What happened to the weekend!?

Here I am back at work on Monday. I don't recall getting any rest whatsoever on the weekend.

Jenna's twelfth birthday was Thursday (Happy Birthday, Jennabug!) which was followed on Friday by a sleep-over party. There were five 11 to 12 year-old girls along with Lynn an me. Let me tell you, these girls can seriously eat! It's a good thing the one other girl who was invited couldn't come, or we would not have had enough food. (I'm glad they're not all boys.)

The girls were all gone by about 9:30 Saturday morning (after yours truly cooked breakfast) and we were on to our next task...Wal-Mart..on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We survived and returned home to prepare a dish to take to a get together for our Sunday School class.

Saturday night, we went to the Brannans' house for our SS Class party. We had a bonfire with barbecue and all the "fixins". We sat around the fire later, and roasted marshmallows and just talked and laughed. We had a great time, but we stayed too late.

Sunday, we went to church, the we left early to drive to Paris, or more accurately, Springville to my parents' house. We then got in their vehicle and rode to grandmother's house in Friendship, TN (Crockett County). Nearly all of my Mom's side of the family showed up there for a Thanksgiving/Birthday dinner. I guess the only ones not there were my cousin Rhonda and her husband; they live in the Gallatin/Hendersonville area, so it was a bit much for them to do in one day. Her daughter and grandaughter (8 months) were there and she was the life of the party. We left there and trekked back to Springville, rested for a bit and drove back to Charlotte. Lynn had to drive from Waverly on because I was just to sleepy. We got home at 10:45.

I thought there was supposed to be a day of rest somewhere during the weekend. Go figure.

Time Flies When You're Too Busy to Notice

I can't believe it has been a month since I posted anything here.  I have been much busier than I thought...definitely busier than a parole officer (sorry, Jeremy, had to do it).  The sad thing is, as I think back, I can't think of a single, individual thing that has kept me so busy.  I guess it has just been a lot of everything.  I really MUST have accomplished something during that time.  I hope I did.

I'm already making plans for the holidays; things have already been put on layaway at Wally World for Christmas.  Didn't school just start back last week?  Besides, it was eighty-freakin'-degrees outside yesterday!  What gives? 

I guess it's a sign of age. Why, I remember when Christmas took two years to get here...and I liked it!

Half-dozed ramblings

I'm sitting here watching TV and noticed that my eyes are glazing over.  At first I thought it was the subject matter, but I realized that it was because I'm sleep deprived.  

The Dickson County school system is currently experiencing a two week fall break.  The first week, my wife and daughter spent visiting my in-laws while I stayed home (somebody has to earn a living.)  I discovered that it is a good thing that I am married.  If not, i would be a work-a-holic.  I found myself staying at the office until 8:00 or 8:30 most nights and then staying up doing mostly nothing (i.e. flipping channels) at home until 2:00 am.  I still haven't caught up on sleep.

Hmm, Trisha Yearwood is on Leno and it appears that she has lost weight.  She has always been a beautiful regardless of her weight.

Access Hollywood is on now...I just don't get Lost.  I guess you "hadda be there."  Of course, when they first started billing it, I thought it was another "reality" show.  That was a major turn-off for me so I never watched it.

Well, that's all my foggy brain has for now.

I Swear to tell the truth...plus some other things for good measure

Okay, I've got some time now to really comment on my last post.  It wasn't intended to be a dis against the Roman Catholic Church which, as do most churches and religious organizations, has its problems.  It was more a commentary on today's society and where things are going in this politically correct world.

I fully understand that portions of the Bible were written as poetry and, in some cases, as allegory.  One can't say that the parables of Jesus were true historical stories; they were just stories to make a point.  However, these stories were prefaced as such prior to the telling.  Some books of the Bible are also prefaced this way as well.  Song of Songs (or Solomon) is a love poem that gives a word picture of the intimate relationship God desires with us.  Proverbs is a book of sayings and, well, proverbs or "rules of thumb," if you will.  This does not diminish its significance.  After all, they were written by the wisest man alive.

Most books of the Bible, the old testament especially, were written as historical documentation.  The book of Genesis was written as an historical telling of the history of the Hebrew people from the beginning of time to the death of Joseph.  It tells how they became God's chosen and how they came to be in Egypt prior to the time of Moses.  Now, I am sure that much of this was the writing down of many oral traditions, but I fully believe that Moses was guided in his writing by the Spirit of God.  Additionally, many ancient Egyptian artifacts point to the validity of the writing.

