This weekend was simply incredible. Friday, at about noon, it started snowing rather heavily here in Memphis. Since Michelle was working, we were not scheduled to leave for Clarksville until about 4 PM. However, her boss was concerned that we would not be able to make it out of town, so she came home early and allowed Michelle to leave early. So, we got out for town about 2:30 I think. People in Memphis drive in a ridiculous manner even when the roads are clear, so adding snow just creates bedlam and chaos. It took us quite a while, and a few death-defying maneuvers, to get out of town. Once we got down the road a ways, we actually got ahead of the snow, and we were just driving through a lot of rain. Not too bad. However, around mile marker 30 (remember, mile marker 0 is the Mississippi River) Michelle started clamoring about how she always craves hot chocolate when it's snowing. Meanwhile, I was just trying to keep us alive...LOL. So, we soon stopped for some hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll. This allowed the snow to catch back up to us, but we eventually got back ahead of it again. Until mile marker 143, when we needed gas. After filling up, we drove through snow for a while until we eventually got ahead of it again. Eventually, we got to my grandparents' house, where I promptly fell asleep from exhaustion. LOL.

My mother had read here that one of our main objectives while we were in town was to visit Johnny's, so she and my dad instructed me not to go there Friday night, since they wanted to take us there for dinner Saturday night. However, our jones could not wait, so we went late Friday night just for a honeybun with ice cream. Mmmm good. Afterward, we were so wired that we called my parents house to see if they were still up, and indeed they were. So, we headed over there to chill and so I could download some of my brother's music. My dad had recently converted a bunch of old home VHS movies to DVD, so we watched Christmas 1986 and had great laughs. That was the year I got my first RC car, and it fun to remember old times. Steve promptly brought out that old car, plus my dad's lasertag gun (complete with holster). Steve watched the movie with horror as he opened a ton of Transformers, and other figurines. He could only imagine how much they would be worth now, unopened. I pointed out that his behavior was dangerously similar to that of the guy in "40 Year-old Virgin". I threatened to never speak to him again if he revealed an "Asia" poster. Then I told the story about the guy I used to know who had close to 10 Asia CD's. LOL.

Saturday, we had a busy day. We started by going to Wal-Mart to buy a trailer ball and a wrench (to install the trailer ball). While there, we ran into one of my former professors, whom I had for English 1010 and 1020. She is the nicest woman, and it was great to see her. We also ran into Dottie Minor, who is a member of the Clarksville church. She told us that her husband Pat was out of town and would miss my sermon, but that she would be there. She is really friendly, and it was great to talk with her.

Then, we went to U-Haul to pick up the trailer we had reserved. I had originally reserved it with the plan that we would tow it with my Nissan truck, but due to the snow we decided to drive Michelle's Explorer instead. When the woman at U-Haul saw we were in an Explorer, she promptly told us we could not rent the trailer, due to U-Haul's policy of not allowing their trailers to be town behind Ford Explorers. I said something to the effect of, "Say what?". I found this to be incredulous. She explained that a number of Explorers had overheated while towing trailers, so they do not allow it anymore. I was just dumbfounded. So, needless to say, we left U-Haul without a trailer.

So, we headed over to Tim's house to load up what we could of the stuff we had left there when we moved to Memphis in August. First on the priority list for me was the CD's and DVD's that I had unwittingly left there. Since all my CD's are alphabetized, I have been without everything from the M's to the R's since we moved here. That includes my Neil Young and Pink Floyd. This has been a sore spot with me, so I am overjoyed to get them back. Then, we went to Wal-Mart to return the trailer ball and wrench. Then, we went to visit the people that she used to work for, but the kids were not there so we decided to come back later. So, I got a haircut and Michelle got hers trimmed a bit. We then cruised by Verizon to see Kent, and while there ran into Tim and Teri Sims, who are expecting another baby in a few months. So, their two kids will only be about 14 months apart. Wow. Turns out that Teri knows Kent's wife Daphne. I had never known this...LOL. We visited with Kent for a few minutes before heading over to my parents' house to get ready for dinner, and for me to copy more music. Steve and I played some games on the Xbox while everyone waited for my parents to get ready. We eventually hit the road and we all enjoyed a nice dinner at Johnny's. Steve's girlfriend Tina met us there, and no one was quite shocked that Steve and I engaged in an almost-epic battle of Ms. Pac-Man. That was a lot of fun. Ms. Pac-Man is one of my favorite video games of all time. Some of you may remember that I once held the high score on the machine at Austin Peay, until they unplugged the machine and moved it about 8 feet. That was horrible!...LOL

After dinner, we headed back to my parents' house where I could finish copying music, and while doing that Steve and I listened to some of Dark Side of the Moon (on his new special version CD) in surround sound, which was fabulous. Michelle was significantly ready to go, so we departed.

We got over to my grandparents' house, and I had planned on reviewing my sermon, but instead I mainly toyed with my new music, getting organized just the way I wanted it. Meanwhile, Michelle watched the last half of "Dirty Dancing". Then, the lights went out and I embarked on one of the least-restful nights of sleep ever. I don't think I slept for more than about 2 hours total, and woke up with a terrible headache, and with every bone of my body hurting. Plus, I felt like puking. I was not sure if I was going to be able to make it to church, and I was certainly in no condition to speak. But, I persevered, and made it there. I was already a nervous wreck, and when my parents walked in, I almost fell out of my shoes. No one had told me they were coming, so I was quite shocked to say the least. This increased my level of anxiety/nervousness by a factor of about 15, so I promptly went to the bathroom and got sick. Real sick. I cleaned myself up, and with about 5 minutes to spare, declared myself ready to proceed.

Somehow, I made it through the service, although I do not know how. I was so overcome with emotion that I could hardly breathe, let alone speak coherently. Afterward, it was remarkable how many people told me that I looked so relaxed. I wanted to say it must been because I felt dead...LOL.

After worship, the entire family gathered for lunch, which was a lot of fun. I didn't really feel like eating, but I managed to get some food down (Can't pass up a free lunch...LOL). It was great to visit with everyone, but before I knew it, it was time for us to go. We went by the Clarksville Academy, where the local baseball umpires' association was supposed to have a meeting, so I could say hello to the guys. However, no one was around, so I surmised that the meeting must have been cancelled. Then we went out to visit the kids Michelle used to watch, and we were all excited to see each other. They told us they were doing well in school, and that made us really happy. I had sold my Dell laptop to their mother last summer, and she told us that over the holidays some of the family that were in town had downloaded a bunch of games and stuff and gotten it messed up. She had just gotten it back from the shop on Friday. I was glad that there was nothing mechanically wrong with it. I fooled around with it for a bit, defragmenting the hard drive, and doing the same with their desktop. I also tried to fix the desktop's monitor, but could not do much with it. Looks like it is going bad.

