There Is Water

I managed to install new capacitors in my trusty iMac's logic board (the Apple equivalent of a motherboard) this weekend. There were 28 of them in total. It took me around 15 hours or so. That's right. Most people are out doing stuff on the weekends. As for me...I stayed home, so I could bang my head against the wall while trying not to burn myself with a soldering iron. (I'm not a nerd.) This operation was much more complicated than I expected. After spending two hours pulling everything out of my computer (and I mean ev-er-y-thing), I was almost regretting my decision to make this repair. There were bits and pieces of my Mac all over the place. (Short recap here: About four or five months ago, my iMac went down for the count. Fortunately, I have an external backup. Unfortunately, all my music programs are on that computer, which means I haven't composed in a very long time. When the computer went down, I had just started a piece for wind ensemble, so that's been setting unfinished all this time. Anyway, repair bill was around $500-$600. Why? New Logic board. Why? One bad capacitor. That's right. I said one cheap little capacitor. Apparently, this is a common problem with the capacitors used in my computer, so I decided to replace all 28. The capacitors were about a buck each, so the penny pincher in me was incredibly excited.) After reinstalling everything and latching my computer back together, it was time for the big test. I plugged it in and pushed power (halfway expecting it to blowup), and my computer made that loud "BING!" sound that says, "Hey. Look at me! I'm starting up!" Yay! We'll see what happens. I did a lot of googling before and during this little procedure, but there were still quite a few things I had to wing. I'm going to keep a close eye on it. If all seems well, I'll post some tips here, just in case someone else out there is crazy enough to attempt brain surgery on their computer.

My Independence Day began at the Oklahoma State Capital where I attended the Sooner Tea Party. I wasn't sure what to expect. I know tons of people that are disgusted with what's going on in this nation, yet none of them were planning to go to a Tea Party. I have to admit that my drive to the capital building was full of anxiety and wonder. Like I said, I know lots of people that should have gone but wouldn't. They all had their reasons: fear, too busy, didn't want to look like a 1960's hippy, etc. I kept thinking, "What if it just turns out to be me and a couple of crazy people walking up and down the steps of the capital building holding up those cliche protest signs?" There are very few things sillier than a three-person protest. Upon arriving I realized that I had no reason to be nervous. There were close to 5,000 patriotic Americans there. I didn't see any crazy people, which was nice. There were entire families, lots of American flags, and tons of friendly folks eager to talk about their passion for American freedom. I'm excited to see more and more people leaving their apathy behind. It's not too late to save this country. It's quite simple really. You just have to vote for the right people. If you have a representative that finds it necessary to misrepresent his/her constituency, it's time to put someone else in that office. If that person fails to do the job, vote him/her out next time around as well. Eventually, someone's going to get the hint. Overall, stop worrying about the economy. We're letting that distract us away from the real issue: Freedom. What good is an economy if you don't have freedom?! What good is money if you don't have freedom?! My grandparents tell me amazing stories of four-hour horse and carriage rides to "town." They talk about their first Model-T Ford and how the world has changed over the past 90 years. America: If we're not careful, we're going to be explaining what freedom was like to our grandchildren. We can do something about this. I don't want to live with the burden of knowing that my generation dropped the ball. After over 200 years, we were the ones that willingly gave up our hard-earned freedom.

Anyway, that was just the beginning of my 4th of July. I spent the rest of the day with my amazing family. As for the evening's entertainment ...well, it rained. ...and it rained...and it rained.






Finally, we had a break and a chance for the featured presentation. You see. My family has a thing for putting on our own fireworks show, and we recently added a new tradition. We call it the redneck firework. (Please do not attempt this. Please.) Anyway, I caught it on video this year, and here it is for your viewing pleasure.



Unfortunately, we had a sudden down pour before the grand finally. I suppose we'll have to wait until New Year's Eve for that one. I hope everyone had a great Independence Day!

You're probably thinking this is the sad result of this women not taking the "new anti-aging miracle pill," Resveratrol.




















