Adventures of adult ADHD

I have had WAAAAAAAAY to much going on recently. It recently started with the decision to update the ceiling fans and electrical outlets in my upstairs bedrooms in preparation for family visiting over Christmas. That progressed into "Hmmm...while I'm at it, I'll tear down the popcorn ceiling in my master bath." While staring at the ceiling and squirting it with water (a neat trick for easily removing a popcorn textured ceiling), I noticed the wallpaper was staring to peel away from the walls near the ceiling, so that turned into "Hmmmm...should I rip off the wood paneling at the same time and just paint this sucker?" And then we can't forget the bathroom vanity that is now cracked and needs replacing also. And I cannot leave out needing to fix some tiles in the master shower, repainting the wooden porch beams, and somewhere in there cleaning house for family...

Oh no, we're not done yet! I'm still waiting for a return phone call from a couple of places for estimates on replacing the drafty odd-sized french doors that open into my backyard, I forgot to call the plumber AGAIN to fix the busted valve in the upstairs bathroom, and I once again forgot half a dozen things when I went to Lowe's (such as pricing the aforementioned master bathroom vanity, paint, and who knows what else). Now I'm sitting in a house that smells like ETHYLENE GLYCOL, PHTHALATE ESTERS, N-BUTYL ACETATE, FORMALDEHYDE, CRYSTALLINE SILICA & TITANIUM DIOXIDE (hey, it's straight from the bottle) because I decided to strip and recaulk the upstairs bath and I can't light a Circle E candle out of fear of having the roof blow off the house like a scene out of Mythbusters. Oh, I also still have two three Christmas presents to get still.

So what is the cause of me becoming a one-man Extreme Makeover; Home Edition (minus all the important people - the designers and builders) over the past two weeks? Well, I sent in an application for a potential promotion back down to Lubbock. The job "closed" on the 13th, so it will likely be a month or two (thanks to Christmas and New Years) before I hear anything and I decided to play it safe and start getting the house ready in case I am going to need to sell it. By no means is this job a done deal; there are quite a few folks already in Lubbock who would be more than capable filling that Senior Forecaster spot.

So there it is. Potential Job Move, family coming to town (in 4 days I might add), my normal work rotation, and did I mention taking pictures of the annual Amarillo South Church Christmas play? I think that would cause anyone to come down with a temporary case of ADHD.

And crud. I've got to run to the post office to mail all my Christmas letters...

I've Been Tagged...

I've been tagged by Whitlow (and apologies to those wanting an "in-depth" reply, I don't like too much of my personal info floating around on the net) . . .

1. Name: The Weatherman
2. Birthday: A somewhat long time ago...
3. Birthplace: Unfortunately not in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could!
4. Eye Color: Hazel
5. Hair Color: Brown with more and more Gray and less of it overall
6. Height: Tall Enough
7. Ethnicity: Why do people ask this question? Does it make a difference?
8. Weakness: Chocolate Chip cookies, Dublin Dr Pepper, pie
9. Most missed memory: research trip to Kwajalein and Hawaii - the white coral sand beaches, a month and a half of no school, beautiful sunsets, and good friends...
10. Thoughts first waking up: How much longer can I sleep in?
11. Last time you cried: It's been a while but I remember it was at a movie
12. Song title that currently says how you feel: Busy Child - The Crystal Method (I've got a LOT going on right now!!!)
13. What is the perfect day for you: Taking the Jeep up a trail into the mountains, making it to 12,000 feet or higher, spending the rest of the afternoon sitting by an alpine lake enjoying the crisp mountain air.
14. Ever been asked for an autograph? Yes, for some reason people automatically think I am on T.V. and want autographs!
15. How do you vent anger? I stew for a bit then either start walking or get in the car and drive.
16. Who do you talk to most on the phone? Here recently it has been my parents as we try to figure out plans for the holidays.
17. As a kid, were you a lego builder? Y E S! And I still pull them out every once in a while.
18. Do you chew on your straws? Only if I'm trying to get something out of my teeth.
19. Do you sing in the shower? Not Much.
20. Who's the last person you stayed up late talking to on the phone to? My friend Laura.
21. The last place you went to in a plane? Kansas City, MO
22. Do you cry at weddings? If it is a good friend, sometimes.
23. Are you afraid of the dark? Most of the time, no. However there are times I do hear something go bump in the night and wake up all disoriented. The curse of a light sleeper...
24. What are you addicted to? Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dr Pepper
25. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter? Creamy
26. Who do you fight with the most? Technically I don't "fight". but I do get into heated arguments at times with a couple of people at work.
27. Who can you tell anything to? My best friends (and that will leave you guessing!)
28. Do you recycle? Definitely, but the town I live in won't recycle certain things...sad.
29. Who makes you laugh the most? The Clark's always manage to have some story that cracks me up...
30. What is the worst feeling ever? Having to say goodbye to a loved one dying from Cancer...three of them.
31. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two.
32. How many rings before you answer your phone? I don't know...my phone doesn't ring anymore, it plays music so I usually pick up after the first couple of notes.
33. How many times do you press the "snooze" button? None usually...it goes straight off.
34. How do you sleep? In a bed, under some covers, with an electric blanket in winter.
35. Last time you laughed: Earlier this morning
36. Ever looked at someone ugly and said "EWWW"? No, but I do sometimes go "DANG!" in my mind...
37. What is your favorite color? Forest Green, no doubt!
38. What is your favorite state? Texas, always. Then Colorado. And I'd even have to say Wyoming is in there as well...

Now I get to tag...Emily, Leslie, and Brian! YOUR TURN!

Sometimes I think this is the way to go.

Thanks to my friends, the Clarks, for showing me this webpage...I'm hooked now! Anyway, I'm tired of hearing "The statistics show..." when in reality the SCIENCE might not be so convincing. Anyway...

from xkcd.com.

The Thanksgiving Chronicles (long)

Well, I had intended on a post a day while home in the Hill Country but issues with my CrackBerry internet connection to my Laptop AND the land of "No-up" (in other words, the only internet was at my parent's office which is a 5-10 minute drive) meant that was not possible. So, I'll do my best to try and put together my adventures on this past week of Thanksgiving...

Day 1 - The Trip
It never fails that one forgets something when leaving on a trip for a week. I managed to leave two important items at my house and realized this while getting gas in Canyon. SO, I had to turn around and get the aforementioned important items which put me an additional 30 minutes behind. This normally wouldn't be a big deal but it did put me in the heart of deer country after dark. If you haven't traveled through the heart of deer country in the fall, you need to drive a tank as the sheer number of deer along the side of the road grows exponentially after sunset thus increasing the risk of having tenderized venison as well as a damaged vehicle. Fortunately there weren't too many numbers on the road and I made it safely home. Oh, I also found out that all the extra weight on my Jeep results in a 13 MPG average AND that each quarter tank yields 50 miles.

Day 2 - So Much for Sleeping In
It was announced that we were going to work cattle the first morning I was home. At 8 AM. Giving me 6 hours of sleep. While I'm on vacation. Oh well, small price to pay when spending time with Dad but giving young steers vaccinations after eating fresh hay and protein supplements...well, you get the idea. The rest of the morning was spent installing Mom's XM radio and making sure it worked. After lunch, it was our first day to hunt and although there were a few cull bucks and does around (we have a wildlife management permit) nothing caught our fancy. There was the funny incident with the buck that got something up his nose and sneezed quite a few times...

