I know I've been gone for some time now, and I'm not even sure if anyone reads this anymore.
If not, don't sweat it, I understand. Just know that I've been reading everyone's blogs and keeping up with what's going on.
I have a favor to ask...I know, I know, I don't deserve it but if you'll indulge me.
Do you use any of the following sites? If so, what for? Can I be your friend if you use them? Here they are:
Twitter
Facebook
Jaiku
Pownce
I miss you all.
This post brought to you on my iPhone. Ok so I can't make any calls yet, but hey, I can update my blog.
So, I think I'm going to get an iPhone when it comes out. I want it. No, I need it.
I can't help it. I know it's smarter to wait for the 2nd or 3rd generation to come out so there'll be more memory and the bugs will be worked out, but I can't wait that long.
It's a sickness. I think I'll order it online even if it means I don't get it for a while. There's nothing as frustrating as going from store to store trying to find it.
Who am I kidding? I'll be at an Apple store at 6 with the rest of the geeks.
Saturday was Maggie's third birthday party. It was awesome. My wife goes all out for the girls' parties and this was no exception.
Jeni and my mom made a three tier castle birthday cake. It was great. They could totally be on one of those Food Network Challenges. Jeni also made some crown cookies. A bunch of people asked where she bought them, which I'm sure made her feel very good.
Of course, this was a "princess party" which meant all of the little girls were dressed in various princess dresses. It's really fun to see Maggie and her friends in fancy dresses running around and dancing.
But the coup de grace was when Cinderella showed up. We hired this girl to come to the party as Cinderella and SHE WAS AWESOME!
She looked and sounded like Cinderella, she was better than some of the girls that work at Disneyland. She made sure Maggie was the center of attention, but included all of the other little girls too.
All in all, it was a great day. I'm not sure how Jeni is going to top this one. It should be fun to see.
I'm in a major slump creatively. I'm not used to this. Usually, I consider myself a pretty creative guy.
I like to write, I like to come up with ideas. OK, so I'm not so good at the "follow through." I usually have ideas-a-plenty but they rarely, if ever, see the light of day.
So I haven't posted here in like a week, but it hasn't been for lack of trying. I just can't even come up with anything to write. Then it happened.
Sometimes, Jeni and I have a backup of things to watch on our Tivo (which isn't actually a "tivo" but the Cox DVR version but I think it's easier just to say Tivo.)
Last night we had Studio 60 and the MTV movie awards waiting for us. So Studio 60 is probably one of my favorite shows. I hate that it isn't coming back. It is so well written and funny. OK, so it might not be the quickest moving show on tv, but it is really, really good. Last weeks episode was especially powerful. Good stuff.
Then on to the MTV awards, which were painful to watch. Thankfully we watched the two hour show in like half an hour, thank you fast forward. But the Mike Meyers moment was actually pretty cool.
Seeing all of his movies and characters reminded me of just how much a part of my life he has been. I know that sounds weird, but seriously, since I was like, 15 Mike has been making movies that make me laugh. And repeat. My favorite, "So I Married an Axe-Murderer." So funny, so under appreciated.
All of this pointed out just how dry this creative dry spell has been. I think I just need to get started on something, even if it isn't good, even if I end up hating it, just so I can get the rust off.
This has been my longest post. Thank you for letting me whine.
So, I've avoided this for a long time, but it's time to come clean.
I have a new addiction. I'm addicted to Starbucks. Actually, I should say, "My name is Johnny and I'm a believer who struggles with Lattes. And Espresso. "
I know that many of you struggle with similar Starbucks addiction. For me, it crept up on me, out of the blue. Sneaky Starbucks.
It started with coffee on Saturday mornings, a treat, an indulgence for me and Jeni. But things quickly spun out of control. Soon I was going to Starbucks alone, sneaking a latte at lunch, or in the morning before work.
Then it hit me. For my coffee, for just my drinks, I'm dropping 5 dollars a day. 5 dollars. For coffee.
I tried to resist this morning, but we're out of coffee at home. What am I supposed to do? I NEED coffee. So again this morning, 5 dollars.
For coffee.
I just got Guitar Hero 2 for my xBox 360 and I stink at it. I am not good. Very bad.
But it's so fun. I'm playing on easy whilst I get the hang of it. So far my best song was "Message in a Bottle." I rocked that one.
Rock on.
So, Google has a new service that's pretty cool. It's called Google Trends.
You can enter different phrases or words and see how many other people are searching for the things you're interested in.
Well, sort of.
You can see on a chart the popularity of your subject. There aren't any numbers attached to it. Just a graph. I think like most of the things Google does, it will be cool soon.
