You're Counting Down to What?

There are a few things that annoy me about my nightly commute. For the record, it’s not that horrible. I have a seven minute bus ride, followed by a ten minute walk. Not to shabby, as commutes go. And yet, there are still frustrations. Tonight, for example, I experienced the following:
1. Played chicken with the bus schedule – My crazy work day threatened not to end as I saw the time to leave approaching. It was another extended hour day, so an extra half-hour was not going to be welcome.
2. Rain – I work in the Pacific Northwest, which means that I experience a rainy commute often. It still isn’t one of my favorite things.
3. Long walks – Sure, these are great for fitness contemplation, and romance, but when the bus doesn’t stop (despite repeated cord pulls) it just becomes irritating.
4. Enroute potty breaks – Not me, stop that! Every guide dog handler has experienced a time when the dog just tells you that it’s time to do some business. Some dogs are fast, some dogs are Berta. Did I mention the rain yet?

All-in-all not a list of my favorite things.

Right, okay, enough of that! Rant over!

Like sands through an hourglass…

Facebook allows one to put up a “status” message. These things are usually a quote, tidbit about what the person is doing, lyric from a song, or links to external sources of information. For the past month, I’ve been posting a countdown in my status, and it has garnered a bit of confusion.

For those that haven’t figured it out, the countdown is to this Saturday, October 3. The Edmonton Oilers kick off their season with a game against the Calgary Flames in the first of several “Battle of Alberta” contests. I will be watching the game, as it’s actually going to be televised.

Now, I live no where near Alberta, hang out with no one else that loves hockey, and generally expect that I’ll get no takers, but I’ll toss this out anyway. If anyone wants to stop in, drink beer, and assist in screaming at a television, you’re welcome to come over. The grill will be going, so bringing the flesh of some unfortunate animal (no, not a Leaf fan) is encouraged. A few rules will be enforced:
• An explanation of how the game functions will be provided when possible. Answers to questions may be delayed.
• Flames fans are welcome to attend. They will be allowed to watch from the back patio, where they will grill everyone else’s meat, and pass beer inside.
• Canuck fans will be sent on beer runs for the most obscure (aka, impossible to find) options. That will probably keep them away for the rest of the night.
• Leaf fans must provide their own handkerchieves . They will not be allowed to cry in the presence of others.

Silly? Yes. Pointless? Yes. But hey folks, I’ts hockey season. Drop that puck.

G’oilers!

The Beauty of Fall

Warning! I'm now officialy between quarters, so these posts will probably be more frequent for a few weeks...Aw, who am I kidding? They will be as inconsistent as the Oilers have been since June 2006...But this isn't a hockey post.

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Seeing as it's nice and blustery today, with a bit of sun and cloud, I figure it's a great time to lay out what I like most about autumn. After all, there has to be something good about a season that ushers back in the rain.

1. Food - Summer, fall, and winter all have their special foods. Spring gets the short end of that stick, but we don't care at that point as we have been eating heavy all winter. Fall gives us some outstanding produce (only second to summer). Fall mixes good produce with good meats. Turkey and sweet potatoes or buffalo and squash, fall has the balanced diet down solid. Fall is heavy and earthy, where winter is heavy and sweet. Fall is warming meals, in contrary to summer's cooling.


2. Beginnings - While the calendar officially starts in January, and the liturgical calendar starts in December, there's an argument for new beginnings in Fall. It probably goes back to school days, when every September marked the beginning of classes. Fall will always seem like a genesis point to me.


3. Weather - Fall has the weather thing perfect. Warm days and cool nights. Nice during the day, while we are outside, cool at night so we don't have to run the AC. Rain and sun, snow if you are back in Alaska. Wind and calm. Fall is the mixed bag that makes me want to look outside once every 15 minutes.


4. Parties - Some of the best I've been to take place in Autumn. It's like everyone is trying to get one last gasp of summer before it leaves us, so they pull out all the stops. Socializing in the Fall is always interesting (see weather above), but very worth it.


5. Sports - When I was a football fan this was more evident. Fall is the main football season. Now, however, football is out (I'm going on two years without watching a game). And so, it takes until September for me to start to get excited. Hockey starts in October!

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Another brief update to close out this entry. Bakc in February I discussed my three-pronged self-improvement effort for 2009. Here's an update on each:

• Mental - Easiest one. School has this one easily in hand. I'm learning theories, adapting practice, and pushing my own envelopes.


• Physical - Stalled. I've even quit the gym. The combination of classes, extremely long work hours, and my ankle injury back in April squashed this one. I'm at least trying to eat better.


• Spiritual - Strong. I don't believe in putting everything out here, but I will note that D and I have put a lot into the dedication of our time, talent, and treasure this year, both inside and outside the church. We had an opportunity just recently to very well cover the treasure base, and I'm happy to say that we both stepped up to the plate in a big way. I think that both of us have been successful in growing spiritually, which means that the kids have as well.

Enjoy your cooling months, everyone! Its just a few months and we'll be deep in winter again.

Facebook, Sheesh

After finishing a major paper and two discussion questions tonight, I'm in a writing mood. Stand back, here it comes!

Rehash

I was reading through my own posts last night, and I saw myself gag on a reference to Facebook. Unfortunately I have joined the zombie army of socialites. and I kind of like it.

