where I worked in Chester (I miss there...:))
3) Football? I'll see some, maybe. No games are "must-see" to me, except maybe Carolina and Chicago. It should be a defensive war (my favorite type of football game), but, who knows. Lots of Redskins fans are all fired up about the Seattle game. If they are also Virginia Tech fans, the Skins give them something to escape their Hokie misery right now.....
4) SPEAKING OF WHICH.......I, first off, totally agree with the VT decision regarding Marcus Vick. He knew he was under a zero-tolerance policy....
....but can someone tell me why Christian Laettner was only charged a technical foul when he did the same thing on an opponent's stomach in the famous 1992 Duke/Kentucky Regional Final? Technically, he shouldn't have even been on the court to take that last shot. Why wasn't he ejected??
I know, 13 years in between incidents, but, for some reason, that bothers me.
5) The only Alito hearing footage I've seen was a clip on Letterman last night between Spencer and Kennedy. A faction of Christian conservatives (with whom I used to be in lock step with) probably think they're moments away from taking government back to where it should be.
I've come to the conclusion that Christians, by trying to save souls via the Federal and State Government, have done a horrendous job by alienating many people who, well, if we spent our time, money and effort loving people, feeding the poor, opening AIDS hospices rather than point fingers at victims, help Third World Nations do real community and economic growth and viability, etc.
What was the praise chorus circa the 1970's? And they'll know we are Christians by our judicial activism and hope for Republicans to right government (pun intended)?
See folks--you CAN be a conservative and actually agree with liberals on something. We've done lots of talking, and little action. Had we put all our energies into expressing Christ's love to individuals all these years, praying for their salvation, I believe the Holy Spirit would have loved to bring forth a cultural revolution, not via the government, but via the human heart, by way of the Cross.
Remember the St. Francis of Assisi quote from the last post? Go read it. It's true. I'm desperately trying to learn that every day.
Monk's over. Good night!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
While Bonnie watches "Lost".....
...I live that day. Ha! No, some days are better than others, and today was okay. As much as I have been cycling emotionally recently, I'll take all the victories I can get. I talked with my doc yesterday about how my cycling (the emotional highs and lows, similar to the way the Israelites kept screwing up in the O.T., hit rock bottom, come back to God, be forgiven and ride high awhile) has gone from "days" to get through a cycle, to, now, sometimes, hours. I liked days better.
So, we're working on medication and stability, and I'm also (more importantly) trying to focus to allow God to let me direct my energies in these areas:
1) Stability---I believe that my personal instabilities don't have to keep me from being stable for someone/something else. I find great solace and personal satisfaction (not from pride, mind you...) in helping others. I love it so much. What keeps me away from that is, of course, me. So, I know situations/people who need prayer, support, and just a presence. Isn't it funny how sometimes, nary a word has to be spoken; yet just someone being there makes all the difference in the world.
2) Focus---As I've peeled back the levels of responsibility recently, I should now be able to better focus on what is needed to be done. No papers to throw, no PTO to run, and now no sermon prep or the late night phone call. It's work, wife, kids, health. With focus brings stability. Plus, the focus has to be correctly directed. Not on me, on others. On God's will. On waiting on God to see Him use what we think is not for our good and turn it on its ear.
3) Joy---Joy ain't glee. Joy is strength when it comes from God. Sometimes I feel God's joy while laughing, and while bawling. Joy brings focus; joy brings stability. The joy of the Lord is my strength. What a great verse from Scripture. Seven simple words, eternally-powered.
So, after taking a moment to decipher some things, I realize....
Presence speaks volumes. Let it do the talking.
I'm glad for my presence tonight at the kitchen table with Rachel, reading with her from her 3rd grade book about Beezus and Ramona, some of my favorite childhood characters, which brought a smile to her face. I'm thankful I was present last night to just spend some time with the missus.
And, so, as this journey continues....I see the times I type the term "glad", and appreciate them more. Thanks to joy. His joy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My music list goes on a diet:
I'll never have the time, or discipline, to sit down and decide my 365 favorite songs of all time, but I think I can do a good search through my brain, write down lots of entries, cross 'em out as I go, and come up with a Top 100. Maybe that'll be my goal this weekend. Have that done before......
