Baaaaa Haaaa Haaaaa!!!

So Sari is away this weekend at some little homecoming thing (there are like 904368390486904386 people going to WCC's homecoming this weekend..... it would have been 904368390386904387 if I went, but.... that is a completely different story)

Anyway, since she is away, I took two really cute girls out for supper. 

I ordered "Ribs and Chicken Wings" (a "Heart Healthy" choice, right?) and when it came, I challenged each of the girls to eat a "suicide wing" as fast as they could.... no water.... no stopping.

BAAAAAA  HAAAAAA HAAAAA!!!!!   It was great!!!!!   They looked like this......

And then the best part..... one of them somehow got suicide wing sauce up her nose!!!! (Lets just say that Megan thought that was really funny!!!)  Here is a hint for future reference.... if it burns your lips and makes you actually wish that they would fall off..... putting it up your nose is not a good idea!

I hope Sari comes home soon..... I miss her and the girls may not survive.

Just for fun

I know that I have posted this before, but I was going through a bunch of old emails and found it again, so I am re-posting it..... enjoy and learn something useful.  :)

If you get a chance

Brent Butt was in town last night.  We were lucky enough to have been given tickets as a Christmas present and so we got to enjoy a night out for nothing.  It was really good.... funny..... tons of people (they sold every ticket and filled the auditorium).... talked to tons of people (Everyone we know was there.... it was like we were being stalked... or we were stalking them)..... it was a good time. 

If you ever get a chance to see Brent, I would recommend it.  He was 98% clean (and for stand-up that is great) and he used mostly new material.  Good stuff.

PS.  The other thing is that it really made me want to run away and do stand-up.... woudln't that be fun????  So if I am not there on Sunday.........   :)

If you really knew me.....

Hey, if you have a few minutes, watch this video.  Sari and I were privileged to get to participate in a self-esteem building/anti-bullying program at the high school today.  It is called "Challenge Day" and this will give you a quick look at it.

We really enjoyed hanging out with the students, teacher and other adult volunteers.  It was a day of laughing, tears, apologies and hugs...... not to mention that I got to break out all the dance moves that the girls won't let me do in public (We were told to dance badly.... I was complimented for my bad dancing.... is that good or bad?????)

The title of this post was one of the themes of the day..... "If you really knew me would you know"..... and then we had to fill in the blank in small groups.  It was a very powerful day of people talking about their struggles, their fears and their hopes.   To be honest, it was a lot of what church ought to be like.

Anyway, if you are ever offered a chance to go and assist with this program, to send your child to it, or to bring it to your town.... jump on it.  It was great!!!!  (Just make sure you get lots of rest first..... and practice your dance moves!)   :)

Three planets for the price of ..... nothing!

So I came out of the leisure centre tonight after playing squash with Paul and I saw these two very bright "stars" in the western sky.  I figured that they had to be planets but I did not know which ones so I looked them up and they are Jupiter and Venus. 

For the month of March they are visible in the western sky for at least four hours after sundown and look like this.......

As an added bonus..... turn to the southeast portion of the sky and you can see a big red dot.... that is Mars.

It is just cool to me that you can easily pick out three planets like that.... they look like nothing else up there.... you cannot miss them.

Ooooh.... then lLook down and you will see one more planet.... earth.... unless it is too dark. :)

Go have a look.... this will not happen for a while again.  If you would like to know more, google a sky chart for your area or read about it here

Random thoughts and real news

Is it a bad sign when your dentist knows you by your first name?  I don't mean like when you are in his office and he looks at your chart and says, "Ok Tim, how are you today?"   I mean like when you are at the hockey game and he walks by you at the concession and says, "Hi Tim".

Now don't get me wrong.... my dentist is a nice enough guy, but we are not buddies or anything.  And, to be fair, it is a small town and there are not that many preachers in it, so people tend to at least sort of know who I am.

But this was just a little weird!  I mean, I think I saw him wink when he said, "Hi Tim"..... you know that wink that says, "I am looking at buying a new boat this summer and I think you are going to make that a little easier on me".   In other words, he seemed just a little too happy to see me.  It was as if he had just seen his personal cash cow!!!  D'oh!

And then - after he left - I got the chills...... it was sort of like seeing the Grim Reaper and living to tell about it.  Good think I actually don't mind the guy.... think what it would be like if I didn't.
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On the way to the office today, I heard a story on the CBC about a curling bonspiel that is for preachers only.  It is called "The Friar's Brier".  The story went on to talk about the fact that it gets guys together from all over the country, that it is good for making new friends across denominational lines and that it gives the guys a fun event to look forward to.  That is all great..... but I think that they missed the best line of the whole story.

