T-minus...

Ahhh Fresno! I had a great time meeting the brethren up there. A sizable portion of their congregation was out of town, but the small group of us present had a wonderful Sabbath together. Mr. Mora came up from the Bay area and gave a sermon on The Counsel of God - why we need it, how to go about seeking it, etc. Two other gentlemen drove up with him, and they both had interesting stories to tell. One was Mr. Millich's roommate @ Ambassador as a freshman. They both had stopped attending for years, but now have been attending LCG for about 4 or 5 years. I met a brother (who's also a brotha)from Statesboro, GA. I chastised him for not converting the entire Fresno congregation to grits, but he handled the rebuke well. Everyone was soooooo nice. After services, we sat around in a sort of semi-oval and potlucked. Food makes everything better.


The scheduled songleader was hospitalized Friday night with a possible heart attack, but he was released Sabbath morning. Turns out his heart is fine - but he has pneumonia. We (me and the Medards, who treated me like one of their kids - in a good way)went by to see the gentleman and his wife for a minute. The minute turned into several hours, by which time the Sabbath was over. We stopped back by the Medards to pick up my car and change clothes before hitting the road back to Bakersfield. "Mom & Dad" wouldn't let me leave without fixing me a couple of sandwiches, a bag of grapes, an apple turnover, and a bottle of high-quality H2O for the road. Did I mention they fixed me breakfast when I got there that morning? A nice bowl of real oatmeal, with raisins, brown sugar, sunflower seeds, grapes, coffee, milk, OJ, and an apple turnover. Needless to say, I'm going back to Fresno when I get the chance.


The Medards are an interesting couple. They are much like a certain Barbados-bound couple I know. Mrs. Medard likes to talk, and Mr. Medard doesn't say much - but when he does, it's funny! They are such an adorable couple. Mrs. Medard looks just like her brother Galyn. I mean JUST like him. Without that whole Y-chromosome thing though.


Other than that, I've been chillin' in the lab, and occasionally in the field. My allergies have been on overdrive since my first foray into the flowering test plots. Hopefully that'll change once I get back to SC.

Katrina is wreaking havoc on La & Miss. I pray that all the brethren got out in advance. Judging from the rescue missions I just saw, not all of the New Orleans residents did. I pray that they're all OK - well, as OK as one can be after losing possibly everything. Wasn't Katrina a tropical storm like a few days ago?

Well, I ain't!

I was playing around with the camera, holding it at arm's length, when I took this picture of myself. My co-worker here saw it and said I had my "I ain't pickin' no cotton" face on.



I bought the M.R.S. some flowers today; a bouquet of sunflowers and yellow roses.



She was quite surprised – and quite pleased. MAJOR brownie points for me. I miss that chick. Seriously. And the boys too… Noah with his single tooth – the M.R.S. tells me he’s flying all over the house in his little walker (we’ve got smooth tile floors now). Whenever I call I him babbling DA-DA in the background. *sniff* And then there’s Nick. The first time I called home he got on the phone and without even saying “hello” he blurts out “I miss you daddy.”*sniff* I’ve even got to talk with Jalen a few times since I’ve been here. He’s not going to Jamaica with us though. I made sure to let him know that if he changes his mind we’ve got a spot for him. *sigh* We’re even laying over for a few hours in his favorite city, Miami. He’s the starting left tackle for his football team, and his 1st cousin is the starting right tackle. Their first game is the day after I get back, so I’ll be able to catch him in action. I’ve got to do something about the 215 lbs he’s carrying around though. That’s just not healthy. Anyway, it was good to talk to him, and hopefully I’ll have him the weekend I get back. Clemson begins their football season, and my brother & family will be staying at our place. It would be great for us all to hang out for a couple of days.

Oh to be back in the arms of my green-eyed sweetheart! It’s hard to believe our 7th anniversary will be this October – the day before Trumpets. We got baptized a week before getting married, and then we were married the day before the FOT in ’98. The Feast in Panama City served as our honeymoon. We found out about 2T pretty late in the game, so we didn’t have much loot. We pretty much financed our honeymoon with wedding gifts! We stayed at this somewhat sketchy place called the Value Lodge, and Shonta got sick for a day or two midway through, and we spent the last few days of the Feast without car insurance, and made it home with just enough money to gas up in Commerce, GA and coast home on fumes. It was absolutely fantastic! I hate that PC’s no longer a site, as it remains a special place to us. After all, we’ve spent 71.4% of our Feasts there.

Well, it’s late now, and I’ve got to get here early tomorrow to play in massa’s fields. Toodle!

PS: Desiree, if you’re reading this, I’m probably going to Fresno (11 a.m. Services??) this Sabbath. Do you think you can get Jim M.’s mailing address for me? I’d greatly appreciate it.
.

Yeah...

Just booked the Jamaica tix... Life is good.

Jam On It!

... Now Superman came to our town to see who he could rock
He blew away every crew he faced until he reached our block
His speakers were three stories woofers with woofers made of steel
And when we boys were sitting outside, he said "I boom for real
I'm faster than a speedin' bullet and when I'm on the set
I don't need no fans to cool my amp, I just use my super-breath
I can fly three times around the world without missing a beat
I socialize with X-ray eyes and ladies think it's sweet"
And then he turned the power on and the ground began to move
And all the buildings for miles around were swaying to the groove
And just when had fooled the crowd and swore he'd won the fight
We rocked his butt with a 12" cut called "Disco Kryptonite"...

Jam on It - Newcleus

I miss the 80s.

Resistance... is futile.

I’ve been here almost a week and I still can’t get used to some things – like the absence of sweet tea. Bakersfield reminds me a bit of the south, but L.A. is a different creature altogether. I went down there for services this past Sabbath and had a blast. I took a few pics of the mountains as I was leaving Bakersfield.

Mr. Meredith was there, and the Garden Grove congregation came up. There were several brethren from San Diego present as well. After services Jim Meredith invited me to join a group going to this Greek restaurant (Caesar’s) in Pasadena. The food was… interesting. I really enjoyed the rice and the beef tips; I wasn’t as fond of the grape-leaf-covered rice thingy served as an appetizer, and I don’t think I’m a big fan of hummus either. Jim must have reserved the place for us b/c we were the only customers present. There was lots of good conversation; I was sort of in the middle of our table, and constantly found myself engaged in conversations going on at both ends simultaneously. At our table were Daryl & Vicky, Ben & Stephan, Rachelle & Jake, Brandon & Lynette, and Greg & Karri. Oh yeah, Desiree too. I did a lot more listening than talking, but I don’t mind that – it helps me learn more about the people when I get to hear what they have to say. Some of you would be interested in knowing about the Napoleon Dynamite convo; let’s just say that people either love,love, love the movie, or they hate, hate, hate it. The Monsons definitely hate it. Lol



Afterwards, a group of us went to visit what was formerly known as Ambassador College in Pasadena. I’m not one to gush over architecture and landscaping, but the grounds were absolutely stunning in their beauty. I took a few pix, but the outdoor ones didn’t turn out too well. Desiree does a fine job describing our detour inside Ambassador auditorium. It was… in a word… surreal. Apparently we walked into the end of the Saturday night portion of Harvest Rock Church’s Catch the Fire conference. I kept waiting for a zombie-like participant to point at us and screech “Intruder!” at us before the masses assimilated us into the collective. After extricating ourselves from the Borg, we strolled across the campus until 10:00 or so, and then security informed us that the campus was closing.


I got back to my hotel around 12:30 and watched a little TV. By a little I mean until 5:30 a.m. I’ve got to stop doing that. Needless to say, I did not make it to the lab in Shafter until the afternoon.

Ah, the lab. Smack dab in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lush fields of cotton and dirt. My work the last two days has looked like crap, and my boss here has (strongly) hinted that I might need to come back for a couple of weeks in December. *sigh* At least I got a new hat out of the deal – I purchased a straw hat to protect me from the blazing sun as I start my field work Thursday. Unfortunately, they sprayed the fields with insecticide the day I got here so I haven’t begun the fieldwork portion of my visit.

So much for watching what I eat. I’ve had pretty much nothing but McDonald’s, Jack-in-the-Box, and Carl’s Jr. (Hardee’s for you southerners). Oh yeah, and plenty of Mexican. For lunch today I had a quesadilla lengua – that’s a “cow-tongue case-a-dee-ya” for my non-habla espanoling readers. It was actually really good!

I found out last night that I’m not the one you want to call if something’s wrong in the middle of the night. Noah’s got another ear infection, and the M.R.S. called me around 3 .a.m. Pacific time to let me know, and to ease her frazzled nerves. Apparently she decided I wasn’t much help when I started making random comments about the forest fire. “What forest fire?” might you ask? I don’t know. I have no recollection of said statements. I was a little more coherent when she called again at 5:58 a.m. And what was up with the wrong number call on the cell phone @ 7 a.m.???

Anyway, I’m out. Peace.

BOOYAH!

My gel looks good, so I can go full blast starting Sunday! I feel like letting out a Lil John/Usher-like "Yeah!" I think I'll celebrate by going to Denny's.

