"This is how the world ends...

...not with a bang, but with a whimper." (If you've never read the poem 'The Second Coming' by William Butler Yeats, read it...very cool...but that's where that quote comes from).

Really, my day ended with more of a whimper than with a bang. In other words, it was a good day that ended less than stellar, but it could've been worse. Band practice tonight seemingly started out rough. The power supply was missing for the IEM's we were going to test, Joel was AWOL (and remained AWOL...hope everything's alright with him), we got started a bit late, and the Davester was there to kindly draw attention to all those things. Fortunately, once everything got moving, we quickly got the floor monitors up and running and actually got finished with rehearsal early (7:45). The music should be good Sunday, with or without a second guitarist (fortunately, Kyle's ready to play Sunday, too). I was very impressed with how smoothly the music turned out tonight overall. Things should rock Sunday a.m.

Afterwards, we went to Red Lobster, where the truly 'whimpering' part of the evening occurred. The food was good, but the service was pretty lousy. I originally ordered a $7 lobster pizza, only to find out that they were not available. After waiting an inordinate amount of time to re-order, I ordered an appetizer sampler for a whopping $8. We were there over an hour, and most of that time was just waiting on our waitress to either take our order or follow up on things.

On the bright side, I'm home now and I'm just going to relax a bit before I go to bed.


Kyle, maybe it is Veritech...I don't remember. Either way, those things were really cool. I even had a model of one at one point when I was a kid...it transformed and everything, but...alas...like most models I built as a kid, I don't think it survived. They actually had a metal model for sale on Gamestop's website a few months back (after Robotech was released for various consoles). However, what I really wanted was a model of the SDF-1 (or Macross, as most people don't get the connection to the Macross series of movies). Unfortunately, I never could find one. I've seen 1 or 2 small, stupid-looking models of it on ebay, but for the most part, nada....

Anime can be pretty cool. It's more than just cartoons for grown-ups. It's more like an under-appreciated art form, in my opinion. Big-O, if nothing, is incredibly stylistic. Robotech and Macross, in their rawest forms, are gritty, bloody, and way too deep for kids to appreciate.
Since Kyle paved the way, here's my favorite anime (at least, what I can remember now):
1. Star Blazers (all time favorite...this show is to Japan what Star Trek is to us, except there it's called 'Space Cruiser Yamato' or something like that...it
s been on the air in one incarnation or the other since the 70s. The 'star' of the show was the Yamato battleship [called "Argo" in the U.S. version], which was sunk in World War 2, but rebuilt centuries later from the original hull and transformed into a starship with a big-a$$ gun called a wave-motion gun, which could like destroy planets. Okay, the ship was cheesy...it still looked like a battleship, but it was still pretty cool).
2. Macross/Robotech - Veritech fighters, the SDF-1, Invid shock troopers, etc... ahh...afternoon cartoon memories.
3. Gundam: 8th Mobile Armor Division - the most 'military-like' incarnation of the Gunday series, which take some goofy twists and turns.
4. Voltron - more mainstream, but still qualifies...
5. Akira - the definitive movie for modern-day Anime.
6. Wind Warriors - obscure movie in the 80s...earth has been reduced to a toxic wasteland, where giant insects reign and the best effects are the various funky aircraft flown in the show.
7. Captain Harlock - 80s show about a pirate spaceship. Okay, cheesy...but the ship - the Arcadia - was cool as crap.
8. Big-O - this show has revitalized my interest in anime at its purest...pseudo-weird universe, giant robots, melodramatic/artsy dialogue...
9. Patlabor movies 1 and 2.

Honororable mention: Shogo (a PC game, but anime to the core...)

Anime that sucks: Gigantor, Tranzor Z, pop-modern anime (Pokemon, Sailor Moon...they're all crap...)

Get your geek on.


KEY PHRASES: "That must be some ceiling fan!" "You've been here nine years...then what's your problem?"

Brrr...

Just when you think it's going to be nice and warm for a while, BAM! - Alabama gives you an enema of cold weather. Hopefully, we'll get around to actually having spring-like weather again soon, and not have some drastic jump straight into summer (like how the weather skipped fall this year and went from summer to winter). That would suck.

Anyway, not much to report. Stacey worked in Florence yesterday, so she picked up some Outback Steakhouse food to go on the way home. Warmed it up in the oven and...mmmm....Alice Springs Chicken...honey mustard...mmmmm.... After dinner, we watched "The Rundown" with the Rock and Seann William Scott. That movie turned out to be pretty good...a bit campy in spots and there were a few 'holes' left in the character development, but a pretty fun action flick overall. I give it a 'B+.' It's worth watching.

KEY PHRASES: "Sorry, I can't play counter-terrorist tonight. Call me tomorrow?" "At least we're not the only ones disturbed by the presence of man-boobs." "Stacey...new Xboxes are now only $150. Where's the love?" "Oh...there it is...in the Roland and the Fender...I stand corrected."

Ahh...that feels better...

Monday wrapped up being fun. The Guad was fun as always. Stacey, Kailyn, and I got there a bit late and J-mo and newcomer Sarah were already there. Eli and Emma eventually showed up, having overcome some snafu at home...woohoo. Then the Root made it out. So, in the end, it was a full crowd.

Service pretty much wreaked, though. For the past 2 weeks, we've had this young waiter who understands English about as well as I understand astrophysics. Granted, it IS a Mexican restaurant, but ordering should not be such a challenge. Example: As soon as Kyle got there, Kyle told the waiter twice that he wanted two beef enchiladas. One minute later, the waiter returns and asks Kyle, "Are you ready to order?" LOL. He got Stacey's drink order wrong, too. On top of the slacking service, the lighting was so low in the restaurant that you couldn't see your food.

Anyway, prowling the mall afterwards was as fun as always (which is as fun as it can get when you're wandering a small town mall, I guess). So many stores are closed down, it's kinda spooky. Still, we managed to make our rounds to Dillard's, EBgames, and eventually Sears, where we ran into Tania and Andrea. Andrea, Sarah, Tania, and Stacey got to talking about Cracker Barrel work 'ethics' or something else that uninteresting (well, to me, anyway), so I headed over to the electronics area. Eli wound up over there, too, saying she had no interest in learning the ins and outs of working at Cracker Barrel...hehe. Well, I'm sure some would find our topics of conversation a bit 'boring,' too...like...er...um...this blog...(?).