They should have pointed out that they all WALK ON WATER!!!  Bah ha ha!!!!   Get it????? Water.... curling ice...... preachers...... Jesus........  Hello????  Is this on?????  Hello???????? (tap tap)

Oh never mind!
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On to real news.....

- We celebrated a 16th birthday in our house this past weekend.  As I said to Katelyn on Saturday.... "I remember the day you were born.  I came home to our old house after a long night at the hospital and crashed on the couch.  I hit the stereo and a song called 'God has smiled on me' came on"...... at that point in my story I got at little teary eyed and choked up..... so I turned to her and said, with choking voice..... "I really miss that couch!"....... We both laughed for 10 minutes straight!  :)

- Sadly, Megan's B-ball season has come to an end.  It was a lot of fun watching her play and improve so much over the past few years.  I am going to miss going to the games and I am going to miss having kids that wear the "Hillcrest" uniform, but it was fun while it lasted.

So there you go...... some things to think about or to try to forget.  Have a good week!

I just got back from Ladies Retreat

Ok - so I did not actually go to ladies retreat (though I have been lobbying to be the guest speaker there sometime..... If they don't give in soon I am going to take them to court for discrimination.... you cannot ban someone from an event based on race, colour or gender!!!   Right????  Why should I miss out on a weekend away just because I am a man, huh????  It is wrong I tell ya!!!!).

Anyway - what was I ranting about before I started ranting.... oh ya.... I just got the minute by minute replay from the daughters.  I am serious... it took like 2 hours to tell me all about the three days..... 2 hours (literally!).

I am not sure where they got their "detail oriented story-telling" from....their mom maybe?  :)

Actually, it is sort of funny.... before the kids started going to this event, Sari would come home and I would ask, "So how was it?  What happened?"...... now that the kids go, I don't have to ask that question any more.


I am glad that they (all 3) had a really good weekend and I enjoyed hearing about it.  It was a nice weekend for me too.  I am enough of a hermit that I don't mind a few days by myself and I had enough outside activities (hockey game, work day remodeling the old kitchen in the church building, a few stock car races on TV) to keep me from going stir crazy. All in all - a good weekend.

But, mark my words..... I am going to the retreat next year!!!   I am going to be the "Jackie Robinson" of Ladies retreat (Jackie broke the colour barrier in Major league baseball). One day they will make a movie of my life.... I will be a national hero!!!!  They will build a statue of me outside the Kenosee Inn to commemorate the spot where I stood up for the rights of men everywhere. My dream is that it will no longer be referred to as "ladies retreat" - it will just be "retreat".

Or maybe I will just go to Daytona for the 500 instead.

For my "Word Nerd" friends

Flipping around the stations last night, I saw a guy doing a stand-up routine.  Most of it was not that funny or interesting, but I liked this part.....

I hate spelling.  In fact, I really hate the word "doubt".  It has a silent "b" in it and I always look at that word and think, "Did I spell that correctly?"..... and that makes you actually experience the feeling that the word is meant to convey.

Wouldn't it be cool if other words worked the same way? 

I mean.... what if the spelling of "random" just had an "x" thrown in there for no reason?

Or what if you spelled "Stutter" with like 18 "T"s...... "Stutttttttttttttter"

That would make a lot of sense to me.  :)

Doing the right thing

Left alone, I don't know how much longer he would have lasted.... it is hard to say.  When we found him he was shivering in a tarp garage alone behind this guy's house.  He was cold... there was no heat.  He was in the dark.... no windows or lights.  It was easy to tell - just by looking at him - that he was being neglected.... abused even. 

When we asked the owner about the poor little guy, he said that he had checked in on him the previous day, but I was not sure that was true.  Then, as the guy talked, he revealed that frustration had set in recently, causing him to just give up on the little guy.  It was sad, but it happens.   I am just glad that we got there when we did.

As we got closer, it was obvious that all the little guy wanted was someone to love him and care for him..... you could see it in his headlight.  He just wanted someone to take him for a run out on the open road, so he could feel the wind through his spokes one more time.

It is not every day that you get to rescue a motorcycle from neglect, but yesterday was one of those gloriously good days!

My friend Dennis and I went to Weyburn, found a 1984 Honda Magna V45 (750 cc) and rescued it.  In fact, we got 3/4s of another bike thrown in for nothing (a frame, various wiring parts and an engine that was spread out in 4 different totes and literally a thousand pieces).  