Day 3 - The Fear Factor Incident
Such a benign start to the day after finally being able to sleep in. I was needed at my parent's office to install their new all-in-one HP printer/fax/scanner/copier machine as well as solve a few other computer issues. Walking out of the office, the cold front had just pushed through so it wasn't too cold but it had started to dry out a bit. It was perfect weather while I installed my XM radio adapter for the Jeep (didn't have it on the way down...had to order it to the Hill Country so I wouldn't miss it on the way back to the Top o' Texas). Dad and I hunted a blind no one had been at in a while and although there were a few deer, cattle had wandered over into our vicinity which spooked the deer. Arriving home, I was a bit chilled and wanted something hot to drink. This started the "Fear Factor Incident" which I will tell you about in person the next time we run into each other in deference to my Mom. It is an interesting story...

Day 4 - Thanksgiving
No big plans, just spending that evening at my Aunt and Uncle's house with quite a few family members around. I did spend part of the day working on projects that my grandfather used to do, all of which were heightened by the smells involved. Hoppe's No. 9 oil, brass casings, a bit of cedar, and scent masks in my grandfather's room at his house all brought back so many things I used to do with him. After a very light lunch and an afternoon siesta, it was time to partake in the family thanksgiving dinner. This was the first Thanksgiving without my grandparents and it was hard not having them there. However, I am very thankful for the knowledge and memories I have from them. And for many of y'all who read this blog, my friends; I am thankful for the time we spend together, laugh together, cry together, and live life. Thankful for Jesus, for him finding me and walking along side with me. And no, I didn't gorge myself...I only had half helpings of the pecan and pumpkin pies. It was the first time I didn't leave feeling overly full!

Day 5 - Lazy Day of Cold and Football
No big plans...watched football all morning (which started at 10 am thanks to sleeping in), had a BIG lunch that mom cooked, and then got ready to head out and wrap up a project from the previous day. The cold weather had set in but it wasn't raining yet so Dad and I headed out for another afternoon of hunting. Picture this - sitting in a small blind wrapped up in two layers of clothes, a blanket, and a heavy coat, cold and damp wind blowing, supposedly waiting for the deer to arrive. Sort of a "classic" view of hunting for those who choose to participate, right? Well, I also had my CrackBerry working somewhat and was looking through the binoculars for deer, updated the score on the game, blow my nose, look through the binoculars for deer, etc. With overcast skies, things turned dark early and Dad was anxious to get in the warmth of the pickup. Nothing like riding back to the house and being able to listen to the Aggies pull of a win/upset in classic fashion. Made for a Great day!

Day 6 - Friends and Family
The rain came in the middle of the night and apparently something knocked the power out. Fortunately I had set a different alarm and was still able to get up and make the trip to Fredericksburg. I had gotten back in touch, thanks to Facebook, with some long out-of-touch friends who live down south and we decided to get together and reconnect over lunch. There were also a few friends who needed be to bootleg, import, bring back some Circle E Candles for them. If you are ever in Fredericksburg and want to get the best candles in the world (IMNSHO), head over to Circle E. I walked in and once again was knocked back thanks to the overpowering wall of 30+ odd fragrances wafting through the air. So I perused the usual selection when something caught my eye. Something I never thought I'd come to find. They now make a candle that smells EXACTLY like:

L E A T H E R !

Ahhhhhhhh...my house now smells like the tack and saddle shops of old. I LOVE IT!

After obtaining the goods from Circle E, I met up with my friends from the Wesley Foundation at Texas Tech and we spent 4 hours getting caught up, reminiscing, and making plans to get our group of friends from the Wesley together soon. To my South Texas Friends; thank you for driving in the rain and cold to reconnect after over 4 years. I had a blast. A quick change of clothes after getting back home, the family gathered once again to celebrate my uncle's 60th birthday with steak and shrimp.

Day 7 - The Trip, Part Deux
After seeing my sisters off for their trip home, I headed into town to double check the weather and road conditions. There was snow between the Hill Country and Lubbock but all roads were reported to be open. I loaded up the Jeep, gassed 'er up in town, and hit the road. All was well up until Eden when the snow really started to fall and the road conditions went south. It wouldn't have been too bad except that all the Texas Tech students were heading home and by golly, they were going to drive 70 regardless of what road conditions were like. There was one young punk in his poorly lifted GMC pickup that decided to ride my tail. Well, I know what my Jeep can do and let's see if you know what your pickup can do. Slowly reach down to the 4WD lever, select 4-Hi, and "drift" out of the ruts into the accumulated snow, gravel, and slush. A wave of that stuff then flings up in the air promptly coating the Tech student's pickup. And then the young punk backed off, headlights swerved to avoid him, and he decided to back off. Once the roads cleared near Snyder, he passed me and gave me the one-fingered salute. Then there was the one that swerved off the road into the ditch because he was going too fast. These students (yes, they were students because 75% of the vehicles had TTU greek organizations, TTU emblems or Tech stickers of some sort, and were relatively young) need to learn to take the time to slow down, enjoy the view, and relax! I say that only because I was one of them a while ago...

So here I am, back in the Top o' the Panhandle. Doing Laundry. Checking E-mail. Writing a Blog. Reminds me of something else I said at home. There were a couple of cows sitting under a tree when it was cold and drizzly. You remember the Budweiser commercials with the guys sitting in their living room? The "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzuuuuuuuuuuuuupppppppp" guys? After the "Whazzzup" craze ended, they went into the "True" series. One guy calls up another and says "What you doin'?" to which the reply was "Nothin. Watching the game. Drinkin' a Bud." which the answer was "True" and then the question is repeated again. Anyway, back to the cows -Dad mentioned they looked pretty content even though it was cold. So I cracked the joke "Yeah. They are sittin' the the cold. Chewin' their Cud." to which Dad (oblivious to the commercial) said "True." Priceless...

Fall is here...unfortunatley

It is a sad day when I come to the realization that summer has finally gone and winter is on it's way. Granted, we have had an "Indian Summer" here in the top o' the Panhandle the last couple of weeks but it finally looks as if the cold of fall and winter is just around the corner. How do I know this you ask?

I had to put the hard top on the Jeep.

Yup, that is your scientific answer. My long-term forecasts are based on whether I can ride in the Jeep with the top down or buttoned up with the hard top on. NO, NOT REALLY! The meteorology does show that we will probably be experiencing a cold snap this upcoming week of Thanksgiving and although the Jeep warms up quite nicely with the soft top, it doesn't allow one to scrape the windows off nor can you use the rear defroster and wiper. As I will be traveling quite a bit for the holidays, I decided to put the hard top on for a much quieter ride as well as for that extra added warmth I can get.