It's good to know that the week I spent in that hot greenhouse in April was not a waste.

Almost Dinnertime...

T-2 hours till I break on up outta here. I'm kind of in a holding pattern at the moment - I need to wait and see if the gel I ran this morning looks good (meaning the DNA extractions I performed in April were successful) before I continue. If the gel image looks like crap, then I've got to do the extractions again, setting me back 4 or 5 days. I wanted to press on, but if there's no DNA in my samples, then I'd just be throwing away gov't $$$ on reagents - and so I sit. Gels work by forming a matrix through which the DNA molecules travel. The matrix is full of pores, and smaller fragments migrate through the pores more quickly than larger fragments. DNA has a slightly negative electrical charge, so the application of electricity forces the DNA through the gel matrix towards the positive pole. The separation comes as a result of varying fragment sizes. The following picture shows a gel; the row of bright spots across the top represent where the samples were loaded. The samples closest to the bottom are the smallest DNA fragments; the fragments increase in size as you go up. The last column of samples on the right are size markers; each band has a known size, and you use it to estimate the size of any particular band you might be interested in. You use a nasty mutagenic substance called ethidium bromide to visualize the DNA bands; the ethidium bromide binds to the DNA and flouresces in the presence of UV light.



Last night's blog ended rather abruptly - my labmate had taken care of my gel for me and was locking up as I began typing, so I had to leave. The same thing may happen today - everytime I try to type, I have to get up and do some work... Don't you hate that?

I'm heading down to LA tomorrow. I need to call Desiree, because I don't quite remember where the exit is off I-5, or "THE FIVE", as it's called out here. I'll try to take some pix. At least I don't have to worry about getting a duplicate sermon; Mr. Meredith's going to be speaking live. Oh well, I've got to go take a picture of my gel, and get ready to go to dinner. Ciao!

Bakersfield

Here I sit, 11 p.m. according to my inner Eastern Daylight Savings time clock, at work waiting for a gel to dry so I can use it in the morning. I'm also missing my family terribly... Absence most certainly does make the heart grow fonder...

I'm leaving...

... on a jet plane! Sunny California, here I come!

Blueberries...

... make everything better. Pancakes... Grape-Nuts... Cheesecake...

The Hotness

Well, my tickets are paid for and it's official - I'm off to Bakersfield Wednesday. That means two weeks of 100-degree temps, a trip to LA, and probably a trip to Fresno. I'm striving to win LCG's "Most Congregations Visited" award.

Yesterday I took the fam up to Charlotte for a picnic sponsored by HQ. We bothered my mother-in-law's Caravan because I need a new compressor for the AC unit in my vehicle. All was going well until we reached the town of Gaffney, where the rear driver's side tire blew. Luckily, we were only a few miles away from Super Wal-Mart. After dropping $75 we were able to continue on our way, arriving at the park around 1 o'clock.

The picnic was nice. It was quite hot outside, but under the pavillion is was manageable. We missed the burgers and hot dogs, setting up a mandatory dinner stop on the trip home. While there I got to watch a little softball, and play a scaled-down game of Ultimate. After working up a little sweat we were cooled off by a massive downpour. We got to meet a lot of new people and were able to spend time with old acquaintances as well. They should have these shindigs more often - only with more meat. lol

We were blessed to have the infamous Summa join us for the trip home. Once we hit Greenville we exited off and hit Tony Roma's, home of the best beef ribs in the Upstate. Nine or ten of us piled into a booth and ate like eating was going out of style. We had the privilege of being waited on by The Hotness, known to his mom as Kyle. He was the male embodiment of the blonde female stereotype (my apologies to any blonde females who might stumble across this. I'm sure none of you would fit the stereotype.). He wasn't stupid, just a little... I think ditzy is word I'm looking for. Just off-kilter enough to be a little endearing. He was pretty funny, and the female contingent at our table informed me that he was cute and had a dimple. Later on the adjective "hot" was used, and Kyle became The Hotness. He forgot to remove the used dishes from the table so that at one point, Chad had to sit his entree in his lap b/c there was nowhere else to put it. The splitting of the checks at the end of the meal was quite an adventure too - as he corrected the mistakes The Hotness told us we were lucky we got the right food! He was so likeable though that we all (I think)laughed.

Afterwards, we goodbye to our friend Aaron. I've got to adjust to Mr. Ridgeway's juke-joint style of hymn playing. Should be fun. We finally got Summa home around 11 - where I found there was a BODACIOUS bowl of blueberries waiting for me. Of course I drop the container when I got home and had blueberries all over the floor. That's what I get for coveting, I guess. Gotta go now and get caught up on everyone else's blogs...

American Justice

One of the shooters in the 1998 Jonesboro, Ark school shootings is being released from prison because he is 21 today. He will have no criminal record because he was a minor when the killings occurred. If the Feds hadn't used weapons charges against him he would have been released 3 years ago. His partner in the shootings has two years to go. The pair killed four students and one teacher.

This is justice?

Crocodile hunter wannabe

I find it funny that my parents have no idea what I do. Half the time they can't remember what I'm majoring in - they just remember it has something to do with cotton.

Ma: "What's your major again - biology?"
Me: "No Ma, it's genetics. I'm doing some research on cotton genetics."
Ma: "So & so asked about you today and I was trying to remember what you were taking. I knew it had something to do with cotton."

You would not believe how many times we've had this conversation - basically whenever anyone in my hometown asks how I'm doing.

So I'm pursuing a PhD in genetics. Some people "Oooo" and "Ahhh" when I say that, but it's not as sexy as it sounds. Labwork can be (and often is) repetitive and mundane. These comments are often followed by comments like, "So, you're cloning someone?" or , "So you're growing some Super Cotton?" Nah, what I do is nothing as glamorous as that. In a nutshell what I do is sequence (relatively) small portions of cotton DNA and look for a specific type of molecular marker called microsatellites. I use a perl script to detect the microsatellites in the sequence data. I'm finishing up that now; next, I'll use the markers to determine the genetic relationships among ~200 cotton varieties held by a cotton breeder in California. The characterization of this breeding stock will hopefully allow the breeder to make the most successful crosses, and streamline the breeding process. This will cut down on the 10-12 years it typically takes to develop a new variety and get it to market.

I never intended to work with plants. I wanted to be a herpetologist (one who studies reptiles and amphibians) and curate a reptile exhibit at a zoo or work at a natural history museum. When I was applying for graduate school, the lone herpetologist on staff told me he was retiring. I ended up in genetics because the opportunity to earn a PhD while getting paid basically fell in my lap. I had to apply for a fellowship, but the applying was basically a formality. I was a little worried, because my undergraduate grades weren't the best. As a matter of fact, I flunked out of Clemson as an undergrad. What's odd is that I'm prohibited from ever returning to Clemson as an undergraduate student - but I'm allowed to pursue a graduate degree here. Go figure. Luckily graduate school and undergraduate school admissions operate separately. Now I just have to graduate - if I don't, I'll never be able to pay off the student loans I've taken out!

The Ally

There you sit, motionless; mocking me with your silence. I hate you, and you revel in the knowledge that I need you nonetheless. I can hear you laughing at me as you sense my reluctance to engage you - yet engage you I must. I try to brace myself for the pain which is sure to come, but I'm never prepared when it does. I can already feel the pain searing my chest with every breath; my breathlessness reducing me to a quivering mahogany mass; the aching in my muscles as my body struggles fights oxygen deprivation. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of low endurance and love handles? Cursed track! With my last breath I spit at thee!

Yet, I need you. *sigh* You know I am at your mercy. You know that I need your help to counter the betrayal of my former ally, High Metabolism. Oh, if only I had foreseen his transformation into my mortal enemy You Can't Eat Just Any Old Thing Anymore. Yes, I know I was warned that this would happen, but at the height of my leanness I arrogantly dismissed the possibility. Now I pay for my hubris. Now I'm reduced to begging for help from you, a hated former enemy.

So help me, cursed track. Help me melt this layer of adipose tissue from my abs and obliques. Help me increase my stamina and improve my cardiovascular health. Release the 6-pack being held captive due to a few too many Mickey D's fries. I never forget a favor. Maybe one day I can even come to call you friend.

Are U Ready for Some Football???

It’s almost football season! I’ve been starved since the end of the NBA season. I follow baseball, but I don’t really watch it until the playoffs roll around. I broke down and watched the Miami/Chicago exhibition game last night. I must admit I was fascinated with the whole Ricky Williams situation and I wanted to see how he’d do. My Cowboys should be competitive this year – they’ll still probably lose two to the Eagles though. The M.R.S. will be happy if that happens. Oh, and college football – there’s nothing like it in the South. I’m trying to find some tickets for the Clemson/FSU game November 17th. It’s not easy rooting for the ‘Noles in the midst of all these Tiger crazies. Oh well. Clemson should be competitive this year too, though they’re so unpredictable they could win anywhere from 3 to 9 or 10 games. We’ll see.

It’s been interesting reading the comments about LYC. This was the first time since I’ve been in the church that our local congregation didn’t have a participant. One year one of our youths was sent home, but other than that, all of the returnees had nothing but praise for the camp. I’m a little disappointed that everything wasn’t perfect this year, but what is? I’m interested in knowing what was said there about some of the new directives that have been issued recently.

