Good morning, Prosperity

Prosperity South Carolina, that is. A terrific view first thing in the morning after falling asleep starring at the stars. A real room with a view. A real room in a home filled with love. It's a treat and privilege to visit my friends, play with their kids, help with home construction, share drinks, bonfires and smores...all things blessed by the Lord above.

A big welcome to Theo

My friends, Zach and Amanda just gave birth to their first child on 12/21. Everyone is doing well... May the Lord continue to bless this family, protect them, and may Theo come to know you as his friend and Savior.

More photos may be seen here on picasa.

Times change, but the story remains the same

Where's .......

Raymond? Can you find me? Hint: I'm not in the stands. This was today's pointless fun.

Esther...

Miss Esther can't make up her mind. Since the sun is making an appearance today, I am hangin' out with the girls, giving them some "free-range" time. While 3 are busy sunning themselves, Esther paces around in circles unable to decide which box she wants to lay in today. She's even checked out the top space by the water jug (didn't even know they could get up there). I swept and cleaned their coop yesterday and added fresh wood shavings and something new, straw. Maybe that's throwing her off? I was afraid the boxes would be too small, but where there's an egg to lay, there's a way. (?) lol

I have a hunch Kevin is starting to lay as well. So exciting. They are small eggs at the moment, and just brown. I can hardly wait for what's to come.

2 Eggs today!

And one funny video

This is October?

C'mon chickens!!!

It's all about the girls these days. Grace, Ruth, Esther & Kevin should be laying eggs by my calculations....alas, disappointed anticipation leaves my mornings wondering what I've done wrong, what could I be doing better...what's wrong with these silly things!??? They seem happy and active. Kevin played with my shoelace today until she untied it. Grace bounded and fluttered from her sunbathing when I tossed out bread crumbs. I even called the folks out at the Grange yesterday to inquire what could be wrong. "I have four different types. Shouldn't one of them be laying by now? I got them on May 1, and they were almost a week old." Fifteen minutes with one lady offered me nothing more than perhaps a different brand of food. She patched me through to Susan, the chicken pro, and she delivered the most disappointing news of all. "There is a lot of wrong information on the net," she begins, "and in my experience, having raised chickens all my life, I've never had one lay at 5-6 months. It takes a while. I wouldn't expect eggs until early spring..." Ugh. My hopes sank. Seriously? I've been gloomy gus since the call, but today, while the girls were out, the lingered longer at my feet than they usually do. I've given up hope trying to pet them. Their teenage adolescence of don't-touch-me is lingering on. They were so close, I tried. Kevin, of course, pretends that she doesn't like it, but is always right on top of me...sometimes, literally. I patted at the others... but Esther! Esther did this squat/fan wings out thing that apparently they do when they are close to laying. I was so thrilled... I chased her down and petted her again to make sure she wasn't pretending. Same reaction. So. Today I have hope that these hypothetical eggs will come....

Hope Unseen

Check out my friends amazing story and interview! New book just released. Be inspired and encouraged and give praise to the Lord above.

Spontaneity

(typing on my phone) It struck me tonight as it has the last couple days, that it's been a while since I last blogged slash vented. No news is good news? Well, I don't particularly want to be "that" guy, so here I am typing in the dark from my friends east coast apartment. They've been quite generous with their home and especially in squeezing me in between their travels. I am their first house guest since they've relocated from the west coast...and I've tried to be good. Erik and I were housemates for a couple years and he is one whom I trust. It's been good to get more acquainted with his petite wife. Although DC is not where they want "home" to be, they are making the most of it and have found a great little starter church which has helped them find some new friends. Tonight, after a delicious fajita with home made tortillas dinner, Erik helped me realize/see something in a new way. "Ever feel like the world is against you?" I asked. And he stated rather profoundly that the world is against us. The ground is cursed. We will sweat from our brow as we labor in vain....the Lord is for us and in His strength we have hope and perseverance to be examples of Him. Basically, I don't need to point out how rotten the day to day grind is with it's henderances, but instead glory in the days that are less troublesome and difficult. Welcome to the sinful world. Remember the promises of peace that lay ahead. Isn't it interesting that a spontaneous little trip could reveal more than I expected?

