I’LL HAVE A BLOODY MARY, A STEAK SANDWICH AAAND A STEAK SANDWICH
Easier than writing lots of individual emailsArchive for August, 2008
399…SINCE ‘06
My wordpress acct. just told me that the administrator of Musings (me) has created 399 posts on Musings, as of this moment.
Huh.
That sounds like too much to me.
But, then I reflect on how I only post about 1/1,000,000,000 of what I actually think about.
It blows my mind that so many thoughts, wonders, ponderings, etc. can go through the human mind….and the kicker….? Our minds are wee and pea sized in strength and understanding as they bow in contrast to the mind of God.
Whoa.
Who can know the mind of the LORD or offer Him any counsel? Who has given to God that He should repay?
(IRONIC SIDENOTE, considering my post on Klondike Bars and societies bombardment of crap values… though I’ve created 399 posts, the spam blocker count is at 8,839… the world will devour us if we let it.)
KLONDIKE BARS CARE ABOUT MARITAL FAITHFULNESS?
If you know me, you know that I care very deeply about the covenant of marriage. It’s one of the only institutions ordained by God, here on earth, to demonstrate His love for the church and His people.
I am constantly downcast when I hear of another person who cheated on their spouse (physically OR emotionally), or another news blurb flippantly announcing the dissolution of the latest celebrity/political marriage, or when I hear anyone (but specifically Christian people) run down their spouse and complain about them. I’m also angered and distrustful when I see families together or married men by themselves and I see the husband’s eye follow a woman passing by (who’s usually scantilly clad and NOT his wife…and shame on women for dressing in a way that they know they’ll get lusted after). I’m incredibly sensitive to the damage of the widely popular lie ‘You can look, but you just can’t touch’…really? Is that why porn is destroying families (and future families) by the thousands everyday? Even if you aren’t seeking it out, the bombardment of the media’s images and values sends the deafening message of ‘Do whatever the hell you want…it’s all about you’. But the aftermath of people doing whatever they want is resulting in immense emotional devastation (at the minimum). In general, I think most people do not grasp the deep need to fight .. in order to protect and nurture the covenant that they made before God, to their spouse.
ANYway, you can imagine my shock and utter astonishment when I saw the ad from Klondike last night (maybe it’s been on for a while, but I usually fastforward ALL commercials). A man & woman are chatting in an outdoor cafe. The viewer sees the back of the wife’s head as the husband is facing her (and towards the camera). They are chatting and a hot woman (seen only from the bust down) walks past the couple (away from the camera, toward and eventually past the husband). As she passes, these things happen simultaneously: the husband notices the woman, locks eye contact with his wife, picks up her hand across the table and continues talking with her, the narrator says ‘Dave Howell kept his eyes on his wife. Give that guy a Klondike bar!’. Now, I just finished reading a few forums of men who hate these ads and I can understand why (the rest of the ad campaign make both the men/women look like idiots). However, I think THIS one, in particular, is pretty gutsy considering that it’s counter culture to almost every other message of our day. AND, I love that they ’said it out loud’ …’look, it’s soooo common to look at/lust after women that we make fun of the one guy who actually respects his wife enough not to…he’s the freak who’s doing something different.’
The dual meaning makes me sad and glad.
(Oh, and the same thing can all be said for woman who ogle men. Men shouldn’t take all the blame… ladies, you know who you are.)
16 HOUR DAY…SO GREAT!
Today was a very full day….
For the last 1.5 days I’ve been praying…praying that they’d like me and that I’d like them. The first day is critical…it’s the set-up for all the other days that I will be with them. God proved to be SO gracious and kind, as always. Today was my first day back to subbing!!!
