Another Quote...

Here is another quote from "For the Time Being" that I thought was awesome....


"Ecstasy, I think, is a soul's response to the waves holiness makes as it nears."

Think about it.

Oh, and grey dress shirt, grey slacks. Yeah, totally dropped the ball on getting dressed today. Yikes.

tommy

Color Blindness

I don't think I match today.

For the Time Being

I just finished "For the Time Being". Wow. I don't know really what else to say, but I'll try...

This book is about the human experience, the things that connect us all, on every level. The book uses two major metaphors to compare the sum of humanity; an ocean, and a desert. Within these two concepts, we see that life is contradiction. Life is nothing--if not a paradoxial conundrum. We see this in everything we do...we are utterly and entirely alone in the world, and yet we are intricately and inherently linked to all human beings who have ever lived. We are utterly unique and individual, but this makes us absolutely the same as everyone else. God is in everyone, and therefore we all share a little of the Divine Spark with everyone else.

We are carving through the present like a canoe carves through the wake of a wave. We are granules of sand, battered thoughout the world, carved by wind, moved though different situations and experiences. We are standing on history...literally. Our world is built upon the vastness of history, as time, soil, and sand buries all things. All of humanities successes, pains, tragedies and triumphs are inside ourselves.

At least, that's what I got out of it.

Tommy

Weekend Update Monday

Hey ya'll! So, this weekend was good. I went to Kansas City Friday night, and it was a fun time. Went out to a couple of different establishments, and my friend and I enjoyed ourselves, immensely. Good times were had by all. Drove back Saturday and Bibi and her roommate, her roommate's boyfriend and I all made vegetarian lasagna. It was AWESOME!!! (Thanks for the cookbook Sarah, it's AWESOME!!!!)

Yesterday went to Java Co, and that was fun. Bibi had some work to do, and finished my book. Yeah, I think the process of me officially becoming a dork has been finalized. I read a History TEXTbook for FUN. Who DOES that?! Ugh. I remember making fun of a guy I went to high school with, because he read math books for fun...so, you know, at least I'm not that bad. Um...yet.

Now I'm reading this REALLY interesting book called "For the Time Being". Now, as some of you know, I don't read the backs of books, so I go into them completely unbiased. So, I'm not positive yet what the book is about, but so far its very intriguing. Here's a quote I found amusing...

"There are 1,198,500,000 people alive now in China. To get a feel for what this means, simply take yourself--in all your singularity, importance, complexity, and love--and multiply by 1,198,500,000. See? Nothing to it."

As for the rest of the book? Well, what I'm getting out of it is an interesting cross-section of different global time periods, as told by an isolated viewer...a "traveler" if you will. This traveler is observing, watching, and painting a vivid description of what our world looks like. It's almost like the connection between the three different women in "The Hours". It's about the mundane, the spectacular, the everyday common place, and the extraordinary, and how these things are all connected.

It's interesting.

Oh, Bibi and I are really excited...this Saturday marks the first anniversary of our 1st date, and we're going to reenact it. We're going to Java Co, and then we're going to walk around the square, and then we're going to watch Garden State. Good times!!

Thanks for reading ya'll...
Tommy

update

So, I decided that I was going to do my own 7 Wonders of Kirksville, and I'm presently working on that. If I get enough time I'll post that this afternoon, otherwise, it might be Monday. I'm heading off to KC after school today. It'll be the first time I've left town without Bibi since last Spring Break. I know we'll be fine, but it'll be weird. (c; Ok, well, I've got to take the class to lunch, and then I'm going to go eat outside, because it's 50 degrees, and sunny. Man...gotta take advantage of that, don't ya? Lata ya'll....

Thanks for reading....

Oh, I'm on the final stretch of the American History book...I just reached the Clinton years; I think I have about 33 pages left. Whoo hoo!

tommy

Seven Wonders...

So, I started a new book with my class yesterday...it's called the Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs. It's about this kid who wants to go see the 7 wonders of the world, and his dad convinces him to look for the wonders around him. He lives in a small town in Missouri (ahem...) and he doesn't think that it's possible. I decided to scrap my lesson during English, and have my kids come up with their own lists of the Wonders of Kirksville. So, I read through them today...and, man. I was so impressed. Some of the kids talked about the woods behind their houses, where they were able to go and be by themselves and watch the stars. One of the kids said the ditch in front of his house, because he and his brother would build forts there. About half mentioned their parents as a wonder. Man. It was just really special to see.