Hope Unseen

The youngest of seven and quickly becoming a good friend of mine, hails from a great family. One of his brothers, Scotty, who was injured during the war, has written a book to be released in two weeks (Sept 18). It will be sold everywhere. The complete story is here. (I can't figure out how to make the link show up directly.) I have met Scotty and am very impressed by his independence. Please tell your friends to check out this story and his book, Hope Unseen, by Captain Scott Smiley.

Must watch both

Pause the music player on the right and watch these two videos. They have both brought me laughter... and a few dance moves.





And then there is the cover of the remix... impressive

Jailed.

Cute they may be, but adolescence led them to bad behavior. Constant corralling interrupted my gardening aka mental processing time. The girls pushed the scope of their free range. Numerous warnings unheeded. The moment their toes hit the sidewalk the race began. While I may not be faster than the four of them, I am a tad smarter. Once in the house, I screened them in and returned to my garden glancing over my shoulder catching them standing at the door yearning to be released. A rather pathetic attempt, but picture worthy nonetheless.

Is it weird.....

..... that my chickens like BBQ chicken? I've been experimenting with different foods trying to get them to eat table scraps...for some reason, I thought they liked it, but so far they have only liked watermelon. Today, as the sun peaked out from some ominous clouds, I sat on the dry lawn and ate BBQ chicken leftovers. Peeling it off the bone, I thought, "It's stringy like worms... maybe they'll like it?" Ruth got the first taste and the others eventually stole it from her. They were fighting over something that they didn't even know if they liked it or not. Silly. "They really didn't eat that much," I thought as I picked up chicken bits around the yard. Maybe they just don't like my cooking? (it was a little on the dry side).

Above, Grace (the blond) and Kevin plop down to soak up some rays. I wonder if I look as ridiculous while sunbathing myself?

The cumulus clouds were threatening, but I rallied myself to go pick some blackberries. The sky was beautiful as the sun set. Some sunsets are just better than others and tonight was no exception. Meandering through the field I thought of the verse in Matthew 16 that says, "He (Jesus) replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." I think it's cool that the saying we have today "Pink sky at night, sailors delight, pink sky in the morn', sailors be warned" seems to have originated 2000 years ago.

The moon is virtually full. The air cooling from a surprisingly warm afternoon. One gallon of blackberries washed and stowed for winter.

There are....

....much bigger things in life. When life sometimes becomes so serious, I try to remind myself of God's promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that is "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." This verse combined with knowing there are far more challenging stories out there, help keep me thankful for the things I have and takes my focus off the things I do not have.

Here is a story of my brave friends who are persevering and learning grace.

So....

....I'm not alone??? If far more attractive people are struggling with singleness.... then I'm screwed.

Here's a story of one friend.

Seriously?

After driving 114.6 miles today in the city and on highway, I hit every stinkin' flippin' obtrusive overly abundant stop light, R E D minus 3 greens and a couple yellows (which yes, I ran). Basically, out 100 stoplights, 99.9 of them were red. Certainly I am not the kind of person to swear at such a thing on this horrible Monday that started with an argument before a "good morning". It ended well however, with a nice couple hour conversation with a friend. Throw in an I-don't-care-how-sunburned-I-get afternoon of floating alone on a lake and you've got a basic summery of my oh-so-delightful Monday.

Why the......

....heck do I think the things I do???

That is the question of the day. I've had some weird thoughts and battled lies and ideas that I can only hope aren't true. Where do they come from??? Now that I'm wanting to write some of them down, it's like a dream that appears so unforgettable, the moment you wake up, it's forgotten.

I'm not sure what I'm feeling at the moment... maybe angst(?) from today's wedding. Is there a condensed version? The groom is my friend. We've lived together. Had many meals and good times together. Traveled. Schemed various business plans together. Sharpened each other. Laughed. But our friendship hit a snaffoo a couple years ago because of something his father/father's friends said. Sadly, our relationship veered off course and is less (although ok), is less than I hoped for. Today, when the father came up to me to say hello, (the first time since poisoning my friend against me, I was, for the first time in my life, completely and utterly speechless. I barely got out, "Nice ceremony. Beautiful day." Not even complete sentences. A tidal wave of incapacitating frustration overwhelmed every part of me. Why can't I let this go? I thought I had. Obviously... I was wrong. In talking it over with a friend, I became more agitated at the attack of my character a couple years ago. Yes. I am far from perfect, however, I am working towards becoming a man of integrity...this requires honesty, sincerity, consistency, loyalty, faithfulness, truthfulness... I aspire to live the life Christ has called us to as in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." When one's character or intentions are attacked, it's like being on trial and having to prove yourself innocent instead of the other way around. This is a form of injustice which infuriates me.

