I Am Not Worthy......

I have received a valuable honor; the most prestigious honor ever in the blogosphere.

My all-time favorite blog, has added a link to little 'ol me.

I'm NOT be flippant here. I'm dead serious. I'm flattered!

Don't go there to see my link---go there for awesome stuff (and she's linked down before and to the right!)

http://mobyrebuttal.blogspot.com


Thanks ALa! You rock! :)

Hallmark's missing a category.....

Okay, so a great co-worker, colleague, and friend, is leaving my department Friday to bravely tackle the world of cycling.

Things to do:

--Load him up with work...(just kidding)
--Thank him for all his contributions....
--Buy a card and get the staff to sign it...

Wait. What kind of card?

"Goodbye"?---Too final. Like, we'd want to stay in touch and see how he and his family are doing. Gosh, I christened his daughter, I gotta know how proud she makes her mom and dad!

"Thank You"?---Yes, but where's the "send-off" element and the look to the future? Plus, thoughtful people can send thank you notes for no apparent reason. (Wish I was more thoughtful like that....)

"We'll Miss You"?---Closer, yes. But let's not ignite false hopes. If he visits a year from now, someone will be in his studio, doing what used to be his work, and, only because a company must do so, it will be very apparent that we have "moved on".
So.....do they miss you now???

So, I contend Hallmark is missing a niche here. I'm not even sure what to call it.

"As you continue your career"?
"Best Wishes in your Life Change"? No, sounds like menopause.
"Thanks for the Pickle You Left Us In"? Obviously not.

How about....

"Don't forget us, and we won't forget you"?

Well, I guess I'll find the best one I can at the CVS tomorrow morning. Then the staff can personalize it and say things like...

"Great working with you"
"Best wishes"

and, my personal favorite to write in cards like this....

"Can I borrow ten bucks before you go?"

Hunker down, it's a marathon and not a sprint....

That's my focus mentally this week.....with losing a valued employee Friday, going into a holiday weekend, then followed by a four-day week (in which you still have to accomplish five days' worth of work), followed by a week where another producer is on vacation, so it'll be one guy upstairs, and me saving all the dubs to do in Studio 14 while watching Wheel of Fortune.....

So, daily, I try to remind myself to take it one step at a time; it's the only way it will get done, and get done correctly. :)

Some other random thoughts:

--If I don't get my haircut soon, I'm gonna scream. Good thing this isn't an audio blog.

--Bonnie's last birthday is Sunday. She'll turn 39. The ones afterward would be, well, conveniently forgotten....in the "addition" department, that is! :)

--The Orioles are out of first place. I can't believe they stayed there this long.

--I don't care about the NBA, but I do have a favorite team, going back to my ABA days: The Denver Nuggets. Tonight they drafted a player from my favorite college team---Julius Hodge, NC State!! That was cool.

--Joyce Meier, who normally I don't get into, was dead on track on her TV show tonight about Christians who A) spend all their time judging, usually on cultural stuff that makes no difference....like...

--Your hair's too long!
--Get that earring of your ear, young man!
--Flip-flops in church? Satan's got a hold of you!!

I currently, because it's summer and the congregation likes it hot in the sanctuary, do NOT wear a coat during service. That's right. I'm not wearing a coat and conducting a morning worship service concurrently. In some people's minds, I've bought a first-class ticket to hell.

Glad they're not in charge.....

...or, and back to my, er ah, Joyce's point....B) what we need to do is get right with God, and whatever we do that God's Spirit doesn't oppose, but it might cause a brother to stumble, then just don't do it around them.

Her grandmother chewed snuff. So did my Granddaddy. He's in heaven, hangin' out with Mama. Brown spit now nice and clear....(ewww..that's a visual!)

Drink a glass of wine with dinner once in a while. Lost your mansion? I don't think so.

BUT....don't chew it in front of the ex-smoker (or chewer) who's struggling, and don't pull out the wine bottle in front of the recovering alcoholic.

And, if you invited some stuff-shirt Christians over to dinner, hide the Chase & Sanborn Coffee Can next to the recliner where you spit your snuff in, and save your wine for another dinner, another night.

