Recent IM Status Messages I've Had

For some reason, I thought this was a good idea. Especially as I continue to add custom IM status messages over time. I've been using GoogleTalk and Windows Messenger as my IM clients over the past several months, and they provide the ability to use a "custom message". Here are some that I've had recently, in no particular order:

Available
Face and turn the rain
Turn and face the rain
The Dream Police, they live inside of my head...
I Want You To Want Me
Library and hang time with the fam
"I LOVE getting up in the morning! I CLAP my hands together and say, 'THIS is going to be a great day."
Message in a Bottle, yeah
Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days since we first met?
Loose talk in the classroom, to hurt they try and try
There has to be an Invisible Son, that gives hope to everyone
With one breath, with one blow, you will know synchronicity
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Bring on the Night
It's my destiny to be the King of Pain
The telephone is ringing, is that my mother on the phone?
Reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to Keisha
106 miles to Chicago, a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Code Monkey drink big cup of coffee
Hot summer goodness and black coffee wishes
Go Bengals!

Facing a Turning Point

Changes are coming. Here's something I talked with God about a few minutes ago. More details to come later.

Preseason Game Called on Account of Weather

Everyone's leaving Paul Brown field as there is severe weather in the area. Thunder and lightning. 41-10 with less than 10 minutes left in a preseason game. They probably should just call it a night and be done with it.

And with that, I'm done for the night, folks!

Bengals Looking Good - I'm Looking Tired

41-10 Bengals with 9:45 left in the game. I'm tired, it's raining outside (and on Paul Brown field), and I'm going to bed.

Bengals On Fire!!

23-0 with 8:23 left in the 1st half. The Bengals are on fire, and Carson Palmer looks great!

Bengals Score Again!

Bengals just scored a field goal. Carson Palmer is looking okay.

I think I'm done doing all the blogging during each possession. That's just too much for me.

Another turnover by the Bengals!

Bengals interception! Now we welcome Carson Palmer to the field!

Bengals Draw 1st Blood

Bengals defense recovers a fumble and return it for a touchdown!

Bengals vs Packers - ready for kickoff

Mood: anticipation
Listening to: ESPN
Eating: homemade chili

I'm watching the Bengals vs Packers game. They're playing "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N Roses to start the game.

Green Bay has won the toss.

Barney Sings the Hits - it could happen!

Recent break room conversation between me and my boss:

Dan: Is it a sign of neurosis when you have a song stuck going through your head?

Boss: Only if it's Barney [the Dinosaur].

Me: Good point. No, it was "Magical Mystery Tour" by Cheap Trick.

which gave me a great idea for a sketch - Barney sings the Hits.

The Makings of An Interesting Morning

Mood: sleepy
Listening to: rain outside, radio in the bedroom
Weather right now: 72 degrees F, Thunderstorm

The driver's side window in our car won't go up or down, and it's stuck down at about 3 to 4 inches. When we park the car, we usually put some plastic over the gap to help keep rain from coming inside.

I don't know what I'm going to do this morning as I make the 1-hour plus drive to Dayton. Also, not sure about the defroster, since we have this gaping hole where the dashboard vent system used to be.

It's going to be an interesting morning. I'd better spend some time with God.

Overnight Power Outage - Again

Mood: sleepy
Listening to: Jennie and Keisha talking about Keisha's dreams last night
Reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Eating: nothing yet (but coffee's brewing, yay)

Power went out again last night. This time to the whole complex, it seemed. I woke up at about 4:15 AM because it was feeling stuffy. I noticed everything was off. So I grabbed my cell phone and used the light from it as a flashlight, since one was not readily available.

I went to the kitchen and checked the circuit breakers, but they were okay. So I found our telephone book and called Duke Energy to report the power outage. Someone else had already called, so my report was maybe the 2nd one. I opened all the windows and went back to bed - or at least tried to fall back to sleep.

Then, at about 4:50 AM, the fans came back on, and I got up and closed the windows again and turned the air back on.

Anniversary Show Prep Musings

It's interesting for me, as I prepare for the anniversary show, to go through all the listener feedback and show IDs and shout-outs. I never would have imagined what this all would look like one year later...

Speaking of the show, it's taking a bit longer to put together, so nothing just yet. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe... If not, then next week (I hate writing that).

Mobile Phone Versions of Your Favorite Websites!

If you want to browse a website via your mobile phone, Google has provided a way to reformat it so that can be viewed easily. Head over to http://www.google.com/gwt/n and enter your URL. Check outwhat Journey Inside My Mind looks like

Journey Inside My Mind (mobile-ized)

How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)

Another book we should be reading as a family. I remember reading it a few times growing up and at least one time as an adult. Now a feature film coming to a theatre near you.

How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)

Mail-to-Blog Audio Post Failed

Google Talk recently gained the functionality to send voicemail messages to e-mail addresses on a user's contact list. Blogger has this mail-to-post feature. I decided to see if I could do an audio post to this blog via this new feature of GoogleTalk. Here are the results:

Blogger does not accept audio/mpeg files.

