The Holtonian

Talkin bout TV

So last night Elaine won best actress in a comedy. I've only seen one episode of the show and it was mildly funny, kind of a modern day Lucy kind of thing. She basically made light of the Seinfeld curse. Though I thought Castanza had a decent show on for a while, the one where basically played the part of Tony Kornheiser and Malcom Jamal Warner played the other guy. It was a good show but it didn't really hit up the sports aspect enough and hit up the home stuff too much. There are just too many home sitcoms and unless you get a quirky chemistry that works you're left with a cookie cutter show. For instance Raymond worked because it was quirky and everyone could relate but they made it funnier than real life. According to Jim doesn't work because its too much like real life at times and its just not funny.

So I was thinking about how basically Castanza's show didn't hit up the sports aspect of the show and that made me think of Sports Night a comedy sitcom about a third tier ESPN Sportscenter show that was really funny. The problem I think though with the show which lead to its eventual demise was no laugh track. So many great shows try to go the route of no laugh track and I think in a lot of ways it kills them. I get the feeling I've blogged this before but go with me on it.

Another example of the non-laugh track comedy that met its demise is Arrested Development. That show is geniusly funny but in the end it was hurt because of no laugh track... And it being on fox. My Name is Earl is a funny show as well but its premise is starting to become old fast but again it took me a few episodes to see it as funny. You have to pick up on the characters idiosyncrasies and little nuances to get the jokes.

The Office has been a great show that takes real life and makes it funnier. Its doing well without a laugh track, though if you watch it with me I provide more than enough laughter for a laugh track. I think the Office is great because it takes normal situations and puts these characters that are a little over the top. Steve Carrell is great as the boss because he's soooo over the top. Same with Dwight. The British version the characters were more realistic, but that wouldn't' fly in the US, we want our characters over the top... Like the movie Over the Top starring Sly Stallone.

The Sad State of Football in the South

So as the fall approaches here in the south one of the most pathetic scenes in southern culture begins... football freakdom.

Growing up in St. Louis we didn't really have the football mania that is rampant down here in the south or in texas or ohio or pretty much anywhere that has a good team. With Mizzou a constant under achiever and no real other team in the state, college football is kind of a joke in St. Louis. I pretty much followed the Irish just because their games were always on and Rudy.

So the whole hysteria of college football is a little much for me. Now I consider myself a big sports fan, granted of baseball and hockey the latter of which is a word that doesn't compute with 99.9% of southerners, but I would never go to the levels that some of our friends seem to.

Wifey talked to a friend of hers the other day and they were trying to plan a time that her and her husband could come up the mtn for a visit (they live in another state). She basically said, "well with football season starting we're pretty much booked every weekend because we go to all the home games."

Fair enough my wife thought, "OK... well what about a weekend where they're away?"

She replied, "Weeell.... the thing is we could get there and the game might not be on TV there."

And I'm not trying to single out this particular friend of wifey's, I have plenty of other friends who are the same way, this isn't just her but pretty much the majority of the people down here in the south... and frankly I find it down right sick.

You base your entire weekend life from now till December on football? How pathetic is that. In 10 years are you going to think back on the fall of 2006, "I remember September 30... the Gators were playing the Monsters and that was the game where the QB Frank Jones threw 4 interceptions yada yada yada. We were supposed to go up to the Holtons for a fun weekend but we had to stay home and watch the game on TV because if we didn't the fate of the known world might have ended..." TIVO if its that important to you.

But that's the thing, should you even tivo it? Are we so handicapped and handcuffed to our entertainment that we just CAN"T!!!! Miss it?? I just don't get it. I made a conscious decision to never have my life revolve around TV a few years ago. I pick one show that I'm pretty faithful too (Lost) but if I miss it one week I don't cry my brains out. If we have friends that want to go out on a Lost night I'm more than willing to hang out because I realize that real people are better than a couple of actors on tv.