I got enough to worry about with MYSELF and MY relationship with God. Great point she made tonight: "When I'm perfected, I'll start working on you."

Amen!

I'm for world peace, y'all!!!

Country music rescues Miss America .

But Toby Keith couldn't host it unless they had the bathing suit competition the entire show, right??

I don't do well with free agency......

You know, in the NFL, free agency is now very normal. In baseball, it's a dinosaur (living and breathing, mind you), and in basketball and hockey, it's there, too.

I don't do well with it. In other words, I couldn't deal with losing, say, three of my four linebackers because they sign better deals with other teams and then I have to retool....I'm a consistency fan.

So, today, for the first time in four years, when I announced a long-time member of my staff was leaving to take a position within the cycling industry (another passion of his), it was very difficult.

His contributions to our department cannot even begin to be explained. So, it's a big pair of shoes we begin to try to fill. And fill we must.

That dominated my day....and it will do so for the foreseeable future.

Oh, my daughter was just on TV!!!

Her music performance at last month's school dedication was just on our cable system. Me couldn't be more proud!!! :)

Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a house to clean, more work to do (brought home from work), and a wife to take care of.

She has more than just a sinus infection. Try vertigo!!! I mean, I know she's crazy about classic movies, but this is taking it a little too far.....

God bless the trio!!!

Not only do I marvel at God's faithfulness to Rev. Billy Graham (and his obedience unto Him), I also marvel at two others that bear mentioning at the end of this, Rev. Graham's final American crusade (though God may have something to say about that later on....)

Cliff Barrows, now 82, who overcame some serious health problems of his own years ago, led the worship this weekend as well.

And if that's not enough, how about 96 year-old George Beverly Shea throwing down "How Great Thou Art" in front of 90,000 people?

This is in NO way diminishing Dr. Graham; it proves how God can use individuals, and then, create teams out of individuals to show the world God's love.

And the coolest thing? No prayer cloths, no "holy" water in a bottle from somewhere, no "point of contact"; just the Gospel. The way it's meant to be. No wonder God was so faithful for so long.

They were just naive enough to be obedient.

Well done, thou good and faithful servants! They'll hear it soon....and I hope you do, too. :)

Just the way I wanted it.....

....very low-key, no celebrating.

I'm 38 now. Funny, I'm just as tired-feeling as I was at 37. :)

Thanks to Carol for the e-card, Gwen, Colette, Kat, Gina, Dionne, and I'm sure I've missed someone for their greetings today, and to Rodney for the Krispy Kremes!

Otherwise, it was a long work day, as usual; first to the hospital, then to work from 8ish until around 8ish.

My Double Whopper from BK was wonderful, though, and I'm relishing in that memory!

:)


So, welcome to year 39. First up? Survive a Friday.

My goal this year: Become as much of a paperweight as possible. Why?

Paperweights do/do not do the following:

--They keep things under control
--They provide stability and a sense of order, though underneath it could be chaos...
--They don't have feelings; well, I don't think anyone's ever really asked a paperweight how it feels and, well, would it answer if it could?
--They're usually heavy to hold (looking down at my pregnant pouch, I'd say I've got that covered)
--When they're gone, things can flutter and fly off into oblivion with no sense of reason, rhyme, purpose, or direction.

So, here's to attempting to be more of a rock this year; focusing on stability for others, and, selfishly, at the same time, preventing me from thinking/worrying about/dwelling upon my issues. Maybe then, eventually, even I won't think they matter much.

OH----HOW COULD I FORGET????

My gift? The first three seasons of "24".

Life on Monday nights just got a lot better. :)

Reckon I'll Change The Profile Tomorrow.......

.....'cuz I'll turn another number, and, in the words of an old 1970s Queen song, I'll begin "the year of 39".

That's because I'll be 38, thus beginning year 39 on this here earth (which, by the way, continues to block Marvin's view of Venus).

Year 38? Challenging. From a busted shoulder and surgery, to depression and sleep issues. Lots of work, and little R&R. A bad beginning at a new school, but a proud papa watching his kids get to 8th and 3rd grade, respectively.