Error code: 7.16085FF

Original message:
From:
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 12:55:23 -0700
Subject: Voicemail from Dan Johnson, Jr. (42 seconds)
None

It would be cool if this could have worked, though.

JIMM 62 - Caffeinated Clips

Mood: caffeinated
Listening to: JIMM 62 - Caffeinated Clips
Reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Eating: popcorn and Miller Lite

I really enjoyed making this show; hopefully you can tell. Here's the summary:

Next week is the 1-year anniversary show (with a contest)! Get your audio comments in now! But first, on this show: PSA from Aslan Extermination, local deer crash begs questions, where are we and why's it so noisy, strong enough to get ring around the collar and your whole wash clean, and the story of the blow-dry kid. Songs related to coffee, caffeine, and being awake. A couple of promos for other shows.

Go on over and listen!

Bowling Backache

Mood: sore and sleepy
Watching: Mythbusters on Discovery Channel

We just came back from the bowling alley. My back is sore and I'm very tired. Gonna lay down for awhile.

Loving my wife

Mood: chilled
Listening to: Dave's Lounge #56 - The Natalie Walker Special
Reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (chapter 10 "Luna Lovegood")
Eating: Wendy's

Jennie seemed so different today. Out of sorts. Lethargic. I asked her this afternoon if she'd checked her blood sugar lately:

This evening I asked her what the reading was. She said it was above 400. Normal is less than 100. So she took some Amaryl. She took a nap before it was time for her to get up and get ready for work. When she got up it was under 200. She got ready for work and ate a salad for dinner.

I've got to be more on top of stuff like this.

Keisha gives a shout-out to the Cheetah Girls

Greetings from the Groesbeck branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County!

Keisha and I walked over here from home, and she's sitting next to me, typing a "shout-out" message to the Cheetah Girls on Disney.com. Here's what her message is:

Dear Cheetah Girls,
   I love you and your music. Can I ask you a question? Can I be a Cheetah Girl?

Keisha
Age 9, Ohio

Spending the Night Away From Our Car

Our car sits in the church parking lot tonight. The engine would not turn over, and it didn't need a jump start. My initial hunch is that the starter is bad. It is, after all, a 13-year old car, so I wouldn't be surprised that is the case:

Fortunately we were leaving from a midweek service, and fortunately there were other people around us willing to get us home, especially Kelly.

Maybe it just needs to rest. We'll need to figure out how to get to it tomorrow and then to get it to a repair shop, and to get the repairs needed.

Car problems are very frustrating, and I'd probably be worried sick if I didn't have Jennie around. For some reason, knowing that we're going through this together helps.

Didn't Jesus say, "Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have enough problems of its own."?

Deer Crash Into Downtown Hotel Begs the Questions

A deer was euthanized after crashing into a downtown Cincinnati hotel yesterday, the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper reports. The deer had crashed into the window of the Terrace Hotel, the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was called, and they tranquilized the deer before bringing it to the SPCA office in Northside.

The deer was running around the lobby confused, and, unfortunately, its lacerations from the crash were so severe that it had to be euthanized.

This event begs the following questions:

1. Why couldn't the deer have gone through the door like normal deer?
2. Also, instead of running around the lobby confused, he could have asked the front desk or concierge for help. That's what they are there for.
   Update: Jennie says the reason why the deer didn't ask for directions is that it was a male deer.
3. Was the deer tested for alcohol or drugs? Doesn't the police conduct these types of tests whenever someone crashes into the window of a downtown hotel? I'm just saying.
4. Venison, anyone?

God Knows the Plans He Has for Us

Last night I wound up tucking Keisha into bed around 10:30 PM. It's summertime, and we've often let her stay up late. We spent the hour before her bedtime reading another chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5). We kissed Jennie bye as she left for work around 10 PM.

She got ready for me to tuck her in by brushing her teeth and taking her hearing aids out, as she normally does. As I tucked her in, she said she wanted to have some music playing while she fell asleep.

I turned the CD/karaoke machine on, and she said she could just barely hear it. It sounded quite loud to me. She wanted it turned up louder. I told her it was already too loud for this time of night.

Then she said something that broke my heart: She said she wished she could hear like Jennie and me, that she wasn't hard of hearing. I told her I wished she wasn't hard of hearing, too.

I asked her if she remembered what we'd studied in the Bible on Sunday. Then I reminded her that we'd read Jeremiah 29:10-13:

10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I told Keisha that God has plans for her, with her hearing loss. We don't really know exactly what those plans are right now, but God DOES have some great plans in store for her.

Then we prayed together. She asked God to help her be grateful for where she is. I prayed for God to help us both to be encouraged and wait for him to reveal his plans for her life.

Then I told Keisha that I wished her to have "sweet dreams", full of princesses, princes, unicorns - "Ponies?" she asked - yes, ponies, and all that other good stuff.

JIMM 61 - Power, Praise, and Plans

Mood: glad
Listening to: JIMM 61 - Power, Praise, and Plans
Eating: potato chips

It's been 2 weeks since the last JIMM podcast episode, so I gave you all 2-week's worth in one show, as we look forward to the 1-year anniversary of the Journey Inside My Mind podcast.

