lessons

Here's a few things I've learned this month.

1.) In my two day trip to Chicago I learned that every joke I've ever heard about cabdrivers is true.

2.) Everyone has an agenda. It may not be good or bad, just theirs.

3.) Lack of discipline in any area of your life effects every area.

4.) Gavin loves my impression of "The Swedish Chef"

5.) A new computer with a lot of memory and new gadgets is awesome, but connecting to the internet with dialup at only 32k still sucks. It took my computer 6 minutes last night to load my myspace page. ( I can't even attempt to look at people pages with music.)

6.) Ethan knows way more about Star Wars than any 3 1/2 year old should. Do you know what color Mace Windu's lightsaber is? He does.

7.) I'm in mourning due to the writers strike. I'm not a fan of much reality TV. Except for "Beauty & The Geek" the most hilarious show you're not watching.

8.)Black Friday shopping is for idiots. I was one of them this year. The only benefits were that I got almost all our shopping done in 3 hours & I stumbled upon a Wii. I was in the right place at the right time.

9.)Going to Chicago for a work trip, interesting and kind of fun. Having to share a hotel room with the boss due to a reservation mixup, uncomfortable and awwwwkward.

10.) I really HATE the Christmas song ... "The Holiday Season".

Reason, let's look at some lyrics...

"It's the holiday season
With the whoop-de-do and hickory dock
And don't forget to hang up your sock
'Cause just exactly at 12 o'clock
He'll be coming down the chimney
Coming down the chimney
Coming down the chimney, down!"

It will be stuck in your head all day now. You're Welcome!

(WHAT DOES " WHOOP-DE-DO AND HICKORY DOCK" HAVE TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS!! I THINK THEY JUST NEEDED SOMETHING TO RHYME WITH SOCK. THATS JUST LAZY SONGWRITING!!!)

God Bless us, Every One!

-Shawn

I Can't Get No....

Mick Jagger said it and boy was he right.

I can't get no satisfaction.

I've realized recently that this is very true. And I think maybe that's the way life is supposed to be. This entire train of thought started a couple days ago when I was considering what I wanted to ask for for Christmas. In past years I've given a list of stuff to my lovely wife who then uses it to tell family members what to give me. Don't get me wrong, I love a surprise gift. But most people say I'm hard to buy for. That's probably just becuase I have a "NO CLOTHES" for Christmas rule that I try to stick to. It's much more fun to get toys, electronics, and other useless junk.

So, as I was saying, My list started off like it usually does; a few movies, books, CD's, Games, power tools (which rarely get used) and then I started thinking through some larger things; A new computer; new furniture for my home office; a Playstation 3. All together not a bad list, but then I began to think which of these will really effect my life. I mean, which of these is going to make my life easier or bring something to the table. Answer: None of it.

A few years ago I got a Palm Pilot for Christmas. That's probably been one of the best gifts I've ever gotten simply because it made a change in my life. Suddenly I had all my Outlook information in my hand. It did so much that just made my two jobs and home life more simple. But, like most gadgets, it lost it's luster after a while. I rarely carry it now. Most of my contact info is in my phone and (thanks to a recent job change )calendar info I can keep track of in my head. So what do I really need in my life that will make a difference? What do I need/want that will bring some satisfaction?

As I mentioned, that is where this train started. Unfortunately this track was very long. Realizing that none of these things would bring me any satisfaction, I began to consider what does bring me satisfaction. Answer, not much.

Here's an example, I can vividly remember playing Super Mario on Nintendo as a young'un. I played that game everyday for hours hoping to finally reach my goal and complete the final level. (Remember the days when you couldn't save your progress in a video game.) When I did finally reach that final screen and I beat King Koopa,(or whatever his name was) I''m not sure what I expecteded. I think I suspected that money would shoot out from the front of the maching as payment for completing such an awesome adventure. But of course, that didn't happen. Just a screen that said you've won, the end, yada yada yada,. I was so disappointed. No satisfaction. Just the thought of, "well, that's over, what now."

Even as an adult, I've realized the same thing. I directed a musical a few weeks ago at church. I literally spent 6 months planning and prepping for this one night event. When the night finally came, I loved being in the service. But when it was over, there was no real satisfction. Just a feeling of "well, that's over, what now." Don't get me wrong, I loved it and am very proud of it. I'm just refering to the feeling that you get afterwards.

