Thursday, February 28, 2008

Is this self-torture?

So, I just learned that Stephen A. Smith has a podcast.

That means you would actually choose to have nothing but Stephen A. Smith's voice coming through your sound system talking to you.

Does anyone choose to do this? Or is this the kind of thing you download onto a friend's MP3 player and then change the title of to trick them into listening to it?

Do You Ever Inspire Yourself?

I'm not trying to sound egotistical with that question. I'm seriously wondering: do you ever inspire yourself?

I ask because this morning I inspired myself. In my role as National Vice President for Sigma Theta Epsilon, I'm posting a discussional (my word for devotional that hopefully invites discussion and feedback) each day for Lent. That's going to be 46 of these discussionals in 46 days, counting one on each Sunday, as well. This has been a serious time of growth for me, as well as drawing close to the Lord. I'm really amazed at how much it's done that for me.

But, beyond that, the lastest discussional entry in the series inspired me to attempt a project. It's not that I hadn't had similar thoughts before, but they had never been as clear or as focused or as "I need to do this" as they were when I re-read what I had posted for discussional.

I'm just wondering how common this is. Do you ever do something that gives you inspiration to do something else? Do you ever inspire yourself?

(Of course I realize I may be giving myself too much credit in the inspiration side ... but I think I sound just as vain if I try to say "God prompted to me to write this", so there goes another question and conundrum ... )

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Unfunny Funnies

Maybe I'm just getting old and crank-nostalgic, but I don't find much funny in the funny pages anymore. I'm not amused like I used to be. Gone are the wit and charm of Fox Trot and Calvin and Hobbes. And, while we still get a few beauties, like Agnes, we're more often stuck with tired "jokes" and running gags from the likes of BC, Hagar, Ziggy, and Garfield.

Well, finally, someone figured out how to make Garfield funny.

Take out Garfield. Either his thought balloons, or him entirely.

Case in point:



Maybe there's hope for humanity after all ...

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Help?

Anyone wanna pitch in some money and help me win this eBay auction?

Anyone?

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Isn't it?


(or, better yet, anyone wanna help me come up with a similar scam idea to make some quick cash on eBay?)

Friday, February 22, 2008

Anything Redeeming?

So, I stumbled upon the Restored Church of God website tonight.

I read through two articles, and my head is ready to explode.

Anyone care to venture into the website or know any of their background to let me know if everything there will make my head explode?

(Seriously, it's worth a look, if only to help you refine what you believe in the face of some whacked-out takes)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

A Cautionary Tale

Sometimes, you shouldn't be mean to your waiter/waitress, no matter how rude they are, how much they ignored you, or how incompetent they are.

Need proof? Find it here.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

What do you want?

What do you want?

Seems a simple and innocent question. But think about it with me a little harder. What do you want? I'm not asking what would you like to see happen. What would you like to have. What are some things that would be nice.

What do you want?

I ask this because of something I just read in a book I'm reading by Frank Bettger. In the book, he says a man will move heaven and earth to get what he wants.

So, when you think about what you want, in this context, the question changes just a little bit. What are the things that you want to come about that you are willing to go through fatigue, embarrassment, suffering, pain, struggles, etc. for? What do you want? What do you really, really want.

I mean I'd like the Indians to win the World Series. I'd like my close friends and family to help me in accomplishing my goals, and to hold me accountable. I'd like the Cavs to make a miracle trade. I'd like CC Sabathia to sign a nice extension with the Tribe. I'd like to play through all the Zelda games back-to-back-to-back-... Etc. etc. etc.

But these are not things I want. Not as I've defined it. These aren't things I'll move heaven and earth to accomplish. They're not all things I have direct control over.

But there are a lot of things I want, as I've defined it above. And I have some-to-all direct control over those things. And, to help me get the things I want, I'm compiling a list.

I want to lose sixty pounds.
I want to be a homeowner.
I want to be a daddy.
I want Sigma Theta Epsilon to grow both in the refinement of men, and in the number of men we refine, and in the number of places we refine men.
I want jOURney to become a standard bearer of what a 21st century church can do.
I want to earn awards in Ohio West that no one else is earning.
I want my District and Regional Sales Coordinators to earn awards.

