Wednesday Wickedness - 20110105

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Wickedness! We are like other memes in that we will ask you ten questions each and every Wednesday. But our little "twist" is that each week we will pick a famous person and pick ten of their quotes. Each of our questions will be based on the quotes. Got it? Great! Let's begin this week's meme!

I am thinking about picking this back up again, but instead of trying to get this weeks famous person's quotes out there on time... i have decided to be one week late.  This way i can take my time and be more consistent with my participation.  Not sure how Janera Jepson will think of this... but it is the only way i will be able to keep up. I hope she doesn't mind.

Today we picked Mark Twain. Here's Wednesday Wickedness!

1. A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.

Do you let yourself off the hook easily?

No, not really.  I tend to be very "hard" on myself.  It's not because i think of myself as better than anyone else, it's because i am the only one/thing i can really control.  And even that i struggle against my own sin nature (see Romans 7).  I have observed that people will often shoot for the lowest common denominator in almost any endeavor - including myself, therefore i attempt to set the bar as high as possible in order that i may achieve the best possible standards.  I am not always good at estimating just how high that bar needs to be however.

2. A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.

Do you think everyone lies?

Yes i do.  Not all the time, but take into consideration that if any detail is omitted, or changed in the slightest bit,in order to manipulate the perception of the listener, even in the slightest way, it is a lie.  Now, not everyone does it maliciously, but i do believe everyone lies.

3. A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.

What was the last thing that you had to learn the hard way?

Wow... to be honest i am not 100% certain.  Unfortunately most of my life's lessons are learned this way. Um, i believe the most recent one, and this was not the first time for me either unfortunately, that before one changes an IP address it is best to connect to the device by another interface first.  So, maybe i haven't learned my lesson... so maybe that shouldn't be my answer then.

4. A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.

What types of things do you read?

Hmm... i read News articles (and no, not just about the Carolina Panthers), theological books (i.e. The Cross Centered Life, Reformed Theology, etc.), Science Fiction Books (i.e. Path of the Warrior, Guant's Ghosts, etc.), and various .pdf files regarding whatever router issue i might be working on - usually Cisco.

5. A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.

Have you ever thought about something that did not exist and later it was invented?

I am pretty sure i cannot take credit, or even insinuate, that i ever had such an original idea/thought/concept, etc.  I can see his point though.  LOL  Recently i have been reading a lot of articles about how innovative the original TRON movie was.  How it showed so many things that the non-personal computer world had yet to realize, let alone understand.  I think similar things were said about the original Star Trek back in the 60's.  "It was ahead of its time" i believe the saying goes.

6. Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.

How well do you think that you observe people?

I am not a very good student of people.  I often miss the subtle clues, but i will take people at their word, and if they do not follow up - or what they have said is proved false,  i am hesitant to take them at the word again in the future.

7. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

Have you ever used humor to diffuse a difficult situation?

I have, but i am not nearly as proficient as my oldest son, LONG-SHANKS.  He has a gift for being able to diffuse tense situations.  Often, a witty comment, or distracting remark can really help ease tensions.  But even so, it needs to be used with care... because often times, it can go the other way too.

8. Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

How important is your age to you? Do you ever lie about it or refuse to reveal it?

I am not really mindful of my age.  I cannot do anything about it.  I cannot stop time.  It is what it is.  Every once in a while my beloved makes a comment, "only six more years until you are ___".  I usually have to think about it for a little bit.  In some regards it does matter though.  I do know that there are things that i used to be able to do as a lad... that i really shouldn't even begin to consider now. 

9. All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.

How important do you think confidence is? Are you confident?

Confidence is vital.  Too often a lack of confidence will kill a project before it even gets through the planning phase.  One thing is for sure... nothing can succeed unless it is attempted.  Now, having said all that... confidence is a major weakness of mine... i tend to lack it... a lot.

10. Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

Do you do everything you should to be healthy?

No, not really (he says as he pops another M&M and takes a sip of Dr Pepper).  I do try and avoid some things that are not good for me.  I try and limit the amount of pasta i eat.  I do try and avoid eating sweets all the time... and i try and limit myself to no more than one Dr Pepper a day.  Not perfect, but hey... that's me.

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Random Dozen for the week of 20100915

Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee hosts this fun meme.  Each week she scours the internet and her brain for fun questions to share with her blog readers.  You should surf on over and check her blog out! It has been a fun way for bloggers such as myself to find other blogs of interest. 

