Janus is better, but has to complain for a whole post anyway

When I was a young school boy (I always wanted to start with something that said that) I had the art of "being sick" down to a science, especially if I had a test or something like that. I was great at thinking of the "untestable" stomach illness, and making my temperture rise with a hot water bottle and a cheapy thermometer.
Now that I am older I actually do get sick instead of just pretending to be. Man does that stink. I want to sleep all day, I got stiff joints, I go back and forth between hot and cold, everything tastes like crap, and everyone who was used to be pretending to be sick thinks I can still function because they never have been around me when I am sick before. Who knew this would backfire.
I don't know how to run through this without making a numbered list so I will resort to doing that. Janus's thoughts on being sick.
1. Progresso soup is awful. All canned soup is terrible when you are "well" but man it tastes worse then the caffeteria food in Jr. High. It looks great on the can, I bought it because the can made it look good. Next time I will eat the can instead, it might taste better.
2. You can't drink milk. bad idea. Very bad idea.
3. Mr Rodgers is still kind of interesting if you have a fever, but no matter how sick you are those puppets are still just creepy. I used to watch Mr. Rodgers when I was sick and I was little. Yeah I know the guy passed away, but the reruns are still ok once in a while. Feed the fish is good, let's talk about sharing is fine...but I hate those puppets. They are creepy especially that cat one. Almost as creepy is how he sings and takes his shoes on and off for ten minutes a show.
4. I am glad I got alot of thick library books Lots of time, can't move much, big books. nuff said.
5. I can't wait til I can get out of the house Three days in will give you cabin fever, I like the company but I need to leave this place just for a while.

Thanks for patiently waiting for me to get back, I am feeling better and the blog is back.

Janus is down for repairs

I woke up this morning and found out I am sick. I remember somedays not too long ago where I wish I was sick, and ended up being fine and having to go to work. Today I wanted to go to work and do something and I ended up being sick and not enjoying it at all.
I hope you will forgive me not being too chatty tonight, but most of my links have posted something in the last day and I encourage you to go and read something new at maybe a blog you never tried before. Emma has posted again a few times after a long quiet, Gone has got something new up there, Janet has got some great numbers to share with you all, Dave Ferguson is posting some good stuff, Harry finished up a good two part article, and Eric needs you to go visit his blog and maybe help him find some inspiration. How's that for a summary.
I have to turn in my oreos briefly for some progressive soup and I hope I am well enough when I wake up tomorrow to do my normal Thursday activity, otherwise I will feel really bummed. Talk to you all later.

J.

Making a difference with your small group

"Thank you sir for what you did for my family"
The note was simple and to the point, and a surprise for me. The return address was from a name that sounded vaguely familiar. As I opened the mysterious brown package that the card had been attached to, I was greeted with four large bags of homemade pretzels.
That's when I remembered.
A few months before I received my package I remember reading an article in my local newspaper "Local Vendor Assaulted and Robbed." The story was bad enough but not only did some young hoodlums beat this poor man and left him for dead, but they stole all of his money and his watch. This man who had been saving money for a long time had his rent and his grandchildren's Christmas gift money stolen a few weeks before Christmas.
Now I was not normally one to feel sorry for people, and back then even if I did feel sorry for people I didn't normally go out of my way to help people. Though reading that this man might lose his home and would possibly spend the holidays in a hospital bed got to me, and it tugged the strings on my heart. I looked his address up in the listings and sent him the twenty dollars that I had not spent of my paycheck.
I actually forgot all about it until I saw the note I read. Not only did I find out that the vendor received my gift, but he didn't just take my money he sent me his great pretzels. I talked to a few other friends, and found out that they also read the article and sent money to him. To us it was our leftover cash, to him it was a great miracle.
With a few people giving a little here and there, we were able to create a miracle for this man who was dealt a terrible situation beyond his control. It has been almost ten years since that rainy March day when I received those delicious pretzels. I have never forgotten it, and I am pretty sure neither has he.
I would like to talk to you about Global Family Rescue a little. You probably hear alot about organizations that help people all over the world, and this group focuses on helping people in Rwanda. What impressed me about Global Family Rescue is that they don't just throw money at the problem like so many charities tend to do. They have a plan to meet families basic needs and work to make them self sufficient in three years.
Do they have results? Yes! The lead pastor of our church Dave Ferguson and his family has sponsored one of these families through Global Family Rescue. (You can read about Faustin and his family here , just scroll down and read the travel entries.) Not only can Dave tell you that this programs works, but he went there and got to meet the family that he sponsored.
Where does this all fit in? Well one of the best things to help a person grow and make lasting friendships is small groups. The church that I attend has many small groups that meet weekly. One of the best things a small group can do together is work together, much like a group of us helping the snack food vendor.
The $60 dollars a month to sponsor a family is not just a little change for the average person, but a small group of with ten or more people in it could raise $60 to sponsor a family a great deal easier. For the benefit of those of you that hate math, that is about $6 dollars a month for a person.
So for one person in a group working together for the cost of an extra value meal at Mcdonald's or an appetizer at a theme restaurant, you and your small group can change a family's life forever.
So talk to your small group about it and think about this. You may not get pretzels if you do this, but you can make a difference in peoples lives. It is one of the greatest things you can do for them, but also it is great for yourself.

Thanks Dad

I didn't get hardly a thing done that I wanted to today. The house still needs work, the grill is still unclean, my resume and applications didn't get done. My entry that I have been planning to finish is unfinished and I just got really angry today.
I called someone because I was frustrated, but I ended up being more frustrated and angry because they couldn't help me. I got sick of everyone and just started feeling sorry for myself.
I tried researching things on the computer that could help me on what was frustrating me but just couldn't find the help I wanted. So I got desperate and I picked up the phone again.
(Sound of dialing)
" Hi Ma', is dad around?"
"Yeah Janus, he's right here...."
I called dad. I asked him if he ever had the problem I did that I could not find the internet helpful for.
He said yes, several times. He talked me through things on the resume. Told me how to get around it, and how to be honest but a little evasive. What to say and what to do. He has been there before too. Then he just let me dump everything on him for an hour straight.
All my stresses, all the things in my life I was worried about, the frustrating job situations, the troubles that I would not want to dump on some people because I was afraid they would end up being sick of me. The problems that people that wish they could help me but can't and I frustrate. Dad just listened. He occasionally would answer a question but he let me whine until my throat hurt and I felt a great weight of my chest.
"I've been there before Janus..."
"I have the same problem sometimes son."
"Here is what you do my boy."
My dad and I don't always understand each other. We have had our little arguments and not so little arguments when I was a teenager. We hardly ever tell each other that we love each other.
But we do love each other, and we know it. My dad is someone that can listen to me vent and I don't have to worry about him pretending to not be home if I call him and I need help. I don't have to worry about him leaving me because he can't stand me.
Thanks Dad. Even if I don't say it enough, I love you.
Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow I will tackle these things. I will face the dragons and not falter in the heat. Thanks for listening to me dad, and thanks for sharing your experience with me.