So, to conclude the project, we're going to make a class presentation of the Seven Wonders of Kirksville, and put up our projects around the school...good times, good times.

Thanks for reading...

Tommy

Better

Hey ya'll! How we doing this morning? Good? Glad to hear it!

Well, I'm much better now. Nothing like a night of relaxing and spending time with friends and loved ones to make things appear better....my rebound time for devastating news is apparently one day, cuz man I feel good. I'm going to KC this weekend to hang with one of my best friends, have some good times in the KC, you know.

All right. Hope you're all doing well. I've got the song "you say it best, when you say nothing at all" going through my head; it's from the Mellowing Out with JNo soundtrack. Good stuff, JNo. Good stuff.

Had some time to read last night, and I got up to about the middle of LBJ's presidency. Good stuff. Although, it struck me as odd...if you were to ask me about the most important president in the last hundred years, I would automatically think Kennedy. I don't know why that is, but it seems like everyone I know that is somewhat older than me always thinks back to that time as the pinnacle of life in these United States. I think the bookspent half a page on his entire tenure. (No, I exaggerate...it was three quarters of a page.) But seriously, put in context of the entire period of time from Reconstruction up to the Second Bush Presidency, Kennedy was just one small part of the whole. Maybe this is all no-brainer stuff to you guys, but it was noteworthy to me. So. There. (c;

So, drop me a line and let me know how your Thursday is going.

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

...

For those few who didnt' get linked to Bibi and my engagement pictures...here's the 4-1-1.

www.collages.net
Username: estlund
Password: 10799

Enjoy!

and now back to your regularly scheduled blog...

I'm stumped. Something is going on with a friend of mine, and it's really affected me emotionally. I mean, I care a great deal about this friend, so it shouldn't be a surprise that this turn-of-events should do something to me, but man! I just can't believe it...I wish I could be more specific, but, well, can't.

Man, this sucks.

Tommy

New Info

Just passing this along...I'm not usually one for boycotting stores. In all honesty, I don't much care for the argument against WalMart. Corporatization of the business world doesn't bother me all that much. However, health does.

So.

Read if you wish...

http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html

Thanks www.jenorama.com for the info.

And, as always...thanks for reading...

Tommy

American History

So, during college, having attended the prestigious Truman State University, one of the favored past times of my fellow students was telling tales of woe about our university's namesake. In other words, Truman was a horrible, racist, white man. He embodied all that was wrong about our country's history. Etc., etc., etc.

In my reading tonight, my book made a really good point. People change. Duh, right? And, people do what they learn. For crying out loud, Truman was born and raised in RURAL Missouri! I mean, we still have rampant racism today, and we're talking 60 some odd years after the fact!!! Truman was born and raised to believe that both blacks and whites wanted--and benefited--from segregation. Truman hosted a delegation on race issues who gave him graphic depictions of happenings in the south, and these descriptions appalled him. He then created a permanent civil rights commission to investigate abuses. He also made it illegal to discriminate in hiring federal employees, and later it was Truman that issued an executive order to end segregation in the armed forces. (Although the army dragged it's feet for a few years.)

My point? People can change. Truman was raised to be racist. He learned to change his perceptions and expand his view of the world. He was able to accept when he was wrong (whether or not he admitted it to others is neither he nor there) and make changes to remedy the situation. I dig that. Moving forward. Making changes....improving the way one relates to people in this world. That's a great ideal...don't you think?

That's honestly what I love about reading. To some people reading is simply an escape...a way to leave the worries of their hectic lives. And, for those people, that's awesome! In the past few years, I've found that most of the books--kids books, fiction, non-fiction--have profoundly affected the way I view my life, and my relationships. I've read SO many books that have made me reasses the way I see my family, that it would be pointless to begin naming them. But, because this is my site, I will anyway: One True Thing, The Red Tent, The Princess Bride, Little Women, The Joy-Luck Club, etc.

Little Women made me sell my house. When Meg got married and moved into her knew house, I realized the importance of having our first home be "our first home." That's why I sold my house...so that Bibi and I could have a chance to make OUR home...well, OUR home.

There are other things, too...books that make you see humor where you didn't before...books that make you see tragedy where you didn't before...books that make you see....where you couldn't before. All of these things? They're gifts from God. Whether your book is just an escape or a life-altering experience...God is in the pages of the books we read...He gives us the ability to take away from a book that which we are able to.

Yeah.

Thanks for reading...