So. What happens now? My friend is married... again, another relationship that will wane away or morph into almost non-existence. It's the current trend these days....being loyal to my buds only to be forgotten once the ring is on their left hand. Granted, not all of them have forgotten about me, but definitely the majority. Once kids are in the picture, I cease to exist. Everyone says, "It's a fact of life." This offers no consolation. For me, the purpose of investing in people's lives is the hope of developing life long friendships. Such is not the case in reality. One thought that crossed my mind today was "the reason people get married is so that they always have someone around... someone who can't leave when others do... someone who wants to be loved and share love as much as the other does... someone who will be there, willfully, when all others are silent..."

Another friend has taken interest in a girl...somewhat expeditiously. That was two weeks ago. Already our friendship has been condensed into an occasional text. You're probably thinking that I'm jealous. Yup. I'm jealous that he may have found love (and I haven't). Jealous that I'm not a priority... and generally sad that...well.... another one bites the dust.

PS--Just checked the Google Buzz and confirmed with FB that another friend just got engaged. Congratulations, Ben.

Rachel Grace

This is my friends baby. Her name is Rachel Grace Anderson. She was born August 4th, to proud parents Joe & Anna after only 5 hours of unmedicated labor. She was 8lbs 9oz. I got to meet her tonight for the first time. It was kinda nice to hold her. She smells good. My friend Chloe just started kindergarten. Her mom and dad are nervous. I read her mom's blog. She cries a lot. Chloe's brother wears a potty training toilet seat on his head. I went to a baseball game today. The Mariners lost. The police yelled at me and my friends. I had pizza for dinner. It's fun to write like a kid. Here is a better family photo.

Clean your can

While sitting in Starbucks today, celebrating a friends new unemployment, we saw this baby blue truck drive by. It was oddly shaped and we both took notice. What the??? If you zoom in, in a very Seattle like fashion, it reads, "CleanACan.com". Yup. Here's the official link. For only $6 a can, you too can promote healthy living and prevent your family (of rats) from getting diseases, mold or bacteria poisoning. Side note: The Blue Angels practice was less intrusive today. We caught a couple glimpses of them over sipping our frappuccinos.

Perspective

So, at the end of an exhausting day full of rants... I can go to sleep having just eaten two fortune cookies that read:

"You are domestically inclined and will be happily married."

and
"Good news from afar will bring a welcome visitor."

As I sit here, in my double-heat-intensifying skylighted attic, directly in front of my fan, those two quotes make me laugh and realize that while I may read them differently tomorrow, it was enough to make me crack a smile now. See, the Blue Angels are in town for Sea-fair weekend. It's exciting and a real rush watching them. Seldom seeing them through the hills and trees, but hearing them break sound barriers and sometimes feeling their afterburner rumble, I jolt my head to the sky, only to be blinded by the sun as the Angels are long gone. They are incredibly awesome and talented. Admittedly, they have grown on me. As a spectator, I figured the bulk of society would watch with anticipation of a horrific incident. Giving up the too cool for school attitude, my perspectives changed to hope of safety and admiration and even a little day dreaming of being a fighter pilot. However, it is also incredibly frustrating finally having something to do only to be delayed by interstate bridge closures so the Blue Angels may practice for this weekends show that I'll most likely not be able to attend. Perspective? 45 minutes to go 4 miles. No exaggeration required. The job? While glad to have it, I'm still learning the ins and outs of a design team who lapse in communicating from time to time. Patience wears thin on such toasty, muggy days as today. I faired well though through buckets of sweat. It's crazy to me that one would spend $200,000 on a Ferrari but not put air conditioning in their home. The commute home was just as horrendous with an accident on I520 westbound (my direction) as well as eastbound. When I got cut off from an extended/articulated metro bus that was blocking 5 lanes and an intersection, I pulled into Qdoba for a quiet, air conditioned mexican dinner. A friend called. We talked about the challenges of my day. and the joys of hers. A nano-micronic split fraction of a second later, she asks if I could let her dog out... and feed it... and add water to the food... and... She has two children, apparently unavailable. And after sharing with me the great time she had on a boat watching the Blue Angels, she was going directly to an art walk and didn't have time to... Well. You get the drift. Of course there is more things that happened today. But... the fortunes changed my perspective of the "world hates me" to "there is hope that your wife is on her way, perhaps from a far off land, and she will appreciate your handy man skills, like your cooking and be so pleased to have finally bumped into you after traveling the world."