1. Do you do garage sales? If so, tell me about one great find. If not, tell me why not.

No, mostly because i have enough "stuff" in my own home that i really do not want to add someonelse's useless junk to the pile.  That doesn't stop me from having a 'morbid' curiosity though. 8)

2. Name the last thing you fixed.

A slow drain.  Man that was nasty.  Wet hair is nasty all by itself, but drop it down into a dark hole where it sits in water and has all kinds of nasty things collect in and around it, in a dark damp environment where it can grow even more yuckiness... i think you get the idea.

3. Name your A) Favorite item of makeup OR B) Favorite tool

My favorite tool has to be the power drill.  Very versatile.  Drill holes, drive in screws, remove screws, make an alignment hole for a large nail, etc.

4. Which room in your home needs organizing more than any other?

I SO need a man-cave.  I need a place to display my little nick knacks.  You know... Army stuff, Carolina Panther stuff, hobby stuffy.  The only place that i can do this is probably our unfinished basement... so... that is my answer.  Our basement.

5. Which room could use re-decorating?
Please refer to answer #4.

6. Share something unique about your town.

Due to wanting to keep my identity a secret from those who do not know me in real life i shall defer sharing at this time but i really do like this question!  Good job Linda. 8)  I will share something about my birthplace though.  It is built upon what essentially was a swamp.  Two states (originally) got together and donated the land to the young nation in which to build the capitol of their new nation.  But why should they give up good fertile, useful land when they can give up a hundred square miles of muck instead?

7. If you could send a one-sentence message to your great-grandchild, what would it be?
No, you never do figure them out.  (regarding men trying to understand women)

8. Do you Facebook?

Bwahahahaha - if i had been drinking Dr Pepper right then i would have spewed it from both my nose and mouth.  I confess, i am a Facebook addict.  I like to see what my more distant friends are up to.  I like reading their pointless little status updates.  I like playing MouseHunt with them.  I like collecting flair (which i use... a LOT... to decorate my blog entries with), i like posting useless status updates.  I like making pointless comments about status updates... i am actually playing Mouse Hunt (sort of) while answering these really fun questions from a blogging friend.  Facebook has helped me catch up with old friends, find new acquaintances, and just generally fill in blanks.

9. Describe your favorite shoes.

That would be a pair of sandals.  I really do not like to wear anything on my feet, not even socks.  If i lived in a warmer climate i would NEVER wear them except to work.  So sandals are the next best thing.  When i was younger i had really tough feet.  I could walk across gravel without too much hesitation, that is i couldn't quite run but i could walk without pause.  Now that i am older, i've lost that toughness of skin so the sandals help in that regard as well.

10. Do you listen to more talk radio or more music radio? What kind of station is it?

I am a music kind of guy.  Talk radio tends to irritate me.  My radio presets vary from classic rock, to classical, Contemporary Christian to news.

11. How far would you travel for a really good (favorite) meal?

I would be willing to travel a couple of hours to be honest.  Since my portion sizes are growing a little smaller i prefer to enjoy the morsels i do put in my mouth.  Food is one of life's pleasures and the better it is, the further i am willing to travel to partake.

12. If you were totally honest with yourself (and us) what should you probably be doing right now instead of blogging?

Sleeping. A little while ago i grew irritated with a situation i am finding myself in in-real-life, and once my mind gets riled up it is hard to think of anything else... even nothing.  If i forced myself to stay in bed, what little sleep i would have gotten would have been very restless, and thus not beneficial.  So, instead of torturing my subconscious i decided to get up... check in with my Facebook friends, hunt some mice, and get my RD completed for this week. 8)  It is a nice distraction from what is torturing me mentally right now.  *sigh* but now i am done with this blog entry... what to do, what to do...

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Random Dozen Wednesday

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch? ~ To be honest i rely heavily upon my Beloved for ideas.  If she has not givven me an idea for whatever reason i usually reach for a frozen pizza, or i take the kids out.  I know, typical father.  I have a desire to learn how to cook better (and more often), but i have allowed other things in life to creep in and take up my time.

2. What is one item you won't leave home without? (Purse and license do not count.) ~ Can i say my wallet then?  No?  Because it is in essence the same thing, just for a guy (even though women have wallets in their purse too)... fine.  Um... my cell phone.  Also known as my electric leash (for work) and connection to the rest of the world.  If i had an iPhone it would be scary, but my Samsung Reclaim is web anabled, and that is sufficient ~ for now.