Weekend Update--

Hey ya'll! Had a good weekend. Actually, it was pretty great. We were supposed to have a Trivia Night for the school district, but it was cancelled due to inclement weather. So, Bibi and I ordered in Chinese food, and had a nice RELAXING night. It was good. Woke up Saturday and we went to Java Co for a while. That was good. Hung out with friends. Saturday evening we had some of Bibi's roommates' sorority sisters over to my house for an improptu shindig, which was fun. Then a bunch of us went out to a pub here in town (Bibi and I walked!!!) and hung out. Afterwards, we went back to my house and had some more people over.

So, here's why that all was noteworthy. One of Bibi's friends had a friend with him. Now, Bibi and I are very gracious hosts (I'd like to think) and this guy walks in and just IMMEDIATELY exudes haughty disrespect and condescending rudeness. Case in point? He walks in, I introduce myself to Bibi's friend, and then I say, "hey, I"m Tommy. What's up, man? What's your name dude?" And he looks at me, shakes his head, and says, "my names not of consequence" and then smiles this damn self-satisfied smile. Then, he proceeds to mock and insult with subtlty. He was just really unpleasant, and he was mean to Bibi to boot! (Now, I would have no problem asking him to leave, or just saying something to him about the behavior, but Bibi is one tough lady, and she told him. It was cool. (c;)

Yesterday was Java Co, then laundry, and I read all day. Oh, Grey's Anatomy was good.

So, as I've said, I'm reading this history book, and I'm really enjoying it. Yesterday I read the chapters leading from the Depression up to, and including World War II. Earlier in the year I read one of Bibi's books from another class, called Ghost Soldiers, about a real-life prison break during WWII. Now, reading about the entire war, has again put that into context. Ghost Soldier's focused--as you would imagine--on the soldiers in the prison camp, and the US administration's response to their plight. Very little time, if any, was spent on what was going on in Europe, or other parts of the Pacific Theatre. So, reading the chapters yesterday kind of put into a different perspective the decisions that US leaders had to make. It's kind of neat to read the two books close together. It's kind of like when you look at a map? Sometimes you see the whole state/country, and there's an enclosed portion that is then brought out and focused on in detail. So, reading this history book now, I get to see the bigger picture, and having read Ghost Soldiers, I was able to read about the fight that a relatively small group of men went through. Good times.

Ok. I've gotten one reader's life soundtrack. Listened to it alot over the weekend and the end of last week. So, what are you all waiting for? Get burning!!! (Um...CD's that is...don't burn anything else....)

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

update

Hey ya'll....just wanted to let you guys know, if you're trying to get a hold of me...every school within a two hour radius...EXCEPT Kville has dismissed, due to ice. So, I'm stuck at school, and we're getting slammed. Plus, my e-mail is down, and so I'm getting alert messages that people are sending me messages, but I'm not able to actually read the e-mails. ugh. So. there we go. oh, and Trivia Night tonight was cancelled, so I have unscheduled time on my hands. (Veiled Sports Night reference.)

Nerd Quotient

Just took my nerd quotient quiz....I got a ten. Out of a hundred. I am SO not a nerd. IN YOUR FACE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL!!!! (c;

Just kidding.

Nerd Quotient

1 comment:

Real-Life Simpson's References...

So, I just finished up with my American Revolution Unit with my class. To cap things off, as kind of a fun little summary, we watch an edited-for-television version of the Mel Gibson movie, "The Patriot". Great movie, right? And, thankfully, TBS made most of the really bloody sequences look like mud, and most of the language is cut out. (There are a few damn and hells, but nothing too disconcerting.) Now, I ALWAYS explain that this is a movie about war, that in times of war, adults may--at times--resort to using language inappropriate for school, and that, if someone is getting shot right next to you, it would seem silly if the film had Mel Gibson saying something like, "Golly. That's unfortunate."

So, it's never been a problem. Well, I got a call yesterday that one of my parent's do not want their child to watch the movie. No problem. None at all; of course I"m going to respect their wished, and that's absolutely fine. However, a line from the Simpson's just popped into my head on the way back to my classroom. When Mrs. Krabapple is showing "Fluffy Bunny's Guide to Sex", Ishmael and Shadrach are excused from the room at their parents wishes. Mrs. Krabapple says, "You two may go out into the hall and pray for our souls."

Ok. That was a HUGE setup for VERY little pay off. I'm sorry. That was really funny in my head, and I've seen here...ONLY in my head. (c;

GET CRACKING ON YOUR ASSIGNMENT AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!! (c;

thanks for reading...
Tommy

Update...