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIVE BLOGGING, Sunday and Monday night, 8 to 10pm ET, as we live the first four hours of Frank Flynn......yeah, right....Jack Bauer's new day on "24". Have to shout it out in real-time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BREAKING THOUGHT: I don't watch "Lost", but my wife is, and the final 15 minutes of tonight's new episode was a great example of redemption. Miss it? Find it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally---DECEMBER'S WINNING NUMBERS!~~~they were 5, 15, and 22.
(in closing....thanks to Thinkexist.com, this thought....
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
--- St. Francis of Assisi, (Founder of the Franciscan order, 1181-1226)
So, we're working on medication and stability, and I'm also (more importantly) trying to focus to allow God to let me direct my energies in these areas:
1) Stability---I believe that my personal instabilities don't have to keep me from being stable for someone/something else. I find great solace and personal satisfaction (not from pride, mind you...) in helping others. I love it so much. What keeps me away from that is, of course, me. So, I know situations/people who need prayer, support, and just a presence. Isn't it funny how sometimes, nary a word has to be spoken; yet just someone being there makes all the difference in the world.
2) Focus---As I've peeled back the levels of responsibility recently, I should now be able to better focus on what is needed to be done. No papers to throw, no PTO to run, and now no sermon prep or the late night phone call. It's work, wife, kids, health. With focus brings stability. Plus, the focus has to be correctly directed. Not on me, on others. On God's will. On waiting on God to see Him use what we think is not for our good and turn it on its ear.
3) Joy---Joy ain't glee. Joy is strength when it comes from God. Sometimes I feel God's joy while laughing, and while bawling. Joy brings focus; joy brings stability. The joy of the Lord is my strength. What a great verse from Scripture. Seven simple words, eternally-powered.
So, after taking a moment to decipher some things, I realize....
Presence speaks volumes. Let it do the talking.
I'm glad for my presence tonight at the kitchen table with Rachel, reading with her from her 3rd grade book about Beezus and Ramona, some of my favorite childhood characters, which brought a smile to her face. I'm thankful I was present last night to just spend some time with the missus.
And, so, as this journey continues....I see the times I type the term "glad", and appreciate them more. Thanks to joy. His joy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My music list goes on a diet:
I'll never have the time, or discipline, to sit down and decide my 365 favorite songs of all time, but I think I can do a good search through my brain, write down lots of entries, cross 'em out as I go, and come up with a Top 100. Maybe that'll be my goal this weekend. Have that done before......
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIVE BLOGGING, Sunday and Monday night, 8 to 10pm ET, as we live the first four hours of Frank Flynn......yeah, right....Jack Bauer's new day on "24". Have to shout it out in real-time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BREAKING THOUGHT: I don't watch "Lost", but my wife is, and the final 15 minutes of tonight's new episode was a great example of redemption. Miss it? Find it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally---DECEMBER'S WINNING NUMBERS!~~~they were 5, 15, and 22.
(in closing....thanks to Thinkexist.com, this thought....
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
--- St. Francis of Assisi, (Founder of the Franciscan order, 1181-1226)
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Monday, January 09, 2006
Tonight has to be......
....one of the top ten "I'm tired" nights I've had in ages and ages.
I really didn't get any extra rest over the weekend, so, it didn't help matters when, last night, I finish the obligatory wife's backrub, then turn over, put on my mask, and.....
....lay there. 12:30. 1:00am.
At 1am, a thought. I forgot to take my nighttime medicine. You know, that includes the pill that HELPS ME SLEEP!!
So, after attempting to escape my right arm from underneath the wife's neck (she fell asleep in just under 22 seconds....) three times, I had to shake her long enough to get my arm so I could get out of bed so I could go to the kitchen so I could get to the medicine so I could take the medicine so I could get back in bed, and, hopefully, fall asleep.
Are you kidding?
1:30am. 2am. The clock's bell tolls. 230am.
Then, finally, the last time I checked the clock, it was around 250am; I was about ready to get up, go to the recliner and turn on TV.
And, then, suddenly, it was a couple of hours later.