I subbed at VHS…Jennene’s classes actually. 6 periods. Approx 130 students, each having their own ideas, their own lives, their own experiences. We had a GREAT day…thanx be to God!!!! Our class discussions included: value systems, the basis of right and wrong, war, voting, freedom, traveling, cats vs. dogs (dogs of course), careers, murder, exotic foods, expectations/realities of high school, people who have influenced you, etc... it was a fantastic start to another year of subbing! During brunch, one of my students came in early and hung out. I asked questions…turns out his mom died 3 years ago from breast cancer. I asked more questions and he was very humbly open. At one point I asked him about church etc. (they go to a Lutheran church). He ended up saying, ‘I keep asking the LORD to take away the pain, so that I can live a normal life. So that I won’t cry every second.’ It took ALL i had to not break into tears… for him and his brother and his dad. It was just another reminder that each kid has a story; each kid has need; each kid needs hope.
After school, I ran over to meet Luke to pick up/set up a closing gift for one of my first time buyers whose sale was scheduled to close today. During that car ride, I got the call that the Tatlock’s house closed escrow! Yay!! During the set-up, I got the call that my first time buyer’s deal had actually closed escrow (the one for which we were setting up the gift). Luke and I ended up at Subway and she met us there to pick up her keys…it’s SO rewarding when a client is satisfied. In addition to a closed sale for me, I feel like I gained a new friend…and she’s my new neighbor too! After giving her her new green keychain and house key, I ran over to show houses to a new set of clients. They are so great; so balanced, so calm, so realistic. What wasn’t great is that I drank 2 HUGE cups of beverage at Subway…and was about to burst during our showings (in vacant houses with no utilities). I think my bladder now has irrepairable damage. When we finished at the last house, I sped off to the closest restaurant and sprinted into the bathroom. After emptying my overtaxed bladder (much akin to Austin Powers), I drove to meet the next set of clients to show them a house that has not come on the market yet. Apart from being grateful for having clients, I’m incredibly grateful that I always seem to have super cool clients! God is so kind!
In between all of the above activities, I also received a zillion voicemails and so tried to return them all whilst driving (on speaker). I got to the Brock’s around 8:30pm and talked with Brad. I got home around 11:30pm. Though I’m tired, I am so thankful that the dominoe effect was all GOOD today, rather than something else!
2 CONS FOR THE DAY
1) I wore the wrong shoes today…wish I was back in Thailand getting a 2 hour foot/leg massage.
2) It was SO feakin’ HOT…perfect for showing vacant houses…not really.
DARK COMES BEFORE DAWN
Sooooo, I don’t love bandwagons. I try to stay off of them or leading them (unless an ultra worthy cause 
).
When it comes to movies, I’m less and less inclined to care (as I get older).
Today, after church (which was Roger’s ordination!), after meeting clients to sign a contract, and then after coming home to bake in the heat and eventually fall asleep to later wake up like a sweaty angry child, I decided to go see a movie. The benefits: get out of the house, be in air-conditioning, be mentally engaged but with someone else doing all the work while I just sit there. Basically, I was looking for a rest on the Sabbath. I chose my viewing feature based on everyone’s recommendation and cause there was nothing else worth paying for…and I hoped that the hype for this particular feature was basically over so that I’d have the theatre mostly to myself. Apparently DARK KNIGHT is still in demand. The theatre was about 2/3 full when the movie started.
Ok, sooo, my debrief thoughts…(I won’t ruin it for you 4 people in the universe that haven’t seen it yet…)
1) Going into it, I was nervous because SO many people LOVED it and did the ‘you HAVE to see it’ (which always makes me harder to please)
2) Overall pretty good: visually amazing, Heath Ledger did, in fact, do a GREAT job, very mentally stimulating, not boring (surprisingly, because I don’t really like this genre), in fact, I was never bored and it was a loooong movie, the characters were mostly realisitc and approachable which, for me, created connection and buy in (in fact, I’m still thinking about them cuz they were, in a way, personal)
3) There were several philosophies going on (some of them in contrast to each other). Here are some themes that I’m left pondering: absolute truth, faith, Job (God letting Satan temp him to reveal his motive for his devotion to God), motive, sin, messianic teachings/sacrifice, integrity, values, deception, Satan, temptation, love (true or otherwise), technology, pre-planning and organization, mental issues…
4) There were a few poingant quotables (not to be quoted here).