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting? ~ I love the woods, and the mountains, but i never tire of visting the beach (in the off season).  I want to live in the middle of foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with trees all around, but to visit it is the beach hands down.  And it doesn't have to be Ocean City, MD.  It can be Virginia Beach, or anywhere along the Carolinas.

4. Share one factoid of your family's history. ~ We have evidence that our family history traces back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and beyond.  I am also a 13th generation American.

5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ...." ~ I could have trained and participated in at least two of the three events in a tri-atholon.  I loved to run and run and run.  I used to race my school bus from the first stop to the last stop (my stop was the last one).  The route of the bus was a big semi-circle and i usually beat it.  If i went and used Google Maps i could probably figure out how far the respective distances were.  I would also ride my bike forever.  I remember riding my bike from our appartment in Annandale, VA all the way out to Burke Lake, around to where the concession stand was and back again.  Just for fun.  If i tried either today, i am pretty sure i would have a coarnary.

6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be? ~ Dr Pepper.  Puh-leez, like there was anything close.  But not just any Dr Pepper, no sir.  Dublin Dr Pepper, made with real cane sugar.

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ...." ~ Um... i'm pretty sure i've covered most, if not all, of my quirkiness.  Thinking... Ok, i couldn't answer this for myself so i polled my Beloved and two friends... each of them had the immediate response, "Just one!?".  So, here is a brief list: My sense of humor (specificaly computer related, and how i can find something funny when others do not), how particular i am about getting comfortable when going to bed, My flair obsession on facebook, painting my "little army men", whistiling with "incredible" accuracy.

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy? ~ This is a tough one.  Not a big fan of The Dollar Store, or The Dollar General.  I will probably go for a handful of the Carmel candies, the ones with sugar in the middle.  Love those things.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...." ~ My Beloved's laugh.  Some things get kind of old and i will not always laugh.  Although Calvin & Hobbs comes close, it's still not 100%. 

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal? ~ Write out several hundred words on my short stories.  Get the character descriptions done, and maybe outline their main character personalities better outlined.  The word count could apply to any number of steps along my personal goal. 8)

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else? ~ I try and keep my eyes open for opportunities.  For me, i think a good one would be to try and discern a way to serve my Beloved without having to be asked.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon? ~ Soon is a relative term.  Something locked in, or something hoped for.  For the former i am going to take DS1, DS2, and COWGIRL's DS1 to see Iron Man 2 next week.  I am hoping to go with RAM and PETRA as well.  For the latter, well... i would love for a long 3 or 4 day weekend at the Beach.

Loyalty

This morning on my way to the 'Widget Factory" (aka work) i heard the morning drive DJ's talk about a study that says people are more loyal to their soda pop brand (i.e. Dr Pepper) than their employer.  You can read the Reuter's report HERE.  I only caught a part of their discussion on the air as my mind wandered at some point and i think i might have actually just zoned out during part of it.

I thought to my own situation and began to think i must be an odd duck.  I stayed with the Army National Guard for twenty two years, and until recently, i was with the same civilain employer for over 14 years and i would not have left that company if they had not left themselves out in the cold.  I remember once upon a time when a co-worker "jumped ship" for greener pastures only to receive a phone call from him six months later asking me to share his resume with the boss.  I did so, but the boss in turn took the resume and dropped it in his trash can.

In my situation i am more loyal to my employer than my soda brand.  I know there are times when i don't feel like drinking Dr Pepper.  I'd rather have a Coke, or a Mr Pibb.  Sometimes even a Mountain Dew (Voltage is dangerous good in my opinion).  But when i am not "feeling it" at work i am not out looking for a new job.  I do not court other employers to try and get the better deal.

Maybe i need to reconsider my outlook.  I know corporate America is not really loyal to their employees.  When times are tough corporate America will not hesitate to layoff workforce, out source jobs to other countries, or even just not provide pay raises or just cut benefits.  When the corporations are not loyal to their workforce, it is hard for a work force to be loyal to the corporation.

