One More Turkey Day Story

I thought Amstaff Mom was going to tell this story, but she didn't and so I must.

While playing Catch Phrase with Cat and AM's parents on Friday, Brian and I were put on the same team with their Mom.

So picture the girls on the team with their dad and the boys on the team with their Mom and their mom is trying to get us to say "Thighs" and so she says, "What is the part of my body I like the least?" And Brian and I are totally stumped. We start shouting out things like "Toes, Eyebrows! Knees! Ankles!" Then Brian says, "Is it above the waist or below the waist?" And AM's Mom says, "Below the WAIST!" and the timer is ticking and she needs to pass it and finally she says, "It starts with a T!" and Brian and I look at each other and for the life of me I can think of NOTHING below the waist that starts with a T!

Finally she just gives up and passes it to Cat and then I blurt out "THIGHS!" as the word finally comes to me. Oh.My.Word.

Even days later thinking back to that moment and it's hilarity makes me laugh.

A Turkey Trot Photo

Hey, I am WINNING!

Cat is there to my right and that is Amstaff Mom clapping behind me. I think she is clapping? Maybe she is praising God that I finished the race and she didn't have to carry me across the finish line.

The photo is from www.sportphoto.com

To purchase the picture it costs two arms and a leg and so I just got the proof.

Yellow Emperor's Monkey Somersault

I ended my weekend with guess what - more eating.

I did, however, bike 11 miles on Sunday morning with Joe and Amber and so I was allowed one final over-indulgent meal. This meal included a cactus blossom, fried chicken strips, fried catfish, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and hot rolls with cinnamon honey butter. It was good, but it was even better because Cat was with me. I raced back from Waco when she told me she didn't have to work and that she would be in Denton.

Traffic was a beast and thankfully I made it back to Denton in time to go to church with Cat and then to dinner and then back to Amstaff Mom's house (Cat's sister) for a game of Wahoo. Wahoo is a game where you have to get your marbles around the board with each roll of the dice. However, if your opponent lands on you, you have to go back "home".

Wahoo is fun and we destroyed Amstaff Mom and her husband toward the end of the game. Cat swooped in like a Ninja over and over and pommelled our opponents time and time again.

I enjoyed the evening so much that I ended it with the Yellow Emperor's Monkey Somersault - a special Kung Fu move that can be both jubilant and deadly at the same time.

And if you are reading this and you are still curious about whether or not Cat and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, well we are - I don't do the Yellow Emperor's Monkey Somersault for just anyone. We have been "official" now for a couple of weeks and dating now for 2 months. Time flies when you are having fun...

Turkey Day Part II - (DId I mention I ran EIGHT MILES?)

After the Turkey Trot I went to my parents house for Thanksgiving. I gorged on smoked turkey, fried okra, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, broccoli and cheese, and of course chocolate fudge cake fresh out of the oven.

Every time someone made a comment about how much I was eating I kept saying, "I just ran EIGHT MILES!" It became my personal catch phrase of the day.

I left my parents house a little after 4 and headed over to David Cribbs' house. His dad was in town and I hadn't seen him since Dave got married 3 years ago. Josh and Erika Wiese - Dave's brother and sister and law, were also there and with the rest of the family it was indeed a real party. I love Thanksgiving, I love seeing so many people that I don't get to see all that often and so after a short stay at Cribby's along with green bean casserole, turkey sausage dressing, and two helpings of ambrosia, I moved on to Cody's house.

I arrived at Cody's house at around 5:30 and the whole family was there and dinner was cooking. I was elated because I always love to hang out with the Miller's. I ate for the 3rd time that day - more mashed potatoes, more turkey, more homemade rolls - I could afford to, I had just ran EIGHT MILES!

We sat around and laughed and talked and finally I dozed off at around 9:30. I slept on the couch upstairs and for some reason awoke Friday morning at 6:30AM wide awake. My legs were sore. VERY SORE - I felt like I had ran a marathon, not just EIGHT MILES. I could barely make it down stairs! With each step I cried out to Jesus begging for his healing power - he denied it - probably because I had sinned so much the previous day with the sin of gluttony, I tried to tell him - "But Jesus, I just ran EIGHT MILES!" he didn't care to hear it.

I went home and started getting ready for the rest of the day and the rest of the weekend. I was to have Thanksgiving lunch with Cat's family at 1pm and I still had so much to do. First of all I needed to stop by Chick-fil-A and get two 4 packs of Chicken mini's. And besides, less than 24 hours ago I had ran EIGHT MILES - so I could still afford to eat stuff that wasn't good for me and feel no guilt at all.

I got home, did some laundry, cleaned up the apartment a bit, and then went to the gym for a swim. My legs were DYING and so I thought swimming might help loosen them up. After a brisk swim I sat in the hot tub and then the dry sauna - I felt like I deserved a Spa day because I ran the Turkey Trot the day before and I ran EIGHT MILES!