Same I think applies to football. They'll always be a million more games. If its say a championship, a rivalry game, or the last game of the season and they need to win to go undefeated.. sure stay home that's cool I understand. If it was the Cards in the WS I'd do the same thing.

Another friend of ours got married last year on the same weekend Auburn and Alabama had big games against some SEC's foes and the wedding was in Birmingham. People actually didn't come to the wedding because of the two football games. It blew my mind! These football games were more important than a couple making a life long covenant? How screwed up are people's priorities? And then some people at the wedding were listening to radios the whole time... let it go people.

My big thing is I want my life to revolve around Christ... and I'm not trying to be super pious here because we all know I'm not and I'm in general a pretty sleazy guy. So I strive for Christ centered life, doesn't happen most of the time, but its what I strive for. The next thing is Family, I want my family to be the number two thing in my life and I'll put them ahead of pretty much anything else. Then there is friends. Last place is my entertainment, and there's other stuff between friends and entertainment... Football is entertainment, just plain entertainment.

My thoughts on Snow Patrol

So as I mentioned before I got two Snow Patrol Cds for my birthday. Now I can't stress this enough: if you like Coldplay or U2 then I almost guarantee you'll love snow patrol.

For me the success of a CD is judged by its "skipability." If there is a song on the CD that can be skipped it is flawed. Most bands tend to do a 3 to 5 good songs on an album and fill the rest with junk. That is why some bands say like ACDC don't want to join Itunes... because everyone knows ACDC has maybe 2 good songs on an album, the rest of their songs are about flatuelence, beer, and breasts.... come to think of it that's all their songs. My favorite band U2 has probably 3 to 5 songs per album that I feel no obligation to listen to. I usually listen to them but there is probably only 2 or 3 U2 albums that I can listen to comfortably without skipping a song: October and Unforgetable Fire... and probably Achtung.

Coldplay I can listen to the entire album... but realize that their entire albums are pretty much the same songs over and over again.

Final Straw is the earlier CD out of the two I got, came out in 2003. Chocolate was the big song that made it to the mainstream radio... it is also the song where the CD's title comes from. What I respect about this album is its cohesion, the whole thing holds together and transitions so well. There is only one song that I don't like on this entire album, Ways and Means... and even it isn't awful its just not as good as the rest of the album.

Tiny Little Fractures has to be my favorite song on the album. Its upbeat, you can hear their Irish/Scottish accents come forth.

Wow and Spitting Games are also an amazing songs. I like the upbeat ones but even the quieter slower ones move me in ways I think U2 hasn't since Joshua Tree.

Then there is Eyes Open... not one song I can skip. I can't even think of skipping one, they're all that good.

A few popular hits on the radio off this one as well: chasing cars being the big one.

I hate admiting this, but I was sitting in my cube listening to 'Make This Go On Forever'... just sort of day dreaming at work as usual. I start staring at a picture of AK I have above my monitor, its the cutest picture in the world (makes Mona Lisa look like a hag). I was just listening to the lyrics... staring at my little girl... I started to well up. I had to do a check, make sure the tears werent' streamin down the face. Powerful songs... and yes I am a little emotional from the quarter life crisis.

I'm not sure which CD i like better. I think Final Straw has some better songs but Eyes Open being the more recent one is more polished.

I can't stress these CDs enough... best I've listened to possibly ever... not sure still got a lot of life to live and we'll see if they withstand the test of time test. Amazon, 7 bucks for final straw 9.50 for Eyes Open.

I'm 26 now

Well, I'm officially 26. Its been really weird, with the baptism of AK and now the birthday I've been doing so much navel gazing that I feel like I'm having a quarter life crisis to steal a line from John Mayer. Though its not really a crisis its just a matter of reflecting and feeling the need to step it up in life even more. Certain milestones seem to have that affect on people, birthdays, new years, ground hogs day, but with two back to back and one being a of spiritual nature its really caused me to want to really strengthen myself on all levels of life. But some levels are harder to get stronger in then others. The spiritual one is the hardest because in a lot of ways its all about the Spirit and we can't just say, "well i'm going to be a better Christian...I'll read my bible more, pray more, and go to church more..." the Spirit has to work in me to sanctify me and break me down and show me my sin and how to repent from it. But praying and reading my bible more is something that can help facilitate. But its interesting that a lot of times our most spiritually dry times are the times when we try to boil down our spiritual growth into a simple human "To do list." Its also how a lot of legalism breeds. "Well I did x, y, and z and so and so didn't so therefore I need to tell them to and make them be like me because I'm so great..."

