When It Comes to Predictions, I am “King of the Hill.”

Normally, I don’t write in the blog on weekends. I have other things that demand my time then plus I usually want to take a break from thinking. However, today I must make an exception.

I have been doing rather well in the prediction department. I made a number of predictions for 2007 in this blog way back in January. I already reviewed this a little last month. However, something happened today that was so mind-numbing concerning the accuracy of my predictions, that it made me come out of my weekend repose, to write about it on a Sunday.

Two of these predictions will come to fruition on this very day; and another Thursday Thirteen post has influenced the future making it THREE blog references in all. Are you ready to be blown away? Here are the three:

Prediction #3 - A celebrity will convert to Christianity and will talk too much about it.

Prediction #7 - There will be a surge in video game playing among baby boomers - and there will surface one particular game that will usher these people in.

And From TT #12 “Rejected TT Topics”

Topic #8 – Thirteen Uses for Propane

This all comes to pass through tonight’s NEW “King of the Hill” show on Fox. Here is the synopses taken from the newspaper’s TV Preview magazine:

When Bill survives the root caving in over his bed, he immerses himself in church activities; Hank becomes addicted to a video game about propane.

It is nice to know that I so attuned to Fox animated television series. I am sure there is a market for it somewhere – in another universe, perhaps.

Thursday Thirteen #14 - Anniversary Edition

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of this blog. So, today starts year #2. I decided that in honor of that, I would use TT to highlight my favorite posts in this blog from the past year. This is MY favorites, not necessarily the best.

Before I get to that, I am also proud to announce that my new blog (the spiritual one) was launched yesterday. Quite by accident, both my blogs have the same anniversary date a year apart. What is pathetic is that I first started talking about writing a new blog way back in November. Well, better late than never.

Okay, the thirteen favorite blog entries over the past year (in no particular order):

1. Ode to My Mother, Part I and Ode to My Mother, Part II
These were important to me for obvious reasons. My mom is the best!

2. TT #5 - Random Childhood Memories
I like this one because it was writing. I don't know really how to explain that, but those of you who relish writing will know what I mean. I also liked the trip.

3. Self Examination
I liked this one because it was relevent. That was one thing I thought I was missing. Besides, it made a mermaid cry.

4. TT #4 - 2007 Predictions
I went out on a limb here and already I don't look too stupid - thanks to Anna Nicole Smith (RIP).

5. American Idol Judges Biased Against Christianity
This one has substance and I took a chance that some would think I was ridiculous. Fortunately, those that did kept it to themselves. :)

6. An Unlikely Meeting
I liked this because it was my hand at fiction. I think this was the only post of its kind on my blog. I should try something like this again.

7. Griffey
A sentimental favorite. I miss my buddy.

8. Christmas, Think About It
This was important to me. It is this kind of post that will find its way to my other blog.

9. Worn Out
I can't put my finger on it, but I just liked this one. It was satirical and I was able to vent a little. Or, maybe it was the picture I chose. :)

10. TT #13 - A Lost Art
I actually thought there was humor in this one and that was important to me at the time (and now).

11. This and That
I am not sure why I like this one either, but I do. Maybe because of the spontanaety of it.

12. Depression
This was a needed post. I felt that my entries were too fluffy at the time. Plus, this just needed to be addressed.

13. TT #7 - Celebrity Crushes
I liked this one because it set the record for the amount of feedback I got. Plus, it irritated Two Right Hands that I got so much feedback on a fluff piece. I also liked finding the pics of my old, out-of-reach flames.

I did notice that most of my favorites are pretty recent. Maybe I WAS just having a bad day the day I lamented my crappy blog.

