I got off work tonight at 7, so it has been great spending an evening with Michelle. After dinner, we played a game of Scrabble, which was a lot of fun. I wish she had not drawn so many bad letters, so it would have been a closer game.

The old movie Wargames is currently on TV, so I am watching it. It is one of my favorite movies of all time.

I have found that melting a peppermint candy cane into a cup of hot chocolate is incredible!! I have a new favorite treat.

I am working tomorrow and Saturday, which is not an appealing, as we are going to be really busy. Sunday afternoon, there is a Mary Kay party in my house, so I am scouting out places to watch football games.

I have not gotten very far in reading my first book for my Israel class. I guess it was just a little optimistic to think I could get any work done during Christmas time. I am going to get some work done tomorrow before I go to work.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Never before have I had so much trouble with anything. Since Christmas day, I have been trying to scan and upload into my blog a funny picture from my desk calendar. At first, I could not get the scanner to see the iBook, so I scanned the picture into Michelle's Gateway. For an unknown reason, Blogger would not let me upload the image (or any other), while using Mozilla. So, I decided to transfer the image to my thumbdrive, and upload it on the iBook, where I use Firefox. Since I have not been using the thumbdrive much lately, it was hard to find. In fact, it took me almost 20 minutes to find it. (Gotta remember to put it back into my backpack). So, I transferred the image to the thumbdrive, and tried to upload it onto the blog from the iBook. It took me several tries, but I finally got it--well, most of it. As you can see, the caption at the bottom is cut off--even though when I view the file, it is fine. Jeez. So, I re-scanned it, still to no avail. So, after wasting nearly an hour on something quite frivolous, I have given up.

The point of the exercise is that before Christmas, Michelle and I had several discussions about the merits of artificial Christmas trees vs. natural trees. She advocates artificial; I am all-natural. Before she saw this drawing, she put forth the [remote] possibility of a natural tree attracting some sort of live animal. I guess that is what makes this picture so hilarious to me. She also put forth an argument that her allergies would be aggravated by a natural tree in the house. As an allergy sufferer myself (3 kinds of grass, dogs, cats, plus dust), that was a much more convincing argument than the possibilities of live animals living in the tree. So, needless to say, we have an artificial tree. One with optical neon lights, no less.

Peace...

"I'm gonna rent myself a house
In the shade of the freeway
Gonna pack my lunch in the morning
And go to work each day
And when the evening rolls around
I'll go on home and lay my body down
And when the morning light comes streaming in
I'll get up and do it again
Amen.
Say it again
Amen."

--From Jackson Browne's Pretender

My life sucks today. It's Christmas Eve, and I am about to go work for close to 11 hours. I am saddened by this reality.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Proof positive that some people should not be allowed to own nice cars. The 1973 mustang was not necessarily the best vintage, but it deserves a better fate than this, nonetheless.

I have been going into work early every day this week, to pick up extra hours. There is one assistant manager whom I seem to piss off in various ways almost every day, and even he commented yesterday that I have been working really hard. The running joke around the store theses days is "How is Chris going to piss off Scott Today". My inability to not do stupid things that piss him off. Almost every day, it seems I find a new way to make him mad. Oh well, I will just keep trying harder.

We watched "The 40 Year Old Virgin" last night, and while no movie can ever surpass "Used Cars" on my list of the funniest movies ever made, it is definitely in the top five, if not top three. I was laughing so hard, I almost had an asthma attack. I started wheezing and coughing, but I could not stop laughing. Very funny, and I highly recommend it. The movie, not an asthma attack. LOL.

After lunch with Michelle, I will do some last-minute shopping, and then head to work.

The new ESPN commercial where Danica Patrick's race car gets towed from Dan Patrick's parking spot is not nearly as funny as it could be. Maybe that is because Danica Patrick has no personality, and if she were not a woman, would be no different than any number of borderline good drivers. Her celebrity is a media creation, although I do not blame the Indy Car series for promoting her, because it needs all the attention it can get. I wish open-wheel racing could regain some stature in America. It is my favorite form of racing.

While I am on a sports theme, let me say that for the first time, this year I watched more NASCAR than NFL. I think this is because here in Memphis, the Dallas Cowboys have been on my TV for 13 of the last 14 weeks. A mediocre team that gets more airtime than any other is a good reason for me to channel-surf. Add that to the fact that Monday Night Football's games this year have rarely featured good teams, and you have me watching other sports. The NFL needs to do a better job of putting the best teams on TV more often, instead of old retread teams that suck.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Countach. Enough said.