We hit the road about 4 or so, and as soon as we got going, I knew I was not going to be able to drive the whole way. I was so exhausted that I could only drive for an hour or so, and had to get Michelle to drive. She drive for a time, while I slept. Except for when she would slam on the brakes, waking me up. Anyway, she drove past Waverly to where we get back on the interstate (mile marker 143), and we stopped for a few minutes to get some coffee and snacks. I felt much better, and was able to drive the rest of the way. We got home a little after 8, unpacked the car, and promptly sat our butts down. We were tired. We cooked a frozen pizza, of which I did not eat much (still no appetite), watched Grey's Anatomy, then went to bed. Just before retiring, however, I opened the envelope I had received at church, which contained my paycheck. When I saw the amount, I was flabbergasted. They paid me much more than the normal rate, plus mileage. Whenever I speak at a church, I don't usually discuss the pay, knowing that the church will pay me fairly. So, this was quite a surprise. A great way to top off the night, and hit the rack.

The wake-up call came way too early this morning, and I could not manage to stumble out of bed in time to make it to math class. Which was OK, since we probably were just going to go over Friday's test. There is no attendance policy, so it's not big deal. I decided to go to the library, where I planned on doing some reading, but instead I have been writing this post for about the last hour or so. At 11:30, Michelle and I are meeting for lunch (appetite is BACK!), then we have a meeting at 12:30 here on campus. Then, I have film class at 2:30, and she has to work for a few hours before she goes to class. Maybe I will get some school work done tonight while she is in class.

I checked my email earlier, and one of my professors wants to get together over lunch to informally discuss the ethics of human cloning. That sounds exciting. I do not know too much about it, although I tend to be against it. So, it will be good to converse with someone who is knowledgeable about it. I think we are going to get together in the next week or two.

I have an Israel meeting tomorrow, and a baseball meeting on Wednesday night. So, I do not work again until Thursday. So, our expenditures will definitely be cut back this week. Maybe we will pick up some Ramen noodles...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

This morning found me downloading Green Day's album "American Idiot" from iTunes. I have been listening to it for the last 30 minutes or so, and I really like it. I have never listened to much of their music before, the one exception being "Good Riddance" some years back. Therefore, I did not have a good idea of what their sound was, but I am enjoying it. Very energetic, to say the least. 3-piece bands always have unique sounds (i.e., Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rush, ZZ Top, et al.).

I also checked out the 2006 Grammys album, and I may buy it soon. I already have some of the music from it, but there are several songs I don't have. I may do that next week.

Today, I am turning in my ethics paper that I finally finished at 11:30 last night. Also, western philosophy class should be good. We will be talking about Baruch Spinoza, who managed to simultaneously get excommunicated from Judaism, and piss off the Roman Catholic Church. Talking about predestination can do things like that. I had never read him before this class, so it is a refreshing break from the Kant-Mill cycle I have been on.

1 more day till we roll to Clarksville!

Peace...

I have hit a patch of writer's block today, as I have made very little progress toward finishing my ethics paper. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but I have not been able to get them down on paper. We rented the movie "Cinderella Man" the other day, and it is due tonight. If I want to watch it, I must finish my paper, so maybe I will get a sense of urgency.

We are marking the hours till we get to Clarksville, although it feels a little weird not knowing what the schedule is going to be once we get there. We should get into town about 9-10 PM Friday night, so we don't expect to do much except go to Johnny's for a honey bun and ice cream. Saturday, we will be packing some stuff up that we had left in storage. My main personal objective there is to retrieve the CD's that I unwittingly left behind. This includes all my Pink Floyd, Neil Young, and Robert Johnson. This has been a sore spot with me since we moved here. So, when we get back, I will have serious ripping to do. Also, while we are there, I am planning on raiding my brother Steve's music hard drive to add some stuff to my collection that I do not have on CD.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We had our debate in ethics class today, and it went well. My team actually won, which was quite surprising to me. Although, the outcome had no effect on our grade, other than merely participating will help everyone with their participation grade. My team had a couple people not show up today, so boo to them. We overcame their absence, and presented a pretty good argument.

We are looking forward to being in Clarksville this weekend. I need to call Mike Clark to see if they want to have dinner Friday or Saturday night, or do something else. My whole family is getting together Sunday after church, and that will be neat. It will also be cool to unwrap our Christmas presents that my parents got us--I am beginning to like this idea of celebrating Christmas in February...LOL.

I am getting nervous about preaching at Clarksville church, which is kind of weird since I normally get nervous about preaching as soon as I accept an invitation. I guess I have been so busy with school work and stuff that I have not had time to get nervous. Although, I have a pretty good sermon, and I think that helps, too. Hopefully I will say something meaningful.

I ran into Caroline Averitt today while I was eating lunch. It was good to talk with an old friend from Clarksville, although she laid a guilt trip on me for having never come to the Wesley Foundation. She is heavily involved there, and I think she may even work there in some capacity. Anyway, I explained that I work almost every Tuesday, and Michelle has class. But, I told her we would make an effort. She told me her brother Jay will be coming here in the fall on a full academic scholarship; I am really proud of him. Last time I spoke with him, he was wanting to be a youth minister, so I hope that desire is still with him.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I haven't spoken with Kent since before the game, but I know he is overjoyed with Pittsburgh's win over Seattle. He has been a true Steelers fan since he was a kid, and has been waiting a long time for the Steelers to win another title.

Michelle and I had much fun watching the game. Actually, I had much fun and she did homework...LOL. It was one of the strangest games I have ever seen. A lot of twists and turns, with Seattle dominating but never taking control. It was more of Seattle LOSING the game than Pittsburgh WINNING it.

Today will be filled with homework and reading. Also, I need to work on tomorrow's presentation. Need to work on Sunday's sermon, too. Need to do some Spanish stuff online. Need to study for Friday's math test. Not too much going on, other than that stuff...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Some interesting things happened in ethics class today. We were talking about moral relativism, which is the view which contends there is no universal code of morality that is good for all people. Rather, it holds that each society's moral codes are determined by the individual society. The professor asked the class if anyone agreed that this was a good philosophy, and several people raised their hands. Then the professor asked if anyone was in strong disagreement with this system, and I, along with some others, raised my hand. I pointed out that it is essentially a fallacious argument, and used an example of slavery in the U.S. I submitted that just because slavery was at one time morally permissible in some parts of the U.S., that does not necessarily make it right. In the end, two black women on opposite ends of the room started arguing with each other, and they dominated the conversation for about 15 minutes.

