I'm Such a Fool!

Yeah, I still haven't gone to bed yet. Jennie's been gone to work for the past hour and a half. I noticed that she turned the heater on. Keisha's still asleep upstairs. Maybe I can get an hour or two before she comes down to wake me up...

Stupid Debating Tricks -- 9 Of My Least Favorite Debate Tactics

Thanks to Josh Claybourn for the link. What an awesome article!

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether I'm off on my bicycle exploring, lost in a good book, or laughing with my best friend, I live in a world apart, one full of adventure and wonder and other stuff adults don't understand.

How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

Arlington tomb sentinels shun shelter

Reading this article has given me even more reason to respect those that guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Thanks to Pega for the link.

'It's not good-bye - it's good journey'

Mom, Keisha, and I take one last picture before Mom catches the bus back to Houston, Texas. Keisha is not happy her Nana is leaving.


That's one of the many things I said to my mom before she got on the bus to head back to Texas on Monday afternoon. Even now, at 4:45 AM, when she is probably in Tennessee somewhere, I recall the moment so vividly. And with tears.

Aside from my own family (Jennie and Keisha), I am the closest to my mom. I remember when she arrived at our home on Sunday, October 27, 2002. Wow. She lived with us for 11 months.

I often wonder why we cry during these times of parting. I remember the first time my sister and I were heading back home after spending a Christmas break with my mom and family in Texas. She was the more emotional among all of us then. But I let the tears flow on Monday afternoon.

Keisha has still been on her fall intercession, so she was with me. I could tell she felt very sad, but she didn't cry like mom and me. I kept telling her that it was okay to cry, though.

I guess I cry because I know I won't be able to see my mom, whom I love so very dearly, for a long time. I won't be able to stop by her room upstairs and chat about what happened at work, or life in general. She won't be joining us any more for family dinners. She won't be teasing Keisha around the house any more. I miss these things already.

At the same time, we're almost out of this house. We closed the short-sale on Friday, and we're moving this coming weekend. Almost two and a half years' worth of memories have been accumulated, and I find it heart-wrenching to have to deal with the change. To be true, I've been in denial for so long. I guess you could say that I'm grieving the change that's gone on in our family.

Jennie has helped me to get to the point where I'm able to accept what's happening, and I lover her all the more for it.

With all the financial trouble we've been in this year, the one thing that was constant was that we had this house. It's been comfortable to live here. I guess it's been too comfortable.

Similarly, mine and Jennie's lives have changed. When we first moved into this place, I had a job as an IT consultant, making enough money so that Jennie didn't have to work and could stay home with Keisha. Now, Jennie works during the day as a nurse's aide, and I'm a bartender, working days and nights. Our income is not what it was when we first moved into the house either.

Well, change is gonna do us good. I'm glad to be moving into an apartment. Owning a house was just too much for us to handle, and we've learned a lot about the real estate market in this area, too. I'm praying that we'll find neighbors that can become our best friends and for Keisha to find someone her age with whom she can play.

We'll see how things turn out in the next few weeks. By then, this transition will be complete, for the most part.

While I Was Out

I see that, while I've been away from blogging, that George Plimpton and Robert Palmer have passed away. I fondly remember George Plimpton as the host of Masterpiece Theatre on TV growing up. And, as a child of the '80's, I came to enjoy the music of Robert Palmer: Addicted to Love, Bad Case of Lovin' You, and, of course, his work with The Power Station.

Both will be missed, I'm sure.

From Wired to Tired

So, here I am. It's about 4:15 AM EDT. I've been home from work for about 45 minutes, and Jennie gets up for work in about 45 minutes. This usually happens when I close the bar. Tonight was no exception.

Actually, tonight wasn't that bad, in terms of its hectic-ness. We did a bunch of liquor sales, but they mostly consisted of highball-type drinks (e.g., gin and tonic, bourbon and coke, etc.) that were easy to make. I had to shoo people out of the bar at about ten 'til 2 so that I could finish cleaning and closing down.

After I left, I stopped at the convenience store and bought a quart of double chocolate milk. Then I drove to the Taco Bell and gave the drive-thru attendant a hard time.

"Have I reached the border?" I asked.

"You've reached Taco Bell," he replied.

I noticed the sign said, "Think outside the bun." So I said, "I'm thinking outside the bun tonight." Then I placed my order, letting the attendant know I was just kidding.