Dennis was looking for a project bike.  Something that he could make into a "bobber".... and he found it and bought it.

Some may say we are heroes for what we did.... but I don't see it that way.  We just did what any other red blooded, thinking male would have done for a motorcycle in distress.

Sometimes the right thing to do is the easiest thing to do.   :)

(Ps.  The funniest part of the transaction was when the gruff 24 year old oilfield worker who was selling the bike said.... "I don't know.... this is hard.... it is like selling your girlfriend!"  :)   I am not exactly sure how it feels to "sell your girlfriend" but Dennis and I both understood...... and Dennis gave him an extra $100)  

A Valentine's day commentary

This is not a Valentine's Day rant.... even though that is sort of the popular thing to do these days.  I sort of like the idea of Valentine's Day.  I don't like all the commercialism but the basic premise is good. 

So, these are simply a couple of observations and questions related to the day.......

1.  I was shocked again this year at how many "To my Wife" cards start with a line that sounds something like, "I know that our lives are so busy that we hardly get to spend any time together any more" or "I know that I don't say things like 'I love you' as much as I should" and then go on to say something like "I hope this card helps you to know what you mean to me". 

Really??? Is this what we have come to as a society???  Neglect your wife most of the year and then buy her a $4 card and that makes up for the whole thing????    Isn't that like burning your neighbour's house down and then going to the house warming party for their new place and saying, "Here - I bought you a pineapple... I hope we are good!"  

2.  Men are funny when they buy Valentine's day cards.  First, there are the "on fire" guys.  Those who race in, grab the first card they can find, make sure it has hearts on it and does not say "To my dear husband"... they then spin around, run to the checkout and out the door as if they are spies about to be caught and tortured by the KGB. I literally saw one guy come in, barely stop walking, grab a card and go in less than 15 seconds.  Hopefully, he had spent so much time over the past few weeks looking at cards but not buying that he knew exactly where the absolutely perfect card was on the rack so that he did not have to look any more... he just grab it and went based on hours of research.  I would not bet the farm on that one though.

The other type of guys that are funny are the "deer in the headlight" guys.  They wander in as if they have never seen a Valentine's Day card before and have no clue as to what is expected of them.  They stand there forever as if the perfect card is going to jump off the shelf and into their hands.  The fear of process totally incapacitates them to the point that they cannot function.  Eventually, they end up buying the card they buy because it is the most sparkly.


3.  I heard on the news tonight that the average Canadian spends $126 on Valentine's day and that Saskatchewan residents spend the most.  Were you higher or lower than the average? (Full disclosure... I was lower and I bought for 3 girls)

4.  A survey on the news stated that 75% of people (or something in that range) do not look forward to Valentine's Day.  That sort of shocked me.  If the 75% are saying that b/c they do not like the commercial garbage and the pressure - then good.... I could be with them.  Otherwise, if it is a vote on whether it is a nice idea or not to have a special day, then I will go with the 25%.   You?????

So there you have it.  Not a rant.... not a ringing endorsement.... just some things to think about.

Very cool

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 30, 2012 from 06:13:36 to 06:23:09 GMT, on a pass from northern Mexico to northwest New Brunswick. This video begins looking northeast over Texas, where cities like San Antonio, Houston, and the Dallas/Fort Worth area can be seen. Continuing northeast over the Great Plains states, cities like Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and St. Louis can be easily distinguished. The pass continues over the familiar shape of the Michigan Peninsula, with Chicago at the south edge of Lake Michigan. As the ISS continues northeast, the Aurora Borealis can be seen over Canada.

I am going to miss Estevan

After 22 years in the same place, you make a lot friends and become comfortable doing the things you always do.  I like going to the hockey game or to to the mall and running into people and chatting. Small town life has been great.... and I am going to miss it.

Where am I going?  Well - I am not completely sure yet.  I think I am just going to take all the offers, look them over and decide from there. 

You see, I officially start my "Basketball coaching career" tomorrow and who knows where it will take me?  Right now I am helping coach the "Hillcrest School Grade 7 and 8 Boy's" team, but after the tournament this weekend, who knows? 

Do I know anything about basketball????  Well, check out the picture at the top of this blog.... does that look like I know what I am doing? (What do you mean that doesn't look like me?  After 22 years of living near a coal mine your skin darkens up a bit)

Anyway, it is not all about my skill.... but my brain.  You see, I am going to have ONE KID on the bench at all times.... so I am really going to have to manage the game and make sure everyone gets playing time and that no one gets lost in the shuffle.   And then there are the water bottles..... SIX of them!   And they have to be cold (I once threw a bottle across the gym because it was warm..... I still have flashbacks about that). 

