I learned a valuable lesson this week. I learned that when a football official asks me where I am working on a given Friday night, I should always feign ignorance and say something like, "uh, I don't remember. Must be at a city school." I learned this because twice this week I was asked where I am working tonight, and twice I replied, "Germantown High School". Twice, I received strange looks, as if to say, "How did YOU get a game there?". You see, Germantown is one of the "plum" locations for officials to go, since an official does not normally have to fear for his life there, as he would at one of the municipal stadiums that the city schools play in. I have no idea how I got this game, although whatever it is I did, I would like to do it again...LOL. Anyway, the game should be fun.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Friday, September 15, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Blues Before Sunrise
It had been on my mind to post, but not until my grandmother prodded me did I feel the need. Some people my find it odd that my grandmother is online, but I come from a long line of geeks. And we are proud of it.
This morning found me at Home Depot before sunrise, buying a new discharge tube for our clothes washing machine. After we bought our washer/dryer set, we found that it required about 1 inch more space than what our laundry room has. So, I had to turn the washer perpendicular, which necessitated a longer discharge hose. The entire process of me getting the washer/dryer installed and fully functional only took me buying $14 worth of the wrong size hose (Note to self: whenever something appears to be 'about the right size', it will not be. Guaranteed.), then spending $7 on hose clamps and a coupler to connect the two hoses. This was the source of the leak, so then it was $16 worth of new (and the correct size) hose. Problem solved. Jeez. So, I finally have repaired our clothes washer, and have declared it to be leak-free. Hooray clean clothes. The first load is in the dryer now. YAY!
Since being at Home Depot before sunrise is not usually my favorite way to spend a morning, I decided that Clapton's rendition of Leroy Carr's "Blues Before Sunrise" would be the first song of the soundtrack to the installation. Also included were Dylan's new "Working Man's Blues", Velvet Revolver's "Sucker Train Blues", Pink Floyd's "Jugband Blues", and The Moody Blues' "Isn't Life Strange".
School has indeed been strange this semester. None of my regular classes have any papers assigned, although my independent study will almost certainly have some. Still have not heard from the professor about what specifically my assignments will be. My Science, Technology and Human Values class is not at all what I thought it would be. It is quite boring, but appears to be not-too-difficult. I wish I had taken symbolic logic instead. My ancients survey is not as hard as I thought it would be, although it requires a tremendous amount of reading. My astronomy lecture and lab are quite time-consuming, though not-too-difficult. My philosophy of religion class is by far the most interesting class. So, far, we have read 6 arguments for the existence of God, and we have shown how all of them are at least weak, and in some cases, logically invalid. I chuckle at this exercise, because I have NEVER seen a convincing argument for the existence of God, but that is what faith is all about. If God's existence could be proven, it seems that everyone would be on board, and we would not need faith. LOL.
Anyway, school is going well. Graduation is something like 13 weeks and 3 days away, but who's counting?
We have some more adoption meetings in the coming days, and I have a seemingly endless number of football meetings. Oh well. About twice a week, Mike Clark texts me saying that he is stuck in a worthless meeting. I feel his pain.
Football has been going super-well. I have worked two varsity games so far, and I have two more on the schedule. The second half of the season schedule will be released soon, and I am figuring I will get a few more then. It is great to see my hard work finally paying off. When I was in the Clarksville association, I never felt I was being evaluated fairly. Only once was I ever observed by a supervisor in something other than a Saturday morning pee-wee game. The supervisors are always at those games watching their grandkids play, and observing officials, but it is really difficult for me to have the same intensity for a game with 9 year old kids as I do a game with high schoolers. But, I always did the best I could, because I knew we were always being watched on those Saturday mornings. Here in Memphis, the supervisors watch us during the JV games (and varsity, too), and watch us frequently. Rarely do I ever work a JV game without a supervisor there, they always observe the varsity games. Many guys do not like being observed all the time, but I figure if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, I will be OK.