"Don't spit in my food, okay?" I said.

"It's too late," he replied jokingly.

After getting my food, I continued the drive home.

I've noticed that my most creative moments happen during this time, but unfortunately, I'm not able to record them. A lot of the ideas revolve around fictional crime scenes, ideas for potential stories, and the like.

So I came home, sat down at the computer, and played solitaire, minesweeper, and freecell. Then I decided to connect to the 'net.

Transitions: Away We Are Going!

• We put a deposit down on our new apartment, which is relatively close to where we live now. This is good news in that we'll be able to keep Keisha in the same school. They've done a lot to help accommodate her special needs.
• We got a phone call on Thursday night from our realtor. Apparently we're closing the sale of our house at 11:30 AM Friday morning. Hopefully, we'll have some more time to finish packing and clean up before we leave this house.
• Mom is moving back to Texas this coming Monday. Keisha and I will be taking her to the Greyhound bus station on Monday at Noon. Hopefully, she'll be able to keep her blog updated and stay in touch with everyone she's been able to meet over the internet.

That Which I Do Not Want To Do, I Do

I've done exactly what I said I wasn't going to do. It's now ten minutes until Jennie wakes up to get ready for work, and I have yet to go to bed. I've been on the computer: blogging, checking emails, etc.

On my way home from work, I told myself that I wasn't going to spend any time on the computer; just a few minutes maybe to get some chillout music going.

I couldn't resist. It's not that I've had a burning desire to write anything in particular. I guess I'm used to this routine of checking out my fellow bloggers in cyberspace and cleaning out my email accounts.

I'm going to hate having to wake up. Maybe Keisha will let me take a nap today.

Congress Swiftly Acts to Restore 'Do Not Call List'

I mentioned yesterday that a U.S. District Judge had struck down the "Do Not Call List" on the basis that the Federal Trade Commission lacks congressional authority to develop and maintain it.

Congress responded quickly on Thursday to remedy that. Read the comments from Jamie Court, of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights at this U.S. Newswire press release.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

I found this WebMD article because I had seen it referenced on someone's weblog as JME. I knew from the context of the post that it was a medical condition.

The Official Iowan and His Fiancée

... are prominently displayed in this beautiful picture, one month before their wedding. Congratulations, Mark and Elly!

Drama, Sports, and Reality TV

Rich Hopkins, the Host of Miami Valley's Morning News on News-Talk 1290 WHIO AM here in Dayton, Ohio, sees a strong connection in the three topics listed as the title of this post. After reading his comments about sports, I can see why you wouldn't have to watch another reality TV program. Maybe you'll agree.

Deus Ex Machina

Ian's Messy Desk's post about this Word of the Day reminded me of Glenn Kukla, a classmate I knew during my early years in Civil Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Glenn played drums for a local band whose name was Deus Ex Machina. I even got one of their tapes.

Do Not Call List Struck Down, Here's What You Can Do

I bet many of you were not counting on this news (I know I wasn't):

Just a few days shy of the Oct. 1 effective date for the Do Not Call List, a U.S. District Court Judge in Oklahoma struck down the list on the basis that the Federal Trade Commission lacks congressional authority to develop and maintain it.

Source: Fool.com: Dinner, Interrupted [Motley Fool Take] September 24, 2003

I guess that means that it won't be as quiet come the beginning of next month.

Yet, Jamie Court, of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, in a U.S. Newswire Press Release, has called upon the public "to demand that banks, insurers and telemarketers respect their privacy through existing laws and guerilla tactics." Check out the link for the specifics, and get ready for the ensuing battle.

An Open Letter From a Pastor to His New Congregation

Although the Real Live Preacher added a disclaimer to the original post, I'm not quite sure it was necessary. I guess that, with the dynamics in our own church over the past year, a discussion like this is necessary. Especially since our current minister has resigned.

A Moment of Inertia, of Sorts

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." -- Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion

Keisha and I spent this morning watching PBS Kids on channel 16 here in Dayton.

At 6:30 AM she woke up and came downstairs to watch the yoga program. At 7 Arthur came on. At 7:30 it was Clifford the Big Red Dog (whose voice is that of the late John Ritter, in fact). At 8 AM we watched Dragon Tales. At 8:30 it was Caillou. Somehow we both made it through the 9 AM showing of Teletubbies. Maybe it's because Keisha was waiting for Barney, which came on at 9:30.