This is what I'm talking about, a lot of navel gazing... a lot of pondering things.

Anyway... Birthday was great. The crabbs came up for the weekend to get away from their new house drama. They're building a new house and living with some friends till its done. Since crabb never updates the blog I figured I'd just let everyone know that. But living out of a suit case (or a little more than a suit case) for 8 weeks is a rough life for anyone. Luckily their journey will end this coming weekend and they'll have the new house they've been waiting for.

SO they came up we grilled out some burritos on Friday. Burritos for us are pretty much fajitas (steak, onions, green peppers all grilled) with the addition of rice and black beans. It was darn good with some good mexican beer to go along with it.

The next day we just hung out and crabb and I took Adam (crabb jr) to the Mckays and crabb unloaded a good 3 boxes of books and cds and such. I traded in three gamecube games and got 30 bucks store credit (Need for Speed, Zelda, and Ultimate Spiderman). I used the credit to buy

Its my favorite tom petty cd. I lost it somehow and still have the case, but I needed it as its got Gun Slingers and Making some Noise... two great Petty songs that are lesser known.

I also found this for 3 bucks

A David Gray CD that with one listen sounds pretty awesome.

The wife gave me some awesome CDs for the birthday as well. She gave me 2 Snow Patrol cds and I have to say their my new favorite band for right now this minute. She gave me Final Straw and Eyes Open. Final Straw I thought was going to be my favorite but Eyes open has some great songs. Though I don't know how I feel about this Lyric,
"Put Sufjan Stevens on
and we'll play your favorite song
"Chicago" bursts to life and your
sweet smile remembers you"

Its weird because they're contemporaries in a way. But the earlier lyric rang so true for anyone who is married....

"It's hard to argue when
you won't stop making sense
But my tongue still misbehaves and it
keeps digging my own grave with my "

But both cds are awesome. I'm sure Josiah will get on and rip me because they're such hacks of some band I've never heard of and don't really care about. But hey who isn't these days. "It is frowned upon... but what isn't these days..."

Wife also got me a bike computer for my bike (tells you how far and fast you're going for the mtn bike). AK got me a pretty killer watch too.

I got some money as well from the grandparents inlaw. I used some of it to help pay for this.
Yep I got a new gameboy. BasicallY i had a warranty on my old one and the buttons were starting to go on it so I took it to best buy and basically paid the difference for the DS Lite. So far its pretty amazing, I mean its practically a portable computer. It has wifi and all that jazz, if I ever knew anyone who had one I could IM them and you can go to EB games and download demos for new games, which I want to do. Also its got some cool games like this that i want to try. Play the video. But it plays the games I already have so its kind of like an upgrade. THough it kind of hurts because it doesn't take the original gameboy games like tetris and tennis... so my days of that are over. I'll just trade them in at mckays and get something new... maybe with color.

My parents got me some new kicks, new balances, which were sorely needed as after running a few times in my other pair they're already unsuitable for wearing in public.

But all this stuff is kind over whelming. I mean I love the gifts, and am so happy, but I just look at my wife and AK and realize the gifts are nothing compared to them. I've only had the DS a few days but I've held my baby more than i've even touched the DS... which is good. I'll look at the DS and I realize that it will be there later when she's asleep or when she's eating... my baby won't be, she's growing up and needs her dad more than her dad needs to play a stupid game. So to say the least, life's in proper perspective.

