I learned today that my good friend Jeff Stovall resigned his position as Pastor at Woodbine Church, effective at the end of February. He never really felt like he belonged there, so hopefully he and another church can find each other and work in unison to further God's Word. For those that do not know, my denomination calls ministers, whereas some denominations assign ministers to congregations.

I got my cell phone fixed today, so now the display works again. That's cool.

I did some reading earlier, and bought a new book at Wal-Mart. Another book on Gibson's Passion film--This makes two. I have not read the first yet. LOL. There is a bookcase at the church that I need to move into my office, because my current bookcase is overflowing. I have got books strewn everywhere. One book, the PTL Guidebook, is displayed prominently for the sole purpose of scaring people. If you do not remember what the PTL was, think "Tammy Faye and tons of makeup". The book was given to me, along with a ton of other books, last year.

Tomorrow I am going to spend some time writing. Don't know exactly what about yet, but it will come to me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. Peace...

Friday night, Michelle and I went to Chuck E. Cheese and had a blast. Her suitemates Rachel and Lindsey came along, in addition to Rachel's boyfriend Andrew. We all had a great time. Our friends Norm and Robin Brumblay were there, helping their son Garrison celebrate his 4th birthday. We gave Garrison all the tickets we won, and he got to buy a rocket launcher. Dad said with a wink that they were gonna gave a great time with it.

Michelle and I had the worst experience ever at a movie theatre Saturday night. We went to the IMAX theatre at Opry Mills to see "Aliens of the Deep". The announcer said that the film would start after one trailer. The trailer ran for about 5 seconds before it came to an abrupt halt. After waiting for almost 45 minutes, the announcer said the problem with the projector was fatal, and that all tickets would be refunded. We went to the refund counter, and I told the guy that we were really disappointed in all this, because we had driven over an hour to get there. He apologized, and offered us free tickets to any movie, plus our refund. So, we chose to watch "Hide and Seek", with Robert DeNiro. It would have been a great movie, except there was a crying baby who would not settle down. The mother refused to take the baby out, so everyone else was mumbling and grumbling. It was horrible. Michelle finally got up and went to talk with the manager. He and the security guard basically said, "Tough shit. Deal with it." Jeez, it was horrible. I can't understand why anyone would take a baby to a movie like that.

Yesterday, my baseball meeting was really boring--as they always are. However, it is always nice to see old friends and renew acquaintances. Thankfully, it did not last too long, and were out of there.

Youth group was great last night. The kids were really focused, and we did a ton of work in preparation for World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. The kids are really excited. We have one kid that has not been attending church much in the past few months, and lat night we found out that her boyfriend has run into some serious legal trouble. I am going to try to reach out to them and see if there is anything I can do. I am deeply saddened by things that have transpired.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Peace...

Ok, let me try this again...a while ago, I tried to post, but it didn't publish and disappeared. One day I will learn to copy and paste my posts into a Word document for posterity's sake.

Michelle just scored 2 tickets to see Keith Urban at the Ryman. He is her absolute favorite artist, so she is mega-hyped.

James Cameron's new film, "Aliens of the Deep" is now playing at the IMAX theatre at Opry Mills. I am going to try to talk Michelle into going today, but since the film does not feature Mandy Moore, I may not have much luck with that.

I have a baseball meeting tomorrow at Hunters Lane HS, which is not exactly thrilling for me. Although, I will be able to stock up on some new gear, which I desperately need. So, that's cool.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Peace...

GRR to people who make appointments and don't keep them. Yesterday, I was supposed to take the caterer to the church so he could look at the facilities, but he was tied up with something else and could not make it. So, we are supposed to hook up today.

This morning, I have an appointment at the Y for an orientation. The are several pieces of equipment that I do not know how to use, and I want to learn more about them.

Something happened earlier this week that was so funny it caused me to say, "I have got to put this on my blog". Unfortunately, I cannot remember what it was. I am going to ask Michelle later today if she remembers. Grr to forgetfulness.

I have not done much reading this week. I need to get caught up. I started working on a jigsaw puzzle a few days ago. It seems to be progressing slowly. I have not done a puzzle since I was a kid, but I saw one I liked so I decided to do it. When I get it done, I am going to glue it together to preserve it. Cool.

APSU, in its infinite wisdom, disconnected the ethernet ports in Austin's, so they now do not work. The jukebox is also gone, so the place has about as much ambiance as a hospital ward. Jeez. I can't wait to get to Memphis.

