2003 Half-Year Retrospective

We are now halfway through 2003, and it's about time for a quick look at the Journey Inside My Mind over these past six months. This time around I'm offering something different for the retrospective. I'm providing the link to the monthly archive page and a list of titles to some selected posts from that month. The list of posts is in chronological order, but they are laid out on the page in reverse chronological order. I recommend that, after opening the link, scrolling to the bottom of the page and working your way up:

January

New Year's Template

Tom Daschle Must Go

Happy Blog Birthday to Journey Inside My Mind

Streams of Consciousness: Broken Things

Response to Police Questioning (Backpack Reflections)

Mistakes Are GOOD

Thank God for Fri-Daze

Tom Daschle Must Go

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Coming Soon

If We Only Have Love

Martin Luther King Day

A Balmy 16 degrees Fahrenheit in Dayton

Beat-you-up-and-steal-your-lunch-money Cold

My Girl is a Spy Kid (Daddy and Daughter Date)

Listening to My Online Radio Station

R.I.P. Nell Carter

Frozen Friday Feeling

Tom Daschle Must Go

Snapshot Memories

I Want to Fire My Bank

More Customer No-Service (Public School Transportation)

Hailie's Back (Prayer Request)

Gas Passers Sitting Happy

Subpoena Duces Tecum

Paving the Milestones

Recalling the Challenger Disaster

February

Feeling Poorly Today

Yesterday I Visited My Past

Hard to Post (re: Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster)

Better Than Chocolate

'Pooh' in the Courtroom!

Somehow You Found It, Parts One and Deux

The Day The World Went Away

The Sinus 'Crud'

Enneagram Test

Blogging the Past

Valentine's Day

I Still Prefer Steak (Chocoholism Reaches Near-Epidemic Proportions)

Get Off The Mooch List

As White As... Well... Snow

Get Ready to 'Bloogle'

Happy President's Day (President's Day Quotes)

Living in a Winter Wasteland

I've Discovered My Inner Veggie!

Dealing With Another's Pain

Yet Another Winter Advisory

Franco-American Relations

Phone Call (peek into our relationship with creditors)

Steel Beach BBQ

R.I.P. Fred Rogers

The Muppets Take Mordor

March

Computerfest® Is Coming!

It Was Just A Dream

Friends In The Fight For Enduring Freedom

Leave It To The Dog

"A Bit of Light Reading"

Signs That Spring Is Coming

Blogger and Google Are Improving My Memory

McCustomer No-Service Rant

QuotesBlog - growing wiser on the wisdom (or Stupidity) of others

McCustomer No-Service Rant Followup

Yet Another Blog - About My High School Reunion

More Twists Than A Pretzel (about 'Alias')

Brought to You by the Letter 'Q'

Squoosh A Terrorist

Restoration! (email from a formerly disgruntled coworker)

Call for Officials

Squoosh A Terrorist Update

From Powerless to Powerful

Hailie's Back

I'm Going To Fire My ISP

A Dream of Apocalyptic Proportions

Email from the Battlefront

Keisha Update

Google Search: Squoosh A Terrorist

April

An Important Note from Dan Johnson (i.e., my feeble attempt at an April Fool's joke)

Keisha Update, Continued

Crazymaggiemay - Me, Myself, and I (Mom Starts Blogging)

50 Ways to Become a Better Reader

Everybody Should Blog

Another Email from the Gulf...

License and Registration, Please

Iraqi Liberation

Garage Door Battle

A Proud Husband

That's What Happens When It's Spring!

Email Obfuscation

Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

Hotmail No More

April 15th

On This Day I Complete My 33rd Year

More On My Birthday (the word 'emesis' comes to mind)

Friday 5

It May Be The Cowboy In Me

This Ride May Be A Little Bumpy!

He Wants To Know

Target of Your Choosing

Her First Lost Tooth

It's Scary Down There!

Bunny Babies

Drought in the Streams of Consciousness

Stick-to-itiveness

May

We Live in Sinus Valley

Free Verse - Free Basing?

Jake Rinard (love that slogan)

Lay Low and Go!

Because We Love Her

We Still Got Power

The Listeners Make The Playlists

"Well, I just had to laugh..."

Another Visit From The Tooth Fairy

His Royal Jakeness

Mom

They Sent Us To Our Basement

Sinuses, Allergies, or Was It Too Much Mother's Day?

You Came Here, And I Noticed

Miracle Migraine Medicine/Migraine Mantra

The Week of the Migraine

Sick As A Dog

Dayton, Ohio USA: The Place To Be In 2003

The Matrix: Reloaded

CodeAmber.org - Amber Alert for the Web

Template Wackiness

Sinus Crud - Again

Living in the Estrogen Ocean

The Official Iowan Takes a Break

Head Full of Snot

Road Trip!

The Johnson Family Web Site - Updates

Beachstock Reflections

Sigh

Saddam Hussein's Top Ten Romantic Tips

Streams of Consciousness: Keisha and Sagwa

She Couldn't Stay Away

This Is Not A Love Song

June

Daisy and John

McPiggy

Big Brother in the Miami Valley?

The Matrix: ReSeussed

Tinky and Binky

I Knew He'd Be Back

My Fotolog

A Day in the Country 2003 - Preview

A Weakness

Pseudonyms

The Official Iowan

She's So Cute!

Add to Your Coloring Books!

Creative Parenting

R.I.P. David Brinkley and Gregory Peck

Daddy - Daughter Date (a must read!)

Dan Johnson, Certified Mixologist

Oh, Mr. Sun

Assigned Seating - For Real

8 Years Ago, We Said, "I Do!"

Enneagram Test

Migraine Pain... Again

"Jake Wants Some Love!"

Her First Time In A Bar - Sort Of

You Can't Take Me Clothes Shopping

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Official Bartender

BANGHEAD!

This Blog is Rated G

Mundane Journal Stuff

Call For Officials

Camping with the Men

R.I.P. Kathryn Hepburn

The Matrix Reloaded in Tokyo

The Japanese really get into their favorite films.

R.I.P. Kathryn Hepburn

Camping with the Men

I went camping this past Saturday with some of the men from church to Hueston Woods. It's located near Miami University of Oxford, Ohio. Some of my thoughts:

I think the last time I went camping was when I was in college, which was a long time ago.

One of the brothers from church has a tent that can sleep 10 people. On Saturday night it slept 6 of us. I was rudely reminded that ground is nothing like the mattress I have at home.

We had a great time Saturday night, playing cards, eating food we'd grilled out, sitting by the little bonfire we'd made. Our campsite was adjacent to the lake, so we could look out over it as darkness fell. The fireflies lit up the sky as if there were thousands of camera flashes going off.

It was beautiful, and I prayed with a few of the men. I really needed to spend some time like this with some of the men from church, forging closer friendships.

It was also great on Sunday morning to go for a quiet walk. I walked a little ways to a hill. I sat down and wrote a little bit in my observation notebook, which I've entitled "Sights and Sounds." I opened my Bible to Psalm 126, and, after reading it, sang a song we sometimes sing at church that is based on it, entitled "Men Who Dream." I belted it out without inhibitions. Then I sang some more songs to God and headed back to the campsite.