From soccer to baby stuff

Soccer night was pretty rough tonight. Not necessarily the play but just me. I was totally out of it. We switched fields, due to little league starting up at the Carter Field up here on the mtn so we went to the stelmo rec center. It was a good field, had a good fence and we used cones for goals and a no hands goalie type system which made for a more fun game. Basically it was more passing and finesse than just all out pounding the ball.

But we ate dinner at 6:15ish/6:30 and so I ate and pretty much left and it was rough. My head was spinning the whole game. I literally couldn't run because it felt like all my body's energy was being pulled down to my stomach (and i have a big stomach), but its true I've heard after eating all the blood rushes to your stomach to work on digestion. Luckily we had just a salad with chicken on it and nothing like burritos or polish sausage... not that my wife would ever make, or allow me to eat a polish sausage.

SO I worked out a deal with the wife, I'd come home earlier on wednesdays to be home with her and AK 47 longer before going to play and she'd try to get dinner made earlier, which is awesome. I love my wife.

In other news our house as slowly turned into a display of everything Baby's R US sells. Its ridiculous how much stuff we have for AK. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I love the blessings, I'm countin them everyday as I trip over them. The latest two additions are the Jumperoo and a high chair. Both of which I can honestly say I wanted for AK as much as wifey. The Jumperoo was good to get because AK is just a standing fiend and always likes bouncing so it gives us a break from having to bounce her all the time. Though she was in it for quite sometime yesterday and is now I think a little beat from it. The high chair will be needed shortly but we figure while had the store credit might as well get it.

Wifey did take back the floor mat thingy.

Which is good because I never liked it and neither did AK. It just took too much room on the floor, and space is running out here at the house with all the baby stuff.

The bouncy thing has been good, its similar to this

but ours plays music when she kicks down on it. She's really liked it a lot and gives her a comfy seat. Its a good thing to have when you want the child to be entertained while your... cooking dinner or cleaning the house or something.

Mom in law bought her this

Its a bumbo seat and its made in south africa. Its pretty cool, it allows a child pretty much any age to sit up even if they can't do it on their own yet. We highly recommend this though 40 bucks is pretty steep for a piece of rubber. I'd get the original one, not the target one, there is something cool about owning something from south africa.

WE also got a swing, which she has liked from time to time. We got it for free as a hand me down so we can't complain.

So yeah, our kid has more places to sit than i do. Its nice though because almost all of it we haven't paid for. Its been either gifts or hand me downs. In fact our entire nursery is pretty much a hand me down: crib, changing table, glider, rocker (ak's), toy chest. The dresser and ottoman we paid for but that's about it.

Wow, so I covered soccer and baby stuff in one post. Two up, two down.

In the Name Of Karaoke... Christian bands perform Karaoke of U2's songs

So I figured I should do a review on this In the Name of Love CD. I'll do it song by song since every song is by a different artist.

1. Sunday Bloody Sunday, one of U2's most famous works that pretty much put them on the map in a lot of ways. The Christian band Pillar did their take on it. I have to plead ignorance on most of the Christian bands on this CD (I only know a few) but this band seems to be a Xtian Link N Park wanna be band. So they're wanting to be Linkin Park, then trying to do Sunday Bloody Sunday, it just doesn't work. In a lot of ways the song is just a rehash as well. Smashing Pumpkins did a good remake of SBS that was acoustic I believe, and that was a great sort of remake. But this one is too Karaoke.

2. Beautiful Day by Sanctus Real. Again don't know much about the band but they sound like Goo-Goo Dolls. This song as well is pretty Karaoke, but the guitar and bass line was adapted slightly and I kind of like it. So a karaoke song that kind of sounds good. Its like watching American Idol, Rockstar Supernova, etc and seeing a guy do a song and you're like, "That was pretty good though the original is better." The problem with these karaoke songs is the structure of the songs is just the same as U2 and so they don't do much to adapt it and make it their own.

