Stacked Actors

In this installment of Thursday’s Question, I’m asking:

What do you want to know about me?

In fact, in this post, I’m asking you to ask a question to me.  So, it’s really Thursday’s ANSWERS.

Most of my readers are family and friends and most know me pretty well.  But on the flip side, I have some readers from church and from other blogs in the blogosphere who may not know all that much about me or my family. Not being arrogant here, but it’s just a way for us to get to know each other better.

My bio on the right hand side of the page explains a lot but not everything.  So just ask me and I’ll try to answer.  I’ll give you some examples:

• How did you get your name?
• What type of law do you practice?
• How long have you been married?
• Which was your favorite lion on Voltron?

You know, important stuff.

So, if you have a question then ask away.  I’ll do my best to try and answer all that are asked.

Recently, I ran into a friend from high school and college by the name of Stephen Moseley.  We ran into each other at the local “drive thru” haircut place close to home where we had a brief moment to chat.  The usual was discussed….he has a daughter and a wife, things are good, etc.  Then he hands me a business card and I reciprocate.

What he handed me though was the card of a company which he co-founded by the name of Cool People Care.  Please go by their website and check them out.  Stephen and the co-founder, Sam Davidson have put together a great website and resource center for tips to make life better by practicing earth friendly ideas and just generally good favor.  What a great concept.

Moseley and Davidson have further co-authored a book entitled “New Day Revolution” which expounds on these ideas.

Ok, now your turn.  Check out their website, blog, etc.  Sign up for daily email tips, or buy their book.  It’s really good stuff made by good people.

This was my positive post:

Stats only this week guys.  No picture either.  I’m admittedly only posting for accountability. 

If you’re new here, check this out and this out.

Here’s the numbers:

Down two pounds from last week. 

Found out swimming isn’t that great of an exercise to lose weight.

Thinking about doing a triathalon.  Then decided to eat ice cream instead.

Please make me eat better.  I know ya’ll can do it.

This post is part of:

Today I’m living up to my random tendencies and just throwing out some fun stuff for you guys to look at.

The local paper in our local community Mt. Juliet is publishing some FINE journalism:

“What I thought was a dream is in reality a nightmare….due to destruction of contact, I was unable to contact you personally.”

Simply stunning.

Check out the video at this link which pretty much shows why the Foo Fighters are the best rock band of this decade.  The video is approx. 7 minutes long.  Seriously, check it out.  It’s AMAZING, no lie.

WARNING:  One explicit lyric.  Strike that, Dave is screaming it so you can’t really distinguish.

Finally, if you haven’t had enough fun yet, check out my boy Jared’s Friday Fun Facts.

Whew,  WAY too much fun for one individual to handle.  Glad we got through that one.

Ya’ll have a great weekend.

I have to ask as Thursday’s Question:  What are you doing to curb fuel costs? 

Are you doing anything?  Are you traveling less?  Are you taking alternate routes, carpooling, using public transportation, buying new vehicles, etc.? 

Wifey has started carpooling with co-workers.  This frees up her car, which gets better gas mileage than mine, and I drive her car to work.  In fact, as the Vespa post pointed out, we’re actually looking for another vehicle altogether to replace the somewhat ecoirresponsible SUV which gets pretty atrocious fuel mileage. 

We’ve further noticed that the amount that we’re spending on entertainment has been slowly decreasing (partly because of an increasingly pregnant wife); but somehow we weren’t saving any money.  We also noticed that our gas budget basically is shot every month due to the increase in fuel spending.  Therefore cutbacks need to be made. 

So what gets trimmed for you in your budget because of fuel?  Are you cutting back in some areas to compensate for rising fuel costs? 

Lemme know what ya’ll are doing to compensate for the ridiculous cost of gas.

Yesterday my family went to a meeting with my Father’s oncologist to give the results of the latest PET scan which was performed on Dad last week. 

The results:  Chemotherapy is working!   

Very obviously this is great news but even better news knowing that the type of caner that Dad has only responds to chemotherapy 40% of the time.  Let me reiterate.  Under normal circumstances, 60% of the time this type of cancer either contiues to spread or gets bigger regardless of whether you do chemotherapy or not.  Basically, Dad has bucked the norm.  This is nothing new, of course.  My Dad’s a prize fighter. 