I got to Cat's house a bit early and her mother offered me a seat. I could barely sit down my qauds were so sore. Cat laughed and asked, "Are you really that sore?" I looked at her with a look of "Are you kidding me - weren't you there when I ran EIGHT MILES!?!?!" I simply nodded yes and then her mom offered me a bigger chair and so I had to get up and sit down again which was extremely painful each and every time. The food was delicious. Finally after 3 Thanksgiving meals I got to have some pecan pie and Amstaff Mom made the wonderful chocolate praline pie that I love and so I had some of it as well. Cat's mom also made some wonderful sweet potato casserole that I ate two helpings of as well as some really delicious hot rolls. (I am getting hungry again - good thing I am heading over to Ninfa's pretty soon)

After Cat's house I headed up to Waco to visit Joe and Amber. We went to Outback SteakHouse for dinner and we ordered a Bloomin' Onion. It was so good and so was my burger and fries. I asked them not to bring the fries and I ordered a salad to replace them - but they brought both and so I ate the fries - I figured - Why not, you just ran EIGHT MILES! so you can eat them.

And today I am still at Joe's while I type this. Cat had to work and so she couldn't come with me, and I really wish she could have because we have been doing so much fun stuff here - one of them being relaxing and not running and hopefully if my legs feel better tomorrow we will go bike riding and if you remember my previous posts about Cat - she likes to bike ride, and she really likes to race by people when she is bike riding and if you listen closely you will hear her say mean stuff to them when she flies by them like they are sitting still. So tomorrow, if you are in Waco and I pass you and I yell out mean stuff, I am only doing it because I miss Cat and yelling out mean stuff will make me feel like she is with me - just like she was at the end of those EIGHT MILES!

I've Got to Keep On Movin'

We converged at City Hall at 0800 hours Thanksgiving morning. There was an army of people already there and in an hours time there would be even more.

Cat, Amstaff Mom and myself were going to run the 8 mile Turkey Trot - a first for all three of us. We were to meet at the flag poles out front of City Hall and when I did finally find Cat she was with another man. She introduced him as her friend, we'll call him Bob, and so I shook Bob's hand hard and stared into his eyes letting him know that I was the bigger man. Once I finished squeezing his hand I dropped down and did a quick fifty pushups and fifty situps - all with lots of grunting noises. Then I got up and put my arm around Cat to make sure that Bob knew she belonged with me.

Amstaff Mom arrived a bit later and we made our way to the front of the line so we could start the 8 mile run. I was more than a little nervous. The last time I had run more than 8 miles I was 23 and 90 pounds lighter!

The race started and Cat and Amstaff Mom left me within the first mile. I had to pace myself so I could at least finish the race. My athletic ability lies in consumption of calories, not running and so I was content with plodding out a 12 minute mile pace.

After about 5 miles I was feeling really dehyrdated, but also a bit elated that I hadn't stopped to walk. I weigh 330 pounds and to be able to walk for 5 miles would be a feat for some of similar girth, but I had RAN IT! Go Me! I didn't even stop when they handed us glasses of water, I just slowed and splashed the refreshing H20 into my mouth and all over my body. I trudged on like the tortoise that I was.

Somewhere between 5 and 7 miles I started thinking about picking up the empty packets of energy goo and licking the remaining contents. I longed for some gatorade, or a power bar - anything to help me finish this daunting task.

I looked for the 6 mile marker and never saw it. I checked my phone and saw that I had been running for about 20 minutes since I had seen the 5 mile marker and I couldn't believe how long it was taking me to run this 6th mile! Ugh! Then I came over a hill and I saw the 7 mile marker! YES!!! I know that if I had topped that hill and the 7 had been a 6 I would have probably started walking. Seeing the 7 I was encouraged and I pushed on like the little engine that could. I think I can, I think I can...

At about 7.5 miles I heard Cat yelling "Go Eddie!" I felt both happy and sad at the same time. Happy to see her and sad that I was running so slow and pathetically. She jogged over effortlessly and continued to run with me till the end of the race. We finished, Thank GOD, and I never walked the entire 8 miles! I don't recall my time but I know it was around an hour and 42 minutes.

The three of us quickly found some water and then looked for bananas. We never did find any bananas, but we did find some vanilla DanActive yogurt drinks that were AWESOME! I consumed 4 of them and 4 bottles of water in record time. I hugged Cat and Amstaff Mom and told them that I would see them tomorrow and then I raced to my parents house for Thanksgiving.

When I got in my truck I noticed for the first time that I had salt encrusted all over my face. Add a little soap and I would have had a sea salt scrub for my face. It was gross. I wiped at it and it burned, but I was still on a "completion high" and nothing was going to break my stride, nothing was going to slow me down.

It was a great day. I was very proud of my girl and very proud of Amstaff Mom too - she beat me as well and all of us beat our goal times.

Can't wait to hear about your Turkey Day as well!

A Possible Poltergeist

This morning when I went to my truck I started to get in and I noticed that the glove box was open and the passenger seat was leaning forward.

I have a truck and I park it next to a pole and so it is impossible to open the passenger door. It is also very difficult to pull the passenger seat forward if you are in the drivers seat.

