Friday Five: Annoyances

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1. What is your biggest pet peeve? Why?
People who hinder the group when they are late. I hate setting a time to go somewhere and not actually leaving until 30 minutes afterwards. I arrive early when catching rides to church retreats. They always say we’ll leave at 5PM, but we don’t actually leave until 5:45 or even later. Drives me up the wall. Why can’t people be on time? I’m sure I have wasted years of my life waiting on people.
Another pet peeve of mine is people’s behavior at church worship services. Sometimes during the Lord’s Supper, perhaps the most serious part of worship, people will talk to their neighbor. If anyone does this, they’ve pretty much landed on my blacklist. I know they aren’t serious about worshipping God. Plus when people don’t sing it is frustrating. We are all commanded to sing. It doesn’t matter if you can’t carry a tune. We’re there to sing. When people just sit there and not sing, they again aren’t serious about worshipping. Argh!
2. What irritating habits do you have?
Worrying too much. I always find myself worrying about something.
Piling up papers and junk around my office. For some reason I seem to get a stack of papers on this on particular spot right beside my desk. Usually my To-Do stuff. I wish I didn’t pile it up there. Kinda gets annoying. But where else would I put it?
3. Have you tried to change the irritating habits or just let them be?
I haven’t really tried. Just part of my personality.
4. What grosses you out more than anything else? Why?
Fear Factor usually has some pretty gross stuff on it. All that nasty stuff they have to eat. Somehow I do believe Fear Factor will soon run its course. There’s only so many stunts you can do. There’s only so many gross “foods” you can eat.
Vomiting grosses me out. Watching people vomit is pretty nasty. They seem to be showing it more and more on TV these days. Johnny Knoxville and Road Rules both had episodes recently which included vomiting. I guess MTV had run out of shocking stuff to show.
In elementary school it grossed me out when kids would throw up. Usually it was at their desk. Halfway embarrassing for a kid to throw up. Sickening for the rest of us. I guess during that time a kid couldn’t control their vomit. They couldn’t hold it in until they got to the bathroom. Afterwards the teacher would call the janitor and he’d come with some bleach to clean it up. All the while the kid was sent to the office to call home. I remember it happening some in the early elementary school years, but it seemed to stopped happening later on.
On a side note, I knew a kid in elementary school who would get these massive migrain headaches. He was out usually at least one day a week. Said the migrains made him throw up. I think it had to do with his parents being divorced. Emotional problems.
Like the storyline from a Seinfeld episode, I went 19 years without throwing up. My streak which started in 1980 ended in late 1999 when I developed a stomach virus right after Christmas.
5. What one thing can you never see yourself doing that other people do?
This question is really random. It has nothing to do with the rest of the questions.
I don’t like to be trendy. Just because everyone shops at Old Navy or the Gap, doesn’t mean I shop there. I have to be my own person when choosing clothing, music, TV shows, etc…. I don’t like to be trendy.
Just surfing around I found some webpages of people I know at Stoner Creek Elementary:

  • Nick Nance Nick goes to church with me. This webpage appears to be more comprehensive than the ole regular standard format template. It appears this webpage is updated semi-frequently. The best part of the webpage is this quote: “Your child is being prayed for every day.”
  • Melissa Cobb I went to elementary, junior high, and high school with Melissa.
  • Katy Whiteaker Katy goes to church with me.
  • Laura Smith Laura also goes to church with me.

In School Suspension

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Last night I overheard one of the kids in Bible class bragging to another kid that he had in-school suspension. The way this kid was telling it, he almost was proud of what he did to get punished. I’m not sure what exactly he did, though. This particular kid had just become a Christian just a month ago. Not to sound judgemental or anything, but it makes me wonder if his change of heart to follow God wasn’t just lip service. Anytime in-school suspension is used, you know it a relatively serious offense…ie knowingly doing something wrong. In any case only time will tell if he actually grows out of this behavior and if he truly decides to follow God.