We had church with our little group of men. If you've ever seen the movie "Glory," you may recall the scene before the troops went into battle. The men alternatively prayed while the others hummed in the background. We prayed like that. It was moving, emotional, and inspiring. Then Derek, our minister, gave a message about "Salt and Light," based on two of Jesus' famous parables.

Charles, a deaf brother, was one of the brothers who was on the trip. It was so encouraging to see everyone communicating with him, and to see him trying to communicate with others. He really has a great friendship with Davon, which overflowed to some humorous moments.

On Saturday evening, Davon, Charles, and some others went for a little hike. A bit later, Mike decided to sneak up on them. Davon saw and heard Mike coming, but Charles, of course, didn't hear it. He loves Davon so much that at one occasion, he turned to Davon, while Mike is approaching them, and said, "My man, Davon!" as Davon was telling him to hurry up and hide from Mike.

Later as we were trying to sleep in our tent, more humor erupted. Any time Charles would sense that something was going on, he'd turn on his flashlight and shine it around everybody to see who was talking to him.

Of course as I write this I am aware that I'm not fully explaining it so that you can appreciate the humor. This may be a case of "you had to be there."

Nevertheless, it was a great camping trip.

She's a Planet Kid!

I just signed up Keisha to be a Planet Kid. It's a club that the Dayton Mall has set up for kids 12 and under. In order to do this, I had to first set her up with her own email address. So, our little girl is expanding her way into cyberspace, and she's only a few weeks shy of 6 years old!

Welcome, fellow Ohioans!

I just found out that the Mute Troubadour is from southern Ohio. Welcome to all you other folks from Ohio, too!

Call for Officials!

Come one, come all, to become an Official of this weblog! Read the F.A.Q. to find out what it entails. We already have an Official Iowan, so that post has been filled. I'm still pondering which post IreneQ should fill (any suggestions?).

All that's really required is for you, as an Official member of this blog, to check in from time to time with an update on how you are, etc. You probably do this already, but this is just a really cool way of helping you, as a frequent visitor to this site, to stand out.

You may have noticed that I have a special Links page. One section of that page is devoted to Officials. So, when you become an official, you will have your name or your blog name added to that section. (Note that Mark has his blog button there.)

So, you can consider this as a way of shamelessly self-promoting yourself. And it's fun, too! So, tell all your friends in the blogosphere.

I look forward to hearing from you!

One Magical Night

It appears that bookstores weren't the only happening places last Friday night. Folks in the Dayton area also crowded the local libraries, awaiting the arrival of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Nobody Tells Me Anything!

Neat Title! That's the title for the newsletter put out by my wife's work. It's used to inform, update, and so forth. Look out, folks! It might become the title for somebody else's weblog or newsletter. There's not a trademark for that phrase.

Mundane Journal Stuff

As I promised in an earlier post, I'm going to use this journal to, um, journal some of the mundane stuff about my health:

Yesterday...
Breakfast: I ate a banana nut muffin and a blueberry muffin for breakfast. I had some milk, coffee, and some orange juice.
Lunch: A cheeseburger, fries, and medium Cherry Coke
Dinner: Some chicken nuggets with mustard, barbeque sauce. A 7-layer salad. Water and a can of Coke.
Dessert/snack: Two cups of decaf coffee, blended together with about 4 scoops of fat free vanilla frozen yogurt, and about 1/2 ounce of Bailey's Irish Cream. Topped with whip cream.

Also, as I went to take my medicine last night, I realized that I was out of the Lexapro. My psychiatrist has me taking the following medicine:
1 - 10 mg tablet of Lexapro at bedtime
1 - 2 mg tablet of Diazepam (generic for Valium) 3 times a day

I've actually been taking 3 mg (i.e., 1-1/2 tablets) at bedtime. I am reluctant to take this stuff during the day, because it makes me drowsy.

I called the pharmacy last night to put in the refill for the Lexapro. I need to pick it up at around 11 AM today. I've taken the Lexapro during the day before, and it makes me drowsy, too. I probably will take it anyway, since I missed the dose from last night.

This morning, Jennie broght Keisha and I some breakfast, to eat while we watched PBSKids: I had a blueberry muffin with some butter, a cup of milk and a cup of orange juice. Note: when I say I'm drinking milk, it's actually Lactaid, because I'm lactose-intolerant.

I guess that's it for the mundane stuff, for now.

Elderly Ladies First Baseball Game - JOKE ALERT!

Three elderly ladies are excited about seeing their first baseball game

They smuggle a bottle of Jack Daniel's into the ball park. The game is really exciting and they are enjoying themselves immensely mixing the Jack Daniel's with soft drinks. Soon they realize that the bottle is almost gone and the game has a lot of innings to go.

Based on the given information, what inning is it and how many players are on base?

It's the bottom of the fifth and the bags are loaded........

via email from Laura, of all people!

Long-distance Update

This email comes from a good friend and brother in Christ, who is spending the next two and a half months in Biloxi, Mississippi, away from his wife and daughter here in Dayton, to get some training. He writes:

Well,

Hope this e-mail finds all well in their respective areas. Just an update on everything down here in Mississippi.

Just got back from class and taking my first block test (there are six total). My score was a 97%. I was extremely happy with the results and was the 3rd highest score in the class. My first quiz in Block II was a 100, the next block however, has a washout (failing and having to re-accomplish) rate of about 40%. My nose will see two colors, black and white.

Weather has been rainy until Monday, then was nice. Humid but nice. I am not use to wearing my blues to school or work for that matter. But tomorrow is BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) for all the non-military individuals.

This weekend I went to the Bay of Biloxi and prayed for a while, was really quiet and peaceful. Nice to be alone. I am dealing with the stress with exercise and enjoying running 4 days a week. In July, a bunch of us from class are thinking about chartering a boat and doing a little Salt water fishing. Sounds like it will be a ton of fun, so hopefully I will take some pictures and e-mail them out.

Well, time to hit the books, It is 12:25 in the morning and need to get some studying done before I fall asleep.

Take Care all
Steve

Nose Bandage - JOKE ALERT!

Mick: Rick, why do you have a bandage on your nose?
Rick: Well, I had bent down to smell that "brose".
Mick: There's no "b" in "rose"!
Rick: Well, there was in THAT one!

In case you wanted to know...

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BANGHEAD!

I visit the DiscipleForum chat area periodically. 'BANGHEAD' is the keystroke combination to produce an emoticon of a smiley (if you can call him that) that bangs its head against a brick wall.

Yes, another migraine:

It started this afternoon as I was eating lunch with Keisha at McDonald's. All of a sudden I saw the "lights" in my eyes. Oh, boy, I thought. By the time we arrived home, Jennie decided to take my blood pressure and that I need to contact my doctor for a physical. I tried his office but today happens to be their short day, since they also work on Saturday mornings.

This just doesn't seem right. I've decided to journal some rather mundane stuff here. Mundane for other people reading it, but not for me. Things like medicines taken, what I'm eating, how much sleep I'm getting. This stuff will probably be a little dry, but in the absence of starting (yet another) blog, I think this is the best thing. For right now anyway.

Sharing this with the world is also going to humble me, showing me areas of improvement. Here goes the boring stuff:

I went to bed last night a little after 10 PM. I woke up this morning to take Jennie to work at 6:30 AM. I came back home and fell back to sleep until about 9 AM, when I heard Keisha wake up.

