the pen is mightier

my space

2006-03-30T09:43:00.000-06:00

I now have a myspace acct. Here's my URL:

http://www.myspace.com/noordinaryday

I dig it. So should you. I may kill this blog and just stay with myspace. ONly time will tell.

Oh the places you will go

2006-03-20T22:36:00.000-06:00

I was doing my ususal blog run when I ran across a link to this map site on my friend's blog:

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

So here are the states I've visited. I only have a few more to go then I can say "I've been in every state in our great nation." Of course, I can't imagine why or when I would be in GA, AL, MS, ME, NH, UT, MT, WY or AK. Now that I live in MN, I'm pretty close to ND, SD, NE, and I know we'll see HI one of these days. We have friends that live in ID so we'd hit several of these states if we ever drive out for vacation. Too much info? Yeah, I thought so. Whatever.

I feel a road trip coming on...

Snow

2006-03-13T11:19:00.000-06:00

We received some 10-12 inches of snow last night/this morning and it's still coming down. I spent more than an hour shoveling this morning. Ugh. I guess that's my work-out for the day. Heather is working from home today. Her commute would have taken her 45 min +. Oh yeah, I have a job now. Get this I work at Old Navy, and I'm one of the oldest non-managers working there. Oh well, it's a paycheck, and the work is not exactly hard. The discount is decent, too. For those of you who did not know it, Old Navy is owned by Gap, Inc. Gap, Inc. brands included Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. I get a discount at all 3 stores.

Back to the snow...I think I'll call work before I go in today. I'm pretty sure they'll want me to come in, but it's going to take me some time to get there. Ugh. It's going to be dead there today.

A few crazy stories from the new job later.

Chili cookoff

2006-03-01T11:26:00.000-06:00

Last night we had our 3rd Annual Fat Tuesday Chili Cookoff at Solomon's Porch. A good time was had by all...as far as I could tell. I had a good time coordinating the Cookoff along with Michon Pagitt. We ended up having 20-22 different chili recipes. I tried all but 1 or 2. At this years Cookoff we voted for the chilies in 3 categories: Most Original, Spiciest, & Best Overall. Most original went to Adam Walker's "Free-Range Pheasant Chili." Bob Brown claimed the Spiciest chili with his delicious "Chipotle Beast" chili. And Best Overall category was dominated by Beau Bedore's "Mom's Chicken Chili" (a white chili). We had a good turn out and folks were eating chili and enjoying engrossing conversation all evening.

To say the least, I needed a few Tums when I got home late last night. Good times, good times indeed.

teething sucks

2006-02-17T23:16:00.000-06:00

It's 11:15pm in Mpls and all is not well my household. My son is teething. He's been awake for the past hour. And by awake I mean crying & screaming. Poor little guy. I truly feel for him. As I write this post, my wife is in his room trying to rock him to sleep with a lullaby. I pray it works - all three of our sakes. Did I mention my son went to bed around 8pm? Yeah so he was sleeping soundly then BAM! Teeth ripping through tender gum tissue. He has 4, count 'em, 4 molers coming in as we speak. Although it is a necessary and ultimately beneficial aspect of development, teething sucks. All is quiet on the baby monitor. Perhaps they baby Tylenol has finally kicked in. Dear God please...

Cold

2006-02-17T09:26:00.000-06:00

Very cold actually. Currently it is -8 here in Minneapolis. That's not wind chill. That's actual temp. As for wind chill, it's -33. Negative 33. Brrrr is right. A wind chill advisory is in effect. I've lived in places where I had to deal with heat index advisories, but now I live at the opposite end of the mercury. This is my first wind chill advisory. I guess that's means no playing outside today. Bummer. I was going to go tubing with the guy I mentor. Maybe next week when the temp. is back above 0.

To give you an idea of how cold it is, when you breathe in through your nose the contents of your honker freeze - hair, runny stuff, solid stuff, whatever you've got in there.

But all is well. Last night I downloaded 589 songs to our iTunes. I have Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Folds, Eric Clapton, etc. to keep me company. Hey Mr. Tambourine Man...

