Boy, this is a lame one.
1. What size shoe do you wear?
Size 8 1/2
2. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
I have about 4 pairs of shoes. Only 3 of watch I wear on a regular basis. One pair if waterproof Rockports; One pair of Nikes which I’ve had since college; and a pair of brown dress shoes. I also have a pair of black dress shoes which I hardly ever wear. Shoes aren’t a big priority for me. I rarely buy shoes. In fact, the Rockports were a Christmas gift which I didn’t even pick out.
I realize that women have several pairs of shoes. I really don’t know if they need as many. Some shoes are bought just for a specific dress of something.
3. What type of shoe do you prefer (boots, sneakers, pumps, etc.)?
Sneakers. They’re comfortable. I never wear boots. I’d look like some redneck if I wore boots.
4. Describe your favorite pair of shoes. Why are they your favorite?
My Rockports are cool enough. They’re comfortable and are waterproof. That’s all I need.
Way back in junior high I had a couple of pairs of Converse All Stars….turquoise and fluorescent orange. They were great, however there was no arch support. So they didn’t feel as good as they looked. People made fun of me for wearing them, so I soon stopped.
5. What’s the most you’ve spent on one pair of shoes?
Nikes can be quite expensive. I’ve paid maybe $70-90 on them.
While we are on the subject of shoes, here are 2 of my shoe store stories:
Way back in the 80s I remember my mom taking my sister and me shoe shopping. I wanted to get back in time to see “That’s Incredible” on TV. It was a show with human interest type stories. My sister’s foot was so narrow we had to go to 3 or more shoe stores in order to find a shoe that fit. I ended up missing That’s Incredible because of my sister’s narrow foot.
If you are driving on state route 70 east from Nashville toward Sparta, there is a store somewhere around Smithville which sells Shoes and Cheese. That’s the name of the store – “Shoes and Cheese.” We passed by the store every time my family visited my grandparents in Sparta. Most of the store is filled with shoes. But there is a refridgerator which has plenty of cheese in it. Weird. When I think of shoes, I don’t think of cheese, and vice versa. However some cheese does smell like shoes.
I’m leaving for Short Mountain Bible Camp in Woodbury later this afternoon. I’ve invited some of the kids I know from Taylor Christian Camp in Kentucky. So I’ll be going to Portland to pick them up, then on to Mt. Juliet to meet the rest of the group before actually leaving for Short Mountain. It will be interesting to see how these visitor kids interact with the Mt. Juliet kids. It is weird to have friends you know from one particular place to show up at a completely different place to interact with a completely different set of people. Sorta like when Boss Hogg showed up at Mel’s Diner during the crossover episode of Alice. Or when the Flintstones met the Jetsons.
These kids which I invited are really looking forward to this retreat. They cleared off their activities to make sure they could come to it. I hope it won’t dissappoint them.
All You Can Eat Pizza
So Mark, Josh and I went out to eat a CiCi’s Pizza yesterday for lunch. All you can eat pizza for $5. But the pizza isn’t very good, so I’m not sure it is worth it every single day or even every week. It had been a while since I ate there. While we were waiting in line someone from high school recognized Josh. I think Josh gets recognized much more often since he was valedictorian. Amazing. He wasn’t even known during high school, but after making a speech and writing and performing a song at graduation, everyone in our class remembers him.
During lunch we did get into a discussion about Benny Hinn’s healing ministry. I think it’s all one big hoax, however I’m not sure if Benny himself knows its a hoax or is caught up in it himself. Mark and Josh seem a bit skeptical about it, yet they don’t come out and say it’s a hoax. I figure if he could really heal people, then he should be in the hospitals healing everyone….growing back amputated arms and legs….etc. It should be that easy if someone has the power of healing. Otherwise, it’s all one big circus act.
I did try to go by Metro Information Services today. I used to work for them when I was a contractor for Nortel. However at their old office (which is the current address on their webpage) I found a locked door. I’ve left a voicemail with them, but somehow I doubt they will call me back. I did speak to a couple of headhunters today, with some positive conversations.
Lilapsophobia- Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
I used to be afraid of tornadoes. Hurricane season has been just annoying with the rain. Looks like Saturday will be all clear of Hurricane Lili’s rains.
The weekly church bulletin
The weekly church bulletin is a unique publication. In one fail swoop it mentions who’s relative’s friend needs prayers for in-grown toenails while at the same time provides some uplifting message taken from some other bulletin of the same genere. In some cases it can be good for spreading news. Case in point. Last night my mom told me that a certain couple at church were expecting a child. She said to keep it confediental. Already having seen this week’s church bulletin, I pointed out that the announcement was already public information, so there was no need to keep it a secret. I certainly hope the office staff decided to clear it with the pregnant couple before actually publishing the news.
Our youth minister says in the bulletin that we’ll be meeting (not leaving) at 5PM for the retreat. He also says “Please be on time.” Sorta laughable. No one is ever on time for services. Why would it be different when leaving for the retreat? We’ll leave at 5:45 or 6PM even. For someone who is always on time, it is very frustrating for people to be lazy and not be on time when it hinders the group.
Without a Job
I have a feeling I’ll be without a job for quite sometime. All those well-meaning people who told me “Jeff, you’ll have no problem getting a new job” were all wrong. In any case I don’t care anymore. I’m not worried about it either. I’ll keep applying for positions, keep writing letters, and making phone calls. If a position is available then that’s fine, otherwise I don’t care.