5) Other performance notes: Morgan Freeman (always love him), Christian Bale (meh)-not really believable (or likeable), Thank You For Not Smoking guy was great, girlie is always sweet and believable (as the girlfriend-though not as the asst DA), and again, HEATH…superb and freaky-good performance. The music…nice sounds/music.
So, all in all, I was glad to have seen it. I’d like to know what the average person thinks about it philosophically, cuz it was jam packed with ideas that people HAVE to question about themselves and their lives and the world around them. My favorite part: you don’t have to be a fan of comic books to enjoy this movie. I would normally never seek out a movie like this…. ie. only saw Spiderman cuz I knew the stunt coordinator and cuz someone else paid for my ticket. So, I think THAT’s saying a lot for DK (not Donna Karan).
I know I’m one of the last to see it. What did you think of it (besides ‘really liked it’)…i am wanting to hear WHY people liked it (same or different reasons than I?).
As a side note: saw the previews for Watchmen…that’s 5 minutes of my life I can never get back…yawn.
1ST TIME SEEING HOMEOWNERSHIP BENEFITS
Apart from the feeling of ‘accomplishment’ that I’ve done something in life that’s ‘grown-up’, homeownership hasn’t been all that thrilling. Paying the mortgage, loathing the HOA rip-off, wondering if the toilet running is going to just ‘go-away’ on it’s own or if I’m really going to have to fix it…these are just some of the things that make homeownership a drag.
HOWEVER, I have stumbled upon a homeownership drag that may become a homeownership joy (in addition to murdering black widows….the count is up to 11 today)!
THE DRAG:
An animal of some sort (not a cat) is constantly crapping in my front patio dirt area. The crapping creature is stealthy, as I’ve never been able to catch it in the act. Of course, THAT’s my desire…to catch it in the act and instantly launch into such a wild rage (throwing things, yelling, etc) that the creature actually craps out of fear, not biology (and then scrurries away, never to return. I can dream, can’t I?)
ANYway, as i was cleaning up the recent petrified batch (and gagging and coughing: crap & dirt combo), I decided I was going to go to the next level. I called Brad & Nadine. Brad was in a meeting, but Nadine heard my woe and instantly had an option…here’s how the conversation went:
S: (just explained the situation to Nadine)
N: Oh, Brad uses Cayanne pepper.
S: Really?!?!?! (said in awe)
N: Oh, yeah. It for sure works on dogs, I’m not sure about other critters. Like you said it might be a raccoon or an opposum.
S: HUH! Who knew? Ok, so, wait. Do you just sprinkle it all around? Do you coat the area with cayanne? I don’t even use cayanne to cook, so I have no frame of reference.
N: Oh, yeah, just sprinkle the area. (she said the next line with the tone that Clint Eastwood says ‘I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and
would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?)Let it get one whiff of that cayanne and see if it craps there again.
S: hahahaha. OK! I am SO into that! Oh, man..I wish I could have a surveilance camera out there, cuz THAT would be funny to watch!
THE POSSIBLE JOY:
I think this is the first time that homeownership just got fun! A drag turned to a joy? I hope so!
Let’s be honest, you don’t HAVE to be a homeowner to want an animal to stop crapping where you live, but you know….
Sooooo, if you want, I will keep you posted on the crapping critter cayanne trap saga! Let me know. AND, if you have of your own ‘home-remedies’, please share!
STRUCK A NERVE
It seems I struck a nerve with my FaceBook friends (if you’re not on FB, get on it…Christina L.).
I changed my status update to say ‘Sam Neylan ,the REAL-TORE, wishes that ppl would stop posting the winners of the Olympics, reality shows, etc…some of us DVR things and can’t watch them in real time ‘.
It seems that many people have the same irritation, as i’ve gotten lots of ‘I concur’ comments!
I understand that if it was a week later, then shame on me. However, most people are posting in FB or on their blog within minutes of revealed results. Come on.