Additionally,  there has not been one historical fact in the Bible to be disproved.  Those throughout history who have attempted to do so have often done the opposite.

Many say, "What about the translations?  What about all the changes people are making?"

I say, "Prove it."

Now, The King James Version, that so many take as the only Bible, (I usually use the New International Version, myself) is a translation of  a translation.  Many say the translation was politically motivated.  Maybe so.  It was intended to break the growing rule of the papacy as a political entity.  But, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other manuscripts, we found that it was not that far off.  If anything, a verse or two got added by the Vulgate and, hence, the KJV, but nothing was really altered from the original meaning.  

The gospel is still the gospel.  The truth is still the truth.  And, if you can't believe the truth, there is nothing left to believe in.  So help me God.

Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible

The following is an excerpt from an article from The Times Online.  The complete article can be found at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1811332,00.html:

THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.

The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the Bible.

“We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical precision,” they say in The Gift of Scripture.

The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise of the religious Right, in particular in the US. 

Okay, if some of the Bible is true and some is not, what parts do you want to believe today?  The Bible declares itself to be inerrant and infallible.  Was that a lie, too.  If the Bible cannot be trusted, what is the point of the Church?  Doesn't the Catholic Church negate its own purpose by embracing this drivel?  I guess that means that it really is okay for a priest to molest children.

I am certainly glad that the Creator provided me with enough intelligence and spiritual insight to make up my own mind and not have some group of politically correct, spiritually impotent priests and bishops tell me what to believe.

What do you think about this?

Dial-up -- Ugh!

Free dial-up is even worse :-(

I am exhausted just getting to this point. I don't think any additional posts will be made this weekend.

More bandwidth given to loading ads than to loading a page. I can't believe I ever used to use this.

How did anyone ever get the idea for the world wide web when dial-up was pretty much all that was available? Of course, I think microwave ovens are too slow as well.

Ugh pretty much sums it up

Welcome to Cotton Country  *sniff* *sniff*

It's early morning at the in-laws.  I'm the first one up.  I've already had a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee.  Why is it that, on the days I able sleep in, I can't?  Charles will probably be up in 15 or 20 minutes, so, I guess that leaves me some time to write.

They don't even have a computer, much less an internet connection.  I can't surf and I can't post this directly to the blog.  I reactivated my old Netzero free dial-up account before came on this trip.  I may try later to upload this.  If you a reading it, you know I managed.

I'll be leaving tomorrow to go back home, while Lynn and Jenna stay here for a week or until they can't stand it anymore.  From the looks of the in-laws' living room, I think Lynn has her work cut out for her.  Lynn's middle sister decided before labor day that she was going to re-decorate Mom and Dad's living room for them.  The only thing that has happened since labor day is that the wallpaper border has been removed, a new couch has been delivered and all the furniture is sitting in the middle of the floor.  It looks like Lynn gets to help paint this week.  I'm pretty sure that is what Nancy was counting on.

We are going to the Reelfoot Arts & Crafts Festival today.  We will probably leave at about 10 this morning.  I'm looking forward to it.  The mild weather should make it really nice to be outside.  I'm just glad there is not a lot of cotton near Reelfoot Lake.

I could feel my sinuses clogging up and my head beginning to pound as I entered Crockett County last night.  The cotton gins are going full bore, 24 hours a day.  At 9:45 last night I passed several cotton fields with two or more pickers still running.  They will do that this time of year all over cotton country, 24 hours a day, as long as rain holds off. 

At least it is not quite as dangerous around here this time of year now as it was when I grew up here.  It was not unusual to top a hill or round a corner to find a very slow moving, unlit cotton trailer in the middle of the road.  At least two people I went to school with were killed in separate car accidents with cotton trailers shortly after we graduated.  You still have to watch for cotton pickers traveling from one field to the next, but they move pretty fast and are very well lit.  

Now, they compress the newly picked cotton into a huge truck-sized bale in the field and leave it.  Specially equipped trucks, operated by the cotton gins, go to the field to retrieve the bales and transport them to the gin to be processed.  These trucks are fully road worthy and, although they operate day and night, they are well marked and lit for night travel.  They also don't waste any time; they have a lot of bales to transport.