Not so. Here's her before picture. Yep. She's just as shocked as you are.

Go get'm Jim! This guy makes me proud to be an Oklahoman!

As I was driving today, I had the great pleasure of seeing a unique nativity scene. Actually, it was pretty normal. Except, instead of using the traditional stable, this person used the sleeper off a yellow semi. I did see this today, and yes, it is the middle of June. It's not necessarily "normal" to have a nativity scene up year round, but personally, I see nothing wrong with it. We need to be reminded of Christ's birth year round. Now, would I have a nativity scene in my yard all year? Ehh...I need job. Does anyone out there need a band director?

The 4x4 behemoth that once descended from the original Humvee, the flagship of the American military, may be heading for China. First of all, just in case you've never noticed, Chinese automobiles are hard to find here in the states. This may have something to do with it.



As you can see, Chinese companies aren't too shabby at copying the designs of popular automobiles manufactered around the world.



The car in the first video may be an older year model. I'm not really sure. In the end, it doesn't matter. Chinese companies are still having problems meeting the crash test standards here in the states. I'm sure they're desperately hoping to break into the American car market at some point, and I have to admit I'm desperately hoping they never do. Quality is my main concern. It seems like everything is going the way of the Chinese. What happens if I don't want to buy cheap junk? There must have been a time when products from China saved consumers money, but I'm not so sure this is the case today. For instance, I bought a good ol' American-made leather belt a long time ago. (The brand was Levi's.) It had to be almost ten years ago. I wore that belt all the time for nine years or so and still received compliments on it. It held together and showed near no wear. (I wore that thing two to four times a week while in college. Once I started teaching, I wore it almost everyday.) Unfortunately, it disappeared around six months ago. Now how a belt disappears is a mystery to me, but it did. I began a search for a good leather belt, but I simply couldn't find one. Granted, it was around Christmas, but all I could find were those junk belts from China. You know the ones that say "Genuine Leather," yet fall apart as soon as you put them on. No joke. A couple of months after losing my favorite belt, I was heading off for a concert. I still wanted to replace my belt, so I stopped off hoping to remedy my belt deficiency. It was around February, so it seemed logical that stores would have recovered from the Christmas rush. I was wrong. They had the same junky belts that I had found months earlier. I thought, "What choice do I have?" So, I bought one. As onlookers gazed with wonder, I put my new belt on in the parking lot. "Wait. What is this? ...the belt I just bought (which is made of 'genuine leather') is cracking and falling apart?" Needless to say, as I was heading home the next day, I took that belt back. I would have taken it back right then, but I was in a bit of a rush. Finally, a couple of months ago, I found a good leather belt by Fossil. It was maybe five to ten dollars more than the junky belt I had bought months earlier. In essence, a junky belt that didn't last one day somehow managed to cost almost as much money as a real leather belt that seems to be holding up quite well. Of course, this is just one story about one product. Maybe this isn't the case with all products. But what if this is the case with all products we buy? Are we paying more for cheap junk? Or did the cheap junk force companies to lower prices on the well-built expensive stuff? Either way, I plead with you America, please stop buying cheap junk. You're only encouraging them. Someday we all may be buying cheap new jalopy cars. Above all, buy American-made products, and while I'm at it, stop voting for crazy people. It's just wrong.

After sleeping most of the afternoon/evening away trying to get rid of a borderline migraine, I awoke and proceeded to eat supper as the History Channel played in the background. Eventually, there was a commercial for something they called "the link." The commercial states that "this changes everything." In the ad, they lay claim to finding "the" missing link. My first thought was, "Who are these people trying to convince?" It comes across in a very "I told you so" kind of way. As someone that once believed in evolution, I have to say, I've grown tired of arguing this issue. Yet, here I am again. God made me a skeptic. I'm skeptical about everything. I believe nothing without analyzing it and tearing it to shreds. Absolutely everything must make logical sense to me. It's that simple.