And why was the glove box open? I immediately panicked because this looked like someone had rummaged through my truck trying to steal something. I really have nothing to steal in my truck and after looking everything over I couldn't find anything missing.

I started to wonder if maybe I had left the seat forward and the glove box open? Did I? No. I distinctly remember going out to my truck at 10:30 to get a shirt out of my truck, but I know I didn't open the glove box and I didn't pull the seat forward.

So who did?

Thanksgiving Jokes

Pooladsanj Pooladsanj is a hypothetical child on Kiss FM. He told these jokes to his mother in a bit they were doing about Thanksgiving. I am working on templates and so you get two jokes instead of something more interesting.

What did the mother Turkey say to her children when they were behaving badly?

"If your father could see you now he would turn over in his gravy"

Why can't you bring a turkey into church?

Becuase they use foul language!

The clue for the Big Money What is that is:

One more clue before the holidayThis is something you probably won't do on Turkey Day.

The Jackpot is 37,500 and it sounds like someone is throwing a can into a trash can.

And yes, for those of you who guessed last time, it was indeed Mike Modano - he was snapping and unsnapping his helmet.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Slaving Away

I have been working on this template design and now I need ya'll to proof it for me.

How does it look on your browser?

Do the fans overlap the sidebar?

http://www.postednote.com/work.htm

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Last night I got all dressed up to go and see a Sneak Preview of the 4th Harry Potter movie - and when I say dressed up, I mean literally - I went as Hagrid.

If you aren't a Potter fan then you won't know that Hagrid is a giant with a huge beard and bushy hair. He is the gamekeeper for Hogwarts. And like most of us big guys, he is a gentle giant.

I work for Texas Instruments and because I have performed 3 times in our diversity talent show people have caught on to the fact that I like to put on a show. One of my co-workers asked me if I would dress up as Hagrid for a charity event that would help the Children's Charity - City House.

When I was first asked to play Hagrid I said "No" - Too busy. I was asked again by someone else and I said no again, and then finally the originally lady asked me one more time and I finally said yes.

There were 5 of us dressed up as Professor Sprout, Guilderoy Lockhart, Professor Trelwani, and Mrs. McGonagall. We were to entertain the people while they waited in line. We passed out goody bags to the kids and we gave away prizes.

Overall it was a lot of fun, except for one tiny little point that I have to point out. The lady that asked me to perform is a little bit of a control freak nazi. I knew that she could be this way, but I didn't expect any trouble from her. I was tasked with passing out some tattoos and I accidentally gave 2 kids who weren't with City House tattoos. This coworker lady said, "Oh, they aren't with City House, don't give them tattoos." And I said "Okay, I didn't realize it." Then she said "We only have 40 tattoos, so only give them to the City House kids..." Then she looked me in the eyes like I was 5 years old, raise her eyebrows and said, "Okay" and I said "Okay" like is this lady serious? Did she not understand that I got it the first time? Did my large hairy beard and hair make her think that my I.Q. had dipped down into the mentally handi-capped department.

I didn't let her bizarre behaviour bother me for very long, but when I am volunteering for something, I expect special treatment - not to be treated like I am "special". There is a difference.

Back to the movie...

It was great, probably the best out of the 4 movies. The special effects were freakin' brilliant! And for a two and a half hour movie it seemed like it was only 45 minutes long.

Go see it if you are a Potter fan, and if you aren't then go see Pride and Prejudice - I am tomorrow!

And the Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Clues for those of you in Dallas:

Fridays Clue 11/18/2005 Kids love to use them they are easy and fastEveryone has used these at least once in the past.

Wrong Guesses:
It is not a vending machine or a vending machine door.

New York Photo Journal

http://www.postednote.com/newyork.htm

Check it out if you have time, there are 163 photos. You can click on the photos to see the larger size.

Go Ye Into All the World...

The Bible compels us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Oft times we get so busy with life that we don't go anywhere, much less into all the world, and we rarely preach the gospel. In these pictures on this post, George and Joseph both have had their lives changed by God. They gave up lives filled with hopelessness and drugs and traded them for abundant life.

Mission trips allow us the opportunity to get out of our comfort zone and help us to share our faith by removing the burden of the day-to-day. However, our lives should always be an example of who Christ is no matter where we are.

In New York we went to help New Baptist Temple with some necessary construction. We went to the Bronx and shared the gospel with Children in the park, and on the subways we ministered to people and even reached out to one man who needed to find a shelter for the night.

When I was growing up my parents were youth ministers, we let people come and live with us that needed a place to stay, we gave food to the poor, we had youth rallies and once even an exorcism. Our lives were buried in ministry, we wore Christian t-shirts to school, we sang in church and did everything we could to build the kingdom of Heaven.

Those were good times, happy times, slower times. Now life gets in the way of ministry. I put Christ not on the back burner, but I have put him in a tupperware container and tucked him away in the pantry so he will be nice and fresh whenever I need to use him.

I was excited when Amstaff Mom asked me if I wanted to go on the trip to NYC. I knew I needed to dust off my witnessing skills and this was an opportunity. My legs were stiff from sittign on the bench too long, my reactions were slow at first, but by the time the weekend was over I had gotten the opportunity to ask a few people about their faith.