Oh, and what about Season 4 of "24"? Certainly a highlight of my year. Monday nights sure do suck now. :)

So, maybe I'll say a few words tomorrow. Don't know; have an early AM hospital visit, followed by indeterminate time at work. If I can see the kids before they go to bed, I'll be happy.

Though, if they keep staying up later, they'll be tucking me in bed. :)

So, summer's here, and I'm actually posting.....

Hey, a year ago at this time, I was one-armed, lookin' mean in a sling and still conquering a sliver of the world while crawling into a corner at the same time.

Updates now on the latest from the Witham world:

--The kids made their first multi-day trip to Grandma's since Nana passed away. Left Saturday night and came back this afternoon in time for their annual physicals. They had a BLAST! Robbie made $$ cutting grass, Rachel made money doing, ah, something.....and they are very happy. :)

--That meant Dad was w/o kids on Father's Day, which was a pseudo-strange feeling, but quiet! That gave Mom and Dad a chance to take the new Route 288 all the way home, just to see the final product. Mom was even nice enough to run to the radio station with me and clean my desk area while I dubbed commercials. Now that's a Father's Day gift! :)

--We bought a mattress. A good one. A "hopefully we'll never buy another one 'til one of us is widowed and is either in assisted living or mooching off one of the kids" one. It arrives tomorrow. So, it's with a tear that we bade farewell to our mattress of the past dozen years. After all.....Rachel was, ah....well, she got started there. :)

--School is out. Dad's happy (no more 730am runs to 2 schools for a couple of months); Mom's happy (no more pickups at 2 and 315pm, homework, paperwork, etc.), and of course, Robbie and Rachel are estatic. It's POOL TIME!! No, we're not rich, and it's NOT an in-ground. For about $1K a few years ago, we invested very well (instead of buying theme-park season passes that are only used once or twice), and it's in its third full year of service to the kids, the family, and sometimes, occasional guests. No more dealing with snobs, too, but that's another story for another time.

--We finally got the sound system installed at church. Yippie!!! Now, on to stage two; laptop and projector for Powerpoint. Hope to have it done by Vacation Bible School a month from now.

--Sleep? Comes and goes. I will say this; I haven't had a weekday meltdown requiring me to come home for a few weeks now, and I'm VERY grateful for that. It puts my co-workers in a bind and makes me look bad, too.

--Vacation is coming! Wait, vacation is coming? Maybe not. Hold the phones; details to come.

--The 20th anniversary of my high school graduation came and went June 6th without major incident. There was only a small group of protesters outside the house chanting, "give back the sheepskin".

--A week later, I went to my first high school graduation, since...MINE! Our niece, Sarah, graduated from Hermitage High School w/many honors, and now is getting ready to head to Mary Washington University, where I spent a month at Governor's School in the summer of 1984. She promises to let me come take a nostalgia tour. The kids will get to see where Dad met great people and enjoyed a month to remember always.

--Oh, and HOW can I finish this post without a mention of the likes and dislikes of everyone's favorite deposed dictator. What should we name him now:

**Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Marital Advisor
**Saddam Hussein, Crunch All You Want, You're Still Staying In Jail
**Saddam Hussein, Evils start the day with Raisin Bran Crunch!

A few thoughts:

Cheetos: Crunchy or puffy??

Why did he get twice as much food as our soldiers?

Couldn't somebody put some of those sticky things on his shower floor so he doesn't fall down??

And, finally....

Who wants to spearhead the drive to buy thousands of boxes of Froot Loops and have them shipped straight to Saddam? Consider it a love offering from the American people.....

Must type this Rachel comment to save forever....

We're at the Richmond Braves game on Friday night. Bonnie goes to get some food, etc. (As a side note, the Dominics of New York kiosk, which specializes in Italian Sausages....didn't have any Italian Sausages....and wouldn't for 30 minutes.

Huh? You cook one thing and you're out of it? Huh??

Anyway, while she's gone, Rachel notices a, well, a nasty smell. Here's the conversation:

Rachel: Ooh, Dad, it smells like someone farted.

Dad: Have any idea who did it?

Rachel: It smells like someone we don't know.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Gee....did I forget the directions to get here?

I'm alive. How many times do I have to attempt to convince the world? Well, as long as it takes to stop blogging just one every two weeks.......