We eventually managed to get out of Sears, and everyone went their normal separate ways. Not a 'stupendous' night at the Guad, but relaxing at least.

Today, I've had a headache pretty much all day, so that kinda stinks. At least we got some more much-needed rain today, eh?

Chad...Wow, a 96 Sable. I'm...in shock...hehe. At least no one was seriously hurt. Also, don't worry, your link is safe from delete-age. And my favorite Transformer was Jetfire...with all the weapon and 'space flight' armor add-ons. That was the coolest, even though it really was just a Bandai port of a Robotech Varitech fighter (ouch...my geek is showing again). Funny, in the cartoon, they made the character into Skyfire, instead of Jetfire, and he looked different. That kinda sucked when it came to 're-playing' particular scenes from the cartoon on my couch with all the toys. Devastator and the Constructicons were awesome. I liked Soundwave and Megatron, but my biggest problem with those characters were that they were big robots that turned into little things (a tape player and a gun). Supwifdat? "Look at me, I'm a giant robot, and I turn into a tape player!!" Hmm...I guess when you're a kid, you're too young to care about the huge law of physics violation going on there.... At least Soundwave's voice was cool...kinda like a cartoon Cylon or something.

Ah, geekdom...at least I'm partially recovered from it...late night viewings of Big-O on Cartoon Network's adult swim notwithstanding...let's just say, deep down, giant robots are still cool...and Big O is like a big robot show for adults...i.e., blood when people get shot, etc. Still, if you can get past the cheesy theme song (REALLY cheesy), the main character is like Batman (without the mask) with a cool car, a giant robot, and a butler...hehe. Heh...my inner child is happy.

KEY PHRASES: "How many times did you say, 'I'd like 2 beef enchiladas?'" "Wow, I didn't know that much about the prostitution 'hierarchy.'" (not vulgar...just funny...you had to be there). "If you stick a pin in Eli's head, do you think it'd explode??" (LOL...nah, she was able to finally relax pretty good last night). "It's so...dark...I could...go to...slee...zzzz."

We few...we very few...

It seems that the way of the blog is fading. The warming light of daily updates is only happening with 1 or 2 people now. For one reasons or another, some blogs have even faded altogether. Others are fading fast as they approach the point of facing the dreadful removal from my 'links' section. Slowly, the chill of boredom is creeping in, causing some of us to huddle close to our monitors praying for new information and an end to the famine. Once illuminated by the light of news from my friends, my internet time is sadly returning to its normal 'blah-ness' of browsing news, weather, and PC game sites. I..dare I say it...even clicked on 'ebay.com' again for the first time in months. I frantically hit "Back" on my browser, though...and checked out a few blogs while randomly pressing the 'refresh' button and praying for some savior to keep me off of ebay by filling my web time with something informative, humorous, and definitely less costly.

You see, I HAVE to know how many miles Dave ran each day. I HAVE to know what goofy malfunctions happen at Intergraph or at various locations on the arsenal. I HAVE to know what random situation of goofiness the Root has gotten into on some road trip to Nashville. I HAVE to read about what's happening in Birmingham or what Transformers certained lawyers had as a kid. If I don't get this information, then I'll just...just...maybe go outside and get a real life of my own. (Wait...that's not a bad thing, is it?)

Oh, well...whatever the case, my blog refuge is open, though. Serve yourself. Come in and keep warm. The food (i.e., what you read) may be bland, but it will sustain you...or make you barf...it's a toss up.

You see, if I didn't blog, I wouldn't have the joy of sharing my life with you...whether momentarily trivial or important (that depends on the update). For example, this past weekend went really well, and I like sharing that. The Sunday service was moving and the weather was downright beautiful. Though our in-ear-monitors made a difference in the sound Sunday, we've agree we need a real upgrade to better IEMs if we want to effectively use them. Also, I met someone at church this weekend who showed an interest in helping with dramas, etc. Get this...he CALLS me today, because last night he went home and started writing a 15-20 minute drama simply because he was moved to do so and knew we didn't do many of them. How cool is that? That's definitely worth sharing.


SERIOUS NOTE: If you did not know, Lyndia and Beckie's father passed away Sunday right after church (and he was at church that morning, too...I hope you met him). He was visiting with his wife, and he passed very quickly while eating lunch and while surrounded by his family. As sad as it is to lose someone, I think that fact - that he was with family and friends - was a blessing. I hope I'm so lucky when I go. Anyway, please keep Lyndia and Beckie in your prayers.

Do I need a doctor or a plumber?

The pipes are still leaking. I feel a little better...no more fever, which is a good thing. But Stacey woke up nauseated. -Sigh- Enough already. I've seen more stomach illnesses going around this winter than I've seen in the past 10 years. The weather's nice, and I can't take advantage of it. If Kailyn comes down with this, yikes...

Yesterday, in spite of the ongoing intestinal red alert, things proved to be productive. Spent a good portion of the day scrounging up images for a 'montage'-type video for church Sunday morning. Guess I'll work on that some more after I finish bloggin'. Also got the Expedition cleaned out so J-mo could take it to the airport to pick up his parents.

Got so sick of being cooped up last night, that I literally got in the car and drove to Huntsville. Went to Circuit City and browsed around for a while. Picked up a couple of things, including an in-car cell phone charger (which, ironically, I needed to charge my phone so I could let Stacey know where I was...hehe).

Got home, watched TV, went to bed. How's that for Friday night excitement?

KEY PHRASES: "Would you like giblet gravy with that?" "Normally, I'd go with you, but...things have changed around here." (LOL...j/k).

Mad Cow Disease

Wow...I don't know what I have come down with. It's one thing to have a lot of extra 'reading' time on my hands, but throw in a 101 degree fever, and it just plain sucks. Yes, that's the word. It's downright misery.

No one I know has a stomach bug. Mine started 4 a.m. after I ate at Logan's Wednesday night. Maybe it was that super undercooked steak that was supposed to be cooked medium, but was almost rare. I did not eat much of it, in fact, because of that. But who knows... Right now, the thought of any kind of meat is pretty repulsing (Eric, is converting to vegetarianism easy? Heh)

I hope it's not some kind of a virus, or Kailyn may be next...and that's a lot of fun (for her and me).