I had a varsity game two weeks ago, and I was about 5 minutes late getting there (we are supposed to be at the game site 1 hour before game time). Unfortunately, the supervisor for that night (who is also the Assigning Officer, therefore the one guy in the association that you do not want to piss off) came in right behind me and made a big deal about it (it IS a big deal to be there on time/early). He asked me what time it was, and I replied "about 5 after 6. He asked the crew what time it was, and one guy, without looking at his watch, said "about 5 after 6". (This is the definition of a great partner.) The assigner also had quarrel with my shoes, which were not shined to his liking (it IS a big deal to have mirror-shined shoes). As my crew left the locker room, he kept me behind and proceeded to rip my butt apart. I immediately figure my chances of getting any more varsity games had gone down the drain, but that has not been the case. Whew! At last night's meeting, he came in after about 10 minutes late and sat down right in front of me. I asked him what time it was, and he said, "about 10 after", so I looked down at his feet and said, "Well, your shoes look good". We both got a big laugh out of that. LOL.
Preaching at the Clarksville church last week felt nice. That was the third time I have spoken there, and I was much more comfortable this time than the other two. They have also called a new minister, Rev. Steve Louder. From what I have heard, he is a fine minister. I am hoping that church can start to heal its wounds and get back on track. Unfortunately, I have my doubts. Hopefully I am wrong. It was great to see my family while we were in town, and the Smith fish fry was much fun as always.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
This morning found me at Home Depot before sunrise, buying a new discharge tube for our clothes washing machine. After we bought our washer/dryer set, we found that it required about 1 inch more space than what our laundry room has. So, I had to turn the washer perpendicular, which necessitated a longer discharge hose. The entire process of me getting the washer/dryer installed and fully functional only took me buying $14 worth of the wrong size hose (Note to self: whenever something appears to be 'about the right size', it will not be. Guaranteed.), then spending $7 on hose clamps and a coupler to connect the two hoses. This was the source of the leak, so then it was $16 worth of new (and the correct size) hose. Problem solved. Jeez. So, I finally have repaired our clothes washer, and have declared it to be leak-free. Hooray clean clothes. The first load is in the dryer now. YAY!
Since being at Home Depot before sunrise is not usually my favorite way to spend a morning, I decided that Clapton's rendition of Leroy Carr's "Blues Before Sunrise" would be the first song of the soundtrack to the installation. Also included were Dylan's new "Working Man's Blues", Velvet Revolver's "Sucker Train Blues", Pink Floyd's "Jugband Blues", and The Moody Blues' "Isn't Life Strange".
School has indeed been strange this semester. None of my regular classes have any papers assigned, although my independent study will almost certainly have some. Still have not heard from the professor about what specifically my assignments will be. My Science, Technology and Human Values class is not at all what I thought it would be. It is quite boring, but appears to be not-too-difficult. I wish I had taken symbolic logic instead. My ancients survey is not as hard as I thought it would be, although it requires a tremendous amount of reading. My astronomy lecture and lab are quite time-consuming, though not-too-difficult. My philosophy of religion class is by far the most interesting class. So, far, we have read 6 arguments for the existence of God, and we have shown how all of them are at least weak, and in some cases, logically invalid. I chuckle at this exercise, because I have NEVER seen a convincing argument for the existence of God, but that is what faith is all about. If God's existence could be proven, it seems that everyone would be on board, and we would not need faith. LOL.
Anyway, school is going well. Graduation is something like 13 weeks and 3 days away, but who's counting?
We have some more adoption meetings in the coming days, and I have a seemingly endless number of football meetings. Oh well. About twice a week, Mike Clark texts me saying that he is stuck in a worthless meeting. I feel his pain.