I've already received one Life Soundtrack (thanks JNo!!!). Keep 'em coming people!!!!

I'm also reading (still) "America: A Narrative History". It's REALLY good...it's a bit long (it is a text book) but ultimately, I found it very captivating. It's interesting to me, seeing how historical events fit in together. I've found that I don't really have a sound context for understanding events in the last hundred years (embarrassingly enough!!) but it's been very exciting to see things put together. I've found reading about some of the movements (socialist, social darwinism) fascinating, and the "unknown presidents" have been very interesting.

My friend over at www.jenorama.com loaned me a book, which I'm looking forward to reading, just as soon as this one is done.

This past weekend was awesome. Had game night Friday night ( I LOVE CATCHPHRASE!!!), went to a trivia competition on Saturday (yikes;) and made the MOST delicious meal on Sunday with Bibi. We had SUCH a great time cooking together. We put on my Beatles CD's, and made Choley (no clue on the spelling.) It was awesome.

All right...thanks for reading...

Tommy

Assignment America

Ok. So, in honor of the discussion had at Karaoke last night, and in the spirit of musical appreciation every where, I have an assignment, a mission if you will, for anyone who cares to accept the challenge.

I want your life sound track. However you take that phrase, "life soundtrack" that's what I want. Just send me a comment and I'll send you my address, and you send the CD of your life on to me. (I LOVE hearing what other people are affected by, and music is SUCH a personal thing, that I think this'll really give me an insight into what people are like.) So. There you go.

GET TO WORK!!!!! (c;

Thanks for reading...

Tommy

Seriously...

I ask for people to tell me their driving songs, and the only response I get is from some person in Portland, who I've never met, and certainly had no idea read my blog. (Thanks Stace!) What the crap?! C'mon people! What's your favorite driving song? Show me a little love!!!!

Tommy

Thanks Kirby

So, tonight after school, Bibi and I were planning on making dinner together. I was all excited, because we were having Frito Pie. When I called her to ask what all I need to get at the store, she told me that she was enjoying a "vacuum demonstration." I chuckled, and said, "ok." And thought it'd be over by the time I got there. Ha. Those @#$%er's stayed for like 19 hours. Ok, it was more like 3, but when they said it'd take 30 minutes tops, that's just regoldarndiculous.

I felt really smug though, because it was the least original presentation EVER. It was SO text book bad-movie-cliche dime-story cheesy salesmanship, that it was literally laughable. I had to leave the room every five minutes so as to not insult the saleman. It was just plain bad. They tried to ingratiate themselves to me, like I was the man of the house (it was Bibi's house) and they were acting all buddy buddy. Finally the guy was like, "you know what? I'm gonna take $1100 off the price, and give it to you for $29 a month." I'm like, "all right...I tell you what...you give me a phone number to call you, and if we can get that price, we'll talk it over and call you in a couple of days." There was a tense moment when all three of the salesmen (yeah, it was a "team effort") were waiting for the boss' word, and he said, "well, I'm not supposed to do that...but, for you...ok". They left, and Bibi looked at me. I looked at her. We threw the number away. ANYTHING to get the guys outta here.

Damn. That's ALL I'm saying. So, to all those people out there making money off selling things door-to-door? NO! At least don't make it look like a bad Lifetime movie, ok? Sheesh.

Thanks for letting me vent...
Tommy

moodiness

So, unfortunately, sometimes I can be moody. Duh, right? No big surprise there. The thing that I don't like about my moodiness, is that sometimes--entirely unintentionally--it can leak into my job. If I'm having a bad day, or I'm just tired, or I'm just not in a great mood, sometimes the little things the student can do, that normally would be absolutely fine, and would not provoke any kind of negative reaction from me, cause me to be very irate and short with them. I feel really bad about it. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like I yell at my class, (I find it a very ineffective method of discipline) and I'm never mean to them....but I just get short-tempered and a bit snappy. Ugh. I guess today's just one of those days. I think I'll pop some Hendrix into the CD player on the drive home. Either that or the Who. Yeah. The Seeker. Loud. Maybe I'll drive a little out of the way just so's I can play the whole song. Hmmm.....

blah.

Thanks for reading....

tommy

De-Lurking Week

Ok. So, nothing is really going on. The weekend was great...very relaxing, and it was in the 50's and sunny here, so I was outside and enjoying that...walked Kaya both days, went for a really long drive on Saturday blasting the Who and Hendrix the whole way. There's just something about driving 80, through nothing but empty fields while listening to Pete Townshend sing...

Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven
Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland
Sally ,take my hand
Travel south crossland
Put out the fire
Don't look past my shoulder
The exodus is here
The happy ones are near
Let's get together
Before we get much older
Teenage wasteland
It's only teenage wasteland
Teenage wasteland
Oh, oh
Teenage wasteland
They're all wasted!


I don't know why, but this is my driving song.

What's yours? And, just in case you wanted to answer, but don't usually post comments, this is national "de-Lurking" week...which means that people all over are leaving comments on the blogs they visit, instead of just reading and leaving. So, again...what's your "driving song"?

thanks for reading...and commenting....

Tommy

Fun at Work...

An actual sign, as seen in my school:

"The teacher work room will be closed today from 12-3. Sorry for any disconvenience."

Wow. I'm so proud of my workplace.

something interesting

From "Tying Rocks to Clouds"...

Question: Why is there suffering?

Answer: "...There is suffering partly because we have evolved as human beings, as sensitive people. If we didn't care, there wouldnt be suffering. There would be death, illness, broken bones. There'd be murders, car accidents, earthquakes, and plane crashes, but there wouldn't be suffering; there would just be things happening. Since we want the world to be good and we want life to be satisfying and pleasant, we're hurt and outraged when bad things happen...To rid the world of suffering, people would have to learn not to care that their parents die. I'd have to be able to shrug off the death of my father...That kind of suffering is the price we pay for being humanly committed and for running the risk of love." (Rabbi Harold Kushner).

Interesting.

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

School House Rocks

Due to a scheduling situation, I have a bit of time with my kids this morning. So, we're watching School House Rocks. I got a DVD over Christmas with the entire collection of cartoons and songs from the program. Right now we're watching No More Kings, but my favorite is coming up; "I'm Just a Bill". Man, this is awesome! Have a great day!

Thanks for reading...
Tommy

Home-Town Pride

So, it's interesting to me the fact that people often times have more pride for their home when they don't live there anymore. Most people from Iowa, or Cedar Rapids LOVE Iowa and Cedar Rapids, when they don't spend their every waking moment there. I don't know; I know I'm not breakin' any ground with this observation, but it's just funny to me.

Case in point? As I'm teaching the Revolutionary War, I love talking to my class about Francis Marion, A.K.A. "the Swamp Fox." He was a good country boy farmer who led the Patriots against the British down near New Orleans. Now, this has nothing to do with Cedar Rapids, right? Well, wrong. Marion, the little suburb of CR was named for the Swamp Fox. He's my favorite "character" in the whole deal. I mean, Washington was cool, Marguis de Lafayette was a great leader, and Baron Von Steuben was "peppery" and his men loved him. All of these guys are great; but the man who really stands out to me? Francis Marion. He was just a farmer. Francis Marion was a farmer from South Carolina. Unschooled, unsophisticated, but when the king sent his army to terrorize the colonists, who wanted nothing more glamorous than their birthright, Marion and a hundred other farmers stood up to the British Empire with a bunch of crappy rifles and their farm implements. He's an inspiration.

Anywho...that's all I got. Thanks for reading...

Tommy

Tying Rocks to Clouds

Hey there sports fans! It's a G-R-R-R-R-R-R-E-A-T day!!!!!

Man, I just love these first days back....the whole newness that covers everything...no one's been acting out inappropriately, no one's turned anything in late (or not at all), everyone's rested and fresh for the day...oh, man I JUST LOVE IT!!!! (c;

This morning, during Social Studies, the lesson ended with a semi-cryptic sentence, "back in Europe, the French were overjoyed at the loss suffered by their old enemy, the British." (Battle of Saratoga, Revolutionary War.) So, I asked my kids, to see if they could make the connection, why the French were happy. Half the class put their hands up in the air, one quite enthusiastically. So, I called on him, and he said, "Well, just before Ponitiac's Rebellion, the French lost almost all of their land holding's in North America, thanks to the British win during the French and Indian War. The Treaty of Paris set up the new boundaries, which showed all of the land the French lost." A fifth grader knows that! We talked about that back in the beginning of December, and they still remember!!! whoo hoo!!!

So, I'm reading this new book (I took a break in the middle of Bibi's text book) called "Tying Rocks to Clouds". It's basically the transcript of one man's interviews with spiritual and intellectual leaders throughout the world. It's really interesting getting all the different perspectives in one concise format. It's been pretty readable, and surprisingly funny. Plus, it's a friend of mines, he's a college professor, and it's got all of his notes. (c;

It's interesting to note the similarity and connectivity present in all of the answers so far. It's also interesting to see the "intellectuals" separate themselves from the "spiritual" leaders.