That is the great thing about Mission trips - they aren't always about reaching people where you go, but they are about reaching the people that are going.

In my faith, in my ministry, in my life, no matter what I am doing, I never want to be sitting on the bench, I always want to be part of the action.

That new movie Jarhead is coming out and in the preview it has a song by Kanye West - Jesus Walks. While we were in New York I kept thinking about this movie, and this song and how we are indeed at war, but the war is not the one Kanye talks about - terrorism, racism, drug addiction, the real war is spiritual- "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and rulers of darkeness..."

(Jesus Walk)
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
(Jesus Walk with me)
The only thing that I pray is that muh feet don't fail me now
(Jesus Walk)
And I don't think theres nothin I can do now ta right my wrongs
(Jesus Walk with me)
I wanna talk to God but I'm afraid cause we ain't spoke-n so long

To the hustlas, killas, murderas, drug dealas even tha strippers(Jesus walks with them)
To the victims of Welfare for we living in hell here, hell yeah(Jesus walks with them)
Now hear ye, hear ye want to see Thee more clearly
I know He hear me when my feet get weary
Cuz were thee almost nearly extinct
We rappers is role models, we rap we don't think
I ain't here to argue about his facial features
Or here to convert atheists into believa's
I'm just tryna say the way school need teachers
The way Kathy needed Regis, that's the way I need Jesus
So here go my single dawg radio needs this
They say you can rap-about-anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, video tape
But if I talk about God my record won't get played,
Huh?Well if this take away from my spins
Which will probably take away from my ends
Then i hope it take away from my sins
and bring the day that I dream about
Next time I'm in the club everybody screamin out
{Chorus 2}
(Jesus Walk)God show me the way because the devil tryna break me down
(Jesus Walk with me)The only thing that I pray is that muh feet don't fail me now
(Jesus Walk)And i dont think theres nothing i can do now ta right my wrongs
(Jesus Walk with me with me with me with me) [Fades]I wanna talk to god but im afraid cause we aint spoke-n so long .....

While on the trip I got into an argument with two men dressed in robes who were trying to argue the point that Jesus was black. It became a heated discussion and finally Luke Zimmerman told me to walk away and I was glad he did. The devil was indeed trying to break me down.

In these pictures on this post, George and Joseph both have had their lives changed by God. They gave up lives filled with hopelessness and drugs and traded them for abundant life. God does that, he fills the void in your life, he takes away the hurt, he gives life meaning. God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross so that we might live forever. To become a Christian all you have to do is believe - John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, will not perish, but have everlasting life."

When you lay your head down at night and you are alone with your thoughts and you are unsure of where you will spend eternity, then give Christ a chance - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

You Down With NYC?

Yeah You know me!

You will get to read more about my trip when the photo journal is complete, however, I will give you a bit of a quick overview here. First of all I need to tell you that it was a mission trip with Denton Bible Church S.W.E.A.T. Team. Our goal was to go and help repair a church in Brooklyn, New Temple Baptist, and to also do some witnessing on the subways, Union Square, and the Bronx.

Friday we woke up early, 4:41 in the morning. I was tired because all week long I had been working late and getting up early and when I heard Amstaff Mom calling out my name I thought was dreaming. (I stayed the night on their hideaway bed - the third time in less than two months) Actually I was dreaming, I was in that perfect dream state where the dreams are pleasant and the sleep is so good that you wonder how it could be possible for heaven to be any better.

Anyway, I groggily drug myself out of bed knowing that I had about 10 minutes to get ready and when we finally got to the church I was wide awake and ready for my first visit to NYC! Unfortunately, we got to the airport too late and we missed out first flight and so we left 2-3 hours behind schedule, no worries, DFW has SMOOTHIES! I had a large strawberry, banana, coconut smoothie and like a big bowl of Lucky Charms, it was magically delicious.

Moving on...

We arrived at La Guardia airport which is much smaller and less busy than JFK. Since we arrived on Veterans Day I think a lot of people were off work for the Holiday because New York didn't seem that busy. I guess after 29 years of hearing about how busy New York is and how populated it is, and watching movie after movie stressing about how rude the people are and how overcrowded it is, I was expecting it to be MUCH busier. It is busy, but I have been to Hong Kong and China and New York doesn't really begin to compare to either place when it comes to numbers of people marching around like droves of ants.

No one was rude to me in New York like I expected. I saw a few street performers, but I saw more in Boston. It wasn't cold, and overall I thought New York was rather pleasant and civilized.

My biggest disappointment on the trip was when we went to see the Statue of Liberty. I expected her to be at least 5-10 times bigger than she was. I thought she was like skyscraper big. She's not. She's not Lilliputian by any means, but she is not even as big as the oversized Pillsbury Dough Boy in Ghostbusters!