Oh oh! I just had to go and eat one more cookie...

"There will be true and sincere friendship between you both."

What could it mean???
(other than I should stop eating fortune cookies before bedtime...)

Hello Blog

"You may have to be patient; think, listen and heed signs."

Humpf. Thought I could do this, get back in the blog swing of things, but the above was my fortune cookie devoured a moment ago and the undertow I seem to be battling. The last few weeks have had their challenges. Doesn't every mama impress upon their child, "If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say nothing at all"? Oh, Mama. Will I forever remain silent? A friend asked me today, "How's your summer been? Any highlights?" And do you know, my mind drew a dumbfounded blank. Is it the day? Or the mood? Or the sad reality that nothing memorable has happened this summer? There certainly has been challenges which in my tiny world seem monumental but I know all too well in the bigger picture... there are far worse things occurring and things could get worse. (hope and change has evaded me this year mr. president.) So a note to say that I am still occupying more than my fair share of space and perhaps the suns rays will shine brighter tomorrow.

Already?

I can hardly believe it. Yesterday I was watering my garden when to my surprise, I found that my raspberries have begun to ripen. Fortunately, they don't need the sun to do their magic. I picked one and shared it with a friend. Yup. We divided a raspberry. Summer deliciousness filled my mouth. I'm so proud.

I've also been working hard on the chicken coop. The girls are getting big. One question that gets asked often is whether or not they are endearing to me. I'm not sure how to answer that. I'd like to think they respond to me, but then again.... there's a major lack of consistancy. Kevin often jumps up on my hand, but still, chickens are not dogs. Dogs long to be by your side and serve you. Cats, although they have no intention of serving anyone but themselves, still respond better than chickens.

The coop fits just as I had hoped in the corner of our yard and hasn't cost me a cent (items have been purchased, but the coop itself was entirely free). I've used all "found" items from craigslist and keeping a sharp eye out. I'll probably mention this factoid a few more times, because, one, I'm proud of the result and two, I honestly didn't think it could be done (by me). I've met a wide variety of pedestrians as they do a double take not expecting to see chickens chillin in the hood of the university district.

Memorial Day

More brainstorming with a bud about a hen house. This friend I am dearly going to miss. He's one of the coolest people I know. Although, since he's been married, we've not had much time to connect even though he lives not even 2 miles away...but today was good. He gave me his cichlid, Remy. We used to have fish together. Erik is one of the kinda guys that I've always trusted. We didn't have to do much together, but I admire him and am so very glad our paths have crossed even for just a moment. He took the time to leave an imprint on my life. Lord, keep he and his wife safe, and if possible, bring them back to the Northwest.
I'm still feeling a bit discouraged about how to utilize all my found items. The weather this upcoming week does not look promising. The whole country was in the 80-90's today... we barely broke 60. The sun did break, giving me a chance to take the girls on a field trip outside and chance to refresh their living quarters. More and more neighbors are taking notice of the girls as the flutter and chase each other about. I tossed 'em a worm, Esther (of course) was the first to nab it... but the others gave chase. Ultimately, Ruth won out and after a couple pecks, swallowed the thing whole! She also gave sun bathing a try, but Kevin's got it mastered. She lays on the sidewalk and today, burrowed herself a little hole in the shade of my rose bush. I'm so glad they are alive and growing.

Fox and Chickens

I had the idea before it was cool... just for the record.
 