So it is with a bit of sadness that I tightened the last Torx bolt down on the hard top realizing it will likely not be removed until sometime in the spring of 2008. Yes, I could easily pop that thing off and drive around town on the warm winter days we tend to have up here but it is actually quite a bit more of a hassle than people realize. I truly enjoy driving around with the wind blowing through my hair and my body being warmed by the sun as well as sitting at a stoplight at night and being able to look up at the stars. That and the lines of the soft top look more fitting for a Jeep than the rounded and "stiff" lines of the hard top. Sigh...the soft top is truly convenient for converting to an open-air ride but it doesn't have the additional quietness and protection of the fiberglass hard top.

Oh well, it's not like we won't ever be warm for an extended period again. I'll just have to make due until the spring of next year :-) !

Frustration

I am frustrated. Frustrated with myself mainly. It seems that I cannot focus on the things I really need to. Perhaps someone infected me with a form of adult ADD that makes my mind race from one subject to another. Mainly the frustration is with my walk with Jesus right now. Quiet times have been anything but as I'll be sitting there reading the Word and off my mind goes into a problem that I am working on or an event that happened within the last couple of days. I even hate to admit that I've been dozing off when praying or have my mind once again wander off into some distant place which frustrates me even more. A couple of times it has been so bad that I consciously give up and roll over and give up by going to sleep.

The biggest reason I think I'm frustrated is that I don't know why I am in this place and the lack of being able to put my finger on it and fixing whatever "it" is started a continuous feedback loop that I need to be kicked out of. In other words - the more I focus on the problem, the more I feel despair that I cannot see the problem so I focus more intently and so the "feedback loop" continues to increase. Is it work-related? Is it relationship (or lack thereof) related? Is it the lack of feeling close to Jesus related? Is it all those things added together???

I'm writing this mainly because this afternoon was one of those days where I just want to give up. Church was REALLY good and my heart jumped a couple of times during the lesson because I know it was what I needed to hear. I walked out of church with the feeling that I can't leave Amarillo anytime soon because amazing things are going to be happening through the body of believers at Amarillo South. Then I get home. A strange odor was in the kitchen and then I wondered why there was water splashing up on my arms from the faucet. I realized it wasn't splashing UP from the sink, it was dripping DOWN from the cabinets. A hose was leaking in my upstairs bathroom which I didn't realize and was draining through the floor into the kitchen. Crap. The same one that did this two years ago that was supposedly "fixed". Trying to shut the water off, I break the valve under the sink. Double Crap. THEN I find out I don't have a normal water main and will have to figure out how to turn the water off to the house. That means I'm going to have to call a plumber to come out and take a look at all this. OH, did I mention my parents are coming into town for a couple of days starting TOMORROW and this is the sink to their bathroom??? AUGGHHHHHH!

I want to give up so badly. I want to go find some cabin in the mountains, get snowed in, and not have to worry about all this stuff with my house and my life. I want to know that all my dreams, plans, and ongoing things are what Jesus wants for me but how the HECK am I going to do that with all this "stuff" going on?

I need a retreat...at least once I can be sure my house won't be flooded when I get back.

Pun for the Day

I was cleaning out my e-mail and came across this...

A MECHANIC AND HIS DOG

A mechanic who worked out of his home had a dog named Mace. Mace had a bad habit of eating all the grass in the mechanic's lawn, so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside. The grass eventually became overgrown.

One day the mechanic was working on a car in his backyard and dropped his wrench losing it in the tall grass. He couldn't find it for the life of him so he decided to call it a day.

That night, Mace escaped from the house and ate all the grass in the backyard. The next morning, the mechanic went outside and saw his wrench glinting in the sunlight. Realizing what had happened, he looked up to the heavens and sang out loudly, proclaiming...

"A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound that saved a wrench for me!"

We Survived

Well, another year and another Canadian River Run behind us. No damage to my Jeep; drove it to Dumas and back without any problems. It was a great time of getting caught up with two of my best friends, little sleep since my feet were freezing cold every night, and angles of approach and departure that would get any heart beating faster. There was no video this trip, just pictures as you can see for yourself...

Canadian River Run 2007

Off to the river...

I made it back from K.C., unpacked, repacked, double checked things on the Jeep, loaded 'er up, cleaned up, and am back on the road. Canadian River Run '07...here I come!

Mmmmmmmmmm....

I have found a little slice of heaven in Kansas City.

Bravo! Cucina Italiana is a small chain of restaurants across the central and eastern parts of the U.S. of A. My friend/coworker had been talking this place up as one of the best places to eat that is close to our place of residence. We decided to partake in this culinary event this evening so that should anything go wrong, I would have a day to recover before having to board my flights back to the top o' the panhandle.

Two things to say: oh my goodness, it was meant to be.

First a disclaimer; I didn't have Italian food when I was there. The special for the evening was grilled trout over pan-fried red potatoes with fresh green beans. I was tired of "heavy foods" (such as all you can eat pork ribs and fried foods) and when the waitress said "trout", I was sold. By FAR, that had to be the best trout I have EVER had from a restaurant (in other words, 3c trout is still the best...you know - trout I caught, cleaned, and cooked or the 3c). Perfect flavor, perfect consistency (not too dry, not undercooked), perfect color. It was so perfect, the butter-lemon sauce did the trout injustice. The veggies were impeccable, the taters reminded me of the german-style taters my Oma would cook and the green beans were like those we would pick out of our garden and cook. I could have...no, should have stopped there...but I didn't

The waitress came out and asked if we wanted any desert and once again when she said "chocolate cake", I was sold. 5 minutes later, the Torta Di Cioccolata arrived. As the menu states: "Rich chocolate cake with warm center topped with vanilla bean gelato". Oh no. That is NOT what this thing is. Try a chocolate torte with a warm, gooey dark chocolate center topped with what most Americans would call ice-cream but in fact actually is more of a custard made with raw eggs and flavored with aged/authentic vanilla beans. All I can say: heaven.

So here I am sitting on the couch watching the latest "storm chaser" show on Discovery. All I can think of is a line Homer Simpson said: "belly button going from innie...to...outie...". Even though I'm a bit stuffed, it was well worth it.

Food coma...here I come.

More thoughts on KC

KC is definitely a different place. Different climate, different scenery, different people. Not in a bad way mind you, just different. I like the fact that it has rained twice in the last seven days as opposed to twice in the last three months. There is actually a change of seasons that results in the color of leaves changing to yellows, oranges, and reds as opposed from green straight to brown. There is terrain here, a gentle rolling of hills that makes for a pleasant drive around the outskirts of the metropolitan area. The people I have interacted with from KS/MO are friendly but not overly so; they won't stop and visit like folks back in the panhandle do. I'll definitely come back for classes and I might even try to visit a couple more times on my own. However, I don't think I could live out here.

I've grown accustom to the plains of the panhandle; where the land meets the sky. There was a beautiful "West Texas" sunset this evening but I couldn't truly enjoy it; there were buildings in the way and going outside of town still didn't allow that full-sky view of the colors. When I headed to the Kansas-side of town on Saturday to see where I briefly lived, the neighborhood was claustrophobic as the trees had formed a total canopy of the street, house, and yard. I couldn't handle not being able to look out the window and see the horizon or not being able to see what kind of weather would be moving towards me. Plus, that would be a LOT of leaves to clean up!