We got an interesting assignment for Tuesday. The class split into 3 groups, and Tuesday there will be an in-class debate. One team will have to argue in favor of a moral issue, one team will have to refute those arguments, then the two teams switch sides. The third team will act as judges. My team will have to argue in favor of the issue in the first round. The issue that we will argue in favor of is female clitoridectomy. Yep, you read that right. The real kicker is that my team elected me captain. So, I split the team into offense and defense. The offense will argue in favor, and the defense will counter the other team's arguments. Further, some team members will prepare the opening and closing remarks. So, all of this should be a lot of fun. The outcome of the debate will not have an effect on our grades, other than getting participation points. That is why I made sure everyone has a role.

One drawback to getting up before dawn is that I am now completely out of gas. After I finish my Flying Dog Winter Ale, I am going to bed. A night without watching O'Reilly Factor is like a day without sunshine, but oh well.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

The sound of rain pattering upon the window woke me up this morning at about 4:30. Having not been able to return to a sleeping state by 5, I arose and started reading. I decided to take a break for breakfast and to listen to my new Train CD, but after a couple of songs, I qued up some Coldplay. It occurred to me that although I bought their "A Rush of Blood to the Head" CD last summer, in the hubbub of getting married I was never able to listen to it much. So, I have listened to several songs, and I really like it. I have always been a sucker for a well-written song. "Amsterdam" is particularly interesting, since I will have an 8-hour layover there on my way to Tel Aviv. What a haunting tune.

One of the benefits of being awake an such an insane hour is that I got to chat with one of my Facebook friends who is studying in Italy this semester.

I need to read some more Descartes before class, and also print some stuff out for Ethics class. Wait--I am now at a 21st-century university--I am free to turn on my computer in class now. Cool. Memories of Austin Peay still haunt me sometimes.

I have an Israel meeting tonight at 5:30, and Michelle has class until about 8PM. Looks like another dinner apart. We are really unhappy that our schedules are so unalike that we hardly can enjoy a meal together. Tonight we have a date with the IRS, because we are going to work on our taxes. It should not take much, since we already have gotten everything organized and in place. In fact, we have most of the numbers already entered into TurboTax, so with just a little more work we will be done.

Although, we did take a night off last night, and played putt-putt and rode go-karts. That was much fun. We actually tied in our game of putt-putt. She had an incredible front 9, parring 8 of the away holes while I was stinking up the joint with 4's and 5's. On the back nine, she cooled off a bit and I made some clutch putts in the 6-10 foot range to tie the score. The loser of our games usually buys the other a pretzel, so this time we split one.

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

I left math class this morning feeling particularly upbeat. I love it when I can get into a frame of mind of thinking logically, in a linear fashion. Cool.

I ran into Wes Fink after class, and it was good to talk with him for a few minutes. He's a cool cat.

Gonna grab some lunch with Michelle, then hit the books.

Peace...

I Love Me Some Train

Oh, how I love me some Train! Train's new CD was released yesterday, and while I knew I would be getting it soon, what a wonderful surprise it was for Michelle to buy it for me, and give it to me last night when I got home from work. I enjoyed listening to about half of it before going to bed. Listened to some more this morning, too. It's a wonderful record.

Math class will be starting in a few minutes, then it's off to the library for a full day of research/writing. I need to continue working on my paper for Ethics class. Ethics class yesterday was really great. I was really engaged with the material, and I was able to make several good comments. Western yesterday was a little strange. It is not often that a professor can speak for 20 minutes without me understanding anything at all that was said, but that is what happened yesterday. I turned to the woman next to me and told her I was completely lost. She said she was too, asked the prof to go over what he had just said, and after he condensed it to about 3 minutes, I understood it completely. Cool.

I have an Israel meeting tomorrow. I emailed he prof yesterday to ask him if the recent Hamas election victory would interfere with the trip at all, and thankfully he said no. So, we are still a go for launch.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Normally, most mornings find me rising near the crack of dawn, to get in some early work before class. And, most mornings find Michelle staying in bed another hour or two until she needs to go to work. However, this morning found her rising in the dark to go to an extra nannying job she picked up, before her regular gig mid-morning. This morning found me lounging in bed lazily surfing the net, reading the news and altogether enjoying some quiet time. Western Philosophy is at 9:40, so I am starting to feel the itch to get up and get ready...I am also jonesing for some breakfast.

Yesterday, I had two meetings that were wholly unrelated (ed. Note: I think it had been at least a year since I had used the word wholly, until I was doing some writing last night and it came out of me. I decided to try to incorporate it into my vernacular.), and completely disparate in their outcomes. Meeting number 1 was a complete waste of time, whilst meeting #2 was an hour of solving problems and working through issues. Cool.

Yesterday was also our 6-month anniversary. Michelle had a Mary-Kay meeting last night, and I went to Atlanta Bread Company to have some caramel machiatto and to start my Ethics paper 1.1. Michelle has a lead box at ABC, so I checked it, and it had almost 10 leads in it :) She is doing real well in her Mary Kay business, and last night we talked about the feasibility of her only doing that after her nanny gig comes to an end in a few months. I left ABC and stopped to get some flowers and a card. I was hoping to get home before she did, but alas she beat me home. Anyway, I presented the flowers and card to her, and was she very appreciative.

The reason that the paper is numbered 1.1 is because every student is required to re-write all of their papers, so instead of 4 papers, I will in effect be writing 8 papers. Plus a mid-term and final, 1 in-class presentation, and a reading journal. This ethics class is insane. LOL.

Yesterday in film class, we watched Total Recall, one of the best sci-fi movies ever. Then we talked about whether we can differentiate between the reality of our dreams and the reality of our awake periods. Descartes worked on this issue. The prof and I had a nice conversation after class, and after I told him I am a philosophy major he got real excited. We talked about the philosophy classes I have had, and he said that the film class was "philosophy light", meaning that it should be easy. I sort of thought that myself, but obviously would not have said it. Of course, I never think any class is easy, because if I did, I would probably slack off. So, I convince myself that every class is the hardest class I have ever had, so I will work hard and not screw up.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We got back to Memphis last night about 9:30, and we were exhausted. It was a great weekend!!

My umpiring camp went great. I feel I learned a couple of new things, and I also did some good networking. Attending this camp definitely helped me in many ways.

Saturday night, we hooked up with my sister Jessica, and went to a party hosted by some of her friends. It was some of the most fun Michelle and I have had in a long time. The house was huge, so the large crowd did not seem too big. Some of us were playing cranium, and someone had to draw a picture blindfolded, while her teammate had to guess what she was drawing. Ernie said, "You must use the Force." Probably the funniest thing said all night. Except for when we were explaining wardriving to Michelle, and she inquired why it is called that--and Ernie said, "Because 'wee-fee driving' just doesn't sound as good." Funny guy.