Today, the weather was really blustery... then sunny...then rainy... totally wacky, so I didn't take the girls out. Instead, I brought them a millipede... Esther was very excited... but it kinda got away from her. The next one... oh man. So funny to watch. Esther grabbed it...ran around... the others chased and tried their best to block her... I don't think they've quite learned to share yet. I brought in a worm, and they stood in a line just staring at it... Grace got that one... but repeated the same game of chase, peeping, flapping, running in circles from the others. Funny to watch.
Sometimes in the evening, I'll hold them hoping to reinforce a bond. Keep in mind, I have no idea what I'm doing. Grace is by far the most affectionate one. Esther, the most curious. Kevin...she's an opportunist. And Ruth...some days she likes me, some days, not so much. But the both of us fell asleep the yesterday night. I woke up at 1:30 am with a chicken in my lap. Who knew I'd ever say that out loud?

Trying to find some goodness in this yucky day. Here is a picture of small group friends hanging out at gas works park, on Lake Union, with Seattle in the background. It's a nice area to watch the sunset over the Ballard Locks and see the reflections on the skyline and St. Marks Cathedral.

No Eagles

Sadly, the Eagles concert was canceled today...but my friend and I washed and detailed each others cars and had good conversation. It was in the low 70's for the first time this year and it was glorious. (although, the sun does kinda zap the energy levels.) My housemate just posted a video tutorial on playing guitar... I like his voice. You may have heard him on here before. Here's the link. Sugar is a great song by Garrett Gue.

Oi Monday!

Monday. Tough Monday. It's not the chickens...they are fine and growing. Ruth doesn't like to be held so much and is trying more and more to fly. It was a bit cloudy and cool after a gorgeous weekend. James Taylor and Carole King put on a great performance at Key Arena.

Today...something seemed a-rye as I showered. You ever get that suspicious feeling that alludes to something but you can't quite put your finger on it? Well, I went to a friends house with portable hard drive in hand to give him some programs that he'd lost the cd's for. He was thrilled. He was clumsy. Knocked my hard drive over and now it chirps every few moments. It didn't use to chirp. I prefer the chicks do the chirping. I spent about on hour online with Seagate trying to decipher the problem without success.

Four o'clock rolled around and it was time to meet a friend for Starbucks Happy Hour. Yes, you read that right. And yes, I have been taking full advantage. I'll worry about the calories later. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I was at the top of my stairs one moment and half way down a split second later. No bouncing. My right arm got scuffed from my wrist to forearm. I stared at my ankle. "Get up! F'get about it!" I told myself. Off I went. I felt a little nauseous...landing with profound hardness gave my boys a jolt. "Buck up. You're ok." I pressed on. The time with my friend was awesome.

It's been a few hours. I need to whine. My forearm burns. My back is stiff. My ankle is pulsing and tender to move. When I look right, my neck is sore (just now discovering). This means my Tuesday is not going to be fun, huh? I know much, much more could have gone wrong today...I'm sad for the potential of my life to be lost on the hard drive. I'm shocked to have fallen and hurt myself... I seldom get physically hurt. I don't like to be slowed or hindered. Dear heavenly Doctor, Please take these aches and pains away quickly. I will tread more carefully.

Names

At this point, the littles have names. I'm not sure if there is much of a point, but nonetheless, currently, their names are (from left to right), Grace, Esther, Kevin & Ruth. I don't have any kids, and can't remember the last time I had to name something... it's a funny process. Grace is a beautiful thing, a wonderful U2 song, and something I need to work more on in my life. Apparently this little chick had been rejected due to something funny with her neck. Something in me made her my first pick regardless her condition. She seems fine, although, I think a little narcoleptic. When I hold her, she'll stand, eyes slowly close, head nod, and sometimes, fall over. She makes me laugh. Ruth and Esther-for some reason, I thought they were sisters in the Bible, now, realize they were not, however both were very empowered women. These two are supposed to lay blue/green and red eggs. Then... there's Kevin. It was a housemates girlfriends idea. My first thought was, "That's silly." But then remembered how much I liked the movie, UP. Kevin was also a great housemate and friend at one time. He was also my best friend in college and it happens to be his birthday today. Plus, I think it's funny to name a girl Kevin....perhaps too many years listening to Johnny Cash's A boy named Sue. All kidding aside, I definitely want them all to be girls... Roosters are not allowed in city limits.

Chickens

Updated! Check it out.