Janus tells you about his weekend, thanks to Rob and his family

I am back, you can thank Rob and his family for that. Thanks to them and their technical support and suggestion of something that I didn't even think of I was able to get back online in just a little over a day. I should of called earlier...since the good idea they gave me took less than an hour to implement. Thanks Rob and Rob's oldest son whom I can't think of a good made up name for yet!
Also thanks to Frodo who has been helping me get repair stuff for my ill (but not currently crippled) computer.
So I did not finish the big article yet, sorry I have been dealing with computers so let me just fill you on the week.
I took my parents to visit church this weekend, and they loved it. I think they were surprised and even though I knew them and I knew my church I was still very nervous. First time I saw my ma' tapping her foot (that is mah...real fast..not Maaawh, I have called her ma'
for a long time.) she loved the live band. Both my folks liked the service, and were pleased to find that it was practical, easy to listen to, and still somehow Godly and truthful.
My dad was pleased to see that I occasionally talk to someone now, since that is a big thing for me. I was in the family church growing up for 10 years and never said a word to anyone. (Hard to believe eh.) He was glad to see that I was in the company of nice people and not in some wierd place wear he had to wear a suit and tie and people talked about how we were all going to burn for everything.
So we had a nice weekend, and though they live a few hours away they said they might come back and visit sometime if they are in the neighborhood. So that was my Saturday.
Today Sunny and Carp went back home, so it is back to just my own pets around here all day again. I miss them a bit already, but glad to have my life back a bit. My own pets know how to survive with me being gone for over an hour. Went out for pizza with the boss, gave him back his pets, fixed the PC.
It's been a good weekend, and great to be back. Talk to you tomorrow.

Sorry down for a while...

Computer is being a jerk..so posting and update might be a day. Hang in there though, will be back in 24 hours or so at the most.


Sorry for the trouble

Janus

Janus almost gets killed by a four foot long corkscrew and other astounding things.

I got home really late tonight and it is just one of those nights where I can't think of anything worthwhile to blog. I am working on a biggie right now, and I have been kind of going back and forth between that and everything else the last few days.
So tonight I will leave you with a few words of wisdom...er sort of.

Do wear a sweater because Summer is over and from now on it's going to be getting cold or rainy or both. Don't forget though to wear a t shirt underneath so that if it warms up you are not sweating like the fat guys in the sauna.
Do not bother to sweep off sidewalks if rain will be coming in the next day or so, they will just get crappy again.
Do not put sharp tools in a flimsy plastic tool rack that is not secured to the wall, today I almost got impaled by 2 shovels, a rake, a hoe, and something that looked like an overgrown corkscrew. If someone can tell me what that thing is that looks like an overgrown corkscrew I would be grateful, and no I don't have any money to give you for a reward.
Fall is here, goodbye 110 billion degree days, bugs, and summer allergys. Hello rainstorms, hay fever, and kids asking for candy.

(The shorter the post, the longer the title....wierd eh)
See ya tomorrow.

In search for inspiration

I have been slacking with my writing today again, sorry. I was supposed to write this about a half hour ago but I got sidetracked again. Clicked on my yahoo page and saw "Who killed the Black Dahlia?" as one of the yahoo headlines. I have read this stuff a few dozen times but I always hope that someday I will do what Edgar Allen Poe could do and solve a mystery by reading a newspaper article and catching what a few hundred million other people have not noticed. Foiled again.
I don't really like blood and I don't really like to get to know the minds of people that would do something so disgusting...I just really wish I could solve a mystery someday I guess. I have read alot of unsolved mystery books and used to watch that show with Robert Stack on it. (I usually found him and the theme music more creepier than the mystery.) I guess I keep hoping that one day I will do something amazing and catch a baddie.
Lately I am trying to figure out who I am again. This may sound a bit strange to you I guess, but I am thirty years old and I have no idea what my field is anymore, or what I want to be. I used to be interested in ghosts and parapsychology, but I find that sort of thing unhealthy and well...a general bad idea. True Crime is not really anything that is really good on the mind after a while. Not to mention even if they didn't completely make me depressing and paranoid after a bit they aren't really careers. The Scooby Doo Gang ain't hiring. (Now let's see who the Phantom really is...*pulls mask off* It's Campus Pastor Mcgee! Yes! And I would of got away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids!)
So now I roam the library trying to figure out what sort of thing to read. The Library has a great number system called the Dewey Decimal system which sorts them by categorys. Now if I only knew what the categories were. I found the sign 305.1- 332.5 very unhelpful.
Browsing didn't do me much good either, since even though I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, the plain lime green cover that said "Modern Chemistry" that was written in 1902 didn't really scream for me to read it. So I guess I should just ask you folks that have managed to listen to me this long.
Any Suggestions?
Oh and a good thing for today, I got an Inbox/Outbox as a gift. Now I will have to clean a place for it and use it. No more excuses, I got to use it now.

I might not be around so much now that I am rich

That's right, I won the British Internet Lottery tonight. I am going to get a million pounds in Sterling Silver. I wonder if they mean the British monetary unit or are they just going to drop a million pounds of silver on my head like Wile E. Coyote.
Yeah don't tell Clive, but I got rich before he did. I bet he is sure jealous especially since his native country is the one that gave me the money. Oh yeah I am going to call my ex-girlfriend in Jr. High and go "HA!" Man, this is great.
Money won't change me a bit, oh no. I will still be a self centered lazy jerk.
I am just wondering why the British Internet Lottery has a free email account in Mexico... Oh wait. This is one of those scams isn't it. You know like the ones like Chitibank and guys that sell me Vyagra from Sri Lanka. Yes remember folks, if everyone gave you stuff like they promised on the internet I would have about 100 X-boxes by now just by punching Osama Bin Laden. If someone wants to give you something for free, make them give you THEIR bank info instead.
Guess I better not call the Ex afterall. Drat.
Well now I am really bummed out, and I might as well go to bed. See you later.

Ah-Choo, the bunnies are winning!