At 10 AM Sesame Street came on. At 11 there were two instructional programs: the first was one about drawing with crayons without lines showing the border of objects. The second one was a physics professor, who taught us about inertia (that whole "a body at rest wants to remain at rest" thing).

At 11:30 Between the Lions, one of my current favorites, came on. I like it because it teaches reading in a really fun way. Today the focus was on the short "a" sound. At noon I decided that Keisha and I needed to get going with the rest of our day.

Interviewing Meme

I've read about this Interviewing thing that bloggers are doing, and I want to do it, too. But, I don't have anyone to interview. If you'd like to be interviewed (5 questions), leave me a comment stating so, or send me an email at danimal0416 at yahoo dot com.

Ahoy, mateys! I'm Mad Davy Flint!

Well, that's my pirate name, anyway, according to the "What's My Pirate Name?" quiz:

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Relics, Family Heirlooms, Souvenirs

Mom's cleaned out a jewelry case that my Dad gave her before they were married. It was the first gift he'd given her. Tonight Mom gave it to Keisha.

Some of the items she's given me from it include:

A Good Samaritan Hospital bracelet I wore for one of my operations when I was very young. It's inscription says:

JOHNSON, DANIEL A., JR. 301703--5
DR. J. IBANEZ/E. GAW (C) 04

• A pair of cuff links that my maternal grandfather, Charles H. Mitchell used to wear
• A tie tack I received for my First Communion at Corpus Christi Catholic church when I was in 3rd grade
• Obituary clipping for my cousin Richie Johnson, who passed away when he was only 2 months old. It reads:

  Richie Johnson
  Richie Lee Johnson, 2-month-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Johnson, of 822 Nesslewood Ave., died Wednesday in his home. Also surviving are his brother, Donald E., Jr.; grandparents, Mrs. Delphine Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Erwin, and great-grandparents, Mrs. Mabel McGraw and Mr. and Mrs. Casper Ciaciuch. Graveside services will be today at 2 p.m. in Calvary Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Abele Mortuary.

• My mom's first application for her driver's license, dated August 31, 1973, which was just before her 21st birthday. Her handwriting hasn't changed that much over the years.
• A cloth ring my Dad gave her instead of a real wedding ring, because he couldn't afford one yet.
• A poem my Dad's sister, my aunt Beckie, wrote, entitled "Mom, You're an Angel." I'll post it in a separate entry.

I Can Only Imagine Something Like This

This afternoon a gentleman came to the bar and had a beer. He watched the Cincinnati Bengals lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a little bit, and then he left.

As I cleaned up his empty beer can, I noticed a crumpled up piece of paper. I opened it and saw that it was an ATM withdrawal slip. Apparently, he had made a withdrawal from his savings account. Fortunately for him, only the last 4 digits of his account displayed.

But then I saw the balance in his savings account: over $27,000! I have never had that much money saved up before. That would be a good item to include in a story. Where did he get that money from? Is he just a penny-pincher, or is there something shady going on in his life?

Some Things Haven't Changed

After Keisha was born, I followed her into the transitional nursery, videotaping the happenings with her during her first minutes. The transitional nurse, Yvetta, took her temperature, blood pressure, and gave her a bath. Keisha did not like getting her hair washed! Not one bit!

More than six years later, that's one thing that hasn't changed. Every time we wash her hair, or even talk about her hair getting washed, she starts moaning. This, even though we take every precaution possible to avoid irritating her eyes.

Maybe by the time she's a teenager, she'll start appreciating that she can wash her hair.

"How Low Can You Go?"

This line from the song "Limbo Rock" describes something I did back in college. One of my professors was a huge fan of our football team, and his class was one of the hardest I'd taken at the time. It was so hard, and I was so desperate to get a passing grade for his class. On the day of our exam, I wore red and black, the colors of our school, and a couple homemade signs showing my school spirit. As he came by to hand me my test, he commented, "You are one sick person."

I'm reminded of this because this morning, we're going to look at potential apartments and fill out applications. Afterward, I'm heading to work. Hence, I'm putting on my scarlet and gray jersey, since the Ohio State Buckeyes will be playing. Most of the folks that live around here are big fans of the Buckeyes, and I figure that I might be able to score some brownie points with the rental office by showing off my spirit.

