Plans for the New Year

I suppose that this is a good time to think about such things. Jennie and I talked yesterday:

She'd like to do some more sewing. We need to get a particular part for her sewing machine, though, first.

I want to continue learning the guitar. At least 20 minutes a day -- that's what they say. I also want to continue writing.

In 2004 I want to find out what I need to do to become an English teacher. I already have a degree in Civil Engineering, and I know that there are some other things I need. It may mean that I go back to school for a few classes or whatever.

Also, I got a mixing kit for Christmas, so I want to look at bartending some private parties as a source of extra income.

I want to continue growing and overcoming self-injury. I want to develop better strategies for dealing with the negative aspects of ADHD and accentuate the positive qualities.

I want to be less independent and open myself up to others more in 2004.

I'm sure that a slogan exists somewhere in this post, huh?

Me Update: Week 2

Our home PC is still sick. I checked out a book from the library, and it appears that I may actually need a new motherboard. That may be the easiest thing to replace. Alas, for now I must resort to the library computers for email, blogging, and the like.

As I mentioned last week, it's not all a bad thing. I've been getting better with the guitar and spending time with Keisha, since she's on her Christmas break now, too.

It's also helpful to me because when I come to the library computers, I have focus on what I'm going to do, instead of some random time spent surfing the 'net and such. I'm not saying that such activity is bad, but I am saying that it can be a bad thing to do that every day for hours at a time.

Mom's hanging in there. I found out that she got to hear from all of her kids over Christmas. My younger sister, who hadn't talked to her in several months, spent a little bit of time with her.

Mom's car, "Maxine", is showing her age. She's a 1983 Nissan Maxima. She needs, among other things:

new brakes
spare tire
right hand windshield wiper
new muffler system
tune up
alignment

and probably some other things that I cannot think of right now.

Jennie and I are just glad to have some transportation. We'll need to get some serious work done before Mom hands over the title next May.

Combining this with my lack of work over the last month, and I can think of many other things to be anxious about. I'm very glad that Jennie has been able to pick up some extra hours at work.

Me Update: In Brief

Home PC not working. Some type of prob with PCI Ethernet Controller. I do not know how to fix it. Alas, I have to check emails and surf the 'net at the library. Not all a bad thing, since I've been spending more time away from the computer.

Been practicing the guitar, learning chords and strumming. I'm going through a couple of books I got from the library. Left fingertips are sore.

Been watching a lot of movies with the time off. Go to IMDB.com to see what they are about, if you're interested.
Sum of All Fears
The Powerpuff Girls
Royal Tennenbaums
Panic Room

Also going through some books related to mystery writing. I need to do more offline journaling, especially my crime site ideas. At night the imagination goes wild sometimes!

Christmas Eve we went to my aunt and uncle's in Cincinnati. Ate dinner and saw some other relatives. Spoke with a cousin who is in prison by phone. Uncle took some digital pics of us and printed out copies for us to take back home.

Jennie worked on Christmas. We opened presents in a rush, right before she went to work. We left the wrapping all over the living room floor for a few hours so that we could just enjoy the presents and relax.

Keisha fell asleep on our bed yesterday. It was a great idea because Jake and I took a nap too.

I also set up the bed frame -- our box spring and mattress have been on the floor since we moved in October. Now our bed is higher. I forgot about that this morning when I got out of bed and almost fell on the floor!

Jennie got me some silk pajamas and a silk robe. The design makes me think of Austin Powers (yeah, baby, yeah!). My wife is glad that I got my mojo on.

Also, she got me a shaving kit with gel, face wash, after shave, etc. I took the hint and shaved off my beard and moustache last night.

We ate Christmas ham I'd gotten from work, with macaroni and cheese, brussel sprouts, beets, and candied yams. I forsook the beets and yams in lieu of the brussel sprouts. A beer to wash it all down was good, too.

I'll probably blog about Keisha's presents at another time: keyboard and kid karaoke machine. How long do those batteries last?

That's all for now.

Prayer Request

My Mom is going through a rough time right now. Find out more over at her blog.

Below is an excerpt of an email message I sent her:

Mom,

{{ HUGS!! }} from all of us to you. I am so glad to hear from you.