Then there is the traffic. Driving is once again an adventure as the sheer increase in the number of people on the road results in more idiots (you know, those who are driving 100 MPH talking on their cell phone while swerving in and out of traffic...) and random slowdowns as too many people try to merge into traffic. It is "too" busy here for me, people seem to be in a rush even outside of traffic. Stops at Cabela's, Chipotle, and Mimi's Restaurant had random people all in a hurry. People walking out because the wait was 10 minutes, people complaining their order of 16 soft or crispy tacos was taking too long (4 minutes !), people bumping into me as they pulled their kids behind them trying to cover the immense grounds of the Cabela's store. It just seems too fast-paced for me. I guess that's from having been in the top o' Texas for as long as I have.

When it is all said and done, I'll definitely look forward to coming back here. I've still got to get back to I.H.O.P. (poor scheduling on my part this trip), find the secret, hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint every good BBQ city has, and take in some of the more "nerdy" sites around town (a couple of science museums and historical sites). The rest of my evenings this week until I leave are booked so most of this will have to wait. As MacArthur said: "I shall Return."

A recommended form of transportation

As I mentioned in my previous post, I could have driven to K.C. which would have given me a vehicle to drive around in and enjoy the sights. However, my primary vehicle has seen it's better days and has a tad under 150k miles and my go-anywhere vehicle definitely ISN'T fun to drive on a 10-hour road trip. Because the place where I'm staying is within walking distance of the training location, the guv'ment doesn't authorize a rental vehicle meaning it comes out of my pocket. I wanted to have transportation to enjoy some of the good food and to get me back to IHOP on Sunday, so I decided to rent a car.

Also mentioned in my previous post was the fact that I arrived LATE Monday night (or was it EARLY Tuesday morning) thanks to flight delays. Once all the paperwork was filled out, I had to walk out in the middle of the night being very tired and select my car. Walking up to the first one I found, I looked it over, loaded up my luggage, and was off. It was a nice ride but I was ready to get to my room and hit the sack.

So, what did I end up getting you ask? Here it is:


In the gleaming sunlight the next morning on the way to training was a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix GT. Leather interior, Supercharged V-6 with traction control, XM radio, Sunroof, and digital information center. Did I mention supercharged V-6? Having driven SUVs of various sizes for the last 10 some-odd years, I had forgotten how much fun it is to be behind the wheel of a vehicle that has some actual getup-and-go when it is pedal-to-the-metal. Granted, the supercharged V-6 isn't as powerful as the V-8 Mustang Cobra I drove at the drag races (once) but it did bring back some fun memories. However, I also forgot how low to the ground these sporty cars are and I had to re-learn how to get out of a sports car...you can't just slide out of the Grand Prix like you can an SUV.

Unfortunately I will have to return the car in 4 more days so I won't be giving the rental car my arm and a leg. With that in mind, I'll definitely be taking the GP out for a leisurely drive tomorrow afternoon with the windows down and the sunroof open as I explore K.C. and it's suburbs. It will be nice knowing that I'll be able to get on the interstate with all the crazy drivers in KS/MO thanks to the getup and go the Grand Prix GT has.

If you are traveling and need a fun yet reasonable rental car, you can't go wrong with the Grand Prix! Just be sure to get the GT model...or better yet, the GXP!

At the mercy of Mother Nature

Yes, believe it or not, once again I am writing to the two people who read this blog that I am back in Kansas City. It seems my unnamed employer once again decided to send me back to K.C. although this trip is not for testing software. This time I'm back in school taking a course on software support. Before your eyes start to glaze over as I try to explain what I'm learning, let's say that I'm learning how to work on the "engine" of our weather display software as opposed to testing how the "car" drives. However, I almost didn't make it.

Most people I visited with said that I should drive from the Panhandle to K.C. so I could have a vehicle to visit the sites and get around town. However, I've got our annual Canadian River Run that starts the day after my class ends. SO...I decided to fly. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but my unnamed employer switched travel companies on October 1st and I was to be the guinea pig to see how this new agency works. Well, the folks are friendly but I had to fly the unfriendly skies...American Airlines.

In the past, I have had good luck with American but my luck ran out this trip. The plan was simple: leave at 9:30 in the AM and get to K.C. by 3 in the afternoon. A leisurely schedule in my eyes. Things fell apart before I even set foot on the grounds of the airport. My flight out was canceled as mother nature conspired to shut down DFW airport for two hours which pushed the EARLIEST time I could fly out to 4 pm. The travel agency said that EVERY flight out before then on EVERY carrier (except for Southwest as it turns out) was booked and I needed to take whatever flights American could get me on. Well, after some wrangling of schedules, I was going to be making it to K.C. at 8:30 as opposed to 3 pm which isn't bad. Or so I thought.

The flight out left an hour late as American was still trying to get caught up on flights but I made it to DFW with what was supposed to be a 1.5 hour layover. That's when things fell apart. The flight out to K.C. was delayed an hour. Then two hours. And then the plane arrives to take us to K.C. only to be grounded due to mechanical problems. Never once did American give us a straight answer; it was always "Your plane is still at the maintenance hangar and will be here in 15 minutes." Well, to make a long story short: after TWELVE "15 more minutes" (in other words...THREE HOURS), American found a plane, got it to the gate, prepped it for the flight and boarded us, and then took off. When it was all said and done, I didn't arrive to K.C. until 12:45 AM and wasn't asleep until 1:30. Oh, I had to get up for my class at 7 am also.

SO, what lessons have I learned? I'm driving to K.C. in the future even if it means 10 hours on the road. American needs to learn how to use multiple airports as hubs (such as Southwest) as opposed to one BIG hub at one airport. That way if your one BIG airport has weather and is shut down for two hours, you just reroute people around the weather (which Southwest can do to some extent...but they still have problems as well).

But I made it back to K.C. I'm here for a while and will be able to go back to some favorite places and spend an extended time back at I.H.O.P. on Sunday. That is after I get done with homework and a couple of take-home exams for this class I'm attending...

I.H.O.P., K.C.-Style

Some folks might say that I was a bit harsh on something associated with Kansas City in my previous post...that was the B.B.Q. issue. Well, I decided to try something else that some folks associate with Kansas City, and that is I.H.O.P.

No, I'm talking about the International House of Prayer.

To save you from reading a dissertation, check this link out to get a better understanding of what IHOP is about and I'll leave you with this long post. IHOP houses a 24/7 prayer service that is come-and-go as you like, and several other things that support ministry that IHOP performs not only in K.C. but across the globe in some cases. I initially heard about IHOP while working at the Wesley Foundation after we had a mission trip group come back from K.C. Other folks had mentioned it in passing about paying a visit through the years. Then a co-worker of mine mentioned he visited IHOP while there for his daughter's gymnastics competition and a couple of friends from church mentioned they had heard amazing things about it, but had never been either. Well, since I was already in K.C., I decided Thursday would be my night to do what I want and set out to find this place called I.H.O.P.

After running an hour behind thanks to some work-related software testing that ran long, I set out for IHOP and arrived around 7 pm. It was a bit of a drive on unknown roads and an uneasy feeling of not knowing what to expect didn't help. However, I arrived only a few minutes after I wanted to and headed into the 24/7 Prayer Room. It wasn't an earth-shattering event. There wasn't a feeling of "Yeah, this is the place". It at first was like walking into any church service after worship had started. I wandered to the back of the room and found a place to stand and watch for a bit while and not be in the way.