For breakfast I had a cup of regular coffee with Irish Creamer, a cup of Lactaid (lactose-free milk), and a cup of orange juice. That and a cream-filled breakfast roll. This was at about 10 AM.

I took Keisha to her doctor's appointment at 1:30 PM, and afterward we went to McDonald's. I ate a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, a large order of French Fries, and a medium Coke. As we left, I got a soft serve vanilla ice cream cone. This was between 2:30 and 3 PM this afternoon.

Upon arriving home, I took Jake for a walk when we got home, around our cul de sac area. Then Jennie and I had the conversation about me having the physical.

I came back downstairs with Keisha to watch PBSKids with her, and I fell asleep from 4:30 to 6 PM.

For dinner I had a meatball sub sandwich (meatballs and bread), a serving of green beans, and a small serving of potato chips. To drink I had a 32 ounce glass of water.

I'm going to head to the pharmacy to pick up my refill of Imitrex (you probably know the link by now, as much as I've mentioned them). I'd like to mow the grass in our backyard, which will probably only take less than a half hour.

Another thing to mention is that Ozone Action Days are back.

The Official Bartender

It might not sound like much, but I am now the Official Bartender of the following two blogs:

• unravelled
• The Gospel According to Mark

Mark, as you may know, is the Official Iowan of this blog. Irene has not volunteered to be and Official. Yet.

By the way, if any others of you would like to become Officials, please let me know. Check out my F.A.Q. page for more information.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

There is always that period, shortly after reading a HP book, that my mind has to settle down:

This time it's happening by Keisha having a summer cold. I'm taking her to the pediatrician this afternoon.

Also, I'm going to put a couple applications into some restaurants that may be looking for a bartender. Speaking of which, what'll you have?

The Order of the Phoenix

Well, it took two whole days of reading, but I finished it! I feel so much the better as a result:

It's funny how, two-thirds of the way through the book, I push myself harder just to get the book over with. It's been that way with all 5 of the books. 870 yummy pages in this one.

So, this means I know who dies. And it wasn't who I was expecting, either. I was led hook, line, and sinker once more. When's the next one coming out?

Oh yeah, I need to get back to the rest of my life.

Harry Potter and...

a little indulgence for me. I found Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on sale at Kroger today for $18. So, I bought it, of course! Blogging may be light, as the book is NOT!

You Can't Take Me Clothes Shopping

I don't go clothes shopping often. It shows. I don't care. Being married has meant that my wife helps pick out clothes for me. I don't like spending money on myself for clothes. I have a big problem with that. I'm not that good at it, and I can think of a lot of other things I'd rather do:

As I mentioned earlier, Jennie packed up a lot of my clothes and we donated them to Goodwill. This, of course, meant that I needed some new threads. Jennie, before heading to work this morning, mentioned that Wal*Mart is a good place. I agreed, but I wasn't that hip to going clothes shopping all by myself.

At about 11 AM this morning, I mentioned to my mom that I was considering grabbing some lunch and heading to Wal*Mart. I promoted the idea to Keisha by saying that we could look in the toy department at stuff she might want for her birthday. Mom wasn't feeling that well, so it would have to be just Keisha and I for the trip.

We wound up doing what I mentioned earlier, instead (see "Her First Time In A Bar - Sort Of"). I knew that if it was just Keisha and I along for the trip, we'd wind up spending the entire time in the toy area.

Which leads me back to why I love my wife. She has the style, the panache, the desire, really - to go clothes shopping for me. I find it boring. I like getting new clothes, don't get me wrong. I just don't like the process of getting new clothes.

As usual, I sought for ways to see humor in the situation. Two things came to mind:

1. First, I immediately noticed that between the Men's clothing department and the Men's dressing room was the Women's underwear section. (snicker) I told the attendant that I'd thought about grabbing me a piece of women's underwear to try on with my shorts and other stuff. She said, "I wouldn't stop you, if that's what you REALLY want to do." I also mentioned this to Jennie, to see what kind of reaction this would get out of her.
2. Secondly, as I was trying on a pair of shorts, I felt the urge to break wind. I hurriedly got out of the shorts and did my business, trying hard to be discreet. But that got me wondering, how many other men had tried on that same pair of shorts and broke wind in them? Have you ever thought of that?

Update: Jennie (not me) just came back down from showing the new clothes to my Mom. I really wasn't that excited about it. I guess you probably figured that out.

Her First Time In A Bar - Sort Of

This afternoon Keisha and I went out on a date - again. And we went to a bar! Well, sort of:

She is, after all, only almost 6 years old.

Over the weekend, Jennie collected a bunch of clothes - mostly mine - to donate to Goodwill. So today, we had to drop off the clothes to make room in our 1997 Honda Civic sedan. I was going to take them to the main Goodwill office here in Dayton, but then, I remembered another location.

So Keisha and I went to this other location and dropped off the clothes, which I'll say, were worth a bucketload of money for next year's income tax return ("bucketload" is an inexact measurement, dontcha think?).

Then, we drove across the street to the Professional Bartending Institute, where I had my mixology classes. I showed Keisha the bar area, which is stocked with all the bottles, containing water, food coloring, and other non-alcoholic stuff. I think Keisha was more impressed with the "Necessary Room," the name the school calls the unisex restroom for men and women. "The toilet water's blue!" she chuckled. "And it's all just my size!"

So that was her first time in a bar. Sort of.

Like Photo For Chocolate

Found among our pile of photos we haven't touched in awhile:

Keisha's First Day of Pre-Kindergarten...

Oh, yeah, and some dude missing a beard is there with her.

"The Next Romantic Line..."

Jennie and I have this running "inside" joke about things we say to each other. I'm going to try to make you all privy to it:

Being married, we always look for ways to add romance and love into our relationship. This also means a lot of humor, often unexpected. Jennie likes to joke with me, for example, as if everything I say is meant to be a "romantic line." I'll tell her something that is not at all meant to be romantic, but she'll repeat it, preceded by, "The next romantic line is..."

For example:

Dan: Hey, Jennie, can you go jiggle the handle on the toilet (WC, for our non-American readers)?
Jennie: The next romantic line is... Jennie, can you go jiggle the handle?

And we have a good chuckle. Hmm... I apologize if you don't see the humor. Perhaps you just have to be there when it happens.

What Book of the Bible is Jennie?

Jennie took the Book of the Bible test, too:


You are Lamentations.


Which book of the Bible are you?
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Migraine Update

It went away for a day, but, then it... came back:

... like a boomerang.

My head hurt so badly that I didn't go to the park to have church today and play in the water. It was a nice day, too. Jennie thinks I should make an appointment with the doctor for a physical. I think the last time I had one was a pre-employment one for my first job out of college.

"Jake Wants Some Love!"

My wife Jennie and I have no problem showing each other affection in front of the rest of the family. It happens quite often. The effect is has on Keisha and Jake, however, is hilarious:

As soon as they see both of us loving each other, they want to come right in and join it! Specifically, this afternoon, Jennie and I were smooching in the kitchen, and Jake started getting all bothered. We both heard him barking at us, and we ignored it for a bit.

Keisha was sitting at the table, and she said, "Jake wants some love, too!" So, after a brief moment, I let Jake hop up on my right hip, so that he could stand on his hind legs and be a part of our "love sandwich."