“The things you believe in
Are the things that’s worth keeping
Make a promise, stand right by your word.”
Better Than Ezra – Circle of Friends

The Today Show lead news story was Who Won American Idol. Note to the major news outlets: I don’t care about American Idol. I have never watched an episode. I didn’t like Star Search and I’m sure I wouldn’t care for this resurrected version. Why is this news?
That front page picture has not been changed in 3 weeks. It’s due the possiblity that #1 It is a cool nondescript picture….and #2 I haven’t done anything significant since that picture was taken. Don’t worry. I’ve got a few church activities coming up, so the picture will change soon. In fact I guess you can tell by the mood of this weblog, I don’t do much at all. Mostly these stories are of church activities. Sorry to sound so monotonous, but it is what I do. The anniversary of September 11th is coming up, so I’m sure I’ll have something to say about that.
Has anybody noticed that Jerry Lewis has really let himself go? Yeah, yeah, blame it on the medication.
FYI: You can’t name your baby Osama Bin Laden in Germany. Take note.
Letter with “Grama in the Blue House” written on it gets delivered to the right person.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good”

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Found a cool Bible verse the other day.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8

Not that I’m into Bible thumping. But it is a cool verse. Probably should underline it.
I was promoted to teaching 5th and 6th graders at church tonight. 18 kids in all plus 3 teachers. Tonight’s lesson was review. Blah. The class was mildly chaotic, but never completely out of control. Yes folks, there are Bible questions which I don’t know. Such as who was John the Baptist’s father? So I was in the dark for part of the time…and so was part of the class. Half the class had been promoted, so they had no idea what we were talking about for the review. It could have been planned differently.
In retrospect I don’t remember half the stuff I was taught in elementary Sunday school….which is probably why I was so interested in Old Testament stuff when I got to Lipscomb. In any case I am going to take this teaching duty seriously. Isn’t there a verse in the Bible about discouraging young Christians? Matthew 18:6.
Today I saw a commerical for a kids CD called “Kids Bop 2.” I missed the original Kids Bop CD, so I will have to settle for this mediocre sequel. Basically it is a CD of a bunch of kids singing covers of their favorite pop songs. What drew my attention was one of the songs featured was Uncle Kracker’s “Follow Me.” Anyone who has listened to the song knows that it is about adultery. It’s pretty clear in the lyric “Don’t worry ’bout the ring you wear just as long as no one knows. Then nobody can care….” It’s not just this song. There are a few other questionable songs on this CD. Do the record promoters recognize this? Do they care? Probably not. Neither do the parents who buy this CD. I just find it amusing that this CD is in the “Kids and Family” section of CDNOW.com.

Virtual Monday

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Today is a virtual Monday, even though it is a Tuesday. Kinda like a virtual Friday
Scott Burka is definitely obsessed with DCI (Drum Corp International). Basically its a professional marching band league. Just don’t compare this professional marching band league to a pro-football league. Totally different animals. Apples and oranges. “Professional” in that it is the next thing after college marching band, however marchers don’t necessarily get paid for it. It’s nice to have a hobby, however I do believe Scott might be obsessed with it. I can’t get him to talk about anything else. Anytime when I show a little interest in it, he wants to immediately send me some video or audio recording of it. If I back off in my interest in it, he starts moaning that I don’t trust him. Trust has nothing to do with it. I think he takes things too personal. It would be like me trying to impose my musical interests on everyone else. Musical tastes are all different. I have yet to meet someone who likes exactly the same type of music I like.
My interest in marching band has past. It’s old school. Learning to play an instrument while systematically marching in formations from one point to another on a football field just isn’t my idea of fun right now. Neither is necessarily watching it, especially if I don’t know anyone performing. It was good to be in band at the time. I made some good friends and felt like I was a part of some real organization. Most likely I would have never have gone to a high school football game if I hadn’t been in band. Come to think of it, during my Senior year, when I was out of band, I didn’t go to a football game. Or maybe I did. It’s been so long I can’t remember.
My mom has volunteered me to video tape a wedding of one of her friends at church. I have yet to meet the bride or groom. The only problem is the bride is prone to seizures at times when she becomes nervous. I foresee awkward moments. Let’s hope it won’t happen.
Friends and Family Help Dying Boy Celebrate Halloween 2 months early. The boy’s costume? The Grim Reaper.
World’s Last Camaro Sells for $71K

Labor Day Off

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Sometime on Friday afternoon it dawned on me that I’d have today off from work. I’ve enjoyed my day off. But I haven’t made much use of it. Had lunch with some friends at Chili’s. Chili’s cheesesticks are excellent, but a tad expensive. I am still searching for the perfect, less expensive cheesestick. Burger King and Sonic’s cheesesticks aren’t worth buying. Arby’s cheesesticks are expensive but good. I’ve had Longhorn’s cheesesticks before. They are good, but tend to fall apart in the plate.
So I bought another annual coupon book for 20 bucks from a kid at church. It’s got a ton of coupons…hence the name “coupon book.” I always say that I’ll get my 20 dollars back, but sometimes I don’t feel as though I use enough of the coupons. Last year’s coupon book expires November 1st. I haven’t even used 95% of the coupons in there. So I am struggling trying to use coupons before they expire. In any case I think this is a better fundraising idea than selling overpriced candy bars and cheese and sausages. The things they used to make us sell in school….
Totally missed Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Telethon. Not that I am a big fan of it anyways. In the era before cable…when there were only 5 channels on the dial, I’d get upset at Jerry for interupting the “Dukes of Hazzard” on Labor Day weekend. Since we have about 50 channels now plus Tivo, it is easy to miss alot of stuff on TV. Tivo is such a cool invention. Zapping through the commericals…no wonder advertisers hate it.
What is Tivo recording for me? Diff’rent Strokes, King of the Hill, Letterman, Big Brother, Behind the Music, and a bunch of History Channel documentaries.