The one thing that struck me most about Jessica's friends was how they accepted Michelle and I, and Jonathan and Kimmie, without any reservations at all. It was one of the most easy-going groups I have ever encountered. Truly great. Definitely one of the most eclectic groups of geeks I have ever seen--I counted at least 3 desktop PC's in the house, at least 1 laptop in use, about 20 Xboxes, a PS2, and at least 1 handheld gaming unit. And don't even ask me about the chess match going on in the den. An unconfirmed report said the loser was to forfeit one appendage.

Sunday, after I got done with baseball stuff, we went to the hospital to see my cousin Claire. It was really sad to see her hooked up to so many machines, and being extremely uncomfortable. She was wriggling around trying to find a comfortable position, which was impossible with all the tubes coming out of her. We talked with Patricia, Paula, and George for quite a while, and they seemed upbeat. Claire is having another surgery this morning, then another one next week, and if things go well she should be able to go home the week after that. Only time will tell how much she can recover. I told Patricia and Paula that it certainly is not fair for any of them to have to go through this, and that everything happens for a reason. We do not always know why things happen the way they do, but the answers are usually revealed to us later. At least, that is my belief.

We stopped for lunch at the Panera on the strip in Knoxville before leaving town, and it was great. That is Michelle's favorite place to eat in the whole world, so whenever we are in a city with one, we are obligated to stop there. I enjoyed being able to be online after a couple of days of not using a computer. I was starting to get the DT's.

I-440 in Nashville has consistently been on of the deadliest highways in America, and for good reason. When traveling west-bound around 4:30-5:00, drivers stare straight into a blinding sun. I felt fortunate to get through it alive. It was only mildly appropriate that as we were negotiating the sun, Jackson Browne's "Runnin on Empty" came on the radio, where Brown memtions 'running into the sun'. Cool stuff.

We ate dinner at the O'Charley's near Bellvue mall on the way through Nashville. I told the waiter that it was our anniversary, and that might have technically been true since today is our 6-month anniversary...LOL. Michelle has to work tonight and I have film class in the afternoon, so last night was our celebration. We enjoyed a great meal, followed by free dessert, and then made our way back home. Although we really appreciated Jonathan and Kimmie's hospitality, it was good to sleep in our own bed again. I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to tackle the day.

This morning, I have a meeting with the Assistant Director of Housing to discuss the ongoing parking issues here on our cove. I am sure that it will be a complete wasted of time. At 1, I have a work meeting to go to, then Philosophy in Film class from 2:30-5:30. We are watching "Total Recall" today, then tying it into Descartes' discourse on what is real vs. what it not real. It should be a lot of fun. I saw the movie once several years ago, but do not remember much about it.

I am continuing preparations for my Israel trip. This morning I made arrangements to rent a cell phone while I am there, so I will have contact with friends and family back home. When I get the number, I will post it here for those that are interested. Also, as part of the trip, I will be required to keep a journal, then submit it for review. I have decided to set up a separate blog for this purpose. When I get it up and running, I will post a link on this site. What I have in mind is making nightly entries into a Word document, then sporadically posting them while I on the trip. If I have more regular internet access, I may be able to post the entries more often.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Here is my flight/hotel info for my trip to Israel:

Departure:

4 March, 7:15 p.m. on NW #58, arrive in Amsterdam at 11:05 a.m., 5 March

5 March, 7:45 p.m. on NW # 8365, arrive in Tel Aviv at 1:15 a.m., 6 March

Return:

13 March, 5:40 a.m. on NW 8352, arrive in Amsterdam at 9:50 a.m.

13 March, 2:10 p.m. on NW 57, arrive in Memphis at 5:05 p.m. (on the 13th)

Hotel Info:

March 6-7:

Tal Hotel
287 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
Phone: 972-3-5425500
Fax: 972-3-5425501

March 7-8:

Lavi Guest House
Kibbutz Lavi
Lower Galilee
Phone: 972-4-6799450
Fax: 972-4-6799399

March 8-13:

King Solomon Hotel
32 King David Street, Jerusalem
Phone: 972-2-5695555
Fax: 972-2-6241774

Peace...

Tax dollars at work

My Israel trip group was supposed to have its first meeting of the semester tonight, but the professor got an infection from a recent outpatient surgery as is still recovering, so the meeting was cancelled. Which leaves me only slightly bummed, since, 1) I hate meetings, 2) This will allow me to do some work on other stuff. Although, it would have been nice to meet the people who are going on the trip. Of the 20 students going, I know only one of them. He was the Grad Assistant in my Jewish Thought class last semester.

I have a meeting with the Assistant Housing Director next Monday at 11:00 AM to discuss the recent issues in my area. I am sure that it will be a complete waste of time.

This weekend promises to be exciting. Michelle and I are going to Knoxville, mostly because I have a baseball umpires' training camp, and partly because her best friend lives there. We also will get to see my sister Jessica, and hopefully dominate some of the games at her board game party Saturday night. We also are going to try to see my cousin Claire, who has been in the hospital battling a brain tumor and all its complications. I hope that she will be well enough to see us.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Philosophy in Film class is going to be really cool. Some of the movies we will watch, I have already seen. Others, I have not. I really like how the syllabus lays out the themes we will discuss from each film, and the assigned readings. I am going to love this class.

I have spent the past 2 hours doing my Spanish homework online. Nothing more is due until Feb. 3. Cool.

When Michelle gets back from her Mary Kay meeting in about 30 minutes, we are going to watch Caddyshack, which might be the funniest movie ever made. I told her it's a travesty that she has never seen it, so she rented it. Cool. I also think it's a travesty that I do not own it...LOL. Maybe that will be the next one I buy. Although my media purchasing is now geared more toward music, since there are about 5 new CD's that I want and do not have. I hope to get some/all of them soon. Train's new CD is released Jan. 31 (I think), so I am excited. I love me some train!

I got some work done on my sermon, so that is uplifting. In fact, I even emailed the church secretary the title of the sermon, although that usually changes several times. Sometimes, it changes the night before I am to deliver it, so it unnerves me a bit to submit it so early. LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Today will be a great day to get a lot of work done. I have a good game plan for the week, so I just want to make sure I stay on track and get done the things I need to. Which includes a ton of reading. I will be reading more this semester than any other previous semester. I'm gonna start this morning with some Descartes; one of the biggies. Then on to my ethics book, then some stuff for the Israel trip. After lunch, I need to go to the public library to return a book. Tonight, I am gonna do some Spanish. Oh, yeah--and my philosophy in film class meets today from 2:30 to 5:30. That should be interesting.

Oh, and another thing. At some point, I need to write a sermon for Febuary 12.

Is it possible to be overwhelmed in the second week of the semester?