Listen to Audio I Like!

I just put an Odeo player in the sidebar, underneath my profile, of some of my "starred Odeo". You can listen to audio I've enjoyed. Naturally, I've put some of my favorite JIMM episodes in there.

JIMM on Face the Music!

Mood: deliberate
Listening to: Face the Music 21 - About Time
Eating: eggs, bacon, toast, and black coffee

Welcome Face the Music listeners! JamesB, the host of Face the Music, played an audio comment I sent him on his latest show, Face the Music 21 - About Time.

This blog contains only text posts from the Journey Inside My Mind. To check out the podcast, head over to that website.

Home Fry Speed Demons Unite!

Mood: charged
Listening to: Accident Hash #168
Eating: Sunrise Sun Chips

So C.C. Chapman, the host of the music podcast "Accident Hash" played a comment from a listener who got a speeding ticket while listening to the show. C.C. put the call out for listeners to chime in with their speed-inducing songs. I'm cross-posting my comments to his show post here:

Re: the comment about speeding from listening to music...

In the early '90s "Stigmata" and "Burning Inside" by Ministry would do it for me. That and "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails.

Nowadays, it's songs by [munk], Danko Jones, "Lying in Wait" by Uncrowned (had to be careful when listening to "INFECTION", natch). I think De La Vega also does it for me.

We may need to create a support group for people in situations like this. "Home Fry Speed Demons Anonymous"?

Dan: "Hi, I'm Dan, and I'm a Home Fry Speed Demon."
HFSDA Group: "Hi Dan!"
...

Someone should buy homefryspeeddemons.com and redirect it to accidenthash.com.

Update: I recorded some audio and submitted it to C.C. - I might put it here later or even play it on the JIMM.

Power, Podcasting, and Plans

Mood: upbeat, excited, contemplative

Powerless

Yesterday at around 5 PM someone had an accident in which they crashed their car into a telephone pole at an intersection just outside our apartment complex:

We were on our way home and noticed some traffic lights out, and we saw a Hamilton County Sheriff car activate its lights and speed off. When we got to our apartment complex, we saw the accident. We seriously hope that the people involved in the accident are okay. The crash had snapped the top part of the telephone pole, and there were live wires around. Hence the traffic signals being out.

When we got home, we realized that the power to our home was also out. We opened the windows, and I had to shut the computer off because it had been running off the batteries. Fortunately for us, we had dinner plans at another family's home. More about that in a separate post, perhaps.

In the Dark, Relying on the One who is Powerful

When we got home after 9:30 PM, the power was still out. We found a flashlight, and since the batteries we had weren't working with the other flashlights, I lit candles around our home.

Keisha, naturally, was afraid, and we did our best to reassure her. We told her that the power company was working as hard and as fast as they could to get power back on. More importantly, God, who never sleeps, is watching over her, and he's given her a Mommy and Daddy who are watching out for her, too.

Jennie and I set the alarms on our cell phones to go off at 6 AM this morning, but at 11:21 PM last night, the power came back on - thankfully (it was muggy inside our home), as evidenced by the fans turning back on, along with other lights that had come on from our turning the switches out of habit.

I immediately set our alarm clock (that's why I remember it was 11:21 PM) and went to every room and blew out the candles.

Jennie remarked last night as we came home that she wished there was some kind of food voucher we all could get whenever something like this happened. You see, she had just gone to the grocery store a couple days ago. We'll have to go through the items in the refrigerator and freezer to see if they are still fresh.

But it's not just us; its everyone in our section of the apartmennt complex.

Podcast Delay and Some Exciting Changes

So I haven't spent any time putting together a show for this week. It's been yuckily hot, and, well, other things have taken priority, naturally. Maybe some time this afternoon or evening, perhaps.

Also, there are going to be some exciting changes going on for us as the next several months progress - (no, we're not having another baby, Mom). I'll have to talk about those in a separate post.

Okay, I'll divulge 1 big thing: August 21st is my 1-year anniversary in podcasting. I welcome your audio comments specifically, but you can also send e-mail. Please visit the podcast page for contact details. You can do something directly via the website or call the Listener Hotline.

I just saw the trailer for the World Trade Center Movie

Mood: wistful
Eating: salted peanuts in the shell
Watching: WTC Movie Trailer

It's a story about two Port Authority officers who were trapped under the wreckage. Movie opens in theaters August 9th.

My eyes are all watery.

BorgBlog: Brutal

Exactly how the heat feels: BorgBlog: Brutal

Here's something to discuss. Which situation would you rather be in, the brutal heat we've had this summer, or the bitter below-zero windchill we've had in winters past?

New Juice Update Helps Fix Feedburner Problem

Prompted by recent Feedburner problems that led to Juice users being unable to receive podcasts, the Juice team has released an update, version 2.2.2, which is now available.

Digg this story!

Dust Art

Mood: sleepy
Listening to: nothing
Reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Eating: nothing yet
Watching: nothing

Some people just write "Wash Me" on the window of a dusty car. This guy does artwork. Very good artwork.

via Rocketboom