I am not sure who TSN is sending to cover the event, but I have written up some questions for them to ask me just so that they don't look dumb.  Things like this can be intimidating.

I'm sure going to miss Estevan...... but you can't stop your destiny!

I think we have a misunderstanding here

"No, I didn't watch the Super Bowl".......  What???

 Super Bowl Sunday is not about the game... whether you are interested or not.... or even like football or not.

Super Bowl Sunday is all about the Super Bowl party.

It is about getting together with almost everyone you know.

It is about having tables of junk food stacked so high that you cannot see over the pile to the other side of the room.

It is about eating Louisiana style chicken wings until it feels like your mouth is going to burn off and it feels like you have a lump of lead in your stomach.

It is about watching the commercials (or at least it would be if Sasktel allowed us to see the US feed instead of the CTV one on every channel)

It is about rating the halftime show (Our crew gave Madonna an average of 4.5 out of 10...... And then agreed that Tom Petty, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen have been among the best halftime shows ever.....  Paul McCartney =  the worst..... "Time for bed Grandpa!")

It is about challenging the teenage sons of your buddies to see how many gummie bears they can put in their mouth at one time

It is about drinking so much Coke and eating so much cake that you can't sleep for a week afterwards

Oh - and occasionally - like yesterday, the game turns out to be really good too

So for all of you who missed out yesterday, let me just say that you are all invited to my place next year (Maybe just let me know an hour or two before you show up so I can tell Sari..... That is sort of what happened this year - "Hey Sari, I invited half the church over for supper and to watch the game" - it was great fun after she calmed down)

So I am serious... Consider yourself invited.... But please do not bring anything - we still have 456654556 bags of chips left over from this party

Something fun and something new (and also fun)

Megan is currently in the middle of her school basketball season. The city tournament went last night and today and here are some shots from it......

She enjoys playing, it is fun to watch and the kids that she plays with are really nice.... what could be better?

Katie had something new and unique happen to her today too..... here is a hint:

Well - the "monkey" part is just for me (I love monkeys), but the fancy "froo froo" coffee part is the hint.... she worked her first day of her first real job at a very nice coffee shop in town. 

I was trying to convince her to work at Peavey Mart, because...
(a) she would not spend all her money on stuff from the store (like she would if she worked in a clothing store) and....
(b) I would get a discount.

In the end, though, she thought that the coffee shop would be a better fit.  She likes her boss, her co-workers and the atmosphere and I like the fact that not many guys go in there (the only male presence seems to be married guys with their wives)..... so everyone is happy!

A good weekend so far.

Well - it has been awkward!

I found the "Creepiest place on earth" this past week. 

Surprisingly, it was in the "Dakota Square Mall" in Minot, North Dakota. Even more surprisingly, it was NOT "Bath and Body Works" (if you ever go to Minot, you likely know what that means).

The most creepy place on earth is "Scheels Sporting Goods".

Now, normally, that is the first place I go.  In the sea of girly, smelly, "pretty" stuff that is any modern mall, Scheels is a manly, hairy, haven of guy-ness...... but it was weird this time.

It was like the staff had been taken over by zombies.  They were all wandering around like they had lost the will to live (Not that unusual when you see teenagers working retail) and if I got within 10 feet of one of them they would ask (with no enthusiasm), "Can I help you?" (Again, not that weird).

But then it got worse!  As I kept walking past the various staff people, the questions increased and became more personal..... "Can I help you?...... Do you need help finding something?..... Have you seen our new shoe line?...... How are you doing today??......  Have you called your mother lately??...... Are you getting enough fiber in your diet??"    It was getting creepy (and sort of personal) so I ran away.   I think they must have been bored.

(Ok - that may have been exaggerated a little.... but this part is 100% true).....  As I am running away from the creepy sales people, I head for the front door.  Now, Scheels has cash registers on each side as you go out (about 4 per side) and there were literally 2-3 people standing at each one..... so I am running away and I hear......

"Have a nice day" - so I turn left and say "thanks". 

Then I hear, "Thanks for coming" so I turn right and say "Thanks!" (Why I thanked them for thanking me is beyond me - it is a Canadian thing).  

Then "Come again" from the left......

"Have a good day" from the right.......