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

I am looking forward to a solid 2 hour block of reading before I get to work. I do not feel I got much done this week, so I need to catch up. Laundry can wait. My clothes don't smell too bad. Yet.

Peace...

"When I was teaching at a Methodist Children's choir in Maryland, I was moonlighting between the church and Pat Benatar concerts. I remember an old lady in the church, whose mouth was always in the shape of a sour prune, demanding that I tell her why I was dressed in the vulgar manner that I was. I put my hand over my heart and said, "I pledge allegiance to the microphone of the Pat Benatar wannabes of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one black teddy, under goddess, with lingerie and bodice for all.'"

--Tori Amos (April '99)

School is in Session

Obviously, I have not posted in quite some time. Given all of the recent happenings in my life, this may be a lengthy post.

Last week, we were accused by one of our neighbors of having a dog living with us, which would be a violation of our lease. This was so absurd that I should not have even given it a second thought. Which sounds good, except that I completely blew up and went nuts. I called the Assistant Director, and told her that we would welcome any inspection. I also told her that what was bothered me most was that, according to the notification letter that she had sent us, we were already guilty in her mind. How can one person's allegation make us guilty, with no investigation or inspection? So, she came yesterday to inspect, and of course, found no evidence of a dog. Unfortunately, I was not at home, and she copped an attitude with Michelle.

We think the accuser is the same woman that we filed a complaint about in regards to her parking habits. So, if it is indeed her, she must still be in the third grade. Jeez. Why can't people just live and let live? In an interesting twist to the story, a dog has indeed been seen several times in the past week or so, so I asked one of the neighborhood kids if he knew where it lived. He said, "Sure, it belongs to the people that live next to me". So I asked him to show me where he lives, and he did. I have not decided whether to file a complaint or not, although I lean strongly toward not. The dog doesn't bother me, so it's no big deal.

What a great way to start the first week of the semester. Yesterday was the first day of class, so not much happened. Except that both of my professors specifically said that their classes were going to be extremely difficult. I had never had any professor just come out and say that, so to have 2 in the same day was a little unnerving. Anyway, the way I see it, if the work-benefit ratio is good, then I do not mind. I just hate working hard in a class that I don't get much out of. From the looks of it, I should learn a lot of interesting stuff in both of yesterday' classes, so it's no big deal.

I only had one class today, which was Math. This is the first math class I have taken in quite some time, so I am a little nervous. However, the professor said that since this is a math theory class, it will be different than most. It will not be linear, with each unit building upon the previous material. One unit is on logic, which is something that I sort of specialize in, so that unit should be a breeze. The others will be more difficult, I am sure. I bought the wrong book, so I am going to the bookstore later today to exchange it for the correct one.

My philosophy in film class only meets on Mondays, albeit for 3 hours each session. So, I have no idea as of now what we will be doing in there. Normally, I try to get the syllabus for each of my classes early, before the semester starts, but this time I did not. So, I will find out next Monday which films we will be studying.

One of the books I bought on eBay for my western philosophy class has not come yet, and since I am supposed to read 55 pages for tomorrow, I am going to buy it at the bookstore, then return it when the eBay book gets here. I certainly do not want to fall 55 pages behind.

Michelle was in a car accident Monday night. She and her Mary Kay partner were heading to a meeting, and were rear-ended at a stoplight. She is still quite sore, but is feeling better today. She did not work yesterday, but she going this afternoon. So, that is good. Also, she went to the doctor a few days ago, and received some really encouraging news. So, that is good, too. :)

I have a baseball meeting tonight, so I am going to try to get as much school work done as I can before then. I am going to update my calendar, then make a game plan for the next week or so, then eat some lunch, then head to the bookstore, then the library. Sounds like a good plan. Let me ask, does anyone actually look at my calendar? A link is located in the left margin of your screen, near the top. I put it there so people can know where I am and what I am doing if they so desire. Does anyone desire?

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

This is my 200th post since I accidentally deleted the blog in October 2003.

Saturday, Michelle and I struck an interesting compromise. The Redskins game started at 3:30, and I was supposed to get off work at 4:00. Michelle desperately wanted to leave for Tullahoma as soon as I got home. So, I proposed that we leave shortly after I got home, then stop in Jackson, TN around 5:00 for an early dinner at a place where I could watch the second half of the game. She agreed, and as a bonus, she reminded me that we had a gift card for Chili's, which would have TV's in the bar. So, we sat down in Chili's shortly after the second half began, and I was able to watch the rest of the game. Truth be told, I almost knocked over a waitress when the Redskins sealed the win at the end...LOL. There were a lot of other Redskins fans there, and some Tampa Bay fans, so it was a nice environment to watch the game. I was glad that the Skins won, and now it is on to Seattle this Saturday. I get off work at 3, and the game starts at 3:30, so I should be home just as the game starts. YAY!

We spent the weekend at Michelle's parents' house in Tullahoma, and had a nice time. I spent Sunday doing essentially nothing, with naps interrupted by periods of watching football. Meanwhile, there was a Mary Kay party downstairs, with all the ladies getting dolled up. It occurred to me that this was the first time since we have been married that I have had an entire afternoon to myself, able to do whatever I wanted. This revelation made me feel sort of guilty for wasting it. I will do better next time.

Today, I have been working on my sermon for February 12. I am excited about speaking at Clarksville church again. I am not nearly as nervous as I was the first time. Hopefully, it will go well. It will be great to see my family, and celebrate "Christmas" with them...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I was recently asked to preach at the Clarksville church on Feb. 12. It will be, needless to say, quite exciting. It will also be great to be back in Clarksville that weekend.

I have started reading my books for the Israel trip. Deep. Very deep stuff.

One of my co-workers was involved a horrific car wreck on Monday night. The other driver crossed the center line, and hit my friend head-on. John is in really bad shape, with injuries to almost every part of his body. I was told that almost every bone in his head is broken. Please pray for him and his family.

We finally got both the phones in the apartment working. We have only had intermittent phone access for the past several weeks. As of this writing, both phones are working properly.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Yesterday was quite wonderful; a great way to start the new year. We cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, so now it looks really good. It is almost impossible to do any cleaning in December, so the place had started to look pretty rough.

After cleaning, I grilled some steaks and corn on the cob for lunch. Mmmmmmm good.

Later in the afternoon, I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Redskins play the Eagles. Michelle was supposed to have a Mary Kay appointment during that time, but her people failed to show up. So, she came over and met me, and we enjoyed eating some greasy chicken wings...LOL. Also, the Redskins won the game, so I was ultra-hyped. They play their first playoff game this Saturday, so I will get to watch it before we leave for Tullahoma.

Today, I am going to Home Depot to get some screws in order to hang up a new shelf we bought recently. Saturday, it occurred to me that an empty shelf does not look so good, so I surprised her with a Precious Moments figurine. She was quite happy.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

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...