A Little Indulgence Today

I thought I would take time today to touch on a hodge podge of things on my mind. My wife is on my mind a lot lately, because she is . . . interesting. As some of you know, I was married six months ago. My relationship with my wife has been interesting at the least. Here are some incidents that have happened over the past few days:

For the past few weeks, my wife has maintained that she isn't sure we should have kids and have been leaning towards NOT having any. I haven't been thrilled with that, but I know her opinion on it blows like the wind so I haven't really gotten into it with her much. She claimed it is because of her depression and the strong possibility of PPD. I found out Sunday, that those reasons weren't really the main reasons. She wants to stay home with the kids and I have maintained that we couldn't afford it. We had an eye on buying a particular beautiful house. Now, she is willing to get a lesser house if she can stay home with kids. I agreed. I am not aversed to her staying home, I just want to be able to pay bills. I think I can swing it with a lesser house. I hate giving up the big beautiful house, but that isn't as important as raising a family right - assuming we are good parents. She is thrilled.

So thrilled, is she, that she has been BUGGIN' about starting the family since then. We have some bills to pay off, two houses to sell, but she is ready to go right now. She made me, off the cuff, give her a timeline which I said that we COULD MAYBE start trying by the end of the year IF certain conditions have been met. I also told her that if she threw that up in my face or passive aggressively punished me because it didn't work out that soon, I would turn into the baby Nazi and proclaim, "No baby for you!! Come back, ONE YEAR!!" (Seinfeld reference, for those of you keeping score at home).

She is also irritated at me now because I told her that she shouldn't call me much during the day. We changed cell providers last fall because we could get a 23% discount because of her volume discount she gets with her employer. I don't want to mention the provider, but it hasn't worked out AT ALL. It was suppose to drop our payments from about $85 to about $65 per month, but it only worked that way once. Not only that, but the reception is horrid. Usually, the bills are about the same as the old provider, but last month it was $145. Ridiculous. I can get free calls after 7 pm and on weekends, but everyone wants to call me during the workweek in the daytime. The good friends call me on one of my office phones; that is perfectly fine. NO ONE calls my caell on the weekends. I want someone to call me on a Saturday afternoon one time to just say "hi". I can go whole weekends without as much as a wrong number. Pathetic.

So she gets mad because a wife should be able to call her husband. I told her that if I was a factory worker she couldn't call me at all. She reminded that I am NOT a factory worker so I told her to play makebelieve and picture me at Whirlpool - a local factory. She isn't happy about it, but it will cost $400 to break the contract. So, in 18 short months, we are changing our provider!! Yippee!

Self Examination

I really had to have some coffee this morning. I guess I slept okay, but I had dreams that wore me out. I hate it when I have dreams like that. I had a dream I was traveling across Alaska. I wake up exhausted.

Then, I need coffee. Coffee. I even like the term as comes out of my mouth. Coffee. Say, "Wanna get some coffee?" out loud. It just sounds appealing, doesn't it? I know that only about 30% of you actually said it out loud. That's okay. The rest of you think you are too cool to say it out loud. Well, you're not. ;)

I don't want to get too far off the track about self examination. Last week there was a great tragedy in the country. I resisted writing about Virgina Tech because I didn't feel I really had much to add. What was left to say that hadn't already been said? I found out that maybe there were other reasons for my blog silence concerning it. At church yesterday we were supposed to start a new series about Evolution and Creation. We didn't. The minister spent the whole time on Virgina Tech and how we should deal with it.

The crux of it was that we should mourn with those that are mourning. The pastor was emotional during the service as he reminded us that Jesus, although He knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, was so touched by Lazarus' family and friends' grief, that He cried with them. We should have a heart so tender.

A ton of people at church became emotional as we relived the tragedy. Not me. I am ashamed to admit it, but when I heard about the shooting, I was more curious than touched. Sure, I was sad for that community, but it didn't cause me to mourn. Neither did the church service about it cause me to get upset like many others there.

I am not sure why I wasn't more touched. Perhaps it is the nature of my job. People come to me everyday and tell me how they lost their job unfairly. To these people, it is their whole life and livlihood that is lost. For me, if I am not careful, it is just another case number. I literally pray everyday for the compassion to come out when I meet with these clients. Thankfully, God helps me to find that empathy. I shudder to think how it would be without this kind of communion with God.

Now, because of my experience at church, I add to that daily prayer, "God please do not allow my heart to harden, not only for my clients, but for my fellow man."

