Breakfast

Krispy Kreme ............. mmmmmmm!

Time To Celebrate

Lastnight was a great night. I made a purchase I've been wanting to make for quite some time now. I asked for this item for Christmas only to find that my request had fallen on Santa's deaf ears. So I hopped out of the car at Best Buy, gift certificates in hand and went in to buy the first season of LOST. I missed the majority of the first season and have been dying to get caught up. I of course know the gist of what happened but there are some many nuances and twists that you could never imagine. I'm so excited to hopefully have some time soon to just sit in front of the t.v. and zone out to episode after episode. Of course I can't watch too many at once because there will be too much to analyze and ponder. If you don't watch this show I urge you to get in on the excitement. It really is one of if not the best written show that has been on t.v. in a long time. It is artfully crafted and its depth seems to know no bounds. I won't disclose to you all the nerdy things I am involved in when it comes to this show but it definitely takes a little of my time ... and I love it.

On another note, if you remember I posted back in June about how it was my half birthday. That was 6 months ago from tomorrow (thursday). Just fyi. What is 28 all about? Is that still a cool age? Is there a certain age when I supposed to start wearing penny loafers with jeans and talking about the most boring things known to mankind? I hope 28 is not that age. And if it is I will fight the system by wearing Chuck Taylors and talking about rock 'n roll all night.

I got an iPod nano for Christmas. This thing is unreal. It's so easy to lose. I've been wanting to get in on the iPod revolution for some time now and am now part of the movement. It's cool. You should do it if you haven't already.

Personal PC

I was thinking that I could really use one of those personal PC things. I'm not sure if a Blackberry will do the trick. Can you access websites on one of those ... or just email? The thing is I think of some really great stuff to write about when I'm in the car or out and about somewhere but by the time I get to a computer I get sidetracked and lose track of what I had on my mind earlier. So I think a personal PC could really be of benefit to you the reader. FYI ... Christmas is day after tomorrow.

Speaking of Christmas, my team at work was responsible for collecting coats, gloves, hats, etc. to be donated to a homeless shelter in Dallas. On Wednesday we had a sales meeting in the morning and then gathered all the clothing and went to the shelter to drop it off. We went to a place called the Day Resource Center in downtown Dallas. Until you see it, it's hard to believe how these people live. This shelter is for what they call "chronicly homeless" which means that most of the people there have some sort of mental illness that keeps them from operating in a way to better their lives and get themselves in proper housing or they are just so far gone that there is almost no possible way of recovery. Most of these people have been kicked out of privately funded shelters or shelters run by religious organizations. The reasons for this range from violence, to cursing, to dealing and/or using drugs. So the shelter we were at had the worst of the worst. It's hard enough to know and see some of the conditions they live in, but heartbreaking to know they will most likely never change or veer from the paths they are on. I applaud those who commit time or even make it their livelihood to help these people. I don't think there is a job there I could do without absolutely losing it. The manager of the shelter was a wonderful man that has a real deep affection and a soft spot in his heart for these people. He was homeless at a point in his life and was eventually rehabilitated in this shelter and now has the opportunity to offer help to others who desperately need it but generally refuse it. I spend most of my days around people that for the most part are very much like myself. We come from similar backgrounds, line up fairly well socio-economically speaking, and are able to generally understand what the other person goes through day to day. In this situation though I felt as if I was in a foreign country. It's hard to imagine what life is like for these people and impossible to truly understand. On the one hand is was a nice feeling to give of ourselves and help these people but as we left it was hard not to think that in the grand scheme of things we were really doing nothing. There were needs we could never meet and it makes you feel helpless knowing that's the case. At the least I hope I will always remember what it felt like walking into that place and always know that I am blessed beyond what I can see or know.

So a Merry Christmas to whomever may be reading tonight. I hope to see and/or talk to some of you very soon. Until then ...

A coming of age

I meant to mention this about a month ago but forgot. I've hit a milestone in my life. I've attained a level of manhood that I can never return from. I now have to shave everyday. For a long time I got away with every other day but apparently the right hormones are finally kicking in and it's an everyday affair for me. I hate the shaving but can appreciate what it represents.

I turned on the television this morning to see footage of sliding cars and 18 wheelers blowing up on the roads so I decided I would go into work late. A few hours later when the roads had cleared I got to the office, only to find there were a grand total of zero people there. Being the highly motivated worker I am, I decided to go home and enjoy the rest of the day. I hope they weren't playing a trick on me.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

So it's snowing outside right now. And by snow I of course mean a weird mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow. Not the stuff that floats down from the sky to softly blanket the countryside. This is the stuff that comes flying down like minute ballistic missles blasting everything in sight. You do not want to get hit in the face with this stuff if the wind is blowing. You will for sure be in pain.

Everyone really freaks out about bad weather here. I love it. I guess it's justified because the combo of ice and people's inexperience driving on it can really cause problems. Some people on the radio where talking about how the news stations are already set up along the highways at places where people traditionally wipe out on ice. They were laughing because the news people make no effort to warn drivers they are approaching a hazardous area. They just keep quiet and keep the cameras rolling. I love it.

That's enough for now. I'm just trying to avoid work.

Why Girls Don't Like Me

So the other night I was having dinner with some members of my family and in the conversation someone mentioned something they couldn't do. They said something to the effect of "I'll try but I don't think I can do that". So my uncle trying to be inspirational and encouraging asks, "hey, who was it that said 'there is no try, only do'?" He knew someone important had made that statement at some point in history but couldn't remember exactly where it came from. I instantly knew where I had heard the quote but gave it a few seconds to see if anyone else could answer. After a moment of silence I piped in with, "umm, I'm pretty sure it was Master Yoda that said that." After another moment of silence the room erupted in laughter. I try not to be that guy ... but it just comes out. Why do I know that crap?

On an unrelated note, I put on a flannel shirt tonight and realized it is the same shirt I wore in my senior pictures in high school. Should I buy new clothes?

Ramblings

I finally got lights up on my house. It's been a real hassle. After all the lights went up on the roof I found out the outside outlets do not work. So I have several cords running underneath various doors to the outside of the house. One day when I was putting the lights up it was really cold outside so I put on my jacket, hat and gloves. It takes a few minutes to get that bundled up so I was irritated to realize I had to go to the bathroom when I finished bundling. Oddly it's not that hard to go with gloves on. And think ... you don't have to wash your hands. Is that weird? Too much information?

The other day I was thinking that if my name was Scott I would totally get people to call me Scooter. Everyone I know named Scott thinks thats a dumb thing for them to be called but I think it's great. Usually you shorten a name. But with this one you just add some stuff to different parts. You don't see that too often. Speaking of shortening a name ... I'd love to have a child named Bob. I would of course call him Bo for short. I went too far with that one didn't I? That was just obsurd.

I met a girl tonight named Jessica. Later on I found out her name was Michelle.

I'm playing a show this weekend if anyone wants to watch. Van Alstyne, TX "Friends of the Library" breakfast. I think there's an opening act. We go on at 11 ... a.m. It's definitely on a different ridiculous scale than some of my former shows. The music should be good though. I'm not banking on a full tip jar though.

Where did they come up with the term "White Elephant" when referring to a gift exchange? I don't get it.

I saw "Blazing Saddles" tonight. I highly recommend it ... unless you're easily offended. It was very funny and inappropriate. My kind of movie.

Did Nick and Jessica really break up?

Who saw LOST lastnight? It was awesome. I've made some new friends this week who thoroughly enjoy discussing the show. They make me feel like it's not so bad being a giant nerd.
One more day of work this week friends. Cheer up.