3. 40. By Starfield. Its kind of hard to criticize 40 because as far as U2 is concerned its kind of a simple song. There isn't much to it so there's not much you can do to it. I remember singing this in chapel at covenant and it's like a praise song, simple and to the point. The singer hits some notes Bono can't/shouldn't hit but other than that its pretty bland.

4. Love is Blindness: Six Pence None the Richer. Now I think there is an instant edge when a woman covers a song traditionally sung by a man, because strait off the bat its going to sounds different. So this song is unique in some ways. But in the end I can't stand the Sixpence girl's voice. So any uniqueness is lost on me. She lost me when she did Kiss Me and There She Goes... I can't stand those songs.

5. Grace: Audio Adrenaline. The beginning of the song is unique but then the guitar rift and drums are just too similar to the original. The singer's voice is a lot different but he seems to mumble the Latin like he doesn't know how to say it right. The song is very Karaoke.

6. Grace: Nichole Nordeman. Sounds kind of like the Corrs. Grace is a song that I think naturally works better with a woman's voice. I wasn't a fan of this song when done by U2, but Nichole does a pretty good job of making it her own. She slows it down and puts her soul into it more than a lot of the other bands seemed to.

7. All I want Is You: Jars of Clay. This is the first song on the CD that really takes a song and changes it. Jars takes the song and makes it even more blues grassy than the original. A stronger bass line, a slide guitar, and a singer that sounds like Chris Isaac (sort of). I loved Jars of Clay's first CD and thought it was one of the best entire CD's (beginning to end) that I'd ever heard. Every song had so much thought and depth to it and for a Christian band that's a hard achievement. This song in of itself makes the cd a good purchase in my mind.

8. Mysterious Ways: Tobymac. Well we go up and then we come down to another Karaoke. A good karaoke, but still nothing new to this song except a different singer singing the song.

9. Pride: Delirious? This is a tough song to cover, its another one that is so U2 that I think any rendition will just pale in comparison. Its a good attempt at a Karaoke cover of the song, but the original is so superior that it can't be matched.

10. One: Tait. Now I don't know this band, but the name Tait? It makes me think of Taint...which really do you want to think of Taint when you're a Christian band. Nevertheless this rendition reminds me of the Macy Gray version, except she has more passion. Song lacks the passion that it should have.

11. With or Without You; Grits. What's with the dumb names? Actually this is probably my favorite song on the album. Its got a beat to it, a bit of a Christina Aguilera singer, but its unique, different and sounds very little like the original. This song and the Jars of Clay song win the awards for best and most unique. And make the cd a worthy buy for a u2 dork.

12. When Loves Comes to Town: Todd Agnew. And we have the worst cover ever made on the cd. I wish I could put a clip of it on here because its laughable. I'm not a fan of this song without BB King, I'm sorry but its just nothing without him. So this Todd Agnew guy is sort of country, but not good country, bad cheesy country. So far I've tried listening to the whole thing about 4 times but I get so disgusted I have to hit fast forward every time.

13. Where the Streets have no name... Chris Tomlin. The music is exactly the same as U2s, the intro is spot on... So again karaoke. This guy sounds just like the guy from delirious and tobymac. They all sound the same, not sure why. It reminds me of American Idol.

So in the end 2 really good songs. The rest except for Todd Agnew are worthy Karaoke renditions. For a u2 fan its a worthy buy. Its like listening to your favorite songs with someone else singing them... Actually its not like that, it is that. The only bad job done was Todd's. All the other bands did a worthy attempt. I'd like to hear Jars of Clay do some more of U2s stuff but doubt it will happen. I also wish they had taken some of the lesser known hits. Trying to take the best hits and redo them its like jumping into the deep end. If they had taken some of the lesser hits they could have shed some light on them. Take Out of Control, I didn't like that song till I heard U2 redo it on the Slane DvD. Then with their latest tour they redid a few of their oldies on the DVD and I liked them a lot, whereas before I just could never get into them.

Best U2 SONG EVER

U2 Does it again

Bush seems to be having some trouble... he can't seem to keep up, or remember is body parts.