Cup of Cheer

I had something kind of serious I was going to post today, but I just don't feel like it. Here's why. I am way tired. Yesterday, I cut three lawns, watched a long-ish movie, and then engaged in other physical things before actually being able to retire.

I guess it is good kind of tired, though. Today in Kentuckiana is a sunny delight of a day. Clear skies and 70 degrees. I don't have a lot of real work to do on a Friday, today, so I am in a pretty good and relaxed mood.


There are a couple of concerns I have on my mind, though. One is my coffee consuption. I may be an addict. I remember a time when coffee was just an option. I would get a cup if it were handy. I would only sip on it for a while and rarely did I finish one cup. Now, I slurp it down like Kool-Ade. I even think about how I can get coffee. For instance, last night I thought that when I go to check on my mother late at night, I can prepare her coffee maker so I will have some when I get there in the morning. I did and it was good.

I don't really know what it is. It isn't the caffeine as that drug doesn't effect me. Last week I went to a bachelor party at a local bar. I drank two caffeine-laden diet cokes and then six (count 'em) SIX coffees. Then, at only about midnight, I went home to bed - fell asleep in seconds. Plus, I usually drink de-caff at work, so . . . I don't know.

The other thing on my mind is that I am sitting here hammering out this post at my office and I am STARVING! I even had breakfast today! Why am I so hungry? Because this weekend is Tri-Fest in this town. There are blocks of food booths about 50 yards from my location right now. Somehow the smell of food is getting into the ventilation system in my building and it is working on me! I will be down there at lunch trying to find the 5% of the total food options that my diet will allow. What is Tri-Fest you may ask? I have no idea, but there is food involved. Hmm . . . I wonder if anyone is selling coffee down there.

Thursday Thirteen #13 - A Lost Art

Thirteen Reasons I have lost my sense of humor

1. I lose everything. Have you seen my keys?

2. There is nothing funny about marriage unless it is someone else’s.

3. It was in my mind when I lost IT (i.e. my mind).

4. I thought I saw it last in my car (you should see my car).

5. Even worse, it might have been in the trunk.

6. I confused the humerOUS with the fibia and now I have an extra leg (I know, it makes its own joke).

7. I thought I was only allowed five so I opted for the sense of smell instead.

8. I was too distracted by spam to notice it was missing.

9. Today’s TV shows poisoned it out of me.

10. I have been reading all YOUR blogs and succumbed to peer pressure.

11. My dog ate it (my teachers never bought that one either).

12. I sold it to the Dutch for some beads.

13. It isn’t lost, just misplaced.

I am wondering if anyone got all thirteen of these. I kind of doubt it. This blog isn’t called “Psychosomatic Wit” nothing.

Depression

Who can figure out how a normal person, for no apparent reason, can transform into someone who is one breath away from dramatically changing the lives of everyone around them. Like putting on a costume in the play of life, the character is transformed into a hopeless shell of a human being. It is enough to make Stanislavsky proud.

Depression is a form of selfishness. Am I saying that it isn't a medical problem (i.e. chemical imbalance)? No. For some, it very well may be. It is still selfishness, because by definition, a person dwelling in a state of depression is consumed with the self. It isn't a conscious choice of selfishness. Depression is so debilitating that it leaves one with the notion that he has little choice but to be immersed in the self for survival's sake.

The problem with depression is that it is a disease of the soul. The soul is the intellect + will + emotions of an individual. Depression attacks the soul and causes the person to dwell on the self. There is an old saying, “Misery loves company.” Depression flies in the face of that bromide. Rather, depression is a suspicious spouse, or a jealous best friend. There is no room for anyone else to suffer with it or any other problem, for that matter. No, one with depression can only consider his/her own hopeless state. No one else has the right to have it, lest some focus may be taken off the self.

I never grappled with depression until after I met my wife. That is not to say that my wife has caused my bouts or that my marriage is depressing me. None of that is the case. Despite my blog rants, I am pretty happy with my marriage. I don’t really blog about the good times so much. The troubled spots are easier to analyze and that is what I do, but I digress. Before the past couple of years, I never actually had to deal with depression. Sure, I had sad times. I was sad when appropriate, maybe even downright despondent, but there were always reasons. It was part of the natural cycle of being human in a fallen world. However, depression is another matter. Depression is its own entity.