Taking a quick Blog break to clear my head and stop sneezing for a minute.
I finally decided to dust and oh my Lord have I needed to do this.
They aren't just dust bunnies, they are dust llamas! Where does this stuff come from?!?! I don't have alot of open windows? I don't have that much dead skin floating around do I? You would think I lived in the Sahara Desert!
So yes, I am housecleaning tonight. Not the most exciting of topics I realize. The house is empty at the moment, and it's just me and my swifter and about 100,000 Pledge dust wipes who can hold about half of a dust llama each. (takes Nasonex and quaffs a few benedrils so he can breath.)
I want to state something here for the benefit of the ladies that come and visit. Men do not expect you to do housework.
It is a myth, we are well past the 1950's belief that we come home from the office, you clean the house all day and make us a big turkey dinner, and Wally and Beaver do not tell me about their day because we are tired and deserve peace and quiet when I get home, and then later on we go into the den and fix all the crap that the Beav broke during that afternoon and I listen to him talk and give him sagelike wisdom all in a half hour.
So why doesn't my husband clean Janus? Or even...how come you have to wait until the Dust Llamas are bleating at you before you decide to clean Janus? Well let me bring you in on the secret.
We are not pigs on purpose actually. We just have high tolerance for filth. My father could live comfortably in a foot of dust on the floor and with the kitchen smelling like a U.N. Condemned chemical weapons plant. My mother starts breathing into a bag and looking for valium when she see's a wayward cobweb and cleans the house from top to bottom in a bout of insanity.
We only help you clean after a while usually because you threaten us, but normally we don't really notice it.
Think I am making this up? Have you ever been into a college boy's dorm? I rest my case. I would not suggest any mother do this without wearing one of those enviromental suits from the movie Outbreak. Back when I used to be roommates with Karl and his wife eventually moved in we knew that she loved him. If she didn't love him with all her heart she never would of tolerated our apartment.
So ladies I promise you, we don't avoid housecleaning because we love to drive you mad. We just really don't have the high standards that you expect from us in our housekeeping. We put it off because we have better things to do, like...anything else.
Today I have come to the conclusion that the house really needs me to work on it, so I have started doing that. I have also decided to avoid Llama alerts, that I should set up some sort of dusting scheduale since dust occurs whether I want it there or not. All part of my "Take pride in my home" thing I thought of doing. If I wanted to be biblical to make it sound better I guess I could call it "Stewardship" or something.
I also thought it would be really neat if I get one of those Inbox/Outboxes for myself. I have never had one at work before, and while some of you that have one may think I am utterly deranged for wanting one, I think it would be great for organizing my stuff. Books I am writing, blog ideas, articles, and mail and to do lists. I should also get more manilla folders for my filing cabinet drawer that has only two things in it.
I just read that last paragraph and now am wondering if Nasonex and Benedril have some wierd side effect that has rendered me insane, or if I am just wanting to take charge of my life. Well regardless of whichever it is, I need to go back to work, these Llamas are getting vicious.
See you all later.

The old gang rides again!

I am far from where I grew up, and one of the things I regret about where I am is that I am not able to help take care of and visit the guys from back home. I was a brother and a father long before my time, due to the lot of us and how we were drawn together as kids.
Some of us came from broken homes, terrible situations with abusive parents, some of us were aliens in a foreign land, and some of us were all of the above. I was a lucky one, and I realize that more and more all the time. I had great parents that made sure I stuck with school, that I stayed out of trouble (for the most part), and took in many of my friends when their home lifes were not so good at times.
My father was a good man, and a very patient one. I don't know too many dads out there that would let his kid have company over 6-7 days a week sometimes. It irritated him, it tested his patience, and he was tempted to throw my friend out a few times. He knew though that his father was drinking, and he knew how hard things were for him at home. So he bit his lip and adopted another son.
When my friend started getting into criminal gangs, it was my dad and I that got him out of it. My family loving him was what kept him reigned in and if not on the straight and narrow during those dangerous years when a boy is between a child and a man. He made sure that he ate his vegetables, made sure he went to school, and made sure that somebody loved him like a son.
Now almost all of us are married and have kids, and we still are good friends. We can talk about life, faith, lady trouble, and our dreams to each other over the phone to this day. Distance and years will make things difficult at times, but will not break up our family. Some of the spouses may be a little nervous and jealous because of our openness and willing to stand by each other at all costs, but most of our significant others respect and admire the bonds of our friendship.
We have been together for over 15 years now, and we are still strong. We lift each other up and we confide in each other. Recently I have started working to get us together to meet online in a yahoo group. I want to introduce a few old friends to some of my new ones. Together we are bring the old gang back together, no distance or scheduale will be able to wedge us apart.
As time goes on some things will never stop being important to you if you hold to them. Find your relationship with God for it will last forever, and keep your old friends and don't be afraid to make new ones. Friendship is a great bond that no time, distance, and busy lifestyles should ever divide.
Is their someone that you have not talked to lately that you miss? Don't wait for them to make the next move, for they may be doing the same. Pick up that phone and call that old friend. Some things are too precious to just be abandoned. Include them into your life, because when it comes down to it. Jobs are lost, money is spent, all things wither away, but your relationships...they are worth an eternity.

(note to clockwatchers :Yeah this post was made 45 minutes before the new day came...deal with it, I have to make dinner and go to bed)

Losing my religion (Finding my faith)

One of the most common things that happens to me is that when people think I am talking about faith is I get the "I have no use for religon" answer. Usually my reply is good, neither do I. Which has made people wonder what I have been drinking.
I don't like the dictionary definition of faith and religion. I looked them up just so I wouldn't have to put a foot in my mouth later. So I am going to define what I mean when I say "faith" and "Religion" so that we are all on the same page. (This one.)
Religion to me is very different from faith. Religion is about looking pious in front of other people, it's about looking good on the outside but doing nothing about the inside, it's about rule following and saying "I am basically a good person, and God is lucky to have me because I am such a great guy."
Now I used to be a very religious man not too long ago. I look back at myself now and then and cringe. I would go to church on Sunday, and pray the right prayers, wear the right clothes, say the right catchphrases. Go home, and not do a single thing different or change my ways at all and then get ready to come back for an hour of faith next week.
Sadly, I am not the only person that did that or might still do that.
I have been reading alot out of the book of Sam. (both 1 and 2) lately. One of the things that stood out to me was when Samuel was visiting Jesse and his sons he was there to annoint (or swear in...in a modern sense) a new king to replace Saul who was not doing a great job at it.
Jesse brings his sons in for Samuel to see, and one of Jesse's sons walks in and is handsome and very regal looking. Sam says, this must be the one, and pretty much gets ready to bust out that annointing oil he packed.
God says to Sam, "That ain't him," (Sorry I am paraphrasing this story.) "Man looks at the outside appearances, but the Lord judges a man by his heart." So Sam kept waiting and waiting, and eventually Jesse said that his youngest son Dave wasn't there because he was tending the family business. (That is sheep herding.)
So Sam says to Jesse "Go bring Dave here, so I can get this party started." David was brought home, and before he knows it he is annointed king in the presence of his family. (I wish someone would make me a king in front of my brother.)
So what is faith to me? Faith is following God with my heart and not just my outward appearance. In the Janus Torrell Edition Dictionary my faith is not defined as "blind and baseless belief." I study and verify what I believe, and I see the power of the God that is the basis of faith with changes and miracles with things around me. I don't believe because something someone told me "sounds pretty good," I believe because I am seeking God with my heart and he is meeting me there.
Is it easier to have faith than a religion? Sometimes. I don't have to worry myself sick and wonder if I am good enough for God to accept me and let me be with him. He already promised I will be, and proved it about 2000 years ago. He is not sitting up there and keeping a tally for the rotten things I do and the good things I do and basing my faith on merit. Which is a good thing because I don't know anyone that could do well on the merit system in that regard.
Faith can be harder too, because your heart can be very demanding. You are not just getting by on loopholes with real faith, you are doing what you can to seek God with your heart. Loopholes make it easier for you to be selfish and pious without having to deal with your heart. They call it a narrow gate for a reason, it is the road less travelled and harder to follow.
Changes are hard to do. Trust me I know. Things aren't all bad though, because you don't have to walk the harder narrow path alone, Jesus is with you and leads you, just like he promises he would. So if anyone out there hasn't lost the stinky old broken religion and found faith and met God on the way, I hope you really do.
Nothing is worse than climbing a really tall ladder, only to find out you have been climbing up the side of the wrong building.