I can only imagine what you're going through. I cannot state enough how grateful to God I am that he chose you to be my Mom. I truly believe that you have had a tremendous impact on my life and who I am as a person.

Thanks so much for the encouragement from the apostle Paul. I remember in 2 Corinthians 12, where he talks about his "thorn". I'm also thinking about 2 Corinthians 4, in which he talks about our "light and momentary troubles". "Light and momentary"? That's some kind of perspective, huh?

Plaxo.com

A longtime friend of mine asked me to update the contact information he has for me via the service of this website. I have not looked at it very closely, but it seems pretty cool.

Gone Only Temporarily

On October 23, 2003, one of the women my wife takes care of at her job, was killed in an automobile accident. Both of us attended her memorial service. We received a card with the following inscription on it:

Fill not your hearts with pain and sorrow,
but remember me in every tomorrow.
Remember the joy, the laughter, the smiles,
I've only gone to rest a little while.
Although my leaving causes pain and grief,
my going has eased my hurt and given me relief.
So dry your eyes and remember me,
Not as I am now, but as I used to be.
Because I will remember yu all and look on with a smile.
Understand, in your hearts, I've only gone to rest awhile.
As long as I have the love of each of you,
I can live my life in the hearts of all of you.

Transportation Trials

I mentioned back in November that our car had been repossessed (An Overnight Visit From the Repo Man). Fortunately for us, my Mom left us her car to use. Within the last two days, I've noticed that the brakes are going bad.

We still have the ability to slow and stop. It's just that we have this "god-awful" squeaking/crunching sound.

We are so grateful to my wife's coworker, who, since she found out abour our other car, has given my wife rides to work and back. It's good that we only live about 5 minutes away, too.

Christmas Service

Yesterday we had a special Christmas service at church. It was mainly a lot of singing and performing of the Christmas songs of the season. I played "O Holy Night" on my saxophone.

I had really blown it (no pun intended) with respect to practicing and getting prepared for it. I'd also planned to sing "Mary's Boy Child". I'd been blowing both of these off, and I'd even blown off a rehearsal last Thursday night.

I happened to see the brother who was in charge of the program on Saturday evening. I had planned to call him later that evening anyway, to apologize. I used the occasion to apologize to him in person.

Later that evening, we went home, and I searched for the sheet music. You see, I used to have a booklet with music, that I had from the Salvation Army, from when I volunteered there in 1993. When I couldn't find that, I sought online, and I was fortunate (thank you, God) to have found it.

I also needed the exact words for "Mary's Boy Child", and I was grateful to have found them online, too. I also am grateful that we had a recording of the song at home.

I believe that God blessed the spirit of repentance, because I received numerous compliments for my performance.

I was also able to encourage other musicians by telling them that I'm learning the guitar. One sister came to me and said she would like to do a duet, since she plays the clarinet. I offered to do the arrangement myself.

So, everything worked out well.

Journey Inside My Mind: I'm Covered

Last week I mentioned that we'd had some issues with respect to our medical coverage. The delay led to a lapse in my medications, which I take for depression and ADHD. Neither of these medicines is cheap, and I am so grateful to have the coverage now.

Library Blogging

The home PC is on the fritz again. It's the same problem as before. Hence, to access the internet, I have to come to the library. It's all good, though.

I have much to do, much to blog about, and very little time. Just so you know.

Irish church cracks down on "a la carte" funerals

"DUBLIN (Reuters) - Downing pints of beer and telling blue jokes at funeral services will no longer be tolerated by Roman Catholic priests in Ireland."

The first thing that popped into my head when I read this article were the scenes from Angela's Ashes with Frank McCourt's dad in the pub, using the casket that was for a deceased son as a tabletop for his pint of Guiness.

Cincinnati Bengals Team Report: Warrick sidelined

From "The Sports Network - National Football League", comes this news about Bengals' Wide Receiver Peter Warrick, along with discussion about their playoff hopes.

Remember 6th Grade?

J-Mo hopes so. Thanks to Kate for the link.

Oh yeah, and there's this press release from U.S. Newswire: The Sixth Grade Conundrum: A Parent's Guide; Photo Available.

