Friday, fish, & fotos
I got pretty much nothing done at work today. I did help one faculty member with a course he wants to revise, but that’s about it. Pretty sad really.
After I got off work at 12:30, I went to Tasty Kitchen, a Chinese place on Burney, to meet Tonja for lunch. We had a nice meal and talked about life and Disneyland. I had the salt and pepper fish. It was pretty good. I was impressed at how clean the restaurant was!
After that, I met with Vangie and Hallie to work on goals for the strategic plan. This was a very productive meeting! I think we are all energized by how well on track we seem to be at the parish these days. For those of us that stuck through the hard times, the reward is sweet!
This evening, I had a decision to make. Should I go to a belly dancing party and take photos of the lovely ladies dancing, or do I stay in to play on the computer and watch TV?
I went out and took photos.
Limitless & Liturgical Strategic Planning
So I found a new toy. Thanks to Paul Berger for introducing me to xtranormal.
I did some research on liturgical strategic planning and liturgy committees today. Got some good stuff. I’m thinking of asking Eloisa to join us as she has some organizational communication background. I may be pushing my luck though. I’ll have to think about it some more.
I saw Limitless tonight. It was pretty good. I loved the camera work and editing. There were moments when the camera was zooming down a street or down to street level from a height, and my brain was briefly tricked into feeling the movement. On Thursday nights, Brenden Theatres sells hot dogs and Polish dogs for $2 each. I had planned on getting a Polish Dog, but when I ordered one, it turned out they weren’t ready. So I got a hot dog. It was quite good, but I had been looking forward to that Polish dog. So I got one after the movie. It was yummy.
Let me explain. No wait, there is too much. Let me sum up.
I really didn’t want to get up this morning. I lay in bed for 15 minutes trying to figure out if I felt poorly enough to call in sick. Alas, I felt ok.
I did get a few of the catalogs distributed today. But I only had a couple of boxes of the bound variety so I didn’t get far. We did get in all of the loose-leaf boxes and I’m told we’ll have 16 boxes of bound catalogs within a few days. Apart from that, I got Tuesday’s agenda finished. So I was able to get a couple of things done today.
I skipped my walk today because it was rainy.
After work I went to pick up my new glasses. This make three pairs that I can keep scattered around town for my use.
I was hurrying to get home because I had signed up to do a new three-man instance in LOTRO. I met up with Theo and another player and we gave it a try. Several tries. But without a real healer, we didn’t do too well. 🙁
I think I’ll try to go to bed early tonight.
Catalogs and Council
We received the college catalogs late last week. It seems that this was an incredibly quick turn-around on our order! I went by Receiving to pick up a couple of boxes this morning. I printed out labels and have begun my distribution process. Yay! Something to do for a few days! 🙂
Pastoral Council meeting tonight. It went well. Among other things, we discussed our progress on the Strategic Plan. We’ve decided to break into smaller groups to develop tasks for each of the goals. I am leading up the group working on the liturgy goal. I’ve asked Jim, Oscar, & Deacon Jose to join me. I will also ask Mercedes even though she’s not on the council.
Afterwards, Steve, Fr. Ramon, Vangie, and I went to Perkos.
I am really enjoying the feeling of progress I have right now. It just feels like St. Stans is really getting back on good footing. And this golden age will be more stable than the last one. Bet on that.
What to sing?!?!?
Last Friday, my friend Steve asked me if I would play for a funeral this morning. I agreed and he told me that Fr. Bill McDonald would be the presider. He said that Fr. McDonald would call me that afternoon to talk about what was what. So, later that day, I did receive a call and was told that there was already someone scheduled to do the music but could I provide some praise & worship after communion? I told him that p&w really wasn’t my strength, but I’d be glad to give it a go.
I agonized for two days about what songs to do. The one request was that I do a Holy Spirit song like Spirit of the Living God. Ok, that would work, but what else? I thought I’d do a medley of Spirit of the Living God, I Want to Praise You Lord, and the chorus of Awesome God. Cool.
So I find these songs on the interwebs and I practice singing/playing through them. Wow. I could not seem to sing in the same key I was playing in. I was horrible. Finally, I decided to change plans. I opted instead to sing Holy and Anointed One, I Lift My Eyes Up, and Spirit of the Living God. Total improvement! These songs flowed much better and I could find the correct key!! Feeling much more at ease about the whole thing, I went to bed.