Football has been going super-well. I have worked two varsity games so far, and I have two more on the schedule. The second half of the season schedule will be released soon, and I am figuring I will get a few more then. It is great to see my hard work finally paying off. When I was in the Clarksville association, I never felt I was being evaluated fairly. Only once was I ever observed by a supervisor in something other than a Saturday morning pee-wee game. The supervisors are always at those games watching their grandkids play, and observing officials, but it is really difficult for me to have the same intensity for a game with 9 year old kids as I do a game with high schoolers. But, I always did the best I could, because I knew we were always being watched on those Saturday mornings. Here in Memphis, the supervisors watch us during the JV games (and varsity, too), and watch us frequently. Rarely do I ever work a JV game without a supervisor there, they always observe the varsity games. Many guys do not like being observed all the time, but I figure if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, I will be OK.
I had a varsity game two weeks ago, and I was about 5 minutes late getting there (we are supposed to be at the game site 1 hour before game time). Unfortunately, the supervisor for that night (who is also the Assigning Officer, therefore the one guy in the association that you do not want to piss off) came in right behind me and made a big deal about it (it IS a big deal to be there on time/early). He asked me what time it was, and I replied "about 5 after 6. He asked the crew what time it was, and one guy, without looking at his watch, said "about 5 after 6". (This is the definition of a great partner.) The assigner also had quarrel with my shoes, which were not shined to his liking (it IS a big deal to have mirror-shined shoes). As my crew left the locker room, he kept me behind and proceeded to rip my butt apart. I immediately figure my chances of getting any more varsity games had gone down the drain, but that has not been the case. Whew! At last night's meeting, he came in after about 10 minutes late and sat down right in front of me. I asked him what time it was, and he said, "about 10 after", so I looked down at his feet and said, "Well, your shoes look good". We both got a big laugh out of that. LOL.
Preaching at the Clarksville church last week felt nice. That was the third time I have spoken there, and I was much more comfortable this time than the other two. They have also called a new minister, Rev. Steve Louder. From what I have heard, he is a fine minister. I am hoping that church can start to heal its wounds and get back on track. Unfortunately, I have my doubts. Hopefully I am wrong. It was great to see my family while we were in town, and the Smith fish fry was much fun as always.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Monday, August 28, 2006
School's In
Today is the first day of classes. It's a weird feeling, because usually I schedule my classes early in the day, so I can have afternoons and evenings free. However, this semester, none of my classes were available early, so I have been running errands all morning. My first class is not until 10:20. This semester will also be the first time I have had the same professor for two classes. I have the same prof for "Science, Technology, and Human Values" as I do for my survey of ancient philosophy. I have never had him before, but I understand that he is tough and fair. Good enough for me.
It is so freaking hot this morning I am about to die. By the time I walked from my car to where I am now (campus coffee shop), I was sweating like a racehorse. It did not help that I had to park a mile away. I may have to invest in a parking pass for the garage in the center of campus.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
It is so freaking hot this morning I am about to die. By the time I walked from my car to where I am now (campus coffee shop), I was sweating like a racehorse. It did not help that I had to park a mile away. I may have to invest in a parking pass for the garage in the center of campus.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Haven't posted in a while...sorry.
Last week, we went to see Bruce Hornsby in at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center. It was really neat to see a big name act in a venue that seats 350. Very intimate setting. Very funny guy. Great songwriting. Awesome show.
I have been trying to convince Michelle that I need an Xbox 360. I am not having much success.
Tonight, we have a meeting with our social worker. Michelle is really wound up tight, but I am sure it will go fine. I am home today, getting the house ready for the meeting. Just some final clean-up details and stuff.
Classes start next Monday, and I am ready to get back to the grind. My final semester as an undergrad. Graduation is only 16 weeks and 3 days away!! (Not that I am counting or anything.) We are gonna have an after-party here at the house, so that will be nice.
On Saturday, I will be giving my 2 weeks' notice at my job. I'm not gonna work much this semester. With Michelle working full-time, my measly salary doesn't matter much, and I would like to fully concentrate on my school work. I have set a goal to make the Dean's List this semester, so not working much will help me do that. I have a ton of football games this season, and those pay better than my job (and take less time). Plus, I might do some tutoring in logic or one of the philosophy intro classes. I inquired about it, but have not received a call back. So, I will see how that goes.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Last week, we went to see Bruce Hornsby in at the Bartlett Performing Arts Center. It was really neat to see a big name act in a venue that seats 350. Very intimate setting. Very funny guy. Great songwriting. Awesome show.
