Month: August 2010

  • Do We Really Care …

    Do people even care that the Miss Universe pageant was last night.  Are those type of shows even that relevant anymore (or where they ever)?  How do people find value in such shows now, 10 years ago, 20 years, 30+ years ago?  Didn’t Miss Congeniality teach us anything?  What about all the creepy stuff we saw little JonBenet Ramsey going through as the nation watched the media coverage?  I still don’t get it.

    Oh wait.  I guess the Nobel group has to figure who gets the Peace Prize after Obama.

  • No Cheapo Pizza For You! …

    Forgot to mention post-Redskins pasting of the Bills that Papa Johns is having their Redskins Touchdown pizza deal again this year.  Well, the Skins got it handed to them 3-23 verse the Ravens last night so no pizza for us.  Probably a good thing since I think I’m gaining weight.

    I know there’s been a ton of press about the mosque near Ground Zero and all I see are a bunch of words of fear, hate and Satan with a big o’l smile on his face.  Legally should it be there, sure if they own the land or were able to secure a lease.  This is The United States of Freakin’ America!  Land of the free and the brave!  Though I don’t agree with many of the other religions out there this country was partly founded on religious freedom.  Let them build their mosque there so then we can show them God’s love, amazing grace and salvation through Christ the Lord.  I see no problem with that.  At some point it’ll turn into a Protestant church near Ground Zero.  They’re just helping us by bringing the ministry field closer to home.

    The other interesting news that I heard was the Pew Study that said 1 in 5 American’s think Obama is a Muslim.  Yes, the Big O says he’s a Christian and it was recently revealed that he prays with other pastors regularly.  For one of his staff to say “The president is obviously a Christian. He prays everyday.” really means nothing to me.  In all of this I just find it odd that he has to defend his belief by saying a statement that seemingly so political right before the mid-term elections.  That just doesn’t sit well with me for frankly a ton of other religions pray daily.  Personally I’d like him to just say – Look people, I’ve accepted Christ as my savior.  That should end the discussion right there.  But beyond that what does the 1 in 5 really mean?  Most people will judge you based upon your actions and/or words.  Either 20% of Christian’s don’t know what it means to be Christians or 20% of non-Christians don’t know what it means to be a Christian.  Therefore, the Presidents actions and words don’t seem to properly reflect Christ’s love and grace and/or we Christians have a lot of work before us in spreading the Word of God to the rest of the country.

  • If It’s Free They Will Come …

    On a not so hot day we found a nice little treat near church, a Rita’s opened up in Chinatown.  I believe today was their Grand Opening and so anyone who stopped by was given a free small cup of flavored Italian ice.  Once the news spread in the church it was like a wild fire where people were making it a point to get their freebie.  It sorta reminded me of how people flocked to a TV to see video of the moon landing.  I tell ya if it’s free, people will just go get it.  Doesn’t matter if they need it or not, if it’s free then no one was going to ruin their opportunity to get it.  I think some folks and seconds and thirds.  It was just sorta funny to me.  I jest about the whole event only because Chewy and I did go get some as well.

    Being on how it was the first time I’ve ever experienced Rita’s I thought it was good.  I had gotten the cotton candy flavor and that was really, really sweet.  It tasted like cotton candy but I really felt the need to detox after eating it.  Chewy got passion fruit and that was ok.  Before that we had tried mango and that was pretty good.  Not sure how it’ll do but hopefully it’ll survive in Chinatown.

  • To Trust or Not …

    One of the things I still gotta do on my “honey do” list is have the gutters cleaned out.  For as long as I’ve lived in this house I’ve never had them cleaned out.  And surprisingly I’ve never needed to until a few rain storms back we saw a sheet of water coming off the gutters.  As a friend would say, being frugal, I tried to clean them myself by hanging halfway outside the upper window with a hose extender.  That really didn’t work but at least I didn’t get water in the house.  Eventually I borrowed my brothers ladder which got me just close enough to flush out a bunch of stuff out of the gutter.  Yeah!  What that really means is there is no incentive for me to get off my butt and get them really clean and have some covers installed.  The thing is if only I could get on the roof I could so do all of this myself.  Probably not a good idea to do that though.

