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!

Rash decision

Greetings to all you facing the bumps of life

Over the weekend you may know that Wendy and I did some landscaping. I think I am paying for it now. I guess even though it was over 90 degrees; I should have worn long sleeves and long pants. My arms and legs have been infected.

It looks like I have a case of poison ivy or something. It is more in the rash stage now. I have not seen the pus filled bumps yet. I thought I was more careful, but I guess not. When we finished working we washed the clothes we were wearing in cold water and then with detergent. Wendy had read that if you took a cold shower that would help wash away the spread. I hope it helped a little.

I know that my knowledge of experience is weak, but this may be the most widespread case I have had. It seems that I have gotten poison ivy a lot recently. I do not know if I am becoming more allergic to it or just outside more. My brother is very allergic to it. I think if he gets a bad case he has to get a shot. I am going to just cream myself and put the lotion in motion. Of course, dance around like a fool when it itches.

I have it on both the inside of my wrists, splotches on my legs, and on my chest. It is almost like a vest. I am not sure if I have some on my face or if it is just sun. My nose is red like that famous reindeer or a clown. Sometimes I notice the itch more than others. Last night was one of those times.

I will try to be a good pool player and not scratch.

Excellent!

How do hairdos?

I just returned from a chapel service. It was okay as far as they go. The speaker's main theme was going from "average to awesomeness." He talked about how the world has really no opinion of the church. At least often not a good one.

It is amazing how people command respect. It is most often the people that go out of there way to get things done. People look at those actions and express amazement.

The speaker talked about laziness. I know I am lazy. I don't like to do things I do not have to do. When I am active it makes a difference. We were not called to be reactive. That brings me to his next point. We must have more than a limited vision. It is so easy to only see what is in front of us. We have to look all around. That leads into the last point of loving what you do. It is passion that propels. The only time I do something is if I love it or love for something not to happen.

I am capable of making a difference in this world. You are capable of making a difference in this world. The question is are we going to do it or be different because of the world?

Branching out

Hello to all out on a limb

Yesterday Wendy and I were outside doing some yard maintenance. Mainly the work was tree removal. We received a letter from our Homeowners Association saying that we had dead trees with poison ivy lining our driveway. Wendy was bored yesterday and we felt guilted into doing yard work.

So after lunch we thought we would go out to see what needed to be done. We have four trees lining the driveway. We never do anything with them; so it was natural for them to be removed. First, we removed the one near the curb. It was pretty much dead. The toughest part of the removal was a group of vines that entwined into the tree. So we took our shears and clippers and went to work.

The next tree we removed was a dead cedar tree. This had no green in it at all. I, well not simply, pushed the tree over. It came over easily. However, I did have to saw at the root. Then we trimmed down another dead cedar tree.

Once we remove all the debris; which will take us many weeks I am sure, it will look nice. We now can see the road. I think it will be a little easier to cut the grass also.

I realized that I am very out of shape. I think I will be sore at some point today. It was a little rewarding. I can see what some men like to be lumberjacks, besides the chance to wear plaid.

Going on strike

Hello all you wholly rollers

Last night some friends from our Sunday School class went bowling. It was two other couples, one two year old, and us. Wendy and I have not been bowling in several years. I think it had at least been three years or more since we have been.

We all get to the alley about 7 pm and have to wait about fifteen minutes for an open lane. Then the guys behind the counter tell us it is our turn. We get our fashionable shoes and proceed to find the balls. I chose a twelve. I am not sure what that means. One of the guys in our group had coupons for 3 games and the shoes for $10.

They reserved two lanes for us. So it was 3 on 3 and the two year old would sub for her mom. I was amazed to see how well everyone did. The first game the score was a little low because we were trying to get our groove. The second game was the best for everyone and the third game was a little bit lower. The friends we were with are pretty good. I think they all made strikes, sometimes multiple times. One of the guys got a turkey, which is 3 strikes in a row.

I am proud of Wendy. She was the only female that did not use the bumpers. Even though she felt her score was low, I think she did well. When the two year bowled, there was this frame that you place the ball on and push. It would roll off nicely. I had never seen one before, but I don't get out much. The two year was more interested in watching the balls come out of the small luggage rack or whatever it is.

I am definitely out of bowling shape. I will be honest...it hurt. I could feel it in my legs and back. How did I do in the games? Uh...First game I scored 87. It tied for first. Second game I scored I think 142. That is the best I ever remember doing. The the third game a whopping 85. I would do well and then the ball would roll in the gutter. At least I broke once broke 100, which I want to at least get.

Bowling can be frustrating. You know if your form is off. Sometimes you feel the ball going into the gutter or just missing. Others times you are sure it is going to knock down some pins, but whoosh! At the last second throws you a curve. Plenty of times I was close, but not close enough. There were multiple times that a pin was waving at us and saying, "Here I am."

After the games we all celebrated with our victory cup. A concrete at Goodberrys. Ah, the taste of victory! It is sweet.

We two "kings"

Yo royalty!

