Rare, Random Post

Hah, I snuck a blog post when no one was looking! (Yes, it has been a while!!!)

In tonight's rare, completely random post, I gotta vent a bit on things I currently LOVE and HATE (or at least severly dislike, for those of you who are of the "we don't use the word HATE" variety).

"HATE":

- Cold weather. That's right, I ain't diggin it. Not a big fan of coldness in general, but after three or four months of winter, it gets REALLY OLD and I'm jonesin for some warmth, know what I'm sayin? Now, I realize Brandon and Megan are not gonna have much pity on me, since they are still shoveling snow, but nonetheless I feel I must express my great disapproval for the fact that it is not warm and sunny.

- Lame TV commercials. Right now there is a weight loss commercial with some really creepy skinny guy in a way-too-tight tee shirt. Not a good look for him. Also, there's a Greenville-area spokesmodel with a really high-pitched, annoying voice. She appears on a number of different commercials, during which Cathy or I will instinctively push the "mute" button...problem solved! And how about those horrible "local" car dealership ads (you know what I'm talking about).

- Being sick. As in, get sick, tough it out for ten days, decide its not going away on its own, see doctor, get Z-Pack, finish Z-Pack with no apparent results, decide I'll just get used to feeling blah. *Sigh*


LOVE:

- Chilling at home. After a busy last few months (wedding, Christx, two weeks in France during January, etc), it is so nice just to be able to chill out at home a bit. Cathy and I (and Rupert) have our little daily routines, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Life is good.

- Pickin and grinnin. My band is back in the recording studio (WhiteStone Studios on downtown Greenville), working on our second studio CD. We put in two 10-hour days this weekend (!) and managed to lay down all the instrumental tracks for 8 songs. This coming weekend, we should finish the music for the remaining 4 songs, and start on vocals. Recording is sort of "musical drudgery", but the end product should be worth all the effort.

- Fun with family. Last night, Zach and Sarah invited Cathy and I over to their apartment for dinner. A good time was had by all! First, a killer dinner consisting of Sarah Gilliam's fine home-cooked chili and cornbread. Oh, and Blue Bell cherry cheesecake ice cream for dessert! An old friend from Temple Baptist (Heath Burns) was able to join us as well. We topped the evening off by playing a little Guitar Hero, complete with drums, guitar, and vocals. My favorite song? Gotta be our rendition of Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer", with Miss Gilliam on the stratospheric vocals and my little woman on the screamin electric guitar. We had a great time...thanks Zach and Sarah!

- Beach. I gotta admit that I am spending some amount of time daydreaming about our beach vacation this summer. Cathy has rented a condo near the Garden City pier, and I think its going to be a blast. Hopefully, the whole gang will be able to come (Zach and Sarah, Brandon and Megan, Bob & Sherry, me and Cathy, and Rupert of course!). I'll start saving up my quarters for the Skee Ball machine!

Oh well, thanks for reading. Hopefully I will have another post before too many days go by!

Rant

What day is today?

September 11th.

Does that ring a bell? Is there anything special about September 11th, anything that stands out in your mind? Is there any significance to this date???

Apparently, Google.com does not think so. Good ole Google, everyone's favorite search engine. You know, the one that changes its "Google" logo on important days, such as holidays or famous people's birth/death dates?

Well, I suppose 9/11 doesn't mean much to the folks at Google, for today their homepage logo is curiously unadorned by any references TO THE SINGULAR MOST HISTORICAL DATE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.

While I'd like to believe that this omission represented some gross forgetfulness on their part (a mistake that even a first grader wouldn't make if you asked them about 9/11), common sense tells me that perhaps the folks at Google have some sort of agenda or worldview that wants to downplay the significance of 9/11.

Given that fact that Google has also failed to change their logo on other patriotic days such as Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, I can't help but wonder if my suspicions about their political leanings are true.

Shame on you, Google.

Fancy B

OK, this is sort of a calligraphy project, sort of a drawing project. Not sure what inspired it, but it was fun.

Basically, a ridiculously fancy capital B, copied freehand from an 1883 book of ornate lettering...

Bargain

OK, my wife and I went to some antique stores up in the mountains, and I bought...

...a Parker 51 special desk set. Onyx base, black pen with chrome tip. Nib seems to be a medium, and lays down a good thick line.

The price? $16, BUT she said that entire booth was 50% off, so I got it for $8. Shweeet!

I like buying pens, but I LOVE buying pens at ridiculously good prices!

Blood

Here's a little calligraphy project, reflecting on the agony Jesus suffered in the garden of Gesthemene. I cannot imagine the battle raging inside him, the temptation to avoid the cross, to call down legions of angels to save himself...

What a Savior we have!

Flex

OK, here's a rule: don't try and write with a flex-nib fountain pen in one hand, while trying to film the action with your cell phone in the other hand!

Not the best video quality (grainy, low light, subject not centered, etc) but I think it gets the idea across!

Techie details:

• Pen = 100-year old A.A. Waterman eyedropper fountain pen with gold semi-flex nib
• Paper = Clairefontaine 90 g/cm2 Seyes-ruled (bought in Clermont-Ferrand)
  
• Ink = Private Reserve Dakota Red.

Drums

OK, as a Mr. Bean fan and ex-drummer, I gotta post this one...