Garden of Eatin'

2006-02-08T20:21:00.000-06:00

Check this out. We recently purchased a bag of organic tortilla chips - Garden of Eatin' Red Hot Blues (perhaps you've heard or partaken of them) - that happened to be over-cooked. So I emailed the good folks at Garden of Eatin' to inform them of the situation, truly not expecting a response. But to my surprise, I received this today:

Mr. Anderson,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our Party Style Red Hot Blues Tortilla Chips. We strive to maintain the highest quality products and appreciate your patronage.

We would like to send you replacement coupons for the trouble you have taken to contact us. If you write back with your address, we will be happy to compensate you.

Thank you for your continued support of The Hain Celestial Group. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Michael
Consumer Response Representative

Wonders never cease. I guess I'll be crunching on some delicious tortilla chips FREE of charge in the very near future.

Okay I admit it...

2006-01-26T21:12:00.001-06:00

...I like TV. Well, at least some show on TV. As I've posted before, my favorite shows include 24, Lost, Family Guy, Prison Break, etc. Speaking of PB, it's mid-season finale (what the hell is that anyway?) was waaaaaay back in December. That's last year for crying out loud! Well, about five minutes ago I learned that PB is coming back...but not until MARCH 20th.

Sidebar: Holy geez! Why so long? Come on, Fox. Is it that hard to produce a few episodes of a prison show?

Where was I? Ahh yes - PB's return. At least it's coming back. For a while there I thought PB had gone the way of John Doe and Firefly - a decent show yet in the graveyard after only 1/2 or 1 season. Thankfully my worries have been put to rest...for now.

Netflix

2006-01-24T16:15:00.000-06:00

Why didn't we join Netflix earlier? Geez. Let me say this, I LOVE NETFLIX!!! It's great. I love not having to return DVD's to B-buster or some other lame-o flick market. We're only on our 2nd movie, and I feel like a movie buff again. I don't get to catch as many movies at the theater as I used to. Funny how having a kid can do that. Now I can catch up on all the films I've missed not to mention that I now have nearly effortless access to some classics I've never seen. I hate to admit it but I've never watched such classics as Casablanca, On the Waterfront, Spartacus, A Streetcar Named Desire, To Kill a Mockingbird...and the list goes on, unfortunately. Our Netflix queue (our order list) has well over 100 movies in it which include the previously noted films. Heather has a bunch of Audrey Hepburn movies in the queue, but I've balanced them out with a few horror/action/guy movies. In case you're wondering, our first pick was 2005's Best Picture - Million Dollar Baby. Excellent, by the way. #2 arrived today - Family Guy presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. Yes I've already watched (during Ti's first nap-o-the-day). In a word: brilliant. What's next you ask? A little Brangelina action (e.g. Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and 40 Year Old Virgin. I think I'll review the movies I watch here. Yeah. Consider it a cultural contribution. Of course I don't know what that says for our culture. Perhaps it speaks volumes. Volumes of crap, and I'm the Poopsmith (http://www.homestarrunner.com/vcr_poop.html).

So much for that

2006-01-15T14:15:00.000-06:00

Apparently I told a friend of mine (Bil) that I wanted to blog more this year. Well, this post will mark my second of the new year. Whatever.

What's new? I'm now actively looking for a PT job. So far I've applied at Borders and Barnes & Noble. I'd really like to work at a bookstore because I like books. Plus that employee discount would be sweet. Oh I can see it now...surrounded by stacks of books waiting to be ravaged by yours truly. But I have to hired first. I have yet to here back from wither bookseller. If I don't hear back from either of them within the next couple of days, I'll have to move on to other lines of work. I may have to get used to asking "regular of decaf" again. Not that there's anything wrong with that; it's just that I've been there and done that.

Stay tuned.

Resolution shmesolution

2006-01-05T13:49:00.000-06:00

During my blog reading today, I've picked up on a theme: New Year's Resolutions. I know I'm a couple of days late on the resolution thing, but that's me. Most of the resolutions I've read are jovial in nature, but my
friends Bil (http://pomoxianbil.blogspot.com/) and Andrew (http://cosmicmixtape.blogspot.com/) take the cake or cakes. I'm not going to steal their thunder so check out their blogs.

