Get Away

To celebrate our 6th anniversary, we have gotten away for the day to Monterey. We are staying at the spindrift inn. It is quite nice. An old hotel right on the water. Our room has hard wood floors, a wood burning fire place, and nice feather bedding. I like it. This morning we went to the aquarium, and it was nice.

Lunch was at Fish Hopper. It was amazing. I had (pictured) the cajun swordfist with sea scallops over artichoke and portabella ravioli in a tomato cream sauce. MMMMM. May be one of the best on the water seafood places I have been to. And the price wasn't bad etiher. Tonight we will dine at The Chart House. I will let you know how it is.

Sniper

I am not usually violent.  But  watching American Idol last night (and other nights) makes me want to take a sniper rifle and start picking off all of those people in the pit that sway their arms back and forth on EVERY song.  Yes, and you that don't even do it in time to the song, you are the first on the hit list!!!

Wow, I feel better having just said it, I guess I will not need to take action.

Post

This is a post just for the sake of a post.  I don't want to go a full week without posting.  Still crazy busy.  Was out of town working yesterday, got home late.  Been working all day today.  Took a short break to go help...errrr...watch Randy build the set for Easter.  Then been back in my hole doing tax returns.  It is 3:15am and my brain is no longer functioning.  I am going to go do the patented watch Mike and Mike in the morning and try and put myself to bed.  I don't see any slow down in sight this week, but things are looking good for the following.  The rest of the week I have the following:

• My busiest "work" week of the year as far as tax returns are concerned
• A kids Easter event at church (practice Wed, Setup Friday, Event Sat Am)
• Easter Sunday (practices on Thursday and Saturday Nights)

I don't know how to get everything done, but I will.  Man, I just read that.  I sound like a big fat whiner.  I will quit now.  Remind me when it is October and I am bored out of my mind and wish I was busy about this post.  There has to be a life in the middle.  I need to find that.  Not sitting around looking for things to do, not too busy to breathe.  Need to find that middle lifestyle.  I am good at the two extremes.

Rock Band

My wife and I love to play Rock Band. Go check this out over at Ragamuffin Soul. I don't know Los, but sometimes I feel like I do. This is an awesome creative idea to start a service. Sometimes I wonder, and am jealous at places where they are young and hip enough to do something like this and have it come off well. Pat and Randy do an amazing job at our church and I consider them creative geniuses. They have what I think may be a more difficult task than a younger church like Los has. They always come up with creative ideas and sets that are cool for the younger attender and yet still won't totally freak our the old timers.

Click here and view his Rock Band opener.

His & Hers

I know that the saying mostly applies to towels, but this is just as good as towels isn't it? Well it all started that we had to get rid of our 2 seat convertible. Baby on the way. So we agreed on the X5 for our family car for the next several years to come. I have always been happy to drive less than stellar cars (my last few were a Saturn sedan, Ford Focus, you get the picture). Then I drove the 330i with the sport suspension. It was all over. I get the 4 door with the baby on the way, and a fun performance car when I am flying solo. I guess I am a Beamer guy now. Liege loves the X5 and I love the 330.

Big Fat Liar

You see that post??? Yeah, follow the arrow. I was going to go to bed? Didn't happen. It is 3 something and I am winding down and gonna go lay in bed and watch Mike and Mike in the morning and hopefully fall asleep. I am going to have to get some good sleep soon or I am going to crah hard (or just be grumpy all the time)

Sleep? nope...

So a few people in the past week have said something of the sorts: "It feels like forever since I have seen you." Many people when we moved back in September got used to my "slow season" lifestyle in which I have lots of free time and may see me around frequently (or I will bug them out of boredom). Now is the time it is not the case. I handle more tax season business than anyone I have talked to (not employing anyone). So this week I have worked til 3 or 4 am, and have been getting about 4 hours of sleep a night. I don't function well like that. I don't care how much work I have to do, I am going to sleep early tonight (midnight). This is my last week's work load. I had an artist moment and liked the way all of the finished returns ready to send back to clients displayed the "important tax information enclosed". It gave me a sense of accomplishment and I grabbed the camera. So the blogging might be slim the next few weeks, but will get on it when I need a mental break.

What's his name...

Do you forget people's names all the time and are afraid to ask so they become buddy, pal, or sport.  Most people don't use these terms anymore, they will just have a conversation with someone and never use their name.  They are usually not caught, unless they have to introduce them to someone else.  However, if they can play it off long enough usually they can hear the forgotten name from someone.  

Working with Youth Groups  and children and being "up front" or "on stage" I realize that tons of people know my name and I haven't a clue what theirs is.  This is ok, unless I have been told their name, then it is not so good.  However, I try and learn EVERYONE's name, because it can really make a difference to a kid (and those of you that are in adult environments, it makes adults feel good too).  

A few years ago I began overusing kid's names, and being intentional about it.  When I meet them, I try and use their names as many times as possible in our first conversation.  This is easy because it is inevitable that someone else will walk up and give an opportunity to use their name:

"Hey John, do you know James?  I just met James, and James might be the coolest kid here.  Check out James' shirt.  You should have to apply for a license that read's "only people as cool as James can wear this shirt."  Are you cool enough to hang out with James?"

If something like that takes place, I have looked at this person and verbally committed their face and name to memory repeatedly in a short period of time.  It works for me, and this idea can be adapted to any age group.  

This is nothing new, no ground breaking radical thoughts, and I am sure people way smarter than me have put this concept on paper and state it much more eloquently than I have (and in hundred's of pages and charge money for it).  But I have never read it anywhere.  It just is something I do and works for me and thought I would post about it.  Next time, even in passing, as you wave and say "Hey, how's it goin?", replace it with "Hey Chad, How's it goin?" and I will be happy you know my name.  

Seinfeld

I always say, "A Seinfeld a day, helps... well I don't know what, but it is good for you."  I like to watch a Seinfeld every night as I wind down.  I bought the first three seasons on DVD when they came out, but usually there is always a Seinfeld on somewhere so I didn't buy any of the other seasons.  I set my TIVO to record all episodes on our local channel 59 (CW) back somewhere in October.  Before Christmas (a little more than two months), it had recorded all 180 episodes of Seinfeld.  This was just one channel, not TBS or everywhere else it is syndicated.  Now I realize how the gang is still raking in the dough from their syndication royalties.