One advantage to being sick, and leaving Spanish class early today, is that when I got home, the U.K Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was being replayed on VH1. We watched most of it Sunday night, but I am thrilled to have just seen Alanis Morrissete sing Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" again. She was great. Also, the tributes to Pink Floyd and The Who are upcoming. Sweet. Even if I do feel like crap.

Peace...

I have been feeling quite miserable for the past few days, so I went to Health Services today to get checked out. The nurse almost had a spasm when she looked into my left ear, saying that I had one of the worst ear infections she had ever seen. She wondered aloud how I was not doubled over in pain. I responded that I was indeed in a great deal of pain. Have been since Saturday. Anyway, 1 Amoxicillin scrip later, and I was miserably on my way home.

I have a Spanish test Friday, and I see no possible way I can study tonight. I should get the results of last week's philosophy test tomorrow. The prof announced that he is going to drop the lowest test score. I made an A on the first test, and a B- on the second. I am fairly sure I made an A on this one. If I make an A on the final, I should get an A for the class. Cool.

When we were at Michelle's parents' house, her dad helped me fix my windshield wipers, and change the antifreeze in my truck. That was nice of him. What he doesn't know is that the next time we go there, I am bringing some new shocks and struts with me. LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We got back from our Thanksgiving odyssey about 9 last night. Last year, after we nearly killed ourselves trying to please everyone by being everywhere at the same time, we vowed to never do that again. Our vow did not last long. We again tried to be everywhere and see everyone. So, by the time we got home, we were exhausted and irritable. Anyway, it was certainly great to be able to see everyone we did. It was also great to be back home.

On the way back home, we stopped in Jackson, TN for dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. My brother Steve gave me a gift certificate about 2-3 years ago, and I figured it was high time I use it. LOL. We proceeded to have one of the worst dining experiences ever. The hostess was quite snotty, and the waitress was incompetent. Also, I ordered my steak "well done" and it came bleeding so profusely that I wondered if the cow was still alive. So, I sent it back, and by the time it came again, Michelle was almost done with her meal. So, I guess it will be a long time before we eat at the Longhorn in Jackson again. Unless someone gives us a gift certificate.

I have a ton of work to do today. I have a quiz and a test in Spanish this week. I also have a Judaic Studies paper due soon, and I have not started on it. Also, there is always some philosophy to do.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Last week, we bought a new queen-size bed. We are really enjoying it. I have had trouble waking up in the mornings...LOL. We also put new tires on my truck, something that had needed to be done for about a year. The old tires were to the point where the steel belts were showing. That's bad. So, we got a set of BF Goodrich's put on, and everything is cool.

I have a major test tomorrow in Philosophy 2. I am so not ready. I also have a ton of Spanish to do. Lots of homework, some online workbook stuff, and we have a quiz Monday, then a test next Friday. Jeez.

I got the syllabus for my Israel trip next spring. I have to read 3 books by the time we leave. We also have several class meetings in January and February. This is going to be a lot of work. Michelle decided not to go, since there is no way the class will give her any credit toward her degree. Her decision saddens me a great deal, because it just won't be the same without her. But, I completely understand her decision.

We are saving up for a tour of Japan and China in 2008 that we would like to go on. We are really excited about this opportunity. I spoke with the man in charge of the tour, who lives in Iowa, and it turns out he knows my grandmother. That was so cool. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.

My three-year-old cousin Claire is battling for her life right now. It was discovered that she had a tumor on her brain stem, and although that was removed, she is still in a lot of trouble. She is going to have a tracheotomy performed, and a feeding tube inserted into her stomach. No one should have to endure this, especially not a small child. Please pray for her and her parents.

I am making a QuickTime movie of her, so if you have any pictures of her, please send them to me. Thanks.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

It's been really busy here, so I have not had time to post in a while.

Michelle and my sister Jessica share the same birthday, which was this past Wednesday. Michelle and I went out last night to our favorite place, the Belmont Grill. One of her classmates, Sophia, met us there and all had a great time. The entire restaurant sang "Happy Birthday" to Michelle, but I missed it because I was in the bathroom checking football scores on my cellphone. Boo.

We went Christmas shopping yesterday, and we now are almost completely finished. The only gift remaining is Michelle's gift to me. I am hoping for a video iPod.

I registered for Spring 2006 classes this week. I will have several philosophy classes, a Spanish class, a math class, and my study trip to Israel over Spring Break. A total of 18 hours. Joy.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I needed a new flux capacitor to keep up with this Delorean.

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I am at the Apple Store, waiting for the iLife tutorial class to begin. I want to learn how to make cool video productions from the home movies we take.

I have concluded that the world would be a better place if everyone had a little more cowbell.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I have been pondering something for a couple of years now, and I have reached a decision on it. I have decided to pursue a PhD in philosophy after I finish seminary. As far as a career goes, I will seek a research/teaching position at the university level, and serve a small church on a part-time basis.

This will satisfy my need/desire to work on important issues within moral ethics (capital punishment, abortion, et al.), and provide job stability for my family. Job stability has become a rare commodity within my denomination, as several congregations have recently either fired or forced out their ministers. This is going to be a really long road, and I ask for your prayers of support.

Peace...

Sister Helen Prejean, author of the book "Dead Man Walking", is speaking here in Memphis later tonight, and Michelle and I are going. The movie based on her book has had a profound effect on my life, causing me to take a serious look at the way I view capital punishment. In fact, seeing that movie may have been the genesis of me becoming a philosopher. Although, it certainly was a delayed reaction!!

I also have a big test tomorrow in Philosophy 2, so I am nervous about that. As fate would have it, we have been talking about capital punishment, looking at it from the points of view of several different philosophers, including Kant, Mill, Confucius, and some other commentators.

I finally got my Judaic Studies paper back yesterday. It has been so long since we submitted these papers, that I cannot even remember when it was. Anyway, I got an A, so that was a big relief. Turns out the month of October has a ton of Jewish holidays, so the professor was not in class much the past few weeks.

There was a guest speaker, Elliot Chodoff, on campus last night, talking about the situation between Isreal and Palestine. It was quite interesting. Apparently, the pro-Palestine faction that was there had a counter-point meeting of their own later last night, but I did not go. Probably a good thing.

I have noticed that my comments have dropped to almost nil lately. It would be nice if people would start commenting again.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

What is wrong with this world?

Click here for the Longest Computer Start-Up Sound. This is hilarious.

At 3:00 today, I have a job interview. I am hoping to ditch my on-campus job for a better-paying gig somewhere else. Wish me luck.

Wednesday, I have a baseball game at Christian Brothers University. The head umpire in this area, Jim Herbert, will be there to evaluate me. This will go a long way in determining what my schedule looks like next season. Wish me luck.