I’m really enjoying this respite from the 90+ degree temperatures. I don’t mind the rain so much. I actually like the almost daily afternoon thunderstorms. They clean the air, cool things down, and the lightning flashes are beautiful to watch. I might spray a little WD-40 on my old bike, knock off the spider webs, and get a little exercise today. Moving totally screwed up my exercise (semi) routine. I haven’t run, lifted any weights, or played any basketball since I moved. All my grand plans of playing Ultimate all summer have fallen by the wayside as well. I’ve got to do something today other than click the remote. I think I’ll go home and eat.

I had a shot of our new home here, but the address was clearly visible, and in this day & age that's not such a good idea.

????

Your Summer Ride is a Toyota Prius

Sure you're a little sensible and quite green But no one enjoys outdoors more than you do!

What's Your Summer Ride?

The big Three-Five

Remember when I said I was ready to give my car away? Well, that's what I did yesterday. I posted it on our local Freecycle listserv (www.freecycle.org). Within minutes I was inundated by emails, some from people in pretty desperate need of a car. The guy who got the car is a shadetree mechanic, and wanted to fix the car up for his daughter. She's got about 2.5 years before she reaches driving age, so he's got plenty of time to tinker with Red (the aforementioned car). He brought his wife and 3 of their kids: Kandi (the M.R.S.), Chelsea (12/13, the recipient), Noah (4), and Shane (2). We met them at the house we just moved out of and within 30 seconds Noah, Shane, and Nick were running around, picking up branches, having swordfights, and just being generally rambunctious. I've never seen Nick spend so much time or have as much fun playing in the yard as he did yesterday. My Noah looked on longingly. Don't worry son - you'll be playing with dirt and tree limbs before you know it. It took Johnny (the husband) about 20 minutes to hook up the car, and we made some small talk to give the boys a little extra play time. Eventually they left, and the smiles on their faces made my day.

So what else happened yesterday... Nick began kindergarten. Surprisingly, the M.R.S. didn't cry when we left him there, nor did I become nervous. I guess the previous year of 4-K acclimated more people than Nick.

Jalen had his orientation for 7th-graders last night. I met his teachers, and made a feeble attempt to have a constructive conversation with his mom. We made some small talk, but I did get to talk with Jalen a bit. I caught him up with what's been going on since we last talked. I found out that the reason he's a little hesitant to commit to Jamaica for the Feast is because he's afraid of flying. He had on a "King of the South" t-shirt on with a picture of the rapper T.I.; let's just say I was not thrilled at his mom's choice of clothes. I assume if he has the guys shirt, then he knows the guys music (especially given the airplay he gets here and on BET). This non-custodial parent things sucks BIG-TIME. Since he doesn't get any of my phone calls I mailed him a letter Wednesday. He didn't get it yesterday, but I told him to make sure he checked the mail today (just in case, you understand). It was good to see him, and to hear the teachers say the nice things they'd heard about him from his 6th-grade teachers.

Anything else happen? Oh yeah, I turned 35 yesterday. I received several surprise e-cards and phone calls, including one from my maternal grandmother. She usually sends me $5 for my birthday, but this year the date slipped up on her. She's not doing too bad for a soon-to-be 86 year-old. One more year in this place and I will have spent exactly half of my life in Clio and half in the Clemson area. I wanna go home before this place becomes home. I forgot - there are no jobs there. *sigh*

Oh well, I guess that wraps up another edition of This is My Life... Tune in (probably) Monday for the next episode... Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel...

Charles Dickens I ain't

I deeply admire people who write well. I don't think I could ever become a writer. I've written some technical stuff, but that type of writing doesn't have to be entertaining. I care too much about people's feelings to write mean things; I lack the creativity to create fiction (other than with my mouth). I care enough about my privacy to not put the juicy details of my life on the Web. Therefore, I don't expect this blog to blow up and amass a following. However, I've discovered that updating this thing is quite fun. I think Desiree has my favorite writing style of those I link to. I think Summer's is the most fun to read. Annette's is entertaining because I find her lab experiences interesting. The rest of you have work to do. (Just kidding - I enjoy checking out all your blogs daily.)

I see the M.R.S. has just pulled up outside, and since it's 94 degrees out there I probably shouldn't keep her waiting. More to come later...

Craving Fat Greens and Collard Backs

Moving was a beast! It was hot and tiring. I found myself struggling to keep my frustration in check. Towards the end I was getting quite short-tempered, which, if you know me, is not my usual persona. (Desiree, does that sentence have too many commas?) We're mostly moved now; we've got to go back and pick up a few odds and ends and clean up the place. It's amazing the amount of junk one accumulates over time. I've also got to figure out what to do with my car. Perhaps someone will take it off my hands. At this point I'd give it away. It's a 1993 Chevy Cavalier with 220,000+ miles, bad gaskets, transmission fluid leak, and a dead battery. Any takers? BIG UPS (props, kudos, etc.)to the entire Brooks clan! Without their help, Shonta and I would still be loading that 14' U-haul truck while at the same time feeding and entertaining Nick and Noah. They came through big-time! Tom was a Superman, Ashley helped Shonta 'relax', and Rebecca failed miserably at being a supervisor, but was great at being a busy little worker bee. Thanks again guys. You don't know how much we appreciate you and the things you do. The mother-in-law brought by our kids, a couple of fans, and a small window unit Shonta used to have. The fans and A/C made quite a difference to my temperament, along with the Papa Johns cheese and beef pizzas we sucked down around midnight.

We registered Nick for kindergarten at Clemson Elementary this morning. He was soooo excited! He also was excited about riding in the U-haul with me to return that sucker. He was quite fascinated by the mirrors for some reason. His teachers seem nice and quite capable. He saw a few kids he knew from soccer and basketball, and he can't wait until Thursday for the first day of school. The kids also have an awesome playground, and Nick was quite pleased to find out that they get TWO recesses. The school is having a "Boo-Hoo" breakfast Thursday for parents to get to know each other as their kids begin their academic journey. I'll have to remember to bring hankies for the M.R.S.

Afterwards, we went by the old house and picked up a few of the remaining boxes. We had a surprisingly nice lunch at Walmart - where else can you feed 3 people for $8.00? I think I might put some chickenfeet on tonight. They're pretty easy to cook, and Nick and I can bond whilst sucking the skin and cartilage from Foghorn Leghorn & Friends. That's pretty much all they consist of. Hmmm... I wonder how they taste fried?

I guess I'll take the fam out for dinner someplace cheap tonight. (Mama don't eat no chickenfeet.) Perhaps I'll introduce them to the Moe's Southwest Grill which just opened up. Yeah, brownie points for me. Life is good. Whoops! I'm about to miss Pardon the Interuption, so I'd better make tracks. It's a wonderful thing to live 1 minute from the job!

Is there a babysitter in the house?

Our $2.00 theater has 3 movies showing, 2 of which I want to see badly:

1. War of the Worlds
2. Star Wars Episode III
3. Mr. & Mrs. Smith

I don't really care about # 3, but the M.R.S. wants to see it also. Hopefully we can at least squeeze the first two in after we finish moving Monday. If only we had a babysitter *hint, hint*... (insert protracted sigh here)

Para Tomas tambien

1. The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
2. He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones
3. Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
4. Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys
5. Countin' Flowers on the Wall - Statler Brothers
6. Ghost Riders in the Sky - Johnny Cash
7. Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
8. Crazy - Patsy Cline
9. He'll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
10. You Needed Me - Anne Murray
11. Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
12. On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
13. Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks
14. Mama He's Crazy - The Judds
15. Angel of the Morning - Juice Newton
16. Lookin' for Love - Johnny Lee
17. Take this job and shove it - Johnny Paycheck
18. Swingin' - John Anderson

I know I'm bordering on sacrilege for not including anything by Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Mickey Gilley, Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Emmylou Harris, etc... Please forgive me. I may as well make it an even 20, so...

19. Lucille - Kenny Rogers
20. Mountain Music - Alabama

For Tom

This is not an "essentials" list, just some faves:

Hair Band Songs

1. Cum On Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot
2. Mama Weer All Crazee Now - Quiet Riot
3. Round and Round - Ratt
4. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns 'N Roses
5. Paradise City - Guns 'N Roses
6. Back for More - Ratt
7. Smokin' in the Boys' Room - Motley Crue
8. Looks that Kill - Motley Crue
9. The Final Countdown - Europe
10. Nobody's Fool - Cinderella
11. Metal Health - Quiet Riot
12. Rock you like a Hurricane - The Scorpions
13. Shot in the Dark - Ozzy Osborne
14. Into the Fire - Dokken
15. Why Can't this be Love - Van Halen
17. Jump - Panama

Old Skool Hip-Hop Essentials

1. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaata & the Soul Sonic Force (released in '81/'82, this song remains one of, if not THE most popular hip-hop songs of all time.)

2. Rock Box - Run-DMC (Early release by ground-breaking rap trio; one of the first rap videos I remember seeing as a youth. First rap song I remember to utilize rock & roll guitar riffs.)