Like many people, I think NYR's are a crock of feces. They exist as stark shadows of future guilt and failure. Screw that. I, like many others, want to make realistic and simple resolutions. Therefore, in 2006 I resolve to see more movies. '05 was a rough year film-wise for me. I didn't see that many flicks. So in '06, I'll see more than I did last year. I also resolve to sample more of the local restaurants the Twin Cities have to offer. Top of the list: a local Mexican joint. I won't attempt to pronounce it's name; I'll only mess it up. But it's right down the street. I'm there this year. I resolve to spend more time at the nearby lakes. Now this may sound like a self-improvement resolution, but after this cold (actually rather mild) winter is over,
I don't think I'll have much trouble wanting to soak up the sun at Harriet, Calhoun, or Nokomis. I can't wait to get Titus in the water this summer. Here's to building sand castles and eating snow cones. One more - I resolve to finally beat Bil at email chess. Did you hear that? That was Bil laughing with disdain. Sadly it's not unwarranted. Resolutions complete.

Happy belated New Year's.

Has it been a month already?

2005-12-20T17:34:00.000-06:00

Quite a lot has happened since I last posted a blog. Heather, Titus, and I all celebrated birthdays. It's hard to believe that Ti is already 1. It's cold here. Officially winter. A couple of weeks ago I had to take our minivan in for a small repair. I arrived at the dealership around 7:30am and the temp. gauge in the van read -6. Actual temp. Brrrr to say the least. And it's still cold, but the forecast is calling for a rather nice warm up. Our chances for a white Christmas may be waning. Whatever.

A time to be thankful...

2005-11-21T20:57:00.000-06:00

...unless you're a turkey.

Ahh yes, Thanksgiving week is upon us once again. A time to give thanks for life, for family, for health...and then eat enough food for three people. Here are some helpful holiday do's and don'ts:

1. Do approach the day with an attitude of thankfulness
2. Do eat with caution (think marathon rather than sprint)
3. Do wear loose clothing
4. Don't fill up on bread (even if they're delicious crescent rolls)
5. Do watch lots of football (if that's your thing)
6. Don't stay outside walking the dog (to get away from your family) - the high in Minneapolis for Thurs. is 28
7. Do save room for dessert...mmmmm, pumpkin pie, delicious pumpkin pie
8. Don't eat dessert ONLY
9. Don't feed the dog from the table...Titus
10. Do play games, swap stories, tell jokes, etc. with your loved ones

Feel free to add to this list (in your comments). Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

All is well

2005-11-10T17:32:00.000-06:00

Jane called me back and the check is in the mail. Oh yeah, and she flagged my address so I won't receive any more bills that aren't mine...so I won't pay them. What a sweatheart. I hope everyone at Fairview Clinic's customer service department has enjoyed a good laugh over my boneheadedness. I'm sure they have. I gave them permission to do so. Not that they need it.

and the Bonehead of the Year Award goes to...

2005-11-08T11:43:00.000-06:00

...Philip!!! (thunderous applause and triumphant music)

"I have so many appendages to thank. My mind, of course, for getting the boneheaded action up and running. And my eyes as well. Without them I won't have made the mistake. Who else? Oh yes...my hands for making it all come together."

Okay here's the story...

Two weeks ago we received a doctor's bill in the mail. We were totally expecting, and the amount due looked correct. So I sat down the next day, cut a check for the bill, placed it in the envelop provided, stamped it, and mailed it. All is right with the world...Until yesterday when I received another doctor's bill in the mail. Upon opening said bill, I became confused. I asked myself, "Didn't I just pay this bill? There must be some mistake." Sure enough, but it was my mistake.

The bill I paid previously WASN'T MY BILL!!! It wasn't even addressed to me. It was addressed to some guy named Antre Martin! I've never even heard of him. Yet I paid his bill for him. Furthermore, the bill I paid WASN'T EVEN TO OUR DOCTOR!!! We don't even go to Fairview Clinic.

Thank you, thank you. I am THE Bonehead of the Year.

I called Fairview Clinic this morning to explain my situation. After trying my best to explain my dilemma to the customer service rep. (Debbie) I talked to, she transferred me to a supervisor (Jane). Jane said she had to have Debbie explain it to her twice. I offered her another rendition of the story. She said "huh." I mentioned that this is probably the first time this has happened. She agreed that this was a unique situation. No kidding. Jane was very nice and seemed eager to help rectify this strange situation. Jane is currently looking into the matter and call me back later today. Before hanging up, I told Jane she was more than welcome to share this crazy story with her co-worker at the water cooler - at my expense of course.

