I Just Finished a Great Book

I just finished a great book - Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. It's a true story about a 1996 commercial expedition to climb Mount Everest that ended up in the death of six climbers. I won't go into a bunch of details, but after reflecting on the story I'm struck by two things. All of the characters were extremely focused - to the point of being obsessed - about getting to the top of Everest. So much so that they let their ambitions kill them. In addition, although they were all surrounded by such a magnificent and majestic location and in continually dangerous and challenging conditions, there is not one mention - not even a single tiny reference - to God, His creation, or asking for His protection.


I was at Second Mile again yesterday and I had some serious fun. My boss, Tom, was on vacation so I didn't have my recently typical easy job in one of the air conditioned offices. One of the warehouse guys was out with the truck making pick-ups and the other warehouse guy wasn't in, so I put myself in charge for the day. As the day progressed it became necessary for me to move some stuff around, so I actually drove the fork lift. I mentioned in an earlier post that several weeks ago I received about 90 seconds of training on the fork lift, which I of course by now had totally forgotten, but which of course didn't stop me. With my crew of two community service boys we had lots of work to do. I made sure they were both far from my path, which wasn't a problem after they witnessed me knocking over a few boxes and having a low-speed collision which some furniture. I also loaded some furniture into an Egyptian lady's minivan, which was quite interesting. I don't usually have too much trouble communicating with the Spanish-speaking clients, but Egyptian is another thing. The only words I know in Egyptian are Pharaoh and pyramid. But, things worked out okay and she got her furniture. And, I'm fairly certain that she was very impressed with my fork lift driving.


Later today we're driving up to The Woodlands to visit with Bethany for a few hours. As part of her nanny gig she'll be there taking care of her young charge while his mom attends a meeting of some type. I'm looking forward to breakfast and lunch with a one year-old. I'm sure we'll bond. Speaking of Bethany, she had a job interview yesterday for a speech and debate teaching postion at Hayes Consolidated ISD in Buda (Texas), which is about 3o miles south of Austin. I can't wait to hear how that went.


I have now officially given up on my front yard and accepted the fact that it will not rain again in my lifetime. I'm considering putting a lethal dose of weed killer on the entire yard and just being done with the whole thing, and then spray painting the dirt green, which will save me hundreds of dollars each month on water. Actually, the decision now seems easy - continue to spend money watering the yard and end up with dead grass, or don't spend money watering the yard and end up with dead grass? Hmmm.

Saying Hello - How to Know

Every once in awhile in a sermon or in one of those touchie-feelie seminars on interpersonal relations that we've all had to sit through at work (work?) you'll hear some version of the following topic brought up.

"You know, when people ask us how we're doing we've all gotten in the habit of just saying something like 'fine' or 'okay' or 'not bad'. But we all know that there are times when we don't feel fine or okay or not bad. There are times when we feel like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. But, we just put on our masks with the painted on smiles and go about our business as if nothing is wrong. Wouldn't it be great if we had the kind of relationship with our friends that allowed us to share our hurts with them when things are not going well?"

Now, I don't know about you, but when I ask someone "How's it going?" I expect the response to be fine or okay or not bad. Except in rare instances where a close blood relative needs to confide in me in order to avoid death, permanent disability, or a long prison sentence, I don't typically want to hear about someone else's bad day. Wouldn't it be nice if instead of having to go through a bunch of fake pleasantries we could just tell in advance whether or not to even say hello to a person? What if there was some type of code that would clue us in about another person's desire to be greeted. Well, good news - I think I've cracked just such a code and I'm going to let you in on it.

Being that I have a lot of spare time on my hands I have gotten into the habit of walking almost every day. It's great exercise and it's allowed me to lose about fifteen pounds. I walk about 3.5 miles a day. My plan is that as soon as I lose 25 more pounds I'll start running again like I used to do when I was younger. I expect that I will probably never run again for the rest of my life. But, enough about me and my unrealistic expectations. What about the code?

During my almost daily walks I walk passed quite a few people. All kinds of people - young, old, thin, not-so-thin, male, female, undetermined, white, black, Hispanic, etc, etc, etc. Based on my observations of thousands of random five second encounters with these people I have been able to classify them into the following hello/no hello groups:

I'm Happy to See You and Can't Wait to Say Hello - this group of people is making eye-contact with you before you can even see their eyes. They are always smiling. These people may exist in pairs, and it is not uncommon for them to be walking a dog. So, the next time you see someone who has their dog with them at work or at church make sure to say hello.