3. Roxanne, Roxanne - UTFO (Classic '84 release which spawned numerous answer records from the likes of Roxanne Shante and the Real Roxanne.)

4. Friends - Whodini (Another classic from around '84/'85.)

5. Paid in Full - Eric B. & Rakim (Probably my favorite song from what is considered a CLASSIC album. Released circa 1986.)

6. Jam On It - Newcleus (Ahhh, the wikki-wikki-wikki-wikki song. This song will never grow old.)

7. I Need Love - LL Cool J (The first, and still most popular, rap ballad by the young, brash, Kangol-wearing James Todd Smith. ca 1984.)

8. Don't Believe the Hype - Public Enemy (A response to negative press. Chuck D and a pre-Bridgette Nielsen Flava Flav in their respective primes. Released around '87/'88)

9. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (First socially conscious rap song to have mass appeal - released sometime around '82)

10. Fat Boys - The Fat Boys (Imagine that!)

11. The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff - Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (The last song I remember that gave the DJ his due, instead of focusing on the MC. And yes, it's THAT Fresh Prince. 1986)

12. Just a Friend - Biz Markie (Crossover hit for a talented artist who never took himself too seriously. 1989/90)

Believe it or not, dear reader, rap has not always been the total crapfest that it is now. Next up - Mike P. tackles classic country and hair bands!

Monday, Monday

The Bryces surprised us with a visit and Mr. Bryce gave an excellent sermon. I though some people were going to pass out from the heat - it had to be 90 degrees in that room. Hopefully the owners of the facility will take care of that immediately.

We finally had guests over to our house after church - right as we're preparing to move. Everything went well, I think. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We'll definitely have to do that again, and soon. We'll have to scale back on the guest list next time though, b/c I don't think our new place will hold 14. The Burdettes brought salad, we cooked whole wheat spaghetti w/ meat sauce, the Brooks brought tea (this is the South, after all) and bread, and the Ridgeways brought dessert and "vinegar". Everything was excellent, and the meal was followed by fellowship and a killer game of "Killer". Maybe David will bring "Risk" next time and I can attempt to take over the world like my idol Brain (sans Pinky).

Our final guests left around 1 a.m. I lounged around for a few hours, and the next thing I knew, the Tomorrow's World broadcast was coming on. I got to see some of Mr. Ogwyn's presentation on nuclear proliferation before finally falling asleep. Needless to say, I was a tad groggy when it was time to go to Wright Park to hook up with the brethren. We ended up going to visit some of my wife's relatives in her hometown. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my weekend.

Disco Essentials

For those born after 1980, who need to be enlightened about the art form that was disco:

I will survive - Gloria Gaynor
Last Dance - Donna Summer
Boogie Man - KC and the Sunshine Band
Disco Inferno - The Trammps
Ain't no stoppin' us now - McFadden & Whitehead
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
Night Fever - "" ""
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
I Love the Nightlife - Alicia Bridges
Turn the Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson; later remade by Gloria Estefan
Good Times - Chic
La Freak - "" ""
If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
Love's Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
Can't Get Enough of Your Love - Barry White; later remade by Taylor Dayne
The Hustle - Van McCoy

Bonus Track: Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry; I don't consider it disco, but it sure is FUNKY!

This should be enough to get you started. Now pull out those bell-bottoms, platform shoes, afros, and all the polyester you can stand and hit the dance floor!

A one and a two and a ...

It's Friday, and the workday is almost over. I was supposed to fly out to Cali this weekend, but I'm putting the trip off for a minute; hopefully till after the 1st of August, so we can move into our new crib on campus. I think our neighbors are going to be wonderful. They have a daughter who's the same age as Nick, and I think they're going to be classmates. They also have a younger son who likes to play, and Nick has fallen in love with his toy train. They appear to be a religious family, so I don't think I'll have to worry too much about drugs, sex, and rock & roll.

I'm looking forward to services tomorrow. I'll be leading songs - for once I'd like to make it through a service without messing up. Most times only our pianist Aaron or Summer pick up on my screw-ups; sometimes they're obvious to everyone. I think I'll pick some conventional 3/4 or 4/4 songs that don't start on the upbeat. It'll help if I pick songs that we sing all the time. And ones without too many notes above 'B' - those are a strain for me to get too. I've been trying to learn the bass parts of the songs in the hymnal and I sing the bassline as much as I can when I'm in the congregation. Well what I actually do is sing the bass part when it's not too low; when it is I switch (uncontrollably) to the melody. I'm sure it sounds weird to the Ridgeways, who have the bad luck to be in front of me most of the time. When I'm up front though, I stick to the melody. I have enough trouble as it is. I'll miss Aaron when he leaves because he actually plays the bass lines close to the way they're written in the hymnals. Not that he messes up, but sometimes he ad libs just a bit sometimes. It sounds great though.

PLEASE let them have the A/C fixed by tomorrow!!!!

Nick's greatest hits

1. We break into a game of "I Spy" between Nick and Ashley/Desiree/Summer:

A/D/S: I spy something black.
Nick: *pondering for a minute* ... My DADDY?

A/D/S: (in the midst of laughing hilariously) No, not your daddy.
Nick: My daddy IS black! (Turns to me) Aren't you daddy???

2. You had to be there to see it, but the anatomically correct portrait of a certain female member of the congregation was priceless - embarassing, but priceless.

I love this boy.

Nah, I wasn't skeered

The church picnic was yesterday. I think a good time was had by all. I only went tubing once this year because the water was a tad rougher this year. Not much, but enough to make a non-swimmer like myself take to the land. I'm so uncomfortable in the water that I was on the verge of panic wading across the river to reach the trail leading to the starting point (the bridge over the river was damaged by a hurricane). I was leaning across my tube, strolling across the river, when all of a sudden I couldn't touch bottom. The current began to take me downstream of everyone else, and I could feel panic's cold, clammy hands making their way to my heart. My throat tightened; my heart rate picked up substantially, and I think I was 2 seconds away from whimpering. Then I was able to grab Mr. Brooks' hand and come ashore. It wasn't until 30 minutes later that I remembered I'd been wearing a life jacket all along. At least the peanut gallery didn't detect how close I'd come to losing my mind.



Alas, the diet - a modified South Beach sort of thing - took a major hit yesterday. I tried to make up for it by playing some basketball at the public courts, so hopefully that counteracted the effects of the cupcakes, chips, and cookies. I had one burst of adrenaline as I got the ball in the post and almost dunked on this kid - it bounced off the back of the rim. Ah, to be five or ten years younger. The miss made the young'uns respect me a little though, particularly when they drove to the basket against my team. Maybe this year at the Feast there'll be opportunities to play, cuz the diet will definitely be on the shelf then.

On a completely unrelated note, Sean gets the thumbs-up... ... even if he reminds me of the comic relief in the Mummy remakes.

Ticked off. Extremely.

No Jalen this weekend. His mom decided to be mad at me this week. I think it's time I get a lawyer.

This was as short as I could make it...

OK. So I'm learning my lesson. Type your post first, then add pictures and preview it. I'll try this again.

So we finally get to KC after 15-16 hours on the road and head to the Milliches. No one told me that they were hosting a blogger's convention. I walk in and see Martin, Anne Rankin, and Jon Gregory, the honorary Canadian. jon and Anne were pretty surprised to learn that I frequent their blogs. I don't think I saw Jon without a smile on his face the entire weekend. I was yet to learn how good a dancer Anne is. The Routh girls were there also, and the soon-to-be husband-of-Heather was sprawled across the couch. Nick and Veronica hit it off pretty well, while Noah did his "I'm a baby and I'm cute" thing and won the crowd over. We kicked it there for a couple of hours until it was time to head to Arrow Rock state park, site of the nuptials.




The wedding was georgeous and short. Brianne Blanchard and I were the Maid of Honor & Best Man, respectively. Mr. Millich started the ceremony, and then gave the no-look pass to Mr. Burson to actually marry the lovebirds. Heather was gorgeous, as was Brianne. The ceremony couldn't have lasted more than 10 minutes, which was perfect. The mosquitoes came to enjoy the spectacle as well. I almost fainted from the blood loss, but that was OK. My boy was happy. The "ringbear" did his part fairly well; unfortunately, the flower girl's dress was left behind, so she didn't participate (she was still a cutie though). She did get to wear her dress Sat. nite at the reception. Afterwards we had cake and champagne under the shed. By this time it had cooled off considerably and the mosquitoes had had their fill. There were probably about 35-40 people in attendance.

Going to church was an experience. The KC church is known to Nick as the "Basketball Church" - they meet in a school gymnasium. That goes along with the "Water church" (Panama City Marina, former Feast site), the "Mountain Church" (Asheville, NC), the "Anderson Church" (our local congregation), the "New Orleans Church" (Baton Rouge - we'd spent the previous week in N.O.), etc. There were 245 people present. I saw people I knew from everywhere - Charlotte, Baton Rouge, West Monroe (LA), Chicago, Arkansas, Atlanta, Murfreesboro (TN), L.A.... I also go to talk to a lot of KC people I'd met at various Feast sites. It appears that quite a few people are going to be in Jamaica for the Feast this year - possibly as many as 290. Yaaaay!!!! (Sorry to steal your word Ash-e-ly)...