Stay tuned.

trabajará para el dinero

2005-11-02T16:46:00.000-06:00

Translation: "will work for money." That's right, I'm looking for a part-time job...a very part-time job. Like 8-12 hrs. a week. Anyone out there (especially those in the Minneapolis area who read this rag of a blog) have any suggestions for me?

Some of you may be asking, "Why is Philip looking for a job? Doesn't he have his hands full being a stay-at-home dad?" to answer your questions...it would be good for me to have a connection with adults other than my fellow Porchers. I need some more adult interaction during the week. I do have this interaction at Bible Discussion Group (which really should be called "Sermon Discussion Group" or "Sermon Prep. Group"...my opinion take it or leave it) and Community Dinner (the weeks we have it) as well as Worhip Gathering on Sunday evenings. I think I get a decent amount of adult interaction but a little more wouldn't hurt. Plus, making some extra moola would be nice. It would bring me some peace of mind to know that I was contributing monetarily to the adventures of the Anderson family.

As for possible places to gain employment, so far the only place that I've considered applying is the Linden Hills Co-Op. I checked out their website and they are looking for a couple part-timers to work the deli/juice bar. I went as far as downloading an application and filling it out, but I don't know if they would even be interested in hiring yours truly to work one may two days a week.

Anywho, I'd appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks.

Superbeagle

2005-10-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Ti and I were playing in our basement. And now that Titus is a speed crawler (especially up the stairs), we have the baby gate locked into a strategic position at the bottom of the staircase. Well, as were hanging out having a grand ol' time, all of a sudden we hear a thunderous trotting and a loud "thump." It was Bailey (our 4 year old beagle). She had been napping on our main level (basking in the sun no doubt...dogs) when she apparently realized that she may be missing out on some fun (i.e. food). She decided the only way to get to the basement was to bound over the baby gate in it's full upright and locked position. Now you need to know that the baby gate is approx. 3 ft. tall, but from its position on the stairs we're talking 4-4 1/2 ft off the ground. Bailey literally flew down the stairs leapt over the baby gate and planted herself firmly against the wall adjacent to the stairs without sustaining any apparent injuries. Personally, I am amazed she had the moxie to attempt such a stunt. Bailey is usually a very laid back dog but when she wants something bad enough she does what it takes to achieve her goals. Mad props, pooch. Mad props.

Momentous Milestones

2005-10-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

Last week was a banner week in our household. This past Tuesday, my boy Titus, said his first word AND took his first steps. Amazing I know. But then I got to thinking about it, and I talk and walk all the time. What's the big deal? Just kidding of course. I am very proud of my son. Yes these were huge milestones in Ti's life, but they were considerable markers for mom and dad as well. Now we're in for it. He was mobile before he became a bi-ped, but now, holy crap. Ti is all over the place. Here, there, everywhere. Actually it's great. He keeps us on our toes - hands, feet, knees, bellies, etc.

As for his first word, much to the chagrin of my brother, it was not "uncle." We were cruising Menards (a local hardware store) when Ti looked up at me from the cart and said "dada." I was taken aback. I responded with a "what was that?" And he said "dada" again. I am so proud. What's next? "Mama?" "Uncle?" Perhaps, but it very well could be "boomer" or "sooner." But it will be "mama" if he knows what's good for "dada."