But I have a #1 on this list. Because lists like this need a #1. ANd it's something that will trigger some of the other wants.

I want to get a signed and completed M0138.5.


So, what do you want?

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Great Idea



We went shopping today, in Columbus. On a whim we stopped in World Market. They let you piece together different imported and micro brews into a "build your own 6-pack".

What a great idea.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

I'm Done Being Sick



No, really. I'm done.

I don't know if my body is done being sick and the virus (or whatever) has left me, but I'm done.

I mean, I'm ready to move on. I'm tired of not having energy, of coughing too much, and of shivering. And, more importantly. I'm tired of eating rice, chicken broth, and toast. I want a freaking cheeseburger. It's almost getting close to me breaking down and yelling "Click Click Bloody Click Cheeseburger".

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Is there no more common sense?

I realize that's a rhetorical question

and I realize I probably don't want to know the depths of how true a "no" answer really is.

But, seriously, who writes stuff like assassination predictions for a presidential candidate

Seriously? Who doest that? And why?

I was wrong

I thought I was past the worst of my illness. I thought my fever broke last night.

I was wrong.

After I got past the mistake that was the chili from last night, my stomach has been fine. But other than that, this has been the worst day of this illness so far.

My fever spiked up pretty close to 100 earlier today. My congestion is horrible, and the chills are back, too. Joy, Joy, Joy.

At least I got an excuse to spend a day playing football on the Gamecube (third straight title with Mississippi State) and catching up on old DVRed American Gladiators.

See? A silver lining to every cloud.

I hope i can go to church tomorrow.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Wow

I'm amazed by two things from the Cavs victory tonight:

1) They won despite not having Andy, Sasha, Gooden, and Boobie.

2) They had four key players injured and none of them are named Larry Hughes



Seriously, though, I love this team. If they get healthy for the playoffs, watch out.

So, My Wife's out of Town

Rachel's on a trip. She outlined it in her last blog entry. She's down in Georgia for a trade show for SMD. Good for her. I miss her. I really do. We have a close, lovey, affectionate relationship, and I'm not ashamed of that.

It's doubly bad that I've been sick this week and so: a) we didn't get a lot of quality time just before she left and b) our first couple of phone conversations had to be cut short due to throat pain.

But, as I always say, in bad things, find joy. So I give to you the top three things about Rachel being gone:

3) I get to eat food she hates. Today for lunch was black bean rice. Today for dinner was chili. Awww yeah.

2) The television hasn't been flipped from ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNEWS/NFLN to HGTV in a few days.

1) I don't have to leave the toilet seat down.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Sometimes a tiny error ...

So, we're under a boil alert (among other things) here thanks to the most recent flood.

So I decided it would be smart if I boiled myself a large pot of water to have to use for whatever comes up. So, I got out my big pot and filled it with water and put it on the stove. Then, as I always do when I boil water in my largest pot, I reached for the salt to salt the water.

Luckily, I caught myself.

That would have been a bad thing.

My Throat Hurts

My throat hurts. Pretty stinking bad. It seems to alternate between a bad scratch down the middle of the inside and a tightening feeling. It woke me up around 4 this morning feeling like both.

Now, I'm convinced that I just have a bad 24-60 hour flu bug. My appetite is back, my chills are gone, my headache is gone, and my fever is gone. Just this stinking aching throat remains. I don't really wanna hear any diagnosis that it might be worse. Ok?

And it's the kind of aching throat that gets worse every time I speak. Not good when I've got a career in sales.

Anyways, I've been doing the remedies I know. I've been drinking lots of pulp-free OJ (the juice coats my throat and provides temporary relief, and the vitamin C helps my body heal). I've been gargling with salt water to try to free up phlegm. And I've been popping cough drops to provide soothing for momentary relief.

But here's my questions: anyone got any other home remedy techniques that might help me out?

Monday, February 04, 2008

No, Tom



You're not going to only score 17 points. You're not even going to score 17 points.


Suck it Golden Boy.

The only Super Bowl Memorabilia I Want



this book

Oh, and I hope the Patriots get their trademark they applied for.


I hate Boston Sports. It's bordering on my hate of Detroit/Michigan. I can't wait till the Cavs get to knock out both the Pistons and the Celtics in the playoffs.