Category: God

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Career Computers Driving God Holidays Nature Travel

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

I do hereby declare the start of another fresh new week of blogging !

I.  This Old Car – My 2003 Saturn is aging, and while it may not look very old on the outside and on the inside (due to recent professional cleaning and detailing) it is starting to act its age. It’s starting to sound and feel at times like an old man – making strange sounds occasionally. It’s pushing 67,000 miles, and this June it will mark 7 years in operation. It’s the 2ND longest period of time that I’ve owned a single car – 2ND only to my 1989 Geo Spectrum that I drove around in for 8 years and 3 months from 1989 to 1997. Well it’s really cool and everything to drive around in a car that’s fully paid off and completely mine, but now that it’s getting older it has to be taken care of on a regular basis – more so now than ever before. Yesterday morning I took my car to the local Chevy (GM) dealership here in Homestead (since Saturn dealers don’t exist anymore), and I expected to be there for perhaps 3 hours and maybe spend around $100 in needed maintenance. Those 3 hours turned out to be 5 hours, and it cost $867.91 to get my car thoroughly tuned-up to where it should be. Now it seems to sound and feel like a kid again. I’ll be keeping this old car for awhile. With a little bit of tender loving care it will hopefully continue to purr along on the road.

II.  Have Road Will Travel – Looking ahead at my planned vacation schedule for 2010 I’ve got at least 3 trips to the Dallas Texas area planned for May, July, and November to visit my family. I’ve also got a 7-day Carnival cruise to look forward to in September. I also think that I’m gonna visit the Orlando area for a long weekend in June. I haven’t been up there on vacation (non church business) since 2006 (before the fantastic journey began). I also wish to take a few days (maybe in April) and discover a broad section of the southeast coast of Florida that I’ve never experienced before. It’s known as The Treasure Coast, and it includes the cities (south to north) of West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Juno Beach, Jupiter, Tequesta, Stuart, Jensen Beach, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, and Vero Beach. I basically want to drive the 80 miles or so from south to north only on U.S. 1 and State Road A1A, and simply stop along the way at the various places that look interesting to me. I’d do it over 2 or 3 days and really explore the region. I may even combine it with a trip around the Big Lake Okeechobee. I miss doing exploration road trips like that. It’s time to get back on the road again and enjoy God’s Creations along the way.

III.  I Am Not A Computer Expert – I have never claimed to be a computer expert, and I have never demonstrated any notion of being a computer expert. (Some people may disagree with that.) Nevertheless the impression that some people get (for whatever reason) is that I am some sort of genius at fixing computers. Here’s the real deal. If I actually knew how to physically fix a computer then I would not be dealing with my current computer systems at home. I’d fix them. I’d upgrade them. When a computer at home crashes I do what a lot of sensible people do. I set it aside and go out and buy a brand new one. Do I know how to use a computer ?  Sure – I’ve been using personal computers for a little over 17 years now. I used Hurricane Andrew relocation money to help me buy my very first computer system (a 486SX) towards the end of 1992. I’ve gone through a lot of computer systems since then. I’ve never fixed any of them. I’ve bought new ones to replace broken ones. It makes more sense for me to do that. I’m mechanically challenged – and that includes computers. What’s my current job at work ?  I manage resources. That includes (but is not limited to) computers, databases, and finances. I provide guidance on computers, but I do not buy them or fix them. I’m responsible for information that gets input into databases as well as the output based on that data, but I do not put any of the data in myself. I’m responsible for the effective and efficient spending of money, but I do not spend any of the money myself. I’m your classic liaison. I hope that clears everything up for everyone.

Be sure to check out my ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ later this week. I’m sure that I’ll find something new to rant and rave on, but please keep this in mind at all times – I’m a lover not a fighter. I heard that one !