This, of course, did not put me in a good frame of mind for a Monday. (TIP: Sunday nights are NOT good nights for insomnia!)
We moved around offices today, so it was a day of changing; getting used to; getting settled; seeing things from another perspective......
And, now? Now it's going on 8:30, and my head is literally swinging. My trip to the medicine chest is mere moments from now.
I know I won't feel like getting up in the morning.....
...but I have a doctor's appointment and people at work needing my job done so theirs can be likewise. And don't misinterpret that--I love my job and the people who immediately work around me, so doing the job isn't the problem.
Having the body and mind capable of accomplishing the day's to-do list....now that's the challenge.
This has to end sometime.....doesn't it? Please, Lord? Please??
----------------------------------------
Better news: Rachel's first piano lesson was today! One step closer to her accomplished career bringing in enough money to pay for Dad's Depends and slobbering towels when he's 85......
Better News, Part II: "24" starts in five days!! I can't wait. :)
Last Bit of Today's Better News: Thank you, GSN for showing back-to-back episodes of Match Game (insert year here) nightly at 11. When I'm trying to get settled and into sleep mode, I enjoy being able to laugh in my blank.
For example, a real-life Match Game query:
Rob's office is all askew; he thought he was clicking his mouse, but instead, he discovered he was clicking his (blank)!!
Brett? Richard? Anyone?
PS---I don't condone overdrinking in ANY way, but I do find this page funny, because it hits the nail on the head!
I really didn't get any extra rest over the weekend, so, it didn't help matters when, last night, I finish the obligatory wife's backrub, then turn over, put on my mask, and.....
....lay there. 12:30. 1:00am.
At 1am, a thought. I forgot to take my nighttime medicine. You know, that includes the pill that HELPS ME SLEEP!!
So, after attempting to escape my right arm from underneath the wife's neck (she fell asleep in just under 22 seconds....) three times, I had to shake her long enough to get my arm so I could get out of bed so I could go to the kitchen so I could get to the medicine so I could take the medicine so I could get back in bed, and, hopefully, fall asleep.
Are you kidding?
1:30am. 2am. The clock's bell tolls. 230am.
Then, finally, the last time I checked the clock, it was around 250am; I was about ready to get up, go to the recliner and turn on TV.
And, then, suddenly, it was a couple of hours later.
This, of course, did not put me in a good frame of mind for a Monday. (TIP: Sunday nights are NOT good nights for insomnia!)
We moved around offices today, so it was a day of changing; getting used to; getting settled; seeing things from another perspective......
And, now? Now it's going on 8:30, and my head is literally swinging. My trip to the medicine chest is mere moments from now.
I know I won't feel like getting up in the morning.....
...but I have a doctor's appointment and people at work needing my job done so theirs can be likewise. And don't misinterpret that--I love my job and the people who immediately work around me, so doing the job isn't the problem.
Having the body and mind capable of accomplishing the day's to-do list....now that's the challenge.
This has to end sometime.....doesn't it? Please, Lord? Please??
----------------------------------------
Better news: Rachel's first piano lesson was today! One step closer to her accomplished career bringing in enough money to pay for Dad's Depends and slobbering towels when he's 85......
Better News, Part II: "24" starts in five days!! I can't wait. :)
Last Bit of Today's Better News: Thank you, GSN for showing back-to-back episodes of Match Game (insert year here) nightly at 11. When I'm trying to get settled and into sleep mode, I enjoy being able to laugh in my blank.
For example, a real-life Match Game query:
Rob's office is all askew; he thought he was clicking his mouse, but instead, he discovered he was clicking his (blank)!!
Brett? Richard? Anyone?
PS---I don't condone overdrinking in ANY way, but I do find this page funny, because it hits the nail on the head!
Friday, January 06, 2006
And so far in 2006....
...finally get some time to sit down and do a little blogging in the new year. New Year's Day was spent mostly sleeping, much to the family's disdain. Monday I spent more time lucid, and the whole afternoon I got to listen to Robbie and his best friend, well, be stupid 13 year olds. Never was a whoopie cushion more enjoyed.
