Zune Van Winkle

Well, I was going to load up my Zune with the corrected files I've fixed so far so I could have some tunes for tonight if the kiddos fall asleep early. Unfortunately, Microsoft missed something when they created the Zune 30g. An ugly 'leap-year' bug has frozen everyone's Zune who bought one in 2006. All you see is the lighted Zune logo on the screen. How do I know this? I asked uncle Google.

But, just as quickly as everyone began complaining this morning, Microsoft gave us a fix! Hooray!!

Wanna know what the quick and easy fix is?

...... wait until tomorrow at noon. Yup. That's it. Old Zunie is fast asleep for a while. According to the makers, the internal clock will reset itself. All I have to do is make sure the battery drains, recharge it, then turn it back on.

Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that this little 'fix' is really just a ploy to buy more time for the techs to create a REAL fix?

I WANT MY MUSIC!!

What else?

What else has been going on with me you ask? Even if you didn't ask, here's the answer.

On Sunday, I took Maverick to the vet because on Saturday he looked like he had pink eye. I gave it a day to clear up, but it looked worse - so off we went. He got some eye drops that I have to give him for the next two weeks, but he looks better already. I'm glad he's not pawing at his eyes because he'd look pretty silly in a cone.

Also, I'm pretty low-key about my break, so I've been taking time to fix my mp3s from the great Zune scramble of '08. During one of the software 'updates' all my music got messed up. I had Third Day singing Sk8er Boi on the Best of Perry Como album. Nice eh? I have nearly 4,000 mp3s in my collection. I'm going through them one album at a time and re-entering all the proper information. I'd say I've fixed about 20% so far.

I've also been spending a bit more time with my guitar, so my fingers are getting all peely again. I'm attempting to add some lyrics to a chord progression that I put together a while ago. AKA writing a song. PS- I thought it would be artsy fartsy of me to have a name for my guitar, so suggestions are welcome.

I've started reading John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. Haven't gotten too far, but I'm enjoying it. I guess I didn't realize it's written like an allogory. I like allogories. It was supposed to be my goal to finish it before school started up again, but we'll see. It's a big book.

I am now onto the 5th and final season of Quamtum Leap. They re-recorded the opening theme song for this season and it sounds really stupid. What were they thinking?!

Mike Lynch has been dog sitting for the past week for some folks in my neighborhood so I've gone over there a few times to kick some butt at TimeSplitters. Actually, I didn't play the video games as much as I watched. It was a nice mix up of my daily routine of doing nothing.

Oh, and the other night Jami came by and helped me play some games on my computer. It was jolly good fun and now I'm addicted to Diner Dash. Good thing it's only a free trial and will eventually stop working.

So as you can see, my 'break' wasn't just a break from school. It was more like a break from reality and responsibilty. I'm gonna hate to see it go.

Tonight I will be babysitting for a friend as I ring in the new year. I think it's gonna be a blast, I've never spent New Years Eve with youngsters. Bring it on!

And in case I don't see ya.... Happy New Year!!

Bless Your Beautiful Hide

This was a much happier ride to Seattle than the last one. For one, we weren't all hungry. And for two, there wasn't any reason to worry about the roads since the rain came through and washed away the snow.

We got there with plenty of time to grab our tickets and a snack before settling in our seats. John snapped this quick photo which held up the line for a moment.

Mom and I watched as the rows in front of us started to fill up and we feared someone with large hair or a long neck would sit in front of us. Eventually, the two seats in front of us were pretty much the only open ones left in our section. We watched a this really tall couple pointed down our row and started our way. We lost all hope. Suddenly, they stopped in front of another couple and flashed their tickets saying "I believe these are our seats." After some shuffling, the tall couple was not going to be in front of us. The lights went down and to my delight no one ever filled those seats! Although, I did take a moment to have some pity on the folks who might have been sitting there. You never know why they didn't make it.

The set workings were awesome! Here's a shot of the opening scene before the lights went down. I didn't want to infringe on any rights so I didn't take any photos of the play. It was a really entertaining show, but it just didn't do everything for me that the movie does. In the play, my favorite brother was Frank. I guess I was a bit sad that the kid who played Gideon didn't steal my heart like Russ Tamblin does. I did enjoy how some of the lines were played more for humor than they are in the film and it was really great enjoying those moments with a TON of people.

I think I'll go watch the movie now. I got it on DVD [widescreen] for Christmas!

That was a riotous ride!

The two seats right in front of me are totally empty!

Random Scrap of Paper

While organizing my sheet music and guitar books, I found this random index card with this poem scratched on it:

There once was a eunuch from Munich
So cold he wore a blue tunic
He looked like a clown
as he rode into town
'Cause he forgot his blue tunic in Munich

Clever ey?

It's almost Christmas

The time sure can fly by, eh? I seem to still be stuck on a dry spell as far as my blog is concerned. Sorry about that - for my daily readers ;) Even now I have no idea what to write. I'm super happy to be on break from school. I was excited to go see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the 5th Avenue in Seattle last Thursday, but the weather bit hard. It took two hours to get to Sumner, which usually takes about 20 minutes or so. Thankfully we were able to get re-seated for another showing next Saturday.

Hmm.... what else... I helped Mikey create some gifts for his family. That was fun. Only two days left on my Photoshop Trial. /sniff sniff What will I do without you, Photoshop!?