They only real danger left for the average joe in cotton country is just being here.  The air is full of microscopic and not-so-microscopic cotton fibers and dust churned up by the equipment.  While not toxic, it just plays havoc with the upper respiratory system.  A lot of people blame that on the defoliant that is sprayed on the fields a few days to a week before it is picked.  This is a chemical that causes the cotton plants to lose their leaves and they bolls to open up completely.  This makes it easier for the machinery to pick the cotton without getting a lot of trash that has to be ginned out.  (A farmer's production, and his pay, is based on weight after it is ginned.  A ginner will weigh the cotton before it is ginned, but will penalize based on the amount of debris and moisture content.)  Although, the defoliant can be smelled strongly after it is dispersed (usually by aircraft), it doesn't stay in the air long.  I personally believe it is the cotton itself, or, at least, the process by which it is picked and processed.

Anticipation

I'm leaving work today at noon.  It is now about a quarter till and I don't really have enough time to start something else before I go.  I'm not usually a clock-watcher, but today I am.

Come on noon!

Define 'Overwhelm'

o·ver·whelm   

tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms

   1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline.

   2.

         a. To defeat completely and decisively: Our team overwhelmed the visitors by 40 points.

         b. To affect deeply in mind or emotion: Despair overwhelmed me.

   3. To present with an excessive amount: They overwhelmed us with expensive gifts.

   4. To turn over; upset: The small craft was overwhelmed by the enormous waves.

o·ver·whelm·ing   

adj.

    Overpowering in effect or strength: overwhelming joy; an overwhelming majority. 

_________

How about overwhelming workload?  Overwhelming demands?

Being the only person at a company who can do certain things is both a blessing and a curse.  While I always know I'm needed, I seem to be needed by more people at a time than I can handle.  This is especially true when there is one overarching project that I am supposed to be completing during the time that everyone is doing the needing.  

By the way, someone needs that one project completed, too.

Those that I work with and work for tell me they understand my situation and bear me no ill will, but it appears to me that I am trying to do so many things at once, that I am not sure any of them is getting done satisfactorily.  At least I am not sure I am happy with what I am producing.  I am definitely not happy with the progress I am making on the one project.

It is also placing a strain on my family life.  I stay at the office so late, I don't get to eat meals with Lynn and Jenna.  Some nights, I barely get home in time to put Jenna to bed.  Lynn and I don't get to talk much, unless you count my snoring.

Anyway, Fall Break is here, and Lynn and Jenna are going to be out of town visiting family next week.  I am going to try to work like a madman early next week to get this one project finished.  Maybe things will settle into more of a routine after that.  The other good news is that the customer is holding a rather large retainage until my part is completed.  I will get a decent commission from that once it is done.

On another note, this weekend, I am going to West Tennessee with Lynn & Jenna to visit her family.  We say that is why we are going, but the real reason is that this weekend is the annual Reelfoot Lake Craft Fair.  Lynn never misses it.  I don't either. (Okay, I missed it once, but she regretted it because there was no one to carry the packages.)  It's really pretty impressive.  Vendors are there from all over the US.  I makes for an interesting day out.  Besides, we get to eat well at The Blue Bank, one of the local restaurants.

Unfortunately, when I visit the in-laws, I don't have internet access.  I won't be posting while I am there. :(

Whose Time is it, Anyway?

I really despise getting up early in the morning, but there is something peaceful about being the only one up.  I guess this is my 'me' time.  I've got an extra fifteen minutes to myself.  No one else is stirring.

It's funny how your life can seem to belong to everyone else but yourself.  Most days, I get up so I can go to work.  I wait until the last possible minute to get up, so, after I'm ready, it's time to go.  I get some solitude in the drive, but I don't get to do whatever I want...I can't write, for instance.  With the advent of cell phones and 'two-way', my drive to work is invariably interrupted before I'm even at the office.  Can't they wait ten more minutes?  

While I'm at work, I'm thinking about the things I need to do for home...go pick up this or that; be home in time for Jenna's whatever; am I going to make enough this week to make ends meet?  When I get home, there are things to do, places to be.  The house is small so there is not much alone time and, just when I get a breather and begin to write or whatever, there is this 'one more thing' that has to be done.  