What was missing of course, was Keisha. But not for long, because she came over and joined in.

Timeless moments.

Official Bartender

Cool!

IreneQ has just made me the Official Bartender of her blog, "unravelled."

Migraine Pain... again

I've composed a blues song about it. I'm trying to maintain a sense of humor as I deal with my latest migraine. Imagine a guitar, harmonica, saxophone accompaniment. To be sung in your best bluesman voice. Here goes:

Well, I woke up this morning,
Stumbled out of bed
I felt this pain
On the side of my head

I said, "No, no, no!"
It looks like another migraine
Well, I'm thankful for the medicine
I can't wait until it kicks in
It looks like another migraine

Imitrex is great
But it's hard to wait
I want this pain
To really abate

I said, "No, no, no!"
It looks like another migraine
Well, I'm thankful for the medicine
I can't wait until it kicks in
It looks like another migraine

Well, I'm trying to get some rest
And see how much I'm blessed
This song is helping me
To get my feelings
Off my chest

I said, "No, no, no!"
It looks like another migraine
Well, I'm thankful for the medicine
I can't wait until it kicks in
It looks like another migraine

Yes, it looks like another migraine
Oh, I'm dealin' with the migraine pain a-gain

Great American 'Brawl' Park

For the second time in a week, a fight broke out at a Cincinnati Reds game between the players and the opposing team. But this time they were playing against the Chicago Cubs, not the Phillies.

Email -- To:, Cc:, and Bcc:

I couldn't agree more with this post from Pegasong. When you send an email with several email addresses in the To: or Cc: line, you are making these email addresses available to everyone who receives the message.

• "To:" is intended to be the place where you put who you're sending the message to.
• "Cc:" is for others you want to receive a Carbon Copy of the message.
• "Bcc:", or "Blind Carbon Copy" is for messages in which you do not want recipients to know whom else has received the message.

I know of several occasions in which someone sent out a message to church friends and family. One recipient, a fellow member of the church, clicked "Reply All" and replied to everyone on the list with a message that was only intended for the original sender. Such a message included church jargon, which can offend, alienate, or otherwise confuse others. The other thing to note is that such messages open up several email addresses for someone to send unsolicited email.

So, let's all behave.

There is another...

Danimal on the internet. I'm not the only one, it seems.

I'm Really Not Tired...

How many times have we parents heard this from our kids?

A picture such as this one is a classic. I cannot remember exactly when it was taken, but I know that it was in a summer before we moved back to Dayton, Ohio. We had an apartment in Middletown, Ohio.

I'd have to say that Keisha is rather photogenic, or, at least, has created some fantastic photographic moments.

Enneagram Test

I recall taking something like this a few months ago. I'll have to peruse the archives to find it. I took this one, for the first time, so I have no idea really if it corresponds to who I really am yet.

Here are the results from the first time I took this test. I don't quite know how to interpret the results, but it looks kinda interesting:

Conscious self	Overall self

Take Free Enneagram Test

link via Pegasong

Depression Touches 30 Million Americans

I am one of them. It's not just the seasonal blues of time marching on either:

I take Lexapro and Valium to help with the depression and anxiety. I've used this blog and others as a forum to journey inside my mind. The more I know about what the triggers are, and as I keep up with the medicine, things go alright.

I've also been fortunate through this forum to meet many others with similar struggles. The world is not that large.

By the way, I'm a trained professional bartender, which I suppose means that I've become an amateur psychologist as well.

So, if you have any thoughts you would like to contribute, please do. Bar's open.

Discovery Health Channel: Depression Touches 30 Million Americans

Long-distance Hello

I got an email from a good friend and brother in Christ, also in the Air Force and stationed at the local Air Force base. He is spending the next three months away from his wife and daughter, at school in Biloxi, Mississippi. He writes:

Hello all,

It is 1:27 in the morning and I thought I would take a few moments from studying so that I can let everyone know how I am doing.

Well, first the trip down. I never saw so many law enforcement vehicles in a while. 15 just outside the Kentucky Speedway alone. The trip was fine after I got lost in Nashville. Rained almost the entire state of Alabama. I saw a semi in the ditch with entire load of Mercedes. Not one came off the truck.

School the first couple of days have been a trial. Mainly due to not being in a class room enviroment in about 5 years. However, the info so far has been easy but a ton at one time. I had 3 quizzes today alone. Got 90 on all 3 so I was satified with that. A ton of data to absorb in a short amount of time.

Have a couple of briefings in the morning and am getting a mailing address tomorrow if possible, once I have it I will e-mail it or just ask R. for it, she will get it first.

Well, going to sign off for now.

Take care and love you all.

S.

8 Years Ago, We Said "I Do"!

Today is our wedding anniversary, so today I offer up some memories of that special moment. I'll have to share some memories of when we got engaged some other time. I'm tempted to do that here, but that would make for a very looong post. Come to think of it, if I shared about everything related to our wedding ceremony, that would make for a looong post, too. So I'll share about one aspect:

I used to drive an hour one way to work, and, once we'd gotten engaged, I began to think of music I wanted for our wedding. It got the point that, several months before our wedding, I had it all figured out, and I'd listen to it in order on the cassette player we had in our car. It included "Circle of Life" from The Lion King, "Storms of Africa" by Enya, "Watermark" by Enya, "Say Once More" by Amy Grant, and "Black or White" by Michael Jackson.

Like I said, I had it all figured out. Our mothers would walk out to "Circle of Life" (the opening version to the movie, not the Elton John version -- I wanted the initial African chant to be part of it). They would then go up and light the two candles that we'd use to light the Unity candle, and they would also light a candle for Jennie's dad and my mom's parents, who are no longer with us.

Then, the Bridesmaids would each walk out to "Storms of Africa" by Enya.

The music Jennie and her mom would walk out to was "Watermark", also by Enya. During the times I'd listened to it in the car, I broke down crying because it's such a beautiful song for such a beautiful moment.

When we broke to light the Unity candle and greet our mothers, Amy Grant's "Say Once More" would be played.

Then, after the pronouncement of husband and wife, everyone would hear Michael Jackson's "Black or White."

As I thought about this some more, I recalled one wedding I'd attended in which the groom sung a song to his wife. I'd heard of this being done before from a coworker who sang Oleta Adams' "Get Here" to his bride as she walked down the aisle. I decided that I wanted to sing to my bride, too.

I had just begun listening to Contemporary Christian music about six months prior to our wedding, and when I listened to Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here," I knew that was the song. So, I'd sing it on the way to and from work, along with the cassette, until I'd become confident.

I also need to take a moment to thank God for providing so much help to us from members of the church. People came out from all over to volunteer to serve in so many ways during our ceremony. One young woman in particular was incredible. Her name is Svetlana, and she is originally from Bulgaria. She is a very talented keyboard player and had played in front of church before. Well, she offered to play the accompaniment while I sang. One of the many things that makes her so special is that she picked up the music directly from the cassette - with no sheet music.

Well, this was to be one of the highlights of the wedding, and I knew it. That made me all the more nervous. The minister and my best man did their best to try to keep me calm: we prayed, of course.