I made a few more changes to the blog. In the left column, I have added links to my calendar and my iMac page. On the iMac page, I am soon going to post some of my writings about Confucius and Immanuel Kant. I suspect this will not happen until after the first of the year. Things are just insane right now.

Yesterday was supposed to be my day off, but I volunteered to work 6 hours to make a few extra bucks. I am going in an hour or so early today to help out.

Last week, we began The Great Book Purge. We went through our books, and listed a bunch of them on Ebay. Several of them have sold already, which is cool. I am going to the Post Office this morning, in fact, to mail off another one. Perhaps the best thing about freeing up all this shelf space is that we now have a great excuse to buy more books. I cannot stand to see empty bookshelves. Or CD/DVD racks. LOL. I will reiterate the fact that 90% of all the money I have ever made, I have spent on movies, music, and books. The other 10% I wasted.

I am so excited about Christmas, even though we will be here instead of with our families. The idea of our first Christmas together just trips me out. I still have a few bucks in the gift budget, so I need to find time to go buy another gift for Michelle.

Michelle's Mary Kay career has gotten off to a good start. I am happy that she has decided to challenge herself in this way. She will grow in innumerable ways; Plus, it will bring in a few bucks, so that is great.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Today is the "Day of Repair". First, this morning, we took Michelle's truck to the brake shop for new brake pads. After the guy tried his best to upgrade us to the premium Corvette brakes (for an Explorer!?!), I finally got him to agree to just the standard brakes. Of course, that was at 10:00 this morning, and as of now, 2:00 PM, the job is still not done. Jeez. Second, maintenance finally came to fix our kitchen light that electrocuted Michelle over 2 weeks ago. She flipped the switch, and blue flames shot out of the wall and shocked her so bad that for a couple of hours, every time she touched something it would buzz. So, they finally came to fix it. I forgot to mention that lat week, our home phone went dead. Luckily, the phone guy came immediately and fixed that. And people wonder why we want to buy our own home. LOL.

I am going to work in a little while, and I dread it. The store is going to be exceedingly busy, and it will be all week.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We are watching the Dallas/Washington game, and just before halftime it is 28-0 Washington. I love a good bitch-slapping, at least when it is Dallas on the receiving end.

We may end up leaving a little before the end of the game, because we are going to the zoo to see the Christmas lights. That should be a lot of fun. There are supposed to be 2 real reindeer there.

Being the week before Christmas, I have to work almost every day this week. I think Tuesday is the only day off for me, and I may end up working so I can make a few extra bucks. So, it will be a long week. Yesterday, we were slammed all day, and it never let up. I guess that is a good problem.

One of Michelle's friends came over a few nights ago, so I grilled steaks. There is a meat store just down the street, and they have great prices. I also grilled some shrimp as an appetizer. I had never done shrimp before, and they turned out great, so that was nice. I really enjoy using my grill, although I have not used it much in the past several weeks. During the break, I am going to use it more.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace.

"Say if I could
Look into myself and reason
But I could never never see
Or make sense of the dealings
Turn around
Am I looking at salvation
Make me realize all that I am
You put the light inside this man

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And of the world seems to disappear
All of the problems
All of the fears
And all of the world seems to disappear"

--From the INXS song, Dissapear

It is a great feeling to be off from work, and off from school today. It has been several months since I had a whole day to myself. So, I am doing laundry...LOL.

Also, I have continued my CD ripping project. I am having so much fun with this.

All but one of my grades have been posted, so I am waiting impatiently. Looks like I will come up just short of the Dean's List, so I am a little saddened by that. However, I know I worked really hard this semester, so I am pleased with my effort. Except in Spanish; I could have worked harder there. I will next semester.

Michelle and I are going to the Memphis Zoo tonight to see the Christmas lights. That should be a lot of fun.

Michelle's best friend here, Sophia, is a Mary Kay rep, and has recruited Michelle to join their cult...LOL. So, please contact Michelle for all your skin-care needs.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Michelle checked this morning to see if her grades had been posted, and indeed they had. She earned 2 A's and a B, which is a great showing in her first semester of grad school. I am so proud of her.

I checked for mine, and only one has been posted, Jewish Thought. I earned an A there, which is pretty much what I expected. When the professor announces during class that he "likes to give A's, and will look ways to do that", it's hard not to make an A. LOL.

My other grades should be trickling in; the professors are required to have them submitted my next Monday.

I continue to rip cd's to my hard drive; I have ripped about 1200 songs so far. I having so much fun ripping and listening to music, I fell giddy. LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I have enjoyed the last 17 hours or so of my life immensely. After work last night, we went out to eat at our favorite place, The Belmont Grill, to celebrate the one year anniversary of my proposing marriage. We had wonderful food, and great times. After dinner, a stop at Starbucks for peppermint hot chocolate was in order...LOL.