I wish I could give you times but I deliberately decided not to look at a watch so I didn't feel rushed. The room was set up like a worship center. Chairs, a stage, T.V.'s for words, cameras, and smaller, enclosed prayer rooms for specific purposes around the periphery of the room. The worship song initially wasn't something I knew and I felt distracted. IHOP allows "free" prayer and worship; you can sit, kneel, walk, or stand and the layout is conducive for that. I wasn't accustomed to having random people walk by me whispering prayers under their breath almost continuously. After a while though, you could start to feel that the Prayer Room was something different.

Some amount of time passed by and then I started to feel amazed that there were people in that room 24/7 all praying for various things, people, causes, or whatever was on their mind and heart. I didn't want to pray for things on my mind, I wanted to pray for them - these people who are taking time out of their day to go to a specific place with a specific purpose and meet with God. There were people of every age, color, creed, and nationality. From the guy close to my age there with his 3-5 year-old son, to the middle-aged Asian lady, to the grandfather walking slowly through the aisles hunched over but still praying to Jesus, to the countless high-school or college-aged kids; these people were lifting up their minds and hearts to the Lord. They didn't mind me standing at the back watching, soaking in all that was going on around me.

The worship team had been playing songs that I didn't know and were doing a bit of intercessory prayer via the words they were singing which was a distraction to me. Somewhere at some time, the person leading worship somehow indicated that they were going to start a new song and it was quiet for a bit. You could hear the soft voices of at least 50 people praying. Then they started a worship song that I know and love and it was like a switch. I was able to start worshiping and somewhere in that song I was able to feel at peace in the room, standing in the back and leaning against the wall. For many months, I have had a really hard time being able to worship at my home church and this was the first time I could actually worship. By this I mean I could feel my heart in the worship; I wasn't just going through the motions or trying to ignore the fact that the song didn't need to be sung with harmony or exactly like it is on a C.D. The words or name to the song escape me right now but it was the perfect thing at the perfect moment for me. Unfortunately, the worship team progressed into songs I didn't know and I went back to observing, but with my eyes more open than before.

After another while longer, I felt it was time to go and I slowly headed towards the door. When I got back in my rental car, almost an hour had passed yet it didn't feel that long. This wasn't a "mountain top" experience; one of those times where I feel like I could conquer the world for Jesus when I left IHOP. There is still much processing I need to do to develop how I feel. Initially, I will say that I ended up praying more for the people in that room; for Jesus to bless them for taking time out of their day to spend it in prayer and worship. However, I'm not sure why I am not completely comfortable with telling folks IHOP is a place to go.

Having developed my relationship with Jesus within a small group structure throughout my walk might have constrained my comfort zone considerably and this is perhaps part of the problem. I would much rather spend a full 24 hour day in fellowship, worship, and prayer with my close friends as I feel that they can experience Jesus with me and relate to what/where/how I've been as opposed to experiencing Jesus with a complete group of strangers with no relationship that allows me to share my experience with them. How would you feel if a complete stranger came up and said "I've had an awesome time with Jesus at this place called IHOP. Let me share this with you" (and no, that didn't happen). I came to IHOP after hearing close friends relate or relay experiences to me that opened my heart to the possibility of going and wish that they could have been there to help me with "processing". A person who didn't have the small-group background might walk into the Prayer Room and feel overwhelmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit and instantly know that Jesus' hands are over that place.

There likely are great things taking place there, but an hour is nowhere near the amount of time I need. My heart and mind probably need to spend a full 12-hour day there to get the full experience and even more time to process it. Heck, I probably need more than one day because Jesus has his own schedule and I can't constrain that. There will be other opportunities for me to head back to IHOP as the training center for my employer is located here in K.C. I'll just need to come better prepared spiritually next time and continue to let Jesus show me what he wants me to see when I'm there.

However, I will be telling all my friends now to go and check out the International House Of Prayer so that they can determine for themselves if that is someplace Jesus is waiting to meet them.

-Weatherman

P.S. It was definitely God who pulled me out of IHOP when he did. I headed back to the Zara Rosa open-air mall to find a place for dinner. Earlier today, I ran into a former co-worker, stormchasing partner, and good friend at the training center. Well, when I was walking into the restaurant for dinner, guess who pulled right in front of me! I'm not sure if he loves Jesus or not so I didn't share my IHOP experience with him, but we did spend a good two hours enjoying getting caught up on life, sharing a good local-brew Bock, all while I enjoyed one of the best Cuban sandwiches I have had since being in Key West's Little Havana.

K.C. Style B.B.Q.

Quick note before I head off to bed. I am officially not much of a fan of Kansas City style barbeque. For those who are "culinarily-challenged", KC-style is more of a tomato-based sauce (either from ketchup, tomato sauce, etc.) that is thick and sweet as compared to Texas-style which is also tomato-based but more tangy, saltier, and is much thinner (almost liquid), and lest I forget Memphis style which is usually pork (KC and Tejas both use beef...for good reason - it's better!) that typically cooked with a dry rub meaning no sauce at all or only after the cooking is done.

Well, I'm here in the heart of KC-style land, Kansas City itself, and after two BBQ places (one hole-in-the-wall, one chain) and I need my Texas-style BBQ. KC-style brisket is not smoked as much as Texas-style and is more of a roast which also lends to less flavor. Overall though, the sauce kills it for me. I'm not much for sweet sauces on beef and they try to add some smoke flavor into the sauce. The cuts of meat were also a bit smaller than the hefty portions you can get in Texas as well.

I don't want to get those who are on the level of The Food Network expertise mad...I'll reserve final judgment for a couple more BBQ restaurants on other trips as I might need to find that one magic spot that has the right combination of beef, flavor, and sauce.

P.S. Tonight was Irish pub night with Shepherd's Pie for dinner (Corned beef and Cabbage, and Fish and Chips were also had by friends from work), a frosty Fat Tire from the tap (they had Guinness on tap as well that came in Imperial Pint's), and Bread and Butter Pudding for dessert. Yeah...that bread and butter pudding was
O U T S T A N D I N G!

Changing of the Seasons

I had the day off today thanks to my "normally" scheduled rotation and it was a day I have been anticipating for quite a while. Beside providing a chance to sleep in and get caught up on never-ending household chores, I knew a pretty significant change to the weather was going to take place. The first major cold front of the season was due to arrive.

Around 4 pm this afternoon the skies darkened, the wind started to swing around from the east to the north, a big gust came through blowing leaves through the street, and then the temperature started to fall. As in 20 degrees in 30 minutes. It was glorious! The air had that sweet clean smell of rain-washed goodness and there is an invigorating coolness that wakes one up just standing around.

Don't get me wrong, I will miss the warm weather of summer. I am a solar-powered person; I need sunshine to be in a good mood and it is hard to do that in the winter (at least here in the top o' Texas). There is also something about sitting in a chair outside in the summer with a cold glass of ice tea, smelling the scent of a freshly mowed lawn while cooling down, and soaking in the sun before going into the unnatural fluorescently lit office. Summer is also the season to drive with the top of the Jeep off and enjoy the outdoors while driving to work, church, small group, or home.