Back to work, another four-day week, which I actually do not like. First, it doesn't matter how many days you have to work in a week in radio, you will always have 168 hours of commercials to prepare for the next week. So, in a four-day week, you must do the same amount of work you'd normally do Monday thru Friday. I also live perpetually confused as to what day of the week it really is.
Well, some observations from the first few days of the year.....
--West Virginia: I can't add anything new, thought-provoking, or attempt to answer anything. How incredibly sad. A co-worker says he's just been down in the dumps the past few days over it, and I totally can see why.
The media really can't take the blame (maybe a little). I wouldn't report breaking news based on happy relatives coming out of a church, but when the Governor confirms 12 survivors, well, you don't get much better sources than the head of a state government.
Which begs the question, how in the world did he get misinformation? Someone overhear part of a sentence between rescue workers or in a cell phone conversation?
On a smaller scale, miscommunication caused Fox News to prematurely report the death of the Pope in April. Especially in this age, all media personnel have to kill the desire to be "first" with a story.
We learned Tuesday night/Wednesday morning that it's better to be right than first. Also, regarding the people, emotions really play a huge role in how one acts and reacts. Maybe, and it's horrible that something like this had to happen, the one good thing that comes out of this tragedy for the nation is that we take the time to make sure about things before pronouncing them true.
And I don't just mean news reports. I mean confrontations with people; assumptions about co-workers or fellow church members...you get the picture. I know sometimes I don't allow, for fairness sake, both sides of a story to be presented before passing judgment. Never smart. Never. Shows lack of maturity. I hate that. I do enough immature things that I will never apologize for (hee hee...), but this isn't one I want to claim.
We hadn't seen newspaper headlines this surreal since Dewey and Truman in 1948. May God pour a flood of His Spirit's care and comfort to that area.
Speaking of maturity, on a TOTALLY different subject. Rachel, the other day, remarked about my being "crazy". I asked her would she rather I be "crazy" or "boring". I think "crazy" did win out.
When my kids are telling their kids stories about the grandparents driving to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, I want them to be able to tell them just how weird and crazy their granddad is, and that it's a good thing.
I can't lose my sense of wit and humor, however small it may be, because if I ever did, I'm afraid the depression might win out.
WORK---Let's play a game of musical cubicles! There are four of us in a decent-sized room, and one person decided to change their location (she's a manager, she can make that decision!) She's not my boss, and when she asked me about moving stuff around, I said I'd do anything to help her out.
So, before I left tonight, furniture from our office was up and down the hallway. I put up "Do Not Touch. This is Not Trash" signs all around. I even moved my 2006 Cartoon calendar to my new cubicle. I'm going to the corner (heh, way to go dunce!)
I'll have more space, which is cool. I'll be next to windows that get hot in July, and that's not cool!! I won't get to see my good friend (walls will block our view now), and that's not cool, either. But somehow I have a very hard time believing a cubicle barrier will affect a good friendship. Actually, it's better on her; she doesn't have to look to the right and be forced to see me!! (hee hee)
At work today she said it would take her time to get used to not seeing me. I told her to give it 20 minutes. :)
So, back to work this weekend to clean, clean, prepare, rearrange, and clean even more. I'm so blessed to work in a room with three wonderful co-workers. That is a much rarer reality than it should be.
FOOTBALL: Well, the BCS lovers (all nine of them) are proud, I'm sure, now that their "system" not only "worked" this year, but provided heart-pounding major bowl games, not to mention a National Title game. I was disappointed (I'm a long-time USC fan), but it took minutes, not days to get over it. Until college football stops lying about the excuse of "we can't do playoffs; it takes the kids away from class too much", and starts a 16-team Division I-A tournament, their whole "post-season" just won't grab my attention.
The "great" part of the bowls when I was growing up was New Year's Day! Cotton Bowl on CBS with Lindsey Nelson, the Sugar Bowl on ABC with Keith "Whoa, Nellie" Jackson, and the doubleheader on NBC: the Rose Bowl at 430, the Orange Bowl at 8pm. Then, the next morning, you woke up to one, or two, champs, depending upon the polls. The BCS ripped the heart out of New Year's Day, and it kept going downhill from there. Just ask USC in 2003 and Auburn in 2004.