When "Watermark" by Enya started to play, I began to cry. I couldn't help it. I tried not to. Fortunately, our moms were given each a box of Kleenex. I reached over to grab a tissue from my mom. And then, as the music continued to play (I'm tearing up as I write this), I saw my beautiful bride walking slowing down the aisle with her mom. It was at about 11:20 in the morning. Everyone was so quiet, cameras were flashing all over the place, and all I could think of was how beautiful she truly was.

As I took her hand, I could barely keep my eyes off her.

Then the time came for us to do our wedding vows. We each had prepared our own, personal vows in addition to the traditional ones. I let Jennie go first. I remember her saying so many things, but one thing that stuck out was that she vowed to be my "Balcony Person."

Then it was my turn. I had some words to say, and I finished it up by saying that the words to this song I was about to sing really conveyed how I felt. Svetlana launched into the music, and then I felt my heart, throat, and chest clinch up from being so nervous. I'm still amazed that any words came out at all.

I'm not sure if what I sang even qualifies as music, but somehow I got through it. The words were more important anyway. I think that most folks were just blown away that I'd sing to her anyway. My mom still talks about it.

After that romantic butchering of Steven Curtis Chapman's song, the rest of the ceremony was easy. I had gotten through it, and we were going to be married no matter what. So, as the minister pronounced us as husband and wife, I gave Jennie was may be the world record for wedding kiss, and then we danced down the aisle to "Black or White."

I didn't find this out until later, but the groomsmen has orchestrated a cool and unexpected exit. After Jennie and I left, they each put on a pair of sunglasses, pulled out one white glove, and then put it on. They escorted their respective bridesmaid and walked out.

Eight years ago. It's gone by both quickly and slowly.

Which Book of the Bible Are You?

Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Here it is:


You are Psalms.

Thanks to Irene, Rachel, others for the link

Assigned Seating -- For Real

Being a Dad... is a tremedous blessing. We've had lots of crazy moments, many of which I've mentioned here. Here comes another one:

Assigned seating at the dinner table has been a big thing for our daughter Keisha. She decided a few days ago to make it a reality by using a permanent marker to write each family member's name on each chair, so that everyone had their own chair.

Permanent marker. Our almost-6 year old is still learning to spell, so we all had to figure out whose chair went with whom. At least she spelled my name correctly. Nana's chair has "Nononon" on it. She may have spelled Jennie's correctly, except for the upside-down, backwards "e" that is pretty common with kids her age. And we know that her own is hers because it has her name on it.

I remember buying this furniture on a "90 days same as cash" program 7 years ago. I guess we need to continue "breaking it in." But with black permanent marker?

I'm not alone, of course. Victor shares the joy of fatherhood with us.

Scientists Say They ID Depression Gene

From the AP wire:

Scientists say they've identified a flawed gene that appears to promote manic-depression, or bipolar disorder, a finding that could eventually help guide scientists to new treatments.

Happy Birthday, Dear Valium

Valium and its inventor recently celebrated birthdays.

Who's a Good Boy?

Well, except maybe when he gets into the garden. Nope, he still is a good dog. He and I are the minorities living in the estrogen ocean that is the rest of our home.

Oh, Mister Sun

From a popular children's song:

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind that tree

These little children are asking you
To please come out
So they can play with you

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on
Please shine down on
Please shine down on me!

What happened to our nice forecast? It now says we're going to have rain - scattered and isolated thunderstorms - through Wednesday this week.

What is up with all this rain? I bet there is someone some place that could use this rain... Ohio is about to become a tropical area. Something like that.

Feeling Down

Depression in ADHD people comes as a result of coming down off the "high" received from some achievement. For this reason, it's often hard for ADHD-types to enjoy the accomplishment for very long:

I don't think this is different from what I'm feeling. I've felt down a bit today. I've thought about it, and I've concluded that it's a result of having been "up" from the feeling of accomplishment in becoming a certified mixologist.

I suppose it's normal, to some extent. I talked to my wife Jennie about how I've been feeling today, and she said she felt a bit the same after she had finished her nursing assistant class.

Well, I gotta go take my medicine and get some sleep.

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day is Sunday, June 15, 2003 in the United States. Here are some passages from the Bible about our Heavenly Father:

• "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." -- James 1:17, via QuotesBlog
• "For you know that we dealt with each of yu as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." -- 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Would you please pray for my Mom?

I guest-posted to her blog today about how she's been this week. I also mentioned it in a recent letter to God.

Thanks.

Phillies, Reds brawl at Great American Ball Park

Have you ever been to a baseball fight and an enormous victory happened?

Dan Johnson, Certified Mixologist

I passed my final exam: 99/100! I forgot the recipe for a Brandy Alexander. I kept thinking of the regular Alexander. No matter:

The job placement specialist at the school sent me to someone who had just contacted her Friday morning, asking for someone to come and apply. I went up there, and it looks like I have my first job as a bartender! The manager said she'd call me early next week once she'd prepared the schedule. She also said that I'd need a couple days to learn how to run the cash register, which is computerized.

I fill in more details about this job as they come. Needless to say, I am excited!

What is ironic about these circumstances is that one year ago today (Friday, June 14, 2002) was my last day of my consulting assignment before I lost my job.

Daddy - Daughter Date

• The Venue
• Escalator Escapades, Part 1
• Hamburgers and Hearing Loss
• The Carousel Incident
• Escalator Escapades, Part 2
• Restroom Switcheroo
• Escalator Escapades, Part 3
• "You Need to Try, Daddy."
• Conclusion

The Venue

Tonight Jennie had one of those "women parties" to attend. You know the kind, where someone organizes the event and has someone demonstrate products and the women have a good time? It's definitely a woman thing.

This meant that Keisha and I got to go on a date! Whoo Hoo! We decided to go to the Dayton Mall to get some dinner and hang out.

On the way there, we stopped by Arrow Wine and Spirits to look at bartending equipment. After about 15-20 minutes we left and headed to the mall.

Escalator Escapades, Part 1

We walked inside the mall and headed to the escalator, since the food court is on the second floor. Keisha was wearing her "flip flop" sandals, and she's still getting used to them. She was afraid of getting on because she didn't want her feet to get caught. So I picked her up and placed her on one of the steps. Getting off at the top was a breeze.

Hamburgers and Hearing Loss

We bought some cheeseburgers from a restaurant, and it turned out that the employee helping us was hearing-impaired, just as Keisha is! I pointed this out to the both of them, especially so that Keisha could see an adult with hearing loss at work. The woman's name was Lupka, and she does some sign language, just as we do. Her sign name is the letter "L" in a counterclockwise circle off to the side. Keisha's is a "curly K" down the side of her head, to correspond with her curly hair. Mine is "D" done as a horizontal figure-eight over my opposite forearm, because I love music.

I spent nearly all of my conversation with Keisha while we ate in sign. Keisha, who understands sign language rather well, is reluctant to sign. I think it has a little to do with "being different" from others. We encourage her to sign with us, but we don't force it on her.

The Carousel Incident

The Dayton Mall has a carousel, commonly referred to as a "merry-go-round." Along with the horses, there is this bowl-shaped thing in which you can make yourself spin faster while the carousel spins around. Keisha and I were really looking forward to getting on that part. She was denied because some older kids got to it first. Better luck next time, kiddo. So she sat down on a chairlike-thingy, and I climbed atop one of the horses.