Sleepless in ....er Dupage County

I have been trying to avoid short posts lately that just say "I am tired, come back tomorrow." Not just because I don't want to bore you poor folks to death, but because it doesn't matter if I am tired or not, because I can't sleep lately.
My mother told me I was born at night, and I still can't get caught up sleeping. She would know, because I almost drove my parents to drink when I was a screaming non sleeping baby. They are quite glad that they don't have to deal with that anymore.
So I am trying to find a natural way to cure my insomnia, currently I take benedril at night. This knocks me out, but doesn't really help me feel rested. I also don't like being dependant on anything. I have a Pharmophobia, to randomly make up a word that sounds right.
I have tried Sleepytime tea, that doesn't seem to work, though I like the flavors. I have tried having a beer to make me sleepy, which works on occasion, I do the Benedril route though I don't feel comfortable doing that. The last time I counted sheep I gave up after I hit 1200.
So if anyone feels up to it. What insomnia remedy do you use? If you don't need one, have you heard of anything new? Drop me a line and inform me if you would , and I am going to try to go to sleep.

Comic book ponderings.

Tonight instead of doing anything productive I went on one of my wikipedia/googling research rants and for some reason I started reading comic book stuff. Don't ask how that happened, I don't know either. Insomnia can lead to stupidity.
I wondered why Batman always locks the bad guys up in the same asylum and they always seem to get away to come back for another comic book. Do they even lock that place? You would think that the Joker killed a few thousand people they might try at least using a padlock or maybe one of those ADT security systems.
Where do comic book people buy their outfits and gadgets? I imagine that Gotham city has some sort of outlet mall for bad guys. No wonder these guys have to rob banks and stuff, really getting all that stuff can't be cheap.
How come no one can figure out superman is clark kent with a different hair do and without glasses? Yes he is mild mannered and acts like a complete dolt I know, but come on he works next to a news reporter who sits next to him every day and interviews Superman all the time. If I put a picture of me with a fedora and glasses on this website and maybe changed my haircut I am sure some people would recognize me no matter how mild mannered I act.
Anyway enough of this pointless yammering, I am off to bed.

Friday Shorty for Sept 15

I had a few posts worth of ideas today, but now that the day is almost over and I got things to do I got to put the cards on the table. I got nothing. At least nothing really big.
Nothing isn't all bad though, I did get some reading done today. I read "Carrie" from Stephen King, almost from cover to cover in one afternoon. Which made me realize that I had a pretty normal upbringing and school could of been much worse. It wasn't so much a horror novel to me as it was depressing. I realized how I have tried to forget most of my school days other than a few exceptions. Carrie makes me appreciate the fact that I survived high school relatively normal.
Of course what is relatively normal anyway?
Anyway, I will be back tomorrow, hopefully with something resembling more content. Thanks for visiting.

Oh brother....

Sometimes it's harder to want to say something simple than it is to tell a really long boring post because you don't know how to start out a post. (I kid you not this post has been started at least 6 times with me doing one of those frustrated sighs and deleting the post.)
It is very simple though, so I will just belt it out now.
If you can't tell I am enjoying going back to church, something that I thought I would never say either written for everyone to see or hear even in private. I have believed in God since I was very little and if not loved him all the time at least had a casual sort of business relationship with him.
Church and I though have not always gotten along. I didn't have a problem with God for the most part, though I did have a problem with churches. Mainly, because of the people that went to most of them.
Now I could go into a whole big story, but its 4 am and I am already spending way too much time trying to explain this. So I will wrap it up.
I am a bit overwhelmed and happy to be going to a church where I can actually see people doing what they say and loving people the way that the good book says. I don't know how to explain it any other way.
I have seen people here take a real interest in others and where they focus on your heart and soul and not your appearance and how much money you can donate. I am biased by this point I must admit, but I am actually at a place where the worst thing I can say about CCC is that I have trouble parking somedays because the place is too packed.
Now for the point. I ran into a fellow attender today, and I said a few words to him as he was working on something and said a bit of small talk to him. I didn't expect him to say more than "Hello back" at me and the customary "How are you" that people say and don't wait for an answer.
I was surprised that even though he had alot of stuff to do (he was working on things when I walked by), and he seemed ready to go out the door that he actually started talking to me. I must of had a very strange look on my face, but I was surprised. I am still surprised almost 12 hours later.
To some of you that may not seem so weird, but where I come from that is a rare and wonderful thing. I have been to many places where people don't know who you are and could really care less. I not only got talked to today but it was a real conversation I heard, not one of those "I will say a few nice things and then make my way to the door" ones.
When he finished speaking he said goodbye and called me "brother."
I used to cringe or roll my eyes when people called me brother, since at one church I used to attend they called you that all the time but never meant it. When I was called "brother" today, for the first time I didn't feel uncomfortable or want to make a face.
I actually was happy to be called brother by someone and he meant it.
I said goodbye and thank you...and I can honestly say I meant it too.

A big step towards the right direction

Again I didn't do as much today as I would like to, but thats ok. (I feel like Stuart Smalley from the old SNL skits when I say, but thats ok.) Today I finally snapped a bit though and just started working on all the things I have put to the side.
Two days ago I wrote the goals, now I am actually trying to do something to reach them. So got alot done today, though never as much as I want.
I only got an hour of sleep last night so forgive me if I don't stick around too much tonight and all, but I want to leave you with something wise to say.
Too bad I am too tired too make it up.
I got some cleaning done with my plans and paperwork and tomorrow I might actually wake up awake. Look out world here I come.

Karaoke, or why I can't enjoy a Killians on Tuesday anymore.

Now I am not a drunkard, nor do I frequently go bar hopping anymore. (Drinking for the most part lost it's appeal when it became legal for me and a brief stint of excess.) However I will be the first to tell you that I like having a cool mug of Killians or a bottle of Corona once in a while, especially after a hot day of working outside or a lousy rainy day.
I think a lot of people have a romantic view of bars (Romantic as in being glamorous and not puppy loveish.) They think of a place with tall full glasses, a guy with a mustache, people laughing and singing sea shanties. Well...that would be a pub perhaps or a tavern but definitely not a bar.
A bar is a place where people are usually watching a game on a television, occasionally you have a dart game, a pool game, or one of those obnoxious golf or hunting arcade games. Sometimes they have a live band which makes it impossible to talk to anyone else in the same room without shouting over some guy singing music from the Eagles.
Tuesday night however is the worst. It had been a long day and I decided I could have a little brew and some nachos and relax in a hole in the wall place on the edge of town. I figured Tuesday would be a quiet night afterall.
I should of left when I arrived and I found the place crowded but I suppose I thought it was just a fluke. I didn't see instruments set up, so it wasn't a live band tonight at least. That's when I found out the horrible truth...Tuesday is Karaoke night.
Karaoke means "Empty Orchestra" in Japanese according to Wikipedia. Since Wikipedia is not always accurate though I think it means "Drunks Singing Badly" in some other dialect. Basically it allows the general public a chance to sing badly and to make a fool of themselves.
Now some people can actually sing out there, I know I can't. Some people are incredibly tone deaf and to let them sing in public is a war crime. Drunk people seem to think that they are the next American Idol if you give them a few shots of whiskey and a microphone.
Who am I to critique their singing? Well I already told you I can't sing, but I don't subject an entire crowd to me pretending I can. You can sing badly all you want, but save it for the shower or the car. So if I have to listen to you sing an offkey and slurring tribute to "Open Arms" by Journey after I already paid to have a beer and relax, I am sorry I have the right to critique your singing.
Apparently Journey is one of the most popular bands for a drunk to try to imitate. I think if your going to try to music you should maybe start with something a little easier when your drunk. I don't have any ideas, but maybe the folks over at Rhythms and Riffs can give some suggestions.
Meanwhile, I am going to try to have my occasional cold beer at my house or at Rob's maybe. He at least can sing in key and can play instruments too. Besides it's cheaper to relax and home and I am less likely to get hit by a random wayward dart. (That's another story now)

Goals, Goals, Goals!