HTML Editors

While browsing through some past emails, I found these two HTML editor-type programs:

• HTML Kit
• AceHTML

Apartment Hunting

Well, we're knee-deep into apartment hunting. We want to take our dog Jake with us, but we've run into some difficulty in finding places that will let us take him. So, I've gone to MSN.com's House & Home channel for more information. I then found a link via Pets911.com to Sites that List Pet-Friendly Apartments. Hopefully, we'll find something worth our while.

Update: Petswelcome.com is helpful to all who may want to take their pets with them just about anywhere.

Staying True to My Tagline

"My dreams are weirder than yours"

Yesterday I dreamt that Darth Vader and his Imperial cohorts were after me. I and someone else tried to hide by climbing onto a "Borg"-like contraption (from Star Trek), but we were eventually caught. I somehow conviced Darth to come with me to Earth in exchange for not killing me.

So Darth Vader and I went to the park, the grocery store, fast food restaurants. I had realized that he was my dad because he'd told me so before capturing me.

R.I.P. Sheb Wooley

He recorded "Purple People Eater". Thanks to Kate for the link. Check out her entry for the song's lyrics.

Another Long Day

Tonight's drama at the bar was a short-lived spat between two customers who also work together. That and the Monday Night Football game.

I got home late again, and, for some insane reason, I haven't gone to bed yet.

Fortunately, Jennie is off work on Tuesday (I guess I mean today), and she'll be able to get Keisha ready for school. That way I can sleep before I need to head into work at 11 AM. I'll be off Wednesday and Thursday.

In other news, my belt broke yesterday, and I've had to keep my shirt tucked in and pants pulled up high as I've worked the past two evenings.

I plan to go to a Wal-Mart-type place to get an extra pair of working clothes and a new belt.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday, NFL!

That's right. 83 years ago today, September 16, 1920, in Canton, Ohio USA, the American Professional Football Association was formed. Today we know it as the National Football League.

Brought to you by the U.S. Census Bureau (And you thought that they didn't do anything useful, didn't you?)

Home from Work

I could talk a lot about the guys that hung around the bar this evening, but I'm too tired right now. Jennie will be waking up in an hour to get ready for work herself. I think I'll be spending most of the day in bed. Of course, this will happen after Keisha gets on the school bus at 8:45 AM.

Reading

On Saturday afternoon I finished reading The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver. It was great even to the end. Now I'm eager to see the movie that is based on it. It stars Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.

I've been using AllConsuming.net to help me keep track of what I'm reading this year. I'll have to look at my collection soon to see how I've been doing. I didn't really set out with a goal of a certain number of books, yet I did want to read more this year.

To view a list of what I'm currently reading, check out my home page.

A Day With Low Seratonin, A Day With Self-Injury

I guess some may look at the title and be puzzled. When I recently saw my psychiatrist, he increased the amount of Lexapro I'm to take, so that I'll have more seratonin in my brain, which will help offset the OCD-type symptoms (read: self-injurious behavior, mainly picking at scabs to make them bleed). These symptoms have been aggravated by the Adderall, which I'm taking for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I've seen the Adderall help in my ability to focus my attention when and where I want it, but I still haven't stopped the picking behavior.

I regret that I didn't immediately get the prescription filled when I got it over a week ago (Procrastination is classic ADHD behavior, by the way.). This past Thursday I took the last dose of the medicine from the old prescription, and as of yesterday I still hadn't filled the new prescription. So I didn't take my Lexapro last night, which means that all day today, I've been without the seratonin to help offset the picking behavior.

So I picked at scabs today. A lot. I currently have several on my upper right arm, the outside part that faces those to my right. They were initially acne-type "things" that I'd tried to "pop." Eventually I just decided to start scratching. In addition, I have some scabs on my left leg, just above the ankle but below the calf. These I got from getting bitten by a mosquito or something.

It is interesting for me to say all of this because it was just a few days ago that I'd remarked to Jennie while we were in the car that I'd been feeling less of a desire to pick at my scabs. I told her I didn't know if it was the medicine that was working, or if I'd just gotten bored of doing it, or what.

Then today happens. I'm tempted to be very hateful of myself and to lash out at myself with words. I realize consciously that that is not effective.

Fortunately for me, Jennie had the prescription filled today, and I've since taken my dose for tonight. She's also put some vitamin E on the scabs to help them heal. I usually put hydrogen peroxide on them to help prevent infection, but I noticed this morning that we were out.