I don't really know any reason to use this, yet. But now I've told you about it and I can go to bed knowing I did my duty of reporting it.
This post brought to you by Google.
So I wanted to change my blog a bit. Being that I have no skills all I could do was pick a different template. I don't like it.
Anyone out there have any designing skills and want to make me a cool custom design?
Awesome, thanks.
Last week, Josh had a post about the NBA playoffs and corporate sponsors that you can read here.
Yesterday, the wife and I went to Disneyland to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. It was a great time but one of the things that really stood out to me is that the Main Street Parade now has a corporate sponsor.
Really, Disneyland? A corporate sponsor for the parade? Really? What, you're not getting enough money from people coming to the park everyday? 50 bucks a person isn't enough to keep things going? Really?
I think I've officially had enough of corporate sponsors.
This post brought to you by Coke.
You're a geek. You've accepted it, embraced it and moved ahead. You're ok that you've seen Star Wars too many times to count. Fine with it.
It's alright with you that you own more than 10 Star Wars books. (Maybe it isn't Star Wars for you. Comic books?)
You're fine with the fact that you've read and re-read all of the Harry Potter books. You don't care that you've got them all on your iPod so you can listen to them whenever you want. Same with all of the episodes of Heroes.
You're not embarrassed that you have "TFN" and "The Leaky Cauldron" in your favorites.
You may be slightly ashamed that you voted for Apollo on Dancing with the Stars but come one, that guy can dance.
If you're anything like me... welcome. Plus, you should get the book, "The Great Snape Debate." It looks at all of the Potter books and takes both sides, Snape is good vs. Snape is evil. It's a good read.
Enjoy it, Geek.
Shake off disappointment? I hate it when I fight for something and I know it isn't going to happen. How do you shake it off?
I can't concentrate on anything while I steam. I want to know why a decision was made, not just the decision.
I know this might not make sense, but I'm steaming, and I'm finding it hard to focus.
Don't get me wrong iTunes, you're still my go-to-buy-music-and-download-to-my-iPod online music site. I love you. You make my world a little brighter. But for finding out about new music, Rhapsody takes the cake.
I subscribe to Rhapsody which means I can listen to music and even put it on my computer for like 15 bucks a month. (Note: I didn't say download on purpose. I think the correct term is "stream" but I don't know. If you need Rhapsody 101 ask Josh Warren.)
They have this genre thing where you can go through all kinds of music and hear things you've never heard of before. Here are some bands I was introduced to (not in person) through this service:
Rasputina: So, cello rock? Yeah, it's weird, and sorta "goth" but I love me the cello and they're pretty awesome.
Elliot Smith: So sad, but great music. I know I'm late on this guy, but hey, I never said I was cool.
Feist: I know I'm probably late here too. I like her very much.
There's a bunch more, but I can't remember them now. Plus, I learned the term baroque-pop. I like that. I'm going to try to use that in a sentence today.
Chloe woke up at 2:30 this morning with a fever. I don't even know what time I finally fell back to sleep.
All I know is, I didn't get nearly enough sleep. A Diet Coke, cup of coffee, and Monster energy drink later, and I'm still tired.
I think a nap in an empty office would do the trick.
So, I don't know if you caught it last night, but NBC ran a special of highlights from SNL from what I consider the "glory days" of the show.
Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy SNL even today. I like the digital shorts and I think this new cast is coming into it's own. But come on, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Will Ferrel, Chris Rock, Tim Meadows, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, David Spade and more on the same show? Can you beat that?
No. The answer is no, you cannot beat that. All in all it was a pretty entertaining two hours of tv. When I think about how much SNL has formed my view on pop culture and entertainment, it kind of blows me away.
I'd say, Star Wars and Saturday Night Live are probably more responsible for my world view and sense of humor than anything else.
So, this weekend was pretty cool. Here are some highlights:
On Saturday we went to the garden show at South Coast Plaza. I know, I know, you're overwhelmed with the pure testosterone that this event brings out. Trust me, there's nothing quite like searching out the "perfect orchid" to make you feel like a man.
I wish I could say that I was dragged there kicking and screaming, but the sad truth is, I was the one who wanted to go. We brought both of the girls and had a good time. We made of with some sweet orchids (just typing that made me feel shame) and a banzai tree for my desk at work.
Sunday, I took Chloe for the morning. I love having the girls one on one every now and then. In the afternoon we went to a birthday party for Olivia and Jackson. Good times.
When I was talking to another dad that I found out that I can carry out an entire conversation without actually looking at the person I'm talking to. He and I were talking and watching our kids at the same time. And never made eye contact.
Now, I realize that too much eye contact makes me feel uncomfortable.