Well it is about the halfway point since I took my introductions class and I set my goals that I wanted to accomplish over the next year and I looked over the goals I set back then. I realized I haven't accomplished any of them, and not only that I have actually done more the opposite direction.
What do you think about when you hear the word "goal"? I kind of put them in the same category as "New Year's Resolutions" and "Mission Statements." In other words, I regard them as a joke or something that I never can attain.
An important thing with goals is to aim high, but aim not too high. If you don't aim high you don't do anything, if you aim too high you get overwhelmed and then you don't even try after a while. So think of somethings short or long term that are important to you and work towards it.
Why have goals at all? Well I am a person that must dream and motivate towards something, because otherwise I would just stand where I am and life would pass me by. I used to think that would make me happy, but I realize now how frustrated I get when I waste a whole day. I am getting standards. Ick.
Unrealistic goals
1. Learn how to turn straw into gold
2. Develop my Jedi powers that I don't have until I can make coffee from my chair 3 rooms away.
3. Write the "Great American" Novel that I haven't started yet by this Wednesday 3:30 pm.

Janus's real goals (not in any particular order)
1. Get a "day job" that I can tolerate if not enjoy for a long time
2. Finish my book, get it published somewhere
3. Pay off at least one major bill at a time until I am debt free
4. Get a new vehicle that is easier to drive, better on gas, and doesn't require divine intervention just to keep it going.
5. Settle down and get married sometime sooner or later
6. get a house with a backyard (so I can just open the door and let the dog run into the yard and not have neighbors about 2 feet away on all sides of the front door.) That means of course my next goals will be getting a lawnmower, rake, leaf blower, patio furniture. well at least patio furniture sounds good out of that.

I think that will do it.

Up and down and back and forth

Day three with the dogs, and Day two fighting this wierd mood.

We have had our little disagreements but the dogs, the cat, and I are now getting along fine. They went to sleep. Not since the days of having kids in the house have I been so aggravated but so happy dealing with others.
After a while of not having small children around, you get this sort of amnesia where you only remember how cute they were and how much you love them. You forget about the crying, fighting, and getting woken up every 3 hours.
Thank you Sammy, Sunny, and Carp for reminding me that I should never ever have children around again. After all I can't lock them in a house for a few hours or threaten to sell them to a Authentic Korean resteraunt. Eighteen years (or more) of never being able to relax again.
Sorry...I had to rant to someone.
My mood is a little better today, but I am still a little in the dumps. The animals didn't cause it, I just have those mood swings. Well, I should say I get really happy for a while and then nosedive into the dumps. I think I am just trying to balance too much in my head and not getting enough done.
I am going to finish up my housecleaning tonight and get ready to turn in. I feel like I am just starting to wake up...but "thems the breaks." Tomorrow is a better day, or could be rather.
I shall have to find something really interesting to write by then. Thanks for coming by.

Long day...

I don't really want to dive into too long of detail either...I will be back tomorrow.
Click on Eric's Blog (if you haven't yet) and you can watch a film.
Gone Away did an update, check him out too if you have a chance.
Have to go early tonight, so didn't get much done including most of my blog reading, so I will visit most of you again tomorrow.

Have a great night

J.

Janus Doolittle

Today was a nature day.
The day started out a little rough with the water not working when I woke up (don't worry the bill was paid we had them working on the building today.) So I had to go to where I work to take a shower.
Then I called my small group (We are a very very small group, it's just Rob and I actually.) So he decided to swing by my direction and I was waiting for the "What would you like to do?" question that I never can answer. Today was different though, Rob asked me if I "would fancy going to the Arboretum?" I had never been there before so I said it sounded great.
I loved it, once we got past the Visitors Center and the Cafeteria we were able to walk outside and I got to see the pond and the trees. I can not describe it without sounding dull, but after seeing condos, shopping centers, and lighted intersections...seeing trees and wildflowers was even more beautiful than ever. I think I said "I have never been here before" about four times (Sorry about that Rob, I say stuff like that when I am in shock.)
So that was a great place to talk about God. You can really see his artistic side when you go visit nature. For a few precious minutes you no longer see the insanity of living in town.
Then I came back to the insanity after our farewells. The plumbing was still down, and it was time to pick up the kiddies. That is some family dogs.
Sunny and Carp (as in Carpet) are going to be staying with me for 2 weeks. So that means that Sammy (my Jack Russell) is going to get lots of company. That means I am going to get lots of Tylenol.
The cat is not happy with me either, and if she could give me obscene hand gestures I think she would. She is content now to give me evil glances from the bookshelf and swish her tail that does not need translation.
So thus I am Dr. Janus Doolittle for a while. Other than having 3 overly excited little dogs wanting to go the bathroom at the same time, it is actually not too bad. (The neighbors might not be too pleased, since 3 little dogs going downstairs at the same time sounds like a small horse.)
They have actually quickly learned to get along with each other. I thought they would be fighting and barking at each other, but they are respecting each others space and actually play with each other. I have never been around a few dogs at a time where they have gotten used to each other. They actually kind of talk to each other, by making noises back and forth. Kind of like those Furby things.
Now I got Sammy laying on my lap since she doesn't know what to think with these houseguests staying the night. Tomorrow I am leavin for a bit so I will have to take the dogs to their own house for a while. I don't trust three dogs alone with the cat no matter how sweet they are at the moment.
Still this is going to be a fun week for me.

Gridlocked with Janus

Well I got in later than I planned today and for the most part the day was good.
Though I had to get across town today and I had plenty of little observations.
1. Naperville has got a lot of lights. I am not kidding I drove through 18 stop lights just trying to make it to one destination. A few of those lights actually changed a few times before I got through them. I hate the color red today, green is my friend.
2. Never try to go anywhere when school just gets out I miss Summer vacation already, most likely because I don't have any kid that I need to send away for 8 hours a day just for some peace and quiet. Summer vacation being over for me means that I got school buses clogging up my road for blocks on end.
3. When you are trying to hurry you will always have some old lady from another state in front of you and a cop behind you. Thus making sure you can't ever go faster than 10 miles an hour below the limit and the cop is itching for you to pass so he can pull you over for speeding. Not that I can get in the other lane either
4. The Radio is insulting when you are driving. They only played commericals and traffic reports for more than three quarters of my trek across town. They played "Life in the Fast Lane" once just to mock me. I swear it.
5. I wish I had air conditioning I don't care what my dad used to tell me...it's worth burning the gas.
6. Everyone else driving is an idiot So I am glad most of you were not driving at the same time as me so I didn't insult ya.