Infantile Baptism

Well we did the good Presbyterian thing today, we got our infant baptised! YES!!!! It was really cool to sort of watch, kind of scary to get up infront of the whole church and what, and be the focal point. When we joined we were one of many joining so we sort of weren't on the spot, but today it was Pastor Gary, Wifey, Chris, and AK performing the sacarement of baptism. Its very eye opening to sit there and realize and think about this little child's spiritual development is being intrusted to me and wifey. I had already realized this, probably before she was born, but the baptism sort of solidifies it and makes it all the more real. You think, wow if I mess this up I'd better find a mill stone and tie it around my neck... However, I'm more optimistic than that. Just a reminder to all those parents who took those oaths, and of their responsibility and the seriousness of it all.

And I realize you gotta trust the Holy Spirit, as you do in all things, but there's a serious responsibility that is placed upon parents and we don't take it nearly as serious as we should... and when we don't then BOOM! Or BAM! if you're Emeril.

Grooms are given this sort of charge a lot of times in regards to their wife's spiritual life. I can honestly say I have not done a great job on that point. But in some regards my wife is a grown up adult.. well in all regards she is a grown up adult. But a child requires so much more nuture, care, and instruction. A child is like a little sapling whereas my wife is more like a tree. But I ramble...

Sort of what I've been thinking about today in regards to the special event.

The inlaws drove up this morning from Macon and picked up wifey's grandparents in Atlanta (my parents couldn't come due to a death in the family). But it was nice and the sermon on top of everything was pretty amazing as well. I'll have to blog about it later though because its an entire post in of itself.

Grandpa, wifey's dad (he hasn't gotten a unique grandpa name yet), used our camcorder to film the event though its a mini vhs thing and I gotta figure out how to get it on the computer... my gut tells me this won't happen via my old hunk of junk computer. So we'll see if I can't find someone who has a computer built in this millenia. Yeah mine was built in 1999 so I can say cool stuff like that.

Though here is a pic of me and AK celebrating with some homemade (by wifey) chocolate cake! It was a baptism/early birthday cake for myself

Also I got three gifts off my birthday list. The inlaws figured kill two birds with one trip and gave me my gifts early so they could see my jubilation.

A great pair of tevas that I'd been asking for. Only 20 bucks! Hey, I'm thrifty even with other people's money. I realize Tevas are about 15 years past their coolness prime but I needed something to alternate between when its wet out and for camping because the birkenstocks don't do well in rain or camping. That and I think the crocs are frankly kind of ugly, though comfortable. Chocos are great too but they're the modern day tevas. I mean their the same stinkin material and their 90 bucks??? That's how much tevas were when they first came out. I've owned about three pairs of tevas in my life, the past two ones though weren't the right size so they were uncomfortable and I gave them to concerned, these are the right size and I've already begun trying to break them in.

I'm big into fleece zip ups, yes I realize they're passe now too but the vest is great to have at work when its too cold to just go with your shirt but too warm to have a full on fleece. Plus it was only $19.

This is a pretty cool little cd for U2 geeks. Its covers most of the band's best stuff done by christian bands. This is after Bono sat a bunch of them down and chastized them for not doing more for the world, or in Bono's mind, Africa. So they put this CD together and have the proceeds go to Africa. Most of the bands I've heard of, Jars of Clay, Delirious, Six Pence, Toby Mac...and a few have pretty good covers. I'm a big fan of covers, as its cool to see how other people approach a great song. For example all of Cash's covers are amazing because he can really turn a song around and make it mean something totally different than the original lyricist intended.

So its a pretty cool little day, what with a sacrament and some cool gifts. Did I say it was cool too much? Possibly. Oh, and the cardinals are awful, in case you hadn't seen.

Covenant Changes

So I was talking to an old friend of mine, a former piper at covenant, and we were talking about the recent construction at the school up the road from me... Covenant. He told me about the new academic building and new dorm and what not and sure enough I go on covenant's website and there it is.