I have a paper due soon in Philosophy 1. Wish me luck.

I seem to be needing a lot of luck. LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Our Jack-O-Lantern is sooo scary.

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I got both of my tests back today. In Philosophy 1, I got an A, and in Philosophy 2, I got a B+. I was a little upset with myself on Philosophy 2, mainly because I did not pay attention to the instructions and cost myself an A. The instructions were to answer 1 question (yes, only one question on the entire test) from 2 different points of view. We were to answer it from Immanuel Kant's viewpoint using his Second Formulation of the Categorical Imperative, and from John Stuart Mill's point of view using Act Utilitarianism. Then were supposed to give our own opinions about the question. This is where I screwed up, because I forgot to give my own opinion!! When have I ever failed to offer my opinion?? Dare I say "Never!"? Anyway, I was so proud of absolutely NAILING Kant's and Mill's viewpoint, that I strutted up to the prof's desk and with a smile, handed in my blue book. It was a few minutes later, while on the phone with Michelle, that it occurred to me what I had forgotten. At least I only lost a few points; nothing major. Anyhow, now I will have to work extra hard to make an A for the semester. I had pegged this class as an A at the beginning of the semester. My goal is to make 3 A's and a B, which would put me on the Dean's List. That will be cool.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

It feels like a Monday. Blah.

Fall Break will be officially over at 8 AM tomorrow, and it has been a ton of fun. Friday, as soon as I got out of class, we headed up to Missouri, to spend a couple of days relaxing. We had a nice dinner Friday at Lambert's Cafe. After dinner, we cruised around, listening to a high school football game on the radio. Saturday, we went to a corn maze, and had a blast. We came close to solving it twice, but had to give up. Neither of us had packed water, so we were a little dehydrated after spending over 2 hours working on the maze.

We ate at Lambert's again Saturday (given the option, I would eat there every day!), and then headed on home. We got back in time for me to see the second halfs of the Notre Dame/USC and Florida/LSU games. Flipping between those games, and the baseball playoff game was a hard work!

Tomorrow will be a busy day at school, as I will turn in a paper in Judaic Studies class, and will get back at least one, and maybe two philosophy tests. I have two philosophy classes, and it is a little difficult keeping them straight. One is at 8 AM, and the other is immediately afterward. So, I just refer to them in my mind as Philosophy 1 and 2. Simple enough.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I seem to be surrounded by paradoxes lately.

Michelle's interivew went great, although it was weird to see her on the news. Someone in one of her classes recognized her. That was strange.

This weekend is fall break, and it cannot come too soon. Mid-terms have been tough. I have one more test tomorrow, and a paper due next Wednesday. Thankfully, I have got most of my paper done. Just need to double-check a couple of things, and put my name on it.

We are going to Branson, Missouri this weekend. My favorite restaraunt in the world is there, Lambert's Throwed Roll Cafe. Michelle has never been, so I am trying to get her prepared for the insanity that is Lambert's. LOL. We are also going to visit a farm that has a corn maize and night-time golf. I have never been to a corn maze before, so it should be a lot of fun. Night golf is always great, too.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I decorated the rear window of Michelle's car.

A major story in the news here in Memphis involves a local high school student who was forced to give oral sex to three classmates. One of the accused is a star football player (one publication has him rated the 20th best college prospect in the country). The victim decided not to press rape charges, instead agreeing to a plea bargain where the football player plead guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge. The football player was initially suspended from the team while the case was sorted out, his coach saying all along that the player should have been allowed to play. The player asked for a hearing in front of the school board, and his request was granted. Before the hearing took place, the school board decided to restore his eligibility (without a hearing).

Michelle got really upset about the situation, and sent an email the School Board, and to one of the local news stations. The School Board member who represents the high school where the girl and football player attend was quoted in the newspaper as saying, "I don't really want to get involved", said in an email that she "does not feel [the football player] is guilty of rape. So, the School Board member is under fire, and Michelle is pissed. The news station called Michelle earlier today, and arranged an interview. The interview is going to air on the news tonight at 6.

When this thing first started, I had horrific visions of Michelle staging a sit-in, and being arrested. I had a vision of her being dragged, against her will, across a street. So, I am glad that it has not gone that far. I also feel extremely proud of Michelle for standing up for what she believes, and voicing her opinion. I told her that many people who may share her opinion may not have the courage to speak up, so that she is speaking for them. Hoorah!! The first amendment is in action in the Winn household!!

Peace...

If Einstein was so smart, why didn't he figure out the speed of dark?

I have been exploring my new iBook for most of the day (I suppose I should get some work done at some point). Anyway, I have been having fun learning a bunch of new shortcuts and commands and things. I am really enjoying the iBook, and it makes me wish I had switched a long time ago. This Saturday at the Apple store, there is going to be a class for new converts. It should be a lot of fun.

I also have a new webpage. I will keep this blog active, but to see some other stuff from my worldview, please go to my page on .Mac. I have posted some of my writings, and some of my favorite pictures from the wedding. The original purpose of my getting on the web was to post some writings and papers and such, and now I finally have gotten around to doing it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Peace...

My new Apple iBook came tonight. I did not know it was here until about 9:30, when I got a call from the apartment office saying they had a package. I wish they had called earlier, when it came. Oh well.

I am disappointed that the previous owner did not clean up the hard drive--it still has all his junk on it. I would like to just reformat the hard drive, but he did not include the CD's. So, if he cannot produce them when I speak with him tomorrow, I will just have to remove everything piecemeal. Joy. Since I have no classes tomorrow, I can play around with it most of the day.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Apparently, Kenneth needs an English tutor as well.

A man wearing a hunting t-shirt at the zoo seems paradoxical.

I thought this was a funny paradox.

I beat the peg game @ Cracker Barrel...first time ever!

This morning, I officially joined the Cult of Mac. I was the winning bidder of an eBay auction of an Apple iBook G4. It has Mac OS 10.4 Tiger, 14" screen, 40GB hard drive, 256 MB RAM (I am already planning to upgrade to at least 512 MB), and DVD/CD-RW.

I have wanted an Apple for a long time, so I am mega-hyped. I cannot wait until it arrives. Whooo-hoooo!!!! There is an Apple retail store in Germantown, and I think it is my new favorite hangout. LOL. Michelle and I stopped in on our way home from church Sunday, and it was really cool.

The only bad thing about being a Mac owner is that I will lose my younger brother's free tech support. Oh wait...maybe since my iBook does not run windows, I WON'T NEED TECH SUPPORT!! Just maybe, anyway. LOL.

I am also expecting a package of cds and other stuff today, so I waiting impatiently for the UPS driver to show up. That will be cool.