After services we went over to Mrs. Scarborough's (the Matriarch) home for dinner. Over there I met some folks from Joplin, MO and various parts of Kansas. Over the course of the afternoon more and more people trickled in, since that's where the wedding reception was held also. Mrs. Violet Gunn hooked up the cake, and she made these incredible white chocolate sea shells. They looked like the genuine article, but they were exquisite! They were even painted with edible paint. Needless to say, the diet went out the window for a few days.



The reception went on until about 1 a.m. Mrs. Scarborough (who is one of the warmest people I've ever met)has a swing and jungle gym in her yard, so that's where all the kids spent their time. Nick had an absolute blast playing with so many children. Noah was passed around for most of the evening. The music was definitely put together by Daral and Tiff - there would be Bob Marley, then the Temptations, then James Brown, then Bob Marley, then John Denver (!?), then Johnny Cash, then Bob Marley... you get the picture. The funniest sight of the evening came when the newlyweds had their first dance. The song that will live in infamy as Daral and Heather's wedding song was... G-Love's "The Hustle". Mr. Millich burst out with an incredulous "THAT'S their song?" Even funnier was watching the Milliches and the Bursons dance along. That's a memory I'll be taking to my grave.

Eventually we end up back at the Milliches along with the "hip" crew - Anne, Jon G, Tiff, Jeremy, Martin, Krissy (Chrissy?)and Robert. They decided to watch the romantic comedy "Shaun of the Dead". I decided to hang out with the young'uns for a while and ended up watching the movie whilst reading and re-reading the same page of Daral's "Epistles of Paul" notes. The movie was OK, I guess; it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be, and there was quite a bit of profanity early on.

Sunday, we just kinda lounged around. We eventually ended up going to the Smokehouse for some authentic KC BBQ. That was an experience! After eating ourselves into a coma, we went back to the crib and marinated for a while. Mr. Millich eventually put in this unknown movie called "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". The plot is essentially this: Aliens from Mars crash-land, setting loose a mutant, while a mad scientist re-awakens a talking skeleton that could hold the key to world domination. And don't forget Animala, a half-woman, half-animal beatnik! (taken from Amazon .com). It's one of the funniest parodies I've ever seen. It does a terric job sending up the low-budget 50s B-movies. It was a perfect way to end the weekend.

Monday, we got up and left around 6 a.m., drove for 13 hours, and made it back to SC around 8 p.m. Nick fell in love with the St. Louis arch and took several pictures of it as we passed. My traveling buddies missed several states as they fell into catatonia for hours at a time. Of course, that meant there was no one awake to make me turn from the talk radio stations!

Whatyoutalkinbout Willis? Part Deux

How does gas go from $2.05 a gallon to $2.25 a gallon overnight?

Whatyoutalkinbout Willis?

Your Slanguage Profile

Prison Slang: 50%

Southern Slang: 50%

Canadian Slang: 25%

New England Slang: 25%

Victorian Slang: 25%

Aussie Slang: 0%

British Slang: 0%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

Update (sort of)

I'll actually have a real post tomorrow. For your reading pleasure I'll list a few things I learned on my trip.

1. Anne Rankin is a dancin', dancin', dancin' - she's a dancin' machine

2. Martin digs my wife's taste in clothes

3. Jon Gregory is only an honorary Canadian - and he always has a smile glued to his face

4. Tiff is not a natural jet-black

5. There a a LOT of Mikes in KC

6. The South ain't got NUTHIN on Missouri when it comes to mosquitoes

7. Actually reciting the wedding vows is greatly overrated

8. On the other hand, KC barbecue is not

The men in the wedding...

We're off to see the wedding... the wonderful wedding of... Oz?

We're about to be off to the midwest. SC to MO to OH to SC. Yippee! Wait - how much gas is that? Maybe it would've been cheaper to fly. Oh well, too late now. Au revoir...

Shades of Deliverance

Ah, the church picnic is almost upon us. We had a great time last year; 4 baptisms, great food, and tubing down a portion of the Chauga River (see below). I think tubing may be a little more dangerous this year with all the rain we’ve had recently. The kid will definitely be wearing a life jacket. The kid will definitely not wear the high-top basketball kicks this time around.

Summer, I am expecting some of your wares to be on display at the cookout – preferably something sweet.

In two days I'm off to Kansas City! I'm not really looking forward to the drive, but it might be fun. Yesterday I looked for sports talk radio stations in each state I'll be passing through. That might make the drive a little better. The Mrs. and the little one will be knocked out for most of the trip (even though the Mrs. has assured me she'll help drive), so I guess it'll be Nick and I boldly going where no Palmer has gone before. We're thinking about swinging through Cincy on the way home for a day. Hey, might as well make a roadtrip outta this thing. My mother-in-law's van is rapidly morphing into the mighty road-trip machine. I think my friends at church got a kick out of mom's "What a friend we have in Jesus" vanity plate.

I've become addicted to no-sugar added frozen lattes. The Mrs. has been making them at home when I remember to bring crushed ice home from the lab. I heard she made the kids some killer milkshakes too. I think I'll go try to find one now. Ciao for now...

PSA o' the day

Here's my Public Service Announcement for the day... Kids, don't have out-of-wedlock children.

I have a 12-year old son, Jalen, from a "relationship" that happened back in the day. He's a very good kid; a little shy, pretty obedient, respectful, and a nice person. He makes good grades and has his heart set on being a football player for the University of Miami. He's certainly shaping up to have the size to make it; he's already about 5'6" and between 190-200 lbs. He's an excellent big brother to his siblings, although of course there are the normal arguments over toys and the remote from time to time. He's right on the fringe of adolescence, and I'm dreading it. He's almost at the point where he'll no longer like to "play" or do things that kids do. Hopefully he won't feel the need to distance himself from his uncool parents. Yep, my boy's growing up.

He absolutely adores his mom, which is understandable since he's lived with her since birth. I think she coddles him, but I never try to come between them or make him choose between the two of us. I would never speak ill of her in his presence (Not that I make a habit of speaking ill of her when he's not around). However, since about the time he was five, his mother and I have traveled divergent paths. 1997 was the last year I celebrated Christmas with him, and I don't go all out for his birthdays as his mom does. I don't feed him many of the things he's allowed to eat when he's not with me, and he's not allowed to watch the same TV shows and/or movies that he gets to watch when I have him. It's not that big of a problem right now, but I dread what might come when he hits high school, and peer pressure begins to exert an even stronger effect. I've tried to counter that pre-emptively by stressing to him for the past few years how important character development is, and how important it is to be able to say "No" when necessary - even if every one else is saying "Yes" - and even when it's something you might want to do.

I had Jalen this past weekend. It pains me to hear my son express views and thought processes that are different from mine. No, I don't want him to be a mini-me (please no!), but one does want one's children to share and treasure the values one holds dear. Don't get me wrong - his thoughts are certainly not evil (from a society's point of view), but his thinking is much more closely aligned with mainstream society than with mine. For the longest time I told myself to just keep pluggin' along, doing what I can, and he'll see how I'm trying to live and want to emulate dear old Dad. I should state here that his mom is not a bad woman or a bad parent. She takes pretty good care of him, and I know she loves him. I think that she's doing the best job she can. It's just that she's raising him to share her values; and where ours conflict, mine tend to be the ones tossed aside. This was brought home when I told him of the possibility of our going to Jamaica for the Feast. I expected him to be like, "Yay!", but he hedged a bit. I don't think he wants to miss 2 C-team football games. When I was his age, I would've jumped at the chance to travel ANYWHERE - much less to a Caribbean island... I also worry about the boys' relationships as they grow older. Will there be resentment from Jalen because Nick & Noah have things and do things that he doesn't or hasn't? Will N & N look at my attempts to guide Jalen's development into manhood as making him my favorite? Nick tends to want to do everything I do - will that cause Jalen to look at him as my favorite? How can I prevent these things from happening?

Perhaps I worry to much, and if I keep doing what I'm doing things'll be OK. Time will tell, I suppose. I'm also aware that people who have all of their kids with their spouse face problems as well. Dear Reader, I highly recommend that you not make parenting even more difficult by creating a situation such as I have. It's not easy, and it's not fair to you or the child(ren). I also recommend not having kids until you're finished with your formal education, but that's a post for another day!

So I just lost my post...

... and I don't feel like retyping it. So to summarize:

1. I have a lot to do today
2. I saw Summer & her dad today (I think)
3. National Treasure is great
4. The rich kid in The Day after Tomorrow is not your usual rich-kid jerk
5. I need to eat

I can't think of a witty title

So I've just finished reading the blogs of Ashley, Adrian, Martin, Crystal, Annette, Josh K, Ben, and the un-updated Burdette trio. I'll probably read Gary's and Ann's before I go home. I wonder how many of the people whose blogs I frequent know who I am. Of course the Burdette trio and Ashley do. I wonder if Martin remembers meeting me in Myrtle Beach last year, or if Crystal remembers me from Panama City. Her son Jarek and ny son Nick used to race between the seats of the auditorium after services (I think that was 2002). I met her brother Wyatt there the following year, I think. I met Ben's dad at a Louisiana family weekend in December (2000? 2001?) I remember it was at Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, La - the only place I've ever experienced mosquitoes in the dead of winter! Adrian would remember me, but I don't think she knows I read her blog. The blogs are great not only for keeping up with what's going on in the lives of the authors, but also for getting tidbits of news about other people I know.