So right now it’s not depression….it’s apathy. I hate searching for jobs. I hate filling out job applications and begging people for help. I hate the whole process.
Hurricane Lili
Mark Partin has put up some pictures of our visit to the state fair a few weeks ago. They are all pictures that I took.
I hope Hurricane Lili doesn’t ruin this upcoming retreat. If it was anything like Tropical Storm Isidore, then we are in for a bunch of rain. But usually even a little bit of rain doesn’t exactly ruin a weekend. Why should I worry about things I can’t control? But we might have to scamble to make sure the kids have lots to do. Indoor games!
Songs I’ve really gotten into lately:
- The Strokes – “Someday” I heard this song in a MTV promotional. Great song. It’s too bad this group will probably turn into a one hit wonder with “Last Night.” I think this song is much better than “Last Night.”
- Wallflowers – “Everybody Out of the Water” A great rock song. I can’t wait until their album comes out in November. This song should have been released first to radio stations.
- The Vines – “Get Free” Another great driving rock song. They sound similiar to the Hives.
Lebanon Road Church of Christ….I’ll
Lebanon Road Church of Christ….I’ll be on a retreat with this church this weekend.
Portland Retreat
Well the retreat was fun. Mark Sexton’s devotional Saturday morning seemed to hit home with me. He spoke on renewing the individual. Depression was brought up. In times past and lately I have become depressed….primarily due to the job situation. Mark’s main point was to take the “De” and “I” out of depression and “press on.” I’m really trying. Sometimes it is hard to let God take over with our lives. I thought about saying something positive to Mark about his devotional, but I never got a chance to. Mark is a really good guy for letting me come along on the retreat. I know I am an outsider. Apparently everyone likes me well enough to keep me around. I feels good to be liked.
I am sorta surprised that these kids seem to think I’m the most popular person around. And I haven’t even done anything to make them think highly of me. If it means just spending time with them and talking to them, then that’s all it takes. Give a kid the time of day and talk to them like a real person, then they will think highly of you.
Funniest time this weekend….seeing Spenser Sexton getting held down and fed dirt by his dad. Picture of it are hilarious. The flour war was fun too. They cut up some pantyhose, tied them together, and put flour in them. The object of the game was to throw them at other people and not get hit yourself. You knew when you got hit because the flour left a mark. I spent my time filming and didn’t get hit much.
Friday Five: Relaxing
Friday Five
1. What are your favorite ways to relax and unwind?
I get on the computer and check the latest news. This is sorta been my routine ever since September 11th. I can honestly say I enjoy reading….if it is non-fiction….mostly current events.
2. What do you do the moment you get home from work/school/errands?
As stated above, get on the computer. I also have a Tivo which records programs while I’m away. I usually pick a program to watch while surfing the web.
Thank goodness I positioned my computer to where I’d be able to watch TV while surfing the web.
3. What are your favorite aromatherapeutic smells?
Huh? Sorry, I’m not into those smelly candles. This is a girly questions.
4. Do you feel more relaxed with a group of friends or hanging out by yourself?
Many times it is hanging by myself. But I do that so much anyways. Sometimes it is good to get away. Sometimes friends make me feel guilty for not doing more with them. I hate that.
5. What is something that you feel is relaxing but most people don’t?
I like working on this webpage….designing banners and junk like that. Most people would think of that as work. I find it halfway relaxing. I guess if I was to get a job in webpage design, I would find it to be work.
I’ll admit it. I’m a big nerd when it comes to computers.
So the folks at Scottsville want me to show someone how to maintain their church webpage. It is a good idea to have someone to maintain it locally. However I’ve been told that the person who would like to maintain it is a 13 year old girl. So basically if she takes it over, the webpage will end up looking like a 13 year old girl designed it. Not so sure this is a good idea.
You can’t toss dwarfs anymore in France.
No posts for tomorrow. I’ll be away on a church retreat. Looking forward to it. Leaving in just a few hours from now.
Winds of Change
Tropical Storm Isidore is drenching us with non-stop rain. Took me 90 minutes to get to Brentwood this morning. One hour getting back home.
To be honest with you I don’t know if I will ever get a job anytime soon. I learned networking options today in class. Seems so vast and like a shot in the dark. I need to take a step back and try to digest it all. My last job fell right into my lap. I don’t think I’ll be so lucky this time. I try to keep a positive outlook outwardly on things. But deep down inside I am disappointed, hurt, and lost.
No matter who you are and what you do, there will always be someone who does things better than you. You just have to accept it and move on.
Incoherent Bible Lessons
We’ve got to get a better alternative to this Bible lesson we are using in the 5th and 6th grade Wednesday night class at church. It skips around too much. Has too little common theme to it. Just sounds like a series of questions. I can tell that some of these kids are not getting much out of it. Some of them aren’t following along in their Bible. I wonder if and when they will start taking it seriously. But with this lesson material, it is a wonder that they even are interested enough to come to class.
Finally have a respectable looking resume. No, I won’t be posting it here due to privacy concerns.
I hate rainy nights. Looks like it will be raining here continuously for a day or two. Better now than when I am on that retreat this weekend. I still need to charge up my camera batteries (both video and digital). The weather is supposed to be mild, and even downright cool at night. Must remember to take a sweatshirt. By this weekend we will know that fall is definitely here.
“Autumn is coming it seems like it�s in sight”
–Gin Blossoms “Idiot Summer”