Thanks for visiting, I am off for the night.

trying something new, when the old don't work.

I am not an athlete. That is the polite way of saying it, I could think of other honest but less printable ways to describe it. I was normally one of the last people picked for the teams, I normally didn't try that hard after a while because I kind of got used to defeat. I figured if I would have no talent I could at least try to be funny.
It was the last day of gym class for me, and I was on the worst team in my class. We were about 0-12 that year, and pretty much we were the team that was made up of the guys that were too fat, too skinny, too wierd, or just plain lousy. I think I was the latter three back then.
Now we did have two actual athletes on our team, one was my friend Karl and we also had Henri who wasn't popular despite being a decent athlete because he could hardly speak a word of English and could barely understand you. Karl wasn't "popular" because he came from the south side of town like I did and when we went to high school with northsiders we pretty much were considered bumpkins. (Small town politics and prejudices are more common than people realize, and most of us forget alot of it when we grow out of it.)
The two athletes on our team were the catcher and the shortstop since they were able to actually catch a baseball. Luckily for us our gym teacher was the pitcher, so we didn't have to give up our catcher and shortstop, since none of the rest of us could throw a pitch without killing a batter.
So back to what I was saying, it was our last day of gym and baseball. It was the sterotypical 2 outs and I was up to bat scenario, in the bottom of the 9th inning and we were down by two runs because either the other team didn't want to try hard because it was too hot or God had suddenly made them not able to hit as hard that day.
I went up to bat, and instead of standing in my normal position I decided to try switch hitting.
"TIME!" Karl yelled, and walked over from the fence to talk to me.
"Um Janus, are you feeling ok?" He asked me very sarcastically.
"Yeah I feel spiffy," I said as casually as I could.
At this point some guffaws and laughing could be heard from the infield.
"You are standing on the wrong side of the plate," Karl murmured, "Right handers stand over there."
The Infield and Outfield begin to move forwards towards me, since they figured if I did hit it I would probably not hit it very well. The guy in left field "Chase" actually sat down in the grass took off his glove and pretended to snore.
"I am going to try batting left handed today Karl," I said quietly.
"What!?" he spat and hissed barely quiet enough to be a whisper, "I have been your best friend for over 10 years and you can't even use a steak knife right handed. What the hell are you doing?"
"I watched the Princess Bride last night, have you ever seen it?" I asked him, "It's got Andre the Giant in it and some pretty cool sword fights and stuff..."
"Tell me you have a point, Janus" Karl said trying really hard not to find something to hit me with at this point.
"Well the guy did alright with his right hand but when he switched to his left hand and he was really good. So I figure it's our last game, I can't hit it very far right handed anyway and really we have nothing to lose. So I figured why the hell not..." I noticed that Karl was looking a little amused but mainly stunned. He didn't know what to say.
"Besides, does this day really matter, we are 0-12 anyway it's not like I can do any more harm than we already have done," I said, "Someday we will look back at this day and laugh when we are fat, bald, and have little Janus and Karlings running around."
Karl sighed. "I guess your right...why the hell not indeed."
The gym teacher yelled at us to wrap it up or he was going to call the game.
"One last thing Karl....can I wear the hat?" I said pointing to his St. Louis Cardinals hat that he wore all the time. Karl gritted his teeth and put it on my head backwards. Then he gestured at me to move so I was at least facing the pitcher so I can hit the ball.
Our team started cheering a little, and I heard Jose yell from the fence "It's now or never buddeeeee." The other team could barely stand still from what went to snickering to almost full blown laughter as I stood ready to bat.
The pitch came and with the greatest sound in my life I heard the crack of that ball come off my bat. I hit it as a lefty. I didn't just hit it, I belted it out of the park and the field was silent as they watched the ball sail far over the head of Chase who stopped snoring long enough to see my baseball go over the wall and into a window in a gas station across the street.
Remembering to set down the bat and not throw it, I ran the bases with Henri and Curtis leading the way and ran gleefully back to the home plate, and was greeted with dixie cups of gatorade that my team mates dumped on me.
As silly as it sounds it was my dream to hit a home run, win a game, and get doused with gatorade since I was a little kid. I will never forget the joy of being covered with orange gatorade and actually getting hugged by about 10 happy guys that have never won anything in their life.
Karl walked up to me and give me a big brotherly knock on the head. "Why didn't you bat left handed before you moron, we could of won a few more games." Then he gave me a huge hug and said "Give me back my hat!" Karl stole back his Gatorade doused hat and gave me one of those rare happy grins that I will never forget.
Now this isn't a Halmark movie, so having a 1-12 season didn't win us any trophys, I didn't impress and marry my schools prom queen, and I didn't become a major league ball player from that day. I did get to see the looks of pure joy of the guys on my team who never got a break from anybody, I got to see Chase and those other Northsiders actually quiet and feel the sting of losing, and I was right about one thing... Karl and I would get to look back on this and laugh with the little Karling running around. (No Januslings yet.)
I am still learning what I am capable of everyday and still surprise myself once in a while.

Milestones, Benedrils, and Pasta

Today I took it easy. Alright, easier.
Besides feeling incrediably tired from not going to bed yet and finally feeling the effects of the two benedrils I don't have much to say this morning. I found some good blog reading out there today as I roamed around other peoples blogs a bit, though I can't type a coherant thought this fine early morning.
Today my counter made it past the 1000 person marker, way to go readers! We are only 4000 more people away from me having to take my blog in for an oil check and flush out the transmission. Thanks for all of you coming by, even when I don't have much to add somedays.
Today I had a few more ideas for short writing projects and a few future blog entrys, though I am not in much shape to work on them now and have a meeting at 2:00 this afternoon so I better try to get at least 6 hours of sleep.
The good news is I seem to be getting healthier, so sticking my head over steam from boiling pasta noodles, drinking some tea, taking my pills, and trying to get more than 3 hours of sleep a night seems to be working a little.
If it doesn't work, well at least we got some Pasta cooked for dinner.
Hope to see you around tomorrow, and have a good one today folks.

Introducing Janet McMahon

I must admit this is not the first time I have done this, but I did not do a second part to the driving rules topic.
I have a lot of reasons why I don’t finish these projects, like I don’t think I can develop the story well, that I get busy with something else and I forgot to finish it, or that I am just bored with it.
I’ll just say it, I got bored with it. Not very professional I know. The rules of the road thing sounded better when I was toying with it in my mind when I was riding in the car yesterday. Man I hate that.
Though tonight is not all a loss, we have a new link for you that I am not sorry for in the least. Introducing my other "Janus name-dropped" fellow blogger, Janet McMahon.
Janet hails us from Community Christian Church, where she is the small groups ministry director and her blog is titled "Losing Life," which is based on a great quote from Jesus in Luke 17.
I could prattle on about her and small groups, but she could do a much better job than I. So please check out her blog and take a good look around.
Thank you for dropping by today, I apologize for the short posting this evening but I think I am going to go to bed, I have been a bit under the weather lately.