Winter brings it's own set of joys though. It NEVER ceases to amaze me that the air behind a cool front has made it all the way from the Pacific, or that the REALLY cold air made it all the way down here from the Arctic. The Pacific, Canadian, or Arctic cold front is an amazing creation that brings us an airmass from locations thousands of miles away. Cooler weather also brings out a deep blue in the sky that is typically only seen in the mountains at altitude. Don't forget the sweet smoky smell of oak, mesquite, cedar, or elm that floats through the air as people get the fire places fired up. I also enjoy whenever we see snowfall which was a rarity down in the Metromess (but only if I'm not working...forecasting snow around these parts is H A R D). Just as the grass turning green in the spring implies baseball is just around the corner, falling temperatures and cooler air means college football and NHL hockey is around the corner. And last but not least: Snow Skiing.

It might be a bit premature, but adios summer and hello fall.

Back to the Grind

I leave you with two photographs from my trip home this weekend:


Canon Digital Rebel XT, ISO 100, AE/AF
The grass was the greenest I've ever seen it AND about knee-high at times!

Canon Digital Rebel XT, ISO 100 AE/Manual Focus
Sunset over the stock pond, the most water it has seen in a LONG time...

Back to the grind of work...

Sick

Yesterday afternoon I didn't feel well at work. No big deal or so I thought. I didn't sleep well the previous night and thought that might have been a part of it. So, I made it through the day, got home, and went to bed.

At 6 pm.

Yeah, I felt pretty crappy by yesterday afternoon and it is a rare day when I want to go to sleep that early (even if I was on a midnight shift!). Needless to say, it went downhill from there. I'll just say that this is a stomach virus that cleaned everything out from Christmas Dinner 1997 or some other date several years back.

I have been blessed with good health. In the 10 or so years that I've been working for my unnamed employer, I've only had to take off two...well, three now...sick days. That's not to say that I haven't been sick in the past. I have. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) the other times I have been sick have been when I've already had days off and could recuperate without losing time at work. Those times were different though. I could go to the doctor and get some antibiotics, cough suppressant, and allergy medicine and feel fine in two or three days. Not this time. It also doesn't help in that I have NO clue where I picked this thing up. For all I know, it could be waiting for me at work when I go back there tomorrow.

Stomach viruses are bad. No medicine helps. Gotta wait for the gastrointestinal tract to "reset" itself. No food for the first 24 hours and possibly longer. Good luck trying to keep down liquids, and BTW, no tasty beverages only clear stuff. Once that time has elapsed you can TRY food, but only bland food. Spicy enchiladas are out of the question for a while. If you can handle the bland stuff, you can start to add more flavorful entries as time goes by. Hopefully in 1 to 3 days, and hopefully not 3 to 5 days, you will be back to your normal self! Or so the doctor says.

But there are other side effects. I slept...well, laid in bed with some sleep here and there...for 15 hours so now I don't feel like doing anything. Then there is soreness from muscles that I didn't even know existed but got used in abundance early this morning. I also can't forget the aversion of looking at, forget smelling, food which I'll have to do when I go to the grocery store to get the aforementioned clear liquids and bland food. Worst of all is that I'm going home this weekend and if my digestive tract isn't back to 100%, I'll have to miss out on mom's home cookin'.

Yup, it's official. Being sick sucks.

Your SUV is not a Jeep, My Jeep is not an SUV

It started off innocently enough as a request from a co-worker to accompany him on a hunt for geocaches at the Canadian River OHV area. Now, before I go further you should probably understand what a "geocache" is by following this link. It is something that I've been interested in because of the travels that I do in my Jeep to many remote and difficult places to reach. My coworker knew that I had spent time at the Canadian River with friends and knew the area well and wanted me to act as a tour guide as well as an emergency vehicle should the need arise.

My coworker drives a 1996 Ford Exploder Sport 4x4 which was Ford's attempt at cutting into the Jeep Cherokee market. His vehicle has over 200,000 miles on it and has been off-road a grand total of 4 times since it's completion date. Stock tires, stock rims, stock axles, stock clearance, stock manual transmission. Fortunately for my co-worker, the places he needed to go to search for the caches were not too difficult, save one.

After finding the first one easily, traversing the 4-inch deep river to the second one, and nearly getting both of us stuck in the sand, we started our trek up the river bed to the third one. This was a bit more difficult as we crossed several areas of mud bogs, thick sand, and a few deeper spots of Canadian River Red water. We made it to the third cache and loaded up the waypoint for the fourth and final location...another 10 miles downstream. That would make it about 17 miles from the Highway 87 bridge. Coworker stated he felt comfortable with the conditions and off we went up the river towards Boys Ranch.

Everything is going great until I spot a location that could be interesting for our annual Canadian River Run/Off-road trip. I swing the steering wheel over to take a look. Little did I know that the sand was a good 12 inches deep and VERY soft! The initial attempt to drive forward failed so I threw the Jeep into 4-low hit the gas, and dug my way back onto more solid ground. Swinging my Jeep around, I noticed that Coworker's vehicle was slowly sinking. I grabbed the radio and told him that he needed to get out of there because he was sinking. Unfortunately by then, it was too late:

Yes, let's just say a few "colorful metaphors" were flown by the occupants of the Exploder and I was sizing up the situation. An attempt by me to pull Coworker out failed miserably as six angry squirrels under the hood was just not enough to pull out an Exploder stuck in quicksand. Now my 4-hour tour was going to become a whole-day ordeal.

A phone call to W.C. and his brother-in-law for emergency assistance was placed around 10:56 am with hopes he could get away from his activities and save the day. Brother-in-law's assistance was then requested at 11:07 am when I realized I wasn't going to be able to pull Coworker out. The rescue squad arrived at 1 pm...missing a vehicle! Apparently, W.C.'s pickup had gotten stuck halfway between our location and the bridge. This was not a good sign! With the assistance of two Jeeps yielding a total of 12 angry squirrels under the hood (or about 475 horses for those more in-tune with automotive terms), we were finally able to extract the Exploder from it's sandy and wet spot and headed back to the W.C. pickup.

Upon arriving at the second scene of vehicular impairment, this is what we saw:

Another hopelessly stuck vehicle. SO, brother-in-law and I hook up once again and unleash our total of 12 angry squirrels:

And SUCCESS!

We proceeded back to the Highway 87 bridge and Coworker treated us to Lunch at the Canadian River Cafe.

So, what lessons were learned you ask?

1. Mud tires are essential.
2. Never stop on quicksand...keep rolling.
3. Geocaching can potentially be hazardous to vehicular health.
4. I need a winch, place to keep my Hi-Lift jack, a better tow rope, and a hand-held GPS unit.
5. It takes about 3 hours to wash 3 vehicles with a power washer to get all the mud off.

And last but not least:

6. An Explorer or other SUV is not a Jeep and my Jeep once again proves it is more than a SUV!

Oh, one other thing...yes, I had fun!

Cheering on the Losers

Editor's note: this has been sitting in draft form since the 22nd as various events have postponed it's release...

