I've been dealing with growing pains and my new MP3 player (right). I am amazed at just how much it can hold even though it is 'only' a 2GB model. I love the sound quality, the ease of the controls, and how quickly this old fogy was able to pick up the basics of loading and use. I'm sure there are others out there who would better utilize it than I could, but I am happy with my purchase. I've even ordered a pair of "Skullcandy" ear buds for my tiny ears. I need the softer, more flexible, inserts to hold them in while I workout (more later). I've also ordered a 'skin' to protect it from my greasy/sweaty hands, and an armband, again to work out with. Last night I passed on my old stick MP3 player to DS1. He was happy to get it even if it wasn't an iPod, or a player as cool as this one. We fiddled around loading up his own music, and me showing him how to use it.
Speaking of working out... Although I haven't done it yet, I will be signing up for a gym membership in the next week or so. I really want to get into shape. I am not going to go out and run a marathon, or weight lifting competition, but I do need to drop 20-30 pounds, and I want to live for a nice long time to collect on any retirement I might get. ;) Besides, I used to love to run, and even if my running days are behind me, I want to feel healthy again. The decision is down to either
Gold's Gym, or a local "Wellness Center". There are a lot pro's a con's to both. I am actually leaning towards the local gym even though it's a little more a month. I like the 'coziness' and the proximity to my house - but I am leary because I have heard they "ask" you to get off of the machines after 35 minutes or so. I have plans of using said machines for up to 45-50 minutes once I am in shape again. I dunno, and it might sound silly, but I am praying about which one to join.
A lot of people have been asking me how it feels to be out of the National Guard. To be honest, it still feels the same. I haven't even missed a single drill yet, but there is a sense of excitement that I do not have to go to drill this month. :) I am sure that feeling will wain in the coming months. Maybe not till next year, maybe never, but for now I am enjoying it. I have arranged to meet with two other 'old soldiers' who retired with me (within 30 days of me) for breakfast in September. Mostly to make sure we keep in touch. I also found out that they did not receive anything other than their orders to be transfered to the retired reserve. That was disappointing, especially since I received the unit's Guidon from our two week annual training this year nicely mounted. Since then I have arranged to right that wrong for them - even if it comes out of my own pocket (which I don't think it will, and ssh... it's a secret).
I still haven't seen "
The Dark Knight"! I know it's not the be-all, and end-all, of movies, but I am into the Superhero genre of movies, and I really liked "
Batman Begins". Something as '
big' as this movie and you'd have thought that I'd have been there already - but no...
My story has sort of lagged behind lately, but that's ok. I have been away on vacation, we had VBS, and my beloved's birthday is coming up pretty soon - so I have been a little busy. One of my WWW (blogging) friends recently asked about this, and was encouragingly nudging me to not let it fall by the way side. I still have all of my notes in 'hard copy', but I really want to get them into my '
Liquid Story' program. (For any of you writers out there I highly recommend this program.)
The graphics are mostly to sell the product, but it is possible to insert them to help the writer visualize what they are working on. The program is also highly flexible in how the writer chooses to use it. I love it because I can 'flesh' out my notes on the characters and line up my outline (as much as I have so far) in a way that is helpful to me.
Last, but not least by any stretch of the imagination, is that God has been working on me. Helping me learn how to set better priorities. I am a slow learner, but... oh look, something shiny....
Verse for today:
Proverbs 1 : 1-7,
ESV
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
According to the Countdown clock I've set up on Facebook, there is only 30 more days until opening day of the 2008 NFL season! I know there is a game or something on Thursday the 4th, but those don't count because the Panthers don't play in them. ;-) The Panthers open their season in San Diego - what an awesome place to start! The weather will be great, and the excitement will be high. I am hearing good things about Beason, and Stewart, Delhomme looks like his arm has recovered nicely, and the receiving corps looks to be much improved. All of this looks great from the cheap seats, but only a regular season game will tell how things are really looking. I must say that I am disappointed with Steve Smith though. I don't know the whole story so I will not say much more about that whole thing, but I do want to comment on one thing though. It took a man to come back and own up like he did. He stood before his teammates, the media, and his fans and took responsibility for his actions. He did not try and make an excuse, he did not try and shift the blame. He said what he did was wrong and he said it was his fault. Those are the actions of a man.
Slightly further away (at about 59 days) is the scheduled release of Fallout 3. I am not really sure what would be new enough to write about. I am liking what I am reading about how Bethesda Softworks has gone about doing the game tutorial. Older players (such as myself) need that extra help as we do not always play these modern games as much. I never really mastered the Pong controls, let alone the one time I actually tried Halo. LOL I am not really sure what I am all hyped up about. I enjoy video and role playing type games, but it's not like I am going to have oddles of time to spend playing it. If what all of the reviews are true (most of which can be read through this BLOG), I could spend a hundred hours playing this game and might not finish it. I like that if only because it will probably take me over a year to finish the game once. Anyway, if/when I actually get to play I might just use this time to update how well I am (not) doing.
This morning I forced myself up out of bed at 6:00 to head out to the gym, even though I do not have my evaluation fully complete yet. I am the type of guy that needs to set up a routine, and then follow it. When I was asked what my immediate goals, and how many days a week I wanted to work out where I said my most immediate goal was to make this a habit. Weight loss and all that aside, if I don't change how I do 'life' then the other goals will not be very long lived. As for the number of days - five. If I only do three days a week all it will take is a bad morning where I tell myself I can sleep in today because I can just get up tomorrow, will soon become two days, which will eventually become one... and then eventually become none. I have to make it a part of my daily work routine. If I go to work, I go to the gym. That is my plan.
Verse for today:
1 Corinthians 10 : 25-31, ESV
Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