Happy May day

Can't decide between these two photos. May 1 is opening day for boating here in Seattle. The Montlake cut is closed for the day as crew teams race from Lake Union to Lake Washington. Everyone with boats, forms a corridor on the east side of the cut, to view the team races and celebrate the day. Hence, the photo of me is on my friends yacht. If I had children, perhaps we would pick flowers and visit the neighbors, ringing and running and yelling, "Happy May Daaaaay!" Seems like the thing to do...although, I don't remember why. Well, here's a photo of the rose bush I purchased in memory of Mama. It's called a Margaret Merrill. I think it's so beautiful in all stages of bud, slightly opened and fully open. I'm pretty proud of this picture too. While living in Austria, there were many stories about the May Pole dance and pranks played on neighbor villages. Now those, those seemed like fun. Tradition. Where has it gone?

Rain City Chickens

So I just realized that I kinda started another blog... but not really. You see, for the past few months, I've been talking about getting chickens. I grew up with them...which, for the record, does not mean I grew up in a barn...but we raised them in our living room. My dad was more prone to farm stock than he was dogs & cats. Well, something must have carried over from those childhood days. At the risk of repeating myself, I'll send ya over to Back Yard Chickens so you can see what I've been up to. For the moment, the skies have cleared and it's time for a walk.

Hope

Some funny things rattling around in my mind. One being that I have been thinking and not blogging. So here's a thought on the last movie my friends and I watched. It's called, Henry Poole Is Here, a "romantic comedy" (my friend's picked it out). I wonder if I would think more of this film if it were categorized differently. I guess it was ok for a $1 Red Box rental (again, I didn't have to pay the dollar). I s'pose it was artistic with original melancholy songs...I sat wondering if Luke Wilson was going to be sad the entire time or something would change. There are certainly interesting characters which perhaps give a glimpse of what it means to care for one another. Adriana Barraza played Esperanza, a meddling, good intentions neighbor. She-was-the-star. In watching the directors bonus thoughts (ha! too much time on our hands)... He said that he was trying to portray hope. My mouth fell open. My heart saddened a little thinking, "This is what the world sees as hope??!"

Without getting overly profound on cinematic doctrine shaping pop culture views or sounding too preachy... I will say this. Romans 8 has lots of good things to say about hope. Verse 24 says, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" Makes sense. Even one of my favorite movies, A Knight's Tale, (yes, I know it's cheesy) has many, many great parts. Where Henry's director fails, Williams director successfully captured hope. Secretly, I've wanted to give this to the love of my life one day... that day has yet to come. This is a note from Sir William to his love Jocelyn...

"It is strange to think, I haven't seen you since a month. I have seen the new moon, but not you. I have seen sunsets and sunrises, but nothing of your beautiful face. The pieces of my broken heart are so small that they could be passed through the eye of a needle. I miss you like the sun misses the flower; like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter. Instead of beauty to direct its light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has banished me to. I next compete in the city of Paris, I will find it empty and in the winter if you are not there. Hope guides me, that is what gets me through the day and the night. The hope that after you're gone from my sight, it will not be the last time that I look upon you."

A day late...

...and a dollar short. S-t-o-r-y of my life. Not sure the relevance yet, but that's how I'm feeling. First off, what was I thinking going to the post office to mail a long procrastinated care package on tax day?! I was thinking: 1- It's way past high time I got rid of this stuff, 2- It's a gorgeous day in Seattle, cool ocean breeze, 62 degrees, 3- I need to mail this check that my accountant said I needed to mail (hopefully it wasn't yesterday) to avoid late fees... So yeah, pretty much caught up in my own world.

Qdoba routinely has the CNN on. I prefer Fox News. But I like to practice speed reading the subtitles while I have lunch. Turns out, there's a huge volcano in Iceland that just erupted...four days ago. Gosh! Where have I been? I am often baffled how long it takes me to hear the news. This photo flashed across their screen which I thought was super beautiful. I wish it could be bigger. I've wanted to go to Iceland for years, not for any good reason, but just to go. I seldom need a reason. Being there for the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano would have made an awesome story... and perhaps I could have taken a few great pictures myself.
Photo by Ólafur Eggertsson, from the farm Þorvaldseyri

the Pursuit...