I have been trying to convince Michelle that I need an Xbox 360. I am not having much success.
Tonight, we have a meeting with our social worker. Michelle is really wound up tight, but I am sure it will go fine. I am home today, getting the house ready for the meeting. Just some final clean-up details and stuff.
Classes start next Monday, and I am ready to get back to the grind. My final semester as an undergrad. Graduation is only 16 weeks and 3 days away!! (Not that I am counting or anything.) We are gonna have an after-party here at the house, so that will be nice.
On Saturday, I will be giving my 2 weeks' notice at my job. I'm not gonna work much this semester. With Michelle working full-time, my measly salary doesn't matter much, and I would like to fully concentrate on my school work. I have set a goal to make the Dean's List this semester, so not working much will help me do that. I have a ton of football games this season, and those pay better than my job (and take less time). Plus, I might do some tutoring in logic or one of the philosophy intro classes. I inquired about it, but have not received a call back. So, I will see how that goes.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Fun in the Kitchen
While cutting a watermelon last night, I accidentally made a pentagon. So I decided to do some other shapes. I tried to do a hecatommyriagon, but I ran out of watermelon.
It was great to see my family the past couple of days. Dinner Sunday night was great; conversation was lively. It was interesting in that the primary topic was the death of my parents' clothes washing machine, and their hunt for a new one. I understand they were to buy a new one yesterday.
After my meeting yesterday, I got to eat lunch with my sister, which was super. She looked great in her business clothes; lil sis is all grown up! She seems to be enjoying her job, and will definitely enjoy her first paycheck!
I have been working on my autobiography this morning, and still have some work to do on that. I promised Michelle I would get it done today, so I need to finish it up. I have a football meeting tonight, so I need to finish it before I leave for that.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
After my meeting yesterday, I got to eat lunch with my sister, which was super. She looked great in her business clothes; lil sis is all grown up! She seems to be enjoying her job, and will definitely enjoy her first paycheck!
I have been working on my autobiography this morning, and still have some work to do on that. I promised Michelle I would get it done today, so I need to finish it up. I have a football meeting tonight, so I need to finish it before I leave for that.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Summer school has finally ended! Finals were on Friday, and I am glad that they are over. I have two weeks to rest and take care of some adoption stuff before the fall semester starts.
Later today, I will be heading up to Clarksville. I will be staying there overnight as I make my way to my meeting in Gallatin tomorrow morning. My meeting will be a symposium on ministerial ethics. I normally deal with ethics on a macro-level, so it will be interesting to talk about it at a micro-level.
It will be great to see my family tonight; it appears we will be having a mini-reunion at Cracker Barrell...LOL. That will be fun.
Michelle will not be coming with me, since tomorrow is her first day of teaching. She is so excited! I know she will do great. I am sad that I won't be able to see her off on the first day.
Rutgers University is hosting a philosophy conference in January, and I am writing a paper that I will submit to it. Hopefully, it will be chosen and I will get to present it. The theme of the conference is "Philosophy in Religion".
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Later today, I will be heading up to Clarksville. I will be staying there overnight as I make my way to my meeting in Gallatin tomorrow morning. My meeting will be a symposium on ministerial ethics. I normally deal with ethics on a macro-level, so it will be interesting to talk about it at a micro-level.
It will be great to see my family tonight; it appears we will be having a mini-reunion at Cracker Barrell...LOL. That will be fun.
Michelle will not be coming with me, since tomorrow is her first day of teaching. She is so excited! I know she will do great. I am sad that I won't be able to see her off on the first day.
Rutgers University is hosting a philosophy conference in January, and I am writing a paper that I will submit to it. Hopefully, it will be chosen and I will get to present it. The theme of the conference is "Philosophy in Religion".
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
For a guy who hates meetings, imagine my dismay at sitting in one for 3.5 hours tonight. Jeez.