When we got home, I started to rip some CD's to my laptop, and found myself listening to music for the first time since we moved here. Things have been so crazy the past few months, that I have not been able to sit down and absorb myself in music for more than 1 song at a time. That is a shame. Music is good for the soul. So, I spent all night (till after 3 AM) ripping CD's and listening to music. Oh the joy. This morning, I have continued to do the same, although I have got to do some laundry and clean up the apartment sometime today, because we have some friends coming over tonight.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Here is my blog post from one year ago:

She Said YES!!

A few minutes before 9 PM on Monday, December 13, 2004, I dropped to one knee, withdrew an engagement ring from my pocket, and I asked Michelle for her hand in marriage. Without hesitation, she said yes. Which is fortunate, because it would have been really awkward otherwise.

Anyway, we had already been planning the wedding, so most everything is set to go. It had taken me a while to find the right moment, so Michelle had really been on edge for a while.

The ceremony will be at the Clarksville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Clarksville TN, at 11:00 AM on July 30, 2005.

I have found that if a man gives a woman an engagement ring, he can get away with anything for a while. In the past few days, Michelle has bought me Eric Clapton's new DVD/CD combo, and the LOTR ROTK special edition. I have been thinking of taking her down to Mary's Music to see what I could get there...LOL.

I am in the process of putting together a wedding web site, so check it out as it becomes functional.

I stopped by the Leaf-Chronicle today to pick up a wedding packet. We will be announcing our engagement soon. We are going to announce it in the Leaf-Chronicle and the Tullahoma newspaper. Maybe the Tennessean, too.

We have a meeting with the photographer next Tuesday. Bill and his wife have been friends of mine for a long time, so we are glad to have them. The cake is going to be done by the mother of one of the kids from the youth group. We haven't completely decided on the caterer yet, but we are leaning strongly in one direction there.

I hope everyone wishes us well, and peace to all.

The Semester is OVER!!

I finished my Spanish final a while ago, and now my semester is finished! I feel kind of weird, knowing that I do not have to get up Wednesday and go to class. This semester really flew by; it feels like it just began. My grades this semester are borderline Ok-great. Assuming I get A's on my Judaic Studies papers, that will give me an A for the class (there were only 3 graded assignments the entire semester). In philosophy 1, I had an A- before the final, so assuming I made an A on the paper, I should be good there. In philosophy 2, I had a B+ before the final, and I feel like I probably got a B on the final. However, the professor said several times that class participation and attendance would count subjectively in the final analysis. Given that I only missed one day, and always had something to say, I may get bumped to an A there. Spanish did not go nearly as well, given that I did not do nearly enough work as I should have. I had a C+ before the final, but since I worked extra hard for the final, I may have gotten an A there. So, I will probably finish with a B- there. If all of these scenarios play out, I should make the Dean's list. That was my goal at the beginning of the semester.

My sister Jessica is graduating from the University of Tennessee this weekend. I am unspeakably proud of her. She will go on to do great things in computer software, and has already received several job offers. When the right one comes, I am sure she will be excited.

You may have noticed that I changed the look of the blog. The old design was getting really tired, so went with this one. I have not yet figured out how to get the sidebar to look right, so I will keep working on it.

It looks like we will not make it home for Christmas, as I have to work Christmas Eve, and Michelle has to work Dec. 26th. It will be kind of sad, but then again, part of getting married is leaving behind one's family and starting a new one. We are looking at visiting with our families in early January.

There are 3 books I have to read for my Israel trip class, and I am hoping to knock 2 of them out during the break. I bought one online, so it should be here in a few days.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

OK, I finished my long paper for Judaic Studies. Now, all I have left is to write the shorter paper, and study for my Spanish final. And to proof-read the long paper once more. But all of that will have to wait, as I must go to work now. I work until 11 tonight.

It is really cool when I make a specific game plan, stick to it, and get things done. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I normally just kind of have a general idea in my head about what I want to do for a day or two, what to work on, things like that. I think I may start making a more specific plan for each day, and each week. I have gotten a ton of stuff done in this past week, and having it all written on paper helped me, I think. Although, it looked quite over-bearing at the outset. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, now, so that is great.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I took my philosophy #2 final, and I glad that's over. Whew! It was really tough, and I took almost the entire two hours. There was only one other person still working when I left. Usually, I am one of the first to get done.