I'm Open to the Idea of Saying Hello but Only if You Go First - this group will typically be scanning the area as they walk, but will direct their gaze in your direction in plenty of time for you to say hello. They are not usually smiling, but their expression is pleasant and inviting, and they will most likely smile when they say hello back.

I Don't Want to Appear Rude but I Don't Want to Say Hello Either - we all know this group. As they approach they will appear to be deep in thought and will often have a concerned look on their face. They will usually act as if something has attracted their attention just as they come within greeting distance, or they will look at their watch, which is especially entertaining when they aren't wearing a watch. I usually ask them what time it is.

I Just Can't Bear the Thought of Speaking to You Right Now - this is the easiest group to deal with as they leave no doubt about what is going to happen. These people walk looking straight down at the ground with such a fixed stare that you could make a face and stick your tongue out at them and they'd never notice. If you're in a particularly playful mood say hello to these people and watch them lose their balance and stumble into oncoming traffic.

I'm Carrying a Concealed Hand Gun and I'll Be Happy to Show It to You - this group walks with a scowl on their face and stares straight ahead until they are within a step or two of you. At that point they look you straight in the eyes but don't soften their scowls. This group not only doesn't want to be cordial, they also dare you to say hello. Avoid this group if you're in a playful mood and never ask them for the time.

So, there you have it. If everyone at church and at work would behave the same way that walkers on the sidewalk behave the world would be a much easier place to figure out.

Oh , by the way, I had my very first job interview earlier this week. It was actually a telephone interview, for a job based in Houston. I talked to "the man" for about 45 minutes and things seemed to have gone well. If he liked me then the next step is to go in for a "panel" interview. I am familiar with this company and I know that the panel interview is with up to six people, some of whom are on a conference call from their corporate office in New York. I've never been in front of a panel before. I hope I get a shot at this. It sounds like fun, even if I don't get the job.

We're off to Camp Bandina this Sunday afternoon to be small group Bible class leaders for the FCCC seniors (seniors meaning in high school, not over age 65). We'll be there - in Bandera - until Friday morning and then we head to Colorado to try out my brother's brand new vacation home. This trip will be an interesting contrast in temperature - 105 degrees in Bandera and 70 degrees in Colorado.

Vanna, I'd Like a "Ctrl i" Please

Well, tonight was a big night for me and nine of my closest friends. After weeks of excited anticipation the gastronomical event of the decade finally arrived - THE chicken fried steak dinner for ten at the home of the world famous cook Sharon Galvan. We qualified to attend this extravaganza by way of the fact that I was the high bidder for it at the First Colony Church of Christ's youth mission auction which was held this past February. This was probably the best $300 I ever spent.

FYI, this auction is an annual event that raises funds for various mission trips and mission support in various countries around the world, including Mexico, Haiti, Honduras, Uganda and Chile.

Dinner this evening included chicken fried steak (lightly breaded and delicious), garlic mashed potatoes (oh so fluffy), green beans (oh so green) and a wide selection of desserts (maybe the best part of the night). The dessert bar included cheese cake, raspberry cobbler, pecan pie, and carrot cake - all home made by Ms. Galvan.

No matter what anybody tells you, chicken fried steak is not health food - regardless of who makes it!

Here's Sharon posing with what's left of fifteen pounds of mashed potatoes! She was disappointed that we couldn't finish them off.

The entertainment for the evening was presented in several acts. Act One was Reid Curry, who regaled us with his wisdom of MicroSoft Word short cuts. For instance, did you know that Ctrl i will italicize what follows until the Ctrl i keys are hit again? How about Ctrl b, which will bold the following type? In addition his prowess with Word, Reid informed us that he is a "hybrid" individual, with "one foot in new age and one foot old school." And, he gets 47 miles per gallon.

Act Two was the group making fun of me for being a participant in the upcoming FCCC production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. [NOTE: I just hit Ctrl i to italicize the name of the play in the preceding sentence!] The jealousy at the table was a terrible thing to witness. I could tell that they we all just eaten up inside with envy as they envisioned me singing and dancing my way into the hearts of thousands during Joseph.

Act Three was the group making fun of me for blogging. Can you believe this? There is actually a segment of the population that doesn't understand blogging? The problem with these haters is that they can't accept what they can't understand. Because the creativity of the printed word is beyond their grasp, they fear what they can't comprehend - especially Reid, who announced to everyone that he hates to read (which will certainly serve him well during his next three years at Texas Tech). But don't worry, their closed minds only serve to make me want to blog more!

Here's a group shot of my overfed, blog-hating "friends" who have no appreciation for the theatre. NOTE: Sharon and her husband David (far left) are not part of this close-minded bunch of Neanderthals.