Introducing Eric Bramlett

Joining the links section today is Eric's Eddyifications.
I did a traditional Janus name drop on one of my previous postings (That would be "More Mindless Filler" if you want to look it up in the archive) and mentioned Eric B. as one of the two bloggers that I had been visiting.
In a non-traditional Janus fashion I have posted his real name...well since it's on his blog anyway. Eric is also non-traditional because he is a person I heard of in person first before running into him over the internet (which I have spent way too much time on since 1995.)
Eric is the Creative Arts Director at my church and also does some great standup comedy. Rather than me ramble on who he is though, just click the link and he can do a much better job explaining things than I can. (Try clicking "About me", unlike my "about me" section he actually puts stuff in his.)
He is a pretty regular updater, and his blogging is both entertaining but also can make you think. So give it a whirl and take a look.
If you already have the honor of reading Eric's blog and this isn't a big enough update for you, today we have a double feature and you can read the next post listed below.

Rules of the road (part 1 of well...er 1)

Most of us have taken driver’s education at one point or other in our lives, and I remember when I went to driving school and receiving my copy of "Rules of the Road." While reading this exciting book can help you pass a driver’s test, I feel that the DMV has left out vital details that anyone should know. So I decided to educate the public on the real rules of the road.
Yellow Lights. The official manual tells you that yellow is to be cautious and to let you know that the light in to turn Red soon. The important thing to remember is three cars go through when the light turns yellow. Three cars! If you are the lead car, GET OUT THERE. Anyone that is more than halfway into the intersection should get through it even if the light is red. If you don’t you will have a big bullseye on the side of your car from the other lanes of traffic. So normally if the light is yellow or just turned red when you crossed the white line, you should put your foot in the proper "Floor it for the love of God" position. The only exception being is if you see a police car.
Speed limits. The white sign that says speed limit is usually just a friendly suggestion unless law enforcement is around. Don’t feel too bad about speeding normally, after all if they really wanted you to go 65 mph they would of made the speed limit 55 mph. If police officers are not present the following speed limits should be in effect for the average driver, these are speeds that you drive without worrying too much about getting pulled over out of the blue.
Up to 10 mph over limit, when it’s not quota time.
5 mph over limit if it is quota time
2-3 mph over limit if you are in a different state than your license plate. (Out of state cars are gravy trains to police officers, they get more money from them usually and they also figure you are less likely to fight the ticket in court.)
A little lower than the speed limit if you are in Ohio (Ohio is evil, they will give you a ticket for going 56 mph in a 55)
If a cop is behind you or has the radar gun out, all bets are off with these recommended speeds. Drive the limit as perfectly as possible and wait for them to leave or pass you to get some sourmilk doughnuts.
(A note about Quotas, police officers will tell most people that they do not have quotas. They of course cannot admit that they "have" to pull people over just to keep their jobs and bring money in from the state. So, just deal with it, they will want to pull people over if they need to keep numbers up and the best way to not get a ticket is to lull them into sleep by actually following the rules. They quickly get annoyed and look for someone less law abiding.)
Road Hazards. Besides woodland creatures, drunk drivers and other cars in general you should also look out for the following.
1. People that adjust the radio while they drive. Some people can’t listen to Bryan Adams music to the point that they would rather commit suicide and adjust the radio station, as they swerve through all lanes of traffic and take out some guy on a motorcycle. This person drives worse than a drunk driver while pressing the scan button. A close relative to the "cell phone using stuntman."
2. Little old ladies that can’t see over the steering wheel. They drive about 10 miles an hour and usually have a Lincoln Towncar. They also tend to cut across 5 lanes of traffic without warning when they realize they are in the wrong lane to turn.
3. Old man with a hat. Even worse than little old ladies, the degree of terrible driving is based on the style of hat. If he is wearing a Cowboy hat either get around him real fast or stay far behind him until he turns onto another road. If you see one with a checkered golfers hat, turn the car around and go home, and go to bed. It just ain’t worth it.

Janus Goes to Dinner, (aka Janus tries to come out of his shell)

I had a great day today. After going to church I was one of the folks invited to a dinner and got to meet up with some Newish friends (A.K.A. people I haven't been around for over 10 years.)
The company was great, the food was great, and besides the evil bee's flying around to make sure we never totally could lower our guard the day couldn't have gone more perfect.
I don't go to people's houses that often for dinner these days and it was nice getting to eat some BBQ chicken and sausages (and not having to cook also.)
It was neat because everyone had a lot of interesting stuff to talk about. I found out that one of us was a pilot, learned a little about knitting (and observed it being done really fast), heard about the Berlin Wall and even got to see a real piece of it, and discussed C.S. Lewis and learned about the new class at the church in Fall (and got a sneak peek at the class to know what I could expect.)
It was great, though I feel more dumb and inexperienced by the moment by being around this crowd. That's the problem with being around interesting people, you feel much less interesting after you learn more about them.
When I was asked what sort of things I did well or liked to do I said "Typing." After I said that I felt like I could put myself to sleep. My writing projects don't seem very exciting compared to what's going on around me. Though people brought me back into the conversation I was beginning to fight the desire to want to hide. It's really a paradox, if you are the leader of the pack at a place you can never grow because you are ahead of everyone, but if you are the little fish in the pond you start feeling boring and a little insignificant.
So I have been trying to think of things that I could feel unique and uncommon about.
Well I was an Eagle Scout, that is something to be happy about I guess. I am the favorite uncle of both of my siblings kids, is something that makes me smile. I value my friends and keep in touch with most of my friends for years on end. I can write a great corporate charter up in a couple hours despite learning how to do it from a few books and a class.
I guess I am proud that while I am not the brightest, fastest, or bravest I can continue to teach myself and learn new things from people. I kind of like hanging around people that have more education than me, I can learn more in a few hours than you could spending weeks reading up on the subject.
I could either let people frighten me off by feeling inferior, or I could improve myself by sticking around. I am going to stick with it, I might learn how to fly and use a advanced cell phone before this is all said and done.

Update Alert: New links and some touch ups will be soon, its 2:00 in the morning and I am too tired to play around tonight. See you all soon.