So let’s just think back.  Three months ago my Father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer which we were told would take his life.  We were further told that the chances of slowing it down with chemotherapy were only 40%.  Plus, that any chemotherapy taken would make my Dad as sick as a dog and that quality of life would be the pits.

Fast Forward.

My Father has taken chemo like a champ.  I’ll site two examples.  The first was after his first treatment when he came home and then mowed the lawn.  Simply inhuman.  The second was two days after the latest treatment when he conducted a full-blown trial in an out of county courtroom that lasted all day.  Now we get news that not only is Dad taking the treatments very well, but that they’re working….

All that I can say is that God answers prayers. 

Keep praying; he’s not done.  He’ll go for 3 more treatments and then another scan.  Therefore we’ll do this all over again in about 2.5 months.

I think God wants someone to be a Grandpa.

In case you guys didn’t notice, I posted this (above) little widget on my blog yesterday.  If you click on the widget, you’ll be linked to a new blog created for my church’s mission work.

More specifically, a group from our church are headed this morning to the Dominican Republic for mission work.  In the DR, the group will be assisting a Haitian pastor in building a church and a feeding center.

I am humbled by this group’s willingness to serve.  As I was thinking about this yesterday, I realized that sometimes I tend to stay in my comfort zone when it comes to serving others.  I am quick to use the “fun” gifts that God has given me like my ability to play a musical instrument or my ability to act in funny skits for kids, etc.  But when it gets down to the nitty-gritty I sometimes shy away.  When it comes down to “getting out of my comfort zone” I tend to be hesitant.

Having said that, I am totally humbled and admire this group of people who are going.  I am praying hard for safety and that God really works through these folks.

I am so blessed to be a part of a community of believers who aren’t afraid to get out of their comfort zones for Christ’s work.  These guys are awesome!

This was my positive post

If you’re new here, check this out and this out.

Although this looks bad, I’m not that upset:

Here’s the numbers:

As some of you may have noticed, I didn’t post last week’s update but I did weigh in.  I don’t have pics to prove it but just take my word for it that I weighed in at 195.5.  Then today I post 199.  That’s right 199, the heaviest that I’ve been since 6/2. 

Here’s why I’m not upset though:  

• I Feel GREAT.
• I’m getting plenty of exercise between Swimming, Cycling, Sand Volleyball and Tennis.
• I’ve actually trimmed down despite the shaky numbers.
• I ate Terribly this weekend and expected to see worse.

I think that I will probably push past this “weight loss barrier” in the next 2-3 weeks.  As most fitness experts will tell you (and I DON”T claim to be one) you will begin building muscle mass when you begin a workout regimen; and muscle tissue weighs more than fatty tissue.  Therefore, I think in the next few weeks my metabolism should kick in and really start to burn some of this fat after I’ve built up some good muscle mass.  Of course, I could totally be wrong.

I’m not going to lie though, the 199 is probably from all the Ice Cream, Reeces, Twix, cupcakes, and double from Wendy’s which I ate over the weekend.  Writing this down makes me seem like a hog.  

Eat Better, Eat Better, Eat Better, Eat Better. 

This post is a part of the:

Another caption contest.  Please respond better than yesterday.  Yesterday, my readers were WEAK and didn’t give me any lucky numbers.

The winner of the caption contest last time was Derek Murphy.  I owe him a steak.

You could be next.

C’mon…you know you wanna comment.

In honor of Pete’s Lottery posts, I figured I’d piggy-back and ask you the Thursday Question:

What’s your lucky number? 

Truth be told, I woke up this morning and asked my wife what I should ask in this installment of Thursday’s Question and she replied “Ask people what their lucky number is.”  I said I wanted to expound on that idea so here we go…In true Thursday Question fashion, I am asking several questions: 

Why is it your lucky number?  Has it really brought you good luck?  May I use it to play roulette?  Etc, Etc.

In the same vein…let me know if you have a little trinket like a lucky charm that you carry around.  I don’t but I’m just curious of how many you carry around a rabbits foot, a buckeye, a sharks tooth, feather of an albatross, etc. 

So spill it:

What’s your lucky number?