Oh yeah, I've been stuck on a Quantum Leap kick. I'm on Season Four right now. Sam and Al are quite the team. I look forward to seeing what sort of crazy outfit Al will be wearing from 'the future'. I've been wondering about which event in my life that Sam might leap into to try and change and why. It's sort of a fun game.


Well, I can't think of anything else right now and it is pretty late, so TTFN!

I thought this was pretty cool!

Check out this blog post of someone who is a complete stranger to me.

One for the economy.

Hair today...

Well, thank you for the overwhelming response to my hair dilemma. I didn't even know there were 12 people who read my blog. Apparently, you've all come out of the closest to voice your opinions on such an issue I thought was trivial. Perhaps I was wrong.

I feel silly writing such an update, but it seems the people want to know. I've decided to leave my hair how it is. You all seem to like it at a longer length, even though it drives me up the wall.

New Hair!

I need new hair.

Photo Opp

There was some beautiful lighting coming through the front of the house this evening so I grabbed my camera and a plate of food and ended up with this shot. I also used some Photoshop skills to get the look I wanted.

Inspired by Amber

This little photo edit job was inspired by Amber's post entitled Pulling the Plug. I took this photo a few years ago during a practice photo shoot with my good friend Candice. I jazzed it up a tad to appear as though we are lit by the glow of the t.v. You like?



When it comes to television, quite often I find myself being reminded of the old children's song....

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little ears what you hear
For the Father up above
Is looking down with love
Oh be careful little heart what you love"

Just the four of us.

Well, I thought I'd post a family photo. I took this on Thanksgiving, which was also my parent's anniversary. Thirty-two years. Way to go Ma & Pa! I love you guys - no matter how awkward I look in family photos!

Orange Crush

I'm totally gonna miss these guys! They were like my little siblings but without the fighting :)



**The following was added after Amber's comment asking for highlights of the season.***

I've been coaching youth soccer for the YMCA since 2006. This was my fifth season of teaching 3rd & 4th graders the game of soccer. I was pretty excited when I found out that I was getting back some of the players I thought I wouldn't be coaching again because they were too old. I love how each player has their own style and personality. They're at such a fun age.

We had two players who had never played soccer before, and we had players that were born with a ball at their feet. Having such a vast gap in skill levels creates quite a challenge when it comes to creating practices. I think Adrian and were able to find drills and games that fit all levels. We were able to add extra challenge for those players who could handle it, or keep it basic for those still new. It took some creative thinking, but I like creative thinking.

There were two players in particular who were a 'joy' to watch during games. They were just having so much FUN! It was contagious. When watching them, I'd find myself wearing a grin from ear to ear. They'd just be smiling away anytime the ball was near them. They'd try their hardest and regardless of whether they failed or succeeded, they enjoyed themselves. I never had to remind them that we were there to have fun.

It was especially sweet when one of the boys gave Adrian and I chocolates as a thank you for coaching, and one of the girls had made us each a bracelet. Another boy practically begged us to coach his basketball team during the winter season. I actually thought about it. Adrian and I played basketball together at Stahl Jr. High, and I thought it'd be pretty sweet if we ended up coaching together, too.

When I signed up to coach, I had no idea how much fun it could be and how these kids would impact me. I hope they know I think they're amazing. Maybe one day they'll look me up on FB.

A dance with Dwight & Micheal!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sky Angel Cowboy

The gospel is simple. Don't underestimate a child's ability to understand the Father.

somf

Hi Cheramie!

This is my Bible | Part 1

Have you ever heard a preacher start a sermon by having the people repeat the following phrase?: "This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do." I would venture to say that it is most famously used by Joel Osteen, but plenty of others have used it as well. Every so often, my church's Youth Pastor will start his message that way. I thought it would be a grand idea to see exactly what the Bible has to say about those things.

In this post, I analyze the first part - I am what it says I am. Many times in our lives (generally speaking) we ask ourselves "who am I?" and can feel overwhelmed and lost by that thought. I know this has been true for me. Sermons, messages, talks with friends, and our own ideas can give us various answers to this question. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to do this particular study, but I finally decided I needed to go straight to my Creator for the proper answer.

I am

royalty. 1Pe 2:9
provided for. Luke 12:28
blessed. John 20:29
rich. 2 Co. 9:11
made in the image of God. Gen. 1:27
very good. Gen. 1:31
a ruler of all the earth. Gen. 1:26
crowned with glory and majesty. Ps. 8:3-6
redeemed. Eph. 2:1-9
God's workmanship. Eph. 2:10
God's daughter. Rom. 8:14-16
a co-heir with Christ. Rom. 8:17
more than a conqueror. Rom. 8:37
created for God. Col. 1:16
gifted. Rom. 12:6
part of the Body of Christ. 1 Co. 12:27
loved. John 3:16

Any item on this list can certainly be a study in it's own right, and a few of them I know I will have to meditate on and research more for further understanding.

I didn't exactly find these answers by reading along verse by verse, so this is an incomplete study. Please, if you have verses to add, you are more than welcome to leave them as comments.

This is only the starting point of who I am. I am also a traveler, a technology geek, and a thinker. But these parts of me are not defined in scripture. I want to know who I am individually as well as who I am in Christ. I struggle to find words that describe who I am. I believe that knowing who you are is a crucial step in being everything God has made you to be. If you, my readers, can think of a word or two that descibes who I am, I'd appreciate the info. And please, I'd love to hear your thoughts on who you are!

To every veteran, young and old, who's made my freedom possible,

THANK YOU.

You are not forgotten.