...of nice looking hair. A friend and I went to our longstanding favorite Mexican place, Gordito's, and afterwards, as tradition has it, we end up at Fred Meyer across the street to browse for sweet deals and usually buying something that we can do without. Since I'm wearing my hair longer these days, it's even more of a challenge keep it looking...complimentary. (this is where I start sounding more like a girl...no offense ladies.)

"All you need for moist, smooth and seductive hair in one irresistible formula." This comes directly from the Organix website. I'm just looking for not frizzy, dry hair. I want Pantene curls and shine. I'll gladly take "moist, smooth and (especially) seductive" hair. In college, I grew my hair super long despite favor with my mom. I was determined to prove her wrong. What? She has her own self to thank for my stubbornness and determination. (thanks mama) That was a big success. Not instantly of course, but when all her friends and strangers at the mall and market would go out of their way to tell me "What beautiful hair you have..." she'd lean in making her presence known which led to the inevitable question, "Is he your son? You must be so proud." Yeah. Seemed I had the world on my side. For the first time in my life, I was getting attention achieving something less common to man. Sadly, as expected, all the compliments went slowly, but surely, to my head. It took a few years, but after one life changing afternoon, I realized that there wasn't a parked car or store window that I didn't look in.

Ha. Actually wanted to talk about the new Organix shampoo conditioner I found. It was expensive (for me), but came with a complete mail-in rebate. If all goes well, it will be free. It has a really nice fragrance. I'm a sucker for conditioner with mint. I also like to travel, and this comes from Australian Teatrees. Today was the first day. Backup, yesterday was a horribly dry, no good, very bad, frizzy day. The new shampoo and conditioner has a true test and I'm quite pleased at the results. The mint is not as scalp tingling as I like but an hour later, there is a lifting freshness. The fragrance is mild and interesting (in a good way). It'll take a few more tries to identify just what it is, but I'm pleased! :D Seldom do I get good results right off that bat, but Day 1, I applaud you Teatree Organix!

Being from Seattle, I should also mention that it's in recycled packaging, ink, labels...not something I normally look for, but I'm glad it's part of this sweet deal.

Game day

Today is the Mariners first game of the season. The city is abuzz. Navy and teal apparel are everywhere. Randy Johnson comes home to throw the opening pitch. The 42 year old is 6' 10 and just retired after winning a whopping 303 games in his 22 year career. I wonder how he'll adjust after living and breathing baseball all these years. There is hope in the air on this bright and pleasant gray afternoon. The lawn is freshly mowed. Good luck, Mariners.

Hail to the daffs

The weather these days is wacky. Today, it was gorgeous blue skies, then while the sun was shining, it started to hail. Made no sense. I'm amazed these flowers have lasted this long through torrential down pours, 50 mph gusty winds, hail, near freezing temps, pedestrians... Ok, so they don't escape the harms of drunks or bums or even two girls who walked up my sidewalk (and yes, I watched the whole thing as my small group was just ending and we were outside talking)and plucked a few beauties to take home. I..... followed them home. (the girls and the daffs). Yes, it's 11pm, but what were they doing stealing my flowers? Most of you probably don't get it, but the few gardeners out there... you'll sympathize. Anyway, I asked them not to pick any more in the future so that everyone can enjoy them and that Trader Joes sells them for like $2 a bunch. Forgetting that they even had the flowers in their hands, they replied, "What?! We didn't pick anything. We..." then they realized, "...uh... a friend gave us these..." (Stupid girls). "I watched you pick them..." Kinda trying to be nice, "Please do not pick anymore. Good night."

Then I think of Matthew 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin..." Truth be known... I am a little more worried lately.

Gazing out the window

Everything is wet. My tulips came back this year... and they are very, very clean.

The Lights Went Out

(leave it to the media to make a bigger deal out of it than what it was-the official news)

Officers hit with bottles while breaking up crowds at UW | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional

Rarely...our power goes out. It happened last winter during the ridiculous snow storms. Usually it goes out for no good reason at all. It's a bit of a mystery. Last night, at 11:26 the power went out. You should have seen the fireworks... And heard the cheers. I participated as a spectator (declining my friends pleading to go streaking)... Mob mentality. Interesting. One block over and two down, I was drawn to the chanting. The Greeks emptied out of there dark houses and gathered. The firemen came and went. The policemen came and watched. Bigger and better fireworks. I smell a summer bbq... not the good part, the lighter fluid part of vintage charcoal grills. What started as a small glow, grew into a larger glow. "One. More. Couch." the crowd jeered. The rest is on video... The cool looking brown brick house in background of the first video is where I spend lots of my time hanging out.