Let me tell you something about the horses. They are not designed for adult men to ride. I will only go as far as to say that it was, well, uncomfortable. That's the most euphemistic way of saying it.

Escalator Escapade, Part 2

I was determined to help Keisha have a victory over her fear of riding the escalators while wearing her flip-flops. After the carousel ride, we needed to find the restroom. The closest one was on the second floor near the food court. After some crying, Keisha finally reached her hands onto the railing, which is designed to move at the same rate as the stairs. That movement encouraged her to move her feet onto a step so that she would not lose her balance.

I was so proud of her and I made sure she knew it. You should have seen that smile on her face!

Restroom Switcheroo

So we headed for the family restroom. These are really cute because they have a toilet set up for little kids to sit on; it's only about one-foot high off the floor. Yet, Keisha asserted the fact that she's getting older and got to the adult toilet before I did. This actually left me to the kiddie toilet! It was funny, to say the least.

Fortunately for me, she let me use the adult-sized sink to wash my hands.

Escalator Escapade, Part 3

Undaunted in my quest to help Keisha conquer her fear of the escalator, we headed back. A little bit of nervousness and reluctance, some reaching out to clutch my body - to no avail, of course - and she again got on the escalator by herself. I decided that we would try it a couple more times. Then she said she needed to go potty again.

"You Need to Try, Daddy."

I let her take off her flip flops so that she could run back to the restroom faster. When we got there, she said she needed to poop, but she decided to use the kiddie toilet this time, leaving me the adult toilet. I overheard her grunting really hard, and I chuckled.

"Is everything okay over there?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm just pushing really hard," she replied. Then a few seconds later: "I'm going to take a rest. You need to try, too, Daddy."

"I am," I asserted.

"No, you need to try to go poop, too," she said.

"I did already. This morning."

"[At our home] Downstairs?"

"Yes."

Now that that was out of the way, we finished our business and headed toward the final escalator for our trip down.

Conclusion

We returned to our car, drove to pick up Jennie, and went for some ice cream. Keisha summarized the entire experience in her own, special way. There was a lot more that I could share, like some of the strange stuff Keisha said on the way home about what needs to happen if someone doesn't have a nose. That will have to wait for another post.

Pray for me!

Tomorrow I take my final for my bartending class!

Bengals coach winning over cynical community

The Philadelphia Inquirer, CNNSI.com, and FOXSports.com are reporting this story from the Associated Press:

Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, at a lunch for American Red Cross volunteers on Thursday, emphatically told the crowd that he's serious about transforming "the NFL's worst team, which hasn't had a winning season since 1990."

It appears that local residents are picking up the message. I look forward to seeing how the team will perform this coming season. I'm not expecting miraculous things to happen, but almost anything could be better than what we've had over the past thirteen years.

RIP David Brinkley and Gregory Peck

Two screen legends who will be missed

Creative Parenting

Tonight we had a choice parenting moment:

I arrived home tonight from an outing with some guys to find my daughter Keisha neither in bed nor asleep. She became quite emotional when I began talking with her about heading back upstairs to her bed. The bottom-line reason she was out of bed, despite her myriad excuses ("My belly hurts", "I want to see my Mommy", "I want to wait for my Daddy to come home") was that she just didn't want to go to bed.

She said she wanted to go to the doctor because her belly was hurting. Then she said she wanted to go to the hospital. When I asked her why, she said, "Because they will help me feel better."

"What will they do?" I asked.

"Give me some medicine," she replied.

Well, she needed to put her hearing aids back in (she sleeps with them so that she can hear what goes on), but she needed some lubricant for the earmolds, which fit inside her ear. We've been using Cornhusker's Lotion, which works like a charm. I told her that the stuff I put on her hearing aids was like medicine.

Keisha also has been taking Ditrophan for bladder spasms. I asked my mom if she knew whether Keisha had been given her evening dose. She asked Jennie, who said no. So, I told Keisha that we still needed to give her the "potty medicine," which would help her feel better. But we agreed to do this only if she wouldn't cry or act upset.

When she said that she couldn't, I told her I didn't believe her, and I smiled. This caused a small grin to appear on her face. "See?" I said. "You can be happy if you want to." Well, she didn't want to have anything to do with that, and she turned around gruffly and yelled something.

In matters of this sort, I did what every father should do: I had her sit down with me so that we could pray. I prayed first and then she prayed. After this, we agreed to go to the kitchen to get her medicine in a civil manner.

I mentioned earlier that I've been going to bartending school. Keisha has picked up on this from hearing me tell Jennie and my mom about the classes. Since the Ditrophan tastes terrible, we always let Keisha drink something afterward to wash away the taste. So, I told Keisha that I was basically giving her a "shot" of her medicine, and we agreed that half a cup of cherry kool-aid would work well as a "chaser." She liked that idea. I even showed her how to do it.

Having finished with that, I reiterated to her that she'd been given this medicine, and it should help her to feel better. She returned to her bed, I tucked her in, and did our "good night" ritual, which is a tradition my mom used to do with me. It goes like this:

Dan: Good night.
Keisha: Sleep tight.
Dan: Don't let the bedbugs bite.
Keisha: Right!

I turned her music on, and I left.

Mission: accomplished.

Brief Update

Howdy! I gotta get to school here shortly, but I wanted to provide a brief update on me.

I need to get my prescription for Diazepam refilled within the next day or so, because I will have run out by the end of this week. Also, I'm almost through with the program in which I get trained to become a professional mixologist:

I am eager to get a job that will let me earn more money than what I've been getting through unemployment compensation. I'm thinking of looking at one of the mid-scale type restaurants around here, such as Max and Erma's, TGI Fridays, etc.

I had one close friend tell me recently that I would be a great bartender. I think I'm going to like it, too.

Well, more later. I gotta get to school!

'Kiss Cam' Parole Violator Returns To Prison

David Horton, the man in question, is my second cousin. I'm serious about that.

From ChannelCincinnati.com:

A man arrested on a parole violation after his parole officer spotted him kissing his girlfriend on the scoreboard at a Cincinnati Reds game pleaded guilty to drug charges Monday...

Horton and his parole officer attended the May 7 Reds game in which the smooching couple appeared on the "Kiss Cam" at Great American Ball Park. The parole officer and a police officer arrested Horton at his front-row seat.

Horton was accused on failing to appear in court on the drug charges. He had been arrested March 27 and indicted in Hamilton County.

Yes, there ought to be a law for that!

The Indy Star reports:

The parents of a 2-year-old boy were in jail this morning on child neglect charges after police reported finding dog feces and trash throughout the couple's Westside home.

link via Dog News: weird, inspiring dog tales

Book 'em, Dano!

This is my first post with the new version of Blogger, which is called Dano. I've had friends call me "Dan-o" before.

Add to Your Coloring Books!

This picture of me, doing a silly face! (chuckles)

Harry Potter Book Comparison

This picture from USA Today compares the size and price of the first book with the one being released on June 21st. Get set for a lot of reading!

Happy Birthday, Bene Diction!

Today is Bene Diction's birthday, so feel free to drop by and leave some well wishes. Also, be reminded of this quote from Dr. Seuss.

Love of My Life

Jennie, can you believe it's been almost 8 years? I am so glad you said "Yes!"

Ohio's Bicentennial license plates

That's What Those Numbers Mean!