So, I’m curious as to what you blog readers think.
LADIES & GENTS, SEAN PALMER-A GREAT MAN!
Ode to Sean Palmer!
No one can make me laugh so much, can share in Lionel love so deep, can speak their heart so well, can love their wife any more, nor can rock the robot more…than Sean Palmer!
Today, he has blown my mind again…his lastest post launched him into a lonely realm in life…HERO!
It’s a must read…and for all you boys out there that think you’re men…take heed…Sean is the new Chuck Norris*.
*Chuck Norris status attained by taking photos of the dreaded products, flirting with actually juggling the boxes, and then producing a PUBLIC post about the whole thing!
Budweiser salutes you!
CLASS DISCUSSION
So, one of my aunts is a rep for an academic program called ‘READ 180′ …which is a program that is designed to help at-risk kids get some extra help. My experience with READ 180 is feeling like I’m on a real life set for Dangerous Minds: gang bangers, kids making out on the desks, the 2 kids that actually want to learn sitting there while the rest of the class is throwing gang signs and mocking the elementary principles of education…but, the sign throwers actually aren’t smart…and if anyone NEEDED what READ 180 offers, it’s them. So, God love my aunt, who is tirelessly trying to train and support teachers who face the challenge everyday. I was recently out to dinner with her and she gave me a resource poster from her READ 180 materials: “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” from There’s A Hole In My Sidewalk by Portia Nelson. I thought it was really cool and I instantly thought of how to use it to generate meaningful and hopefully thought-provoking dialogue for my classes this year. I think it’s a picture of the progression of maturity and wisdom, characterized by taking responsibility for one’s own actions (which is a very foreign concept to most of the kids I work with, excluding our ICU kids, of course :) ).
I think I might have my students read it, describe it’s meaning, and then decide which chapter they themselves are currently in (and why, etc).
CHAPTER ONE
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost…I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
CHAPTER TWO
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
CHAPTER THREE
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in…it’s a habit…but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
it is MY fault.
I get out immediately.
CHAPTER FOUR
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
CHAPTER FIVE
I walk down another street.
This will feed nicely into my ‘CHOICES’ paragraph that I use for standards. Life is about decision making (and God’s grace)…and about courage to truthfully evaluate the decisions that we make…and then take responsibility for them.
There are several verses that are in my head right now…about salvation, wisdom, grace, forgiveness, observation, sanctification…It’s powerful to reflect on the fact that ‘walking down a different street’ (everyday) is so relevant to the Christian life, not just the teenager’s life.
I’ll keep you posted on how it goes with the kids….how about you? which chapter are you in?
SPECIAL TIME
I’m lame about lots of things…one of those things is visting family that lives close by…Colleen and Paul live about 20 minutes away…we see each other more up the Bay Area several times a year than we EVER do in SOCAL. Yep, I’m lame.
Last night was not lame though, as Colleen and I went out to dinner and a movie and then back to my house where she saw my place and met one of my roommates. Colleen is cool and I’m so stoked to be related to her. We ate at Salt Creek Grille (is the ‘e’ really necessary Salt Creek? really?). I had a freakin’ awesome burger (Bleu Cheese) with garlic fries…yes, please! Than we cruised over to the Edwards theatre and watched the genuis of Ben Stiller exercised in his latest spoof, Tropic Thunder. ha! I reccommend it, but not to everyone. There was a lot of swearing and some sexual talk that was gross. Beyond that, there was so much incredible genuis nestled in LOTS of hollywood trivia. I laughed alot and wondered how they got through even one minute of one scene.
Blah, blah, blah….my point is that it was cool to talk, laugh, cry, etc. with Colleen. She’s been good to me my whole life and having gone from Colleen being involved in teaching me how to walk as a toddler to now sharing life together as adults, I’m left with much gratitude to the LORD.
Amen.
WHERE’S THE HIDDEN CAMERA?
Ok, so, I use the category ‘My Life As A Seinfeld Episode’ is the broad description that I give, simply because most everyone knows that show. But the truth is that it’s really more like Curb Your Enthusiasm.
