Weekly merry musings,raucous ramblings and pensive ponderings

Nothing like a little alliteration to start of the morning, eh?  Oh, there’s a lot of stuff to get to!  Let’s dive right in!!  <splash>

At the risk of turning you all off very early; I think what is going to happen tonight at the Democratic National Convention is pretty cool.  I’m not saying that I agree or disagree with Barack Obama’s politics but I am saying that for the first time in our history a African American will be nominated by a major political party as a viable candidate to be the President of the United States of America.  Whether you are a Dem or a member of the G.O.P you have to look at this and say, “this is what makes America the greatest country in the world.”  We are proving, once again, that ANYBODY who wants to make something of them self can do so in this great country.  Really really a great moment in our history. 

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Russia.  Vladimir Putin actually accused the US of fostering the conflict in Georgia as a way to “get at” Russia.  What an idiot!  No proof of this “dastardly plot” exists besides Russia’s always existing paranoia of anything that happens to the West of them.  It is really amazing, if you study Russian history, just how closed off they are from the rest of the world.  I’m reading a book about Russia during the Communist years, particularly under the Stalin regime.  It is truly horrifying that such atrocities could be visited upon the citizenry of any country, much less by their own government.  I was not apart of the generation that stared the Communists down so I don’t think about it that much except when I read books about it.  If you didn’t live it do yourself a favor and go out and get a book about it.  There is still so much that we don’t know about but what we do know is truly sickening!  For example, all crime statistics were formulated without even looking at what was actually happening.  If there was a murder the local police were told that it must have been an accident because the state says that “the workers paradise” has no crime.  The list goes on and on and on!

Communism: a failed social experiment?  I think it’s much more than that.  Anybody knows that if you take away the carrot all you have left is the stick.  When you take away someones incentive to work they no longer will do their best.  It is foolish to think that a person will work hard when you give them no reason too.  Crazy!

It looks like we might actually get a few days of summer here.  It is going to climb all the way into the 90’s this weekend.  GASP!!!  I’m melting already =0

At the church we are gearing up for Soul Winners Boot Camp.  It’s going to be a lot of fun but also a lot of work.   I’m looking forward to it.

I hope you all have a great Labor Day Weekend.  Enjoy yourself and be safe!

Ravings, rantings, and little nuggets of thought..

Rush Hour!  Grossly misnamed.  We can just go ahead and add this to the list of oxymorons that already exist…….mud bath, improvised arrangement, long shorts, law abiding illegal alien, dead livestock, grand children, perfect mismatch, bureaucratic effiecency, etc.

Our services at church have been really good lately.  I know this because my grandfather hasn’t fallen asleep in a few weeks.  God is really moving!!

I think that Chipotle Burrito’s and Taco’s is the best restaraunt in the world.  In fact, I think that every other restaurant in the world pales in comparison.  In fact, I think that every item on the menu beats every item on all the menu’s in every restaurant in the world.  There are some people who don’t think so.  I think those people are dumb!

Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals.  Wow!

The Olympics are terribly over-rated.  Who cares about rhythmic gymnastics.  We call those “praise dancers”.  Or in the Pentecostal world……..sign teams!  Haha!

In other news, Barack Obama is going to text his vice presidential nomination to me.  Then I’m going to let him know if it’s a good choice or not!  Seriously, there is a tremendous amount of buzz over the fact that he’s going to text his announcement!  Really, we must be in a very slow news cycle if people are caring that much!

In more important news, we are now letting old people text.  Disturbing!

Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Dinah Washington, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Lou Rawls, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day…where have all the talented singers gone.  The stuff that is produced now days is pure garbage!  In other news, I just turned 85! 

Great great song…The only thing that’s good in me is Jesus by Michael English off of his new album. 

I have now exhausted myself with this amazing display of wit, mental agility and thought provoking commentary.  I need a nap!

 

PS.  All comments are said with a wry smile, a twinkling eye and a sarcastic twist.  If you find yourself to be offended please know that I never give offense intentionally.