U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission Toy Hazard Recalls

FreshDevices

What a great site with some great tools to boost your PC's performance and more!

BLOGGER - Knowledge Base - How To Get A Book Deal With Your Blog

I think I could do this.

Movies I've Seen Recently

• A Fish Called Wanda
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• The Firm

Bible Study: Overcoming

Recently while reading some passages in Revelation, I was struck by how often Jesus Christ uses the word "overcome." I thought it would be worthwhile to examine these passages more closely; especially given my present struggles, which I've mentioned here and in Letters to God.

First of all, there is the word overcome. It signifies that trouble, hardship, and the like are normal in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. He himself said, in John 16:33

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

We are guaranteed that we will have troubles during our lifetime; our focus, therefore, needs to be on overcoming these things as we journey homeward.

Secondly, I'm encouraged by what Jesus Christ says will happen to those who overcome, which I've included in the list below. I've emphasized the words signifying the promise to those who overcome.

• "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7)."
• "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death (Revelation 2:11)."
• "To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it (Revelation 2:17)."
• "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--
  'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
  he will dash them to pieces like pottery'--
  just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star (Revelation 2:26-28)."
• "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels (Revelation 3:5)."
• "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name (Revelation 3:12)."
• "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne (Revelation 3:21)."
• "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son (Revelation 21:7)."

I don't claim to know all the answers with respect to the symbolism in Revelation, but everything here sounds wonderful, and it encourages me to keep on going.

I'm reminded of Dory's conversation with Marlin, in the movie Finding Nemo:

Dory: Hey Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do?
Marlin: No I don't wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
Marlin: Dory, no singing.
Dory: [continuing] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho! I love so swim. When you want to swim you want to swim!
Marlin: Now I'm stuck with that song!. Now it's in my head!

That's what we need to do, even though we don't know exactly where we're heading in the near future. Just keep swimming.

Lastly, I'm reminded of this quotation, which I found only recently:

"A straight path never leads anywhere except to the objective." -- André Gide

Early Christmas Gift - Acoustic Guitar

I'm learning how to play the acoustic guitar, an early Christmas gift. After several years of enjoying the sounds of others, I'm trying to make sounds myself. I'm currently reminded of this line in Bryan Adams' song "Summer of '69"

Played it 'til my fingers bled

because the fingers on my left hand are raw from pressing down the strings so hard.

Guitarnoise.com

In Search Of

... Mark C. Morris, the Official Iowan of this Journey Inside My Mind. The most recent link I had for him is no longer valid, but I did find an older link to his blog, "Gospel According to Mark". It's still valid.

My Life: Dog's Dream

In keeping with the recent current about dogs, Karen, the Official Goof of this blog, has posted a great cartoon about dogs.

Journey Inside My Mind: The Continuing Saga

Jennie and I went to the Job Center this afternoon to discuss our insurance stuff with our caseworker. She set us up to have MedicAid for this month and CareSource for next month. We stopped by the pharmacy afterward because I had prescriptions from last week to fill.

Unfortunately, the billing stuff has not been set up yet with MedicAid. So I will have to contact our caseworker tomorrow to see what's going on, and then contact the pharmacy to verify that the insurance will go through, before going back to get my medicines.

In other news, I slept from 11 PM last night until 12:30 PM this afternoon. I had some very interesting dreams, which I don't have time to mention right now. Let me just say that it confirms what this blog's tagline says: "My dreams are weirder than yours."

That's only because I think my dreams are weird. Yours may be, too. I think mine are weirder. So there.

U.S. Newswire: Speaker Hastert (IL-14) Creates Task Force to 'Save America's Cities'; Appoints Rep. Turner (OH-3) to Spear Head the Effort

The Speaker said, "I'm so pleased to announce that Congressman Mike Turner will head our effort to "Save America's Cities." As the former mayor of Dayton, Congressman Turner understands the problems ailing our cities. Congressman Turner will coordinate with other members of Congress, Committees, and the Administration to look at ways to help rejuvenate our cities and combat depression in areas through initiatives of homeownership, job creation, crime reduction, and community organization assistance. I sincerely hope that America's depressed cities will become a better place through this initiative. Congressman Turner has dedicated his life to this cause, and with his leadership, I know we can get it done."