I have mentioned this before, i am not anti-union, but i am not seeing how some of the practices really endear themselves to the world.  I will not elaborate here.  But a case in point where the Corporations and Workforce are mutually not looking out for the other.  The NFL.  PLayers are not trying to cause harm to the NFL as a whole, but they are rarely loyal to the team the play for.  If a better offer comes along, more times than not the player will take the deal.  I don't blame them because when the time comes and said player's performance is not up to snuff the team will cut them contract or not.  "It's just business" is a common phrase.

I feel that is a shame on the whole.  But, such things are bound to happen.  Generally people look after themselves, and that is true from the Billionare owner to the minimum wage floor sweeper.

In the garden God was very specific, "“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”" (Genesis 2:16b-17, ESV emphesis mine), and yet we (mankind) are not content with everything save one.  We want the whole kit and kabodle. Later on God gives us the ten commandments, which are in essence, 1) No other gods before Him, 2) No idols to bow down and worship to/of, 3) Do not take the name of the Lord God in vain, 4) Remember the Sabbath, the 7th day, keep it Holy and a day of rest, 5) Honor your father and mother, 6) Do not murder, 7) Do not commit adultry, 8) Do not steal, 9) Do not bear false witness against your neighbor, 10) Do not covet what your neighbor has.  (Exodus 20).  If one is honest with one's self... how many times a day are any number of these commandments encroached upon and/or broken by us (mankind, both as individuals and as a race).  And yet, God, the creator of the heavens and earth, is loyal to us.

He has not just cast us aside and allowed us to receive the punishment He foretold us to expect, and that we justly deserve, without providing a way for the penalty of these transgressions to be paid for.  In His mercy and kindness, in His love for us, He has not forced us to accept Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins.  He reveles Himself to the world in various ways. He "pings" the minds of the people of His creation and allows them to decide of they accept what He is saying/showing, or if we will listen to "“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”" (Genesis 3:4b-5, ESV).

He shows his "loyalty" (i.e. grace & mercy) to me by not exercising His just judgment immediately, by sending His Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, to die in my place and to rise again to defeat death.  He remains loyal in that so long as we draw breath it is possible to receive this propitiation, His gift to us, and that he does not hasten such a time so as to cut short any such opportunity.  And He does this, despite our daily lack of loyalty to Him (i.e our daily violation of the verses above).  Now THAT is loyalty in perfection.  How can i not strive to be loyal to the things He brings to me in my life, or Him?

Random thoughts

Well, it's Tuesday and i am still adjusting to some new things at work. My mind spins like a top when new things get introduced and it takes me a little while to get them all back "in control". This means that although i wanted to stop doing rambling blogs i am going to keep on doing them for a while. 8) I just can't seem to help myself. Every once in a while i feel inclined to write Haiku poems. I don't know why really, but i have fun writing them. Here are three that came to me yesterday.

Mountains standing firm Rolling Thunder still afar Summits fade too soon

From leeward to peak Power building till release Thunder in the valley

A flower in bloom Pleasant aroma wafts over Intoxicating

Did you ever notice that there are some foods that are really good, but for some reason unless it is from the region it is known for it's just not as good? For example, when my Father lived in San Francisco i was first exposed to Sour Dough Bread. My mouth still waters when i think about the smell and the taste. I still LOVE sour dough, but it's just not as good. The same can be said for things like Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, Philly Cheese Steaks, or New York "Nathan's" Hot Dogs. All of these foods/dishes are offered around the country, but until you have tasted the original - you have just not enjoyed the true dish. For me... i still need to tracel to Dublin, Texas to get my hands on a true Dr. Pepper - made from the original formula. 8) I have never had a good experience with what's known as "White Elephant" parties. For the uninitiated this is a party where everyone brings a gift that was found around the house/apartment/loft/whatever, that is no longer needed by the original owner. It is then wrapped so no one else knows what it is. The game consists of everyone taking a turn where they can either "steal" a previously chosen (and unwrapped) gift, or take a "new" one from the unwrapped pile. Once a gift has been "stolen" three times it gets "locked" and is no longer eligible to steal. One the last unwrapped present has been opened, the first person to go gets one last chance to steal a present. Oh, and if your present gets stolen, you cannot steal it back - but you can steal a different present, or take an unwrapped present from the pile. Ok, back to what i was going to say. My presents have been things like, VHS exercise tapes, or "yard sale starter kits", i've even opened a walking leg boot (you know, for when people sprain their ankles and such). One year i received a quirky television show theme song CD. Not bad, but afterwards the host of the party came over and informed me that the CD had belonged to him and that he had loaned it to "Joe Snuffy" and they had never returned it. So this year, i informed my beloved that i no longer wished to participate in the game. Anyway, after the dust settled i ended up with the best present i had ever had from one of these things - and i had not even played! It was a Coca-Cola suncatcher, and the winner of it! A friend had won it and when i mentioned that i thought it was pretty cool he gave it to me. 8) That was really nice of him. It's hanging in my cubicle as i write. Ok, last but not necessarily least - because when i ramble it is really in no particular order. Yesterday i had the urge to re-listen to Susan Boyle's "Britain's Got Talent" appearance. The first one that really caused such a stir in "cyber-land". What a great story, and she really does have an incredible voice. I can no longer embed the video from You Tube, but you click on the link here to watch it for yourself if you'd like. When i watched it last night she still brought chills to my arms listening to her. I'm not sure i will go buy her album though. It's not because of anything about her, or the music industry or anything... i just don't buy a lot of music - iTunes or otherwise. After i watched Susan's video again i re-watched a clip from The 5th Element. The one where the Diva is singing her Opera. I am not sure what it is about that song, but it moves me as well. The human voice is by far the most powerful and beautiful musical instrument when played by someone who truly knows how to use it.