Weird.
So lately I've been reading. A lot. The thing is, I've been reading books that although fun to read, don't really stretch me. They aren't literature or anything like that. I think of them sort of like mindless tv.
Sort of like tv that just let's you unwind and relax. So my question is would you rather read a book like that or watch tv?
I can't do both at the same time. What do you think?
Everyone's sick...
So Jeni, Maggie and Chloe are sick. They've got this nasty cough and basically feel terrible. (I went back and forth between terrible and horrible, I think I made the right choice.)
I haven't gotten it yet. I think it's because I take so many vitamins. I take an Emergen-C once or twice a day. I take a B complex and Juice Plus.
If you don't know what Juice Plus is, it is awesome. You take 4 pills and get like 12 servings of fruits and vegetables. Which for me is sweet. I like fruit but I don't like veggies. Especially green beens. They are of the devil.
In summary, I am impervious to sickness.
I have a 3rd Eye...
I do, and it's huge. It's really like a 3rd and 4th eye. Really.
Right in between my eyes I have this huge pimple, well two pimples. It's like one on top of the other. A bi-zit if you will. It hurts.
Maggie said I have a boo-boo which is sweet. I have to teach her that pointing out other's pain isn't polite.
It's the kind of pimple that makes you feel like everyone is looking right at it, not seeing you at all just focusing in on the growth.
Well, it's out there now, so if you see me feel free to point it out. Let's get it right out there, no more dancing around it.
31, losing my gray hair and I still have zits...yeah, that's fair.
Hey Dude...
So, someone keeps posting a comment about Celebrate Recovery here and I keep deleteing it. Why? Simple, you don't leave your name or contact info. If you don't like CR fine. If you'd like to have a discussion about it, great. But that's why you keep getting deleted, and that's why there aren't any more anonymous comments too.
Just wanted to clear that up.
Oh, and one more thing. I wont be dragged into an arguement here. That's not what this blog is about. I LOVE Celebrate Recovery, it has changed my life and the lives of countless people around me. That's as much as a response as I'll give anyone.
God Bless.
I LOVE CARBS...
I'm trying to do the right thing and lose a few lbs. To do that, I'm cutting my carb intake down to about half of what I'm used to.
I hate it.
I love carbs. Bread, love it. Pasta, you bet. Rice, yes please. CANDY??? Are you kidding? There's a box of Tootsie Rolls and Pops right behind me right now. And don't even get me started on Girl Scout Cookies. Freaking Girl Scouts.
I want a bowl of pasta with chocolate sauce on top.
Chiropractor...
Oh, how I love going to the chiropractor. Turns out my spine is all twisty, my neck and lower back have been tight for a while now. I got some x-rays and there are some super fixable problems.
I get to go three times a week for the next 2 weeks ...awesome. The more the better I say.
If you've never been adjusted, I strongly suggest you check it out. It feels so good.
It's been a while...
Sorry I haven't posted in so long. I've missed you all so much. Here's an update on what's gone on in the last couple of weeks.:
I got glasses the other day...
So, last week I mentioned that I've been getting headaches lately. So I went to the eye doctor and it turns out, I need glasses.
The glasses I ordered take 7-9 days to get here, so I went and got a cheap pair at one of those glasses-in-an-hour places. Turns out, it takes a while to get used to wearing glasses. I've been getting headaches while I adjust.
Super.
We lost a good one yesterday...
A good friend died yesterday. Carl was a long time leader at Celebrate Recovery, and was probably the best display of a servant I have ever seen. Not only did Carl serve but he did so gladly without ever wanting attention.
I'm grieving today. I haven't really lost that many people. When my Grandpa died I was a mess for weeks. Losing Carl is right up there. He brought joy wherever he went.
Carl impacted literally thousands of lives. You can't ask for more than that. He made a difference for Christ, and I know that he's with Him now.
When I think of Carl, I think of James 4:10, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."
That's Carl. Humble servant that never wanted attention, that everyone knew, and everyone loved.
He will be missed.
I'm a little panicked...
So, tomorrow I will have both of my daughters by myself for most of the day. Now I'm not one of those dads that doesn't spend time with his kids. I do. Tons. But usually I have ONE of them by myself, not both of them.
I can handle one. Maggie is super easy. Chloe is super easy. One on one we have a great time together. If I just have Maggie I can do anything. Movies, Disneyland, park, whatever. If I have Chloe we can do most of that stuff too, well, not a movie, but you get the point.
Usually if I have the two of them together I just stay home with them. But tomorrow is supposed to be all day.
I guess if it rains I'd HAVE to stay home.
Come on rain.
A pain in the...
