Pain the butt

Hello to those who are seated and paying attention

As you might know Wendy and I have Maya, her niece, staying in town with us. Last weekend we took Maya to the pool. Both Maya and Wendy enjoy the pool. At this particular giant tub of water is a water slide. Maya went down the slide at least 20 times. She even convinced me to go down it. I went twice. The first out of obligation and the second out of stupidity.

The slide itself is not bad. It is made of twists and turns which deposits you into 3 feet of water. The only problem was that in the twists and turns I must have bumped my rump. I have had a sore tailbone for the past couple of days. Fortunately, I do not feel it all the time. It seems to affect the most when I sit on the furniture at home. I am not sure if it is the way I am sitting. I must lean further back when I sit here. I know when I first sit down it is like a swift kick.

Some of you may have seen this, but what is the deal with impression left after you get up from a chair? I always seem to leave two big crevices in the seat. One more and I would be tres cheek. An attempt at a French joke that fell behind. I know that men are not known for their butts. Except for Beavis and Butthead. Most men have no butts so their pants seem to sag in the back. It should leave room for the big wallets and sport trophies.

Well I took my crack at it. Try not to be a difficult derriere.

Lip service-Now feeding billions

Hello to all you out there and in here

Not too much to report on the homeostasis. Wendy and I are taking Maya back to her mama on Saturday. We helped a friend prime the walls to her former apartment last night. It was not too bad. The walls only had to be primed for my friend to move out. The group was surprised we knocked it out in two hours. The job that is, nothing was broken.

On the way to work this morning I noticed a traffic pattern. When you want to make a left turn at a light, it seems that the first car speeds by. Then the next car drives slow. This causes just enough pause for you not to go so another car can come along. I guess I can't fault the slow driver. Odds are that person is driving the speed limit. I suppose we cannot punish the law followers.

I wish that I had a job with early morning hours. I would not mind working from 5 am to about noon. Of course I say that now. I think I would like this anyway. That way when I go home for lunch, I get to go home. Then I have the rest of the day to do what I want. Probably read and fall asleep. A man can dream can't he? Especially if he naps several times a day.

Since Maya has been in town, I have seen my share of the Disney channel. I have to say that the kid actors do a pretty good job. They have more talent and money than I do. I am also impressed with the writers and creators of those shows.

Well that has been a random assortment. They say you get what you pay for and this was free. So you can take that how you want.

Naglected

Hello all you who wished I was gone

I know I have not filled you eyes with the random lately. I have been in the area, sort of. It has been a busy past couple of days. Work has been standing room only. Wendy and I have her niece in town with us. She has been beating me badly in Wii contests. Now I know why I am not allowed inanimate objects.

It has been a rough couple of days. It seemed for a few days this weekend we kept getting hit with bad news. I hope that it works itself out. We will make it even if we have to read the instructions.


I think things are beginning to get back to normal. Work is its usual pace. We will have Maya until the end of the week. My life is boring as usual.

So if you see me wandering around, just point me in the right direction.

Air today

Breathing...check.

Hello all you given to flights of fancy.

This morning or near the time of this post, I am taking a friend to the airport. It is amazing with the suggested 90 minute early arrival to the airport before the flight that an early flight becomes an earlier flight. My friend leaves at 7:30 am so that means she gets to the airport at 6 am.

Good thing I am a morning person. Also a good thing we live close to the airport.

Quiet storm now with extra noise

Good morning those safe and dry

Last night we got some storms (check your viewing area). I was surprised at the strength of them. Earlier in the evening the radar had storms to the west and east of us, but not above us. Hours later we were hit with the rain.

I woke up about one o'clock. I looked over and saw that Wendy was not in bed. She could not sleep and went downstairs. So I went downstairs for a little bit to join her. It was raining pretty heavy and even thunder and lightning. I think it continued through the night. Fortunately we were able to get some sleep.

I think the rain is supposed to start slacking off today. So if you are in those weekend plans I don't think the moisture on your body is rain. It is probably sweat.

Large and in charge

Hello all you refrigerator raiders

Wendy and I watched the movie "Phat Girls" last night. I was thinking that it was going to be a stupid movie, but I was wrong. It was actually pretty funny. They had lines in the movie that bordered on wrong, but fully built residence in hilarity. The basic plot in the movie is the main character is struggling with weight as her identity. To struggle against the fit/fat debate in society she develops a sassy attitude, but deep down wants to be loved. It ends the way Hollywood loves to end romantic comedies. She finds true love and gets the amazing career.