My favorite part of New York was Central Park. It was gorgeous, unbelievably picturesque, and I didn't find any dead bodies while we were walking through it. I don't konw how many episodes of CSI and Law and Order that I have watched where they have found bodies dumped in Central Park. I have also read at least 50 novels where the primo burial ground was in Central Park. It is 4 miles long and 1 mile wide and so there is a lot of territory that I didn't check out, but what I did check out was dead body free.

I will stop here for now. I hope to have the photo journal done today, if not today, then it will be up by tomorrow morning for sure.

Special thanks to Amstaff Mom for the pictures on this post and some that you will see in the photo journal as well.

New York, New York!

Trees in Central Park


I am home. It is 1AM and so I am only going to tell you that the trip was awesome! A great trip was ended perfectly by a surprise pick-up at the airport by Brian (Amstaff Mom's Husband) and Cat!! (I'm still all smiles, it was so great to see her and I freakin' love surprises).

I missed you guys... more to come soon...

Silver Kryptonite

I used to watch Smallville religiously. When it first started Cribby (an old roommate) and I used to watch it while swilling multiple cans of Dr. Pepper and eating fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and fried okra.

Unfortunately, the show started to take a lot of weird twists and turns and for me I felt that they built up episode after episode and they never delivered. Today the commercials keep talking about "Silver Kryptonite", like it is different from the red or green kryptonite that we are already familiar with. Next I am sure they will have Platinum Kryptonite!

So why am I talking about Smallville? Becuase it was a great show that rarely delivered - which is not the case with LOST.

Did you watch last nights episode? Did you see that Shannon got shot? They told us in the previews that someone was going to die and they did! And it wasn't some side character that no one cared about - it was hot blonde Shannon! I am livid! If you are going to kill off people, kill off the dudes!(Like Hurley and John Locke) Soon the show would be all about the Big Fat guy who is now slim and surrounded by attractive women - then the show would have to change it's name to Fantasy Island!

The show was starting to slow down after the first couple of episodes, but then BAM! - in one episode they brought me right back and I am focused in on this show like Ansel Adams on some beautiful scenery (Okay, lame simile, but it's early!)

So what are you watching?

Confessions of a Guysha

1. I cuss and swear sometimes when I am by myself, and when I do, I do it with a British accent. (Oh, stop judging me, you know you do it too)

2. I don't like checking voice mail because it almost always means someone wants something. Kidd Kraddick said, "My phone has turned into a favor phone..." that isn't always the case for me now, but at one time it seemed to be that way and now I don't like to check my voicemail. Don't get me wrong, I like to do favors, it's just that sometimes I can't deliver and I hate not being able to deliver.

3. I am like big Al Mac on KISS FM - this morning they said, "Al is lacking in the one-on-one conversation department." So often I find that I am just like Big Al - I need an audience to be at my best, but I am working on the one-on-one conversation (Cat is helping me in that department)

4. At times I am overly sensitive. A lady called me Betty on the phone the other day and I cussed her out - but I did it in a British Accent.

5. Growing up I always wanted to be just like Mr. T with a mohawk and everything - sometimes I still do.

6. Once a year I like to eat Jack in the Box Tacos - When I am eating the mystery meat concoction, I know it is probably the worst thing I could consume, but I eat it anyway and I enjoy them with lots of that hot sauce that comes in a packet.

7. I don't like talking on the phone unless I have something to say, I never call people just to chat - I use email and blogging to catch up with people, not the phone. (it's the 2000's people, email is communication)

8. I rarely eat cold sandwiches. When I was growing up I ate a lot of cold sandwiches and now I am just not a fan of them, grilled cheeses - yes, cold turkey and cheese - NO!

9. I used to tell people, "I am high maintenance, but I am worth it". Wow, what a girl thing to say(no offense ladies), I am embarrassed that I ever said that to anyone.

10. I have an irrational fear of looking into mirrors in the middle of the night. I always think I see something in them that isn't really there. Sometimes I force myself to look just because the fear is so silly, but most of the time I just look away.

Oh, and about the title - has anyone read "Confessions of a Geisha"? The movie coming out looks fascinating.

And last night I worked on this web job, just in case you like keeping up with my web work.

The Interpreter

Starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn

The gunfire around us makes it hard to hear. But the human voice is different from other sounds. It can be heard over noises that bury everything else. Even when it's not shouting. Even when it's just a whisper. Even the lowest whisper can be heard - over armies... when it's telling the truth."

This is a good movie. This one quote at the end made it great.

I love the truth.

Almost Famous

My bio has finally been published to the ManiAAC website - I am at the very bottom, I guess they saved the best for last!

Click Here to View

LOST

Joe came to Plano on Friday. It was great having him in town for the weekend because we have so much fun together and we have so much in common. We wear most of the same size clothes, the same size shoes, we are the same height, and we have very similar tastes in food and clothing and even cologne. I really think we were twins somehow separated at birth. Joe is big and red-headed, but he is cool and his personality reminds me a lot of Will Smith.

Saturday we got up and went to Lake Grapevine for some fun mountain bike riding. I love the Grapevine trail because it runs along the lake, I am familiar with the terrain, and because there are very few trees crowding out the trail. Unfortunately, the trail is plagued with a lot of rocks and sharp debris.