I remember being a God-skeptic. I remember believing in evolution, but it didn't take long for me to start doubting science's beloved theory. I began to see problems. I read and I read and I read...and the more I read, the more problems I had. I wondered if I were crazy. How could a musician see issues with this theory, yet scientists go on believing as if nothing were wrong? The first victim of my skepticism was the age of the Earth. We grow up being told our planet is insanely old. Starting in kindergarten, teachers show us fossils and tell us it took a long time for these fossils to form. Well, the fossils are right there in front of our face, so the Earth must be old. Right? Well, it didn't make sense to me. I can remember being a child and having problems with fossils. They just didn't make sense. If my cat, Felix, dies in the back yard, and his body is left untouched, what happens? His carcass rots away. That means it's absolutely impossible for a fossil to take a long time to form, because if it takes too long, there will be nothing left to fossilize. This simple thought was the beginning of my slippery slope. It by no means disproves evolution, but it sure opened the door for a little doubt. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, life is too complicated to have evolved from nothing. Scientists can't even create life in a lab. How am I suppose to believe it can just arise by chance? Atheists still baffle me. There are tons of websites and blogs dedicated to "disproving" the existence of God. Why? If you believe there is no God, then why waste your time and energy trying to disprove His existence? If there is no life after death...if this life is all you have, why waste it by arguing your worldview and being angry at everyone that disagrees with you? Who are you really trying to convince?

So, I'm officially in freak out mode. I wanted to get certified to teach in Indiana, but in order to get certified to teach in Indiana, I need an up-to-date Oklahoma certification. Apparently, the Dept. of Ed. is "switching out their system." So...I waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. You get the point. A couple of months later I came to the conclusion that Indiana wasn't going to happen. I thought, "That's okay. God just doesn't want me to be in Indiana, and I'm fine with that. I didn't really like the thought of running off by myself anyway." Obviously, I'll be teaching in Oklahoma in the Fall. Or will I? I called the department of ed. four to six weeks ago. They said two more weeks and my certificate will be here. A month went by, so I called them again. They said it'll be a week or two. I received my certificate on Monday of this week and quickly opened it like a child opening a Christmas present. Once opened, I realized the sad fact that they had sent me the wrong certificate. Printed on the front it clearly says, "Valid From 8/1/2007," "Valid To 6/30/2008," and "Print Date: 5/13/2009." After spending all day Tuesday trying to get ahold of someone that could help me. You know how it goes..."Well, you need to talk to...." Then that person says, "Here. Let me connect you to...." Then that person says, "You need to speak with....but that line is busy. I'll just give you the number, so you can reach them directly." So, like I said, I spent Tuesday just trying to reach someone, but the line was busy. I called the number a few times this morning, and it finally rang. "YES!!!" I tell that person my problem, and what does she do? She sends back to the person I spoke with yesterday at which point that person suddenly realizes she can actually help me. She connects me to the appropriate person...and my cell phone loses the call. "AHHHHHH!!!" Long story short...I should have an up-to-date certificate by Friday or Saturday. Meanwhile, there are only like three or four jobs I'm really interested in taking, and most likely, there are tons of other people eyeing those jobs as well....but guess what? I can't apply for them!!! I'm in freak out mode!

* As part of my job, I spent more than two weeks living in an RV 4x4ing on Coal County's section of the Muddy Boggy Creek...and I didn't see bigfoot once! Although, there were some donkeys running about on the other side of the creek...the side I had the pleasure of "camping" on the previous week. (Apparently, I return to my home away from home tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sasquach sighting!)

* I took my iMac into the doctor and had my fears realized. It has a "fried" logic board (mother board...I have no clue why Apple calls their "mother board" a "logic board.") Price tag for a new logic board installation..."CHACHING" ... $505.00 plus tax. Yay! I might as well buy a new computer. Mine is 4 years old, but I'm pretty tight when it comes to that kind of thing. My little Mac is plenty fast, so I see no point in splurging. Besides, it's really not the logic board as much as it is the capacitors. Of course, repairmen don't replace capacitors; they replace the whole enchilada. Cost of 29 new capacitors is $35 bucks. The only downside is that I have to do it myself. I'm sure I'll have fun with that. :(

* It rained...A LOT!