In other news, J-mo's parents arrive today. J-mo, it's been nice having you around. We should've thrown you a party or something. Hehe...just kidding. I'm glad you have a good relationship with your 'rents, and it's pretty cool that they're here. In preparation for his parents coming, I 'attempted' to help him get some stuff done at his house yesterday, but I felt too lousy to be a real help. Intestinal discomfort and furniture moving are not compatible it seems.

Came home...went to bed early...woke up feeling dizzy (with fever) and nauseated. I feel a tad better now that I'm not so sleepy, but I'm still waiting on some meds to kick in and make me all better :-).

KEY PHRASES: "(insert moaning sound here)." "Wow, J-mo...there's a house buried under all this stuff!"

Ah...spring (again)

After the cold air we've had the past couple of days, today is very nice for a change. It's 70 degrees outside, the sun is out...whoa, momma...what a great day to be outside...

Problem is, right now I'm inside...blogging...supwifdat? Well, at least some windows are open letting the air and light in.

Some random updates:

-Did the usual thing at the Guad Monday night. Mmm...Mexican food. Kyle, Eli, Stacey, Kalyn, J-mo, and a surprise visit from Dave and Dana (woohoo).

-The in-ear-monitors for the band came in yesterday, so we'll be trying those out tonight at band practice.

-Picked up Far Cry today...it looks to be the game to put the rest of my games to shame (as Gamespot put it, "the best game since Half-life" -or something like that).

-Check out the Baer's blog to find out all you've never wanted to know about "moon rocks." (you'll understand)

-Went to Big Bob Gibson's for lunch with J-mo and Dana. Good food, but it's not Jim N' Nicks. Ah, to once again savor the chicken finger honey mustard garlic mashed potato cheese biscuit combination that IS the food of the gods...wouldn't that be nice? Chad...can food be Fed-Ex'd?

See, now you're all updated. If you don't care... then I don't care.

KEY PHRASES: "Why don't we just politely refer to those particular zits as "zutts." "I am Sam Fisher." "Profession: Housewife...er....something like that." "I wish I had a doctor that would prescribe me bed rest. I'm carrying the weight of a baby."

'Thank you...come again..."

This weekend was a pretty busy one, so I've been bad about 'feeding the blogging need' of those that actually read this. But, now that you're undoubtedly starving for an update, here it is. (But read slowly...you don't want to choke or get sick).

FRIDAY - nada...as in..."not a dang thing" happened exciting on Friday. Well, we did go out to eat that night to shatter the boredom that was plaguing the household. Met up at Red Lobster. Saw Wes/Kim, the kids, and Wes' family in there. Funny...we got there after them, got seated in less time, and got our food first.

SATURDAY - OMG. Let's just say that 30+ year old toilets have a way of breaking when you're trying to fix them. Yes, if you haven't already read about this exciting day in J-mo's blog, then you're missing out. In short, what should've been a happy, simple 1 hour project at J-mo's house turned into an all day event with the tightening of a screw. Really, I didn't do it... Well, after that screw was tightened...water flowed, porcelain cracked, water spewed, J-mo "cursed" (over and over)... Maybe years later, the whole thing will be remembered as a funny moment. But not yet... Still, we finally got his new toilet installed, but left a lot of other things he wanted help with undone.

SUNDAY - After a downright terrifying warm-up, things came together. Everything sounded good, the crowd engaged the music, etc., etc. I love it when a plan comes together. Spent Sunday afternoon cleaning for small group, then had small group. Good turnout...even Am-baer showed up!

Yes, life is speeding up (yet again). And even though this weekend passed fast and had its rough spots, it turned out to be a good one. I really like the momemtum building in the group - both spiritually and relationally. Life be good.

KEY PHRASES: "Anything that involves changing a 'wax ring' can't be fun." "Did you ever see that scene in Superman where the dam burst? Well, it's more terrifying in real life." "Like he could 'really' kick my butt." "What sin do you struggle with? answer: 'Orgies.' " (LOL).

Hey, look at me...I'm updating...

Since no one else has anything to blog about, I guess I'll fulfill your blogging thirst. But sip slowly...

UPDATE: Kyle updated his blog...wooooo...

Today was a very busy, yet boring day. I don't know why...I got things done I needed to get done, but - at the same time - I had a serious feeling of being 'couped up' all day.

Had a great dialogue going about the band with a few people today. There's definitely a passion and desire to see things really move ahead...and I think - this time - it's a real thing that will allow that to happen. Why blog about it? Usually, we blog about bad rehearsals or music snafus, but it's also good to blog about the good things that God is obviously doing in people's hearts. Very cool.

Actually went over to J-mo's tonight to hang out...with Stacey AND Kailyn. Ate pizza, looked at old pictures of his living room (yikes), and played some UT2004...well, 'attempted' to play, since his system was crashing a lot. Being the PC wiz that he is, I'm sure that will be corrected ASAP. Or, if it's an issue with the game, hopefully that will get patched "fast, quick, and in a hurry"...(name that movie).

KEY PHRASES: "Sorry about the 6-CD thing..." "Did anyone remember to call Donny and tell him we cancelled practice??" (Um...d'oh...)

"Please give the village back its water buffalo..."

At least...that was what the announcer over the P.A. system asked me to do. Apparently, some U.S. soldiers stole a local village's water buffalo after they defended it from a VietCong attack, and the authorities were simply requesting that the beloved animal be returned...

Ah, I love a game that uses details (even humorous ones like the one above) to immerse a player into the environment. By doing that, Battlefield: Vietnam has re-kindled my interest in online gaming. I hate to admit it, but jumping into an F-4 Phantom and napalm-ing an enemy installation to the tune of some good old Credence Clearwater Revival music is definitely a moment of gaming bliss. "I love the smell of graphics cards in the morning..." Unreal Tournament 2004 SE has also proven to be a GREAT game, but I've just played the other game a little more so far.

I'll have to formally review these gaming "gems" soon.

Band practice is tonight. I hope/pray/plead/beg that it goes more smoothly than last week. I've got a plan to make that happen, but all I can do is wait and see. Either way, I hope we can still know that a 'practice is a practice is a practice,' and rough or smooth, that's all it is.

Anywho...

KEY PHRASES: "I thought that the girl I talked to at Best Buy was clueless. Sure...everyone else is sold out, and you have 25??!! Um...don't think so." (turns out, i was right). "I'm not driving to Florence to buy you a game." (LOL). "I am moving to Nashville." "Double kill!" "Rampage!" "We're being overrun!"