Joe and I are riding along and having an enormously good time when I start to feel the tell-tale signs of a flat. My first thought, "Ugh. Not Again!" Two weeks in a row, two new inner tubes, two flats. You would think after that first experience that I would have learned to carry a spare with me, but I am hard- headed and it takes me at least 3-4 times of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience before I realize that I need to make a change in my routine.

Joe and I started the dreaded walk back to the car. We came to a point in the trail where there is a road that bisects the trail and there were a couple of ladies jogging and we asked them - "Is it faster to take the road here back to the park or should we walk the trail?" The ensured us that it was much faster to take the road back and so Joe hopped on his bike and sped away to get the suburban, while I walked in the same direction.

The road turned and twisted and I thought that this would be a good time to get some extra cardio in for the Turkey Trot - I jogged for about a mile and then I realized that we were way far away from the trail and the park and I got worried that Joe might have gotten lost as this was his first time to these trails. I stopped, knowing that if I continued ahead Joe might come back to get me from a different direction and then I would really be lost.

Dehydration started to set in and I started to get a mild headache. Joe had been gone for what seemed like 45 minutes to an hour. "Where is he?" I turned back the way I had come and started to walk back slowly toward the trail knowing that if all else failed I could walk back through the trail and end up at the park and find someone with a cell phone.

Here would be a good time to mention trail-riding tip number 2: Every person on the trip needs to carry a cell phone or a walkie-talkie - that way if you get separated, you can call and make contact. Joe had been gone for so long that I started to really worry. I had no idea what to do, here I was this large man walking with a big bike crusted in my own salty-sweat with no money or identification and no cell phone. I really needed to reach out and touch someone, but I was afraid they would be repulsed by crustacean like limbs.

The sun continued to beat down on me and I started to get a bit woozy and delirious. I felt like a nomad in the middle of the Sahara desert, I looked up to the sky and I could see the buzzards swirling. Every time I heard a car coming it looked like Joe's suburban, but it wasn't. Finally, I got down on my knees and I prayed to God above to let me live just a little longer on this earth and to "please help Joe to find me" - I opened my eyes and there was Joe. With arms wide open he came and embraced my bike and threw it in the back of his suburban. He thrust a cold bottle of Auqafina into my hands and I drank greedily from the large-mouth container. I was saved.

Come to find out, Joe had to ride approximately 6 miles back to the where we started and it took him way out of his way, but all-in-all it was still a great time and getting lost and found made it quite an adventure.

This Just In

I have totally been Google Figthing all morning - www.googlefight.com

Then I decided to Google my name and I found this -

http://www.newfrontier.com/asheville/ashevillethemovie.htm

Look at the T-Shirt quote - it is one from me - apparently me at my lamest and most non-funny.

Thanks to Edgy Mama once again for the shirt, I must come to Asheville and visit when I take my blogger world tour.

Blogger Game Night #5

Much like the Mambo #5, Blogger Game night #5 was a hit. We partied at my place with Papa John - Papa John's pizza dough that is. I called the local Papa John's and asked if they would sell me some dough and they said yes. When I arrived they just gave it to me for free. The plan was to have a pizza-making party and it actually went quite well. The dough was a little more complex to flatten out than we all expected, but it was fun watching everyone try to be Italian for the night. We loaded our pizza's up with honey baked ham, pineapple, chicken, onions, olives, feta cheese and lots of gooey mozzarella, asiago, and parmesan cheese. They were quite delicious and this morning as I type this I am eating one of the left-over pizza's.

The Barefoot Contessa from The Food Network had suggested cooking your pizza's on the grill - we did and it did absolutely nothing to enhance the flavor - so people, don't waste your time or your money cooking the pizza's on the grill.

Joe Bruner, one of my buddies that is more like a brother than a best friend, came to visit. He partied with us while his wife was stuck working and studying in Waco. (Hi Amber, we missed you!) It was so great to have him here. He is really funny and Jeff-Brian - Amstaff Mom's husband - was also hilarious and about 8 times throughout the night I almost exploded with too much laughter.

Cat was able to make it to the party too. It was a very busy week for us with the Neva Dinova show on Tuesday night, the Pregnancy Dinner on Thursday night, and then Friday night game night. At least if you date me you won't be bored, you might be worn out and overwhelmed - but bored? - Most definitely not. Joe tried to force feed Cat a couple of oatmeal cookies and stuck the plate right in her face and I didn't come to her rescue, I just laughed wildly. I am sure the poor girl was overwhelmed with us, but she took it all in stride - props to her, she keeps passing all my tests. (wink)

We ate drank and were merry as if it was our last day on earth. We feasted on cookies and Amstaff's special chocolate praline pie. We went through an entire case of bottled water, a couple pitcher's of sweet tea, and even a few yogurt smoothies. We played Cranium and Catch Phrase and enjoyed each other's company. Life is good like that sometimes, no worries, no cares, just good times with good friends.

For those of you that couldn't be with us, perhaps we'll see you at the next one.

Mad love for you my friends and family, Mad Love.