So, my last post was a recap of some intense happenings in a short time frame. The last 24 hours proved to be a bit more of it….
1) Yesterday (Monday), through some significant variables, a faithful willing former-electrician servant from my church prevented my house from burning down. He came over to check on my sporadic power outages and discovered a loose wire in my wall that was sparking/burning. It was only a matter of a very short time before my house would’ve burned down. He and his family and I all jumped in the car and went to Wal-Mart to buy the 44cent replacement part…saving me probably hundreds of thousands of dollars and much heartache in the long run. I was so thankful, as well as reminded that we all really should have skills…skills that enable us to practically help others. I am SO thankful he was an electrician and SO thankful that he likes to serve people! (This scenario is another proof that homeownership is overrated)
2) I went to the dentist today at 3pm (just a reminder that I love him!). Dr. Tran examined my tooth that is constantly hurting me. I thought it was the tooth that I had a filled before I went diving in June. He did lots of tests and determined that the painful tooth was/is actually NOT the filled tooth, but rather my tooth with a root canal…technically, it’s a dead tooth that should not be having pain…at all. He sent me across the hall to a specialist…who wanted $180 to look at my teeth and $1,200 to do a ‘re-treat’ (ie. a new root canal). Now, really? $1,200 for a dead tooth? If I’m going to spend $1,200, shouldn’t it be on a tooth that’s alive?
Let me remind you that I am a real estate agent…and that real estate is rough these days…and that when your paycheck is linked to a suffering industry, you have less money than usual. AND, let me remind you that less than a week ago my car surprised me with a $1,600+ mechanic bill.
Soooo, really, where is the hidden camera?
I’m starting to really embrace these blows. I actually started laughing when the endodontics receptionist gave me the price quote. I suppose that’s progress. God’s good and faithful.
IN THE LAST 7 DAYS…
uuuummm, a lot has happened in the last 7 days…and so, I am going to bullet point, though each bullet could have it’s own post…. please inquire if you desire more detail (pronounced ‘duh-tales)
-Had the Harvey clan spend the night at my place! So fun!
-Embarked on a hilarious and Seinfeldesque 3 night cruise with Kristin to Ensenada. LOTS of stories there…probably would have been more fun if we were alcoholics…which we’re not)…that trip deserves it’s own post-for sure!
-Completed lots of tasks in real estate which may or may not prove fruitful in the end
-Brad had a mild stroke; is in the hospital having tests, doing well. Might come home on Friday. Lots of ponderings in my mind.
-Had great friends make a spontaneous trip into town (Tues-Thursday). We laid by the pool (I got burned), went out to eat at CRAFT (Top Chef Judge, Tom Coliccihio’s restaurant in LA…CRAZY fine dining), visited Brad in the hosptial, laughed alot, talked alot, even cried. I heart the Seelye’s.
-Made a Happy Birthday call to a far away country…over the 6 years of friendship, this was the first call I had actually ever made to NZ…here’s to calling cards and good friends who turn 30!
-My car wouldn’t start yesterday. New Battery, new alternator, replaced the TWO cracked axles…all for a mere $1,500… and the hits just keep on coming…I am thankful for a fabulous mechanic. If you need him, call me. I trust him like a brother!
-Cleaned out more stuff in my garage! Offered some of Pattycake’s stuff to my family which prompted many rounds of awesome reminders (via email) that I love my family…they’re so cool (and hilarious and creative and engaging and affirming and…)
-I met, communicated with, and about 3 hours ago confirmed my 2nd new roommate. So, on Sept 1st, I will have a full house again. The LORD provides.
-The Black Widow Death Count around my garage/patio has risen to EIGHT!!!! Don’t mess with me.
-Have been convicted, encouraged, challenged, delighted, etc by the LORD and the people, places, and things that He uses to show Himself to me.
-All the other stuff that’s not worth typing out…
I have a big to-do list for tomorrow…soooo, I’m off…