Rough weekend

2005-10-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

I love football. I grew up in Oklahoma City (which for those of you who aren't familiar with OK geography) is approx. 20 miles north of Norman - the home of the University of Oklahoma. So naturally I grew up a Sooners fan. For the past few years, the Sooners have experienced incredible success - playing for the national championship 3 times in the past 5 years. Impressive. However, this season has been a tough one so far. OU lost their first game of the season to TCU at home no less. The next two games brought a toughly contested win against perennial doormat Tulsa and a loss at UCLA. And to top it all off, my beloved Sooners now have a 2-3 record after getting thumped by the hated Texas Longhorns yesterday, 45-12. Ouch, my pride. However, after starting the season the way we did, I was not surprised by the losses to either UCLA or the Burnt-orange bovine of Austin. Texas is good, and they were due for a win over OU. For the past five years, OU has dominated the Longhorns. In fact, I believe the 'Horns were picked to beat the Sooners in three or four of the past five Red River Shootouts. The '05 Longhorns are good, but since they have Mack Brown as their head coach, I'm sure they'll find a way to either come up with a loss or get skipped in the poles/BCS by Virginia Tech or Florida St. or Georgia. If not, they'll more than likely face USC in the national championship game in Jan. In that case I'll find myself in the awkward position of cheering for the Trojans - who pounded the Sooners 55-19 in the very same national championship game the previous Jan. Ironic or just plain sad?

Oh yeah to cap this weekend off the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Dallas to receive a good ol' fashioned "whoppin'" from the despised Cowgirls 33-10. Like I said, a terrible weekend. Plus I feeling under the weather. I have a headache and I have the aches too boot. I missed our weekly worship gathering where my friend Steph is giving the sermon in place of our pastor who is out of town.

But the weekend was as bad as I make it out to be. My in-laws were up for a quick visit. It was nice to see them. And I did get to watch the OU/Tex. game with my brother at Joe Senser's sports bar while eating greasy food and drinking overpriced beer. Good times.

Here's hoping your weekend was at least as good as mine. Then again, that may be a sideways insult. Take as you like it.

I love DVR

2005-09-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here's what's on my DVR:

Lost (Wed. PM ABC) - the best show on TV. Period. 'nuff said.

Prison Break (Mon. PM FOX) - this is my favorite new show this fall. At first I wondered how could a show with this (seemingly) limited premise could work let alone be watchable. To my very pleasant surprise, PB not only works, but it is addictive - plenty of cliffhangers and nervewracking suspense. If you haven't watched PB yet, here's the gist of the show:
"Lincoln Scofield is on death row for the murder of the vice president's brother. He insists he's innocent, but only his brother Michael believes him. An engineer who helped design the prison where Lincoln is being held, Michael takes drastic measures to help his brother. He gets himself arrested and sent to the same prison, so that with his knowledge of the building the two of them can escape together. However, while inside Michael discovers a massive conspiracy that is determined to see Lincoln's sentence carried out. Breaking out will be more difficult than he thought, but he's still going to try." IMDB
One little detail you should know, Michael as the blueprints of the prison hidden within a massive tattoo that covers his entire upper body! PB is made all the more watchable because of it's intelligent writing, meandering plot development (not unlike lost), and decent character development. I highly recommend this drama. It's TV crack. Get hooked.

Desperate Housewives (Sun. PM ABC) - what does the 2nd season of this wicked comedy have in store for us? Apparently we'll see Susan, Lynette, Bree, Gabrielle, and Edie live their sorted lives as well as the misadventures of a stay-at-home dad (kind of hits me where I live) not to mention a husband/father imprisoned in the basement. Good times to come.

Battlestar Galactica (Fri. PM SciFi)- I just started watching BG a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the season finale was this past Friday, but you can catch reruns regularly on SciFi throughout the week (depending on the week, of course). Here's the premise via IMDB:
"After losing the war against the Cylon robots, the Battlestar Galactica crew speed toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth. Galactica Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) face waning supplies, crushed morale, ... and the credible threat Cylons aboard the ship."
Brilliant writing, great dialogue, characters with depth, good special effects, believable science, and original profanity (frak). This show is one creative breath of fresh air. Love it.

Family Guy (Sun PM FOX) - the best way to describe the best animated series in TV history is to call FG the Simpsons on crack. I never miss an episode, in fact I've seen every one.

My Name is Earl (Tues. PM NBC) - Earl (Jason Lee) is a ne'er do well who is inspired by Carson Daly to right all the wrongs he's committed in his life. Karma is a funny thing. Each week Earl attempts to right a wrong on his extensive list (some 250ish wrongs). Lot's of flashbacks. White trash with excellent comedic delivery and timing. I hope Earl's time-slot does not doom this great show with a lot of heart. It's going up against some stiff competition - the Amazing Race. Ouch. But if you have a DVR or TiVo, check Earl out at least once. I think you'll enjoy it.