Moments of Gold and Flashes of White

Last night Cat and I attended a Woman-to-Woman pregnancy center benefit dinner. Amstaff Mom, Cat's Sister, invited us and it was a very pleasant evening. Cat works pretty close to where I live and so instead of driving all the way back to her place to get ready, she just came to my house. She arrived at 5:00 and I shut her away in my bedroom while I got dressed in my "office" (my laundry room is an office).

I watched King of the Hill while she was getting ready. I also worked on some web design and after a while I began to wonder if she was alright in there. I heard no sounds of life coming from my room and then all of the sudden there was a loud crack and bang and the door floor open. A luminescent fog billowed out of the doorway backlit with sparkling lights and music. It was "I've got the power" by C&C music factory. Cat sashayed out of my room like a model on a runway - step, step, step, hip, twist, hip, pause, left turn, exit. Wow.

I don't know what you girls do to transform yourselves from "Care Giver"(Cat is a Care Giver) to "America's Next Top Model" but I have to say - Eddo likes it.

Dinner was great. The topic of the evening was not new information. Abortion - it is wrong. I am sorry people, there is no spin on it that makes it right and if you have one then I would love to hear about it. 4,000 abortions a day and countless lives damaged by the process.

The dinner was to raise money for the Pregnancy centers in Denton that help women decide what to do when they find themselves pregnant as well as a multitude of other helpful resources. I was proud to be a part of it.

Later I ran into some friends and so I stepped away from Cat for a few minutes so I could say a quick hello. The hello ran a little long and when I turned around, Cat and Katie and Amstaff Mom were all gone. I thought maybe they decided to walk out to the car and so I headed toward the direction of the front lobby. Then I remembered that I needed some cash and so I asked the receptionist where the ATM was and he said, "In the business center" and pointed at it. I walked into the business center and I run into Braun Smith - one of my best friends in the whole wide world! He lives in North Carolina and there is a race this weekend and so he was staying at the Hotel where the pregnancy dinner was being held! It was great getting to see him as it has been close to a 6 months since we last saw each other. When you think about that kind of coincidence you have to be a little amazed.

Overall it was an extremely wonderful evening. Tonight is another blogger game night at my house - if you live in Texas, you should come!

Kiss FM Big Money What is That?

My apologies to my readers that don't listen to Kiss FM (I keep getting email requests for this)- however, they are giving away 33,000 now and the secret sound is two parts! It is a guy saying, "Like That" and it sounds like basketball in the background. You have to name the guy saying "Like That" and you have to name the sound.

Here are the clues that I have heard so far:

Tuesday 11/22/2005: They come in all colors, they are not all the same some of them are fancy, some are them are plain

The lady guessed a coke machine - a guess that was already guessed.

Thursday 11/10/2005 You got the first part, all you need is the second one - This is something that is done or undone (the lady guessed Rich interviewing 50 Cent! UGH!)

Wednesday 11/9/2005 The Clue was - He is not a musician or actor, but he is a STAR and they really emphasized STAR - as in he is a Dallas Star.

Tuesday 11/8/2005 - the Clue was - The sound is something a woman rarely makes - which made me think of armpit fart noises, or some other fart noise with the hand.

Monday 11/7: What this man does for a living - isn't for the meek.

Fridays Clue:

It's not a chef, Ryan or Dirk, but in the Metroplex, we all know his work

He is someone that you would want to marry

Someone who lives in Texas

The sound he is making, he is making with his hand.

Wrong Guesses:

Frankie J clapping his hands

Dirk Nowitzki snapping his fingers

Ryan Cabrera snapping his fingers

Colin Farrel teaching someone to play ping-pong

As I hear more throughout the day I will update this.

I also plan to post about my Woman-to-Woman Pregnancy Dinner last night - A Teaser - The girl I went with was lookin' gooooood!

40,000 dollars! Clues, Clues, Clues, Clues, Kiss FM, Big Money, What is That? Kidd Kraddick in the Morning. Kiss FM Big Money What is that?
Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Kiss FM Big Money What is that? Here are the current clues!

One Mo Thang!

Corky of Corky's Crossroads wrote her first blog post yesterday! You already saw her site design, but it is up now so stop by and say hello!

http://corkyscrossroads.blogspot.com

Also, I finally finished http://www.knowconsequences.com - there are actual videos posted, but I have to do a LOT more work on that page. I am really pleased with this design and the possibilities of this website.

Other new designs I am working on:

Http://www.flasheville.com a design for Edgy Mama and Ash Vegas that will be all about fiction.

http://www.marriedinminnesota.com - I am going to incorporate both of their blogs into a 1 page design so that people won't forget about Sydney.