Ohio's Bicentennial license plates have a number tag on them, instead of the county name. I've found it annoying to try to figure out where folks are coming from/going to, since I don't have the numbers memorized. Ohio has 88 counties, and last July I listed them in alphabetical order, which is how the tags correlate to the county name. Go take a look. Feel free to print out and take with you in your car as you drive. It's a good help for when you're traveling this summer or even when you're stuck in traffic.

Dog Days of Summer -- from one year ago

I thought you MIGHT enjoy this post from last year. I can laugh about it now. The disclaimer STILL applies, however.

More Anniversary of Inventing Flight Stuff

From Noah Adams' bio at NPR.org:

In March 2002, Adams left All Things Considered to take a yearlong sabbatical during which he wrote The Flyers: In Search of Wilbur and Orville Wright, a book about the Wright Brothers. The book is slated for publication in October of 2003.

link via June 4, 2002 archive post

Nonsense Verse

It's been awhile since I paid a visit there. I found the link from this post from May 4, 2002.

She's So Cute

Keisha and I were just jamming to Phil Collins' cover of The Beatles' "The End". The song is from Sir George Martin's tribute album, In My Life. What a rocking drum solo! It was so funny, though, to see her bopping around during it.

New folks on the blog

Welcome to blogs4God, Mom.

It was a really gentle wolf, though

I just posted a picture of Keisha and I with a really gentle wolf from her Spring Break. We had gone to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History in Cincinnati, Ohio USA. You'll see what I mean.

The Official Iowan

...has a new blogging home. Mark C. Morris, the Official Iowan of Journey Inside My Mind, announces the grand opening of his new site:

As many of you know, I have been wanting to get away from blogger for some time now. The frustrations at blogger became so abundant that I was tempted to give up blogging all together... I've spent a few days building my page and getting acquainted with the features at CrimsonBlog and now I am ready to officially open the site...

Let's all head over there to say hello.

The Ultimate IQ Test

I've taken the test, and I found out that my IQ score is 135. Some other things from the results:

The even better news is that at Emode, we've taken your IQ test one step further. During the test, you answered four different types of questions — mathematical, visual-spatial, linguistic and logical. We were able to analyze how you did on each set of those questions, which allows us to shed light on the way your brain uniquely functions.

At the same time, we compared your answers with others who have taken the test, and according to the sorts of questions you got correct, we can tell your Intellectual Type is a Visionary Philosopher.

The first thing we can tell you about that is you're equally good at mathematical and verbal tasks, and learn best through experience. But that's just scratching the surface.

The Listeners Make the Playlists

For the second time ever, I completed a survey from a local music station. I got to hear 35 clips from songs they play and rate them. It's a little bit funny, but I think these were the same songs from the previous survey, with one or two different ones.

Fotolog Update

I uploaded a picture of Jennie, Keisha, and my mother-in-law. I also uploaded a picture of Keisha and I with the Dayton Dragons' mascot, Heater. Go see them.

Pseudonyms

You may know of Bene Diction. But do you know any other bloggers with these names? If so, then let me know. Here you go:

Marcus Absent	Bjorn Agin	Ray D. Aider	Anita Alibi	Claire Annette
Sharon Apartment	Ben Around	Ioya Asandwich	Jerry Atrick	Kay Ken Coffee
Chris P. Bacon	Cary Baggs	Ima I. Ball	Robin Banks	Candi Barr
Iduma Best	Al Bino	Maureen Biologist	Earl E. Bird	Drew A. Blanc
Barry A. Bone	Rita Book	Bill Day Bridge	Ima June Bug	Tim Burr
Justin Case	Anne Chovey	Ida Claire	Jim Class	Chris Coe
Justin Credible	Chris P. Critter	Holden D'Mayo	Luke Warmwater	Terry Dactul

A Weakness

"A simple man believes anything,
but a prudent man gives thought to his steps."
-- Proverbs 14:15 (NIV)

This past Tuesday, in the parking lot of a hardware store, a man approached me, asking for help. He said his car wouldn't start. I told him I had jumper cables and that we could try to jump start his car. Upon looking at them, he said they were the wrong kind for his battery and that he really should get a new battery. He offered to give me $10 if I'd take him to the auto parts store just down the road so he could purchase one.

As we got in the car, I asked him if he went to church, and he replied with an enthusiastic "YES!" We started talking about some spiritual things, and he recommended that we pray together. I obliged, of course. I even gave him one of the business cards I'd made for my job search, which has my name, phone number, and address on it. Just to keep in touch, you know. I thought I was making a new friend.

He asked me to stop at a different auto parts store than what he originally said. It was closer, so I did. He went inside and returned about 30 seconds later. He told me that he was three dollars short for the new battery and could I help him out. He said he had the money at his home and could repay me after he got the new battery. He also said that he needed $10 for the "core charge" (core charge is what you pay when you don't have the original part with you when you buy a new one). All I had was a $20 bill, so I handed it to him.

He went inside and returned about a minute later. He said that they were going to bring the battery to his car, since it was just down the street. He then asked me to take him home so he could get me $35 to repay me. By this time I got a little suspicious because it seemed that he was taking me really out of my way. He took me to the Santa Clara neighborhood of Dayton, which has a reputation for being a rough area.

He directed me to park in front of an apartment building and wait while he went inside to get me the money.

Fifteen minutes later, I realized that I was being scammed. I left the area upset, angry, hurt, vengeful, yet prayerful. I went home and shared the experience with mom and Jennie, and then I went for a walk to blow off some steam. I was feeling seriously depressed about how stupid I was.

On the way to church, I was still feeling a little vengeful. I fantasized about taking a crowbar to the guy's kneecaps. Then I remembered the scripture that says that it's up to God to avenge.

At the men's meeting at church, I talked with a couple brothers in Christ about the situation. I can be way too trusting. The same kind of scam happened to me once before, about a year and a half ago. I'm just grateful that I wasn't carjacked or hurt in some other way.

So I'm learning from the "school of hard knocks" not to be too trusting of strangers. My intentions were godly in trying to help that man, but I could have been more shrewd and gone about it a different way. I saw the proverb that I listed at the beginning of this post, and I think it's a good one for me to store up and apply to my heart.

Thank you, Lord.

A Day in the Country 2003

On August 9, 2003, K99.1FM brings the following country music artists to Thomas Cloud Park in Huber Heights, Ohio:

• Chad Brock,
• Wade Hayes,
• Rhett Atkins,
• Darryl Singletary, and
• Trace Adkins

The concert is free, but you'll still need to get a ticket at one of the sponsoring locations. K99.1FM will start announcing where tickets will be available in July, about a month before the concert. Listen around the Miami Valley to your radio, or, you can listen online via K99online.com.

Me, Myself, and I

...now with an Atom feed. Add it to your news aggregators.

What is good blogging?

This article was written almost nine months ago, but I just happened to find it. The information is timeless, however. To answer the question above, Phil Wolff writes:

My short list:

• Persistence and frequency
• Stringing ideas together using words
• Writing in a way that engages
• Context, lots of context
• Themes
• Voice
• Authority / Sincerity

QuotesBlog RSS Feed

Hmm... The RSS Feed for QuotesBlog is not being updated.