"auf Wiedersehen" from the left (to which I replied "Wienerschnitzel"..... it is the only other German-ish word I know)

It was bizarre!!!!  It was like being in a shooting gallery, or on the red carpet at a movie premiere (Mr. Pippus..... Mr. Pippus - over here!!" .....Click)

I may have been safer in "Bath and Body"
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Speaking of odd things in Scheels.......  I saw two bizarre products in there:

1.  A tennis ball air preserver.  Apparently, tennis balls are supposed to have 14 psi of air in them.  However, over time the air leaks out, so this company sells a container that holds the air inside the tennis ball, or (in serious cases) will re-inflate the ball (but this process takes a month).  You put the balls in this long container and then twist it down to about 1/2 its size.  This, supposedly, compresses the air around the tennis balls and - ta da - now air cannot escape.   Seriously????  Those of you who play tennis.... have you seen this thing?   Do you use one????  Is the loss of a quarter pound of air really the world tragedy that this product's packaging described?????   Help me out here.

2.  I saw a "Frisbee golf set" that had three Frisbees in it:  One "Distance driver", one for "Medium range" shots and one "Short range putter"...... all for the low low price of $43.99.   So this gets me thinking... "Why not just buy a $10 Frisbee and NOT THROW IT AS FAR?????? .......  "Oh look - my 'Long range driver' just turned into a 'Medium range putter' (all for 10 bucks instead of 43).    In fact, if you don't throw it at all, it turns into a really big coaster to set your coffee cup on...... it is magical!

I must be missing something here.  

It is hard to be a modern Dad

 I am an old fashioned sort of guy... I like working on vehicles and getting my hands dirty... I get my hair cut at a "barber" not at a "salon" (well - actually Sari cuts my hair but that is beside the point).... and the thought of going for a massage makes my skin crawl (In fact, I gave myself the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it).

Some things about being a Dad and husband have not changed over the years.  For example, the need for Dad to be an "awe inspiring example of awesomeness" has not gone out of style.  People need someone to look up to.... someone to idolize.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard my kids say, "I wish I was as cool as my Daddy" (Ok.... most of the time I have supplied that voice for the girls.... and it was only heard in my own head..... but I could see it in their eyes!)


However, some things are different in this modern age.  I live with three females (and a very girly dog - even though he should not be) and I recognize that they need me to be more sympathetic to their "feelings" and other silly things like that.... so I work very hard at this aspect of "fathering" and "husbanding" (Is that really a word?  I think I am thinking of "husbandry" which means "to grow a crop"..... ah well - close enough).

For example, when the kids or Sari get sick (which it seems they often do - sniffles and such), I try to be supportive..... empathetic..... sympathetic..... and other "etic" things.  

I also try to offer them some good advice (distilled from my years of experience, knowledge and logic).   Helpful things like....... "GET AN IMMUNE SYSTEM!!!!"

So what happens when this sympathetic, caring, kind, modern "feeling" Dad gets sick ONCE in like 10 years?????  These sweet kind girls that I live with (including their mother to some extent) come to my death bed (which I valiantly fought back from mind you) and say...........

"Oh you look sick!  Are you sick?  You are looking a little half dead.  Are you sure that you are not dying?......  GET AN IMMUNE SYSTEM!!!!!"

I am telling you..... it is hard to be a modern, nice Dad.

Good thing I don't live with really bad kids!  :)

Single-handedly saving the internet and a dream comes true

Many months ago, I declared that I was done with blogging.  "Bah!" I could be quoted as saying (I like saying "Bah!" especially out of context...... "So what are you doing next weekend?"...... "Bah!" ... I find that and a crazy look in your eyes generally stops useless "chit-chatty"conversations).

Anyway.... I had decided that "Facebook" had killed blogging.  No one reads blogs any more because they are wasting all their time on Facebook. Facebook status lines have reduced people's attention spans to the point that no one has time to think about, write or read anything if it is more than 10 words words long. Fortunately, though, it is mostly important, earth shattering stuff like "I just opened a can of soup" .......or "I am really enjoying this tomato".

Well here is the thing..... I DON'T CARE WHAT TV SHOW YOU ARE CURRENTLY WATCHING, NOR DO I WANT TO KNOW WHAT SOME ACTRESS WORE ON THE RED CARPET LAST NIGHT AND IF I WANT TO BE ANNOYED BY SOMEONE I WILL DO IT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY...... BY ACTUALLY FINDING SOMEONE TO TALK TO.... NOT BY READING THE LAMEST THOUGHTS THAT 200 OF MY "FRIENDS" CAN COME UP WITH WHILE PLAYING "FARMVILLE".