Busy busy

It’s been a little crazy lately.  I haven’t had any time to sit down and write until just now, my lunch break at 2 pm!  See what I mean?  The “summer lull” is most definitely over here at work and it seems to be over at the church as well.  School starts today for all of the kids in Hollister.  Two weeks ago was camp meeting at which I had a fantastic time!  Last week was busy catching up on all of the things that were left undone while I was out of the office.  Then on Friday I went up to the city to see my Uncle Gene, Aunt Karla and Cameron and Chad, my cousins.  We had a great time just being together.  My parents and my sister and brother-in-law came up a little later in the day and we ate at Scoma’s and just had a blast!  Then this Sunday was my parents 4th church anniversary service with a very special couple.  Uncle Ken and Aunt Tessie Gurley flew all the way from Houston, TX to be with us.  We spent all day and long into the evening catching up.  I’ve known them literally all of my life and they are my best friend Jared Gurley’s parents.  When I lived in Houston I basically lived at their house for a year.  I didn’t sleep there but I ate dinner there, studied there and a lot of other things.  In fact, I will not eat meat loaf anywhere else but there!  Aunt Tessie fixes the best meat loaf in the world.  I hate meat loaf normally, if for no other reason than the name ugh!, but her’s is great.  It was so good to see them for a little while.  I can’t wait to go to NYC and see Jared in a few months. 

Now, on to what’s been going on in my life……The government is taking way to much money out of my check.  I’ve got to find a way to stop that!!  I was invited to a “high potential associate” dinner this evening.  I guess that we will see what that is all about. 

I’m trying to decide if I want to go to Conference or not.  I really can’t make up my mind because October is already shaping up to be a very busy month!!  I don’t know. 

Hope that everybody is well and that you have a great week.

Camp Meeting etc…..

Gasp!  When I went to the homepage to log in WordPress, in all of its infinite wisdom, has moved the log in from the right to the left.  It only took me 15 minutes to figure out the change!  Oh, by the way, I hate Tuesdays!

I went to Camp Meeting last week.  Wow!  I came out of my little hidey hole for a few days and actually mingled with other people.  It’s not all its cracked up to be let me tell you!  Ha.  Just joking.  I enjoyed myself which surprised me tremendously!  I’m not a big fan of large crowds of people or dirt, both of which are present in abundance in Santa Maria, CA the first week of August.  I still haven’t quite adjusted to Camp Meeting in a tent yet.  I do enjoy the services though.  As proof of me not adjusting I offer you the evidence of me polishing my black dress shoes before service Wednesday evening.  By the time I made it from the car to my seat my black dress shoes were more of a dusty gray!  Since I was wearing a gray suit that night I just kinda blended all together.  To be serious for  a moment there were some great things that happened.  If you’ve never heard Rev. Bill Davis from Macon, GA  you owe it to yourself to listen to him.  He’s really an outstanding preacher/teacher.  Bro. Jerry Jones was the night speaker and he did a phenomenal job as well.  Plus I got to see some friends and even make a few new ones; no small task I assure you.  Most people are born with the small talk gene but somehow I got passed over when God was dealing that one out.  How do you make small talk with someone you’ve never met…..Weather’s nice. Yup!  That’s all I got!  If you have some advice on how to make “senseless” conversation feel free to pass them along! 

Now all of you California natives don’t go getting all offended on me!  I really did enjoy Camp this year.  I’ll be back next year for more tortu…..er fun!  If you want to see pictures you’ll have to go somewhere else.  I don’t even own a camera and if I did I wouldn’t take pictures anyway.  I’m sure that if my life needs to be recorded in pictures for later generations my mother and uncle will have taken enough to fill a small garage! 

I’ll talk to all of you party people at a date that has not been determined in the future of mankind when we are all there!!!  Later late.

Do your job

Before I rant a little I just want to say that I am eating the best chocolate chip cookie that I have ever had in my life.  It’s from Ben and Jerrys Ice cream shop.  Seriously the best.  I love treats!!

While reading CNN.com earlier this morning I came across an article regarding a new discorvery of over 100,000 apes.  Here is an excerpt:

An estimated 125,000 Western lowland gorillas are living in a swamp in equatorial Africa, researchers reported Tuesday, double the number of the endangered primates thought to survive worldwide.

Forest clearings draw large numbers of Western lowland gorillas searching for food.

Here’s a few Marge!!

“It’s pretty astonishing,” Hugo Rainey, one of the researchers who conducted the survey for the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society, told CNN Tuesday.