The Office (Tues. PM NBC) - I love Steve Carell. This mockumentary/fake reality show about life in an average office in Scranton, PA of all places. Hi-larious.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Mon-Thurs. PM Comedy Central) - irreverent fake news de jour. Simply brilliant.

Going Tribal (Wed. PM Discovery Channel) - in your face anthropology/sociology. Shocking, repulsive, and touching. My wife and I love this show. It stimulates a lot of conversion about life, theology, society, globalization, etc.

The Simpsons (Sun PM FOX, as always)- still funny after all these years. Has it really been 15 years?! Holy cow! This is the 16 season of the first family of animated comedy. D'oh! Great social commentary.

CSI (original) (Thus PM CBS) - you know all about CSI since you, me, and the rest of America watches it. Slick.

Law & Order (original) (Wed PM NBC)- Fontana and Green, you had me at " Up against the walland spread 'em." Oh McCoy, you wily prosecutor you. You've indicted my heart. Dthum-dthum.

Alias (Thus, PM ABC) - this is my wife's favorite show. We've been watching Bristow and crew kick ass and take names since year one. And this season, Sydney is "in the family way." Let me translate that into white trash - "she done got knocked up." I can't wait to see Syd kick the crap out of the bad guys in full on maternity garb while eating a pint of Chunky Monkey with a dill pickle as her spoon. Should be a fun season all around.

Well there it is. We love DVR because we can watch the shows we want when we want. Suck on that network schedulers!

Oh yeah, I also dig Adult Swim (Sun PM/Mon AM Cartoon Network).

I watch too much TV, but at least I'm selective. No reality shows. Future historians will look back on our day and age and comment, "Reality TV was a boil on the ass of humanity."

Rock me like Rita

2005-09-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

I have recently decided NOT to retire to the Gulf Coast. I have nothing against the region. I have family in Houston and friends in LA that I love, and I look forward to making a trip in the future to take in the culture and fare that make the region the unique spot that it is. But with another bitch of a hurricane bearing down on the coast, I think I'll look elsewhere for any timeshares or retirement property.

All kidding aside. Hasn't that part of our country had enough already? I can't imagine what it must be like for those who have been displaced by Katrina to look down the barrel of yet another tremendous storm that will a best delay their return to the places they call home. Hurricanes suck. All of us were affected by Katrina in one way or another, but Rita is striking closer to home for me than Katrina.

I have an aunt and uncle that live in Houston. They are heading to Norman, OK to stay with my parents until Rita blows over. But it's going to take they quite a while to reach their destination. They left their home on the south side of H-town at 1:30am. By 7:30am they had made it all the way to the north side of Houston. After an hour of that nonsense, I would have turned around galvanized to ride out the storm (foolhardy, I know). Last I heard they were still on the road northbound. Grace and peace to all on the their journey out of south Texas and the rest of that already aching area. Grace and peace indeed.

PS - If you live in the path of Rita, you're more than welcome to come stay with us in Minneapolis.

My boy

2005-09-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

My son is something else. He's lighting on all fours. Plus he's a young man of distinct taste. Why just last Friday we were having dinner with a group of friends, and my son crawled his way underneath the table. I was informed that he was under the table so I lifted up the tablecloth to see him eating something. Something. "What is that in his mouth," I remember thinking to myself. Just then my wife reached under the table to retrieve our son. As she grabbed him she shouted, "He's eating cat vomit!"

My son had found and was feasting on a hairball.

pandemonium follows. I start half laughing, half gagging. Heather is about to ralph. Our friend Rachel is cry/laughing. I can't see Naomi's eyes because she laughing so hard. Jimmy clicks into superdad mode and exclaims, "Oh! Oh! Give him to me!" and rushes Ti into the kitchen for some much need parental intervention. All others around the table are in stitches and/or holding back upchuck. When Jimmy returned with the boy, Ti was all smiles. Apparently he liked it.

As I said my boy is a young man of distinct taste.

Beautiful

2005-09-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

Talk about amazing. The weather here in the Twin Cities has been incredible lately. Cool and breezy - very fall-like weather. Yesterday, my son and I decided to take advantage of the day so we went to Lake Calhoun for lunch and a brisk walk. I love walking around the lakes in Minneapolis. It gives me plenty of time to reflect on life and ponder the ever expanding mysteries of life and the like.