I see analogies between life in the church and life in my college frat. In the frat, I have over 100,000 brothers scattered across the US and a few international areas. There are ways to identify oneself as a frat member without uttering a word, and there is a sense of brotherhood and cameraderie amongst brothers, even those who have just met. There is secret info known only to the brothers, and we could discuss certain things in front of a non-member without them being aware of what has transpired. And then there are the roadtrips to various chapters. Likewise in the church I have family scattered throughout the US and some international areas. The indwelling of Christ through His Spirit identifies me as a Christian without my uttering a word. There is definitely a sense of family and cameraderie among brethen, even those who've just met. We have secret info, and we can discuss spiritual things plainly yet have others not understand. And I try to roadtrip to visit other brethren as much as possible. I'm going to KC in a couple of weeks, and LA in about a month. I'll be in San Antonio and San Diego in January and I'm looking forward to seeing/meeting the brethren in those places.

I guess the big difference b/t the two is that I haven't gotten branded for the church yet. ;-}

Episode VII? 

Daddy being silly 

Nick as Dark Vadar 

It is done.

Once again the basketball courts were full, thus I was relegated to lifting weights and jogging on a treadmill. I am tired, and I'm going to be sore. Time to go home.

In the movie, Yoda is

So Nick, the new avid Star Wars fan, just called me to tell me that "the green man" (Yoda) is in fact, in Return of the Jedi. Not only that, but the caterpillar (Jabba the Hutt)also makes an appearance. Nick was also pondering when the caterpillar was going to make its "chrysalis". Oh yeah, and there's a big monster that ate one of the bad guys but not Luke. Life with a five-year-old has its joys, lemme tell ya.

Noah is sick. He's been hoarse the past coupla days (yes, I know he can't talk but he's hoarse just the same), and last night he was quite whiny and didn't go to sleep until 4:30 a.m. He's on his way to the doc now b/c his temperature has risen to 100 degrees. We'll have him anointed tomorrow, right after we finish listening to the 2nd half of Mr. Bryce's sermon on the Exodus. I'm really looking forward to hearing that, and seeing the brethren of course. Mayhaps Summer will provide nice baked sweet treats for us!

Thanks to you loyal readers, I now have not one, but TWO copies of the Empire Strikes Back, as well as copies of Episodes 4 & 6. That was a very sweet gesture Summer. Tom, since we're guys, I'll just say thank you. Wait - you don't read this, so never mind.

The weather is great outside. I'm ready to blow this joint. I think I'll pump up my bike tires and actually put it to use. Nah, I think I might go to the gym and shoot ball instead. Of course, there's probably another basketball camp going on, so I may just end up lifting some weights. I'm sure Tom, my unofficial trainer, will be happy.

Desiree, did you get Nick's (short) message? Ashley is making a strong play to displace you in Nick's heart. I have to keep reminding him that there's room enough in there for the both of you - as well as Summer, Chad, Justin, Aaron, & David (who does mean things to him :-)

One last thought - is this post as disjointed as I think it is?

Actually I was planning to post about the Empire Strikes Back...

As I watched Mr. Ogwyn give the Pentecost sermon, I kept wondering: "When was this taped?" "How sick was he when he taped this?" "You know, he doesn't appear to be doing too bad!" And then Monday, I got the news that he was GRAVELY ill. Even as the reports got worse, I didn't really think he would die. I knew he could, but I didn't think he would. Same as with Mr. Carl McNair. As soon as I saw Mr. B's phone number on my caller ID, I knew what had happened. It's certainly a shock, and his family and the church in general are in my prayers. I'm not worried about him; his suffering, his battles (against Satan, the world, and the flesh), and the incredible responsibility of being an overseer of so many congregations are now over. He is asleep, and he went to sleep called, chosen, and faithful. May I do half as well in my Christian walk. Neither am I worried about the church - God is able to raise up stones to finish the Work if necessary. (I'm speaking of the church as an entity, not of individuals within the church. I know many are hurting, bewildered, and shocked, and I DO care about what they're going through.)

People like him, Mr. McNair, Mr. Meredith, Mr. Bryce, Priscilla, Annette Burdette, Ronnie Poole, Darrel & Patti Ridgeway, and MHB et al. are heroes/heroines, the likes of which this world is not worthy. God speed the day when those who have fallen asleep in Christ arise to receive their gift of eternal life, and their reward. Let's make sure that we're their to rejoice with them and renew these relationships which I like to think of as being on "temporary hiatus".

Rest in peace, Mr. Ogwyn. You are missed. It always amazed me how you were able to discover information that no one else seemed to bring out in the Scriptures, even though the information was right there all along.

I shot the sheriff - but I didn't shoot the deputy

Just got our acceptance letter to the Jamaican Feast site! Woohoo!!!! Now I’ve gotta straighten out this whole room situation and then the reggae-fest begins. I refuse to pay for two rooms. I refuse, I say!!!

I just got back from giving dear ol’ Clemson $1700 of my hard-earned dollas. I had to repay a travel advance and pay my security deposit for the married student apartment we’re moving into next month. It’s old, but utilities are included in the rent, it has 3 bedrooms, a playground almost right next door, free cable, and free high-speed internet (I think). The neighborhood is also quiet, and everyone has kids. I think the next year’s gonna be pretty fun. My brother has already begun making his ‘tailgating’ plans for Texas A & M, Miami, and Florida State.

It’s almost time for Pentecost, and I must say that I’m glad. I’ll get to hear some great sermons the next coupla days and spend quite a bit of time with the ol’ church family. I’m gonna kick back tonight and finally finish reading the latest booklet. I usually finish new booklets the same day I get them, but for some reason every time I pick this one up I get sidetracked. What I’ve read so far has been interesting – no surprise there. I love hearing about the correlation between the first Pentecost celebrated by the newly-emancipated nation of Israel and the Pentecost of 31 A.D.

I’ve been trying to rent “The Empire Strikes Back” for about a week now with no luck. Nick fell in love with “Star Wars”, and I’ve never seen TESB from beginning to end. I did read the novel adapted from the screenplay when the movie came out *geek alert*, but I’ve only seen snippets of the movie. I’ve tried to get Nick to use the term “Storm Troopers” as opposed to “White Guys”; I wouldn’t want someone overhearing him use that term in a negative way get the wrong idea. I guess I could get his mind off Dark Vada by taking him to see “Sharkboy & Lava Girl”, but I think I’ll wait until it’s on DVD.

I think I’m going up to the Water Wheel (a local homemade ice cream shop) and get another of those joints I had yesterday – a sugarfree caramel frozen latte with Splenda™ and whipped cream. *licking lips* Before that though, I think I’m going to break down and shoot some ball. I’m sure I’ll be gasping for air after 1.5 minutes, and my vertical leap is now almost completely horizontal, but it’s still fun. Maybe next week I’ll be brave and venture out to the Ultimate field. Perhaps I can get Aaron, Chad, Summer, & Ash out there too. (Mondays & Wednesdays @ 6:00 on Bowman Field). Lemme go change clothes. Holla!

800 miles in a weekend...

Home was quite nice. A return to normalcy, if you will. Flat land, heat, humidity, and mama's home cooking. Seeing the boys really made her day. As an added bonus, my brother shipped his daughter over for a night and the Grandma house was teeming with young'uns.

We jetted on down to Walterboro for the Sabbath and heard a good foundational sermon on repentance from Scott Winnail. He'll probably be in Anderson in the next month or so. I really enjoyed meeting him and his family is delightful. His 4-year old son and Nick quickly became friends, and his little daughter tagged along right behind. Nick also made friends with Shanna, our soon-to-be Austrialian. Mrs. Winnail could've been knocked over by a feather when I immediately recognized her hometown. It's tiny, like mine, but we our respective high schools happened to be in the same conference. We knew quite a few of the same people. I don't guess people from New Zion run into people from Clio very often.

Saturday night I was able to see a lot of family members I hadn't seen in ages. I found out that my Grandmother's twig of the Cabbagestalk tree is the "runt" twig. Apparently my her sisters kids/grandkids in Virgina are descendants of Anak. Her sister Kitty's kids are tall; one used to play for the Globetrotters and her 4 girls stand about 5'10" or so. One of them played college ball at NC State and once scored 105 points in a high school game. Aunt Gertude's kids/grandkids are tall too - the runt of the litter is 6' tall and is a former MLB player.

My brother and I, along with the host of the get-together, were the only members of our generation present. Most of the people there were 50+ in age. Many of them didn't recognize me or my brother. I assume that's because I'm no longer 5'4" with a high-top fade. Don't laugh - they were in style once. At least I never had a jheri curl.