It is all about the attitude. She recognizes a love for herself and acceptance. That is why those movies are enjoyed because it shows that one can make a difference. We don't have to bodify our selves to the world's image. Follow your dreams. Oh, it doesn't hurt to have the boss like your ideas either.

Sticking out like a sore thumb

Hello all you with opposable thumbs

I know you are sick of hearing about my struggles at work. Well hopefully this will be the last for the time being anyway. Today was a day of minor annoyances. Little things did not work for me today. I enclosed both my thumbs on two different copiers. Once this morning as I was trying to open a drawer. Then I did it this afternoon with the other thumb trying to close a drawer. I think I will be able to go back to hitchhiking in the next day or two.

Just a quick question. Why do things that you think will not take that long always get drawn out?

That is about it for me. Maybe I will have something better to report. Now, laundry wants to be rescued.

Stood up

Hello all you leg stretchers

Today was a long day at work. However the time did go by fast. I was standing at two machines all day. I am trying to finish up a job, but I am still working with it. You know how you wish to be done with something so you put in a long length of time. That was me today. I hope to finish the task I have been working on because I have a couple more tasks to do after that. I think this will be one of those busy weeks.

I think I did get my rest in this morning. I slept a lot last night and laid around this morning. I will see how the rest of the week goes.

Picture this

Hello all you people in the background

This weekend Wendy and I went to visit some of my relatives. It was sort of a family reunion on mom's side. My aunt who lives in Florida is in NC for her yearly visit. So my mom, her older sister, and older brother were all together this week in the house where they grew up. When I was young, my family would go visit a lot. Since we have gotten older we don't get to go too often, only on special occasions.

It was good to see my aunts and uncle and cousins and nephew and nieces, oh my. It is amazing to see children that you don't see too often because they grow up so fast. The last I remember seeing the children they were walking around a little bit, but now they are full throttle. Children are pretty funny until they start crying. I got to meet the newest addition to the family. She spent the time in her daddy's arms sleeping.

Plus you cannot go wrong with not-your-home cooking. There was a lot of variety to choose from and it was all good. I have to say that Wendy and my families do well in the food department.

Last night before we left, boxes of old treasures were taken out. The boxes were full of photos, cards, and other mementos. You forget how young you looked when as you see yourself as a baby. It is pretty weird to see your parents as children and teens. It is amusing to hear them say, "What was I wearing?" Just remember when your parents break out your baby pictures there are probably some funny ones of them in there also.

It was a pretty good week to see family on both sides. This week will be a work week most likely.

Weekends, lies, and videotapes

Hello all you who are out and about,

It is almost the weekend. Many of you are off work or about to get off work or just getting ready for work. The phrase heard most on Friday afternoon is "What are you doing this weekend?" I got to thinking about that today. Most people say, "Oh not much" or "sitting around the house" or "hanging out." You might even get the old standby of "rearranging my sock drawer." Who wears socks anymore who the prevalence of sandals and flip flops? Nobody really says anything worthwhile. I know after a long week that it is enjoyable to relax.

What if people just made things up?

I think it would go like this--

"What are you doing this weekend?"
"Oh, just starting an intergalactic war. Thanks to NASA reviving the space program. How about you?"
"Me? Just trying to get into the Guinness Book of Records for eating the most cupcakes. I am up to 312."

I know our lives are not this great. Plus if you said this then the person would you how it went Monday. You probably don't want to talk to them anyway. So out of convenience we do give the standard answers.

However with the wide access of Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and camera cell phones we can know what you are doing this weekend. Mostly because you are broadcasting it. I don't need to ask. I can log on and see what you are doing. By the way that is a nice shirt, can I borrow it? You can leave the cupcake stains if you want.

So have a wild weekend. Whatever you do just smile and nod when they ask.

Lessons from the lake

Hello all you swimmers and non-swimmers

I have returned White Lake. It was a pretty good experience. I wish that Wendy could have gone, but she could not get off work. Wendy's parents rented a place at White Lake for a couple of days. They were down since Monday. Wendy's sister and her daughter joined them. Hence we have Chance.