Tomorrow is another day, thankfully.

Practical Joking

Last night, before we went to bed, Jennie and I decided to play a little practical joke on my mom and Keisha. Keisha had gotten a fake, plastic bug that resembles a cockroach. Jennie said we could put it on top of the coffee can inside the freezer, so that when Mom would reach for the coffee in the morning, she'd flip out.

This morning, she was surprised, but only for a little bit. She noticed how it was conveniently placed on top of the coffee can -- too staged. She initially thought it was Keisha and my idea, but then I took the coffee can, with bug on top, out to the living room to show Keisha.

Keisha was the one who actually flipped out. I made the can jump so that the "bug" could jump off the can onto the living room couch where Keisha sat. Let's just say that Keisha did not like it. That is an understatement. When I picked it up to show her it was fake, she got angry at me, saying that I'd killed it and it was frozen.

Jennie told her that it would thaw out. Keisha needs a little bit of time to thaw out, too. She's having a hard time thinking the whole thing is funny, which actually makes me chuckle more inside. :)

R.I.P. to two Famous Johns

Actor John Ritter Collapses on Set, Dies

Music Fans Mourn 'Man in Black' Cash

Abbott and Costello at The Computer Store

If you've ever seen or heard Abbott and Costello doing their "Who's On First?" routine, then you'll appreciate this bit. Even if you haven't, I think you will.

The bit mentioned in the title comes from a blog entitled, "Jokes Jokes Jokes Joke and Humor Weblog." I get the feeling that the owner really wanted the blog to be ranked high in web searches for "jokes." :)

I discovered this blog from browsing Blogrolling.com's list of Fresh Blogs.

The Official Goof of 'Journey Inside My Mind'

Ladies and gentlemen... allow me to introduce you to the Official Goof of 'Journey Inside My Mind', and announce her new bloghome: Karen Rasmussen.

Find out how you can become an Official! Read this section of the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Thanks to all the Officials!

• Official Iowan
• Official Blogger of Introspection
• Official Mom
• Official Superblessed Blogger
• Official Goof

9-11 Remembered

"Grieving must be done in its own time. To deny the human reality that pain hurts only delays the process." -- John-Roger, from QuotesBlog

I had just arrived to work and was checking in with my manager when I noticed that she was watching the news on the small TV she'd been keeping in her office. The first plane had crashed into the tower. We saw the second plane crash. Later we heard about the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania. It was hard to believe that this was really happening.

Work basically ceased for everyone as we were all glued to the TV, which eventually made its way into a conference room. I left work early that afternoon to go home to my wife. On the way I stopped at the United Dairy Farmers to get a special edition of the newspaper.

I watched the President George W. Bush, in a televised address from the Oval Office at 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time on September 11, 2001, in which he said:

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."

For the next several days, the IT folks at work had live streaming footage from CNN. I rejoiced with those who'd survived and mourned with those who'd mourned.

Last year, I had a few pages of paper with many of the names of the victims. Other men in our church had the rest of the pages. I went to the Vietnam Veterans Park in Dayton, across from the Dayton Job Center, and prayed for these victims and their families. As I prayed for an individual, I tore off the name and threw it into the Great Miami River.

The events of that day have become a defining moment for our lives in the same way that Pearl Harbor, the assassinations of JFK and others, the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, have. I am so grateful to God for the many ways he has shown his compassion through these tough times, and I pray for those affected.

On the evening of September 11, 2002, I wrote the following 100 words:

One year ago today some people sought to shake the foundations upon which we live. They went after those areas of our lives that make us who we are. Families, friends, and communities were attacked.

Yet one year later the principles which have led to this country’s success still stand, and because we are a country built on principles, we still stand as well. Terrorists may cause pain, but they cannot take away the foundation that makes us who we are, that which will always prevail: faith hope, love. And surely we know that the greatest of these is love.

The events of two years ago also transformed our perspective on life and generated a renewed sense of patriotism. The following words from the movie Braveheart come to mind (emphasis added):

William Wallace: What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?

Soldier: Against that? No, we will run, and we will live.

William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, wouldn't you be willing to trade all that from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom?

May God Bless the United States of America.

Testing BlogSend

Apparently there is a new feature to Blogger called BlogSend. I have specified an email address for Blogger to send mail to when I've published this blog. We'll see if it happens.