I heard an interesting comparison this morning. Exhibit A...Elvis. Exhibit B...Michael Jackson. Hmm. It got me to thinking. Both died after successful music careers. Both died sort of suddenly. Both were referred to as kings. Elvis was "the King" and MJ was "the King of Pop".

Now for you conspiracy theorists out there, I want to propose that MJ is still alive. Remember all the Elvis sightings. I think the same could apply to ole MJ. I mean the guy had so many surgeries. We have no idea what he truly looks like. They could be out together laughing it up. I mean MJ married Elvis' daughter for a few months. I don't know the details, but what was that about?

Here is one that could blow your mind...MJ and Elvis are the same person. I know it is not humanly possible, but it is worth seeing who's believing.

Hey! Look over there!

Hollywood lost some of its stars

Hello to all you star starers

You probably heard that it was a rough week for the entertainment industry. In a span of a couple of days and miles apart, California lost three large entertainers. My mom has said that death comes in three. First was Ed Mcmahon dying. Apparently he had been sick for quite awhile. Then the news of Farrah Fawcett's death. Yesterday afternoon, west coast time, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, had his stop.

Of course the news industry and apparently the social networking sites jumped on these deaths like there was no tomorrow. These were pretty famous people. They each rose to a level that broke the way for people to follow. Mcmahon gave the number two guy a shot a fame. Fawcett was a leading lady in her day. Jackson redefined the music industry. These stars are had there battles, but the great ones, and the most eccentric, always do.

It does surprise me the amount of coverage. The coverage was non-stop. It is amazing the amount of speculation that goes into the first hours of coverage. I guess because it is early and none of the facts have been established. I am not a journalist, but it seems the longest airing time stories are the ones that have the least facts known. I guess people do love sensationalism. I do until the saturation point.

Those three stars will be missed, especially by the tabloids. Although they have not been in the public much recently, there names will be remembered in history or least trivia games. I have to admit they did have talent and knew how to entertain.

Related?

Hello all you personal adds,

Is it just me or are guys stupid? You probably have seen the news about the guv from SC disappearing for awhile and now admitting to an affair. (About the Republican governor, I did hear a commentator say that at least the inappropriate act was with a women.) Earlier in the week Billy Joel divorced his third wife. There are always stories of guys going from woman to woman. You can hear about that famous actor now with his fifth girlfriend in one month. Why can't guys keep it together?

I admit it does seem like a Hollywood problem. Of course they are the ones the cameras follow all day long. I imagine it is a rough lifestyle. It seems that a lot of the radio personalities have the same problem with divorce.

I know guys that there are plenty of women out there. You may think they are interested, but they are probably not. So here is some free advice, you can send shipping and handling, stick with the one you are with. She is probably the only one who can tolerate you.

If I were any earlier I would be too late

Greetings all you rock around the clockers

I usually prefer to be early to places and appointments. I think it is because when I know I have to do something I am ready to get it over with. Most of the time I show up to work a few or twenty minutes early to work. I would rather get there and waste time. I admit this is a weird schedule.

So when I am off my schedule I feel a little rushed, even though I probably have all the time in the world. This was one of those mornings. I wake up off and on this morning feeling I should get up and then knowing that it is too early. This was our last morning at the house sitting and pet sitting appointment. So we had to pack up our belongings and do some straightening. Wendy and I walked Rustey, fed Kittey-Belle, cleaned dishes, and other light housework.

I had in my mind for some reason that I would leave early for work today. Not much is going on, but it is a mind game. By the time we finished doing all the previous things mentioned it was twenty minutes after I wanted to leave. Don't panic. I am telling myself this. I knew that I had plenty of time.

I was cruising down the highway. Once of course the stoplights would let me. I knew I needed to get gas, but I hoped I could wait until after work. I was a few miles from work and let your shine before men. It came on. So I debated which gas station would be better to stop and refuel. I chose one a little earlier on the route. They were all the same price. I thought it would be easier to get out of this one.

So I get in the left turn lane. The light was red. Red. Red. For what felt like an eternity. It was probably closer to four minutes. I was perturbed. Finally it turned green. I made my way to the pump. Put in the fuel. The screen said printing receipt and then it said receipt is inside. So I had to go inside, wait in line, and then get the receipt. So I receive the receipt and return to my car.

It seemed that I was stopped at every red light. It does not help that most of the turns I had to make were left, so I could not turn even though no one was coming. Plus I was in a line of cars, so it would not help to turn anyway.

Well after all that. I know it is not a lot, but in my simple mind it is a lot to calculate, I made it too work. The thing is I made it right at 8:00. They say the most important thing is timing.

Boot leg

Hello all you legos

When I mention bootleg I am not talking about getting something for cheap. Although I do enjoy getting things free or at a reduced rate, especially clothing. The majority of my wardrobe has been given to me.

You may have the same problem I have, if you wear pants. At work I usually wear boots and business casual style pants. I noticed that occasionally the cuff of my pants raises up and hangs on the top of my boot. I have to lift the pant leg up to recover my boot. The weird thing is that happens to my left left. It must be the weird stance I have.

I can take comfort in the fact that when I need a ride, I can flash a little leg. At least it has not come to fisticuffs.