One such pondering I had yesterday was about work. For those of you who don't know it, I'm a stay at home dad. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love spending time with my son. Watching him learn & explore the big new world is an inspiring experience. But my jaunt around the lake allowed me to consider what I would do for a living if I could choose.

For some reason I began thinking about what I would NOT want to do or the environment where I would NOT to work. The idea of being caged in a cubicle for 40 hours a week does not particularly excite me - even though my lovely wife does exactly that, and I know she doesn't love it either. But she's making the sacrifice right now for the benefit of our family, and I am truly grateful for her willingness to do so. Enough sucking up to my wife (love you, babe). Okay, so cubes are out. What else? Ah yes. I would rather not have to wear a suit and tie to as the official garb of the workplace. I realize that many if not most companies are more relaxed with the dress code these days. Business casual okay, just not a full on suit and tie. I would rather not be in sales. I don't like to push people into to buying something they may not/probably do not need or is more than they can afford. I don't want to just make money for the shareholders. Don't get me wrong, I like money as much as the next person, but I don't want it to be the only focus of my life and labor. So what would I LIKE in a job?

I would like variety in my work. It is the spice of life after all. I would like to make a good living at what I do, but I would also like to make a difference in other people's lives. For some reason the two seem to rarely inhabit the same job description. I would like to use my abilities, skills, and personality in this ideal job - which would include teaching, writing, creativity, interpersonal relationships, laughing, etc. I would love to be outdoors as part of my dream job. Not exclusively outdoors, but a connection with natural would be nice - except in the winter. Hey, I'm imaginative not crazy.

I don't know if such a job exists, but if it does let me know about it. I think my wife would be willing to switch places with me. Ahh the joys of exercise and a wondering mind. What a potent combina...oooh, look a bird...

History

2005-09-11T14:27:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I read my friend Doug's blog (see Friends list), and he and his daughter recently had a discussion about how our current time in history will be viewed by our descendants. It got me thinking about when I was a teenager. I remember talking to my dad about what it was like for him growing up in the 60's & 70's. Talk about crazy days - protests of an unpopular war, massive natural disasters, deep political divisions, profound social change, high oil prices, etc. Funny, huh? I guess the old cliche` is true - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

This is my kind of Sunday

2005-09-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm watching the MN Vikings lose to the Tampa Bay Bucs. I'm pulling for the horned ones. It's only appropriate since I live in Minneapolis, but unlike some of my friends here, I won't lose any sleep if the end up losing this game. Now if my beloved Eagles lose tomorrow night, I may toss and turn a little.

Not completely off the subject, did you know that real Vikings did not wear horned helmets? It's true. The horned helmet was added for dramatic effect in operas/plays much later in European history. And thus you have been introduced to the "Phil Fun Fact" or as some of my college buddies affectionately call "PF2" (I don't know how to make the "squared" 2 in html). Not to worry, PF2's will be a main stay of my blog. I know you're all looking forward to the tasty tidbits of useless info/trivia. Stay tuned.

Enneagram Type

2005-09-07T23:24:00.000-05:00

free enneagram test

Here's my Enneagram Type. Yep, I'm a 7 with a 6 wing. Surprise, surprise. If you get a chase, learn what your type is at www.enneagraminstitute.com. It may prove rather insightful for you. Enjoy.

State Fair

2005-09-02T23:25:00.000-05:00

Man I suck at blogging. I just keep putting posting off. Oh well. I'm sure the three of you who read this rag of a blog have been waiting for my latest post with eager anticipation. Stop holding your breath.

My family and I spent the day at the Minnesota State Fair today. Here are a few of the highlights:

#1-Cattle Barn. So we're walking through the cattle barn when a young man walks his prize cow past us. After passing us, we heard an unmistakable sound: the splattering of cow feces on pavement. What amazed me was the speed at which the young cowhand responded to the messy spatter. He quickly bent down and grabbed two handfuls of hay from a near by stall and covered the fresh foul mounds of bovine plop.