Head. So, I've been having headaches for like the last week now. I hate it. On Monday it got so bad I threw up. Yummy. I wake up and think the headache is gone, but no, it comes back.
Next Monday I'm going to the eye doctor to see if I need to start wearing glasses again. I wore glasses for most of my life. I got my first pair when I was 2 years old.
If I need them again, I'm going to get the Transition lenses. They look cool. They get dark like sunglasses outside and go back to normal inside. That way I only need one pair of glasses.
That's enough staring at the computer now.
Wow, I've been away a while...
Sorry I've been gone so long. The good news is, I'm back and refreshed. The bad news is, I feel sort of stuck with my blog.
I really want to do some of the cool things other people have done, but I really don't know how. It makes me feel very insecure that I can't figure this thing out.
If anyone can give me tips on how to improve the look and feel, please feel free to comment.
Thanks
How many times...
Can you see a kids movie without going crazy? I've either had to watch or listen to Cinderella or Cinderella 2, yes there's a Cinderella 2, so many times I have most of the lines committed to memory.
This scares me. Anyway, as I'm sitting through the latest viewing of this great film, I wonder just how much more I can take.
Do you know the way?...
So every year, the CR team goes up to Northern California for some meetings. We have a great time and get tons done.
Last year Jeni and Maggie stayed home. Chloe didn't come either, but then again she wasn't born yet. The whole week was tough. I really missed them. This year, we all piled into a rental car and made the drive to San Jose.
The rental is sweet. We got a Jeep Commander. It's like a tank. We put a DVD player in the back so Maggie would have something to do. Usually we don't do the movies in the car. But the drive is like 5 hours, it's hard to keep a kid quiet for that long.
We'll be up here for over a week, I'll try to post as often as possible.
Garage Cleaning...
This weekend Jeni and I got to work on cleaning out our garage. It sucked. To be honest, this is our second weekend in a row cleaning the thing out. Two weeks, two dumpsters. We have too much stuff.
We decided to do it Clean Sweep style, so we made three piles: Throw away, donate (or sell) and keep. In the past we have always kept things that "we'll need 'someday'" but this time we were ruthless.
We're thinking about selling some stuff on eBay. Here are some of the potential sell items:
American Idol...
OK, so, I'm so excited for tonight. American Idol is back! I can't wait. The first few shows are my favorites for two reasons.
1. Hearing the terrible auditions. Yes, I think some of them are fake. I don't care, I love it.
2. Hearing the great auditions. I always try to pick the winner during the audition shows. Last year, I picked Daughtry. I was close.
I apologize in advance for the obsessive American Idol blogs to follow. I love the show.
Yes, I'm slightly ashamed to admit it.
Do clothes make the man?....
I just had an intersting conversation with Josh and Allison about this. Does the way you dress at work have an impact on how others see you?
What does a t-shirt and shorts say about you?
What about a baseball hat?
What do people think if you get too dressed up?
If you dressed one way for a while and then changed it up, would anyone notice?
Does this matter more to those in charge than to the rest of us?
What is the perfect, "I'm a hard worker that should get a raise but I'm not kissing up" outfit?
Grease is the word...
Wow. Did anyone watch that Grease show on tv last night. You know the one where you get to cast a Broadway show? No. Well I did.
It's called, "The One that I Want." I know that because they repeat that line of the song at every commercial break. It is so obviously an American Idol rip off it isn't even funny. First, three judges. And, wait for it, one is British. Ok, so he is actually a producer and yes he's produced Grease in England but still.
They're doing the whole bad audition thing too, which is gratifying in a sick, twisted way. But so far, I'm disappointed.
Oh, yeah, when someone makes it to the next level of the "audition" Simon, err, the British dude, says, "You're the one that we want to go on..."
What was the name of the show again?
New Year's Resolutions...
Well, with so many people weighing in with theirs I thought I'd list a few of mine. I like to call them commitments, but they're essentially the same thing.
I know that's only 5, but I think that's a doable number. We'll see.
Christmas Recap...
It's been a while since I posted last, so here's a quick glance at my Christmas and New Year's:
1. Favorite gift--for sure these sweet Bose Headphones. They cancel out noise, they are awesome.
2. Favorite Christmas moment-- watching Maggie open her gifts. Priceless.
3. Favorite food--wow, that's a tough one. Where do I even start? There was no shortage of good food. I think it's the peanut butter balls we make each Christmas. I don't share them with anyone.
4. Least favorite moment--taking down all of the decorations. Christmas is over. It seemed really quick this year.
5. Where was I at midnight on New Year's Eve--In bed. Asleep. For two hours.
All in all, it was a great holiday season. Too fast for my taste, but still great.