Having grown up in the Metromess, otherwise known as Fort Worth-Dallas, I grew up a fan of the Texas Rangers. When I was much younger, I could care less that they were an average team. All I cared about was that I was getting to go to this really neat place where people could be loud and spend time with my Dad. I was very fortunate as the bank Dad worked for had box seats so I was treated to things most folks don't get to experience. I was also lucky enough to see Nolan Ryan on several occasions (unfortunately none of the milestones of his career like the 5,000 K, or 6th and 7th no-hitters). The Texas Rangers won a few games, lost many more we were at, and languished in mediocrity for much of my adolescence.

Then things changed.

1994. It is just a number of some year in the 20th century. However, in that year things changed for the Rangers. Something clicked with the residents of the Metromess and a beautiful new home was built for the Rangers, always and forever known in my mind as THE Ballpark in Arlington. A new Manager (and amazing Christian) was hired by then name of Johnny Oates. The All-Star game came to town the next year. Then the greatness of the late 1990s Texas Rangers happened with 3 AL West Division Championships, only to lose to the Evil Empire (a.k.a. the NY Yankees) in 1996, 1998, AND 1999. It was a short glimpse of glory that Dad and I were able to participate in going to many games over the summers. Could the Rangers finally become a premier team and make it all the way to the World Series and be crowned kings of the baseball world???

But then things changed again.

New ownership, new management. Johnny Oates leaves for medical reasons. The team Oates had molded that won the AL West three out of the last four years of the 20th century was dismantled and once again the Texas Rangers were demoted back down to a mediocre, and in some years BAD, baseball team. Yes, there are shining moments in the past 7 years such as yesterdays 30-3 walloping of the Baltimore Orioles which, BTW, set these following Modern History MLB records amongst others:

• Most runs scored against an opponent (27) since 1897
• Most RBIs in a double-header (which was set in the FIRST game alone!)
• Tied the most at-bats in a 9-inning game (57, tied with Milwaukee)
• Most RBIs in a single game since 1927, when that statistic was first recorded
  

It amazes me that in a year as bad as the Rangers have been having, a group of individuals can work together and achieve something that replaces records over 100 years old. That in a brief moment, a team that is still trying to meld accomplishes something so unusual. That regardless of how bad they are, I still root, root root for the Rangers. That a losing team can still conjure up memories of when Dad and I attended games on those hot, muggy, North Texas nights.

From my perspective, it seems that many people have become "fair weather" fans, cheering on whomever is the "hot" team, item, person, or thing around. As soon as that "thing" becomes cold, they go in search of the latest, greatest, and best thing around. For me though, it is knowing things are bad now but that I can say I stood by my team through the dark times when they finally are on top of the world; champions. I'm not saying that I'd be smug, "Told you So!" kind of person but I'll be celebrating with a much deeper sense of joy because I stuck through the hard times to reach the good.

Hmmm...sorta sounds like what being a person that loves Jesus is about as well. Cheering for the underdog/losers/bottom of the barrel/cellar-dwellers knowing that someday, we will be having the grandest of grand parties with all those before and after us who have silently cheered on those who it seemed were losing.

The similarities between Baseball and loving Jesus. Sounds like a thesis title to me...

Learning a new trade

It is ninteyfrigginhot (O.K...95) degrees this afternoon and I've made a quick trip home to grab some stuff I've forgot. Earlier, I learned how to send posts from my CrackBerry to here which is a nice treat. However, that's not what I've learned this afternoon. The reason I'm writing this is to take a bit to cool off (really to see if I've got a sunburn) and to say that I am learning a new trade. Today I am learning (at work of all places!) how to smoke.

GOTCHA! No...not tobacco! You can pick your jaw up off the ground now. Perhaps most people would associate what I am doing as barbecue. The REAL barbecue.

Tomorrow is our volunteer appreciation picnic which gives us a chance to thank our storm spotters, cooperative observers, and other folks we work with for all the weather information they pass on to us. We had someone BBQ brisket last year but they have moved so we were trying to figure out what to do. Fortunately, a coworker/friend had picked up a smoker/grill from his father-in-law and I had some oak from my Hill Country home that we are using to generate smoke. I am learning the intricacies of seasoning the brisket, maintaining the proper fire in the smoke box to keep the proper temperature, and how time consuming smoking meat truly is. Besides the meat we are smoking for the picnic, I've also got two chickens in the smoker with some fine Texas Shiner Bock up their butt so include learning how to do Beer Butt Chicken (get your mind out of the gutter...look it up on google) to the list. Tomorrow will be burgers, sausage, and chicken legs plus a pot of beans on the smoke box griddle. When I left to come home, I started drooling like Pavlov's dogs smelling the sweet aroma of smoking meat wafting from the cooker.

Matter of fact, I should get out there before someone snags my chicken and calls it their own. Back to the heat, chiggers, and other assortments of flying insects...

Beauty in the Strangest things

I saw this on ABC News a couple of evenings ago and was blown away how something so simple could becomes something so beautiful. And yes, this does show how much of a nerd I truly am but it is amazing to watch. What am I referring to? Check this out (you need Quicktime installed AND it is 14 MB in size so it will take a while to download):

You can find the background information on this page by Aaron Koblin. You just saw all the air traffic for a 24 hour period with the color representing types of flights (passenger, cargo, military, etc.). It is amazing to see how the outline of the continental U.S. shows up as well as the Transatlantic and Hawaii routes (plus some minor flights to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, and Central America...). Take a look at Aaron's webpage...there are several other videos of the same day but in different forms. Simply Amazing!

Yup. I'm getting older...

One of my co-workers recently got a promotion and has moved to Midland. I offered to maintain his lawn and garden while the house was in the process of being sold (which was under contract...after 20 days on the market!) since he had already departed to Midland. It wasn't a big deal; his house is a couple of blocks away and he offered me any of the fresh vegetables in his garden that he had to leave behind.

After getting an e-mail from my co-worker stating the house was closing in 4 days and seeing my lawn needed a haircut, I decided to get up early this morning (early meaning 11 am) and knock out both yards in a couple of hours. So, I lathered on the Bullfrog Sunscreen, applied liberal amounts of Deep Woods Off to hold the West Nile laden mosquitoes at bay, gassed up the mower, and started cutting away. No big deal...I had both lawns mowed in two hours. This even included cleaning out some weeds in my flower beds the old-fashioned way (by hand).

So, after cooling off with a 20 oz. ice-cold Gatorade and two bottles of water under the ceiling fan in my living room (didn't want to sit on any furniture as I was coated in sunscreen, Off, and now dust/grass particles) it was time to take a refreshing hot shower and get ready to work. It was quite nice and relaxing until I put my head under the stream of what was supposed to be comfortably hot water. Suddenly...flames erupted on the top of my head and it felt as if someone had turned on all the cold water faucets AND flushed all the toilets at the same time. O.K., it wasn't quite that bad. But boy, did it hurt! Since I had been having problems with my hot water heater, I figured that this soon to be replaced piece of equipment was the culprit.