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

Kerry Wood, warming up for his rehab start in Nashville.

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Mr. Garfield, looking for treats.

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I just set up my blog where I can send cam-phone pics to it. This is way cool. For the first picture, I decided to send an old friend from Clarksville.

Peace...

Our favorite friend @ dunbar cave

VZWPIX.COM

I found a piece of video, showing Eric Clapton and John Mayer performing together on Larry King. They performed Clapton's song "Broken Hearted", which he wrote while grieving the loss of his son. He wrote "Tears in Heaven" and "Father's Eyes" at the same time. Here are the lyrics if you would like to follow along.

I hope everyone is doing great. Peace...

OK, we got our wedding pictures, so I thought I would share a few of them. Michelle also posted some on her blog.

Classes are going great, with the exception of me having some trouble in Spanish. I think the trouble is that I have not been working hard enough, so I will pick it up a notch or two. My philosophy classes are great, one of which is quickly getting intense. My Jewish Thought class is also really intense; it is my most difficult class. I need to be coming up with a paper topic soon for that class.

My football season has been great so far. I had a JV game last week, and two supervisors were there. My whole crew got a real good evaluation, so that bodes well for all of us. I basically work with the same crew all the time, and I really like the guys. So, that is a plus.

I have games this Saturday morning, then Michelle and I are going to meet her parents somewhere so they can give us a couch. I am not sure where we are going to meet, but I know I won't feel like driving too far. Hopefully, we can meet half-way somewhere.

I am going to BBQ some ribs this afternoon. I am excited. I have really fallen in love with BBQ-ing and grilling. Mmm-good.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Peace.

In one of my philosophy classes today, we talked about Pythagoras, who as you might know, brought us the Pythagorean theorem. What interested me is that he states that 10 is the very nature of number. I remember when I was about 9 or so, I realized that adding 1+2+3+4=10, and I thought that must mean something. Of course, I never went anywhere with the idea, but it intrigued me. Hmm.

While I was writing that paragraph, we realized our fish had died. *tears* There is much sadness in the house now. Boo-hoo. Luca now sleeps with the fishes permanently.

I have a meeting for work (job #3) in a few minutes, so I must go. I quit job #2 earlier today. Tomorrow is my last day there.

Peace...

Howdy!!

I have been meaning to post for a while now, but things have been insanely busy, so...

The wedding was indescribable. About the only thing I remember was when I was up front, and after the attendants had gotten into their positions, I saw Michelle and her dad come around the corner. They stood there for a few seconds, waiting for the wedding march to start before coming up front. It was the most surreal moment of my life.

We enjoyed the honeymoon a great deal. We mainly just relaxed, reading and doing some light sight-seeing.

When we got back from the honeymoon, we began the move to Memphis. We loaded up the truck, and headed down the road. We have been in our new place for several weeks now, and we really like it.

We quickly found employment, so we were glad of that. Michelle got a nanny job about 10 minutes from home, and she really likes the family. I am actually working 3 jobs!! I got a job at the campus recreation center, working in the weight room. It is incredibly boring, because I don't really do anything. I just do the best I can do at trying to find things to do, to stave off the boredom. My other campus job starts this Tuesday. I will be working in the Annual Giving campaign, which consists of call alumni and asking them to make donations. This job pays a little better than the rec center job, so I am liking that.

I am also refereeing football, of course. Since I am new in the association here, I was not expecting to get many games. However, I have got a really good schedule this year, so that is really nice. I had a game last night, and I also have a game tonight. Many schools here do not have their own fields, so they use city municipal fields. So, we have high school football on Saturdays.

We have not found a church home here; we are still looking around. We are visiting a church tomorrow that we heard about from one of Michelle's classmates.

My class schedule is not too bad this semester; it could certainly be harder. Things are still going to be tough, because I am working too much. So, I am just going to do the best I can. I have 2 philosophy classes, 1 class in the Judaic Studies program, and Spanish. The Judaic Studies program is sponsoring a trip to Israel over spring break, and Michelle and I are both signed up. We are really looking forward to it. I am sure it will be something that we will always remember.

I hope everyone is doing well. I will post again soon. Peace...

Haven't felt like posting in quite a while. Looks like this blog is going to be a VERY sporadically updated thing.

The wedding is drawing near, and most everything has been finalized. We have already started packing for the move to Memphis. Earlier today, I scheduled the gas and water to be turned on August 15.

Our new address is:

Chris and Michelle Winn
1035 Ray Blanton Cove
Memphis, TN 38152

When we get Memphis phone numbers, we will pass them along.

We went to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers last week, and it was incredible. One of the best shows I have ever seen. Tom played a variety of guitars, mostly Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. He played a Rickenbacher on one tune, a 12-string acoustic on "Handle With Care", and a huge Epiphone electric on a couple of songs. Mike Campbell also played an eclectic mix of instruments, mostly fenders, but also a Gibson Les Paul on one song, and two different mandolins.

The playlist was:

Listen to Her Heart

--I love this song. One of my favs. Not sure which album it's from, but it was early.

You Don't Know How it Feels

--From "Wildfowers". Great video. Was it a man or a woman? Both? Idunno.

Breakdown

--Very early hit. Great song.

Turn This Car Around

--To be included on a new album coming out later this year. Must have been inspired by a long car trip with his kids.

Free Falling

--I thought he would save this crowd favorite for later in the show. During this song, two women approached us and asked if we would like to have their tickets. They said they got their tickets from The Black Crows (the opening act), and didn't want to stay for the rest. So, we got to move down the 15th row, center stage. Way cool!!

I Won't Back Down

--Co-written by Jeff Lynne and Ringo Starr. Great song and video.

Mary Jane's Last Dance

--Thoughts of the video still weird me out. Great song, though.

Handle With Care

--The lights were down between songs, but when I saw TP pick up the 12-string acoustic, I guessed this song would be next. Much to our delight, I was right. Probably our favorite song of the concert.

Running Back to You

--A new song, I think also to be included on upcoming LP.

Breakout Melinda

--I don't know anything about this song.

Learning to Fly

--Probably my absolute favorite TP song. He played it way slow.

Don't Come Around Here No More

--Everyone except me loves to go to Wonderland. The video received numerous awards, including "Best Special Effects". Funny thing was that it had NO special effects. Anyway, I have never cared for this song.

Refugee

--From the 1979 breakout "Damn the Torpedoes" LP. My older cousin Cindi had this record (on vinyl!), and I used to listen to it all the time when I was a kid. Awesome.

Running Down a Dream

--One of his best videos, and he has a had a ton of great ones

Encores:

You Wreck Me

--I love this song!! I was singing it facetiously to Michelle at the show.

American Girl

--I think this was their first hit single. If it wasn't the first, it was certainly very early in their career.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...