* I found out U2 is coming to Norman?!

INTERMISSION!!!


* Oklahoma picked a State Rock Song?!

* The media/American public overreacted to the "Swine Flu."

* Our fantastic president had Air Force One flown low through New York Harbor, so he could get a picture of it in front of The Statue of Liberty. He's the President of the United States, and he couldn't find a better way to get a photo op of Lady Liberty?! Oh, of course, in doing so, he caused mass panic among the people of New York City.

* I read/listened to around 2.5 books of the Bible. I'm in the process of reading/listening to the entire Bible from cover to cover. As crazy as it sounds, going through it this way seems to be giving me a better grasp of everything. The stories I grew up learning in Sunday School are making much more sense now. And yes, I read and listen to it on my iPod at the same time. :)

* A "new" breed of Pepsi was introduced...sweetened with sugar! This is exciting for me, because I've done away with high fructose corn syrup. It's no longer part of my diet...along with lots of other nasty stuff I no longer consume. This is easier than it sounds...it just takes a little time to read labels. It took a little over a year to find everything I need to be rid of my least favorite corn product. There's a lot of great sugar sweetened stuff out there. The High Fructose Corn Syrup people are spending tons of money on lobbyist and commercials, but the research speaks for itself. The stuff is bad for you. Anyway, before this week, my only soda choices were Imperial Sugar Cane Dr. Pepper or Jones Cola. Both are very good. Unfortunately, they're extremely difficult to find...which means I just didn't get to drink pop. :( Until the recent return of original recipe Pepsi. Yeah, I would prefer a good ol' fashion high-fructose-free Coca-Cola. Until that happens, Pepsi is wonderful. I drinking one right now. Mmmmmm...Thank you, Pepsi!!!

Discussions of crazy world events will be continued another day. I'm much too tired to think. Today, as I was driving across the state on no sleep, my long-held opinion was confirmed yet again. Oklahoma is the most beautiful state in the nation! It has a little bit of everything. Anyway, on my way home, I witnessed a classic Oklahoma sky...a pure blue sky lying behind tons of puffy cumulous clouds. It was a sight, but I didn't get a picture. :( Maybe next time.

Now for the bad thing about Oklahoma: The weather can really throw a wrench into things. A few weeks ago we had some possible hairy weather...which caused Mr. Meteorologist to overreact and take up half of Chuck for a storm that didn't amount to much. Of course, it was DVRed, but even DVR can't fix the weather. So, it recorded thirty minutes of weather and thirty minutes of Chuck. I thought, "What's the point of watching half?" Well, that means I missed one Chuck...which means I couldn't watch the next one until I caught up...or the next one...or the next one...or tonight's. (Which, I need to get into bed anyway.) Then, the DVR messed up and all the Chuck episodes were lost...forever. It's a very sad/serious situation. I suppose I'll just have to catch up by watching online. At least I still haven't fallen behind on Lost. YAY FOR BEDTIME!!!

This is a question I've been asking for quite some time. North Korea shoots a missle...Ron Paul supporters are terrorists...members of the UN are asking for a global currency...our national debt is off the charts...the US government wants to put a tax on bovine flatulance...and the sky is falling. Did I miss something? Oh yeah. And most of the country seems to fall into one of three catagories:

1. "I know nothing about any of this. What time's American Idol come on?"

2. "This really stinks. I wish I didn't have to think about all this stuff. Oh wait...I don't. What time's American Idol come on?"

3. "Remember the good ol' days...when the world wasn't ending? Those were good times."

I tend to bounce between two and three. Although, I often wish I were a one. Here's some Glenn Beck to get this started.

I'm officially CPR/First Aid certified. I took my class today, so that's something I can scratch off my to do list.

I also had the privilege of following my GPS to the bumpiest "road" ever conceived. Apparently, it doesn't have a name. My Garmin simply referred to it as "the unpaved road." Oh little GPS. You have such a profound sense of humor.