An Unreal Day

No, that's not just a reference to the fact that Unreal Tournament 2004 comes out today for us game geeks...of Battlefield: Vietnam... I sense some life-sucking gaming in my near future...

Really, "an unreal day" is a reference to yesterday...which turned out to be pretty good. In spite of being busy at points, etc., it was pretty cool.

Other than working on music for Sunday, I ran some errands. Went to Home Depot for furnace filters, and ran into John Key up there. He said he was out "loafing." Kailyn had a good time pointing to every light fixture she saw in the store, but you can only hear a child say the word "light" so many times before you get a headache...hehe.

Last night, as usual, we went to the Guad. J-mo, Stacey, Kailyn, Kyle, Eli, and Emma. It was very laid back and a lot of fun. To watch Kyle 'get his feet wet' in holding Kailyn was a lot of fun, too. Read his blog (Musings from the Root) to really get an idea of how cool that was.

Walked around afterwards. Went by EBgames, where J-mo and I reserved copies of UT. Went around to Sears, where we ran into Tania and Andrea. Then, back to Dillards for a little more shopping.

Really, it wasn't all the "what we did" that was so cool. It was just fun to hang out with each other and enjoy the company and the laughter. After all, we WERE in the Decatur mall...which isn't exactly the epicenter of excitement in North Alabama. But...with the occasional (um...frequent) wise crack, Eli's interference with J-mo's flirting efforts, and Kyle's newfound 'comfort' around children, it was a pretty cool evening.

It's amazing the kind of fun you can have when you don't let the issues of life consume you. Woooooo....

KEY PHRASES: "Hey, that looks kinda like a giant toilet. Someone sit on it so we can get a picture." (LOL). Eli: "I think I hurt my back attempting gymnastics." J-mo: "Anything YOU want to demonstrate??" Eli (to thwart J-mo's flirt efforts: "Don't let the baby fool you."

Is Sunday the beginning or end of the week?

If Sunday is the beginning of the week for you, then you can say your week starts on a good note. However, if Sunday is the end of the week for you, then Monday is the first day...and that can be 'blah.' For me, Sunday is the last day of the week. Maybe I should change that way of thinking, so my weeks can start on good notes instead of, "Dang, it's Monday."

After all, Sunday this week was pretty fun. As expected, the music turned out okay Sunday morning at church. We really didn't mess anything up, and the crowd actually engaged the song "Let the Praises Ring" much more than I anticipated they would (they haven't before). Only problem is, the song immediately following it was "You're Everywhere," which is a great song, but in this case it 'killed' the excitement. D'oh. Must...focus...on...better...programming in the future. We also had a really good-sized crowd again, which was great to see. Some guests...Derek was back in town for Jeremy's wedding, so he came back...Kira was there to see Tania sing...and some people have started making 'return appearances,' which is exciting.

After church, we went to Applebee's (where the food is cheaper). Big crowd, lots of stuff to laugh about. It was Me, Kailyn, J-mo, the Root, Eli, and Emma. Also, Brain and Amber and her young-uns joined us, too, and it was nice to have them there.

Spent the afternoon cleaning up for small group.

Small group went pretty well, I think/I hope. Again, we had a pretty good discussion about watching out for the things that can cause our relationship with God to weaken. Everyone had some good points. J-mo challenged us (and himself) to learn to be more active instead of passive in our walk with God, especially when it comes to the mission of reaching out to people (evangelism). Wendy commented that it's important to also find 'balance' in your life so that you don't burn out. Eli also commented that it's important to have healthy relationships with your friends (or, anyone you know really), because unhealthy relationships can also be a barrier to our relationship with God when we let them. There were more points, but these were the ones that stuck out in the conversation. I'll blog more about some of it in my other blog sometime this week.

In addition to discussion, we watched some more Dave Matthews and G3 DVDs, and some of us also grilled burgers on the grill again. (Sorry, Dave...no "Steak and Lobster.")

But for today, "Dang, it's Monday." Well, that's not so bad. I do have a lot to get done today music-wise for church in prepping for next week. But tonight is our weekly guadding outing. (hmmm...new word..."guadding"...like "clubbing," I guess...). So, I look forward to that.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS: (see the Root's blog for the best ones). "Ding!" "Chad, it's pronounced 'Gwad,' not 'Goo-ad.'" "All I heard was underwear, bra, ankles, and stairs...and thought...hmmm." (don't worry...it's not a dirty story...) "Well, Kyle...just move behind the screen when you play your solo, and let Joel pretend he's the one playing it." "Like-a-stone Root." "They'd look like pimples on him." (ROFL). "You bunch of jerks...let's pray." "Is Emma on any kind of sedation this evening?" DAVE: "It's not as exciting as having a goat in the building." KYLE: "Ba-a-a-a--a-ah..."

Earl-eye in the mornin'

This Saturday started early with the workshop at the church this morning. It was well-attended, though I wish some more people were there.

Not much going on...helped out the Davester by taking Jordan to work...then went with Dave, Dana, Kailyn, and Bob to lunch at Applebee's. Good food, good conversation...

Now, I need a nap...

KEY PHRASES: "J-mo, we always knew you were a DIC." (LOL...sorry, folks, but it was pretty funny...forgive me).

Must...stay...awake...cartoons are on

Man, today has been one of those days where been incredibly tired for no reason. I slept good last night, but when I woke up this morning, it felt like I hadn't slept at all. I blame diet...except, on the whole, I've been eating better and I've greatly reduced my caffeine intake.

I dunno...maybe it's just getting older...

Chad's recent comments about afternoon cartoons made me nostalgic for childhood (that and that 'getting older' feeling). I miss the good ol' days of coming home from school, and turning on the tube. The lineup in the afternoons rocked. Sometimes, it was He-man, G.I. Joe, and Transformers all in one afternoon. And, having plenty of Transformers toys and G.I. Joe toys around, my brother and I could literally 'play along' with the episodes. That was fun...however, changing a transformer from vehicle to robot mode always took us a lot longer than it did on TV, dang it. And it was a little frustrating that the robots didn't quite look like their cartoon counterparts. But, no matter...it was still fun.