It probably won't happen, but I'd love to see, like, five teams go 11-0 one season, and then see what the BCS wonks would do!!
If Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III can have playoffs, why can't Division I-A? Are the students in those schools not as needing of class time in order to pass exams? Welcome to double-standard-ville.
It's the bowls, stupid!! None of them want to lose their "control".
Here's what you do.....
Eight first-round games, four second-round games, two semifinals (duh), and the final.
Open bidding to all bowl organizations to try and buy the rights (a la television coverage) to one of the "big three" games. Three bowls are selected, each in that three-year period get to host the title game; the other two years they host a semi-final.
Other bowls can then host the first and second round games. You'd need 15 bowl games. We've got 876 of them now. Do we really need the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl?? If other bowls want to continue on, there will be enough 7-4 and 6-5 teams to go around.....
And don't begin to tell me you can't play them earlier in December because fans won't travel......Notre Dame fans will flock to Los Angeles to see the USC game in October, but something mystical will keep them from going to see them December 10th in a playoff game....hmmm.....
And, with a long dissertation, is why I love March Madness above any sports event, year in and year out.
Speaking of which, NC State travels to UNC tomorrow. A great chance to put the team on the map; beat UNC in Chapel Hill. I know, they lost 28 players...or at least it looked that way....but they're still good (they beat Kentucky at Rupp!) and any road win in the ACC is great.
See....anything else?
I think I'm out of words for now. This weekend? Moving dust at work, watching the kids tomorrow while Mom is at work, and, as for Sunday, I don't know if it'll be a trip to a church where an old friend is on staff, or another Sunday off. There can't be more than two, though. That's a trend we don't need to set. Period.
FINALLY-----I really wanted to start a countdown on New Years Day, revealing my 365 all-time favorite songs, but I didn't get all the data together in time. So, maybe in a few days I can start, and, when/if I do, I'll just list all the songs I need to the first day to play catch up.
Gee, songs I like. That'll bring thousands to this blog. HA!
Back to work, another four-day week, which I actually do not like. First, it doesn't matter how many days you have to work in a week in radio, you will always have 168 hours of commercials to prepare for the next week. So, in a four-day week, you must do the same amount of work you'd normally do Monday thru Friday. I also live perpetually confused as to what day of the week it really is.
Well, some observations from the first few days of the year.....
--West Virginia: I can't add anything new, thought-provoking, or attempt to answer anything. How incredibly sad. A co-worker says he's just been down in the dumps the past few days over it, and I totally can see why.
The media really can't take the blame (maybe a little). I wouldn't report breaking news based on happy relatives coming out of a church, but when the Governor confirms 12 survivors, well, you don't get much better sources than the head of a state government.
Which begs the question, how in the world did he get misinformation? Someone overhear part of a sentence between rescue workers or in a cell phone conversation?
On a smaller scale, miscommunication caused Fox News to prematurely report the death of the Pope in April. Especially in this age, all media personnel have to kill the desire to be "first" with a story.
We learned Tuesday night/Wednesday morning that it's better to be right than first. Also, regarding the people, emotions really play a huge role in how one acts and reacts. Maybe, and it's horrible that something like this had to happen, the one good thing that comes out of this tragedy for the nation is that we take the time to make sure about things before pronouncing them true.
And I don't just mean news reports. I mean confrontations with people; assumptions about co-workers or fellow church members...you get the picture. I know sometimes I don't allow, for fairness sake, both sides of a story to be presented before passing judgment. Never smart. Never. Shows lack of maturity. I hate that. I do enough immature things that I will never apologize for (hee hee...), but this isn't one I want to claim.
We hadn't seen newspaper headlines this surreal since Dewey and Truman in 1948. May God pour a flood of His Spirit's care and comfort to that area.
Speaking of maturity, on a TOTALLY different subject. Rachel, the other day, remarked about my being "crazy". I asked her would she rather I be "crazy" or "boring". I think "crazy" did win out.
When my kids are telling their kids stories about the grandparents driving to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, I want them to be able to tell them just how weird and crazy their granddad is, and that it's a good thing.
