12.19.2004

two down

Okay, so in the last week, the A's have traded both Hudson and Mulder. These guys have been the heart and soul of Oakland for the past few years and it really pains me to see them go. I know I'm supposed to trust in Billy Beane, but it's difficult - it doesn't seem like he's getting much for these guys. Some people say this is the same place the A's were at around 2000 when the Big Three were all noobs and hadn't proven themselves...we'll see... All I know is I loved going out to the Colloseum and rooting for these guys, and now I can't do that. Now, in fact, they are in freakin Atlanta and St. Louis. At least I won't have the pain of watching them pitch for someone else in the AL West. It's the end of an era, people.

Also, I have finally put up the pictures I took on my March 2004 trip to the Florida Keys. You can enjoy them here.

12.18.2004

just when you thought i couldn't get geekier

The name of He-Man's cat sidekick came up in a conversation I had today, and I ended up having to go looking for the answer to the question. I had said the cat's name was Cringer, and someone else told me it was "BattleCat." I had He-Man on my birthday cake when I turned 5, so I thought I knew what I was talking about. As it happens, the cat's name was Cringer when He-Man was Adam, and after he does his little transformation, the wussy Cringer transforms into the brave Battle-Cat.

For more info on He-Man and how awesome he is, go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man

12.15.2004

japanese lap pillows

They come up with some pretty weird stuff over there in Japan.

dearth! druthers!

This day at work is going to be pretty easy if first period is any indication. I have 2 AP Statistics classes and 3 Honors Algebra 2 classes. These kinds of kids tend to be easier to babysit in class. Add to that the fact that there is math work for them to hang out and do - and they actually tend to DO the work - means I should have a minimum of stress due to them.

The classroom I'm in today is behind the science wing of the school, and the science teachers have a cluster of little wireless access points. I managed to connect to one and it seems to be working for me so far, that's good. I can't get any games to run online, due to the school's firewall, but I can browse the web and do this kind of thing, so that's good enough for me.

I've had a dearth of profound thoughts lately. (Before you knock me for using "dearth," consider the only other words that come to mind when I was trying to communicate that thought were "shortitude" and "shortness," neither of which are, well, words.)

I am excited for this upcoming holiday - there is no good reason for me to not go to work when I have the opportunity, but for the next two weeks I have an excuse...there IS no work to be done here. I've been working on the next six months of youth ministry...aside from the Lock-In and oneeighty this month is pretty clear, and it feels good to be ahead of the game a bit. Anyway hopefully this means I'll be able to do some nice long stints with WoW next week. I will also do helpful things around the house for my wife who will be stuck at work. But I will also play lots of WoW, if I have my druthers.

12.10.2004

some more questions

It's been a little while since I answered the questions I asked you to ask me - so now I'm going to get to my Dad's and to Frances' questions. Right now I'm subbing in a classroom, the kids are watching "Super Size Me" which you should watch if you haven't seen it. It's good/scary. Usually when I'm at home on the computer I am trying to get some time in with WoW so my little blog gets neglected. Here at school, however, I can take a few minutes out to type here.

My Dad's questions...
1) When was the last sunrise you watched, intentionally (not the last one you saw)?
I don't remember...

2) When was the last sunset you watched, intentionlly (again, not the ...) ?
Again, I don't remember...

3) If this was the last year of your life, and it could end at any time, what would you do?
Spend a lot of time writing, and with the people I care about most. Especially considering that at this point I'll only have a few weeks left.

And from Frances...
1) what book, other than the bible, has had the most influence on your life and/or thinking?


Dang, that's a hard one. I can't say if I've read any book that's really revolutionized my thinking or influenced it in a way that I can cite. There go my pretensions to being an educated person.

Some books I have read that may have influenced me are The Jesus I Never Knew, More Ready Than You Realize, and Spirit of the Disciplines to name a few.

2) which is the superior utensil (and why): forks or spoons?

Spoons are definitely superior. Anything a fork does that a spoon doesn't, you can do with your hands. But spoons? Well, with a spoon you can eat soup and other more liquidy things. You can't spear a piece of steak, but you can just pick that up. You can't enjoy a bowl of cereal with a fork, nor ice cream, or any of that. Forks suck!

3) which is more entertaining (and why): a cat in a beret or a monkey in a fez?

A cat in a beret might be funny for a moment, but it would just sit there and think about how great it was. A monkey in a fez, though - that I'd pay to see, because I enjoy monkey antics. Except the antics that would involve them throwing feces at me. That wouldn't be funny.