Then this morning, when I was double checking with the priest, we cut my part down to just two songs. Cool! At the reception that followed the funeral, several people told me how much they missed me singing for Mass. I tell you, that was really nice to hear. 🙂
Topic #76
What’s your favorite number and why?
I have several numbers of which I am quite fond. Here are three of them.
- 2 – I like this number because it is the only even prime number.
- 42 – From the Douglas Adams books. The answer to life, the universe, and everything. But to understand the answer, you need to have the right question.
- 24601 – Jean Valjean’s prisoner number. From Les Miserables.
Honorable mentions include: (as a group) 4 8 15 16 23 42, from LOST. pi (who doesn’t like pie?). 1, because it is its own multiple. And I was going to say i, but I was just imagining it.
Just about the most boring day ever
Super lazy day today. I wish I were more inspired to do stuff. 🙁
- Played some LOTRO. Did some book work with Aluatis.
- Watched a lot of stuff. Episodes of Castle, Robin Hood, 30 Rock, Lie To Me, Smallville, and the movie Pandorum. Pandorum was interesting. I have questions about what the members of the ship were experiencing for the entire movie. I feel there are some unresolved plot points.
- Called and talked with my dad.
- Researched stuff to do in Portland. The more I look into making the trip, the more excited I’m getting.
- Did not go shoot photos of Nicole for her website.
- Cooked up chicken and pasta.
My beard is starting to get on my nerves. It will be a relief to shave it off.
It’s expected to be rainy and blustery all week. I hear frequent creaking coming from the vicinity of the roof.
Reenforcing a ‘thinking only of myself/my needs’ attitude
Watched a two-hour episode of The Event tonight. It was the first episode of the spring; the series having resumed after the winter hiatus. On the whole, meh. I’m not real excited about this series. But I’m not real excited about any television right now. Which is odd.
Anyway, during this episode a familiar, well-worn trope was used. A man was forced to facilitate a break-in of a government facility or else his family would be killed. He chose to help the bad guys and in the process, many, many people were killed. Call me a cold-hearted bastard, but I really take issue with the lack of moral fibre I see on display. It’s true that I have never been in such a situation, but what right would I have to decide that these people should possibly get killed so that I can save people whom I care more about? Either way, someone is going to get killed. I can choose to actively participate in that or not.
Frankly, I feel the same way about bumping rights at work. I believe it is morally wrong for me to be allowed to decide that it is more important that I get someone’s job than it is for him to keep it. Let me explain. If I have more seniority than my coworker and I have once upon a time worked in a position that has the same title/classification, if my position in my department is downsized, I can lay claim to my coworkers job and they are out of luck. Of course, they can dump on someone else less senior. It all rolls downhill, right? Gah! I have a real problem with this.
There was a story that I remember from elementary school about a new chick that was placed in the coop. He learned the first day that all the other chicks would painfully peck the less senior chicks. So #1 would peck #2, #2 would peck #3, and so on down the line until it got to our hero. Well, this chick thought that wasn’t right and resolved not to continue the practice. And sure enough, when newer chicks were introduced and all the older chicks would do their pecking thing, our hero wouldn’t pass it on. And eventually, when our hero was the most senior chick, nobody pecked anybody.
I must really have taken that particular lesson to heart, because I think this pecking bumping order thing sucks. Calling it a right doesn’t make it right. I will not do it.
One wild and crazy night
Saw Rango tonight.
Movie was… ok. Some amusing moments, nothing laugh out loud. The dialogue was definately for adults. The animation was amazing! Especially the textures. I won’t be long before I won’t be able to tell if it’s animated or live. Johnny Depp seems so much more believable as a human being when he’s animated.
Before the movie, I went to Hero’s for a Happy Hour Pizza. That and two green beers cost me $9.42. I gave the waitress a twenty and planned to leave a 2 dollar tip. Well, she brought back my change and it was only $10. Where the hell was my $.58? How annoying. So I left her $1.42. Next time I go in, I will complain.
Topic #73
Topic #73:
Grab the nearest book (or website) to you right now. Jump to paragraph 3, second Sentence. Write it in a post.
Bonus: Make up a sentence to follow the first one, but make it go in an entirely different direction that the actual book or website does.
I sat alone in the apartment and drew the conclusion that the world would be a much better place if I were not here. My point of view would shift radically in the days and weeks to follow, for at that very moment, the long anticipated zombie apocalypse began.