We broke the news to the youth group that we would be moving to Memphis after the wedding. Rumors quickly spread in the church that were moving to Minnesota or Michigan. Jeez. Sort of like how Michelle told my grandparents that her brother goes to college in Macon, Georgia--and my grandfather thought she said "Jerusalem"...LOL.

We met Daphne for lunch yesterday to talk about wedding stuff. I am still not sure if her role has been defined, but she is definitely looking for a job in it. Also, Regina's role has still not been defined, and she is getting antsy. I told Michelle that having so many people volunteer to help is a good problem. We have so many that we are having to sort of create jobs for them. We have been super-blessed in the whole planning process. We are really grateful.

Yesterday we went to the grand opening of the new Sam's Club. It was really exciting; the store is huge and packed with all sorts of great stuff. We were by the floral department, and I picked up a dozen tulips for Michelle (her fav flower). She got all excited, and I told her to enjoy them because we would have to put them back before we left, lest I actually pay for them. Several people near us heard me, and started rolling...just laughing uncontrollably. It was hilarious. I have been giving her a ton of flowers lately, since tulips are in season. I am scoring more points than Larry Bird in his heyday. LOL.

Michelle sold one of my old books on eBay to a guy that lives here in Clarksville. Unfortunately, the clown would not meet me to make the exchange, so I am going to have to mail it. He lives on Greenwood, which is about 5 minutes from campus. What a joke. He is a moron. Whatever. Jeez.

I have been having a lot of computer problems lately. I cannot connect to AIM, and Outlook has not been able to connect to the Hotmail server, so I have not checked my Hotmail email address in several days. I also bought some new software yesterday, and am unable to install it on the laptop. I installed it on the desktop just fine. I think the problem lies in the fact that I once had some software from the same company on the laptop that has been removed. I remember getting a message when I removed it saying that all of it could not be removed. I think the parts left behind may be interfering with the new stuff. The CD to the old software is at the church, so Sunday afternoon I am going to reinstall the old stuff, and see if the new stuff will work then. Jeez.

I also have been having a lot of trouble with my wireless connection at home. Normally, I have it set up where Windows manages it, but I have been having a lot of trouble connecting, and maintaining a connection. So, I let my wireless card (a real POS) manage it, and still its not better. Jeez, I am really pissed off at lot of things in regards to technology. Maybe Fidelio heard that I was trying to sell him, and he is rebelling like a teenager. Jeez.

We were talking about eh honeymoon, and the different things we want to do in Boston. We have decided on a whale tour, the aquarium, and a day trip to Walden. We found that people are allowed to swim in Walden Pond, so I am going to bring my trunks. LOL. Also, a trip to Lexington/Concord, maybe a baseball game, and probably some other stuff, too. We have been invited to dinner by a distant relative of mine who lives there...Cool. We are really excited about seeing the city. Hopefully, the snow will have melted but then.

I have had no luck finding a coffee shop I like, so I am waiting patiently for Grinder's to re-open. Grr to not having good coffee/conversation/ambiance.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Peace...

I have not been posting much lately, and I feel bad about that. I would like to record more of the wedding planning process, but I have not been able to make myself sit down and write. Going forward, I am going to write more.

Saturday, Michelle's parents came up, and the 4 of us went to the bridal show at the mall here in Clarksville. It was essentially a waste of time, since there were only about 5 vendors. By coincidence, I ran into several people I know, so that was pretty cool. I even remembered most of their names. I am horrible about running into people, and forgetting their names. One of the people I met at the mall, Ray Roby, is a guy whom I have known all my life. He has been a member of the Clarksville church forever, and he worked with my dad for about 30 years. Yet, for some reason, it took me 30 minutes to remember his last name. Jeez. He is such a nice man, too. I remember that he was the liturgist the morning that I announced I was leaving the Clarksville church to take my current job at Mt. Denson. I asked him before the service started if I could make a special announcement, and he said sure, no problem. He then kind of got curious, and asked what my announcement was about. I told him it was going to be emotional, and I would prefer to only have to say the words once. He just sort of nodded his head, and said OK. After I made the announcement, he told me he understood my plight and wished me good fortune.