Holiday Party

We had a holiday party at the hotel where I work tonight. It was nice. I got a little bit of a bonus, and there was free food. The management of the hotel served us. Jennie, Keisha, and I sat at a table with others who work at the restaurant. Stan the Magic Man performed. We'd seen him at the Boonshoft Museum earlier in the year, but it was a good magic show nevertheless.

In other news, I'm on the schedule for this Saturday from 11 to 3 only. Then, I'm off at least until January 2nd. In some ways it's a good thing because Keisha will be off school, too. In others, it isn't because I'm not getting paid much, or at all during this time.

Also, I found out after last Thursday's psychiatrist appointment, while trying to fill a prescription, that the insurance card I have has "expired." Jennie called our case worker at the Montgomery County Job Center today, and we have a meeting with her to discuss it.

I discovered last night that tonight's dose of the Lexapro is my last until I get a refill. I have some of the regular (i.e., not extended release) Adderall, which I can take. So hopefully this meeting tomorrow will be fruitful, and we can get set up with insurance.

Also, I feel like I'm getting a sinus infection. I feel the headache and the sinus pressure. Then again, it may just be a cold.

I'm having a rough time having a great attitude about all of this. It's supposed to be a happy time of year, and, in one sense I am grateful for all that I still have. In another sense, I look at all that I have lost over the last year. I see the lack of purchasing power we have, the tough financial times, the illnesses, and it feels depressing.

My initial tendency is to want to pull back from everything and retreat under the covers until someone tells me it's all over.

I guess I need to talk with God now.

Reminder to Self - Walking the Dog

When taking the dog for a long walk, I need to take at least two bags. The dog pooped FOUR times while we went for a walk this morning!

Love Defined

Man's best friend truly loves unconditionally:

• "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -- Josh Billings
• "Did you ever notice when you blow in a dog's face he gets mad at you? But when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the window!" -- Steve Bluestone
• "The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, he will make a fool of himself too." -- Samuel Butler

Someone in our house just farted, and it was a moment that should have been videotaped! The dog had his nose downwind and "took the entire experience in," if you know what I mean. After a short moment (perhaps the smell?), he turned and walked away, sneezing shortly thereafter. Then he returned to that very person.

And no, it wasn't me!

Get That Job! - Job Hunting Success Story

Sue got that job!

Eneuresis Control

We're researching some ways to help us with this with Keisha. She had been taking a bladder-control medicine, Ditropan, for awhile, with mixed results. Her pediatrician had suggested a Wetness Alarm, yet it appears that she may not necessarily be ready for something like that.

I'm linking to that site here so that I can go back because it contains some other useful links.

News Where I Live

Yesterday morning, as I took the dog for a walk, I noticed several sheriff's vehicles in our apartment complex. I found out why:

HARRISON TWP., Montgomery County -- One man was shot and seriously injured late Wednesday in Harrison Twp., the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office reported.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to 4164 Indian Runn Drive, Apt. D, just before midnight on a report of shots fired. A man, 20, had been shot at that location then ran to 4026 Indian Runn Drive, Apt. K, to seek help, according to deputies. The victim, who was hit in the chest and arm, was taken to an area hospital.

Two persons apprehended in the immediate area of the shooting were being questioned, according to the sheriff's office.

Source: Dayton Daily News

We must have been sound asleep.

The Dog

• has found a nice place to relax: under the Christmas tree
• knocked a sick Keisha over this morning while running around
• ran away momentarily while I tended to Keisha
• did NOT get a treat when he came back inside

Strep Throat

Keisha has strep throat. The pediatrician said that she needed to stay home a second day until the antibiotic was in her system for 24 hours. So, Keisha and I have been hanging out these last two days.

The doctor said that their office had been packed lately with flu-related and strep-related patients. The waiting room is divided up into two sections: one for well patients and one for sick patients.

When Keisha is sick she tends to want to snuggle and be loved up on (who doesn't, huh?). This is a great opportunity for Mommy and Daddy to shower her with the love that she sometimes doesn't want. What I mean to say is that there are times when she is well that she doesn't want to sit on my lap and have me hold her. When she feels sick, however, she's more apt to do this.