I need to read some philosophy for tomorrow (damn those quizzes). Wouldn't hurt to do some Spanish, either. My finals in both classes are this Friday...YAY! Then, two weeks off until fall semester starts. The countdown to commencement has already commenced!
I am working on a new blog that will be published at my .Mac site, http://web.mac.com/cwinn1, unless I can figure out a way to keep it here. I know little about html and the like. One of my original ideas for my blog was to make some of my writings available, but I have never been able to figure out a way to do that effectively. I guess if I really wanted a great site, I could hire AT2K to do it for me. Hmm...
I hope everyone is doing well.
Peace...
I need to read some philosophy for tomorrow (damn those quizzes). Wouldn't hurt to do some Spanish, either. My finals in both classes are this Friday...YAY! Then, two weeks off until fall semester starts. The countdown to commencement has already commenced!
I am working on a new blog that will be published at my .Mac site, http://web.mac.com/cwinn1, unless I can figure out a way to keep it here. I know little about html and the like. One of my original ideas for my blog was to make some of my writings available, but I have never been able to figure out a way to do that effectively. I guess if I really wanted a great site, I could hire AT2K to do it for me. Hmm...
I hope everyone is doing well.
Peace...
Monday, August 07, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Dumbest Thing I Have Seen In A Long Time
I vividly remember living at Mach 2 with my hair on fire, but those days are long gone. Now I see the stupidity in such actions.
I had a most wonderful birthday yesterday. We enjoyed some great Mexican food, followed by chocolate birthday cake. Maybe not the most normal pairing, but it worked for me. At least until 4:30 AM this morning when I woke up to puke...LOL. Turns out that was a bad combination...LOL.
I would like to say thanks to all of you who emailed, called, and/or sent cards wishing me well on my birthday. Thanks so much!!
I have been kicking arse in my ethics class lately. I am learning a lot, having fun, and making good grades. Doesn't get much better than that. We have been reading "Dead Man Walking", along with several articles on capital punishment. Friday, we are having a Pardon Board hearing in class. We will be arguing whether to grant clemency to Robert Lee Willie, one of the main people in the book. Some people chose to represent one of several characters from the book, and some chose to be on the Pardon Board. I chose to be the books author (and Robert Lee's spiritual advisor) Sister Helen Prejean. Those who chose to be a character will write a paper and present it to the Pardon Board. After the Board hears all the arguments, it will vote on whether to grant Robert Lee clemency. Each of the Pardon Board members will write a paper over the weekend to explain why they voted the way they did. It should be a lot of fun. I wrote most of my paper today, and will finish it up tomorrow.
Yesterday, I bought Five For Fighting's new CD, and I love it. So awesome. Right now, I am downloading Tom Petty's new CD. He played a couple of its songs at the concert in Nashville last year, and I liked them. Also, the first single, Saving Grace, is really good. I gotta remember to ask my sister to burn me a copy of Jewel's new CD.
I have my first football scrimmage this Friday. I am looking forward to being out on the field again. Even if it is 600 degrees outside.
My birthday yesterday was also MTV's 25th birthday. VH1 Classic replayed MTV's first day. We watched for an hour or so, and it was funny. I have to wonder how it ever survived for more than one day, given that some of the videos were just hideous. Obviously, they got a lot better. Although, it seems now, that the music video is not nearly as important as it once was. Too much "reality TV" for my taste.
We have almost completed our current stage in the adoption process. We did a bunch of paperwork tonight, and need to only do a few more things before we move into the next phase. It seems time is flying.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
I would like to say thanks to all of you who emailed, called, and/or sent cards wishing me well on my birthday. Thanks so much!!
