Being secretive

I never thought I would move about the house in a secretive manner. I thought I would keep things out in the open with Wendy, but for the last week I have moved in silence about something. Her birthday is coming up, so I had to make and take certain phone calls in private. I even had to hide her gift in a closet today and make sure the receipt made it swiftly into the trash. I hope her birthday arrives quickly before any of this is found out.

Beautiful illustration

I read Genesis chapter two this morning and got something new out of it. In this chapter we find out that woman is formed from man to be a helper and companion to man. In the study notes of my bible it is written that Luther made the illustration that God didn't pull a bone from the toe, that would imply that man is above woman. God didn't pull a bone from the head either, that would imply that woman is above man. Instead God pulled a rib from Adam's side, a symbol of equality and balance. I couldn't better sum up the true definition of marriage any other way. Men and women were created for one another, plain and simple, I wish everyone else would sit up and take notice of that.

Quick Advice

Don't ever pass gas in the shower. It might seem like a great idea at the time, until the stench hits your nostrils. You quickly realize you have nowhere to hide.

Song of note

If you got nothing else better to do, head over to YouTube and look up the song "Cling to you" by Trip Lee. Amazing song, all I have to say. While you are there check out some of his other works as well. I also recommend his song "Real Vision".

News Flash!!

This just in... reports confirm that I had a thought to share with you all today, but it has vanished from my mind. More details as this story unfolds. Back to you, Bob, for the weather report.

To all the teachers out there

Wendy started back to work today after having a 3 month summer vacation. I guess I wanted to take this moment to salute all of the fine men and women of this country who call themselves a teacher. Its a tough, thankless job at times, but you help make all other professions possible. Keep up the good work!

Childhood memories

I recently did something that I never thought I would do. On last Friday I sold off my old Nintendo system, complete with 2 controllers, a working zapper, all the necessary wiring, and about 6 games. I felt a little nostalgic as the time grew closer to hand it over to the new owner who was quite excited to have made the purchase. I was told that I shouldn't go through with it, that I sold off priceless childhood memories for the very low price of $20. I felt bad because it was a Christmas gift from my parents, it was brand new out and I didn't hear or see much about it. I still go back to some of those old games and marvel at how much they kept me entertained, and how much of a challenge some of the games still are. Wendy and I spent much time trying to defeat Mario Brothers 3, but never did. The fact of the matter is that it was collecting dust in a cabinet, and flipping it for cash would be a wise choice. I felt a little saddened by its passing from my hands, but a few things make me smile and move forward. The new owner will get plenty of fun from it, and has a few small kids of their own that they will get to introduce the ancient system to. I have some emulators and roms on both my computer and the Wii, so I still have access to all my old favorite games. If you still want to say "shame on you", I guess I could end this post by saying that I sold my childhood dreams for a tank of gas.

"Hole"ly Moley!

So no sooner than I celebrate the fact that I paid off my car, I run into a problem. Saturday evening as me and Wendy walk out the door to enjoy a walk together, I notice the right rear tire has gone flat. No problem! I mean, our plans to spend time together have shifted, but I have aided in patching flat tires for the past few years, so I know the drill. Only one problem lies in the way, I don't have an air compressor, and the nearest gas station shuts off their air supply when the attendant goes home for the day. My solution: I used an old shopping cart that was left behind our place to walk the tire over to my parents place to inflate it with air. I told Wendy if anyone asks, I would tell them we went shopping at "Mexicanos R Us", where you can find anything!. Long story short, we got it fixed, and Wendy helped me out the whole way. I'm thankful that my wife isn't afraid to get dirty and lend a hand. Oh, and the object that caused the flat? The metal shank of a screwdriver. We almost couldn't believe it, but since it was stuck inside of the tire we had no other choice. I want to mount it on the wall of the shed as a trophy.

That lovin' feeling

As I was driving home from work today, I just felt so at home and relaxed behind the wheel of my car, nicknamed "Gixie". As I navigated my way home through light traffic I couldn't explain this feeling. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that as of this month, she is completely PAID FOR!!!!! I sent my last payment in last week, and paid it off about 2 years ahead of schedule. To celebrate I might wash it off soon, but I have decided to wait until cooler weather to do a full detail job.

For those who have not seen her, I really don't have any good pictures. I shall leave you with this one from Halloween 2008. Wendy and I entered into a vehicle decorating contest called "Trunk's 'n Treat's", and transformed it into a taco stand. Not bad for only spending about $5 total on it, $20 including the candy we passed out (gotta love the dollar store!).

Old before my time?

I used to remember as a little boy that when it came to cars, the faster and more powerful it was, the better it was. It was all about the look and how quickly you could get anywhere. The other day when I pondered vehicles I realized I no longer take that into as much consideration. No, at the forefront of my mind I now ponder what the insurance payment is like and how many miles it gets to the gallon. For a moment it almost made me feel older than the 28 I am. I guess I should see it as not being an old fart, but a wise young man. Yeah, I can better live with that. And besides, there are plenty of aftermarket parts available to make any vehicle a little more, uh, "fun to drive" (if you catch my drift, wink wink). Hey, I might be more wise in my choices, but I never said I am 100% smart in all my decisions, lol.

Helpful link

My wife and I have gone around the subject of reading. She told me that it is true that men don't read as much as women when it comes to novels and stories. She firmly believes that men tend to stick to the newspaper and car magazines, while women enjoy a good book or bodice ripper. I have been trying hard to debunk this myth by reading more lately. I used to read novels when I was younger, but along the way I just lost interest, but after reading a few in the last few months I find I am once again hungry for a good, solid story. My problem is that I am a picky reader. I enjoy action, some mystery, a little bit of drama, and some humor. Stuff that is too suspenseful, or gory, or too weighed down with details is not my thing. Finding an author I like is a huge plus, it makes finding that next book a lot easier then randomly checking the shelves and reading the descriptions on the back. What if you have read all of an authors works and want more? What if only one of the books an author wrote interest you? What do you turn to next? Try this page, "What Should I Read Next?" Just plug in an author and book, and get instant recommendations. My current recommendation to you is the book "Code to Zero" By Ken Follett. Action, mystery, suspense, and leaves you guessing the whole way. Add to the fact that the story plays out in about 48 hours, and you are left with a book that never stops moving forward until you hit the last page.

Next big thing

Ever sit on the information superhighway and wonder when the next big thing will hit? Seems like a short while ago only a few people would test each other, now it seems that a majority of cell phone users "txt" each other several times a day. It doesn't appear to be a passing fad, but there are some things on the internet that seem to be dying down. MySpace seemed to be a huge topic about a year ago, and people exchanging MySpace names and adding each other to their friends list was all the rage. Before that it seemed like everyone had a blog and that is how you kept up with your friends, but they don't seem quite as popular anymore. These days it seems that Facebook and twitter are now vying for everyone's attention, and it seems people can't get enough of them. Cellphones are now fully equipped to update one's twitter status, or capture, upload, and tag a photo to their Facebook. Even the church I attend is hopping on the bandwagon and telling people to add them to Facebook, and the pastor admits that he now "tweets". I guess at the age of 28 I no longer embrace all of these new things. I prefer to check e-mail about once a day, update a blog when I feel like it, and use my phone to make calls. I guess in internet time I am more around the age of 65, so watch out, I might just be cranky!! :-)