I took yesterday and today off to join the family since Wendy was not able to go. I left Wednesday morning after my dentist appointment. It went okay for a trip to the dentist. I reached White Lake around 11 am. The place where we stayed was pretty nice. It was capable of sleeping ten. We had six, so we were okay. The place was pretty clean and close to lake access. I was surprised that it had two televisions with cable. Most of the beds were bunks and cots. I slept on a cot. It was comfortable enough for me to sleep.

The lake itself was okay. It was only four feet deep. Which is fine with me since I am not a great swimmer. Most of Wednesday I spent in the lake with Wendy's dad wading in the water. Wendy's niece and her friend did not want to get into the water until the evening. By the evening they were ready to get in the water and enjoyed diving off the pier.

I tried to put on sunscreen so I would not get burnt. I think I did pretty well. I do not feel burnt. There might be a little redness on my right shoulder.

There are some observations I have from the trip.

1) I saw a guy who was purple. I am not sure if had too much sun or what. It may have been the reflection, but to me he looked burnt. Fun in the sun anyone?

2) I saw a woman who was in her 60s or had not aged well in a two piece swimsuit. Grandma give me a dollar in a card so I may cover my eyes.

3) People love tattoos. I saw a bunch of people with them. Most that had one had multiple ones. It was most often women that had them. Must be an accessory thing.

4) Children like to whine. I could hear all over children and their parents discussing matters. I am not sure who threw the worst tantrums though. Wendy's niece and her friend were in bad moods when I first got there, but made up.

5) Girls are strange. Wendy's niece is 10 and so was her friend. One minute they would act 17 and the next like they were 5. One day I might understand girls. Naaa.

It was a good trip and I had fun. Wendy's dad has already booked the place for next year. I'll see what happens.

Lap of luxury

Or Take a Chance on me

Greetings fans in the hot weather

Well it appears for those watching the security feed that Chance is adjusting to the household. Wendy said that he is actually standing up to Metro. I have noticed that Chance is especially when Metro is trying to eat out of Chance's food dish. Metro is not trying to pounce on Chance. Of course they growl (Metro) and bark (Chance) at one another some. I think they have grown to ignore one another. As I am typing this is the first time in a day or two that I have seen Marley. I am not sure where he has been hiding.

Chance is well behaved dog. He was playing with his chew toys the other day. He would grab a squeaker and toss it around. Chance loves to sit with people. Every time I sit down he jumps on my lap. He lies there trying to get comfortable. It is not comfortable for me at first. Sometimes he likes to lean back into me and I have to lean back to avoid getting licked. Once Chance finds his comfort spot he will sit there until you move or something distracts him.

There is a funny story about Metro. He will slink around like he is stalking something. The funny part to me is that he will be out in the open. He moves like he is hidden behind something and trying to sneak up on something.

That is a little bit of what is going on in our little jungle.

Wii doggie

Hello all you who are weakened by the weekend

Wendy and I had a pretty busy weekend. Friday night we spent some time with some friends. Half whom we had not seen in awhile. It was good to catch up with them. Saturday Wendy and I went to the house where we house sit, but just to feed the cat, Kittey-Belle. She seemed to be doing well and happy to see, well her food. Then late Saturday morning Wendy and I went over to another friend's house to see the same group of friends. We did the usual of playing cards and talking. Then we went out to eat at TGIFridays. It was okay.

Later that night Wendy and I had the opportunity to play a Wii. It was pretty fun. Wendy is much better than I am. She was beating me in all the head to head competition. Most of the games we have not figured out what we are doing, but we have plenty of time to learn. We will probably not be able to do much else for awhile. Sunday we played with a Wii Fit. It is very interesting. It is a workout.

Also since Sunday we are dog sitting. This time at our place. It is Chance, formerly Wendy's brother's dog and now it belongs to Wendy's sister. Wendy's sister is at White Lake with her parents. The dog is with us. We were supposed to go, but due to a scheduling conflict will not be able to make it. Chance is a pretty good dog. Wendy says he is a cute dog. He likes to be lap dog. Wendy said he used to be really hyper. He does jump around and seems nervous. That is mainly because Metro is not happy to see him. Metro raises his back and tail and tries to tackle Chance. Marley so far just hides. I hope they are able to get along or it will be a long next few days.

I had a hard time getting up this morning. Fortunately, I have the week to recover from my weekend.