After the bridal show, we went to eat lunch at Whitt's BBQ. When we got done eating, we talked about the budget and other stuff. Michelle's dad was really wound up at first, because he had found all of her mother's random notes, and put every number he had found into a spreadsheet. His total put us about 50% OVER budget, and he was freaking. Little did he know that most of the random notes he had found were invalid, so he was greatly relieved to find we are actually about 15% UNDER budget right now, with no major expenses unaccounted for. Whew. Since Whitt's is catering the reception, we spoke with the owner for a while, and worked out the details for that. Towards the end, he asked me what I did for a living, and I told him I am a minister. He asked me jokingly asked me if I was going to marry myself. Michelle's mother looked at him and said with a straight face, "No, he's marrying HER", pointing to Michelle. Everyone got a good laugh. I told him that since I would be busy GETTING married, I would leave the officiating to someone else.

We were supposed to have dinner with my parents, so they could meet Michelle's parents, but my dad was violently ill, so we postponed the meeting until later. I guess the thought of meeting new people must churn my dad's stomach...LOL.

I am going to swing by the new Grinder's location tomorrow, to see how things are going. Hopefully they will be opening soon. I am seriously jonesing for some good coffee. I also am supposed to take the engagement announcement to the newspaper. I am also go to the gym. Michelle and I joined the Y a few weeks ago, and we have been having a good time working out. I am down to just under 190, and it feels good. The last time I was 190, I was at 8% body fat, and was lifting everything in sight. I am a much softer 190 now, but I am going to start lifting soon to build some muscle mass, which will also help burn some fat. Last year on the baseball field, I was way too slow. I am not going to let that happen again.

Speaking of baseball, it is almost here. I am going to start working in the bullpen soon, as my first game is 2/18 at Trevecca. The last time I worked there, the game manager was a buffoon. He put us in a locker room while telling us he would have to move us after the first game. WTF? Why not just put is in one place and leave us there? After the first game, we had to pack up all our stuff, and then move it to another locker room, which happened to be on the other side of the basketball gym. We had to move all of this stuff across the gym floor, while a basketball game was underway. Jeez. As umpires, we try to remain as inconspicuous as possible, and here we are walking across the gym floor, with all eyes on us. We may have well as been wearing beanies and Bozo shoes. I am not going to let that happen again.

Anyway, it will be great to get the season underway. I have a great schedule lined up. I have about 12 dates on the calendar right now, and will probably pick up some more. In addition to my non-conference schedule, I am working in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, which is a D-2 wood bat league. I worked in that league 2 years ago and it was great. Wood bats keep the scores down. I had a conference series in St. Louis, and the last game was 9 innings played in about 1:45. A total of about 6 hits if I remember correctly, and the score was 2-1. Beautiful.

I will also be working plenty of HS ball and Middle school ball should be fun, too.

Speaking of St. Louis, I had the strangest dream ever last week. I dreamt I was in the St. Louis airport, and I ran into Rodney Lockerman, who was working for UPS and had a cart full of stuff to deliver. We chatted for a few minutes, and then I woke up. Rodney is a kid from the Clarksville church who I have not seen in quite a long time. Weird. Very weird. LOL.

I have been reading a book called, "The Gnostic Gospels", which are the documents found at Nag Hammadi in 1945. Probably the most interesting, and certainly the most controversial, part of those documents was the Gospel of Thomas. I just started the book, so I have not gotten very far yet.

The youth group is hard at work getting ready for World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. We going to have a chili luncheon and silent auction of Feb. 20, and the actual famine is Feb. 25-26. We will go 30 hours without eating to get a feel for what a lot of people live with every day. We did this last year, and it was great. Please support World Vision as they try to help people around the globe, including victims of the tsunami, have a better life. One of the main things I love about World Vision is that 84% of all the money they bring in goes directly to their ministries. This is one of the best percentages of any charitable organization in the world. When you give to World Vision, you can feel confident that your money is going to those in need, and not lining the pockets of fat cats in an office.

"They might have split up or they might have capsized;
The may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters."

--From the Gordon Lightfoot classic, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

What an incredibly intense song. Jeez, I'm shaking while listening to it.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

The Hunt for Caffeine and Free Wi-Fi

Since Grinders is temporarily closed, Michelle and I are looking for an interim hang out. Well, actually, I am looking for one since she is actually in school. The kind of place we seek will be first and foremost a coffee shop. It will be a sit-down type place, not just a drive thru. Not a jazz club, or a place that thinks its an Italian restaurant. The place will have free Wi-Fi available. The atmosphere will be relaxed, but not dead. The prices will be reasonable. The people that work there will be friendly and knowledgeable. The people that hang out there will have above average intelligence, and will be able to converse on any number of subjects.