    As I research the various gutter cleaning services that are bonded and insured I always have in the back of my mind those people who walk around your neighborhood and put fliers in your door about gutter cleaning services.  They’re cheap and convenient and they’ll even install covers on too.  But do you really trust them?  You’re basically giving cash for an uncheckable job … uncheckable at least until the next rain storm.  If you pay by check then they have your full name, signature, and both the account and routing numbers.  Am I just being paranoid?  I mean this flier says to write the check out to “Ronald or Nelson”  BUT WHAT’S THEIR LAST NAME!!!!  For all I know my brother could be the one doing the job.  I doubt it but still.

    I’m not paranoid.  I’m just cautious.  Overly cautious.  Borderline crazy …

  • Weird Encounter At Walmart …

    Yes, we all know about the stereotypical person who shops at Walmart.  Maybe this gets added to the list but I had my own weird experience at Walmart today.  Every now and then when I have a day business trip I’ll stop by a particular Walmart to stretch my legs.  While exiting the Walmart, in my normal paranoid nature, I’m scanning the parking lot to assess any potential avoidable encounters.  During a scan I notice a dude just sitting in his car.  As I’m walking closer to my car he gets out of his car.  Alarm bells go off in my head since the timing is too coincidental. 

    With the Prius there’s no need to fumble with car keys so I just open the door and the dude is coming closer to me and asks if I have a minute.  He’s got some booklets in his hand and starts to talk about if I know why the weather is as it is.  I state “Sorry, gotta go.”  He then asks if I understand the writing on the booklets that he’s holding onto.  From what I could tell it was either Japanese or Korean but either way I declared “I only understand English” and got into the car and drove away. 

    I believe the guy had some Korean, Japanese or something version of the Watchtower.  Not totally sure but he was nicely dressed (but not in white).  As I was driving away I kept on thinking that’s a weird way to approach people.  If I hadn’t seen him sitting in his car I definitely would not have thought anything was odd with his timing of getting out of his car as I was approaching mine.  Weird.

  • SWEEP!  SWEEP!  SWEEP!

    Buck!  Buck!  Buck!  Is there actually hope in Birdland?  The Orioles have won two straight games under new manager Buck Showalters and hope to get a sweep tonight against the Angels.  How can you not like that?  Of course the players are all the same so I just guess it comes down to the coaches aura or something.  The team does have talent and if the young pitching can firm itself up a bit they should be OK.  Too bad they’re still in the same division as the Yankee’s, Red Sox and now the Rays (fine we’ll include the Blue Jays too for Chewy’s sake).

  • Offended or May Not …

    On Sunday I attended my first church committee meeting in close to six years.  No, that’s not what was offensive even though in my mind it went in typical fashion – A statement is said.  Someone asks a question that was answered by that first statement so the statement is reworded to try and clarify the statement.  A few minutes later the question is asked again but in a different manner only to force the original statement and it’s first rewording to then again be reworded.  I know I’m not the sharpest spoon in the tool shed but come on people PAY ATTENTION! 

    The sorta offensive part was when someone said “We should target those who are 40 to 50 years old.”  And then they proceeded to name a few people of which a friend of mine and myself were named.  Both of us are still in our thirties.  Sure late thirties (for him that is, I just went over the hump) but still how should one react to that?  I only blurted out that they shouldn’t tell this one person they said that because he’s not forty yet.  I don’t think they got the hint. Overall, nah I wasn’t offended … at least I don’t think so. 

  • Botcon: The Bad and the Good …

    Overall, I thought we had a good time at the convention.  Sure the dealer room seemed smaller, there weren’t that  many great deals and most of the inventory was newer stuff you could find in the stores.  The Club had advertised this year T-shirt, which I ended up buying, as light reflective.  I for some reason thought that meant “glow-in-the-dark” but that wasn’t the case.  (Who wouldn’t want a glow-in-the-dark shirt?)  What I didn’t know was that “light reflective” was actually “light reactive” which means black light active.  I guess you could wear the shirt to a club but would you be able to get in wearing a Transformers t-shirt?  Don’t think so.  Who really has a black light anyways, I mean other than me.  I ended up reselling the shirt since it wasn’t glow-in-the-dark and no I didn’t wear the shirt.

    On the good side we had fun hanging out with some of the people that I knew.  Typically the lines are so long that you’re just spending time standing in line.  This year that wasn’t the case and we both were able to talk and mingle with the few friends that I had there.  We were able to have lunch with a Christian brother and his wife while also witnessing to another friend of ours.  By being the conference hotel we got to stay up late and just talk not just about Transformers but other things that are happening in life.  Oddly of the people in this group, Chewy and I were the oldest.  And finally over the hotel air space there was a skywriter who would write various messages in the sky like Jesus loves you or God saves.