The group also discussed possible career options for me. Based on our discussions I think I'm going to try to get a job mowing golf courses while collecting lost golf balls from the course ponds, lakes, and streams. According Butch Watterson - a famous Greatwood realtor - he once sold a million dollar house to a guy who made his fortune selling used golf balls. As soon as we get back from our vacation in Colorado I intend to be all over this.

On a closing note, I was informed today by a close relative that my blog is boring. When I recovered from the devastation wrought by this comment I decided that maybe I do need to branch out and try to include more human interest stories. So, to that end I have decided that in addition to the every day run of the mill stories about my fascinating life I will start to include my candid musings about other things that I observe with my keen insight into the human condition. My first musing post will be happening in the next few days, so be on the lookout for it.

Today I Made a Chariot

Greetings fellow blog-ites. I hope your week is going well and that those of you living in Houston and vicinity are enjoying the cooler weather. It hasn't been over 100 degrees for almost a week. Things are looking up. Now if we'd just get some of those thundershowers that have danced around us for the last two weeks I'd be so, so happy.

Big news! Yesterday I started working on it, and today I finished building a chariot. That's right, I said a chariot. By finished I mean I finished the construction phase. At some point between now and the end of September I'll paint it and make it look really cool. Like my across the street neighbor - who came over this afternoon just to see what I was building in my garage - you may be wondering why a chariot? Well, it's for the play. You remember, the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat? The chariot is for the big finale, when Jacob shows up in Egypt and is finally reunited with Joseph after many years. I looked up a picture of any Egyptian war chariot on the internet, and mine actually looks pretty close. See below . . .

Just wait until I get it painted!

Speaking of the Joseph show, we started rehearsing in earnest this week. We're working on the big song and dance number, and I have been learning more dance moves than I may be able to retain in my 56 year old brain. When we did this show ten years ago our choreographer was either much lazier or much less ambitious (or much smarter). Regardless, I'm sure we'll all look like Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers by show time. Of course there is more than one scene that requires dancing, so wish me luck with whatever is over the horizon.

Tomorrow is Vicki's birthday, so if you some into contact with her either in person or via any of the multiple electronic avenues on which you travel, tell her Happy Birthday. Because I'm tied up tomorrow evening (another rehearsal) we're doing the birthday dinner thing on Thursday evening. Don't tell her, it's a secret. I can't wait to see her face when she opens the gift I got her. It's awesome.

News flash! The Astros beat the Cardinals again tonight, which puts them only two games out of first place. Get ready for another second half charge by the Astros. I sure do miss all those free tickets I used to get when I was working. Oh yes, working. I got another job lead this afternoon from one of my former colleagues at GlobalSantaFe which I'll follow up on tomorrow. The recruiter is in Maumee, Ohio but the job is somewhere in Houston. The job description is specific in listing one of the job requirements as "a non job hopper." I wonder if working for two companies in 29 years qualifies me as a non job hopper? I can only hope.

Yes, I Have a Basically Boring Life

I haven't blogged much recently because not much is really happening. I do have a few semi-newsworthy items, but not much.

Yesterday was Second Mile Thursday. I've actually started looking forward to my trips down to Second Mile. My "boss" - Tom - is a really great guy, with a true servant's heart. For the second week in a row I was not assigned to the sweat box that is the warehouse. I spent yesterday continuing to work on the E-bay project. You'll recall that last week I took pictures of items with perceived value that will most likely not be distributed to Second Mile clients - skis, cameras, leather jackets, drum set, etc. Yesterday I actually posted these items on E-bay. I had never even been to the E-bay website, so it was fun learning how it works. My favorite E-bay item is the University of North Carolina leather team jacket that I donated to Second Mile. It's a really authentic looking leather jacket that says "UNC" on the front. All leather, with a quilted lining, in baby blue and navy. It looks cool. We inherited this jacket several years ago when one of Kayla's (or was it Bethany) old boyfriends left it at our house and never came by for it. He moved away and we've had it for seven or eight years. Maybe he'll see it and buy it back. The bidding starts at $49.99.

Speaking of Second Mile, when you work inside where the clients are you gain some insight into what it's like to try to help people who are not always as appreciative as you'd expect. There were actually two shouting incidents yesterday. One involved - if you can believe this - a teenage girl who was there performing community service. One of the staff told her to do something and the girl didn't like her tone, so she pitched a fit about not being respected! She went on and on to the point where she was finally hauled into the office of the head counselor. The other outburst involved a women who was upset because the used couch she was given wasn't as good as the one she had seen another person leave with earlier in the day. It seems that the other person's couch was the color this lady wanted and she wasn't happy that there weren't more of that color "in stock". I wanted to go out into the hall and suggest Macy's or Star, but I figured that would be like throwing gasoline on a fire (which I have actually done on occasion).