I suppose that God allows her to get sick so that we can show her love. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 1 in the Bible.

The Birthplace of Aviation

... is Dayton, Ohio, USA, right? I mean, the Wright brothers are from here and did most of their research here.

That's why when I saw this, I thought, "You gotta be kidding me."

PETROPOLIS, Brazil (Reuters) - As Americans prepare to celebrate the centennial of the Wright brother's first flight, a whole country is cringing at what it believes to be a historical injustice against one of its most beloved heroes.

Walking Forward, Looking Back

I saw this book at the front of the library yesterday, and I checked it out. I was finished with it in a couple of hours.

The subtitle is "Lessons from the World Trade Center: A Survivor's Story". It's written by John Labriola, the only person to take photographs inside the World Trade Center during the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

One word: WOW.

Spiritual Awakenings and Salvation

Someone pointed this post to me, since it's about the battle to overcome addiction. It will make for a good read, I'm sure.

Ohio's DUI Law

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, since I'm a bartender and a casual consumer of alcoholic beverages.

This website describes, in as simple terms as possible, the crux of Ohio's DUI Law, including the penalties (mandatory jail time and license suspension).

Another website reminds me that

• Any server, waiter, or bartender may be arrested if they sell or furnish alcohol to an intoxicated person.
• It is illegal for a person of any age to possess an open container of beer, wine, mixed beverages or liquor in any public place.

Also worthy of note is this article by Peter Daigle, entitled "Sobering Thoughts - Bar Held to High Standard of Care." It describes a case in Canada in which a bar was held responsible even though a patron only consumed two drinks while there.

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Iraqi Colonel: WMD Could've Been Launched in 45 Minutes

Attention Deficit Drugs May Have Long-Term Effects

This article discusses the physisiological aspects of medicine, based on a study done on lab rats. Interesting, to say the least. Yet I found the following statment a little bit amusing:

But rats, which generally like cocaine, were less likely to eat it if they had been give Ritalin.

An 'Alias' That Satisfies

I saw tonight's episode at work, and I must say that I found it satisfying in a lot of ways. Fortunately my wife taped it, and we'll get to look at it better tomorrow night.

Yahoo Patches IM Security Hole

I didn't even know that there was a security hole. I'm glad I found this on my MSN.com:

The vulnerability stems from an error in the "yauto.dll" file, an ActiveX component of Messenger. The security hole affects Yahoo Messenger versions 5.6.0.1347 and earlier, the advisory [issued Wednesday by Danish security company Secunia] said.

To find out what version of Yahoo! Messenger you have, from the Yahoo! Messenger window, go to Help | About Yahoo! Messenger. A popup window will appear, and it will show you what version you are running.

According to Yahoo!, the problem has more to do with a wider vulnerability in Internet Explorer than it does with their messaging software:

Only users that have chosen to change IE's security settings to the "low" level, rather than the default "medium" setting, or that are not running the most recent IE patches would be vulnerable, Yahoo said. An attacker then would need to direct a vulnerable user to view malicious HTML code in order exploit the hole.

Users still need to make sure that their security settings are set appropriately and use the most recent version of IE.

Gosh!

I've been here for over 4 hours!!! I consider it blogging time well-spent, though.

Hot, Buttered Blogrolls

... served with jelly. Except that Blogrolling.com, which serves the blogroll list usually seen on the left of this blog, is down right now. Ugh!

What if your server goes down? Is it going to ruin my page?
Certain layouts that use the JavaScript publishing method may experience a lag if the server becomes inaccessible. If you are worried about this happening, you can use one of the more robust, backend solutions.

Update: It appears that they are back, up, and running. Yee-ha, baby!

CHADD of Suburban Cincinnati

I think I will want to attend one or more of these meetings.

Money Management for Adults with AD/HD

Another great guide for folks like me. Also available as a downloadable PDF file.

Guidelines for Succeeding in the Workplace with AD/HD crossposted to Get That Job!