After lunch, I am going to start working on my Judaic Studies paper(s). They are both due Monday, which is also the day of my Spanish final. Then, I will be done for the semester. So, I have got one LONG weekend of work ahead of me. I guess that's justice, since I did school-work only on maybe three weekends the entire semester. Next semester will probably be different.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Today is the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's assassanation. I have been working hard for the past couple of hours, studying for tomorrow's Philosophy final, but I think I will take a break and listen to some music. Such a sad day.

Peace...

My Spanish online homework is due at midnight tonight, and I just finished with about 7 minutes to spare!! Of course, I sort of slowed down while I was having my second glass of Chivas, but that's OK. 7 minutes is plenty of time.

Tomorrow morning, I am going to start on my Judaic Studies paper, at least the first one...LOL. I have to work from 3-11, and I am not looking forward to that. St some point tomorrow, I will have to find time to study for my Philosophy 2 final, which is Friday morning. I almost hate myself for not studying for it ahead of time. Almost.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

OK, I finished my Philosophy 1 final exam paper. Whew! A feel a nice sense of accomplishment. The assignment was to evaluate the morality Antigone's actions (defying Creon) in light of Aristotle's ethics, and Confucius' system. I hate assignments like that. Anyway, it's done, so after supper I am moving on to Spanish homework, then starting on my Judaic Studies paper. Wish me well...

OK, I got to the library a few minutes ago. It is hot enough to grow orchids in here. I am hoping that I will cool down in a few minutes, lest I lose weight due to the sauna-like conditions. Jeez.

I took part two of my Spanish exam earlier, and I feel I did fine. I also realized that I have got some online homework to do for Spanish tonight. Joy. I am going to finish my Philosophy 1 paper that I started last night, then do Spanish. After dinner, I am going to start my Judaic Studies paper (the first one, anyway).

I got the tentative itinerary (newly revised) for the Israel trip today. I am really excited about this trip. It promises to be great.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

OK, Hell week has begun. In order for her to keep up with where I am going to be this week, Michelle made a really nice drawing of my schedule. However, when I tried to post it here, I could not get it to look right. So, I will give it to you in words.

Tonight, I am going to write a paper (which is the final exam) for Philosophy 1. This will be 4-6 pages comparing three different texts we have covered in class this semester (Antigone, Aristotle's Ethics, and the Analects of Confucius. No outside sources are needed, just the three texts. This paper is due Friday. I need to make an A on the paper to make an A for the class. Then, I will study for the second part of my Spanish test which began Monday (all of our tests cover two class periods). The Spanish test is tomorrow.

Tomorrow, after my Spanish test, I will write a paper for Judaic Studies, which is the final exam. This will be 3-5 pages contrasting any two topics covered by any of the authors we have read. I have no idea whatsoever what this paper will be about. Once I finish that paper, I will begin writing another paper for Judaic Studies, which is last assignment for the class. This paper will be 10-12 pages, with at least 3 outside sources per page expected. It can be about anything we have covered in class. I have no idea whatsoever what this paper will be about. Both of these papers are due next Monday.

Thursday, I will continue writing the second Judaic Studies paper, and then study for my Philosophy 2 final, which is Friday. I need to make an A on the final to make an A for the class. I have to work from 3-11 Thursday. I will hate that.

Friday is my Philosophy 2 final. After that, I will continue writing the Judaic Studies paper. I am off Friday night, so Michelle and I might go see a movie or something. Or, I may just work on my paper all night. That is the more likely scenario.

Saturday morning, I will continue working on the Judaic Studies paper, then I work from 3-11.

Sunday, it's church, then back to work. I will finish the Judaic Studies paper, then study for my Spanish final, which is comprehensive. After that, I will take a long breath, then probably start crying tears of joy, because the semester will be over and done.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I've been studying Spanish for most of the afternoon, so now I am just relaxing. We are going to my company Christmas party later, and that should be a lot of fun. I went back to work yesterday, mostly because I thought it would look a little weird if I missed a whole week of work, then showed up at the party...LOL.

This is going to be an extremely busy week, as the last week of classes always is. I need to write 1 long paper, 2 short papers, plus I have 1 final exam.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

This morning I realized I had not pulled any pages off my calendar since October 2. So, as I was pulling pages, I found a particularly funny one.

Damn, I have such a headache.

I feel a little better today, but not much. I don't think I will go to work this afternoon. I left Spanish class early yesterday, and emailed the prof to explain the situation. She was understanding, saying that she hoped I could make it to the test tomorrow. I think I may ask her if I can take it on Monday, since I have not been able to study at all for it. I have no idea what I am going to do for Judaic Studies, since I have a paper and a shorter essay both due soon, and have not started on either. Oh well.

I hope everyone is doing fine. Peace...