Water Wednesday

I have not been as diligent as i want in regards to going to the gym. I am still current on my membership, i am just not using the facility. Now Linda over at 2ndCup of Coffee has challenged and asked people to join her in a 30x5 challenge.For my part i've gotten out the past two days (to get a jump start) and hope to again today. In the meantime... i have started "Water Wednesday" where i will not drink anything but water on Wednesdays. The rest of my menu will remain the same, but if my calculations are correct i will save over 500 calories a week. I am hoping to expand on it later... but you have to start somewhere... Anyway, i encourage everyone to get up and just walk. You don't have to walk fast or far, just move for 30 minutes a day.

It was a new day yesterday, but by God it is an old day now

It is amazing how fast time seems to fly, and the older you get the faster it flies. I used to think that it was just because i had children and my life was busier, but nope! Those who have children grown and out of the house say it is just as fast, if not faster for them now! 8/ bummer After missing four consecutive days at the gym over the weekend it was really hard to force myself up and out of bed both yesterday and today. I missed Friday because of the tooth i blogged about last week, and the first day of our yard sale. That set me behind, so i planned on making sure i got to the gym on Monday. God must chuckle when we think we have things all planned out. Sunday morning my beloved woke up with some severe pain in her lower abdomen and back. "Worse than child birth", she said. 8/ Wow... fast forward to Sunday night and we are in the ER. She has a kidney stone. Ouch! So despite having a few extra hours of awake time the past few days it still feels like they are flying by - even though my tail is draggin' in the dirt so far this week. :) I did, however, make it both yesterday and today, and today is our first weigh in at my work for our very own "Biggest Loser" contest. My first weigh in was: 205.8 lbs with a BMI of 31.40. :( When i got married i weighed a mere 165lbs - so it is obviously all my beloved's fault! ;) Seriously though, i am trying to control my eating habits and portion control. Soda Pop is like liquid crack for me. Especially Dr Pepper. I am already feeling a little better just having been going to the gym for about four weeks now. When they asked me what my goals where and i told them my short term goal was to just make getting to the gym a habbit. After that we can discuss the longer term goals. I had more to write about, but it has flown away and a shiny object has taken its place. :) Before i sign off i do want to want to say that my title for today comes from a Jethro Tull song. I pray for this man (Ian Anderson) and his group. I am not sure he would like that, but I like his music and feel it is a good thing. Verse for today: Luke 9 : 57-62, ESV As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus [7] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

I am too young to feel like this

I have really been enjoying getting into a routine where I work out in the mornings before work. I like exercising, like I am doing something about my health instead of proactively making it worse. But it has also revealed some old "Army" injuries. 1) My knees, specifically my left one, gets to about 30 degrees and then it wants to give out. Not all the time, but a lot of it. 2) My neck almost always hurts. The last few years while I was in the guard I could not tolerate wearing the helmet for more than a few minutes at a time. I got a 'special' pillow from the chiropractor but I wake up stiff. I have found it best to not use any pillow except a sliver of a one. 3) My hands... they ache... a lot. I have heard the dreaded "A" word - Arthritis. That last item may actually mean I have to give up Dr Pepper! :( Or at least drinking so much of it. I just got an e-mail from a blogging friend who has helped me with my dilemma! The name of the Opera I was trying to remember is - Orff's O Fortuna to Carmina Burana! I have tracked it down via You Tube and confirmed the melody! Thank you, thank you, thank you Alise! LOL Man that took a load off. Verse for today: Proverbs 27 : 1-6, ESV Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