I can't lose my sense of wit and humor, however small it may be, because if I ever did, I'm afraid the depression might win out.
WORK---Let's play a game of musical cubicles! There are four of us in a decent-sized room, and one person decided to change their location (she's a manager, she can make that decision!) She's not my boss, and when she asked me about moving stuff around, I said I'd do anything to help her out.
So, before I left tonight, furniture from our office was up and down the hallway. I put up "Do Not Touch. This is Not Trash" signs all around. I even moved my 2006 Cartoon calendar to my new cubicle. I'm going to the corner (heh, way to go dunce!)
I'll have more space, which is cool. I'll be next to windows that get hot in July, and that's not cool!! I won't get to see my good friend (walls will block our view now), and that's not cool, either. But somehow I have a very hard time believing a cubicle barrier will affect a good friendship. Actually, it's better on her; she doesn't have to look to the right and be forced to see me!! (hee hee)
At work today she said it would take her time to get used to not seeing me. I told her to give it 20 minutes. :)
So, back to work this weekend to clean, clean, prepare, rearrange, and clean even more. I'm so blessed to work in a room with three wonderful co-workers. That is a much rarer reality than it should be.
FOOTBALL: Well, the BCS lovers (all nine of them) are proud, I'm sure, now that their "system" not only "worked" this year, but provided heart-pounding major bowl games, not to mention a National Title game. I was disappointed (I'm a long-time USC fan), but it took minutes, not days to get over it. Until college football stops lying about the excuse of "we can't do playoffs; it takes the kids away from class too much", and starts a 16-team Division I-A tournament, their whole "post-season" just won't grab my attention.
The "great" part of the bowls when I was growing up was New Year's Day! Cotton Bowl on CBS with Lindsey Nelson, the Sugar Bowl on ABC with Keith "Whoa, Nellie" Jackson, and the doubleheader on NBC: the Rose Bowl at 430, the Orange Bowl at 8pm. Then, the next morning, you woke up to one, or two, champs, depending upon the polls. The BCS ripped the heart out of New Year's Day, and it kept going downhill from there. Just ask USC in 2003 and Auburn in 2004.
It probably won't happen, but I'd love to see, like, five teams go 11-0 one season, and then see what the BCS wonks would do!!
If Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III can have playoffs, why can't Division I-A? Are the students in those schools not as needing of class time in order to pass exams? Welcome to double-standard-ville.
It's the bowls, stupid!! None of them want to lose their "control".
Here's what you do.....
Eight first-round games, four second-round games, two semifinals (duh), and the final.
Open bidding to all bowl organizations to try and buy the rights (a la television coverage) to one of the "big three" games. Three bowls are selected, each in that three-year period get to host the title game; the other two years they host a semi-final.
Other bowls can then host the first and second round games. You'd need 15 bowl games. We've got 876 of them now. Do we really need the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl?? If other bowls want to continue on, there will be enough 7-4 and 6-5 teams to go around.....
And don't begin to tell me you can't play them earlier in December because fans won't travel......Notre Dame fans will flock to Los Angeles to see the USC game in October, but something mystical will keep them from going to see them December 10th in a playoff game....hmmm.....
And, with a long dissertation, is why I love March Madness above any sports event, year in and year out.
Speaking of which, NC State travels to UNC tomorrow. A great chance to put the team on the map; beat UNC in Chapel Hill. I know, they lost 28 players...or at least it looked that way....but they're still good (they beat Kentucky at Rupp!) and any road win in the ACC is great.
See....anything else?
I think I'm out of words for now. This weekend? Moving dust at work, watching the kids tomorrow while Mom is at work, and, as for Sunday, I don't know if it'll be a trip to a church where an old friend is on staff, or another Sunday off. There can't be more than two, though. That's a trend we don't need to set. Period.
FINALLY-----I really wanted to start a countdown on New Years Day, revealing my 365 all-time favorite songs, but I didn't get all the data together in time. So, maybe in a few days I can start, and, when/if I do, I'll just list all the songs I need to the first day to play catch up.
Gee, songs I like. That'll bring thousands to this blog. HA!
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