“It’s always September somewhere on the internet.”

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Welcome to September. There is a net saying that goes along with this month. “The September that Never Ended”. In the infancy of the internet most users were college students. A large influx of these users would gain access to the internet each September when school started. They didn’t bother to follow the rules and kept asking the same questions over and over again to discussion groups. In 1993 the situation changed. It was that year that AOL began offering users access to discussion boards on the internet. That year is now commonly referred to “the September that never ended” since there are always a huge influx of new users on the net.
By coincidence I gained access to the internet that year also. Probably didn’t check my email until that September. With my brand new email account at Lipscomb, I began asking friends at other schools if they had email. (Some knew what email was; some didn’t). Now it seems universal. Most people are able to tell you if they have email or they don’t. Back then it wasn’t so clear cut.
I began freshmen year without a computer. Each dorm had its own computer lab. My dorm room happened to be located next door to the computer lab. So I would just go next door if I needed a computer. Several were usually free at most part of the day. However right around 12 midnight all of the computers were taken with people trying to churn out a paper overnight.
And don’t even get me started on the MOOers and MUDers. MOO was an early chat program. MUDs were the same type of chat environment in a virtual world game. The games were addictive. I know quite a few former Lipscomb students who wasted their tuition away skipping class and playing these lame chat games. Many of them didn’t have computers of their own, so they stayed on the public lab computers.
Computer addiction is very real. I personally know at least one couple who’s marriage was broken up primarily due to the computer. On the other hand, I don’t think I’m addicted to the internet. It doesn’t get in the way of my other parts of life. I haven’t stopped interacting socially. If anything I look forward to getting out of the house and getting away from the computer.

August and Everything After

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I saw a replay of the MTV VMAs, after hearing that surprise guests Guns ‘N Roses performed at the end. It was interesting, but Axl’s voice sounded strained. I didn’t care for GNR when they first came out when I was in junior high. Seemlingly back then in the late 80s, everyone had a GNR shirt. Maybe I didn’t care for them because they were so popular. Maybe it was the type of people who listened to heavy metal….the so-called long haired freaks….troublemakers.
But now I enjoy listening to GNR. Maybe it’s the nostalgia.
MTV does have a tendency to overplay things. If you happen to miss this year’s VMA’s broadcast almost live, you can always rest assured that MTV will replay it twice a day everyday for the next 10 days. I am not sure if they are in any dire need of programming. They seem to have enough Real World seasons to broadcast marathons over and over again. BRING BACK THE VIDEOS!
My original video tapes of camp have been loaned out to a friend. This friend is making a professional video tape which will include clips of the video (and other people’s videos) and of the digital pictures I took. I’m anxious to see the video, but I’m also anxious to get my video tapes back. We’ll be seeing this video at the camp reunion barbeque in a couple of weeks.
I usually don’t lend irreplaceable original video tapes to anyone. But I thought I’d have to make an exception in this case.
The church picnic was tonight. I didn’t go for a variety of reasons. Mostly it was because I don’t like feeling awkward in large crowds. Not having much to say to people who I don’t know.
Having layoffs at Nortel is kinda like being up for nomination for eviction on your favorite reality based tv show. You’re never sure if you will be going, but you know there is a chance you might be. I could moan and grown about it…and give myself a ulcer, but it is not worth it. God has blessed me so much I’m not sure it is my place to complain that my job is not permanent. I hope I’ll be staying, but if it is my time to go, then I should accept it and move on. We’ll see within the next 60 days.

The Mt. Juliet Arby’s

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Who knew the Mt. Juliet Arby’s was the happening place on a Friday night? On my way to type up the church announcements I stopped by Arby’s for supper. There was quite a line around the drive through, so I decided to go in and get it to go. The line waiting at the counter was fairly long too. There were only 4 workers there with one register open. I soon realized it was going to be a while. After about 15 minutes I finally got my food.
You’ll notice the last 5 posts have been done at 12 midnight. Yep, I planned it that way. Yep, apparently I have no life.