Fair's Fair with family

Friday I wrote a shorty section about the fair that I hadn't been to yet. Now that I actually went and came back and haven't fallen asleep yet I figured I would give you a little update about the exciting day in Elkhorn Wisconsin.
Elkhorn has a pretty large fair and my family has gone to it many times, for reasons that only my father really knows. It has all the things that fairs need like; Lots of greasy and unhealthy food (yum), Rides, people selling a variety of crap from little booths, exhibits, and animals.
Since it was a long day I will just shorten it up for you.
1. We ate alot of food
It will take 2 weeks and plenty of prilosec to get rid of my heartburn. They had the BBQ chicken sandwiches, elephant ears (those poor elephants), funnel cakes, dawgs, cheese nuggets, cotton candy, and more stuff thanI care to list and that you would ever want to read.
Between the nine of us we probably ate a little of about everything. That's what happens when you take a bunch of Torrells and put them in the middle of concession stands when they haven't had dinner yet. My family forgot themselves and hallucinated that we were at the Taste of Chicago and just started buying and eating everything we could get our mitts on.
I didn't find a beer tent though, very disappointing there.
2. We saw alot of animals My nephew had never been to a fair before, and was enjoying petting any animal that didn't try to bite his hand off. Cattle, pigs, sheep, and a bunch of animals that you couldn't pet were everywhere. I might of enjoyed it more if I didn't see "Purchased by" and grocery store chains listed by the prize ribbons. Glad my nephew couldn't read and didn't ask me to read the signs.
I am not a vegan (formerly called a vegetarian back in my day) and no one likes a big bucket of chicken or a steak more than I do. I don't like to know the name of the animal that I am going to eat though nor do I want to see them alive before eating. I live in denial, I prefer to think that meat comes from the "meat fairy" who magically brings my steak to Jewel which is made from waving her wand in thin air.
3. We saw alot of people selling stuff
I feel bad for the kids at this point. Ever impatiently waiting for the rides, they have to follow us boring adults around as we look at exciting things like; time share fake raffles, quilt raffles, the guy that carves your name into a piece of wood, and people trying to give you free pencils.
After a while I wanted to go on the rides too, so lets skip to that.
4. Rides Rides Rides! This is what makes a fair a fair and not a glorified flea market. Ride prices are not cheap here anymore since I was a kid, and I sold my left kidney to get myself on the Ferris Wheel and Bumper Cars.
The Ferris Wheel is great because it is the most frightening ride in the fair. Not due to it's speed or the heights, but because you might accidently look at the weld holding your seat in the air and preventing you from crashing to the earth. I think we were held up by a twisty tie and Elmer's glue.
That's part of the thrill. We somehow manager to fit 4 adults and 2 children into one of the ferris wheel booths, and when I sat down I could of swore I heard a creaking sound. The view was beautiful, and since I am writing this...we did not plummet to our death after all.
The last ride I went on before leaving was the bumper cars. I waited in line with my younger niece to ride along with her. As we got our chance to race, she decided to drive her own car so I got my own car too. First time I think I ever got out of having to share the car. The man gave me an odd look, because apparently 30 year olds are not supposed to drive bumper cars alone without a child telling us how to steer.
Had a great time ramming everyone with my bumper car, my back is out of commission for a few days, but it was a great time.

Talk to you again later

More Mindless Filler...Fairs and Blog Envy

Hey I am not going to be here Saturday all day, I am going to be out of the state. I don't have a cell phone to tell you all about the Fair I am going to. So I will have to make things up right now.
So you are going to have to either read this later and pretend I wrote it today or have a tantrum and wait til Sunday when I get back.

Janus's fake remarks about the Fair

Ooooh the food is greasy

Wow you can win a goldfish with a pingpong ball.

The Tilt a Whirl is looking a bit old.

Why do we go to a place called a "fair" to get ripped off.


Now for something completely different...

I have been visiting some of your Blogs lately, if you can't tell by the assorted comments scattered throughout the web and the omnious shuffling of my feet as I lurk. I have to admit that I like some of your setups better. I like Blogger, I really do. The price is right...er free. and I can ramble here and only have a little bit of restrictions.

My Blog is lacking some of the features though that other Blogs have.

For example some of you have a section where you have Books that you have read or own, though I like how Eric B. calls his "Pretending to Read." Now I probably actually wouldn't know what to do with this feature but since I don't have it I am sure it is more exciting than it sounds. I would have to put up some interesting book combinations too "Organizing your life for Morons", "Resume Magic" and "Archie Digest #24808 Billion"

I don't have a spiffy picture of me, though that is partly intentional, partly because I hate programming it. Though a picture or a neat animation at the top of the screen might make my blog more cosmetic. Yeah, I am over that already.

I also don't have Categories on this Blog. I don't know what categories I would on here. Maybe I would have "Depressing stuff", "Serious stuff", "Flagarant attempts at cheesy humor", and "Mindless filler when I don't really have a point."

The last two things would be getting that advanced counter system that Eric B and Janet M. use that looks like it not only keeps a counter but can order pizza for me too and maybe wash the counters off for me. I like my humble little counter, but I have seen the Mercedez Benz of counters and consider it. I also don't have emotions on my blog, which is good. My blog doesn't tell you if I feel Happy, Sad, Angry, Pretty, Drunk, Pretty Drunk, or Pensive.

Come to think of it, maybe I like my layout just the way it is. Anyway I will see you all on Sunday, have fun.

Janus sheds some light about being in the dark

This isn't a philosophical entry. I really couldn't think of a better title.
Today the power went out for about 8 hours at my place. Does that clear up the title a little better. See I told you I wasn't going to write about anything too deep today.
When will you guys learn to trust me.
So the power went out right before I went to work for a couple hours today, and I came back and it was still out. So after confering on it, I called the power company to let them know my power was out and they said that they would have it up by 8:15 or so and that help was on the way. Apparently about 180 people didn't have power at that moment, and I wondered if someone in my power grid tried to run the toaster, garbage disposal and microwave at the same time like I did last time I blew out the circuit breaker.
When the power is out you suddenly realize how much crap you take for granted. You can't work the microwave to make some soup, you can't see anything in the kitchen, the fridge is not working so you can't just open and close it and munch on snacks. Can't write in my blog (oh drat) and can't read everyone elses Blog (double drat), can't play games, can't research Garfield, and can't watch tv, and the cordless phone is out of order.
Now its not all bad, you can't vacuum either, or a bunch of other things you hate doing that require light. So you find the best source of sunlight that you can or you get a little candle and you can read a book.
You know, those paper things. Before the computer made me a Desk Squash (computericus addictus) which is a close relation to the Couch Potato (Posterioricus Enlargicus) but different habitat. I used to be a great reader, and I had more books than the Great Library of Alexandria (which you would know about if you read a book, they also didn't have books back then really so I can get away with such a lie.)
So today I read until I lost my light, then I took my dog Sammy for walks over the place til I got tired of walking and even she was getting bored. (which is a miracle for a Jack Russell Terrier.) I then went back to the house and had to turn on a flash light.
Bad idea.
Jack Russell Terriers love flashlights, and Sammy is not exception. She runs after the beam of light and barks at it until I can turn it back off. This makes power outages even more annoying since Sammy thinks that I am playing a game everytime I am trying to get a drink of water without breaking my toes on the chair. Sammy is not entirely stupid either, and knows that the flashlight is what makes the er..shinies. So if I don't hold the flashlight high in the air she will try to eat it. Heavy Mag light+Jack Russell= Broken teeth.
Now I am not afraid of the dark really, but I still don't like it. Mainly because of work reasons. When you write the occasional ghost story or horror fiction, you automatically start thinking about your next project when your power is out.
Hmm wouldn't it be scary if something was on the other side of that door? Yep it sure would. Before you know it you have to remind yourself that you really are not going to see anything when you open doors. Self-induced stupidity. Besides if it was a glowing transparent figure my dog would eat it anyway.
The Amityville Horror 5, Sammy the dog eats the ghost. Bet they didn't see that coming.