Then, it is time to put Jenna to bed.  I know she is in Junior High now, but I'm still Daddy to her, so I almost always tuck her in with a bedtime story.  I've been doing it for at least ten of her nearly twelve years, and, as long as she keeps asking, I will keep doing it.

After Jenna is in bed, Lynn and I finally have a chance to talk, to get to know each other again for another day.  And, although I long to get back to whatever I was doing for myself, I know that this time with Lynn is necessary to maintain our relationship.  Just because we have been married for nearly 17 years (and dated six and a half years before that) does not mean we can stop getting to know each other.  So, I stay up later than I should, so that we can get to know each other for another day.  Then we go to bed and it starts over again.

Life has a rhythm, and it is important for us to have this kind of consistency.  I just wish the drummer would slow the beat down a bit.  Do I sound selfish.  To some who read this, I probably do.  But there are others who understand what I'm talking about.  I may be selfish, but I do put aside those desires to take time for my family...my marriage.  So, is having the desire a selfish act?  Is relishing those times when the desire is fulfilled selfish?  I don't think so.  If I were to shirk my duties as employee or my obligations as father or my commitment as husband, then I would be guilty of selfishness.  But I still have to guard myself against resenting those things because of my desire for 'my time'.

The sad thing is that I just re-read everything above, and I have been the most selfish I could be.  No where did I mention time with God.  All the rest is nothing without that.  When did I do that last.  I could have been doing it now.  In a way, I guess I am, because if I weren't, I would not have gotten that message from Him.  The point is this: Unless I cultivate the relationship I have with the Father, none of the other matters, especially the 'me time'.  I have got to put everything back in order...God, family, me.

Final Thoughts for the Evening --

Last night, my sixth grade daughter went to her first homecoming game.  It was Junior High, but it was still a first.  It's the 'first' first for her and I know it won't be her last first.  It is just a first that has come much too soon for me.  The fact that she is called a 'youth' at church doesn't help either.  My little girl isn't so little anymore.  I wasn't even home from work in time to see her go.

Anyway, a football game still took place...almost.  As I understand it, shortly after halftime, the lights went out and the game was called due to darkness.

Nevertheless, my Junior High daughter just asked me to come read to her at bedtime.  I guess she is still my little girl.

-tear-

Okay, this is cool --

I've got this great program call "The Journal". It's got built-in publish to blog features. It took all of 30 seconds to set up and it works great! This is one shareware I will have to buy because it is so flexible. I've looked at it before, but never at the blog feature.

If you're interested, you can get it at www.DavidRM.com. It's only $39.95. I've looked at OneNote by Micro$oft, but it's about $80 (unless it's installed on a new PC) and it does similar things but it can't post directly to a blog. It doesn't seem nearly as intuitive to me, either. If I had a tablet PC, it might make more sense.

Okay, that's my free plug for the day.

I'm back...but no one knows I left...

so did I really leave? I was messing around and found this blog I created over a year ago. There hasn't been any activity on it in so long (like ever) that anyone who has stumbled across it in the past has probably written it off as a dead blog. Well, I'm here to revive it.

This is a site about very little. I have no real focus in my life, so this blog will have none either. I occassionally try to be witty. It doesn't usually work, so try to look over it.

Since nothing really exciting happens in my life, things may be a bit boring..Except, I'm pretty sure most of you feel that nothing happens in your life either, so, maybe consider this your story as well.

The most exciting day around our place is usually Saturday, when we realize that there are still 6 days until payday and we have only one day of money left. Then, on, let's say Monday, the dryer breaks down...with a load of wet clothes in it...and is not discovered until we are ready to put the clothes that are still in the washer in the dryer. We only need to do that step because all the towels in the house are dirty and we really would like to take another shower or two before the week is over. So, while the washer is washing the towels, I take the dryer apart and discover that I can't even make a temporary repair without a $50.00 part...at 10 PM. So I take the whole lot of wet clothes to the laundramat eight miles away and dry them there. Only, I waste 75 cents in a dryer there that has the same problem as ours. The good news is I was the only one in the laundamat (at midnight) and I plenty of peace and quiet to read.

So...that's a sample of life in my skin.