I still need to recruit/find more Blogger friends. I'm Blogspot friend challenged. :(

The United States government asked the GM CEO to step down and is now in the process of restructuring the struggling company. Fortunately, President Obama reassured the American public and explained that "The United States government has no interest or intention of running GM."

In other news, I have no interest or intention of placing a period at the end of this sentence. Oops!

It's been awhile since my last post, so I thought I'd say some stuff. First, I was raised a Baptist, and tonight, I relearned a lesson that I've learned many times before. If you're in a Baptist church and have the urge to clap along with the music, it's probably best that you don't. Even if it seems like everyone else is. However, if you do decide to praise God via hand clapping, be prepared to be doing it by yourself within a few seconds. Furthermore, if you happen to be leading worship in a Baptist church, it's probably best not to ask them to clap. Maybe it's just poor hand-eye coordination, but Baptists just have a hard time clapping. On a side note, we had Jamie Smith as a guest worship leader tonight. On her last song, I happened to look over and see an older woman plugging her ears with her index fingers. :) I suppose electric guitars aren't for everyone. The way I see it, Pick'n and a grin'n is mighty fine on any breed of guitar.

I had to do what I feel is the hardest thing I've ever done. I had to put my little Whiskers to sleep. I got Whiskers around 6th or 7th grade, so she was around 18 years old. Our appointment with the vet was Friday at 3:30. I dreaded it all week. Most days it was hard for her to get around, but every now and then she had a good day. Friday was one of them...which made it even more difficult. I loved on her and told her good bye. It was so hard, because she was scared when we were at the vet. And I just couldn't comfort her to my satisfaction. I've fought and battled guilt the past few days. (You hope she knew how much you loved her. You hope those last few moments weren't horribly tramatic for her.) I never want to do that again. The pain is just too much to bare. My heart is broken.

I try to remember all the good times. This picture is fairly recent...around August or September. She was helping me change my spark plugs. :) I remember how when I was in middle school, and she was a tiny kitten, she would fall off my bed and meow until I woke up. I would pick her up, and she would want to play for a bit. As a kitten, she would gently pat your chest to wake you up for love or play. If you were setting down she would gently pat your leg to get you attention. She did this until the day she died. Throughout college she would always come say good bye to me as I left. (There was a scratching post there, and she would scratch it as I left. I'm not sure why, but that's what she did. Soon, she didn't get around like she once did. When she came out to say good bye, I would carry her back in and tell her bye. She seemed to understand, as she didn't follow me out again.) She had many nick names: Whisky...Whisky Bisky...Whisky Bisk...Whisky River...Wisk. (I remember how funny we thought it was that her nick name ended up being Whisky. We would go to the porch and yell, WHISKY! WHISKY!..... We would joke about how the neighbors must all think we're a bunch of winos calling out for some whisky.) She knew where my bedroom window was, and if she wanted in she would come to it and shake the screen with her paw until I woke and let her in. (I'm still not sure how she shook the screen like that. It was pretty strange.) Once, she even saved our home from burning down. I was the last one up. I was brushing my teeth when I heard Whiskers going crazy and hitting the door. She was doing her best to get my attention. I opened the door, and she looked straight at the laundry room as if something was in there. (Just like something out of an episode of Lassie.) I went for the laundry room thinking a cridder may have made its way into the house, but when I opened the door, I was hit in the face with a puff of black smoke. The laundry room was on fire! I ran through the house yelling, "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!..." By this time the smoke was throughout the house, so the problem was evident as my family awoke. Not only did we all get out of the house, we were able to extenguish the fire before it spread. This was all due to Whiskers.