BAH!

Ok that rant is over.... though I will say that this advice posted below is really good.....

I think I would wear out the "You're an idiot" button though.

So, with all that being said, I decided not to let Facebook take out all the bloggers in the world.  Along with my vast collection of readers (which from the survey that I just completed seems to be 4 real people and two cats....), I have decided that I will be the last blogger standing (if necessary).  I am not promising a blog per day, but I promise that if you keep coming by there will be something to read (whether it is worth reading or not is another discussion).

So - in an effort to combat the Facebook drivel and in an attempt to inspire.... I have a story about dreams coming true......

When I was 20 years old, I attended a curling bonspiel in Langbank, Saskatchewan (near Moose Mountain Provincial Park).  Since that time, I have played in that bonspiel almost every year (always losing.... no matter what. In fact one year I loaded up our rink... I was convinced that I was finally going to win..... and then we were beaten by a 45 year old man and three 10 year old girls....... but that is a story for another day).

Along the way, over the last 20 years, I thought to myself, "It would be fun to curl with my own family someday".  Well, this year it happened... and I hope it was the first of many more.

And I am happy to say that we did not lose to a bunch of 10 year olds this year..... we did, however, lose to a team of seniors - one of whom could not remember which foot to put his slider on (I thought he was going to break a hip several times).

The point:  It may have been a little dream, but it eventually came true..... and to me it was a big dream!  It was fun.  It was with my three girls.  We all made a shot or two and best of all..... no one could check Facebook all day!  :)

Thanks for coming by......

Maaayyybe!!!???

Hey all (if there are any "all"s that still come by here)

I have a bunch of funny (to me anyway) stories to tell.... some pictures to share.... some observations to - umm - observe (I didn't really know where I was going there)...... but I want to know if anyone is still checking this thing..... so here is the deal.......

If you read this, please sign in.  If I get 5 people on board.... away we go!  :)

Final Blog Post (30 of 30)

So some of you have noticed that I did not really finish my "30 blogs in 30 days" thing.... but as the 29th post title says, "We gots furniture!" (I don't know why that has a "hillybilly accent" to it with the "gots" part... it just does).

Anyway, the last many nights have been all about carting furniture home from Sears, decoding the very confusing instructions ("Honey, have you seen the piece of the coffee table that looks like Cambodia?   What do you mean, 'What do you mean Cambodia?'   Look at the the drawing in the instructions.... clearly the top of the table attaches to Cambodia.... it says so right here"), setting things up, moving things in from the garage, taking hundreds of pounds of cardboard boxes in for recycling etc, etc, etc.   However, we are almost done and almost have our basement back.  The girls are back in their bedrooms.... all is good.

So - to end the blog run for now..... two short video clips that I came across today.  Enjoy!

PS.  No one answered my questions about your first concert, first record, etc (see post below).  Does that mean you are too shy to respond, too embarrassed that you bought "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees (don't be - I like the Bee Gees) or that no one reads this thing?

I would take another run at blogging a bunch of stuff if I knew someone was reading.  Check in and comment if you are around here in the next week or so (just to prove you passed by)..... if no one comments, I will mothball the blog (Yes that is a threat!!!!)   :)

We have furniture (29 of 30)

Thanks to my friend Shane (who helped me load and unload 11 separate pieces today), we now once again have (some) furniture in the basement again.

I am thankful and happy to get the space back, but I HATE putting the furniture together.  Any furniture.... take the piece that in the diagram looks like an elephant's trunk and then stick it (somehow) into the other piece that looks somewhat like a stop sign on its side while holding the screwdriver and the hammer that you will need.  Oh and by the way, the stuff is made so that no screw will actually (a) fit or (b) stay.   ENJOY!!!!

As a comedian I heard one time said, "I hate IKEA furniture.... and I hate working with my wife to put it together.  We always fight... no one can understand the instructions.... someone is always crying at the end.  IKEA's slogan should be 'Hope your marriage is stronger than our furniture!'"   :)

Anyway - with any luck the kids will be downstairs again in a week or so (we are waiting on a few more pieces) and maybe the family room will be ready for a "Grey Cup party".  
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Hey - since I got no response to this, I am posting it again (I will not argue, laugh or criticize.... or even use anything you say in a sermon.... I am just curious:

1.  How many movies do you watch on average (either per month or per year)?

2.  What was the first record/CD/Album/8-track/45 (whatever era you are from) that you ever bought?

3.  What was the first real concert you attended?
___
T-shirt.....

Goodnight!