My housemate, Jason, took this video towards the end...

Wacky Thursday

But I got lot accomplished...by force, or by, "there's no getting around it Raymond, just get it done!" With the help of a couple patient friends, mission completed. It might be best understood by working in reverse. I posted this photo earlier today at !:38am. That's when the dust settled. Not dust really, just flour. I was on a mission to make Hot Cross Buns this year and apparently tradition has it that you eat them on Good Friday. Currently, they are rising and awaiting crosses, and to be baked and then quickly delivered to multiple friend's homes. Before I have to leave for the Muse concert. I must type faster. The oven was still warm last night as I made two large loafs of banana bread 'cause my bananas were just perfect for bread after being gone for 10 days. (oops) While the HCBuns were rising, I boiled water for 60 Easter eggs... 12 minutes, no more, no less. Perfect. While the bread was resting and eggs were boiling, I made mixed the banana bread. Bake. Rotate eggs. Work on Easter cards. So, I didn't do Christmas cards, and thought I'd do them at a less busy time. Silly me. Friend from out of town was also staying the night. Thanks for your help, Luke. Let's invite some friends over so you can visit.... and they can help decorate eggs! My small group was supposed to come at 8, but have gone astray. Two other friends, newly engaged, dropped in and helped stuff cards. Some of you may be the lucky recipients of said cards. That puts as at 8:00pm. Walgreens for egg kits. Teriyaki dinner, (out) was at 6:45. Race home in traffic to meet visiting friend. Bumped into another friend who thankfully helped unload the Costco load from the car....only to sit briefly for a visit with Luke in front of a discombobulated entertainment center, because apparently the new DVD player I bought in December is a piece of junk! No time for electronics... I gotta go... lots to do, lots to do. Housemate, "Uhhh... are you guys watching a movie?" I roll my eyes and wonder if he and his gf will ever get out of the kitchen in time for my small group (who never came remember)...but breads still need to made. Yikes. Bread. Gotta go!

Oh, John Mayer

Welcome to Seattle. Please put on a good show so all your teenager girlfriends will spend all their allowance so that I can make a little bit o money. Are you really singing until 11:30pm?! That's a late show! Been here since 2pm, and I'm already ready to go home...you picted a beautiful day to come--stormy clouds all have silver lining, sunbeams all around...aren't these the bluest skies you ever seen?

I Have to Toot...

......my own horn... lol.

A friend's perspective

Howdy Sogg City!

Yes, it's true. I'm a lame blogger. Then again, life has been a bit lame and I figure, Why bring the rest of the world down? Today, however, I just returned from a bit of an impulsive trip to the South...returned with a renewed spirit to Seattle downpours. Some may not consider the South a warm heartland, but for me, it was a heart healthy dose of rekindling friendships and catching up with growing families. It's such a privilege to have the freedom to travel across America, to experience different American culture and beauty. In an attempt to turn over a new leaf, I will try to post more which means 1) my life needs to become more interesting and 2) until then, I will reminisce over my latest Southern adventure. I have some ideas already brewing. For now, I'd like to share a video that one of my friends shared with me... Everything is Amazing & Nobody is Happy (I'd like to share it with you, but the link isn't working...apologies...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk

Good words, Glenn

Good song, Good humor, Tragic all-to-real story

In short... Passengers watched the gorilla baggage crew trash their luggage. United refused multiple times to compensate in any way after almost a year. So they wrote a song, posted it on youtube and it has almost 8 million views. LOL. And, they did it tastefully. OH. Apparently Taylor Guitars has given them $10,000 in guitars to replace the one that got wrecked...and according to the View, United has recently donated the money they offered a little too little too late. They are "using the video for training purposes"....of course, without offering any compensation. Is this the way the hippies did it back in the day? :)

Tribute to Fathers

A friend posted this on Facebook and it's beautiful in all kinds of ways. Check out one mans tribute to his father (even if you're not to fond of yours).