A couple of years later, the afternoon lineup changed, but was still good. First, Thundercats. Cool sword...goofy cats, but when you're 13, they were still cool. Then, Robotech. I always felt a little 'uncomfortable' watching that show, since it was really Japanese prime-time anime toned down for American cartoon audiences. It was gritty, but hypnotic. And, like any good cartoon, featured giant robots. After that, it was time for the "filler" show "Tranzor Z." What a stupid show, which also made me uncomfortable, because there was this giant gold "girl" robot whose boobs were really missiles. I feared women for years because of that, I think (j/k...hehe). Then, the grandaddy cartoon of them all came on at 5:30...Voltron. Okay, goofy premise...a plot involving big robotic "space lions" that combined to form a giant robot with cool weapons..."form blazing sword." Anytime that sword was formed, you knew the enemy 'ro-beast' was toast. Then at 6:00, life returned to normalcy...and boredom.

Fortunately, my brother and I had the Matchbox die-cast "Deluxe Voltron Set," so the action could continue. My only beef with the toy is that it didn't come with ANY weapons. So we had to make them out of wood, or whatever... Also, there were no cool robeast toys (at least none in the same series that looked cool), so we wound up pitting our Voltron avatar against other robot nemeses...like the Decepticons from transformers. Hehe...ol' Megatron was no match for Voltron.

I saw a Voltron on ebay a month or so going for over $200. Heck, that's cool...it was $50 new in 1986. Maybe it's time to scrounge the old one out of the attic at my parents' house...

What do today's kids have? Sometimes, it's the same things we grew up with, only 'goofier' versions. Browsing any cartoon lineup, you're still going to find Transformers...hehe. Although, now it's called "Transformers: Armada," or something like that. There are also new versions of X-men and Ninja Turtles shows on TV. And Gundam is kinda like Robotech.

But I'm sorry for the other crappy cartoons that kids today think is cool...shows like Pokemon...Digimon...DragonBall Z...Power Rangers (the suckiest of all)...

All I know is that Voltron could've kicked any Power Ranger or Pokemon butt any day of the week... form blazing sword, and knock the -mon of the Poke...

Yes, I'm still a geek...

KEY PHRASES: "The plague has returned." "Personally, I'm glad that they replaced Sven with the Princess." Waitress at Logan's to Kyle and J-mo: "Are y'all together?" Kyle: "Um...no...what?"

"I can't play..."

One of the most climactic moments in the movie "Back to the Future" was when Marty McFly 'forgot how to play' guitar onstage right before he was about to disappear from existence (if his parents didn't hook up, that is). As he began to 'fade out,' his talent faded, too. Instead of strumming chords, he starts just wacking away at the strings creating some ear-shocking sounds that clashed with the slow ballad in the background...

That's how last night felt at band practice. Call it out of kilter...call it something that sucked...whatever. I hate it when that happens because we're ALL better than that. I was forgetting transitions, and the other guys were also messing up. Even Tania, who's got a voice designed for performance, was having to 'fish' a lot for notes and what to sing because of her lack of familiarity with the music. On top of this, the mix was "off" again (surprise, surprise...) So, words like "discord," "dissonance," "ear-piercing," "nauseating," and "vomitous" come to mind. Even J-mo commented afterwards that it pretty much ruined his whole day.

At one point, I wanted to scratch the entire song set and start over.

Fortunately (yes, the story gets better), everything got better towards the end. We played "My Glorious" at the appropriate tempo and it reminded us that we can do pretty good when we set our minds to it. If anything, rehearsals like that underline the need for all of us to ALWAYS prepare for practice in advance, so our individual mistakes don't throw off the whole thing. It also points out the need to make sure that we know when to 'pause' to re-focus (or re-tune, hehe) rather than just hammer ahead like Marty McFly butchering 50s music. Also, based on past 'bad' rehearsals, a lot of practice and focus can happen between rehearsal and Sunday morning, and the following Sundays have usually turned out just fine in the past.

After practice, J-mo, Stacey, Kailyn, and (eventually) Kyle went to Cracker Barrel, where we ran into Sarah again. And as usual, J-mo ran into about a dozen people he 'hadn't seen in a long time.' Dang, he runs into more people he 'hasn't seen in a while' than anyone I know. (hehe). Food was okay, but we were really tired. Kyle was practically comatose when he arrived, having had his bedtime routine interrupted by a call from Sarah, who wondered where our other eatin' companion was at.

KEY PHRASES: "I like farts that don't stink." "I need sedation."

A quickie...

...er...um...not the best title for a blog entry.

Not much happened yesterday. There was some rain, some wind, and the incessant sound of hammering from the construction of the house behind us...incessant...head-pounding...insanity-inducing...hammering...

Brian came over last night about 6:15 to seek help in restoring his Quicken backup data. Managed to get that done, but it took a lot longer than expected, so I got up to the church too late to help Eric with cleaning out the closet. D'oh! Sorry about that, man...

The new Publix here in Decatur opened today. I'm excited about that. Yes, it's sad, I know, to be excited about something like this... But when you live in a town like this, those kinds of things make for big news. Having a Publix here is like adding a little dose of civilization to this town.

(Think about Dennis Leary rants as you read this). You know what else I'd like to see? 1. An Olive Garden. 2. An Outback Steakhouse. 3. Macaroni Grill. 4. Best Buy OR Circuit City. I'd like to see a mall with stores that sold more than just NASCAR memoribilia. I also want to be able to get in my car and drive to these places without worrying about all the drivers around here who are NOT used to driving on roads with asphalt...drivers who actually repair damage to their autos with wood...yes, wood...drivers who push their 1982 Dodge Omnis with visibly bad alignment beyond mechanical limits by driving down the beltline at 75 mph. I want my choice of cable OR DSL where I live. I want cable TV where they screen local programming for stupidity. I want trash pickup to happen more than once a week. I want this town to be a place where Wal-mart is a place to shop, and NOT a place to just hang out on Saturdays and screw up all the parking. I want to know what moron designed all the access roads. I want a post office that's convenient AND has more than 3 parking spaces. I want to know why "Checks Cashed Here" buildings all use bright, tacky yellow signs. I want to to live where you can drive down the freeway and NOT read billboards for companies that sell bail bonds. I want progress. I've seen the opposite of that. It's a 1980s Dodge with a sheet of plywood fastened where the front bumper and grill are supposed to be...and the headlights, turn signals, and (LOL) the grill are screwed into the wood. Think Mad Max meets Ernest P. Worrell.