So here's the conclusion that I've come to for now..... Life is not about satisfaction. Life is not about how you feel when something is over. Life is about the stuff that happens when you are in the middle of doing something . It's about the feelings and experiences you have while working on a task, or an adventure, or just a day in your life.

So will I coninue to play video games? You know it. Will I continue to plan large events at church? As long as God lets me. What will I ask for for Christmas. I'll let you know.

Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try.

Yuck!

I want all of you to know I hate Tea.

Sweet tea, unsweet tea, green tea, even coffee, I hate em' all.

Why someone decided it would be a good idea to take a bag of dirt, put it in water and drink it, I'll never know.

Usually, when I'm at a dinner, if I'm given tea to drink I'll just drink it quietly without saying much. I won't puike or anything. I guess I can bear it. I just don't like it. If given the choice of a cold glass of tea or a warm cup of water, I'd probably choose the water.

You may be wondering "Why's Shawn so worked up about tea?". Well, I'll tell you, 3 times this week I've order coke or water at a restaurant and been given tea instead. And to top it all off, today I went to Milo's. You see, I LOVE their coke. They get the mix of carbonation and sugary goodness just right. I also like the cool crunchy ice they have. But I digest, I mean... digress. When I left the drive-thru I took a huge swig of my drink almost excited about the refreshing coca-cola. To my horror my mouth was full of dirty water. Yuk!

There's not much worse than taking a drink or bite of something expecting it to be something else. Your system just goes into shock for a minute. I once saw someone eat a spoonful of sourcream thinking it was frozen yogurt. It's very funny to watch, not very funny to experience.

Anyway, I just needed to vent for a minute. I know I'm in the minority. Very few people are anti tea and coffee. All I ask is that folks don't assume that everyone likes tea.

Dirty Water Haters Unite!

Phil 4:4-8

Just a few passages...

God is good. He lead me to this this week. First, a translation from The NIV, then the same passage from The Message. Good stuff.

NIV

4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The Message

4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! 6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

random thoughts

So, I've found myself with about 2 hours and nothing urgent that needs to be done. So...here are some random thoughts from the past few weeks.

1.) Kids say the darndest things - Last week I heard Ethan use the phrases "take a dump" and "what the heck?". Sadly, he said he heard the former from me and the latter from a cartoon. I guess I need to be more careful with what I say from now on. Little ears and always listening.

2.) Elton John still knows how to rock even at 60 years old. Great concert.

3.) Gavin crawled forward for the first time last night. He'd known how to go in reverse, but never could seem to find drive. Now, we've got to go back into child protection mode. It's amazing what little kids can find on the floor once their mobile.

4.) I'm losing interest in the show Smallville. I've loved it since I first got a bootleg copy of the pilot a month before it aired. But now I'm just ready for it to end. That makes me sad.

5.) I have no time to play my playstation. Sleep has taken a higher priority. That makes me kind of sad too.

6.) I need to take guitar lessons. I want to play, but need some guidance on where to begin and I need someone to help keep me accountable to practicing on a regular basis.

7.) I love Mrs. Stratton's Chicken salad. I rarely go into wal-mart without buying a package of it. I usually eat some of it as a meal with some club crackers. I think I just heard Joseph say to me "I can hear you getting fatter."

8.) I no longer find American Idol entertaining. Now that Sanjaya's off, who cares.

9.) I've heard that every marriage has a "spender" and a "saver". Do you know what you are when you have two spenders? Broke.

10.)Even as I sit here, I've realized there are other things I should be doing, but I'm choosing not to. Does that make me undisciplined? Probably.

I'm sooo popular

I feel so good about myself right now. It seems that everytime I log onto myspace, I've got friend requests from attractive women all acorss the country. Apparently I'm irresistable. Girls read my profile and just have to get to know me.

I'm really not all that surprised that all these half dressed girls want to be my friend, because when you think about it...

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me. =)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

I read online today that NBC is canceling the show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". Maybe I was the only one watching it, but I thought it was a great show.

Oh well, at least I've still got Heroes....and Smallville, ....and Lost,...and The Office,...and My Name Is Earl,.... and 24, .... and all the CSI's and Law & Orders....and...........

Come to think of it, I probably needed to cut back anyway.

Maybe Chandler won't take the cancelation to hard. I'd hate to see him go back on drugs and look like a skeleton again.