I'll miss her. I had already decided many years ago, that I wouldn't have another indoor pet. After this, I'm not sure if I'll ever have another pet. It's just too hard. After 18 years, I walked into a vet with my little kitty and had her put to sleep. I ask God to take my guilt. I hope it passes, but I can't help but to wonder if I did the right thing. Did I do it too soon? Did she know how much I loved her? I've even wondered if she would forgive me for taking her life...but I know animals don't think that way. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that one minute I was loving and petting her....and the next minute I was carrying her away to a strange place. She was scared and confused, and that haunts me. I've come to the conclusion that I need to forgive myself...not have her forgive me. It's awful, but I feel guilty if I laugh or have fun. I guess I took her life, and now I feel bad when I enjoy mine. I feel bad if I pet another animal...as if I should be petting her. I feel like I betrayed her trust...like I betrayed her love. I'm sorry for such a depressing post, but I suppose this might help my healing process. It just hurts. Many people would say, "It was just a cat. Move on." Not me. She was a blessing, and I thank God for the 18 years that she was a part of my life.

I've officially gone to an NBA game. I've been watching the OKC Thunder on TV for a while now, but I have to say seeing them in person is so much better. The Ford Center was packed and loud. As we entered, I was carrying my four-year-old niece and reassuring her that this was going to be fun. (She looked a bit shocked. I'm sure 18,000+ people screaming can be a little overwhelming for someone that's only been around four years.) Anyway, I grew up a Knicks fan. Patrick Ewing and John Starks were my basketball heroes. I haven't been interested in the NBA since early high school...but I have to say my interest is renewed. Lots of NBA fans rag on the Thunder, but I'm a firm believer that OKC will have one of the finest teams in the league in the near future. There's lots of young talent on the team. Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are very promising. Kevin Durant is just crazy awesome and watching him is a blast! (He had 47 points!) Tuesday was the unveiling of the new mascot, "Rumble the Bison," as well. I was truly glad to see that they went with something a little more Oklahoman. Apparently, he plays trap set, can dance....but isn't the best dunker...yet. He just needs a little practice. On a side note, his hair combined with the basketball jersey gave me flash backs to "Teen Wolf." My nieces seemed to really get a kick out of "Rumble" too. Overall, I think he's a very good mascot for an Oklahoma team. The Thunder ended up losing due to a last second shot. (100-98) :( That's okay though. I had fun..and plan to go back for more fun in the future.

There are no words to describe this commercial. Just enjoy! Was it my imagination, or was there a prison named "High Point" in the previous video?

I'm going to be very clear and very blunt. The Liberal agenda is going to destroy this country. The scariest part is just how fast it's progressing. We're quickly moving toward hate speech laws and gun bans. People have fought and died, so that we can have freedom. Unfortunately, we're apathetic and don't care. Besides, big brother knows best. If they want us to give up freedom (that others fought for), then it's for the best. Give me a break. I remember when the seat belt laws came into effect. It's unconstitutional, but we did nothing. Seat belts save lives, so it's okay I suppose. Most people wear them anyway. Right? Consequently, our government suddenly took on the job of protecting us from ourselves. You know what? I live in the United States. If I want to saw my arm with a plastic spoon, I can. That's my right, and as long as what I'm doing isn't interfering with someone else's rights...then I'm good to go. Thirty year old me being an idiot and not wearing a seat belt effects no one but my stupid self. Government is a necessary evil, but it's always bad. It's bad, because it's ran by man. Period. Now, democracy is a better form of government, because it's inefficient. It's usually really difficult to make big changes, but due to recent events, lobbyist, a bias media, and propaganda these changes can happen fairly quickly. There are people standing up and fighting to take away your rights. Ron Paul tried to warn us, but the propaganda machine that is the American media told us he was off his rocker...and apparently we believed them. Britain's gun ban failure should be all over our TVs, but it's not. Don't you wonder why?