So, Publix is a shining light of civilization...I'm pretty pumped about that.

KEY PHRASES: "At least Kyle forgets music for everyone else, too." "Don't worry Brian, I'll delete all the files with all your account numbers and credit information...really...I will...really...TRUST me." (hehe...just kidding...I won't even open Quicken, and I'll uninstall it once I know you're all back up and running).

Guad-mode...

Yesterday was a productive, yet typical Monday. Managed to get all the music out earlier in the day, which was good to do. Now, if I can only get ahead again in terms of weeks instead of hours. I made headway in getting 'stuff' done around the house. The bonus room setup/cleaning/arranging project is almost finished, though it seems to be an ongoing thing.

Met Stacey for lunch at Steak-n-Shake yesterday. That was pretty fun, and Stacey appreciated the company (and not having to drive all the way home to get it).

Last night we did our normal Guad-thing. Ran into Matthew in the parking lot, and he looked either really tired or really pi$$ed. Actually, it was neither...more like really sick. I said, "Sick how?" He said, I'd tell you but it would gross you out. Hmmm...I asked if it involved a lot of 'sitting down with reading material' and he nodded. Okay...at that point I was REALLY hungry (sarcasm...hehe).

Ran into Eli and her family inside as they were just finishing up their meal, so J-mo and I yapped with Eli and her mom a bit. Her mom is going to have some type of exploratory surgery on the 19th, so we'll definitely be keeping her in our prayers.

J-mo had been shopping at Dillard's, and remarked that a LOT of stuff was like 75% off. So, when Stacey got there, I headed down to the store (leaving her and Kailyn with J-mo at the Guad) to see what trouble I could get into. It was very cool to pick up a few shirts for under $10 each that were normally around $40...good stuff, too...like Polo, Timberland, Hilfiger, Nautica... It's nice to be able to get nice clothes very, very cheap. Went back to the Guad, then we headed BACK to Dillard's again. After debating it for a while, I decided to add a black Polo winter coat to my purchase. Nice coat, with a wool liner (removable)...normally $245 (ouch!)...marked down to $60. I was pretty happy about that.

A funny (nearly disastrous) point of the evening was when I left Kailyn with J-mo and Kyle at a register while I went to find Stacey, who'd disappeared somewhere into the store. When I came back (with Stacey), only J-mo was at the register, and Kyle was out IN the mall retrieving my daughter who'd wandered all the way to the fountain in front of Dillard's. Hmm...NOTE TO SELF: 2 Asian single guys on a shopping spree -while flirting with the cashier- may NOT make for the the best childcare in the world. Kyle, at LEAST you did not get those jeans...(Queer Eye for the Straight Guy kinda jeans...)... Just kidding...no biggie there about Kailyn, just funny...

Anyway, that was pretty much it. Came home, took care of the dogs, then read some...(yes, I've actually started reading again...weird, huh?), then went to bed.

Well, need to go...the power is fluctuating on/off here...THAT'S good for electronics...

KEY PHRASES: "Well, if you get those jeans, there's a nice Paisley shirt in the window...and...ooh, look, there is a pair of matching orange pants!" "It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning" (read that in a forum this morning...hehe). "Yes, J-mo...asking a girl if she's lost weight is certainly a good weigh to break the ice." (LOL...duh). "The 'protection' joke isn't as funny in that context..." Stacey: "Shopping for women's clothes in Decatur sucks." (hehe)

Good days are...good...

Sorry...eloquence is apparently a waning virtue in my life. But, today really did wind up being a really good day. And, after a few weeks of stress and deep thoughts, it was very nice to have a day like this one.

Church this morning went very well. The music sounded good (got several comments that the subs made a BIG difference). Any of the snafus reported in other blogs were not really noticeable, so that's a good thing. I'm so glad that we do music that really rocks...electric guitars, drums, bass...I find it easy to take it for granted that we have the freedom to do the music the way WE want to in church. This thing called 'worship' is so much easier to engage when you can worship to the sound of music that you really like.

Some wild visual illustrations this morning, courtesy the Dave-ster. Jack did a great job remaining motionless as a costumed Hebrew priest...so good, in fact, that he reminded me of the Royal Palace Guards in London...motionless, staring straight ahead. Hehe... And the goat was funny, too...great illustration for helping make some of the obscure references in Leviticus easier to comprehend.

Yes, we had a goat in church. I know, I know...for those of you in Birmingham that read my blog (all ONE of you), this is really and truly NOT a normal thing even in a town like Decatur, so any feedback containing the words 'backwoods' and 'redneck' is truly not necessary. It wasn't someone's pet that wandered onto our property. It wasn't someone's lunch, either. And, in spite of the "awww"s and "ohhhh"s uttered by the crowd (it was a baby goat, after all), we did not keep it. So, please...there's NO NEED for redneck jokes and concerned e-mails asking me what the heck I've gotten myself into up here.

Well, crap...now that I think about it, the sheer fact that we had access to a goat for a sermon illustration makes my redneck defiance moot. Somebody...help...me...

Went to Logan's for lunch with Stacey, Eli, J-mo, Kyle, and our respective young-uns. Sat in the 'garage' room with the screened windows...nice breeze. The good food combined with the breeze made it literally possible for us to practically fall asleep in our sets. So, afterwards I took a good nap (much-needed after the concert last night, which...btw...went really well...good crowd...loud). After the nap, I recorded a scratch demo for J-mo of a song I wrote. Then I went grocery shopping and Stacey and I cleaned up for the small group tonight.

The small group meeting was a lot of fun. We had good food, good discussion, and a great time watching a Dave Matthews DVD. Fun. I'll probably blog about some of the stuff we talked about in my other blog tomorrow... Don't worry, it will be a worthwhile read...hehe.

Anyway, off to bed....peace out.

KEY PHRASES: "See you later. I have to take my goat home." (LOL...how many pastors do YOU know say things like that after church) "The phrase 'not dead' can mean a lot of things." "Wow, a whole visit without ONE bonus room remark." "Funny how Cracker Barrel waitresses look MUCH different when they're dressed casually and moshing." (hehe) "Why would HE carry that in his wallet...as if..."

Storm spotting...

I was reading online how you can actually take a training class to be a storm spotter, and you get to even use a ham radio without all the training...