2005 Update: QuotesBlog Atom feed

My Fotolog

Well, I'm currently only allowed one upload per day, so today's offering is a photo taken during Keisha's Spring Break this past April:. At the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History in Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio USA, there is a time capsule. Today's photo is of the capsule's location. Enjoy.

P.S. I'm thinking of creating a photo album web page through GeoCities, similar to what I did for Keisha.

The Internet Has A Website For Everything

Owning a dog myself, I'm glad someone decided to build a website around this.

What Common Breed of Dog Are You?

The link to this quiz comes via Dog News: weird, inspiring dog tales:


brought to you by Quizilla

Colorblind Web Page Filter

See how your web page looks through color-blind eyes. You may want to rethink your color scheme.

StarWars.com Has a New Look

As production work on Episode III nears, StarWars.com unveils a new look. It includes the ability to subscribe and get even more stuff via a service called Hyperspace. Do you dare?

Cincinnati Bengals' Akili's Heel

My Amphetadesk subscription to Moreover - NFL: Cincinnati Bengals News has every single article devoted to the Bengals' release of the former number 3 pick. 15 news stories from newspapers and other websites from around the country.

Poetry, Anyone?

In addition to the stuff you can find over at Streams of Consciousness, I saw that someone got here from bluegirl life. A quick browse, and I knew that it was blogworthy.

AFI's Top Heroes and Villians

My wife Jennie videotaped the show for me last night, and I just finished watching it. This list contains some of my favorite movies and others that I probably should watch. An interesting survey of film history over the last 100 years.

Information Please - JOKE ALERT!

A sweet grandmother telephoned Mount Sinai Hospital. She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?"

The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number?"

The grandmother in her weak tremulous voice said, "Miss Holly Finkel in room 302."

The Operator replied, "Let me check. Oh, good news. Her records say that Holly is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday."

The Grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news."

The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Holly your daughter?"

The Grandmother said, "No, I'm Holly Finkel in 302. Dr. Cohen doesn't tell me anything."

via email from my friend Bill T.

Dumb Joke of the Day

Q: What do you call a snake that works?

A: A boa constructor!
-- Submitted by: Isabelle, Age 8, to Yahooligans!

Darn It!

I missed my psychiatrist appointment this morning!

I Knew He'd Be Back

Mark C. Morris, better known as the "Official Iowan for Journey Inside My Mind," has returned to the blogosphere after a (very) brief hiatus. Welcome back, friend!

Tinky and Binky

Earlier in the week I told you about Daisy and John. Yesterday, after Jennie came home from work, she and Keisha went to the pet store, and they bought two more goldfish. Both of these are orange. Keisha has named them Tinky and Binky.

They are still alive. For now.

The Matrix: ReSeussed

If "The Matrix: Reloaded" had been written by Dr. Seuss, it might have been like this.

Wins an MTV Movie Award, Yoda Does

For Best Fight, between him and Count Dooku, in Attack of the Clones.

Sean Hannity Airs Live on WHIO-AM

According to an announcement by News-Talk 1290 WHIO-AM, starting June 9, 2003, Sean Hannity will air live from 3 to 6 PM weekdays. This move is the result of a "groundswell of requests from listeners, according to Program Director Larry Hansgen."

The move puts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, the top two conservative talk show hosts, back to back on WHIO AM.

The Clark Howard Show, which has occupied the 3-6 slot, will move to the 6-9 slot.

• Talkers Magazine's Heavy Hundred

Access Hollywood on MSN: Jennifer Garner

Update, 29 July 2003: I've been getting a lot of referrals from the Popdex Citation to this article, which is no longer a valid link, by the way. So hello to anyone visiting from that page. How's it going? :)

Big Brother in the Miami Valley?

I've noticed that, for a couple months now, the camera at the intersection of West Third Street and Edwin C. Moses Boulevard, for example. It snaps a picture of you as you go through a red traffic light.

The reference to 'Big Brother' comes from George Orwell's book 1984.

What movie quote are YOU?

You are... What Dreams May Come - "I would go
to hell to find you."

Love, above all else, is important to you. When you
love someone, you really love them, and you'd do anything for them. Sometimes that can get you into trouble, but to you that isn't important; what is important is is maintaining the levels of caring and trust in a healthy relationship. You little romantic, you.

What movie quote are YOU?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to Kate for pointing out the link.

Do You See Dog People?

Chris Pirillo has set up a Dog Blog, and you can email him your JPEG pictures of your pooch so that they will show up there "automagically".

Also, check out this cool weblog -- Dog News: weird, inspiring dog tales

I suppose there's something like this out there for you cat people.

McPiggy

Dayton, Ohio USA has often been a test market for companies to try out new products. One that I've noticed lately is one I hope doesn't do well:

It's McDonald's Breaded Pork Sandwich. I suppose they are aiming for something like a pork chop sandwich one would make at home. Something about it just doesn't seem right. It does not have a fancy name. Yet. They are calling it the Breaded Pork Sandwich. But they could just as easily call it the "McPiggy."

Daisy and John - A Love Story

Today after church we went to the local Meijer and, among other things, we bought Keisha two comet goldfish. She named the orange one, which was bigger, Daisy. The silver and smaller one she named John. They were only $0.17 apiece, which is a really good deal. The associate pumped some air into the water in the bag. I asked her how long they would last in the bag. About three hours was the reply:

We were waiting for some pictures we had sent off for development to arrive. That, actually, was the reason we went to the Meijer. We bought the fish and some other stuff and went to the Perkin's across the street to get some lunch. Keisha made sure to bring Daisy and John with her. After eating lunch, we returned to Meijer so that I could pick up our pictures.

But Meijer is a store that always seems to suck you in. Sure, you go in for one thing, but you always wind up coming out with something more. For me, it was the two cases of Cherry Coke. The entire transaction - the pictures and the pop - took much longer than we had anticipated.

By the time I came back to our car, Keisha had fallen asleep, and Jennie was holding the bag with the fish in it in front of our air conditioner vent. We drove home, and I immediately got things set up for the fish to get to their new home. The only thing about it was that Daisy had stopped moving. I followed the instructions about letting them get acclimated to the water temperature, yet we saw no movement from Daisy.

After the suggested acclimation time, I used the fish net and transferred both Daisy and John to their fish bowl. No movement from Daisy still. Then, John stopped moving, too. Or did he? We took Daisy out of the bowl and led her to the bathroom for a burial ceremony.

Keisha, Jennie, my mom, and I were in the bathroom. I asked Keisha if she'd like to say a few words. She said, "Bye, Daisy, I'll miss you. Have a good trip!" Then I flushed her down the toilet.

We returned to Keisha's room and saw that John wasn't moving. We decided to wait until dinner time to make the decision whether to pronounce him dead or not.

Skip ahead several hours... I was working on the roof this afternoon, and Keisha came out to say, "Daddy, John is still not moving!"

"Okay," I said, "we'll take care of it when I get down."

I came down from the roof and went with Keisha to her room. Fish net in hand, I scooped the dead John from the fish bowl and led him to the bathroom. I asked Keisha again if she had any words. She said, "Bye, John! See you later!"

I overheard my mom utter the following:

John is heading for the "john"
Big, bad John
Big, bad, no more

So, we may be heading back to the pet store to get a couple more comet goldfish yet tonight.