#2-Porkchop on a Stick. Our friend Naomi raved about this Fair treat so I had to give it a shot. One word: delicious. In recent months, I've cut waaaaay back on my intake of swine simply because pigs are filthy animals. But I made an exception because, what the hell, we're at the fair.

#3 - In the Goat Barn, my son pet his first goat and promptly stuck his fingers up it's nose. 'nuff said.

#4 - The Do. As we exited the bus at the fairgrounds, we walked past an amazing coif of hair. the gentleman had a neatly arranged blonde, feathered mullet. A thing of beauty.

I'll take my working a backward chronology here as a sign to call it a night. My feet are tired.

Lake Pokegama

2005-08-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

On Monday and Tuesday, I went with some of our youth from our church to Lake Pokegama for an end of summer getaway a.k.a Doug and Shelley's "real" vacation. I had a great time even though I received a nasty sunburn from 3+ hours of exposure Tuesday morning and afternoon. Ouch, to say the least. Tubing was a blast, but watching the kids fly off the tube and kneeboard was even more entertaining. There's nothing like seeing a nimble teenager skid across the surface of the water at 30 mph. But if you asked them, they'd swear they were going 60 mph. After trying to explain the physics of friction and water at speeds exceeding 54 mph, they still remained unconvinced of their real speed. Ahh youth. After these two days, I have come to one undeniable conclusion: energy is lavished on the young...but I don't think they're aware of it.

Strange happenings at Borders

2005-08-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

This does not rival Bil's mind-blowing bookstore tale, but I found it rather odd...
Heather was off from work today, so I took the opportunity to emerge from my cave and regain contact with the outside world. After an hour or so on the driving range (Damn little white ball. Why won't you fly straight?), I headed for Borders. I never seem to buy anything when I go there. Why is that? Oh yeah...I'm "thrifty." Where was I? Right, Borders. So I'm perusing the bargain bin for good buys, and lo and behold, I actually found something. "Baby's First Animal Book" for some $3. Hey, I'm a dad, what can I say? This kind of buy excites me. Other things still do, but contributing to my son's education is time & money well spent. But I digress. After reading a rousing Far Side compilation, I began making my way to the register when out of nowhere this guy accosts me. He said I looked familiar and asked if I went to some college around these parts. At first I thought he was hitting on me so I casually raised my left hand with my wedding band in plain sight. I became apparent right away that he was not trying to pick me up. I would have been flattered, I think. I told him that I didn't attend school, but rather I was a stay-at-home dad. After several more questions, this mystery man asked my name. I offered it to him. To my surprise, the nameless man of my Border's inquisition who was approximately my age had a name, Scott. Come to find out, "Scott" owns his own business - a marketing firm. Apparently I looked like someone in need of employment. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. He asked me if I had any experience in marketing, and naturally I told him I used to be a youth pastor. Youth ministry is nothing if not a Christian version of marketing and sales. Think about it for a moment. Youth pastors have to make their ministries interesting and attractive to "put asses in the seats" (to keep their jobs in some if not most cases - not that I speak from experience or anything...wink, wink). Pardon my cynical tone. Back to the story at hand..."Scott" inquired if I was ever interested in making some extra $ to give him a call. After giving me his card and a brief interchange of pleasantries (Minnesota nice, stuff), we parted ways. Thus ending my strangest encounter at Borders to date. Stay tuned for further Borders adventures. Same Phil channel, same Phil time or whatever.

Know what I hate?

2005-08-15T19:23:00.000-05:00

I hate getting my oil changed. All I know is that it shouldn't take 3 FREAKING HOURS!!! My god. I was told that I would be called when my car was finished. Standard procedure, right. Apparently not. After 3 hours of tooling around earthly purgatory (i.e the local mall), I made my way back to auto shop. Sure enough, my car was ready, but I had not been called. After waiting another 10 minutes just to pay for the oil change, I asked the guy behind the counter why he hadn't called me when the job was completed. His answer, "I didn't get to it." Thanks, counter-jockey. Thanks a million.

Stone and sky

2005-08-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

St. Mary's Basilica downtown Minneapolis. Just one of the many places we love here in our new hometown.

Up and running

2005-08-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

Okay...now I'm blogging. Great. Now what? Oh I know! Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a man who had a hairy dog...