Maybe that would be fun...since I like watching the weather when severe weather threatens. I'm one of those weather-junkies, though. Maybe it's a sickness... Maybe - and more likely - I'm just fascinated by the awesome power of nature...and the testimony to God's creation that weather really is.

Also, maybe I can get to know some other storm spotters. Who knows...building bridges needs to be creative, eh?

I'm a geek.

KEY PHRASES: "Ah...peace." "You're like a nagging Asian hen." "Oh, look..Kailyn's pulled all the credit cards out of my wallet. Good girl. Wait, you can't keep them...but good idea."

It's 1:30 a.m....

The song "3 a.m." has been done, so what about 1:30 a.m.?

Well, it's 1:30 a.m., and I must be...tired... Today has been a surprisingly long day.

First, Kailyn's screaming at the top of her lungs while doing anything uncomfortable...and it has finally gotten to me. Tonight, one of her earrings fell out, so we had to put it back in. Holy-freakin-cow...you would've thought that we were sacrifing our baby to some sun god...she was screaming SO loud, and it was all Stacey and I could do to hold her still (wow, she's strong for a 20-month-old). Hopefully, this phase will pass like the doctor suggests it will. Then, we realized just how much she hates thunder after we put her down to sleep. Oh, well, I can't complain too much about her...she's been SUCH a good baby and I'm sure this phase will indeed pass.

Second, I didn't get nearly enough crud done around the house today. Take one part sleepiness, 2 parts overwhelming amounts of work, 1 severe weather concern, then stir in a little depression, and BAM!... a recipe for a lack of productivity.

We went to dinner tonight at Red Lobster (again). Real quick, in and out sort of dinner (yes, J-mo, too)...but the brief hiatus of dinner was not enough to 'redeem' the day entirely on its own.

So, what was good about today? For the past couple of hours, I've just been playing around on the Roland. I just hit the "piano" button and started playing. It's a very therapeutic way to calm my nerves and, honestly, connect with God. No singing, no specific song involved...just playing...connecting... a very cool thing to do. Heck, I needed it.

This particular Saturday will probably be another very long day...-sigh- In one day, I'm going to have to get stuff done I didn't get done here, prepare/run the sound for the concert tonight, and do what I can to resolve other things going on with a friend of mine. It's not that it's really too overwhelming to handle... I just needed to vent about it, I guess.

Sometimes, I would give ANYTHING if life could - if even for just a few moments - resemble something where issues don't plague everything...where babies don't cry, spirituality was an EASY thing, we were all IN SHAPE, and we could live together in perfect harmony with one another (sheesh...isn't that an old Coca-Cola commercial?). This is definitely wishful thinking, but ANY movement towards this is not really impossible...not if we actually strive to be Christ-like, I think... Really - all exaggeration aside - I just want to experience an Acts 2 community...period. I've experienced it before, and I've experienced it here. I just want to experience it again...

God...are you listening? Yeah, I know...stupid question...sorry...

KEY PHRASES: "Easy, Kailyn, it will all be over soon...bwa-ha-ha-ha (evil laugh)." (J/K, of course). "Nice shirt." "Holy wind, Batman." "What next?"

Spring?

Well, I guess with all this spring-like weather we've been happen, we need to expect the occasional round of thunderstorms like we're supposed to have today/tonight. Fu-un. Oh, well...my lawn could certainly use all the rain it can get.

Last night, I hooked up with Eric and J-mo to work on some songs, including one I'd written. It actually sounded pretty good, which is a good thing. Sometimes, when you write a song, it really sucks when you try to add the whole band to it. But not this time, so I was pretty 'happy' about that. Overall, the mini-loud-bleeding-ear rehearsal wound up feeling rather productive. Kewl. I didn't know Jay and Darius - 2 of J-mo's friends who came to hear us - but they seemed like pretty cool guys. And...they didn't think we sucked at our music...hehe.

Afterwards, Stacey, Kailyn, and I headed to Ruby Tuesday's for a VERY late dinner. The food was a bit mediocre and the salad bar pickins' were slim. But it was a good way to relax and chill. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the TVs with the sports shows on...instead, all I could see was the ridiculously-stupid-looking "Stripperella" cartoon on USA. -Sigh- Nothing like 'blurred-out' cartoon nudity... I don't know what was more disturbing...that fact that there was implied nudity or the fact that the characters were cartoons. Shudder... Oops...sorry, a rant was beginning...

Came home to find that our cats had tried their hardest to dig into a bag of dog food in the kitchen. Fortunately, they met with little success, but there were still pieces of the bag scattered around the floor. Stupid cats. :-(

Stacey's off today, so I hope we can get a lot of stuff done around the house. Yes, I know...it seems that's all we do.

One thing I've decided I want to do is earnestly pray for a few, specific things. Mainly, I'm praying that God send Crosspoint 5 people. Just 5 (God, I'd be happy with 4)...but 5 people of varying talents sold out for the mission. Not that I don't value the incredible efforts people have already poured into the church (we wouldn't be here without it!)...but I do think some 'fresh blood' might be what's needed to really get some momentum going and move beyond where we are now. I think that was one of the strengths of the AXCESS group at Mountaintop. People saw what we were doing, and jumped on board. And, like J-mo and Eric, we had a couple of people who literally said, "Oh, you don't have a bassist...I'll learn to play bass." It's that kind of heart I want to see more of - a heart to serve un-clouded by so many life issues. Issues are like 'poison' that destroys our ability to serve, but only if people let them, I think...

Those 5 can be new Christians, old Christians...it doesn't matter to me that much. They may already be involved and just haven't stepped forward. But, it would be very nice to see some people step up to the plate, leave any existing baggage/issues in the dust, and just serve. Now, part two of the prayer...God, what do I need to do to help make this happen? What opportunities do I have or need to make to connect with such people?

KEY PHRASES: "Stupid cats." "Look! I found a treadmill under all these clothes! Jackpot!" "I should never have told her I might be able to find something cheaper." "No, I told you I only washed the OUTSIDE of the car."

What not to say to your waitress...

Today was one of those good/bad days.

THE GOOD: The weather (wow, it was beautiful and warm); band practice; Cracker Barrel (and the resulting laugh-fest); getting more of the bonus room stuff organized; my attitude was good today, too :-).