In other words: me=idiot.

Lots and lots and lots going on, most of which cannot be blogged. OCD high, rest low, plenty of stress.

On good notes, the sound system at church is finally getting up and running. We welcomed our missionaries from China yesterday and had a wonderful time.

School ends Friday, and I know of four people who will be glad. They all live in this house. :)

More coming; I promise. Hang on, while I deal with "Bloggers Block" and the wonderful events of everyday life, which, right now, are, well....back to that unbloggable comment.....

But I'm Not Dead Yet!

Great line from one of my all-time favorite flicks, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

The last ten days or so were a marathon for me. Won some important battles, faced great battles with my OCD, and, pretty much slept the holiday weekend away.

So, really, really honestly, I am coming back for lots of good blogging, now that my two out-of-town trips are behind me (including the one that paralyzed me for days emotionally), and I've gotten some rest.

One highlight before I go......:)

May 21: The wedding in the mountains! I performed the wedding ceremony for a co-worker's daughter on that Saturday. Her and her now husband are two of the most laid-back people I've ever met. Not in the "hippie" type way either; I mean they'll live 'til they're 115 with no high blood pressure-type way.

The location was a scenic stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway called "Ravens Roost", at mile marker 10.7, south of the Afton Mountain entrance to the parkway.

The ceremony went well ('cept for the moment I DROPPED A RING!!!), and you could not ask for a more breathtaking setting. The couple, when they looked at me, probably were so distracted by the panoramic view of the mountains that I'm shocked they were able to make it through the ceremony. (Just kidding! These kids love each other!)

I thank my beautiful "apple of my eye", Rachel, for joining me on the trip, which took me about 100 miles from home; a HUGE victory for me in my battle overcoming depression and separation anxiety.

It was my pleasure to be a part of such a unique experience.

STILL TO COME:

"24"---Chewing on the season finale

"Star Wars: Episode III"---Review, I will!

"My trip back to 9/11"

"Overanalyzing in life"

....and more.

:)

Don't quit checking, I am alive!!

Just overwhelmed with work, and stress admittedly, right now.

To come right here on this very own slice of the blogosphere:

--"24" Season Finale

--The wedding in the mountains

--The gagfest I attended tonight

--Other thoughts and musings....

--And, if I'm smart, I'll predict the exact date the Orioles actually fall out of first place in the AL East.

Now, wait a minute. You didn't honestly think they'd stay there, did you????

I Do? I Do? They Did!

Had a beautiful outdoor wedding today in the mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I'll have details of that and my long-awaited journey with my son to Star Wars Episode III (that's tomorrow after church), in my next entry.

And I promise not to overanalyze the movie. But I guarantee you something makes me cry. :)

Yep, I'm around.....

Let's see:

I'm working (huge surprise!)

I'm, ah, working

Rachel is sick :(

Star Wars is here! Robbie and I go Sunday afternoon.

Have a wedding Saturday. Can't wait to give you details; it's going to be the most laid-back wedding ever. Honest.

I burned my lip eating pizza tonight.

And, that's all for now.

But, I'll be back!

And the much, much longer post will probably contain less good material than this one did.

Questions abound at 5am.....

It's 5am---do you know where your nuclear warhead is?

Wow!

Facts and questions........

1) Jack stops at nothing. See the preview? That little girl has no idea who she's dealing with.

2) Tony---at 445am I thought he would die (based on my wife's hunch)....as of 5am, I'm not sure he will, simply because it's become such an intrical part of the storyline. Though, it would make sense, what with Tony and Michelle finally breaking the ice. So, I'm totally up in the air on this one; it could go either way.

3) Chloe---I love Chloe. Period. :)

4) Curtis---if Tony goes, he's the new #2 man. He's established himself after briefly having his feathers ruffled over Tony's arrival. Solid character.

5) Michelle---is she gonna be able to keep it together? (Based on the preview, I'm not sure, unless all CTU leaders scream when they see explosions)

6) Audrey---If Jack gets to talk with her, what difference does it make?

7) The Speaker of the House---He looks like Newt Gingrich, combined with Jim Wright, and is as power-hungry as Hillary Clinton. Well, look at the good side, he falls for good acting from a bad actor (namely, President Logan).