This document, provided by the National Resource Center on AD|HD, a program of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder), is an excellent resource for individuals such as myself, who deal with the symptoms of AD/HD every day. The entire guide is available for downloading as a PDF file, too.

The symptoms of AD/HD create special challenges for the adult in the workplace, just as they do for the child in school. To date, very little research has been conducted that provides adults with AD/HD empirically-based approaches to understanding and coping with workplace issues. Until scientifically-based guidelines are available, it may prove useful to follow the procedures commonly used by career counselors to guide individuals in selecting a job and coping with AD/HD on the job. This information and resource sheet will:

• offer tips for improving on-the-job functioning
• describe the rights of individuals under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• provide guidelines for making career choices

The assistance of a career counselor or a psychologist, social worker, or other health care worker with career counseling training is extremely helpful in understanding and maximizing these factors. Some individuals, however, may be able to carry out the steps discussed in this information and resource sheet with the help of questionnaires, checklists, and suggestions given in the career counseling books on the reference list.

The Holiday Spending Worksheet

SmartMoney.com | Consumer Action offers this worksheet to help you budget and keep track of your holiday spending. Seriously, it's available.

My Dreams Are Weirder Than Yours

So goes the tagline for this blog. For example --

I dreamt yesterday that I'd driven this white compact car in England, and somehow the tires got slashed. I didn't have any money to get the repairs done, and I panicked.

Fortunately, I was in the small town where Paul McCartney and his family lived. In fact, his mother lived in a historic house with several historic vehicles in the parking lot.

I found my way to this house, and I learned that Paul's Mum was living off a huge trust that her deceased husband had bequeathed her. I was allowed to stay at this house for a time.

I desperately wanted to get back to the States, but I needed help getting my passport and other things. Then I learned how deep the McCartney family politics went.

I learned that one of Paul's brothers had gotten into some trouble with a neighboring clan from another town. The problem was so deep that the head of this family was wanting one of their family to marry one if Paul's, in return for the calamity.

For some reason, the two clans each had distinguishing symbols on their right cheeks, corresponding to their respective families.

One way for me to get out of the country, I found out, was to take the place of this McCartney brother who was in trouble. (I don't really remember if I was already married or not.) After I reluctantly agreed, they helped me get set up so that I would pass as a member of the McCartney family.

I recall a scene at a train station in which they handed me my wedding clothes to change into. I made my way to the men's room and did so.

I then remember driving to this mansion where I would meet my bride-to-be.

And that's all I can remember.

Guest Bloggers and Contributors

Some people have expressed an interest in being guest bloggers or otherwise contributing to Get That Job!. Hopefully we'll hear from them soon over there.

I've heard of other bloggers being guest bloggers, and I've considered looking into that from time to time with this one. I'll have to wait and see before I go further.

A Day In The Life

I saw this blog in my referrer logs, and, after checking it out, thought you might like it, too.

Logistical Issues

Our home computer somehow has stopped recognizing the two CD drives. This problem prevents it from booting up properly. Unfortunately, I do not know enough about the hardware to fix it. Help!

Also, I found out that our local phone number, which we use for dial-up service, has been disconnected. So, I'm at the local library, where I will also check my account balance to see if we can pay to have it turned back on.

Other than that, life is good. More to come later, perhaps.

VF Web Design Services

This site is managed by a friend and sister in Christ. Interesting stuff. Hi, Vicki!

Who'dve Thunk It?


What Finding Nemo Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I think it's a pretty good match to my personality, though. I saw the movie again tonight, this time with the director's commentary.

Thanks to the Karen, the Official Goof of Journey Inside My Mind, for the link.

Generosity

Wow. I just came from a men's meeting at church, and I was handed an envelope and a heavy box as I was leaving.

Pointing to the envelope, the brother in Christ said, "This is from the Cincinnati church." Laying the heavy box in the back seat of Mom's car, he said, "This is some stuff from the folks here in Dayton."

I got home and brought the things inside. The box was full of canned goods, cake mixes, and other non-perishable items. I looked at the envelope. On the outside it said, "Dayton." I opened it up and saw that it was a $20 gift certificate to Kroger, one of the supermarkets in town.

My wife and daughter don't even know about all of this yet.