It reminds me of the conversations my old roommate Brad and I used to have, when he was taking a class on William Blake. We would debate the merits of Faith vs. Reason. I don't know....it seems to me that we are such a "reasonable" people, that we rely so wholeheartedly on our reasoning abilities, that there has to be a flaw there. Now, don't get me wrong....I'm a fan of logical action and thought as much as the next person....but how many times have you argued with someone and thought that their argument was tragically weak logically speaking? However, they probably thought you were being daft, too! I guess I just have a healthy distrust at the human mind's ability to figure EVERYTHING out based on reason alone.

For me, Faith has always been more interesting. Faith isn't believing the firemen will catch you when you jump; Faith is you falling through the air towards the net. I think Faith's attraction to me is the fact that it is what God calls for. Ok, this is a cheesy example, but go with me. In Elf, the Will Ferrel movie? Buddy's brother asks Santa why he can't just show himself to everyone so that they'll all believe in him. Santa tells him that that isn't what believing is all about. Faith, to carry this on, isn't just a belief, but the way you act based on your faith. God wants us to believe in God not because there is irrefutable evidence obvious to all. God wants us to believe in God because we have Faith in God and God's promises. Faith is so much harder and yet, SO much more fullfilling.

The beautiful thing about Faith? God tells us that, if we want Faith....God will give it to us. God will GIVE us that amazing thing that God wants from us.

Reason is great. Reason is useful. Reason is a wonderful part of who we are as a people. But Faith? Faith is a gift from God.

I'll take Faith ANY day.

Thanks for reading....(hope I didn't get too preachy....)

Tommy

Long time no post

So, here is is for those of you who have been eagerly awaiting a new post....

Well, a lot has happened in the past week. School was great on the 21st. School got out, and I left to do many errands before I left for the holiday. Bibi and I hung out and watched Scrubs. (She got me Season 2 on DVD...it ROCKS!) We got up Friday morning and I ran some more errands. We got a little bit of late start heading out of town, but it was very relaxing, and it was awesome just being able to do all that with Bibi.

We got home and hung out with my Mom, Step-dad, and sister. It was nice. My dog is now officially a bully, after taking off part of my sister's dog's ear. (sorry amy!)

We went out to dinner with my dad at a great Italian place and that was nice. We woke up Christmas Eve Morn and had a relaxing day, although it was determined that I am no longer able to wrap presents. Ever. (c;

Christmas Eve we had dinner, opened presents and had an over all great time. Went to mass, and it was really surreal being back at the old church. They've done MASSIVE renovations, and it was like being in a totally different church. (Lesson learned from freshman Philosophy class: You can go home again, as long as you realize that home is a place you've never been before.) After mass we came home to find that my sister's dog had eaten an ENTIRE PECAN PIE! (Have your choice of movie quotes to make that funny: "Would you like to partake in my pe-can pie?" or "You...you ate an entire pecan pie? I'm not even angry...I'm impressed!")

Woke up Sunday morning and my sisters and I helped clean up a little and then we went to our dad's where we played a never-ending game of Trivial Pursuit. Then, I went out and rented a copy of "the Never-Ending Story" (Atreyu!!!!!). Good times.

Christmas Day Eve was great, got tons of great stuff, great times with family and Bibi. (My new family!)

Monday Bibi and I went on the Never-Ending shopping trip, which was fun. Had dinner with my (ok, pay attenion here...) Mom, Sister, Step-dad, Step-brother, Step-neices, step-brother's girlfriend, and her two sons. Good times.

Then, went out for a beer with my friend Chuck. It was GREAT seeing him, and had a great conversation.

Tuesday morning had coffee with my old r0ommie brad. He was great as ever...had a nice chat. Left town and got back into Kville.

Where I promptly fell ill with a temp of 103.2. I felt like I was DYING. Bibi nursed my for the duration, and I'm on the mend with a stuffy nose (damn dry weather) a massive cold sore and a nose that looks like I got pummled my goldengloves boxing champ.

New Year's Eve was nice and relaxing. Bibi and I put together a puzzle (you try doing it colorblind ya jackasses!!!!) and made Cranberry Salsa. We got the first couple of episodes of Soprano's on DVD and rang in the new year quiet-like. It was nice. (c;

All right...oh, and for those of you who never found the answer to the trivia question like 15 posts ago? It was Toto. (c;

Thanks for reading...
Tommy