Up all night, well except for 15 minutes

Greetings to those who are here

Last night was a pretty good night. It was Friday, so there is not much to do today. I got to see some friends that I have not seen in awhile. So of course we stayed out later than we intended. Well Wendy and I did. The others were staying there for the night. Fortunately, after work I passed out for a few minutes. It is amazing to me that I was up until the oui hours of the morning. The ride back home was pretty rough.

So now it is morning. Well later in the morning. I will see how long I stay up today without falling asleezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Howl you doing?

Hello all you creature comforts

Yesterday Marley was neutered. Wendy dropped him off in the morning and I picked him up in the afternoon. Marley seems fine. He has green gauze wrapped around his front right leg. When Marley got home he did his usual thing of lying around. The person at the vet office said he basically just laid around. She said he was probably worried about losing another body part.

Marley and Metro have been growling at one another and making high pitched noises. They will have a face off for about minute and then just walk away. I had not heard them do this before. Wendy said she heard it last week when Marley returned from the vet. I hope that they calm down soon. It is a little annoying.

I am glad that both cats are both doing okay.

Burden out

Hello all who are not reading this

This is one of those days that I feel like a burden to everyone. I have not done much all day and my plans keep changing. So I feel like I have to keep calling people back. I am sure they are annoyed with me or else don't answer to begin with.

There is some verse in the Bible referring to give your burdens to God. If that is true I wonder how much I have longer I have to live? I thought as you get older you were supposed to be in better shape and in the prime of your live. I seem to get in worse shape day after day.

Well I will do what I can until I fade away...

Male, female, Neuter

Hello all you creatures here below

This morning one of the newest additions to our family is going to be neutered. I don't think it will be me. It is Marley, our black cat. Metro our first cat as a married couple has been neutered for quite awhile. Marley's date with the doc is at 8:30 am. It is time for him to have his operation. He has been spraying certain areas of the house for the past few days. Review Wendy's blog for the details.

The veterinarian gave orders that Marley could not eat after 9 pm before the surgery. We had to remove the food dish so Marley would not eat. So this morning the cats are wandering around the house and wondering what is going on. I do that too when the food is gone.

Hopefully the procedure will go well for Marley. I hope the after procedure goes well for us and the only odor we will smell is us.

Singled out

Hello all you boys and girls together and separate

I saw a headline that Miley Cyrus is happy to be single. My first thought was isn't she supposed to be single? I mean she is only 16! Then I thought about it and I suppose she could have meant just a boyfriend. Apparently she was in a relationship, now is not in one, doesn't want to be in one, except at 4 am. I am confused.

It got me thinking. People are getting married later in life. I think it used to be at 18 or at late 20s. Now the earliest is late 20s and sometime later than that. However, it seems that relationships are entered into at earlier ages. I am by no means an expert nor do I pay attention to society, but if we want a 16 year old in a relationship then something weird is going on.

I think what they need to do, lawmakers since they want all these laws, is bring back arranged marriages. The government or somebody could get a lot of money. It would bring the job of matchmaker. I think there are probably people who get paid big bucks to do this. We somewhat have it now with reality shows like the Bachelor. But the success rate is not high. Now you see the ring, now you don't.

I think that Americans would not like arranged marriages though. We like to choice what we do and especially the person we go out with. Although I wonder how much choice we really have? I know people try to go out with their same type. Sometimes it works, but often it is the opposite attracts. I mean look at the doofy guy with the beautiful woman. Insert photo of Wendy and me. I guess it is the differences that bring out the balance.

Well whether you are one or two that become one the key is to be happy. I am not saying you should not try to improve your relationships because good relationships are the key to being happy.

Video made him a star

Good vibrations to those monitoring the screens

I failed to mention in my earlier post about a couple of things about the weekend.

1) Edwin's Corner....If you get free moments check these out. You can find it on YouTube. They were the video installments that kept the couple hundred students going. You will laugh. You will cry. You will relate. It was by far the thing that most everyone talked about.

2) For the leaders of the family groups (these were the small group bible studies) they had short clips on what not to do called "Frankie the bad family group leader." They were a funny "how not to do it yourself." Ask Paul.

3) I went canoeing the first time, at least I can remember. It was pretty fun. There was more hard work than I realized. No wonder the people on the row team have such massive shoulders and strength. One of the funniest lines of the weekend, to me, came from this loop around the lake.