Why do they want to put another building that hangs off the edge of Lookout Mountain, see the new academic building. The idea of coffee houses I like, especially since I like coffee... good gracious I just hope they get the coffee from an alumnus....

How bad would that be if they didn't? Though I could totally see them serving crappy chartwells coffee.

They've already started on the new dorm next to Maclelan, I thought they were just working on the parking lot but apparently they're going full steam ahead... hopefully they didn't use the same construction company that built the gym...

In general the school seems to change with every year. And every persons's years there seem to be their favorite. You can't turn back the clock, you can't (or shouldn't) live in the past, so you hang onto the memories, cherish them and hope the best for the future.

My brief thought on politics

I try not to talk politics on this blog or in any facit of my life because generally I despise politics and feel it is devisive. I think in a lot of ways as Christians we're to rise above politics and be more concerned with people's hearts and less about their political ideology. If you attack the heart and work on their spiritual life, then naturally the Holy Spirit will work on the rest. I liken it to attacking a giant squid, why go after the tentacles when you should go after the heart of the beast.

Settlers Revisited

The wife and I played a game of settlers for the first time in a long time. I vowed to never play with her again after our last game. But, eh, its one vow that I didn't make in a church in front of all my family and friends so I figured why not play. The reason I had didn't want to play was our last time we played the wife went to bed crying because I was unjust with my use of the little thief...

But with time all wounds heal, so we played with the stavens. Rachel won in good fashion. In the old days prior to kids we'd sometimes play 3 to 4 games in one night... post kids... we cut it after one. Isaiah and AK were hitting the high notes, I think out of jealousy that they couldn't play, but I just don't have the expansion pack so they just had to watch. But it was good to get back on that band wagon of settlers.

In other news I've been exhausted all week, not sure why. Its a combination of sleepiness and just fatigue. Maybe I just need more coffee and diet coke.

Just hanging

Well we had a busy weekend. So busy in fact that I really don't feel like writing about it. I'm just glad that I'm here, bloggin with my dog on my lap... don't tell my wife. I really only let copper sit on my lap in two locations, in the computer chair and on the front porch. Generally he respects this and doesn't bug us on the couch. He definately doesn't bug us at dinner, I don't bug him while he eats and vice versa, mutual respect.

I tidied up the side bar a bit, luckily some of those posts with all the videos are gone so now the side bar is back to normal. I deleted Kyle's long dead link and updated some of the other stuff. Not that too many people even look at it, but nevertheless its been done.

Wife and I are just looking forward to a week of the three of us. AK has been doing really well on her schedule. Sleeping through the night is a pretty much every night thing now. Occasionally she'll wake up at 4AM desiring a pacifier, which is better than desiring a feeding. Wifey has done an amazing job at maintaining the schedule. And we're down 6 feedings a day, which is great for everyone.

That's it, not much else, just getting ready for a long week at work.

Hot time in the old town...

Quick Soccer note, We played tonight, it was good. It was a little less intense than its been in past weeks, which was good. It was more fun, more passing, more relaxed, less running.

I played goalie mostly for a while, but then went out to the field and jacked up my bum ankle yet again. Not sure whats wrong with it but its in pain. Maybe I need it scoped or something, I hear the pros do that, but I don't know what it is so I better not try it myself... not until i read the book at least on how to do it. Or I could be like all the pros and just take steroids and testosterone. Wonder what would happen if athletes started taking estrogen? Would that make them better? It'd help runners win more races... wink wink nudge nudge, if you know what i mean...

In other news the TVA building in which my company leases space has shut off all the power to the overhead lights in order to "save money." though the real reason I've heard is that the demand for power is so great, and thus the price of power is so high (supply and demand concept) that they can save power in their own buildings and sell it for more. I heard power was trading for 70$ per killowat or something and shot up to 300$... not sure I'm not big on the power trading.

So basically all week I've been working in the dark by the light of my computer and two weenie lamp lights in my cube. I have practically fallen asleep every day... yesterday had to go get some coffee because I was doing the head bob.