The last census on the species, carried out during the 1980s, estimated that there were only 100,000 of the gorillas left worldwide. Since then, the researchers estimated, the numbers had been cut in half.

WCS survey teams conducted the research in 2006 and 2007, traveling to the remote Lac Tele Community Reserve in northern Republic of Congo, a vast area of swamp forest.

Acting on a tip from hunters who indicated the presence of gorillas, Rainey said that the researchers trekked on foot through mud for three days to the outskirts of Lac Tele, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the nearest road.

Gorillas have been listed as critically endangered for years.  Critically endangered is the most severe level for endangered species. 

My first thought when I read this little nugget was, cool.  That’s great that they found some more gorillas.  Lord knows I would be destitute if say, there were no more gorillas to be found!  Even if I’ve only seen said primates in the San Diego Zoo.  But then I had an epiphany and that was YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FLIPPING KIDDING ME!!!!!  How hard is it for people to just do their jobs?  I know that my ignorance of the Central African Republic of the Congo is vast.  I mean, I’ve never been there but still, it’s your job to find the big furry creatures and you just now happen to find over 100,000 apes?  Yes it was miles off the beaten path.  Yes it Africa where it’s hard to get around.  So you had to walk over 80 kilometers in mud.  It’s your job.  You get paid for this stuff.  Presumably these people are experts.  How can you just now find over 100,000 apes?  I mean wouldn’t all the missing banana’s point you in the right direction.?  What about the loud grunting noises?  Clues anyone?  Can anyone say, gross incompetence?   How many of you would your boss let you keep your job in light of such a magnificent flaming error?  Not many I would say?  Ah, and here’s the greatest part……they’re going to keep the species on the critically endangered list because they just aren’t sure if these are real apes!  Just kidding. 

Couple of other things that I wonder on a daily basis:

When did it become okay to bring your screaming child to work for an entire day?  Our company gives you 12 weeks of paid maternity leave!  12 WEEKS!  Thank you!

How many people are blessed with a mirror of some kind in their house?  Judging by the way some people look, not many. 

When did “long and stringy” become an acceptable description of hair in the workplace?

As is evidenced in this post I really really need a vacation.  I’m leaving tomorrow and won’t be back for several days.  Please do your utmost to survive without my pithy and poignant observations. 

Happy August!

My friend, Ryan Dean, texted me the other day at 9:30 in the morning Louisiana time and said, “It’s about 100 degrees with 749% humidity.  Are you sure you don’t miss it here?”  I replied, “It’s 63 and sunny. Eh, Na I’m good here.”  As I write it’s 71 and more importantly it feels like 71.  The weather in Texarkana, TX where I grew up is 95 and feels like 105!! HA! 

I remember a few years ago when a friend of mine got married in August in West Monroe, LA.  The candles on the platform kept getting blown out by the air conditioning so what did the bride insist upon?  Why, we must turn the air off of course.  I was standing there in my monkey suit completely soaked in sweat.  Ryan was standing next to me.  I’m sure that it was a beautiful wedding full of love and the spirit of God but I don’t remember anything except the rivulets of sweat running down my body!

So when August dawns upon us here in California, I drop to my knees and say a little prayer of thanks to the Lord God of Heaven for allowing me to escape the brutal summers of East Texas.  Tomorrow 79.  Sunday 78.  Monday 79.  Tuesday 81.  Wed 81.  Thursday 79.  Friday 79.  Saturday 79.  Sunday 80.  Texarkana TX 10 day forecast…..Today 96.  Saturday 102.  Sunday 104 (oh god!)  Monday 103.  Tuesday 99(a cooling trend!!)  Wednesday 96 (a cold front blows through town).  Thursday 97. Friday 95!! And on and on and on! 

August in the south means, turn up the air, lock the doors and pray that you don’t have to go outside unless it is to jump in the lukewarm pool and try to float away your sorrows!  Who cares if the lawn grows taller than the house?  It’s hot!  I remember dressing on Sunday’s in tie and suit just knowing that before I could get the a/c started in the car I would be drenched in sweat.  My glasses would fog up as soon as I walked from the cool air out into the “sauna”.  August in Texas means that condensation forms on the inside of the windows. 

Nope, I’m happy here.  Don’t want to move back.  Loved TX while I lived there but I have become spoiled by living in the closet place to heaven this side of the rapture.  I love August……Now!