Categories
Career Driving God History Home Life Music People Radio Travel

Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– Let’s get spontaneous.
– Let’s not hold nothin’ back.
– Can we talk here ?
– Miami has an all-new Christian music radio station !
– I discovered it for the first time this afternoon at work.
– It’s Life-FM at 90.9, and it’s a powerful 100,000 watt station.
– I think their transmitter is right alongside the 18-Mile Stretch.
– That means that you get a clear and rich signal here in Homestead.
– Life-FM is Christian music for my age range and older.
– Its secular equivalent would be hot adult contemporary.
– I may be approaching 43-years-old, but I still like to rock my face off.
– That’s why I’ll also continue to listen to Call-FM at 91.9.
– My favourite radio deejay in the entire world works there !
– Driving here in America’s Riviera is always very challenging.
– We drive over 80 different ways here.
– That’s because we learned how to drive in over 80 different countries.
– The single problem that annoys me the most is tailgating.
– It’s also the most dangerous problem.
– I get tailgated virtually every day to and from work by multiple drivers.
– I generally slow down when a tailgater is at work.
– If the speed limit is 40, and I’m going 48 I’ll slow down to 42 for a tailgater.
– I do it for my own safety.
– If I have to slam on my brakes for whatever reason then I may be toast.
– I’d rather be that much closer to 0 MPH in the event that I have to brake.
– Tailgating should be a crime right up there with drunk driving.
– I’ve seen police cars tailgate – and also be tailgated !
– It’s a chronic problem down here.
– I appreciate those peaceful, quiet, and uneventful drives here in paradise.
– But they are way too rare.
– This is a multi-anniversary month for me.
– Celebrate Good Times Come On !
– 19 years ago I returned home from Operation Desert Storm.
– 17 years ago I started my post-military civilian life in Melbourne Florida.
– 16 years ago Homestead Air Reserve Base reopened for business.
– All of our F-16 ‘Fighter Falcons’ returned home, and so did I.
– It’s good to celebrate 16 years here in Homestead.
– That’s in addition to the nearly 5 years that I was here before Andrew.
– Homestead has been my home in 4 decades since the late-1980s.
– I belong here.
– I have a purpose here.
– If I didn’t belong here, and I had no purpose – then I’d move away.
– I’ll be here for as long as God wants me to be here.

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God Life Money Music People Radio

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

This week on ‘My Fantastic Journey’ I present Christian hip hop and rap star John Reuben out of Columbus Ohio. This is his 3RD appearance on the ‘Journey’, and he’s gonna have a lot more on here in the future as long as he continues to crank out the positive and poignant hits.

This time around it’s “Make Money Money” from his ENORMOUS 2007 album “Word Of Mouth”. It’s all about that mighty ‘dolla dolla’ – the bucks – the greenbacks – the Benjamins. We used to struggle to make it, and then once we had it we saved it and stretched it for as long as we could. Nowadays we’ve got rich spoiled children that spend lots of money just to look sloppy and broke. They call it fashionable. I call it fake. Be real. It’s in the lyrics:

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Animals Blogging God Weather

Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– Let’s get spontaneous.
– Let’s not hold nothin’ back.
– Can we talk here ?
– I love typing in these ‘Mini Thoughts’.
– That’s because there’s absolutely no planning for this beforehand.
– The ‘Disco Party’ and the ‘Retro’ are both planned weeks / months in advance.
– Even the ‘Grab Bag’ on Tuesday nights takes much of the week to plan.
– But these ‘Mini Thoughts’ are happenin’ right here and right now.
– If you look sad and miserable on the outside then you are that way all around.
– Even if you look happy on the outside you may still be sad and miserable.
– You can hide sad and miserable with a smile on your face.
– Some people are good at it.
– I’m thinking that if you’re sad and miserable then you don’t know God.
– There’s a MASSIVE difference between believing in God and knowing Him.
– I’ve believed in His existence for nearly my entire lifetime.
– But I’ve only really known Him for the past 42 months.
– As the journey continues I’m knowing Him more and more.
– Adults who hate raise children who hate.
– That vicious cycle is endless unless One steps in to break it.
– That One is God and no other.
– Imagine how this world would be if we all loved rather than hated.
– Tonight I’ve got my Life Group where we will learn more about God.
– Tomorrow is a normal Friday work day for me, and then the weekend begins.
– I’ve cleared my Saturday morning schedule to do two main things.
– I’m getting a professional car wash and detail done first thing in the morning.
– After that I’m heading to Monkey Jungle to hang out with my primate buds.
– I’m even thinking of getting an annual pass to the joint.
– I think an annual pass costs just $10 more than a one-day pass.
– Are you getting tired of this outrageous cold winter season ?
– Don’t worry we’ll get back to more normal weather as soon as next week.
– I forgot what 80°F+ feels like.
– Unofficially so far in 2010 we’ve only had 8 days (out of 63) in the 80s.
– 7 out of those 8 days were just barely into the 80s (80° or 81°).
– But back to reality – how does FROST on your car sound for tomorrow ?
– It could very well happen for those of us well inland (such as Homestead).
– Stay warm, and may you have a cozy Thursday night at home.