Perhaps my small (and they are relatively small) stints of depression are a form of sympathy pains for my wife. She has struggled intensely with this unnatural despair. Maybe God would have me get some doses of it so I could understand and reach out to her instead of doing what my flesh craved at times which was announcing, “I can’t deal with this; maybe you aren’t ready to have this kind of relationship.”

Whatever the reason, these dates with melancholia are a reality for me now. However, no matter how it feels, complete hopelessness will never take hold. I have found the secret, and I thank God for that revelation.

No, Not Just a Bad Day

The past few days I have been considering my blog and not liking what I see. I have considered myself a writer; that’s why I started it. I have always believed that I had something to say. I wanted my blog to help give me the discipline to write a few times per week and to give me an outlet to speak my heart and mind.

But look at it. I don’t say anything. I still have plenty to say; I have just chosen to not say it. Instead, I have indulged myself by whining about my marriage, playing around with Thursday Thirteen, or some other piece of drivel designed to pander and not offend. Somewhere, I have decided to cater to you guys or to keep it relatively safe when it comes to topics.

Last week, I set two personal pageload records back to back. I just don’t know why. I want to ask you why you keep tuning in, but I don’t want to come off like I am begging for compliments, because I am not. Getting a “this should make him feel better about his blog” comment would do more harm than good, I suspect.

I am a writer, damn it! Yet, my blog won’t back me up on this claim. I know it doesn’t.

I thought my blog would be funnier. I have had at least a half dozen people tell me throughout my life that I was the funniest person they knew. Where is that guy now? Over the years, I have lost some comedic qualities. They surface from time to time (rarely in my blog), but it isn’t like it used to be. I guess real life has tainted me.

It is like I have been a victim of a heinous crime. Some evil syndicate has sent agents to distract me with life while other operatives come and steal my humor, voice, and relevance.

I don’t know what will become of this blog. I am not going to quit, but it will be hard for it to remain the same. It is not like I want a new gimmick or meme (hate that word). Actually, it is quite the opposite. I just want to grow a couple so I will actually say what I want to say.

Stay tuned.

Thursday Thirteen #12 - Rejected TT Topics

It is getting more difficult as time goes on to come up with TT topics that I think are worthy of being published. I don't want to get to a place where I am just doing it to be doing it. It would be a waste of my time and for anyone who reads it. There has to be some feature in TT that is either interesting, revealing, or humorus. Hopefully, this list of TT topics that didn't make the cut this week, will have at least a smidgeon of one of these attributes.

1. Thirteen reasons you SHOULD care about the Imus incident.
This didn’t make the cut because I have probably spent too much time on this topic already. Some of the reasons I would include would be that it isn’t about one guy, but more about race relations in general.

2. Thirteen foods that have changed my life.
I couldn’t think of any. I think I could give up anything right now, just not everything.

3. Thirteen girlfriends in my past.
If ever my wife saw this list, then I would be in way too much trouble. My wife enjoys thinking that she is my first love interest (although she knows it isn’t true). I guess we have a “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy.

4. Thirteen dogs that I have had.
I had only eight (three right now).

5. Thirteen love lessons that I have learned from experience.
Actually, I had typed this out once for TT in the past. Then, of course, blogger erased it. It was a lot of work. I may try it again in the future.

6. Thirteen reasons I should file for divorce.
Can’t think of any.

7. Thirteen reasons that I am not yet published.
I may do this in the future, also. Right now it is just too doggone painful to think about it.

8. Thirteen uses for propane.
I can only think of twelve. ;)

9. Thirteen pieces of evidence for the existence of God.
I think I am going to reserve this for the other blog that I haven’t started yet about spiritual things – if that ever happens. Besides, it would be tough narrowing it down to thirteen.

10. Thirteen cars that I wish I was driving instead of the piece of crap I am stuck with now.
Too self-indulgent, uninteresting, and depressing.

11. Thirteen places that I COULD be living if things had turned out differently in my life.
Thought of this one late. I may do this in the future.