East Coast Blackout, As Seen From Space

On August 14, 2003, a significant portion of the Northeastern part of North America was without power. The photo (see link above) shows what North American looked like from space at 23:15 EST.

As my dad often says, "Isn't science wonderful?"

Update, 9:10 EDT: Aldahlia left a comment stating that the map I'd linked to is a fake.

@cutecut: The Digital Home of Rasmus Rasmussen

... has a new look. I've kept up with his website since I first found out about the P2P Blog Review project he worked very hard at doing last year. I've also been able to use some freeware he developed called WriteThis!.

It's neat to see the face of the person I've enjoyed reading about.

Red Bull, Jager Bombs, and the Like

I've learned a lot about the Red Bull energy drink over the last few months from being a bartender. One of the most popular drinks with it is a "Jager bomb." The folks at Jagermeister have an entire page of recipes submitted by individuals containing their drink:

Imported from Germany, Jägermeister is made with 56 herbs and spices and is available in the 50ml, 100ml, 200ml, 375ml, 750ml, 1 liter, and the new 1.75 liter size.

Missing Alias

I look forward to September 28th, the season premiere of Alias. The show ended last season with an incredible cliffhanger twist. My wife and I are following this show in the same way we used to follow the X-Files.

I recall reading an article in a recent TV Guide that included some spoilers for the upcoming season, but, when I went to their website, it had been updated to the current issue. Nevertheless, I found a neat quiz to test your knowledge of Alias trivia. How well can you do?

RIP Warren Zevon

I saw this announcement today via NTN, a trivia network set up for bars and restaurants. They broadcast news headlines in between asking questions. My dad had a Warren Zevon album, and I think it was the one with "Werewolf in London" (or something like it) on it.

I Really Don't Know What To Say

I got home from work about a half hour ago. I'm really tired, and yet I'll be getting up in less than 8 hours to head off to church briefly and then to work again. I'll be working from 10:30 AM til closing time. I don't know why I offered to take the other bartender's hours; maybe it was because I didn't have many hours this week. I just don't know how I'm going to make it the entire day.

After about a half hour at work today, a few of us were called to serve at a banquet that took place at the US Air Force Museum. Apparently five of the temporary banquet workers just walked off the job. So I got to be a banquet person for most of the evening.

Then, as I took a short break, I and another woman realized that the woman who'd taken us from the hotel to the museum had already left. I didn't like that at all. I felt abandoned. Nevertheless, I wound up heading back with some of the guys transporting the banquet supplies. This was at about 9:30 PM.

I could have just gone home then. When I returned to the bar at the restaurant, it was crazy. People were all crowded around the bar and many were sitting in tables; we were getting slammed. Two of the servers were behind the bar with the other bartender making drinks and getting into each other's way.

I wished I could have gone home then. It was so distracting, and I secretly wished for about half the people to leave. I don't think we were equipped to handle a crowd that size.

Anyhow, it's over for now. It's good to be home.

Officials Update!

Ganns Dean has just become the Official Superblessed Blogger of Journey Inside My Mind, an office I'm sure he'll occupy with great dedication. To recap, here are all the current Officials:

• Official Iowan
• Official Blogger of Introspection
• Official Mom
• Official Superblessed Blogger

How can I become an Official of this blog, you ask? Let me direct you to this section of the Frequently Asked Questions page.

All of this reminds me that I need to update the links page to include all of you nice people.

Update, Wednesday, September 10, 2003, 10:17 PM EDT: I've updated the links page to include the new Officials.

Bark in the Park!

Last week I mentioned this upcoming event, quoting the entire text from another website. I received an email from K99.1FM that has a link about the event on their website. Fetch!

R.I.P. Charles Bronson

Put your PC to bed at night

This article addresses the ongoing debate of whether you should turn your PC off when you're not using it or to keep it on.

The Journey Inside My Mind

I began taking Adderall again a few months ago for ADHD, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I also borrowed Ed Hallowell's Driven to Distraction from the public library. While at work last week, I saw a commercial about ADHD, sponsored by the folks at WebMD. That's where I spotted this great article about living with ADHD, "Tips for Living with ADHD". A lot of it is stuff I've heard before, but I tend to be reluctant to put stuff like this into practice. Repeat until I get it right.