8) Habib Marwin---Now, if he had the place covered outside, it must mean he really wanted to get away, which means he can't be finished. This day isn't the only motive. Otherwise he wouldn't have had that cover.

Oh, and when you've got the #1 Terrorist in custody, the man responsible for the nuclear warhead which now graces our airspace, DON'T YOU ESCORT HIM WITH MORE THAN TWO GUYS?? Pathetic.....

Well. It's all come down to the next 120 minutes. And remember, we haven't even touched China yet (and you'll bet we will.)

More and more through the hour I see how they can "cliffhang" us next Monday night and just pick right up at 7am next January.

The only concern I have is for the stamina and bladders of the likes of Jack, Curtis, Chloe, et al. After all, everybody's gotta go sometime.

And, hey, Newsweek---there won't be any Koran pages going down that toilet, either!

This is supposed to impress me???

1972: The Poseidon Adventure becomes one of the greatest "disaster" films of them all, with great performances by the likes of Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, and Red Buttons, just to name a few.

Now, check the A-list talent listed first in NBC's press release today on their "new" version.....

(thanks to www.thefutoncritic.com for the info!)

"THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE" -- NBC presents an edge-of-your-seat new version of the classic disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure" that brings the story into the 21st century. The three-hour movie stars Steve Guttenberg.....

STEVE GUTTENBERG?

Guttenberg...Hackman. Guttenberg....Hackman.

Chopped steak....prime rib.

Good Lord.

Not Since Woodrow Wilson......

.......have we had a permanent resident in the White House from the Old Dominion. Maybe this has a chance of changing???

Read here for Robert Novak's take on insider thought on 2008, featuring a guy named Allen.

So, what do you think?

Just found this blog and post while surfin' (and verifying that you can find my blog by Googling "things that stink"---I'm on page one, result #3...)

What do you think of Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church? My comments later; click here and check out portions of a Chicago Tribune article and many takes on the subject.

Rob :)

Hey, I Did Some Livin' Today!!

First, in reference to the end of my post last night....

What do I see on my Blogpatrol account tonight? That earlier this evening, someone Googled "things that stink".....and got my blog.

Nothing more needs to be said. :)

----------------------------------------------

Got the best seat in the house for the race. Home. So far, #9 has pretty much dominated, and I'm sure a huge roar went up from the RIR crowd when Jeff Gordon had to go behind the wall.

Today wasn't half bad, as Saturdays go. We weren't sure how long my folks were hanging with us, so I told Bonnie to take the van and that we would not be trying to get to Kids Day at church. Turns out they planned to leave early as usual. That's cool---we'll see them soon.

So, I got some rest (much needed) this morning, then we headed out this afternoon, for the inevitable....had to happen....could not be avoided trip to.....

WAL-MART.

At least it was the one in Ashland.

We got, what....shoes for the growing boy, clothes for the girl with explosive growth...The Sandlot II on DVD (which they just finished watching), and some other stuff. You'd think I would remember more since I think we ended up in there for TWO HOURS. Nothing but the grace of God gets Rob Witham through 2 hours in Wal-Mart.

Later, Bonnie said she fully expected to come home and I'd stay in bed, so it was a pleasant surprise to her that I stirred. That made me happy. :)

So, tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday (Happy birthday church and rock on Holy Spirit!!)

Church, followed by home and a nap, followed by a quick trip to the station to dub in a few network spots, then home in time to catch up on Desperate Housewives.

-----------------------------------

In closing, catch any of the news regarding the church controversy in North Carolina? The pastor tells Kerry voters to "repent or resign"? The pastor ends up resigning and 30 others leave with him.....

I'm sure there's more than meets the newspaper article. Church splits seem to always be that way.

I hate 'em. Went through one when I was, like, seven, and yes, I can remember some of it. Nasty. No fun when you're the baby in the pastor's family. Family members turned against each other, some leaving, some staying.

Here's the rundown from Christianity Today.....

And to all of you surfing by, stop by anytime! I can't promise Pulitzer Prize winning material or any breaking news, but I'll talk about life, and that's reality and opinion enough, isn't it?

:)