Apparently I didn't miss out on Summa's wonderful dinner after all. I wonder if I can finagle another invite... *insert evil laugh*

Sick

The head is throbbing. The throat is itching. The nasal passages are extremely congested. And it's still cold outside (OK, so it's not technically cold, but for it's far too cool be be June. I just feel like curling up by a fire with a cup of something hot and some cold fruit, preferably tangerines. Maybe that's what I'll have for dinner. Well whatdayaknow! I just found an orange in my backpack. How fortuitous! Maybe if I overload my body with Vitamin C...

There's bacon grease in the cornbread?

So I moonlight at a well-known Southern-cooking restaurant. Sometimes I serve, but yesterday I was an Expediter - one who puts the orders together as the grill line places them in the window, adds condiments, make sure the dishes have the proper plate presentation, etc... Yesterday I pulled a 13.5 hour shift and spent the day observing my fellow workers lose their minds one by one. It's amazing how ballistic people will go when they can't have their cigarette. It's funny - most of the people who have reservations about working in a restaurant have a fear of rude customers. It's been my experience that your co-workers will make you faaaar more angry faaaar more often than the relatively few uncouth customers one comes into contact with. It's also been my experience that if the table ever tells you, "You're the best server we've ever had!", you can count on a crapola tip.

We also had a customer who had to be physically restrained at his table from beating his female companion. I think the managers asked them to leave after the near altercation, but as I was working in the kitchen I didn't see the brouhaha myself. Apparently the other gentlemen at the table weren't doing much to ameliorate the situation, and it was sad that the other tables in the section had to get the management instead of homeboy's "friends" policing the situation.

We had a fifteen-top come in about 20 minutes before close and they ordered a variety of items. Typically on Sunday nights we start to run out of things because we stay busy pretty much the entire day. Last night was no different - we ran out of dumplings once, meatloaf once, and baked potatoes. Of course the last party ordered copious amounts of the things we were out of. Since they were being served by a new employee, there was some delay in finding out which items they wanted to replace the ones they couldn't have. Unfortunately, the grill line was in such a hurry to get out of there that they sent all the food to the dishroom as soon as they placed the order in the window. Needless to say, neither the customers, the server, or the manager on duty were particularly pleased to find out they couldn't get replacement items, nor any more bread. The cooks even told me about an hour before closing time that we were out of fries so that they wouldn't have to cook anymore. Turns out that they didn't inform the entire grill line of this, as one cook continued to drop fries for the orders he fixed - after I'd sent our several tables' food without fries. Now I look like I'm a slacker because I believed the grill cooks. I'm not in love with my job, but I try not to be a slacker because it would make things harder on my co-workers if I do shoddy work. I wish everyone thought that way.

Life is Good

All I have to say right now is I love Cary, NC. And the Embassy Suites is quite nice. And I've been offered an extension on my Fellowship to do a post-doc - assuming I actually finish this degree. Even the 3-hour teleconference that I sat through today was interesting and productive.

Just checked my email. There's an opening on campus in married student housing, and there's only one person ahead of me on the list for it. They must accept it by Monday or it's mine!!!

And... We've been accepted for the Jamaica site. The only hold-up is they want me to book to connecting rooms b/c all suites have been taken. If I can get them for the double occupancy rate, then cool. If I have to pay the rate for 2 sinle occupancy rooms, then Clearwater Here We Come!

Well I'm off to read the new booklet. Good nite.

Hi - Bye

I've been busy trying to prepare for a meeting tomorrow in NC. Now, it's time to go home.

Jamaica's outta the question...

... so I guess we'll start looking into Clearwater. The boys have made it known that they prefer Florida beaches to Myrtle Beach. Jamaica is going to be out of our price range, so Shonta finally resigned herself to the disappointment of not going there this year. I think Clearwater will be great though. I assume the Panama City regulars will migrate on over, so we should know a lot of people there. I actually had Myrtle as my first choice, as it's only a 4-4.5 hour drive from here. It's also close to my family, but I can't complain about the opportunity to hit Florida in the fall... I'd like to find a condo that's occupied by brethren primarily, but that might be a little hard to do. If we do make it there, I've got to take the kids to Busch Gardens in Tampa (OK, I really want to go back for myself, but they'll definitely enjoy it).

I think I'll hit up Sam's today. Nothing like buying food in bulk. And Pampers. Here in the south ALL disposable diapers are called Pampers, be they Luvs, Huggies, or generic store brands. Is that a southern thing?

Perhaps someone out there can tell me how we're going to pull off all of our projected trips over the next two months - Kansas City in July, Bakersfield in July, Cincinnati sometime this summer, and the parents in two weeks? Donations are welcome - particularly if you have a van you're trying to write off as a charitable contribution.

One thing this blog has done is let me know that I'm not gonna be a writer when I grow up.

And guess who's leading songs for the second week in a row? No, the fact that the Milliches will be driving down from HQ won't make me even more nervous. Nope, not at all. I guess I should get with the piccolo player sometime and see what songs he's picked out for tomorrow. I'm utterly convinced now that Spokesman Club was a trap. An enjoyable trap, but a trap nonetheless.

No more 'Woe is Me' posts

Well, the meeting was relatively painless. The professors just stressed that they would be "really happy" I would go ahead and organize my advisory comittee, file my GS2 (form outlining coursework needed for graduation), and take my qualifying exams by the fall - which is what I planned to do anyway. I also picked their brains for some career advice. Forensic DNA analysis has piqued my interest lately; I was assured that my plant background wouldn't exclude me from obtaining a post-doc position in forensics. Of course, I'll probably be interested in something else by the time I graduate. I also feel somewhat obligated to continue in cotton research, since cotton growers are funding my education. However, upon receipt of the fellowship I was told that there was no obligation on my part to remain in cotton, so...

I don't like my major...

... and I'm sick of school. For some reason all of my recent DNA sequencing efforts have been frustratingly crappy. That translates into a tremendous waste of time, effort, and $$$$. I've invested quite a bit of time into generating the sequence data, and now I may not be able to use it because it's not as high-quality as it should be. Plus, I have to meet with some members of the department so they can rake me over the coals for not having had a committee meeting yet, thereby delaying my comps. I guess I need to find that final faculty member to complete my graduate committee.

OK, so I don't really hate school. I am tired of doing the same thing every day, and I'm ready to move on to phase II of this project. I'm also not over excited about working with plants (cotton, to be precise), but since my fellowship requires I do cotton genetic research, then cotton genetic research it is. *sigh*

I guess I'm tired of feeling inadequate. I somewhat reluctantly accepted the fellowship in the first place b/c I was intimidated about having to major in GENETICS. Molecular biology - fine. Biological Sciences - fine. GENETICS - not so fine. I always feel I should know more about my subject, but I don't love it enough to constantly read, read, read science journal articles. Am I just too lazy? I wish I weren't so insecure, but that's the story of my life. When I look back upon most of the outlandish (or downright stoopid) things I've done, hiding my insecurities has always been the ultimate reason. *Stopping to recollect* Yep, I would say that statement's accurate.

Oh well, Shonta's here so I'd best get to steppin'. Later!

The Fallen Ones

Man... That was bad. Not even enjoyable bad. I didn't watch the whole thing, just flipped back & forth b/c I could only stomach small doses at a time. Once again I ask: "Who gives the go-ahead for these projects?"

It was sad to see Richie Cunningham's dad and the male half of Hart to Hart working in this film. Oh well, I guess a paycheck is a paycheck.

At least it's not Jerry Springer

I was talking to a friend last night when we realized that we share a guilty pleasure: those horrible Saturday night movies on the Sci-Fi Network. You know the type - the actors appear to reading cue cards; the special effects are... special, for lack of a better word; and the plots have more holes than a flute. Typically you can find me late at night watching this tripe in amazement that someone was actually able to convince a studio to give said tripe the green light. So week after week I subject myself to such torture as "Boa", "Python", "Crocodile I & II", "Snakehead Terror", "Frankenfish" and the like. Oh, how could I leave out the ever-popular "Mansquito"? Yes, "Mansquito" - as a bonus, the movie also featured a womansquito.

This week they're showing "The Fallen Ones", which is about the archaeological find of the century - a mummy. But not just ANY mummy mind you - no, this one is 42 feet tall and is supposedly the offspring of an angel and a human woman. I'm assuming they'll use Genesis 6:4 to back up this assertion. Oh I'm sure this one will have plenty of cheese; after all, it stars Casper van Dien. I'm suprised he hasn't won an Oscar yet for his thespianism, as exhibited in such fare as "Starship Troopers", "Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus", "Shark Attack", "The Omega Code", yada yada yada. The only movie which managed to escape unscathed was "Sleepy Hollow", probably due to the miniscule amount of screen time Senor van Dien appears onscreen and the fact that his death was pretty memorable.


I couldn't quite bring myself to watch "Man-Thing" last week though. The cheese factor was a tad too high, even for me.

I suppose it could be worse - I could be addicted to Lifetime movies or "Trading Spaces".