I have been kicking arse in my ethics class lately. I am learning a lot, having fun, and making good grades. Doesn't get much better than that. We have been reading "Dead Man Walking", along with several articles on capital punishment. Friday, we are having a Pardon Board hearing in class. We will be arguing whether to grant clemency to Robert Lee Willie, one of the main people in the book. Some people chose to represent one of several characters from the book, and some chose to be on the Pardon Board. I chose to be the books author (and Robert Lee's spiritual advisor) Sister Helen Prejean. Those who chose to be a character will write a paper and present it to the Pardon Board. After the Board hears all the arguments, it will vote on whether to grant Robert Lee clemency. Each of the Pardon Board members will write a paper over the weekend to explain why they voted the way they did. It should be a lot of fun. I wrote most of my paper today, and will finish it up tomorrow.
Yesterday, I bought Five For Fighting's new CD, and I love it. So awesome. Right now, I am downloading Tom Petty's new CD. He played a couple of its songs at the concert in Nashville last year, and I liked them. Also, the first single, Saving Grace, is really good. I gotta remember to ask my sister to burn me a copy of Jewel's new CD.
I have my first football scrimmage this Friday. I am looking forward to being out on the field again. Even if it is 600 degrees outside.
My birthday yesterday was also MTV's 25th birthday. VH1 Classic replayed MTV's first day. We watched for an hour or so, and it was funny. I have to wonder how it ever survived for more than one day, given that some of the videos were just hideous. Obviously, they got a lot better. Although, it seems now, that the music video is not nearly as important as it once was. Too much "reality TV" for my taste.
We have almost completed our current stage in the adoption process. We did a bunch of paperwork tonight, and need to only do a few more things before we move into the next phase. It seems time is flying.
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
Later this afternoon, we have a meeting with our social worker. We will be discussing what we need to do in the coming weeks, as we get ready for our home study. I keep forgetting I need to hide my meth lab...LOL.
Tonight, I have my first football meeting of the season. Many people who do not officiate sports do not realize how much time we officials spend in meetings and training camps. People quite often ask bluntly, "How much do you get paid for these games" (in what other profession does this happen?) and think it's a gold mine when they find out. They do not realize the level of commitment that is required. Which is understandable I guess, since they are not directly involved in it. These are probably the same folks who think teaching school is a pretty easy gig since teachers (allegedly) get off work at 3:00 or so.
Tomorrow is my birthday. I am going to celebrate by skipping Spanish class and sleeping in for a bit. I have a quiz in ethics, so I have got to do that. However, the rest of the day is mine, and I think we are going to lounge at the Smiths' pool in the afternoon. That will be fun :)
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Tonight, I have my first football meeting of the season. Many people who do not officiate sports do not realize how much time we officials spend in meetings and training camps. People quite often ask bluntly, "How much do you get paid for these games" (in what other profession does this happen?) and think it's a gold mine when they find out. They do not realize the level of commitment that is required. Which is understandable I guess, since they are not directly involved in it. These are probably the same folks who think teaching school is a pretty easy gig since teachers (allegedly) get off work at 3:00 or so.
Tomorrow is my birthday. I am going to celebrate by skipping Spanish class and sleeping in for a bit. I have a quiz in ethics, so I have got to do that. However, the rest of the day is mine, and I think we are going to lounge at the Smiths' pool in the afternoon. That will be fun :)
I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...
Sunday, July 30, 2006
OK, I have finished my Spanish homework, I have done my writing assignment on Hotel Rwanda, and have read the chapter from my ethics textbook. All I have remaining is to read the first 6 chapters of "Dead Man Walking", which I have read before, so that will be a breeze. I think Michelle and I are going out for a while to do some stuff, which will turn into eating an early dinner, then repairing back home so I can read my stuff. Then, it will be celebration time, complete with champagne and year-old wedding cake. COOL!!
Peace...
Peace...
I just finished my Spanish homework, so I started thinking about my Hotel Rwanda response. That brought me back to a video I recently found on Youtube.com, one of Craig David performing the Beatles' "Come Together" at the Concert for New York that Yoko One put on as a tribute to the victims of 9-11. I remember watching the concert live, and being particularly mesmerized by David's rendition of one of my favorite Beatles songs. I have embedded a player below. The quality is quite grainy (it looks as if it was recorded on VHS), but it is not too bad. Peace...
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