Tonight is our first rehearsal for the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Over the next two months we'll have about 20 rehearsals. When we did this ten years ago I had a job that took up a lot of my day. This time around it should be a little easier to work rehearsals into my schedule.

Something we have managed to work into our schedules is a trip to Colorado. Yes, that's correct - cooool Colorado. My brother Greg and his wife just finished construction on a vacation home in Westcliffe, Colorado, which is a few hours southwest of Colorado Springs. Like any good brother who is without a job and melting in the unceasing Houston heat, I asked Greg if Vicki and I could come up and spend a few days in his brand new house. Of course, being the good brother that he is, he said okay. We'll be heading up the second week of August, right after we finish our group leader gig at Camp Bandina. Vicki and I have the First Colony Church of Christ seniors. It should be lots of fun. I hear Bandina is always cool in August.

If just occurred to me that today is Friday and the job interview I was expecting never did quite materialize. Maybe next week . . .

New License Plates!

Today was a big day for me. I picked up my new license plates! I mentioned in excruciating detail in a previous post that I get personalized plates every so often, usually to mark some type of event in the life of myself or our family. This year's plate is "LESS*ME". There is some significance behind these words.

I was a Camp Kadesh group leader earlier this summer at Abilene Christian University. This is a camp for high school kids. It's advertised as a "leadership camp", and it's a fairly intense experience that forces the campers and the staff to examine their relationships with Jesus Christ. One of the things we did this year was to put together our "cardboard testimonies." Many of the kids had some pretty dramatic - and sometimes tragic - circumstances on their testimonies. Mine wasn't particularly dramatic or tragic, but just a little sobering. I realized that over the last few years I have spent most of my time concentrating on things that are about me - my job, my family, my house. my vacations, my . . . It occurred to me that I have spent very little time thinking and studying about eternal things, most specifically my relationship with Jesus Christ. So, as you can see below, the "recognition" side of my cardboard was "Less Me" and the "commitment" side was "More Him". I'm hoping that my license plate will be an every day reminder to spend less time thinking about me and more time thinking about Him. In the near future the state of Texas will start using seven digits on their license plates. Next year I think I'll apply for "MORE*HIM".

Another Hot Day

Today I took care of a little task I have been wanting to do since we moved into this house three years ago. The stone border around the flower/tree bed in the front corner of our yard has always been a little out of whack. The stones were uneven and some of them were sinking into the ground. So this morning I got an early start while the temperature was still in the mid-80's and took all of the stones apart and started over. The job took about two hours and I sweat about three gallons, but the finished product looks pretty good. Below are some "before" and "after" pictures.

Before . . .

After

After I finished my stone mason work I made a circuit around the front and back yards and pulled weeds from the flower beds. We had some friends over for dinner (see below) and I didn't want the yard to look like an abandoned house, so I cleaned up the beds a little. Not that it really mattered because nobody went outside anyway. Weeds are truly amazing things. Even though every thing else is dying and turning brown, I harvested an entire trash can full of healthy green weeds of all types. If people in third world countries could live on weeds there would be no world hunger.

We had Butch and Melanie and Randy and Terrell over for dinner. Kayla and Lance also hung around, so there were eight of us. Vicki made "Sunday dinner" which consisted of roast, mashed potatoes, corn and green beans. Yum! For dessert we had an assortment of ice cream flavors and an equal assortment of toppings. This was some world-class comfort food of the highest order, and we all enjoyed it.

After dinner we had a Wii bowling tournament. The competition was fierce in the first round, but in the finals Lance bowled at 234 and he and Kayla easily won over Randy and Terrell. It was sooo exciting! We're seriously considering putting a video of Vicki's bowling form on U-Tube. It would get at least ten million hits once the word got out.

This morning I talked to one of the multitude of recruiters who are (theoretically) trying to find me a job. It seems that there is a real chance that I may hear tomorrow that I have an interview. If I do get the interview I hope I'm the first of at least ten people they interview and that it takes at least a month for them to make the decision to hire me. That would be perfect.

Tomorrow: The air-conditioning guys will try again - for the third time - to show up for their appointment to do our "spring" A/C check-up. It sure is warm for spring. In the afternoon I'll be doing some minor repair work for a lady at church who is putting her house on the market. It's so nice to feel wanted!