Maintenance-delayed post

Tuesday:

I just made the mistake of looking at plane tickets to Jamaica for the Feast. They were just low enough to make me think Jamaica might be doable this year. Maybe. I think I’ll keep this info to myself – and my faithful blog readers, of course ;-D *Note to self: Don’t blurt out to Shonta “I’m considering Jamaica.!”* I don’t know why she doesn’t want to return to Myrtle Beach. I don’t get the whole “I don’t wanna stay in-state for the Feast” thing. Jalen is rooting for a return to Florida, and I think Nick is too. However, the Florida they’re thinking of Panama City Beach. I’ve never been to Clearwater, so I don’t know how it compares with PCB, but it’s also a distinct possibility. I briefly looked at Taos on the web, but I don’t think that’s gonna be an option.

Supposedly there was a report printed today about a connection between some possible pheromone and male homosexuals' brains. I’ve got to look that up and check it out. Could be interesting. Oh, wait – the Heat are playing the Wizards tonite. I guess I’ll read that tomorrow.

Genesis

August 4, 1970. Tuesday morning, 4:12 a.m. Marlboro General Hospital in Bennettsville, SC. That's where and when it all went down. After much pushing and cajoling, I ventured out into this world and took my first breath. Matthew & Jackie brought their bouncing bundle of joy home to our little white house on Main Street in Clio (rhymes with Ohio), SC. I don't remember very much about my early years (obviously), but I'm interested to see how much will come back to me as I type this.

My hometown was quite small; pop. < 1000. It would be four years before I got a baby brother, so for the moment I ruled the roost. Me and the dogs, that is. Well technically they were roaches, but mom said I called them dogs. These were the large roaches known as "water bugs" or "Palmetto bugs". *Do not confuse with the true water bugs. While they do look similar, the bugs of which I speak are just a large variety of your typical cock-a-roach).* Anyway, I distinctly remember how they would FLY around the house when the lights were out. Giant flying roaches. Even as a toddler I remember that that's just not right.

One of the things that was so cool about our location was that my paternal grandmother lived two houses over. Two houses past that was one of my maternal great-aunts (who spoiled me to death!), and behind her lived my maternal grandmother and grandfather. My paternal grandfather died when I was about 1 ½; I don’t remember him at all. We had one Polaroid of me sitting in his lap, and one of my dad at his casket (coffin for you non-Southerners); but his face is hidden in both pics. I finally got to see his face a couple of years ago when my grandmother showed me his last driver’s license. My dad’s sister looked just like him. Everyone tells me he spoiled me too before he died.

So my dad’s lineage is Palmer and Cabbagestalk. I’m glad that wives took the husband’s name back in those days. I’m not really feeling Cabbagestalk. It is rather unique however, and a member of our family has traced it back to some slaves in Manning. It appears that ALL Cabbagestalks are related. My dad had four brothers (two deceased) and two sisters.

As for my mom’s side, her dad was a Johnson and her mom was a McLeod – like the guy in Highlander. My mom’s side of the family is a little different. Grandma had 12 kids – 11 of which survived. She had three boys, then three sets of boy/girl twins, and finshed off with a set of triplets (two boys and one girl). When Grandaddy died in ’96, we counted up her grandkids; she had ~ 60. Her 4 daughters had 3 kids between them; the other 57 came from her sons. Let’s just say there are Johnsons up and down the east coast, from Florida to Connecticut. Needless to say, I’m related to pretty much my whole town. This is a good thing for the most part; this does, however, present obstacles when trying to find a date/girlfriend…

I have two older siblings: Ronnie and Carolyn (Ann)… There’s also baby brother Mark. There’s also another possible brother named Len, but that’s a story for another day.

We spent 5 ½ years at this house before we moved to our current palace. Other than the roaches, I have a few random memories of my time there. I remember being trapped on the porch while a vicious killer Cujo devil dog menaced me, instilling in me a lifelong aversion to large canines; sitting on the front steps tieing and re-tieing my shoes until I got it right; sitting in the crook of the little dogwood tree by the sidewalk in the front yard; helping our neighbor Mrs. Annie Ruth pick up pecans in our yards (her trailer is visible in the pic); seeing our neighbor’s beagle lying in the road dying after being hit by an 18-wheeler; getting the truck drivers to honk their horn as they drove past… I haven’t thought of these things in years.

Well, I must go try to get my truck window fixed. I’ll try to attach a coupla pix – one should be of me around the age of 5, and the other should be a pic of me taken at the old house a couple of years ago.

Ye olde homestead 

Kindergarten '75 

Hashbrown Casserole

Well it's official. I'm making hashbrown casserole for the potluck (potSUCCESS in these parts) tomorrow. It's a simple dish to make, but I wasn't sure how I was going to keep it warm; I didn't wanna use a crockpot b/c I want the casserole to maintain some crispness on top. Shonta suggested I buy some type of pan that would kinda act like a steam well. That might work. As for the ingredients, I use frozen hash browns, cream of chicken, onion, cheese, salt, and pepper. Bake covered @ 375 for 1/2 hour or so, and then broil (to crisp the top)for 5-10 minutes. Hope they like it tomorrow.

I think I'll be able to talk Shonta into making a blueberry cheesecake. I'm sure Patti will make here world famous meatballs, and Mr. B will contribute his even more world-famous salad avec ranch (or is that peppercorn ranch?)... Yeah, tomorrow's gonna be great.

Oh yeah, and I'll get to hear a sermon too.

Dear Diary...

Why am I trying this blog thing? I’m not comfortable with the idea that my inner thoughts are available for anyone to peruse, so I don’t post anything deeply personal. My posts are pretty blahhh - so why do it? As I mentioned in my first post, I’ve toyed with the idea of having a journal since I was a wee lad. What always stopped me was the realization that I would never write down anything of substance, because I’d always be afraid someone would eventually find and read what I’d written. So instead of starting a journal in a notebook, I decide to publish one online. Go figure…

I do like the fact that blogging gives me a way to reflect on events of the day, capture random musings so I can give them more thought later, study myself (even if I don’t share what I find out), practice writing, and share what’s going on with me with friends and family. I guess those are some of the reasons I’m doing this. A larger part of the reason is joy of communicating with fellow church members and the camaraderie I feel with certain other bloggers (Summer, Ash, and D-D-Desiree) and the others I’ve “met” through their blogs (pretty much everyone these three have linked to). I think my brother may check in here from time to time as well, and he can catch glimpses of what’s going on in my head and with his nephews and sister-in-law.

I might turn my next couple of posts into an autobiographical sketch; just what the doctor ordered for a case of insomnia…

Why isn't it hot yet?!? It's May, isn't it?

*Taking Desiree’s advice to compose my post elsewhere and then post it to my blog*

I received the Tomorrow’s World magazine over the weekend. I really enjoyed the articles (as I always do). I was glad to see the evolution article; in my field I’m constantly bombarded with the presentation of Darwinism and neo-Darwinian evolution as the GOSPEL TRUTH, and the faults of the theory are never acknowledged. There is an unspoken understanding that only the ignorant or fundamentalist Christians (synonyms in many minds) disbelieve the hypothesis of evolution. Since gene mutations and duplications are so strongly intertwined with evolutionary theory, my field (genetics) is neck-deep in the assumption the evolutionary hypothesis is true. Interestingly enough (or not), quite a few people in my department are extremely active in their respective churches. These are mainly lab techs though, and not the profs. Ironically, whenever there’s misfortune or tragedy in the dept., there is no shortage of “We’ll pray for you” and “You’re in our prayers” circulating. I’m not trying to poke fun, as I believe that my colleagues and professors are sincere and are genuinely trying to make the sufferer feel better. I just see irony in invoking a God that, if evolutionists are correct, is at best a liar, and at worst doesn’t exist. *Was that a run-on sentence?*

I find that I utilize the Scriptures much better in my head than when I’m trying to explain something to someone – not like I get the opportunity to explain my beliefs very often. I often have arguments in my head as I lie in bed at night – I’ll try to prove or disprove doctrines by using Scripture without getting up and opening a Bible. I think my arguments are well-reasoned and accurate when they’re in my head – but on the few occasions I’ve actually been asked to vocalize my beliefs and back them up Scripturally, my responses are nowhere near as smooth. I must get better at that, as I am admonished to by… Peter, I think.

On a completely unrelated note, I think I’ve found my Summer jam for 2005. I’m really digging Alicia Keys’ “Karma” on her last CD. I saw her perform it live on VH1 with like an 8- or 9-violin ensemble, as well as a couple of cellos. *Smile Summer!* It’s an uptempo cut produced by Timbaland, I believe. Anyway, that’s my current flava-of-the-month…

OK – I really am going to start exercising and dieting next week. I didn’t want to miss out on this week’s potluck (Mr. Davis is coming down from HQ) or the various Mother’s Day dinners I’ll be attending – after slavin’ for THE MAN at Cracker Barrel for a few hours. Yep, Monday I’ll hit the gym and cut out the carbs. Yeah, that’s the ticket…

edited 05/05/05: To listen to a clip of "Karma" w/ Windows Media Player, click here.