Nope. It was something much more sinister and totally out of my control (well, not TOTALLY). After drying off and getting my glasses on, I saw the unmistakable light pink (fortunately NOT lobster red) coloring of a sunburn...on my HEAD! For some strange and unfortunate reason, the SPF factor of hair lowers proportionally with the thinner your hair gets and now I have reached the tipping point of needing to use more sunscreen. On my SCALP of all places. How the HECK am I supposed to do that?!? Sigh. Just another sign of the years as they tick by; increasing real estate thanks to deforestation on the top and front of my scalp.

By the way...all you younger guys can laugh now...but it will happen to you! Someday, you will unknowingly leave your dome uncovered thinking you were safe thanks to a full head of hair, spend a day in the sun, and suffer when you realize the march of time is unstoppable (according to current laws of physics). Then it will be my turn to laugh and say "I told you so!"...

Puns of the Day

I like good puns. By good, I mean puns that make you think for a bit then you end up laughing at them because they are crafty. REALLY good puns are the ones that make you laugh at work and everyone turns to look at you and so you tell them the pun but they give you a blank stare back or go "Huh?". Well, I found two good ones that are too good to not share with you. Here goes:

A marine biologist developed a race of genetically engineered dolphins that could live forever if they were fed a steady diet of seagulls. One day, his supply of the birds ran out so he had to go out and trap some more. On the way back, he spied two lions asleep on the road. Afraid to wake them, he gingerly stepped over them. The marine biologist was immediately arrested and charged with transporting gulls across sedate lions for immortal porpoises.

There were three Indian squaws. One slept on a deer skin, one slept on an elk skin, and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant, and the first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. This goes to prove that the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.

Yeah, that last one made me laugh. A lot.

Trying to get into the swing of things

Well, we made it back safely from our trip to Colorado (barely). After taking an extra couple of hours at Penrose in the Independence Trail System, we stopped in Pueblo to bootleg pick up some Henry Weinhard's Root Beer (this is the best root beer in the world but isn't available in Tejas), stopped in Raton for a lousy dinner at McD's, and stopped in Clayton for gas. Needless to say, that made for a late 2 AM arrival back in the Panhandle for me.

The hardest part has been trying to get back into the swing of things at work. This ALWAYS happens when I've been on vacation and I don't know why. I love my job and should be looking forward to getting back into forecasting the weather for the Top 'o Texas and Oklahoma. However, I find myself staring at pictures like this:

or like this

and wish that I was Grizzly Adams living off the land and enjoying all that Colorado has to offer. Conversations at work revolve around what antics happened on the trip and trying to impress upon my coworkers that I am not insane for taking up this hobby known as "RockCrawling". It probably also has to do with the fact that I've got to do laundry, unpack all the camping gear, still have to restock groceries, AND somehow find the time to fix everything that was dinged, dented, or is leaking on the Jeep. Throw in a severe weather event on Tuesday coming back with no clue what the atmosphere is doing AND having to cover a shift for sick coworker probably isn't helping matters either.

I shouldn't complain. I'll do it all over again in a heartbeat if I have the opportunity!

We Made It

At 1:27 MDT, our motley crew of Jeeps arrived at the end of the trail up Blanca Peak. We reached right around 11,000 FT before we were informed that the last bit of the trail was closed due to snow. It was a body-shaking, nerve-rattling ride up to the top with my Jeep getting high-centered on all but one obstacle. The climb was well worth it as we joined an elite group of people that have made the safe journey up this trail that has claimed lives in the past.

So we are now on our way to Selida to camp for the night but stopped just before reaching there to eat at a little Thai food place (exellent food for cheap!). Tomorrow we head to Iron Chest mine which will once again take us above 10,000 feet and then on to another trail before returning to civilization in Denver.

Did I mention ow much I love Colorado?

Anticipation

It is 2:18 in the AM on Friday morning as I start to type this and I'm finally able to sit down and cool off. I reek of sweat, gasoline, gear oil, and orange hand cleaner. After several short nights of sleep, I should really be in bed getting caught up on some shut-eye but that is next to impossible. Unfortunately, there is a slight state of mind that I am caught in that isn't releasing me into the restful world of REM dreaming.

The state of mind I refer to is one of anticipation.

In a little over 12 hours from now (AUGH!! SO MUCH TO DO!) I will be on the road caravaning with a good friend of mine to meet up with two of our college friends who currently reside in Colorado. This will start our annual Colorado Jeep adventure. After several days of furious wrenchin' sessions, too many $$ on parts, and lack of sleep I feel somewhat confident that my vehicle, my friends, and myself will be able to make it up and back in one piece. But these are small fractions of what I'm anticipating. The largest parts are the fact that we'll be running two very hard trails and likely one trail I shouldn't do but will, just to see what my friends, my Jeep, and I are able to do. It is anticipation of the fear knowing one mistake could result in an expensive repair, bodily injury, and yes...possibly death in a worst-case scenario. Anticipation of the adrenaline rush from being off-camber, feeling like the Jeep is going to roll even though my spotters are telling me everything is O.K. It is the anticipation of smelling pine in the air at 12,222 feet on Blanca Mountain in the blue sky one can only see near or at the top of a mountain and that most people have to hike up the trail but I just DROVE up the mountain. It is the anticipation of spending three quality days with what some would say are two of my best friends (I have too many "best" friends to call any one of them my "best friend") with some sorrow that others will not be able to come along on this adventure.

Perhaps the reason for the insomnia is that I'm having a hard time reconciling how I can get so wound up over something so worldly. Why can't I be sick with anticipation for what God is doing in this world and then turn that anticipation into action? Anticipation builds in my head for a Jeep trip and I go into action preparing for the adventure. This is regarding a machine! Something that will only be good in this life/world. What would happen if I took that same anticipation and transferred it into my relationship with Jesus? Better yet - How did the extraordinary become ordinary in my life, and things Jesus sees as ordinary become extraordinary in my mind?

Starting Anew

I never really understood this whole "blog" craze at first. There were some friends who used blogs to keep friends updated on travels, family, or life and I have to admit that it is a great way to know the happenings in their lives. Blogs allow me to know the mundane details about what is going on so that the rare opportunities I have to talk with them in person or via phone can be spent in deeper conversation than "Fill me in on how the kiddos are doing...".

So I started a small blog on my annoyancespace page (for which I have been trying to leave and convince others to head to Facebook since it is much more "family friendly"). It was nice to post random thoughts that popped in my head, send out messages to a large group of people whom I did not have an e-mail address for, and also gave me something to do on those boring stretches of getting adjusted to a graveyard shift schedule. Come to find out, I miss being able to post the randomness of thought that can occur in my journey called life. And it definitely is random; how can it not be when you are trying to know Jesus more every day while working in a job I love doing that has a crazy schedule that keeps me from seeing friends and family as much as I do on top of the multitude of hobbies I enjoy...

Thus starts the new adventure of my semi-official blog. I'm not web savvy so I don't run my own blog on a fancy webpage, I use this one because of several friends that have pages on here. As for the title, Der Wetteransager; the literal German translation is "The Weatherman" which my friends have come to call me at times and reflects my family heritage in "Deutch". This will be a random collection of thoughts - life, thoughts on my walk with Jesus, work, and MAYBE even some political thoughts. So let the journey begin...once I get over this stupid cold I've had for a week that is making me want to hack up a lung.