Anyway, here are the results of my hunt:

Lassiter's (Riverside Dr.): Drive thru only, plus the owner is a jerk. Scratch it.

Cafe Paradiso (North Second St.): As soon as I walked in, I choked on the haze of smoke that was 3 feet thick. At 9:30 in the morning. I thought I had stumbled into a bar. No Wi-Fi. The waitress told me that they had it at the old location, but that "it never quite worked out"...whatever that means. She was quick to point out a power outlet under my table, in case I needed to plug in. Maybe she thought I could miracle myself onto the web. Nice touches were the lender's library (leave a book, take a book), and the magazine/newspaper rack was extensive. House guitar hanging on the wall (with pick) for anyone who wants to play. However, the prices were too high. If there were ever a cafe for bikers, this is it. Clientele (and staff) seemed quite "rough around the edges". Example: the girl behind the counter was smoking Camels.

Three Girls cafe (Wilma Rudolph): No Wi-Fi (girl behind the counter said they hoped to have it running my mid-summer). I resisted the urge to say that humans may be living on Mars by mid-summer, and that they should move into the current century. Prices were reasonable. Decorations were great. Clientele seemed to be classy. 3 semi-private rooms for meetings and such. That was cool.

Franklin Bean Company (Franklin St.): No longer in existence. I had never been there, and apparently not many other people had either.

Cafe 431 (University Ave): Is it a cafe that thinks its an Italian restaurant, or vice-versa. Anyway, they scored in the 40s on their health dept. exam. Ouch. Note to self: Salmonella sucks. E coli too.

Mugsy's (Ft. Campbell Blvd.): I have never been there, so I called today and asked the girl on the phone if they had wireless internet. Her response was, "Do we have what?" I repeated my question, and she said she would have to ask the manager. I knew I was in trouble. She comes back to phone after she popped her gum, and said, "No, but they hope to have it in a couple of weeks". I resisted the urge to say that people may be living on the moon in a couple of weeks, and that they should move into the current century.

Java City (on campus): Staff are all bartending school dropouts. Prices are too high, and service sucks. 7,000 students attend APSU and JC seats about 40. You do the math. Often there are at least 3 TV going full volume on 3 different channels. Mass confusion reigns. Occasional live music or movies on the projection screen, which is cool. The bands almost always seem to play on nights that I cannot be there, though. Wi-Fi and ethernet ports (about 5). A little too dark for me to do any real reading.

So, I am in a real quandary here. I do not know what I am going to do, other than maybe drive to Nashville to a Panera bread store. I don't see that happening, though. I will keep you posted. Peace...

Michelle and I were saddened by some news last week. Our favorite hangout, Grinders, has been sold to new owners and will be closed a few weeks while the new owners move it across the highway. The original owners, Pete and Katie Alex, decided to sell it after Katie's sister died and left two small special-needs children. Pete and Katie have decided to adopt the kids.

Michelle and I helped them pack up the shop on Saturday, and it was sad. So, right now, we are left in search of a new temporary hangout. I went to 3 girls cafe yesterday, and that ain't it. I think I am going to go to Franklin Bean today.

We have been working really hard on the wedding. Well, it would be more accurate to say Michelle has been working really hard on the wedding. Whenever she asks my opinion on something, my standard response is, "Whatever you like is fine with me." LOL. I am going to work on the guest list today, attaching addresses and stuff to the names in our database. My mom ripped into me the other day, because I had left off some important people. I forgot to tell her that the guest list is determined by a complicated mathematical formula that factors in things such as (1) How nice of a gift someone is likely to bring, (2) How much someone is likely to eat, and, (3) How many kids someone is likely to bring. There are some other mitigating factors as well. So, if someone gets left off the list, he or she should not take it personally, it's just business. LOL.

We are looking forward to Valentine's Day, which will be the 1-year anniversary of our first date. We are going to a minister's party on Feb. 4, and then to the party at Clarksville Church on Feb. 12. Tulips, Michelle's favorite flower, are in season right now, and I have bought them for her twice in less than a week. She is beginning to wonder if I have some ulterior motive, such as wanting to buy a motorcycle or something. As of now, there is no ulterior motive, although I may think of one later. I just like seeing the look on her face when I show up with flowers.

Yesterday after luch we went to Opry Mills. We picked up a bunch of stuff at Barnes and Noble. $60 worth. Ouch and Joy at the same time.