I can't believe how I've fallen!

So what does this mean? First, it means that I can't exactly expect that you are a nonexistant reader. Though I still don't have any comments on these postings on either FB or Blogspot, I have to assume that someone is checking into what I read. Mom's not on FB yet, so I'm safe...For now.

Problems with Summer

Summer was a problem for us in many ways. First, the optomism that I had around TNS has pretty much evaporated. No, it's not because they are a bad company, just that they didn't live up to promises made in the beginning. I went through quite a bit of the summer feeling hurt, rejected, and generally irritated with work.

Second, the weather was all wrong. Western Washington during July equates to mid 70s and rain, while August is 80+. This year, July was August and August was July. that threw me off. And now, a third of the way through September, I'm sitting outside after a 80+ day! Go figure! The result was that we changed our air-conditioning schedule quite heavily. I didn't write about it here, but we bought another AC unit back in Spring, and it was essential for this summer. 100+ temps, Denise's condition, and our home layout don't mix. fortunately, we made the right choice, and she hasn't shown any ill affects of the heat.

Finally, summer equates to no hockey. (Get it, heat, no ice, bleh). I tried really hard to stay in touch with the Sounders, and make soccer my summer game. Unfortunately, distractions, a general disinterest in watching the game, and an inconsistent TV schedule have caused me to leave it. Now, however, we're in September. The first game is less than a month away, and the Oilers are making a few late moves. It's time to be watching pucks on ice!

I was thinking this morning about my waning interest in sports. I'm pretty convinced that my dissatisfaction with baseball and football stems from being involved in fantasy leagues. Because I was trying to focus on the player, I lost track of the love of the sport. Numbers became the emphasis, not the pure love of watching plays develop. Additionally, I was trying to keep to many teams in mind. I wasn't focused on a specific team, which meant that I knew how well individual players were doing in the season, but not actual teams. And, in most sports, it is the team that matters!

So, I'm deciding that I won't fantasize hockey anymore. I won't focus on the players, I'll keep my interest on a team. One particular team that, according to my tags, should be obvious. I don't want to spoil my obsession with what is wrong with players today. I just want to love a team. I want to live and die by each game. I want to feel a sense of excitement with the beginning of each season. I want to be interested in the playoffs only if my team is playing.

Nothing Else

I think I've finally wrote myself out for one night. I should probably talk about the boy, and our continued efforts to get him to talk (he isn't, yet), the fact that I've left the gym, and our search for a larger place to live, but it's time to put the kids to bed. Besides, I haven't checked the comments on Facebook in 15 minutes!

Drumstick Anyone?

This could be another post about the Bradley...And now that I mention it, why don't I give an update on that!

Must say that I think I'm in love with the Bradley Smoker. Simple, controlable, great food, and yet it still provides everything a classic smoker does (mouthwatering cooking smells). Over the summer we easily used the Bradley twice as much as the grill. Cheese, roast, corn, steak, chicken, and ribs have all gone in plain and come out delicious. I'm still a huge fan of finding the cheapest meat possible and turning it into something beautiful! And, with our high temperatures this summer, the challenge has been to not overcook the food, as opposed to my experiences with the vertical water smoker.

But I digress, because this post is about drumsticks!

No, not the kind you eat. I mean, sure, hickory smells nice if burnt at low temperatures, but these things have paint and varnish on them.

That's right. I took up the drums over the summer. While D was spending way to much money on concert experiences, I was spending to much on a new musical instrument hobby. I'm sorry to say that my Breedlove has stayed in its case for quite a bit of the summer as I've wielded sticks instead of picks.

I personally think I'm showing a bit of aptitude with the drums. Guitar has always been a bit of a struggle. Even after a few years of playing, I'm still not able to simply pick up the guitar and play a song flawlessly (except something like "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" or "Wild Thing"). The drums, on the other hand, I can plug in my Zune, and instantly start playing along with the songs. The rhythms and stick patterns just come into my hands. And, while I'm definitely not good, I at least can usually mimic what I'm hearing by the end of the song. For the ability to simply sit down and start playing along with a band, I can't beat the drums.

Of course, a drumline on its own sounds like...Well, kind of like a looping pedal. Drumming is terribly repetitive, so playing by yourself (with no Zune) is somewhat boring after a few minutes. Add a backup band, and it's extremely fun!

The reMastering Process

First, let me say that I haven't blogged since April. Yes, I realize I've lost out on the summer, and you shouldn't expect this to be a catch up entry. I'll leave that for a night with more time and calmer children.

While doing homework tonight, which is the first part of the remastering process, I'm listening to Rock 101.1 out of Vancouver. They are playing selections off the remastered Beatles release. The DJs are making a big deal about "Hey, this sounds so much better."

News flash, boys! You are over FM radio! The stuff sounds the same as it has for the past forty years!

Now, admittedly I'm not a huge Beatles fan to begin with, so I probably wouldn't pick up the nuances that mark a remastered work. However, something has to be said for the communication medium. Saying something sounds better, then broadcasting it in standard formats just sounds like marketing dribble.

Thanks, I'll go plug in my Zune now.

Oh yeah, and the Oilers are doing rookie camp this week!