12. Thirteen characters that I can make with hand puppets.
Can only think of one and it is a snake – boring.

13. Thirteen reasons I should discontinue Thursday Thirteen.

May do this one in the future, also. This list would be #1.

Midweek's

A NEW RECORD

Yesterday set a record for pageloads in a day for this blog. I think that is great, but I can’t for the life of me figure how all those hits yielded only one comment (thanks chosha, btw). It was a controversial topic; do you folks shy away from that sort of thing? What’s your theory?


IMUS UPDATE

Speaking of yesterday’s post, I was watching this morning an interview with the Rutgers coach and team. They said that Don Imus’ statement really hurt them. I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Most of them, I would bet, never heard of the guy before this came about (my wife hadn’t). What would give this 68-year-old nonfactor so much power in their lives? However, I am not African-American nor have I ever been publicly attacked. Therefore, I have no standing in judging whether or not these women have the “right” to be hurt. No one has to qualify her feelings. They just are. I am sorry that these women were offended and I am glad that Imus has been suspended.

On another front of the same story, I still find Al Sharpton’s (and now Jesse Jackson’s) call for Imus’ termination a little disingenuous. As I mentioned yesterday, neither is calling for a boycott of Jay-Z’s records. On top of that, both men have had similar offenses in their pasts. Jackson referred to heavily Jewish populated New York as “Heimytown” and Sharpton accused a prosecutor of conspiring against his client by participating in the rape and abduction of her (Tawana Brawly) when it turned out that the whole crime was fabricated. I don’t see Jackson or Sharpton resigning their positions. There is enough hypocrisy to go around concerning this issue and too many glass houses.


SANJAYA FEVER (or sickness)

Now, on to more important things like American Idol: I have really not been compelled to comment on it. My personal favorite, Chris Sligh, was voted off a couple of weeks ago. He was the heavy-set, kinky-haired, comedian-type guy. However, a new phenomenon has surfaced and drew me back in. It is Sanjaya. By most accounts, he is the least worthy of being the American Idol. However, there has been a rising movement of haters that bad-mouth and disparage this 17-year-old singer that has really gotten my ire up. My wife is one of these haters. Those of you that have kept up with this blog know by now that my wife isn’t the most compassionate woman in the world. This Sanjaya thing has given me the opportunity to explore this with her without myself being the target of her hate. I actually got her to admit that she believes that this poor kid has no right to compete – NO RIGHT! Amazing.

You may not like Sanjaya. Fine. Don’t vote for him. However, to blame this kid for trying is ridiculous. He isn’t keeping himself in. All he is doing is going out there and doing his best. Leave him alone and go vote for someone else. My wife thinks he should quit. Do you? It is causing me to pull for him now although I have NEVER voted for anyone and don’t see that I will any time soon.


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME

Speaking of my wife (wow, these transitions have been too easy), it is our six-month anniversary (for lack of a better term) today. We were not going to make a big deal about it – just a nice dinner and movie. However, there are NO romantic movies out now! Can you believe it? I don’t know what we are going to see – if we see anything at all, but you would think there would be at least one romantic comedy out there. I did buy her three classic Audrey Hepburn movies last night, but we are definitely going out so they will keep for another time.


BLOGGER BLUES

I maintain my dislike for blogger. This is the second time I wrote this post. One slip of the pinky and it was all gone. So, you guys will never know how interesting and eloquent the original post really was. You will just have to take my word for it. I know, I know, I should have typed in Word first (I am right now). But should I have to? Is it so hard to make the posts retrievable or more secure from finger slippage? Well, it is free so I guess I shouldn’t gripe. Plus, I don’t want to get back on that “word verification” thing. Some folks say they have suffered spam or stuff, but I think that it is the worse thing. It really eats up my time when I read and comment on a lot of blogs in one sitting.


ARE YOU COUNTED?

One last thing: Speaking of blogger, I asked this before and no one really responded. However, if I have commented on your blog and do not list you in my blogroll, let me know. I will try to add you – if I can figure it out. I haven’t really updated it so if you want listed, let me know. If you don’t really care, then I don’t either.