We had a fight Sunday afternoon in Wal-Mart, and laughed about it afterwards. So much so that we have been TRYING to start another fight ever since. Every attempt just boggs down into a laughing session, so we are having fun with it.

I am going to change the oil in her truck today, and replace the rear turn signals on mine. We have decided to start driving my truck more, because we have been putting a ton of miles on hers, and not many on mine. When baseball season starts, I will be driving mine a lot more anyway.

I have been really busy getting ready for baseball. I have gotten most of my college schedule, and I am really excited about it. My high school schedule should be really good as well, in addition to my middle school schedule. I also may work a few games in Hendersonville. Since I am not it school this semester, I want to work somewhere every day I can.

The youth are busy collecting donations for World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. We are having a chili luncheon and silent auction after church on Feb. 20, then we will be doing the Famine the following Friday and Saturday. Michelle and I are having a contest involving penny jars. We each have a jar, with pennies counting as positive points, and silver coins being negative. If I lose (not gonna happen), I have agreed to shave my legs. If Michelle loses, the youth group is going to concoct some kind of nasty mix of foods that she will have to eat. Fear Factor, Presbyterian style. So, if anyone would like to contribute to my efforts, please let me know. Michelle has the entire group on her side, and I am all by myself. I am not going to let myself lose, though. LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well, and has a great day. Peace...

I have decided to sell my laptop. We decided today that we only need one laptop, so I am going to sell mine. I figure I should be able to get about $600-$700, so that will be a nice emergency fund to start our marriage with. I hate to part with it, though. I may hold a wake.

More wedding planning has been taking place every day. Somehow, yesterday, I found myself trapped in David's Bridal for 3 hours while Michelle tried on dresses. I definitely needed a drink after that ordeal. Jeez.

My guitar playing is not coming real well. I know 3 chords, but can't change chords or play any kind of a tune. I can bang chords for hours, though. I need to practice more.

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. Peace...

My local association also issued name badges. I could not find mine, so i took this one. I figured if I said something stupid, it was best for no one to know who I was.

I spent Friday and Saturday at the NCAA Regional Umpires Conference. It was really great, and I feel like I learned a great deal. This is my folder with my NCAA-issued name badge. 

My dog disappeared on Christmas day, and was gone for several days. Some guy dropped her off at my house last week, without saying a word. She was weak, tired, and sick. She had clearly been outside the entire time, and had probably not eaten. I immediately took her to the vet, and found that she had a sore throat and chest congestion. She has been doing better every day, and when I exercised her today, she ran with nearly the same energy as usual. I am so glad that she is back and doing well. Michelle and I stopped at Kroger's tonight, and I got her (Fluffy, not Michelle) a butcher's bone. She will vaporize it tomorrow when I give it to her. She only started eating normally in the past couple of days because of the sore throat, so she is looking to make up for lost time. She rarely eats all the food I giver her each day, but the past two days, she has cleaned her bowl.

Michelle and I took a hard look at the guest list tonight, and I did some paring. We are trying to keep the total number to about 300, but we are still over by quite a bit. Maybe I won't show up, reducing the number by one...LOL.

We have been shopping several times in the past week or so for various stuff, and it has been fun striking up conversations with random strangers who are planning their weddings as well. All the guys have exactly the same dumbfounded look on their faces as I do, and when asked their opinion on things, they all give the same response as me: "That's fine, baby...Whatever you like (is great)."

We are busy planning things for the 30 hour famine. We did this back in the spring, shortly after I started working at the church. I think the kids are excited, I know they had a great experience last time.

Tomorrow, Michelle and I are going to chill out a bit and probably watch a movie. Probably "Almost Famous". I may listen to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer a few times tonight to prepare myself.

We have decided to go to Boston on the honeymoon. It should be a lot of fun. The Royals are in town that week, so we going to try to catch a game. We want to see a lot of the architecture, and historical sites. Cape Cod, too, to see how the other half lives. We are really excited about seeing one of the most historical cities in America. Much thanks to Boston Ellen for sending us a Boston tour guide. I promise to send it back.

I hope everyone is feeling well. Peace...

My youth group will be participating in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine Feb. 25-26. We will be raising money (and going without food for 30 hours) to feed starving children.

Your $30 donation will feed a starving kid for an entire month. Please call me at 931-378-3088 to make your donation. Thank you. Peace...