SO if that weren't bad enough... today they turned the AC off in our building to conserve even more power. I work on a fifth floor with sky lights on the sixth... it gets dang hot in that building. Heat rises, I'm on practically the top floor, the sky lights have a nice baking effect on the building by letting all the sun light in. I was sweating profusely today. I went up to the head of our region, a guy you normally try to avoid because he's so high up, and flat out asked him, "Can I wear shorts tomorrow? Because if not I don't think I want to come in..." He gave me the green light. So for the first time in 3 years I will wear shorts and sandal to work (except for the day we took a halfday as a department to go the lookouts game.) I'm actually really excited about work tomorrow because of this new prospect.

For one I have a 4 block walk to work, Finley to TVA, and thus I'm sweating by the time I get to work in the morning. Plus my car's AC is spotty at best and sometimes doesn't work on the hottest days. So having shorts and sandals on will help on the sweat and stink factor.

Andy Made Me Fall, That or I’m Uncoordinated, Out-of-Shape, and Fat… I’m Leaning Towards the Latter

So I have run the trails around Covenant for going on 7 years now. Since 99 I've run them, not as regularly as I would like, but I go in good spurts. I've started going everyday and I hesitate to blog about it because inevitably whenever I blog about some sort of physical exercise routine I inevitably break the routine after blogging about it, I jinx myself or something. But this story has to be told.

So I'm joggin these trails today, doing pretty good, making good time. Got the tunes going, some nice White Stripes giving me some good motivation. I come upon another runner coming at me but I don't have my glasses on so I'm trying to make him out to see who it is. As we start to pass I realize its good ole Andy or "D" as he is sometimes referred as. I give him a nice passing five.... not a high one, not a low one, just a stick the hand out strait from the hip, and slap the hand. It was good, a good five for two very white guys.

Now let me reiterate, I've run these trails for seven years now. I have never once fallen on them, not once. I've stumbled, stumbled to the point where I was bent over and probably could have licked the ground if I had stuck my tongue out, however not once has any part of my body besides my feet ever touched the trails around the practice fields at covenant.

So where was I??? Oh yes, so no sooner do I give "D" a nice five do I hit a root, or a rock or a chipmunk and go tumbling over eating it big time. Andy stops like a good Christian gent and holds back a laugh on my account and asks me if I'm ok... I respond... " yeah, I probably shouldn't have given you that five...."

It was embarrassing, but life has taught me don't get too embarrassed, because sooner or later you'll do something dumber and more embarrassing... I think I read that in a fortune cookie or something.

Another humbling running experience: Now let me emphasize, I am a happily married man, I love my wife, I find her to be the sexiest woman alive. And I love that my wife lets me be honest. "Do you think that girl is attractive?" she'll ask me. "Yeah she's alright." or "Yes." or "No her head is too big." She respects my honesty and I love that I can be honest. Wives/Girlfriends who ask their men "Do you think that girl/woman/actress/model is attractive?" referring to someone obviously attractive and want a 'no,' are dumb and insecure. So my wife will let me say the next part without being offended and knowing that my love for her is true and strong:

I was running on the trails, back when Covenant was still in session a few months ago when a rather attractive woman is running towards me going the opposite way. That being said, when a guy is doing something physical, whether a sport or running, lifting weights, whatever.... a guy feels a need to convey strength, confidence, and superiority. If I'm running with a girl, I have to run faster because I am a guy, my heart might be failing and lungs collapsing, but I will run faster than her because my manhood depends on it.

So this girl is running the opposite way... so being the stupid male that I am I suck in my gut, and start running faster, up a steep hill, well towards the end of my run... I do not have energy or muscles left at the end of my runs... So i trudge up and about 2 steps before we are to pass each other I trip and nearly wipe out... It was a bad stumble, one that I couldn't make it look like it was on purpose or that my shoe was untied...

So there you go, God humbling me. Its a daily occurrence, the mirror is the first thing that humbles me... "Man I look like that... shoot, well at least God loves me."