Random

Someone on MYSPACE is using my Hawaii images again and using up my bandwidth... I went to her site and I started reading some of her comments. Let me just say that I am so glad I am not in Highschool anymore - read these:

Heyi love you!rooster jake is a dear friend and tom deleted him cause he was trying to save a kitten from a burning car of clowns being held up by a terrorist :[. add him !he'll love you like i do

(I do not approve of the use of the "N" word")

NIGGA NIGGA NIGGA!! OMG i miss u natalie and all the laughs from first period last year! Ms. Moir's random freak outs cause she aint have no man, john and whitney's fights("guess i won't be seein you tonite!") oh yeah and can't forget about bein an editor (drafts bitches!!).....GOOD TIMES!! College is aight, its jus highschool with more freedom!! HOpe to see u soon....holla at me!

i totally have a tickle me elmo that i sleep with.when the hell are you comin up to the ol' mountin state biachhh

YOU'VE BEEN HIT BY THE S-E-X-Y truck ONCE YOU'VE BEEN HIT, YOU HAVE TO HIT 8 SEXY People IF YOU GET HIT AGAIN YOU'LL KNOW YOU'RE REALLY SEXY! IF YOU BRAKE THE CHAIN, YOU'LL BE CURSED WITH UGLYNESS FOR 10 YEARS SO PASS IT HIT WHO EVER YOU THINK IS SEXY...

I can tell I will be 30 in a couple of months, I feel the generation gap growing at a remarkable speed.

Neva Dinova - Neva Again?

The Cavern was dark and not so much cavernous as it was coffin like. The elongated structure in Lower Greenville had to have been built in the 1930's or 40's sporting hardwood floors and brick walls that could probably tell some great stories if they could talk. Illuminated by candle light and a modicum of stage lighting, the small club was warm and cozy - if your idea of warm and cozy if Dracula's dining room - which mine happens to be.

I felt like I had been transported back to the 40's as I looked around and took a mental snapshot of the wearers of cardigans, lamp-shade dresses, and knee high stockings with flats. Vintage, cute, frumpy, and most definitely emo, I liked the diversity and I love how people, especially young people, seem to find their identity in music.

Most of the fans were in their early 20's some of them bearing the despised "X" - the bain of the under 21 crowd. A handful of people gathered around the stage while the opening act, Jeff Kline, started to play.

Kline's soothing sounds were soulful and full of emotion and... profanity. His humor was self-depracating and of course like all rockers, he was quiet and moody. He appeared to be a homeless Beatle with his pale skin, longish hair and 3-day beard. You couldn't help but like him, his music was melancholy and infinitely sad, but it moved me and I was reminded of the Wallflowers and Coldplay while I listened to his acoustic riffs.

Neva Dinova came on stage with a full band and a black drummer with dreds. I liked them immediately. Once again their music had an unusual depth and sadness, but the band brought levity to their set with humorous anecdotes and witty banter with the small crowd. After a few great songs from Neva, we heard from Orenda Fink.

Fink is a woman. Her vocals were crisp and clear and the harmonic melodies fondled my eustachian chamber to a point somewhere between bliss and ecstasy. Every song she sang I could play over and over and never get tired of hearing it. I love good live music, and this was definitely just that. Confident and Cute, Orenda had me with the first strum of her guitar - I love a girl that can play an instrument - and she kept me entranced for the rest of the evening despite the late hour(1AM) and my initial apprehension about the evening ( I was afraid I wasn't going to like the music).

The evening was pleaseant. It was new territory for me even though when it comes to new experiences I think of myself as Clark of Lewis and Clark.

Thanks Cat for the invite, I had a great time - and instead of Neva Again, I'll be saying, Neva Foreva!

Rock on my brothers and sisters, Rock On!

Motorola RAZR or "Race"er?

Due to the popularity of the new Motorola RAZR Black, Motorola has decided to release the Motorola RAZR Latino, the Motorola RAZR Asian, and the Indian RAZR.

Many user's didn't realize that the hip new RAZR would outshine many of the less "cool" Motorola phones. When the "Black" came on the scene with hip-hop ring tones and wallpapers featuring 50 Cent and Lil' Kim, "whiter" phones were suddenly referred to as "Cracker" phones and everyone was racing to get the new Motorola Black.

Motorola's marketing analysts realized that they had found a new market niche and they plan to capitalize on it by marketing phones to different ethnic groups. The Motorola Latino will be preloaded with ring tones from Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, and of course, Ricky Martin. It will come in a warm brown color and if you leave it out in the sun it gets darker over time.

The Motorola Asian is preloaded with math software and video games and comes with a Peekachu or Yu-Gi-Yoh paper. It is also filled with zany techno ringtones and red wrist strap with a jade dragon accessory.

And last but not least, the Indian RAZR with video clips fresh from Bollywood and the most popular Indian ring tones. It is also preloaded with Sanskrit and Hindi text editors so users can text message in Hindi, Sanskrit, or English!

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO says of Motorola, "It is a great marketing idea, so great we plan to come out with our own line of ethnic iPods..."

Customers of Motorola seem to think that the new RAZR's are politically incorrect and encourage stereotypes, but Motorola executives say that "stereotypes exist because they are mostly correct and instead of ignoring the obvious, they plan to capitalize on it. "

(This post was inspired by the absurdity of the new commercials for the Motorola RAZR Black - everyone acted like it was such a big deal - I just didn't get it - and maybe you don't either. )