I got nothing important to say today

Ok, I have no idea what to write about today. I was going to do a review of the movie 'Good Soil' (picture and link on the right bar), but I wanted to watch it one more time and take some notes first - and with VBS this week - that didn't happen, so... I guess I will just talk about my flair. While I was growing up I loved Grover and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street, and I saw this piece of flair while I was just browsing looking for some thing to send to other Facebook friends. I almost had Dr Pepper coming out my nose when I saw this one! So of course it is now in my 'collection'. Anyone who has had to call a help desk about some web page that you are having to access, but can't, I am sure has had to delete the 'cookies' from the web browser. :) Currently I have 44 pieces of flair on Facebook. I won't share them all here, but these are some of my favorites... The piece here on the right was one I picked out for myself. I felt that it captured the passion I have for my beloved. I know that might sound weird, but hey... if I was perfectly normal would I be blogging about mundane things, and collecting flair on Facebook, and then blogging about it? ;-) When growing up 'Wolverine' was one of my all time favorite comic book heros. I felt like I could relate to him - anger issues, doesn't really know his past or where he's going, and I really wanted to be a kick @$% kind of guy (that never happened, but hey). Well, my beloved has gorgeous red hair, which I love. I saw this button and added it immediately. This piece of flair was added (by me) because I really like Jethro Tull's music. As I have matured as a Christian I have become more... selective... in the pieces I listen to regularly from this band, but I love the flute being incorporated into their music. Their Album, "A", had a lot of more classical instruments. I especially remember a synthesized violin in one of the videos. I have no idea if it was real, but it sounded terrific. The very first piece of flair I ever had was a gift from one of my Facebook friends - it is also what got me hooked on that App! She sent it to me as an encouragement because I like to write (blog, and short stories). Besides, who doesn't like Snoopy writing about a "...dark and stormy night..."? :-) The same friend sent this piece... it's a little fuzzy so in case anyone else has eyes like mine it says, "you're a great friend but if the zombies chase us I'm tripping you"! LOL Wow... at least I know where I stand with her. I'm just glad there are no such things as zombies. ;-) I hope 8/ I love the Carolina Panthers Blue "alternate" jerseys. When a good friend's wife, who is also a football fan (Washington Redskins, but she's nice so...), sent this to me it went up on my flair board immediately. My recurring birthday and Christmas gift request is one of the custom jerseys in Carolina Blue with John Kasay's number and name on it. Over time I have received a couple of Autism buttons. I picked this one because it was from a friend who has not been directly affected by Autism, but has been a good friend and supporter. It has been frustrating, and rewarding, trying to be there for my son (DS2). Just this week one of the VBS volunteers asked, "is there something wrong with him". :-( 'No, he just processes things differently than you do' is what I thought. I don't do well in crowds (not even NFL stadiums), especially loud noisy situations, but I try and volunteer with his classes at church because I know that one of us (his parents) needs to be as close as possible to help him. This piece was sent to me by a friend who we've known since my beloved was in college. We have a lot in common... be both enjoy Petra, we both have children with Autism, we both love American football, etc. He had seen me add a Thomas J. Jackson button and sent this to me. This young man, along with the husband of the Panthers button giver above, and I all have a desire to learn more about the Civil War. We are planning on a week(end) getaway up to Gettysburg for just us guys - some day. All we need now is the money saved up. :) Ok, the last one I am going to share with you all today - before I totally bore you all and lose you - is another one that I added for my own enjoyment. One of the call signs I had for a time during my twenty two years of National Guard service was "Thunder". I have always LOVED thunderstorms. There is something about the coolness of it, the refreshing nature of the rain, the rumble of thunder, and the impressive display of power in the lightning. There are times when I feel so close to God that I could almost 'touch' him - and it is almost always in the midst of a Thunderstorm. If I was to ever come across a large some of money for a painting it would be one of such a thing. Verse for today: Mark 4 : 37-41, ESV And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”