“They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security” - Benjamin Franklin

I went to work today and discovered that the lesser traveled roads that I must navigate were covered by a sheet of ice, and that was fine. The MINI did an amazing job. ("Go little MINI! Go!") Unfortunately, by 5:00PM today that ice had turned into about four to six inches of snowyish ice. Needless to say, my drive home was quite an adventure. I managed to get stuck several times. (Thankfully, I was also able to get unstuck several times as well...admittedly, one of those times it had me wondering if I'd be spending the night out in the middle of nowhere, but after about 10 - 15 minutes of rocking, my car sliding off in a ditch, and a passer by giving me a couple of shoves, I was free to find another place to get stuck!) Once home, I decided to check my car over, since getting stuck over and over probably wasn't the best thing for it. While I was at it, I decided to go ahead and check the oil. I knew it was close to needing a quart. (Rewind about a week. I was on my way to Tulsa when I noticed that my car was running a little hot. It wasn't overheating...just running warmer than normal. Granted, I was driving pretty fast, because I was running late. Driving Fast = Supercharger Being Used. ...but I'd driven that fast before with no issues...and the intercooler should be keeping the engine cool. I decided to pull off and check the oil. It was either the coolant or the intercooler. If there's not enough oil, it seems that the intercooler would have a hard time doing its job. Anyway, it was about half a quart above the fill line, and I drove on...just slower than before. Not using the supercharger seemed to remedy the problem.) Fast forward to now. I pulled the dipstick out and immediately noticed my oil didn't smell quite right. (Not that I make a habit of smelling my oil, but the oder was fairly obvious to me.) Upon closer inspection, I noticed my oil didn't look normal either. ...and I'm thinking, "Please God don't let that be coolant I'm smelling." (That's what it smelled like though) "...and please don't let that be coolant I see in my oil." Coolant in the Engine = Blown Head Gasket or a Cracked Block...or maybe a cracked oil cooler...or possibly something else really bad. I usually use European Castrol. This is MINI brand oil, so maybe the oil just smells funny and looks funny for no reason...oh man, am I hoping that's the case. Here's to funny acting MINI oil! I just hope my warranty covers this.

So ice has been falling from the sky for a little over a day now. I might be getting a little cabin feverish. Did I mention the TV isn't working? And that they can't come fix it for another two weeks? To be honest, I don't watch a lot of TV, and I can pretty well entertain myself with a guitar and a computer...but at this point, after being stuck inside for a day, I have to admit I wouldn't mind escaping into a good movie.

Anyway, I at least needed an internet connection. That satellite is the reason I can get on the internet. Unfortunately, as you can see, it was covered in ice, and I couldn't even get enough bandwidth to finish this post. "No biggy," I thought, "It'll only take a few minutes to get the ice off. So, me wearing my long johns, PJs, house shoes, the biggest ugliest coat I own, and a toboggan. (The stocking cap-type of "tobaggan"...not the sled-type.). Needless to say, it was quite an attractive get up. Anyway, the de-icer just froze to it and created more ice, so I had to resort to beating it off with a ladle. After enduring twenty to thirty minutes of my face continuously being pelted my falling sleet, the ice was gone, and I had a frozen right hand. (Notice I said nothing about putting gloves on. Remember, it was only suppose to take a couple of minutes to do this, and I was in a hurry to get this posted. Why I was in a hurry...I have no clue.) The good news about all of this is that I have two keys to my car, and one of them had been missing for the past month or two. Well, thankfully, the missing key was in that big ugly coat that I never wear. So Yay! for that.



This is totally randon, but I'm convinced those people at Lindt can make anything taste good. The stuff that sounds like it should be good is, of course, really good. For instance, "Intense Orange" dark chocolate is beyond description. Well, I saw the "Chili" dark chocolate. If they're brave enough to put chili pepper and chocolate together, I don't mind risking my $2.50 to try it. If you're reading this, (and you are) you totally need to try it. It's quite possibly the most interesting and unique chocolate experience ever. I'm mean...spicy chocolate? Who would have thought?

I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to life and following God's will, I am somewhat learning disabled. I try hard...I really do, but I remain confused. I'm convinced I must be in God's special education class. I can only assume there are a few others in the class, but I can't really be sure since my nose is in the corner most of the time. Thankfully, I serve a patient God.

With our country inaugurating a new president, I thought it might be appropriate to inaugurate my new blog as well.  Now, I could post a typical first post and say something about me or this blog, but I think I'll just jump into posting.