I've mentioned in the past that I self-injure, specifically by picking at scabs on my body. One side effect of the Adderall is that it complicates these OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)-type symptoms. As a result my psychiatrist has increased the dose of Lexapro in order to further increase the amount of Seratonin.

Our Soon-Not-To-Be-Home, the continuing saga

Thursday night our realtor came over with paperwork for Jennie and I to sign regarding the sale of our house. It's all just a technicality since it's our mortgage company that agreed to the terms of the short sale with the future owner of our house. I found it rather easy to sign the paperwork, as a result.

The next steps are some housing inspections, closing at the end of this month, and moving. Moving. To our new home, a location to be named later. Pray for us.

How Some Spammers Get Your E-mail Address

Like I've often said, "Friends don't let friends send chain letters or hoaxes."

Thanks to Mike, the '_monk', for the link.

Lizard Spit!

When I saw the title of this article, I thought I was surely mistaken, perhaps because of the cold beer I've been drinking. The beer is Miller Genuine Draft in a 24 ounce can, the equivalent of two 12 ounce bottles, which I might also drink in one sitting. It's been awhile since I'd had lighter lager beer; my beer of choice has lately been Guinness (the spelling of the name doesn't appear right - maybe it's the beer again).

Back to the article. I'd heard something about this on TV or the radio last week, but I couldn't find a link on the 'Net to reference in a blog post. Now I do. Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly are developing a drug called exenatide from the venom in the saliva of the Gila monster. The venom helps to stimulate the lizard's metabolism, and scientists have found that the molecule works in humans, too.

Our Soon-To-Not-Be-Home

We were informed last week by our realtor that our mortgage company has accepted the offer that was made. So, soon we'll have to move. Moving into an apartment from a house. We need to shed a lot of our possessions. I'm also wondering about how the four of us (Jennie, Keisha, Mom, and I), along with our dog, can fit into an affordable three-bedroom apartment.

It looks like we'll need to do this in October. More to come later.

Tired

After spending a lot of the night and today getting the computer updated, I'm feeling tired. Sleep has been intermittent, and I have to head to work in about a half hour. Tonight I'll be closing, which means that I'll be out until late.

I'm glad that there are sites like Windows Update at Microsoft. I'm also glad that the technicians were able to salvage the data from the old hard drive. I'm almost finished tweaking the configuration (a few more programs to install, etc.), and soon I'll be able to let the rest of the family use the computer.

Our PC Has Come Home

After some bloodletting, we were finally able to bring our PC home from being serviced. I'm actually blogging on it as I type this. I'm still updating the configuration, but for now, it's working. We'll see.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is Mom's birthday. I know I mentioned it earlier, but I just wanted to include it in its own post.

Recently she visited her doctor and got a referral to DaytonPainMed because of the constant pain she lives with, and we'll be leaving the library in a bit to go to her first appointment there.

She does a much better job of describing what it's like to live in constant pain in her blog, "Me, Myself, and I."

Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you!

How About a Diversion?

While sitting at your desk make clockwise circles with your right foot.



While doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.



What direction is your foot going now?

via an email from Jeff, who probably should've been doing something more constructive with his time. ;D

Those Misheard Song Lyrics

Jill Brimeyer is a mom, freelance magazine writer, and author who also submitted a comment at our guestbook (Submit a comment, View the guestbook).

Somehow she found one of my blogs, and she loved reading "100 Things about the Danimal."

Jill is collecting stories of young children's wacky interpretations of popular songs at her website, which is entitled Momdegreens:

Did you know that the Hootie and the Blowfish song "Hold my Hand" is really about a friendly bear? Well, if you ask my kindergartener, it is...

So head over there to see what she's all about, and be sure to add your own stories.

Of course, this all reminds me of the website "Kissthisguy.com," another archive of misheard lyrics. That website is

"named for one of the world's most commonly misheard lyric (or is it? Click here for the full scoop on Hendrix and this "mishearance.")

Long Time, No Blog

Has it really been almost an entire week? Wow. I'm back at the downtown library with Mom. Today, September 2, 2003, is her birthday. Why not stop by and say hello? I know that she'll appreciate it.

Preliminary email check for one account indicates that I have 87 messages in my junk folder and 8 probable spam messages in the Inbox.

I just checked the other email account, and it indicates that I have 54 email messages in my junk folder and 38 unread messages in my Inbox. I must be a popular guy or something.