It was three youth in the group, who were also in my family group...Alex, Drew, and Nic. I was in the canoe with Alex. Drew and Nic were in the second canoe. Alex yells out to the other boat to come on. I think it was Drew that yelled back, "We're working on it!" I am not sure why that makes me laugh, but it does.

Well that is about it, until I remember something else.

I'm here over there

Hello all who have not missed me.

Well it is time to give your eyeballs another workout or walkout, whichever comes first. I was gone a few days with the youth of our church to Georgia. It was a pretty good trip.

We left Friday morning around 7 am. I had to be at the church at 6 am since I was a chaperon and driving a van. We took three vans for 28 people and their luggage. The back seats of the vans had to be removed to make room for the luggage. Those seats were heavy.

The drive to Georgia was uneventful, which was good. There was not much traffic at all because of the holiday weekend. I drove the van with the middle school girls. It was not a terrifying as one would think. Most of the time they listened to music on IPods or the radio when we had it on. They were even nice enough to edit out the songs with screaming.

The camp was sponsored by Student Life, which is a Christian group that leads camps. Most of the time they are a full week, but we only went for three days since it was a holiday. Apparently this was the only time that the youth leader could get a reservation. The camp must be in high demand.

The worship was pretty good. The drama team did well with mix of serious and funny. The worship leader was a band with Jeff Johnson. He was good, but very loud. It always seems that music at youth camp is loud rock and roll. The speaker, Ed Newton, was very engaging and passionate about the gospel. He had some thought provoking illustrations and preached verse by verse with the bible passages.

The students were divided in family groups. So the youth group was split into different groups. I led a family group bible study. In my group I had five from Westwood, the church I attend. It was 3 boys and 2 girls. Then I had two girls from a church in Florida. They were all 9th graders. It was a good time. I hope I did alright. I had not led a bible study in many years. It is hard to get youth to pray in public or at least in a room with others.

I was surprised at the food. It did not seem to me kid friendly. I was shocked that there was no pizza or hamburgers. It was like a normal cafeteria. I do not think that some of the youth were impressed by the food.

The trip back was good also. I drove the same group of middle school and junior high girls. Traffic was a little heavier, but there were no problems.

I had a pretty good time and learned some things also. The youth were well behaved. I am sure I am leaving a bunch of things out, you will have to ask me about that to remind me.

Georgia on my mind

Hello all you vacating va-vooms

I hope that all you stars and stripes have a great fourth of July. I hope that it starts early for most of you. Let the flag waving begin. Of course let the grill go. Fortunately, the building is closed tomorrow in observance of the 4th. We are even closing early today. That is good because I have things I need to get done.

Tomorrow morning, I am leaving with our church's youth group to chaperon a trip to Georgia. It is a retreat at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center. I was approached by the youth minister to be a male chaperon. So I said yes. I hope it goes well. It has been years since I have been on a trip with youth. It has been a long time since I have had to lead a bible study. Fortunately for me the studies are all planned out. At the ding, turn the page.

I think it will be okay once I am there. I at the moment have no idea what to expect. The conference begins tomorrow night and ends Monday morning.

So if you get a chance this weekend, enjoy a hamburger for me. Also think of me as I am with the youth this weekend. I might even have to drive a van down there and back. That is a special prayer request for most who know me.

Type at you on the flip side. (The theme of the weekend is Flip.)

Messing around

Hello all you living beings

I am not talking about the shenanigans of our elected officials nor the legal troubles of dead celebrities, but the everyday occurrences. That is right the messes that people and animals make. It is amazing the amount that small creatures leave behind. Children, for example, will leave a pile of clothes and toys in their wake. This phenomenon supposedly lasts until college. Most adults leave behind junk mail and the occasional candy bar wrapper.

Animals also can be create a lot of shall I say debris. Wendy and I have two cats, who make a lot of deposits. I am sure it is normal, but I have to clean out their litter box daily. Most often it is big clumps that are left for me to find. I suppose that makes it easier. Fortunately, they are trained to use their private facilities. I would rather clean one space than multiple.

Dogs are another matter. If you go to a place for a cleaner environment then you have to make sure you are on poop patrol. The weird thing to me is that people do it, right after the dogs doo it. Dogs amaze me because of their bowel control. Most let you know when they need to go out, however they can hold it for a long time. When they need to go, they need to go. So let them.

Speaking of going, I gotta go!