THE BAD: Kailyn's new changing-table screaming fit (supwifdat?); a debilitating headache; my garage freezer fried itself...

Well, to remain light-hearted and avoid the 'blah' that has so often invaded some of our blogs in the past, I'll focus only on the good stuff. So, please read on knowing you won't feel like hanging yourself afterwards.

Band practice was brief, but good. I did the whole thing from memory tonight, to see how well that would work. I liked doing that, because it freed me to focus on the dynamics of playing and singing and not having to keep my head 'locked' into the music. Duh...need to do that every week. It feels much less like 'work' when I do that. Reminded me of the good ol' AXCESS days at Mountaintop when we finally got to the point that band practice ran like clockwork. Wow, I looked forward to that every week... (Hehe, memories...especially Chad, the bassist...a short-lived, but memorable part of a musical past).

Jeremy and Scott were there... Donny did the sound thing... All in all, a normal week...that is, until we had to break down the entire stage to prepare for the Saturday night concert this week. D'oh! Still, Saturday night should be fun...right up until midnight, when we have to START setting up the stage for Sunday a.m.
After band practice, we headed to Cracker Barrel for the usual food thing. Kyle and J-mo were their usual 'flirtatious' selves with the waitress. Being the married guy in the 'trio,' I could just watch and laugh...as a spectator...lol. Stacey joined up with us after she got off work...

Anyway, that's it...there's a lot I could write, but I'm tired...so, I'll have to deprive those of you who just can't get enough K-blog...

KEY PHRASES: "What does 'white-Neesha' mean? Huh?" "You like how I paved the road for the next comment?" "Oh, sure...you are the asphalt on the road to morality." "What's that smell?" "Your pen is so short." "Sheesh, Kyle...you're just starting a new job...you're not like 'dead man walking' or anything."

RANDOM THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace." Proverbs 10:10.

Kewl. Makes me think...what 'wrongs' do I just wink at and ignore? What does it take for me to finally say 'that's enough'? Funny, we've got it backwards sometimes. Sometimes we DON'T want to deal with things to maintain what we think 'peace' is, whether in our culture, our church, or even our friendships. But this verse makes it plain that it's back-azzwards to think that way. Now the hard part....if someone can tell me the RIGHT, tactful way to do the 'bold reproof' thing, let me know...

Toosday

Today wound up being a cool day. Got up this morning, and Stacey, Kailiyn and I headed to the mall, where Stacey was able to take her turn searching for some clearance clothes. She found some Jeans at Dillard's, then we headed over to Goody's, where we both found some more cheap clothes. Then, we decided we needed some new tennis shoes, so we picked up some at Shoe Carnival.

Okay, it was money spent...I know, I know...but a lot of what we bought was up to like 80% off...woohoo! And now I have more than 3 wearable pairs of jeans...LOL. (and mine go down past my ankles...hehe).

After we shopped, we brought Kailyn home to nap, and Stacey wanted to head back out to the bead shop behind Food World. It was kinda funny...she knew what she wanted to get, but when she walked in there and realized they had like a gazillion beads to browse through, the got a little disoriented and wound up getting nothing....hehe. Next time, we'll beg Wendy to help us navigate the store.

That was pretty much the whole day...until tonight, when I met up with Dave and John Key at the church to talk about small groups. That was a pretty cool meeting. John really has a passion to build small groups that work. So do I, but amidst people's illnesses, traveling, and other issues, it's been difficult to get mine started. Still, I know several people are still committed to making it happen, so I'll start with them...woohoo. I feel that the spiritual dimension in my life (and in the lives of my friends) can be very 'lacking' sometimes, so I hope that people in the church can learn to put busy schedules, hesitations, and any other baggage 'issues' aside so that we can grow together. That's the funny thing about spiritual growth...if you're growing spiritually, all the other crap that usually weighs us down (and, ironically, causes us to neglect spiritual things) becomes easier to deal with.

On a side note, check out my other blog for something else that's been on my mind lately about spiritual things...okay, it's a bit long, but it reads quickly :-).

Anyway, after the meeting, we came home and grilled some burgers on the grill. Mmmm...burgers...

KEY PHRASES: "Why do you have to buy shoes if I buy shoes?" "Hey, look...Jonathan Sparkman IS alive." "I'm only going to buy new clothes until I can fit into all my old ones."

Just another manic monday...

Who was it who sang that? The Bangles? 80s-flashback commencing...

Today was just another normal monday...spent a good part of the day mapping out music and band schedules for the next month. Have to make it an easy music week, though, with the concert Saturday night. I don't want to bite off a lot of complex or new music if we're all going to be a bit sleep Sunday...hehe.

Got Brian's OLD PC up and running today. He had some hardware installation issues and a number of registry erros (399...wow!), but nothing un-fixable (except for the CD-Rom...it was fried.) I'm king of the world! Wait, um...no...

Tonight, we did our usual Guad thing. Small crowd again, as has been the case for a few weeks now (-SIGH-). But the Root has been coming out for the past two weeks (even without a formal invitation...WOOHOO!). Food was good, and J-mo and Kyle gave us the skinny on their trip to the whole billiards-event they went to this past weekend. Afterwards, we (minus Kyle) headed to Dillard's, where they were having an awesome clearance sale on men's clothes. Picked up a shirt and couple of pairs of pants for very little $$$. I love 75% off sales.

We then walked around to Parisian, EBGames, and wound up (as usual) at Sears, where we ran into John, Tania, and Andrea (an acquaintance from past Cracker Barrel visits). I know Tania and John have been really busy lately, so it was good to see them...and I'm sure they'll make it back around to church one of these days, when their schedules allos. We also talked to Andrea about Crosspoint. It's amazing how people really do not believe you can come to church in casual dress and still call it church. Hopefully, she'll know we mean it and check us out.

On a funny note, J-mo made a sarcastic comment (shocking, ain't it) to Stacey tonight, and she hauled off and smacked him on the shoulder blade. Wow, you could hear the pop all over the mall. He was like, "You can't hit skinny people like you hit Kevin...you hit me, you hit bone...OW! (hmm...what did he mean...am I not skinny??) LOL.

KEY PHRASES: "Don't break the J-mo." "No, you're not the only guy I know who would become uncomfortable if a guy offered to help sponge you down in the shower." (was he kidding??? hehe). "What's that thing Jeremy wears on his head? A napkin? A doily? (sp?)